Top Ten Tuesday-Super Sidekicks 8/27/13

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday, brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish is all about memorable secondary characters. You know, those best friends, beloved pets, and sidekicks who often steal the show (and our hearts).

1. Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston from What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton. There is definitely more than meets the eye with this A/V kid. I loved Corey and I promise you will too. He’s one of the good guys.

2. Bex, Liz, and Macey from The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter. These ladies are everything a teenaged spy needs in a best friend/roommate/co-operative.

3. Magnus Bane (and Henry) from The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. Obviously Magnus, because he is fabulous, but also sweet, sweet Henry. The only time I have ever put down a book in rage was while reading Clockwork Princess. If you have read it you probably know exactly the moment I am talking about.

4. Halt (and Tug) from The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan. I love Halt and his gruff, dry wit. Of course, it is often Tug, the clever little horse, who steals the show. I have to confess that I have cried over that little horse.

5. Zuzana from The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Liani Taylor. She is one tiny firecracker and she always has Karou’s back. I love her no-nonsense attitude.

6. Wilf from the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness. Wilf is a tiny ray of goodness in a series full of ugliness.

7. Lucy from The Drake Chronicles by Alyxandra Harvey. This is still my favorite vampire series and Lucy is still my favorite human companion. She sassy, snarky, and holds the spotlight in a room full of hot vampire brothers.

8. Xemerius, the gargoyle demon from the Ruby Red trilogy by Kerstin Gier. He is a cranky little invisible dude. And he is hilarious.

9. Balder, the garden gnome from Going Bovine by Libba Bray. Balder totally steals the show. Best road trip partner ever.

10. Finally, my all-time favorite non-human sidekick will always be Bovril, the perspicacious loris from the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld. He is a cheeky little fellow.

Happy Reading!

˜Megan

Mondays With Megan Read-a-Thons Galore 8/26/13

Is it really Monday already? Here in Rocky River it’s the last Monday before school starts. Ready or not, here they come! I spent the last week of summer participating in a couple of read-a-thons, so let’s just skip to the wrap-ups.

First up, The Gallagher Girls Read-a-thon, hosted by Books As You Know It. Last week we read book 3 in the series, Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover.

While the books themselves are all sorts of fun and games, the reality is that the life of a spy is dangerous and that lesson really hits home in this third book. Everyone is on high alert after one a kidnapping attempt and Cammie and her friends are having a hard time coping. They are learning that appearances can be deceiving and trusting the wrong person can be deadly. There are lots of questions and the few answers that the young spies get point to an even darker secret than anyone could have imagined. The tension is building and I am can’t wait to dig into Only the Good Spy Young!

Last week was also Bout of Books 8.0. I really started off strong, but things kind of fizzled out at the end when my weekend became unexpectedly busy! I did not make my goal of getting back on pace with my Goodreads goal (so, so close though. I am now only 1 book off pace.) and I didn’t read either of my graphic novels. They just did not appeal to me at all. I also didn’t visit a single other blog. So lame. Good things there is always another opportunity to do better!

On the bright side, my It’s Monday! What Are You Reading list is huge.

Thanks to Book Journey and Teach Mentor Texts for hosting!

Finished:

  

I am on a roll wrapping up series this year. I breezed through Infinityglass, the final book in the Hourglass series by Myra McEntire. All sorts of questions were answered in this satisfying ending, but it was not my favorite of the three. Still, a solid conclusion. I also finished an advanced copy of This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales. This newest offering is a little darker and heavier than her previous books, but it is just as awesome. Loved this one. Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein is a middle grade book that is being compared to Willy Wonka. If Willy Wonka had a library this would be it! Loved this charming library-themed mystery. I now have one more Stephanie Plum book to read before I am all caught up. Do I detect a hint of personal growth? Finally? Please? And finally, I finished listening to The Prisoner of Heaven, a companion book to The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

Current Audio:

I just started The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. I am interested to see if it lives up to the hype.

Currently Reading:

I think I have a nice balance of truly horrifying (Shadows) and light and fun.

Happy Reading!

˜Megan

Top Ten Tueday-Things that Make Blogging Easier

This week the Broke and the Bookish have asked about the things that make our blogging lives easier. I am not sure I can come up with ten things. Let’s give it a whirl! I have a feeling the lists today are going to be very similar.

1. Goodreads.com. My virtual bookshelf and task master. I am not very tech savvy, so I was super excited to learn how to link my reading shelf to the blog.

2. NetGalley.com. I am always to excited when I am approved for a digital galley! I have been slacking this summer, but normally reading these ARCs motivates me to blog reviews.

3. Librarything.com. I use this site for all of my cover images. They seem to be the perfect size to insert into a post.

4. Weekly memes. Right now I am guaranteed to get two posts a week in because I participate in two memes. Sometimes that is all I have time for. On Mondays I participate in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey and Teach Mentor Texts. And of course Tuesdays is all about the Top Ten lists!

5. Read-a-thons. I am so thankful for other book bloggers for hosting awesome read-a-thons. Currently my favorites are Bout of Books and Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon. Read-a-thons are a great way to get to know other bloggers and make a dent in that giant TBR list.

6. My job. I love being a Teen Librarian. I get to do a lot of fun things with my teen patrons and this blog is the perfect format for showing off all that fun.

7. The Reading Room. Ok, so this is a shameless plug, but I really do love The Reading Room and I am proud of all the hard work my colleagues and I put into maintaining this database. I always check here when I am writing reviews and want to add a list of Readalikes.

I think that’s it. I am off to check out what others are using. I am sure I’ll find some great new tips.

Happy Reading!

˜Megan

Mondays With Megan-Beaches, Spies, and Bout of Books 8.0

I am ending the summer on a high note. I finally made it out to my aunt’s house for a beach day. She has lived in a little cottage on the shores of Lake Erie for my entire life. Her backyard is a small patch of pebbly beach and it’s a little piece of heaven. It’s just not summer without a day of swimming and hunting for sea glass. Somethings you just don’t outgrow.

Ok. On to Monday business. I am participating in two read-a-thons this week!

We are entering week three of the Gallagher Girls read-a-thon, hosted by Books As You Know It. This week we are reading Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter.

Today is also the beginning of Bout of Books 8.0, hosted by Bout of Books.

In case you are interested, you can see my goals for the week here.

Finally, it’s time to check in with Book Journey and Teach Mentor Texts for another It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? list.

Finished:

My favorites from this bunch are Joyland by Stephen King and The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. Talk about fantastic storytelling! Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter was reread for me. It was fun to go back to the beginning and relive the introduction of Zack. Things are really going to take off now! Drama by Raini Telgemeier was kind of a letdown after Smile. The artwork wonderful, but I found the story to be lacking. I found the characters to be clichéd and stereotypical. Finally, I tore through Infinityglass, the final book in the Hourglass trilogy by Myra McEntire. It was a nice, solid ending, but I think the first book is still my favorite.

Current Audio:

Currently Reading:

Yeah, I’m busy!

On Deck:

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein and Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein are definitely on the top of my TBR list.

Happy Reading!

˜Megan

Getting Ready For Bout of Books 8.0

YAY Read-a-thons! I have signed up for another round of Bout of Books. The week-long event starts on Monday (8/19) and it’s time to start setting some goals. If you aren’t signed up yet, I suggest you get busy. Then, grab this handy template and start planning your week.

Time Devoted to Reading

This one is easy. I read and listen everyday! I know that I will not be able to finish my audio books, but I am going to try complete the four books and two graphic novels listed.

My Goals

• My primary goal for this week is to get caught up on my Goodreads reading goal. I am still a couple of books behind. Turns out that this was my #1 goal during BoB 7.0.
• Visit and comment on some new-to-me blogs

Books to Read

Books:

• Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
• The Coldest Girl in Cold Town by Holly Black
• Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
• Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich (started)

Graphic Novels:

• War Brothers by Sharon E. McKay
• Kill Shakespeare, vol. 1 by Conor McCreery

e-books:

• This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales (started)
• Shadows by Ilsa Bick (started)

Audiobooks:

• Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
• The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (started)

Updates

Monday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 210
Number of minutes I’ve listened today: 60
Total number of books I’ve finished: 0
Books:

• Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
• The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
• Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
• Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Tuesday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 182
Number of minutes I’ve listened today: 80
Total number of books I’ve finished: 1
Books:

• Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
• The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
• Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
• Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Wednesday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 259
Number of minutes I’ve listened today: 41
Total number of books I’ve finished: 2
Books:

• The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
• Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
• Shadows by Ilsa Bick
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
• Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Thursday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 110
Number of minutes I’ve listened today: 75
Total number of books I’ve finished: 2
Books:

• The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• Shadows by Ilsa Bick
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
• Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Friday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 227
Number of minutes I’ve listened today: 70
Total number of books I’ve finished: 3
Books:

• The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• Shadows by Ilsa Bick
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein
• Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

Saturday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 104
Number of minutes I’ve listened today: 90
Total number of books I’ve finished: 3
Books:

• The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

Sunday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 136
Number of minutes I’ve listened today: 20
Total number of books I’ve finished: 4
Books:

• The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
• The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey

Number of pages read: 1,228
Number of minutes listened: 436 (or 7.25 hours!)
Number of books finished: 4

Not bad!

Top Ten Tuesday-Favorite Settings 8/13/13

This week The Broke and The Bookish asked us to pick a setting and list our favorite books with that setting. I am tweaking this one a little. I selected a few of my favorite types of settings and listed a few books in those categories.

