Gone by Lisa McMann

Fade by Lisa McCann

Description:

For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck. Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open--but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.

Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability. And it's bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a Dream Catcher sealed, but what's to come is way darker than she'd even feared...

The second book in this series, seemed to start a little slow (but don't most books) or it could've just been me. I love the writing style. Short crisp sentences, not overly descriptive much of the time. Detail and narrative when it matters. Some books need a lot of narrative to draw you into and make you part of the story. As a matter of fact that is typical and wonderful. This author doesn't rely on it, and it works really well. The end of the book took an unexpected twist that totally sucker punched me. I can't see where she takes it with:

the planned third book, "Gone"
Description:

OPEN YOUR EYES

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she'd made her peace with it. But she can't handle dragging Cabel down with her.

She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He's amazing. And she's a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves--she has to disappear. And it's going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life--and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she'd ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out...

He reaches toward her, his fingers black and bloody, his eyes deranged, unblinking. Janie is paralyzed. his cold hands reach around her neck, squeezing tight, tighter, until Janie has no breath left. She's unable to move, unable to think. As his grasp tightens further around Janie's neck, his face turns sickly alabaster. He strains harder and begins to shake.

Janie is dying.
She has no fight left in her.
It's over.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Part of the Soul Screamers series. Can I just say that the covers are gorgeous?

Description:

SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH
KAYLEE CAVANAUGH

She doesn't see dead people, but...

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about the need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next...

SOUL SCREAMERS
The last thing you hear before you die...

The question is why does she know who is going to die, what compels her to scream bloody murder, and why are so many teenage girls dying?

Buy it.

To read an exerpt go to the Amazon website: here You can also get a free download of the prequel, My Soul to Lose, on Rachel's website

The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 - PJ Haarsma,

Description:

A human boy with an uncanny link to computers finds danger and discovery on the rings of Orbis in this riveting sci-fi adventure.

Thirteen-year-old Johnny Turnbull has always known there was something different about him, even before he and two hundred other kids landed on the first ring of Orbis. But once their spaceship lands, he is identified as the first-ever "softwire" -- a human with the ability to enter and communicate with computers through his mind -- and becomes the focus of intergalactic intrigue. Johnny and the rest of the refugee orphans are put to work in alien factories, and very quickly things go very wrong. When the all-knowing, all-controlling, and technologically "perfect" central computer starts malfunctioning, suspicious eyes turn to Johnny. Is he the one responsible? This action-packed, fast-paced sci-fi novel will keep kids on the edge of their seats.

Something in this made me think of Orson Scott Card and "Ender's Game." Certainly not as complex and much warmer, still struck the same nerve that made me love "Ender's Game." It felt unfinished (gee, maybe because it is the first of a trilogy), but I didn't find that off-putting, I simply ordered the next book.

Definitely worth reading.

This was waiting for me

when I returned home yesterday from vacation:


Can you say Squeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!?

Unwind - Neal Shusterman

UNWIND - Neal Shusterman

Description:
In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them. Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.In Unwind,Boston Globe/Horn BookAward winner Neal Shusterman challenges readers' ideas about life -- not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive.

The first question is why Unwinding? Maybe what is Unwinding? In some alternate future the war (which became an actual war) betwen Pro-Choice and Pro-Life was settle with a abolition of abortion. You could "stork" a baby by leaving it on someone's doorstep, as long as you didn't get caught. But other than that, every pregnancy had to attempt to succeed as a live birth and the parents were responsible for that child until they were at least 13. At that time a parent could choose to unwind a child.

The unwound child was harvested for body parts, and this compromise between pro-life and pro-choice was agreed on because if the parts lived on, then the child never really died. I guess the soul doesn't count. The book touches on whether "the parts" retained some memories of the original owner. Society had figured out a way to use nearly 100% of the body in transplants. Things like the appendix didn't seem to count.

The book description above gives reasons for the three chldren's unwinding. Every life is precious doesn't seem to apply.

The book was very interesting, even though it seemed slow in the beginning. That could be because I was reading it so slowly. It is hard to really get into a book when you can only read a couple of pages at a time. But I found myself really vested in the outcome of Connor and Risa. I seem to remember feeling the same way about "Everlost", so perhaps it is simply Mr. Shusterman's style.

Read it.

Unwind is available in both paperback and hardback.

My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter. ~Thomas Helm

Radiant Darkness - Emily Whitman

Let's get this out of the way. I prefer my fantasy urban and gritty. I am definintely more of a Buffy girl.

(Borders) Description: Persephone, a young goddess, leaves home to find romance and independence--and finds herself along the way.

(Barnes & Noble) Synopsis:

He smiles. "Hello."

It's a deep voice. I can feel it reverberate in my chest and echo all the way down to my toes.

I know I should leave, but I don't want to. I want to keep my senses like this forever. I'm all eye, all ear, all skin.

Persephone lives in the most gorgeous place in the world. But her mother's a goddess, as overprotective as she is powerful. Paradise has become a trap. Just when Persephone feels there's no chance of escaping the life that's been planned for her, a mysterious stranger arrives. A stranger who promises something more—something dangerous and exciting—something that spurs Persephone to make a daring choice. A choice that could destroy all she's come to love, even the earth itself.

In a land where a singing river can make you forget your very name, Persephone is forced to discover who—and what—she really is.

Radiant Darkness is, to my taste, fluffy. But if you like your fantasy fae, alternate worlds, myths, legends, fables and etherial, you may really like this book. The writing is good. I just prefer things that are a little more gritty and kick-ass.

Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.
~Author Unknown

New York Times Bestsellers

Books from the New York Times Best Seller List today. Anything not 12 & up, is not included. (Yep, it's a double negative done correctly.)

CHAPTER BOOKS

1 TWILIGHT: DIRECTOR’S NOTEBOOK, by Catherine Hardwicke. (Little, Brown, $17.99.)
2 THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, by Neil Gaiman. Illustrated by Dave McKean. (HarperCollins, $17.99.)
3 THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.)
4 THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, by Jay Asher. (Razorbill, $16.99.)
5 WINGS, by Aprilynne Pike. (HarperCollins, $16.99.)
6 THE AWAKENING, by Kelley Armstrong. (HarperCollins, $17.99.)
7
8 HUNGER, by Michael Grant. (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins, $17.99.)
9 ONCE DEAD, TWICE SHY, by Kim Harrison. (HarperCollins, $16.99.)
10 SCAT, by Carl Hiaasen. (Random House, $16.99.)

PAPERBACK BOOKS

1 THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak. (Knopf, $11.99.)
2 LOCK AND KEY, by Sarah Dessen. (Speak, $8.99.)
3
4 THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS, by John Boyne. (Random House, $8.99.)
5 EVERMORE, by Alyson Noël. (St. Martin’s Griffin, $9.95.)
6 TWEAK, by Nic Sheff. (Atheneum, $9.99.)
7 THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, by Sherman Alexie. Illustrated by Ellen Forney. (Little, Brown, $8.99.)
8 BEAUTIFUL DISASTER, by Kate Brian. (Simon & Schuster, $9.99.)
9
10

SERIES BOOKS

1 THE TWILIGHT SAGA, by Stephenie Meyer.
2 PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan.
3
4
5 HOUSE OF NIGHT, by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.
6 THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, by Cassandra Clare.
7 NIGHT WORLD, by L. J. Smith.
8 THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL, by Michael Scott.
9 PENDRAGON, by D. J. MacHale.
10 MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES, by Rachel Caine.

Lots of Fantasy on the lists!!

In the Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan

I have been stalling on reviewing this one, but haven't been able to settle on a quote from the book, there were too many that I want to use. Hell with it. It has zombies. It is good. It is NOT cheesy. Enough said. Not positive, but I expect a sequel.

Description: Mary lives in a small village governed by the religious Sisterhood and bordered with a fence to keep out the Unconsecrated--a horde of the undead. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future--between the one she loves and the one who loves her.

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best, and the fence that protects her village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth must remain intact. After fence is breached, Mary's world is thrown into chaos, and she must choose between her village and her future.

Buy it.

