How I live now by Rosoff, Meg

The reader is quite good. This book seems a little far fetched. It never really explains any of the plot topics. Daisy is sent to England to live with family after her father and stepmother can't deal with her any more. She has an eating disorder, a love affair with her first cousin, a third world war, and many other issues flood this book. None of which are ever really explained or dealt with.

It has feelings of World War II but also a touch of what could have happened after September 11th. More than once the vivid language caught me off guard. I liked the writing style, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed the book. It was very different, and I can't think of a person I might recommend this book too. Perhaps if it was read instead of listened to it would be even better. There is something about the audio that makes it even more realistic.

Cry the Beloved Country by Paton, Alan

So as part of the 1001 books to read before I die, I picked this particular novel. If I had to sum it up, it is the story of people from a small town. The kids move to the "big city," and they get into horrible horrible trouble.

It is much deeper than that, but that's all I got. I thought it was a bit too long. I was having a hard time seeing what the point of it was. The last 200 pages were quite good. The rest of it seemed unnecessarily long winded.

I can check it off the list, now only hundreds more to go.

Mercy Watson Collection 1 by Dicamillo, Kate

I wanted to like these. I like other things by Dicamillo, but this was not one. I am not sure if it was the reader or if it was the book. It was like Dumb Bunnies, but not funny or entertaining. It was just daft. I can see how they would be a big hit with some younger kids, but it was not one for me.

It would be a great thing for parents in the car with kids or for them to listen to on their own. It is perfect for beginning readers and well illustrated (yes I looked at the book too).

Millicent Min girl genius by Yee, Lisa

I thought this was a fun book. It was a read by Keiko Agena who also played Lane Kim on the Gilmore Girls.

I love Lisa Yee, she is a blast. Her writting and the reading by Agena meshed together to bring a great story together about Millicent and how hard it is for a genius. She goes through weeks of trying to adjust to the changes in her world.

She takes a college class and is getting ready to graduate high school at the ripe old age of 11.

I highly recommend anything by Lisa Yee. It is a good time.

A Room with a View by Forester, E.M.

Down loaded from Librivox.org. It was just not my tastes. I tried to like it. I tried to listen to the whole thing. I gave up with only an hour left. I just couldn't take it any more. I can't remember one thing about this book other than I would find any reason to not listen to this book.

Old Man and the Sea by Hemmingway

Done as an audio book. Read by Donald Sutherland. Painful. After the first half of the book (most of which I didn't listen to because I wasn't in my office), I gave up. I love Donald Sutherland but as an audio book reader, PAINFUL.

Sometimes you have to give up when the book is just that bad.

Suite Francaise by Nemirovsky, Irene

Oh I tried to like this book. I listened to it, couldn't make. Tried the book, wow that was a bad. Then went back to the audio months later, gave up. Then tried the abridged version of the audio book.

I know there are many people who like this book. It is often talked about and people just fawn over it.

I did not like it. Not one bit. I didn't even come close to finishing it.

Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, F. Scott

This is the second time I have listened to this audio book. I much prefer the version read by Tim Robbins. I read this earlier this year so I don't remember it much. Only that I remember thinking, I wish it was the other version of this book. That's what I get for not updating more quickly.

Reluctant Fundementalist by Moshin, Hamid

This was an ok book. It is supposed to take place in Afghanistan or something. It was interesting to listen to, but every time I would get into the story the narrator would comment on what an unusual sound was coming from the other person's pocket. Thus breaking the flow of the book.

I listened to this months ago so not the best run down, but I am just trying to get back on this horse.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Gilman, Susan Jane

This book was AWESOME! I think everyone should read or listen this book. I would recommend listening to it because it was abridged and I didn't feel that much was missing from the story.

This is a great tale of youth and the naiveness that happens so often with youth. Two young women decided to backpack through China shortly after they open the borders to Westerners. This book reads like a thriller at times and often you find yourself saying "no they really aren't going to do that." Only to find out that they really are.

Their luck is impressive and I am sure I wouldn't have had a similar situation.

It is a great look at China back before it became commercialized.

Highly recommended.

Mary Poppins by Travers, P.L.

After years of putting this off, I finally read the book that lead to one of my favorite movies.

I had a nasty experience with The Wizard of Oz. I loved the movie, then I read the book. For years I was so mad at the movie I couldn't watch it. This is why I haven't read Mary Poppins until now.

Well clearly I didn't have to wait so long. It was ok, but nothing like the movie. In all fairness, I know they took stories from all the books to make the movie. The movies is woven together with care.

The book is a disjointed mess. Bert has a very small almost non-existent role in the book while Miss Corey has a chapter all to her own. However the Miss Corey story freaked me out, but there ya go.

Interestingly enough the only chapter I really enjoyed had characters that didn't even make the movie, the twins John and Barbra.

This would be a good read aloud at bedtime, and if I was introduced to it when I was younger I might have liked it more.

In the end it is a rare time where the book isn't, in my opinion, better than the movie.

Mighty Queens of Freeville by Dickenson, Amy

After reading the "good for me" Pride and Prejudice, I felt like I earned a fun book. I love Amy Dickenson on the Public Radio show, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me so I figured I would give her book a try.

Once again, I put it on my iPod and hiked to Maplewood State Park. I loved it. While the audio was abridged, I found it funny, uplifting, and delightful.

Amy also writes a column called, Ask Amy. She took over for Ann Landers. Amy tells her life story about her heartbreaks, her frequent trips to her small hometown, and he ability to "fail up."

Her life was facinating, and like everyone's life we have these quirky family memebers that make life interesting. There were stories about her father, her ex-husband, but mostly about the strong women in her family. Her life in the city of Washington, DC and in the small town of Freeville.

Her storytelling is top rate. I highly recommend it. If you don't read it for any other reason, read it for Peanut Jesus. :)

Pride and Prejudice by Austen, Jane

This is the book that started it all. I have been in a reading dry patch. I haven't been able to read much so I turned to audio books. I discovered the joy of hiking, but didn't like giving up my few hours of possible reading time.

I picked Pride and Prejudice mainly because everyone talks about it and I had never read it. I wish it was deeper than that, but there it is.

So I downloaded this book to my handy dandy iPod so I could hike and listen to the book. I never would have finished this book if I read it. Too many times I felt that it was pointless. More than once I was ready to give up on it because the characters were so petty. Once I looked at the book as a historical commentary on society at the time, then it was tolerable. I finished it, but I didn't love it. I am not shocked. I am not a fan of fiction and I am not a fan of romance novels.

Since I have read this book, I talked to many others about it. Most aren't shocked that I wasn't jumping from the rafters in love with it. Others were surprised I finished it. I ended up thinking it was too long, too frilly, and too perfect. But on the upside, I finished it! :)

It's the best I can do

After months of not posting my book reviews, this is the best I can do. It is frustrating because I know I read more books than this, but these are the ones I remember. I apologize for the short reviews, but most of these were months ago. I will review them to the best of my ability and try better in the new year.

There are two reasons I keep up a blog like this:
1)Let people know what I am reading.
2)Allow me to remember what I read.

Hopefully in 2008 I will be able to get back around a normal reading level for me between 150 and 200 books.

Kabul Beauty School : an American woman goes behind the veil

Title: Kabul Beauty School : an American woman goes behind the veil

Author: Rodriguez, Deborah.

Publisher: Random House

CIP

To aid Afghan women, an American runs a beauty school in Kabul.

Comments

This was a thought provoking book. Ms. Rodriguez goes to Afghanistan to help women better their lives and the lives of their families. In this strict society she faced challenges in teaching the students how to perform the most basic beauty techniques safely. Most of these women were using products that were harmful to their health or that were too old to use any more. It was interesting watching how this one American woman gave up so much to help so many women.

After reading the book, I heard an update on NPR. Then it left a sour taste in my mouth. I felt that the author was careless with the women's lives and safety for her own gain. Now I don't know where I stand.

Either way it is a good read. I would love to know what you think.

Good Girls

Title: Good Girls

Author: Ruby, Laura

Publisher:HarperCollins Publishers

Synopsis In this new novel, Audrey Porter is a "good girl" -- a good student, a great daughter, an amazing friend. She's also the last person anyone expects to be hanging out with Luke DeSalvio, the hottest guy at Audrey's school. But Luke is a liar, a player, a dream, and Audrey knows it. She dumps him at her friend's Halloween party with no intention of looking back. But everyone else is looking -- looking at a mysterious and humiliating photograph that has popped up on their cell phones and computers. But who took it? And why? And how will she ever live it down?

Comments

This was well written. I don't feel it received the attention it deserved. On the surface it looked like your average teen angst novel with the good girl gone bad angle. But if you look a little deeper to also is a cautionary tale to teens about protecting their privacy. In this age, anyone can take a picture at any time or place. Then with the click of a mouse or a push of a button everyone in school, town, or the world can receive it.

Audrey learned this lesson the hard way. These embarrassing photos aren't just for celebrities anymore. Every student in her school has the photo and then when it can't get any worse, it shows up in her parents email.

Broken moon

Title: Broken moon

Author: Antieau, Kim

Illustration:

Publisher:Margaret K. McElderry Books

CIP When her little brother is kidnapped and taken from Pakistan to race camels in the desert, eighteen-year-old Nadira overcomes her own past abuse and, dressed as a boy and armed with knowledge of the powerful storytelling of the legendary Scheherazade, is determined to find and rescue him.

Comments

To be honest, it has been a few months since I have read this book. There is nothing like a holiday to help me catch up on the last six months of book blogging.

I read this book after I had read Sold. While some elements are similar, most readers will find the traditional format of the book easier to read. Other than having female characters in developing countries being sold into some sort of captivity, they are totally different. Nadira goes into the camel camps dressed as a boy to save her brother. Throughout her experience she comforts other boys in the camps with stories of the legendary Scheherazade.

It is a short book which provides a window into another country and the things families need to do to stay together.

Impulse

Title: Impulse

Author: Hopkins, Ellen.

Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books

CIP Three teens who meet at Reno, Nevada’s Aspen Springs mental hospital after each has attempted suicide connect with each other in a way they never have with their parents or anyone else in their lives.

Comments

Ms. Hopkins's books are always interesting to read. They are about five inches thick, but you will hear lots of people comment that "it doesn't count each page only has a paragraph of text."

I would disagree. The format of the book makes is accessible to a larger group of readers who normally wouldn't attempt a book that size, but also provides the readers with a sense of accomplishment when they finish it. The format also allows for separation of characters and division of storylines.

This is one of her more complex stories with three characters talking at the same time. It took me a long time before I could keep the story straight in my head. I was frustrated, but engaged by the characters.

She builds a very realistic setting for these teens. Each comes from a totally different background proving that no one is immune from mental issues. She gives adults a look into the minds of teens. She also allows teen readers to see what other teens might be facing and just because things look good on the surface, doesn't mean that is what it is like behind closed doors.

It tackles tough teen issues.

Harry Potter and the half-blood prince

Title: Harry Potter and the half-blood prince

Author: Rowling, J.K.

Illustration:Mary Grandpré.

Publisher:Arthur A. Levine Books

CIP

The war against the Voldemort is not going well and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort -- and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

Comments

Finally after years of trying to get this book read, I achieved it today. When this book was published I had a month left of grad school. By the time I got around to reading it in Missouri, I moved. I have been trying for a few months to read it before I go to bed, but I would fall asleep and then the hard covered book would smack me in the head. A friend of mine finished her paperback copy and was nice enough to loan it to me.

I know this series isn't for everyone, and that is ok. But Harry Potter is one of those characters that has a special spot in my heart. It is because of him that I discovered the fun of working in a library. It is because of him I went to grad school.

I have to admit, the book started off a little slow. I finished a number of other books in between when I started it and finished it. But the last half of the book was non-stop action. There are hundreds of other reviews you could read to find out about the plot line. I am more fascinated by Rowling's ability to give readers a character they can understand and sympathize with.

One of my 2008 goals might be to listen to each of the books. I have a lot of painting to do in the next few months, what better way to pass the time than with an audio book read by someone who has two Guinness World Records, nine time Audie Awards and much much more. Jim Dale is one of a kind.

Whistling in the dark

Title: Whistling in the dark

Author: Kagen, Lesley.

Publisher: NAL Accent,

CIP A story of 2 young sisters in the summer of 1959, left, virtually, to fend for themselves when a murderer and molester terrorizes their town.

Comments

This year I was invited to join a book club. I have never been in one before mainly because I am such a picky reader. I thought I would give it a try and read some books I normally wouldn't even pick up. For the most part it has been a good experience.

This book should go down in the record books. It is the first book I have finished, since I graduated, that I didn't really like. Something about it kept me going, but I didn't feel it flowed. others in the group identified with the time period and the music. I felt it was a disjointed story that left me unsatisfied. At the end I feel the author rushed to tie up the loose ends.

Most of the book group liked it. I will chalk it up to different tastes and experiences.

The glass castle : a memoir

Title: The glass castle : a memoir

Author: Walls, Jeannette.

Publisher: Scribner

CIP The author, a contributer to MSNBC.com, recalls a bizarre childhood during which she and her siblings were constantly being moved from one bleak place to another by dysfunctional parents, and in which she and her siblings learned to prosper on their own.

Comments

For those of you that have read Dave Peltzer's books, I recommend this as well. It was my first book club book. I received it rather late, so I wasn't able to finish it before our meeting, but it was fascinating. The life that this woman lived growing up is something some people feel must be fiction.

It is parents like Mr. Peltzer and Ms. Walls that give us a chance to look our lives to realize how good we have it. Books like these need to be available so that we can learn about people. Not everyone has a great childhood, but that doesn't mean that they grow up to be worthless people. Ms. Walls comments on a time when she was on her way to a fancy party, and along the way passed her mother on the street digging through the garbage. She tried everything to help her mother, and she didn't really want it.

I know this is a common book with book clubs. It is well reviewed and well written. Parts are difficult to read, and I wanted to strangle the mother about every other page. Our histories are what make each of us different.

I'd tell you I love you, but then I'd have to kill you

Title: I'd tell you I love you, but then I'd have to kill you

Author:Carter, Ally.

Publisher:Hyperion Books for Children

CIP As a sophomore at a secret spy school and the daughter of a former CIA operative, Cammie is sheltered from "normal teenage life" until she meets a local boy while on a class surveillance mission.

Comments

Every few books, I throw in one that is just plain fun. I loved the title of this book. There was no deeper meaning. No great teen angst or historical perspective that I learned. It was just a fun story about a secret spy school. Classes teach the girls how to blend into a crowd, different surveillance techniques and technologies, and the languages. Imagine having to go to a lunch with people you see every day, but you don't know what language you will be speaking until you enter the room.

I recommend it to anyone who feels life is getting a bit too serious.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Title: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Author:Cohn, Rachel David Levithan.

Publisher: Distributed by Random House,

CIP High school student Nick O'Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart.

Comments

This is a well reviewed book. It is being made into a movie due out in late 2008. I read it months ago, so the details are pretty hazy. I liked it. It is kind of your average teen angst boy/girl disses by friends, significant other, or society. They are brought together by their taste in music. The two authors work together to write the book Levithan writing Nick's portion and Cohn penning Norah.

It will be interesting to see what kind of air play this book will receive with an movie and a sequel out within the next year.

Does my head look big in this?

Title: Does my head look big in this?

Author: Abdel-Fattah, Randa.

Illustration:

Publisher:Orchard Books

CIP Year Eleven at an exclusive prep school in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, would be tough enough, but it is further complicated for Amal when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time as a badge of her faith--without losing her identity or sense of style.

Comments

I have been pushing this book on anyone who asks. I went into this thinking it was just another teen novel, but it provided so much more. I gave me a glimpse into a what it is like when a person choses to wear a hijab full-time.

Even though the story takes place in Australia, the author keeps the Aussie slang to a minimum. It isn't just a book about a Muslim girl and the trials she experiences with her choice, it is a book that any teen girl can identify with. The author did a great job showing the difference in Muslim families and the worried Amal's parents had with her decision.

The ending is a bit too neat for me, however the characters are realistic. There are students that are supportive, and those that are not. There are concerns from the school administration, and from her parents. Her parents support her all the way as do her close friends. In the end a lot of her classmates get to know her better because of her decision.

Highly recommended.

The watchman

Title: The watchman

Author: Crais, Robert.

