Exciting news!!! Stephanie Perkins, author of Anna and the French Kiss (a fabulous novel about life and love in Paris) is releasing the first chapter of her next book – Lola and the Boy Next Door
We have 2 copies of Anna and the French Kiss if you haven’t read it yet, and we have pre-ordered Lola and the Boy Next Door! It should arrive in Oct.
We’ve had some great new novels added to the collection … Here are a few I’ve read recently:
Divergent by Veronica Roth
You will love this story … set in a futuristic Chicargo, after a great war. Society has been divided into five factions that are each in charge of cultivating a particular virtue to stop the next war – Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). But … as with all great dystopian novels, things start to go wrong.
At 16, each young person must be tested for their aptitude in a particular faction, but ultimately they choose which faction they wish to belong to. If they choose differently from their family, they must leave their family. We follow the main character Beatrice on twists and turns as she makes the hardest decision of her life – be with her family or be true to herself.
Thrilling, thought-provoking, and action packed, with a dash of romance.
First book in a new Dystopian trilogy by a new author, with a new twist.
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
A fabulous new novel in the Darkness Rising series. This is urban fantasy, I’m getting flash-backs to Forks . The central character Maya, is a likable tough-girl who is native Indian and feels a close connection to the animals she rescues and tries to heal.
From the website …
“Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students–for every grade from kindergarten to twelve.
Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya’s determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya’s home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts experiencing “bad vibes” about certain people and things. It does’t help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret…and he’s interested in one special part of Maya’s anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.”
Romance, animals, action. A great read.
Mercy by Rebecca Lim
This is the first book in a series that has been out for a short while, I finally got my hands on our library copy just for the weekend! And I know why people love it …
Mercy is an exiled angel that is sent to inhabit a person’s body to help them, or do something to solve some mystery. She is still trying to solve her own mystery though. She wakes at the start of the novel in Carmen’s body, a very talented singer, at a time when another girl, also a very good singer has disappeared. She tries to unravel the mystery with the missing girls twin brother.
I forgot I was reading I was so into the story. I can’t wait to catch book 2 now. Mystery, romance, thriller.
The Rosie Black Chronicles: Genesis
Another dystopian, more adventure that the others coming out. Set after a huge meltdown five hundred years into the future, sunlight is dangerous and society is broken up into the rich – Centrals, working class – Bankers, and the very poor – Ferals.
The central character Rosie is a Banker who discovers a small box with her friend and they tamper with it … setting of a devastating chain of events that put everyone in danger. Rosie is on the run. But who can she trust? Pip, the too attractive Feral, or the secretive man he calls boss?
Download a chapter sample and watch the trailer here – http://www.rosieblack.com/
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Pages: 327
I think this is my first teenage crime/thriller … and I LOVED it!
From when Violet was little she had the ability to sense the pain and un-settledness of those that had left us early, those who had died an early and often painful death. Initially she just sensed the ‘echo’ of animals who had been hunted and reburied them peacefully in an animal cemetery she created near her house. Then one day she discovers the body of a young girl…. and then another body. Slowly the town begins to realise a serial killer is on the loose.
It’s not a long read, thrilling, nail-biting twists and turns … and filled with romance.
The story is wrapped up in Book 1, so I’m expecting a new mystery that needs solving in Book 2: Desires of the Dead.
I have placed The Body Finder in Senior Fiction because it is bit creepy, after reading you definitely won’t be taking the short cut through the dark alley to get home faster!
Watch the trailer on Goodreads.com
Other reviews:
The cover for Silence (Hush Hush #3) has been released … 
“The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They’ve overcome the secrets riddled in Patch’s dark past…bridged two irreconcilable worlds…faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust…and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they’ve worked for—and their love—forever.” Goodreads.com
More info and Book Trailer here. We will purchase a copy asap.
If you haven’t read the series:
“For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her…until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen – and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.” Goodreads.com
And listen to chapter one on Becca Fitzpatrick’s website here.
This year we will host our own Reading Challenges … so far we have 2 -
If you would like us to add another challenge, please email it in. Other challenges I’ve seen around … Dystopian Challenges, Vampire Fiction Challenge, Urban Fantasy Challenge, Romance Challenge, Shape-Shifter Challenge, even a Nicholas Sparks reading challenge!
For more info go to our Reading Challenge Blog.
Our Book Clubs will be up and running soon too … we’ll alternate between senior and junior book clubs, every Thursday lunch.
Check our the reading logs so far .. http://ourreadingchallenge.wikispaces.com/
See you then! Happy reading!
I recently finished … The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, my first zombie novel. 
“In Mary’s world, there are simple truths.
The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village….”
Mystery is what this story is all about … there is the slow folding back to reveal what is actually happening. Set in a bleak post-apocalyptic world, society has pretty much reverted back to medieval times. This novel isn’t a simple zombie night-of-the-living-dead-type novel, it’s complex, well written and raises questions about society today.
The central character Mary asks too many questions, and she will pay the price…
Scroll down the page here for the Trailer: http://www.carrieryan.com/forest-hands-teeth.php#trailer
A very different dystopian horror …
Latest Release … The Clockwork Angel
“Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still… When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.”
View the fabulous trailer here.
Release dates for the new novels …
August 31, 2010: The Clockwork Angel (we have it, place a reserve!)
April 5, 2011: City of Fallen Angels
September 2011: The Clockwork Prince
December 2012: The Clockwork Princess
September 2013: City of Heavenly Fire
The wait is going to be painful!
City of Bones graphic novel – take a peek here.
Holly Black and Justine Labalestier have just edited and are about to release an anthology of short stories by themselves and other well know authors on the debate of ‘Zombies vs Unicorns‘, … honestly if the title isn’t enough to grab your attention, the authors that have contributed definitely are!
AND
There’s a supernatural romance anthology called ‘Kiss Me Deadly‘ that was released in July in the US that also has short stories from some well know authors, but not as many as ‘Zombies vs Unicorns’ http://beccafitzpatrick.com/kissmedeadly.html
… which leads me to the old:
A few years ago Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci united together with fellow nerdy authors to create the anthology ‘Geektastic-Stories from the Nerd Herd‘ which contains more huge names AND short graphic stories.
Then of course there is the series of anthologies ‘Vacations from Hell’ ‘Prom Nights from Hell’ and ‘Kisses from Hell’ each with there own list of a-grade authors.
… and finally there is the anthology ‘21 Proms‘ with authors such as Libba Bray, Holly Black, Melissa de la Cruz, Cecily von Ziegesar, E. Lockhart, David Levithan and John Green…sounds pretty epic!
… before I finish, can I recommend the art work they have made for ‘Zombies vs Unicorns’, there’s a link on the site and it is…indescribable!
-PJ
We haven’t purchased any of these titles yet … add them to the blogs wish list if you would like to see them on our shelves! – RC
Check out our ‘new’ lounges … a huge thank you to Mrs Fisher for her huge effort and masterly art of upholstery!
Thank you to our terrific models too!
Tags: reading
… with a message that’ll make you look at your own life … then Paper Towns by young adult author John Green fits the bill. Aimed at the senior years the story line follows Q, a nerdy guy in his last few weeks of high school struggling to find himself and understand those around him. A great read and a different voice, I’m looking forward to reading Green’s other novels ‘Looking for Alaska’ and ‘An Abundance of Katherine’s’ .
Read a review here.
Listen to Green read the books prologue here.
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