The Lightening Thief

By Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book one


Percy Jackson would really like to forget about his last school trip, during which he was attacked by his math teacher (who then disappears, and whom no one seems to know ever existed), saved by his Latin teacher tossing him a magic pen (or is it a sword?), and thrown out of yet another school (his sixth in as many years, I think.) Unfortunately, that won't be possible. As soon as he gets home, his mom takes him on a trip to the beach, during which his best friend, Grover, shows up (minus pants, plus furry goat legs) pursued by the Minotaur (a half bull, half human monster, for those who aren't familiar with Greek mythology), who is actually looking for Percy. After fighting the Minotaur, who kills Percy's mother, Percy winds up unconscious and when he wakes up, he is at Camp Half-Blood. Turns out, Percy is a demigod: half human, half Greek god. Yup, you heard right, his dad is a Greek god. Unfortunatly, any chance of normality, even for a half-blood, is pretty much out of the question. Zeus's thunderbolt has been stolen, and Percy is the main suspect. Now Percy and his new friends have ten days to find the thunderbolt, solve a mysterious prophecy that warns of betrayal, and uncover an evil plot that threatens the gods themselves, and the rest of the world with them. I don't usually do very popular books like this on here, for some reason, but this was just such a good book. Exciting, exasperating (Is Percy stupid, unlucky, or does he just have a death-wish?), and funny, this is a simply wonderful book. Seriously, read the book. READ IT OR I WILL UNLEASH MRS. DODDS AND THE OTHER KINDLY ONES ON YOU!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!

Emily the Strange: The Lost Days

By Robb Reger and Jessica Gruner


Book one of the Emily the Strange series




 In this book you will find:

1. Amnesia
2. Cats
3. An espresso-making golem
4. A black dress with infinite pockets
5. Calamity Poker
6. The Moon Child of the Valley of the Knowing, a.k.a. Jakey
7. Junk mail
8. Dumpsters
9. A beige, treeless town called Blackrock
10. Nightmares
11. A slingshot
12. Evil genius
13. Emily the Strange

Emily the Strange is thirteen, wears exclusively black dresses, and could probably conquer the world. If she felt like it. She is more likely to be found cuddling with her four black cats, building some sort of strange and possibly sinister device, booby-trapping and sunproofing her room, conducting some sort of experiment in her bedroom/laboratory, pranking whatever town she is living in this month, skateboarding, prowling around town in the middle of the night, rocking out on the guitar, creating a golem out of a Tasmanian devil, or writing in her journal. Her most recent life motto is "Nothing ruins (insert anything good) like OTHER PEOPLE. She has been told that she has Evil Overlordish tendencies and she hates the sun. THIS IS AN AWESOME BOOK EMILY IS umm, STRANGE!!! READ IT AND LAUGH! LOVE THE CATS! Emily would not win an Evil Genius contest due to being overqualified,and anyway she would have better things to do.

Rosemary And Rue

By Seanan McGuire

Book One of the October Daye series

Being turned into a fish for fourteen years can really mess up your life. Just ask half Faerie private investigator and knight errant, October Daye. Toby is a changeling: half human, half Daoine Sidhe. After being turned into a fish for almost a decade and a half, Toby gave up being a private investigator, and tried to distance herself from the world of Faerie. Now she has no choice but to resume her old position as knight errant and delve back into Faerie. One of her closest friends, the faerie Countess Evening Winterrose, has been murdered. Killed by iron, one of the most painful ways to kill the fae. As she died, Evening cursed  Toby, binding her to find Evening's killer, or find only her own death. I absolutely LOVED Toby, Rosemary and Rue, and this entire series, of course. Toby is one of those characters who just don't seem to be able to keep themselves and their lives in one piece. In this book alone, she is turned into a fish for practically a decade and a half, shot at multiple times, attacked by a Doppleganger, has hired thugs attempt several times to kill her, and nearly drowned after falling off a cliff into San Francisco Bay.  You see what I mean? AND the other two books in the series add a good PARAGRAPH to that list. Geez. Anyway, this is a great book all around, though perhaps a bit dark and violent in parts. READ THE BOOK!

Demon in My View

By Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Book two of the Den  Of Shadows quartet

Seventeen year-old Jessica Allodola doesn't fit in at her high school, and she doesn't really care. She has a secret, however: she writes vampire fiction under the pen name Ash Night. What she doesn't know is that the characters in her books are real, and that some of them don't like what she's writing. When a new student shows up at her school, she immediately recognises him as the vampire Aubrey from her books. But he doesn't exist outside of her imagination, right? Jessica is about to find out just how real her vampires and their world are. This is one of my favorite stories by this author, and is, in my opinion at least, better written than the first book in this series. Interestingly, "Tiger, Tiger", Jessica's first book, has the same plot as In the Forests of the Night. I wish I could read Jessica's book Dark Flame, but I am pretty sure it only exists in this book.  Demon in My View is a great story, and the series, author, world, and characters are just amazing. I loved Jessica, Aubrey, Caryn, and even liked Fala. SUCH an awesome book!

