"The Sunflower," by Richard Paul Evans

Did I love it: 3.5/5
Sex: 2/5
Violence: 2/5
Language: 1/5

Plot: A woman goes to Peru for a humanitarian project after her fiancee dumps her a week before the wedding. While she's there, she meets the handsome director of a children's orphanage who left his life in the states a few years prior after suffering a traumatic event as a doctor. A series of mishaps wraps their paths together, and love ensues *tear*. Also, I'm pretty sure this is a "true" story; the main characters gave him permission to "write their story" (although I'm pretty sure there was some measure of creative license in there).

Did I love it: This was a very entertaining read that kept me wondering the whole time, "How is this going to work out??" I've only read a couple of his romances, but I've been very pleased with how clean they are (no sex), and I like his plot twists. This one really kept me on my toes, and I didn't feel like any of his plot twists were unbelievable. I also appreciated the detailed imagery of the different places he took us to visit in Peru. I really enjoyed this read; I stayed up late more than once to push through "just one more chapter."

Sex: 2/5 We hear about a couple that is going for a walk to go visit a historic land mark, and the next day one of them winks and says "We didn't quite make it." There are references to different situations where children are involved in severe sexual abuse.

Violence: 2/5 Similar to the "sexual content," there are references to children being put into sexual slavery, or being killed for their organs. There's an instance of a child being kidnapped, but it doesn't go into great detail; you pretty much just know it happened.

Language: 1/5 None.

"The Tale of Despereaux," by Kate DiCamillo

Did I love it: 4/5
Sex: 1/5
Violence: 2/5
Language: 2/5

Plot:
This 268-page children's story is an adventure about a brave mouse, a kind princess, a wicked rat, and a witless girl.

Did I love it:
I loved this charming little book. It's something you can read quickly for the story, or take in slowly, letting each word melt in your mouth. The writing was fun, as the author tells the story directly to the reader. I loved the language, the imagery, and the voice.

I haven't seen the movie, but I watched the trailer. From what I can tell, they don't have much in common.

Sex: None

Violence: There are scenes of ruthless cruelty and violence, all off which are written to be kid-appropriate, though.

Language: It takes the Lord's name in vain several times.

"Three Weeks With My Brother: a memoir," by Nicholas and Micah Sparks

Did I love it: 4/5
Sex: 1.5/5
Violence: 1/5
Language: 1.5/5

Plot:
Nicholas Sparks goes on a three-week tour around the world with his brother, and reflects back on his life up until then, with emphasis on his relationship with his brother, with whom he's had a life-long friendship.

This book takes you on an emotional roller coaster as the author details the tragedies and successes of his life. He writes about how he became an author, and you learn what the inspirations were for many of his books.


Did I love it:
I loved it. I'm a sucker for memoirs - especially those about the lives of famous authors. And this one didn't disappoint. I've only read a few of Sparks' novels, but I would venture to say that this is probably the best thing he's written. It comes from the heart, and he does a great job capturing the emotions that surround the most significant moments of our lives - the good and the bad. There were a few stories that I busted a gut laughing over; I ear-marked those so I could go back and re-read them.

P.S. I'm not really sure why his brother is listed as a co-author; he didn't write any of it.

Sex: His sister gets pregnant while living with her boyfriend.

Violence: None.

Language: I think there's one "D" word and maybe an "H" word.

"Matched," by Ally Condie

Did I love it? 3.5/5
Sex: 1/5
Language: 1/5
Violence: 2/5

Plot:
The first of three books, this was kind of a cross between "The Giver" and "The Hunger Games." It takes place in a future place called The Society, where people have little freedom to make their own choices. The Society determines the best choices for people, based on statistics and data. They determine when you die, where you work, and who you are matched with as your marriage partner.

A young woman, Cassia Reyes, is given her match, but when the computer brings up the face and information of the boy she's to be matched with, the screen goes blank, and then a different face appears. She wonders about the other boy, and a love triangle ensues, as well as her attempt to reconcile the life she's known, with the one she wants.

Did I love it:
The book was pretty good. I thought the writing was excellent, and I enjoyed the story. I'm looking forward to reading the next book. I gave it a 3.5 because I felt like the story could have pulled in more of the subplots that were going on; it was a little one dimensional, I thought. If I hadn't so recently read "The Hunger Games," I probably would have liked it more, but I was just constantly comparing the two. But I recommend it to anyone who appreciates dystopian literature (books like "The Giver," etc.).

Sex:
There are a couple teen kisses, but that's it.

Language:
None, I don't think.

Violence:
Very little. There are some minor descriptions of some war scenarios, and an instance of someone being restrained.

"84, Charing Cross Road," by Helene Hanff

Did I love it: 4/5
Sex: 1/5
Language: 1.5/5
Violence: 1/5

Plot:
This is a record of the letters that passed back and forth between a freelance writer, the author Helene Hanff, and and a book seller in England. The letters span about 20 years, and give you a great insight into her bigger-than-life personality, and her great love of English literature.


Did I love it:
I would describe this as a "charming" book. It's very much like "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," which book I absolutely adored. It's witty, and easy to read. Weighing in at about 100 pages (most of them only half pages, at that), I read half of it over lunch, and the other half over dinner.

Sex: none

Language: She uses the "H" word a few times, but I think that's it.

Violence: none

"Elantris," by Brandon Sanderson

(Guest Post: Anita E.)

Did I Love It: 4.5/5
Sex: 1/5
Language: 1/5
Violence: 3/5

Did I love it: Yes yes yes! It only loses points because of the violence. Brandon Sanderson creates a world that I can immerse myself in completely. Overall, it's a very thought-provoking book that makes a statement about what motivates people to behave a certain way. And I love that there is something that needs to be figured out to "fix" a major problem in the plot. I've read it twice and loved it more the second time.

This is a book full of great personality and likeable characters, as well as several characters you cannot help but despise. There is also enough romance to give you a happy ending for the people who deserve it. The story is told from the perspective of 3 main characters. Surprisingly, however, it enhances the story rather than makes it confusing.

Plot: Raoden, prince of Arelon, awakes one morning to find out he has been damned by fate and has been taken by the Sheod. (Think "terrible disease with no cure," and you get the basic idea of what the Sheod is.) He is exiled to the city of Elantris, where he strives to make something good out of the inhumanity and suffering that exists there. His fiancee, Sarene, shows up for their wedding only to be told that Raoden has died. Because they were betrothed for political reasons, they have never met. Due to stipulations in the wedding contract, she is considered Raoden's widow.

Hrathen is a Derethi priest. He has come to Arelon with a command to convert the country to Shu Dereth within three months, or the country will be destroyed by the military might of his religious leaders. Sarene knows who he is, and the threat he represents to the safety of Arelon and her homeland. She opposes his maneuvering, and attempts to gain credibility among the nobility of Arelon.


Sex: None that I can think of off-hand. There is some suspicion of sexual deviancy by one of the characters, but nothing sexually graphic at all. Very minor PDA with some of the characters.

Language: None.

Violence: There is some violence among the inhabitants of Elantris, and for most of the book that is all you see. However, the culminating battles near the end of the book are quite violent. I found myself skimming through those to get to where the plot advances.

"Air Frame," by Michael Crichton

(Guest Post: Jessica C.)

Sex:2/5
Language:3/5
Violence:1/5
Did I love it:5/5

This was the first Michael Crichton book I ever picked up and I recommend it a lot. The book is very suspenseful and keeps you guessing at every turn. There are lots of surprises that keep you entertained and wanting to come back to read more. I always read it through in a few days because it is so exciting.

Plot:

The book follows a Hong-Kong-based Transpacific Airlines Flight 545, a Norton Aircraft-manufactured plane, flying from Hong Kong to Denver. An incident occurs on board the plane and the pilot requests an emergency landing at LAX, stating that the plane encountered "severe turbulence" in flight. The pilot gives air traffic control conflicting information regarding the type and severity of injuries.The incident seems inexplicable. The N-22 is a plane with an excellent safety record and the pilot is highly trained, making the possibility of human error unlikely. Passengers and flight crew give conflicting accounts of what happened on the flight, and the most likely explanation turns out to be a technical problem that was thought to have been fixed years ago. As the vice-president of QA at Norton Aircraft, it's Casey Singleton's job to try to protect the design's (and Norton's) reputation. she must also deal with Bob Richman, an arrogant and suspicious junior executive assigned to assist her. It is Casey's job to investigate and find out for sure what happened on that flight, and no one is making it any easier for her to get the information she needs.

Sex: there are a few brief scenes with Casey Singleton and her love interest in the book. There are no graphic details, just kissing and waking up in bed together. Nothing explicit.

Language: There is a bit of language in this book. There are a few "F" bombs and a few others. If the book hadn't been so awesome I might not have continued to read it. However the book is fantastic and I can overlook some of the language. And I do remember getting a copy of the audiobook somewhere that had the language edited out (don't remember where)....so i wasn't even aware it was there until I had read the actual book myself.

Violence: There is some violence, mostly descriptions of what happened on the flight from video and other passengers on board the plane. It isn't gory or anything like that, but people do get hurt and injured. It's mostly like broken legs, bruises and so on.

"Digital Fortress," by Dan Brown

(Guest Post: Jessica C.)

Sex:2/5
Language:2/5
Violence:1/5
Did I love it:5/5

Great book! It's interesting and fun and exciting. Dan Brown manages to capture your attention from the first moment and keeps you anxious for more of the story. I enjoy books where I feel like the story could have actually taken place in real life, and this book is just like that. This book was probably one of the first books I ever read as a young adult and I loved it. I have read it a few times since and I enjoy it every time.

Plot: When the United States National Security Agency's code-breaking machine (TRANSLTR) encounters a new and complex code — Digital Fortress — that it cannot break, Commander Trevor Strathmore calls in Susan Fletcher, their head cryptographer, to crack it. She discovers that it was written by Ensei Tankado, a former NSA employee who became displeased with the NSA's intrusion into people's private lives. Tankado intends to auction the code's algorithm on his website and have his partner, "NDAKOTA", release it for free if he dies. Essentially holding the NSA hostage, the agency is determined to stop Digital Fortress from becoming a threat to national security.

Sex: Its been a while since i read the book. i don't remember much sex being in the book, but i rated it a 2 because I believe there is a brief scene between the main character and her love interest in the book. It'snot graphic or really explained in any way, just more or less implied.

Language: I do remember this book did have a few "S" words, maybe even a few "D" words, but overall it's not littered with language, and the few places it appears it is easily skipped over.

Violence: there is no violence that i can recall.

"Howl's Moving Castle," by Dianna Wynne Jones

(Guest Post: Katie W.)

Sex:1/5
Language:1/5
Violence:2/5

Did I love it:5/5

If you're looking for a fantasy novel with a twist, this is for you! This book has so much wit and subtle humor. When I read it, it was like a breath of fresh air after reading so many fantasy novels with the same intense "we've got to save the world" or "we're about to die!" conflicts. In this book, the main character saves her world, but in such an original way that you're bound to love it!

Plot: Sofie, a dissatisfied young woman, is cursed to be old (she thinks she's at least 90 after the curse takes effect) by a powerful witch she hasn't even met. Taking the change in appearance as an opportunity, Sofie leaves her previous position in search of a new place to live. She ends up as housekeeper for Howl, a wizard known for his heartlessness. As Sofie gets to know Howl, she realizes that he's not that bad after all. She also discovers that Howl is also fighting against the witch that cursed her with old age. Together they are able to defeat her.

Sex: None... several couples fall in love, but there isn't anything even slightly iffy. No kissing.

Language: None.

Violence: Very mild. There is a big magical fight, but no gore at all. Nothing shocking. When one of the characters dies, he/she just crumbles into dust (much like the Wicked Witch of the West in Oz who dies by melting). No descriptions of anyone physically hurting another person. There is a headless person, but no scene or description of how it happened.

"The Opposite of Fate: memories of a writing life," by Amy Tan

Sex: 3/5
Language: 2.5/5
Violence: 3/5
Did I love it: 4/5

This is non-fiction and exactly what the title says: a book of Amy Tan's memories. She is the author "The Joy Luck Club," and "The Kitchen God's Wife," just to name a few. This book gives some of the background of what has inspired her novels, and a lot of detail about her personal life. I really loved this book. Her writing is very rich, entertaining, and easy to read. This book had all the necessary components of a good book: I laughed, I cried, and I went "Hmmmmmm."

Sex: This is peppered throughout, usually as a comment here or there, but is not a big theme in the book. Generally, she handles this subject pretty tastefully. There are no graphic sex scenes, or information about her sexual relationships or anything. She refers to the rape of her grandmother. There's a couple crude comments. There is a section where she is talking about the making of the movie "The Joy Luck Club." In that section, she specifically talks about the discussion she had with the other screen writers about the sex scene they were putting into the film, and they make a couple graphic remarks. She talks about dressing up as a Dominatrix, complete with leather whip, for her part as a lead singer in a rock band.

Language: There's not a lot of language, but at least one use of the "F" word.

Violence: There's a description of a friend's murder. She describes a time that her mother threatened to kill her during an argument, and she wasn't sure if she would have. She talks about her mother hitting her during arguments. Her mother often threatens to kill herself. She talks about how her grandmother killed herself by overdosing on opium.

"Esperanza Rising," by Pam Munoz Ryan

(guest poster: Katie W.)

Sex:1/5
Language:1/5
Violence:1/5
Did I love it:5/5

Great story! I read the Spanish translation in an effort to improve my Spanish skills, so I may have missed a few things. However, I feel like I understood it pretty well. Excellent commentary on class/ racial discrimination in the U.S. in the early 1900s.

Plot: A young upper-class Mexican girl (Esperanza) and her mother are displaced from their home by the girl's uncle when her father dies. They move to the US to start a new life and Esperanza learns about discrimination and how to fend for herself as she learns how to live an unprivileged life.

Sex: None... there is a very slight, almost nonexistent romance between Esperanza and a boy that helps her family. No kissing.

Language: None.

Violence: Esperanza's uncle tries to manipulate the family through burning their house down and threatening to do worse. Not graphic. Minor violence with strikes in the U.S.- mostly descriptions of sabotage and unjust deportations.

"Mockingjay," by Suzanne Collins

Sex:2/5
Language:1/5
Violence:4/5
Did I love it:5/5

This is the third and final book to "The Hunger Games" trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Although I wouldn't have minded a little more romance (at least as much in the first two), I'm not sure that it could have been told another way. Maybe I'm just too sentimental as a writer myself, but I felt like the author was telling Katniss' story more than she was engineering it. It was what it was. I loved it.

Plot: The rebellion against the Capitol is fully launched, and Katniss plays a key role as the symbolic Mockingjay. There is drama with the love triangle, but not at all what you would expect. It keeps you guessing until the very end, and wraps up the series pretty thoroughly.

Sex: There's a little bit of teenage kissing, and one of the characters talks about his body "being sold." There are no graphic details. There is at least one scene of a teenage girl and a teenage boy sleeping in the same bed, but not romantically. However, there is one scene that sex may be implied, but I'm not sure. It just says, "after," which could have just been a kiss.

Language: Very minor. Maybe an "H" or "D," but no specific use comes to mind.

Violence: Yes, more violence. There's basically a war going on, so you see various people killed in various way. There aren't any slow, graphic deaths or murders, however we do hear about some torture scenes that took place off location. They are not told in real time. Some of them are detailed, but still not too overly graphic. Overall, I feel the author handles the subject matter very tastefully.

"Catching Fire," by Suzanne Collins

Sex:1/5
Language:2/5
Violence:4/5
Did I love it:5/5

A great sequel to "The Hunger Games." I felt it transitioned well from the first book. Just as amazing. A great read, and well written.

Plot: The heroine from the first book, Katniss Everdeen, moves on with her life after being crowned victor in the Hunger Games. However, she quickly learns that her method of winning was frowned upon by the President of Panem. He feels that her choices have sabotaged his government, and have sparked rebellion in the surrounding districts. She's challenged to undo what she's done in order to keep her family and way of life safe. Also, the romance continues. (I won't say more because I don't want to give any spoilers from the first one, except that *SURPRISE* she wins the Games.)

Sex: The sexual content is very mild. There is some teenage kissing (nothing too heated), and some references to people that are immodestly dressed. One character is routinely found naked, and another is dressed to emphasize his sexual appeal. We are told more about his sexual background, but only in hints and innuendos. There are no graphic descriptions of acts. Also, there are multiple scenes of a teenage girl and a teenage boy sleeping in the same bed together, but there is no romantic behavior associated with it.

Language: Not really any bad language. I can't even remember an "H" or "D" word.

Violence: There is a lot of violence, and instances of murder. However, the scenes are not overly graphic or cruel. I wasn't wincing while I read.

"The Hunger Games," by Suzanne Collins

Sex:2/5
Language:1/5
Violence:4/5
Did I love it:5/5

It's a rare book that keeps me up until 4:00 a.m. because I have to know what happens next. This was a great, exciting read. Once I finished it, I immediately read it a second time while I waiting for the next two books to become available at the library.

Plot: This book takes place in the future, where America no longer exists, but has given way to a new country called Panem. The government is centralized in a placed called the Capitol, where it governs the twelve surrounding districts with an iron fist. In order to show their control, they select two children, between the ages of 12 and 18, from each district each year to compete in what they call The Hunger Games. All twenty-four tributes are meant to fight to the death with only one person able to be crowned victor.

Sex: The sexual content is minor. There is some teenage kissing, and a couple scenes where a teenage boy and teenage girl are sleeping in the same sleeping bag, but there's nothing romantic in those moments. It's mostly a matter of survival, which makes sense in the context of the story. Also, there are references to some characters being, or having been, dressed very immodestly, including naked, for some of the events in the book. However, they are handled tactfully, and are not graphic or sexualized.

Language: Not really any bad language. I can't even remember an "H" or "D" word.

Violence: Just by reading the plot, it's obvious there is some violence here. Overall, I felt the author handled the subject material very tastefully, though. You do not witness most of the deaths/murders that are referenced; you simply know that someone died. The main character/heroine is not posed as a ruthless killer; in fact, she is involved in very few deaths, and when she is, it's a matter of self-defense.

There are a couple graphic scenes that might be hard to read for someone more sensitive than I am (and I consider myself pretty sensitive). As for me, there was really only one scene that I wouldn't mind deleting from my memory (and I hope isn't in the movie).