Becky's Book Reviews

Saturday, October 26, 2024

90. I Survived the Black Death, 1348

I Survived the Black Death, 1348 (I Survived #24) Lauren Tarshis. 2024. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [j historical fiction, j fiction, series book]

First sentence: I'm dying. That's all eleven-year-old Elsie Archer was thinking as she lay on a sweat-soaked straw mattress. Burning with fever, head throbbing, Elsie thrashed and moaned. The air around her stunk of sickness...and death.

Premise/plot: Lauren Tarshis' I Survived series travels way, way, way back in her newest: all the way back the fourteenth century! It stars Elsie and her best friend, Humphrey, villagers of Brambly, England. The two are in a dangerous circumstance or situation before the Plague sweeps through the village. (Being in the wrong place at the wrong time OR being in the right place at the right time...just getting caught by the bad guys). The plague might just work in their favor--in an odd way--but life will never be the same after the Black Death.

My thoughts: This might be her most compelling book that I've read in quite a while. I didn't love the author's note. I get it. I do. But I didn't love it. The comparison linking COVID and the Black Death. I can see how kids might think these two are super similar, but, I didn't appreciate the comparison nearly as much as an adult reader. Perhaps I've just read too much history and historical fiction set in the middle ages. Perhaps I think the comparison only works on the surface level. Either way, the book itself I definitely recommend to fans of the series. Though perhaps this one isn't "typical" of the series.

89. Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop

Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop. Joshua S. Levy. 2024. 256 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Speculative Fiction; Friendship; MG Fiction] [4 stars]

First sentence: My first bar mitzvah took forever.

Premise/plot: Two strangers become friends when they realize they have much in common: a) they are both celebrating their bah mitzvah (in the same hotel, different ball rooms) and b) they are both stuck in a three-day time loop (Friday morning through Sunday afternoon). Can Ezra and Finn find a way to move ahead into the future? Or will they be reliving the same weekend hundreds or thousands of times. Is there anything worse than being stuck in a time loop? Maybe. Maybe not.

My thoughts: This speculative fiction time-loop themed novel has dual narrators--Ezra and Finn. I enjoyed both narrators. I enjoyed meeting both families. The boys definitely have some adventures and misadventures as they brainstorm potential ways out of the mess. Time loop stories (along with time travel stories) are among my favorites. This one did not disappoint.

Thursday, October 24, 2024

88. The Last Dragon on Mars

The Last Dragon on Mars. Scott Reintgen. 2024. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [MG fantasy, MG science fiction] [3 stars]

First sentence: There's a storm coming that looks right nasty.

Premise/plot: For readers wanting DRAGONS in their science fiction (colonization, space flight, survival), readers should consider picking up this new middle grade series. The first book, The Last Dragon on Mars, newly published, introduces readers to Lunar Jones, an orphaned boy living on a cursed planet. Mars (the planet) has been cursed since first colonized by humans generations previously. It is NOT a hospitable, homey place, however, it is the only home he's ever known. And even though every single day is a struggle for resources, a struggle among many for those extremely limited resources, he's not ready to give up on Mars just yet. (Then again, what choice does he have?)

Dragon-lore is plentiful in the world-making of this speculative fiction series. To go into details of why planets, moons, and stars have dragon [avatars] would be tedious. That is, my description of the book's world would be tedious.

In some ways this is a typical quest-adventure book where a young, thoroughly unprepared boy is thrust into a position where he must save the world. However, I haven't read many science fiction novels set in space involving dragons.

My thoughts: I liked it well enough. It is certainly on the eccentric, taste-specific side. But then again that is how science fiction works. It was a quick read that was enjoyable enough. I didn't love it as much as I was hoping. But I think the target audience could certainly find it appealing.

87. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6). J.K. Rowling. 2005. 652 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars]

First sentence: It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.

Premise/plot: Harry Potter (and company) face their biggest challenges yet. Lord Voldemort's return/resurrection is no longer being ignored by the powers that be. Harry Potter (and company) are no longer being ridiculed for spouting 'nonsense' about Voldemort. The threat is acknowledged. Some precautions are being taken. (But are they ever going to be enough?)

This one does take place mostly at Hogwarts. Harry Potter (and company) are doing their best to prepare for inevitable showdowns. Harry is taking special lessons with Professor Dumbledore. They are 'visiting' Voldemort's past memories. They are preparing for the 'war to come' by learning as much as they possibly can about every moment of his life. Looking for anything and everything they can use against him.

This one has quite the ending. It is SUPER intense. More intense than any of the other novels.

My thoughts: Yes, it's taken me ABSOLUTELY forever to start this series. I'm glad I waited this long to be honest. Harry Potter has fallen out of favor, these days, is being canceled--this time by the Left. But that is neither here nor there. (That's not why I'm reading the books now. That's not my motivation). I'm glad I waited so that I could read all the books back-to-back-to-back. No waiting. And since it was impossible to avoid spoilers there in early-to-mid 2000s, I know just enough about the characters.

My thoughts PART TWO: I am rereading the whole series. My initial thought was to read July through December, but, I am zooming through some of these books. So I think I'll finish the series in November instead. The ending of this one is outstanding. I can only imagine the experience for those who started the series back in 97 or 98 and waited between books. I am liking the series more the second time around. Perhaps because I know the characters better and have a more grounded reaction.

Thursday, October 17, 2024

86. The Menendez Murders (Updated Edition)

The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation. (Updated Edition) Robert Rand. 2024. 376 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, adult nonfiction, true crime, biography]

First sentence: On the night of August 20, 1989, the last in the lives of Jose and Kitty Menendez, their elegant residential street in Beverly Hills was so still you could hear a leaf drop. That in itself was not unusual or suspicious. People pay a steep price to live in such neighborhoods, and they cherish their peace and quiet.

Premise/plot: Robert Rand has followed the story from the start--literally. This is an account of just about anything and everything you could ever want to know about the murders, the trials, and the decades of aftermath. He is a news reporter--journalist--who has interviewed so many including many family members and the brothers themselves. He was there in court for the trials. This is a well-organized accounting of everything having to do with the case. One might say it has some bias--some--since the author believed and still believes the abuse claims. But that doesn't make his accounting wrong. He literally details the prosecution and the defense cases from both trials.

The updated edition tells of the new evidence in the case and the push to have the case re-examined.

My thoughts: I did NOT watch Monsters. It was way too much for me. I found it repulsive. And it makes sense that there's some backlash against the portrayal. I did watch the documentary and several other documentaries from the past few years. I even started watching the first trial (though I realized I don't have that much time to give--at least not now).

It is hard to read this one--for many reasons. The content is rough, horrific even. That being said, just because it tackles several hard topics doesn't mean that it shouldn't be read. Those who are super-sensitive to descriptions might not want to read it. But I found the book to be thorough and well-researched.

For those wanting to go beyond a few [social media] shorts on the case, I do recommend it.