Spooky, Ghostly, and Things that Go Bump...booklist!

Here is a list of the supernatural that I've read over the years. This is one of my genres on my Excel booklist that I print and put around the library. Enjoy!

666: The Number of the Beast (story collection)

Beating Heart: A Ghost Story
Jenkins, A.M.

Bliss
Myracle, Lauren

Bloodline and Bloodline: The Reckoning
Cary, Kate

Blue Bloods
De la Cruz, Melissa

Boy who Couldn't Die, The
Sleator, William

Clay
Almond, David

Dead Connection
Price, Charlie

Death Collector, The
Richards, Justin

Demon Witch: Book II Sorcerers of the Nightwing
Huntington, Geoffrey

Devlish
Johnson, Maureen

Devouring, The
Holt, Simon

Doppelganger,
Stahler, David

Full Tilt
Schusterman, Neal

Gathering of Shades, A.
Stahler, David

Gothic!
Noyes, Deborah

Hellphone
Sleator, William

I Heart You, You Haunt Me
Schroeder, Lisa

Jade Green: A Ghost Story
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds

Keturah and Lord Death
Leavitt, Martine

Lord Loss: The Demonata (Demon Thief, Slawter, Bec)
Shan, Darren

Mister B. Gone
Barker, Clive

Night Road
Jenkins, A.M.

Peeps
Westerfeld, Scott

Powers
Jacobs, Deborah Lynn

Project 17
Stolarz, Amy

Prom Dates from Hell
Clement-Moore, Rosemary

Restless Dead
Noyes, Deborah

Road of the Dead, The
Brooks, Kevin

Skeleton Man
Bruchac, Joseph

Sledding Hill, The
Crutcher, Chris

Sorcerers of the Nightwing: Book One
Huntington, Geoffrey

Twlight series
Meyer, Stephanie

A prediction I made awhile ago...

Earlier this year, I shared with some people that I think it would be so cool if there were a book that incorporated both a novel and a graphic novel fused together. And at B&N, I found one that I thought would be interesting to read. It's a book by Christopher Krovatin called Venomous. Based on previous reviews of his book Heavy Metal and You, I decided to give this a try...and it had what I was looking for! In between each chapter is a dream sequence with graphic pictures inserted. The reader gets a look not only at Locke's life and how he deals with his deep anger issues, but also get the storyline of how he views his anger subconsciously, through the use of superheroes, in his dream state. I'm loving this read and the cover...well, that's what drew me. His only redeemer from the venom of his anger his is little brother but everyone can be the victim in his war against both sides of this intense character.

Christopher Krovatin writes about life of a teen guy in NYC with realism, and the characters are equally fascinating and only add to the overall character not only of the book itself, but of Locke, the main character, as well.

Book Pairs for High School

I've noticed a list going on, and thought I'd share mine on the blog. I've been working on this list for a couple of years now, and everytime I find a new book to read, I now automatically think, "what can I pair with this one?" So, here's what I got for NF/F:

America Through the Lens by Martin Sandler with Kissing Vanessa by Simon Cheshire

An American Plague by Jim Murphy and Fever, 1792 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Beautiful Cigar Girl by Daniel Stashower with An Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld

The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon with Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo with Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

The Code Book by Simon Singh with The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

The Endurance by Caroline Alexander with Surviving Antarctic by Andrea White

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser with My Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy with Worlds Afire by Paul Janeszcko

Guinea Pig Scientists by Leslie Dendy and Mel Boring with Double Helix by Nancy Werlin

He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt with A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

Hitler Youth by Susan Bartoletti with Daniel Half-Human and the Good Nazi by Daniel Chotjewitz

Isaac's Storm by Eric Larson with Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich with A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary Pearson

The Notebook Girls by Julia Baskin et al with Headlong by Kathe Koja

Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell with the Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding

Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodward with Pirates! by Celia Rees

Spook by Mary Roach with The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson

Stiff by Mary Roach with The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson

Witch Hunt by Marc Aronson with The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn

No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin with Juvie Three by Gordon Korman

** So, that's all I have for now...am working on more that pairing, also looking at triplets. Hope this will help anyone out there!! : )
Buenos Noches!

Headlong book trailer

Tell me what you think....

The Devouring by Simon Holt

It’s happens on Sorry Night…they come to feed on your worst fears….and this time it’s Jeremiah’s turn. He forgot to put the cattle up for the night and now his father has tied him up outside…and the shadows are coming for me.

That’s the tale Regina begins reading to her little brother Henry one night. Not an especially good bedtime story, but Reg tries to convince Henry that in order not to be scared, you have to scare yourself. But his little ten-year old mind can’t wrap itself around that concept.

Regina’s life has changed in the past year. Her mother left the family one day, and her father, although he is there physically, isn’t really there. She takes care of Henry, the house, and herself and wishes her mother would come back soon. But it’s been six months since she left. The only friend Regina has is Aaron, and they both share the same fascination with the supernatural and everything gory and bloody that’s ever been put out on videotape or DVD. Now Reg has something interesting to show Aaron – a book she found at the bookstore she works at that tells about the Vours and how they showed up on December 22nd to possess Jeremiah. After reading about it, both of them decide to call up the Vours using their deepest fears – hers of spiders and his of drowning – but the spell doesn’t work…on them….

Instead, Henry has become the innocent victim, and the Vour is creating chaos. It begins to work on making Reg as crazy as it did to Hannah in the past by playing on her fears while inhabiting Henry’s body to full possession.

This is a fast-paced, absorbing read that will fascinate readers from beginning to end. The plot moves quickly from the past to the present. The characters in the book are solid from start to finish, including the adults and the phatasms. Nothing is left but the reader’s imagination as the storyline continues to the final showdown between Regina and the Vours. Small surprising twists in the plot only add to the pace of this book. If Shan’s Demonata series, Shusterman’s Full Tilt, or anything by Stephen King fly off the shelves, then this book should be a must to pick up. Watch out…a new master of YA horror just made his debut. I’m hoping there will be a sequel…

Working on my booktrailer....

for Headlong (see below)
Got the images together last night and finished putting them in order and adding the story. Hopefully, I'll post this on Friday or Saturday. Have to mash it together the next few days and I'm still thinking what kind of music to add. It's not a sad book, but it's not a happy one either, definitely not a psychological thriller....it's a more in between, and I'm kind of stuck on it. I'm thinking rock, punk mix. Hmmmmm....we'll see.
I'm reading up a storm too! April Henry (hey, girl! a big shout out!) sent me a galley of her newest book. Her last YA book made it on the TAYSHAS list (Shockpoint) and I'm looking forward to settling in with this one. Also in the middle of the Missing Girl by Norma Mazer. LOVING IT!!! That review and another one on The Devouring by Simon Holt will be posted tomorrow.
For awhile, I was in the doldrums with reading....couldn't find one that hooked me, and I was getting FRUSTRATED. Then...wah-laa..along comes three amazing ones. Now I'm hooked again.
My future goals:
First and foremost: start compiling information on John Green, Sean Beaudoin, and Joan Bauer as well as questions for them because I was given the opportunity to moderate their session at NCTE. My first question will be about road trips....
Then,
1. get together a presentation about library webpages and the 21st century for a presentation for the TCEA conference
2. Create at least four booktrailers by December!
3. Compile a list of books I'll booktalk at the TLA conference in April
4. Start working on my 50K program for the kids at school and incorporate Shelfari for them to blog on
5. FIND MY USB DRIVE!! I LOST MY LIFE'S WORK ON THAT STUPID THING!
At least I had backup with web 2.0 storage spots, but still....I had one I created for TASLA that I didn't save anywhere else! Stupid me.....GRRRRRR
Other than that, I'm going to sit back, enjoy Lipstick Jungle and the Fringe, and make some sushi!

Headlong by Kathe Koja

Lily Noble is no longer just a day student at the Vaughn School...she now lives in the dormitory full-time and has access to her friends Auds and Jules, and her boyfriend Kells. Sophomore year will be her best if only she can get through living with her roommate Constance, who always has a runny nose and can't think for herself.

But then along comes Hazel....

Hazel is different. She doesn't subscribe to the "traditional" code of conduct at the Vaughn School simply because she's one of the "scholarship" students. She dresses differently, curses inappropriately, and smokes cigarettes whenever and wherever she pleases. Hazel bucks authority in class and doesn't participate in and with anyone or thing. And when Lils sees this, her curiosity begins.

