BubblegumBooks

This is the story of a girl growing up in Central Nowhere (aka Nebraska). Morgan is in her senior year of high-school, and she can't wait to get the heck out of her small town. She has big dreams of writing the Great American Novel, and living in a big city, somewhere far away. The only thing she likes about Central Nowhere are the hills. Whenever she is frustrated, angry or confused (which is a lot), she drives into the hills, and screams her angst out to her hearts desire. And they don't mind.

Morgan is a great narrator. She is a interesting thinker, and she is constantly thinking up fortunes she would write for fortune cookies, and leaving them hidden all over the place. Each chapter starts out with an actual fortune from a cookie, and Morgan's quirky and snarky originals are scattered through the paragraphs, as they are scattered in the story in all the places Morgan goes. 

Most of the story focuses on Morgan's relationships with the people around her, more so her love life. She is in a love triangle of sorts with her current boyfriend Derek (a shallow, boring guy) and her co-worker Rob (who she thinks is really cute and has a huge crush on). To make things even more complicated, she discovers that her neighbor and childhood friend, Tessa has a huge crush on HER, and she doesn't know what to make of all this. She needs to figure out what she want in life and the others in it, with some old family issues surfacing and a painful secret revealed to top it all off. 

Life will fall apart, but will it fall back together? (*dramatic movie trailer voice*)

All in all, a serious but light read. I liked the narrative, and the family relationships that were discussed could have been explored more in depth, they could have been more interesting, and less neglected to the plot of a 17 year old girl's dramatic love life... Though a little sappy, things find closure in this book quite nicely. Had a breezy and refreshing feeling to it.

A story of self discovery. Learning that people aren't always what they seem at face value. Losing trust, gaining trust, and forgiveness. Knowing what you want and being who you are. Family. Acceptance. But most of all change.

Here is a quote from the book to sum that up, a conversation between Morgan and a usually slobby, cranky and repulsive customer and the grocery store she works at:

He's radiant. "Hello , young lady. How are you?"

I try to get my act together. "I'm all right, sir. How are you?"

"I'm clean, literally, and also sober. It's a great day."

I give him a faint smile as I bag up his food. "That's $12.73."

He hand me a twenty. "Keep the change."

"Sir I can't do that." I hand him back $7.27.

"Yes you can. Things change. Here's my change."

Good read!

I like myself a nice picture book every once and a while, and this one was really cute. 

I don't really know that much about Virginia Woolf herself, but I know enough to know that little girl this book is about is based off her, loosely.

Virginia is in a "wolfish" mood. This means she howl, growls, snaps at people, and sleeps in bed a lot, hiding away. She is depicted by a mere black shadow of a wolf throughout the book, in contrast with her surroundings. Vanessa, her sister, is cheery. She dresses in yellow and she loves to paint. All she wants to do is cheer up her sister, but nothing ever seems to work. 

Vanessa does't give up easily, she is very persistent. When her brooding sister lets slip her dream of a magical world in which she thinks she could be happy, she decides to make her dreams reality. With paint and a brush, she starts painting on the walls, and takes them both to Bloomsberry in hopes to bring her happy sister back again.

The colors in this were beautiful and soft, and everything when Virginia is sad is in black and white and grey. It was fun to read, put a smile on my face. I love that art was something that brought back the joy and cheer and hope in the story, the loving sisters, and the depiction of a really, really bad day with just shapes and colors.

I may also be over stepping the line of what kind of a bad day this books shows, but the fact that Virginia Woolf was who the story is based on, it also says something for depression and what it looks like. Though described lightly and more relatably here (this is a kid's book after all), I thought this was quite perfect, though less magically and quickly cured in real life. Still puts a smile on my face.

To read when you feel gloomy.

A sweet, endearing story of a girl named George and her struggles to show the world who she really is.

This book is about a transgender child, the second one I've ever read, and it seems there are not many books out there on the topic. It seems that as a topic, it's generally pretty groundbreaking, especially when it comes down to children. So that's cool. I'm so glad this was written.

It's a middle grade book, about a 4th grader. If anything, this book is simple. Simple to read and to understand. And just downright sweet.

George is a girl, something no one knows that about her, until her 4th grade class decides to put on a play about Charlotte's Web. George REALLY wants to play Charlotte in the play, but no one will have it. With the help of her very awesome, melodramatic friend Kelly, she figures out a way to show her Mom (and some others along the way) her true self.

Can truly teach a thing or to about acceptance.

Though some bullying and nonacceptance is depicted, part of a harsh reality, the family members and friends in this book were so excepting and supportive. Really lovely to read. Left me with the warm fuzzies.

Recommended. 

Thug Notes are these awesomely funny video segments on classic literature and more. Check out this summary and analysis of Ender's Game! Worth a watch.

(Spoilers in video, if you've never read the book...)

-Eloise Mcgraw, The Moorchild

I loved this book right from the dedication:

To all children who have ever felt different

This is the story of a young girl, Saaski, who is just that. She her self doesn't even know to what extent. She is a changeling, was born to fairies (referred to in the story as Folk, Moorfolk, among many names) and swapped from unsuspecting parents with a human baby. She remembers little of her life before she was a baby to human parents, but the fairies felt need to dispose of her after discovering she was part human.

She lives the life of a normal human girl, but is looked down upon by the people in town. She is bullied and blamed for the misfortunes often. She feels different, she behaves differently, she looks different- all these are sign to others that she doesn't belong.

Throughout the story, she uncovers her story of who she is and meets a few friends despite her many foes.

