New bookmarks

Borrow Anywhere, Return Anywhere

From the Government of Nova Scotia website:

A new library program gives Nova Scotians free access to more than 100 libraries in the province, regardless of where they live.

Under the initiative, a Nova Scotian can visit any public, university or college library in the province and borrow or return library items.

They don't need to be living in the area or attending the university.

This is an incredible program, and you can view the list of participating libraries here. Take advantage of it by getting a free library card from the public library (students need parental consent if under the age of 14)!

New books!

A large box of new books arrived late last week, and all are now circulating (except the reference volumes, of course). There is already a lengthy waiting list for Catching Fire.

Fiction

Thirteen reasons why by Jay Asher.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

Catching fire by Suzanne Collins.

An abundance of Katherines by John Green.

Meridian by Amber Kizer.

Boy meets boy by David Levithan.

So punk rock: and other ways to disappoint your mother by Micol Ostow

Dead is the new black, Dead is a state of mind, and Dead is so last year by Marlene Perez.

The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan.

Hell phone by William Sleator.

The arrival by Shaun Tan.

Skinned by Robin Wasserman.

Wake by Lisa McMann.

Nonfiction

Bodies from the ice: melting glaciers and the rediscovery of the past by James M. Deem.

Three cups of tea by Greg Mortenson.

The stuff of life: a graphic guide to genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz.

Reference

30,000 years of art by the editors of Phaidon.

The way we work: getting to know the amazing human body by David Macaulay.

Rainforest by Thomas Marent.

Review: Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa lives in a land of seven kingdoms and is the orphaned niece of King Randa. She lives freely and comfortably in the castle but must do as Randa demands. It wouldn’t be such an awful trade-off but Randa demands that she does horrible things to other people, for Katsa is Graced with an exceptional ability to kill. She is tired of Randa’s bullying and has started the Council, which uses a network of informants and spies to help people in need.

On one of her rescue missions Katsa encounters Po, a foreign prince Graced with fighting who is trying to unravel the mystery of his kidnapped grandfather. When Katsa and Po eventually discover that they are trying to solve the same problem, they team together to take care of it (and a problematic king) once and for all.

Graceling had been getting rave reviews from tons of blogs and starred reviews from major book review publications, so I decided I had to read it. It has quickly become one of my favourite books and one that I will re-read gladly. There are so many things I loved about this book: Katsa kicks butt but is also hilarious and empathetic, the plot never stops for a moment, and there are twists at every turn. One thing that really impressed me is that the moment I figured something out, the characters figured it out too. Nothing irks me more than knowing something integral to the plot and the characters haven’t a clue until 100 pages later. It drives me crazy! This book is smart, funny (I laughed out loud several times), action-packed, thrilling, and devastatingly romantic. In one word: wow.

Thankfully, Graceling is the first in a series.

5 stars out of 5 for Graceling.

Kristin Cashore’s blog.

An interview with Kristin Cashore.

Delicious bookmarks from September

New books!

Fiction

Feed by M. T. Anderson

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Chosen, Untamed and Hunted (House of Night books 3, 4 & 5) by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Blue Bloods and Masquerade (Blue Bloods books 1 & 2) by Melissa De La Cruz

Operation Red Jericho by Joshua Mowll

Wolf Brother and Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver

Viking Warrior and Dragons from the Sea (The Strongbow Saga books 1 & 2) by Judson Roberts

Skin and Sight by Adrienne Maria Vrettos

Nonfiction

Beyond the myth: the story of Joan of Arc by Polly Schoyer Brooks

I can't keep my own secrets: six-word memoirs by teens famous and obscure edited by SMITH Magazine

The Crusades: a very short introduction by Christopher Tyerman

Delicious bookmarks from the summer

Review: Hate List

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Valerie is not looking forward to her first day of school in grade 12. She hasn't been to school since May 2nd, which was the day her boyfriend, Nick, opened fire in the school cafeteria and killed and injured several people, including Valerie. Nick targeted people who were on the "hate list" that he and Valerie had kept, a list that included students who bullied them and the bullies' friends. Although cleared by the police, many people still believe Valerie knew what Nick was going to do and at least partially blame her for the tragedy. It doesn't help that she's the only one left to blame since Nick died that day, too.

Valerie's journey through her recovery, both physical (Nick shot her almost fatally in the leg) and emotional, is poignant and powerful. She walks a line between being a perpetrator and a victim, not entirely sure which category she falls in even though she didn't know what Nick was planning. And then there's the grief: Nick was her first love and she misses him terribly, let alone trying to come to grips with what he did.

The variety of reactions she gets from her classmates, teachers and members of the community are wide ranging and it was often tough to watch her deal with them, sometimes pushing away the very people who really wanted to help her. I felt a lot of sympathy for Valerie and appreciated the author writing from her point of view.

It is hard to believe that it is 10 years since Columbine, and Hate List appears to be one of several books written recently about school shootings, and it is both unique and one of the best that I've read.

4 stars out of 5 for Hate List.

Jennifer Brown's website.

Read the first chapter of Hate List.

*This review is based on an advanced reader's copy (ARC) that I received from Little, Brown.

Review: I can't keep my own secrets

I can't keep my own secrets: six-word memoirs by teens famous and obscure edited by SMITH Magazine

"Insert melodramatic cliche-teen ick here." - Jordan E. (p. 161)*

Not quite: comprised of hundreds of six-word memoirs, I can't keep my own secrets is a quick and thoughtful read. By turns hilarious and harrowing, reflective and revealing, the brief memoirs offer a glimpse into the lives of teens.

There is something for just about everyone in here: drugs, family, beliefs, death, sexual identity, family, school, and more are all topics found in the memoirs. I don't really know what else to say, except to share some examples:

"You made me stronger. Thanks, rapist." - Alyssa Z. (p. 82)
"I really don't mind being autistic." - Lisa D. (p. 54)
"Some days sucked. Sun still rose." - Mary H. (p. 141)
"Not your average teen angst bullshit." - Amanda L. (p. 30)

Indeed.

4 stars out of 5 for I can't keep my own secrets.

*This review is based on an advanced reader's copy (ARC) that I received from HarperTeen. As such, page numbers cited may not be the same in the final publication.

End of the year

Have a wonderful summer everybody! See you in September.