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MINI-REVIEWS: Shades of Simon Gray, The Wander Year, Flawless

Posted by Anastasia on February 14, 2012 No Responses »

Feb 142012

026. Shades of Simon Gray by Joyce McDonald
Publication: Laurel Leaf (May 13, 2003), Paperback, 272pp / ISBN 0440228042
Genre: YA Fiction (magical realism?)

Read: February 4-5, 2012
Source: Bought (UBS)

Mini-Review

I tend to buy books based on whether I like the cover or not, which sometimes bites me in the butt. I bought Shades of Simon Gray because I liked the cover, and my butt was only a little bit bitten. Shades of Simon Gray reminds me of a Lois Duncan novel, only with a little less thriller and a little more “growing up and finding out what sort of person you are.” With some magical realism/time travel/ghost things thrown in. I liked that the characters all had different reactions to the events in the book– some of them decided to do the right thing, to take responsibility for the bad thing(s) they’ve done (without actually telling anyone they were the ones who did the bad thing(s)) and to try to make up for it, while others thought they hadn’t done anything wrong at all. It was a nice spectrum of realistic reactions and personalities and whatever, and I liked it. The added touch of spooky atmosphere, weird biblical plagues, and ghosts just made reading it even more fun.

A book with similar themes (minus the magical realism) would be Nothing But the Truth by Avi, if that helps any. Continue reading »

REVIEW: Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

Posted by Anastasia on January 31, 2012 3 Responses »

Jan 312012

013. Withering Tights by Louise Rennison
Publication: HarperTeen (June 28, 2011), originally published 2010, ebook, 291pp / ISBN 0061799319
Genre: YA Fiction

Read: January 22-23, 2012
Source: Bought

Review

I’m a big fan of Louise Rennison’s Georgia Nicolson books (diaries and drama and lots of humor!) and so when I found out that she was starting a new series, one that starred Georgia’s cousin, Tallulah, I was super-duper excited. After reading it…okay, yeah, it’s not my favorite LR book ever, and in fact it just made me miss the Georgia books even more¹. Continue reading »

MINI-REVIEWS: I Want it Now!, Ghost College, The Art of Money Getting

Posted by Anastasia on January 24, 2012 2 Responses »

Jan 242012

007. I Want it Now! A Memoir of Life on the Set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Julie Dawn Cole & Michael Esslinger
Publication: BearManor Media / Ocean View Publishing (July 12, 2011), ebook, 252pp / ISBN 1593930747
Genre: Memoir

Read: January 13-14, 2012
Source: Freebie

Review

Memoirs from celebrities are, I think, always hit-or-miss, and this one is sort of between the two. It’s not a bad book, necessarily, it’s just that it’s kind of boring. The writing is bland and though it’s interesting to learn more about JDC and the other people from the movie, it’s not as entertaining a read as, say, William Shatner’s memoir about Star Trek is. The best part of the book is probably the pictures and memorabilia, however. JDC included some letters she wrote her family from the set of Willy Wonka, and they’re adorable and funny and really fun to read.

Rating

It was an okay read.

Buy

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009. Ghost College by Scott Nicholson & J.R. Rain
Publication: self-published (year?), ebook, 68pp / no isbn
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Read: January 15, 2012
Source: Freebie

Mini-Review

I don’t think I remembered that this was a novella when I started reading it, which is probably why I was so surprised at how quickly the mystery/action resolved itself! I think this could totally be expanded into a longer book, which might help with the problem I had with the switch from the “is something really happening” part into the “yes, something’s happening” part. It’s abrupt and kinda ruins the suspense.

Besides that, I did enjoy reading it. I loved the protagonists– they’re so cute!– and I like the idea of paranormal investigators actually finding paranormal stuff. It seems like a fun series and the writing isn’t bad, and I’d read more from either author.

Rating

Not bad! I didn’t notice any typos or other weird stuff you sometimes find in self-pub’d books, either.

Buy

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010. The Art of Money Getting by P.T. Barnum
Publication: originally published 1880, ebook, 45pp / no isbn
Genre: Financial advice

Read: January 15-16, 2012
Source: Freebie (it’s public domain)

Mini-Review

I read this merely because I was tired of modern stuff and wanted something different, and this is the first thing I stumbled upon when looking around the iBookstore. Basically? It’s Ye Olde Financial Advice from P.T. Barnum, who I suppose would be the one to go to when wanting to learn more about getting money. The hilarious thing is that the tips he gives– don’t spend more than you earn, keep your debt down– and exactly the same sorts of tips that modern financial advisers tell people. So does that say more about them, or about us?

Rating

Maybe not as entertaining as you’d think it be coming from P.T. Barnum.

Buy

Get your own copy @ Project Gutenberg for free!

