Walking Dead Vol. 7: The Calm Before / Robert Kirkman / 110 pgs

The gang returns from Woodbury and they are preparing for an eminent attack.  Amidst the chaos of training, gathering supplies and trying to return to a "normal" life; Lori gives birth to her baby, Carol falls into a pit of depression, and Dale is afraid that his girlfriend Andrea may be interested in someone else.  There is more character development than action in this volume, hence a slower pace.  But I really felt it was needed after the gruesome violence and torture scenes from the last two volumes.   *shudder*

Grave Mercy/Robin LaFevers/549 pages

Gods and goddesses, courts and courtiers, assassins and nuns! Yes, that's right, the nuns are training assassins. Ismae has escaped from a brutal marriage that was arranged by her father and has been sent away in the middle of the night to the convent of St. Mortain where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Ismae learns that the god of death has blessed her with dangerous gifts and she is chosen to protect Anne of Brittany from France. While keeping watch over the duchess, she finds a confidant in Anne's half brother Duval. Eventually the romantic tensions between the two makes Ismae realize that she should follow her own heart, instead of  her loyalty to the convent. So many great characters and if you like fantasical, historical fiction this is the book for you. Grave Mercy is book one of His Fair Assassin trilogy. The next book Dark Triumph, tells the story of Sybella, one of Ismae's fellow handmaidens at the convent.

In a Glass Grimmly / Adam Gidwitz / 315 pages

This book is so much fun!  Gidwitz takes elements from fairy tales, folktales and Mother Goose and creates his own folktale style story.  It's full of blood, evil, giants, goblins, vomit, fire-breathing salamander, talking frog and a quest.  It's got a great message too about being con-fused about what you want and what you wish.  Good for a read aloud.  Great for a classroom writing project.  Just fun to read.  Recommended for grades 4-7.

Game Changers / Mike Lupica / 207 pages

Mike Lupica never disappoints his readers.  Once again, he has produced a book sure to captivate young readers and inspire them to be true friends, great sportsmen/women, and all round admirable individuals.  Ben McBain dreams of becoming QB for the Rams.  His size is a handicap he has overcome with practice, skill, determination, and team commitment.  He embodies the "There is I in team" concept.  When the position of QB goes to the coach's son, Ben supports the move, and even helps Shawn O'Brien (my nephew's name) overcome some serious shortcomings.  This first book in a new series leaves readers content and charged up to do the right thing.

"Being a friend is more important than winning a game."

Where No Gods Came / Sheila O'Connor / 196 pages

Faina McCoy's father has run up gambling debts and signs on with an oil rig drilling team in Australia.  He will be gone a year.  He leaves Faina with her mother whom she hasn't seen since she was a baby.  The move is difficult for Faina.  Minnesota is much, much colder than sunny California and her mother leaves much to be desired.  Her absent sister is into drugs, stealing, and unsavory relationships.  Faina is sent to Catholic school but never fits in.  This is heartrending tale of a broken family, yet it shows the indomitability and resilience of one Faina McCoy.

Claim to Fame / Maragret Peterson Haddix / 256 pages

Lindsay Scott has a secret.  She "would call it a hidden talent, but talents are supposed to be happy possessions, something to rejoice over and nurture, and maybe gloat about."  But her secret skill brought her nothing but pain.  "At any given moment [she] can hear anything anybody says about [her], anywhere in the world."  Her skill began when she was eleven, the day before she got her first period.  She had been on top of the world, the star of a hit TV show.  She had what appeared to be a nervous breakdown and had to quit the TV show.  For five years she has been living in a small Illinois town with her father, an adjunct professor at a local college.  Her house somehow provides relief from the voices in her head.  Is she the only one in the world with this skill?  Will she be able to leave her safe house and lead a normal life?  This in Margaret Haddix at her best.  This one was hard to put down!!

"The dividing line between sanity and insanity should really be based on what you do with what you believe."
"Her gift was actually the gift of extreme compassion, of empathy beyond compare, it's that something you get when you really, really search for God."

Invisible Murder/Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis/339 pgs.

This follows the authors' The Boy in the Suitcase, and it is every bit as engrossing! Nina Borg, the Danish Red Cross nurse, but also part of an underground network that helps illegal immigrants, finds herself in the midst of a mysterious illness outbreak among Hungarian Gypsies (illegal immigrants, of course). Her "volunteer work" is a bone of contention with her husband, Morten, who made her promise not to get involved in any "projects" while he was away. Simple enough, right? Enter the Gypsies--and the mysterious illness. There is mystery, suspense, family issues--all rolled into one. And, as with The Boy in the Suitcase, there are twists throughout the book. I can't wait to see what the authors do next!

Notorious Nineteen / Janet Evanovich / 302 pages

Stephanie and Lula at their best in another Stephanie Plum novel.  I just have to keep reading because I want to know how many cars burn up, what happens with Ranger & Morelli, how many donuts can they eat at one time, does Grandma shoot anyone, etc.  I still think these books are totally hilarious. I don't know why but I really relate to some of the characters....you can guess which!

