Recently Read...

This past month has been hectic to say the least. My two new exchange students arrived in the middle of August, and we haven't stopped since! Between a family wedding out of state and getting the girls registered and then starting high school, this past month has flown by.

Even though I have been insanely busy, I wanted to mention some of the books I have read in the last couple of weeks that really stood out.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
June 14th 2012 by Dial Books For Young Readers

I adore this book. I would reread this book every month if I didn't have such a huge TBR pile staring at me. Everything about this book drew me in and made me read faster and stay up later because I didn't want to stop reading. The characters, both the main and supporting ones, were amazing. I wish I was younger and had Jase as my next door neighbor. Actually, I wish I had his whole family living next door! The main story line and even the minor story lines were extremely engaging. Even the cover is wonderful. If you haven't picked this one up yet, do so soon!

The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin
August 2nd 2012 by Putnam Juvenile

I loved this story with stormchaser as characters! Something about the intensity of the race to find the next tornado and gather the necessary scientific data, crushing on a member of an opposing chaser team, plus the mama drama thrown in, made for some interesting, faced-paced, pages-flying, reading for me. Yet again, I loved this cover and what it represents: not only the stormchasers hunting down tornadoes, but the internal storms Jane is bottling up.  Be sure to check this one out!

The Forsaken by Lisa M. Strasse
July 10th 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

I can't really ever get enough dystopian books.  This one was tells the tale of Alenna, already forced to grow up an orphan when her parents were taken away when she was 10, who gets sent to The Wheel, an island in the middle of nowhere when the inhabitants are forced to pretty much fight each other for the right to survive. Yes, it does sound like the Hunger Games, but who cares! Bring it on!  I just keep reading, hoping Aleena was smart enough, savvy enough, or could at least fake it to make it through this book. I was getting worried in some parts!

Other outstanding books that deserve a shout out:

The Paladin Prophecy Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

*Grab your current read.

*Let the book fall open to a random page.

*Share with us “teaser” sentences from that page.

*You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost

(@mfrost11)

September 25th 2012 by Random House Children's Books

"Will had long ago learned how to cork his emotions deep inside, showing nothing but a bland mask to his peers.

#46: IF STRANGERS KNOW WHAT YOU'RE FEELING YOU GIVE THEM THE ADVANTAGE.

Will was the tall rangy kid who always sat near the back, slumping to minimize his height, never making waves. The way he dressed, the way he spoke, the way he moved through life: quiet, contained, invisible. Exactly the way his parents had taught him.

#3: DON'T DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURSELF.

But a pounding bass line of worry still pulsed in his chest: RUN, WILL. DON'T STOP. Could the timing of Dad's text--at the moment the black car spotted him--be a coincidence?

#27: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS COINCIDENCE."

(pg. 16-17 ARC)

So far, this is one great book. I can't wait until September, so I can start handing this one out to all the teens at the library where I work!