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Graceling

Blessed and Cursed Author: Kristin Cashore Young Adult fiction teems with fantasy worlds.  Those of the dystopian variety were the flavor of the moment in 2011, but there’s always room for a good old fashioned feudal setting in which to plop our teen protagonists.   There’s something so very appealing about young damsels and princes having to fight against a ruthless system of kings and lords.   Graceling hands us not only those very kings and lords, but a heroine who is seen as chattel not only for her gender but also for her Grace. Katsa lives in the Middluns, one of [...]

2016-12-31T17:57:13-07:00June 15th, 2012|Tags: |

Thomas Jefferson

Man of Many Dichotomies... Author: Christopher Hitchens He’s one of the most important people in the history of the United States and lived to the ripe old age of 83.  How do you write a petite 188 page biography of the man that is meaningful and avoids superficiality?  Concision is the word you’re looking for and Christopher Hitchens displays his mastery of the concept in Thomas Jefferson (2005). Part of the Eminent Lives series, Hitchens tells the story of the 3rd US president, focusing primarily on his political life.  He discusses Jefferson’s role as US Minister to France and Secretary [...]

2016-12-31T17:57:13-07:00June 9th, 2012|Tags: , , , , |

Selection, The

The Hunger Game Show Author: Kiera Cass How is getting married like a gladiatorial fight to the death? If you’ve been through a wedding or two, you may have your own thoughts on the matter, but for the purposes of this review, the answer is Kiera Cass’s The Selection, the first book in the Selection Trilogy. And if you picked up this book based on the clever, yet undeniably girly, book trailer or because of the cover art of a beautiful girl in a ballgown preening in front of a bunch of mirrors, there may be a little more darkness [...]

2016-12-31T17:57:14-07:00June 7th, 2012|Tags: , , , , |
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