Hold Still--Review by Desarae Coffey

Hold Still by Nina Lacour

This book is divided into seasons. It follows the main character, Caitlin Madison, over the course of a year summers, fall, winter, spring, and summer again. Though these are many themes running through the pages of Hold Still I wont say healing is the main one, being a junior in high school come fall. However during the summer before her best friend commits sucide by cutting her wrist in her bath tub. Caitlin realzes that her best friend had been very depreessed and tortured and had even taken medication forn it. As Cailtin begins school she also begins the journey of healing and learning to live life without Ingrid.

One day while looking for her remote control, she finds Ingrid's journel giving her insight into her best friend's world. It also folows Cailtin as she developes a new friend, with a new best frined named Dylan, who happens to be openly gay. Dylan tries to help Caitlin heal from her loss but at the same time her relationship with Dylan causes her to feel guilty, like she is betraying Ingrid.

And there is her relationship with Taylor who gradually becomes her boyfriend. Also Caitlin's photography, it becomes some what of a memorail to Ingrid. Relationships with other people and sleeping in back seat and building a very conmplex tree house, all theraputic in her path of healing.

I would rate Hold Still by Nina Lacour a four and half stars out of the five star system. I enjoyed the book and feel there are so many things to be taken from the story, the themes are deep and realistic but I do feel book is alittle long and drawn out some times.

I would classify this book as drama. I would recommend it to a friend I know likes drama, however, as I said I left it was a little drawn out. There are so many seasons one can learn from Hold Still and so many conversial topics dycussed however so I did enjoy the story overall.

Marcelo In the Real World - Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Marcelo In the Real World by Francisco Stork

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Growing up, and being able to face reality or the "real world" is tough. It's even tougher though, for a seventeen year old boy named Marcelo Sandoval. All his life, he has been catered to, due to the fact that he has a type of autism, more closely related to Aspergers's syndrome. This does not impair Marcelo in any severe type of way; it just makes him high functioning, and socially awkward to a large extent, but otherwise he is normal. He soon learns that people in the "real world" seem to think otherwise though, when he is faced with the choice to either work at his father Arturo's law firm for the summer, or forego attending his special needs school Paterson. Marcelo chooses to confront the "real world" for the first time, and in doing so realizes just how awful it can be out there. Not only do these coworkers and people he meets think he's extremely mentally retarded and incapable of the work given to him, but they also treat each other, people like themselves, with horrible intentions. He is soon enough faced with a situation where he has to choose for himself the path he gauges to be right, a path that might possibly lead him farther away from the destination he wanted to come to.

I gave this book four out of five stars. It was a lovely read, one that touches on a topic most authors seem hesitant to approach, or if they do, they approach it incorrectly. There are so many people out in this world that deal with special needs of all different kinds. But just because they are a little different gives no one the excuse to treat them like some horrific abnormality. This book points out perfectly, how special needs or not, people in general just seem to treat each other negatively anymore. It also shows that no matter who you are, you have the power to fight against this, and possibly manage to bring about a change. Having two special needs siblings, one of them a brother with autism, it was sweet seeing characteristics of Marcelo that were so similar to that of my brothers. That such a gentle soul dealing with these kinds of things makes Marcelo a very unique character indeed. I greatly enjoyed this book, and hope to read another book similar to it (which also received good reviews) called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. I would definitely recommend this book to those who feel weird about people with special needs, people who are familiar with those of special needs, and mentors of the people with them!

Cutting for Stone Review by Shelby Gomez

Cutting for Stone - Reviewed by Shelby Gomez 

          The book Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese is a good read. This story begins with the birth of twin boys to a nun,Sister Mary Praise Joseph in a hospital in Ethiopia. Mary Praise Joseph dies during the birth of her children. While there father Thomas Stone who was the surgeon who delivered them. The twins Marion and Shiva are orphaned by there mother and father who disappears. The twins are raised by Hema and Ghosh, two Indian doctors. The boys grow up well loved and cared for to become doctors themselves. This story has mystery, is a love story, and a coming of age all tied into one.

          In my opinion I give the book  Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese four stars.This book would fall under the genre of literary fiction. I don't usually read this type of book I am more into fantasy. When I first started reading the book I had trouble getting into it because it started off slow. One thing I had trouble with was pronouncing the names correctly as I read through the book. I ended up using an audio version of the book which was absolutely fantastic. I enjoyed being able to follow along while someone was reading it. I also think it really helps with all of the characters names and the names of the different places. Also the book was a bit long and I don't recommend for a quick read. I found after reading more I really started to enjoy it. The story picked up and the writing was phenomenal. I will be looking for more work by this author. The story was captivating and I would recommend this book to a friend.

