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  • Grimm, New

    Pop Series for 2011

    17.12.10 | Permalink | Comment?

    Reserve some now!

    Entice, Carrie Jones (January 2011) – Zara has been kissed by pixie king Astley (cue Rick Astley music video*), plus Nick’s dead but there’s a chance she can save him, if Astley’s willing to help.

    Grey Wolves, Robert Muchamore (Henderson’s Boys, February 2011) – the grey wolves are German U-boats that caused massive problems for the British navy in the North Atlantic. What is needed is teen spies to saboutage them in the way that only teen spies can. Like Battleship, but with espionage.

    Angel, James Patterson (Maximum Ride, February 2011) – Max and Fang’s flocks must combine to defeat a doomsday cult threatening to kill all humans, but will Max be distracted by the idea that Dylan is Mr Right (as the scientists suggest)? If the title is anything to go by, Angel might be important.

    Darkest Mercy, Melissa Marr (March 2011) – [mild spoiler alert] will Irial really die? Surely not. Read and find out if Melissa Marr is game enough to kill of her coolest character.

    City of Fallen Angels, Cassandra Clare (April 2011) – Clary and Jace are back, and not a moment too soon, Clary and Jace fans say. This will be the fourth in the Mortal Instruments series from the prolific keyboard of Ms Clare.

    Invincible, Sherrilyn Kenyon, (Chronicles of Nick, April 2011) – Nick Gautier’s life continues to become more complex and dangerous in paranormal New Orleans.

    Also: for Robin McKinley fans, there’s Pegasus

    * Sorry, but you really can’t beat a good Rick Astley video. The teen blog likes Rick Astley videos, as does the WCL teen facebook page.


  • Books, Comics, Environment, Espionage, Fantasy, Horror, New, Sci Fi, Separated at Birth, Simon

    New Books

    05.11.10 | Permalink | Comment?

    As promised, here are some more new books. Maybe all of them. There are many! If there was an earthquake right now they would fall on me, perhaps injuring me slightly.

    Nevermore, by Kelly Creagh (543 pages) – Isobel falls in lurve with the aloof and sarky (and gorgeous) Varen, whose dream world – based on the not-at-all-jolly stories of Edgar Allan Poe – have come to life. She must rescue him before his nightmares devour him!

    First line: ‘By the end of fourth period, Isobel’s espresso buzz from that morning’s venti latte had long since worn off.‘

    Annexed, by Sharon Dogar (329 pages) – Peter van Pels and his family went into hiding with Anne Frank, and there, in this (imagined) story, he finds himself falling in love with her. As history documents, it’s not a happy love story, and Peter’s experience continues into and beyond the Nazi death camps.

    First lines: ‘I think I’m still alive. But I’m not sure.‘

    The FitzOsbornes in Exile : The Montmaray Journals Book Two, by Michelle Cooper (451 pages) – Diary-writer Sophie and her family’s home, an island kingdom!, has been overrun by the Nazis, and they all find themselves trying to navigate the English aristocracy while pretty much penniless and/or mad. A sequel (obviously!) to this book.

    First line: ‘I write this sitting at an exquisite little Louis the Fifteenth secretaire in the White Drawing Room, using a gold fountain pen borrowed from the King of Montmaray and a bottle of ink provided by one of the footmen.‘

    Demon Princess : Reign Check, by Michelle Rowan (292 pages) – Nikki is half human, and half demon, and ‘has had a lot to deal with’. A faery king enrols at her high school to investigate her potential for destroying the world, and Nikki is summoned to the Underworld to appear before a demon council for some reason. And! She’s also madly in love with her Shadow Creature servant, Michael, but it’s forbidden. :(

    First line: ‘Act normal, I told myself as I pushed through the front doors of Erin Heights High School.‘

    The Hunt : A Dark Touch Novel, by Amy Meredith (262 pages) – Another supernatural romance, the genre du jour. Demons are on the hunt and Eve must use her powers to fight them. She’s also mad keen on ‘gorgeous’ Luke, who may or may not be something more as well. Do they have a future together? Do they have a future at all? Will anyone have a future?

