The Weird Sisters - Eleanor Brown

Title: The Weird Sisters
Author: Eleanor Brown
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books (Penguin), 2011
Length: 318 pages
Genre: Adult; Realistic Fiction
Started: April 12, 2011
Finished: April 13, 2011

Summary:
From the author's website:
The Andreas sisters were raised on books – their family motto might as well be, ‘There’s no problem a library card can’t solve.’ Their father, a renowned, eccentric professor of Shakespearean studies, named them after three of the Bard’s most famous characters: Rose (Rosalind – As You Like It), Bean (Bianca – The Taming of the Shrew), and Cordy (Cordelia – King Lear), but they have inherited those characters’ failures along with their strengths.

Now the sisters have returned home to the small college town where they grew up – partly because their mother is ill, but mostly because their lives are falling apart and they don’t know where to go next. Rose, a staid mathematics professor, has the chance to break away from her quiet life and join her devoted fiance in England, if she could only summon up the courage to do more than she’s thought she could. Bean left home as soon as she could, running to the glamour of New York City, only to come back ashamed of the person she has become. And Cordy, who has been wandering the country for years, has been brought back to earth with a resounding thud, realizing it’s finally time for her to grow up.

The sisters never thought they would find the answers to their problems in each other, but over the course of one long summer, they find that everything they’ve been running from – each other, their histories, and their small hometown – might offer more than they ever expected.

Review:
This is probably one of the most human, charming stories I've read in a long time, I loved this book.

Rose, Bean, and Cordy are all failures in their own way: Rose is afraid of change and is tied down by the perpetual responsibility of being the eldest and taking care of everyone. Bean was fired from her job and has come home in shame to figure out what to do next. Cordy finds herself pregnant after traipsing around the country like a nomad, so decides to return home to plan her next move as well. The sisters, in their late twenties to early thirties, don't exactly get along well either, but they band together in compromise temporarily when they're all home to help care for their mother who is diagnosed with breast cancer. As each sister suffers her own problems in silence, they each begin to uncover the reasons why the other sisters have come home and the overdue sisterly understanding and bonding kicks in.

This is a book that thrives purely because of the characters, since not much actually happens in terms of plot except for the developments in their mother's illness and Cordy's pregnancy. Each sister has a completely developed personality that's wonderfully explored with plenty of quirky anecdotes from the past, and how they interact with each other is hilarious. I loved how their dad was a Shakespeare prof and named them after heroines from the plays, not to mention their family way of communicating in random quotes from the plays that relate to what they're discussing. I also liked how each sister was messed up in ways that were believable: Rose is afraid to leave the familiar despite being well into her thirties, which eerily reminded me of a friend of mine. Bean has screwed up royally but got lucky, and doesn't know what direction to take next. Cordy is pregnant and barely feels able to take care of herself and decides she needs to finally grow up at the age of 27. Each sister finds closure in their own problems by helping each other, as well as picking up the slack regarding their mother's care, so the book is not so much about the end result (you know things will end well), but more about the journey it takes to get there.

Recommendation:
Utterly charming. If you're looking for a character-driven read that's heartwarming and soul-searching, read this!

Thoughts on the cover:
Kinda boring, but then again it is an adult cover, they're not exactly known for being dynamic. I do like the shade of green used for the title font and the vines growing out of it.

The Ice Princess - Camilla Lackberg

Title: The Ice Princess
Author: Camilla Lackberg
Publisher: Free Press (Simon & Schuster), April 2011 (Paperback) (Review copy is an ARC from the publisher)
Length: 389 pages
Genre: Adult; Mystery
Started: April 10, 2011
Finished: April 11, 2011

Summary:
From the back of the book:
In this electrifying tale of suspense from an international crime-writing sensation, a grisly death exposes the dark heart of a Scandinavian seaside village.
Erica Falck returns to her tiny, remote hometown of Fjallbacka, Sweden, after her parents' deaths only to encounter another tragedy: the suicide of her childhood best friend, Alex. It's Erica herself who finds Alex's body-suspended in a bathtub of frozen water, her wrists slashed. Erica is bewildered: Why would a beautiful woman who had it all take her own life? Teaming up with police detective Patrik Hedstrom, Erica begins to uncover shocking events from Alex's childhood. As one horrifying fact after another comes to light, Erica and Patrik's curiosity gives way to obsession-and their flirtation grows into uncontrollable attraction. But it's not long before one thing becomes very clear: a deadly secret is at stake, and there's someone out there who will do anything-even commit murder-to protect it.
Fans of Scandinavian greats Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell will devour Camilla Lackberg's penetrating portrait of human nature at its darkest.