Meridian

By Amber Kizer

Meridian Sozu has lived with death for her entire life. Dead and dying animals find their way into her room at night and follow her at school. She has always accepted that she is strange, a freak, but after witnessing a bad car accident on her sixteenth birthday, Meridian's world is about to change. Suddenly she it sent to live with her aunt in Revelation, Colorado and told that she is in danger. Her aunt tells her that she is a Fenestra, a half angel, half human link between the living and the dead. Now she must learn to open the "window" between this world and the afterlife, through which the souls of the dead pass. And Meridian must learn quickly: the Acternocti, the enemies of the Fenestra, are hunting her. The Acternocti are also links between the living and the dead, but with a difference: they are evil. They carry souls to hell, rather than heaven. Meridian also has do deal with the charismatic new preacher in Revelation, who is taking over the town and  is likely an Acternocti. And if she has time--and can accept herself and her sworn protector, Tens, for who they are--maybe even fall in love. Dark, thrilling, romantic, and beautifully dramatic, Meridan is a simply delicious book. I don't know if there is a sequel, but I hope so. Gorgeous, simply gorgeous. As always, LOVED IT! I adore Meridian, both the book and the character. Purrrrr.

So You Want to Be a Wizard

By Diane Duane

Book One of the Young Wizards Series

Fifty or sixty eons ago, when life brought itself about, it also brought about to accompany it many Powers and Potentialities to manage the business of creation. One of the greatest of these Powers held aloof for a long time, watching its companions work, not wishing to enter into Creation until it could contribute something unlike anything the other Powers had made, something completely new and original. Finally the Lone Power found what it was looking for. Others had invented planets, light, gravity, space. The Lone Power invented death, and bound it irrevocably into the worlds. Shortly thereafter the other Powers joined forces and cast the Lone One out.
Many versions of this story are related among the many worlds, assigning blame or praise to one party or another. However, none of the stories change the fact that entropy and its symptom, death, are here now. To attempt to halt or remove them is as futile as attempting to ignore them.
Therefore there are wizards--to handle them. 

                                                     ---- The Manual, exerpt

When thirteen year-old Nita Callahan finds a book titled So You Want to Be a Wizard at the library, she thinks it's a joke--or is it? The book is actually a manual--for wizardry, and it says that Nita herself could be a wizard if she wants. She takes the Oath, and begins her Ordeal. All new wizards, once they take the Oath, embark on an ordeal, a test of aptidude. If they survive, they become full-fledged wizards. Nita soon meets Kit, another new wizard on Ordeal, and they become friends. When they are accidentaly thrown into an alternate Manhattan, they must work together to survive, find a way home, and save the Universe. I (of course) loved this book, this series, and this author. Nita and Kit are awesome, the Lone Power is a great villain, and Peach is hilarious. As always, great writing, great chrarcters, great plot. LOVED IT! The writing is fairly simple, rather than the somewhat complex books I sometimes read, but sophisticated enough that IT IS A GREAT BOOK! It was funny, interesting, and engrossing, with a great take on magic, fun characters, and AWESOME epic battles. The quote at the top is from Nita's Manual in the prologue of So You Want to Be a Wizard. I don't usually put quotes in my posts, but I thought it was the best way to explain why there are wizards in this book. This is a nice long series, with about nine books already out and more to come. YAY!

Psyche in a Dress

By Francesca Lia Block

Psyche loved Love himself, and lost him. She became Echo, who disappeared, became only a voice, Eurydice, who faded when Orpheus looked back, Persephone, stolen, a queen only in darkness, and Demeter, a goddess, a mother, Psyche still. Psyche, which means soul. A modern blending of several lovely myths, and a great story about a young woman's quest to find herself, Psyche in a Dress is a gorgeous book, poetic and well written. Not one of those books that make you want to give the main character a good shaking and some advice, while you're reading it at least. Once you finish the book and think about it for a minute you might want to, but the book is told in such a dreamlike fashion that you just go with it. Doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat, but the beautiful storytelling more than makes up for it in my opinon. Greek myths make great stories and this book is no exeption. Psyche in a Dress is one of my favorite books, as much as I have them. I love this author. Her books have beautiful imagery, great characters, and tend to blur the line between reality and fantasy a lot, which I love. Psyche in a Dress is, in my opinion, one of her best books. Lovely, simply lovely. Purr.

Eyes Like Stars

Lisa Mantchev

Welcome to the Theatre Illuminata, where the actors backstage and the characters onstage are one and the same, where you can find Ophelia, Macbeth, Tatania, Peter Pan, and many others, where The Book holds the characters and the Theatre together, and where seventeen year-old Beatrice Shakespear Smith lives. Bertie has lived at the Theatre Illumiata for her entire life, painting the stage which is her bedroom, dying her hair all the colors of the rainbow, playing with fairies, pirates, and all the other characters, and causing mischief and mayhem. Now, if she doesn't do something, Bertie may lose her home and friends forever. I, as always, loved Bertie and her fairy sidekicks, Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed, and Peaseblossom, adored the Theatre Illuminata, and devoured Eyes Like Stars. Gorgeous, funny, and simply wonderful, Eyes Like Stars is such a good book. Fans of Lesley Livingston's Wondrous Strange will love Lisa Mantchev's debut novel.

