Title: Wicked Lovely
Author: Melissa Marr
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 2/5
Summary: High school junior Aislinn can see faeries, but they’re not all glitter and Tinkerbell. Try cruel. But now one faery in particular is stalking her, and he just so happens to be a faery king looking for his queen.

Review: I loved the premise of this book, but I didn’t connect with the main character. She was whiny and constantly turning to her older, overly protective not-a-boyfriend for help.

I also had a really hard time with all the changes in point of view. There’s a way to do that well, and this ain’t it. The point of view changed several times in a chapter, sometimes within the same scene. I never felt like I could settle into a character and really see through their eyes.

Title: The Tales of Beedle the Bard
Author: J.K. Rowling
Category: Fiction, Children’s
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Hermione Granger’s new translation of the wizarding world’s best-known fairy tales, with commentary by Albus Dumbledore.

Review: I didn’t realize how much I missed the world of Harry Potter until I read this collection. So I think I might re-read the whole series in the new year.

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, read this book! It’s not going to be quite as fun as reading the series itself, but it’s a quick read that’s well worth your time. Whether the story is funny, gory, or sad—or all three—you’ll enjoy your brief foray into the wizarding world again.

My favorite story in the collection was “Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump.” If you’ve read this book already, what was your favorite?

Title: My One Hundred Adventures
Author: Polly Horvath
Category: Fiction, Children’s
Rating: 3/5
Summary: 12-year-old Jane is tired of the same old, same old summer on the beach in her Massachusetts town. She’s ready for adventures, and she’s ready NOW.

Review: This is an episodic novel, which isn’t usually my cup of tea, but this story grew on me. The characters are deliciously weird, and Jane’s adventures are weirder still. Dry humor is sprinkled throughout, which always managed to catch me by surprise—in a good way.

But in the end, I didn’t feel like the father issue or even the fate of the clothes hanger man were sufficiently resolved. I hate it when books leave huge questions unanswered.

Horvath is a talented writer, though, and I hadn’t read her work before. So I plan to check out some of her most critically acclaimed books—the National Book Award winner The Canning Season, the National Book Award nominee The Trolls, or the Newbery Honor Book Everything on a Waffle. If you’re a Horvath fan, what would you recommend?

Title: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
Author: Jeanne Birdsall
Category: Fiction, Children’s
Rating: 4/5
Summary: As their father starts dating again, the four Penderwick sisters band together to save their family from the horrible fate of adding a stepmother to the mix.

Review: This is the sequel to The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, which I loved. And as with the first book, I was sad to finish this book and have to say goodbye to the characters.

The book is told in third person, but I love how the author switches perspectives among the four girls, even the youngest girl Batty, who is probably 4 or 5. She captures perfectly their four distinct ages and personalities.

A plot inconsistency regarding carpooling stuck out like a sore thumb, but in the end it didn’t really matter to me because it’s just so much fun to spend time with this family!

If you haven’t read The Penderwicks, you should. And if you love the Penderwick family as much as I do, you’ll want to continue on to this sequel. It’s worth it.

Title: Little Brother
Author: Cory Doctorow
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: 17-year-old Marcus is in the wrong place at the wrong time after a terrorist attack in San Francisco, and the Department of Homeland Security picks him up for questioning.

Review: This book offers up a bone-chilling vision of the world after a terrorist attack. The Department of Homeland Security is given free rein to do whatever they want. Surveillance of civilians hits unfathomable levels, and widespread fear makes that an easy pill for everyone to swallow. Almost everyone.

Marcus and his friends rebel against the crack-down, and his technological knowledge keeps him one step ahead of the DHS.

I mostly enjoyed the little diversions explaining the technology Marcus or the DHS were using, but those diversions sometimes felt a little too much like a lesson and not enough like a novel. Aside from that, this book made for an exciting read.

Title: What I Saw and How I Lied
Author: Judy Blundell
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: 15-year-old Evie tags along with her mom and stepdad on an impromptu vacation to Palm Springs, where she finds love, mystery, and tragedy.

Review: This book won the National Book Award this year. I’ve never read a bad National Book Award winner, and this book was no exception with its excellent writing, compelling story, and realistic portrayal of America after World War II.

However, I’ve now read all but one of this year’s National Book Award nominees in the Young People’s Literature category, and this book wasn’t the standout for me. My favorite of the nominees (and of the year) was The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

But with that said, What I Saw and How I Lied is wonderful. I think a lot of girls who wish they would hurry up and blossom will identify with Evie right off the bat. I never can get enough of those plain-girl-who-turns-out-to-be-pretty stories, myself.

So go ahead and enjoy this very worth-your-time story, but don’t miss The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

We’re in Oregon for the holidays, and tonight we had dinner at Standing Stone Brewing Co so Erik could sample their craft brews.

Before the food came to the table, Erik was holding Abby and walking her around the restaurant. He walked right by a woman at the bar who was staring at Abby.

“Oh my God, look at those eyes,” she said.

Erik stopped walking so the woman could get a better look at Abby.

“That is the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, thank you,” Erik said.

You’d think calling someone’s baby the most beautiful baby you’ve ever seen would be the compliment to end all compliments, but the woman continued.

“She makes me want to stop taking my birth control.”

Her boyfriend sitting next to her didn’t look too happy.

Title: No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days
Author: Chris Baty
Category: Nonfiction
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: Advice from the founder of NaNoWriMo on how to write a novel in 30 days.

Review: This made for a fun read during my crazy month of writing. And this book is what convinced me I didn’t need to stress out about writing an outline before NaNoWriMo because according to Baty, “plot happens.” Which is completely true. The story arc and ending I first envisioned for my novel are completely different from how they actually turned out. That’s a good thing, I promise you.

The week-by-week guide was helpful, even if my writing motivation didn’t track it exactly. The book also had writing exercises throughout that I haven’t tried yet but sound fun, like the person and thing game.

You take your notebook, pen, and an unread newspaper and go to a public place with lots of foot traffic. Close your eyes, count to fifteen, then open your eyes. The first person you see is your Person. Write down everything you can about them before they leave your sight. Then take your newspaper, close your eyes, open it to a random page, move your finger down the page a few seconds, and open your eyes again. Whatever you’re pointing to has a deep connection to your Person. What’s the connection? Figure it out and write about it. And bonus points for integrating your Person into your current writing project!

Title: Chains
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Category: Fiction, Children’s
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Isabel is a 13-year-old slave girl during the Revolutionary War. Isabel is promised freedom for herself and her sister when their owner dies. But instead, they’re sold to a heartless couple in New York, where Isabel becomes entangled in the struggle between the Americans and the British.

Review: If you like historical fiction, you can’t get much better than Chains. This book immediately transports you to the time of the Revolutionary War. If you or a child in your life would like to learn more about that period beyond memorizing battle dates and places, check out this book.

You can’t help but feel what Isabel feels—scared, trapped, desperate. I usually shy away from stories set during times of slavery because it’s too, too much to stomach. (Same reason I avoid war movies.) But this story manages to keep a thread of hope throughout so you don’t end up feeling crushed by sadness and outrage.

I’m looking forward to the sequel, Forge.

November highlights include new pajamas, jeans that wouldn’t fit over Abby’s cloth diaper butt, and a lot of downward facing dog as she tries to stand up.