House of Night: Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast

So I read Marked, the first book in the House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast because a friend recommended it to me and I have to say it was an enjoyable and fast read. We meet Zoey who becomes marked to be a vampyre (their spelling) early on in the book and she has to go to a special boarding school for vampyres. And guess what? She discovers that she is a particularly powerful vampyre. She gains loyal friends right away who are great characters in their own right. I know, I know...it's very Harry Potter. She has teachers who she is not completely sure she can trust and of course a powerfuly enemy vampyre girl who is blond and beautiful about as likeable as Draco Malfoy. And, it is about magic, but there the similarities end.

These books are definately more grown up than the Harry Potter books with sexual situations, very adult language, and lots of mystical vampyre ceremonies. Zoey is kind of ditzy, but becomes more grounded when she thinks of her Native American roots, which is a nice touch from the authors.

So, if you are looking for a Harry Potter-ish book for older teenagers, look no further! You might like the House of Night books!

The Sterkarm Handshake by Susan Price

The Sterkarm Handshake by Susan Price is one heck of an action-packed book. The premise is very cool. A scientific lab in the future has discovered a way to build basically a time portal. The portal takes you back in time in the exact place you are located. Their portal was located in England so they go from a busy urban area in England in the 21st century to a pristine landscape during early 16th century. The scientists are very excited to bring back the natural resources that were still around during the 16th century because they discover that you CAN transport items from the 16th side to the 21st century side. Of course all this is well and good and things seem to be going fine until they encounter a clan of warriors who live in the 16th century who don't take too kindly to being invaded by people of the future. They can't even really conceive of the people from the future and call them Elves. The Sterkarms are often placated by the simple and cheap (yet magic to them) small white pill called aspirin but this doesn't change the fact that they realize they are being taken advantage of by the "elves." Add to the drama the character of Andrea, a 21st century anthropologist who lives with the clan for the purposes of translating their Old English, and her relationship with Per Sterkarm, a violent yet innocent son of the Sterkarms and you've got one action packed, somewhat bloody, science fiction novel. Enjoy! - Suzanne

Song of the Lioness Series by Tamora Pierce

I admit, I was slightly skeptical about reading these books, but man was I wrong! The Song of the Lioness Quartet is an awesome adventure series about a girl named Alanna who dresses up like a boy so she can become a knight and become a knight she does. They are fast moving and include adventure, fighting, magic, romance, politics and intrigue and all in a great little package instead of the fat books popular lately.

Try it out! I promise you won't regret it!

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Want something to look forward to? Try reading the first two books in this trilogy and then just wait with baited breath until December when the third one will come out! Libba Bray's books are set in England and are about Gemma Doyle, an English girl raised in India who has discovered an ancient group of women called The Order who possess magical powers that come from a magical place called The Realms. In book one, Gemma discovers who she really is (a member of The Order) after the murder of her mother. This in addition to being sent away to a finishing school and having a hot Indian boy chasing her makes for some wild times. Add in a beautiful friend named Pippa, a loyal friend named Ann, and a strong willed and beautiful friend named Felicity and you have drama, drama, drama! Not to mention the fact that the girls can actually bring magic back from the realms to wreck havoc on Spence, their stuffy boarding school! I've read one and two and I can't wait to see what happens in three. Romance, rich historical detail, and the trials of corsets abound in these action packed historical fantasies. Till next time! -Suzanne

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.

Feed by M. T. Anderson

I just finished listening to this book on CD. What an experience! Feed takes place in the future in an America that is amazingly and troublingly like the America we all know. Even though people live in pods hovering just over the surface of the earth and fly around in mini air planes called up-cars they still talk like Americans, dress like Americans, and act like Americans: slang is rampant (think unit instead of dude...you know like "Unit, that girl is hot!"), fads in clothing and hair are strange and based on popularity (remember the 80's? Yeah...I don't want to either.), and no one can miss their favorite programs on the feed (TV anyone?). And what is the feed? It is a chip. A computer installed in the user's brain and hardwired to the body. It interacts with all systems in the body regulating temperature (no fevers!) breathing (no asthma!) and constantly providing the user with images, music, information, news, programs, and advertisements for products tailored to the user's preferences. This is basically like being constantly hooked up to the Internet, television, TiVo, satellite, radio, and your local newspaper all at once. How great would that be? Awesome unless you think of the cost. Our bodies relying on the feed for our health? Americans all hooked up to the feed while poor countries are cut off from the prosperity we enjoy? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Add a serving of young love and you've got a recipe for an awesome read. Anderson's languange is spot on with teens in the future sounding surprisingly similar to teens today. A GREAT book. Try it out! Till next time! -Suzanne

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have? Your brother's girlfriend? Your best friend's significant other? Someone older? Younger? More popular? Someone's who's a vegetarian, while you are a meat and potatos kind of person? Meet Bella, who is irrevocably in love with Edward...a vampire. Not only are they quite literally two different species, but Edward likes drinking human blood...he doesn't do it much anymore, but still! What's a girl to do? You can't help who you love, right? You can't help how you feel, right? And how do you tell a vampire that you're in love with them? What do you do when they push you away to further hide the secrets of their race? What do you do when your love for the unallowable pushes you too far and puts you and the people you love in danger? What will Bella do? Will she keep secrets? Will she hurt the people she loves? Will she sacrifice her self, her life, and the very essence of what makes her human? The final question remains: What would you do for love? Would you lose it all for the rewards of love alone? What does Bella do?

Find out in Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. -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

Watership Down - Richard Adams

This is one of my all time favorite books. It's all about a band of rabbits who, on the advice of Fiver, a small, jittery, and clairvoyent rabbit, leave their doomed warren for someplace new. Someplace safe. Someplace where they can start over and rule themselves. They almost join a couple of other warrens, due to the fact that they don't have any does (females) along with them, but in the end, they decide their freedom is worth more than the security of other warrens. They devise other plans to get their does and mayhem ensues. This is a great read for science fiction fans and people who like reading about different kinds of worlds and governments. Even fans of folklore will find this dense book a truly wonderful read. Till next time! -Suzanne

PS: They also made an animated movie based on this book in the 70's. It actually reminds me a little of the Anime style that is so popular today. :)

Fire-Us Series by Jennifer Armstrong

My own mother (Jean, a teacher) recommended these books to me a few years ago (Jean's a bit of a reader too). For the science fiction reader looking for a quick trilogy to consume, try these! Five years ago, a terrifying virus swept through the world killing quickly and ruthlessly and leaving no-one behind...except for kids. Pockets of children survived, unharmed by the deadly virus. However, with no one to take care of them, many of them died anyway. Along with the adults died names, words, and knowledge...especially the knowledge of how to grow and prepare food. Mommy, Hunter, Teacher, Action Figure, Teddy Bear, Baby, and Doll are living by themselves in the overgrown Florida landscape, surviving off the canned foods that were left behind. But their food is running out. What will they do and are they really the only ones left? Read the books to find out! Till next time! -Suzanne