What are you reading in July?

It's that time again, so here's a new thread.

I just finished up with re-read of The Piper's Son by the amazing Melina Marchetta. It's funny how one book can make me cry from grief or the beauty of it all one minute, and in the next I'm laughing so hard I've got tears falling down my face and I'm fit to wet my pants. Melina Marchetta does it every time. Can't recommend her work enough.

I picked up the well-reviewed Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone, which so far is good.

I just finished Looking for Alaska, which was good and funny and painful and fast and deep and overall spectacular! Such a good read.

I'm sure nothing will measure up to it, so I picked up something sweet, cute, and much less intense to follow: Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti. Just perfect to curl up with in the slow moments between barbecues and beach days. I know in my heart this is the right decision. =)

Just started Immortal beloved by, Cate Tiernan I loved her Sweep series so hope this one is as good!

I'm 3/4 of the way through Wildefire, which comes out later this month. The plot's exciting, the gods and goddesses aspect is interesting, but the characters act way too old for their fifteen years.

I'm readingFever Crumb by Philip Reeve, and listening to Rapture of the Deep by L.A. Meyer (I have read this before, but am re-"reading" the series by listening to the audiobooks).

I just read Castle Waiting: volume II. It was wonderful. Hopefully I won't have to wait another 6 years for the next volume. ;)

Just finished Meridian, I thoroughly enjoyed it and am patiently waiting for the next book to be released (which wont' be till November her in Aus)

Getting into Shadows of the Redwood by Gillian Summers and really enjoying it. CAUTION: This is the start of a second trilogy about Keelie Heartwood and you need to read the first or you miss back story.

I've been hospitalized almost the entire month of June after a massive heart attack and complications on the day after Memorial Day. This is my first full book to get into since then. (I read a few short stories, and someone brought me a Kindle I used to read the NYT book reviews, but I was so tired all the time in the hospital....)

Currer, I had no idea you'd been so ill. I'm so glad to hear you are moving into strength and returning to former pleasures.

Sorry to hear you've been in hospital Currer, hope you're feeling stronger now.

I'm halfway through The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. So far it is excellent! I already want to find the rest of the books and devour them.

I read Die For Me by Amy Plum and Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby over the holiday weekend

I read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants yesterday and plan to start the next one today.

Almost finished with Nation my first Terry Pratchett. I'm enjoying the humor he infuses it with.

I'm just blowing through my YA books! I started and finished The Hunger Games Series in a week and also read Red Glove, Tiger's Curse, and Everfound.

Finally got to Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld. My expectations for the first one had been really high and I didn't end up enjoying it as much as I wanted to, so I wasn't expecting as much from this one and ended up really enjoying it! I need to stop with all the preconceptions.

#15: Nation is a different type of story from Pratchett's usual (surprisingly, more mature and thoughtful than his adult fiction) but the humor is the same. :o)

Today I read Freaks: Alive on the Inside by Annette Curtis Klause. I thought it was a great read and better than the other book of hers I read, Blood and Chocolate.

I just finished Sean Griswold's Head. Great book! I haven't read her princess books yet, but they are on my list.

Just started Sarah Beth Durst's Ice, which I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy.

Just borrowed Fathom and Dreadnought by Cherie Priest - haven't cracked the covers yet, but I can't wait.

I'm reading The Dark and Hollow Places - book three of The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy (or is it a series?). I didn't like the first book so much, but that was my own fault. For some reason, I thought it was a vampire book. At first I was disappointed that they were scary vampires instead of sexy vampires. Then I thought they were a pretty lame interpretation of vampires - creepy, but lame. I was probably 2/3 of the way through the book before it dawned on me that they were ZOMBIES! LOL. Lame vampires, but great zombies. ;^)

Finished a lovely little children's book called The Real Thief by William Steig. Not the most complicated of plots, but the writing and illustrations are utterly delightful. Steig is probably my favorite children's author; his book Dominic has a huge place in my childhood.

@11> Thanks for your good wishes, Kay. I'm feeling awfully tired, and it took me several days (a lot longer than usual), but I finished Shadows of the Redwood and definitely recommend it to any Keelie Heartwood fans. (But you have to have read the first trilogy or you don't know back story.)

Just started on Anne of the Island, the third book in "Anne of Green Gables" chronologically (but I don't think in order of authorship). My ambition is to finish all of the series this summer and also to watch the miniseries on DVD.

@10>> ETA: Oops! And thank you for your good wishes too, MerryMary!

Everything.

Fearless by Tim Lott.

Read Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci, a good and quick read. I can see a lot of my teen self in Egg.

And now reading Plain Kate by Erin Bow.

I just finished Beastly, though I wasn't very impressed by it.

>30 SusieBookworm:: Funny, I just came from the bookstore, where I was taking a sneak peek of that book.
To say the very least, I am unimpressed.

The movie is okay-ish, though. Or at least, the concept of it. I think.

Just finished Star Surgeon by Alan Nourse. A 1960 science fiction, which means there are some amusing contradictions (amazing medical procedures, supported by punch-card computers). The story was written by a medical doctor, so that part of the plot is well-done. At the climax of the action, there is a heart transplant operation that seemed fairly routine, but in 1960 must have seemed really "far out."

Actually, I liked this one very much. The plot involves an alien attending Earth medical school, and facing fear and prejudice. The world building is interesting - every planet in the Galactic Confederation concentrates on one area of skill for the good of all. Earth has been designated "Hospital Earth" and is responsible for health care throughout the galaxy. An interesting premise that is well realized.

Recommended.

>31 girlfromshangrila:: The book is interesting in that it's a retelling of a classic tale from a contemporary perspective as well as from the Beast's perspective. Other than that, it follows the basic plot of the Disney movie and is very predictable. At least Flinn's writing is decent.

My next read is Golden by Cameron Dokey (I'm participating in the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon on my blog and chose to have a theme of retellings, so I'm on a folklore and fairytale binge right now).

I just finished my first book in over 3 months. (I know, I know.... it was the soul-sucking Pokemon, darnit!) And it was an early reviewer book, too. Snotty Saves the Day: A History of Arcadia by Tod Davies. I am really getting behind on the ER books... erg.

I thought Snotty Saves the Day was a unique and interesting take on a fairy tale. Consider a fictional world where there are fairy tales, and scholars who study them (and certain fantastic things are real in that world). In the midst of an ideological civil war one of the scholars is working on the fairy tale of Snotty, and sends her work (the book in hand) to another world to be read (by you). So it is a fairy tale about about a scholarly examination of a fairy tale - complete with footnotes. Very meta.

I enjoyed it (though I will confess to LOVING footnotes in general...) and I think it requires a second reading to study it further (which fits in nicely with the tone of the original.)

Moved onto Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, but unfortunately I don't remember a lot of Shiver. It's gradually coming back to me as I read.

More retellings for me - this time it's Percival's Angel by Anne Eliot Crompton.

#34: I thought about requesting that from ER and didn't. I wish I had now.

>36 SusieBookworm:

I don't think I'm ready to give up my copy yet, but it's worth a read if you like fairy tales. I seemed to like it more than the other reviewers (many of whom also didn't like the footnotes.) It's not happiness and puppies, but I thought it had interesting things to say.

Have given in to peer pressure and am reading Dead Until Dark the first Soutern Vampires book. It isn't exactly rocking my world yet but it's reasonably enjoyable. Certainly liking it better than the Twilight books as Charlaine Harris actually seems to have a sense of humour, unlike the rather poe faced Miss Meyer.

I just finished The Great Divorce and Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, and I am impatiently waiting for The Screwtape Letters to get here. I cannot wait! :)

I'm about a third into The Scorch Trials by James Dashner, hot in the heels of The Maze Runner, which I finished last week. The story is fascinating. I'm not loving the writing style, but it's not horrible, smack-head-against-wall bad, either.

>33 SusieBookworm:: And that's exactly why I sort of liked the movie. Or its concept, anyway.
One twist I particularly enjoyed was that the kid didn't go all Disney-like (fur, claws, fangs) but his 'deformation' was more... contemporary, for lack of a better word (scars, tatoos, self-inflicted keloids). It's a lot more interesting that way, I think.

>38 KayEluned: KayEluned,

I've been listening to the Southern Vampires, and I think that makes a difference. I'm not sure they would be my cup of tea in print, but the reader of the audio version really brings them to life and does a fantastic job. Puts a lot of the humor in that I think I wouldn't "hear" in my own head.

Penn

35

I had the same problem when I read it - made it hard to get into at first.

I just started reading the Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan. Poor Henry just found out his Mom is having an affair with his Dad's secretary. It will be interesting to see how this book plays out.

I just picked up Divergent from the library but won't be able to start it until next week. :(

I'm reading the fourth Skulduggery Pleasant book by Derek Landy. They are YA but they are edgy and fun. I definitely recommend them.

#44 >> I just downloaded Divergent to my Kindle this morning, and I'm about half-way through. It's pretty decent and also a pretty quick read, though it really does remind me an awful lot of The Hunger Games.

As soon as I'm done, I'll be getting back to finishing non-YA The Country of the Pointed Firs and other Sarah Orne Jewett stories in a 1968 edition that includes an Introduction by Mary Ellen Chase.

#45
I keep seeing the Skulduggery Pleasant books in the library and have nearly picked one up a few times, they look intriguing, think I will now I've seen a positive mention of them :)

Started Dash and Lily's Book of Dares--wish I'd known it had a Christmas setting, so I could have read it around the holidays. It's very enjoyable so far, though!

@46>> OK, following up on my previous post, I just finished Divergent and found it a good action story, but I also found it quite a bit contrived. I don't want to say too much to avoid SPOILER, but the last quarter of the book really just didn't hold up for me, and the final-chapter ending was unrealistic and gooey.

I like the character of Beatrice/Tris better than Katniss Everdeen (who's way too co-dependent on her two boyfriends), but The Hunger Games has a more believable plot.

Personally, I don't think Divergent is in any way comparable to Patrick Ness's "Chaos Walking" trilogy, and I also so far prefer James Dashner's "The Maze Runner" over Divergent.

Ah, I'll give Divergent three to three-and-a-half stars.

Finished Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac on Friday night and really enjoyed it! Well-written contemporary fiction.
Am still working on my Tortall reread, but I'm almost done now. Over halfway through Trickster's Queen, but it's going really slowly for some reason. Probably just because I've been working all the time and haven't had a chance to really settle into it.

I keep meaning to do a Tortal reread but haven't got round to it yet. I haven't read the new Bekka Cooper book and thought I could use this as an excuse to read them all from the start first, but there are so many it is really daunting. I will get round to it eventually :)

>50 curioussquared:: I didn't like the Trickster books nearly as much as any of the other Tortall stories. They were too long (I like long books, but there didn't seem to be enough plot to fill the pages in this case) and I prefered the secondary characters to Aly - and I hated Nawat! I'll not say why to avoid spoilers. Kel is my favourite Tortall heroine, though I would want to be Daine if I could choose :-)

I recently picked up 1-volume editions of the Alanna and Daine quartets so will be rereading those at some stage soon.

On my Kindle, Neal Shusterman's Everfound, the conclusion of the "Skinjacker" trilogy.

And I just ordered Ransom Riggs's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children from Amazon in treeware.

In non-YA, I'm reading Maine fiction. I just finished Sarah Orne Jewett's The Country of the Pointed Firs and I'm going on to some of her stories. (I've also got the Library of America edition of Jewett on order.) On my Kindle, I'm off-and-on reading Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, and I've got four books in treeware by Mary Ellen Chase in a TRB pile. I'm also going to do a re-read of Carolyn Chute's The Beans of Egypt, Maine (in the "final" edition from 1995, I've read the 1985 original) and then go on to Chute's other books.

51 - I've read the Beka Cooper books recently enough that I'm not including them in my reread... I'm also taking into consideration that I didn't enjoy them nearly as much as any of the others - I think it was partly the diary format. They're separate enough from the rest of the stories that I don't feel bad about it.

52 - I keep wavering between Kel and Alanna as my favorite Tortall heroine, and after rereading both the trilogies I think I've settled on Alanna! It might have been Kel if not for Lady Knight - that one just ALWAYS seems to drag for me. The Trickster books are really divided for me. I love Trickster's Choice but Trickster's Queen feels like work.

Harry Potter, it's sooo good so far.

I'm rereading HP and the Deathly Hallows.

@53>> Following up on my previous post, I just finished Everfound and I've moved on (on my Kindle) to Ann Aguirre's Enclave (touchstone not working).

I just read through Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and while I enjoyed it overall, I thought the hype and blurbs and book jacket itself were highly misleading. Not at all what I was hoping for but still a neat story.

>41 HarlequinBooks: I keep meaning to read the Southern Vampires, but I haven't been able to work up the enthusiasm in print. Sounds like they "listen" better. Thanks for the tip!

Just finished M Stiefvater's Forever and would definitely recommend a re-read of Linger prior. I got a bit confused trying to remember things that happened in Linger. Good read, though, for those who wanted to see Cole (and Isabel) developed further.

Read Getting the Girl which has Zusak's poetic touches, but it doesn't have the hard-to-match impact of The Book Thief.

My YA passion is being side-tracked at the moment by new Daniel Silva.

>58 UnrulySun: How would you blurb or describe Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children? I keep looking at it but haven't clicked yet . . . Would love an additional description. Thanks!

I would describe it as a middle-school fantasy/adventure story. It seems like it would appeal mostly to the 12-16 age group. It's not scary or creepy, and while one character has a macabre sort of pastime, it's not the "demented sideshow" atmosphere implied by the jacket. I would put the plot on par with YA adventures like Mysterious Benedict Society (without the absurd humor) or Percy Jackson (again without the humor). It's actually quite a nice little romantic children-save-the-world piece, but I expected something darker, more disturbing or creepy.

#60 -- I found it slightly darker than the titles you mention, but I agree with your assessment of the age range.

>60 UnrulySun:, >61 foggidawn: That's exactly the kind of info I was hoping for. Thank you both!

>49 CurrerBell:: Yo @CurrerBell, I have a couple of questions about Divergent.
1) Is it part of a series?
2) If yes, does it end in a cliffhanger, or does it stand alone?
3) Are the characters well-rounded, or just stick figures?

Thank you! =)

Just finished reading The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. On of my favorite YA series that I adored in high school. I can't tell you how many times I've read it.

I'll chime in on Divergent for you...
It is part of a planned series, but the only book out so far. The ending isn't a cliffhanger per se. While some plotlines are wrapped up, the overall story is left open and the ending obviously leads in to the next book.

I thought the characters were pretty well fleshed-out. On par with Hunger Games or the Uglies series, perhaps a bit better.

@63&65>> Divergent is the just-published first in a trilogy. Like UnrulySun says, the ending really isn't a "cliffhanger" but there will obviously be sequels.

The characters, I guess, are decent enough, and I like Beatrice/Tris better than Katniss Everdean, who I just find too codependent on her boyfriends. (I've never read the "Uglies" series.)

I just think the whole concept of Divergent is contrived, the idea that individuals in some futuristic society each specialize in practicing a particular "virtue." For a dystopia, The Hunger Games is much more realistic.

In terms of being contrived, I might compare Divergent to Graceling, which is likewise a good action novel but I think a bit unbelievable in its concept. I'm not bothering to read the sequels to Graceling and I'm not sure I'm going to bother with the Divergent sequels either.

I also found the ending to Divergent quite contrived, but I don't want to say more to avoid SPOILERS.

Overall, Divergent's a decent enough book, but I'd rather spend my limited time on other books.

Just me personally. But if you liked Graceling and found its concept credible, you might not have the problems with Divergent that I did.

I also found Divergent's world to be contrived, but it didn't detract for me. I agree about the ending. It was almost like the author hit a wall and tried to make everything fit together at once. But I still really enjoyed it (devoured it in an afternoon or two) and want to read the next books. Unfortunately it will probably be several months or more before the next one is released and I'll have forgotten most of the details by then. I prefer coming to a series late so as to avoid that problem! :D

I just finished reading my ER novel First Descent by Pam Withers, and loved it. It's written at a slightly higher comprehension level than I feel comfortable giving the students I work with, but it will work well for a good middle school reader. It reads both as a great adventure novel, and as a great blend of cultures, Canadian and Columbian. A sheltered Canadian boy who is an excellent kayaker travels to Columbia to be the first person to kayak down a particular river. He finds himself warmly welcomed by an indigena group, and completely discredits their warnings about guerrilla and paramilitary groups. And the situation gets more complicated from there. This is just the kind of book I've been looking for my Latino students.

Just started Dragon's Oath by P.C. Cast. I really loved Marked when it first came out and I still read the series, but they've just gotten so . . . unrememberable. Dragon's Oath is a spin-off novella that tells Dragon's backstory and I'm enjoying it well enough, but I had a hard time remembering who Dragon was in the first place and why I should care about his story.

Listening to The Kings of Clonmel on audiobook in the car. I hate getting home in the middle of an exciting chapter.

I jst started Fins Are Forever

65.) and 66.) I am about 100 pages into Divergent and while I am enjoying it I don't feel that it is on par with The Hunger Games Series. I devoured those books and was completely anti-social so that I could finish those books. Divergent.....not so much. I read about 3 - 5 chapters a night and then shut off the light and go to bed.

Maybe if I wasn't reading A Game of Thrones at the same time I would be more into the story/plot.

I'll chime in again after I finish the book this weekend.

Thanks to all who shared their experiences with Divergent. You guys are always so helpful!

Recently published YA books in English are hard to find and rather pricey where I live, so when I buy one of those, I need to be absolutely positive about the decision. I think I'll hold off reading Divergent for awhile. Thank you, guys! =)

I'm one of those who liked Divergent, although for me it wasn't at the level of Hunger Games. I definitely look forward to more. I thoroughly enjoyed Graceling, and recommend the companion book Fire, set in the same world.

I'm about half-way through Moon Over Manifest, which is pretty good so far.

Really, Joe? You know I hold your opinion in high regard. Would you honestly recommend it, high prices and all?

Hmm, high prices and all.

No, this isn't one like others we've discussed where I'm virtually certain you'd really be glad you read it. Really interesting ideas well-executed, a page-turning story, with a very appealing central character in Tris, as someone said. But your cost concerns give me pause.

If the library isn't an option, then you could at least wait for the paperback. Is there any other low cost option?

Bottom line: I believe you'd be glad you read this- it's a good one. But you could wait, to address the cost concern. There are plenty of good books out there!

>75 jnwelch::

Guess what: you picked my curiosity, so I did some snooping around the Internet, and found a used copy in pretty good shape for a slightly less prohibitive price. It's not a two-books-a-dollar kind of bargain, but I'll save a fair bit. I guess I'm reading Divergent after all. =)

I finished First Descent and really enjoyed it. My review is here: http://www.librarything.com/work/book/75761621 if anyone is interested.

Now I'm reading Spanish Short Stories 2 and am doing pretty well with it, but I'm frustrated at how slow I read in my "learned" language. That's the politically correct way to say second language or non-native language in the US now. Isn't it ridiculous? Every language is learned.

>64 bookimp:: The dark is rising books never grow old! I reread them almost every year.

Finished Biography of a Grizzly by Ernest Thompson Seton

>77 cammykitty:: "Learned" language? Maybe it's me, not being a nativ... oh sorry, a non-learned English speaker, but it does sound ridiculous.

What's also silly, IMO, is the Spanish translation of the title being "Cuentos Hispanicos". Hispanicos? I'm almost offended LOL

What are the short stories about, @cammykitty ?

#76. Great, girlfromshangrila!

#64: I loved the Dark Rising books when I was in school too! Haven't read them since, maybe it's time to give them another go, might go look for them at the library :)

#80 I know! There is only one author from Spain, and they don't bother to say where the other authors are from. All countries that speak Spanish are Spain, right? Including the U.S. which, last I heard, had the third largest Spanish speaking population in the world. The stories are mostly literary, and they are by the big names like Vargas Llosa, Garcia Marquez, Cortazar. Not very many daring choices in this collection! But, it is good practice for me.

>81 jnwelch:: I'm so happy about it. =) Thanks!

>83 cammykitty:: Oh oh oh! Sending you a PM right away!

PS: Let's get this thread back on track, shall we? ;-)

I just finished What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen. I liked it.

What have you guys been reading of late?

@85 >> Getting back on track, I'm about half-way through Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Quite interesting so far, but I'll have to wait and see how it turns out before recommending one way or the other.

When I'm done (and I'll probably be done today), I'll either get back to some non-YA novels and stories centered on Maine as a subregional literature (Sarah Orne Jewett, Mary Ellen Chase, Carolyn Chute, Elizabeth Strout), or else I may read the YA classic Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, which has been in a TBR pile for some months now.

OMG! Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry changed my life. It was the one book that helped me really understand racism. Hope you enjoy it.

& I read Miss Peregrine's too. I'll be interested to hear what you think.

87>> Just finished Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and I definitely like it, especially the combo of text with the old-time photos. It's not comparable to, say, His Dark Materials (but then what is?) but definitely quite good and I'm sure I'll be reading the sequel (and I assume there will be one, considering the open-ended conclusion). I got Miss Peregrine finished in a day of straight-through reading.

I guess I'll get on to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry in the next couple days, but I'll probably finish up a few stories by Sarah Orne Jewett first, just to stick with my interest in Maine as subregional literature.

Yesterday read Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff, which I quite liked--it's a well-told, realistic-seeming story, and I think a good book for guys (which I'm not one, not that that stopped me from enjoying it!)

Edit: And have now started The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier.

Hello to all.

I've read many Newbery books in July, including the following:

>88 CurrerBell: I liked the photos too. I'm wondering what time period he is planning on going to, and what he will do for illustrations. He could, conceivably, go to a time period pre-camera, but dropping the illustrations would be a sad move.

Whisper1> looks like a great reading month for you. Which one was your favorite?

>40 girlfromshangrila: Any others have this experience? I was very impressed by The Maze Runner and have sold tons of it at the store, but I gave up on The Scorch Trials also about a third of the way through and not only won't ever go back to it but really don't care what happens to the lot of them....

@Whisper1 That looks like a good group. I'll look forward to hearing what you thought of them.

I also read a Newberry winner, Moon Over Manifest, a first novel by Clare Vanderpool. It was pretty good. 12 year old Abilene sorts out the mysteries of what happened in Manifest, Kansas 18 years before during the period of WWI. At that time the town of immigrants were oppressed by a local mine owner, and there was an active KKK chapter there. Her missing father was at the center of much of the immigrants' attempts to improve their lot, and sent her to Manifest all those years later for some important reason.

Finished The Floating Islands which I highly recommend for fans of YA fantasy. I'll definitely be reading more books by Rachel Neumeier.

Now moved onto Tutored by Allison Whittenberg.

@girlfromshangrila; I need to change my original perception of Divergent. When I chimed in I was only 100 pages into the book. I couldn't put the book down yesterday and devoured the whole thing. I really enjoyed it!

Reading Blood Red Road by Moira Young. Thanks to whoever recommended it.

>Thanks for the Neumeier recommend. I'm adding it to my list.

I just picked up Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma. Anyone read it?

I have a galley of Blood Red Road but haven't finished it in spite of really enjoying the MC's voice.

I loved Blood Red Road when I read it several weeks ago. :)

I'm reading The FitzOsbornes in Exile and enjoying it.

>93 jlbattis2: - @jlbattis2: Good thing you pulled out on time. The Scorch Trials ends in a terrible, unforgivable cliffhanger, even worse than the one in The Maze Runner. It’s getting tiresome.

>96 Kwidhalm: - @Kwidhalm: Glad to hear that, as my copy of Divergent has already been paid for and will soon be on its way. =) Happy to know you’re enjoying it!

I just finished Living Dead Boy by Rhiannon Frater. I liked it more than I thought I would.

Now reading Firelight by Sophie Jordan, which is very much in the tradition of Twilight, Shiver, etc. and will appeal to readers who enjoyed those books, about a romance between a human and an otherworldly creature. In this case between Jacinda, a draki who can appear as a human but who in her true form is a dragon-like flying creature, and Will, a high school boy who belongs to a family of men who hunt draki. Not very far in, but finding it pretty enjoyable.

The Romeo and Juliet Code was okay but not great. It was particularly slow going early on, and got better toward the end.

Set at the beginning of WWII, 11 year old Flissy is transplanted from London to a small town in Maine to live with relatives while her parents mysteriously stay in Europe to - what? We do find out, and she's an agreeable companion along the way. Her adjustments to the family and friendship with a polio-stricken boy are well-portrayed.

Just finished And Then Things Fall Apart which was fantastic. Starting Anna Dressed in Blood and will soon be onto The Undrowned Child!

I'm reading Following Christopher Creed after finishing Enclave. Reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games and Blood Red Road - great action, exciting book, strong female characters, but not much else. I have high expectations for my dystopias...

I just requested Blood Red Road from the from the library after all the recommendations from this thread. There is a small wait list but considering all the books I have yet to read I think I will be ok. :)

Can anyone give me a recommendation for either Tomorrow, When the War Began or Life as We Knew It?

#107 -- I haven't read Tomorrow, When the War Began, but I have read Life As We Knew It, and found it a gripping, compelling, can't-put-it-down sort of read.

107> LOVED the Tomorrow, When the War Began series. It's about a group of Australian teens who go camping in the Outback and come home to find their country has been invaded and their families taken captive. It's classified as science fiction/speculative fiction, but has action, survival, romance, a little bit of everything.

>107 Kwidhalm:: I loved Life as we knew it, I literally could not put it down. Tomorrow when the war began is on my tbr pile.

Thank you all so much!!!!!!

I bought the entire Life As We Knew It series for my kindle since all the books were between $5-7. It was worth it to me since I can read them at my leisure since my library requests are OUT OF CONTROL!!!!! Seriously, someone needs to stage an intervention between myself and the library website! ;)

>112 Kwidhalm:: I haven't read the sequels yet. I believe book 2 is about a totally different set of characters, and book 3 brings everyone together.

I have a similar problem with bookshops; at least the library is free!

I've just finished reading Flick by Abigail Tarttelin, it's really on point and deals with contemporary issues. I definitely feel like I understand English teenagers a lot more after reading it.

Ooh just realized there is a website to go with the book: http://www.flicknovel.com/
added content is my favourite part of technological advances, haha.

Nice recommendations for Life as We Knew It; I won the whole series from a blog giveaways but, erm, haven't read them yet.

Edit: Lost my train of thought...the purpose of posting was to say that the series has now been pumped further up my TBR list.

I've started reading The Book Thief. It's alright, but I know I'm going to keep going because I'm reading it for a book club.

Just started Ship Breaker. Also picked up XVI. Still listening to The Kings of Clonmel in the car.

Have moved onto Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick.

I just started Try Me by Parker Blue

Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce is my current read, since Mastiff is coming out in October and I'll probably want to try to snag an ARC.

I'm reading Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes and have Suite Scarlett up next. My first Maureen Johnson books. I may also finally get to read Mockingjay. I've had it, but haven't been able to read it until now. Excited!

I'm enjoying Sarah Dessen"s Keeping the Moon.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

I just read my first book in two months... and I picked a good 'un. Specifically, A Pocketful of Eyes by Australian author, Lili Wilkinson. A murder-mystery novel set in the Melbourne Museum of Natural History. It was cool and nerdy and successfully combated the old-school-mystery-novels-are-kinda-naff-these-days sentiment by being very self-aware.

I particularly loved Wilkinson’s take on the obligatory mystery novel scene when the detective gathers all the suspects in a room and reveals the murderer.

And excerpt…

"Was she really going to stand in front of these people and deliver a Sherlock Holmes-style explanatory speech, detailing her investigation and withholding the vital clue until the very last minute? Hadn’t she learned that despite murder and betrayal and intrigue, the world wasn’t like a detective story, and it was dangerous to treat it like one?... There was no point staging a whole theatrical routine around it for the sake of drama." (p.278)

Cut to a page or so later somewhere mid way through Bee's "Sherlock Holmes-style explanitory speech" …

“Bee started to pace up and down the Red Rotunda, her hands behind her back. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she was genuinely enjoying herself”. (p. 280).

It certainly had me enjoying myself. Super fun. And although I managed to guess at the "big reveal" early on in the book, it didn't detract from the ride. A quick fun read and definitely something I’d recommend to anyone who read mystery novels in the vein of Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden or the Secret Seven as a kid.

I just started Life As We Knew It and Dead Reckoning. I can already tell it's going to be a fabulous week. :)

>123 jnwelch:: Good to know that!
Keeping the Moon is the only Sarah Dessen I haven't read yet. Can't find a copy. Grrr!
What do you say, @jnwelch? Is it worth to special order it?

>125 strandedon8jo:: That sounds really good! Writing it down...

>@girlfromshangrila I liked it much more than Along for the Ride, the only other Sarah Dessen I've read. I couldn't understand why this author is so popular from Along for the Ride, although I thought it was okay. Keeping the Moon convinced me. I liked its themes of individualism, believing in yourself, self-transformation, and anti-bullying, and the story was a good read.

I'm a bit unsure about how to answer the "special order" question, but if you've liked all her others, there's no question in my mind you'll like this one.

Thanks, @jnwelch.

I thought you had read more of Sarah Dessen before. I like her books in general, except for one thing: they are formulaic. I understand the reason, though: in YA lit, if it works, authors do it over and over. But after a while, the sameness gets a little tiring.

IMO Along for the Ride is far from her best. I prefer The Truth About Forever, That Summer, and her most recent one, What Happened to Goodbye. But that's just me. =)

Anyone else cares to share an opinion of Keeping the Moon? Please?

@UnrulySun, @Kwidhalm, @jnwelch, et al:

My copy of Divergent arrived safely on Tuesday. My schedule has been so insane I've only been able to cram in a couple of reading hours here and there, but... but... but... I'm LOVING this book! I can hardly put it down! Thank you all. =)

Glad you're loving it, girlfromshangrila! I had trouble putting it down, too.

PS: I'll post again with details in the August thread later. Or in the Deptember one, if it comes to it. Hopefully not. =)