It is the last day of April. Do you know what that means? The year is already ¼ over. How many books have you read so far? To be on track to finish the 50 by the end of the year, you should have read about 12 books so far. My count right now is 21 (21.5 if you count the book I’m currently reading), and that doesn’t even include my text book from my class (and I read every page, I swear!). I know I am ahead of the curve, but hey- where I work, there are books EVERYWHERE.
A lot of the books I have read so far this year are books I’ve spotlighted in earlier posts; but here is a little description of each.
1.Just Kids by Patti Smith-(Nonfiction)
A biography of Patti Smith’s early years with Robert Mapplethorpe in NYC.
2.Uglies by Scott Westerfeld- (Teen Fiction)
What if everyone was “ugly” but turned pretty on their 16th birthday? That’s all Tally wanted until she meets Shay, who might just want to stay ugly.
3. Houdini the Handcuff King by Jason Lutes- (Graphic Novel)
A short story about one of Houdini’s greatest illusions and set in early 1900s Boston
4. Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles- (Teen Fiction)
I read the first book, Leaving Paradise, last year about two teens’ unlikely friendship and romance after a horrific car accident. Return to Paradise wraps up Maggie’s and Caleb’s story nicely.
5. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and Levithan- (Teen Fiction)
I’ve seen the movie and read one of Cohns and Levithan's other books, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares so I thought I would give it a try. Follow Nick and Norah for one night all around New York City just as they are getting to know each other and Norah is in the middle of making a big life decision.
6. I Know I Am, But What Are You? by Samantha Bee- (Nonfiction)
A collection of funny essays written The Daily Show’s Samantha Bee. Find out what it was like to grow up in Canada and be just a little bit different.
7. The Eternal Smile by Derek Kirk Kim and Gene Luen Yang- (Graphic Novel)
Three intriguing, thought-provoking stories about how what we believe in shapes our decisions.
8. Janes in Love by Cecil Castelucci and Jim Rugg-(Graphic Novel)
Continues the story of four teenage outsiders named Jane. They started PLAIN, sort of a guerilla neighborhood beautification project but will they be foiled by friends, parents and the local government? I was sad to hear that a sequel to this book was scrapped during the planning phase; But do not let that stop you from reading it. It is a great standalone story.
9. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman-(Fiction)
This book focuses on interconnected stories about people at an English language newspaper in Rome. Narrators of each story are all connected to the newspaper from all departments and all time periods throughout the paper’s history.
10. Sleepwalk with Me by Mike Birbiglia- (Nonfiction)
Another collection of humorous essays about being a little bit different, but this time it is hazardous to his health. The author has a sleep disorder and once jumped out of window while asleep. You should also check out some of his stories on This American Life. And he is from Massachusetts.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Fables 11-14 and 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham (Graphic Novels)
I highly recommend this series about Fables who set out to make a new home in NYC, but just can’t ever seem to catch a break. Great art and funny and thrilling storylines always keep me interested. I am currently reading Fables #15 Rose Red now and cannot put it down.
16. The Help by Kathryn Stockett- (Fiction)
I listened to the audio book version and really enjoyed the performances. Both Diane and I have mentioned this book so you can read what we’ve previously said here and here.
17. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins- (Teen Fiction)
Sort of a cringe-worthy title to me, but I really enjoyed the book and read it very quickly. Anna spends her senior year at a boarding school in France, learning the language and making new friends including the dreamy Etienne.
18. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld- (Teen Fiction)
This is a sequel to Westerfeld’s Uglies. I do not want to give too much away because you need to start with the first book, but just know that is it the continuation of Tally’s story and her place in the Ugly/Pretty/ Special society.
19. Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde- (Teen Fiction)
When Elle’s mother remarries, she is forced to live in her own NYC apartment. That is a dream come true for any 15 year old, right? Well Elle doesn’t see it that way, but when the kind couple next door takes her under their wing, it doesn’t seem that bad.
20. One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde- (Fiction)
The sixth book in the series about Thursday Next that I recommend to anyone who will listen. This time it is fictional Thursday’s turn to save the day, but can be as cunning, clever and brave as her real-life counterpart if she wasn’t written that way?
21. Bossypants by Tina Fey- (Nonfiction)
Once getting past the slightly creepy cover, inside you will find many funny (and even some laugh-out-loud) stories about Tina Fey’s childhood, time at SNL, and about her current position as writer and star of 30 Rock.
22. (Currently Reading) A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley- (Fiction)
Flavia de Luce and her bike, Gladys, are back solving mysteries around Bishop’s Lacey, a small village in England. The youngest daughter, she is still exacting revenge on her sisters Ophelia and Daphne, while befriending a girl named Porcelain and finding out more about her mother Harriet, who went missing during a mountain expedition 10 years earlier.
And I was going to star* the books that I most highly recommended, but I couldn’t pick which ones were the best. I have been really lucky so far this year because I have not read one book that I didn’t enjoy.
So what is the best of the best that you have read so far this year? Or have you been and lucky and I have been and liked them all? Either way, let me know!
Showing posts with label teen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teen. Show all posts
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Displays--They're Not Just Decorative
We've recently put up a few new displays that I thought you'd like to know about.
In the Fiction Area of the First Floor we have a number of new displays. In addition to our usual New Books and Staff Favorites you'll find:
The Teen area on the Second Floor houses a new display called "Bullies: Bullying Stories for Teens". In a few days another display of books called "I {heart} NY" celebrating New York City will go up in the Teen area.
We hope you enjoy these displays and for goodness sake take the display books home! They're not just decorative!
In the Fiction Area of the First Floor we have a number of new displays. In addition to our usual New Books and Staff Favorites you'll find:
- Fiction celebrating "Ireland and the Irish"
- Philip Roth is our Author of the Month
- Several "Adventure Novels" await your perusal
- Our Book Club book is Kenneth Tingle's The Girl in the Italian Bakery
The Teen area on the Second Floor houses a new display called "Bullies: Bullying Stories for Teens". In a few days another display of books called "I {heart} NY" celebrating New York City will go up in the Teen area.
We hope you enjoy these displays and for goodness sake take the display books home! They're not just decorative!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
My Personal Twist on the 50 Book Challenge
I am using the 50 book challenge as a way to explore many types of books. This year, I’ve challenged myself to read books from different genres, in different formats, and to also spread the word about the books I have been enjoying. I have been on a Teen novel kick lately reading books like Return to Paradise, Uglies and Janes in Love, but I have also read a few biographies such as Patti Smith's Just Kids and Mike Birbiglia's Sleepwalk with Me. There are also few graphic novels in my log-Houdini, the Handcuff King, The Eternal Smile, and even a children’s book-The Thief Lord. And don't worry, I know that one doesn't count as part of my 50.
But those books are in the past. Now on to the future! Looking forward, I don’t know all the books that might catch my eye, but there are some that I know I will be reading.
One of our Thursdays is Missing- the 6th book in Jasper Fforde’s literary detective Thursday Next series set in an Alternative Universe of 1980’s England. Another book from across the pond is A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley. 11 year old Flavia de Luce, uses her love of chemistry and her ability to intellectually best most of the adults around her to solve mysteries around her village of Bishop’s Lacey. And of course, I will have to re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before the last movie comes out. And I can’t make any promises that I won’t cry as much as I did the first time I read it.
Some others on my list for this year are:
Fables 11-14 by Bill Willingham, a graphic novel series that explores the idea that what if all those fairy tales were real people and happen to live in NYC. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the first book of a trilogy with a lot of buzz so, of course, is soon to be a movie. Extras, and Specials by Scott Westerfeld- I started the series and I can't stop now! And The Magician King, which hasn't been published yet, but is a sequel to Lev Grossman's The Magicians.
But those books are in the past. Now on to the future! Looking forward, I don’t know all the books that might catch my eye, but there are some that I know I will be reading.
