Short Paired Reviews: The False Prince and The False Princess

I have a backlog of shorter reviews, and you guys know how I like to make connections between my books. So I thought I'd put two reviews together into one post - voila!

The pairing this week is self-explanatory. It's all in the title. But these books are not to be confused. They are very different, and I liked one much more than the other. 

The False Princess
by Eillis O'Neal

Read: September 2011
Published: January 25, 2011 by EgmontUSA
Source: Library book
Category: YA - Fantasy

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia has led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when she learns, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city, her best friend, Kiernan, and the only life she’s ever known.

Sent to live with her only surviving relative—a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece—Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. Then she discovers that magic runs through her veins—long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control—and she realizes that she will never learn to be just a simple village girl.

Sinda returns to the city to seek answers. Instead, she rediscovers the boy who refused to forsake her, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor’s history forever.

To be fair, there isn't really anything major that I disliked about The False Princess. I read the book and thought it was okay. But if I'm being honest, it bored me in places. There was too much thinking and planning and not enough action. I thought that it took too much time to move the characters from one place to another, which made the plot feel like it was plodding along at times. It’s not that I need dramatic scenes everywhere (and sometimes I like a quiet book - see previous review), so I'm not sure what didn't work for me about this one. Maybe it's that I was expecting something different in a fantasy story. 

Also, Sinda and Kiernan came across rather young to me. I know they’ve been friends since childhood, but there was a huge disconnect for me in their progression from friendship to love. I wanted to sense the change, even in subtle ways. But I just didn't feel it. 

I do like this cover though.

Love Triangle Factor: Mild
Rating: 2.5 stars


The False Prince
by Jennifer A. Neilsen

Read: May 24-25, 2012
Published: April 1, 2012 by Scholastic
Source: Library book
Category: YA - Fantasy

THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

Despite the two downfalls of (1) a cover that looks like it was created in clip art, and (2) sharing an almost identical title to The False Princess, which I liked less than half as much, The False Prince is an EXCELLENT book. 

I have a soft spot for middle-grade fantasy books starring boys, and Sage is right up there for me with Percy and Harry. Although this story is high fantasy - it takes place in a different world/kingdom - it doesn't involve magic, which was actually a relief for me. Though I do love the paranormal, I just happened to think that this story works better without its added complication. 

In The False Prince, Sage is an orphaned street urchin who gets caught up in a plot to take the throne. He's charming, mischievous, clever and only 14. (Makes me feel old and unaccomplished.) Although he doesn't always make the best decisions, he's brave and compassionate, especially, to the less fortunate. This made me want to root for him even more. Schemes and intrigue abound, and this book had me hooked from start to finish. I can't wait for the next one. 

Sage is by far the character who stands out the most in this story. I actually wish that a few others were a bit more memorable than they were written. But there are some secondary characters that I really liked, including one that I suspect will be the story's love interest for Sage. Though there's no romance in this book, only the beginnings of a connection. 

Love Triangle Factor: N/A
Rating: 5 stars

Small Damages

by Beth Kephart

Read: September 13-14, 2012

Published: July 19th 2012 by Philomel

Source: Library book

Category: YA - Contemporary

It’s senior year, and while Kenzie should be looking forward to prom and starting college in the fall, she is mourning the loss of her father. She finds solace in the one person she trusts, her boyfriend, and she soon finds herself pregnant. Kenzie’s boyfriend and mother do not understand her determination to keep the baby. She is sent to southern Spain for the summer, where she will live out her pregnancy as a cook’s assistant on a bull ranch, and her baby will be adopted by a Spanish couple. 

Alone and resentful in a foreign country, Kenzie is at first sullen and difficult. She begins to open her eyes and her heart to the beauty that is all around her and inside of her.

Small Damages was another perfect recommendation from my friend Heather @ The Flyleaf Review. In homage to her fabulous reviews, I wanted to share the first sentence of the book with you.

The streets of Seville are the size of sidewalks, and there are alleys leaking off from the streets.