Wonder / R. J. Palacio / 313 pages

Wonder has gotten a lot 'o book buzz love this year.  I think it deserves the fame.  Palacio writes about kindness, empathy and inclusion.  Auggie Pullman is homeschooled up until grade 5 because of all of his surgeries to correct his birth defect.  Wonder is the story of Auggie's first year in a private school, the reactions of the students, the anxiety of his family, and the bravery of one small boy.  What makes the book unique is how the author has written the story from various viewpoints:  Auggie's, his freshman sister Via, his mother, and the other students.  You will be a bit teary-eyed but in a happy way at the end of the book. Recommended for grades 4-7.  Great parent/child book to share.  Might also work in a book discussion.

Lace reader / Brunonia Barry 360 p.

Towner Whitney comes from a clan of Salem women who can read one’s future from lace patterns.  She left under a cloud of trouble and reluctantly returns when 85 year old Aunt Eva disappears.  Towner professes to be an unreliable narrator; alas she had shock treatment for hallucinations.  Family secrets, complex family relations, prophetic powers, and past trauma yields twists around every corner from the evangelizing ex-husband of Towner’s mother, Emma; to Aunt May hermetic life on an island; and, her twin’s suicide.

A Thousand Acres/Jane Smiley/371 pages

Out of the blue, a successful Iowa farmer decides to give up farming and divide his thousand acre homestead to his three daughters. This one act sets up a chain of events that snowball into a tragic story where almost no one survives unscathed. The story is set in the mid-70s and the two older daughters have stayed on the farm, taking care of their dad, along with their own families. They have also raised their younger sister, a successful lawyer,  who wants no part of the farm. The author does a good job of portraying life in a small, farming community where appearances are everything and no one really knows the family secrets. Would recommend to those readers who  like family tragedies.

Spy the Lie / Houston, Philip / 230 pages

This was a fascinating book about detecting when people are lying.  It is actually written by three authors and a writer.  The three have backgrounds in the CIA and have spent years interviewing "clients".  They have developed a method of questioning and observing that will help to detect when someone is lying.  (NO, they did not waterboard anyone for the book)

They do give many helpful tips like how to question your teenager about drugs/alcohol or how to interview a potential child care giver.  They also provide insightful commentary on OJ Simpson's interview with the detective and what went wrong and end with a transcript commentary of an interview with Sandusky by Bob Costas.

I wish they had done FBI Robert Hanssen.  Oh well, it was still a very good book with a lot of information.  (Really, I'm not lying.)

Queen of America / Luis Alberto Urrea / 491 pages

This is the captivating story of Teresita Urrea, the Saint of Cabora.  Forces to flee her native Mexico after the bloody Tomochic Rebellion of 1892, she arrives in Arizona with her father and his trusty companion, Segundo.  They are beset by assassins and pilgrims, who besiege young Teresa for her miraculous healings.  Recounted are her difficult relationships, her many hardships, her trip to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, and many noteworthy, contemporary historical events.  This was a fascinating, hard-to-put-down read.

The Wonder of Charlie Anne . Kimberly Newton Fusco / 266 pages

Wow!  This awesome JF book has everything!  Themes embedded within the story include:  bullies, friendship, racial relations, Depression era USA, influenza, death of a parent, manners, the importance of reading, communion with nature, the dynamics of family, the true nature of religion, etc.  Charlotte Anne (Charlie Anne) prayed for more babies.  Her prayers were answered, but with the third baby, her mother and baby sister both die.  Charlie Anne visits the grave, talks to her mother there and draws comfort and advice from her.  Her mother's cousin comes to take care of the family.  Charlie Anne does not want Mirabel to take her mother's place.  Her Dad decides to go north to work on the road project begun by President Roosevelt.  Mirabel manages the home and insists on Charlie Anne's adherence to her Book of Manners.  Charlie Anne's friendship with her new neighbor, Phoebe, effects changes throughout the community.

" We do not need to be defined by our circumstances.  We can make things, different.  We can change things, even climb right up and out of the boxes that some people want to put us in...But we have to work hard..."

"Just because means I'm a girl...two things at once...that's what you do."

"Prayers are powerful things.

"Whatever you are.  Be noble.
Whatever you do.  Do well
Whenever you speak.  Speak kindly."

"Bring joy wherever you dwell."

Infinity / Sherrilyn Kenyon / 464 pages

What if watching a video game could turn you into a zombie?  Of course, if you knew this ahead of time, you wouldn't play.  Several of Nick's classmates do become zombies and he must deal with them - the living zombies, as well as real zombies, while discovering who...and what...he is.  Is he the long-awaited Anti-Christ?  He certainly doesn't appear to be evil.  He's a good Catholic boy who loves his mother, is loyal, is kind...

Artichoke's Heart / Suzanne Supplee / 276 pages

They say "You can't judge a book by it's cover." and this is all too often true, howsoever, I think everyone has probably chosen books on the basis of cover alone.  I did so with this one as I wanted it for my Chocolate Collection as the cover features delectable fancy-decorated chocolates, in their paper wrappers.  As is often true with chocolates, I found the center - the inside of the book - to be delightful, and an excellent choice for this beginning of the year, New Year's resolutions time.  Rosemary Goode is overweight - over 200#.  her secret lovers are Mr. Hershey, Mr. Reese's and Mr. M & M.  She is smart.  She is funny, but everyone only seems to notice her weight.  Rosie embarks on a weight loss regime that changes her life and impacts everyone around her.

A Crooked Kind of Perfect / Linda Urban / 214 pages

Zoe Elias wants to be a piano virtuoso like Vladimir Horowitz.   She is sure that if she could get a piano she would become a child prodigy, but life is "a crooked kind of perfect" and her Dad buys an organ instead - a Perfectone D-60.  Life is not perfect for her Dad either.  he has over sixty degrees from a correspondence school, but no job.  Lots of people unnerve him and he almost always gets lost when driving.  Zoe's Mom is City Comptroller and when she works, Zoe's Dad takes care of the house and bakes.  Zoe loses her best friend, but finds a better one.  As Zoe prepares to enter the Perform-O-Rama, Wheeler and her Dad prepare to change her life for the better.  This is a moving, empowering tale sure to please young readers.  Linda Urban will be attending the Children's Literature Festival in Kirksville in March.

Shiver/Karen Robards/385 pgs.

Samantha "Sam" Jones, a single mom to 4-year-old, Tyler, earns a living as a "repo" person in East St. Louis. Late one night, when Sam goes to repossess a BMW, she discovers a half dead man in the trunk of the car. Without warning, Sam is struck from behind and put into the trunk with this man. What Sam doesn't know is that the man in the trunk is undercover FBI agent, Danny Panterro. He is supposed to be Rick Marco,who is supposedly under U.S. Marshall protection. It's not one of Karen Robards' better works, to say the least.

The Yellow Birds / Kevin Powers 226 pages

For all those who have followed the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the past decade or at least knew there were two wars going on, read this book.  The story follows two soldiers, Bartle and Murphy, who become friends (or really, acquaintances) from basic training through their deployment.  Throughout the book, you learn the struggle soldiers experience when they are deployed (IEDs, mortar attacks, fire fights, girlfriends writing the “Dear John” letters) and what happens to them when they return home as well as what happens to their families.  It takes place between the years 2004-2005, a period where the military and government did very little in response to PTSD and mental health.  The Yellow Birds can be a heavy read and somewhat depressing at times (be sure you have a light, humorous read next in line) but it is also one of the most beautifully written books on the Iraq War.  I have read many books written by soldiers or about soldiers during the current conflicts, but this one really stood out to me because of the way it was written… the writing itself, the flow of the words, the vivid illustrations make you feel as if you are there and really immerses you into the mind of the main character.

Roots of the Olive Tree / Courtney Miller Santo / 306 pages

Debut novelist Courtney Miller Santo tells a wonderful story of 5 generations of women who seem to have the genes that not only ensure longevity but also health.  Santo is wonderful at creating varied and rich characters and showing their relationships.  There's also an underlying theme of the ethics and moral dilemmas of extending life and what if the secrets and experiences that people carry make a long life less than desirable.  Loved reading about the process of growing, cultivating and harvesting olives as well.  All in all a great read and one that would work well for book discussion groups.

Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There / Catherynne Valente / 258 pages

In this sequel to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her own Making, September must save Fairyland by going to Fairyland Below.  In a series of fantastic adventures with the shadows of her friends Saturday and Wyverary, she uses her courage and determination and becomes the heroine who saves the day.   The world created by Valente is very rich and highly creative.  As a reader, I was totally mesmerized by her imaginative characters, language and settings.   The art by Ana Juan is perfect and helps to make the creature characters real.  Readers of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland will delight in this excellent book.

The Last Musketeer / Stuart Gibbs / 244 pages

"It was incredible how quiet the world in 1615 was after dark."  Greg Rich thinks this after he travels through time by means of a family heirloom crystal and a painting in the Louvre.  His family had fallen on hard times and agreed to sell everything they owned, including his mother's necklace with the crystal.  Museum director, Michel Dinicoeur, insisted that it be part of the deal.  Greg has had to undergo many changes in a short time.  He had to leave Connecticut, his fencing lessons, and their fifty room mansion, for a small New York City apartment and public school.  Now he has left his time period and journeyed four hundred into the Paris past...and meets the Three Musketeers and is named D'Artagnon...  Mr. Gibbs, author of Belly Up, has given us an outstanding tale of medieval Paris, friendship, loyalty, and bravery.  Carefully integrating the personalities of the 4 Musketeers, he has wrought a tale sure to please...and challenges one to read Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers.

La Mort Triste - The Sad Death - was the worst prison in Paris.  It was a disease pit.
"When Paris was a walled city, the medieval Louvre guarded the main entrance.  But when the city expanded beyond the walls in the 1500's, the Louvre...became the royal palace...for over 200 years..."

Bliss / Kathryn Littlewood / 374 pages

"It was the summer Rosemary Bliss turned ten that she saw her mother fold a lightning bolt into a bowl of batter and learned - beyond a shadow of a doubt - that her parents made magic in the Bliss Bakery."  The magic is a family secret, as is the Bliss Cookery Booke, and ancient, leather-bound volume of enchanted recipes.  When her mother and father accompany the mayor of the neighboring town to end a flu epidemic, they entrust Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme with their secrets.  Perhaps all would have been well had no mysterious, previously unknown, "Aunt Lily" shown up on her huge motorcycle.  This was a fun, tantalizing read!

