The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature."

I'm really glad I got around to reading this. Within the first ten pages, I was basically drooling at the caliber of the writing. That's the one thing you can't dispute about Gatsby: the prose is freaking unbelievable. And it continues to be throughout the book. I was equally as in love on page 187 as on page one. At times it managed to twist itself into precisely the thoughts of the reader, the ones that you never manage to express out loud quite as elegantly as in your head. It drew you into the scene and brought out your own similar feelings, making it incredibly vivid. The plot was really well executed, though not actually optimistic: it was deeply fractured and complex and intense behind the facade of grandeur and romance. Gatsby isn't this noble pursuer of true love, he's just a brittle steel man with an obsession and all-encompassing yearning for the past and future. Nick, the narrator, tends to serve as the single sane observer in the whole affair. I loved it, really; this is a brilliant and wholly literary book. I highly recommend you read it (and prepare to have your world rocked by the writing, I wasn't kidding).  There're copies at Mt. Edgecumbe, Sitka High, and Kettleson.

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

"Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . . 

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed . . ."

Hah. Yes, I'm aware of how incredibly cheesy this blurb is. Honestly, it couldn't really be portrayed in any way other than cheesy. I picked it up because of the dance, but I was acutely (and slightly painfully) aware the whole time of the ridiculous cheese factor. You kind of had to suspend disbelief to get past it. Once you did, I was generally okay with the book. It wasn't great literature by any stretch of the imagination though. Idiotic romance, unbelievable plot, shallow developments... all it's really good for is getting some fluff between your ears and occupying some time. Maybe 3, 3.5 stars max. A resounding meh. Was an advance copy, so not in the libraries.

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork

"Pancho has one goal in life: to find and murder his sister's killer. Then he's assigned to help D.Q., whose brain cancer has slowed neither his spirit nor his mouth. D.Q. is writing a book called The Death Warrior Manifesto, a guide to living out his last days fully--ideally, he says, with the love of the beautiful Marisol. But as Pancho tracks down his sister's murderer, he finds himself falling for Marisol as well, and he soon must make a decision: to avenge his sister and her death, or embrace the way of the Death Warrior and choose life."

Soo... I didn't really know what to expect going in. I was kinda neutral starting out, and didn't expect it to be awesome or anything. Well, it mostly proved me wrong. It wasn't mind-blowingly wonderful, but it was a good solid four stars. I got more invested in the characters than I expected to, and it was an honestly good book. It had a good approach of kids with life-encompassing diseases and the way they live their life and every little thing that makes life important to them. And in general it was impactful without being hard to read; I give this one a good recommendation. Pancho was prickly and complex but still had qualities that were heartbreakingly human and relatable. The same can be said for D.Q. No stereotypes anywhere, just people for better or worse. Not much else to say other than that; get a copy at Sitka High, Mt. Edgecumbe, and Kettleson.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

"The story of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the jacket, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about.

If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence.

Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter such a fence."

Okay. Jeez. Wow. I'd been meaning to read this for a while, and it took a very short time to get through. That didn't make it any less powerful, though. From a reading viewpoint, it's very simple. It's from a child's point of view, though I don't want to say much more than that because if you know nothing about it in advance it makes the process of reading it even more impactful. Let's just say that the new outlook on the events of the book--that of a nine-year-old's--gives a hugely affecting process to the reader who can see what's actually happening. And warning, if you didn't guess: it's sad. Very sad. Prepare your emotions. I think this is a really incredible and awful book that everyone should read. Do it, and I'm sorry in advance. Get a copy at Kettleson, Sitka High, Blatchley, or Mt. Edgecumbe.

Meh.

Okay. I'm sorry, I know I didn't get it in on time for the week deadline. I quite honestly have zero free time and am way too stressed for my own good, so I'm just going to give up on last week and focus on this week. Sorry and I promise there'll be one by the end of the week.

A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

"This ravishing winner of the ALA's William C. Morris YA Debut Award is a fairy tale, spun with a mystery, woven with a family story, and shot through with romance.

Charlotte Miller has always scoffed at talk of a curse on her family's woolen mill, which holds her beloved small town together. But after her father's death, the bad luck piles up: departing workers, impossible debts, an overbearing uncle. Then a stranger named Jack Spinner offers a tempting proposition: He can turn straw into gold thread, for the small price of her mother's ring. As Charlotte is drawn deeper into her bargains with Spinner-and a romance with the local banker-she must unravel the truth of the curse on the mill and save the community she's always called home."

I quite liked this one. It wasn't exactly light; it had a good deal of meat to it. Yet, it didn't ever drag. The imagery was basically stellar, and the characters were interesting and engaging. They managed to come across as very real while maintaining a smooth, almost idealistic scene. Like normal people, but with the interesting and fanciful bits brought out. And despite the whole old-countryside thing, it didn't read like one of those incredibly boring historical fictions. There were a million little facets to it that, while admittedly a bit predictable, made it nice to read no matter whether you could see it coming or not. It was a really enjoyable read, and I'd definitely recommend it. There's copies at Kettleson, Sitka High, and MEHS.

As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins

"Wait.

The train was moving. Ry could hardly tell at first, but now he knew. It was gaining speed, and he wasn't fast enough to catch it. He had only gotten off for a minute, just to make a phone call—and now it was gone. He was in the middle of nowhere, alone.

Maybe it was the middle of nowhere, but to Ry, it felt like the beginning of something. Something that would take him in cars, planes, boats . . . over an ocean and back. Something like an adventure."

Well... meh. The odyssey-adventure-type stories have their merits, but I honestly just couldn't get into this one. There's nothing really enjoyable about a story that consists of "everything that can possibly go wrong, will." And in the most rambling and irrelevant way. It's pretty frustrating, frankly. Also, speaking of frustrating and irrelevant (spoilers), what teenager in his right mind decides to get in a car with a complete stranger for a cross-country trip? That stranger isn't exactly the picture of sensibility, either. All in all, the author's knack for making sure that every single possible member of the family was out on some tailspin somewhere and unable to be contacted was very creative, but not really in a good way.

And another problem I had was the fact that Ry was basically a blank slate for the entire book, like some darkish boy-shaped blob, because he was never adequately described. I couldn't relate to him or picture him. And, I suppose the author was going for a profound/deep message with the story, but either it was too incredibly deep for me to grasp (it's an honest possibility), or it was just weak and under-developed. I'd lean toward the latter. For example, if you compared the impact, delivery, and coherence of this book's message to that of a John Green book, it would fail miserably and completely. In conclusion, I just don't think I can recommend this book, but if you'd like to decide for yourself there are copies at Kettleson, SHS, and MEHS.