My Ramblings on Girls Don't Fly by Kristen Chandler

Girls Don't Fly

By: Kristen Chandler

Release Date: October 13, 2011

Author Website

Summary:

Myra is used to keeping her feet firmly on the ground. She's got four younger brothers, overworked parents, and a pregnant older sister, and if Myra wasn't there to take care of everyone, they'd probably fall apart. But when her boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her, Myra feels like she's lost her footing. Suddenly she's doing things she never would've a few months earlier: quitting her job, applying for a scholarship to study birds in the Galapogos, and falling for a guy who's encouraging her to leap from her old life . . . and fly. (from goodreads.com)

My Ramblings:

I really enjoyed this book! I've been a fan of Chandlers since I read her book Wolves, Boys and Other Things that Might Kill Me last summer, so when a friend sent me a copy of this book (it's signed!! Thanks Amy!)I was really excited to dive in. It was such a great read. What I really like about this book is that Myra is very easy to relate too. I'm from a small town and I know how hard it is to step outside of that box and do something different and exciting, so it was fun to see Myra try to figure out how to take that step. 

He ex-boyfriend Erik makes the perfect bad guy. He's not a horrible person, but he makes a great catalyst for Myra not only wanting a change, but needing one and having the guts to go for it. He reminded me of the guy that is big man on campus in high school, but who can see that his time is short. On the other Pete is the perfect good guy. He's not pushy in terms of trying to get Myra to apply for the program in the Galapagos, but he also tells her like it is, which is something she really needs. 

This was a great coming of age story that anyone who has ever wanted to leave their old life behind will connect to. By the end you might just be convinced to take a leap and fly too. 

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My Ramblings on Griffin's Fire by Darby Karchut

Griffin's Fire
By: Darby Karchut
Release Date: April 2012
Author Website

Summary:

For centuries, there have been rumors about a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, these warriors and their apprentices clandestinely serve as guardians for humans in danger.

Forced to become mortal, ex-teen angel Griffin has been banished from the Terrae Angeli. Struggling to adjust, he enrolls in the heaven-and-hell known as high school. In spite of his friends’ support, Centennial High proves to be a battleground, complete with a malicious math teacher. 

And to make matters worse, his Mentor, Basil, has been ordered to take on a new apprentice, the gifted and egotistical seventeen-year-old Sergei, whose covert attacks make Griffin’s home life as bleak as a Siberian winter.

Caught between school, Sergei, and a desperate secret, Griffin is certain of one thing: the only way to fight a Cold War is with Fire. (from goodreads.com)

My Ramblings:

First of all- I love these books. I read book number one, Griffin's Rising last year (review) and immediately was drawn into not only the story, but the relationships. I was stoked when Darby sent over an advanced copy of Griffin's Fire, because I wanted to know what would happen to Griffin now that his identity has essentially been taken away from him. What will he do know that he is no longer an angel? 

What I liked about this story is that it jumped right back in seamlessly. I was instantly back into the story and the relationships and there was no confusion or trying to remember what had happened, despite the fact that I haven't picked up Griffin's Rising in almost a year. We find Griffin trying to deal with his new found mortality, and he's doing it with all the grace and maturity expected of a 16 year old boy, in other words, he's miserable and he's making sure everyone else knows it. More interestingly we see how Griffin's new status (and mood) are affecting those around him through journal entries. We see Basil trying to raise a happy teenager instead of an angel in training and we see Katie trying to be a good friend and help Griffin deal without putting on too much pressure. It's the relationships that really make this story special. 

I went on a tangent with my first Griffin review, but it bears repeating again here. I find the characters in this book refreshing. They all have issues, but their issues are realistic. Basil and Griffin don't always get along, but they love each other and at the end of the day Griffin knows that Basil will always have his back, even when he does monumentally stupid things and make horrible decisions. Griffin might second guess it, but Basil never does (and therefore neither do we). The same with Katie's family. They are well adjusted and accepting. They are the kinds of friends Griffin needs, and again, even when things go bad (like when you find a 16 year old boy asleep in your daughters bed), they manage to be both responsible parents and understanding to what Griffin is going through. I like seeing all the healthy relationships in these books. Sure there are bad guys, but the good guys win by working together and trusting each other, something that I think is missing in other books. Plus I love good parental units. Not every main character needs to be struggling against his parents, and Basil is a great parent. 

Now, besides the great relationships, we also get a really good story. Nicopolis is still out there, but we see the truth come out, and there is a backlash of sorts against the punishment that was dealt out to Griffin. They regret taking his angel status away, and even though it can't be reversed, they are doing all they can to bring Nicopolis to justice. The bad guy in this story is less of an actual monster and more of Griffin struggling against himself. Sergei, Basil's new Tiro is there to turn the screws and make Griffin doubt himself, but he is more of a classic bully then an actual evil guy. It was really interesting watching Griffin navigate real teenagedom (like high school...shudder) while still having one foot in the world of angels. 

It all wraps up nicely in the end, but there is still a hint at what might be to come. Griffin is more secure in himself and has made a wider circle of friends (I particularly like Cas and his family) and is coming to terms with who and what he is, and who and what he could be. Plus, Nicopolis is still on the periphery and I think that before all is said and done we will see that relationship come to a head with exciting and possibly devastating results. I, for one, can't wait!

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My Ramblings on Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Breadcrumbs

By: Anne Ursu

Release Date: September 27, 2011

Author Website

Summary:

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. Now that they were eleven, it was weird for a boy and a girl to be best friends. But they couldn't help it - Hazel and Jack fit, in that way you only read about in books. And they didn't fit anywhere else. 

And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it's never that simple. And it turns out, she was right. Jack's heart had been frozen, and he was taken into the woods by a woman dressed in white to live in a palace made of ice. Now, it's up to Hazel to venture into the woods after him. Hazel finds, however, that these woods are nothing like what she's read about, and the Jack that Hazel went in to save isn't the same Jack that will emerge. Or even the same Hazel. (from Goodreads.com)

My Ramblings:

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I loved the concept. The Snow Queen is one of my favorite Hans Christian Anderson stories and I love seeing new takes on it. This one, aimed at the middle grade set was a great addition to the pack. We find our heroine, Hazel, struggling with her changing relationship with best friend Jack. They were inseparable, and now, he won’t even speak to her. Is it a simple case of growing up or something much more? When Jack suddenly disappears, Hazel sets out to find him, because even if he doesn’t want to be found, a friend doesn’t give up on you, even if you’ve given up on yourself.

From there it’s a classic adventure into the woods along the lines of Narnia. Nothing quite makes sense to Hazel, from the wolves that seem to be following her, to the constant ticking of the clock in the clearing, but she soldiers on. What I really appreciated was that the author acknowledges when she’s pulling from other stories, because these are the stories that Hazel loves too. The clock is reminiscent of the lamp post in Narnia, and it’s that kind of connection that draws Hazel further into that world. The world itself was well fleshed out and you got just enough magic to keep you interested, while still being invested in the relationship at the heart of the story. 

The one thing that held me back from REALLY loving this book was that I felt like I didn’t know enough about some of the characters. I liked Hazel and Jack, but I didn’t feel like I really knew a lot about them. There are mentions of familial problems, but nothing concrete. We see Jack and Hazel in these dangerous situations, and they pull through, but I didn’t get a sense of what it is about them that allowed them to pull through. I wanted more. Which in the grand scheme of problems is probably not a bad one to have. I was invested enough to care, to want more information about these characters, I wasn’t ready for the story to just be over!

Overall I really enjoyed the book- it would be a great one for kids who enjoy fantasy and magic!

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The Right Book at The Right Time

I promise I will be posting reviews soon. I've read 15 books so far this year, but between student teaching and now studying for my certification exams, the thought of writing serious reviews is exhausting! But next week, I promise, there will be reviews!

Today though, I wanted to post on something else. I was recently at my parents and could not possibly read one more CST flash card, so I walked over to the book shelf and saw Twilight sitting there. I had let my Dad borrow it before his trip to the Olympic Peninsula, I'd last read it about 2 and a half years ago. To be honest I'd been afraid to reread it. 3 years ago (almost exactly) I picked up the series and devoured it. All four book in 5 days. Then I read it again. I scoured the internet for everything I could find about Twilight, watched the movie a million times and eventually found a home at Twilight Moms. I re-read the books right after I joined so that I'd be ready for the discussions on the forums, which were surprisingly in depth and dealt with issues like relationships, depression, classic themes and archetypes. I was afraid to re-read after that. What if the books lost their magic? What if I hated them? So I just let them sit. Until a few days ago...

