On the Bookshelf

From the Back Cover:
Chloe Saunders used to have a relatively normal life. But now she finds herself in the middle of some really strange situations because:

• She suddenly starts seeing dead people.
• She gets locked up in a group home for unstable teens.
• The group home isn't what it seems...

My Thoughts:
I liked The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong a lot more than I thought I was going to. Now, maybe that sounds a bit cynical but lately I have not felt so inclined towards picking up all the paranormal young adult fiction that is out at the moment. Fortunately, I decided to check it out when I heard that you can currently read the book for free over on the Harper Teen website!

I found The Summoning to be a refreshing addition to the paranormal young adult genre. Romance fans may disagree with me, but I found the absence of any trite star-crossed teen romance to be wonderful breath of fresh air. What elements of romantic inclination were included in the book were handled with a subtle realism.

Neither does Armstrong plunge straight in to full on paranormal. Chloe's ghastly visions result in her being diagnosed with schizophrenia and much of the early half of the book deals with Chloe trying to come to terms with not only what is the truth, but what "truth" would be worse. Is it better to see and hear ghosts or to be dealing with schizophrenia for the rest of her life?

The book ends on quite the cliffhanger leading into the next book. Overall, I really liked The Summoning and I will definitely by looking to check out the next book in the Darkest Powers trilogy, The Awakening, which came out last year.

Also Check Out:
Fallen by Lauren Kate

 Terra

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From page 14 of The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have only just started but so far so good.

I finally stopped ogling Viggo on the front cover and cracked the spine on this one. I have only just started but it seems so far so good.

Terra

Thank you Natalie from Mindful Musings!

I would like to present this award to the following blogs:

A Good Addiction and Books and Bards.

Both run awesome blogs. Go check them out if you have not already!

Terra

I was given this award by Gabriel who has wrapped up his old blogs and has started a new one, The Convent of Blood. Originally I did make a post to acknowledge this award but was yet to pass it on to anyone.

1. Rhiannon Hart
   
2. Teens Read and Write
   
3. vvB32 Reads
4. Reversing the Monotony
   
5. Reading withTequila
   
6. The Bluestocking Guide
   
7. Parajunkee's View

Terra

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Go here to find out more.

Book descriptions are from Goodreads.

Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks:

Logan Tom is doomed to remember the past and determined to rescue the future. Far behind him lies a boyhood cut violently short by his family's slaughter, when the forces of madness and hate swept our world after decadent excesses led to civilization's downfall. Somewhere ahead of him rests the only chance to beat back the minions of evil that are systematically killing and enslaving the last remnants of humanity. Navigating the scarred and poisoned landscape that once was America and guided by a powerful talisman, Logan has sworn an oath to seek out a remarkable being born of magic, possessed of untold abilities, and destined to lead the final fight against darkness." "Across the country, Angel Perez, herself a survivor of the malevolent death-dealing forces combing the land, has also been chosen for an uncanny mission in the name of her ruined world's salvation. From the devastated streets of Los Angeles, she will journey to find a place - and a people - shrouded in mystery, celebrated in legend, and vital to the cause of humankind...even as a relentless foe follows close behind, bent on her extermination. Meanwhile, in the nearly forsaken city of Seattle, a makeshift family of refugees has carved out a tenuous existence among the street gangs, mutants, and marauders fighting to stay alive against mounting odds - and something unspeakable that has come from the shadows in search of prey." In time, all their paths will cross. Their common purpose will draw them together. Their courage and convictions will be tested and their fates will be decided, as their singular crusade begins: to take back, or lose forever, the only world they have.

I have never read anything by Terry Brooks before so I am looking forward to finding out what his writing is like. I selected this as my first ever Terry Brooks title pretty much purely on the fact that it was the only one of his books currently available in the library that was the start of a series and not the middle or end. Hopefully, though, it will still turn out to be a good pick.

I am afraid that it is just the one book tonight. It has been a pretty quiet week as far as getting new books go. I bought a car on Monday (extreme retail therapy) so that means that the book buying budget is tight. But, yay! Car! Now I just hope that I pass my driving test so that I can actually drive it. Eeeek!

Terra

From the Back Cover:
She has parents, a brother, friends and a dog.
Sometimes the dog seems like the only one she can trust.
Her life is about to fall apart.

