Waiting to Forget

Waiting to Forget
By Sheila Welch
Namelos, 2011. 170 pgs. Middle Grade fiction

As T.J. sits in the hospital waiting room, anxious for news about his sister Angela, who has suffered a fall, he reflects on their life. "Now" they are adjusting to being recently adopted and fitting in with their new parents, but "then," they lived with their mother and her series of boyfriends, with T.J. acting much more like an adult than his mother as he tried to keep himself and his sister safe. As he reflects on his life and worries about his sister, T.J. comes to realize what he wants from life.

This is a touching, thought-provoking story. Told alternately between "now" and "then," it takes readers through the children's lives, as they craved their mother's love and attention but could never quite rely on her, and their struggles to fit into a new family. While it deals with difficult topics, such as abandonment and neglect, it does so in a gentle, caring way that invites readers to join T.J. on his emotional journey.

3.5 stars. Has a little bit of language, but of the milder variety.

Daughter of Helaman

Daughter of Helaman
By Misty Moncur
Bonneville Books, 2011. 201 pgs. Teen fiction

Although Keturah is of marrying age, she has no intention of getting married yet. Instead, she wants to join her brothers and the other young men of their people as they form a rag-tag army and prepare to battle their enemies. Ezekiel, the boy who has been her friend all her life, wants Keturah to accept his offer of betrothal, and while she thinks she loves him, she can't help the rising feelings she has for Gideon, the only man who seems willing to accept her need to be a soldier.

This was an exciting adventure, the first book in a new series, and overall I enjoyed it and I think other readers will, too. It's fast-paced and Keturah is a spunky character. I was a little put off by the use of modern slang in a historical fiction novel. (Duh, awesome, etc. just don't strike me as being a big part of the vocab before Christ...granted, I don't know what would have been, but it was a bit jarring.) I also got a little frustrated with Keturah going so far as to tell Zeke she loves him (multiple times) but all the while obviously being attracted to Gideon. It honestly made me frustrated with her; I can be sympathetic to her being conflicted about her feelings, but if she KNOWS she's conflicted (and she should, or she's kinda dumb), then she shouldn't tell Zeke she loves him. Also, I didn't feel like her relationship with Zeke was developed enough to really make me take her feelings for him seriously; we see a lot of him being bossy or opposing her (and some good stuff, too), but mainly it felt like the author TOLD the reader that there were feelings there, rather than actually showing it. All in all, though, I was intrigued by the book and look forward to the rest of the series.


3.5 stars.

Jane Austen in Scarsdale

Jane Austen in Scarsdale

By Paula Marantz Cohen

St. Martin's Press, 2006. 275 pgs. Adult Fiction

Summary:
In this modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, Anne Ehrlich is a high school guidance counselor who, thirteen years before, was persuaded by her grandmother that her boyfriend Ben wasn't a good choice for her. She's never been able to forget about him, and when his nephew transfer to Anne's school, she finds herself face to face with Ben once again--and finds that her feelings for him have never died. However, Ben has a fiancé, and Anne is certain he won't forgive her for how things ended between them.

My opinion:

This is a clean read and a fun modern version of Persuasion. Even those who aren't familiar with the original will still enjoy the plot line.It's an easy, breezy read that's perfect for an afternoon of light reading.

3 stars.

Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt

Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt and Other Things I Learned in Southern Belle Hell
By Cricket Rumley
Egmont, 2011. 298 pgs. Teen fiction

Troublemaker Jane isn't exactly the typical participant in Bienville, Alabama's Magnolia Maid Pageant, but since her beloved grandmother asks her to try it and Jane is trying to connect to her deceased mother (the Magnolia Maid queen in her day), Jane gives it a go, and surprisingly, is one of the finalists. That means she has to join four other girls in being a true Southern belle, complete with a hoopskirt and sweet Southern manners. However, bickering between the girls, plus the barriers Jane has put up around herself due to a painful past, make it even more difficult than Jane anticipated.

