Monday, May 23, 2011

Beastly


So I thought I had added this but it looks like a missed a few books here and there. This is a really cute modern day version of Beauty and the Beast. How do you make this story modern? Well you just turn a punk gorgeous rich kid into a beast. Pretty far fetched but a very cute story. If you are in the mood for a fairy tail I highly recommended it. The weirdest part of the book is the internet chat group it starts with. If you think it is stupid (like I did) skip over the odd text it adds very little to the actual story. Also this book is now a major motion picture. I haven't seen it yet but I plan it.

Hex Hall

So this is a young adult series about a girl who is part demon. She is put in a school (Hex Hall) for witches who are out of control. There she finds out she is different from everyone else and falls in love with the wrong guy. It is a cute story clean language, mystery, a little action and a little romance.


Book two just came out, I finished it in about 1 day. It takes place in England during their summer term. Here Sophie finds out about the war waging on all of her kind. She must make a choice between family and love. She also gets put on the front lines of a war with out of control powers. The most annoying part about this book is the cliff hanger ending. And book three is not yet out.



If you liked this book check out the series "The Awakening" it's on this blog as well. Very similar storied. And "The Awakening has all it's books out.

Snow Flower and the Secret fan


Another China historical fiction. But I loved this book. It takes place in the early 19th century. It follows the lives of two Chinese girls through childhood feet binding. (which made me sick) arranged weddings, child raising and old age. It is so interesting to see their culture and experience it with them. It brings a lot of understanding about foot binding and what was considered beautiful. After reading it and see why they did it in hopes of better lives for their children. Even though they crippled them for life. I pretty much could not put it down. After you read it pot on here what you thought. Would you have bound your children's feet? Do you think with time that you would have been a kinder mother in law? Or do you think that that was their way of avenging themselves in their old age for the way they were treated?

Friday, May 6, 2011

Mao's Last Dancer



This book was our book club book for this month. It is kind of difficult to find at stores (at least here). So you may want to check out Amazon. There are also 2 versions of this story. One is an Adult version, one is a young adult. The Adult one has more history, and is about 200 pages longer. I read the young adult and kind of want the other one just for more info.
This story is a biography of a boy that grew up in China under the reign of Mao. It talks about the cultural revolution in China from the perspective of an 11 year old. He was then trained in ballet, and found a way out of communism. It is very well written. Lots of history. It is also being made into a movie. It is a rare glimpse into that country.