The Club of Queer Trades

Summary--A collection of six wonderfully quirky detective stories, featuring the 'mystic' former judge Basil Grant. Each story reveals a practitioner of an entirely new profession, and member of the Club of Queer Trades.

Pro's--What to say about this book....it keeps you entirely baffled until the very end, it has some clever idea's, and it points out that there are more crimes than stealing and murdering. There are crimes against humanity like pride, hording, ect.  I also appreciated the author's brief opinion on evolution. Very humorous but true.

Con's--The book, just like the prime character Basil Grant, is eccentric and sometimes difficult to make sense of. Even in the end you still aren't fully aware how Basil solved all of these mysteries, you just know that he did. Personally I prefer a more Sherlock Holmes style where you may actually learn something from the methods the detective has used.  Another con, Basil Grant once referred to the Sherlock Holmes stories derogatorily. I am a huge fan of Holmes so this irritated me a bit. :) One more thing to mention is that the book takes at least three pages (front and back) before it gets to the actually story. Before that I felt like Chesterton was rambling.

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with this book but I don't necessarily recommend it. Proceed if you think it sounds interesting.

3 Stars. Ages 12 and up.

Sherman's March

  Summary--Sherman's March is the vivid narrative of General William T. Sherman's devastating sweep through Georgia and the Carolinas in the closing days of the Civil War. Weaving together hundreds of eyewitness stories, Burke Davis graphically brings to life the dramatic experiences of the 65,000 Federal troops who plundered their way through the South and those of the anguished -- and often defiant -- Confederate women and men who sought to protect themselves and their family treasures, usually in vain. Dominating these events is the general himself -- "Uncle Billy" to his troops, the devil incarnate to the Southerners he encountered. (from Google Books)

Pro's--This book was one of the best written history books I have ever read. Burke did a masterful job weaving eyewitness accounts into one large and fascinating story. Sometimes I laughed, sometimes I felt sick. I felt as if I received a balanced perspective of everyone and was allowed to make my own decisions about whether or not they were a noble person.

Con's--Keep in mind this book comes mostly from eye witness accounts. There is a little bit of language, mentions of inappropriate things, and occasionally some gore.

Five stars. Ages 15 and up.

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson

This is a spur of the moment book/series review, but this is my favorite series of all time. I figured I need to somehow spread the word about these wonderful books. Andrew Peterson is a talented story teller. His books are full of humor, lovable characters, and frightening never-before heard of creatures such as toothy cows and thwaps. The books are not just all fun and humor, but offer a beautiful and sacrificial story about growing up and assuming the responsibilities we've been given in life. Janner, Tink, and Leeli have much to learn, but will teach readers much more in the end.

There are four books all total, and although the first book starts out slow, the story only climbs from there. This may be the only series I've read where each book is better than the one before it. The books are extremely clean and are appropriate and enjoyable for almost any age. I personally hope to read them out loud to my kids someday.

Five Stars!

If you want to read more about each book, here's a link to the website: http://wingfeathersaga.com/books-2/

Between Shades of Gray

Summary--
In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Lina's father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. All is lost.

Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. She risks everything to use her art as messages, hoping they will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive.

It is a long and harrowing journey, and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive? (from  http://www.betweenshadesofgray.com/ )

Pro's--This book is the type that leaves you feeling as if all the air has been knocked out of your lungs. How could you ever enjoy comfort again without thinking of this story? It is a impacting story about a small nation, caught between several world powers all of who do not care what happens to the tiny country on the edge of Russia. This book was well written, realistic, and endearing.

Con's-- As a warning this book can be graphic but a mature reader would not be upset by it. Also, though  I do not remember any, there may be a very minor amount of language.

Five Stars. Ages 13 and up.