When they first begin their friendship, Hazel lets Lils, or Lily, know exactly what she thinks of the BBG's, or the Burberry Bitch Girls, and their Tiffany bracelets and vacations in Vail, but she shares her gorp and their friendship continues little by little.

And with their friendship, Lily discovers a widening gap between her way of life as she knew it and the one she has with Hazel. She begins to see life a little differently, from her shallow friendships to her relationship with Kells (aka James) to what her mother aspires her to be. And Lily has a decision to make...continue down the footpath of the traditional Vaughn girl, or experience life and what it can hold outside of the safe zone.

Lily finds Hazel exasperating at times and wants desperately to know more about her life - where she grew up, who her parents are, and who is Duncan and Magnus? The secrets both girls are reluctant to share at first and the adventures they go through together, from defacing the school statue to relationships with guys, cements their bond. Through boxes of Hot Cherry Ropes, the girls are comfortable with each other and the social class they represent at school, although others are always looking to sabotage it. And as the year progresses, so do the changes both Hazel and Lily go through. Life can be different, but in the end it's about personal choices.

Kathe Koja combines a narrative about friendship and personal struggles with first-person viewpoints from people who orbit around Hazel and Lily without ever reaching into the core of their friendship. From this perspective, the reader gets not only an omniscient look at the main characters, but fully understands what each girl is going through individually as well as together. Although the length of her books are short, this is a beautifully crafted story that shows the meaning of true friendship and the maturity that happens to teens over a period of one year. Sophomores are not the same as juniors...something magical happens to them, and Koja catches this magic perfectly.

PS - I've already started my "list" to create a booktrailer for this one!! I'll be working on that this week : )

Great YA pair! No Choirboy and Juvie Three

It's been one crazy six weeks, and I decided to devote some time READING and reviewing! It's been nice...and I picked up some really good reads!

I don't know if it's because subconsciously I was thinking of Korman's Juvie Three, but I picked up a book (non-fiction...yea!) and was intrigued by the topic, the voices and the lives of everyone involved.

No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin is a series of stories about men, who in their teens, were sent to death row for their crimes. They tell the story in their own voice through recordings with the author or through notes. Two are from Alabama, and one from Huntsville, Texas. These men re-visit their pasts to show the reader how hard prison affects a teen not sent to juvenile detention, especially when they are sitting on death row. Each one of those still alive that were interviewed all voiced the same opinion...if they had thought about their decisions and the people they were involved with...but it's too late for them now.

Although the law has changed since (no teenager can be sentenced to death for a crime) these men still have to live the rest of their lives not knowing their first true love, getting their driver's licenses, going to college, getting married, walking on carpet in their homes, or seeing the sunset from their hometowns. Lots of regret, but they take the responsibility for their actions as well.

What is so wonderful about this book is that not only does the reader get to know the criminal, but they also get to know the victim's family, the perpetrator's family, and the lawyer who fights daily for them, and how prison life has changed them. Think about it...these kids grew up in prison surrounded by men who could be an ally or a deadly foe. All sides are revealed...not just one.

This is definitely a book against the death penalty, and it makes you think...another amazing facet of this book. Teens will pick up this one and I can see this as an excellent read for reluctant readers, especially boys. It will give the reader insight into what could happen without it happening to them. And thus, a GREAT pair for Korman's fictional Juvie Three.

I can't believe it's been THIS LONG!!!!

October is already a week in, and I haven't posted anything. It just seems like a blur right now. I'm desperately trying to get my hands on some juicy novels. Found one called Frozen Fire by Tim Bowler. This one is making me want to keep reading and turning pages until I found out what is going on! This will be my next digital book trailer...definitely!
Right now I'm sitting in gorgeous Corpus Christi having a great time with librarians and teachers at Region 2 : ) I have always loved the coast, and when I come here, what do I think about? Gail Giles' book, You Don't Know Me.
I know that I have in my greasy little fingers the new galley from April Henry, author of Shock Point. It's called Torched. That'll be next on my agenda. But honestly, to tell you the truth, I completely threw down Last Dance at the Frosty Queen....wasn't what I expected and not what I thought. But you know, sometimes you have to glean. Not everything I pick up is great! That's the hardest part...reading something and spending time with it only to walk away a little disappointed...
Okay, rambling now. Time to stop..will post the review of Frozen Fire ASAP!