Listless Monday, Offering Edition

Listless Monday was inspired by both Amanda at A Bookshelf Monstrosity's feature Books by Theme and Court at Once Upon a Bookshelf's Listed feature.  Be sure to check out their lists!

I was trying to figure out how I could tie these covers to the season or some nearby holiday. But, I decided not to waste any more time trying to think of a reason and just post the list already. So, here's what I like to call the "offering" books - these hands just look like they're giving you something.

Offering Edition

And I'm quite sure there are more (this totally seems to be a trend).  

Any suggestions?

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Book Review: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Angie of Angieville and "focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc." 

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Publisher: Um...lots (for this new cover, CreateSpace)
Publication date: 1811 (way retro)
ISBN: 9781451539400 (for this edition)
Source: Library (book club set)

Elinor and Marianne Dashwood have been cruelly sent away from their childhood home by an unfeeling older half-brother who inherited all their father had.  When they are forced to move to a much smaller cottage, Elinor leaves behind her heart with Edward Ferrars, a young man who never quite manages to declare his own love for her.  Marianne is swept off her feet by the dashing Willoughby who bears a mysterious past and an inability to come out and declare his intentions.  When the two sisters face similar tragic circumstances, they must both find a way to deal with grief - two very different ways.

Things I Liked:
Elinor is far and away my favorite character.  A selfless, kind, and caring person who always manages to think of others.  Yes, she suffers and she recognizes it, but she doesn't dwell on it completely.  She has her flaws as well, seeming to ignore those feelings sometimes, but that just adds to her attractions.  I found Marianne and several other similar characters to be fools all around.  It was interesting to see how Austen would poke fun at them with her sly word choices.  I also liked how it was also a sisters novel and not just a romantic story.  I caught more of the humor and wit in the story this time around.  Austen continues to be one of my favorite authors, especially for the subtle humor and the spanking good stories she turned out.

Things I Didn't Like:
I didn't like how there were so many reprehensible characters throughout.  I would have liked to have more characters I could admire.  And the ending for Marianne was actually kind of sad.  The movies I've seen definitely don't include the part where she kind of gives in to everyone else's wishes.  Pretty sad if you think about it, but probably not that uncommon at the time.

Read-alikes:
So many knock-offs and sequels, it would be impossible to enumerate them all!
And, of course, other Austen novels

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

Are you an Austen purist (no knock-offs or sequels), an anything Austen related (all knock-offs and sequels) or a non-Austen reader?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink

Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: August 2010
ISBN: 9780316034470
Source: Library

Lia has been working on how to stop Samael from entering this world and destroying everything ever since she left her home in New York.  With the companionship of Sonia, she's been searching for the other two keys that will help her stop Samael forever.  She learns that not only is her sister Alice getting much more powerful, she is also trying to steal James, the man Lia had to leave behind.  Lia must do everything she can to get the final pages of the prophecy that will tell her how to stop Samael before she and everyone she cares about gets killed.

Things I Liked:
I love the spooky and Gothic feel of the story.  There seems to be so much of a mythical background and history to the prophecy, Grigori, and Sisterhood that I can't get enough of it from one book.  I love that while it may not be about true historical facts, it reads like a historical fiction book with some fantasy elements.  The story was intriguing and I am dying to find out what is in store for Lia and Alice, not to mention the rest of the people I've come to care about.  A mysterious and dark book with enough excitement and surprise to keep you reading.  I'm excited for the next book!

Things I Didn't Like:
I was really annoyed with Lia for most of this book.  She was so, so naive throughout.  She just kept doing stupid things, sometimes even knowing they were stupid, and then needing to be saved by someone else.  I was so happy in the end when she finally figured out that she had to save herself.  In that sense, it showed her progression from annoying to less annoying.  

Read-alikes:
Dreamhunter duet by Elizabeth Knox

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
maybe one or two

mrg-factor: X
some mild parts and references

v-factor: ->
a few fight scenes, not too much

Overall rating: **** 

I like a good plain historical fiction, but I just love historical fantasy! Do you prefer it plain or with a little embellishment?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Dragonbreath and Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs by Ursula Vernon

Double Feature is an occasional feature where I discuss/review two books, often comparing and contrasting characters or elements that were similar or different.  I try my best to not include spoilers, or to give a spoiler warning before them, but because these reviews are more in-depth than regular reviews, it is possible there might be some plot points given away.  Read at your own risk.

Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon
Publisher: Dial
Publication date: June 2009
ISBN: 9780803733633
Source: Library 

Dragonbreath: Attack of the Ninja Frogs by Ursula Vernon
Publisher: Dial
Publication date: February 2010
ISBN: 9780803733657
Source: Library

 

Summary book 1:
Danny Dragonbreath definitely is not your typical student at the amphibian/reptile school he attends.  Being the only mythical creature there, it is especially hard to not be able to breathe fire and prove he is a dragon.  But, when he doesn't do so well on his report of the ocean, he can call on his cousin the sea serpent to help him out.  Actually seeing and touching underwater creatures, especially the giant squid, is much more thrilling than simply reading about them.

Summary book 2:
In Danny and Wendell's next adventure, the foreign exchange student Suki is being stalked by ninja frogs.  The boys must visit Japan in order to find out just why those ninja frogs are after her.  Can Danny find his fire breathing abilities in time to save them from the deadly frogs?

Things I Liked about both:
The books are short and so, so funny. They have this quirky cast of reptiles, amphibians and, of course, Danny the dragon.  He and his best pal Wendell the iguana sound very much like typical tween boys, avoiding homework and bullies left and right, having first time crushes on cute girls.  It is full of tween humor and absolute silliness, plus the mix of comic strips, illustrations, and text make these books an easy choice for reluctant readers. Here are some of my favorite funny parts from both:

Danny hated standing still for anything.  It was just dragonish nature.  Dragons slept on their hoards, they fought knights, they occasionally flew around terrorizing peasants, but they didn't usually stand still.  (It's worth noting that Danny's parents had never terrorized a peasant in their lives, and Danny's mother always volunteered to bring goodies to the school bake sale, but really, it was the principle of the thing.) p 16-17, book 1

A ferocious predator, what the common potato salad lacks in bone structure, it more than makes up for in viciousness.  A school of potato salad can skeletonize a cow in under two weeks, assuming that the cow doesn't get bored and move. p 30, book 1

He was feeling rather disillusioned by the whole adventure.  Ninjas were apparently jerks, and Suki didn't want to be a ninja queen.  Plus, there was no super-secret kung fu technique for breathing fire, and the grand quest to find the enemies of the Spurtongue Clan involved a fifteen-minute walk and a mailbox.  If they made a king fu movie out of this adventure, it would probably be called Savage Fist of Boredom. p 106-107, book 2

Things I Didn't Like about both: 
They are very light on plot.  There isn't much purpose to the books, except to tell a funny story with maybe a little learning about the ocean or about Japanese culture on the side.  Simple, quick, and entertaining, but not much else.
 
Read-alikes:
Adventures of Ook and Gluk and other Dav Pilkey books

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS for both:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Name That Book, Episode 9

Name that Book is a biweekly game where you get to guess a book title from the photo clues.

Almost didn't make it this week.  I'm not sure I'll be able to keep it up every other week and may need to make it a monthly event.  Or I could ask for submissions...leave your guesses and any thoughts on this in the comments this week!

Book 1:

Book 2:

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Publication date: October 2009
ISBN: 9781599905211
Source: Library

 

Lyn is the daughter of neo-gladiators and a "glad wife."  Her life is governed by the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association.  This becomes even more apparent when her father is killed in the arena by a young man who takes her dowry bracelet and her freedom.  That act means that she must marry him.  But when Lyn decides to take matters into her own hands, she must face a rabid violence-loving crowd in addition to the ruthless GSA.  Can she survive and retain her freedom?

Things I Liked:
I like the way it pokes fun at the commercialized and televised world we live in.  It's quite good (not that I have personal experience or anything) at showing life as a celebrity and how it is to live in the spotlight and have everything you do be visible and talked about.  It was also an interesting commentary on our violent culture and what we find acceptable.  And when the action does happen, it's excellent.  Here is one of the interesting quotes about trying to be average:

At my fast-food nation job, it's really hot and you have to lift heavy boxes of frozen food substance and you get spattered with sizzling grease.  But you have this uniform and this cap and you're just one of the underpaid and completely marginalized jerks like everyone else and no one asks if you come from seven types of men - you just fry and salt and squirt and slap and wrap and bag. p 32

Things I Didn't Like:
I just wasn't that interested in the story, I think.  Aside from the intriguing idea of neo-gladiator sports where professionals fight one another to the death, not much seems to happen in the story.  The ending, while it at first appeared gutsy, didn't really satisfy me.  With all of the building up and talking about fighting, there was only about 10 pages devoted to that.  Too much of everything else and not enough of what I expected the book to be about.  But, I suppose that is more of a problem with my expectations than the book itself.  

Read-alikes:
I guess it's a little like the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, but really only in very broad ways

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
remarkably few

mrg-factor: X
some implied stuff

v-factor: ->->->
while the scenes are few, they are fairly gory

Overall rating: ***

Posted as part of Presenting Lenore's Dystopian February celebration. Check it out!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Publication date: June 2010
ISBN: 9781423128205
Source: Library

Cammie was not prepared to face the dangers of being a real-life spy in her junior year at school.  But, when a frightening incident in London reveals a trusted friend as a double agent, she must face the facts that she doesn't know who to trust anymore.  Being under constant surveillance takes its toll on her desire to hide, but she must find out just why she's being targeted, before its too late.

Things I Liked:
These books are always good for a little spy action mixed with teenage girl fun and a dash of humor.  I love reading them, essentially, because they are so fun and fluffy.  I have been really impressed, though, that Carter has managed to bring us around to serious issues in this book.  She developed a story line that came out in later books that I certainly didn't notice in the first seemingly-fluffy books.  They have a depth now that makes them even more interesting to me.  At the end of this one, I was begging for more action.  Here's a few of my favorite parts:

I wanted her to stop looking at me as a spy and start talking to me as a girl, but Gallagher Girls are only exceptional because we're both - all the time.  p 133

In the clandestine services, nothing ever happens quickly (except when it does).  Nothing is ever, ever easy (except when it is).  And, most of all, nothing ever goes perfectly according to plan (except in the movies). p 161

It is a little-known fact about covert operations that you will spend a lot of time with people you can't really trust.  They many be traitors and liars.  We call them assets or informants.  But mostly, in those days, I called him Zach. p 212

Things I Didn't Like:
If you manage to suspend your disbelief for the reading, it is really fun.  If you can't, it becomes ridiculously unbelievable.  Also, the spy/teenage girl jokes can wear a little thin.  I recommend reading only one of these books at a time.

Read-alikes:
Read the other books in the Gallagher Girls series first
Heist Society by Ally Carter is also similar in style, obviously

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none
just kissing

v-factor: ->
a few minor incidents, surprisingly, since they're in constant peril

Overall rating: ****

What do you read for fluffy fun?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage