Richard Clarke's Fiction

    I received a copy of Richard A Clarke's Sting of the Drone from the publisher, with a request to write a review (I had previously reviewed another of their titles, which I loved).

   I had read his non-fiction book, Against All Enemies, and enjoyed it.  I was curious how his style would transition to fiction.
   I truly enjoyed the premise of Sting of the Drone, essentially a debate on whether or not America should use drones to kill. It was interesting picturing the pilots far away sending the drones to do their work, but the philosophical debate didn't go beyond, "it is wrong to kill without a trial or even much evidence" versus "our pilots won't die if we send in unmanned drones"  He brings in a couple of senators opposed to drones, but for the most part plays up the need to use them.  His characters are somewhat typical for thrillers, but I do have to hand it to him, the plot moved along quickly and was very exciting.  A potential terrorist threat might take place at Christmas, and those piloting the drones need to prevent that from happening.
   Despite his rather weak portrayal of the philosophical issues, the question of drone use did make me ponder while I was reading, and kept me reading to the end.  The parts I could have lived without were the sex chats two of the characters had; I always find sex thrown into thrillers somewhat tired and cliched, but in his case even more so, because I unfortunately pictured him saying them versus the character he had written.
   The issues raised that I found most interesting dealt with who is at fault when innocent children are placed in harm's way by the terrorists, who know a drone will be sent to kill.  Us, for sending the drones into kill without an arrest or trial, or the terrorists for putting the children there?  The character that felt the drone pilots had no role and shouldn't feel guilty, worries me still...as it seems all too easy for us to rationalize policies and the resulting tragedies with a blithe, "we didn't put the kids there"
   This might be a fun book for a book club to read, to start a discussion on our drone policy...and then perhaps the group could move onto the Constitution, and continue that discussion.
  

Dystopian series for reluctant readers.

I have many, many struggling students/reluctant readers attempt to read these series: Hunger Games, Divergent, Hex Hall, and the Lunar Chronicles, all putting them down when they realized the books were slightly more complex than they had anticipated.

While in Toronto I picked up, The Rule of Three by Eric Walters.  It starts with a typical high school day from the view of the main character, Adam.  The day turns out to be not so typical when all computers and related technology suddenly fail.  Technology never returns....

The world is suddenly quite different, and the book realistically portrays what could happen.  In some ways it is a survival guide with almost step by step instructions on what to do and what not to do.  It isn't morally complex like the other series, nor does anyone require a great deal of background knowledge, which makes this series (book two doesn't yet have a publication date) the perfect series for students whose skills aren't quite up to the other well known series.

Despite that, I too enjoyed the book, the characters and the plot kept me reading, and I am looking forward to reading the next book.

Toronto: Maybe a glimpse into my future Indie life!

Went on a bookstore vacation!  Visited Toronto after reading they had quite a few independent bookstores.

Ben McNally Books is where I bought The Rule of Three by Eric Walters (review to be posted in next few days) and The House at the end of Hope Street by Menna Van Praag

At Ten Editions Bookstore (used bookstore) I bought The Path to Freedom His Holiness The Dalai Lama 

At another used bookstore, Seekers I picked up a couple of books by Stephen Donaldson, The Real Story and Lord Foul's Bane.

At Bakka Phoenix Books I bought Feed by Mira Grant.

At BMV Books I bought Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet by Joanne Proulx and Smoking Typewriters by John McMillian.

I also picked up another book there, that was so boring that I left it at the hotel.  I won't name this book as there is no point in doing that, but decided the book might be enjoyed by another guest (reviews on Amazon were such that folks either loved it or hated it).

And finally at Book City I bought Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (and I plan on ordering the entire series)

It was great fun chatting with a few of the owners, in a casual manner. Sad that some stores I had planned on seeing had closed after 30+ years in Toronto.

Reviews will soon start up. I am closing my Facebook account as it just sucks up time to read and write :-)

A haunting narrative

I absolutely loved The Tyrant's Daughter.  This haunting narrative sticks with you; it should be required reading in all MS and HS history classes. She is the daughter of an assassinated leader, from a non stated country.  Her family fled there and are now in the US. She is trying to fit in, to figure out if her father was good or the dictator/tyrant the news says he is.  Loads to discuss, ponder, question, sympathize with and worry about. 
Very well written from a young girl's perspective. The other characters were well drawn out as well.  All too believable.  Kudos to J.C Carleson.

