tiny pink books

Sorry folks (if there are any folks who read this blog!), I’ve been off having the busiest summer of my life. It’s been a few months of moving, getting married, traveling, and moving some more.  Despite the fact that I’ve been living out of a backpack for the past few months, I have been reading.  Here is my summer, in books:

This World We Live In

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The end of the world continues in the final (?) book of the Last Survivors trilogy.  The two companion books, Life As We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone, told the harrowing sagas of two, unrelated teens and their experiences of survival through catastrophic environmental changes after the moon is knocked off balance by an asteroid.  While I found the suburban story of 15-year-old Miranda in Life As We Knew It to be riveting, I was less than thrilled with the darker, more macho-fueled story of Alex leading his sisters through starvation in New York City in The Dead and the Gone.

As life becomes more and more complicated, both in terms of survival and emotions, our two leading characters finally meet in This World We Live In.  Love, chaos, and more disaster (as if these guys haven’t seen enough!) ensue.  The result is an entertaining, albeit slightly melodramatic, story that was worth reading, though maybe not worth putting at the top of the pile…

It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Jenny Han returns with a sequel that’s as breezy, romantic and summery as The Summer I Turned Pretty.  Like its predecessor, this is a beach book with plenty of depth that promises to keep the tears flowing.  The characters, places, and emotions are as realistic and lovely as ever.  Highly recommended!

Chosen, Untamed & Tempted

House of Night #3 Chosen, House of Night #4 Untamed & House of Night #5 Tempted by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

Perhaps it’s reflective of the chaotic past few months of my life, but I feel like the House of Night books are starting to blend together for me.  While they are just as addictive and readable as ever, I admit that the story is nothing we haven’t seen before.  It doesn’t matter though.  This is junk food for readers and I like it!

The Beach

The Beach by Alex Garland

I picked this up, appropriately, in a cheaply bond photocopy format from a vendor on the street in Vietnam.  A sort of Lord of the Flies for international backpackers, The Beach is the suspenseful tale of Richard, a British traveler who stumbles upon a map to a secret community of travelers hidden on a perfect beach in Thailand.  Of course, paradise comes at a price and this is an incredibly suspenseful psychological thriller–a heart stopping, stay up all night read!  Highly recommended for travelers and non-travlers alike!

Sidenote:
I have to stop and admit here that the 2000 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio was my first introduction to The Beach.  I saw the movie while I was in college, before I’d ever traveled anywhere outside of the US and I was captivated, even though the movie was quite poorly done.  Still, I think that movie might have helped spark the travel bug inside of me and certainly the scenery was somewhat responsible for my undying need to see Thailand for myself, a few years later. Stumbling into reading the book, years after seeing the movie, was wonderful!  The characters and the story are just so much richer and the suspense is downright harrowing in written form.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo & The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

I’m not much into mystery/crime novels, however, with the entire world frantically reading this series, it’s hard to avoid.  I finally turned through these while on vacation and, while I enjoyed them well enough, I’m not sure that I’ll pick up the final book.  I do see the appeal.  You’ve got your quirky, yet familiar, characters, your tightly written mystery

The Girl Who Played with Fire

drama, and, of course, your exotic Swedish local.  The result is an entertaining series with a memorable cast of characters and enough suspense to keep you turning pages to find out whodunit in the end.

I can’t say why, exactly, I’m not dying to read the final book…but I am perhaps the only person in the world who has the problem of falling asleep, almost instantaneously, upon opening these books.  Let’s just say that it takes me a long, long time to get through these.  Perhaps I’ve been feeding my brain too much chicklit teen junkfood to keep up with books for grownups anymore?

Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Finally, finally, finally the much anticipated final book to the Hunger Games Trilogy is here!  Mockingjay may not be as action packed as the first two books of the series, but it packs an emotional punch that cannot be denied.  Katniss Everdeen continues in her strugle for survival in the dreary, now war torn, near future.  With open war between the rebels and the Capitol, the love triangle between Katniss, Gale and Peeta grows more complicated and Katniss must once again face danger and drama to save herself, her family and her friends from certain doom.
I loved this book!  It’s slower, darker, and more bleak than the rest of the series and I wouldn’t have wanted to see things end any other way.  I don’t want to babble too much and give away the ending, but I am so amazed at the way Collins ended her series…I feel like Mockingjay wrapped up in such a pitch perfect ending, the pieces and emotional fallout that has been building through the series just fell so perfectly into place.  Loved it!

Tithe:  A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black

Tithe

Kaye is just your average goth teenage girl with a bad, rocker mother.  She skips school to work and support herself and her mother, she wears steel toed boots and, of yeah, she discovers that she has connections to the faerie world.  As she discovers her real place in the world, Kaye becomes involved in a struggle for power after an unbalace in the faerie courts.  There’s lots of complicated faerie world building, a hot faerie knight, and, of course, a human sidekick.  Not the best book that I ever read, but I certainly felt compelled to finish it.  My main annoyance with Tithe:  A Modern Faerie Tale is that it’s faerie world and characters just got too complicated for my tastes.  Dedicated urban fantasy readers might enjoy this one though.

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

Something dark and mysterious is brewing at the House of Night while Zoe attempts to establish herself in her new role as leader of the Dark Daughters.  We have mystery, drama, and more magical vampire powers revealed in this quick read.  Once again, the plot and characters follow predictably cliched patterns, but I’m not complaining because the books remain very fun to read!

Recommended to older teen and adult fans of Twilight and supernatural series books in general.

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.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Greenwillow Books, 2007

What if you found out you only had a year to live?  In Deadline, 18-year-old Ben Wolf discovers, at the start of his senior year, that he has a terminal disease that will likely kill him within a year.  Forgoing treatment with iffy promises, Wolf instead chooses not to tell his friends and family and decides to live a lifetime in his last year, challenging himself in sports, relationships and school.  Dying becomes more complicated, however, as Wolf’s relationships shift and change, making him engage with the world around him like he never has before.

What I liked about Deadline was that it was a fairly smart book that really captured a complex dilemma.  The concept of life and its meaning run very central to the plot and, written in a very honest, down to earth teenage boy perspective.  To top things off, Deadline has some of the best sports scenes that I’ve read in a long time.  Some of the football games were absolutely riveting…and that’s coming from someone who has never actually watched a full football game!

I listened to the audiobook version of Deadline, but I’d recommend the paper copy (nothing against the audio, I just think this type of book would have read better internally).

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2009
I picked up the audio version of this book without many expectations.  I’d heard about this book and something about the title and cover (perhaps the preppy east coast vibe) never really appealed.  I’m happy to report that my first impressions were completely wrong–The Summer I Turned Pretty is a lovely book!
Fifteen-year-old Belly has spent every summer at a beach house owned by her mother’s best friend Susannah.  Her “summer family” consists of her mother, her brother Steven, Susannah and Susannah’s two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah.  Full of memories, family drama and romance, this is the summer when everything changes.

What I loved about this book is that Han succeeded in creating the magical little world of the summer beach house.  It’s nostalgic and beautiful and really makes you think that you can feel the warm sunshine on your back while you read it.  Anyway, I’m not going to yammer on too much.  I will say that the audio version of this book was great.  I really think it helped connect me to a character and a world that I don’t have much in common with.  I felt like I really knew the characters and their world by the time I finished.  The sequel, It’s Not Summer Without You is out now and should be available in audio towards the end of July.

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 Gardner by S.A. Bodeen
Feiwel and Friends, 2010
Mason lives a small town in the Pacific Northwest with his hardworking, but troubled single mother.  The town is centered and run around a scientific research company.  Scarred at an early age from a dog attack, Mason is quiet and avoids being the center of attention, despite his linebacker size and stature.  Most of all, Mason likes helping others and being a hero.  It’s this hero complex that gets him involved in the rescue of a mysterious and beautiful girl from the nursing home where his mother works.  As Mason learns more about the girl, he discovers that the scientific lab running his town is connected to the girl, himself and his mother in strange and sinister ways.

I was a little disappointed in The Gardner and I almost feel guilty about it.  I picked up the ARC at a conference and was so excited because I absolutely loved Bodeen’s previous book, The Compound, as both a thriller and a YA book for boys.  The Gardner is definitely an interesting and original book, but I’m not sure that it has enough oomph to its plot to captivate teen readers.  The mystery plodded along and, while it did have cleverly paced action sequences throughout, the action and the conclusion just fell a bit short of gripping.  The character of Mason was appealing, although a bit predictable, but the girl character and romantic interest never really gets to develop a personality (to be fair, she is semi-comatose through much of the book-but that’s just the problem!).  As a result, the relationship between the two main characters felt forced.

Some things I did like, however, were the environmental message and the Pacific Northwest setting.  Both make The Gardner stand out.  The science fiction elements were well written and just realistic enough to be believable and just gross enough to be fun.  I’m sure there will be teens (and teen boys) who can enjoy this novel, but I don’t think it will have the same kind of appeal as The Compound.