Sorry that this post is going up way later than normal — I've already had 2 posts go up today (crazy scheduling) and wanted to have them at least a little spread out. And, I had some stuff come up after work that I wasn't expecting... Sorry.:)

Anyway, I wanted to do two mini-reviews, both Printz Honor winners and both that, although dealing with different issues, both do have a similar emotion tied into the story.

First is Keesha's House by Helen Frost. It's a story written in verse about teenagers struggling to find their place in life, struggling to make it from day to day. The story is told in a series of poems written by/about different characters in the story. Although most of the poems are from the seven teenagers, there are a few verses from the POV of the family or adults these teens left behind and we do get to hear from Joe a time or two as well (more on him in a sec). Keesha's dad is an alcoholic and abusive, so she leaves. She finds Joe's house, and Joe lets her stay. She pays what she can in rent and is able to have a place for as long as she needs it where she feels safe. Initially, I was worried about this — Adult man letting teenage girl stay in his home... Screams creeper. But it worked. Somehow, especially after we read the poems from Joe he really is just a super nice guy trying to do for kids what his aunt did for him — provide a safe and comfortable place where these kids can just feel secure. Several of the other teens in the story spend time at Joe's, although they hear about it through Keesha and she becomes almost the protector. She's the one that lets them know that there is a safe place they can go if they need to, a safe place for them when they feel they have no other options.

My heart broke for so many of these kids. One mistake that changed their lives, one life ruptured through someone else's mistakes, some who just can't seem to keep their head above water. I wished so much for these kids to be safe, to have people in their lives who love them and would care for them. It's a short book, just over 100 pages but every page counts, every page brings you into their lives, makes you care for them more and more and you just open your heart to these kids. It makes me wish that all kids would be able to find a place where they can stay, a place where they were able to find a temporary haven.

This is a book I don't think should be missed, a book that I think is important. If you are looking for a quick but powerful read, grab this one.

My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr is another emotional read, although this one is written in more traditional prose. In this story, Ellen absolutely loves her older brother Link, and his best friend James. She's more than a little in love with James, but it's a little bit of a joke between them, pretty much understood to be a school girl crush. But then, she hears people talking about the two of them at their school, asking if they are a 'couple'. She's never really thought about it before, and doesn't really understand much of what it means, so she asks. She knows it's getting into a messy area, because in her family, you walk away... You do not talk about the tough stuff. But she is so confused and so desperately wants to know and understand her brother better that she asks. And everything changes.

Link is not gay. He's very adamant and defensive about it. James is, or not, or is. He's not really completely sure, but he's also not terribly concerned with giving it a label. He loves who he loves and I never got the feeling that he cared if the person was male or female. He loves Link but nothing sexual has happened between them and Link won't even talk about that possibility. But when Ellen forces it into the open, it ruptures the dynamic of their friendship.

Link and James stop hanging out, Link gets a girlfriend and Ellen and James start spending more and more time together.

I liked a lot about this book. I loved the way that Ellen sought out information on a subject that she didn't understand. She bought books, asked questions, looked up information online and tried talking to others about it. I also loved the initial time that Ellen and James spent together, because it taught her a whole new, and much broader way of viewing the world.

But I'm not sure I loved the direction the book went, especially the changes in certain relationship dynamics.

But then again, I'm torn. When you read a book, there is a certain expectation in the resolution. We expect a certain amount of closure, a certain level of completeness. And this book didn't really have that. Yes there is a lot of improvement, a lot of growth and maturation, but a lot was left very much up in the air. And I've decided that I'm okay with that. Because real life is messy. And in a story like this, there is no complete happy ending, there is no pretty package tied with ribbons and that's okay. Because it's real. There were some places the story went that I didn't really love, but the book was real. Life isn't clean, life doesn't always follow orderly and organizable paths. Often it's crazy, messy and hectic and you know, it's nice to read a story that ends without that completeness because it means that the characters don't have to end, just because the book has.

Safe Haven is a small, quiet, and remote town in Wisconsin. That is, until a helicopter crashes nearby unleashes an unimaginable horror-a five-member Red Ops team set to torture and kill anyone and anything that crosses their paths. They've been genetically altered to withstand pain, and their actions are controlled by a chip implanted in their brains. Their mission-find Warren Streng. They've taken over all of Safe Haven. They've convinced all the the local residents to come to junior high by stating that the town won the lottery, promising a portion to each resident. Instead, the people of Safe Haven are tortured and killed. A few brave residents-a firefighter, a county sheriff, and a single mom stand together and rise up and attempt to defend their town. They soon realize that this helicopter crash was no accident, and that their lives will be forever tied together.
AFRAID is a horrific read. I'm quite a fan of horror myself, and there were times when the vivid descriptions made my stomach turn, forcing me to put the book down. I think what made this book even more horrifying is fact that something this horrid could potentially happen. I highly recommend this book to any fan of horror, but be afraid...very afraid!

Some media reported that the wooden gilded chair of the boy king Tutankhamun was broken during its transportation between the Egyptian museum in Tahrir Square to the planned Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) overlooking Giza plateau.

