I started this book listening. I liked the reader, but had a hard time with the way she said Themyscira. To me it sounded like "the mascara," ugh! I sI started this book listening. I liked the reader, but had a hard time with the way she said Themyscira. To me it sounded like "the mascara," ugh! I switched to reading at the tenth chapter as much because I needed to read faster as not hear mascara anymore. :) The story was great. The friendship of girls is very important and treated here beautifully. As a life long Wonder Woman fan, I was thrilled with the way Ms. Bardugo handled the myth and character of Diana. ...more
After Grace gives her baby up for adoption, she decides to find her own birth mother. She discovers two other siblings, an older brother and a youngerAfter Grace gives her baby up for adoption, she decides to find her own birth mother. She discovers two other siblings, an older brother and a younger sister, who have no interest in finding the "woman who abandoned them." Joaquin has been in foster care since he was a baby. Maya was adopted at birth like Grace. Can they be a family with three different lives?
I loved this book. The audio was well done. It's an emotional read. I made the mistake of finishing it in the morning before school. My makeup needed a touch up before I left.
p. 335 "That's exactly what family is, Joaquin!" Maya shouted at him. "It means that no matter where you go, no matter how far you run, you're still a part of me and Grace and we're still a part of you, too! ... And sometimes family hurts each other. But after that's done you bandage each other up, and you move on. Together."...more
Are we really all equal? Or are some of us still more equal than others? Justyce is put in handcuffs for hours for trying to get his drunk ex-girlfrieAre we really all equal? Or are some of us still more equal than others? Justyce is put in handcuffs for hours for trying to get his drunk ex-girlfriend home safely by a police officer who assumed he was attacking her. He has top SAT scores, he's at the top of his class at school, but none of that mattered to the policeman, only the color of his skin. Justyce writes to Martin Luther King, Jr. trying to figure out who he is and how to deal with the way he is treated by the world around him.
I started this book in audio and then finished it on my kindle. The audio is very good, just over four hours. When I got to the halfway point of this book, I had to put it down, and walk around my living room to relieve the stress of the story. I had to do it again at about the three fourths point also. Towards the end of chapter 17 Justyce is thinking about something he's been told by another character: "Resistance is existence.... These white people don't got no respect for us.... There's no escaping the Black Man's Curse...." I get it, but it crushes me, and made me think--what am I doing to change things?
Especially relevant today are these words from Martin Luther King Jr. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” “I Have a Dream” speech, 1963 ...more
An oral history of when all the important school events are scheduled on the very same day. Funny bits, but lots of people to keep track of, and threaAn oral history of when all the important school events are scheduled on the very same day. Funny bits, but lots of people to keep track of, and threads to trace. The audio helps with keeping track of people. There is a different voice for everyone. I did not realize this was a companion novel but do to feel slighted now that I know. ...more
Think this could make a cool film. I've got trailer ideas for this one. Think this could make a cool film. I've got trailer ideas for this one. ...more
Aza has OCD. Real OCD. Not the kind many of us say when we say "I'm ocd about having all my book covers match, or a series must all be in the same forAza has OCD. Real OCD. Not the kind many of us say when we say "I'm ocd about having all my book covers match, or a series must all be in the same format." When Aza's mind goes into a spiral, it's frightening. I do not have OCD, but I do have someone in my life who has dealt with it, in a milder version than Aza's. After reading this, I feel like I have a better understanding of what it must be like. It is very intense. Daisy, Aza's best friend, is me.
Favorite quote: (made me actually laugh out loud.) "The whole problem with boys is that ninety-nine percent of them are, like, okay. If you could dress and hygiene them properly, and make them stand up straight and listen to you and not be dumbasses, they'd be totally acceptable." Daisy, page 41....more
Series starter. Good for gamers. I figured out who the bad guy was halfway through. Emika monologs a lot. Cool tech. If you've read The Scorpion Rules, soSeries starter. Good for gamers. I figured out who the bad guy was halfway through. Emika monologs a lot. Cool tech. If you've read The Scorpion Rules, some of this will remind you of it....more
How can a book be funny and about grief at the same time? This one is both and heartbreaking, and encouraging, too. I loved it.
Otis is such a BOY, heHow can a book be funny and about grief at the same time? This one is both and heartbreaking, and encouraging, too. I loved it.
Otis is such a BOY, he thinks about girls, well, one girl. He is funny, exceptionally well written (a poet), and a swimmer. Grieving the loss of Mason, his little brother, and the girl/best friend/first love who left after Mason died and hasn't contacted Otis in three and a half years, he is stunned to find out she is coming for a three week visit.
Dara, his swim coach and best friend is not happy about the interruption to the training schedule. Dara had been an Olympic hopeful until an accident cost her part of an arm. Now she is training Otis. She's gruff, stand offish, and struggles with phantom limb pain.
As Otis's worlds collide and start to blend, learning about the past will be difficult. Almost as difficult as navigating the future. ...more
I started this one on audio and then finished it in print. I needed to know how it ended faster than someone else could read it to me.
Henry has been I started this one on audio and then finished it in print. I needed to know how it ended faster than someone else could read it to me.
Henry has been abducted by aliens even so often and for several years, now. His dad left the family when Henry was younger. His boyfriend committed suicide last year. He is currently being used by the most popular boy school, who leads the bullying when they aren't hooking up. No wonder Henry isn't too interested in saving the world, when given the means to do so by the aliens who abduct him. But this is not an alien story. It's a story of resilience, grief, friendship, family, discovery, and acceptance. I was awed by this story. Read it. ...more
I had such high hopes for this one. The psychological trauma of a child kidnapped and then brain washed to get revenge had me very interested. As thisI had such high hopes for this one. The psychological trauma of a child kidnapped and then brain washed to get revenge had me very interested. As this book wore on though I was frustrated by the ability of Addie to be such a computer hacker, and keep her cool when confronted with all the lies she'd been told by "Father." They kept talking about how much of a genius she was, trying to make me buy into it. Not that teens can't be great hackers-- I buy that -- but something just felt off about it. When it ended there are so many loose ends left hanging, I feel like there should be a sequel. The audio is good, but if there is ever a sequel, I won't read it. ...more
Carve the Mark is set in a universe where the "current" flows through all worlds, and people develop special powers depending on their personalities. Carve the Mark is set in a universe where the "current" flows through all worlds, and people develop special powers depending on their personalities. Akos and his brother are kidnapped from their family home and taken to another country that is at war with theirs. There, he meets Cyra, assassin, and sister to the leader of Shotet. Her current gift is pain, both for her and anyone she touches. Akos' current gift neutralizes the gifts of others. Sounds like a match made in heaven right? Well, except for the kidnapping thing, the slave thing, the evil brother, the hostage brother, and the fates. The fates...some people in this universe are "fate favored" meaning in every version of the future the oracles see a particular thing happens. Of course, Cyra and Akos have fates.
I'm pretty sure I've figured out where this series will end up. I'm not sure I'll like it. Especially given the history of this author and her characters. It was hard to follow at times since many of the character names seem to be similar. But, I did enjoy this one and liked the differing cultures. I listened to this one and I am glad after seeing it in print. I definitely would not have those names in my head like they are spelled. ...more
This book--the audio is amazing. The story is compelling. I was crying at the beginning while walking outside listening to it. Starr is a witness to tThis book--the audio is amazing. The story is compelling. I was crying at the beginning while walking outside listening to it. Starr is a witness to the unprovoked killing of her friend by a white policeman. She must find her voice to reconcile the two sides of herself and her two worlds. This is a timely novel, well written and a must read. It's an important book, but it didn't feel like it was shouting at me "I'M AN IMPORTANT BOOK!" Unlike another book I read earlier this year. ...more
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