Cutting for Stone Reviewed by:Taylor O'Brien

Review of Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese

By: Taylor O’Brien

            Cutting for Stone is a coming-of-age novel based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It begins with a man named Marion going through his mother’s old workspace, and the rest of the story is told as a flashback. Marion recounts the story of him and his twin brother, Shiva, as children. Since their mother, Sister Mary Joseph Praise, died in childbirth and their father, Dr. Thomas Stone, abandoned them soon after, they were raised by other hospital workers. They were very close until their relationship with a girl named Genet drove them apart. Due to unanticipated circumstances, Marion is forced to leave Ethiopia. He travels to New York and continues his studies, but while there, his life takes an unexpected turn.

          Over all, Cutting for Stone receives two stars out of five. It was obvious that the story meant a lot to the writer and that the situation the characters were in was horrible, but I personally could not become attached to the characters. I couldn’t become attached to the situation because I have no experience with Ethiopian culture, nor could I sympathize with Genet and Sister Mary Joseph Praise because I am not a woman and am not able to feel the same emotions and think the same thoughts as them. I don’t have a brother, am not a virtual orphan, and have no interest in medicine, so I can’t relate to Shiva and Marion. I would not recommend this book since I cannot relate to any aspect of it, though if you liked The Invisible Bridge, you may like Cutting for Stone.

Perks of Being a Wallflower-- Reviewed by Desarae Coffey

                                                   

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

This book is about a fifteen-year-old boy named Charlie. Charlie has suffered a great tragedy of losing his best friend, Michel to suicide. Charlie is scared of starting high school alone which increases his anxiety levels. So Charlie starts writing to a stranger whose he never met in person but have told was nice and a great listener.

As Charlie begins high school his anxiety level increases but calms down a bit when he meets his English teacher who becomes his friend and even more so his mentor. As the days goes on he learns to overcome some of his shyness and meets Patrick. Patrick later becomes his best friend along with his step sister, Sam.

Sam and Patrick becomes Charlie’s life coaches in high school showing him the ropes, they force him to come out his shell. They help him become more social while letting him find himself. Charlie goes through his high school writing his own fate. Going on his first date, having his first kiss, and even getting into drugs. The drugs cause him to lose his best friends, but Charlie then gains them back for standing up for Patrick when he gets beat up showing his true side. At his first year comes to an end, and it gets closer to Sam and Patrick graduating Charlie finds himself.

We all go through this just in different ways but still having that one thing, finding ourselves in high school. I strongly, recommend this for any teenage struggling to find themselves. I personally can relate to this story. this year I was a transfer, coming in from St. Mary's High school. I was beginning my sophomore year at O'Hara. I started out very shy and didn't talk much to people, but lucky I had my best friend, Leah Eckart. She was my Sam and Patrick. She pushed me to join clubs and sports to become more social. I join book club and cross-country. Thanks to her, I am loving my sophomore year more and more every week. 

Anna Dressed in Blood -- reviewed by Desarae Coffey

Anna Dressed in Blood

Anna is a ghost, she was murdered in 1958. She was sentenced to haunt the house she was murdered in by a curse put on her by her cruel mother. She is dressed in the same white dress that she was murdered in that is now stained with blood. Anna murders people and leaves no trace of their dealth but she doesn't want to kill people and struggles to control the evil inside her. Then she meets Cas.

Cas is a ghost hunter. His dad was also a ghost hunter but he was killed by a demon named Obachman, the same demon after Cas. Cas uses his dads special knife called an athame to kill the evil ghost. He and his mother move from place to place chasing ghost and end up at Thunder Bay after hearing about The ghost of Anna, a ghost committing horrible murders.

Cas meets the most popular girl in school named Carmel and they become friends. Carmel's ex boyfriend Mike gets jealous of Cas and tries to trick him, taking him to Anna's house. This is what Cas was hoping for, Anna ends up killing Mike that first night Cas meets Anna. Cas intends to kill Anna and Anna intends to murder Cas, however the two develop feelings for each other and neither can do what they intended to do. In the end, Anna sacrifices herself to save Cas by leading Obachman to a hole in the floor that leads to hell.

I loved this book! It was scary and suspenseful and kept me wanting more! Anna is scary and dangerous but at the same time she is vulnerable and you find yourself liking her. There is a hint of a love store in the middle of the evil and fear. I would say this book really has it all, there is something for everyone.




