The week of the short first sentence.
The Enemy, by Charlie Higson (407 pages) – Charlie Higson is the guy who’s been writing the Young Bond series (about James Bond when he was at high school). The Enemy is the first book in a new trilogy with zombies – a whole lot of zombies. Reviews suggest this is rather scary, and overall really rather good. Plus it has black page edges.
First sentence: Small Sam was playing in the park behind Waitrose when the grown-ups took him.
The Bride’s Farewell, by Meg Rosoff (186 pages) – the much anticipated new book from the author of How I Live Now. Pell runs away on the morning of her wedding and hits the road to uncover the secrets of her past.
First sentence: On the morning she was to be married, Pell Ridley crept up from her bed in the dark, kissed her sisters goodbye, fetched Jack in from the wind and rain on the heath and told him that they were leaving.
Fade to Blue, by Sean Beaudoin (201 pages) – “Fade”, one of the chapter headings tells me, is pronounced “Fa-day” and is the last name of Kenny, who is one of the characters whose point of view the reader is treated to, the other being Sophie Blue. As the title suggests, how Sophie and Kenny connect is what this novel is all about. The cover describes this rather complex novel as “part thriller, part darkly comic philosophical discussion, … accompanied by a comic book element.”
First sentence: The place was packed.
Real Life, by Ella West (192 pages) – the final instalment in the Thieves trilogy. Nicky is back at the Project, trapped by a tracking bracelet that can’t be removed. “When terrorists threaten [the Project], Nicky is sent to the dangerous heart of the matter,” says the cover.
First sentence: For a whole week we were free.
Lost, by Jacqueline Davies (235 pages) – set in New York in the early 1900s. The story of Essie, who lives in virtual poverty with her mother and siblings, is woven into a retelling of two historical events; the disappearance of a New York heiress and the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire. Nice cover.
First sentence: The new girl was lost.
Fire and Rayne, by Kate Cann (314 pages) – Rayne has escaped from London to the country and takes a job at a mansion house, hoping for peace and quiet. What she gets is ghostly warnings, a sinister new manager, and a jolly good reason to be afraid.
First sentence: Rayne woke screaming.
Warrior Princess, by Frewin Jones (346 pages) – another first in a series, and no, it’s not about Xena. Branwen is in Britain (I think: judging by the author’s and the character’s names, probably Wales more specifically) when the Saxons invade and kill her brother (among others). When a “mystical woman in white” fortells that Branwen will one day save her country, Branwen is forced to choose between her intended life path and that of the warrior princess.
First sentence: Branwen ap Griffith sat on the grassy hillside with her back to an oak tree, gazing out over the rugged landscape of bony hills and steep, wooded valleys that she had known since childhood.
Miss Understanding: My Year in Agony (314 pages) – Miss Understanding is her school agony aunt, but like most agony aunts, she’s rubbish at sorting out her own life problems. Through the course of this book she will become better at it, I think.
First sentence: Hey there you.
Midsummer Meltdown, by Cathy Hopkins (186 pages) – Lia is expecting her mother’s 40th to be the party of the decade, but then an ex of her’s (Lia’s) makes an appearance and things get complicated.
Do Secrets Count as Sabotage?, by Helen Salter (152 pages) – Holly is trying to keep gorgeous Luke a secret from her mother. Is this possible when jealous best friends are involved?
Here’s a mixed bag of books we’ve ordered recently – take your pick and reserve what grabs your fancy.
Geektastic: stories from the nerd herd. Don’t let the title put you off! There’s nothing wrong with being a geek, especially if being a geek comes in the form of an anthology of stories written by people like John Green, Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, and M. T. Anderson. You can’t really lose. The blurb says subjects are many and varied (in the context of geekdom) from the faintly ridiculous (what happens when Klingons and Jedi collide at a sci-fi convention?) to the more serious (a 15 year old pretends to be her 32 year old sister online). Should stop typing now.
