Whiskey on the Rocks by Nina Wright

Name: Krystiana Graham

Grade: 12th grade +

Title: Whiskey on the Rocks

Author: Nina Wright

Review: This is a book I've passed many times while reading, and slowly grew more and more curious about. So one day, I read the back - and discovered a new favorite series. Whiskey on the Rocks is the first installment of the series, Whiskey Mattimoe Mysteries, by Nina Wright. The main character is a real estate broker (with a knack for finding dead bodies on the properties she tries to sell) named Whitney Mattimoe. Of course, everyone calls her Whiskey - despite the fact she doesn't drink. You learn in the beginning of the book, about a dog named Abracadabra. Or, Abra for short. A spoiled afghan hound who belonged to Whiskey's late husband. An afghan hound who is in 'rehad' for a habit of stealing . . . purses.

It is because of this habit that Whiskey finds herself knee deep in a mystery surrounding a few dead people, some missing artwork, and her rock star neighbor's son. Not to mention a chopped off finger, and a suave mysterious man. Tie that up together in a pretty little package, and you have the starting of a Whiskey Mystery. Of course, you'll need some help, like from the police, a homosexual woman named Jenx. And the deputy, a man whose canine partner tends to get Abra acting . . . horny for lack of a better term. Mix in some Odette, who works with Whiskey, and Whiskey's ex-husband, Jeb. And you have an interesting mystery with all the key players. Now, in this mystery, it starts out with some folks wanting to rent out their home, and before long, someone comes to find the home ransacked, while they were renting it, and an expensive painting mystery. When Whiskey and Abra get on the trail, they discover a purse with a severed finger in it.

As the story continues, you learn all about Whiskey (and Abra's) odd way of all ways getting their guy.

Why I picked this book up: It was a book I had been curious about. Seeing it many times, and when I read the back, it was right up my alley, and I couldn't put it down.

Why I finished it: I was constantly curious about what would happen next, so I kept reading, until it left me stranded, and in need for the next book.

I'd give this book to: Anyone who likes a good mystery.

Rating: Five out of Five; it was an amazing book, that I could see anyone enjoying, and the next book in the series gets better and better.

The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini's master piece is honestly the best book I have ever read. Taking place in 1980's Afghanistan, two boy's stories are told. Amir, a rich Pashtun, and his servant Hassan, a hazara. Hazaras are lower in class in Islam then Pashtuns. These to boys are bes of friends who have been raised together since birth. Amir's father, which throughout the story is refered to as Baba or father, loves both the boys. However he looks down on Amir for not being as manly as him and spending too much time in books. Amir works hard to gain his father's respect. One day Amir and Hassan run into the town bully Assef. Hassan threatens to shoot him in the eye with a slingshot if he doesn't leave the boys alone. Amir, Hassan, and many other boys participate in kite fighting. At the age of 12 Amir and Hassan participate in a tournament. Afterwards Hassan chases down Amir's kite and ends up being cornered by Assef and his gang. I won't go into details but lets say that life for the two boys would never be the same. Amir and Baba end up leaving Afghanistan during the war with the Soviet Union. The story picks up years later when Amir is in his twenties. Amir begins to write books whil Baba works at a gas station. A major step down from being a rich honored man in Afghanistan. After a few years Amir get married and becomes a famous writer. He then gets a call from Rahim Khan, an old friend from Afghanistan. He asks Amir to come back to visit. Amir takes up his offer but when he arrives Rahim tells him the real reason of his call. Hassan has met with a terrible fate and Rahim wants Amir to find and take care of Hassan's only son. After searching, Amir finds that he was taken by the Taliban. Needless to say, Amir didn't get the boy back easily. Amir takes Hassan's son to the U.S to raise him away from fear or worry. I read this book because I heard a lot of great things about the book. Of course they weren't wrong. I recommend this book to all young adults because I know that once they pick up the book, they won't be able to put it down. The Kite Runner is a solid 5 out of 5.

