Category Archives: Year

Breathless, by Jessica Warman

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Thistle

Breathless is about Katie Kitrell, a strong swimmer from a dysfunctional family. Her older brother, Will, is schizophrenic, and when he becomes violent, Katie’s parents send her to boarding school to keep her safe and out of the way. Once … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | 1 Comment

The Last Days, by Scott Westerfeld

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Thistle

This is the most disappointing Westerfeld I’ve ever read. Normally, I love his books. Spoilers if you haven’t read PEEPS. If you have or don’t plan to, you should be fine to read on. *No* spoilers from The Last Days. … Continue reading →

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Embroideries, by Marjane Satrapi

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Thistle

So what happens when a group of close women get together for an afternoon of tea and talk? Embroideries takes us through an afternoon of frank talk by women in their own little circle. The more I read of Satrapi’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Visual | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

So Yesterday, by Scott Westerfeld

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Thistle

This book is commercialism on steroids! The characters are almost like superhero sales-people! What a weird concept. Hunter Braque is a Trendsetter or “cool hunter.” He goes out looking for the people who come up with new ideas on their … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged | 1 Comment

Nothing But Ghosts, by Beth Kephart

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Thistle

This is a hard book to describe in a synopsis. The main character is Katie. It’s the summer before her senior year, and she’s struggling with grief after the loss of her mother. She works as a gardening assistant for … Continue reading →

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Aya, by Marguerite Abouet

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Thistle

This graphic novel takes place in the late 70s in the Ivory Coast. Aya is a teenage girl with academic ambition, while her two best friends, Adjoua and Bintou, are far more concerned with partying. This, of course, eventually leads … Continue reading →

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East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

Posted on August 8, 2009 by Thistle

East of Eden is too gigantic and un-plot-based to really have a synopsis. I suppose I can say it follows the sometimes-intertwined lives of the Trask family and the Hamilton family for many years, mostly in the Salinas Valley in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Protected: Saving Zoe, by Alyson Noel

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Thistle

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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Pedro and Me, by Judd Winick

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Thistle

This graphic novel is about Pedro Zamora, a gay Cuban immigrant who contracted HIV at age 17, became an public speaker about AIDS, and died at age 22. He and the author, Judd Winick, were roommates on The Real World … Continue reading →

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Crossed Wires, by Rosy Thornton

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Thistle

Mina is a 27-yr-old single mom caring for her 10-yr-old bookworm daughter and her (Mina’s) 17-yr-old juvenile delinquent sister. She works at an auto insurance call center, and hasn’t thought about romance in a long time. Peter is also a … Continue reading →

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