When I read that sentence, my heart started racing, I got chills, and I KNEW I was going to love this book because of the writing alone. I was not disappointed. The descriptive language in Small Damages is gorgeous. I could feel the heat and the dust of the country, see the crowds of Seville and hear the gypsy music play. The way Kenzie describes her surroundings also mirrors her mood throughout the book. It is desolate and depressing at first, and then gradually the beauty of the landscape comes out as Kenzie's mindset changes. 

"You aren't happy," Estella says.   

"I can't be happy," I say.  

"Look at me, Kenzie." 

"I'm looking at you, Estela."  

"Do you know your own heart?" 

"I don't know anything."

Small Damages is another one of those quiet books that looks inside someone. It's the story about the choices we make and about knowing our hearts. It is Kenzie's journey to figure out what is important to her. What really matters. And to be brave enough to live it. 

Kenzie is a high school graduate who wants to be a filmmaker, and when the story begins it's like someone has pressed the pause button on her life. She tells her friends she's in Spain to have an adventure. She'll have a baby instead. She'll go to college second semester. No one will know. 

Sometimes with a camcorder, you record motion. Sometimes you try to stop it. Slow it down, find the shadows, know what lies between.

It's like Kenzie is in this place just waiting for a little while, but soon her life will resume again. There are times that she'll hit the rewind button to play scenes from her past, but she isn't moving forward. 

But then at some point in the story the camera starts to record and Kenzie begins to live again.

This is my movie beginning. 

This is my life. 

You don't have to leave to be free.

Part of the beauty of Small Damages is its form - that it's told entirely in Spain. But I wish we'd seen more of Kenzie coming out of that place. I know the story is about Kenzie taking care of herself, but for her character's growth, I wanted to see her deal with some things from her past that she regretted. I understand that it would have messed with the flow of the story, but there were some people I wanted her to talk to - even if it had been only a letter written. 

I love all the characters we meet in Small Damges. And I especially love the way that Estela and the Gypsies' stories flow into Kenzie's. An extremely subtle, lovely romance exists in this book as well. It is exactly my favorite kind. 

Cover: I usually ignore them, but this is a story that I judged incorrectly based on the cover alone. Although the colors are pretty, I kept looking at it and thinking this book was a lot racier than it is (because at first glance it looks like two people in bed). But it's not that kind of book at all.

Love Triangle Factor: Mild
Rating: 4.5 stars

A short (un)paired review: Angelfall

I was trying to find a suitable pairing for Angelfall, but nothing fit quite right. Then I decided that I love this book so much that it's worth highlighting alone. 

Angelfall
by Susan Ee

Read: June 2012
Published: May 21st 2011 by Feral Dream (indie). Relaunched with Amazon Children's Publishing in August 2012
Source: Kindle purchase
Category: YA-dystopian/paranormal
Series: Penryn & the End of Days book 1

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Angels have come to earth bent on destruction. And no one knows why. In a post-apocalyptic California, Penryn will do anything to save her sister, including teaming up with the "enemy," an angel named Raffe. 

This book was gritty, gruesome. And awesome. Penryn is one tough chick. She's not above eating cat food to survive. She gets into fights. She does not pout or moan or rely on anyone else (if she can help it). She meets her equal and match in Raffe, a warrior angel that she rescues and then forces to help her rescue her sister. Oh I really liked Raffe. I can't wait for more from him.

A really nice slow building romance exists in Angelfall, which is exactly what I like. And no love triangle! But it's not the focus of the story, which I also prefer in this setting (and in a series that is likely to have 5 books). Monumental obstacles exist between the two, and I can't wait to see how it plays out. 

Information trickles out slowly in Angelfall. A lot can be inferred about what has been going on since the angel attack. But not much is told to the reader outright. I actually enjoy discovering characters and setting by subtle means, so I didn't mind that the story wasn't slowed down by an Info Dump. However, since this series is going to have many books, I would have liked more world building information. Especially, about the angles - how and why they attacked, and how the human society has disintegrated so rapidly in only 6 weeks. A very short time frame. But as this is part of a series, I'm sure everything will be fleshed out in future books. 

Seriously, I have not done this book justice at all. If you like angel stories, post-apocalyptic themes, forbidden romance, strong kick-butt heroines, cat food or mud wrestling, you will enjoy Angelfall. READ IT! You won't be disappointed. Then we can discuss the story.

