The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics

I eagerly awaited for this to be released after reading The Women in the Walls.  It did not disappoint.  Lukavics is a master of horror with strong female leads.  In short, she kicks butt as an author.  I'm a fan for sure.

From the outside, the Canes look like the perfect family--respected military dad, stay-at-home mom, five beautiful daughters.  Reality: Dad's never home and Mom's a pill-popping drunk.  Oldest daughter a sadistic control freak, second a wuss follower, third a stoner, fourth a budding drunk.  Only the youngest seems somewhat normal.  And it is Rose, the baby, who dies when accidentally shoved down the stairs during an argument between her mother and oldest sister.

I don't want to spoil too much, but Mom does some really scary things to bring her daughter back to life (and to keep her alive).  When she takes off, maintaining their sister's, um, "needs" falls to the older girls.

Look for this to be on display with our new books next week!

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

South of Sunshine by Dana Elmendorf

I really wanted to like this book.  I really, really did.  Alas, I just could not get into it.  I kept picking it up and trying, but I just could not even continue. The friendships and relationships felt completely forced and fake.  The stereotypes were over the top.  I would read a few pages, get annoyed, and put it down.  Try again.  Nope.  I got about 55 pages in and finally gave up.  Very sad, as this book had a TON of potential.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

  

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown

First, let me say sorry in not doing a review recently.  It's been a crazy busy start of the year as both parent and school librarian, plus we're still working on our dining room remodel.  I finally finished this memoir last night.

Mike Brown was a young up and coming star astronomer at CalTech (pun intended) when he starting looking for planets beyond Pluto.  The problem came when he found something that would start a chain of events leading to Pluto's demotion from planet to dwarf planet, thus changing school science textbooks and museum posters forever.

In my day, we had 9 planets....

There is a fair bit of sciencey stuff going on here, but Brown does a good job of explaining things in everyday terms.  The key part of this being a decent memoir is the amount of reflection Brown does.  He's respected and hated at the same time for the biggest astronomical discovery of our time.

This isn't going to rank among my favorite memoirs of all time, but it was a pleasant read and would be perfect for planetary lovers.  Our seniors interested in science might like this as they start their memoir assignment later this month.

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The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics

Creepy, gory, scary, weirdness.  

Just like Lukavics' Daughters unto Devils, the horror is strong with this one.

I had the pleasure of attending a virtual conference session with Lukavics, where I learned of this second novel.  I ordered it from Amazon, and it will be added to the WHHS LMC collection as soon as I finish typing this review.

Lucy lives in a old mansion with her all-business father Felix, aunt Penelope, cousin Margaret, and their staff.  Lucy's mother Eva passed away when she was very young, and Penelope moved in to be a surrogate Mom.  Margaret and Lucy were raised more like sisters, as it is clear Felix and Penelope developed a relationship.  The mansion once belonged to a wealthy woman who opened a home for orphaned children.   

Shortly after the opening of the story, the cook hangs himself.  Then Penelope disappears.  Margaret jumps out an attic window.  The new cook does something that made me want to vomit.

All the while, the country club Felix (and Eva before her death) belongs to seem to be chomping at the bit to kick Felix and his family out.  Felix alludes to the club having a strong interest in the mansion.  But it's their wives everyone needs to be watching out for...

This is not a read for bedtime.  

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

SUMMER READING FORMS ARE DUE TOMORROW!!!!!!