Monstrous Regiment

By Terry Pratchett

A Novel of Discworld

On the Discworld, the small country of Borogravia is at war. Again. Borogravia has a long history of making war on pretty much everyone around it, a ruler who no one is sure is even alive, and a god who has Abominated practically everything and who may be either insane or dead.Polly Perks has decided to disguise herself as a boy and join the army to find her brother, who joined up and then disappeared. She joins the Ins-and-Outs, and quickly discovers not only does her regiment include a vampire, an Igor, and a troll, along with humans, but she may not be the only one with a secret. They are shipped out to the front immediately with no training and bad, secondhand weapons and armor. Now they must rely on each other, the fat, famous, and possibly insane or demonic Sargent Jackrum, and sheer luck to survive. SUCH a good book. SOOO funny. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! I laughed hysterically right through it. I absolutly love Terry Pratchett's books, and this one is no exeption.

Bad Kitty

By Michelle Jaffe

All Jasmine Callihan wants to do on her family vacation in Las Vegas is relax by the pool, avoid her cousin Alyson and Alyson's Evil Hench Twin, Veronique, work on her Meaningful Reflections journal and Little Life Lessons for school, and maybe meet the cute guy Jas has been eyeing from across the pool. Is that really so much to ask? Apparently yes. After wreaking a wedding and subsequently getting out of trouble and being given a limo, Jas decides to become a Model Daughter. This causes her friends Polly, Roxy, and Tom to come to Vegas to "deprogram" her using magazines and dog collar restraints. Yes, I mean that. Yes, dog collar restraints, as in real dog collars to be used as restraints. Dog collars with rhinestones. No, her friends never used them. Yes, her friends are nuts, wacko, and insane, except maybe Tom. Before they get there, though, Jas meets Jack (the guy from across the pool), discovers that he is (probably) evil, receives a threatening note, steals a limo by accident, and bids Model Daughter Jas goodbye, thereby eliminating the necessity of reprogramming. Soon Jas and her friends are embroiled in a mystery involving murder, possible murder, theft,  and an orange cat. And it's all the cats' fault. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this book, which frequently has both me and my sister rolling on the floor laughing. Hilarious! Everyone in it is completely insane, though. Oh, wait, that's a good thing. At least from my point of view. LOVE JAS LOVE POLLY LOVE ROXY LOVE TOM! Much purring.

So This Is How It Ends

By Tui T. Sutherland

Avatars: Book One

What if the world ended? What if there were no more children and humanity was dying out? What if crystal monsters and strange, dangerous animal hybrids took this world over? And what if you were suddenly transported into that future? For Kali, Tigre, Gus, Diana, and Amon, this is exactly what happens. Now, trapped in a desperate, strange world and drawn together by otherworldly forces, the five teenagers must work together to survive and to figure out what has happened to them and to the earth.  I absolutely love this series, So This Is How It Ends is a great book. What a cool title, "So This Is How It Ends" purrrrrr. JUST my kind of thing. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! Come on people! How can you not want to read a book about the end of the world? It's such an interesting subject!

Brightly Woven

By Alexandra Bracken

Sydelle Mirabil lives in Cliffton, where there has been a ten-year drought. On the very day the rains come again, wizard Wayland North comes and takes Sydelle with him as his assistant. She is eager to escape her small town, but doesn't trust the wizard, who has secrets and a powerful enemy who appears very interested in Sydelle. As North and Sydelle make their way to Provincia, the capital, with information on the recent death of the king, secrets and danger surround them. A wonderful story and very well written. Just my kind of thing, though a little less violent that a lot of things I read. Lovely, just lovely. Sydelle makes a great heroine. I am REALLY hoping for a sequel, but not expecting one soon since Brightly Woven just came out this year.

Magic Burns

By Ilona Andrews

The Kate Daniels Series, Book Two

Mercenary Kate Daniels has plenty of problems, but her latest one is a bit more complex than normal. Every seven years the magic waves hit a flare. This means that magic controls the world, and for Kate this means that the magical problems she deals with are that much worse. Gods, goddesses, and monsters run rampant. When Atlanta's shapeshifter Pack asks her to recover a set of stolen maps, and Kate agrees to help Julie, a young girl whose mother has dissapeared and who is being targeted by monsters, Kate's life becomes more dangerous and complex than ever. Soon she is embroiled in a fight between two gods battling to be reborn, and if she can't stop them both, she won't survive and the city will be destroyed. I loved this book. Dark, violent, complex, and funny, though the humor does tend towards the dark and bloody. Go Kate! Love the series, love the book, love the author.

Maximum Ride:School's Out--Forever

By James Patterson

The Fugitives, Book 2

After a battle with a new type of Erasers--these ones have wings, for crying out loud-- Fang is seriously hurt, and a passing human (as in, no wings or fangs) calls the hospital. This results in them being discovered to be mutants. The FBI gets wind of it, and now the flock must face their worst nightmare--school. Regular school, not an evil science lab, where you learn nothing about how to survive as a winged mutant with killers after you. SO not helpful. The flock is also searching for their parents. Ari is back, and something sinister is going on. Really though, in Max's life, when is there not something sinister going on?  Find the latest plots, fights, and explosions in this great book. And, of course, flying. Love this series, love this book, love the flock. Do not love the School or the Erasers.  Read The Angel Experiment. Then read this book. Do it now, or else.

Thief of Time

By Terry Pratchett

A novel of Discworld

What's going wrong in Discworld now? It's quite simple really. Some idiot has been commissioned to build the perfect clock. If this clock  is started, Time will stop. This is bad. Therefore, the Monks of History have sent the famous Lu-Tze and his new apprentice Lobsang Ludd to stop it. Death (yes, Death, you know, tall, skeletal, wears black, carries a scyth, shows up when you die? Ring any bells?) has also taken an interest in the clock and it's effect on Time. He has asked his granddaughter, Miss Susan, to investigate and see what she can do. She is most definitely Miss Susan, not Susan, or Sue, or anything else, and is a schoolteacher. This is a very good book and is very funny. Read it, enjoy it, and above all always remember Rule One. Heheheh.

Beautiful Creatures

By Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

In the small Southern town of Gatlin, there are no secrets and no surprises. Or at least that's what sixteen year old Ethan Wate has always thought. He's about to find out just how wrong he is when Lena Duchannes moves to Gatlin to live with the town eccentric, her uncle Macon Ravenwood. Lena's family are Casters: witches. And they're cursed. When they turn sixteen they are Claimed and become either Dark or Light. Lena's sixteenth birthday is soon, and as she and Ethan try to unravel the curse, they begin to discover exactly how many secrets Gatlin is hiding. This book took me longer than usual to read, and at first I wasn't sure I liked it, but by the time I finished it I was glad I'd stuck it out. Dark and haunting, Beautiful Creatures teeters at the edge of being a horror story, which I wouldn't usually read, but the story captured me and wouldn't let go. Well written, hypnotic, and quite creepy. Even though the story isn't as fast-paced as some, I was at the edge of my seat during the whole book. Very good.

The Reformed Vampire Support Group

By Catherine Jinks

For Nina Harrison, who was bitten at fifteen, vampirism isn't how most books and movies make it seem. For her and the rest of the Reformed Vampire Support Group vampirism is cramps, nausea, not being able to go out in the daytime, dizziness, being pretty much dead during the day, surviving on guinea pigs and vitamin supplements, having most of the world both know how and want to kill you if you reveal yourself, a Tuesday night support group, and, in Nina's opinion worst of all, hanging out with the same bunch of losers for ever and ever. And thats it. No turning into a bat, no giant mansions, no elegant predator, no superpowers. They can see in the dark, and they have small fangs, but that's about it. Nina has described being a vampire as "being stuck indoors with the flu watching daytime television, forever and ever." Then one of the group is killed, and suddenly any of them could be next. Now they need to find out who the killer is, and fast, before anyone else is turned to dust. This book is great. It has an interesting new take on vampires, and I loved Nina. It is a little gross at times, but the writing and plot are very good. READ IT!

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

By Laurie R. King

A Mary Russel Mystery

Walking the Sussex Downs and reading, fifteen year old Mary Russell litterally trips over the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is now retired, keeps bees, and takes a few particularly interesting cases now and then. The ageing, eccentric detective and the smart, half American teenager become friends and  Holmes teaches Russell the art of detection. She assists him with a few cases, his "apprentice". When an unknown enemy of Holmes' decides to kill both Holmes and Russell, they soon find themselves in a fight for their lives. I love this book and this series, and don't have much hope of really capturing it here. I've done my best but because of that, this review will probably be revised more than once. I love stories about Holmes, and this series is one of the best that I've read. The author really captured Holmes wonderfully. Muy bien. Very good.

Wondrous Strange

By Lesley Livingston

For seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow, life isn't going too badly. Sure, the director for the production of A Midsummer Night's Dream that she is in is, umm, demanding, but she's landed a good role. She's playing Titania, the fairy queen. Then, suddenly, her life is starting to fray at the edges. There's a horse on her bathtub, a wierdo is apparently stalking her, and she may be the long-lost daughter of the faerie king, Auberon. Oh, and the gates to Faerie are about to open, which is BAD. I've given the lecture on faeries elswhere, and I'm not giving it again. For Sonny Flannery, the afformentioned wierdo, life is emphatically not going that well. He is one of the guards for the gates of Faerie, and with the gates about to open, his workload is going way up. Then there's the fact that he's found King Auberon's daughter, and he may be falling in love with her. Oh, and another faerie queen, Mahb, wants to awaken the Wild Hunt. Again, NOT GOOD. The Wild Hunt is a faerie war band. They are evil, ok? They love killing and destruction, and they really don't like people all that much. Therefore, their being awakened is BAD, got it?
I really liked this book. The plot is great, the writing is good, and the faeries are just the sort I like. Look for the description in the Glossary if you need more info. Puuurrrrr, good book. Fans of Lament and Impossible may like this one.

Small Gods

By Terry Pratchett

A novel of Discworld

What do you do when your incredibly bossy god tells you that it has been trapped in the shape of a tortoise and that you are the only person who can hear it? This is what happens to the novice Brutha. Om (the god), has becom trapped in tortoise shape because Brutha is the only one who actually believes in him anymore even though thousands of people worship him! When no one believes in a god they sort of fade away into the deserts and deep forests. Om may soon be joining those small gods if Brutha doesn't do something. Unfortunatly Brutha, despite an enormous memory, is kind of dumb. He can, however follow orders well and as nobody but him really believes in Om any more, Brutha is all the god has to work with. Terry Pratchett does not disappoint in this hilarious book. FUNNY, really, really, really FUNNY is a good description of this book. I loved Om and Brutha, and have always been pretty interested in the gods of Discworld.

In the Forests of the Night

By Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Book One of the Den of Shadows Quartet

When you are a vampire, if you show your fear, you die. To survive you need to be strong and fearless. Risika is a vampire, and a powerful one, but three hundred years ago she was human. Now, as she prepares to face down Aubrey, the one vampire she fears, her mind wanders back to that time. Two stories are told in this book: the story of Risika now, and the story of her when she was human. Quite honestly, I don't think this is the author's best work, but I did enjoy it, and your opinion may be different. I love  this author, and it drives me nuts that I know hardly anyone who reads her stuff. Her world makes for great stories.

Serendipity Market

By Penny Blubaugh

At the end of the world, in the house with the witch's-hat roof, Mama Inez watches the signs and the tilt of the earth. Sometimes the earth tilts off its path. When this happens, Mama Inez sends out ten invitations, and the plans for the Serendipity Market begin. Today the earth is tipping, and so it is time for the Serendipity Market. Come to the Indwelling as the stories are told. There are nine tonight, a good number. Maybe you've heard something like them before. Maybe you can name them. Tam Lin, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Princess and the Pea, Cinderella. There are more, of course. Four stories won't balance the earth. Come inside and listen to them all as the night goes on. Welcome to the Serendipity Market.
This book is wonderful, smooth and peaceful. You have heard the stories before, but probably not this way. Listening to the different characters as they tell their stories is lovely, and it feels like someone is telling you all the stories, and also the story of the Serendipity Market.

Strange Angels

By Lili St. Crow

Welcome to the Real World. In the Real World there are monsters. In the Real World you could die. Dru Anderson and her father are hunters. She helps him kill the things that go bump in the night and she knows firsthand how dangerous the Real World is. When her father doesn't come home one night, she is sure he is dead. When he does come home, she knows it. Now, with no father, no mother, no other family, and the things she hunted with her father out to get her, can Dru trust anyone? And can she survive on her own? I loved this fast-paced, action-packed book. If you enjoyed the Maximum Ride series, then you will love Strange Angels. There is a sequel, and I am waiting impatiently to get it from my library.

Magic Bites

By Ilona Andrews

The Kate Daniels Series, Book 1

Mercenary Kate Daniels lives in a world where magic and technology battle for supremacy. When the magic is up, cars, guns, phones, all the elements of technology refuse to work, and rogue mages cast spells and summon dangerous creatures. Then the tech hits again and magic goes back into hiding. Kate makes her living off the magic and the creatures that come with it. When her guardian is murdered she volunteers to find his killer, but she soon finds out that this mystery is much more complex than it seems. Someone has killed seven of the Pack, and the shapeshifters believe that that someone is the People. The People are a group of necromancers who control vampires. They have had several of their vampires killed, and they believe that the Pack is responsible. Kate is trapped in the middle, because whoever-or whatever- killed her guardian probably killed the shapeshifters and vampires as well. Dark, violent, and powerful, Magic Bites is an urban fantasy that I absolutely loved. I think it is staged in the future, but I can't be sure. I love this series, this book, and, of course, I loved Kate.

Ivy

By Julie Hearn

Ivy is the story of a girl with the same name, wild, bright red hair, and now, a job as an artist's model. The artist, Oscar Aretino Frosdik, has little talent but believes that with Ivy as his model he will finally become great. However, Ivy is more than just a pretty face. A troubled past has left her with bad memories and a dangerous addiction. Ivy is a vegetarian and loves animals, lives with her aunt and cousins, and can't read or write. I just loved Ivy, both the girl and the book. The girl is a wonderful protagonist and the book is well written and the story is great. Ivy reminds me of some other book that I liked, but I can't remember its name. I havn't read anything else by this author yet, but I plan to do so soon. If you've read Ivy please let me know what you think, because I love to hear what other people think of books. Also let me know if you can reccomend anything good.

Sandry's Book

By Tamora Pierce

Book One of the Circle of Magic quartet

Trapped in a hidden room, Sandry calls light into a braid of embroidery thread. Daja, the only surviver of the wreck of her family's ship is rescued but declared an outcast by her people. Briar, a thief who is on his last chance, is given a choice which will change his life. And finally, Tris has been passed around by her family because they think she's cursed, and has been discarded yet again. All four are brought to Winding Circle temple by mage Niklaren Goldeye, who sees that they have unusual magics. Sandry with thread, Daja with metal, Briar with plants, and Tris with weather. As the four become friends and learn to use their magic they have no idea how soon trouble will come. Can they survive? I love this book and this author, and I think that almost everyone will agree with me. Tamora Peirce is one of my all time favorite authors and the Circle of Magic does not disappoint.

Jingo

By Terry Pratchett

A Discworld novel

Watch Commander Sam Vimes has a lot on his plate. He is trying to find out who shot the Klatchian ambassador when an island rises out of the sea, Ankh-Morpork and Klatch decide to go to war over it, and Corporal Angua is kidnapped. Admittedly this isn't as bad as it sounds, she is a werewolf after all, but it is still worrying, so they go after her. I love Terry Pratchett's writing, he is funny, but deals with serius issues like war, murder, and opera. Every now and then he slips in a sentance that you have to read again to make sure you read it right the first time or a deep philosophicla idea. His books are very, very funny. My favorites so far are the ones about the Watch. Discworld is a flat, round, disc which is held up by four elephants which are standing on the back of a giant turtle as it moves through space. In my opinion you don't have to understand it completely to enjoy it.

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception

By Maggie Stiefvater

Sixteen year old harpist Deirdre Monaghan meets Luke Dillon at a music competition. He offers to play a duet with her and they win the competiton. That is when her life starts to change: she begins to find four leaf clovers everywhere, becomes able to move objects without touching them, and begins to see the faeries. They are watching her, and as the story unfolds it becomes clear why; their Queen wants her dead. Luke may be a faerie killer, even her dog may be fay. Can she survive? Can Luke? Can her best friend James? If you liked Impossible you will enjoy Lament. Beautiful and haunting, it is one of the best faerie tales I have read, and I mean faerie tales. Faerie tales and fairy tales, in my mind, are not the same thing. Fairy tales to me are things like Cinderella and Peter Pan, while faerie tales are things like Lament.

The Rose and The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold

By Francesca Lia Block

There are nine short stories in this collection. I'm not sure what fairy tales all of them are supposed to be but I love them anyway. I think the fairy tales in here are: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, Thumbelina, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and Rose Red, Bluebeard, Beauty and the Beast, and the Snow Queen. They are all retold to be either modern or timeless, and some of them are hard to recognize. The author has a dreamlike writing style, and by dreamlike I mean just that, like a dream, slightly fragmented, slightly surreal, slightly incoherent and just a little hard to understand, but great nonetheless. I love this book and also what I've read of her other work. I love retellings of fairy tales and I loved these ones. Read it and love it. Tell me if you think I got anything wrong.

Sunshine

By Robin Mckinley

In Sunshine's world, vampires, weres, and demons are a fact of life, even for a baker. But when Sunshine heads out to the lake by her home, she doesn't expect what happens. She doesn't expect to be captured by vampires, taken to an old house by the lake, and chained in a ballroom with one. When she helps him escape with her she does two things that have never before been done: protect a vampire from sunlight, and escape from them. Sunshine's life may not ever be the same, but she will still show up every morning at four thirty to make cinnamon rolls, muffins, Bitter Chocolate Death, and Sunshine's Killer Zebras. Unless of course she is being held prisoner by vampires, in the custody of the S.O.F. after staking a vampire with a table knife (supposedly not possible), or facing down the evil leader of the gang of vampires that took her prisoner. I love Sunshine, with her crazy life, facination with Others, hundred and one recipes, and her matter-of-fact attitude about everything that happens to her. Her world is completely believable and awesome. Vampire fans- get it, read it, love it. Robin Mckinley is one of my absolute favorite authors.

The Blue Girl

By Charles de Lint

Seventeen year old Imogene Yeck has an imagination with a tendacy to spill out of her mouth, a prefrence to find clothes at thrift shops, the opinion that two things that will take you far in life are a spunky attitude and a vocabulary of interesting words, and a reputation for being wierd. As if that wasnt enough, her old imaginary friend is showing up in a reccuring dream and trying to warn her about something, the school ghost has a crush on her, and the anamithim are coming for her. That last is a very bad thing; the anamithim are soul-eaters, they kill you, and then you're gone. Normally when you die you just go somewhere else or become a ghost. Did I mention that faeries are real? And that they might be the reason that the anamithim are interested in Imogene?
An interesting thing about this book is that it is told from three different points of veiw: Imogene, Adrian (the ghost), and Imogene's best friend, Maxine. It skips between them; one point of veiw picks up where another left off for the whole story. A modern faerie tale, The Blue Girl is a great book, and if you can tell me anything about other books by this author I will be very happy. Oh, yeah, and about halfway through Imogene turns blue. I'm not telling you why, so if you want to know read the book.

The Hollow Kingdom

By Clare B. Dunkle

Book one in the Hollow Kingdom trilogy

For centuries young women have been vanishing from Hollow Hill, and locals belive that goblins are to blame. When Kate and Emily's father dies and they are sent to live at Hollow Hill, Kate begins to get a feeling of being watched. Soon it is revealed that she isn't imagining things when Marak, the goblin King, tells her that the goblins have indeed been stealing girls, and that she is to be the next. He doesn't take her then, but when she tells her guardian and aunts no one believes her exept for her sister. She manages to remain free until Emily suddenly disappears and their guardian tells her that the goblins have taken her. She then bargains her freedom for her sister's release, but it turns out that the goblins don't have her. Who is holding Emily and what happens next will remain a mystery until you read the book. Painted against a backdrop of shadowy forests and caverns, The Hollow Kingdom is surprisingly funny and light in parts, exiting and magical in others. Wonderful, just wonderful. I loved is and consider it something anyone who likes fantasy should read.

Four things my geeky-jock-of-a-best-friend must do in Europe

By Jane Harrington

Ok, so Brady is going on a Mediterranean cruise, and her best friend wants her to do a few specific things, but did Delia REALLY have to write all of them on Brady's hand in Sharpie under the title "four things my geeky-jock-of-a-best-friend must do in Europe"? Really? Sigh, oh, well, she'll have fun at least. So now Brady has to write letters to Delia every day, describing in detail everything that happens, as well as three things she would never do if it weren't for Delia.  Told as Brady's letters to Delia, Four things my geeky-jock-of-a-best-friend must do in Europe details Brady's slightly strange cruise. I don't think that people who claim to be Klingons show up on most cruises, but I'm only slightly sceptical about the curse of the plastic monkeys. LOVED IT. It's one of the funniest books I've ever read, Read it and laugh.

Girl, (Nearly) 16: Absolute Torture

By Sue Limb

Sequel to Girl 15, charming but insane

Jess Jordan has the perfect summer planned: spending time with her boyfriend Fred, who got them tickets to a music festival. Of course, right about then comes the news that Jess, Granny, and Jess's mom are taking a road trip down to St. Ives to see Jess's dad. Yes, Jess has been begging her mom to take her to see her dad for ages, but did it have to be NOW? Yes, apparently it does, so the three of them head off on a tour of the countryside. When they get to St. Ives Jess gets a surprise, Fred has followed her!  Loved this book, when I read it I laughed literaly laughed my head off. No, really, it is that funny and I am writing this from beyond the grave. READ IT, because if you don't I will haunt you for the rest of your life.

Under the Jolly Roger: Being an Account of the Further Nautical Adventures of Jacky Faber

By L.A. Meyer

Book Three in the Bloody Jack series

After leaving Boston in flames, Jacky had signed onto a whaler. Under the Jolly Roger picks up after she leaves it. Amazingly she had managed to stay out of trouble for the whole trip. Now she heads off to London in search of Jaimy. After being thrown out of his house by his mother she is told that he will be at the races. When she gets there (dressed in jockey silks,) she sees him with his cousin. Due to a misunderstanding she then runs off and is caught by a press gang who assume she is a boy. She is then transported to the Wolverine, where she becomes part of the crew, even after she tells them she is a girl. Oh, yes, I forgot, the captain is insane, part of the crew hates her, and her friend Amy has published a book about her. Jacky has landed herself in yet another situation, so what happens next? Read the first two books: Bloody Jack and The Curse of the Blue Tattoo, then read this one and find out.

Chalice

By Robin McKinley

Mirasol, a beekeeper who lives in the Willowlands, has become the new Chalice for her demense. The Chalice helps the Master and the rest of the Circle to take care of their demense. Usually anyone in a Circle position would have had a long apprenticeship, but the last Master and Chalice both died without apprentices.The new Master was sent to the priests of fire as a boy and was called back to be the Master, and Mirasol was brought up to be a beekeeper, so Mirasol and the Master have to learn everything on their own while trying to keep the Willowland from falling apart. I was kind of confused about what was going on the first time I read this book, because of the way it is written. However, I got the story enough to enjoy it, and a while later when I read it I understood it. I thought it ended too fast for the rest of the story, and wish there was a sequel. Not an action-packed book, Chalice takes its time with the story, and has an interesting plot and lovely writing.

Suggestions

Please let me know what you think I should read or post next. Use the comment box. I will be very happy if you tell me the title and/or author of a good book that I havent read yet.

Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator

By Jennifer Allison

When thirteen-year-old Gilda Joyce accidentaly tells her entire class that she is going to San Francisco during summer break (she's not) she decides it is the perfect time to visit her distant cousin Lester Splinter and his daughter Juliet. She then wangles an invitation and heads off  to San Francisco. When she gets there she dicovers that there is a ghost in the tower on the back of the old house. Juliet believes it is the ghost of her aunt who commited suicide several years ago. Gilda, who considers herself a psychic investigator, believes her and sets out to find out why the ghost is there and what made her commit suicide. I LOVE Gilda, who enjoyes wearing wigs and wacky disguises, always carries a copy of the Master Psychic's Handbook, and frequently askes sudden probing and personal questions. She also travels with a typewriter on which she writes stories, progress reports on her latest case, and letters to her dead father. Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator is a great book, and anyone who likes slightly creepy mysteries with funny, zany, main characters should read it.

Impossible

By Nancy Werlin

Generations ago an Elfin Knight cursed the women of the Scarborough family. Each generation must try to perform three impossible tasks using a version of the song Scarborough Fair as a guide. They have all failed. Now it is seventeen year old Lucy's turn. Can she do the tasks in time or will she go the way of her mother and the rest of the Scarbourough women? Written around the song by Simon and Garfunkle, Impossible is beautifully written, with a wonderful plot and characters. I like the song Scarborough Fair, and loved Impossible even more. However, I enjoyed it, but if you don't like romance novels you may not want to read it.

