Books in the Spotlight

Touch of Power (Healer #1)

2012-02-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

I absolutely loved Maria V. Snyder's Study series. It made my favorite list of books in 2010. I thought the series had a great combination of intrigue, fantasy, and romance with a great cast of characters. It's definitely a series that I've been recommending nonstop after finishing it. When I heard that Maria was going to do a new series, I was very excited to read it. I really enjoyed reading the first book in the Healer series called Touch of Power for the most part, but did have a few issues with it. Many thanks to Mira and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Description (from Goodreads): Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.
Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...

Review: Touch of Power is a promising start to the Healer series. Snyder develops an intricate and intriguing world where the possession of magic abilities comes with a double edged sword, it may allow you to survive but it might also put you on the death list. I thought the world building was easy to understand and it didn't take me long to get immersed into the story. I loved how the concept of a magical ability, the potential abuse of power, and ethics play a role amongst all of the characters.
Avry is another strong heroine created by Snyder. While I didn't like her as much as I liked Yelena from the Study series, she did hold her own. Avry was smart, stubborn, funny, and always had good intentions at heart though her envisioned plans didn't always work as she wanted them to. She also has the ability to heal, which makes her a very special commodity for those seeking the power of the throne. Avry uses her ability with discretion, which I think sets her up quite nicely for many complex questions as the series continues. I'm curious as to whether Avry will be in danger of taking advantage of her own power. Even though Avry had these strengths, she did come off as being a bit dense sometimes. There were times when I shook my head in amazement and said aloud "Really, that wasn't a rhetorical question?" when she asked stupid questions or didn't understand what was going around her. I couldn't help but wondered how in the world did she survive without being found for many years.
As for Kerrick, the male lead in the story, I didn't really care for him. He comes off as a complete jerk. He treats Avry awfully and cruelly when she refuses to obey his command. While he may have gotten the brooding, distant look right, I didn't fall for him at all. Actually, I kept waiting to see if I could just even trust or stand just seeing him whenever he popped on the page. Though he does seem to change (I'm still debating this), I couldn't help negate his earlier behavior nor do I think we are suppose to.
My issues with Kerrick dampened the romance aspect of the book for me. I didn't see the chemistry between him and Avry at all. I'm not fully convinced that they are meant to be with one another, especially when Kerrick's history is revealed. It almost seems both Avry and Kerrick are rebounds to one another.
While I did have some issues with the main leads, I absolutely loved the secondary characters that make up Kerrick's unit and band of family. Each of these character brings warmth and humor especially when the story turned dark whenever the aftermath of the plague was discussed. In their own way, they dote on Avry and replace the hole in her heart of not having a family to return to after the spread of the plague. In addition to these great characters, there is also the deliciously evil villain who can easily make your skin crawl and reminded me a lot like Klaus from the Vampire Diaries.
The pacing of Touch of Power is quite good. There is a balance between action and dialogue, never making the reader bored. We are given answers to questions, but more questions arise as we move forward in the plot. There were a few twists to the story that I predicted ahead of time, but there were others that I didn't see at all. To be honest, it took me a while to understand why the book was written in our language and didn't really ring of the fictional medieval setting but I got over it as I got swept away by the characters and the story. All in all, Touch of Power is an enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing what happens next to Avry.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is PG-13 language, fantasy violence, an allusion to sex, and a few disturbing images. Though marketed to adults, I think the book is a great crossover to YA (recommended for Grades 9 and up).

If you like this book try: The Shifter by Janice Hardy, the Study series by Maria V. Snyder, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Fire by Kristin Cashore

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

2012-01-31T11:47:00.000-08:00

I was excited to learn about Emily m. Danforth's debut novel, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, and hoped it would be included with some of my favorite GLBT reads. While it does bring a new outlook about teens struggling with their sexuality and others dealing with their sexual orientation, it does leave something a bit more to be desired.

Description (from Goodreads): When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief she’ll never have to tell them that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief soon turns to heartbreak, as Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and not making waves, and Cam becomes an expert at this—especially at avoiding any questions about her sexuality.
   Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. To Cam’s surprise, she and Coley become best friends—while Cam secretly dreams of something more. Just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, her secret is exposed. Ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not quite sure who that is.

Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post reads like an old GLBT books where homosexuality is equivalent to guilt, love is unrequited, and someone sadly meets their tragic end. The story focuses on Cameron Post who realizes that she is a lesbian after shoplifting and secretly kissing her best friend. Her epiphany comes on the same day that she learns of her parents dying in a horrible car crash. Relieved that she wouldn't have to face them with the "ugly truth" and simultaneously guilty for their deaths, Cameron does her best to keep her sexual orientation under raps. Cameron does a pretty good job in keeping up her facade until her feelings for Coley, who appears to be bisexual, take over and her secret is exposed to her ultra-religious aunt, who believes her niece must be saved and enrolls Cameron to a facility where she can be "de-gayed".
Danforth does a good job in fleshing out Cameron's character and those of her family and friends. No one is simply perfect nor one dimensional. We are able to see their flaws and strengths in everything that they do. I liked how Miles City also becomes an alive character with vivid descriptions and the dialogue of its residents. The themes of friendship, sexuality, individuality, and religion provide an additional layer complexity to the story, yet despite all of these strengths I was left wanting more.
I have three major concerns that hindered my appreciation of the book. First, I think the book could have been a lot stronger if it was trimmed 100-150 pages shorter. While I do like Cameron, her self deprecating humor and her astute observations of the world around her, I didn't think she nor her problems were that interesting to keep me engaged. I kept wondering when we could get to the God's Promise, the religious camp famous for rehabilitating homosexuals, which doesn't really appear until the last quarter of the book. To be honest, there were several passages that I skimmed because I felt Cameron was a bit too repetitive, especially with her inner struggle with wanting to leave Miles City versus staying and even more so when was in "therapy" which slows down the plot to a mere crawl. I got the impression that Cameron herself doesn't seem to think where she lives is all that bad and it is clear that she doesn't like it, but she pretty regularly lets the therapists off the hook because she knows that they really believe that homosexuality is a sin that can be cured. I found it a bit troublesome to believe that Cameron would do such a thing considering the rage that is internally developed in Cameron, which is shown to the reader. It was frustrating to watch Cameron not do anything about her situation until a terrible incident occurs and shakes her to her core.
Second, which may be just my personal issue, is that there really isn't much of introspection in the book as I would hope there would be. I kept waiting for the moments where the characters would have these grand epiphanies or get an insight on their thoughts. I don't mean that they have to give a long sermon on what's wrong in the world, but rather have moments where they ask themselves questions and try to make sense of their world. Every time the characters seemed to open up just a little, the moment quickly ends before it fully develops, making me think I saw a mirage which, in my opinion, loses the potency of the book. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to think about while reading the book, but it didn't have the same pay off as you would get if you were attuned to the characters.
Third and perhaps my biggest concern with the book is that the stand against God’s Promise, a church camp that promises to “cure” young people of their homosexuality, doesn't exist. When I finished the book, I was left wondering if Cameron really learned anything at all and if so what? What does she do next? The book abruptly ends where each character goes on to their own lives, never to be heard of again. Perhaps the author made a deliberate decision to not expand on this point and let the readers come to their own conclusion, but I don't find this book very hopeful nor consoling to young teens who are already struggling with their own sexuality. It gives off the old cliche saying "Life sucks and then you die" feeling. And that, to me, is the most dangerous thing in this book.
I know professional reviewers such as Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly gave The Miseducation of Cameron Post starred reviews so it's very likely that I missed the whole point of the book. Now I'm considering if I was too critical or heck, read the same book as they did. I would suggest you take my review with a grain of salt and read other reviews before deciding to this skip this book, because in spite of my issues, I do think this book could spark a great discussion.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language and drug use throughout the book. There are also a couple of a scenes that, while not described graphically, are pretty graphic nonetheless such as an individual hurting himself with a razor. For these reasons only, I would feel comfortable recommending this book to older YA readers (Grades 10 and up) and adults only.

If you like this book try: This Is All by Aidan Chambers, Say the Word by Jeannine, Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez.

Tempting Tuesday: Guest Post: Chloe Neil on Writing + Prize Winners

2012-01-31T05:58:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day in the Tempting Tuesday read along event. I would like to thank again the incredible Chloe Neil for writing her awesome urban fantasy series Chicagoland Vampires and to my fabulous co-hosts, Jenny, Tina, and Missie. Ladies, we must do this again! A big very big thank you goes out to the participants who have made our Tuesday extra special by joining in the discussion. As promised, today we have a guest post from Chloe and the winners for the awesome prize pack.Without further ado, here is a letter directly from Chloe to her readers. I hope you enjoy!

Dear Reader:

Is it surprising to learn that I used to get panicky about writing assignments? That my only English class in college was "African Novel"? that I promised myself I would never, ever get a job that required me to write?

And yet, here we are. :)

In high school and my first year of college, I thought I was headed for a career in the visual arts. A "starving artist" of the New York variety, or maybe an illustrator. (I didn't know much about commercial graphic design back then, or surely it would have topped the list, too.) I did not like to write; hated it, in fact. I wasn't good at constructing sentences, and the act of doing it made me nervous and fretful to the point of distraction.

It was probably a fateful decision, then, that I attended a liberal arts college that prized writing over multiple choice exams . . . and that led me away from studio art in my second year. I wrote a paper as a sophomore, a short essay intended to examine the women's rights movement. Instead of jumping into a discussion of the history, I started by writing the story of a fictitious woman named Hillary.

In other words, instead of simply writing a summary, I wrote a story. It got a good review from my professor, I recall, but that didn't change my mind one iota. Writing was not for me.

The song didn't change after grad school, or in a summer job as I watched my employers lock themselves in their offices to finish drafts. The proposition of having to write for a living, on a deadline, horrified me.

But then, after a string of random occurrences, I got a job as a kind of pseudo-reporter. I watched things happen; I wrote about them. I wrote about them every day for months on end. And in that process, I got more comfortable constructing sentences, putting clauses together and shaping paragraphs.

I learned, in the most basic sense, how to write.

Still, that was it. I read--had always loved to read--but I was quite content to leave the fiction writing to others. It didn't even occur to me to write fiction. After all, I only barely liked writing at my job. Why do it for fun?

Unfortunately, one sad day around that time, an important relationship ended. I healed by reading. And then reading more. And more and more and more. I devoured 8 or 10 paperbacks a week, usually romance, usually in a series of some type because I loved recurring characters and inside jokes.

Eventually, I ran out of things to read. I couldn't find a series I enjoyed or a romance with enough sparkle to hook me.

I thought, at first, I'd try my hand at fan fiction. I loved Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. Since I read faster than she published, I decided to imagine myself into the books to fill time until the next episode was released.

After about 2,000 words of Dark Hunter fan fiction, I felt silly. These weren't my characters; they were hers. It felt weird to play the game using someone else's cards.

So, on Labor Day in 2005, I opened a Word file and I started to write.

When I wasn't in class (grad school, at the time), I was writing. Weekends, I was writing. I wrote the same way I'd read--voraciously. I created a family of characters and a bevy of sarcastic inside jokes. I plotted seven books in a paranormal romance series, one romance per book, and I plastered a wall in my apartment with sticky notes--ideas and quips for later books.

I finished the manuscript on New Year's Day. It wasn't very good--and I have a rejection letter to prove it. But I'd done it, and it hadn't been nearly as bad as I'd imagined.

A few months later, I started my second manuscript, which I called The Prodigal Daughter. (Seriously. Isn't that terrible?) It took six months to write and six months to edit. When I was reasonably confident I was done, I sent it to one publisher--Penguin.

A few months later, we mutually decided that Some Girls Bite was a much better title. :)

Today, I have a day job (in which I write) and a writing career (in which I write). I write a LOT, and there are still times when the words don't come and the fear rises up. But I'venow written ten novels, and each seems to reinforce one central idea: A book is crafted one sentence at a time. Don't worry about the last sentence in the manuscript--worry about the next sentence in the manuscript. You can deal with everything else later.

Thanks for listening. And reading.

Love,

Chloe

Winners of the Read-Along Contest

Grand Prize Winner:
Christy @ Love of Books

Charmfall Winners:
Heidi @ Rainy Day Ramblings
Chantaal @ Wandering Fangirl

Congrats to the winners!

Manga Monday: Library Wars Vol. 4

2012-01-30T06:36:00.000-08:00

I'm joining my blogging friend, Alison from Alison Can Read, on her manga meme Manga Mondays where bloggers can discuss manga we've read. I'm very much a newbie when it comes to manga and I like experimenting with different genres and series. Today I'll be reviewing the volumes 4 through 6 of Library Wars.

Description (from Goodreads): Iku and Commander Inamine are abducted by Bakushu-kai terrorists, who demand sensitive material from the library's protected collection in return for the hostages! Dojo is worried about Iku, his problem student with limited field experience. But what Iku lacks in training she more than makes up for in gumption, and she is not going to let library material go without a fight!

Review: The fourth volume of Library Wars is a mixed bag for me. I liked some parts and didn't like others. I think my mixed reaction mainly stems from the central relationship in the manga, that of Dojo and Iku, which I, personally, find troublesome. I know I mentioned this in my other reviews for this series thus far; I'll try to explain my issues in this review since the romantic angle is emphasized much more in this installment.
Iku is a likable female character who is fiery, passionate yet somewhat impulsive. She entered the library task force as a guard after a personal run in with the censors herself while browsing at a local bookstore as a teen. When a male guard protected her rights to read, she dubbed him her prince and fell in love with him and in his profession. She vowed she would do the same when she became an adult. When Iku enters the library task force, she is practically bullied by Dojo, her boss. He berates her constantly and calls her an idiot more than I can count. In fact in one vivid moment in the first volume, Dojo slaps her very hard as a punishment. After that moment, Dojo never apologized and Iku believes he was justified in treating her so because it was her fault. Since that moment, I've been very uncomfortable reading about Iku and Dojo.
In this volume we get a rare moment where we read from Dojo's perspective. He actually thinks about Iku and more specifically her good qualities. We dare say that he actually has developed feelings toward her. Some may think Dojo is a great love interest, but I really don't see it at all. One minute he can be caring and nice, offering his support and encouragement and the next he can be a down right brute. We are told he behaves this way because he knows the identity of Iku's prince but doesn't want Iku to know that he knows. His "cruel to be kind" ways frustrate me and I secretly hope for Iku to have another love interest so I don't have think about him.
Despite my issues with the romance, there are parts that I did like in this volume. Iku gets a chance to shine. As the manga opens, Iku finds herself in a hostage situation with a library Commander and tries to find a way to escape. Instead of cowering into a corner, Iku uses her smarts and quick thinking to alert her colleagues of her location so they can help get her and the Commander out. She also struggles to not be a disappointment to her parents and tries very hard to make them proud. I also like that this volume also gives the reader a chance to learn a bit more about the secondary characters, especially Tomaki whom I've come to really like. Though a backseat to the last stronger two volumes, this one was readable and just okay.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some violence, language, and a scene of drinking at a bar where Iku gets drunk. Recommended for teens and adults interested in libraries and reading about censorship.

If you like this book try: Library Wars Vol 5 by Kiiro Yumi

Guest Post: Julia Karr's Top 10 Favorite Restaurants

2012-01-27T06:18:00.000-08:00

I'm delighted to have Julia Karr here on the blog today as a promotional tour for her new book Truth, which is a sequel to her debut novel XVI. In order to get to know Julia better, I asked her what are her top 10 restaurants and this is her list:

Julia Karr's Top 10 Favorite Restaurants

1. Chicago Diner (in Chicago) - I love, love, LOVE this restaurant! Being a vegetarian, it’s like walking into heaven!

2. The Owlery - (in Bloomington, IN) - Same reason as the Chicago Diner - the food is fabulous and everything is either vegetarian or vegan!

3. Ramsi’s Cafe on the World (in Louisville, KY) - It’s the best restaurant for having everything to satisfy both vegans and unrepentant carnivores!

4. Athena Restaurant (in St. Augustine, FL) - A great little Greek restaurant! I’ve had many a (veggie) Christmas dinner there!

5. The Tasting Room (in St. Augustine, FL) - Excellent food (tapas), wine, and music!

6. Muddy Boots Cafe (in Nashville, IN - not TN) - Best bean soup in the world!

7. 605 Grille (in Madison, IN) - The quiche is yummy and the bartender is a hoot!

8. Soul Vegetarian East (in Chicago) - Go there for Sunday dinner! You will NOT be disappointed!

9. Ed’s Cantina & Grille (in Estes Park, CO) - Excellent Mexican!

10. The Dragon (in Bloomington, IN) - Maybe not the best Chinese restaurant ever - but when you want Dragon Homestyle Bean Curd, nothing else will do!

Thank you for stopping by, Julia! Readers, if you would like to learn more about Julia and her books, please visit her website, on her Facebook page, and on Twitter.

Nina Oberon’s life has changed enormously in the last few months. When her mother was killed, Nina discovered the truth about her father, the leader of the Resistance. And now she sports the same Governing Council–ordered tattoo of XVI on her wrist that all sixteen-year-old girls have. The one that announces to the world that she is easy prey to predators. But Nina won’t be anyone’s stereotype. And when she joins an organization of girls working within the Resistance, she knows that they can put an end to one of the most terrifying secret programs the GC has ever conceived. Because the truth always comes out...and the consequences can be deadly.

Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels Novella)

2012-01-26T06:35:00.000-08:00

As a gift for their readers during the holiday season last month, husband and wife team Ilona Andrews offered up a free Kate Daniels novella for a limited time. The novella, Magic Gifts, takes place at the same time as Andrea’s book, the upcoming Gunmetal Magic and right after Magic Slays. The two stories intersect. If you have not already, I highly recommend reading the Kate Daniels series. It's one of my favorite series that I recently discovered. There are currently five books out and it's best to read them in order as the series builds upon itself. You can click on my review link which will bring the books up in order for you.

Description (from Goodreads): A dinner date after a hard day at work sounds heavenly. Of course, when that date is between the Beast Lord and Kate Daniels, things don’t go as planned. Before you know it, undead are running amok, heads are being chopped off, lawyers are deployed and used with extereme prejudice, and drunk vikings are calling people out.

Review: Reading about Curran and Kate is a special treat and Magic Gifts is no exception. I know when I read the Kate Daniel series I'm always craving more scenes that feature both Curran and Kate together and in Magic Gifts we get a glimpse into their relationship and in their daily lives. What was suppose to be a simple, relaxing dinner date turns out to be anything but as a battle between vampires, mages, shape-shifters, and Vikings with the mead and axes interrupts.
I thoroughly enjoyed Magic Gifts and read it in one sitting as there were no dull moments in the book. I liked learning about what is going on with the Merc and how Kate was going to deal with that situation. While this is discussed and touched on a bit, it was quickly pushed to the wayside while the characters faced a more prominent issue. I also loved learning about more mythological creatures that inhabit Kate's world and I made a mental note to never tick off a Viking. *shudders* Though the conflict gets resolved by the end of the book, I though it was a bit rushed and that may because the novella is a mere 100 pages. The novella does fulfill its purpose in just whetting our appetites while we agonizingly wait for Gunmental Magic (August 2012) to be released and I'm dying to know what happened to Andrea and Raphael.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language and violence. Recommended for older teens and adult only.

If you like this book try: Bloodsong series by Cat Adams, Mercy Thomspon series by Patricia Briggs, Fray or Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 graphic novel series by Joss Whedon, Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neil, Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Graphic Novels Mini-Reviews: Children's Edition

2012-01-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

I naturally gravitate towards the YA or the Teen section of my library. My reading goal for this year to diversify my reading pile. I grabbed a bunch of graphic novels from the Children section last year and after being in a graphic novel/manga slump, it nice to read enjoyable titles and get back on track. Today I will be reviewing: Gunnerkrigg Court Vol 1: Orientation by Tom Siddell, Amelia Rules! What Makes You Happy by Jimmy Gownley, and Amelia Rules! The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular by Jimmy Gownley.

Description (from Goodreads): Antimony Carver is a precocious and preternaturally self-possessed young girl starting her first year of school at gloomy Gunnerkrigg Court, a very British boarding school that has robots running around along side body-snatching demons, forest gods, and the odd mythical creature. The opening volume in the series follows Antimony through her orientation year: the people she meets, the strange things that happen, and the things she causes to happen as she and her new friend, Kat, unravel the mysteries of the Court and deal with the everyday adventures of growing up.

Review: The first volume of the Grunnerkrigg is delightful, quirky, and magical book. The artwork is beautiful and filled with colorful pages. It gives the comic an animated feel to it. The setting of a boarding school fantasy reminded me of Harry Potter but I think that is due to the popularity of the Harry Potter series. There were other stories that featured a British boarding school fantasies. The similarities are on the superficial level but Gunnerkrigg stands on its own. Each chapter is episodic, which makes sense since the comic was originally published a web comic and now bound in a book format for the first time, but I never felt lost reading it.
Antimony is a fabulous main character who is smart, quirky, has a dry wit, and extremely precocious. I was afraid of not liking her, but she does soften up a bit and become more approachable as she begins to have friends. Her friendship with Kat is real and their personalities compliment each other really well. The magical/fantasy elements of the story are a lot of fun and as the plot reveals itself become mysterious and hint at dangerous things to come. The book is infused with plenty of humor but also serious when it comes to learning about Antimony's past and the hints surrounding the school. After reading the first volume, I definitely wanted to know more and plan on reading the next volume.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some PG violence and some textual that would suggest sexual innuendo but I think you would really have to be looking for it to find it. Recommended for strong Grades 5 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Gunnerkrigg Court Vol 2: Research by Tom Siddell

Description (from Goodreads): In this volume, Amelia lives life, suffers loss and kisses a ninja. Always entertaining, this three-time Eisner and two-time Harvey nominee is guaranteed to keep you laughing and get your kids/nieces/nephews/etc. hooked on comics!

Review: Adorable, hilarious, and heart warming, Amelia Rules is a great graphic novel series for older elementary school and middle school readers that I wish I had while growing up. What Makes You Happy is actually the second book in the series, which I didn't find out until finishing the book. Normally, I try my best to read series books in order in fear of being left out in character and/or world building but luckily I was able to read this volume without any problems. Amelia is a precocious young girl who reminds me of a current day Ramona Quimby. She’s in a club of kids who dress up like superheroes, has a former rock star for an aunt, and her own set of insecurities. In this volume of her adventures, Amelia’s club encounters a competing group of kids who dress as ninjas. We also find out some of the history of her aunt. I laughed out loud several times while reading this book, particularly the subtle jokes that older readers will understand just like those in the animated movies like Shrek or Tangled, and I had a smile on my face when I was done. Amelia's adventures and emotions ring true to her age and there is a balance between humor and seriousness. There are also subtle lessons learned. The full-color illustrations are accessible and comfortable, with a comfortable reading layout and the text was easy to read and follow. After reading this book, I wanted to read more.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 4 and up.

If you like this book try: Amelia Rules! Superheroes by Jimmy Gownley, Knights of the Lunch Table by Frank Cammuso

Description (from Goodreads): Do you know there’s no true opposite to the word “catastrophe”? Amelia McBride and company are about to embark on their most daunting mission yet: navigating the promises and pitfalls of popularity at Joe McCarthy Elementary. A tricky task when you consider an unmatched pair of socks alone can cause ridicule for years to come. Really, though, all the gang wants is not to be unpopular. Rising and falling through the ranks of nerd, geek—and cheerleader?—with advice from wacky popularity expert Dr. Victoria Medeochrias, Amelia and her friends encounter riotous mobs, unfortunate makeovers, and bad catch phrases. Even after things go from bad to worse, Amelia learns there are some things that are just a little bit more important than being popular.

Review: Amelia McBride returns in an all new, hilarious adventure to learn some hard truths about popularity. When a mistake involving space suits turns Amelia and her friend Rhonda into social outcasts, they consult The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular. In their quest to be "normal," she and her pals try out make-overs that guarantee to restore their social status at school. Gownley does a great job in showing the delicate stage of tweenhood as the characters try to balance themselves on that strange line between childhood and adolescence, as they are wanting to be cool but ending up racing down the hill in a wheelbarrow. The dialogue is effortless and evokes laughter on every page. There are moments when I had to put the book down because I was laughing so hard. I also just had to share some moments with others and tell them to read that page. I also loved the fact that Amelia's mother and aunt also play a vital role in Amelia's life and also provide an anecdote that shows how they dealt with the problem of popularity in their own time. I'm definitely hooked on this serious and can't wait to read more!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 4 and up.

If you like this book try: Amelia Rules! True Things Adults Don't Want Kids to Know by Jimmy Gownley, Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russel

Tempting Tuesday: Some Girls Bite Read Along Chp 13-15 + Epilogue

2012-01-24T06:33:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the fourth week and final discussion of the Some Girls Bite Read-Along! For those of you who don't know, the fabulous ladies behind Tina's Book Reviews, Superntural Snark, The Unread Reader and myself are hosting a read-along of the first book of Chloe Neill's outstanding Chicagoland Vampires urban fantasy series. For all the details about the event and our grand prize giveaway, be sure and check out the introductory post HERE.
Missie from The Unread Reader is hosting the discussion this week so head over to Missie's blog to link up your posts. Check back next week with a very special guest post from Chloe Neil and the announcement of our giveaway! I would like to thank Ms. Neil for supporting our read along of her awesome book series and to my fellow hostesses who made a newbie read along member feel so welcome. Thank you, ladies! Without further ado, here are my answers to this week's questions

Discussion Questions Chp 13-15 + Epilogue

Chapter 13 opens with Merit describing her new job routine as House Sentinel. Considering that every job at Cadogan House is important in helping to make the house run efficiently, which job do you think you'd like to have (guard, cook, social director, gardener, etc.) and why?

I bet you probably thought I'd be the librarian, eh? Actually, I would love to spend time in the Cadogan library because it does sound awesome but I wouldn't be active in all the action. I'd like to be one of the guards who work behind the scenes. While I detest the idea of working out, I do love solving puzzles and finding out the answers to questions that I don't know. I'd rather work with Luc instead of the grouchy guy in the library that pops in and out. :)

In the supernatural world of Chicagoland Vampires, politics seem to play an important role in the way the Houses are run. Now that you've been introduced to the Rogues, do you think it's better for vampires to be a part of a House or to live outside of one.

From what I know I think I'd rather be part of a House instead of a rogue. We really don't know much of the Rogue lifestyle besides being independent and fighting for your own survival. I think it's interesting that human Merit's life seems to be more akin to a rogue where she virtually had no family connections (Man, did her family get on my nerves and didn't really want almost anything to do with her!) and now vampire Merit finally does have a family.

After Morgan openly asks to court Merit, she feels betrayed when Ethan commands her to accept for the show of alliance it could bring to Cadogan House. Do you think her reaction was warranted?

Ah..yeah! Merit was treated as piece in Ethan's politics game. He saw an advantage in forming 'allies' and took the opportunity. It's also a kind of slap in the face for Merit. She finally accepted she her role in the Cadogan House and only to realize that she's nothing more than a pawn. As for Morgan, ugh! I liked him at the beginning and thought there was some potential but he just reminds me of a junior high kid. Actually that scene reminded of the time when you are in junior high and you have to tell your friends to tell your crush that you like them because you don't have the guts to do it yourself? Yeah, it was cheap back then and it's still cheap now.

When Ethan meets with the perpetrator of the murders, were you surprised to discover who it was? If you suspected someone, were your suspensions correct? What did you think of the perpetrator's motive?

I wasn't really all that surprised with the motive, but I was surprised how none of the vamps could figure it out. I think there were really large clues staring them in the face. I also knew there was another reason why I hated Amber so much. LOL!

What was your favorite/least favorite parts of Some Girls Bite?

Favorite parts: Hanging out with Mallory, Catcher, and Jeff. The commendation scene was beautifully written and the almost kiss with Ethan and Merit was such a tease. Luc's introduction to the guards and meeting Lindsey.

Least favorite parts: Merit talking with her dad, Morgan openly asked to date Merit

What do you think is coming up next for Merit, Sentinel of Cadogan House? Will you continue reading this series, and if so, what do you hope to see happen in the next book?

I already know what happens to her in the five books that are released till date. So in order to not spoil anyone who hasn't, I will say that she will face a lot of surprises that she didn't see coming involving her various relationships that will test her in many ways. Merit's got a lot of growing up to do and a lot to deal with. I can't wait to August to see how she deals with it.

Caldecott, Newbery, Morris, and Printz Awards..Oh My!

2012-01-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

I have been looking forward to this morning and anxiously awaiting the announcement of several Children and Young Adult book awards. The Young Media Awards are like the Oscars for many librarians, including myself. The awards took place at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting at Dallas, Texas. Although there are many awards honored today, I was looking forward to finding out the winners for the Caldecott, Newberry, Morris, and of course the Michael L. Printz Award. You can find the other winners on the Association for Library Services to Children website and the Young Adult Library Services website (YALSA).

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of Randolph Caldecott, who was a nineteenth-century English illustrator. The award is given annually by the Association for Library Service to Children to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Winner of the 2012 Caldecott Medal is:

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Racka

Honorees of the 2012 Caldecott are:

Blackout by John Rocco
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

The Newberry Medal was named in the honor of John Newberry, who was an eighteenth century British bookseller. Like the Caldecott, it is also awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Winner of the 2012 Newberry Medal is:

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Honorees of the 2012 Newberry are:

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

The William C. Morris YA Debut Award was first awarded in 2009 by YALSA. The award is given to a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.

Winner of the 2012 Morris Award is:

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Honorees of the 2011 Morris Award are:

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

The Michael L. Printz Award was named in the honor of Michael L. Printz, a school librarian in Topeaka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. The Michael L. Printz Award is an award given annually by the Young Adult Library Services Association to a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.

Winner of the 2012 Michael Printz Award is:

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Honorees of the 2011 Printz Award are:

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and by Maira Kalman
The Returning by Christine Hinwood
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Well, the library associations have spoken. What do you think of these book awards? Will you read the books that have won and have been honored? I was surprised that Where Things Come Back won both the Morris and the Printz award. I haven't heard much of the book, but I'm definitely putting it on my reading pile along with these other great books.

I Wish There Were More Books About...

2012-01-20T07:24:00.000-08:00

Image credit

I find myself in a pensive mood as the Chicagoland area is expected to get hit with another 4 to 9 inches of snow later today. It's also Friday and I've had a very busy week at work. I was looking over my very large reading stack and got to wondering about the holes in YA literature. As you may have noticed, I tend to ask this question from some of my authors in my interviews because I do think there are some glaring holes that need to be filled. So, I started to ask myself "I wish there were more books about..." Below are some of my wishes and I love to know what yours are too.

I Wish There Were More Books About..

GLBT teens who are main characters and just are
Multicultural fiction that feature young adults from other continents beside North America and Europe.
Male protagonists that are featured in books other than sports, science fiction, or fantasy
Ethnic minority kids who don't fall under their stereotypes and are the main characters
Strong female characters in realistic/contemporary fiction who aren't boy crazed and or desperately seeking to become popular.
A paranormal romance without a love triangle and/or a creepy, stalker-like love interest.
A paranormal romance where the heroine doesn't give up her own identity and interests for the sake of her love interest. Actually, this could go for realistic fiction too.
Smart romance books that have depth and appeal to both male and female readers.
Dystopian novels that doesn't regurgitate the same themes from Brave New World or 1984
Retellings of other popular classics that not from Jane Austen's works or Pride and Prejudice in particular. I think Jane would be with me on this one.
Retelling of other myths besides the Greek and Roman
High fantasy books that are YA appropriate so I can offer them to teens at my public library
Interracial romances that don't end up in tragedy and/or constantly trying to defend themselves to others in their community.

What about you? What would you like to see differently in YA? What are you tired of? Let's discuss!

Darker Still (Magic Most Foul #1)

2012-01-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

As you can probably tell I was on a Victorian period kick last year so I was really excited to hear about Lynn Renee Heiber's debut YA novel Darker Still. Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader's copy of the book. Despite its New York setting, the book definitely captures the vibe of a Gothic Victorian romantic suspense. While I enjoyed the book, it didn't meet my expectations and left me a bit disappointed.

Description (from Goodreads): It was as if he called to me, demanding I reach out and touch the brushstrokes of color swirled onto the canvas. It was the most exquisite portrait I'd ever seen--everything about Lord Denbury was unbelievable...utterly breathtaking and eerily lifelike.
There was a reason for that. Because despite what everyone said, Denbury never had committed suicide. He was alive. Trapped within his golden frame. I've crossed over into his world within the painting, and I've seen what dreams haunt him. They haunt me too. He and I are inextricably linked--bound together to watch the darkness seeping through the gas-lit cobblestone streets of Manhattan. Unless I can free him soon, things will only get Darker Still.

Review: Natalie Stewart has been mute for as long as she can remember. She records her life experiences in a journal which she received as a gift on her exit from the Connecticut Asylum, an institution that serves people with disabilities. Natalie is not your conventional Victorian woman who is passive and demure. She is actually very charming, fiesty, and hates when others feel sorry for her because of her impairment. She takes her disability in stride and makes the best of it instead of moping about it. Her mannerisms and her writing style demonstrate that she is intelligent and observant. Her mundane world changes the moment she encounters a cursed painting and she is immediately drawn into the world of spiritualism and demonic possession.
The famous portrait is of a very handsome young English Lord named Jonathon Denbury. Lord Denbury has been missing and presumed dead for many years. There is a legend that says that he had committed suicide after learning about his parents death in an accident. Natalie quickly learns after seeing the famous lord's portrait that he is very much alive and stuck inside the painting. She also discovers that some who looks exactly like Lord Denbury is terrorizing New York City. Natalie is the only connection Denbury has to the real world, and she and Mrs. Northe, a wealthy intellectual spiritualist, strive to free him before his soul is forfeited.
I liked Lord Denbury and thought he was charming, though I didn't think his character had enough depth to make him interesting or stand out. I couldn't understand why women fell for him. We are only told how extremely handsome he is and that's really about it. Since this is a first book in what seems like a series, I hope to learn more about him. My favorite character by far is Mrs. Northe. She is intelligent, open minded, a spiritualist who is willing to acknowledge the whisperings of the supernatural, and a force to be reckoned with.
While romance plays a big part in the book, especially to the build up to the kiss between Lord Denbury and Natalie, I didn't really feel the connection between them. There is a strong insta-love that happens between them and we don't really seem interact on a romantic level. If there weren't any declarations of love spoken between them, I would've thought Natalie was only used as a tool to help Lord Denbury break his curse and that's about it. I would have liked to be shown more emotion between them instead of being told.
The premise of Darker Still has great appeal. The homage to famous writers such as Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde is obvious yet you can enjoy the book without reading the classics. Darker Still is an epistolary novel composed of news articles, journals, and various letters which evoke Stoker's Dracula, but this narrative choice dampens both momentum and suspense. The reason why this style worked for Stoker is because his novel is told through many points of view and not everyone knew what was happening which heightened the suspense. In Darker Still almost everything is told by Natalie and the events described are never seen by the reader but told through our heroine as before and after. While the plot has many similarities to The Picture of Dorian Gray, there really isn't much of the same drama and I think the main reason for this is that we got to see Dorian as a fleshed out character in Wilde's book instead of a merely portrait. Lord Denbury doesn't have much oomph to make him important or mysterious even when he seems to have a demon lookalike running around.
There are some plot twists that are entirely too convenient. Heiber does a good job bringing Victorian England to New York, but the elements of melodramatic gothic and supernatural swashbuckler never quite meld. After a strong start, I began to lose interest in the book before the climax and actually figured out the mystery and its resolution long before the characters did. While I did have issues with the book, I would recommend it to readers who enjoy Gothic romantic suspense novel and I'm curious enough to see what happens next to Natalie and Lord Denbury.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There are some disturbing images and some language. There is also scenes and/or discussion of opium dens where drug use and sex with prostitutes are alluded. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman, the Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray, Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, or Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

A Tale of Two Cities

2012-01-18T07:04:00.000-08:00

In January 2011 I created a top 10 list of books that I resolved to read by the end of the year. I only completed three of the ten, but the one book that I really wanted to read and cross off my list is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I was so proud to finish the book and I no longer have a guilty English major conscious.

Description: After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the ageing Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There the lives of two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil roads of London, they are drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror, and they soon fall under the lethal shadow of La Guillotine.

Review: As I mentioned in college, I was an English major and I loved reading from the Victorian period but I could never manage to read a full Charles Dickens novel. Believe me, I've tried Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and even Great Expectations. I struck out with all of them. In fact I tried reading Great Expectations several times and have failed to pass page 10 without falling asleep at the exact same paragraph. I was determined that in 2011 I would finish one book by Dickens for my Victorian reading challenge. I chose to read A Tale of Two Cities because I was interested in the French Revolution and also because of its brevity. To my astonishment, I stayed awake throughout and actually really enjoyed reading large sections of the book.
The plot for A Tale of Two Cities is widely known so I won't bother going into the details. So what made this book different from the other ones I've tired and failed to read? For one thing, Dickens doesn't spend too much with description and adding an influx of characters that come and go. I was able to follow a group of characters from the beginning to the end with little confusion. Some would argue that Dickens more attention to the Revolutionaries in France and the book lacks character development, which is a good argument since Charles Darnay and Lucie Manette are kind of one dimensional. I, however, was more drawn to Sir and Madame Defarge who are the book's catalyst. As a reader you are suppose to be appalled by their lack of compassion and blood thirstiness, but I couldn't help but sympathize and whenever they appeared on the page I paid more attention.
I have to say reading a historical fiction novel from the Victorian period was really interesting. While there are parts of the book that are completely bias, I didn't get the sense that Dickens opposed the concept behind the revolution. He could have easily made the protestors uncivilized and ignorant, but their plight is accurately expressed and you can't help but get caught up in their emotion after suffering so many injustices.
While I'm glad that I finished and enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities, I'm not willing to rush back and reread it anytime soon. Perhaps if I do a little more research into the French Revolution and then read it with a critical eye, I would be more inclined to do so. I'm just happy with my own little personal milestone.

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong violence that reflected what happened during the French Revolution.

If you like this book try: City of Darkness, City of Light by Marge Piercy, Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, Madame Tussad by Michelle Moran, The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliot

Tempting Tuesdays: Chp 9-12

2012-01-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the third week of the Some Girls Bite Read-Along! For those of you who don't know, the fabulous ladies behind Tina's Book Reviews, Superntural Snark, The Unread Reader and myself are hosting a read-along of the first book of Chloe Neill's outstanding Chicagoland Vampires urban fantasy series. Each week we'll pose and answer five questions about the book and then hop around to the other blogs who have signed up to check out everyone's answers! For all the details about the event and our grand prize giveaway, be sure and check out the introductory post HERE.

Missie from The Unread Reader will be discussing the last section of the book so be sure to check her blog to find out next week's discussion questions. I am hosting next week and will be covering Chapters 9-12. Use the linky below to post up your answers!

Discussion Questions Chapter 9-12

Catcher and Ethan share some personality traits. What makes Mallory, Merit, and even us readers attracted to these guys? Would you date/mate with someone like these guys in real life?

There is something so attractive about confidence, swagger, and mystery that I think both Catcher and Ethan exude. There are so many layers to their character and personality that you want to unveil and discover. Their imperfections make them approachable and easily to relate to. Now would I date these guys if they were real, no. Life is already stressful and why would you complicate it more with a high maintenance guy? I would most likely go for Jonah who appears later in the series.

In Chapter 9 we learn of another murder. Do you see any patterns with the previous murder and Merit's attack? Do you have any guesses as to who is responsible and the motive behind the murders?

Well since I've already read the series up to date, I already know the party who is responsible but I didn't catch the commonalities of the murderers with Merit's attack during my first read. I don't want to spoil the ending but I really don't think it's a coincidence. As for the motive, I think it's a political power struggle amongst the paranormals and humans.

The commendation is my favorite moment in the book and a significant event in Merit's life. She has finally come to terms that she is a Cadogan vampire. Were you surprised at all that Merit resisted Ethan's call and that he made her a Sentinel? Do you think she'll do well in this position? Why or why not?

I actually suspected that Merit would resist Ethan's call. There is something off about how she was changed and this issue will be addressed more closely in the second book. I was, however, really surprised that Ethan made Merit a Sentinel. When I think of Merit, I don't think guard. I actually envisioned her working more on the behind of the scene of the Cadogan House. As to her performance as a Sentinel, I think it's still a bit early to tell. She does seem to find and work with clues quite nicely. I think she definitely has potential in doing really well.

Loyalty is a reoccurring theme throughout the book and much of this series. Why is it so important to Ethan that he needs Merit's allegiance? Is it solely a Master and Sentinel thing or does it imply something else?
As a head master of a house and his many years as a vampire, it undeniable that Ethan had issues with people betraying him and of course now that Merit is a Sentinel who has sworn she defends her house and leader with her life, it is required of her but there is a part of me that thinks the loyalty goes beyond the job requirement. It sounds as if it's a challenge to Merit and to himself in what could be a blueprint of what could whatever it is between them. It does seem inevitable that something between will happen. We're just waiting to see what and when.

If you had the opportunity to sit down with Ethan, Merit, Mallory, and Catcher for a bite to eat like in the beginning of Chapter 12, what questions would you ask them at this point of the story?

I have lots of questions for these characters so I'll just limit them to one per person:

Ethan: Of all the vamps at your disposal, why in the world did you choose Amber?

Merit: Can I borrow your katana sometime?

Mallory: Would you be willing to be my personal shopper?

Catcher: Where do you get your awesome T-shirts?

Manga Mondays: Library Wars Vol 3

2012-01-16T09:30:00.000-08:00

I'm joining my blogging friend, Alison from Alison Can Read, on her manga meme Manga Mondays where bloggers can discuss manga we've read. I'm very much a newbie when it comes to manga and I like experimenting with different genres and series. Today I'll be reviewing the third volume of Library Wars.

Description (from Goodreads): Iku is witness to a disturbance during a Board of Education speech on protecting children from the danger of books. The perpetrators are two young boys protesting the banning of their favorite books. But while Iku wants to reach out to the next generation of book lovers, Dojo insists that they can't play favorites. Will Dojo's prickly insistence on sticking to the rules ruin their budding friendship?