Almost two months ago news broke about the flawed restoration work on Tutankhamun's golden mask at the Egyptian museum.

It was reported that three other artifacts of Tutankhamun’s collection were also damaged during their transportation. These objects, according to reports, are the top of the sarcophagus, a round offering table, and a marble vessel.

The reports also accused the Ministry of Antiquities of negligence.

“What has been published in newspapers are unfounded claims,” GEM's director general Tarek Tawfik told Ahram Online.

He continued to say that the objects that were transported to the GEM were not broken and do not even belong to the boy king’s funerary collection, despite photos in the media which suggest this to be the case.

“They are non-royal objects from the Old and Middle Kingdoms discovered in Dahshour necropolis and were dismantled at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, and not broken as claimed,” confirmed Tawfik.

The objects which were identified in the media as Tutankhamun’s chair, he asserted, is instead a non-royal table from the Middle Kingdom. The sarcophagus, the vessel and the offering table have been in two pieces since they were discovered last century and were not broken during transportation.

Eissa Zidan, the head of restoration at the GEM, told Ahram Online that what was thought to be a sarcophagus, was in fact an Old Kingdom alabaster plaque that was discovered last century in two pieces.

All the newly transported objects, Zidan continued, are safe and none of them were broken. They came to the museum in their current condition and were subjected to normal restoration procedures like any other transported objects.

An archaeologist at the GEM who spoke to Ahram Online on condition of anonymity, said that the person behind the publishing of the false news is a former restorer at the GEM. The administration terminated his contract and transferred him to his original job as a restorer in the Al Manial Palace restoration department.

The official said that the former restorer at the GEM made up the rumours as revenge for his demotion.

Author: Nevine El-Aref | Source: Ahram Online [March 26, 2015]

I first heard about The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens from Becky, who blogs at Escapism through Books. She was talking about it, and wrote a really stellar review of the book (read it, you know you want to!) . I left a comment mentioning that I thought it sounded like a great book, and being the wonderful person Becky is, she sent me her copy!! (Thanks Becky. You are made of awesome!)

The book starts out as so many of these intense fantasy series do — It has children (girl, boy, girl) mysteriously/suspiciously missing parents, a prophecy (of sorts) and the understanding that these seemingly unimportant, average orphans are going to change the fate of the world. Everyone has read a book like this recently. I can almost guarantee it. Sure, the number of children, their gender, why/how the parents went missing and the specifics of the prophecy all change, but the basic storyline is the same. When the book started out, following this pattern, I admit that I groaned a little bit. But then, the story moved on and became something completely wonderful. The basic outline laid out for us, Stephens then delves into his own specific mysteries and magics and I was swept away.

Kate has an overdeveloped sense of responsibility for her younger siblings. Her parent's went missing when she was four years old, and right before being taken from them, her mother made her promise that she would keep her siblings safe. That's a lot of pressure to put on a four year old, and Kate feels it at times, but she never tries to avoid it. The children have an amazingly strong bond, and they are deeply loyal to each other. Kate is also the most sure that her parents are not dead, because just after her mother made Kate promise to keep her siblings safe, she also promised Kate that they would all be together again someday.

Michael is more of a dreamer. He's learned to cope with the increasingly horrible conditions in the various orphanages they are forced to live in by imagining hidden and secret worlds, and he is especially fascinated by dwarfs. Emma, the youngest is fierce and tough, having learned early on that in this life, being weak, or unwilling to fight is dangerous and that only the strong survive in these places.

When the children are kicked out of yet another orphanage, they are sent to a mysterious home, where they are the only orphans in the 'orphanage', the orphanage director is absent and nothing 'quite' adds up. One day, while exploring the house, they stumble across a room that they assume is the owner's study and they find a green book. They assume it's just an old photo album, but when Michael places an old picture on one of the pages, the world as they know it will change for ever, and they are thrust into the middle of a conflict that's been brewing for centuries.

I loved the development of this story. Each of the characters was given their own set of strengths and weaknesses, and we watched as all of their unique abilities developed, changed, and led to the growth of the characters. Each of the secondary and side characters was also given a distinct personality. I was actually surprised at how uniquely formed each and every character and situation was, given the rather formulaic pattern used to set the initial stage for the story.

The magic in this book was also wonderfully developed and explained. The children have no idea that the world of magic exists, so we get to learn everything as the children do. I've always loved being able to learn right along with the main characters. It's just an extra way of becoming involved in the book, because we are sharing an experience! And when you get to share a life changing experience with your characters, when you learn it as they do, and they keep no secrets from the reader, it offers the reader an extra connection to both the character(s) and the story.

I'm a little bit sad right now, because I know that my review is not doing this book justice. I read the book a while ago, and I kept putting off writing the review, because every time I tried, I was painfully aware that no matter what I said, I wasn't really going to be able to articulate how this book made me feel. So, instead I'm going to finish by saying that I really enjoyed the story, and it's one that I think will have a very wide level of appeal. It's a book that can be read and enjoyed by both the younger, MG set, and the older groups, YA and up. I believe that this is a series that is going to have a lot of cross-over appeal and will be enjoyed by just about everyone who gives it a chance.

