Review Blast! August Catch- Up Edition

I hate doing these quickie reviews but there comes a time when I realize I’m so far behind that I just need to get over 
myself and get it done.  So here you go. . .

Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen, was an excellent read.  The story was very real - nothing sci-fi, supernatural, or dystopian about it, which is rare with Young Adult novels these days.  The story was about a teenager, her sisters, and her attempt at holding her family together and deal with fall-out after a sexual assault led to rumors and misunderstandings.  This story tackles rape, anorexia, and depression amongst other themes.  It’s a heavy novel with a very real core.  Definitely worth reading.  I recommend it to older teens and adults of all ages.

Airhead, Being Nikki, and Runaway, by Meg Cabot, are the three books that make up the Airhead trilogy.  The story is very far fetched.  After an accident in a department store, Emerson wakes up to find her brain transplanted onto the body of a supermodel.  Emerson has to pretend to be Nikki while trying to remain herself.  The first book hooked me enough to keep reading but honestly I find them all a bit silly.  That darn Meg Cabot can always hook me into her stories, weird as they might be.  While I can’t wholeheartedly recommend them to adults, the target teen audience might enjoy the trilogy. 

I’m pretty well convinced that I’ve read Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, before.  It’s a familiar story.  That being said, I read it again and once again found myself caught up in one family’s courage to stay together through the worst possible time, and another family’s bravery to help them no matter the cost.  It’s always worth a read - or a re-read. 

Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes is part of an ongoing series by Robin Jones Gunn.  The stories are stand -alone novels of women getting together and finding out more about themselves, and God, along the way.  In this installment, Summer heads to the Netherlands to meet her longtime pen pal Noelle.  The women had been great friends for years but had never met face to face.  Summer is escaping from a possible breast cancer diagnosis and Noelle is still running from a difficult relationship with her father.  As the two women share adventures, they learn that their friendship was meant to be and they both find healing.

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

I picked up Journey to the River Sea, by Eva Ibbotson, strictly because I needed a book written by an "I" author.  Fortunately I chose wisely and thanks to the A to Z Challenge, I found a wonderful book that I probably would never have looked at otherwise.

Maia is an orphan who is leaving the security of her boarding school in England to travel to the Amazon to live with distant relatives.  She has images of her twin cousins becoming fast friends, and having adventures in the jungle.  Once she arrives, she realizes that nothing is as it seems.  Her aunt is paranoid, her uncle unaware, and her cousins are downright creepy.  It is Miss Minton, Maia's nanny and teacher, who protects Maia from her awful family.

Maia does find her adventure in the jungle, and with a great cast of characters, we the readers go along for the ride.  Journey to the River Sea is one of those special books that is going to stay with me.  I plan to share this book with many people and I really highly recommend it.  If any of you are teachers, it's an excellent book to read aloud, with all the twists and turns.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

Julie and Julia is a memoir about Julie Powell's quest to cook every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1. This is one of those books that I wanted to LOVE but just didn't. I think it was a combination of things that made me not really like this book.

I admit to being influenced by the movie previews -and I still think the movie looks like it should be great. Because of those previews, I expected to learn a bit about Julia Child and I really didn't. We are given short glimpses into the life of Julia but it's not enough. I wanted more about her fascinating life and less about Julie's. Yet, it's Julie's memoir, her project, and it should be about her.

I was also a bit turned off by the multitude of swear words. Now I'm no prude and I can ignore a bit of foul language, even laugh at it, but there was so much! I can't even share this with my mother because I think she'd be offended by it.

Then there was the food. Oh my. Here is where I give credit where credit is due. Julie, you are a very brave woman to cook some of that stuff. I am extremely picky about the meat I eat, and I certainly can't think about it when I'm eating it. There is no way I would EVER be able to make aspic from calves feet, kill a lobster, or cook brains. No way. Ever. If I were to pick a cookbook to do a similar project, it would have to be one called "Recipes for People who will Cook Only Certain Meat Without Having to Think About Where it Comes From." If anyone knows of that book, please let me know.

So between the lack of Julia info, the abundance of the "f" word, and the yucky food, the book just didn't meet my expectations.