Review: The stakes are raised higher in this installment of Library Wars. The concept of library workers fighting on the side of the Library Freedom Act is what makes me come back to this series. I'm interested in the many ways the freedom to read is challenged in this manga. In this volume, we have two story lines. In the first, there are two teens who protest about the Board of Education banning their favorite books. Although they go about the protest in the wrong way with igniting fireworks during a meeting and causing chaos and commotion, it is obvious that the two teens are serious about their rights being taken away. After being questioned about their motive by the Library Defense, the two teens work on the presentation to display their concern. Unfortunately, they aren't taken seriously at first because of their age. In the second storyline, an FBI-like government agency wants to retrieve the library records of a criminal and various employees react to how the Library Defense goes about protecting civilian rights. I found the different perspectives on the library rights really interesting and it had me thinking about what I would have done if I were in their position.
The only problem, which is a big one, I have with this manga series is how Iku is treated badly by her male coworkers particularly with those she works closely with on various projects. She is constantly underestimated, belittled for her small mistakes by Dojo who serves as the love interest, and how she is obsessed by getting in Dojo's good graces. Normally, I read shojo in order to see how the romance and relationship progresses but not for Library Wars. The third volume ends in a sort of cliffhanger and I've already checked out the next three books in the series to see what happens next.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and violence, which I would rate as PG-13.

If you like this book try: Library Wars Volume 4 by Kiiro Yumi

Lost Magic and Living Violet Giveaway Winners!

2012-01-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry for the delay in announcing the winners of my giveaway. I additional working hours at the library and I'm trying to adjust to my new work schedule. Thank you to all of those who entered my Lost Magic and Living Violet giveaways. According to Random.org, the winner for the Lost Magic giveaway is my blogging friend Z from A Musing of a YA Reader and the winner for Living Violet giveaway is Diana! Congrats, Z and Diana! I sent you both an email. Please respond within 72 hours or I will have to pick a new winner.

Don't Breathe a Word

2012-01-12T09:21:00.000-08:00

At one point in our lives we all thought about running away. We can picture ourselves packing up our necessities and leaving our homes with vows of never returning. For many of us, it is just a fleeting desire as we realize that we are acting upon our heighten emotions and logic require us to think rationally but there are others who don't feel like they have an option and running away is a way of surviving. Joy Delamere belongs to the latter category.

Description (from Goodreads): Joy Delamere is suffocating...From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out. Joy can take his words - tender words, cruel words - until the night they go too far. Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe... if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.
Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength

Review: Don't Breathe a Word weaves two separate threads that come together in a grim but powerful take on an abusive relationship and a coming-of-age love story. While they don't entirely mesh well, the plot keeps the reader engaged throughout. Joy Delamere suffers from asthma. Her illness is a literal and metaphorical prison that shuts her in and burdens her family until she meets dangerous, sexy, and wealthy Asher. While their romance is liberating and exciting at first, but it becomes another prison as Asher becomes abusive and gains power over Joy and her family. In desperation, Joy decides to runaway. She fakes her kidnapping and flees, losing herself among the homeless teen population on Seattle's Capitol Hill. Joy quickly realizes as after a couple of days on her own that she is not cut out for the rough lifestyle. Her suburban naivete gets her in very dangerous circumstances, but four teen squatters led by an attractive musician, Creed, take her in and teach her street smarts. Each of the four teen squatters have their own problems which range from having a neglectful parent with a drug problem to being thrown out from the family because of their sexual orientation, which propel them to be homeless.
Unlike the sadistic and abusive Asher, Creed is gently protective of Joy. I didn't really see Joy and Creed having a romantic relationship but thought they had more like a brother-sister relationship. Though Cupala does a great job in developing Joy and allowing her to become her own, I thought the tough issues are too easily resolved which lessens the book's power and authenticity. Despite this, I thought the book's vivid setting and characters, particularly Joy's street family who are broken, jaded, and original, kept my attention while reading the book. While Don't Breathe a Word may lack believability and is not the typical book I would read, I do recommend it for readers who like gritty contemporary fiction that ends on a hopeful note.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: Due to the book's strong language, allusions to sex and prostitution, references to sexual and physical abuse, and drug use I think this book is suitable for older YA readers from Grades 10 and up.

If you like this book try: Kara, Lost by Susan Niz, Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen, Life is Funny by E.R. Frank, Compromised by Heidi Ayarbe

Don’t Breathe a Word Tour: 10 Real-life Secrets In Don't Breathe a Word + Giveaway!

2012-01-11T06:23:00.000-08:00

As part of the Teen Book Scene Don't Breath a Word Tour, today I would like to welcome Holly Cupala, the author of Tell Me a Secret and the recent released novel Don't Breathe a Word. Before I let Holly take over the blog, I wanted to let you all know about the great giveaway that is accompanying this tour!
HarperTeen has generously given Holly enough copies of DBaW to do a prize per day of the tour! There will be one book given per day, drawn weekly. Everything entered by Saturday night will be put into a drawing on Sunday. The points do accumulate, meaning entries put in for week one are still going to count for the drawings in weeks 2 and 3. This giveaway is open to all addresses provided that The Book Depository delivers to your country. Please check with The Book Depository for more details. Want to enter? Simply complete this form and follow it's requirements. Giveaway ends 1 AM EST on Saturday, January 14th. Good luck!

Now that I got all the information out of the way, let's return our attention to Holly. I found these secrets about the book really interesting and I hope you do too. Thank you Holly for stopping by my blog. It's all yours!

Thanks to Rummanah for hosting me and the Don’t Breathe a Word tour!

10 Real-Life Secrets in Don’t Breathe a Word:

1. Don’t Breathe a Word started out as an idea for a girl who fakes being homeless (she was going to be maybe a cheerleader by day, and spend time on the streets after school). It was sort of a ridiculous idea, but when a friend of mine who was a youth pastor was looking for donations (socks, toiletries, etc.) to take to homeless teens in Seattle, I suddenly had a picture of a girl who runs away for real.

2. Unlike Joy, I don’t have life-threatening asthma—but I talked to a lot of people who do to understand what her life would be like. Any errors are mine alone!

3. I actually went to the “For the Birds” zoo fundraiser party (and I do think flamingos are kind of mucky)—it was sort of a surprise when that party landed in my book.

4. While I was writing DBAW, a friend of mine told me about someone she knew who had gone for a year without buying any new clothes. "Maybe you should do that for your research," she said. (Me??) But...I decided to try it. I wasn't really a sock girl before, but I was amazed how important they became once they'd all suddenly sprung holes. My experience could never compare to that of my characters, but it gave me a new appreciation for them and their conditions.

5. I did see the Black Eyed Peas guy at a movie premiere, and he really did have a safety pin man-purse!

6. There are real-life crow researchers at the University of Washington who are dive-bombed, exactly as Asher says. They wrote a book, In the Company of Crows and Ravens, and I have a signed copy.

7. In my head, May’s voice sounds exactly like this electrician girl who rewired much of our attic. She was sassy and funny and rode in motorcycle races—no wonder she ended up a character!

8. I really hate having my blood drawn. The story Creed tells about the horse and the ocean was actually told to me by a doctor who was trying to keep me from freaking out. It worked—I was spellbound by the story and asked if I could steal it.

9. There is one character who was supposed to die, but then I couldn’t do it. So someone else died instead.

10. Where did Asher come from? Once upon a time I had a real Asher in my life, and I wrote about my experience in Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories.

Stop by the rest of the Don’t Breathe a Word tour for more secrets, swag, and lots of chances to win signed books! Thank you, Rummanah, for inviting me to your blog, and thanks to readers for all of the support of Don’t Breathe a Word! I hope you love it.

Thanks again for stopping by, Holly. If you would like more information about Holly and her book, be sure to check out these websites:

Holly's website
Holly on Twitter and Facebook
Don't Breathe a Word Official Website which includes a preview of the book.
Don't Breathe a Word on Goodreads

Joy Delamere is suffocating...

From asthma, which has nearly claimed her life. From her parents, who will do anything to keep that from happening. From delectably dangerous Asher, who is smothering her from the inside out.

Joy can take his words - tender words, cruel words - until the night they go too far.

Now, Joy will leave everything behind to find the one who has offered his help, a homeless boy called Creed. She will become someone else. She will learn to survive. She will breathe... if only she can get to Creed before it’s too late.

Set against the gritty backdrop of Seattle’s streets and a cast of characters with secrets of their own, Holly Cupala’s powerful new novel explores the subtleties of abuse, the meaning of love, and how far a girl will go to discover her own strength.

Tempting Tuesday: Some Girls Bite Read Along Chp 5-8

2012-01-10T06:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the second week of the Some Girls Bite Read-Along! For those of you who don't know, the fabulous ladies behind Tina's Book Reviews, Superntural Snark, The Unread Reader and myself are hosting a read-along of the first book of Chloe Neill's outstanding Chicagoland Vampires urban fantasy series. Each week we'll pose and answer five questions about the book and then hop around to the other blogs who have signed up to check out everyone's answers! For all the details about the event and our grand prize giveaway, be sure and check out the introductory post HERE.

Tina is the host this week, so be sure and visit her site to link up your posts and join in the discussion! I will be hosting next week and you can find my discussion questions at the bottom of my post today. I will have a linky next Tuesday so you can post up your answers.

CHAPTERS 5-8

In what is a make you blush, steamy scene in the book- Chapter 5 has Ethan and Merit sharing a few hot moments after Merit's hunger strikes...that is until Ethan becomes a total cad! What do you think of him so far? Strong, masterful vampire, conceited playboy.....lover boy in disguise?
Ethan is an enigma, isn't he? He is undeniably gorgeous and arrogant, but there is definitely more to him as the series continues. It's hard to be mad at the guy. I mean he's been a vampire for over 300 years and can't remember what his humanity feels like, which is why I think there's a strong attraction between him and Merit, who has just been turned. As a side note, Katy Perry's song Hot n' Cold reminds me a lot of Ethan's sudden mood swings.

Merit and Mallory begin some major training in these next few chapters, resulting in cool Katana Sword facts and Ninja moves. What is the most physically challenging or adrenaline fueled event/activity you have participated in?
I think the most grueling moment for me is fasting during Ramadan while working 10 nonstop hours during the high school's registration. For those of who don't know, Ramadan is a month that Muslims fast (no food, no drink including water) from sunrise to sunset. It's a month of reflection, spiritual reawakening, and being grateful for what you have.

Mallory and Catcher have sparks so intense they almost fly off the page.....what do you think of this cozy couple? Did you like the insta-love between them? Do they add to the story?
I know I talk about how annoying insta-love can be in YA, but I really don't mind it as much on the adult fiction level mainly because I've seen authors either build that moment until the two characters get together or in the case of Mallory and Catcher, explain why these two work so well. I do think Catcher and Mallory add to the story and may even give us a hint if something becomes of Merit and Ethan.

Lets talk Bff's....Mallory is hands down a terrific friend to Merit, the girls relationship is real, down to earth and fun....not to mention hysterical. What is your favorite memory or favorite thing to do with your bff? Feel free to share pics!

My BFF and I had planned on going to see the movie Troy (the one with Brad Pitt as Achilles). I didn't have a car so she drove over to my apartment in Chicago and then we got to chatting as I did a really quick search on Mapquest to get directions for a theater near by, but we didn't really read them to see if they made sense. As the movie time got closer, we jumped into her car and ended up driving circles on Lake Shore Drive because we couldn't find the exit for the movie theater. We actually ended up having lunch at Ed Debevics. When Troy finally came on DVD, we did a girls night out and watch it. It was horrible and ridiculous. We ended up mocking the movie while we watched it. Perhaps our getting lost was a sign!

Things are starting to heat up in the mystery department...the set up at Red, Morgan's flirty appearance.... Catchers vague answers......as correlation day gets closer for Merit do you think someone is out to get her...or maybe recruit her to another house? Or PS- feed her some more food...because goodnight this girl likes to eat!!!

Ah, Morgan. You know, I thought was kinda nice and he's definitely has a thing for Merit but I'm not really feeling it between them. It seems like a one-sided thing. As a side note, I love that Merit loves food. Finally, a woman who has an appetite and not ashamed of it. I just wished I had her metabolism!

Discussion Questions Chapter 9-12

1. Catcher and Ethan share some personality traits. What makes Mallory, Merit, and even us readers attracted to these guys? Would you date/mate with someone like these guys in real life?

2. In Chapter 9 we learn of another murder. Do you see any patterns with the previous murder and Merit's attack? Do you have any guesses as to who is responsible and the motive behind the murders?

3. The commendation is my favorite moment in the book and a significant event in Merit's life. She has finally come to terms that she is a Cadogan vampire. Were you surprised at all that Merit resisted Ethan's call and that he made her a Sentinel? Do you think she'll do well in this position? Why or why not?

4. Loyalty is a reoccurring theme throughout the book and much of this series. Why is it so important to Ethan that he needs Merit's allegiance? Is it solely a Master and Sentinel thing or does it imply something else?

5. If you had the opportunity to sit down with Ethan, Merit, Mallory, and Catcher for a bite to eat like in the beginning of Chapter 12, what questions would you ask them at this point of the story?

Manga Monday: Library Wars Vol 2

2012-01-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

I'm joining my blogging friend, Alison from Alison Can Read, on her manga meme Manga Mondays where bloggers can discuss manga we've read. I'm relatively new to manga and take more risk into finding out which genres or series to follow. I generally check around to see what is popular and/or recommended by other reviewers. Today I'll be reviewing the second volume of Library Wars.

Description (from Goodreads): In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and with the help of local governments, form a military group to defend themselves---the Library Forces! When the director of the Kanto Library Base gets sick, a temporary replacement is assigned, according to regulations. But Iku and her roommate Asako discover a trail of missing books that lead back to the temporary Director. Has he betrayed everything the Library Forces stands for and handed books over to the enemy?!

Review: I didn't really care for the first volume of Library Wars, which emphasized the romantic, in my opinion troubling, angle rather than the really interesting premise of fighting for the freedom to read and battling censorship. Though I liked the premise of the manga enough, I decided to read the next volume. Though some of my issues regarding the relationship angle are still there, I did enjoy this volume much more.
Volume 2 is much more eventful. We dig a little deeper into the characters and the potential relationship between Kasahara and Dojo. Kasahara is a sweet,likable girl who is reckless, impulsive, and emotional though she does have a good head on her shoulders and have good intentions at heart. I have issues with Dojo who continually berates her in one heartbeat and then in another can be caring. Dojo gives me whiplash with his mood swings. I guess you could call their relationship a love/hate one. Unlike many other shojo manga that I've read, which concentrates on romance, I really don't care for their relationship right now. I'm much more interested in what the Library Forces do and the different cases they tackle.
It was nice to see Kasahara get her first taste of action when the library has its first raid since she joined the staff. The team all knows an insider has been working with the government, though they can't prove it yet, and he's helped set up the book grab for the raiders. This time censorship is occurring within the system that was protected against it. I'm not sure if many people know, but this does happen in real life with many libraries. I worked with a woman in the past who would cut out pictures from Rolling Stone that she felt was inappropriate. You can image what was left of the magazine when she was done. I hope the series gets more interesting and digs a little deeper in its premise.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and violence, which I would rate as PG-13.

If you like this book try: Library Wars Volume 3 by Kiiro Yumi

Adult Mini-reviews: House on Mango Street, The Coast of Chicago, Nine Stories

2012-01-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

Another slew of mini-reviews coming your way! Today is the adult edition of books that have been sitting on my bookshelf for too long and I've finally read them last year as part of the Off the Shelve Reading Challenge. Today I will be reviewing: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, The Coast of Chicago by Stuart Dybek, and Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger.

Description: Told in a series of vignettes stunning for their eloquence, this vignette is Sandra Cisneros's greatly admired story of a young girl's growing up in the Latino section of Chicago.

Review: The House on Mango Street was chosen for the One Book, One Chicago program a couple of years ago. It is also used in two English classes at my high school. For these reasons alone, I purchased a copy but never actually sat down to read it. The book is very short and consists entirely of vignettes from the author's childhood in a poor section of Chicago. The writing is beautiful and spare. In just a short of space, no vignette is longer that 2 or 3 pages, we get a vivid image of her family, her neighborhood, and her neighbors. We also get a chance to see our world through a different type of racial lens. It really reminded me of my younger years living in a Chicago high rise apartment. The author carefully picks and chooses her words that are potent and evocative rather than exhaustively descriptive. Would high schoolers appreciate the book's message? It's hard to tell if they would appreciate the nostalgia of childhood, but I think they would definitely could relate to Esperanza's, the narrator of the story, desire to seek freedom and explore the outside world.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There are some allusions to sex, drug use, and violence in the book that happen off the page. For this reason, I think it is suitable for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Carmelo by Sandra Cisneros or How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent by Julia Alvarez

Description: A closer look at the bizarre mysteries of everyday life in Chicago's gritty ethnic enclaves during the 1960s and 1970s.

Review: The Coast of Chicago is another book used in my high school's English curriculum that I have not read before. I liked how this book was told from different parts of Chicago with a colorful cast of characters from different ethnicity, age, and gender. The book is composed of alternating long and short stories as the author recalls his old ethnic neighborhood, his early romances, and recounts a freaky urban legend about a young woman's body frozen in a block of ice. Each character stands on their own and you can feel the various emotions that they are going through. I actually preferred the short chapters that goes straight to the punch rather than the meandering longer stories which can be a bit much. Regardless, you can still pick out the important messages and themes in all of them.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, crude humor, and allusions to sex in the book. Recommended for Grades 10 and up.

If you like this book try: Chicago: City on the Make by Nelson Algren, Never A City So Real: A Walk in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz

Description: Since the publication of The Catcher in the Rye in 1951, the works of J.D. Salinger have been acclaimed for their humor, intensity, and their lack of phoniness. A collection of short fiction, Nine Stories contains works with those qualities that make Salinger such a well-loved author.

Review: The Catcher in the Rye had a huge impact on my life and it's a book that I never get tired of re-reading. I was afraid that I picked up another book from Salinger, it would diminish my love for Holden Caufield but I'm glad that I was wrong. Nine Stories was a mixed bag for me. I didn't love all of the stories and some of them just went over my head to be honest. The stories are varied ranging from a soldier struggling with post traumatic stress disorder after returning to war in the amazing, haunting, and gut wrenching "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" to the remarkable thought process of a child genius whom everyone thinks is sick in "Teddy". What I remember most of Salinger's writing is his uncanny ability to creating characters who mirror our problems and frustrations in trying to find a resolution.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, some strong description of war violence, and other mature adult topics. Recommended for Grades 10 and up.

If you like this book try: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver, Self Help by Loorie Moore

Children/MG Mini-Reviews: Stargirl, Gathering Blue, and The Thief

2012-01-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

The rest of the week will be mini-reviews from the books I've read last year. Though mini-reviews are brief, I think they boil down my thoughts a bit better than my normal reviews. Today, I have a small batch of children/MG reads that are fairly popular but have taken me this long to actually get them off my shelf and read them.

Description (from inside book panel): Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of "Stargirl, Stargirl." She captures Leo Borlock's heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first.
Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

Review: I must be the last person to read this book. Stargirl was a really quick read that I finished in a day. I had a lot of mixed emotions while reading the book. It reminds me of all the fickleness of high school popularity, our strong desire to 'fit in' and the knee-jerk repulsion to something that is different than what we deem as 'normal'. It also highlights our obsession in finding categories for things that refuse to be defined/labeled. Stargirl is a wonderful character who is quirky and for the most part comfortable with the way she is. Leo Borlock is our narrator and reflects on his junior year in a New Mexico high school when he meets and starts with a relationship with Stargirl. The pressure to conform is the main theme of this book as Leo struggles between choosing his connection to his peers and to Stargirl, the essential question boils down to one offered to him by a sage adult friend: "Whose affection do you value more, hers or the others'?" Spinelli poses searching questions about loyalty to one's friends and oneself and leaves readers to form their own answers. Though there is a companion book to Stargirl called Love, Stargirl, I don't plan on reading it because for me it lessens Stargirl's powerful and realistic ending.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: None. Given the book's setting and context, I think it would be more relevant to those in middle school and up. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

If you like this book try: Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman

Description (from Goodreads): In her strongest work to date, Lois Lowry once again creates a mysterious but plausible future world. It is a society ruled by savagery and deceit that shuns and discards the weak. Left orphaned and physically flawed, young Kira faces a frightening, uncertain future. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, she struggles with ever broadening responsibilities in her quest for truth, discovering things that will change her life forever.
As she did in The Giver, Lowry challenges readers to imagine what our world could become, and what will be considered valuable. Every reader will be taken by Kira's plight and will long ponder her haunting world and the hope for the future.

