I'm going on a vacation...

Well, not really, but Friday is the last day for the semester, so I decided to take next week off. No blogging, no classes, just reading (and maybe I'll pre-write a few reviews - after all, I still have a bunch waiting to be read). I've been so exhausted these past couple weeks, the break will do me good and I'll finally get to read without feeling guilty because I should have used the time for some other things.

Now, I already have a huge stack of books I've been looking forward to, but I'm not going to tell you which. I'm a mood reader and even if I have a tentative list right now, you never know whether I'll really read those books or something completely different... And then, I have mysteries, romance, non-fiction, novels etc at home, so I have a wide variety of genres to choose from.

Please come back during the last week of July, I'll then have some more information for you and I will reveal the actual books I read. In fact, let me tell you this: I have Chinese, Japanese, American, Dominican, German, British and French authors on Mt. TBR, plus a number of countries I'm not yet aware of...

Oh, and I'll also reply to comments once I'm back. I know I have a backlog, but I saved them all and will answer, I promise!

Happy reading everyone! I'll be back soon with a bunch of reviews :-)

Naomi Alderman: DISOBEDIENCE

Naomi Alderman
DISOBEDIENCE
239 pages
Berliner Taschenbuch Verlag
ISBN: 978-3-8333-0552-8

Note: This is the ISBN for my German copy. But if you want to buy it, you can click on the cover. It – as usually – leads you right to Amazon.com where you can order it.

In her first novel, Naomi Alderman introduces us to Ronit, the daughter of a Rabbi in Hendon near London. Ronit grew up in an Orthodox Jewish community and lived the life until she did the unspeakable. She fell in love with a girl.

As soon as she could, she left the community and moved to New York to lead a life free of worries about other people’s thoughts. She attended university and became a successful career woman, but when she receives the news that her father died, she has to go back to Hendon, to her past. There, she sees Esti again, her first love, and soon realizes that the past is not yet completely the past...

Deservingly winning the Orange Award for New Authors, Alderman created characters that come to life on the pages. She shows what life in an Orthodox Jewish community is like. As a counterpart to Ronit, who left the community to lead the life she wishes to live, Alderman created Ronit’s first love, Esti. Esti stayed in the community and now leads a life that conforms to the rules of the community.

At the latest while reading this novel, it becomes clear that Naomi Alderman knows what she is writing about. She grew up in an Orthodox Jewish household and it shows in her use of terms. With this German copy, the publisher unfortunately didn’t think of adding a glossary for those who would like to check back about these terms, but with the internet, it is easy to find a definition for a term that might not be as easy to understand, for example at Judaism 101.

For an article on Naomi Alderman and her father, Geoffrey Alderman, check out this page.

Rating: 4.5/5

Maki Minami: SA - SPECIAL A VOL. 1-3

Maki Minami
S A: SPECIAL A VOL. 1-3
Carlsen Manga
Pages
ISBN: #1: 978-3-551-75491-2
#2 : 978-3-551-75492-9
#3: 978-3-551-75493-6

Note: As the story lines for this series usually overlap volumes, I’m going to review the volumes I read back to back in one review. Also, the ISBN numbers are for the German edition. For the English manga, please click on the covers – it leads you right to Amazon.com. (By the way, the covers for the first two volumes are the same I have.)

When she was 6 years old, Hikari Hanazono lost for the first time. It was a wrestling match against Kei Takishima, the son of a friend of her father’s. Ever since then, Hikari’s goal has been to beat Kei at something – anything, in fact. To succeed, her parents allowed her to enter Hakusenkan, a private academy and the best school in the prefecture.

There, classes are divided into A through F based on grades. The seven best students of year one through three form a class called Special A. These students have privileges like a different school uniform, and optional class attendance only.

Of course, the challenges at Hakusenkan are not only between Hikari and Kei. The other students are constantly trying to beat the Special A students in order to become Special A’s themselves. There are competitions between the classes, and the Special A students are also challengeing each other every now and then.

While I was at first worried that the many major characters would be difficult to tell apart, I was soon relieved to see that Maki Minami manages quite well to distinguish the characters. The characters themselves all have their quirks. Hikari loves to fight even if she is too exhausted, because she loves to win. Akira insists on her tea hours in the afternoon, the twins love their music, Ryu grew up with the twins and is always worried for them, which sometimes leads to grades that do not reflect his intelligence, yet he always stays a member of the Special A. The headmaster’s son, Tadashi, who seems to make fun of most things. And, last but not least, Kei, who is the best in class without doing much. These characters are very likeable.

For the plot, Maki Minami always creates new challenges and adventures for the students. And even the romantic aspect doesn’t fall short in this shojo-manga (= manga for girls).

Rating: 4/5

Gosho Aoyama: CASE CLOSED VOL. 15-18

Gosho Aoyama
CASE CLOSED: DETECTIVE CONAN VOL. 15-18
Egmont Manga & Anime
752 pages
ISBN: #15: 978-3-89885-396-5
#16: 978-3-89885-397-2
#17: 978-3-89885-398-5
#18: 978-3-89885-399-6

Note: As the story lines for this series usually overlap volumes, I’m going to review the volumes I read back to back in one review. Also, the ISBN numbers are for the German edition. For the English manga, please click on the covers – it leads you right to Amazon.com.

For those who don’t know Conan Edogawa yet, let me introduce him. He is a young student who solves cases, for the most part on his own. Only, he’s not really the young student he seems to be, he’s actually the 17-year old high school student Shinichi Kudo. When he saw a transaction made by a few men in black, they poison him in order to kill him, but the poison, which has just been developped. The poison didn’t kill him, but it shrunk him into a about 7 year old boy. Now he lives with Kogoro Mori, a third class private investigator, and his daughter, Ran, with the hopes to find the men in black – and with them an antidote for the poison that shrunk him.

In these volumes, Conan’s elementary school friends try to help him a lot with solving cases, some easy to solve, others in fact pretty dangerous. Conan also meets Kaito Kid, the master thief for the first time and he gets a big step closer to the mysterious men in black when he meets a young girl with a dark secret.

Gosho Aoyama has a wonderful style, not only with his stories, but also with his drawings. He adds so many details that you can’t really get them all at first sight. Also, unlike a few other mangaka (that’s how manga artists are called), he clearly distinguishes the characters, not only when they’re big in the picture, but even when he only has a small frame and draws a few characters in there pretty small.

Also, the mysteries are always really adorable. Nothing really dangerous or bloody, so it is also wonderful for older kids.

Rating: 4/5

Farrah Fawcett

I admit it, I loved Charlie's Angels and watched it whenever I could. I'm sad that Farrah Fawcett, one of the original angels died a horrible death. For more, check out this obituary...

Meg Cabot: THE PRINCESS DIARIES - TO THE NINES

Meg Cabot
THE PRINCESS DIARIES – TO THE NINES
Macmillan
269 pages
ISBN: 978-0-330-44855-0

Note: This is the ISBN for my British copy. But if you want to buy the American edition, you can click on the cover. It – as usually – leads you right to Amazon.com where you can order it.

Michael has left, and not just that, he has also dumped Mia! And as if that was not already enough drama, Lilly refuses speaking to her and someone created a website called ihatemiathermopolis.com (check it out, it really exists!) to write mean things about her. No, being Amelia Mignionette Thermopolis Reynaldo Princess of Genovia is not easy right now.

And as if all that was not enough already, she has to find a new Prince Charming, find a theme for a speech she has to hold – thanks to her grandmother, the Queen, and maybe even change the future of Genovia!

Once again, Meg Cabot allows us a glimpse into Mia’s life and thoughts with the ninth installment of the Princess Diaries. Mia has been a companion to many girls for the past years, but rumor has it, this will soon stop. Mia filled one more diary and that is supposed the end. What a tragedy!

Of course, Mia’s behavior is over the top, but if you remember your own teenage years, you’ll know that it was really like that for you as well. With Mia, you’re allowed a step away from the busy life and just have fun! Mia is hilarious, fun and leads a life full of intriguing adventures. I know for sure I’ll be sad if her adventures won’t continue.

Rating: 4/5

Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge

Well, we all know that I love reading challenges, right? So I heard a lot about Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series, but I never managed to read any of them. Isn't Beth from Beth Fish Reads's challenge a wonderful chance to change that?

The Rules:

1. Between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, catch up on Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series. No matter if you're starting with book 1 or book 8, you have a year to read all about Sookie. Read Sookie in print, listen to the audio, read an eBook -- format is not an issue.

2. Sign up using Mr. Linky. Put your name in the top box. For the bottom box, please use the URL that links specifically to your blog post about this challenge, not to your blog's home page.

3. After July 4, I'll create a post with another Mr. Linky where you can link your reviews so everyone can read them track your progress.

4. If you don't have a blog and want to join in, sign up in the comments here. Later, let us know about your progress by leaving comments on the review link page.

The Books:

Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and Gone

I'll link the book titles to the reviews as I go along!