One Chapter

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

5 stars YA

I don’t even know where to start with this review. I absolutely loved this book! I cried and I laughed while listening to it. I had multiple episodes of goosebumps over my arms and times where I found myself thinking about Charlie throughout my day. I would pull into a parking lot or my garage and I would just sit, listening as Charlie finished telling me his story. I couldn’t shut my car off until Charlie was done writing to me in his letter/diary as I always verbally helped him close out each entry with his signature closing, “Love Always, Charlie”

Charlie tells it like-it-is from a teens point of view as talks about life and shares his stories from hanging out with his friends. Charlie talks about a wide variety of topic including his family. When he talks about his Aunt Helen, I could feel their emotional connection and the bond that he felt with her. I really enjoyed his friendship with Patrick and Sam, they had some great times together. I laughed as he spoke about his age of innocence. His stories were so pure as his honesty shined through when he shared some of his adventures. His account of the brownies at the party and the individual who was “baked like a *^#*^’& cake” were hilarious.

I can’t say enough about this novel except that I loved it dearly and I am now looking for my own audio copy so I can listen to it whenever I want. I don’t know why it took me so long to finally pick this novel up but perhaps this novel was exactly what I needed now. So yes, I highly recommend this novel and the unabridged audio version is excellent.

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

4.5 stars YA

Who’s the liar? Owen is her twin and they’ve been close growing up but she’s been best friends with Hannah for years, yet now Mara has to decide whose story she believes. She can’t imagine that either of them would lie about the incident but as Mara watches and listens, she’s able to uncover the truth.

Ashley Blake does a fantastic job covering some difficult issues including gender identity and rape. As these topics touch the lives of family, friends and peers, the author shows the reaction and magnitude that they have on the individuals involved.

The night of the party, Mara saw her brother drunk with Hannah. Later that night, someone told Mara that they saw Owen and Hannah together and they seemed fine. Owen claims now that what happened that night, was a misunderstanding and things between Hannah and him weren’t fine that night. Mara’s thoughts were like a swing, as she goes back-and-forth between believing in what her brother says and accepting what Hannah says was the real story.

Her parents believe Owen’s version of the story and they tried to use family pressure to persuade Mara. I liked how serious Mara felt about the situation as things around her began to close in. I liked the character of Alex for he felt as confused as Mara but for different reasons.
This was a great novel that I highly recommend if you like to read these types of novels. 4.5 stars

I like these types of stories, where there are conflicts which the main character(s) try to overcome. I seem to gravitate towards these types of novels. I also think, that the messier they are, the more that I like them. Wow, I think that says something about me but I am not quite sure what? What about you? Do you like these types of novels or do you like to stay away from them?

Library Pickup

Picked this up from the library today and I am so excited to read it! I was showing everyone before I left what a great book it was . I was so excited, I drove halfway home before I realized I didn’t do any of my errands so, I had to turn around and head back out. This is why I don’t read many series, the anticipation kills me 🙂 Has anyone else read the first book in this series, Endling The Last?

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

4 stars Middle School/ YA

I listened to this novel on audio and I wished that I hadn’t. I didn’t care for the narration of this novel, as it felt as if the author was just reading a story to me. It felt rushed and for the most part, there was the lack of emotions except for the times when the story became so intense, that the narrator yelled.

Kevin was a complex individual. I loved his imagination and his ability to enjoy life. He made me laugh numerous times as he has no problem being himself, with his sarcastic tone and his use of words. I loved his dictionary and when he arms Max with one, I couldn’t stop grinning. Although he has a physical disability, he keeps going and he never stops to complain. As I stuck in the last CD, I started to dreed what the future might hold. Kevin is talking again about his robots and he’s behaving like a man, yet here I am, a grown woman fearful that might turn into a crying baby behind the steering wheel of my own car. The tables are turning.

I think I lost some of the emotional aspects of Kevin’s friendship with Max when I listened to this novel on audio. I wanted some feeling in the narrator’s voice, a change in tone, or a pause while he read. I stopped the audio a few times as I needed time just to think about what was transpiring. What Kevin and Max had was unique; they both found something in each other that they were missing.

The ending was not what I needed or wanted. I see that there is another book that follows this, Max the Mighty that I will definitely have to read and not do the audio. Great book about friendship, family and being different.

Stone Mothers By Erin Kelly

4 stars Mystery

I was confused when I first started this novel but because I loved He Said/She Said so much, I continued reading and I am so glad that I did. Although, you can promise never to speak about your past, that doesn’t mean that it ever goes away or that the repercussions of it are gone. Your past will always be there, somewhere.

As the story began to unwind, I finally understood Marianne’s reaction when she was presented with her own apartment at Royal Park Manor. These luxury units are now sitting on the site of a former mental hospital which she had ties to, when she was younger. Seeing this Manor, brings back a memory of something that had occurred when Marianne was younger. Becoming nervous, Marianne’s afraid that a secret that was shared with a few other individuals, will be exposed. I liked that the author included here, a flashback of Marianne with the events surrounding that secret, so that I could witness the event and understand Marianne’s fear.

We also get to hear from Marianne’s daughter and a character named Helen, who have an important part in Marianne’s mysterious secret.

There were a few surprises for me as I read, things that I didn’t expect to occur but which I totally enjoyed and then, there were the twists that the author added. I ended up having a great time with this novel. This was not a fast read for me as the author describes some of the scenes in detail and I didn’t want to miss anything. I also found that in the beginning it was confusing and I ended up rereading that section again but this book is really great overall. I look forward to Erin Kelly’s next novel.

Thanks so much to MacMillan Publishers for a copy of this novel in exchange for my own honest opinion.

Operatic by Kyo Maclear

3 stars Middle School Graphic Novel

The cover of this graphic novel caught my eye and looking inside, I knew I had to read it. There is something about the feel of these heavy pages and the artist’s style that makes me love these types of graphic novels. With a concentration of color on each page and the way that the illustrator captures the story, appeals to me. I think these qualities give me the feeling of significance and comfort.

This graphic novel is about Charlie and she’s in middle school. When I think of middle school, I think of chaos. To me, it’s that in-between stage where you’re trying to figure things out and your body is trying to figure things out and you want to try new things but you’re not sure and ………, it’s chaos, if you think about it. So, welcome to Charlie’s world.

It’s the end of her school year and she’s noticing things around her and trying to make sense of it. Which is hard for her to do. She also needs to find a song which describes her for where she is at, in her life right now, for an assignment. This is an assignment that Charlie takes very seriously. There is also an end-of-the-year school talent show which Charlie has promised that she will perform in with her best friends. There seems to be a lot of activities occurring in Charlie’s life right now.

I felt a bit confused reading this novel at times as the flow felt jumbled and I wasn’t quite sure what was happening. It felt as if, the novel jumped from one thing to another and I was left hanging trying to figure out exactly where I was.

I did like the parts where Charlie was researching her song. Good information and investigating on Charlie’s part. I enjoyed Charlie’s teacher and how he covered his topics. The illustrations were fantastic. I think you need to really look at the illustrations in this novel, they were fun to look at and the details in some of them made me laugh. There were a lot of great topics that the author tried to cover but I think too many topics was the issue. I think by trying to include too many topics, a few of them didn’t get the space in the novel that they deserved. I give it 3 stars based on the confusion and the topics that I felt needed more space. I enjoyed the music aspect of this graphic novel, Charlie’s investigative work, the excellent illustrations, and the quality of the book.

In the dark

The room went black. The lights had gone out and I still couldn’t pull myself out of the car. It was those pauses that occurred when he spoke, his voice which sounded so young and innocent and his honesty which touched everything that he looked at.

I am loving this novel and I’m so glad that I am listening to it on audio.

I am the person laughing behind the wheel and miles later, there are tears sliding down my cheeks, and I find myself finishing each post with him……”Love, Charlie “

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

4 stars Fiction

She’s dead. Diana was found dead and the authorities are treating it as a homicide but who would want to kill her? The folks in town speak highly of her yet when this question was asked amongst her family, they all turned their eyes to one family member. But, did they really kill Diana?

It was entertaining looking inside this family and seeing their “dirt.” All families have some type of “dirt” that they try to hide from the outside world and I enjoyed reading and seeing how this family dealt with it. To see, what others do not see and hear is powerful. The emotions and the drama that conflicts families can be seen in this family.

As I read, I wanted to hate a specific character but then, I wondered if I knew everything about that character yet. I wondered if whether my feelings were actually justified. Did I actually know this character or were they hiding something from me? It’s funny how I questioned this in this novel.

Some secrets are okay and some secrets can get you into trouble. This was an interesting novel that I really enjoyed. Looking into the private lives of others, you start to examine your own life and your own secrets.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this e-copy.

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

4 stars Fiction Mystery

As I listened to this audio, I was almost jealous of the May Mothers as they gathered together. The tie that bound these mothers together was the month that their babies were to be born in. Other than that, these were mothers/women who were committed to getting together with each other, to socialize. When its finally suggested that these women take a night out for themselves without their children, the novel really picks up.

Each May Mothers had their own agenda for their night out together. They’re finally getting some time to get to know each other personally, as the night starts to slip by. They’ve become a unit, these May Mothers. They’re no longer separate individuals but they’re united and they look out for one another as if they’ve been friends for years.

This casual, fun-filled night comes to a halt when one of the mother’s babies is reported missing. What!?! What happened? I loved how the characters flew into action. Comforting, questioning, pondering, and investigating when it seemed like the authorities weren’t doing enough.

I had a few ideas floating around in my head as the investigation was underway but the ending was a surprise to me. I hadn’t planned on that. I liked how the women came together and how their relationships evolved in the novel. This was more of a mystery novel to me than a thriller as I didn’t feel the intensity or any sinister feelings while listening to it. I did enjoy listening to it.

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

5 stars Middle School

I loved the grandparents in this novel especially the grandfather. I felt that I could almost hear what he was going to say before he even said it. Charlie thought his life at home was rough but when he found himself spending his summer with his grandparents, he soon realized that living at home wasn’t so bad.

Perspective, it was interesting to see how Charlie’s perspective changed throughout the novel. Great relationships in the novel and there’s not a lot of “preaching” in this novel to get the points across. His objective nature began to change by itself. A powerful, motivational novel that uses sports and friendships to reach its audience.