Skip Beat! Vol 9 / Yoshiki Nakamura / 200 pages

Kyoko is determined to get vengeance on her ex-true love, Sho by becoming more famous in showbiz than him.  She becomes part of the LME section at an agency and has to wear eye searing hot pink jumpsuits along with Moko the other member of LME.  Kyoko finds out Moko is having some trouble on one of the job offers she gets and tries to help. Then Kyoko meets Moko’s huge family and their friendship becomes closer.  Kyoko also resolves the misunderstanding with her coworker Ren. Translated by: Tomo Kimura

Skip Beat! Vol 8 / Yoshiki Nakamura / 216 pages

Kyoko is determined to get vengeance on her ex-true love, Sho by becoming more famous in showbiz than him.  She becomes part of the LME section at an agency and has to wear eye searing hot pink ‘jumpsuits. Kyoko gets a job acting in one of Sho’s music videos as an angel and instead of ruining the video she gets one up on Sho by out acting him.  However later Sho interrupts a phone call from Ren, and now because of a misunderstanding Ren is angry with her and her friend Moko is keeping secrets. Hopefully her friend Maria the granddaughter of her agency’s president can help her. Translated by: Tomo Kimura

Skip Beat! Vol 7 / Yoshiki Nakamura / 200 pages

Kyoko is determined to get vengeance on her ex-true love, Sho by becoming more famous in showbiz than him.  She becomes part of the LME section at an agency and has to wear eye searing hot pink jumpsuits. Ren, Sho’s nemesis in showbiz, and who works in the same agency as Kyoko didn’t originally like Kyoko, thinking she had joined showbiz only to get revenge on Sho, however he learns that she also did it for herself because she enjoys it.  Kyoko is now also going back to school to finish her education while working for LME. Then she gets an offer to be part of a music video for one of Sho’s songs and she doesn’t know what to do. Translated by: Tomo Kimura

Skip Beat! Vol 6 / Yoshiki Nakamura / 208 pages

Kyoko is determined to get vengeance on her ex-true love, Sho by becoming more famous in showbiz than him.  She becomes part of the LME section at an agency and has to wear eye searing hot pink jumpsuits along with Moko the other member of LME.  After Kyoko and Moko both win the audition they both get to act together in a commercial and it is their official debut into the acting world.  Kyoko gets another LME job this time as Ren’s (a coworker from the same agency) substitute manager when his manager gets sick during this time Kyoko and Ren get to know each other more. Translated by: Tomo Kimura

Skip Beat! Vol 5 / Yoshiki Nakamura / 208 pages

Kyoko is determined to get vengeance on her ex-true love, Sho by becoming more famous in showbiz than him.  She becomes part of the LME section at an agency and has to wear eye searing hot pink jumpsuits along with Moko the other member of LME. Kyoko decides to audition for a part and also finds out that Moko also auditioned for it, their both determined to win but someone from Moko’s past is determined to destroy Moko.  Then the one in charge of the audition changes how the actresses are set up they have to audition in pairs and Kyoko and Moko get paired together. Translated by: Tomo Kimura

Skip Beat! Vol 4 / Yoshiki Nakamura / 208 pages

Kyoko is determined to get vengeance on her ex-true love, Sho by becoming more famous in showbiz than him.  She becomes part of the LME section at an agency and has to wear eye searing hot pink jumpsuits along with Moko the other member of LME.  A lot of LME jobs are work as a grunt but when Moko volunteers them to be extras on a daytime talk show, Kyoko has to dress up as their mascot when they have an emergency and then she has to deal with one of the guests on the show, Sho. She also bumps into Ren while still dressed in the mascot and sees a different side to him. Translated by: Tomo Kimura

Skip Beat! Vol 3 / Yoshiki Nakamura / 208 pages

Kyoko, determined to get revenge on her ex-true love Sho, by becoming more famous than him, joins the LME section at an agency. When she becomes fired up about acting she decides she wants to join the agency’s talent school to become better an actor, and gets involved with an act-off between some of the girls from the school and Moko the newest LME member. Kyoko met Moko when she first auditioned for the agency and who also failed. Now they have to prove that they both have the right to join the school.  Kyoko also meets Maria the granddaughter of the agency’s president. Translated by: Tomo Kimura

