Slam by Nick Hornby

I love pretty much all of Nick Horby's books. If you haven't read him before try High Fidelity, About a Boy, How to be Good and this one, Slam. Set in England this this book is about Sam. Sam loves skating (skateboarding) and is into girls, particularly this girl Alicia. As is apparent from the cover of the paperback, Sam and Alicia have sex and Alicia gets pregnant. That's where the whole "this is a book about teen pregnancy" goes out the window because Sam sort of gets whisked into the future. He has no idea what is going on which makes his forays into fatherhood that much more hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time. Despite the sci-fi aspects of the time-travel, this book is always realistic especially the dialogue, the gravity of the situation that Alicia and Sam find themselves in and the fights they have. Nothing is simple, including the relationship A and S have with their families. So, a book about relationship, true to life, with sex, love, and skating. And an occasional appearance from Tony Hawk.

East by Edith Pattou

This book was recommended to me by a wonderful teenager who loved the book. She read some of it to us at a lock-in and I've been meaning to read it ever since. I finally got around to reading it and it was well worth it.

This is a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story. However, you don't need to know that at all to appreciate the craft and creativity that Edith Pattou has poured into this book. Told from multiple viewpoints the author has given us a gem that is fantasy but reads like historical fiction or even fairy tale. Magic and beauty abounds and mature readers of Harry Potter books will love this one.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

You probably don't remember this at all, but when the movie Forrest Gump came out it was hyped up to be the best movie basically of all time. I didn't see it in the movie theatres. I assumed that it couldn't be as good as all that and I wasn't going to waste my money. I let all my friends and my entire family go see it before I did because I've got a stubborn streak. I knew it couldn't be that good and guess what? It was! I cried the first time I saw it and I wasted no time jumping on the "I can quote every line in Forrest Gump" bandwagon. It is seldom that such a treat happens. This book is one of those treats. Believe the hype. Check this book out. Set aside some time. Get an apple and a glass of milk and dive in. You will love this book. It's about Nazi Germany during World War II. It's narrated by Death and it tells the story of Liesel Meminger...the one and only Book Thief. -Till next time! Suzanne

Between Mom and Jo

Nick Tyler has what he consideres to be a very normal life. He loves aquariums, paint ball, and cooking, and...by the way...he has two moms. Well he did. This book takes the reader on a journey through Nick's flashbacks and gives us a very clear picture of the events leading up to Nick's life changing decision at the end of the book (which I'm not going to tell you!). Living with two lesbian parents is hard enough but when one of them comes down with breast cancer and the other one is an alcoholic things get a little bit shaky to say the least. I loved this book. I had to deal with a divorce when I was twelve. I have a friend whose mom is a recovering alcoholic. My best friend had to deal with both her parents having different kinds of cancer at the same time (they both recovered). I know you all have similar issues you deal with every day. Reading Nick's experiences gave me another picture of a complex life that it was very easy to sympathize with. Read it! -Till next time! Suzanne

Open Ice by Pat Hughes

Nicky Taglio has been a hockey star most of his life, but a slew of serious injuries has caused his doctors and his parents to insist that Nicky never play hockey again. Nicky has other plans...after all, his entire life is hockey! There is no way he's going to give up hockey. But. The headaches don't stop. Confusion sets in. Nicky can't seem to get through a day without an asprin and an ice pack even weeks after his concussion. Then there's Devin...Nicky's girlfriend. Why is she being so distant? Could it be that she was only dating him because he was a hockey star? Could she be that shallow? Could he? This is a great book for anyone who likes sports or books about relationships. I'd recommend it to pretty much anyone! -Till next time! Suzanne

Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot

Mia is such a riot. If you're looking for some light summer reads full of pop culture references (Princess in Training talks about both the O.C. and Sailor Moon) then you will LOVE the Princess Diaries Series. I just finished listening to number VII on CD and was gripped by Mia's snail issue, the issue of her boyfriend wanting to DO IT, and the fact that her best friend constantly calls her a "baby-licker." Speaking from one baby-licker to another (you absolutely don't know how cute my niece is...I LOVE HER!), You Rock, Mia! Until next time - Suzanne

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

Oh, ladies. We all go through times in our lives when we DO NOT want to look in a mirror. We have Fat Days. We have Fat Pants. And the funny thing is, it doesn't matter if we are Super Models or just your average Joe, or in this case, Josephine. EVERY WOMAN I KNOW HAS SELF ESTEEM ISSUES AT LEAST ONCE IN A WHILE! But this book is about so much more than that. Virginia lives in NYC, in a Penthouse and her parents and both her siblings are highly successful (so if you like the Gossip Girl books, you might like this one too!). But, because her best friend moved away for a year, Virginia feels lonely, fat, and ugly. You may just cry for her when she overhears the skinny "Bri-Girls" talking about her in the bathroom. She also makes out occasionally with a guy named Froggy. And there's more. Oh, so much more. This is a FABULOUS BOOK. Try it! -Till next time! Suzanne