Now, if only I didn't have to wait so long for the sequel!

Today's Fairy Tale Fortnight guest poster is Ems of In Which Ems Reviews Books. I have known Emily (aka Ems) for a loooong time and she never fails to entertain. (This also means that I can totally steal her facebook profile picture...) I love passing book recs with Emily and was so excited that she wanted to be a part of FTF! And I love her topic! Who doesn't want to sit down sometimes to examine all the awesome stuff fairy tales have taught you!?:)

Real Life Lessons You Can Learn From Fairy Tales:

I’ve often wondered why people started telling fairy tales. Do you ever think about what was going through the Grimm’s heads? How ‘bout Walt Disney? I know I do.

Here’s what I’ve decided:

Fairy tales were written as cautionary tales for US. Forget the people who lived in the same towns and villages. Pfft. No. These are definitely written for us, because of the incredibly important and real lessons we can learn from them. Besides, I’m pretty sure the people living around the Brothers Grimm weren’t even literate, so…

Here are the lessons I’ve learned:
1. Do not EVER accept apples from kindly old ladies. It will inevitably be poisoned, and you most likely will not have seven dwarves around to put you in a glass coffin shrine. Now, if she offers you an orange or grapefruit, you’re probably safe. You NEVER see a poisoned citrus fruit.

2. Make friends with the prince’s horse. You never know when it’ll come in handy having an equine ally. Just look at Rapunzel. Could she have done half of what she did without Maximillian? Okay, so she had that cool hair that she could toss around, but still.

3. ALWAYS give the old, gnarly gnome man a bit of your bread. All he wants is a bite of bread and in return, he will give you pretty much any help you need. Deny him, and you’ll wish you hadn’t ever seen him in the first place. You know what they say about Karma. So that little guy in the subway station? Drop a few coins in just to be safe.

4. Don’t touch random sharp objects. You never know when one has been enchanted and you’ll fall into a 100-year sleep. I bet Princess Aurora wishes she’d known that.

5. Always have white, shiny teeth, especially if you are a prince. Your head shots always seem to focus on the teeth, and if you have a nice, shiny smile, the ladies will remember you and probably swoon. Swoonage is always good.

6. If there is a nasty storm brewing, DO NOT THINK YOU CAN JUST GO OUT IN IT. Most likely, it is the work of an evil enchantress who is trying desperately to either a) keep you away from your goal or b) kill you.

7. Always be kind to the woodland animals. Maybe sing to them and bring them treats. When that kindly old lady comes around with her poisoned apple and you haven’t made friends with the little animals, who can you rely on to chase her off a cliff? Hmmm?

8. Become adept at carrying things on your head. You only have two hands, and your head kind of just sits there. So make it useful and learn to carry things on it. You just never know when you may need this skill. I’d like to be able to balance all my textbooks on my head, but I never learned the skill. I’m regretting it now.

9. Don’t discount the plain sorts. Was it one of the fabulous and flashy princes who saved the twelve dancing princesses, I ask you? No, it was not. It was a plain and older solider. Sometimes, the pomp and circumstance of the flashier guy masks a sadly lacking wit and ability to think outside the box. We fairy tale fans all know that there is usually more to someone than what’s on the surface.

10. Don’t ever make your spouse’s child a servant. Whether you read the Grimm version or watch the Disney version, it doesn’t end well for dear step-mama. I don’t know about you, but I’m not looking to be embarrassed in front of the prince OR be nailed into a barrel studded with nails (while you’re naked, I might add) and rolled into the sea. Just not my cup of juice, thanks.

So there you have it. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t read fairy tales because “you won’t learn anything.” (imagine nice, big, sarcastic air quotes there) I’ve just proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you can learn all sorts of valuable lessons from fairy tales. So there.

Haha! I love it! And ya — always share your meal with the weird little gnome guy! Although, might I add that if you are the elder child chances are your lot in these tales is just gonna suck... Sorry Ems. But the fairy tale facts speak for themselves. Lucky for me, I have an older sister... ;)

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The princesses, fifth and sixth in line to the throne, will be given protection only when they attend official events on behalf of the Royal Family.
Safe: The Princesses are driven away from Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding reception by a protection officer
Prince Andrew had fought ferociously for the protection officers to stay. He argued his daughters should be treated differently from other minor royals because they enjoy HRH status.
But his argument failed because their cousin Zara Phillips, the daughter of Princess Anne, has no protection – even though she has a higher public profile.
Furious: Prince Andrew is said to have fought to keep the protection officers as he feels they are different to other minor Royals because of their HRH status
The cost of guarding Eugenie, 21, in her first year at Newcastle University has been estimated at £250,000 a year. It includes salaries, accommodation and living and travel expenses of two full-time bodyguards.
Beatrice, 22, studying at the University of London, enjoys the same level of protection.
Prince Andrew insisted his daughters have full-time protection despite private police assessments that they were low-risk targets.
No protection: The Duchess of Gloucester will no longer have security unless on official business, while Zara Philips has no cover despite her high profile
The Home Office is determined to prune the estimated £50million security bill for the Royal Family.
Other minor royals such as the Duchess of Gloucester who, unlike princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, performs official engagements, will also have their protection withdrawn when not on official duty.
source: dailymail

