A Confession (and my review of Cassandra Clare's latest)

I may have accidentally, possibly, blacked out in the bookstore.

Really. There's no other explanation for how I ended up with Cassandra Clare's City of Ashes AND City of Glass on the passenger seat of my car when I haven't even finished City of Bones yet. I mean, I work in a library, I could just check them out, right? Apparently not.

I think it was book fumes. The smell of paper and ink? Book fumes.

Yeah. That was it. The fumes were too strong, and I succumbed to them. Book fumes convinced me that I needed to OWN the first three books of The Mortal Instruments, not just to read them.

What?

The first book, City of Bones?

Yeah. I bought that too. But--it was on a different day! It isn't my fault!

Okay, well, it kind of is...but there's an explanation!

See, I read Clockwork Angel.


And it was really, really good. Seriously good. And it was more than just me liking the whole Victorian setting, much more. I could not put it down. It was fantastic, addictive, I couldn't get enough. And when I finished it, I was talking with some of my book-lover friends, and they were shocked to hear I hadn't read The Mortal Instruments books yet. Frankly, so was I. Because the second I put down Clockwork Angel, I thought, "Hey! maybe there are parallels between the two series! I need to know about them, don't I? Don't I?" And by the time I'd finished that sentence, I had City of Bones in my hands and was on my way out of Walmart. The truth is, I think I just needed more Cassandra Clare, not another episode of Laura's Fun with Literary Analysis.

I mean, Clockwork Angel is wonderful! I loved it. Really loved it. It's the kind of book I like to read instead of watching television, because I hate commercials so much, I stopped watching television. TV on DVD, all the way.

What?

You want me to talk about Clockwork Angel? While avoiding spoilery?

Well, I think that can be arranged.

Lots of people urged me to read The Mortal Instruments, but I have a LLLOOOOONNNNGGGG list of books to read. It's really long. But Clockwork Angel is a new series, and it's actually set BEFORE The Mortal Instruments, so I thought I'd be okay starting with Clockwork Angel first.

It was more than okay. I never felt confused about anything Shadowhunter-y. So don't worry about reading Clockwork Angel first.

Naturally, I can't tell you if it's a better idea to read one series before starting the other, but I can say with great confidence that Clockwork Angel in no way spoils City of Bones (or the first 255 pages of City of Ashes I don't think I've put these books down since buying them). I doubt it spoils anything.

I might be a tad biased. I LOVE Victorian literature. I am also quite fond of contemporary works set in the Victorian era.

Clockwork Angel follows Tessa Gray, newly arrived in London. Tessa believes she is meeting her brother, but instead she meets up with the Dark Sisters, who claim Tessa's brother sent them to escort her to her new home.

Unfortunately for Tessa, the Dark Sisters kidnap her and force her to develop a supernatural talent Tessa never knew she possessed. Tessa attempts to escape, and in the process meets up with Shadowhunters Will and Jem (Jem! *swoons*), who bring her to London's Institute, where she will be safe while they work to determine why she was kidnapped, what the Dark Sisters were planning, and what force the sisters served.

All that is paraphrased from the publisher's blurb. No spoilers.

Now I will say my piece, avoiding spoilers.

One fault I often find with many contemporary books with historical settings is that characters often think or behave in a way contrary to what was socially acceptable during the time they lived. Cassandra Clare does not in any way, shape, or form fall into this trap. She gives us a simple and elegant explanation for her characters' "modern" behavior: The Shadowhunter world is set apart from the mundane world. So, Shadowhunter relationships are without the strict social separation between classes. Mercifully for Tessa, Shadowhunters are also more open to women (HOORAY!). Tessa is permitted far more freedom at the Institute than she could have had anywhere else. That little explanation makes the whole book tons of fun to read, even after all the classes I took in college that stressed the strict social order and the lack of women's rights through history. Believe it or not, it was this solution that made me love Clockwork Angel as much as I do.

Character analysis time.

Tessa is American, brought over to a new country and, sadly, left alone and friendless. I immediately liked her. Why? She loves to read! Moreover, Tessa is the kind of protagonist YA lit (and every other genre of literature) thrives on. She isn't the most beautiful girl in the room, she's nervous about taking on new challenges and meeting strange people, she misses her brother and her aunt, and she makes mistakes. That means readers like you and me have an easy time relating to Tessa. We can see ourselves being her friend, or even BEING Tessa, were we dropped in a foreign country and left to fend for ourselves in the 1800's. Tessa makes Clockwork Angel appealing from the moment you pick it up.

I often wanted to clout Will, because he ought to know better. Also because he shouldn't act the way he does with people who care about him. He's arrogant, overconfident, and narcissistic--on the surface. We can only guess what Will is really like. I think something Very Bad happened to Will, and he doesn't want to deal, so he stalks the streets of London with his weapons looking for a fight. I think he's trying to atone for...something. If he would just start being kind...But I can relax, because Cassandra Clare mentioned on Twitter that Will would be smacked about in the future, so I won't have to think about doing it myself all the time.

I adore Jem (And not just because he's well behaved around Tessa). He's compassionate and a true gentleman. In Tessa's day, that was a Big Deal. I think it's a Big Deal NOW. He opens up to Tessa about his storied past rather than KEEPING SECRETS (*cough* Will), and what he went through only makes me like him more. But Jem has problems of his own. I only hope he can solve them before--

I stopped myself, see?

There is also some question (in my view) as to whether Jem told us--Tessa, that is--the whole truth. But that might just be my own paranoia...

Cassandra Clare can be very proud of Clockwork Angel. She's totally won me over. I am hooked. And with the sheer volume of books she has coming out in the next two years alone, we won't be left waiting for long.

If you want to ask question or chat about the book with Cassandra Clare (and who wouldn't? I have!) go to Goodreads and join in the discussion

Seven Evil Ex-Boyfriends, Killer / Hero Robots, Zombies, and Mirror's Edge

We have new graphic novels!


Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, in which Scott Pilgrim (23 years old, Rating: Awesome) meets up with his dream girl: Ramona V. Flowers (Age Unknown, Status: Scott Is an Idiot), while he is, unfortunately, dating a girl named Knives (Knives Chau, 17 years old, Status: Totally Crazy) which isn't that big of a deal when you consider that Ramona has Seven EVIL Ex-Boyfriends that Scott must face, one by one, before he can really date Ramona. Oh, and there's punk rock and some fighting (the girl's name is KNIVES, remember?). Here's the official website.



Scott Pilgrim's various adventures became a film, and you can make your own Scott-Pilgrim-style-you here.

(The avatar maker thing loads faster if you don't keep punching the heart. Oh, and here is mine.)

I also snatched up the next six volumes of Pluto Urasawa X Tezuka because it's just that good.


We now have volumes 1-7, and we're waiting for 8.

I love this series.

Basically, it's a retelling of Astro Boy, but if you're like me, you had no idea what Astro Boy was until you did some research.

A Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis of Astro Boy:

After the tragic death of his young son Tobio, Doctor Tenma creates an immensely powerful robot replica of Tobio to take Tobio's place. Tenma treated Astro (the robot copy) just like his son, but when he realized Astro could never take Tobio's place (it had to do with cubes over flowers), he gave Astro to an EVIL CIRCUS GUY named Hamegg, who was very evil. Luckily for Astro, the new head of government security, Professor Ochanomizu, sees him perform and persuades Hamegg to give Astro up. Ochanomizu treats Astro well, and they discover Astro has super-powers that he uses to save the world from robot-hating humans, human-hating robots, robot-hating-robots, human-hating-humans, and space invaders.

In Pluto, humans and robots live together in peace. But the seven most powerful robots in the world are being destroyed serial-killer style. Through the series, we are introduced to each robot while the murder investigation is underway. Pluto is a lot like the old film noir mysteries. It is also VERY GOOD. You should, therefore, go read it.

