The Big Over Easy

by Jasper Fforde
published: Viking, 2005
pages: 383

Humpty Dumpty has died and it's up to Inspector Jack Spratt and his new partner Mary Mary to figure out if his death was accidental, suicide, or murder.  However, things get a little more difficult when the hero of the police world, Inspector Chymes decides he wants the case.  Spratt has to work creatively to make sure the case stays in his hands.

This book is absolutely ridiculous.  It's references to nursery rhymes and childhood characters are absolutely absurd.  I was so completely entertained by this idea, I kept waiting to see who would show up in the story next.  Mary Mary and Jack Spratt are beautiful main characters that complement each other well.  The idea that these nursery characters could be involved in crime in the aptly named town of Reading is incredibly entertaining.

One of the things I find most entertaining about this book is that these nursery rhyme characters exist in a world side by side with normal humans and aliens that they have beckoned to Earth.  The catch is that the nursery characters don't know that they are nursery characters.  They believe that they are normal humans like everyone else.  So there's this deja vu type feeling they get when they begin to live out their story.  It's hysterical.

After the initial enjoyment of the nursery rhymes turned crimes, it was a bit slow and Mary Mary was more than just a bit annoying.  She was everything a naive newcomer to the crime scene in Reading would expect to be.  She took bait, she blindly followed without questioning, she was as one might say "quite contrary" to everything.   I got seriously annoying with her, but at some point in the novel she had some character growth.  Yay!

Plot takes many many twists and turns as seems only natural for the Nursery Crimes Division and just when you think you know who committed the crime, guess again, the story spirals in a different direction.  This story is entertaining, engaging and all around fun. I don't know why someone hasn't done this before. I will be reading more Jasper Fforde in the future.

Stars: 4/5

Praise:

"[Jasper Fforde] knows a thing or two about leaping into new worlds...it's hard not to see what all the enthusiasm is about."
     --Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"A wonderfully readable riot... [A] cleverly plotted, magically overstuffed yet amazingly digestible book... This summer's perfect beach read for eggheads."
     --The Wall Street Journal

"As if the Marx brothers were let loose in the children's section of a strange bookstore."
     --USA Today

Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls

by David Sedaris
published: Little Brown and Company, 2013
pages: 275

David Sedaris writes about his life in narratives from childhood into adulthood.  He explores his life and what it means to be a part of a family, to love and be loved in return.  Also, owls.

Most of these stories are his, however, there are a couple that he has written from someone else's point of view.  It's rather confusing because I sometimes couldn't tell which ones were his stories and which ones he was making up.  He did warn us at the beginning of the book, but I kind of wish he hadn't included those stories.

There is a great deal of humor in this book, some that I even appreciate, but it was much darker than I anticipated it.  I had people tell me that Sedaris books are great and that I should read them.  Maybe I just chose the wrong Sedaris book.

Some of the narratives in this book are insanely interesting, if not a little morbid.  I enjoyed reading the one about the Kookaburra and the one about the passport was interesting too.  However, I found myself skimming stories near the end of the book because I just wanted to be done reading.

There is no denying this book is well written.  It's vivid, entertaining and the humor is evident.  However, I just did not get into this book as much as I wanted to.  It's not to say that someone else shouldn't read it.  I would gladly recommend this book to someone who has similar humor to David Sedaris writing style, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Stars: 2/5

Praise:

"Wickedly deadpan prose.... Even the most mundane experience is described through the skewed prism of Sedaris's unusual sensibility."
     ---Sarah Lyall, New York Times

"Sedaris is still the funniest guy around, hilarious enough to make you want to call your friends, book in hand, and read pieces out loud."
     --Juliana Barbassa, Associated Press

"Sedaris ain't the preeminent humorist of his generation by accident, and his reluctant charm and talent for observing every inch of the human condition remain intact."
     --Whitney Pastorek, Entertainment Weekly

Please Ignore Vera Dietz

by A.S. King
published: Ember, 2012 (first published 2010)
pages: 326

Vera spent most of her life keeping her best friend, Charlie's secrets, even after he betrayed her.  Even after he ruined everything.  So when Charlie dies under mysterious circumstances, will she continue to hold the secrets that might just help clear his name?  Does she even want to?

This is my first experience with A. S. King, despite the entire internet yelling that all of these books should be read.  I'm not going to lie, I couldn't put it down and when I had to all I did was think about the book.  I had this incredible desire for everything to turn out alright, but as we know from the first page or so, nothing turns out alright.  I wanted to hate this book because it wasn't what I expected it to be, but I can't.  I can't and here's why:

The story telling is amazing.  I loved the short chapters from different points of view.  The story is mostly told from Vera's POV, but we get snippets from other characters and inanimate objects, which are hilarious.  There's also a POV that is all knowing, but doesn't quite understand how to explain everything to Vera, mostly because he's dead and he can't talk to her in the conventional way.

The short chapters are great because you get more of each character glimpses at a time.  They bounce around from present to history to explain relationships and reasons why Vera is mad or wants to be considered invisible.  It great storytelling really.  I was hooked by this book.

