Review: Surviving the Angel of Death

Title: Surviving the Angel of Death
Author: Eva Mozes Kor, Lisa Rojany Buccieri
Publisher: Tanglewood Press (March 13, 2012)
 ISBN: 978-1933718576



From Amazon: 
Eva Mozes Kor was just ten years old when she arrived in Auschwitz. While her parents and two older sisters were taken to the gas chambers, she and her twin, Miriam, were herded into the care of the man known as the Angel of Death, Dr. Josef Mengele. Subjected to sadistic medical experiments, she was forced to fight daily for her and her twin's survival. In this incredible true story written for young adults, readers learn of a child's endurance and survival in the face of truly extraordinary evil.

The book also includes an epilogue on Eva's recovery from this experience and her remarkable decision to publicly forgive the Nazis. Through her museum and her lectures, she has dedicated her life to giving testimony on the Holocaust, providing a message of hope for people who have suffered, and working for causes of human rights and peace.



Eva Mozes Kor and her sister are Jewish twins, which means two things: one, they are destined to be shipped off like cattle to a Nazi camp, and two, they will become living experiments for the "Angel of Death." At just ten years of age, Eva must endure and survive the unthinkable all the while protecting her twin. Her story is amazingly horrific. The book depicts Eva's life just prior to being rounded up and shipped off to Auschwitz, her time of experimentation under Dr. Josef Mengele (the Angel of Death), and life after the liberation from the camp. The strength and awareness that Eva had at ten years old is remarkable and made for a page-turning story. I highly recommend this book to any and all. It is an easy read for adults and has enough details to keep an adult completed submerged yet still is gentle enough for kids around middle school/preteen age. It is written beautifully with a tone of encouragement and forgiveness which is an unexpected surprise given all that Eva and her twin lost.

Giraffes Can't Dance Review

Title: Giraffes Can't Dance
Author: Giles Andreae, Guy Parker-Rees
Genre: Childrens
Publisher: Cartwheel Books (an imprint of Scholastic), March 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-39255-6


From Amazon:
Gerald would love to join in with the other animals at the Jungle Dance, but everyone knows that giraffes can't dance ...or can they? A funny, touching and triumphant story from an award-winning creative team. 2009 sees the 10th anniversary of this bestselling picture book loved by children everywhere.


This was a fun, uplifting book. Gerald the Giraffe feels like he is too uncoordinated to dance like the rest of the jungle animals at the yearly, African Jungle Dance. The other animals don't believe Gerald could ever dance like them. But Gerald finds inspiration from a cricket whose wise words hit home: "But sometimes when you're different, you just need a different song." The illustrations are bright and colorful and accompanied with the excellent flowing rhyme scheme, this book is sure to be loved by both children and the adults reading it to them.

Banned Books Week

Announcing the 2nd Annual Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop!!!!

Co -hosted by Jen @ I Read Banned Books and Kathy @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

The giveaway starts September 28th and runs until October 6th!

Here is a little about what Banned Books Week is all about according to the ALA:

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.



Some books that have been on the list include:

-The Hunger Games-anti-ethnic, anti-family, occult/satanic
-Twilight-religious viewpoint
-To Kill A Mockingbird-racism, offensive language
-The Kite Runner-offensive language, sexually explicit
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower-homosexuality, unsuited to age group

Be sure to check out the great giveaways starting next week! They include banned books and gift cards!

Pre-Order Mark of Athena

If you haven't started reading Rick Riodran's Heroes of Olympus series yet, you are missing out. I was skeptical at first because I loved the original Percy Jackson series so much, I didn't want to be disappointed. But I was pleasantly surprised that the Heroes of Olympus series is just as good as the original Percy Jackson series. Book 3 comes out in just a few weeks and I CANNOT WAIT!!!! Have you pre-ordered yours yet? Make sure you do!

Author Interview/Giveaway

Head over to I am a Reader, Not a Writer and read this awesome author interview with Michele Poague, author of The Healing Crystal trilogy. Be sure to enter the giveaway as well! This series sounds so exciting!

