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Top Ten Tuesday: Student Recommendations I Loved

15 May

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

I view making book recommendations to my students as part of my job as a teacher.  I love reading Y.A. and keeping up with what’s new and what I think will appeal to my students, so it’s extra special when a student recommends a book to me.  I may not pick up the book right away, but I always make sure to listen to them and make an effort to at least try the book, even if it’s outside my comfort zone.

Because it’s a freebie day for Top Ten Tuesday, I thought about it and decided to highlight ten books I may not have read without my students prompting me to read them for one reason or another.  Are there any books students or people you’re close to have recommend you read that you’re thankful for?  I’d love to know which ones! :)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Goodreads):  To be completely honest, I can’t remember which student told me to read this but I’m so thankful it was brought to my attention!  I didn’t think I enjoyed fantasy until I read Graceling.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Goodreads): While teaching my second session of Y.A. Lit I saw a couple students reading this.  One of the girls told me it’s the best book she’s ever read, and one of my reluctant boys read the first two books in a matter of a week.  That was enough for me and I made sure to read it that summer.  I still need to read the rest of the trilogy which I plan to do this summer.

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (Goodreads): I wanted to read Miranda Kenneally’s debut when I bought it for my classroom, but I read it sooner than I probably would have because it was being passed from student to student like rapid fire.  Any book that popular needs to be read!

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer (Goodreads): I really didn’t think I would like this book because I’m not into Glee (which I kept seeing it compared to) or drama or choir, but I bought a couple copies so my students could read it before interviewing Sara for my Students Want to Know feature.  After I heard their enthusiastic reviews I decided to give it a try and positively loved it.  I can’t wait to read another book written by Sara!

Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen (Goodreads): This one kept getting recommended and I kept telling myself I was going to read it.  Then Jake took my Y.A. Lit class this year and wanted sports books so I handed him Leverage.  He updated me and the class almost every day as he was reading, and because of these conversations I started reading it as soon as Jake was finished so we could further our discussion.  It’s excellent and gritty and emotional.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork (Goodreads): A student didn’t actually recommend this book, but I’m reading it because of my students.  We’re using it with our Y.A. unit that connects with and follows our To Kill a Mockingbird unit.  I’m just about done listening to it on audio, and while I’m not a huge fan of the actor’s production, I’m a big fan of the story.  It’s a beautiful example of literary contemporary Y.A. and fits with To Kill a Mockingbird wonderfully.

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (Goodreads): A couple girls from my Y.A. Lit classes in 2010, including Katelyn from Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands, kept telling me about this trilogy and author, but I put it off for whatever reason.  Let me tell you, once I started reading this book I was kicking myself for not reading it sooner. It’s not the best writing in the world, but the story is addicting as well as the trilogy.  Plus, my girls in class can’t get enough of Simone Elkeles so I now have all of her books in my classroom.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (Goodreads): I wrote up a Donors Choose fundraiser when I started teaching my Y.A. Lit class so I could expand my class library, and I added Garcia & Stohl’s debut after it received a William C. Morris honor.  One of my 2010 senior boys, Zach, read it right away and raved about it.  He said it was better than Twilight and he loved that it was told from a guy’s point of view.  His comparison and enthusiasm piqued my interest because at the time Twilight was still pretty popular, plus Zach was pretty influential at school.  It’s been downhill since then because I can’t get enough of this series!

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Goodreads): When this book first released one of my college friends told me to read it, but I wasn’t interested.  Years later the movie releases and my students are going on and on about both the book and the movie.  One of my avid readers and super book club members, Tristan, handed me her copy before spring break last year and told me to read it.  I did and whoa is it awesome!  It’s also been extremely popular in my classroom.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (Goodreads): I have Tristan to thank for this one as well.  She read it and told me how wonderful it is and how (I think) she cried.  Let me know if I’m wrong about that, Tristan!  I was hesitant about Jandy Nelson’s debut at first, but I ended up loving her lyrical writing and reading Lennie’s poems.  It’s also incredibly popular among my girls in class.

