Last Minute Gifts and Books to Buy with Your Holiday Money

We hope everyone has a fun, safe and happy holidays!

We all have times when we're behind on our holiday shopping and I'm sure this year isn't any different. It is Christmas Eve. Santa is finishing up in the workshop and everyone else is running to the malls and stores for last minute shopping. I thought I would help you out in what to buy book wise. There are so many great books to be gifted, or even something for yourself if you receive gift cards or money from family and friends to spend on something you'll love. Here are a few of my most recent reads that I can't say enough about.


Matched by Ally Condie (from bn.com)-

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (from BN.com)-

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement—left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

Edward Scissorhands meets The Catcher in the Rye in this wildly imaginative and frighteningly beautiful horror novel about an unusual boy and his search for a place to belong.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King (from BN.com)-

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (from BN.com)-

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

My Top Books of 2009 Part 2

I posted my top books of 2009 shortly before the new year. In that post, I promised that I would also give my thoughts on each title, but I ran out of time. Today I wanted to fulfill that promise! I hope you enjoy my thoughts on all of my favorites of 2009.

Here it goes:


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
What is not to love about Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series? It has action, excitment and a love story. My favorite part? A strong female character that isn't afraid to do anything. Catching Fire starts right where The Hunger Games leaves off. I enjoyed both books more than words could explain and can't wait until the 3rd in the series comes out. This is one series I would stand in line for hours to buy on release day.

Warning: If you haven't read The Hunger Games, SHAME ON YOU! Make sure to read it before you read Catching Fire.



Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert
I have yet to read Stephanie's first book, I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, (but I finally did find it at a Barnes and Noble by my parent's house and it is on top of my TBR list) so I didn't know what to expect with this one. I heard such great thing about it on review blogs and Twitter so I had high expectations. Boy, did it not let me down.

When I started to make a list of my favorite books of 2009, I knew instantly Ballads would be on it. It's smart, funny and heart tearing all at the same time. The characters jump off the page with each word, making you care about each and everyone one of them. The premise is harsh and edgy, but don't let that scare you. I would recommend this to anyone, even the faint of heart.


The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
This was the first book of 2009 that I read and adored. From the first page to the last, I was hooked, so much so I passed it off to my husband who only reads YA after I read them to see if he'd like it. The cover pulled me in from the moment I saw it online. Mary's world is small, but her dreams are not. You don't need to be a zombie fan to love this one. There are so many elements to it and so much meaning. Once you read The Forest of Hands and Teeth, you'll be on Carrie's website to find out when the next one comes out in the series, The Dead-Tossed Waves (and for those of you already wondering, March 9, 2010).



Going Bovine by Libba Bray
The premise is so wacky for Going Bovine, I didn't know what to expect. Laughs, for sure, but this book is so much more. I laugh, I cried and I fell in love. The story isn't just a crazy set up about a boy who has mad cow disease, it is about teens finding out who they are and what they're made of. This is defintely a long book, but I didn't want it to end.

This was the first book by Libba Bray that I've read, and it makes me want to pick up her series. The writing is poetic and beautiful, making you get lost in the world of Going Bovine.



Hate List by Jennifer Brown
There is so much violence in the world today, I could see where people might shy away from a book about a school shooting. I don't know how many of you were old enough to remember the Columbine High School shootings back in 1999, or the many that came after it, but I definitely was. It's haunting to think about a place as safe as a school should be, under attack. This book goes way beyond the act of a shooting, it deals with the period after the shooting and what led up to it. In an interesting style, author Jennifer Brown shows us how each person dealt with the tragedy through the eyes of the shooters girlfriend. Hate List sent shivers down my spine, but also showed how people can change and how others aren't what you might think. Don't just look/read this book and think violence, think about human growth and survival.


