The Shack by William P. Young

I first saw this book while I was attending the calling for a man who died way too young.  He was my son's Scoutmaster, and in his short life he touched my son in a positive way as I know he touched countless other boys.  As I mentioned earlier, he passed away tragically and way too soon.

I was moving my way along the line, along the way there were items that represented important pieces of Mark's life and this book was lying on the table next to the urn.  I had heard of the book, but I had never read the book.  I decided immediately to see what was in this book that would be of such significance to my friend.  I borrowed the book from my friend and started to read.

After discovering the basis for "The Great Sadness," I almost couldn't continue, honestly.  It was difficult.  Life can be so hard sometimes, and knowing that a parent would ever have to live through such a traumatic and horrifying experience was almost too much to bear.

I won't go into great detail about this book because I don't want to throw out any spoilers, but there were a couple of parts that have stuck with me, and continue to speak to me.  Here is the first example:  When Mack meets Sophia, he is asked to sit in judgement.  He tells Sophia that he doesn't have that ability.  She reminds him how many times he has judged in his lifetime.  He is reminded of the many times he has judged by the actions and motivations of others.  He is reminded of the times he judged someone by the color of their skin or their body odor.  He has also judged someone based on his concept of beauty.  He is reminded that he is well practiced in the activity.

Wow.  Now that was an uncomfortable moment!  How many of those am I guilty of?  And the next question - "What criteria do you base your judgements?"  Again, I felt like squirming in my seat.

The second example comes in the same chapter just a few pages from where Mack is asked to sit in judgement.  Along the same lines, Mack is asked to judge the world since he has been judging God for all that seems to fall short in his life.  Sophia tells Mack that if we are all God's children, which of those children would he condemn to spend an eternity in Hell?  She then asks Mack to choose three of his five children to spend their eternity in Hell.  Two children can go to Heaven, and three must be sentenced to Hell.  Hell is a torment away from their father's love and presence, and many believe that God will sit in judgement of his children.

As a parent, I cannot make that choice.   What loving parent could? How could I condemn either of my children to Hell?  I couldn't. I wouldn't.  I am still thinking over this chapter, and I am still wrapping my head around these words.

If you are mad at God, and feel He has let things happen to you and/or your loved ones that He COULD have stopped from happening, this might be the book you choose to read.  If you are struggling with religion and concerned about all the evil in this world, this book again might be a good choice for you.

This book will sit for a few weeks while I wrap by head around some of the concepts brought out by the author, but I will pick this book up again... and again.

Glass Sword - The Red Queen Series Book 2 by Victoria Aveyard

In the first book, The Red Queen, Mare Barrow knows she is different after she defies death, and realizes that she can control lightning.  After she was betrayed by someone whom she thought was a friend, suddenly she and Cal, the king's son are on the run for their lives.  Cal's brother, Maven, has betrayed them both and wants them both dead.  Maven has also taken the throne.

Mare and Cal take off on a journey to find other "newbloods" like Mare.  Her blood bleeds red, but she has considerable powers.  Cal's blood bleeds silver, and for years the Silvers have oppressed the Reds.  The two of them seek to make the world better, but also seek to put an end to Maven and his mother and the terrible powers they control.

Darkness follows Mare, and she must decide what kind of ruler she will be.  Will she be able to defeat the darkness that follows her?  Will she be able to triumph over Maven and create equality for both Reds and Silvers?

Book Two ends with our character in a serious predicament.  I am excited for Book #3.  How about you?

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Alyssa has always known she was different, but she tried to hide her differences as best she could.  Even her best friends don't know the truth about her mother, and the fact that the flowers and insects talk to her.

One evening while she is working at the secondhand clothing shop, she notices strange things happening.  She feels she is being watched and has been having some flashbacks from her childhood.
When she visits her mother for the last time, she realizes that her mother isn't crazy, but that her mother has been trying to save her from a family curse.  Alyssa knows that if she doesn't find the rabbit hole and break the family curse, her mother will be considered insane and will be heavily medicated.  Her friend, Jeb, ends up accidentally going down the rabbit hole with her and they try to find the secrets of Wonderland and correct the mistakes her ancestor created.  Her guide and childhood friend, Morpheus, says he is going to help her, but she doesn't know if she can trust him.

Splintered is the first book in the Splintered series.  Now on to the second book, Unhinged.  I cannot wait!

On another note, I had the extreme pleasure of being able to meet A.G. Howard at Alan in Minneapolis in November 2016.  She was also kind enough to Hangout during our Read Across America overnight on March 4th.  Our students were engaged, and she truly was a class act!  She even sent our student signed bookmarks!

We are huge fans of the Splintered series and A.G. Howard!

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Jennifer Donnelly and me at the ALAN Conference, November 2015.

Andi is very troubled.  Her brother, Truman, is dead, and Andi feels she killed him.  Her mother loses herself in her paintings, and all of her paintings are of her brother, Truman. Her father is absent and appears not to care. The only way Andi is surviving is by pills and her music. Andi is also about to flunk out of her prestigious school - until her father has her mother admitted to a mental health facility and forces Andi to accompany him to Paris for winter break.  

