FanB14

Finally, after wading through lots of simple, boring teen books, this little gem arrives. Without my Entertainment Weekly Bible, I wouldn't have discovered this fantastic teen love story, coming to a movie screen soon near you.

Eleanor is back with her Mom, step-Dad and four siblings in a miserable household attending a new school in 1986, finding an unlikely friend in Park. Both points of view shine light on the loneliness, isolation, bullying, and the dare to hope and connect in the world of teenage angst. When Eleanor thinks she's fat, Park describes her as beautiful. Couldn't wait to hear what the other had to say about the same situation.

This book is well-written, almost like Rowell popped the top on the teen brain with all the first, raw emotions spilling out into a funny, lugubrious, intense singular story line with the perfect ending. Just bought his newer book, "Fangirl" and am excited to see Rebecca Lowman is narrating as well. She and Sunil Malhotra were fantastic in "Eleanor and Park". This was an excellent read.

I'm writing this after listening to all three. Can't quite put my finger on why I purchased and "read" them all so quickly. This is not great lit, but at least the first one kept me happily occupied.

Yes, the story is predictable, but it was fun. "The Selection" leaves the reader in the middle of the story, so if you enjoyed it, listen to book 2. I wouldn't recommend the third as the story was stretched too to round out the ol' trilogy format. I found myself speeding up the narration to finish (not always a good sign).

Good fun in a world where "Hunger Games" meets "The Bachelor".

This is book 3 of 4 and feels like a book 2 of a trilogy. The writing (as always) is superb. We find out a little more about Blue and the boys as Adam faces off with his father, and Gansey and Blue go spelunking to further their quest and search for Moira. Ronin is in the background since we heard more of his story in Dream Thieves. The women of this novel were mere window dressing and I was left wanting more details and stories about Blue's past than what was offered.

Not unhappy I spent my credit and eagerly await the final installment. I will read or listen to whatever this woman writes. She's one of the good guys in YA.

Footnote:
Why do I bother??? Will Patton is a fine narrator for adult fiction, but not suited for YA. At this point with 3 books in the cycle in his pocket, why would he be replaced? For the future reference...please know his voice is creepy for teen fiction. The women he voiced sounded like cartoon witches from the 70's and (again repeating myself) his NY accent from book 2 was unmistakable for Yogi Bear. Why, editors, producers, executives, why?

In a small English town, our young hero embarks on a quest to uncover who murdered Mrs. Wellington's dog with a garden fork. Christopher lives with his dad; believes his mum is deceased; has a pet rat; and possibly falls on the Autism spectrum disorder. Since the diagnosis is never mentioned, I assume he is a highly functioning boy with Asperger's.

This book does not focus on nor preach about disabilities. It provides a framework to understand the first person narration moving through daily interactions with family, teachers, and the occasional policeman. He speaks in an uninterrupted stream of consciousness and the humor comes across in a straightforward manner. The chuckles are never at the expense of this boy's condition.

Delightfully quirky story. The answer is not found in the killer's unveiling, but in the rich tapestry created through Christopher finding meaning in his orderly fashion of dealing with family crises seeking a positive resolution.

If you enjoy this one, check out "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close".

Jude and Noah, male and female twins are opposite, yet one, and sibling rivalry runs high. Both apply to a prestigious art high school, desperately seeking approval from their mother. Noah views every situation as a portrait and nervously fidgets, drawing what he sees. He paints, she sculpts and both believe Noah is the favorite and a lock for admission.

Nelson is a fabulous writer, giving Noah a quirky sense of humor, narrating from the age of 13-14 and edgy angst to Jude, narrating from their current time; age 16. There are strong themes, including a tragic event, first love, rivalry, lies, and the desire to belong and be accepted. Both narrators did a fantastic job, sounding just as I'd picture their characters. Don't read other reviews giving away too many details, just enjoy this amazing and well-written coming of age story. If you liked "The Perks of Being a Wall Flower", you will love this. If you haven't read that one, read/listen to both.

Good book for teens. How could yet another retelling of Cinderella with robots be any good? Read this to keep up with my daughter and after much eye rolling and huffing (on my part) finally pressed play. Was surprised how quickly the time flew and after two sittings, was a little sad it was over. The storyline is actually different: set in future; prejudices about cyborgs, androids, and planet Lunar people; threat of WWV; and leutosis plague wiping out citizens. Cinder is tough, clever, and self-preserving while Prince Kai is noble, anxious, and unsure. Both step-sisters are not evil and explanation for how Cinder ended up with Adri, her stepmother, is quite different.

Not on the same level as "Perks of Being a Wallflower" or "The Fault in Our Stars", but easy, entertaining read.

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back," Alice Walker. One of my favorite quotes of all time.

If you haven't read this book or watched the movie, you must do so. Even if you've done both, you need to listen to it again with Alice Walker narrating. She's an emotive, intelligent, confident and as talented an orator as a writer.

The tragic struggle of Miss Celie to survive, find love and inner strength is relatable to both genders and all races.

Joseph and Lanka fall in love during Nazi occupation in WWII. Told from alternating points of view, the two take divergent paths and most of the book is spent on their quest to find each other, meaning, and simply survival be it from atrocities or boredom. The characters are fairly well developed as are the backstories. Entertaining, enjoyable, just not engrossing. There are so many other titles during this time period to be placed at the top of your lists, but this one is solidly in the middle. Great purchase if on sale.

There are myriad takes on survivors of WWII and this one is slightly different as it focuses on a family in India. The heroic father stands against British oppression balanced with the horror of Hitler. This is how the story begins, yet it's the tale of his daughter who must go to live with unsympathetic, verbally cruel relatives. Her only solace is the library upstairs and the kindness of a friend. As she discovers a new world, her independence and confidence crescendo. Nice story, probably more of a YA book, but very easy to listen to as told through thoughtful, straight forward prose.

Endearing story of two brothers, one is special, almost luminescent with the eldest constantly in awe. Edward's goodness is passed to his sister Sabine and all of his gifts live on. Very short listen, so would recommend reading this one. Sweet read for young boys (maybe 7-12yrs) and of course girls would enjoy, too.

Selling young girls into servitude is a horrific and true nightmare. If there is such a thing, "Sold" is a PG-13 version you can listen to without too many graphic details, although of course the subject is disturbing. The fictional heroine embarks on what she believes to be a new job as a house maid. You can guess what happens next as the shock takes over and she's stepped into a fresh hell.

Simply and plainly told, this story is a solid YA listen and if you're read any of Patricia McCormick's other books, you won't be disappointed with her easy style.

Bought this on sale for $3.95 and well worth the price, but wouldn't want to pay full price of credit.