I'm excited. Why am I excited? Because the third novels in two series I love are coming out in October. One is
The Death Cure by James Dashner. I really liked the first one in this series (
The Maze Runner), the second was okay too (
The Scorch Trials). But I've been waiting to find out how things end. And on October 11, 2011 I'm going to find out because my wonderful sister pre-ordered it for me. Next, are books by Tamora Pierce. I'm not sure why I love this series so much. The first one,
Beka Cooper, Terrier (I listened to the audio this month, anticipating the arrival of number three) is as good as I remembered. The novel is set in the kingdom of Tortall in the year 246. And Beka is a cop in training (in the book they're called Dogs). The second installment is called
Bloodhound. And on October 25, 2011
Mastiff comes out. And I'm first on the hold list at my local library. Woohoo!
1.
Enclave by Ann Aguirre: Another dystopian young adult, shocking isn't it? I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I can't remember how I heard about it but at some point I put it on hold at the library. I thought the writing was well done and the plot well developed. The book follows the life of Deuce, a girl living in an underground community where in your late 20's you're declared an elder. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending, I wanted there to be more of a "wrap-up," to the ending. The good news? There's a sequel where I hope to have more of an ending. The bad news? It's release is tentatively Fall 2012. Boo.
2.
The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama: My older sister recommended this book to me several months ago and I was able to check it out via ILL (Inter Library Loan). I love ILL because it allows you to rent almost everything. Your library doesn't have the book you're looking for? They will get it from another library. Fabulous. This book is set in India and as its title suggests talks a lot about the marriage customs etc. At first it was a little difficult getting past the things that are culturally different in a setting that's halfway across the world, but after about 50-70 pages it's quite entertaining.
3.
The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg: What girl hasn't been fed up by a boy at some point? Did you ever do anything about it? Penny Lane decides to start a club, The Lonely Hearts Club. I like the premise of the club, and how the characters decide to love and support one another in their different pursuits. It's important to have friends and this novel gives that message loud and clear.
4.
Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony: Set a couple decades in the future, this novel explores what our nation might be like after an economic collapse due to oil shortage. I enjoyed reading it. I like the main character and her fiddle. This makes me wonder, what if we could only travel a short distance away? When you think about it's not until the last century that extensive travel was made possible and you lived in one place your entire life.
5.
The Witness by Dee Henderson: Dee Henderson is what I would call a Christian Romance author, but the fun thing is most of the her novels (maybe all) deal with some sort of thriller mystery. I particularly like her O'Malley series (the prequel to this series is
Danger in the Shadows). This new novel is full of intrigue and suspense. And connections where you least expect them. Not as good as some of her previous novels, but an engaging read.
6.
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway: A fun young adult novel, although I must say, I think curse words and other topics (drinking, sex, etc) are appearing way too frequently in young adult literature these days. Yes, I think there is a place for it, because let's face it the language in high school hallways is anything but clean and the topics even worse, so I can see wanting to keep novels "real" and true to life. But I also think curse words can be eliminated in most circumstances, especially if you're a writer and have an expansive vocabulary. Just my thoughts. I loved the sibling interaction in this book.
7.
Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard: I was under the impression that this novel would be a
Pride and Prejudice knock-off, and although the main character (Callie) does end up in the year 1815 at a large estate, it didn't follow the P&P plot line. Disappointing. But if you continue to read past the first 100 pages the book does get more amusing. To it's downfall it has a few awkward moments (I can't stand awkward moments in plots, they make me cringe) and some of the character interactions could also be improved.
8.
Miss Match by Wendy Toliver: Young adult romantic comedy type novel. It was exactly what I expected it would be.
9.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford: This novel was slow-paced in sections but it's one of those novels where the slow pace is part of the characters and story and it unfolds exactly how it supposed to. It switches back and forth between 1942 and 1986 and sometimes it makes you want to skip ahead to catch up in the year you just read about. The story follows Henry as a young Chinese boy and later in life when he's middle-aged. By the end I felt like I knew him fairly well and it was interesting to see how events and situations influenced him. Enjoyable story overall, sad and frustrating in some parts.
10.
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters: Teenagers are coming back to life...or existence...in this teen novel. All of them function differently and more slowly than other teenagers and it's difficult for them to show emotion. Phoebe, the main character, is curious and wants to learn more about them, especially as one of them used to be one of her best friends. The part I didn't like? And I don't think it's just exclusive to this novel, but sometimes I really don't like the one girl, two guys, she has to pick one scenario. I feel like it's a prevalent theme throughout YA literature (Twilight series, Matched, Hunger Games, etc). And sometimes I wish it was just one guy. I'm reading the sequel to this one right now...
1. Enclave by Ann Aguirre: Another dystopian young adult, shocking isn't it? I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I can't remember how I heard about it but at some point I put it on hold at the library. I thought the writing was well done and the plot well developed. The book follows the life of Deuce, a girl living in an underground community where in your late 20's you're declared an elder. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending, I wanted there to be more of a "wrap-up," to the ending. The good news? There's a sequel where I hope to have more of an ending. The bad news? It's release is tentatively Fall 2012. Boo.
2. The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama: My older sister recommended this book to me several months ago and I was able to check it out via ILL (Inter Library Loan). I love ILL because it allows you to rent almost everything. Your library doesn't have the book you're looking for? They will get it from another library. Fabulous. This book is set in India and as its title suggests talks a lot about the marriage customs etc. At first it was a little difficult getting past the things that are culturally different in a setting that's halfway across the world, but after about 50-70 pages it's quite entertaining.
3. The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg: What girl hasn't been fed up by a boy at some point? Did you ever do anything about it? Penny Lane decides to start a club, The Lonely Hearts Club. I like the premise of the club, and how the characters decide to love and support one another in their different pursuits. It's important to have friends and this novel gives that message loud and clear.
4. Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony: Set a couple decades in the future, this novel explores what our nation might be like after an economic collapse due to oil shortage. I enjoyed reading it. I like the main character and her fiddle. This makes me wonder, what if we could only travel a short distance away? When you think about it's not until the last century that extensive travel was made possible and you lived in one place your entire life.
5. The Witness by Dee Henderson: Dee Henderson is what I would call a Christian Romance author, but the fun thing is most of the her novels (maybe all) deal with some sort of thriller mystery. I particularly like her O'Malley series (the prequel to this series is Danger in the Shadows). This new novel is full of intrigue and suspense. And connections where you least expect them. Not as good as some of her previous novels, but an engaging read.
6. The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway: A fun young adult novel, although I must say, I think curse words and other topics (drinking, sex, etc) are appearing way too frequently in young adult literature these days. Yes, I think there is a place for it, because let's face it the language in high school hallways is anything but clean and the topics even worse, so I can see wanting to keep novels "real" and true to life. But I also think curse words can be eliminated in most circumstances, especially if you're a writer and have an expansive vocabulary. Just my thoughts. I loved the sibling interaction in this book.
7. Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard: I was under the impression that this novel would be a Pride and Prejudice knock-off, and although the main character (Callie) does end up in the year 1815 at a large estate, it didn't follow the P&P plot line. Disappointing. But if you continue to read past the first 100 pages the book does get more amusing. To it's downfall it has a few awkward moments (I can't stand awkward moments in plots, they make me cringe) and some of the character interactions could also be improved.
8. Miss Match by Wendy Toliver: Young adult romantic comedy type novel. It was exactly what I expected it would be.
9. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford: This novel was slow-paced in sections but it's one of those novels where the slow pace is part of the characters and story and it unfolds exactly how it supposed to. It switches back and forth between 1942 and 1986 and sometimes it makes you want to skip ahead to catch up in the year you just read about. The story follows Henry as a young Chinese boy and later in life when he's middle-aged. By the end I felt like I knew him fairly well and it was interesting to see how events and situations influenced him. Enjoyable story overall, sad and frustrating in some parts.
10. Generation Dead by Daniel Waters: Teenagers are coming back to life...or existence...in this teen novel. All of them function differently and more slowly than other teenagers and it's difficult for them to show emotion. Phoebe, the main character, is curious and wants to learn more about them, especially as one of them used to be one of her best friends. The part I didn't like? And I don't think it's just exclusive to this novel, but sometimes I really don't like the one girl, two guys, she has to pick one scenario. I feel like it's a prevalent theme throughout YA literature (Twilight series, Matched, Hunger Games, etc). And sometimes I wish it was just one guy. I'm reading the sequel to this one right now...
Thanks for the recommendations! Have you read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"? That is my latest favorite.
ReplyDeleteAlso I love your blog songs!
ReplyDeleteI read that one earlier this year and it was so good I bought a copy for my library. I love feel good stories like that. You might like A Town Like Alice.
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