The Unwritten 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity by Mike Carey and Peter Gross


Wilson Taylor has written a series of fantasy novels about Tommy Taylor. The books are hugely popular--Harry Potter popular. When Wilson goes missing, his fans hope he'll reappear someday with one more book...

Meanwhile, the real Tom Taylor, the son Wilson abandoned, has lived his life half-worshiped, as if he were really the character his father wrote, living and breathing. Tom's life is becoming hauntingly similar to Tommy's as "he's drawn into a strange literary underworld where the power of storytelling is as strong as any spell" (from the publisher's blurb. I really liked it).

Not Simple by Natsume Ono


Ian was separated from his sister as a child. But as he grows older, he decides to leave Australia to take an international quest to find her. He travels to England and later America, where he meets Jim, a reporter writing a book about Ian's life: Not Simple. Ian's story is told backwards through Jim's narrative, resulting in a story within a story, a book inside the book. This is the kind of thing people like me write papers on.

And, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and... *shudders* Seth Grahame-Smith


I'm not even going to say anything about this. Just...read Jane Austen's novel too, okay? I mean, I'm a lit major, this is like taking a razor blade to the Mona Lisa. Really. But, you go ahead...have fun... *backs away from graphic novel*

I am a girl, as you know. What you might not know is that I am also a Gamer. Have you played Mirror's Edge? Play it. It will make you want to leap off buildings in real life, but resist that. Instead, read this:


I think there is nothing cooler than free running. I wish I could do it! But I all I manage is falling down and hurting myself with great frequency.

And, last but not least: We have tons of new Bleach upstairs too.

New Books, OR, How Sarah Rees Brennan Made My Day

First we must talk about Sarah Rees Brennan (author of such YA titles as: The Demon's Lexicon, The Demon's Covenant, and The Eternal Kiss) and how she MADE MY DAY!

I didn't sleep very well last night. I actually didn't sleep at all. Well, maybe I slept an hour. But that was it! So I am groggy. Not awake at all. In fact, I bet I am not even very nice right now, and people are avoiding me. But I could be wrong.

The important thing is that I'm not in a sour mood anymore. And it is because Sarah Rees Brennan MADE MY DAY.

Do any of you watch The Vampire Diaries? I started watching them last week, since the first season came out on DVD so I could rent it. Somehow, that show works. I don't know why. It just does. I have found myself captivated by it.

As it turns out, I am not alone. Sarah Rees Brennan (who must be referred to with all three of her names at every moment because together, they sound so epic) watches the show too, and she has provided us with her commentary.

Without further ado, go read.

You should probably just read her blog every day now, because I told you to.

Now that I am in a happy mood, have some new books:

Soul Enchilada by David Macinnis Gill


One girl, one boy. Their eyes meet from across the car wash. It was love at first sight--except the girl's grandfather sold his soul to the devil for a classic Caddy and used HER soul as collateral. Now the devil's come around to collect, and he's taking the car AND her soul. Luckily Bug Smoot is fearless and ready for a fight. And Luckily that boy from the car wash is a secret agent dedicated to facing down the paranormal.

Eon by Alison Goodman


Fans of Tamora Pierce and Kristin Cashore will love Eon. He's spent his whole life training to become a Dragoneye. Except Eon is really Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl, not the twelve-year-old boy she's been pretending to be. If her secret is discovered, she'll be executed. Women are forbidden to use Dragon Magic. And then everything falls apart.

Also, I should mention that it IS possible to stand the way Eona is posed on the cover. Although you can't get out of that position without professional help. Otherwise it hurts. I would know. What? Yoga made me do it.

Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robid McKinley and Peter Dickinson (two fantasy greats you should absolutely know)


McKinley and Dickinson have written five short stories about creatures whose lives and deaths are centered around fire. With the two of them behind it, this book is bound to be a masterpiece of storytelling.

Wow. That pun was completely unintentional. Sorry.

Moving on.

