Six New Reads

I've been reading everything I can get my hands on so far this summer.  You should see the stack of books on my shelf...and the number of books on my Kindle!  It is a little (okay - A LOT) nerdy, but yesterday I had to make a spreadsheet to keep track of due dates of all these books, because you know I don't want to rack up any library fines! ;)

Let me make some recommendations for you if you're looking for a good summer read.  I'll start with Insignia, by S.J. Kincaid.  This is one of the Truman nominees, and I had been meaning to read it for a long time, but just recently got to it.  Once I did, I definitely understood why it had been nominated for the Truman Award.  The main character in Insignia is a 14-year old boy named Tom Raines.  Tom lives in a not-too-distant future where the Earth's resources are mostly used up and World War III is being fought in outer space for the natural resources.  War tactics have changed - no lives are lost, because they are fought in space, but the fighting is controlled by people on Earth who never actually physically fight.  Tom is living a transient life, always drifting with his alcoholic-gambler father.  He spends a lot of time in virtual reality gaming areas where he hustles people for money.  When his gaming skills get him recruited into the Intrasolar Forces, Tom sees a chance to make a better life for himself and takes it.  What he doesn't know is all that this opportunity might cost him.  Insignia is book one in a series.  Book 2 is called Vortex and I'm looking forward to reading it soon.  Book 3 - Catalyst - hits shelves on October 28th.

If you're more in a fractured fairytale type mood, you might enjoy The Girl with the Blood Red Lips, by V.B. Marlowe.  In this story, we meet Neva Albano, who was cursed over 200 years ago to re-live her sophomore, junior, and senior years over and over and over.  It turns on Neva is Snow White and there weren't actually 7 dwarfs...just a very evil step-mother.  Neva is tired of living her life over and over, but isn't sure she has the courage to do what needs to be done to break the curse.  This was an interesting take on the Snow White story and it is pretty fantastical and seemed like you were reading a fairytale within a fairytale.  This is a short and fun read.

If you're a fan of heist movies like Ocean's Eleven, you might like my next recommendation, Coin Heist, by Elisa Ludwig.  This story is told from the perspectives of the 4 main characters who attend an impressive and historical private school:  Alice, the somewhat geeky computer genius; Jason - underachieving musician son of the school's headmaster; Dakota - the pretty and popular girl who seemingly has it all together; and Bennie - the scholarship student who doesn't really fit in.  These four students are in the same art class that takes a trip to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.  When they find out that Jason's dad has been arrested for embezzling money and losing it all, they learn their school might close because of lack of funding.  What starts as a crazy idea, becomes a solid plan and the four put into motion a plan to mint and steal coins from the U.S. Mint.  Will they pull it off?  Do they follow through on their plans?  You'll have to read it to find out!

If you're more into a fantasy story, you might like Deep Blue, by Jennifer Donnelly.  In this story, Serafina is part of an underwater world.  She's a mermaid...and an important one too.  Her mother is the queen of their particular colony and we meet Serafina on the day of her betrothal to the prince of another colony.  However, during the betrothal ceremony, their colony is attacked. Her father is killed and her mother is shot with a poisoned arrow.  Serafina escapes with her best friend Neela and they discover together that they've been having the same dream.  They realize their are 4 others like them that they need to find in order to stop the people who are attacking them.  Serafina has to step up and become a leader despite the turmoil her life is in.  This is the first in what will be a 4 book series.  The second book, Rogue Wave comes out early in 2015.

I recently finished an interesting dystopian book called Birthmarked, by Caragh M. O'Brien.  In this story, we meet Gaia (pronounced Guy-uh), who has been training with her mother to be a midwife.  This story takes place about 400 years in the future, but for Gaia's family, time seems to have moved backward.  They live a simple life outside the wall of the Enclave, where the privileged live.  One of the expectations for the people who live outside the wall is to "advance" their children - give up a certain number of new babies born each month to be adopted into families in the Enclave.  We meet Gaia after she successfully delivers her first baby and advances it to the Enclave.  However, when she returns home, she discovers her parents have been arrested and learns information that has her questioning everything about the Enclave and their expectations for advancing babies.  She decides she must do everything she can to save her parents, but it puts her own life in real danger as well.  Again, this is the first in a series of books.  The second is Prized and the third is Promised.  If you like the series, there are also a couple of e-novellas out there, as well.

Finally, I'll recommend another interesting dystopian title I was able to preview recently thanks to NetGalley.  Some Fine Day, by Kat Ross releases on July 1st, so if you're interested, you'll have to wait a couple weeks before it comes out.  This is another futuristic story where super-hurricanes, called "hypercanes" have made living on the surface of the Earth impossible, so society moved underground. Jansin Nordqvist has lived underground all her life and is on her way to following her father's footsteps into an impressive military career.  When her father surprises the family with a trip to a tropical island on the surface, Jansin is excited, until their camp is attacked and she is taken hostage by the savages who attacked them.  However, Jansin starts to learn that maybe these "savages" aren't so savage after all - and maybe the life she's been brought up to live is all a lie.  This book is one of my recent favorites.  It's very different and the characters are extremely likeable and believable.  If you're looking for an action-packed book, this one will not disappoint.

That's it for now.  I'll be back with more recommendations as the summer goes continues!

Summer Reading Recommendations

With summer break just within our reach, I know so many of you are plagued with worries about what books to read this summer, right?  Well, have no fear, you know I've been reading and can make some recommendations that are sure to get you right out to your local Mid-Continent branch!

I'll start with Zen and the Art of Faking It, by Jordan Sonnenblick.  If you've paid attention to me ever, you know I loved Sonnenblick's After Ever After (if you still haven't read it, you must!).  I also really enjoyed Zen, as well.  In Zen and the Art of Faking It, our main character, San Lee, a 14-year old Chinese-American boy who was adopted by white parents, has just moved to a new school in Pennsylvania with his mom.  He is estranged and extremely angry with his dad, who is in prison.  He's also frustrated with the fact that he has moved a lot over his lifetime and he's tired of being the new kid and figuring out his identity in a new place.  When his social studies teacher starts a unit on world religions, including Buddhism, San has already studies this and figures out who he will be - the zen guy.  He starts researching in order to pull it off and has everyone fooled, including the girl he really likes.  However, you can't live a lie forever - someone is going to find out.  If you want to be entertained, Jordan Sonnenblick never fails.  His writing is funny and his characters are lovable.  I'm looking forward to reading his 2014-15 Truman nominated title, Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip in the near future!

If you haven't read The Selection series, by Kiera Cass, you're missing out.  The final installment of this series, The One came out last week and it ends the saga of America Singer, a contestant in her country's Selection pageant - a contest in which the Prince chooses whom he will marry.  Prince Maxon and America formed a friendship from the beginning - will it turn into true love forever?  You'll have to read this series to find out.  If you like The Bachelor and Survivor - you'll love this story!

Thanks to NetGalley, I got an advanced copy of Peter Moore's new book, V is for Villain.  Now this was a fun read. If you are totally into superhero stories, this is one for you. Brad Baron has spent his whole life living in his brother Blake's shadow.  Blake is a real-life superhero, who fights evil and crime with the Justice League.  Brad doesn't have any super-hero-like abilities, which frustrates him to no end.  When he's kicked out of super-hero school into an alternative school, Brad starts to wonder if the "super-heroes" are really heroes after all.  He discovers a hidden ability and with a group of new friends decides that maybe being the villain is the way to go.  I liked that this was a totally different twist on the traditional hero-type story.  Brad makes a great anti-hero and despite the fact that he's being a villain, you end up rooting for him anyway!  This book will arrive on bookshelves this coming Tuesday, May 20th.  I encourage you to check it out!

Finally, I'll recommend another book I was able to preview thanks to NetGalley.  Jex Malone, by C.L. Gaber & V.C. Stanley brought back my favorite memories of previous girl detectives, including two of my favorites from growing up - Trixie Belden & Nancy Drew.  Jex (Jessica) Malone has been sent to Las Vegas for the summer to stay with her dad.  She's hardly spent time with him at all over the past several years.  She still hasn't really forgiven him for the fact that her parents split, but her mom, and a judge, force her to adhere to her visitation time.  Upon arrival in Las Vegas, Jex soon meets three new friends who fill her in on the neighborhood mystery - the disappearance of Patty Matthews, a 13-year old case that has never been solved.  Since Jex's dad just happens to be the officer who was in charge of the case, they snoop into his files and set out to solve the mystery themselves.  What Jex didn't count on was how cute she'd find Patty Matthews much-younger brother...and the danger that solving this mystery places her and her crew in.  This is a fun read and I really enjoyed it.  Jex will arrive in bookstores on June 18th, so you have a bit of a wait if you want to read her story.  I encourage you to check it out!

Of course, I've got more recommendations I'll send your way in the near future.  I hope you've started your summer to-read list!

Just a Few Recommendations

I'll start my recommendations with one of the Truman Nominees for next year, Elemental, by Antony John.  In Elemental, a plague has killed off most of the population of the U.S. and the few survivors have isolated themselves along barrier islands along the East Coast.  Thomas lives with a group of survivors who all have some control over natural elements -water, wind, weather.  Unfortunately for Thomas, he doesn't have this ability and has always felt like an outsider.  However, when a group of pirates attack their island, Thomas may be the only one who can save them.  This was an interesting story - and the first in a series.  There is a lot of action and suspense throughout the whole story with a science fiction/dystopian element.


If you're more into a romantic-type of story, you might like The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, by Jennifer E. Smith (author of my previously recommended This is What Happy Looks Like).  In this story, we meet Hadley, who misses her flight to London by 4 minutes and is forced to wait at the airport for the next flight.  She doesn't want to go to London for her Dad's wedding, but is going anyway, and the fact that she missed her flight just makes a bad situation worse...until she meets Oliver, a fellow passenger who helps her out.  They strike up a friendship and end up sitting next to each other on the flight.  They have a connection, but get separated upon reaching customs at Heathrow.  You'll have to read the story to see if they can find a way back to one another.

For an interesting fantasy/dystopian story with a star-crossed romance, you might want to check out Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Curse.  In this story, Kestrel is the privileged daughter of an important General who impulsively purchases a slave while out with a friend one day.  As she gets to know her slave, Arin, she starts to question the rightness of the acceptance of slavery in their society.  She develops a friendship with Arin, but knows more would be impossible.  However, when the tables are turned on Kestrel, she has to decide to whom she will be loyal - her father and society or Arin.  I loved this book - but I warn you - the ending is a bit of a shocker.  Have no fear, though, because this will be a series, so there will be much more to Kestrel and Arin's story.

Today I just finished a book that comes out on May 27th, so you can put it on your summer reading list.  I read an early copy thanks to my friends at NetGalley, who are so kind to let me preview upcoming books.  In Blur, by Steven James, we meet Daniel who is heading into a funeral for a younger classmate, Emily Jackson.  He didn't know her well...no one really did, but everyone from their small town has turned out for her funeral.  When Daniel goes through the line to pay respects, Emily sits up in her coffin and speaks to him.  When he realizes no one else saw it, he's a little freaked out, needless to say.  When she appears to him again - in the middle of the homecoming football game - he knows that he has to find out more about her death.  When her twin brother expresses his belief that Emily's death was not accidental, Daniel decides that he is going to do all he can to find out what really happened to her.  This was an excellent story - full of mysterious and supernatural things happening.  It was full of action and suspense...and guess what...it's the first in a series.  I can't wait to see what Daniel will do next.

2014-15 Truman Nominees

Here is a list of the Truman nominees for next year.  I have already blogged about most of the ones that I've read, so if you want more information, click on the title and it will take you there!

Dead City, by James Ponti
Ungifted, by Gordon Korman
See You at Harry's, by Jo Knowles
Elemental, by Antony John
The Raft, by S.A. Bodeen
Cinder, by Marissa Meyer
Unstoppable, by Tim Green
Shadow & Bone, by Leigh Bardugo
Insignia, by S.J. Kincaid
The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip, by Jordan Sonnenblick
One for the Murphy's, by Lynda Hunt

I have yet to read 5 of these titles, but I already have 2 or 3 favorites!  If you're looking for something to read, the Truman list is always a good place to start!

