Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading BCPL SRC discussion

Let's use this thread to post book reviews for Summer Reading 2013.
Thanks!

I just finished reading Summer at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs. I tried to post the book in the 2013 Summer Reading Shelf, but I’m not sure that it went where it was supposed to. So here’s what I wrote.

Do you remember summer camp? This book is a great summer read. It takes place at a Summer Camp that belongs to Olivia’s grandparents. The camp has not been used for years. Olivia is spending the summer restoring the camp for her grandparents. They are renewing their vows at the camp on their 50th Anniversary in August. During the restoration Olivia discovers family secrets, and she has to work with the boy who broke her heart at camp years ago.

I just finished one of the new Black Eyed Susan books, How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr. The way she writes makes you feel like you're the one living the situation. You do have to pay attention to who's point of view it's coming from. The story is about a girl who lost her dad in an accident and she became really distant from people. But her mom wants to adopt a baby from a pregnant teen. When the teen comes to live with them there was many issues that eventually get resolved. The ending is fantastic! And is quite heart felt.

I just finished reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. You have to pay attention to the relationship between the monster and Frankenstein. The story is about Frankenstein trying to play God and make humans, but when his creation looked grotesque, he abandoned the creature which made the creature angry and lonely. The plot thickens and gets exciting from that point on. The ending was interesting and it was emotional.

Frankenstein

I just finished "The Bookman's Tale" by Charlie Lovett. This is is first book and it is a wonderful read. Great bibliophile and Shakespeare suspense.

I recently finished reading A Royal Pain by Megan Mulry. While I enjoyed the concept of average girl meets a British royal and they fall in love, the actual book left me feeling a little jipped. Bronte Talbot has a lot more going on than the description leads you to believe. She is a romantic, but a career driven woman. When she meets Max Hayworth she doesn't let herself fall completly for him. Yet after she learns that he has lied about who he really is she falls head over heels for him. This part in the story left me a little mad. Why would any person fall for someone after they have been lied too? The ending also leaves you with questions, which will hopefully be answered in Mulry's next book If the Shoe Fits.A Royal Pain If the Shoe Fits

I just read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, a piece of historical fiction. Beginning four years after the banishment of foot binding, It follows two Chinese woman on their life journey. The story is told through many historical events that occurred in China and its impact on these women's lives. The author weaves a wonderful, well-told story about relationships, families, and hardship. I highly recommend this book.

As soon as I closed the book (or actually turned the kindle off) to Shanghai Girls, I immediately began Dreams of Joy by Lisa See. This story follows a character from Shanghai Girls on her trip back to Communist China to find her father. Not knowing alot about this time in China, I was worried I would feel lost, but the author does an amazing job of providing enough background information to truly paint a picture of this time. At times the story became slow, and I kept waiting for "something to happen," but the ending drew me in as I was dying to know what happened. Lisa See does an amazing job of exploring the loving, yet complicated, relationships between sisters and mothers and daughters.

The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl by Gina Lamm

This book is certainly a non-thinking book, meant for the beach when you have to keep one eye on the kids as they play in the surf. It's pretty predictable as far as plot goes (but that is not necessarily the problem, for me at least. I tend to read romance books for the predictability of the plot lines). The trouble comes in the characterization. Jamie (the heroine) has very little back story. The reader does not understand why she is a geek. We get one page of her playing a multi-player online game. We get one paragraph of what her job is (she's apparently a song writer and a pretty good pianist, but we don't get much information on that until half way through the book). This is a time-travel romance, but it doesn't live up to the possible repurcussions of a woman from 2012 being shoved into 1816. The hero (whose name is Micah, but Jamie never calls him that, she calls him Mike) does not have the problems you would expect from a peer of the realm confronted with a woman who speaks her mind and uses foul language. All that being said, once I 'got over' the weak characterizations, I enjoyed the book for what it was (and what I hope it was intented to be), a typical romance novel.

I just finished reading this book, The Violets of March. While I liked the book, I have to admit, it was slow reading. The story moved very slowly. It was a love story inside of a love story with a mystery twist.

