Book Review: Colin Fischer

Colin Fischer
By Ashley Edward Miller and Zach Stentz
****

"Solving crime, one facial expression at a time."
 

Colin Fischer is a young man entering his freshman year of high school. Colin has Asperger's syndrome, which is a high functioning form of autism. He is a brilliant student, excelling in many subjects, but he needs a chart to recognize facial expressions. He's very interested in how things work and why people do the things they do - he even keeps a journal of all his findings, with the plan to further investigate everything. Sherlock Holmes is a hero to him and he finds peace jumping on a trampoline.

Because Colin is so different, he tends to get bullied. In fact, he gets swirlied by his most constant bully, Wayne, on the first day of school. But then something happens early in the school year that Wayne is blamed for, but Colin knows for a fact that Wayne didn't do it. He just has to figure out who did it: to investigate the crime like Sherlock would.

This was a fantastic book. Despite some of the events that take place, the book maintains a light tone. It's a fun who-dun-it that touches on important subject matter, and also teaches the reader, without getting to dark or preachy. I really enjoyed reading this and highly recommend it to teen AND adult readers, cuz it's awesome!

Meg-A-Rae Episode 25: A Very Special Valentine's Day Episode

In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg loves love and I hate love. So Meg reviews Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer and I review Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry. Meg get's all gooey with the romance (though there IS a hitman in her book, so it's not overly gooey) and I get emo about zombies and blood and guts (though there's a lot of heart in R&R, no pun intended).

In reality, I prefer romance and Meg prefers horror, so please remember whilst viewing this episode that WE ARE ACTING! Enjoy!

Death plants.

Meg-A-Rae Episode 24: A Very Special Mardi Gras Episode

In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, we're celebrating Mardi Gras! Meg discusses the Queen of New Orleans, Anne Rice, and her numerous novels, and I talk about The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor. Now DoSaB isn't exactly a novel about Mardi Gras, nor does it take place in New Orleans, but the cover does have a lovely mask that feels very festive and appropriate for the holiday. Plus, at some point in the video, I don a blue wig in honor of Karou, the heroine of the story.

Be sure to check out our next Valentine's themed episode! It's a great one for lovers AND haters of the holiday.

Meg-A-Rae Episode 23: A Very Special Tekkie Episode

On this week's episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss Technology! Technology non-fiction available at the library, technology services (like checking out library e-books and researching with library databases) provided by the library, and technology themed books that are awesome to read! Meg reviews Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson (a great adult read with crossover potential for our older teens). I review Cinder by Marissa Meyer (a great teen read with crossover potential for adults).

Join us next week as we celebrate MARDI GRAS!!!

P.S. Teen Tech Week is coming March 10-16th!

Meg-A-Rae Episode 22: A Very Special Librarian Episode

In this week's episode, Meg and I discuss books where librarians are major characters and libraries are main settings. I doubt you'd be surprised to learn that we kinda love any book that shows library love. Meg discusses one of Charlaine Harris's other series, the Aurora Teagarden series, about a librarian whose true crimes book club finds themselves in the middle of a true crime. I discuss Librynth, a fantasy story of a girl trying to save her world's library (and thus knowledge) from the Eradicants.

Join us next time as we discuss technology-themed books!

Guest Review: Pure

Pure (Pure #1)
By Julianna Baggott
Guest Reviewer: Meg Adams
****

“We each have a story. They did this to us. There was no outside aggressor. They wanted an Apocalypse. They wanted the end. And they made it happen. It was orchestrated - who got in, who didn't. There was a master list. We weren't on it. We were left here to die. They want to erase us, the past, but we can't let them.” 

Meg's Review:

I LOVED this book! I know dystopian is very popular right now, and it's a bit overdone. But if you liked the Hunger Games, and you want a great story about a strong female, survival, a great twist and a thriller....please take a stab at this book.  

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost: how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers...to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as soldiers or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run. 

Burn a Pure and breathe the ash. 
Take his guts and make a sash. 
Twist his hair and make a rope. 
And use his bones to make Pure soup. 

There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss: maybe just because his family is broken, his father is emotionally distant, his brother killed himself, and his mother never make it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

Meg-A-Rae Episode 21: A Very Special New Adult Episode

In this week's episode, Meg and I discuss a "new" genre that's been getting some press lately: New Adult. The idea behind this genre is that its intended audience is the 18-25 age range and the content is more mature. Meg discusses the dystopian novel, Pure, by Julianna Baggot - a book that MPL has in both the Adult and Teen collections. I discuss the awesomely titled Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, by Lish McBride - a book that is in our Teen collection and is a Rosie Nominee this year. 

