The Bean Trees

Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Rating: PG-13 - there's a few sexual references/sex related humor, but I would consider it extremely mild, and definitely not memorable.
Pages: 261

Summary:Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when she heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time Taylor arrives in Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a completely unexpected child, a three-year-old American Indian girl named Turtle, and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity for putting down roots. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places.

My Thoughts: I absolutely love this book. I read it for the first time in middle school, again in high school, and again now. One of the big perks to this book is that it's not centered on love, heartbreak, or random teenage drama. It's a real story of a person trying to get by in life. Taylor has a personality that is rather unforgettable, and all the people she meets in the story are pretty similar.

Basically, Taylor (who changed her name to Taylor from Marietta) is tired of Kentucky and decides to get out. She opts to drive her car as far as it will take her, but gives up that idea when her car breaks down in boring, flat Oklahoma. While in Oklahoma getting her car fixed, Taylor aquires a child. An Indian woman simply leaves the girl on Taylor's passenger seat. With nowhere to go really, Taylor takes the kid with her. She names her Turtle because she has a vice-like grip that reminds Taylor of mud-turtles. Eventually, Taylor ends up in Tucson, Arizona, where she finds housing with a woman named Lou-Ann, who recently had a baby, and whose husband just left her.

There are two directions the story goes from here. First, Taylor decides she wants Turtle to belong to her legally, but with no documentation, this proves rather difficult. Most of the second half of the story encompasses Taylor's struggle to adopt Turtle. Underneath all that is a story about illegal immigration. Taylor has a friend in Tucson who is in the business of helping illegal immigrants get into the country and find places where they will be safe. Mostly, these people fled their country in the south because they would have been killed otherwise. It's kind of the second story line going on. Now that I've read a few of Kingsolver's books, I'm beginning to think that the theme of her books always has something to do with a controversial issue involving the United States and our involvement with foreigners. But regardless of the commentary on immigration, I LOVE the book, and I think it's a fantastic story.

The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How.

Author: Daniel Coyle
Rating: PG (there's a few minor swear words)
Pages: 221

Summary:What is the secret of talent? How do we unlock it? In this groundbreaking work, journalist and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle provides parents, teachers, coaches, businesspeople—and everyone else—with tools they can use to maximize potential in themselves and others.

Whether you’re coaching soccer or teaching a child to play the piano, writing a novel or trying to improve your golf swing, this revolutionary book shows you how to grow talent by tapping into a newly discovered brain mechanism.

Drawing on cutting-edge neurology and firsthand research gathered on journeys to nine of the world’s talent hotbeds—from the baseball fields of the Caribbean to a classical-music academy in upstate New York—Coyle identifies the three key elements that will allow you to develop your gifts and optimize your performance in sports, art, music, math, or just about anything.

My Thoughts: This is probably one of the most fascinating books I've ever read in my entire life. I was hooked, the entire time. The best part is, it's not written in boring scientist language. The author is a talented story-teller, and it's definitely written in layman's terms. You do not have to be a genius to wrap your mind around the concepts in this book.

Also, it could apply to EVERYTHING. Basically, the main focus of the book is that talent in anything (outgoing nature, music, math, athletics, etc) is something that you can grow in yourself if you want it enough and if you practice well and a lot. The book points out that many people we think are geniuses or naturals at something (Mozart, Jessica Simpson, etc) actually spent hundreds of thousands of hours painstakingly practicing the skills that got them their fame. Mozart, "by his sixth birthday, had studied 3,500 hours of music with his instructor-father."

I really don't know how to talk about this book, because it seriously must be read. I enjoyed reading it to learn about education helps as well. Encouraging effort, rather than innate "smartness" helps kids to grow and learn at much faster rates, and the book also helps you to understand that failures are opportunities to keep practicing and get better. The more you fail, the more you practice it to get it right, which helps your brain to cement the correct way into your instincts. Failures and difficulties help us learn more and learn better. The more time we spend practicing what is on the edge of our comfort zone, the better we will get at whatever it is. I HIGHLY recommend this book. SO INTERESTING!!!!

Tortall Series: Song of the Lioness Quartet

Author: Tamora Pierce

Books in Quartet: Alanna: The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Lioness Rampant

Tortall Series: Song of the Lioness is the first quartet in a larger series of books called the Tortall Series. Each quartet is related in that they take place in the same land and the charcters often know each other or are inter-related, however, each quartet is about a different person. After Song of the Lioness, the next quartet is called The Immortals Series, and it's about a girl named Daine. After that is Protector of the Small, about a girl named Kel, and then you have Trickster's Queen,  and Trickster's Choice, which are about Alanna's daughter. The Beka Cooper trilogy technically is set years and years before Alanna, but from what I've heard, it stands on its own without much need of reading the others, so you can go for those at whatever point. Just a bit of information in case you wanted to make sure you're reading them all in the right order.


Pages: Book 1 - 274
Book 2 - 264
Book 3 -284
Book 4 -384

Rating: PG, however Alanna does have sex in books 2,3,and 4, but it's not graphic AT ALL. It's extremely vague. Basically, there's a point where in one sentence she wonders what it would be like to have sex, and then it says a few chapters later that she continues to work hard on her lessons by day, and "at night, --------- taught her about loving." (I left out the name so as not to give it away). And then in book three it's clear that she is sleeping with a certain person, but nothing explicitly says that they're having sex, other than one time where she says she feels best when they make love. Same with book 4. She calls him her lover, and it says they share a bedroll. But there is no description whatsoever. The books are not romances. I did not feel uncomfortable with it at all, but it's up to you.

Summary: Book One - Call it fate, call it intuition, or just call it common sense, but somehow young Alanna knows she isn't meant to become some proper lady cloistered in a convent. Instead, she wants to be a great warrior maiden--a female knight. But in the land of Tortall, women aren't allowed to train as warriors. So Alanna finds a way to switch places with her twin, Thom, and take his place as a knight in training at the palace of King Roald. Disguising herself as a boy, Alanna begins her training as a page in the royal court. Soon, she is garnering the admiration of all around her, including the crown prince, with her strong work ethic and her thirst for knowledge. But all the while, she is haunted by the recurring vision of a black stone city that emanates evil... somehow she knows it is her fate to purge that place of its wickedness. But how will she find it? And can she fulfill her destiny while keeping her gender a secret?

Book Two -
Still disguised as a boy, Alanna becomes a squire to none other than the prince of the realm. Prince Jonathan is not only Alanna's liege lord, he is also her best friend -- and one of the few who knows the secret of her true identity. But when a mysterious sorceror threatens the prince's life, it will take all of Alanna's skill, strength, and magical power to protect him -- even at the risk of revealing who she really is...
Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's second adventure continues the saga of a girl who dares to follow her dreams -- and the magical destiny that awaits her.

Book Three - Newly knighted, Alanna of Trebond seeks adventure in the vast desert of Tortall. Captured by fierce desert dwellers, she is forced to prove herself in a duel to the death -- either she will be killed or she will be inducted into the tribe. Although she triumphs, dire challenges lie ahead. As her mythic fate would have it, Alanna soon becomes the tribe's first female shaman -- despite the desert dwellers' grave fear of the foreign woman warrior. Alanna must fight to change the ancient tribal customs of the desert tribes -- for their sake and for the sake of all Tortall.

Book Four - Having achieved her dream of becoming the first female knight errant, Alanna of Trebond is not sure what to do next. Perhaps being a knight errant is not all that Alanna needs....But Alanna must push her uncertainty aside when a new challenge arises. She must recover the Dominion Jewel, a legendary gem with enormous power for good -- but only in the right hands. And she must work quickly. Tortall is in great danger, and Alanna's archenemy, Duke Roger, is back -- and more powerful than ever. In this final book of the Song of the Lioness quartet, Alanna discovers that she indeed has a future worthy of her mythic past -- both as a warrior and as a woman.

My Thoughts: I read these books for the first time when I was in middle school, and I have to say they are just as addicting now that I'm an adult. The books are rather small, so the 200 pages goes by really quickly. It probably took me about 4 hours to read each book. Since the books are about a girl proving herself in a man's world, you can definitely say that there is a feministic agenda about them, but it's not to the point where it's annoying or anything. To me, the message that is really evident is that you can be anything you want to be, and you shouldn't let anyone hold you back. You shouldn't let your gender or any other aspect of who you are keep you from following your dreams and achieving them. They're fun girl power books. It's nice to read about a girl who kicks butt and is just so awesome.

The books also move really quickly. You definitely never get bored, and it doesn't feel like you've run a marathon after you're done with them. In fact, the books are short enough, that you're basically dying to read the next one because the first one was just over too soon!

For all you sci-fi/fantasy freaks out there, the books are also filled with magic. Some people in the books have it, some do not, but if they do it is called "The Gift" and it's just something inside of them. They do have to learn to use it and control it, and control how much they use, because if they use too much at once, they can die. If they drain themselves of magic, they can't stay alive. Alanna doesn't just learn how to fight with swords and bows and arrows, she also learns how to use her magic.

 The people in Tortall have a variety of Gods, similar to Ancient Greece.The people kind of pick and choose which God is their personal favorite or whatever, but there are two main ones, a male and a female: Mithros, and the Great Mother Goddess. Alanna specifically  is a favorite of the Goddess, and her path in life is helped along by this Goddess. For me, it's all just fictional and good, and there are still some good messages in there, like when Alanna finds out that she is going to have to deal with her monthly period. She is extremely unhappy about this, and wants to change it, but the healer woman tells her that it's none of her business changing who the Gods wanted her to be. Here's the quote. "Your place in life you can always change, whether you have the Gift or not. But you cannot change what the gods have made you. The sooner you accept that, the happier you will be."

I love these books. They are great fun, they have some good messages, and they are pretty clean. You just have to get past the fact that Alanna has pre-marital sex, but for me it wasn't that hard to do, because it was not even the tiniest bit graphic, and it's certainly not the main focus of the story. It's just something that happens, but it's a background thing. It's not really a love story. Alanna does need to learn to be a woman and love, and that is why the sex is thrown in there, but it's really vague.

Book 3 is probably the least action packed, since it's kind of an in-between book. It's just the bridge between exciting things happening. But don't skip it. You need the background of the 3rd book to help you understand what is happening in the 4th one. I still read more than half the 3rd book in less than 2 hours. And then the 4th one has a nice satisfying ending, AND a long battle scene with lots of action. So it's very exciting. I highly recommend this series!

Zig Zag

Author: Ellen Wittlinger

Pages: 264

Rating: PG-13, but just barely. There's a little language, but not much, and at the beginning it's clear that Robin does have sex with her boyfriend, but there are no graphic sex scenes. They just have a conversation about what their parents would think if they knew. But since the book is not really about Robin's relationship with Chris, I don't really think you should let that fact keep you from reading the book.

Summary:Robin can't believe it when her boyfriend, Chris, tells her that his parents have enrolled him in a summer program in Rome. It's their last summer together before he goes away to college, and now they won't even have that time together. It feels like the worst thing that's ever happened to her.

Since Chris is leaving, Robin agrees to join her aunt and cousins on a cross-country road trip, in spite of her reservations -- she and her younger cousins have never really gotten along, and since their father's death they've become even more problematic than before.

Soon the four of them are zigzagging through the West on an eye-opening journey. They explore parts of the country Robin never dreamed existed -- and she discovers inner resources she never imagined she had.

My Thoughts: This book was one of my high school favorites, and I still liked it. It brought back a lot of nostalgia at the beginning when Robin feels like it's the end of the world that her boyfriend is leaving and that she is nothing without him. I totally remember feeling that way when my high school boyfriend went off to college and left me behind.

Robin is really funny, and her cousins, Iris and Marshall, have lots of problems. They're such real characters though. They are trying to deal with a huge tragedy, and they each choose different ways to deal with it. Marshall draws violent pictures, and Iris is just snotty all the time and she's hovering on the verge of bulimia. Robin is thrown in the mix to somehow get them all through the summer, and she ends up acting like the family's therapist. Robin ends up handling the whole mess extremely well. She's such a strong character, even though she has very little faith in herself. She learns a lot along the way, and she grows up a lot too.

It's not your average dopey teenage love story or anything. These kids have real issues, and the trip helps them to heal and come closer together. That's part of why I like this book. It has a lot of lessons written into an easy to read story about a family on a road trip across the USA.

Down the Mysterly River

Author: Bill Willingham
Pages: 328
Rating: G - there's a little bit of violence, but nothing too gory or difficult to read.

Summary: Max “the Wolf” is a top notch Boy Scout, an expert at orienteering and a master of being prepared. So it is a little odd that he suddenly finds himself, with no recollection of his immediate past, lost in an unfamiliar wood. Even odder still, he encounters a badger named Banderbrock, a black bear named Walden, and McTavish the Monster (who might also be an old barn cat)—all of whom talk—and who are as clueless as Max.

Before long, Max and his friends are on the run from a relentless group of hunters and their deadly hounds. Armed with powerful blue swords and known as the Blue Cutters, these hunters capture and change the very essence of their prey. For what purpose, Max can’t guess. But unless he can solve the mystery of the strange forested world he’s landed in, Max may find himself and his friends changed beyond recognition, lost in a lost world… 

My Thoughts: This book quickly jumped into my favorites list, and this is why: It's a really excellent fantasy/adventure story that isn't 750 pages long and doesn't rope you into reading three or four more books because it's part of a series. The book stands completely on its own, isn't extremely long, and has a very satisfying ending. I couldn't believe that a book like this really existed. Most books in this genre are a million pages long and part of a series, which can be annoying if you don't really feel like investing all that time into 3 more books.

I found that the book moved along at a really nice pace. I could hardly put it down, and it reawakened my love of fantasy/adventure books. Max and the other characters are very likable, very real, and the book is easy to read. It's entertaining for an adult, but I'm sure a 10 year old would love it just as much. The book reminded me just a little bit of Inkheart, but I can't say why without giving away the ending. Max eventually figures out what this world is all about any why he is there, but I was completely in the dark. The answer was definitely a surprise to me, and it was creative. It's not a story you've read before. Once you know the end, you have to almost go back and read certain parts again because it will mean something different in light of this new information. I highly recommend this book for ALL ages.

In Zanesville

Author: Jo Ann Beard

Pages: 287

Rating: PG mostly, but there is a smidge of language. Not a lot though. 

Summary: The beguiling fourteen-year-old narrator of IN ZANESVILLE is a late bloomer. She is used to flying under the radar-a sidekick, a third wheel, a marching band dropout, a disastrous babysitter, the kind of girl whose Eureka moment is the discovery that "fudge" can't be said with an English accent.

Luckily, she has a best friend, a similarly undiscovered girl with whom she shares the everyday adventures of a 1970s American girlhood, incidents through which a world is revealed, and character is forged.

In time, their friendship is tested-- by their families' claims on them, by a clique of popular girls who stumble upon them as if they were found objects, and by the first, startling, subversive intimations of womanhood.

With dry wit and piercing observation, Jo Ann Beard shows us that in the seemingly quiet streets of America's innumerable Zanesvilles is a world of wonders, and that within the souls of the awkward and the overlooked often burns something radiant and unforgettable.

