"Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls Tugs at Your Heart (UPDATED)

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls is a children’s story about a hard-working, determined boy who loves to go coon hunting with his two hound dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann. He lives in the Ozarks on a farm with his mother, father, and three sisters and a cat. He also has a close relationship with his grandfather who helps him out and encourages him.

I have mixed feelings about this book because I like all animals so felt a little sorry for the poor raccoons who got hunted down by the boy and his dogs. It was interesting though learning habits of the raccoons. I didn’t like the boy or the parents in the beginning when he set his traps and caught his cat several times! That got me mad. Then he redeemed himself when he loved his dogs and had great adventures with them which included some suspense. At certain parts I cheered but thought the ending was horrible.  This story has its ups and downs.  If you enjoy sad books, you have to read this one! Yes, this is a tear jerker. I think the story should have ended sooner, like after the big coon hunting contest, and I would have liked it much better. The title of the book isn’t explained until the very end which I thought a bit strange. Get your tissues ready if you choose to read the whole book!

It is similar to the Shiloh series which I loved!
(Karen's review, 3 stars)


Gerard's Review 8/30/15 (4 stars):
Billy Coleman is a little boy living with his family in the Ozark mountains.  What he wants most of all is two coon hounds so he can go hunting and to keep him company.  It does not seem he is going to get them, but then he decides to do something about that.  The first 100 pages I did not think this book was all that!  From page 100 to the end though, it got really good.  That is because the dogs became the focus on the story, and what a story it is!

I really loved Billy and how he would do anything for his dogs!  The dogs were fantastic!  I did not like the ending though--too sad.  Anyway, based on Billy and his dogs, I give this 4 stars.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Court of Fives" by Kate Elliott

Court of Fives by Kate Elliott is a YA novel about a young girl named Jessamy.  She loves to run the Fives.  What that is, you will have to read this book to find out.  What I will tell you is that she should not be doing this.  If it gets out that she is, it will be very dangerous for her family.  Does this get out and if so, what are the consequences?

I thought this book was pretty good.  I really enjoyed the main character and her interaction with her family.  It has pretty good action and the ending is very good!  I will be reading book 2.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesdays--5 Today!

Gerard's:

Anything could happen.  What if I never have this chance again?

From page 24 of Court of Fives by Kate Elliott.
  
"Is that what she's telling you?  That you don't have a problem?"
 
From page 111 of Survive the Night by Danielle Vega. (click link for review)

He hardly felt the cold through his coat.  He was too busy trying to picture what Eli's face would look like when he received their message.

 From page 26 of Vicious by V. E. Schwab. (Click link for review)

Karen's:

I had the wind of a deer, the muscles of a country boy, a heart full of dog love, and a strong determination.  I wasn't scared of the darkness, or the mountains, for I was raised in those mountains.

 From page 33 of Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.

Super, she probably realized there are still some jeans left in Texas that we have yet to try on.  "It's after three o'clock!  We've forgotten to eat lunch!"

From page 3 (Loc. 473-75) of In Between (A Katie Parker Production, Book 1) by Jenny B. Jones.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading.

Happy Reading!

"Survive the Night" by Danielle Vega

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega is a YA novel that centers on a young girl named Casey.  Just out of rehab, she goes to a sleepover with her friends from the soccer team.  Once there she blows it off to go to hang out with a group of girls that have a different life style than her soccer friends.

This book goes very fast and kept me interested.  I thought the characters were realistic but the ending was not all that great.  Overall, I liked it and thought it was pretty good.

Here's a teaser from page 111:

"Is that what she's telling you?  That you don't have a problem?"

(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Vicious" by V. E. Schwab - We had a Love/Hate Feeling About This One! (UPDATED)

Vicious by V. E. Schwab centers on Victor and Eli.  When their research moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong!  The first part of the book concentrates on Victor and the second part on Eli.  This book goes back and forth in time, leading up to a fantastic ending.

This is some book!  I enjoyed it right from page 1 and thought the characters were very interesting.  Here is a teaser I chose from it:

He hardly felt the cold through his coat.  He was too busy trying to picture what Eli's face would look like when he received their message.  [from p. 26]

Gerard's review, 8/21/15, 5++ stars)


Here is the spoiler-free review we saw on YouTube that convinced Karen to read the book too:


Karen's review (8/28/15):
I started Vicious by V. E. Schwab expecting it to be great based on this video and my husband's recommendation; however, I only read a little over half and gave up on it.  I didn't care for it at all.  I didn't like either of the main characters and thought the whole premise was ridiculous.  It is like a contemporary fantasy or science fiction, not sure which.  In my opinion, it's like the old Twilight Zone TV show!  The writing really annoyed me a lot too because it kept jumping all over the place.  It's in the present, then 10 years ago, last night, 3 nights ago, back to the present, 10 years ago through the whole book.  It only gets 1 star from me.  

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!