Catching Fire (re-read)

I re-read Catching Fire so I could have it fresh in my mind before going to see the movie. I wanted to put it on here to keep track of my reads, but I won't do an official post about it since I did in the past--post here. I think I like this book more each time I read it. I thoroughly enjoyed the re-read.

The Fault in Our Stars

I had several people recently recommend The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and then a teenager at church lent me her copy.  This book is about 16-year-old Hazel, who is dying from terminal stage IV cancer.  It follows her life as she deals with her parents and her support group and when she meets a new friend--Augustus, a cancer survivor too.

This was a really good, addicting book.  It was one of those books that is not great to read when I am supposed to be hanging out with Emmeline because I am very distracted and want to keep reading.  The characters were very real and believable, and I became very engrossed in their stories.  It was a sad book (as can be assumed from the subject matter) but never got too depressing.  The only thing about this book is it has some language and a few bursts of questionable material in there. Normally I just put down books like, but this one was so highly recommended (including by young women in my ward) that I figured it wasn't going to be too bad so kept reading.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Heaven is Here

After listening to a General Conference talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland where he mentioned Stephanie Nielson, I became re-interested in her story. I looked her up online and saw she had written a memoir--Heaven is Here--so I checked it out from the library.  It tells of Stephanie's story--she was a young mother of 4 and a popular blogger when she was in a small plane crash with her husband.  The pilot was killed, and she and her husband survived but with burns all over their bodies.  The book chronicles her life before the crash (her life growing up, meeting her husband, starting their family) and then the crash and how her life changed after the tragedy.

This was a really inspiring book.  It was definitely very hard to read at times because of the difficulties that she went through, but she really showed how family and faith and hope can get you through times that seem impossible to overcome. Her life was really idyllic before the crash; she was the stereotypical young Mormon mom with a bunch of kids.  But I think understanding that life was important because it helped the reader better understand the devastation of the accident.  It was touching to follow her emotions from depressing and hopeless to the realization that there was still good and happiness in her life, even amid the terrible things she was going through.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

PS--There is also a great "Mormon Message" on youtube that tells a little bit of her story.  I just watched it last night and really liked it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHDvxPjsm8E

Al Capone Does My Homework

I saw that Gennifer Choldenko had written a new Alcatraz story, so I found Al Capone Does My Homework at the library. This is the third book in a series following Moose Flanagan, a boy who lives on Alcatraz Island in the 1930s because his dad works at the prison.  In this book, his dad has been promoted to associate warden, which means that he is more at risk from problems from the inmates. Moose worries about his dad as well as his sister Natalie, especially when a mysterious fire starts in their home.

This was another great book.  I was just so engaged and by the end didn't want to put the book down.  I just love the kid characters in the book and their distinct personalities.  I love Moose and how protective he is of his older sister.  (Natalie probably has autism, but it is never really labeled in the book since it was the 1930s, when things like that just weren't understood.)  I just think this series is so fun--the time period and setting along with the fun plot twists and awesome characters.  It just makes for a great book.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Emmaline and the Bunny

I randomly saw Emmaline and the Bunny by Katherine Hannigan on a shelf at the library and was so surprised to see a book with my daughter Emmeline's name.  It looked like a cute book (an easier chapter book with some illustrations in there), so I told Emmeline about it, and we checked it out.  It is about a little girl named Emmaline who lives in Neatasapin where everything is tidy--but she doesn't like being tidy.  She wants a pet bunny, but bunnies are not allowed because they are too dirty.  But Emmaline is lonely, and she wants to find a way to get a bunny somehow.

I read this book aloud to Emmeline over a few days.  It's the first time I've attempted a chapter book with her, and she was actually quite interested in it.  (I only did attempt a chapter book because it was an Emmaline book, but now maybe I'll try again sometime.)  Each day when we read more, I just reminded her what had happened before, and I asked her some questions throughout to see how she was following it and to help her understand.  It was fun to read it with her, and she really liked the plot--a girl named Emmaline, bunny rabbits....that's about all it takes to interest a 3-year-old.  I didn't actually love the book that much though, which surprised me since the author's book Ida B is fabulous.  I think the book was just kind of random.  I also think I would've liked it slightly more if I didn't read it aloud because it had a kind of odd writing style that I think would have come across better in my mind rather than spoken aloud.  But I think it was actually a pretty good first chapter book to read to Emmeline.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)

The Spiderwick Chronicles

A 17-year-old avid reader who lives two doors down from me lent me her copies of The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DeTerlizzi and Holly Black. These 5 books follow Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace, three kids who move to a new house where some old relatives used to live. Once they arrive, they come across an old field guide about faeries and other creatures and realize that they are in the midst of these creature--who all want the guide book.

This was a fun series. It really seems like it should be just one book--but I think it was purposefully split into five, probably to make it more manageable for the young readers it is written for. The books were super, super quick reads with lots of action and well-defined characters.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Salt

I saw Salt by Helen Frost on the new-book shelf at the library, and something it said on the front caught my eye: "A Story of Friendship in a Time of War." Since I really like historical fiction, I picked up the book and then noticed that it was about the War of 1812--which like never has historical fiction books--so I decided to read it. This book switches points of view between Anikwa (a member of the Miami tribe) and James (an American whose family lives at the trading post). The two boys are friends, but when the war comes to their land, everything changes.

This was a really good book. It is beautifully written--the language and such is just very well done. The story is sweet and thought-provoking, and I think it well portrays the different sides of the story. It was a pretty short read and just a nice book.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)