Killer Librarian / Mary Lou Kirwin / 308 pages

This debut novel is an absolute delight...irresistible to librarians.  "You know how it feels when you open the pages of a new book, the sense that all is possible, that this might be the book that will sweep you up so completely that you will lose yourself in its story, not stopping to eat or sleep or answer the phone, and when it ends, you will be close to weeping, knowing this experience might never happen again?"  Well that's how Karen Nash, a killer librarian, felt the morning of her first trip ever.  She was to go to England with her boyfriend of four years, Dave the plumber.  She was "an efficient and organized packer.  Of course, she'd made a list of all she'd need, but the most important thing was figuring out what books to bring..."  Unfortunately, Dave not only cancels the trip, he breaks up with her the morning they are supposed to leave.  She decides to go anyway, and is in for one surprise, including murder, after another.  Her librarian friend, Rosie, from back home advises her to "try not to kill or get killed on [her] trip to bookland - Hay on Wire.

"The important things if life:  books, reading, and chocolate..."
"Reading next to someone can be the most companionable thing to do in all the world."
"You can make anyone a reader, if you match them with the right book."

THE FALSE PRINCE / Jennifer A. Nielsen / 342 pages

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen is a historical fantasy and the first book in The Ascendance Trilogy. 

Conner, a mysterious nobleman, selects four orphan boys to compete against one another in a deadly plot to save the kingdom of Carthya. One of the boys will be chosen to impersonate Prince Jaron, the King's lost son, murdered by pirates but who's body has never been found.

As the plot is revealed, the lies become more complicated because Conner is not the only one with secret plans. The clever but independent orphan Sage is determined to play Connor's dangerous game and be named the false prince, no matter what the cost.

 

Boys and adults who like YA cross-over titles, historical adventure tales and stories with mystery and suspense should enjoy this fast-paced novel and will look forward to reading Book Two, The Runaway King due to be published March 2013.

APPEAL TERMS: Complex, Suspenseful, Fast-paced 

A '6 DEGREES OF READING' connection: Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson is a YA adventure story centered around an orphan and 1st in a series.

[6 Degrees of Reading is similar to the game '6 degrees of Kevin Bacon' but with books. Select an aspect of the current title which is shared in another title and describe the connection using a single sentence. 
Source : http://www.readersadvisoronline.com/ranews/mar2007/cords.html]

COLD DAYS / Jim Butcher / 515 Pages

Cold Days: a Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher is the 14th title in the fantasy series featuring Harry Dresden, the only wizard listed in the Chicago phone book. Harry is back from the dead and must deal with the consequences of becoming the Winter Knight of the Fae (Changes, 2010).

He also needs to contact his friends who still believe him to be dead (Ghost Story, 2011) and let them know he is alive. Figuring out 'how' to explain his resurrection will have to come later though.

Harry's first assignment from Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness? Kill an immortal! He is to assassinate the Winter Lady but Maeve, who doesn't like Mab's new Knight, has her own plans for Harry! Butcher doesn't hold back any punches with this installment - the ending will leave reader's gasping, crying, or both and anxious for the next book!

This is a must read for fans of the series. Cold Days has Butcher's unique brand of humor mixed with pop trivia and continues the story-line from previous titles while carrying it forward. Newcomers who like urban fantasy with humor and mystery may also enjoy the book but should be aware they might end up wanting to read the earlier titles in the series too.

APPEAL TERMS: Humorous, fast-paced, poignant.

A '6 DEGREES OF READING' connection: Badass: the Birth of a Legend  by Ben Thompson is a snarky, fun guide to gods, monsters, heroes, villains, and mythical creatures with plenty of movie, TV, and literary references. (annotation posted 05/11/2011) 

[6 Degrees of Reading is similar to the game '6 degrees of Kevin Bacon' but with books. Select an aspect of the current title which is shared in another title and describe the connection using a single sentence. 
Source : http://www.readersadvisoronline.com/ranews/mar2007/cords.html]

Probable Future / Alice Hoffman 322 p.

The Sparrow women unusual gifts (able to discern liars, to know other's dreams, or even to sense another’s future) bring upheaval into their lives and their relationships even to the edge of catastrophe when Stella’s father is jailed for suspicion of murder when he reported Stella’s foretelling of a young woman’s violent death giving all the Sparrow women and their loves a great shakeup in this telling of their lives and their ancestors.

Fobbit / David Abrams 369 pages

“Fobbit: A U.S Army employee stationed at a Forward Operating Base, esp. during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2011).”

Everyone hears the stories of the conflicts fought during Operation Iraqi Freedom, such as Fallujah, Mosul, Sadr City, Basra and the heroic men behind those battles.  However, little is mentioned about what happens on the FOB (forward operating base) regarding those who sit at a desk for twelve hours a day determining what gets published in the press releases, the incredibly long emails from HQ about whether the enemy is an “insurgent” or “terrorist,” or the true definition of “death by PowerPoint.”  Fobbit starts off a little slow and can be slow in some spots (who wouldn’t want to cringe every time you start to read an email from the higher ranks?) but the wit and humor of the writer with the occasional vivid, nail biting scene (e.g. suicide bomber lodged underneath a tank) is worth the read.  Most might see this book as a satire on Fobbits, maybe even criticizing those who are not on the front lines, but I believe this book satirizes the war in general because whatever occurs during the war, the Fobbits are on it making sure the American people (or the public, for that matter) only see what they want them to see.  To understand what I mean, read the book…

New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2012

Publishers Weekly Top 10 Pick for Fall Literary Fiction

Barnes and Noble Best Books of 2012

Sugar Queen / Sarah Addison Allen 276 p.

Books she will need to read just appear magically for Josey Cirrini, self-judged as a sorry excuse for a Southern belle especially a rich heiress; Finding Forgiveness intrudes into her presence repeatedly as waitress Della Lee Baker makes Josey her tough love project starting with Josey's addiction to sweets, moving to her love life and beyond as Josey's life expands dramatically, sometimes cataclysmically as family secrets are exposed when Della Lee makes Josey's closet, a her safe hideaway.  Della Lee engineers a meeting between Josey and Chloe.  Chloe loves books, and they too, appear as she needs them, even to following her; a connection?

Once Upon a Secret/Mimi Alford/198 pages

Once Upon a Secret tells the story of an intern in Washington, D.C. that engages in a secret affair with the President of the United States for about 18 months. No, it's not that President. Mimi Alford went to Washington to be a summer intern in 1962. She met President Kennedy four days later, and their affair began right after that. In November, 1963, she was getting ready to end it because she was getting married, and he was getting ready to end it because he was moving on. It ended because he was assassinated. They were scheduled to meet after he came back from Dallas; sadly, he returned in a coffin.

This is an almost clinical report of how they met and how the affair was arranged. She doesn't give up much in emotion until she hears of the shooting in Dallas. Only then did I feel any empathy for her. She was "outed" as an affair in 2003, but she waited until now to tell her story.

Peach Keeper / Sarah Addison Allen 273 p.

Southern Willa Jackson catches Colin Osgood's eye as she secretly observes the restoration of her family's old Victorian home, when he returns to Walls of Water, South Carolina to landscape the Madam for his sister, Paxton; Willa and Paxton are thrust into a friendship as they work to solve long-dead family secrets surround the skeleton found in the roots of a old peach tree--and something magical seems to be at work too.

The Ivy / Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur / 312 pages

When Callie arrives for her freshman year at Harvard, she encounters her three vastly different roommates, new friendships, steamy romance, and scandalous secrets.  She learns that five crucial things you should know before you set foot in historic Cambridge, or any college town:  What to read, What to drink, What to eat, What to wear, and Who to meet...and unspoken rule #6 - Freshman girls stay away from the upperclassmen boys.  She's not quite who she is anymore without soccer.  "A busted ACL had put Callie out of commission at the end of last season for possibly forever."  She'd like to write for the college paper.  Unfortunately, the editor has become her sworn enemy.   This is an eye-opener focusing attention on the perils of ivy league life.

"It is less mortifying to believe oneself unpopular than insignificant, and vanity prefers to assume that indifference is a latent form of unfriendliness."

"People can't see talent or passion when they first meet you.  They can only see how you present yourself."

"You can take back a lot of things in this world.  But you can never take back a first impression."

Good Omens, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch / Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett / 354 pages

If you wondered why the world did not end on 12-21-12...read this book and you'll find out!  This wickedly hilarious apocralyse tale features two bumbling but good-natured good and bad angels, one is actually a demon, if you will, who have become so attached to life on earth that they hate to see it end.  We also have a bumbling baby swap involving the Anti-Christ and four riders of the apocalypse on Harley's as Hell's Angels.

The Billionaire's Curse / Richard Newsome / 344 pages

This is the first book written by Australian Richard Newsome and won for him Text Publishing's inaugural Young Adult Writing Prize.  It started out as a bedtime story for his children and he finally set it to paper over the course of ten years.  In researching the story, he traveled across England, studying many places that appear in the book, and he traveled to India for the second book in the trilogy.  When thirteen year old Gerald finds himself the heir to twenty billion pounds from an aunt he never met, he inherits with it a mystery surrounding his aunt's death and various artifacts in the British Museum.  39 Clues fans should enjoy this set in England mystery.

Killing Kate / Julie Kramer / 324 pages

TV reporter Riley Sparks knows the murder victim, Kate.  She is - or was - the sister of her college roommate and Riley's best friend until they had a falling out senior year.  Riley discovers a legend dating back a century involving a Black Angel.  Could the killing be related to this legend?  The chalk outline of the body looked to Riley like an angel silhouette and sparked her investigation of the killer's spree and, in fact, endangers her own life.  This is a great human interest page turner with insights into TV journalism.

Notes from a Liar and Her Dog / Gennifer Choldenko / 216 pages

Antonia MacPherson is a liar.  She is sure she is adopted as she is nothing like her two perfect sisters.  Her best friend, Harrison, smells like a salami sandwich and her other best friend, Pistachio, her tiny dog, is getting very old.  She has devised a nefarious plan for getting him his much needed vet services without her parents' knowledge.  Ant's parents are too busy with her sisters and jobs to be available when Ant needs them.  A teacher at Ant's school, just Carol, becomes Ant's advocate.  The author of Al Capone Does My Shirts has once a gain crafted a tale sure to please.

Doc/Mary Doria Russell/394 pgs.

I don't like historical fiction. I don't like westerns. I loved this book! It's the fictionalized account of John Henry Holliday a.k.a. Doc Holliday. The author takes the reader back to the 1870s during the peak of Texas cattle trade. The main setting is Dodge City, Kansas, and involves the lives of Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Doc Holliday, and  his mistress Kate Harony.  Ms. Russell describes a time in U.S. history when the country was still recovering from the Civil War, and people were heading west to make their fortune.  Ms. Russell does such a thorough job in bringing her characters to life that the reader is easily immersed in the story. Highly recommended!

Dark Places/Gillian Flynn/349 pgs.