FOREIGN LANDS. I don’t have a lot of world travel experience, but I can always count on a book to take me away!

1. Ireland

I love Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. Each book in the series is a riveting psychological thriller, but my favorite thing about the series is the setting. I have never been to Ireland, but French describes Dublin in such vivid detail that the city comes alive. It’s as if Dublin itself is a character in the story.

2. Czech Republic

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is the only book I have ever read that is set in Prague. The unique setting makes this one stand out in a crowd.

3. Australia

It’s a toss-up between Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta and I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. I must admit that one Ed Kennedy plays a big role in latter being on the list.

SPECIAL SCHOOLS. Thank you J.K. Rowling for introducing me to the joys of Hogwarts! I now have a special fondness for boarding school settings. Here are a few of my favorites:

4. The Arkwell Academy is home to a variety of magickind, including Dusty Everhart, the only Nightmare at the school. This was a fun debut by a local (Ohio) author!

5. Hanover School for Expecting Teen Mothers is a spaceship! Seriously. I LOVED this book and can’t wait for more!

6. Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a top-secret spy school for awesome girls.

ON THE ROAD. I LOVE road trip books so much. These two are truly gems:

7. Going Bovine by Libba Bray is so delightfully bizarre.

8. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson is the opposite. Nothing weird here, just a lot of sweet fun.

DISTURBING SETTINGS. I just invented this category so that I could include some of my favorite disturbing books. It feels weird saying that.

9. The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith. Marbury is a horrifying place, and yet I could not put this book down. Of course, I am still too scared to read the sequel, Passenger, but I will some day.

10. Gone by Michael Grant. Perdido Beach is a hot mess and even though the series is finished, I am still freaked out about all the sh*t that when down under that barrier.

Happy Reading!

˜Megan

Mondays With Megan-Spy School Week 2 8/12/13

It’s week 2 of The Gallagher Girls Read-a-thon, hosted by Books As You Know It.

Last week I revisited I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You. This is where the magic beginnings! In retrospect I realize that this is not the best book in the series. It’s a quick, fun beginning, but it is so different from the books that follow. My favorite things about this one are getting to know the school itself and meeting the characters. The Gallagher Academy is full of surprises and the secrets we learn in book one are just the tip of the iceberg. I love the quirky professors, the fine dining in the cafeteria, and the long list of useful items allegedly invented by some clever spy girls. I also realized that despite not being a fan of Josh, he is a very important tool and his role was necessary to move Cammie and the series forward. If you haven’t started the Gallagher Girls series, I suggest you get busy. If you read the first book and never continued, I assure you that each book is better than the last! I am looking forward to digging into Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy this week.

Moving on to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? Thanks to Book Journey and Teach Mentor Texts for hosting!

Finished:

Man, I killed it last week! If I keep this up I may get back on track with my reading goal! I have yet to be disappointed by A.S. King. In Everybody Sees the Ants she tackles bullying. I love how she weaves magical realism into her stories. I also love how she writes adults-just like real life. None are perfect. Some totally suck, others try their best. I can’t wait for Reality Boy! After seeing The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt on a bunch of blogs I just had to see for myself what the fuss was all about. Oh boy, was this an adorable and hilarious little picture book. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up (even if you don’t have a young one to share it with!). I finally finished Monsters of Men, the final book in the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness. This stuff is brilliant! It was powerful and disturbing and left me with a lot to think about. Finally, I zipped through an ARC of Emerald Green, the final book in that adorable Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier. There were plenty of surprises and clever twists, but I wish it wasn’t over! Finally, I read Bayou vol 1 & 2 by Jeremy Love. The artwork is gorgeous and the story is a dark and bizarre blend of Southern folklore, and African-American history and folklore. I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought is was pretty cool. I wish volume 3 was published.

Current Audio:

Oh, The Secret Keeper…I am loving this one. The suspense is killing me! I also started Joyland by Stephen King. A creepy carnival seems to be an appropriate end-of-summer book.

Currently Reading:

I had my fill of dark and disturbing for a while. I all about light and fun this week so I will be continuing with the Gallagher Girls read-a-thon. Stephanie Plum is also a nice, predictable comic relief. I am finally going to start Shadows, the second book in the Ashes trilogy. Monsters comes out in September and I want to be ready!

Happy Reading!

˜Megan

What Did YOU Read This Summer?