    First line: ‘“Dude, have you decided to give up showering?” Dave Perry called after practice on Monday.‘

    Trash, by Andy Mulligan (215 pages) – Everyone seems to be reserving this book! It’s about three friends who live in a dumpsite somewhere in the third world,, making a living from trash. They find something – a deady secret – and shortly afterwards they are ‘hunted without mercy.’ But it has a happy ending; it is ‘utterly original and universal, it will touch the world.’

    First line: ‘My name is Raphael Fernandez and I am a dumpsite boy.‘

    Kiss Me Deadly : Tales of Paranormal Romance, edited by Trisha Telep (430 pages) -Thirteen stories of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, shapeshifters, fallen angels, zombies (ugh) and other instances of supernatural love. Actually really good even if you’re no fan of supernatural romance; Maggie Stiefvater’s The Hounds of Ulster is a cracking story.

    Beautiful Darkness, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (503 pages) – Going to copy and paste this synopsis; ‘In a small southern town with a secret world hidden in plain sight, sixteen-year-old Lena, who possesses supernatural powers and faces a life-altering decision, draws away from her true love, Ethan, a mortal with frightening visions.’

    First line: ‘I used to think our town, buried in the South Carolina back woods, stuck in the muddy bottom of the Santee River valley, was the middle of nowhere.‘

    Yes, I Know the Monkey Man, by Dori Hillestad Butler (196 pages) – When T. J.’s dad is injured she discovers that she was kidnapped by her father 10 years ago. Not only does she have a mother and a step-father, but also a twin sister. This book also arguably has the best title of any book, ever.

    First line: ‘The little red light on our answering machine was blinking on and off when I wandered into the kitchen.‘

    Mutation : The Phoenix Files, by Chris Morphew (311 pages) – This is the third book in the Phoenix Files series. We reviewed the first book a while ago. There were 100 days left before the world ends; now there are only 63 days left and (in addition to the whole major catastrophe thing) something weird is happening to the people of Phoenix.

    First line: ‘My fists clenched in my lap as Shackletone approached the podium, a hint of his sick, grandfatherly smile still pulling at his lips.‘ 

    Love Sucks!, by Melissa Francis (285 pages) – a sequel to Bite Me!, and if there’s a third book what do you think it will be called? Stake Out! maybe. Pass The Grave-y! probably not. Love at First Bite! Jack reckons. Vampire teen A. J. still suffers being in love with her gorgeous step-brother, and maybe her vampire trainer, who is also gorgeous, and her father wants to take over the world, AND she has to plan the prom.

    First line: ‘My mother’s baby shower.‘

    The Body Finder, by Kimberly Derting (329 pages) – Violet has the cheery ability to psychically detect dead bodies, as well as the imprint that remains on their killers. So now that a serial killer is stalking her small town, she realises that she’s the only one who can find the killer (and she’s being haunted quite a bit). She teams up with best friend Jay, who she’s developing feelings for (he is gorgeous).

    First line: ‘Violet Ambrose wandered away from the safety of her father as she listened to the harmony of  sounds weaving delicately around her.‘

    The Secret To Lying, by Todd Mitchell (328 pages) – James was a nerd at his old school, but now that he’s been enrolled in an exclusive academy for mathletes he can easily be the ‘cool guy’ – he makes up a tough background for himself and soon is lying about everything. Unfortunately there are consequences, and in his case they are quite destructive.

    First line: ‘I was the guy no one noticed.‘

    Once Dead, Twice Shy, by Kim Harrison (232 pages) – More supernatural romance. This one’s particular hook is dead teen Madison, who, with the help of a magic amulet, affects the illusion of a live body, and is involved in the battle between light and dark reapers. There’s also her cute crush, and a guardian angel. A sequel is in the works!

