Week in Review: January 26-31

And Be A Villain. (Nero Wolfe). Rex Stout. 1948. 256 pages. [Source: Book I Bought] 
1066 And All That. W.C. Sellar & R.J. Yeatman. 1931/1993. Barnes & Noble. 116 pages. [Source: Bought]
Duchess of Drury Lane. Freda Lightfoot. 2013. Severn House. 256 pages. [Source: Library]
Seven Stories Up. Laurel Snyder. 2014. Random House. 240 pages. [Source: Review copy]
The First Dragon. The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica #7 James Owen. 2013. Simon & Schuster. 304 pages. [Source: Library]
A Woman's Place. Lynn Austin. 2006. Bethany House. 450 pages. [Source: Book I Bought
The Dancing Master. Julie Klassen. 2014. Bethany House. 432 pages. [Source: Review copy] 
With Autumn's Return. Amanda Cabot. 2014. Revell. 416 pages. [Source: Review copy]

This week's favorite:

My favorite this week may just be my favorite of the entire month of January. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Laurel Snyder's Seven Stories Up. The novel opens circa 1987, Annie, our heroine, is preparing to meet her (dying) grandmother for the first time. They meet. It's a bit overwhelming--a mix of good and bad, perhaps. The love the grandmother has for the granddaughter that she's never met because of the horrible relationship she has with the daughter--well, it's heartbreaking. But I can see how Annie might not now how to take on that much emotion from a stranger. She goes to bed, she wakes up in 1937! Same room. Same hotel. (In the modern setting, the family-owned hotel had been closed awhile.) Annie meets Molly, a girl just her age. It isn't long before she realizes that Molly IS her grandmother...this one is OH-SO-MAGICAL. Loved every page of it!!!

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Week in Review: January 19-25

Good Morning, Miss Dove. Frances Gray Patton. 1954. 218 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]
Pastwatch The Redemption of Christopher Columbus. Orson Scott Card. 1996. Tor.  351 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]
Lady of the English. Elizabeth Chadwick. 2011. Sourcebooks. 544 pages. [Source: Library]
A Corner of White. Jaclyn Moriarty. 2013. Scholastic. 375 pages. [Source: Library]
Aquifer. Jonathan Friesen. 2013. Blink. 303 pages. [Source: Library]
Alexander the Conqueror: The Epic Story of the Warrior King. Laura Foreman. 2004. Da Capo Press. 211 pages. [Source: Library]
Dare to Love Again. Julie Lessman. 2014. Revell. 416 pages. [Source: Review copy]

This week's favorite:

Good Morning, Miss Dove was easily my favorite book this week. I've read the book; I've watched the movie. I will say the movie has a definite not ambiguous ending; the book, perhaps, less so. But I want to believe that the book is just as optimistic about Miss Dove's chances for recovery as the movie. 

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Week in Review: January 12-18

Doomsday Book. Connie Willis. 1992. Random House. 592 pages.  [Source: Book I Bought]
The Road to Yesterday. L.M. Montgomery 1974. McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. 252 pages.
Risked (The Missing #6). Margaret Peterson Haddix. 2013. Simon & Schuster. 320 pages. [Source: Library]
The Courts of Love. Jean Plaidy. 1987. Broadway Books. 576 pages. [Source: Bought]
The Boys in the Boat. Daniel James Brown. 2013. Viking. 416 pages. [Source: Library]
Sense and Sensibility. Jane Austen. 1811. 352 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]
The Merchant's Daughter. Melanie Dickerson. 2011. Zondervan. 285 pages. [Source: Library]
Every Waking Moment. Chris Fabry. 2013. Tyndale. 400 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]
How To Read the Bible Through the Jesus Lens: A Guide to Christ-Focused Reading of Scripture. Michael James Williams. 2012. Zondervan. 288 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]

This week's favorite:

This week it was much harder to choose a favorite. Should I choose a reread that I absolutely love, love, love? Three of the books I read this week were rereads: Sense and Sensibility, Doomsday Book, and The Merchant's Daughter. I can honestly say that I love, love, love all three. The Boys in the Boat is nonfiction. And it was LOVELY. I was absolutely captivated by the story. It was everything a book should be. But do I love it more than Doomsday Book?! And can it compete with Austen?! 

I chose The Boys in the Boat. People need to be reminded that nonfiction can be unforgettable and compelling and WOW-worthy!

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Week in Review: January 5-11

The Time Machine. H.G. Wells. 1895. Penguin. 128 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]
The 100. Kass Morgan. 2013. Little, Brown. 277 pages. [Source: Library] 
The Living. Matt de la Pena. 2013. Random House. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]
Royal Affair: George III And His Scandalous Siblings. 2006. Random House. 384 pages. [Source: Library]
The Revolt of the Eaglets. Jean Plaidy. 1977. 320 pages. [Source: Bought]
Patti Cake And Her New Doll. Patricia Reilly Giff. Illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. 2014. (Jan) Scholastic. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]
The Runaway Hug. Nick Bland. Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. 2013 (Dec). Random House. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]
A Book of Babies. Il Sung Na. 2014. (Jan). Random House. 24 pages. [Source: Review copy] 
Little Frog's Tadpole Trouble. Tatyana Feeney. 2014. (Jan) Random House. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]
Small Bunny's Blue Blanket. Tatyana Feeney. 2014. Random House. 24 pages. [Source: Review copy]
All Fall Down. Mary Brigid Barrett. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2014. Candlewick Press. 16 pages. [Source: Review copy]
Pat-a-Cake. Mary Brigid Barrett. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 2014. Candlewick Press. 16 pages. [Source: Review copy]
Ten Tiny Toes. Caroline Jayne Church. 2014. Scholastic. 22 pages. [Source: Review copy]   
Dear Mr. Knightley. Katherine Reay. 2013. Thomas Nelson. 336 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]
Crazy Busy. Kevin DeYoung. 2013. Crossway. 128 pages. [Source: Review copy]
Bruce and Stan's Pocket Guide To Studying Your Bible: A User-Friendly Approach. Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz. 2001. Harvest House. 112 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]

This week's favorite:

It was oh-so-easy to choose Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay. A contemporary retelling of Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster. Need I say more?! For those that love that funny and charming romance originally published in 1912, this one is a must! It may also be a must for those who love, love, love classic romances. Samantha Moore, the heroine, LOVES to read. (You've probably guessed that Jane Austen is among her favorites!) It's a very satisfying read.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Week in Review: December 29 - January 4

From December:

The 5th Wave. Rick Yancey. 2013. Penguin. 457 pages. [Source: Review copy]
Bluffton: My Summer with Buster Keaton. 2013. Candlewick Press. 240 pages. [Source: Review Copy]

From January:
The Real Boy. Anne Ursu. 2013. HarperCollins. 341 pages. [Source: Library]
The Apprentices. Maile Meloy. Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr. 2013. Penguin. 432 pages. [Source: Review Copy]
The Story of the Treasure Seekers. E. Nesbit. 1899. Puffin. 250 pages. [Source: Bought]
The Captive Maiden. Melanie Dickerson. 2013. Zondervan. 304 pages.
Woman's Guide to Reading the Bible In A Year. Diane Stortz. 2013. Bethany House. 144 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]


This week's favorite:

The Captive Maiden is a retelling of Cinderella. Like the movie Ever After, it retells the familiar story grounding it in reality without the magical touches. Our heroine, Gisela, and our hero, Valten (a duke) will get their happily ever after, but, they'll have to work a lot harder for it! If you'd like to read this one, Amazon has the kindle edition on sale for $1.99; Barnes and Noble also has this Nook book on sale for $1.99.

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews