August Book Reviews

Happy September!

Yesterday, I shared how I finished the Semi-Charmed Summer Reading Challenge I've been participating in. Here is a review of those books. All but one of these was for that challenge.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

                                                                       Book Description:

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. 
                        book description and image via Goodreads


My Review:
This was a very intriguing novel. It's being made into a movie, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that turns out. This novel is narrated by Death, which adds and interesting perspective. It's set in Germany, but it's not told from the Jewish point of view or from a Nazi supporter's point of view. It shows a side of Nazi Germany that we don't often see. Some of the citizens of Germany were victims of this time as well. They didn't ask for their country to be ran the way it was. They didn't support these changes, but they couldn't oppose the government either.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Protector by Joanne Wadsworth

Book Description:
Book One in the Magio-Earth series. To love and protect…across worlds. Eighteen-year-old Faith

Stryker is prepared to leap out into the unknown world beyond her home shores of New Zealand to experience life. Only she never expected to encounter Magio, a planet with two warring countries, where its people reach adulthood at eighteen by coming into their strength and prophetic abilities. Only after Faith discovers she’s a Halfling--thanks to her warrior father she’s never met--does her own skill of forethought develop. Peacio’s Prince Davio Loveria is sent to the young Faith Stryker by his grandfather, but not all goes as planned. Davio discovers Faith isn’t just a Halfling, she’s also his soul-bound mate--an intense relationship he cannot, nor will not, give up. With two wars now waging…one of land and the other of the heart…can the young lovers find their place in the world?
              book description and image via Goodreads

My Review:
Overall, this was a quick and fun read. It's similar in many ways to other YA novels that are out and popular right now. I didn't love the love story which makes me sad because very often love stories are my favorite part of a novel. The characters are "mated" and I wasn't a fan of that. Also, sometimes what was happening didn't make sense. I did like how the story has a Romeo and Juliet vibe going on as the two main characters are from enemy families. I look forward to reading the next one to see how it all plays out. 

I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

                                                                   Book Description:
Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to “Mister,” a brutal man who terrorizes her. Celie eventually learns that her abusive husband has been keeping her sister’s letters from her and the rage she feels, combined with an example of love and independence provided by her close friend Shug, pushes her finally toward an awakening of her creative and loving self.
                      book description and image via Goodreads

My Review:
This book is a highly acclaimed classic. I enjoyed it overall, but had some problems with it. It's written as a series of letters which isn't my favorite way to narrate a book. There were also times that it was hard for me to understand what was going on. The teacher part of me also had a problem with the fact that there were no quotation marks.

I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Megan's Mate by Nora Roberts

Book Description:
Megan O'Riley and her young son stood on the brink of a new life. All she wanted was to put her shameful past behind her -- so she buried her passions beneath businesslike efficiency and vowed never to let her heart lead her astray again.Rugged Nathaniel Fury set his mind on Megan the day they first met -- and all her resistance could not divert him. Nathaniel was determined to have a victory they could both enjoy for the rest of their lives!
                         book description and image via Goodreads

My Review:
There's not much to say in review of a Nora Roberts novel. They're all the same. Yet, I find them enjoyable when you want mindless, romantic, and fun entertainment. 

I give it 3 out of 5 stars.







Matched by Ally Condie

Book Description:
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.
                book description and image via Goodreads


My Review:
This is probably my favorite book that I read this month. Sure this book has the ever popular dystopian society, female teenage heroine, and love triangle. BUT I still found it different, enjoyable, and thought provoking. How important is choice and free will in our lives? Would you rather have a "perfect" society or choice? Even if those choices lead to death and destruction? I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to read the next two to see how it all ends.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Pandora's Lunchbox by Melanie Warner

Book Description:
In the tradition of Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore’s Dilemma comes a fascinating and

cutting-edge look at the scary truth about what really goes into our food. If a piece of individually wrapped cheese can retain its shape, color, and texture for years, what does it say about the food we eat and feed to our children? Former New York Times business reporter and mother Melanie Warner decided to explore that question when she observed the phenomenon of the indestructible cheese. She began an investigative journey that took her to research labs, university food science departments, and factories around the country. What she discovered provides a rare, eye-opening—and sometimes disturbing—account of what we’re really eating. Warner looks at how decades of food science have resulted in the cheapest, most abundant, most addictive, and most nutritionally inferior food in the world, and she uncovers startling evidence about the profound health implications of the packaged and fast foods that we eat on a daily basis. From breakfast cereal to chicken subs to nutrition bars, processed foods account for roughly 70 percent of our nation’s calories. Despite the growing presence of farmers’ markets and organic produce, strange food additives are nearly impossible to avoid. Warner digs deep into the ingredient lists of purportedly healthy foods, and what she finds will change the way readers eat—and how they feed their children. Combining meticulous research, vivid writing, and cultural analysis, Warner blows the lid off the largely undocumented—and lightly regulated—world of chemically treated and processed foods and lays bare the potential price we may pay for consuming even so-called healthy foods.

                      book description and image via Goodreads

My Review:
I found this book very interesting. It basically goes through the history of processed food and how we got to this point. It describes various methods that are used to create food. It definitely made me want to get back into my real food goals. Like most nonfiction books, there are parts that are difficult to get through because it's a lot of information. In the end, I learned a lot and would highly recommend this book.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What have you read lately? Any good recommendations?