It's Tuesday and time for another list for the weekly Top Ten Tuesday meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! The purpose of this weekly meme is to share our lists with people who love to read and to engage with fellow bloggers. Today's topic is books that I resolve to read in 2011. I always have good intentions of reading a book, especially when it has been constantly brought up in discussion. A lot of the books that I listed below have been on my shelves for several years. For some, I wasn't in the right mood to read them and for others, I really don't have an excuse. I hope to finally read them and use them for my Off the Shelve Reading Challenge this year. 

The Time Travler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger- I can not tell you how many times I have heard my girlfriends gush and talk about this book. I know that it's a love story featuring a time traveling librarian and it is set in Chicago. All of the reasons why I would love this book. The only reason why I have been hesitant to read it is because almost all of my girlfriends cried a lot while reading it. I am going to get a box of tissues just in case I'll get emotional and finally read it.   

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides- I have read glowing reviews for this book and it has been recommended to me several times when I was in high school and in college. Again, I purchased this from a used public library book sale and it has sat on my shelve since then. I have no excuse why I didn't read this one.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens- I was an English major in college and I'm ashamed to say that I haven't read a full Charles Dickens novel yet. I've tried Great Expectations several times and have failed to pass page 10 without falling asleep at the exact same paragraph. I'm hoping that the setting of the French Revolution will keep me awake this time and finish one book by Dickens for my Victorian Literature Reading Challenge.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- I have no idea why I haven't read this book yet. Surprisingly, I never had to read it for middle school, high school, or college. I had intended to read it for Banned Books Week last year, but ran out of time. I'm determined to read it this year. 

The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper-  This series was constantly checked out at the elementary school where I student taught 2 years ago. The series has been critically acclaimed and on several people's favorites for children's fantasy books. I happened to find and bought all of the books at a used public library book sale last fall.

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti- This book has been recommended to me repeatedly, especially after I finished any book by Sarah Dessen. I bought this title at a while ago and it has sat on my shelve for several years.

 
The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf by Mohja Kahf- My dad recommended this title to me and borrowed his colleague's copy for me to read. Since then, it has been sitting on my shelve. My dad and I don't see eye to eye on books. He is more of the scholarly, philosophy mind set where as I tend to drift towards "novels" (i.e. books that have a story, characters, etc) as he calls them. I've been afraid that this was one would go right over my head, but the more I read it I realize that it actually isn't bad. I'll be reading this for my Middle Eastern Reading Challenge for this year.

Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead- I've been wanting to read this series for quite some time. I patiently waited until this series was complete (yes, I know there is a spin off series), because I was tired of keeping track of yet another series. Now, I'll finally get to know a girl named Rose, the mysterious Dimitri, and everything else in between.

Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld- I loved Westerfeld's other books, the Uglies series and his steampunk novel, and I'm not sure why I haven't picked this series up. Once again, I purchased them at a book fair. Is it just me or am I seeing a trend of buying books and then having them sit on my shelves for no good reason?

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut- My best friend from college and I discovered the brilliance of Kurt Vonnegut in of our English classes. We both read and loved Slaughter House Five and Cat's Cradle. Her favorite Vonnegut book is Mother Night, which I haven't read but wanted to do so for a really long time. Hopefully, this will be the year when I read it.

  Compared to some of my friends, my childhood was very sheltered. I lived in a region of Uptown in Chicago and lived in an apartment building for 13 years. I didn't have the luxury to play in a playground or go outside by myself. My neighborhood had lots of gang activity and the nearest park was always littered by junkies and drunkards. My playground was the hallway of the apartment floor where my baby brother and I played with kids until someone complained and sent the security guard to our floor to kick us out. We weren't allowed to go anywhere without an adult chaperoning me. I was transported to these childhood memories when I read Danette Vigilante's debut middle grade novel, The Trouble with Half a Moon, which I received an ARC from the publisher and reviewed honestly for you. The Trouble with Half a Moon will be released, according on Amazon, January 6, 2011.


Description: Delilah, known to her friends as Dellie, has felt guilty since the death of her younger brother. She feels that the accident that killed him was her fault. It is not until Dellie strikes up a friendship with Corey, a five year old boy, who has just moved into her housing project building. Corey is often abandoned by his mother and always hunger. Dellie yearns to protect Corey, but will she be successful this time or will she disappoint Corey just like she did with her younger brother?

