Bloggin' 'bout Books: 10/23/17

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama

- Alaska

- ~~Arizona~~ (1)

- Arkansas

- ~~California~~ (5)

- ~~Colorado~~ (3)

- Connecticut

- ~~Delaware~~ (1)

- ~~Florida~~ (1)

- ~~Georgia~~ (1)

- ~~Hawaii~~ (1)

- Idaho

- ~~Illinois~~ (1)

- ~~Indiana~~ (1)

- ~~Iowa~~ (3)

- Kansas

- Kentucky

- Louisiana

- ~~Maine~~ (2)

- Maryland

- ~~Massachusetts~~ (1)

- ~~Michigan~~ (2)

- ~~Minnesota~~ (2)

- ~~Mississippi~~ (1)

- Missouri

- ~~Montana~~ (1)

- Nebraska

- Nevada

- New Hampshire

- ~~New Jersey~~ (1)

- New Mexico

- ~~New York~~ (7)

- ~~North Carolina~~ (3)

- ~~North Dakota~~ (1)

- ~~Ohio~~ (1)

- ~~Oklahoma~~ (2)

- ~~Oregon~~ (2)

- ~~Pennsylvania~~ (1)

- ~~Rhode Island~~ (1)

- ~~South Carolina~~ (1)

- South Dakota

- ~~Tennessee~~ (1)

- ~~Texas~~ (1)

- ~~Utah~~ (1)

- ~~Vermont~~ (3)

- ~~Virginia~~ (2)

- ~~Washington~~ (3)

- West Virginia

- ~~Wisconsin~~ (1)

- ~~Wyoming~~ (1)

- Washington, D.C.* (1)

International:

- Australia (3)

- Canada (3)

- England (14)

- France (2)

- Italy (1)

- Japan (1)

- Norway (1)

- Puerto Rico (1)

- Scotland (1)

Icebreaker Introduces Unique, Compelling Dystopian World

1:00 AM

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

It's been 300 years since the Oyster, a rusted icebreaker, set sail. After three centuries on the sea, no one remembers why the ship left land, why it's still afloat, or what they're all doing living on top of each other in a glorified tin can. All the passengers know is that they belong to one of three tribes—the officers who make up the Braid and live on the upper deck; those who dwell in Dufftown on the middle decks; and the engineers who occupy the bottom decks known as Grease Alley. Although each tribe performs certain functions that keep their floating home functional, the groups do not intermix. In fact, the fighting between them has escalated to a point where all-out war seems likely in the very near future.

Unlike the Oyster's other passengers, 12-year-old Petrel does not belong to a tribe. Her mixed parentage makes her an outcast who is unwelcome on any part of the ship. The orphan survives by staying invisible, speaking only to the two rats who are the sole pals she has in the world. When a strange, frozen boy is pulled onto the Oyster, Petrel wonders if she's finally been given a chance to make a real, human friend. What Petrel doesn't realize is that the boy has his own goal, a mission that could destroy the Oyster and everyone on it ...

I saw Icebreaker, a middle grade novel by Australian author Lian Tanner, on a list somewhere on the Web of the best dystopian novels of all time. While I'm not sure I agree with that designation, I did enjoy this action/adventure story about a plucky girl who triumphs over an inhospitable world by carving out a life for herself with tenacity, courage, and heart. It's a unique tale, strange, but also exciting and compelling. In the end, I didn't love Icebreaker enough to continue with the series. Still, I found it an entertaining read.

(Readalikes: the Icebeaker world reminds me of the one in Wool by Hugh Howey)

Grade:

If this were a novel, it would be rated:

for violence and scenes of peril

To the FTC, with love: Another library ~~fine~~ find

Books Read in 2025 (asterisks denote favorites)

1. Coram House by Bailey Seybolt (Jan)
2. She Doesn't Have a Clue by Jenny Elder Moke (Jan)
3. My Salty Mary by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows* [audio] (Jan)
4. The Echoes by Jess Montgomery (Jan)
5. The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro (Jan)
6. Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal by Raquel V. Reyes (Jan)
7. Murder at Chateau sur Mer by Alyssa Maxwell (Jan)
8. Away by Megan E. Freeman (Jan)
9. Unsinkable by Jenni L. Walsh [audio] (Jan)
10. A Golden Grave by Erin Lindsey* (Jan)
11. All Over the Map by Lanie Jacobs (Jan)
12. Stranded by Nikki Shannon Smith (Jan)
13. Elementary, She Read by Vicki Delany [audio] (Jan)
14. The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright (Jan)
15. How to Book a Murder by Cynthia Kuhn (Jan)
16. A Dream of Death by Connie Berry (Jan)
17. The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos, RN* (Jan)
18. Red River Road by Anna Downes [audio] (Jan)
19. Janitors School of Garbage by Tyler Whitesides (Feb)
20. Something in the Walls by Daisy Pearce (Feb)
21. Janitors School of Garbage: Trials of the Trash by Tyler Whitesides (Feb)
22. The Brightwood Code by Monica Hesse [audio] (Feb)
23. A Legacy of Murder by Connie Berry (Feb)
24. The Crash by Freida McFadden (Feb)
25. To Catch a Storm by Mindy Mejia (Feb)
26. Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen (Feb)
27. A World of Hurt by Mindy Mejia (Feb)
28. If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell (Feb)
29. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano [audio] (Feb)
30. Wool by Hugh Howey (Feb)
31. Shift by Hugh Howey (Feb)
32. Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns [audio] (Mar)
33. The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan (Mar)
34. Last Light Over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright (Mar)
35. Murder on the Page by Daryl Wood Gerber (Mar)
36. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (Mar)
37. The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden (Mar)
38. The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor [audio] (Mar)
39. You Belong Here by Megan Miranda (Mar)
40. Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell (Mar)
41. The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth* [audio] (Mar)
42. Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks With Monks and Amish Farmers helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human by Carlos Whittaker (Mar)
43. Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister (Mar)
44. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto* (Apr)
45. Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams (Apr)
46. The Wind Called My Name by Mary Louise Sanchez (Apr)
47. What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan (Apr)
48. The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth [audio] (Apr)
49. That Last Carolina Summer by Karen White (Apr)
50. A Pie to Die For by Gretchen Rue (Apr)
51. The Raven Thief by Gigi Pandian (Apr)
52. The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes (Apr)
53. Cold As Hell by Kelley Armstrong* [audio] (Apr)
54. Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry (Apr)
55. The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden (Apr)
56. Petals and Poison by Jess Dylan [audio] (Apr)
57. It Happened on the Lake by Lisa Jackson (Apr)
58. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah* [re-read] (May)
59. Outside by Jennifer L. Holm (May)
60. You Are Here: Connecting Flights by various authors, edited by Ellen Oh (May)
61. The Silver Shooter by Erin Lindsey* (May)
62. The Art of Betrayal by Connie Berry* (May)
63. The Secret Room by Jane Casey* (May)
64. The Sasquatch of Hawthorne Elementary by K.B. Jackson (May)
65. The Sasquatch of Harriman Lake by K.B. Jackson (May)

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Icebreaker Introduces Unique, Compelling Dystopian World

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2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction

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Books Read in 2025 (asterisks denote favorites)