Realistic YA novel that deals with bullying.

I enjoyed Picture Me by Lori Weber very much. Initially I was worried that distinguishing the characters might be difficult, as the voices were somewhat similar, but whether due to their circumstances, or the subtle differences between the characters' voices, I got over that.

I liked the foreshadowing, and think it will be a  perfect book for MS students. The book is told in alternating chapters from the views of Tessa, Krista and Chelsea.  Chelsea is the bully in the book and Krista is the primary victim.  I felt it was realistic and though I could easily predict how things would turn out, I think most 6th and 7th graders would enjoy predicting and seeing if they were correct.  I think as well the book portrays bullying in a realistic manner.

I enjoyed the cliffhanger ending as well, as it is particularly realistic.

I recommend this for MS students, particularly for girls, but I think boys would enjoy it as well.

Look for it March 1st.

Dystopian thriller

I know it might seem odd that once again I am writing about a dystopian novel that I love, but it is the trend these days.

The funniest aspect of all of this to me is, the one that started the ball rolling so to speak, Hunger Games is my least favorite of all of the ones I have read. 

The novel Pawn is right up there with my favorite, Cinder (the countdown for the third book in this series, Cress, is featured prominently on my blog, as you can see).  I will soon write about Independent Study, which is the second in another series I enjoyed more than Hunger Games.

But onto Pawn.  The novel takes place in an America where meritocracy rules.  At age 17 students take a test to see what path their lives will lead.  The rankings are essentially a caste system, and our hero, Kitty, ends up ranking quite low.  She has dyslexia which is an interesting premise to deal with in a society like this.

She ends up being the double for a member of the ruling family, and I can't even begin to describe all the plot points and twists and turns this novel takes.  It was all handled well, and kept me riveted.

I am looking forward to the second book in this series.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I truly enjoyed this book, despite initially having a hard time jumping into it.  The premise was interesting, but the first couple of chapters didn't draw me in as quickly as most thrillers do, and I almost didn't continue.  I am glad I did.
The characters are well developed and drawn out. I cared for all of them, and as details were developed and added to the plot, my appreciation of the writer's ability to write a mystery rose.
I do hope this develops into a series.

The Naturals is centered on a group of teens with natural abilities (like discerning if someone is telling the truth) that the FBI finds, and essentially tries to groom into profilers. 

The teens have stories of their own, that complicate matters.  The tension throughout was well developed and realistic. A bit of romance is thrown in as well, that I feared would become somewhat routine/boring/expected, but it was all handled well.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, you should read this book.

Bookfair

I purchased 4 books from our December school book fair, and received two others from a very nice anonymous donor.
I have read two of the books so far, and enjoyed both.
Prior to starting the next, I am posting reviews.

The first one is In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth. I enjoyed the plot very much, and the writing style was engaging.  Essentially the narrative is written from the perspective of two young girls, one of whom is dying and needs a heart transplant. The other dies in an accident, and of course ends up donating her heart.
While it may seem smarmy, it is handled fairly well, with lots of information regarding transplants and a realistic portrayal of what someone receiving a heart might feel.

The second book, Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender, is a fun mystery.  A great ghost story involving Marie Antoinette as a vengeful ghost seeking out the families of those she feels betrayed her.  Somewhat obvious at times, it nonetheless was an engaging story to pass a couple of hours with. 

MS and HS students will enjoy both of these books, one light and one a tad heavier, they are both great additions to the YA genre.

New Thriller

Runner by Patrick Lee was an exciting read. The plot is wonderful and intriguing.  I enjoyed the main characters, Rachel and Sam a great deal. The author does an excellent job with character development and the build-up of the mystery regarding who Rachel is.
While it may seem like the typical trouble via the military industrial complex type of thriller, it goes beyond that basic concept, to create a plausible scenario, with characters you will care about.

This book will be published in February 2014. 

