What are you reading in January 2008?

New year, new books!

I'm rereading Lord of the Rings, so have started The Fellowship of the Ring. I have a few YA books that I may read in between -- Little (Grrl) Lost, and The Faerie Path are the ones that come to mind.

foggidawn, I really enjoyed Little (Grrl) Lost. Have your read The Blue Girl (also by Charles de Lint)?

I have Epic by Conor Kostick, Betwixt by Tara Bray Smith, Miracle Wimp by Erik Kraft and Marked by P.C. Cast on the list to read this month.

Also, I just finished Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale by Donna Jo Napoli.

I am currently reading Before I Die - not great but pretty good so far.

I'm currently reading Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale and honestly I'm having a hard time getting through it. There's something about napoli's writing that is so jerky sort of like when someone's learning to to drive stick shift.

In my stack of books to read this month is Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Prom Dates From hell and Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir even though it's not a YA.

CR: Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
JF: Beach Music by Pat Conroy

I started a new job at a public library working in the circulation department, so I must diversify my reading habits thus I am reading more adult stuff then I have in years.

During lunch today I started the HarperTeen edition of Stardust by Neil Gaiman. I'm not sure if the YA version is any different than the regular one or if it just a matter of packaging. I really want to watch my DVD of the movie I received for Christmas, but also wanted to read the book first, so hopefully it is a quick read.

I finished Before I Die last night and I have to say it got much better than my initial impression. I would recommend it.

After I read a collection of short stories, I will be reading King Dork.

I just got interested in Sarah Dessen, so I'm working my way through her books. I should get my copy of the new Libba Bray tomorrow, which I can hardly wait for. It took me forever to get around to reading A Great and Terrible Beauty, but I was hooked.

I'm reading The Lost Queen by Frewin Jones which is the sequel to The Faerie Path. Then I'll be rereading the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix. One of my favorites.

I just started Specials by Scott Westerfeld. I received Extras for Christmas and will probably read it after I finish Specials. After that, I'm not sure. My TBR pile is about 100 books deep right now and I usually don't decide what I'm going to read next until I finish the current one.

I, too, am reading Specials, having finished the previous two in the last few weeks. I'm also finishing up The Lord of the Rings, being about halfway through The Return of the King. If we're counting manga, I'm rereading Fruits Basket - I just picked up volume 17, and plan on buying v.18 when I get to that point (I have scanlations of volume 10 through the end, but I like reading the paper-and-ink professionally translated copies). I don't think anything else I'm currently working on could be counted as YA, sadly. I started on the 1001 books you must read before you die list, and, well, those aren't YA books. Ah, well. YA shall be my relief from those more "classic" books. *grin*

I've read The Black Book of Secrets, The Rogues by Jane Yolen and R. Harris, Beyond the Summerland, Snakehead, and Book of a Thousand Days. I'm currently one chapter into The Thirteenth Tale.

#12: Hey araKnid, I also just started on The Thirteenth Tale. I'm pretty well drawn into it and I think it won't be long til I finish it. How are you liking it so far? =)

The Thirteenth Tale is my second book for January. The first one was Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch.

Other reads lined up for January are: Books 2 and 3 of the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik, The Stone Light by Kai Meyer, and The Search for the Red Dragon by James A. Owen.

I'm almost finished with Marcus Sedgwick's My Swordhand is Swinging. I'd heard a lot of great things about it but it's quite predictable and sorta reads like (it hopes to be) a movie script.

I have to agree with selki_girl re: Hush: An Irish Princess's Tale. I had to force myself to finish it and was not satisfied with the ending. If I was a teen reading it, I probably would have put it down...

I'm currently reading Diary of a wimpy kid by Jeff Kinney and am really enjoying it! I've laughed out loud several times and I'm only a few chapters in.

I also have Freak show by James St. James in at the library so I'll pick that up tomorrow - can't wait!

Right now I'm listening to Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce. I'm really enjoying it so far. I think the full cast on the audio really adds a lot to the story. It definitely makes it easier for me to keep speakers apart.

Has anyone else gotten ahold of this yet?

(touchstones not working)

#13
I really enjoyed reading the Thirteenth Tale (so much so that I gave up on getting my brother off the computer so I could have a turn in favor of finishing it). The mystery of how the past connected to the present was enthralling... I just wish I could have figured it out myself before the book revealed the answer.

I just finished If A Tree Falls At Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko and I really liked it. I liked how the chapters were different pov of the characters around the same subject. I love looking inside each of the characters minds while they are going through a conflict. A very adult ending also. Walk, the name of a main character, has a long road ahead of him after his mother gave him the unvarnished truth. Kirsten grew up alittle too. Fav part was when Kirsten and her dad were talking about intelligence and being brilliant and he told her a story about when she was a very young girl with candy in the park. V.V. touching. ( I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I was cryptic)

I read Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher in one afternoon sitting and t the end I had to sniffle away my tears. Whether you were the jock, jerk, or joke in high school, this book will open your eyes.
I am the Teen Advisory Group leader at my library and read YA books to stay in touch with my kids.
This book does it.

Yes, yes, yes to Thirteen Reasons Why. I am a high school librarian, and one of my special needs teachers gave me this book to read. There is SO much to talk about in this book, but what amazed me more than anything is that it is not a maudlin book; yes, it's horrible that the girl you're "listening" to has committed suicide, but it's more about how things pile up on the girl, and even though she reaches out, she doesn't know how or doesn't really want to, and those that she reaches out for don't know the depth of her pain. Since I finished this book, I just want to talk about it with my students. I'm circulating three copies among my students, and they are already coming to me with talking points.

I contend that absolutely every person who works with teens should read this book. I used to say that about The Three NB's of Julian Drew, but because of the code Julian uses, that book is not always accessible to everyone. This one definitely is, and it says oh, so much.

Kudos Jay Asher for a phenomenal first book!!!!

I'm carrying The Book Thief with me but haven't started it yet. I also picked up volume 2 of Vampire Knight from the library which I want to read first. It shouldn't take more than about 30 minutes to read.

I sm curious about Thirteen Reasons Why. I have not read it yet and I guess I will, but from what I know what do you think this tells teens? I feel this is a reflection of what really exists. I am confused from mess 21, does she reach out for help but is misunderstood or does she keep everything inside? Stories of suicide are very sad.

Just finished reading Listening to Mondrian, a book of short stories by Nadia Wheatley. Presently reading The Last Universe.

I just finished Epic by Conor Kostick and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I can see why it made it to this year's Lone Star List I think it would be a good reluctant reader book too. Has anyone else read this?

Just finished The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. I'm listening to Size 14 Isn't Fat either by Meg Cabot and today I started to read The Dewey Decimal System of Love by Josephine Carr.

In terms of YA lit, I've been reading and enjoying the Earthsea books, by Ursula K. LeGuin - finally got The Farthest Shore (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 3) from the library, so now I can continue that.

I've also gotten on the Twilight bandwagon and have the first two books in the series. The third has a huge waiting list at the library, so I suspect it will be a while before I can continue past the first two.

I'm currently reading The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman and as soon as that's finished I will move on to Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip.

I've just added Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson to my list for Jan.

I just finished reading Princess Academy and Enna Burning. I've been on a Shannon Hale kick, obviously, and I'll probably continue that with Book of a Thousand Days. It's just so nice to read something hopeful and sweet and simple when I'm in a foul mood (as I have been lately). Plus Hale's books are very girl-empowering, which is nice.

After I get tired of sweet, my next YA will probably be Libba Bray's trilogy. I just got a new *signed* copy (thanks to my dedicated best friend) of The Sweet Far Thing but it's been a long time since I read A Great and Terrible Beauty and I'm not sure that I ever got to Rebel Angels so I think I'll start back at the beginning.

#28: I LOVE Patricia McKillip. Favorite living author, honestly. Have you read In the Forests of Serre? That is my favorite of the full novels, though I think The Changeling Sea might actually be better. Amazing stuff.

Just read Naomi and Ely's No-Kiss List (won't touchstone for me tonight) -- not as good as Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, IMO.

Also read Elijah of Buxton, which I really liked.

Had 4 teeth pulled on Friday so I put down The Witch of Portobello for Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging which was a good decision. Thanks LT folks for another good recommendation

Grabbag...we have a 15 year old intern who works at our bookshop and we gave her a gally of Thirteen Reasons Why and she said it was the best YA she has read in a year.

So far I've read The Last American Man, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Kabul Beauty School. Really enjoyed all three! Though I will say the Sweeny Todd book is drastically different from the movie.

Right now I'm reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, currently in New Moon. I don't find it as exciting and passionate as Twilight, but I'm trudging through for Eclipse, which I've heard is really good.

I'm reading Poison Apples by Lily Archer . It's a good read, very entertaining-- certainly not profound but a step above pure mindless trash. Clever plot and clear, convincing characterization. Of course, it may stand out to me because before that I was attempting to read Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope .... oh well, at least I tried.

>35 AlaskaYoung: Alaska - I thought the end of New Moon was really worth the wait.

I've finished reading Dragonfire, Thr3e, Blink, Sorrel by David Randall, The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull, Interworld, The Declaration by Gemma Malley, Secret of the Sirens and Gorgon's Gaze, and Skin Hunger. I'm currently reading The Cat Master by Bonnie Pemberton.

CR: Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan
JF: Playing for Pizza by John Grisham--I think this would be good for older YA boys, even though it isn't marketed as such. I think the football aspects are definitely appealing to boys who like sports.

L2: Wedding Season by Darcy Cosper--Although adult chick lit I think it would appeal to older YA girls who dream of getting married or those that like a good romance. I think it also brings some reality to weddings that books don't always do.

Happy reading!!

Just read Wings by E.D. Baker (advance reader's copy) -- I liked it! I think it's a little more complex than her Frog Princess series, though still more JFIC than YA. Fairy tale fans will appreciate it.

I also read Undercover by Beth Kephart. At first, I had a hard time getting into it, but found it rewarding once I did. Of course, any book with a connection to Cyrano pretty much gets instant approval from me.

Now I'm about to start another advance reader's copy of a book -- Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock. It looks very different from her other books, but I'm interested to see what she can do in this genre.

JF: Skullduggery by Pete Hautman and Mary Logue
JF: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
LF2: A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
LF2: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Skullduggery is the second in the Bloodwater Mysteries. It's humorous, a quick read, and quite enjoyable. I picked it up based on a recommendation here on LT.

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians is also humorous, and rather snarky. It takes many thinly veiled potshots at the Harry Potter books. The narrative is quite self-indulgent, but the author seems well aware of how obnoxious he is being. May not work for some, but I enjoyed it.

#42 -- I loved Alcatraz! I think the whole thing is pretty tongue-in-cheek. Snarky is a great word for it. I laughed so hard at the thinly veiled Harry Potter references. There's one particularly good one at the end of the book (won't go into more detail in order to avoid spoilers). I think they're included in a way that is funny without being mean-spirited.

Now reading The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes. =) I've just recently rediscovered my love for mystery stories. I know I grew up on mysteries, the Nancy Drew kind hehe.

The Somnambulist is based in old London. It is somewhat Sherlock Holmes-y in feel, with touches of the grotesque. I've just started it and am enjoying it so far!

Am now reading The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty. This is a delightful, original book. It is more ambitious than most books of its kind, long and many-charactered and requiring some concentration. But the writing is quite super. She manages to make convincing, likeable, and sometimes quite hysterically funny characters using what should be a tired device of a series of letters between girls at a posh school and boys at a working-class school. The situations are also very, very funny, without being particularly novel or implausible. I frequently laugh aloud at this book. The last book I was reading, Poison Apples, kind of petered out in the second half. I have more hopes for this one.

I'm almost finished with Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. It's a fun book!

#45 -- I just read The Murder of Bindy MacKenzie by the same author, and I think I liked it even better than The Year of Secret Assignments.

I also read 13 Little Blue Envelopes, which I enjoyed very much.

Hey foggidawn

When you started this post you said you were going to read The Fellowship of the Ring did you read it yet? I read it every year, usually in the summer.

#48 -- Yes, and have started The Two Towers. I'm reading it mostly at bedtime, so am taking it fairly slowly.

I've also given in to an urge to reread L.M. Montgomery's Emily books (Emily of New Moon, etc.) -- inexplicably my least-favorite Montgomery, but still good. I'm taking them rather more quickly.

mess 49 Why are you rereading them if they are your least fav? I haven't read them before and I liked the reviews. Maybe I'll give them a try.

#50 -- Partially because that means they're the least familiar. I still like them all right, they're still Montgomery, I've just never liked them as much as Anne, Pat, or my other favorites. But it's been so long since I last read them that I've almost forgotten the plots, which is kind of nice. A lot of people like them better than Anne, etc. Just a matter of taste, I think.

I started a book called Both Sides of Time by Caroline B. Cooney which seems like it will be interesting.

CR: Looking Glass Wars--I am so glad I made time to read this one. I am loving it. I am a huge fan of re-writes of old favorites.
L2: Saving Fish from Drowning--for adult book club
JF: Wedding Season and Playing for Pizza

I am reading River Town by Peter Hessler. I like it a lot, but I am only about half way through.

49 & 52: I re-read the Emily trilogy last year. I actually really like them, with the possible exception of the third one. I love Montgomery. What's your favorite?

I've been reading about a book a week so far this year (I recently got a library job where I can just sit and read until a patron needs me, so I've been reading more overall). So far I've read The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, Hard Laughter by Anne Lamott, Watership Down by Richard Adams and The Stranger by Albert Camus. I'm currently reading The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. The list is lacking in YA, though I do plan to re-read The Amber Spyglass soon (I re-read the other two a couple months ago).

Before I Die was palatable, but I wouldn't recommend it. I read The Blue Girl recently and enjoyed it. I finally finished Emma. I've also read One flew over the cuckoo's nest, Jesus Land, Wide Awake, Cry, the Beloved Country, and Powers(by Le Guin) plus non-fiction. Good start to the year.

Just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Thirteen Reasons Why in the past two days. Cannot recommend both enough! Very great works with similar themes and moods. Both authors really nailed the teen voice.

#56 -- As I read through the third book in the Emily series, I remembered why that series is my least-favorite Montgomery! That last book always leaves a bad taste in my mouth (won't go into reasons so as to avoid spoilers). My favorite L.M. Montgomery is The Blue Castle, but I also love Jane of Lantern Hill and Pat of Silver Bush.

As for what I'm currently reading (getting back on-topic for this thread!), I'm about halfway through Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City. I'm liking it so far -- it has a kind of Artemis Fowl for Girls feel to it (with less of the fantasy element, of course, but the same sort of adventure).

Just finished The Looking Glass War. Loved it. Went researching and found so many of the London activities in the story have a basis in fact. Cool!

I just finished Cybele's Secret (Juliet Mariller)and am about a third of the way through Hallowmere.

I've completed The House of Windjammer and The Moneylender's Daughter, I, Coriander, Garden of the Purple Dragon, the five Artemis Fowl books, Nobody's Princess, and The Seeker and The Finder.

Since I last posted, I've read Book of a Thousand days, The Wednesday Wars, Little (Grrl) Lost, and Deadline. I started The Faerie Path, and will probably finish it eventually (I'm just not crazy about it) and am currently reading Beastly.

JF: Little (Grrl) Lost, Beowulf by Gareth Hinds, The Tenth Circle, The Last Knight, One Red Paperclip, Red Glass, Unwind, Lizard People, etc.
CR: Robinson Crusoe, The Silver Ship and the Sea

I am setting up a book group at the library here and am wondering about The Last Universe by William Sleator. What age group is this appropriate for? i.e. is there any cursing, talk of sex, violence, inappropriate relationships??