Review:
I put in a request for this title when I saw it advertised in Shelf Awareness mainly because I figured if I liked Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, then I might like this one.

Erica is 35 years old and has returned to her small seaside hometown of Fjallbacka to settle her parents estate after their death. Trying to deal with her parents' deaths and her younger sister's abusive marriage is bad enough, but then Erica discovers Alex's body and gets caught up in what ends up being the investigation of her murder (they quickly realize it's not a suicide). There's a ton of subplots going on aside from solving Alex's murder, so there's a lot of material to keep readers from possibly getting bored with the main storyline, and they're all practically related to the building and breakdown of relationships and marriages.

The main plot of the story (Alex's murder) isn't too difficult to figure out, but it's all the subplots which really make the story shine, even though some of those are easy to figure out as well. The story is very dependent on the relationships between the primary and secondary characters actually, and is almost more focused on those than the plot (in that way it's very different from Stieg Larsson's books). If you're a fan of Stieg Larsson and want to explore some more Scandinavian true-crime/mystery novels, you might like this, but be prepared that it is a very different experience: the focus on the relationships more than the plot, it's easy to figure out what's going on, and the nature of the crimes and the motivation behind them are nothing astounding (I guess watching Law and Order and Criminals Minds has desensitized me to the usual crimes and reasons for them). This was still an enjoyable novel nonetheless, and one I'd recommend.

Recommendation:
If you're looking for a Stieg Larsson clone-book, you might be disappointed; but if you're looking for a decent mystery with a lot of subplot and great characters and relationships, read this!

Thoughts on the cover:
It's okay all things considered. A silhouette of Alex laying slack in the bathtub against a black/blue background with some frost effect would have been better though.

Illyria - Elizabeth Hand

Title: Illyria
Author: Elizabeth Hand
Publisher: Viking (Penguin), 2010
Length: 135 pages
Genre: Young Adult; Historical Fiction
Started: April 8, 2011
Finished: April 8, 2011

Summary:
From the inside cover:
Madeline and Rogan are first cousins, best friends, twinned souls, each other's first love. Even within their large, disorderly family—all descendants of a famous actress—their intensity and passion for theater sets them apart. It makes them a little dangerous. When they are cast in their school's production of Twelfth Night, they are forced to face their separate talents and futures, and their future together.

This stunning short novel, winner of the World Fantasy Award, is the perfect introduction to Elizabeth Hand's singular voice. Her many novels offer a window into what it means to create art, to experience it, to feel passionately about the world. Illyria throws her talent into high relief-it is magic on paper.

Review:
I can really appreciate novels like these that are very short but still manage to pack a proverbial punch.

Maddy and Rogan are first cousins growing up in the 1970s in upstate New York, more like half siblings since their fathers are twins, which makes the love factor in this story a little more icky. Although the whole family's descended from a great actress, Maddy and Rogan are the only ones to really inherit any of that love and talent for the theatre. And even then their respective talents are different; Maddy is a more conventional actress, whereas Rogan is literally passion on fire, a bit of a flight risk. When Maddy and Rogan are cast in their school's version of Twelfth Night, their family has different reactions to their performances, which leads them to separate the two, both out of concern for their growing affection for each other and to encourage one and ignore the almost unworldly talent of the other.

This novel is wonderfully written, and in a style you don't often find in YA novels, which works really well here. It gives off a fantasy feel in a story that isn't really a fantasy. The author captures Maddy and Rogan's passion, both for the theatre and each other, beautifully. The whole love affair between the two of them is handled quite well, not explicit at all, but portrayed with a deep intensity. I love how the author portrayed Rogan's character, how being so artistically gifted is seen as a gift but also as a curse.

Recommendation:
If you're looking for a short novel that makes a big impression, or if you're a big theatre buff, read this!

Thoughts on the cover:
The guy doesn't really look like Rogan, but the girl could pass as Maddy. I like how they're shrouded and the title font is all blurry.

Out Of My Mind - Sharon M. Draper

Title: Out Of My Mind
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster), 2010 (Hardcover)
Length: 295 pages
Genre: Children's Realistic Fiction
Started: April 7, 2011
Finished: April 7, 2011

Summary:
From Goodreads.com:
Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write.
Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.

From multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you'll never, ever forget.

Review:
I love it when books focus on sensitive issues, especially when they're written for kids. Out of My Mind reminded me of Terry Trueman's Stuck In Neutral, which some of our schools use for our grade 7s and 8s. The story is similar if anyone's familiar with Stuck In Neutral, except Melody in Out of My Mind doesn't have to worry about a parent wanting to 'put her out of her misery' like the boy in Stuck In Neutral.

Melody has cerebral palsy, and as such, she can't walk, talk, and has limited control over her body movements. However, Melody's incredibly smart, and has a photographic memory. The only thing is, nobody knows this except her. Even her parents, who suspect she's quite bright, don't know exactly how smart she is. Melody suffers through dumbed-down lessons in her special education classroom and yearns to be able to speak her mind. When her aide Catherine comes across a machine that will allow Melody to speak by selecting words they program into it, Melody knows this is her opportunity to be able to express herself. But with Melody able to prove how smart she really is, will she be accepted by the other kids, who can't see past her disability?

This book shines in a few areas, but I have issues with some things. The author does a wonderful job of describing Melody's limitations on a day-to-day basis and her frustration with it: not being able to feed herself, needing someone to help her in the bathroom, and the limitations of her communication board. Melody's education experience isn't very realistic in my opinion as a teacher. I understand not every school board practices inclusive environments for special needs kids (I work for a Catholic school board, so we do), but even so, Melody making progress with one teacher's methods would've been documented in her IEP (Individual Education Plan), which forthcoming teachers cannot ignore like the 3rd grade teacher she mentions not reading the records. Plus her file would be reviewed on a yearly basis to accommodate her growing needs and understanding, so there'd be no excuse for Melody's frustration with doing the alphabet in grade 5 if she's at the level where she could do novel studies with accommodations. So that part wasn't really believable as far as I was concerned. The antagonists were really bad cliches that were pretty one-dimensional, which I get that the focus is on Melody, but kids need to know that people that they think are mean aren't always so one-dimensional, that they might have a reason for feeling the way they do that's at the root of their actions. I really liked the crisis with the quiz team at the end, it shows that people can indeed be cruel and there's no excuse for it, and people need to be called out on when they're cruel to others. The incident with Melody's sister at the end I could've done without, it seemed like the author was just adding to the drama with more drama and it felt like overkill at that point.

This is a wonderful book that shows our biases about what we think certain people are capable of, and that when we underestimate people, we should be prepared to have our biases thrown back in our faces.

Recommendation:
Read this. It's truly a wonderful book that will change how you view people. A must-have for classrooms too.

Thoughts on the cover:
I like the image of the fish purposely jumping out of the bowl, which Melody mentions in the book, it fits with the story quite well.

Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones

Title: Howl's Moving Castle
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books, 2009 (Originally published in 1986)
Length: 302 pages
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Started: April 2, 2011
Finished: April 7, 2011

Summary:
From the back of the book:
In the land of Ingary, where seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, Sophie Hatter attracts the the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste, who puts a curse on her. Determined to make the best of things, Sophie travels to the one place where she might get help - the moving castle which hovers on the nearby hills. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the hearts of young girls...

Review:
I read Howl's Moving Castle eons ago and decided to read it again since the author recently passed away (which is a loss the literary world will mourn).

Howl's Moving Castle breaks down like so: in a world that looks a lot like Victorian-era Europe where witches and wizards exist, Sophie is the eldest of three and set to inherit the family business as a hatter until the Witch of the Waste curses her, turning her into a 90-year-old woman instead of an 18-year-old girl. Trying to find a new situation, Sophie becomes Howl's cleaning lady after bargaining with his fire demon, Calcifer that she will break his enchantment if he'll break hers. So she gets tangled up in Howl's life of multiple personas to match the many places the castle's main door can lead to, masquerading as his mother in front of the King, and cleaning up after the insanely vain wizard.

As much as I love this book for the sheer imagination, setting, world-building, and writing, I still think the Ghibli anime movie version from 2004 is an amazing adaptation, and it's probably one of the only times I'll admit to liking a film version better than the actual book. The changes to the plot make for a much more exciting story with more urgency to it, versus the book version I find is more of a fun romp.

My favourite parts, even after so many years, are Howl's hair-dye incident and his resulting tantrum; and when he catches a cold, he's such a typical crybaby male when he gets sick.

Recommendation:
If you're looking for an amazing fantasy with wonderful characters, unique setting, and excellent writing, read this!

Thoughts on the cover:
I love the cover redesigns that all the author's books got a few years back, these are nice and dynamic and whimsical at the same time.

Pluto's Ghost - Sheree Fitch

Title: Pluto's Ghost
Author: Sheree Fitch
Publisher: Doubleday Canada, 2010 (Paperback)
Length: 256 pages
Genre: Young Adult; Realistic Fiction
Started: April 2, 2011
Finished: April 5, 2011

Summary:
From the author's website:
"Murderer. It's one kick in the belly of a word isn't it? Has a taste, too. It tastes like barbed wire and has wild hyena eyes. Murderer. Murder-her. Did he? Did I? That's when I remember what I want to forget."

Jake Upshore has loved Skye Derucci since before he can remember. Volatile, complex and frustrated (he's got a label disorder from all the labels he's been given) at the best of times, Jake's on a desperate quest to find Skye before she aborts the baby he believes is his. As he hurtles headlong toward certain tragedy, Jake relives the fatal choices he's made and the powerful forces that have led him to this to end. A gripping thriller and a heart-wrenching love story, Pluto's Ghost is a raw and powerful novel about anger, escape, and redemptive love.

Review:
Jake has issues. He's been labelled so many times, he's got a complex from all the labelling. His anger at the world really affects the perceptions of everyone around him, but he has a decent support system to help him out when he needs it, including his therapist Shep, his dad, and Skye. When Skye disappears with her mother and rumours abound that she's pregnant with Jake's baby and she's gone to Halifax to have an abortion, Jake resolves to find her and support her in any way he can. It's the least he can do for all Skye's done for him, being his reason for existence and everything.

I love this book purely because the author has managed to write an amazing character in Jake. He's angry, jaded, and confused; yet loving and protective of Skye, and that's a hard combination to get across in a teenage boy. As you can tell, the writing is excellent, and Jake's voice is unique and appealing. There's not a lot to the plot to be honest, but if nothing else, the book is a wonderful character study of Jake.

Recommendation:
If you like excellent writing and are big on character development, read this!

Thoughts on the cover:
Considering there's not much that you could put on this cover to really fit with the theme of the story, the hands are okay. I like how Skye's hand is on top, which corresponds to how Skye really controls Jake, not because she consciously does it, but because Jake loves her dearly and would do anything for her.

Outside In - Maria V. Snyder

Title: Outside In (Sequel to Inside Out)
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Publisher: Harlequin Teen, 2011 (Paperback)
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Young Adult; Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction
Started: March 29, 2011
Finished: April 2, 2011

Summary:
From the back of the book:
Me? A Leader?
Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion - between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again - while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and then there is Outside. And something from Outside wants In.

Review:
When I reviewed Inside Out last year, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. A heavily science fiction based dystopian set of books, Inside Out and Outside In deal with scrubs and Uppers that live in a giant cube known as Inside, and the revolution against the ruling class Travas, led by Trella. After the events of the first book, the revolution has succeeded and Trella has discovered exactly what lies beyond Inside. A newly formed committee tries to keep the peace between the scrubs and Uppers, but with the Uppers not willing to work as hard as the scrubs and the scrubs' resentment towards the Uppers, rebellions soon occur. Then, Trella and company discover that part of the attacks are a result of Outsiders that are trying to invade.

Outside In is essentially similar in vein to the first book. There's a lot less exposition than in the first book, and the whole thing's very focused on plot rather than character development. The plot moves along at a good pace, and there aren't any real slumps where things are considerably boring. The idea that the scrubs and the Uppers can't compromise and work together even after gaining their freedom is an interesting one, which ties into the fact that Trella is afraid to have a bigger role in the committee's actions for fear of making things worse. I liked the focus on the aftermath of the revolution, since most dystopians don't really show you what happens after the fact and how people change the rules and get everyone to cooperate.

Recommendation:
More of a good thing; if you liked Inside Out, you'll like its sequel Outisde In.

Thoughts on the cover:
I don't like this one as much as the first cover, but I do appreciate how they tried to incorporate the feeling of going outside to in like they did with the first cover, just vice versa.