A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was OK, but definitely over the bounds of belief.  Nice descriptions.
On the brink of the Industrial Revolution, Charlotte and her sister Rosie are left to run the mill after their father dies unexpectedly. Almost everyone in the village of Stirwaters is dependent on the river-powered textile mill for their livelihood and the Miller sisters are determined to keep it running. Charlotte struggles to overcome one disaster after another and refuses to believe in the family curse that the villagers whisper about.
When Charlotte finds that her father had mortgaged the mill and payment is due, she despairs until a strange little man, calling himself Jack Spinner, arrives. He promises to spin straw into gold for them in exchange for her mother's ring.
Against her better judgment, Charlotte consents.
What price does she have to pay for enough gold to save her home, her mill and her village?




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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Who would have thought that a book about cell culture could be so enjoyable. Believe me, I was skeptical.
The book tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a black woman who showed up at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951 with an aggressive case of cervical cancer. Two samples were taken from her cervix, and the cells from these tissue samples became one of the greatest breakthroughs in cell culture history: the world’s first immortal human cell line.
The cells were unprecedented in their ability to grow and provided advances ranging from the polio vaccine, to gene mapping, to in vitro fertilization.  Henrietta’s cells have been blown up by nuclear bombs to test the effects of radiation, and sent into outer space to monitor the effects of zero gravity.  But, despite the huge importance of HeLa, not much was known about Henrietta Lacks the woman.
Her family knew even less about Henrietta’s contribution to the world. Although the cells were taken in 1951, the year she died, her husband and five children knew nothing about it. They didn’t find out until 20 years later.
The author manages to make this book a book with multiple interesting stories - a poor young woman from southern Virginia whose cervical cells would change the world; a girl who yearns to know who her mother was; researchers and their amazing scientific advancements; a family that sought to understand how someone could be dead and yet immortal.

Everyone can enjoy this book, whether you are scientifically minded or not, it is very readable and amazingly interesting.




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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As a child, Jacob Portman's grandfather told him fantastic stories of peculiar children with unbelievable talents. They were War refugees, like his grandfather, living on a remote island off the coast of Wales. His grandfather even had old weird photographs of the children that Jacob dismissed as photo manipulations. As he moves into his teenage years, Jacob stops believing the far-fetched stories and concentrates on leading a normal life.
All of that changes when Jacob is the sole witness to the frightening murder of his grandfather, a horrific tragedy that leaves him reeling in therapy. On his therapist’s suggestion, he finds himself headed to Wales to visit the old home where his grandfather grew up. Suddenly, his grandpa’s tales don’t seem so far-fetched after all— against all logic, the peculiar children from the photographs are alive and well, seemingly preserved in time. 
It isn’t long before Jacob finds himself in over his head and in possession of some peculiar qualities of his own as time manipulation and monsters come to the surface.
There are authentic period photos throughout the book showing the children; also the writing is extremely atmospheric.




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Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It all started with a lawn mower, and thus was born an economic empire.
When his birthday rolls around, our unsuspecting entrepreneur’s grandma shows up with his present. Instead of money for his birthday, which would've come in handy, she gives him this old lawn mower that used to belong to his grandfather.
So he starts mowing neighbors' lawns to solve his money problems.
This short and hilarious tale pitches an ordinary kid with an old riding lawn mower into a dizzying ascent up the financial ladder.

As his business becomes more complex, the reader is entertained with quick lessons in, to quote some of the chapter heads, Capital Growth Coupled with the Principles of Product Expansion and Force of Arms and Its Application to Business, the young tycoon ends up smarter than when he started out, and worth half a million dollars.

When it comes to telling funny stories, no one surpasses Paulsen, and here he is in top form; plus you get a primer on economic policies.




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Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If you liked Hunger Games, you will like this trilogy.



In this world there are 5 factions each of which believes the opposite of their lifestyle is the root of evil.  Life within each faction is rules by its beliefs and loyalties. You have Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless, Amity and Erudite.

When Tris leaves her Abnegation family to become one of the wild, fearless Dauntless, she must learn a new lifestyle.  But she begins to see truths in each factions’ beliefs. She also discovers that she is actually a Divergent, with the strengths of multiple factions, and is therefore a target of dangerously controlling leaders and see by these leaders as a threat.

This is a very fast-paced novel and not for the faint-hearted.  There are so many twists and turns that you are kept on the edge of your seat waiting for the next jolt.





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Flip by Martyn Bedford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Have you ever woken up in the morning and not known where you were – you have to take a couple of seconds to figure out where you are? Well what if you woke up and you didn’t recognize the body you were in?

Alex Gray opens his eyes to a bedroom he’s never seen before in his life. It’s not his room and he is wearing strange pajamas; Alex walks through a house he’s never seen, into a kitchen that’s filled with the smell of croissants (which Alex really dislikes), a girl dressed all in black with purple hair, named Teri, and a tall, lean Mom who looks like a ‘cross between a human and a giraffe.’

And thus begins Alex’s discovery of his new life, what has happened to his old life, and his battle to get home.

This novel offers as many thrills and chills as it does humor, love, and an in-depth look at the psychological toll change brings and the deep seated desire to survive.


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D.Gray-Man: Opening, Vol. 1 by Katsura Hoshino
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A student recommended this series. I found it quite enjoyable. Easy enough to understand (sometimes manga story lines escape me - perhaps I'm getting too old. The concept leaves plenty of room and opportunity for plenty of episodes. I did not waste my time reading this :)

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