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Meet Reba! Reba is the Young Adult Librarian at
Thayer Public Library and she enjoys reading all kinds of books, but she has a
special love for Young Adult literature. She's always happy to
recommend books, and she loves having them recommended to her! If you
have a favorite book, or a comment on something that Reba has read,
e-mail her, and she will post your comment/question and respond to it.
You will also find Book Club updates on this page, so check back
often. Happy Reading!
July 20, 2010
 Let’s just jump right in here to my review of the
Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy. I wanted to LOVE this book. It has a great cover (when will I ever learn to not be taken in by covers?), and what sounded like a great story. Well, alas, it was not to be, there was no magical fairy-tale love for me. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely didn’t love it. I did like the theme of girl power, and a whole society of women dedicated to making the world a better place, and look out for the bullied
“Reggies,” but the plot just got too far-fetched for me. Add to that the over-the-top consumerism angle (parts of this book could have been inserted into the
Gossip Girl or A-List series), and it just fell flat for me. I looked up this book on goodreads.com, and so many people loved it, and gave it 5 stars. Made me wonder if I totally missed something. Has anyone out there read this book? Am I crazy? Should I have loved it? Let me know!
Inadvertently continuing with my girl power theme of the week, I stared the
Three Willows: the Sisterhood Grows by Ann Brashares. I like it so far! I think Ann Brashares does such a good job making her dialogue, tone and voice sound like real tweens and teenagers. Her books never feel forced or artificial, and I love that.
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is up next. Yay
werewolves!
July 13, 2010
 It was another series weekend for me. I read the first book in the
Cat Royal series, The Diamond of Drury Lane. This book has been on my "to-read" list for awhile, and it had gotten excellent reviews. Reading it, more than anything, reminded me of the
Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. I guess that makes sense, since they are both about street-wise orphan girls living in London in the late 1790's-early 1800's. Even though Cat is an orphan, she has been taken in by the manager of the Drury Lane Theater, which alone brings a colorful cast of characters into the novel. Cat was a likeable heroine, and there was plenty of mystery, a lot of adventure, a dash of romance and of course, a sprinkling of the theater thrown in. I think younger readers would enjoy this, maybe grades 6-9.
I also finished the third book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series,
The Titan's Curse. It wasn't bad, but I think I liked Sea of Monsters better. Fast-paced, and featuring Thalia, daughter of Zeus, which was kind of cool. I did like the introduction of the Hunters of Artemis, and Bianca and Nico, especially Nico. I don’t want to give anything away, but having him added to the series makes for an interesting plot twist. Several people have told me that the next two books in the series were their favorites, so I can’t wait to read them.
Next up? I’ve started Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy. I’m just one chapter in, so I really can’t give a super-detailed update. So far, it’s okay, but it hasn’t struck me as amazing or a must read yet. I’ll let you know what I think as soon as I finish it.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
I hope everyone had a great Holiday weekend! So, summer is definitely here. As the temperature hovers around 100 degrees (!), I’m here, in the library, trying to stay cool. Did you know that the Library doubles as a “cooling center” for the town? So, if you’re out & about, and find yourself getting overheated, stop by! I put up a small display of “Hot Summer Reads.” Do you have a favorite summer book? Let me know and I’ll add it to the display.
So, I finished Confucius Lives Next Door and Conspiracy 365:
February. I highly recommend Confucius Lives Next Door to anyone interested in learning more about the Asian culture, especially how it compares and contrasts to our culture. My only reservation in recommending this title is that it was published in 1999, so at times, it seems a little dated.
February; still action-packed and far-fetched as January, but it manages to suck you in and keep you reading. In
February, we are also introduced to Winter, a girl who may or may not be one of the “good guys.” Could she also be a possible love interest for Cal? I guess the only way to find out is for me to read
Conspiracy 365: March.
My next YA book to tackle is The Diamond from Drury Lane: a Cat Royal Adventure by Julia Golding. Of course, it’s the start of a series.
The Library is hosting two Young Adult activities this week. On Wednesday, 7/7 at 6:00pm, Mark Peter Hughes will present a writing workshop. This event is totally free, and open to ages 12-18. Space is limited, so please sign-up on our Web site, through the Calendar of Events. Trust me; you don’t want to miss this! And then on Thursday, 7/8 starting at 6:00pm, we are screening our first Summer Reading Movie,
A Walk to Remember. Come watch the movie, have some snacks, and discuss how the movie adaptation is different from the book. Don’t forget to bring extra tissues! See you there!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Really? It’s July already? I just think that’s crazy. I was just getting used to it being June! Oh well, I might as well stop whining and get on with my summer. Speaking of whining, I have a great comment from Erin, who is our Circulation Librarian here. She also loves YA Literature, so I’ve told her she must send me her thoughts and comments as she reads books, here
goes:
 I loved
Spirit Bound, especially when Dimitri stopped being whiny and fought to defend Rose. And the ending was such a killer! I can’t wait for the next book in the series; though I’m a little bummed it will be the last.
And as for the literacy rates, did you ever think that they just can’t count?
Ha! Good call on both Spirit Bound and the mystery of the Literacy Rate, Erin. I didn’t know that they were stopping the series at six books. Good to know. I’m always torn with series. I never know if I should be happy they didn’t drag the series out too long or sad because I have to say goodbye to some of my favorite characters.
And…who out there has seen Eclipse? I want to know what you think about it! I thought it was a little too long, at some points, it just dragged for me. I did really like the parts where they went into the back stories of the Cullen’s. Can’t wait to hear your reviews.
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