Birthmarked

     FINALLY finished. Birthmarked  is the story of Gaia, who helps her mother deliver babies outside the wall. Set in the future, the first three babies born in each area must be given to a family inside the wall, where they will live a life of luxury and privilege. Gaia was burned as a child, so she was not taken like her two older brothers were, deformities and illness are not allowed inside the wall. One night, her parents are taken, arrested and held for execution because they have been keeping secret records of these taken children. Gaia is determined to set them free and finds a way to sneak inside the wall. While she is there, she is witness to a hanging of a pregnant woman. After the woman is hanged, Gaia races to save the unborn baby and draws a great deal of attention to herself, making her a marked girl.Along the way, she meets a member of the guard named Leon, who can't decide if he wants to help her or arrest her. Leon has secrets of his own, making him a dangerous ally for Gaia. Gaia finds help in all sorts of different places as she struggles to find her parents. This book is not a happily ever after kind of book. Much death occurs, sad things happen and you are left hanging as Gaia tries to make her way to the Dead Forest with precious cargo in her arms. This book had an interesting premise, and a strong female lead who makes you realize looks don't determine character. I'm off on a new adventure with a New Year's resolution- 3 months early- to read at least a half an hour when I get home. No more bad tv- just some good books. My new book is Daughter of Smoke and Bone which is of course a supernatural thriller. Just started it last night, but I'm already hooked. Happy Reading my darlings.

Time time time

     I haven't disappeared... so busy at work and after work, meeting after meeting. But I am currently almost done with Birthmarked,  a book about a society where the first three babies born each month are given to the rich folks inside the city walls. Enjoying it when I get a chance to read. I had the great opportunity to see three authors who came to our school last Friday. I talked about them in my last blog. It was inspiring to meet and talk to them.  They were so interesting and friendly and willing to answer our questions. It was even better to see some old students who came back to see them too- Bridget, Faaria and Nabila. I miss talking to my girls about books. Anyway, just wanted to check in and see what everyone was up to. Back to the grind- so many new books on the way that I can't wait to read, it's killing me. I need a vacation or day off to try and catch up. If that is possible. Happy reading to those who have the time.

Gimme Shelter

     I've been waiting for a long time to read this book and my review may be a little biased so bear with me. I have been reading Harlan Coben's books for many years now. I love his Myron Bolitar series. The characters are like family to me. They are about sports, which I love, they take place in New Jersey, where I am originally from and they have two of my all time favorite characters in them- Myron and Win. I look forward to these books with a passion. So when I heard he was going to take Myron's nephew- a character in his last adult book, and spin him off into a young adult series, you can imagine how exciting I thought that was. (So I emailed him and told him so- and guess what- he emailed me back!  Imagine my surprise and delight when that appeared in my in box). Well let me say- well played Mr. Coben.  Shelter is filled with adventure, mystery and excitement. There is the typical Coben humor wrapped around every page. Mickey is a great character- even if he does spend much of the book making fun of his "dorky" Uncle Myron. (How dare you call Myron dorky-!!!)  Mickey is forced to live with Myron when his dad dies and his mother is sent to rehab. Mickey does not like his uncle. Mickey makes that perfectly clear every chance he gets. One day Mickey is walking past the crazy Bat Lady's house and she tells him "Your father isn't dead". Hmmm. Mickey is shocked and intrigued and much like his uncle, sets out to solve this mystery with the help of his new friends, Ema and Spoon. Is Mickey's dad alive? Where did his girlfriend Ashley disappear to? Who is the Bat Lady really? (and boy is that one a twist) And how do the Nazi's fit in with all this? I can't wait for a sequel because you really left us hanging didn't you Mr. Coben? Shelter  was well worth the wait, lived up to my expectations and left me eager to see where Mickey's adventures will lead him next -because if we know anything about the Bolitars- we know they can't let a good mystery go unsolved. So I sign off now with a satisfied *sigh* and continue my love of all things Coben. Happy reading my friends.

Blood Red Road

     I must admit, when I started this book, I didn't think I could finish it. There are NO quotation marks and that is a pet peeve of mine. It is also written in dialect, also not appealing to me in YA novels. But, since the author is visiting our school in a couple of weeks, I decided to finish it. And boy am I glad I did. What a GREAT book. I loved the main characters, Saba and Jack. It had a great storyline, action, romance, adventure and a crow named Nero that saves the day and can play dice. It had a Hunger Games feel to it in places and there was never a dull moment. All those things make it a great read for young adult readers, if they can figure out the quotation mark thing. But maybe that doesn't bother other people. Saba is a strong female character who can take care of herself and goes on a journey of discovery while trying to save her twin brother Lugh. On the way, she is kidnapped, forced to cage fight to the death, loses her little sister and meets a warrior-thief named Jack. Jack teaches Saba what it means to have friends and how to love family. Of course the fact that he has dreamy silver eyes doesn't hurt the situation at all. Jack holds a firm place in that top ten list of my favorite fiction boys and Saba is a character I would like to read more about. Will there be a sequel? Just one of the questions I have for Moira Young when she comes to school. Give Blood Red Road a try and I guarantee you will find something to like about it. Quotation marks or not. Happy Reading my friends.

Fury

     Have you ever done something you regret? Hurt a friend, lied to your boyfriend, gossiped about classmates? What if someone was watching and knew your deepest secrets? And what if they decided you needed to be punished? Emily and Chase are about to find out what happens when the Furies notice you. They each have done something not so nice and are facing the consequences of their actions. It starts when they each notice three mysterious girls following them. What do the girls want, and why do they keep turning up wherever they go? Can they make up for what they have done wrong? Can they stop the Furies from exacting revenge? Emily finds out the cost of her betrayal, and it is more than she can bare when her best friend JD is dragged into her mess. She has to decide if she is willing to give up everything and tie herself to the Furies forever in order to save him, or will she let him die? Elizabeth Miles has started what will be an interesting series. It's different  to see main characters with such flaws and serious consequences.This author will be at our school next month with two other authors, Becca Fitzpatrick and Moira Young. Looking forward to hearing her speak and adding her book to my autographed books collection. I enjoyed this story, though the end left me a little sad and anxious for the next book. I'm reading  Blood Red Road now, by Moira Young and am LOVING it. It is very similar to Hunger Games so far. Gonna get back to my book now- Happy Reading Y'all!

Shadowcry by Jenna Burtenshaw

Kate has lived a simple life working in her families bookstore with her Uncle Artemis and friend Edgar. One day the wardens show up to gather able bodied men to fight the war but they are also looking for someone. As Kate is hiding in the basement, she brings a blackbird back to life. This is just the sign the watchers are looking for and Kate is taken away to the Fume as one of the Skilled- a person who can walk between the veil of life and death. Silas, the most frightening warden of them all, wants her for something too. He wants her to kill him. He has been cursed with living a soulless life as a tool for the evil Da'ru. Kate has only one goal- to save her uncle and Edgar. She will do whatever it takes to accomplish this task, even if it means helping Da'ru.  This book was okay, not one of my favorites. Silas could really be an interesting character and I would like to learn more about him. Kate was courageous, Edgar was a loyal friend and Uncle Artemis was a bit of a nincompoop. All and all, I look for a little more intrigue and suspense in my books and this was only skimming the surface of this.  Waiting for a new box of books to come- hopefully Shelter will be among them. I also have to read two books by our upcoming visiting authors. Can't wait for October 7th when the ladies will be at RMMS sharing their great books. In the meantime- happy reading my friends.

Ashes, Ashes... we all fall DEAD!

     Lately I have been reading end of the world type books. Is this because there is a new supply of them, is it because the world is going to end in 2012 according to the Aztecs or Mayans, is it because boys love end of the world books and boys are harder to motivate to read? I don't know- but Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari was a good read. In this world, smallpox has wiped out most of the population and Lucy finds herself alone in New York amidst the rubble of the natural disasters that have been striking the what is left of the world. As she is out hunting for something to eat, a pack of feral dogs chases her, eager to catch and kill her. Lucky for her, Aidan is watching from up a tree and reaches out his hand to her in the nick of time. She hasn't spoken to another human in a long time and she has a hard time trusting this brave, infuriating boy. When her camp is destroyed by a tidal wave, she goes off in search of his settlement and reluctantly joins them. When Seekers come and kidnap some members of the settlement, Lucy and Aidan set out to save them. What they don't know is that the Doctors who kidnapped the kids really want Lucy- because her blood may be the cure to smallpox. There is lots of great description of the destroyed city and of course a love triangle emerges. Love conquers all, right? Even an apocalyptic world of smallpox. I give this a thumbs up. Happy reading my friends.