Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

I have heard of this book before, but I didn't really know what it was about, so I was quite surprised.  It's a bit of a horror story.  (It isn't the bloody, gory, super-scary type, though, so don't worry.)

I can't say much about the story without giving things away, so skip this paragraph if you want complete surprise.  This is the story of four siblings.  They are very happy with their family and really look up to their parents.  Then their father dies in a car accident.  Their mother is completely unprepared to take care of them, so she contacts her parents.  She had "a fall from grace" and was disinherited at 18.  Her father doesn't know about her children, so she and her mother shut the children in a bedroom of the mansion that connects to the attic until their mother receives forgiveness.  Spoiler alert!  Three and a half years later, the kids finally get to leave the attic in a fairly dramatic turn of events.

It is an easy book, but due to imprisonment and danger to children, it is probably not good for young readers.  It also has some discussion of puberty and the bodily changes it brings.  There is also mention of sex and a sexual situation, although it isn't graphic.  It certainly isn't an intellectual read, but it's very entertaining, so it is worth the time.

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

This book is very, very long, so it requires a large time commitment.  Be prepared!  It's 1400 pages of rather small print.  I surpassed the library's renewal limit (twice!) and had to check it out again and again.  Luckily, it is also extremely well-written and quite interesting.  And the story really picks up around page 600-something and you may not want to put it down!

This story takes place in India in the early 1950's, an interesting time period politically.  The country is still feeling implications from the division with Pakistan.  The feudal farming system is being ended.  Religious strife is rampant.  It's an exciting setting.

It begins at an arranged wedding, where the mother tells her younger daughter that the next thing they will do is find a suitable boy for her.  The book follows the two families who are connected in the marriage along with all the prospects for Lata's (the main character) groom.  Lata is an enjoyable character and easily likable.  Some of my other favorite characters are the Chatterji family.  They are irreverent and funny, so they're enjoyable to read about.  Kuku, the younger sister, writes many spontaneous rhyming couplets that are rather funny.  The talented shoemaker with his determination and skills is also interesting. 

This book is worth the time, but isn't an easy or quick read and takes a great deal of effort and determination.  It is clean and appropriate for all readers, but I can't imagine most young readers would want to put in the time!

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

This is a young adult novel that was recommended to me by my 15-year-old son.  When I first started reading it, I was a little surprised by the writing which seemed less than stellar and somewhat trite.  But the story quickly had me paying no attention to the writing!  (Although I really do think it improved as it went along.)

The Rithmatist is the story of a young man, Joel, who attends a prestigious school in a fantasy steampunk world.  He received admission because his father was a chalk-maker at the school and his mother is a cleaning lady, so he struggles to fit in with the wealthy student body.  The elite class at the school are the rithmatists who train to keep the world save from wild "chalklings" with geometric drawings that come to life.  (It's definitely fantasy.)  Joel is a non-rithmatist student with a fascination for rithmatics and a natural talent in math and geometric drawings.

SPOILER ALERT It does have a positive ending (I'm not a fan of a book ending with the bad guys ahead, even when I know the good guys will prevail in a later book.), but it's clear the bad guys are still alive and well and even thriving.  So the second book needs to come out quickly;  I'm interested to see what will happen!

Like past Brandon Sanderson books, The Rithmatist is 100% clean and safe for all readers.

It is a quick easy read.  Young adult books are easier, but it also draws you in, so that makes it go fast as well.  It's easily worth the time.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

I haven't read a book by Ann Patchett before, but this one was good enough that I will make an effort to read another.

Bel Canto tells the story of a group of international businessman who are attending a birthday party in a poor war-torn country.  The party is invaded by a group of terrorists looking for the President.  Since the president isn't there, they take the party goers hostage.  The situation becomes a long-term deal.  The hostages and terrorists develop connections and a strange alternate reality.  (We all know about Stockholm syndrome, but the relationships in this story seem completely real.)  Of course, the book doesn't end happily, but that was easily predictable early on because how could that situation possibly end happily?

The best part of this book are the characters.  The title is named after an amazing opera singer who performed at the party.  The middle-aged businessman whose birthday it is and his translator are also prominent figures.  The terrorists include many young poor recruits from the jungle, including two girls.

This book includes a great deal of violence.  There is also some sex, including adultery, although that isn't descriptive and is just mentioned.  It isn't appropriate for young readers.