VIA Beatrice and Eugenie are stripped of their 24-hour protection after row over £50,000 annual cost

It's no secret that I love classic lit, and I love literary jokes (I think it's safe to say this to other book lovers) so when I saw the book Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook by Sarah Schmelling I had to buy it. Literally had to, I couldn't wait to get it. And let me tell you my friends, it was worth full-price. Let me sum up the book for you the short way: Classic Lit characters and authors on Facebook. Status updates, groups, poking and all. This book at me laughing for a week.

I loved the passage on Jane Eyre, obviously. I'll give you a little taste of Jane's News Feed so you get an idea of what this book is like:

"Jane Eyre has "Hard Knock Life" on repeat.
John Reed sent his cousin Jane a Book (at her head).
John PICKED A FIGHT with Jane using the Violent British Children application.
Result: SWEET! Jane won! Her fuming little British girl just taught John's irritating British boy the meaning of pain. Ouch!
Mrs. Reed does not see how in fact Jane won.
Jane took the Quiz: What Color Room Should You Not Be In? with the result "Red.""

Another one of my favorites was from the Oedipus Rex section: "Oedipus has some things to talk over with the wife." I just couldn't help myself with this book. I laughed out loud everywhere. In my bedroom, at work, secretly reading in lecture. It was just too funny. I'll be honest though, I only read the sections about books I read or authors I was familiar with, which was actually about 75% of the book. I know this is a book I will come back to when I read some of the other selections included. I'll admit it, I've read the Jane Eyre section four times already.

I really don't have any complaints with this book. I thought the sections were dead on, the quizzes were hilarious, and honestly I can't imagine what book lover would not enjoy this book. And that is why this book earned an A. Also, I don't usually plug my Amazon links, but this book is bargain priced on Amazon right now for $6, so if you're going to buy it now would be a good time! It's normally $15 in case you were wondering.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

Almost every time I hear people start talking about Sarah Dessen, the overall favorite of her books seems to be The Truth About Forever . I think I've only ever talked to one person who picked a different Dessen as a favorite. And, now after reading it, I can definitely see why.

Allison from The Allure of Books and I were talking on Twitter during the 24 hour read-a-thon and she basically threatened violence against me if I didn't make this book an immediate priority. So... I did. (Although, Allison — I'm calling you out. You definitely own me a Melina Marchetta read ASAP, per our arrangement). And, I was not disappointed.

Macy is having a really hard year. Her dad just died (she was there when it happened and feels insanely guilty about it), her mom has become a work-a-holic control freak and her steady, dependable boyfriend is going away for the summer to a brainiac camp for geniuses. Life around her is chaotic, but she refuses to allow herself to feel out of control. She studies regularly and does exactly what is expected of her, and stays 'safe'. She can't allow any cracks in her perfect "I'm fine" facade, or everything will fall apart. But then, after an almost disastrous catering event, she meets a group of all new people who live their lives completely differently. She starts to work for the catering company, intending to only take on the odd job when they need the extra help, but it soon becomes much more than that. Because with this group of people, she is finally starting to open back up, finally starting to feel alive and happy again. She's scared of it at first, doesn't really know how to embrace the feelings, but when she does, man, does she shine.

One of the things Dessen is most known for and talked about are her boys. And oh my goodness... This boy here does not disappoint. Wes is such a deep and interesting character. He has a story, like all interesting characters do, and he's been hurt by life before. His experiences in life really give him a chance to connect to Macy on a level she has never felt before. He gets her. He sees her as she is, and wants to be around her anyway. Because of complications to both of their current relationships (of the "Lets take a break" variety) they aren't necessarily looking for a relationship and are instead content to be near each other and be friends. And I love this! I love that they are comfortable around each other, open and honest. They play a game, something that I would love to try, but would be absolutely scared to death of. It's a truth game, and the only real rule is that you take turns asking questions, and when you are asked, you must answer, or you lose. It allows them to learn so much about each other, things that you don't normally learn for a long time. The amount of trust it takes to play a game like that honestly is astounding to me and, I think, really helps to demonstrate the level of emotion between these two.

Although I genuinely loved the development of their relationship, their resolution is the only complaint I have with this story. Dessen spent the entire book building up a relationship based on friendship, attraction, and mutual respect between these two. There was so much going on for the whole story and it just made me anxious to see how their story was going to resolve itself. And then it did... And that was it. She spends 367 pages building us up, waiting for something to happen and then she uses 3 pages to make it so. And then tacks a 4 page epilogue on after that. Wait, what?! All that build up for 3 pages?! Sigh... It felt a lot rushed and a lot underdeveloped. The book is already pushing 400 pages. I doubt anyone is going to care if you add a few more... Anyway...

