Showing posts with label friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friday. Show all posts

Friday, February 10, 2012

Friday Book Recommendation: The Dark and Hollow Places

THE DARK AND HOLLOW PLACES by Carrie Ryan

From CarrieRyan.com


There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.

Except, Catcher has his own secrets—dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah—can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

*************


The Dark and Hollow Places is the third and final installment of the Forest of Hands and Teeth series, and this book is truly unforgettable. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone but they have so much more depth if you read them from first to last. Carrie Ryan is one of those authors that others, namely me, aspire to be. Her writing is magic.

Hollywood crush posted a much better review of this book than I possibly could.
http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2011/03/22/the-dark-and-hollow-places-review/

Also, sometime in the near future, while my co-writers at Tangled Fiction are off in the mountains for another fabulous writing retreat (that I regrettably can't make *sniffle*) we'll be doing something special for our readers, and I just might have a copy of one of Carrie's books that I am (reluctantly) willing to part with. So stay tuned.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Friday Book Recommendation: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson


  • I recommended this one a while back, but I haven't had much time for reading anything new, so I thought I'd give a favorite a bump. 
  • ***
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Viking Juvenile (March 19, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 067001110X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0670011100
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
  • Get it on Amazon here

  • Buy Indie
"Dead girl walking," the boys say in the halls.
"Tell us your secret," the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.


Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend's restless spirit.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple-award-winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia's descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

*******

“We held hands when we walked down the gingerbread path into the forest, blood dripping from our fingers. We danced with witches and kissed monsters. We turned us in to wintergirls, and when she tried to leave, I pulled her back into the snow because I was afraid to be alone.” WINTERGIRLS, page 99


WINTERGIRLS beautiful, inside and out. The hardcover is gorgeous (and I do recommend you get it in hardcover, it's one of those). The metaphors that Anderson uses are so vivid and strong, you can't help but read passages like the above over and over. I highly recommend this book to any and everyone. It's one of those that should not be missed.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Friday Book Recommendation: The Near Witch

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab.

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (August 2, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1423137876


The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. 
 
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. 
 
And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget. 



***************************
Seriously, go buy this book. It's so rich and timeless. Beautiful storytelling, with a setting as vivid as the characters. I could say a zillion wonderful things about it, but really, after reading that description, how could you not already want to read it?

Friday, June 10, 2011

Friday Book Recommendation: DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth


  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 496 pages
  • Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (May 3, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0062024027
  • ISBN-13: 978-0062024022

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.








***************
Amazeballs. Seriously. I LOVED this book! I devoured the first 2/3rds of it and then slowed down because I really didn't want it to end. It's a gripping, heartbreaking, must-read debut. 

Visit Veronica Roth at her blog, or follow her on twitter

Friday, May 27, 2011

Friday Book Recommendation: The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman


  • Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st ed edition (September 30, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9780060530921
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060530921


Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place-he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren't really one thing or the other. This chilling tale is Neil Gaiman's first full-length novel for middle-grade readers since the internationally bestselling and universally acclaimed Coraline. Like Coraline, this book is sure to enchant and surprise young readers as well as Neil Gaiman's legion of adult fans. 

*************

This was the first Gaiman book I've read and it was awesome! Charming with just the right amount of creepy, and fantastic illustrations to go along with it.  I've had it for a few years and was a little hesitant to pick it up--I don't read a lot of MG and it is written in third person (I much prefer first).  I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner. It's one of those books that is so well-written you don't recognize the tense it's written in, and like Harry Potter (I am not comparing it to HP) it's one of those stories that both teens and adults will love.  It is definitely a must-have book. 



Visit Neil's website, find him on facebook, or follow him on twitter

Friday, May 20, 2011

Friday Book Recommendation: SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Simon Pulse (May 4, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9781416994060


Love ties them together.
Death can't tear them apart.
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

****


This book is fantastic! And the sequel SHIFT was just released, so when you finish SHADE, you don't have to wait long for more. And you'll want more. I found nothing cliche about the story, and the world it's set in is entirely original. No stagnant paranormal romance here. If you like paranormal, you should definitely give this book a try.

If you'd like a signed copy, Order from Constellation Books


Picture of Jeri signing my copy at Books of Wonder in NYC!

You can find more about Jeri Smith-Ready at her website, or follow her on Twitter. 

Friday, April 29, 2011

Friday Book Recommendation: Shadowed Summer

I'm reading Elana Johnson's POSSESSION right now (because Kristi mailed me an ARC-crit partners rock!), and since Kristi recommended that a few weeks ago, I'm going with an older favorite. Saundra Mitchell's ghost story mystery, SHADOWED SUMMER. This book was released in hardcover February 2009.



  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 183 pages
  • Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (February 10, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385735715

From Booklist

This heady mix of ghost story and mystery, drenched in the languid, humid atmosphere of a small Louisiana town, should appeal to the core audience of the Twilight series: adolescent girls who like a little sexiness in their ghostly pursuers. Ennui can get people into all sorts of trouble, and the kind of blank summer days staring down 14-year-old Iris and her friends lead them to casting spells in the town cemetery. A masculine whisper in Iris’ ear shoots them into true ghost-hunting, with a Ouija board indicating that the whisperer belongs to the town’s only mystery, a 17-year-old boy who disappeared almost 20 years ago. 
Mitchell skillfully segues from gothic romance to prosaic mystery as the friends examine microfiche records and question the boy’s relatives and friends. As the ghost becomes increasingly insistent that his mystery be solved, Iris discovers unnerving connections to her own family. 
Highly atmospheric, with pulse-pounding suspense and an elegiac ending. Grades 8-12. --Connie Fletcher

Reviews:

Saundra Mitchell respects her youthful readers, and comprehends the complexities of their time of life. This spectral story is insightful and eloquent; the ache of youth is remarkably rendered. --Hellnotes

Good ghost stories are, like ghosts, a little thin on the ground in these times, and readers will be pleased to find this atmospheric reaffirmation of a good haunting. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Shadowed Summer is beautiful and haunting- filled with love and lies, secrets and betrayal, that play out flawlessly in a novel you will never forget. It is the best Southern Gothic I've read in years." --Kami Garcia, New York Times Bestselling Author of Beautiful Creatures

"This heady mix of ghost story and mystery...should appeal to the core audience of the Twilight series: adolescent girls who like a little sexiness in their ghostly pursuers. . . Highly atmospheric, with pulse-pounding suspense and an elegiac ending." ---Booklist

009 Junior Library Guild Selection
2009 ALAN Pick
2010 Edgar Nominee (Best YA Mystery)
2010 Society of Midland Authors Book Award (Best Children’s)
2010 VOYA Summer Reading List

********************
These reviews say it all--atmospheric, haunting. Can I just say it's awesome? I'm a little bias when it comes to the southern gothic stories, but you should read this one.
You can check out Saundra at her website, or twitter. Saundra is also the author of THE VESPERTINE, out now, and THE SPRINGSWEET, coming spring 2012.

Make sure you come back here on Monday for the official announcement and details--including the reveal of our special guest judge--of our 500 followers celebratory contest!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Friday Book Recommendation--Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse (January 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416986200

Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that’s just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around.

It’s no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren’t killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities…

*********

I am a big fan of Dia Reeves. Valerie and I had the pleasure of meeting her last May and she's a wonderful person and an incredibly talented storyteller. BLEEDING VIOLET is one of my favorite books, so when I found out she was writing another story set in the same town (Portero--it's a character all it's own) with two murderous teen girls, I was ecstatic. I had extremely high expectations for this book, and it met every one of them.

This one wasn't about Portero quite as much as BV, because in BV the main character was new to the town. The Cordelle sisters are natives. They're totally used to seeing headless corpses in the middle of the street, or benches soaked in blood. The characters (Fancy is my fave) are unique and interesting. The plot is twisted and fun, assuming you don't mind murder. The cover is gorgeous. I really can't say enough about this book.

I realize it may not be for everyone because it is twisted and macabre, but if you're into that stuff (I won't tell) you will love it! I recommend reading BLEEDING VIOLET first, just because you'll understand the town better if you do and it won't be so weird when there's gore and monsters running a muck.

Enjoy!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Friday Book Recommendation!

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Razorbill (January 11, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595143971
ISBN-13: 978-1595143976

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

***

This book really surprised me. I expected great things from Beth Revis, and there was a lot of hype surrounding this book, I had no doubt it would good. It was better than good. I don't read sci-fi. I have never in my life ever felt the desire to pick up a sci-fi novel, or a space opera or anything of the sort, and I expected ATU to fall into one of those categories. Maybe it does, I wouldn't know, but it certainly wasn't what I expected a "sci-fi" novel to be. ATU is a mix of sci-fi and dystopian. It has a great cast of characters, an intriguing plot, and a scary setting that made me want to step outside for a breath of fresh air.