This book is a quick easy read and definitely worth the time.

Artemis Fowl The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer

This is the last Artemis Fowl book my son owns, so I may not be reading anymore, although I kind of want to!  I'm considering checking the next one out from the library just to see what happens!  I'm guessing that tells you I enjoyed this book.

In this third installment of the Artemis Fowl series, Artemis has decided to use fairy technology to make one last fortune before he goes straight.  The fairy world is facing its own threat from some of their own in addition to being concerned about Artemis's use of fairy technology.  Some of them feel very adamantly that Artemis should have his memory wiped, so he no longer knows about them.

This is completely clean, although there are situations where a child (albeit a genius criminal mastermind child) is in danger.  Also, a character we know well almost dies.  It's easy to read and worth the time.

Artemis Fowl The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer

This is the second in the Artemis Fowl series.  Artemis needs to save his father, but he can't do it without the help of the fairies.  His grand plan isn't so much a criminal one this time, and of course he has good intentions.  It's fun to see him growing up, although I'm sure younger readers don't/won't feel that way when they read it!  I enjoyed the first book more, at least partly because a criminal/hero/child was a fresh concept in a children's book for me.  The second book is after that plot device has already been established, and Artemis Fowl is less of a criminal as well, so those are both drawbacks for me in the entertainment area, even if I'm happier for Artemis Fowl to be less evil!

This is another appropriate book, although there is discussion of violence and harm to Artemis's father.  It is appropriate for all readers.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

This is another selection from the British list "The Big Read."  I knew it was about a boy genius who was a criminal mastermind, but I didn't realize it also involved the fairy realm.

Artemis Fowl needs to recoup his family fortunes.  The dastardly plan he creates is to kidnap a fairy to get fairy gold.  The fairy he kidnaps, unfortunately for him, is a member of the elite fairy police squad.  The best thing about these books for me is the characters.  They are well-developed, especially for a fantasy children's book.  Even every fairy has a unique personality.

This is a super easy read and gets over quickly.  It is also completely clean.  A child is put in a dangerous situation, but since he is a genius and seems mature, he doesn't actually seem like a child.  It is appropriate for young readers.  It is definitely worth the time.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

I never read this book as a child because I watched the PBS TV show and hated it.  I was not a fantasy fan.  With the books that are available for pre-teens today, that is almost an impossibility.  My oldest son loves fantasy and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, so my exposure to the genre has been greatly increased and I no longer dislike it so much.  I still wouldn't have read this book, except it appears on the "Big Read."  It was really quite good, even if fantasy isn't your favorite.  It is also a super easy read.  I am a fast reader, but I finished it in about two hours.

This book tells the story of four siblings who are sent to the country during the London blitz to keep them safe.  They stay in a large house with the Professor.  While exploring the discover a spare room with a large wardrobe.  The youngest hides in the wardrobe and finds it to be the door to a magical land called Narnia.  The older kids eventually come with her, too, and they all have many adventures in Narnia.  There are magical creatures like fauns and centaurs as well as a great many talking animals.  Even the villain is part giantess.  It is definitely fantasy.

This book is safe for all readers.  There is violence, but it isn't gory, and those who are killed are all miraculously brought back to life.  It's very clean and even teaches without being preachy.  It is a quick read and easily worth the time.

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulk

When I started this book, I very quickly considered quitting.  The first "part" has a few descriptive sex scenes.  Since that isn't something I enjoy reading, I skipped them and wondered if I really wanted to finish the book.  I was sure, however, that it was supposed to be a book about World War I.  Since the war hadn't appeared, I persevered.  And I was rewarded when I reached part 2!  There were no more sex scenes in the book, and the war dominated the story.

Stephen Wraysford is a young man who visits France about ten years before the war to inspect factories.  He then returns to France during the war and is involved in a great deal of fighting at the front for many years.  There are also a couple brief parts in the book that deal with his descendant.  I have read war books before, but not very many dealing with the first world war.  I learned interesting things and realized what I knew more fully (like the miners who dug tunnels through the war to blow mines under the enemy and the huge loss of life due to poor information and decisions).  I felt much more of a connection to that time and a greater appreciation for the experience of the men who fought.

