One of the most inspirational “travel” books I’ve ever read is Peter Jenkins’ A Walk Across America(Harper Collins, 1979).
Do you remember?
Remember?
Disillusioned and cynical about society, newly minted college graduate Jenkins decides to hit the road with his faithful half Alaskan Malamute and “fur-ever friend,” Cooper. (The book is even dedicated to Peter’s “forever friends”: Cooper the Half Malamute and Barbara Jo.”)
Together, Peter and Coop discover America. The resulting tome, A Walk Across America, is the compelling, uplifting account of the reawakening of Jenkins’ faith in himself and his country. It topped the New York Times Bestseller list for months and remains a beloved classic.
A Return
Weary of plowing through a mountain of mawkish drivel posing as “hiking memoir,” I recently decided to return to the Real Deal. The “Grand Daddy” of the genre and its trail-blazing author: Peter Jenkins.
You know that feeling you get when you think no one remembered your birthday? Then you get home and a bunch of peeps suddenly jump out at you and yell, “Surprise!”? Totally unexpected. After you restart your heart, you go, “Well, I’ll be ‘et fer a tater.”
That’s kind of how Her Royal Momness and I felt after reading these books recently. They didn’t exactly jump out and yell, “Surprise!” But they weren’t what we expected, either. Like this:
If you”ve seen Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day and think you know D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, think again. Meticulous and very detailed, this incredible tale of courage and heroism is one of the most compelling stories of WWII you’ve probably never heard.
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen… But do you recall the greatest reindeer of all, Kris’s closest friend and protector, Cedric? He didn’t have a shiny nose, but Cedric shines bright in the pages of this expertly crafted blend of magic, myth, legend, and a betrayal that changed everything.
Masterfully told in the first person by the narrator, Rhangyl, The Greatest Reindeer is a heartwarming story about Northtown – you may know it as the “North Pole” – and the history of the man we know as “Kris” (Kringle). It’s also a fresh and creative tale about the origin of some of the best-known Christmas traditions and customs around the world.
Hiding that you lost your mom, live in a car, and that your Daddy has disappeared is no easy task as 12 y.o. Lulu and her little sis Serena find out in this powerful and poignant middle grade read.
At first Lulu isn’t worried. But as the days add up with no sign of Daddy, Lulu struggles to take care of the responsibilities they used to manage as a family. Lulu knows that just one slip-up means she and Serena will be separated and the good things happening in school will be lost.
But family is all around us, and Lulu must learn to trust her new friends to save those she loves and to finally find her true home.
A refreshingly real and biblically sound look at a thorny topic that’s too often misunderstood, mis-applied, or taken too lightly. This is the kind of book you’ll want to reach for again and again as you mull over the nuanced and multi-layered topic and grow your understanding of “forgiving like God.”
Weighing in at a whopping 829 pages, this is a prodigious read. It’s one of Chuck D.’s lesser-known works. And that’s too bad. Cuz it’s quite a story about compassion and kindness in the face of cruelty and corruption. Moves fast. And that’s really saying something for Dickens.
It’s time for another rip-roarin’ edition of DNF Nominees and the Pepto Petrol!
That’s when we dive into a well-anticipated book and go Gag Me. Like, “Good thing that dive was cushioned by a nice, thick slab of granite or I might’ve been seriously injured.” Or trying to really, really like a book only to reach for the nearest bottle of Pepto.
Well. Books are supposed to be enjoyable and engaging, capeesh? So if ya gotta force yourself to read a book, that kind of defeats the whole purpose, right?
We could not force ourselves to finish the titles below. Usually cuz they either moved at glacial speed, numbed our brain into a dopamine stupor, or could’ve doubled as a bunch of arugula.
Here are four of our latest nominees for the DNF Pepto Patrol. In no particular order:
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“They only have as much power as you give them.”
“Aaaaaaargh!”
Kimber: There goes Her Momness again, articulate as ever. We just finished this thriller-ish book. And have conflicting opinions. I’ll let Mom fill ya in:
It’s been a while since we did a Fine Wine Fridays post. That’s when Mom and I feature some woof-worthy read-a-likes. (I was holding out for Excellently Scrumptious and Splendiferous Read-a-Like Book Lists That Are So Delicious, They’re Even Better Than My Fave Dog Chow or Squeaky Toy. Mom nixed that. You know how moms are.)
Anyway! Here are some rich, full bodied read-a-like books in the dystopian-ish genre. Like fine wine, we only recommend books we’ve actually “tasted.”
Did Suzanne Collin’s dystopian Hunger Games trilogy keep you on the edge of your seat? Were you captivated by strong characters who must rely on their wits, courage, and friendships to survive?
If you enjoy high octane stories featuring youthful (mostly) protagonists who battle oppressive regimes, read these next (as always, we only recommend books that we’ve actually read.):
The underground City of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the city is threatened by aging infrastructure and corruption. They’re running out of food and energy.
When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. Now she and her friend Doon must race to figure out the clues to keep the lights on. If they succeed, they will have to convince everyone to follow them into danger. But if they fail? The lights will burn out and the darkness will close in forever.