Let’s Try Again: My List of Six

6 May

I don’t remember when I tried Michelle from Galleysmith’s idea of creating a list of books to read in a certain amount of time, but I do know it helped a little bit even though I didn’t completely succeed.  I’m a list maker, but I’m horrible at setting books-to-read goals because I’m such a moody reader.  If I’m in the mood for something lovey, but I’m currently reading something suspenseful, there’s a good chance I’ll switch books.  I’m not always that way, but I know myself enough as a reader to recognize that I do this.  I’m trying Michelle’s idea again because it’s the end of the school year, I have books to read for our new curriculum, I’m starting my second to last Masters class, and I’m going to be overwhelmed.  So I figure if I create a list of books to (try t0) stick with, then maybe I’ll be less stressed and more productive.

Here’s my list of six (six because I’m not getting over my head with this):

The Forgetting Curve by Angie Smibert (Goodreads)

Out of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg (Goodreads)

Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender (Goodreads)

Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer (Goodreads)

The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima (I WILL finally finish this!) (Goodreads)

Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore (Yay!!) (Goodreads)

Alternates in case I can’t get into one of my six:

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin (Goodreads)

A Midsummer’s Nightmare by Kody Keplinger (Goodreads)

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday (Goodreads)

In Honor of National Poetry Month: Verse Novels Worth Reading

29 Apr

We’re nearing the end of National Poetry Month, so I found it fitting to write a post featuring my favorite verse novels.  If you haven’t read many verse novels, or any at all, you might want to view this post as a verse novels starter kit.  I’ll admit verse novels aren’t for everyone, but when they’re done well it might surprise you when you find yourself attached to a character or moved by the imagery created through so few words.

My first novel in verse was Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff (Goodreads), which I read for my college Young Adult Lit class.  It’s been a few years since I’ve read that book, but I still love it and remember it vividly.  From there I started reading Ellen Hopkins’ books which began with Crank (Goodreads).  I moved on to Sonya Sones (her books on Goodreads) next.  Once I started reading verse novels I was on a mission to find more, not only because I adore them, but because they soon became very popular in my classroom.  For struggling readers, being able to conquer one of Ellen Hopkins’ books is like a point of pride because they’re “such big books.”  And I don’t say that to demean their experience; I say that because her books, along with other verse novels, create more confident readers.

The list I’m providing is here because I love these novels and want to promote them.  It’s also here because I hope more readers will give verse novels a chance.  This list will also help fill in some gaps for those who already read and love novels in verse.  If you have some recommendations please share them in the comments! :)

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder (Goodreads) (My Review): This was the first book I read by Lisa Schroeder.  I read it in one sitting and was completely awed by her writing.  I still need to read Far From You, but I’ve read all of her other books.  I’ll continue to read every book she writes because she’s so incredibly talented.

Sold by Patricia McCormick (Goodreads): I read Sold before I started teaching, so I don’t have a review for it.  Patricia McCormick is one of my favorite authors because she spends so much time researching the topic for her novels.  Consequently, she creates powerful novels that stick with you for some time after finishing one of her books, much like Sold did.  It’s written in vignettes and packs a quite the emotional punch.

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay (Goodreads) (My Review): What a debut!  I hope Sarah Tregay writes more novels in verse because I adored Love & Leftovers, and if the fact that I haven’t seen it in my classroom for months means anything, my students love this debut as well.  Sarah Tregay took a familiar topic (exploring love and friendship) and created it into a verse novel that’s both humorous and touching.  Love & Leftovers has been featured all over my blog via my review, a student review, and more so I really hope you read this one.

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus (Goodreads) (My Review): This novel is hard to discuss without spoilers.  I can say, however, that when I read Exposed I often thought of different books written by Ellen Hopkins.  I’ve handed Kimberly Marcus’s debut to my Hopkins fans and received positive feedback.  I’ve also used Exposed as a stepping stone to Ellen Hopkins which has gone over well also.  Regardless, it’s a fantastic and powerful novel about friendship, family, and loyalty.

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (Goodreads): Thanhha Lai has received some well-deserved recognition including the National Book Award and as a Newberry Honor Book.  Inside Out & Back Again is a story of overcoming adversity, discovering a new world, and the importance of family.  It’s a book that both middle grade and young adult readers will appreciate because despite the age and circumstance of the main character, many of us have felt different and misunderstood.  It’s a beautiful novel and certainly one worth reading.

