I promised a post about the YA books that have arrived at the Tucker Free Library, so here we go:
Fallen by Lauren Kate (which I mentioned in my earlier post and which I'm currently reading/listening to).
There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.
So think Twilight at reform school in the South, only BETTER. And as far as I'm aware, not written by a mormon. I've really been enjoying it, and I haven't even gotten to the great big angel/supernatural twist/explanation of repeating the past over and over again and never being able to be with each other reveal (I am imagining this is the great big reveal, based on hints.) I recommend checking it out, especially if you were a fan of Twilight or like forbidden/dangerous love. Alas, as far as I can tell Daniel doesn't have sparkling capabilities (but it could still be too soon to tell, I'll keep you posted)
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.
Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life. This book has won many awards, including best début author, and I'm looking forward to reading it. The plot actually reminds me of something Laurie Halse Anderson would write and if the advance praise Jennifer Brown is getting is any indicator, it's good. 
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. (NOTE: you can check out a really great review of The Forest of Hands and Teeth on amazon from Scott Westerfeld, who wrote the Uglies series and So Yesterday among others.) In Mary's world, there are simple truths.
The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?
A friend of mine (who, full disclosure, is also a Youth Services Librarian) urged me to read The Forest of Hands and Teeth. What can I say? I love a good zombie story (and a zombie+apocalypse+love story+survival story? =perfection if you ask me.) This actually reminds me of The Hunger Games, which had apocalypse+maybe love story+survival. I of course, LOVED The Hunger Games (yes yes, you know!), so I'm looking forward to this one as well.
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.
Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.
Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.
With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.
Speaking of Scott Westerfeld we now have his new book, described as a steampunk fantasty fantasy adventure. If you're a fan of Westerfeld, you'll enjoy it. Anyone read the Uglies series?
Hold Still by Nina LaCour
dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.
Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.
Anyone read Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why? It follows a similar story, someone dealing with the aftermath of a suicide and trying to understand WHY. Thirteen Reasons Why was one of my favorite books of 2008, so I'm curious to read Hold Still, since instead of being a classmate this is someone's best friend who commits suicide.
The Everafter by Amy Huntley
Madison Stanton doesn't know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this—she is dead. And alone, in a vast, dark space. The only company she has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things Maddy lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that with these artifacts, she can reexperience—and sometimes even change—moments from her life.
Her first kiss.
A trip to Disney World.
Her sister's wedding.
A disastrous sleepover.
In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and sometimes frightening truths about her life—and death.
This is a haunting and ultimately hopeful novel about the beauty of even the most insignificant moments—and the strength of true love even beyond death.
This is another one which has been getting raved reviews and another by a first time author. I'm curious to see how the author will handle it, especially since it's really supposed to be about the healing power of life and love and not about the girl's death.
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Peterson
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.
Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything. You guys know I've been raving about this book for months. So I'm not going to say anything else about it. But it comes highly recommended and I urge you to check it out.
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
This is another book I've been dying to read. Fans of Jacob Black will surely find themselves sucked into this world where the wolf gets the girl.
The Circle of Blood and
The Angel of Death by Alane Ferguson
Book two and three in Ferguson's Forensic Mystery series (the first was The Christopher Killer which we also have here at the Tucker Free Library). If you are a fan of forensic science, mysteries and thrillers, and CSI check out this captivating series.
Blood Fever, Double or Die, and Hurricane Gold by Charlie Higson Books two, three, and four in the Young Bond series (book onem which we also have, is Silverfin). The adventure stories follow bond before he became Bond.
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
Tender Morsels is a dark and vivid story, set in two worlds and worrying at the border between them. Liga lives modestly in her own personal heaven, a world given to her in exchange for her earthly life. Her two daughters grow up in this soft place, protected from the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever—magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga’s refuge. Now, having known Heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side?
Winner of the Printz award this year. It is being described as a twisted dark fairy tale.
Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica
Nate should be excited. But things have been tough lately. His dad lost his job and his family is losing their home. It’s no secret that a million dollars would go a long way. So all Nate feels is pressure, and just when he needs it most, his golden arm begins to fail him. Even worse, his best friend Abby is going blind, slowly losing her ability to do the one thing she loves most—paint. Yet Abby never complains, and she is Nate’s inspiration. He knows she’ll be there when he makes the throw of a lifetime.
Lupica's latest (we also have Heat, The Big Field, Hot Hand, Long Shot, Two-Minute Drill, Summer Ball, and Travel Team) is a sport story with heart. 
Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as naturally as breathing? Taking readers deep into the psyche of a young woman who will say just about anything to convince them—and herself—that she’s finally come clean, Liar is a bone-chilling thriller that will have readers see-sawing between truths and lies right up to the end. Honestly. This book recieved a lot of press recently and much of it came from the "cover controversy" (the controversy surrounding the fact that the main character is African-American yet was pictured as white on the first cover, check out this article here and here). However, the book has held its own in the fact of the critical onslaught (only over the cover, not having anything to do with the actual book, which has recieved nothing but praise). It sounds great, I'm a sucker for an unreliable narrated, it makes it a puzzle to read.
J.D. Salinger, the enigmatic author of The Catcher in the Rye passed away yesterday of natural causes at 91 years old. As a fan of Catcher in the Rye I was thrilled to discover an article written by David Levithan (author of Boy Meets Boy, Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, and The Realm of Possibility among others) about Catcher in the Rye's enduring impact on young adult literature. If you're at all a fan of Catcher in the Rye, Salinger, Levithan, or young adult literature it's a really great read. Check it out here at the Wall Street Online.
I recently finished Hold Still by Nina LaCour. I was excited to read it; as I had heard tons of praise about it and countless comparisons to Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why. Now, I absolutely loved Thirteen Reasons Why, I rank it in top ten books of 2009...so I guess I can't blame Hold Still for leaving me a bit underwhelmed. (I mean realistically, that is a lot of pressure to live up to, and perhaps I was setting myself up for at least a little disappointment.) The story follows Caitlin in the days, weeks, and months following her best friend Ingrid's suicide. In the aftermath of the tragic event, Caitlin stumbles upon Ingrid's journal and in this discovery, finds a portal into a world where she can still connect with Ingrid. I liked the premise of this book. It's not surprising that it keeps getting compared to Thirteen Reasons, which had a similar suicide/messages from the dead setup. Only, Asher took it so much further in Thirteen Reasons. In Hold Still I had a hard time knowing and understanding Ingrid. She often felt whiny, petty and bratty to me. I found myself wishing I could get to know the Ingrid who Caitlin knew (as she obviously loved/worshipped Ingrid). I only got a glimpse at a very depressed girl, out of control girl making bad decisions and blaming everyone else. Regardless, I enjoyed the book. Caitlin's struggle to pick up the pieces is simultaneously heartbreaking and encouraging, a testament to the power of people to heal. She is ultimately, whether she realizes it or not, able to build her life back up again (with new friends, new experiences (she builds a treehouse), and the rediscovery of old loves (photography, and her photo teacher.) I recommend the book, although if you have already read Thirteen Reasons, try not to be too disappointed.
There's a Twilight graphic novel on the way. Check out 
course there is also Libby Bray's Going Bovine which includes a punk angel (
