Bookends

Authored by: Jane Green

Aahhh... the fabulous Jane Green has done it again. This time she's created a great protagonist in the frizzy-haired Cath (like Cathy, but with 100x fewer cliches). Cath is having a good life, living in her messy flat, going on Sunday brunches with her best friends Simon, Josh and Lucy.
Oh but something's missing from Cath's life. She's bored with her job, has a poor self-image, and to top it off her love life is non-existent. So... when Lucy convinces Catherine to fulfill her dream and open up a bookshop... you get Bookends. And then Cath meets James, the handsome real-estate agent/artist... ooh!

I loved all the characters in this book--even the enemies. They were all very specially their own person, and there is not a chance you would forget about any one of them while you were into the story. Cath is the normal one, the one who so devoted to her friends she sometimes forgets to take care of herself. Si is the gay best friend who is a hopeless romantic and is always ready with a snarky comment or a makeover idea. Lucy is the bright ray of sunshine who is a genius in the kitchen, Josh is her doting husband, who tries to keep all his problems to himself (oh and they have a demon child). Then there's Portia, their old university friend, who is beautiful and elegant but broke their hearts way back then and got cut off from the group. Even the assholes were well-developed. You really really hated the assholes.

The story is mainly about Cath but all the other main players have their own stories which are equally important. The characters learn a lot about themselves and each other so they grow closer. This book is wonderful. It has everything: funny moments and sad moments, old friends and new loves, twists and turns, relationship troubles and troublesome strangers. It's really all about following your heart and sticking with the people you love. Please read it (or any other Jane Green novel you can get your hands on!)!

Planet Janet

Authored by: Dyan Sheldon

Dyan Sheldon is the author of Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, which was adapted into a movie starring Lindsay Lohan. I haven't read that book, so I can't compare, but I don't think we'll see Janet on the silver screen anytime soon (although one of those tween stars might be good choices... Selena Gomez? Miranda Cosgrove?).

Janet, a young teen who finds her life to be so shallow, is about to dive in to her Dark Phase with her best friend Disha. She's constantly being driven mad by her family, and can't get the hang of this love thing. While Janet's biggest dilemma is what color to dye her hair, she doesn't see the real problems going on around her. She gets annoyed when her family says it, but Janet really is on her own little planet. Janet's world ends at the tip of her nose, and her carelessness is getting her into trouble...

*warning... there may be some spoilers*

I enjoyed reading Planet Janet. It's in a diary form, which I always love. It was funny but it also had some tender moments. Sheldon paints a classic picture of irony with Planet Janet: Janet believes that other people are very shallow and uncaring but it is really her who can't be bothered to actually listen to what they're saying. Instead of being concerned about her parents, she just tunes out their arguments, counting them as a daily nuisance. Her brother is an art student of some renown, but she doesn't realize that his work is important until she invites his stalker in the house. Janet's two guy friends are vying for her attention, but she only has eyes for an older boy who isn't interested.
This all makes for a fun story, but it's also a problem. Janet really being on her own planet maybe ironic and all but the girl is so careless. If not for her few, sweet moments of sanity, she would be unlikeable. (She definitely isn't someone you'd be friends with in real life.) But perhaps we aren't supposed to identify with this protagonist. Perhaps we are supposed to just laugh at her.

I'll stop complaining. I thought Planet Janet was a good book. It was funny and quick to read (and, I said this before but, DIARY FORMAT! always love that.) I enjoyed it. I've just found out there's a sequel. Would I read it? Yes. I'm interested to see what happens to everyone... and I'm hoping Janet has matured.

Devices and Desires

Authored by: K.J. Parker

This is book one of The Engineer Trilogy. I had jury duty and correctly figured that I wasn't going to be put on a case, but instead be left to sit and read so I grabbed some books from the library. I hadn't been there in forever and the selection sucked but I found this large book and a few others. This one, I correctly identified as the most interesting. It begins with a teen boy, son of the Duke in one, i guess I'll call it a kingdom. There are three Kingdoms (or three that matter) Two are rival related enemies that had just recently signed a peace treaty and the third is this extremely technologically advanced place. And by technologically advances I mean they produce the best armor, have the best weapons, they make plates and basically whatever you can thing to do with metal they make it perfectly. So then the story goes on that Orsea's kingdom attacks the advanced ones and lose but it's all good timing for this one guy who made an advancement on one of the technologies, which is not allowed. He escaped from prison and followed Orsea home. Then naturally, stuff happens.

I really thought this book was amazingly well thought out. So planned. You see things happening and wish the lines of communication were more open so they wouldn't easily succumb to defeat but you know who the characters are, and what they're going to do. I really don't like Vaates, the prison escapee. He's apparently the protagonist though. I really like Valens and hope that he can work things out... Anyway, great book. There's a ton of war and hunting and planning things I don't too much care about but Parker makes it a page turner. I was not bored at all in jury duty. Sometimes I'd look up from the book and feel like I was being sucked out of another world. It's that good.

Noman

Authored by: William Nicholson

Final book in the Noble Warriors series. Seeker is still on his journey to destroy the Sevanters while everyone else tries to find faith now that the physical Nom is gone. Of the three books, I felt this one was a let down. I loved the first 2 and was excited to read the conclusion but I felt this book was more scattered. A lot of stuff was going on and everyone was in different places and people were being lied to all over the place. Also, Seeker seemed to lack a specific personality in this book. Maybe he didn't even have one in the first two but it seemed that in this book he was just there doing things. Also what he did to Wildman was crazy and it was obvious it would be undone. Aside from the plot and all of that, the final conclusion the "and they went of and lived happily ever after" part (It wasn't like that, but for purposes of an example) was good and respectable. But the book overall was a lot of craziness. It didn't have the same spirit as the first two, I felt.

Jango

Authored by: William Nicholson

Jango is the second book in the Noble Warriors trilogy. It begins with Seeker, Wildman, and Morning Star undergoing training in the Nom. Wildman is becoming impatient and wants to go into the garden. Morning Star is developing feelings for Wildman, and Seeker gains incredible power. Jango is just as amazing of a book at the first installment, Seeker was. We're introduced to a new character Echo who accidentally finds herself in the company of a warlord and his army, as he marches into Radiance. The new Radiant leader is still trying to destroy the Nom, and a lot of stuff happens. If you liked the first book, you'll like this one too.