The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #2) by Rick Riordan

Product Details
Pub. Date: March 2007
Format: Paperback, 304pp
Age Range: 9 to 12
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series , #2
ISBN-13: 9781423103349
ISBN: 1423103343
Edition Description: Reprint

Synopsis

Percy Jackson, hero of the The Lightning Thief, returns to Camp Half-Blood and undertakes a perilous voyage to save the camp in this modern-day adventure with a Greek mythology twist.

Percy Jackson's seventh-grade year has been surprisingly quiet. Not a single monster has set foot on his New York prep school campus. But when an innocent game of dodgeball among Percy and his classmates turns into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, things get well, ugly. And the unexpected arrival of Percy's friend Annabeth brings more bad news: the magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and unless a cure is found, the only safe haven for demigods will be destroyed. Percy and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their beloved camp. But first, Percy will discover a stunning new secret about his family one that makes him wonder whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor, or simply...




My thoughts:

Somehow I ended up reading this book aloud to my children at the same time we were listening to book three on audio CD in the car. It worked out that way with library due dates. I have to say I do not recommend reading two books from the same series at the same time, we started getting the two stories mixed together! It took a couple nights of long story times to get this one done so we could stop getting mixed up.

Percy finds out that he has a brother who is a Cyclops in this story which raised some questions that I didn’t bother exploring with my children. If Zeus, Poseidon and Hades made a pact after WWII not to have any more children, which was violated when Poseidon became Percy’s father and Zeus became Thalia’s father, how in the world did he also father a Cyclops? I thought that Sally Jackson was supposed to be so wonderful that Poseidon had trouble resisting her with the outcome of Percy but then he also found someone else as desirable? Had he not worried with Percy since most of the big three children end up as cyclops and don’t violate the treaty? Does this kind of convoluted logic happen often in YA or children’s books?

Back to my thoughts on the story, this quest for the golden fleece and also to save Grover from the Cyclops (not Tyson the brother but a different one who uses the fleece to lure satyrs to his island thinking they are finding the god Pan in the Bermuda Triangle) was interesting and engaging. I like how Riordan is pulling in so many other myths and stories and it is making me want to read more about them. One of the books we bought on vacation was a book of Greek Myths in an easy reader format for my children to read to themselves. I love that this series is raising interests for them and for me in finding out more about a subject, that is one of the hallmarks of a good book, that we want to go beyond it.

While the story is above my children's current reading level they have no problem following it when I read it to them, or in the case of some of the other books in the series listening to the audio book. The slightly more teen content between the characters seems to mostly pass over their heads. My one worry is that they will not pick the book up in the future to read to themselves since we've already read it, but there are so many good books out there that it probably doesn't matter and favorite books tend to be read repeatedly so if they like these they may read them again. Mostly I am glad to enjoy a story with them and nurture their love of reading!

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Product Details
Pub. Date: October 2004
Series: Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Series , #4
ISBN-13: 9780786548750
ISBN: 0786548754



Synopsis
When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn't just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn't a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It's Eric the vampire--but now he's a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life




My thoughts:
With going back to work my time for reading has really shrunk. When I read book three I finished it in two days, this book took me closer to two weeks! Hopefully as I adjust to my new schedule and get better at planning my time I will be able to carve out more time to read.

This story brought in some more supernatural elements. Along with the shape shifters there are now Weres and witches and a fairy. I do not have HBO but last night was one of our free preview nights so I saw the last episode of season three of True Blood. It looks like they have incorporated some elements from book four into this season, since I don’t recall them meeting the Hotshot Weres until this book. Then again a lot is changed from the books. I’ve noticed the same thing with The Vampire Diaries. It seems that the series are only loosely based on the books. I wonder how the authors feel about the changes, if they would have rather things stayed the same or if it doesn’t bother them.

I really liked Eric without his arrogance. Honestly I like him as a character normally as well, but found him more likeable when he was vulnerable. It was nice to see Sookie being taken care of by someone who was really focused on her. I’ve never been totally sold on Bill. He relies on her a lot and asks a lot of her and doesn’t always seem to see how he could also be helping her in return. My heart broke for her a bit at one point in the story.

The witches and fairies were not what I was expecting. In book one we met vampires and shape shifters, in two there was the maenad and more shifters, then in three were the Weres and in four fairies and witches. It makes me wonder what is coming next and if having so many supernatural creatures together might get to be too much. I think I thought based on the covers and premise that Harris would be sticking to vampires and whatever Sookie turns out to be. True Blood seems to be saying she is a fairy but so far in the stories that hasn’t really come into play. The fairy in Merlotte’s is so attractive to all the vampires and Sookie doesn’t seem to have quite that much of a hold on them all. Perhaps because she isn’t a full fairy. It will be interesting to read the rest of the series but I am still frustrated by how slowly it looks like I will be getting to them.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Product Details
Pub. Date: August 2010
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Format: Hardcover, 390pp
Series: Hunger Games Series , #3
ISBN-13: 9780439023511
ISBN: 0439023513

Synopsis


Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.



My thoughts on Mockingjay:
Usually I wait to find books at the library or for my turn to come up on PaperbackSwap, but once in a while I treat myself to a brand new book. Last year I bought one to take on vacation with me and I decided to do the same this year as well and this was my selection. It took me longer to read than the other two but I didn’t have a whole lot of free time to read. While we were on the beach I was playing or watching my children so I didn’t even take it along with me. I found myself having trouble remembering the other tributes who were in the Quarter Quell when the rescue took place. I think part of the issue is the way each of names was unique, a variation of a name we might use but twisted in some way.

This time I was back to having questions as I read. I wondered how like the capitol District 13 was with their daily schedules tattooed on their arms and the food rationed down by weight and activity level. How nutrition was just enough to keep them going but never any extra. Especially the questions about how ethical different weapons or tactics would be, with the argument that the capitol wouldn’t hesitate risk innocent lives so should they as the rebellion be concerned about it.

I think if I had it to do over again I would love to read the books back to back. I now can't decide if I should hold onto this one or pass it along in some way. While I would like to reread them all the other two I borrowed from the library and my free time for reading has really dwindled down. I now hesitate about rereading a book, even if I loved it, because I might miss the chance to read something new.

I was content with the conclusion of the story but don’t want to reveal it so I don’t ruin the book for anyone else. I am not sure I would have made the choice she made between Peeta and Gale but it did seem to end up being the best choice in the end.

McKettricks of Texas: Austin by Linda Lael Miller

Product Details
Pub. Date: June 2010
Publisher: Harlequin
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 378pp
Series: McKettrick Men Series
ISBN-13: 9780373774463
ISBN: 037377446X

Synopsis

World champion rodeo star Austin McKettrick finally got bested by an angry bull. His career over, his love life a mess, the lone maverick has nowhere to go when the hospital releases him. Except back home to Blue River and the Silver Spur ranch. But his overachieving brothers won't allow this cowboy to brood in peace. They've even hired a nurse to speed his recovery. Paige Remington's bossy brand of TLC is driving him crazy. As is her beautiful face, sexy figure and silky black hair.

Paige has lost count of how many times Austin has tried to fire her. She's not going anywhere till he's healed—body and heart.

And by then her place in his life just might become permanent….







My thoughts:

Before I left for our family vacation I finished up the McKettricks of Texas trilogy. I like this family. While I haven’t read every book from Linda Lael Miller’s McKettricks I have read most of them. I enjoy how she comes out with trilogies. Once a series gets too long it can be hard to keep track of who is who, but three books seems to be just about perfect. Plus they usually come out pretty close together as well. She and Nora Roberts seem to do a lot of trilogies. It is nice to have three to read and then feel like you can move on to something else for a while.

Austin is back home at the ranch following his rehabilitation from a rodeo accident with a bull that almost killed him. Both of his brothers are engaged and set to married to sisters on New Years Eve. Paige, the high school love that he hurt because he felt they were too young to be so serious, is staying at the ranch in the guest quarters because work is being done on her house and her sister needs her help taking care of son while she works on a play. This book pretty much jumps in where the last one ended but even if you hadn’t read the first two it wouldn’t be too hard to jump into the series now.

While I enjoy reading romances the predictability of them makes me not want to read them exclusively. I love having a chance to feel good for a while and know that it will all work out. It is part of the reason I try to mix things up in my book choices and not let myself read the same genre all the time.

Austin and Paige are likeable and the mystery with the cattle rustling is solved. By the end everything is neat and tidy. I am sure there will be more about the McKettricks somewhere down the way.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Product Details
Pub. Date: July 2000
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Format: Hardcover, 734pp
Age Range: 9 to 12
Series: Harry Potter Series, #4
ISBN-13: 9780439139595
ISBN: 0439139597

Synopsis
Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.

