ONLY THE VERY BEST

I've just put out a new display on the fiction end -- a display which should highlight the best books YA fiction has to offer -- and it will be a display that will keep changing to offer new great titles as the next couple of months float along. Be sure to take a look at the display if you're stuck for finding something great to read.

Labels: booklists, books for boys, books for girls, displays, fantasy books, good books

~emily - 3:21 PM~
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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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READING NOTES
Just a couple of notes on a few things I've read recently.

I took a summer vacation last week, and what better to read than a mystery! I read Dead Days of Summer by Carolyn G Hart -- a Death on Demand mystery. I started reading Death on Demand mysteries way back when Hart started writing them, and I've been enjoying them ever since. I'm a little behind on the series, but that's OK. The series centers around a mystery bookstore on an island, and the owner-turned-sometime-sleuth, Annie Darling (though she doesn't start out as darling). There's mystery, death, books, and a bit of romance in these enjoyable mysteries; I definitely recommend them!

Next on my vacation reading list was Moonheart by Charles de Lint -- a fine modern fantasy combining the world of Ottawa, Canada with the Otherworld and time travel, and including wonderful interpretations of myth and legend. The perfect reading-in-the-woods-while-camping book, this is truly a magical title superbly written. An excellent advanced fantasy.

And last night I finished off by reading the newest Minx book, Water Baby. Up until now I have liked the Minx books for the most part, but this one didn't thrill me. It's a realistic fiction piece about a girl who gets her leg bitten off by a shark and is learning to cope with the adjustment. It's also about friendship and relationships. I was hoping to like it, but it left me feeling dull and empty.

Labels: book review, booklists, fantasy books, good books, graphic novels, mysteries

~emily - 1:18 PM~
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BEING A FAN OF COURTNEY
I don't know which Courtney you're thinking of, but the Courtney I mean is Courtney Crumrin of the graphic novels by Ted Naifeh. We just received Courtney Crumrin and the Fire Thief's Tale, and I had the pleasure of reading through it over lunch on the lawn. A delightful tale of werewolves, magic, faith, and love. It's a simple story told in black & white, but full of things to make you think just a little, if you want to.
I'll take more Courtney Crumrin any day of the week.

Labels: book review, fantasy books, good books, graphic novels

~emily - 1:56 PM~
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CORALINE ON THE BIG SCREEN
If you're on my Facebook, you've seen today's posts from ICV2 about Coraline, that fantastic book by Neil Gaiman, going big screen early next year. I think I reported the news about Coraline some time ago, but now it's really on it's way. And on top of that, there's a graphic novel of it coming out this summer (be looking for it on our shelves in a little while -- I have it on order). I decided I'd link to Variety's article on the upcoming movie and the other projects Laika Studios are planning on doing in the near future -- they look pretty good.
Here's the link. Enjoy. I'm totally looking forward to this stuff -- I loved reading Coraline.
(PS -- Coraline is on the Middle School Summer Reading Long List.)

Labels: book news, fantasy books, good books, graphic novels, movies, summer reading

~emily - 11:36 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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UPDATES & READING REMINDERS
I quickly wanted to mention a few things -- perhaps they are reminders, perhaps they are news....
First of all, my twitter posts have another new viewing location -- the teen page of the Framingham Public Library website. So from the website, you can now chat with me (have homework questions?) and read the twitter updates. You can do both of those things here, too, but now you have options! :-)

Secondly, this is a reminder that the fantasy wiki More Than Magic Mirrors is a good place to find fantasy books to read -- and a good place to leave your opinions about them. Grab a few friends and make a visit to the site -- there are probably even books you've read that aren't there that you could share!

Thirdly, if you're looking for something else to read, visit the tag cloud at the bottom of this blog page and click on a link you might be interested in -- we have adventure books, dragon books, love stories and more. Books bookmarked in blinklist. You can also find lots of booklists on the Teen Reads page.

Labels: booklists, books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books, library news, links

~emily - 2:27 PM~
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BOOKENDS: Standard Hero Behavior
Standard Hero Behavior by John David Anderson
The town of Darlington, long protected by Duke Darlinger from the ogres, orcs, witches, dragons, trolls, and other dangerous creatures that inhabit the woods surrounding the town, is now in very big trouble -- and the duke can't fix it this time. Unfortunately Mason, the young town bard, is the only one who knows about the real trouble. Since all of the town's heroes moved out and have been away for over 10 years, Mason and his friend Cowel head out onto the open road with a bag of gold coins in the hope that they can find a hero for hire. Along the way they run into an orange-haired witch, a bootmaker who killed off one of their heroes, a cross-dressing giant, an army of pixies, and more.
Two unlikely heroes off to save their families and the town they love and face multiple dangers along the way, eventually finding things they weren't expecting. This is quite an adventure for two friends to go on -- danger and comedy lurk together, and it has flavors of Will Allen's Swords for Hire. I enjoyed it and say it's a good middle-school book.
Y FICTION Anderson

Labels: book review, books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books, friends

~emily - 9:38 AM~
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BOOK OF THE DAY
I thought I'd share a few of the recent Books of the Day that I have posted on my Facebook and my MySpace bulletins:

Here Lies the Librarian
Mortal Engines
Elantris
On Fortune's Wheel
Troy
The Language of Goldfish
Click
Confessions of a High School Word Nerd

When you get the Facebook notices, you can also read the description and get a picture of the book cover (both of which you can also see by clicking on the links above).

Labels: booklists, books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books, good books, science fiction

~emily - 12:29 PM~
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BOOKENDS
Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
Georyn is a woodcutter's son on Andrecia, determined to kill the evil dragon plaguing their forest and be rewarded with knowledge from the king. Jarel is a medical officer with a crew set out to colonize Andrecia -- and to force the natives onto reservations. Elana is a member of an advanced civilization from another planet, on her way to Andrecia to save the primitive people from losing their land and their culture to colonization. Through a series of encounters and misadventures, the story is created of how the Enchantress from the Stars helped a woodcutter's son free his people from a powerful magical dragon and his minions.
Part interplanetary adventure, part fairy tale, this story is full of magic, science, misunderstandings, humanity, moral issues, romance -- and a wonderful prose that weaves it all together flawlessly in three voices. And I quite enjoyed it -- it was thought-provoking and engaging. I'll definitely recommend it to those not afraid of mixed genres or of a little substance in their books.
Y PB Science Fiction E

Labels: book review, books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books, science fiction

~emily - 10:26 AM~
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BOOKENDS
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Lady Saren refuses to marry the man her father betrothed her to, choosing instead another, and for her insolence she is sentenced to live in the tower for 7 years until her father lets her out. And because she made the promise to never leave Lady Saren's side, her maid Dashti joins her to cook and clean and keep company -- and Dashti tracks it all in her writing book. But soon rats appear, and the food dwindles, and the guards that used to deliver fresh milk and meat disappear -- after fierce howlings from wolves and sharp screams in the night. Completely alone and left to starve, Lady Saren continues to despair; but Dashti, clever and hopeful, finds a way out of their tower -- only to discover their old world has been ravished by war. Alone, friendless, and poverty-stricken, they must figure out how to survive on the steppes of central Asia.
I was hopeful and doubtful about this book at the same time -- I haven't read this author before, but I know she receives much praise; nevertheless from the early pages, the book seemed to be a stretch. However, I pushed through some of the journal entries, and am pleased I did. Wicked kings, wars, dedication, hope, fear, skinwalkers, good and evil, true love -- these roam the book freely and make a well-crafted story that I ended up enjoying more than I thought.
Y FANTASY FICTION Hale

Labels: book review, fantasy books

~emily - 9:38 AM~
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READING JUST BECAUSE
I just wanted to mention a few things about stuff I'm reading (or have read). Sometime in the recent past I mentioned the first book of the Books of Pellinor quartet by Alison Croggon -- that series of wonderful epic fantasy that reminds me of Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, and JRR Tolkien. I read the second, and found it almost as good as the first, and now I'm looking forward to reading the third over vacation. Wheee -- now, if she would only get the fourth out within the next couple of weeks.... I highly recommend this fantasy set!

My in-between reading this week has been Territory by Emma Bull. We don't own it yet, but I hope to get it when it goes to paperback. This was an intriguing take on the Wild West and the city of Tombstone, complete with Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and other famous names. But it's not just a western -- it's also a fantasy! Deep-seated magic, powerful and consuming, yet somehow understated meets the wild wild west....

Labels: books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books

~emily - 9:24 AM~
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BOOKENDS: THE NAMING
The Naming by Alison Croggon
Maerad, a slave living a poor excuse for an existence, is discovered and rescued by the wandering bard, Cadvan, when he perceives something special about her. As he begins to learn who she is and discover her powers, he becomes convinced that she is a necessary player in defeating the Dark, one of whom legend foretold. He takes her to a barding city and school, where for a short week she is taught in the ways of the Bards. But there is trouble, distrust, and divisions among the bards, and they leave, on their way across the perilous land to Norloch to meet the head Bard and be given her bard name so she can be truly trained in all of her powers. It's a journey full of danger, desperation, and hidden truths, and Maerad begins to learn the extent of her powers and, her true history, and part of what her future holds.
The first of a coming quartet (three have been published so far), this is a wonderful introduction to a very promising epic fantasy. The writing is lyrical, the adventure is intense, the battle between Light and Dark is dangerous, and everything else is honest and magical. Anyone who's been following the blog will know that around the holiday season, I love to curl up with heavy, engrossing epic fantasy tales -- this one did not disappoint. Good vs evil, magic, creatures and beasts, music, learning, danger, questing.... I've finished the first and can't wait to begin the second, have the third on order, and hope that Alison Croggon gets the fourth published soon!
Y FANTASY FICTION Croggon

For more fantasy reads, visit the More Than Magic Mirrors site.

