Virals by Kathy Reichs

For those of you who are familiar with the TV series Bones and like forensic science, mystery and suspense this book series is for you. Kathy Reichs has created a new character named Tory Brennan who is 14 years old and has just lost her mother in a terrible car accident. Now she must adjust to not only the death of her mom but moving in with her father in South Carolina who she does not know. She now lives on an island where her 3 best friends are boys by names of Hi, Shelton and Ben.

These very curious teens find themselves in an unusual experience when they rescue a wolf pup from a science lab and find dog tags that belong to a girl who has been missing for 25 years. What they don’t seem to realize is the wolf pup was being used in an illegal parvovirus experiment. This parvovirus which is normally only contiguous to other dogs has been altered and is now contiguous to humans as well. Along with contracting the parvovirus, which makes them terribly sick, they also start to unravel the mystery of a young girl who was murdered 25 years ago.

To throw more into the mix Tory and her friends survive the altered virus only to deal with strange changes to their DNA. As they try and figure out what has happened to them and how to fix it they also start to realize the have upset someone of great power and importance. Soon the hunter becomes the hunted!

I encourage you to click the link below to watch an interview with the author Kathy Riechs and a review for the book that might just give you a little more incentive to try a new series that has mystery and suspense with a teen type of twist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI6aA0giq8g&NR=1

http://www.watchmojo.com/index.php?id=9011

Nightshade, by Andrea R. Cremer is a new take on werewolves, so you know I (as the Kitabu resident supernatural reader) was all about checking this book out!

Calla is a werewolf, or more accurately a Guardian. In her world Guardians are the protectors of a group of witches referred to as Keepers. The Keepers support the Guardians in return for their super strength, healing, and ability to change into pretty awesome wolves. Calla is pretty resigned to her life as the Alpha of the Nightshade pack. She accepts her fate a powerful Guardian. Everything in her life is planned out for her. When she turns 18 she’ll be married to Ren, Alpha of the Bane pack and they will form a new pack with the other young wolves of the two packs. She knows this is her future- Ren and doing whatever the Keepers ask of them. Calla accepts this, until Shay shows up.

First, if you want to check out a little bit of the book, check out this excerpt.

So, Calla saves Shay from being killed, even though doing so goes against the Keepers. Then she begins to question her future. What are they guarding? What if she doesn’t want to marry Ren? Why can’t Guardians make their own choices in life?

I’m pretty torn on how I feel about this book. It’s the first in a series, so this book doesn’t really have an ending (which I HATE!). Also, this particular breed of werewolf has it pretty easy. Shifting is easy. Turning a human in to a werewolf is easy. There really isn’t much of a downside to being a werewolf except for practically being a slave to the Keepers. I enjoyed the story and I really liked the characters, but there were definitely parts of this book that bothered me, like the lack of ending and the ease with which becoming a werewolf occurs.

I did really like the world Cremer created. The werewolf lore is totally different from anything I have ever read. I liked that the wolves are warriors who protect the Keepers. Nightshade is a totally different werewolf story.

What do you think? Have you read the book? Did you like this new take on werewolves?

In, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, by Lish McBride Sam is a pretty typical guy. He works at a fast food place with his best friends. He rides a skateboard; he struggles with whether or not to go back to college. What’s not so normal about Sam? He just found out he’s a necromancer with control over the dead.

I LOVED this book. Firstly, the main characters reminded me so much of some of my friends. In fact, Sam discovers he’s a necromancer after playing potato hockey at work. Sam and his best friend Ramon are outside of their fast food job playing hockey with a potato from the restaurant when they accidentally hit someone’s car. The guy turns out to be a dangerous necromancer who realizes that Sam is a necromancer as well. I loved this part of the book because I could totally picture this happening. A million years ago when my husband was in high school he worked at Burger King. He and his best friend Jeremy used to play hockey with breakfast biscuits, so apparently if you work at a fast food place you must play hockey with the food!

Anyway, I digress. I also loved this book because it was just plain funny. Ramon is one of the best characters I have read in a while, and Sam is also pretty great. These two characters are pretty typical guys who are thrown in a supernatural world they never knew existed.

This book has all of the best things in a book: supernatural creatures, humor, fast food shenanigans! Check out this book trailer and let me know if you love this book as much as I did!

