The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 🔖🔖🔖

This book has a resume! 

First published February 1, 1999

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This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that the perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up. (Source: goodreads)

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This was a quick read. I initially found the letters written by Charlie to be quite believable, as if I could have been reading my own journals from when I was a teen. The book was well written from the point of view of Charlie. The more the story continued, the more issue I had with how out of the norm this one school year was for Charlie. We are talking about suicide, domestic abuse, death, drugs, mental health issues, first sexual experiences, rape, homosexuality, abortion, and molestation. I can't tell if I am just hoping this is not how kids live and what they have to deal with on a regular basis or if I was just uncomfortable with the sexual nature of so much of his life. It's the latter possibility that keeps me from rating this more than 3 stars. I did relate to Charlie and enjoyed the development of his character and while I enjoyed the book for the most part, I don't see myself recommending it to anyone.

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Why was this banned?

Sexuality, violence, profanity, suicide

My take

Sexuality: Several references and descriptions, masturbation, teens having sex, sex without consent

Violence: Other than listed above, there is description of people hitting other people

Profanity: F word about 6 times, vulgar references to body parts, offensive name calling

Suicide: Mentioned

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez 🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖

One of my favorite books ever. I recommend it whenever I can. It's not for those looking for happy endings, but definitely for someone looking to read about lives making a difference.

Three Shirt Deal by Stephen J Cannell 🔖🔖🔖

Predictable mass-market mystery detective novel. The suspense and "whodunit" kept me reading, and then I had to know how they'd get the "bad guys". Not one I'd recommend, and definitely not one I'd keep on my shelf, but an enjoyable mindless time waster.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple 🔖🔖🔖🔖

I struggled to determine the star rating for this one. It didn't move me deeply or change my life at all, but the more I think about this novel, the more I think it was actually kinda brilliant. So it gets 4 stars.

I really enjoyed the dark humor and totally related to Bernadette and her interaction with others. Even though the format (compilation of emails, notes, reports, articles all tied together with 15-year old's commentary) had the potential to be choppy, it was quite smooth and completely kept my interest in the background story. This has been categorized by some as "chick lit" but I completely disagree. Not to disparage chick lit, but this novel was smart, witty, uplifting in the long run, and gave me motivation to ponder deeper meaning. I don't experience any of that with chick lit. I think Semple did a great job in building the characters in the story, even those we really didn't like much.

The meaning for me for this novel was about not getting lost in expectations and find what makes you happy and brings you to life. Honestly, it's so much deeper than that ... maybe you should just read it for yourself. :)

Kinsey and Me: Stories by Sue Grafton 🔖🔖

The short chapters at the beginning of this book were fun. I am not a short story fan, but this one was a good exception to make. Part of it is that Sue is an amazing author and she does mystery quite well. I'd recommend the first part of the book for a fun, quick read.

The second part was vastly different and I am not sure the intent in combining the two into one volume. While I didn't enjoy the last part as much, it was obvious that even in that genre, Sue is a master of writing.

I don't plan to own this one and would not recommend it to others overall.

The Ice Cream Vendor's Song by Laura McHale Holland 🔖🔖🔖🔖

I am not a fan of short stories and these, of course, are the shortest as they are flash fiction. This fact is the main reason this doesn't get higher stars, so I'm not sure that's exactly fair. The writing was very well done. It takes a lot of skill to be able to write flash fiction and have it be meaningful and believable and Holland does just that. I didn't like some of the stories as they were on the morbid and dark side, but most of them were enjoyable for me.

This was a very quick read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes short stories.

Truth Like the Sun by Jim Lynch 🔖🔖🔖

Interesting "gritty" writing style. I found the book a little slow moving at first. Fairly interesting as it went along. Overall well written, characters nicely developed, even though Helen seemed a tad one-dimensional.

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah 🔖🔖🔖🔖

Possible spoiler.

I just can't seem to give this one five stars. I read it, finished it, and enjoyed it. But I'm not sure I'd recommend it nor do I want to own it. Honestly mostly because I wanted to see more about how he transitioned from where he had been taken to, to where he is today. It stopped at his final escape, and I wanted to know more about his life and his work, and how he returned to his humanity. I felt a bit let down in the last chapter. Also, be warned it's a bit gory and graphic. Not for the faint of heart.

The Keeper of Dawn by J B Hickman 🔖🔖🔖

Part of me feels it may be unfair for me to review a book wherein I am not the target audience. In this case, the story is of teenage young men at a boarding school for boys grappling with father-son relationships and forming a bond with each other while experiencing some awesome boyhood escapades. Classic coming of age story. Yet, the book was quite entertaining for me and it was quite well written. I would definitely read more from Hickman in the future. The characters were relateable and the building of the friendships worked for me. The only drawback in this vein is how difficult it was to truly relate to the culture these boys came from - wealthy and famous. But the story line is more about relationships and expectations and the difference was easy for me to overcome.

The ending is a surprise I did not see coming, which is a great compliment for a book. Initially I didn't think the ending was believable, but as I thought more about it, it was quite well done. There is a theme of family histories, dynamics, and secrets that are held so dear and this ending makes it almost tangible. Bravo!

Yet ... what is with the title? There is a reference to keepers of dawn, but it was almost in passing and I fail to see how any of the themes or major characters relate to it. This does become a drawback while reading, a distraction while trying to catch the meaning of the book as a whole.

This isn't a book I need to own and I am not quite sure just who I would recommend read it. But it was so well written, I hate to give it too few stars. If I could, I'd give it 3.5.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh 🔖🔖🔖🔖

The title of this book made me a little leery of reading it. I almost expected chick lit and romance. While it touched on romance, I wouldn't categorize it as a romance story. This is a story about forgiveness, relationships, and understanding imperfection in ourselves as well as others. The theme and ease in reading is what gives this one four stars for me.

I liked the character development and think Diffenbaugh does a great job. Even though I do not share the same difficulties the main character did, and I often would get frustrated at how she processed life, I could still understand where she was coming from and could relate on some level. The story alternated from present time to 10 years ago and this wasn't too frustrating or distracting. I found the story line one I could follow and I was interested in what happened in the past as well as what was happening in the present.

The only sticking point for me is the unbelievable idea that there were so many loving, kind, and patient people in Victoria's life. If only that were really likely to happen, if only all those people and scenarios could be in play for someone like Victoria. I can suspend the disbelief only by reminding myself this is a fiction novel and realize that perhaps my own life experiences leave me more jaded than Diffenbaugh's world view.

Overall a good book, nice theme, smooth reading, and interesting story line.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry 🔖🔖🔖🔖

Great book. If I had read this when I was young - the intended audience - it would have been one of my favorite books of all time. The bravery of Annemarie would have spoken to me for sure. A character I would have related to. I think every youth can benefit from reading this one.

The Starlight Prophecy by Linden Morningstar 🔖

This was so difficult for me to get through. The writing was choppy and forced. I couldn't relate to the characters due to this as well as the lack of development. The premise was promising, the delivery lacking.

Gangsterland by Ansha Kotyk ✖️

For some reason, this book didn't grab me. It sat on my table for days at a time before I tried again. I got to my token page 40 before giving up all together.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 🔖🔖🔖

This book has a resume!

First published October 22, 1999

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Literary Awards: SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Fiction (1999), Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult (2000), Michael L. Printz Award Nominee (2000), South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult Book Award (2002), Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee (2001), Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Nominee (2001), Evergreen Teen Book Award (2002), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (2000), California Young Readers Medal Nominee for Young Adult (2003), Lincoln Award Nominee (2005), National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (1999), Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for YA (2002), Margaret A. Edwards Award (2009)    

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The first ten lies they tell you in high school.

"Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say."

From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. (Source: Goodreads)

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I had a hard time getting into this book at the start, but that remedied itself near the middle. Part of my difficulty was in relating to Melinda, even though her non-popularity and some of what she experienced due to that status was accurate to my own school experiences. I could relate on some level what was happening to Melinda, but the reasons why were vastly different. Perhaps this was the disconnect for me. I kept wanting to connect and find some commonality, but it just didn't happen. It felt like there were times we were going to break through and get into some depth, but then it would pass, sometimes abruptly.

Overall, I finished it, I enjoyed it, and I might recommend it to others, but not with any passion behind it.

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Why was this banned?

Explicit sexual content, sexual assault, rape, and suicidal thoughts. 

It is most frequently challenged for what is considered to be explicit sexual content.

My thoughts: 

There is discussion of teens having sex and mention of abortions. 

The description of her assault may be triggering for some, though there is no mention of body parts. It is disturbing, for obvious reasons. 

A second assault occurs though it does not reach a sexual level. 

Overall, this is a great book to open conversation about rape and "survivor guilt".  There is also a great triumphant moment worth the read. I would have no problem with any of my children reading this book from Junior High up. 

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For further discussion: 

Educator's Guide from Penguin Classroom

A Discussion Guide from Macmillan

Discussion Guide from AdLit

Teacher's Guide from Macmillan

Lesson Plan from the Author

Lesson Plan from Dawn Hogue

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖

The fact that I actually finished the book says something. It was hard to get into at first, the writing style quite choppy. I also wasn't sure how I would enjoy a book narrated by Death, yet later in the book, I realized it was perfect. I was captivated by the story line as it went along and I'd recommend it to others. 

