The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is the story of sixteen year old Katniss Everdean, a poor girl from the Seam of District 12 in Panem, or the remains of what used to be the United States. Her father has died in a mining accident, and Katniss is left to provide for her mother, and twelve year old sister, Prim.

Once the twelve districts rebelled against the dictatorial "Capital" and lost. As a result, each year they must send a tribute - one boy and one girl per district - ages 12 - 18, to fight in the Hunger Games. If you have ever seen Running Man - that's the idea, or think Survivor reality tv, but with real deaths nightly. The rule of the arena is kill or be killed. When Katniss's younger sister Prim is chosen as the girl tribute from district 12, Katniss volunteers to go in her place.

The book is fascinating in the ways that the Capital uses the Hunger Games to manipulate and humiliate it's people. It also shows the desire, drive and resolve of the individual, especially when those they love are threatened. Will Katniss become a victim of the Hunger Games? Or does she find a way to wage her own private rebellion? This one is a real page turner especially with it's political and social implications. I am already reading part two titled Catching Fire.....

The Infinity Gate

\

It seems like I have waited for this book to come out for a while. I love Sara Douglass and my fascination with her started some time ago when I read her Wayfarer Redemption series.

This was a very satisfying conclusion to her Dark Glass Mountain series. I will say though that most of her books are interrelated so it helps having past knowledge of the characters. In this book, Axis SunSoar, AKA StarMan, makes a return. Knowing the makeup of his character, and in this book in particular, aspects of his past from the Wayfarer Redemption series, provides helpful insights.

Douglas spins complicated tales, full of complicated and flawed individuals. The heroes are never perfect, but then, they aren't in real life either, are they? I love that she always writes very strong female counterparts, who are powerful in their own right.

If you like Sci-fi and fantasy but haven't read Sara Douglass, I highly recommend most of her books.

Band of Angels

This was our recent book club selection. I'm trying to step back and let the other ladies lead a little more, after all, the point of a book club is reading a book that you normally wouldn't. This was one of those books.

It was an interesting book written about a time and place that I know very little about. War is a terrible thing, but imagining what war must have been like in the in the mid 1800's. Part of this book is based on a true story. The Crimean war was a horrible and costly conflict. The British lost thousands to typhus and malaria alone. British outcry over the treatment of soldiers in the Crimea finally brought enough pressure to bear that Florence Nightingale was given permission to take 30 nurses to help to the hospital in Scutari. This is one nurse's story. For those of you interested in this sort of thing, you can read more about the actual history behind the story here

All the fascinating history aside, this book is basically a love story. The love story aspect was refreshing for the time period in which it is based. The female lead, Catherine, is actually an extremely strong character who does what she feels she must, in spite of her lovers thoughts and objections.

I'm glad I read the book, but would only give it a three out of five stars. It's not a must..... but I did feel like I learned something. I went into it thinking it was a glorified romance novel and it was much more than that!

Very exciting about my summer reading! Now I am working on the Infinity Tower by Sara Douglass who I adore! If you like fantasy, the Wayfarer Redemption is a great book. Then perhaps the Overton Window, The Passage, The Lion's Game and more. The library and my Nook are full of endless possibilities and I have some catching up to do.

My fifth graders gave me a gift card to Borders. Those children are geniuses!

The Forgotten Garden

This is the best book that I have read in a few months. It is the absolutely fascinating story of Nell, a little girl who is abandoned on a ship headed for Austrailia. During the journey, Nell has an accident and when the four year old arrives at her destination, she has absolutely no memory of who she is.

On her 21st birthday, Nell finds out that she is not who she has always believed herself to be. This story is the quest for her to find out her true identity. Why are the little white suitcase and the book of fairy tales that she had with her so important?

In spite of being under a mountain of homework, I absolutely could not put this one down. It was a fascinating page turner that keeps you guessing throughout the entire story. It is certainly not predictable and would make an excellent beach read. I highly recommend it!

For any of you that read the Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and enjoyed it, this book is for you!

Julie of the Wolves

To her friends in her Eskimo village, she is Miyax, to her friends in San Francisco, she is Julie.

Miyax is thirteen years old and she is running away. The problem is, Miyax lives in Alaska, she is alone on the Barrows and the weather is beginning to turn. Her father was a great Eskimo hunter who taught her many things, Will his lessons help her to survive?

She will need some help, and that is where a pack of wild wolves comes in. Amaroug, the great leader of the wolves, befriends Julie and she is eventually accepted into the Pack. During her journey, Miyax embraces her heritage, learns about herself, and builds a true friendship with the wolves.

When the time comes for Miyax to choose between the old ways and the new, which one will she chose? Is she Miyax of the Eskimos? Or Julie of the Wolves?

This is a wonderful, wonderful story and my fifth grader reading group comprised of girls and boys all enjoyed it. There are some difficult and adult situations in the book, but the details are obscured so that just enough information is given, but not too much. This book is a reminder that we are all stronger than we think we are. I would highly recommend this book to young adult readers.

The Postmistress

This book starts out so promising. It is set in pre- world war 2 New England and a concurrent story takes place over the pond, in London, during the Blitz. It is essentially the story of three women: Frankie, Emma, and Iris. Frankie is a war radio commentator working for Murrow in war torn London. She is the person who brings the war home for those in American, constantly telling the stories of our allies and reminding us of why America needs to get in the fight.

Iris James is the Postmistress in a small New England town. She knows that war is coming, and tries to keep it from her loved ones for as long as possible. She is the one who will deliver the news about the implications of the war for those left behind.

Emma is a newly married young woman. She faces tragedy when the young doctor that she marries goes off to London to help during the Blitz. She waits everyday for the postmistress to deliver the letters that mean so much.

The lives of these three women become inexplicably woven together in the course of the story. Will the postmistress deliver the mail? What is it that brings a career girl like Frankie Bard to New England? What ultimately will become of Emma?

I enjoyed the first two halves of the story very much, especially as the story followed Frankie's quest for the truth. However, the third part, while it had moments of real brilliance, was a let down, for me, in the end. Did the story mean anything or was it all just a string of words put together on a page? I'm still not sure and maybe that's the problem.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

When I was a young girl, this was one of my absolute favorite stories. I loved the tale of a young woman struggling to fit it and finding ways to do so seemingly against all the odds. I think that is a story that just about every young girl can relate to. More than that though, The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a story of friendship, loyalty and finally love.

Kit is a strong female character for young women everywhere to look up to and admire. In a literary world crowded with pathetic codependents like Bella Swann from Twilight, our daughters need more examples of young women that the can admire. Kit does not need a man to establish her sense of self, unlike Bella Swann, but rather develops her own strength of character. I admire Kit because she is struggling through so much difficulty - the death of a loved one, the move to a strange new place, the intolerance of those around her - and yet, somehow she always chooses to do the right thing and further, encourages others around her to do the same.

This book has stood the test of time. It has been popular since I was a child and it still speaks to young girls today just as it did back then. I highly recommend it, especially for girls of an impressionable age looking to read a wonderful book about friendship and love and needing young lady role models that they can truly admire.