Bogormen

Title: Pretties Author: Scott Westerfeld Genre: Dystopian, YA Rating: 8/10 # pages: 370 Date read: February, 2008

Summary: Tally has forgotten almost all that she did as an Ugly and has completely embraced the mindless life of a New Pretty, going to parties, drinking heavily, and thinking of nothing more than the next bit of entertainment. It is not until one of the Uglies from New Smoke comes and delivers a message for her that leads her to two pills, that she begins to remember the real reason she is Pretty: to see if the cure will work. Tally and her new boyfriend, Zane, each take one of the pills and both begin to stay focused for longer periods of time. Then he has a bad reaction to the pill, and Tally has to make a desperate attempt to get him to the only doctors who can help him–the ones outside the city.

Review: Now that I know how closely the three books of the trilogy are connected, the cliffhanger'ish ending of Pretties didn't seem as annoying as it did in Uglies. But that may also be because I never got quite as emotionally involved in this one. Not that it wasn't excellent, but it had a very transitional feel, which I find is often the problem with the middle book in just about any trilogy (right now I can't think of any that are the exception to the rule).

I was very impressed at how Scott Westerfeld wrote the mentality of the pretties. The distinction of how they thought and how uglies though was very distinct and very well done.

I'm looking forward to seeing how he'll wrap this all up in the final book.

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Title: Seduced by a Spy Author: Andrea Pickens Genre: Historical fiction Rating: 8/10 # pages: 352 Date read: February, 2008

Review: Mrs. Merlin's Academy for Select Young Ladies is not what it appears to be. Rather than being a respectable school for young women, it's an academy that helps young orphan girls by removing them from the slums of London and giving them a career… a career as a spy.

Shannon is one of these orphans and as the tale begins she is sent out on a mission to take out D'Etienne, one of Napoleon's agents. Unbeknownst to her, Orlov, a Russian spy is sent out on the exact same mission and they meet up at a very inopportune moment. Their mission failed, they travel back to England, only to discover that their respective employers have decided to join forces and use Orlov and Shannon as a team, sending them to Scotland where D'Etienne is likely to show up next.

Shannon and Orlov decide on a temporary truce, but disguised as governess and tutor they find more than they bargained for in the wild moors of Scotland. Love for both their charges and each other threatens to break through their cold and cynical facades. Will they ever be able to go back to being cold and disengaged again?

Seduced by a Spy is a wonderful action novel with an atmosphere typical to that of regency novels, and lovers of Georgette Heyer's work will be delighted to find this modern-day alternative. Slow to start, it quickly picks up pace and captivates you completely, and I found it difficult to put down before the last page was turned. Combining action and romance with a good sense of humour and you end up with "a ripping good tale", as Orlov's pupil would put it.

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Title: So Many Books, So Little Time Author: Sara Nelson Genre: Non-fiction Rating: 9/10 # pages: 242 Date read: February, 2008

Summary: Sometimes subtle, sometimes striking, the interplay between our lives and our books is the subject of this unique memoir by well-known publishing correspondent and self-described "readaholic" Sara Nelson. From Solzhenitsyn to Laura Zigman, Catherine M. to Captain Underpants, the result is a personal chronicle of insight, wit, and enough infectious enthusiasm to make a passionate reader out of anybody.

Review: Heh! I didn't even know this book existed when I thought up the subtitle to bogormen. Guess I'm no where near as original as I'd like to think ;-)

I can't say exactly why I loved this book so much. Perhaps because it's the kind of book I've always wanted to write myself, but never thought anybody would be willing to read? I hadn't read too many of the books she mentioned, but would probably have loved the book even more if I had. As it was, I got a lot of ideas for new books that I want to read.

As Sara wrote: "When things go right, I read. When they go wrong, I read more." It's like she read my mind. And that is the main theme of this book. She's a book-addict, I'm a book-addict. We understand each other.

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Title: The Emerald City of Oz Author: L. Frank Baum Genre: Classics Rating: 6/10 # pages: Audiobook Date read: February, 2008

Summary: Join Dorothy and the Wonderful Wizard as they take Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on a fabulous tour of Oz. During their journey they encounter such amazing and amusing people as King Kleaver with his Spoon Brigade and Miss Cuttenclip of the land of paper dolls. But while Dorothy and her friends play, the wicked Nome King has joined forces with the terrible Whimsies, the fearsome Growleywogs, and the evil Phanfasms in a plot to capture the Emerald City. Will Dorothy's friends discover the danger before it's too late?

Review: The Emerald City of Oz suffers from the same issue as The Road to Oz... too many characters, too little plot. I did prefer this one to RtO though as it seemed better spaced, and there actually was some plot with the Nome invasion. I also liked Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's reaction to Oz, even if they did seem terribly naive at times.

I actually saw a cartoon version of this as a kid, but as it was before I spoke English and without subtitles, I didn't get all that much out of it. It would be fun to see it again now :)

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Title: Anatomy of a Boyfriend Author: Daria Snadowsky Genre: YA Rating: 7/10 # pages: 259 Date read: February, 2008

Review:

Dominique had never been in love before. The closest she'd come to being physical with a guy was when playing Operation. She'd never even gone beyond chaste pecks on the mouth. Then she met Wes... as inexperienced as herself, but utterly adorable. And - wonders of wonders - he likes her too. Suddenly Dom experiences a whirlwind of romance, but it's the last semester of high school – will their relationship survive being hundreds of miles apart at two different colleges?

Anatomy of a Boyfriend addresses a teenager's experience of the first serious boyfriend and the first sexual experience. Unfortunately I was somewhat disappointed at the way it was approached as it ended up reading most of all like a book version of American Pie seen from a girl's point of view. I felt too much time was spent focusing on the sexual aspect of a first boyfriend, and too little on the emotional aspect of it. And that is a shame, because Daria Snadowsky's strength undoubtedly lies in describing emotions. Her portrayals of the insecurities and the exhilaration of a budding relationship are perfect, and will place any reader right back in the rollercoaster of first love. However, the sex scenes are unnecessarily explicit and not in keeping with the age and experience levels of the people involved.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend is aimed at readers in mid-late teens and I'd therefore be hesitant to recommend it to readers in the target age group because it takes sex so lightly. I'd rather have seen a book that put more emphasis on the emotional highs and lows of a relationship, and less on the physical. When push comes to shove, it's the emotional dedication that will make or break a relationship.

That one caveat aside I did enjoy the book and took great pleasure in seeing how Dom blossomed once she found someone to love and who loved her back. Also the change in Dom's relationships with her best friend and her parents once a boy entered her life were very true to life and something any reader will recognize from their own experiences.

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Title: Stolen Lives Author: Malika Oufkir & Michele Fitoussi Genre: Non-fiction, biography, cultural Rating: 10/10 # pages: 318 Date read: February, 2008

Summary: At the age of 5, Malika Oufkir, eldest daughter of General Oufkir, was adopted by King Muhammad V of Morocco and sent to live in the palace as part of the royal court. There she led a life of unimaginable privilege and luxury alongside the king's own daughter. King Hassan II ascended the throne following Muhammad V's death, and in 1972 General Oufkir was found guilty of treason after staging a coup against the new regime, and was summarily executed. Immediately afterward, Malika, her mother, and her five siblings were arrested and imprisoned, despite having no prior knowledge of the coup attempt.

They were first held in an abandoned fort, where they ate moderately well and were allowed to keep some of their fine clothing and books. Conditions steadily deteriorated, and the family was eventually transferred to a remote desert prison, where they suffered a decade of solitary confinement, torture, starvation, and the complete absence of sunlight. Oufkir's horrifying descriptions of the conditions are mesmerizing, particularly when contrasted with her earlier life in the royal court, and many graphic images will long haunt readers. Finally, teetering on the edge of madness and aware that they had been left to die, Oufkir and her siblings managed to tunnel out using their bare hands and teaspoons, only to be caught days later.

Review: An absolutely amazing book. I was totally blown away by it. It is fascinating, infuriating, frightning and horrifying. To think that Malika was held captive all together more than twenty years!!! I don't think I could have done what she did. It would have been an incredible work of fiction, but knowing that it was a biography just lent it that much more poignancy. I highly recommend it, but will warn you that it is very disturbing reading.

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Title: Those Who Trespass Against Us Author: Karolina Lanckoronska Genre: Non-fiction, ww2 Rating: 7/10 # pages: 294 Date read: February, 2008

Summary: Born in Vienna in 1898, Karolina Lanckoronska was an aristocrat and art historian who taught at the University of Lwow. When the Soviets came to occupy the city, Lanckoronska became active in the Polish resistance. She was arrested in 1942, imprisoned and sentenced to death before being incarcerated, first in Stanislau then in Lwow and Berlin. She was finally placed in a concentration camp in Ravensbruck.

As a Countess, Lanckoranska was subjected to varying treatment, at times suffering near starvation, only to receive extra food and medical care at other times according to the often-conflicting concerns of the authorities in Berlin. With the intervention of some influential friends, the honourable actions of one Nazi, and efforts by the Swiss scholar Carl J. Burckhardt, she was eventually released.

Throughout her imprisonment, Lanckoronska remained defiantly resilient, loyal to Poland and committed to her fellow prisoners.

Review: While an interesting enough plot, the writing was unfortunately very dry and at times even dull and it therefore took me ages to read it. I'd still recommend it though, as you seldom hear much of World War 2 from a Pole's point of view, and I therefore learned a lot about how their fight wasn't just with the Nazi's, but with the Communists as well.

However, it utilized one of my major bookish pet peeves: an excessive use of other languages in a book. When writing a book stick to one language! People reading the book know very well that General Whatever really speaks German, but it's been translated for the book for our benefit - there's no need to have half of his conversation be in German! I can understand it when there are words/phrases that just don't work well in the translated language, but writing "Los!" instead of "Go!" just comes across as both pompous and pointless.

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