Beeline to Trouble by Hannah Reed 🔖🔖

This is what's considered a cozy mystery - a story wherein (usually) a woman "accidentally" becomes an amateur sleuth and solves a murder. The writing style is such that "sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community." Light, simple, not a lot of depth necessarily. Still, I was expecting a tad bit more to this book but kept thinking Reed's writing seemed as amateur as her crime solver. The story is very basic, the plot is thin. Basically while touring the sleuth's bee hives, one of the guests is found dead. Then we enter drama revolving around her boyfriend (with constant references to his looks and sexiness, referring to him as "my man" which feels so juvenile) and peppered in is drama around her relationship with her mother. The sleuth "becomes a prime suspect when the carrot juice she brought with the breakfast fixings is found to contain poison." Predictable, really.

I can point out the flaws - some already mentioned above - including her use of bullet points which were distracting/annoying, and the fact that she has factual errors (acronyms vs initials, carbon dioxide vs carbon monoxide), but I can't really hone in on the great points of the book. I didn't find any.

I did finish it, I found it remotely entertaining, but surely would not recommend or keep a copy of my own.

The Kingmaker by Brian Haig 🔖🔖🔖

This is one of those quick reads that feel like a break from deep thought. This isn't to say its a mindless read because some - ok most - of this espionage and Russia stuff is over my head.

This is a book about a JAG lawyer, Sean Drummond, who is hired to represent General Morrison who is accused of "the worst case of treason in U.S. history". To complicate matters, Morrison's wife, a CIA boss lady, is an old girlfriend for whom he still has feelings. What Drummond finds is "this simple case of treason is actually a chess game being played at the highest levels by the best and brightest-one in which Morrison is merely a pawn."

The narrative is funny and delightful. I really enjoyed reading Drummond's story from his clever, flawed point of view. This view lends to a very one-sided development of only the main character, however, but I'm not sure it would have been as fun to read otherwise.

Ultimately a typical spy thriller with not too much of a surprise ending. Same suspense, same romantic tensions, same conspiracies, same action. So not a favorite, not one I need to own, and I'd likely not recommend it, but it was a delightful read.

Wise Men by Stuart Nadler 🔖🔖🔖

This really was well written in so many aspects. It kept my interest and the descriptions were well done. However, the character development was totally lacking - unless the author intended Savannah to be as invisible as she was and for Hilly to stay the undeveloped child he was introduced to be. We just didn't see any development from teen to old man and we didn't see development in Savannah.

Also, this is touted as a book about complicated issues of race and society when they were merely mentioned for the most part.

Lastly, the "twist" at the end - more like a last ditch effort to just finish the book and get it to press. I found myself saying out loud, "Seriously? That's it?"

Better than some books I've read recently, but not one I'd recommend nor do I need to own it.

Unreliable: A Novel of Suspense by Molleen Zwiker 🔖🔖🔖

I enjoyed this one for the most part. Loved the writing style and the fact that it really did seem like I was reading a story transcribed from a tape recording. But I totally didn't understand the ending. Was I supposed to? I'm the first to say I'm not good at catching the cryptic, but this one left me more than wondering what I missed. I would definitely read another from this author, but this one isn't one I'm necessarily recommending and feel no need to keep it on my shelf.

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe 🔖🔖🔖

My first impression was that I didn't feel like Schwalbe was a great writer. I didn't like the sentence flow or the attempts at description. Throughout the book, I wondered why it mattered where the authors of the books he discussed lived, went to school, or how old they were when they wrote the book, especially when the descriptions of the books themselves were so slim. He talked about what he and his mother thought about the books and how they applied them to the current situation, but not a lot of effort was put into discussing the actual book plot or intent. I realize the purpose of The End of Your Life Book Club was their experience with reading, but the little inserts about the authors was more annoying than helpful. He also kept telling us things he'd already pointed out previously. The blog he and his mother were writing was written by her as if from his point of view, which he seemed to have to point out to us each and every time. We're smart enough to remember, really. We also remember who David Rohde was without having to describe every detail every time he mentioned him.

I could not relate to the characters. He presented his mother as a perfect, controlled, giving woman, and maybe she was, but it is harder to believe a perfect character over someone with a flaw or two. Sure, he was eulogizing his mother and I can only hope my children think so highly of me. Yet it took away from my ability to connect with her. I also found it hard to connect with him as he appeared to like to point out his privilege, which most of us cannot relate to. Summers in London, boarding school, being able to quit a job and not worry about rent, vacationing at a condo in Florida, huge dinners that obviously cost more than I make in a month ... unrelatable. And again, why was it necessary to keep pointing that out?

So why did I keep reading and actually enjoy it? I did enjoy hearing about the books they read and how they processed and discussed them. I did enjoy reading about the progression of his mother's disease and how he and she worked through that. I really enjoyed the idea that he was able to spend so much time with his mother before she passed away, building on a relationship and making it deeper and more meaningful through books. My mom wasn't a reader, but it would have been a nice thing to be able to have conversations with her before she passed away. I tapped into that and it made the book enjoyable enough to finish and give three stars.

