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Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Roselle St. Sismode is a celebrity- she has been watched by the general public since she was born. But she's a secondborn, so she has no rights, inherits nothing, and is destined to be a servant, beginning on her Transition Day. She's famous because her mother is the leader of the Sword Fate, and her father is in the line of succession for the Virtue Fate. Category Sci Fi Why I chose this book Kindle First My personal opinion (the review) What a great story! I really enjoyed the pace, the futuristic setup, the class system, and the characters- they felt real. If it didn't have the sexuality, I would definitely recommend this to all- including YA readers Warnings Language: None Violence: Regular, but not graphic "Adult" situations: One scene with petting and heavy kissing Death: Yes, of mostly minor characters Movie rating equivalent PG-16 (not R, but I won't let my 14-year old read it) Protagonist description

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) - Over 35 classic fairy tales and nursery rhymes Category: All ages Why I chose this book: Wanted my daughter to hear classic fairy tales, beautiful illustrations, I love fairy tales  My personal opinion (the review): As far as stories go this one is pretty simple as just a collection of famous tales. However, what I loved about this collection was that I felt they were the perfect middle ground between the original versions of the fairy tales and the Disney versions. Colfer didn't shy away from saying that the Little Mermaid gets her tongue cut by the evil witch out or that she doesn't end up with the Prince after all or that Rapunzel gives birth to twins after her visits with the Prince; however, he doesn't make a huge deal about them either. They are said with tact and I didn't really even bat an eye when those things came up with my almost six year old listening. Brandon Dorman also created some really breathtaking illustrations. Ov

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) -  Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space? (Goodreads) Category: YA Fantasy Why I chose this book: Movie coming out My personal opinion (the review): I'm not really even sure what to say about this book. It was so weird. I feel it either should have been shortened to a short story of less than 50 pages or should have been lengthened out to at least 200 (It was 130 in my copy of the book). The story was very jerky and abrupt. Things just "happened" with no explanation. I understand that all the characters are supposed to be eccentric in their own ways, but that isn't an excuse for the way the story played out. And there is no explanation for how the Dark Planet came to be

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) It's just before the New Year, leading to 2001. Will is a good Samaritan, going around helping people in New York City, and inspiring some to improve their lives. There's something different about this year, though- Will hopes it will be the end of something. Category Fiction Why I chose this book Kindle First My personal opinion (the review) The story line is captivating- one many travels through time (the long way), meeting and influencing great people in history. But the execution of the book was terrible! There were a few preachy moments, that I didn't care for, several agenda-pushing moments that felt forced, and detailed accounts of sexual abuse. I have way better ways to use my time. Warnings Language: Tito, one of the minor narrators, is a total potty mouth! Awful language Violence: Yes, including sexual abuse of children and attempted rape of an adult "Adult" situations: Vaguely referenced encounters between consenting adult

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Raistlin and his twin brother Caramon live in a small tree village. Their lives are bound together. Raistlin cannot get through life without the physical help of Caramon, and Caramon cannot handle the intellectual demands of being independent. So they choose to stay close to each other, until Raistlin enters a school for mages, and Caramon tries his hand at farming. One day, Raistlin will take The Test to become a Mage, and when he does, he'll leave Caramon behind. Category Fantasy, D&D Why I chose this book Liked the series in the past My personal opinion (the review) I used to read the Dragonlance series as a teenager, and I'm glad to see I still enjoy them as an adult. Raistlin was my favorite character, so this volume in particular was fun to read, to learn more of his history, and why Caramon was so devoted to him. The characters are fantasy, but they're approachable. The writing style is excellent, engaging. I'll probably spend m

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) : Widge is taught his owner's version of shorthand writing. Another man buys him and asks him to copy attend and copy the text of Shakespeare's play Hamlet so that the new owner's group of "players" can perform the play for themselves.  Category : Middle grades Why I chose this book: Had it in my collection My personal opinion (the review): Though the story and writing style were quite elementary I found that I did enjoy the book and I look forward to reading the others in the series. Widge is a likable character, as are the other players at the Globe Theater. It was interesting to see his transformation as he entered the world of the theater and began learning about acting.  Warnings Language: None Violence: Mock play fighting, some mild sword dueling, and a tavern brawl "Adult" situations: None (one of the "players" ends up being a girl in hiding. Her shirt is ripped during sword practice revealing a pa

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Vega Jane, Delph, and Harry Two make their way through the Quog Category: YA Why I chose this book: 2nd in series My personal opinion (the review) : I much preferred this second novel in the trilogy to the first book, The Finisher. This book was faster paced and didn't spend unneeded time with descriptions and unneeded plot elements. Their first encounter in the quog was weird, but I enjoyed their time with Astria Prine. Much backstory is given here and cleared up some questions.  Warnings Language: Several curse words Violence: Lots of fight scenes with creatures and people "Adult" situations: None Death: minor character Movie rating equivalent: PG-13 (at least) Protagonist description: Vega continues to be the leader. She is both confident and unsure of herself. Her adventure in the Quog broadens her character a bit more than The Finisher.  Point of view of story: Vega Book length: Medium Story flow: Linear (a little s

Brief synopsis (no spoilers):   Wanted by Missouri law for his revenge on mob leader Dick Boggs in 1839, 15-year-old Dan Storm flees to the Rocky Mountains with his friend, Ike, and escaped slave. Category: YA, historical Why I chose this book: Recommended by husband's family My personal opinion (the review): This is not a book I would have picked up on my own without a recommendation from family members. I don't tend to enjoy Western/living out in the mountains/rugged survival books. To me the descriptions of being in the wild trapping and hunting animals was boring. The book seemed to wander aimlessly as Dan would start traveling with one companion and something would happen and he'd end up traveling with someone new. There wasn't any gory details, but some things do get kind of graphic (spoiler: think sawing a horse carcass in half, eating innards of different animals, talk of scalping and other bodily torture.) Overall, not my cup of tea, but I can see how a te