This a fun, fluffy read, good for a lazy afternoon. At the same time, it has some deeper and more serious aspects, such as lessons about friendship and dealing with family disappointments.

3 stars. Pretty frequent examples of underage drinking, but no sexuality and only minor language.

Entwined

Entwined
By Heather Dixon
Random House/Listening Library, 2011. 10 sound discs (ca. 71 min. each). Teen fiction

When the queen dies, the king puts the entire household into mourning. His twelve daughters, who love to dance, are determined to find a way to keep dancing, and magic allows them a way. They find a secret passage to a forest where they can dance. However, the Keeper there seems to have dark secrets, and Azalea, the oldest of the princesses, must find a way to free her family from his grasp before it's too late.

I like the setting and the world described in this story, as well as the language (although I got really, really tired of the words skirts, crinolines, and cravat by the end of the book), but I had a harder time with the plot and the characters. I guess my main problem is that I was never really sold on the girls' need to dance. Keeper is creepy, and I don't understand why they ignored that to go dancing. Maybe someone who dances would understand, and I don't, but honestly, where's their sense of self-preservation? Or common sense? Or any inkling that they might be in danger? Since I didn't buy the need to dance, that made it hard for me to get into the rest of the story, because (for a disbelieving reader like me), they either seem really dumb (which doesn't endear them to me) or really young (which makes it hard to accept that the three oldest have romantic entanglements, because they seem too young and therefore the gentlemen pursuing them seem icky for pursuing them and gives the reader an unsettled feeling during the reading). I wonder if I would have liked the book better than the sound recording; although the narrator was good, the sheer time it takes to listen to a book (instead of being able to breeze through reading it in a matter of hours) gave me lots of time to notice and ponder things I didn't like, whereas if I'd read it, maybe I would have been more swept into the story.

3 stars. Clean read.

Ruby Red

Ruby Red
By Kerstin Gier
Henry Holt and Company, 2011. 330 pgs. Teen fiction

Gwen's family has a history of time traveling, and everyone thinks that her cousin Charlotte will be the next time travel, but it turns out to be Gwen instead. Charlotte, in anticipation of her role, has been given all sorts of training to help her blend in when she visits the past as well as an introduction to the secret society that protects the secret of their time travel and the machine that lets them control where they travel. Gwen doesn't have that training and is somewhat at a loss as to what is expected of her. She has a time-travel companion, handsome Gideon, who quickly makes it clear that Gwen is not his type and pretty much beneath his notice, and her mother warns her not to trust anyone, so Gwen is pretty confused as to what's going on and who is even telling the truth.

This is an exciting start to a new series; I like the time-traveling elements (although, I'm not quite sure I understand all of it, so I hope Gwen gets enlightened a little more in the next book so I can understand more as well), and Gwen is a good protagonist. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

4.5 stars. A really, really little bit of language, but otherwise, this one's clean.

Persuasion

Persuasion
By Jane Austen
Oxford University Press, 2004. 249 pgs. Adult Fiction

Eight years ago, Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth fell in love, but Anne's father, a vain, shallow man who is overly hung up on appearances, money, connections and social class, won't approve the marriage. Anne's deceased mother's closest friend also discourages the match, and Anne is persuaded to end their engagement. Now, the Elliots are running up debts and have to economize; they rent out their estate to the Crofts--Captain Wentworth's brother-in-law and sister--and Captain Wentworth, recently returned from sea and now distinguished and wealthy, comes to visit. He and Anne barely speak, neither acknowledging their previous engagement. Captain Wentworth seems to be taken with another young lady in the neighborhood, and soon, Anne realizes her true feelings for him.

I'm not sure why I never bothered to read this book before; I enjoy Jane Austen, and I liked this one, although not as much as some of her others. Still, I like the idea of second chances and both Anne and Captain Wentworth are likable, although I wish we got to see a little deeper into both of them. Still, I'm not sure you can go wrong with Jane Austen.

4 stars.