Ten Days in a Mad-House

Ten Days in a Madhouse was a free book I found through the Nook app. I was in the mood for something historical that I had not read before.

The year is 1887 and Nellie Bly is accepting a task from a publisher who wants to know what it is really like inside an insane asylum. The rumors of the horrors of Blackwell's Island cruelty were not exaggerated. Given inedible food, forced to deal with extreme cold in the building and ice bathes along with nurses who did not care if patients lived or died Nellie faced true horror for ten days.

Ten Days in a Mad-House is a short read and to the point. No fluff is provided nor is it an easy read emotionally. Nellie left out no details of the treatment of the patients nor did she stop trying to get the poor women help.

The One-in-a-Million Boy

The One in a Million Boy was in a box of books from a friend and I liked the cover. It sounded interesting and different from other stories I have read. The story moved super slow and jumped around a lot. I did get bored with parts and skim a few areas.

This is not an easy review to write since the story is different from what I have ever read before. I knew right away the boy was different (he is never named) and that he had some sort of un-diagnosed medical disorder but I could not help but like the kid. Ona was an awesome character full of life despite her age and I loved how she was having things her way. The boys father, Quinn, has no idea how to deal with the death of his son nor did he know how to deal with the child when he was alive. Belle, the boy's mother, is just broke and seems to not exist. Even though she was not a focus of the story she did come across as overly believable to me. I am not sure I would seek out another book by Monica Wood since the writing style is so unique and I did not overly care for it.

The Dark Army

The Dark Army is the second book in The Starblade Chronicles.

Thomas Ward is the local spook since his master died and having taken on an apprentice he is determined to protect the country from the dark. All the changes when he dies though and then is risen from the dead by his former friend Alice and her ally the dark Mage. Even though the end of A New Darkness left me desperate to know what was happening I did not rush into reading The Dark Army when it came out. That is mostly due to Jenny, Tom's apprentice, Jenny drives me wacky. She is whinny, annoying, and seems to care little to do Spook's work. I had hoped she would grow up some as the story progressed but I have yet to see that. I do plan on reading The Spook's Assassin but I am in no hurry to get to it.

The Golden Son

The Golden Son was another gift in the giant box of books I got from a friend. I choose one at random. I almost gave up after a couple chapters but I am glad I did not.

Anil is the favorite son of his father and treated like a golden boy. Provided with best education growing up it is clear Anil will become a doctor who studies in America. Honored and blessed to have the chance to study in America Anil is beyond excited to start this new journey in his life. Used to being the top student from medical school in India Anil is in for a shock when it becomes clear he is not a favorite in America or even really noticed. Struggling with learning to live in a foreign country while keeping his heritage from India Anil learns to walk a fine line as he progresses in his education.

A really slow start into the story, it takes time to build up the characters and to get to know the plot line. Once I had a feel for the characters I really started to enjoy them and immerse myself into their lives. Never having living in a different country it was interesting to see the point of view for Anil as he adjusted to America's pace of life and imagine how he felt when he decided he did not belong in India or America at several points in the story. While I would not actively seek out another book by Shilpi Somaya Gowda I would not say no if one happened to come my way.

Paper Towns

Paper Towns has been on my to read list for ages and when I saw it had no wait at the library I quickly checked it out. The start quickly drew me but I lost interest right around part two. Since I wanted to know the answer to the mystery I did keep reading. 

Quentin has always loved the girl next door, Margo may have liked him at one time but ever since they found a deceased person their relationship as friends disintegrated. Now the most popular girl in high school Quentin watches Margo from a distance until one night she shows up at his window demanding his help. After a wild night of supposedly random occurrences Margo disappears. Determined to find his friend Quentin goes on a journey to piece together the clues left behind.


The writing was alright, part of it just dragged and seemed to go in circles which drove me crazy. Overall I just did not care for the story and was highly disappointed. Guess it was not my style of book. 

Castle in the Air

Castle in the Air is the second book in the Howl's Moving Castle trilogy. It took me a long time to even start reading the story but once I read a couple chapters I was hooked. For several chapters I was confused on how the story tied into Howl's story but I was glad when things finally came together.

Abdullah is a carpet seller who was disliked by his later father. Unable to inherit his family business Abudllah makes his own way and is fairly successful with his carpet business. All that changes when a mysterious stranger shows up and offers to sell Abudllah a magic carpet. Unable to believe his good luck after a quick test of the carpets power Abudllah barters for the carpet. Little does he know the carpet will be the start of a great adventure for him. 

I like how parts of the story seemed familiar but with a new twist. I did have several moments of shock and other moments of I figured that was what was happening. The third book, House of Many Ways is check out from the library but I am on the waiting list.  

Starbreak

Strabreak is the second book in the duologoy of Starglass. I did not really like Starglass but I wanted to know how things ended.

Terra is heading to the planet to hopefully save her sister in law and meet the boy that haunts her dreams. Escaping the riots happening in the dome Terra rounds up a handful of people and convinces them to head down to the planet with her.

It is so hard to write reviews for books I am not overly fond of. The story did not move very quickly and it focused more on an intimate relationship between Terra and an alien. I found myself skimming large parts of the story where it felt repetitive and just boring. With average writing and flat characters I will not find myself searching for more of Phoebe North's work.