keri - Finished - Books I Am Reading

Finished: Living Dead Girl

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"Well that was pretty much the most depressing book ever. Sort of like Boy Toy but for kidnapped children. It was extremely well written and extremely moving. This is far from Elizabeth Scott's other works tonally, and while I think I enjoyed reading the other ones more this is certainly her most powerful book."

Finished: I Know It's Over

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"This is a teenage pregnancy book but it isn't a cookie cutter presentation of it. I thought that the characters were both well drawn and liked how there was still an emotional connection between them after their breakup. There is more honesty about what it's like to be a teenager in this book than in most of the books I read. I will definitely look out for more books by this author."

Finished: The Juvie Three

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I do love Gordon Korman, but this one doesn't completely work for me. While I really liked two of the three characters, it felt like the hijinks they got into were contrivances rather than based on character motivations. Even in his silliest books, Korman usually makes the characters drive the action of the story and this was all reaction. I'm a little disappointed, especially after Swindle which was quite cute. I don't think this was the best foray into serious books."

Finished: Wake

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I picked this one up for bookeval and will surprisingly continue to read the next one, which I expect will have a bit more plot and less setup."

Finished: How Not to Be Popular

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I wouldn't have read this if it weren't for bookeval but it does go slightly beyond the normal teenage popularity cliches."

Finished: Imaginary Enemy

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I loved the ending, but wish the rest of the book were more like that."

Finished: Play Me

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"While I was reading this, I enjoyed it a lot, but ten days later, I had to reread the plot summary to remember what it was about. Ouch. I did enjoy the main character and his quest to be a famous producer. I hated the parrot (so annoying). This wasn't as good as Good Girls but I'll be sure to keep reading Laura Ruby's books."

Finished: Hero-Type

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I got to see Barry Lyga speak at YA Boot Camp a few days before reading this. It was very enjoyable though I agree with his critics that it is a bit more didactic than I'd like (but more in a Little Brother by Cory Doctorow way and not in a morality tale way). I thought the main character was unique but a lot of his friends were underdrawn. Overall, this was about as good as Fanboy and Gothgirl but not as good as Boy Toy."

Finished: Ink Exchange

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I found this book to be less interesting than Wicked Lovely which I was surprised to enjoy. The characters overall in this story were flatter, particularly Irial and Leslie. It seems like the story was very similar to Wicked Lovely with minor changes. Just not unique enough unfortunately."

Finished: My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I love, love, love, love, love this book. I read Last Days of Summer two years ago, and was surprised to love that one. (I�m a baseball fan and everything but didn�t expect the depth of character from a novel written in notes and letters). This one even surpassed that. Some of the plotlines were fairly predictable, but the characters were so lovely I couldn�t wait to see them. I love books about smart, funny teens who actually care about the world and the people around them and aren�t just concerned with superficial things. Even the adults in this book are fun, and I love how they get involved in the schemes of the teens. If your name isn�t Steve Kluger or Jaclyn Moriarty, please do not write epistolary novels. You cannot live up to this."

Finished: Magic Lessons (Magic Or Madness)

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"Less interesting than the first one. I still like the characters but find the mythology to be a bit lacking. B"

Finished: Playing with Matches

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I didn�t see anything super unique about this book, but I really admire just how flawed the author made the main character. He does wonderful things and horrible things and is completely believable. There was a lot of humor in this. I don�t love the cover but hope teens pick this one up."

Finished: The Summer of Naked Swim Parties: A Novel (P.S.)

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"This was reviewed in VOYA, but was published by an adult publisher and really reads like an adult novel rather than a YA novel in spite of the 14 year old protagonist. I'm not sure if it's just the 70s setting that makes me feel that way or not. The story was unique and I really cared about Jamie and what happened to her that summer. B+"

Finished: Girl, Hero

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"This book was excellent. Definitely Carrie Jones's best book. I loved the characters and even though it sometimes seemed a bit like it was trying too hard, everything really came together in the end."

Finished: Chiggers

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:20:54 -0700

"This graphic novel was super cute, but the narrative wasn't perfect. I didn't like that in the beginning I didn't know who anyone was and just how jumpy the cuts between scenes were. I love camp stories though and the overall arc was very lovely. I particularly liked the inclusion of the rules of Egyptian Rat Screw, although I think my friends and I might have played it with different rules."

Finished: Cures for Heartbreak

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"I meant to read this book when it first came out but never got around to it. After reading Rabb's article on YA in the NY Times, I knew I couldn't wait any longer. This was a lovely look at grieving and life after death that wasn't schmaltzy or sentimental at all. Very honest and quite lovely."

Finished: I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"This is the book Girl by Blake Nelson wanted to be. This book combined high energy and lovely prose. You wanted to be the main character even through her troubles. I don't think the mom part of the story was as successful and think her journey to find her mother should have been a larger part of the book, but overall I loved the setting, the music and the strong lead who isn't afraid to make mistakes."

Finished: The Astonishing Advneture of Fanboy and Goth Girl

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"This is the second time I've read this in one year, since it was a Speak Out book. The discussion for this was good, but I have to say I liked Boy Toy a lot better than this one. I can't wait to read Barry Lyga's fall book and meet him at YA Boot Camp 2.0."

Finished: Born to Rock

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"While it's not quite Losing Joe's Place or Son of the Mob, this is another hysterical book by Gordon Korman. The teens in our book club thought this one was really funny. I loved the plot and thought that a lot of the character choices were unique, although I didn't like that it took Melinda's lack of hair dye and goth makeup to make Leo notice her."

Finished: Magic or Madness

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700

"Two fantasy books in one week is a lot for me, but Magic or Madness was just fantastic. Justine Larbalestier is one of the few YA authors whose blog I read even though I hadn't read any of her books (everyone kept linking to her amazing posts, so I thought, why not?) I also have the sequel to this in my hands. Nice premise and nice easy world building. Hoping to see more complex characterizations in the sequels."