The Grapes of Wrath (book review)

The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, is the story of the Joad family, who have been forced off the farm they have lived on for generations, in the midst of the Great Depression. They head to California, dreaming of a lush green land of endless opportunity. The jouney is long and hard, and not everyone will survive. But when they get there, the Joads finds that California is not at all like they dreamed it would be. The camps they are forced to live in are crowded, dirty, and unsanitary. Work is scarce and jobs never last long. But the family still clings onto the hope that somehow, someday, they will find another home.

I'm happy to say that this was a very good book. Parts of it read slower than others, but I generally found it very interesting. It was very long, more than 600 pages, but a worthwile read. The ending seemed very abrupt, though, almost as if it was just the end of a chapter as opposed to the end of the book. Overall, however, I would definitely recommend this book. I've only read one other book, by this author, The Red Pony, which I didn't enjoy. This was much better.

Andy Warhol: Prince of Pop (book review)

Andy Warhol: Prince of Pop, by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, tells the story of the man who was perhaps the most well-known artist in the Pop Art movement. It was impossible not to notice him, with his crazy wigs, wild friends, and huge parties, not to mention his art, which was different from anything the public had seen before. Warhol compared making his art to working in a factory, even naming his studio the Factory. He took images of popular products and people and silk-screened them, mass-producing paintings of soup cans, coke bottles, boxes, and more. Warhol was different, but he wasn't afraid to be so, and he changed the art world forever.

This was a very good overview of Andy Warhol's life, quick but packed with information. Anyone interested in this artist, young or old, would find this to be an interesting and informative book. It covered his life in short chapters, from his childhood to his death, with several pages of pictures in between, of Warhol, his friends, and some of his famous paintings.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Part One (book review)

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Part One, by Akira Himekawa, is the story of a young knight, Link, and his journey to save Princess Zelda, ruler of the kingdom of Hyrule. Link, although young, is highly skilled with a sword, and his confidence in himself has caused him to become arrogant and insubordinate. The only person he will listen to is wise and beautiful Princess Zelda. And when she is kidnapped by an evil, twisted  copy of himself known as "Shadow Link", Link journeys to the ancient temple of the legendary Four Sword, which has the ability to split the hero who draws it into four. But when he draws the Four Sword, he unleashes a powerful demon who will do anything to destroy him! With the help of the Four Sword's mystical powers, can Link defeat the demon and rescue Zelda before Hyrule is turned to darkness?

This book was very good, but a bit confusing (not surprising considering it's the sixth book in a series, and I have no clue which is the first). However, once you get the gist of things it's pretty easy to understand, although I'd actually recommend reading them in order. Link, the hero, is funny and likeable, and Zelda is brave and clever. Of course, being a graphic novel, the book also reads extremely fast. Fans of the game will probably enjoy it, and so will others!

This book is for the Graphic Novels Challenge.

Pride and Prejudice (book review)

This book is going to be hard to write a review for, and it probably won't be very good, but here it is:

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is the story of Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman living in England during the early 1800's. Elizabeth is pretty, clever, and smart, regarded by some as second only to her sister Jane in beauty. When a handsome young man, Mr. Bingley, arrives in town, Elizabeth's rather shallow mother can't stop thinking about him and how wonderful it would be if she could marry one of her five daughters off to him. But Mr. Bingley doesn't come alone. A friend has accompanied him, Mr. Darcy, equally handsome, but proud and vain (or so everyone thinks). He even goes so far as to snub Elizabeth publicly when asked by Mr. Bingley if he would dance with her. This is the beginning of an intense dislike on her part, which only strengthens when she meets a handsome young officer named Mr. Wickham, who tells her how cruelly he was treated by Mr. Darcy. But what Elizabeth doesn't know is that Mr. Wickham has a few dark secrets of his own, and that not everyone is to be trusted...could it be that the man she dislikes most will in fact become her future lover? Read the book to find out!

