April 2009 Book Club: 3 Willows
by Ann Brashares

Seeds
Polly has an idea that she can’t stop thinking about, one that involves changing a few things about herself. She’s setting her sights on a more glamorous life, but it’s going to take all of her focus. At least that way she won’t have to watch her friends moving so far ahead.

Roots
Jo is spending the summer at her family’s beach house, working as a bus girl and bonding with the older, cooler girls she’ll see at high school come September. She didn’t count on a brief fling with a cute boy changing her entire summer. Or feeling embarrassed by her middle school friends. And she didn’t count on her family at all. . .

Leaves
Ama is not an outdoorsy girl. She wanted to be at an academic camp, doing research in an air-conditioned library, earning A’s. Instead her summer scholarship lands her on a wilderness trip full of flirting teenagers, blisters, impossible hiking trails, and a sad lack of hair products.

It is a new summer. And a new sisterhood. Come grow with them.

We’ve got plenty to say about the book but we’d like to keep that in the comments so that we’re all taking part in the discussion together. We’re just going to offer up some possible discussion questions to help get people talking. You don’t have to stick to just these though, please feel free to share your own thoughts and questions as well. We mostly just want to help get your brain juices flowing with these!

Continue to the full post and our discussion questions.

The Awakening
by Kelley Armstrong

The Awakening, by Kelley Armstrong is a fantastic second installment to the Darkest Powers trilogy. Continuing the story of 15-year-old Chloe Saunders, who after discovering she is a necromancer ends up in a flight for her life, the stakes are even higher in The Awakening than they were in The Summoning, because now Chloe knows that her life is not as important to her pursuers as keeping her and her secret contained.

After making her escape from the deceptive Lyle House, and having been betrayed by the one person she trusts most in the world, Chloe is once again trapped by the mysterious people who know her secret and want to make sure it doesn’t get out. And this time, it’s not just a simple matter of sneaking out and disabling an alarm to get away. To make matters worse Derek and Simon aren’t around to help her, and Rae doesn’t seem to want to get out at all. Just when it seems like hope is lost, help comes from a very unexpected source.

The characters we met in the first Darkest Powers novel are back, and I can honestly say there’s not a poorly written or out of place character in the book. And the more we learn about each of them, the more there is to like. As information about Simon and Derek’s background is revealed, it’s hard not to be as invested in them as we are in Chloe, who continues to surprise with her bravery and determination. As obstacle after obstacle is dropped in their path, Chloe and the small band of supernatural misfits never wavers in their efforts to overcome the evils that are after them, and ultimately to save those they left behind.

As with all of Armstrong’s novels, the supernatural world meshes seamlessly with everyday life, due to her immense skill at making us believe that the things we never thought were out there, could actually be true. After reading these books, I don’t think I’d be surprised to find out witches and werewolves were real! The writing and dialogue flow smoothly and naturally, there’s never a moment that takes you out of the story. As an added bonus, The Awakening has something that I really love in a story… a little something we here at With a Good Book like to call Continuity Crack. In this case it’s a tie-in to Armstrong’s Otherworld novels, creating an expanded universe that had me giddy upon discovery.

The Awakening is an action-packed, suspense-filled adventure you won’t be able to put down. I know book reviews are supposed to highlight both the good and bad aspects of a story, but I just don’t have anything negative to say about The Awakening. I can’t wait for the third volume in Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers series to arrive.

*This book was provided for review by Random House Canada.

The Summoning
by Kelley Armstrong

Wow! That’s my overall reaction to The Summoning, Kelley Armstrong’s first foray into YA novels. Just wow! In case you can’t tell, I loved it! The Summoning is the first book in the Darkest Powers Trilogy, and introduces us to 15-year-old Chloe Saunders, who like every teenager, just wants to be a normal girl with normal high school interests and problems.

At first it seems that Chloe might just be that normal girl. She has girlfriends, wants to go to the school dance, loves movies and is in the film club. Everything seems to be going according to plan, until one day when she starts seeing people that aren’t there. At first Chloe assumes it must be her imagination, but when a mysterious janitor with severe burns chases her at school, Chloe understandably panics and reacts badly, landing her in a home for children with mental problems. Upon arrival at Lyle House, Chloe is relieved to see that it isn’t so bad, and is determined to get well and get back to her normal life. But Lyle House turns out to be so much more than it originally appeared to be.

As always, Armstrong has created a well thought out, and completely believable world that despite being populated by supernatural beings, never feels unrealistic. And like her Women of the Otherworld series, she brings both the readers and the characters into the supernatural world slowly, giving the characters the same doubts that we as the reader would have if someone told us they could see people that weren’t there. As everyone in the story struggles to keep their secrets, we’re given little clues that let us know that things are not as normal as they may seem, but we’re also kept guessing all the way along, making for an exciting and compelling tale.

The characters in The Summoning have more depth and personality than usually found in YA novels, and there are none of your standard jock, popular girl, and outcast stereotypes that often populate these novels, which is completely refreshing. The dialogue feels natural and flows well – with one slight exception. And this may just be a personal issue, but by the end of the novel I started to become frustrated by the fact that Chloe almost never gets to finish a sentence. This small issue in no way takes away from the wonderful story though.

The Summoning is a fantastic and original story that will keep you engrossed until the very end. And when you come to that end, be prepared… the story does not end with a nice little bow to wrap things up, but instead finishes on a bit of a cliffhanger. I’m really glad that I have book two of the series The Awakening on hand so I can find out what happens next, because I can not wait! I highly recommend Kelley Armstrong’s The Summoning to everyone who enjoys a great supernatural tale.

Evermore (The Immortals, Book 1)

by Alyson Noel

I really enjoyed Evermore by Alyson Noel, despite how bothered I was by the many obvious similarities to the recent teen phenomenon Twilight. The fact that I read Evermore in a mere two days clearly says that I liked it quite a bit.

I really don’t want to give away any of the plot, because it’s the surprises in Evermore that make the story great – well, those and the wonderful romance that unfolds. While they are very similar, Evermore is a slightly more grown up romance than Twilight (but only slightly), and where Twilight fails in the original character department, Evermore does a much better job. The main character in both stories is an angst ridden female high school student, but in Evermore the back-story justifies the sullen disposition, and I felt that the character grows more in the first book than Bella does in the whole series. The other students in Evermore were also more likeable and realistic than those in Twilight, however the one area where Twilight excelled and Evermore lacked somewhat, was the family of the main characters.

While the first two-thirds of Evermore are well written and a fun read, the extreme similarities to Twilight are too great to be ignored and can be distracting. Thankfully the last portion of the novel takes things in a different and interesting direction. That, combined with better developed characters, stronger writing, and an interesting twist make Evermore the more enjoyable of the two novels. I believe that the end of the story set-up the next book in a way that will make for an interesting new fantasy series. So, if you enjoyed that other paranormal teen-romance series, chances are good that you’ll enjoy Evermore as well.

Stolen (Women of the Otherworld, Book 2)
by Kelley Armstrong

After discover the world of Elena and the Stonehaven werewolves in Bitten, book one of in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series, I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into (pun intended) Stolen, the second Elena story in the series.

In this second novel, Armstrong smartly takes the characters out of their home setting allowing a completely new type of mystery to take place. Instead of having another plot center around Stonehaven and keeping Elena’s secret, the events in Stolen allow for a much broader story to develop. By creating the mystery around a new set of characters and in a new location, the universe that has been created in Bitten expands to include a greater assortment of supernatural beings, and the central mystery is much more interesting for it. We’re also introduced to some of the other Women of the Underworld as Elena discovers new beings that are populating her universe. Ironically, Elena (the werewolf!) has a hard time believing in witches, vampires, shamans and demons when she first encounters them, but this actually adds to the realism of this series, as it allows you to be convinced of their existence along with Elena. Throughout Stolen, we’re never quite sure who to trust and who is actually good or bad, which of course makes for a great story!

Overall I found Stolen to be a gripping and fast paced read, filled with interesting characters. I kind of missed getting know more about Clayton, Jeremy and the other werewolves, but I loved getting to know Paige, Ruth, Savanah, Adam & Leah. And even though Elena won’t be the narrator of the next book in the Women of the Otherworld series, I’m looking forward to reading Dime Store Magic which is told from Paige’s point of view.

Ladies With Prospects
by Cynthia Hartwick

Ladies With Prospects by Cynthia Hartwick has been on my book wish list for a really long time now. Ever since I read and enjoyed her first book Ladies with Options. So when I happened to come across this one on sale, I snapped it right up. Ladies With Prospects tells the story of a group of small town women who run an investing group, and how they fight back against a big corporation in an attempt to save an investment – and town – they hold dear.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. It’s a quick easy read, but still a very satisfying story with well-written dialogue that flows smoothly and easily. All the characters are likeable and although we don’t get a great deal of back-story (which is probably just as well seeing as there are so many central characters) we do learn enough abut each of them to feel that we know them. And for those who’ve read the first book, we do already know quite a bit about some of the older ladies.

I don’t want to go into detail about the story because that would ruin the fun, but I did want to highlight this book (and it’s predecessor) because they involve some very timely issues in these current economic hard times. Both are filled with examples of people who are struck by economic tragedies, but with a lot of research, dedication and hard work even the ‘little guy’ can pull themselves out. Whether or not it’s a realistic outlook, Ladies With Prospects is a great story and there’s nothing wrong with a little optimism and smart thinking!

Primeval: Extinction Event
by Dan Abnett

When my buddy at Titan Books offered this book to me for review, I had no idea it based on an existing TV show. Don’t laugh at me. It seems obvious in retrospect but I clearly hadn’t been paying attention when people were talking about Primeval and the description of the book I read had me thinking it was a set of new books from the writers of the BBC series. Not that it was actually tied to the series itself.