Strange Angels - Lili St. Crow

Description -

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.) Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

Entertaining, fun, and well written. I can't wait to see what Lili St. Crow (Lilith Saint Crow) does next.

Betrayals: A Strange Angels Novel is set to come out Nov 17, 2009. I already have it on pre-order.

Buy it.

Quote o' the Day

The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.
~James Bryce

Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

Love in the mail today. The artists are churning the books out faster than I can read them, much less comment on them.

"Love You Hate You Miss You" was written by Elizabeth Scott, and was just released on May 26th. I hate to say it, but it may be a little before I get to it. I still have to write up my reaction to Carrie Ryan's Forsest of Hands and Teeth, plus there at least 3 books I want to read first that I can think of off the top of my head. But anyway, I am looking forward to being able to read it.

Some information on the book:
Title: Love You Hate You Miss You
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Series: Elizabeth Scott
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (May 26, 2009)
Price: $12.74

It is a very small book, only 7x5 inches.

Product Description:

Get this, I'm supposed to be starting a journal about "my journey." Please. I can see it now: Dear Diary, As I'm set adrift on this crazy sea called "life" . . . I don't think so.

It's been seventy-five days. Amy's sick of her parents suddenly taking an interest in her.

And she's really sick of people asking her about Julia. Julia's gone now, and she doesn't want to talk about it. They wouldn't get it, anyway. They wouldn't understand what it feels like to have your best friend ripped away from you.

They wouldn't understand what it feels like to know it's your fault.

Amy's shrink thinks it would help to start a diary. Instead, Amy starts writing letters to Julia.

But as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past wasn't as perfect as she thought it was—and the present deserves a chance too.

If you finish it before I do, let me know what you think.

Most Popular Pre-Orders

on Amazon.com. I am only including new publications. My preferred reading is Urban Fantasy, but I have included regular fantasy as well. I don't think there is any Sci Fi on the list. D:

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)
Suzanne Collins
September 1st, Hardcover

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4)
Richelle Mead
August 25th, Hardcover

Once Dead, Twice Shy (Madison Avery, Book 1)
Kim Harrison
May 26th, Hardcover

Blue Moon: The Immortals
Alyson Noel
July 7th, Paperback

Van Alen Legacy, The (A Blue Bloods Novel)
Melissa De La Cruz
October 6th, Hardback

Tenth Grade Bleeds (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod)
Heather Brewer
June 25th, Hardcover

Resurrection (Wicked)
Nancy Holder
July 7th, Paperback

The Sorcerer of the North: Book Five (Ranger's Apprentice)
John Flanagan
June 25th, paperback

Hunger: A Gone Novel
Michael Grant
May 26th, Hardcover

Fire
Kristin Cashore
October 5th, Hardcover

The Demon's Lexicon
Sarah Rees Brennan
June 2nd, Hardcover


Image by J. Corsentino, from Time of the Faeries. Check his work out, it is beautiful.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Finished the book. Loved it! Will write a proper view soon. I like to find quotes to show the magic of the writing... I have about 15. Need to try cut that down. I will work on the post today and will be starting to read Strange Angels. Funny thing. I was lucky enough to get a ARC of Strange Angels, but only a week before it was released. Didn't get to the ARC before I got my pre-ordered copy in the mail (forgot I pre-ordered it). Probably should read the "official" version, and just snuggle my ARC as it was the first one I received.

Take care poppets! Do something nice for someone today.

Forest of Hands and Teeth... Movie? *update

Some exciting news. The rights for The Forest of Hands and Teeth (which I am in the middle of) have been sold and they are already talking casting. The only name I heard mentioned was Kristen Stewart. Too bad Emmy Rossum wasn't a little younger, she would do well too.

*Just picked this up from Twitter from Carrie Ryan:
RT @randomhousekids: Kristen Stewart's production company has bought the rights to THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH! http://ow.ly/6rzm

NY Times Bestseller List

Edited down for the 12 and up/Young Adult

CHAPTER BOOKS
This Week		Weeks on List
1	TWILIGHT: DIRECTOR’S NOTEBOOK, by Catherine Hardwicke. (Little, Brown, $17.99.) The making of "Twilight," the movie. (Ages 9 to 12)	4
2
3	THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, written by Neil Gaiman. Illustrated by Dave McKean. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) To avoid a killer, a young boy lives in a cemetery. First Chapter (Ages 10 and up)	28
4	THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) In a dystopian future, a girl fights for survival on live TV. (Ages 12 and up)	31
5	THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, by Jay Asher. (Razorbill, $16.99.) Before committing suicide a girl records and sends explanatory audiotapes to 13 people. (Ages 14 and up)	25
6	WINTERGIRLS, by Laurie Halse Anderson. (Viking, $17.99.) A life-and-death story of anorexia. (Ages 12 and up)	4
7
8	STARGAZER, by Claudia Gray. (HarperTeen, $16.99.) Vampire love in school. (Ages 12 and up)	3
9	FADE, by Lisa McMann. (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster, $15.99.) Nightmares haunt Janie the dream-hopper. (Ages 14 and up)	9
10

PAPERBACK BOOKS
This Week		Weeks on List
1	EVERMORE, by Alyson Noël. (St. Martin’s Griffin, $9.95.) Immortals in school. (Ages 12 and up)	10
2	THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak. (Knopf, $11.99.) A girl saves books from Nazi burning and shares them with a Jewish man in hiding. First Chapter (Ages 14 and up)	83
3	THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS, by John Boyne. (Random House, $8.99.) A boy’s innocence is eroded in evil times. (Ages 12 and up)	23
4	THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, written by Sherman Alexie. Illustrated by Ellen Forney. (Little, Brown, $8.99.) A boy leaves his reservation for an all-white school. (Ages 12 and up)	3
		12
6	THE SUMMONING, by Kelley Armstrong. (HarperCollins, $8.99.) A girl who sees ghosts is locked up. (Ages 12 and up)	2
		34
8	GLASS, by Ellen Hopkins. (Simon Pulse, $9.99.) An addiction novel in verse. (Ages 14 and up)	1
		13
10	SLAM, by Nick Hornby. (Riverhead, $14.) A skateboarder gets his girlfriend pregnant. What would Tony Hawk do? (Ages 12 and up)	23

SERIES BOOKS
This Week		Weeks on List
1	THE TWILIGHT SAGA, by Stephenie Meyer. (Megan Tingley/Little, Brown, hardcover and paper) Vampires and werewolves in high school. (Ages 12 and up)	88
2
3	HOUSE OF NIGHT, by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast. (St. Martin’s, hardcover and paper) Vampires in school. (Ages 14 and up)	33
4	THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, by Cassandra Clare. (McElderry/Simon & Schuster, hardcover and paper) A girl battles the forces of darkness. (Ages 14 and up)	3
5	MAXIMUM RIDE, by James Patterson. (Little Brown, hardcover and paper) Winged children try to save the world. (Ages 10 and up)	49
6	NIGHT WORLD, by L. J. Smith. (Simon Pulse, paper only) Supernatural races form secret societies. (Ages 14 and up)	18
7
8
9
10

Strange Angels - Lili St. Crow

\Love in the Mail!!!!   Squeeeeeee!  (Okay, I am normally not a squee girl, but I am making an exception here.) Today I got my first advanced reader's copy of a book and I feel so priviliedged and special (I shouldn't but I do, so I am just going to go with it).  It has just moved to the next in the to-be-read list as soon as I finish The Forest of Hands and Teeth (It has zombies ;)).

Book Info:

Title: Strange Angels
Author: Lili St. Crow
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, fantasy
Edition: Trade Paperback
304 pages
Price: $9.99
Published: May 14th, 2009 (available for preorder)

Product Description
Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)
Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

New Scott Westerfeld

Cover of the new Scott Westerfeld book (of "Uglies" series fame).  More info on his site.

It is the first in a series and is scheduled to be released in October 2009.  It is going to contain 50 illustrations.  How cool is that?

Lifted from his site:

WTF? Okay, Leviathan is set in an alternate world in which Charles Darwin discovered biotechnology. So the British Empire was built on the backs of strange, fabricated beasties. Living airships! Fighting kraken! Message lizards!