Mrs. Garcia's Class Book Review

Title: Mrs. Garcia's Class Visits the Hospital Author: Kristy Taylor Genre: Childrens Publisher: Kid Medic (November 2, 2011) Pages: 44 ISBN: 9780615517810 From Amazon: Mrs. Garcia's Class Visits the Hospital is the first book written by author and former elementary teacher, Kristy Taylor. The book is an exciting career day adventure with a diverse group of characters where the students in Mrs. Garcia's class visit the local hospital for their class field trip. While touring the hospital with Mrs. Garcia and Dr. Johnson as their guides, the students learn about over twenty different healthcare careers, and they have lots of fun along the way! Author Kristy Taylor did a good job of creating a fun, informative book for kids. The class gets to visit a hospital and discover the different careers found at a hospital. Though some of the words, specifically the job descriptions may be too complex for younger kids, I think the story and the colorful illustrations will keep the attention of the audience. Minus the more complex vocabulary a times, I believe the main audience for this book is first and second grade. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and rate it 3 stars.

Four is Free!!!

WooHoo! Four if free! If you are a Divergent fan you know what I'm talking about. if you have no idea what Divergent is, well, you should go read Veronica Roth's awesome novel right now!!! Not sure what it's about? Go check out my review HERE! Because the pre-orders for Insurgent, the sequel to Divergent, reached 35,000 copies, Veronica Roth wrote a little something for all of us Four fans! You can check out Roth's blog HERE and you can check out the Four is Free short scene HERE!

Top Ten Tues: Fav. Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish . Each week there will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week is...

Top Ten All time Favorite Characters in Books

1. Silvie from The Lost Books series by Ted Dekker: She is a great female character-brave, witty, and can throw knives like no body's business!

2. The Weasley twins from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling: They were too fun and hilarious! They added that extra something to the series!

3. Grover from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan: He was a riot! Grover so clever and charming! I laughed so much concerning Grover!

4. Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth: Four was someone I enjoyed for similar reasons I loved Edward Cullen.

5. Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger games series by Suzanne Collins: What more could you ask for from a female lead? Hard-core, strong, has it all together? I just loved Katniss!

6. Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling: I despised him for the majority of the series but in the end, he won me over! He was misunderstood and that made for a great ending!

7. Sirius Black from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling: I adored Sirius! I especially liked that he treated Harry more adult-like than all the others.

8. Johnis from the Lost Books series by Ted Dekker: He was the underdog who became a great leader. His calm and somewhat private demeanor made me really like Johnis.

9. Edward Cullen from the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer: The obvious reasons :)

10. Minho from the Maze Runner series by James Dashner: His humor, wit and smart-allick comments made me love him from the start!


There are my top ten, but really who could ever have just 10? What would yours be?

15 Books To Cure Your Hunger Games Hangover

Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner has come up with the remedy for the Hunger Games hangover we all have been suffering from! Thank you Jamie! She has compiled a list of books she feels we all will love and devour. Now, these books are not similar to Hunger Games, but she thinks they will be just as enticing! Here are her recommendations but you can find her original post HERE:

 -Divergent by Veronica Roth 
- Legend by Marie Lu 
- The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness 
- The Maze Runner (Maze Runner Trilogy, Book 1) by James Dashner 
- Unwind by Neal Shusterman 
- Goneby Michael Grant 
- Blood Red Road (Dustlands, Book 1) by Moira Young 
- The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer 
- Life As We Knew Itby Susan Beth Pfeffer 
- Delirium by Lauren Oliver
- Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
- Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi 
- Matched by Ally Condie
- Enclave by Ann Aguirre
- Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

So what do you think of her list? I've read The Maze Runner and Divergent and LOVED them! Can't wait to read more from this list! 

 

The grey Grey Cloud Review

Title: The grey Grey Cloud

Author: Manjula Naraynan

Genre: Children

Publisher: AuthorHouse (February 22, 2010)

Pages: 32

ISBN: 978-1449085070

From Goodreads:

Have you heard about a little, grey Grey cloud that lives up in the skies? He was such a crybaby, crying whenever he was sad or scared. And he kept crying, thinking of sad and scary things - until he found his silver lining.

I received this book for review and was sadly disappointed. The grey Grey Cloud is about a little cloud (who looks quite angry and mean in my opinion) who is scared and needs to find his silver lining. The ultimate idea of the story is a good one, however, the execution definitely missed the mark...for several reasons. The illustrations were, well, not good. Not good at all. In addition, certain story elements were completely wrong for a children's book. The little cloud's "fairy godmother" teaches the cloud not to be scared of weather elements (lightning, thunder, darkness, etc). The story goes on to teach that lightning and thunder scare away the mean witches and goblins. I completely disagree with the approach the author took in incorporating the witches and goblins. I just kept thinking how not kid-friendly it was and how it might frighten a child. The final thing I could not get passed in this story was the several grammatical errors. No book is perfect and a grammatical error is bound to slip by once in a while, BUT! The story is only 32 pages with few words to each page and there should be no errors in my opinion. And in this case, there were several! Therefore, I can only give this book 1 star. 

