May 2008 - What are you Reading?

I just finished Master Rosalind by John Beatty - fun story about a girl disguised as a boy playing a girl at Shakespeare's Globe;
and Mara, Daughter of the Nile - an adventurous spy story about a slave caught playing double agent in the conflict between Queen Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. I definitely understand why this one is a favorite with so many!

Right now I'm in the middle of Nobody's Prize by Esther Friesner - sequel to Nobody's Princess. This one's about Helen of Troy's adventures on the Argo with Jason and the other Argonauts. The first one was awesome, and so far this one seems to be following suit.

What are you reading this month?

sing along with Alice Cooper: "School's out for summer...!"

And that means it's time to stack the books higher, so here's a few coming up on my list -- The Book Thief, Love, Stargirl, Pretties, and need to finish Here There Be Dragons....

Our library just finished its participation in the YA White Pine Award reading competition. I read four of this year's books and was not too impressed by any of them. The ones I read were Blue Helmet by William Bell, Song of Kahunsha by Anosh Irani, Space Between by Don Aker, Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay. In the last week I also read What Happened to Cassie McBride by Gail Giles, For Money and Love by Todd Strasser and Raiders Night by Robert Lipsyte. I have posted mini-reviews of most of them on my profile. And let me also throw in a plug for one of my all-time favorites, Gentlehands by M.E. Kerr.

JF: Remembering Raquel by Vivian Vande Velde
CR: Blue Like Friday by Siobhan Parkinson
LF2: Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones

Touchstones acting wonky on these. Remembering Raquel is a bit of a departure for VVV, I think, but I really enjoyed it. After a young girl is killed in a tragic accident, her life is explored from the differing perspectives of the people who knew her, some well and others only peripherally. A quick read-- it took me about an hour-- but substantive nonetheless.

#4

I bet you'll love Mister Pip. I did

I just started reading "Red Spikes" by Margo Lanagan, which is a collection of short stories. I've only read the first one but I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the rest.

Mara, Daughter of the Nile ... I definitely understand why this one is a favorite with so many!

I haven't read Mara, but I adore McGraw's The Moorchild, so you should definitely check that one out too (if you haven't already).

I just finished Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson. It's set in Disney World. It was good but much like the final Harry Potter book, the end felt like it was rushed.

This week I picked up the following for the summer.
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (currently reading)
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
The Secret Bride by Diane Haeger

I just ordered the following from Amazon and can't wait until they arrive.
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Glass Houses by Rachel Caine and Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine of the Morganville Vampire series.

I just grabbed the audio book of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin so far I've gotten through the first chapter and it seems like a great book.

Last night I read Deadline, about an 18 year-old high student who finds out his terminally ill and probably won't survive through his senior year. He makes the choice not to tell anyone (neither family nor friends) and sets out to live a lifetime of experiences in the one year he has left. Brilliant book, I cried. All about the choices we make, the legacy we leave behind, and what you would do if you knew you were going to die - what you would and wouldn't consider worth the time you had left. I recommend it.

Note: Written in the first person by a senior in high school. There is swearing, it doesn't spare you in use of the "F" word. But it's realistic, because let's face it...kids talk that way.

JF: Mr. Pip by Lloyd Jones
CR: Dragon's Egg by Sarah L. Thompson
LF2: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall

I did enjoy Mr. Pip, #5. It's not the type of thing I usually read, though. I like lighter, more humorous stuff, which is why I am really looking forward to the next installment of the Penderwicks.

Currently I'm reading the YA dragon fantasy, Amber in the Over World by Jonathan Fesmire.

I'm currently reading Keturah and Lord Death, by Martine Leavitt, and really enjoying it, although I'm only midway through.

Next up is Robin McKinley's Dragonhaven.

I've got a huge pile on my desk waiting for me! I can't wait to get started

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Lucky by Rachel Vail
Suite Scarlet by Maureen Johnson
and
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Just finished Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta. I quite liked it but I didn't love it--it's in my "worth keeping the book but probably won't remember it much" category. I was struck by the unreconstructed racism of 1990s Australia, especially among different groups of European ancestry. Even in the small-town Pennsylvania of my youth in the 1960s, where Jews were excluded from membership in every club, I never heard of anybody being picked on for being Italian, for goodness' sake. I was also fascinated by the tidbit that Australia interned Italian men as enemy aliens in W.W.II. I thought this was only Canada and the USA, with the Japanese, and Britain with Germans. It just brought home to me again how race is *really* a social construction: you don't need elaborate fantasies like the Naughts and Crosses books to prove that.

I am now reading the wholly obscure Chris and Some Others by Winifred Darch, from 1920. Keeping my YA reading diverse!

#15

Hey I read City of Bones and City of Ashes this months. They were both quick, fun stories. I never read The Lightening Thief but I have heard good things about it.

I am currently reading the Kingdom Hearts series of manga. I played the game and loved it. The books so far follow right along with the video game, which is kind of fun.

Just finished Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli and I really enjoyed it. :)
I'm going to read Thursday's Children by Rumer Godden next. Hope it's a good read. :)

I just finished Eclipse, and now I'm reading The Historian. Eclipse was Amazing! and The Historian is very deep and has so many layers. I'm only on page 70 but, it feels like I've read so much more!

Just finshed reading Secrets by Jude Deveraux (it was so-so.) Just finished listening to Big Boned by Meg Cabot (3rd in her Heather Wells Mysteries) series for adults. I thought it was really cute. Also, just finished reviewing Three Girls and Their Brother by Theresa Rebeck for Early Reviewers. I really liked it. I will probably post my review tomorrow.

Yesterday someone in my book group mentioned What the Dickens: the Story of a rogue tooth fairy and it sounded really interesting. I'm not really a big Maguire fan, but I wanted to check this one out.

I ended up purchasing the book right after book club and finishing it the same day. It was a great book! Really fun and interesting. Totally captured my attention.

Earlier this month I finished Someday this Pain Will be Useful to You (okay, pretty easily forgettable after finishing the book) and Life as we Knew It, which I was blown away by. Can't recommend that last one enough. Go buy it! And read it! Now!

I am reading at the moment:
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Maximum Ride: The Final Warning
&
The Darkness Within

I loved Life As We Knew It so much that it is our "One Book" choice for our teen summer reading program. Susan Beth Pfeffer will be visiting the West Hartford Public Library in CT on August 4th if anyone is lives close by and would like to hear her speak.

miss_chievous
Isn't The Historian great? I adored it!!!! It is such a hopeful book going through. As scholarly as it is, you can totally relate to the characters and care about what's going on.

blissfulwitch
I'm glad you liked What-The-Dickens. I love Maguire's ideas but his writing bores me. I could have done without the whole current timeline of the hurricane. Had it just been the story about the Tooth Fairy that would have been fine. Although, I enjoyed the part where he explained why he shouldn't remember the story...

#22-blissfulwitch: thanks so much for recommending What the Dickens!! I'm a huge Maguire fan, but was on the fence about WTD. It's funny. I've had Mirror, Mirror since the day it came out, but still haven't read it! **flees**

So far, for May (I'll be putting up reviews in my 50 book Challenge thread this week):

JF: Limits of Enchantment (not YA)
JF: With You and Without You
JF: The Blue Girl
JF: Skulduggery Pleasant
JF: Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire

CR: Fade

LF: Twilight I know, I know, I've been putting this on here for months!
LF: Un Lun Dun
LF: The Wednesday Wars
LF: Faerie Wars

I never got very far with Mirror, Mirror. I was sort of grossed out by a servant that had sex with an octopus. I think that was chapter 1 actually or maybe 2

This month I've read Jumper: Griffin's Story, The Seal of Solomon, Maximum Ride: The Final Warning, Avielle of Rhia, Dreams and Visions, Once Upon a Marigold, The Battle for Skandia, and The Swan Kingdom.

>26 punkypower:

I loved Un Lun Dun, not only because the writing was good, but because I read a lot of fantasy, and it was nice to see some of the genre's staple tropes stood on their heads!

This was a pretty good week for me:

Thursday I finished up The Faerie Path trilogy with The Sorcerer King. Another story of an urban teenage girl discovers she really a faerie princess, but I don't mind the common theme as long as the story is done reasonably well as this one was. Anita Palmer aka Princess Tania must find her imprisoned father King Oberon and reunite him with his Queen, Titania (Shakespeare anyone?). But I did enjoy the series and would recommend it to younger teenage girls - middle shool (or anyone who appreciates YA fantasy).

Friday I read Old Magic. I liked it, though the guy bugged me a bit - you can only take the disbelief in magic that is happening around/inside him so far without it getting really tiresome. But fortunately it annoyed the girl in the book too, so I think the author was trying to make a point with it (not sure what that point was...). But I liked the historical part and the magic parts, and the interesting way the author told the story. It was told in the first persons but the chapters alternated between the two main characters.

Sunday I finished up Life as We Knew It, someone in this group recommended it. I really enjoyed this post-apocalyptic YA novel. An asteroid has struck the moon knocking it off its axis and pushing it closer to the Earth distrupting the gravitational pull and causing natural diasters and such. The story is told in diary form by a high school girl, detailing what her family has to go through to survive. I would recommend it.

Monday I read Faerie Lord, the final book in the Faerie Wars series (supposedly, but I hope he writes more!) Henry is stunned when Pyrgus shows up on his doorstep as an older man. Apparently a time disease is sweeping through the Faerie Realm and it is prophesized that he can save them...or not.
I really like these books, a classic storyline about an English boy who discovers a minature winged faerie in his backyard and the adventures he goes on with him (though the faerie becomes life-size again). I say that this is a classic storyline because it is, but Herbie Brennan created some great ways to make it incredibly unique as well.

And last night I read Princess Academy. A story about a girl who lives on a mountain where they mine "linder" which I think is like marble, when the kingdom priests decide that the nice princess will be chosen from this small mountain village. In preparation, every girl must attend a "princess academy" to turn them from country bumpkins into suitable young ladies. A great story about overcoming prejudices, the joys and rewards of learning, of finding out what your heart really wants, and about the bravery that everyone finds inside. Adorable! I can't wait to read the other books that Shannon Hale has written.

I just read In the Garage by Alma Fullerton. Well-intentioned but... A very quick read. Just barely worth the hour spent on it.

I've just gotten back from college for summer, so my reading list has backed up substantially, but I'm making my way through! This past week, I've reread Alanna, the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler.
I've also read Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot
The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman
Burning the Map by Laura Caldwell.

Other books that are on deck:
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig
Goddess Games by Niki Burnham
Rereading the rest of the the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series
Far Traveler by Rebecca Tingle

I read Wyvernhail by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes the other night, the last of her shapeshifter series. I couldn't put it down, even though I thought it was a little confusing.

I'm looking forward to reading some more of her vampire books which I think are upcoming.

I just started on Frances Hardinge's Verdigris Deep.

I just read 13 Reasons Why and absolutely loved it. I am definitely past the young adult reading years, but still love reading those types of books. I saw this recommended somewhere and tried a sample of it and then read it all. It gives a good insight into high school and those that are subjected to cruelty and not given a chance. I highly recommend it.

I just finished reading (The Host) by ((Stephanie Meyer)).
It is listed as being her first book for adults, but I found it in the YA section of Chapters.
Although I enjoyed it, it definitely will not have the following that the Twilight series has enjoyed.

On Thursday, I read Found by Haddix, the first in her Missing series. Enjoyed it, but those who have enjoyed the Shadow Children series will not necessary also like this series.

JR, I LOVED The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I just finished the other day. It didn't grip me as quickly as Twilight did, but the fact that it's geared towards adults warns you of that.

By the time I was hooked, though, I couldn't put it down. It was attached to my hip. I read it at work, during a concert, during a party, and when I should have been sleeping.

I finished Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr last night. And just started Glass Houses by Rachel Caine. I need to find my 2nd book very soon...

I may pick up Inkheart by Cornelia Funke tomorrow at the BOGO scholastic book fair.

Just finished How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. Can only say... wow. Gosh. One of the best books I've read in years, especially in the YA category. I almost always semi-skim books, skip bits, read the end first... but with this book I had to read (and sometimes reread) every single word. There are a few moments where the writing goes too far, a few false notes, but they are more than balanced out by the general power of the story, the voice, the concept.

I just finished Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande. Highly recommended!

I'm reading The Host by Stepenie Meyer as well. I just started it and it's a bit slow in the beginning.

I'm also reading Percy Jackson and The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan the third in the series.

I just finished Lost It by Kristen Tracy, which was a cute story about (what else) how the main character loses her virginity and proceeds to screw up her first real realtionship. The main charcter was kind of adorably clueless I thought.

The pile I'm taking home from the library today:
(It's my job to get the new teen books ready to go out, so I get first dibs on the ones that don't already have holds.)

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti
Total Constant Order by Crissa-Jean Chappell
Good Enough by Paula Yoo

Now I know what I'm doing for the long weekend!

Selkie, The Host will pick up around Chapter 20 or so. Give it some time. It took me a little while to get into it. By Chapter 30 there was NO putting it down, though...

I just finished Glass Houses by Rachel Caine.

Currently reading:
Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine
Black Book of Secrets by F.E. Higgins
Horns and Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson

My 14 yr old girl just finished The Lightning Thief and went on to devour Book 2 and Book 3 and would like to own Book 4 which came out in Hardcover. She also remarked that the "Nerdy Boy" her words, in her class also had read them and was surprised that she was reading and liking them.

I everyone. I just joined this group and I'm a YA librarian in Brooklyn. I've been reading a pretty good deal of new YA lit this month. I received an advance readers' copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and I thought it was rather good.

I devoured Cory Doctorow's Little Brother in a couple of sittings. It was really great, probably my favorite YA book of the year so far. It's such an exciting and intelligent look at the implications of high-tech surveillance and "anti-terrorist" for our democracy. Just excellent.