Intertwined, by Gena Showalter. More supernatural romance! Ah. Aden has a tough time because he has four beings inside his head, each providing him with a specific supernatural power. Mary Ann has the one power that Aden needs, the ability to negate supernatural powers, and it is with her that Aden finds peace (and romance perhaps?). But then their world is complicated by more supernatural creatures than you can poke a stick at, all after a new source of power.
In the path of falling objects, by Andrew Smith. Another road trip story (adding to the list), this one sounds a bit rugged: Jonah and Simon are on their own, trying to track down their family. They hitch a ride with a man and a “beautiful young woman” who are both disturbing and potentially dangerous. Set during the Vietnam War.
Once a witch, by Carolyn MacCullough. Tamsin lives in a talented (in the magic sense) family, but she isn’t. When a strange and sinister man arrives and mistakes her for her twin (talented) sister and requests her help in searching for a “family heirloom”, Tamsin jumps at the opportunity to appear magical. This is exciting, reviewers say.
And some other serious stuff:
Almost perfect, by Brian Katcher. A transgender story from a writer who likes to challenge people’s assumptions about the norm.
Positively, by Courtney Sheinmel. Emmy is left to struggle with the HIV virus that her now-dead mother unwittingly passed on to her.
Breathing underwater, by Julia Green. Freya comes to terms with the sudden death of her brother.
Taken, by Norah McClintock. Stephanie is taken hostage in the woods, but escapes and must use all her survivalist knowledge to make it back home. Tense.
We’ll keep you posted on more interesting things. Thanks to Stephanie for the tip offs.
Here’s the official trailer for Stargate Universe, prepared, it says, for the San Diego Comic Con, so it’s had the geek stamp of approval. This is a spin off, of course, from the very popular Stargate TV world.
Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer
A great book. The writing technique was not entirely spectacular, but that was made up for by the content. As you are taken through the day-to-day life of Miranda, through the eyes of her personal diary, a gruelling tale emerges. The moon was hit by an asteroid, knocking it ever-so-slightly closer to earth. The effects are revealed as you read through her year.
I was completely captivated, stunned even, by this novel. Keeping me up late at night, I even had to resort to pinching myself so I wouldn’t let my eyelids close. Really, read this book only when you have a clear schedule – you won’t want to be distracted!
The Dead and the Gone, by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Although it isn’t as good as Life as We Knew It, I would still recommend reading this book. Life as We Knew It is a tale of isolation, struggle against the harsh world the character lives in. The Dead and the Gone is an entirely different approach. Told in the eyes of a teenage boy leaving hich school, the author uses a diary format, even though it is told in 3rd person. This annoyed me a lot, but it’s worth it. Alex has to look after his sisters… through thick and thin.
~ Hannah
Maximum Ride fans will be pleased to know that the next instalment, Max, is due out in April 2009. Our onto-it buyer has placed an order already, so you can reserve your copy now.
A couple of random things:
Visit the Maximum Ride website where you can join the flock and also see an animated preview/advert for The Dangerous Days of Daniel X.
There’s going to be a Maximum Ride movie, scheduled for 2010, which in a few days will be next year.
Someone told me everyone’s going crazy over The Hunger Games, so I thought, well let’s read it then. Suzanne Collins, the author of the Underland Chronicles (the books about Gregor), obviously finds dystopic future worlds interesting material and she’s created a fairly bleak one in The Hunger Games.
Panem was once the United States of America and is now a series of Districts (12 in total – the 13th was destroyed to teach people a lesson) ruled from the capital (conveniently called the Capitol) whose effete and blood-thirsty citizens are entertained once a year by the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a fight to the death broadcast on national television (essential viewing for the Capitol, enforced viewing for the Districts), with each District being represented by a girl and a boy. Twenty four “tributes” are left in an elaborately built arena (complete with hills, valleys, lakes, forests) to duke it out until there’s only one alive.
The Hunger Games is a kind of cross between The Truman Show and The Lord of the Flies. It’s a quick, gripping read and I recommend it: it’s one of the best YA books I’ve read this year. Check out what Stephen King had to say about it in Entertainment Weekly (I agree with his comment about authorial laziness, but I didn’t really care). He’s a better reviewer than I am.