This is definitely not a book for young readers.  In addition to the earlier mentioned sex, the war scenes are very violent and gory.  (They are very realistic.)  It can also be a bit disgusting, since the conditions at the front are very unsanitary.  This book is worth the time, in spite of the first part, which I didn't enjoy.  Just man up and get past it, and the rest of the book is very enjoyable!

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

The Jungle refers to the meat-packing district in Chicago during the late 1800's.  This story follows a family from Lithuania who immigrates in the hope of a better life working in this area.  They are constantly beset by challenges like fraud, injury, overwork, being taken advantage of, jail, death, etc.  Their situation just gets worse and worse.  It is so sad.  When there is a tiny spark of hope that is snuffed out in a second, they struggle even more.

This book was written with a purpose.  Sinclair was trying to promote socialism.  As a reader, I want things to change as well, so the poor and immigrants are treated better and don't struggle as much, but obviously I don't agree with any of his socialist arguments.  That is a very hard political ideology for any American to accept.  Capitalism is pretty much bred into our DNA.  I'm guessing it would be a challenge for any reader to accept now, though, since socialism has failed pretty spectacularly in most places it has been tried. 

Sinclair's goal, however, isn't the change this book accomplished.  What it did bring about was better regulations of the meat market and the first FDA laws.  Obviously to accomplish this the book contains very graphic descriptions of conditions at meat factories and what went into sausage and other products.  It is very gross.  Be prepared to feel a little queasy when reading.

This book is interesting and worth the time.  The socialist speeches get pretty boring, but they only appear at the end of the book and aren't too terribly long.  It is worth the time.

The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

This book took me a long time to finish because it felt a little dull.  It does pick up the pace and get more interesting, but it soon ends, so you can only enjoy the increased pace for a little while. 

This book is the story of a couple traveling in Africa after the war (presumably WWI).  They have a male friend who is also traveling through the Sahara with them.  It is interesting because it's a foreign land and a different time.  The couple has a strange dynamic in their relationship, and the other man adds to its strangeness.  It has a rather abrupt end that is somewhat ambiguous.

This book has discussion of sexual situations, but they are brief and are not descriptive.  It is just matter of fact statements that it happened.  The sexual behavior of the main characters doesn't fit social norms and is inappropriate in my view.

I wouldn't say this book is worth the time it takes to read.

The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

What a fabulous book!  This was recommended to me by a friend, so I was actually a little disappointed when I first started it.  The writing wasn't great.  It felt disjointed and too choppy.  But don't get discouraged!  That only lasts for the first chapter or two.  Once the story starts going, you wouldn't notice even if it didn't improve!  (But it does.)

The Rent Collector is the story of Sang Ly, a Cambodian woman who lives at the city dump with her family where they make a living picking garbage.  Her infant son suffers from continual diarrhea and its attendant issues.  One day they find a book in the dump.  They bring it home to share with their son.  Sang Ly is very surprised, though, when their rent collector comes and can clearly read the book.  Sang Ly decides she needs to learn to read to give her son a better life and asks the grumpy, drunken rent collector to teach her.  This book tells of her journey to literacy but more it tells of the changes as she develops a relationship with the woman who collects her rent.

It is very interesting to read of a completely different world from my own.  It is even more interesting to see connections to my life in a story of that strange world.

This is a completely clean book.  There are a couple of mild swear words, but nothing too serious.

Definitely worth the time!  You'll love it!

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

I was back and forth with how much I enjoyed this book, but it ended on a positive note.  The title refers to the contrast of weighty burdens and things that are "lighter."  It is a different way of thinking for me.  I am a very optimistic person, and this book is much more fatalistic in its view.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is mostly the story of a man, Thomas, who loves his wife, Tereza, but is also an incurable womanizer.  His wife is tortured by jealousy and suffers from terrible dreams.  Thomas feels compassionate toward her but can't stop his behavior.  We also read quite a bit about one of Thomas's mistresses, Sabina and her naïve lover.  It takes place against the backdrop of Communist Czechoslovakia, which is pretty interesting.

Obviously this book includes mature themes and isn't appropriate for young readers.  It doesn't go into great detail but involves a lot of frank sexual discussion.

This book is well-written and interesting but a little depressing.  I did like the ending, though.  My favorite part of the book was a discussion about the four different ways people want others to look at them.  This book is worth reading but not one of my favorites.

