Password to Larkspur Lane, by Carolyn Keene

Did you know that there is an International Federation of American Homing Pigeon Fanciers? Neither did I, until I read this book! Oh, homing pigeons. You're so useful for nefarious purposes.

Right, so, Nancy manages to intercept one of these delightful pigeons as it falls out of a plane, and it has a cryptic message about blue bells and whatnot and therefore Nancy just knows it's a mystery! Fun times! And then her dear friend Helen Corning (now Archer) comes to Nancy with another mystery happening to her relatives out on their estate, and Nancy's all, I can solve both of these at the same time! But, if you've been following along, you know that these two cases end up intertwined.

Sadly, there is no chloroforming or drowning. But there is disguise and escape and Nancy being thrown into a hole, so we know it's still our Nancy Drew. :)

Rating: 7/10
(Nancy Drew Challenge, Support Your Local Libary Challenge)

See also:
[your link here]

Pass me yours, if you've got 'em.

Hold Still, by Nina LaCour

I have to admit that the only reason I picked up this novel is because I had to read one last book for my YA class and the one I had picked was way too long. This one? Much shorter, but still wonderful. I'm very glad I chose this one.

Caitlin’s best friend Ingrid has committed suicide, and Caitlin is walking through life in shock. After a summer away from her hometown, she comes back to school to find that the things and people she expected to be there for her aren’t, but that there are some new friends waiting for her, when she’s ready. Then Caitlin finds Ingrid’s last journal, and her memories of Ingrid, and of her actions toward Ingrid, threaten to take over Caitlin’s life.

Caitlin’s emotions and actions are completely spot-on, as are those of the friends she makes and almost loses, and Ingrid’s handwritten diary entries manage to convey the same amount of feeling.

I love the direction that LaCour took with this premise – she gives the story some intrigue with the found diary and the words directly from Ingrid, but she makes sure that the real story is not the pain of Caitlin’s loss, but the pain of realizing that she can move on.

Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)

See also:
[your link here]

Pass me yours, if you've got 'em.

I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This, by Jacqueline Woodson

Marie is a black girl living in southeast Ohio in a type of town people don’t often talk about – one where the rich people (relatively speaking) are black and the poor people are white. A new white girl moves to town and Marie thinks she’ll be one of the many who show up at school for a while and then leave before getting to know anyone, but Lena is different. The two unlikely friends forge a bond that lasts as long as it can, until Lena’s secret drives them apart.

Woodson makes an interesting comparison between Lena, whose too-loving father drives her away, and Marie’s mother, who walked out on Marie and her father to get some "air." These two characters affect Marie’s life in drastically different ways, but both make her appreciate what she has left.

This is a very short book, and the pacing of the story suffers for it – I felt like too many things happened too quickly and I had a hard time figuring out how much time had passed between scenes. There is also little in the way of plot, which may deter readers who like a more action-packed story. However, Woodson’s treatment of sexual abuse and parental neglect in general is very realistic and simple, which I appreciated.

Rating: 6/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)

See also:
Maw Books Blog
My Friend Amy

Pass me yours, if you've got 'em.

Death Note Vol. 2, by Tsugumi Ohba

Oh, here's that review I promised you! After reading Volume 1 for class, I've kind of gotten addicted.

So. Light still has the Death Note, he's still killing people for reasons he thinks are good and the police think are bad. Cool. Unfortunately for the police, Light has found out that a bunch of American FBI peeps are hanging around Japan, looking for him. So he decides that these guys are going to have to be written down as well. This is a bit of an ethical stretch, of course, but Light is very good at rationalizing. He is also quite good at sizing people up and manipulating them, as we get to see in this book when Light is all, "Oh, you see, I'm doing things like this just to make L think that I think in this certain way, but also there's some reverse psychology in there too, and some of this I'm just doing for funsies to trip L up." It's a bit confusing and twitch-inducing, but it works.

I enjoyed it, and I'm on to the next one now.

Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)

See also:
Rhinoa's Ramblings

Pass me yours, if you've got 'em.

Booking Through Thursday — Podcasts

Today's Booking Through Thursday question is, "Do you ever listen to book-related podcasts? If so, which ones and why?"

I am not really a podcast person. I'm sure I've mentioned before (in reference to audiobooks) that I'm really good at listening to things when I'm sitting in bed or driving my car, but if I have anything else I could possibly be doing I will try to multitask and then that listening thing goes right out the window. I do love it when the various NPR talk shows have their "summer reading" shows, and I will do my best to listen to them, but I'm not one for seeking out an hour's worth of stuff to listen to.

Of course, since I'm doing my library practicum right now, I should pimp out my host library's podcast, called ABC Book Reviews. My supervisor and another librarian talk about books on a monthly-ish basis, and I even joined in once, long ago — you can hear my voice briefly on the Neil Gaiman podcast. I haven't listened to it, so don't tell me how terrible I sound!

Almost Astronauts, by Tanya Lee Stone

A book about sexism and astronauts? Count me in!

Stone presents a narrative look at the 13 women who, in the 1960s, underwent the various astronaut tests taken by the Mercury 7 astronauts as part of an experiment to determine if women could be astronauts. She details the rigors of the tests and the determination of the women to pass them all – and the intense discrimination faced by the women at every turn. Using pictures from the women’s tests and other primary sources, including a letter on which Vice President Lyndon Johnson wrote that the push toward women in the astronaut program should be stopped, Stone makes a strong case for the courage and tenacity of these 13 women and pushes for women today to have the same qualities.

I had never heard of the “Mercury 13” and so learned a lot from this little book. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to be an astronaut (so, like, every child ever).

Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)

See also:
[your link here]

Pass me yours, if you've got 'em.

Janes in Love, by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

This book is the sequel to The Plain Janes, which I read for class and thought was very cute. This one is equally as adorable.

It's shortly after the great New Year's Eve shenanigans. The Janes are up to their old art tricks, until they get caught for reals this time and Jane is unsure if this art thing is something she should be doing. But then she finds out that she could be getting a grant for PLAIN to keep going and she makes it her mission to get that grant, even though all those adult types are against her again. Meanwhile, there's a girls-ask-boys dance that I don't really care about that's all fraught with emotion. Blah blah blah.

I liked this book slightly less than I liked the original, mostly because of the relationship business (barf), but I still enjoyed it! The art style is wonderful and the different "art attacks" amuse me. If you want a sweet quick read, grab this book and the one before it.

Rating: 6.5/10
(A to Z Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge)

See also:
Book Nut

Pass me yours, if you've got 'em.