The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau, author of Red Glass


Zeeta and her English-teacher mother, Layla, move from country to country yearly. Layla thrives on change, but Zeeta isn't so happy with their arrangement.

Finding herself in the Ecuadoran Andes, Zeeta meets up with an American teen, Wendell, who has come to Ecuador searching for his birth parents. Zeeta agrees to help him in his search for the truth.

Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz


This novel begins with a near-death experience for poor Camelia, whose day couldn't have been worse. She hopes. After meeting up with mysterious Ben, the new boy in school who may or may not have been the cause of his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Camelia's ordinary life becomes anything but--complete with mysterious telephone calls, packages, and thinly veiled threats. Now Camelia is wondering if she can really trust Ben, or if their secrets will keep them apart.

Jealousy by Lili St. Crow, the third Strange Angels novel


Poor Dru has finally made it to Schola Prima, home of the Order and training center for the djamphir, but the safety she was looking for is still out of reach. While Graves and Christophe struggle to...not...kill each other, Dru is still coping with the four-hundred-year-old psychotic nosferat Sergej, who wants her dead. Meanwhile, the Order is captivated by newcomer Anna, who wouldn't mind taking on Dru herself, so Anna can have what she really wants: Christophe.

It's Never too Early

I know the school year has only just begun, and all of you are doubtless concerned with all sorts of school-related things. But I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't throw little tidbits of information your way when I find them. So here is one of them...

The Wabash County College Fair is being held at Manchester College on September 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. It's totally free, and students can meet with representatives from 37 different schools. Just drop by the College Union that night, and you can pick up brochures, ask questions, learn about academic requirements, and so forth.

If you want more information about this event, go read more about it here.

More New Series Fiction

First I have to say, these books are very...pink. And they mostly have girls on the cover. So if you dislike books that are pink with girls on the cover, you might want to try another post. But I will say this: Publishers market books to the people they feel will be the most likely to buy said books in vast quantities, so be aware. Sometimes this is misleading, so you'll want to be aware of that as you pick out books for yourself!

Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine has a strange title, but I promise it will make perfect sense when you've read the book. It's also one of the many books that looks like "chick-lit" but ISN'T. Valentine also wrote Me, the Missing, and the Dead (I told you about that a few months ago. A few weeks ago? You don't really expect me to keep track, I hope), which I couldn't put down.


Rowan's brother is dead. Her father is gone. Her mother won't get out of bed. And Rowan is raising her little sister, Stroma, and trying to keep it all together.

She's waiting in line when a boy walks up to her and hands her a photo negative, claiming she'd dropped it. Knowing she hadn't, Rowan tries to argue, but in the end, keeps it. Once developed, she discovers a mystery.

The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon--and Me, Ruby Oliver by E.Lockhart, is the third Ruby Oliver book.


This is one series you'll want to give a chance, even if you're not the pink-girl-book kind of person. Why? In short, E. Lockhart is squirt-milk-out-your-nose hilarious. She takes funny to places it's never been before, and her novel The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks made me laugh so hard I felt like I'd done a thousand sit-ups the next morning (did you know you could pull your abdominal muscles when you laugh? You can. It is a painful discovery).

So if you are drawn to humorous books, give Ruby Oliver a chance. She won't disappoint.



From Frewin Jones' Faerie Path series, The Seventh Daughter*...


and The Immortal Realm



We have Bleach 10 (more volumes to come).


The sequel to Rules of the Road (some of you might remember that from Battle of the Books this year), Best Foot Forward. Both are by Joan Bauer. But you Battle alumni should have known that already.


It is on my reading list. But someone else gets it first. Because I am Nice.

Spells, the sequel to Wings, by Aprilynne Pike


Because you ASKED, I got it in hardcover--because, again, I am Nice. This installment continues Laurel's story as she struggles to balance her human life with her faerie identity. She doesn't want to leave her home--or David, her human boyfriend--behind. When she's summoned to Avalon, though, Laurel meets the faerie sentry Tamani, and is instantly drawn to him. Now Laurel must choose, and deal with the heartbreak that could result.

