Category: Friday Fifteen

Friday Fifteen

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After a week’s break, I’m back again with the Friday Fifteen, in which I review five books in fifteen words or less. This week, books from summer reading (so far) are featured:

1. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Lovely novel, on the more literary side of YA. Excited to see more from Whaley.

2. A Game of Thrones from George R. R. Martin
Tried it, hated it. Saw the tv show. Tried again, liked it a lot better.

3. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Charming and sensitive story about an ugly dog and why we need each other.

4. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
Three witch sisters live in alternate 19th century New England. Delightful; psyched for the sequel.

5. Divergent by Veronica Roth
Exciting start to the series. Don’t think I’d fit into any of the factions, though.

Friday Fifteen

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Friday couldn’t come any sooner. Onto the fifteen!

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Makes you want to memorize the whole thing and go around shouting lines.

Pedro’s Journal: A Voyage with Christopher Columbus, August 3, 1492-February 14, 1493 by Pam Conrad
The first epistolary novel I remember. Don’t remember much about the plot.

Witch Baby by Francesca Lia Block
Sometimes we all feel like Witch Baby, who doesn’t quite fit with the love magic.

The Duck Variations by David Mamet
An emotional version of Statler and Waldorf, plus ducks.

Mr. Bell’s Fixit Shop by Ronne Randall
Read this all the time when I was little. DIY method of getting over heartbreak.

Friday Fifteen

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It’s Friday, so we need a celebratory round of fifteen-word reviews!

1. Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn
MG novel about the homefront during WWII.  Only read once but it stayed with me.

2. Oroonoko by Aphra Behn
One of the first novels. I’m sure that’s why it was assigned in class. 

3. A Sister for Sam (Tale from the Care Bears) by Evelyn Mason
My parents bought for my brother when I was born. But I was a delightful.

4. The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare
Worth a read, if only for the stage direction “exit, pursued by  bear.”

5. Ever by Gail Carson Levine
Sweet and clever take on Snow White. Gail Carson Levine rocks the fairy tale adaptation. 

Friday Fifteen

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Gotta end the week with a few fifteen-word reviews. Onto the books!

1. Laura’s Luck by Marilyn Sachs
Great camp book for someone who didn’t go to camp. Read a zillion times.

2. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Only remember the ending. Rabies and guns get my attention, apparently.

3. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
It could have used more smoke monsters. And maybe Ben Linus.

4. First Place (Sweet Valley Twins #8) by Francine Pascal
Horses are expensive, even in Sweet Valley.

5. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
The most emo of the series. Stop whining about your absent boyfriend, Bella!

Friday Fifteen

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Stormy weather here for the Friday Fifteen. Onto the best in fifteen-word reviews!

1) The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (The Penderwicks #2) by Jeanne Birdsall
The sisters are just as clever and cozy at home as they are on summer vacation.

2) 101 Ways to Say Thank You: Notes of Gratitude for All Occasions by Kelly Browne
Thank you! You’re the best! Your generous gift is greatly appreciated! Lots of love!

3) Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories ed. James Thomas, Denise Thomas, Tom Hazuka
Good shorts collection, some big names included. Very useful if you’re new to the form.

4) The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
Didn’t expect this one to stay with me the way it has. Konigsburg rocks.

5) Possibility of Being by Rainer Maria Rilke
Everyone goes through a Rilke phase.

Friday Fifteen

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Hey Friday! Here’s the best in this week’s fifteen-word reviews:

1. Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season One, Volume 1 by Various Authors
Let’s talk about how much I love Buffy. Ideal middle school TV watching.

2. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
Excellent stories, although in general I prefer Salinger’s longer works.

3. Piping Down the Valleys Wild ed. Nancy Larrick
Read in fifth grade, my first real encounter with poetry. Lovely collection for kids.

4. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Always kind of hoped the tree would whack the boy with one of its branches.

5. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
A courtroom drama centered on race. Expected more To Kill a Mockingbird than I got.

Friday Fifteen

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This week’s Friday Fifteen takes us into a long weekend–woohoo! Onto the reviews:

The Ringmaster’s Daughter by Jostein Gaarder
Per usual Gaarder, there are storytellers, philosophy, precious children, and a certain level of weirdness.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
Small town romance meets music. Not my favorite Dessen, but fun.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Romantic period at its best and eeriest. Victor passes out a lot.

Logan Likes Mary Anne! (The Baby-sitters Club #10) by Ann M. Martin
Mary Anne manages to snag the cute new guy guy, giving hope to awkward preteens.

Let’s Go 2005 London by Let’s Go Inc.
My travel guide for summer study abroad. Didn’t lead me astray.

Friday Fifteen

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Hey there Friday! Perfect time for the Friday Fifteen, in which I review five books in fifteen words or less.

1. Connections: Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults, ed. Donald Gallo
Got for class in 8th grade; ended up reading most stories on my own.

2. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Love boarding school books. Great look at personal cruelty and vindictiveness.

3. American Smooth by Rita Dove
Beautiful poetry as usual, with a shoutout to ballroom.

4. The Pugilist at Rest by Thom Jones
Read for class. Having a hard time remembering much about this one.

5. About Me (Childcraft: the How and Why Library #14) by World Book-Childcraft International
I liked learning about diseases I could contract. Measles, anyone?

Friday Fifteen

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Welcome back to the Friday Fifteen, your favorite (only?) source of five fifteen-word reviews. Onto the books!

1. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
Bought it because I like Green’s work; ended up being particularly touched by Levithan’s Will.

2. The Piggy in the Puddle by Charlotte Pomerantz
Silly sounds and muddy fun in a cute picture book.

3. Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen Cookbook: 100 + Great Recipes with Foolproof Instructions by Nancy Mills and Kevin Mills
My first cookbook. Perfect for new cooks, with useful “mom tips,” like what ovenproof means.

4. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
My favorite Cinderella adaptation, full of charm. Don’t judge it by the movie.

5. The Prelude by William Wordsworth
Lesson from Oxford: If the question is Wordsworth, the answer is “The mind of God.”

Friday Fifteen

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Welcome back to the Friday Fifteen, in which I review five books in fifteen words or less. Onward to the reviews!

The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater
Paint splotch on one roof inspires neighborhood creativity. I’d read, then draw my own wild homes.

The Believer Book of Writers Talking to Writers by Vendela Vida
Bought because I liked several authors included. Don’t remember much; should flip through again.

Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry
An MG favorite. Anastasia is hilarious and it’s easy to relate to her faults.

I Promised I Would Tell by Sonia Weitz
Poetry fills this Holocaust memoir. Read in middle school, probably missed a lot; should reread.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Intriguing concept, but pace didn’t quite work. Left with more questions than I’d like