Room, by Emma Donoghue

Little, Brown and Company
978-0-316-098335

Wow.

And that's all we have to say about that.

The Last River Child by Lori Ann Bloomfield

In the summer of 1900, a meteorite lands on the day of Peg Staynor's baptism, barely missing the small church in rural Ontario. This, along with Peg's almost colorless eyes, is enough to resurrect a local superstition that will haunt Peg and her family for years. Many believe Peg to be a "river child," taken over by an evil spirit from the Magurvey River that winds its way through the town. Feared and shunned throughout her childhood, Peg is blamed for every misfortune, from drought to ailing livestock. When her mother, her fiercest protector, dies suddenly on the same day WWI is declared, young Peg must face not only the mistrust of the villagers, but of her father. His grief has driven him to take solace in drink and old superstition, leaving Peg with only her head-strong older sister, Sarah, for support. It will take the terrible reality of World War I to shake off the grip of old world beliefs. As the town's young men begin to return mentally and physically damaged, or not return at all, the sheltered atmosphere of the town is broken. A bright flame of change will sweep through everyone's lives, leading Peg into the future.

The characters, especially the secondary ones like the neighborhood gossip or the woman selling moonshine, are rather undistinguishable from those in a million other books, but Peg's character is more fleshed-out. It is easy for the reader to sympathise with her and wish for a happy ending (and the ending isn't too hard to predict). Issues such as superstition, small-town gossip, the ability to adapt, and the changes that come to a society when it is forced to respond to what is going on elsewhere are covered. Nothing earth-shattering, but an enjoyable way to spend your time. We give it a

4 out of 5.
This is a great summer read, with interesting characters and enough twists on old themes to keep it fresh. We found the idea of the river child intriguing, and were glad it didn't turn into some sort of implausibly supernatural element. The story moves at a pace that is relaxed, but never slow. Perfect for curling up in your beach chair under the sun (our favorite spot any time), or for reading a few chapters before bed.

Madwoman of Bethlehem, by Rosine Nimeh-Mailloux

"In mid-20th century Bethlehem, a woman finds that the only way to take control of her life is to feign madness. It is 1957, and Amal is an inmate of the Bethlehem Oasis for Troubled Women, having feigned insanity for nine years in order to avoid being put to death for the murder of her abusive husband. When a violent attack by a fellow inmate confines her to bed, Amal must not only heal physically, but also come to grips with her traumatic memories. These take her back to the harsh childhood, restricted life, and violent marriage that culminated in her 'madness' and incarceration.

Amal's story offers compelling insights into cultural norms that exist throughout the world even today, norms that tolerate the violence, repression, and abuse of girls and women. Perhaps most disturbing is that the author brings us into a world where the guardians and foot soldiers of repression are women themselves, often mothers and grandmothers who've experienced no better, and whose only power comes from what they can wrest from their relationships with other women. Amal ultimately finds hope and redemption through her relationships at the asylum and hospital, finally discovering that the support and kindness of others gives her the strength to forgive the past and take control of her future."

Amal's name means "hope". What we found most intriguing in reading this story - and what we can't quite explain - is that, as horrific as Amal's story is in places, we never lost hope for her. There are some really heart-wrenching bits that should have driven the reader, let alone Amal, to despair. There are certainly enough things conspiring against her to make it hard to believe things could ever improve.

As the story jumps (seamlessly, we might add) back and forth between Amal's present life in an insane asylum, and the events of her life that led her there, we see glimmers of kindness and hope - sometimes even coming from those who had been her oppressors in the past. In the end, however, it is Amal herself who holds the power over her own freedom, literally and figuratively. An emotional rollercoaster, well worth the ride. We give it a

5 out of 5.

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Publisher description:

"Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper.
But her bosses are making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn't believe in them.
Not that Meena isn't familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you're going to die. (Not that you're going to believe her. No one ever does.)
But not even Meena's precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side. It's a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.
The problem is, Lucien's already dead. Maybe that's why he's the first guy Meena's ever met whom she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena's always been able to see everyone else's future, she's never been able look into her own.
And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.
Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future. . . .
If she even has one. "

So, we begin by complaining about all those vampire stories in which the dark and dangerous vampire falls in love with the beautiful woman and nobly refrains from killing her, and then proceed to write a novel about a dark and dangerous vampire who falls in love with a beautiful woman and...gotcha.

There are so many vampire novels out there, it would be impossible to read one and not see echos of others. We saw Twilight, we saw Evernight, we saw Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Don't expect a whole lot of originality here.

Do expect a fast-moving story, a couple good steamy bedroom scenes (definitely adult or older YA), quirky characters, and a heroine with a little more intelligence and personality than Bella (we really don't like Bella). Cabot's humor serves this novel - definitely more romance than horror - well. Our favorite passage, an exchange between vampire hunter and motherly nun, waiting for the vamps to arrive:

"I'll put some garlic on her door, for good measure," the nun said with a hearty nod.

"Excellent idea," Abraham Holtzman said. "The oldies are still the goodies."

"And I've got my Beretta semiautomatic," Sister Gertrude added cheerfully, patting her habit, "right here with the silver bullets. That ought to take out a few of those dirtbags."

Hee hee, we do like old ladies with guns. Hey, shades of Stephanie Plum! (What would happen if Cabot and Evanovich cowrote a book? Note to selves: possible future blog post, authors who should collaborate.)

We thoroughly enjoyed the big battle (you know there HAS to be a big battle, no spoiler here), and parts of the ending that we really can't mention more specifically without ruining it. It is definitely set up for a sequel, which we will be looking forward to. For pure entertainment value, we give it a

4 out of 5.

genesis by Bernard Beckett, reviewed by Freaky

Publisher description:

Set on a remote island in a post-apocalyptic, plague-ridden world, this electrifying novel is destined to become a modern classic.

Anax thinks she knows her history. She’d better. She’s now facing three Examiners, and her grueling all-day Examination has just begun. If she passes, she’ll be admitted into the Academy—the elite governing institution of her utopian society.

But Anax is about to discover that for all her learning, the history she’s been taught isn’t the whole story. And that the Academy isn’t what she believes it to be.

In this brilliant novel of dazzling ingenuity, Anax’s examination leads us into a future where we are confronted with unresolved questions raised by science and philosophy. Centuries old, these questions have gained new urgency in the face of rapidly developing technology. What is consciousness? What makes us human? If artificial intelligence were developed to a high enough capability, what special status could humanity still claim?

I thought this book would continue me on my dystopian society kick, but found it to be something quite different. I'm not sure even that post-apocalyptic even describes it. I certainly wouldn't put it in YA, which is where I have seen it placed on a few other blogs - we will be shelving it in science fiction, where I think it will do very well. More of an intellectual/philosophical discussion than a story, this may appeal to some deep-thinking teens, but is more for an adult audience.

I found it interesting that reviewers have either found the final plot-twist shocking or old hat. I didn't see it coming myself, but then I am a sporadic reader of science fiction, so maybe I haven't seen this twist happen in as many other stories as some have claimed. At the same time, I did not see the theme of environmentalism that some reviewers have claimed - to me that is a common enough cause of a planet-wide apocalypse in such books that it isn't worth noting.

At any rate, an interesting book that will generate thought and discussion among its readers. Possible choice for high school libraries and book clubs, a definite purchase for public libraries.