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?

Graveminder

By: Melissa Marr
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Stars: 2 out of 5

Rebekkah Barrow’s grandmother Maylene has just been murdered. There is no one to mind the dead and now Bek must return to the town is dreads going back to. Soon she discovers why her grandmother did all of her odd traditions to mind the dead; if the dead are not minded then they come back to feed off of food, drink and stories of the living. And it turns out that Claysville has a connection with a lawless world of the dead and an enigmatic ruler in which a Graveminder and an Undertaker – a man of the town who protects the Graveminder – work for. Now some dead are walking among them and it is up to Bek and her adolescent lover Bryon, to set things right.

Shine

By: Lauren Myracle
Genre: Teen Fiction
Stars: 4 out of 5

Cat’s best guy friend just became a victim of an awful hate crime. When the sheriff of her small southern town isn’t coming up with any leads and is ready to pin it on out of town college boys, sixteen-year-old Cat decides to figure out who could do such a tragic hate crime to her former friend. As Cat digs deeper and deeper into the mystery behind this crime and the town’s secrets, someone starts to threaten her. Will Cat figure out who did this to Paul or will she become the victim of a crime herself?

Wings

By: Aprilynne Pike
Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance
Stars: 4 out of 5

Laurel was happy with her life, with the normalcy of it all. Switching from being home schooled to public school is a lot easier than she expected and friends came effortlessly. Nothing was changing except for one thing; the most beautiful flower blossomed – right out of her back! Laurel is both mesmerized and scared of her wings but why does she have them? Who is she? With the help of her friend, she finds out that Laurel is a fairy and she may be in trouble. What will happen when a troll is after Laurel and the gateway her farm protects?

This book was a “Free Friday” book on my nook. Some of the free books are great finds but others are you either take it or leave it. This book is one of the formers. I had heard great things about this novel from some coworkers and I like the teen paranormal romance. It was a quick read with an intriguing love triangle and angle on faeries. Faeries have special abilities depending on the season they wore born in and women bloom flowers once a year. In Pike’s world there are faeries and trolls and a whole lot of romantic drama. This is the first in the Laurel Series. I have not read the others but this one is a definite read for those of you who love teen reads.

Tweet Heart

By: Elizabeth Rudnick
Genre: Teen Fiction
Stars: 3 out of 5

Claire is totally head-over-heels for the most popular guy in school JD and her best friend Lottie keeps trying to tell her to go for it. Her best guy friend is totally in love with Claire and upon the suggestion from their friend Bennett, Will makes a false Twitter account pretending to be JD and starts talking to Claire. What will happen when JD actually starts talking to Claire and Will’s good-hearted idea gets way over his head. A teen novel written entirely through tweets, blog posts and emails, this is a cute, fun teen novel that will entertain you for at least a day.

Water for Elephants

By: Sara Gruen
Genre: Fiction
Stars: 5 out of 5

Jacob Jankowski’s young life gets turned upside down when instead of finishing his veterinary exams from Cornell he hops onto a train containing the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Now he is thrust into the circus world where workers and performers are separate and the ringmaster will do whatever he can to keep his show afloat. With a gorgeous horse trainer who is married to the wicked and cruel equestrian director, Jacob must find his place in this business while trying to stay sane. Jacob’s story is brought to you through flashbacks as he reminisces about his past.

A year ago people told me mixed things about this book but when the movie came out I really wanted to read the book since I knew I was going to watch the motion picture. I am glad I did. The book was spectacular with the right amounts of romance, action, violence and of course an insider’s look into the wonderful world of the circus. I especially loved the ending, it was totally appropriate and perfect for the book. This is just a fun, well-written book and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. I can’t wait to see how the movie lives up to this work of fiction.

Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me

By: Friends and Family of Chelsea Handler
Genre: Biography
Stars: 3 out 5

Chelsea Handler loves her friends and family. However, she has a funny way of showing it. Chelsea is quite the prankster and she shows no mercy. This book is a collection of different pranks and lies that Chelsea Handler, the host of Chelsea Lately, told her friends and family for a good laugh. This book includes pictures of the victims as well.

I love Chelsea Handler. I think she is just hilarious so when I found out this new book was coming out I got really excited. I finished it in three days and enjoyed a couple of laughs here and there but I was disappointed with the content. I thought it would make me laugh as hard as her other books but then I realized it is not written by her. Duh! But it’s a quick read with insight into the Chelsea we do not see on camera, so a must read if you like this comedian.

Married With Zombies

By: Jesse Petersen
Genre: Science Fiction
Stars: 5 out of 5

David and Sarah live in Seattle, Washington and are having marital problems. On their way to see their marriage counselor they notice there is not as much traffic on I-5 as usual. As they walk into their session they find their counselor eating the couple scheduled before them. Something has happened at the University of Washington labs where zombies are now taking over. Now David and Sarah must put aside their problems and help one another survive against the infestation.

A coworker recommended this book a couple weeks ago and I am so glad she did. It is hilarious. First of all, I love that it takes place in my hometown so any book taking place in Seattle is a win. Second the humor in this novel is fantastic. I love bickering couples. Third, zombies books are just fun and entertaining reads. If you want a quick and quirky read pick this up. There is a sequel as well called Flip this Zombie.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

By: Joanne Fluke
Genre: Mystery
Stars: 4 out of 5
Hannah Swensen, an amateur sleuth, owns the local “Cookie Jar” where the small Lake Eden population likes to grab a cup of coffee, a cookie and gossip. Between baking and fending off her mother’s advances for her to get married, Hannah finds the local milkman Ron LaSalle dead in the alley behind her shop. Wanting to help her brother-in-law get that promotion as detective, Hannah begins to gather clues from all the gossip to catch the killer.

The first in a series of mystery books, I borrowed this book from a coworker who said I might enjoy it. I am not a huge mystery fan but I thought I would give it a shot. I must say I did like the story and I totally did not guess who the killer was until the end. I especially liked the corporation of cookie recipes within the chapters and I can’t wait to bake a few. If you want a fun, fast mystery read pick this series up. I might continue to read through the rest of them.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

By: Maureen Johnson
Genre: Teen Fiction
Stars: 4 out of 5
Ginny has just received thirteen letters from her deceased aunt telling her to pack her bags for an adventure of a lifetime. Ginny has to follow the rules of each letter that will take her all throughout Europe, a trip that her aunt herself made before her death. Along the way Ginny meets an interesting English man whose play catches her interest, sees Roman architecture, roams the streets of Paris, tags along with a family in the Netherlands and so much more. What kinds of things is her crazy aunt going to make her do in this fun and quick read?

I have a NookColor and this was one of the “free Friday” books that you can download every week. It sounded like fun and so I decided to read it. It was a relief to have a teen book that was not in the first person like so many teen books are nowadays. It was a clever and charming read that was quick and to the point with each letter. You watch the main character grow up and enjoy the confidence she builds. However, don’t think it’s very realistic for a teenage girl to go off to Europe by herself. All in all I enjoyed this little novel and I will pick up the next book “The Last Little Blue Envelope.”

Delirium

By: Lauren Oliver
Genre: Teen Fiction
Stars: 2 out 5
Lena has ninety-five days before she is cured of the disease. Ninety-five days until her procedure so she can no longer live in fear of the disease. That disease is love. In a future world, scientists have figured out the cause for war and hate – love. With a procedure that disease can be cured, severing all emotions from a person. You cannot receive it until you are eighteen years of age; Lena is almost there. But during her waiting time, Lena learns what it is like to love after meeting a mysterious boy and learns more about her mother – a sufferer of the disease – which she only ever dreamed of. When the time comes, will Lena choose the procedure she has been welcoming or will she succumb to the deliria nervosa?

This is the sophomore novel I read by Lauren Oliver. I did not care for her first book but a coworker said I would enjoy this one a lot more so I gave it a try. I must admit I do not care for Oliver’s writing style and so it was not enjoyable for me. I finished it though and that was an accomplishment. Oliver focuses too much on the character building and does not explore the world she has placed her characters in this futuristic world. And her character descriptions are too descriptive that the story does not flow as well as it should. Besides it being predictable, it really did have an interesting concept with love being considered a disease. But that is as much as I tolerated.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

By: Carrie Ryan
Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance
Stars: 4 out 5
Mary’s world is surrounded by a fence. The fence is made to keep the Unconsecrated out and the village with the Guardians and the Sisterhood to protect them. But Mary wants to know if there is more to her world than a constant hum of moans and a fence to keep her from the rest of the world. She wants to know if there is an ocean, an ocean that her mother constantly told stories about before becoming one of them. When there is a breach of the fence, Mary discovers there is many secrets the Sisterhood kept to “protect” the people and there is more to this world than rules and a fence. But in following her dreams, Mary will lose the people that matter to her and she has to choose between the man she truly loves and the man who loves her. What will happen when Mary’s world is turned upside down and will she ever find her ocean?

I’ve been wanting to read this series for a while and since the third book came out a little while ago I thought it was time to start them. This takes place in the future where the world has become zombie infested and there is Mary’s village surrounded by a fence to keep out the flesh-eaters. It has suspense and action with secrets being revealed and a zombie breach to the village. Now Mary and her friends must survive and while trying to survive there are more pieces to the puzzle being revealed. I loved this suspense and action. This book is a little depressing as well especially towards the end; there was even a part my eyes welled up with tears. Altogether is was a fun read and surprisingly not what I was expecting. But I have the second one – The Dead Tossed Waves – on my shelf to read.

Castle Waiting

By: Linda Medley
Genre: Graphic Novel
Stars: 4 out 5
This fun graphic novel mixes old fairy tales and clever taglines for a quick, entertaining read. It starts off with a retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty which takes place at the castle. Then after the spell is lifted the princess runs off and now the castle is waiting with a small group of people. A pregnant girl is traveling and her destination is the Castle Waiting. Once there she is welcomed with open arms and told tales of bearded nuns and a grumpy old mill owner. This is an enjoyable read that will certainly make you laugh. The artwork is fantastic as well and makes the story. One of my coworkers found it a couple years ago and lent it to me. I was not disappointed with her recommendation and cannot wait to read the second installment.

Wither

By: Lauren DeStefano
Genre: Teen Fiction
Stars: 4 out of 5
In our future, we have tried to create the perfectly genetic human beings and in doing so created a virus. This virus kills boys at the age of twenty-five and girls at the age of twenty. No one who is born now can grow old. In this world, sixteen year old Rhine Ellery wants to live her last four years the way she wants to. However that possibility changes when she is captured by the Gatherers and sold to a man to become his bride, along with two other girls. Living a life with a man she feels pity and hatred toward, and having two sister wives is not what Rhine imagined and now it is her goal to escape. But how can you escape from a place that gives you no freedom and a man who controls everything?

This book was on its own display at work and the cover lured me in. I started reading it and enjoyed the story quite a bit but thought there was more to the story line then her finding a way to escape. After figuring out for this first book in “The Chemical Garden Trilogy” it revolved simply around Rhine trying to find a way to escape from the overprotected eyes of her husband’s father and the prison that was her new home, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I am intrigued to find out what will happen in the next installment. Also this book is definitely for older teens and not for the young twelve and thirteen year olds. It has a lot of heavy issues such as polygamy and teen pregnancy. I would recommend it to an older audience.

Tiger's Curse

By: Colleen Houck
Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance
Stars: 5 out of 5
Kelsey is a seventeen year old girl ready to start her college life. But to make some money for school, she decides to get a summer job – working for two weeks with a traveling circus. This traveling circus has a beautiful white tiger with ice cold blue eyes that compel Kelsey to become fond of the tiger. Then a mysterious man comes to purchase the tiger from the circus and wants Kelsey to accompany the tiger to India safely. While on the journey to the tiger reserve in India, Kelsey discovers her precious tiger is actually Ren an Indian prince who can only become human for twenty-four minutes a day. Shocked, Kelsey has to make a choice to either return home and pretend none of this ever happened or help Ren break the curse of being a tiger.

