Book Thoughts: The House of Silk

Title: The House of Silk
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Series: Sherlock Holmes

I will confess that my excitement for a new Sherlock Holmes novel was spiked more by a love of the TV show Sherlock than for the original Arthur Conan Doyle canon, but if Horowitz pulled off anything like ACD, I'm going to have to go back and reinvest in the original stories.

This novel feels like something that could have been written at the same time as the rest of the Holmes canon. I've gotten so used to seeing Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes, so getting a more Conan-Doyle-esque persona was really cool. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are such dynamic characters and I love finding different representations of them.

Characters aside, the story was awesome too. Action and adventure and, of course, mystery. Horowitz does an excellent job as a mystery writer, giving the readers enough clues to get the "oh, I should have seen it coming a mile away!" effect while wrapping the mystery well enough that you're turning pages trying to find out what happens.

Lots of fun! I recommend it to anyone who's a fan of mysteries or historical fiction or any reimagining of Sherlock Holmes.

(P.S. - If you haven't seen BBC's Sherlock, you should.)

Book Thoughts: And Then Things Fall Apart

Title: And Then Things Fall Apart
Author: Arlaina Tibensky

I read this book after hearing the author speak at a conference last November and thinking that she sounded like me. I had no real idea what to expect from the book. Even so, it managed to be not what I expected.

Keek (short for Karina) is sick. Heartsick, and also chicken-pox-sick. Her parents are splitting up, she and her boyfriend had a Fight, and her baby cousin is in the NICU on the other side of the country, and on top of all that she's covered in itchy pox. The novel is essentially Keek's diary as she tries to come to terms with the insanity in her life.

What surprised me, really, is that Keek is fourteen or fifteen. I've gotten used to reading about older teens (probably because I am an older teen - I'll be twenty in less than a year). It is from older teen protagonists that I look for internal struggles about virginity, not from a narrator my baby brother's age (high school freshman). But I think that, in part, is why Keek's story is important.

These are issues that real young teens face. As much as the idea of losing my virginity at fourteen would have terrified me, that's a legitimate question. And I loved that Keek was honest with herself about it and not afraid to be afraid. I think it's great to have a character encouraging young teens to do what's best for them rather than what someone else wants them to do.

ATTFA isn't one that I would have picked up had I not heard the author speak, and it's not one that I would give to someone my age, but for someone in 8th-10th grade, I would definitely give them this book. Honest and clever and funny and thoughtful, Keek is a narrator that makes me want to be her friend.

Book Thoughts: Masque of the Red Death

Title: Masque of the Red Death
Author: Bethany Griffin
Series: Masque of Red Death #1

Not gonna lie, I totally judged this book by its cover. But seriously, isn't the cover pretty? Anyway, the title (Poe!) and the lovely cover are why I decided to read it, but the story proved fascinating.

In a world ravaged by disease and death, masks are a status symbol as well as a health necessity: the wealthy can afford masks that will filter the airborne germs out of their air. Araby, daughter of the inventor of the mask, is set - living in safety, protected by a mask, and content with a practically royal best friend who can get her into all the best masks-only clubs.

But there's more to the world than meets the eye. I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoilers, but Araby discovers some secrets about the masks and the people who live without them -- like Will, who works at the club -- and those who may have even darker plans -- like Elliott, the off-limits brother of her best friend.

I don't feel like my summary has done it justice. At any rate, I think it's definitely worth a read! Dark and eerie with a great cast of characters that left me wanting the sequel.

Book Thoughts: Shiver

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls #1

My first thought when I finished this book was, "Wow." It was absolutely phenomenal. The romance (because that's what this is - a romance) was very well-done; I know I, for one, have totally fallen for Sam Roth. Both of the lead characters - and the side characters as well - fell completely real. Stiefvater's writing is beautiful. Even if the plot were terrible - which it most certainly isn't - it would be worth reading just for the way the author tells the story. She even manages to make both first-person narrators feel like separate, real characters; their personalities are not the same and their voices are inherently different. It's not one person telling both stories as someone else - it's two different characters telling their own stories.

The romance between Sam and Grace is developed thoroughly and beautifully; all I have to say is: candy shop scene, and bookstore scene. It just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And the twist on the werewolf mythology is excellent. None of that about full moons and silver bullets; it's about temperature. And there's just enough mystery and non-romance-based plot that it doesn't feel obnoxiously sappy. Yes, there are sappy parts. It is a romance novel. There are supposed to be sappy parts. But there's so much more than that. It was so amazing. Personally, I also really enjoyed the importance of literature and musicality to the story. There is so much good stuff in this book. Everyone should read it. Yes, everyone.

I also have to mention the cover. I adore the cover of this book. It's beautiful. The blue-and-white gives it that wintery sort of feel that's so important, and the wolf - just watching - so subtle you might miss it. And then the one splash of red...it's perfect.

Definitely, definitely read Shiver if you get the chance.

Book Thoughts: The Wednesday Wars

Title: The Wednesday Wars
Author: Gary D. Schmidt

The Wednesday Wars is written for a little bit younger audience than most of the books I read - it's set in seventh grade, not in high school. The only reason I picked it up was that my Dad, who read it for a YA Lit class he teaches, insisted that I would love it, and I agreed to give it a try. Turns out Dad was right - The Wednesday Wars was fantastic. I adored it.

Holling Hoodhood (which, by the way, I think is a completely ridiculous name) is convinced that his English teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him. He's the only person in his class who isn't Jewish or Catholic - which means that instead of going to Hebrew School or Catechism on Wednesday afternoons, he has to stay with Mrs. Baker. And she has a nefarious plot in mind: she's going to bore him to death with Shakespeare. Or so Holling thinks, anyway. But her plan backfires, because it turns out Shakespeare isn't so bad after all.

