So...I was looking through the genre lists I've created for the library of all the books I've read over the past 3-4 years, and found my preferences pretty easily (can you guess what it is?) After that evaluation, I decided I needed to get on the ball and read some more supernatural fiction as well as guy books. The problem with these genres is that they get so mangled with the same plot (think of all the vampire books out there!!) or there just aren't a whole lot of new ones that are truly good (boy books are HARD to come by!!)
Yes - there are tons of titles out there, but they have to go through the Naomi filter. Can't wait to read the new Strasser book!! But...I have found two very well-worth reading books that when I booktalk them, I KNOW they'll go fast!
So, the low-down:
Gentlemen by Michael Northrop.
COOL cover!! Not only is the cover great, but so is the story!! It's the tale of a missing sophomore whose past is peppered with him taking off, but this time the fears of his buddies' minds take over, especially when the English teacher is parallelling Tommy's disappearance with the murderous tale of Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky. Was Tommy murdered? Is he still alive? Can you push yourself so far as to believe the made-up world in your mind or stay grounded in the world you occupy?
Parliament of Blood by Justin Richards.
He is fast becoming one of my most favorite English authors. Chaos Code, Death Collector...and now this one. Take Victorian England, throw in the social class of intellectual, and mix it with the environment of that era, including coal-smogged streets, carriages, and elite clubs joined only by invitation. Put in the Museum of London and an old sarcophagus, some teens and the presence of vampires, and you have a great YA historical fiction fused with the supernatural. It does very much remind me of the classic Dracula but does so much for more the target audience of today's YA set!
No comments:
Post a Comment