October Sky, or Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam

10 stars

Summary: NASA engineer "Sonny" Homer Hickam accounts his childhood and high school years as he and a group of misfit boys follow their dreams to reach space and build amateur rockets against all odds.

Review: I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put it down, even while we were on our vacation to Disneyland. Homer Hickam has such an honest and humorous writing style that I laughed out loud several times. I even have to say that I got a little teary in some sections. It had a more novel-like feel rather than an autobiography. It was also one of those feel-good books that you put come away from feeling like you are a better person for reading. Like Homer Hickam, you come away from the experience feeling like you are empowered to do anything if you work at it. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

-Amy

Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw

7 stars

Flavor of the Week is a teen romance with a twist. The main character, Cyril Batholomew, is an amazing cook. But being the fat kid in school and a boy that cooks is the fast track to Loserville, so Cyril decides to keep his amazing chef skills a secret. Cyril's best friend Rose, happens to be the love of his life. The problem is she only thinks of Cyril as the sensitive best friend, nothing more. Cyril is fine with their relationship until one day Cyril's super suave grade school friend Nick moves back in. Nick immediately want to go out with Rose, but discovers that her true passion is food.
Nick begs Cyril to help him win Rose over. So being the good pal that he is, Cyril ends up making all these amazing dishes for Rose. Rose falls more and more in love...but not with Nick....with the food. Will Cyril's cooking open her eyes to his love for her? Read it and find out.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was funny and cute (slightly sappy in parts), but the best part of it is the awesome recipes. Talk about delicious (and in most cases...easy!). For example: Kitchen Sink Cookies, Baked Hot Butter-Maple Oatmeal, Whipped Hot Chocolate, Spice-dusted figs, M&M Carmel Brownies (just to name a few.) Each chapter title is a different recipe, which gets incorporated to that particular chapter. Overall a fun, quick read. Good for a mindless fluffy sort of reading mood (like most teen romances). I would recommend it to the female audiences....not so much the men folk.

-Abby

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

9 stars

Plot from amazon.com:
To keep a treaty made long ago, the king of Idris must send his daughter to marry Susebron, the God King of Hallandren. Loath to part with his eldest daughter, Vivenna, King Dedelin instead sends his youngest daughter, tomboyish 17-year-old Siri, who struggles to make sense of the schemers and spies in Susebron's court. Hoping to rescue her sister, Vivenna joins a group of Idrian operatives with questionable motives. As Vivenna comes to terms with her magical abilities, resurrected hero Lightsong questions the role of the undead Returned Gods, who command Hallandren's mighty army of zombie soldiers.

Warbreaker is a truly unique fantasy novel. Within these pages you won't find any fireballs, wizards, elves, or the like. Instead, you will find a system of magic based on color and Breath, a new world that includes men who die and come back to life as Gods, clothes that move as if alive, a religion that fears color, and many other unique and intriguing surprises.

Perhaps the highest praise I can give to Warbreaker is that I was truly surprised by some of the plot twists. I don't know about you, but sometimes books, especially fantasy books, are all too predictable. I didn't have this problem with Warbreaker. Once or twice there were true “huwhaaaaaaat!?!?!?!?!?!?” moments. The characters within Warbreaker are unique, complex, and believable, as is the world they live in. Finally, there were moments that made me laugh out loud. I'm usually not a laugh-while-reading kind of person, so this too is high praise.

Anyone who loves fantasy =needs to read Brandon Sanderson. In addition to Warbreaker, Sanderson has also written The Mistborn Trilogy and Elantris, which I also greatly enjoyed. I happen to own The Mistborn Trilogy and Elantris and anyone who wants to can borrow them.

Golem Written and illustrated by David Wisniewski

8 Stars

Golem is a picture book about the legend of the golem of Prague. For those who don't know the story, here is a quick summary. The Jews of Prague are being slandered and mistreated by the rest of the city. In desperation, the chief rabbi summons a man made of clay to protect the Jews. The golem protects the Jews, but grows in size and starts to gain a will of its own. When at last the emperor agrees to protect the Jews, the chief rabbi destroys the golem.

Golem is beautifully illustrated and well written. One can clearly see and hear the emotions of all involved in this wonderful retelling. I have read Golem before, and it remains one of my favorite picture books. I would recommend it to any who likes mythology, especially children.

