Review of Before I Fall and The Postmistress

The Postmistress
by Sarah Blake
Adult Historical Fiction
Due February 2010

I wasn't so sure about this one when I read the flap copy. I'm not a huge fan of WWII fiction, but I loved GUERNSEY LITERARY so I decided to give it a shot. This is a novel about three women: Iris, a small-town postmaster on Cape Cod; Emma, the new wife of the town doctor; and Frankie, an American reporter who is reporting from London. All three women experience the war in different ways. I liked this book because it walked the line between light and thought-provoking. It was very well-written, and the characters were completely believable as women who were living in a different time and place. Watch for this in February.

Before I Fall
by Lauren Oliver
Young Adult Fiction
Due February 2010

This is Groundhog Day (or Replay) for teenaged girls. Sam Kingston lives the last day of her life, February 12th, and dies in a horrific car accident. She wakes up in her own bed--on February 12th again. Sam relives her last day 6 times, each new time trying to change the factors that are making her repeat the 12th of February. What starts out as a Mean Girls-esque trashy novel becomes unbelievably deep and compelling. Lauren Oliver's depiction of teenage relationships is dead-on (pun intended), and you will find this novel un-put-down-able.

Incarceron

by Catherine Fisher

Young Adult Science Fiction

Due February 2010

I love that lately there's been a trend toward steampunk, which is kind of a fusion between futuristic machine fiction and Victorian history. This book isn't technically steampunk, but it takes place in the future, in a world where a terrible war has led society to return to a medieval way of life. Anything non-Era is banned, and technology is hidden within the depths of nobles' households. Modern medicine is illegal, wildlife is full of steel and wire--and that's just aboveground.

Claudia's father is the warden of Incarceron, the self-sustaining prison where half the world's population was forced after the war. In Claudia's world it is believed to be a utopia, but inmates know the truth. It is a cruel, harsh place where survival depends on terrible acts and unusual skills. This is Finn's world.

When Claudia and Finn find a way to communicate with one another, it changes both of their lives. Neither one is who they thought they were. Together they could change the trajectory of the world--but only if they survive.

Fans of The Maze Runner will love this book. Claudia is everything that a medieval heroine should be, and Finn is an urban survivor. I can't wait for the next book, Sapphique, which I think has just been released in the United Kingdom.

Review by Sydney

The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet

by Erin Dionne

Young Adult Fiction

Due February 2010

Review by Sydney McGillis

The book I read is called 'The Total tragedy of a Girl named Hamlet' and the Author is Erin Dionne. This book is about a girl named Hamlet who just started 8th grade and all she wants to be is normal. Unfortunately for Hamlet she is anything but normal, having two parents who both live and act like they are in the 1600's and are huge Shakespeare fans, and a seven year old sister who is just about ready to go to college. When Hamlet's sister starts going to her school and her English class starts learning about Shakespeare, Hamlet just about loses it. The only thing that keeps Hamlet looking forward to school are the mysterious origami pigs that are accumulating in her locker. Will Hamlet survive middle school? You'll have to read to find out!

This book was really interesting and it was not the usual story about a teenager's life.

Note from Jake: I read this book as well, and I loved it! Hamlet's little sister Dezzie is a central character in the novel, and I've never met anyone like her. She's smart, spunky, and seven years old. Erin Dionne really brings the characters to life, as usual. : )