What are YOU reading?

I've been reading some good sequels recently, so I'll give each of them a quick shout-out.

If you haven't read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs, you're missing out.  The second installment of this series, Hollow City, was released recently and I just had a chance to check it out.  Hollow City starts out right where Miss Peregrine left off with Jacob and the Peculiar Children running from the Hollowgasts and Wights after rescuing and injured Miss Peregrine.  Now they need to find a way to save her.  I'm sure there will be a third book to come in this series.  I'm already looking forward to it!

Recently, I recommended Pivot Point, by Kasie West about Addison, who can search her future.  I picked up Split Second, the 2nd and final book in this series, and couldn't put it down.  I think I read this one in one day over spring break - it was so good!  It picks up right where Pivot Point left off and takes on the additional point of view of Addison's best friend Laila, who wants to help Addison, but doesn't know how.  Split Second was every bit as good as Pivot Point.

Last year I recommended Slated, by Teri Terry about Kyla, whose memory was erased.  She was "slated", because of some offense that she committed, but she doesn't know what.  Despite her memory being wiped, she somehow keeps having what she believes are memories.  In book #2, Fractured, Kyla is reunited with someone from her former life and she works to try to put the pieces together to figure out the truth about her life.  The 3rd book in the series, Shattered, was released on March 6th, but I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet.  You can bet it is on my to-read list!

If you're interested in a new series, you might like Landry Park, by Bethany Hagen.  Hagen is actually a local author and librarian in Johnson County, Kansas and her story takes place in Kansas City.  If you read much, you know we don't get too many stories that are set here in good old KC, so that made this story extra interesting to me.  I saw this book described as "Downton Abbey meets The Selection" and I definitely see those connections.  Landry Park takes place in a future that doesn't seem like a future at all.  Things have changed so much, in some ways, society is like the early 1900's.  After China invades, the US is split with the Western half being taken over by Chinese and the Eastern half restarting society basically by caste system.  There are the very rich and the very poor and very little in between.  The homes of the very rich are run by nuclear power and the very poor are responsible for taking care of the nuclear tools that run their homes, causing many of them to die young because of radiation sickness.  Madeline Landry is the heir to her family's fortune and is feeling forced into a life she doesn't want.  Her father expects her to marry when she wants to continue her education.  Madeline also begins to see the plight of the very poor and starts to realize that she can't just stand by and let things continue in the ways they always have.  This book has a very interesting plot - it's a little different from other things that are out there.  If you like your futuristic fiction to also be historical, this one might be for you!  I am looking forward to the next installment due out sometime in 2015.

Finally, I'll leave you with (another) favorite I read recently.  This book is actually not due to be published until May 7, but if it sounds interesting, you might make a note of it for summer reading.  A Bird on Water Street, by Elizabeth O. Dulemba, is about a boy named Jack, who is growing up in a mining town in the Appalachian Mountains.  Jack is frustrated by the state of the environment where he lives, which has been devastated by the local mine.  There aren't any trees around, the water is too poisoned for fishing in some areas, and he wants to experience nature that is just not there in his town.  But, when there is trouble at the mine, Jack begins to have hope that maybe things can change and maybe he can be a part of it.  This story is based on a real area in the Appalachians that has been affected by mining.  It is a heartwarming and inspiring story that left me feeling good after I read it.

Books for Now & Later

I am behind on telling you about the books I've been reading.  I've read 35 books so far this year (I set a goal for myself to read 180).  I figured since we're about to go through another sleet/snow event, you might want something to do!  Let me give you a variety of titles to choose from.  MCPL closes at 5:00 tonight if you want to stock up on books to read.  Remember - if you have an e-reader (Nook, Kindle, etc), you can also access e-books through their Overdrive site.

