Sunday, September 19, 2010
Katniss Kicks It
In a futuristic world, food has become scarce and those who want to eat will pay dearly for it. 14 year-old Katniss Everdeen has been hungry all her life and has forced herself to learn how to be a skilled hunter and forager for food. She has hardened herself to the world and only fears for her younger sister and mother's safety. In order to save her sister, Kantniss steps in her as her replacement in the violent and sadistic Hunger Games in which teens are subjected to fight to the death as entertainment for the world. Katniss has the desire and the will to win, but there will be other obstacles in her way that she never even considered. She will have to out think everyone and trust no one as she fights and puts on the show of her life. Collins has created a world that is enigmatic and horrific at the same time. If has flairs of American Idol and American Gladiator and is utterly captivating. Hunger Games fans can continue to ride the wave of survival with Katniss in Catching Fire and Mockingjay.
The Grimm Legacy
The Grimm Legacy
Elizabeth Rue gave up her shoes and has a real nose for magic. If that doesn't rhyme that's ok because there's plenty more rhymes in this magical mystery. Elizabeth is not so popular and mostly keeps to herself until her social studies professor recommends her as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository downtown that let's borrowers check out magical objects for a short loan period. She is interested in the Grimm collection, which houses all of the magical objects that we've heard about in fairy tales. There is a dark side to working in the repository because there is a gigantic bird kidnapping pages and someone is stealing the magic from the objects in the Grimm collection. Elizabeth and her friends must find out who is behind the thefts and at the same time take insults from Snow White's stepmother's mirror, which is truly not big on compliments. She has no idea who to trust and who is on her side, but she does have a sense of smell and that can lead her to the magical objects she needs to help her find out the truth. Shulman creates a magical world that is a step beyond the mundane and keeps the magic fresh by adding friendship, kindness, and love.
Elizabeth Rue gave up her shoes and has a real nose for magic. If that doesn't rhyme that's ok because there's plenty more rhymes in this magical mystery. Elizabeth is not so popular and mostly keeps to herself until her social studies professor recommends her as a page at the New York Circulating Material Repository downtown that let's borrowers check out magical objects for a short loan period. She is interested in the Grimm collection, which houses all of the magical objects that we've heard about in fairy tales. There is a dark side to working in the repository because there is a gigantic bird kidnapping pages and someone is stealing the magic from the objects in the Grimm collection. Elizabeth and her friends must find out who is behind the thefts and at the same time take insults from Snow White's stepmother's mirror, which is truly not big on compliments. She has no idea who to trust and who is on her side, but she does have a sense of smell and that can lead her to the magical objects she needs to help her find out the truth. Shulman creates a magical world that is a step beyond the mundane and keeps the magic fresh by adding friendship, kindness, and love.
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Soreceress Fights Back!
In this third book of Michael Scott’s series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Josh, Sophie and Nicholas Flamel are on the run again. This time they are in London and they are ready for a fight. John Dee is up to his same old tricks trying to catch the twins, but this time he doesn’t know what he’s up against. They are picked up and guarded by Palamedes the Saracen Knight who is indeed a true ally. Meanwhile, back on Alcatraz Perenelle is making headway with her ancient and giant spider friend on her side now. Flamel runs into an old adversary who just happens to be the incredibly famous William Shakespeare. The two make amends and Shakespeare turns out to be an outstanding ally.
The twins and Flamel are holed up at an old junkyard trying to contact Perenelle on Alcatraz. They finally get through with an old scrying trick that Shakespeare helps with. Perenelle is in grave danger and about to be eaten by some very ugly creatures. So Flamel, Josh and Sophie all send their aura power to her – all at one time! Perenelle is not so thankful because this alerts the Sphinx to her whereabouts. And she really doesn’t want that kind of company at all. What’s amazing is that all of that aura power makes Perenelle stronger than ever and she is able to defeat the Sphinx at least for a while.
Over in France, Machiavelli is making plans to go to Alcatraz to finally finish off Perenelle. He’s hired Billy the Kid to watch her from afar and to fill him in on anything that is essential to know. What Billy doesn’t know is that after Perenelle defeated the Morrigan, she actually died and her two other sister Macha and Badb were able to become free from her grasp- even though they are all in the same body. Perenelle was able to strike a deal with the two and they became her allies too.
Back in London again there is real horror on the loose. This really ancient and old creepy guy by the name of Cernunnos is out to get the twins and Flamel. He also very angry and wants his sword Clarent back. Dee thinks this is great and wants to join in on the party. But Sophie lights a big fire and Cernunnos is stopped but not killed. And of course, there is always a getaway car and the gang always gets away! They are headed to find the King called Gilgamesh and then to Stonehenge.
