The Housekeeper & the Professor By: Yoko Ogawa

http://www.amazon.com/Housekeeper-Professor-Yoko-Ogawa/dp/0312427808

Cleanliness:
This book is completely clean. No yucky stuff to be found.

Summary:
A housekeeper works for an elderly man who, after a car accident, only has 80 minutes of short term memory. This man used to be a math professor and still continues to harbor a love for numbers that he shares with his new housekeeper and her son, Root.

What I Really Liked:
Overall the book has a very positive feeling. It really focused on the beauty of friendship, even when that friend can't remember you. It also shows how numbers can affect emotions. The calming effect they had for the professor, and the joy they began to bring to the housekeeper.
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What I Disliked:
I had a hard time believing that the professor wouldn't freak out every time his 80 minute memory rebooted and here was this lady (the housekeeper) in his house that he didn't know or when his memory rebooted and he was in some strange location surrounded by strangers.


Reading Worth:
An easy read that leaves you looking at numbers a little differently. I could easily see this one being a read-aloud in older classrooms. It helps connect literature to math.

Crime & Punishment By: Fyodor Dostoevsky

http://www.amazon.com/Punishment-Bantam-Classics-Fyodor-Dostoevsky/dp/0553211757



Cleanliness:
This is a classic so the "bad" stuff is not detailed and I didn't find it offensive. So what's the bad stuff? There is a murder that occurs but it doesn't describe it in gory detail. There is also a women who is a prostitute but this is merely a detail of her. The author never writes about her in the act.
Summary:
A poor, man who lives in Russia commits a crime and then suffers from the moral dilemma of what he's done. 

What I Really Liked:
The author does well at putting you into the main character's mind. You see all the colors of his emotion and all his mental struggles.
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What I Disliked:
It's a long, almost dizzying read. As I said, the author puts you in the main character's mind and you almost begin to feel that you are just as loopy as him as you read it.
Reading Worth:
If you are in the mood for a long, classic that will leave you thinking then this is the book for you. It requires commitment in order to finish, and it will leave you much to analyze and dwell on when you're done. Definitely not a light read.

A Christmas Carol By: Charles Dickens

http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Carol-Charles-Dickens/dp/1456407872/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321500678&sr=1-1

Cleanliness:
This book is as clean as a whistle (where does that expression come from?). Gotta love the classics!


Summary:
I'm pretty sure you already know what this classic is about but for the sake of blogging consistency, here it goes... Ebeneezer Scrooge is one grouchy, old man. He doesn't have a friend in the world because he doesn't seem to have a nice, giving bone in his body. And worst of all, he hates Christmas. But after three unexpected guests visit his home one night his attitude towards life, people, and Christmas changes for the better.


What I Really Liked:
It has an ending that really warms your heart and it will really get you into the Christmas Spirit.
What I Disliked:
It feels wrong to dis a classic but it went a little too fast for me. He quickly becomes repentant for his bad attitude and is easily accepted and loved when he changes his ways. I imagine that is because it is a morale tale meant for the younger population but I wouldn't mind a redo of the story for the adults. One with a more challenging path of forgiveness and change.

Reading Worth:This is an easy, delightful read that is best read at the beginning of the Holiday Season. It will easily get you into the Christmas Spirit. 

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children By: Ransom Riggs

http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Peregrines-Home-Peculiar-Children/dp/1594744769

Cleanliness:
This book contains some cursing & some making out. You may not appreciate these things for your youth but I didn't find it too much of an annoyance as a Christian adult.


Summary:
Jacob's grandfather has always told him strange tales and shown him strange pictures of children at an island orphanage. These children had peculiar gifts. As Jacob has grown older, he has believed these stories to be nothing but tall tales and lies that his grandfather has spun to make his life seem more interesting. Doctored photos, exaggerated details, no truth to them. But when things in Jacob's own life take a turn downward he finds himself needing to know if there is some truth in these stories after all.


What I Really Liked:
I liked the eerie photographs that this book contained. I liked the mystery behind the children, finding out whether they do or do not exist.


What I Disliked:
I felt like the characters were lacking. I never grew partial to any of them and I didn't agree with their actions or always find their actions believable. I also felt the story plot didn't always work/make sense.