    First lines: ‘Everyone does it. Dies, I mean.‘

    The Project, by Brian Falkner (343 pages) – Falkner’s last book, Brainjack, won this year’s NZ Post Children’s Book Award in the YA fiction category. So this book should be quite good! It’s about a book (the ‘most boring book in the world’) that hides a terrible secret; when it’s revealed the world may never be the same again.

    First line: ‘“I reckon we would have got away with it if it wasn’t for that drunken chipmunk.”‘

    Before We Say Goodbye, by Gabriella Ambrosio (144 pages) – Two cousins – Dima and Myriam – are Palestinians living in Jerusalem. Myriam is hopeful of visiting America with Dima, but Dima has no dreams of the future; she has ‘already accepted her destiny: today she will die.’

    First line: ‘It was technically springtime on the day that Dima got up from her mattress after a long yet strangely brief and confused night.‘

    Girl Saves Boy, by Steph Bowe (280 pages) – A romance, but not supernatural (refreshingly!). Sacha has a terminal disease, his mother has died, and his father is seeing his art teacher. He attempts to drown himself! But luckily is rescued by Jewel Valentine, and it’s all uphill from there.

    First line: ‘My brother’s last word was: “Polo.”‘

    The Runaway Dragon, by Kate Coombs (292 pages) – The sequel to The Runaway Princess, in which Princess Meg finds a baby dragon. Laddy, the dragon, runs away from home, so the Princess, her friends, and a group of guardsmen go on a quest to find him.

    First line: ‘At first Meg visited Laddy a lot, riding her horse from the castle through the Witch’s Wood to Hookhorn Farm, where her friend Cam’s sister lived.‘

    Token of Darkness, by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (197 pages) – Gorgeous football hero, Cooper, has a car accident, and when he awakens he starts seeing a ghost. Samantha (the ghost) is attractive but is, you know, a ghost, so their relationship is going to be a bit out of the ordinary. Delilah, a clairvoyant cheerleader, and telepathic Brent realise that Cooper’s in trouble. Awoooh.

    First line: ‘The darkness was a alive, and it was hungry.‘

    There is also a new book about Glee, called 100% Gleek : The Unofficial Guide to Glee!, and a comic version of Anthony Horowitz’s Raven’s Gate called, well, The Power of Five. Book One, Raven’s Gate : The Graphic Novel.


  • Grimm, Most Wanted

    Most Wanted: November 2010

    02.11.10 | Permalink | Comment?

    It’s Shadow Wave by several lengths this month, with daylight to Mockingjay. Tomorrow When the War Began and the fast finishing Torment couldn’t be separated in photos for third. (Tis Melbourne Cup Day.)

    The queue for Shadow Wave is moving along: if you reserved it at the end of August you should be getting it very soon. We’ve got lots of copies (22). The Mockingjay queue is up to the beginning of September. I Shall Wear Midnight (also a good name for a racehorse) by Terry Pratchett is the last in the series featuring Tiffany Aching (see also Wintersmith, A Hat Full of Sky and The Wee Free Men in reverse order), and sneaks into the Most Wanted list this month. Actually, they’re all smashing racehorse names.

    1. Shadow Wave, Robert Muchamore [no change]
    2. Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins [up 1]
    3. Torment, Lauren Kate [up 5]
    3. Tomorrow When the War Began, John Marsden [down 1]
    4. Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare [no change]
    5. Last Sacrifice, Richelle Mead [no change]
    6. Crescendo, Becca Fitzpatrick [up 1]
    7. Dead of the Night, John Marsden [down 1]
    8.  I Shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett [new]
    9. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins [new again]
    10. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins [new again]


  • Grimm, Most Wanted

    Most Wanted: September 2010

    01.09.10 | Permalink | Comment?

    Spring. Publishing madness. Shadow Wave is due to be published this month,  we should be getting Mockingjay anytimesoon, same goes for The Clockwork Angel, and Crescendo has a publication date of the middle of October, which is like next month only. Last Sacrifice is marked for December, so you’ll have to wait a bit longer for that one.

    1. Shadow Wave, Robert Muchamore [no change]
    2. Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins [up 2]
    3. The Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare [up 2]
    4. Last Sacrifice, Richelle Mead [up 2]
    5. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Stephenie Meyer [down 3]
    6. Crescendo, Becca Fitzpatrick [up 2]
    6. Glee: The Music, Volume 3, CD [down 3]
    7. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer [no change]
    8. Fang, James Patterson [no change]
    9. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer [up 1]
    10. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins [back again]
    10. Jealousy, Lili St Crow [new]
    10. Brigands M. C., Robert Muchamore [no change]
    10. Glee: The Music: Journey to Regionals, CD [new]


  • Grimm, Most Wanted

    Most Wanted: August 2010

    03.08.10 | Permalink | Comment?

    Not much to report this month, except to point out the titles everyone is waiting patiently for: Shadow Wave, Mockingjay, The Clockwork Angel, Crescendo, Last Sacrifice… lots of good books still to come this year. Maybe you should reserve a copy if you’re hoping to read one of those; everyone else seems to have! Enjoy your reading.

    1. Shadow Wave, Robert Muchamore [up 6]
    2. Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Stephenie Meyer [down 1]
    3. Glee: The Music, Volume 3, CD [no change]
    4. Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins [up 1]
    5. Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare [up 1]
    6. Last Sacrifice, Richelle Mead [up 4]
    7. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer [down 3]
    8. Spirit Bound, Richelle Mead [down 6]
    8. Crescendo, Becca Fitzpatrick [new order]
    8. Fang, James Patterson [down 3]
    9. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer [no change]
    10. Burned, A House of Night Novel, P. C. Cast [down 4]
    10. Brigands M. C., Robert Muchamore [down 3]
    10. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer [back again]


  • Books, Comedy, Horror, New, Sci Fi, Simon

    New Books

    12.07.10 | Permalink | Comment?

    Compromised, by Heidi Ayarbe (452 pages) – After Maya’s con-man father goes to prison, and she finds no joy in foster homes, she decides to try to find a long-lost aunt. It’s a long, dangerous journey (400 miles!) and the aunt mightn’t even exist.

    First line: ‘First they take our flat screen.’

    My Boyfriend’s Dogs : The Tales of Adam and Eve and Shirley, by Dandi Daley Mackall (265 pages) – High-school senior Bailey Daley turns up at a diner soaking wet and leading three wet dogs. The diner’s owner invites her in and listens to her story of searching for the perfect boyfriend (and obtaining three dogs).

    First line: ‘“My mother says that falling in love and getting dumped is good for you because it prepares you for the real thing, like it gets you ready for true love and all, but I’m thinking it’s more like climbing up the St. Louis Arch and falling off twice.“

    Paper Daughter, by Jeanette Ingold (215 pages) – Maggie Chen’s journalist dad is killed in a hit-and-run accident, and her research (for she is a journalist also) soon uncovers illegal activity that may be connected to him. She is determined to uncover the truth, and discovers more about her family’s past than she expected.

    First line: ‘“Your, Maggie.” Mom pushed an envelope from the Herald down the counter where I was putting out bread for sandwiches.‘ 

    Sweet 15, by Emily Adler and Alex Echevarria (240 pages) – Destiny Lozada is turning 15, and so a traditional quinceañera (a religious ceremony with party, tiaras and ballgowns) is planned by her parents. Her older sister thinks it’s an outdated and misogynistic ritual. So! Destiny doesn’t want  to take sides and, in fact! would rather be skateboarding and watching TV.

    First line: ‘Here’s how it went down, the beginning of The End. Breakfast: out of the blue, my mom, in a red bathrobe, with her makeup already on, making coffee in our big yellow kitchen, hit me over the head with “Destiny is having a quinceañera!”‘

    Home Beyond the Mountains : A Novel, by Celia Barker Lottridge (224 pages) – It is 1918, and the Turkish army is eradicating the Assyrian and Armenian peoples in the eastern parts of the Ottoman empire. Nine-year-old Samira and her surviving family members are forced from camp to camp for many years before the opportunity to return home presents itself. Based on a true story.

    First line: ‘A sound, a very quite sound, woke Samira.‘

    Little Miss Red, by Robin Palmer (254 pages) – A summary prepared earlier: ‘Sixteen-year-old Sophie’s dream of meeting her soul mate during spring break in Florida seems to have come true, but she must determine if Jack is really the romantic hero he seems to be, or if ex-boyfriend Michael could be.’

    First line: ‘I’m very big on signs. So when the captain announced that our flight to Florida would be delayed because of some last-minute passengers, I took that as yet another sign that this trip was going to be a disaster.‘ 

    For Keeps, by Natasha Friend (267 pages) – Josie lives with her mum, and her father has never been part of the family. Until suddenly he turns up! And Josie also may have found her first, real boyfriend. ‘A fresh, funny, smart story.’

    First line: ‘It’s the last Friday night in August, and instead of dancing on a table at Melanie Jaffin’s party with the rest of the soon-to-be junior class, I am crouched behind a tower of Meow Mix in the pet-food aisle of Shop-Co, watching my mother hyperventilate.‘

    The Hunchback Assignments, by Arthur Slade (278 pages) – Modo is rescued from a freakshow by the mysterious Mr Socrates as a wee baby. He is subsequently trained as a first-class secret agent for the Permanent Association, who are pitted against the evil Clockwork Guild. Steampunk in a Victorian setting! Based on a true story (just kidding).

    First line: ‘Six hunting hounds had perished in previous experiments.‘

    Only the Good Spy Young, by Ally Carter (265 pages) – This is the fourth Gallagher Girls book. Gallagher Girls are spies-in-training! Cammie ‘The Chameleon’ is being hunted by an ancient terrorist organisation, and might not be able to trust even her classmates! Ever the way, I suppose.

    First line: ‘“Target’s acquired, ten o’clock.” My best friend’s voice was as cool as the wind as it blew off the Thames.‘

    The Demon’s Covenant, by Sarah Rees Brennan (442 pages) – This is the sequel to The Demon’s Lexicon, about a world of magicians and demons (obvs).

    First line: ‘“Any minute now,” Rachel said, “something terrible is going to happen to us.”‘

    Happy as Larry, by Scot Gardner (291 pages) – ‘An extraordinary tale of an ordinary family’, says the cover. ‘Laurence Augustine Rainbow is born into an ordinary family, and seems set for an ordinary life. But as the world around him changes, so does the happiness of his own family,’ says the catalogue, which points out that it is also ’unique, dark and ultimately uplifting.’ We can trust the catalogue, I feel.

    First line: ‘Laurence Augustine Rainbow was born in July 1990.‘

    The Mission, Jason Myers (361 pages) – When Kaden’s older brother is killed in Iraq, he follows his late brother’s advice and heads to San Francisco to visit his cousin. His previously sheltered life hasn’t prepared him for what he encounters there, and family secrets further rock his world.

    First line: ‘The car creeps to the end of the driveway and turns onto the gravel road, the tires kicking up a small cloud of dust that whips into a spiral in the dead air before disappearing just as quickly as it came.’

    Sugar Sugar, by Carole Wilkinson (337 pages) – Jackie leaves Australia  and heads to Paris, dreaming of becoming a world-famous fashion designer. Somehow she ends up in Afghanistan! With New Zealanders!

    First line: ‘I was dreaming of the sea when the moonlight woke me.‘

    The Resurrection Fields : Book Three of The Promises of Dr. Sigmundus, by Brian Kearney (158 pages) – The final installment  of this ‘concoction of science fiction, horror, and fantasy’ – ‘Although beset by otherworldly perils, Dante and his best friend Bea continue to be dedicated to the overthrow of Sigmundus and the dark powers that have latched on to his methods of authoritarian mind-control.’ Not based on a true story, but it would be cool if it was.

    First line: ‘The storm that had raged over the south of Gehenna had finally blown itself out.‘

    The Iron King, by Julie Kagawa (363 pages) – Meghan Chase, the back cover says, has a secret destiny. She is about to learn why she’s never really fit in, and why there’s a stranger watching her… and find love in the process.