My Thoughts: This isn't really a novel I'll probably remember forever, but I will admit that it was interesting and the writing was excellent. Beard is one of those authors that can describe things so well that you're left thinking, "yes, it is like that" even if you never would have thought to describe it that way before. If you're really into coming of age novels, this is just another one of those. The thing for me is that nothing really happens in this book. There are some problems with her best friend because suddenly the popular girls want to hang out with one of them but not the other, but that's really all. They briefly experiment with boys, just kind of to see what it feels like. Mostly, it's just a series of the kind of events girls have to deal with growing up, and it's kind of funny watching this make her way through it. The way she expresses her trepidation of having to wear a bra someday cracked me up. "It's like being on your way to the Alps and knowing that when you get there you'll have to wear lederhosen."

One interesting fact about the book...they never tell you the name of the main character, although I was more than halfway through the book before I realized this. The closest I got was that she has the same name as one of the girls in Little Women, but she's not Amy. "Little Amy March grew up while no one was looking, wandered away from wherever it was they lived, and became an artist, while the one named after me had to stay and be in a worse book later." This wasn't enough of a clue for me, so if anyone else knows Little Women better than I do, let me know what this girl's name is because I was extremely curious by the end.

I will say I found the ending disappointing, but I was never disappointed while actually reading the book. I did enjoy it. The author does a wonderful job capturing the essence of a young teenager trying to figure out what it means to grow up, while still being afraid to leave childhood behind.

The Freedom Writers Diary

Author: The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell

Pages: 311

Rating: This one verges on R, and it probably is R, but please don't let the rating affect your choice to read it! The book is self-described as "gritty and honest" and this is why I was forced to give it the R rating. You will find a lot of language, but mostly towards the beginning, and other things that are difficult to read about. However, if this book was any cleaner it would really lose its effect. The fact of the matter is, the kids in this book have had R-rated lives, and they wrote about them as they happened, without being censored. Please read my thoughts on the book in order to decide whether you want to read it or not!

Summary: As an idealistic twenty-three-year-old English teacher at Wilson High School in Long beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust—only to be met by uncomprehending looks. So she and her students, using the treasured books Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo as their guides, undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. They learned to see the parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries and dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers” in homage to the civil rights activists “The Freedom Riders.”

With funds raised by a “Read-a-thon for Tolerance,” they arranged for Miep Gies, the courageous Dutch woman who sheltered the Frank family, to visit them in California, where she declared that Erin Gruwell’s students were “the real heroes.” Their efforts have paid off spectacularly, both in terms of recognition—appearances on “Prime Time Live” and “All Things Considered,” coverage in People magazine, a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley—and educationally. All 150 Freedom Writers have graduated from high school and are now attending college.

With powerful entries from the students’ own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students.


My Thoughts:While I will probably not usually  review non-fiction books, since most of what I read is fiction, this book is entirely worthwhile for anyone in high school or above. You may or may not have seen the movie by the same name, I haven't, but either way, the book is fantastic. Like I said in the rating, the book is pretty intense. These kids have experienced molestation, homelessness, physical and sexual abuse, racial hate crimes, witnessing the murder/death of several friends and family members, abortions, and much more. They write about all of these difficulties in sometimes graphic detail, but like I said, without these details, the book would not be nearly so powerful.

The book is made up of the diary entries of various (unnamed) students in Ms. Gruwell's English class, with an entry from Ms. Gruwell herself at the start of every school year. She encouraged them to fight back by writing about their experiences instead of perpetuating the cycle of violence that so many of them grew up with. The story is truly inspiring. It makes you realize how blessed you are, to have escaped such a terrible life, and if you're a person who has had a difficult past, the book can help you realize that you are not alone, and that if all these kids can make it, you can too.

It was also shocking to me to read these true stories about life in the 'hood, in bad neighborhoods, where gangs and drug dealers are a dime a dozen, and where every kid is wondering who is going to get shot next, and whether it will be him. Sometimes we have this idealized view of America as being this cutesy little place where everyone is happy, and no one is in danger. We don't realize what is going on in some areas of the country, and how hopeless the situations can feel for those people.

