Category Archives: Year

The Curse of the Blue Figurine, by John Bellairs

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Thistle

My first experience with John Bellairs, The House With a Clock in its Walls, was mixed – I liked it, but had trouble really connecting with it. The Blue Figurine was happily much better, a creepy little children’s book perfect … Continue reading →

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Juliet, Naked, by Nick Hornby (audio)

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Thistle

Tucker Crowe, a middling rock star from the late 70s and early 80s, disappeared from public life in the mid-80s. Since then, he hasn’t made any music or given any interviews. It’s rumored that he lives on a farm in … Continue reading →

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Callback: Crossed Wires

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Thistle

I first read/reviewed Crossed Wires last fall, and it ended up being one of my favorite books of 2009. I remember debating at the time whether or not I should do a giveaway – I wanted more people to have … Continue reading →

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The Return of the Native, by Thomas Hardy (audio)

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Thistle

Oh Thomas Hardy! I offer you my sincere apologies for not having read this book sooner. It’s just, after reading Tess of the D’Urbervilles, I was a little scared to read another of your books. I loved Tess, don’t get me … Continue reading →

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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Thistle

Flavia de Luce, an eleven-year-old chemistry prodigy in 1950 England, is taken by surprise early one morning by the discovery of a body in the garden of her house. The police are called in, but Flavia, not wanting to be … Continue reading →

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Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Thistle

No Spoilers Section Excited anticipation, with a little hesitance as well – that’s how I met with Mockingjay the morning I got up early and went to Walmart, forcing the lady stocking the books to open up a box so … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Kindred, by Octavia Butler

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Thistle

The year is 1976. Dana, as a black woman married to a white man, has a myriad of race-related issues in her life. It’s not a good time period for interracial marriages, and both family and friends (on both sides) … Continue reading →

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The Black City, by George Sand

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Thistle

Étienne, nicknamed Sept-Epées for his expertise with metalwork, is a young man in mid-1800s France. He belongs to the lower class, but dreams of one day escaping poverty and the doldrums of daily work to live in the Upper Town … Continue reading →

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Rage: A Love Story, by Julie Anne Peters

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Thistle

Johanna’s life has been hard. Her father died when she was young, and she watched her mother slip away not long before she reached her senior year in high school. Now she lives on her sister’s mercy, and their relationship … Continue reading →

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Foiled, by Jane Yolen

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Thistle

Allie has grown up fencing and is really good at what she does. Perhaps too good. Perhaps more people than she knows have taken notice of her. Chris said in his review that this was a strange book all the … Continue reading →

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