    First sentence: Ten years ago, on my sixth birthday, my father disappeared.

    The Keening, A LaFaye (163 pages) – Set in 1918 which, Twilight fans might know, is when an influenza pandemic roared across the United States. Lyza feels like she’s the talentless member of an artistic family, but when her mother dies and she (Lyza) must help her father find his feet, uncovering her own gifts in the process.

    First sentence: As a child who waded in the head-high grass of our cliffside home, I’d harbored a peculiar fondness for funeral marches – the sight of all those people in one long line, each face holding a memory.

    The Complete History of Why I Hate Her, Jennifer Richard Jacobson (181 pages) – “Wanting a break from being known only for her sister’s cancer, seventeen-year-old Nola leaves Boston for a waitressing job at a summer resort in Maine, but soon feels as if her new best friend is taking over her life,” says the catalogue.

    First sentence: Song is hanging on my arm, afraid I’m going to slip onto the bus and out of her life as quickly as I made the decision to go.

    Toads and Diamonds, Heather Tomlinson (276 pages) – a fairytale set in India (in fact a retelling “of the Perrault fairy tale set in pre-colonial India” to be precise (the catalogue comes to the rescue yet again!)). Diribani and Tana both receive something from a goddess, one a blessing and the other a curse, at least this is how it first appears, but “blessings and curses are never so clear as they might seem” (book cover).

    First sentence: Diribani ran toward the stepwell.

    Also:

    Alice in Wonderland: A Visual Companion, Mark Salisbury – to the movie, that is. Full of interesting photos and other graphics, and info about how this visual symphony was made.


  • Grimm, Most Wanted

    Most Wanted: May 2010

    04.05.10 | Permalink | Comment?

    Seven is a popular number, and we’ve got lots of new stuff in the list for May. There’s unsurprisingly yet another NTWICM compilation; the latest Maximum Ride; Justin Bieber, who’s recovered from his dousing in L&P; a story about two Will Graysons; the latest Vampire Academy novel; the blue cats on DVD!; and the final instalment in the Hunger Games trilogy (which will be published this September). Heaps for you to reserve.

    1. Fallen, Lauren Kate [no change]
    2. Crocodile Tears, Anthony Horowitz [down 1]
    3. Now That’s What I Call Music Volume 32 [new]
    4. Fang, James Patterson [new]
    5. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer [down 2]
    6. My Worlds, Justin Bieber [new]
    6. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer [up 1]
    7. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak [up 1]
    7. Will Grayson, Will Grayson, John Green & David Levithan [new]
    7. Spirit Bound, Richelle Mead [new]
    7. New Moon, Stephenie Meyer [up 1]
    7. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer [back yet again]
    7. Brigands M. C., Robert Muchamore [down 4]
    8. Hourglass, Claudia Gray [up 2]
    9. Avatar [new]
    9. Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins [new order]
    10. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins [back again]


  • Grimm, New

    Some New Books

    06.04.10 | Permalink | Comment?

    There’s a fair bit of ghosty historical stuff in this batch, plus some spies and intrigue.

    This Full House, Virginia Euwer Wolff (476 pages) – a novel in verse form, and the final book in the Make Lemonade trilogy (which is a great name for a trilogy). In which LaVaughn is in her senior year at high school, with the glimmer of hope of college at the end, but events during the year challenge what she thinks she knows about life and love.

    First sentence: I could not have known.

    Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore (225 pages) – the cover says this is a story for fans of Libba Bray and Charlotte Bronte. Nimira works as a show girl in a music hall. When Hollin Parry, wealthy sorcerer, hires her to perform for him on his estate she thinks life is looking up, but then there are rumours of ghosts and madwomen, and her performing partner, an automaton that plays the piano, seems too real to be mechanical…

    First sentence: The audience didn’t understand a word we sang.

    The Shadow Project, Herbie Brennan (352 pages) – Danny accidentally attempts to rob the headquarters of The Shadow Project, which uses teen spies to astrally (is that a word?) project on missions around the world. He’s captured and then identified as gifted and soon finds himself caught up in a world of danger and supernatural intrigue.

    First sentence: Danny would never have noticed the door that night if it hadn’t opened a crack.

    Voices of Dragons, Carrie Vaughn (309 pages) – While rock climbing on the border between the modern and ancient worlds Kay Wyatt falls and is saved by the dragon Artegal, and a friendship develops between them. But human/dragon relations are strained and war is brewing: can their friendship stop the inevitable?

    First sentence: Her parents were going to kill her for this.

    Woods Runner, Gary Paulsen (164 pages) – Samuel knows how to take care of himself in the wilderness, and when his parents are captured by the British during the American Revolution, Samuel takes off in pursuit, all the way to New York City.

    First sentence: He was not sure exactly when he became a child of the forest.

    Ruined, Paula Morris (309 pages) – Rebecca moves to an exclusive academy in New Orleans where she is snobbed by her classmates (except for the lovely Anton (but why?)), but then she meets Lisette, who’s keen to be her friend. Trouble is, she’s also a ghost on a mission. Hurricane Katrina also stars.

    First sentence: Torrential rain was pouring the afternoon Rebecca Brown arrived in New Orleans.

    All Unquiet Things, Anna Jarzab (337 pages) – Audrey and Neily try to find out who killed Carly (friend and ex-girlfriend respectively): it’s got something to do with Brighton Day School’s dark underbelly.

    First sentence: It was the end of summer, when the hills were bone dry and brown; the sun beating down and shimmering up off the pavement was enough to give you heatstroke.

    The Long Way Home, Andrew Klavan (345 pages) – action and thrills a-plenty. Charlie West wakes up one day to find that terrorists want to kill him, the police want to arrest him (they say he’s killed his friend), and he must return home to find some answers and, hopefully, dig himself out of this big mess. The back cover says, winningly, that this is “like a teenage version of 24“.

    First sentence: The man with the knife was a stranger.

    Heist Society, Ally Carter (287 pages) – another punny title from the Gallagher Girls creator. Kat has been trying to leave her family business (being one of jewel heists and scams), but when a noted mobster’s art collection is stolen and her father ends up being suspect number 1 Kat must find who is really responsible, and keep one step ahead of Interpol and the mob.

    First sentence: No one knew for certain when the trouble started at the Colgan School.

    Plus we’ve also got:

    Fade Out (Morganville Vampires), Rachel Caine

    Falling Hook, Line and Sinker (An Electra Brown book), Helen Bailey

    The Den of Shadows Quartet, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (this is In the Forests of the Night, Demon in My View, Shattered Mirror and Midnight Predator in one volume).


  • Library Serf, Most Wanted

    Most Wanted: April 2010

    01.04.10 | Permalink | Comment?

    A tie for first this month, between the extremely popular spy and supernatural romance genres. Actually, the Most Wanted list this month is a sort of spy/supernatural palindrome, with a bit of Glee in the middle and an Australian World War II interloper (Markus Zusak), oh, and Push. It’s almost symmetry, which I am told is more visually interesting.

    1. Crocodile Tears, Anthony Horowitz [no change] = Fallen, Lauren Kate [up 1]
    2. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer [up 5]
    3. Brigands M. C., Robert Muchamore [down 1]
    4. Glee : The Music Volume 2 [no change]
    5. Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl [up 4]
    6. Glee : The Music Volume 1 [no change] = Push, Sapphire [no change]
    7. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer [down 1]
    8. New Moon, Stephenie Meyer [no change] = The Book Thief, Markus Zusak [up 1]
    9. Secret Army, Robert Muchamore [new]
    10. Hourglass, Claudia Gray [new]

    It’s all about series (apart from the Australian World War II interloper, oh, and Push): Fallen is being followed by Torment in October this year; Hourglass is the latest in the Evernight series, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl will be producing Beautiful Darkness, also in October 2010, Robert Muchamore and Stephenie Meyer are the king and queen of YA series, and, as you will see in the post below, Stephenie Meyer is even producing a novella about Bree soon. Phew.


  • Grimm, New

    New Books

    24.03.10 | Permalink | Comment?

    Crocodile Tears, Anthony Horowitz (385 pages) – Alex is recruited for a seemingly simple mission - download some data from a computer in a plant engineering lab while on a school mission – but of course in the world of espionage things are never simple. We’re thinking that a normal school life just isn’t going to happen for poor old Alex.

    First sentence: Ravi Chandra was going to be a rich man.

    Claim to Fame, Margaret Peterson Haddix (256 pages) – Lindsay is a former child star who suffered a breakdown at age 11, partly because she can hear everything anyone says about her around the world. That’d be tough. Now she is 16, and trying to learn how to cope with her talent in a new, isolated place, when a group of teenagers “rescue” (kidnap) her and force her to confront her situation.

    First sentence: I was supposed to be doing my algebra homework that night.

    Chasing Brooklyn, Lisa Schroeder (412 pages) – a novel in verse. Nico and Brooklyn are haunted by the ghosts of their dead brother/boyfriend and Brooklyn’s best friend Gabe, but neither can admit it to the other.

    First sentence: I lost my boyfriend, Lucca.

    Same Difference, Siobhan Vivian (287 pages) – “Emily’s life reeks of the ordinary: she lives in suburban New Jersey in a posh gated community and hangs out at Starbucks with her friends in a town where most of the buildings are old, and if they’re not, they’re eventually made to look that way. When Emily heads to Philadelphia for a summer art institute—complete with an eclectic cast of funky classmates and one dreamy teaching assistant—she faces the classic teen dilemma of whether to choose the familiar over the new and exciting, while figuring out who she really is: Emily from Cherry Grove or Emily the aspiring artist?” (Amazon.com)

    First sentence: When I was a kid, I drew clouds that looked like bodies of cartoon sheep.

    By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead, Julie Anne Peters (200 pages) – A story about “how bullying can push young people to the very edge.” (Book Cover)

    First sentence: The white boy, the skinny, tall boy with shocking white hair, sneaks behind the stone bench and leans against the tree trunk.

    Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev (Theatre Illuminata, Act I: 356 pages) – This looks interesting and mighty hard to explain! So I shall quote Suzanne Collins (out from underneath the barcode): “All the world’s truly a stage in Lisa Mantchev’s innovative tale, Eyes Like Stars. Magical stagecraft, unmanageable fairies, and a humourous cast of classical characters form the backdrop for this imaginative coming-of-age.”

    First sentence: The fairies flew suspended on wires despite their tendency to get tangled together.

    Jonas, Eden Maguire (Beautiful Dead Book 1, 271 pages) – Jonas, Arizona, Summer and Phoenix have all mysteriously died at Ellerton High in one year. This is the story of Jonas’ death, the unanswered questions, and Darina, who has visions of Phoenix, her dead boyfriend, and the others. What are the visions, and who are the beautiful dead?

    First sentence: The first thing I heard was a door banging in the wind.

    Freefall, Ariela Anhalt (247 pages) – Something bad happened on the cliff one night and the police want to know. Hayden may be up for murder, and his friend Luke is the only witness. Luke must come to terms with what happened and what that means for his friendship.

    First sentence: Luke Prescott stood at the top of the cliff, his toes curled over the edge and pointing downward.

    The Miles Between, Mary E Pearson (265 pages) – Destiny and three of her friends hit the road in a story that “explores the absurdities of life, friendship, and fate – and also the moments of grace and wonder.” (Book cover)

    First sentence: I was seven the first time I was sent away.

    Bleeding Violet, Dia Reeves (454 pages) – Hanna, who suffers from bipolar disorder, moves to the town of Portero in Texas, where she meets up with Wyatt, a member of a demon-hunting organisation. Meanwhile, an ancient evil threatens the town…

    First sentence: The truck driver let me off on Lamartine, on the odd side of the street.


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