The Chaos Walking series continues with The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness.


Todd is running with the wounded Viola, but the two find themselves captured by Mayor Prentiss. Todd and Viola are separated, and he is imprisoned while the Mayor reveals his horrifying new order. Todd has no idea where Viola is, if she is safe, or if she is still alive. He doesn't know who the Answer are. And then the bombing begins.

The third book in this series, Monsters of Men, is due out September 28, so if you haven't started reading this series, now is the time. I've got Monsters of Men preordered for us, so watch for it on the new book cart after its release!

Have you read this yet?


You should. Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter, Gallagher Girls book four.

I got hit by a car while reading this book. I couldn't put it down, so I was reading it and walking, and all of a sudden, out of the blue, BAM!

It didn't really hurt all that much. It was mostly just a nudge, not even enough to really bruise. I was so surprised; I looked up from my book and realized--

The car was standing still.

I had walked right into it, while it sat parked in a spot in a space in the lot, just as it was supposed to be. It wasn't even pulled up too far or at a funny angle. It was just like all the cars around it.

And we have all of Lurlene McDaniel's Angels in Pink series, Raina's Story, Holly's Story, and Kathleen's Story.


Three best friends Raina, Holly, and Kathleen sign up as volunteers at Parker-Sloan General Hospital at Raina's persuasion. The three girls find romance, discover family secrets, and cope with tragedy as they grow closer together.

Next we have Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard--or, to clarify, we have Pretty Little Liars, Flawless, Perfect, Unbelievable, Wicked, Killer, and Heartless--the first seven books in the series.




Now, I have a little confession to make.

Those covers kind of freak me out.

You know how some dolls aren't cute at all, but kind of scary? Or really scary? The dolls on these books look mean, but not frightening, until you flip the books over and look at the back covers.

You see, the dolls on the covers were made to look identical to the models featured on the back, and it's CREEPY. I've taken to referring to them as The Demon Barbie Doll Books, so don't be confused if I call them that in the future. That's what the publisher gets for putting evil looking Barbie-esque dolls right there on the cover.

As I'm sure you already know, there is a television series based on Shepard's PLL books on ABC Family. I have only seen one episode, because I don't have cable or satillite at home, but it seemed good. It had a Desperate Housewives kind of feel to it--miserable girls with dark secrets who have everything they want but still aren't content, mostly because of the secrets.

Spencer, Aria, Emily and Hanna are all best friends with Alison, who they refer to as A. The five of them share a secret, something none of them talks about. Each of the girls loves A, but one day A vanishes without a trace and the girls feel something that surprises them a little. Relief. Because as wonderful as A was, bright, popular, the center of attention, she was also cruel and manipulative, someone they feared as much as admired.

The real mystery is how A went missing--what happened to her, and how were her friends involved?

Hey, don't look at me! I just started the first book.

*A.R. Quiz-takers BEWARE. The Seventh Daughter was not always the title of this book! The title USED to be The Sorcerer King, but it was SWITCHED in order to confuse you and make you think this book isn't worth any A.R. points when, in fact, it IS! Just look up The Sorcerer King when you want to take the quiz. And, for the record, the reading level is 5.8 and it's worth 12 points.

Did you know that...

Every year the ALA (librarian-speak for the American Library Association) reveals the Teen's Top Ten--the books judged to be the top ten new titles for teen readers?

But the ALA doesn't pick them. You do.

You can now skip my whole rant by going to the Place Where Voting Happens:

Vote here!

Now that you're done, you don't have to listen to me anymore. Isn't that nice?

If, however, you chose to stick around, you get to hear more fascinating information about the 2010 Teens Top Ten list!

Lots of you just left, didn't you?

*sigh*

In order for the list to happen, teens nominate their favorite books of the previous year. Nominators are members of book groups in 15 schools and public libraries all over the country. Kind of like what your math or science teacher would call a "random sampling"--a smallish-group of teens that can represent the whole (which is you).

