Top Ten Books I Want to Give As Gifts

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. There is a new subject each week and this week's topic is "Top Ten Books I Want to Give as Gifts".


For my sister:

Crafting With Cat Hair: Cute Handicrafts to Make With Your Cat by Kaori Tsutaya and Amy Hirschman


I am being perfectly serious :) She would get a kick out of this book. She often says that Kitty sheds enough hair that you could make another cat out of it.

Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories From the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer S. Holland


My sister has loved animals her whole life and at one time she wanted to be a veterinarian. I think she'd find this book to be really cute. I had a chance to glance through it when we got it at my library and there are some truly adorable animals in there. I think this would make a great heartwarming gift for a lot of people this Christmas...

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson


This is one of my favorite new books as I've mentioned repeatedly on this blog. My sister and I don't always have the same taste in books but this is one she might really like. Who knows? She ended up loving The Hunger Games when I bought that for her but didn't care for Beautiful Creatures which I also loved.

Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott


I think my sister would like this because she liked Memoirs of a Geisha. I don't know how she feels about fairy tales retold though...

Legend by Marie Lu


This is a book I haven't read yet but based on an excerpt and the many 5 star reviews, I'd say this was a sure bet for my sister. Too bad I already got her Christmas gift!




For my mom:

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok


My mom doesn't have much time for reading because she is so busy with work and home life. She is a kindergarten teacher so most of the books she reads are things for school like Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, or Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. I think Girl in Translation is a book my mom would absolutely love and be able to relate to if only she had the time to read for herself!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett


I don't know if my mom would like this book but I bet she will love the movie (I'm taking it home with me when I visit for Christmas). The story is one that has wide appeal and after seeing the movie, she might be interested in reading the book.

The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair


It is funny that I was drawn to this book by the author's name since my mom's name is also Kamala. The Girl in the Garden is set in India and inspired by The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. My mom would love this story and for added incentive, I suggested it to her best friend and she loved it. I am actually planning to give my copy of this book to my mom but not for Christmas. I will save it up for her birthday this summer when she may have some time to read! Shh. Don't tell her...




For my dad:

The Third Wave by Alison Thompson


My dad enjoys reading but he reads only a handful of books a year. He has a really good work ethic so I think he feels like time spent reading for pleasure is time he should be using to do more practical things like yard work or cleaning the house. When he does read, it is usually books for church (he teaches Sunday school) or something educational. I think he'd like The Third Wave because it is about relief efforts in Sri Lanka (his homeland) after the 2004 tsunami.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand


I haven't read this book but I think my dad would find the story fascinating. I know he'd be interested if they made it into a movie.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading (89)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.


I only finished one book this week because I've been busy trying to get ready for Christmas. I have sent out some Christmas cards but still have several more to write for some relatives, friends, and coworkers. I finally put up the tree on Friday but it still doesn't have lights or ornaments. I will be leaving my tree up into January though to make up for it :)


This week, I am hopeful that I will have a little more time to read. I am currently working on my review of Every Other Day and I hope to start writing some more reviews to post while I'm on vacation for the holidays.

Books read:

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I thought this was an excellent YA paranormal that is almost as good as her other series. It reminded me of a darker version of Paranormalcy.

Books reviewed:

The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

Currently reading:

All Is Bright by Sarah Pekkanen

I just started this short story but I like it so far. I enjoyed Sarah Pekkanen's full length novels so I am sure I will enjoy All Is Bright too. She has a new short story related to this one that will be published this week.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

I realized recently that I haven't read this book in its entirety so I downloaded the e-book. I know I read about Jo and her sisters when they were young but when I watched the movie I was surprised about who Jo ended up with which led me to figure out that I haven't read the whole book. I must have just read an extract when I was a girl. 

What I plan to read next:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

I am looking forward to reading this book especially since it has received such good reviews and is considered one of the best books of 2011.

Legend by Marie Lu

I definitely want to read this before the year ends and it is probably the debut I've been anticipating the most this winter. I hope it lives up to my high expectations!

Congratulations 2012 Morris Award Finalists!

The William C. Morris YA Debut Award finalists for 2012 were announced earlier this week.


They are:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. 

Elisa is the chosen one. 

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will. 

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. 

And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake. 

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. 

I was so happy when I found out that The Girl of Fire and Thorns was a finalist as it is one of my favorite debut books this year. I would be ecstatic if it won!

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously - and at great risk - documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

Between Shades of Gray is the only other book on the list that I've read and I thought it was fantastic too. 

Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

At the beginning of his junior year at a boys' boarding school, 16-year-old Alex is devastated when he fails to save a drowning friend. When questioned, Alex and his friend Glenn, who was also at the river, begin weaving their web of lies. Plagued by guilt, Alex takes refuge in the library, telling his tale in a journal he hides behind Moby-Dick. Caught in the web with Alex and Glenn is their English teacher, Miss Dovecott, fresh out of Princeton, who suspects there's more to what happened at the river when she perceives guilt in Alex's writing for class. She also sees poetic talent in Alex, which she encourages. As Alex responds to her attention, he discovers his true voice, one that goes against the boarding school bravado that Glenn embraces. When Glenn becomes convinced that Miss Dovecott is out to get them, Alex must choose between them.

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Lupita, a budding actor and poet in a close-knit Mexican American immigrant family, comes of age as she struggles with adult responsibilities during her mother's battle with cancer in this young adult novel in verse.

When Lupita learns Mami has cancer, she is terrified by the possibility of losing her mother, the anchor of her close-knit family. Suddenly, being a high school student, starring in a play, and dealing with friends who don't always understand, become less important than doing whatever she can to save Mami's life.

While her father cares for Mami at an out-of-town clinic, Lupita takes charge of her seven younger siblings. As Lupita struggles to keep the family afloat, she takes refuge in the shade of a mesquite tree, where she escapes the chaos at home to write. Forced to face her limitations in the midst of overwhelming changes and losses, Lupita rediscovers her voice and finds healing in the power of words.

Told with honest emotion in evocative free verse, Lupita's journey toward hope is captured in moments that are alternately warm and poignant. Under the Mesquite is an empowering story about testing family bonds and the strength of a young woman navigating pain and hardship with surprising resilience. 

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all disappears. . . .

In the summer before Cullen's senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone's eating "Lazarus burgers." But as absurd as the town's carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.

While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax.

Complex but truly extraordinary, tinged with melancholy and regret, comedy and absurdity, this novel finds wonder in the ordinary and emerges as ultimately hopeful. It's about a lot more than what Cullen calls, “that damn bird.” It’s about the dream of second chances.

Have you read any of these books? 

What did you think of them?

Congratulations once again to all the Finalists, especially Ohio author Rae Carson!

Review: The Kitchen Daughter

The Kitchen Daughter

By Jael McHenry

Publication date: April 12, 2011

My review:

Ginny Selvaggio's quiet life is turned upside down when her parents die while away on vacation. Now her younger sister Amanda wants to sell the house and have Ginny move in with her and her family against Ginny's wishes. The house has always been a place of refuge and safety for Ginny, especially the kitchen. On the day of her parents' funeral, Ginny makes her deceased Nonna's ribolitta and suddenly Nonna's ghost appears before her, telling her "Don't let Amanda..." but the warning is incomplete. Is Nonna trying to keep Amanda from selling the house or is the ghost just a figment of Ginny's imagination? With ghosts appearing in the kitchen, a frosty relationship with her sister, grief, family secrets, and the possibility that she might have Asperger's Syndrome, it is almost more than Ginny can take. 

The Kitchen Daughter is a treat for foodies. There are recipes at the beginning of several chapters and the book is filled with food related descriptions. Ginny relates to the world through food. She loves cooking and it is a coping mechanism for her. When she is upset, she retreats to remembering recipes and techniques for cooking. She even thinks in terms of food when describing people (her sister Amanda has an "orange juice" voice). This might seem strange but it actually fits the characters. I also enjoyed the descriptions of cooking as Ginny made different recipes. Since food and cooking are so important to Ginny, it works very well for the story instead of being a cute gimmick.

Ginny as a character is unique because she has undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome. Being able to see the world through her eyes and to feel her frustration because she doesn't understand her sister or she has been too overprotected or things are just out of control really adds to the story. Ginny refuses to believe that she is anything but normal. She even has a "Normal Book" made up of newspaper clippings from advice columns that have the word "normal". I admired Ginny because she didn't want to be labeled. At the same time I wanted her to get help so that she could take care of herself and be more independent. 

The Kitchen Daughter explores the theme of grief as Ginny and Amanda deal with the loss of their parents and there are other characters that have experienced great loss too. I think this aspect of the book is handled very well. The book also shows the complicated relationship between the sisters as well as their parents. I think it would have been too easy to have pat answers and a neatly wrapped up ending but Jael McHenry rewards her readers with something far more honest.  I was slightly hesitant about reading this book because of the ghosts and I wasn't sure how Ginny's character would be portrayed but I was surprised to find that I liked Ginny and that the element with the ghosts really worked within the story. Taken as a whole, The Kitchen Daughter is one of the best books I've read this year. I would suggest this to fans of Cecelia Ahern and Sarah Addison Allen.

Waiting on Wednesday (77)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme to discuss upcoming books we can't wait to get our hands on. Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week, I'm waiting on:

A Walk Across the Sun by Corban Addison

Publication date: January 3, 2012

Description from Goodreads:

When a tsunami rages through their coastal town in India, 17-year-old Ahalya Ghai and her 15-year-old sister Sita are left orphaned and homeless. With almost everyone they know suddenly erased from the face of the earth, the girls set out for the convent where they attend school. They are abducted almost immediately and sold to a Mumbai brothel owner, beginning a hellish descent into the bowels of the sex trade.