Review: I really enjoyed reading The Trouble with Half a Moon. The story had depth, realistic situations, and great characters. The book is told by Dellie and it is written in the present tense, which not only sets the scene for the story, but also connect with her emotionally as she struggles to get a hold on her own grief, confusion, and pain. Her love for her baby brother leaps off the page whenever she recounts memories of him. Her guilt is palpable, especially when she has haunting nightmares of her inability to save her brother in various situations. Unlike her parents who seek therapy for their grief, Dellie grieves internally. Her friendship with her best friend Kayla and a promising romance with fellow student Michael (which is very sweet and chaste) holds her afloat above the sea of grief that surrounds her, but even these are not guaranteed as Dellie discovers. When she sees a little boy named Corey in a dangerous family situation, she doesn't hesitate to help and seeks an opportunity to correct her 'wrong' in not saving her brother. While her reasons to save Corey may seem selfish at first, she quickly makes us realize that her love for the little boy is genuine. I couldn't help but root for Dellie as she stumbles, struggles, and overcomes her problems. She is really a great role model for kids.
   Corey is an adorable character that you can't help but love. He is abused by his mother and constantly hungry. Corey's hunger is both literal and figurative. He seeks shelter, warmth, and most of all love whenever he can and develops an instant, strong bond with Dellie. Corey's turbulent home broke my heart. His simple yet direct questions about whether he is worth his mother's time broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Without going into graphic details and using dialogue and verbal cues, we witness Corey's abuse and child neglect which sadly is very realistic.
  In addition to Corey, my other favorite secondary character is Miss Shirley, who is Dellie's Jamican neighbor. Miss Shirley is always full of wisdom and experience. She is definitely someone I would want to go to share my own problems, seek comfort, and share a cup of tea.
  Vigilante packs a lot into this short book, which is less than 200 pages. The chapters are short and the story is fast-paced. Despite the predictable plot twists that get resolved too quickly and conveniently, I loved this book because of Dellie's voice and the other secondary characters. This book could have easily become preachy, but the characters prevent that from happening. As a result, The Trouble with Half a Moon is a thought provoking story of grief, forgiveness, and healing. I look forward to reading more by Danette Vigilante in the future. 

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: This title is pretty squeaky clean. There is only a small scene of a middle schooler smoking a cigarette. Recommended for Grades 5 to 8.

If you like this book try: Behind You by Jacqueline Woodson

  One of the great things about blogging is being introduced to new writers and reading out of my comfort zone. I was approached by Daniel Arenson to read his novel, Flaming Dove. I accepted Daniel's offer because the concept of his book was truly fascinating and unique. He offered me a copy of his book for a honest review for my readers. You can purchase Flaming Dove in ebook and paperback format here.

Description (taken from Daniel's website): The battle of Armageddon was finally fought... and ended with no clear victor. Upon the mountain, the armies of Hell and Heaven beat each other into a bloody, uneasy standstill, leaving the Earth in ruins. Armageddon should have ended with Heaven winning, ushering in an era of peace. That's what the prophecies said. Instead, the two armies--one of angels, one of demons--hunker down in the scorched planet, lick their wounds, and gear up for a prolonged war with no end in sight.
   In this chaos of warring armies and ruined landscapes, Laila doesn't want to take sides. Her mother was an angel, her father a demon; she is outcast from both camps. And yet both armies need her, for with her mixed blood, Laila can become the ultimate spy... or ultimate soldier. As the armies of Heaven and Hell pursue her, Laila's only war is within her heart--a struggle between her demonic and heavenly blood.

Review: Flaming Dove has a unique outlook of Armageddon, angels, and demons. Heaven and Hell have been warring for 27 years and there is no clear victor. Only a few humans are alive, mostly are collateral damages of post-apocalyptic war. God is mentioned, but interestingly enough doesn't have a strong presence to the characters, and is mostly stays in the background. Prayers are made by pleading characters, but there is no proof that they are being answered. Biblical characters such as the Archangels Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and the fallen angel Beelzebub are our main characters and siblings. Despite the strengthens of Heaven and Hell, the epic battle can not end without the help of Laila, the half-demon and half-angel, who must pick a side.
  Laila is by far the most interesting character in Flaming Dove. She is constantly battling herself in order to find her identity and place in the realms. Her blood, mixed with angel and demon blood make it hard for her to survive in Heaven and Hell. Laila finds safety living in the shadows, however she is incredibly lonely and yearns for a community. Due to her mixed blood, we are uncertain whether she is truly good or evil even to the very end of the book. In fact all of the characters are struggling with the same problem.
  As we begin to understand how the war started, we realize that the more time the angel spends on Earth, the more human they become. They possess human emotions such as love, lust, jealousy, doubt, etc. We witness angels, who we know to be divine goodness, lie and manipulate others to get their way. Similarly, we also see Beelzebub show tenderness and kindness to others. We can't help but ask ourselves: are you good just because you are an angel? Are you evil because you are a demon? Are good and bad absolutes?   
  While the questions that Arenson asks his readers are definitely thought provoking, I did have a few problems with the book. I thought the prose, dialogue, and characterizations of the other characters to be a little flat for me. Besides Laila, I didn't really much care for the others characters but I was willing to find out what happened to them. I found the Archangel Michael to be distant and cold. He does, however, have a brilliant moments of introspection. One of my favorite scenes of Flaming Dove is when Michael and Raphael have a discussion on whether or not Michael will ever be allowed back in heaven. I wished the author spent more time on these moments.  Beezelbub, who is Michael's brother in this story, has lots of potential to show a wide range of emotions yet he comes off pretty stiff. I found him to be charming yet had a hard time to be an antihero/romantic lead. Bat El, Laila's half sister, is boring and I skimmed most of the story when she is present.
  When I think of Armageddon, the battle between angels and demons, I imagine it to be very grand yet in the book it seemed to be very small and tiring. Both sides just want it to end and be done with it, mainly because it's been so long. The dialogue for the angels and demons was rather modern and almost a few years old. I always imagined angels, who have lived many millenniums, to be refined in their speech and manners. I was fine with the way Laila spoke, mainly because of her young age, but I hard time imagine angels talking that way and living through years of watching civilization and battling with one another. Heaven is described very much how we imagine it to be, but it does sound very dull and it made sense to me why some angels wanted to escape, however, I thought the author would play more with the concept of free will a bit more.
  Another thing that bothered me about the book was the repetition of description of demon fangs with drool/spit/saliva on anyone other than Laila or Beelzebub as well as Laila's reaction to hellfire and godlight. Instead of just mentioning these things in the beginning and knowing the reader understood, it would dutifully be explained again.I would like to believe that the author would feel confident in his reader and move along in the story.
   Despite these flaws, I did enjoy reading Flaming Dove. The story is told in several point of views and never loses its pace. The book has an even balance of action scenes and tender moments of the character's reflections or flashbacks. While I won't spoil the ending, it made my jaw drop in surprise and left me with lots to ponder. Flaming Dove has a truly unique concept and storyline of good versus evil. It is truly a fascinating fantasy novel that is worth reading. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, strong violence/gore, and a few allusions to sex. Although this book is marketed for adults, I can definitely see teens reading and enjoying this title.

If you like this book try: Firefly Island by Daniel Arenson

  Do you remember the first time you read a book? Did you pay more attention to the illustrations to follow along with the story and the text your parent(s) read to you when you were little? I know I did. Graphic novels are a great way to teach kids how to read. While the text may have a higher vocabulary that may be beyond their reading comprehension, they can visually 'read' the pictures and understand everything. With pictures and graphic novels, we becoming more aware of the concept of visual literacy. I had a really hard time understanding how visual literacy works. As a child, I didn't read a lot of picture books but somehow graduated to chapter books and eventually novels. It is not until I found some difficulty in reading graphic novels (paying attention to the drawings and text simultaneously) that I understood that literacy is so much more than being able to read and write. This very notion became much clearer for me when I read a toon book called Benny and Penny in Just Pretend by Geoffrey Hayes.

Description: Benny and Penny are brother and sister. Benny is having a great time pretending to be brave Benny the Pirate. He even has a crate that makes a terrific pirate ship. His fun time is threatened by his kid sister, Penny, who is dressed as a princess outfit, suddenly arrives and wants to be a pirate too. Annoyed with his little sister who always tags along and bothers him, Benny intentionally loses her  but soon feels bad after she disappears. Where did Penny go? 

Review: I never heard of a toon book before, but it seems to be a cross between a picture book and a graphic novel. Benny and Penny in Just Pretend is a sweet, adorable, familiar sibling story. It's lovely, vibrant colored illustrations give it an old-fashioned feel. The pages are filled with clear, large illustrations where the text does not overwhelm the page, which in my mind makes it more of a graphic novel than a picture book. The text uses a limited vocabulary with sufficient amount of synonyms and repetition, which will help young readers with word recognition. Children will easily grasp the message through visual clues and learn the same lesson that Benny does as the story ends. Benny and Penny in Just Pretend is a really charming story and one of those books that I'm sure kids will love to read over and over again.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for PreK-1

If you like this book try: Benny and Penny in The big no-no! or Benny and Penny in The toy breaker by Geoffrey Hayes

  Decisions. We make decisions all the time; whether it the simplest ones (i.e. what to eat/wear) or the hardest ones regarding our future. Humans are unique in the fact that we are given free will yet we often times struggle with the consequences of our decisions. I thought a lot about decisions, consequences, and justice when I read Daisy Whitney's debut novel The Mockingbirds. Although I did have some issues with the book, I found myself asking more questions about the above topics long after I finished the book.