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

CIP A former Los Angeles police officer becomes the bodyguard of a troubled heiress marked for death.

Comments

Crais is one of my favorite authors. He writes the Elvis Cole series that I discovered years ago. Cole's partner is a man named Joe Pike. While you don't need to read the Cole series it does give you a little more background about Pike. On the same line of thought, this book provides more of Pike's history than any other book Crais has written.

He is hired to protect an heiress, and as usually where Pike goes trouble follows. He does everything possible to keep her alive. At one point he can't trust anyone but Elvis. Elvis provides him what he needs with no questions asked.

It is a fast-paced, action-packed novel. Anyone who likes James Patterson should give Robert Crais a try.

Who's sorry now? : a Grace & Favor mystery

Title: Who's sorry now? : a Grace & Favor mystery

Author: Churchill, Jill.

Publisher:William Morrow

Synopsis Times couldn't be tougher in the Hudson River Valley during the Great Depression, so penniless sister-and-brother duo Lily and Robert Brewster are in good company. Even the much-revered chief of police in poor, tiny Voorburg has been forced to abandon his boardinghouse. But there's something even more sinister going on around town.

Comments

Just noting that I read it. This is one of my brain candy reads. I nice light cozy mystery that takes place after the Crash.

The cat who had 60 whiskers

Title: The cat who had 60 whiskers

Author:Braun, Lilian Jackson.

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons

CIP The columnist Jim Qwilleran and his cats probe a mystery in the 29th "Cat Who" book.

Comments

I love the Cat Who series. They are nice cozy fun mysteries. It is one of the reasons I moved back north. I am not sure what happened to Ms. Braun, but this was not her best. It felt unfinished and left too many things unfinished. The barn just burns and Qwill is okay with this? Polly goes to Paris and decides to not return? Are you kidding me?

These have been topics of discussion in the library as people who love the series. I personally keep waiting for the "just kidding, it wasn't finished," note. I guess it isn't coming.

You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons: The World on One Cartoon a Day

Title: You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons: The World on One Cartoon a Day

Author: Willems, Mo

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Comments I love Mo Willems. This was written long before Pigeon or Knuffle Bunny. This was even before Sheep in the City or Sesame Street. It is exactly as it says a cartoon a day as he traveled around the world. I am sure he enjoys it as a look back at that time in his life. I enjoyed it as a way for me to travel around the world without leaving my comfy couch. This isn’t the type of book you just sit down and read. Some of it requires some thought while other parts you will never understand. I like the drawings and the short comments about the day. I haven’t read anything like it in the past, and if it was another author I might have missed a chance to discover a different genre of books. Give it a try if you are looking for something unusual.

Today I will fly! By Willems, Mo

Title: Today I will fly!
Author: Willems, Mo.
Publisher: Hyperions Books for Children

Comments

CIP
While Piggie is determined to fly, Elephant is skeptical, but when Piggie gets a little help from others, amazing things happen


First of all, I love Mo Willems. He could put a book out with nothing but a cover and I would by it and love it. I love that his illustrations are nice and easy to draw, and let’s face it what is funnier than a Pigeon. That’s what I thought until I started reading his newest series Elephant and Piggie.

They are written in a style similar to Dr. Seuss. The book has few words, but it engages the reader. It is a book that begs to be read aloud, by two people, or more. It would be fun to act out and have kids learn the pieces. That is if Mr. Willems doesn’t have a problem with it, always make sure to ask before you go stealing other peoples work.

But enjoy this book and the others coming in the series. I am just warning you, if you say

Monkeewrench by Tracy, P.J..

Title: Monkeewrench
Author: Tracy, P.J.
Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s

Comments

CIP
When a killer starts imitating, down to the last detail, the events occurring on Monkeewrench, a new computer game, a rural Wisconsin sheriff, 2 Minneapolis police detectives, and Grace McBride's software company gang, are caught in a web of decades-old secrets that could get them all killed.


It is very rare that I get two mystery novels I can’t finish, but it happened to me this weekend. Let me make this clear, it has nothing to do with the book. The book is well written, it has a great concept, and good characters. I just hate it when chapters bounce back and forth between two different storylines. I find it frustrating and annoying. I will give this book another chance in a few weeks when I can focus on it better, but for now, it is going back on the shelf.

Paula Deen : it ain't all about the cookin' by Deen, Paula.

Title: Paula Deen : it ain't all about the cookin'
Author: Deen, Paula and Sherry Suib Cohen
Publisher: Simon &Schuster

Comments

CIP
A memoir with recipes from the Southern cooking impresario (Food Network shows, restaurants, cookbooks, magazine).


I loved this book, but I love Paula Deen. She is one of my favorites on the Food Network. I love her cooking style, her personality, and her life. She was just a regular person that worked hard to get what she wanted. She believed in herself when no one else would. She had a family that backed her when she needed it. And her sons did more than the will ever admit.

I watched a Chefography about Paula a few months ago and was just amazed at what she had overcome to get to where she is. That show was just the half of it. This book goes through everything, the ups the downs, the good the bad, the stuff she is proud of and the stuff she is ashamed to admit. All of it is there.

She writes like she talks, Southern. If you are a stickler for grammar, don’t read this. If you don’t like the way she talks, don’t read this. If you love Paula’s show, read it in a heartbeat. If you want to know the story behind some of her favorite recipes, read it. If you want some recipes that haven’t been printed before, read it.

I really enjoyed it, and I hope that other people will take time to read it, too.

Sisters Grimm : Once upon a crime By Buckley Michael

Sisters Grimm : Once upon a crime By Buckley Michael
Title: Once upon a crime
Author: Buckley, Michael
Publisher: Amulet Books

Comments

CIP
When the fairy-tale detectives rush to New York City hoping to find an Everafter who can cure Puck, they trigger a chain of events that includes a murder mystery, and learn many new things about their mother who, along with their father, is still in an enchanted sleep.


These are just fun reads for my brain. For the age group this is written for, it is just good fun. They are away for them to enjoy characters from other books they grew up with. For people who tend to like to read fairytales or other literature they are very interesting. For example Shakespeare fans will love this new title. It focuses a lot on characters from Midsummer night’s dream. Puck was hurt in the previous book and now needs to visit a the only doctor that can help him. Oddly enough they end up going to New York City and running into Puck’s parents. The Sisters also run into Bess (the cow that jumped over the moon) and the Great and Powerful Oz.

I highly recommend giving this series a try. I know the author works to keep the characters close to the roots of their original stories. I don’t’ know my Shakespeare well enough to double check them, but if you are looking for a fun read, go for it.

Open Season by Box, C.J

Title: Open Season
Author: Box, C.J.
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Comments

CIP
Joe Pickett is the new game warden in Twelve Sleep, Wyoming, a town where nearly everyone hunts and the game warden -- especially one like Joe, who won't take bribes or look the other way -- is far from popular. When he finds a local hunter outfitter dead, Joe takes it personally. And as Joe digs into the death, he discovers that the outfitter was responsible for the endangered species now living in Joe's woodpile -- news that Joe wants to keep quiet. The closer Joe gets to the truth behind the outfitter, the endangered species, and InterWest, the multinational company planning to build a natural gas pipeline across the state, the closer he comes to losing everything and everyone he holds dear.


Here is a fine example of how I don’t finish everything I start. I made it 50 pages into this book, and I just can’t finish it. I know there are people that love C.J. Box. I remember when this boo first came out and it was all some mystery readers talked about. It just isn’t my thing. I don’t particularly like to hunt or fish or whatever. I don’t particularly care for reading about Wyoming. However what I did read had a good plot and it was well written. I would recommend it to anyone.

The man who loved clowns / June Rae Wood.

Title: The man who loved clowns.
Author: Wood, June Rae.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's


CIP
Thirteen-year-old Delrita, whose unhappy life has caused her to hide from the world, loves her uncle Punky but sometimes feels ashamed of his behavior because he has Down’s syndrome.

Comments
This was suggested to me by a patron. I am glad she did. It was a fast read, but it was emotionally hard to take. Apparently I was on a string of those. It takes place in Missouri, so I was impressed that I was ready to read about a place I don’t particularly like. Delrita is very protective of her brother and has a hard time accepting that society had changed enough to let him shine. It isn’t a new book, but it is worth a read. The message is timeless and uplifting.