Books & Beyond

by Patrick Ness a 1 minute Book Talk

Hi Everyone! I wanted to let you know about some new additions you will be seeing to the Teen Blog in the coming weeks. First of all is the change in the Teen Librarian position.  I became the new teen librarian earlier this month, and am filling the pretty impressive shoes left behind by my predecessor, Eileen Lawson.  I am incredibly excited to take over this position and carry on our great traditions serving the teens of Coronado. One big addition you will be seeing to the blog is a weekly 1 minute (or less) book talk.  The books will vary, and will basically depend on what I've read recently that I was excited about, though more stringent requirements for what gets talked about will come later on.  The first one will be posted today.  Let me know what you think! I'm looking forward to posting book reviews, program information, and upcoming events for teens not only at the library but around town as well.  In th...

I never dreamed that the Iron Fey series would continue through Ethan.  In the first of Kagawa's books, The Iron King , Ethan Chase is kidnapped and taken to the Nevernever.  His older sister, Meghan, a half human-half fey seventeen year old girl, is being drawn into the hidden world of the fey for her powers.  The fey knew she would never abandon her then four year old brother.  This was a sure way to get to Meghan.  In the Lost Prince , Ethan now seventeen has the gift of sight --- he is as aware of the fey as they are of him even though he is all human.  That's where the trouble and fun begins.  Ethan takes us for a ride through the Nevernever and into New York City.  The next book cannot come out quickly enough!!  Julie Kagawa is a terriffic storyteller ~ if you haven't already read these books add them to your list of things to do.

Young adult literature is currently focused on dystopian themes e.g.  The Hunger Games or Matched where governments control every aspect of society. A contrast to that would be a utopian society as the theme for a teen novel.  One might instantly think that that would be better but you might be in for a surprise!  Consider reading an older but intriguing novel by Lois Lowry.  She began writing for children in the late 1970's and published her first book, A Summer To Die , in 1977.  Her ideas for characters seem to appear to her and from there she sculpts a story.  The Giver was published in 1993 and Lois won her second Newberry Medal for this book.  The Giver is an incredible story about a future world where people are sheltered from the pain of everyday life.  Never experiencing pain might sound appealing but in so doing these people are unknowingly robbed of experiencing their feelings, the ma...

Looking for a scary book for Halloween?  Check out some of these titles and get spooked!! Anna Dressed in Blood   by Kendare Blake. Coraline by   P. Craig Russell, Neil Gaiman Demonglass : a Hex Hall novel by Rachel Hawkins Forest of the Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan The Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz

There doesn't seem to be an end to the list of hot new game releases for xBox and PS3.  Either format will support your wildest dreams for action and adventure. XBox release dates : Sleeping Dogs due on August 14 Borderlands 2 due on September 18 Dishonored due on October 9th XCOM: Enemy Unknown due on October 9th Assassin's Creed III due on October 30th Need for Speed: Most Wanted due on October 30th Halo 4 due on November 6th Dance Central 3 due out Holiday 2012 Gears of War: Judgement due out in early 2013 PS3 upcoming release dates: Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 due August 2012 Damage Inc: Pacific Squadron WWII due August 2012 Transformers: Fall of Cybertron due August 2012 Borderlands 2 due September 2012 Medal of Honor: Warfighter due October 2012 007 Legends due October 2012 Splinter Cell: Blacklist due out early 2013 Aliens: Colonial Marines due out early 2013

Get cooking this summer!! Check out (literally) these new cookbooks in the Teen library: The Ultimate STUDENT Cookbook by Tiffany Goodall, The Clueless Vegetarian or Clueless in the Kitchen by Evelyn Raab                                                                                                                                                          and for really fun deserts try 175 Best Babycakes Recipes by Kathy Moore & Roxanne Wyss.

Check out some of the newest cds to be added to the Teen collection. Mary Blige: My Life II ... The Journey Continues (Act 1) The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond Tim McGraw: Emotional Traffic David Nail: The Sound of a Million Dreams

In a world turned inside-out and upside-down, the unconscionable government of Panem selects twenty-four children from its territories to brutally fight one another until only one remains.  In the mining territory, Prim is rescued by her sister, Katniss, when she volunteers to take Prim's place in the nationally televised  Hunger Games.   Katniss is a strong and resourceful character with a survivor's instinct.  Peeta, also from the mining territory, is the gentle, understanding type.  The relationships between characters are real and draw you into the plot.  The action is fast paced and the dilemmas daunting.  This is one book you cannot put down.

Looking for a good mystery?  Look no further .... here are two with a third on the way.  The Agency: A Spy in the House is the first mystery in a series of three by Y.S. Lee.  The books are set in Victorian London at a time when you could be executed for stealing.  Such was the life of Mary Quinn a young girl orphaned and left to somehow make a life for herself.  Mary stole to survive!!  Then, she was caught and ultimately rescued by Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls.  So with a new identity and education Mary began life as a spy in London.  The second book The Agency: The Body at the Tower continues the brief but heartfelt romance between Mary and James.  The third and last book in the series is due out at the end of this month.  Hopefully, The Agency: The Traitor and the Tunnel will answer some of my lingering questions about Mary Quinn!!       

If you're looking for a good book try The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.  Jay Asher is the New York Times bestselling author of Th1rteen R3asons Why  and Carolyn Mackler is the Printz Honor winning author of The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things .  The story is set in 1996 when the internet is brand new and AOL is the internet provider of choice.  When Josh gives his next door neighbor, Emma, an AOL disc to install on her new laptop neither one of them expects to run into something called Facebook .  It takes time and patience for Emma and Josh to realize that Facebook is offering them a glimpse at their lives fifteen years in the future.  Josh loves his wife and his life in 2011 while Emma is completely distressed by the choices she has made and the life she seems destined to live.  Or, can history be changed?