This is Gillian Flynn's second novel, following Sharp Objects, and before Gone Girl, and it's a doozey! Libby Day was 7 years old when her mother and two sisters were murdered in Kinnakee, Kansas. The murders took place at the Day farmhouse, and Libby escaped the massacre by leaving the house through a window. Because of Libby's testimony, Ben Day (Libby's 15 year old brother, at the time) was accused of the murders and sent to prison. Fast forward 25 years, and Ben is still in prison, but a group known as "The Kill Club" has contacted Libby about the murder. The Kill Club researches old murders that they think may not have been tried accurately, or whose outcome wasn't consistent with the evidence or testimony provided. Libby is short on funds, and agrees to make contact with key players in the murder for the Kill Club members--for a price, of course. The discoveries Libby makes along the way makes her start to doubt the testimony she gave years ago. So, if Ben didn't kill her mom and sisters, who did? It's a suspenseful read, and keeps the reader wondering where it will all lead. I have to give it to the "Jayhawk" author, she knows how to keep the reader guessing!

The Perfect Hope / Nora Roberts / 308 pages

    This book is the last in a trilogy of three brothers and their women and the Boonsboro Inn.
Of course, it was standard Nora Roberts.  The brothers all work with their hands, meet three women (blond, brunette, and red haired) and the rest is how they get together.  The hot parts start in the middle of the book.  For a little extra storyline, she added a Civil War era ghost to the Inn since it is located near Antietem. 
     Little did I know that there is an actual Inn Boonsboro in Boonsboro, Maryland as well as a Turn the Page Bookstore and gift shop and Vesta Restaurant.  Guess what.  Nora Roberts and her husband own them.  I guess it's good advertising to write a trilogy around your inn so that way you can book some guests from the readers. 
     It was a satisfying book for Nora Roberts fans  and it was nice to have a trilogy.

Black Water Rising / Attica Locke / 427 pages

This one is for all you legal thriller lovers out there!  Debut author Attica Locke already seems to be the master of her craft as she leads readers along the intricate paths that Houston attorney Jay Power must tread before uncovering the nasty, rotten truth about what the oil companies are doing.  Power is impeded in his search by the emotional chains he suffered as a young militant in the 70's as well as past experiences with his family.  Locke throws in a couple of other plot elements that she neatly ties together in the end.  The character of Jay Power is finely drawn, and readers will be happy to see  him show up in future novels. 

Ashes of the Earth / Eliot Pattison / 358 pages

Carthage, a small settlement that has survived the Apocalypse, may not be the spark of civilization its four founders envisioned.  It may, in fact, be its dying ember.  One of the founders, Jonah, has kept a journal detailing the life of the colony.  It shows the colony as a living organism, and demonstrates how, despite all their trials and self-destruction of advanced societies, individual humans have found a way not only to survive but to celebrated life.  In code, it shows that a northern town, St. Gabriel, is eating way at Carthage from the inside with smuggled drugs, while it erodes its resolve with treasure from outside.  The governor is corrupt.  Jonah is murdered.  Hadrain, an ex-teacher, idealist,  and sentimental, habitual drunk, is determined to find Jonah's murderer.  This is an engaging adventure/mystery story packaged in an enticing format.

Naughty in Nice / Rhys Bowen / 328 pages

In 1933 London, Lady Georgiana Rannoch is volunteering in a soup kitchen serving unfortunates laid low by the Depression.  Her Majesty the Queen approves of "volunteer service for the good of the community at this sad time."  When the lady's brother and his expectant wife leaves for the French Riviera, Georgianna is left to close the house. She has an appointment to meet with the queen.  She is 34th in line for the throne.  The queen enlists her services as a spy.  During the New Year Honors at Buckingham Palace a priceless snuff box was taken.  The queen wants Georgianna to find the culprit and recover the box.  She is also to keep an eye on the heir apparent, David, the queen's son, and American Wallis Simpson.  Delightful!  A most welcome break from zombies and the apocalypse.

Aftertime / Sophie Littlefield / 375 pages

"In Aftertime we have to think of the greater food, not the needs of individuals, or even that we have so little of our humanity left that we need to take every opportunity we can to remind ourselves that we aren't savages."  "Silva's population had been over 4000 before the famine and riots and the suicides and the fever deaths, before the Beaters began carrying survivors away."  "When the government dropped Kaysev (K&, full=spectrum nutritional mass - protein, calcium, vitamins, and fiber) from planes all over the nation, it's last act before it ceased to exist, a second strain has somehow gotten mixed in, and some saw the hand of God, in the appearance of the rogue leaves as his punishment for all the profligacy and faithlessness of the last decade."  The rogue strain caused the plague that turned humans into Beaters.  Humans have banded together in small enclaves.  "Satisfaction is an an elusive and outdated concept.  Serenity, contentment, they seemed as unlikely for citizens as the ability to fly or read minds."  Cass had made many mistakes before.  She was an alcoholic and used sex to fill a hole left by the abandonment of her father.  Her baby, Ruthie, was taken from her and given to her mother and her partner to raise.  When the cataclysm struck, Cass's first priority was to reclaim her daughter.  She succeeds but is later captured by Beaters who stripped the skin from her back.  Her runner's body is strong enough to walk the 35 miles back to the site of her abduction, where she hopes, with Smoker's help, to once again claim her daughter.  Is she a danger to everyone she meets?  Has she been infected?  Why are the Rebuilders taking up arms against others instead of Beaters?

