Bindy Mackenzie is the most perfect girl at Ashbury High. She scores in the 99.9th percentile in all her classes. She holds lunchtime advisory sessions for her fellow students. She keeps careful transcripts of everything said around her. And she has been Kmart casual Employee of the Month for seventeen months straight. No wonder somebody wants to kill her.

Bindy is horrified to learn she must take part in the Friendship And Development Project - a new class meant to provide a "life raft" through "the tricky seas of adolescence." Bindy can't see how airheaded Emily Thompson, absentminded Elizabeth Clarry, mouthy Toby Mazzerati, malicious Astrid Bexonville, silent Briony Atkins, narcissistic Sergio Saba and handsome, enigmatic Finnegon Blonde could ever possibly help her. (Well, maybe Finnegan could.)

Living in a mega-mansion in Southern California is so different from everything about her former life in Boston that Ruby can hardly stand it. She misses her BFF Lizzie and worries that her boyfriend back in Massachusetts will forget all about her. Her father's trying so hard to be her buddy that she feels suffocated. It's all so overwhelming and the only person Ruby really wants to confide in is her mom.





To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find

Lots of people love J.A. Jance and since she's a local author who writes books set in Arizona, I thought I should give her a try. Only, I kind of wish I hadn't. It's possible Edge of Evil, the first novel in the author's Ali Reynolds series, was just the wrong book for me, but I had a hard time getting past the stereotypical characters, the predictable storyline, the unrealistic plot twists and the stale writing. All of those things turned me off of this much-lauded Arizona author. Maybe I'm being too critical (who, me?) - what do y'all think? Should I give Jance another chance? Convince me and I will. Otherwise, it ain't gonna happen.

(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of Mary Higgins Clark's books)

Grade: C-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs) and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find

Jacob Marley plays such a prominent role in Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol that it's natural to wonder about him. What was his story? Why was Jacob doomed to wander, dragging his chains for eternity, while Ebeneezer Scrooge got a chance to make things right? What's up with that? In Jacob T. Marley, a new holiday book by R. William Bennett, the author imagines the answers to all these questions and more. Written in the style of the incomparable Charles Dickens, the book tells the familiar story, but from the perspective of Scrooge's business partner, Jacob Marley. The new angle adds depth to the classic novel, making Jacob T. Marley an entertaining and moving tale in its own right.

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for Glass, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from Crank, the first book in the trilogy. As always, I suggest reading books in a series in order.)

[Imagine a cute vintage photo of me and my dad here. I can't find the darn picture anywhere, so you'll have to use your imagination ...]

So, what do you think? Can you come up with one reason why I should hate my Christmas birthday? Because I can't. Not a single one. It's a day filled with tradition, memories and happiness. And Olive Garden (thanks to my husband). And Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (my kids' contribution). It's a day stuffed full of my favorite things, all because of my favorite people. I ask you again, what's not to love?

Marlee Nesbitt never says much. It's not that she doesn't have an opinion, it's just that she can't seem to push the words out of her mouth without tying them into a hopeless knot. So the 12-year-old stays quiet. Most people let her be and Marlee's (pretty much) fine with that. Then, Elizabeth Fullerton swishes into West Side Junior High. The new girl is confident, fearless and never afraid to express herself. She's everything Marlee's not and yet, by some crazy miracle, Liz wants to be Marlee's friend. Turns out, they can teach each other a thing or two - Marlee tutors Liz on holding her tongue while Liz helps draw Marlee out of her shell. It doesn't take them long to become bosom buddies.

When Liz disappears, Marlee gets a shock: the rumor mill says Liz was kicked out of school because she's a "colored" girl trying to "pass" as white. Which simply can't be true - Liz is as white as Marlee. It's only when Marlee ventures into the colored part of town that she confirms what everyone else is saying: Liz really does come from a black family. Even though she looks white, she's not. Meaning Liz can't attend a white school. Meaning Liz and Marlee can no longer hang out together. Meaning Marlee's about to lose the best friend she's ever had.

The 1958-59 school year is a tense one in Little Rock, Arkansas. All high schools in the city - white and colored - are closed to prevent integration. Despite Brown v. the Board of Education. Despite the courageous actions of the Little Rock Nine. Despite the well-intentioned protests of WEC and STOP campaigns. The result is a city rife with anger, emotion and fear, a city where supporting educational equality can be not just dangerous, but deadly.

Marlee knows all this, she just can't understand it. Why should she be kept away from a girl as nice and fun as Liz, just because of the color of her family's skin? It's not fair. And Marlee refuses to accept that "that's just the way it is." Now, the girl who never says a thing is going to take a stand. If only she can find the words. If only she can find the guts. If only she can find the voice that's been eluding her her whole life. If only.

While most books about school integration focus on the tumultuous year of 1957, the year nine brave African-American students integrated Little Rock Central High School, Kristin Levine takes a unique approach. Her novel, The Lions of Little Rock (available January 5, 2012), unfolds in 1958-59, a time known as "the lost year." While I've heard all about the Little Rock Nine, I think I've always assumed that they marched in, integrated the schools, and that was that. Well, as Levine proves in her vivid, well-researched story, that was not it at all. While the issue of school integration was batted about by voters, protestors and politicians, teenage students missed an entire year of instruction. Families were torn apart over the polarizing issue, property was damaged, people were terrorized and Little Rock became known as a hotbed of racism. Through the eyes of Marlee Nesbitt, we see it all, experience it all. Most of all, we feel it all - the injustice, the irony, the hypocrisy - through the heart of a young girl who just wants a friend. Marlee's earnestness makes her story warmhearted, meaningful and, most of all, memorable. I loved it.

(Readalikes: Jericho Walls by Kristi Collier, Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith and With the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinkney)

Grade: B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for violence, mild language, and racial slurs

To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of The Lions of Little Rock from the generous folks at Putnam (a division of Penguin). Thank you!

Turns out, though, Kristina's got a real hunger for meth. The need for it doesn't dissipate when she returns home - it multiplies. It also turns out, she doesn't have to go very far to get what she needs. Soon, she's toking on a daily basis, blissing out to take the edge off her worries. It's under control, though. Kristina can stop any time she wants to ... until she can't anymore. As her lust for the drug grows, the good girl turns into someone she hardly recognizes, someone who lies, steals, deals, lets herself be used - anything to score another hit of the monster that's slowly consuming her.

If you're new to BBB, you might be wondering what a "Mormon Mention" is. Heck, you may be wondering what a Mormon is. Here's a hint: My name is Susan. I'm a book blogger. And I'm a Mormon. Since I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (often referred to as The Mormon Church), I'm naturally concerned about how my religion is portrayed in the media. This blog deals with books, so every time I find a reference to Mormonism (written by a non-Mormon) in my reading, I highlight it here, along with my reaction to the statement(s). This gives me a chance to explain confusing doctrine, debunk misconceptions and laugh at the peculiarities of Mormon culture (it's true, sometimes we can be a funny bunch).

(Book image from Barnes & Noble; gull painting by beloved LDS artist Minerva Teichert)

As with any historical event, differing accounts of the incident exist. Even if it has been exaggerated over the years, I don't care. I love the story of the seagulls devouring the crickets because, to me, it represents the inexhaustible faith, hard work and commitment of those early pioneers. Plus, I detest crickets.

Marcy Foster's one of those not-anything girls - she's not model-pretty; she doesn't have any mad athletic skillz; she's not musical or crafty or particularly smart. The 15-year-old's just not ... anything. She's a leftover. But, thankfully, not the only one. Marcy's got a group of Leftover friends, including her "emo-sensitive rocker" boyfriend, Linus, and her anime-obsessed BFF, Katie, who make life in Boise, Idaho, bearable. With her posse by her side, Marcy's getting along just fine, even when her parents' marriage starts to crumble.
Then Marcy's mother suggests a little road trip. It's supposed to be a summer getaway, a little girls-only breather at their lake house in New Hampshire. It's supposed to be fun. Only Marcy's mom won't get out of bed, Marcy's lonely and bored, and, the closer Labor Day gets, the more permanent the situation is becoming. As much as Marcy longs for her old life in Idaho - the one that's seeming more remote by the day - she knows her mom needs her. Plus, there's a boy. J.D. Gallagher's sweet, fun and, most importantly, not in Idaho. Marcy wants to be faithful to Linus, but that's not as easy as it sounds. Not with J.D. so available.
As Marcy struggles to deal with her mother's depression, the anger she feels at her cheating father, and her own romantic entanglements, she'll come to some startling conclusions - about family, about friendship and about what it means to truly love someone.
Love & Leftovers (available January 1, 2012), a debut novel-in-verse by Sarah Tregay, is a quick, hopeful read about one girl's battle to find her place in the world. Especially when the one she's always known is disintegrating before her very eyes. Marcy's an empathetic character with a strong, genuine voice that will draw readers into her world and make them care about what happens in it. Her hardships ring true, as do her reactions to them. She's flawed, but likable and convincing. While the story deals with some difficult subjects, it is, in the end, a sweet, warm-hearted tale about the things that are most important in life. Love & Leftovers is a strong debut that makes me wonder just what else its author has hidden up her sleeve.
(Readalikes: Reminded me of Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler and a little of Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith)
Grade: B
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (one F-bomb) and some sexual innuendo/content
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Love & Leftovers from the generous folks at Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of Harper Collins). Thank you!

