Turn The Page ... Tuesday

Library of Souls

From Amazon:  "A boy with extraordinary powers. An army of deadly monsters. An epic battle for the future of peculiardom.

The adventure that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Childrenand continued in Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls. As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all. Like its predecessors, Library of Souls blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience."


Yo! Adrienne says: When I began reading this series (back in 2012) I had no idea this was considered 'young adult'. I should have figured it out when there was no 'adult' uh-hum scenes. Refreshing actually. I also didn't realize that this was going to become a series and it would take me 3 years to wait for and get through the sequels. Was it worth it? Yup. My only recommendation - read them back to back or at least fairly close to one another. I found myself trying to remember details from the first book especially and just couldn't. They were still very readable despite but I would get hung up on details and would just have to remind myself to just soldier on. 


Oh - wait - one more suggestion. Don't read it on a kindle. I read all three on my kindle (because I"m cheap and could check them out from the library). There are some amazing and very unusual vintage pictures that the author strategically placed throughout. You don't want to miss the detail. If you are interested here are the links to when I posted about book one  (10/12) and book two (6/15).

Birds Like Us, The Pi Philecroix Story

From Amazon: "Pi Phillecroix, daughter and only offspring of Piette and Paul Phillecroix V attempts to survive a world that preys on the weak and vulnerable when she leaves the protection of her Paris home and journeys to the shores of England to find a cure for her dying father. Flightless, she bears the expectations of seventeen centuries of France’s most heroic and decorated flying families. Can one little bird bear the expectations of seventeen centuries? The Phillecroix’ have long been respected the world over for their daring and flying excellence. Each and every member of their lineage has devoted their lives to flock and country. The tragedy is that Pi, the last and only progeny of these decorated heroes, cannot fly. Intelligent, loving, virtuous, enormously devoted and reverential to mother and father, Pi bears the weight of her parents’ disappointment when they learn that the family’s tradition of flying excellence has ended. At a time when most young birds frolic and play in and around the fountains of the Tuileries, Pi relegates herself to a small corner of the family nest atop the l'Arc de Triomphe in order to hide her handicap and escape endless torment from the arrondissement’s teenage birds. When her war-decorated and beloved father becomes seriously ill, Pi steals away in the middle of the night to walk from Paris to England in an attempt to find Dr. Allbewell, the only one who may have the powers to save his life. Flightless, Pi makes her way on two scrawny pink feet, north to Normandy. During her journey she uncovers a host of characters that sometimes halt and other times hasten her journey with a blend of cruelness and helpfulness. Gervaise, an angelic force of wisdom rescues Pi from the throes of two sadistic Starlings; Etienne, a Giant Sea Fish helps Pi navigate the river Seine; Quick Jac Carlson a short-tempered, red-bellied woodpecker strangles her in an attempt to prevent her from seeking a night’s refuge; and Big Fella, a humble stallion who befriends and carries Pi to Cherbourg are just a few of the multifarious characters that drive this colorful and eclectic narrative. Readers from ages twelve and older will identify with Pi’s journey and feelings of inadequacy, the ridicule she has to endure for being ‘different,’ and ultimately the courage she exhibits in facing her fears one step at a time."

Yo! Adrienne says: My step mother shared this book with me. Her daughter lives near the author (all thought I don't believe knows personally) and had picked it up for her since she is an avid reader and support "local". It was a fascinating read from the perspective of a little bird. I have to admit I found myself looking at the birds in our yard quite differently after reading this book. Enjoyable read. Remember to support your local ... everything!

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

From Amazon: "Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom. Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle--and people in general--has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence--creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world."

Yo! Adrienne says: I must be the last person on the planet to have read (actually I listened) to this book. I remember everyone raving about this one. I saw mom's at the pool, sunglasses on, relaxing on a lounger with Bernadette in hand. I don't know why I was originally turned off. Thankfully my life has not allowed me time to sit and read (stay with me here) and I have rediscover the convenience of audio books. My library, remarkably, has a generous list that I have been working my way through. This being the first.  I throughly enjoyed this book not just because the audio was done so well but because the characters were so quirky. I kept wondering "what are these people doing?' and "no way!" but "yes way!" until the end when it all came together. If you are like me and don't know Bernadette, I highly recommend you get aquatinted this summer. It's a great pool side read (or ferrying kids to and fro listen).

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

From Amazon: "A powerful and resonant novel from Tom Franklin—critically acclaimed author of Smonk and  Hell at the Breech—Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter tells the riveting story of two boyhood friends, torn apart by circumstance, who are brought together again by a terrible crime in a small Mississippi town. An extraordinary novel that seamlessly blends elements of crime and Southern literary fiction, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a must for readers of Larry Brown, Pete Dexter, Ron Rash, and Dennis Lehane."

Yo! Adrienne says: Another audio book complete with southern accents and sayings. That alone should make you want to listen (I'm a biased Virginia girl). I've had this book on my read list for quite awhile but as I mentioned earlier - there wasn't any time. When I realized that this was also an audio book (for free! score!) from my library I put it in the line up (pun intended - there's a crime as a part of the storyline - you'll have to read to find out). The book was set in Mississippi during the early 1990's and to my surprise still had a tremendous amount of ignorance (racism). As distressing as this was to listen to, the story could not have progressed as it did without this nasty underlying current. Each character has it's own issues unrelated to the color of their skin and then throw in prejudice you begin to understand the why: fear. I really enjoyed this book and was completely surprised by the ending. I say definitely add this to your summer reading. If nothing else you will have a throw back to your elementary days: M-I-crooked-letter-crooked-letter-I-crooked-letter-hump-back-hump-back-I

Galatians

Yo! Adrienne says: My Community Bible Study just wrapped up for the year and Galatians was one of the books we studied. Before I participated in CBS I struggled to read the Bible. I would read and sometimes get it and sometimes not. I did get the ESV Study Bible and that helped but I wanted to discuss, share and learn scripture with others. As the saying goes "I wanted someone with skin on" to walk this road with me. Two of my favorite verses from Galatians that I often recall:

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit  Let us not become conceited provoking one another, envying one another. 5:22-25

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 6:9

So my friends, if you are like me, growing the fruits of the spirit within myself is an ongoing,repentant, forgiving, giving thanks journey. Let us not grow weary - what awaits is eternity with our savior!