Let's start with The Tyrant's Daughter, by J.C. Carleson.  This was a fascinating look at a 15-year old girl named Laila, whose father, the "king" of a fictional Middle Eastern country has just been assassinated and she, her mother, and younger brother are forced to flee to the United States for safety.  When they get to the U.S., everything is completely different for Laila, especially the fact that instead of a palace, they are stuck in a small apartment without the many luxuries they enjoyed in their previous life.  But there are also good things - like freedom to do things she would never be allowed to do in her home country.  Laila also learns that the life she was living before was a lie - her father was a dictator and the people of her country were oppressed under his rule.  Her mom is very secretive and Laila knows she is working with a CIA agent, but doesn't understand why, even though they need the money this provides.  This story was incredibly fascinating and different.  There is suspense and intrigue and you'll make an incredible connection to Laila and the life she is being forced into living.  I highly recommend this one!

I recently finished book 6 of the Gallagher Girls series, by Ally Carter, so I wanted to put in a plug for the Heist Society series too.  She's working on a new series, called Embassy Row & I am already anticipating it!
entire series.  If you haven't read any of the series, you can get books 1-4 as ebooks on Overdrive.   In this series, you meet Cammie Morgan, who starts off in 10th grade at the Gallagher School for Girls, which is actually a school training girls to be spies.  Cammie and her friends Bex, Liz, & Macey are already masters at the games, but they're also still growing up.  This series is full of suspense, friendship, & a little romance too.  If you haven't read the titles, check them out.  If you like them, you'll also like Carter's

I've also recently read The Giant, by Jonathan Mary-Todd.  This book is actually being released today, so you might not be able to find it at the library right away, but keep it in mind for the future.  This is a short, 100 page story of a boxer named Luc.  Luc doesn't really want to be a boxer, but because of his huge size, he's been taken in by Mr. Chilton, who has brought him to New York to fight anyone who wants to take a chance that they can beat Luc.  Most can't because of his sheer size, and this makes Mr. Chilton money because of the betting that goes on during the matches.  Another boxing manager, starts bringing in a kangaroo to fight in the boxing matches and Luc can't stand seeing the animal being forced to fight when he knows how much he hates it.  Luc has to figure out - does he allow himself to continue to be forced into a life he doesn't want, or does he do something about it?

If you're more up for an adventurous science fiction story, you'll enjoy Fire & Flood, by Victoria Scott.  This book was just released earlier this week, so you might not find it at the library yet either.  This is the first book in what will be a series about a girl named Tella, who will do anything to help her brother, Cody.  Cody is sick with some kind of illness - no one knows what, so there's no real cure or treatment for it.  Her parents moved their family from Boston to Montana to try to help him, but that doesn't seem to be working either.  So when Tella gets an unusual communication that if she competes in something called the "Brimstone Bleed", she could win a cure for a loved one who has an illness, she has no doubt - she must compete.  She leaves home in the middle of the night and sets off on an adventure and challenge that will completely change her life.  She'll face things she never even knew existed and ends up risking her life to save the brother she loves.  Since this is the first book, you'll finish ready for the next installment and the next leg of the Brimstone Bleed.

Some of you will start reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas next week as we begin our new book club.  If you like that, you'll also enjoy author John Boyne's newest novel, Stay Where You Are & Then Leave.  In this story, you'll meet Alfie Summerfield, a 9-year old boy who lives in London, England.  On his 5th birthday, World War I broke out, and this changed his life forever.  His father signed up to fight in the war and left home shortly after.  Four years have passed and Alfie fears that his father is dead...they haven't had a letter from him in nearly 2 years.  Alfie's mother tries to tell him that his father is on a secret mission and can't communicate with them, but Alfie doesn't really believe it.  To help his mother, Alfie only goes to school around 2 days a week and spend the other 3 at a busy train station working as a shoeshine boy.  One day, while shining a doctor's shoes, he inadvertently sees his father's name on some papers that belong to the doctor.  Alfie realizes that his father is alive - and he knows that it is up to him to find his father and bring him home where he belongs.  This story, like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas touches the heart.  You'll love Alfie and be rooting for him right from the start.