The Tao Speaks Adapted & Illustrated By Tsai Chih Chung

Expert Rating: 6 stars

Newcomer Rating: 3 stars

Before I review this book, I’d like to take a step back so everybody is on the same page. Taoism is a Chinese philosophical and religious school of thought founded by the legendary (and possibly fictitious!) figure Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu wrote a book called the Tao Te Ching. The Tao Te Ching argues for a certain way of living, which includes following the Tao, refraining from wealth or honor, and living a simple life.

That said, The Tao Speaks is a book that describes and explains the principles contained within the Tao Te Ching. It is not really intended as an introduction to Taoism, but instead a further explanation for those who have already read the Tao Te Ching. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend it to newcomers. For those interested, I do have a couple of books that would do a fine job of introducing you to Taoist philosophy.

For those of you who know a little about Taoism, let me say a few things more about this book. The Tao Speaks does offer a pleasant romp through Taoist thought. Both the illustrations and the text are simple, minimal, and beautiful. The text will not be hard to understand, but so much meaning is packed into so few words it might be hard to comprehend. (Did that make sense?) While enjoyable, I felt that The Tao Speaks only offers explanation on the most traditional understanding of Tao Te Ching, rather than a new or unique interpretation. Therefore, you won't learn a whole lot of information. Truth be told, most everything from The Tao Speaks could be gleaned from other sources, if you knew where to look. Therefore, I would say that the The Tao Speaks is a unique artist experience, but as academically edifying as other texts.

In conclusion, The Tao Speaks isn't for newcomers, but is a fair book for those who already know a thing or two about Taoism.

Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge

10 Stars

Mosca Mye is born in a world terrified of the awesome power of words. She is both blessed and cursed by a literary father who teaches her to read--and then dies, leaving her an unwanted orphan. When she encounters the questionably articulate Eponymous Clent, she can't help but be drawn into his world of the unanswerable. But perhaps she gets in deeper than she expected when asked to spy on a powerful Guild by an even more powerful duchess. Her exploits lead her and her gander (yes, she really does have a pet gander) into treachery, a Guild war, and a terrible propensity for her world's history to repeat itself.

I, like Anthony, will probably not give a lot of reviews with ten stars, but wanted to start off on a good note. I just read this book for the second time. Seeing as how the first time I read it was only just over a year ago, that alone should say something.

Frances Hardinge is a genius! As difficult as it would be to create a world so dependent on words and actually be able to do it justice with your own, she pulls it off completely. She really is a master storyteller--one of those who makes you want to run out and finish that book you've begun writing, while at the same time making you completely despair of ever being a good writer. Now, that being said, she does have a taste for the slightly macabre, so I wouldn't recommend her for the very young or very squeamish. (Though, truthfully, this is not as apparent in "Fly by Night" as in her "Gullstruck Island." Another excellent read, but slightly creepier, and probably more a 9 than a 10 for me.) The characters in this book are outstanding and very memorable. The plot keeps you guessing, but doesn't lose you. She spins a beautiful web of words throughout. Even the names she chooses have world's of meaning, without giving anything away. If you haven't yet read at least one of her books, you really ought to. And if you only ever read one of them, it really ought to be this one.

Seven Daughters and Seven Sons by Barbara Cohen and Bahija Lovejoy

8-9 Stars

Since I don't really have time to write my own synopsis of this book I'm posting a copied one from Amazon:

"In an ancient Arab nation, one woman dares to be different.Buran cannot -- Buran will not-sit quietly at home and wait to be married to the man her father chooses. Determined to use her skills and earn a fortune, she instead disguises herself as a boy and travels by camel caravan to a distant city. There, she maintains her masculine disguise and establishes a successful business. The city's crown prince comes often to her shop, and soon Buran finds herself falling in love. But if she reveals to Mahmud that she is a woman, she will lose everything she has worked for."

I loved this book...Admittedly the first reason I picked it up was because of Trina Schart Hyman's beautiful Cover illustration (I can honestly say that I've read every book I've come across that has had the cover art done by T.S.H. She is a GENIUS! Any author lucky enough to have her art on their book should be singing her praises...GENIUS!)

The story is told in parts from the perspective of different characters. I love the insight into the lives and culture of Arab and Muslim women (and men) of the day. The characters are easy to identify with and feel empathy for. The plot is interesting and inventive.

I have reread this book at least two times since first reading it...it is a fairly quick read, and always leaves me feeling satisfied.