While visiting her father's friends, Andi finds a guitar and hidden within the case is a diary of a girl. Alex is a young girl who lived in Paris in the 1770s.  Also hidden in the guitar case is the picture of a young boy who looks startlingly like Truman.  Andi realizes from the diary that Alex becomes the caretaker for the young boy, Louis-Charles, the king's third child and grows to love the boy. Andi is startled and chilled because Andi finds that her life and Alex's life become intertwined. Even stranger, Andi realizes that Alex wants Andi to know her story and to finish the job that Alex has started.  Andi becomes obsessed with Alex's story and the time period of the French Revolution.  

While Andi is working on her final thesis paper, she learns more about Louis Charles, a musician named Armade, and herself.  One of the most powerful themes in the book is the thought that the French Revolution didn't happen because of power hungry people like Robespierre or Marat.  "No, not because of Robespierre and Marat. Or people like them.  Because of people like us."  

People like us who don't do anything to stop the bad things from happening.  People like us who lock ourselves away from the tragedies of the world and pretend they aren't happening.  Let's make a change.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Elias is a soldier.  He has been trained at the Blackcliff Military Academy to keep the Scholars in order.  He and his best friend, Helene, know what is expected of them as Martials, and that once they graduate in a few days, they will make sure that the Scholars remain under their rule.  They wear Masks that have adhered to their faces so they become what the Emperors expects.

Laia is a Scholar.  The Masks killed her parents and her grandparents.  She knows they have her brother in a jail somewhere, and she has vowed to break him free no matter what the cost.  She must infiltrate the Blackcliff Military Academy to find out where her brother has been taken.  This means she must be the slave of the Commandant.  The last two people who were her personal slaves are now dead.  Before they died, they were horribly disfigured.  Will Laia survive long enough to find her brother?

Elias and Laia will soon discover that their lives will be become intertwined.  The future of the empire is at stake, and the Augurs have predicted a leader will emerge that will forever change the landscape of the world as they know it.  Will that leader be Elias?  Laia?

There are many, many unanswered questions at the end of this book, therefore, I am looking forward to book 2 of the series.  What is their Destiny?

Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich

What do a frat house, bubonic plague, an ex-hooker, and a bounty hunter have in common?  At first thought, one would think they have nothing in common, but that person has never read Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich.

I have reviewed Evanovich's books before, but if you haven't taken the time to read them, now is a good time to start!  Stephanie Plum and her sidekick, Lula, are always on the lookout to make some extra money - and have time to stop at the Cluck in a Bucket.  Invariably, these two always seem to find trouble - or trouble finds them!  This time trouble involves a missing fraternity brother, and some wacky professors.

Not only is there something strange going on at Kiltman College, but something strange is going on with Morelli, Stephanie's on again, off again boyfriend.  He feels he needs to take a break from her, and maybe his job.  Does that mean that Stephanie can run to the arms of Ranger, the mysterious hottie who runs a security business and helps Stephanie stay out of trouble?

Evanovich's' books are always good for laugh out loud moments, so if you haven't read them, you need to start with the first one One for the Money.  You might be waiting at the airport, doctor's office, or in the car, but know that you will have some good belly laughs at the antics of Stephanie and the gang.  Game on!

Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher

       

With the recent opening of the new Star Wars movie, and the fact that I thought Carrie Fisher's interview with Today's Amy Robach was hilarious, I thought it was time to read one of her books.  

Carrie is irreverent, frank, and unapologetic.  She grew up in an extremely dysfunctional family, and she understands how Hollywood really works.  Her mother is the famous Debbie Reynolds who was once married to Eddie Fisher, who left Debbie Reynolds for the famous Elizabeth Taylor, who then dumped Eddie Fisher for the brooding Richard Burton.  Carrie really didn't know her famous father very well until she was well into her adult years.  This book covers her troubled relationship with her father, and helps us understand the real person who suddenly became famous at nineteen.  

Fisher mentions in the book that she thought she would do this little movie for about three months, then she would get on with her life and decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.  The little movie turned out to be one of the biggest blockbuster movies in history, and her life was never the same after.  

She hobnobs with senators, namely on Ted Kennedy.  She is quite truthful as to the type of man he was as well as the lifestyle she lived.  She openly admits that she suffered from severe depression, and came to the conclusion that she would try anything to get better.  Shock therapy was recommended for her situation, and she decided to try it.  Because shock therapy does wipe out huge chunks of memory, Fisher speaks about some of the memories that stand out more than others.  

Carrie Fisher is not known for being quiet and demure.  She even calls out Elizabeth Taylor for breaking up the marriage of her parents - at an awards show.  You will sometimes be shocked at her stories, but you will love her spirit, dedication to her father at the end of life, and her wit.  I predict there will be other books written by Carrie Fisher, and I look forward to seeing what does in the future.