".....JUST YOUR AVERAGE BOY-MEETS-GIRL, GIRL-KILLS-PEOPLE

Gone With the Wind - Reviewed by Jayel Gant

Gone with the Wind 

by Margret Mitchell

5 stars 

Scarlett O'Hara is a beautiful, strong willed, thick headed southern bell living on her fathers plantation, Tara. She is able to make any man eat out of the palm of her hand, and she uses her skills to get whatever she wants and spite other girls. She meets her match in Rhett Butler, a wild man disowned by his family and followed by a train of horrible rumors wherever he goes. The civil war no one really thought would begin started in the middle of summer, and suddenly she and all the other girls her age had to grow up fast. She watched Atlanta go up in flames, protected Tara from invading Union troops, and kept her family together on the power of her own will. She, her son, her old flame Ashley, and his wife Melanie would have starved to death if not for her cold calculating actions. Scarlett was not afraid to lie, cheat, and steal if it meant that she would never have to go hungry again, and her fears lead her to making new friends and new enemies in those she was close to before the war. Scarlett found security financially, but her relationships ended up crashing down around her.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I was the perfect mix of romance, action, and adventure. I don't think you could find a historical fiction more true to its time period. If you like historical fiction, and books with a strong female leads you will like Gone with the Wind. The lead characters in The Adoration of Jemma Fox and The Host remind me a lot of Scarlett. There is a little bit of in this book (except Sci-fi) so I'm sure something will grab your interest.

Life of Pi - Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Life of Pi - by Yann Martel

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Piscine Molitor Patel, known better as simply Pi, expects nothing but a grand adventure when his family ups and leaves their home in India, and more importantly their zoo, to begin again in America. Little does he expect after a sudden turn of events, to end up on a small lifeboat, with none other than Richard Parker, a three year old adult tiger. Even though he, the son of a zookeeper, knew better than anyone what sort of harm such a beast could bring upon him, he made the choice to stay in the lifeboat. Would you do the same? Pi spends a long amount of time in this boat with his feline companion, lacking pure water and nutrition, before washing up on an island. The island leaves Pi feeling paranoid though, so he and Richard Parker once again take to the Pacific Ocean. When they end up landing again some time later on a Mexican beach, Richard Parker disappears and Pi gets taken to a hospital. He tells the story exactly as it is, but isn't believed until he tells it again, this time changing the animals for actual people. Because really, who would believe the adventure of a boy and a tiger?

I've never been an adventure story type of person, but there was something about Life of Pi that I really enjoyed. Maybe it was the more philosophical feel of it focusing on the minute details of how animals, and even humans work. And though you would never expect it, theology and zoology make quite an interesting mix of topics in this novel. Both play equally important roles in Pi's life, making him, in my eyes, an extremely unique character. Also, the way the story is presented, as a man telling a story he was told by another, through first person narration as Pi, was something I hadn't seen before. This part could be confusing at points, especially when he would stop telling Pi's story, and add in his own personal experience of how he came to know the story and the man behind it. See? Confusing just trying to explain it. Even so, I enjoyed the read and would recommend the story to others, although not super highly. There is in fact a movie based on the book, though I have not seen it. I've heard multiple different reviews, but I think anyone who has read the book should see a movie to make a rightful opinion about it. Nor have I read other books written by him, but if you are interested, they sound more along the lines of scifi genres, but have different and cool topics all the same. The titles are: Self and We Ate the Children Last. I think in general Yann Martel has a lot of potential as an author. 

Gone with the Wind - Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Reviewed by Maggie Devero

Scarlett O'Hara is a beautiful, charming, and most of all stubborn, southern belle living on a cotton plantation named Tara in Georgia in 1861. All her life, Scarlett has had the ability to bend men to her every whim with her beauty and pretty lies, aside from the only man she is really smitten to: Ashley Wilkes. In a short span of time, the man of her dreams is out of her reach, now engaged to his own cousin, the frail and plain Melanie Hamilton, along with most other male companions she's had all her life. For civil war is breaking out in America, and every strapping young man is ready to join the army and support their "glorious Cause." In two months, Scarlett has married Charles Hamilton (Melanie own brother nonetheless), lost him to the army, and been left with his unborn child. After she has her baby, Scarlett becomes very unhappy with her life and its similarity day to day, so mistaking this for depression, her family sends her to Atlanta to live with her Aunt Pittypat and sister-in-law Melanie. The suffering due to war continues to rain down on them more than ever, and due to many reasons, Scarlett takes Melanie after her aunt left, and with the help of the handsome and mysterious Rhett Butler, they make it back to her home.