One of our Thursdays is Missing- the 6th book in Jasper Fforde’s literary detective Thursday Next series set in an Alternative Universe of 1980’s England. Another book from across the pond is A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley. 11 year old Flavia de Luce, uses her love of chemistry and her ability to intellectually best most of the adults around her to solve mysteries around her village of Bishop’s Lacey. And of course, I will have to re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before the last movie comes out. And I can’t make any promises that I won’t cry as much as I did the first time I read it.
Some others on my list for this year are:
Fables 11-14 by Bill Willingham, a graphic novel series that explores the idea that what if all those fairy tales were real people and happen to live in NYC. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the first book of a trilogy with a lot of buzz so, of course, is soon to be a movie. Extras, and Specials by Scott Westerfeld- I started the series and I can't stop now! And The Magician King, which hasn't been published yet, but is a sequel to Lev Grossman's The Magicians.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Being by Kevin Brooks
I have fairly eclectic tastes when it comes to reading, and one of the types of books I like to read are novels for teens. I recently put together a new adventure-themed book list for teens. On it are several books I want to read, but so far, I've only read this one.
Being by Kevin Brooks is survival novel with futuristic overtones and plenty of suspenseful moments. After having a routine exam that turns out to be anything but, Robert learns about the mechanical parts, tubes and plastic casings that make up his being, forcing him to flee what he doesn't understand and the people who wish to find him. Robert escapes the hospital room and embarks on a sometimes violent quest to discover just who--or what--he is.
Being is dark and suspenseful. Robert, an orphan who has been in numerous foster homes, is a loner who looks out for himself and doesn't rely on others for help. He is the archetypical loner hero. When he escapes from the threatening men in suits--think MI5 or the CIA--he knows he won't be safe until he figure out what is happening and why he is different. Robert is scrappy and intelligent and eventually develops a trusting relationship with the young woman--a beautiful cyber thief--whom he kidnaps.
There is some graphic violence, although not much different than your average police television show. Robert reopens his abdominal incision to see for himself what is inside him; he kills an agent that discovered him, and there is a bloody shoot-out at the end. I did not find these disturbing. These scenes were well plotted, not gratuitous, and moved the story along quite well. I don't usually try to figure out a book's ending, but I was intrigued by how the author would end this book. While the ending isn't a typical "happy ending", it is satisfying and makes sense.
In the end, Being is not about the violence or Robert's run for survival. It is about what makes us human and who we are, and whether or not our "parts" make the sum total of our humanity. That remains the essential question of all good literature, and I think this is good teen literature. I would recommend this book to those aged 16 and over.
Being by Kevin Brooks is survival novel with futuristic overtones and plenty of suspenseful moments. After having a routine exam that turns out to be anything but, Robert learns about the mechanical parts, tubes and plastic casings that make up his being, forcing him to flee what he doesn't understand and the people who wish to find him. Robert escapes the hospital room and embarks on a sometimes violent quest to discover just who--or what--he is.
Being is dark and suspenseful. Robert, an orphan who has been in numerous foster homes, is a loner who looks out for himself and doesn't rely on others for help. He is the archetypical loner hero. When he escapes from the threatening men in suits--think MI5 or the CIA--he knows he won't be safe until he figure out what is happening and why he is different. Robert is scrappy and intelligent and eventually develops a trusting relationship with the young woman--a beautiful cyber thief--whom he kidnaps.
There is some graphic violence, although not much different than your average police television show. Robert reopens his abdominal incision to see for himself what is inside him; he kills an agent that discovered him, and there is a bloody shoot-out at the end. I did not find these disturbing. These scenes were well plotted, not gratuitous, and moved the story along quite well. I don't usually try to figure out a book's ending, but I was intrigued by how the author would end this book. While the ending isn't a typical "happy ending", it is satisfying and makes sense.
In the end, Being is not about the violence or Robert's run for survival. It is about what makes us human and who we are, and whether or not our "parts" make the sum total of our humanity. That remains the essential question of all good literature, and I think this is good teen literature. I would recommend this book to those aged 16 and over.
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