The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

 

Oh my word…this book, this series, SO GOOD!!!  There is nothing more I can say other than read this book (but only if you have read The Raven Boys…and if you haven’t read that yet…what are you waiting for???) 

From Booklist

*Starred Review* In this continuation of The Raven Boys (2012), Printz Honor Book recipient Stiefvater continues the compelling story, keeping the focus once again on the Raven Boys themselves: privileged Gansey, tortured Adam, spectral Noah, and darkly dangerous Ronan. This time, though, their quest for the legendary sleeping Welsh King, Owen Glendower, takes a backseat to a spate of secrets, dreams, and nightmares that appear to be sapping the ley line—an invisible channel of energy connecting sacred places—that runs beneath their small Virginia town. Could this be the reason that the mystical forest, Cabeswater, has inexplicably disappeared? Who is the mysterious Grey Man, and why is he searching for the Greywaren, a relic that enables its owner to steal objects from dreams? How does this involve secretive Ronan? Visceral suspense builds as the characters pursue answers to these and other questions, and a palpable sense of foreboding and danger increasingly permeates the novel. Richly written and filled with figurative language (buildings are “tidy as library books”; a “murmur of guests” attend a party; a woman looks “fresh as a newscaster”), this story of secrets and dreams, of brothers, and of all-too-real magic is an absolute marvel of imagination and an irresistible invitation to wonder. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Backed by a 150,000 print run and a marketing push that includes a college-campus campaign, this title should multiply Stiefvater’s already vast fan base. Grades 9-12. --Michael Cart

Coaltown Jesus by Ron Koertge

A joke cracking, somewhat snarky, but always loving Jesus…I’m in!!!  I read this book in an hour and it was just what I need…funny, touching, and poignant.  The book deals with tough stuff…loss of a sibling, a grief struck mother, a deceased father…it is hopeful, not depressing.  And while the title implies a highly religious overtone (and Jesus is one of the main characters,) it is not overly religious…it is definitely more spiritual.  It reminded me of the Jesus in the movie Dogma (Kevin Smith), with no bad language.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some of my favorite moments: 

“Noah prayed?”

“Oh , yeah.  One night out on Bethel Road. He was by himself, and he got out of the car, looked up at the sky, and said, “Who am I, anyway?  Really, who the hell am I?”

“That doesn’t sound like a prayer to me.”

Jesus said, “Sure, it was.”  He leaned and petted Shadow, who let his tongue loll out in ecstasy.

Walker asked, “So what did you do?”

“I loved him.”

“That’s all?”

Jesus caressed Shadow one more time.  He straightened up and looked directly at Walker.

“Dude,” he said, “that’s everything.”

“Little kids I don’t mind.  Every kid wants a pony.  It’s grown-ups that get my robe in a knot.  Stop with the begging, okay?  Adore me for a change.  Or give thanks.  I like gratitude.  Or ask for guidance.  But oh, no.  It’s always the pony.”

Jesus moved closer.  “Walker, listen to me, okay?  You ask what happens when someone dies.  Well, the body decomposes and the worms play pinochle on your snout, but Walker, my dear Walker, the light never goes out.”

Book Description via Amazon

When Jesus shows up in Walker’s life, healing triumphs over heartbreak in Koertge’s finest and funniest novel yet.

Walker shouldn’t have been so surprised to find Jesus standing in the middle of his bedroom. After all, he’d prayed for whoever was up there to help him, and to help his mom, who hadn’t stopped crying since Noah died two months ago. But since when have prayers actually been answered? And since when has Jesus been so . . . irreverent? But as astounding as Jesus’ sudden appearance is, it’s going to take more than divine intervention for Walker to come to terms with his brother’s sudden death. Why would God take seventeen-year-old Noah when half of the residents in his mom’s nursing home were waiting to die? And why would he send Jesus to Coaltown, Illinois, to pick up the pieces? In a spare and often humorous text, renowned poet Ron Koertge tackles some of life’s biggest questions — and humanizes the divine savior in a way that highlights the divinity in all of us.

The Outside by Laura Bickle

The Amish vampire apocalypse continues in this sequel to The Hallowed Ones.  I wanted to love this, I really did.  It received decent reviews…I was ready for some horror…but uggggg.  First off, I am able to suspend reality REALLY easy…vampires exist, yup I am with ya…crazy supernatural beings living in our world, most definitely…but weird green luminescent people able to repel vampires…I’m out.  I will say though, it was no *so* terrible that I didn’t finish it, but this does not go on the YOU MUST READ THIS RIGHT NOW list.

BOOK DESCRIPTION VIA AMAZON

After a plague of vampires was unleashed in the world, Katie was kicked out of the safe haven of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. She enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two friends and a horse by her side.
     And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can they be trusted, and are they even people at all?
     In this sequel to The Hallowed Ones, it's up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to sacrifice in return?

While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax

My obsession with Downton Abbey + a book about friends = love.  I read this during an extremely frantic time when I just needed to escape…and boy did this deliver.  It made me want to start my very own Downton Abbey viewing party complete with fancy hats and even fancier cocktails.

From Booklist

Wax breaks from her Ten Beach Road series to indulge her obsession with the popular British television show Downton Abbey in her latest novel. When Edward, concierge of a posh Atlanta building, decides to host a weekly Downtown Abbey viewing party, it brings together an unlikely trio of residents. Behind her poised facade, Samantha harbors the belief that her husband married her out of pity, and she lets her younger siblings take advantage of her. Empty-nester Claire has taken a year off from her day job to write her next novel, but crippling writer’s block has her dodging her editor’s calls. Frumpy single-mom Brooke must face her ex-husband and his glossy new girlfriend, who have moved into the building. Wax’s trendy premise makes for a surprisingly poignant and enjoyable story about friendship. Readers need not be fans of the show to enjoy this tale, but they may relate more to the characters’ infatuation if they are. --Aleksandra Walker

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Loved this…I describe it as Sheldon’s (Big Bang Theory) love story.  It is funny, warm and yes sentimental but sometimes you just need a dose of happy. 

Book Description via Amazon

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, October 2013: Full of heart and humor, Simsion’s debut novel about a fussy, socially-challenged man’s search for the perfect wife is smart, breezy, quirky, and fun. Sure, it’s the precise equivalent of a well-crafted romantic comedy. (In fact, the book was clearly written with the big-screen in mind, and the film rights have already been sold). But you’d have to be a pretty cynical reader not to fall for Don Tillman, a handsome genetics professor who has crafted a pathologically micromanaged life for himself but can’t seem to score a second date. After launching his Wife Project, which includes a hilarious questionnaire intended to weed out imperfect candidates--smokers, makeup wearers, vegans (“incredibly annoying”)--Don meets Rosie, a stunning, maddeningly disorganized bartender/student who’s looking for her biological father. The reader knows just where the story is headed: Rosie’s so wrong for Don, she’s perfect. That’s not giving anything away. Half the fun of the book is watching pent-up, Asperger’s-afflicted Don break free, thanks to Rosie, from his precisely controlled, annoyingly sensible, and largely humorless lifestyle. By the final third, you’re cheering for Don to shatter all his rules. And you’re casting the film. --Neal Thompson

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

I read a review that referred to Counting by 7s as “this years Wonder”…those are some pretty big words (a piece of that book still lives in my heart.)  And now my heart will have to make room for Willow, Mia, Quang-ha and the whole cast of characters in Counting by 7s.   Ok this is going to get personal…

I have *that* girl – odd, different, quirky, weird, WONDERFUL, SPECIAL, A GIFT TO THE WORLD – just like Willow.  And while my girl may have different oddities…I got Willow, I understood Willow, I LOVE Willow.  Here is my favorite quote…the one that got me, right through the heart:

Quang-ha (the surly, angry teenage boy) says to Willow:

“I don’t want to know how you did it.  I want to believe you’re magic.”

And she is…just like my girl…magic.  And when other people see the magic in your kid, especially your “special” kid…it makes your heart want to burst open…because not everyone is going to get them…only the special ones, the ones who believe in magic.

Book Description from Booklist

*Starred Review* In a voice that is frank, charming, and delightfully odd, Willow Chance narrates the strange and heartbreaking circumstances that lead her to find an offbeat, patchwork quilt of a family. As an adopted, self-identified “person of color,” precocious genius Willow unabashedly knows that she is different, but her parents love and support her idiosyncrasies, such as wearing her gardening outfit to school, her preoccupation with disease, her anthropological curiosity about her peers, and her obsession with the number seven. That self-assuredness shines through Willow’s narrative and becomes crucial to her survival after the unexpected death of her parents, which makes Willow a prime candidate for life in a group home—an environment that could be disastrous for an unusual child like her. Luckily, she finds new friends who are compelled to protect her: Mai and her family, who live in the garage behind the nail salon they own, and Willow’s slouch of a guidance counselor, Dell. Sloan (I’ll Be There, 2011) has masterfully created a graceful, meaningful tale featuring a cast of charming, well-rounded characters who learn sweet—but never cloying—lessons about resourcefulness, community, and true resilience in the face of loss. Grades 7-10. --Sarah Hunter

Down and Out in Bugtussle by Stephanie McAfee

This is the 3^rd book in the series and I am still in love…Stephanie McAfee is my new Janet Evanovich…she is hilarious.  If you’re looking for a fun, funny, easy read this is a great series!!! 

Book Description From Booklist

Graciela “Ace” Jones is back from Florida, her art gallery closed and her engagement broken. Despite her lowly job as a substitute teacher, she is not one to settle for less. She decides to get her old art teacher position back, even if it means taking out the voluptuous, incompetent Cameron Becker. Meanwhile, her best friends, Chloe and Lilly, are dealing with relationship troubles, and coach Logan Hatter might want to be more than a friend-with-benefits to Ace. Then Ace finds her beloved grandmother’s gardening book, with a letter inside from a mysterious “M.” This is the third Ace Jones outing, and again she starts the book vowing to be quieter, better mannered, and more together. Fortunately for the reader, she fails. While not as madcap as Diary of a Mad Fat Girl (2012) and Happily Ever Madder (2012), Down and out in Bugtussle includes some wonderful, uncensored Ace-isms, especially in a memorable honky-tonk scene. Grandma’s big secret is not particularly shocking, but fans will be glad to visit with their favorite residents of Bugtussle, Mississippi, including the chiweenie, Buster Loo. --Susan Maguire