Soft Apocalypse

By: Will McIntosh

Genre: Science Fiction

Stars: 3 out of 5

Jasper remembers a time when resources weren’t so scarce and there were three classifications in society. Now there are only two, the rich and the poor. There is no in between and the poor are struggling to survive, competing for the resources that are left. Jasper and his tribe used to be normal; they went to college, got degrees and thought they would have it made. But now they are homeless, or rather nomads trying to survive in a world that is slowing crumbling around them. Always living in fear of the Jumpy-Jumps and the pinprick that will infect you with Doctor Happy, Jasper and his tribe struggle to stay alive while keeping their humanity in this apocalyptic and dangerous world.

Until Again

By: Lou Aroncia

Genre: Fiction

Stars: 4 out of 5

The prequel novella to Blue, we find Chris Astor on his last weekend living with his estranged wife and daughter before he moves out. The divorce is something he didn’t expect and definitely did not want. He struggles this last weekend with hiding his feelings but wanting to tell his ten-year-old daughter about the divorce. Juxtaposed this is the world Chris and his daughter Becky created when she was younger and sick. Tamarisk is struggling with diplomatic events against their neighboring kingdom, and Miea, the Tamarisk princess is frightened for her parents. Both Chris’ and Miea’s worlds come crashing down on them and they are powerless to stop what is coming next. 

Switched

By: Amanda Hocking

Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance

Stars: 4 out of 5

Wendy Everly was six-years-old when her mother took a butcher knife and tried to kill her. Now eleven years later, Wendy senses strange happenings around her and is attacked by these two beings. Finn Holmes, a dark and mysterious guy from her school, saves Wendy and takes her to her true home – the world of the trolls. Upon arrival, Wendy learns that her “mother” was right; she really isn’t her daughter. She is instead a troll who was switched at birth to live and grow with the Everly’s so she may inherit their riches. And it doesn’t stop there. Wendy is also a princess, the heir to her troll world. But Wendy wants nothing to do with this world, and with another troll tribe after her, will Wendy be able to return to the family she grew up with?

Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account

By: Miklos Nyiszil

Genre: Biography

Stars: 4 out of 5

After the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944, the whole Jewish population was sent to Auschwitz. Dr. Miklos Nyiszil was one of these millions of Jews. Fearing for his life, he stepped forward when Dr. Josef Mengele called forth the doctors from the assembly line straight off the train. Nyiszil didn’t know that he was in for something much worse than death; he performed autopsies on his fellow Jews for “scientific research.” This is his terrifying eyewitness account of living and working in Auschwitz and dealing with the “business as usual” mentality of the genocide.

Happy Holidays!

May all of you have a wonderful holiday this year!

And look for more posts coming soon!

The Lost Horizon

By: James Hilton

Genre: Fiction

Stars: 4 out of 5

Set in the 1930s, four strangers are kidnapped on an airplane and taken to a place they would never imagine. The plane crashes in a part of the Himalayas that is brutal and the cold alone could kill. Scared and alone, a party directed by a strange lamasery named Chang directs them to the mystical Shangri-La. There our main character, Conway, quickly learns the secrets of Shangri-La and he becomes tempted to stay in this paradise. But will he choose to stay among those who live in peace or will the outside world beckon to him once again?

Tiger's Quest

By: Colleen Houck

Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance

Stars: 5 out of 5

Tiger’s Curse left Kelsey flying back home to Oregon to go to college and help her get over Ren. Struggling to date other guy’s and overcome the strong feelings she has for Ren hasn’t been easy. Just when Kelsey thinks she can get over Ren, he shows up on her door step. Finally together, they are wiped apart by danger and Kelsey is forced to return to India – without Ren. To help save Ren, Kishan (Ren’s flirtatious brother) and Kelsey must complete the next task in the prophecy. Will they be able to save Ren and break another aspect of the brothers’ curse?

