Book Review: You Can’t Win by Jack Black

Star Ratings for Nonfiction Writing: *****  (5 stars) Narrative: **** (4 stars) Interesting Subject: ***** (5 stars) Objectivity and research: **** (4 stars. This is a memoir.) Overall: ***** (5 stars) Age range recommendation: 14 and up. The gents at my favorite coffee shop are on a roll with the book recommendations, lately.  You Can’t

Book Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Star Ratings: Characters: **** (5 stars) Character Development: ****** (6 stars. Deal with it.) Plot: **** (4 stars) Writing: ***** (5 stars) Overall: ***** (5 stars) Age range recommendation: 14 and up. Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle will always be the Big Fat Exception to the I-rarely-read-sequels rule.  The third installment of this four book series

Book Review – Lockwood & Co #2: The Whispering Skull

Star Ratings: Characters: ***** (5 stars) Character development: ***** (5 stars) Plot: ***** (5 stars) Writing: **** (4 stars) Overall: ***** (5 stars) Age range recommendation: 11 and up It’s rare and exciting that I read more than one book in a series.  Series aren’t often my thing, and even when I do read a

Book Review: The Young World by Chris Weitz

I intended to review The Young World a month ago, but it seems to have slipped my mind.  Oops!  Then, last night I went to see The Purge 2: Anarchy. I must say that it was a surprisingly enjoyable film.  Lots of violence and a scary concept, but there wasn’t too much gore and it

Book Review: Deadweather And Sunrise (The Chronicles of Egg #1)

  Alas and alack! My pile of Pirate Books To Tackle has grown so monstrous that I should have avoided starting a new series on top of everything. Usually I gravitate towards stand-alone books in my reading ventures, because life is too damn short. But several stalwart and fervent young readers of the 9-12 persuasion

Book Review of File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents by Lemony Snicket

Star Ratings: Characters: **** (4 stars) Plot: *** (3 stars) Writing: **** (4 stars) Overall: **** (4 stars) Age range recommendation: 8+ Some of you may not know this, but underneath all the fairytale infatuations and my ambitions of piracy, I’m a Voracious, Fervently Devoted admirer of Mr. Lemony Snicket’s life and work. (Actually, you

Book Review: The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert

Dear readers, it’s a really big deal that I’ll admit to enjoying this book. I don’t usually like nonfiction. I find biographies awkward and survival stories a bit of a drag. Until a few days ago, I was quite adamant that I disliked Elizabeth Gilbert, because I think that Eat, Pray, Love is one of

Book Review: Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Star Ratings: Characters: **** (4 stars) Character Development: *** (3 stars) Plot: ***** (5 stars) Writing: **** (4 stars) Overall: **** (4 stars) Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase is supposedly for middle grade readers and young adults, and I know my most morbid friends and I would have absolutely adored it at that age,

Book Review: The Mark Of The Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson (Coming out in March, 2014)

Star Ratings: Characters: *****(4 stars) Character Development: **** (4 stars) Plot: ***** (5 stars) Writing: *** **(5 stars) Overall: ***** (5 stars) (It is hereby stated that I read the advanced reader’s copy of The Mark of The Dragonfly and a few details might change before publication.) How pleased am I to be giving this

Book Review: Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

Star Ratings: Characters: **** (4 stars) Character Development: *** (3 stars) Plot: *** (3 stars) Writing: ***** (5 stars) Overall: **** (4 stars) Age range recommendation: 8-13 We have a stack of Rooftoppers on display at my bookshop right now, and I will admit that I was enamored with this new-to-America children’s book even before