Heather's books

Sarah's Key
Room
Rainwater
The Help
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Lightning Thief
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Notebook
Eat, Pray, Love
The Time Traveler's Wife
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone


Heather's favorite books »

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Another YA challenged novel

What My Mother Doesn't Know (What My Mother Doesn't Know #1)

What My Mother Doesn’t Know

By: Sonya Sones

Genre: Young Adult/banned book

Pages: 261

Published: 2003

Read: August

5 out of 5

Written in prose, this book is very similar to Ellen Hopkins novels, which are also challenged.  This story may have bad language, sexual content and discussions of nudity, BUT it isn’t meant for 10 year olds. This book is written for teenagers or young adults. It discusses topics that almost every teenager experiences and/or feels.  The very essence of the novel is a lesson every parents SHOULD want their child to learn versus telling them they shouldn’t read the novel.  It’s about a teenager girl who falls in love with the unattractive outcast of her class, who is essential verbally bullied by classes. It teaches the readers to look at what a person is on the inside versus what they look like on the outside. Who can dispute that lesson??

Sonya Sones’ website is www.sonyasones.com. I am very excited to read more of her books and to see what other lessons she teaches our young adults.



an advanced copy novel

Crime of Privilege by Walter Walker

Crime of Privilege

By: Walter Walker

Genre: fiction/mystery

Pages: 432

Published: 2013

Read: August

2 out of 5

This novel starts out strong; the premise disturbing, but exciting – a rape of one young girl, a murder of another and a rich powerful family covering their tracks.  I thought this book held a lot of promise and would be fantastic. However, about a quarter of the way through it started to d-r-a-g and you have already met so many characters some get lost in the mix. Plus, there are a lot more characters to be introduced so the confusion continues.  I also felt the book never really “solved” the case, but rather assumptions were made. I gave it a 2 star rating versus a 1 star because it did hold my interest enough to read the entire novel, in hopes to see resolution. Yet, another downfall was that I enjoy mysteries that include an unexpected twist and this one never came close.


Walker doesn't have a personal website

Thursday, August 22, 2013

True-Life Novel

Half Broke Horses

Half Broke Horses

By: Jeannette Walls

Genre: true-life novel

Pages: 263

Published: 2009

Read: August

4 out of 5

Jeannette Walls is a beautiful storyteller; she writes with elegance and vitality.  She tells the story of her grandmother's childhood from the first person view; she provides a certain closeness the reader achieves with the characters.  While the novel is written with the stories Walls remembers from her childhood and family interviews, she still classifies as a (true-life) novel because some aspects were hazy or unable to be referenced as factual.  At the end of Half Broke Horses, Jeanette herself is born and her childhood continues in The Glass Castle, which was written first (2005) and also Wall’s first book.  I highly recommend both these books.


Jeannette Wall’s doesn’t have a personal website.  However, she did just release her third book, The Silver Star, which I am anxious to read.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

A 2009 Newbery Winner

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book

 By: Neil Gaiman

Genre: juvenile fiction

Pages: 312

Published: 2008

Read: August

5 out of 5 stars 

This book more than deserved the Newbery Award. I have learned in my library classes and through working as a librarian that many Newbery winners go unread by the kids they are meant for. I hope this isn’t the case with this novel.  The story is about a living boy growing up in a graveyard raised by ghosts after both his parents were murdered.  This book is very well written and can easily be comprehended by the children. One aspect I thoroughly enjoyed was within the story Gaiman defines certain words that the young readers may not know. I felt the only potential problem with the story is some children may be frightened by the plot.


Gaiman’s website is www.neilgaiman.com 

Monday, August 12, 2013

Once it is done, it cannot be undone...

The Girl You Left Behind

The Girl You Left Behind

 By: Jojo Moyes

Genre: fiction

Pages: 516

Published: 2012

Read: August

5 out of 5 stars 


A fight over a painting that could financial cost Liv Halston her life, is the premise of this story. Honestly, it didn’t sound too exciting to me and I was unsure if this Moyes’ story would hold my attention. I was completely wrong and blown away by this novel. Moyes, once again intertwines two centuries into one elegant story…all about a lost piece of history and the survival of a girl.  Dating back to World War I, Sophia gives herself up to the Germans to find her lost husband, while a century later Liv is fighting for a priceless painting of Sophia. This story will take you on a journey through time as you began a relationship with these two astonishing and strong women.  This is the third Moyes’ novel I have read this year and I absolutely recommend all three.  

Monday, August 5, 2013

Fairwick Chronicles # 2


The Water Witch (Fairwick Chronicles, #2)

The Water Witch

 By: Juliet Dark

Genre: fantasy

Pages: 339

Published: 2012

Read: August

2.5 out of 5 stars 

I am not a fan of fantasy novels. I read this because it’s the sequel to Demon Lover and written by my favorite author, Carol Goodman (using a pseudonym). While I enjoyed Demon Lover much better, I realized it was because it slowly moves into fantasy. The Water Witch is all fantasy with feys, brownies, witches, and undines from the beginning.  I just can’t get absorbed into novels of this type. Dark writes an excellent sequel and if you are a fan of fantasy novels, I would still highly recommend this trilogy to you. I am on the fence about whether I will read the last book of the Fairwick Chronicles, The Angel Stone.