Corinne's Blog - Book Blogs

Review and GIVEAWAY: Bible Illuminated: The New Testament

What struck me first about this book is the quality of the art - National Geographic quality photographs that are poignant, fascinating and provocative. The pictures give an emotional punch to text that absolutely intends to make you feel something. Sometimes the pictures can add depth, like a picture of a child's hands holding one small fish - that somehow helped to feed the 5,000. Pictures of poverty and of those people who have tried to make positive changes in this world also help to illustr… Continue

Added by Corinne on November 6, 2008 at 5:53am — No Comments

Response: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

I am going out on a limb by writing this up. I have never yet written a review for a book I haven't actually finished. I feel like I am stirring the pot a bit, since this book is getting rave reviews all over the Internet - but I feel like I need to voice my own alternate opinion. First of all, let's get this point out in the open: I am a member The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yes, that makes me a Mormon. Thus stems my interest in the book, since the 19th Wife was one of the wi… Continue

Added by Corinne on November 5, 2008 at 8:30pm — 4 Comments

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

rating: 5/5 This is the first novel I've read whose protagonist is, actually, a giant, and not in the fairy tale way. Truly Plaice (LOVE the name) is born huge and grows even more huge. Her early years are taut and miserable, living with an alcoholic father in a tiny town where being anything extreme is discouraged. Her older sister, a model of beauty and decorum, only serves to set Truly off as even more vast and unacceptable. As the years go by and things only seem to get harder, Truly has to… Continue

Added by Corinne on October 26, 2008 at 12:59am — No Comments

The Fire by Katherine Neville

As one who absolutely devoured Katherine Neville's The Eight (back when I was in high school), I was floored when an unexpected copy of The Fire arrived on my doorstep. Thrilled, really, yet I couldn't imagine how she could possibly pull off a book as complex and riveting as The Eight. Even if you have never read The Eight, the plot of The Fire grabs you from the first chapter. Alexandra, a genius twelve year old chess player, has arrived in Russia with her father for a tournament. The results… Continue

Added by Corinne on September 14, 2008 at 9:19pm — No Comments

The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt

This is the first novel I've read in the Christian Young Adult genre - and what a breath of fresh air it was. Ana's parents have moved her to Half Moon Bay - into a huge house that feels like its all for show. Her relationship with her parents is strained at best. Her first weeks at her new school are lonely and she manages to make enemies, just not any friends. Oen fateful mistake, however, lands her among three classmates she would never have chosen as friends - but they find out that htey al… Continue

Added by Corinne on September 9, 2008 at 3:08pm — No Comments

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

rating: 4.5/5 genre: adult historical fiction This beautifully told and heartbreaking book is the story of Sarah Carrier, a ten year old girl living near Salem, Massachusetts in 1690. With near poetic prose, we witness a community harassed with Indian raids and smallpox plagues let fear and uncertainty turn into passion and terror. Neighbor turns against neighbor as old resentments and petty arguments lead to dire consequences - and Sarah and her family are sunk in the middle of it. Despite Sar… Continue

Added by Corinne on August 10, 2008 at 8:41am — 1 Comment

Othello by William Shakespeare

This goes without saying: it's a tragic story. Othello is a quintessential tragic figure, falling prey to the lies and deceits of his inferior officer Iago, who convinces Othello that his wife, Desdemona is unfaithful. The jealousy and rage that result from Othello's belief that Desdemona is having an affair with his right hand man (Cassio) leads to numerous innocents being maimed and killed. I sorta figured it would end up that way somehow :) At the crux of this story is Iago - the lying and c… Continue

Added by Corinne on June 13, 2008 at 9:39pm — 3 Comments

The Case of Madeleine Smith by Rick Geary

Reading The Case of Madeleine Smith is like watching a 19th Century Law and Order - only, apparently, this isn't just "ripped from the headlines" - her story actually WAS the headlines. This graphic novel traces the true story of an upper class woman who allegedly poisoned her lower class gentleman lover - in a case study type format. It felt well researched and the comic-book format makes the history so accessible. It also puts the time in which these people are living into context in a way tha… Continue

Added by Corinne on June 13, 2008 at 9:38pm — No Comments

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

D.J., the 16 year old Dairy Queen, lives on a farm in Wisconsin. Her family is football obsessed, communicationally-challenged and due to various circumstances, she ends up essentially running her family's farm. When a football player from across town is reeled into helping her out, things get complicated. D.J., with a splendidly real and witty voice, ends up spending much of her time making sense of her family's issues and falling for said football player, not to mention gearing up to play some… Continue

Added by Corinne on June 13, 2008 at 9:36pm — No Comments

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

I wish I hadn't waited so long to read The Thief - it's been recommended to me by so many people. I don't know why I always worry that I won't relate to a story with a teenage male protagonist. Once again, I was wrong. The Thief follows the fortunes of Gen, a self-proclaimed thief who can "steal anything," although when we meet him, he is languishing in the king's prison. When the opportunity arises to leave the prison in order to do some secret thieving for the king, Gen doesn't have much choi… Continue

