The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Margot by Jillian Cantor

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

The Gift of Cinder

Although I have yet to read Cinder myself, I pulled it off the shelves of my classroom library and recommended it to one of my sixth grade readers, Aisjha. Her reputation as an avid, almost on the verge of addictive, reader had proceeded her. It was not until I got to know Aisjha and her story that I understood that her time in my classroom could make or break her journey in continuing to be a lifelong reader. In the past Aisjha had been driven by the program Accelerated Reader. As a third grader she made over 400 points, which is phenomenal. In fourth grade she backslided and when she reached over 500 points in fifth grade she started to receive grief from her classmates. She had always been known as the "class reader," but now it was not "cool" any more. After seeing Aisjha struggle with this negative feedback on something so positive in her life, her parents agreed with her that she could move away from the AR program in sixth grade. I agreed with this decision and really worked on fostering the idea that reading isn't worth points, but its only worth the enjoyment. Since then, Aisjha has fallen in love with reading again. So much so that she has to sneak books into her bedroom, because her parents know that she will be reading late into the night. 

The genre Aisjha most enjoys is fantasy. Trying to get her to read from any other genre is almost like pulling teeth. But even though Cinder doesn't fall into fantasy specifically, I shared with her that this book branches off the same ideas. First of all, Aisjha will only read books in series because she gets so involved in the story that they just MUST continue. She had liked the Sisters Grimm series, so I played off of the idea that there was a since of folklore and fairy tale meshed into Cinder because of the characters. This intrigued Aisjha because when she writes her own stories she takes characters from different series and puts them in a new storyline together, almost like fanfiction. Finally, I told her that science fiction plays on the imagination, just like her beloved fantasy books. Aisjha heard me out on my recommendation, and simply left the room after telling me, "Sure, why not. I'll give it a try." I could tell she wasn't convinced. 

Aisjha devoured Cinder in two days. When I saw how far she had gotten the first day I had to run to the library in the next town to get the second book in the series, Scarlet. When the second book was finished, Aisjha came running up to me ecstatically asking for the third. With great hestiatioin, I had to tell her that it would not be out until March. She was devastated and threw her hands in the air hollering, "Whhhhhhhyyyyyy!" It was the very next day that I saw a tweet about the contest of winning and ARC copy of Cress. When I told Aisjha about the opportunity she was overjoyed. As she began to write her review she was so intent on making sure each word was absolutely perfect. Being able to receive the ARC copy would just reinforce Aisjha's love of reading and there is no student more deserving of receiving such a gift. Cress would be treasured in the hands of my student, Aisjha. 

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

The Program by Suzanne Young

Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Wonder by RJ Palacio

Wenny Has Wings by Janet Lee Carey

One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

The Year of Yes by Maria Dahvana Headley

Defiance by Valerie Hobbs

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan

12th of Never by James Patterson

The Brave Journey by Jefferson Knapp

Lumber Camp Library by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock

The King by Steven James

The Shack by William P. Young

The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe

Gone Missing by Linda Castillo

Opening Moves by Steven James

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn

 

My grandma recommended me this book and it was definitely a thought provoking quick read. I breezed through the first portion of the book, got a little lost in the middle with the talk of economics, and found the ending insightful. I did enjoy the book over all, but I did feel that it was very repeatitive at times. With a message like this it's hard to not question the truths behind the story.

 

This story tells of the ancient mystery that holds the secret to America's future, 9/11, and the collapse of the global economy. All of these events are sent in a prophetic message to the narrorator with regards to Isiah 9:10. Ancient Israel received nine harbingers before its destruction that were prophetic omens of warning. Now these same harbingers are manifesting in America which are being connected to end-time prophecy. The man essentially telling the story has received a message from a mysterious figured called The Prophet, who gives him nine seals that contain messages about America's future which must be connected together to tell the whole prophecy. Regardless of whether it is true or not, the ending has a good message about Salvation.

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini

For some reason I have been interested in historical fiction here lately, other than my usual WWII interests. I saw that this book has mixed reviews, either the readers loved it or hated it. The ones that weren't a fan said that it was basically just boring because of all the historical background and was really just the diary of Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley retold. Because I'm so naive to the inner workings of history, especially with the government I found this book actually enjoyable. So yes, I liked Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker! My favorite parts were seeing the personal side of Mr. Lincoln, a positive light on Mrs. Lincoln, and the tale of a woman born a slave who turned into the right hand woman of the First Lady.