Description: Alex wakes up disoriented and naked in a strange boy's bedroom. She does not know the boy's name and has no clue how she got to his room. While her memories slowly come back to her, Alex realizes she has been a victim date rape. She can either be silent or she can seek justice and vocal the injustice done to her by going to the Mockingbirds, an underground student group dedicated to justice.

Review: The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney was one of the debut novels of 2010 that I was really excited to read. I had received an ARC of this book from the publishers and haven't had time to read it until now. What intrigued me about this book is the concept of justice and the proactive student body who creates a justice system to hold students accountable to their actions is  a unique and fresh idea. While I liked the book, I also had a few problems with it.
   As the book opens, we find Alex waking up in a boy's bed and she has absolutely no recollection of the events that transpired and lead her to this room. She does, however, instantly feels something is wrong. She tries to convince herself that this is a bad dream and tries to come up with scenarios of what happened. The very notion of rape doesn't even dawn on her because it is so inconceivable and it only happens in the dark alley with a stranger. Alex remembered she had been drinking and was very drunk.There was no way a boy would take advantage of her in that condition. Its is not until Alex has conversations with her friend and roommate that Alex begins to process that she was date raped and the very concept of consent never registers into her head. Throughout the book we see Alex question herself and try to process that she was definitely raped in her incapacitated state. We watch her passively accept the injustice done to her because she cannot feel anything else.
   Enter the Mockingbirds, Themis Academy's own judge and jury system because the school itself turns a blind eye to conflicts that arise in their 'perfect' school. Bringing the case to the police or Alex's parents are also out of the question. Since there are no adults to turn to, just let your fellow students resolve the issue. Here is my main issue with the book. I would like to think there is at least one adult in Themis Academy who feels responsible for the students and is willing to help with student problems-whether it is from a legal standpoint or as a figure of guidance, but the adults aren't given a chance to help at all in the book. There is one small instance where Alex does seek help from an adult, but that is only when 90% of the story was complete and the trial was well under way, but even then the adult did nothing! I also could not conceive that the police would not have helped, particularly because of the severity of the crime. While the very notion of a student run court system is a very cool concept, for me, I thought the severity of date rape was diminished and not treated very seriously.
  The Mockingbirds themselves is a bit troubling. Their brand of justice is eerily a form of bullying in which they are trying to stop in the first place. I had several questions regarding the Mockingbirds' structure: Is the system really unbiased? How do you determine the punishment? Does the punishment really fit the bill of the crime? How different is the Mockingbirds from our own judicial system?
  While I thought the proceedings was really interesting and well written, I was frustrated that the entire case is based on circumstantial evidence of two unwrapped condoms and on Alex's hazy memory. Based on the amount of alcohol that she drank, I found it hard to believe that she remembered chunks of the infamous night so clearly. Again, the physical evidence which could be taken by a doctor, would have made the case much more serious that it was portrayed.
   Alex has a blossoming romance while the trial is underway. While the relationship was sweet, I also had an issue with it. I have not been in Alex's shoes so I can't say what I would do in her situation, but I would have to imagine that jumping back into any kind of relationship again with a member of the opposite sex would be very difficult. I would think it would take the rape victim a very long time to develop trust issues and intimacy. While I understand that this relationship is suppose to depict a consensual relationship, I felt the relationship happened too soon and quite easy, which didn't feel real to me at all.
  While there were certainly some elements of this story that did not work for me, I did find the book to be an interesting take on the choices that we make as well as the creation of a just justice system. I hope teens will think twice before drinking, having sex, and understanding of what consent means: Yes means Yes vs No means No, which is excellently executed in the book and I think is the main point of this story. I also liked the fact that Whitney didn't just write a dark 'issues' book and left it at that but pushed me to think about uncomfortable questions about our justice system. Whitney, a date rape victim herself, handles Alex's emotional roller coaster ride very well, but I just feel a bit uneasy in how easy the trial was handled and resolved. While not wholly satisfying, The Mockingbirds offers a lot of food for thought and it is a book worth reading.

Rating: 3.5 stars


Words of Caution: There is language, a scene of underage drinking and mildly explicit episode of date rape that is recounted in several flashbacks. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

If you like this book try: Inexcusable by Chris Lynch