Skulduggery Pleasant

By Derek Landy

When twelve year old Stephanie Edgley attends her uncle's funeral she meets the tall, thin, Skulduggery Pleasant. This marks the beginning of her immersion into a world she never knew existed. Good things about this book, hmm, lets see: living skeletons that throw fire, breaking and entering on multiple accounts, Stephanie herself, magic, many interesting people, monsters, good writing, it's funny, lots of other things. What other things? Read it and find out.

Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady

By L.A. Meyer

Book Two in the Jacky Faber series

When Jacky is found out to be a girl she is sent to a girls school in Boston. Of course she immedietly settles down and becomes a fine lady who sits and sews a lot. HA! Not likely, what REALLY happens is the usual string of situations, including: getting arrested, becoming a serving girl at the school after getting arrested, riding a race instead of a professional jockey(and winning), shocking her friend Amy many times, and finding out that the local preacher thinks that she is an evil witch. Lots more things happen but I dont want to completely ruin the story. I simply adore Amy, Jacky and Jaimy. READ THIS BOOK, but only after reading Bloody Jack.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

By James Patterson

The Fugitives, Book 1

Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel all look like normal kids at first glance, but they aren't. They were genetically mutated to be 2% bird by a secret government progect and were kept in a place they know as the School until one of the scientists helped the kids escape. Now they are fugitives hiding from the Erasers, who are part human, part wolf and are coming after them to kill them or take them back to the School for more experiments. When the Erasers find their home and six year old Angel is taken, the flock immedietly goes after them to get Angel back. This takes them back to the one place they never wanted to see again: the School. Can they get Angel back and escape again? This book keeps you on the edge of your seat: good writing, intriguing plot twists, great plot. What more could you want?

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy

By L.A. Meyer

Tossed out on the streets of London when her family died, Mary Faber was picked up by a gang of other orphans. After the leader of her gang is killed, she pretends to be a boy named Jack and becomes a ship's boy on the HMS Dolphin. Jacky has a talent for chaos and getting into trouble, and ends up in predicament after predicament. Every time she gets out of one, she gets into another. I think it is because she almost never stops to think. She is funny, outrageous, impulsive, and though she thinks of herself as "a peaceful sort of coward" ends up in the most interesting situations. I love Jacky (of course), have read the whole series so far, and am waiting impatiently for the next one. If you havn't read this do so immedietly or risk keelhauling.

Girl 15, charming but insane

by Sue Limb

Jess Jordan has a lot to cope with:  her best friend is blond, beautiful, and completely perfect, her mother and father are divorced and her father lives in Cornwall. Also, her mother has just announced that her grandmother is coming to live with them. Worst of all, her imagination is completely out of control!  There is one bright spot however: she is writing a spoof personal ad to perform in the school show. Because of this, Jess, who wants to be a stand up comedian, takes few of her problems in stride, and is most definitely completely nuts, may possibly survive. "Girl 15, charming but insane" perfectly describes the main character in this extremely funny book. I laugh my head off every time I read it. LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT.

Hawksong

 By Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Book one of the Kiesha'Ra

Two nations of shapeshifters, the avians and the serpiente, have been at war for so long that no one can remember how the fighting started. In an attempt at peace, the heir to the avian throne, Danica Shardae, agrees to marry the serpiente prince: Zane Cobriana. However, when serpiente legend says the avians have no souls, and some avians don't believe the sepiente can really be called people, is peace even possible? The avians and the serpiente may have a chance at peace, but can Danica even trust Zane? One of my biggest pet peeves is how few people have read the Keisha'ra series, or anything by this author. I love the author, the writing, the plot, the characters and everything else about Hawksong.

Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot

By Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

Cousins Kate and Cecy were both expecting to be bored silly this Season, with Kate in London and Cecy in the country. However, it is quickly becoming more interesting. A witch tried to poison Kate at the Royal Society (hot chocolate doesn't usually burn a hole in one's gown). There's a man who is spying on Cecy, and not doing a very good job of it, either, oh, and ever since he was turned into a tree, Oliver hasn't bothered to tell anyone where he is. Written as a series of letters between the high-spirited girls, Sorcery and Cecilia is not very fast-paced, with a story that takes its time unfolding, and is one of my all-time favorite books. I love books about old-fashioned high society.

Graceling

By Kristin Cashore.

In a world of seven kingdoms, some people are born with extreme talents, known as Graces. Katsa, as the niece of the king of Middluns, should be able to live the normal life of a noble lady, but she is Graced with killing. Because of this she is the king's thug, dealing out punishments to those who have displeased him. Unknown to the king, she has started a secret society called the Council. On a mission for the Council she meets a Lienid prince, called Po. Po later comes to the king's castle and he and Katsa become friends. Together they unravel the mystery behind the disapearance of Po's grandfather. I loved Graceling and Katsa. Some of my favorite parts are the sparring matches between her and Po.