What I read in the Outer Banks

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In this installment of the Percy Jackson series, Percy must rescue his friend Annabeth from the clutches of the power hungry Kronos. He teams up with many old and new characters in his quest which takes him across the United States. This book is just as entertaining as the ones before it. The series is thoroughly enjoyable and readable. I love that Riordan does not really water down a lot of the violence. People die in this book and sometimes they are the wrong people. Some of the good guys go down and some of the bad guys don't. It's very real but still very kid friendly.




The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In this book, Percy Jackson and his friends must navigate through Deadalus's underground labyrinth to stop the Titan Lord Kronos from invading their precious Camp Half-Blood. The growing tension and danger is obvious in this book. Kronos is getting closer and the heroes' actions are getting more desperate but they are also getting stronger. This is an interesting series because the books usually take place over a very action-packed week or so. The next book then usually picks up about a year later so the reader does not witness all the growing up the characters go through. The characters grow nonetheless and it truly becomes obvious in this book that they are no longer children just getting immensely lucky (although Percy has a knack for getting immensely lucky).




The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In this final book in the Percy Jackson series (though not Riordan's final book, thank goodness) the evil forces have descended fully upon the United States. The gods battle in the Midwest while the young demi-gods take their fight directly to New York City, the ultimate destination of the monsters and Titans. My first impression while I was reading this book was how wonderfully competent Percy had grown to be. At the very beginning of the book it becomes obvious that he is no longer relying on luck or assistance from those more capable than he is. Now he is the capable one. I read these books in quick succession, especially the last three. This changed how I experienced them, as compared to books I've had to wait for like the Harry Potter books. At times I was a little surprised at how much the characters had grown but I had to remind myself that time had passed and they had had time to plan and develop their skills. I loved this entire series, have recommended it to others, and will continue to recommend it as long as people will listen to me!




Great Classic Stories 3 by Various

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I listened to this collection while falling asleep every night and many nights I was sleeping before the story had ended so it took a long time to get through this playaway. Even so, I really enjoyed it. The stories are entertaining and I had not heard or read any of them before except "The Cheshire Cat" which really isn't that surprising since the number of short stories I read is very low. The narrators for this collection are also excellent. A couple of the tracks had some sort of interference in the sound and it created a buzzing sound under the narrator's voice. I didn't even finish "The Cheshire Cat" because the buzzing was so annoying. I don't remember which other story I noticed it on because it wasn't too bad and didn't really affect my enjoyment of the story.




It was pretty much a Percy Jackson love-fest for me last week. I am all about Rick Riordan right now but I'm hesitant to read his new series (there are 2 new ones!) because only the first two books have been published. I don't want to read one and then be restless for a whole year for the next one. I played that game with Harry Potter and it made me angsty. Of course, I'm thankful that I had that experience with the Harry Potter series because I think it added something to the wonderful mystique of it but that was a once in a lifetime thing. I don't think the world will see anything like Harry Potter again for a long, long time.

It's like a blog, but in video form.

I've started editing and uploading videos I took of our vacation to the Outer Banks to YouTube.

Here's the first one, as a freebie.



My other vlogs are on my channel at www.youtube.com/katieuhoo, and there are more vacation videos to come!

Vacation Review

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Charlie Asher is just your normal every day second-hand store owner until one day he becomes Death. As Death, his assignment is to collect souls from the dying and make sure they fall into the right hands by selling them in his shop. I thought this was an interesting and entertaining book, but it didn't shine. It wasn't great. Moore is a very funny writer, to be sure, and there were times when I laughed out loud or wanted to read a line aloud to someone. I just didn't love it and didn't find myself longing to get back to reading it when I was doing other things. The ending felt rushed and things started happening somewhat randomly. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone except diehard Moore lovers.



View all my reviews

Some Roald Dahl Reviews

I've been on a Roald Dahl kick lately. He's one of my favorite authors from my childhood, so I've started collecting his books from a used bookstore. I read a few at work, and here are the reviews.

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I started this book at work and then couldn't put it down. I loved everything about it: plot, characters, and just the imagination behind it. I appreciated the fact that the characters had to work their way out of perilous situations, but the book ultimately had a happy ending. This book is one of my top three favorite Roald Dahl books, along with Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Witches.




The BFG by Roald Dahl

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book didn't have me eagerly reading like most other Dahl books but I still enjoyed the story. The relationship between Sophie and the Big Friendly Giant was touching, and the moral issue that the BFG presents (that humans are the only species that destroy themselves) is definitely the highlight of this book. I would recommend this book to anyone because of its message and because of the lovable character of the BFG.



View all my reviews

Review: The Well

The Well by A.J. Whitten

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book was...strange. I really thought I wasn't going to be able to put it down when I started reading, but I was a little disappointed. The plot seemed to drag on during some parts. About two-thirds of the way through the story became more interesting, and luckily this book was saved by its ending. I think I would probably recommend this book to others solely because of the last few chapters, but unfortunately I was probably happier than I should have been when I reached the last page.



