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!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

All I have to say is step aside Twilight. You got nothing on Shiver.

Shiver is what Twilight should have been; a supernatural teen romance about a girl and a mythical creature, in this book a werewolf, falling irrevocably and hopelessly in love. Only this book is written concisely, without any of the mistakes and jarringly bad writing that haunted the insanely popular aforementioned title...you know...the one with the apple on the cover. This book can be ingested easily in a day and that's a good thing. Nothing will distract you from Grace's predicament...her feeling that she's not exactly of this world, but not completely connected with the wolves that have obsessed her since she was bitten by them when she was a child. The narrative switches back and forth between Grace and Sam, the wolf who haunts the woods near Grace's house...watching over her in case she turns into a creature like him and slowly falling in love with her over 6 years of waiting.

The non-conventional werewolves in this book are all believable characters along with all the other characters in the book. The adults are of course predictably absent (like pretty much all of children's literature) and Grace and her two best friends are refreshingly not stereotypical teenagers. Sam's habit of thinking in poetry is not as saccharine as it sounds due to the fact that he tries endearingly to add guitar chords and write songs (when he's in human form) and Grace's cooking makes perfect sense when you learn how absent her parents really are.

Don't peak at the last page. I didn't quite cry, but it was close.

Really. Don't peak.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Do you see the gold seal on the cover of this book? That means it won an award. So you should read it. Okay, okay, I can hear you all groaning in terror. Just because a book won an award doesn't necessarily mean that you yourself will like it at all! I mean look at me! I still haven't been able to get through James Joyce's Ulysses and it's won all kinds of awards! But I digress. You will like Looking For Alaska if you like books that are smart, take place in boarding schools, involve elaborate pranks, have relationships, and have a mystery centered at the core of the book. Meet Miles Halter. He transfers to a new school (a boarding school) and gets thrown immediately (and literally) into the strange politics of boarding school life. Things are not looking up when he finds himself duct-taped up like a mummy and thrown into a lake. However, he meets Alaska (a girl, not a United State of America) and things start looking up. But she has a boyfriend. And then he has a girlfriend. And then halfway through the book, everything changes. John Green is a smart, funny author well deserving of awards. Now go read this book!

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

This summer I read Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. This book is about a young man named Marcelo who has some form of Asperger's Syndrome. While the book certainly focuses on this aspect of Marcelo, somehow Marcelo himself is the star here, and not the fact that he has Asperger's. The novel takes us through Marcelo's summer working at his father's law firm instead of working at the school where he has spent years alongside other students with similar learning disabilities. At the law firm Marcelo meets a beautiful young girl, a spoiled young man, and gets involved in a contraversial case at the law firm. He works through the summer learning more about himself, his father, and the world outside his shelterd experience. I REALLY enjoyed this book!

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.

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.

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel by Louise Rennison

Note: You must read this post with a British Accent.
Hello girls! Are you ready for some mad marvy fun? Read the Georgia Nicolson books and immerse yourself in some brilliant literature all about the situations that Geogia Nicolson gets herself into while attending her girls' school and prowling for gorgy blokes over in England-land. Learn what Boy Entrancers are and how to use them, learn how to build a shrine to a lost lurve and learn how to make any idiot boy want to spend some major snoggilicious time with you. As an added plus, these books are written as a tell-all diary! So curl up with a spot of tea and let Georgia take you away to the land of tea, scones, and full frontal snogging! - Till next time! Suzanne

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

Crackback by John Coy

Read Crackback! This exciting novel tells the story of Miles Manning and his struggle to play football (something he's always loved) under the direction of a new coach who is demanding to say the least. His friends and teammates start taking steriods...will Miles? Will Miles get the girl he has a crush on? Will Miles parents stop being so wierd? Looking for something to read while you're waiting for the Super Bowl? Let Crackback be your choice! Till next time! Suzanne

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

I don't know how many of you are on board about "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" books. It took me a very long time to read these books but now that I have I'm SO EXCITED about book four coming out! These books are about a group of four girlfriends who are all very different. Lena is an artist who is introspective, Greek, and very beautiful. Tibby is into making films, is kind of opinionated, and was an only child for years until her parents decided to have two more children when she was already a teenager! Carmen is a shopoholic, likes to write, is Puerto Rican, and has to deal with four parents on a regular basis. And Bridget, who is generally known as being "hot" is a soccer fiend whose mother died right before the very first book. They are such good books! Girls who like girly (but good girly books) will love these books! This is one of those series of books that might appeal to both the Inspirational Readers as well as Gossip Girl fans!!! Till next time! - Suzanne

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

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

Keir, Keir, Keir...what are we going to do with you? Your mother died when you were a baby leaving you with two fantastic sisters and a father who just doesn't cope that well and so turns to alcohol, but you don't see it, do you? It's totally normal for you to get drunk with your dad even though you are only 18. You just see your great family who is always supportive of you even when the media is making you out to be some kind of monster. And that monster thing? It really wasn't your fault that you had an "unfortunately magnificent" moment on the football field and hit a reciever so hard that you crippled him, possibly for life. It was bad, sure...but acceptance letters from colleges started rolling in, and that's life. Right? But then there's Gigi. Beautiful Gigi. Your Gigi. What is she saying? You did what to her? You couldn't have done that to her. That would be inexcusable. And Keir Sarafian NEVER does anyting inexcusable.

This is a powerful and thought-provoking 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

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