Pure is Sci-fi fantasy, Dystopian, and Poetic Post-Apocalyptic

"Pure" is an engaging and exciting post-apocalyptic saga. The main characters are young enough that this could have been categorized as a young adult novel. First we have Pressia who is a deep thinking risk taking sixteen year old girl who has lived with the outcome of the Detonations that went off when she was a little girl. She has witnessed horrors upon horrors and has somehow still survived. The worst part of the world she lives in is that the Detonations didn't actually kill everyone, they either burned them or fused them to other beings, animals, and/or even structures and the earth. There was a dome built that housed many people and when the bombs went off those in the dome survived with no harm. Because of this, those in the dome are called Pure. Pressia comes in contact with Bradwell, who is a renegade young man trying to start a revolution, but not having much luck on his own. Partridge lives in the dome but he is seeking something else in his life. His overbearing and sadistic father keeps a tight rule over those in the dome. This story comes to life as Partridege finds a way out of the dome and these three young people come together. The three have to come up with a plan to stay alive in a world where you don't really know who your enemies are. And you never know what dark horror might be lurking around the corner. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was happy to find that there were additional characters that turned out to be heroes too.

Enjoy the Intensity in Historical Fiction

All I can say is that reading "Code Name Verity" takes you back in time to World War II and it is an emotional and intense ride from the start. You get to read the story through written pages and notes. One side of the story is of Queenie the British spy who has been captured by the Nazi's in Nazi occupied France in 1943 after she made the crucial mistake of looking the wrong way while crossing a busy street in the town of Ormaie, France. The Gestapo orders Queenie to unravel the tale of how she met her best friend Maddie and how they went down in the plane Maddie was flying over France. Queenie manages to stay alive in prison as long as she's writing what the Gestapo approves of. Otherwise, she is horribly tortured. The second half is the story of Maddie and how she has to hide and survive in France after crashing the plane. The two stories woven together are totally compelling and the courage that these two young women possessed was amazing. I felt as if these were real people and I was reading about their lives as if it really happened all those year ago. "Code Name Verity" is definitely a tribute to women and has resonant themes of friendship and courage throughout the book.

Nominated for the YALSA Teens Top Ten Award for 2013

Sweetest Thing Indeed

The Sweetest Thing
by Christina Mandeleski
336 Pages
May 2011

The Sweetest Thing is an adorable story about a teenage girl Sheridan who loves to bake. Her nickname is Cake Girl and all she wants is to make cakes and have a boyfriend like any normal high school girl. Then her dad gets a new gig as a television chef star and her whole world bursts into chaos. On the other hand, she has been searching for her mom who left her several years before. She's just about to find her mom, but who knows what will happen if and when they see each other again? Will Sheridan find her mom? Will she find that perfect boyfriend who likes her for who she is? Read this book to find out!

Happy Reading to You!

Mrs. Librarian Lady

Passion Beyond the Grave

I just finished "Such Wicked Intent" the second book in the Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein and it was just as good as the first book! I highly recommend these books if you like secrets, mysterious creatures, and love triangles.

What's Behind the Zombie Phenomenom

A recent article in the Tween Tribune called, "In hard times, zombies make us feel better" it was noted that zombies seem to be everywhere these days. I just posted on Facebook about the amazing and terrifying movie trailer I saw last night for the upcoming World War Z movie based on the ever famous book by Max Brooks and also starring the one and only Brad Pitt! Zombies are also hitting hard on the popular TV series "The Walking Dead," where every week humans have to try and escape from a pack of hungry flesh eating zombies! The article also talked about "prank alerts that have warned of a zombie apocalypse on radio stations in a handful of states and across the country, zombie wannabes in tattered clothes occasionally fill local parks, gurgling moans of the undead." Whoa that sounds pretty crazy all right.

I've got a question for you - do you think that these types of strange events are created by people that just happen to have unhealthy obsessions with the dead and the decayed? According to professor Sarah Lauro, "the phenomenon isn't harmful or a random fad, but part of a historical trend that mirrors a level of cultural dissatisfaction and economic upheaval. We are more interested in the zombie at times when as a culture we feel disempowered, and watching a show like 'Walking Dead' provides a great variety of outlets for people."

Lauro talks a lot about the idea of having a "zombie walk," where a mass wannabe zombies get together dressed up in tattered clothes and zombiesque makeup with the traditional marks of the undead and then drag their feet around and try to do the zombie dance."

Here's the question that the Tween Tribune asked: "Do you agree with the author’s belief, that zombies make us feel better in hard times?" Well, I'm not sure but I sure do have a few zombie themed books that I can recommend to cure the zombie brain drain.

Here are my suggestions:

Rot & Ruin by Jonathon Maberry


The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan


Enclave by Ann Aguirre


Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter


Check these out and let me know if you think they equal up to the vim and vigor of Max Brooks' World War Z!

Happy Reading to you!

All my best, Mrs. Librarian Lady

- article Posted on Tween Tribune on March 11, 2013

Looks A Lot Like Love :)

Source: bleubirdvintage.typepad.com via Michael on Pinterest

Love Stinks - Mrs. Librarian Lady's top twenty Anti Love Songs

Madness - Muse
I knew you were trouble - Taylor Swift
Try - Pink
One more night - Maroon 5
We are never getting back together - Taylor Swift
Not over you - Gavin DeGraw
Love & Memories - OAR
Jar of hearts - Christina Perri
When i was your Man - Bruno Mars
I cry - Flo Rida
Part of me - Katy Perry
Catch my breath - Kelly Clarkson
Numb - Usher
50 Ways - Train
More than this - One Direction
Hard to love - Lee Brice
Somebody that i used to know - Goyte
Wide Awake - Katy Perry
Feel again - One Republic
Caught myself - Paramore

Best Anti-Love Movies According to Mrs. Librarian Lady

Best Anti-Love Movies - These movies will be sure to have you running away from love for sure!

Teen Tech Week 2013 Check In @ Your Library!

I made this video today in honor of the upcoming Teen Tech Week 2013 which will be during the week of March 10th-17th. I love making videos!!

What Kind of Book Reader Are You? A Diagnostics Guide - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire

What Kind of Book Reader Are You? A Diagnostics Guide - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire

Here's a fun way to see what kind of reader you are.  I fall into the Bookophile, the Cross-Under and definitely the Book-Buster, Oh I just want to hug those books!!

Shonen Knife - I am a Cat

I received this video today for my birthday and thought I'd share with you all!!

If You Want a Good Cry on Valentine's Day

There are so many talented YA authors out right now and one of my favorites is Mr. John Green. Somehow he is able to capture the realism of teen life and emotions. I highly recommend his latest book "The Fault in Our Stars" and I think it would be a tremendously sad book to read just before Valentine's Day. I have to admit that from around chapter 24 and on I basically cried my eyes out while continuing to read and sob from time to time. This book is painfully sad and it pulls no punches in its terrible descriptions of late-stage cancer. At some points, readers may even wonder why, if pain and love are so inner connected that we should care to fall in love at all. However, the amazing John Green pulls it all together in the end and we realize that a person can learn so much from being in love, and that he or she will come out on the other side of a love experience a changed person.

Karmin - Brokenhearted a great song for Anti-Valentine's Day!

Karmin knows how heartbreak gets started...

An Anti-Valentine's Day Campaign

I'm finally going to do to be able to get creative with and let loose my true feelings for Valentine's Day! I'm on a month long campaign to prove that Valentine's Day does not have to be all about hearts, love, and flowers. I'm hosting two Anti-Valentine's Day parties for teens at two different libraries! Wow that double exposure to heartbreak, disillusion, and pain. I love it ♥ I'm an evil genius muhaaahhaaahaaa! Finally something to get excited about in the cold winter weather. Here's my intro to the party invitation and I will be posting for the next month with pictures, songs, and crafts for this anti-heart celebration!

Do candy hearts and chocolates make you feel ill?
Are you running from Cupid and his stupid arrow?
Are you planning your ♥ Day escape?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone!
You are invited to an
ANTI-Valentine Party!!

Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts (Official Music Video)

Ex Inc. will Fix U

Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus wrote this awesome book called Over You! I really liked it a lot and now want to read more of their books. The story is about a girl named Max who gets dumped by her boyfriend and tries like heck to get over him. She decides to use her pain and start her own business called Ex, Inc. She helps other girls get over their break ups and does such a fantastic job that she realizes she wants to study business at NYU. Naturally, things get complicated when Max's old boyfriend shows up. You have to read this book to find out what happens! I hope you get a chance to read this one it would be great one for an Anti-Valentine's day treat!

I heard Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts today and it totally reminded me of Max's plight. I posted the video so you can see it too!

Teens Top Ten - Did You Know???

Did you hear the news?? During Teen Read Week YALSA announced the Top Ten Teen winners!! Here is the list!

2012 Teens’ Top Ten

Divergent by Veronica Roth (HarperCollins)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Penguin)

Legend by Marie Lu (Penguin)

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Quirk Books)

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen (Penguin)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (Penguin)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Macmillan)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic)

Where She Went by Gayle Forman (Penguin)

Abandon by Meg Cabot (Scholastic)

There are only two on this list that I didn't get a chance to read. They are the top one Divergent (it figures :) and the last one Abandon which I started and never finished. Ah the life of a busy librarian - well there is still time to keep reading!

Let me know if you read any of these books and which ones you loved the most! My favorite is Legend by Marie Lu.

Quote of the Week comes from Holly Black's "Red Glove"

Baby, she says in a harsh whisper, in this world, lots of people will try to grind you down. They need you to be small so they can be big. You let them think whatever they want, but you make sure you get yours. You get yours.

So true, So true indeed.

I've been wanting to read this book for months! "No Safety in Numbers" by Dayna Lorentz. I read it yesterday (all in one day!) and it was amazing!! I mean totally off-the-hook-riveting-page turning-can't-put-it-down-amazing! On Dayna Lorentz' website the book was described as "Life As We Knew It meets Lord of the Flies in a mall that looks just like yours" Wow I would describe it as a majorly incredibly scary realistic fiction that keeps you reading because you have to know what happens at a the end! Here's the short of what happens. Someone finds a bomb in the the air filtering system of a huge mall and there is a lock down. The people start going crazy, some die, some fall in love, and there is a shocking discovery at the end! That's all I can say but you have to read this book. Get it from the library and read it today!!!! Here's a review from Kirkus, I get the heeby geebeez just thinking about it!! "When a strange device is discovered in the air ducts of a busy suburban mall, the entire complex is suddenly locked down. No one can leave. No one knows what is going on. At first, there's the novelty of being stuck in a mega mall with free food and a gift certificate. But with each passing day, it becomes harder to ignore the dwindling supplies, inadequate information, and mounting panic. Then people start getting sick. Told from the point of view of two guys and two girls, this is a harrowing look at what can happen under the worst of circumstances, when regular people are faced with impossible choices. Some rise to the occasion. Some don't."

The Story of Day - From Legend by Marie Lu