The Crown

Bibliography
Cass, Kiera. The Crown. Harper Teen, 2016.
image from: kieracass.com

Summary (from kieracass.com)
Prepare to be swept off your feet by The Crown—the eagerly awaited, wonderfully romantic fifth and final book in the Selection series. Eadlyn didn’t think she would find a real partner among the Selection’s thirty-five suitors, let alone true love. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and now Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more difficult—and more important—than she ever expected.

My Thoughts
So satisfying! This entire series is great! I enjoyed that the story held my attention, and I was transplanted into this world with America, Maxon and then Eadlyn and her Selection. I won't give away which of the men get to become Eady's husband. Cass keeps you guessing until the second to last chapter!

Since it's been awhile between my reading The Heir and this title, I had a little bit of a hard time remembering which guy was which. Cass puts some details to help refresh the reader's memory, but even when I didn't quite remember, I kept reading.

I liked seeing Eadlyn's growth in this book. She's young, but she begins to make decisions that aren't selfish. She begins to see situations from a world view. She becomes less rash and more pensive. She is smart always (even when she messes up). Cass created flawed characters who aren't perfect because even in this fairy tale, readers can see themselves.

I'm glad I bought these books with the pretty covers and then took a chance on reading them!

Fairest

Bibliography
Meyer, Marissa. Fairest. Feiwel and Friends, 2015.

image from: marissameyer.com

Summary (from marissameyer.com)

Summary

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story—a story that has never been told … until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from WINTER, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

My Thoughts
If you haven't read the Lunar Chronicles yet, do NOT read this post! I protect some things, but there are some spoilers to the Chronicles as a whole. 

This novella is Queen Levana's back story. Some sources say read this before Winter. However, I think since I read it right after finishing Winter, events were still fresh in my mind.

I liked seeing that Levana wasn't as evil as her sister (who I think is portrayed as beautiful in the previous books, but not much else--at least not to my memory). It's Levana's story, but it's also her sister's and her husband's and even her parents' tale. It sets some things up for all four other books. Princess Selene (Cinder) has her back story (a bit) in here, too. Make no mistake, though. Levana is evil. She's made decisions and justified them in her own mind. This book offers some understanding as to how and why and what helped shape her personality.

"Come here, baby sister. I want to show you something" is repeated in the book. It's Channary luring (and controlling) her sister. I'm glad Levana's glamour is explained and her love to her husband Evret. All very interesting. I was surprised (although  maybe I shouldn't have been) to find out about Winter's parents. I also learned about the strained relationship between Earth and Luna.

So, could you read the 4 major books and not this one and still have a story? Sure. But...reading this one gives more spice to the fairy tales. I've now started reading Stars Above, a collection of stories from the Lunar Chronicles world. I've enjoyed my time on Luna and Earth with these characters and look forward to reading the story collection to complete the world of the Lunar Chronicles.

Words in Deep Blue

Bibliography
Crowley, Cath. Words in Deep Blue. Alfred A. Knopf, 2016.
image from: www.goodreads.com

Summary (from back cover)
"Years ago, Rachel had a crush on Henry Jones. The day before she moved away, she tucked a love letter into his favorite book in his family's bookshop. She waited. But Henry never came.
Now Rachel has returned to the city--and to the bookshop--to work alongside the boy she'd rather not see, if at all possible, for the rest of her life. But Rachel needs the distraction, and the escape. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can't feel anything anymore. She can't see her future.
Henry's future isn't looking too promising, either. His girlfriend dumped him. The bookstore is slipping away. And his family is breaking apart.
As Henry and Rachel work side by side--surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold, exchanging letters between the pages--they find hope in each other. Because life may be uncontrollable, even unbearable sometimes. But it's possible that words, and love, and second chances are enough."

My Thoughts
The booktalk I heard about this book doesn't quite match up to what happens in the book, but I enjoyed it anyway.

The premise is Rachel & Henry work in a bookstore. Inside this bookstore is a Letter Library where people can (and are encouraged to) write in the books or leave notes in the book or mark passages in the book. Rachel's job is to catalog these notes. There are some touching notes!  Even the author of the book includes a note in this book for the reader, which I thought was clever.

I really like the concept of the Letter Library. I've had students leave notes to future readers in books before (thankfully, just notes--not passages marked in the book). As I read this book, it got me thinking about something I did in the classroom that I may start in the library next year.

I loved the many literary references in this book!  I also loved this description: "I'm fond of Derek Walcott. I could eat his poem 'Love After Love.' Just peel the words off the page and stuff them in my mouth" (Crowley 25). I feel this way about words sometime.  I had to look up "Derek Walcott" to see if he is real. He is.

There's a love story, a break up story and a growing up story all included. There's grief, healing and learning. There's a theme to not judge a book by its cover. (And the actual cover of this book is cute!).

We are the books we read and the things we love (Crowley 258). 

This quote sums up life.

I don't know if I'll remember the entire story line years from now, but I will think about "a book I read once" where people left notes in the books.

Winter

Bibliography
Meyer, Marissa. Winter. Feiwel and Friends, 2015.
image from: www.marissameyer.com

This is the fourth installment of the Lunar Chronicles. I realized it's been over a year since I finished Cress (I'm seeing that I'm horrible about finishing series, as this isn't the only one I've stalled out reading).

It took me several weeks to steal moments away to finish this installment, as it is over 800 pages in length (so, it's like reading more than one book. Well, Meyer actually divides it into 5 books)!

There is so much happening in this book. I'm glad that Meyer puts in reminders of how things came to pass or why something is a way because it's been awhile since reading the first three books. I felt my heart rate increase as I read. I didn't want to stop, but I also didn't want to continue. I've enjoyed my time with these characters.

One thing I really liked about these stories is that everything isn't forced into a "happily ever after" ending.

What you will get from this book (as well as the entire series):

• humor
• romance
• action
• space travel
• violence
• social issues 
• friendships
• questions of right vs. wrong

After I finished this book, I immediately started reading Fairest, the novella of Queen Levana. It's a great backstory! 

Pennies for Hitler

Bibliography
French, Jackie. Pennies for Hitler. Read by Humphrey Bower. Bolinda Audio, 2012.

image from audiofilemagazine.com

Summary (from audiofilemagazine.com)
Narrator Humphrey Bower brings Georg Mark’s childhood in Nazi Germany to life with precise German accents and phrases. As Georg becomes George to escape Nazi persecution, first in England and later in Australia, Bower presents realistic characterizations with English and Australian accents. The voices Bower creates for Georg’s Australian foster family, the Peaslakes, make them a memorable example of the indomitable will of ordinary citizens in wartime. Steady, appealing narration enhances this slowly building story of home and identity. Bower’s ability to capture the history and setting of Georg’s story makes French’s novel ideal for use in school as well as for general reading. C.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2015]

My Thoughts
This book is fine for middle grades and up. It is a Holocaust story, and there are some gut wrenching moments, but the story is softened for a non-adult reader.

I was reading Salt to the Sea (another WWII story) when I started listening to this, (interesting how that happens sometimes), so I had to stop listening so that the two stories didn't blend together.

This is a story about a German boy who has an English father, so he is sent to England to live with an aunt. When London gets bombed, the aunt sends Georg to Australia to a foster home. Honestly, this was the first time I'd ever heard about this. I didn't know that several boats of children left England to sail to Canada or Australia.

In Australia, Georg finds a home with the very loving and caring Peaslakes. I was so glad to hear that this couple was kind and treated Georg as their own son (who was away at war). His new friend/cousin is named Mud. It was nice that they had each other.

The Memory Book

Bibliography
Avery, Lara. The Memory Book. Little, Brown, and Company, 2016.
image from (www.goodreads.com)

Plot Summary (from book jacket)
     "Sammie McCoy is a girl with a plan: graduate at the top of her class and get out of her small town as soon as possible. Nothing will stand in her way--not even the rare genetic disorder the doctors say will slowly steal her memories and then her health.
     So the memory book is born: a journal written to Sammie's future self, so she can remember everything from where she stashed her study guides to just how great it feels to have a best friend again. It's where she'll record every perfect detail of her first date with longtime-crush Stuart, a gifted young writer home for the summer. And where she'll admit how much she's missed her childhood friend Cooper and the ridiculous lengths he will go to make her laugh. The memory book will ensure Sammie never forgets the most important parts of her life--the people who have broken her heart, those who have mended it--and most of all, that if she's going to die, she going to die living."


My Thoughts
I can't remember (ironic) how this book got on my pile...did I read something about it? Was the author going to be at NTTBF or TLA this year? Was there some Twitter buzz? Anyway, I spent the weekend with The Memory Book.

Sammie McCoy has a plan and a life threatening illness is NOT part of it! I haven't heard of Niemann-Pick Disease (NPC) before reading this book (I've since done some research). I don't have NPC, but I do keep this blog as my own recording of books read, so I could relate to the character in that way.

The story was cute, the idea is creative, but the thing I enjoyed most about it was finding the literary allusions. There were at least 10 of them (mostly overt), as I made a list. Some references I probably didn't catch.

I flagged the chapter where Sammie predicts what will happen at the National Debate Tournament. I'm going to show that to our debate coach.

Avery's story is believable (wonder if she was a debater in school?), but I really didn't like Stuart. He seemed too...unrealistic...maybe there are people like Stuart in the world, but for me, he could have been left out and still had the story line of Cooper and Sammie's renewed friendship (the jealous fight scene would be rewritten).

I liked that different people in Sammie's life were able to write/type in her memory book. (Sign of the times--journals are digital).

I should have expected the ending, but the setup was so sweet I was lulled.

JUBA!

Bibliography
Myers, Walter Dean. Juba! Read by Brandon Gill. Harper Audio, 2015.
image from: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com

Summary (from http://www.audiofilemagazine.com)

Myers's posthumously published novel, set in the 1840s, tells the story of William Henry Lane, a free black dancer known as Master Juba. Incorporating the Irish step dancing he saw around him as a child in Brooklyn with African and minstrel styles, Juba developed what came to be known as tap dancing and was celebrated in London, as well as New York, until his early death at 27. Sadly, the ambiance of the times and the exuberance of Juba's dancing don't translate well to audio, despite the efforts of narrator Brandon Gill. Listeners unfamiliar with old minstrel shows will miss the historical pictures in the print edition, and, though Juba and his friends are mostly well realized by Gill, the challenge of the Irish accents makes it sometimes problematic to determine which character is speaking. S.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2015]

My Thoughts
I have liked everything I've read by Walter Dean Myers, so I was happy this was an audiobook selection. Even though the above review slams the narration, I felt it was fine. I could follow along (but now I do want to see the historical pictures included in the print version).

This story didn't grab me like Monster, but I stuck with it so see what would happen to Juba.