Review From Here

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Product Details

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 291 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing (October 13, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416989412

About Hush, Hush

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen – and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

My Review

I have been hearing about this book for quite some time and when I saw the cover I absolutely fell in love.  I think it is absolutely beautiful, and although I don’t judge a book by its cover, this one really was pulling at me.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that there is no way I can buy more books.  I receive books in the mail from publishers and for work so off the the library I went.  And, to my surprise this was in!  Granted, I had a short term loan on it (I must have just hit it at the right time) so home I went to get reading.  Less than 24 hours later I was done.

This is the story of Nora Grey.  Nora has been dealt some rough blows recently.  She lost her father less than a year ago which has led her mother to take a job that includes traveling, leaving Nora occasionally home alone.  This never used to bother her but she has been feeling a prescence, as if someone is watching her.  And not in a good way.

Thankfully she has Vee, her best friend, who she can confide in.  But, when her biology teacher decides to switch up the class seating assigment, she is no longer paired with Vee but with Patch, the new boy at the school.

There is something about Patch that attracts Nora, even though it is really the last thing she wants.  He is cocky but extremely sexy, in a bad boy way.  And he knows exactly what to say to get a rise out of her, emotionally and physically.  But, the more time she spends with him, the more she feel the attraction that she is so desparate to hide.

But, there is something that isn’t right about Patch.  When Vee is attacked trying to divert the attention of the person following Nora by making them think she was her, Nora knew that she had to be on her toes.  Was Patch to blame?  And, then there is Elliot, the new boy who was a suspect in a murder at his old school.  Is he really the nice guy she thought, or is he dangerous and the one who is trying to scare her?

After seeing Patch’s scars, Nora does some research but what she finds is unbelievable.  Could Patch possibly be an angel?  And is she crazy for even thinking it?  If he is, what is he doing here and why is he so interested in her?

Once again, I am in a YA mood and am SO glad that I read this book.  The author has a real grasp on how to write and each character down to Dabria was extremely well written.  I can’t wait for the sequel to this book.

About Becca Fitzpatrick

Becca Fitzpatrick grew up reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden with a flashlight under the covers. She graduated college with a degree in health, which she promptly abandoned for storytelling. When not writing, she’s most likely prowling sale racks for reject shoes, running, or watching crime dramas on TV. HUSH, HUSH is her first novel. She lives in Colorado.

This is my first book read for the Four Month Challenge. For more information click here. I am not sure if I can use this book for multiple point levels, but if so it qualifies for:
5 points – Read a book just because you like the cover
10 points – Read a book by an author you’ve never read before and
10 points – Read a hardcover book

Happy reading!

Reading level: Young Adult
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (June 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545123275
ISBN-13: 978-0545123273

About Shiver

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf–her wolf–is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human–or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My Review

Well, where do I begin? Let me first start out by saying that I was cautious when I picked up this book. Why? Because I am one of the few people in the entire world that was not thrilled with the “Twilight” series but I did read them all because I kept thinking they would get better. They didn’t..not in my opinion anyway. So, I picked this up with the same hesitation but I ended up really enjoying it.

Don’t get me wrong. There are some similarities. Sam and Grace are similar to Edward and Bella. Was this story entirely believable? Of course not. Was the writing and plot something that made you sit on the edge of your seat? Not in my opinion. But, the writing was good and I did enjoy the characters. I think my favorite was Beck, the lead wolf who bit Sam and helped raise him to become the man he is.

Sam and Grace met years earlier when she was pulled from the swing in her yard by a pack of wolves. After being bitten, one wolf stood his ground and saved her, a wolf with the most brilliant yellow eyes. From that day forward Grace has not feared the wolves but has been entranced by them, especially the yellow eyed wolf. The woods that border her house are home to these wolves every winter, and she can’t wait until she is able to see them every year.

Sam was bitten as a boy and now shares his human body with the wolf, who only comes out in the cold weather of fall and winter. He too feels a connection to the girl he saved, and watches her from the woods as often as he can. He enjoys being a wolf but there are issues with some of his packmates and their aggressive nature. Especially Shelby, the she-wolf who wants nothing more than to be his mate and lead the pack with him when the time comes.

Sam and Grace eventually meet (after an accident in the woods turns Sam human) and their connection is immediate. But, time is running out because a wolf’s lifespan is short and their ability to turn from human to wolf is limited as well. They try to get as much out of their time together, while trying to figure out why Grace was bitten and doesn’t change. Will time run out, or is there a cure that can help these two stay together?

Told from alternating points of view, this story held my interest and made me want to continue reading.

About Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater lives in Virginia with her husband and their two children. You can visit her online at www.maggiestiefvater.com.

About The Stolen Child

I am a changeling–a word that describes within its own name what we are bound and intended to do. We kidnap a human child and replace him or her with one of our own. . . .”

The double story of Henry Day begins in 1949, when he is kidnapped at age seven by a band of wild childlike beings who live in an ancient, secret community in the forest. The changelings rename their captive Aniday and he becomes, like them, unaging and stuck in time. They leave one of their own to take his place, an imposter who must try–with varying success–to hide his true identity from the Day family. As the changeling Henry grows up, he is haunted by glimpses of his lost double and by vague memories of his own childhood a century earlier. Narrated in turns by Henry and Aniday, The Stolen Child follows them as their lives converge, driven by their obsessive search for who they were before they changed places in the world.

Moving from a realistic setting in small-town America deep into the forest of humankind’s most basic desires and fears, this remarkable novel is a haunting fable about identity and the illusory innocence of childhood.

My Review

I KNOW that I am in the minority but I really couldn’t get into this book. I mean I COULD NOT. I read over 100 pages and I just didn’t feel that the story grabbed me. I follow a rule about how much of a book I read before I put it down and I even went farther with this one. Why? Because it has gotten so many good reviews and I felt like I should give it a chance.

The premise of the story is great – a “changeling” or hobgoblin swaps lives with a 7 year old boy. Swap isn’t really the right word as the boy is stolen and the hobgoblin takes his place. The narrator tells the story alternating between the “new Henry Day” and Aniday, the name the hobgoblins have given the the new boy.

I felt that the writing was fine, I just thought the plot lacked the umph it needed.

Have you read it? I’d love to know your thoughts.

Giveaway Details

I have decided that I am no longer keeping books that I won’t read again or are paperback. This is both. It is a large paperback if that makes any sense. This giveaway will end on Sunday so hurry up. Here is how to enter:

+1 entry for leaving a comment
+1 entry for tweeting about it (leave link please)
+1 entry for posting about it on any other social blogs (leave link for each)
+10 for blogging about it (leave link)

Good luck!

Have a great Tuesday!

About the Author

A retired librarian, Cindy Vallar is the Associate Editor of Industry for Solander, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society, and writes the “Red Pencil” column where she profiles authors and compares a selection from their published historical novels with an early draft of that work. She also reviews for their journal, Historical Novels Review. She is the Editor of Pirates and Privateers, a freelance editor, and a content editor for Pyrates Way magazine. She belongs to the Historical Novel Society, the Red River Branch of Clan Cameron, the Scottish Clans of North Texas, the Laffite Society, the Louisiana Historical Society, and the National Maritime Historical Society.

Cindy’s love of Scotland has taken her to that country several times to do research and attend an international gathering of Clan Cameron on the chief’s estate in 2001. She also covered that gathering for the Scottish journal, Dalriada. In 2005 the Commissioner of Clan Cameron in North America invited her to the clan’s North American Rally, where he presented Cindy with the first Friend of Clan Cameron Award. She’s also served as the Co-membership Director and Secretary of the Red River Branch of the Clan Cameron Association North America.

Her two passions, pirates and Scotland, have led Cindy to share her knowledge with others through the workshops she conducts online and in-person. She is an instructor for several Romance Writers of America’s chapters. She invites you to visit her award-winning web site, Thistles & Pirates (http://www.cindyvallar.com/), to learn more.

The Review

I have become a fan of historical fiction in the past few years and never pass up the chance to review one that may offer me a glimpse of a time that I am not familiar with. The Scottish Thistle is such a book. Rory is a young woman who has had more than her fair share of heartache and grief. At the age of 22 she is the chieftan of her clan, an honor that she certainly doesn’t take lightly. Having seen the horrors that she has in her young lifetime, instead of breaking her as they might have done to most people, they have hardened her and made her stronger. But, with this she has seemed to turn off her emotions to prevent from being hurt again, and after all that has happened she finds it impossible to trust anyone.

In walks Duncan Cameron. He has been treated as a son by a powerful chieftan, who, unlike Rory’s clan, is respected and revered. Duncan is so trusted that he acts as the chiefs own bodyguard. Rory and Duncan are to be married according to an arrangement that has been made years earlier by Rory’s father and Duncan’s foster father. She isn’t happy about the arrangement but agrees to the union for the sake of her clan, in hopes of gaining them some respect after all this time.
What she doesn’t count on happening is Duncan breaking down her hard shell and finding the woman that lies beneath it, a woman looking for love and protection after years without.

This book takes a different turn by putting a woman at the head of a Scottish clan, something I quite enjoyed. The author does a nice job of blending a romance amid a time where turmoil is abound. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good romance with some action thrown in, and history to back it up.

About The Scottish Thistle

Loyalty and honor. A Highland warrior prizes both more than life, and when he swears his oath on the dirk, he must obey or die. Duncan Cameron heeds his chief’s order without question, but discovers his wife-to-be is no fair maiden. Although women are no longer trained in the art of fighting, Rory MacGregor follows in the footsteps of her Celtic ancestors. Secrets from the past and superstitious folk endanger Rory and Duncan as much as Bonnie Prince Charlie and his uprising to win back the British throne for his father. Rory and Duncan must make difficult choices that pit honor and duty against trust and love.

Join Lynda Drews, author of the true crime book, Run at Destruction: A True Fatal Love Triangle (Title Town Publishing, Aug. ‘09) , as she virtually tours the blogosphere in November on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

About the Book

Deeply immersed in the close-knit culture of long-distance running, Pam and Bob Bulik were avid competitors. To all appearances, they were also a happily married couple, devoted to each other and their two young children. Then, Bob made a fateful decision. He began an extramarital affair that led to his wife’s tragic death and to one of the most sensationalized and heavily attended trials in Green Bay’s history.

Candidly written by Pam’s best friend, Run at Destruction exposes the irresistible human passions that make us so vulnerable, and the ultimate price we pay for choosing to act on them. You’ll relive every detail of the crime and the exhaustive police investigation, and watch the courtroom drama from a front-row seat as a major homicide case unfolds in a small town where everyone knows all the players. Then, when you’ve heard all the evidence, you can decide for yourself – was Pam Bulik’s death a terrible accident, intentional suicide, negligent homicide or premeditated murder?

The Review

First off, let me say that I was very anxious to read this book. I have lived 30 minutes away from Green Bay (now 20) my entire life so to read a story about a murder so close to my home town was something I didn’t get the chance to do very often. And, Ms. Drews certainly did not disappoint.

For those of you that don’t know, Green Bay isn’t a large town, and murder is not prevalent there. The thing they are most known for is the Green Bay Packers. The town and people are depicted flawlessly in this novel, and the author has done a wonderful job of blending facts with feelings as she was in the mix at the time the murder took place. Taking you on this journey could not have been an easy task, but I am thankful the author put forth the effort. This novel lays out the information so you get a glimpse of how Lynda sees things leading up to the day of the murder, and how she views things after. Some may think it is biased because this was her friend, and it may be. But, I never once felt that she was misleading in the information she presented.

This was certainly a story that needed to be told and I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in something you won’t be able to put down – I finished it in one sitting and my husband is currently reading it. Highly recommended!

About the Author

Lynda Drews, a Wisconsin native and dedicated runner, recently gave the commencement speech at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, her college Alma mater. One lesson she shared with the graduates was: “to journal your life.” When Lynda, an IBM marketing executive, made the decision to retire after her thirty-year career, she returned to an earlier passion. Run at Destruction is the outcome.

Even though this is Lynda’s first book, she has inside knowledge about the victim and the accused. One of the book’s themes is the impact her best friend’s mysterious death has on Green Bay’s close-knit running community. Lynda and her husband, Jim, a retired teacher and guidance counselor, helped launch the local running movement. Green Bay now hosts the nation’s fifth largest 10K, attracting more than 15,000 participants.

Along with a golden retriever named Bailey, Lynda and her husband have two sons, Collin and Chris. After they reached sixth grade, the author let them pick a yearly one-on-one trip with just their mom. One son chose exotic places like Cancun, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, and skiing in Oregon, while the other went to the bathroom sized PEZ Museum in San Francisco, and to eight different locales where the Dave Mathews Band played. Lynda may be the oldest person in the world that’s been to fifteen DMB concerts!

www.lyndadrews.com www.lmdrews.wordpress.com