I was right to be worried. The magic was gone. I read the book and enjoyed it, but there wasn't that all encompassing need to finish, to investigate, to discuss. It was just a story. I already know how it ends. I know every inch of the books. I can argue why they are great and why they are horrible. I can tell you why they provide positive messages and why they showcase really bad ones. I spent years dissecting them and now there's not as much excitement in them for me. It was kind of sad really. Still, it was fun to revisit the story and the characters. To read it slowly and enjoy it. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't the same. 

Which lead me to an interesting revelation. I found this book at the exact moment I needed it. Looking back there are very moments that I can think of where there is a distinct before and after. 

* Before I had my accident horseback riding and after. I was heading in one direction and suddenly that was lost to me. The joy I had in riding was gone and it was replaced by anxiety and fear. 

* Before I moved to Tampa for school and after. I was miserable at my first school and then, with one visit to Tampa I found a place that was a great fit. It lead to playing soccer again, dancing and my husband. 

* Before I saw my Paint horse in that field and after. I knew he was going to be mine before I knew anything about him. Buying him changed everything again. 

There are a few mores, but not many. The big one though, the one that can't be traced back to any other decision is Twilight. Before I picked up the book and After. 

Before: I working as a legal secretary, which was... okay. It certainly wasn't my dream job, but it paid me a check every week and it was flexible enough that I had time for other stuff. I was pregnant, which was... okay. I had already had 4 miscarriages in a little over a year, so needless to say I was miserable and terrified pretty much 24/7. I was not a pleasant person to be around and I knew it, but there wasn't a good way to get out of it. As someone who is paranoid anyways, this was pretty much a 9 month exercise is just getting through each day. At this point I was 5 months in and I had recently spent the night in the hospital with a pulled muscle (which I thought was appendicitis) and was told to take it easy. Which meant no more soccer and no more riding my horse (yes, I was still doing both). Suddenly my schedule was a lot more open and I had a lot more time to think. And then...

...Twilight. I stopped at Barnes and Nobles and saw the display on the end display so I grabbed it. Like I already said, I devoured it. And my life changed. Literally. 

After: It's been 3 years. In that time I had my kiddo, joined TwilightMoms, became a moderator on the Book Club group, migrated to Eve's Fan Garden, started this blog, quit my job, went back to school to become a School Librarian (HUGE thanks to the amazing TM LauraLee for pointing me in the right direction), traveled all over the US to go to conferences with my friends, and I'm now 3 tests, one student teaching position and 3 months away from graduating. It's a 180. I found my niche. 

The point is that it's amazing what a book can do. Especially if you find that book at the exact right moment. If I had read the book three years earlier when it first came out I might have liked it, but it might not have had the same impact. Same goes if I was just discovering it now, who knows how I would have taken it. But in March 2009, I needed it. I needed the escape. I needed to remember that reading should be fun, and that there didn't need to be some larger message, sometimes it was enough to just find a friend among the pages. What I really needed was the friends I found online. Not that I didn't have friends in real life, but here I found friends who loved to read the same books I did, they all fell in love with the same story and they wanted to talk about. Beyond that, they wanted everyone to be happy and to find their something. Everyone has their something and I've never met more supportive women then the ladies at TM's. Like I said, without Laura Lee I might never have considered becoming a Librarian, but when she mentioned it everything kind of fell into place. Without the girls at EFG I might not have found my voice and my confidence to actually go do it. not only that, but to start contacting authors and writing reviews and talking about all these great books we were reading. It was a complete 180. 

I've read a lot of great books since then. A lot. Brilliantly written, heartbreaking, hope filled and hysterical books that keep me coming back. Better books then Twilight. No book though, has changed my world like Twilight did. And even though it's lost a little of it's luster for me, I can't be anything but thankful that I found this book just when I needed it. It was 100% the right book and the right time for me! It's also a good inspiration for being a librarian. I want to help these kids find their book. The book that they will fall in love with and want to embrace and discuss and learn from. If I can do that, well, I'd call it a win. 

So how about you? Do you have that one book that changed everything for you?

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