Review: Suite Scarlett

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I really debated the stars on this book. Honestly, the primary story and the plight of the hotel would probably garner 3 stars in a Disney movie sort of feel good film. However, I simply can't get past Scarlett's relationship with Eric. The story teller is a girl barely fifteen and living a less than exciting life the summer before she starts high school. Her older brother is 18, maybe 19, as he has delayed college a year. This brother befriends a fellow actor, a soon-to-be sophomore at NYU. Scarlett having a crush on this older guy is completely normal, in my opinion. How many girls make it through those early teens without crushing on a senior or a college guy? This college sophomore liking her, though? Creepy. He could be turning 20 at any point and she's barely 15 (birthday occurred at the start of the book) and they hang out in his apartment until 1:30 in the morning, making out? Except, as is mentioned in several places, they are closed mouth kisses. Um, okay...

I almost stopped reading at this point. Almost. I had hopes that this would be addressed in the book, but it wasn't. In fact, no one seemed concerned by her behavior. Spencer, perhaps, cared but I was too weirded out by their too-much-information sibling relationship to be comforted by that.

In the end, a completely implausible but made-for-television quality ending left everyone with a happy life and a successful hotel. It was okay, but nothing that makes me want to read more.



View all my reviews

Review: Built to Last

Built to Last by David Macaulay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Awesome book. The illustrations really bring the building to life and you can flip through the book and understand how castles, cathedrals and mosques were built. The text is easy to read and filled with details I never knew. My 9 year old thought it was cool (especially the castles) and I was fascinated. I now know that animal hides were used as an early fire-proofing technique and know how to build equipment to use in a raid on a castle. I'll definitely look for other books in the series!



View all my reviews

Review: The Iron Duke

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I like Steampunk. I like alternate histories. I like sci-fi. Even though this book was all of the above, I didn't like it.

I was so bogged down in geography that I couldn't get involved in the book. I was trying to picture the world as the author designed it and then tried to place the political situations into the map. New cities, countries and people would pop up and it would make me start over. Usually, as you read books, the new terminology becomes clear. You read and gradually understand new phrases, new cultures, new situations, new histories, new technologies. In this book, it just became more puzzling as I went along.

I've finished the book and I still don't understand the basic premises of the book. I now understand what people mean when they say "I didn't get the book."



View all my reviews

Review: Higher Institute of Villainous Education

Higher Institute of Villainous Education by Mark Walden

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I've never heard of this series and then stumbled across a copy in my son's school library. It had a feel of Artemis Fowl's villainous genius and a specialized hidden school, a la Hogwarts. What an awesome combination. I finished the first book and am looking for the rest of the series now. My kids are going to love these books when their reading levels bump up a little.

There's Otto, an orphan with mad skills, who is selected to participate in the the potential super villain stream at H.I.V.E. The book features other talented youth - skilled thieves, masters of martial arts, tech geeks - in his stream and in 3 other streams. We've met thuggish Henchman trainees, a professor that is currently in the form of a cat and a friendly but seemingly talentless sidekick that ends up being an expert at plants. So much resembles the bare bones of Harry Potter - Crabbe and Goyle, Prof. McGonagall, Neville, 4 houses, orphaned main character with unknown past - but it's a completely different book. The classes are fascinating, the kids have great potential for future books and the concept is fun and unique.

Excellent story. I'm looking forward to book 2!




View all my reviews

Review: Mommy, Where Do Baby Unicorns Come From?

Mommy, Where Do Baby Unicorns Come From? by Renee Adams

My rating: 1 of 5 stars



I want to erase it from my brain. Yes, it's that bad.



View all my reviews

Review: The Geometry of Sisters

The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I needed a feel-good family and forgiveness story to break up the dystopian stuff I've been reading and this was an excellent book to choose. It had drama, family breaks in two generations, death and loss, and cute parts. It wasn't a long break but it managed to fit quite a bit of detail into each character and I enjoyed hearing the stories from the various points of view. This was an enjoyable, easy to listen to book and I'll remember Luanne Rice next time I need a book to relax with.



View all my reviews

Review: Dining on a Dime: 1000 Money Saving Recipes and Tips

Dining on a Dime: 1000 Money Saving Recipes and Tips by Tawra Jean Kellam

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



For experienced frugalistas, there won't be much in there that hasn't been read somewhere else, but this is a great compilation. This would be a good starter book for people just beginning to think about how to reduce their grocery bill or who want to make their own detergent but don't know where to start. Definitely a useful book to have on hand to reference.



View all my reviews

Review: The Unidentified

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



It's unfortunate that I could imagine the world described in the book. High schoolers banned from public gathering, school being all about popularity and friends, betrayals in teen friendships - all of it is completely possible. And when schools already receive things in exchange for pop machines in cafeterias or branded scoreboards in stadiums, how different would this be?

I also liked the trademarks on everything. It supported the book's idea of branding and the value of being 'it' in a world crowded with corporations. My only question is why companies would fight for teen interest because they clearly have little spending control - they don't work, they can't access cars, trains are only available during school hours and the mall has been converted to a school. Everything at the school is given away...so where are they making the money?



View all my reviews