Here it is, my sixth annual book review! Click the links on the bar under the blog's banner to read my past lists, or use the links below.
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
* fun
# favorite
PB picture book
AB audiobook
Jennica-Ayelet's 2015 Reading List
Beverly Cleary
* AB
Ramona the Pest
* AB
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
* AB
Ramona and Her Father
* AB
Henry and Beezus
* # AB
Beezus and Ramona
Ramona is the star of many of Beverly Cleary's books. She looks at the world differently and is exasperating to her older sister, Beezus (Beatrice). These books are chapter books, so they are episodic rather than plot-based. All of the Ramona books are fun and a little ridiculous. I particularly liked the stories about Ralph the invisible lizard, the many mishaps with Beezus' birthday cake, Ramona's desire to look like her bald uncle, the boiled egg that wasn't...so many fun stories. I don't remember reading these when I was younger. Also, these were great audiobooks! The narrator gave the children low voices, so there was a much-appreciated absence of pint-sized squeakers. :)
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| via wikipedia |
Fifteen
I started reading this book at Amos' pastor's house in Nebraska either last year or the year before. When we moved to Tulsa, I looked up
Fifteen in our new library system, and it was available!
This is a simple story of a fifteen-year-old girl who meets a very nice boy and starts getting to know him. They go on some fun dates alone and with friends, and in the end, Jane gets to wear Stan's ID bracelet and be known as his girl.
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Maud Hart Lovelace
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill
Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown
Heaven to Betsy
Betsy In Spite of Herself
Betsy Was a Junior
Betsy and Joe
Betsy and the Great World
Betsy's Wedding
I really liked the
Betsy-Tacy books. They are largely based on Maud Hart Lovelace's life, experiences, and acquaintances and tell a fun, wholesome history of Betsy Ray and her fictional family and friends in the early 1900s. I liked the high school books a lot, and the last two books, set right before and during World War I, were interesting, too. I'm not sure what else to say about them, other than I liked the extended story of the Ray family and all of the old cultural references.
Winona's Pony Cart
This story is set in Betsy's childhood and focuses on her friend Winona. Winona is an exuberant little girl, and she really wants a pony cart for her birthday. She ends up inviting many extra friends to her birthday party (unbeknownst to her family), and her father surprises her by renting a pony cart.
Renting was not what Winona had had in mind, however...
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| via amazon.com |
Carney's House Party
Carney, another of Betsy's friends, now in college, throws a house party for several girls. The girls all have a great time, and along the way we watch as Carney figures out who she doesn't and does want to marry.
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Emily of Deep Valley
Emily is left alone in Deep Valley while all of her friends go off to college or to get married. She takes care of her old grandfather, befriends some local Syrian families (this book was written in 1950!), initiates her own continuing, informal education, and learns who is and isn't worthy of her admiration.
Autobiographies/Memoirs/Biographies
Below Stairs, Margaret Powell
Stories of life as a kitchen worker in post-World War I England. Enlightening.
Servants' Hall, Margaret Powell
A true story of a below-stairs maid who marries the upstairs son. Things aren't as easy or as fluid as the pair expected: the wife has a hard time adjusting to the expectations that come with her new life, and the husband can't understand why his wife has to be so different from others in his social class. Interesting perspective.
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| via amazon.com |
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It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War, Lynsey Addario
A photographer tells about her somewhat-sketchy life as she bumps about the globe, photographing wars and falling in love with people. I did not at all agree with Addario's principles, but her experience working as a photographer documenting various crises around the world was fascinating.
Lillian Trasher: The Greatest Wonder in Egypt, Janet and Geoff Benge
Lillian Trasher ends up in Egypt caring for orphans under the direct care and provision of God.
Cameron Townsend: Good News in Every Language, Janet and Geoff Benge
The story of Cameron Townsend's work in Central and South America. I don't remember much about this book other than that he traveled in rural Mexico, setting up schools, and that his poor wife was mentally unbalanced and prone to enraged outbursts. I also remember how he first unknowingly introduced himself in Spanish as Mr. Shrimp! (Senor Cameron!)
Sundar Singh: Footprints Over the Mountains, Janet and Geoff Benge
A Sikh man in India becomes a Christian, endures persecution at the hands of his family, and travels back and forth across the Himalayas spreading the gospel as a Christian mystic.
Paul Brand: Helping Hands, Janet and Geoff Benge
Paul Brand grows up in India as an MK, moves to England, becomes a doctor, returns to India, and pioneers groundbreaking work on leprosy.
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| via amazon.com |
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Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography, Laura Ingalls Wilder; Pamela Smith Hill, ed.
The annotated autobiography of Laura Ingalls Wilder! Complete with pictures, drawings, footnotes, and details on every person mentioned in her work (wow). I really enjoyed this book, especially the voluminous footnotes and the extra stories and background that didn't make it into the Little House books. I learned some interesting historical tidbits, everything from details of the story of Lizzie Borden of the forty whacks to the continuing existence of a brewery that the Ingalls visited, the August Schell Brewery! (You really must visit the
awesome website and read the history of the brewery!)
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A Girl from Yamhill: A Memoir, Beverly Cleary
Beverly Cleary writes about her childhood in Oregon. Cleary was a very good writer, and you get to see the Great Depression through her eyes. It was very interesting to read about her family dynamics and to see how some of the things that Ramona and friends think and do came from Cleary's own life.
# My Own Two Feet, Beverly Cleary
Beverly Cleary moves to California to go to college and encounters strange CA things, such as avocados, pepper trees, dry riverbeds, and the Santa Ana winds! She also meets and marries her husband and serves as a librarian in various places and settings.
Children's Books/Young Adult
The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis
The story of a boy-girl in Afghanistan. Parvana is transformed from a girl into a bacha posh ("dressed up as a boy") once her father is taken by police and no one is able to care for her remaining family. The story could have been good since it deals with an intriguing, little-known part of Afghan culture, but Ellis' writing was rather awkward and stilted. I just discovered that there are two more books about Parvana, so I will probably read them some time.
Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
One of THE books of the year...yet...I didn't like it too much. In a dystopian future, a band of roving actors attempt to keep culture alive as they struggle to survive a world that was ravaged by a terrible sickness. Many of the characters are interrelated, and the story jumps around in time. It was okay, but not my favorite.
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| via amazon.com |
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Stay Where You Are & Then Leave, John Boyne
A boy's father goes off to World War I and returns damaged. The boy finds out where he is and tries to help him get back home. I thought this was pretty good. It dealt with families waiting at home, men who returned with hitherto-unknown PTSD, refugee families who no longer felt safe in England, and conchies (conscientious objectors).
The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket, John Boyne
This one was also written by John Boyne, and although I am still thinking about this book, it wasn't nearly as good. Barnaby Brocket floats rather than adhering to the principles of gravity, and his no-nonsense parents can't take it. He unwillingly embarks on a series of adventures, all dealing with people who are different, and the glaringly-obvious theme is that it doesn't matter if you are different, if you are happy being you, who cares? This idea is applied to many different characters (a small boy with obese parents, an artist with an unappreciative father, two lesbians who live in South America, etc.). Yeah...not sure about this one. Also, there were several incongruities in the book...first his backpack is stolen...then he has it again...where did that table come from? etc.
# AB Yellow Star, Jennifer Roy
Jennifer Roy tells the story of her aunt, one of only a few child survivors of the Lodz ghetto in Poland. The audiobook version was great. The narrator did a good job of capturing the tension and terror of a child living through the horrors of the ghetto. Highly recommended.
* # PB Once Upon an Alphabet, Oliver Jeffers
A fun and snarky oversize picture book with little stories about each letter of the alphabet.
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| via redeemedreader.com |
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The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, Jeanne Birdsall
* The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
* The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
*# The Penderwicks in Spring
The Penderwicks books probably won't be classic literature, but I really like them. Four sisters live with their widower father, and through the course of the books, the sisters meet a nice boy, their father finds a kind, new wife, and everyone learns to get along and love one another. I don't cry at books, but the last one, The Penderwicks in Spring, really got me as one of the sisters learns about her connection to her mother's death, and her family and friends gather around to help her heal.
# AB Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy, Albert Marrin
Did you know anything about the Triangle Fire? I knew the name, but who knew that the circumstances surrounding the fire and the start of unions in the United States could be so interesting?!
AB The Turtle of Oman, Naomi Shihab Nye
Aref is about to leave Oman for a few years so that his parents can do their doctorate work in the United States. He suddenly sees all of the good and wonderful things about his country and does not want to leave. His wise and adventurous grandfather takes him on a series of outings and helps him to see that it will be okay to leave for a little while.
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| via amazon.com |
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Tuesdays at the Castle, Jessica Day George
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Wednesdays in the Tower
* Thursdays with the Crown
A royal family lives in a magic castle that adds or subtracts rooms at whim. Over the course of the three books, the parents and oldest brother go missing after an ambush, the family gains a friend and ally in the form of a froofy foreigner, a griffin appears, and the origins of the castle are finally revealed! Not classic literature, but fun stories (even if the author doesn't seem realize that her heroine changes moods rather too quickly). I read these over a few days.
Jane of Lantern Hill, L.M. Montgomery
Another story by L.M. Montgomery, this time
not featuring an orphan! Jane doesn't realize her father is still alive until he sends for her to visit PEI over the summer. She goes, rather unwillingly, and falls in love with him and the island. Eventually the decade-long misunderstanding between her parents is resolved, and they are free to live together happily as a family.
Emily of New Moon, L.M. Montgomery
I read part of this book when I was younger, but I don't think I ever finished it. Emily goes to live at New Moon Farm with two aunts and Cousin Jimmy following the death of her beloved father. She makes several life-long friends (one of them is named Isle; what a beautiful name!) and decides to make her living by being a writer and poet.
Some bloggers I have read like Emily better than Anne, but I am not one of them.
Emily Climbs, L.M. Montgomery
Emily is allowed to go to high school in a nearby city as long as she lives with another aunt and gives up writing fictional stories. She reluctantly agrees and has many different adventures in her three years. Emily continues to develop her writing talent as she writes non-fiction and poetry, though this definitely is a coming-of-age story more than a story about writing.
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via inkandpaperhearts.wordpress.com
Aren't these covers beautiful?! From Virago Press |
Anastasia Krupnik, Lois Lowry
Anastasia lives with her parents in New York and isn't too happy when her parents announce a new sibling is on the way. She works through many things during the year, such as why she doesn't like her teacher or her grandmother, whether she should become a Catholic or not, what to name her new sibling, etc., all of which is interesting, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend the book.
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| via amazon.com |
* # PB
Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh, Sally M. Walker; illustrated by Jonathan D. Voss
The story of Winnie-the-Pooh! A Canadian army veterinarian buys a small bear in Winnipeg and takes her across Canada and on to England. The friendly bear is loved by all, but Winnie is eventually gifted to the London Zoo when the soldier is sent to France. These illustrations are great, and there are lots of photographs on the inside covers!
PB Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear, Lindsay Mattick; illustrated by Sophie Blackall
The story of Winnie-the-Pooh as told by the great-granddaughter of the Canadian vet, but I didn't like this one nearly as much. The illustrations are not as charming, and the tone of the book is rather sentimental, yet THIS was the book to win the prestigious Caldecott Medal this year! :P
* AB
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1: The Mysterious Howling, Maryrose Wood
Three wolf children are raised and loved by a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. The children learn to live indoors, and the governess learns the first clues that lead back to where all of them came from.
The narrator really gets into the story, making it very enjoyable, though a few of the characters are a little annoying to listen to.
Etc.
Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale, an Activist Finds Her Calling and Heals Herself, Rachel Lloyd
Rachel Lloyd came out of the sex trade and eventually went on to become an advocate and social worker for girls caught up in sex trafficking. This is a very good and informative book; it will challenge you to rethink your reaction to young women and children caught up in this industry.
Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear
A British girl moves up the social ranks to become a World War I nurse and later a private investigator. In this first book, Maisie figures out that someone who is supposedly running a home for damaged WWI soldiers is really up to something more sinister...
I've read that some of the later Maisie Dobbs books get kind of New Agey, but I liked this one. Just ignore the fact that she is using yoga and meditation to steady herself, and the rest is fine. :)
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The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Daniel James Brown
This was one of my favorite books for the year! Nine American boys in the midst of the Great Depression go to the University of Washington and through many hard times and fierce competition come out as the crew team headed to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The book talks about all nine boys, but the author focuses specifically on Joe Rantz, highlighting just how far he had to come to make it on this team. It is a great book, and the climax is gripping.
After you read the account of everything that went wrong and the nine boys' amazing victory, you can watch the actual footage of the event
here! I've watched it several times. :) You can also search YouTube for other interesting videos related to these Olympic Games, such as the opening ceremony of the 1936 Olympics, video of Louie Zamperini (from
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand), and book trailers for
The Boys in the Boat.
Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
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My reading list notebook, a pillowcase from Sherrie, and
Go Set a Watchman |
Another of THE books of the year, the sequel-yet-prequel to
To Kill a Mockingbird. I really liked this book. It shows a young woman coming back to her hometown and suddenly realizing that all was not as she had supposed and remembered. Scout comes to terms with her own views on the world and realizes that even her hero Atticus could be wrong.
From my Facebook post about this book:
I thought it was good. There are lots of theories and opinions about this book, but I thought it was good, basically you can't beat 'em, but you can't join 'em either so learn to be your own person and stand for what you know is right, even if your heroes fall along the way.
# The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, Nadia Hashimi
Like The Breadwinner, this story is about an Afghan bacha posh. Two stories are told, one about a modern-day Rahima/Rahim, and the other about Rahima's great-great grandmother, Shekiba. I really liked this book, but I could see how the author clearly orchestrated the storyline so that everything tied up nicely at the end. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you were paying attention, the author's design was rather obvious.
When the Moon Is Low, Nadia Hashimi
A family leaves Afghanistan after the murder of the father and husband. The family makes their way across Asia to Greece, where the oldest son, Saleem, is detained and separated from the rest. The mother, daughter, and youngest son travel on to England, and Saleem is left to his own devices, trying to work out how to get to the UK on his wits, determination, and limited resources.
With all the talk about refugees flooding Europe and refugees attempting to come to the US, this book gives you a look at the human side of the innocents who are fleeing hardship in their home countries.
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
A Gothic novel, concerning a young, never-named, second wife, a much older husband, and the history and mystery of the first wife. Never-named wife meets and marries Maxim on the Continent and returns to England to live with him on the grand estate of Manderley. Unbeknownst to her, Manderley lies squarely in the shadow of the dead Rebecca, Maxim's beautiful, enigmatic first wife. People either loved or hated Rebecca, and the mystery surrounding her life and death is slowly unraveled to the final, nerve-wracking climax.
When Janey Comes Marching Home: Portraits of Women Combat Veterans, Laura Browder; photos by Sascha Pflaeging
Pictures and short testimonies of women who have served on the front lines of combat. Very interesting and sometimes terrifying and heartbreaking.
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| via pluggedin.com |
Rereads
* AB
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling
* AB
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
* AB
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
* AB
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
* AB
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
* AB
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
* AB
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
* AB
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, x 2
Harry Potter: Good versus evil with believable, round, dynamic, imperfect characters and magic used by both sides
*#
Belles on Their Toes, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
The follow-up to
Cheaper by the Dozen, by the same authors.
Belles on Their Toes is the true story of the Gilbreth family following the death of the husband and dad, Frank Gilbreth, Sr. The Gilbreths had twelve children, eleven of whom survived to adulthood. Frank was an efficiency expert, and he ran his home along the most efficient lines possible. The stories are great in both books, but I particularly like the story about the visit from Ernestine's boyfriend, Al. The family conspires to run him off, and thankfully it works. Highly recommended, along with
Cheaper by the Dozen.
(My family and Amos' family both really like this book. :) )
*# AB
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
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Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
That's it for this year! Let's see what 2016 brings.