View all my reviews

The Missing Book Review: The Hunger Games

Dad, you were 100% correct. I somehow neglected to post my review of The Hunger Games. Here it is.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My expectations for this book were way too high. In my defense, I have been staring at the series on the bookshelf since Christmas and I kept hearing all about how good it was, so of course my excitement was building. When I actually got around to reading it, I was beyond excited and was prepared to become obsessed.



The Hunger Games is an enjoyable book. I really liked it. It was very compelling and made me want to keep reading. I found the romance subplot charming but not overdone. I admired the characters' courage but I didn't really love any of the tributes except Katniss and Peeta. I plan to finish the series but I do not know why there even needs to be any additional books. I thought this book wrapped up quite nicely. Bottom line: I liked it a lot but did not love it.




Katie, I know this is a book you reviewed too so you should post yours!

Bad Reviewer, Worse Blogger

Readers, I have let book reviewing fall by the wayside. Worse, I had reviews written that I had neglected to post on the blog. Not good, folks. Not good.

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I consumed this book over one glorious long weekend. I listened to it on Playaway because I usually like listening to Jodi Picoult's books with all the different voice actors playing each narrator. I admit I've grown tired of Picoult's book formula but I completely fell for this book. I learned a lot, as I always do when I read Picoult, and I connected emotionally with each character. I also found the moral debate extremely compelling. Towards the end I do not think both sides of the issue (won't spoil it for anyone) were given fair treatment, but I can hardly blame her for that. She came down firmly on one side of the debate which she does not do very often or clearly, but I think she did it well. Everyone's always clamoring for movies to be made of Jodi Picoult's books but this is the one of the only ones that I think would make a truly great movie. Highly recommended.





The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A scary book to choose for my falling-asleep-read. I really enjoyed it and looked forward to going to bed every night just so I could plug into this book (listened to on Playaway). This is my first Doyle, not counting the stories my dad used to read to me at bedtime. For some reason I thought it would be inaccessible and difficult to get into but I was pleasantly surprised. I was into it from the very beginning.





The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Yes, yes, yes. I am a total MBS fanatic now. I love the children, the adults, the love-to-hate-em enemies. The third installment was my favorite of the books and though everything wraps up nicely at the end, I have hopes for another. Prisoner's Dilemma involves another life and death adventure for our four heroes to tackle and it is an exciting one. An excellent book.





The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is an excellent series. It's not Harry Potter but it's the closest I've read to it. Sea of Monsters captured my attention from the first chapter and didn't let go. I love the adventures Percy has and I am excited to read more. I plan to savor the rest of the books.





The Slackers Guide to U.S. History: The Bare Minimum on Discovering America, the Boston Tea Party, the California Gold Rush, and Lots of Other Stuff Dead White Guys Did by Don Stewart

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


The worst book I've read all year. The introduction was entertaining but all the "factual" parts were terrible. Mixing pop culture and history, in this case, just did not work. Jokes were overused (everyone, let's lay off CSPAN for awhile, we know no one watches it) and most of the time were neither funny nor relevant. I think I know less about US history now.





The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I liked this book better than I liked the first in the series. I found it more compelling and less dull, though I still think there are a few too many meaningless, useless, and repetitive details. How many times do I need to read about characters making coffee and eating sandwiches? All in all, a very enjoyable book.





Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I was dreading this book. I read Incarceron and was highly disappointed but I knew I wanted to read Sapphique just to finish out the short series. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book, though I still wouldn't read it again or recommend it to many people. The constant switching back and forth between the prison and the outside world again made me angry. The perspective shifts were often jolting and didn't occur at logical places. It was better than Incarceron but still not great.





The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wow, I was kind of blown away by this book. I would love to at least read this book with my class some day, if not write a whole unit on it. It could definitely be used with younger readers (I'm thinking fourth or fifth grade) because the heavy themes are right out there in the open. I was a tad frustrated as an adult reading it because there is no subtlety whatsoever, but it would really work with children I think. War, poverty, decision-making, right and wrong, etc. could be taught using this book. It's more powerful than its prequel, The City of Ember. I've got the third one on hold at the library and I am looking forward to reading it.





The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I love this series so much. I think I liked this book even more than I liked the first one. I love the characters despite (perhaps because of?) their flaws. A fun scavenger hunt adventure book! Recommended for people who read young adult books.





The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was everything I hoped it would be. My one complaint is that I thought there would be more opportunities to solve puzzles when in fact there was just a little triva quiz in the back. It was still pretty cool. I love books like this!





The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I had a really bad attitude about this book at first. As it went on, however, I got involved in the story and ended up enjoying it a lot. I will read the sequel, though it's not currently very high on my to-read list.