Bonechiller by Graham McNamee

Friday, November 27, 2009
Four high school students face off against a soul-stealing beast that has been making young people disappear their small Ontario, Canada, town for centuries.

I got this book as an attempt to broaden my horizons and I wasn't sure if I'd like it. The truth was I really didn't like it - I loved it! It really took me by surprise and I was shocked to find myself continually turning the pages to have more. I loved the mystry of the monster in this novel, it's always the unknown that scares us so much.

I loved the ending and loved the characters and found myself wanting to be friends with them and get to know them. I related a lot to Ash, I'm also not girly and loved that Danny liked that about her. You don't have to be a frilly girly girl to be liked.

Very spooky story and the book was executed so well and the writing was great!

*****

Breathe, a ghost story by Cliff McNish

Thursday, November 26, 2009
Jack is not a normal boy. He can talk to ghosts. In his new home, an aging farmhouse, he meets the Ghost Mother, a grief-stricken spirit who becomes very attached to him...too attached. He learns that the Ghost Mother is preying in the cruelest imaginable way on four child ghosts who are trapped in the house, stealing their energy to sustain her own. Before Jack can figure out how to help them, the Ghost Mother takes possession of his real mother's body. Jack wants to fight back, but he has severe asthma and risks fatal attacks with any physical exertion. It will take all his resources, and his mother's as well, to fight off the Ghost Mother and save the ghost children from a horrible fate.

This was another novel I wasn't sure I'd like and ended up really loving it! There was a deep sense of darkness in this novel, and it was almost a whimsical ghost story, if that makes sense. I was reminded of Coraline in this story, such as the ghost children and the evil mother but I really liked it.

The writing was really well done and I liked the ease in which he transitioned into a new chapter or section. The book did make me look around the room a few times I was pleasantly surprised at that from a book for the 9-12 age group. The cover is very creepy as well and I loved it. The ending was awesome too and made me understand the ghost mother a bit more. Another to add to the collection!

*****

Send Me Down a Miracle - Han Nolan

Wednesday, November 25, 2009
There's a startling, almost itchy moment in every adolescent's life when she or he first realizes that adults are fallible. Yet, for 14-year-old Charity, the revelation is even more profound: not only is her dad (the town's preacher) merely wrong about the eccentric Adrienne Dabney, he's dang-blasted and over-the-top wrong. Although she's always been a perfect preacher's daughter, Charity is about to shock the whole town by standing up to her father, proving him wrong in front of God and everyone.
Very good read - Very much infused with religion so I don't recommend it if you don't believe in God. It's about a girl named Charity who is the preacher's daughter and has always been a goody goody until Adrienne moves into town. She's very different and artistic, doesn't care what people think and Charity is drawn to her. Then Adrienne claims to have seen God in a chair in her home and it turns their town completely upside down.

****

A Northern Light - Jennifer Donnely

Friday, November 20, 2009
Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has big dreams but little hope of seeing them come true. Desperate for money, she takes a job at the Glenmore, where hotel guest Grace Brown asks her to burn a bundle of secret letters. But when Grace's drowned body is fished from the lake, Mattie discovers the letters reveal the grim truth behind a murder.

What an incredible book! An all-time favorite for me. Mattie is 16 in the year 1906 and takes work at a hotel where she accepts letters from a woman to burn. When the woman turns up dead in the lake, it's up to Mattie to discover to see if it was a homicide or sucide. This was based on a true story and is amazing. Highly recommend it!

*****

Unwind - Neil Shusterman

Sunday, November 15, 2009
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.  

A very adventurous and heart pounding novel! I found many times where I was turning the pages and holding my breath at the same time. I thought it was so interesting how the teenagers came together and their different stories. I'm not sure I could pick a favorite character!

The writing was really good and thought it was very well done. I really like Neil Shusterman as an author and look forward to his other books.

****

The Bright Forever - Lee Martin

On an evening like any other, nine-year-old Katie Mackey, daughter of the most affluent family in a small town on the plains of Indiana, sets out on her bicycle to return some library books.

This simple act is at the heart of The Bright Forever, a suspenseful, deeply affecting novel about the choices people make that change their lives forever. Keeping fact, speculation, and contradiction playing off one another as the details unfold, author Lee Martin creates a fast-paced story that is as gripping as it is richly human. His beautiful, clear-eyed prose builds to an extremely nuanced portrayal of the complicated give and take among people struggling to maintain their humanity in the shadow of a loss.

This book is about a little girl named Katie who was kidnapped in the 1960's-1970's time frame. The book has about five main characters: Mr. Dees (Katie's tutor), Ray (Mr. Dees friend), Clare (Ray's wife), Gilley (Katie's brother), and Junior (Katie's father). They all are intertwined with this kidnapping and it was really interesting to see how they came together and the interactions between them. It was an excellent read and I couldn't put it down because I just HAD to know what happened next. I love books like that! Definitely a favorite and definitely recommend it!

*****

Come Back - Claire and Mia Fontaine

Saturday, November 14, 2009
How does an honor student at one of Los Angeles's finest prep schools- a nice girl from a happy, loving home- trade school uniforms and afternoons at the mall for speedballs in the back of a truck in rural Indiana? How does her devoted mother emerge from the shock of finding that her daughter has not only disappeared but had been living a secret life for more than a year?

I thought this would be a good book to read since I have experience with a family member suffering addiction. It didn't disappoint. Amazing book, it's from both Mia and Clair's POV and your heart breaks for both of them. Even if you don't have someone suffering, it teaches you humanity and how to be kind and understanding to people.

*****

Rebel Angels - Libba Bray

Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s visions intensify–visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened, something only the realms can explain. The lure is strong, and before long, Gemma, Felicity, and Ann are turning flowers into butterflies in the enchanted world of the realms that Gemma alone can bring them to. To the girls’ great joy, their beloved Pippa is there as well, eager to complete their circle of friendship.

But all is not well in the realms–or out. The mysterious Kartik has reappeared, telling Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic, else great disaster will befall her. Gemma’s willing to do his intrusive bidding, despite the dangers it brings, for it means she will meet up with her mother’s greatest friend–and now her foe, Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task.

The Gemma Doyle series has continued to charm me and the sequel to A Great & Terrible Beauty didn't disappoint me! I enjoyed it very much and you find yourself falling in love with Gemma and her friends. This book provided non stop action and mystery, it always left you thinking and craving more. There were some times when I was actually scared and had goosebumps on my arms!I really like Libba Bray as an author, she seems really down to earth as well. On to the last book in the trilogy! *sniff*

*****

Evernight - Claudia Gray

Monday, November 9, 2009
 Bianca wants to escape.

She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him. 

I actually found out about this series by a fluke. I was at Half Price Books the other night and picked it up, thinking it looked interesting but went over my budget so it was the one to get the cut. Well, I returned a couple days ago and it was still there so I got it...I'm so glad I did.

The beginning was a bit slow for me but by the end I was turning the pages at lightening speed to find out what happened next! I love forbidden love stories and I think this one is one of the ultimate! I prefer this series much more than House of Night! I can't wait for the second one, Stargazer to come out!

*****

Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

Thursday, November 5, 2009
Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali.

Starting out, I thought this book was great and was going to have potential. I was right on some levels, on others however, I feel it fell a little short. As much as I really enjoyed the descriptions of everywhere she went, I wanted to hear more about the people she visited and had more dialogue. The blocks of text on the pages seemed never ending and almost made it seem unreadable. There were humorous parts and I enjoyed Liz's sense of witty humor and the way she thought of things. She did inspire me to create a journal where I talk to God and I'm grateful for the spiritual things I took away from the book. Overall, it's a good read and I liked it but it isn't a novel I devoured and would read again.

**