Love Triangle Factor: None
Rating: 4.5 stars

P.S. I'm also aware that this review is not all that short. 

An afternoon with Laura Harrington

Last Sunday afternoon my book group met to discuss our most recent read, Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington. Joining our discussion was the author herself. 

Find my review of Alice Bliss: HERE.

Although I was excited to talk about the book with Ms. Harrington - how often do you get the opportunity to have an author at your book group? - I was slightly nervous about how openly we would be able to speak. Thankfully, Ms. Harrington was a fantastic addition to our meeting. She was honest and engaging and truly made our experience with her novel richer. We are so thankful that she came!

Here is our book group, and Laura Harrington in white in the center of us. We've been reading and discussing books for five years now. Also of note, I'm just realizing that I am the only blonde (yes, I know that makes me sound even more blonde).

We had a lively general discussion with Ms. Harrington, and talked candidly about a variety of bookish and non-bookish subjects, including book covers, social media, and the role silence does (and doesn't) play in our lives.

  

Of course we also talked in depth about Alice Bliss, including our very emotional responses to the story. Below is some of the great insight we gained about the novel from the author herself. 

1.  Laura Harrington was a playwright before she was a novelist, and she wrote Alice Bliss as if she were a theatre director and the story her stage - directing the reader to where the action is. I could definitely sense the cinematic quality of her writing as I read the book. 
2. A number of her plays and stories, including Alice Bliss, have characters in them who have been confronted by war. When asked why that theme interests her, Ms. Harrington explained that war is something that she still doesn't understand. In writing about it she seeks to "express something about my disquiet about it that would be interesting to my general audience." We all thought she succeeded there.
3. She purposely set the story in 2006, which was before members of the military had unlimited access to email. Alice's family also doesn't have cell phones or a computer at home. All of that affected the communication between Matt Bliss and his family. 
4. Ms. Harrington did not give a lot of description about Alice's appearance, so that the reader could "understand who Alice is through her thoughts and actions, not through her looks."
5. Alice Bliss is based on Laura Harrington's 30 minute one-woman musical called Alice Unwrapped, which is set in New York City. And she is currently writing Alice Bliss the musical.
6. We all wanted to know WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. She's open to writing a sequel, but not planning one currently. Until that happens she's not sure where the characters will go. (Then we offered suggestions, which she listened to graciously.)

THANK YOU, Laura Harrington for a fantastic book and engaging conversation. 

Alice Bliss

by Laura Harrington

Read: September 3-9, 2012
Published: June 2nd 2011 by Pamela Dorman Books 
Source: Library book (now a signed library book!)
Category: Contemporary Fiction - great crossover to Young Adult

I have a confession to make. My daily life is not all that affected by the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I don't know anyone personally who is fighting. If something big happens the news reports about it, but I don't think a lot about what is going on in the Middle East. Or what happens to the families that the soldiers leave behind. Alice Bliss is about those families. It's a book that made me start paying attention.

Matt Bliss joined the army reserves years ago because he believes in serving his country, and as an example to his wife Angie and daughters Alice and Ellie. But with the war in Iraq dragging on, men in the reserves are being called to fight. Alice Bliss is 15 and starting her sophomore year of high school when her father gets word that he is being deployed to Iraq. Not only does she have to deal with the concerns of a normal high schooler - first crushes, friends who decide they could do better elsewhere, and a mother who doesn't get her - she is facing the absence of a father she idolizes and tremendous responsibility at home. 

Alice Bliss is the story of how the war affects one fifteen year old girl, in one family, in one small town in America. It is about how life keeps going despite the absence of a family member. And how easily childhood innocence is lost.

• Once her father leaves, Alice wears his shirt constantly, refusing to wash it. Alice's mother doesn't understand this (in fact it annoys her). But it is a tangible connection that Alice has to her father. The shirt makes her feel safe - and like she can protect him. 
• Alice's mother struggles to cope without her husband, and most nights Alice cooks dinner because it won't be done otherwise (they have a lot of mac and cheese). 
• Alice learns to drive, develops her first crush and discovers she loves running after her father leaves. She also struggles to stay interested in school and tries to keep up with her father's projects - like planting the garden and changing the oil.

