tiny pink books

Marked by P.C. Cast
St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007.

I’ve avoided the House of Night series until just now, but I have to say that I’m hooked.  When Zoe is marked at her high school, it means and end to her life as a human.  She leaves her dysfunctional family to live at the House of Night, a sort of vampire boarding school where young fledgelings go to complete the change in their bodies, becoming vampires…or die.  We are introduced to a fun cast of vamp characters as Zoe makes friends, meets her teachers and mentors, and tried to find a place for herself.  Add to that some extra special magic vamp powers, mean girls style drama, sexy, but oh so wrong, bloodlust, and a hot new love interest and you’ve got yourself a fun, quick read that’s sure to have you picking up the next book.

What I liked about Marked is that it was a simple, easy read, but it moved quickly and maintained my interest, even while following cliche after cliche.  These are YA books, however, I think they are most suited to older teen and adult fans of Twilight.  Though the language is clean, it touches on subject matter a little too dirty for me to feel comfortable handing out to a tween (though if they find it themselves and are comfortable, more power to them!).

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner An Eclipse Novela by Stephenie Meyer
Little, Brown and Company, 2010

I admit it.  I just can’t get enough Stephenie Meyer!  I can’t even put my thumb on what it is about her writing that is so compelling, but put her books in my hands and I will read them.  Quickly.  That said, I cannot say that The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner was a particularly good example of her work.  Yes, it was highly readable (finished it in less than a day).  Yes, it was fun to read an alternate view of the big battle in Eclipse.  However, there was an overall clunky feel that made this feel like a tacked on, fanfic-esque project designed to bring in a little extra cash from the throngs of excited Twilight fans as the release date for the Eclipse film looms.

Bree Tanner’s fate is already known to any reader of the Twilight saga.  Born into an army of newborn vampires, Bree is trapped, by her coven and her leader, in a world where she must use her skills of observation to survive.  Unfortunately, even and she and her new friend, Diego, discover that their leader is keeping them thirsty, ignorant and under his thumb, they never manage to take control of the situation.  This is one of the critical problems with The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner-even though we are introduced to Bree and Diego as “the smart ones” of their group, they never seem to use any of their supposed intelligence!  The other major problem is that the relationship between Diego and Bree is forced, to an almost laughable degree.  The high drama, emotional kick of Meyer’s previous books is totally lacking here.  There is one interesting relationship in the book and that is the friendship that develops between Fred and Bree.

With all those complaints, do I regret reading the book?  No way.  The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a fun, satisfyingly fluffy read for any Twilight fan, despite its many flaws.  Read it online for free until July 5, 2010.

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Viking Juvenile, 2008

Another feel good winner from Sarah Dessen!

When Ruby finds herself abandoned by her alcoholic mother, she tries to make a go of it on her own before her estranged older sister steps in and whisks her to a quiet suburban life.  Unable to trust her new family or surroundings, Ruby fights against settling in.  She shuns potential friends and steadfastly attempts to stay independent, relying on no one but herself.  But as Ruby’s sister, her sister’s husband and her new neighbors come through for her again and again, Ruby grows more comfortable and confident in developing trusting relationships.

I loved this book.  Even though it’s one of the books where you can see where they plot is going from page 1, Ruby’s journey was so enjoyable that it was hard to put down.  Dessen has a knack for writing spot on characters and Lock and Key really showcases this talent here.  Recommended for teen and adult readers who want lots of character development with a happy ending.

The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2010

I was very excited about this sequel to last year’s chilling Forest of Hands and Teeth and was even more thrilled to see the audiobook version out so quickly.  Contrary to the buzz surrounding this book, I found it to be a slight disappointment.

Almost nothing like her mother, Mary (the protagonist of Forest of Hands and Teeth), Gabry lives happily within the barriers of her small, seaside town of Vista.  The barriers around Vista keep out the mudo–hordes of undead zombies that have overrun most of the world. Everything about Gabry’s life changes one night when she and her friends sneak over the barrier and are attacked by mudo.  Death, adventure, infection, love triangles and revelations of Gabry’s past follow in this muddled sequel.

I was bothered by the abundance of melodrama in this book.  The romance plot lines, in particular, were overly dramatic and felt forced.  I think the audio format enhanced this…it was almost unbearable at parts!  When there was action was where The Dead Tossed Waves shined.  Although I’d still highly recommend this book to fans of the Forest of Hands and Teeth (as well as other books in the genre), Dead Tossed Waves lacks the mystery, pacing and strong characters of Forest that made it so appealing.

Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2009

D.J. Schwank is back for the third and final (noooo!) chapter in the Dairy Queen series.  After facing football season and her brother’s injury in the last book, Front and Center is all about basketball season and high school for D.J.  She’s happy to be returning back to her normal life, but when college basketball coaches start recruiting for scholarships, super athlete D.J.’s life is turned upside down again as she is forced to get over her greatest fear.

This book was as tear jerkingly wonderful as the others in the series.  The audio version, just as with the rest of the series, is also spot on fantastic.  D.J. is so easy to relate to.  She’s even makes completely foreign to me things like football, the Midwest and dairy farming feel like home to me.  I think this is a great series for teen girls who want realistic fiction.  Open minded adults will love it too.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Random House, 2010

I’ve only read Aimee Bender’s short stories in the past, but they have always been a delight.  I picked up an ARC of this at a conference and was immediately attracted to the title.  Her newest novel, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, took a while to get into, but once I did, it was reading treat.  Whimsical and strange, this is a unique treat of a read for fans of magical realism and Bender’s previous work.

Set in modern (yet wonderfully timeless) Los Angeles, Lemon Cake is about Rose Edelstein, a girl who discovers that she can taste the in food.  She discovers her ability as a very young age, when she tastes her mother’s depression in a slice of home baked lemon cake.  Growing up with this inexplicable and often disturbing ability is difficult for Rose, who faces family drama, childhood friendships and, of course, her struggle with overly emotional food.

It took me a while to get into this book (I think mostly because Rose’s childhood voice is not very childlike), but once Rose grows up a little, I found myself charmed by the characters and the general oddness to the story.  Rose’s ability is not the only piece of magic in here-there’s a whole heap of weirdness in these pages for the willing reader.  This is a book that takes place more in your head than on the pages-not recommended for the realists who want plot twists and dramatic cliffhangers.  For those who like fairytales, whimsy and emotional drama, Bender’s writing is right on key-delivering heartbreak and strangeness with a tender lightness that is captivating and completely engrossing.

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
Scribner, 2005

I Heart This Book!
The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeanette Walls, is one of the best books I’ve read in years. Telling the story of her childhood, Walls shares her story of growing up with two ultimately loving, but dangerously eccentric parents leading the family down an extremely unconventional path. Walls’s knack for detail and character make the stories and characters so vivid and lifelike that The Glass Castle is impossible to put down. Despite the neglect and suffering that Walls and her siblings are put through, she tells the story without judgment and, ultimately, with a heartbreaking undertone of love

Who Will Like This?
Tear jerking at times, inspiring, hilariously offbeat and absolutely fascinating to read, this is a book that just about anyone will enjoy. Although it isn’t a book specifically published for YA, I’ve found that young adults, especially girls, love this book as much as I do. I know this title has been around for a while, but I just can’t stop recommending it to friends and family.

(I listened to the audio version and recommend it!)

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
HarperCollins 2010

Groundhog Day:  The High School Version
Imagine if you had to relive the same day, the day you died, over and over again.  Before I Fall is about the day that Samantha Kingston dies and the second chances she has to make that day turn out right. Sam is one of the most popular girls at her high school. Best friends with the coolest (and meanest) girl in school, Sam and her clique rule the halls with cruelty and disregard for anyone but themselves.  But then there’s an accident and Sam finds herself stuck in a repeating limbo of her final day alive.  She begins to see new details about her friends, her classmates and herself as she repeats her day.  Sam has chance after chance to pull together the pieces of a single day and try to make them right.

A Seriously Good Read
Really, it has everything I like in a book–high quality writing with a spot on pace, flawed characters that are easy to relate to and a bit of magic in its premise.  It might sound a little boring to read the same, typical Friday at high school again and again, but every day, Sam’s choices create a totally different plot, making this a riveting read.  My favorite thing about Before I Fall is the character of Sam.  She’s not perfect…in fact, she’s a pretty bad person  She may not be the head mean girl at school, but she is a blind follower of the mean girl, which is worse in some ways.  Reading her story, as she tries not just to redeem herself, but to understand how her actions (or inactions) affect others is fascinating.

The Final Word
A little dark and twisted, Before I Fall is gripping-I guarantee that you’ll be scrambling to stay up late to finish this book.  This is a YA book, but it will have crossover appeal for you grownups out there too!

Sweet Little Lies (LA Candy Book #2) by Lauren Conrad
Harper Collins, 2010

Hello guilty pleasures! Sweet Little Lies, MTV’s reality TV starlet Lauren Conrad’s second novel, is so bad, it’s good.  Following more reality TV adventures of girl next door sweetheart Jane Roberts and her cast of generic friends, Sweet Little Lies mostly focuses on the tabloid gossip drama that Jane faces after her reality television show hits it big.  The writing is formulaic and efficient.  The characters are about as cookie cutter as possible. It’s not high art, but my attention never strayed as I read this entertaining fluff.

These are quick books with plots so thin that they can be insulting to your intelligence.  You shouldn’t like it, but you do (if you’re me, anyway).  Obviously, if you’re seeking depth, go elsewhere for your reading pleasure.

Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine
First published in 1932

Reading this book is like taking a personal journey to the end of night.  A hard book to sell to the average reader, this is a bleak, semi-autobiographical work tells the long, dark and unhappy life of Ferdinand Bardamu.  An epic book, feeling even longer than its 462 pages should, Bardamu travels through World War I, to the colonies of Africa, to America and into the poor suburbs of Paris, as a somewhat shady doctor.  Seriously, there are so many journeys in here that it’s like reading five books in one!  Along the way, Bardamu contemplates the ever present inevitability of death and his complete disgust for humanity.  Sound fun?  The thing is, Journey to the End of the Night is hilarious in a sick way.  Celine also paints an incredibly vivid picture with his words that Journey, for me anyway, is more like a life experience than a book.

As for my journey–it took me 10 years to complete it!  I picked up this sunny charmer in high school (probably off the shelves of my intellectual then boyfriend) and the challenge and read it until I was merely 30 or 40 pages from the end…and then I lost the book.  Ten years later (aka, last month), I snatched it up in used bookshop, reread it and finally finished it with glee!  I feel like if books were races, this would be my marathon!

So if I haven’t made it clear yet, I recommend this book to intellectual, sarcastic and bitter high school students and other readers who can appreciate an amazingly written, yet meandering book filled with more depravity, disgust and musings on the brutality of life and death than you can shake a stick at.  I would not recommend this book for reluctant readers or people looking for something short, sweet or sunny.