Reasons why I liked it: I loved the main character, Grace, and really clicked with her. I liked her family (even if they were portrayed a little stereotypically), I liked that she was assertive but still compassionate and empathetic of other people, and of course, the story world. I loved Despain's take on "werewolves" and overall, The Dark Divine was a surprisingly good book! Haven't read The Lost Saint yet, but it's on my shelf.
Skellig - Dave AlmandReasons why I liked it: Almand's writing style is so effective: lyrical, poignant, but also crisp and to-the-point. And the imagery - oh my! A boy walks into a dilapidated shed and finds a creature that resembles an angel... just remembering the ins and outs of the story gives me goosebumps. I've seen quite a lot of negative reviews for it, but honestly, it's one of my absolute favorites. No matter what grade I end up teaching, I *will* have a class copy of Skellig in my room!
Reasons why I liked it: Maggie's writing style. It's just so...wait, stop. Stop a minute. If you haven't read a book by author Maggie Stiefvater (preferably her Wolves of Mercy Falls books, which Shiver is), I'd like for you to go right now and make a note to either buy one or check one out of the library. Every author is talented, yeah, but I can literally count on my fingers the number of truly beautiful, lyrically-possessed-writing-style authors out there. No Dante Aligheri, sorry dude but you don't count. You're kinda dead.
Next, her characters. They're real: capable of growth and change, which I love. Don't give me screwed up characters, authors! Give me ones who are *dynamic* and capable of growth! And last but not least, Sam. Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam, etc. Want to know what I think qualifies as the ideal love interest in YA lit? Well, read the Percy Jackson series, cause Percy's my favorite. Or read about Taran in the Chronicles of Prydain. But the third guy? Sam. All the way.
he Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark HaddonReasons Why I Liked It: If you haven't heard of this book, it's a fictional book written in journal-format and tells the story of Christopher, an autistic teenager, as he investigates the death, Sherlock Holmes-style, of his neighbor's dog. Author Mark Haddon not only wrote the voice of a teenage boy, but an autistic one. Yes, friends-in-real-life, Christopher sounds a little different than we do. That's kind of the point of the book, and the fact that it reads so believable is a credit to the author's incredible talent. I loved this book. It didn't make me cry Skellig-style, but it was moving.
No, Twilight is not the best book ever written. No, it's not the best book I've ever read. But for what it was, at the time, it was fun and enjoyable. I remember reading this book back in the day, before a third of today's hottest and bestselling series books were out. And yeah, bashing Twilight seems to be a cool thing to do, and yeah, Bella sure was whiny and a little on the boring side, but...there were more things I liked about Twilight than didn't like. As the series went along, it did get a little repetitive and anti-climactic, but...gosh darn it, I still think Stephenie is a pretty awesome gal. And she is definitely someone in the literary world (in addition to the Planet Earth world) that I admire. So yes, I liked Twilight when I read it back in 2007, and I still have a good opinion of it. Just sayin.
n't begin a series until all the books were out, or until the second-to-last book was out. The reason? Pretty much the anticipation... if I got started reading a series and I had to wait like over a year for the next book to be published, I seriously would go out of my mind. I can't let the story go! I will seriously stay awake at night wondering "what's going to happen next? WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?!?"
I swear, my life was always totally normal.
Normal house, normal family, normal school. My looks are average, I don't have any superpowers, no one's showing up to tell me I'm a princess—you get the picture. But when my junior year started, something not normal happened. There were new kids at school . . . new kids with a wardrobe straight out of a 19th-century romance novel, and an inexplicable desire to stay at school until sundown. And on top of that, James Hallowell showed up. James, who stole my sandwiches in fourth grade and teased me mercilessly through middle school. James, who now seems to have the power to make my heart race any time he comes near. But something weird is going on. Because James rarely goes out during the day. And he seems stronger than your typical guy. And he knows the new kids, all of whom seem to be harboring some kind of deep secret. . . .