Room by Emma Donoghue 🔖🔖🔖

This is a book that I would not necessarily recommend to others. It was quite a task to write a book from the perspective of a five-year old and Donoghue does an excellent job for the most part. Building Jack's character was well done and it was easy to relate to him and be drawn into his experience. There was good character development for the others in the book, but it wasn't in a way to deeply draw you to them, but that may have been her intent. The book is in Jack's view, after all.

There are two main things that drew this away from a higher rating for me. One of those I admit is anal on my part. It is simply the fact that the woman has been in captivity for 7 years and somehow her teeth are so rotten she's in constant pain and her 5-year old comments on the rotting condition of the teeth (and yes, she had a toothbrush). Surely we know many people who have avoided dentists for years and not had rotting teeth. Maybe I missed something here, but it felt out of place for me. Like I prefaced, I know that's pretty anal on my part.

The second main thing that detracted from more stars for me was the author's need to have the narrator actually voice the social commentary she's trying to get at. First of all, this is annoying when any author does this. Trust your writing skills to get the point across without having to come out with it. Trust your readers to be smart enough to catch on. In this case, the character with the insight is not only 5 years old, but a 5-year old who has lived in a room all his life. He's really going to have this kind of insight enough to come up with social commentary? One example: “In the world I notice persons are nearly always stressed and have no time...I don't know how persons with jobs do the jobs and all the living as well...I guess the time gets spread very thin like butter all over the world, the roads and houses and playgrounds and stores, so there's only a little smear of time on each place, then everyone has to hurry on to the next bit.”

Regardless, this was well done. Yet I almost feel like I wasted my time on this one.

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne 🔖🔖🔖

I did enjoy this book for the most part, found it an easy read and easy to finish. The ending seemed pretty rushed and left me wanting a bit more. Even so, it's not a book I'd heartily recommend to others and not one I'd have on my "keeper" shelf.

I loved the descriptive writing. Verne was describing things we have presumably never seen before, yet it was not difficult to have a clear and vibrant image in my mind as I read.

The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney 🔖🔖🔖

I'm struggling to decide if this gets 3 or 4 stars. I may have to go with 3.5. It was a page turner for me in many parts, but not all. Some parts seemed to drag on and just didn't pull me in. More than half of it, however, kept me reading past my self-imposed limits. Yet I'm not sure it belongs on my list of books I'd really recommend others read. Not because it's not interesting, but because it's not necessarily "wow, I'm glad I read that" kind of book.

I did love the portrayal of the characters and really enjoyed that the reader is drawn into who they are through dialogues and being privy to private thoughts. I was surprised by some of the plot twists and felt impressed by this as the clues were definitely there for me to have figured it out. I did think about the book at times when I wasn't reading, trying to figure it out. The atmosphere/culture is quite interesting and I feel I learned about Romanies without being lectured about their lives. That's a huge plus.

So what were the drawbacks? The biggest one I can think of is that the alternating narrators were at times so similar to each other (a grown man and a teenage boy), that it was distracting. I realize part of her point may be how similar they ultimately are in their thoughts and their journey, yet there wasn't enough distinction at some points and I had to go back to the start of the chapter to remember who was "talking." It wasn't so distracting that I couldn't go on with it, but it was still there.

Read it if you are in the mood for a light page turner, but no need to run out and buy it to own your own copy.

If We Survive by Andrew Klavan 🔖🔖🔖🔖

I tried to read another book by Klavan last year (The Last Thing I Remember) and found it extremely heavy on the "God front". I'm not athiest by any means and believe in prayer, however, it was in your face during that book. This one was on the edge, and thankfully stayed more palpable. The fact that the main character prayed was mentioned more than it needed to be, but it didn't detract from the action or the story line like Klavan has done before.

This was a thriller/action book and the intensity was there from very early on to the last few pages. It kept me interested in the story and kept me turning the pages. It was never boring. Just the kind of story I would have thrived on as a young teen, which is the intended audience. The writing is from a teen boy's point of view which had me unsure at the beginning, but it didn't take long to get into and relate to the character, so it became almost endearing as the story went along.

If I could give it 3.5, that's what I would do, but I'll push it up to 4 in this case. I don't need to own this one, but I am likely to recommend it to my young teen friends or anyone else who wants a fun, lively read.

Poppy the Proud by Emlyn Chand 🔖🔖🔖

Cute. Important message.

Beowulf by Anonymous 🔖🔖🔖🔖🔖

I surprisingly enjoyed the most part of this book. I expected to be as bored and uninterested as with other epic poems. I did find the first adventure with Grendel and his mother more interesting than the dragon, but even enjoyed that imagery.