A few more book reviews...

I've been neglecting my Goodreads reviews lately and I've been feeling like catching up now that I have a little more free time to read fun stuff. I've also had some nice encouragement from my good friend, Lyz Dorathy, to make me feel like my opinions are appreciated- which is always nice. I'm still working on a Fablehaven post and then I'll start catching up on family stuff. So bear with me.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this right before Eclipse came out in theaters last summer and it was so cool to have that extra insight/alternative perspective of the minor character, Bree, when I went to see the movie. I think it made the movie much more enjoyable. (By the way, I enjoyed Eclipse the movie way more than Eclipse the book. I think Bella's indecisiveness became way too tiresome in the pages of the book- but the movie could cover it in less time. I was also completely sick of the ever lurking threat of Victoria. I thought the Eclipse movie was done way better than the first Twilight movie). While I was reading the book I actually had to go back and read parts of Eclipse because I couldn't remember those parts very well where the two books overlap. Even though I knew the ending already, the author kept me interested in the other side to the story and made me hope for a different ending but then at the last minute feel OK about Bree's tragic demise. I think it speaks volumes to Stephenie Meyer's artistry and strengths as a writer.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was disappointed in this book. I was SO excited to read it- I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the first two books- and the second book ended with such a huge cliff hanger. I did a special pre-order at my favorite local bookstore, Changing Hands, and they included a little bundle of goodies like the gifts from sponsors in the book (granola bar, fruit leather, band aid, etc- wrapped in a little silver cloth like a parachute- it was really cute). I picked it up the day it came out and started reading it immediately. And it was really good... It was a little more violent but I got into it and then it just went haywire at the end. I felt like the author completely dropped the ball. It felt like she was trying to wrap it up quickly to meet a deadline and it completely fell apart. And it wasn't because I didn't like the outcome. I don't want to give anything away because I still feel like it's worth reading to have the closure for the series, but Katniss ended up with who I'd wanted her to, it just didn't feel right. There was too much senseless violence and the scene near the end with her sister just felt completely random and uncalled for. When I finished it I felt completely unsatisfied. It was a similar feeling that I had at the end of the last Gregor the Overlander book. I'm still looking forward to Suzanne Collins' future endeavors... I'm just hoping she will get better at wrapping up her books. I hear that they are making the Hunger Games movie. I wonder if they'll combine all the books into one or put them out separately. I kind of think they could successfully pull off just one. I worry about how violent it will be. Maybe they could make the ending more satisfying in a movie format. I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

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The little silver parachute bundle with gifts from sponsors to aid in the arduous task of reading Mockinjay.

A few book reviews

Last week Jon went on a trip with his dad and brothers to the San Fransisco area to attend The Maker Fair. While he was gone I used the time to catch up on some reading I'd been wanting to do. I read five books in less than a week so it gives you an idea of how quick and easy the books were. They were all young adult books (I've explained my reasons for liking that genre in a past post). Most of these books had heroines instead of heroes, which is somewhat refreshing. They all had some good mystery, some fantasy, and some romance. My favorite things :) If you'd like a summary of any book, just click on the image and it will take you to the book's Goodreads page.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really liked this book and would have given it more stars if it weren't for the little bit of immorality in the story. There was a lot of violence in the book but it didn't bother me too much because the theme of the book was about the heroine figuring out that she didn't have to be violent just because her king orders her to- that she could choose to follow his commands or not. The moral issue I had a problem with was how she comes to the conclusion that she never wants to get married but that sex outside of marriage is a perfectly viable option. This author is sending a WAY WRONG message to her young adult (mostly female) audience. It's too bad because up to that point I was totally thinking of some teens that I would have recommended it to because it was so well written. But, of course, I won't.


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Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the heroine coming from such humble beginnings and overcoming the odds in a very strict caste system. I appreciated the poetic justice that befalls Lady Saren's father after he traps her in a tower for seven years because she refuses to marry an evil man that he has chosen for her. I enjoyed the tender/sweet relationship that Dashti forms with the love interest. It was a little bit predictable but in a satisfying way. I will definitely recommend it to my 14 year old niece.  


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Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really good, fast read of another spin on the classic The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I liked how she gave more of the story through the hero's perspective. Kind of like if Sleeping Beauty was told by Prince Phillip. Very entertaining and clever. I liked the inclusion of the knitting patterns at the end and how they were "woven" into the plot. 

