Friday, November 25, 2016

Bone Gap

Bibliography
Ruby, Laura. Bone Gap. Balzer + Bray, 2015.
image from: http://www.lauraruby.com/bone-gap.php

Summary (from inside jacket)
"Everyone knows that Bone Gap is full of gaps--gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren't surprised. After all, it wasn't the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O'Sullivan on their own. Just a few years ago, their mother hightailed it to Oregon for a brand-new guy, a brand-new life. That's just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?

Finn knows that's not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turn up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reasons to find Roza than anyone and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.

As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap--their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures--acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness--a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are."

My Thoughts
I'd heard good things about this book, so I was excited when it was a summer AudioSync selection.  I listened to most of the book, then read along with the audio to finish it. The chapter breaks were confusing just listening. When I saw how it was arranged in print form, it made more sense.

So, now I've finished the story, but I can't remember why people liked it so much. It was ok... while writing this blog, I read some reviews--they seemed to love the book. They wrote about the fairy tale features of this book, the romance, the unique characters... I liked the variety of characters, including the town as a character.

There was some mystery, but I don't feel it was resolved. There are some unexplained events (horses flying off cliffs, castles with moats). I wondered if listening to the book made me zone out and miss explanation or was I not supposed to "get" it?

Even though the reviewers wrote I won't forget this book, I already have.




Queen Bees & Wannabes

Bibliography
Wiseman, Rosalind. Queen Bees & Wannabes. Three Rivers Press, 2002.
image from: wikipedia

My Thoughts
This non-fiction book took several weeks for me to read. There's a LOT of information in here, and I actually skipped some sections.

This is a great resource for parents of tween and teen girls. Wiseman covers everything from cliques, gossip, matchmaking/dating, sex, and getting professional help if needed. I found some valuable information/advice, as well as scripts to discuss these topics with my daughter. There are even "remember when you were this age..." tie ins. There are testimonials from teens that Wiseman works with in her Empower groups. I thought these were honest.

I found the first of the book most relevant and hoping that I can recall the advice when I need to use it.