The characters in this book felt real, like I was reading something that actually took place.  Everything seemed gritty and raw from the way characters interacted to the way they made choices and the parentage that the characters tried to deny.  I was incredibly frustrated with choices that characters made, the same way I would have been frustrated if my friends would have made these choices.

There's a reason this book was awarded the Printz Honor.  I cannot wait to read more of A.S. King's books.  In fact, Everybody Sees the Ants is on my shelf right now waiting to be read.

Stars: 5/5

Praise:

"A harrowing but ultimately redemptive tale of adolescent angst gone awry."
     --Kirkus Reviews, starred

"Deeply suspenseful and profoundly human."
     --Publishers Weekly, starred

"Vera's struggle to put Charlie and his besmirched name behind her is at the crux of this whitty, thought-provoking novel, but nothing compares to the gorgeous unfurling of Vera's relationship with her father... [A]n arresting tale."
     --Booklist, starred

Silver Linings Playbook

by Matthew Quick
published: Sarah Crichton, 2008
pages: 289

Pat Peeples believes that life is actually a movie produced and directed by God and when bad things happen to him, he knows that God is punishing him.  However, silver linings are what he lives for and the silver lining to his life is that God will provide Pat's happy ending and all he needs to do is get physically fit and emotionally literate so that his wife, Nikki, will love him again.  Now after several years in a mental facility, he has returned home to his parents and begins to build his life once more, but is he ready for the stress and is involved the real world.

This story tracks Pat who has a pretty serious mental illness, which includes amnesia of the incident that required him to go to "the bad place".  There is quite a lot of insight into the mind of someone who has a mental illness because we see everything from Pat's point of view.  He's got a fixation with Nikki and making himself better for her.  Pat's way of thinking is skewed, which makes for a very interesting and unintentionally funny read.  At the beginning, it feels as though a 10-year-old boy is telling the story, but as we get to see more of Pat, there's an understanding of how he thinks about and copes with the world.

The relationships between the characters in this novel are key to understand them.   Each character in this book tells their own story, we see them from Pat's point of view.  He tends to categorize people by their marriages and how he perceives them.  For instance, Ronnie and Veronica's marriage seems to be okay, except for the fact that Veronica controls Ronnie all the time.   And his parents have a dysfunctional relationship, but he sees everything because he lives with them.  Pat's entire goal in life is to be a better husband, so he looks at the marriages around him for examples of how to or how not to act.   He works hard at being kind, not right and he's practicing on the people in his life so when "apart time" ends he will be an expert for Nikki.

There is a chapter in this book called "My Movie Montage" and it's quite possibly my favorite chapter of the entire book.  As the title suggests, it's a movie montage but in written form: enough said.

Matthew Quick proves again to be an excellent story teller, crafting intriguing characters and following them on a journey of self-discovery.  I am eager read more his work in the future.

Stars: 5/5

Praise:

"Matthew Quick has created quite the heartbreaker of a novel in The Silver Linings Playbook."
      --Kirkus Review

"You don't have to be a Philadelphia Eagles' fan to appreciate talented newcomer Matthew Quick's page-turning paean to the power of hope over experience - the belief that this will all work out somehow, despite the long odds that life deals us.  Tender, soulful, hilarious, and true, The Silver Linings Playbook is a wonderful debut."
     --Justin Cronin, PEN/Hemingway Award-winning author of Mary and O'Neil

Eclectic Reader Challenge 2014 book.

The Blood of Olympus

by Rick Riordan
published: Disney-Hyperion Books, 2014
pages: 516

Gaea will rise unless the Greek and Roman demigods work together to stop her and the Giants.  As Nico and Reyna take the Athena Parthenos back to Camp Half-blood, Jason, Percy and the rest of the crew make their way toward Athens on the Argo II.  Both groups must complete their mission if they wish to stop Gaea from destroying the world.  Will they be able to unite the camps of demigods or will the obstacles prove too great for these heroes of Olympus.

As with all stories, this one had to come to an end.  Honestly, I wasn't getting my hopes up because lots of endings have let me down recently.  But, I needed to know what happened to my favorite demigods and if all hell broke loose.  This also happened to be the first Olympus book I had to wait for and it was an extremely long wait!  After having the entire series back to back, I knew it would be irritating, but I did not expect to like this series as much as I did.

There were plenty of voices to finish telling this story, which can be difficult if each voice isn't distinct enough to tell the difference between them.  In this book, each character's voice was unique and defined.  I loved seeing the story play out through everyone's eyes because each demigod saw things slightly different.  It allowed for characters to have moments with each other without having the entire crew present, which was crucial since there are nine or so main characters.  Even though each character didn't get even page time, I'm okay with that.  This is possibly my favorite part of these books, the storytelling from all the different points of view.

My biggest annoyance with this story is the climax seemed to be over too soon, like the entire series was building up to this potential fight with Gaea and then it was done.  I won't say much more because of spoilers, but I wished there had been more here.

Rick Riordan seems to be the master of greek and roman god storytelling.  I fell in love with the characters from the first Percy Jackson book and read steadily until the very end.  These characters will always have a spot in my heart. Well done Mr. Riordan, well done.

Stars: 4/5

Praise:

Every Day

by David Levithan
published: Knopf, 2012
pages: 322

A wakes up everyday in a different body and lives their life for a day and then goes to bed.  That's how he's lived life and he's come to terms with it.  Until one day A wakes up in a body and Rhiannon.  After that, all the rules he's lived his life by change.   A makes decision to find a way to be with her every day for the rest of his life, but it's not as easy as he hopes.

The concept is incredibly unique and unlike anything I'd ever heard of.  The idea of this book is great. I loved thinking about the possibilities of someone jumping from body to body each day, dealing with whatever comes their way.  It's a cool concept but it's also slightly unnerving.  A's been hopping around since as long as he can remember, what an isolated and lonely life to live.

One thing I particularly liked about A was that while he inhabited each body, he tried to keep their life on path, for the most part.  A didn't go around doing whatever he wanted, he generally lived their lives the way the would have, and in some cases may have made decisions that they wouldn't have made themselves, to help.  A could have been the kind of person to take advantage of the day to day life, but he isn't.  (Although, he forgets for a while.)

I found myself being very frustrated with several of the characters because of their indecision and their judgement.  I did not like the obsessive nature in which A goes about figuring out how far he is from Rhiannon every day and whether or not it would cause too much a problem to see her.  I wanted everything to work out, but at the same time it was unsettling to think that A essentially used other people for his own purposes, something that before Rhiannon he tried very hard not to do.  There's no way around it because doesn't have his own body, but it's weird.  Unless A found a way to stay, he and Rhiannon would never figure it out.

However, I loved the ending of this book.  It was very poetic, apropos, in the true to the storytelling of David Levithan. A story like this needed a good ending and Levithan gave it one.

Stars: 3/5

Praise:

"Fresh, unique, funny and achingly honest...I didn't just read this book-I inhaled it."
     --Jodi Picoult

"Levithan's self-conscious, analytical style marries perfectly with the plot.  His musings on love, longing and human nature knit seamlessly with A's journey....An awe-inspiring, thought-provoking reminder that love reachers beyond physical appearances or gender."
     --Kirkus Reviews

"An irrisistible premise...Those familiar with Levithan's earlier work will not be a bit surprised to learn that his latest is beautifully written...a study in style, an exercise in imagination, and an opportunity for readers themselves to occupy another life, that of A himself."
     --Booklist

The Death Cure

by James Dashner
published: Delacorte Press, 2011
pages: 325

In this last installment, Thomas and the other survivors are fed up with WICKED and it's games.  It has taken everything from them, their life, memories and friends.  Thomas, Minho and Newt decide to take a stand and when they do whatever is necessary to beat WICKED once and for all, the danger gets worse.  They trust no one but themselves.  The time for lies is over.  The time for answers is now.

I oscillated between loving this book and hating this book.  Sometimes I wanted it to go on forever and other times I just wanted it to end.  There were quite a few moments during this book where I just wanted to put it down and wash my hands of this trilogy.  I wanted alternate endings, a plot twist that revealed all the characters from the three book alive and well.  However, my requests were not granted which left me with a heart full of feelings.

It was very easy to get attached to the characters in the series and I loved learning more about them as I read the books.  All of the characters to some degree are relatable, maybe not as a whole but there was an aspect in each character that help me understand where they were coming from.  That's one of the best thing about these books and in particular The Death Cure.  I wanted everyone to win. Even part of me wanted the bad guys to win, not because they deserved to win but because their goals ultimately were for the greater good of humanity, they just happened to be going about it the wrong way.

The humanity in this book breaks characters, but moves the story along quite nicely.  I wasn't sure how this book would end and I wasn't really sure I would like how it ended.  When the ending came, it left me grieving for those we'd lost along the way and hopeful for the future.

As is with any trilogy these days, it's hard to end on a satisfying note.  James Dashner pulled this trilogy off nicely and gave hope for the future of his characters.  I look forward to reading anything her writes in the future.

[Edit: I hear that he's writing a prequel to this trilogy!]

4/5 Stars

Praise:

"Wonderful action writing-- fast-paced...but smart and well observed."
     --Newsday

"Heart pounding to the very last moment."
     --Kirkus Reviews

"Breathlesss, cinematic action."
     --Publishers Weekly

The Summer We Read Gatsby

by Danielle Ganek
published: Viking, 2010
pages: 304

When Aunt Lydia dies and leaves her beautiful old house in the Hamptons to her two nieces, they must decide what to do with the house.  These women have nothing in common other than a shared father; Cassie grew up traveling in Europe and Peck grew up in New York.  Now, their Aunt is forcing them to spend time together in the place where they shared their summers growing up.

This book was entertaining and engaging but the writing itself felt very immature.  The women in this book are in their late 20s, early 30s but the writing felt more they were much younger than that or much older.  Either way they are traipsing around as if they have nothing more to do than talk trash about people and spending money they don't have.  The biggest plot twist in this book should have been common sense.  I definitely saw it coming and I thought it was crazy that they didn't suggest it to begin with.

The characters personalities were entertaining, especially, Peck. Her ostentatious personality and over the top certainty was quite annoying but slowly became endearing through out the story.  I found myself enjoying her less than witty banter and her dedication to her friends and family.  However, my favorite character Hamilton.  

Danielle Ganek had plenty of potential with this book, but it just didn't translate well as I wished it would.  The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books and I love the idea of using the book as a center piece but the parallels just weren't my cup of tea.

Stars: 2/5

Praise:

"What a charming book!  Danielle Ganek's The Summer We Read Gatsby is a fully engrossing page turner filled with delightful characters and sumptuous details about one perfect July in the Hamptons.  Like summer itself, this bewitching novel will leave you half in love and yearning for more."
     --Elin Hilderbrand, author of Barefoot

"Even though many of the novel's revelations can be seen a mile away, getting there is a fun, witty, and surprisingly moving trip."
     --Publisher's Weekly

An Eclectic Reader 2014 Challenge book. 

The Scorch Trials

by James Dashner
published: Delacorte Press, 2010
pages: 360

Now that they've made it out of the Maze, Thomas and the rest of the Gladers have to travel across the Scorch without the aid of WICKED in two weeks.  There are no rules in the Scorch only people that want them dead.  Will they survive and make it to the safe zone in their allotted time or suffer the in the unbearable heat and danger of the Scorch?

The predictability of this books was split; there were definitely some parts that I saw coming, but there were so many more that just blindsided me.  It was incredible to read and truly have no idea what would happen next.  Some questions were answered but all of those answers led to even more questions.  This book is a maze of information, misinformation and plot twists.  It definitely kept me reading!

There did seem to be quite a bit of sleeping and passing out, which is good for showing the passage of time, but it also was slightly annoying.  I'm not sure Thomas needed to pass out so much to further this book along.  The book as a whole is quite fast paced, there's a lot going on, but then those moments of sleep and passing out alter the pace significantly.  It slows it down in an awkward way and then abruptly picks back up where it left off.

This book continues to dive into the characters, stretching and growing them.  Minho, Newt and Thomas excel into their leadership roles, each relying on their on strength as much as each others strengths which builds the bond between them.  Along with the old familiar characters, several new intriguing ones introduced.  Not sure, where their loyalties lie, Thomas and the others skirt around them as much as possible until they are forced to interact.  Trust is a huge issue in this book, which is only natural but who each person decides to trust offers insight to the characters.  I wondered if the guys would trust anyone but themselves, given their circumstances, but you'll be amazed with their decisions.

This series is going to be the death of me.  As soon as I'm done with this review, I am going to pick up The Death Cure.  Well done, James Dashner, I am completely and utterly under this series' spell.

Stars: 4/5

Praise:

"Wonderful action writing--fast-paced...but smart and well observed."
     --Newsday

"Breathless, cinematic action."
     --Publishers Weekly

"Heart-pounding to the very last moment."
     --Kirkus Reviews

"Take a deep breath before you start any James Dashner book."
     --Deseret News

Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott
published: Scholastic, 1995 (Originally 1869)
pages: 562

Life for the March women isn't splendid and frivolous like those that possess great fortune.  Their father is off at war and they must work to keep food on the table and their lives comfortable.  Most of the time they don't mind this, but there are moments when they wish their lives easier.  Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy must navigate growing up with grace and elegance in an ever changing world where hardships and heartaches await them.  Their story is one of love and friendship between four sisters.

The reader watches as four sisters grow up together, experience joy and sorrow together, and ultimately find comfort and happiness together.  This truly is a coming of age story, but not just for one character.  The reader gets to enjoy an entire cast of characters growing and learning and coming into their own.  Meg, the sweet motherly oldest sister, Jo, the wild worldly tomboy, Beth, the kind compassionate angel, and Amy, the young bold socialite.  Each girl's personality incredibly different but complementary to their siblings.  Of course, you must not forget Laurie the boy next door and Jo's best friend.  There are quite a few characters to love in this story and few to really dislike, but each significant in their own way.

This story may be lovely but it is long.  There were points in the story that I skimmed a bit because the pacing was incredibly slow.  I was anxious to learn more about Jo and less concerned about Amy at times and Meg sort of disappeared at a certain point in the story.  Beth is all around one of my favorite characters, loyal and true to whom she loves and cares for.  One of my favorite examples of Beth's character is the little invalid doll she nurses throughout her story.  She feeds and cares for her and takes her on walks; the tender thoughts she has for a doll carries over into her interactions with the other characters and make her beloved.

This story captured my heart, it is no wonder that people are still reading this book almost 150 years later.