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The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I actually listened to this book on CD last summer when I drove the 14 hours to Denver with my mom and a van full of kids. There were long periods of quiet when everyone was asleep so I was surprisingly able to focus on it pretty well. I had heard good things about this book and wasn't disappointed. I like the main character, Isi. It's a coming of age story of self discovery involving very unique talents.  

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Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a kind of follow up book to Goose Girl, based on a minor character. I liked this book for the most part. I didn't feel as strong a connection with Enna as I did with Isi and I felt like overall it was a darker book. There is something really much more violent to me about death by fire than sword/weapon. It had some clever twists. The truth about her captor caught me by surprise but was neatly set up in the previous book. I was pleased with the ending but felt it a little bit lacking. 

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River Secrets by Shannon Hale

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this one a little bit more than the second one. I liked the main character, Razo, and how he figures out what his special talents are, and especially that they are not supernatural kind of talents like his friends'. It continued to have the death by fire thing that was in the second book which I didn't like. But I was intrigued by the mystery and the telling of the story. 

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It's been a while...

I've been super busy this past semester with student teaching and finishing up my big master's degree project. We've had a great year so far and have had a lot of fun family time in between all the work that I'd like to document so I'll be playing catch up with the next posts.

It was really sweet to see how supportive and excited Jon's family was- everyone was there for his graduation- Kelby drove in from LA and Julie even flew in from Alaska!

Biggest news lately is that Jon has graduated summa cum laude with his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering! He's accepted a job with Honeywell working in their aerospace program with fiber-optic gyroscopes. He starts tomorrow. We're not exactly sure how things will play out for the next year. He was accepted last year into ASU's 4+1 program which allowed him to take four classes this past year that not only counted towards his undergraduate degree but also doubled up to count towards a masters degree. But in order to take advantage of the credits he'd have to continue full time at ASU this year in their master's program. All he needs is two semesters worth and he'd have his masters by this time next May. I feel like he should go for it. He's hesitant because he's accepted a really good job and would hate to give it up. He's also pretty worn out with school- he had some serious senior-itis this past semester (although he still managed to pull off straight A's without studying as much and missing some classes). As of now, he's registered for classes in the fall and we'll see how he feels at the end of the summer. We'll see how he likes Honeywell and if the break from school for a couple of months is enough to give him the extra push he needs to do school for another year. He says he doesn't feel the need to get a masters but he can definitely see the benefits and we'd hate to have all those free credits go to waste. He might kick himself in the future for not taking advantage of the opportunity. Plus, he's really proven to be such a good student- I know he can totally do it without much difficulty.

No matter if Jon goes to school next year or not I've decided to teach next year. It was a struggle to make the decision. I finished my student teaching in the beginning of April and immediately fell into a funk. I really enjoyed the routine and challenges/triumphs of teaching and being at home full time again was just not the same. I completely adore my girls and totally want what's best for them. Sally will be in all day kindergarten this coming fall and Sophie will miss her like crazy. I feel that Sophie is ready for preschool/daycare. But she may just go twice a week if Jon decides to go to school because he'll be able to watch her the three days he doesn't have classes. We'll see how it goes. The economy is not making it very easy to find a teaching position at the district that I'd like to work in (our neighborhood Kyrene district). But my brother-in-law has offered me a position at the charter school where he's become principal so I want to take advantage of that opportunity and get at least a year's experience there. It'll be a bit of a commute but I'm thinking the quiet time will probably be enjoyable- I really don't mind driving- I just hope I can avoid the rush hour traffic most days.

May has been amazing here in the weather department- which is really nice because I felt like we'd been cheated of some cooler weather last fall because it was still pretty darn hot all the way until November. We've been taking advantage by being outdoors as much as we can by going camping, riding bikes, hiking, going to the zoo, the park, on walks, and just playing/working in the backyard. All of those things that we'll have to avoid doing in the middle of the day in the hot Arizona summer sun. We have lots of fun planned for this summer but no more trips for a while because we'll be saving up all our vacation funds for a family trip to Alaska next summer when Julie gets married. We're very excited for her (and for us because we will finally be able to visit her and have some cool experiences in the Anchorage area)!

The kids are finishing their last week of school this week. Shule will be moving on to eighth grade in the fall (one more year till high school: YIKES!), Shazer is promoting to middle school, and Sally is graduating from Happy Apple Preschool. There will be lots going on so I may not be able to get to catching up the blog until later but here are some posts to look forward to: Christmas 2010, student teaching, Easter, Disneyland, and lots of other fun family stuff!