Saturday 30 March 2013

Out of the Box



Out of the Box by Michelle Mulder

I thought this book sounded really promising but I was highly disappointed with it.  There were way too many things going on and it was poorly written.  It's the story of a girl who goes to spend the summer with her Aunt, who has recently lost her life partner (yes, she is a lesbian) and is dealing with her own grief.  While helping her Aunt clean her basement she finds a bandonoen, an Argentinian musical instrument similar to an accordian.  Inside the case is money, and plane tickets from many years ago so she decides to try and find out who used to own this instrument which leads her to discover many atrocities that happened in Argentina.  Added to this she is slowly discovering that her parents may have serious mental health issues that need to be dealt with.  All of this in 160 pages!!  The only reason why I bothered to finish it was because I wanted to see how it ended and I was disappointed with that as well!  Good thing I only wasted a few hours reading it.  If it had been any longer I wouldn't have bothered.   The only thing I really enjoyed about this book is that it takes place in Victoria and I recognized a lot of the places they went to.

Friday 29 March 2013

Behind You



Behind You by Jacqueline Woodson

This is the companion novel to If You Come Softly.  While it is the technically the sequel it does not have to be read for the first one to make sense.  I actually enjoyed this one more than the first one.  This book looks at all the different points of view of all the different people who were touched by Jeremiah's death in the first book (including Jeremiah himself!)  It was really sad and touching to see how different people deal with the loss of a loved one.


If you Come Softly


Front Cover

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

This book is about an inter-racial relationship between two teens set in New York City.  While it deals with a lot of very important issues it is very simply written and does not go into a lot of details (it is less than 200 pages).  It is well written and I would like to read more by her.  She has written a lot of books and is very well known - not sure why I have never read any of her books before!

Death in the Air


 

Death in the Air by Shane Peacock

This is the second book in the Young Sherlock Holmes series.  I am still enjoying the series and watching the young Sherlock emerge as the icon that he has become.





"After the harrowing experience of losing his mother while solving a brutal murder in London’s East End, young Sherlock Holmes commits himself to fighting crime … and is soon involved in another case. While visiting his father at the magnificent Crystal Palace, Sherlock stops to watch a remarkable and dangerous trapeze performance high above, framed by the stunning glass ceiling of the legendary building. Suddenly, the troupe’s star is dropping, screaming and flailing, toward the floor. He lands with a sickening thud just a few feet away, and rolls up almost onto the boy’s boots. Unconscious and bleeding profusely, his body is grotesquely twisted. In the mayhem that follows, Sherlock notices something that no one else sees — something is amiss with the trapeze bar! He knows that foul play is afoot. What he doesn’t know is that his discovery will put him on a frightening, twisted trail that leads to an entire gang of notorious criminals." - Amazon

Eye of the Crow


 

Eye of the Crow by Shane Peacock

This is the first book in the Young Sherlock Holmes series.  Being a HUGE fan of Sherlock I had to give it a read.  Since there is little known about Sherlock's early years, the author was able to take many liberties.  This book was well written, and it gives the reader a glimpse into the reasons why Sherlock became the sort of man we have all come to know and love.  


"Sherlock Holmes, just thirteen, is a misfit. His highborn mother is the daughter of an aristocratic family, his father a poor Jew. Their marriage flouts tradition and makes them social pariahs in the London of the 1860s; and their son, Sherlock, bears the burden of their rebellion. Friendless, bullied at school, he belongs nowhere and has only his wits to help him make his way.
But what wits they are! His keen powers of observation are already apparent, though he is still a boy. He loves to amuse himself by constructing histories from the smallest detail for everyone he meets. Partly for fun, he focuses his attention on a sensational murder to see if he can solve it. But his game turns deadly serious when he finds himself the accused — and in London, they hang boys of thirteen."  - Amazon