There is so much about this book that is just delightfully funny and adorable, from the escape of pet rats Sycorax and Caliban to Ariel's bright yellow tights (you'll understand if you read it). But there's a whole other level, too - Holling's family issues and the Vietnam War. Parts of The Wednesday Wars had me laughing hysterically and parts of it were heartbreaking. The characters are just wonderful - Holling is a fantastic narrator and I want Mrs. Baker to be my English teacher. I loved this book so much.

If you're a fan of Shakespeare, read this! If you're not a fan of Shakespeare...read this anyway! The Wednesday Wars is an adorable, wonderful book and I absolutely loved it. Even if you don't normally read more-like-MG stuff and prefer to stay in the realm of older-YA, I think it would be pretty impossible to dislike this one.

Book Thoughts: Matched

Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched #1

I don't even know where to start. Matched was such an utterly amazing book that I really have no idea where to begin. So I suppose I'll begin by saying that I absolutely adore this cover. It is so gorgeous. Also, it shimmers. Love love love.

And the story! It's set up within a typical dystopian frame - "perfect" society, someone rebels. (I'm totally not trashing this frame, by the way - it's just part of the genre.) But it feels like it has so much more to it than that! The Society is so intricate, so well-developed. It just kind of makes you shiver with how these are all realistic people acting so...machine, but still with their human characteristics. I'll stop now before I go off into my whole spiel about how much I love dystopian fiction, but suffice it to say that the Society in Matched is one of the best.

The background is perfect: just add characters. Honestly, I feel like the characters could have been boring as all get-out and the book would still have been semi-readable because the backdrop is so good, but Ally Condie did so much better. Cassia is one of the most real protagonists I've encountered, especially with this kind of set-up. And Xander and Ky....oh, man. I love Xander and all, but Ky is so....ahh. I would not want to have to choose. Poor Cassia.

Okay, I recognize that I'm rambling. I shall attempt to stop that. Basically, Cassia gets Matched to Xander, so the two of them will be married...but then, for just a moment, Cassia sees Ky's face on her Matching screen. Cue forbidden love and all sorts of intrigue.

The plot sounds kind of basic, but the execution...I could read pages and pages of absolute nothing, as long as it was written as beautifully as this book. I love love love Ally Condie's writing. And when paired with an awesome dystopian society (er, Society) and some amaaazing characters...well, you're in for a novel you don't want to miss. My only complaint was that I wanted to see more development of the minor characters, but really, I felt like even they were well-rounded.

Long story short, I love this book. Definitely, definitely read it.

Book Thoughts: Paper Towns

Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green

Ever since I started this book, I have been asking myself one question: WHY did it take me so long to start reading this?! Paper Towns was fantastic. Simply fantastic.

It's written from a guy's perspective, so there is guy humor, which was a little weird for me in places because, well, I'm not a guy. But that aside -- gahh, I don't even know what to say to express my love for Paper Towns. It's funny, it's sweet, it's heartbreaking, it's beautiful. I laughed out loud several times while I was reading it (I love when books can do that), but there were parts too that were just so full of meaning, and it's just awesome. This book is made of awesome.

It is one of the most quotable books I've read in a long time (I'd share a few, but then I wouldn't ever stop and this post would go on forever, which I don't think you want). I got this one from the library, but I'm thinking I may have to go buy a copy, like, right now, because it's one that I already know I'm going to want to read again.

I'm not actually telling you a whole lot about the book, I guess, but that's because I really don't know what to say. The characters are so real, and the story is engaging, and I couldn't put it down. I laughed out loud a lot (yeah, I said that already) and it really made me think (which I love), and also, there are frequent literary references and poetry quotes (that right there is enough to win me over). If you haven't read Paper Towns, I don't know what you're still waiting for. Go get a copy right now.

Book Thoughts: Nevermore

Title: Nevermore
Author: Kelly Creagh
Series: Nevermore #1

My thoughts about Nevermore are incredibly mixed. At first, I hated it. I thought Isobel was an idiot and the story was too predictable and stereotypical and there were things that just didn't make sense. By page ten, I was ready to put it down. Isobel was freaking out about how long a ten-page assignment is by comparing it to the Gettysburg Address - a document known for its brevity - and she and her friend were talking about "oh my gosh he wrote on your skin" as if that were something horrible and evil. Maybe it's just the culture of the school I go to, but ten pages in a month isn't something to freak out about and writing a phone number on a hand to get in touch for a project is pretty normal.

I didn't understand how this book had gotten such rave reviews from so many people - it frustrated me. But I decided to give it to page fifty, just to be fair. After a little bit more reading, I glanced down and realized I was on page 128 and not at all ready to stop reading.

The writing sucked me in. Despite the fact that Isobel is someone that in real life I would probably dislike, I had to respect her - she stood up for what she loved (cheerleading and wearing pink and looking nice) even when she was being picked on, and she stood up for what she thought was right (not picking on Varen) even when her friends and boyfriend weren't on her side. She's a strong character in that regard. And I loved Varen. A lot. And then, of course, there's the story.

Some of it took a while to make sense. I felt like the drama with Brad and Varen was kind of way over the top. But in the story world, all of it worked. I loved the Edgar Allan Poe influences, the creepiness, the mystery, the relationships between Isobel and her family and Varen (even if the dynamic between Isobel and Varen did sometimes seem unlikely), I adored the character of Gwen, I just loved reading Kelly Creagh's writing. I was completely sucked into what was going on and, once I finally got into it, I barely put the book down until I finished. Despite my frustrations, there's a lot about this book that I really love.

So, basically - I encourage you to read this book. If the beginning frustrates you, do not despair, it does in fact get much better. I still have my problems with some of it, but I was drawn into it and loved it anyway.