The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest

Short stories certainly have a place in our society. These particular stories and poems in this anthology focused on The Green Man of lore.

“-the Green Man- the spirit who stands for Nature in its most wiled and untamed form, a man with leaves for hair, who dwells deep within the mythic forest.”

That explains it better than I ever could and that gives you a brief taste of what is to come. The variety of authors, some that I knew of some that I didn't made the book come even more alive. My favorites were Going Wodwo (poem) by Neil Gaiman, Grand Central Park by Delia Sherman, Hunter's Moon by Patricia A. McKillip, A World Painted by Birds by Katherin Vaz, Grounded by Nina Kirki Hoffman, Overlooking by Carol Emshwiller, Joshua Tree by Emma Bull, The Pagodas of Ciboure by M. Shayne Bell, and The Green Word by Jeffrey Ford. There was only one in the book that just didn't seem to fit and that was Fee, Fie, Foe, et Cetera by Gregory Maguire only because it was a re-telling of Jack and the Bean Stalk and I didn't see how it truly fit into the nature category even with the bean stalk.

I loved this book and will definitely be one I am going to keep. The variety was great and it was nice to read a good clean young adult book for a change. The editors did a fantastic job and I might even seek out more of their work! They also did a fantastic job with their illustrator. I was blown away by all the gorgeous pictures!

Off to work on more packing! We are moving but hoping to finish one more book this month! Then not sure when I'll post again!

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Dara Snadowsky

Dominique is trying to figure out what to do with her life. She has only kissed a few boys and life is very normal. She knows she wants to be a doctor but there has got to be something more. Her best friend Amy hooks up all the time and Dom is starting to feel a little left out. Going to a track meet, she meets this sweetheart of a boy who helps her up after she falls. She wonders if she could fall in love with him. Amy helps her and before Dominique knows it, she is kissing and wanting so much more with Wesley. But she still is not sure.

Ms. Snadowsky writes a very emotional book that shows how relationships can be. At times, I was not sure I wanted Dominique to act on her feelings. But then she kept processing them and making sure that is what she wanted. This was not wilting flower by any means. The one thing that kept coming across for this author was that just keeping in mind what you want and talk things out.

Dominique being an only child had no one to share attention. That drove her nuts cause she wanted more freedom than her parents would give her most of the time. Boys were an unknown for most of her world but having found Wesley her curiosity got the better of her. Amy was so much experienced in most ways and Dominique was feeling a little left out. But she was not about to hook up with just anyone.

This book was up and down. I never really had the curiosities that Dominique had at her age. I will not say I was not boy crazy and wanted to have my first kiss. It just never happened till later. Dominique has a lot of things to deal with and I felt she handled them very well for her age. She was a senior in high school so I am not sure I would recommend this book for any one under the age of 16. But that is just me. There will be some curious teens but definitely let your parents read it first. It is not easy to discuss this kind of stuff with them but they have a lot more experience than one might think. I liked that the book was not detailed but you saw the emotions of Dominique throughout the book. Not an easy subject for a mother to read but definitely one I’ll keep in the back of my head.


Daria Snadowsky/ Young Adult Fiction/ Relationships/Growing Up/ 272 pages/ 3 out of 5

This book was well done and now I am not going to pick up another book till tomorrow.

Leftovers by Laura Wiss

Blair and Ardith are best friends. They are sick of kids at school judging them and making their life set for them by the gossip that goes around. So they set out to do something unforgivable. They do it because of their backgrounds. They feel forgotten and left over.

Ms. Wiss presents a compelling story that makes you think. She never puts her opinion on the table. She writes so you can make your own decisions. You are able to view a world that could happen to any young girl. It is something that will keep you turning pages.

Blair was sick of her mom deciding her life for her so she set out to do what she wanted. She made sure to keep up appearances but leaving her mom in the dark. Ardith wanted to leave her family. She rarely brought anyone home. She kept herself safe by a padlock on her bedroom door.

Eye opening does not even begin to describe this book. The parents presented in this book outraged me. There has got to be a balance somewhere that parents can be involved but not too restricting. Consequences need to happen but I thought these parents were not wanting to be involved in their kids’ lives and that upset me the most. This is one I recommend not only for teenagers but for parents too. It is a good short read that will have you questioning everything. I definitely want to read more by this author.
Laura Wiss/ Review Book/ 4 out of 5/ Young Adult Fiction/Friends/196 pages

I read this one for Simon and SChuster. Right now I am working on Third Degree by Greg Iles.