 

The story is told in choronological order from their first arrival to Washington D.C. A friendship quickly forms between Mary Todd Lincoln and her seamstress, Lizzie Keckly. Throught the time Mr. Lincoln is in office Lizzie creates gowns and dresses Mrs. Lincoln. She even helped comb out the President's "unruly" hair. The two women became so close that Lizzie helps Mrs. Lincoln during the loss of her son and the assassination of her husbund. The insight to these events were very heartwrenching. Later on Lizzie is encourage to write a memoir entitled,
Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. Following the publishication the friendship between the two women is over and the only thing the dressmaker can hold onto is a quilt she makes from the leftover pieces from her days as Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker.

Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson

Finally, Patterson is back on his game. After the last Alex Cross book that was so disconnected I was a little worried that I might just have to give up on one of my favorite authors. Glad I didn't though because this book was very well thought out as it connected Cross's investigations, home life, and even his own stalker into one storyline.

 

The story begins with a well known plastic surgeon, Elijah Creem, being busted for hosting very scandalous parties involving underage kids. He does all that he can to get out trouble, but loses everything in the process including his wife and daughters. In the mean time, Cross gets a new case where a beautiful woman has been found murdered in her car, with most of her hair ripped off. Another is found hanging from a sixth floor window, and she has recently had a baby. The third body is found, this time a male, and Washington DC finds itself with three serial killers at once. However, two of them are working as a pair. While Cross is frantically working to solve the cases that keep adding bodies to their killing sprees, he fails to notice that one of them is actually coming after him. With a fast pace book and a life-altering ending for the Cross family this book will keep you on board until the very end!

The Racketeer by John Grisham

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

 

 

On March 18, 1990, thirteen works of art worth today over $500 million were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It remains the largest unsolved art heist in history, and Claire Roth, a struggling young artist, is about to discover that there’s more to this crime than meets the eye.

Claire makes her living reproducing famous works of art for a popular online retailer. Desperate to improve her situation, she lets herself be lured into a Faustian bargain with Aiden Markel, a powerful gallery owner. She agrees to forge a painting—one of the Degas masterpieces stolen from the Gardner Museum—in exchange for a one-woman show in his renowned gallery. But when the long-missing Degas painting—the one that had been hanging for one hundred years at the Gardner—is delivered to Claire’s studio, she begins to suspect that it may itself be a forgery.

Claire’s search for the truth about the painting’s origins leads her into a labyrinth of deceit where secrets hidden since the late nineteenth century may be the only evidence that can now save her life. B. A. Shapiro’s razor-sharp writing and rich plot twists make The Art Forger an absorbing literary thriller that treats us to three centuries of forgers, art thieves, and obsessive collectors. it’s a dazzling novel about seeing—and not seeing—the secrets that lie beneath the canvas.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

 

I'm all about reading the book that has inspired a movie first. The previews to Warm Bodies seemed like a humorous take on the zombie obsession that has seemed to overtake the previous vampire fad. And the book seemed to take the same voice, so now that I have finished it I can go watch the movie.

 

"R" is a zombie and like others like him, he doesn't remember his name or who he was before he was a Dead. At the beginning of the story he is much like other zombies who are hungry for the Living. Quickly, he realizes that he craves something a little more than the usual. After consuming the brain of a teenage boy, he sees the boy's life in memories and decides to form a relationship with the victim's girlfriend named Julie. Of course she is scared of him first, but she soon realizes that R is different from other zombies. It doesn't hurt that he is willing to do anything to protect her. While doing so, R begins to change even more and they decide together that they will try to reverse the zombie plague in the America that has been destroyed by war and social collapse.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

 

It's been a while since I've been able to enjoy a novel over one weekend. But I just couldn't help it, this book had me from beginning to end. I'm always intrigued by anything about WWII and the holocaust. When that's combined with the journey of a figuring out someone else's story and family, I'm a sucker. I would say that this novel is two of my favorite books combined in one amazing story: Briar Rose (holocaust story told in a fairy tale) and Sarah's Key (a journalist's search to find the answers regarding her in-laws).

 

The Whitson sisters are so very different. Meredith has raised a family and ran the family's apple orchard, while Nina has traveled the world as a famous photographer/journalist. Their father is the rock that tries to keep his family together, while their distanced and disconnected mother is someone they have never understood. But when their father falls ill, his last wish is for them to get to know their mother, Anya, through the complete Russian fairy tale she partically told them as girls. All the symbolism of the tale is stripped away to tell the true story of Anya's life in Leningrad during WWII. As they learn the secrets that their mother has been harboring for about 50 years, the Whitson women grow together as a family and change who they are in the process. This book will have you shocked all over again by life during the war as well as so involved emotionally that you can't put it down until you know how it ends.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Let me just start with ... WOW! I just LOVED this book! The honesty and voice of the narrator was just so refreshing even though the storyline is one that will have you on a teary rollercoaster.