The Maze Runner by James Dashner
When I read the premise of The Maze Runner, I knew I had to have it. I ran out to B&N the day it came out and devoured it quickly. Hoping it would wet my appetite while waiting for more from The Hunger Games, it did not disappoint. For fans of Suzanne Collins' series, this is a must. I know it has been compared to her series a lot, but it also has an identify of it's own. Fans of adventure and sci-fi books, this is a story for you. What I loved was I wasn't sure where it was going until I turned the last page. I cared about the characters and struggled when they did. I wasn't sure if the fact that the character doesn't remember who he is or where he's from would bother me. I loved how you learned as the character learned. I would recommend this book to everyone and for the record, this is one I passed on to my husband! I can't wait until book 2 comes out!


Unwind by Neal Shusterman
LOVED this book. Again, this is the first book I've read by Neal Shusterman and after I finished it, I purchased two more. His writing sucked me in from teh beginning and the premise was amazing. What if parents could decide to get rid of their children after a certain age. There is so many things so morally wrong about it, and yet this book got me think about the ligistics of it. Not only do you love the three main characters you follow, it's so amazing to follow their journey to becoming or not becomnig unwound. I'm sure there are a lot of parents (sadly) out there they would love for the government to pass this law and see it become a reality. Each character has a heart bigger than the words that created them, whether they were "good" kids or "bad". This was another book that is now on my husband's TBR list. You know it's good when I pass it on to him as a must read!

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Books about a character's death and afterlife have always held my interest. I'm not sure what I find so fascinating about these books but I'm always drawn to them. I've read The Lovely Bones, Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin and many more along those lines. There was something different about If I Stay. There was hope and happiness through the main character, Mia's memories just like the books I just mentioned, and heartache. But there was something else, a choice. I cried...man did I cry reading this book. I think the only book I've cried harder was My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (man oh man did I bawl my eyes out on that one). This book was amazing and a fast read. I loved every page, every memory Mia shared. It's beautifully written and one of those books that I put down at the end and thought 'I sure wish I had written this one.'

My Top Books of 2009

Last year I mentioned my favorite books of 2008 and I thought I would do the same thing again. Although I will write my New Year post next week, I thought I would post about my favorite books in '09. What are your favorites of 2009? Please share with us in the comments section!

Unfortunately, I ran out of time to give my impressions of each, so I will do that next week! So, in no particular order, here are my favorite books of 2009 (I was going to only do five but there were so many out there that I loved!):


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.






Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert
Kara hasn't been back to Oak Park since the end of junior year, when a heroin overdose nearly killed her and sirens heralded her exit. Four years later, she returns to face the music. Her life changed forever back in high school: her family disintegrated, she ran around with a whole new crowd of friends, she partied a little too hard, and she fell in love with gorgeous bad-boy Adrian, who left her to die that day in Scoville Park....Amid the music, the booze, the drugs, and the drama, her friends filled a notebook with heartbreakingly honest confessions of the moments that defined and shattered their young lives. Now, finally, Kara is ready to write her own.


The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?


Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Can Cameron find what he’s looking for?

All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.


Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets. Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.


The Maze Runner by James Dashner
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.


Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape—and to survive.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

Eye of the Tiger- A look to the new year

Most people set out at the start of a new year with some kind of resolution. New Year’s Day is for hopes and dreams to seem like they could become reality in the coming year, and they can!

Yesterday I put my 2008 journal on the shelf for good. It was ratty around the edges, holding memories of a roller coaster year. 2008 brought me a layoff from my job that was happily accepted, a book finished and another book start (which is now officially half way written…WOOT), a great critique group, and a new job. Overall, 2008 was a good year. I didn’t hit all of my resolution goals, but feel success in the ones I accomplished.

A start of the new year feels clean as I crack open a new journal, looking at the fresh pages and thinking about how I’d like to see 2009 unfold. I hope to finish Lost and Found, my WIP, by January 31. I want to edit it and submit to at least a handful of agents. I look forward to starting a new book, coming up with new ideas. I would like to beat last year’s number of books read (71), but that may be hard to do. The great thing is, right now, anything seems possible.

What do you plan for the new year?

Going through my database of books read in 2008 (yes, I keep track. I am that big of a nerd), I thought it would be fun to share with you my top 5 favorite YA books I read this year. I won’t put them in order, just the group of 5.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Paper Towns by John Green
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

What were your favorite YA books read in 2008?