The book really celebrates diversity, tolerance, and the courage to shoot for your dreams, and to work hard to get there. The book teaches that discriminating and stereotyping are just plain stupid, and that everyone deserves a chance at life. I think for me the most enlightening entries were from kids who were illegal immigrants. Since I live in an area of the country where illegal immigrants are all over the place, and where I was one of the few white kids in my middle school, that part really hit home for me. I had never really thought before about how difficult it is for an illegal immigrant to improve himself. An entry near the end of the book, written by an illegal, described his struggle. He had always done well in school and desperately wanted to attend college and become even better, but without a Social Security number, this dream was impossible. The book really helps you feel empathy for all sorts of people, from all walks of life.

One of my favorite quotes near the end of the book is this, "It doesn't matter if your inspiration in life comes from negative or positive events. The most important thing is to learn and go on." That's really the message of the book that I took away. It doesn't really matter where life has taken you. If you can just learn from everything and refuse to give up on moving forward, you will be just fine. This book is truly a worthwhile read.

By George, by Wesley Stace

Pages: 378

Rating: PG-13 (There is mention of sex, but not really graphically, however, towards the end, quite a few F-words get thrown in there, which was a disappointment.)

Summary: In the illustrious history of the theatrical Fishers, there are two Georges. One is a peculiar but endearing 11-year-old, raised in the seedy world of `70s boarding houses and backstages, now packed off to school for the first time; the other, a garrulous ventriloquist's dummy who belonged to George's grandfather, a favorite traveling act of the British troops in World War II. The two Georges know nothing of each other--until events conspire to unite them in a search to uncover the family's deepest secrets.

Weaving the boy's tale and the puppet's "memoirs," BY GEORGE unveils the fascinating Fisher family--its weak men, its dominant women, its disgruntled boys, and its shocking and dramatic secrets. At once bitingly funny and exquisitely tender, Stace's novel is the unforgettable journey of two young boys separated by years but driven by the same desires: to find a voice, and to be loved.

My Thoughts: Ok, honestly, I was not a huge fan of this book. For the most part, I think it was just too LONG. The story could have been told just as well in probably 150 pages less. There was a lot of pointless filler story in there about day to day life, that I felt just wasn't really necessary to further the story. It took me forever to finish this book because I kept getting frustrated with its lack of direction, so I'd put it down and read something else for a while. I found myself skimming quite a lot as I got towards the end.

There are two mysteries going on in the book and they are solved near the end. George finds out who his real father is (although, I figured it out before he did) and they find out what really happened to his grandpa Joe. Like I said already though, the lead up to finding all this out is just too boring. I felt like the book was also kind of depressing too, as though no one really got what they wanted at the end. It was all just very melancholy. Another problem I had with this book was I had this feeling of disconnect between me and the characters. It sometimes felt as if all the characters in the book were connected and knew what was going on, and they were throwing back and forth little bits of conversation and innuendos that made perfect sense to them, but I was completely out of the loop. I felt a little lost at times. I didn't feel a part of the story really. More of a confused observer.

Overall, I probably would not recommend this book, but if you still think it sounds interesting, go ahead and give it a try.

Darcy's Passions: Pride and Prejudice Retold Through His Eyes, by Regina Jeffers

Pages: 385

Rating: PG-13 ( It's a love story, and for the time period, pretty steamy. It's not graphic or anything. The book just happens to go slightly past their marriage, and there is sex, but it's not inappropriately handled or anything.)

Summary:Witty, romantic and insightful, Darcy’s Passions captures the original style and sardonic humor of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice while turning the entire story on its head. Written from the perspective of Fitzwilliam Darcy, this novel tells his version of an improbable, even obsessive relationship with a most impossible woman—Elizabeth Bennet.

This novel reveals Darcy’s passion and conviction but also his turmoil. Darcy knows that duty to family and estate demands he choose a woman of refined tastes. Yet, what his mind tells him to do and what his heart knows to be true tear him in opposite directions. He loves a woman he first denies for being unworthy, but it is he who is found wanting when Elizabeth Bennet refuses his proposal of marriage. Devastated, Darcy must search his soul and transform himself into the man she can love and respect.