Kitchen Princess

Name: Serina

Grade: 12+

Title: Kitchen Princess

Author: Miyuki Kobayashi

Artist: Matsumi Ando

Najika Kazami has a dream to cook good food that puts a smile on everyone's face. After growing up in a humble foster home in Hokkaido called Lavender House, Najika sets out to complete her chef parents' dream, as well as her own by joining Seika academy, a prestigious school for the rich and talented. Najika is certainly not rich, and at first the other students think she has no talent, either. However, after witnessing a young girl try and confess her love to a boy by giving him her handmade flan, only to have him refuse it and knock it out of her hands, Najika steps in to help the girl make flan that the boy will have to eat. After making the perfect flan, it is discovered that Najika has a very special gift that allows her to cook amazingly delicious food: an absolute sense of taste, meaning Najika can eat anything and know the ingredients in it as well as how it was made, and can remake it to perfection. The director's son, Sora, sought Najika out because of this talent, and guided her along through the school and her trials, to the anger and jealousy of the other female students. Najika also learns that the boy who refused the girl's flan earlier, Daichi, is also the director's son, and that the two brothers do not get along. Najika tries to bring them closer together by them both enjoying her food, and soon the two are a bit enamored by her, though Daichi would never admit it. While Najika mostly thinks about making the best food in the world, she also dreams about her flan prince, a young boy who saved her as a child from drowning in a river and then gave her flan to cheer her up, along with a silver spoon with the Seika academy logo. Najika has a suspicion that Sora is her flan prince, but doesn't know how to ask him. Will Najika be able to get both her dreams? Only the comic will tell.

While I initially avoid shojo manga like the plague, I was quite curious about Kitchen Princess. The delicious illustrations and the included recipes at the back probably helped, but I have to admit that I got a bit caught up in the plot as well. Najika, while the terribly cliche shojo lead with her large eyes, long hair, and upbeat personality that somehow all the handsome guys in the school fall for, she also had a lot of things that the other shojo manga protagonists didn't. She was awfully positive, even when the other girls in her class treated her horribly and kept trying to get her to leave the school. It was obvious to the reader that it upset her, but she was strong enough to not let it get in her way, and she even fought back a bit instead of running to the nearest male character to cry in his arms. The whole series had its ups and downs, and some of it I hated, but some of it I actually liked. Now I can honestly say that I have read a decent shojo manga that I appreciated rather than disdained. Kitchen Princess is a great manga for shojo fans, as well as for food fans. My suggestion would be to try out some of the recipes at the back of each book and see if you have the makings to be a kitchen princess as well.

I picked this book up because of the yummy looking pictures.

I finished this book because I got sucked in along the way.

I'd give this book to anyone who likes shojo manga or who likes cooking, or who likes food, or all three.

*** Liked it

Flight Vol. 2 by Kazu Kibuishi

Name: Caitlin

Grade: 12+

Book: Flight Vol. 2

Author: There are many authors in this book, but it is edited by Kazu Kibuishi

Lately, I've been on a huge graphic novel/comic book kick; while I was browsing the shelves I noticed that there was a pretty large chunk of the graphic novel section dedicated to the Flight novels. These books are compilations of many up and coming graphic artists and writers, edited and brought together by Kazu Kibuishi.

What makes these graphic novels so unique is how so many different types of stories and art styles are brought together in one place. Even for the differences of art and varying types of stories, one thing can be said about the entire novel put together; it's beautiful. The opening story of Flight Vol. 2 is about a fox that lives alone on a barren planet, but soon the fox encounters a beautiful ball of light that transforms into all kinds of forms, including a pretty purple fox. The story ends in just a few pages, but the ending still leaves the reader feeling warm and fuzzy inside, or at least it did for me.

In a completely different change of pace from an adorable story about foxes, there are sections with quirky, rectangle shaped creatures setting up a party, robots, ordinary people going on extraordinary adventures, and many more. No story is even remotely the same, but all of them are wonderful for what they are.

