tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39342869554455715942024-08-31T08:00:36.920-07:00Blogging adventures with the book.bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-39444076847822920342012-02-13T12:37:00.000-08:002012-02-14T05:04:03.957-08:00

I will admit that I read the novel Chime less because it was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature than because it was part of this year's controversy surrounding the award. And though I'm sad that its author Franny Billingsley was dragged through an ugly mess that should never have happened, I'm so glad the turmoil put the book on my radar. This inventive tale

Emily Colpihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534398207663813296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-35802007320152041532011-09-28T06:18:00.000-07:002011-09-28T06:18:40.157-07:00

If I could have coffee with any writer living or dead, high on my list of picks would be Libba Bray. Even if she didn't write witty, irreverant, and often intensely personal blogs and tweets (which she does), I would find her diverse range of characters and unorthodox plots irresistable . As we sat down for lattes, I'd ask her things like: "Libba, you describe A Great and Terrible Beauty as 'a

Emily Colpihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534398207663813296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-3009475970688185852011-06-06T11:29:00.000-07:002015-04-17T06:25:58.672-07:00

From the wonder twin power team of David Levithan and Rachel Cohn comes another hip New York novel about teenagers who are intelligent, witty, and interesting while searching for love and finding themselves. For the audacity to believe that teens can not only can be this but might want to read about this, I commend the authors heartily. Our two main characters are ostensibly polar

Emily Colpihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534398207663813296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-91916803486117054982011-04-21T10:13:00.000-07:002011-05-27T11:35:58.092-07:00

I find the nature of friendship fascinating--not unlike new love. There's the giddy beginnings when all the things you have in common with another seem an endless discovery and you want to spend every waking minute getting to know the other as you would yourself. There's the supremely delicate moments a friendship balances on, the ones you don't recognize while they're happening, but that will

Emily Colpihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534398207663813296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-30859549345358408972011-04-08T10:00:00.000-07:002011-04-08T10:00:52.452-07:00

Andrew Zansky is a big guy. At fifteen years old, he weighs 306.4 pounds. And unfortunately, this is all anybody seems to see in Andrew. Nobody cares that he is funny and smart, and nobody notices that he is a good writer or that he is devasted by his dad's decision to leave his mom. That's what it is to be big in this society. Every moment of every day, Andrew thinks about his weight-

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-69888775375224418972011-03-10T06:32:00.000-08:002011-03-23T10:34:24.594-07:00

Ahh...once again I have been sucked in by cover art.It's sort of new age Wizard of Oz, right? Well, while the book has little in common with the Wizard of Oz, I'm pleased to say it is wonderful novel. Matched takes place in a future where a nonspecific global disaster has caused most humans to give up their personal freedoms to "the Society" in exchange for health, security, and stability. The

Emily Colpihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534398207663813296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-7326771819635187252011-01-19T08:03:00.000-08:002015-04-17T06:28:24.669-07:00

I have never been what one would call picky when it comes to reading. I'm more of your all-you-can-eat buffet type of girl--a little of this, a little of that, a side of this.... I find that this is especially true when it comes to downloadable audiobooks, where I'm less impacted by the cover art, less likely to browse by genre, and more likely to pick based on what's available at the library

Emily Colpihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00534398207663813296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-58682809202710478042010-10-17T17:52:00.000-07:002010-10-17T17:52:30.267-07:00

As a librarian, I am regularly asked "What is your favorite book." I never have an answer for this. I have many "favorites" depending on my mood and what I need from a book at the moment. However, I will admit to a soft spot for the fantasy genre. I know, I know...it's not for everyone, but the thing is, there's a reason why so many books with cult followings are fantasy. Fantasy like the Lord of

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-23434736390634655202010-09-23T12:31:00.000-07:002010-09-23T12:37:27.277-07:00

Green Angel is a brief, haunting, modern fairy tale by prolific novelist Alice Hoffman. The protagonist, Green, lives with her parents and younger sister on a farm outside an unnamed city where they sell their produce. Always considered the quiet one with the knack for gardening, Green is left behind to tend the crops on one trip. Resentful, Green climbs the hill on the farm overlooking the city

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-43914603067161863132010-09-21T12:22:00.000-07:002010-09-21T12:35:52.641-07:00

Shiver, a novel by Maggie Stiefvater, reminded me once again that you can’t judge a book by its cover, especially in recent times as publishers have ventured into more sophisticated covers for all manner of young adult books. In the case of Shiver, once glance at the artsy, bi-tonal print on the jacket and I assumed it was a more contemporary, realistic novel. Color me surprised to find it was in

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-39918431120257930112010-08-20T11:32:00.000-07:002010-08-20T11:47:33.964-07:00

Gone by Lisa McMann is the third and final installment of the creepy, minimalist Wake trilogy. If you haven't read the first two, start there, as this review has spoilers. Main character Janie has the ability, or really, is compelled to enter other people's dreams. In the previous two books, Janie discovers she is not alone in this power and that being able to enter people's dreams has its

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-63635811372500223962010-02-07T21:41:00.000-08:002010-08-20T11:40:32.762-07:00

I'm a big fan of the stylistic device known as the "unreliable narrator," especially when employed by an author who knows what he or she is about. And judging by her latest book, Liar, Justine Larbalestier clearly knows what she is about. The narrator Micah introduces herself as a compulsive liar who this time indends to tell the truth: "No lies, no omissions." We learn early on of the death of

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-82904471868008769812009-10-26T01:54:00.000-07:002010-08-20T11:41:19.493-07:00

For shame, Madam Librarian. You of all people, should not have been lured in by slick marketing and a cool cover...but, I must admit that I bought into the hype surrounding The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. The book was getting rave reviews from bloggers, the Amazon book trailer was cool, the blurbs on the back cover were wildly complimentary kudos from authors I like. I was fully

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-29943752085342103162009-09-15T00:23:00.000-07:002010-08-20T11:46:18.021-07:00

I'm back from a loooong break and rarin' to go. For my first review of the year, I snagged Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, a collection of short stories edited by well-known authors (and good friends) Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci. If you haven't noticed, we're currently in the middle of a Geek-Chic Phenomenon wherein, geekiness, nerdiness, dorkdome, etc. have come in to their own and

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-4595387064880193922009-03-19T11:37:00.000-07:002010-08-20T11:45:59.723-07:00

It's been awhile since I've been this enraptured by a book, and truly, I love Graceling. Kristin Cashore has opened a rich world of seven kingdoms with "seven thoroughly unpredictable kings." In these lands where the kings tend toward tyranny over the people, some individuals are graced with special abilities--some are amazing cooks, others can foretell the future, and some, like Katsa, niece of

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-91955355794925967002009-03-06T03:27:00.000-08:002010-08-20T11:45:59.726-07:00

In this, the third and final book of the Peaches series, author Jodi Lynn Anderson brings Murphy, Leeda, and Birdie back to the Darlington Orchard for one more summer of exploration, adventure, and romance before bringing their stories to a close. Wild Murphy cut all ties with Bridgewater, Georgia when she moved to New York City after high school, including those with boyfriend and all-around

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-41113748755931944842009-03-01T23:03:00.000-08:002010-08-20T11:45:59.728-07:00

Madapple, also known as "rank-smelling, rash-causing, poisonous jimsonweed...green dragon and stinkwort and angel's-trumpet" is also the title of the strange and intriguing first novel by Christina Meldrum. Meldrum took to the old addage to "write what you know," spinning a tale that taps her knowledge and interest in nature and religion and her experience with the juidicial system. It is the

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-2333135719065105142009-02-18T03:20:00.000-08:002010-08-20T11:46:18.023-07:00

"When Alice fell down the rabbit hole, she fell slow. She had time to notice things on her way down--Oh, there's a teacup! There's a table! So things seemed normal to her while she was falling. Then she bumped down and rolled into Wonderland, and all hell broke loose."I love this quote from the opening chapter of What I Saw and How I Lied, not only for its imagery but also for the way it tries to

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-38431755342113052902009-02-11T03:19:00.000-08:002010-02-25T08:49:02.654-08:00

Not gonna lie to you, reading The Possibilities of Sainthood felt cleansing after the last two uber-dark books I posted on. First time author Donna Freitas brings us the story Antonia Lucia Labella, a 15-year old Catholic school girl who's never been kissed. Antonia lives with her very strict, very Catholic, very Italian mother and grandmother above their speciality food store in Rhode Island.

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-86758423380484792272009-02-05T22:37:00.000-08:002010-02-25T08:49:02.656-08:00

I seem to be reading thematically of late because the book for this post, like the last one, deals with dark, emotionally disturbing subject matter. However, unlike Living Dead Girl with its chilling realism, Tender Morsels uses fantasy and fairy tale to explore issues like abuse and violence.This Printz Award Honor winner by Australian writer Margo Lanagan is a compelling revamping of the fairy

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-88107513516097628082009-01-26T03:43:00.000-08:002010-08-20T11:46:18.026-07:00

I write this post still feeling emotionally devastated by the experience of reading Elizabeth Scott's Living Dead Girl. This terrifying novel is the account of 15-year old "Alice," a young woman who has been in the clutches of a sexual predator since he kidnapped her at age 10. Ray has named her Alice...the same name he gave his last victim. Now Alice is nearing the age when Ray tired of the

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-14611719603592252542009-01-15T02:12:00.000-08:002010-08-20T11:45:59.733-07:00

If you're looking at trends in teen literature of the last few years, you can't deny that fairies/faeries/faerys are BIG. They come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities--flawed and humanesque in the works of Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange), good versus evil faeries in Herbie Brennan's Faerie Wars, dark and wild in Holly Black's realm (Tithe, Valiant, Ironside), and fluffy and

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-79065276321674143482009-01-07T02:18:00.000-08:002010-02-25T08:49:02.663-08:00

While I am a very loyal and enthusiastic Harry Potter devotee today, I do feel a bit of a fraud because I came to the series so late in the game. My husband, my mom, and my sister were all on board from the first book, but I just never got around to starting. Talk about humiliating for a librarian! Anyway, around the time the first movie came out, I finally got hooked (I have a firm policy

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-45698449242726883642008-11-20T23:40:00.000-08:002010-08-20T11:45:59.735-07:00

Anne Green wakes to pitch blackness. She can't move or speak or even open her eyes. The last thing she can remember is walking up to a scaffold to be hanged for the murder of her baby. Is she in purgatory? Or has she been buried alive?So begins this chilling and fascinating tale based on the real-life story of a British serving maid convincted and hung for infanticide in 1650. The story begins

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934286955445571594.post-6618888200480956302008-11-04T01:36:00.000-08:002010-08-20T11:45:59.737-07:00

Setting: Gracetown, North Carolina; Christmas; massive snow storm. Three popular young adult authors write three separate but interconnected romances. In the first, Maureen Johnson tells the story of Jubilee Dougal stuck on a train to Florida and her grandparents because her parents have been arrested as part of a riot over collectible Christmas decorations. Parted from her perfect boyfriend,

bookwarriorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07352453223240051255noreply@blogger.com0