The Alchemyst

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel book 1
Michael Scott
New York: Delacorte Press, 2007
400 pages


Sophie and Josh Newman are normal teen-aged twins whose world suddenly turns upside down. It turns out that their bosses are actually immortal, most mythologies are true, Atlantis existed, and they themselves are the key to saving or destroying the world. Packed with action from the first page, The Alchemyst launches a fast-paced, adventure filled series where the fate of the world lies with two seemingly ordinary people. Fantasy fans who love an unrelenting pace in their reads are sure to enjoy these novels!

I will admit that I'm a little late to the game on this series. In fact, I've owned the first four books for a couple of years, but hadn't yet gotten around to reading them. My loss, as it turns out. The Alchemyst is a great fantasy book for younger teens who have enjoyed the Harry Potter books, and also for those teens who get bored of a story when the descriptive sections run too long. There's plenty of intrigue for the readers who want to "figure it out", and tons of action for those looking for a wild ride. Truly the first novel in this series has a little something for everyone!

Book Count: 19 read, 181 to go.

The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races
Maggie Stiefvater
New York: Scholastic Press, 2011
416 pages


I had the pleasure to meet Maggie Stiefvater this past summer at a book signing in London, Ontario for the last book in her Wolves of Mercy Falls series. The Scorpio Races had not yet been released, but by the way she hinted about this novel she was already making me believe that it might have been the best one she had written. I was right - it is!

Puck and Sean live on an island where the deadly capall uisce, waterhorses, come ashore and wreak havoc on the land. In turn, the islanders attempt to catch and train these animals to race in the yearly Scorpio Races. Sean has raced for years and won, and Puck is racing to save her family. Their unlikely relationship sees them through treachery, terror and loss - and that's all before the race begins.

This book had me hook, line and sinker from the first page. Filled with real characters and familiar heartache, Maggie's books continue to impress me in their manner and complexity. While written for teens, The Scorpio Races would be equally enjoyed by adults who read fantasy and/or paranormal fiction. I remain waiting ever impatiently for the next of Maggie's books!

Book Count: 18 read, 182 to go.

Mockingjay

Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
Toronto: Scholastic, Inc., 2010
400 pages

Against more odds than you can hope to calculate, Katniss has survived the Hunger Games twice.  Rescued by the people of the long-lost District 13, Katniss chooses to become their pawn in the uprising against the Capitol in the small hope that she can save Peeta, who has been captured by President Snow. Not all is as it seems, and Katniss will soon have to face impossible choices to save the people she holds most dear.

The only reason I didn't finish this book in one sitting was because I had to go to work today. I finished the last two chapters on my break. It's that good. Terrifying in places, perhaps geared towards older teens and adults even more so than the other two novels in the series, but good nevertheless.

I've heard a lot of readers say that this book disappointed them - the end was depressing, it wasn't what they had hoped for, the first book was better. While the first book was my favourite by far, I think the reason that Mockingjay wasn't as well received as the other books in the series is that the tone of the story changed - it became too real. Civil war is something we see in the news all the time now - some of us have even been personally touched by its tragedies. Having Katniss, Peeta, Gale and the rest of the crew fighting a civil war, losing friends and loved ones at every step, is a little too familiar to us. The Games in the first two books were foreign - left only to the power of our imaginations. War is real, it's not a game, and people die. But life for some goes on, and at the end of it all, Mockingjay does leave us with some hope for our future.

Book Count: 17 read, 183 to go.

Catching Fire

Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins
Toronto: Scholastic Press, 2010
400 pages

Why, oh why, did I wait so long to read this book? I loved The Hunger Games, once I came to terms with the horrifying nature of the world Katniss and Peeta live in, and actually own the entire trilogy, but hadn't got to the second and third books yet. I remedied that error this morning. Read the whole thing in pretty much one sitting. Even ignored my Christmas wrapping and decorating (If you know me, you know this is a huge deal.)

Against all odd, Katniss and Peeta have both survived the Hunger Games. Pretending to be in love, they have won over the citizens of Panem. The ruling body - not so much. Katniss' defiance of the government has created a spark that may lead to revolution - something President Snow wants no part of. But it is the 75th anniversary of the Quell, and there is a special tribute coming - one that sends Katniss and Peeta back into the horrors of the Hunger Games.

Read the first one. Then this. Then read the third one. Make a weekend out of it - you won't regret it!

Book Count: 16 read, 184 to go!

Troublemaker 2

Trouble Maker 2
Janet Evanovich
Dark Horse, 2010
112 pages

It took me a surprisingly long time to get my hands on a copy of this book! The publisher quickly released a combined version of this story after the second hardcover was released, and I actually could not find it in local bookstores. Of course I ended up ordering it online to make sure I had a matched set for my shelves! Note to publisher: bad marketing strategy! First make us all buy them separately and then entice us with a combined, prettier edition. Works every time.

I love Janet Evanovich's characters. They make me laugh! Reading them in graphic novel form is just as hilarious as it is with the written word - sometimes more so as you can see their expressions when the boat blows up, the chicken destroys the car, and the dog really does eat everything in sight. Those moments are just a few tidbits of the wacky action in this novel. Hooker and Barnaby are trying to return a statue to its original owner, get Hookers boat back, and save the life of a friend. Add a little voodoo magic, and get ready for a lot of trouble!

Readers new to the Hooker and Barnaby story should start with the two novels Metro Girl, and Motor Mouth and definitely read Troublemaker 1 before launching into this most recent adventure.

Book Count: 15 down, 185 to go...

Chi's Sweet Home: Volume 7

Chi's Sweet Home: Volume 7
Konami Kanata
New York: Vertical Inc., 2011.
168 pages

I cannot get enough of this cat! Hilarious, harmless and hairy, Chi's adventures just make me grin! The simple storyline is great for emerging readers, and the cat antics are so true to real life feline behaviour that anyone who has ever laid eyes on a cat can relate.

While there are complete stories within each book, the series should be read in order to help readers learn about Chi's origins and who all of the various characters in the story are. I can't wait for volume 8! Hope there is one...

Book Count: 14 down, 186 to go!

Tick Tock

Tick Tock
James Patterson
New York: Little Brown, & Company, 2011
416 pages

I think I'm starting to like Detective Michael Bennett almost as much as I like Alex Cross. Probably the only reason I like Cross more is that Morgan Freeman played him in the movies. Granted, they are very similar characters: both law enforcement, both very good at it, both family focused, and both targets for absolutely insane criminals.

Tick Tock is definitely my favourite Bennett book thus far. Faced with a madman copying multiple mass murders, Bennett still finds time to have a midlife crisis with two love interest and take care of his 10 kids, some of whom are being bullied. Talk about multitasking.

Book Count: 13 down, 187 to go...

The Power of Six

The Power of Six
Pittacus Lore
Harper Collins, 2011
448 pages

The first sequel to the popular I am Number Four takes on a refreshingly new voice with Number Seven, a girl hidden away across the globe from the characters in the first book. The story switches between Number Seven and her struggles in a nunnery in Europe and Number Four and his crew back in the United States. Ultimately their stories merge, setting us up for even more action in future novels.

While I understand the appeal of the alien race hiding on Earth, I did watch Roswell after all, I find these books to be a little bit familiar and predictable. Run, run, run - plot revelation with environmental overtones - run, run, run - battle with Mogadorians - run a little bit more - end of book. Don't get me wrong - I still want to read the rest of them to find out what happens, but in the grand scheme of things there are much better novels for teens out on the market .

Book Count: 12 down, 188 to go!

Sorry 'bout that...

So, we bought a house, we moved, I unpacked my books, and now I'm reading again! I actually read one more book in October - The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore - and couple of books in November - Tick Tock by James Patterson and Chi's Sweet Home: Vol. 7. All three were really quick reads! December is shaping up to be a bit more fruitful. I've finished two books so far and am almost done two more (one is a bus book and the other is a bedstand book - they don't get as much attention as my "day off" book!).

I also have a large chunk of vacation time headed my way, so hopefully I can put a dent in that library book pile!

Reviews to come shortly.

Book count is now 16 - need to step it up...

Magic Slays

Magic Slays
Ilona Andrews
New York: Ace Books, 2011
384 pages

Magic Slays continues the adventures of Kate Daniels in dystopian Atlanta. The pendulum has swung, and magic is returning to the world, slowly destroying human technology.

Now consort to the Beast Lord, head of the shape shifters in Atlanta, Kate finds herself minus the resources of her former employer, and knee deep in serious trouble. An anti-magic faction has got their hands on a weapon that will destroy magic - and anyone capable of using it. Time is running out and everyone Kate loves is in terrible danger.