Each member of the supporting cast is equally fleshed out. There are no stock characters here, no half-drawn cardboard cut outs. Every single person you meet on these pages is complex, unique, and wholly real. This book is full of people I wish I could get to know in real life. They are just so much fun, so honestly real and so... so full!

This is a book full of life and hope, and the knowledge that there will be a tomorrow beyond the pain, and that things can be alright again. It's a book I highly recommend. If you only ever read one Dessen book, it should probably be this one.

My choice — Advanced Direct Security

VIA «Your house trusts Advanced Direct Security»

Qais Hussein Rashid of Iraq's Tourism and Antiquities Ministry, speaking at the Baghdad conference on the effects of IS on the country's antiquities, said that some sales of Iraqi artifacts on the international black market have been stopped. He added some artifacts of the country's Assyrian era, which can date back to 1900 B.C., have been sold, and 1,500 ancient manuscripts were burned.

He added that two important sites in Mosul, the shrines of Ibn Al-Atheer and the Prophet Yunus, were completely demolished by IS militants.

The mission of IS includes the destruction of religious artifacts pertinent to pre-Muslim times.

Tourism and Antiquities Minister Adel Shershab said archeological sites through Iraq have been destroyed, and asked "friendly countries to take a genuine stand to restore the stolen antiquities."

While the destruction has outraged the world, it can be regarded as a diversion from the sale of antiquities, which is helping fund IS activities, an American archaeologist suggested.

"There are people in the world who know what this stuff is worth, and it is very clear that at least part of the destruction of the Iraqi museum in 2003, that part of that, was induced by people on the outside getting dealers on the inside to go in and try to get specific things," said McGuire Gibson of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago. "There's archaeological work going on right now in Iraq, in places where it's relatively secure, work is going on. Whether or not it will be secure next week, we don't know, but we try to work when and where we can."

Edward Planch of the United Nations' UNESCO noted his organization is working with border agencies to recover artifacts seized at border checkpoints adjacent to Iraq and Syria.

"The objective is to have these surrounding countries with us, aware of the traffics, of the kinds of objects going out, able to seize the pieces and keep them in a safe place," Planch told the Voice of America, which noted many of the artifacts in the vandalized Mosul museum were catalogued digitally, a factor which could aid in their recovery.

Author: Ed Adamczyk | Source: UPI [March 13, 2015]

Corpus Christi is a quiet, wealthy community in Maine. It survived the fire of neighboring Bedford. A building full of chemicals was burned, along with most of Bedord. Dozens of people were killed by the fumes. Wildlife and vegetation was destroyed as well. A year later, the EPA declares Bedford safe. Lois Larkin, a third-grade schoolteacher, takes her class on a field trip to Bedford. Her students would love to explore the “ghost-town”. Instead, a evil once buried is revealed, and is spread like wildfire to all of Corpus Christi. Victims are transformed into hungry, violent creatures. Those that aren’t transformed die a horried and painful death. There appears to be no stopping this horrid plague. It’s hunger cannot be stifled, and it spreads beyond the confines of once tranquil Corpus Christi.

THE MISSING was an chilling tale from the beginning. Langan has great talent, very reminescent of Stephen King. Highly recommended to anyone seeking a good scare!!

Like many young girls, Elizabeth keeps a journal of her personal thoughts, feelings, and emotions. But the pages of Elizabeth's journal hold a secret too horrible to share...

Elizabeth's father was diagnosed with brain cancer when Elizabeth was six years old. She's too young to remember him as a healthy young man; she only has images of him and his illness. Despite his illness, he made Elizabeth feel "warm and comfortable and safe."

Eventually, her father is admitted to a hospice. Elizabeth and her siblings are split up among their relatives. Elizabeth's mother moves in with a friend, Doyle. Doyle showered Elizabeth with attention and gifts. However, when Elizabeth was eight years old, Doyle began molesting her.

THE TABLET OF MY HEART is a painfully honest account of one young girl's experience. Scattered throughout the journal entries are bits of poetry the author wrote to chronicle and express the hell she was experiencing. She writes about contemplating suicide at the age of ten years old, of the two occasions when she told someone of her abuse (both times she was dismissed), and of the additional emotional pain she experienced when she finally reported the abuse. But one of the prevalent themes in Elizabeth's poetry is her anger at God, her questioning of God's existence, and the ultimate understanding of God's plan.

THE TABLET OF MY HEART was not an easy read due to the topic.But the overall message was a powerful one: never give up on your faith. Despite all the tests forced upon you, you will persevere.

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Kara, Lost by Susan Niz is the story of 16 year old Kara, who feels that things are so bad at home she is left with no choice but to run away. Leaving in the middle of February, she heads to her sister's house, hoping that her sister, who left home a while ago will give her a place to stay. After Ian, her sister's roommate, refuses to allow Kara to stay more than a night (harboring a runaway is illegal) Kara is fairly bitter and knows, from this one encounter that Ian is just as manipulative and controlling as their father.