Be sure to check out our next episode: A Very Special Librarian Episode!

Meg-A-Rae Episode 20: A Very Special Classic & Gothic Novel Episode

This week, Meg and I discuss how awesome and not-boring classics can be. We focus mainly on the gothics and anti-gothics of the early 1800s. Did you know that Jane Austen wrote a gothic parody the way some comic authors write vampire parodies today? Yeah, she's that cool. And if you're in the mood for angst, there's no need to look further than the gothic classics!

I have seen my future: I will be a crazy attic lady! Though, I wonder if that's anything like a crazy cat lady, because my dog really hates cats.

Join us for our next episode where we discuss the New Adult genre. Yup, there's another genre out there, and we're going to tell you all about it!

Book Review: Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick (Perry & Gobi #1)
By Joe Schreiber
****

"'You shot me,' I said. I was lying on my stomach, wondering if I was going to pass out from the pain. Twenty feet away, she stood with the machine pistol in one hand and the sawed-off shotgun in the other, wiping the blood out of her eyes...She walked over, knelt down, and wrapped her arms around me. She pressed her lips to my ear, close enough that I could make out the words. 'Perry,' she said, 'I had a very nice time tonight.'"
 

Au Revoir is an action-packed thrill-ride. I'm sure that's what the movie byline would say, at least. And it's true. It's the night of Perry's senior prom, but he hadn't planned on going. Instead, he and the other members of Inchworm had gotten a gig in NYC and they were hoping to score a record deal. But then his parents forced him to take their awkward foreign exchange student to prom. Perry figured it would be a disaster...he had no idea how right he was.

Gobi, if that is her real name, isn't really a foreign exchange student. She isn't really geeky or awkward. She isn't even a teenager. What she is, though, is out for blood. Gobi has five marks and they're all going to be in NYC on prom night, and since she can't drive, Perry becomes her unwilling chauffeur.

Except for a few pages at the beginning and the end of this book, approximately 98% of this story takes place over the course of 12 hours. The story is fast-paced as Perry and Gobi go from one hit to the next (Perry trying valiantly to escape his crazy kidnapper...until she informs him that she planted a bomb and will blow up his house with his family inside if he doesn't cooperate). As the story goes on, you wonder if Gobi is just a hired assassin, or if there's more to this grisly quest than meets the eye.

I really enjoyed this book - I could have finished it in a day if I had more free time; as it was, it only took me two days. It was an intense, but quick read. There's a significant amount of violence (though it doesn't get as graphic as it could have), some language (if there's ever been a book where the language has been justifiable, it's this one), and some talk of sex (just talk, no action), so I would recommend this book for older teens. That being said, it was a great read and I can't wait to start Perry's Killer Playlist, the sequel to Au Revoir, which takes Perry on a dangerous trip through Europe.

Book Trailer for Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick

Book Review: Libriomancer

Libriomancer (Magic Ex Libris #1)
By Jim Hines
***

“Every libromancer had a first book. Etched more sharply into my memory than my first kiss, this book had been my magical awakening.”

I went into this book ready to geek out. I mean, seriously, seriously, geek out. The story opens on Isaac Vainio, a cataloger at a library in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. But he's not just a librarian, he's a libriomancer. Isaac could perform a very specific kind of magic: he could reach into books and pull out anything that appeared within the pages (restricted only by the size of the page). He got into a bit of trouble in his job as a libriomancer, so he's been benched; his only connection to magic now is cataloging books for his library, but also for the magical organization he used to work for.

Then he gets attached by Meyerii vampires (also known as sparklers) and finds himself in a magical war between Libriomancers and vampires, a mysterious enemy, and the disapperance of Johann Gutenberg (inventor of the printing press and founder of the Libriomancer organization), with only a sexy dryad and a fire spider there to help him.

In theory, this book should have been an uber-awesome, bibliophile geekfest. I wanted to love it. It referenced some of my favorite things, like Narnia, Doctor Who, and the very idea of reaching inside of books. And while the book wasn't "bad," it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. I just couldn't get engaged in the story. It did pick up toward the climax, and some really cool things happened during that part of the book, but it was a bit of an effort to get there.

This is an adult title, and there are some adult themes (though it stays PG / PG-13), but it's worth a look if you're a geeky bibliophile like myself. However, The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde is similar in theme, but superior in...well, everything.

Meg-A-Rae Episode 19: A Very Special New Year's Episode

In this episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and talk about all the amazing, stupendous, mega-awesome books that are coming out in 2013. We are super-excited about these great new titles. Seriously, 2013 is going to be a fantastic year for reading and we can't wait to get started!!!

Join us next time as we discuss the classics and how non-boring they can be!

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures (Castor Chronicles #1)
By Kami Cross & Margaret Stohl
Four Stars

“So why did I think about her every second? Why was I so much happier the minute I saw her? I felt like maybe I knew the answer, but how could I be sure? I didn't know, and I didn't have any way to find out.

Guys don't talk about stuff like that. We just lie under the pile of bricks.”
 

Beautiful Creatures is lovely gothic romance, the kind that keeps you wondering what is going on with beautifully eerie elements, a historic mystery, and a heavy dose of magic. The story follows Ethan Wate, a teenage boy from a small southern town called Gatlin. It's the kind of place you never leave and anything new is suspicious. Ethan has wanted to get out for years, and now that his mom has died and his dad has been lost to grief, he's more ready to leave Gatlin than ever.

Then Lena Duchannes came to town.

Lena has come to live with family, a family that is not welcome in town due to their strange ways, and Lena isn't welcomed, either. Strange things begin to happen around Lena, and the Mean Girls go on the attack. Ethan, though, is mesmerized by Lena, and doesn't care what the small-minded bullies say. As they grow closer together, solving the mystery of Lena's family and her 16th birthday becomes increasingly urgent, because that's the day that everything will change.

Beautiful Creatures is a book you'll want to burrow into. The story is intriguing and I had to fight the urge to flip to the end to see what happens (or read the description of the next book in the series). It was unique in that it was a romance written from the male point of view - the story was Ethan's and you read it through his eyes. This is the first book in a series of at least four (#4 came out within the last few months) and will be coming to a theater near you this February. I can't wait to see how this Southern Gothic looks on the big screen. I hope it does this lovely book justice. The book is always better, but it's a crime when the movie utterly fails the book. (But Emma Thompson is in this movie, and that woman can do no wrong, so I'm not worried.)

Want more? Check out the book trailer:

Not enough? How about the movie trailer:

Guest Review: Let it Snow

Let it Snow
By: John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson
Guest Reviewer: Alicia Scully
Four Stars

“Christmas is never over,unless you want it to be... Christmas is a state of mind.”

This book gives three different stories from three different authors which all somehow interlock and all take place around Christmas. In the first, Jubilee is stranded without family or friends in a strange town due to a snowstorm. When she meets kind and thoughtful Stuart, she begins to question how good of friends she has and she also starts to seriously think about her current romantic relationship. Next, Tobin and his friends go on a wild adventure through the storm to get to a Waffle House in the hopes of making out with the team of cheerleaders stranded there. Over the course of the journey though, Tobin begins to think about what (and who) he really wants. Lastly, Addie is recovering from a broken heart after cheating on her boyfriend and, consequently, the love of her life. Will he ever forgive her? Addie must look at herself critically to see that she was in the wrong before there can be any hope of a reunion.

What a fun book! Each author brought something original to the book and they each found cute ways to comment on the others' stories. (For instance, Myracle states in her's that the characters in Green's story are witty to the point of intimidation, or something along those lines.) I have never read anything by either Myracle or Johnson, but I will definitely consider it now. The first two stories were hilarious--I laughed out loud in public to the point of people staring at me. The last story was not my favorite, mainly because the girl is so totally not me that it was difficult to relate to her or feel bad for her. Her story grew on me by the end and it was unexpected to have it from her POV since we had seen cameos of her cheated-on boyfriend in the other two stories. I will say that Myracle does indeed capture whiny, teenage girl angst like no other, but it kind of changed the tone and pace of the book. I may have enjoyed this especially because I just watched Love Actually the night before, and in a way, this would be the more teenager-esque version. I had some worries about the romance in the first story as I was going along because of the shortness of the tale, but it was brilliant and very well done. Basically, go read this book!

Meg-A-Rae Episode 18: A Very Special Crossover Episode

Meg and I got so excited about our Crossover episode that we got a wee bit long-winded. So this episode is broken up into three parts to making your viewing easier! In Part One, we discuss spring programming and we have a lot of really fun things going on next semester! In Part Two, I talk about awesome books written for adults, but would be totally awesome for teens, too. In Part Three, Meg talks about fantastic teen novels that adults should also read! Meg and I both read teen and adult books, so we kept talking and talking and talking about some of our favorites. Enjoy!

Part 1 - New Programs!

 

 

 Part 2 - Rae on Adult Books for Teens

 

Part 3 - Meg on Teen Books for Adults

 

 

Watch for our next Very Special Episode where we talk about new books in 2013!

Book Review: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
By Lewis Carroll
Four Stars

I have one word for this book: Wackadoo. This book was an interesting mix of post-spicy-dinner dream craziness and something an adult is forced to come up with on the spot for a child begging for a story. I really enjoyed it, though. The characters were characters, my favorites being the Tweedles and the clumsy knight. Alice was the grounding force of the story - she was always polite and often aggravated, and though she easily accepted the strangeness and kept hold of her creativity and imagination, she never lost her rationality.

Oddly enough, I felt as though I connected with this story because my dreams are very much like the dreamscape of Wonderland and the Looking Glass World. My dreams always have a plot and, despite their craziness, I'm always convinced that they make sense. I'd recommend this to any adult who has somehow missed it over the years and has a sense of whimsy. It'd also be a great read for any teen who's feeling overwhelmed by assigned readings and needs to see that not all classics are stodgy. And I also think it'd make a great read-aloud-to-a-child book (just beware, interesting questions could be posed whilst reading, like "Mommy, what's a hookah?").

Classics can be magical, too!

Book Review: The Last Dragonslayer

The Last Dragonslayer (The Chronicles of Kazam #1)
By Jasper Fforde
18,000,000 Stars

“The Kingdom of Hereford was unique in the Ununited Kingdoms for having driving tests based on maturity, not age, much to the chagrin of a lot of males, some of whom were still failing to make the grade at thirty-two.”
 

There are no words for how much I absolutely adore this book! I want to carry it around with me everywhere, hugging it to my chest, whilst skipping and singing.

This book made me as happy as this guy jumping around with a lemur.

But seriously, if you're a fan of cleverness, wit, and general awesomeness, then this is the book for you. Jennifer Strange is 15 and runs Kazam, an employment agency for wizards in the Kingdom of Hereford. Magic, though, doesn't have the umph it used to; it's dwindling, and some fear it may be disappearing forever. Magic carpets are used to deliver pizza. Wizards are hired to rewire houses. But Jennifer is having a hard time getting these jobs for the agency; she keeps getting underbid by non-magic plumbers and electricians.

Suddenly, though, magic starts to grow again. The wizards are able to accomplish feats of magic that they haven't been able to do in decades. And anyone who has ever had any kind of premonition suddenly starts to see the same thing: The Last Dragonslayer will come and slay the last dragon.

I don't want to give too much away, but I'm telling you, I haven't read a book that made me giggle this much or provided me with such a general feeling of happiness the way this book did. I lurved it! The writing is fun, the characters (like the wizards Moobin and Full Price - who has a brother called Half Price) are wonderfully and creatively rendered, and the plot feels completely new - I've never read anything like it!

Jasper Fforde is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I'm thrilled he's written a new series for teens! If my gushing about the uber-amazingness of this book hasn't convinced you to run, not walk, to your local library or bookstore to get your hands on this book, then maybe the official book trailer will:

You're welcome :)

Meg-A-Rae Episode 17: A Very Special Gifty Episode

Christmastime is here! That means we're all running around and looking for gifts for the important people in our lives. Meg-A-Rae says: gift them a book! There's something for everyone! We talk about a slew of books that would make great gifts, including books that will be coming soon to a theater near you, awesome boxed sets, and titles for fans of The Hunger Games!

Next Week: A Very Special Cross-Over Episode, where Meg talks about great YA books for adults, and I talk about great Adult books for teens!

Meg-A-Rae Episode 16: A Very Special Super Spy Episode

On this week's episode of Meg-A-Rae, Meg and I discuss espionage and even try our hand at the trade! Meg, of course, talks about Ian Fleming's Bond series, plus a couple of books about the Bond movies (I'm keeping the one with Daniel Craig on the cover!). I discuss the awesome Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter, a story about an all-girl spy school.

Be sure to check out our next installment: A Very VERY Special Victorian Christmas Episode!

Book Review: Unspoken

Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy #1)
By Sarah Rees Brennan
*****

“A leather jacket,” Kami said as he shrugged into it. “Aren’t you trying a little too hard to play into certain bad boy clichés?”
“Nah”, said Jared. “You’re thinking of black leather. Black leather’s for bad boys. It’s all in the color. You wouldn’t think I was a bad boy if I was wearing a pink leather jacket.”
“That’s true,” Kami said. “What I would think of you, I do not know. So what does brown leather mean, then?”
“I’m going for manly,” Jared said. “Maybe a little rugged.”
“It’s bits of dead cow; don’t ask it to perform miracles.” 

Kami is a teenager living in a small English village called Sorry-in-the-Vale (the English really know how to name their villages...just sayin'). The village is a little quirky, as most small towns are, but Kami is sure it has any number of secrets, and as an enterprising young journalist she's determined to sniff them all out. Kami knows about secrets: she's had a special friend since she was a baby, one who is only a voice in Kami's head. When she was little, everyone thought he was just her imaginary friend. As she got older, she learned to keep his continued existence to herself. But she was closer to the voice than anyone else in the world, and she wouldn't give him up for all the psychologists in the world.

When the Lynburns come back to the village, the secrets begin to come to light. Kami finds herself in the middle of the greatest secret of all - one from which she may not live to tell.

Unspoken is an AMAZING novel! It starts out full of witty banter and quick dialogue. The characters are fun and lovable. Kami's BFF is one of the most gorgeous girls in school who pretty much hates everyone, but loves naps. Along the way, Kami befriends Holly, a girl who's popular with the boys, but not so much with the girls. Jared and Ash are the Lynburn cousins coming home to Sorry-in-the-Vale for the first time. Though they are strikingly similar in looks, Jared is clearly the bad boy to Ash's angel. As the book goes on, it fully embraces the gothic mystery and the tone turns from light and upbeat to dark and mysterious. And in the midst of all this, Kami's mysterious voice turns out to belong to a real boy, and this awakens all kinds of pain and confusion for the two of them.
This book has it all and I loved every moment of it. I turned the last page stricken that it was going to take way too long until the next book was published - I want it in my hands NOW! I can't recommend this book highly enough. Seriously, I just want to hug it and carry it around with me everywhere!

If you'd like a little taste of the book's awesomeness, check out Sarah Rees Brennan's book trailer:

Book Review: Cast in Shadow

Cast in Shadow (Chronicles of Elantra #1)
By Michelle Sagara
*****

A story where words are not only mightier than the sword, but they are also capable of blowing up a building.

At the onset of puberty, Elianne discovers words like tattoos forming on her arms and legs. Then all hell breaks loose - children are being murdered and found with these same marks in the fief of Nightshade - her home - a rough, lawless, wrong-side-of-the-river place. Seven years after she escaped from Nightshade and found a home in the grand city of Elantra, Elianne, now called Kaylin Neya, finds that history is repeating itself.

This fantasy story, the first in the Chronicles of Elantra series, takes place in a beautifully described world with strange races and many problems. Kaylin is a Hawk, one of the three branches of service in the Halls of Law, in which she is part of the police force for the city. She is sent back into the heart of Nightshade to investigate the resurgence of these murders with former friend and current enemy, Severn. With the help of a Dragon lord and the Lord of Nightshade (a Barrani, an immortal, elf-like race, who are as arrogant and cold as they are beautiful), Kaylin must learn about the ancient language that makes up the marks on her body and the powers they give her in order to fight the evil that's searching for her.

While much of this story is made up of the fantastic, at its heart is the trauma of Kaylin's youth and how she struggles to overcome it. She is forced to face the past before she can move on to the present concerns. This story envelops the reader in its fantasy world, but what I found most compelling is Sagara's depiction of words and names and the power they can hold. In this place that power is tangible; it can both save a life and bring down walls (both figuratively and literally).

This book is generally considered an adult title, but it has excellent YA cross-over potential. Kaylin is probably about 20 in this story. Her abilities and training make her more capable than her age would suggest, yet her past and attitude tend to make her act younger than her age. This book would be accessible and appropriate for teens who have a love for fantasy. I highly recommend it!