The first in a trilogy with the second book coming out in June and the third in December, this is a fun adventure and romance. Think Indiana Jones with the curse and trying to figure out how to break it while venturing into caves with traps and goddesses. It’s intense and compelling. Plus add a little romance with a strong independent teenager and a hopeless romantic Indian prince and you get an awesome novel. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone and cannot wait for the second book to come out so I can find out what will happen next.

Ink Exchange

By: Melissa Marr
Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance
Stars: 2 out of 5

Now that the Summer Court has its King and Queen it is strong again. With a new Winter Queen there is no longer an alliance between the Winter and the Dark Faery Court. The Dark Court’s king Irial has to find a new way to keep his court powerful and happy or rebellion will strike up and cause bloodshed not only among the fey but the humans as well. To avoid conflict, Irial comes up with a plan to be tied to a human and feed the court with his or her emotions. Leslie, one of Aishlinn’s friend, needs a change to regain her body back. She decides on getting a tattoo but not just any tattoo – this tattoo will bind her to Irial. Once the ink exchange is made, Leslie falls victim to this new world she never knew existed and this dark intriguing fairy. But can she get out of this menacing world and return to her normal life or does she stay bound to Irial feeding his court until she withers.

After reading the first book in the Wicked Lovely series I could not wait to read the next one. Then I read the back of this book and totally wanted to skip the second installment and move onto the third because this book does not continue Aishlinn’s story. But I was told to just suck it up and read them in order and so I did fearing I could miss something important. While this second novel does continue the story, Marr has done it in a different way. Instead of focusing on Aishlinn, the main character throughout the series – Marr picks up with her best friend and entwines her in the fairy world. I was extremely disappointed. I wanted to read about Aishlinn and here I was reading about Leslie. I finished the book because I wanted to make sure I did not miss anything but I was not thrilled by it. Leslie’s character towards the end when she is bound to Irial is not relatable and truly weird. I did not like the part when they were bound at all. There were too many sexual references about Leslie being addicted to Irial that I did not care for. I kind of wish I did skip this book and went on to the third book since I like Aishlinn’s story and her love interest the most.

Wicked Lovely

By: Melissa Marr
Genre: Teen Paranormal Romance
Stars: 4 out of 5

Aishlinn has a secret gift. She can see fairies. They have been playing nasty tricks and roaming free amongst us for centuries but only a few have the Sight. Aishlinn is one of the unlucky few who can see these horrifying creatures. Until now she has lived with a set of rules to ignore them so they will not bother her and she can live what normal life she can. That is until the Summer King fairy starts stalking her. Eventually Aishlinn is sucked into their world and she can no longer ignore the fairies that have haunted her all of her life. Now Aishlinn must make a choice between her mortal life and her best friend Seth or spending eternity ruling the Summer Court as Keenan’s queen. Will she choose mortality or immorality or does she even have a choice at all?

Since I started school back up this year I have not had much time to read for pleasure. I have picked up a few books over the past few months but could not focus to finish them. Then I picked this teen book up because my friends who recommend and read teen fiction as I have been lately, have not read this series yet. I could not put the book down. I loved the romance and the relief from vampires for fairies. Usually when you think of fairies you think cute, little winged creatures. But Marr’s portrait of a fairy is intriguing. She portrays fairies as horrifying creatures who walk among us without us knowing. They are terrifying and will even cause the death of humans. Then when the Summer King becomes interested in Aishlinn and Aishlinn’s best friend becomes more than a friend, I could not wait to see how this love triangle turned out. And the ending was so exciting that I had to read the next one right away. If you enjoyed Twilight –which I know there are some closet fans out there – or if you enjoy a fun easy teen romance story then I recommend to pick this book up.