American Street

American Street by Ibi Zoboi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So much promise...story of Haitian refugee teen trying to integrate into America (land of the free!) while her mother is detained in INS. Her American cousins are caught in their own drama including drugs, abusive relationships, and mental illness. Unfortunately so much is left unexplored and the drugs, swearing, sex, abuse, etc. seems heavy-handed for YA lit. The ultimate failure is that no one seems to change.

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Madame President

Madame President: The Extraordinary Journey of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf by Helene Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not sure I really know Madame Sirleaf, but I sure know a lot more about Liberia. What an extraordinary history! And the influence of the women in that country is amazing. By coming together they were able to affect real and important change, and Sirleaf played a big part in that. Her ability to cross between political and country cultures is amazing. The prophecy that was told about her when she was born that she would become a "great person" no doubt gave her purpose and confidence when faced with challenges. The idea that we are special, I think, can give a person added resilience and motivation. She wasn't perfect, but she did many great things for her nation. What an inspiring person!

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wrote a whole review explaining how I could have liked this book better with some fundamental changes, but then realized that that's not a book review. I guess this just wasn't my jam. As realistic as it appears, some plot points seemed pointless and some plot points seemed contrived. And although Ari tries to figure out who he is, in the end he has to be told who he is so I felt like that negated any growth he made.

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Words

My first Word
fermented for a time
as conception, an idea
then formed with my lips,
sounded with my breath,
borne of desperation
with a search for blood
amid a cavalcade of tears.

The next two followed
as a slip of the tongue—
Conversing
in the desert night
living in what shade we could find—
Communing
with tiny earthquakes
near the sigh of the ocean—
Conjunctions
joining noun with noun.

The last
uttered with a stutter
knowing its import,
knowing how its pronouncement
would shape the world.

The Words
echo behind me—
A sentence strung on a string—
with only the punctuation in question.

The Little Drummer Girl

The Little Drummer Girl by John le Carré
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ah, classic le Carré. I do enjoy his spy thrillers--this one with an actress who is lured into the spy world to put on the performance of her life. Only where does the performance start and stop? What is real life? Loved the book, loved the mini-series, too.

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Faith leaves a vacuum behind it when it goes away.

With time, just by holding it in focus, you find yourself remembering what a fatuous thing a car really is without man to give it meaning.

magpie eye for pretty toys, pretty ladies, and pretty cars.

She picked out these details with accuracy because there are times when details can supply the only link with reality.

She remembered him in Greece, telling her that the floodlighting of ancient sites was an act of modern vandalism, because the temples were built to be seen with the sun above them, not below. 
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their whole shared fiction was nothing but foreplay for this night of fact.

As each beautiful thing went by, she cast her heart after it, trying to attach to it and slow it down.  But nothing stayed, nothing left an imprint on her mind; they were breath on polished glass.

We Were Liars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Perfectly executed twist in a great YA book about family, prosperity, and growing up. That's all I'll say so I don't ruin it. Just read it.

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She confused being spartan with being charitable, and gave away her possessions without truly doing good with them.  She confused being sick with being brave, and suffered agonies while imagining she merited praise for it.  She confused wit and intelligence, and made people laugh rather than lightening their hearts or making them think.

The White Queen

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a perfectly good romance story of a "commoner" marrying the king. There is intrigue, war, divine destiny, exile, but over all, a deep love between Elizabeth and Edward. It probably would have been four stars but I watched the series before I read this, which combined this with the following two books and it was so well done, I couldn't help but think the series was better than the book. When does that happen?

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"I support God and the king and my rights, in that order,"  I smile.  Pointless to ask him how he knows what God wants, how he knows which king is right, how he can be sure that his rights are just.

The man I married had not known fear, nor had he a son, nor did he know how to love.  But all these things have come to us and we are changed by them, but not spoiled by them."

we show ourselves to the people, and by demonstrating our wealth, our fertility, and our elegance we make them feel secure in their monarchy.