 

It is the story of Hazel, a 16 year old that has been living with terminal cancer for three years. To make her mother and doctors happy she goes to the Cancer Kid Support Group as usual. Then one day Augustus Waters shows up at the group and then her whole world changes. Augustus is a good looking guy who is in remission after losing his leg to a bone cancer. They quickly fall in love although Hazel feels like she is a "grenade." There bond is formed over a novel about cancer called An Imperial Affliction. (Wish it was a real book, by the way!) This is Hazel's favorite book, which ends very suddenly. It becomes her mission to find out what happened to the characters. After Augustus reads the book he wants to know the same, and actually uses his Wish to take Hazel to Amsterdam to knock on the author's front door. I can't give away much more of the plotline but their story is one that will have you laughing and then crying moments later.

 

To make this book more interesting the narrator is Hazel speaking in the first person, with raw emotion. There are a lot of insightful quotes in The Fault In Our Stars that really spoke to me where I am at. It will be very tough to beat, but I truly can't wait to get my hands on some more of his books.



Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

 

I wanted to like Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore more than I did, but it was pretty enjoyable overall. There were moments that were a bit over my head when it came to technology. I would consider it a book for the book/technology nerd mixed with workings of the Di Vinci Code.

 

After being laid off at work Clay finds himself settling for any job, which just happens to be the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. As time passes he realizes that the bookstore may just be a front for some other business, especially since the same few customers come to the store to check out books from a partciular part of the store. He begins to make the bookstore into a 3-D computer model including the patrons and the books that they check out. When doing so he realizes he has actually broken a code in figuring out what the store is all about, and leads him to a underground secret society.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

 

Normally I am not one to enjoy a book about times with castles and kings or queens, but this book was much different. Outlander is a large book, topping off at 850 pages, and full of detailed plot. After getting through the beginning of the book, the rest of the storyline picks up. I will say there are some violent/sexual scenes that may turn readers away. But if you are willing to put in the time for an interesting take on historical fiction, you may appreciate the tale.

 

The story beings with a combat nurse, named Claire, and her husband, Frank, going on a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands in 1945. After walking through an ancient stone henge and touching a boulder, she is transported back in time to 1743. The first person she comes across is actually her husband's crued ancestor, British captain Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall. Luckily, another clan saves her from him and is taken back to their village. She becomes their healer nurses a young soldier, James Fraser, back to health after having his shoulder hurt in battle. The two become a pair throughout their adventure, and end up getting married to save both of their lives. The entire time Claire is trying to figure out how she can return to 1945 and if she really wants to. The book ends, making you want to know more... luckily, there is a sequel and several more to follow.

 

Reed's Top Reads of 2012!

Well this past year I read 13 more books than the previous year, ending up with 83 books read for 2012. I found out that the books that aren't normally the type of book I would read were the ones I loved the most! If you have any recommendations please let me know. However, I already have a great list to start off with for the year, imagine that!

So here are my Top Ten Reads for the year, in order or most recently read as well as why you should read them!

 

1. Swan Song by Robert McCammon

 

 Swan Song was by far the longest book I've ever read, maxing out at over 850 pages. It was an excellent read though! Definitely one of those that is unique and unlike any storyline I've read before. The book starts off with a nuclear holocaust and the people who survive it are left to fight for their own survival. Naturally the battle of good and evil begins early as people begin to lose their mind and start living the mentality of every man for himself. The novel follows Sister who discovers a strange glass artificat in Manhattan, Josh Hutchins who is a pro wrestler who finds refuge in a Nebraska gas station, and Swan who has special powers of healing. Who will win? Good or evil?

 

2. The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

 

Mitch Albom's newest book was a quick read that was hard to put down. The Time Keeper is a tale about the man who became Father Time. The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift and is banished to a cave for centuries. There he is forced to listen to the voices of people who come after him that yearn for more time. In order to redeem himself he must teach two people the true meaning of time, while stopping the rest of the world. This book definitely makes you appreciate the time that you are given, which speaks volumes to me now.

 

 

3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

Finally Gillian Flynn came out with a new book! I've been waiting for what seems like forever. Any book of her's is dark and twisted and Gone Girl doesn't disappoint. I will be honest, at first it dragged for me and I was just waiting and waiting for the book to make the sudden turn but when it did it was a shocker! On Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth anniversary Amy disappears. When her journal is read it seems to paint Nick as a bitter man that may just have it in him to become her killer. Even all the evidence points to him. I can't tell you any more or else this thriller will be given away! It's a must read, I promise!

