BOOK 84: Girl in Blue, by Ann Rinaldi

Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis: When Sarah's father promises her hand in marriage to their despicable neighbor, she disguises herself as a man and joins the Army during the Civil War. When she is found to be a woman, Allan Pinkerton offers her a position as a female spy.

I give this book 4 stars for the story, but Rinaldi's bland writing style would get perhaps 2 or 3 stars. Still, the plot was enough to redeem the book. Sarah's adventures in running away from home, joining the Army, working in a military hospital, crossing enemy lines in the middle of night, going off to battle, experiencing the shock of killing someone, getting discovered, becoming a spy, falling in love and getting her heart broken...these were fantastic. And when she goes home in disguise to check on her family, I didn't know what to expect.

But, alas, Rinaldi's writing style left much to be desired. This story in the hands of a different author could have had so much more punch. I know it's young adult fiction, so she may have just been writing for a younger audience. But I don't think you should have to write or talk down to kids. You should write a good book so that kids -- and adults -- can enjoy it.

BOOK 83: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: The seventh and final installment in the epic tale of Harry Potter.

The good news: I've finished Harry Potter. The bad news: I've finished Harry Potter.

Let me explain.

When I read Harry Potter, nothing else matters. My house is a disaster, my kids spend more time in front of the TV so I can use that time to devour "just one more chapter..." I pretty much let things slide because the narrative consumes me and I can focus on nothing else. So on the one hand, I'm glad I'm finished because I can go back to being a good parent and wife.

On the other hand, it's always hard to get attached to a set of characters and have them consume so much of my imagination for the past few weeks only to let them go and move on. Not to mention that reading such a well-written, engrossing tale ruins other books for me for a while. It takes a while for my high standards to come back down to earth while reading other books.

Either way, I've finished, and it was a much different experience reading the series this time, knowing how it ends. But somehow, I don't think it diminished the suspense at all! I was still gripping the arm of the couch, heart racing, mind racing, feeling that if I put it down to make dinner I would miss something and the action would pass me by.

Thankfully, it didn't, and I did, eventually, get my family fed. :)

BOOK 82: In The Dark Streets Shineth, by David McCullough

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Cover synopsis: A compelling story about the spirit of Christmas and the power of light to shine in difficult, dangerous times. Also sharing the stories behind the songs "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas."

This is a tricky book to rate, because if I were rating the book, I probably would have given it only 3 stars. Don't get me wrong, it's wonderfully well-written. But as a book, it's a bit too brief. I was left wanting more. It's more like a magazine article. I finished the entire book in 10 minutes. I was hoping to get a little more info on the Christmas in 1941 (right after Pearl Harbor was bombed).

However, the DVD that comes with it deserves 4 stars. The book, it turns out, is just the text of the DVD. But it includes the music of the Tabernacle choir, plus the sights and sounds of the Christmas season. It's a much richer experience. A nice way to get in the Christmas spirit.

BOOK 81: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: The war against Voldemort is not going well. And yet, life goes on at Hogwarts. Under Dumbledore's guidance, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort -- and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

It was after seeing the movie for this book last year that I finally felt compelled to read the Harry Potter series. And I've been hooked ever since. Though, it's worth noting, the movie for this book is probably the most different from the text than any of the other 5 movies before it.

Book 6 takes us on a fascinating exploration of Tom Riddle's transformation into Lord Voldemort. It also takes us deeper into the dark arts, the meaning of the prophesy, and the character of Severus Snape. The last few chapters are nothing short of gripping (and heart-wrenching).

Yet, as always, Rowling weaves a tale of adolescent life -- friendships, humor, school stress, first love...

Now on to the last book!

October Status Report

October was tough, scheduling-wise. I had family in town for the first two weeks of the month. Which meant I was entertaining in my spare time, instead of reading.

But I scrambled in the second half of the month and got 7 books in. Just one short of what I wanted. It wasn't too difficult a task, though, because most of them were Harry Potter books. I'm really enjoying re-reading these (and forcing my husband to read them too).

Although, I think they've spoiled other books for me...I started reading a book this month that I know I really want to read, but I just couldn't get into it because all I could think about was getting back to Harry Potter!

BOOK 80: The Sword Thief (39 Clues #3); by Peter Lerangis

Rating: 2 stars

Cover synopsis: When the hunt for the 39 Clues leads Amy and Dan to Japan, their only chance to find the third Clue seems to lie with their unreliable uncle, Alistair Oh. Will they be foolish enough to make an alliance? In the Cahill family, trusting your relatives can get you killed...

This was the weakest 39 Clues book so far. I don't know if it was just because I'm not terribly interested in Japanese history, but I had a hard time following this one. The action sequences left me baffled, and I found myself having to re-read what should have been key passages, wondering why it wasn't sinking in. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mindframe when I read it...Or maybe I'm just spoiled from reading so much Harry Potter lately, I'm setting the bar unusually high.

But, oh, then there are the plot lines. Why, all of a sudden, are Amy and Dan relying on relatives that tried to kill them? The reasoning didn't make a whole lot of sense. And the coolest part -- the Yakuza -- were not played up enough. And don't even get me started on the weak attempt at a love interest. Gag me. Awful.

I'm not giving up on the series yet -- a different author writes each book, so this is no indication of the other books' quality. And although I finished the book in a couple hours, I felt like I wasted my time.

BOOK 79: The Giver, by Lois Lowry

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. When Jonas turns 12, he is singled out to receive special training from the Giver. It's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

What an interesting exploration of agency -- that we cannot truly understand joy and love until we've experienced opposition. The world crafted in this book reminds me of what life might have been like if Satan had won in the war in heaven.

This book is set in a homogonized future, where everything is riddled with "samenes:" There is no color, no music, no art, no hills, no sunshine, etc. Everything is bland and controlled. Completely and utterly equal. There is also no choice. Your spouse, children and career are all chosen for you. You are also not allowed to make mistakes.

But we soon find out that, of course, that this controlled environment doesn't make life better. In fact, it makes the experience of living there hardly a life at all.