The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy

from goodreads

5 stars

Do you ever find yourself in a reading theme. Like all the books you pick out seem to be in a similar setting or other parallels? That happened to me a few weeks ago when I took out books from the library. Little did I really realize at the time but all three were set in WWII. My book club and I have a little joke about books written in WWII because it seemed that one year about a third to half of our books were set in that time period. We were a little tired of it by the end and so the next year we did our best to limit WWII period books. (There is nothing wrong with historical fictions based in that time period. It is a great diverse period to be able to write about. I just don't want to be reading about it all the time.)

It is funny how sometimes you get hooked into a reading theme. That is what I like about doing the blog. I feel like I need to provide a diverse amount of books so it really stretches my reading and almost forces me to diversify. And I'm so glad. I have been reading some really great books lately because of that and I am very grateful.

Synopsis

It is Poland 1943. After being given German sounding names by their step-mother Hansel and Gretel are left in the woods to find people to help them, while the step-mother and their father flee from the Nazis. In the woods they meet Magda, who is known by some of the villagers as "the witch". This is a book with a beautiful cast of characters that make this story alive and rich.

My Thoughts

What a beautiful tale. While it doesn't shy away from the horrors of occupied Poland or the holocaust, it shows how normal people did what they could to get through the war. It was not acts of bravery or colluding with the enemy. It was doing their best to stay true to themselves that helped them get through this dark time.

This was definitely an ensemble cast piece. While Hansel and Gretel are the titular characters, they were not the sole focus. Their story was equally interwoven with the other villagers, the partisans and the Nazi occupiers.

Murphy tells sides of the war and the Nazi world vision that is not always discussed, but is worth being mentioned It is amazing/horrifying how thoroughly thought out the Nazi world vision was and how this world vision gave so many different facets to WWII. No wonder this time period gives us such diverse books. She does a great job of not being sensationalist. She is real and tells of some of the hard things or horrible things not to shock us but because to do justice to the story it is necessary.

I loved Nelka and Telek's story. It was so lovely and heart wrenching.

I liked how she showed us the step-mother's and father's side of it. It was interesting to see what they were doing at the same time as Hansel and Gretel.

There was only two things that made the story be a bit off to me, but not so much so for me not to give it a full five stars. It was what happened to Gretel and what happened when they first got to the city. I get why its there, it just felt a bit weird to me. I don't really know how to explain it.

This is definitely a must read. Especially if you like WWII historical fiction.

The Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner

from goodreads

2.5 stars

I really love goodreads.com. I love the fact that I can see what my friends are reading. I love that I can keep track of books I want to read, even though every time I go on I seem to add a billion! I love their reading challenge. I love being able to see what others think of books and with the ratings it helps to gauge whether the book is worth the time to read or not.

Yet, that rating system can be a bit of a bad thing, especially when it comes to YA books. It seems that most of the people who rate YA books either a) rate it before the book is even out. Like seriously? The book hasn't been published but people are all ready giving it a 5 star rating because of their anticipation??? Crazibus! or b) are so super enthusiastic about it that I believe they give an inflated rating. It seems with YA readers (of a certain age, that age being young) that there is no grey area when it comes to a series. Either they love it full tilt to the end or they don't, and most of them love it! And you know what, there is nothing wrong with readers being super excited about a series or about reading in general. It's great! I just wished they didn't saturate the ratings so I could get a more realistic view of a book. Oh well.

***spoiler alert*** while I will do my very best not to have spoilers I may inadvertantly give something away. If you have not read this series yet and don't want anything revealed you may want to wait to read this review. 

Synopsis

Thomas wakes up in a dark elevator. He doesn't remember anything. Thus starts this sci-fi ride within a maze and then beyond.

My Thoughts

I read this series because of the hype, especially the added hype around the movies. I especially wanted to see what my teenage niece was so excited about. 

While the idea behind the series is really cool and thought provoking, I found myself being utterly bored while reading the books. While I guess there were some exciting bits in them they were surrounded by boring dialogue and characters that I really didn't care for at all. Perhaps if I were more of a brooding teenager I would have appreciated the teen attitude and recklessness. Alas, I am a 32 year old mother and I found the macho vibrato so ridiculous.

In the first book I was definitely disliking the not answering of questions. Thomas just arrived there obviously needing some answers to where the heck he was and all he got was "you don't need to know right now" or "we'll tell you later", yet later never seemed to happen and when would he need to know? And then the people got mad when he explored or tested some boundary he shouldn't have. It's like hello!? maybe answer his questions and then he would not have done that!

I did like the slang that the gladers made up. It definitely helped this rowdy bunch of boys not swear, otherwise swearing would have been littered throughout this series, and I really detest swearing for swearing sake in books.

In the second and third book I did not like Thomas' anger towards Teresa. I felt that the intensity of the anger was really not warranted. It was also weird in the last books how close he was to his two friends from the glade considering he only knew them for like a week or so. How did he become all chummy and leadery with them. Wouldn't of these other people have other friends in the group? It was just weird.

This series I think would be good for teens that usually don't feel like reading. There is not a bunch of flowery mumbo jumbo in it and there are some cool fight scenes. But, if you are looking for a completed, relatively well thought out and understandable world (sort of like the one created in the Hunger Games) you aren't going to find it. There were too many holes and things happening that I just didn't get. I guess I had too many questions that weren't answered.

So all in all, this was a series that just wasn't for me. I only read the second and third book because I held hope it would get better and I wanted to see how the writer was actually going to wrap it all up. (I was satisfied with the ending though I know many weren't). While the concept was good, the execution, for me, was not excellent.

The author does have some other series that look interesting. I may give them a try, but I think I need to wait before I do.

The Little Sleepyhead by Fran Manushkin Illustrated by Leonid Gore

from goodreads

4 stars

Now that we are in full swing of summer bedtimes and waking up times seem to have gone out the window. While we are still trying to keep up sort of semblance of a schedule I can still hear the older girls whispering far into the night. In the mornings I have been able to sleep into a delicious 8:30, this morning it was even pushed back to 9. Man am I spoiled. I probably should try to be more rigid with the bedtime. Getting back into the school routine in a month and a half might be a bit challenging. But, sometimes, you just need a break from it all. And if that break let's me sleep until 9, well I think I can handle that.

Synopsis

There is a little sleepyhead wandering around trying to find a place to sleep.

My Thoughts

I really liked it and the kids really liked it.

It was cute to see the sleepyhead try to mimic the animals that it sees to find a new place to sleep and having some pretty epic fails. I liked how the animals woke up each other. Sort of like a domino effect.

I like how it ends. It is almost like a motivational speaker slogan.  If this sleepyhead can fall asleep you can to! I don't know about your kids but mine are the masters of coming up with reasons why they don't need to sleep or why they can't fall asleep. I think the ending is for them.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

from goodreads

3.5 stars

This past week the kids have been kind to me. They have let me relax in my bed and read for about 20 minutes before getting up and starting my day and the tasks of feeding them and coaxing them out of their pyjamas. If that isn't
luxury I'm not sure what is.

I'm not sure what it is about summer reading that always fills me with nostalgia, but I always seem to be more excited and really want to craft a great summer read list in my head. I don't feel this kind of pressure/excitement any other time of the year. Though, my Christmas holiday reading takes some thought. I guess summer is always the time for adventure, when anything can happen. It is the time when you don't always have set schedules and can let any day be an adventure.

Now being a busy mom means that I can't spend all day reading, though wouldn't that be heaven? But, I can fill the bulk of my day with the sweet sweet words of an engaging story, and that is awesome. Next year, I really need to get a hammock. Now that would be summer reading bliss.

What's on your summer reading list?

Synopsis

Vida Winter, a recluse author, hires Margaret Lea, a shy biographer and helper in her father's rare book shop, to write her life's story. More is revealed and healed for both of them than thought possible.

My Thoughts

Well, what to say about the Thirteenth tale? The first half drove me crazy. I almost stopped reading. Well, I did stop reading because I had to return my copy to the library. Then my book club friend loaned me her copy. So after a three week respite I picked up where I left off and thoroughly enjoyed the last half. I don't know if the story just picked up there and I was able to like the characters a bit more or if I was just in a different head space. But there was a vast difference for me. The first half I would have been rating it a 2.5 but the second half was a clear 5.

So what did I love about this book? I loved the love of literature that oozes throughout the pages. This is definitely a great book to read for the literary lover. She has some amazing quotes about how books just hook you and can become part of you and your identity. (I really must start writing them down so I have them while I'm writing the review.)

I loved, but was also somewhat puzzled by, the ageless quality of this book. I have no idea when this book was set. It could have been set in anytime, and I think that is what makes it such a great read that will stick with you. It is timeless.

I loved some of the twists and turns that were found in the second half. The story really had you going all the way until the end.

I couldn't stand the whole situation of Vida's story in the first section. The whole situation and characters were so abhorent that it made it hard to want to keep reading. None of the characters really had any kind of redeeming quality and I just didn't know why I should care about knowing about them and their life.

So while it was a bit of a mashup in feelings about this book, I did enjoy it. The second half more than made up for the dismal first half. So if you are able to slog through the first 180 pages the ending will be worth your time and effort. If you can't slog through it, no worries, I almost gave up too.

Butterfly Park by Elly MacKay

from goodreads

4 stars

Yesterday we went to Kiwanis Park. They have a pool there which is like a lake where it is shallow around all the edges and then gets deeper in the middle. While the kids and I were paddling around a butterfly decided to flit around us. It went from head to head as if it was trying to figure out which one of us was the most sweet to land on.

There is something about butterflies that make me smile. When I see them I feel at peace and that I am in some magical point in time. They are so delicate and beautiful. They definitely give me a lot of joy.

Synopsis

A little girl moves from her country home to the city. She is sad to be leaving behind the beautiful butterflies. When she notices that beside her house is a park called Butterfly Park she is excited and can't wait to see butterflies again.

My Thoughts

This was a a sweet story. My older kids really liked it. They liked when everyone got together to build a butterfly garden in the park.

I liked how it showed that children's interests and desires help to build community. It was through the children's desire for butterflies to remain in Butterfly Park that children and adults alike pulled together to make it a beautiful place. I loved that.

I loved the whimsical quality of this book. I loved how the little girls dress looked like butterfly wings. It was just lovely

The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum by Temple Grandin and Richard Panek

from goodreads

4 stars

I think in today's society autism has touched everyone. Whether you personally know someone or your favourite celebrity is talking about it.

The first book I read about someone who was on the spectrum was Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet. It was a mind opening experience for me. You get a first person glance into how his brain works and processes things. While I am definitely not an expert on savants or autism now, it helped me have a greater understanding, respect and empathy for those on the spectrum who are trying to make sense of our crazy world.

While I don't have daily interactions with people on the spectrum I know a few people who do. I can't even begin to understand their love, frustration, and other range of emotions that they go through everyday. I am grateful for books like this and others that help shed more light and knowledge on the autism spectrum. Hopefully with more knowledge out there a greater understanding, patience and kindness will occur.

Synopsis

Temple Grandin, a high functioning autistic adult, looks at the brain make up of people with autism and examines how advances in brain research shed new light onto the complexities of autism.

My Thoughts

This was a really fascinating read. While at times it could get quite technical with some of the science, it was interesting to see some of the comparisons between the autistic brain and the "standard" brain.

Austism is very complex. Often it manifests itself different ways. Quite often no two brain scans of people with autism look alike making it hard to have a blanket treatment. The possibilites of advancing brain scans have in enabling a more personalized treatment is very exciting.

It was interesting how she explores and shows that autism is not a manifestation of something "deficient" or "wrong" in the mind but how it really has to do with how the brain is working. It really is about the brain. She is so optimistic and excited about learning more about the brain and then finding out what strengths come from this difference in wiring of the brain.

I love how she doesn't focus on the label, but more on what the person enjoys and is capable of. We are all capable of something great no matter our "labels". I think we are a little to eager to label people and use that label as a crux of why we or they can't do something, or why we can't live and explore. Yes, labels are helpful if we are using them to figure out different techniques to help an individual navigate the world to be successful. They are not helpful it they are used to segregate or allow people not to experience the world.

This really is a must read.