Summer reading ended this week at the library and the reality of back to school time is slowly sinking in. I had a really great turn out for the Teen Summer Reading Program and I thought I would share some of the books that were read. This year I asked readers to tell me what they read, whether they loved, liked it, or didn’t like and then describe the book in three words. I have really enjoyed reading all the responses. This year Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling win the popularity contest. This does not surprise me at all. Everyone should spend time with Percy Jackson and Harry Potter and summer is the perfect time to revisit old favorites. I was also pleased to see that many readers enjoyed their assigned summer reading. Books such as The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, Bystander by James Preller, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson all got high praise. Here are some more favorites:

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

What teens are saying: Divergent is Exciting, Powerful, AWESOME, Surprising, Thrilling, and Adventurous. Insurgent is Intense, Mind-boggling, Amazing, Surprising, and Cute.

Freak the Mighty by W.R. Philbrick

What they are saying: Freak the Mighty is Inspiring, Triumphant, and Funny!

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

What they are saying: Thirteen Reasons Why is Sad, Mysterious, and Suspenseful.

What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

One reader calls this one “Clever, Different, and Hopeful.”

Cardboard by Doug TenNapel.

I have to agree with this three-word description: “Really, really good!”

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

Mark this one down for a Halloween read because it is ” Mysterious, Scary, and Adventurous!”

When We Wake by Karen Healey

According to one reader, this one is “Futuristic, Eerie, and Action-Packed”

Other teen favorites included The Rangers Apprentices series by John Flanagan (YAY!), The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman, The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter, and both Cassandra Clare series.

MY favorites? That’s tough!

I didn’t get to read as much as I wanted this summer, but the things I did read were amazing!

For those of you who love library stats as much as I do, I had a total of 117 teens participate in summer reading. They read a total of 316 books.

Happy Reading!

˜Megan

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish Had Sequels 8/6/13

This week The Broke and the Bookish want to know which standalone books should have had a sequel. Were there unresolved issues? Was the world so amazing you wanted to stay there longer? This is a tough one! Sometimes it is just perfect to be a standalone. Not everything needs to be a series. Besides, to make a sequel there has to be a new conflict and if a book has a satisfying ending I would hate to see my favorite characters struggle again. That being said, I am heading off to my Goodreads shelves to see if anything jumps out at me.

1. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley. I loved this charming memoir and I am sure the author has many more delicious stories to share. I hope she does!

2. Also Known As by Robin Benway. With my beloved Gallagher Girls series wrapping up this year there will be a spy-girl shaped void in my life. I hope this is just the beginning of a new series!

3. 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I was surprised to find that when I reached the end of this enormous book I was not ready for it to be over. The past got all the attention in this one, but I think that there is a whole new world left undeveloped.

4. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. But…what happens to them???

5. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken. I refuse to believe that there is not more for North and Sydelle. I was so sorely disappointed with Darkest Minds. Maybe someday she will revisit their story? Please?

6. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. Young Calpurnia was such a plucky character. I would love to know more about her as I have no doubt that she will have many adventures.

7. Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern. The inner nerd has been released. I want more of the embracing it!

8. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.

To be perfectly honest, I read this so long ago that I don’t remember how it ended, but I do remember it being funny. I think Frankie was a bit of a firecracker and I would follow her pranking career if there were more.

9. How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller.

This book was so compelling and disturbing. I was fortunate to read an ARC, so I only recently learned about how the final version was compromised. Seriously. I really hope there will be a sequel!

Runners up:

Happy Reading!

˜Megan

Mondays With Megan-Spy Girls Rule! 8/5/13

Today is the first day of the Gallagher Girls Read-a-thon, hosted by Books As You Know It. I am really excited to start at the beginning again. I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You will be me night-time read all week. What a fun way to end the day and a perfect way to spend the remaining days until the long-awaited final book…42 days and counting.

Finished:

Smile by Raina Telegemeier is an awesome middle grade graphic novel. It got plenty of hype a while back and it was well-deserved. How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski was the summer road trip book I was most looking forward to reading. Sadly, it was just kind of meh. Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young was a quick, fun read that reminded me of the choose your own adventure books that I loved as a kid. Add this to the long list of reviews I need to right…

Current Audio:

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton will be appearing on many Monday lists…it is 20 hours long! I am only a few chapters in, but I know this is going to be an awesome story. I also started Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King. I have read and love Please Ignore Vera Dietz and Ask The Passengers. I am half way through and it is just as wonderful.

Currently Reading:

Yeah, that’s right! I know all the right people and am so lucky to have an ARC of Emerald Green, the third book in the Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier! Of course this means that I may not get around to quickly rereading Cinder. Oh well. I am still working my way through Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness. It is really long and heavy. Also, there is a new POV that is kind of throwing me off. It is so good, but I am just not flying through it like the others.

Abandoned:

Last week I abandoned Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta. I was listening to the audio book and one of the discs just was not cooperating. I realized that I was not invested enough in the story to try to make it work or get the print copy. I may got back to it someday, but not right now.

Happy Reading!

˜Megan