I spent most of this novel enjoying it, but thinking it was pretty routine YA: girl with a secret, and a cute boy next door. But about halfway through, things begin to change in a major way, and I went from liking it to LOVING IT. “Just because you can’t experience everything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t experience anything.” Madeleine has spent her whole life trapped in her house — she has SCID, an immune disorder that renders her allergic to just about everything. She stays in […]
I didn’t like it, and I feel really bad about that
I tried really, really hard to like this book — after all, I sunk 48 hours of my life listening to it. And I’ve loved every other book I’ve read/listened to by Neal Stephenson. But in the end — I just couldn’t get into it. I finished it, but by the end it felt like a chore. “If you can’t test it, it’s not theorics — it’s metatheorics. A branch of philosophy. So, if you want to think of it this way, our test equipment is what […]
That Honey Johnson Moment
My library has done so well recommending new YA recommendations for me on my Overdrive account — this book was no exception! 12 year old Frankie Parsons is a worrier. He lives in constant admiration of his easy-going best friend, Gigs. When a new girl moves into his school, he starts branching out a little bit — despite that nagging “rodent voice” in his head telling him all the ways it could go wrong. The title refers to his habit of going into his mother’s room at 10:00 every night with […]
Horrible people doing horrible things — in new ways!
Full Dark, No Stars consists of three stories that verge on novellas, and one very short short story. I pulled the synopses off Goodreads because I am so very behind on my reviews, and added my thoughts in italics. 1922 The story opens with the confession of Wilfred James to the murder of his wife, Arlette, following their move to Hemingford, Nebraska onto land willed to Arlette by her father. 3 stars: Decent, creepy story with lots of rats, and people who get what’s coming to them. […]