be AUDacious: 10 on Tuesday: the "books I've read recently" edition

I've been doing a lot of reading recently -- the only plus to the amount of traveling and such that's been going on. In an attempt to catch up, here's a quick look at 10 of my most recent reads. Enjoy!

1. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb (3 stars)

Whitcomb writes beautifully, and while there's a lot of romance to this novel, I was ultimately more annoyed by her characters than anything. I think what would've strengthened this one for me was a deeper foray into the character's backgrounds, because who they WERE means everything to who they ARE, but I just didn't see enough of that.

2. The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing by Kevin Young (3 stars)

An interesting collection -- the arrangement follows the stages of grieving, which is clever. The index also provides access to the poems by topic, and the selections are quite varied. I don't know that I would recommend this for casual reading, as it gets a little dark -- after all, these are all poems about death, in one way or another. But if you are someone who is moved by poetry, as I am, then this would've been a nice collection to have, to dip in and out of, after my father died.

3. The Van Alan Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz (3.5 stars)

I've been pretty critical of the first three books in this series, but book #4 has been quite an improvement, both in terms of de la Cruz's writing style (at least she's not bashing us over the head with designer clothing names!) and the general plot. The characters are a little deeper, and the storylines are more interesting; there's definitely more action driving this installment, as well.

4. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (2 stars)

Maybe I just don't like "stunt journalism"? There are so many books of this nature that seem immensely popular but that I just can't stand. I mean, this one was okay, but Rubin really annoyed me, and what bothers me most about that is that I recognized myself in her -- and I didn't want to do that at all, because I don't think she was a very likeable person at all. But many of her flaws are flaws I see in myself, and so I spent much of the book cringing at her reactions, knowing that they would be my own reactions as well.

5. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr (3.5 stars)

I was glad to get back to the main characters of Wicked Lovely, after the little side-trip in Ink Exchange. Surprisingly, Ash has become my least favorite character, mostly because of her actions in this book. While she was strong and decisive in the first novel, she's turned whiny and indecisive here. Seth takes an interesting turn, and some of the secondary characters really grabbed my attention.

6. 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison (2.5 stars)

I thought this one started out with a lot of promise, but I quickly grew disappointed. It ended up relying on a number of cliches, and there were a few plot points that were never resolved -- they were brought up a time or two to conveniently move things forward, but then that was it. Nothing more was ever said about them. The characters were okay, but not strong enough to carry this book.

7. Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle (4 stars)

I love how all three of these short stories shared the same cast of characters and the same town. Green's contribution was stellar, and he proves that he can write female characters just as good as his male characters. The other two authors were new to me -- I know who they are, but I've never read anything by them. After this brief introduction, I'm definitely going to be checking out more from Maureen Johnson; I'm still a little iffy on Myracle -- I think her story was the weakest of the bunch. All in all, three great YA short stories: engaging characters, an interesting plot, and all-around quick reads.

8. Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr (4 stars)

I really wasn't sure I was going to like this book, based on the description and the first couple of chapters, but then I ended up getting really pulled in to this one. That's quite interesting, because it seems as though most readers felt the opposite -- which is how my own opinions have seemed to work for this entire series. I think Ani's character -- and the possibilities she brings to this world -- provided enough interest to the plot and character motivations to really pull me in, and for me, that was just what this series needed. Definitely the best book in the series since it began, in my eyes.

9. The Garden of Eve by K. L. Going (3 stars)

I expected more out of this one, since it was a Printz honor book. There's a lot to like here -- an interesting plot, a main character that really makes you feel, and strong writing. But everything seemed to hover just a bit on this side of what I expected; I just wanted MORE out of the book. Nothing ever got pushed deep enough or far enough to really move me.

10. The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food by Ben Hewitt (4 stars)

I've been curious about the local food movement since reading Kingsolver, and this book provides a really interesting look at the local food movement from all angles, which is surprising. The character profiles are interesting, and the book as a whole really seems to examine the situation from all sides, offering up questions, answers, and more questions. Rather than purporting to have all the answers, Hewitt examines the topic through the lens of one community, focusing on it as just one instance where local food is working -- but not without difficulties. An honest and engaging book.