Beyond Belief

Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton

Summary
This is Josh Hamilton's autobiography that talks about his baseball career from a young player shagging balls for his older brother's team to a major-leaguer.  He talks frankly about his drug and alcohol addiction and how hard it was to overcome (and stay on the wagon).

Personal Thoughts
I'm not the biggest baseball fan in the universe so I was unsure of this book.  Another teacher had actually requested it and when he returned it (three days later!!) he said that I should read it.  Well, alrighty then.  So I did.  While I wish I could say that it gave me more tolerance for people who make bad choices, I can't.  However, I can say that I understand how an addict can become an addict and the difficulty in turning your life around.  There isn't a lot of strong language or sex in this book, but it should probably only be read by high schoolers.  It's a very frank discussion of drugs and alcohol and what it can do to your life.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Summary (from book jacket)
Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.  In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.  The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.

Because of envelope 4, Ginny and her artist, a playwright/thief/bloke-about-town called Keith, go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous-though utterly romantic-results.  Ginny isn't sure she'll see Keith again, and definitely doesn't know what to think about him.  Could the answer be in the envelopes?

Ginny doesn't know it, but adventures in Rome and Paris are in envelopes 6 and 8.  The rules are that she has to open one at a time, in order, so perhaps it isn't surprising that she discovers things about her life and love one by one.  Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

Personal Thoughts
I liked this book a lot.  Part of the reason is because I've been to most of the places Ginny traveled to!  It was exciting to think about her standing in front of the Trevi Fountain and knowing that I've been there.  She also traveled to several places I haven't been to but now want to visit...like Denmark.  Ginny's adventure was very personal to me.  I went through some very similar personal transformations when I was traveling, too.  I found out who I was, came out of my shell, and began to see the larger picture or the world and my role within it.  I always suggest a semester abroad for college students and hope they grab life with the same amount of zeal that Ginny has shown.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys travel, adventures, and finding out who you really are.

Captivate

Captivate by Carrie Jones

Summary
This book is the sequel to Need...So, in order not to write any spoilers, here's a very vague summary.  Zara and her friends are back to battle more pixies.  The king's desires grow but Zara will still not turn pixie.  As more and more pixies migrate to the area, she, Nick, Issie, and Devyn must continue to be creative in thwarting their ever-growing needs.

Personal Thoughts
I liked this book a lot.  However, it felt as though it was a massive set-up for the third novel.  I like series books that could, if necessary, stand on their own.  This book couldn't.  There were some interesting parts and Zara has to make some really tough decisions that I certainly don't envy.  (My biggest decisions revolve around when to do laundry and which book to read next!)  I'm anxious to see what the third book holds for Zara and her buddies.

Need

Need by Carrie Jones

Summary (adapted from book jacket)
Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her.  Turns out, he's not a figment of her imagination.  In fact, he is following her and leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust.  There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

Personal Thoughts
While I liked this novel, it had a definite Twilight-esque feel to it.  Girl moves from warm, sunny place to cold, dreary place.  Finds a couple of good friends and cute guys.  The guys are both into her...yadda, yadda, yadda.  However, at this point, it turns a little different in the fact that she's chasing down pixies as opposed to making out with vampires.  While it wasn't overly dramatic or spine-tingling, I found that it was a good read that I didn't want to abandon.  I'm eager to read the sequel Captivate to see what lies next for Zara.

The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Summary
This book is a spin-off of the Percy Jackson series.  His name is mentioned, but he is no longer the main character.  The main character, Jason, has just been found and given a quest to save the world.  The only problem is he has absolutely no memory of anything before he woke up on a bus at a camp for "bad kids."

Personal Thoughts
I liked this book just like I liked the Percy Jackson series.  (That was a lot of "likes" in one sentence!)  This one required more thinking, though.  The gods are now being presented in both their Greek and Roman forms...sometimes it's a little overwhelming to keep track of.  All-in-all, I found this to be an enjoyable read.

Maximum Ride: Fang

Fang by James Patterson

Summary
Max and her flock are still fighting Dr. Chu in this novel, but this time Fang's life might be in real danger.

Personal Thoughts
Ahhhh, this was a lot more action-packed than the last couple of novels.  It reminded me of the style of the first couple of books.  Action and adventure abound and there's a new guy!  I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Angel in February.

Phantom Tollbooth

Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Summary (from book jacket)
For Milo, everything's a bore.  When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he's got nothing better to do.  But on the other side, things seem different.  Milo visits the island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason!  Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing.  Life is far from dull.  In fact, it's exciting beyond his wildest dreams!

Personal Thoughts
I just couldn't get into it.  A friend of mine recommended it to me a couple of years ago and it sounded like fun so I thought I'd try it out.  Perhaps you'd have better luck with it?  If you like it, leave a comment and tell me why!  Maybe you'll persuade me to pick it up and try it again.

Maximum Ride: The Final Warning & Max

 
Maximum Ride: The Final Warning by James Patterson
Maximum Ride: Max

Summary
Max and her flock are at it again...trying to save the world.  This time they're in Antarctica.  (No more summary info or I'll end up giving it away!)  In Max, the flock is back in the states and helping make people aware of the problems they faced in The Final Warning.  But this time, there's a new bad guy on the scene and is ready to take out the flock.

Personal Thoughts
Of the series so far, The Final Warning has been my least favorite.  It's a little preachy and doesn't move as fast as the other novels.  It's still good, but it just doesn't live up to the action that the 3rd novel had. 

However, Max seemed to pick up the action a bit as the flock is hunted again, but this time by a different person.  I'm interested to see how this bunch of people are associated with the Itex people from the previous novels.  Max doesn't fill us in on that, but perhaps the next novel, Fang, does.  Needless to say, it's in my purse and ready to be read!

Prophecy of the Sisters

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Summary (from book jacket)
Twin sisters, Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans.  They have also become enemies.  As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parent's deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.  Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.  They just know they can't trust each other.

Personal Thoughts
This book sounded so great on the shelf!  I was looking forward to reading it.  The beginning had a good pace and really snagged me.  However, after about 100 pages, the book just started to drag.  Not only that, the language is a little flowery and sometimes hard to wade through and I felt some of the description was not needed.  I was also very disappointed in the ending.  The book basically just stops in preparation for the sequel...there's no conclusion to the events that took place in this book.  Prophecy of the Sisters is only for the most dedicated of readers and not for the faint of heart.