Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

 Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading

Here’s the blurb from the publisher:

In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful.

This book is geared towards young adults but when I saw it on Shelf Awareness I had to add it to my pile and when the publisher sent me a copy, well, I had to push it to the top.

It’s comes out April 15th but I’ll probably snuggle up with it this weekend. I have to add that it’s such a ‘cute’ book too. Very small and compact.  I know publishers are beginning to see that readers are often just as excited about a cover than they are the actual book but small details like quality binding, nice, thick paper, they all make for a better reading experience.

Just wanted to say that.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
By John Boyne
Random House Children’s Books
October 2007
240pp

The Short of It:

A short, powerful book that leaves you speechless.  

The Rest of It:

If you’ve ever come across a copy of this book, then you know from the book’s jacket,  that nothing is shared about the story. No blurb. No comment, other than you need to experience this for yourself.

Since I agree with this statement, I am not going to give you any of the story here, which makes for a very strange book review, but what I will say is that what started off as innocent enough, ended with such a punch to my gut that it actually left me speechless. I spent several moments sitting in the same position, letting the ending sink in. I could not move.

This is a children’s book and could easily be read by a child between the ages of 10-12 but the themes are very mature and although there is nothing graphic within its pages, the reader can read between the lines and get the gist of it.

Although this is a very unconventional review,  this is an important book and should be read by as many people as possible.

Source: This copy was checked out from the library.

It’s already MARCH. Unbelievable. As everyone prepares to attend bookish events on the East coast, us West Coasters are beginning to get excited over the L.A. Times Festival of Books which takes place April 24-25. Last year, I hooked-up with a bunch of local book bloggers and we had a great time. This year, we plan to do the same but I may not be able to go. The family business is moving in April and it’s quite possible that the move will fall on the same weekend as the Festival of Books. I sure hope not.

Another bookish event that is coming up very shortly is the Impatient with Desire book party. I am going to list the dates below in case anyone wants to attend. If you’ve heard of the book but don’t know much about it, you can read my review here, and you can check out the author’s website by clicking here. I am going to try to attend the March 26th event.

Thursday, March 11th 7:30pm
Wine & Words
Warwick’s
7812 Girard Avenue
La Jolla, Ca. 92037

Friday, March 19th 7:30pm
Reading & Party
Village Books
1049 Swarthmore Avenue
Pacific Palisades, Ca. 90272

Friday, March 26th 7:00pm
Reading & Party
Book Soup
8818 West Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, Ca. 90069

Friday, March 31st 7:00pm
Reading & Signing
Chaucer’s Books
3321 State Street
Santa Barbara, Ca. 93105

Filed under: Bookish Talk Tagged: © 2010 Book Chatter, Bookish Events, Festival of Books ]]> http://bookchatter.net/2010/03/09/some-bookish-events-that-are-local-to-me/feed/ 11 Ti LATFoB http://bookchatter.net/2010/03/08/review-raven-stole-the-moon/ http://bookchatter.net/2010/03/08/review-raven-stole-the-moon/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:05:41 +0000 Ti http://bookchatter.net/?p=3228 ]]>

Raven Stole the Moon
By Garth Stein
HarperCollins Publishers
March 2010
464pp

Here’s the blurb from the publisher:

When Jenna Rosen abandons her comfortable Seattle life to visit Wrangell, Alaska, it’s a wrenching return to her past. The hometown of her Native American grandmother, Wrangell is located near the Thunder Bay Resort, where Jenna’s young son, Bobby, disappeared two years before. His body was never recovered, and Jenna is determined to lay to rest the aching mystery of his death. But whispers of ancient legends begin to suggest a frightening new possibility about Bobby’s fate, and Jenna must sift through the beliefs of her ancestors, the Tlingit, who still tell of powerful, menacing forces at work in the Alaskan wilderness. Armed with nothing but a mother’s protective instincts, Jenna’s quest for the truth behind her son’s disappearance is about to pull her into a terrifying and life-changing abyss.

The Short of It:

Raven Stole the Moon is almost like reading two novels, side by side. There’s the everyday, here and now part of it, and then there’s the other part that centers around mysterious Native American legends and shapeshifters. At times, it’s a wild ride.

The Rest of It:

Raven Stole the Moon is not a new book for Stein. In fact, it was first published back in 1998, but after his success with The Art of Racing in the Rain, his publisher decided to release this new edition of Raven Stole the Moon. However, when I first picked it up, I believed that this was a new book so I was a tad surprised when I came upon the afterward in the book and was told that it wasn’t.

I had mixed feelings over this book.

The first half of the book worked for me. Jenna and her husband, Robert, experience what I believe, has got to be the hardest thing to get through; the death of a child. Jenna is grief-stricken, lost and confused and looking for closure. Stein does an excellent job of communicating that feeling of loss to me. Plus, I liked her a lot. She is easily someone who I could be friends with. When she arrives in Wrangell, Alaska she is sort of like flotsam in the sea. She just sort of drifts between point A and point B. When she lands into the arms of Eddie, their attraction is obvious.

As we learn more about the circumstances of her son’s death, we are introduced to the Kushtakas. The legends of the Tlingit center around shapeshifters that are part man, part otter. These Kushtakas are soul-stealers. They change shape to lure you in. Once captured,  you spend the rest of eternity as one of them. So in essence, your soul is never at rest.

The introduction to this legend intrigued me, but by the end of the book, much of it seemed far-fetched. I felt as if the novel was pulling in two different directions. Part of it wanted to stick to the relationship aspect between Jenna, her husband, and Eddie. The other part wanted to focus on the ancient legends but the two never really came together for me. I think it would have been a more powerful read, had a bit more time been spent on the ending to blend the two together.

I will say this, this novel is quite different from anything I’ve ever read. If you enjoy reading about Native American legends and can appreciate the spiritual aspect of the novel, you will enjoy this book. Also, Stein has a way with characters. Their mannerisms, their likes and dislikes, the way they use language, all come together to form real flesh and blood.

If you’re like me and want to check out Stein’s earlier works, click here for details on how to win a copy for yourself.

Source: This ARC was provided by Terra Communications.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

The lovely Sarah from Terra Communications has provided me with one copy of Raven Stole the Moon to give away to a lucky reader. My review of the book can be found here.

This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada. There are two ways to enter. Please follow the instructions carefully because I want every entry to count!

1. Comment here for ONE entry. Include an email address so that I have a way to contact you.

2. For another entry, Tweet about this giveaway and be sure to include @TiBookChatter. After you Tweet, post a separate comment here telling me you did so. If you do not post a second comment, then it won’t count. Sorry!

This giveaway will run through Sunday, March 14, 2010 (Pacific). The winner will be selected randomly and announced on Monday, March 15, 2010. I will contact the winner for his/her mailing address so be sure to include a way for me to contact you.

The book will be sent directly to the winner via Terra Communications.

Good luck!