And the cover is beautiful! You can flip it inside out for a map of the ship! I read an interview with Beth Revis and she said she'd pictured the ship from Futurama while she was creating Godspeed, which I found very funny.

Hope you enjoy!

***If you missed this week's Contest Monday post, Valerie is giving away ATU with a signed book plate as part of her Back from Branson Giveaway!***

Friday, January 28, 2011

Friday Book Recommendation!

LINGER by Maggie Stiefvater


  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (July 13, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0545123283
  • ISBN-13: 978-0545123280

This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one.

Just a few months ago, it was Sam who was the mythical creature. His was the disease we couldn't cure. His was the good-bye that meant the most. He had the body that was a mystery, too strange and wonderful and terrifying to comprehend.

But now it is spring. With the heat, the remaining wolves will soon be falling out of their wolf pelts and back into their human bodies. Sam stays Sam, and Cole stays Cole, and it's only me who's not firmly in my own skin. 

*****
If you've already read SHIVER (and I'm sure you have, because it's amazing) then you are already familiar with Maggie Stiefvater's beautiful, lyrical prose. Like SHIVER, this cover is absolutely gorgeous. It is definitely a must-buy book, both for aesthetic purposes (it looks fantastic on a book shelf) and for reading and re-reading pleasure.  I liked LINGER even more than SHIVER, and that's saying something. This book is told from the POV of Sam, Grace, Isabel, and a new character Cole. All fantastic characters and all with some sort of personal baggage that makes Linger such a great story. It's every bit as hauntingly, achingly, beautifully, sad (and happy! There's happy stuff too!) as it's prequel. 

Friday, December 31, 2010

The Final Friday Book Recommendation of 2010!

We wish you all a safe and happy New Year! There were a great many amazing YA reads published in 2010, and we've made a short list (in no particular order) of some of our favorites for this Book Recommendation! 


Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

White Cat by Holly Black

Matched by Ally Condie

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

The Secret Year by Jennifer R Hubbard

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell

Split by Swati Avashti

Freefall by Mindi Scott

      

What were some of your favorite 2010 reads?

Friday, December 17, 2010

Friday Book Recommendation!

IMMORTAL BELOVED by Cate Tiernan
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316035920
ISBN-13: 978-0316035927

Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.
Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.

*****

This is the first book in a new trilogy by Cate Tiernan. It's the first book I've read by this author. Nastasya relives a lot of her past while coping with the present and it's almost like reading two books perfectly blended in one. There were some parts of the book I felt were a little predictable, but that didn't stop me from loving it!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Friday Book Recommendation!

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: HarperTeen (August 31, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061985848
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061985843




Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.


But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.


So much for normal.


*****


This book is a fresh take on paranormal. Evie is a fun character and the paranormal characters are unique and interesting, without going too far off the beaten path. I loved the faeries in this book (Reth! *swoon*)! And trying to figure out the mysteries woven in the story was a lot of fun. Definitely a book to read for all the paranormal lovers out there.

And don't forget to enter our December giveaway!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Friday Book Recommendation - BEFORE I FALL

Before I Fall

by Lauren Oliver (Goodreads Author)
 
What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined. (less)
Hardcover, 470 pages
Published March 2nd 2010 by HarperCollins 
Kristi's Take:  (No Spoilers)
I reluctantly picked this book up two days ago. Don't get me wrong--I'd heard great things about the book and Ms.Oliver's immense talent. But I knew it was about a girl dying, over and over and over again. One thing about me: I have to gear myself up for intense books and they tend to sit longer on my TBR pile than others. They also take me longer to read, as I have to ingest them in small doses. Not so with BEFORE I FALL. This book was flat-out amazing and I could not put it down (and it's not a short book). Those who know me know sleep is my all-time favorite thing and there's not much that I allow to interfere with those precious hours. I could not go to sleep last night until I found out what happened to Samantha Kingston. 
The characters literally leap off the page in this beautiful, funny, real, and heart-breaking novel. I won't give away the ending except to say it's something you'll think about long after you stop reading. I highly recommend moving this book to the top of your TBR pile. You'll be glad you did. 

Friday, October 22, 2010

Friday Book Recommendation!

It's Friday!!!!! *party!*

I don't like to recommend a book I haven't finished, and I'm behind on my reading. I've been busy with revisions, critiques, and writing shorts at Tangled Fiction.

I am currently reading a new post-apocalyptic zombie novel, Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Mayberry. So far, it's pretty cool. Nothing amazing yet, but I do like it. This isn't an official recommendation though, because I'm not even halfway through it. How great is this cover image?


What about you? Read any amazing books lately that you're dying to share?
And don't forget, we're still taking entries for a free copy of The Familiars!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Friday Book Recommendation!

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Release Date: October 19th 2010

Reading level, Young Adult

Hardcover, 528 pages

You can see the awesome trailer and other related videos for this book on the website:http://www.nightshadebook.com/

And Visit Andrea on Twitter andFacebook.

*****

Highly recommend this book! It's got great pace (I know over 500 pages looks long, but it's

never boring, I promise), an amazing cast of characters, lust and primal attraction, and Cremer did such an awesome job creating the wolves and her world. This book comes out just in time for Halloween and the story its self takes place around Samhain, so be sure to get it before then!

*Note* We will be doing a couple special Friday posts in the coming months. Be sure to come back and see them!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Friday Book Recommendation!


  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416963960
  • ISBN-13: 978-1416963967


Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.


Think supernatural Sopranos. Great writing, awesome characters, amazing story, hot guy on cover. You have to read it. Now. Seriously. Go!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Friday Book Recommendation!


SEA CHANGE by Aimee Friedman


Product Details

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Point; 1 edition (June 1, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0439922283
  • ISBN-13: 978-0439922289

Product Description

16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship...and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?




I can't believe I haven't done this one yet!

This week's recommendation is a book I bought last year at the Brooklyn Book Festival when the author was there signing! It's a great read and one of those books that just feels like a breath of fresh air.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Friday Book Recommendation! And Stuff.



Hello!

I won't be blogging much, or probably at all, until after Labor Day, so along with the Friday book recommendation, I wanted to give you all a head's up and let you know that on Tuesday August 31st at 6:30pm EST, I will be chatting with Barry Eva on his Blog Talk Radio show, A Book and Chat (Or Across the Pond).

I'll be speaking with Barry via telephone, but there is also a live chat program where you can chat among other listeners, or ask a question. I won't be on my computer, unfortunately, (I might die from this) but I'm sure Barry will relay any questions to me. If you don't have access to the internet for whatever reason, but you still want to listen, just call (347) 237-5398 at 6:30pm EST. There is an option to speak, or just to sit and listen where nobody will hear you.

I should warn you, I do not have a voice that was made for radio and I am super nervous. I don't even like speaking on the phone. Sad to say, the internet has become my major social outlet. *sigh* But Barry is British, so he's fun to listen to and a great host! :-)

Assuming someone actually listens and I'm not talking to the e-crickets. Which might not be a bad thing.

Happy Weekend!



This week I am recommending (drum roll) MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins!


Surprised?
If you haven't yet read THE HUNGER GAMES, you really should.
I don't review books, I just recommend the ones I enjoyed. So I promise you I am spoiler free over here.

Katniss has survived the Games designed by the Capitol to keep the citizens of Panem under their control, twice. In MOCKINGJAY it's a whole new game, and even President Snow is a player.

From Amazon:

Product Description

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Scholastic Press (August 24, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0439023513
  • ISBN-13: 978-0439023511

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Friday Book Recommendation!

    OPEN YOUR EYES

    Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she'd made her peace with it. But she can't handle dragging Cabel down with her.


    She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He's amazing. And she's a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves--she has to disappear. And it's going to kill them both.

    Then a stranger enters her life--and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she'd ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out...

    He reaches toward her, his fingers black and bloody, his eyes deranged, unblinking. Janie is paralyzed. His cold hands reach around her neck, squeezing tight, tighter, until Janie has no breath left. She's unable to move, unable to think. As his grasp tightens further around Janie's neck, his face turns sickly alabaster. He strains harder and begins to shake.

    Janie is dying.
    She has no fight left in her.
    It's over.

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Simon Pulse; 1 edition (February 9, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416979182
  • ISBN-13: 978-1416979180

I loved this series. I admit I liked WAKE and GONE a bit more than FADE, but it's definately a series I recommend reading. Each book is told in third person present tense, which is something I haven't seen in too many books and it can be a little weird at first. Lisa's writing and Janie's voice are so seamless and strong that once you get into the book, you don't even notice the tense. These books are a little bit dark, so if you're looking for gentle reading, this probably isn't the series for you.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

ShareThis