Chrissie Wellington. A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS: A World Champion's Journey

"One of the biggest fears of a male pro triathlete is getting 'chicked' by a lady. For the first time in history that fear applies to nearly all male professionals. Chrissie is that good."
-Lance Armstrong

I don't review a lot of nonfiction here, because my main focus is young adult literature. However, from time to time, I feel compelled to share some of the nonfiction I read. This is one of those times.

Everyone loves a great biography, young adults included. And with triathlons becoming more and more popular, this autobiography by Chrissie Wellington is perfect timing.

What I found so astonishing is that Chrissie didn't start at a really young age knowing that wanted to be a professional athlete. In fact, she was 30 when she raced her first triathlon! This is just unheard of for athletes. She had another successful career already. But one thing led to another and she decided to run the London marathon for charity, inspired by a friend. Well, she shocked herself by finishing with a time of 3:08! Uh, yeah. Her first marathon.

Then she went on to do pretty well in triathlons, but then her coach signed her up for her first Ironman to be raced only 10 months after becoming a triathlete. She went on to win that Ironman.  She proceeded to race 12 Ironmans after that. And she has won every single one. (4 of those being the Kona World Championship). It's pretty accurate to say that she's a talented athlete. But what's really inspiring is how many obstacles she's had in her races. She's crashed in a race and still come back to win. She's had flat tires in races and still come back to win. She's had broken bones and cracked ribs too close to race day, but still went on to win. It's flat out inspiring whether you're an athlete or not.

Since I'm a newbie to triathlons myself (1 year), I knew I would enjoy this book. But I really had no idea what I was in for. I was happy that I didn't know beforehand much about Chrissie, because I really enjoyed the suspense while reading. Another inspiring aspect of Chrissie is her heart. Her former career involved social development in poverty stricken areas of the world. Now that she has a voice, she's involved in several charities. She has said many times that champions come and go, but whether she does something positive with her success is what really matters.

Here's a snippet from her website:

"Sport has a tremendous power – and can be a force for considerable change. I feel very strongly that as a professional triathlete my impact and message should be wider than my performance on the race course, and last longer than my athletic career.

Triathlon is unique in that the professional athletes get to compete simultaneously with the amateur athletes. And as much as many athletes are inspired by the accomplishments of the professionals, we too are encouraged and inspired by the amateurs that we get to share the stage with."

She's an incredibly inspiring person, as well as an inspiring athlete. The book is well-written. I enjoyed the flow of the storytelling. Chrissie's honesty about her early challenges with eating disorders will be helpful to many readers. I also feel how funny she is and know for sure that she would be a lot of fun to hang out with!

This is a champion's story you won't soon forget.
For more about Chrissie go here to her website.

Rae Carson. THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS: 300th BOOK REVIEWED!!

What a wonderful book to mark this milestone! THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS is the 300th book I've reviewed for this blog. And it happens to be a spectacular debut by Rae Carson!

Elisa is the bearer of the Godstone, the chosen one. One person is chosen every hundred years to bear the stone and perform an act of service for her people. Elisa still wonders why she was chosen when her graceful, beautiful sister, Alodia, seems like the more obvious choice. Even though they are both daughters of the king, Alodia seems more the natural princess.

Elisa is even more confused when her father marries her off to become queen in the neighboring kingdom. Surely her sister is the more appropriate daughter to help rule an entire country. But when she realizes that her new husband wants her to be the savior for his people, she begins to understand her role. In fact, she's just getting used to the idea of being a wife and queen when her life takes a huge detour. During the detour, she begins to realize just how many groups are hunting for the "chosen one" and that some do not care whether they find their prey dead or alive. 

The continual challenges thrown Elisa's way help to build her confidence. She slowly begins to realize that she is more than a frumpy little sister. She begins to realize that only she can help her people with the coming war. Even so, Elisa still worries whether she will succeed in her act of service or if she will she fail herself and everyone counting on her.

Elisa is one of my favorite characters in recent years. She is smart, spunky, and never complains when she is challenged beyond what she thinks she can handle. I also love the new friends that she makes. There are many layers to uncover with a few of the characters. The story is so engaging that it kept me up late flipping pages anxious to find out what would happen next. 

Read it! Trust me on this - you will adore Elisa, her friends, and her story. 

Read more about the author at her gorgeous website here. I'm thrilled to discover that this is the first novel in a trilogy. The sequel is due out in September. Plus, we get a digital novelette in July! It's a prequel told from the point of view of Elisa's sister, Alodia. I can't wait!

Check out the video of the author's teaser video below:

Deb Caletti. THE STORY OF US

Cricket has just graduated high school, but is still pondering if she’s going away to college. She is torn between spreading her wings or staying home. In addition to her life being at a crossroads, two relationships in her life are also evolving. Cricket has just told her longtime boyfriend, Janssen, that she isn’t sure about their future. Plus, her mother is getting married. Her mother has been at the threshold of marriage twice before just before suddenly ditching those previous boyfriends. Cricket feels anxious for her mother. She hopes this marriage will work. Cricket, her brother Ben, and their mother go stay at a bed and breakfast for the wedding. They meet up with extended family, as well as her future family members.

Deb Caletti is really stretching her legs in this novel. It feels more complex than her books. She uses an interesting technique to tell the story of Cricket and Janssen. Since Cricket is separated from him, she writes him letters. Their love story is revealed through these letters as she is telling him how she got to this point in their relationship. The novel is told in alternating chapters between her letters and the events leading up to the wedding.

The novel is character driven, as expected from Deb Caletti. It’s contemplative and philosophical. I felt Cricket’s ambivalence to moving on with her life. I vividly remember that point in my life when I had moved out of my family home and needed to take that next step. I feel Cricket’s trepidation about leaving her family and her entire life.

I continue to love Deb Caletti’s writing. She brilliantly picks just the right word at the right time. Again, I have beautiful quotes to share:

Doesn’t this perfectly capture that feeling when you've just graduated high school:

“Gavin said, you could be anyone now that you graduated? You could sit inside the warm, familiar room of someone’s idea of you. Or you could step out the front door and see if they’d been right, or wrong, all along.”

So insightful:

“Egos were hungry things. Like Ben and Janssen, you could feed it breakfast, and a half hour later it would want pizza. You could start out using and end up being used, and by the time I got back up to the house, Amy and Hailey seemed full and happy, and I felt nothing but empty and exhausted.”

My favorite:

“Stories are what you have when the place is gone and the dried-up roses have crumbled and the ring is lost and that old car is finally junked. Stories are where the meaning ends up.”

THE STORY OF US is beautiful, insightful and thoughtful book. Check out Deb Caletti and her other books here. I really loved STAY and THE FORTUNES OF INDIGO SKYE

Summer Reading (some required)

Summer is a time to put your feet up and relax! Hopefully this includes lots and lots of reading.We have several suggestions for summer reading, but first, let's get the required reading out of the way. Go here for the required summer lists. For other reading ideas, check out the many ideas available on the "Books & Reading" LibGuide. (link below picture). In addition, don't forget about the downloadable eBooks!

Need a Good Book? - Books & Reading - LibGuides at The John Cooper Upper School Library via kwout

Robison Wells. FEEDBACK

It's the sequel to VARIANT, yay! I snagged an advance copy at the Texas Library Association conference, and I got it autographed. So that was super cool!

If you read Variant, you know that it ended with quite a shocking cliff-hanger. If you did not read Variant, please avert your eyes now! Otherwise, you will be spoiled. You've been warned.

If you remember when we left Benson, he had just escaped with Becky from Maxfield Academy. Shortly thereafter, he came across a little town outside the gate where he saw Jane. You know, the Jane who had been previously discovered to be a robot when they killed her inside of the school.

In FEEDBACK, we learn why Jane is in the town. We also see many more people from the school in the town. There is a much bigger, scarier scenario going on then Benson could've imagined. But the Benson we all know and love comes up with a plan.

This sequel is just as exciting as the first book. The plot thickens. Benson is put to the test over and over again. His dogged determination seems to make him stronger and stronger with each challenge. I enjoyed seeing his relationship with Becky blossom. Again, the action gets exciting near the end and we're left with another cliff-hanger! The last half of the book had me flipping pages at lightning speed. I can't wait to see what more people thing of the ending!

FEEDBACK is due out in October. Mark your calendars. And if you haven't read VARIANT yet, get on it!

Check out Robison Wells at his website.