[And now... more new books]
Blade: Closing In, by Tim Bowler (192 pages). Tim Bowler won the Carnegie Medal for River Boy in 1997 (translation = he’s good). Closing In is the second in the Blade series (the first being Playing Dead). Reviewers say that Blade, the narrator, is engaging and likeable, and that the book has the “capacity to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck” (Amazon.co.uk), which is really a winning combination.
Possessing Rayne, by Kate Cann (320 pages). Good news for people who really enjoyed Leaving Poppy: Kate Cann is sticking with the spooky genre for her latest book… the words “eerie” and and “spine-chilling” are used to describe the story. The back page of the book tells me that the saga is going to continue next year, which is good news.
The Robber Baron’s Daughter, by Jamila Gavin (336 pages). Philip Pullman describes this as a “rich and almost gothic drama” (Amazon.co.uk). The back cover tells me, “Nettie lives a privileged life… but everything changes when her beloved tutor, Miss Kovachev, vanishes.” The story travels between central London and (interestingly) Bulgaria.
Something in the World Called Love, by Sue Saliba (192 pages). Written in a free, poetic style (= there are no capital letters. Not a one.), Something in the World Called Love is a novel about “friendship, trust and hope – and what it means to love.”
City of Screams, by John Brindley (384 pages). The follow up to The Rule of Claw. A thought-provoking dystopic fantasy novel: “evolution’s running wild – and we’re running with it” says the cover.
The Missing Girl, by Norma Fox Mazer (288 pages). A psychological thriller about the five Herbert girls who are (unknowingly) watched by a predatory man. Sounds disturbing, especially given the title.
The Winter War, by William Durbin (240 pages). Excitement: this one’s set in Finland in 1939, when the country was invaded by the Soviet Union, whose army outnumbered the Finnish army 4 to 1, apparently – hardly a fair fight. But then again, Finland, by having Finnish winters, doesn’t exactly fight fair either. A story of an underdog (Finland, and Marko) fighting tough.
Yay, a top 10 list that I don’t have to compile! I found this list of Harry Potter-ish books (warning: some of these titles are actually better) created by Michelle Kerns on Examiner.com. It’s been a while since The Deathly Hallows was released, so if something is distinctly lacking in your life check out some of this stuff. Younger readers could have a look at this list mentioned on the Wellington City Libraries Kids Blog. Also, let us know if you’ve found a good Harry Potter substitute that’s not mentioned.
There are lots of new books this week – here is the first bunch!
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X, by James Patterson (290 pages) – Daniel X is a fifteen-year-old orphaned alien hunter, with telepathic and shapechanging powers. He’s after the worst aliens out there. This is Patterson’s first sci-fi novel, and the first in a series. It also has loads of reserves on it. (Official website)
Gossip of the Starlings : A Novel, by Nina de Gramont (276 pages) – Set in a rich girls’ school in the 80s, Catherine Morrow (who narrates the story later, when in her 30s) meets Skye Butterfield, who is charismatic, beautiful, and dangerous.
Life at the Shallow End, by Helen Bailey (294 pages) – Electra Brown is too shallow to be concerned about her family’s various problems – she’s more interested in the colour she should dye her hair, or whether or not her face is too wide. Will she learn empathy? Perhaps.
Shift, by Jennifer Bradbury (245 pages) – Best friends, Chris and Win, head out on a cross-country bike trek. They argue and split up, and expect one another to make his way home and start college. But! Only one of them returns. What could have happened?
The River Runs, by David Hill (152 pages) – Set in 1960s rural New Zealand, this is the story of Chris, who resolves to stop his older cousin (and champion wrestler), Roger, from bullying him.
The Patron Saint of Butterflies, by Cecilia Galante (292 pages) – Best friends Agnes and Honey were born into a religious community in the US, and while Agnes is all for her religion, Honey wants to get out. Agnes’ grandmother visits and discovers a sinister secret; she takes the girls and flees. How will their friendship handle the outside world?
