Category: Friday Fifteen

Friday Fifteen

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Hey there, Friday fans! Welcome to this week’s edition of the Friday Fifteen, in which I review five books in fifteen words or less.

1. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Psychics, ghosts, boarding school–the perfect autumn book. Excellent character development too. Sequel now, please!

2. Kirsten’s Surprise (American Girls: Kirsten #3) by Janet Shaw
A crown of candles and breakfast treats–I want to celebrate St. Lucia Day.

3. Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The closest I’ve come to reading a book about sports.

4. Paradise Lost by John Milton
Dense, but awesomely epic. I feel like this would make for a cool graphic novel.

5. Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
This gives me unreasonable expectations about writing to and forming relationships with famous writers.

Friday Fifteen

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Man, Friday could not come soon enough this week. So happy to be posting the Friday Fifteen!

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This one sat on my bookshelf for a while; finally started it and was hooked.

2. Claiming Georgia Tate by Gigi Amateau
The sweetness and darkness of family are both very present here. Amateau doesn’t pull punches.

3. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
A daring redhead who lives with her friends and has a cool scar? So awesome.

4. Othello by William Shakespeare
Not my favorite, but intriguing ideas about men and women. Also, I dig Emilia.

5. Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
This is what I think of when I see a samoyed.

Friday Fifteen

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It’s finally Friday, which means it’s time for the Friday Fifteen. Here are this week’s fifteen-word reviews:

Down Among the Women by Fay Weldon
Pretty sure I wrote a paper about this but can’t remember any details now.

The Dreamer’s Dictionary by Stearn Robinson and Tom Corbett
Had a few of these in my astrology phase. This one seemed pretty solid.

Super Sleepover Guide by Susan Saunders
Sleepover party themes include “makeover” and “Olympics.” Mine were usually “Dream Phone” themed.

Speak the Speech!: Shakespeare’s Monologues Illuminated by Rhona Silverbush and Sami Plotkin
I don’t think this was ever going to help my one-and-only Shakespeare audition go better.

The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices, and Other Ingredients by Carole Bloom
Probably my favorite cookbook. Organized well, with delicious recipes. Double fig tart, anyone?

Friday Fifteen

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Hey there, Friday Fifteen fans! Here’s this week’s edition of the fifteen-word reviews:

1. Changes for Molly by Valerie Tripp
This is where I learned how women curled their hair in the olden days.

2. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
In high school I thought “Kill him already, you dick!” Reread later, appreciate it more.

3. Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking by Julia Child and David Nussbaum
More compact version of Julia’s classic style and recipes.

4. Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks and Nadine Bernard Westcott
I only wish doing the laundry was this cute. Lots of silliness and rhyming.

5. Buffy Chronicles : The Unofficial Companion to Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Ngaire E. Genge
I bought pretty much everything Buffy-related when I was in 8th grade. Solid trivia.

Friday Fifteen

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Another Friday, another Friday Fifteen! Check out the latest in fifteen-word book reviews.

1. Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn
Memoir about family and homelessness in Massachusetts. Don’t remember many details, but the vibe sticks.

2. American Girls Cookbook: A Peek at Dining in the Past With Meals You Can Cook Today by American Girl Library, Jeanne Thieme
Never made anything, but loved reading the recipes and history. Might try Kirsten’s bread someday.

3. Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
The cutest form of peer pressure.

4. The Incredible Clay Book by Sherri Haab and Laura Torres
I made so many clay peapods with this.

5. Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems by Billy Collins
I don’t care if it’s not pushing boundaries; Billy Collins has some lovely poems.

Friday Fifteen

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You’ve been waiting for it all week and now it’s here–the Friday Fifteen! Here are this week’s fifteen-word reviews:

1. The Truth About Sixth Grade by Colleen O’Shaughnessy McKenna
Nice take on shifting friendships in middle school. Apparently it’s part of a series.

2. In My Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Discoveries for Passionate Cooks by Ted Allen
I want to make every single recipe in here. The duck, guys; the duck!

3. Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose
Thoughtful look at how literary analysis makes us stronger writers. In short: read!

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Enjoyed in high school, admired in college. Saw Gatz and thought “Damn, that’s good writing.”

5. A Sister for Sam by Evelyn Mason
I don’t care what you think, Sam. Little sisters are awesome! (Guess what I am.)

Friday Fifteen

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TGIFF–thank goodness it’s the Friday Fifteen! This week’s fifteen-word reviews are inspired by NPR’s recent list of top YA novels (that aren’t all YA but we’ll overlook that for now).

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling
Harry gets his owl. Still waiting for mine, Hogwarts.

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Didn’t love it like I thought I would. *ducks fans* Should give it another try.

3. Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Almost cried on the middle school bus with this one. Great epistolary novel.

4. A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle
Meditations on life and death, plus dolphins? Sign me up.

5. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
A princess ditches the castle and hangs out with dragons. And she fights wizards. Love!

Special thanks to WordPress for making the Friday Fifteen a Freshly Pressed pick for July! I’m so honored and hope that you fabulous readers continue to enjoy these mini-reviews.

Also, love the Hub’s take on short form book summaries, including some via haiku.

Friday Fifteen

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Welcome to the Friday Fifteen, in which I review five books in fifteen words or less. It’s all the review you want without any of that excess helpful information. Onto the books!

1. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Lahiri’s writing is gorgeous as always, but this collection didn’t strike me like Maladies.

2. The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition by Staff of the University of Chicago Press
Where does that comma go? The Chicago Manual knows! My grammar book of choice.

3. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Man-eating horse races plus amazing characters and writing. What more could you want?! Read immediately.

4. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Such a page-turner. Great writing, and Cathy rivals Lady Macbeth as craziest lady villain ever.

5. Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom by Jennifer S. Holland
Guys. Inter-species animal friendships. My heart can’t take this much cute.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Friday Fifteen

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Happy Friday! Welcome to this week’s edition of the Friday Fifteen, in which I review five books in fifteen words or less. Since today marks the start of the 2012 Olympics, here’s a special UK-themed edition:

1. The Boggart by Susan Cooper
Charming MG novel mixing mythical creatures and modernity. Boggarts were cool before Harry Potter.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sisters, snobs, and misunderstandings. Austen’s characters deal with issues we tackle today. See also LBD.

3. Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake
The Decemberists could probably make a great album out of these poems.

4. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Sara Crewe keeps calm and carries on.

5. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Sometimes it’s worth risking death to score some tasty veg.

Friday Fifteen

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Welcome back, Friday Fifteen fans! Onto the fifteen-word reviews:

1) Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
Previously classified as a comedy, now considered a problem play. Sex comedy gets unusually creepy.

2) Karen’s in Love (Baby-Sitters Little Sister #15) by Ann M. Martin
Do kids really marry each other during recess? Also, Karen?

3) The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
Second book in His Dark Materials series introduces Will and reality as we know it.

4) The Ugly Duckling: The Talking Mother Goose Fairy Tales by Worlds of Wonder
This came with the Talking Mother Goose toy. It was awesome.

5) Signing Naturally, Level 2 (Book & VHS Tape) by Ken Mikos, Cheri Smith, and Ella Mae Lentz
Used in second year ASL class. It came with a VHS. I feel ancient now.