What I Read: January/February 2016

I didn't read much in January.  In fact, I really didn't read at all.  I did finish a book on the first, but I really read most of it during December.  In January I tried to figure out the pumping/parenting thing and ended up not having much time or brain power to focus on reading.  I finally got back in a groove in February and read 3 books! 

Also Known as Harper by Ann Haywood Leal

This book looked like an easy read- clearly intended for upper elementary/middle school readers so I was hoping to breeze through it.  Turns out I really didn't enjoy it that much which kind of made it drag on.  The story focuses on Harper, a poor girl in an unfortunate living/family situation that wants to be a poet.  School is incredibly important to her because she is dying to read her poetry at the writing contest.  I have no idea why this contest was such a big deal.  The characters were cheesy and the plot was weak and predictable.  There were also a lot of issues (homelessness, absentee father, loss of pregnancy, tent community, and more) addressed in the book, although by addressed I really mean glossed over.  Overall, I found this book to be a little too hokey to appeal to most students.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Having seen the previews for the upcoming movie, I figured maybe I could jump start my reading with a novel intended for adults, instead of children (since I had such a unpleasant experience with my previous read).  I enjoyed this book and hope the movie is done well (Finnick from HG is the main character?  Yes, please).  Louisa Clark tells the story.  There are a few odd chapters told from other characters' perspectives, but mostly Lou is the narrator.  She is in her mid-twenties and when she loses her job as a waitress, since she has no ambition to become or do much else, she ends up taking a high-paying job as a caretaker to a quadriplegic named Will.  The story was sad, yet I didn't find it super depressing and I certainly didn't cry.  I did like the moral/ethical questions it raised.  Final thoughts- yes, I would recommend it.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Sepetys is freaking amazing.  I thought Between Shades of Gray was incredible and Salt to Sea was no different.  Each chapter is extremely short (just a few pages) meaning that it is really easy to get sucked in.  Just one more chapter?  Of course! (And suddenly I'm 100 pages further ahead) The chapters alternate narrators; there are 4- Joana (the same one mentioned in BSoG) the nurse, a young pregnant girl, a Nazi, and a psychopath.  The characters are all brought together on the Wilhelm Gustloff, the most deadly maritime disaster in history.  Why did I never learn about this in school?  I have no idea.  I also felt that way about the history in BSoG.  I'm continually impressed with Sepetys and the unique, little known history that she captures and makes accessible.  I did feel like this book would be challenging for some of my more emerging readers.  It starts almost in the middle of the story (they are already on a journey), requires some WWII knowledge, and demanded some serious inferencing in the very beginning.  Overall, a beautiful and captivating story.

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

I actually met Marissa Meyer when she came to our local independent bookstore after the release of Winter.  She announced then that Stars Above would be coming out and I was pumped.  A reluctant fan of The Lunar Chronicles, I was sad that it was over.  Stars Above was definitely not my favorite.  It felt really cheesy and some of the stories just seemed redundant.  I had not read any of them before although about half had been published previously.  I was not a fan of The Little Android (The Little Mermaid); it was kind of dumb.  The Princess and the Guard was my favorite- I love Winter.  The last story, which takes place two years after the series, was satisfying.  If you are a fan of The Lunar Chronicles, then this is obviously a must read!