Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

My review

rating: 3 1/2 of 5 stars

I am a Jane Austen addict, albeit not quite as obsessed as Courtney Stone, the main character of this novel. I am not so miserable in my own life, which is apparently a good thing, as it makes me less likely to awake one morning in 1813 as she did. (For all my moments of wishful thinking, I don't really want to be someone else.)

Courtney, however, retreats to the world of Jane Austen as often as possible, especially since she discovered her fiance cheating on her with the wedding cake designer. Reading about Austen's world is not the same as living in it, however, and Courtney-inside-Jane-Mansfield's-body has a great deal to learn both about her new situation in life as well as the true meaning of being responsible for her actions.

I nearly tagged this book onto my "mystery" bookshelf because so much of the story is Courtney/Jane discovering what in the world happened in Jane's life--friendships and heartbreak alike--and how she came to inhabit Jane's body. (My practical soul could have used a tad more explanation on that last bit.) It's great fun to read, even if I did want to smack Courtney/Jane quite often and tell her to catch a clue.


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Melting Stones

Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

Melting Stones is a continuation of the "Circle" series--the Circle of Magic quartet and The Circle Opens quartet. This one tells the story of Evvy, a 14-year-old mage-in-training whom we first met in the Circle Opens quartet as a stone mage discovered by Briar. In this book, she is traveling with Rosethorn and Myrrhtide, two full-fledged mages who have been summoned to an island in the middle of the ocean where trees and other plants have been spontaneously dying in random locations. Evvy is a girl emotionally damaged by slavery and war, and this story is really more about her learning to trust more than the six people she lives and trains with at Winding Circle.

Tamora Pierce once again does her usual excellent job of depicting teenagers with all their talents and flaws. And I loved how she anthropomorphized the magma "spirits"--I thought it an excellent way to describe what happens before an eruption.

This book was originally written as a full-cast audio book, which I didn't realize when I put it on hold all those months ago. I'm very curious now to listen to it.


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Five Minute Tales

Five Minute Tales: More Stories to Read and Tell When Time is Short by Margaret Read MacDonald

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading the stories, and I think they would be good ones to tell when you're trying to kill a few minutes somewhere or (in some cases) need a bedtime story. Some would be easier to memorize than others, however. But I can attest that the Monkeys in the Rain story--I call it the Brazilian monkey story--works very well for use in a library story time!


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Lost and Found

Lost and Found by Andrew Clements

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

Identical twins Jay Ray and Ray Jay have spent twelve years being mistaken for each other. On the first day of school in their new town, Ray stays home sick while Jay goes to his classes and discovers that due to a clerical error, the school doesn't know he's a twin. The boys decide to take advantage of this and find out what it feels like to be a unique individual for a change. It's fun at first, but their plan has some unexpected challenges.

I enjoyed the peek into the world of twelve-year-old boys. It was a fun, quick read. Frindle is still my favorite, but this is fun, too.


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The Lost Duke of Wyndham

The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read book #1 after I read book #2 (Mr Cavendish, I Presume), and maybe it's because I already knew the basic story overview, but I liked book #1 better. The heroine seemed a little more mature, a little funnier. It was the perfect book to read while curled up on my couch during a snowstorm.


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New Moon

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 3 1/2 of 5 stars

Whew! I finished it! Now on to the next one...

New Moon wasn't quite as good as Twilight, largely because I got irritated with Bella for ever believing Edward didn't love her and for not figuring out MUCH sooner what was going on with Jacob. But it was still an engrossing, fast-paced, couldn't-put-it-down read. Obviously the second in a series, since the end of the book left so many things unfinished.

I think my most favorite part of the novel was the way Stephenie Meyer showed the passage of time in the months after the Cullens left. I really felt and understood Bella's pain, even as I disagreed with her logic and actions.

Bring on Eclipse!


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Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

Riveting. That is the best description I can come up with. I felt immersed in the story, in the pain felt by the main characters. It's a beyond-the-grave story of a teenage girl explaining how she came to commit suicide and the 13 people who unwittingly did (or did not do) things that contributed to her decision. Reading it felt like watching a Titanic movie--you KNOW how it's going to end, and yet you are hoping so very very hard that somehow THIS time things will go differently.

The book is filled with the angst of teenagers: very real pain and yet lacking the perspective that comes with age & outliving high school. Full of so many of the decisions of youth, especially the bad ones that seem good or harmless at the time.

I especially liked the structure of the story, how Jay Asher writes it as almost a dialogue between Hannah's voice on the cassettes and Clay's thoughts and interactions with the (living) world.

There are definitely some sexual themes, though, so I would recommend it for high school age or older rather than middle schoolers.


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