More Summer Reads

Our summer break is quickly approaching its end, but I've been reading like crazy trying to get in as many titles as I can before heading back to school next week.  Let me tell you about a few that might interest you.  

First up is a book called, The Demon King, by Cinda Williams Chima.  This book was actually published several years ago and was recommended to me by Goodreads...one of the many reasons I love that website.  All I can say is thank goodness it was published several years ago, because it is a 4-book series and I quickly devoured the first 3 and can't wait for the 4th one to be available (I'm next in line, so I hope whoever has it checked out hurries up!)  This series is JUST. SO. GOOD.  A thousand years ago a queen married a wizard who broke apart and nearly destroyed the world...he was known as the demon king because of his destruction.  Now, a thousand years later the kingdom of Fellsmarch is still ruled by the line of Hanalea, the queen who defeated her husband, the demon king.  There is conflict between the wizards and the clans who live in the mountains, who control the magic allowed to the wizards.  Han Alister is a former streetlord from the city known as "Cuffs" because of the strange silver cuffs he's worn for as long as he can remember.  He's left the street life and been somewhat adopted into one of the mountain clans, and he's just trying to get by.  When he and his friend Fire Dancer encounter 3 wizards where they don't belong, they confront them and take the amulet of one of the young wizards...and amulet that little known to Han has a dark and dangerous legacy.  Raisa ana'Marianna is the princess-heir...next in line to the throne of Fellsmarch.  Her future is in danger, but she doesn't know it yet.  Han's and Raisa's paths will cross in this first book...only barely, but enough to keep you reading through the series. This story has action, mystery, suspense, magic, and just a little romance.  I couldn't put it down.  You can find copies at MCPL & through Overdrive.  If you can wait until school starts, our CMS media center has all 4 books in the series available and ready to be checked out!

Another adventure series you might be interested in is Brandon Sanderson's Reckoners series.  The first book is called Steelheart, and we meet David, a normal boy growing up in the (literally) dark world of Newcago (New-Chicago) where 10 years ago a burst of power called Calamity turned regular people into what are now known as Epics.  Epics developed super-powers, but unfortunately none of them seem to be using those powers for good.  They've toppled the government and are now in control.  Steelheart controls Newcago & he's unbeatable, but David has seen him bleed...when Steelheart killed his father 8 years ago.  David knows that Steelheart must have a weakness that caused him to bleed and he is determined to discover that weakness and take Steelheart down.  David manages to join a resistance group called the Reckoners...and now he has to convince them to go along with his plan to go after Steelheart.  This book is full of action and suspense.  You can find copies at MCPL and through overdrive.  Book 2 (Firefight) is available, but book 3 won't be out until early next year.

If you're more interested in historical fiction, you might like The Lions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine.  Marlee is a twelve year old girl in 1958 Little Rock.  Marlee is a good student and very smart, but she struggles to talk and communicate with others.  She finds she never really knows what to say, so she usually just says nothing.  But as she starts 7th grade, there is a new girl, Liz, who seems to bring out the best in Marlee and helps her learn to start saying what she thinks.  But one day Liz doesn't show up and people start to say that Liz is not what she said she was - she's black and she was trying to "pass" as white, and that just wasn't acceptable in that time and place.  Marlee has to figure out how to maintain the new confidence she gained through her friendship with Liz...and how to speak out for what really matters.  This was an excellent book about friendship, and I felt like I learned a lot about the school integration conflict that was taking place in Little Rock at this time.  I highly recommend this one.  You can find copies at MCPL and through Overdrive.  This one is also available in our CMS Media Center.

If you're more in the market for a romance, you might like How to Say I Love You Out Loud, by Karole Cozzo.  Jordyn moved to Valley Forge High School just before her sophomore year and met Alex through her summer job.  They've been best friends ever since, but when Jordyn starts her junior year and finds out Alex has a girlfriend, she realizes that even though she doesn't want to be more than friends, she's jealous.  Jordyn holds herself back from all her friends, because she doesn't want them to know about her brother, Phillip, who is highly autistic.  When Phillip's special school closes and he has to attend her high school, Jordyn is terrified of anyone finding out that he is her brother.  Over the course of time, things start to fall apart for Jordyn...and not because people are judging her because of her brother, but because of her dishonesty about what her life is really like.  This is a heartbreaking, yet heartwarming story of self-discovery and learning that real friends aren't going to judge you by your family or any others.  I was lucky enough to get to read an advanced copy of this story thanks to NetGalley.  You can find a copy of this book when it becomes available next Tuesday, August 4th!