Added by Corinne on June 13, 2008 at 9:31pm — No Comments

Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things by Ted Naifeh

Courtney's move to the richy suburbs does not make her happy - especially when she sees the eerie house she has to live in and loony uncle she has to live with. And like other teenage girls I've known (myself included) she just does not seem to fit in anywhere - not with her parents, not with the other kids at school. Things are afoot, however. Courtney comes to find that nasty sorts of creatures lurk in and around her new home - and as Courtney faces her fear of those monsters in the night, sh… Continue

Added by Corinne on June 13, 2008 at 9:31pm — No Comments

Taken by Edward Bloor

Charity lives in a high tech future - our modern world taken to the next level. The divide between the rich and poor is greater than ever - the rich live incredibly secluded, "on-line" lives while the rest of the world suffers. Charity is the lonely thirteen year old daughter of a wealthy dermatologist and in her world, kidnapping is a regular form of business. And while she's been trained to know what to do in the event that she gets kidnapped - when her turn comes, things do not go according t… Continue

Added by Corinne on June 13, 2008 at 9:30pm — No Comments

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

This book terrified me, on many levels. It's 667 pages long, to begin with. It's been a while since I read a serious chunkster like that (besides Harry Potter, which someone in my mind doesn't really count...). Besides that, I am just not a fan of "Authur" stories, despite my deep love of the Disney movie The Sword and the Stone, of course. Even since I saw the musical "Camelot" in the theater when I was in high school, the story just didn't appeal to me. Then my book club chose this as our mon… Continue

Added by Corinne on June 13, 2008 at 9:30pm — No Comments

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

I've read this one before, and liked it a lot. In preparation for the movie version, I just read it again - out loud to two of my children (8 and 5 1/2), this time. While I had to make many more explanations along the way in this book, compared to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, they still got very involved in it. It seemed so much longer, reading it outloud, but I really liked its focus on faith and the rewards of staying faithful. It was hard to explain all the strange and random Greek… Continue

Added by Corinne on June 13, 2008 at 9:29pm — No Comments

Days Like This by J. Torres and Scott Chantler

Times were a changin. Pop music was coming into its own and new bands were springing up like dandelions. This graphic novel is set in the thick of this time period and reads a bit like a sitcom. Several different plot lines with some drama but no real depth. It's a quick look at the music industry and one girl band's rise to fame. Fun, but not particularly thoughtful or life changing. Continue

Added by Corinne on May 11, 2008 at 7:24pm — No Comments

Hush: An Irish Princess Story by Donna Jo Napoli

Melkorka. I love the name of the protagonist in this story of an Irish Princess. Melkorka's life as an Irish king's daughter changes in an instbaant when she is captured by slave traders heading east. based on an old Icelandic tale, Melkorka chooses to remain mute and her lack of speech sets her apart and gives Melkorka at least one advantage in her new, dangerous life. Life as a slave in 9oo AD was not pretty, and Napoli doesn't make it out to be anything else. But despite the violence (includ… Continue

Added by Corinne on May 11, 2008 at 7:23pm — No Comments

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

My nearly 8 year old and I read this book together, every other page. We LOVED it. Pacy, also known as Grace, is a Tiawanese-American. It's not easy to be the only "different" one at school, and during the Year of the Dog, Grace not only finally finds a best friend, but she learns a lot about herself and what she might like to do when she grows up. I thought this book was so cleverly written - you are enmeshed in their culture, learning about the things they eat, the holidays they celebrate, an… Continue

Added by Corinne on May 11, 2008 at 7:22pm — No Comments

No One Writes to the Colonel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The colonel fought in the Columbia Thousand Days War - he's 75 years old and has never been compensated for his efforts. He lives with his asthmatic and frustrated wife and a fighting rooster that belonged to his son. The story is an interesting portrayal of Mexican life - the very poor and the very rich and the political struggles. It's hard to imagine a life that is so truly hand to mouth that each day you are struggling to find money for the next meal, while people around you have rolls of mo… Continue

Added by Corinne on May 11, 2008 at 7:21pm — No Comments

Polly the Pirate by Ted Naifeh

It be hard not to talk like a pirate after devouring this treasure. Polly's an obedient boarding school student until her unknown past comes to find her. The plot was engaging and more fleshed out than other middle-grade graphic novels I've read. The art work felt almost Victorian - incredible "houseboats" and intricate landscapes. I really liked this one; I will say, however, that it took me a while before I could quickly translate in my head from pirate-with-a-Brooklyn-accent back to the Queen… Continue

Added by Corinne on May 11, 2008 at 7:20pm — No Comments

The Silver Donkey by Sonya Harnett

A story-telling soldier, trying to go home in the midst of a war, is found in the woods by two children. This unassuming and mild book gives us at glimpse at his life and choices while the children try to decide what to do and how to help. Donkeys are the thread between the soldier's stories, teaching the children the qualities that make thoughtful and courageous adults. I can't decide if it's children's literature or young adult literature. The writing isn't juvenile, just sparse and direct, a… Continue