Review: Though I liked The Giver, I thought its ending was too abrupt and ended way too quickly. I liked Gathering Blue a bit more, but I'm not really fond with how Lowry ends her book in this series? world? Since the book is set in the same brutal and cold world, it is not a direct sequel, but a companion novel. I found it fascinating to read a world without any technology and where many of hte large and important events happen off screen yet their residue linger in the atmosphere. In Kira's community, people's cotts, or homes, are burned after an illness. People with deformities are abandoned at birth. I liked Kira and the other characters in this book, each had their own distinct personality, talent, and heavy responsibilities on their shoulders. While the story is quite grim, there is also lots of drama, suspense, and even snippets of humor to counterbalance the somber tone. I thought the ending wasn't as abrupt and gave the reader a bit for clues as to what will happen next. Readers won't forget these memorable characters or their struggles in an inhospitable world.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Must of the violence mentioned in the book take place off the page and are alluded to in the story. Recommended for Grades 5 and up.

If you like this book try: The Messenger by Lois Lowry, The Diary of Pelly D. by L.J. Adlington, The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

Description: After Gen's bragging lands him in the king's prison, the chances of escape look slim. Then the king's scholar, the magus, needs the thief's skill for a seemingly impossible task - to steal a hidden treasure from another land. To the magus, Gen is just a tool. But Gen is a trickster and a survivor with a plan of his own.

Review: What a really fun book! The Thief is the first book in the The Queen's Thief series. A wonderful mixture of wit, adventure, mythology, and philosophy. Gen is an awesome character and not what he seems. His lack of discipline, his hum-ho view of heroism, and need for sleep and food make him approachable. His wicked sense of humor made him charming. He had me chuckling in quite a few places. Turner does a phenomenal job of creating real people in her story. No one is entirely good or evil but very shades of grey. The magus makes the transition from smug, superior scholar to decent guy in a believable fashion. Turner also does a neat job of puncturing lots of little prejudices that work well with the story and isn't just something added. There are many hidden lessons in this story if you dig deeper into the story. I found myself absorbed into the different myths recounted in the story, but I have to say that the surprise ending was terrific. Though it is foreshadowed throughout, it is not obvious and caught me a little unaware. Definitely a good pick for those readers who love adventure and fantasy. I'll definitely pick up the rest of the series.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some PG language and violence. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

If you like this book try: The rest of the The Queen's Theif series (The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, The Conspiracy of Kings), The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, or Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

YA Mini-reviews: The Name of the Star, Raw Blue, and Moonglass

2012-01-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

I read a bunch of books during the last half of December and wanted to do a few reviews before I get to the reviews of this year. I will be reviewing The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar, and Moonglass by Jessi Kirby in this post. I apologize in advance if you've been waiting a long time to read these reviews.

Description (from Goodreads): The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.
Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Review: I was really disappointed with The Name of the Star, the first book in the Shades of London series by Maureen Johnson due to my high expectations for the book. I really like Maureen Johnson's contemporary books and her funny, quirky characters so I was a bit confused with her latest venture into a supernatural/paranormal series. While the book has a great premise, it lacked all the trademarks of a Johnson book such as great characterization and likable characters. I didn't find anything memorable about it. With the exception of the great and creepy presence of the Ripper himself, there wasn't much to look forward to. I figured out the twist, though it was clever, and knew how it ended. I think I will pick up the other books in this series, but I won't be rushing to read them.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and some graphic violence. Recommended for strong Grade 7 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves (to be released in April 2012)

Description (from Goodreads): Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing … and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago at schoolies week.
And then Carly meets Ryan, a local at the break, fresh out of jail. When Ryan learns the truth, Carly has to decide. Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy?

Review: Several of my awesome blogger buddies did a Kirsty Eagar Appreciation Week and have adored this book. Many thanks to Missie, The Unread Reader, for allowing me to borrow her book so I can read and review Raw Blue. Powerful, unflinching, realistic, and simplistically yet beautifully told. Raw Blue lives up to its perfect title hitting us in the gut with a horrible incident of rape that immediately puts us out of our comfort zone. Though the event has happened in the past and there isn't graphic detail description of it, it is crystal clear that Carly is still suffering through the consequences of shame, guilt, and anger. She has built a wall around herself and accepting the simple tokens of kindness around her is a huge step. Though a lot of the surfing background went over my head, I really enjoyed the story of Carly and Ryan. Both are realistically drawn, showing and balancing their good and bad sides, which is refreshing and honest. While the romance doesn't counterbalance Carly's darkness, it does provide her and the reader some hope that she will be okay in the future.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language and a few small sex scenes in the book. Due to the mature content of the book, I would recommended for older teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Pipers Son by Melina Marchetta, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Description (from Goodreads): Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.
While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.

Review: I picked up Jessi Kirby's debut novel Moonglass after reading some pretty good reviews about the book. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the same as other bloggers. I felt like I read this book before with better characters and prose that made me feel some type of emotion. Moonglass is the story of Anna coming to terms with her mother's suicide. I didn't hate or love Anna, but I found her to be two different people at different parts of the book. At one moment, she is depressed, feels guilty of her mother's death and in the next moment she seems to be more worried about catching Tyler's, sweet and handsome lifeguard, attention. Speaking of romance, it is just a subplot that really goes no where besides the flirty glances and dialogue here and there. The book's climax is pretty obvious and the pacing is very slow. I had to put the book down numerous times and nothing stuck with me after I finished it.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and a scene of underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.

If you like this book try: Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers, The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Tempting Tuesday: Some Girls Bite Read Along Chp 1-4

2012-01-03T06:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first week of Tempting Tuesday, where we discuss Some Girls Bite, the first book in Chloe Neil's awesome series Chicagoland Vampires. Today we will talk about the first four chapters of the book. The discussion questions were provided by Jenny at Supernatural Snark.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTERS 1-4

Let’s say tomorrow a “vampire manifesto” as Merit calls it runs in newspapers across the country announcing their existence. How do you think you would react? If you were hesitant to believe initially, what would it take to convince you they were real?

I've read many paranormal books featuring vampires and have always thought of them as fictitious creatures so in reality, I would be skeptical until I actually found proof like people with bites on their neck, see real fangs in the mouth, etc. Although how awesome would it be to see your favorite vampire walking around?

Since being turned into a vampire means complete removal from your former life and a new job serving your House in some capacity, what do you think you would miss most about the life you live now?

My freedom and my family. I want to have my options open and make my own decisions. Limits as to how I can live my life is constraining and makes me feel like I'm living in a cage and not seeing my family at anytime of the day stinks.

What are your first impressions of Merit and how she’s handling all the changes in her life?

I really like Merit. She's smart and has a great sense of humor. She's definitely a character that I would love to hang out with. Losing control on your life is what really scares me and I can really relate to all the emotions that Merit is feeling now. Given the severity of her situation, I think she's handling it well. I understand that she was changed in a life and death situation but its still wrong. I've read lots of reviews that said that Merit was too whiny in the book and she should get over her change, but I don't think that's very easy to do. She has absolutely no interest in vampires and being turned at all. She made her own plans in life but what happened to her threw a wrench into that future and now she has to start from scratch.

When you first read the description of Ethan, what actor/model/person you know pops into your head as the perfect embodiment of him? Feel free to include pictures ;-)

I'm horrible when it comes to visualizing a real life actor/model/person with some characters. Some characters are easy to do while others are impossible. I don't have one specific person for Ethan, but Travis Fimmel, from the short lived tv show called The Beast, is pretty close as to how I picture him in my head. Although Charlie Hunnam from Sons of Anarchy is also a great choice too.

Do you think Merit’s anger at Ethan himself, not the situation, is justified?

I have a hard time answering this question because I already read the other books which explained this situation a bit more clearly, however, my initial reaction is that yes she is justified. Anyway you look at the situation, he is the one responsible for her change and his outrageous demands of her quickly trying to assimilate to his lifestyle doesn't earn him any bonus points. He is infuriating, arrogant, and cold. As you begin to learn about Ethan, you realize that he doesn't do anything without working a few paces ahead. He is strategist and everything he does is for his House. If he had shown some emotion of his decision to her change her or even understanding of her roller-coaster of emotions, I wouldn't be so severe with Ethan.

Tina at Tina's Books Reviews has the questions for next week. Tina will be covering Chapters 5-8 at her blog. Here are her questions:

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTERS 5-8

1. In what is a make you blush, steamy scene in the book- Chapter 5 has Ethan and Merit sharing a few hot moments after Merit's hunger strikes...that is until Ethan becomes a total cad! What do you think of him so far? Strong, masterful vampire, conceited playboy.....lover boy in disguise?

2. Merit and Mallory begin some major training in these next few chapters, resulting in cool Katana Sword facts and Ninja moves. What is the most physically challenging or adrenaline fueled event/activity you have participated in?

3. Mallory and Catcher have sparks so intense they almost fly off the page.....what do you think of this cozy couple? Did you like the insta-love between them? Do they add to the story?

4. Lets talk Bff's....Mallory is hands down a terrific friend to Merit, the girls relationship is real, down to earth and fun....not to mention hysterical. What is your favorite memory or favorite thing to do with your bff? Feel free to share pics!

5. Things are starting to heat up in the mystery department...the set up at Red, Morgan's flirty appearance.... Catchers vague answers......as correlation day gets closer for Merit do you think someone is out to get her...or maybe recruit her to another house? Or PS- feed her some more food...because goodnight this girl likes to eat!!!

Off the Shelf Wrap Up Post

2011-12-31T21:02:00.000-08:00

The Off the Shelf Challenge was by far my most difficult reading challenge but I felt very good in completing it. I initally signed up to read 50 books off my shelf but quickly realized that was unrealistic so I made it a much more manageable 30 books. I ended up reading 38 books off my book shelves, which helped a lot in weeding out my collection and make space for new books.

2012 Debut Author Challenge

2011-12-31T20:26:00.000-08:00

0/12 books

For my final reading challenge for 2012, I will be participating in the Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren. I had a blast doing this challenge this year and have found some new author to follow. 2012 looks like it is going to be another fantastic year. Like this year, I plan on reading 12 books for this challenge.

Details:

The objective of this challenge is to read at least twelve novels from Young Adult or Middle Grade Authors. 12 books is the minimum to participate but there is no max limit.
Anyone can join. You don't have to live in the U.S. or be a blogger.
If you do have a blog, it doesn't have to be written in English to participate.
You can join anytime. The challenge runs from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012.

You can read about how a book qualifies for this challenge here.

You can sign up for this challenge here.

Books Read for the Debut Author Challenge (tentative list and I'm sure I'll add a bunch more)

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Fracture by Megan Miranda
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Ditched by Robin Mellam
Katana by Cole Gibson
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani

2012 Picture Book Reading Challenge

2011-12-31T20:07:00.000-08:00

0/24 books

I've thought about reviewing picture books on my blog, but wasn't sure if anyone would be interested. I think it would be a great opportunity to diversify my reads and update my recommendations for younger readers. I plan on reading from the Monarch Awards, a list of recommendations for picture books sponsored by the Illinois School Library Association as well as books listed on the Caldecott award too. Thanks to Jennifer of An Abundance of Books for hosting this challenge!

The Details:

Timeline: January 1, 2012- December 31, 2012
Select your level:
Level 1 - Read 12 picture books
Level 2 - Read 16 picture books
Level 3 - Read 24 picture books
You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. If you do list your books in the beginning, you can always change them later on.
Crossovers with other challenges count.
Digital books count
Re-reads count as long as you read them in 2012 and you post a new review for the book.
You can join anytime

Goal for this Challenge: 24 picture books

Pictures Books Read

2012 100+ Reading Challenge

2011-12-31T19:36:00.000-08:00

15/245 books

I read 240 books this year. Just short of 10 books for my reading goal of 250, but I still think that's pretty good considering I had two jobs and all the other obstacles that life throws at you. For 2012, my goal is to read 245. Thanks to Tales of the Crypt for hosting this challenge.

Rules:

Starts January 1, 2012 and ends December 31, 2012
Anyone can join
You don’t have to have a blog to participate.
Non-Bloggers feel free to share your list of books in the comment section of the monthly link up post.
Reviews though not required are always nice.
Audio, E-books, Bound and re-reads all count
There is no need to come up with your list of books in advance.
Challenge crossovers ok
Create a sign up post and sign up here.
The goal of this challenge is to read 100+ books during 2012.

Books Read in 2012
Italics indicate a review has already been posted

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead *Review coming soon
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce *Review coming soon
Darker Still (Magic Most Foul #1) by Leanna Renee Hieber (YA)
Smile by Raina Telgemeier *Review coming soon
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier *Review coming soon
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel (Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein #1) *Review coming soon
The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten *Review coming soon
Library Wars Vol. 4 by Kiiro Yumi *Review coming soon
Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder *Review coming soon
Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand *Review coming soon
Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton *Review coming soon
Library Wars Vol. 5 by Kiiro Yumi *Review coming soon
Library Wars Vol. 6 by Kiiro Yumi *Review coming soon
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab *Review coming soon
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

2012 Ebook Challenge

2011-12-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

2/25 books

I gave in and bought myself a Simple Nook Touch during the Thankgiving holiday. I absolutely love it! I've already read a few books on the ereader and find it much more comfortable than reading on my laptop. It was even a bigger bonus to get free ebooks from my library. I was thrilled to find the 2012 Ebook Challenge hosted by Ladybug reads. I hope to use this challenge to keep up with all the e-galley reads I receive from Netgalley and other publishers.

Challenge Guidelines:

This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
Anyone can join, you don't need to be a blogger. If you don't have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).
Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.
You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
When you sign up, put the direct link to your post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.
You can move up levels, but no moving down.
Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.

Levels:

Floppy disk - 5 ebooks
CD - 10 ebooks
DVD - 25 ebooks
Memory stick - 50 ebooks
Hard drive - 75 ebooks
Server - 100 ebooks
Human brain - 150 ebooks

At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews for that month. If you forget, feel free to add your reviews in the following month. Any reviews submitted will be entered into the draw for that month.

There are prizes for this challenge! Yes, there will be draws every month for participants. As long as you are signed up, every review you add to the monthly roundups will get one entry into the giveaway for that month.

There will also be a grand giveaway at the end of the year for everyone who achieves their goal level (or higher). There may be different prizes for different levels, but that is not decided yet.

Goal for this challenge: 25 ebooks

Books Read for the 2012 Ebook Challenge

Darker Still (Magic Most Foul #1) by Lynn Renee Heisber
Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder

2012 Banned/Challenged Reading Challenge

2011-12-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

0/12 books

As a bibliophile and a librarian, I strongly believe in the freedom to read. Every year, I dedicate a full week in reading and discussing banned/challenged books for the Banned Book Week but why stop at one week? So I was glad that The Eclectic Bookshelf is hosting this challenge to spread more awareness of banned/challenged books.

Rules:

Anyone can join
You don't need a blog to participate. For non-bloggers, please leave a comment with a link (if you review somewhere else) to the review or leave a list of the books you read on the monthly link up post.
Audio, ebooks, and bound books are ok.
No re-reads
Create a sign up post and post at this link.
Challenge goes from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Challenge Crossovers are ok.

Levels:

Level 1 - Read 12 Banned/Challenged books

Level 2 - Read 24 Banned/Challenged books

Level 3 - Read 36 Banned/Challenged books

Level 4 - Read 37+ Banned/Challenged books

Goal for this Challenge: I will be reading 12 books and follow my same format as my Banned Books Week where I discuss why the book was banned/challenged.

Goodreads Lists to refer to:

The Most Frequently Challenged Books

Banned Books

Popular Challenged Books

American Library Association Links:

Banned & Challenged Classics

100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 1990 -1999

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000 - 2009

2012 Death by Gaslight Reading Challenge

2011-12-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

0/10 books

I love reading about Victorian England and I love mysteries so the Death by Gaslight Reading Challenge is a win win for me! I'm really excited about reading a few series that I've had my eye on for a while such as The Agency by Y.S. Lee, Enola Holmes by Nancy Springer, and the Sebastian St. Cyr series.

Here are the details for the challenge:

For the Death by Gaslight Reading Challenge, the goal is to read mysteries set in or written during the Victorian and Edwardian eras (1837 - 1910). I'll probably be reading mysteries set in England (since those are the ones I'm most interested in), but any location is acceptable, as long as the time frame fits. No more than 3 titles can be from the same series (except for the first special challenge, listed below).

There are 4 levels to choose from:
1. The Merry Widow of Windy Nook: 5 books
2. Palmer the Poisoner: 10 books
3. Burke and Hare, Body Snatchers: 15 books
4. Jack the Ripper: 20+ books

Additionally, there are 4 "special challenges". Books which are read for any of these mini-levels do not count towards the main reading levels. These are "extra credit" and are purely optional.
1. Serial Killer: Read an entire series (re-reading if necessary) from the first book until the last (or most recently published). There is no limit on the number of books, so a series could consist of 2 books or 20.
2. The Great Detective: Read 5 (or more) books featuring Sherlock Holmes, at least one of which must be an original story by Arthur Conan Doyle.
3. Arsenic and Air Ships: Read 5 (or more) books which are steampunk mysteries.
4. Penny Dreadfuls: Read 5 (or more) non-fiction books that detail Victorian or Edwardian crimes.

All the regular rules apply:
* cross-overs between challenges are more than okay
* any format counts - audio, ebook, etc.
* you don't have to have a blog to participate (since I technically don't - I post reviews at Goodreads)
* feel free to change levels at any time
* re-reads are fine, but books must be read in the 2012 calendar year to count
Reading challenges are suppose to the challenging (hence the name)...but we don't do this for a living, we do this for fun!

Goal for this challenge: 10 books and I may do the Great Detective extra challenge if time allows.

Some sites for ideas...
19th Century British Mysteries (at HistoricalNovels.com)
19th Century European Mysteries (at HistoricalNovels.com)

Books Read for the Death by Gaslight Challenge

2012 Alex Awards Challenge

2011-12-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

0/6 books

Believe it or not I have a hard time choosing adult contemporary novels to read. I've been very successful in finding great reads from the Alex Awards. So I figured this was a great challenge to discover more great titles.

What are the Alex Awards? The Alex Awards are given each year to books written/marketed to adults that have special appeal to young adults (age 12-18). They often feature teen protagonists.

Why should we care? As an eclectic blogger, I love crossing over from genre to genre. I have found that occasionally there is a division between adults who read adult books and adults who read young adult books (and of course, there are many who read both). I think it would be interesting for both types of readers to try out these books that blur the lines between these two genres.

When does the challenge run? It runs from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. You have to start the book after January 1, 2012 for it to count.

What are the rules? It's pretty simple -- read Alex Awards winners! I will also count nominees. You can find lists here. There are four levels - 1-3 books, 4-6 books, 7-9 books, or 10+ books. You are not required to post reviews, but on January 1, 2012 I will put up a linky for participants to post their reviews.

Goal for this challenge: 6 books

Great! How do I sign up? Write an introductory post stating your desired level and link to it in the linky at The Story Girl's reading challenge post. You can sign up at any time from now until the challenge ends, so feel free to join in midway through the year.

Books Read for Alex Awards 2012

2012 Middle Eastern Reading Challenge

2011-12-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

0/24 books

I had a great time with the Middle Eastern Reading Challenge this year and was thrilled to see that Helen was hosting the challenge again. I hope to read books from a wide range of genres and audiences from this region.

What is considered the Middle East?

The Middle East is a nebulous term with each person defining it in a different way (it's also a very Euro-centric term so please forgive me for that). However I am going to use it for lack of a better way to define the area covered by this reading challenge. So, what is the Middle East? Traditionally it included only the "middle eastern" countries in Asia plus Egypt. Some define it as countries with Arabic as the dominant language, while others say it is all Islamic countries. For the purposes of this challenge I am going to stick with the more traditional/geographic approach including the countries around the Arabian peninsula.

Countries Include: The author of the book may be from the following countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen. Update: Given the news lately, let's add in the north African countries of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco

What books qualify for this reading challenge?
The author of the book may be from the countries listed below or the book can be set in one of the countries included in this challenge. The book could be about Islam. Fiction, non-fiction, YA and Adult lit, graphic novels, audio books, books for other challenge... they all count.

Levels: There are no levels for this challenge, my hope is that we'll each read whatever number works for us, learning to appreciate and understand the Middle East more along the way.

What are the dates of the challenge?
The challenge will run January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.

Goal for the Challenge: 24 books

How do I sign up to participate?

Write an introductory post about what you hope to get out of this challenge, or why you are signing up, or what you know/feel about the Middle East, or something that relates to this challenge. If you want to list books you are going to read you may, but you certainly don't have to. Please include a link back to this post so that others who are interested can find it. Use the Middle East Reviews link to post your introduction/intent to participate.

Books Read for Middle East Challenge 2012

Flipped

2011-12-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

It's hard to find age appropriate books for tweens who want to read the latest YA titles that they may be a bit too mature for (i.e. reading and thematic level). There are always a few books that can be recommended and enjoyed for a wide range of ages and audiences. Flipped is just one example. I can't believe I waited until 2011 to read this book off my shelf.

Description: Flipped is a romance told in two voices. The first time Juli Baker saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time Bryce saw Juli, he ran. That’s pretty much the pattern for these two neighbors until the eighth grade, when, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn’t as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance.

