Book Addicts Anonymous

I just looked for a link to this book, and found out that it has a different title in USA. There it is called East.
It is a sort of Beauty and the beast type story, but it is told through the eyes of several of the characters. It is a young adult book, and the "North Child" herself, Rose, is a very strong minded courageous character. I feel if someone told her she couldn't do something, she'd find a way to do it, just because of her strong determination.
I enjoyed this as a bit of light relief from some of the books I've been reading lately. I think everyone should relax with a good adventure story every now and again.

At first I thought that this book would be quite sad, but it isn't.
It's narrated by 12 year old Gussie.

It could be very easily overly sentimental, given Gussie's circumstances, but she is quite a gutsy young lady.
She is going through all the usual teenage angst things, but with a very grown up head on her shoulders. Gussie is wise beyond her years.

For the bumph on the book and the chance to read an extract;
http://www.luath.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_The_Bower_Bird.html

for more about Ann Kelley visit her website
http://www.annkelley.co.uk/#

This book won the children's Costa Book Award.

This book, for me, is one of those difficult to classify books. It is set out as normal, and as I'd picked it up from the children's section of the bookshop, I presumed it was a teen book. It is, and could be read as just a novel, without any deep thought, but I for one had to "digest" each section as I read it. It is a very thought provoking book. There are few books written about second world war events from the German viewpoint, that is probably what sets this book apart for me. It is a very easy book to read, and there are lovely sections where one of the characters writes for the "Book Thief", and the text shows exactly what he produced.
I loved this book , and will look for Zusak's other book.

Firstly, I don't know if this book is available in the US. And , yes, it's a "teen" book, but it deals with a subject that affects everyone.

It's about a 16 year old girl, Tessa, who has been battling with cancer for 4 years. The cancer is getting worse, and she only has a short length of time left. (It's an agressive leukemia that she has.)
In the time Tessa has left she has a list of things she wants to do. The first on her list is "sex", she enlists her friend, Zoey, to help her with her list. As Tessa gets through the list she gets more and more ill, her Dad learns of the list and tries to help her, after a disastrous "list day" where she said to yes to everything she was asked to do.
Tessa is very angry about her cancer at one point, and takes risks. She takes "magic mushrooms" as she rightly thinks she will never have chance to do risky things if she doesn't do it right now. Her family cope with it as best they can.
She takes life by the horns, as much as she can until the cancer takes over her body completely. Then she still tries to be mistress of her own destiny, she walks out of the hospital, and gets a taxi home, when the consultant wants her to stay put and talk it over with her Dad.
The climax of the book, although predictable in one way, Tessa dies, (but then you know that is what the book is about when you pick it up,) it is hugely moving. I will admit, the last 20-30 pages had me in tears. The ending is not sloppy, but it is very moving. You feel sympathy for Tessa, but not in a sycophantic way, rather in the way she seems to be coping so very well.

The only other thing I would recommend is, if you want to read this book, unless you are a very slow reader, borrow it from your local library, as the accessiblity of the language, and the subject matter make the novel very difficult to put down. I read it in one and half days, and that wasn't sitting reading soildly.

Anyone who's read at least the first book of the Harry Potter series will recognise the name of the main character of this book. One Nicholas Flamel, to the best of my knowledge the only real person featured in the HP series. He was a real alchemyst in the 1300s. This book also takes place in the 21st century and features Nicholas and his wife, Perenelle, also immortal, and a pair of teenaged twins they meet in San Francisco, California.

I actually stumbled across this book about a week ago while looking up information for a question on Yahoo Answers. It caught my eye enough that I immediately rang my local Borders Books and had them hold a copy for me. I didn't start reading immediately because I had to finish Tunnels which turned out to be a disappointment. *sigh*

If you like books involving magic (not the stage variety either), I highly recommend this book.