JK Rowling Title Revealed

Woohoo! The title to JK Rowling's new adult novel has been released! Are you ready?! The title will be....The Casual Vacancy. Now we can only speculate what that title will mean as far as the content of the book! Thankfully we don't have to wait too long as the book is set to release September 27th! According to TheBookSeller.com, 

• "Publisher Little, Brown said the book was the "blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising" tale of what happens in the English village of Pagford after parish council member Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly." 

• "Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war," the publisher said.

• "Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?" 

 This is sure to be another excellent work from bestselling (huge understatement) author JK Rowling! No doubt this new book will top the charts! Don't forget to check out her new website HERE!

-Ashley

Seriously...I'm Kidding Review

Title: Seriously...I'm Kidding
Author: Ellen Degeneres
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (Oct 4, 2011)
Pages: 25
ISBN: 978-0446585026

From Amazon (Book Description):

I've experienced a lot the last few years and I have a lot to share. So I hope that you'll take a moment to sit back, relax and enjoy the words I've put together for you in this book. I think you'll find I've left no stone unturned, no door unopened, no window unbroken, no rug unvacuumed, no ivories untickled. What I'm saying is, let us begin, shall we?


Oh my goodness! This book was too funny! Biographies and memoirs are not my usual choice for reading, but I love The Ellen Show and just HAD to pick up her book. I was not disappointed! Ellen wrote in a conversation-type style-it felt like you were sitting next to her chatting about random topics. While reading her book I could literally hear her voice in the manner she would say certain things. Ellen brings to light the craziness our lives produce nowadays and takes you back down memory lane a few times to reminisce about the good ol' times. Through her humor she brings truth and in turn, laugh-out-loud moments. Her positivity exudes throughout the entire book, making this a refreshing light read! My rating: 4: This was a very fun and upbeat read and I would recommend it highly!

VOTE ERUDITE!!!

Are you factionless? Never fear! Erudite is here for you! Show your support and vote Erudite! The Erudites are book loving, knowledge seeking, reading enthusiasts! Click HERE and find out how you can do more to show your support, including some awesome perks for being in Erudite! For now, click here to vote for Erudite Bit.ly/Choose_Erudite (just clicking the link casts your vote) and stay up to date on faction news- Bit.ly/eruditefaction!

NAME CHANGE!!!!

I have decided to change the name if this blog from Coffeelicious Bookaholic to Ramblings of a Bibliophiliac. I find the new name much more fun and fitting! Please update your follow status and make sure my new name and web link appear correctly! Thanks to all my followers!!

Divergent Faction Quiz

If you have read Divergent, then you understand the title of this blog post. If you are wondering what in the world i am talking about, then you need to go read Divergent by Veronica Roth. the book is one of my top favorite reads from 2011! Ever wonder what faction you'd be assigned to like those in Divergent? Well, you can take the same faction test that Tris took and find out! After taking the quiz, it said I was Candor! It was a fun, quick test straight out of Divergent! Go check it out here and come back here and comment on the faction you were most suited for!

Candor: the honest
-honest with everyone
-not easily offended
-prefers to hear the truth
-seen as trustworthy

Veronica Roth's Awesome Giveaway!

Author Veronica Roth (Divergent and soon to be released Insurgent) is hosting an AMAZING giveaway on her blog! There will be 4 winners, each will receive one paperback copy of Divergent and one ARC of her upcoming sequel Insurgent! How awesome is that? Head over to her blog and enter because it ends April 4th @ 4:44pm! Only two days left!!!

INSURGENT Trailer!

It's here! The highly anticipated book trailer, Insurgent! Veronica Roth's sequel to her extremely popular novel, Divergent, is sure to be a must read for this summer! I'm excited!

Kick Butt Characters Giveaway!

There is still time left to enter the Kick Butt Characters Giveaway! It is hosted by Good Choice Reading and I Am A Reader Not A Writer-which are both awesome blogs! It goes until March 28th so hurry over to enter! Win books such as Cinder, Article 5, Unraveling, and more! The best part? There will be 3, yes THREE! winners!!!

