City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Summary

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon.

But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Review
I had heard mixed things about this book. When I first started reading it I was unimpressed because the seeing mythical creature thing is not very original. But as I started read further into the book I was pleasantly surprised!

The plot after you got past the first part was wonderful and kept me captivated. The characters were beautifully crafted and really seemed real. Even though this is a trilogy I was sure I knew how the book would end even if I was unsure how I would get there. I was so surprised when the end came! The book was full of sarcastic humor and funny dialog mixed in with the serious plot. Good book after the beginning!

4/5

New Bookcase!

You know you need space for all of those new books that are coming out this year so you need a new bookcase! Well check out this awesome contest for a bookcase from CSN Office Furniture!

Don't deny it you need one!
http://justyourtypicalbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/who-wants-to-win-bookcase.html

Storyheart

Here is an interview with Storyheart!

What is your favorite character from Across the Pond?

It has to be Fred, there is a lot of me in him, and I guess he's a much younger version of the author

What kind of research did you do for Across the Pond?

Having myself moved from England to the US in 2000 a lot of what I wrote about I was able to do at first hand. Items like the baseball game I had to do some investigation about, never actually having been to a game since moving across the pond. I also checked with my younger nieces who at the time were around the same age as Brit and Fred to make sure I was setting the age part correctly. For my next book I have some YA blogger kindly helping me as well.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Obviously some of the issues I ran into when arriving in the US . I also wanted to provide some education and romance I also wanted to have humor within the story. Also I wanted… and from the reviews and interviews have succeeded, in making it a book for all ages not just YA. To me it does not matter what the age if you enjoy the book, you enjoy the book. I’m really not one in favor of pigeon holing books into certain genres.

When did you seriously start pursuing writing?

I never call myself a writer, I’m no literary master, my spelling for instance is terrible (thank goodness for spell checker), I class myself more as a story teller. As for… “pursuing it seriously”? To me it’s still a hobby, but I guess over the last 4/5 years I gone into it all in more detail

How long does it usually take you to write a book?

The book itself took me a year to write. The first three chapters took about ¾ months until I got the pace and voice sorted. After that I tried to do a chapter a week during my lunch hours (if I had any) at work. To be honest with a young family a busy full time job, my other hobbies like running karaoke shows, blog radio shows, sport etc, I am limited to when I can write.

Were you a big writer or reader growing up? What about now? Do you prefer writing your own books or reading someone else's?

I wrote poems and songs (which after all are only poems to music) when younger, then went on to children’s stories before starting to write short romance stories. I was also a prolific reader through most of my life again though these days that is somewhat limited. I do though enjoy reading and hearing about the books of my many guests on my twice weekly blog radio show “A Book and a Chat” this also provides an introduction into some forms of literature I would not normally read.


What was your favorite book growing up? What about now? Do you have a favorite genre or do you like them all?

I have always loved adventure books, when young my hero was Biggles by Capt W.E.Johns somebody perhaps the US would never have heard of. Then I went into Science Fantasy, Piers Anthony, Michel Moorcock etc. I am an avid reader of seafaring, swash and buckle type books. Writers like Alexander Kent, Dewey Lambdin and my favorite not just for the seafaring novels but also the Sharpe series is Bernard Cornwell

What do you do when you have writers block?

Don’t force it; if you force writing it is never as good as letting them come naturally. When the words are ready they will flow.

What are you currently reading?

I wonderful fantasy book from The Tellings of Xunar-kun Series by Tina Howe. She is a guest on my radio show on August 1st

What makes Across the Pond different from other YA romance books?

I think because I try and write from me, the characters people are saying are very believable, also the various aspects humor, sport, romance and the fact that it’s from a male/boys point of view

Thanks!

oh.my.gods by Tera Lynn Childs

Summary

If Phoebe Castro can keep her grades up and have another stellar cross-country season, her dream of attending USC with her best friends is only a track scholarship away. She’s made all her plans, so it’s a complete shock when her mom announces she’s marrying a mysterious stranger and moving them half-way around the world—to Greece.

Phoebe’s stuck on a secret island in the Aegean attending the super-exclusive Academy, where her new stepfather is the headmaster and the kids are anything but your average students—they are descendants of the Greek gods, super powers included. That’s right, Greek gods are no myth! If Phoebe thought high school was hard, she knows this is going to be mortal misery.

Securing that scholarship seems like Phoebe’s only ticket out of Greece, but training and maintaining her grades will be grueling, even without a sabotaging stepsister from Hades and a gorgeous guy—what a god!—who just might be her Achilles heel. One thing is for sure—summoning the will to win and find her place among the gods could be Phoebe’s toughest course yet.

Review

I was so excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint. The plot is very interesting and well thought out. the characters are beautifully crafted and I wish I knew some of them and am glad I don't know others.

Phoebe's is a likable main character that has the right level of winyness, which is good because Tera could have made her too winy very easily. Also Griffin was a real mystery and I liked his unpredictability.

The only problem I had was that I felt that I could tell what was going to happen. But I was unsure how it would occur so that was good. Overall pretty good.

Also love the cover!

3.5/5

I Interview You

I Interview You
questions from Nicole

It's late at night. You're walking down the streets of New York City, alone. You hear a whoosh behind you, and turn. You hear another and jump, turning again. At the third whoosh, you realize you are surrounded by vampires. The only way to defeat them is to use an absurd weapon. What absurd weapon would you choose? (ie: dollar store foam hammer. dead fish.)
A paper bookmark!

It's that time again in the year - picture time! You're all spruced up, looking your best. Then you realize that you're allowed to choose whatever background you want, whatever style outfit you want. What and where do you choose?
I would be in the rocky mountains in a ballgown!

Le gasp! There's a huge photo of you on a billboard in your town, and somebody has drawn a funny mustache on it. To get revenge on them, you decide to throw your least favorite food at their house for twenty minutes. (Little do you know that your least favorite is their most favorite. Ah well.) What's your least favorite food?
Pork Chops! But beets are a close second and they would stain their house so probably those!

Out from the book of Harry Potter you happen to be reading pops a wand. What do you do with it?
Use it to make me smart enough so I can be done with high school!

You realize you have room for one more person at your birthday party. You also have access to a time machine, a portalizer (something to bring people in books/movies out) and a post it notes. Who do you invite?
Katsa from Graceling because I would love to here about all of her adventures firsthand!

Follow these instructions:
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” Please include your email address.
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine

My waiting on Wednesday is The Hollow by Jessica Verday

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her -- one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

That sounds wonderful right I cannot wait!

Also I will be doing an interview with Jessica soon so look forward to that!

Across the Pond by Storyheart

Summary
When Fred Squire's parents take a trip to Australia and can't take him along, he gets shipped off to the United States to stay with friends. Fred isn't too happy with his parents but heads off on his adventure to the States. Upon arriving he meets Brittany, daughter of the friends he's staying with. From that point on Fred finds himself falling deeper and deeper for Brittany.and discovers that the feelings are mutual. As they continue to grow closer, they overcome the obstacles in their way that threaten to stop their relationship before it gets going. Fred becomes Brit's "English Knight" and vows to take on someone from Brit's past who's still threatening her. Will her parents get angry when they find out? Will Brit's amorous friend take him steal him away from her? Will the course of true love run smoothly?

Review
This book was really cute, I liked it much better than I thought I would, Fred was so sweet and I really wanted to get to know him! It was fun learning about all of the words that are different in the US as opposed to England.

On the downside there was not much action but that was helped by the love story and the hidden conflict that Brittney had. The story was very interesting and I could not wait to find out what would happen!

4/5

A Certain Strain of Peculiar by Gigi Amateau

Thirteen year old Mary Harold Woods has had enough panic attacks, trying to stay invisible, and being called "the grossest girl" at school. If her mom won't move from Virginia back to their family home in Wren, Alabama, she'll just have to drive the 691 miles there by herself, to where the comfort of Grandma Ayma's arms, the steady routine of the farmhouse, and the cool shade of the Black Warrior Forest wait.

Days of hard work wrangling cattle under the summer sun and the tough yet tender advice of Ayma and her farm manager, Bud, guide Mary Harold in discovering the true strength of her own spirit. As she reaches out to befriend Bud's daughter, Dixie, a girl with a strain of peculiar all her own, Mary Harold overcomes her self-doubt, discovering just how powerful and surprising the bonds of friendship and family can be.

I liked this book a lot despite it being more middle grade fiction. I really enjoyed how much Mary grew throughout the book, it is really important for me to see a character grow throughout the book and not just stay in the same frame of mind.

This book had an original plot and great characters, that I really wanted to know. Mary was a likable character after she stopped feeling so sorry for herself. And Ayma was like the perfect grandmother!

One thing I did not like about it was that it started slow, and when she finally found out who her father was I totally called it from the start but overall it was a very good book!

4/5

Guyaholic

By Carolyn Mackler

Summary
V Valentine is the queen of meaningless hookups. Ever since her mom dumped her with her grandparents, she has bounced from guy to guy. But in the spring of senior year, a fateful hockey puck lands her in the lap of Sam Almond. Right from the start, things with Sam are different. V is terrified to admit it, but this might be meaningful after all. On the afternoon of graduation, V receives some shocking news. Later, at a party, she makes an irreversible mistake and risks losing Sam forever. When her mom invites her to Texas, V embarks on a cross-country road trip with the hopes of putting two thousand miles between herself, Sam, and the wreckage of that night.

Review
This is the companion book to Vegan Virgin Valentine but this is written about Mara's niece V. This book like all of Carolyn Mackler's books is very funny but has a strong message behind it even if you like the story so much you don't even catch the message.

I really liked getting to know V better after VVV because she seemed like such an interesting character. She has such a different background from her aunt and that put a good parallel, her experience with her mother is also a very good story that made me want to keep reading! Also Sam sounded really cute! This book had a cute story but unfortunately had parts that were kinda boring which made me less anxious to continue reading it. This book approaches some interesting issues that are becoming more prominent in YA books. So it is following the trend.

Overall a pretty good book

3.8/5

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

By Kristin Cashore

Summary
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.
She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
Review
Graceling is an epic novel. If you have not read it you need to go run and pick it up. Katsa is a strong powerful female character who is a wonderful role model, she is the type of women that little girls should look up to.

Kristin Cashore has created a beautiful world in the seven kingdoms, it reminds me of Tamora Pierce's Tortall in how complex and varied it is. Fans of fantasy will fall in love with Cashore's storytelling and her world building.

Now I know that many people are wary of high/epic fantasy and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why. I think that people who are wary should give Graceling a try. Just read it and then make your final decision.

Po, oh Po. I love Prince Greening Grandemalion. He is one of my favorite parts of Graceling. And after reading Fire I am positive that Kristen Cashore creates the most beautiful, wonderful love interests.

Either way go to the book store and pick up Graceling, you won't be disappointed.
5/5

My review of Fire: FIRE
If you liked Graceling try The Near Witch

Here is the book trailer!