TWILIGHT READ-ALIKES
I've been rushing around like a madwoman for the last week trying to get some tasks accomplished before the end of this week, which is fast approaching. So, I've been delegating some things off to my marvelous intern -- including this list:
Can't Get Enough Twilight? Try these read-alikes!
Now, I'm only including a few of the books on this blog post, but the others are posted at the library in the fiction shelves and also in the booklist binder. See what we've got to tide you over until the movie comes out and another book is born!

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber
Thirsty by M. T. Anderson
Got Fangs? by Katie Maxwell
High School Bites by Liza Conrad
The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause
Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Sweetblood by Pete Hautman
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Vampire High by Douglas Rees

This is some good stuff - -she did a great job!

Labels: booklists, books for girls, chick lit, fantasy books, good books

~emily - 2:14 PM~
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SUMMER MYSTERY
If you're looking for a summer beach mystery to take with you on your next trip to the shore, take a look at Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber. It's an entertaining murder mystery complete with a secluded island, a past-prime rock star, poison, spies, parents who don't understand, and a sprinkling of romance.
And if you like this one, there's a second coming out in September: Death by Latte (it's been ordered).

Labels: book review, chick lit, mysteries

~emily - 4:46 PM~
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COMMENTS ON RUMORS
Rumors: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen
I reviewed the first in this series not long ago. I would say that this one held up to The Luxe without any problems -- still a society story full of betrayals and secrets and lies and passions and dashed dreams and love and pride and gossip and sad endings. A just-right continuation of the first book in this series.

And don't forget, if you decide to read this book during the summer -- or any other book, for that matter -- that you can pick up a 10-hour reading paper and earn yourself a new book and an entry into our end-of-summer prize drawing. This year, we're giving out gift certificates to Newbury Comics and Best Buy.
You can track your reading online and share reviews by clicking on the Teen Summer Reading link on the left.

Labels: book review, books for girls, chick lit, historical teens, summer reading

~emily - 10:12 AM~
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BOOKENDS
Airhead by Meg Cabot
Airhead, audio version
Meet Emerson Watts, Em for short. She pays more attention to school than to what she wears there, appreciates the computer game JourneyQuest more than the scads of fashion magazines her sister reads, and believes more in supporting small local stores than the new superstore opening close by. Coerced into accompanying her younger sister to the opening of the Stark Megastore (where there are all kinds of pop stars, models, etc), Em is gravely wounded when a giant plasma-screen TV falls from the ceiling and lands on her. The next thing she knows, she's in the hospital, a month later, hooked up to wires and machines all monitoring her bodily functions. Except that her body wasn't her body. All of a sudden, she has the body of a super model -- the super model, complete with contracts, BFFs, and everything. And she doesn't want it, doesn't want to be one of the so-called "walking dead."
I started this book by listening to it in my car, but then the hardcover finally arrived for me and I started reading and listening. Needless to say, it didn't take me long to finish it. And I enjoyed it; it was entertaining and took a good look at actually getting what many people think they want -- but not having a choice about it. Imagine having the regular life of a regular, nothing-too-special girl and then suddenly waking up in the hospital with a body to die for, except that it's not yours and you didn't have a choice about it and now you have to give up your whole previous life.... Definitely tough.
A reasonably interesting read; my biggest disappointment being that there was no resolution at the end -- just a first chapter of the next book. Whether this will be a long-running series like the Princess Diaries, I couldn't tell you, but I would have been happy to have Airhead finish up in one read. Guess I'll be waiting for the sequel.
Y FICTION Cabot

Labels: audiobooks, book review, books for girls, chick lit

~emily - 11:41 AM~
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BOOKENDS: 2 BOOKS
The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Elizabeth Holland is one of the social ruling class of Manhattan in 1899. She is well-mannered, rich, from an important family, and of course, very beautiful. Her best friend is her greatest rival, her personal maid is jealous and vindictive, her sister finds her bland and weak-willed. When her mother tells her that their family has been left with heavy debts after the death of Elizabeth's father, it becomes Elizabeth's responsibility to save the family from poverty by marrying a young man of high social status and wealth -- a cad who has his own reasons for marrying her. But Elizabeth has a secret, a dangerous secret that could turn her family to ruin and must make her decide between true love and family responsibility. As events start turning, rumours, misunderstandings, and small tragedies abound, all leading up to the fateful day that was to be her wedding day....
If you like prince-to-pauper stories of social status, gossip, passion, mystery, tragedy, love, infatuation, pettiness, and wealth, this will be just the book for you. Set in Manhattan at the turn of the last century, it blends historical fiction with the difficult life of a teen socialite with heavy responsibilities and her own dreams for happiness. Each chapter is headed with a newspaper clipping or quotation from a magazine, and each chapter is told from a different viewpoint. It's a fun read that sweeps the reader along, almost like reading a gossip column or a tabloid.
The few sexual encounters are quickly glossed over and left fairly vague.
Y FICTION Godberson


Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Terrorists have attacked San Francisco, blowing up the Bay Bridge. Marcus and his friends, skipping school in favour of playing a game, are picked up by the Department of Homeland Security and taken to a prison where they are questioned and threatened. When all but one of them are let out and they find that their hometown has turned into a police state with every move of every person monitored every day, Marcus is determined to do something -- he wants to get back at the DHS for kidnapping his friends and torturing them. He believes that the government has overstepped its bounds of authority in taking away his freedoms and the freedoms of everyone else in San Francisco. So he starts his own private war, setting up an untapped internet and starting a movement that soon builds a life of its own.
A fascinating look at terrorism, technology, government policies and practices, and the rights of American citizens. The pacing was good, the story was good, and overall, it was mostly believable -- it reads like something that could happen today, tomorrow, or next year. I found it a hard book to put down and was even interested in the short technological tangents about hacking and software and gaming and such. A great book for techno-geeks, free spirits and freedom lovers, and fans of books like 1984 and Animal Farm. Of course, others will like it a lot, too. Recommended.
Sexual scenes and conversations included.
Y FICTION Doctorow
(For more on Little Brother, or for the audio download, see previous posts.)

Labels: book review, books for boys, books for girls, chick lit, friends, good books, historical teens, mysteries, new books

~emily - 9:08 AM~
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A COUPLE OF BOOKS
I took this past week to read some books from the Adult (!) section of the library, and in my previous post, I promised to share a couple of them with you today. (Sorry guys -- they're both kind of girly books.)

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen: a tree that tosses charmed apples, the herbs and flowers that have mysterious qualities growing in the same garden, an enchanted family of sisters and daughters and aunts and grandmothers, a prodigal sister returning home after running away from her abusive boyfriend, and a handsome new neighbour next door ferociously attracted to the other sister -- a recipe for a magical tale (think Practical Magic).

The Boy Next Door by Meggin Cabot: a light-weight chick-lit from the current queen of chick-lit -- attempted murder, the neighbour's very large dog, a girl who works as a gossip columnist, an ex-boyfriend, an irresponsible and angry nephew, a friend who owes a favour, New York sinkholes, and a case of mistaken identity; oh yeah, and did I mention the charming adorable perfect guy who also plays a main part? and it's told entirely in emails!

Both of these books were entirely fun and enjoyable, and I recommend them.

Labels: book review, books for girls, chick lit, fantasy books

~emily - 9:03 AM~
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