Getting Away from Doom & Gloom

For the past two months or so - I guess caught up in The Hunger Games frenzy - most of the books I've been reading have been about dystopian societies or futuristic novels set in a fragmented United States.  Don't get me wrong, they were good and I recommend them all - Legend by Marie Lu, Numbers by Rachel Ward, Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Line and Away by Teri Hall, The Maze Runner series by James Dasher, and Blood Red Road by Moira Young - but I was depressing myself.  I needed to read something fun but meaningful, something light but not stupidly insulting, something that might make me think but not disheartened.  So, I read Jordan Sonnenblick's new one Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip, good, but a bit like wanting a hot fudge sundae and only having a pop sickle. . . good, but just not quite satisfying.

Then, a new order came in! This innocuous little book - Wonder by R. J. Palacio  - was included. I was craving that book that would meet all my needs. You know how sometimes things are just so good you want to clap and jump and maybe even grab somebody by the front of their shirt and say, "You HAVE to read this!"?  This book did that for me. 

Here is the trailer.

Movies and Things

OK, we know that The Hunger Games movie is coming out soon - March 23rd - to be exact.  Trailer above. I only hope it does not disappoint - you know, "Never judge a book by its movie."

Incarceron Update

The sequel to Incarceron, Sapphique, is now in the library. I finished it last night. It is fast paced, packed with twists and turns in the plot, political intrigue, magic, strange characters - you know, all the characteristics of great fantasy. Finn, Claudia, and Jared are dealing with the dangers in the outside world; Attia and Keiro are dealing with the dangers of Incarceron.

If you love fantasy, read the series. And, if you love this actor - Taylor Lautner - you may be interested to know that he will star in the movie Incarceron. Read the book first - it is always better than the movie.

Another Great Fantasy!

This is fabulous fantasy! Incarceron is a prison. Those imprisoned cannot escape since it has been sealed for centuries. Prisoners do live in cells, in metal forests, decaying cities, and strange wildernesses. Legends say only one has ever escaped this place. Finn is convinced he is from the Outside - that unknown realm that seems to be only a dream.

Claudia is from the Outside; she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. Through a strange series of events, Finn and Claudia communicate through a crystal key. Can she help Finn escape the prison? Is she really Outside? Do they have the strength, courage and conviction to accomplish this feat?


PS The sequel will be released in late December.

Adoration of Jenna Fox

Great read!

Good Girl Read!

The Last Survivor Series

Catching Fire Book Trailer

Just Have to Read!

My good friend, a school librarian in New Hampshire, emailed and asked if I had read The Hunger Games since it was very popular in her middle school. Since I was already ordering titles from the survey on the library home page (THANK YOU!), I ordered a copy. It arrived yesterday; I finished it this morning. All I can say is September is too long to wait for the sequel.