The Underland Chronicles

When I first discovered The Underland Chronicles at my local library I was very pleased. Seeing that they were written for a young age and fantasy I assumed they would be interesting, like Suzanne Collin's other books, The Hunger Games, but probably less depressing. At the end of book one I decided they weren't as light weight as I had anticipated. By the end of book three I knew they were not going to end happily-ever-after. By the end of book five, the end of the series, I was entirely convinced that Collin's was incapable of writing something which does not make me cry. I tried to tell myself that I was just grieving for a rat, a bat, and a cockroach, and aside from that they were completely fictional but... I felt like bawling anyway.

Meet Gregor, an eleven year old New York City kid with two sisters, a haggard mother, and a bedridden grandmother. Gregor is just your average kid with an unaverage secret: His father went missing two years ago and though neighbors whisper, Gregor knows he would have never left the family. Then one day, Gregor takes his two year old sister, “Boots”, down to the apartment building's laundry room and watches in horror as his baby sister falls head over heals down the laundry duct. Making a mad grab at a falling sandle, Gregor too, drops through into a land of giant bugs, rodents twice his size, bats as large as small airplanes and...nearly see-through humans called the Regalians. Thinking his life could not get much more horrifying Gregor soon learns that he has a bigger purpose in the Underland than simply rescuing his sister. An ancient Regalian prophecy, carved into the palace's stone wall seems to point to Gregor as the human's savior, a person referred to in the writings as “the warrior”.

My opinion:

Book 1/Gregor the Overlander: Why can't the Regalian's just let the poor kid take his baby sister home?But no, they claim he is the “warrior” and therefore has a purpose in the Underland. The book is interesting and, despite the fact that it's fantasy, it is surprisingly realistic.

Book 2/Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane: And Gregor is back in the Underland, a place he never wanted to see again. Things are not all peachy there either and Gregor is sent on a mission to fulfill another prophecy. That book ends on a cliff hanger. Gregor is disgraced, nearly everyone he loves is either missing or in fear for their lives and I can not wait to get to the library and get book three.

Book 3/Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods: Gregor knows he has to go back to the Underland, this time to save all mammals, not just the humans. But his understandably frazzled mother flatly refuses. She insists that they are moving to Virginia and away from a place that could kill her children. When a rather forceful escort it sent to the Overland she finally agrees to let Gregor and Boots descend again, on the condition that she accompanies them. Things start getting desperate however when she herself contracts the dreaded plague known as “The Curse of the Warmbloods”. By the end of this book I was thinking it was time Collin's ramped up the story line. It was beginning to feel drug out.

Book 4/Gregor and the Marks of Secret: Wish granted. Gregor sneaks off on a “picnic” which quickly turns into a long and dangerous adventure. Oh, and while Collin's is hitting the climax of her story she decided to add in a tiny bit of romance...between two twelve year olds. Granted it is a minor part of the story and despite their age they are given the responsibility of an adult but still, it is rather ridiculous. The book ends with a reference to a prophecy which foretells Gregor's death.

Book 5/ Gregor and the Code of the Claw: I read this book in just a few hours. Everyone you love dies. Well, not quite everyone, but the book ends leaving you mourning for at least one human, several rats, a mouse or two, one cockroach, and multiple bats. And while we are feeling depressed, Gregor and his whole family now have PTSD.

Overall I enjoyed these books immensely. Collin's is a fascinating writer and very true to life. As much as you want the books to end happily-ever-after, they can't. Some final, and traumatic thing must decided whether Gregor stays in the war torn Underland or returns to the questioning Overland forever. Naturally the horror of that event, as well as many other things both Gregor and his family have now witnessed scar them forever and they are left with nightmares, unpredictable panic attacks, and overall weakness of mind and body. A rather sad end but I felt that is was fitting. It had to happen that way or the rest of the books were seem trite and like a childish fairytale.

The only things I did not care for were the occasional references to evolution and the romance. Aside from that the books had zero language and nothing inappropriate. They are written for young tweens but enjoyable for all ages, even my nearly sixty year old mother is currently sucked into them!

Four Stars; Recommended for ages 10 and up.