Book: The Wishing Game

 Book: The Wishing Game

Author: Meg Shaffer

Pages: 304

This is my 99th read for the year

This is the story of Lucy Hart.  A young teacher's aide who is struggling to make ends meet.  Lucy had a childhood where her parents gave her to her grandparents when her older sister got sick.  Never wanted by her parents or sister, she has been estranged from them her whole life.  When she was young, she found the Clock Island books to be a place she could escape.  Once she actually ran away to the real Clock Island in search of the author - hoping she could live with him.  

As an adult, Lucy has been reading the Clock Island books to another lonley little boy named Christopher.  A student at her school who is in foster care, Lucy wishes she could adopt Christopher.  However - she doesn't have the money or stable homelife to do so.  When the author of the Clock Island books invites a certain group of people to his island to participate in a contest, Lucy knows this is her chance to get the money she needs to adopt Christopher and get her life sorted.  But the contest isn't easy, and Lucy doesn't know if she will be the one who wins.  However - during the contest she finds that there are still good people in this world who have compassion for those are are less fortunate.

This was a pretty good book.  The best way I can describe it is as a warm hug from beginning to end.  There isn't really a bad guy.  The author tries to make a few people a little "off" but in the end, the main characters of this book are inheritenly good.  Lucy's parents are never more than mention in this book - never become characters.  So I think that is why the book stayed so light.  Even with the heaviness of her past, it never distracts from the main point of this book - Lucy and Christopher getting to be together.

I recommend this one.  I think it is well written, an easy read, and light hearted enough to sneak into your TBR pile.

Stars: 4

Book: The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes

 Book: The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes

Author: Suzanne Collins

Pages: 528

This is my 98th read for the year

I want to start this review by saying that I read this book back in 2020 when it came out HOWEVER - I somehow never blogged about it.  We moved shortly after I read it, and maybe I just forgot?  I searched for it the other day to see how I felt about it the first time I read it and was surprised to find I missed writing about it.  So here we are.  I decided to read it again right before I went to see the movie and was pleasantly surprised that I remembered more about it than I thought I would.

This is the Prequel to the Hunger Games book and the story of Cornelius Snow.  It is the 10th Hunger Games.  The Capital is still trying to recover from the war.  This year, the game makers decide to bring in top students from the capital to be mentors of the tributes from the districts.  If the mentor's tribute wins the games, they can win a coveted prize, and Cornelius is desparate to win.  His family has struggled since his parents died and they need the money that is offered from the games.  When Cornelius gets assigned to Lucy Gray from District 12, he feels his chances of winning are slim.  He decides to do everything in his power to help Lucy win and in doing so, discovers something about himself  - that his desire to win trumps all.

I liked this book.  I am a big Hunger Games fan, and am always happy when an author takes us deeper into their world to help explain how characters became the way they were.  It is a well thought out story of Cornelius and the beginnings of the Hunger Games.  The way they were in the beginning is very different than they play out in the most recent books when it is 65 years into the future.  I actually would have liked to have seen Collins take Cornelius' story a bit further to when he actually becomes President and when he starts to treat the tributes "better" (for lack of a better term) in regards to the lead up to the games.

Great book - both times.  

Stars: 4

Book: Iron Flame

 Book: Iron Flame

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Pages: 640

This is my 97th read for the year

WARNING - If you did not read The Fourth Wing (and plan to) - skip review

When we left off in the first book, Violet had just discovered that her brother, Brandon is alive.  On top of that - Violet also knows the real secret that has been hiddne for centuries.  No able to share everything she knows with her friends at the War College, Violet sets out to find everything she can to keep everyone safe.  And alive.  Violet also needs to learn how to control her power.  The stakes are so much higher now that even thought Violet and her friends are still students, a real war is coming and everyone must work together.  Dain has betrayed Violet, but can she look past that to defeat what is coming?  Will Violet and Xaden ever trust each other fully?  

This book was just okay.  I mentioned in my review for The Fourth Wing that I might be a little too old for YA now.  The cliffhanger in The Fourth Wing was so good, though, that I decided I at least had to start the second book.  I did end up finishing it, and AGAIN - good cliff hanger.  What to do when the next one comes out?  Who knows.  I understand she is going to write 5 books so I think she will lose me eventually.  Anyway - the good for me in these books are the dragons and the banter between them and between them and Violet.  That is about it for the good for me.  I don't really care for Violet.  The sex is WAY over done (think 50 shades of gray smutty), and the dialogue and writing could be better.  Also - I didn't care much about the death that occurs at the end of this book.  Character never made an impact for me, but the book drew it out like this was the biggest deal to date.  I disagree, but that is just my opinion.