Reading Worth:
I honestly didn't enjoy the book. At first I thought it was creepy and had worth but I really didn't like the way it all played out. It was a good idea but in the end I just found it lacking. I personally wouldn't recommend it to others.

The Thirteenth Tale By: Diane Setterfield

http://www.amazon.com/Thirteenth-Tale-Novel-Diane-Setterfield/dp/B004H8GLXQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319774918&sr=1-1


*It has been awhile since I've read this and I do suffer from book amnesia so hopefully I am remembering everything correctly. Please feel free to let me know of any mistakes.
Cleanliness:
The language is clean. There is one semi-awkward moment in this book but is less than a page long.


Summary:
Margaret Lea is the daughter of a book owner and the author of of a few, short, insignificant biographies. Out of the blue Margaret receives a letter from a world renowned author, Vida Winter. Vida is asking Margaret to write her biography. The trick is that Vida Winter has never told anyone her real life story. Throughout the years she has spun tales about her life, never answering a question the same and leaving all her fans wondering who she really is.


But now Vida promises to tell Margaret the truth. And Margaret can't help but wonder why Vida would choose her, of all biographers, to tell the truth to. She also can't help but wonder if Vida is really ready to tell the truth. What secret has she been keeping all these years? Can it possibly compare to the painful secret that Margaret has kept to herself for so long?


What I Really Liked:
Have you ever read a book where you're certain there must be a twist and you're fairly certain what the twist will be? But at the same time it seems too easy and you're hoping there is a different twist, one that you can't see. For me, this was not that book. For once I was unable to figure out the twist and I was definitely surprised at the end. Maybe I am just slow but this book surprised me and I loved that.


I also loved how well Setterfield developed the characters. You feel like you genuinely know them and you take an investment in them- even if they are peculiar. And if you are a book lover like me and maybe a little awkward, you might find Margaret a bit relatable, despite her oddities.    

What I Disliked:
There is some strong sisterly love that happens in this story that is likely to make you a wee bit uncomfortable. There's not a whole lot of joy in this book.


Reading Worth:
If you are looking for a smart, intriguing read this is definitely a book for you. However, it is pretty melancholy and you are might use a bit of brain power trying to figure out the twist so if you are looking for a light, upbeat book, this is not a book for you. 

Graceling By: Kristin Cashore

http://www.amazon.com/Graceling-Kristin-Cashore/dp/015206396X


Cleanliness: 

The language is clean. There is some sexual content but not enough that you would be embarrassed to lend it to your mother.

Summary:

If you like the Hunger Games & Twilight series, chances are you will also like this addicting book. It takes place in a fantasy world where there are 7 Kingdoms. Within these Kingdoms there are people who have special gifts or in other words, people who are graced. These gifts could be the ability to hear what others are thinking, to predict the weather or in Katsa's case, the ability to kill easily. 

Though Katsa's grace should make her unbeatable there is one thing she hasn't been able to overcome, her fear of disobeying King Randa. Instead she acts as his personal thug, physically harming those who have wronged him, even though sometimes their wrongs really aren't that wrong.

But a guilty conscience, or so I believe, has led Katsa to form a secret council that helps those who might be harmed by the wrong doings of any of the 7 Kings. And when this secret council saves a King's kidnapped father Katsa not only meets a Graceling who is equal to her strength but eventually learns the frightening truth behind the kidnapping which leads them to a battle a seemingly unstoppable evil.

What I Really Liked:

I really liked the love story because it felt believable. They didn't fall in love at first sight like Edward did with Bella and it took some time for strong willed, anti-marriage tough shelled Katsa to soften up and fall in love. I also loved that there wasn't a love triangle like in Twilight & Hunger Games, I felt no need to decorate any Team shirts because the love interest in this story didn't have any real competition.


What I Disliked:
The climax felt like it fizzled a little. I was prepared for an all out battle of some sort to end the reign of this unstoppable, evil King but instead it was over in a matter of moments. It left me feeling a bit disappointed.   


Reading Worth:
If you are looking for an easy, entertaining, addictive read this book is for you If you are looking for a smart, amazingly well-written, thought provoking book than this is not the book for you.