Book Review: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: July 2015
Pages: 278
Source: Library
For: Harper Lee, duh!
Series: Sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird

Summary (from goodreads):

Maycomb, Alabama. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch--"Scout"--returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise's homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in a painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past--a journey that can be guided only by one's conscience. 

Things I Liked:
I enjoyed a number of parts of this book.  I really liked seeing Scout and just who she had grown up into and the funny things she said and thought.  I loved that part of her.  I really struggled with what the story was actually about, her seeing the truth of her hometown and father and not idolizing them anymore.  It was hard to read, hard for me to understand, and just not what I wanted to read, I guess.  It was a smart book, and definitely changes your perspective and thoughts in relation to To Kill a Mockingbird.  Still, I found as it went on that I wasn't much enjoying my read.  I did like it, but I didn't like it too.  Makes perfect sense, right? I read the book probably six months ago, but I'm only posting it now, just in time to hear of Harper Lee's death. Wish we had more from her!

Things I Didn't Like:
Think I covered both in the previous paragraph.

Read-alikes:
Well I'd start with To Kill a Mockingbird...and maybe end there too :)

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
maybe a little off-page

Overall rating: ***

Book Review: Pioneer Girl by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Pamela Smith Hill

Pioneer Girl by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Pamela Smith Hill (editor)
Publisher: South Dakota State Historical Society
Publication date: November 2014
Pages: 400
Source: Library
For: Fun

Summary (from goodreads):

Pioneer Girl follows the Ingalls family's journey through Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, back to Minnesota, and on to Dakota Territory sixteen years of travels, unforgettable experiences, and the everyday people who became immortal through Wilder's fiction. Using additional manuscripts, letters, photographs, newspapers, and other sources, award-winning Wilder biographer Pamela Smith Hill adds valuable context and leads readers through Wilder's growth as a writer. Do you think you know Laura? Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography will re-introduce you to the woman who defined the pioneer experience for millions.

Things I Liked:
This took me AGES to read.  Mostly because I could only check it out two weeks at a time and everyone kept putting it on hold, so I couldn't renew it.  It is also a very big book and a bit daunting at times.  Still, I am so glad I persisted.  I don't even remember if I've read the Little House books all the way through, or just listened while my mom read them to my siblings.  It didn't really matter, because this story is the true one.  I loved how very detailed and full of notes it was.  I can't read something with that many footnotes often, but when I do, I usually love it.  It was fun to see the author differentiate between what was real and what they changed for the kids novels.  If you are a huge fan of the Little House books, pick this one up.  It will more than satisfy every question about her life you may have.

Things I Didn't Like:
It was a bit dry at times.  I guess life can be that way :). You have to be a real fan to take this one on, I think.

Read-alikes:
The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder :)

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication date: July 2015
Pages: 368
Source: Library
For: Fun
Series: Probably?

Summary (from goodreads):

Society girls from New York City circa 1890, Dacia and Lou never desired to know more about their lineage, instead preferring to gossip about the mysterious Romanian family that they barely knew. But upon turning seventeen, the girls must return to their homeland to meet their relatives, find proper husbands, and—most terrifyingly—learn the deep family secrets of The Claw, The Wing, and The Smoke. The Florescus, after all, are shape-shifters, and it is time for Dacia and Lou to fulfill the prophecy that demands their acceptance of this fate... or fight against this cruel inheritance with all their might.

Things I Liked:
This was a fun fantasy tale.  I liked the Dacia and Lou, though I got annoyed on a number of occasions with one or both of them.  I really liked the unique Romanian setting - I had a chance to visit the Czech Republic a few years ago and it felt a lot like what I remember of that trip.  Also, my sister spent some time in Romania, so I feel like I have a little connection to it (but not really).  Either way, it was different and that in and of itself kind of recommends the book to me.  It did kind of disappoint in a few ways, but overall, I enjoyed it.  It felt rather empowering for the young ladies too.

Things I Didn't Like:
I felt like something was lacking, not sure I even know or understand what.  I do know, that a month or two later, I don't remember quite how it ends.  It did seem rather vague and quickly resolved near the end.  Still, I do know I enjoyed it.

Read-alikes:
Hm, I am drawing a blank...

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
a little bit of action

Overall rating: ***

Book Review: The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale
Publisher: Candlewick Pres
Publication date: October 2014
Pages: 90
Source: Library
For: Fun
Series: The Princess in Black, Book 1

Summary (from goodreads):

Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when . . . Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! A big blue monster is threatening the goats! Stopping monsters is no job for dainty Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret —she’s also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for her! Can the princess sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret? From award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.

Things I Liked:
Yes! I love this book.  Short, silly, fun, quirky, and best of all it can easily help little girls feel like they can have the best of both worlds - pretty dress ups and fighting bad guys.  I feel like I love this book even more because of Shannon's extensive blogging about girls and boys and writing and stereotypes.  But really, just get this book for every young girl you know. 

Things I Didn't Like:
Want. More.

Read-alikes:
Nothing comes to mind...

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: none

Overall rating: *****

Book Review: Code Talker by Chester Nez

Code Talker by Chester Nez
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: September 2011
Pages: 320
Source: Library
For: Interesting!

Summary (from goodreads):

Although more than 400 Navajos served in the military during World War II as top-secret code talkers, even those fighting shoulder to shoulder with them were not told of their covert function. And, after the war, the Navajos were forbidden to speak of their service until 1968, when the code was finally declassified. Of the original twenty- nine Navajo code talkers, only two are still alive. Chester Nez is one of them.

In this memoir, the eighty-nine-year-old Nez chronicles both his war years and his life growing up on the Checkerboard Area of the Navajo Reservation-the hard life that gave him the strength, both physical and mental, to become a Marine. His story puts a living face on the legendary men who developed what is still the only unbroken code in modern warfare.

Things I Liked:
This book really intrigued me.  I loved reading about those Native Americans who played such a unique and vital role in WWII.  His particular experiences made me realize just how little I know about the treatment of Native Americans in our history. I mean, I know it's always been bad, but this wasn't even always deliberately bad, just neglect and ignoring the kinds of things they experienced.  It was eye-opening and just plain sad.  I liked hearing it from his perspective and he never sounded bitter or angry about it.  His experiences during the war seemed so different from what the "usual" soldiers might have felt, but was still very painful and hard.  An inspiring and interesting read.

Things I Didn't Like:
I did like how it was really his words written down, but that also made for some grammar issues that I would notice and be annoyed about before remembering it was his direct narrative.

Read-alikes:
Can't think of any

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
some

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->->->
he went to war!

Overall rating: ****

Book Review: The Bungalow by Sarah Jio

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio
Publisher: Plume
Publication date: 2011
Pages: 320
Source: Library
For: Recommended by a friend

Summary (from goodreads):

In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world-until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war.

Things I Liked:
I picked this one up after a friend of mine raved about it - her favorite book! This was kind of a sweet story with some dark elements to make it feel more realistic.  I have to admit at times it was a little unbelievable, but I sure don't know enough about that time and place to really know.  I thought it was interesting and engaging, but kind of lacked a little substance.  There are a few things that you pick up on long before the main character, which can be annoying.  Still, the ending was surprising and a little bittersweet.

Things I Didn't Like:
I wanted something more from it. Not sure what, but I just felt like it never quite achieved what it could have.

Read-alikes:
I can't think of any right now...

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
maybe a few

mrg-factor: X
some vague scenes

v-factor: ->

Overall rating: ***