Burned by Ellen Hopkins

Pattyn feels like the only things she does right are changing diapers and burping babies. Pattyn is named after the WWII General Patton. Her father wanted a son so badly that he named each of his six daughters after male generals. This book, written in verse, tells the story of Pattyn and her struggle growing up in a dysfunctional, abusive, religious home. Her mother is beaten. Her father is an alcoholic and she herself has no real friends. After getting caught in a compromising situation, shall we say, with a boy (!!!) she is shipped off to her Aunt J's house in Arizona where she experiences real freedom for the first time. However, the rosy glow of first love is shattered when her father decides to drag her back home. What will Pattyn do when her life is destroyed? What would you do in her shoes? By the author of Crank, Burned will be available for you to check out soon! Let me know if you want to place a hold on it! -Till next time! Suzanne

Books of Ember Series by Jeanne Duprau

When I was about 12 I was at a family reunion on my cousin's farm and I disappeared. My ENTIRE family, including 2 grandparents, 2 parents, 2 sisters, 22 cousins, and 10 aunts and uncles spent the better part of 2 hours searching for me. They checked the house, the barn, inside all the cars, under the tractor, in the apple orchard, and down by the creek, but I was never found. It wasn't until my baby sister called my name near the tree where I was comfortably nestled that I even knew they had missed me. What was I doing that I hadn't noticed my frantic family finely combing the farm for my face? I was reading. Specifically, I was reading The Witches by Roald Dahl (a FANTASTIC book...much better than the movie).

See, I used to get in trouble ALL THE TIME for reading when I was supposed to be doing something else (like being kissed by my aunts at a family reunion). I manage much better nowadays, but, I have to admit that yesterday morning I told my husband that I would have the kitchen cleaned up before he got home from work and I just didn't do it. Instead, I read The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne Duprau. This is the third book in her Books of Ember Series which tells the ever enfolding tale of our world some years from now when war and politics have taken their toll on our fair earth. In Ember, we see the great City of Ember, built in an effort to save the human race from complete devestation. In Sparks we see the village of Sparks and how they handle the arrival of the strange, backward yet technological, citizens of Ember and in Yonwood we find out how it all started. You will be hooked by the sparky, courageous characters that inhabit these books, as well as by the intriguing ideas that these books bring into your head. You might even forget to visit your family, do your dishes, or remember that your own world even exists at all. I know I did! Til next time! -Suzanne

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

This book was recommended to me by a dear reader who just knew it would keep me page turning to the extent that I committed the sin I have sworn to never commit which is the sin of reading on the job. I mean, I know I'm a librarian and all and it is okay for us to occasionally read on the job, but come on! I have a lot of other things I need to be doing! Like updating this Blog for one! Anyway, Sonnenblick (the author) has written a hilarious book about...oh. I can't tell you. I mean, I didn't know what it was about when I read it. I thought it would be like the movie Drumline or the movie American Pie (yup...that'd constitute Dangerous Pie for sure). But I had no idea what it was actually going to be about, and that made it that much better. Well. I'll tell you this much. It's about a guy, named Steven who is a very good drum player. He has a crush on this girl Renee and is friends with another girl named Annette. He has parents. His dad is an accountant. And he has to watch out for Dangerous Pie. And that's all I'm gonna tell ya! Till next time! -Suzanne

A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin

Summer...ah...a perfect time to read this book. I started reading Ann M. Martin way back when the Babysitter's Club books first came out. I snuck into my big sister's room and would read her books on the sly. She eventually found out and wasn't quite as mad as I thought she might be. But after a while, the Babysitter's Club books became a little...stale. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was growing up. But maybe it was the fact that those girls (and Logan) never, ever aged. There was something so...disturbing about that. A Corner of the Universe is not like the Babysitter's Club books. A Corner of the Universe is a summer story with special attraction for girls. The book is set in a little town in the 1950's, not unlike our own Lebanon and tells the story of Hattie Owen and her quiet discoveries the summer she turns 12. Oh, it's such a sweet story. Read it. Cry. Laugh. Learn. Till next time! -Suzanne

Cut by Patricia McCormick

Callie is staying at Sea Pines (Sick Minds) because
a. she won't talk to her parents
b. she won't talk to her therapist
c. she's cutting herself.
When I read this book I was struck by Callie's courage and especially her relationships with the other girls at Sick Minds (Sea Pines). I didn't know very much about cutting before I read this book, but Callie gives the reader a little glimpse into the lonliness (and power) caused by cutting. If you've ever felt alone, this book is for you. Till next time! -Suzanne