The Awkward Age by Henry James

A forewarning that I am not generally a big Henry James fan, so this review could be considered a bit biased.  That said, The Awkward Age is not even one of my favorite of James' books. 

This book tells the story of a social group and their interactions, which makes it fairly typical of James.  It largely consists of long, drawn-out conversations between various characters.  The thing I disliked most is that quite often the characters say something to the effect of, "you know how she/he is" or "you know what I mean."  The other character agrees they do know, and it is never explained more fully to the reader.  And, at least this particular reader, doesn't actually know what they are talking about!

It is clean and completely appropriate.

It does get a bit long, though, for the actual content.  As usual with James, you just have to enjoy the good writing and language choices.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

This is a second grade level children's book, but it is still definitely worth reading.  I first looked it up because I heard some quotes from it in a Korean drama, My Love from Another Star.  They were such great lines that I decided to look up the book and read it.  I was glad I did.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is the story of a fancy toy rabbit who is very proud.  He loves no one but himself.  He is lost from the little girl who absolutely adores him and ends up travelling around the country for years meeting new owners and hearing their stories.

Since this is a children's book, it is completely appropriate for all readers.  It is a very easy read.  You can zip through it in less than an hour.  It is definitely worth the time.

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

This book reminded me that it's been a looong time since I took Physics 105.  It was kind of fun.  This book will definitely make you think, although it is easy enough for a layperson who is willing to take the time.  I especially enjoyed the ending section when Hawking proposes a theory to unify gravitational laws and quantum theory, since those two theories haven't been combined yet.

Obviously this book is 100% clean and appropriate for all readers.  It isn't too long but still takes a bit of time, since you have to think about what you read.  It is worth the time.

Fear by L. Ron Hubbard

This is an interesting book, although it really isn't my style.  It is similar to a horror novel, and I don't like that particular genre.  It isn't scary, though, so don't worry about that particular issue.  There is a great deal of talk about demons and descriptions of strange appearances.  The twist at the end saves the story from being a bit ridiculous, so don't give up before then.

This is a short book and an easy read, so it doesn't take much time.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

I am not a big fan of Virginia Woolf, so this is a big I've been putting off.  I prefer an interesting narrative to a focus on language or stream-of-consciousness type writing.  Woolf does use beautiful language and is very creative in her expressions, but it just isn't my style. 

Mrs. Dalloway is a look at the lives of a few people during the 1920's during a brief time period (not even a whole day).  These characters include Mrs. Dalloway and her surrounding characters as well as the unrelated Septimus and his wife and a few others.  Their thoughts compose the majority of the story, and I must say they think differently than I ever do!  My thoughts are more linear and conversational in nature than those of the characters in this book.  Of course, that's what Woolf likes and tries to do.

It is actually a fairly easy book to read in that it isn't very long, although the language is more challenging than a straight narrative style.  It isn't worth the time unless you're a lover of this type of book.

Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery

I liked this fourth book in the Anne of Green Gables series better than the third.  I was a little disappointed with the third and even considered not reading any more of them.  I was glad I tried another one!

Anne of Windy Poplars is almost entirely written as excerpts of letters from Anne to Gilbert.  Anne has accepted the position of principal at a high school for three years.  She finds a nice boarding house with entertaining characters.  The town is also full of eccentrics.  Anne does her usual of rescuing lonely and lost souls, which feels a little unrealistic but is still nice.

This book is of course 100% clean and appropriate for readers of all ages.

It's an easy read and worth the time.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

This is a rather long, involved story of the building of a cathedral in England during the 1100's.  That sounds like it could be boring, but it includes the stories of all the characters surrounding the building and is actually very interesting.  Even though the book is really long, it keeps your interest.

The story largely follows Tom Builder and his family members, including his stepson Jack.  We also see a lot of a monk, Philip, and follow his progress from prior of a small chapter house to a bishop.  Aliena, the resourceful daughter of an earl is also prominent.  Along with the entertaining fiction, it is interesting to see the inclusion of historical events, like the civil war between Stephen and Maud before Henry becomes king and the martyrdom of Thomas Beckett.  It is also fun to learn about the architecture and building methods of the time.

There are definitely some inappropriate parts of this book that need to be skipped.  There are a few descriptive sexual scenes, including a couple cases of rape.  There is also some pretty gory violence.

Although this book takes a lot of time, it is worth it.  I am looking forward to reading the book it is the prequel to.