Skip Beat! Vol 2 / Yoshiki Nakamura / 208 pages

When Kyoko followed her true love Sho to the big city to help support him become a famous musician, she never though he would break her heart.  Now she has sworn to get revenge on him by becoming even more famous than him in showbiz, by becoming an actress. Kyoko joins the LME (Love-Me) section of the talent agency and now works in the same agency as Ren Tsuruga, Sho’s nemesis, however Kyoko and Ren don’t get along.  The LME section wears eye catching hot pink jumpsuits and does odd jobs around the agency for people. On one of her jobs being a grunt and working behind the scenes lugging things around for people she gets the chance to dress up and act against an actress for her position.  The results although not what she expected fire up her desires to become an actress. Translated by: Tomo Kimura

Skip Beat! Vol 1 / Yoshiki Nakamura / 184 pages

Ever since she was little Kyoko was in love with her best friend.  When she was young her best friend Sho’s family took her in due to her family situation.  When Sho decides to run away from home to follow his dreams to become a famous musician, Kyoko goes with him, quits highschool, and takes multiple jobs to support him.  Now that he has made it big Kyoko finds out he has been dating other women and doesn't care about her. She vows that she will get vengeance and that she will become even more famous than him. Kyokok gets a makeover and decides to join the talent agency that competes against Sho’s agency when that doesn’t work, she pesters one of the agents until he lets her audition. Translated by: Tomo Kimura

Home After Dark/ David Small/416 pages

Russell has been abandoned by his mother and forced to follow his father to California, where he promises to find a job. His father, an alcoholic, abandons him as well and Russell finds refuge with a Chinese immigrant couple. He struggles to maintain healthy friendships and finds himself doing things he wouldn't normally do to survive.

Sky Without Stars / Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell / 592 pgs

I was so lucky to get to meet the authors of this wonderful new book at my library last week. They told great stories about how they came up with the idea of Les Miserables in space and reading this book was a little like a homecoming for me because I love the movie (though I must admit I haven't yet read the book by Victor Hugo).

The story is about how humanity left Earth and 505 years later live in a system with three stars and twelve inhabited planets. Laterre is ruled by the Paress family where there are three estates (royalty, administrative, and the workers), much like how there were three estates in pre-Revolutionary France. The book mainly focuses on Alouette, Chatine, and Marcellus, who are stand-ins for Cosette, Eponine, and Marius in the original Hugo novel. In this far off future, humanity has mostly lost its ability to read the written word save for a few folks who must stay hidden and protect the last library on Laterre. Meanwhile, the Third Estate starves in a rainy, marshy environment while the First and Second Estates live, eat, and play in a massive biodome under a virtual blue sky.

This is the first book in the System Divine series and there are plans for more two books at least. I can't wait for the next one as I really got invested in the characters, especially Chatine.

Also, I don't tend to judge a book by its cover, but the first time I saw this book cover, I knew I would love this book. Isn't it gorgeous? Best Book Cover Ever!

Love Letters to the Dead/Ava Dellaira/323 pages (Epistolary Novel)

     Laurel is just starting high school but she has a lot of baggage.

Mom and Dad split a couple of years ago but Mom just moved to

California and Laurel spends one week with dad and the next

with her aunt.  Laurel's sister, May, was a major portion of her life until her death just months before.  One of the first assignments Laurel gets in school is to write a letter to a dead person.  From that point on, she writes to Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Judy Garland and so many more.  The letters are more like diary entries but slowly we learn about Laurel's life.

     At first, Laurel knows no one at school--but then she finds her niche with friends Hannah, Natalie and boyfriend, Sky.  She sometimes smokes, sometimes drinks and sneaks out of the house.  She often lies to her Dad or her aunt.  She is, however, functioning rather well--still missing her sister--but trying to find her way. Laurel's story finally comes out with all of her suppressed anger and guilt and a wonderful ending as things start to fall into place.
     This is a fantastic book.  All of the teen emotions and doubts, worries and problems are truthfully portrayed.  The letters that are written by Laurel could have been written by many of today's teens.  The situations are familiar to many families, especially those who have lost a child.  You'll be crying right alone with the characters and loving every poetic passage!







                                                                                                                                        

Fragments of the Lost/ Megan Miranda/ 371 pgs

While I don't usually read YA, Miranda writes both Adult and YA and I really like her writing. Turns out, I really love this book. Jessa is 17 and her boyfriend Caleb (technically ex-boyfriend for they had been broken up for a few weeks) died two months ago. His car went off a bridge during a rainstorm. His body was never found but the broken pieces of his truck were pulled from the river. Caleb's mom is too heartbroken to clear out his room, so she insists that Jessa do it. While she works, different items in the room bring back memories for Jessa and we learn about her relationship with Caleb. She also begins to find some suspicious things. With help from her friend Hailey, Caleb's best friend Max, and Caleb's little sister, Jessa gets closer and closer to the truth. While this was a little slow to get going, it picks up speed quickly and there are a couple of nice little twists at the end . I would recommend it to adults of all ages--young, new, and been around a while.

Anna and the Swallow Man / Gavriel Savit / 230 pages / 6 discs

There are many books out there about World War II. Some are written for children while others are for adults. It is rare to have one crossover to where both audiences find gratification.
 The story begins in Krakow, Poland during 1939. The war has affected Anna and her father's lives and they have adjusted. He is still teaching his classes but then is taken. Anna is utterly alone. While waiting in the street for her father to come, a man stops in front of her and asks in several different languages "who are you?"
  This is the Swallow Man - as in the bird - and instinctively Anna trusts him. That is not to say he doesn't scare her but there is a quality to him that gives her hope. The Swallow Man begins his walk out of the city and Anna follows him. There are no words exchanged, no gestures but Anna has decided this man gives her a chance at living.
  What follows are their adventures wandering the countyside of Poland and into the Soviet Union tracking the invading German soldiers. Not all is fun and games. The Swallow Man teaches Anna the rules of staying alive and he also tries to teaches her about life. The plot becomes less important at this time and the journey seems to turn allegorical. The birds, the "Road", the conversations all help Anna toward an ending. What kind of ending? You must read the novel.

6 Degrees of Reading: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse, The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos.

The Star-Touched Queen / Roshani Chokshi / 339 pages / 8 discs

  This novel makes me wish I had a better understanding of Indian mythology and folklore. I thoroughly enjoyed the book but at times I felt I was missing something. Like there was an underlying text that would explain why our heroine Maya did what she did. The author has such wonderful descriptions brought to life by the narrator, Priya Ayyar who brought a world full of sensual mystery. I just wasn't sure I was catching the entire story.
   We meet Maya who has quite the unfortunate horoscope. Her marriage will be one of death and destruction. Her suitors are few to none and the harem where she resides view her with distaste and suspicion. She loses herself in the scrolls of her father's library where she also learns about her father's kingdom by hiding in the rafters above his throne room. The kingdom has been at war and her father has arranged for Maya to marry one of the warring tribes. It is during this ceremony a sneak attack surprises her and Maya is whisked away to safety by Amar, who is a king in his own country.
   What happens next is beautiful, enchanting and awe-inspiring. The pictures brought to mind are spellbinding. This is a great read for someone who likes fantasy, strong female protagonists and adventure in foreign lands.
   The second in the series has been released: A Crown of Wishes

6 Degrees of Reading: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, And I Darken by Kiersten White, Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones.

My Lady Jane / Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows / 491 pgs

Hilarious. Just--hilarious. Perfectly wonderful as an audiobook.

If you know the story of Lady Jane Grey, the Nine-Day Queen of England, you know it has a tragic ending. This story, not so much. In alternate history at its best (or at least most fun), Jane's story has become an adventure and romance that involves shapeshifters, kings, thieves, and one husband who happens to be a horse (at least part of the time).

Jane prefers books to boys, and runs through lists of synonyms in her head when stressed. She is stubborn and smart and resourceful, but not enough to escape a wedding to a boy she's just met. After all, how do you refuse your dying cousin's last wish, when he also happens to be your best friend AND your king?

Gifford spends each day as a horse and each night as a human. As an Eðian (shapeshifter) who can't control his change, he is the despair of his father, Lord Dudley, who nevertheless plots to marry him off to Jane. G. is content to be a horse, most of the time, but his family's political maneuvering and the arrival of his bossy new bride might spell the end of his equilibrium.

Edward is the king, which you'd think would be satisfying. Except he's a teenager, dying of a slow disease, and the main problem on his mind is that he wants to be kissed. That, and take care of the country, which is gearing up for a bloody fight between the Eðians and Verities (non-shapeshifters). So he's easily convinced to change the line of succession and name Jane his heir, right before his oh-so-convenient demise.

At least, that's what's supposed to happen. What actually happens as we follow these three characters is a funny, perilous, snark-filled journey that goes from hilarity to danger and back as quickly as Jane can finish one of her books.

Those of a geeky persuasion will enjoy the added layer of references to popular culture and Shakespeare, but all readers who want a fast-paced, humor-filled adventure with a dash of romance will find this history is one worth learning.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children / Ransom Riggs / 382 pages

This is a wonderful young adult novel and series.  The vintage photographs are amazing and the way they are worked into the story is fantastic - though Riggs gets better at this as the novel goes on.  The first few pictures have a very obvious indication in the text that you are supposed to look for the picture and it's not always on the facing page.  This doesn't work as well for an audiobook, because you will want to look at the pictures as you read along.


16-year-old Jacob lead a normal, ordinary life.  His family is moderately wealthy.  He is taken care of, though a bit neglected - but he doesn't have a closest under the stairs for a room or anything like that. Then he gets a phone call to check on his grandfather, and finds his grandfather on the verge of death in the woods behind his home.  Jacob is the only one to hear his grandfather's cryptic last words and decides to try to find the magical island and the children's home his grandfather had always told him stories about.


The book is a little different from the movie.  Emma and Olive trade powers for the movie, but Jacob is still attracted to Emma.  The ending of the movie is so different from the book, that I get the feeling that the director stopped reading halfway through and just created his own ending.  Both the book and movie are very good, but they should not necessarily be compared to each other.

EverTrue / Brodi Ashton / 368 pages

This is the third and final novel of the Everneath trilogy.  Nikki has rescued Jack, and now she just wants to graduate high school, but soon finds her energy drained.  Cole had tricked her into feeding on him in the Everneath, so now she is in the process of becoming an everliving.  She and Jack decide to fight for her life with everything they have.  Unfortunately, if Nikki doesn't feed on Cole every night, she dies.  Many awkward situations arise.


Nikki wants to find a way to sever her connection to the Everneath, but she has attracted the attention of the Queen, and the Queen has a reputation for killing any rival for her throne.  Can she escape with her life once and for all?


More connections to Persephone and other underworld myths arise.  Much more action than the previous two novels.  Friendships are strained and enemies are trusted.  A fitting end to the series.

EverBound / Brodi Ashton / 384 pages

This is the second novel of the Everneath series.  Nikki Beckett escaped the tunnels, but only because her boyfriend, Jack, took her place.  Now she embarks on a journey to save Jack and find a way for them both to live out normal, human lives.  Unfortunately, she has to depend on Cole - the life-sucking everliving who took her to the Everneath - to help her save the love of her life.  Nikki continues to trust Cole even when she knows she shouldn't.  Will he be the friend she hopes for or betray her yet again?


The mythological elements are a little stronger than in the first novel, more mention of the Persephone myth, and readers might also recognize elements of Dante's Inferno. 

Everneath / Brodi Ashton / 400 pages

This is the first book of the Everneath trilogy.  16-year-old Nikki Beckett returns home after a 6-month absence.  Everyone assumes she was on drugs or in rehab, but the truth is much darker.  She had been fed on in the Everneath, and barely escaped.  Can she repair the relationships she left behind and forgive her own weakness that led to her disappearance?  Can she find a way to say goodbye again before the tunnels claim her in six months?


Readers of Twilight will appreciate this book, though there are no sparkling vampires.  This author would have been on Team Jacob.  There are elements of the supernatural and romance.  There are also ties to ancient mythologies.