Set on a future planet Mars, inhabitants fall into a caste system based on birth. A hierarchy of “colors” represents their ranking within society. The novel follows lowborn miner Darrow as he infiltrates the ranks of the elite Golds. The first book in the Red Rising trilogy.
In the Society, officials decide everything. Where you work. Who you love. When you die. Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s a small price to pay for a long life. The perfect job. The ideal mate. When she turns 17 and attends her Matching ball, she expects society to pair her with her optimal partner. But then…
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone. Outside the surrounding stone walls s a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying: Remember. Survive. Run.
I read this cover-to-cover in one sitting. A taut, thrilling ride about teens who are pawns of evil adults. High octane action from start to finish. (The subsequent novels, not so much.)
6. Cinder –The Lunar Chronicles, Book 1, by Marissa Meyer
New Beijing is filled with humans and androids. But a deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when she meets the handsome Prince Kai’s, Cinder is suddenly plunged into an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
When an asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, high school sophomore Miranda’s whole world gets turned upside down. Worldwide tsunamis and earthquakes hit. Volcanic ash blocks out the sun. During winter in northeastern Pennsylvania, Miranda and her family retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.
Told in a year’s worth of journal entries, this heart-pounding story chronicles Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all—hope—in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world. I’d bring a sweater ‘fize you.
In the blink of an eye, everyone is gone. Poof. Except for the young. There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what’s happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.
It’s a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen. A fight is shaping up. And time is running out: on your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else.
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths – until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect…
In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called “unwinding.” Unwinding ensures that the child’s life doesn’t “technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child’s body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound.
Unwind follows three teen runaway Unwinds: Connor, a rebel whose parents have ordered his unwinding; Risa, a ward of the state who is to be unwound due to cost-cutting; and Lev, his parents’ tenth child whose unwinding has been planned since birth as a religious tithing.
Gripping. Brilliant. And chilling. I couldn’t put down!
A sweeping tale of power, intrigue, and betrayal. Mare Barrow’s world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. This sweeping tale where romance and revolution collide. first book in the Red Queen series.
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” Ruby might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerge with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.
This taut thriller packs a punch! Another one I couldn’t put down!
No list of dystopian novels would be complete without this classic.
Perhaps the “grandparent” of all dystopian novels (along with Orwell’s 1984, the World’s Most Depressing Book, so let’s not go there).
The fourth and final novel of Ayn Rand’s novels, Atlas Shrugged is sprawling epic that combines economics, science fiction, philosophy, and intrigue. It’s set in a dystopianUnited States in which private business struggles under increasingly onerous laws and regulations. Railroad executive Dagny Taggart and her lover, steel magnate Hank Rearden, match wits with those who want to exploit their productivity and entrepreneurialism. But they’re scotched at every step. Can they keep their heads above water – and for how long?
A tiny demon is trying to escape the pit of hell and avoid a return trip at all costs. So Jarilhil “the saintly imp” is sent to earth to “save” Francesco di Pietrodi Bernardone.
Note We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“Ahoy, mateys! This is your Kimber speaking. Hands off the New York steaks and no one gets lick-ified!”
What? I’m just trotting out my best impression of “Mr. One,” aka: “Captain One” in this adrenaline rush of a thriller on the high seas thingy. I’ll let Her Momness fill ya in:
Genre: Historical Fiction/Children’s African History Fiction/Children’s Africa Books/Action & Adventure
Via: Library
Pages: 410
“The things that really matter are those that only one or two people know.”
Once up on a time there was a valley. Lines of elephants dotted its distance. Wind rippled its grasses. Singing insects and swaying giraffes crowded its plains. Hidden by treacherous cliffs, the valley saw the birth of three children: A girl, Alma, and her two brothers, Lam and Soum. There was also a zebra with no stripes. And a little boy who runs away.
“The only reason everyone else in this game are winners is because they’ve lost everything. Everything down to their names and the names of their villages that no longer exist. They’ve lost their children. They have nothing left. And yet they pay for everything.”
Kimber the Magnificent here. I’m doin’ my tornado tail-waggin’ thing today. Know why? Cuz today’s one of my favorite kinda days! It’s a Guest Post Day with an indie author!
So today’s your Bow-Wow Day! Yes siree, Lassie! In fact, today’s guest post by children’s book author Raven Howell features something near and dear to my heart: Food! Oh yeah. Like, cookies! (Don’t tell Mom, okay?)
So saddle up and get ready to chow down, Toots! Let’s ride!
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Pssst! Buddy, can you keep a secret? Good. Cuz I’m about to let you in on one. Sort of. Here it is:
One of Mom’s favorite movies is A River Runs Through It. Not necessarily because of the story, although the movie parallels Norman Maclean’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated novella pretty close. But the movie is a Mom fave for two other reasons: 1) Mark Isham’s masterfully moving musical score, and 2) The spectacular landscape and scenery of Montana.
Maybe that’s why Mom had the movie’s musical score in her head on auto-play when she opened this book. I’ll let Mom fill you in:
Pages & Paws 