Not that it really matters. I just wanted to make sure you understood how I came into the book. So that you’d believe me when I say the book was so great, I immediately needed to see the series. As in, I actually went to Best Buy that night in hopes that they’d have it. Luckily (for my wallet), they didn’t but I’ve been catching up via Netflix.

The good thing about this is that it means you don’t have to have seen the series to enjoy the book. Though I will caution that the book takes place during what I think is the lull between Season 2 and Season 3 of the show (S3 having just started). I could be wrong about the exact timing but it seems to make sense since the book hinted at things that I’ve discovered about halfway through my viewing or what is the end of Season 1. And based on the characters in the book, I think there’s even more I have yet to see on the show…

To read more check out my full review over at Ramblings of a TV Whore.

This month’s selection is 3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows by Ann Brashares.

Last month we went with a book that was a little more serious than our tastes usually run, so this month we decided to hit the opposite end of the spectrum and go with a purely fluffy YA novel. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants was one of the first book series that Rae and I bonded over many years ago. We both absolutely loved Anne Brashares stories about friendships, love and coming of age, and when we heard that a new Sisterhood was in the works we couldn’t wait to find out if it stood up to the original. Since this is also a book that we knew we’d want to discuss, we figured it was a perfect selection for our April Book Club Book. Don’t let the name or girly nature deter you… if 3 Willows is anything like Brashares previous Sisterhood series, you’ll be laughing crying and hugging all your girlfriends as soon as you finish!

We hope you’re interested in reading and discussing the book with us, so check it out and join us back here the week of April 27th when we get the discussion started!

The Mysterious Minute-Men Omnibus
by Mike Aragona

The best way to describe The Mysterious Minute-Men Omnibus is that it’s a graphic novel without any graphics. Which may seem odd, but imagine a graphic novel before it has gone to storyboard and images have been added. I think you’d have something like The Mysterious Minute-Men Omnibus, which includes 3 ‘episodes’ and a collection of spotlights and specials. Although it falls into the super-hero genre, I felt the stories are intended for a more adult audience and that the Minute-Men might not be super-heroes for children. While I wouldn’t quite describe it as a page-turner, I found The Mysterious Minute-Men Omnibus to be a very enjoyable read, filled with likeable characters and plenty of chuckles. And as an added bonus, the stories are full of something I always love – plenty of pop-culture references!

The Mysterious Minute-Men are not your ordinary super-heroes. Led by Minute-Man they protect Metro-City, often risking their lives simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. And so they can have donuts. Their secret lair is stocked with the sacred orange soda rather than weapons, and they fight off attacks from a Diabolical Chef with killer pastries and an evil Elvis impersonator.

In episode 1 – Protectors of Metro-City, we meet Minute-Man, who “has more powers than he can remember” and gets a power boost when he ingests the sacred orange soda (kinda like Popeye), and his crime-fighting partner, Orion who has the unique power of Super-Breath.  When the battle against Die. T Cola, leader of the criminal cartel, and the Diabolical Chef Jacques becomes too big for them to handle alone, the Minute-Men team-up with their many super-friends who help them save the day.

In episode 2 – The Big Fat Thrill, The Minute-Men decide it’s time they had some full-time super-help and thus The Bow-Minator joins their ranks. The Bow-Minator can achieve almost anything with a bow and arrow and quickly becomes an important member and valuable asset to the team. The Bow-Minator’s real name when he’s not fighting crime? Jack Coleman. See? Pop-culture. Love that stuff! And I’m pretty sure there were plenty of references I didn’t completely get… I’d be thinking “didn’t something like this happen in a movie?” but I couldn’t figure out which movie.

Episode 3 – Battle for Metro-City was a bit longer than I would have preferred, and possibly could have been broken up into two stories, one involving a kidnapping, and a separate one involving the take-over of the city to make it a bit less daunting. But we did get to meet to new characters to the Minute-Men world and there was still plenty of laughs.

Episode 4 – Spotlights Specials: B Sides & Rarities consists of 7 short stories (3 spotlights and 4 specials) that focus more on the secondary characters, or events not involving the standard crime fighting. I really enjoyed all the short stories, although I found the last special The Devil Inside, a little dark, and not quite fitting with the tone of the rest of the book, but the author does include a note saying he realizes this but it was how he was felling at the time.

Overall The Mysterious Minute-Men Omnibus is a well written collection of stories, filled with really fun characters and plenty of zany antics. There are some instances where further editing could have made the story flow a bit smoother, and I personally would have enjoyed a bit more focus on the people behind the masks, because for me it’s those aspects that take a story from a fun read up to a page turner. But anyone who’s a fan of super-hero parodies and comics that don’t take themselves too seriously will enjoy The Mysterious Minute-Men Omnibus by Mike Aragona.

*This book was provided for review by the author via Library Thing.