Tag Archive | death

L is Lucier’s tale of Spanish flu and fear: A Death-Struck Year (book review)

Apr14

book cover of A Death Struck Year by Makiaa Lucier published by Houghton Mifflin HarcourtSwift, deadly, merciless,
striking the young and healthy first,
the “Spanish” influenza killed 3 times more people than World War I did in 1918.

When Jack taught younger sister Cleo to drive, he couldn’t have imagined that she would soon be traveling into Portland’s poorest neighborhoods, trying to stop the flu’s rapid spread with pamphlets and cotton face masks…

This fascinating story of a little-discussed major historical event shows us the pandemic’s impact on just one city, through Cleo’s eyes.

Where is the line between courage and foolhardiness?
**kmm

Book info: A Death-Struck Year / Makiia Lucier. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, 2014.   [author interview]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: In 1918, Cleo impulsively volunteers with the Red Cross and finds herself surrounded by the world’s deadliest disease.

The Spanish flu arrives in Oregon when her brother’s house is closed during his travels, but 17-year-old Cleo knows how to drive and won’t stay at boarding school another minute.

Volunteering to distribute face masks and information in Portland, she encounters homes where all have sickened and died in a day, brave nurses risking their lives to save others, and one particular young doctor wounded in the Great War and now fighting death on the home front.

As the flu strikes down more and more healthy young people, will Cleo survive? (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

I is India – All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens, by Gloria Whelan (book review)

Apr10

book cover of All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens by Gloria Whelan published by Simon Schuster Books for Young ReadersOppressed by outsiders,
India longs for independence,
Gandhi‘s eloquence speaks for millions.

In the 1920s, British young ladies like Rosy oughtn’t concern themselves with political matters, but she believes that her beloved India deserves freedom.

Even though All My Noble Dreams  is a sequel to Whelan’s 2011 Small Acts of Amazing Courage,  you’ll easily be able to follow Rosy’s journey without reading the first book.

Find this fictional look at a tumultuous historical era at your local library or independent bookstore in 2013 hardcover or the paperback edition published on April 1st.

When do you know that it’s time to stand up for what is right?
**kmm

Book info:  All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens / Gloria Whelan. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013 (paperback 2014). [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Rosy thinks it most unfair that India is ruled by England, but even she is surprised at what she will risk in 1921 for its independence.

Her British Army officer father tolerates the teen’s volunteer teaching of Indian children, but forbids her listening to Gandhi’s speeches, insisting that these people cannot govern themselves.

Rosalind agrees to take a letter from the independence leaders to the Prince of Wales himself when he visits. Sneaking the Prince out of his hotel in disguise to see India beyond the jeweled ceremonies is her own idea…

How much can one British girl do to help the land she now loves?

This well-crafted sequel to Small Acts of Amazing Courage  takes readers into the years of India’s struggle for independence with vivid accuracy and great heart.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

H is Hansen’s literary mystery The Butterfly Sister (book review)

Apr9

book cover of The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen published by William MorrowNotes in the book margin,
clues to a missing person
or invitation back into disaster?

Ruby’s precipitous flight from college during her final semester kept her from going insane. Was the problem how intensely she studied suicidal writers or was it the married professor who broke her heart?

The Butterfly Sister mystery widens when Ruby ventures back onto the college campus for clues about a missing classmate and learns that her own story of jilted love and near-madness is well-known…and is happening once again.

Is blocking out memories the best way to stay sane?
**kmm

Book info:  The Butterfly Sister / Amy Gail Hansen.  William Morrow, 2013. [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: When a suitcase she borrowed once from a college friend arrives on her doorstep, Ruby tries to return it, but discovers that Beth has vanished. In the suitcase is a copy of A Room of One’s Own, with Beth’s cryptic notes, leading Ruby back to Tarble College for the first time since she fled during her senior year.

Studying women authors who drove themselves to suicide is a tricky business, Ruby had been warned, but her professor (handsome and married) was sure she could bring new light to the material. Instead, she had to escape from Tarble before she joined their sisterhood of madness and tragedy.

But why did Beth have that book in that suitcase, and where did she go?
What are the current Tarble professors trying to tell Ruby about their former colleague?
Will returning to the scene of her broken heart send Ruby into an emotional tailspin again?

Literature, love, mystery, and madness – follow The Butterfly Sister.

G for Great, by Sara Benincasa (book review) – love, longing, and lies

Apr8

book cover of Great by Sara Benincasa published by Harper TeenThwarted love,
desperate love,
lies, lies, obsession, and lies…

Glitz, glamor, and money only go so far in covering secrets which don’t want to stay hidden in this nowadays retelling of The Great Gatsby.

Just published today, look for Great  in your local library or favorite independent bookstore as you roller-coaster through one summer in the Hamptons.

What classics-retold have you read lately?
**kmm

Book info:  Great / Sara Benincasa. Harper Teen, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk:  Naomi didn’t like summers with her baker/celebrity mom in the so-snobby Hamptons, but she never dreamed that the second-nature posing and lies of the rich teens there would move from foolish to fatal.

This summer began strangely enough when Naomi found herself helicoptering from NYC with the senator’s daughter Delilah, her boyfriend Teddy, and cute classmate Jeff. Then she discovered that mysterious Jacinta had leased the huge, fabulous house next door, planning extravagant parties which made teens clamor for invitations

Naomi did think it odd that Jacinta, whose exclusive teen fashion blog has a huge following, actually begged her for an introduction to Delilah, subject of the blogger’s fashion show photo spreads with much commentary.

Drinking and drugs, crazy driving and worse behavior – just another summer for these Hampton teens, until Teddy starts objecting to Delilah and Jacinta spending so much time together. Old secrets bubble to the surface, new secrets erupt with dire consequences, and Naomi wonders if any of them will make it to their senior year of high school unscathed.

A wry retelling of The Great Gatsby with social media, a foodie IPO, and fashion designer name-dropping thrown in for good measure. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

F is Forget Me Not, by Carolee Dean (book review) – photo goes public, is her life over?

Apr7

book cover of Forget Me Not by Carolee Dean published by Simon PulseOne photo,
two people,
future ruined.

Social media has its good side, but not for Ally when someone texts a compromising photo of her to the whole school (and it wasn’t a solo portrait).

She’s blocked out whatever landed her in H hall, a live person surrounded by the ghosts of teen suicides, so Elijah braves the haunted site to help her find the way out.

Several poetry styles (and a few screenplays) in multiple voices trace the stories of Ally, Elijah, Oscar and the ghosts from now through their painful pasts.

How far would you go to be unforgettable?
**kmm

Book info:  Forget Me Not / Carolee Dean. Simon Pulse, 2012 (paperback, 2013).  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Once-popular Ally just wants her classmates to forget about that scandalous photo, but someone wanted her forgotten forever.

She finds herself in “the haunted hallway” at school with the spirits of kids who died nearby, but she’s not dead – yet.

Elijah knows that if Ally can’t break through the memory wall she built after that photo went viral, she’ll be stuck on H hall forever.

He loves her too much to let that happen, even though Ally longs only for Davis, who promises to break up with Darla.

Who sent that photo?
Who went on the school roof with Ally?
Who wants her out of the picture for good?

This novel-in-verse traces Ally’s past hopes, current despair, and possible future – the choice is now hers. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

TBR2014 progress + ready for AtoZ April Challenge

Mar31

I made a bit of progress on my To-Be-Recommended shelf of pre-2014 titles, highlighting these gems in March  (click each link to open my no-spoiler review in a new tab/window):

book cover of Golden by Jessi Kirby published by Simon & Schuster BFYRbook cover of Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance published by EgmontThe mystery surrounding the decade-ago disappearance of her small-town’s Golden  couple sets Parker on a quest outside her comfort zone.

Is anything really the way it appears in Southern California? The teen investigators in Spies and Prejudice  think not, but disagree on who’s right.

So far in 2014, I’ve recommended 10 of my targeted 50+ pre-2014 titles for this year’s Bookish 2014 TBR Reading Challenge.

I’ll really make TBR progress during the AtoZ April Challenge, as I blog 26 books in 26 days, starting tomorrow on an A through Z setup with 1,600+ other bloggers; most of these books are 2013s with just a few new releases thrown in.

Ready for some great reads? Stay tuned!
**kmm

The Summer of Letting Go, by Gae Polisner (book review) – missing her brother, forgiving herself?

Mar28

book cover of Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner published by Algonquin Young Readers | recommended on BooksYALove.comIf only she’d watched more carefully,
she’d still have her little brother,
still have her mother’s love…

Francesca’s crush is now dating her best friend, the beach is off-limits, Dad’s acting strange around their pretty neighbor – this summer will be terrible.

Then little Frankie Sky jumps into big Frankie’s life, and she hears her dead brother’s voice once more… coincidence??

Just published Tuesday, The Summer of Letting Go  is a handkerchief-required read with a hopeful streak.

Do you know when to let go and forgive yourself?
**kmm

Book info: The Summer of Letting Go / Gae Polisner. Algonquin Young Readers, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk:  When a little boy leaps into the pool, Francesca’s afraid he’ll drown just like her young brother did at the beach. But Frankie Sky is okay and says such Simon-like things that she starts researching reincarnation… anything to keep her mind off her best friend’s boyfriend (or her depressed mom or her possibly straying dad).

Is some of Simon’s soul inside Frankie Sky?

If she can explore tidal pools with Bradley as Lisette swims, if she can hear Simon’s voice again through Frankie, Francesca might return to the beach where Simon was swept away as she watched him, might find some way to move on and love herself again. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Golden, by Jessi Kirby (book review) – secrets to unravel, mystery or misfortune?