I loved this kind of thoughtful pondering Saaski did through out the story as to what the feelings Love and Hate are. These feelings are foreign to the fairies, these feelings are very much human (Fairies are care-free, and don't really see things black and white, nor do they have any attachments to anything). She is usually not quite sure she understands what they are, and that changes throughout the book. Saaski is a gentle soul, a free spirit. Very thoughtful, not clouded by judgement. This personality of her conquers over the feelings of darkness and hatred them draw in during the book. A great character, among many more.

A magical story, somewhat bittersweet. Very recommended if you like reading about fairies, or can relate to the dedication quoted above and feel sometimes like you belong neither here nor there.

Meg Blackburn Losey, The Children of Now

Wow. Just wow.

This is a book is about the children of the New Age. The next step in both physical and spiritual evolution of the human race. These are children who are gifted, but often misunderstood, and there for mistreated or disregarded often. They have purpose in the next step of changing the world, just like many other children for generations who were born gifted with knowledge and the abilities to guide others and bring peace and love to the world. This is who they are now, this is how we've changed as humans.

The author speaks from experience of encountering and working with all type of Children of Now, she tells personal stories, and quotes the children's profound wisdom. They are all wiser then their years, they know so much more then you'd expect from a child or even an adult.

She talks about the children, but also how to care for them as a parent, teacher or caregiver.

Iv'e read some articles on the matter that are scattered around about these children, but mostly about the Indigo Children, so this really set the the differences straight. Loved all of the children's quotes, they left me in awe.

I'd recommend this wonderful book to anyone, as long as you can keep your mind wide open.

.

Came across this book and remembered liking it as a kid. Even better now. 

Definitely going to be a review to come!

SOOO interesting!

I guess I can sum this up as a disappointing read.

I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings, the romance being about two girls helps the book sell quicker. So I actually read most of the book, just was dissatisfied by the plot and didn't really care how the story ended.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS! (Also, I'm not the nicest when I review books I didn't like. So beware dramatic criticism.)

Eleanor (Ellie) is moves in with her father and his new wife after her mother dies. She has two new stepsisters, a stepmother and lives in a enormous mansion filled with servants and luxuries. Then her father dies. Sound familiar?

I didn't ever like the original Cinderella particularly, but Ellie is even less interesting.

Her father dies, her sisters become suddenly evil, and she sent from her comfortable bedroom to work with the servants.

But I think the most aggravating part was the romance. Extremely sensual and erotic, but it takes Ellie a relatively long time to realize that her stepsister Belladonna is TOTALLY in lust with her. In fact, she writes about how much she wants her in a poorly hidden diary that Ellie finds and reads. Upon finding this out, Ellie realizes that that not only is a lesbian sex a thing, but that she wants Belladonna as well.

This is far fetched for a few reasons- 

1. The limited interactions between Ellie and Belladonna up until Ellie realizes she like her.

2.The spontaneity of her deciding to take on a woman as her lover (after she states she had never thought about it), and her kinda-sister as her lover (after she states she had NEVER thought about it). 

3.The fact that her other step-sister, Luciana, is forcing her self on other servants. Having sex with them without their consent, because they are servants, and they have to. RAPING them. 

Though that is repulsive, it makes her very villainous. The problem is that it is implied that Belladonna sleeps with the servants, too. But they don't mind. Because she is the the less violent "nice" rapist.

OK.

Well, also it felt like the whole romance was this kind of deflower-the-virgin kind of thing.

And as a large part of the plot at some points, it made me kind of bored.

Lot's of things felt overlooked.

That is all I have to say for the book.

Which questions why it was labeled fantasy on Goodreads, I hardly registered that part of the story.

Recommended if you are not so hypocritical and picky about things like this as I am. If you like plenty of erotic scenes and don't mind all the characters being so shallow.

-Alice Hoffman, Incantation 

This is a magical piece of historical-fiction.

This is the story of Estrella, a normal-in-every-way Spanish teenager in the 1500's.

Her world shatters quite suddenly when the inquisition starts, and she learns that she is a Marrano- She comes from a family of Jews who converted to Christianity and practice their faith in secret. Their identities are hidden at all cost, and they are risking their lives living this way. All traditions they practice are masked over by christian ones, and her family studies and teaches the mystic Jewish teachings of the Kabbalah in hiding.

Estrella knew none of this and is suddenly awakened to the cruel world of the inquisition where the Marranos are being hunted. People are starting to be put to death and tortured the minute their faith is questioned.

The world is a magical one, starting in a lazy childhood with haze and quickly being shattered with the realizations of living a lie. Darkness seeps in. Lots of backstabbing and betrayal.  Estrella tries to come to terms with the world she lives in and discover who she really is, along with avoiding death and the persecution of her beloved family.

I am very fond of Alice Hoffman's writing. She can add magic and mysticality to a story in a way no one else can. She also writes incredibly interesting historical fiction (The Dovekeepers is one one my favorite books and highly recommended). I was shocked at how similar the story is to holocaust stories I've read or heard of. It's appalling how dark and sinister the human race can be, how history repeats it self- this story happening hundreds of years before the holocaust we all know of. It's a heavy subject, but a short book, writing quite simply. Very descriptive, the story has many reoccurring symbols that layer the story with depth and meaning.

I feel like we forget more distant histories, and how things like this happen and repeat themselves. Its a dark world, but this book sheds light. You might also shed some tears.

------------------

Betrayal, forbidden love, faith, identity, friendship, family and magic. The forces of dark and light. Belonging. Meaning.  

Sad, but hopeful and VERY recommended.