So This Is How It Ends / Tui Sutherland / 353 pages

Kali keeps a notebook of strange events - violence has stalked her life.  On December 12, 2012, she wakes after napping on a New York subway car to discover that everyone has disappeared.  The subway floods.  Exits have been gated and locked and new walls have been built to cover other exists.  Kali's anger serves her well and she escapes into an abandoned New York City.  At the same time, Venus,  a super star teen idol,  was rehearsing for a performance when a mysterious tattooed man almost drops a huge piece of set on her.  Gus is on hand to help his brother, Andrew, with the lights, and prevents the accident.  An earthquake strikes, leveling surrounding buildings and vastly altering Los Angeles.  People have vanished and a monument to Venus's death is discovered.  Tigre in Chile awakes in a jungle to find weird talking creatures and no people.  Amon in Egypt has stolen a gold pendant from a tomb excavation.  Five teenagers are called together 75 years after life as we know it ended.  This is a most unusual approach to the apocalyptic novel and is somewhat reminiscent of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.  Fast-paced, thought-provoking, great characters, and a surprise ending make this first book in The Avatars series a must read.

End of State / Neesa Hart / 303 pages

The Rapture has occurred and millions of people vanish.  All the children are gone.  Everyone has lost someone.  Is this some form of terrorist attack?  People demand answers.   White House Chief of Staff, Brad Benton, is afraid he knows the answer.  He fears the End Times have begun and all people of Faith have been taken to Heaven.  Brad has lost his wife and children.  He regrets that his faith is not what it should have been and dreads what is to come.  Likewise Minister Marcus. who has used religion to raise millions for relief aid, is embarrassed when he is not counted as one of the Faithful.  He unites with Brad as true brothers in Christ as they prepare for the troubles to come.

Apocalyptic Literature

2013 Idea

Hey loyal bloggers!  I was thinking for the 2013 competition we should get T-shirts.  The front could have some kind of logo for the Library District's team and for the back we can keep track of the number of pages we've read by ironing on some kind of patch that we print out on iron on transfer paper.  We could have a symbol like a book or star and you would get one for every 1,000 pages you've read.    Just from looking at the stats from 2011 and 2012 we would be awarding anywhere from 1 - 114 symbols.  Most people will earn about 10 patches. 

So what do you all think? 

1. Yes! this is awesome!  or
2. No! I have enough ill-fitting "free" tshirts in my closet. 

Please just vote/comment on this post.   Thanks!! -Your Awesome Book Challenge Master. 

The Innocent/David Baldacci/422 pages

Will Robie is a hitman, an assassin for the U.S. government. Robie never questions his orders and he always nails his targets, until one night when a mission doesn't seem quite right, he refuses to kill and  becomes a target himself. While trying to escape he runs into a young teenager running away from the people who murdered her parents. Robie has always been a loner, probably the hazard of being an assassin, but he teams up with Julie and becomes attached to this young girl and vows to protect the  runaway. Baldacci has been called "the premiere writer of conspiracy in high places" and "The Innocent" does not disappoint. There are many twists and turns, and sometimes it is hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys in this story. Will Robie is a good guy that we hope to see more of from Baldacci in the future.

Girl, Stolen/April Henry/211 pages

Cheyenne Wilder has been kidnapped. When a young thug tries to steal a car to impress his dad, things go from bad to worse when he finds a girl wrapped up in a blanket in the backseat. Griffin never meant to hurt anyone, he just wants to impress his dad with a big fancy SUV that he steals from a mall parking lot. From the very beginning of the story, we realize that Griffin is a good kid that has been raised by a terrible father. The major twist in the story is that the main character, Cheyenne, is blind.  She fights back the whole story and  we have to admire her strength and intelligence. The author does a pretty good job at making the story realistic and suspenseful. This is a quick read for middle and high school students. The  main character does fear that she might be raped by her captors but nothing happens and it is a very small storyline in the book. For younger readers, might not be appropriate or parents could use as a chance to talk  about being in scary situations with strangers.

Crank / Ellen Hopkins / 537 pages

Written in verse, Crank loosely tells the tale of Ellen Hopkin's own daughter who became addicted to meth.  It is shocking to watch how quickly and easily an intelligent, beloved, and successful 16 year old girl slides down the path to destruction.  Hopkins tells it like it is and while the story is brutal and candid, many high school students have told the author how her book saved them from taking that first step.  After hearing Hopkins speak about her books and her family, this may be a book that every parent of a teen needs to read and think about.  Ellen, as the parent, does not let herself off the hook.   In spite of the hefty 537 pages, you can read this in a couple of hours especially if you want to save your children. 

Shadow of Night / Deborah Harkness / 577 pages

In this book which is a sequel to A Discovery of Witches, the witch Diana Bishop along with her vampire husband Matthew de Clermont,. travel back in time to late 16th century London to find the elusive Ashmore 782 manuscript that may hold the key to why the creatures (daemons, witches & vampires) are dying out.  The author, a professor of history at USC, makes Elizabethan England come alive.  Her prose is a joy to read and lovers of historical fiction will revel in the details of life, meeting historical figures, and discussion of scientific discoveries.  Romance, magic, and history all nicely wrapped up.  Readers will undoubtedly be sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for the final book in the All Souls trilogy.

