Fever 1793

by Laurie Halse Anderson
published: Simon and Schuster, 2000
pages: 272

Mattie Cook was focused on one thing when the rumor of the fever hit: growing her family's business.  The coffee shop was situated far from the docks and the mosquitos, the seeming source of the fever. Only dock workers and others close to the docks became infected. But when the death count begins to rise and the fever spreads, people begin to evacuate Philadelphia. Mattie and her family have to make a decision to flee or to stay and take their chances. With their choice, they begin a new fight - one for their survival.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is that the story was centered on an event that actually occurred in history.  Even though most of the characters are fictional, some of them were real people trying to survive in a real yellow fever epidemic.  I find it fascinating how the world of fiction and reality collide so well in this story.

It took me a while to get into the plot of the book. I was not completely engaged until about a hundred pages into the book, which I think is quite a bit of the story for a 272 page book. I held on because I love Laurie Halse Anderson as an author and I have always enjoyed her books. That and it's a prize winning book which made me think there was something to the story that I hadn't figured out yet.

I was not drawn to the characters in this book very much, but I did really enjoy Grandfather. I thought he had the right mix of wisdom and spunk that kept Mattie going when she could have very easily given up on her journey.  I think she saw the spunk in her grandfather which allowed her stubbornness work to her advantage in parts of the book. When everything felt lost, she was able to keep going.  While I admire that, I didn't connect with her on a personal level.

The story was intriguing and I am glad I read this book, but I definitely liked some of Laurie Halse Anderson's other books better.

Stars: 3/5

Praise:

"The plot rages like the epidemic itself."
     --The New York Times Book Review

"Readers will be drawn in by the characters and will emerge with a sharp and graphic picture of another world."
     --School Library Journal

"A gripping story about living morally under the shadow of rampant death."
     --The New York Times Book Review

"A vivid work, rich with well-drawn characters."
     --VOYA

Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 Releases

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I haven't really been looking into releases for 2014.  I've spent so much time "catching up" this year, actually, it feels like a constant uphill battle of  "catching up".  There are only four books that I am aware of that I am genuinely excited about.  I mean, there are other books that I will probably read and probably like, but I haven't read the books before it or even the first in the series, so I don't want to put them on this list.  That kind of feels like cheating.

1. Cress by Marissa Meyer - This is probably one of the books that I am looking forward to most.  I cannot wait to find out what happens next in Lunar Chronicles.

2. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - I am ready for another feel good love story with incredibly frustrating circumstances.

3. The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith -  The more I think about Jennifer E. Smith, the more I realize that I enjoy her books.

4. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs - I am very intrigued by this sequel, although I'm going to have to reread the book to remember everything that happened.

Top Ten Tuesday: Recommendations to my little sisters

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

A-hem.  Grace and Gabby, I'm talking to you.
I know you have probably read a handful of these, but if it's on here that means that one of you hasn't read it.  I just hope you guys enjoy this list.

1. The Giver by loius Lowery

2. Ender's Game by Orsen Scott Card

3. Legend by Marie Lu

4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer 

5. Perks of Being a Walflower by Stephen Chbosky
6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
7. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
8. The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller
9. Anna and the French Kiss/Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
10. The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty
11. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
12. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
13. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
14. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
15. Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge

Notable Quotable: Markus Zusak (#23.5)

"A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship."
     --The Book Thief

Top Ten Tuesday: Covers I wish I could redesign

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. & 2. Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - I know the covers have been redesigned, but the first ones were the worst.  They are corny and cheesy but not in a good way.  

3. & 4. The Name of The Star and The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson. - I'm not a huge fan of these covers. The redesign with the ghost-like lettering is much better than the first try, but I would like to try my hand at designing those covers. 

These are the covers that have recently stood out to me, but seriously I would probably make the worst cover designer, unless you really like the word covers. That would probably be the most of my designs, words.

Top Ten Tuesday: Sequels I can't wait for!

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I've read quite a few sequels in the last couple months, but there are still so many that I can't wait to read! Yeah, I realize that most of these are already published, but it's my top ten.  

1. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor 

2. Champion by Marie Lu - I cannot wait for this book, I need to know what happens in the end!

3. & 4. Insurgent by Veronica Roth (and Allegiant) - With all the hype about Allegiant, I can't help but be excited about the last two books in this trilogy.

5. Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss - I really enjoyed this story and the world that it is set in, I want to dive into it again.

6. This is What Happy Looks Like by Jeniffer E. Smith - This isn't technically a sequel, but I'm looking forward to reading it.

7. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - After the plot twist at the end of City of Bones, I'm willing to give the series another chance only because I'm holding out some hope that it was false.

8. Rebel Angels by Libba Bray - I really liked the story in the first book, and I am very interested to see what happens next to those girls.

9. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins - I'll be the first to admit it, I am a sucker for Stephanie Perkins books.  I can't help it.  I read them instead of sleeping, so yeah, I'm excited about this one.

10. Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Maragret Stohl  - I think I may have fallen in love a little bit with Ethan, so I'm ready to see what's in store next for those two.  

NaNoWriMo

Hello everyone, this is a little note explaining to you why this blog will be more bare than usual in the Month of November.  That's right I am doing NaNoWriMo, which if you don't know stands for Nation Novel Writing Month.

NaNoWriMo is a challenge/program that people all over the world do in the month of November.  The challenge is to write 50,000 words this month.  It is a difficult task, but I have done it before and I will do it once again this year.

That being said, I will be writing in most of my free time, which means I won't be reading much.  I will do my best to keep posting on this blog, but the posts will most likely not be in the form of a book review.
Never fear! In December, I will be right back on schedule posting book reviews and other things.

Anyway, if I don't see you soon, I'll see you in December!
Cheers.