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Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins Against all odds, Katniss survived The Hunger Games. But there are whispers of rebellion against the Capitol, and she's not sure she should try to stop them. The stakes are higher than ever in this thrilling sequel to The Hunger Games. I enjoyed reading more of Katniss' struggling with her feelings for Peter and Gale, the significance of the mockingjay pin, and plenty of action and surprises like the first. No exaggeration: everyone (teens and adults) who reads this series LOVES it. |
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The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan Before I started it, my impression was that this book would be unbelievably depressing, but I was so wrong. This was a powerful, realistic story about the bonds we form in the time between our being someone's child and having our own. It's pragmatism, melodrama, and intimacy all rolled into one story about a daughter, her amazing father, and their battle with cancer. For anyone whose life has been touched by cancer, I can't say enough about this book. |
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer |
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Boomsday by Christopher Buckley The writer of Thank You For Smoking brings us a political satire about an angry blogger who suggests a government incentive for Baby Boomers to off themselves by age 75 to benefit their families and society in general. The oddball characters--celebrity senator, nasty deadbeat dad, and evangelical talking head--and the bizarre circumstances make this farce just downright funny. |
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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver For one whole year, the family ate only home-grown or locally produced foods, a project both easier and harder than first imagined. The premise, a description of the journey, season by season, may sound dull, but Kingsolver's style weaves an enjoyable narrative. If you listen to the audio version, you'll also hear her husband and daughter narrating their sections about environmental impact of farming economy and favorite recipes. I particularly liked the interview with Kingsolver at the end when she described how she approached this project as a writer. This book inspired my first vegetable garden. |
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The Likeness by Tana French Cassie Maddox (from In the Woods) finds herself, or someone who looks exactly like her, dead. Her improbable undercover assignment is to assume this double's identity in order to solve the murder. How she gets into character, how she begins to lose herself to Lexie and her unusual roommates is what makes the suspense pulsate. This novel has better pacing than In the Woods, with a more tightly-wound plot. And although I generally recommend reading books in order, it can stand alone. |
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Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles Caleb is free after a year in juvie and just wants his life back. Maggie is also returning to school after a grueling year of physical therapy. They can't shake their new identities: criminal and cripple. Through alternating perspectives, their story unfolds around the accident. Elkeles created an authentic and tender cast of characters, and the plot has a thrusting force about it with enough foreshadowing to make readers eager for its secrets. |
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Little Brother by Cory Doctorow Marcus and his friends are ditching school to find a gaming clue when San Francisco is attacked by terrorists. The teens are captured and taken to a secret prison where they learn just what it feels like to be detained and interrogated for days. Once released, Marcus vows to fight against those who stole his secrets by anonymously inciting an underground teenage rebellion. The essays at the end gave several resources for further reading on cryptology, security, and citizen journalism. A fast-paced techno-geek story. |
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Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr I devoured this seductive fantasy romance about a faerie world colliding with a modern urban setting. Aislinn has always avoided the faeries she sees, but they are getting harder and harder to ignore. She wants only to live peacefully with her best friend Seth, but amazingly beautiful Summer King Keenan will not allow it. I admired Aislinn's character, a girl who does not settle for the obvious. Although there is a point when the pacing slows and seems awkward at an intimate moment, the resolution is satisfying. Reminding me of Holly Black's Tithe and also the Twilight series, this story and its sequels (Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity) are worthwhile. |
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The Arrival by Shaun Tan This is the first graphic novel to make a Readerspeak Top Ten. There are no words in this immigrant tale, and it's hard to use words to describe just how special this story is. The drawings are exquisite, the story creative and poignant. |
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