Now we get to talk statistics! Because I feel like it, that's why.

When you hear on the news, "80% of today's youth finds this blog post boring," it isn't just a made-up number like that statistic is up there. Why? Because that would be a lie and the news people would get sued. Or eight out of ten of you would all think that this blog entry is boring, because the news said you had to. Wait. Maybe not that last one.

You can tell my statistic is made up because it is a very low number for a blog about statistics. I mean, if I really asked you how boring you found statistics, you would say "VERY BORING!" or roll your eyes and walk away. Most of you would do this. Except for my friend Kat who actually went to school for Math and Crunches Numbers all day long. She told me I could call her if I needed to do math in my head, like to figure out sales tax or how big a tip to leave. Kat is nice.

But most of you, I'm guessing, would call statistics "boring," leaving me with no other choice but to MAKE YOU BORED! And if I really asked all of you, we might, perhaps find out that 99.9999% of you find statistics to be skull-crushingly, mind-bendingly, sleep inducingly boring.

Or we might find that 33.8% of you hate statistics, 12.2% of you don't really care whether I talk about statistics or not because you're indifferent to statistics in general, and all the rest of you LOVE statistics and dance around the room when someone starts talking about them.

In order to find out how many of you think I'm boring, I could go out and ask you each, "Do you think statistics are boring?" And then you would answer me. Then I could tally up my results and tell you with complete certainty that X% of you think I am boring and Y% of you hang on my every word.

But let's face it. I am not a people person. I like to sit in the back of the room with my book and pretend I don't exist. That makes things quieter, you know? So I would need to do what all other scientists and pollsters around the world do, which is CHEAT.

That's what it is, really. At least, that's what it is when you're me and someone tries to explain statistics to you.

Most statistics are complied using Random Sampling (which is not a proper noun, but it looks more important that way). Using my Boredom Poll model, I would feed, say, the yearbook from your high school into a computer. The computer would then spit out names of people it picked using a complicated formula that makes it random. This is where the philosopher in me wants to say, "Nothing is random." But that's a blog for another day. An accurate sample is BIG--the more people the better. Let's say, for the purpose of argument, that I rounded up 100 people from all the area high schools using my computer program and asked them my questions. That would be a Random Sample. And, given how our country schools are pretty tiny, it is an okay-ish sample size. I would then take your answers and have Kat crunch the numbers to tell me the real percent of you who think, "Laura is being very boring in this blog post, and I wish she would talk more about sneezing pandas



or angry goats,



or the time you got caught in the revolving door,



which kind of looked like this but without all the broken glass.

Now back to my point.

The ALA takes a random sample of teens from around the country and asks them, "What were your favorite books this year?" And they give the ALA lists. And the ALA takes the lists and compiles them into a Master List and then YOU VOTE!

And once you've voted, the ALA compiles the votes AGAIN and then during Teen Read Week, which is October 17--22, it announces the 2010 TEEN'S TOP TEN!

And then we throw a party because Paper Towns won. Oh. Wait. That was last year.

Voting for this year's list opens TODAY! So...

Go VOTE!

New Series Fiction

Behold!

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X: Watch the Skies by James Patterson and Ned Rust!


Daniel fights creatures of gut-wrenching terror in this second installment of alien mayhem!

The fourth Blue Bloods novel: The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa De La Cruz...


The Blue Bloods are in a battle for their very survival as the threat of the Silver Bloods grows and--I don't know what that means. Sorry. Romance, vampirism, and so forth. Enjoy.

The Best Books I'd Never Read (Until Today): As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth

Vital statistics: As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins, all-around-awesome book.

I have had some vacations go horribly wrong in my life, but even my worst moments couldn't compare with Ry's summer.

What begins as an innocent trip to archaeology camp goes horribly awry as he first discovers the camp no longer exists, then manages to first lose his cell phone charge, then his train (along with backpack and majority of possessions), then a large quantity of blood (nosebleed), then one shoe, then the vision in one eye (he ran into a cable).