To wrap this all up, Gilgamesh is crazy, but he gives the twins the power of water. Flamel is aging rapidly and running out of steam, Cernunnos comes back and tries to get Clarent but he doesn’t get it, Dee does! He puts Clarent and Excalibur together and got a new sword. Perenelle gets of the Rock, and the twins and Flamel make it to Stonehenge and then back to San Francisco. Wow that’s a lot of moving and grooving! Michael Scott has a talent for weaving a great story and with all of the dynamic characters this one keeps your attention. It’s nice to read about the familiar places such as Alcatraz and Mt. Tamalpais. In the end, the twins have gone home, but what will happen next, you just never know? Could Dee come back to haunt them with Clarent in hand? Or maybe he’ll be able to lure Josh away with his new sword. Dee has a plan and he’s not giving up until he has succeeded and the dark elders have taken over the world. Find out in the next book The Necromancer, which just came out on May 25, 2010.
The twins and Flamel are holed up at an old junkyard trying to contact Perenelle on Alcatraz. They finally get through with an old scrying trick that Shakespeare helps with. Perenelle is in grave danger and about to be eaten by some very ugly creatures. So Flamel, Josh and Sophie all send their aura power to her – all at one time! Perenelle is not so thankful because this alerts the Sphinx to her whereabouts. And she really doesn’t want that kind of company at all. What’s amazing is that all of that aura power makes Perenelle stronger than ever and she is able to defeat the Sphinx at least for a while.
Over in France, Machiavelli is making plans to go to Alcatraz to finally finish off Perenelle. He’s hired Billy the Kid to watch her from afar and to fill him in on anything that is essential to know. What Billy doesn’t know is that after Perenelle defeated the Morrigan, she actually died and her two other sister Macha and Badb were able to become free from her grasp- even though they are all in the same body. Perenelle was able to strike a deal with the two and they became her allies too.
Back in London again there is real horror on the loose. This really ancient and old creepy guy by the name of Cernunnos is out to get the twins and Flamel. He also very angry and wants his sword Clarent back. Dee thinks this is great and wants to join in on the party. But Sophie lights a big fire and Cernunnos is stopped but not killed. And of course, there is always a getaway car and the gang always gets away! They are headed to find the King called Gilgamesh and then to Stonehenge.
To wrap this all up, Gilgamesh is crazy, but he gives the twins the power of water. Flamel is aging rapidly and running out of steam, Cernunnos comes back and tries to get Clarent but he doesn’t get it, Dee does! He puts Clarent and Excalibur together and got a new sword. Perenelle gets of the Rock, and the twins and Flamel make it to Stonehenge and then back to San Francisco. Wow that’s a lot of moving and grooving! Michael Scott has a talent for weaving a great story and with all of the dynamic characters this one keeps your attention. It’s nice to read about the familiar places such as Alcatraz and Mt. Tamalpais. In the end, the twins have gone home, but what will happen next, you just never know? Could Dee come back to haunt them with Clarent in hand? Or maybe he’ll be able to lure Josh away with his new sword. Dee has a plan and he’s not giving up until he has succeeded and the dark elders have taken over the world. Find out in the next book The Necromancer, which just came out on May 25, 2010.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Books will come and books will go
Right now I'm reading The Sorceress by Michael Scott. It's the third book in the series the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. So far it's been pretty good, but the first book still has my vote for #1. I also have plans to read Max by James Patterson this week, but have not been able to thus far. I just finished some really great books that I want to write reviews about.
I've become a huge Jodi Picoult fan and my #1 fave book by her is House Rules. I think my second fave is the Tenth Circle. I recently read two books by Sara Zarr and thought her writing was really fantastic. Sweethearts captivated me and I found myself not wanting the book to end. Once Was Lost was again captivating but not as amazing as Sweethearts. Zarr has other books that I definitely want to read and I think she is up and coming as an author and will rock the teen reader world.
I also finished The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Calletti and was actually pretty surprised by the unfolding of this tale. I thought it was going to be a lot of fluff and really the book had a lot of depth to it. The main character Quinn was really a breath of fresh air for me since a lot of characters in teen books are either really shallow or under described. I liked the myriad of women that voiced their stories on the men they had known in their lives and how that affected them throughout their lives and in their current relationships. What was interesting is that all these women could be traced back to Quinn's father, who was the catalyst for the journey in this book. I loved it!
I also read Big Girl by Danielle Steele which is not my usual reading material, but I found it to be a pretty good read. Victoria in the story had always been a big girl and she was treated cruelly by her parents because of it. She had a younger sister who was perfect in every way and that always made her feel like such a loser. The story follows Victoria on a journey of discovering who she is deep down inside and not for what she looks like on the outside. She becomes a high school teacher who is caring and dedicated to her students. Eventually she find love and changes the tides of the emotional abuse she received from her parents as a child. Nice book, not much depth, but a good read for sure.
Ok, let's see what else is on my horizon of reading. Oh yes, I'm about to start Catching Fire the sequel to the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and I've need to go pick up Poor Little Bitch Girl by Jackie Collins and a brand new book by Sarah Dessen called Lock and Key. I'm so busy with books I can't believe it!!
I've become a huge Jodi Picoult fan and my #1 fave book by her is House Rules. I think my second fave is the Tenth Circle. I recently read two books by Sara Zarr and thought her writing was really fantastic. Sweethearts captivated me and I found myself not wanting the book to end. Once Was Lost was again captivating but not as amazing as Sweethearts. Zarr has other books that I definitely want to read and I think she is up and coming as an author and will rock the teen reader world.
I also finished The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Calletti and was actually pretty surprised by the unfolding of this tale. I thought it was going to be a lot of fluff and really the book had a lot of depth to it. The main character Quinn was really a breath of fresh air for me since a lot of characters in teen books are either really shallow or under described. I liked the myriad of women that voiced their stories on the men they had known in their lives and how that affected them throughout their lives and in their current relationships. What was interesting is that all these women could be traced back to Quinn's father, who was the catalyst for the journey in this book. I loved it!
I also read Big Girl by Danielle Steele which is not my usual reading material, but I found it to be a pretty good read. Victoria in the story had always been a big girl and she was treated cruelly by her parents because of it. She had a younger sister who was perfect in every way and that always made her feel like such a loser. The story follows Victoria on a journey of discovering who she is deep down inside and not for what she looks like on the outside. She becomes a high school teacher who is caring and dedicated to her students. Eventually she find love and changes the tides of the emotional abuse she received from her parents as a child. Nice book, not much depth, but a good read for sure.
Ok, let's see what else is on my horizon of reading. Oh yes, I'm about to start Catching Fire the sequel to the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and I've need to go pick up Poor Little Bitch Girl by Jackie Collins and a brand new book by Sarah Dessen called Lock and Key. I'm so busy with books I can't believe it!!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
What's Happening!!
HaHa it's kind of funny I tend to post a lot of book reviews in January and June! This must mean that the rest of the year I am very very busy. I've read some really great books lately and I plan to write about them all. I also have taken an interest in realistic fiction and would like to continue to read more that strike home with issues that teens are dealing with. An interesting books club that I was hosting from January to May was called the who's that Lady book club and it was all girls. The topics were very much real life issues and I think that those issues should never be ignored. My new favorite author is Jodi Picoult. I love her stories and her writing, she is one talented lady!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Messed Up
Messed Up by Janet Nichols Lynch
We meet the adorable R.D. who happens to be stuck in limbo in the San Joaquin Valley school system. He's repeating 8th grade again and he is sick of seeing the same old crap day after day. Those who wear red and blue find ways to hide it under their clothes and they fight each other for no reason at all. On the first day of school R.D. gets suspended for helping a teacher break up a fight. One tiny girl is getting her rear kicked by a much bigger girl and R.D. feels bad for the little girl. He later regrets helping her because now she thinks that he is her man. In the meantime, R.D. is living with his grandmother's boyfriend Earl who takes really good care of him, but Grandma is off doing the town with her new boyfriend Hairy. Also, to make matters worse his mom is in the State Pen. Then things get much worse than having a mom in prison. Earl up and dies on R.D. and he's afraid to let anyone know because he knows he will end up in an orphanage and who will want to adopt him? He's part Mexican and part Cheyenne and he thinks that's quite a mixture. I love this story because this kid has got a great heart. He does some messed up things, but he is just trying to get by in life and some how- some way- you just feel like this guy will do great things. He figures out how to take care of himself, feed himself, make money and he also takes care of Earl's burial in a kind and loving way that not even Earl's sister would do for him. R.D. is one heck of a great main character and I think that the author really brings to light the difficulties of growing up in hard times and in diverse communities. He also ends up making some great friends and deep connections that will last beyond this book. I really enjoyed the end of the book and wished that it would not end and that I could go on hearing about how R.D. is doing from time to time. R.D. reminds me of many of the kids that I work with in my library and I know that if you give a kid a chance they will overcome their adversities. I love that the author allowed R.D. to achieve his highest heights!
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