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!

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

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

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

Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas

This book is SOOOOOOOOOOO good. It's all about Steve York, a Senior who might not graduate because he's short one Engish credit (and also smoking a lot of pot). His guidance counselor throws him a line, in the form of a 100 page written assignment on the topic of His Life. If he writes the paper, he gets the credit. Steve chooses to write about how he went from a stellar, all-A's student his first years of high school to a pot-smoking, class-cutting Senior. Steve experiences his first love and his first sexual experience. The twist that is thrown in at the end is so perfectly veiled throughout the book that you won't see it coming and so I'm not going to tell you what it is. READ IT! IT IS AWESOME! Till 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

Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb

For fans of British humor, this book is a riot. If you liked Bridget Jones Diary, you will definitely fall for Jess who is definitely charming and totally insane. Also try the sequel: Girl, Nearly 16, Absolute Torture. There is only one other person I know who could get herself into the situations that Jess gets herself into...and that would be me. Have you heard about that time that I froze myself to a door knocker? It wasn't pretty. Till next time! -Suzanne

Gossip Girl Series by Cecily von Ziegesar

Want a little guilty pleasure in your reading life? Look no further. The girls in the Gossip Girl series have it all! Money to burn, hot boyfriends, and time on their hands. Read them for a little spark in your life! Better yet, listen to the CD's...Christina Ricci reads them! 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