This is Book 2 of the Artemis Fowl series. I still think this is a complex series for this age group (12-14). Sometimes it's hard to follow. The story jumps back and forth between humans Artemis & Butler; fairies Captain Holly Short & Commander Julius Root; the B'wa Kell goblins, who are being controlled by the traitor, the elf Cudgeon; Foaly, the centaur, who is being held captive by Cudgeon in the Inner Sanctum of the Koboi Labs; Opal Koboi, the pixie who loves Cudgeon but is expendable to him; the dwarf, Mulch, who faked his death in Book 1. And what does all of this have to do with Artemis rescuing his father from the Russian Mafiya in the Arctic Circle. Well, nothing.
Artemis asks Holly Short for help to rescue his father after he receives an email from a man that he believes is his father. His father had disappeared two years earlier. What's interesting is that almost the entire book is about Artemis & Holly (& Co) trying to find, and then fighting, the B'wa Kell - or really Cudgeon, who is trying to take over the world. Cudgeon sets up Foaly to be the "traitor". After this story line is wrapped up (Cudgeon caught; Foaly freed; goblins' memories erased), we finally get to Artemis rescuing his father.
Artemis' rescue attempt was clever (and risky), but it happens at the very end of the book. It's just not what I expected. I do like the developing relationship between Artemis & Holly. I like them better as partners than opponents. Since I am reading this series with my 12 year old son, I will continue reading. If I wasn't, I wouldn't pick up the next book. I am hoping I will get more invested as we read the next four books. (Fingers crossed)
Wendy's Rating: ***
Monday, March 23, 2020
The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins
This book falls into the "charming" category, so it's aptly named. Small town; quirky characters; predictable ending. The ending doesn't actually wrap everything up with a neat little bow, but it leads you to think that it is heading in that direction.
Grace Wheeler (10), a foster child filled with anger, and her sweet little sister Hannah (7), are taken in by Mrs. Giano (Mama G). Due to Grace's behavior at their previous foster homes, this is Grace's last chance before she is sent to a group home and separated from Hannah. Mama G's special talent of "knowing people" is demonstrated when she first meets the girls on her doorstep. She eyes Hannah with her arms crossed and then comments to her, "Lord, but you are trouble, aren't you?" Of course this is confusing to Grace and their social worker since Hannah was always the "good girl". A foreshadowing of events to follow.
Years later, Grace is a successful professional in the finance business; Mama G has Alzheimer's/dementia; Hannah is dead; and Grace is leaving her career in Charlotte to move Mama G and Hannah's 8 year old daughter, Daisy, back to Mama G's home town of Dove Pond. The "book charmer" is Sarah Dove, the 7th daughter of the Dove family. She is the town librarian and books "talk" to her. She distributes books to people whenever she is told to by a particular book. The book that Sarah gives to Grace is Little Women.
Sarah believes that Grace will save the town, but Grace tells everyone that she only plans to stay for one year. So the challenge is set. In addition to the book charmer, there is the hunky next door neighbor who wants nothing to do with Grace and her family initially - and his dad's cat, who also has a significant role in the book. Like I said, it's charming and predictable. I enjoyed it.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Grace Wheeler (10), a foster child filled with anger, and her sweet little sister Hannah (7), are taken in by Mrs. Giano (Mama G). Due to Grace's behavior at their previous foster homes, this is Grace's last chance before she is sent to a group home and separated from Hannah. Mama G's special talent of "knowing people" is demonstrated when she first meets the girls on her doorstep. She eyes Hannah with her arms crossed and then comments to her, "Lord, but you are trouble, aren't you?" Of course this is confusing to Grace and their social worker since Hannah was always the "good girl". A foreshadowing of events to follow.
Years later, Grace is a successful professional in the finance business; Mama G has Alzheimer's/dementia; Hannah is dead; and Grace is leaving her career in Charlotte to move Mama G and Hannah's 8 year old daughter, Daisy, back to Mama G's home town of Dove Pond. The "book charmer" is Sarah Dove, the 7th daughter of the Dove family. She is the town librarian and books "talk" to her. She distributes books to people whenever she is told to by a particular book. The book that Sarah gives to Grace is Little Women.
Sarah believes that Grace will save the town, but Grace tells everyone that she only plans to stay for one year. So the challenge is set. In addition to the book charmer, there is the hunky next door neighbor who wants nothing to do with Grace and her family initially - and his dad's cat, who also has a significant role in the book. Like I said, it's charming and predictable. I enjoyed it.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Inside Out by Demi Moore
I have always loved Demi Moore movies, with A Few Good Men and Ghost being my favorites, but I didn't understand the whole Ashton Kutcher/Demi Moore thing. He just seemed so young for her. This book is truly an eye-opener that explains a lot. I love that she examines herself "inside out". Her childhood was challenging, to say the least. She had a complicated relationship with her mother; she didn't feel fully accepted by her "dad", especially after she discovers that he is not her birth father; she is never given the chance to develop relationships with others due to the number of times her family moved (escaping their creditors). It's fortunate that Demi was forced into rehab when filming St. Elmo's Fire. That was a turn of events that allowed her to have an incredibly successful movie career. More proof that sometimes it just takes one person with influence to turn someone's life around. Demi stayed clean and sober for 20 years after that. Unfortunately, while her binge drinking and cocaine use stopped, she turned to obsessive exercise and a eating disorder.
It's incredibly sad to me that someone so naturally beautiful and talented could have such low self-esteem. She can thank her parents for that. Demi's life is another example of how children will often go back to their parents, again and again, despite abuse and significant neglect. Children just always want to trust their parents, whether that's a smart thing to do or not. Demi's mother "sold her" for $500 to an older man for sex when she was 15. This scarred her for life.
Her look into her three marriages was really interesting. Her marriage to Freddy Moore at 18 was short; she kept the name though! The way she described Bruce Willis, who she met when he was winning awards for Moonlighting (a show that I loved!) is totally convincing. I remember hearing an interview with him back then and he seemed so cocky and self-assured. It soured me a bit on him. Kudos to Demi for standing her own about continuing with her movie career. He wanted her to be a stay-at-home mom to support his career. In retrospect, she realizes that she was so independent and closed off from Bruce that it wasn't much of a marriage. I totally understand that, given her familial relationships. She only had herself to count on growing up. So then of course she did the opposite thing with Ashton. She opened herself up; made herself vulnerable. She traveled with Ashton and catered to him. He was her next obsession after she tired of the excessive exercising and calorie counting. Ashton's one-night stands just about killed her. Literally.
It took her three years after her near death experience and famous 911 call to repair her relationships with her daughters and Bruce. She has had a long, difficult journey to where she is today, both physically and emotionally. She is a survivor.
Wendy's Rating: *****
It's incredibly sad to me that someone so naturally beautiful and talented could have such low self-esteem. She can thank her parents for that. Demi's life is another example of how children will often go back to their parents, again and again, despite abuse and significant neglect. Children just always want to trust their parents, whether that's a smart thing to do or not. Demi's mother "sold her" for $500 to an older man for sex when she was 15. This scarred her for life.
Her look into her three marriages was really interesting. Her marriage to Freddy Moore at 18 was short; she kept the name though! The way she described Bruce Willis, who she met when he was winning awards for Moonlighting (a show that I loved!) is totally convincing. I remember hearing an interview with him back then and he seemed so cocky and self-assured. It soured me a bit on him. Kudos to Demi for standing her own about continuing with her movie career. He wanted her to be a stay-at-home mom to support his career. In retrospect, she realizes that she was so independent and closed off from Bruce that it wasn't much of a marriage. I totally understand that, given her familial relationships. She only had herself to count on growing up. So then of course she did the opposite thing with Ashton. She opened herself up; made herself vulnerable. She traveled with Ashton and catered to him. He was her next obsession after she tired of the excessive exercising and calorie counting. Ashton's one-night stands just about killed her. Literally.
It took her three years after her near death experience and famous 911 call to repair her relationships with her daughters and Bruce. She has had a long, difficult journey to where she is today, both physically and emotionally. She is a survivor.
Wendy's Rating: *****
Sunday, March 8, 2020
The Lager Queen by J. Ryan Stradal
This story was certainly different than I was expecting. First of all, I was surprised that it took so long for Edith to reunite with Helen. I also thought that their reunion would be more "emotional". I had a really hard time with their passivity. It pretty much drove me nuts in fact! Edith's entire life was passive. Here these two sisters grow up together, only having each other after their parents die. Helen takes their inheritance for herself and her own goals. Edith does nothing. Helen becomes extremely wealthy and thinks about giving Edith her half of the original inheritance. But, Helen does nothing. Edith lives in poverty and allows Diana to steal their neighbors' property to sell online to keep Edith's car running so she can work her minimum wage jobs. (Ok, Edith obviously doesn't "allow" Diana to steal, but she is so passive, she is clueless about what Diana is doing.) I have a read a lot of "charming" books. I have even called them charming. On the jacket cover of this book it says, "In this deeply affecting family saga, resolution can take generations, but when it finally comes, we're surprised, moved and delighted." Really? Not so much for me.
The character I was most impressed by was actually Diana. Her parents die unexpectedly and she has to go live with her grandmother Edith. Good old passive Edith. She is given a chance in a most unexpected way (the man she steals from gives her a job) and she runs with it. Diana is a hard worker, goal-oriented, relentless, loyal and when things don't go her way, she finds a different way. (Although I did get irritated with her when she was whining and complaining about being pregnant after trying so hard to get pregnant in the first place! She suffered how many miscarriages and when she was finally able to carry a baby full-term she complains about it?? I just don't get it.) Anyway, other than that, I was most impressed with Diana in the book. She even gives her Uncle Eugene a job after he FINALLY straightened up his act and started acting like a man instead of mooching off his passive mother.
I did like reading about the beer industry, being a craft beer lover myself. This story is more proof that you have to "roll with the times" in all industries. If you don't change your product over time, or diversify your product, your fortune will come tumbling down. And then Helen tries to "redeem" herself by giving Diana Edith's half of their inheritance. Too little too late Helen. And why give it to Diana? Edith is the one you cheated. Nope. Not charming.
Wendy's Rating: ***
The character I was most impressed by was actually Diana. Her parents die unexpectedly and she has to go live with her grandmother Edith. Good old passive Edith. She is given a chance in a most unexpected way (the man she steals from gives her a job) and she runs with it. Diana is a hard worker, goal-oriented, relentless, loyal and when things don't go her way, she finds a different way. (Although I did get irritated with her when she was whining and complaining about being pregnant after trying so hard to get pregnant in the first place! She suffered how many miscarriages and when she was finally able to carry a baby full-term she complains about it?? I just don't get it.) Anyway, other than that, I was most impressed with Diana in the book. She even gives her Uncle Eugene a job after he FINALLY straightened up his act and started acting like a man instead of mooching off his passive mother.
I did like reading about the beer industry, being a craft beer lover myself. This story is more proof that you have to "roll with the times" in all industries. If you don't change your product over time, or diversify your product, your fortune will come tumbling down. And then Helen tries to "redeem" herself by giving Diana Edith's half of their inheritance. Too little too late Helen. And why give it to Diana? Edith is the one you cheated. Nope. Not charming.
Wendy's Rating: ***
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