Firstly, Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! My Thanksgiving happened over a month ago, but I still want to wish you all the best! And I hope that you scored some deals at your phenomenal Black Friday sales.

And now, onto the book!

“Clockwork Angel” by Cassandra Clare is the first in her new trilogy, titled “The Infernal Devices.” However, the setting and paranormal world that she incorporates into this novel is actually from her first trilogy “The Mortal Instruments.” I’ve never read any of her work before, but apparently fans will recognize family names from the original books in this new one and also some characters. However, the best part is that you don’t need to read “The Mortal Instruments” before you read “Clockwork Angel”; they are complimentary series, but not about the same stories. With these novels, Clare has created an entire world, referred to as the Downworld, in which demons, vampires and the like all exist. The Downworld is common between the two trilogies and is essentially what ties them together.

The book starts out in1878, with our main character, Tessa Gray, a 16-year old American girl who has traveled by ship to London, England in search of her brother. He was working in London and invited her to come live with him. However, when she arrives she is kidnapped by two women who call themselves the Dark Sisters who are associated with the mysterious Pandemonium Club. They trap her in their home and teach her that she herself is a Downworlder with a very curious ability - she can change into another person. They make her practice this skill in preparation for her marriage to a man who is only referred to as the Magister. Just before the wedding, Will Herondale, a Shadowhunter, rescues Tessa and takes her to the London Institute, where he lives with other Shadowhunters. Using Tessa’s ability, they begin to investigate both her brother’s disappearance and a strange series of murders related to the Pandemonium Club.

Yeah, that’s a lot to take in, but it grips you right from the beginning. Clare wasted no time getting right to the action of this novel and with 478 pages, it’s a whole lot of action. As complicated as the short synposis may seem, with all the new terms, an understanding of the Downworld comes quite quickly to the reader and really enhances the experience. The mystery is completely riveting and I really found this one hard to put down! I also really liked the historical aspect. Even though it was seldom referred to, I just really enjoyed reading a book about a bunch of Victorian paranormal-fighters! Read More »

Since I’m elbow-deep in midterms, I’ve found myself reaching for young adult fiction recently. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: it’s entertaining and relatively easy to read, making for a relaxing break from my many textbooks.

My boyfriend actually bought “We Were Here” for me last Christmas. I know, it’s terrible of me to let a gifted book sit on my shelf for so long, but I wasn’t feeling it until recently (sorry, bf!). The main character of “We Were Here” is Miguel. We meet him just as he is being sent to a group home for nine months for a crime. He is very tight-lipped about the crime, which gives the whole novel a bit of suspense that I really enjoyed. Another part of his sentence requires Miguel to keep a journal of his time in the group home, which gives us the narration of the story.

While incarcerated, Miguel meets Rondell, an African-American teen who suffers from extremely violent outbursts and some mental delays, and Mong, a mysterious Asian boy who Miguel really can’t get a handle on. One evening, Mong tells Miguel that he plans to escape from the group home and head for Mexico and invites Miguel along. Rondell overhears this and, soon enough, they plan to break out. The escape is actually successful and after it, you get into the real “meat” of the story, as the teens travel up and down the California coast.

Perhaps it’s because I’m a psychology major, with a particular interest in forensic psychology (study of criminals, basically), but I was hooked on this one right from the get-go. Learning about the group home residents and their individual crimes was totally fascinating and fairly accurate. I also really liked the “journal perspective” style of writing. It allowed the reader to get a good grasp on Miguel and his demons and also allowed me to play psychologist and analyze him a bit! But, trust me, you don’t have to be a psych fanatic to enjoy this one. Read More »

It’s no secret: I’m a fan of Markus Zusak. Ever since I read and reviewed “I Am the Messenger” back in January, I’ve been itching to dig into “The Book Thief.” As an aside, that 5 month lag shows you just how huge my book collection is. But, anyways, I have heard wonderful things about this one from all my fellow bookstore employees (especially Taka!) and trust me, this review will not be an exception.

“The Book Thief” is set in World War II era Germany and is narrated by Death. Yes, you read that right – Death. Definitely one of the most interesting narrators anyone could choose. Throughout the novel, I often forgot about the narrator and was really wrapped up in the story when Death would put his little spin on things, often reminding me when the character I was reading about would perish. It totally changed my perspective on the story and really made me grateful for the time I have, as cheesy as that sounds.

The story itself revolves around Liesel Meminger, a German girl who we first meet when she is 9. She is being sent to live in Molching, with her brother, when he dies suddenly on the train. This is the first time that Death meets Liesel, but certainly not the last and also ironically marks the first time that Liesel steals a book. Liesel moves in with her foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann and slowly adjusts to life in Molching. She continues to steal books, eventually earning herself the nickname “The Book Thief” from her friend, Rudy Steiner. She also makes friend with Max, a Jew who goes into hiding at the Hubermann’s and the shut-in wife of the mayor, all while bonding over books. Read More »

“Stolen” was definitely one of the most unique books I have ever read. When I read the synopsis, I knew I would like it: A girl is kidnapped and brought to the Australian outback and struggles with her feelings about her captor. I mean, I’m a nerdy psychology major and this one has STOCKHOLM SYNDROME written all over it. And it’s YA! Okay, I know it may seem like I just totally gave the plot away, but trust me, “Stolen” is so deep and cannot be summed up in a few sentences.