From Somalia, With Love, by Na’ima B. Robert (159 pages) – Safia Dirie was born in Somalia but has lived in East London for most of her life with her mum and two older brothers. But now, 12 years later, her father (and all his cultural expectations) comes to live with them.
Everything You Want, by Barbara Shoup (307 pages) – Eighteen-year-old Emma has it rough, with friend problems, stress, and ‘extra anxiety pounds’. Then her father wins fifty million dollars in a lottery – and life gets more complicated. (I wouldn’t mind a few complications if I won that much.)
The Eyes of a King, by Catherine Banner (427 pages) – This is the first in a planned fantasy trilogy. Catherine Banner was only 14 when she began writing it (she’s 19 now). “Dark intrigue, murderous uprisings and unrelenting danger …” (more info)
If you’re a massive fan of Battlestar Galactica (and you’d be right to be – it’s one of the best things on television) you may be interested to learn that some web-only episodes were made to bridge the story between the second and third series. Previously they were only accessible to viewers in the US, but now they’re available through the C4 website.
We have the DVDs (in the adult collection, so the full charge applies):
Mini-series (start here)
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
The fourth – and final – series is still yet to be released.
Waiting for the Weekend : Vol 2
Various artistsContains many cruisy songs that are great (as the cover suggests) for the weekend. Relaxing songs you can just shill out to as it contains a range of recent famous singers, usually played on the radio. Suprisingly I found, they were mainly male artists which was a shame because as a female, it’s nice to hear some female artists too. Didn’t know that many songs when I looked at the playlist at the back but it was ok.
~ Jessica (17)
Pegasus in Space, by Anne McCaffrey
This story was a really good read and I am giving it 5 stars. This story revolves arround Peter, a Kinetic who is also a Paraplegic. At the beginning of the book he moved his body with Kinesis and by the end he could walk normally thank to a Micro-Talent Amariayah. I recommend anyone to read this book.
~ Zach (15)
The latest books are in! Let’s see what treasures await us.
The Upper Class, by Hobson Brown, Taylor Materne and Caroline Says (276 pages) – Yet another YA book about rich American teenaged girls at an exclusive school (named ‘Wellington’ in this case). It is the first of a series of four books, and yes, it has three authors.
Stravaganza : City of Secrets, by Mary Hoffman (378 pages) – This is the fourth book in the acclaimed Stravaganza series, which is set in our world and the world of Talia, a rich, fantastical place informed by Renaissance Italy. The powerful di Chimici family are on the verge of breaking through to the modern world, and must be stopped.
Generation Dead, by Daniel Waters (392 pages) – From the book jacket: ‘All over the country, a strange phenomenon is occurring. Some teenagers who die aren’t staying dead. They are coming back to life, but they are no longer the same. Termed “living impaired” or “differently biotic”, they are doing their best to blend into society again’ One of the living impaired keeps a blog at mysocalledundeath.com.
Juno of Taris, by Fleur Beale (360 pages) – The latest by one of NZ’s better-known YA authors. Taris is an isolated eco-dome in the South Pacific designed to survive even if the outside world perished. Juno, who lives in the dome, wants to know what lies Outside, but how can she when she has no freedom of her own?
Vortex, by Chris Ryan (272 pages) – The latest adventure in the very popular Code Red series. ‘Dramatic, explosive, and full of thrills.’
Loads of new books are in. Here is a selection!
Savvy, by Ingrid Law (342 pages). The Beaumont family develop a power – a ’savvy’ – at the age of 13. Will Mibs Beaumont’s imminent savvy be able to save her father?
Death’s Shadow, by Darren Shan (237 pages). This is book seven of Shan’s Demonata series, and is ’seriously scary’. Did you know that the first three books of the Darren Shan Saga are being turned into a film?
Scarlet, by Stephen R. Lawhead (427 pages). This is the second book in the King Raven series, which is concerned with Robin Hood. Scarlet is, of course, Will Scarlet, Robin Hood’s delinquent sidekick.