Library Lion Review

Title: Library Lion
Author: Michelle Knudson (author), Kevin Hawkes (illustrator)
Genre: Children's Fiction
Publisher: Candlewick (June 25, 2009)
Pages: 48
ISBN 13: 978-0763637842

From Amazon.com:

Miss Merriweather, the head librarian, is very particular about rules in the library. No running allowed. And you must be quiet. But when a lion comes to the library one day, no one is sure what to do. There aren't any rules about lions in the library. And, as it turns out, this lion seems very well suited to library visiting. His big feet are quiet on the library floor. He makes a comfy backrest for the children at story hour. And he never roars in the library, at least not anymore. But when something terrible happens, the lion quickly comes to the rescue in the only way he knows how. Michelle Knudsen's disarming story, illustrated by the matchless Kevin Hawkes in an expressive timeless style, will win over even the most ardent of rule keepers.

The library is a birth place for imagination. It is a glorious retreat for action, adventure, silliness, any emotional excitement that exists. Knudson displays the comforting, homey feeling of a library through her Children's book, Library Lion. The librarian, Miss Merriweather, is apprehensive at first to the lion's presence, unsure if he can follow the rules of the library but soon she finds him to be delightful. Mr McBee, the library assistant is not so keen on the lion and does his best to act on his jealousy by ignoring the lion. The lion does his best to be helpful and kind to all while following all the rules. However, when an incident arises, the lion will have to decide whether or not to break a library rule.

This story is heartwarming while teaching children about rules, jealousy, and what to do when a true emergency occurs. Knudson really knows how to write simply so all ages can enjoy and comprehend the story all the while creating and maintaining character development. One of the best things about this book, besides the story itself, is the classical feel that the illustrations lend to the story. I love how they make you feel like the book itself has been passed down from generation to generation. It adds that warm, comforting feeling to the audience. Knudson's Library Lion will always have a home on my bookshelf.


4 lattes: Genuine love and teachable moments are woven throughout the story, while old-fashioned illustrations compliment the harmonious flow that is the Library Lion.

The Maze Runner Review

Title: The Maze Runner Book 1
Author: James Dashner
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Publisher: Delacorte Press; Reprint edition (August 24, 2010)
Pages: 400
ISBN: 978-0385737951

From Amazon.com:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.


For the longest time I put off reading this book due to some unsavory reviews I read. Do I ever regret that decision! This was a fantastic book! I didn't really know what to expect as far as the direction the story might take. There were many surprises and heart-pumping moments that I never saw coming.

The story centers around Thomas, who is thrust into a completely unknown place, The Glade, with no recollection of his life previously. The Glade is home to a hundred or so young boys who have created a working society from the ground up. Surrounding the Glade is an enormous maze that seems impossible to solve. Thomas has a burning desire, a desire that could have fatal consequences, to be a maze runner in hopes of solving the maze. As if being stranded in what seems to be a never-ending nightmare isn't enough, Thomas is not well-liked by some of his new companions to the point of being accused of things Thomas has no memories of. Dashner writes in true form from a male perspective but does it uniquely to gain readers of both genders. The timing and pace of events throughout The Maze Runner coincided perfectly, creating a well-written thrill ride.

4 Lattes: When a story has the ability to keep the reader turning the pages feverishly, it is these types of books that will hold a place on the book shelf. This is one of those books! I cannot wait to read the next two in the series!

HUGE YA GIVEAWAY!

You still have a couple more days to enter this AWESOME YA book giveaway! Over 200+ blogs participating!!! Head over to I am A Reader, Not A Writer and enter!!! This ends the 31st of January!

Divergent Review

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Dystopia
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (May 3, 2011)
Pages: 496
ISBN: 978-0062024022

From Amazon.com:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

After The Hunger Games ignited my desire for Dystopian novels, I was on the hunt for something to quench my thirst. Divergent was the answer! Author Veronica Roth does an amazing job of creating a world that is believable enough to engulf the reader. This was one of those books that had me up late, aching to know what happened next. The characters are flawed in all the right ways and really display certain aspects of our cultural and societal standings and viewpoints.

The reader gets the chance to learn with the main character, Tris, which I find to be one of the strong points of this book. As Tris chooses her life's path, which is starkly different than what she was raised to become, she must evolve into her faction or risk being banished from society for life. Roth did a fantastic job of making it easy to relate to Tris and follow her on her journey as she learns life lessons. Some of these lessons are hard and it's a nice change of pace from the books that aren't willing to create characters and situations that mimic reality. But do not fear, for what would a great book be without a little romance? Tris finds herself falling for someone that is not altogether safe, making for an exciting twist to the already thrilling ride that is Divergent. This book was a thoughtful take on the Dystopian genre. I am impatiently awaiting the next book in the series, Insurgent!

My rating: 4 lattes for a fantastic adventure! The ride, though just beginning, was an amazing start to what I expect will be one great journey!