A Few Reviews

I've had such a busy summer so far that I've gotten behind in linking to my reviews. Here are the last four that I have read and reviewed:

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (4.5 Stars)
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (4.5 Stars)
Alex & Me by Irene Pepperberg (5 Stars)
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (4 Stars)

Click on the links to see my full reviews. I will try to at least include mini-reviews with my links from here on out, but wanted to get these posted right now.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Shanghai Girls was a pleasure to read. I picked it up and other than stopping to sleep, I didn't put it down.

I hadn't read the blurb on the back of the book, and had avoided reading the details of other reviews, and so I had no idea what was going to happen to Pearl and May. That excitement of not knowing what comes next in the book, and the surprising shock of their life-changing secret was enough to make me never want to read a back cover blurb again.

This was a very entertaining historical fiction novel. My only complaint was that I didn't want it to end. When I came to the last page I thought for sure there would be more to the story. I would love to read a sequel just to find out what happens to the characters, and to me that means that the author did a good job.

I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, especially those interested in fiction about Chinese women.

To read my full review, visit my blog.

Frederica by Georgette Heyer, Review

When Frederica brings her younger siblings to London determined to secure a brilliant marriage for her beautiful sister, she seeks out their distant cousin the Marquis of Alverstoke. Lovely, competent, and refreshingly straightforward, Frederica makes such a strong impression that to his own amazement, the Marquis agrees to help launch them all into society.

Frederica is a fun, witty and intelligent read. It reminded me a lot of Pride and Prejudice in that you have so many young girls all intent on making a good match, while the two main characters really have no idea how well-suited they are for each other.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes a good historical romance. Visit my blog to read my full review.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

I thought that Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford was quite enjoyable and educational. It was interesting to see what life was like for both the Chinese and the Japanese in the Pacific Northwest during World War II.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is thought-provoking historical fiction, yet it is also an emotionally intense story of love and family. Please visit my blog to read my full review.

Abandoned Book - Children of the Mind

Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card is book four in the Ender's Game series. Although I managed to make my way through book three, Xenocide, I couldn't force myself to finish this one. I didn't make it far enough into the book to give even a partial review, but I did want to share that I've scratched it off of my list.

Xenocide, Orson Scott Card

Xenocide by Orson Scott Card is the third book in a science fiction series about a man named Ender. The first two books, Ender's Game and Speaker For the Dead were both good (although Ender's Game was my favorite). Xenocide, however, was not so good. There are some interesting characters, but the plot goes way out into left field, and I found myself losing interest about halfway through the book.

Here's a link to my full review.

Alyce, Book Review, *The Godfather, *Mario Puzo

I finished my second book for the challenge - The Godfather by Mario Puzo. Visit my blog to read the full review.

Here's the Cliff's Notes version of my review:

I liked the book but not as much as I liked the movie. There were a couple of sections in the book that didn't appear in the movie and I thought they were not essential to the plot. Those nonessential sections also happen to contain a lot of graphic sex and crude descriptions, so they weren't my favorite.

Alyce, Book Review, *Suzanne Collins, *The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 2008
ISBN: 978-0439023481
384 Pages
Young Adult Fiction (Hardcover)


Summary (from the publisher):

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before -- and survival.


This is my first book for the Fill in the Gaps 100 Project. This review was originally published on my book blog, At Home With Books.


My Opinion:

The Hunger Games is one of those books that everyone else has been raving about, and I am joining their ranks. It was a fast paced and intense read that will hold your attention throughout. I was in suspense while reading, wondering if Katniss was going to survive, and whether or not her friend Peeta really loved her or if he was just using her to stay alive.

The kids who fight in the games are called tributes, and their ages range from twelve up through the late teens. It is somewhat disturbing reading about these kids chasing each other around trying to kill each other, especially since their game mimics modern day reality shows in everything but the killings.

It really made me take a step back and think about the reality shows on television - the horrible things that people live through on shows like Survivor, and how the producers of the show manipulate things (like food, awards, living conditions) to make the show more exciting. Even though participation in today's shows is voluntary and there is no killing involved, I think the voyeurism of the audiences in the book is reflective of viewers today and their love for "reality" television. It really makes you think about the ethical limits for manipulating "reality."