Labels: book review, fantasy books, good books

~emily - 12:17 PM~
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JUST IN!
A number of books are being put on the various new shelves today. I thought I'd give you a preview:
In fiction today, we have Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale, Wyvernhail by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, and Kissing the Bee by Kathe Koja.

In nonfiction, we have Vera Wang, Interracial Relationships, and Confessions by a Teenage Witch by Gwinevere Rain.

In graphic novels, we have Naruto vols 19-21, Confessions of a Blabbermouth (minx), and Ultimate Spider-man vol 18.

There's lots of great stuff -- come get it!

Labels: fantasy books, graphic novels, manga, new books

~emily - 11:28 AM~
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PULLMAN'S DARK MATERIALS
All kinds of news on Philip Pullman from Random House today~
* His Dark Materials trilogy is going to be published in a single volume. The omnibus will include every word from all three books, his chapter art, and new vignettes for each book. Read about it here.
* Pullman will be in NYC this November -- he'll do a Times Talks discussion (read about it here -- tics are sold out), and he'll be at the B&N in Union Square on November 1 at 7.00. If you're going to be in the area, check it out!
* A new Pullman book coming out -- his first new book in 5 years! Once Upon a Time in the North is the name of the book and takes place in that land of His Dark Materials. I couldn't possibly do justice to describing it, so I encourage you to take a peek at the press release that recently came out. Exciting stuff!
* Hold on -- we're not done yet! The Golden Compass movie has a superblog! To read up on movie news, contests, and more, be sure to check it out. (From that site you can also choose your daemon. My daemon is Arion, a crow.)

Labels: author news, book news, fantasy books, links, movies, new books

~emily - 11:51 AM~
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MORE NEW BOOKS
There is a HUGE pile of new books on my shelf, just waiting to be mentioned and put out to be taken out.
For starters, a few weeks ago I had a request for more books from the Charmed television series -- the ones I ordered are now here -- four new ones!
A couple more Degrassi: The Next Generation graphic novels...
Two Victoria Hanleys in paperback...
Gettin' Lucky by Micol Ostow...
The Cirque du Freak Lord of the Shadows...
A new one by TokyoPop -- Chain Mail: Addicted to You...
And I think I'll end it at that. Oh -- except for a new careers book: Cool Careers Without College for People Who Love Video Games.
Be on the lookout for more great titles coming soon!

Labels: books for boys, books for girls, catalog, fantasy books, graphic novels, new books

~emily - 4:06 PM~
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BOOKS FOR THE WEEK
Since I'll be out for a week or so, I thought I'd just list up a few books that are recent arrivals or have some point of particular interest. I regret the lack of pictures, but my grab-picture technique is out of sync tonight.
M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman (just saw Stardust, and while it wasn't quite what I had hoped, it was still a good bit of fun)
Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer (sequel to Sea of Trolls, which I quite liked)
Faith & Doubt : an anthology of poems , edited by Patrice Vecchione (belief and doubt and faith and questions are an ever-intriguing set of topics)
Sara's Face by Melvin Burgess (a little plastic surgery can completely change your life...)
Monochrome Days by Cait Irwin (a first-hand account of a teen's experience with depression)
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (OK, so it's one of most popular books out right now, but you can hardly go wrong)
5 Novels by Daniel Pinkwater (the cover is deceiving, but check out these titles: Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars -- Slaves of Spiegel -- The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death -- The last guru -- Young Adult Novel -- what fun!)

And there you have it. A few books to occupy you.
Perhaps I'll get a post out next week. Until then, enjoy the long weekend (and remember that we're closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday)!

Labels: books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books, new books, science fiction

~emily - 8:01 PM~
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MORE BOOK TRAILERS
There appear to be over 8,000 book trailers on YouTube -- that's a TON!
After a tip from a publishing friend of mine about a trailer for the upcoming book Hallowmere, I decided to grab some trailers to add to my fantasy wiki -- specifically those book trailers that have a pseudo-official stamp of approval — i.e., they were posted by publishers, authors, contest officials, etcetera. You can see the few that I've found so far on the book trailers page of the wiki -- enjoy!

Labels: book trailers, fantasy books

~emily - 3:45 PM~
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HARRY POTTER LIVE CHAT
JK Rowling is going to do a live chat on Monday morning (9-10am EST). Visit this page to submit your questions in advance.

You can also watch her reading from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (almost 20 minutes worth) at the National History Museum in London.

Enjoy!

Labels: calendar, fantasy books, harry potter, links

~emily - 2:03 PM~
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RSS & HP
Just a quick message on this beautiful Sunday afternoon -- RSS feeds through bloglines appear to have been restored.
And... have you finished the Harry Potter book yet? What did you think?
Today's stats on HP are: 1160 holds on first copy returned of 412 copies (and some copies are even available in some libraries -- check the catalog to see which ones!).

Labels: fantasy books, good books, harry potter, reserve

~emily - 1:34 PM~
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