 

 

4. The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

 

This is the first year that I have tried to make myself more aware of other cultures, so I added this book to my list after seeing it on a top read's list of a friend of mine. Somer is a physician in San Franscisco and finds out that she will not be able to have her own children. That same year in India, a poor mother must give her newborn daughter away in order to save her life. As imagine, this decision haunts her for the rest of her life. Asha is adopted from an orphanage and is the link between the two women. The book follows both sides of Asha's family as she is on her journey to figure out who she truly is, which ultimately leads her back to India.

 

5. Defending Jacob by William Landay

 

I had found this book on Amazon and then on my favorite author's eNewsletter I saw that she was reading it and so I was sold. It was much like Jodi Picoult's own style of writing: gets you attached to the main character and their struggle, they win their battle, and in the last 5 pages... BAM, comes an incoming car! (<---- Name this Picoult book) Defending Jacob is keeps you locked into the courtroom drama revolving around a district attornery's son who has been accused of killing a classmate. His dad seems to be the only one who believes in his innocence the entire time. It also discusses an interesting concept called "the Murder Gene." Is it possible that the capacity for committing murder is inherited? Very good book!

 

6. Unwind by Neal Shusterman

 

I really enjoyed the controversial Young Adult novel, Unwind. I know there are some people that would not be a fan of the concepts in the book at all, but I found it was very interesting. Unwind takes place in the future, after the end of the second civil war which is fought over abortion. Both pro-choice and pro-life can not agree, so they come up with a compromise to end abortion and creates the alternative of "unwinding." Between the ages of 13 and 17, parents or guardians can choose to have their children unwound, or harvested, to be "donated" to other people. Every single body part will be given a new use so they try and say that the person never died. This book follows the life of three kids who have been chosen to be unwound and are on their way to the harvest camps. Fifteen-year-old Connor's parents can no longer control him. Lev, a tithe, was raised by religious parents with 10 children and his whole purpose of being born was to be unwound. Risa, a ward of the state, is a victim of shrinking budgets since she is not a talented enough musician to be kept alive. The Bill of Life also allows for "storking," where if a mother does not want their baby they can drop it off at any doorway and that baby then belongs to the family that lives there. Definitely controversial in regards to abortion, organ donation, and religion, but well worth the read and very intriguing!

 

7. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

 

It took me a while to get into this book, but by the end of it I was totally hook and involved with the characters and their love and loss journeys. It starts in 1968 where Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded. They have been long forgotten by their families. But they have fallen in love and manage to escape the school. They find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone, Lynnie has just had a baby girl. The baby is not Homan's but a result from a horrible night caused by School officials. The police have caught up with them, Lynnie is caught and Homan goes on the run. Before leaving Lynnie manages to get out the words, "Hide her." So this is exactly what Martha does. The rest of the book is a 40-year journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia to figure out where the paths of love and loss cross.
 

 

8. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 

Usually I'm against the "big hit books," but after I gave in and read the Hunger Games I was not disappointed. It was so enthralling to me that I sat down and read it for a few hours straight. It takes place in the future and the United States has collapsed from disasters like war and famine. It has been replaced by Panem, which is a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year every district must choose a boy and girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the Hunger Games. This is basically where the 24 unlucky ones literally fight to the death until a winner is left standing, while being televised for entertainment. The main character is Katniss, and she actually fills the spot for her younger sister. During the course of events there are changes in the rules, alliances are formed, and some chances for romance. Ready for the next movie to come out in November! After reading this I came to the realization I do appreciate dystopias. (Brave New World shoutout!)

 

9. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

 

The Night Circus is definitely mystifying, and one of those books I've never read another like it. It is about a circus that only opens at night, and it shows up in places unannounced. It is the stage for performers with real talents, making it have an atmosphere of fantasy to it as well. The circus is used for a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood just for its purpose. They find out as they go only one of the illusionists can be left standing, which creates a catastrophic problem as the two fall in love. The must find a way to beat the fate they have been cursed with, or leave one with a broken heart. It feels like you are actually there in the circus experiencing the acts with them.

 

 

 

10. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

 

I have always been intrigued with tales of adoption and different measures it takes to have the ideal family. This book was the story of a group of women who do not know each other and how their lives cross in order to get what they want the most.  Jules Strauss is a Princeton senior on a full scholarship who plans on selling her “pedigree” eggs to help save her father from addiction. Annie Barrow, a struggling Pennsylvania housewife, thinks that being a surrogate will help her recover a sense of purpose and will bring in some much-needed cash. India Bishop, thirty-eight (really, forty-three) and recently married to the wealthy Marcus Croft, yearns for a baby for reasons that have more to do with money than with love. When her attempts at pregnancy fail, she turns to Jules and Annie to make her dreams come true. That is until her step-daughter Bettina becomes suspicious and begins to find out who India really is.  

 

 

I hope that you give some of these books a chance, and if you do please let me know what you thought!

 

-Audra