Special Guest Blogger Reviews "Falling Kingdoms"

Let me say that Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Roads is one of the most fascinating books that I have ever read. Falling Kingdoms has so many perspectives; there is Jonas, who is enraged at any injustice such as his brother’s murder and or Princess Cleo, who lives in royalty and likes peace. In this book, there is rich and food living Auranos, poor Palesia, and mean and bloody Lumeros. The plot of this book is that Lumeros and Palesia are jealous of Auranos, so they engage in war and overtake Auranos. I think the author was trying to tell people who read this book that jealousy can lead to bad things. I bet that if you read this book, you will not want to put it down.

I think overall this book was really good and I give it 4 ¾ stars out of 5!

Matthew is 11 years old

Teen Guest Blogger Reviews "Tiger Lily"

In continuation of our Teen Blogger series, 13 year old Maggie reviews Jodi Lynn Anderson's new novel Tiger Lily.

Tiger Lily was something of a magical book. I was immediately captivated just by looking at the front and back covers, but as I quickly began the first chapter, my interest for the story diminished with every page. It wasn’t for poor character development, or boring plot, or cheesy writing, it was more a lack of all three. The first quarter of the book simply was too slow, and with each page I read, it felt like I was trudging through an endless stretch of thigh-high mud.

 And then, right around page eighty, something peculiar happened. Almost like a bursting dam, everything that makes a story amazing came out of nowhere. Intriguing characters, fascinating plot, romance, adventure, wit, wisdom, and the pure delight of a good book exploded onto the pages and suddenly I had my nose to the paper, soaking up every word as if they would disappear in seconds. I read and reread paragraphs that I loved, laughed out loud at the bumbling and goofy Lost Boys, smiled at the young Sky Eaters, and let my heart devour Peter and Tiger Lily’s romance. When I figured I should take a break from reading, I closed it up and put it down for about five seconds, and then I felt like I had let the book down, like if I had a minute or two more to read, why shouldn’t I?

I ended up reading around two hundred pages in one night, just because of that theory. And once I closed its magical pages for good, I lay in bed, unable to go to sleep because certain lines, twists, and tidbits from Tiger Lily floated around in my head, never going to let go. Tiger Lily might’ve not won me over at first, but I know now that sometimes you have to dig a little deeper than normal to find the gems you want. Jodi Lynn Anderson has crafted a fantastic novel for fans of Peter Pan and a good book alike, and it is certainly destined to become a star.

“If You Like This…” Vol. 2: Children’s Summer Edition

Last month the Warwick’s staff gave readers an “If You Like This…” suggestion list and we had such a positive response that we have decided to try and make it a regular series. As school gets out more and more parents having been wandering around our children’s book section looking for that perfect book for their kids. Whether it’s for a long drive, flight, or just to keep them away from the television, parents are spending more and more time looking for summer books. So, this month’s edition of “If You Like This…” is dedicated to our younger readers.

Middle Readers:

If you like Jeanne Birdsall’s Penderwicks series…

Try Summer at Forsaken Lake by Michael D. Beil. This is a book that perfectly captures the summer adventures of young children. The book, like the Penderwicks series is humorous with just enough mystery to enthrall readers. A great summer read for kids’ ages 8-11.

If you like Inkheart by Cornelia Funke…

Storybound by Marissa Burt is a great book to pick up. Storybound follows a 12-year-old orphan girl, Una, who magically gets sucked into the mysterious Land of Story, a place where everyone is a type of storybook character; heroes, villains, sorcerers, princesses; all training to become part of their own stories. Only, what is young Una doing there and who wrote her into this magical land? A fun book, with great adventure, magic, and dastardly villain, Storybound is a sure hit.

If you like Wonder by R.J. Palacio…

Wonder is a book that the Warwick’s staff just can’t stop talking about and now our readers are right on board with our staff. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine is just the right book to follow Wonder. Mockingbird is told from the prospective of 10-year-old Caitlin who has Asperger’s Syndrome and must deal with the death of her older brother and protector Devon. Like Wonder, Mockingbird deals with the issues of special needs children, family life, and fitting into a school when you are different. A great book for parents and kids to read together and discuss.

Teens:

If you like I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith…

Like a little visit to the past? Try Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl. Much like the beloved I Capture the Castle, this book rests upon the shoulders of a young heroine, bearing the burden of her family as they live in genteel poverty. While Kindl’s book takes readers to 19th-century England (as opposed to the 20th-century), it’s pacing and characters have the same charm as Dodie Smith’s, creating a funny, romantic, and engaging new story.

If you love books like Eon by Alison Goodman or the Eragon series by Christopher Paolini…

For magic, adventure, dragons, and hidden identities pick-up the newly released Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. This wonderful new book is the perfect tale for readers who enjoy Eon and Eragon, but don’t want to necessarily delve full on into paranormal. For the slightly older teen looking for the same qualities, but with a touch of romance, and even more danger look at the Firelight series by Sophie Jordan. A good series, this is definitely aimed more at the crowd who has enjoyed books like Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver or other Twilight-esque reads, while staying with the dragon theme.



If you like If I Stay by Gayle Forman or Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher…

John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, a heart-breaking story of young love, loss, and life is for you. It perfectly creates three-dimensional characters that deal with the tragedies of their lives in different ways. Readers that enjoy more poignant stories that deal with real life issues and don’t hold anything back will find a goldmine in the pages of this book.

If you like…a quick guide…

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg: Read The Sixty-Eight Rooms series by Marianne Malone

Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series: Try Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey books

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater: Check out the Raised by Wolves series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books: Look at Heather Brewer’s The Legacy of Tril: Soulbound

Don’t see something that appeals to your specific tastes here? That’s fine; our Children’s Booksellers are the best in the business and love talking about some of the great new (and not so new) books available for kids and teens. So feel free to stop by and ask away, we can’t wait to hear from you!

Guest Blogger: A Young Reader Reviews "Monument 14"

Every so often we are able to get kids and teens from our community to read new books and give us feedback. This week, Matthew, an 11-year-old reader, gives us his take on the newly released teen book Monument 14.

Monument 14 is a fantastic book. The story is based in the 2020’s, but unlike most books that are in the future, the world of Monument 14 is fairly similar to 2012, except that they have upgraded iPads called “Big Tabs”. In this book, Dean is just a regular high school kid who has a ridiculous crush on senior Astrid, the popular girl. On the way to school, a 10-foot long piece of hail cracks the bus windshield, which is just the beginning of a giant hailstorm. Following that hailstorm, a chemical spill and a mega tsunami hit. This leads to fourteen kids, some who are 18 and some as young as 6, taking shelter in a superstore.

This book teaches you teamwork and how to work together. It makes you feel several emotions in different parts of the story, such as anger or sorrow. Now, in this book you might find whining Chloe, or brave and courageous Niko, but you will never find two characters the same. The author, Emmy Laybourne expresses each character’s personality very well and detailed—like how Jake is the “dumb jock” and likes silly things, and hates to lose at anything. I think Emmy wrote Monument 14 very well, and she has also made it feel as though you are Dean, living the same experiences as he is. Overall, this book was very well written and it blew my mind. So, thank you Emmy Laybourne.

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne is currently available in the Warwick's Young Adult section and on our website: www.warwicks.com.

Matthew, an avid reader, is a 5th grader at Stella Maris Academy

Lost in Persuasion

I’m about to say something that is sacrilegious to many readers. I am not a big Jane Austen fan. Go ahead and gasp, throw something, or think belittling thoughts about me and my reading preferences, but I’m just not. People who know me are probably shocked by this statement, most likely because I own every Jane Austen novel—sometimes multiple copies (Pride & Prejudice), but that’s mostly due to gifts, inheritance, and an odd feeling that every bibliophile is required to own them (also they tend to be pretty). The thing is, I like the stories, the characters, the witty banter, but I tend to tune out during the prose—you see, I prefer the movies. Go ahead and curse me again, I understand. I love the screen versions of Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park, but I just can’t extend that love to their written forms. I’m not saying I hate the books, far from it; I just don’t love them as other readers do. That being said, for some reason I have always been drawn to Persuasion and most particularly to the books that try to reimagine that narrative. For some reason I am utterly drawn to that tale. I don’t know if it’s the slight tang of melodrama that reels me in, the love-loss story of Ann Elliot and Captain Wentworth, or just a connection with Ann on some subconscious level, that draws me in every time. Whatever the reason, be it psychological on my part, or that it is entertaining for me on a level the other novels cannot attain to, I can’t get enough of Persuasion. 

In that vein, I have, over the last several years, found some reimaginings of this novel that have brought me great enjoyment. One is The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz, a contemporary look at the tale that takes place in the literary world between the daughter of the founders of an impoverished, yet famous foundation established to help budding writers and an author, once spurned for his lowly station—who is now highly successful. The perfect mix of comic and tragic, this modern romance is a wonderful blend of “chick-lit” and Austen homage.

Another, a teen-aimed retelling with a post-apocalyptic style twist, For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (release date 6/12/12) is a fun reintroduction to Ann and Wentworth’s love story. Set in a distant future, where the destruction of scientists’ genetic engineering has rendered many of the population into “Reduced”—people with severe mental handicaps, “Luddites” now rule what is left of the world, living as though it were once again the 19th century. Elliot North, the daughter of an esteemed Luddite family falls in love with Kai, a “Post”—descendant of the “Reduced”—lacking any of the malformations of his ancestors, but refuses to run away with him for the sake of saving her ancestral estate and those people who are dependant upon it for life. When years later an impoverished Elliot is forced to take on Post borders, she finds herself once again in Kai’s presence, but now he is the prosperous and famous Captain Malakai Wentworth, filled with a heart-wrenching loathing for Elliot and her past decisions. Despite the post-apocalyptic theme, this book is remarkably true to Austen’s original narrative. She faithfully recreates Ann, her struggles, her narcissistic family, and her seemingly unreciprocated love for Wentworth in the characters of Elliot and Kai. Author Diana Peterfreund was able to evoke in me the same feelings of frustration with (Kai) Wentworth’s actions and his persecution of (Elliot) Ann’s actions. I cursed Kai, and wept for a despondent Elliot, wanted her family packed off to Timbuktu, and hoped for a dramatic reconciliation (although, it was never really in doubt). All the things that drew me to Persuasion I found alive within this book. The addition of futuristic science was also interesting and innovative, recreating the past within a new world, while holding onto the essence of Austen’s original plot. Despite the horrid title—I consistently mess up the title when talking about this book to people, because it is just too convoluted, regardless of it’s underlying meaning to the story—I found myself being drawn in just as much as I was with Austen.

So, while I still stumble through the works of Austen, hoping to someday catch the fever that enthralls so many, I will remain on the outside looking in on enthusiastic readers. Who knows, maybe there is hope for Jane and me in forthcoming years, but for the time being I will hold tightly to my enjoyment of Persuasion and it’s many reincarnations. For now, I will be happy with the newest, For Darkness Shows the Stars, will revisit The Family Fortune, and await whatever the literary world throws at me in the future.

*Just a note: After this blog was written (we write the reviews right after we read them and then schedule the blog for the book's release date) the Los Angeles Times selected For Darkness Shows the Stars as one of it's summer reads for 2012. Check it out here.

"The Selection"—read it before you see it.

Before it gets sucked into the land of CW and it’s array of paranormal dramas and general teen fodder, I wanted to mention The Selection, the first book in what looks to be a promising new series by relative newcomer Kiera Cass. Set in a distant future where many Wars have eliminated the United States as a high powered democracy turning it into a new country, broken into eight very specific casts and ruled by a monarchy, The Selection follows seventeen-year-old America Singer as she is thrown into an situation that will propel her from life as a lower middle class artist, to the tops of the aristocracy.

The Selection, for which the book is named, is essentially a “Bachelor-esque” contest in which 35 girls, one from each district (slightly reminiscent in concept to The Hunger Games) are brought to their ruler’s palace to compete for the hand of their Prince, Maxon. Selected, America must leave her family and love interest behind as she is thrown into a world of wealth, war, and cutthroat feminine sabotage—all for the sake of a royal marriage and cast climbing. Did I mention that this is all done as a mandatory-to-watch, nationally televised show?

 At first glance The Selection really just seems like the authors attempt to cash in on the popular dystopic trend, while adding a touch of reality television, another, albeit more obnoxious trend, but in actuality Kiera Cass manages to elevate the text above that nonsense, creating an interesting group of characters with much more at stake than receiving that (in Bachelor terms) final rose. America, Maxon, and the other teens thrown into this situation have depths and motivations beyond their 15 minutes of fame—they seek food and pay for their families who live paycheck to paycheck, they seek companionship, and in the case of Maxon—they seek someone to share the burdens of a country, and care about what happens beneath those glitzy false public images. Now, don’t get me wrong, this book is not a work of art, but there is more to it than meets the eye, and it’s entertaining without being mind numbing.

In the fall, we could very well be seeing a pilot episode of this new book on the CW, a station that has taken teen books such as Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, and turned them into popular television shows with rabid followings. While, the studio has brought up book sales, and actually, in the case of The Vampire Diaries, turned an ok book into an entertaining show, it is always possible that what is great about The Selection could be destroyed in it’s translation to television. So, my suggestion is to read the book now, enjoy it for what it is, prepare for the next in the trilogy, and in the fall, take a peak at the pilot. If it’s good, great—if not, well at least you have a fun book under your belt with just the right amount of romance and intrigue.

Not Another "Dystopic"--Okay, Maybe One More

As everyone knows, The Hunger Games comes to the theaters today (well, technically at 12:01 this morning) and it’s almost all anyone can talk about. I can’t blame the world, I’m right up there with everyone else and right after work I will in line with the masses to partake in this pop-culture phenomenon. As regular readers of The Warwick’s Blog know I have a slight penchant for dystopic stories. Well, maybe more than slight. I tend to devote a lot of blog and recommendation time to this genre, so recently I have made a concerted effort to specifically mention many of the non-genre books I read that are equally as fantastic and close to my heart. Because of this attempt to diversify my review writing I have mistakenly let a really captivating and rather innovative book go by the wayside. So, in honor of The Hunger Games movie release, I am courteously and briefly going to suck readers back into my obsession with post-apocalyptic/dystopic fiction.

Pure by Julianna Baggott has been available for the past couple of months, and thanks to my misguided attempts to diversify, has gone largely unnoticed here in the Warwick’s Young Adult section. Pure is yet another of those post-apocalyptic books where society has been split apart by war (in this book, the Detonations), with some members of the population secluded within a rigidly controlled, sterile environment and others, outside, starving in what remains of a world that no longer really exists. While this is not an unfamiliar premise in the least, what sets apart Pure from the other novels of similar vein is fusing. Those who live on the outside under an autocratic rule, with little food, and much fear are fused; meaning that during the Detonations (nuclear strikes), some were horribly scarred and disfigured, and others became fused with the environment surrounding them. Mothers became fused with their children—children who are never capable of physically growing, forever tied to their mothers arms, one boy has a flock of birds fused to his back, another is forever fused with the desert floor to become a monster of the worst and most frightening proportions, and our heroine, Pressia has a hand fused to a baby doll—its blinking eyes forever attached to what was once a hand. It is only those within the domed autocratic society that are unmaimed, or rather, “pure”. When Partridge, a pure with the highest of lineages, escapes the confines of the domed society in an effort to find the truth of his brother’s suicide and his father’s machinations, he discovers Pressia and her world of survivors. It is there that the two, along with an unlikely band of fused, uncover a plot and connections between Partridge and Pressia that take them all into a danger beyond their wildest imaginings.

What seems at first glance to be an absurd plot with a concept that could easily become cheesy and idiotic, is in actuality a brilliant use of imagination. The fusing is described in such a way that it actually makes sense from a scientific angle (at least for a layperson), and the fuses themselves—whether they are alive, like the children or birds, or inanimate like Pressia’s doll head—are almost characters in themselves, as Baggott makes clever use of them throughout this first book in, what is to be a series. It’s actually amazing how such a seemingly odd, and possibly ruinous plot point ends up “making” the story and when genetic manipulation, paramilitary groups, authoritarianism , and revolution are thrown into the mix, readers can’t help but become engrossed.

I won’t say that if you read one genre book this year, Pure is the one to read—there are too many well-written vehicles out or about to be released, but I will say, that should you choose to partake, Pure is one to give more than a second glance to.

For a bit of entertainment, check out the book trailer below.

Teen Guest Blogger Reviews Jenny Valentine's "Double"

Double is an amazing story about a 16 year old boy named Chap, who’s life changes when he decides to take on a life that’s not his own. He takes the place of a boy who was believed missing for two years and expects Cassiel - the boy he’s replacing – to have the perfect friends and family he’s always dreamed of. While Chap is living Cassiel’s life to the fullest (or so he thinks) he starts to learn things about Cassiel’s actual disappearance & finds something horrifyingly shocking about it.

I thought this book was interesting from beginning to end. I couldn’t put it down; it was like watching a mystery unravel itself right in front of you. So detailed and specific. So good that if they made a movie out of this book you would be pretty mad if it wasn’t as good as when you read this book. I thought that how the story was letting you learn about Chap’s past while knowing what was going on at the moment, was like if you were learning more about Chap as you kept reading. I honestly have to say that this is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. I love the story considering that it ended the way a movie would have. The ending was unexpected which is what you look for in a book when you’re reading.

This book was reviewed by Esmeralda, a young student at Audubon K-8.

A Warwick's Teen Blogger Reviews "The Sweetest Thing"

Jeremiah, a teen blogger for Warwick's, takes a look at debut author Christina Mandelski's novel
The Sweetest Thing, a story about Sheridan, a cake decorating teen learning to deal with family drama and boy-trouble.

The Sweetest Thing wasn’t at all what I expected it to be. My first thoughts on this book were cheesy and unrealistic; as I continued to read the book, however, I started liking it. The Sweetest Thing was much deeper: divorce, change, counting on people, moving forward with life, and knowing you hurt someone precious to you. Those are the things that made this book feel real. I loved the way Mandelski wrote the novel. It was sarcastic, showed what was going on in the chapters, and it helped me understand the protagonist’s feelings and thoughts.

I do have to admit to having a few issues with the main character, Sheridan. I felt she was too easy to predict and a little annoying. IShe acted like a little brat because she couldn’t accept that her mom left. Her dad says,”….There isn’t a minute that goes by that I don’t think about what she put you through and what I can do to make up for it.” His voice shakes and his eyes are glassy. The anger in me is now oozing out of every pore. My chin is up. My eyes are set, my voice even. “….You are wrong about her.” She doesn’t even have the conscience to pity her own dad and admit he is right. I also felt her to be stubborn; when people tried helping her understand she had much more talent than she knew, she would not believe in it or more specifically in herself. “….Thankfully, we don’t become exactly what our parents are; we have gifts of our own to develop and explore.” Father Crowley kindly told her this; however, she took this as an insult to her mom, which I found to be immature, but realize it was used to show her later growth as a character.

Despite my eventual enjoyment of the book it was not without flaw.  I thought there were too many problems for the Sheridan to deal with, from finding her mom, to having a boyfriend, or her dad not giving her the time of day. It was a lttile too much drama for one book. I also found the general concept to be typical, considering Sheridan was the “not very social, stay at home” kind of girl, her guy best friend liked her, and the popular guy suddenly becomes interested in her, but those flaws could be overlooked when seeing the creativity of the author.

Not to spoil the plot, but I liked the ending of the book because it teaches readers to forgive and move forward towards the future. At the end, she wrote: “I give the cake another look, not sure I should trust what I’ve just heard. But I look around the room, at my friends and family, and I know the cake is perfect just the way it is. So I let go. Finally.” The ending had me at no surprise (which is why I will quote from it here), yet I felt like a happy ending and a new adventure sufficed for the closure of this particular book. It was a “sweet” ending.

A Teen's Look at Anna Carey's "Eve"

For awhile now we've been fortunate to have some young readers read and review new books for our WarwicksKids book section. Now joining the ranks of Warwick's reviewers is a cache of wonderful teen readers whose reviews you can expect to see from time to time on this blog, or more regularly on our Children's Corner webpage. Today, our reviewer is Jeremiah S., and he takes a quick look at Eve by Anna Carey, a new dystopic novel, that upon reading brings to mind works like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, and Sheri S. Tepper's The Gate to Women's Country, as it follows Eve, a prize student who must escape the confines of the school she once loved, when she realizes the dark and frightening truths hidden within it's depths.

Here is what Jeremiah had to say:

Eve by Anna Carey is not a personal favorite. As Eve [raised by and in an all girls boarding school] explores the outside world, she learns to love and trust, even if all her life she has been taught men are manipulative, conniving, and dangerous. The author could have written more about the main character’s thoughts and feelings. [At one point] in the book, she wrote: "We sat there, hand in hand, scanning the horizon. “That’s it,” I said, pointing to the red bridge less than a mile in front of us, stretching over the vast expanse of blue. “The bridge to Califia.”" She could have added how happy Eve became, seeing that bridge, with hopes of a new and better life alongside [her new found love] Caleb. I thought each scene proceeded very slowly, as if she was drifting on the scene and didn’t know how to end it properly. The chapters weren’t ended very well, in my opinion. I do, however, think the book itself ended appropriately and it made me feel that Caleb was truly going to come back for Eve. As for the protagonist, Eve, she was created well. At times, she seemed weak and vulnerable because of her lack of knowledge with the different types of people, yet there were also moments where she proved herself strong. This book was a love-hate relationship, yet I know someone will find this book amazing. Surprisingly, I can’t wait to possibly read the next two books in this trilogy.