** More Verse Novels Worth Reading **

The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan (Goodreads)

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall (Goodreads)

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose (Goodreads)

Dewey’s April Read-a-Thon

21 Apr

I found out about the 24 hour read-a-thon late (of course), but I think I’m going to try it!  Right now as I write this blog post, over an hour late considering this started at 8am EST, I’m listening to an audiobook.  I’m happy I’ve discovered audiobooks because this will help me feel more accomplished while I write this post, put together today’s crock pot dinner, and clean our bathroom during one of the breaks.

Anyway, I decided that since I’m late to the party and have a large stack of books I need to finish, I’m going to work on finishing those for the read-a-thon.  I also brought home a graphic novel to read (they recommend starting with a short book), a short ARC, and some alternates.  Here’s my official list:

Books w/100 or more pages left:

  • Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
  • The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
  • Starters by Lissa Price (on my Kindle)
  • Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer

Fresh books I want to read:

  • The Lightning Thief graphic novel
  • The Forgetting Curve by Angie Smibert (ARC)
  • Nothing Special by Geoff Herbach (ARC)
  • Or maybe others b/c it’s Saturday and I’m fickle sometimes :)

Audiobook for during cooking, cleaning, breaks (Cooking & cleaning I want to accomplish during breaks):

  • Switched by Amanda Hocking

I have no idea if I’ll accomplish this or even stay up for the full 24 hours (yeah I probably won’t).  But I like the challenge and I need to beef up my “Read in 2012″ list.  Is anyone else participating?!

Judging Books By Their Covers: 10 Deceptive Covers

10 Apr

I try not to judge books by their covers, but I do more than I probably should.  Thankfully now that I’m blogging and active on Twitter and Goodreads, I’m reading far more reviews than I ever have before which has helped me look past covers.  When it comes to covers, I’ve found that I’m much more judgmental about them when I’m thinking about my students and what will draw their attention.  For these reasons I really like this Top 1o Tuesday prompt because it’s giving me a chance to narrow down the most deceptive covers.  When I put this list together, I thought about books that I was hesitant to read because of the cover, books that I wish were better suited for their audience, and books that give the wrong impression about the topic.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Goodreads): I’m a HUGE fan of this trilogy, but when I first heard about The Hunger Games at the MCTE (Michigan Council of Teachers of English) conference I was hesitant to jump on the bandwagon.  My friend and I stopped at a book store after the conference to check out some books and I passed up The Hunger Games because the cover looked boring.  Thankfully I looked past my judgment and read it.  I appreciate the cover now :)

Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison (Goodreads): This cover is gorgeous!  And it ends there.  I saw this cover and thought it was going to be a romantic, gushy book.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Besides the fact that this is one of the worst books I’ve ever read, the cover and the plot don’t mesh AT ALL.

Tempest by Julie Cross (Goodreads): There are two issues I have with this cover.  The first one is that I thought this was a book about fallen angels or something when I first looked at the cover.  The characters are in the sky, one is falling, the other is reaching, it screams paranormal love story to me.  I never would have guessed it’s about time travel.  I definitely wouldn’t have guessed that a guy is narrating the story.  That’s my second issue.  I can’t stand it when perfectly good books with guy appeal are given girly covers.

I Know It’s Over by C.K. Kelly Martin (Goodreads): Both the hardcover and the paperback cover for this book are deceptive.  It’s obvious judging by both covers that Martin’s novel deals with a relationship.  I’m not sure who the audience is though.  Both covers are more appealing to girls than guys, but our narrator has an incredibly authentic male voice.  I really think guys would enjoy and relate to this book, but I don’t see any of my boys in class borrowing my copy.  I talked it up all over the place to grab the guys’ interest, but only the girls are borrowing it.

I Know It's Over Paperback Hardcover I Know It's Over

Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann (Goodreads):  Cryer’s Cross is a really cool book full of creepiness.  The original cover fits the mood perfectly with the desk and the creepy handwriting.  I am not thrilled with the paperback cover at all.  Romance is not a big focus in Cryer’s Cross, but this cover gives the impression that it is.  The mystery involved in the story isn’t represented in this cover either.

Hardcover Cryer's Cross Cryer's Cross Paperback

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn (Goodreads): I love this book, and I love teaching it in my Y.A. Lit class.  One of the main reasons I’m such a big fan is because it’s almost always a winner for my reluctant male readers.  Admittedly, many of my students tell me that they would never pick this one up based on the original cover, but once we start reading it they really appreciate the cover.  When the paperback was released I showed my students to get their opinions.  For the most part they don’t care for it.  Their reasons match my own.  This cover says nothing about the book and the abuse that goes on.  The models don’t exactly look like they’re in love, but Nick’s anger isn’t represented.

Breathing Underwater Original Cover Paperback Breathing Underwater

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler (Goodreads): Something about this cover leaves me with the impression that it’s girly and upbeat.  Maybe it’s the pink.  Maybe it’s the hip jutted out to the side.  The problem with this is that this is not an upbeat book.  Virginia is battling some heavy issues (no pun intended).  She has very low self-esteem, her brother has been accused of something horrible, and her family is falling apart.  It’s a good book, but the cover needs to look more serious to fit the tone of the book.

Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupula (Goodreads): Tell Me a Secret is an unputdownable book.  It deals with serious issues and broke my heart at the same time that it left me feeling hopeful.  I think the cover gives the impression that it’s a serious book, but it looks like it’s about a romantic relationship.  There really isn’t any romance to speak of.  Tell Me a Secret deals with Miranda’s sister’s death, Miranda’s pregnancy, and problems with Miranda and her parents.

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace (Goodreads): But I Love Him is another unputdownable book.  The cover, while being dark, doesn’t strike me as serious as the topic is.  The sea glass heart looks a little too friendly to represent a book about a broken and abusive relationship, but this heart is on the cover because of the symbol it represents within the story.

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle (Goodreads): I haven’t finished reading When You Were Mine yet, but I’ve read enough to wish that the cover was different.  It’s a different spin on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, so we know it’s a love story and we get that impression from the cover.  I’m just not a fan of covers like this because it doesn’t give us any other information about the book.  It looks like any other love story out there, but based on the premise of this book it should have a cover with more personality or more of a story.

Spring Break #BookaDay Goals

1 Apr

I didn’t know if spring break would ever arrive, but it’s finally here!  Keith and I talked about going to Chicago for a few days, but because of the weather being a tad sketchy lately we decided to stay home.  I love taking trips with my husband, but I also love being at home with him while relaxing and reading.  Spring break officially starts tomorrow, but I’ve been organizing and starting my #bookaday goals this weekend.  I will admit, however, that I was pretty darn lazy yesterday (I slept for most of the day) and didn’t get much reading done.  The laziness has continued today, but I’m determined to finish a book!  I think I have my list pretty much narrowed down, even if it’s a lofty list.

A majority of the reading I’m doing this week is work-related.  When I say work-related, though, I’m referring to Y.A. titles I need to read for work, which is quite happy-making!  My freshmen are in the middle of reading Romeo & Juliet, but this year we’re including a group of Y.A. titles to read with To Kill a Mockingbird that fit with some of the themes and issues (prejudice, maturity, loss of innocence, etc.).  Most of them I’ve already read, but there are some titles that others in my department have read and I have not, or titles my friends on Twitter recommended when we were deciding on this list that I still need to read.

I’m also working on narrowing down ideas and titles for my Y.A. Lit II class that I’m teaching next year.  My goal for the class is that we’ll still read three novels as a class, but this time the novels will be genre-focused and the students will read an additional title that fits that genre.  I’ll be pretty flexible when it comes to which title they pick as their additional title, but I’d also like to have some new titles that the school can purchase extra copies of for my students.  I know for sure that we’re reading dystopian and fantasy, but I haven’t decided which genre to read for the third genre.  Historical fiction really isn’t very popular, but paranormal fantasy is, so I was thinking about  a title that mixes both of them.  Then I could allow students to choose either another like that or either a paranormal fantasy or a historical fiction title as their additional choice.  I was also thinking about verse novels even though I don’t consider those a genre.  I know sci-fi is a good choice, but I already have a hard enough time reading those that I don’t know if I really want to teach one.  I feel like a bad teacher saying that. :/

Anyway, the real reason behind this post, the books!

Timeless by Alexandra Monir (Goodreads)–The publicist sent this to me, so I’m reading it now and enjoying it so far.  I think there might be a giveaway in the near future as well!

Cover BittersweetBittersweet by Sarah Ockler (Goodreads)–My girls in book club chose this as our next title, and we’re meeting to discuss this after school on the Tuesday we get back from break.  I need to read it ASAP!  I started it a while ago and it’s pretty good, as I expected, so I’m looking forward to finishing it.

Book Cover Out of the PocketOut of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg (Goodreads)–Homosexuality isn’t an issue in To Kill a Mockingbird, but the prejudice involved compares with the prejudice in TKAM.  We also wanted to include some LGBT novels because it relates to some of our students and it’s often ignored or misunderstood.  There’s a good chance there will be upset parents, but we’re preparing ourselves for that.

Book Cover Marcelo in the Real WorldMarcelo in the Real World by Franciso X. Stork (Goodreads)–This is another title we’re using with our TKAM unit.  I think the students should read this book because we have some many autistic students in our building, and the summary makes me think of Boo.  I could be wrong, and that might be a stretch, but it still has many of the issues that TKAM does.

Book Cover StartersStarters by Lissa Price (Goodreads)–I’m thinking about this for my dystopian unit in Y.A. II.  I’ve heard great things about it, so I’m excited to try it.  I hope it’s as good as everyone says it is!

Book Cover The Girl of Fire and ThornsThe Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (Goodreads)–I have this at school right now, so I bought a copy for my Kindle.  Ever since I challenged myself to read more fantasy, I’ve found that I really enjoy it.  I’ve read mostly good reviews for this debut.  One of my freshmen read it and asked about the second book as soon as she returned it because she enjoyed it so much.  I hope it’s a winner because I’m considering this for the Y.A. II class.  I’m trying to choose a novel that’s newer for this genre study because I have so many avid fantasy readers, and it’s difficult to find a book that none of them have read.  Or at least most of them haven’t read.

This is a pretty ambitious list considering I still have a number of plans this week which involve travel, so I don’t know if I’ll actually read all of these in a day each, but I’m going to try!  I challenged my students to try #bookaday, even if it meant reading 20 pages, one book, or five books.  I hope they update me in the comments of this post, or at least have some exciting stories to tell me when we return from break.  Are any of you on spring break and setting up a reading challenge?  Have you already had spring break?  I know not all of my readers get a spring break, so maybe you’ve read some of these books.  I’d love to hear from you! :)

My Favorite 2011 Debut Authors

31 Dec

I’ve been reading YA lit non-stop since the end of college, but since I started blogging and reviewing the books I read, I’ve really kicked it up a notch.  I’ve gone from reading around 40 books a year, to over 80 last year, and now I’m over 100 this year!  Blogging this past year and a half has really opened me up to a wonderful network of teachers, librarians, bloggers, and authors.

I really can’t praise the debut authors of 2011 enough.  They’ve been incredibly generous and approachable on top of being crazy talented.  If you haven’t checked them out yet, the Class of 2K11 can be found here and The Elevensies can be found here.

I’ve read over 40 2011 debuts, so I decided to compile a list of my favorite debut authors.  These are the top 10 authors that have left me eager to read more of their work, whether it’s a sequel to their debut or something fresh.  And because I could never order these by favorite, I’m listing them in the order I read their books :)

Gae Polisner–Gae’s wonderful debut is The Pull of Gravity and she’s one of the biggest reasons I’ve been exposed to so many debut authors.  She helped me create and start my Students Want to Know feature.  Gae is also the first author to contact me and ask me to review her book.  I read TPoG in November 2010 and really loved it.  This past summer I wrote the teachers guide for it and am now teaching it with Of Mice and Men to the freshmen at our high school.  Besides all of this, Gae is an excellent writer plain and simple.  TPoG is a quiet novel, but it’s one that will stand the test of time.  I really can’t wait to read what she publishes next!

Lorraine Zago Rosenthal–Lorraine’s beautiful debut is Other Words for Love.  Lorraine contacted me a the end of 2010 to see if I’d like to be part of her blog tour for her novel’s debut this past January.  I received an ARC to read before my part of the blog tour and couldn’t put it down (My review).  It’s become one of the most popular novels in my classroom library.  Lorraine is truly talented and really knows how to create a character and connect both reader and character.  I hope she has a new book releasing soon.

Geoff Herbach–Stupid Fast is one of the best books with guy appeal that I’ve read in a long time.  Geoff Herbach really knows how to connect with guys that feel like they don’t quite fit in or where they’re heading.  Not only is Stupid Fast highly entertaining and funny, it has a wonderful message for its readers about family, friends, and being yourself.  Geoff has a sequel to Stupid Fast that’s set to release in the spring titled Nothing Special.  I’m beyond excited to read it!

Sara Bennett Wealer–My students read Sara’s debut Rival before interviewing her for our Students Want to Know post.  So many of the girls brought the book back to me raving about it and telling me that I need to read it.  One or two even ruined the ending on accident thinking that I had already read it.  One weekend I finally picked it up for myself and couldn’t get enough of it.  I knew the ending, but it didn’t matter because I was so connected to the characters and their stories.  Sara really knows how to develop layered characters that stick with you long after finishing the novel.  I haven’t heard much about a new novel in the works, but I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Veronica Roth–I heard so many rave reviews for Divergent that I knew it was a must read.  During the summer Veronica was part of an author tour that made a stop at Schuler Books & Music in Lansing that I attended with my friend and alumni book club.  Listening to her speak about the book really solidified my need to read Divergent.  I’ll admit that it took me a little bit to get into her debut, but once I did I couldn’t put it down!  Tris is a strong and admirable protagonist living in a dystopian world.  The ending of Divergent left me saying “Wow!” and begging for the sequel, Insurgent.

Amy Fellner Dominy–I love it when students come up to me, a book in hand, to tell me how much I need to read that book.  A couple of my students did that with OyMG after reading it for the interview with Amy Fellner Dominy.  I read OyMG this summer and couldn’t put it down. It’s a sweet, humorous book that packs a wonderful message.  Amy’s a talented author and I know she’s going to write more wonderful novels.

Carrie Harris–I’m not a zombie fan. I don’t watch The Walking Dead or anything like that.  Carrie’s debut novel is a zombie book titled Bad Taste in Boys.  I absolutely loved it!  Bad Taste in Boys is laugh out loud funny.  It is gross at times, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.  I’m pretty sure Carrie is writing either a sequel or a companion, so you better believe I’ll be reading it!

Kirsten Hubbard–Kelly at Stacked is a go-to librarian and blogger.  And when she highly recommends a book, in particular contemporary fiction, you read it.  I think all but one of the books she recommended have been rated highly by me.  So when Kelly told me how much she enjoyed Like Mandarin I knew I needed to read it sooner than I planned to.  Like Mandarin is a debut that I want to put in the hands of all of my female students, especially the freshmen.  I often felt like Grace, wishing to be like other girls and living in my head.  I see girls like Grace all the time at school.  Kirsten Hubbard is simply outstanding and really knows how to develop complex characters.  Her new book, Wanderlove, releases  on March 13th.  I have an ARC from NCTE which I can’t wait to read.

Jessica Martinez–The opening pages of Virtuosity grabbed me and never let go.  What a beginning!  What a fantastic debut!  To be honest, I should have included a tie in my Favorite Books of 2011 post because Virtuosity is really one of my favorites of the year.  I started reading it late in the afternoon this past summer and didn’t put it down until I finished it.  I sat there awe-struck wanting to read it again and read another book written by Jessica Martinez all at the same time.  I’m not involved in music in any way, at least not since middle school when I stopped taking band, but even then I never considered my instrument to be a part of me.  Carmen has so much going on in her life that’s causing her to make some difficult decisions, both morally and personally.  This story stayed with me for a while after reading it.  I’ve heard that Jessica Martinez has a new novel in the works, but that’s all I know.

Kendare Blake–Just like with zombies, I’m not a horror fan.  I’ll sometimes wake up from nightmares about horror movies I watched when I was eight.  It’s just not my thing.  Kendare signed up for my Students Want to Know feature, so I offered her debut to some of my students to read prior to the interview.  One of my boys in class came back about a week later telling me that Anna Dressed in Blood is the best book he’s ever read.  Well, any time a student tells me this I know I have to read it.  I did just that the following weekend and ended up positively loving Anna Dressed in Blood.  Is it gruesome at times?  Yes.  Is there humor?  Yes!  Is there a love story?  Yes.  Is this a book that will appeal to both guys and girls?  Yes!!  Almost every one of my students that has read Anna Dressed in Blood has returned it with rave reviews.  Kendare Blake has the perfect balance of humor and horror.  And not only that, she did an excellent job writing from a guy’s point of view.  Will I be reading the sequel, Girl of Nightmares, this summer?  Yes!!

My Favorite Books of 2011

27 Dec

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

I’ve read over 100 books in 2011 which includes a mix of young adult, middle grade, graphic novels, etc.  Creating a list of favorites is no easy task, but it’s also fun to look back at the books I’ve read.  I based my decision on the books that have stuck with me whether it’s because of strong characters, impressive writing, and/or deep emotional connections.  I can’t encourage you enough to read these novels!

P.S. Some favorites of 2011 I’m not listing because I read them in 2010, but they’ll be mentioned in my upcoming favorite debut authors post :)

In no particular order (because creating this list was hard enough!), here are my favorite books of 2011:

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King (My Review) (Goodreads)

Something Like Hope by Shawn Goodman (My Review) (Goodreads)

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer (My Review) (Goodreads)

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach (My Review) (Goodreads)

Warped by Maurissa Guibord (My Review) (Goodreads)

Where She Went by Gayle Forman (My Review) (Goodreads)

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (My Review) (Goodreads)

Split by Swati Avasthi (My Review) (Goodreads)

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (My Flash Review) (Goodreads)

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace (My Review) (Goodreads)

The List of Ten

23 Nov

Michelle at Galleysmith recently posted about coming up with a list of 10 books that she’s going to stick with until she finishes them and then create a new list of ten.  She’s decided to do this so she can weed out her TBR pile between now and the end of the year; she’s also hoping to get some backlist titles read.  I love her idea and have decided to follow suit.  You can read Michelle’s post here.

I was at NCTE/ALAN from Thursday night through Monday afternoon, which meant I didn’t get much reading done, but I did get TONS of books.  I was already feeling overwhelmed by the amount of books I need to read, so reading Michelle’s post was just what I needed to calm my “How will I possibly decide what to read next” nerves.  I’m not always good at sticking to reading lists, but I spent quite a bit of time last night going through my pile(s) to make my first list.  Plus, you can always check up on me to make sure I stick with it! :)   **Note–If I’m presented with an opportunity to read a book for a tour or something similar, I’ll allow myself to tweak the list.**

Here we go…

1. Pie by Sarah Weeks (MG title)
2. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, Illustrated by Maira Kalman (ARC–Book club book)
3. Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles (Backlist)
4. Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (MG title/Verse)
5. Wintertown by Stephen Emond (ARC)
6. Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol (Graphic Novel)
7. DJ Rising by Love Maia (ARC)
8. Legend by Marie Lu (ARC)
9. We Were Here by Matt de la Pena (Backlist)
10. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (New release)

** Changes**
2. My students in book club didn’t care for Why We Broke Up so I’m going to switch that for now to Audition by Stacia Ward Kehoe b/c that’s our next book club choice.
7. I’ve started DJ Rising and I’m not excited about it yet. I’ll give it more of a chance before possibly switching it.  If it doesn’t work I’m going to switch it to Need by Carrie Jones, which is a student recommended backlist title.

Normally I’d probably make this a list of 8 or something, but since I have a graphic novel and a verse novel included, I think I can tackle all 10.  I really hope I like all of these.  I have a couple books in mind just in case one or two of these books don’t work for me.

Top Ten Books That Have Been On My Shelf For The Longest But I’ve Never Read

15 Nov

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

My husband likes to tease me about my book buying habits.  Maybe it’s an addiction, but I simply can’t help but buy a book or two (or three or four) when the opportunity presents itself.  Consequently, a number of these books wind up sitting on my shelf for a while because not only do I buy them so often, my reading preferences change like the wind.  I went through a long realistic fiction streak this summer and now I’m falling back into reading paranormal fantasy.

In no particular order, here are some books that have been sitting on my shelf for much too long.

1.  What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

2.  Awakened by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast–This series is simply too long, but I still try to keep up with it because my students enjoy it.

3.  Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen–Kelly, please don’t hate me!  Kelly from Stacked has been telling me to read this FOREVER, and I really don’t know why I haven’t yet.

4.  Stolen by Lucy Christopher

5.  I Will Save You by Matt de la Pena

6.  What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen–I LOVE Sarah Dessen!  So why haven’t I read her newest book yet??

7.  Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill–I started this on the flight home from NCTE last year but never finished it.  I was over 100 pages in and really liking it, too.  I blame the massive amount of books I brought home; I wanted to read them all.

8.  Trash by Andy Mulligan

I know I should have 10 books listed, but these books have been on my shelf the longest.

 

 

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