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Jean had to get away from home. Her parents sent her to New York to live with her Aunt and Uncle. But even that hasn’t stopped bad things happening. Least of all is her cousin Tory who is not pleased to have her around. Being jinxed her whole life may just be the thing that keeps her safe.

Meg Cabot does it again. She can pretty much write anything and I enjoy it. She writes characters that come across as very real. I don’t necessary like the idea of witches. Yet I know they are out there and that the pre-conceived notions we have are not always accurate. Ms. Cabot really wanted there to be some truth and I appreciated that.

Jinx just wants to get rid of her jinx. Being known as Jean would be a nice change. Her cousin Tory certainly is not helping. Zach is always on her mind but she doesn’t want to deal with past issues. Being 16 is not easy but when family hurts you, life is so much more difficult.

Being one who reads almost anything, I really enjoyed this book. Jean aka Jinx had to learn to embrace who she is before coming to terms with her past. It may not happen necessarily in that order but Jean needs to take the time to figure it all out. I disliked Tory because she’d do awful things to her cousin to be the center of attention. That is just wrong though I know of people who have done that. Jean handled it all very well which made the book even better.
Meg Cabot/ 262 pages/Witches/Young Adult Fiction

Well I started one of my books fore review. Now off to write some more. For an update as of yesterday I had 18, 053 words done! So off to write!

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Aislinn had always been able to see fairies. Her Grams taught the rules to keep her safe. Yet when a fairy comes after her, she is unsure of what to do. Worst of all, he is the Summer King looking for his queen. Now she truly questions what she wants for her life. Plus she does not want to lose her freedom so she must keep Grams in the dark.

Ms. Marr tells a new story about the world of the Faire Folk. With quotes from different fairy books you get pulled into a world that feels real. The emotions and conflicts feel real and each character must leave up to their decisions. It is not an easy thing and I felt Ms. Marr portrayed every character very well.

Aislinn is a stubborn young woman. She hates being kept in her Grams’ house so she keeps things a secret. She hates doing it but needs to find out what is wanted of her. Keenan, the Summer King, just wants life back to the way it was before his father died. He has no idea how difficult of a task it will be. These two fight to see eye to eye. Aislinn relies on her best friend Seth. Seth wants to protect her and keep her safe. He decides to do his own research to understand what Aislinn is dealing with.

This story is wonderfully written. I got swept up into it and couldn’t believe how awful some fairies can be. I have read enough stories but it still gets me every time. I want everyone to be good and that is not so. Ms. Marr truly impressed me and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

5 out of 5/ New author/ Young Adult Fiction/Fairies/ 328 pages

The Terrorist by Caroline B. Cooney

Laura Williams worked on living the most normal life that she could in London. Going to school at London International Academy is not an easy thing to do for her or her brother Billy. They have to keep their opinions to themselves and try to figure out where they fit in the whole world. Billy takes the tube while Laura takes the bus to school. They have had bomb drills all the time but Laura can’t believe what happens when she gets off the bus to meet Billy and he never shows. All she hears is something about a bomb and her world changes in one instant!

Ms. Cooney is a fabulous writer who writes about many things. She takes this topic on with the tenacity that I am familiar with. She never says who is right or wrong but describes the workings of a terrorist. She also lets you get to see how grief can affect a family and what they need to do to move on.

Laura was a sweet girl who should have not had to experience grief so early. She was just trying to be a teenager and adjust to being in a different country. Her parents even went so far as to truly trust her. Though she had never done anything to make them think otherwise. Billy is a sweet boy who just makes people love him no matter how annoying he is at that time. He is an innocent boy with dreams. Even the students of L.I.A. are trying to figure out who they are but completely sheltered because of who their parents are, who their parents support, or if they had to leave their country for some reason or another. It is surprising how well these kids do at all and just want to be kids.

I could see why this book would be challenged since it deals with terrorists. This type of thing has always been a touchy subject to cover and even more so since 9/11. I thought it was well explained and well told. I think this book could teach a lot of kids things like how sheltered we are and how we truly need to give it our all to try to know other people before making irrational judgments. I give this book a 4/5. I love this author and have read other of her books and will continue to do so.

198 pages/Challenged Book/ Young Adult Fiction

Now off to start The Summer of my German Soldier by Bette Green and then after that Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicole Krauss. After that to books to review, I have 6 new ones. :)