Christmas Break Reads

This is a long overdue post...but thank goodness for a break so we can all read as many books as possible, right?

Let me start with Not if I See You First, by Eric Lindstrom.  Parker Grant has been blind for several years.  She lost her sight after a car accident in which her mom was killed.  Now she is reeling because her father has also recently passed away and her aunt and family have moved in so that Parker doesn't have to adjust to a new home and new school on top of everything else she's dealing with.  When a former friend who betrayed Parker in 8th grade reappears in her life, she's content to continue to block him out and pretend as if he doesn't exist.  But as Parker attempts to move on, she starts to re-evaluate her past and wonders if what she thought was betrayal wasn't a betrayal at all.  Parker is a sassy (and - warning - somewhat foul-mouthed at times) narrator, but she does not fail to make you feel some of what it must be like to navigate life without the gift of sight that we take for granted.  I was able to read an advanced reader copy of this title thanks to NetGalley.  You can find Not if I See You First on the shelves at MCPL.

Another book I was able to read courtesy of NetGalley was This Raging Light, by Estelle Laure.  Seventeen year old Lucille thought the worst that could happen already did when her dad went crazy and ended up in a mental institution a few months ago.  It turns out that things can get worse. Now, her mom has left and doesn't seem to be returning anytime soon.  Lucille decides she has to hold it together for her 9-year-old sister and somehow hide the fact that they have no parents taking care of them.  On top of this, Lucille is dealing with her long-time crush on her best friend's brother.  Can Lucille hold it together and be both parent and sister?  If you like emotional roller coasters, you'll like This Raging Light.  You can find copies of title at MCPL soon...this title was just released today!

If you're a fan of The Selection series, you will want to read The Favorite, another novella by Kiera Cass that tells Marlee's story.  Marlee was America's closest friend in the Selection...this give a behind the scenes look at how Marlee's story unfolded.  You can check it out through MCPL's Overdrive or in our CMS media center with the other 3 novellas (The Prince, The Guard, & The Queen) in the series in a bundle called Happily Ever After.

If you're more into historical fiction, you might want to pick up A Night Divided, by Jennifer A. Nielsen (author of the False Prince series).  In this story, we meet Gerta, who is 12 when the Berlin Wall goes up separating herself, her mother, and brother in the east with her father and other brother who were visiting in the west.  After 4 years of no contact, Gerta sees her brother and her father on the other side of the wall on her walk to school one morning.  Her father seems to be dancing and acting silly, but Gerta knows he's trying to tell her a way she and the rest of her family can escape.  The question is, can they do so without being killed?  This was a fascinating look at what it might have been like to live in Berlin at the heart of the cold war when the Berlin Wall went up.  You can find this on MCPL shelves and Overdrive.  We also have a copy in our CMS media center, and I have a copy you can borrow, as well.

If you're more interested in a mystery-thriller type read, you might want to check out Jennifer Lynn Barnes', The Naturals, the first in series. In this story, we meet Cassie, who is a natural at reading people.  She's been living with her father's family since her mother's death a few years ago, but she's never really felt like she fit in.  When she's recruited by an FBI agent, to become a part of an elite group of teenagers who also have natural abilities, Cassie jumps right in.  She wants to be a part of helping solve murders...especially the murder of her mother.  But when a serial killer sets his eyes on Cassie, she's going to have to work fast in order to protect her own life.  You can find this title at MCPL or through Overdrive.

For those of you who want to read a good fantasy title, you might want to check out The Warrior Heir, by Cinda Williams Chima.  This is the first in a 5-book series about a boy named Jack who was living out a normal life in Ohio, completely unaware of the role he is about to play in a centuries old war.  Jack is a warrior - gifted  with incredible fighting abilities that have been suppressed by "heart medicine" that he's been taking since he was a baby.  When he forgets a dose and inadvertently uses some of his supernatural powers, the race is on from two opposing forces to find Jack and claim him as their warrior in a fight to the death for control.  If you like a lot of action with some magic thrown in, you'll want to check out this book.  You can find it at MCPL, through MCPL's Overdrive, or on the shelves in our CMS Media Center.

Finally, let me tell you about a book that was a potential Truman Nominee for next year.  This title wasn't selected, but I thought it was really good.  Extraction, by Stephanie Diaz is a dystopian fantasy about a future Earth where those who live the planet Kiel's surface live in constant danger from the acid dripping from the moon.  Clementine is about to turn 16 and have the opportunity to be "extracted" from the dangerous surface to live in the interior of the planet in relative safety and luxury.  When she is selected, Clementine is thrilled, except for having to leave behind her best friend and secret crush, Logan.  But when Clementine goes below the surface, she starts to see a society that is built on lies and deceit.  She knows that she has to find a way to save herself, Logan, and all those who are on the surface from a dangerous plan to destroy them all.  This is the first book in a series.  You can find copies of all three books in this series at MCPL.  Our CMS Media Center has copies of Extraction, as well.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and many happy days of reading over the rest of this break!