Halfway across the world, Washington, D.C., attorney Thomas Clarke faces his own personal and professional crisis-and makes the fateful decision to pursue a pro bono sabbatical working in India for an NGO that prosecutes the subcontinent's human traffickers. There, his conscience awakens as he sees firsthand the horrors of the trade in human flesh, and the corrupt judicial system that fosters it. Learning of the fate of Ahalya and Sita, Clarke makes it his personal mission to rescue them, setting the stage for a riveting showdown with an international network of ruthless criminals.

I think this sounds like such a powerful story! It is so sad that such terrible things still go on today all around the world.

Teaser Tuesdays (69)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teasers this week:

"Bethany probably didn't spend her nights hunting the preternatural, but I was beginning to suspect that she knew more than I'd given her credit for and that her sole exposure to the concept of chupacabra possession wasn't some Lifetime Original Movie called Three Days to Live." p.42

"'Do you feel like a knife-toting freak with a hero complex? Because no offense, but evidence would suggest that you probably should.'" p.48

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Description from book:

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human. 

And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely. 

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism. 

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

I am a fan of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's Raised by Wolves and so far I am enjoying this one too. It has more snarky humor in it and kind of reminds me of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading (88)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.


I had a really busy week this week with two book discussions, attending a library event (a guest speaker presented a dramatic reading of A Christmas Carol), going to a Jewish friend's house for my first ever Shabbat (a really neat experience), and watching another friend skate in a local production of The Nutcracker on Ice (also a lot of fun). Still I made time to read four books! The downside is that my Christmas tree is still not up. Oh, well...

Books read:

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

I finally got to read the first book in the Bridgerton series and while I liked it, I kind of prefer her later books.

Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

I think this is the third time I've read this book and it was nice to revisit it. This was my afternoon book group's November selection and the majority of the members liked it. 

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

While this isn't on the same level as Harry Potter (really, what is?) I thought this was a very promising start to a new MG series. It reminded me of A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry

This is a fantastic book! I loved the food imagery and writing style. 

Books reviewed:

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Currently reading:

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I am a fan of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's Raised By Wolves series so I was eager to try something else by her. I think it is pretty good so far.

What I might read next:

11/22/63 by Stephen King

I don't know if I will get to this behemoth novel this week but it is on my list anyway since it is due back to the library soon. 

On Strike For Christmas by Sheila Roberts

I am hoping to review this book for Royal Reviews next week so I definitely plan to try reading it this week. My alternate choice is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz

This is another book that is due back to the library soon. Truth be told as I am not such a big fan anymore, I may just skim it to find out what happens! 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

This book is on "best" lists all over the place so I really want to read it, hopefully this month.

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

It's December!

I had a busy November and wasn't able to blog as much as I wanted to. I have also been struggling with what I call "review writer's block" and I only wrote two book reviews and one movie review. I did manage to read 10 books this month which seems to be my average this year. 


Books read in November:


Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Come Sunday by Isla Morley
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens


November reviews:


The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
Breaking Dawn, Part I Movie Review
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu




While I hate winter, I love Christmas so I am happy that today is the first day of December. How quickly this year has gone!


To celebrate the official beginning of the holiday season, here is a clip from one of my favorite holiday movies, Little Women. 

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

By Michelle Hodkins

Publication date: September 27, 2011

My review:

Mara is the only survivor of an accident that takes the lives of her best friend Rachel, Mara's boyfriend Jude, and his sister. Mara wakes up in the hospital with no memory of what happened. In an attempt to make things easier for her, her family relocates to Florida. On her first day at school, she manages to make enemies with the queen bee and she draws the attention of handsome Noah Shaw. Starting a new school does not seem to be the solution though for nightmares and visions begin to plague Mara. To get the answers, Mara must remember what happened that night.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a paranormal suspense novel that succeeds in creating an atmosphere of menace. Mara's realistic visions and nightmares cause the reader to feel that fear and paranoia along with her. Mara is a mostly sympathetic character as she deals with grief, struggles to remember what happened, and tries to stay sane in the face of all that is going on. She has great support from her older brother Daniel and her parents clearly care about her even though her relationship with her mom is strained. I also liked that Mara is biracial  though that isn't a main plot point.

Noah Shaw at first appears to be a stock character from YA romance, the hottest guy in school who every girl wants to be with. He does have some depth and surprising secrets that make him more interesting. While Mara's chemistry with Noah really sizzles, he is not an entirely likeable love interest because of his past behavior. I may be in the minority on that opinion but I didn't like finding out how he treated girls in the past. To be fair, he doesn't behave that way with Mara though he can come across as a little too cocky for his own good. 

My favorite part of this book by far was the suspense. The visions really do add to the creepy feel  of the book. I was taken by surprise by the ending and though there are definitely things that weren't explained about Mara and Noah I am sure we will find out more in the sequel. 

Overall, I think The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a promising debut novel. The suspense keeps the pages turning while the unanswered questions and the explosive cliffhanger ending will leave readers eager for the next chapter. I would suggest this to fans of Wake by Lisa McMann.

Readalikes: Wake by Lisa McMann, the Touch series by Laurie Faria Stolarz, The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting, Clarity by Kim Harrington

Note: I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the Amazon Vine program in exchange for my honest review