Kara starts to realize that perhaps she was a bit impulsive in walking out of her parent's house, and that she is going to be in serious trouble if she can't find a place to stay. She spends one night in a mall, one night in a squat with a strange and creepy guy from McDonalds (who is very possibly high) before going home with one of the counselors from a day clinic that helps troubled teens on their own. It provides means, therapy and a safe place to spend the day, but does not offer anywhere to sleep. Gwen takes Kara home, even though it is very against the rules and because Gwen has sad eyes and seems proud of her boyfriend, Kara just knows that she is still a wounded child on the inside, not quite over her childhood trauma and therefore feels that it is her mission to protect all other kids.

Kara spends the entire book making these strange assumptions, using these grandiose jumps in logic. She just knows that Ian is really her sister's boyfriend, even though they claim to be only roommates and that he is insanely controlling of her sister. But she decides this after having met him once. And I don't blame him for not wanting her to stay. It's illegal for her to stay there. It's not hard for me to believe someone would be uncomfortable with this. She made similar assumptions about Gwen, the therapist, and later on in the novel as well.

This isn't the only flaw I felt the book had. Kara was never a believable character. The book felt as if it were told in a clinical rather than emotional manner, and I'm sorry, but if you want me to be really draw into your book about a 16 year old runaway, I need to care about your main character. I need to believe that running away was the only option she had left. But I never got that. We hear — my mom is distant and my dad is incredibly controlling and they want to force me to take an anti-depressant. We hear a lot of, I know how bad home is, I've heard how awful your home life was, but nothing is ever shown, nothing is ever expounded upon. And this is true of pretty much every character and every interaction. Some characters have a complete and total personality shift, but no one ever bothers to explain how or why it happened and I find myself unable to actually believe it.

To me, the whole story felt as if it were told with a high level of detachment. It felt as if the narrator of the story was disinterested in details and the story, which of course means that I, as a reader am more detached and therefore disinterested in the story. Even the parts of the book that should have had my pulse pounding, my breathing speeding up, my heart racing, even they left me flat and a little bored.

I will say that my favorite scene in the entire book is when Kara is sitting in McDonalds and an undercover cop shows up trying to track down the same kid she is looking for (but, umm... obviously for different reasons). The way that she detaches herself from him is brilliant and seriously made my day.

Kara, Lost isn't really a bad book. The story has potential and maybe if it had been a little tighter, a little smoother, I would have liked it more. As it is, I felt that Kara was childish, selfish, naive, impulsive and none too bright. She also has an incredible level of self-superiority and there were times when it really rubbed me the wrong way. She looked down on certain characters that had given her absolutely no reason to assume superiority. What I think might have been part of the problem is an attempt by the author to foreshadow what was going to be happening later — like Kara knowing Ian is so terrible after one encounter. Then, when Ian does start to display some more controlling tendencies, we are going to just think, Oh! Well, she was right, so I can ignore the leap of logic... It just didn't work for me.

I feel bad that most of what I've had to say is negative, because Kara, Lost really isn't a bad book. But it isn't really one I'd consider good, either. It's just kind of... there. I do know that the author, Susan Niz, went through some of the same things as Kara, having been a teen runaway herself and I feel like there really might be a great story tied up in there. I just don't really feel like this was it. But, feel free to read it for yourself and be the judge. It's possible that someone else out there will simply love it.

*Disclaimer — I received a copy of this for review in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A car load of white teens gets stranded in the middle of the Philadelphia ghetto after attending a concert. A few exit the car in an attempt to fix it, and they are approached by some local teens. They are fearful for their lives, and after shouting some racial expletives, they all take off running down the street. They search the neighborhood for some safe place to retreat while they wait for someone to rescue them.

They break into an old, abandoned run-down house at the end of the street. But it's not abandoned. Shortly after entering the house, they are attacked by a "mutant" man. One of the youths is killed instantly and the remaining teens fight for their lives. They quickly learn that the "man" that attacked them wasn't the only occupant of this dark, deserted home. The house is full of inhuman "creatures"at various stages of deformity.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood teens have noticed where the "outsiders" have run to. They know the reputation of this house: no one who enters has ever come out alive. They go to the house of a veteran of the neighborhood and seek his assistance. They call the police and await their response. While they wait, Perry, the veteran resident, reminisces about the neighborhood, and recalls a time when the neighbors knew and talked to one another, a time when the police responded when there was an issue. He discusses the sad state the neighborhood is in now, and then decides to take a stand. The group decides to break into the home and rescue the trapped teens.

Keene does another stellar job with this newest book. He consistently succeeds at horrifying his readers. The perseverance that each of the trapped teens exhibits is commendable. The initial stereotypes they each have eventually fades away as they attempt to survive this house of extreme horror. I recommend this to any fan of horror fiction, but due to the level of gore, I sincerely warn those with a weak stomach to avoid it!

Thank you to Dorchester Publishing for providing a copy of Urban Gothic

for review.

Thanks to Anna at Hachette Books, I have an amazing selection of audiobooks to give away!
I have three copies each of the following titles:

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE (Unabridged)

By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, read by Dallas Roberts and Bobby Cannavale

Detective Bennett realizes he has just hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history. From the #1 bestselling author who introduced readers to Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club-comes the continuation of his newest, electrifying series.