Upon returning, Scarlett comes to find that many things have changed: her mother has passed away, her father is incapable of caring for them, and the whole family and what slaves there are left are starving. So Scarlett, who has never worked a day in her life, gets down on her hands and knees (literally) and picks her family up from the ruins in which they had been in. In order to keep things running at home, she ends up having to return to Atlanta, a place completely different with the war having recently ended, and find ways to pay taxes on Tara to keep it her home. Scarlett marries again and takes up running two mills to keep money for all their needs, though she ends up just staying in Altanta. Rhett also lends her some money during the time, to help her buy one of the mills, and helps her when Ashley, her husband Frank and some other men get in trouble for being part of the KKK. Unfortunately her husband is killed, and Scarlett is once again widowed. But knowing her, she won't be for long, and soon things take a richer and more prosperous turn that even Scarlett could have ever imagined. But will this be enough to settle her restless soul? You'll have to read the book to find out!

I absolutely, 100% adored Gone With the Wind. There's no doubt in my mind why it's one of the classics, and how many people have enjoyed reading it throughout the years. Even I, who have never been a person too interested in period novels, was completely captivated with the description and detail put into capturing the time period. The character development was superb, and some of the changes I never would have seen coming for characters like themselves. The plot was never a bore, and there was never a slow moment it seemed. It just continued to grow and expand, adding into it new exciting elements and surprising twists that would leave me hungrily tearing through more pages to figure out what would happen. I even got teary-eyed when I finally closed the book, to be completely honest. There's no doubt that I would suggest this book to ANYONE, even if their tastes don't seem to match up with the book. It was an amazing experience for me to read, and I want others to be able to feel the same. There are also some other novels to go with this one. Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley which is a sequel written by a completely different author, and Rhett Butler’s People by Donald McCaig, written as Gone With the Wind: Rhett's POV. I hope to find time to read both in the near future, just as I hope you find time to read this wonderful classic!

Gone With the Wind-Reviewed by Bethany Miscannon

Gone With the Wind

Margaret Mitchell

5 stars

 

Scarlett O’Hara doesn’t pay any attention to the talk of war.  She’s much too busy trying to win over the handsome Ashley Wilkes, newly engaged to Miss Melanie Hamilton.  Even the witty Rhett Butler, whose opposition to the war provides a welcome change, does not interest her.  When war becomes a reality, however, the charming and beautiful southern belle finds herself widowed with a young son.   As the novel progresses, Scarlett finds the comfort and security of her old world slowly fading away.  As the Yankees come closer and closer to Atlanta, so does Melanie come closer to her due date for Ashley’s child.  What will happen when she goes into labor the same day they arrive?

Home at Tara, Scarlett finds the devastating news that her mother has passed away.  Her father has gone insane, her sisters are very sick, and Melanie is recovering from her hard labor.  Scarlett is the only one who can keep them all from starving to death.  Scarlett, who has never had to work in the fields a day in her life, is now responsible for the whole family.  When a Yankee man comes to Tara, she will stoop lower than ever before to protect the others, but will she succeed in keeping the others alive?  And how long can she hide her desire for Ashley away from Melanie?

The war has finally ended, but for Scarlett the battles have only just begun.  She must find some way to pay the taxes on Tara, but how?  The only man she knows who may have the money she desires is Rhett Butler, but when she finds him imprisoned with no way of getting the money to her, she must set her sights on a new goal.  Before you can bat an eye, Scarlett has married rich and is the successful business owner of not one, but two mills, and with all the reconstruction going on, she’s raking in quite a profit.  When she is attacked in a shanty town, the town’s men go to work to make sure it will never happen again, but when the Yankees discover their plans, they must rely on Rhett Butler and the prostitute Belle Watling to save them.  Will Rhett and Belle succeed?  What is Scarlett’s husband’s fate?  And, more importantly, what becomes of the wounded Ashley?

Scarlett never does stay widowed for long, and this time is no exception.  With Rhett finally by her side, Scarlett becomes one of the richest women in town, and isn’t afraid to show it.  But is life really back normal?  Not quite, as you’ll soon find out.  Scarlett’s way of life is completely gone with the wind.

This book is wonderful.  It is one of the best books I have ever read, and I don’t often say that.  I highly recommend it, as it has something for everyone.  There are two companion novels written by different authors.  They are Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley and Rhett Butler’s People by Donald McCaig.  You don’t have to read them to enjoy this story, however, and it is wonderful as a stand-alone novel.  If you liked To Kill a Mockingbird, I think you would like this book, as both have very southern feels and explore racial and other equality themes.  If you enjoy historical fiction, then you should definitely read this book.

Gone with the Wind - reviewed by Daniel Neitzey

Gone with the Wind written by Margaret Mitchell
Reviewed by Daniel Neitzey

Gone with the Wind written by Margaret Mitchell is a very well written drama with moments of ironic humor.  Not only was the writing very impressive, but the plot was well formed and the story very well thought out and intriguing. Gone with the Wind is an historical fiction romance that everyone should read.  I give it five stars.

 The story begins in a time before the American Civil War in Southern Alabama.  The main character in this story is Scarlett O'Hara, a very bold, aggressive, and strong girl.  Although Scarlett plays the feminine southern woman at the beginning, Scarlett is ahead of her time and is constantly questioning the ideas society has about women and their capability.  The plot revolves around Scarlett's survival through the Civil War and her pursuit of a married man named Ashley.  From the beginning of the story Scarlett pursues Ashley but he is in love with and marries a sweet woman, Melanie. In an attempt to make Ashley jealous, Scarlett marries Melanie's brother Charles.  The story continues with the Civil war and all the pain it causes.  Charles dies a few months into the war and Scarlett is now a widow.  A bold and teasing man named Rhett Butler pursues Scarlett but she still has her mind set on Ashley.  The rest of the story brings only more drama as Scarlett learns about survival in love and war.  Though the main plot of the book is Scarlett trying to survive in difficult times and win the man she loves, she learns much more than that. Scarlett learns about true love, motherhood, humility, and survival.  

No matter who you are, I would recommend that you read this book.  Follow Scarlett's story as Margaret Mitchell leads you on an enticing journey of love, loss and survival.  This book is a classic and I believe anyone would enjoy reading it. 

New Books!

Come by and check out some of the new books we now have in the library. More of your favorite series and characters!

Chemical Garden series: 2 titles -- Fever and Sever by Lauren DeStefano

Mara Dyer Trilogy: The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michele Hodkin

Shatter Me Trilogy: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Lorien Legacies: The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore

Legend Trilogy: Prodigy by Marie Lu

.

Delirium Trilogy: Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Anna Dressed in Blood series: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

The Lunar Chronicles: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

New stand alone novels that are sure to be popular:

The Bar Code Prophecy by Suzanne Weyn

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Put down your iPad for a bit and read!

Aftermath of disaster...

As the world turns..., August 30, 2013

Do you like to read books that describe what life on earth might be like after a horrible disaster has taken place? In this series, the moon has been pulled off its orbit and everything that was before is no more.

Oh my! This is the 4th book in the "Life as We Knew it" series and it can be very depressing and shocking to read about what this author imagines might happen. I finished it late last evening and I had nightmares all night long with visions of this horrible post disaster world. The events that transpire and the subject matter are appropriate for the older teen and young adult.

Jon is the youngest in a family that included his sister Miranda and brother Matt. His mother, Laura, had sacrificed everything when they were stranded on the outskirts of a town in Pennsylvania so that her children and she could survive after the moon's orbit pulled it closer to earth resulting in climate change, tsunamis, famine and epidemics. Now, 4 years later, the survivors have relocated. Several other relationships and the deaths of family members have left the family broken and separated with the remaining few living in different places in the newly established cities and towns. The "clavers" are the rich and important people who live in Sexton while the "grubs" who serve them live in White Birch. They are a very class conscious segregated society where the clavers have power and often mistreat the grubs who live under quite primitive and filthy conditions. Society has devolved into a hierarchy that encourages superiority, prejudice and violence.

I did not like Jon's character at all. I didn't care for many of the supporting cast of characters whose actions and relationships didn't ring true given the times and situations. Despite some grandstanding at the end, which didn't feel believable, I don't feel Jon redeemed himself. The book was depressing and relentlessly miserable. I almost stopped reading it several times but forced myself to push on to the end, hoping that things would eventually improve for the survivors.

Unrealistic in so many ways and not deeply developed enough to provide the details that are needed to make the new world and society structure credible, the story lacks the critical elements that other doomsday scenario authors have done much better. The struggle is, of course, between good and evil, but mostly it is a clash between the "haves" and the "have nots". The violence is extreme and the ability of the clavers to step into their behaviors is scary. I hope there's nothing in this that is remotely plausible should an event like this ever really occur. I guess I just have more faith in humanity than that it would end up as described in this novel. I prefer to hope so.

Other titles in the series:
Life As We Knew It - highly recommended
The Dead and the Gone
This World We Live In

All of these can be found in the AOHS Library!

Reviewed by Ms Crawford