Stars: 3/5

Son

by Lois Lowry
Published:
Pages: 393

Claire was just doing her job.  She was a Vessel; she carried the Product at age fourteen.  She didn't know that she'd become attached, that she would love and long for her son once he was born.  When they took him away, it became her mission to find him.  She came from a community where she was supposed to forget him, but that was impossible.  Claire will stop at nothing to find her child, even if it means sacrificing what she holds dear.

This book is the answer to the rest of the sort of connected series.  It brings back old, well loved characters from the other books and gives you new exciting and lovable one to attach yourselves to.  I found myself smiling every time one of my old favorites came back into this story.  It was as if I were a proud parent watching them grow and prosper.  Baby Gabe has reached his teenaged years and become a genuine young man.

Claire is one of Lois Lowry's strongest characters in this series.  Each of the characters have a driving force that propels them, but Claire's is one that kept me reading late into the night.  I couldn't put this book down.  In fact, when the book was over, I wanted more.  I wanted to see character interactions when everything was said and done.  That being said, I love how it ended.  I love that it wasn't quite an ending but it felt finite.  Even though we see an ending, it is clear that the story is just beginning for some of the characters. 

Lois Lowry took her time creating this world and these characters and this was definitely the conclusion I wished for these much loved characters.  I give Lowry a grand well done.

Stars 4/5

Praise:

"Son is a tender conclusion to this memorable story, and definitely the best of the books in this sequence since The Giver itself."
     -- School Library Journal

"Written with powerful, moiving simplicity, Claire's story stands on its own, but as the final volume in this iconic quartet, it holistically reunites characters, reprises provocative socio-political themes, and offers a transcending message of tolerance and hope."
     --Kirkus Review

"Lowry is one of those rare writers who can craft stories as meaningful as they are enticing."
     --Booklist, stared review

Gone Girl

by Gillian Flynn
Published: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2012
Pages: 395

Nick Dunne has good life, but on the morning of their five year anniversary his clever and beautiful wife, Amy, disappears leaving chaos in her wake.  The search is on and Nick isn't doing himself any favors with his cringe-worthy performance for the press.  Amy is gone leaving Nick to wade through a series of lies and deceit to find out what really happen, and the question everyone is asking: did Nick kill Amy?

This book is a whirl-wind of mystery and plot twists and 'didn't-see-that-coming's.  I'm fairly decent at figuring out a some of the mystery in books before it's revealed, but this book caught me by surprise every single time.  I was thrown for a loop every time the characters revealed different aspects of themselves to the reader.

There is some incredible characterization in this book.  Gillian Flynn is excellent at revealing different aspects of her characters in the most intriguing ways; she can paint people innocent and then in one sentence break every conception reveal their innermost despicable qualities.  This is one of the reasons it is hard to choose a side in this story, it's hard to decide who is in the wrong.   This book will make you think hard about the people you know.

The story is told in dual point of view, Nick Dunne and his wife, Amy Elliot Dunne.  Nick's POV is told in real time and Amy's is in the form of journal entries.  I thought this was a really intriguing way to tell a story, it definitely gives us two very different perspectives of the situation at hand.  I really enjoyed tension that was added because of the differing POVs and the contradictions that happen because of it.  It definitely added to the suspenseful nature of this novel.

Gillian Flynn has crafted an excellent thriller that made me paranoid for a good couple of weeks after I finished the novel.  She questions the human condition and the plausibility for hiding true colors in your own home, from the people who know you the best.  I will be looking forward to the movie adaptation; I cannot wait to see how this novel turns out on the big screen.

4/5 Stars

Praise:

"Ms. Flynn writes dark suspense novel that anatomize violence without splashing barrels of blood around the pages... But as in her other books, Ms. Flynn has much more up her sleeve than a simple missing-person case.  As Nick and Amy's alternately tell their stories, marriage has never looked so menacing, narrators so unreliable."
     --Wall Street Journal

"Readers who prefer more virulent strains of unreality will appreciate the sneaky mind games of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, a thriller rooted in the portrait of a tricky and troubled marriage."
     --New York Times

"A perfect wife's disappearance plunges her husband into a nightmare as it rips open ugly secrets about his marriage and, just maybe, his culpability in her death... One of those rare thrillers whose revelations actually intensify its suspense instead of dissipating it.  The final pages are chilling."
     --Kirkus, starred review

The Maze Runner

by James Dashner
Published: Delacorte Press, 2009
Pages: 375

When Thomas wakes up, he knows two things: his name and the fact that he can't remember anything else.  Now he is forced to make a home with the boys he meets in a place called the Glade.  They were sent here just as he was, the only difference being that things started going weird when Thomas showed up.  Thomas joins the effort to get out of this weird world that some of the boys have called home for two years.  The only possible way out is through the maze, but he'll have to gain the trust of those in charge to even begin to help.  The problem with that is there are several boys who believe that Thomas is the problem and not the solution.

Thomas is a curious character from the beginning, he knows as much about himself as the reader does.  It's easy to empathize with him because his lack of knowledge and language of the Glade is the same as ours.  The reader learns right along with Thomas.  This is a great writing tactic.