The Marriage Plot

 By: Jeffery Eugenides

Genre: Fiction

Stars: 5 out of 5

It’s the early 1980s – time for three college graduates to figure out what they want to do with than lives. Madeleine Hanna is an English major, infatuated with the nineteenth century world of Jane Austen and George Eliot. Throughout her college career she meets two very different guys that teach her the premise of her thesis: the marriage plot. Mitchell Grammaticus is the boy you bring home to your parents; kind and polite from a decent background, every way the gentleman. Studying the world of Christian mysticism, Mitchell is the classic “friend” that falls head over heels obsessed with Madeleine and wants to take their relationship to beyond friendship. On the other hand, there is Leonard Bankhead. Dark and mysterious, he is the classic loner who has a past that most women are attracted to. The year after they graduate, the lovers are introduced to the real world: Leonard suffers from manic depression. Madeleine tries to hold the relationship and Leonard together while Mitchell travels around Europe realizing Madeleine is the one for him. Will this modern love triangle turn out the way a nineteenth century story ends, or will it have a different ending this time around?

The Dead Tossed Waves

By: Carrie Ryan

Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance

Stars: 4 out of 5

Gabry lives a relatively safe and quiet life along the coast with her mother; as safe as you can get in a town that is surrounded by a forest and ocean that is swarming with the undead. Gabry is content with living with her mother, killing those who crawl onto the beach and hearing her friends’ dream of the Dark City beyond the forest. But her world gets turned upside-down when her friends convince her to go beyond the Barrier one night and the Mudo attack them. Half of Gabry’s generation is dead and the other life face a life of imprisonment. With the help of a mysterious boy, who strangely seems to know her, Gabry must face secrets she never thought possible and the Forest of Hands and Teeth to help save the one she loves. 

I Am Number Four

By: Pittacus Lore

Genre: Teen Fantasy & Adventure

Stars: 4 out of 5

John Smith looks exactly like us and blends into our society; but he is not human. He is Lorien and he is one of nine that came to Earth to escape those who are hunting them. If the enemies find them, they kill them one by one. Numbers One, Two and Three are dead. John is Number Four and he is being hunted. Running, he decides to live in the shadows of Paradise, Ohio. Blending in, John begins to make friends and starts to enjoy his time in this new place. But they found him. Now John must learn to fight and use his superpowers to save his life.

It's Kind of a Funny Story

By: Ned Vizzini

Genre: Teen Fiction

Stars: 3 out of 5

Craig Gilner is in high school and already constantly thinks about his future. He studied vigorously to get into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School which will put him in the right direction for his future. But at his new school he comes to the realization that he isn’t that bright compared to everyone else and he might not have the future he mapped out for himself. Craig becomes stressed with this new understanding and develops depression. Overwhelmed, Craig almost tries to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and he gets checked into a mental hospital. There, Craig meets an assortment of people who help him come to terms with his anxiety and finds an outlet to de-stress.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

By: Ransom Riggs

Genre: Teen Fantasy & Adventure

Stars: 4 out of 5

Sixteen-year-old Jacob has always heard strange stories from his grandfather about peculiar children and the monsters. Always thinking they were just tall tales, he never would have guessed that anything his grandfather could be true; until he saw what murdered his grandfather. Trying to deal with this tragedy, his father takes Jacob to the remote island off the coast of Wales where his grandfather grew up and his eccentric stories take place. As Jacob begins to explore the island, he comes across the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. It becomes clear to Jacob that the stories aren’t just stories, and the children may impossibly still be alive.

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer

By: Jonathan L. Howard

Genre: Fiction

Stars: 4 out of 5

Johannes Cabal made a deal with the devil, years ago, to sell his soul in exchange for learning the laws of necromancy. Growing bored and frustrated with his occult studies, he wants to make another deal with the devil; Johannes wants his soul back. In order for Johannes to attain his soul once again, he must get not one but one hundred people to sign over their souls or he will be damned to hell forever. He is given one calendar year and a traveling nightmare carnival to acquire the number of souls he needs. Enlisting the help of his brother Horst, a magnetic vampire and a motley crew raised from the dead, Johannes must complete this task before the end of the year – or it will be his last.

Something Borrowed

By: Emily Giffin

Genre: Fiction

Stars: 3 out of 5

Rachel and Darcy have been best friends since grade school. Darcy is the one that always shines and gets everything while Rachel is the sidekick lurking in her shadow. Years later, Rachel is an attorney at a Manhattan law firm and the maid of honor in Darcy’s wedding. But on Rachel’s thirtieth birthday, she drunkenly confesses her love for Darcy’s fiancé and he returns her feelings. As the wedding draws near, Rachel must make a choice between love and loyalty. Should she do the right thing and stop sleeping with her best friend’s fiancé or should she be true to herself and her heart?