Everyone knows that Alice's dad is a good person - great even. If anyone can make it back from Iraq, Matt Bliss can. And so they hope. Everyone needs hope. I found myself hoping along with Alice and her family. 

But is that true? Does war discriminate based on what kind of person you are? And if you make it back, will you be the same as you were before? I thought a lot about these questions while reading Alice Bliss. I also sobbed through portions of this story (ugly tears, guys). Although the book is set in 2006 during the current war, much of it felt timeless. I could imagine generations of people hoping for the safe return of their loved ones, and realizing that sometimes they don't come back the same way that they left. 

Laura Harrington is a playwright and Alice Bliss has a lovely, cinematic quality to it, which speaks to that. It is written in third-person present tense, and though the book focuses mostly on Alice's perspective, the point of view rotates between characters. As a reader I felt as if I was watching the story unfold, getting to know characters as they were introduced and visualizing the scene around me. 

The reader gets small details about every single character who is introduced, and I felt like I knew Alice's friends and neighbors in her small town of Belknap, New York (near Rochester). Although it took me a bit of time to get used to the writing style, the way Alice Bliss was written became one of my favorite parts of the novel. I think the story was much more complex because of it. The rotating perspective allowed me to understand for instance, the mindset of Alice's mother and how her father feels about his impending departure (instead of everything filtering from Alice to the reader). Also indicative of a playwright, Ms. Harrington employs a lot of dialogue, which was fun to read, and helped to keep up the pacing of the story. 

Alice Bliss was published as adult fiction, but it is a book that I would recommend to teens as well.  In fact, it was nominated for the 2012 Alex Award, which honors books published for adults that have special appeal for young adults. I even picked the more YA friendly cover for this post, because of that fact.

Love Triangle Factor: N/A - There is a sweet romance with some complications, but I don't want to rate it, because it should not affect whether you read this story or not. (I hope you do choose to read this!)

Rating: 4 stars

Read about my book group's discussion of Alice Bliss with Laura Harrington: HERE. 

Monstrous Beauty Book Tour Launch

Last Friday, September 7, I had the opportunity to attend the first stop on Elizabeth Fama's Monstrous Beauty book tour. The reading and book signing took place at Plimoth Plantation, which is an actual location in the book. It was such a fun event and Ms. Fama and her entire family are WONDERFUL. I had a great time. 

 See my review of Monstrous Beauty HERE.

Look! It's my copy of Monstrous Beauty making the trek from the North Shore where I live to the South Shore where the town of Plymouth is located. Google says it should take 1.25 hours to get there. But really that only happens if you go in the middle of the night (Not at rush hour when we traveled). We encountered a bit of traffic, but it was all WORTH IT.

This is the lovely room where the event took place. It is also where Plimoth Plantation holds their annual Thanksgiving dinners. If you ever have the opportunity, I recommend you experience one of them (also the whole site is a must see, but we didn't get to visit the village this day).

Here is the fantastic Elizabeth Fama reading from the prologue of Monstrous Beauty. It was lovely to listen to her read her story aloud, and also hear how to pronounce the difficult-to-say names that are located in the first section of the book. She is a witty and engaging speaker. 

Some things I learned about Monstrous Beauty throughout the course of the evening (from the questions part of the program and also from speaking directly to the author and her family): 

• Syrenka means mermaid in Polish.
• The character of Noo'kas is based on actual myth, as are many details of the mermaid mythology.
• A lot of the places in the book are real stores and locations in town.
• Plymouth doesn't actually have any caves. 
• The book Holes influenced the way in which the author weaved the historical and contemporary plot lines together.  
• The character of Hester is a lot like Ms. Fama's eldest daughter Sally. This is according to her son Eric. Sally wasn't present, so I was unable to consult her opinion.
• Japanese animation influenced some of the details of the plot. 
• Museum docents get nervous when you ask them about the logistics of stealing from the collection. Even if it is for 'research.'

 

I didn't even know this picture was being taken - thank you sneaky husband. But it captures the momentous occasion of my book being signed by Ms. Fama, and me fan-girling over her.  You also get a tiny glimpse of the tall form of Ms. Fama's husband in this shot. He and my husband commiserated over the fact that they have been drawn into the world of YA books through their wives (really, they love it). 

