The book I am most thankful for.

The book I am most thankful for. 

 

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

 

This post is to qualify for the 19-YA-Book Giveaway by author Beth Revis. I think this is the greatest idea and cannot wait to see what books people are most thankful for.

OK! Let me explain!

I have always been a reader! I love to read! After my daughter was born, I slowed down and really didn’t read much new, except for picture books! (Which are awesome!) As she began reading I started finding all of my favorites to share with her and began re-reading these. When at the bookstore I was always looking for a specific book knowing if she liked this, she certainly would like that. Classics. 

I never paid attention other books on the shelves or to the Young Adult section at all until Twilight.

Seriously! I reluctantly picked up Twilight to see what the fuss was about. The movie had just come out and as a mother to a tween girl whose friends were reading it; I felt I needed to read it too. I devoured this book and immediately went out and bought the rest in the series. When finished, I didn’t know what to do! So I read them again, and again, and again. My daughter started worrying about me and suggested that I find something else to read. The bookstore was overwhelming; browsing through the young adult section the covers shout at you, you cannot help but pick up the book to see what is about. I wanted to read them all! I decided as a parent I would try to read at least the first of all these new young adult series to be informed. So I read Shiver, preordered Linger and read Lament and Ballad. I read City of Bones and immediately got the rest of the series and pre-ordered Clockwork Prince. I read Paper Towns and bought everything that John Green wrote. I read Hunger Games, Catching Fire and thought I would die waiting for Mockingjay. I have found so many new authors that I love! Last year I read 66 books. This year I have read 85 so far (almost all young adult books) I “say” I read them to know what my daughter is reading, to enrich our discussions. But really I am just a book junkie that is hooked on young adult. I read book blogs, (I have a book blog-ish) I listen to podcasts about books. I have made most of my family stand in lines to get books autographed. I follow my favorite authors on Facebook, Twitter & Tumblr. (I actually joined Twitter & Tumblr to follow authors & bloggers) Twilight introduced me to the incredible world of young adult fiction. I just needed something else to read to fill that hole after Twilight. Today, I am willing to read out of my genre comfort zone and because of that have found some amazing books and authors. Thank you Twilight!

All Hallow's Read

One of my favorite authors started a new tradition last year. On Halloween in addition to all the normal festivities we can celebrate All Hallow's Read. As most of you know I love Halloween, I love scary stories and I love to read. All Hallow's Read is my new favorite holiday! I decided to include a list of some of my favorites that should be shared this holiday season. I cannot tell you how hard it was to limit to ten books. I know I cannot give everyone a book so I am posting a link to one of my favorite short stories the The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs. Enjoy and have a terrifying All Hallow's Read.

1. Gashleycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey

This is the quintessential primer for macabre. It follows the demise of little children alphabetically. Pair this with Gorey’s dreary drawings and you have a masterpiece!

2. Last Apprentice - Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

I downloaded this audiobook this summer from the Audiobook Community. I really enjoyed this creepy tale. Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son and is sent to apprentice with the Spook. His job is to contain the witches, ghouls beasties and boggarts. I actually held my breath a couple times. A great introduction to scary stories.

3. Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I absolutely loved this book. It is a story about a young boy named Nobody Owens, they call him Bod for short. Bod’s family is murdered and he alone escapes to the safety of a nearby graveyard where the resident ghosts decide to raise and protect the infant themselves. This book was not as scary as I assumed it would be given the story line. You can listen to the complete audiobook here, read by Neil Gaiman.

4. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

This book truly freaked me out! It scared me much more than it scared my daughter. As a child I loved the Narnia series, I was always searching for a “portal” to some fantastic magical world. Gaiman totally twists this! The world Coraline finds is far more sinister. My imagination was on overload. The Beldam totally made my hair stand on end.

5. Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Seriously, what can be creepier than a traveling carnival! When I first read this I slept with the lights on for a while. The Dust Witch still scares me, and Mr, Dark is just plain eerie. 

6. Dracula by Bram Stoker

You cannot have a Halloween list with out Dracula. I think that everyone should read Dracula. Bram Stoker introduced us to the modern Vampire. Dracula does not sparkle and you most certainly will not find friendly vampires on these pages. I read this first when I was in 7^th grade and have re-read it many times it gets better each time.

  

7. Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

This book is downright spooky. People are disappearing in the small town of Cryer's Cross. I was not sure where this was going and was totally surprised when I got there. Freaky!

8. Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Hello! Zombies! Unconsecrated moaning at the fence reaching for you! This book had me hooked immediately I literally did not put this down until I finished! Read it!

9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

This is a classic tale of Gothic Horror. A book you must read! This is a cautionary tale of the dangers of science. In today’s world with genetic research and the wonders that can be accomplished in a lab this book scares me more each time I read it and I think that also makes it timeless!. This is the granddaddy of monster stories and definitely a must at Halloween.

10. Short Stories… The Call of Cthulhu, The Monkey's Paw, Masque of the Red Death, Legend of Sleepy Hollow to name a few. If you cannot find time to read a novel for Halloween you can easily read a short story. Many great short stories are available to read online as their copyright has expired. So if you do not feel like going to the bookstore or library, go online and read a terrifying gem for free.

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss

By: Stephanie Perkins

Intended Age: YA

Hardcover: 372 pages

Published December 2nd 2010 by Dutton

more details...ISBN-10: 0525423273 (ISBN13: 9780525423270)

Synopsis: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited? -goodreads.com

I borrowed this book from the library.

I am actually still giddy from reading this. I have to qualify that I have never really been a romance reader. I prefer horror, mystery & gore. So today when I was in the library with an impatient child waiting for me I grabbed this off the must read display. I read it straight through. Actually, I want to read it again! What a great, feel good, squishy, happy ending, sweet book. St. Claire is totally swoon worthy. Grab this if looking for a nice summer read. I definitely will read her upcoming release Lola and the Boy Next Door (due in September 2011)

I give this 5 out of 5 stars

Review: Epic by Conor Kostick

Epic
By: Conor Kostick
Intended Age: YA
Hardcover: 320 pages
Published April 5th 2007 by Viking Juvenile
ISBN-10: 0670061794 (ISBN-13: 978-0670061792)
Series: Epic #1 

Synopsis: Generations ago, violence was banned on New Earth. Society is governed and conflicts are resolved in the arena of a fantasy computer game, Epic. Everyone plays. If you win, you have the chance to go to university, get more supplies for your community, and fulfill your dreams; if you lose, your life both in and out of the game is worth nothing.

When Erik, seeking revenge for the unjust treatment of his parents, dares to subvert the rules of Epic, he and his friends find themselves up against with the ultimate masters of the game: the Committee. If Erik and his friends win, they may have the key to destroying Epic’s tyranny over New Earth. But if they lose . . . -goodreads.com

I borrowed this book from the library.

So a friend told me last week I should to read this. Immediately it was on my radar. While perusing my local library last Sunday, there it was sitting out on the end of a table where someone conveniently left it for me to find. I now NEEDED to read this book! My interest was peaked.

So here I am. I am absolutely unaware of the world of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) but I easily slipped into the concept without a hitch. (and yes for those of you who know me I had to read a wiki article on MMORPG’s before writing this to know there was such a thing as MMORPG’s)

I expected this to be a book about the dangers of online gaming. While it is set in an online game, this book is about much more. This book raises a host of questions. How do we see ourselves from the outside? and privately to ourselves? Are they the same? What are our priorities and goals in life? Do we live our lives to achieve them? And most importantly, how much of who we are is in the things we think most people do not see? If Science Fiction/Dystopia is your thing this is a book for you, if it is not you should try it. You may be surprised.

Of course I want to know more of what happens in Erik’s world so I hope the second book in the series Saga(2008) is as easy to find as this one. The final book in the series Edda (2011) will be released August 4th.

Thanks Christina & Elizabeth for the recommendation.
I give this 4 out of 5 stars

High School Library Needs Books

 

 

 

From Danielle Bunner (Frenzy of Noise)

While I was in classes a few weeks ago, I had this huge (kinda funny to me) realization. All week everyone kept talking about community. Saying "this is the place you'll build a lifeline." All week I was that smug girl who's said to myself: I have that. Because I do have that. I have it in bloggers, in readers, in writers, in authors, in twitter. I know I have people. I know I'm part of a community that bans together to stand up for literary injustice, backlash, plagarism and everything in between. We build hashtags on twitter and give small ideas a way to be big. We're awesome.

That's why when the director of my MFA program sent us an email about a book drive, I knew I had to bring the need to my community. This community. Why? Well...

"The literature section of Ballou Senior High School's library in Washington, DC has 63 books, not enough to fill five small shelves. In the area marked "Pure Science," there are 77 volumes. The generally accepted standard for school libraries is 11 books for each of Ballou's 1,104 students."

THAT'S WHY.
It's completely unacceptable that a high school is lacking a basic need of life, a need that opens the doors to education, creativity and imagination---books. And this is the time for all of us to step up, to ban together, to help out. No matter what genre you read, because they need everything.

This selection I take out of the email from my program director because he says it better than I ever could.

"It's a challenge for kids to take their literacy seriously when they don't even have books to read. Ballou is located in the most dangerous ward in our nation's capitol. Right now, the library serves as a physical safe space and a refuge for students in off school hours, but wouldn't it be great if they had something to read while they were there--even choices across genre?....This is not the only school in the country with needs, but when the flare went up we saw it and chose to respond."

What they need:
Everything. From Shakespeare to Octavia Butler to Richard Wright. Fantasy, sci-fi, YA, adult fiction, history books, poetry, classic literature, science.

She said they would take anything as long as it is in GOOD condition and has no writing in it.

I've asked if they would accept ARCs, and the director of the book drive, Lisa, said YES.

How to donate:

If you have books you want to give, please mail them directly to:

Perry School
c/o Margaret Pegram
128 M St. NW suite 318
Washington, DC 20001

Inside the box put a note that says "c/o Lisa P. Ballou Book Drive".

The school will be accepting books until August 22nd.

Also, if you'd like to include some kind of quick note for the kids, words of encouragement, that would be awesome!!

Spread the word!

Reblog this post on your blog. Tweet this post. (we're on twitter at #HSBookDrive) Tell everyone. Send books.

This is a chance for our community to step up, to reach out and to provide teens with books. This is why we are here so I challenge you to be part of this.

Top Ten Books I Believe Teens Should be Required to Read

Top Ten Books I Believe Teens Should be Required to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

  

Here is my top ten list of books I think every teen should read. This list is obviously going to reflect my favorites. The beauty of this is we all have different essentials. This list was very hard to compile! Obviously, it is now Wednesday afternoon and I am posting my Top Ten Tuesday list.

When I say teens should be required to read these I mean they should read them before they are adults. I had several teachers who clearly did not like the books they were required to teach us in school. I truly believe this taints the reading experience tremendously! I was lucky to have a few teachers passionate about the books we had to read. I hope I can carry that passion for some of my favorites and pass it along to my child and reading friends! Here Goes!

(In No Particular Order)

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)– This is a great dystopian novel often dismissed as a children’s book. I think everyone should read this book.

2. Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins (2009 – 2010) – I wish more emphasis would be put on reading what you love! I loved this series and am happy that many teens were able to read my copies of this series because they wanted to! Yea for reading!

3. Night by Elie Wiesel (1982) - Some one gave me this book in high school and I mistook this thin book as an easy read. This book is about Elie Wiesel’s life in a Nazi Concentration camp. This is one of the most powerful books I have ever read! It personalized the holocaust, one period in history we never want to repeat!

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960) – I had to read this in school. I loved this book! The characters are amazing. Atticus Finch is one incredible man, I wish there were more Atticus’s in the real world than just on the pages of a book.

5. Paper Towns by John Green (2008) – I have enjoyed every book I have read by John Green and I have more on my TBR pile. There is language/situations in this book so I would suggest this for older teens. It was easy to root for Q on his quest to find Margo and ultimately himself.

6. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe (1845) – Frankly anything by Poe and more poetry. Lots and lots of poetry!

7. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813) – Because before Edward there was Mr. Darcy

8. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (1939) – Any one who knows me knows I could not make this list without Dame Agatha!

9. Short Stories – I love short stories! They are gems of words! You can read a short story… well very shortly! But often times the story sticks with you for a long time after.

Some of my favorites… The Monkeys Paw by WW Jacobs, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, The Gift of the Magi by O Henry, Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling, and anything by Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Saki, Mark Twain, HG Wells, HP Lovecraft.

10. Something funny! Everyone needs to laugh out loud.

Some of my favorites… A Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup, Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison, Here Lies the Librarian and the Teachers Funeral by Richard Peck. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis and A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

Hardcover, 487 pages

Published May 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books

ISBN 0062024027 (ISBN13: 9780062024022)

Synopsis: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance. – goodreads.com

I have always been a fan of dystopian fiction. After seeing this book hyped up in the blogosphere for some time now, I HAD to read it! Once I started this I literally could not put it down. The world created in Divergent is fascinating. To split society into singular traits really made me stop and think. This book is fast paced, violent and absolutely gripping. This book is about, choices, control, betrayal and loyalty. I cannot wait for Maggie to read this, there is so much to discuss. Which faction would you choose? Would you choose who you think you are supposed to be? Or would you choose to stay with what you know? I am afraid to say much more for fear I would ruin the story.

SOOOOO ya gotta read this!
I give this 5 out of 5 stars

PS. look for the next in the series Insurgent set to release in May 2012.