The dog is Checkers.
The book is unforgettable.

This was probably not the best book for me to read right now, given the events of last Sunday. However, Checkers has always been my absolute favourite out of John Marsden's stand-alone novels and I felt suddenly compelled to read it again.

We never learn the name of the female protagonist. We know that she is in a psychiatric hospital but we do not know why. Slowly her story unravels as she writes in a notebook about the other patients in the adolescent ward and reflects on the events that brought her there. She writes about the political and financial scandal surrounding her dad's corporation and what it had to do with her beloved dog, Checkers.

In this book Marsden explores children having adult responsibilities and blame unfairly thrust upon them through the flashbacks. In the present he explores identity and mental disorders in teens, including obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, and (male) anorexia. I always find her fellow patients interesting. For some reason I have always found Esther particularly memorable, who believes that she has an animal living in her head.

Checkers is a very brief read. My edition is only 123 pages long. Despite being so short it draws me in each and every time without fail. It is a book that I revisit frequently and I definitely recommend it as an easy introduction to the writings of the master of Australian young adult fiction, John Marsden.

Hamlet by John Marsden

Challenges:
I read this book as part of the Aussie Author Challenge.

Terra

Thank you Velvet from vvB32 Reads for the Humane Award.

1. What Book Is That
   
2. The O.W.L
   
3. Demonic Attractions
   
4. My World... In Pages and Words
   
5. Books and Things
   
6. Escape Between the Pages
   
7. The Book Nerd Club
   
8. We Adore A Happy Ending
   
9. The Wobbly Bookstack
10. YA Book Queen
    

Terra

Eleven-year-old Arlen lives with his parents on their small farmstead, half a day's ride away from the isolated hamlet of Tibbet's Brook.

As dusk falls upon Arlan's world, a strange mist rises from the ground, a mist carrying nightmares to the surface. A mist that promises a violent death to any foolish enough to brave the coming darkness. For hungry corelings - demons that cannot be harmed by mortal weapons - materialize from the vapours to feed on the living. As the sun sets, people have no choice but to take shelter behind magical wards and pray that their protection holds until the creatures dissolve with the first signs of dawn.

When Arlen's life is shattered by the demon plague, he is forced to see that it is fear, rather than the demons, which truly cripples humanity. Believing that there is more to his world than to live in constant fear, he must risk leaving the safety of his wards to discover a different path.

In the small town of Cutter's Hollow, Leesha's perfect future is destroyed by betrayal and a simple lie. Publicly shamed, she is reduced to gathering herbs and tending an old woman more fearsome than the corelings. Yet in her disgrace, she becomes the guardian of dangerous ancient knowledge.

Orphaned and crippled in a demon attack, young Rojer takes solace in mastering the musical arts of a Jongleur, only to learn that his unique talent gives him unexpected power over the night.
Together, these three young people will offer humanity a last, fleeting chance of survival.

I loved reading The Painted Man (also published in some places as The Warded Man). Peter V. Brett has made a fantastic debut with it. It was action-packed and fast paced right from the start. Brett takes us on an exciting journey, following the early lives of our three heroes. It could be argued that the origins of each of the mean characters is a bit cliché but I felt they grew beyond any clichés to each become interesting and well characterised people. I thought that Arlen's journey, in particular, was the tale that drew me in the most.

In some ways this first book, in what is promised to be a trilogy, is the set up for the coming books. We see how circumstances befall normal children in this world and how these events set them on a unique path. But for a book that sets things up it is riveting and presents a new world to explore that is both exciting and frightening. If this is just the start of things to come, I am so excited to see what Brett brings us next!

Brett's world is offers a vast array of cultures with much to explore and offers much by way of discussion of the differing roles of women and men in each of them. Some people may dislike some of the female roles presented but there was never a time when I felt that it was out of context.

I cannot wait to read the sequel, Desert Spear, when it comes out!

Peter V Brett also has an excellent website filled with fascinating bits and pieces including art, deleted scenes, and his own blog. Definitely go take a look!
www.petervbrett.com
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss


I am experimenting with a new format today, including a recomendation of other books I think that you would like if you like the sounds of this one. Any thoughts or feelings on the new format? Should I stick to it or keep the old one?

Terra