Don't Let Hard Times Get You Down

Angry Management by Chris Crutcher Harper Teen, 2009

I've been thinking about this book even though I've been finished for over a week now. I wanted to read it because there has been some controversy over the book and it had been challenged recently by a parent. I found that if you read the book the stories jump out off the pages and fill your mind with problems that real people and real teens have in their everyday lives. The characters are call backs from some of Crutcher's other novels and somehow because he knows these characters so well he is able to bring depth, light, and catharsis to all of their dilemmas and decisions. I think that the anger management classes needed a little more detail and there should have been more storyline leading up to the individual characters and their personal stories, but all in all this book was great. I would recommend this book to any teen that is looking for a realistic fiction or just something interesting to read. I myself enjoy stories that revolve around the struggles of life and how therapy can sometimes help. In teen realistic fiction, it seems that writer's like to set the tone of working it out in your own way that will ultimately help the person in the story. One of my favorite books that I read last year was "Tales of the Madman Underground" by John Barnes which tells the story of Karl Shoemaker a high school senior who has been in a therapy group since he was fourth grade. This is a great book with a story about a young man trying to break loose from the stigma of being in the group for so long and he is so desparately trying to find his own identity, his own true self.

Gotta Love a Fire-Breathing Fairy For Sure

Firelight by Sophie Jordan Harper Teen, 2010

This book is smoldering hot! Jacinda is a fire-breathing draki, which means that she can manifest from her human form into a flame throwing fairy whenever she wants. When Jacinda takes a chance to go flying at night with her best friend, things turn to terror as draki hunters track them and try to kill them both. Jacinda hides in a cave and a handsome young man finds her, but does not give her away. In fear, Jacinda's mother decides to move away so that she and her sister Tamra can start a new life. As if you couldn't guess, Jacinda runs into the boy that saved her life and falls deeply and madly in love with him. This of course causes her great torment and pain because she knows that he and his family are draki hunters. Jordan does a fantastic job painting a colorful description of Jacinda's transformation into draki form and the smokin hot chemistry between her the adorable Will.

TMI is in the House!!

I've been reading a lot over the last month and I am very excited to say that I have now read all four books in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. Sadly, I will now have to wait until May 2012 for the next book to come out. The first book in the series, The City of Bones was actually recommended to me by one of my teens in the library that reads about as much YA as I do. I really like this series because it offers several different elements from supernatural, magic, mysticism, and the immortal realm. I would recommend this series to guys and girls because there are strong male and female characters in the books. One of my favorite characters is Jace Wayland who is one of the most dynamic male characters I have seen in a long time. Jace makes me want to keep reading because I want to know what he is going to do next. He is so enchanting and he just doesn't care what happens so he takes chances and goes in fighting like a dynamo. I love that about him.

Here is a review of City of Bones (2007)

In this book Clary Fray stumbles upon a dark secret from her past. She finds out that she is no ordinary girl, but rather that she is a shadow hunter a person who is half human and half angel. Shadow hunters are a special race of beings that hunt and kill demons to keep the world a safer place. Clary finds that everything she thought was normal, was actually made up by her mother in order to keep her safe from the world of shadow hunters. Then one night Clary's world changes when she meets Jace, Isabelle, Alec at a club called Pandemonium and her world will never be the same again. With her best friend Simon by her side Clary is about to find out the truth and the more she finds out, the less she is sure of who she really is at all.

The series four books until the moment; City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, and the fifth book City of Lost Souls is slated to be released in May 2012. And if you fall in love with The Mortal Instruments like I did, then you will be happy to know that a movie is being made right now that will feature Lily Collins as Clary Fray and Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace Wayland.