 

Having also read the book in mention, I have to agree with the observations of Jeremiah. The book at first, really does have the feel of the works of Tepper and Atwood, as mentioned in the introduction, but it falls a bit short, with choppy dialogue and a general feeling of unfulfillment for the reader. That being said, I continued to read, as opposed to tossing the book across the room (which I've been known to do), so Carey had enough to draw me in, but not enough to keep me from wandering a bit in the process. I, like Jeremiah, am oddly interested in the sequels, and as the next in the trilogy Once, has just come across my desk, Jeremiah and I will both have a chance to see if and how this series further develops and matures as it's universe is expanded by new characters and settings. I can only hope that this new trilogy is able to leap off its edge of mediocrity and find its way to fulfilling the flashes of promise shown in Eve.

Reviewed by Jeremiah S. and Heather Christman

Heather's Young Adult Reading List

During this time of year we get all sorts of “help” requests—“help me find a book for my history loving father”, “I need a book about cute pigs for my sister”, “what’s the newest and best thriller for my husband”—you get the drift. Lately, possibly because of the location of my office, the most common question I’ve been hearing is regarding books for teenagers, namely, “what book do I get for my teenager for the holidays”. So, parents, aunts, uncles, friends, and grandparents—here’s your heads-up, a list of some of the newer and better teen* reads out there.

For lovers of The Hunger Games and all things dystopic:

Legend by Marie Lu: You can’t put this one down. It’s one of the few teen reads that has captivated readers of different genres. Dystopic, with alternating boy and girl chapters, this is fast paced and addictive. A must read.

Crossed by Ally Condie: This sequel to Matched still has the romance of its predecessor, but is equally filled with action and adventure. Its cliffhanger style ending is a little frustrating, but it is the middle book of a trilogy, so it goes with the territory. Solid series read.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis: Dystopia in space—that ought to draw you in alone! New in paperback, this is an interesting story revolving around a ship carrying frozen personnel as well as generations of ship workers, destined for a new Earth. Chaos begins when the lone teen boy on board awakes one of the frozen. The sequel, A Million Suns, arrives in January and is just as intriguing.

For those who dig zombies, creepy schools, and a touch of fantasy:

Dearly Departed by Lia Habel: Zombie armies, underground cities, and a modern America turned Victorian, all make for one heck of a surprising read. Don’t let the cover fool you on this one; it’s chapters alternate between multiple characters—boys, girls, army generals, and scientists—it’s for anyone who enjoys a good science fiction mystery (with a skosh of romance). Entertaining and original Dearly Departed is a definite pleaser.

Variant by Robison Wells: What do you do at a mysterious academy that’s surrounded by wire fences, monitored by video cameras, and ruled by three very specific cliques—trust no one! A great mystery with a slight sci-fi twist, Variant is the perfect guy read (girls will enjoy too) this holiday season.

Mastiff by Tamora Pierce: The last in the Beka Cooper series, Mastiff is a fun action-adventure fantasy. The series is a nice prequel to her other Tortall books, and Mastiff does a fantastic job of sucking you in—such a good job in fact that it led me to reread all of the other Tortall books upon finishing (that’s 14 books, 15 if you count the short stories).

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater: With the Shiver trilogy under her belt you can guarantee that Maggie Stiefvater will take a myth and turn it on it’s head in a remarkable way. In The Scorpio Races she takes the kelpie myth and turns it into a beautifully written story that follows a boy and a girl as they prepare for the gruesomely difficult Scorpio Race, a race that is stalked by death. This is an unusual tale, gripping for guys and girls, and very satisfying.

The one non-paranormal/dystopic/fantasy etc. on my list:

The Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John: New in paperback, this is a great all around teen read. It centers on Piper, a young deaf teen who takes up the challenge of managing a band. Filled with fantastic music references, a touch of romance, and enough angst to satisfy fans of Sarah Dessen and Deb Caletti, Five Flavors of Dumb, is a solid and engaging read for young adults.

Hopefully this list gives you some ideas for the holiday season; of course we have many fabulous booksellers who are filled with far more recommends than I could possibly list here. So, come in and talk to them, I promise you will learn about some amazing books.

*or the adult reader who just enjoys good fiction (hey, I’m one of them)