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.






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!


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?

 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

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

  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

  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