My thoughts:

I decided to try listening to the audio version of this book as I had read it before. One of my main complaints with audio books is that they take so much longer to listen to than they do to read since the narrator is working hard to make it entertaining for the listener. I listen to books in the car with my children so I look at it as using time I wouldn't have had for reading anyway and they really enjoy listening as well. I much prefer that we are listening to a story than have them watch a movie in the car, and our car doesn't have a DVD player anyway so the thought has really never crossed their minds anyway. At some point they are going to realize that lots of their friends get to watch movies in the car, but I am going to enjoy this time while they haven't considered the possibility or started asking for it. I do think they might still prefer listening to the story anyway.

It is different getting to read the stories in order and relatively close together. I recall waiting for the next installment to come out for many of the books and when too much time passes it can be hard to remember everything that had happened in the other books. I like how Rowling does put in reviews for readers to help those who may have either not read the other books or may not remember them in their entirety. It will be interesting to re watch this movie now that the book is fresh in my mind as well.

For some reason I had remembered Hermoine making more in roads with SPEW (her organization for the treatment of house elves) but perhaps that comes later or else I just remembered it incorrectly. It was nice to see Dobby again. More importantly the part with Winkie in the top box at the World Cup (which does not happen in the movie as I remember it) took on much more significance in light of what I knew from reading it before and watching the movie. I like that you can always come away with something else from a second reading of the same book.

Since the previews for the final movies have started to air I really want to finish rereading the last three books before November when the first half of the last book reaches theaters. At the same time I'm not sure I want to keep reading them with my children as they are about to take a darker turn and they had some trouble with the duel in the graveyard in this book.

McKettricks of Texas: Garret by Linda Lael Miller

Product Details
Pub. Date: May 2010
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 376pp
ISBN-13: 9780373774418
ISBN: 0373774419

Synopsis

Fast track up the political ladder, fast cars, fast women—that's Garrett McKettrick. Make that was. A scandal has brought him home to Blue River, Texas, a place where a man can slow down, take stock and plan his next move. Which doesn't include staying at the family ranch with his brothers. A city boy, Garrett doesn't think he has the land in his blood.

But Blue River has other attractions, like his former high school nemesis, Julie Remington. Now a striking woman, Julie comes complete with a four-year-old cowboy, a three-legged beagle and deep ties to the community. Good thing they have nothing in common…except their undeniable attraction and a future brighter than the Texas sun.

My thoughts:

This was a fun summer time read. I read book one in the series a little while ago and this one follows along with the second brother in the McKettrick family. Linda Lael Miller always seems to bring her settings to life so I really felt like I could see the Silver Spur Ranch and the small town in Texas. Julie and Garret seemed like real people who were dealing with large obstacles being thrown at them by life while at the same time exploring new avenues for the direction of their lives. I have book three sitting on my shelf and will probably read it as well before summer is over.

The Guardians of Ga'Hoole: The Capture by Kathryn Lasky

Product Details
Pub. Date: April 2003
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Format: Paperback, 226pp
Age Range: 8 to 12
Series: Guardians of Ga'Hoole Series, #1
ISBN-13: 9780439405577
ISBN: 0439405572

Synopsis
In the first book in the GUARDIANS series, the reader is introduced to Soren, a barn owl and the centerpiece of the series. When Soren is pushed from his family's nest by his older brother, he is rescued from certain death on the forest floor by agents from a mysterious school for orphaned owls, St. Aggie's. When Soren arrives at St. Aggie's, he suspects there is more to the school than meets the eye. He and his new friend, the clever and scrappy Gylfie, find out that St. Aggie's is actually a training camp where the school's leader can groom young owls to help achieve her goal.

My thoughts:

My son picked this book our as part of Barnes and Nobles Summer Reading Program. If you have children who love to read and are under 12 check out their site. For reading a set number of books children can pick out a free book from a selected list. There are a whole bunch of books on the list that appeal to all different ages and interest groups.

We decide to read this one as a family so we could all enjoy it and also because I know there is a movie version coming out in the fall or winter. When possible I try to have my children read or listen to a book prior to seeing the movie. Currently in the car we are listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Even though they keep asking to see the movie I keep repeating that we need to finish the book first.

This book pulled us all in and I think I enjoyed it as much as they did! Following the owls as they made connections and figure out what they think is going on at St. Aggie's got them all thinking. It will be interesting to see where the story goes from here. We ordered the rest of the series on ebay over the weekend and I keep checking out tracking number to see if they will be here any time soon. They are in the postal system so hopefully they will make their way to us before too long.