If you are a big fantasty fan, young, and like smut - this book is for you.  Otherwise - there are better written 600 page books.

Stars: 3

Book: Never Enough

 Book: Never Enough

Author: Jennifer Wallace

Pages: 320

This is my 96th read for the year

The author takes a deep dive in the book into the pressures kids face these days related to getting ahead.  Some starting as early as elementary school - they feel like they are in a race to pack their schedules with top classes, tons of extra cirricular activites and multiple sports just in hopes of securing a spot in a top college.  What has happened is an increase of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and even self harm.  Parents are not helping.  Social media is not helping.  Kids are hearing from every angle that no matter what they do - it will never be enough.

I am glad I found this book.  I actually attended a talk the author gave in relation to college admissions, and then read her book.  I have two juniors in high school and we are in the thick of a college search.  And this book gave me a chance to take a step back.  Parents tend to get wrapped up in the college search right along with their kids and see the pressures that kids are under.  Kids have so much pressure today and feel they don't matter unless they do "xyz" - whatever that may be.  They feel like their accomplishments are what define them.  

One of my favorite quotes from the book is this: "“our kids are absorbing the idea that their worth is contingent on their performance—their GPA, the number of social media followers they have, their college brands—not for who they are deep at their core. They feel they only matter to the adults in their lives, their peers, the larger community, if they are successful.”

Parents need to stop putting kids on their shoulders to get them above everyone else.  I want my kids to know that where they go to college WILL NOT MATTER.  I want kids who decide not to go to college, or go into a trade, or go on to work that they are worth every bit as much as that kid who went to Harvard.  College, and life, are what you make it.  

My kids will find their people.  They will find their way.  And yours will too.  Check this book out to gain some perspective.

Stars: 4.5

Book: The College Conversation

 Book: The College Conversation

Author: Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg

Pages: 288

This is my 95th read for the year

This is a guide for parents from starting the college search with your kids through dropping them off for their first day of college.  It even goes through what happens when that decision doesn't work out and the kid wants to transfer.  It is a guide to help parents navigate when to step in and when to back off.  It lays out how to make the college list - what parents and kids should be looking for, as well as things to look for when you can take a college tour.  There is a section on financial aid and how to make smart choices before a kid gets excited about a college to make sure it is affordable for a family.

This was a great book.  It was recommended to me by a friend (her college classmate was one of the authors) and I am glad I read it.  I definitely see me going back and referring to some of their worksheets as we get deeper into the college process this year.

Stars: 4

Book: Country of the Blind

 Book: Country of the Blind

Author: Andrew Leland

Pages: 368

This is my 94th read for the year

This non-fiction book is based on the author's experience going blind from Retinitis Pigmentosa.  As he deals with his continuing deminishing vision, he talks about how it is for him, and his family.  As he weaves his personal story throughout the book he interviews others who are blind due to various reasons - some from birth, and some from childhood or adulthood.  Through these encounters he discovers different views of blindness and how blind people view their own worlds and how others view them.  

This was a pretty good book.  It gets into the weeds a bit and a bit more dry than I was hoping for, but overall a good read.  He does a good job seeking out different people who are vision impaired and recounting their stories and how they view their worlds and their blindness.  He meets many very successful blind people but also touches on how many blind people still struggle with support and employment.  

With my own daughter having basically a childhood version of Retinitis Pigmentosa (she has Lebers Congenital Amaurosis) and we watch her vision deminish, these books always hit home for me.  I was glad to see so many happy, successful, fullfilled people who are blind.

Stars: 4

Book: The Bookbinder

 Book: The Bookbinder

Author: Pip Williams

Pages: 448

This is my 93rd read for the year

This story is about Peggy and Maude - two twin sisters who work as bookbinders in 1914.  It is war time, and in between bookbinding, Peggy starts to volunteer at a local hospital for wounded soldiers.  Peggy aspires to be a student at Oxford and have access to all the books and use her intellect for more than just folding pgaes for other people.  With support from friends she met at the local hospital, she decides to apply to the college.  However - she has recently fallen in love with a wounded Belgium soldier and worried that their relationship will hold them back.

This was an okay book.  I liked the story of Peggy and her sister Maude (who is disabled).  I liked learning about the bookbinding that happened during the war, and the opportunities at Oxford for women at that time period.  However - the part where Peggy decides to study and apply for the college were way too drawn out.  And the ending was not at all satisfactory.

Stars: 3