I was able to get my photo taken with both Elizabeth Fama and Syrenka! The drink in my hand was cleverly called a "Mermaid Tale." It was yummy too. Also of note, I was wearing flats and Ms. Fama was wearing platform sandals, so we are of an even greater height difference than what is depicted here. 

I picked up an awesome pin of Syrenka that was created by Ms. Fama's youngest daughter Lydia. See if you can guess what scene this is from ;). Seriously, I cannot stress enough how extremely talented her entire family is - they are writers, artists, musicians, illustrators, animators and more. And two of them - Eric and Sally - were very influential in the writing of this book. 

This is the map of Hester's Plymouth that Ms. Fama's son Gene created. I snagged one of these too (this photo is particularly horrible, sorry).

What could make the entire evening even better? My husband and I were invited to dinner with the Fama Family (I realize that isn't their actual last name but I like the alliteration).  This is the only picture I took at dinner - the wine and a distorted picture of my husband behind it. We had a great a time! THANK YOU Fama Family for good food and even better conversation. 

Monstrous Beauty

by Elizabeth Fama
Read: September 5-6, 2012
Published: September 4th 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Source: Purchase
Category: YA - Paranormal Romance 

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago. 

Is loneliness a worthy price to pay for life?

In twenty-first century Plymouth, Hester has sworn off love because of a mysterious family history of mothers dying young.

Is any cost too great for love?

Syrenka knows that love and loss are intertwined, but still she’s drawn to the blue-eyed scientist who meets her every evening at dusk. 

What would you be willing to sacrifice for those you love?

In nineteenth century Plymouth, Ezra Doyle gave up his education at Harvard to care for his dying father. After his father passes, Ezra is sketching on a rocky outcropping when he meets a beautiful woman – who has a long tail and lives in the sea. 

What would you give up for the freedom to love?

Monstrous Beauty is mysterious, romantic, heart breaking and hopeful. It’s characters face graveyards, sea monsters, ghosts, curses and even tourists. Their choices have devastating generational affects. But in the end it is hope that shines through.  

Beautifully written and amazingly well crafted, I love the way Elizabeth Fama's words fill the page and her story weaves together. Although I generally dislike parallel story-lines where characters live in different time periods - I get bored of one, or it breaks up the flow of each individual story - this tale blends itself together seamlessly. After I finished the novel and was able to look back at it as a whole, I was even more blown away at how the two stories combined to form a full narrative. 

The entirety of Monstrous Beauty is set in Plymouth, Mass., and the location felt alive to me – the sand and the sea and the salt and the wind. The town and the graveyard and the museums - I could visualize it all. Although the story takes place in two different time periods, the fact that the setting doesn't change, gave the book a grounding point for me as a reader.

On a basic level Monstrous Beauty is a mermaid book written for a young adult audience. But it is so much more than that. It is darker and moodier than many mermaid stories that I've read. Those elements along with a rich, multi-layerd plot-line will appeal to a variety of ages and interests. For me, one of the most moving parts of the book happens when Hester weeps for the mothers and daughters that have come before her. I am both of those things, and I could feel her sorrow. As a lover of history, I was fascinated by Hester's discovery of tangible clues from the past, and the way that they brought her closer to the nineteenth-century characters in the book. If neither of these things interest you, I guarantee you will find something in these pages that does. 

Love Triangle Factor: It's Complicated. (Basically, it's better to read this story not knowing the answer to that question. Even so, if you want more of an explanation, keep reading. If you don't want to know anything, STOP READING NOW.) There is not a love triangle in Monstrous Beauty, although it may feel like it when you're in the middle of the story. There are supernatural forces at work, and that's all I'm going to say about it. 

Rating: 5 stars

Read about my trip to the Monstrous Beauty Book Tour Launch in Plymouth, Mass., HERE. 
I met the author and learned fascinating details about the story.

Top Ten Books That Make Me Think...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Top Ten Books that make me think how different life could be* 

One of my favorite things about reading is learning about different places and times, and about people who live differently from me. What would my life be like if I was born into that family? or country? or time period? Sometimes the answers can be sobering. Some of these books are fiction, some are memoirs or biographies. But all of them opened my eyes and impacted me in a big way.