The uniqueness of these stories makes the novel very interesting because no one knows what kind of story will be up next; it's also different from many other graphic novels because these are all short, compact stories as opposed to one long one. That was definitely different for me because I'm not used to reading so many different stories in one novel, but I'm glad that I read it because there's nothing else like it. The graphic novel universe seemed to be lacking any kind of compilations that showcase artists in big numbers. The introduction of Flight was really something that the graphic novel scene needed; it's a brilliant way to introduce people to the world of graphic novels and it has really made a wonderful impact on readers.

Why I Picked Up the Book: It looked promising and the cover was really cool :)

Why I finished it: It was a fast read, but it was hard to put it down.

I'd give this book to: Anyone who wants to start reading graphic novels, but maybe hasn't before. It's a really good showcase of what graphic novels and comic books can offer readers.

My rating for this book: *****

The Old Man and the Sea

Briana
Freshman in college

The Old Man and the Sea
By Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway is a great author whose books have started a revolution of dreamers and led to the reinvention of English prose in the 20th century. The Old Man and the Sea is one of his most enduring novels because it is told in simplicity, but represents power. This story is about an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck and just going through the motions, always believing that the next day will be his lucky day. After the 85th day at sea with no luck, the old man hooks a fish. He knows it is a big one because the fish doesn't fight the hook, but instead starts swimming away- pulling the small skiff with him. The man believes that the fish will soon tire and eventually kill himself from over-exertion, but instead the fish pulls strong and hard for three days. The old man is forced to hold the line, using his back and legs to support him as he braces himself. Finally, the fish rises for air and the old man realizes that the fish is indeed much larger than the skiff and very powerful.
The Old man has a chance to catch the fish, and he swiftly harpoons the great beast and ties his next to the skiff as he makes his slow progress back to the Cuban coast. The old man is elated and joyous because he knows that this fish will feed many people for a long time! Unfortunately, sharks begin to terrorize the man and slowly the fish is diminished to nothing more than a corpse- a forgotten promise of what could have been... The next morning, the skeleton of the beautiful beast is found, and all the other fisherman are in shock of what the old man accomplished. The novel finishes with the old man dreaming of his adventures.

Why I picked up this book:
I enjoy Ernest Hemingway's novels because they reveal human nature in it's simplest and most common form. I also wanted to read a classic and award wining novel, so I put this novella on my summer reading list.

Why I finished this book:
This book took me just a few hours to read because it is so small- only 130 pages cover to cover. It was also a good book, because it showed the strength of humans, and the respect that we should all have towards nature and beast greater than us. This novella has a great message.

Who I would recommend this book too:
I would give this book to anyone who is unsure of what to read next next. If you are in between books and need a short easy read, this is the book for you. It has a great message, and it invokes so many feelings in such a short time. This novella is available on audio books, the Internet, and many other sources- making it easily accessible.

Rating:
**** Very Good

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

2007 Printz Award Winner, the first major award given to a graphic novel.

American Born Chinese is a collection of three parallel stories of adaptation. The first tale is of the Monkey King, whose only goal is to be part of the dinner party in heaven. After he is shunned for being merely a monkey, the Monkey King decides to continue to master the disciplines of Kung Fu and fight those who won’t accept him.

Jin Wang starts a new school and is introduced as being from China, although he was born in San Francisco. He is a loner and is often bullied. When Wei-Chen, a new student from Taiwan, joins the class, Jin Wang is unsympathetic and tells him to speak English in America. Jin Wang develops a crush on a Caucasian girl but her friend delivers him a harsh message –that he (an ABC) is not good enough for her.

Danny is the All-American white boy. His cousin Chin-Kee comes to visit once a year and Danny is humiliated. Chin-Kee is the ultimate representation of the negative Chinese stereotype and Danny feels Chin-Kee is ruining his life.

When these three stories collide, the reader learns about identity and what it might feel like to be an American Born Chinese.

Why I picked this book: The first time I read it because the book won the Printz Award. I chose it for our May teen book club selection because the group wanted to read a graphic novel.

Why I finished it: I liked the three stories. Monkey King is based on an ancient Chinese myth, Jin Wang's story was autobiographical, and Danny/Chin-Kee's story was set up in a tv show (which I didn't catch while reading!)

I'd give the book to: avid readers looking for a good introduction to graphic novels.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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