[Beth]

olmue - Oh, I hope that I wasn't sounding too down on Alex Rider. I wasn't trying to criticize. Not every book has to be literary. It's great to have books that get the non-bookworm kids enthusiastic about reading.

[C.K. Posts: 907 Status: Offline WWW]

Just finished Megan Crewe's The Way We Fall and really admired it. I'm drawn to virus scenarios anyway but the character's here are so well fleshed out that the plot doesn't bulldoze them (which is something that I find happens in alot of action-oriented books). Will definitely be picking up the next book in the series.

[J-Bert Posts: 257 Status: Offline WWW]

I recently read THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS by Carolyn Mackler. Humorous, poignant, fast-paced--Excellent!

[Rachel Posts: 202 Status: Offline WWW]

I'm reading CINDER by Marissa Meyer, and it is killing me that I've only been able to sneak it on my lunch breaks lately. I'm enjoying it so much!

[MysteryRobin Posts: 688 Status: Offline]

Oh, I've got Cinder waiting on my Kindle - good to know it's so good!

I'm reading The Last Summer of the Death Warriors - and it's all kinds of amazing.

[olmue Posts: 3,528 Status: Offline WWW]

Oh, not at all, Elyse! I'm just thinking about all the kinds of books kids have to read for school. Nothing against literary, but sometimes kids think they don't like books because they can't relate to the books they are forced to read. So they don't read much, their reading skills suffer as a result, and they like reading even less. But sometimes those same kids get their hands on a book that's just entirely, purely For Fun, and suddenly they can't get enough. (And maybe even someday they end up *gasp* enjoying some of those literary books as well.)

Besides, what adult doesn't like reading for pure entertainment?

[MysteryRobin Posts: 688 Status: Offline]

This adult loves Jack Reacher for that very reason. *sigh*  :

[jancoates Posts: 131 Status: Offline Obsession? What obsession? WWW]

Have to put in a plug for City Dog, Country Frog, picture book by Mo Willems and Jon Muth. A brilliantly simple story about ageing and dying, with a perfect pairing of text and paintings.

[ecb]

Have to put in a plug for City Dog, Country Frog, picture book by Mo Willems and Jon Muth. A brilliantly simple story about ageing and dying, with a perfect pairing of text and paintings.

My DH spontaneously found and brought home this book a while ago, and I. Cannot. Read. It. It's crushing.

[LeslieG Posts: 174 Status: Offline WWW]

I'm gleefully soaking up a slew of Helen Lester's picture books.  She's one of my heroes.  :  Mo Willems and Jon Muth are, too.

[Mike Jung]

I'm reading FLYING THE DRAGON by blueboarder Natalie Lorenzi and it's fabulous!!!!!!

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

I've just finished Veronica Rossi's Under the Never Sky. OMG. What a book. Favourite dystopian I think I've ever read. I bought it on my ereader and now I must go buy the hardcover.

[Helen Posts: 224 Status: Offline WWW]

Kristen Lamb's books on blogging....Waiting for Normal...and an anthology of Italian Folktales by Calvino

[amberlough Posts: 88 Status: Offline WWW]

I just finished Marrisa Meyer's CINDER. WOW. I actually emailed her to tell her how much I loved it, and I haven't written to a non-friend author in at least four years! If all the other fairy-tale retellings before were good, this one blew through the roof.

[olmue Posts: 3,528 Status: Offline WWW]

Excellent to hear that, Amberlough!

I'm reading RJ Anderson's ARROW with my girls, who are rather invested in her faery series. The two things that stick out most to me are 1) the feeling of being in a different culture, and 2) Timothy. We've seen Timothy's anxious side in the last book, but now that he's worked through those issues and come out the other side, we're getting a whole new view of him. I love seeing the cheerful, slightly hyper, active side of him--just a very likable character! As to the cultural issue, Rebecca's put her finger on exactly that exhausting feeling of trying to navigate a culture that is similar but different from your own, of misinterpreting people, and of trying to fit into a new set of expectations while all the while holding very much to your integrity. (I guess that's actually two culture clashes, then--the clash between different faery cultures and the clash between the world of integrity and...the World in a religious sense.)

[wolfie712 Posts: 236 Status: Offline Teacher, Writer, Up-All-Nighter WWW]

Have to put in a plug for City Dog, Country Frog, picture book by Mo Willems and Jon Muth. A brilliantly simple story about ageing and dying, with a perfect pairing of text and paintings.

My DH spontaneously found and brought home this book a while ago, and I. Cannot. Read. It. It's crushing.

Yeah, I picked that one up in the bookstore and was in tears by the last page.  I don't know if I could handle attempting to read it to my kids. 

[CaroleB]

   Gosh, I'm late for the fanfare, but just finished the Hunger Games trilogy. And I loved it! Looking forward to seeing the movie while it's all fresh in my mind. Not sure what I'm going to read next, maybe Kite Runner.

       Carole

[Rachel Posts: 202 Status: Offline WWW]

My DH spontaneously found and brought home this book a while ago, and I. Cannot. Read. It. It's crushing.

Yeah, I picked that one up in the bookstore and was in tears by the last page.  I don't know if I could handle attempting to read it to my kids.  

Oh my gosh, I just made the mistake of reading it while still at work and the froggy smile at the end just did me in.  

[Woods]

JUST finished reading LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Perkins. Strong writing!

[CaroleB]

So I'm reading The Kite Runner (am loving it) and popped in to share this excerpt:

MC- "I think I'll major in English,"...
Dad- "Creative writing?...Stories, you mean. You'll make up stories. They pay for that, making up stories?"
MC- "If you're good and if you get discovered."
Dad- "How likely is that, getting discovered?"

Of course, Dad goes on about getting a real job.  Thought you'd all get a kick out that.
                                 

[ChristinefromCorona Posts: 806 Status: Offline]

It's not so easy to get a "real" job these days, either...   

I'm on a middle-grade roll:  Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri, Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani, and, on the lighter side, Commercial Breaks (book 1): Famous for Thirty Seconds by P.G. Kain.  All very good.           

[Woods]

Almost finished with WITHER. You can tell it's a debut, but the writing is still absolutely beautiful.

[Sully Posts: 1,248 Status: Offline WWW]

I am reading Floors by Patrick Carman and just finished Magic Below Stairs by Caroline Stevermer.
My daughter just finished Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George and can't wait to buy the next book in the series.

[Mike Jung]

I'm four chapters into THE CABINET OF EARTHS by our own Anne Nesbet and it's superb - lyrical prose, distinctive voice, evocative setting, and a wonderfully timeless feel.

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

I'm a quarter of the way through Wonder by R.J. Palacio. It's not something that I would usually pick up but I'm so glad that Random House sent it to me! It is just wonderful! The story is about August Pullman, who was born with a facial deformity. He's been homeschooled but goes into fifth grade at regular school in NY. This book is amazing. You are pulled into Auggie's life, a child who would very much like to have a face that every mother could love, but would settle for one that allows people to look at him without a reaction.

LindaB

[olmue Posts: 3,528 Status: Offline WWW]

I've heard good things about that one, Linda!

In the past two days I've read A MILLION SUNS and also CROSSED. I liked both of them better than the first book in their respective series. Dystopia isn't my first love, but I really liked how the setting for Crossed was based on southern Utah. It's not a place that shows up often in books published in NYC, and it's refreshing to have a different kind of setting like that.

[ChristineSarmel Posts: 228 Status: Offline WWW]

A  for WONDER from me as well. I thought it was heartfelt and thoughtful with being sappy and really did a great job of letting the reader into August's thoughts. The only thing that gave me pause was the punctuation in the teenage boyfriend chapters. I know it's a voice thing, but equating teenage boys with lack of grammar makes the teacher in me go eeekk!

[olmue Posts: 3,528 Status: Offline WWW]

Read Jenny Davidson's THE EXPLOSIONIST today. Wow. It was really different. From the cover I though it would be about Irish bombers or something, but instead it was alternate history and seances? Strange, but definitely interesting.

[Raynbow Gignilliat Posts: 596 Status: Offline]

I've been really wanting to read Francisco X. Stork's Irises, but our library doesn't have it yet. So I just read one of his older books, Behind the Eyes. I really enjoyed it!

[MysteryRobin Posts: 688 Status: Offline]

I just finished Irises, yesterday! You'll love it when it comes in.