Three great titles

The first book I am reviewing is a new version of a  picture book that will be published in March.  A Kissing Hand for Chester Raccoon will finally be published in board book form, so younger children can enjoy this story.  This is a story that has been used for kindergartners for about 20 years...and it developed into a number of other stories featuring Chester.  I love the story, and think toddlers will enjoy the pictures, and hearing the story too.

The second book is by an author I have enjoyed.  Patrick Ness wrote A Monster Calls, which received rave reviews from me in a previous post.  His latest, More Than This, is pretty incredible.  A young man drowns, and ends up in a world that he tries to make sense of.  The beauty of this story is threefold.  It draws you in during the drowning scene..incredibly vivid....it then keeps you going as you try to figure out what is going on.  It ends in an interesting way, that some readers might object to, but I found particularly wonderful.  The writing is just wonderful. There wasn't any section that wasn't beautifully developed. Throughout various philosophical points are raised, in an interesting manner, about life, love, family, tragedy, and how we all handle our own life stories. It will be hard to stop reading, once you start this incredible book.

The third book is also by an author I have enjoyed. This is her second book, and it was amazing. She has some incredible tie ins, that make you think the characters are truly real.  The book is Night Film by Marisha Pessi.  A young woman commits suicide; she is the daughter of an infamous director, and a former journalist investigates the suicide.  He encounters two enjoyable side-kicks who help him for varied reasons.  I enjoyed the interactions between the main characters, and the suspense throughout was pretty tight.  The ending in this book received some complaints from other readers, but once again, I found the ending satisfying.  There were a couple of weak plot lines, where it isn't merely being led one way to find out something different occurred, but where I felt the path to the new conclusion didn't quite add up...but overall, it was a nicely developed story, that was truly presented in a very original manner.

Barclay does it again

It is often hard to read Linwood Barclay's books, because his characters are so universal. The dad you know, the brother you have, the son you worry about, the mom you are, the neighbor who you wonder about...all of his books center on very human characters.

Sometimes the grief and issues the characters are dealing with are so intense, so real, you have to put the book down for a bit.  For the most part his resolutions are realistic, and worthwhile. Sometimes they are heartbreaking, like life is.  So...you can't truly be dealing with whatever aspect the character is dealing with, when you read his books, or it would be in my opinion too overwhelming.

His latest, A Tap on the Window, is quite good.  I liked the characters, the plot was interesting, the dad in this case was trying to find out who gave his late son drugs.  He discovers there is more to the story than he thought, and in the process encounters a few other mysteries. 

The pacing was fine, the character development was believable, and all in all I was very satisfied.  I did have a couple of quibbles with the main bad characters, in terms of their logic and decisions, but putting that aside, all was very believable.

Utter Joy

I have always loved Stephen King, from the moment I picked up Carrie as a teenager, I was hooked on his stories. There have been a few duds, but for the most part his stories keep me enthralled, and usually quite scared.

The books I haven't read were the Dark Tower series, and perhaps I should give those a chance. One novel I loved was The Eyes of the Dragon, which falls into the YA category, but is a wonderful story if you haven't read it.

I just finished Joyland, and I have to say it was a true joy to read. I loved the characters; the protagonist, Jonesy, is a great lead, utterly believable, and his narration leads the story at the perfect pace. Bits of foreshadowing, expertly done, mark it as a novel by King.

It didn't scare me, nor is it meant to. It is a coming of age story...of a 21 year old, a love story, a ghost story, a human story. There are life lessons here, and some wonderful quotes about life as well.

They sell fun at Joyland, and sometimes fun is what is needed, particularly if you spend too much time immersed in the news, politics, tragedies, you need a bit of fun. Read Joyland, enjoy it, take a breath and revel in what many would say is a simple story, but it is one that leaves me feeling hopeful, and there are too many times when that concept is hard to hold on to.

Possible new venture

I have always wanted to own a bookstore. I have chatted about this for years, and soon I might just embark on this adventure. I plan on attending a weeklong workshop, in either Jan or May, 2014 to learn how to start an Indie YA bookstore, that I plan on calling YA Java :-)

I already have business cards, and changed the name of this blog to kind of jump start the process.

I will keep you apprised of my progress, as this daydream takes off.