A Hundred Summers

A Hundred Summers is a great beach read. I could not put this book down. It only took me 2 days to finish it. Lily and Budgie have been friends since they were young children. They spend every summer together at Seaview in Rhode Island. In 1931 the girls are in college together and begin dating the boys on the Dartmouth football team. Budgie is dating Graham and Lily likes the quarterback Nick. People warn Lily not to fall for Nick because he is Jewish. Now it’s 1938 and Lily is back at Seaview for the summer. She hasn’t spoken to Budgie for years and they are forced together again this summer. Read this story to see what happened between the two friends and if they can get past it.

Homer's Odyssey is a sweet, funny, touching book about a blind cat and the woman who adopted him.
When Homer the tiny, homeless kitten was brought into Patty Khuly's animal hospital, he had a raging eye infection. Dr. Khuly determined that the only way to save his life was to remove his eyes. After that, he had to be adopted out. In the beginning, Gwen Cooper was the only one willing to adopt him; very few people wanted a pet so disabled.
Eventually, though people fell started to fall in love with Homer, from her ex-boyfriend to friend and roommate Melissa to her staunchly pro-dog parents and even her parents' dog Casey.
The book was full of funny and touching stories.

"Penguin on Vacation" by Salina Yoon: This book was fantastic - my husband and I both almost teared up near the end! That's the sign of an excellent picture book. The detail in the illustrations added so much to the story too! For example, when Penguin sets out on his vacation from the Pole, he takes an ice floe - and in a series of illustrations the ice melts and he ends his travels riding on his suitcase instead! I can't wait to read the other Penguin books by this author.

"The Pact" by Jodi Picoult: I love her writing. I just can't help it. Sure, all her books have the same basic plot: some sort of crime occurs, but only at the very end do we find out the real story, and there's always a romantic relationship element. But she makes all of her characters so real! I mean, one of them in this book was a reference librarian, originally from Ohio (just like me!) And, as a librarian, I was won over by this quote: "Librarians, to Melanie, were somewhat on a par with God--who else could be bothered with, and better yet, know the answers to so many different types of questions? Knowledge was power, but a good librarian did not hoard the gift. She taught others how to find, where to look, how to see." This one was a real page-turner, and a tear-jerker: two families lived next door to each other, becoming best friends and raising their children together. Then one child ends up dead in a suspected suicide but the other child is put on trial for murder. And that's all I'll say here ;)

New Spring: The Beginning by Robert Jordan

This novel is a prequel to the super epic 14-volume fantasy series, The Wheel of Time. This novel does not add to the series, at least in plot. It does add to the characterizations of Lan and Moiraine. A reader learns how Lan became Mioraine's warder, and the relationship between Moiraine and the eventual Amrylin Seat, Siuan Sanche. You begin to learn about the prophesy of the dragon reborn and the Black Ajah is introduced.

If you like fantasy on an epic scale, you will like The Wheel of Time. This novel makes a good entry into the series, but it is not necessary to read it first or at any specific point in the series.

New Moon by Stephanie Myers (is that how you spell it?)

I read this book a couple of years ago, but it still stays fresh in my mind. I just wanted to write this review just to warn people to NOT read this book. It was completely horrible! I just got bored the by the way Bella constantly thought about Edward, Edward, Edward, and occasionally Jacob, and when Edward left Bella to "keep her safe", he was doing the exact opposite. I mean, come on Stephanie Myers! Don't you want to have some form of logic in this series? And Bella's mourning after Edward left was getting out of hand. So out of hand that she was willing to almost kill herself! Like i said, no sign of intelligence here. Bella's mourning took up half the book, and i hoped for a small second that she would be happy for one second when she was with Jacob, but no. She was never satisfied. It just REALLY ticked me off. Seriously, the best thing that ever happened to the Twilight saga was when the actor who played Edward in the movies played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter. Now Harry Potter is what i call REAL literature. Don't waste your time with this book, and read Harry Potter instead.

Stalk Me by Jillian Dodd

I just finished this book a few weeks ago, and I was meaning to write this review ever since. I read the first chapter, and I was instantly hooked. This book perfectly blends romance, friendship, fame, and suspense into a masterpiece. The whole element of the stalker added the perfect touch of creepiness. Not too much too take over the plot but just enough to keep yourself asking, who is the stalker? Is it someone Keatyn knows? Is it Cush? Is it B? Is it Vincent? (SPOILER ALERT) When we do find out it is Vincent, we just find out out of nowhere, and it completely throws us off. And to me, that was perfect. Keatyn is such a real girl with a real personality that I think a lot of other girls can connect with. Sure, the book is a tad bit raunchy, but it doesn't have so much that it changes the genre. I loved that Jillian Dodd made Keatyn a character that changes a LOT through out the book. At first she always did what everyone else, especially her best friends, wanted her to do, and at the end, she didn't give a crap. That just proves how real she is, and that no one's life is absolutely perfect, even if it seems like it. I'd give this book an A+!