I thought this was a wonderful book. It was much easier to understand than I expected it to be, and although there wasn't a lot of actual action, there was always something going on and there was no pointless dawdling. The characters had very different personalities, and they were complex and many-sided, not flat or cardboard at all. So, if you can't bear to read a book without tons of action, fighting, and blood and guts, I'd suggest you should look elsewhere. But if you enjoy classics, romance, or even historical fiction about this time period, I'm guessing you'll love this book.

Out of the Dust (book review)

Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse, is the moving story of a teenage girl, Billie Jo, living in Oklahoma in the time of the Dust Bowl. Dust storms blow across the land without relief, creeping through the walls and seeping through the windows, suffocating the cattle and smothering the wheat. Dust is everywhere; there's no escaping it. Billie Jo is freed from the pressure of everyday life through music. When she plays the piano, it seems as if she is transported to a dream world, far away from the dust and the hardships everyone in her town has been suffering. But a terrible accident is about to change her life forever, scarring her hands badly and rendering her unable to play the piano. And in the aftermath, Billie Jo must look to unexpected places in order to find the solace that she needs during this period of hardship and suffering.

This was a very touching book. The protagonist, Billie Jo, is determined and likeable. She is strong-willed and tough, and she doesn't let hard times get her attitude down, despite all her suffering. Her story is moving, and seeing the events unfold through her eyes gives a unique perspective to the whole book. I also thought the fact that this book is told in free verse was very interesting, and at times contributed greatly to the character of the novel. However, at times the short chapter-poems seemed to flow choppily, and I couldn't help thinking on rare occasions that it would have been easier had this book been in typical novel format. On the other hand, however, the poems are tied in so deeply with the book that the story might have been completely if this were changed. So, overall, this was a great book that is worth reading, especially if you enjoy free verse books or stories about the Great Depression, and it's not at all time-consuming.

Joining Two Challenges

I'm going to join two challenges--the Graphic Novel Challenge hosted by Chris and Nymeth (thanks guys!), and the Sci-fi Experience hosted by Carl (thanks to you, too, Carl!). I'm joining the Graphic Novel Challenge at the 10-book level, but I don't have a definite list yet.

Books I Read in 2009

Here is a list of the books I read in 2009:

• 146. Your Eyes in Stars by M. E. Kerr (11/25/09) 3 out of 5 stars
• 145. A Different Day, A Different Destiny by Annette Laing (12/22/09) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 144. Affluenza by John De Graff, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor (12/17/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 143. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (12/14/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 142. Ragged Dick by Horatio Alger, Jr. (12/13/09) 3 out of 5 stars
• 141. Child of the Wolves by Elizabeth Hall (12/4/09) 2.5 out of 5 stars
• 140. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (11/28/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 139. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga (11/27/09) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 138. Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (11/26/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 137. Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman (11/22/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 136. Cry Bloody Murder by Elaine DePrince (11/18/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 135. Looking for Alaska by John Green (11/15/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 134. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (11/11/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 133. Where the Wild Things Were by William Stolzenberg (11/10/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 132. Time of the Witches by Anna Myers (11/9/09) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 131. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (11/8/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 130. Abstract Expressionists by Rachel Barnes (11/5/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 129. Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson (10/24/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 128. The Good Dog by Avi (10/24/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 127. Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (10/24/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 126. The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer (10/24/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 125. Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles by Kathryn Lasky (10/24/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 124. Riot by Walter Dean Myers (10/23/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 123. An African Tale by Enna Neru (10/18/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 122. The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard (10/14/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 121. The Twelve Kingdoms by Fuyumi Ono (10/11/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 120. Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix (10/6/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 119. Warriors: Warrior's Return by Erin Hunter (9/27/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 118. Warriors: Warrior's Refuge by Erin Hunter (9/27/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 117. Warriors: The Lost Warrior by Erin Hunter (9/27/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 116. Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde (9/26/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 115. Willem de Kooning by Louise Hawes (9/25/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 114. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (9/24/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 113. The Luckiest Girl in the World by Steven Levenkron (9/21/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 112. Pedro and Me by Judd Winick (9/16/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 111. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (9/14/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 110. Vacations from Hell by Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Mlynowski (9/8/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 109. My Sister the Vampire: Switched by Sienna Mercer (9/5/09) 3 out of 5 stars
• 108. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card (9/4/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 107. The Garden of Eve by K.L. Going (8/31/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 106. Monkey Town: The Summer of the Scopes Trial by Ronald Kidd (August) 5 out of 5 stars
• 105. Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix (August) 4 out of 5 stars
• 104. That Summer by Sarah Dessen (August) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 103. Extras by Scott Westerfeld (August) 4 out of 5 stars
• 102. Dramacon Ultimate Edition by Svetlana Chmakova (August) 5 out of 5 stars
• 101. Warriors Super Edition: Bluestar's Prophecy by Erin Hunter (August) 5 out of 5 stars
• 100. My Little Red Book by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff (August) 4 out of 5 stars
• 99. Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb by Kirsten Miller (August) 3 out of 5 stars
• 98. Ophelia Speaks by Sara Shandler (8/16/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 97. Dramacon Volume 1 by Svetlana Chmakova (8/13/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 96. Firegirl by Tony Abbott (8/13/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 95. Pita-Ten Volume 1 by Koge-Donbo (8/13/09) 2.5 out of 5 stars
• 94. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (8/13/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 93. Spooky New York retold by S.E. Schlosser (8/11/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 92. Fruits Basket Volume 3 by Natsuki Takaya (8/11/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 91. Faeries' Landing Volume 1 by You Hyun (8/10/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 90. Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates (8/10/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 89. Little (Grrl) Lost by Charles De Lint (8/8/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 88. Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah (8/6/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 87. Warriors: Code of the Clans by Erin Hunter (8/5/09) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 86. The Poison Apples by Lily Archer (8/4/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 85. Seekers: Smoke Mountain by Erin Hunter (8/3/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 84. Seekers: Great Bear Lake by Erin Hunter (8/3/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 83. Seekers: The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter (8/1/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 82. A Different Day, a Different Destiny by Annette Laing (7/28/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 81. Even Angels Fall by Sherry Mauro (7/26/09) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 80. Wolf Tower by Tanith Lee (7/24/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 79. A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass (7/21/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 78. (Re-read!) Warriors: The Darkest Hour by Erin Hunter (7/20/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 77. (Re-read!) Warriors: A Dangerous Path by Erin Hunter (7/19/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 76. (Re-read!) Warriors: Rising Storm by Erin Hunter (7/18/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 75. (Re-read!) Warriors: Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter (7/16/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 74. (Re-read!) Warriors: Fire and Ice (7/13/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 73. (Re-read!) Warriors: Into The Wild (7/10/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 72. Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi (7/8/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 71. Maximum Ride: The Final Warning by James Patterson (7/6/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 70. Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber (7/3/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 69. Water Tales by Alice Hoffman (7/2/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 68. Warriors: The Rise of Scourge by Erin Hunter (7/2/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 67. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier (7/1/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 66. Ghostly Encounters by Frances Kermeen (6/29/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 65. Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel (6/23/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 64. May Bird: Warrior Princess by Jodi Lynn Anderson (6/22/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 63. Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Smith (June) 5 out of 5 stars
