Author Archives: shelleybean1

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris
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Posted on March 20, 2015 by

Well, this was GOING to be a Two Dorks, One Book feature post, but SOMEONE didn’t read it. So it’s just me. Reviewing alone again. Like a solitary, non bookdorky, book blogger. Because where are you, Kelley, and what are … Continue reading →

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Wreckage by Emily Bleeker
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Posted on February 18, 2015 by

This reads a little like Lost mixed with Castaway mixed with Days of our Lives. Lillian and her mother-in-law, Margaret, win an all-expenses-paid vacation to Fiji courtesy of a yogurt brand. While on the promotional trip, the two women, the pilot, a flight … Continue reading →

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Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
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Posted on February 15, 2015 by

Brown Girl Dreaming has been winning all sorts of awards (Newbery and National Book Award). It depicts a young black family’s moves from Ohio to South Carolina to New York City amid segregation and racial violence. Woodson also tells the story of … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, poetry | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Mermaid’s Sister by Carrie Anne Noble
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Posted on February 14, 2015 by

I read this for my challenge book with non-human characters. This is the story of babies left with a childless old healer woman on a mountaintop. The woman’s name is Verity, and as one might expect, she can tell no lies. One … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, Children's, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, NaNoWriMo, Paranormal, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Doctor Who: The King’s Dragon by Una McCormack
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Posted on February 7, 2015 by

I read this as my “based on a TV show” book for the challenge. I’d read several other Doctor Who novelizations and they’ve been pretty good. This one doesn’t disappoint if you accept it for what it is: a light … Continue reading →

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Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
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Posted on February 4, 2015 by

Oh, I liked this one so much better than Dark Places!!! I hate when I have to do a bad review 😉   A not-super-good reporter at a fourth-rate paper in Chicago is sent back to her tiny hometown to … Continue reading →

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We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
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Posted on January 27, 2015 by

Well, this is not what I was expecting. It was a whole bunch of Martha’s Vineyard “I’m fancy” with more than a little bit of King Lear who-is-the-favorite-daughter and the Kennedys all-American family thrown in. So Cadence Sinclair Eastman is 15 and and … Continue reading →

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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
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Posted on January 25, 2015 by

By turns ghastly and intriguing, this nonfiction piece looks at what happens to our bodies after we die, particularly for cadavers willed to science. The realities are somewhat unsettling, but Roach treats the subject with a light, irreverent tone that … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, Creepy/Weird, Nonfiction | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
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Posted on January 23, 2015 by

This is a fairly typical YA book about rumors and reputations and bullies. It’s got quite a few slut-shaming incidents and scenes depicting how boys get away with sleeping around but girls never can. It’s not groundbreaking or anything, but it was … Continue reading →

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The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
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Posted on January 19, 2015 by

I had heard this book is awesome. It also came up on potential booklists for teenagers, so I felt like I should check it out before recommending it to students. And, overall, it sounds like it probably is awesome…dog tells the … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, Contemporary, Fiction | Tagged , , | 1 Comment