Finally, I'm currently in the middle of The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson and it's really starting to grip me, even though it took me a bit to get into her somewhat stilted writing style.

>45 weirdorippers: weirdorippers, Maybe I won't give up on The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I only made it a chapter or so in before losing interest. I was afraid all the hype and promotion was simply to make up for the fact that it wasn't very good.

Definitely moving Little Brother up to the top of the pile!

Whoa, apologies for the typos and clipped sentences above. It was late!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox has been ridiculously hyped. I've enjoyed it thus far, but unless the ending is completely amazing (and I've heard grumblings that it's not that good) it's just an above average YA work in my eyes.

For those of you who like Life As We Knew It by Pfeffer...I just finished The Dead and the Gone which is a companion novel. The same terrible events happen in the same timeline but in this book we view the events through the eyes of an 18 year old Latino boy trying to survive in New York City. Just as compelling as the first book and could be read alone.

jf: Fablehaven, Crandalls' Castle, Outside Beauty
CR: In the Name of God
lf2: Wednesday Wars, Fablehaven Book2, Zane's Trace

I just finished The Black Book of Secrets by F.E. Higgins. I didn't particularly enjoy it and forced myself to keep reading. Heck, it was short and it had to get better. (It wasn't horrid, it just didn't keep the pages turning for me.) Although, I loved the end where she pulled in true information about the art of bodysnatching, meat pies and tooth extraction.

I'm either delving into Horns and Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson or The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu next.

I'm currently reading an historical novel The Secret Bride: In the Court of Henry VIII by Diane Haeger and am waiting for my LTER book Hallam's War by Elisabeth Payne Rosen.

I started Beastly by Alex Flinn last night which is an urban fantasy/fairy tale re-telling. It is very interesting so far and I'm enjoying it. It is a book I could have probably finished in one sitting if I hadn't had to get up for work this morning.

>30 Ilithyia: Ilithyia - Glad to hear you liked Old Magic. It is one of the few library books I've felt compelled to go out and buy for myself. I've really enjoyed everything I've read by Marianne Curley except that I find her endings a bit abrupt.

I had my wisdom teeth removed this weekend and didn't feel like doing any homework....though I should have. So I reread the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede: Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, etc. I've loved these books since I got the first one as a RIF book in 1996! One of the best parts is the chapter titles..."In which the plot thickens", "In which the plot positively curdles..."and something I don't remember. Anyway, they're great.

I just finished The Host by Stephenie Meyer and it's amazing like the Twilight series were. I can't wait to see how her next two books come out, especially Breaking Dawn! :P

#46 I also gave up on The Adoration of Jenna Fox...just lost interest.

Finished in the last couple weeks (I read both YA and adult)
Right Behind You by Gail Giles
The Shadow of the Wind' by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
When Madeline was Young by Jane Hamilton (this one for Book Club)
About to start: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (about time, don't you think?)
And LFT: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

I'm finally getting around to reading Stephanie Meyer. Am halfway through Twilight, and I can understand the rage. While written very simply, imo, what clumsy, ordinary, 17-year-old girl can't relate to wanting a beautiful guy to fall head over heels in love with her.

I enjoy the simple writing style. It makes for a nice easy read. And sometimes that's exactly what you need. It's a nice change. And reminds me of the easy reading style of Frank McCourt.

#55....I loved Right Behind You by Gail Giles...got to meet Gail last year at the Southern Independent Booksellers Association conference...I want to read her other stuff...have you read anything else by her?

Finished Pillar of Flame, Queen of the Sea, and Tempest's Vow, Samurai, The Stonehenge Gate, Playing with Fire, Northlander, The Journal of Curious Letters, The King of Attolia, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, and Puddlejumpers.

#59, I'm about to start On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. The author is also a musician and I've been a fan of his music for several years. Did you like the book?

I am reading A Tugging String, a novel about growing up during the civil rights era by David T. Greenberg...saw this gally at work and so glad I picked it up. This story although fiction is based on the author's father who was a civil rights lawyer in New York.

# 60, I did enjoy the book, although I was initially a bit wary of it, since it sounded aimed at a younger age group. I'll have to watch for some of the author's music, since I haven't heard any of it yet that I know of.

I've just joined this group this morning :)

My May YA read was Riding Icarus by Lily Hyde, which I wasn't that struck on (3/5). Before that my most recent YA books were That's Life, Lily by Valerie Dayre, again a one I didn't really enjoy (3/5) and Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle which was lovely (4/5) and How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff which I thought was really poor (2/5). I have got quite a few more I've read but these are my recent ones from May and just before.

I just read The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope. It was wonderful!

thirteen reasons why

tried an arc of savvy couldn't get into it

last read howl's moving castle