Review: Flipped is an unputdownable novel about questioning what you believe in and believing in what you feel. From second grade, Bryce has always known how he feels about Juli. She is weird, dangerous, and can't seem to leave him alone. She has a certain way of looking at him which has freaked him out since the first time she hurled herself into his life.
Juli has a tendency to do that when she spots something she likes. She throws herself into things she believes in, whether they're people, projects, or even rotting trees. Juli has always known how she feels about Bryce. He has been walking around with her first kiss for years. It's those bright blue eyes. She would love it if he ever reciprocated with even a tiny smidgen of her enthusiasm or heck even a smile now and then would be fantastic!
Flipped sounds like a lot of YA romances that immediately begins with what we readers call 'insta-love' where the characters meet and fall in love at first sight without really getting to know one another. Flipped is a romantic comedy of errors told in a "he-said, she-said" alternating chapters by two fresh, funny, and insightful voices. Yes, there are two tweens trying to wrestle their hormones and feelings during hiliarious misunderstandings and missed opportunities, but the themes of learning to look beyond the surface of people, figuring out who you are, who you want to be, and who you want to be with made this book memorable. It is these questions that changed, structured, and even matured Bryce and Juli's relationship.

Bryce made me laugh especially as how he routinely fails to get Juli off his back. It's clear to him and everyone else that he wants absolutely nothing to do with Juli Baker. Bryce's chapter while comedic offers the reader devise their own bias opinions about Juli while Juli gives us an understanding of her motives as she describes the same events from her point of view. Bryce is completely clueless and it was nice to seem him change as Juli's feelings begin to wane after a horrible spat. Juli is a loveable heroine who is passionate, fresh, smart, and different. She may come off as a morbid stalker in Bryce's chapter, but she is not. She's precocious and wiser than her years.
The book is filled with laugh out loud moments and scenes that made me go "aww". Interspersed but never heavy handed is a substantial amount of serious social commentary woven in, as well as an exploration of the importance of perspective in relationships. The book is also filled with fully dimensional secondary characters and keep the subplots rolling. I absolutely loved Bryce's grandfather Chet who gives Bryce and Juli wise advice though they may not know it until they do their own grownig up. Smart, funny, and full of warmth, Flipped is a tween romance that is sure to be loved by all and I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5 stars

Words of Caution: PG language. Recommended for strong Grades 5 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1)

2011-12-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

I've unsuccessfully tried to write a review for Daughter of Smoke and Bone ever since I finished it a few months ago. No matter what I write, I can't seem to get across how much I loved this book without being overly gushy. Several bloggers before me said the same thing and I didn't understand them until I was in their position. This book received a lot of hype and it is one of the rare ones that deserves all the hype and that much more, which is why I'm extremely nervous when I heard the book rights to this series has already been sought by a movie company. I'm hoping this in no way influences how Laini Taylor will write her series.

Description (from the book's panel): Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
   Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
   When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Review: Every so often there comes a book that completely captures your attention, demands to be read and won't leave your mind long after you finish the last page. Daughter of Smoke and Bone at first glance seems like any ordinary supernatural romance story. It is and it isn't. Sure it contains magic, angels, demons, star-crossed romance, but it stands completely alone. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is the most creative, original, spell binding story I've read this year. It is a lush, imaginative tale of magic and monsters, war and heartbreak, loyalty and betrayal, and love and hate. The world-building in this novel is gorgeous and breathtaking, the backstory is completely fresh and original, its otherworldly secrets had me on the edge of my seat. Laini Taylor's writing is masterful and awe inspiring. I wish I had just a smidgen of her talent.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a book that cannot be easily placed into any genre. It is a mystery, a fantasy, a tragedy, a romance, and a coming of age story that feature supernatural figures that we commonly call angels and demons, but that is just touching the surface of the book. The descriptions are vivid, and picturesque, the characters terrifying, complex and oddly compelling, the lines between good and evil is completely blurred, making our hearts break into tiny fragments so we can split our allegiances in a diplomatic fashion.
   Karou is a fabulous heroine. She is quirky and mysterious, aloof yet simultaneously very familiar as she struggles with her nagging feeling of being empty and the constant frustration of getting vague answers from the family she has ever known. It is her vulnerability that struck a strong chord with me and I'm sure with many readers who have experienced that feeling as they are growing up. The haunting question of "Who am I?" is universal and creates a companionship bond with Karou despite her pecularities. Karou is smart, skilled, curious, and extremely talented. She knows there's more to the story than she's been told. She is fearless when she needs to be, but vulnerable at heart.
Karou's relationship with the chimaera who comprise her family is complex and contradictory at times. They dote on her and completely trust her, but they also hide the truth and betray her. Yet their deep-rooted bond is one of the most heart-warming aspects of the book, and is crucial to the impossible decisions Karou must make. Though Karou's family are repeatedly called and described as "monsters" or "devils", Taylor creates these figures as three dimensional in order to show that nothing is so simple and absolute. Karou's unconventional family fiercely loves her, and even when it's not always clear, one can't help but think they're acting with her best interest at heart.
I was completely captivated by the book's engrossing setting as we travel from Prague to other various countries. I felt as if I was with Karou so much so that I completely forgot that I was sitting in my own house reading the book. It was so hard to leave Karou's world and re-enter back to our mundane, in comparison, world. Needless to say, I was completely swept away.
Taylor perfectly balances drama, action, suspense, and swoon worthy romance that is completely Karou's alone. I will admit that I was lost at first reading the book. We are given tantalizing hints about Karou's past and her real identity, but I didn't mind my confusion at all. I was already enraptured by Taylor's storytelling abilities. Every time I thought I would take a break, I was pulled back by the book to read just one more chapter. When the many strands come together to reveal a stunning and heartbreaking truth, I had so many mixed feelings running through me. I was thrilled that she found all the answers to her questions and learned about her past, but I was also hated the fact that she has to make such a hard decision. I can't wait to find out what Karou does next. Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a fast-paced and high-soaring adventure that spans continents and worlds, generations and families, but ultimately it is the story of one unique girl with a hidden sadness and a forgotten past.

Rating: 5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, allusions to sex, and some disturbing scenes in the book. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor, Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare, Tithe by Holly Black

Top 10 Tuesday: Favorite Books Read in 2011

2011-12-27T06:51:00.000-08:00

Things will be relatively quiet here this week at my blog. I'm wrapping up a few left over reads for this year and will be participating in a few reading challenges for next year. Today's topic for Top 10 Tuesday, an awesome feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is discussing our favorite reads from 2011. Here are mine, in alphabetical order, along with a link to my review. I still have to write a couple of reviews for a couple of them and hope to do that this week.

Favorite Books Read in 2011

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake- One of the best YA horror books I've read in a really long time and my favorite debut novel from this year. I think it would make an awesome movie if Tim Burton, Neil Gaiman, and Joss Whedon got together for a project. Can't wait for Girl of Nightmares!

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin - A powerful, unflinching, influential, and gripping story that forces us to think critically about racism in America. Though written several years ago, it is still important today.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor - An exquisite, awe inspiring read that knocked my socks off. I'm highly anticipating on what happens next in Karou's adventure.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen- A sweet, relatively clean tween romance that has heart and wisdom. I can't believe it took me this long to read it.

Forever (Wolves of Mercy #3) by Maggie Stiefvater- The perfect conclusion to the Wolves of Mercy series. I don't think it could have ended in any other way. Romantic and haunting just like Maggie's writing.

Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampire #4) by Chloe Neil- I experienced a wide range of emotion while reading this book, but the last page had me stunned. I was so flummoxed that I had to read the last 5 pages at least three times. Fabulous tension, mystery, suspense, and romance.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher - Lucy Christopher's debut and Printz honoree title, Stolen, let me speechless and had me thinking for days. This book was so frightening that I couldn't deal with reading it by myself and began telling coworkers just to distance myself from it.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman- Seeing Adam in so much pain broke my heart. I started crying around pg 50 of this book and didn't stop until an hour after I read the last page. It's perfect.

Wherever You Go by Heather Davis - A brilliantly crafted novel that seamlessly blends contemporary fiction with a dash of the supernatural. This quiet book pulled on my heart strings right away and didn't let go. I became so invested in Holly's, Rob's, and Jason's lives that I couldn't stop reading. The character were honest and their problems were authentic.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick- Wonderstruck shows us how thrilling a museum can be. Visually stunning and aptly named, Wonderstruck is a definitely a wonder to behold regardless of its weight and tome-like appearance

Other favorites not listed due to space constraints: Magic Slays (Kate Daniels #5) by Ilona Andrews, Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson #5) by Patricia Briggs, and The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus #2)

What are your favorites from this year?

Guest Post: Jaime Reed's Top 10 TV Shows on her DVR + Giveaway!

2011-12-26T09:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays, Everyone! I hope you are enjoying your time off and having a great time with your family and friends. Today I'm pleased to have Living Violet's author Jaime Reed on the blog today. I'm a big TV fan and am curious as to what TV shows other people watch. I asked Jaime what was her Top 10 TV shows on her DVR. Here are her answers:

Jaime Reed's Top 10 TV Shows on her DVR

* Dexter

* The Vampire Diaries

* Community

* Shameless

* Entourage

* Game of Thrones

* The Dave Chappelle Show seasons 1&2

* Family Guy

* Nurse Jackie

* Dr. Who season 6

Thanks for stopping by, Jaime!

GIVEAWAY

Readers, thanks to Jaime's publishers and the Teen Book Scene, I have one advanced reader copy of Living Violet to giveaway. Since I have the copy on hand, this giveaway is limited to US addresses only. To enter, simply leave a comment along with your name/alias and an email address so I can contact you if you win. The giveaway ends 10 PM EST on January 13th and the winner will be announced on January 14th on my blog. Good Luck!

YA Mini-reviews: Angelfire, Saving Francesca, and Solitary

2011-12-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

I couldn't decide what to review to today so I'm offering another round of YA mini reviews from different genres. I read these books a few months ago. Some of them I remember fondly while the other I wish I never took the time to read. Like with everything else, some books are a hit or miss. Here are my mini reviews for Angelfire (Angelfire #1) by Courtney Allison Moulton, Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta, and Solitary (Escape from Furnance #2) by Alexander Gordon Smith.

Description: Elisabeth Monroe lives the life of a normal privileged teenage girl. Yet Ellie is anything but. Only she doesn't know it. Not until her seventeenth birthday. The nightmares she's been having are real. She is the Preliator, a being who has a mortal body but an immortal soul, the only one capable of wielding angelfire, who is reborn time and time again in order to serve her sole purpose - to destroy reapers and keep humanity safe. This time is different. Her rebirth took longer than ever before with only limited recollection of her past - a past that even her protector and guardian, Will, doesn't know completely. And this time the reapers aren't the only thing to fear. There is another out there who can threaten Ellie's very existence and alter her future in ways nothing before ever could. As Ellie grapples with recovering her memories about who she is and not yet fully able to control her powers, will she be able to unlock the secrets in her mind in time to defeat Lucifer's growing armies and prevent the Apocalypse? Will the answers she finds be too much to handle? And will her humanity be enough to overcome the darkness within her?

Review: I'm not sure you remember, but I've had Angelfire on my reading pile since January. I kept picking it up and then putting it down. I nearly dropped it altogether until I read reviews from blogs and thought I wasn't giving it a fair shot. I should've trusted my instinct because I didn't like this book at all. While reading this book I could've sworn I've read this story before as the plot unfolded and then I realize that I had. There's a lot things that are startling similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I didn't mind all that much as people draw inspirations from every where, but the thing that bugged me the most about Angelfire is the main character Ellie. I didn't like Ellie at all. She irritated me. When she was suppose to be strong and fight her battles, she cower in a little corner until the handsome, brooding, the guy 'she can't love but can't help be drawn to for some reason' (who I dub as the dull Angel clone) rescues her repeatedly. I can't take a heroine who is suppose to be a warrior seriously if she doesn't fight. Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Anyway, the plot was predictable including the plot twist that I saw a 100 pgs earlier, and the characters as you can tell were a bore. Needless to say, I'm not going to continue this series. If you're looking for a similar yet stronger plot and great characters, check out Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey instead.

Rating: 1 star

Words of Caution: There are some disturbing images and some language. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like this one try: Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire #2) by Courtney Allison Moulton, Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Description: Francesca could use her outspoken mother's help with the problems of being one of a handful of girls at a parochial school that has just turned co-ed, but her mother has suddenly become severely depressed.

Review: I can't believe it has taken me so long to read a book by Melina Marchetta. *facepalm* After reading several awesome reviews from fellow bloggers, I was determined to read Saving Francesca. Saving Francesca was an awesome contemporary/realistic fiction book. The plot is very simple yet the carefully constructed and complex characters and relationships make this book shine. I immediately connected to Francesca as she struggles to find and save herself. She has always used her mother as an indicator of what to do and how to be, but when he mother suddenly feels ill Francesca suddenly falls without a safety net. She learns to become comfortable in her own skin and slowly begins to put down roots at her school, bonding with the girls from St. Stella's (her former school) whom she had considered misfits, and with some unlikely guys. I've never read an author who realistically shows how people become friends until now. The friendships are organic that take their time to form but once they do, they are solid. The relationship between Francesca and her brother was incredibly sweet too. Marchetta beautifully depicts the pain experienced by Francesca's whole family and Francesca's anger towards her father. If you're looking for a character driven novel with excellent and realistic dialogue be sure to pick up Saving Francesca. I can't wait to read another book by this author.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language and underage drinking. Recommended to strong Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like this book try: The Pipers Son by Melina Marchetta, Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

Description: Imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, fourteen-year-old Alex Sawyer thinks that he has escaped the hellish Furnace Penitentiary, but instead he winds up in solitary confinement, where new horrors await him.

Review: Solitary is the second book in the Escape from Furnance series. Though the author gives enough information to new readers to the series, I would still strongly urge readers to read the first book, Lockdown, in order to get a better sense of the horrific ambiance of the Furnace Penitentiary. Just as breathlessly paced and soaked with blood and grime, Alex’s escape from the futuristic underground prison and experimental lab called Furnace leads first to recapture and then to a second flight that involves frantic chases through dark caverns and tunnels, face-to-face encounters with flesh chewing human-rat hybrids, and visits to a gruesome “Infirmary”. Along with lurid imagery, we also get a bit more depth of Alex's character as he tries to make sense of his own guilty conscious. I was highly engaged with this book and definitely recommend it to reluctant readers, particularly boys, who are looking for an action packed story that reads like a thriller/horror movie. I can't wait to find out what happens next and if Alex ever survives and escapes from the Furnance. Books 1-3 are out now and book 4 releases next year.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and disturbing scenes in the book. Recommended for Grade 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Death Sentence (Escape from Furnance #3) by Alexander Gordon Smith, Violence 101 by Denis Wright and I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells

Unaccustomed Earth

2011-12-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

For my last book in the Southeast Asian Reading Challenge, I finished The Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpah Lahiri. This is Lahiri second collection of short stories and in my opinion a much strongely written and diverse enteries than her Pultizer Prize winning collection in Interpreter of the Maladies.

Description: Eight stories that take the reader from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand as they enter and uncover the lives of sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, friends and lovers.

Review: My main complaint about short stories is one of its trademarks: brevity. By the time I get comfortable with the plot and warm up to its characters, the story is over and I feel cheated. Perhaps, I'm reading them wrong and should not approach them in the same way as I normally do with any fiction book. Writing a short story must be very hard and it takes a rare and particular talent to write captivating short stories. The author must perfectly craft every word, every sentence, in order to develop character, plot and intrigue in a limited space.
Lahiri's eight stories featured in Unaccustomed Earth are much lengthier than most short stories I've read, but I welcomed them. I felt they gave her much needed room to explore not only the different themes, but also a showcasing the various relationships throughout her stories. Lahiri's stories always feature characters of Bengali descent who reside in America but they are far from formulaic. In the title and personally my favorite story, Unaccustomed Earth, Brooklyn-to-Seattle transplant Ruma frets about a presumed obligation to bring her widower father into her home, a stressful decision taken out of her hands by his unexpected independence. In another, the alcoholism of Rahul is described by his elder sister, Sudha, who struggles with her own disappointment, guilt, bewilderment and sense of duty. And in the loosely linked trio of stories closing the collection, the lives of Hema and Kaushik intersect over the years, first in 1974 when she is six and he is nine; then a few years later when, at 13, she swoons at the now-handsome 16-year-old teen's reappearance; and again in Italy, when she is a 37-year-old academic about to enter an arranged marriage, and he is a 40-year-old photojournalist. Lahiri's stories are surprising, aesthetically marvelous and shaped by a sure and provocative sense of inevitability. Her skill of storytelling is enchanting and I look forward to whatever she publishes next.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong languge, underage drinking, and semi-explicit sex scenes in a few stories. Recommended for teen readers interested in multicultural fiction and adults only.

If you like this book try: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhmpah Lahiri, Bittersweet by Roopa Farooki

A Walk in th Woods

2011-12-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

After reading a few lackluster titles, I wanted to read something funny that had depth. When I first read a book by David Sedaris (who's incredibly hilarious by the way), many people recommended that I should pick up Bill Bryson. I bought his book, A Walk in the Woods, at a book sale and then it sat on my shelf for many months until now. It definitely fulfilled my void and it was highly entertaining.

Description: Bryson share his experiences hiking the Appalachian Trail with a childhood friend. The two encounter eccentric characters, a blizzard, getting lost, and rude yuppies along the way.

Review: A Walk in the Woods is a smart, funny travel book that also manages to tackle some important issues without ever being heavy or didactic. Bryson, who was born in Iowa, moved to England and gained most of his hiking experience along that country's friendly trails from village to village and pub to pub. He is an experienced travel writer and he decided to tackle the 2200-mile trail from Georgia to Maine with his overweight, ex-alcoholic hiking partner Stephen Katz. Bryson suddenly realizes that his British hiking experiences are completely different from his American one. The book comprises of the hiker's poignant observations and their experiences along the Appalachian Trail (AT). I laughed several times while reading this book, particularly when the two men yelled at cursed at each other and themselves for taking on a ridiculous endeavor, much like myself when I start my workout, hating every minute and counting down the time when I can stop.
Similarly, Bryson and Katz struggle along a part of the southern trail and then abandon the whole idea when they admitted they could under no circumstances complete the journey just by hiking. Bryson drives down and samples parts of the remaining AT, such as the Pennsylvania coal country, and finally he and Katz decide to give it another chance and set out into the 100-mile wilderness of Maine. Their constant badgering about food (i.e. what the did/didn't pack, who ate all of it, what are they going to do when it runs out, etc) had me in stitches and me realize that I'm not well equipped on going camping at all. Their journey is shaky to say the least and coupled by some bizarre people they meet along the way including a rude yuppies and an airhead American twenty year old who has absolutely no clue how stupid she sounds when she speaks.
The book's biggest strength is its humor, but Bryson also manages to intersperse his observations on the environmental damage along selected portions of the trail, which us pause to think how much we take advantage of the environment around us. He also includes some really interesting history on both of the trail itself and the areas of the eastern mountains through which it winds. I didn't think these discussion chapters were abrupt, but rather added an additional depth to the story along with drinking problem that Katz struggles with. I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy humorous novels but also want depth. I also think this would be a great book to listen to on a road trip where you can commiserate along with our incompetent traveling heroes.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language and crude humor. Marketed toward adults but I think it's suitable for teens in high school.

If you like this book try: Walking to Vermont by Christopher Wren, French Lessons by Peter Mayle

Children/MG Minireviews: Out of the Dust and Riding Freedom

2011-12-19T06:29:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that I have been reading a lot of children/middle grade and YA books a lot more than I usually do. It's because I'm frantically trying to complete my Off the Shelf challenge, where I read books that have been sitting on my shelf unread. I'm realizing now that my goal of fifty was a bit too ambitious. Luckily, I am about halfway and have Winter Break from the high school which will help boost my reading speed. Today I bring you two mini-reviews of children/middle grade historical fiction that I thought were very inspiring and great reads: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse and Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan.

Description: In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression.

Review: Billie Jo's life is defined by physical and emotional plight. She can't forgive her father for causing the accident that killed her mother. She fights a daily battle to survive during the worst days of the Oklahoma dust storms. She strives to heal her body and her soul when severe burns leave her disfigured and unable to play the music she loves. Hesse's novel in verse set during the time of the Great Depression and written in free verse, is deceptive. Though it it is written in simplicity and straightforwardness manner, the story it unfolds is powerful and moving. The verses easily captures every shade of Billie Jo's emotions, from heart-wrenching sadness at the death of her mother to the anger and desire to rebuild a relationship with her father. You can also feel the strong winds, walk the dry fields just by reading. My only complaint with this otherwise perfect book is that the resolution comes a bit too fast. Teachers looking for a book that helps but the Dust Bowl and Great Depression into context would love this book. Though Billie Jo may have lived in another time period, her desires and emotions still resonate today.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Words of Caution: There is a death scene that may be a bit too much for younger readers though it is not graphic in description. Recommended for Grades 5 and up.

If you like this book try: Tennyson by Judy Blume, Lizzy's Storm by Sally Fitz-Gibbon, Treasures of the Dust by Tracey Porter

Description: A fictionalized account of Charley (Charlotte) Parkhurst who ran away from an orphanage, posed as a boy, moved to California, and fooled everyone by her appearance.

Review: I never heard of Charley (Charlotte) Parkhurst before, but now I'm glad that I did. She was the first woman to vote in the state of California, and maybe in the whole United States. She is feisty, head strong, remarkable, and fascinating. Raised in an orphanage where she is the only girl, she is prevented from being adopted by the staff. Charlotte is kept aside to replace the cook in the kitchen as she gets older. Her desire is to be with the horses and to help Vern, the elderly man who cares for them. Vern's tales of escaping slavery is complimented to Charlotte's own desperate bid for freedom after her only other friend is adopted. She realizes that she can't accomplish anything if she's a woman, so Charlotte disguises herself as a boy named Charley. Her knack with horses soon enables the disguised Charley to pursue her dream of driving a stagecoach, earn a livelihood in California, and vote. Many trials arise and threaten Charlotte's dreams but with hard work and persistent, she succeeds and becomes a role model especially young girls who are told they can't do anything because of their gender. Brian Selznick's (author and illustrator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck) full-page, black-and-white pencil drawings are well done and enhance the book's prose.

Rating: 4 stars

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 3-6

If you like this book try: Prairie School by Avi, Hattie the Big Sky by Kirby Larson

Tempting Tuesdays: Some Girls Bite Read-along!

2011-12-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

If you take a twenty-seven year-old grad-student-turned-vampire with a penchant for sarcasm, add it to the drama of being turned without permission, then factor in an arrogant but absurdly attractive Master vampire who's unused to having his buttons pushed, what do you get? Well, I'll tell you. You get Chloe Neill's Some Girls Bite, the first book in her hugely entertaining Chicagoland Vampires series!

The lovely Jenny at Supernatural Snark, Tina at Tina's Book Reviews, Missie at The Unread Reader, and I are going to be hosting a read-along for Some Girls Bite starting January 3rd and running every Tuesday through January 31st, and we cannot tell you how excited we would be if you guys would join us! For those of you who are unfamiliar with how a read-along works, fear not, it's really easy. Sign up using the linky at Jenny's blog (we'd love it if you could grab a button and do a short post announcing your participation to help spread the word), buy or borrow a copy of Some Girls Bite, and take a look at the questions for chapters 1-4 listed at the bottom of this post. Those five questions will be discussed at Supernatural Snark to kick off the event on January 3rd. Simply put a post together wherein you answer the questions and then go to Jenny's blog to link up your answers so that everyone participating can hop around, read, and comment like a giant virtual book club. Fun right? Right ;-)

Below is the schedule for the event so you can follow along. The second five discussion questions will be posted on Tina's blog on the 3rd so you'll have plenty of time to answer the questions before we all post again on the 10th.

READ-ALONG SCHEDULE:

January 3rd - Chapters 1-4 (Jenny at Supernatural Snark)
January 10th - Chapters 5-8 (Tina at Tina's Book Reviews)
January 17th - Chapters 9-12 (HERE)
January 24th - Chapters 13-15 + epilogue (Missie at The Unread Reader)
January 31st - Special guest post by Chloe Neill and our grand prize giveaway!

Everyone who signs up for the read-along and participates each week will be entered in our grand prize giveaway, with the winner announced on each of our blogs on the 31st. The prize pack (pictured below) includes a Sentinel 04 t-shirt, a copy of the second book in the series Friday Night Bites, and a copy of Chloe's newest release in her young adult series Charmfall. In addition to the grand prize winner, two additional winners will also receive copies of Charmfall. International participants: The giveaway is open to you as well (as long as The Book Depository delivers to your country), though we will be substituting the t-shirt and Charmfall for the next 2 books in the Chicagoland Vampires series after Friday Night Bites, so you will receive Friday Night Bites, Twice Bitten, and Hard Bitten.

If you're not familiar with this series, it's an adult urban fantasy series, but I beg all of you wonderful readers who typically stick to young adult fiction exclusively not to write this one off. It's ripe with romantic tension and has loads of humor, and I honestly cannot recommend it enough! Have I convinced you yet? No? You need more? Well, it just so happens that Ethan Sullivan (Master of Cadogan House) was one of Jenny's past book boyfriends, so I leave you with the below image as my final attempt to get you on board (you can see the full post and read some snippets HERE):

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was Merit's. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker-and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the Master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she's traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o' the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude- and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan's attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone's still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war-and there will be blood.

Here are Jenny's discussion questions for January 3rd:

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTERS 1-4

1. Let’s say tomorrow a “vampire manifesto” as Merit calls it runs in newspapers across the country announcing their existence. How do you think you would react? If you were hesitant to believe initially, what would it take to convince you they were real?

2. Since being turned into a vampire means complete removal from your former life and a new job serving your House in some capacity, what do you think you would miss most about the life you live now?

3. What are your first impressions of Merit and how she’s handling all the changes in her life?

4. When you first read the description of Ethan, what actor/model/person you know pops into your head as the perfect embodiment of him? Feel free to include pictures ;-)

5. Do you think Merit’s anger at Ethan himself, not the situation, is justified?

GRAB THE BUTTONS:

Please feel free to grab a button for the event and we look forward to having you join us in January!

Author Interview: Suzi Davis + Giveaway!

2011-12-15T08:06:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to introduce you to Suzi Davis, the author of the Lost Magic series. I reviewed the first book in the series, Amber Frost, on the blog at the beginning of this month and you can read my review here. Suzi is a British-born, Canadian writer and artist. She has a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts, a certificate in Special Education Assistance and I am working towards a Masters degree in Educational Psychology. She lives in a small town on Vancouver Island (in British Columbia) with her husband and their 2 year old son. Suzi has a passion for writing and is interested in learning about the supernatural. I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Suzi about Amber Frost and writing.

Welcome and thank you stopping by my blog today, Suzi. Grace seems to have everything a girl could want. Are there times when you find yourself envious of Grace’s life? Is there something about her life that you would never want to have in yours?

I’ve never really felt envious of Grace’s life. It would be nice to be rich and drop-dead gorgeous but it means a lot more to me (and to most people, I hope) to have strong family support and close, dependable friends.

I definitely wouldn’t want a mother like Grace’s or a boyfriend who is as condescending and superficial as Clarke (no matter how handsome and rich!). I also wouldn’t want a group of friends like hers who I couldn’t trust or really be myself around. And I would never want the huge amount of pressure that she feels to fit into a certain “role” and live up to others’ ideals. Her life stresses me out just thinking about it!

Most of the paranormal romances have what reader's call "insta-love" where the characters fall in love at first sight. Do you prefer this type of romance or a growing romance between the two protagonists? Which category does Grace and Sebastian fall under?

I definitely prefer a romance that develops naturally and over time, and this is also the category that Grace and Sebastian fall under. Grace is not really the love-at-first-sight type of girl though she definitely feels an immediate connection and attraction to Sebastian. She is too level-headed and rational to throw herself at someone she has just met and doesn’t know anything about. Not only do I feel it’s important to show readers how a real and meaningful relationship can develop, grow and change, I also love detailing that time between first meeting and first kiss when so much is still up in the air. It was fun to explore how a relationship can shift from friendship to romance, and to allow my readers to really appreciate the pre-relationship “stuff”. Even though Grace and Sebastian share a powerful and magical connection, it was very important for me to let their relationship progress at what I felt was a natural and believable pace.

Can you talk about the world building of "Amber Frost"? What makes it unique from the other paranormal romances that are being published right now?

This story started out quite simply with the idea of a boy whom strange things happen around. It sounds simple anyway, but the idea and the plot became increasingly complex as the story developed in my head. Sebastian can’t remember who or what he really is and he knows very little about himself. I needed to figure out exactly who he was and where he came from right from the start. For the plot to make sense, there was a lot of sub-plot and prehistory to the story that I had to develop – some of which is included in Book One and some which will not be revealed until later in The Lost Magic series. I needed to know where the story had come from and exactly where it was going. I had the ending of Amber Frost and a large part of the sequel (Silver Dew) planned out when I was writing the first chapter.

I think my book is different from other paranormal romances out there right now as it takes a new and fresh approach to the genre. There isn’t that “insta-love” that you had mentioned, nor are there any vampires, werewolves, fairies or other super-natural creatures (not that I object to these mythical creatures, you just won’t find any in Amber Frost). Amber Frost also has a unique paranormal twist that is slowly revealed and explored through out the story. I hope it will keep readers guessing, intrigued and engaged as they turn each page and delve further into the mystery of “the lost magic”.

What's your favorite scene in Amber Frost?

This is a hard one for me to answer because there are several that I love! There is one scene near the beginning of the book where there are falling leaves swirling all around Sebastian and Grace in a magical, autumnal spiral and it seems like he’s about to kiss her but... that one gives me goosebumps. I also love Chapter Thirteen, when Grace wakes up and it has snowed overnight. Not only was the romance and action in that chapter particularly enjoyable to write but it was also fun to describe the pristine, picture-perfect beauty of that icy and snow-covered, west coast morning.

What is the most important thing you learned as a writer from the beginning to now?

There are so many things I have learned from this journey so far – to believe in myself, trust my instincts, grow thicker skin, to find inspiration all around me… but I suppose the most important thing is probably how my style of writing has developed. I’ve always loved to write and as much as I enjoy just sitting down and writing whatever pops into my head, I’ve definitely learned to appreciate the importance of a well-developed outline and plot. Amber Frost is my first book and I’m really proud of how far I’ve come and where this series is going.

In your opinion, what makes an interesting paranormal romance? What are some of your favorite paranormal romances?

Here’s my dirty, little secret… I haven’t read many paranormal romances. In fact, I’ve barely read any – probably only two or three that would qualify. After I finished writing Amber Frost, I wasn’t even sure what subgenre (in the YA category) it fell into. I was leaning towards Fantasy as it involves magic, but once I did some research (and yes, I actually did have to research genre definitions, *blush*) I realized that I had written a YA paranormal-romance.

In my opinion, what makes Amber Frost interesting is that it is not your typical or obvious PNR. The romance feels real and builds slowly, and the paranormal aspect of the plot is part of the mystery and isn’t overly obvious or predictable. I think because I wasn’t trying to write a PNR it helped my novel be unique and to fall outside-of-the-box a bit.

Sebastian has an intriguing power of persuasion. If you could have his power for a day, what would you do?

Sebastian gets whatever he wants but with some limitations. His ability may sound like a blessing but it is also a hidden curse. He doesn’t always realize what he wants until it happens, which means that he has to be very careful of what he wishes for and must try to be excessively self-aware of his heart’s desires. He can’t always control his ability either as the heart want, what the heart wants.

If I did have his ability for the day, I would just go about my life as usual and enjoy a lucky day where everything would hopefully seem to go my way – no waiting in lines, no losing anything, no running late, lots of great opportunities springing up for me everywhere, etc. I’d be too scared to purposely try to influence events. How boring am I? Sorry! I promise that Amber Frost is a lot more interesting and imaginative than just “a lucky day”!

Suppose Grace and Sebastian had not met, which other character from a paranormal romance would meet their fancy?

Grace and Sebastian are definitely meant for each other and could perhaps best be described as “soul-mates”. It is very hard to imagine them not being together. If Grace hadn’t met Sebastian, she probably would have continued on with her perfect and boring life. I imagine she would have stayed with Clarke, her boyfriend at the beginning of the book which would have been sad - there was very little that was genuine or meaningful about their relationship. If Sebastian hadn’t met Grace or say he had forgotten about her somehow and then met someone else… well, you’ll have to read Silver Dew (the sequel to Amber Frost) and maybe you’ll find out more (how’s that for a teaser?).

How would you describe your writing process for Amber Frost?

Relaxed. I really enjoyed writing this book and took my time, enjoying each moment and word. I didn’t do any editing until I had finished writing the book which left me with A LOT of work to do. Since I also wrote at my own pace and didn’t pay attention to things like chapter lengths and word count, I also had a lot of “trimming” and down-sizing to do during the editing process. In some ways, I wish I could have included everything I originally wrote but I have to admit, some of it was self-indulgent and may have slowed down the pace of the plot too much if I’d included it all.

I noticed that the book is the first in a series. How many books in the series will there be?

Silver Dew, Book Two of The Lost Magic series is the sequel to Amber Frost and will be released by my publisher (ireadiwrite Publishing) this Winter (2011). There are no other books currently scheduled for the series but… that doesn’t mean there won’t be more! With a two year old, a new baby and a few other projects on the go, I’m trying not to over-commit myself at this time.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Suzi! Readers, you can find out more about Suzi and her Lost Magic series by visiting her website, Facebook page, and on Twitter.

GIVEAWAY

Suzi and her publishers are very generous to giveaway 1 (one) electronic copy of Amber Frost and 1 (one) copy of Silver Dew to 1 (one) lucky reader! This giveaway is open to ALL email addresses. To enter, all you have to do is make a comment on this post with your name/alias with your email address. This giveaway is open until January 6th at 10 PM EST and the winner will be announced on my blog the following day. Good luck!

Jude the Obscure

2011-12-14T06:56:00.000-08:00

The first book I read by Thomas Hardy was Tess of the d'Urbervilles back in sophomore year in high school when I was on my classic kick. I remembered loving the book and crying my eyes out. It was definitely an emotional read. I wanted to go back and read more of Hardy's books but didn't have the opportunity to do so until now with this years Victorian Reading Challenge. I picked up Jude the Obscure and thought it was another tragic romance story but quickly found out it was nothing what I expected at all.

Description (from Amazon): Jude Fawley, poor and working-class, longs to study at the University of Christminster, but his ambitions to go to university are thwarted by class prejudice and his entrapment in a loveless marriage. He falls in love with his unconventional cousin, Sue Bridehead, and their refusal to marry when free to do so confirms their rejection of and by the world around them. The shocking fate that overtakes them is an indictment of a rigid and uncaring society.

Review: Jude the Obscure was first published in 1895. It was a critical failure and scandalous to many. In fact its critical reception was so negative that Hardy decided to never to write another novel and turned his focus to poetry as a way to proper express himself. Now in the 21st century, I found Jude the Obscure shocking, gutsy, dark, extremely tragic, and so ahead of its time. While reading, I couldn't help but wonder if the book was a critical examination of his own life.
The story of Jude the Obscure attacked the three biggest institutions Victorian England held the most dear: higher education, social class, and marriage. The characters demand to reexamine and redefine marriage laws and challenge the commonly held beliefs about marriage and divorce in society. In addition, it also proposes a new Victorian woman: the intellectual, outspoken feminist.

Hardy is famous for his tragic heroes and heroines and the somber, socially critical tone of his narratives. Jude the Obscure focuses on the life of a country stonemason, Jude, and his tumultuous love for his cousin Sue, a schoolteacher. Ripped from what seems like a tragic Greek play, Jude knows that marriage is a disaster that has plagued his family for years and he believes that his love for Sue curses him doubly, because they are both members of a cursed clan.
While some may declare Jude the Obscure to be a tragic love story, I would argue that it is not a love story at all but rather a harsh criticism of the institution of marriage which is seen as an invisible jail that traps people forever. Jude and Sue are unhappily married to other people not by choice but rather coerced in different ways. Jude is tricked by his fiance who declares she is pregnant and in order to save her virtue he agrees to marry her though he doubts that he loves her. Sue makes a promise that she will marry her boss when she gets financially settled. Of course you can argue that these characters dug themselves a hole and now have to live with their choices, which is exactly how fatalistic as it sounds, but if you look at it from their historical context did they really have a choice? What is interesting is that both Jude and Sue have to the same conclusion that marriage has become a ball and chain for them and they long freedom to actually find what they are looking for. It is this inevitable bond that pulls them together. While they try to do the right thing in finding out a way to be together, their relationship is not accepted/declared legitimate by society and therefore beset by tragedy. There were moments that made my jaw drop both in shock and in heartache as Jude and Sue try to sort out the hot mess they find themselves in. They are essentially damned in which ever way they go.
In the end my feelings for this book was all over the place. I loved the fiery, smart, and highly spirited Sue who refuses to put on the act of the stereotypical silent Victorian woman. I hated how she was forced to abandon her true nature and play the role that she despises because after dealing with tragedy after tragedy, she admits that is the only way she can make things 'right'. I wanted to smack Jude upside the head for being hypocritical in acting what like a husband when he felt like it. I felt sad for him when he failed to try to achieve his dream leaving him to always be the dreamer who had no solid feet on the ground, but he did have his lucid moments that shined. I absolutely hated Annabell and felt incredibly sorry for Richard Phillotson. After reading Jude the Obscure, I was left in a daze with my mind spinning in different directions as I read to make sense of the story, which for me, is always a tell tale sign that I read a great book.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Adult themes and allusions to sex. I don't see any harm in giving this to a teen reader, but I think the slow pace and melodrama might turn them off.

If you like this book try: Adam Bede by George Eliot, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Living Violet (Cambion Chronicles #1)

2011-12-13T06:53:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to The Teen Book Scene for having me on the Living Violet blog tour. I would also like to thank Jaime Reed and her publishers for giving me an advanced copy of the book. Jaime Reed's first book in the Cambion Chronicle series, Living Violet, will be released on December 27th according to Amazon.

Description (from Amazon): He's persuasive, charming, and way too mysterious. And for Samara Marshall, her co-worker is everything she wants most--and everything she most fears. . .
Samara Marshall is determined to make the summer before her senior year the best ever. Her plan: enjoy downtime with friends and work to save up cash for her dream car. Summer romance is not on her to-do list, but uncovering the truth about her flirtatious co-worker, Caleb Baker, is. From the peculiar glow to his eyes to the unfortunate events that befall the girls who pine after him, Samara is the only one to sense danger behind his smile. But Caleb's secrets are drawing Samara into a world where the laws of attraction are a means of survival. And as a sinister power closes in on those she loves, Samara must take a risk that will change her life forever. . .or consume it.

Review: Living Violet walks the thin line of being a satire of the paranormal/supernatural romance genre and being one. At its essence though, it is a standard supernatural-boy--meets-girl romance with a diverse cast of characters as well as an interracial romance, which is not seen in the popular genre.
Samara is the daughter of a biracial couple who at times seems to struggle with her own identity. She is not sure which race she belongs to and how she is suppose to act. She uses her sarcasm and wit to distance herself from people. I loved Samara's snarky comments, but I wished we got to know her on a deeper level. I found her most interesting when she got a bit introspective, but unfortunately that doesn't last very long in the book.
People find it hard to label and identify Samara, which is why Caleb Baker is interested. Unlike all the women that constantly throw themselves at him, Samara resists his draw and just sees him: the smart alec coworker who has a horrible sweet tooth just like her. Caleb Baker is an overall decent-looking guy but not the standard jaw dropping, heart pounding beautiful love interest we find in this type of romance. The only thing that makes him stand out is his "intense violet eyes" that draws females to him. Caleb is literally a dangerous heart breaker: women he is with experience shortness of breath or a tendency to have heart attacks around him.
When Caleb kills a would-be date-rapist in front of Samara to protect her friend at a party, he's forced to come clean and reveal his nature to her. He's a Cambion, meaning he shares his body with an extra soul, that draws the women to him to fulfill its life-sucking nutritional needs. Readers familiar with the types of demons will easily recognize the signs to his identity much earlier on.
The romance between Samara and Caleb is slow and incredibly funny as the two constantly banter with one another. There are many scenes where I laughed out loud as the two work on defining their relationship. Thankfully there is no love triangle but two characters trying to find themselves. The action and tension returns in the last half of the book as we learn more about Caleb's family and how his ties threaten Samara's life.
Apart from pacing problems, the voice is inconsistent, the characters switch between a teen and adult voice, using slang (that didn't suit me well) to be cool. I was a bit disturbed at how Caleb didn't take more of a stand of fighting his demon on his own and his demon's influence was treated so lightly giving the cliche vibe of how a bad boy can do a girl some good. The scenes of Caleb learning how to fight off women was suppose to be funny, I found it a bit disturbing. I can see the author trying to poke fun at itself, but I think it hits that mark. Living Violet is a fast read and overall enjoyable if you don't think too much while reading it. The characters can be likable when the prose is successful and being themselves instead of acting out a part the author wants them to be. The relationship between Samara and Jaime is charming and sweet. I just found it a bit too hard to pick this one out from the crowd of other books in this genre.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, a scene of underage drinking, and some slang that some readers may find offensive. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: Burning Emerald (The Cambion Chronicles #2) by Jamie Reed expected in 2012, Mystique by Shari Arnold

Catching Jordan

2011-12-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

I'm not a football fan. I'll generally watch snippets of a game here and there with my brothers who live and breathe the game. It always confuses them why I love the TV show Friday Night Lights which centers around a high school football team since I don't care for the sport. The reason why I loved the show is because of its great characters, storyline, acting, and directing. These are all the same qualities I found while reading Miranda Kennally's debut novel Catching Jordan.

Description (from Goodreads): What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

Review: Catching Jordan is a great blend of sports, family drama, and romance though the book's description seems to market the latter. It is the story of being true to yourself regardless of how others see you. It is the story of pursuing your dreams. It is these universal themes regardless of your love/hate relationship to sports, you can connect and relate to the book and its characters.
Jordan Woods is a self proclaimed tomboy, a female quarterback who has lead her high school football team on a victory streak and another chance at the state championship. She knows exactly what she wants, playing football in college, and does everything that she can to make her dream possible. Some may say she has tunnel vision, but I don't view her that way. I believe she's driven, ambitious, competitive, and strong. She is truly a rare gem we find in contemporary YA whose focus is something beyond "who will be my boyfriend this year?" I loved Jordan right away. Though her passion for football may be foreign to me and a lot of readers, her insecurities are tangible and familiar. She longs to get her approval from her NFL playing dad who seems to do everything he can to avoid Jordan's games and ignore her skills while complimenting her teammates. Jordan is also at a loss on how to deal with her new found crush, Ty Green, a new student from Texas and also a great quarterback who might possibly steal her position on the team.
While romance does play a large role in the book and for the most part done quite well, it does not overshadow all of Jordan's great achievements and has her questioning the prioritizes in her life. I found the romance as a great device in enhancing the overall discussion of gender roles and expectations including Jordan's own preconceived notions. We expect her to be consumed with Ty and abandon her dreams, but she thankfully does not. She is constantly throw into the chaos of friendship, loyalty, what does it mean to love someone, and finally acceptance.
For me, the highlight of Catching Jordan are the various relationships in the book and the chemistry that all the characters share with one another. JJ, Carter, Ty, and Henry are adorable and infuriating in their own way. You want to hug, slug, and sometimes slap them upside the heads for being stupid just as you would with brothers and friends. Their love is genuine and constant. Jordan's family also plays a vital role in supporting and looking out for her. I especially loved watching her relationship with her father grow.
Some readers may be worried that heavy football terminology would be used, but I didn't really have a problem understanding the game. I think Kenneally provides enough details in her description for the reader to understand what was going on. I did have a few issues with how the characters causally thought about sex and having a teen boy sleeping over in a girls room without parental concerns. I also did find the plot twist in the book to be a bit abrupt, but despite these flaws I really enjoyed Catching Jordan would highly recommend it to readers of realistic fiction who enjoy a strong female protagonists.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: Some strong language, allusions to sex, and underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: The Dairy Queen series by Catherine Murdock

Miranda Kenneally's Teen Garage Sale

2011-12-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

I'm delighted to have Catching Jordan author Miranda Kenneally here on the blog today to discuss what things we would find in a garage sale of items from your teenage years. Be sure to stop by on Monday for my review of the book. Also, you can win a copy of an ARC of Catching Jordan over at Kari's blog, the A Good Addiction, during the Catching Jordan tour. The only way people to enter the giveaway is through the tour. Everyone will get one entry just for entering the giveaway, but then for every tour post you comment on, you will get another entry. So be sure to stop by Kari's blog to enter!

Miranda's Teen Garage Sale

1. A clear plastic phone that has been burned up. I had one of those phones that you could see the innards of. But one day I was chatting on the phone and playing with a candle and matches absentmindedly. (Lots of people are into fire, don’t judge!) J Anyhow, I somehow ended up burning the phone casing and the plastic turned black. It smelled terrible. Yes, I was an idiot when I was 17.

2. A bunch of mangled Jonathan Taylor Thomas (JTT) posters. He was like the Taylor Lautner when I was 13. One time I had a dream that JTT was coming to visit my house. I woke up in the middle of the night, frantic because JTT was coming over and he’d see how obsessed I was because his face covered my walls. So I ripped all the posters down and went back to sleep. My dad woke me up the next morning, wide-eyed, because of the JTT carnage spread across the carpet.

3. A green Victorian lamp with a gold chain. I thought this lamp would make me smarter and classier. I don’t think it happened.

4. A collection of movie ticket stubs and all of the Babysitters Club books. I had hundreds of movie ticket stubs hanging on the wall. Do I even need to say why the Babysitters Club books rock?!

5. Star Wars sheets: It wasn’t until college (yes, I continued using them well into my junior year) that my best guy friend told me that Star Wars sheets aren’t really the best way to get a boyfriend. I just thought they were cool! I ended up getting some new sheets after that, and gave the Star Wars sheets to a boy I babysat for, and to this day I am not sure why I believed that boys would care about my sheets. (For the record, I don’t think they care.)

Thanks for stopping by, Miranda! Oh yes, JTT from the show Home improvement does bring back memories. I loved his character on the show. I was a huge Babysitters Club book fan. It was the only thing I read in 4th grade. :)

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

YA Mini-Reviews: Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2), What Happened to Goodbye, and The Predicteds

2011-12-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

I'm writing another slew of mini reviews for YA books I read over a couple of months ago. I apologize if you've been waiting for a long time for my reviews of any of these books. The books listed below are Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2) by Ally Carter, What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen, The Predicteds by Christine Seifert.

Description: Kat Bishop and her fellow talented teenagers work together to find and steal the "Cleopatra Emerald" from an unscrupulous dealer and return it to its rightful owner, while a former love of her Uncle Eddie tries to get the gem for herself.

Review: While I enjoyed reading another adventure about Kat and the gang, I didn't like this one as much as Heist Society, the first novel. The main reason why I loved the first book is because the teens are able to pull off an incredibly difficult job with intelligence, skill, and determination despite their young age. The heist in the second book was just too easy, especially when it was mentioned time and again how anyone who attempted to steal the Cleopatra Emerald always failed. Needless to say the book was still fun, the characters are likable, and the romantic tension between Kat and Hale sizzles. It's definitely a book you would want to read to escape for a few hours especially on a cold, dreary day.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is mild language and a scene of underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: The Gallagher series by Ally Carter, White Cat by Holly Black, The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

Description: Following her parents' bitter divorce as she and her father move from town to town, Mclean reinvents herself at each school she attends until she is no longer sure she knows who she is or where she belongs.

Review: I read mixed reviews of Dessen's latest book and I think I can understand why readers are so divided. What Happened to Goodbye is a bit different from Dessen's usual teen romances. Instead of girl who has issues meets and falls for a boy who also has issues and they both work together to solve their problems, Dessen opts out to explore one girl's self-exploration and examines the aftermath of an ugly divorce. I thought the characters were realistic, flawed, but allowed the opportunity to grow and redeem themselves. The book's pacing is a direct reflection of Mclean's growth: it's slow in the beginning as Mclean internalizes everything and comes off as cold and secretive. The story picks up once she's allowed herself to open up to others. While the ending may be wrapped up too neatly for some, I thought it provided a hopeful outlook. Readers looking for a good character driven, contemporary read should definitely pick this one up if they haven't already done so.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and a small scene of underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Description: "Who will it be? Will the head cheerleader get pregnant? Is the student council president a secret drug addict? The whole school is freaking out about PROFILE, an experimental program that can predict students' future behavior. The only question Daphne wants answered is whether Jesse will ask her out, but he's a Predicted, and there's something about his future he's not telling her.

Review: I read The Predicteds for a book tour a while ago and opted out to do a review at the time because I could not honestly recommend this book. Neither a dystopian nor science fiction thriller, The Predicteds did absolutely nothing for me. The concept of the Profile sounds really cool, but it wasn't discussed at all in the book. The characters, including the creator of Profile, talked around the subject, which made the plot snooze worthy and as a result, the big 'twist' was anticlimactic for me. I found the characters to be flat and dull. The Predicteds could have really used an editor because it was very wordy. Long passages could have been shortened by using strong, short sentences. Readers looking for a good thriller with a science fiction or dystopian bent to it should definitely look elsewhere.

Rating: 1 star

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, scenes of underage drinking, and some disturbing images. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: The Cassandra Virus by K.V. Johansen, Clarity by Kim Harrington

Children/MG Minireviews: Heart of a Shepherd, Once Upon a Marigold, and Bud, Not Buddy

2011-12-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

I realized that I haven't posted any children/middle grade book reviews in a while. I also have a back log of reviews to write, which tends to happen when I realize I only have this month to wrap up all of my reading challenges. Yikes! Below are my reviews of Heart of a Shepherd by Roseanne Parry, Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris, and Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Description: Ignatius "Brother" Alderman, nearly twelve, promises to help his grandparents keep the family's Oregon ranch the same while his brothers are away and his father is deployed to Iraq, but as he comes to accept the inevitability of change, he also sees the man he is meant to be.

Review: Parry's first novel, is a boy's emotional and spiritual coming-of-age. It's heartfelt and often heartwarming, but her characters come out too perfect. The spiritual tone comes out a bit too preachy at times and heavy handed. The first person narrative falters a bit when Brother muses internally. She does a great job, however, of acquainting readers with the realities of modern ranching life and the impact a distant war has on the families who are left at home to cope.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is a mild swear word in the book and some disturbing images. Recommended for mature Grade 4 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Almost Forever by Maria Testa and The Quilt by Gary Paulsen

Description: A young man with a mysterious past and a penchant for inventing things leaves the troll who raised him, meets an unhappy princess he has loved from afar, and discovers a plot against her and her father.

Review: Once Upon a Marigold is a really fun read, which I think both girls and boys will both like. Girls will be drawn to the romance, which isn't too gooey and gushy. Boys will enjoy the comedy and action. The characters are compelling, well developed, and sympathetic. The usual tropes in fairy tales will be found here and while you may already know how it ends, but the quirky personalities and comic subplots give the story additional texture and make it an entertaining read. Though the book wraps up nicely there is a companion novel available, but I don't plan on reading it at the moment.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 5 to 8. I think it would be a good read aloud for younger grades 2 to 4.

If you like this book try: Twice Upon the Marigold by Jean Ferris, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, for older readers The Princess Bride by William Golding

Description: Ten-year-old Bud, lost his mother at a very young age. He goes from foster home to foster home in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression. After escaping a bad foster home, sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father: the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids.

Review: I don't have much luck in enjoying titles set in the Great Depression because, well, it's depressing but I was so surprised how much Bud not Buddy was so different from the other titles I've read about this period mainly because Bud is such a delightful character. I didn't expect him to be hilarious, smart, feisty, and determined young man. While the grim conditions of the times and the harshness of Bud's circumstances are authentically depicted, Bud's hope and optimism is contagious and balances the book. We can't help but root for him and join him on his journey. Bud's tale does have Dickensian twists in plot and is filled with a host of memorable and distinct personalities. Teachers looking for a book to enhance their Great Depression curriculum for elementary and middle school grades should definitely consider adding this book to their list.

Rating: 4 stars

Curriculum Connection: Social Studies

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 4 and up.

If you like this book try: Blue Comet by Rosemary Wells, Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

The Restorer (Graveyard Queen #1)

2011-12-06T06:53:00.000-08:00

I requested The Restorer by Amanda Stevens from Netgalley quite a while ago, but it expired when I found the time to read it. Luckily, I was able to snag a copy of the book at my library. While many categorize the book as paranormal romance, I actually think it much more accurate to label this one as a paranormal mystery with a romantic slant, at least that's how the series starts off, this is the first book in a planned series. While there is romance, the book focuses more on a murder mystery.

Description (from book's cover): My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe. It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer--and to his other victims--lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

Review: I wasn't sure if I was going to like The Restorer when I first picked it up. I had previously read a paranormal mystery that left me underwhelmed so I had really had low expectations for this book. I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. Without a few interruptions, I almost read it in an one sitting and the plot grabbed me right away.
Cemetery restorer, Amelia Gray saw her first ghost when she was nine. Since that day she has live by the rules her father, who also sees ghosts, instilled in her:

Never acknowledge the dead.
Never stray far from hallowed ground.
Never associate with those who are haunted.
Never, ever tempt fate.

Amelia's father knows what the repercussions of this 'gift' will have in Amelia's life, for that reason he gave her these rules to protect her. Amanda has abide by these rules for all of her life. Keeping a small circle of friends and being mostly by herself to keep herself safe from the dead. She has become accustomed to her boring or sheltered life, but that all that changes when the body of a murder victim is found in the cemetery she is restoring. Amelia is asked to collaborate with police given her extensive knowledge about cemeteries. She is partnered up with detective John Devlin and immediately becomes fascinated with him as she sees the two ghosts that haunt him. As Amelia digs deeper into the case and her attraction to John grows, she starts to break the rules.
The Restorer is a spooky, creepy, and fascinating read. Stevens did an amazing job creating this unique world. Her attention to details created a great Gothic atmosphere. There were pages where I almost feel the chill of the ghost lingering around me as I read the story. I could feel the cold, damp, grass beneath my feet as I walked on the cemetery where Amelia worked. It was creepy, but at the same time it was kind of beautiful too. Cemeteries aren't my number one place to hang out, but the explanations of the symbolism used in the tombs are fascinating.
The characters in this book are complex and endearing. Amelia is woman with a difficult and different life. Having the ability to see ghost hasn't make her life any easier, just more complicated. Since she was a child she has been the odd one and has always living by her father rules without questioning them, but given the severity of her situation you can't really blame her. The book is told in first person from Amelia's point of view, allowing us to connect with her and feel the inner conflict raging within her. Amelia doesn't dwell on her loneliness. Yes she has her bad days like all of us, but she does her best in living her life as possibly as she can with the limitations and difficulties she has.
John Devlin is a tortured and broken man, who goes through life without really living it. He is dark, intense, full of secrets. and mainly keeps to himself. He is a man with a very painful and tragic past, who doesn't think he deserves any happiness. We learn about John's life as the book progresses. I really ache for him when I learned about his heartbreaking story. He was by far my favorite character and I really look forward to learning more about him.
The relationship between Amelia and John is tense to say the least. There is an undeniable attraction between them and I loved watching it grow. At first I thought Amelia's affections for John were one sided, because there was always a wall built around him but there are lingering gazes and body movements that made me think otherwise. It is obvious that John is Amelia's forbidden fruit and vise versa. John's pain and past doesn't let him to move on and be happy. Like Amelia, John is also trying to break his self imposed rules.
This book supporting characters are also very interesting. I really loved Regina and Ethan. I also like how the city of Charleston is described, with its quirks and all making it feel as if it's another character.
The Restorer has a great mix of mystery and suspense. We are given the right amount of answers and clues to get our mind whirring and trying to find out the perpetrator along with Amelia and John. Though my prediction of the criminal was correct, I wasn't sure of criminal's motive and I kept reading to find out. Although the mystery is solved by the end of this book, there are things left unsolved and secrets left untold, especially in regard to Amelia's father but it didn't leaving me hanging. I'm definitely looking forward to meeting these characters and the world again in the next book in this series, The Kingdom, which is slated to come out next year. If you are interested in mysteries and don't the paranormal with a dash of romance, I would really consider picking this book up.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is language and disturbing images. There are two brief but small sex scenes. Recommended to mature teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: The Kingdom (Graveyard Queen #2) available in April 2012, The Dead Room by Heather Graham, The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting

Chatting with Charlie, George, Bailey, and Ethan from A Dog's Purpose + Emory's Gift and

2011-12-05T06:19:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to introduce you to Charlie, Bailey, and Ethan from A Dog's Purpose and Emory's Gift by W. Bruce Cameron. Both books are available at your bookstore and make a great holiday gift for those pet lovers in your lives. Be sure to check them out!

Welcome to the Books in the Spotlight, guys! The weather is constantly changing in Chicago. Do you have a favorite season?

Charlie in Emory’s Gift: I’d say summer except I know I’d get in trouble with the honesty police. The fact is that when summer’s coming I can’t imagine anything better than getting out of school and having three whole months to myself, but when August has pretty much run its course I’m more than ready to get back on the bus and go back to class. You get so you miss your friends.

Bailey in A Dog’s Purpose: Every season is my favorite!

Do you prefer to be indoors or outdoors? What do you like to do?

Charlie in Emory’s Gift: I guess I figure that indoors doesn’t have much going for it. Most days of the year I take the path from our back yard down to the river. It was down at the river where I was stalked by the mountain lion with intent to turn me into an afternoon snack, but then right about that time the grizzly bear showed up, and then I had bigger problems. Or so I thought at the time.

Bailey in A Dog’s Purpose: I love being outdoors. And I love being indoors! And I love going from outdoors to indoors, and I love going from indoors to outdoors!

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Charlie’s father George in Emory’s Gift: I don’t understand why people can’t mind their own business. We had no problem with that grizzly bear until people found out about it, and then the whole thing turned into a real circus.

What is the biggest lesson you've learned?

Charlie in Emory’s Gift: What I’ve learned? You just can’t predict what’s going to happen. I thought I had everything under control; everything figured out. And then things changed, and I realized nothing was under control.

Bailey in A Dog’s Purpose: I’ve learned that I have a purpose in life, a very important purpose. I hope this is true of everyone, because a life without purpose would be empty.

I don't have any pets. How would you convince me to get own of my own?

Ethan in A Dog’s Purpose: When I met Bailey it was love at first sight. Everywhere I went, my dog was at my side, and no matter what I did, he was right there to assure me I was the greatest. When I failed, Bailey let me know my failures were only stepping stones to success. When I neglected him to focus on other pursuits, he always greeted me and welcomed me back without a hint of reproach. When I became angry at him, he begged my forgiveness, and always forgave me any time I may have done him wrong. There is simply no other creature who will love you without reservation the way a dog will. Missing that sort of love in your life is to miss one of the great things this world has to offer.

Thanks for stopping by, Everyone! You can find out more about A Dog's Purpose and Emory's Gift by visiting Mr. Cameron's website, Facebook, Twitter, and GoodReads.

This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog’s search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog’s Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life's most basic question: Why are we here?
Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey’s search for his new life’s meaning leads him into the loving arms of 8-year-old Ethan. During their countless adventures Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog.
But this life as a beloved family pet is not the end of Bailey’s journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again, Bailey wonders—will he ever find his purpose?
Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A Dog's Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog's many lives, but also a dog's-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man's best friend. This moving and beautifully crafted story teaches us that love never dies, that our true friends are always with us, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.

After 13-year-old Charlie Hall’s mother dies and his father retreats into the silence of grief, Charlie finds himself drifting lost and alone through the brutal halls of junior high school.
But Charlie Hall is not entirely friendless. In the woods behind his house, Charlie is saved from a mountain lion by a grizzly bear, thought to be extinct in northern Idaho. And this very unusual bear will change Charlie’s life forever.
Deeply moving, and interwoven with hope and joy, Emory’s Gift is not only heartwarming and charming coming of age story, but also a page-turning insightful look at how faith, trust, and unconditional love can heal a broken family and bridge the gaps that divide us.

Amber Frost (Lost Magic #1)

2011-12-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of the same old story with ghosts, fey, vampires, shape shifters, and zombies? Looking for something new, you may want to check out Suzi Davis's debut novel of her Lost Magic series called Amber Frost. Amber Frost is an entertaining teen love story with a unique paranormal twist. For full disclosure, I received the book from the author in an exchange of an honest review.

Description (from book's cover): Grace Lynn Stevenson is an eighteen year old girl who recently moved with her wealthy, but busy parents to a new city. She's popular, pretty and rich - what more could a girl want? But deep down, she's sad, lonely and plagued by nightmares.
When she meets Sebastian Caldwood at her new private school, she's inexplicably drawn to him and his strange tattoos. Sebastian always gets what he wants - he simply has to wish it; but he's fighting his own inner demons, and struggling to remember a past that eludes him. When he remembers that he is much older than he looks, he realizes that he's seen many people live and die, including Grace.
Once Sebastian realizes his true nature and finds what he has been searching for the past hundreds of years, he also realizes that it is now up to him to protect Grace from the dangers that have plagued them throughout eternity.

Review: When I first started reading this book I wondered what the paranormal twist could be. I've read a slew of books in this genre and could guess in less than 20 pages what the paranormal being would be. I must say that Amber Frost kept me on my toes and I was excited to see how it would unfold.
Grace started out difficult to like because of her obsession with keeping up appearances. She has become more of a marionette and less of a person, who passively goes through life being unhappy and does very little to change her status quo. Since her first few interactions with Sebastian, she suddenly changed her personality and took charge. While I welcomed the 'new' Grace, her transformation didn't feel genuine at first. I wondered if Sebastian wasn't present, would she would have attempted to resolve and confront her issues with her parents and boyfriend, probably not. After I got over that kink, I managed to warm up to her but to be honest I was more interested in what Sebastian's character was bringing to the plot.
At a first glance, Sebastian doesn't seem very different from other love interests in this highly read genre. He is quiet, observant, brooding, distant, and of course handsome. What I think what really sets him apart is his talent and the very fact that he himself has no idea who he is. Sebastian has the ability that allows him to get pretty much whatever he wants just by wishing for it. If he really wants something, he almost always gets it. He just can't remember who he is, or where he came from, but through reoccurring dreams he has a strong feeling that he is very old despite his youthful appearance. He knows there is a lot that he's forgotten and it's not until he finds Grace that he starts to remember again.
I really liked the mystery behind Sebastian. For once the characters and readers on the same page trying to search for the hidden truths. Sebastian's ability had me questioning his relationship with Grace and made me wonder if they were really in love or if it was his ability at play. I wondered about free will and what would happen if Grace decides not to be with Sebastian anymore. While the plot goes through what seems to be the necessary tropes of the paranormal romance drama, I found myself turning the pages once Sebastian's memory returns. Davis does a great job in adding the suspense into the plot and giving us little clues to grab our attention and whet our appetite.
As I learned more about Grace and Sebastian, both apart and together, I began to root for their relationship. What they and I thought was a simple love connection is much more complicated. It's clear that they have strong feelings for one another, but I think their story is just beginning which is evident in the cliffhanger ending.
Amber Frost has some great moments, but I felt like the first half of the book moved very slowly due to the overuse of descriptive narrative. Grace's unhappiness got a bit repetitive and the issues with her parents are superfluous to the overall story. I thought the second half of the book was much stronger as Davis dug a little deeper into her characters. but there were parts of this book that left me wanting more. Despite these flaws, I thought the book was an entertaining read and has a great potential in becoming a really good series. I would recommend it for those who are looking for something a bit different in the paranormal romance genre.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some violence and mild language. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.

If you like this book try: Silver Dew (Lost Magic #2) by Suzi Davis, The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton

The Reel Shelf Presents: Peter Klaven and Sydney Fife (I Love You, Man)

2011-12-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Reel Shelf, a new weekly feature here at Books in the Spotlight where I imagine what's on my favorite TV/Movie character's book shelves. If you have missed any of my previous Reel Shelf installments, you can find them all here. Today I'm spotlighting Peter Klaven and Sydney Fife from the movie I Love You, Man which demonstrates a successful bromance. A bromance is a a close but non-sexual relationship between two (or more) men, essentially close friends.


Image and Quote from IMBD

Sydney Fife: *On the phone* Just meet me at Muscle Beach in like... I don't know... half an hour?
Peter Klaven: Muscle Beach. Half an hour. I will see you there or I will see you on another time.
Sydney Fife: That was very confusing. I don't know if you're gonna come or not?
Peter Klaven: No, I'll be there. I'll be there.
Sydney Fife: [laughing] Alright I'll see you then, buddy.
Peter Klaven: Alright. Laters on the menjay.

I loved the story of I Love You, Man. Peter Klaven's world revolves around his job as a realtor and his fiancée Zooey. After he pops the question, she calls her best friends and they go into wedding planning mode. Everything seems fine until the question of who is going to be Peter's best man pops up. Peter has no male friends and that poses problems: will he turn out to be a clingy guy, and who will be his best man? Zooey, her friends, and Peter's brother Robbie offer help that results in awkward moments. Then, at an open house Peter's hosting, he meets Sydney, an amiable, laid back kind of a guy. They trade business cards, and Peter calls him to meet for drinks. A friendship develops that's great at first but then threatens Peter's engagement and career. Can guys be friends and couples be in love?
While there are several famous bromances both in life and in literature such as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, I loved how this movie shows the beginning and trials of a relationship that is sweet, funny, and genuine. Not to mention that I adore Paul Rudd and think Jason Segel is hilarious. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I highly suggest it. FYI, it is rated R. The following books showcase that have great bromances that I think Peter and Sydney would enjoy. Once again, the website that I generally use to do this list is down so I'll try my best to post them here. If there's any book that you think should be listed, be sure to leave them in the comments!

The Reel Shelf Presents: Peter's and Sydney's Book Shelves

Kit's Wilderness by David Almond - The Watson family moves to Stoneygate, an old coal-mining town, to care for Kit’s recently widowed grandfather. When Kit meets John Askew, another boy whose family has both worked and died in the mines, Askew invites Kit to join him in playing a game called Death. As Kit’s grandfather tells him stories of the mine’s past and the history of the Watson family, Askew takes Kit into the mines, where the boys look to find the childhood ghosts of their long-gone ancestors. (Amazon)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance. But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences. (Amazon)

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury - Imagine you and your best friend head off on a cross-country bike trek. Imagine that you get into a fight. Imagine you stop riding together. Imagine you reach Seattle then come home alone, still p.o-ed. Imagine the FBI is now at your college dorm. Imagine finding out that your former best friend never made it home. And imagine that he had actually been carrying over $20,000 in cash with him.

Imagine your world shifting.... (Amazon)

Swim the Fly by Don Calame - Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. (Amazon) If you enjoyed this one, be sure to check out the companion novel Beat the Band!

Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film About the Grapes of Wrath by Steven Goldman-
Mitchell Wells may not survive eleventh grade. He really only has one friend, his best friend, David. His normally decent grade point average is in limbo due to a slightly violent, somewhat inappropriate claymation film. And girls . . . well, does hanging out with his sister count?
When David tells Mitchell he’s gay, Mitchell’s okay with it—but it still seems to change things. Since David’s not out to anyone else, the guys agree to be set up with prom dates. Then, one of the most popular girls in school decides she must date Mitchell, and he’s gone from zero to two girlfriends in sixty seconds.
From his pending English grade, to his floundering friendship, to his love life—the one thing that’s taken a bizarre turn for the better—Mitchell is so confused, he’ll be lucky if he lasts another week in high school! And then there’s the prom . . .(Amazon)

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green - When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. (Amazon)

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton - The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society. (Amazon)

The Chosen by Chaim Potok - It is the now-classic story of two fathers and two sons and the pressures on all of them to pursue the religion they share in the way that is best suited to each. And as the boys grow into young men, they discover in the other a lost spiritual brother, and a link to an unexplored world that neither had ever considered before. In effect, they exchange places, and find the peace that neither will ever retreat from again. (Amazon)

Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena - Danny's Tall and skinny. Even though he’s not built, his arms are long enough to give his pitch a power so fierce any college scout would sign him on the spot. A 95 mph fastball, but the boy’s not even on a team. Every time he gets up on the mound he loses it. But at his private school, they don’t expect much else from him. Danny’s brown. Half-Mexican brown. And growing up in San Diego that close to the border means everyone else knows exactly who he is before he even opens his mouth. Before they find out he can’t speak Spanish, and before they realize his mom has blond hair and blue eyes, they’ve got him pegged. Danny’s convinced it’s his whiteness that sent his father back to Mexico. And that’s why he’s spending the summer with his dad’s family. Only, to find himself, he might just have to face the demons he refuses to see right in front of his face. (Amazon)

Black and White by Paul Volponi - Marcus and Eddie are best friends who found the strength to break through the racial barrier. Marcus is black; Eddie is white. Stars of their school basketball team, they are true leaders who look past the stereotypes and come out on top. They are inseparable, watching each other's backs, both on and off the basketball court. But one night--and one wrong decision--will change their lives forever. Will their mistake cost them their friendship . . . and their future? (Amazon)

The Corner Shop

2011-11-30T06:41:00.000-08:00

While searching for authors to read for the Southeast Asian reading challenge, I came across Roopa Farooki's name. Her debut novel, Bittersweets, was critically acclaimed and won the Orange Prize Award, an annual award given to female writers throughout the world. I actually wanted to read Bittersweets, but it was checked out from the library at time so I opted out to read The Corner Shop.

Description (inside panel): There are only two tragedies in life. One is not getting your heart's desire - and the other? Getting it. Fourteen-year-old Lucky Khalil loves three things: football, Star Wars and Portia, the girl who works in his grandfather's corner shop. In that order. But Lucky has a destiny – worse than a destiny, he has a dream. He dreams that one day, his lucky left foot will win the World Cup for England . It torments him, because it tastes real, because when he wakes he weeps with disappointment that it is just a dream.Meanwhile, Lucky’s mother Delphine seems to have had all her dreams come true.
But Delphine feels increasingly trapped in her apparently perfect marriage and gilded lifestyle. She fantasizes about rediscovering the freedom of her youth, but rekindling a relationship with her maverick father-in-law, Zaki, is only going to end in disaster.Zaki, a charming gambler who loved and lost Delphine long before she married his sensible and successful son, feels equally trapped in the corner shop that he has unwillingly run for years for his family's sake. He wonders whether the time has come to abandon his middle class responsibilities, to try once more to achieve his own long-forgotten dreams.

Review: Aspirations and family ties are examined across three generations of the Khalil family in Farooki's enjoyable novel. Lucky Khalil is a talented young soccer player with his sights set on taking the World Cup home for England. His father, Jinan, is the serious-minded, hard-working son of a Bangladeshi immigrant, married to Delphine, who feels her perfect marriage is confining. The patriarch of the Khalil family, Zaki, is a shopkeeper and gambler with wanderlust and an attraction to his son's wife. As you discover earlier on in the book, Delphine is approximately fifteen years older than Jinan and Zaki was once her lover.
When Delphine gives in to Zaki's advances, family bonds are stretched to the breaking point and the character's true colors appear. As each of the characters advance in their ambitions, the cross-purposes of their desires and responsibilities blend intricately and threaten to crush the family.
The Corner Shop is clearly a character driven novel. Each character struggles with attaining their dreams or rather the mere idea of what their dreams should be. Reality and aspirations clash. With the exception of Jinan, who achieved his dreams and is happy with the results, it was interesting how other Khalil family members felt trapped yet at the same time freed by their dreams. Before being a contender of England's football (what we in the US call soccer) team, Lucky is already plagued by a nightmare of failing his country. Delphine who came across as a modern day Madame Bovary is tired of her "perfect marriage" where she is adored and respected by her husband. Delphine wants more of the romantic notion of a marriage rather than the banal day to day moments with her husband. Zaki is suffers from the Peter Pan complex who abandons his conventional shopkeeper's life and responsibilities when things get too complicated for him and abruptly leaves to search for something fulfilling.
I like how The Corner Shop avoids the overly discussed theme of being immigrants adjusting to a new lifestyle and zeroes in what we all, regardless of our cultural, religious, social backgrounds may be, think of: what, exactly, leads to a more fulfilled life? Though told mostly in the omnipresent third person narrator, there are sections where the narration style breaks and some of the characters narrate their side of the story, which can be challenging to follow and interrupts the pace and tone of the book. For the most part I enjoyed the flawed characters, but the twisted love triangle between Delphine, Zaki, and Jinan was hard to wrap my head around and just felt wrong. All in all, a nice quick read for fans of Jhumpa Lahiri and Zadie Smith.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language as well as allusion to sex. Recommended for older teens interested in multicultural fiction and adults.

If you like this book try: Interpreter of the Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Toads and Diamonds

2011-11-29T06:48:00.000-08:00

So far for my Southeast Asian Reading Challenge I have been reading books that are targeted to an adult audience. I thought I would try reading some books for children/middle grade and YA books. I came across Toads and Diamonds, a fairy tale retelling set in pre-colonial, fictional India and thought it looked interesting. I've read good reviews on the book so I decided to give it a shot.

Description (from inside panel): Diribani has come to the village well to get water for her family's scant meal of curry and rice. She never expected to meet a goddess there. Yet she is granted a remarkable gift: Flowers and precious jewels drop from her lips whenever she speaks.

It seems only right to Tana that the goddess judged her kind, lovely stepsister worthy of such riches. And when she encounters the goddess, she is not surprised to find herself speaking snakes and toads as a reward.
Blessings and curses are never so clear as they might seem, however. Diribani’s newfound wealth brings her a prince—and an attempt on her life. Tana is chased out of the village because the province's governor fears snakes, yet thousands are dying of a plague spread by rats. As the sisters' fates hang in the balance, each struggles to understand her gift. Will it bring her wisdom, good fortune, love . . . or death?

Review: Set in the fictional Indian land of Hundred Kingdom, Toads and Diamonds is a retelling of Perrault's fairy tale "The Fairies". I haven't read the original fairy tale so book's plot was new and welcoming to me.
Stepsisters Diribani and Tana are struggling to keep their household together after their father's murder. He was a jewel merchant and Tana hopes to follow in his footsteps, but these dreams are swept out of reach when both girls make separate trips to get water from the local well. Each sister meets a snake goddess, Naghali, who bestows upon them a unique gift before asking them what their heart desires. Diribani is gifted with gems and flowers that drop from her lips when she speaks. Tana returns with an even stranger gift of snakes, frogs, and toads. The awe over Diribani's gift from people both humble and expected from the upper class who take note, but it's refreshing to see the matter-of-fact welcome that Tana's snakes receive from the townspeople who are trying to save their crops and vermin infested homes.
Tomlinson's memorable novel employs magic realism to explore a universal truth: an individual's gifts and talents are not always as they might seem. I liked how Tomlinson stays away from the trite and overused devices of evil step sisters pitted against one another where one is clearly evil and the other virtuous. Though they may be stepsisters by relation, Diribani and Tana don't act like it. They genuinely care for one another. Each chapter is told from their alternating perspectives so we can see how they individually deal with their "gift". Dirbani and Tana's voices and personalities are distinct. The author's lavish details starkly contrast the two girls' lives and personalities while emphasizing their strength, purpose, and enduring love for each other, despite their predicaments. I was able to connect more with Tana who is crafty and skillful than Dirbani who came across as too much of a dreamer.
I thought the book's description is a bit misleading. I expected the romance element would play a bigger part in the story, but it doesn't. There are touches of it, but they remain in the background and aren't developed which was disappointing. Tomlinson she creates a vivid setting of her fictionalized India, drawing references from both village histories as well as the Mughal Empire. I took me a while to get use to her world, which isn't a bad thing necessarily, but the complexities of the cultural backstory and slow pace will most likely pose a challenge to readers. I still enjoyed it and will recommend it to readers who would like multicultural fiction and a different spin on your average fairy tale.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 7 and up.

If you like this book try: Beast by Donna Jo Napoli, Ash by Melinda Lo

Shattered Souls

2011-11-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

I have been looking forward to reading Mary Lindsey's debut novel, Shattered Souls, since earlier this year. Thanks to The Teen Book Scene, I was ecstatic to find out that I will be participating in this blog tour. I really enjoyed the novel and I hope you all will pick it up when the book is released (December 8th according to Amazon).

Description (from Goodreads): Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries.
Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.

Review: Shattered Souls is an enthralling debut novel of death, love, destiny and danger. While the plot summary may not seem that striking to those who read heavily in the paranormal/supernatural (personally, I don't consider ghosts as paranormal entities) genre, I was surprised how I could easily distinguish this book from all the others due to its smart characters and its combination of mystery, danger, and romance that makes the narrative flow natural, graceful, and quite possibly hard to put down once you start it. I read Shattered Souls in one setting a few months ago and I still remember it vividly.
Lenzi’s father is dead. He heard voices and was placed in an insane asylum. Now that Lenzi has turned seventeen, she’s hearing them too and is afraid that she too will meet her father's fate: the hospitals, the medications, her mother’s sad face. The voices become intolerable and her troubled boyfriend, Zak, has begun to take notice. When visiting her father’s grave, Lenzi meets a stranger named Alden who assures her that she is not ill and that he can explain everything to her if only she'll listen and trust him. Without much of a choice, Lenzi accepts. Alden tells her that she is a famous Speaker, a mediator whose purpose is to bring troubled souls to peace and to eliminate the evil spirits, who has been reborn. If that is not crazy enough, Alden is her designated Protector, who has been by her side for many years and helps her do her job. Lenzi has absolutely no memory of her role as a Speaker and has no idea what to do. Now Alden is leading her rather than the other way around.
I loved Lenzi. She isn't overly confident in the beginning of the book, but soon finds her place as she explores her identity as a Speaker. She's terrified that she will suffer the same fate as her schizophrenic father. And when she first starts hearing the voices of the spirits, it really seems like she's going crazy. I liked how Lenzi did not immediately believe Alden and embrace her role as Speaker at first. She wasn't sure of her actions or Alden's intention, but as she learned more about the role of Speakers and Protectors as well as saw the difference she was making and the consequences of not acting, she became a bold and determined girl. Lenzi is both cautious and brave, but what I love most about her is that she made her own decision and wasn't influenced by Alden at all.
Alden was another character I absolutely adored. Utterly devoted to his job as Protector and to Lenzi without being overly creepy as some love interests in this genre. He keeps his distance for the most part and never pressured her. While he does have some feelings for Lenzi, he keeps them in check and we learn why he isn't forthcoming with his affections as we learn more about Alden's past. Extremely charming, sweet, genuine, smart, witty, and of course handsome, I fell for Alden almost immediately.
The romance developed at a good speed. There was instant intrigue between Alden and Lenzi, but not instant love. Lenzi was devoted to her boyfriend Zak, who seemed like a nice guy, but had a scary dark side. I felt bad for Zak as we learn about his family drama, but he annoyed me to no end with his over use of calling Lenzi "babe". Normally this wouldn't bother me, but using it every time he talked to Lenzi got on my nerves. The relationship between Alden and Lenzi is what kept me on my toes, waiting in anticipating to see how it would grow. Alden and Lenzi grew out of shared experience and respect, which to me made their love story that much memorable and stronger. While the book description hints at a love triangle, there really isn't one and thank goodness for that.
The plot of Shattered Souls is not particularly original, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. I really liked how Lenzi played an active role in helping good souls finding their solace and way to the afterlife. Shattered Souls does combat evil, but Lenzi's altruism as Speaker propels the plot forward. I also enjoyed learning more about Speakers and Protectors and would have welcomed more information about them, but I thought the characters demonstrated their respective roles quite well. The story steadily grew on me as I read it. Every time I was going to close it, I'd tell myself just one more chapter. By the time I finished the last page, I was very sad and wanted more time to spend with Lenzi and Alden. I recommend Shattered Souls for an interesting plot, but mostly for its warm, passionate, and driven main characters, Lenzi and Alden. I look forward to reading many more book from Mary Lindsey.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There are a few scenes of underage drinking, mild language and violence. Recommended for mature Grade 8 and up.

If you like this book try: Shade by Jeri Smith Ready, Angelfire by Courtney Moulton

Guest Post: Harper's Bookshelf

2011-11-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all enjoying the holidays with friends and family. Today I have Saving June's author Hannah Harrington post about what kind of books we’d find on Harper’s bookshelf, or what books she would love/resonate with. You can read my review of Saving June here. Take it away, Hannah!

In the novel I reference Harper reading Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut—I imagine she’s a really big Vonnegut fan. She of course would have a weathered copy of To Kill A Mockingbird inherited by her mother, since she was named after Harper Lee.

Since Harper’s biggest passion is photography, she’d probably have books of collected photography, too, like the works of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Ansel Adams, to look at for inspiration. At some point in the future Jake would give her a copy of Wall and Piece, the collection of Banksy’s street art, and she would be really amazed by his work and very briefly consider becoming a graffiti artist—or at least maybe seeing if Banksy would let her trail after him taking photos of his work, because it’s all too striking and beautiful to not be immortalized.

Thanks for allowing us to take a peek at Harper's Bookshelf, Hannah!

Harper Scott's life changes forever after her sister, June, commits suicide. Harper discovers that her sister always wanted to go to California and so to honor her sister's memory, Harper and her best friend embark on an impromptu road trip. Things take an interesting turn when a mysterious boy who seems to have known June better than anyone knew insists on joining Harper and her best friend on their trip.

Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires #5)

2011-11-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

After reading the jaw dropping cliffhanger of Hard Bitten, I was counting the days until the release of Drink Deep. In the meantime, I formulated theories with a coworker who is reading the series with me during lunch breaks. Lots of questions were raised and I wondered how Neil was going to tackle them all in the next book.

Description (from Goodreads): Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can't tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven't been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down. That's when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly.
Chicago's mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She'll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who's behind this, and stop them before it's too late for vampires and humans alike.

Review: Drink Deep is really hard for me to review because of my conflicted feelings about the book. There were lot of things that I really enjoyed, which added to the story. There were other parts that I thought weren't fully flushed and incredibly rushed at the end. I'll try my best and highlight both the strength and weaknesses of the book.
Drink Deep is entertaining and full of little twists and surprises that kept me turning the pages. Neil has created a new mystery where no one seems to know what is going on, which builds tension and the right amount of suspense. Magic is unbalanced and the supernaturals are blaming each other for the causes. Merit is on the case to clear the vampires' reputation. During Merit's investigation, we learn more about the lesser known paranormal creatures such as the nymphs and the fairies, which I found interesting. I always love learning new tidbits in Neil's intricate world.
After the devastating events that left Merit shattered, it was nice to see her back on her feet. She could have easily wallowed and whined her way throughout the book, but I'm glad to have old Merit back. Of course she is still in pain and trying to wrap her head around what happen, but I'm glad that her life isn't on pause.
I also enjoyed learning about Jonah, who was an important side character in the last two books. We get to see him in action. He is smart, witty, and incredibly good looking. He knows his place and doesn't push. I wasn't quite sure of Jonah before this book, but I grew to like him.
Though I was enthralled by Drinking Deep, the book is not up to par with the other books in the series. I actually think in some respects that it is the weakest book in the series thus far. The book came across a little bit as filler or even a transition book. While the mystery had me guessing for a good chunk of the book, I thought it was too conveniently solved at the end. I'm still wondering how all the pieces come together actually. Some of my favorite characters seem to adopt new and unwelcoming personality changes. The main question that all readers asked of Neil is answered yet I felt it was rushed and not really rewarding (I can't really complain all that much. It was nice to see.). Overall the plot arc of the book isn't integral to the series, except for the last few chapters. When I finished the book, I'm still left with questions, but I'm looking forward to the adventure that Neill is setting us up for in Biting Cold and hopefully a return the Chicagoland Vampire normalcy that I can expect.

Rating: 3.5

Words of Caution: There is some language and allusions to sex. Recommended for mature teen readers and adults.

If you like this book try: Biting Cold by Chloe Neil (Chicagoland Vampires #6), Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep, Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance, Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, Kate Daniel series by Ilona Andrews, Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs