Hi everyone! Welcome to another monthly wrap up here at Stardust and Words. It has been a super busy month for me outside of reading, and also the olympics being on put a major dent in the time that I would normally spend with a book, but I love the olympics so much that I didn't even care. I did manage 11 books, which is pretty good, but only three reviews, which is less so. I hope you guys had a good August. I feel like I kind of hate August because it tends to be the absolute worst in terms of humidity... but FALL IS COMING GUYS!! SOON!!
1. Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) – Juliet Marillier (4)
Lovely Sorcha is the
seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a
mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her.
Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know
only contentment.
But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father
is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers
with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift-by staying
silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the
Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her
brothers forever.
When Sorcha is kidnapped by the enemies of
Sevenwaters and taken to a foreign land, she is torn between the desire
to save her beloved brothers, and a love that comes only once. Sorcha
despairs at ever being able to complete her task, but the magic of the
Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them
all...
2. Lunch Poems – Frank O'Hara (5)
Important poems by the
late New York poet published in The New American Poetry, Evergreen
Review, Floating Bear and stranger places.
Often this poet,
strolling through the noisy splintered glare of a Manhattan noon, has
paused at a sample Olivetti to type up thirty or forty lines of
ruminations, or pondering more deeply has withdrawn to a darkened ware-
or firehouse to limn his computed misunderstandings of the eternal
questions of life, coexistence, and depth, while never forgetting to eat
lunch, his favorite meal.
3. Mansfield Park – Jane Austen (5)*
'We have all been more or less to blame ...
every one of us, excepting Fanny'
Taken
from the poverty of her parents' home, Fanny Price is brought up with
her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and
with only her cousin Edmund as an ally. When Fanny's uncle is absent in
Antigua, Mary Crawford and her brother Henry arrive in the
neighbourhood, bringing with them London glamour and a reckless taste
for flirtation. As her female cousins vie for Henry's attention, and
even Edmund falls for Mary's dazzling charms, only Fanny remains
doubtful about the Crawfords' influence and finds herself more isolated
than ever. A subtle examination of social position and moral integrity, Mansfield Park is one of Jane Austen's most profound works.
4. Saving Francesca – Melina Marchetta (4)
Francesca is stuck at St.
Sebastian’s, a boys' school that pretends it's coed by giving the girls
their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a
rumored slut, and an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no
better, from Thomas, who specializes in musical burping, to Will, the
perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can't seem to stop
thinking about.
Then there's Francesca's mother, who always
thinks she knows what's best for Francesca—until she is suddenly
stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and
without an inkling of who she really is. Simultaneously humorous,
poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who
must summon the strength to save her family, her social life and—hardest
of all—herself.
A compelling story of romance, family, and
friendship with humor and heart, perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins
and Lauren Myracle.
5. Princess Academy (Princess Academy #1) – Shannon Hale (5)*
Miri lives on a
mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and
lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have
divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's
time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the
girls of the village.
The king's ministers set up an academy on
the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become
a princess. Soon Miri finds herself confronted with a harsh academy
mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting
desires.
6. I'll Love You When You're More Like Me – M.E. Kerr (3)
M.E. Kerr's beloved 1977
young adult classic tells the story of two very different teenagers,
both struggling to stand up to their parents. Whether it's going to
college instead of taking over the family funeral parlor, coming out in a
town where homosexuality is considered akin to demonic possession, or
choosing between a life of fame or normalcy, the young characters in I'll Love You When You're More Like Me bravely struggle to become who they want to be—even when they don't yet know themselves.
M. E. Kerr
was a winner of the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards
Award for Lifetime Achievement and the ALAN award from the National
Council of Teachers of English. She has been described by the New York Times Book Review as "one of the grand masters of young adult fiction."
7. As You Like It – William Shakespeare (3)
As You Like It is a
pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in
1599 or early 1600 and first published in the First Folio, 1623. The
play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton
House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility. As You Like It
follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's
court, accompanied by her cousin Celia and Touchstone the court jester,
to find safety and, eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden.
Historically, critical response has varied, with some critics finding
the work of lesser quality than other Shakespearean works and some
finding the play a work of great merit. The play features one of
Shakespeare's most famous and oft-quoted speeches, "All the world's a
stage", and is the origin of the phrase "too much of a good thing". The
play remains a favourite among audiences and has been adapted for radio,
film, and musical theatre.
8. Nevernight – Jay Kristoff (4)
The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author.
In
a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a
school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed
her family.
Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is
barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone
and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god,
hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for
speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer,
and a future she never imagined.
Now, Mia is apprenticed to the
deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If
she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the
subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed
Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer
is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past
return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is
unfolding in the shadows she so loves.
Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?
9. Along For the Ride – Sarah Dessen (4)*
It’s been so long since
Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the
fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with
her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.
A
job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their
talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too
busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets
Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to
the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel
quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been
denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death
of a friend.
In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.
10. And This is Laura – Ellen Conford (2)
Twelve-year old Laura is
an ordinary person in a family of superstars. Her beautiful older
sister is a talented actress, her older brother writes and performs
music, and her little brother can recite every commercial on television
from memory. Her parents are gifted, too—her mother is a famous author,
her father a brilliant scientist. However, everything changes for Laura
when she discovers that she has the ability to see the future. Suddenly,
she has popularity, attention from her parents, even media coverage.
It’s all new and so great—until her visions grow dark, and Laura
realizes that her gift could turn out to be a curse!
11. Lock and Key – Sarah Dessen (3)
Ruby, where is your mother?
Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on
her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother
will probably never return.
That's how she comes to live with
Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie,
whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he
founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house,
fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a
future; it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant
Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next
door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby
is just learning to give?
Best-selling author Sarah Dessen
explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen
circumstances and learning to trust again.
what did all of you read and love in August?
xx
Caroline
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What a great month! 11 books is pretty awesome. I really want to read Lady of the Forest now.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great month for you! Love all the Sarah Dessen and I've heard Saving Francesca is amazing!
ReplyDeleteMy August Recap!