Saving Juliet, by Suzanne Selfors (242 pages). Mimi has landed the role of Juliet in her family’s production of Romeo and Juliet – not that she’s terribly keen on the whole acting thing. She and her hot co-star, Troy, somehow find themselves in Shakespeare’s Verona, and Mimi befriends the Juliet Capulet, whose suicide in on the proverbial horizon; uh oh!
The Shadow Speaker, by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu (336 pages). This sounds really cool; ‘the year is 2070, and the earth’s civilization has been completely transformed following a nuclear fallout in the early 21st century. Magic, mysticism, and mind-blowing technology now rule the world’. The author has an interesting website as well.
Superior Saturday, by Garth Nix (263 pages). This is sixth and penultimate book in the Keys to the Kingdom Series, and should prove to be very popular – it has a load of reserves on it already, so it will be a wee while before it becomes available.
We have a lot of new books in the teen collection. Here’s some of the ones that stand out from the rest:
Wikipedia is an amazing resource, and although anyone can edit it, many of the entries are fairly reliable (though probably shouldn’t be used as the final word on a topic). I enjoy reading articles on Wikipedia that introduce new and interesting things to me; peoples, places, and events that I hadn’t heard of before.
Everyone like a good mystery, and here are some of the weirder & spookier articles/lists:
More new books have worked their way into the library. Here are a few.
Juicy Writing : Inspiration and Techniques for Young Writers, by Brigid Lowry (201 pages), is a beginner’s guide to writing. And it’s very good, too – there are suggestions and exercises for both new authors and more experienced writers. If you’ve ever wanted to write a short story or novel, graphic novel, or even a blog, this is a very good book to get out.
The True Meaning of Smekday, by Adam Rex (423 pages). “When her mother is abducted by aliens on Christmas Eve (or “Smekday” Eve since the Boov invasion), 11 year-old Tip hops in the family car and heads south to find her and meets an alien Boov mechanic who agrees to help her and save the planet from disaster” (Library catalogue description). Adam Rex is an artist as well as a writer, and this book has many very cool illustrations and comic strips inside.
The Mob Princess trilogy, by Todd Strasser. Kate Blessing is a senior in High School and finds herself running her family. Her family is a Family, in the same way that the Sopranos are a Family. Imagine a cross between the Gossip Girl books and, uh, the Godfather films. Imagine! By all accounts these are exciting and hilarious books, and are recommended.
We get lots of new books. We are a library after all. Here are some that may interest you!
The Sweet Far Thing, by Libba Bray (819 pages!) This book will be very popular, since it is the third and final book in the popular trilogy; A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels are the first two books. The author has a glass eye, which is pretty cool. The books are about four girls in a Victorian boarding school. They play with magic and epic adventure ensues.
Extras, by Scott Westerfeld (417 pages). This is the fourth book in the series that began with the popular Uglies, about a future where everyone is beautified at the age of 16 by extreme cosmetic surgery. Extras is set in Japan, where everyone is ranked by popularity. Sort of like Facebook but without scrabble.
Life As We Knew It
Susan Beth Pfeffer
337 pages
Theme: Everybody in Pennsylvania is getting excited because a meteor is scheduled to crash into the moon. But what they don’t realise is that the meteor is so large, that when it hits the moon, it knocks the moon off course, and much closer to the earth.
This in turn causes absolute turmoil. As the moon controls the tides, and the moon is a lot closer, the moon is creating tsunamis in all the coastal cities worldwide, earthquakes left right and centre, and also all the volcanoes to erupt.
In all this panic, people go absolutely crazy and prepare themselves for the world to end. Miranda’s mum goes crazy buying up food and water to last them months and months, and Miranda is wondering why she and her family would need all this food … Read more…
“Dystopian” is the opposite of Utopian, a description derived from Utopia by St Thomas More (he was just a Sir when he wrote it), a book about an island society where everything’s perfect. So if Utopian is perfect or ideal, then dystopian is…
Dystopian themes show up heaps in fiction. We love dystopian novels, since they serve a double purpose: warning about how bad things could get and celebrating the fact that they aren’t… yet. Here are some classic and recent dystopian novels, after the jump: Read more…
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