This series is true Urban Fantasy - our world mixed with elements of magic. Magic Slays is book five in the series. Interested parties should start with Magic Bites.

Book Count: 11 down, 189 to go!

Wonderstruck

Wonderstruck
Brian Selznick
Toronto: Scholastic Press, 2011
640 pages

Do not read this book unless you have the time to read it in one sitting. Trust me, you will not be able to put it down! Reading a book by Selznick is an entirely new experience - and a fantastic one at that! Told half in gorgeous illustrations, and half in written form, both Wonderstruck and Selznick's award winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret are and incredible paring of picture and word.

The two stories in Wonderstruck are set 50 years apart. Rose's story in picture and Ben's in words weave in and out of each other with startling coincidences and parallels, and rise to a wonderful blending at the end of the story. I think I enjoyed Wonderstruck more than Hugo Cabret as the imagery suited the over-arching topic of deafness.

Truly a wonder, these children's books should be experienced by all.

Book Count: 10 read, 190 to go!

Rage

Rage
Jackie Morse Kessler
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011
228 pages

Kessler's Four Horsemen novels are not necessarily easy reads. They take real teen issues such as eating disorders and self-mutilation, rip them open and lay them out bare for the reader to see. Trust me, it's not pretty. Rage is the second of these novels and deals with self-mutilation, specifically cutting. Missy is a typical teenager but with one difference - she cuts to relieve herself of the pain and humiliation she experiences in her life. One day, after a particularly horrifying experience, she cuts a little too deep and accepts Death's offer to become War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Through her experiences as War, Missy learns about control and acceptance of who she is.

Interested readers should start with the first book in the series Hunger as there are some references in Rage to the previous book. Don't expect a picture perfect ending to these novels - life doesn't work like that.

Book Count: 9 read, 191 to go!

Tempestuous

Tempestuous
Lesley Livingston
New York: HarperTeen, 2011
368 pgs

Kelly is in big trouble. She's broken up with her boyfriend to keep him safe, been stripped of her winter powers by her father Auberon, and is not getting along with her mother, Mabh. She may be a fairy princess, but Otherworld is falling apart and taking earth with it.
Sonny's not doing so hot either. He's not sure why Kelley's left him, his friends on the Janus guard have defected, and his liege, Auberon is dying.

The third and final volume in Canadian author Lesley Livingston's series which began with Wondrous Strange is non-stop chaos to the final page. Secrets are revealed, sides are changed, and only Kelley and Sonny stand a chance of saving both worlds.

Rife with characters straight out of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, anyone who enjoys the books by Melissa Marr, and Aprilynne Pike will love this trilogy.

Book Count: 8 read, 192 to go!

Divergent

Divergent
Veronica Roth
New York: Katherine Tegen, 2011
496 pgs

Reader be warned: If you are approaching the middle of the book, stop reading unless you have time to finish it. Trust me.

Teens hot off The Hunger Games trilogy will love this novel by Veronica Roth, although I found it more similar in tone to the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. Divergent is the first novel in a series and it is intelligent and action packed.

Triss lives in a city where people are divided into factions to better regulate their lives. Brought up in Abnegation, her test scores indicate that she could belong to more than one faction. She is divergent. Told to hide this fact from everyone, Triss chooses to leave Abnegation and her family and join Dauntless, the fearless faction.

Put through a rigorous initiation, Triss finds herself the target of other trainees and finds it more and more difficult to hide who she is from the others. Surviving her training soon becomes the least of her worries as she discovers a plot against her old faction, and her divergent ability may be the only thing that can save them all.

Book Count: 7 read, 193 to go!

The Holmes Inspection

The Holmes Inspection
Mike Holmes
Toronto: Harper Collins, 2008
224 pg

This book is like a security blanket. You know, the one you had to have every night before going to bed? Except you need this book every time you are going through the process of buying or selling a home.

If you're like me, you watch Mike Holmes on TV and are then thoroughly terrified that you are going to buy a piece of crap house and/or hire a terrible contractor, and not be able do afford to do anything about it. Since we just bought a house this week, I have vividly entertained these horror stories in my brain. The book helps. The book guides. It's like having Mike standing behind you with his arms crossed lecturing on minimum code.

The book is divided into sections of the house and outlines the good, the bad and the ugly. Things to watch out for, things to expect, and things that everyone should know about their own home. My favourite part is the checklist for each house feature (roof, basement, kitchen, etc.) to make sure your home inspector has looked at everything closely.

Hopefully I didn't miss anything and our house will be fabulous. Thanks, Mike!

Illusions

Illusions
Aprilynne Pike
New York: HarperTeen
2011

In this third installment of the Laurel books by Aprilynne Pike, we find our heroine with a dilemma of the heart. After surviving a massive altercation with her enemies at the end of the last novel, Laurel finds herself once again at home in the human world but torn between her human boyfriend David, and her Faerie protector Tamani. Mix in a mysterious new faerie and hunter duo and the threat of attack at any moment, Laurel is a mass of conflicting emotions and faced with many difficult decisions.

There are many faerie books out on the market these days, but to my knowledge only this series has described faeries as a sentient form of plant life! Filled with science experiments, teenage angst, and a little mayhem, this series is a lot of fun for those who enjoy similar stories by Melissa Marr and Lesley Livingston.

Book Count: 5 read, 195 to go!

Amulet Book 4: The Last Council

Amulet Book 4: The Last Council
Kazu Kibuishi
Toronto: Scholastic, 2011
210 pages

Yet another graphic novel for our collection!

The latest volume in the Amulet series finds our heroine Emily and her brother and mother in the city of Cielis looking for help to battle the evil elf king. A series of misfortunes and revelations ensues that propel Emily to further her powers as a Stonekeeper, and form alliances in order to prepare for a confrontation with the evil consuming the land. With friends becoming foes, and foes becoming friends, this book will keep you on your toes!

Beautifully illustrated, the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi is a brilliant addition to the juvenile/teen graphic novels genre. Any reader looking for a series to read after enjoying the Bone series by Jeff Smith should try the Amulet series as well.

Book Count: 4 read, 196 to go.

Page by Paige

Page by Paige
Laura Lee Gulledge
New York: Amulet Books, 2011
192 pages

Paige's family has just moved to New York city, and she's not so happy about it. She buys a sketch book to help her practice drawing and to make her into a new "Paige". Through meeting new friends, opening up her heart, and sharing her art work with the city around her, this 16 year old is a road map to the confused feelings and frustrations of a teenager.

Marketed towards the teen years, this book is absolutely brilliant. An English teacher could go crazy with the stunning imagery of the book and the realness of the characters. If you only read one teen graphic novel this year, it should be this one!

Book Count: 3 read, 197 to go...

Chi's Sweet Home: Volume 6

Chi's Sweet Home: Volume 6
Konami Kanata
New York: Vertical, Inc., 2011
146 pages

This series of graphic novels features an adorable kitten named Chi and her adopted family. Somehow Kanata has managed to perfect the mindset of a kitten and capture those every day hi-jinks that drive pet owners mad, as well as make them run for their camera!

The books are in full colour and are set up western style (ie the comic is read from left to right instead of the traditional right to left of Japanese manga). The stories are broken up into small chapters of Chi's life with his family, and are suitable for younger children.

A note for parents: This series is actually on the New York Times Bestseller list. See, told you graphic novels are good!

Book Count: 2 down, 198 to go...

Detour: Graphic Novels

The next two books I'm going to blog about are graphic novels and the Librarian in me is just itching to rant about the misunderstandings surrounding this form of media.

If I had a dollar for every parent or teacher who said something like "Jimmy only reads graphic novels, I want him to read real books" I'd be rich. I'd also still be pretty T-d off. In a nutshell, graphic novels are books! Okay? Trust me.

For those of you new to the show, here's a definition of "graphic novel" from dictionary.com: a novel in the form of a comic strip. There's pictures and words. Simple enough?

Like novels, short stories, etc., there are good graphic novels and crappy ones. There are graphic novels suitable for kids and teens, and graphic novels that are most certainly only for adults.

As this medium progresses, graphic novels are becoming more and more mature. Yes, there's stuff like Captain Underpants which is hilarious and enjoyable, but there are also really interesting compilations of novel and graphic novel together such as The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, and the new Bone: Quest for the Spark series by Tom Sniegoski and Jeff Smith.

Like any other material (book, movie, video game) that your child/student is interested in, look at the graphic novels on the shelf and see what the content is like. Are there images or topics that you don't want your child to read about? It's a lot easier to discover the content of a graphic novel than a traditional book!

And maybe you have trouble following the action on the pages. That's the special, key thing about graphic novels. Not only are your children reading (yippee!), but they are also learning visual cues on how to follow this kind of media. It's good for their brains - bonus!

Forcing a kid to read something they are not interested in runs the risk of turning them off reading all together. Don't dismiss graphic novels out of hand. If your kid is reading and enjoying them, what's the harm? Read it yourself, and then you can talk about it together. How's that for a bonding opportunity?

10th Anniversary

10th Anniversary
James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011
395 pages

What better way to start off our journey than with the most prolific writer I have ever heard of - James Patterson.

I have been reading Patterson's books for years - certainly since I was a young teenager. One of my favourite things about his novels is just how quickly I can get through them. Take 1oth Anniversary for example - less than two hours from cover to cover!

Truthfully, I think it's critical that Patterson's novels are quick reads simply because the man publishes so many of them every year - at least half a dozen. How does he do it... I've been writing the same bloody book for over a year now and I'm still only on chapter five. The man is magic! Yes, I know he has co-authors. It's still insane.

In this particular Patterson novel, we once again meet up with the Women's Murder Club - Lindsay, Claire, Cindy and Yuki. Not the original crew, but that would be spelling out spoilers from earlier novels in the series. Love and babies seem to be the theme - the girls are all in love, people are getting engaged and married, a wife is accused of murdering her husband and a newborn baby is missing. Ya gotta take the good with the bad!

The plot in this particular novel is a bit more predictable than earlier books in the series - when the bad guys are fingered its more of a "well, duh" moment than "holy crap, I had no idea!". That said, I still enjoy watching the characters as they progress through the high and low points of their lives, and look forward to their continuing adventures.

A note to the publisher (in case you actually check for reviews): There is a typo in Chapter 43 (on page 150, line 3). I suspect it is supposed to read "Careful, the plate's hot." instead of "Careful, the plate's not,"... the plate's not what? Seriously, you're leaving me hanging here! What is it?!?! Tell me!!! Sigh.

Book Count: 1 down, 199 to go.

T-2 Days...

Q:
So what can we expect to hear about on this adventure? What kinds of books will we see and how often?

A:
I solemnly swear to blog about a book the day that I finish it. Unless it's 3 o'clock in the morning.

My plan is to review each of the books I read, and discuss issues surrounding the profession of librarianship as they crop up.

I love reading mysteries and Sci-Fi/Fantasy and as such that will probably comprise most of the posts on this blog. Additionally, I am a children's/teen librarian by trade, so there will also be a number of children and teen novels included as well. Overall, expect to see a lot of fiction - I'm not a huge non-fiction reader, but a few may sneak in here and there.

I hope you will enjoy the journey - see you September 1st!

T-15 days: My Reading List

I seem to have sparked some curiosity in my friends and coworkers, which is great! Some of you have asked if I need suggestions on books to read for this little project of mine. In one word, nope.

Here's why (and also an insight into my slightly askew psyche) by the numbers:


Project requirement: 200 books

Subtract the following (current as of August 16, 2011):
Books on hold at the library unread: 13
Books already signed out from the library unread: 28
Books owned unread: 119 (nope, not a typo. One hundred and nineteen. I just counted.)
Books being published in the next year that I will purchase or borrow (approx.): 10

Which leaves only 30 more titles yet to discover. Which I'm sure I will more than exceed - there will probably be some books in the count above that still won't get read in the next year!

So now you see my problem - too many books, too little time! Hence this blog - a little incentive to try and get caught up on my reading. One book every 1.8 days. Ish.

The countdown to our journey continues....

A few stats to get us going

Here are a few numbers to wet your appetite.

Over the last couple of years I've been neglecting my reading - especially since last summer when I embarked on a crazy project to complete 365 craft projects in one calendar year. You can see my successes (and failures) here.

That said, in 2009 I read 155 books. In 2010, 122 books. So far in 2011 I have read 70 books.

200 books in a year is going to be a challenge, but my hope is that I will actually get caught up on my reading!

Next Monday I'll post a few more quips and quarks - stay tuned...

One month to go...

Stay tuned for more details - first entry coming September 1, 2011.