For my favorites list this year, I decided to focus more on what I read and loved this year, as opposed to what year it came out. I’m sure there are tons more that I need to read, I fell a bit short on my list this year with reading as many books as I want to. Working in a library, you hear all day about books you HAVE to read, and it gets stressful! I don’t give full out reviews here, mainly because I’m listing my favorite books of the year, so do I need to tell you why they’re awesome? No! They are because I (and lots of other people) said so. That doesn’t mean they’ll be awesome to you obviously, so I won’t judge you if you don’t like my list. Please feel free to add your favorites in the comments below.

Without further ado, my favorite books read in 2011…

	Everybody Sees the Ants By:  A.S. King This is only the 2nd A.S. King book I’ve read, but I already feel like I wouldn’t hesitate to call her one of my favorite authors. I’m working on a full review for this, but in the meantime, pick it up!
	Divergent By: Veronica Roth Another book to read if you are a Hunger Games fan, and they already sold movie rights. This is a fast paced read with lots of action.
	I’ll Be There By: Holly Goldberg Sloan I’m not even sure what style this book is written it, but it was breathtaking. I loved each character so much. It had a definite storytelling vibe to it. There were lots of pages I read over and over just because they were so nicely written. LOVED IT!
	Between Shades of Gray By: Ruta Sepetys I had the privilege of hearing Ruta speak last year, and she is an amazing speaker. This is a story that needed to be told, you can read my full review here.
	The Knife of Never Letting Go By: Patrick Ness This is the first book in the Chaos Walking trilogy, and the series is absolutely amazing. If you are a Hunger Games fan, you must pick this up! I think as a whole, I actually enjoyed this series more, just by a hair.
	A Monster Calls By: Patrick Ness inspired by Siobhan Dowd Apparently Patrick Ness is the man. The idea for this book was started by the late Siobhan Dowd, and Patrick Ness picked up where she left off and finished the book. I actually picked it up because I love Siobhan Dowd’s books so much. If you haven’t read any, you must!
	The Sky is Everywhere By: Jandy Nelson This was a gorgeous story about grief and love, and, oh, those Fontaine boys.
	Badd By: Tim Tharp Speaking of favorite authors, add Tim Tharp to that list! I’ve loved everything I’ve ever read by him, and this is no exception.  This one is about a girl coping with her brother’s return from war.
	Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares By: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan This is a great winter read. It was such a sweet book, and I loved the whole concept.  It was on my “to read” list last year, and now that I’ve actually read it, I can definitely recommend it.

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but Werewolves are my favorite supernatural creature. Is that weird that I have a favorite supernatural creature? Oh well, I do, and it’s werewolves. I like werewolves because, unlike vampires, they are still alive. They still have their traces of humanity. Also, they turn into wolves once a month and wolves are pretty awesome. Maybe I like werewolves because when I was a kid we had a dog that was part wolf and he was the best dog ever. I don’t know. But I do know no vampire ever looked this good in jean shorts.

Anyway, when Alaska posted awhile ago about a new book by Maggie Stiefvater called Shiver which would be the first book in the Mercy Falls series, I was super excited to read the book. This series featured a different kind of werewolf. As Alaska explained, in Mercy Falls the wolves aren’t controlled by the moon. Instead they are controlled by the weather. Cold weather = wolf. In Shiver we meet Sam and Grace who are basically the Romeo and Juliet of the werewolf world. Grace is obsessed with wolves. Sam becomes a wolf. Very cool stuff.

The third and final book in the Mercy Falls saga was recently released so I thought we needed to revisit this series. In the second book, Linger, we meet a new character: Cole. A character from Shiver, Isabel also becomes more important to the story. Just like in Shiver, Linger is a lot about love. In the second book, Sam and Grace are still figuring out how to be together even though some of their problems have changed (I would say more, but I don’t want to give too much away for those of you who haven’t read the book). I actually enjoyed Linger the most of the three books. Cole is a great new character. He has a lot of his own demons to grapple with, and he really made the story more interesting. He’s a new wolf with an interesting past, and his introduction into the Mercy Falls pack could change everything for the wolves. (Read a short teaser of Linger here. Or listen to the author read from the book here!)

In the final book in the series, Forever, Sam and Grace are still going strong as a couple- despite one of them being a wolf and the other staying a human. There are a whole new bunch of complications to their relationship (including the townspeople deciding they need to kill all the wolves to keep the town safe!). Cole also really comes into his own in this book. This time, he’s focused on finding a cure to their werewolf affliction. This was one of my favorite parts of the book. I loved this moody character suddenly trying to do right by other people, and trying to do something good.

