What are you reading March 2010?

I didn't see a March thread started yet, so I thought I would do the honors.

I recently finished A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker which I enjoyed, though there were times when I was irritated by the main character. It's a new release about a high school where all seniors must participate in a fake marriage program all year - and instead of being paired with her crush, Fiona is paired with jock Todd, her nemesis' boyfriend.

Right now I'm reading The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, which has a definite fairy-tale feel to it, and seems to draw on Mongolian traditions as well. I'm really enjoying it.

What are you reading this month?

I'm currently in the middle of The Book Thief. So far I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I have read mixed reviews, but I wanted to read something that was taking place in WWII while my students were struggling through The Diary of a Young Girl.

I am also reading The Circle of Blood. That one is going really slow because I have been working on report cards. It is interesting, but it's a quick read, so for some reason that means it will be put off until I'm done with the book that I am more invested in.

I need to read more Shannon Hale!

I'm reading The Battle for the Castle by Elizabeth Winthrop, the sequel to The Castle in the Attic. Has anyone else read these books? I did back in late elementary school/early junior high and enjoyed them then, but I think I may like them even better now. How does she know the thought processes of 10- and 12-year-old boys so well? She must have had some of her own.

I just finished Exploits of a Reluctant (But Extremely Goodlooking) Hero, the only unread book I owned that fit for my E in my alphabet challenge. It was all right; a little young, but readable. Now I'm about to start Fire and after that I will move onto Greenwitch.

Greenwitch was my favorite of the Dark is Rising books when I read them many years ago, yummyfish. Enjoy!

Finished Linda Joy Singleton's don't die dragonfly and Last Dance last night, read most of witch ball during my lunch break and probably finish it this evening. The other two are on my tbr shelf so may finish them off tomorrow. I've also been reading M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman, but my OH has picked it up and started reading. This is the man that last read Fungus the Bogeyman over 15 years ago, he actually picked up a book and read it of his own accord and is really really enjoying it. I have an urge to rush out and buy him some more Gaiman YA. I have The Graveyard Book on audio, which we listened to on a trip to Marlborough and back.

This is my first month doing this. But I am reading Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier. Is she technically YA or adult? I've gotten murky responses on that. Also, thanks for reminding me that I really need to brush up on my Neil Gaiman. Previously, I've only encountered him in Good Omens. Any recommendations of books by him?

I rather enjoyed Stardust and Neverwhere by Gaiman, you might want to look into those.

I just finished Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen. It was not my favorite novel by Dessen, but she has a way with characters that just suck me in. If you have not read something by her before, this is a really quick read and hopefully it will be enough for you to read more from her. My favorite was Lock and Key.

>7 marjorie823: and >8 selkie_girl: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is a favorite of mine, and I liked Stardust, too. For something quite different, you might look at his Sandman graphic series.

I just finished reading The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. I like to re-read him from time to time. I'm currently reading a graphic novel, Nextwave : Agents of H.A.T.E., the ultimate collection. It's quite funny, but I'll bet I'm missing a lot of the jokes because I don't read super-hero comics anymore. I did get the Hulk reference when the giant green radioactive lizard showed up wearing purple pants, but that one was pretty obvious. I have a lot on my TBR shelf, but I'll probably pick Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver for my next read.

P.S. #7, I would recommend The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It's my favorite of his, and it won the Newbery Medal!

I finished Suzanne Collins' Gregor the Overlander yesterday. Being such a fan of The Hunger Games, I thought I'd check out some of her other work. And I'm glad I did.

Aimed at a younger audience than The Hunger Games, Gregor the Overlander was incredibly well written. Unlike other books I've read that are aimed at the primary school/junior high school audience, Collins' writting wasn't 'dumbed down' for, or at all condescending to, its younger readers.

Having concluded the book, I am a bit concerned that I'll find the remaining four books in The Underland Chronicles at little repetative.. but I'll have to wait until I finish my alphabet challenge before I read any of the othes, so I guess I won't know until then.

Up next is How to Ditch your Fairy. It'll be my first Justine Larbalestier novel. I'm very much looking forward to it. I read her short story in Love is Hell and enjoyed it a lot.

I've started Eldest by Christopher Paolini. I've just read through the Eragon review part at the beginning which I'm very happy for since it has been over a year since I read the first book.

Started The Ask and the Answer, the sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go.

#12- How to Ditch your Fairy is cute.
I'm Finally!! reading Lord Sunday by, Garth Nix I've been waiting for so long but I picked the storylne up right away.Glad after 10 years to have the final book in this series.About half done can't wait to see how it ends!

stranded, love Fairy! Want my own shopping fairy for sure. Started The Knife of Never Letting Go for the group read this month. Enjoying it so far.

#2: How do you like The Book Thief so far? It was hands down, a GREAT book. Never read anything like it.

A few hours ago I just finished reading The Lightning Thief. Also, Our Only May Amelia. Currently, Never Slow Dance with a Zombie and Thirteenth Child.

