Book Review: Night School, by C. J. Daugherty

Photo by acme - I was really surprised that something actually came up when I typed 'croquet night' into Flickr's Creative Commons search.

After middle-class miscreant Allie is arrested for the second time, her parents, fed up with her behaviour since her brother disappeared, decide to send her to boarding school. Her phone and laptop gone, Allie enters Cimmeria Academy determined to keep to her rebellious ways. But she is disarmed by the charming headmistress, Isabelle, and by the fact that everyone there knows her name, teachers and pupils alike. Despite the fact that the school is unlike anything she's ever known, with pages of mysterious rules, servants to clear the plates away at dinner, and even balls, she settles in quickly. At Cimmeria she can forget her family, and focus on her new best friend, Jo, and the possibility of impending romance with the gorgeous Sylvain.

Well, that what she tries to do. That's what everyone seems to want her to do, except moody Carter, who keeps asking her questions, making her wonder what she's doing at a school where everyone else is legacy - the child of someone who went to Cimmeria. Nobody wants her going around trying to find out what's going on at Night School, but when the summer ball ends in horror, she won't stop.

It was inevitable that I enjoyed Night School enormously. It has a few elements that I find irresistibly charming - a boarding school, lots of gossip, and a heroine that wears Dr Martens. In fact, I'd forgotten how much I loved boarding school stories before I read Night School. It gave me the urge to find and read many more (suggestions appreciated in the comments!). I like contemporary teenage fiction best when the characters get to live lives that are a bit more glamourous and exciting than the lives of most actual teenagers are, so I loved the poshness of Cimmeria. Cimmeria Academy is now on my list of fictional schools I would happily have attended (under Hogwarts and Miss Cackle's Academy, of course). The library sounds like heaven, plus, they provide you with beautiful dresses to wear to balls! Amazing! Plus I totally want to play night croquet, pass me a mallet! Is it called a mallet?

Night School really piles up the mysteries right from the start. What happened to Allie's brother? What does the Night School actually do? I was hooked really quickly and constantly trying to guess what was going on. I loved the range of characters, from troubled Jo, to exasperating Carter. I liked that a few serious issues were thrown into the mix so that it wasn't a book solely about a girl trying to solve the mysteries that surround her. It took me a while to warm to Allie completely as she seemed to be a bit of a blank slate at first, despite her rebelliousness, but ultimately, I thought she was a good protagonist, self-conscious but still fairly assured and needing to be responsible for her own safety.

There were a couple of things that bothered me. Firstly, Allie's reaction to a certain incident that happens at the summer ball. Mostly the fact that she didn't tell anyone about it. I can understand that other things that happened on the same night were a little bit distracting, but she didn't even tell a friend, let alone a teacher. I also thought she put up with the perpetrator's presence too easily afterward. If that happened to me I wouldn't want the person near me. Secondly, although it is the first book in a series and its main purpose is to set up enough tension and possibility to sustain several more books, I would have liked an answer or two more than we were given!

These are fairly minor quibbles though. Overall, I thought that Night School was a gripping boarding-school adventure with just the right amount of glamour. It's a fantastic start to the series, and I am looking forward to reading the next one! And to trying out night croquet at some point in my life, now this novel has given me the idea. It sounds like like Skins meets Made in Chelsea, in sport form.

Many thanks to Atom Books for sending me a review copy.

Book Review: The Treasure Map of Boys, by E. Lockhart

Photo by ohdarling

This book is the third in a series and therefore this review will inevitably contain spoilers for the first book, The Boyfriend List, and the second, The Boy Book.

If you thought Ruby Oliver’s life was complicated and dramatic before, just you wait.

It gets worse.

This term, Ruby has to:

Become Noel’s bodyguard
Continue trying to be friends with Nora whilst Nora is crushing on Noel
Attempt to evade her mother’s fashion choices
Run a bake sale
Deal with losing her job
Finish her therapy ‘treasure map’ homework
and make a decision about Jackson, who has broken up with Kim, and is taking an interest in Ruby again.

Ruby’s panic attacks are also getting more and more frequent, which was interesting to see her deal with, especially because they are increasingly happening when other people have put her in a difficult position and she doesn’t know how to deal with it. You could argue that in The Boyfriend List, some of Ruby’s problems were her own fault. Yes, she found it difficult to think straight after Jackson broke up with her and got together with Kim, but most of the drama would never have happened if she hadn’t kissed Jackson at the Spring Fling. By this time, Ruby is definitely trying to consider other people’s feelings, what she wants, and how to get it, as Doctor Z reminds her to do.

This means that she starts to stand up for herself and decide what rules she wants to live by, rather than going along with everyone else’s. It was fantastic to see Ruby taking on more responsibility and really starting to be more assertive, making decisions, and telling people how they made her feel. When she was working on the bake sale she even reminded me a little of Frankie Landau-Banks, who, as anyone who has read The Disreputable History... will know, has no problem making decisions and taking action.