I really like this entire series. Just like Alaska said in her original post, these books are supernatural, but they are also a little realistic. You could believe these characters. Even though some of the situations are a little crazy (like half of them turning into wolves if they get too cold) readers can still relate to them. So, if you haven’t read Shiver yet- you should. And then you need to read the other two books because this is one really different werewolf series.

Also, check out this cool book trailer for Shiver. The song is actually based on a song that Sam writes for Grace in the books. How cool is that?

So what do you think? Do you like this different kind of werewolf?

Nocturne: A Claire de Lune Novel
By Christine Johnson

Another werewolf book in this series.  Just in time, because if you watched Breaking Dawn Part 1 and it left you feeling like you could use a little more wolf-time - this is your book.  No, it doesn’t involve Jacob taking off his shirt, and it is told from a girl’s point of view, but this is part two of the first in the Claire de Lune series by Christine Johnson.  The story picks right up where the last one left off.  Claire couldn’t be happier that her life has finally settled down. She’s been fully initiated into her family’s pack of female werewolves, her best friend Emily is back in town, and she’s finally allowed to be with Matthew, the human love of her life. All she wants to worry about is finding the most gorgeous dress to wear to the Autumn Ball with her perfect boyfriend.  But as Claire knows all too well, the life of a werewolf is never that simple, or that sweet.  When Claire’s human and wolf lives start to collide, her worst nightmares come true. She is hurting her best friend. She has been caught lying. And then the unthinkable happens: Someone discovers Claire’s secret.  If Claire’s werewolf identity is exposed, everyone she knows will be put at risk. And the pack’s response comes at a cost higher than Claire can imagine. Claire will be forced to determine just how far she is willing to go to protect her family, her identity and her life, before she loses it all.

The Hunger Games movie won’t even be released until March of next year, but here at Kitabu we are already pretty obsessed with it. (If you aren’t familiar with the book series, first read our posts about The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay to understand why we love these books, then get to your library ASAP and request a copy of all three books.) When casting started to be announced we were texting, tweeting, messaging on facebook, and talking back and forth for days about each character and who would play them. When stories about the movie are printed we are quick to discuss every aspect of the newest information. We seriously cannot wait for this movie to be released. Yet, I’m a little worried. I can’t wait for this movie. What if they ruin it? Many of us have been torn on some of the cast, but cast isn’t everything. What if they leave out important information? What if the movie is just plain bad? This has me thinking of other great books that really shouldn’t have been made into movies.

Here is a short list of movies based on books I think you should skip. Read the book and forget the movie was ever made- you’ll thank me.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini.

The biggest news when this book came out was the age of the author. He was only a teenager when the book was published. But his inexperience didn’t stop the book from being really good. It’s about a young boy who finds a weird stone. When the stone turns out to be a dragon egg, Eragon finds his life turned upside down as he is thrust into an adventure that legends are made from. The book was entertaining. The movie- not so much.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians- The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan.

I really liked this book series, in fact, I blogged about it here. I was really looking forward to seeing the movie, but when I did I was disappointed. So much was changed or left out that what was left was an OK movie which was really nothing like the awesome book. The movie is OK if you forget it was based on a book, but if you are a fan of the book- skip it. Better yet, skip the movie anyway, just read the book.

The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman.

This is another movie that really just needed to stay a book. Pullman’s story about young Lyra’s quest to save her best friend and other children from being used in gruesome experiments was a fun book set in an alternative universe. The movie? Well, it was pretty bleh. Save yourself the trouble. Read the book, skip the movie.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

Ok, I realize this will be an unpopular opinion. But, seriously. Did you watch this movie? It’s awful!! The special effects are terrible. The acting is even worse. The movie is very true to the book, but that doesn’t make up for just how bad this movie is. Laughing at this movie is basically the only really redeeming quality. I’ll admit the movies have gotten better with each one, but for the first one, save yourself the trouble. Read the book. It may not be the greatest piece of American literature every written, but at least you won’t have to look at Robert Pattinson’s uneven pale make-up.

Of course, there are good movie adaptations too. Hopefully The Hunger Games will be one of those. What do you think? What are your favorite movies based on books? Which movies based on books do you wish you hadn’t been made? Leave me some comments!

When a friend lent me the book, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into. The front and back covers feature weird photographs of creepy looking children. The tagline for the book is, “A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.”

I could tell from the start this was going to be an interesting read.

