MADreads

A divided soul in the South
A review of Cane by Jean Toomer

 One of the dangers of getting into any novel is the temptation to associate the narrator of the story with the author. But in the case of Cane, it is especially difficult not to think of the experience of its creator, Jean Toomer. Born in 1894 to a family equally divided between black and white, Toomer spent much of his life shifting back and forth over the color line, marrying into white families while also teaching at a segregated school in rural Georgia. (He also briefly attended ...read more

Reviewed by Katie H. on March 26, 2013 | 0 comments

Experience an amazing new graphic novel
A review of Anomaly by Skip Brittenham and Brian Haberlin

 Anomaly is a deliciously huge new graphic novel -- a title that very likely could shake up readers the way the first Star Wars transfixed movie goers. With strong characters and a wealth of fabulous aliens and special effects, it takes you away to other worlds. A sprawling, epic tale with gorgeous art and an interesting story, accompanied by some mind-blowing technological enhancements, I found Anomaly impossible to put down. Actually, it is pretty hard to ...read more

Reviewed by Barbara - Alicia Ashman on March 25, 2013 | 0 comments

Another winner from Libba Bray
A review of The Diviners by Libba Bray

 The latest offering from supernatural master, Libba Bray, is sure to thrill fans of her last series. Set in 1920s New York, The Diviners follows seventeen year old Evie O’Neill who has been banished from her hometown in Ohio after a party trick has unintended consequences. Evie, a quintessential flapper, is thrilled with the arrangement, planning her days around shopping and movies and her nights around glamorous speakeasies. The only drawback is living with her uncle, the stuffy ...read more

Reviewed by Jill O on March 22, 2013 | 0 comments

What do Gatsby, Shakespeare and an alien parasite have in common?
Novels to the Screen (big and small)

Shelley Diaz of School Library Journal has compiled a nice list of teen (and kids) books that are coming to the screens in your neighborhood. The first to jump out at me is the film adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's The Host. I'm curious about this ...read more

Reviewed by Jane J - Central on March 21, 2013 | 1 comment

I want to be her or her or her (and me)
A review of I Want to Be Her!: How Friends and Strangers Helped Shape My Style by Andrea Linett

 This is a cool little book. It's kind of a style memoir written by an established fashion editor. Andrea Linett's first job out of school was as a receptionist at Sassy magazine (the magazine that profoundly influenced my own style), where she quickly worked her way up to fashion editor. After a stint as a fashion writer and editor at Harper's Bazaar, she went on to co-found ...read more

Reviewed by Molly - Central on March 20, 2013 | 0 comments

Leaping before looking
A review of Learning to Swim by Sara Henry

 “If I’d blinked, I would have missed it. But I didn’t, and I saw something fall from the rear deck of the opposite ferry: a small, wide-eyed human face, in one tiny frozen moment, as it plummeted toward the water.” Troy Chance makes a split second decision as ferries pull away from each other and dives into the fifty degree water. No one else saw the child fall and she's sure that she's his only chance. And finding a small boy in a cold lake isn't the only challenge she now faces. ...read more

Reviewed by Jane J - Central on March 19, 2013 | 0 comments

Check please
A review of The Dinner by Herman Koch

 It’s a relatively rare occurrence when a translated title receives a great deal of attention in the US due mainly in part to the lack of titles being translated for the American market (the University of Rochester put the figure optimistically at 3% of all published titles). That would make the success of Herman Koch’s thriller The Dinner remarkable, but it feels even like more of a coup as The Dinner is a dark, convoluted tale surrounding one family’s moral dilemma that goes ...read more

Reviewed by Katie H. on March 18, 2013 | 0 comments

Sleep never looked so good
A review of Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue

 A precocious little girl does not want to go to sleep. After some gentle coaxing from her patient parents, she settles into the bed she loves, climbing in and asking if everything in the world goes to sleep. Her parents tell her about many animals – from tiny snails to whales and the strong tiger, too – and how they sleep. The little girl gets cozy in her own bed and drifts off, thinking of those animals snug in their beds. With its soothing flow of words and soft, dream-like illustrations, ...read more

Reviewed by Madeleine on March 15, 2013 | 0 comments

Long list of excellent women
Women's Prize for Fiction

The 2013 Longlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize) has been announced, and I have to say I think the judges are going to have a hard time narrowing this down to a short list. And I think it's wide open as to which one will walk away with the prize. Here are the contenders: Life After Life ...read more

Reviewed by Jane J - Central on March 14, 2013 | 0 comments

Wow. Just wow.
A review of The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

 Katherine Applegate was recently awarded the 2013 Newbery Medal for most distinguished contribution to American Literature for Children for her book The One and Only Ivan. I completely agree. This may be one of the best books I've ever read.  Ivan is a silverback gorilla living in a run-down roadside circus mall (I know, I know, but these places really do exist) with Stella, a retired circus ...read more

Reviewed by Molly - Central on March 13, 2013 | 3 comments
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