My Thoughts: Just in case Colin Firth didn't already convince you that Mr. Darcy is the most desirable man on earth, you can read this book and then you WILL be hopelessly in love. Every girl should hope that her future husband is as much in love with her as Mr. Darcy is with Elizabeth. My favorite Darcy quote from the book: "I have been a fool in love; everything about the woman went against my principles, but, much to my chagrin, I found Elizabeth was exactly what I needed. She is the only woman who dared to challenge me - to humble me." Basically, the book shows you the struggles Darcy goes through as he tries to reconcile his growing interest in a country girl with bad family connections. She is socially unacceptable to a man of his rank, yet he cannot keep himself away from her. One of the best parts of this book is that it goes a little bit past their marriage, where Darcy gets caught on his pride again, there is a flare-up with Elizabeth, and he has to make it right. I absolutely love this book. I own it, it's that awesome. It's just great to hear the whole story from Darcy's perspective and what he was thinking the whole time. I'll let you decide what you think, but to me, it's right up there with the original story!

The Summer of the Bear, by Bella Pollen

Pages: 438

Rating: PG-13 (there's a little bit of sexual stuff, but it's very fleeting, and never graphic. There are a few swear words, I think the F-bomb was in there twice.)

Summary:
In 1980 Germany, under Cold War tension, a mole is suspected in the British Embassy. When the clever diplomat Nicky Fleming dies suddenly and suspiciously, it’s convenient to brand him the traitor. But was his death an accident, murder, or suicide? As the government digs into Nicky’s history, his wife, Letty, relocates with her three children to a remote Scottish island hoping to salvage their family. But the isolated shores of her childhood retreat only intensify their distance, and it is Letty’s brilliant and peculiar youngest child, Jamie, who alone holds on to the one thing he’s sure of: his father has promised to return and he was a man who never broke a promise.

Exploring the island, Jamie and his teenaged sisters discover that a domesticated brown bear has been marooned on shore, hiding somewhere among the seaside caves. Jamie feels that the bear may have a strange connection to his father, and as he seeks the truth, his father’s story surfaces in unexpected ways. Bella Pollen has an uncanny ability to capture the unnoticeable moments in which families grow quiet. A novel about the corrosive effects of secrets and the extraordinary imagination of youth, The Summer of the Bear is Pollen’s most ambitious and affecting book yet.

My Thoughts: I found this book difficult to put down. It was strangely compelling, like the whole thing is just a dream or something. I thought it would be more like a mystery novel, but it's really story of a grieving family trying to piece together how their father died, or in Jamie's case, why he is gone. To protect Jamie from the horror of death, no one officially tells him his father is dead. They say things like, "He's gone" and "He had an accident and he hurt everything." It's also a story of each individual in the family trying to deal with it and get past the fact that a key piece of their family is now gone. The story is told in small little chapters, and it rotates through the perspectives of each family member, sometimes reminiscing about events in the past, sometimes just telling how it is now.

I was a little confused about the bear because the story starts out with him and it wasn't obvious at first that the bear was narrating. It was a lot easier when I realized that the bear's chapters are marked by a little picture of a bear at the beginning of each of his narratives. That might be helpful. There also are elements of truth to the book. I don't think of this as a spoiler because I read it early on, and even though it's part of the epilogue, it helped me understand the story better. In 1980, there really was a tame grizzly bear lost on a Scottish Island for several weeks. Even though when he was finally found, he was extremely thin and weak with hunger, he had never harmed a single animal or human.

There are definitely twists and turns. I was completely in the dark about what really happened to their father until the very very end, and suddenly it all becomes clear. It's one of those books that just kind of touches you quietly and when you're done, you think, "Hey...that was a good book." I really enjoyed it.

One last warning... the book is written as if the readers are familiar with British terms and phrases, so just watch out cuz you might be slightly confused with some terms. I was. It helps to know that MoD stands for Ministry of Defense. They don't explain that right away.