The most interesting thing about the book are the photographs littered throughout the pages. Jacob has a close relationship with his grandfather, and he always enjoyed the stories his grandfather told him about the peculiar children of his youth when he lived in an orphanage in England. He also loved his grandfather’s stories of monsters. These strange photographs which grace the pages of the book are of the children with strange talents or unusual features.

I generally don’t love book trailers that use actors. They tend to come off a little cheesy, but I like this one because you do get to see a few of the awesome photographs which are featured within the book, so this one is worth watching.

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When Jacob’s grandfather dies a gruesome death, Jacob realizes he may have been telling the truth about the monsters which are in the world, and he set off on a trip to discover the secrets of his grandfather’s past.

His travels lead him to a strange isolated island where he discovers a treasure trove of old photographs that seem to support every strange story his grandfather ever told him. It’s the photographs that really made the book for me. They are weird and fantastic. I love how Riggs was able to weave the story together with the use of the strange images.

This is a really cool book. Its one part history and one part fantasy. I love how Riggs mixes history, photographs, and the abilities of the peculiar children to create an engaging mystery. This is one book that is definitely worth checking out.

So its been three years since Adam and Mia have seen each other. Shocking for anyone who read “If I Stay”. I ended the book thinking they would be together forever. Maybe I’m too positive… Anyways, it’s been three years and they’ve gone separate ways. Adam has become the front man for a hit rock band. He has the life, the money, the girls, the popularity…but he’s miserable. Anyone guess why? He misses Mia! While Adam’s band in the New York for a show it just so happens that Mia is there as well for a Cellist concert. She is a renowned cellist playing Carnegie Hall. Adam goes on whim to see her perform, he plans to just slip in and slip out. But Mia sees him and calls him back to her room and they reconnect. They spend an entire night together catching up on the past three years, Mia’s time in intensive care and her departure to Julliard and mending the wounds left open from when they split.

OMG! I Loved Loved Loved this book! It was told from Mia’s boyfriend Adam’s point of view. Which was amazing! There were so many questions and wanting after I read the first book. Like I said I just assumed they would be together forever. But what really happened was more realistic. There were flashbacks to Mia’s accident, what happened during her recovering and what Adam went through. The reader gets a glimpse of their relationship before the accident and after the accident and what really happens. I loved Adam’s voice. Like the first book, it was written so well. The author has a amazing way of capturing the emotions of the characters and pulling the reader in. I was upset with Mia and her choices. I felt Adam’s anger through out the story, but forgave and came to understand Mia’s choices at the end. Because of the connection I made with the characters, I was along for the journey. This is an amazing experience for readers I think. Has anyone else felt that way? You get so wrapped up in the story and the emotions, you know the character and can feel their emotions. Isn’t it the best feeling??

It was a good old fashioned love story with a happy ending. Something I haven’t read in a really long time. Not only was it a happy ending with lots of fuzzy feelings, the story in between had my attention the entire time and answered all my pending questions from the first book. I was very much emotionally tied to the characters already from the first book, what with my hospital experiences with my husband. But I felt even more connected with the sequel. If you’ve read the first book “If I Stay” this companion is a must!

After I read the book, I went on amazon.com and found a interview with the author about the sequel. I am always surprised and fascinated with the stories behind the story. It always adds to the experience. Check it out here.

Yes, this post is about another fairy book.

I’m not sure why I have found myself reading so many fairy books lately; I’m not even a big fan of fairy books. But, I came across Wings by Aprilynn Pike and the cover said it was a New York Times bestseller, so I decided to give it a try.

I have been trying to write a post about this book since I read it and I have been having a hard time because I can’t decide if I liked the book or not. On the positive side- the fairies are totally different than any kind of fairies I have read about before. In Wings, the main character Laurel wakes up one day to find something growing out of her back. They look like wings, but upon further examination she discovers they are actually petals growing from her back. It turns out Laurel is a fairy. And in this world, fairies are actually living plants. It’s like a much cooler (and less homicidal) version of Audrey 2 from Little Shop of Horrors.

I loved this idea of the living plant fairies. It was a unique take on the fairy world.

On the negative side- well, the characters were a little boring. Laurel was interesting but she was a little flat. Her love interest David wasn’t much better. I didn’t feel really compelled to learn more about either of these characters, even though I liked the plot and the world created in the book.

Overall, it was a pretty fun book. The idea that there could be walking, talking plants living among humans was a pretty cool idea.

What do you think? Do you like this idea of fairies actually being plants? Or do you prefer the traditional otherworldly fairies?