I hope you’re still enjoying your summer! I’ve been spending as much time as possible outside, soaking up the rays so my pale skin can get even the slightest hint of a tan. That also means I’ve been devouring novels, in lots of different genres, and wanted to share one of the stand-outs with you.

Imaginary Girls is the story of two sisters: Ruby and Chloe. Ruby is older and the typical girl everyone wants to be or be with. She’s captivating, but also dark and mysterious. Chloe looks up to her big sister and totally emulates her, going so far as to be blind to her Ruby’s shortcomings. One evening, Chloe is hanging out with Ruby and her friends at the reservoir, when Ruby dares Chloe to swim across it. In the middle of it, Chloe discovers the body of London Hayes, her classmate, floating in the water. As a result of this, Chloe is whisked away to live with her father in another state. She desperately misses Ruby and 2 years after moving, ends up making her way back. However, the reunion with Ruby isn’t exactly what Chloe imagined and as she delves deeper into the secrets Ruby has been keeping, the image of her perfect big sister begins to unravel.

I picked this up because of the beautiful cover. I’ll admit, despite the fact that you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, I usually do. The picture is stunning and doesn’t get any less stunning the more I look at it on my nightstand. But besides the cover, the book it holds is equally stunning! Nova Ren Suma has written a completely magical thriller. Even though this is labeled teen fiction, it’s so outside the realm of any teen fiction I’ve ever read (in a GREAT way!). You really never know what Ruby is actually up to or actually thinking. She is an incredibly complex character, but one that just jumps of the pages. Read More »

I am normally terrified of zombies or anything of the sort. Seriously, I get nightmares every time I watch a zombie movie. Even Thriller scares me sometimes.

Too bad it took me a little while to realize that The Unconsecrated in “The Forest of Hands and Teeth” were essentially zombies. I was spooked, to put it mildly, but by that point the book had already hooked me and I knew it would be impossible to stop.

“The Forest of Hands and Teeth” tells the story of Mary. She lives in a village in the woods, surrounded by fences that keeps The Unconsecrated out. The Unconsecrated, as I said before, are essentially zombies and they roam the Forest of Hands and Teeth, constantly threatening the village and its people. Mary has led a simple life in her village, helping her family and waiting to be married. Then one day, when patrolling the perimeter of the fences, Mary’s father gets taken by The Unconsecrated and is assumed to be “infected.” Her mother then falls into a depression and one day gets too close to the fences and is bitten by an Unconsecrated. She chooses to join the others outside the village and suddenly Mary’s life is in a tailspin.

In the village, a woman cannot live on her own, so when no one wants to marry Mary, she is forced to live with the Sisterhood (basically nuns) in their Cathedral. Once in the Cathedral, a series of events cause Mary to begin questioning the Sisterhood and her entire life in the Village. And then the fences are breached by The Unconsecrated and everything Mary ever knew is gone.

OK, so it all sounds a little weird (and zombies are scary), but this book is absolutely addictive. I spent many nights awake until the wee hours, lost in the story. I just could not put it down, and that doesn’t happen often (especially after spending hours poring over text books). Read More »

As any reader of my articles knows, I am an avid fan of both supernatural fiction and teen fiction. So when I find a book that combines the two, I MUST read it!

I had seen a few advance reviews for “Beautiful Creatures” by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, all of which raved about the novel, so I went into it with pretty high expectations. On top of that, it’s one of the few books ever to be selected as a “Heather’s Pick” at Chapters/Indigo (Canadian Barnes & Noble basically). This discovery, again, amped up my hopes. And I was not disappointed!

The main character of “Beautiful Creatures” is Ethan Wate – 16-year-old basketball stud from Gatlin, a town in the deep South. A year before the novel begins, Ethan’s mother passes away and since then, his life has changed immensely. His father writes all night and sleeps all day, so Ethan sees him about once a week, which leaves Amma, their housekeeper, to care for him. Along with the changes in his home life, Ethan has begun to have strange dreams, ones with a mysterious girl in the rain and when he wakes up, he is usually soaking wet, his hands caked with mud. Read More »

Firstly – Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your New Year’s Eve was both as eventful and wonderful as mine. And I hope that you’ve made a very important resolution: to read more! Admit it, you have some time before you hit the hay or with your morning coffee or while taking the bus around campus to pick up a novel and dig right into it. I find I learn more BIG lessons from books I’ve read for pleasure than my overpriced textbooks;  maybe the next book you pick up will teach you something important. So there is my plea and hopefully you’ll get some great recommendations from me over the next year!

Moving on….

I’ve had my eye on both of Markus Zusak’s books (Messenger and “The Book Thief“) for a while now, as they are super popular teen books. Now that I’ve got a ton of free time on my hands, I finally picked up “I Am The Messenger.” The book is the story of Ed Kennedy, a 19 year old cab driver who is basically going nowhere. His life revolves around his dog, the doorman and his 3 friends, Audrey, Marv and Ritchie. One day, Ed finds himself stopping a bank robbery and shortly after he starts to receive strange messages. His first message arrives on an ace of diamonds (yes, like from a deck of cards) with 3 addresses and times. Ed visits these locations and soon realizes that he must assist the occupants in some way, whether it being simply keeping them company or saving them from abuse (I won’t give away too much!). Once he completes those three tasks, another card arrives for him, sending him on another adventure. Then another. With every card, the tasks gets more difficult and Ed must decipher the message to determine his three targets. Along the way, Ed realizes lots of important lessons and eventually becomes more than a dead-end cab driver – he becomes a message. Read More »

Anyone who reads the Saturday Read knows that I am a closet teen fiction reader. It’s so honest and spirited that I can’t help but devour teen fiction after teen fiction. And, as I have said before, a teen read is a nice way to take your mind off of your school textbooks. I have read books where I’ve needed a dictionary beside me the entire time just to comprehend what’s going on. Those books are experiences, but can also be work, and with a course overload right now, I can’t afford to be working in my relaxation time.

So, I’ll say it again – I turn to teen fiction.

John Green is definitely one of my favorite authors of teen fiction. He always creates smart, funny, likable “heroes” and “heroines.” (I put it in quotes because even though they don’t really contribute a ton as a result of the plot of the novel, they undergo heroic transformations!) The hero of “Paper Towns” is Quentin Jacobson. He is very normal, very smart and, as he says, very well-adjusted, thanks to his therapist parents. His neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman is pretty much the exact opposite: rebellious, popular, desired. Quentin and Margo were childhood friends, but clearly, their paths have since divided and Quentin has spent a good deal of time pining over Margo. One night, Margo appears at Quentin’s window and takes him on a life-changing ride, pranking everyone who has done her wrong. And then she disappears.

Quentin is the last one to see Margo and also seems to be the only one who wants to find her.

Of course, this is only in the first few pages. Margo leaves Quentin clues, including a worn copy of “Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman (one of my favorite poets!) and paper towns, which are unfinished subdivisions and apparently, very popular in central Florida. Completing the book (and aiding Quentin on his journey) is Quentin’s sidekick and best friend, Radar, who runs an online encyclopedia and helps deduce the mystery that is Margo. Read More »

As Summer comes to a close, I read furiously. I have to finish all the frivolous, indulgent books I’ve picked up over the warm months that will soon be abandoned in favor of heavy textbooks. And that includes my Teen Fiction collection. I’ve mentioned it before and I will say it again: I’m not ashamed of my little fascination with Teen Reads. However, when I’m reading on a break from classes at my university, I’m too embarassed to be caught with a fluffy teen read in my hand. Being somewhat of a book snob myself, I know people will judge me based on what I’m reading and I would like to maintain some shred of dignity around this institution. Therefore, I reached for “Towelhead” by Alicia Erian.

I discovered this little gem in the Teen Fiction section a couple months ago, but it’s sat on my shelf, just waiting to be read. I was attracted to the cover more than anything and the fact that it was being made into a movie enticed me further.

“Towelhead” is set in the early 90′s in Texas, with tensions high due to the war in the Middle East. 13-year-old Jasira moves to live with her strict Lebanese father after her mother’s boyfriend started paying more attention to Jasira than her mother. As a well-developed 13-year-old, Jasira struggles with the transition from childhood to young adulthood with a body superior to her peers. She attracts attention from all sorts of people; strangers classmates, her much-older, married neighbor (Mr. Vuoso), everyone except her parents it seems. Read More »

Working at a bookstore, I run into plenty of what I call “book snobs.” People who will only read a book if it’s received 5-star reviews from the most prestigious of literary critics, if it is on the Bestseller list or if it’s won the flipping Nobel Prize. Even though these people see themselves as the cream-of-the-crop of book readers, I think they are just shallow and narrow-minded. Plenty of books, even fluffy ones, can have great messages and really strike a chord within the reader.

That’s one of the reasons that I read teen fiction. It always has a great message and doesn’t try to be precocious. Teen fiction – written to inspire a love of reading in young peoples’ hearts – is written soulfully and simply. And I love it.

One of my favorite teen fiction reads is “Looking for Alaska” by John Green. This is Green’s debut novel and, in my opinion, his best to date (although “Paper Towns” and “An Abundance of Katherines” are great as well!). He writes from the perspective of a naive teenage boy, finding his first love. I find this book so beautiful and honest and, most importantly, quirky. Read More »