City of Ashes

The saga continues! Clary is unable to wake her mother and is dealing with the attraction she feels to her new-found brother. Jace is being investigated by the Clave and feels like he is losing everything. As if that weren't enough, Valentine, who now has the Mortal Cup, steals the second mortal instrument, the truth sword. Clary and her new friends must do everything they can to stop him when the Clave refuses to listen to their warnings.

Yeah, this whole series is sexy. The dialogue is mostly great. The story is excellent. There is action and romance and generally, just a good time. As for the Jace/Clary thing, I think it's quite sexy that they want each other even though it is forbidden (for now), because I think they will end up being not related. This installment was filled with clues that they might not be related and I really hope that it turns out to be the case.

As for what's coming next, there are a few things to be excited about. The third, and final installment of this trilogy, City of Glass, comes out in March. I'm not sure how long I'm ready to wait for it, but I guess I have no choice. City of Glass should finish the Valentine saga and clear things up about Jace and Clary. She is not planning any other books, so I hope she doesn't kill Jace. Seriously, that would break my heart worse than when Dumbledore died. Maybe. Even though City of Glass, will end this story, Clare will continue writing about shadowhunters (the nephillum who hunt demons). But she's going to set in a few hundred years ago. It should be interesting.

City of Bones

Wow. This book is sexy. A fantasy set in modern day New York City, 15 year old Clary can suddenly see vampires, werewolves, and demons. After her mother is kidnapped, she discovers that she was lied to her whole life. She is a nephillim, a being with human and angel blood, and her mother hid her away from that world to escape a man named Valentine. But now Valentine is back and after The Mortal Cup, a powerful object that Clary's mother took from him and hid. Now Clary must band with Jace, Isabel, and Alec, three friends who grew up learning to fight demons, in order to save her mother and stop Valentine.

The book is actually way more complicated than that. There are big reveals and fun arguments. The characters are all well developed and great. There is so much romantic tension that I loved it, but at the same time was full of action. Fights with demons, werewolves, vampires, where Clary and her friends are outnumbered. It is a fun read. And oh yeah, stop reading if you don't want it ruined, but Clary finds out that the guy she has come to love is actually... wait for it... her brother! Yeah, she kisses her brother. This book is a little fearless. And the author is great with being true to the characters emotions and experiences. She really presents her story well.

As for movies, I hope they get made. These would be amazing movies, if done well. They would need decent budgets, because lame special effects would ruin everything, but if they cast sexy actors who are actually quite skillful, then this could be huge. I'll be waiting to see what happens!

Moose: a memoir of fat camp

It is purely coincidental that the two books I read about being fat are being posted next to each other. I loved the Mackler novel, but I think I like Moose better. Klein tells about her experiences dieting as a child and going to fat camp. She condenses several years of her life into one summer so that the story flows better and it's great. She is honest about everything and her story-telling is superb. I can not wait to read Straight Up and Dirty, because Klein is an amazing writer.

Even if you can't relate to being fat, this is just a great read. Klein combines parts of her real childhood diary with her story-telling and it is highly effective. At one point she asks her diary if it is a girl diary or a boy diary because that would determine whether or not it was her best friend or her boyfriend. She says that if it is a boy diary it would be really sad that her boyfriend was a diary. At other times the story is sad, like when her father puffs his cheeks at her when he thinks she is eating too much. Not only is the story tight and well told, but it is a great reflection on human nature and our society's obsession with weight.

The Earth, My Butt and other Big Round Things

Virginia's life is... complicated: She's the overweight, youngest child of a perfectly beautiful family, she fools around with a guy named Froggy and kind of likes him, but is afraid to act on that, because that's not what good fat girls do, her best friend has moved to the other side of the country, and she's obsessed with making lists. But then her brother is kicked out of Columbia for date rape. Her whole family is thrown off balance and Virginia must learn to deal with the family she always thought was perfect and never felt a part of. And hey, maybe she'll learn to love herself and maybe get a guy too.

Seriously, I doubt that summary does this book justice. Every girl should read this book. Not only does Mackler know how to create amazing characters and tell a good story, but if you're interested in the thought process of an overweight 15-year-old, this is your Bible. As a character, Virginia could have easily been a pathetic, self-obsessed fat girl, but she's not. She's a real person and she learns how to stand up for herself. This book has such a great message, but it is also an enjoyable, well-told story.

Lord Loss

Darren Shan switches from Vampires to Werewolves, and I love it! Scary and funny with plot twists and great characters, this is a great introduction for a new series for Shan. It all starts when Grubbs Grady discovers his entire (chess-obsessed) family dead, their bodies being played with by demons and a demon master, Lord Loss. He soon finds out that his bloodline has a genetic disease, where teenagers often become werewolves. And this isn't howl at the moon once a month werewolves. Transformations occur around the full moon, but they are permanent and the child must either be killed or controlled. Lord Loss is the only one with a cure, but you'll have to play his game first. One person fights off his demons, one person plays him in five simultaneous games of chess. If either one of these people looses, then Lord Loss gets them both... and the child. As if that weren't enough, if the person playing chess manages to win three games, it still isn't over. The fighter and the child can go free, but the person playing chess is taken to Lord Loss's demon dimension, where they must fight for their life. Lord Loss killed Grubbs' entire family and now he must decide if he is ready to face him himself in order to save a new-found family member.

Well, this plot description was longer than I intended, but seriously, this book was good. I like it better than the Cirque du Freak books, and just bought the second one and am itching to read it. The characters are easy to like, real, and funny. To be honest, I was worried that Shan would give us Darren, the narrator in Cirque to Freak, all over again but with werewolves. However, this didn't happen. The writing is conversational, first person like the Cirque du Freak, but Shan gives us an entirely different narrator and shows that he really is the master of horror and a great writer. This book reads a little older than the Cirque du Freak, and is just real. Shan doesn't shy away from teenage pregnancy, or adult infidelity. The horror elements are fantastic, but Shan's success comes from being able to ground them in the real world.

Cathy's Book

Cathy keeps a journal of sorts (with beautiful sketches that physically give this book great character) so that if anything happens to her, her best friend will know what is going on. Cathy has a boyfriend, who she cares about a lot and he seems to care about her too. That is until he suddenly breaks up with her, citing age differences. Cathy breaks into his house and starts stalking him and gets in over her head with what she thinks is Chinese organized crime, but the truth turns out to be deeper and stranger than she could ever imagine.

This book is AWESOME! It is INTERACTIVE, with phone numbers, websites, etc., that work. Parts of the book are sketches, parts are evidence that Cathy finds as she investigates her ex-boyfriend, sometimes her instant messenger conversations are part of the story and we see her conversations. If she has two conversations at the same time, we see them side by side, with time stamps, the way we would if we had two conversations up on the computer screen. I didn't check any of the interactive parts, because I couldn't put the book down, but I am told that everything is still operational. Either way, the story is stand alone, so if all you have is the book, you can still enjoy the story. I was seriously impressed when I read this book. I read a lot, and tend to love all stories, but I've become better at finding great stories (thanks to two internships that allowed me to read all summer for school credit! Best summer ever!). This is a great story that really modernizes the novel medium. The characters are great, the story is phenomenal, the presentation is excellent. Seriously, read this book.

Grim Tuesday

I enjoyed the second book in this series immensely more than the first. I got through it quite quickly and am excited for the third. I picked it up at the bookstore yesterday, in fact.

Summary: Arthur has just taken control of the lower house and wants some time to himself, but after only a few hours after returning to his secondary realm, the special red phone rings. There are problems. The original Mister Monday had massive amounts of debt and Grim Tuesday wants to take control of the lower house in payment. But before Arther can figure out what to do the phone is cut off due to lack of funds! Arthur finds himself in another adventure that leads him into Grim Tuesdays territory and eventually a showdown with Grim Tuesday himself for control of Tuesday's domain!

Other: I like the names and the whole world that Nix has created. Nix creates amazing worlds for his books. I loved the seventh tower series when I was young.

Favorite Parts:
1. The phone is cut off due to lack of funds.
2. Arthur must pretend to be one of Grim Tuesday's indentured servants and creates allies.
3. Arthur finds the second part of the will and it's a right pain in the you know what.
4. The showdown between Arthur and Grim Tuesday.
5. Arthur must stop the nothing from erupting! Strange events indeed.

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth. What can be said in introduction? It is a classic. It is so full of lessons that you're practically gagging. Yet it is so entertaining, so endearing, that it automatically becomes a favorite.

Summary: Milo is bored and lazy. He is not interested in school or life or anything. His family is well off, he could do anything. He just doesn't feel the spark of life. Then one day a mysterious toy tollbooth appears in his room, and after setting it up he embarks on a journey through another land to free the princesses Rhyme and Reason. With his new friend, Tock (a watch dog!), he learns a lot about himself and life.

Other: This book has the potential to be cheesy and terrible. Often allegories are just ridiculous. However, this book is amazing and funny and one of my favorites for several years now.

Favorite Parts:
I'm not even going to write this. This book is genius and every chapter is new and amazing and surprising and funny. This list would end up just being a chapter list.

The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects

I loved the first one, but this one is even better (and I'm itching to read the third one). This book is creative and entertaining and just wonderful.

Summary: Sabrina and Daphne have enrolled at school, but their first day they find Sabrina's teacher.... dead in his classroom after school. The Grimms are on another case, and this time there are lots of deadly magical beasts. And as before, it's all wrapped up with the Red Hand, the infamous group responsible for the disappearance of the sister's parents. Will they be able to solve this mystery?

Other: I love that each story is individual and self-contained, but there is also a long story arc that carries on from book to book. However, this isn't too overwhelming. It reminds me of how television series are set up, and I think it really works in this series.

Favorite Parts:
1. Puck enrolls at school to be Sabrina's body guard.
2. The pipers son sets all the rabbits in the forest after them.
3. Granny Grimm drives a car!!!!!!!
4. Prince Charming helps Sabrina out.
5. The end which is amazing!!!!!! And sets up the next story. It completely took my by surprise. Also, I love Sabrina and Puck, their interaction is the most amusing of almost any characters I've ever read about.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

I loved this book! But not as much as What My Mother Doesn't Know. Still... fantastic. Although, I did set it down on a burner while I was cooking and almost burned my apartment down. Oops.

Summary: Ruby's mother has just died of cancer, so now she is in California living with her movie-star father... the one that never bothered to see her or speak to her ever, in her whole life. Her whole life is going down the toilet, especially when her boyfriend cheats on her with her best friend. Will she ever be able to forgive her father, get over her mother's death and get on with her life?

Other: This book is both sad and wonderfully happy. I loved the whole thing and I can't wait to read other novels of poetry by Sonya Sones.

Favorite Parts:
1. Ruby walks through the school sprinklers by accident... and she's not wearing a bra.
2. Ruby finds out the truth about her father, awww....
3. Ruby has a dream that saves her life.
4. Ruby writes e-mails to her mother (heart wrenching).
5. Ruby and her best friend make up.
6. Also, I like the poem about why Ruby is waiting to have sex. Amazing.

June 29, 1999

Story: Holly Evans launches several plants into the sky as a science project. Then, on June 29, 1999, giant vegetables begin to fall from the sky. Holly is delighted with the outcome of her experiment, and follows the news developments obsessively. But then vegetables start appearing that weren't in her experiment. So where did they come from?

Picture: As always David Wiesner creates stunning pictures for an amazingly intriguing story. I really enjoyed everything about this book. He is probably my favorite author/illustrator of children's books.

Thoughts: The story was very creative and the ending is equally surprising and humorous and entertaining. I smiled the whole way through this book. It is one of my favorite picture books.

Al Capone Does My Shirts

This type of book is one that I would have really enjoyed in middle school. I don't read books of literary quality much anymore, because I'd rather read something purely entertaining. This book however, is entertaining as well as of a high literary standard. The last line of the book is enough for me to want to read it even if it was awful.

Summary: Moose Flanagan and his family have moved to Alcatraz Island where his dad has taken two jobs. He spends his time trying to stay out of trouble (no thanks to the warden's scheming daughter) and taking care of his autistic sister, Natalie (this is set before anyone knew what autism is). He must deal with school, his sister, and the neglect he feels from his mother.

Other: It is strange. Al Capone is a clearly not a good guy (hence, ending up in Alcatraz) but he is seen as a hero in this story. Even though he does not have a physical presence, he is just as important as any of the characters.

Favorite Parts:
1. Moose and his friends meet Al Capone's mom.
2. Natalie's birthday party, where all of the kids come to celebrate with her, because they actually like her (the whole book, the mom is afraid the kids are taking advantage of her/making fun of her/etc.)
3. Moose tries to contact Al Capone and ask for a favor.
4. The last line of the book... brilliant!!!

Final note: I want to discuss something that will ruin the book if you haven't read it, so I will leave it as a comment. Don't check the comments if you don't want the story SPOILED!!!!

What My Mother Doesn't Know

This is a novel expertly told through poems. It was entrancing. I read it in one sitting, and the next day went to the library to get other books by this author.

Summary: The book follows Sophie after she breaks up with one boyfriend and starts dating a second. But she much watch herself because every time she's not paying attention she starts imagining herself kissing Murphy, the class loser.

Other: This book doesn't sound very deep, and I didn't expect it to. I had very low expectations for the plot because I didn't understand how a book of poems could tell a story. I was so surprised when I finished the book. The plot is great, it talks about about boys, and feelings, and problems and home. There's a lot here, and I wouldn't miss a word of it if I were you.

Favorite Parts:
1. Sophie goes on vacation at home, since her family isn't actually taking a vacation.
2. Murphy sends Sophie a post card.
3. Murphy finds Sophie skating and tells her that he doesn't care if she chooses popularity over him.
4. Sophie makes her choice.

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Story: Officer Buckle is a boring police man who tells children about safety. His lectures never sink in, but this all changes when he brings the new police dog, Gloria. She entertains everyone behind his back during his lecture. Now the students are learning about safety and Officer Buckle and Gloria have become celebrities. But what will happen when Officer Buckle finds out the truth about Gloria?

Pictures: The pictures are amazing and fun. There are so many great details that you won't get tired of looking at the pictures. For example, Officer Buckle's pajamas have safety signs on them.

Thoughts: An intriguing fantasy for young readers. You will be just as enchanted with Gloria as the children are in the story. It's a FUN story, that incidentally also teaches safety, but it does not feel didactic.

Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys

You have no idea how upset I am that this is a novel and not a series. I absolutely loved it. It wasn't brilliant, it wasn't really surprising. However, it did have a smile on my face the whole way through, giggling and laughing and talking to myself. It drew me in right away and for that it is definitely a must read.

Summary: Megan Meade has moved around a lot. As a result, she's not very good with boys. And by not very good, I mean, she's never had a proper conversation with one. But then her parents tell her that their moving to Korea, and when she refuses, she finds herself living with family friends who have seven sons and no daughters. Can this possibly have a happy ending?

Other: I thought this book looked lame, but the library didn't have the other Private novel and I like the way Kate Brian writes, so I picked it up. You have no idea how glad I am.

Favorite parts:
1. Mrs. McGowan catches Megan gawking at Evan when she first gets to the house.
2. Doug climbs into a tree in order to watch Megan change through the window.
3. Megan helps Miller (who has a form of autism) break out of his shell. So cute.
4. Megan finds Finn's painting. Amazing scene!
5. There are so many more!! This book has just the right portions of drama, angst, sweet, and "oh, no she didn't".

Private

I've been meaning to check out this series for a while. And I certainly wasn't disappointed. The biggest disappointment is my lack of funds in the bank account combined with the fact that this series is not in my local library.

Summary: Reed Brennan has a terrible home life. Her mother was is a pill-popping alcoholic who's goal in life is to make her family as miserable as she is. To escape, Reed is going to Easton Academy, a premier boarding school, on scholarship. When she gets there she finds an elite group of girls, the Billings girls. She wants to be one, but how far will she go to be one? Especially, when they don't like her new boyfriend, Thomas. Which one has her best interests at heart?

Other: It was certainly interesting Google-searching for this image. Don't try it at home. Also, I'm going to give something away now, so skip down to favorite parts if you don't want me to give something away.... Reed gets really mad when she finds out that Thomas is a drug dealer. But seriously. How did she not figure that out? I figured it out the first time she met him.

Favorite Parts:
1. At the school dance, Reed and Thomas are the ONLY people dancing, and then he kisses her! So sweet!
2. The first morning service at school. So ridiculous it's funny.
3. Anything that involves Noelle, the lead Billings girl. That one is vicious. What a great character!

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

I loved the first one, I adore the second, I'm waiting on baited breathe just to hear the name of the third. You could say that I'm excited. This series is up there for Harry Potter with me (and I LOVE Harry potter).

Summary: Cammie Morgan says she's over Josh, says she's through risking everything just for a simple boy, but deep down she's not sure. Then the unexpected happens: The Gallagher Academy is going to host several BOYS for a school similar to their own. But somethings not quite right. And even though she promised the CIA, her mother/headmistress, and herself that she was going to be a good girl this semester, she and her roommates are back to their old tricks again.

Other: This series is so imaginative. I think I would enjoy this book if it didn't even have a plot, if it was just the every day happenings of a girl at spy school. There details are amazing and intriguing. Also, I like the mystery of her father's disappearance (even though it makes me cry almost every time it is brought up). It is a good plot line to twist through the entire series. Also, the boys school has many mysteries that have not yet been satisfactorily dealt with.

Favorite Parts:
1. Cammie gets out spied by a cute boy!
2. Cammie's bra unsnaps and she has to flee the ball.
3. Cammie sees Dee Dee and Josh together.
4. Cammie and Zach's first kiss, maybe?
5. Cammie and Zach's study date.

**************Spoiler****************


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****

I disliked the ending where it was all just a test. Again? Really? Other than that, fantastic! Or "Excellent" as Dr. Steve would say.

Girls on Film

The sequel to the A-list was not a disappointment. This is turning out to be quite a good series, but at ten dollars a pop I need to get me a library membership or these will be few and far between. I'd rather own the books, but at the same time, I'd also rather afford food.

Summary: Anna is now an official resident of the 90210 and has enrolled in school. But things are anything but normal. She has to make a film about the Great Gatsby (go figure, since these books explore the same ideas) with Sam! But is Sam in love with her? And as if that weren't enough to worry about, her sister is out of rehab (early, I might add) and in California. Can Anna keep her sister sober, survive high school, and not leave a trail of broken hearts behind her?

Other: I can't decide whether the Gatsby references were cool, or over the top. Read it and let me know what you think?

Favorite Parts:
1. Ben and Anna have a huge confrontation in front of everyone Anna knows and it's caught on FILM.
2. Sam watches the film of number one and instead of checking out Ben, she can't take her eyes off Anna.
3. Anna is at a prestigious party for her new internship, but how is she going to keep it when both the person she's been assigned to escort AND her sister are too drunk for words?
4. The very end, but I'll never tell what that is!

I'd Tell you I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

I've been dying to read this book, but I'm a broke college student so I had to wait until I found it in paperback. Last week, I was successful and I took it home excited to read it. But it was exam week and I had to put it off. On the second to last day of exams I decided to read a chapter of it. Needless to say, I didn't study much for my last exams.

Summary: Cammie Morgan is a sophomore at boarding school. They say that the school is for girl geniuses, but it's really for future spies. This year she finally gets to start learning about covert operations, but on an undercover assignment for class she meets a boy from town and falls for him. But she can never tell him who she really is. To make matters more complicated, the headmistress (Cammie's mother) has made a controversial decision to accept a student into the sophomore class. The girl isn't very nice and even better, she's rooming with Cammie and her friends.

Other: This book has all the nice details that made me fall in love with the Harry Potter series. For example, the girls learn fourteen different languages, and in order to make sure that they sound like naturals they speak a different language and dialect at each meal. A sign outside the dining hall will say "English-American" or "Chinese--Mandarin", etc. It's the little touches that made me fall in love with this book. Also, it is pretty exciting, but it's not superficial. I cried at a few parts.

Favorite moments:
1. The school gets a new young, hot teacher and all the girl go ga-ga.
2. The Red-Alert makes the new students crazy--you'd think that a red alert meant danger, but it meant that the whole school needed to appear like it was a normal school! The details are amazing.
3. During the practical CoveOps final Cammie gets mock-kidnapped (but it's really realistic). Her townie boyfriend sees it and comes after her to save her, not knowing that she's already escaped and working with her whole class to retrieve a disc. He crashes through the warehouse wall with a fork life. Brilliant.

Calalyst

Laurie Halse Anderson is such a good author. I love her books, and she is such nice woman. I met her at a book signing about six years ago (and have a signed copy of Speak which I am still excited about). This book did not disappoint me. I devoured it! Read it in one sitting.

Summary: Kate Malone is a senior. Life is complicated, but everything looks good on the outside: She has kept her family going after her mother died, is a great cross country runner, and battling for the number one spot in her class, as well as having an equally smart and motivated boyfriend. To deal with life, she runs late into the night instead of sleeping, but soon the running won't even be able to help her make sense of everything: she's about to lose control. Ignoring the concept of a safe school, Kate only applied to MIT, and doesn't get in. As if that weren't enough, the girl next door, who beat her up every day in middle school, moves in with her family (her dad being the local preacher and the inviting sort), when her family's house is burned to the point where it is unlivable. Her whole life is about to change, and she's going to have to learn to face her problems and fears and grief.

Other: Laurie Halse Anderson does not shy away from the real world. She deals with the main problems, but everything is not resolved at the end. It is not really a "happy" book and it deals with everything from death to incest. Even though Anderson usually writes about heavier themes, her writing is fun and easy to read. You will cry when you're reading it. I was sobbing. My poor roommate was trying to sleep.

Favorite Parts:
1. Any time Kate describes something using current technology as a metaphor is great. It was a great touch, adding to her character while at the same time making it interesting to read.
2. Mikey's diaper overflows and goes everywhere!
3. Kate teaches Mikey to sing the elements of the periodic table.
4. When Teri tears the house down, it tears my heart apart.