REVIEW: Street Dreams by Tama Wise

Posted by Anastasia on January 20, 2012 No Responses »

Jan 202012

006. Street Dreams by Tama Wise
Publication: Bold Strokes Books (March 13, 2012), eARC, 264pp / ISBN 1602826501
Genre: YA Fiction

Read: January 11-12, 2012
Source: NetGalley

This book will be released on March 13, 2012!

Review

The problem (if it can be called a “problem”) with reading so many great books in a short amount of time is that the books that aren’t great but are still good seem even less good than they normally would if they’d were read after a streak of sucky books. Do you know what I mean? Street Dreams isn’t a bad book. I just wasn’t as wowed with it as I wanted to be. Continue reading »

REVIEW: Pastworld by Ian Beck

Posted by Anastasia on December 27, 2011 2 Responses »

Dec 272011

164. Pastworld by Ian Beck
Publication: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (September 29, 2009), ebook, 368pp / ISBN 1599900408
Genre: YA Sci-fi

Read: December 8-10, 2011
Source: Singapore Public Library

Summary from Amazon:

What if all of London were really an amusement park—a whole city returned to Victorian times to entertain visitors from the twenty-first century? That’s the wildly original premise of Ian Beck’s Pastworld, a high-stakes mystery set in a simulated past.

Eve is a lifelong resident of Pastworld who doesn’t know she’s living in a theme park until a mysterious threat forces her to leave home. Caleb is a visiting tourist who finds the lawlessness of the past thrilling—until he suddenly becomes a fugitive from an antiquated justice system. And in the midst of it all, in the thick London fog a dark and deadly figure prowls, claiming victim after victim. He’s the Fantom, a creature both of the past and of the present, in whose dark purpose Caleb and Eve will find their destinies combined.

Page-turning, complex, and haunting, Pastworld masterfully exposes the human experience of the past, of violence, of technology, and of entertainment.

Review

I’ve been wanting to read Pastworld for a while now, since I keep seeing so many good reviews about it. Now that I’ve read it I’m sort of…underwhelmed. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been let down by all the positive hype, or because I was expecting it to be something different, or if it’s just one of those things where I don’t exactly love a book everyone else seems to adore, but I only feel a little bit positive about Pastworld instead of absolutely in love. Continue reading »

REVIEW: Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Posted by Anastasia on December 9, 2011 3 Responses »

Dec 092011

157. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Publication: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (February 1, 2011), originally published 2009, ebook, 302pp / ISBN 1599904551
Genre: YA Fantasy

Read: November 23-29, 2011
Source: Singapore Public Library

Summary from Amazon:

Rose¹ is one of twelve princesses forced to dance through the night in an underground palace. The key to breaking the spell lies in magic knitting needles, an invisibility cloak, and-of course-true love. Inspired by “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” this novel is as captivating as it is fresh. Enchanted readers are sure to clamor for the new companion, Princess of Glass, also published.

Review

Like Inside Out, Princess of the Midnight Ball was one of those books where I was expecting great things from an author who I know does awesome books– but unfortunately, I was disappointed. Like Maria V. Snyder, Jessica Day George has amazing characters in her books. She also has a knack for turning conventional fairy tale stories into something REALLY INCREDIBLE. For instance, last month I read JDG’s Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow. In that book she changed up the story enough to take it beyond merely “interesting.” She got rid of the annoying things, she made the main female character seriously wonderful (without going over the top), and she made the romance actually, y’know, romantic. Continue reading »

REVIEW: Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Posted by Anastasia on December 5, 2011 4 Responses »

Dec 052011

156. Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Publication: Harlequin Teen (March 30, 2010), ebook, 320pp / ISBN 037321006X
Genre: YA Sci-fi, Dystopia

Read: November 26-28, 2011
Source: Singapore National Library

Summary from Amazon:

“Imagine every space in this room filled with people. Constantly being jostled and pushed. In the lower levels there is no quiet place. No peace. To a scrub, this room is paradise.”

I drew a deep breath. I’d spoken more in one burst to this stranger whose room I’d invaded than anyone else in weeks. And with a single word he could alert the Pop Cops and send me to the Chomper. We stared at each other for a few heartbeats.

Before I could retreat he said, “My name’s Riley Narelle Ashon. Any time you need peace, you’re welcome to use my hideaway.”

I’m Trella. I’m a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I’ve got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

Review

Let’s be honest here: I was disappointed with this book. After the amazingness that was Storm Glass, I expected something similar with Inside Out, only dystopian-y and more sci-fi than fantasy. While the basic story is good, and while the characters aren’t terrible, I just don’t think that Inside Out is the same level of awesomeness that Storm Glass is. Continue reading »