Finally, let me tell you about The Last of the Firedrakes, by Farah Oomerbhoy. This is the first book in a new series.  I was able to read an advanced copy thanks to NetGalley, but if you're interested, keep an eye out - it will be available on August 15th!  This story is very much a fairy-tale-like story about a girl name Aurora.  Aurora was orphaned as a baby and adopted by loving parents, who were unfortunately killed in an accident and taken in by and aunt and uncle who really don't seem to like her.  She's dreaming of the day that she can get away from them and be on her own when she's kidnapped into a magical kingdom and is going to be taken before the evil queen of the kingdom of Avalonia.  When Aurora is rescued by a dashing outlaw known as the Black Wolf, who figures out why she's been kidnapped and takes her to her powerful uncle.  It turns out Aurora is the long-lost, thought-dead daughter of the rightful King and Queen of Avalonia, who were killed by the current queen.  Aurora has magical powers of her own that she had no idea about...now she has to learn to use them and set out to take back the throne that should rightly belong to her.  If you like fairy tale adventure type stories, you will probably enjoy The Last of the Firedrakes.

That's it for now.  I'll keep reading in the days I have left and update again if I have a chance before I return to school next week.

Six New Titles

I've been reading as much as I can, so let me share a few new titles with you that you might want to check out.

First up is Rebel Mechanics, by Shanna Swendson.  This book was just published this past week, but I was able to read an advanced copy thanks to NetGalley.  MCPL doesn't have it yet, but they have other books by this author, so keep your eye out for it.  This story is an alternate history that has a steampunk setting in the 1800's.  Rebel Mechanics looks at what might have happened if the U.S. had never won it's independence from Great Britain because they kept us under their thumb with magic.  Powerful magisters have been in control in the colonies, but the colonists are still working toward gaining their independence.  Verity Newton knows nothing of this, and is just starting out as a young governess in the home of a New York magister.  She is recruited to spy on the magisters by a rebel group who is working to gain independence.  But...this rebel group may be more than it seems, and Verity is faced with some tough choices.  Plus, she's keeping a secret of her own that she can't let anyone find out about.  If you're looking for a story that has a historical feel, but is full of adventure, you'll like this one!

Nothing Left to Burn, by Patty Blount is set to release on August 8th, and I was able to read an advance copy thanks again to Net Galley.  If you like more of a contemporary story, you might keep your eye out for this title when it releases in a few weeks.  The story alternates between the points of view of two characters.  Reece has something to prove to his firefighter dad after the death of his brother a year ago.  Reece's father blames him for what happened to his brother and nothing Reece does has ever lived up to his father's expectations.  Amanda has been a foster kid most of her life and has finally found some stability in her current home and has found a place where she belongs in the local junior firefighter cadet program.  When Reece joins the cadets to try to prove his worth to his father, Amanda unwillingly takes him under her wing.  She begins to see that there is more to Reece than what she originally thought and a real friendship starts to develop.  In addition to all this, a string of arsons have been committed in their town and the cadets really want to help figure out who is behind these fires.  There's a lot going on in this story, so if you like a read that is emotional, but also has an element of mystery, you'll like Nothing Left to Burn.

If you are more interested in a dystopian fantasy, let me tell you about Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard.  This is the first book in a new series and it was hard to put down!  Our main character is Mare Barrow, a 17-year old girl who is a Red in a world ruled by Silvers, who all have magical powers which allow them to oppress the Reds.  Most Reds are barely getting by and unless they've been apprenticed to learn a trade,  at the age of 18 are sent off to fight in a war that has been raging for 100 years.  Mare is about to turn 18 when she somehow is given a job at the Silver palace to work as a servant for the king.  An accident reveals that Mare has a magical ability of her own even though she is not a Silver.  The King and Queen decide to disguise her as the long-lost daughter of a long-dead silver family and engage her to be married to their younger son, Maven.  Though they form a strong friendship, Mare can't help but keep thinking about the older son, Cal.  But her true loyalties lie with her people, so she works to get involved with an underground rebel group to try to defeat the Silvers.  There is lots of action, some romance, and some pretty harsh betrayals in this story.  I am already really looking forward to the next book in this series!  I checked out a digital copy through MCPL's Overdrive, but you can find it on their shelves, as well.

Whistling Past the Graveyard, by Susan Crandall is actually an adult fiction novel, but the narrator is a 9-year old girl named Starla Claudelle who is growing up in Mississippi, and it reminds me a lot of a book that we'll read in class this year (To Kill a Mockingbird), so I had to recommend this one in case you want to make a comparison yourself later on.  Starla was born to teen parents and when we meet her in 1963, she's been living with her grandmother, whom she calls Mamie.  Mamie is really, really hard on Starla, because she doesn't want her to turn out like her "trashy" mother, who is living in Nashville trying to make it as a singer.  When Starla gets in big trouble yet again, she decides to run away to Nashville to live with her mother.  As she's heading out of town, a black woman named Eula stops and offers Starla a ride.  Eula isn't alone, though.  She has a white baby boy in the truck with her and takes Starla home with her.  When disaster strikes, Eula and Starla and the baby head toward Nashville and Starla gets a real look at how unfairly people of color are treated at this time in the South.  There are a lot of ups and downs and you'll feel a range of emotions as you read this story.  Starla's narration is fantastic...I loved the way she told her story.  I checked out a digital copy of this story from MCPL and they also have it on their shelves.

If you're looking for something humorous to read, look no further than The Swap, by Megan Shull.  My husband thought I was crazy while I was reading this one, because I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud multiple times.  This story is a fun twist on the Freaky Friday story (if you haven't seen this movie, check it out too).  We have two narrators - Ellie, a new 7th grader, and Jack, an 8th grader.  Ellie is struggling big-time.  Her former best friend has become the ultimate Mean Girl and has set her sites on Ellie as her main target.  Ellie's self-esteem is in the dumps and she has no idea how she's going to survive 7th grade.  Jack, on the other hand, is super-confident, super-popular, knows exactly what he wants and how he's going to get it.  However, his dad is super-strict and when Jack gets in a fight at school, he's dreading having to face his dad.  When both Ellie and Jack end up in the nurse's office wishing they could be someone else, the new nurse casts a little spell while they're sleeping and when they wake up, Ellie is now in Jack's body & he is in hers.  From this point, hilarity ensues, as they try to figure out how to be a person they really don't even know.  But both have a lot to gain from this experience.  This book is so funny, but it has some great heartwarming moments.  My one issue with the book is that I think that the author goes a little (a lot) overboard with teen slang - or how she assumes teens speak.  I don't know - I thought it was a little much, but it was still an awesome story.  I again checked out a digital copy through MCPL, but you can find hard copies on their shelves, as well.

Finally, if you just want a romantic fairy tale of a story, check out Off the Page, by Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer.  Some of you may have read Between the Lines about Delilah and Oliver, who once again take center stage in Off the Page.  This book continues their story and adds in Edgar's narration.  You don't actually have to read Between the Lines  to read this book, because they're more companion books than a series, but I think Off the Page will make more sense if you've read the other book.  I don't want to give too much away if you haven't read the first book, but this is a great fairy tale love story.  I checked out a digital copy from MCPL, but I hear the hard copy has full-color illustrations that I couldn't get on my original Kindle (my illustrations were just gray).

There you have it.  I'll keep updating you on new books as I read them, but believe it or not, I've been spending some time working on planning for the upcoming school year...it's coming sooner than later!  If you're doing some good summer reading, shoot me an e-mail and tell me about it.  If you're not, you can shoot me an e-mail and tell me what you have been doing.  I'm looking forward to seeing you all in a few weeks!