Meanwhile, his mother and father are on a sailing trip, out of touch, and having a "fabulous" time. Except for the mast breaking. And the twisted ankle. And the robbery.

And Ry's grandfather is concussed.

And missing.

And he isn't altogether sure where he is, except he may or may not have lost the dogs, if there were dogs at all.

(There were.)

The dogs are on their way to the old house, Incredible-Journey-style.

If they could remember where the old house was.

And since his family just moved...Ry can't very well depend on the neighbors to come to the rescue...

But in between all the losing, Ry does a lot of finding. He finds Del, for one, and the two embark on a family-finding, true-love-tracking adventure.

Here's my favorite quote, which I must share. It involves the replacement shoes Ry is forced to purchase following the loss of the aforementioned boot. The shoes in question are white lizard-skin loafers with gold chain (one chain is missing):

"The shoes were a metaphor for the decline of western civilization: crappy and glitzy and barely useful, but pretty comfortable. This is the narrator's opinion. Ry didn't think that thought specifically, but he felt as dispirited as if he had."

Oh--and it goes on!

"The contrast between the shoes and the striped tube socks was interesting. Probably a metaphor for something depressing, too. It looked as if a lawm mower-riding failed gambler in shorts with a potbelly should be attached to his legs."

It goes without saying that the above caused me to laugh hysterically, inhale sweet tea, and choke. But it was worth it.

Now that I've finished As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth, I'm reading Lynne Rae Perkin's novel Criss Cross--the one that won the Newbery Medal.

And if the Printz committee is paying attention to little old me...take a good long look at this one.*

*The above sentence is my way of saying, "Give this book LOTS of awards because it is GOOD and I LOVED it.

Presents!

Next week on this very day, it will be My Birthday! You may leave presents for me at the circulation desk. I like yarn.

But for now, I will give you gifts.


Splendor by Anna Godberson


Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender


Crash Into Me by Albert Borris


Everlost by Neal Shusterman (this is Book 1 of the Skinjacker Trilogy)


Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

And, last but not least...


Just Another Hero by Sharon M. Draper

You may unwrap them now.

The Best Book You've Never Read, First Edition

While I was moving paperbacks around, changing shelving, I realized that some of my most-favoritest books haven't been read...recently.

I'm not going to admit how long it's been since they were first popular, because that would mean admitting exactly how much time has passed since my high school days. It really hasn't been that long, but it has been long enough that I don't want to have to count the years. I don't want to get depressed. I have a birthday coming up, and that isn't the time to wax nostalgic about how I am basically a wizened crone.

All I need are a dozen or so cats, really. Then the image would be complete.

As I thought about my birthday, I remembered an awesome book, a book which involved the end of the world. The world, I must add, was scheduled to end on my birthday. At least in this novel.



Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville scheduled the end of the world on my birthday, July 27, 2000. Really. Well, they wrote it. Reverend Beelson is the one who said it. Teenagers Jed and Marina, brought into Reverend Beelson's cult by their fanatical parents, are forced to reassess their own beliefs as they prepare for The End of the World. Which also happens to be Marina's 14th birthday.

I loved this book when I was in high school. Not just because of the birthday thing, though that was a plus, but because Yolen and Coville created a suspenseful page-turner with DEPTH. That's really rare. It gets you thinking about philosophy, how our faith impacts our views of reality, and how love and friendship changes our lives.

On top of all that, you can pick this up, put it down, or read it all in one sitting. It's the perfect summer read!

As I become more and more decrepit, my hair thinning and turning white, liver spots randomly appearing, my voice growing raspy and frail, I will think of more great books from back in my day that you might have missed. Provided I live that long.* And that my memory holds out...

*Despite her varied complaints, whines, and false assertions, Laura remains young. Ish. Also, she is in realitively good health, aside from allergies. So no worries. In addition, she feels that her birthday would be a crummy time for the world to end, though her birth may have been some kind of portent announcing the end of all. We'll just have to wait and see.