The plot moves along steadily leaving mystery after mystery to uncover.  There is always a tidbit of new information that keeps me reading, keeps me wanting more.  I sped through this book at a spectacular rate.  I just couldn't get enough information.  The characters were interesting and the more we learned about them, the more we learned about their surroundings.

As is the nature of any book beginning a series, it's hard to create a story within itself that's not purely setting the stage for the rest of the books.  I think this book did a very decent job at this, but the last chunk of the book felt very much like it was just a segue to the next book in the series.  Don't get me wrong, I think it sets up for the next book very well, there just seemed to be a little bit too much set up and tease.  Not enough questions were answered before more questions were revealed. (I'm all about questions being answered.  It's hard to be patient.)

Despite my frustration with the ending of this book, will definitely be continuing on with the series and hopefully I'll get some answers to my questions!  And I'm incredibly interested to see how the movie adaptation differs from the book.

4/5 Stars

Praise:

"Dashner knows how to spin a tale and make the unbelievable realistic.  Hard to put down.  This is clearly just a first installment and it will leave readers dying to find out what comes next."
     --Kirkus Review

"A fast-paced narrative.... Dashner's suspenseful adventure will keep readers guessing until the very end."
     --Publisher's Weekly

"The tantalizing hints of a ravaged world outside makes for gripping reading."
     --Booklist

An Eclectic Reader 2014 book. 

Messenger

by Lois Lowry
published: Delacorte Press, 2006
pages: 169

Matty is growing up and the village he now calls home is in danger. He used to be able to come and go as he pleased through the Forest surrounding the village, but the Forest seems to be changing its mind as of late.  The villagers have been as well.  Matty notices and Seer, Matty's surrogate father,  is noticing too.  Seer warns Matty about these changes but it's up to Matty to figure out what exactly is happening and what he should do about it.

 Matty's role in this book is probably my favorite part of it.  I absolutely love this character and could argue that he might be my favorite character for the entire series.  His desire to help people has grown since we last saw him and it's very clear that he has change quite a bit.  Matty is still every bit mischievous and inquisitive as before, but now he has some wisdom and purpose to go with it.  He loves his role in the village as the messenger and the fact that the trees respect him.

There is a very strong political theme running throughout all of these books.  Seeing it so plainly took away part of the magic of the story.  I'm not a huge fan of blatant messages; I'd rather see something more subtle.  The concept of the Trademaster and his market is very intriguing, but the obvious vehicle for politics.  However, I do like the interactions between the Trademaster and the village people.  It's interesting to see what people are willing to do for what they want.

I loved that we finally get to see what happened to Jonas and Gabe.  It's no secret that they are alluded to in Gathering Blue, but it was nice to finally see them again as more active characters, to see what's become of them.  And there is still much more room to grow for both of them, but Gabe specifically.

Hopefully, Lois Lowry's final installment will answer any questions that this book didn't.  I look forward to reading it soon.


Stars: 4/5 

Praise:

"Lowry masterfully presents another thought-provoking, haunting tale in this third novel, a companion to The Giver and Gathering Blue."
     --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Lowry moves far beyong message, writing with a beautiful simplicity rooted in political fable, in warm domestic detail, and in a wild natural world, just on the edge of realism."
     --Booklist, ALA, starred review

"Told in simple, evocative prose, this companion to The Giver and Gathering Blue can stand on its own as a powerful tale of great beauty."
     -- Kirkus Review, starred

The Testing

by Joelle Charbonneau
published: Houghton Mifflin Books, 2013
pages: 336

Cia has dreamed of being chosen for the testing since she was a young child and now that she's graduating, her chance has finally come around.  Along with three others from her hometown, Cia travels to the capitol, Tuso City to begin testing.  What she doesn't know is just how dangerous and fatal the testing might become.  She has to decide who to trust, if anyone.  Her choices will dictate what happens not only to her but to others as well.  She must decide just what she is willing to do to pass the test. 

This book had the right amount of action and mystery that any dystopian novel should have.  However, it felt familiar to other books that are in the same genre.  Most notably, it felt very similar to The Hunger Games at times, which was sad because I really wanted this book to stand out on its own.  It definitely had the potential.  I did have fun trying to figure out where the cities were and which states they traveled through in the final section of the testing.

One aspect of the book I really enjoyed were the relationships formed between the characters.  Cia and a cast of intelligent, manipulative and cunning characters fight for twenty coveted spots in University.  This premise gives characters interesting motives and has me wondering about some motives that have not yet been revealed.  I especially like the Thomas/Cia and Michal/Cia relationship dynamics.  

This book takes the idea of getting into college to a whole new level.  The best of the best are the ones who go on to have important jobs in the government and roles in revitalizing the country.  The idea that the government is looking to restore the country using the best and the brightest is an idea that is unique to this series.

Joelle Charbonneau has begun a crazy journey with this first installment.  I cannot not wait to see how Cia and the others handle the fallout from the first book.

Stars: 4/5

Praise:

"The Testing is a chilling and devious dystopian thriller that all fans of The Hunger Games will simply devour.  Joelle Charbonneau writes with guts and nerve but also great compassion and heart.  Highly recommended."
     --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author of Rot & Ruin

"Trained  to rely on her wits, Cia must survive on her courage and trust her instincts, even when it means following her heart ever deeper into danger.  A surefire favorite for dystopian fans, The Testing crackles with suspense, passion and betrayal set against a scarred and brutal world."
     --Sophie Littlefield, author of Unforsaken

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

by Jesse Andrews
published: Amulet Books, 2012
pages: 295

Greg Gaines is a man of little talent but his most impressive one is his ability to slide through life unnoticed and carefree.  Except that he does care quite a bit about what everyone thinks, which is why he has his life down to a science until his mom throws a wrench into it.  After finding out Rachel is diagnosed with Leukemia, he feels obligated to rekindle a friendship with her.  Along with Earl, Greg's only real friend, he makes it his mission to cheer her up but this requires him to break his previously anonymous high school lifestyle.

The cover of this book is a major reason I picked up the book; it's so colorful and the puppet strings are a really cool feature.  It's not exactly the cover you'd expect from a book about cancer, which I think is why it's so enticing.

The book we read is one that is written by Greg and we are reminded several times that he is not a writer, he is a retired film maker which is why the book sucks.  There are sections that read like a script which I like quite a bit because it reveals bits of Greg that we can't see elsewhere.

My biggest issue with this book is that I didn't really care for Greg.  I thought him annoying and much too obnoxious.  With his desire to schmooze everybody and his confessions about how he feels toward Rachel and Earl.  I wanted to like this book more than I did but I just don't.  This book became a victim of the perils of the hype.

More than anything I enjoyed this book because it made me laugh.  It had me giggling next to strangers on an airplane.  The humor is quirky and despite itself insightful.  It's the kind of humor that I would not expect in a book that deals with such a heavy topic.  That's why it comes off so well, the humor combined with Greg and Earl.

Jesse Andrews definitely has a thing going with this book.  It might not be my cup of tea but I would definitely give any of his future books a chance.

Stars: 3/5

Praise:

"Compulsively readable, inevitably bawdy, and very funny."
     --Ron Koertge, author of Stoner & Spaz

"Believable and sympathetic... [Begging] comparisons to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, it stands on its own in inventiveness, humor and heart."
     --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This is one funny book... What's crazy is how moving it becomes in spite of itself."
     --Booklist, starred review

Gathering Blue

by Lois Lowry
published: Ember, 2006
pages: 240

Kira should have been taken to the fields and left to die when she was born, but her mother refused to let their village do that.  Now, Kira is left to fend for herself in a society that still believes that she doesn't belong. An almost magical talent with weaving keeps her alive as she struggles with responsibilities and truth.  She discovers things that will change her life forever.

There are some very interesting things about the society that Kira lives in and one of them is how they are named.  Each person starts off with a one syllable name and as they get older a syllable is added on to it.  It's a way that the society represents age and wisdom, which I find fascinating.  There is mention that not many people live to four syllable names so it makes me wonder when exactly syllables are added.

The characters are very interesting and distinct.  I became particularly attached the the young Matt who viewed Kira as an older sister and wanted her affection.  He is sly and cunning, deceiving to get his way when necessary.  He is a product of his circumstances but also has a pure heart, which is made obvious by what he does for Kira.

This book is seemingly unrelated to The Giver, which is the first in this series.  But there are small vague references that connect the two together.  It's fun looking for them and seeing familiar characters and places referenced.  I wondered how everything connected and at the end of this book I'm still left wondering.  At this point it feels more like a companion book rather that a sequel.

Lois Lowry's got something good in the works.  The themes of this book are very similar to those of The Giver.  She is distinctly trying to make readers aware of a very plausible future as a warning.  This world is both good and evil and Lowry's writing makes me want to continue to see which one wins out, if one does in the end.

Stars 3/5 stars

Praise:

"Lowry returns to the metaphorical future world of her Newbery-winning The Giver... Plenty of material for thought and discussion here, plus a touch of magic and a tantalizing hint about the previous book's famously ambiguous ending."
     --Kirkus Review

"Lowry is a master at creating worlds, both real and imagined, and this incarnation of our civilization some time in the future is one of her strongest creations."
     --Booklist, starred review

Thirteen Reasons Why

by Jay Asher
published: Razorbill, 2007
pages: 304

Trigger warning: suicide

Hannah Baker could have been anyone and she was that; she was just a person trying to survive high school with her life and reputation in tact.  Unfortunately, that was stripped from her in a series of seemingly unrelated and inconsequential events.  Now the thirteen people who helped her make her decision will hear her entire story and understand that their actions or inactions affect those around them.

This book is important.

This book was told in a way that is unlike anything I've read before.  Hannah speaks openly through a tape recorder to the people who have helped her unravel.  It gives the readers an insight and explains that every action has a reaction whether or not we see it.  There are consequences.