I picked up Shadow & Bone, by Leigh Bardugo on Overdrive, because it's a Truman nominee for next year. It's book one of the Grisha trilogy.  If you read Shadow & Bone, you'll also want to pick up book #2 Siege & Storm.  It's not on Overdrive, but it is at MCPL.  In Shadow & Bone, we meet Alina and Mal, two orphans growing up in the war-torn country of Ravka.  In Ravka, there are normal folks and there are Grisha.  Grisha are people who have unusual gifts, like being able to make wind or fire out of nothing.  They have been powerful in Ravka for hundreds of years and one Grisha, known as The Black Heretic, created something called the Shadow Fold, which splits Ravka.  It's an area of complete darkness filled with human-hunting volcra.  When attempting to cross the Shadow Fold for their jobs, Alina and Mal and their group are attacked by Volcra and to save Mal's life, Alina somehow throws off light and scares off the volcra.  All children are tested at a young age to see if they are Grisha and Alina gave no sign of this being so at that time, but it turns out, she's been hiding her power away for years and years - even from herself.  It turns out she might be Ravka's way to beat the Shadow Fold.  This story is a page-turner...I'm already thinking it will be a front-runner to win the Truman award next year.  I highly recommend this one!  This book did not disappoint!

Another Truman nominee for next year is See You at Harry's, by Jo Knowles, which I picked up on Overdrive.  This is Fern's story.  Her family owns Harry's Diner and her father always has incredibly embarrassing ideas for how they can promote the diner.  This time it's a TV ad with the whole family in embarrassing T-shirts.  Fern's 3-year old brother just happens to say, "See you at Hawee's!" at the end and this, unfortunately for Fern, makes the commercial memorable to everyone who sees it.  She is about to start middle school and she doesn't want to draw unwanted attention in anyway, but everyone has seen the commercial.  When tragedy strikes Fern's family, she feels that what happens was completely her fault and she doesn't know how to deal with it.  Fern has to find her way back to her family and find a way to forgive herself that wasn't completely her fault in the first place.  This is a touching realistic fiction story.

If you enjoyed seeing Afflicted: The Daughters of Salem at the Coterie a few weeks ago, you might enjoy  The Book of Maggie Bradstreet, by Gretchen Gibbs.  This is a historical fiction novel based on the life of an actual girl, who lived during the Salem Witch Trials named Maggie Bradstreet.  In this story, Maggie tells of the events that occur in her town, Andover, where anyone could be accused of being a witch.  Maggie records what is happening in her journal and expresses her fear of witches and her concerns that none of this might actually be real.  When people she cares about are accused, she has to figure out what she can do to stand up for them and help them in a time when no one wanted to listen to what a young girl had to say.

I finally got around to reading Liar & Spy, by Rebecca Stead.  This is another book I picked up on Overdrive.  In this story, we meet Georges (pronounced George), who has just had to move into an apartment, since his family could no longer afford their house after his dad lost his job.  Georges is in 7th grade and is struggling.  His best friend deserted him for the "cool" table and Georges just doesn't feel like he belongs.  In his new apartment building, Georges meets Safer, a self-proclaimed spy, who wants Georges to join him in finding out more about the mysterious Mr. X, who lives one floor above Georges.  Georges plays along at first, but when Safer wants to start doing things, like breaking and entering, Georges starts to feel out of his comfort zone, but he has to decide - how far is too far to go for your only friend?


I will end this post with a couple of titles I've been given the privilege of reading before their release.  These are titles that you'll want to check out in a few weeks!

First, releasing on March 18th is Providence, by Lisa Colozza Cocca.  In this story, we meet Becky, who is the oldest of 10 children.  When she makes a big mistake that gets her in big trouble with her family, she decides she needs to get out of dodge for a while.  She jumps into an empty train car that will take her away and is shocked to find an abandoned baby left in a duffle bag in the train car.  As the oldest of so many children, Becky has a lot of experience with babies and knows she has to help this child.  When the train passes into Georgia, Becky gets off with the baby and they enter a small town that will change Becky's life.  Becky decides to pass the baby off as her own while there and ends up with a job at the local second-hand store.  She scours the papers to see if she can find where the baby came from, but just continues to get deeper and deeper into her lies about who she really is.  This story was incredibly heartwarming.  Despite her dishonesty, Becky has a heart of gold and you will fall in love with her folksy voice as she tells you her story.

And finally, releasing on April 1st is Sekret, by Lindsay Smith.  This book is the first in what will be a series.  You will want to get your hands on this one.  This book is set in the 1960's in the Soviet Union where the KGB struck fear into the hearts of the Soviet people.  The race to the moon was on.  Yulia has been living in hiding with her mother and younger brother since her father disappeared.  Yulia has known for a while that she has the unusual ability to read other people's thoughts and uses this to her advantage while trading for supplies on the black market.  One day when she returns home, she discovers her mother and brother are gone and she is captured by the KGB, who want her to join with their other teenage spies who have similar abilities and use them to try to undermine the US space program.  I. absolutely. loved. this. book.  I loved Yulia and her desire to find her father and rescue her mother and brother who are basically being held hostage, so Yulia will do what they want.  Her strength and her heart make this historical/science fiction story a winner!  I am already anxiously anticipating book 2.

That's probably enough for now, huh?

Wow - I Guess I've Read a Book or Two Lately...

I read a lot over break...A. LOT.  So I have bunches & bunches of books to recommend to you here.  So, get comfortable, because reading this post might be a little like reading a book too!

First up, The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt.  I made no secret last year about how much I loved Schmidt's Okay for Now.  In fact, I just told someone today that I liked it so much, I'd really like to re-read it again.  So it's shocking to me that it took me this long to read the companion novel to Okay for Now - The Wednesday Wars.  The main character, Holling Hoodhood is friends with Doug Sweiteck, who is the main character of OFN and the story takes place during their 7th grade year.  All of Holling's classmates spend every Wednesday afternoon either Catholic or Jewish religious classes, and Holling, being a Presbyterian, has to stay at school with his teacher, Mrs. Baker.  He's convinced from the beginning that Mrs. Baker absolutely hates his guts, and here's why - she decides they should read Shakespeare together.  Shakespeare!  Who wants to do that?  This book takes  you month by month and Shakespeare work by Shakespeare work as Holling gets through his 7th grade year.  This book is both funny and heartwarming, just like it's companion.  I highly recommend it!

I make no secret of the fact that I love a good romance and This is What Happy Looks Like, by Jennifer E.
Smith, fit the bill perfectly.  The story begins with a string of e-mails between 2 teens...Graham and Ellie.  Graham accidentally sends Ellie an e-mail by mistake, but when she responds, they strike up a friendship through e-mails.  What Ellie doesn't know is that Graham isn't just any ordinary boy - he's Graham Larkin, movie star.  When the location for Graham's current film falls through, he arranges for the film to be shot in Ellie's hometown, small town Henley, Maine, because he wants to meet Ellie.  There are all kinds of reasons that they shouldn't be together, starting with the fact that he's a movie star and she's just an ordinary girl.  You'll have to read it to find out if they can find a way to make it work!

Since we've recently read To Kill a Mockingbird, you'll totally get all the references to the story if you read Sure Signs of Crazy, by Karen Harrington.  This book has an incredibly quirky main character who has dealt with a LOT in her life.  Sarah Nelson has spent her whole life looking for signs that she is going crazy like her mom.  When she was two, her mom tried to drown her and succeeded in drowning her twin brother, Simon.  Since then, her mom has been in a mental institution and her dad has turned to alcohol.  Because her mother's crime was a national news story, they've moved around several times trying to avoid people knowing who they are and because of that, Sarah has never found a place where she really fits in.  In fact, her best friend is a plant.  (It's a good plant, but still)  When her 7th grade teacher assigns the class to write letters over the summer to anyone they'd like, Sarah decides that she would like to write Atticus Finch, because she wishes her dad was like Atticus.  Through the letters and the events of her summer, Sarah starts to come to terms with the fact that sometimes life is crazy, regardless of whether you are or not.  If you read Mockingbird in book club last year & liked it, I think you'd really like Sure Signs of Crazy.  It had a similar style and feel to it, though this story is not quite as heart wrenching as Caitlin's in Mockingbird.

I loved, loved, loved this next book - Going Vintage, by Lindsey Leavitt.  In this book, Mallory finds out
that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her - virtually, in an online game, but still!  She breaks up with him and swears off all things technology - no computer, no cell phone.  Then she finds a list her grandma wrote in 1962 when she was the same age (16) and it was a list of things she wanted to accomplish her junior year in high school:  1) Run for pep club secretary, 2) Host a dinner party/soiree, 3) Sew a dress for homecoming, & 4) Get a steady (that's slang for steady boyfriend if you're not up on it).  Mallory enlists the help of her sister, Jenny, and ends up getting some unexpected help from her ex's cousin, Oliver, too.  This book was so much fun...I loved seeing Mallory really grow up after making her choice to swear off technology until she accomplishes her grandma's list.

Another book I loved, loved, loved is Counting by 7's, by Holly Goldberg Sloan.  In this book, you meet Willow Chance, who is one of the most quirky characters you may ever meet.  Willow is "highly gifted" and has always been homeschooled until she and her parents decide it's time to try public school.  Things aren't really going that well - after scoring a perfect score on the state test, the principal thinks she cheated and sends her to weekly meetings with worthless school counselor, Dell Duke, which leads her to her first real friend, Mai Nguyen who escorts her brother to weekly meetings with Mr. Duke.  When tragedy strikes for Willow, this unusual circle pulls together to try to make things work for her.  This book was equal parts sad, happy, heartwarming, and funny.  So, so good!

If heartwarming isn't your thing and you want to read something a little bit darker in mood, you might like Hostage Three, by Nick Lake.  This is a "pulled out of the headlines" type story about a girl whose family is kidnapped by Somalian pirates as they sail around the world on their yacht.  Many of you have mentioned seeing Captain Phillips recently, and it's the same type of story.  The main character, Amy, has made a lot of bad choices, but many of them stem from her mother's suicide a few years ago.  Since then her dad has remarried, but really stays out of Amy's life for the most part until he decides to buy a yacht and take the family on a trip around the world.  They know there is a danger of pirates on their route, but didn't think there was any chance that it would happen to them.  When their yacht is boarded by Somali pirates, Amy ends up finding a connection to the youngest pirate, Farouz, who also speaks English. She learns some of the history of Somalia and begins to understand a bit why these young Somali men turn to the dangerous life of pirating.  Like I said, this is not a happy, feel good read.  It has some very dark parts, but it is an interesting look into something that has been happening in our world.

Another darker story that I've read recently is called Heartbeat, by Elizabeth Scott.  In this story Emma's life is turned upside down when her mom has a brain aneurism.  Technically, she should be dead - and she is - brain-dead, but Emma's step-father has chosen to keep her mom on life support, because she is pregnant.  He wants to keep her alive long enough, so that Emma's brother can be born.  However, it is pure anguish for Emma to see her mother kept alive, but know that she will never BE alive again.  She resents her father and she resents the baby and is just completely torn apart by her grief.  She eventually befriends, Caleb, who has been labeled a bad-boy for his drug-addicted, car thief former ways.  Caleb has turned his life around, but Emma learns that the grief he carries for things in his life also runs deep and they find a connection in that.  This was a deep and heavy read, but I really liked watching Emma fight her way through a situation that none of us would want to find ourselves in.

Okay - one last book.  But it's not out yet.  And it's the third & final book in the series.  But...it was SO, SO good that I have to give it a plug.  I'm plugging it because the first 2 books in the series are also SO, SO good.  The 3rd book in The Ascendance Trilogy - The Shadow Throne, by Jennifer A. Nielsen.  This story tells us how Jaron, Imogen, Tobias, Roden, Amarinda, & Mott finally end up, and did I mention it was SO, SO good?  It comes out February 25.  If you haven't read the first 2 books, The False Prince and The Runaway King, get on it.  You're missing an incredible series filled with adventure, action, suspense, humor, love, friendship, and all the good things that you want to find in a book!