Available in CD and Digital Download formats.

Also available in hardcover and e-book.

DROOD (Abridged)

By Dan Simmons, read by Simon Prebble

DROOD explores the still-unsolved mysteries of the famous author's last years and may provide the key to Dickens's final, unfinished work: The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Chilling, haunting, and utterly original, DROOD.

Available in CD and Digital Download formats.

Also available in hardcover and e-book.

Listen to the excerpts:

Excerpt No. 1, Excerpt No. 2, Excerpt No. 3, and Excerpt No. 4.

Get an OpenBook™ Widget for your site.

Listen to an excerpt.

Listen to the Podcast.

MAX (Unabridged)

By James Patterson, read by Jill Apple

Comfortable in their new safe house, Max and the rest of the Flock finally begin to feel optimistic about their newly-gained freedom. Then the Machine Geeks appear--part machine, part human, totally destructive. They are in the service of an ominous Mr. Chu, who has his eyes on the Flock and their unique abilities. And if he can't have them, he'll make sure nobody else can either!

Available in CD and Digital Download formats.

Also available in hardcover, hardcover in a large print, and e-book.

Listen to an excerpt.

WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, read by Jeremy Piven, Suzanne Toren, Carolyn McCormick, and Melissa Leo"Now, for the first time, the first three books in this series are available in an audio box set that will delight fans of the series, as well as anyone intrigued by thrilling mystery stories that feature strong women characters..."

RULES:

• To be entered once, comment on this post! Be sure to indicate which audiobook(s) you are interested in winning!
  
• To be entered twice, blog about it. Be sure to include a link to your posting in your comment.
  
• To be entered three times, tweet about this contest (be sure to send me a link to your tweet).
• To be entered four times, become a follower/subscriber!
• US and Canadian residents only. No P.O. Boxes, please!
• Please provide an email address in your comment. Any entries without email addresses will be deleted.
  

Contest will end Saturday, April 18. Winner will be announced on this blog.

Climate change seems like a huge, insurmountable problem. What can one little person do about this huge monster that is taking over our planet? It's pretty easy to look at the data, think about how much you will have to give up, and decide you're just not going to do it anything about it. But that is a big mistake and simply not true. There are little things each of us can do and together they will build up to something bigger.

I became intensely aware of Bill McKibben during fall semester when I became involved in a student organization called Eco Hawk. We decided to participate in a climate awareness event called 10/10/10 on October 10, 2010. Students and environmentalists around the world participated in the event, doing different things to promote climate awareness. In Iowa City we had a bike ride to raise awareness about different modes of transportation that are carbon free. The event was organized through 350.org, which just happens to be the environmental organization Bill McKibben co-founded. Since Bill McKibben was also visiting Iowa City for a lecture I figured I better read his most recent book, Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

, and Aths joined me to create this new feature called Leif Reads.

There is a lot in Eaarth about climate change, but I think this section gives a good introduction to the problem we're facing. "Normally--over all but the last two hundred years of human civilization-- the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere remained stable because trees and plants and plankton sucked it up about as fast as volcanoes produced it. But now we've turned out cars and factories into junior volcanoes, and so we're not just producing carbon faster than the plant world can absorb it; we're making it so hot that the plants absorb less carbon than they used to" (23).

350.org
What does 350 mean? Scientists say that 350 parts per million CO2 (carbon dioxide) in our atmosphere is the safe number for the Earth. We are currently at 388 parts per million. Doesn't seem so bad, right? But for most of human history it has been 275 parts per million CO2, until about 200 years ago when we started to burn coal, gas, and oil for energy. So scientists aren't saying 350 parts per million is the ideal number, it's just a number we could possible reach that would make our planet safer.

Throughout Eaarth though, McKibben admits that he thinks we have already lost the Earth we once lived on-- and we will never get it back. Hence the name Eaarth. It's the new name of our planet, and with this new planet we have to get rid of the old rules. They simply will not work any longer.

What can you do?
One of the first steps you can do is to educate yourself. Visit 350.org and read their frequently asked questions, their mission, read anything you can find on there. Join their movement. Consider ways you can cut back on the amount of energy you use. Not every city or town is made for walking, but when you do take the car out consider making the most of it. Instead of going to one store and then going to a different on the next day try to make fewer car trips. One of the absolute best things you can do though? Write to people. Write to your local government, your state government, your transit system, your landlord. Don't be afraid to ask people questions. What kind of fuel are your local buses using? What small changes do you see that could make where you live a better place to live? Government officials are there to listen to the people in their neighborhood and you might have an idea they have never thought about. Get your friends to join and write letters with you. The more people they hear it from, the better. Why do I suggest you do this? Because to make truly powerful changes that will change the rules that fit the new Eaarth we live on better we need our government to take notice and back up our choices. If you want to make big waves, this is a great way to do it. And educate yourself. Read a book like Eaarth to learn what you can do to be part of the new Eaarth we live on.

More info!
A link to find the contact for your state representative.
Eaarth facts and figures.
What is your carbon footprint?
Green Reads podcast in which I talk about Eaarth more generally.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.