Mar24

book cover of Golden by Jessi Kirby published by Simon & Schuster BFYR“Tell me, what do you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”
– Mary Oliver, The Summer Day

When live-by-the-rules Parker is reminded that last decade’s golden couple died under mysterious circumstances after their high school graduation, she decides to finally take chances and trust her instincts to find out more.

A California mystery, like Jessi Kirby’s earlier Moonglass  (my no-spoiler review here), and a road trip, like the author’s In Honor  (my review here) – what will Parker discover about Julianna and Shane…and herself?

Read an excerpt of Golden here free, then check it out at your local library or independent bookstore.

“Nothing gold can stay,” said Robert Frost, but is that always true?
**kmm

Book info: Golden / Jessi Kirby. Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, 2013. [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: A missing girl’s senior journal inspires by-the-rules Parker to investigate a tragic mystery instead of ensuring her own scholarship dreams.

Ten years ago, Julianna and Shane’s car slid into the icy lake, and the school’s “golden couple” was declared missing.

While helping her English teacher mail that class their journals, Parker discovers that Julianna’s family left no forwarding address when they moved away after her death.

Embracing her best friend Kat’s admonition to “do something unpredictable for once” instead of working on scholarships, Parker opens the sealed envelope, reads Julianna’s hopes, and sets out to find answers to the questions there.

Wait! So good-girl Parker skips school for a road trip?
Shane’s family whitewashes the truth?
The golden couple’s love wasn’t so gleaming?

Whatever truths she finds about Shane and Julianna, Parker must also decide whether she truly shares her mother’s dreams for her future.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Elusion, by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam (book review) – digital paradise or purgatory?

Mar18

book cover of Elusion by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam published by Katherine Tegen BooksPolluted skies or paradise?
City crowds or room to roam?
Known problems or potential dangers?

In Regan’s future Detroit, profit has triumphed over human well-being. Elusion tech promises total immersion in Escapes to alternate reality of natural beauty and peace – but at what cost?

In stores today, Elusion makes you want to visit its Escapes as you begin reading, but soon you’ll be glad that its digital temptations aren’t really here yet!

Would you dive into Elusion, even if you suspected there were deadly risks?
**kmm

Book info:  Elusion (Elusion, book 1) / Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam. Katherine Tegen Books, 2014.  [Claudia’s website]  [Cheryl’s website]   [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: An alternate reality program becomes paradise beyond the mega-pollution of real life, until some of its visitors don’t return.

“A world with plant life and fresh air instead of Florapetro factories, grease closuds, and acid rain. I can’t even begin to imagine it,” says Regan, but her dad did, perfecting the Escapes of Elusion before his death.

Now his young protege Patrick has gotten government approval for widescale release of Elusion technology, even as some start warning its intensity is addictive.

When Regan sees her dad and talks to him in an Escape, she’s astounded.
When naysayer Avery claims Elusion’s firewall is its addiction trigger, Regan vows to prove her wrong.
When new guy Josh shows her real problems in Detroit caused directly by Elusion, she wants answers from Patrick, but may not like what her lifelong friend discloses.

Escape to techno-paradise would always be better than the purgatory of daily pollution fog and urban sprawl… if you can return when you want to!

First book in a series where technology can be right for the wrong reasons and wrong for the right people. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Vengeance, by Megan Miranda (book review) – cursed lake, who dies next?

Mar11

book cover of Vengeance by Megan Miranda published by BloomsburyA curse?
An evil too big for their small town?
A life for a life…

Ever since she spent 11 minutes under the ice, ever since she was stolen from Falcon Lake’s chill depths, Delaney’s hands shake when she senses death coming for someone.

Why won’t she let her boyfriend see her hands when she’s at his house now?

This gripping sequel to Fracture follows Delaney, Decker, and their friends through a hot summer when no one dares swim in the deep lake which took more lives after it was denied Delaney’s death – the curse or something more evil?

Check out my no-spoilers recommendation of Fracture  here (even read its first chapters free via the publisher here), then find this psychological thriller today at your local library or independent bookstore.

Can curses be real?
**kmm

Book info: Fracture / Megan Miranda. Walker Children’s Books, 2014. [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: The curse that followed Delaney out of Falcon Lake must be real – which friend will it touch by death next?

Decker loves Delaney too much to believe in the curse, even if she can sense death coming after escaping the lake’s icy waters. But can he keep loving her when she keeps silent instead of keeping death away?

The new girl Maya has to cope with her ill mother alone, Janna misses her dead twin Carson, and Delaney now must face the superstitious without Decker’s strength beside her.

Water accidents at home and away,
Masquerade mix-ups gone deadly,
Will any of their senior class escape the Falcon Lake curse?

This sequel to Fracture spends a hot, tense summer with Delaney and friends as the cold, deep lake broods over their small Maine town.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)