White Horse / Alex Adams / 306 pages

White Horse is the name of the plague that killed 90% of the world's population.  Thirty-one year old Zoe Marshall alternates between then - pre-apocalyptic times, and now - post-apocalyptic times.  Taxes are no longer certain - only death.  "The survivors do what they must.  Because if they don't, they'll topple into the remnants of their life where they'll languish and turn to dust."  It all started with a U. S. attempt to control weather.  When they are successful in stopping a cyclone, China demands the technology.  When they are denied, they retaliate with an electronic Pearl Harbor.  The Internet ceases to exist.  Global war ensues.  Zoe discovers that her employer, George P. Pope, owner of a pharmaceutical company, unleashed the plague knowingly.  Zoe, the lab cleaning lady, but  much, much more, strives to remain human - kind, merciful, and compassionate, amidst Armageddon.  She also traverses the world in search of Nick.  This is one of the best Apocalyptic Literature books I've read.  Thought-provoking, inspiring, horrifying....

A Winter Dream / Richard Paul Evans / 266 pages

This is the Joseph and his coat of many colors story from the Bible set in modern times.  The protagonist Joseph Jacobsen is forces out of the family advertising business and out of town to save his younger brother Benjamin.  All elements of the Joseph story are here, thinly veiled, and infinitely rewarding.

The Smoky Corridor / Chris Grabenstein / 326 pages

Zack Jennings is starting n new school - Horace P. Pettimore Middle School.  The school was founded by Horace P. Pettimore, a Civil War soldier who left his mansion and grounds for its construction.  Unfortunately, Pettimore is not yet dead...He and his crew of 66 soldiers are undeads waiting to reanimate and claim the Confederate gold he stole and hid.  He is waiting for his descendant to make his reappearance.  Is Zack the one?  Zack deals with bullies, losers, ghosts, liars, and teachers who are not what they appear to be.  This one is sure to please middle school readers who like scary stories.

Dust to Dust / Heather Graham / 455 pages

At the beginning, I thought I really liked this one.  The ends days as foretold in scriptures have begun and scriptures are quoted freely.  Unfortunately, three of the people who come forward to help Scott vanquish Baal are vampires!  This is actually a romance masquerading as apocalyptic literature.

Unforsaken / Sophie Littlefield / 277 pages

Hailey is a healer.  Her ancestors came from Ireland and became known as the Banished.  The women were healers and the men were seers.  They had settled in a small Missouri town and over the years their gifts were diluted as they married outside the clan.  Hailey and her Aunt Prairie and her friend Kaz remained pure.  Unfortunately, a ruthless man developed a scheme to turn newly dead soldiers into zombies using a healer's touch at the moment of death.  Chub, Hailey's adoptive brother, is kidnapped by the ruthless man's second in command to force Hailey to join his scheme - to repopulate his family of purebreds.  If the zombies are released from the lab, it could mean the apocalypse, the end of the world.  Can Hailey and Kaz stop them?

The Next Best Thing/ Jennifer Weiner/ 389 pages

This is the story of Ruth, who grew up with her grandmother after a terrible accident left her an orphan.  She is now a young woman aspiring to be a TV writer.   She and her grandmother move to LA to make it big.   "The Next Best Thing" is also the title of her TV show.  It's kind of a fun look into how Hollywood works for the writers and their struggles.  Funny, enjoyable, and a little bit of romance. 

May B / Caroline Starr Rose / 125 pages

This children's book is written in verse similar to that Inside out and back again  about the Vietnamese immigrant girl in the U.S.  This book is a story of the late 1800's set in Kansas a la Laura Ingalls Wilder.  While it is short, much happens.  The  girl, May B, is sent to live with a couple in a soddie to keep company with the wife who is quite homesick.  The worst happens and May is left alone, snowed in from a blizzard.  It is a story of survival and an internal tale of how she comes to believe in her own worth despite her flaw of dyslexia.  Missing from the book is the depression, anxiety, madness that took many victims on the prairie who weren't even snowed in.  I guess it is because it's a children's book.  (Although if she had been thinking Mark Twain award, the girl could have gotten really sick, developed a racking cough, had hallucinations, gangrene from frostbite, attacked by the wolves, and gone completely starkers.)  However, in the ambiance of Laura herself, May is able to keep it together and do what is necessary to return to her family.  (I hope her father has a life-long guilt-trip.)

Killer Librarian/Mary Lou Kirwin/308 pgs.

With a title like Killer Librarian, how could I not read this book?! Karen Nash, a Minnesota librarian, and an avid mystery reader, is set to go on a trip to London, England, with her plumber boyfriend, Dave. At the last minute, Dave ditches Karen for another woman, Kirstin. Karen decides to take the trip anyway, and runs into Kirstin on the flight; Kirstin is unaware of Karen's identity. Thus starts a comedy of errors--Karen, in a drunken moment, expresses (to a stranger) that she wishes Dave were dead. Later, Karen thinks the stranger took her seriously, and feels she must warn Dave of his impending doom. In the meantime, Karen strikes up a friendship with Caldwell Perkins, the owner of the bed-and-breakfast she is staying at. One of the guests dies under suspicious circumstances, which has Karen putting on her "sleuthing" hat. This is probably what is considered a "cozy" mystery--light and entertaining. It's the first in a new series, so it will be interesting to see where the author goes with it!