NOTE: I apologize in advance for any mistakes in the details of these books. Some of them I haven't read recently, and I am writing from what I remember. Also, I realized after compiling this list that it is a bit heavy and depressing. 

In no particular order:

1) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (fiction)

The story of a friendship between two girls, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a fascinating look at life in rural nineteenth-century China. Probably the part of the book that I was the most blown away by was the section on foot-binding. These women truly believed that the practice made them more beautiful. It had a very real impact on their marriage prospects (the smaller the bound foot the more desirable). But it is also one of the most horrifically painful beauty practices the world has known. 

2) Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller (memoir) 

This is the memoir of a white girl raised in Africa by colonialist parents, during the Rhodesian (now Zimbabwe) civil war. The author does not critique her family's behavior, and the book has been criticized because of that. But that is actually one of the things about this book that made it so interesting to me - it's unapologetic honesty. Everything about Alexandra "Bobo's" childhood is different from mine - the violence, vermin and scenery, and her family's perspective on life. I am still thinking about it. 

3) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (fiction)

Most of my childhood was spent in the south, but it was still nothing like Scout's upbringing during the first half of the twentieth-century. Amidst amusing anecdotes of life in a southern town, it is a very serious look at racism. What happens when a black man is accused of a crime by a white man? Will he be convicted even if the evidence points to his innocence? I don't know if there's anything I could say about this book that could do it justice. It remains one of my favorite books of all times. 

4) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (fiction)

I cried more reading The Kite Runner than I have during any other book before or since. How different my life could have been if I was born in Afghanistan - and class really does matter. I realize this is a work of fiction and maybe this author piled every bad thing that could happen to a person in one book. But maybe this was close to the reality of someone's life and that is what moved me. 

5) Sold by Patricia McCormick (fiction)

13 year-old Lakshmi lives an ordinary life until she is sold into prostitution by her step-father. Told she can return home when his debts are paid off, she soon learns it's not that simple. Lakshmi lives in modern-day Nepal when this story begins, so this is not a historical novel. Children are still being sold into slavery today (even in the US). Although painful to read at times, Sold is written in free verse and I think it made the material more palatable. 

6) King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild (history)

This book tells the history behind the region of Africa along the Congo River (Belgian Congo or now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) that is hinted at in books such as Heart of Darkness and The Poisonwood Bible. It is more horrible than you could ever imagine. In the 1880s King Leopold of Belgium claimed the land, looted its rubber and carried out a genocide that killed over ten million people. This region is still suffering the affects of the decisions of one man. 

7) The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (memoir)

Aren't parents supposed to be responsible? And create stability for their children? Not Ms. Wall's parents. Essentially nomads, they traveled their large family all over the southwest and eventually into West Virginia and NYC. It isn't that they never had the opportunity to settle down, it's that they seemed mentally unable to do it. What is most impressive is that despite all this, the author was able to survive and thrive and make something out of herself. 

8) Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (fiction)
At 9 years-old, a young Japanese girl with blue eyes is taken from her small fishing village and sold to a geisha house. There she is trained in the arts so that she can be skilled enough to entertain men. Her virginity is literally auctioned off to the highest bidder, and it is a huge honor to be 'kept' by a man. I just cannot imagine living this life. 

9) Giants in the Earth by Ole Edvart Rolvaag (fiction)

Oh goodness, I hated this book when I had to read it in high school. I cannot imagine the desolation and difficulty of moving from a small fishing village in Norway to the vast untamed prairie of the US. Living in a sod house, having very few neighbors and facing unending winters. I truly enjoyed none of it. But it made me think that perhaps everyone's life in the mid-west wasn't quite like Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie. And that opened my eyes. 

10) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (fiction)

Okay, I got a bit depressed by my list so I had to add a book that isn't quite so heavy. Anne Shirley made me love Prince Edward Island and one room schoolhouses and Gilbert Blythe. Sometimes wonderful things do happen to older children who are adopted. Thank goodness for Marilla and Matthew. 

*I may have interpreted the theme incorrectly this week. It's possible that I just made up my own topic, but I picked a specific Thing to think about. If that is the case, forgive me.