The Hunger Games is disturbing in much the same way as Lord of the Flies by William Golding, yet I enjoyed it much more because Katniss's initial motives are selfless. She only enters the competition in order to save her sister's life.

The nice thing about this story is that it is a young adult novel. So even though the kids do fight and kill each other, the images portrayed are not overly gruesome in detail.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes: an exciting read, reality television, post-apocalyptic stories, Lord of the Flies, or the short story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.

The Hunger Games is the first book in a series. The second book, Catching Fire, releases September 1, 2009.

Rating: 5/5


Author Information:

For information about the author and her books, please visit her website.

Alyce's List

I am very excited to be participating in the project! I hope this gives me the incentive I need to read these books (especially the classics).

My Criteria for books on my list:

• Classics
• Sci-fi classics
• Modern Lit. & Novels that have gotten great reviews
• Some YA titles that I've been wanting to read
• Miscellaneous books on my shelves that I've been wanting to read

Here's my list:

1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
2. Half a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
3. Say You're One of Them - Uwem Akpan
4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian - Sherman Alexie
5. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen
6. Chains - Laurie Halse Anderson
7. Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
8. Catalyst - Laurie Halse Anderson
9. I, Robot - Isaac Asimov
10. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
11. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
12. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen
13. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Jean-Dominique Bauby
14. The School of Essential Ingredients - Erica Bauermeister
15. The Final Days - Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
16. The Oxford Project - Peter Feldstein and Stephen G. Bloom
17. Guernica - Dave Boling
18. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
19. All Over but the Shoutin' - Rick Bragg
20. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
21. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote
22. Xenocide - Orson Scott Card
23. Children of the Mind - Orson Scott Card (Abandoned)
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke
25. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
26. The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
27. The Madonnas of Leningrad - Debra Dean
28. Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe
29. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
30. Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
31. White Oleander - Janet Fitch
32. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford
33. Coraline - Neil Gaiman
34. Looking For Alaska - John Green
35. The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
36. King Solomon's Mines - H. Rider Haggard
37. Frederica - Georgette Heyer
38. Monique and the Mango Rains - Kris Holloway
39. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
40. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
41. Left to Tell - Immaculee Ilibagiza
42. The World According to Garp - John Irving
43. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
44. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
45. Schindler's List - Thomas Keneally
46. The Greatest Speeches of John F. Kennedy
47. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
48. Mountains Beyond Mountains - Tracy Kidder
49. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
50. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
51. The Hour I First Believed - Wally Lamb
52. The Giver - Lois Lowry
53. The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli
54. Long Walk to Freedom - Nelson Mandela
55. The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley
56. Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
57. Honeymoon in Tehran - Azadeh Moaveni
58. Beloved - Toni Morrison
59. A Mercy - Toni Morrison
60. Signed Mata Hari - Yannick Murphy
61. Dewey - Vicki Myron
62. Things I've Been Silent About - Azir Nafisi
63. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
64. I am Spock - Leonard Nimoy
65. Dreams from My Father - Barack Obama
66. The English Patient - Michael Ondaatje
67. Bel Canto - Ann Patchet
68. Alex & Me - Irene Pepperberg
69. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
70. Nation - Terry Pratchett
71. The Godfather - Mario Puzo
72. Red Glass - Laura Resau
73. Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay
74. Rashomon - Akutagawa Ryunosuke
75. The Little Prince - Antoin de Saint-Exupery
76. The Cave - Jose Saramago
77. Blindness - Jose Saramago
78. Peony in Love - Lisa See
79. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
80. Shanghai Girls - Lisa See
81. Othello - William Shakespeare
82. Henvry VIII - William Shakespeare
83. The Merry Wives of Windsor - William Shakespeare
84. Richard II - William Shakespeare
85. Titus Andronicus - William Shakespeare
86. A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1 - Lemony Snicket
87. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
88. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
89. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain
90. The Art of War - Sun Tzu
91. Hands of My Father - Myron Uhlberg
92. Cutting For Stone - Abraham Verghese
93. Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne
94. Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
95. The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
96. The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells
97. Night - Elie Wiesel
98. Thank You Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse
99. Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
100. The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak