YA Book Reading November, 2009

I didn't see a thread for this month and hope it is okay for me to post it.

Last night I finished off a fantasy called The Crystal Throne by Kathryn Sullivan which surprised me in a couple different ways. I also started Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog and am already almost halfway through.

I've just started TTYL by Lauren Myracle and will shortly move on to Forever by Judy Blume. It appears I am the only person in the universe who missed out on reading Forever when it was published. Will take this oppportunity to catch up and use it for my final essay for the YA subject at Uni

I read The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion. I first read these books 10+ years ago, so I needed a refresher before moving on the to new one!

At first I didn't think they stood up very well to re-reading, but I came away pretty satisfied in the end. I'm planning to reread her Nightworld books next year.

I finished Zombie Blondes by Brian James a few days ago and now I'm reading Poison study.

I just finished Something to Blog About by Shana Norris - a cute story about a girl who starts an online journal to chronicle her woes when she manages to burn her hair off in an 'incident' with a Bunsen burner - right in front of her crush AND her arch-nemesis...

I just finished LIAR and my mind is swirling with questions. I am currently reading Boneshaker and waiting for it to grab my attention like many of the reviews state(I am about 140 pages in). Other amazing reads are

Hate List
After

Coffeechug: I really found After can't put down-able (as a read for last month). I'm no Laurie Halse Anderson fan (I know.. I like YA, but she doesn't do it for me.) But I could see this book appealing to her fans.

I'm listening to The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray in the car. I liked the first book of the series, couldn't get through the second, but am finding this final one strangely compelling. It might be the read-aloud element--her writing comes across better this way, somehow. The characters are less flat. The plot is really interesting and unlike most YA books, I honestly cannot imagine how it will resolve itself and I'm 3/4 through.
At home I just finished Audrey, Wait! which was entertaining but definitely not exceptional. One of those books you enjoy and then give away if, like me, you've actually bought the thing.
Now I'm reading Indigo's Star by Hilary McKay. She has such a distinctive writing style and this is a delightful book.

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying The Sweet Far Thing. I loved A Great and Terrible Beauty and hated Rebel Angels, so I've been hesitating to read the third one.

I'm also happy with your comments on Audrey, Wait!--I just got it out from the library this weekend, which sounds like the right decision.

Just got Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev from the library.

I'm new to this Topis/Group so I hope the message appears ok. I read Teen Valour last week. It was a bit complicated and quite long but it hooked me more than most books. I'm reading The Lost Symbol but finding it a bit boring.

I posted a review today of the Carbon Diaries:2015 on my blog today as part of the Green Books Campaign. Please check it out to find out more.

http://archthinking.blogspot.com/2009/11/green-books-campaign-review-carbon.html

I just finished Impossible: A Novel by Nancy Werling and am starting Solace of the Road by Sioghan Dowd.

I'm reading Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block.

I picked up The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier from the library yesterday. I look forward to reading it.

I finished Gone a few days ago and am now delving into the sequel, Hunger.

I'm still reading Poison Study but haven't really gotten into it yet. I'm also reading Devilish, my first foray into Maureen Johnson's work.

Stranded, I loved Poison Study and the rest of the series! Stick with it and you'll be cheering for Yelena soon.

I just finished Madapple by Christina Meldrum. I reviewed it here.

About to start Gone by Michael Grant.

Revisiting an old and much-beloved favorite, The Blue Sword.

I started Feed this morning and am about 100 pages into it. It's pretty fantastic so far. The lingo and prose are a little strange at times, but after a few chapters you get used to it. I love the premise (internet in your brain...how creepy!) and Violet is a fantastic character. Definitely recommedable as of now; I should be done within a few days. My boyfriend's taking me to a midnight release of a game, so that gives me two hours at least to read. :D

lean, I loved Feed! Makes me very scared for the future because it seems plausible. I'm sure my daughter would gladly get her cell phone hard wired to her brain!!!

I'm reading Frostbite Vampire Academy series #2. I've read Twilight and I like these better so far. I'm more of a realistic fiction reader so these are a stretch for me but I'm enjoying it more that I thought.

Yeah, I've read Feed too. Not sure that Titus, as the protagonist, grows much by the end. Agree violet is definately a strong character.

> 21, 22, 24

Now added to my wishlist. That looks really interesting!

Finished Feed this morning. I flew through it a lot faster than I thought I would, which would explain the large quantity of homework I actually have to work on right now. :S I agree, jase, Titus didn't change much. At least, not until it was too late. I kind of hated him for a large portion of the book. I have to admit, I didn't really expect the book to go where it did. I expected it to be a bit more like Uglies, but it definitely surprised me. I enjoyed it a lot, though.

Getting ready to start A Great and Terrible Beauty as soon as I actually make some progress on the reading/papers I have to do for school...

Currently reading The Carbon Diaries: 2015 -- pretty good. I'd recommend it to fans of Life As We Knew It, though so far it's not quite so grim.

I loved Life As We Knew It, so I'll have to keep an eye out for The Carbon Diaries: 2015.

Despite liking dystopia-type books, though, I really hated Feed.

Since my last post, I've read four children's/YA books:

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones, an Aladdin-type story that's the sequel to Howl's Moving Castle

Beast by Donna Jo Napoli, a Beauty and the Beast retelling that I didn't really like

The Rumpelstiltskin Problem, a collection of six very short Rumpelstiltskin retellings by Vivian Vande Velde

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, about a girl from a family of witches who apparently has no Talent herself, despite the proclamation at her birth that she would be one of the most powerful of them all.... Urban fantasy set in New York.

I was sick with strep throat all day yesterday (and still am today...) so while I should really be reading for school and studying for finals I started rereading The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, volume 1 for what must be the billionth time to comfort myself. It definitely works. I forgot how much I love Diana Wynne Jones. I plan to continue with volume 2, the short story in Mixed Magics, Conrad's Fate, and The Pinhoe Egg which I realized I have only read once! I've never read all the Chrestomanci books in a row so it should be fun :)

Finished A Great and Terrible Beauty and pretty much adored it. I now cannot wait to read the next one. Right now, I"m taking a minor break from YA lit and am reading Salem's Lot. I'll probably go right back to YA after this, though, with City of Bones.

Read The Adoration of Jenna Fox this week.

Read Tithe, which I found vastly disappointing, enough so that I imagine Valiant and Ironside will remain untouched on my shelf until I ship them back to the library.

Also read The Ask and the Answer, the sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go, and found it un-put-downable. I think I enjoyed it more than the first, in fact.

I read The Pale Assassin, which was all right, but there was a lot that wasn't believable in it -- the romance, the main character's development over the course of the book . . . I just never really got pulled in to the story.

I just finished Secret Society by Tom Dolby and was pretty disappointed. I kept finding myself bored by how long the set-up was and annoyed at how the sinister elements kept being ignored in favor of vague romantic relationships. Plus, I was really irritated that it seemed to end right when the build-up got going. Sequel bait if ever there was one!

Hi! I just joined this group and thought I would jump right in!

I am currently working my way through the House of Night series by P.C. Cast. I love urban fantasy where you can believe that it is possible - obviously if the humans don't know about them, how would I know ;) This series is a little different in that humans do know, so that makes it a little harder for me to get in to. I am enjoying them though.

Just finished The Miles Between by Mary Pearson. I didn't like it quite as much as I liked The Adoration of Jenna Fox, but still enjoyed it. I did see the big twist at the end coming from a long way off.

I should be able to finish Glass by Ellen Hopkins (touchstones not working for title or author) today. It reads very fast (as a book about meth should). I did not read Crank but I may have to go back now. Excellent! My addictions have been cigarettes (quit for good after three tries) and food (can't).

I'm reading Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen. This book, about a nerdy bullied boy who discovers the world of competitive Scrabble, was nominated for several Canadian awards.

My 10-year-old daughter and I, along with a few of her friends and their moms, are doing a group read of Three Cups of Tea, and the new young-adult version of the book, Three Cups of Tea: The Young Readers Edition.

I just finished reading The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie, and Australian YA book by Jacyln Moriarty and loved it.

I have a few books out from the library which should be interesting reading. I'm reading Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater now and also have The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade and My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent as well.

In the car I'm listening to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and am enjoying it much more than I expected. It's not a book I'd probably have ever had the patience to sit down and read but the author is an excellent reader and it really makes the story.

I really enjoyed The Graveyard Book.

I'm reading American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, a YA graphic novel that is very good so far.

Had a bit of a quiet Sunday at home and ploughed through two Maureen Johnson books, namely, 13 Little Blue Envelopes and Girl at Sea.

It's back to Maria V. Snyder now and Fire Study, the final book in her Study Series.

Stranded, loved the study series! Are you planning on continuing with her Glass series?

Luv, yeah, I will. I ordered them off bookdepository a few days ago. I think I'll take a short break before I start reading them, though. That said I can't wait too long because I'm going to do an alphabet challenge next year (in alphabetical order) so I've got to be sure to finish them before the new year otherwise there'll be a long wait before I'm allowed to read them!

I'm in the middle of Ash by Malindo Lo and plan to recommend it to others -- it's a very cool spin on a traditional story. Tried Going Bovine and just couldn't get into it --- when I went to renew it, someone was waiting, so I figure I'll get back to this one eventually.