"Penguin and Pinecone" by Salina Yoon: This too had a great emotional quality - and it was such a touching story of true friendship and love! And told in so few pages! I recommend this book to everyone. By far one of the best series of children's picture books I've read (so far) and I can't wait for the next ones to be published!

"Penguin's Snowy Day" by Salina Yoon: This is not, contrary to obvious assumptions, the same "Penguin" from her other books. And this did not have that emotional quality that made me so attached to the other "Penguin" books, which was disappointing. I'm sure this is still an excellent board book for young readers, especially around Christmastime, but it just didn't strike a chord with me after devouring her other books.

"Emma" by Jane Austen

I had seen quite a few movie versions of this book and so the whole time I kept waiting for book and the movies to meld. While I love the story line the book got a bit long winded for my taste. A fun read and will always be a classic but not one I will read again.

I just finished Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. It's was probably the best book I read in a while. I'll admit that I was pretty skeptical because it's a ghost story. But it was insane. It kept my on the edge of my seat the whole book. Definitely would recommend it!

Just finished The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom. A quick yet thought-provoking read. Father Time is banished to a cave by Gods for creating the concept of time. Thousands of years later he returns to earth to help two people- one who wants too much time and one who wants too little. The story is told through brief chapters/snippets from each characters life. Definitely makes you think about our obsession with time, and the idea that when we began to count it we became obsessed with losing it and wanting more. Its the type of book you would want to read again so you can digest even more of the underlying message.

This book was a good read. Entertaining and thought provoking. The author makes lots of good points, without coming across as preachy or boring. Stimulating.

A very good book for anyone who likes sports, especially football. The message is a good one. Tom Coughlin looked around for someone or something to blame for their poor 2006 season, and realized it would be most productive to look right in the mirror. This book documents the 2007 season and the changes Coughlin made to try and have a more successful year. Ends with the Super Bowl win. Coughlin is a religious man and the book is quite clean, with only a few mild curse words sprinkled in.

A very interesting look at football from the GM point of view; not something most of us are privy to. Accorsi had a fascinating journey through the sports world. Here is a man who seemed to have loved every minute of his career, or at least most of them. The details are from the Giants 2006 season with many nostalgic looks back at the rest of his career.

A rough and tumble look at a poor neighborhood, the kids that live there and the high school football coach that tries to keep them off the streets. All based on real people. Lots of curse words! I was not expecting the coach's downfall at the end, although obviously the author knew something was wrong long before he clued us in.

Queste

I just finished reading queste. It is book 4 in series of 7. I am rereading the series because the author is releasing the final book of this series :-(

This book begins when Septimus and most of his companions returned from the past. Unfortunately His brother and girlfriend remained there. Septimus and his friends go on a queste to find his brother and save them from the house of foric.

Dead Ever After

i did not like this book at all. i was disappointed since this is the last Sookie Stackhouse book in the series. i gave it a 1.5 star rating.

read my full review here

Such a Rush: Jennifer Echols

this book had everything that I wanted. I was skeptical at reading I book about a girl wanting to be a pilot but that is not what it is all about, even though that is the premise. it does not seem like fiction. the main character never comes off as needy or annoying. she is independent and strong. there is love, loss, hate, betrayal, abandonment and passion in this book without it being over dramatic. it had the perfect amount of drama with the perfect amount of realism. I love how the Echols added facts about planes and made it seem that much more real.

Melissa wrote: ""The Pact" by Jodi Picoult: I love her writing. I just can't help it..."

Speaking of Jodi Picoult, have you read the book she wrote with her daughter, Between the Lines. It was really good. I recommend it.
Not the storyline you just described, apparently her daughter had an idea about what if the characters in a book were just actors and they had downtime when you left the book. It did have romantic elements in it. It was really good.

I just finished Jane Casey's third thriller, The Last Girl, starring London-based Detective Constable Mauve Kerrigan. Kerrigan is investigating the murders of the wife and child of a high profile defense attorney. Continuing story lines include her relationship with another detective as well as the reappearance of stalker fixated on Kerrigan. If you enjoy police procedurals, give the Jane Casey books a try!

I just finished "Once We Were Brothers" by Ronald Balson
For starters, I would give this novel 4 stars out of 5. The only thing stopping me from giving this book a 5 is the small amount of confusing legal jargon within it.
This novel takes countless twists and turns, while telling you the inspirational story of a man trying to avenge the deaths of his family and friends during the Holocaust
The book proved to be a surprisingly quick read and an amazing story
I'd recommend this book to anybody, even someone who doesn't usually like historical fiction novels.
So, give it a try! You definitely won't regret it

Just finished The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory!
Here is a copy of the review:

So, the book was sort of what I was expecting, and at the same time, not. I expected all that chiz about King Henry VIII and the rest, but not in such a heartfelt, close way! It was amazing and totally captured my interest! The only reason it took me so long to read it was because it was so amazing, and the twists, turns, and unexpectedness of the plot surprised me so much, I couldn't believe that I was nearly done! So, I purposely prolonged the enjoyment of "reading" the book, by extending the reading period for at least...what, 3 months?!

It was AMAZEBALLS. Everyone should DEFINITELY read it!

Just finished "Dead Ever After" by Charlaine Harris. This is the 13th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. It was what I expected and I was disappointed in the ending. The only reason I continued to read the series was that I had put time into the other books and I wanted to finish the series; however it was disappointing.

Melissa: I love Jodi Picoult and she comes to the WDC/Baltimore area once a year. I love seeing her

"Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis
This book had been on my "to-read" list for years and I finally took the time to read it. I found a lot of really interesting and very applicable but then other parts were so different from my own beliefs that it was hard to get through.

"Slim for Life" by Jillian Michaels

I wasn't a huge fan of Jillian's on tbe Biggest Loser because I don't respond to yelling but her tone was very different in the book. I felt like her book was a true way to live life and not just a diet or work out plan.

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
I adore this book and its series.Everyone should read it!

Full Review Below:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Cupcake Tycoon

Even if this is a Children's book, it is still enjoyable.

Full Review Below:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

The other day I finished re-reading "No Safety In Numbers" by Dayna Lorentz. Its main characters are four teenagers who are among a few thousand trapped in a mall after a biological bomb is found there. It sounds very odd, but the way Lorentz writes, it turns out to be almost too realistic for comfort. Avoid the mall for a week if you read it.

I just finished Hush Hush. And I quite enjoyed it, the beginning was a little confusing with both Elliot and Patch's advancements on Nora but later on things cleared up. I really liked Nora and Patch's romance, how it was so angsty and confusing for Nora. As well I loved Vee's character! She was really hilarious and was a great contrast to Nora's quiet and meek personality. Lastly, I really liked how the fallen angels were depicted. That they were stripped of their wings, were allowed to get into human bodies and were evil compared to normal angels up in heaven. The ending was incredibly sweet, I will not reveal it though. I suggest reading this if you were into Supernatural/Romance!

Wolf Hall

Finally reading "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel, as part of my rule not to read only thriller and mystery novels. It's fascinating history about Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, of course, but I can relate the political machinations to a lot of my own job experiences!

Jackie wrote: "

A rough and tumble look at a poor neighborhood, the kids that live there and th..."

You made me want to read this! I'm a high school teacher and loved reading anything that talks about the rough lives our kids lead, so I can understand em better!

I'm reading Book of Shadows. So far, I really like it. It's about this woman who became a Wiccan in the 1970s.

Just finished this book. It is non fiction. A nice read about a mom and her autistic son.

Another interesting book.

whoa!! Imagine killing someone accidentally with your car when you are just a HS senior. Even though you are not to blame, that must be the hardest thing to carry around with you for the rest of your life!

Just finished 12th of never by James patterson. . I loved all of the Women's Murder Club books but this was a big disappointment. The book was boring and had no depth to it. I love all the main characters but the cases they were working on in this book were very unrealistic. The biggest letdown was the ending, the story just stops and ends ABRUPTLY! It leaves you hanging and thinking