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October 28, 2010
Exciting Day! Today we are launching our Middle School Book Club!!
No matter what school you attend, if you are between grades 6-8, you
are welcome to come to the Middle School Book Club. I will post
updates here on which book titles we’ve selected to read and when
meetings will be. If you can’t make a meeting, but would like to
send along some advice, input and suggestions shoot me a quick e-mail!
And...back to the House of Night. Grr...I’m half-exasperated
with myself. I refuse to take back my earlier posting, the writing in
these books is painful (!) but I’m getting sucked in anyway. I
finished book three, and even though I want to, I can’t turn my back
on the series. I’ve already started book four, Untamed. I do
however, have one comment to make. Is the House of Night series
supposed to be about Vampires or Witches? I know, the obvious answer
is Vampires. But, I think that answer is wrong. I feel like the
authors really wanted to write a series about teen Witches, but
Vampires were a hotter commodity at the time, so they called their
characters “Vampyres” and had them act like Witches. Anyone out
there agree? Disagree? Let me know!
 You
need to read Looking for Alaska by John Green. It’s a really
good book that deals with real-life situations, no cover-ups or little
kid stuff. It’s a coming of age story that involves four main
characters, and it’s written in a way where you can connect with the
personalities of the characters. There’s no real plot, and you’re
never sure of what will happen next, but there’s a lot of humor in
it that’s feels realistic and authentic to teenagers. There is some
recreational drug use, strong language and sexual content, so this is
definitely a book for older teens.
- Andy
Andy! I’ve heard SO much about this book, how good it is and how I
NEED to read it. I have to admit, it’s been on my “to-read” list
for eons and I still haven’t gotten around to it. I’m such a
slacker. I’m going to make it one of my goals to read this in
November. Hold me to that!
October 23, 2010
Hey. I just read your blog :) well, really
just the latest post so far. But I'm a fan!
I actually just read (well, technically I listened to the audio book,
but same thing) Beautiful Creatures. It's pretty good.
Definitely a little different. But there are some cool library scenes
in it! Ha, ha! A little something for the librarian.
Another book I have to recommend to you is Sisters Red by
Jackson Pearce. It's definitely Teen/Young Adult. It's inspired by Little
Red Riding Hood, but takes it in a completely new direction. I
loved it and I find myself thinking about it alllll the time!
Let me know if you read it. Have a swell day!
-Carri
 Carri,
too funny! I had ordered Sisters Red for the YA collection, and
it just came in. So, I checked it out! There are some perks to being a
librarian; you get to see all the new books first! I’ll let you know
what I think as soon as I read it. For some reason, the premise makes
me think of Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan, which I also have
wanted to read for a long time, but have never gotten around to
it…maybe this will inspire me. Tender Morsels is supposed to
be amazing.
Meanwhile…I feel like I’m rapidly losing any brain cells I may
have left reading the House of Night series. I’m so sorry to
all the fans out there, but it’s killing me! The dialogue alone
makes me cringe. Everyone I’ve talked to tells me the third and
fourth books are the weakest in the series, so I’ll keep pushing
through, but it’s not easy.
October 20, 2010
Finished Accomplice this weekend. It was pretty good.
Suspenseful. I wasn’t sure how it would end. The book does a good
job of showing how people’s actions can affect others, even
unintentionally. It also speaks to the pressures of friendship, and
the price of misplaced loyalty. It’s definitely worth a read,
especially if you like realistic fiction that makes you think and
offers no easy answers.
I also finished The Girls of Murder City. It was excellent!
Read it!
My next two books I’ll be reading (well, three) are Brady, Brady,
Brady: The Complete Story of The Brady Bunch as Told by the Father/Son
Team who Really Know by Sherwood Schwartz and Lloyd J. Schwartz, Cum
Laude by Cecily von Ziegesar, and Chosen: A House of Night
Novel by Kristin & P.C. Cast. The first two are technically
adult books, one non-fiction and one fiction, but who doesn’t love
The Brady Bunch? And since Cecily von Ziegesar wrote the Gossip
Girl and It Girl series, I figured this might be another
guilty pleasure for me. It hasn’t gotten the greatest reviews, but
I’m going to give it a shot. And of course, it almost being
Halloween, I figured it’s time for me to go back to the House of
Night.
OK, before I go one more thing. I love lists. Top
10 Lists, Top 100 Lists, Best Movies Ever, Hottest Celebrities, you
get the idea. Anyway, the American Library Association (ALA) has a
Young Adult Division (YALSA) and every year they come up with a list
of the Top 10 Teen Books. These books are nominated by, and voted for
by teens all over the country. Here’s the Teens’ Top Ten List for
2010. Of the 10, I’ve read 7. Not too shabby! I guess I have 3 more
books to add to my list. I haven’t read Beautiful Creatures, If I
Stay and Hush, Hush.
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
3. Heist Society by Ally Carter
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
5. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
6. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret
Stohl
7. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
8. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
9. Fire by Kristin Cashore
10. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
October 15, 2010
The Word of the Day? Manipulation.
So, I'm in the middle of two books right now. Accomplice by
Eireann Corrigan and The Girls of Murder City by Douglas Perry.
At first glance, these books are nothing alike. One is a non-fiction
adult book, the other is a fiction Young Adult novel. It kind of hit
me today though, that they both rely heavily on the idea and theme of
manipulation.
 I'm
about halfway through Accomplice, and the story has me riveted.
It's about two seniors in High School, Chloe and Finn, who decide they
need to stand out more to get into the college of their dreams. They
hatch a scheme where Chloe pretends to be kidnapped, and eventually,
Finn will be the one to find her. They figure this scheme will
catapult them into the homes and hearts of America, and colleges won't
be able to accept them fast enough. Of course, almost immediately,
things start to go wrong and their plans get twisted and start to
unravel. I find myself feeling very sympathetic towards Finn, and not
liking Chloe at all. This book reminds you that you never really know
someone, even someone who has been your best friend your whole life.
Between the girls manipulating their families and their town, Chloe
manipulating Finn, and the media manipulating whoever it can, it's a
twisted psychological thriller that brings up a lot of hard questions
and gives no easy answers. I can't wait to see how it will turn out!
Then there's The Girls of Murder City. Talk about textbook
manipulation, I think these ladies wrote the book. With some help of
course, from their lawyers and the press. If this wasn't based on a
true story, and they didn't have facts and evidence to back it up, I
wouldn't believe half of the stuff that I am reading. Chicago in the
1920's was a crazy place. If you're interested at all in American
History, then this book is definitely worth the read. I'm also about
halfway through this book, hopefully, I can wrap-up both of them this
weekend.
October 9, 2010
So I came across a book in the library that I have been wanting to
read for awhile; Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett. I had
picked this book up a few years ago, and only read the first few
pages. Since then, I’ve always wanted to go back to it, but I
ne ver
had (until now, that is!). But, before I discuss the story, I want to
talk for a minute about the physical book. Stay with me here while I
digress.
I’ve always had a love for libraries and for books, and I attribute
that to my mother. Ever since I was little, my mom would take us to
the library at least once a week. This may seem strange, but I always
liked the way libraries smelled, especially the older ones. I also
remember checking out the maximum number of books that I could every
week (I think the limit was 10), bringing them home, and putting them
in piles. I loved being surrounded by books, I loved the way the
smelled (well...most of them), the way they felt, they made me happy.
That may have been a long time ago, but I still feel that way. To this
day, I’m a sucker for a well-made book. Chasing Vermeer is a
beautifully made book. Between the feel of the pages, the
illustrations and the actual story, I’m not sure what I liked the
most. I know that sounds kind of weird, but the pages of the book felt
thick and cool, and made the book that much more fun to read. The book
was all about art, puzzles, and serendipity. It's definitely a book
that makes you think while you're reading.
I also have started reading The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust,
and the Beautiful Killers Who Inspired Chicago by Douglas Perry.
It's another non-fiction book! I'm on fire with these non-fiction
books! Anyway, I loved the musical and movie Chicago, and this
book looked really interesting, so I'm giving it a shot (hah! No pun
intended).
And, last but not least, Cyndi has come through for me again!
Hey Reba,
I don't know if you read Stolen by Lucy Christopher yet, but it
is a page turner. It was a book I could not put down even though I was
afraid of how it might end, but I actually liked the ending. As a
reader I think you develop a bit of Stockholm Syndrome with this book.
I found myself thinking about it for days. It was a good read.
Cyndi
Hey Cyndi! Actually, I remember reading reviews about this book, and
thinking that I had to read it. So, thanks, I just added it to my
list. October seems like the perfect month to read creepy books!
October 1, 2010
Seriously? Could I have started the month off any more perfectly? I
just finished The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey  Kade.
How apropos! And, I have to say, Erin & Cindy were right, I really
liked this book. It was light and fun, but still had some depth and
featured great characters. I especially like the way the author
addressed the stereotypes that are so prevalent in high school, and
how she captured the difficulty and frustration that many people go
through while they’re teenagers. I also liked the characters
development throughout the story, especially Alona’s. My only
complaint? I felt like ending was kind of rushed. Or maybe I was
reading too fast at that point. Kind of hard to say. Anyway, I really
hope there is a sequel planned, I don’t want to give anything away,
but the ending totally left the door open for another book!
Next up: more Pretty Little Liars and House of Night,
but I also just checked out a book called Accomplice by Eireann
Corrigan. It’s about two high-school girls who hatch a plan to get
noticed by colleges when they feel that their grades and
extracurricular activities aren’t enough. Of course, the plan goes
horribly wrong. How wrong? I’ll let you know…
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