[Shannywriter Posts: 505 Status: Offline Believe in yourself and never give up WWW]

Now reading The Sweet Dead LIfe by Joy Preble.
Almost out of books. Then I need to stop reading so much and get this WIP done!

[olmue Posts: 3,526 Status: Offline WWW]

Stayed up late to read RJ Anderson's newest, NOMAD (it follows Ivy from SWIFT). Worth staying up for!

[ChristineSarmel Posts: 230 Status: Offline WWW]

Reading some YA's I missed the first time around, LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES by Laini Taylor and BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS by Shannon Hale. Both super well-written and unique in format. LIPS TOUCH is three fantasy novellas with gorgeous illustrations to open and close each one. THOUSAND DAYS is the diary of a servant who's been walled into a tower for seven years with her mistress after the mistress refuses the marry the man chosen for her.

[updog]

I've read some fantastic YA books this January. THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness hooked me from the first page. I was disappointed with the way it ended in the middle of the action, but up till then my eyeballs were glued to the pages. John Green's THE FAULT IN OUR STARS hit a little too close to home for me, but I enjoyed it as much as it's possible to enjoy a book about cancer. THE SCORPIO RACES by Maggie Stiefvater absolutely blew me away. I'm a horse person, so I know that's part of the reason I liked this book so much, but it's not the only reason. The writing was lovely, and the fairy horses were scary but cool, and I really, really liked the two narrators, and I liked that the story wasn't entirely focused on the romance. When I finished, I almost wanted to go back and read it again right away. It was that good.

[erinobrien Posts: 35 Status: Offline]

I recently finished THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green, and today I started ONE CAME HOME by Amy Timberlake. Had to force myself to close the book tonight so I could work on my own writing!

[stella-michel Posts: 223 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

Recently read Doll Bones, Sorrow's Knot, Not a Drop to Drink and The Golem and the Jinni. Right now I'm reading Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, which I love. Fantasy is always high on my list! I found Sorrow's Knot somewhat hard to get through. It was well-written with great world building but it felt repetitive in spots and I think kids might have some trouble following it.


Stella

[LindaB Posts: 332 Status: Offline I want to write!]

I recently finished Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. Christ co-writes middle grade novels with James Patterson and he writes on his own as well. I loved it! It is one of my favorite books this year! It's a terrific middle grade read and it features so many great books in the story. It was such a fun read. It's been one of the few books in a while that made me drop everything so I could finish it. And the timing wasn't good for me to drop everything because I finished it just before my regional conference and I had a lot of last minute details to finish! I highly recommend this book.

[Lwrites Posts: 164 Status: Offline]

I really enjoyed Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library too! It wasn't perfect (the puzzle aspect felt a little messy/disorganized once in a while) but it's my favorite recent MG read by a mile and tons of fun!

[MysteryRobin Posts: 693 Status: Offline]

Not kid lit, but just finished Brain on Fire by Susanah Cahalan about her slip into madness because of a rare brain disease, and her amazing recovery - so good I read it in 24 hours!

[RaeE Posts: 150 Status: Offline]

I'm reading SEVEN STORIES UP and Jennifer Senior's ALL JOY AND NO FUN. She interviewed my "ECFE" (Early Childhood Family Education) while researching, and the book is very interesting,though depressing. I'm hoping I'll get to a more joyful section soon...

[olmue Posts: 3,526 Status: Offline WWW]

John Connolly's THE GATES. It's quite funny. About quantum physics and the gates of [Satan's home] and a small boy caught in the middle. It reads a bit like Terry Pratchett, actually, and now I'm glad I checked out the two sequels as well.

[ChristinefromCorona Posts: 806 Status: Offline]

Half a Chance by Cynthia Lord.   :  Love being able to read it almost a month early, thanks to a Scholastic book fair.
 
I also enjoyed I (Heart) Band #2--Friends, Fugues, and Fortune Cookies by Michelle Schusterman. Cute MG series.

[G.R. Posts: 631 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

I'm almost finished with George Orwell's Keep the Aspidistra Flying, which I've been wanting to get my hands on since I saw the film adaptation A Merry War in the late '90s. Kind of a minor work compared with 1984 and Animal Farm, but funny and touching in its own right; set in 1930s London, it tells the story of a poet disgusted with society's emphases on money and status.

[Betsy Posts: 2,123 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

I recently read DOLL BONES, COUNTING BY 7S, FLORA AND ULYSSES, MIDWINTER BLOOD, and I'm starting ELEANOR AND PARK. I still like COUNTING BY 7S best of all the above. Beautiful writing in MIDWINTERBLOOD, but the characters were too much like archetypes for me.

I thought FLORA AND ULYSSES was funny and unique, but not layered. In fact, I never did understand what the theme was. Can anyone tell me?

I usually read two or three adult books at a time. Right now I'm reading OUR MATHEMATICAL UNIVERSE by Max Tegmark, a book by Ann Patchett, and THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD AND HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY by Amanda Ripley comparing educational systems in the U.S. and Poland, Finland, and Korea. Sounds dull, but it isn't. If you're a teacher or interested in the Core Curriculum standards, I highly recommend this book.

THE GATES sounds like my kind of Sci Fi, Olmue. Maybe I'll get that too. (Luckily I'm an insomniac, with lots of time to read in the middle of the night.)

Rae--I just finished ALL JOY AND NO FUN. It gets better as it goes along--a very thoughtful book.

[Shannywriter Posts: 505 Status: Offline Believe in yourself and never give up WWW]

Now reading Vengeance by Megan Miranda and its real hard to put down!

[Ruth Donnelly Posts: 660 Status: Offline WWW]

BIGGER THAN A BREADBOX and SEVEN STORIES UP by Laurel Snyder.
So good.

[erinobrien Posts: 35 Status: Offline]

Just started DOLL BONES last night. I really like it so far.

[hairaplenty Posts: 1,455 Status: Offline Don't ever quit!]

Just finished Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy. So good! Now, Deeper (NA) and Ten.

[terrylynn Posts: 144 Status: Offline writing outdoor adventures WWW]

Reading Hannah and the Spindle Whorl. Love it!

[olmue Posts: 3,526 Status: Offline WWW]

My 12YO brought Cress home from the middle school library for me last night, but she needed to bring it back today, so I stayed up to finish it. What a fun series! I like scifi and action, but I never have cared much for dystopian, so I particularly like the Lunar Chronicles. I think it's because a) there are problems, but there's still a world worth saving (as opposed to escaping and/or completely overthrowing every single element of it--plus, it's not all "wrecked"). b) It's not against the ENTIRE government--just against a bad one (Queen Levana). I love how the different books are all part of a much larger story (even if they also happen to be fairy tale retellings). I also appreciated the much more realistic approach to instalove in this book. (I am the first man you have met and trust me, you don't know anything about love.)

[Betsy Posts: 2,123 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

Thanks, Olmue! I really like it when posters explain WHY they like or dislike something. That way, I can tell if it's something I might like too.

[hairaplenty Posts: 1,455 Status: Offline Don't ever quit!]

Sorry Betsy-You're right. I use this thread for a lot of my reading ideas. I'm terrible at summarizing books (not to mention queries and synopsis') so I never feel comfortable giving my two cents. But here it is:
Criminal is about a girl who comes from a pretty horrific childhood and has an additive type love for her boyfriend, who never is completely abusive, but is, if you know what I mean. He puts her in a he puts her in a position where she later gets arrested and realizes through this experience how unhealthy her love is. I like dark and edgy-so this was satisfying, and the writing is pretty remarkable.
She's nominated for an Edgar in YA.
Hope that helps     
 

[Monica Rondino Posts: 81 Status: Offline I love kids' books! WWW]

Reading " The last dragonslayer" by Jasper Fforde.

[erinobrien Posts: 35 Status: Offline]

You're so right, Betsy. I get so many reading ideas from here, so it's silly of me not to expand on why I like something.

I said above I was reading DOLL BONES. I'm only 4 chapters in or so, but it makes me feel like I'm 12 again. The characters are on the cusp of being too old to play pretend, and one of the characters is really struggling with it. It brings back memories for me of that time in life. I'm enjoying the pacing and relationships between the characters. Plus, there's that edge of mystery with the off-limits antique doll. I think it's really well done so far and can't wait to see what the rest of the book has to offer.

[Jennifer D G Posts: 670 Status: Offline I love kids' books!]

I just finished reading The Paperboy by Vince Vawter and I liked it a lot. It has some mature themes and at times I felt like it might be a bit much for some elementary school aged kids. The tone of the story reminded me a little bit of A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin which has always been a favorite of mine.

[olmue Posts: 3,526 Status: Offline WWW]

I really enjoyed DOLL BONES. And I can't wait to read Ferrell Savage!

Right now I'm reading BEDKNOB AND BROOMSTICK to my younger kids (5 and 9). The 5YO is really caught by it--it's probably the most interest he's ever shown in a novel. I love it way more than the film version, and I love the wonderful line illustrations by Erik Blegvad (who just died). Mostly I read recent books to my kids, but there are a few oldies that just have that magical sticking power.

[Marissa Doyle Posts: 2,975 Status: Offline Charles Bewitched: out now! WWW]

Re-reading a Diana Wynne Jones--DEEP SECRET. And her last book--one that was partially written at her death and was finished by her sister Ursula--will be out in April!

[Marcia Posts: 474 Status: Offline Never Too Late To Be What You Were Meant to Be WWW]

I'm just starting two good ones. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (audio). I'm only on disc two, but the readers are wonderful and the language, beautiful. I also brought Cynthia Lord's Half a Chance home today--lovely opening chapter!

[ChristineSarmel Posts: 230 Status: Offline WWW]

Just finished Adam Sternbergh's SHOVEL READY - an adult noir thriller about a garbage man turned assassin in post-nuclear New York City. It has a really unique style - short phrases, no quotations or dialogue tags, but it works for the story. A great example of breaking the writing "rules" successfully.


Also loved THE INVENTION OF WINGS - now my teen has it for social studies extra credit. So nice when subject area teachers find a way to include novels.


Just starting CRUEL BEAUTY, Rosamund Hodge's YA retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in a fantasy kingdom. Really like the beginning.

[Pons Posts: 2,543 Status: Offline]

Just finished BOMB by Steve Sheinkin. Fascinating. I learned a lot.