• 62. No More Strangers Now (June) 5 out of 5 stars
• 61. Animals in Art (June) 4 out of 5 stars
• 60. Focus On Afghanistan (June) 4 out of 5 stars
• 59. Javatrekker by Dean Cycon (6/19/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 58. Coraline (graphic novel) by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell (6/13/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 57. The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman (6/12/09) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 56. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (6/6/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 55. Julie's Wolf Pack by Jean Craighead George (6/6/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 54. Tokyo Mew Mew Volume Seven by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi (5/28/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 53. Tokyo Mew Mew Volume Six by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi (5/28/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 52. Tokyo Mew Mew Volume Five by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi (5/28/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 51. Tokyo Mew Mew Volume Four by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi (5/28/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 50. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (5/23/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 49. All Shook Up by Glenn Altschuler (5/11/09) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 48. Tokyo Mew Mew Volume 3 by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi (5/26/08) 4 out of 5 stars
• 47. (Re-read!) Tokyo Mew Mew Volume 2 by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi (5/25/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 46. (Re-read!) Tokyo Mew Mew Volume 1 by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi (5/23/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 45. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (5/23/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 44. Warriors: Sunrise by Erin Hunter (5/10/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 43. Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull (5/3/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 42. Summer for the Gods by Edward J. Larson (4/20/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 41. Albert Einstein by Ann Heinrichs (4/20/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 40. Rainy by Sis Deans (4/19/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 39. Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (4/18/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 38. The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle (4/18/09) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 37. Zodiac P.I. Book #1 by Natsumi Ando (4/11/09) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 36. When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (4/8/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 35. Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature (4/ 3/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 34. Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr (4/2/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 33. Lives of the Artists by Kathleen Krull (3/20/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 32. The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (3/8/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 31. Beneath My Mother's Feet by Amjed Qamar (3/7/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 30. The Homestead Steel Strike of 1892 by Nancy Whitelaw (3/5/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 29. Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley (3/2/09) 3 out of 5 stars
• 28. Warriors: Power of Three: Long Shadows (3/1/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 27. Evernight by Claudia Gray (2/24/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 26. Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe by James R. Arnold and Roberta Wiener (2/20/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 25. Gothic Lolita by Dakota Lane (2/18/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 24. Warriors: Cats of the Clans by Erin Hunter (2/16/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 23. Bliss by Lauren Myracle (2/16/09) 2 out of 5 stars
• 22. Don't Know Where, Don't Know When by Annette Laing (2/14/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 21. Werewolves edited by Jane Yolen and Martin H. Greenberg (2/12/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 20. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson (2/8/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 19. A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti (2/5/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 18. The Dog with Golden Eyes by Frances Wilbur (2/3/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 17. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr (1/30/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 16. Shays' Rebellion and the Constitution in American History by Mary E. Hull (1/28/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 15. Tanzania by Joan Vos MacDonald (1/27/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 14. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (1/28/09) 5 out of 5 stars
• 13. The Crucible by Arthur Miller (1/21/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 12. Science and Society by Robert Snedden (1/21/09) 2.5 out of 5 stars
• 11. Tokyo Mew Mew #2 by Mia Ikumi and Reiko Yoshida (1/20/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 10. Tokyo Mew Mew #1 by Mia Ikumi and Reiko Yoshida (1/20/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 9. Dream Saga #3 by Megumi Tachikawa (1/20/09) 2.5 out of 5 stars
• 8. Fruits Basket #2 by Natsuki Takaya (1/19/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 7. Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara (1/19/09) 4.5 out of 5 stars
• 6. The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaption by Jonathan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell (1/15/09) 4 out of 5 stars
• 5. Avalon High Coronation: The Merlin Prophecy by Meg Cabot (1/9/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 4. Drugs Explained by Pierre Mezinski with Melissa Daly and Francoise Taud (1/9/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 3. Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives by Ellen Schreiber and Rem (1/6/09) 3.5 out of 5 stars
• 2. Patriots, Pirates, Heroes, and Spies edited by Sandra Mackenzie Lloyd (1/3/09) 3 out of 5 stars
• 1. Nod's Limbs by Charles Ogden (1/1/09) 3 out of 5 stars

Some of my favorites of 2009:

Dramacon Ultimate Edition by Svetlana Chmakova
Tokyo Mew Mew series by Mia Ikumi and Reiko Yoshida
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Warriors: Sunrise by Erin Hunter
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
Seekers: Smoke Mountain by Erin Hunter
Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull

My goal for number of books to read this year: 250 :3