I just finished Wintergirls. It is a must read for anyone (adult or teen) who may know someone suffering from anorexia. Lia's story gives us a real idea of how someone suffering from this eating disorder thinks, the means they use to attain their "goals" and how they hide the results to avoid getting treatment. The information is very real and even gives the reader details of the physical effects on her body as Lia loses weight.

I finished The Book Thief. That was such a good book. I'm so impressed with it. I posted my review of it, but nothing that I can say will do it justice. I'm now reading Elphame's Choice, Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies and View from Saturday.

Just started Westerfeld's (Leviathan). So far, steampunk gold.

PV_Lundqvist,

This is one of those questions that I should just look up, but I have seen a lot about steampunk lately. What is it?

Kaydence,

This is what is said of steampunk in the Book Depository March newsletter:

"What is steampunk? Retro-futurism; what the future might have been if the past had taken a different turn."

I've finished Fire and Greenwitch, both of which I really enjoyed! I'm starting to think that I haven't actually read the Dark is Rising books before - I've been under the impression for years that I read them when I was in second or third grade but now that I'm reading them again (?) the only one that has rung any bells has been Over Sea, Under Stone. So perhaps I only ever read the first one. Anyway, I'm glad I'm reading them now, because they are spectacular and I wouldn't have wanted to miss them. Now I've moved on to The Grey King. After that I think I'll take a little break from Cooper and read Harpist in the Wind.

Finished The Ask and the Answer, the sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go and another barn-burner, and have Into The Wild Nerd Yonder on deck.

In my down time, I'm reading Andromeda Klein-- It's really quirky and Portman did a great job of immersing the reader in Andromeda's thought pattern.

I'm reading ''THE MISERABLE MILL''.I's about Vilot,Klaus,and Sunny bodalaire.The 3 children are being stalked by count olaf who is trying to steal thier giant forchen!I'm really injoying it!

Among other things, currently reading Red Glass, though I haven't been concentrating on it much. Perhaps I'll put some time into it tonight.

I just finished Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies and began Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill.

I tried reading Wintergirls last week and just couldn't get into it. I think I just wasn't in the mood to go down the anorexia road. I'm almost done with Copper sun which is about a 15 year old African girl who was captured and sent to America to be a slave and a 15 year old white girl who is an indentured servant in the same house. It's been an interesting read so far and it's starting to get a bit intense. I also just got in My boyfriends dogs and The good girl's guide to getting kidnapped, so I snagged those to read before they went on the shelf. Haven't gotten very far with either of then, just haven't had the time yet.

Just started Brom's The Child Thief (which I'm really liking so far) and off-and-on I'm reading Burton's The Thousand Nights and One Night (in the multi-volume unabridged Heritage Press edition, which I got at just over forty dollars in great condition from a used book store near Villanova University).

Next up, after The Child Thief, will probably be The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, which I just stumbled across at Borders when I was browsing with one of those "25% off coupons" you get in the eMail.

I'm don't know if I'd call any of these specifically YA. The Child Thief, though marketed in some stores as YA, may be too "explicit" for anyone other than definitely older teens, and Burton's version of 1001 Nights is shot through with racism (and also is way too long). The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, though, may be a good cross-over of an "adult" book that's of real interest to teens.

>26 Carson123: Carson - I hope you like the Lemony Snicket books as much as I did. I even liked the parts where he explaineds what certain words or expressions meant. I thought Violet was a really cool girl.

I just finished The Hunger Games for the first time - I just devoured it. I couldn't go to sleep until I'd finished! It had me completely hooked.

And this morning I jumped straight into Catching Fire and I have to keep making myself do work instead of sneaking it under the desk to read.

#32 - so glad you liked Hunger Games and Catching Fire. My whole family, hubby included, totally loved it. FYI the third one (called Mockingjay) doesn't come out until Aug. 24th!! It is on pre-order at Amazon for really cheap- I know this cause I have it on order!!!:)

Just finished Along for the Ride and I liked it.

Finished Into the Wild Nerd Yonder and started Going Bovine.

Just read Fat Cat, and found it slightly disappointing. I really liked Brande's first novel (Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature) but thought this one was not as compelling. It seemed like it tried to do too many things (diet! science! body image! vegetarianism! physical attraction! negative stimuli! swimming! . . . ) and ended up not giving any of them full treatment.

Just finished Heidi Durrow's The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, which is selling in the regular adult literature in the chains but could be read by older teens. Excellent story of an interracial girl's coming-of-age, though I do think the ending might have been a little more conclusive.

I think I'll get going next on Holly Black's new story collection The Poison Eaters. I'm glad to see she's getting back to YA "urban fantasy" after her time on children's fantasy.

Earlier in the month, I read Gateway by Sharon Shinn. I normally love her YA books, but this one was just an okay read for me.

I'm currently reading Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater and my daughter is insisting I move on to The Knife of Never Letting Go after that.

I just finished Wolf Brother. I loved it, Paver's world building skills are so good! The ending surprised me so I might read the sequel soon. Now I'm reading Push, the novel that the movie Precious is based off of. I haven't seen the movie yet and not sure I'll make it through the book

Just finished Pratchett's Nation (touchstone isn't referring properly) which I really - and unexpectedly - liked. On tap is the remainder of Derek Landy's The Faceless Ones series so far published. I read Skulduggery Pleasant when it first came out and have been waiting for the sequels to be available.

I am reading Katherine with Leviathan on deck as it is due at the library. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky looks very good, so thanks to all for the recommendation.

A week ago I read Demon Princess: Reign or Shine which I don't think I mentioned here. It was pretty cute and a very quick read. I enjoyed it.

Now I'm reading Hush, Hush and got about halfway last night. It has been interesting so far, I'm still guessing at what is going on.

I am reading Runaway Storm by D. E. Knobbe. It's an adventure novel about a boy who's pissed at his parents for divorcing. He takes of in a kayak to paddle around some isolated islands for a couple of days. Things get crazy though when he meets up with some other kids and then gets chased by the cops into a crazy storm. I am almost finished and can't take too much time to write because it's intense at the moment the goth girl Kat and Nate (touch of romance happening) are being chased across an Island by drug smugglers. Someone voted this book best last line...I'll let you know or maybe not...don't want to be a spoiler.

it seems quite a few of the books I'm currently reading are YA this month!

-Leviathan
-The Lightning Thief
-A Series of Unfortunate Events (Just finished The Reptile Room today and am starting on The Wide Window) (I tried to read the series before, only got so far as The Miserable Mill.... I think)

Just finished "Half Broke Horses" by Jeannette Walls which the author calls a "true life novel." I loved it!

#7. I would recommend (American Gods) by ((Neil Gaiman)). (Good Omens)) was the first novel I read by him and American Gods is probably my favorite book by him.

In addition to the massive tome that is Diana Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone, I am reading A Conspiracy of Kings and The King Commands, the latest books by Megan Whalen Turner and Meg Burden, respectively. The both of them just came in mail this week and I can't wait to dig into them!

I just started (only one chapter in so far) on Brandon Mull's Keys to the Demon Prison, the fifth (and final) book of his Fablehaven series.

I finished Going Bovine, which was okay, and started The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, which so far I like a lot.

I started The Garden of eve by, K.L. Going .So far a great story its a ghost story,coming of age & magical realism I'm really enjoying it!

Will start Boy in the Striped Pajamas tonight.

>36 foggidawn: I was disappointed in Fat Cat too. I really enjoyed the beginning, the discription of Cat's diet coke withdrawal was great (may I never go a day without my caffeine fix). I also really enjoyed the bestfriend character (I forget her name). But after her experiment gets underway, I though that the story started to lang. I also got very annoyed about 2/3 of the way through because, I think, that the story got rather preachy. (Meat is bad!!) I ended up annoyed with the book and really wanted to put it down, but I was too close to the end.

#47 and #7 - I got lucky and found a copy of American Gods at the thrift store today. I too have only read Good Omens and wondered whether I would like other books by Neil Gaiman; I guess I am going to get to find out!

Still haven't gotten to The Knife of Never Letting Go as my TBR pile is now bordering on the outrageous.

Just finished A Conspiracy of Kings. Which makes the series--brilliant, wretched, good, good so far. Recently read Erak's Ransom--one of the better ones in the series to my mind. Also listened to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, which I think would make a good YA choice and has a delightful reader. Hey, how does everyone do the blue linky thing with the title. I want to be able to do that.

#55 - It's easy - you type a bracket Then Either the Title or the Author's Name and then close the bracket - the only confusing thing is that you have to get used to not using the shift key for the bracket - which I do automatically when thinking of the title of a work - but it is a lot of fun. Then, choices will appear to the right of your post to make certain you chose the right title or author.

I went to a book fair and came home with a whole pile of new books. I am reading Peeled by Joan bauer then will have to decide between Closed for the Season, Hive, Waiting for Normal or Go Big or Go Home. I will reread the flaps and then decide which one calls to me next.

Working my way through Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but was sidetracked byDerek Landy's follow-ups to the Faceless Ones and then started Beautiful Jim Key - haven't finished that one yet, either. So many books, so little time!

edited for spelling

#55 -- That's funny, I really love the second book of the King's Thief series! It may be my favorite . . . no, it's impossible to pick a favorite from that series.

>60 foggidawn:
No way! Different strokes, eh? I didn't think she did an adequate job of showing why you would come to love a person who did such a heinous thing to you. To make me believe that would have required a slow, meticulous build up of a growing connection. Not just a "Here, take my word for it." Why do you like it? The first book is one of my most favorite books in the world. I am always at a loss when I go to recommend it. Do I mention the second book or leave it as a stand alone? You can't erase number two from your brain if you turn out not to like it.

#14 How was The Knife of Never Letting Go?

I'm currently reading Rape: A love story by Joyce Carol Oates. I read half of 'Jump the Cracks' recently and couldn't really get into it.

dreamingcass, both The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer, its sequel, were well done, racehorse (page turning) reading. The content is violent in places, but it fits the story. Both are thought-provoking on a number of issues, too. And you get quite wrapped up in the central characters.

#61 -- I don't know; I always feel that there's so much more going on in those books than what's on the page that I bought the improbable romance without too much difficulty. And I do like the way it's developed in the third book. Now I want to reread the whole series again!