Alright — I was too lazy to record an IMM for about 2 weeks & then, I got a package of complete WIN in the mail and just KNEW I had to vlog right THEN! But... I got a lot of books, so it's a bit of a long video.:)

Before the video though — Quick Note about the pen pal thing — I'm late getting everything together because my sister is going through a lot of personal drama right now, that includes toxic people putting her and her children at risk and an emergency move beginning at 8pm... LONG story full of more drama that I want to get into. But I have been spending a lot of time helping her, watching her kids etc so that they can try to find a safe place to move with their family. (UGH. I hate stupid drama). SO. I'm hoping to get this put together soon, but it's taking longer than I thought it would.

Anyway — the video. (Also... sorry... It seems the syncing is off again at the end.)

There are too many books to list here (read... I'm too lazy to do it, maybe later, but probably now...)

So, I will link all the bloggers that I mention as well as the books I got for review.

ALSO — Update re Lisa Schroeder — I have converted another lover since this video was recorded!! Ya, I'm that good.:)

Review:

Breadcrumbs — Anne Ursu (excerpt, review)
The Beginning of After — Jennifer Castle
Dark Eden — Patrick Carman
The Power of Six — Pittacus Lore
The Kid- Sapphire (DNF review)

Joli @ Acting Up with Books

Shannon @ Books Devoured

Lindsi @ Books, Sweets and Other Treats

Enna @ Squeaky Books

Cyndi @ Dog Eared and Bookmarked

Jacinda @ The Reading Housewives

Not mentioned by name in video — But my cousin is Ems @ In Which Ems Reviews Books

Back of the Book Reviews

Rachel @ Reading Angel

Rachel @ Fiktshun

Nancy @ A Musing Reviews

Also — OH MY GOODNESS!!! LISA SCHROEDER!!! LOVE her!!:)

I'm afraid that my recent posting announcing my giveaway winners was lost in the jumble of my Read-a-thon posts. So, I'm posting them again!

The winners of THE TURNAROUND by George Pelecanos are:

• Jo-Jo


• Toni


• Heather


• Marie Burton


• scottsgal

The winners of The Women's Murder Club audiobook are:

• MJ


• Bev


• Sue W.

The winners of the Run for Your Life audiobook are:

• pissenlit


• okibi-insanity


• sharon54220

The winners of the Drood audiobook are:

• caseykelp


• Annie


• windycindy

The winners of the Max audiobook are:

• Sue W.


• okibi-insanity


• kalea-kane

Also-

My email provider has been doing something strange with my emails--I keep losing large amounts of emails (that I know I didn't delete!)

So, to be safe, I will ask the winners to fill out this form to provide me with their shipping information. So, if you won, please fill out this form.This includes those that already emailed me their shipping information. The form is secure.

I will give everyone through the end of the weekend to respond.

I'm sorry for any inconvenience or confusion!

VIA Bin Laden home videos expected to be released

Realism is a bore and a bother. It's been infinitely nicer to live in a world of illusion-that we were different from other nations, that we could ignore international agreements that didn't suit us, that we could go on using cheap energy without ever paying a price. Our success and our geographic isolation have let us get away with those delusions, but September 11 has shown them for what they were. Hence the need for real realism, for a view more clear-eyed and hard-nosed than we've had before.
This fall seems to have been the fall of Bill McKibben. I saw him at the Englert Theater in October, I read his writing in my nature writing class, I participated in a climate awareness event the organization he leads hosted, and I talked about his book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

on the most recent Green Reads podcast. He has several articles up on his website, but one that really struck me was An End to Sweet Illusions, which you can read in Mother Jones. The above quote is from this essay (Is this an essay? Is it an opinion piece? I must admit I'm straddling the line a bit.) and I think it's a good summation of the overarching point. This is from early 2002, so clearly September 11 was still extremely present in America, and there were a lot of questions about how we should approach the War on Terrorism.

McKibben shares ideas on the war, but uses it to help us understand that the way American functions today is not stable. And that going to war, while it might seem realistic on the surface, might actually make our country more vulnerable than we have been. "The American Way of Life," he says, should not be seen as stable because it has been successful in the past. Almost nine years after this essay was first written, I think it's safe to say the way we live is not stable. We are still struggling to find the security we thought we had before 9/11, but instead of backpedaling to the past we need to make plans for our new future.

I love the way McKibben writes because he uses simple language to describe environmental and political problems so anyone can understand him. Even though his ideas seem daunting at first, you find yourself wanting to learn more and more from him. On our podcast I talk about how his book Eaarth is a great starter book for anyone interested in environmentalism right now. I came away from that book with so much knowledge. I think this essay is a great starter piece to get you thinking about problems with the environment and politics, and while McKibben is kind of a downer, I do think there is some hope in what he writers.

Check out An End to Sweet Illusions on Mother Jones and let me know what you think about it! I'd also really appreciate it if you listened to the most recent Green Reads podcast.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you make a purchase using one of my links I will earn a small percentage which will then go back into this blog.