I also loved Ruby’s devotion to using the word ‘spankin’, and her fondness for Robespierre, the pygmy goat. I also thought that it was great that we got to learn a little bit more about Dr Z., who has only appeared in Ruby’s therapy scenes in the previous two books. I also, as usual, loved the boys! Noel behaves a bit badly but is still generally wonderful, Finn is really cute (in fact I'm thinking that I might like Finn as much as Noel! Gasp!), and just wait until you meet Polka-dot (heehee)!

I thought that The Treasure Map of Boys was just as good as The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book, if not better. I’m really looking forward to reading Real Live Boyfriends, the last in the Ruby Oliver quartet, especially as it deals with the topic of what love actually is. 

If you’ve read The Treasure Map of Boys, highlight below to read some brief thoughts about my favourite part of the entire novel, and please feel free to comment. If you're reading on an RSS feed this may not work so click away now if you haven't read the novel!

‘I’m sure you have feelings, Jackson,’ I told him. ‘I just don’t think they’re very deep.’

Reader, I punched the air. What a put down! And so true. Not that I think it’s entirely Jackson’s fault. I mean, obviously he behaves terribly, and doesn’t treat his girlfriends properly. He cheats and declares love when he obviously doesn’t feel it. But it’s not his fault if he’s not cut out to do the love thing, if his feelings for others don’t run that deep. He just needs to realise this, get some independence so he’s not using girls to prop up his ego, and have casual relationships with girls/women who are fully aware of what they are getting into. But still! Go Ruby!

(I told you it would be brief)

Book Review: The Boy Book, by E. Lockhart

 Love that face. Photo by richardghawley

Social leper and famous slut Ruby Oliver is back at Tate Prep for junior year ¹, and whilst trying to make amends with her former friends, get through therapy, and decide what boy she’s interested in, she has further potential debacles to deal with, such as:

Being friends with Meghan
Choosing an activity for November Week²
Being able to afford the activity for November Week
A new job at the Zoo
Protecting Nora from boys who want to pass topless photos of her around the school
and Meghan’s relationship problems.

Of course I loved The Boy Book! I’ve actually read it twice – after I got The Treasure Map of Boys for Christmas, I couldn’t resist a re-read so that I was properly prepared. Ruby’s adventures continue to enthral me, and whilst reading The Boy Book I developed even more of a crush on Noel than I had before. If you want to talk ships, I am definitely on the Ruby and Noel boat. I just loved reading their Hooter Rescue Squad e-mails. I also liked finding more out about Meghan, Tate Prep in general, and Ruby’s former friendship with Kim, Nora and Cricket. It was great to see Ruby try to make wiser decisions and be a better friend. Also, I really want to go on my own Canoe Island trip.

Each chapter begins with an excerpt from The Boy Book, a guide to boykind created by Ruby and her former friends, Kim, Cricket and Nora. It was mentioned briefly in The Boyfriend List and I think it works really well to tie the two novels together and to reminds us how Ruby feels about having lost the friendships she used to have.

If you enjoyed The Boyfriend List I’m sure you’ll love The Boy Book – it’s basically more of the same, which is why writing this review is so hard. I’ve already gushed over the wonders of the setting, Ruby’s parents, etc, in my review of The Boyfriend List, so check it out if you need more convincing to read the Ruby Oliver series.

Read an except from The Boy Book and other related information.
Jo's review at Once Upon a Bookcase
Clover's review at Fluttering Butterflies




¹ Which I think is the third/second-to-last year of high school? Somebody American correct me if I’m wrong please!

² An outdoors themed week at Tate Prep in which participation is compulsory.

Reading Challenges 2012

2011 didn't go so well on the reading challenge front. As you can see on my Reading Challenges 2011 post, I completed four challenges and failed to complete three.

The Fantasy Reading Challenge was easy, as it only required three books. The New Author Challenge was easy too, as most of the books I read qualified, and I already had most of the books I needed on my TBR for the GLBT and Book Blogger Recommendation challenges.

I think the flaw in my plan was my commitment to getting my TBR down. I didn't have a lot of time for reading last year and so I only read 21 new books. I counted re-reads for the challenges but that didn't help much - I was still trying to cover all the challenges with as few books as possible. My TBR didn't have enough British multi-ethnic YA on it, basically. I hit the library for a few books but I was also working under my rule that I must read three owned books to every library book (another method I use to try to get my TBR down).

My TBR is still at over 160 books. I gained too many books and read too few for it to shrink last year. So although I really enjoyed participating in all those challenges last year, and despite the fact that I'd like to join some of the horizon-broadening challenges and to support the British Books Challenge again (I love British YA, as evidenced here), I can't. I really, really need to get my TBR down. I just don't have the space for any more books. My room is far too crowded and now I'm receiving the odd review book, I need to redouble my efforts to shrink the TBR. Therefore I am limiting my reading challenges this year to those that I can complete just with books from my TBR.

New Author Challenge 2012

This was easy, and it's nice to be able to just read down the linky and see when people have reviewed books by authors I've read so that I can comment on them. My goal is 15.

1. Night School, by C. J. Daugherty
2. The Book of Blood and Shadow, by Robin Wasserman
3. Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Vossi
4. Journey to the River Sea, by Eva Ibbotson
5. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
6. Bunheads, by Sophie Flack
7. The Dud Avocado, by Elaine Dundy
8. Bright Young Things, by Anna Godbersen
9. Saving June, by Hannah Harrington
10. Blue Bloods, by Melissa de la Cruz
11. Defiance, by C. J. Redwine
12. My Soul to Take, by Rachel Vincent
13. Ash, by Malinda Lo
14. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, by Bryan Lee O'Malley
15. The Iron King, by Julie Kagawa



2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge

I've got 27 YA books on my TBR so it should be easy to read enough for Level 1, The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels. Plus I've read three already! Great start to 2012!

1. The Boy Book, by E. Lockhart
2. The Treasure Map of Boys, by E. Lockhart
3. Night School, by C. J. Daugherty
4. The Book of Blood and Shadow, by Robin Wasserman
5. Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Vossi
6. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
7. Real Live Boyfriends, by E. Lockhart
8. Bunheads, by Sophie Flack
9. Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins
10. Bright Young Things, by Anna Godbersen
11. Adorkable, by Sarra Manning
12. Where She Went, by Gayle Forman




I'm signing up for level 2: 11-20 - A Friendly Hug. Further motivation to get working on my TBR!

1. Night School, by C. J. Daugherty (received for review in 2011)
2. Wayward Girls and Wicked Women, edited by Angela Carter (had been on TBR since 2008!)
3. Journey to the River Sea, by Eva Ibbotson (bought in 2011)
4. Good Bones, by Margaret Atwood (another one bought in 2008!)
5. Povídky: Short Stories by Czech Women, edited by Nancy Hawker (and another!)
6. The Dud Avocado, by Elaine Dundy (got in 2010 - on TBR nearly two years)
7. Bright Young Things, by Anna Godbersen (won in 2011)
8. Blue Bloods, by Melissa de la Cruz (picked up at Atom Bloggers' Evening in 2011)
9. Masquerade, by Melissa de la Cruz (ditto)
10. Ash, by Malinda Lo (bought in 2011)
11. We're So Famous, by Jaime Clarke (not going to review, as I didn't rate it that highly)



And finally, I'll be posting about it shortly, but I am running my own challenge, the Magazine Reading Challenge. I'll go into more detail in the other post, but basically, I have loads of literary magazines sitting around and have I read more than about two cover to cover? NO. This is a challenge specifically intended to get my magazine TBR down and to encourage me to review them too!

Book Review: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

Fantastic interview with Markus Zusak, the author.

I honestly thought I'd read enough fiction set during World War II for a lifetime already (yes, despite being 24 - I read quite a few books in my early teens, mmkay?), and therefore I wasn't entirely looking forward to reading The Book Thief. But I read good review after good review, and then it was one of the books on the Book Bloggers' Recommendation Challenge list last year. So it ended up being my last book of 2011, and what a book to end on.

The Book Thief is about a nine-year-old German girl called Liesel who goes to live with foster parents after the Nazis take power, her parents being communists. The foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, a couple whose own children have grown up and moved away, live on Himmel Street, one of the poor parts of Molching, a place filled with colourful but still sympathetic characters. There are a few twists: one, the narrator of the story is Death, who warns the reader in the very first chapter that he will see the book thief three times, two, Death has a habit of 'spoiling' bits of the story, and three: Liesel has a habit of stealing (sort of) books.

The setting and the culture are described with just the right amount of detail. The information given is never superfluous, and I think that's because Liesel is the focus of the story. We know what is relevant to her life and to the lives of her friends, and nothing more. Almost everything that she wouldn't understand until she is older is left out. Instead the many pages of The Book Thief - 554 in my copy - are devoted to characterisation, to building and shaping and growing the characters, to developing their histories.

I hadn't actually read a novel that looked at life from the point of view of ordinary German citizens during the war before. All the others I've read were about Jewish people trying to escape the Nazis, and/or British soldiers or civilians. It was really interesting to read a book set 'on the other side' as it were, especially as Death, as the narrator, is brutally impartial. It was also interesting to read a book where the narrator referred to events well in advance of them actually being entirely described. It reminds me of Brecht's suggestion that actors summarise events before they are presented on stage, in order to remind the audience that they are watching a play and that the events are not inevitable. Yet even though you know what happens to Himmel Street from page 22, it's still devastating when it does all come to an end. I sobbed over the last few pages, and then I smiled, because I had just finished reading a really good book.