Excellent Reads

Three Things In Fantasy Books That Drive Me Crazy @_@ The beauty of true fantasy is that there are about three rules. You need magic, you need a magical world, and you need a bad guy. Beyond that, there really isn’t a whole lot to restrict the story. But...(yes, the dreaded “but”)...there are three things that are the equivalent of talons on the chalkboard for me. Okay, okay, so I admit that technically I can’t take off points if a fantasy book isn’t historically accurate, but these are things to do with the weaponry and lifestyle. So they count, right? 1. Knights being hoisted onto horse’s back via a pulley system I haven’t seen this one in awhile (I think the last time I saw it was in The Once and Future King), but I will mention it anyway. In reality, a knight’s armor was heavy and uncomfortable, but it wasn’t so heavy that they couldn’t mount their horses. If it had been that heavy, ground combat for knights would have been a death-sentence, particularly if they were going up again...

Readers are immersed into the minds and hearts of lesbian, bisexual, transgender, gay, queer, and questioning young people in this new collection of short fictions, grl2grl 2. In the first story, "Give Me a D", a young lesbian's need to hide and lie about her sexuality spills over into every aspect of her life as bitterness and blame. The second story, "Her Secret Life" shows a different perspective of coming out to family as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The third story, "Blessings and Miracles," is a seasonal story of love, joy, giving and receiving. Everything I've read by Julie Anne Peters has been amazing, so when I found these three short stories at Smashwords, I had to grab them. grl2grl 2 is the second anthology she's done. The first one - grl2grl - you can find in book format, but this one is ebook only. The first two stories were short, but they left a definite impact, showing the struggle that women go through admitting th...

Winner is... Beth S!

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the St. Clouds and a rival Cabal, they’re quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it’s not like they can just go to the authorities for help. All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they’re so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting out of control. But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she’ll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can’t keep running forever. Cover Reveal! Kelley Armstrong just released the cover for the last book in her Darkness Rising trilogy. I think it's my favorite of the three. This is one of my most anticipated books for 2013. It's too far away! Who else is excited?

THE WIZARD OF OZ By L. Frank Baum Illustrations by David McKee 246 pp. Galaxy. $16.95. (Ages 8 and up) ISBN 9781405660747   They take place in  place s like the Munchkin country,the Winkie country ,the Quadling country,Emerald city and     more places that Dorothy explored in  Wizard Of Oz.These places are very amazing places ever.     The character that I like is Dorothy because she is the main character in the book.She is very brave and kind to everybody and try   to help everyone when they need help.She just want one thing from Oz to help her go back to Kansas and see aunt Em and and uncle Henry.    The amazing part was when they killed the Wicked witch of the west.Dorothy was very brave to kill the wicked witch of the west by throwing water on the wicked witch of the west body.It was a little bit scary but it was amazing for a child killing a witch.    The fun part was when they found friends in the way to Em...

Is it worth falling in love if you have to keep it a secret. With a steady boyfriend, the position of Student Council President, and a chance to go to an Ivy League college, high school life is just fine for Holland Jaeger. At least it seems to be. But when Cece Goddard comes to school, everything changes. Cece and Holland have undeniable feelings for each other, but how will others react to their developing relationship? Being gay doesn't have to be a secret anymore. Recent news reports show that many more people are identifying themselves as gay or lesbian during their teenage years, and the number of high schools with clubs such as gay-straight alliances has grown dramatically. But there are still very few young adult novels that celebrate the love between teens of the same sex. In her trademark, darkly humorous voice, Julie Anne Peters has written a moving, compelling, and witty love story between two girls. Keeping You a Secret is a contemporary, worthy successor to such clas...

Hades is Haute Hades, the god of the underworld, forces bickering frenemies Meg and Shar to become special-assignment Sirens. Finding the delicate balance between their old and new responsibilities turns out to be harder than they expected, especially when an entire pantheon of Greek deities decides to get involved. I finally got the chance to read Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman. I met them in the summer of 2011 and got my copy signed. I'm ashamed to say it took me this long to get around to it, but that was in part due to the fashion aspect of the book. I have no interest in fashion and most books, movies, shows, etc... that revolve around the fashion world just don't interest me. I don't like or enjoy them. But the other main part of the book was Greek mythology. And it included Hades, god of the Underworld, who I love! So I started this book feeling wary. I really wanted to like it. Charlotte and Natalie are such nice, cool people, and I'd feel awful...

A novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order. Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex. Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity. Purity is the first book I've read by Jackson Pearce. And it definitely won't be the last. I picked it up thinking it would be fun and light. I was so wrong. Alth...

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls. “Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another. I am that girl. I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through. I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame. Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether. In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl's chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson has been on my shelf for years. I picked it up after falling in lo...