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New Releases

I reviewed these books a few months ago, and now they're available in hardcover:



If I Stay
by Gayle Forman
Young Adult Fiction

In an instant, Mia’s life becomes something she no longer recognizes. All of the agonizing decisions that came with her last year of high school are reduced to one simple choice, and she must look back at her life to determine which things are most important to her. Alternating between past and present narratives, Forman builds Mia’s life piece by piece. Mia becomes much more than a character—she is a girl with a family, friends, a great love, and an incredible talent. A roller coaster of emotion, I found myself struggling with the same choice that Mia must make. I couldn’t put this book down.

Because I Am Furniture
by Thalia Chaltas
Young Adult Fiction

Dark and gripping, Because I Am Furniture is a novel told in poems. Its heroine, Anke, lives in a household where every member of her family is abused by her father—except for her. Anke is torn between her fear of her father and her envy of her siblings who, though they are bruised, are at least noticed by their father. At school, Anke joins the volleyball team and finds an unexpected family in her teammates. Her situation at home becomes harder to ignore as she finds her voice on the court and in the halls. Thalia Chaltas brings Anke to life through her spare poetry, creating stark contrasts and weaving complicated situations with just enough words.

Review of Hurricane Gold by Christian

Hurricane Gold: A James Bond Adventure
by Charlie Higson
Middle Grade adventure
Available now in hardcover
Review by Christian Ehrnrooth

I have read all of the books in the Young Bond series so far. This book is the most thrilling that I have read. (For those of you who don't know the series, the books are about teenage James Bond's adventures while he is still a student at Eton - before becoming 007.)

The story begins with young James Bond on vacation in Mexico. His aunt (guardian) has taken him to an island called Lagrimas, where some of her friends live. Soon a terrible storm, a hurricane, sets in. In the storm, thieves rob the home of the wealthy father of two kids where James is visiting. James and his two friends witness the robbery and are kidnapped.

Still on the island, they are forced to travel with the thieves until they finally find a chance to escape. After a night in the wild, a stranger offers them the perfect shelter, or so they think. Their host turns out to be the evil leader of a band of criminals, and the shelter is The Avenue of Death. This is a deadly maze where no one gets through alive...unless, maybe, you are James Bond.

A great page turner!

New addition to YA Author Night!

Recognize either of these? Did you, perhaps, love them as much as I did? Then come meet Ellen Klages at A Great Good Place for Books!

When: Wednesday, July 22nd at 7:00 p.m.
What: An event marking the midpoint of the Summer Reading Challenge! We'll have several Young Adult authors, including Sarah Quigley, C. Lee McKenzie, Cheryl Herbsman, and Ellen Klages. There will be prize giveaways and a special program bonus for attending. In short, a night of total awesomeness. There might even be cookies.

Bloodhound and reviews

This book, BLOODHOUND by Tamora Pierce, will debut at #1 on the New York Times Children's bestseller list next week. Tamora Pierce was my favorite author when I was in elementary school and junior high, and I'm really proud of her for writing another bestselling series. In my opinion, the Beka Cooper legend is her best series yet--and that's saying a lot, because I've read her first two series' about 20 times each. If you haven't read TERRIER yet, start with that one. It's the first Beka Cooper book. Congratulations, Tamora!

The Amanda Project, Book One: Invisible i
by Stella Lennon
Young Adult fiction/mystery
Due September 22, 2009

I was a little dubious about this at first. It sounded an awful lot like Paper Towns by John Green: girl commits wild act of vandalism, girl disappears, friends don't know what happened to girl and have to follow clues to find her. Beyond these basic plot points, though, Invisible i is nothing like Paper Towns. For a start, the main character, Callie, is a "mean girl" type who is hiding all the abnormal things about herself in order to fit in with the popular crowd. When her secret friend Amanda disappears, she is thrown together with two social pariahs and blamed for Amanda's last act of vandalism. She has to balance her desire to find Amanda with her desire to hide their friendship from the "I-girls," Kelli, Heidi, and Traci. By itself, this is a well-developed mystery with a really interesting protagonist. In addition to being the first of a new series, though, this is also an interactive project where readers can posit theories about Amanda, contribute music and art to the project website, and generally determine the trajectory of the series via the website www.theamandaproject.com. It's a really cool idea and I'm excited to see what kind of response it gets. In any case, the book is great and I highly recommend it.



Century Book One: The Ring of Fire
by P.D. Baccalario
Middle Grade Adventure
Due September 22, 2009

Yes! This is going to be the perfect series for fans of Percy Jackson. Four twelve-year-olds find themselves thrown together in an implausible coincidence. The reader knows that it's not really a coincidence--four mysterious adults are guiding the fortunes of these four children who happened to be born on exactly the same day. Elettra is a headstrong Roman girl, Mistral is a quiet Parisian girl, Harvey is a sullen American, and Sheng is a boy from Shanghai (who totally reminds me of Hero Nakamura with his endless enthusiasm). They have to find the Ring of Fire before Jacob Mahler, a terrifying hitman, catches up with them. The book takes place in Rome and includes tons of historical information as well as detailed scenes in different parts of the city. This is a very exciting new series, and I can't wait to read the next one!

Vanished Smile

Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa
by R A Scotti
Adult non-fiction
Available now in hardcover

In August of 1911, the Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre without a trace. The prime suspects (Pablo Picasso and his gang of miscreant friends) were arrested and released when their guilt could not be proven. The trail went cold, and Da Vinci's most famous work of art was presumed lost forever. Two years later, it turned up in a very unexpected place--but who was behind the theft? Why was it stolen? And who was Mona Lisa, anyway? R A Scotti presents the facts in a clear, straightforward history of this famous portrait. She includes several possible fictions about who masterminded the theft, and it is for the reader to decide which is the most plausible. This is a quick, interesting read that combines historical fact with adventurous speculation. Highly recommended for teens and young adults.

Book of the Maidservant

Book of the Maidservant

by Rebecca Barnhouse

Young Adult Historical Fiction

Due October 2009

Johanna is the maidservant of Dame Margery, a loudly pious woman who has decided to go on a pilgrimage to Rome. Unbeknownst to Johanna, she has been committed to serving the entire traveling party during their journey. They travel from England to France and through the Pyrenees on their way to Italy. The journey is hard, and the company is unkind to Johanna--all except John Mouse and Thomas, two scholars on their way to study law in Bologna. I loved Johanna--she wasn't a stereotypical maidservant character. Watch for this one in October.

Summer Reading Challenge update

I just added a new kickoff event to the Summer Reading Challenge:


Who: Sarah Dessen
Author of Along for the Ride
Young Adult Fiction
Due June 2009

When: Sunday, June 21st, 4:00 p.m.
Where: A Great Good Place for Books
What and why: A reading and signing with SARAH DESSEN, who is, in my opinion, the best contemporary YA author out there. This is my favorite of her books so far.

If you want to pre-order a copy, stop in at the store or call (510) 339-8210.

Miles Between by Mary Pearson

The Miles Between
by Mary E. Pearson
Young Adult Fiction
Due September 2009

This is one of two books that I requested to have sent to me this spring (the other being the sequel to The Hunger Games). I was SO EXCITED when I got it, but I was also a little apprehensive that I wouldn't like it as much as The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Pearson's last novel. The plot is very, very different and so the writing style was probably going to be different as well--and it was. But, actually, I think I liked this one better than Jenna Fox. I really love it when an author does something totally different with each book.

The Miles Between is about Destiny, an almost-seventeen-year-old who has been shuttled from boarding school to boarding school since she was seven. She wakes up on this particular day--October 19th--knowing that it's going to be a bad day. Sure enough, everything seems to go wrong from the start. But then, after a chance meeting with a stranger, things start to look up. She finds herself on a surprise road trip with three of her classmates, and the luck keeps coming.

I loved this book. It has the perfect mix of introspection, flashbacks, suspense, surprise, and emotional tension. You'll find yourself falling in love with all the characters--especially Lucky, a lamb who thinks he's a dog. If you want to read something by Mary Pearson before September, definitely check out The Adoration of Jenna Fox or A Room on Lorelei Street--we have them both at the store in the YA section. : )

Reviews

Lately I've been reading a lot of contemporary Young Adult fiction, which generally isn't my thing. I'm more of a mystery/sci-fi/fantasy kind of girl. For some reason, though, I've been really into high school drama types of books these days, and I've been surprised to find that I've really loved some of them. So here are some reviews!

20 Boy Summer

by Sarah Ockler

Young Adult Fiction

Due June 2009

This book was so good. I was expecting a lighthearted summer vacation story, in which two girls experiment with makeup and boys. The experimentation definitely happens, but this book is far from lighthearted. It's about Anna, whose best friend Frankie lost her brother in a car accident about a year ago. Since then, Frankie has taken up smoking, experimented with boys, and become preoccupied with her appearance. Meanwhile, Anna is handling her own grief over Matt's death--and her guilt that she and Matt never told Frankie about their secret relationship. As Anna and Frankie try to meet 20 boys during their beach vacation, Anna begins to come to terms with the way Matt left them, and the things that she has hidden from Frankie. This book has all the things you want in YA fiction: a secret, a romance, a friendship, and great writing.

Something, Maybe
by Elizabeth Scott
Young Adult fiction

Available now in hardcover

I read this one because Sarah Dessen raved about it. It's about a girl, Hannah, who tries to fade into the background because her father is an aging celebrity womanizer and her mother is a minor internet celebrity. Hannah goes to a normal school and has a normal job, and she likes it that way--until she starts to want attention from the boy she likes. When Hannah's dad tries to rekindle their relationship (and his t.v. ratings), Hannah has to decide what kind of person she really wants to be. My favorite character is Hannah's friend Teagan, who a left a program in fashion design to take care of her mother and is stuck in a retail job she doesn't like.

The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein

by Libby Schmais

Young Adult fiction

Due December 2009

Lotus Lowenstein's dream life involves Paris, an adoring existentialist Frenchman, a slightly less full-figured silhouette, and more Paris. Her real life involves Brooklyn, crazy parents, liking the same boy as her best friend, and failing French. To meet her goals, Lotus must get creative. This is the diary of a year in Lotus's life, and a funnier year was never had by anyone. Lotus is such a vibrant character: headstrong, opinionated, sometimes a little bit misguided, you'll find yourself wishing that you knew her.

Child 44

by Tom Rob Smith

Adult Mystery

Available now in paperback

A literary mystery set in Stalin's Russia! Heaven! Even if you're not a Slavophile like me, this is definitely worth reading. Leo Demidov is a government agent, an enforcer of the law, and he believes wholeheartedly in the Communist ideals. But when he is forced to make a difficult choice, he begins to question the truth beneath the propaganda. Leo embarks on a hunt to discover the identity of a serial killer--but he must keep his search a secret, because in Soviet Russia, crime doesn't exist. The story takes a lot of twists and turns, and you're never sure what the result of any action will be. Child 44 will keep you guessing until the extremely satisfying ending.

Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Adult Science Fiction
Available now in paperback

Usually I choose to read a certain book because I want to know if it's something I can sell to customers. Other times, it's just something I feel like reading. But sometimes, when a bunch of people have told me I HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK, I take it as a sign that I should read that book. Never Let Me Go was one of those. Unfortunately, I don't think it could have lived up to all the hype...so many people had told me how "surprising" and "weird" and "unexpected" it was. Maybe I was expecting a surprise ending, but I finished the book a little disappointed that all the suspense had just kind of fizzled out. Don't get me wrong, this is a great book (I don't want to tell you anything about the plot because the book is one giant spoiler), I think I was just expecting something a little more surprising.

Review of The Cellist of Sarajevo

The Cellist of Sarajevo
by Steven Galloway
Adult Fiction
Available now in paperback

The Siege of Sarajevo was the longest siege in recorded history, lasting from 1992 to 1996. For four year, snipers lived in the hills ringing the city and made it almost impossible to navigate the streets safely. This is the tale of four people trapped in Sarajevo. A cellist decides to play at the site of a mortar attack for 22 days. A baker and a young father try to survive, braving the streets for food and water. And a young girl becomes a countersniper tasked with a very difficult objective. The narrative moves from one character to the next, but at the center is Sarajevo: a broken, burned, and bombed-out city that has little left to offer its citizens. This novel is a painful but clear-eyed account of the choices that men and women make when it seems that there are no options left.

Reviews

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park

by Steve Kluger

Young Adult Fiction

Available now in paperback

This is such a great book. It's a novel told in journal entries and letters from three high school students' journals: T.C., a Red Sox fan who lost his mother when he was six; Augie, T.C.'s "brother" who hasn't yet realized that he's gay; and Alejandra, an ambassador's daughter who is attending public school for the first time. As T.C. attempts to woo Alejandra, he finds himself befriending a six-year-old deaf orphan who has spent his entire life waiting for Mary Poppins to rescue him. Meanwhile, Augie begins a relationship with a boy and Alejandra tries to keep her true passion--dance--from her diplomat parents. Through witty and authentic letters to people alive and dead, Kluger weaves the engrossing tale of three students' most excellent year.

The Lake of Dead Languages

by Carol Goodman

Adult Fiction

Available now in paperback

The Night Villa, Carol Goodman's most recent thriller, is one of my favorite books to recommend. I was expecting this one to be similar--and it was, in that I couldn't put it down. Otherwise, though Goodman's style is completely different (and just as good): this is a novel about a woman, Jane, who leaves her husband and takes a position at her old boarding school to teach Latin. A few weeks into the semester, she opens her homework folder and finds a page torn from the journal she kept during her senior year, which she lost before graduation. Soon afterwards, the tragic events of that year seem to be happening again. As events unfold, Jane finds herself reliving the past. At the time, she did not fully grasp what was happening...now she must understand her past in order to keep her students from repeating it. Gripping from beginning to end, Goodman's writing will give you the best kind of chills.