“Stolen” is written as a letter from Gemma to her captor, Ty. From the beginning, this approach put me at ease because it meant that Gemma eventually escaped captivity and was reunited with her family. I’m a sucker for happy endings and would rather not even read a book if the main character is going to die, especially after being kidnapped. Kidnapping is really one of my biggest fears (yes, I watch too many horror stories on the news) and a story about it makes me really uncomfortable, so I’m actually proud of myself for following through with this one, and happy that I did, too!

Gemma is a 16-year-old British girl on vacation with her parents when she meets Ty in the airport coffee shop. He seems very sweet, despite the fact that he is older and Gemma finds him strangely familiar and “safe.” She is flattered when he offers to pay for her coffee, but he also drugs it and sweeps her off to the Australian outback. Gemma awakens in a strange bed and an even stranger setting: desert and little vegetation for as far as she can see. It’s impossible to escape – she would die before she reached civilization. She has been stolen from her parents, from her life in London and brought to live with Ty. And then he tells her that she will be staying “forever.” Read More »

I am a HUGE fan of John Green! I’ve previously reviewed two of his books (Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska), so when I saw that he would be writing with another YA heavy-hitter, David Levithan, I knew I had to get my hands on it. After begging publishers for an advanced reader of “Will Grayson, Will Grayson” (unsuccessfully, might I add), I surrendered and bought myself a brand new hardcover the very day it was released.

“Will Grayson, Will Grayson” tells the story of two teenage boys living in the Chicago area, both named Will Grayson. Other than their name, they have little in common, but a chance meeting one night sets into motion a series of events that changes both of their lives. The first Will Grayson that we meet is a smart, normal teenager. His best friend is a massive, gay football player ironically named Tiny, who has decided to write a musical chronicling his life being gay. Will isn’t too thrilled about this musical, especially about the character who is supposed to represent him, Gil Wrayson.

The other Will Grayson is a bit sadder; he’s living with his single mother, is on anti-depressants and is all together quite lost. All of his happiness comes from an online boyfriend, Isaac, so one night when Isaac suggests that they meet, Will Grayson is thrilled. On the same night, Tiny, the first Will Grayson and their other friend, Jane, decide to go to Chicago for a concert. However, neither of the Will Grayson’s nights go according to plan and they end up meeting.

And that’s all I’ll tell you. Read More »

As a voracious reader and book blogger, I’m always looking for my next page turner. Sure, I can look to the “new releases” section of my local bookstore for a good book, but who’s to say those books are the best? And sometimes those authors and publishers just can’t keep up with my book consumption. So a few years ago I turned to the World Wide Web to see what I might be able to find. And what I found was a bookworm’s gold mine.

There are tons of awesome websites out there full of book reviews, recommendations and other literary excitement. And the stuff they’ve got is way more relevant and informative than the reviews on Amazon.com or by the guy working behind the counter at Barnes and Noble. But much like everything else on the Internet, there are so. many. book blogs. Which ones are the best? Which ones can you trust? Which ones will recommend stuff you’ll actually like?

These three blogs are my staples; I check them often and trust their advice. They’re fun, informative, different and remind me that reading is enjoyable (when I’m not reading a textbook that is….). If you’re looking for some new books or just want a little more insight into the literary world, bookmark these suckers: 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 »

When I first saw “Going Bovine” on Amazon.com, to be honest, I was a bit scared of the cover. A creepy cow carrying an equally creepy garden gnome? Needless to say, along with feeling frightened, I was also intrigued.

“Going Bovine” tells the story of Cameron Smith, a 16-year-old loner and somewhat loser at his high school. Cameron starts seeing visions one day of fire giants and other things that clearly aren’t there. His parents think he is “disturbed” and bring him to a therapist, but when that doesn’t work they finally cave and go to the doctor’s office. Cameron is diagnosed with Creutzfeld-Jakob disease. For the majority of you going “huh,” it is also known as Mad Cow Disease.  A terminal illness.

Cameron is immediately admitted to the hospital, where his hallucinations continue, including visits from a punky angel named Dulcie.

One of Cameron’s classmates, a little person named Gonzo is also admitted to the hospital and placed in the same room as Cameron. Shortly after this, Dulcie comes to Cameron and tells him that he must go on a roadtrip to find someone named Dr. X. He has created a time machine and is the one who brought the fire giants and all of Cameron’s hallucinations back to Earth. Dulcie tells Cameron that Dr. X also has the cure for his disease and that when they find him, he will be saved.

Cameron convinces Gonzo to go on this roadtrip and they embark on a journey of a lifetime. Along the way, they pick up Balder, a Norse god in the form of a yard gnome; 3 rowdy college students going to the YA!TV party house; a group of evil Snow Globe makers; a band named after physics principles; and a trumpet-playing hero. Read More »

Pretty sure she had some help with this dribble.

Are you wasting your time at the gym?

Nikon is racist.

Is Audrina Partridge boning the hottie from Star Trek?

Britney spends a lot of money. Like, a LOT.

Jazzhands!

Are women pushovers when it comes to sex?