Take Bleed by Laurie Faria Stolarz, for instance. The book's about a group of kids, mostly high school juniors, who are floundering around one summer trying to fill the emptiness in their lives. Nicole Bouchard's spending her school-less days obsessing over Sean O'Connell, who just happens to be going out with her best friend, Kelly Pickerel. Meanwhile, Kelly's in California, conveniently forgetting to call Sean while she sneaks out to meet the 21-year-old ex-con she's been secretly writing to for the last 5 years. Maria Krito's got only one thing on her mind: cutting. Just like her mother's boyfriend uses Maria to get what he wants, she uses other people to help her feel something. Anything. The problem is, not everyone wants to pierce her flesh with a safety pin. So, she convinces them. Derik LaPointe's a player, Joy just wants to be loved, and poor Sadie Dubinski - she wants to be accepted so badly that she's willing to do anything, even cut Maria, just to belong. And then there's Mearl Aremian. No one knows what to make of her, least of all herself. As the kids' paths cross and re-cross one sweltering summer in Salem, Massachusetts, they're lives become increasingly more interesting.

The back cover of this book offers very little in the way of story description, which makes sense since the novel itself has no discernable plot. Unfortunately, this aimlessness makes the whole book seem kind of ... pointless. I mean, yes, it's illuminating in some ways and yes, it kept me reading and, yes, I cared about the characters (some of them, anyway), but, overall, it's a depressing read that doesn't offer much in the way of hope or positivity. The writing's solid, but that just isn't enough in this case - I wanted plot, I wanted purpose, I wanted some kind of powerful message. And none of that shows up in Bleed. Bummer.

Chet's just starting to feel comfortable in Elm Hills when he hears some shocking news: A shark is attacking people on New Jersey's coast. It's a scary thought, even though Chet lives about 20 miles from the ocean. Uncle Jerry says the stories must be a hoax - sharks don't attack humans. Chet's not so sure. Especially when he spies a triangular fin sticking out of the water in the creek. Nobody believes there could be a shark in Elm Hills. No one but Chet, who's about to go head-to-head with the sharp-toothed beast.

Ever since the tragedy struck, people have been finding their own ways to cope. Kevin Garvey, mayor of the small town of Mapleton, would like to forget about the whole Rapture-ish mess and go back to the life he used to know and (mostly) enjoy. That's impossible now, though. His wife, 46-year-old Laurie Garvey, has joined up with the Guilty Remnant, a group that lives communally and whose members act as silent reminders of those missing from their communities. His college dropout son has followed a polygamous cult leader to who-knows-what part of the country. As for his 17-year-old daughter, she hasn't left in a physical sense, but her good-girl personality has certainly taken a leave of absence. Kevin's not sure how to salvage what's left of his own life, let alone help his beloved hometown recover from its loss.

Just as Kevin struggles to comes to terms with what has happened, so do the other members of his family. As time wears on, each must examine his or her own faith, resolve and commitment to their chosen causes. Each must answer the question (Why, why, why?) for him/herself. Each must face his/her grief and pain in his/her own way - and each must face the consequences of his/her own actions. By doing all this, maybe, just maybe, they can move on into a future that seems less certain than ever.

Considering the great question on which the book hinges, you might think Tom Perrotta's new novel, The Leftovers, would spend some time actually solving the mystery of what happened to all the people who disappeared. Not so. Because the novel really isn't about those who vanished, it's about those who didn't. It's about the survivors - their guilt, their grief, and the ways they do or do not get on with their lives. And, really, that's all the book's about. It's rather plotless, actually, but I can honestly say I was never bored with it. The characters, flawed and confused though they may have been, kept me intrigued. Overall, though, I found The Leftovers depressing. The characters make selfish choices, which leaves the story with too little optimism or hope. All of which left me feeling disappointed and gloomy. It's a bummer because I enjoyed the book's premise, Perrotta's writing and the in-depth characterization that makes this novel so compelling. I guess I just wanted a little more from it.

(Readalikes: Um, I can't really think of anything. Can you?)

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, sexual content, violence and depictions of underrage drinking and illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find