The message is powerful, moving, but it doesn't come off  preachy.   It makes people acutely aware of situations that they've experienced.  When I was reading this, I found myself thinking back to high school, wondering if I had blown off someone who just needed to talk, needed a friend.  I'm sure there was an instance, it happens to everyone right?

We meet Clay who very suddenly receives an unknown package which reveals to be a box of tapes, Hannah's tapes.  Reading this book, I felt like I was witnessing two people slowly coming undone, but in very different ways.  It is heartbreaking; I felt completely helpless reading this book as I imagine the receiptents of the tapes would feel the same.   Hannah might be unloading her story, and intentionally (in most cases) guilting the people who receive her tapes, but she is also giving them a chance to make it right.  Maybe not for her, but for other people who may feel the same way she did.  I think that's where the importance of this story lies, not with Hannah, but with Clay and the others and how they chooses to respond to the tapes.

Stars: 4/5

Praise:

"A brilliant and mesmerizing debut from a talented new author."
     --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"A stealthy hit with staying power...thrillerlike pacing."
     --The New York Times

"Thirteen Reasons Why is a mystery, eulogy, and ceremony.  Twenty or thirty times, I snapped the book shut when a sentence, an image, or line of dialogue was too beautiful and painful.  But I, afraid and curious, would always return to this amazing book.  I know, in the years to come, I will often return to this book.
     --Sherman Alexie, author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Never Let Me Go

by Kazuo Ishiguro
published: Vintage Books, 2005
pages: 288

Kathy, Ruth and Tommy grew up together in a prestigious boarding school called Hailsham where their guardians constantly reminded them that they were special.  It never occurred to them to question the rules or the mysterious behavior that some of the guardians showed.  Now Kathy looks back on their days together and begins to unravel the mystery of Ruth, Tommy and her special childhood and how that knowledge will shape the rest of their lives together.

This story stuck with me for days after I finished reading this book.  I find I still think about now, (it hasn't been all that long.)  I keep thinking about the characters, their lives and their whould'ves, could'ves, should'ves, knowing there really was no other way their story could go.  This is a story that will sit with you long after you've closed the book.  It'll make you wonder about the potential of humanity and the desperation of others.

The storytelling is hauntingly reminiscent and beautifully thought-provoking.  When Kathy speaks, it's as if we are having a conversation in which she is divulging her deepest secrets.  I may be a donor and she might be my carer.  There is a sadness in her storytelling that is evident while reading this book.  It's almost as if she's smiling through her sadness, like she's discussing her life unsentimentally.

Kazuo Ishirguro has been awarded for his writing in past books and I can see why.  He has a unique take on storytelling and the voices he shares with us.  I will most definitely be reading more of his work in the future.

4.5/5 Stars

Praise:

"A Gothic tour de force.... A tight, deftly controlled story.... Just as accomplished [as The Remains of the Day] and, in a very different way, just as melancholy and alarming."
     --The New York Times

"Elegiac, deceptively lovely....As always, Ishiguro pulls you under."
     --Newsweek

"Superbly unsettling, impeccably controlled...The Book's irresistible power come from Ishiguro's matchless ability to expose its dark heart in careful increments."
     --Entertainment Weekly

This is an Eclectic Reader 2014 Challenge Book!

Tempus

by Holly Lauren
published: Libertine Press, 2013
pages: 362

Chapel is a normal high school cheerleader, with normal high school friends.  Only no one knows that she used to get hallucinations and now that they're back she has to try even harder to keep them a secret.  When a mysterious boy, Zay, takes an interest in her, Chapel has to decide whether or not she enjoys his company and the adventure that comes with him.

The thing about this book is that it is quite mysterious.  It seems like it's just another teen romance, but then unexplained conversations and curious people start popping up and make me wonder.  It is very compelling.  It has the right combination of mystery and action.

Chapel is a captivating character.  In a genre where the female lead tends toward self-pity and wallowing, I love the fact that Chapel doesn't do either one.  She acknowledges the problems, especially her hallucinations, but she doesn't ever spend an exorbitant amount of time feeling sorry for herself.  She goes looking for answers, which is partly what makes Chapel a strong character.

Holly Lauren has crafted a story that has enchanted me thoroughly. I enjoyed reading this book and I think it would definitely fall into the fun summer read category.  I hope we get a sequel to this book because would love to read more about Chapel and her world.

Edit: I literally just found out that this has a sequel coming out in a couple months, so now I'm really excited to continue reading Chapel's story!

Stars: 4/5

Praise:

"I don't think I've ever read a book with such great, BELIEVABLE dialogue! ...I really did love Tempus, and I'm sure I'll wear out my tablet reading [it] over and over"
     --Echo Reed, InkBerry Book

"Tempus was an interesting, unique, unpredictable book.  The mix of paranormal and mystery, friendship and romance, and complex, likable characters gave Tempus the elements I most enjoy in a young adult book."
     --Kimberly Faye, Kimberly Faye Reads