February Recap

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - young adult fiction - It feels like a very long time ago that I read this book...as always, Cohn & Levithan work so great together, taking turns telling a story. This one alternates between Dash and Lily, who correspond with each other through a notebook.

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Clearly - children's fiction - I love Ramona. I felt the need to re-read this after referencing her "I can't believe I read the whole thing" book report last month.

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass - children's fiction - I'm not sure how I haven't read anything by Mass. She's popular with kids, and she's had several titles appear on Texas reading lists. This book in one word? Wow. A national competition is being held for twelve year olds to create a new kind of candy. We're introduced to four of these kids, and the story is alternately told by each of them. With each new narrator comes new information and/or a different perspective. I found myself constantly flipping back to see how things were first presented, and I mean in a good way. It's very clever! If you liked The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart, you'll like this.

The Leanin' Dog by K.A. Nuzum - children's fiction - read this again for a Paisley's Pick

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White - young adult fiction - This was a fun read, and something different from all the other paranormal books out there...until I got to the end. I thought I'd missed something until I realized this is the first in a trilogy. And I decided I'm completely done with ya paranormal trilogies for awhile. I shouldn't hold that against this book, but...it lessened my enthusiasm for it.

The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganek - adult fiction - I discussed this here when I was about halfway through...this is one of those books that I read at just the right at time. I could have picked it up at a different time and been completely annoyed by the characters.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - a classic for a reason!

The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee - young adult fiction - I've been waiting for my library to get a copy of this forever and it did not disappoint! It's about a female spy in Victorian London - full of detail and so well-written and engaging with great characters. It's a mystery with a hint of romance. It's the first in a trilogy, but it's not paranormal, so it's okay. I already have the second one in my hot little hands, but the third won't be out until next year!

Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work by Tim Gunn - nonfiction - Back in the day when I had cable, I loved watching Project Runway and Tim Gunn. This had some amusing anecdotes, but I also skimmed lots of it.

The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone - children's fiction - Loved this! I intended to post a review, but never got my act together. I picked it up because of this sentence in a review in Publisher's Weekly - "Stone's intricate and lyrical novel, set during WWII, resembles The Secret Garden in all the best ways." I highly recommend it.