Category Archives: 2009

The Secret Hour, by Scott Westerfeld

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Thistle

In the small town of Bixby, OK, everything freezes at midnight. For one hour, the only things that move are the creatures that belong to this secret hour, and the handful of teenagers that were born at the stroke of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged | 2 Comments

Enchanted Night, by Steven Millhauser

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Thistle

I’m a bit at a loss how to sum up this book. Basically, on a summer night under an almost-full moon, people of all ages (and dolls, and toys, and a mannequin) around a coastal town wake up and wander … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Shadows on the Grass, by Isak Dinesen

Posted on February 21, 2009 by Thistle

I read Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (pen name for Baroness Karen Blixen) about a year ago. It was an interesting book, a memoir about Blixen’s experiences in Africa. She lived there nearly two decades, and had much interaction … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

13 Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Thistle

From Goodreads: Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket. In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat. The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist. Because of envelope … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | 2 Comments

Messenger, by Lois Lowry

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Thistle

This is the third book in the loosely-related trilogy including The Giver and Gathering Blue. It is more of a sequel to Gathering Blue, but ties The Giver in and answers all the questions I had at the end of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Children's, Prose | Tagged | 1 Comment

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Thistle

This book is about two women, Miriam and Laila, who are married to the same abusive man, Rasheed, in Kabul. The two women are about twenty years apart in age, and the book explores their lives prior to, during, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sky Burial, by Xinran

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Thistle

This book was surprisingly captivating, interesting, and fast. I began to read it last night, and within an hour, I’d gone through the first quarter. The book is sort of a memoir-in-proxy. Xinran is a journalist, and in 1994 met … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne

Posted on February 15, 2009 by Thistle

In summer of 2007, while visiting my brother in Chicago for his graduation, my dad told me that each time he traveled, he read this book. My dad’s a meticulous sort of person, just like the main character here, Phineas … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck

Posted on February 11, 2009 by Thistle

Minor spoilers. Rather than post a plot summary of this book, I’d rather take you through my thoughts about the story as I went along. This book blew all my expectations out of the water, simply put. I expected to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Specials, by Scott Westerfeld

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Thistle

Humanity is a cancer, and we are the cure. –Dr. Cable of Special Circumstances I’ve thought for a long time how I can write this review without spoilers, and I’m sorry, I don’t think I can. So if you’re planning … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments