Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett

Ever wonder about Jacob Marley, the reason why Scrooge is visited the three spirits and his soul is saved? Here is the story of what happened with Marley and why he was able to offer Scrooge the chance he did.

This was really well done. It fit nicely with The Christmas Carol. It is written in the same style and tone as the Dickens' tale. The Christmas Carol is one of my favorite holiday stories and I had never really given Marley much thought. He just appeared in the story as a minor character, but really he is very important. Because he is the one who offers Scrooge the chance to redeem himself. I enjoyed reading how Marley really effected Scrooge's life and contributed to Scrooge's attitude and outlook and his overall ruthlessness. This was a wonderful addition to the Dickens' story and it is a great holiday tale.

from NetGalley

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

What if Buffy was only Buffy every other day?  That's pretty much the premise behind this book.  But it's pretty awesome.  Kali is kick ass on some days and on the others she is an ordinary human.  She doesn't know why but on her hunter days she is compelled to seek out the things that go bump in the night and kill them.  But it's one on of her ordinary days that she finds that a classmate is infected with a chupacabra, a virus-like organization that sucks the blood out of people and erases their memories.   Figuring that she can kill it on her hunter day, Kali takes it into her body only needing survive the chupacabra's draining until the next sundown.  But she finds that it's presence changes her in ways she could not predict.  Aided by some new friends, including a sort-of psychic, her older brother and his girlfriend, the girl who originally hosted the chupacabra, Kali begins to seek out the truth behind her origins.

I am a huge Buffy fan.  And I love the idea that superhero is only a superhero some of the time.  It makes the hero(ine) much more interesting.  I was surprised by the direction that this book ultimately takes, but surprised in a good way. Kali legitimately has a reason to complain because basically her life changes from day to day without her control.  And she wants to know if she is alone or if there are others like her.  But she and her dad have a frosty relationship so she can't ask him and tip him off. The answer actually comes from a surprising source and I love that. Kali is a great character whether she is the hunter or not and she is very much a teenager despite her unusual nature.  This is a fun read, not too gory or over the top, but just right with a unique concept.


From NetGalley

The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson

Rory is from a small town in Louisiana, but she moves to London when her parents decided to teach in England for a year.  Luckily she gets a good roommate at her new school and starts figuring out the ways of the English. Less lucky is the fact that someone has started imitating the Ripper murders.  And there is no evidence of who it is despite there being cameras everywhere.  And somehow Rory has started seeing people that no one else can see.  

Annoy a Southerner, and we will drain away the moments of your life with our slow, detailed replies until you are nothing but a husk of your former self and that much closer to death.  p.25

I'm always wary of non-Southerners writing about teens (or really anyone) from Louisiana.  Sometimes it's hard to get right.  And I love Maureen Johnson so I wanted her to get it right.  But the thing about Rory is that she is less Louisianan and more Southerner and more teen than all of that.  And she is a definite fish out of water at her Wexford.  But she manages with the help of her new friends.  The thing about Rory is that she just sort of goes along, just doing what everyone tells her.  She was a little blank for a main character.  I guessing she is suppose to act as proxy for the reader and that would explain it.

But beyond Rory, the story definitely fell on the creepy side of the line.  So much so that I refused to read it before bed as I like sleeping and not dreaming of murders or imagining ghosts in the dark corners of my room.  I don't know much about Jack the Ripper so I did a little research after I started.  The background is explained but I like to know before I start.  I liked the introduction to the mystery and I liked the twist in the middle that changed the story.  It made it different.  I was actually surprised that by whodunit and thought it was set up nicely though the info dump at the end was a little too much.  The set up for the next book was unique and I'm excited to see what happens to Rory in the next book.

350 Page

Queens of All the Earth by Hannah Sternberg (repost)

I've been asked to repost this review since the publication date was moved back.

After a mental breakdown, Olivia Somerset is brought to Barcelona by her stern but loving sister, Miranda for some R&R.  Olivia is drawn to the quiet and strange Greg Brown who is traveling with his father.  And the two families become acquainted after a mix-up with the sister's room and Mr. Brown's offer to switch with them.

If you have ever read A Room with a View, then you will be familiar with the plot of Queens.  There are a few changes here and there, but the basic story is there, just modernized and set in Spain rather than Florence.  Since A Room with a View is one of my favorite classics, I really enjoyed this book.  It is the condensed version and the descriptions of Barcelona are beautiful.  All characters fit their classic counterparts, but there are a few key differences that I liked.  The motivation for the trip comes from Olivia losing touch with reality and having a complete breakdown so her sister kindly travels for a bit of "travel therapy."  And the trip proves therapeutic for the both of them as is wont to happen in these books.  I'm not entirely sure if this is classed as YA or adult, but it really could go either way.  It is an enjoyable book whether or not you have read A Room with a View or not.


Provided by NetGalley
Publish Date: October 1, 2011
Publisher: Bancroft Press
ISBN: 978-1610880329

Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Goodreads: 
Princess Wisdom, known as Dizzy, longs for a life of adventure far beyond the staid old kingdom of Montagne.
Tips, a soldier, longs to keep his true life secret from his family.
Fortitude, an orphaned maid, longs only for Tips.
These three passionate souls might just attain their dreams while preserving Montagne from certain destruction, if only they can tolerate each other long enough to come up with a plan. Tough to save the world when you can't even be in the same room together.

I haven't read Princess Ben so I was unfamiliar with the world and with the character.  I might have to go back and read it because Nonna Ben was pretty fierce.  As was Wisdom.  She was very tenacious and curious and fairly unprincess-like. While she wasn't my favorite character (that honor going to Trudy) she was alright for a princess.  Trudy was the sweetest and the one with the most to lose as an orphaned serving girl with psychic powers.  The love triangle that springs up between Wisdom, Trudy and Tips, Trudy's childhood friend and first love, was inevitable.  But the real meat of the story, for me, was in the intrigue between Wisdom's kingdom and the duchy she is meant to marry into.  I loved the outcome and how clever they solved the problem.

I liked this book, let me say, I did.  But it is told in many random forms like diary entries, memoirs, letters, biographies, a play and all of that together felt mish mashed.  Random bits of important information are thrown in through in encyclopedia entries which seems like a lazy way of importing things readers need to know.  The conceit is cute at the beginning but loses its cuteness about half way through the book.  But it doesn't make the book unreadable.  On the contrary, it is a charming book that I enjoyed very much.  It was just one of the those things I couldn't help noticing.

From NetGalley

Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Pearl is a fun-loving, blood-drinking sixteen year old bad girl vampire.  That is until she is stabbed by a unicorn.  Suddenly she is a different kind of vampire, one who can walk in the sunlight and has a reflection.  But she is also turning into a different kind of girl, much to her family's displeasure.  Now they have given her the task of luring a large meal to the Fealty Ceremony and, for Pearl, that means going to high school.

I loved Pearl in a weird way.  I love that she was so badass and so out to prove herself and that doesn't change even after the unicorn incident.  I love that it was a unicorn of all things that stabbed her.  So random and fun.  But I loved Pearl's gradual transformation the best and the fact that she went to the library of all places as soon as she could walk in the sunlight.  Her fascination with daylight was almost touching.  It's something everyone just takes for granted but as a vampire she had no experience with it.  Pearl was awesome, even in high school.  She was just the coolest.  And Evan, the boy, was super sweet and I liked him too.  It is a romance-light book which works for the story being told.


The story was really fun and I liked this book.  The vampires and the unicorns, it's a weird combination but it works in this book.  I did have a little laugh at the Vampire King of New England because I mean, come on, what kind of title is that? But the world was built nicely and everything made sense and there were some good light hearted laugh out loud moments in the midst of Pearl's identity crisis.  And prom, of course.

From the publisher
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publish date: 9/13/2011

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

In Quill, people are divided at the age of 13 into three categories, Wanteds, Necessaries, and Unwanteds.  The Wanteds are sent to university and get the higher level jobs, the Necessaries do the menial labor and the Unwanteds are sent to their death.  But all is not what it seems because at the Death Farm, there is a magical world, Artimé, behind the gates that takes in the Unwanteds and grows their artistic talents (the reason they are Unwanted in the first place).  Alex is an Unwanted with a drawing ability while his twin brother, Aaron, is deem Wanted.  The two brothers are very different and that might cause the biggest problems of all between Quill and Artimé.

I really did feel sorry for Alex and all the other Unwanteds.  Sentenced to die for having creative ideas is terrible.  But the High Priest is determined to keep everyone under her control and forward-thinkers would challenge that so out they go.  But luckily for them Mr. Today, the so-called "Death Farmer," has created a magical parallel universe hidden from Quill to save the Unwanteds and not only foster their artistic abilities but to teach them magic based on their abilities.  So the drawing students learn to paint themselves invisible and use clay to bind people and many other pretty awesome things. The Unwanteds thrive in this world.  But they must say hidden from the land of Quill otherwise the consequences would be dire. It's a pretty neat concept and I liked the magic involved as well as the characterization of Alex and his Wanted twin, Aaron.

I was expecting more older middle grade but this was read younger middle grade to me.  The story was very simple and everyone was fairly straightforward.  Nobody really had gray areas in their personality.  But it was cute and I enjoyed it.  The cover says The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter and that is far from the truth, having neither the grittiness of The Hunger Games nor the world-building of Harry Potter.  It is still charming though.  If I compared it to anything it might be Diana Wynne Jone's Chrestomanci series but it still lacks that intangible quality that makes those books great.  What I'm getting at is that it is cute and fun and provides a largely one-sided view of creativity and that it is worth reading, but it lacks that something that makes a book a classic.  Children will enjoy it, some adults will enjoy it as well.  I would recommend it, just don't go looking for greatness.

Provided by the publisher
Publisher: Aladdin (Simon and Schuster)
Publish date: 8/30/11
ISBN: 9781442407688

Fury (Fury #1) by Elizabeth Miles

Emily and Chase have each done something bad.  Em hooked up with her best friend's boyfriend while Chase's idea of revenge got a little out of hand.  When three beautiful and mysterious girls turn up in their town and begin manipulating Em and Chase, they are in real trouble.  Sometimes sorry isn't enough and someone has to pay.

Jeez, this was a creepy story.  There was one part I read right before going to bed and I regretted it.  It reminded me of Final Destination in a way.  Because in those movies if you escape death it will come for you until it gets you.  The Furies' determination to make Emily and Chase pay is relentless.  And the thing is that both Emily and Chase did something that was terrible but I don't think it was quite up to what happened to them.  Maybe it was and I just felt sorry for them.  I don't know.  This was a riveting book and I almost couldn't put it down.  The writing wasn't as polished as some of the books I've read lately but the story was good and made up for some of the clunkier writing.  It is apparently a trilogy so it will be interesting to see where Miles takes the rest of the story.

From the publisher for review
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publish date:  8/30/11
ISBN: 9781442422247

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Rosalinda Fitzroy is woken from a sixty-two year chemically induced sleep by a kiss.  Confused by her long stasis and grieving for her lost time and her long dead parents and boyfriend, Rose begins to confront the reason she was put in stasis in the first place and deal with a new threat in her current time.

I really loved this book.  It surprised me because I figured it to be some sort of science fiction Sleeping Beauty (which is was) but it was took the story and molded into something beyond the fairy tale. It became less of just a Sleeping Beauty retell and more of a story of abuse and lost love.  I was glad that there was no real romantic storyline other than the one in Rose's past because it would have felt more artificial.  When Rose develops a crush on, Bren, the boy woke her up, I was worried since it seemed less like her feelings and more like a contrivance, but that is cleared up eventually.  The "realest" relationship would be Rose's friendship with the odd alien-human hybrid, Otto.  That was a relationship that was enjoyable to watch progress. Overall, it was easy to see where the story was going, except for two details revealed at the end that I wasn't expecting at all.  It was nice to be surprised.  One of my few complaints was how heavy handed the Sleeping Beauty or Briar Rose comparisons felt at times.  The story had all the earmarks of that fairytale without it being forcibly shoved into the story.  My only other complaint was an unresolved storyline that would be good for a follow-up book.  I certainly hope it gets written since I am curious about what happens to Rose next.

Provided by NetGalley 
Publish date: August 9, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick
ISBN: 9780763652609

350 Page

Red Glove (The Curse Workers #2) by Holly Black

Cassel returns to his boarding school after discovering just what kind of curse work he is capable of and, after his mother works Lila, the girl he loves and consequently
can no longer have. When his brother is murdered Cassel becomes trapped between the FBI and the mob, both of whom want to use his talents for their own cause.

I have to say that Red Glove was as brilliant as White Cat, a book that I loved wholeheartedly.  Even as Cassel explains how to swindle a mark, I can't help but love him.  I feel sorry for him and I keep hoping he can just get out of this whole thing alive.  He is certainly not an innocent character but there is something about him that invites sympathy and I sincerely hope that he can get together with Lila and live a normal life.  I don't think that is possible but, you know, one can hope. 

I love the world of the curse workers that Black has built.  It is intriguing that, as one of the FBI agents says, if you know that you are a curse worker then you've already broken the law.  Because it is taboo to lay bare hands on someone else and it is illegal to work someone.  I love how just the sight of bare hands causes an extreme reaction in people.  It's almost like being naked and carrying a loaded weapon at the same time.

SPOILERS:
(highlight) ** I just wanted to say that I was kind of right about the chair.  In my review of White Cat, I questioned the chair, thinking maybe it was Cassel's dad.  I was wrong about that, but it was a person.  I feel alright about my detecting ability right now because I also was guessed it was Maura that killed her husband.**

Hogwarts: Defence Against the Dark Arts

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Alison wakes up in a mental institution with no memory of how she got there.  As she begins to remember what happened, she also remembers confessing to killing a classmate.  But how she remembers that event doesn't make any sense because people just don't disintegrate. Do they?  As Alison struggles to make sense of that event, she always begins unraveling the mysteries of her own mind and her special abilities.

Dark chocolate, poured over velvet: that was how his voice tasted.  I wanted him to follow me around and narrate the rest of my life.  e-ARC

So this was different.  It starts Girl, Interrupted and then sharply detours into science fiction.  Alison wakes up in the psych ward of a hospital covered in scratches and bruises with no memory of what happened.  She is then moved to a mental health institution for young adults to recover and maybe tell what happened to her classmate, Tori, who disappeared the same day that Alison went crazy.  The description of Pine Hills, the place that Alison goes, is really well written and very realistic.  I could picture the place in my mind perfectly and it had a nice mix of patients that really illustrated the story the author was trying to tell. 

Another aspect of Alison's story is her synesthesia.  I've read a few books about this condition before and was interested to see it employed in this book.  I liked how it was made integral part of the story but was not the point of the story.  Alison didn't even realize that her extrasensory abilities had a name until part way through the story.  It gave the story some interesting depth and played nicely into the climax of the story. 

Provided by NetGalley
Publish date: September 1, 2011
Hogwarts: Astronomy

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

Elodie is a spirited girl who only wants to become a mansioner, an actor, but is thwarted in her ambitions by her lack of money.  So she becomes the assistant to Meenore, a dragon skilled in logic and deduction.  When the ogre hires the dragon to find out who is behind a strange turn of events at his castle, Meenore sends Elodie to be ITs eyes and ears.  And Elodie learns about using her mansioning and logic talents for other purposes. 

Gail Carson Levine can tell a good tale.  While some of her other books are retellings of fairy tales (Ella Enchanted), this one has a few aspects (Puss in Boots) but is a wholly original book.  And it is a very cute book.  I loved all the fairy tale touches and the characters were delightful.  I thought the solution to the mystery was easy, but that is because there tends to be a pattern in Levine's fairy tale books that gave it away.  I do wish there was more of the dragon and the ogre because I loved both characters, but I'm wondering if they are going to be more books with Elodie and her friends.

Provided by NetGalley
Publish date: May 10, 2011

Hogwarts: Care of Magical Creatures

Shine by Lauren Myracle

Set in a small, rural poor Southern town, Shine tells the story of Cat.  After her best friend from childhood is the victim of a horrific crime because of his sexuality, Cat decides to come out of her shell and find out who would harm her friend.

This was a beautiful and heart-wrenching book.  Cat's voice comes through loud and clear though she is a introverted character.  It is interesting to watch her progress from self-inflicted outcast to a strong young woman through her investigation of the crime against her friend.  Cat has a good reason for her introversion and that is tragedy itself.  While I wanted more resolution for that, I also feel like sometimes, in real life, there is no resolution when bad things happen to people.  So it was fitting.

As for the mystery aspect of the story, well, we all know I like a good mystery.  Cat does the mystery proper, interviewing people, trying to figure out the timeline and exactly what went down the night that Patrick was attacked.  Through the investigation, we learn a lot about the small town Cat and Patrick have grown up in and to anyone who has experienced tiny rural towns, it felt very real.  It was pretty dead on in its exploration of the mindset and the social structure of a small town. Also through the investigation we see how Cat became current day Cat and what happened to end her friendship with Patrick and all of her childhood friends.  Patrick seems like a great guy and what happened to him was horrifying.  The resolution of the mystery was bittersweet, but the book ended on a good note and I walked away from it glad that I had read it and sorry to see Cat go.  But I think she will be alright.

Provided by NetGalley
Hogwarts: Defence Against the Dark Arts
GLBT Challenge
350 Page

Bumped (e-book) by Megan McCafferty

In a world where adults lose fertility around the age of 20 due to a virus, Melody is one of the first girls in her class to go pro, as in professional surrogate.  Offered a highly lucrative contact to preg for a well-to-do couple, all she has to do is wait for them to find the perfect match for her.  Then her long-lost, "Godfreaky" twin sister, Harmony, shows up wanting her to give up pregging for money and move to Goodside, the religious compound, with her.  However, when the surrogate parents finally find the perfect donor, things begin to change for the twins in an unexpected way.

I feel like this book was saying a whole lot of things.  I also feel like most of things went over my head as I was distracted by the onslaught of pregnancy related slang.  The sheer amount of it almost overwhelmed me.  Since society has now become focused on encouraging teenage girls to become pregnant, of course the slang would move along with it.  It made me laugh but it also made me scratch my head occasionally.  And if I had a nickel for every time the word "bump" was used, well, then I'd have a lot of nickels.

Still this is a very clever book.  In fact, everything about this book screamed clever.  It is a biting look at society's tendencies to go overboard with an idea and also to commercialize it.  From the FunBump available for the "pre-bumped" to the use of "man brands" (sperm donors), everything about this society is focused on surrogates and child birthing.  And I mean everything.  I had a hard time grasping the timeline of when all the adults went sterile but everything in the books seemed a bit frantic like babies had to be had now or the world would end.  And, by making teenage pregnancy not only palatable but extremely desirable, the message of why they were doing it becomes lost in the marketing.

As for the characters, I can't say I liked either one of the twins that much.  They represent two extremes and it's hard to relate to an extreme.  In fact, the only likable character is Zen, the friend of Melody, who acts like the only voice of reason in the whole book.  Everyone is a caricature from both Melody and Harmony down to every adult and teenager in the book with the exception of Zen.  Nothing in the whole book felt real and I was emotionally separated from the characters' plights, much like the pregnant teenagers from their bumps. 

It is a quirky and interesting book though.  I found myself racing through it, curious to see what happens next.  Was I surprised by the turn of events near the end of the book?  No, not really.  Am I curious to see what happens next?  Yes, actually I am.  There were things that could possibly develop into something interesting for the characters and I'd like to see if they are addressed and how so.  A lot of people really like this book and I'm still trying to decide how I feel about it.  It was worth reading and I guess that's the best thing I can say.

Provided by NetGalley
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish date: April 26, 2011
Hogwarts: Charms

The Last Little Blue Envelope (e-book) by Maureen Johnson

*Some SPOILERS for 13 Little Blue Envelopes*
Ginny never thought she'd see the last blue envelope from her summer trip to Europe at her late aunt's behest.   Then suddenly it pops up in her e-mail, well a scan of the first page anyway, with a note from the finder that the last lettter has instructions for her to find another piece of her aunt's artwork.  So Ginny packs her bag and heads back to England to complete the task from the last little blue envelope.

I was happy to learn that there was going to be a sequel for 13 Little Blue Envelopes.  I wanted to know what was in that letter even if Ginny was okay with not knowing.  Or rather she thought she knew and was okay with it.  But I somehow don't think she really knew.  But then I don't think a sequel was planned after the first book ended.  ANYWAY,  I'm happy to know what was in the envelope and I think Ginny was too.

Once again, I found Ginny to be incredibly passive though she managed to show a little more backbone at the end of the story.  So I applaud her for that.  I wanted to see more of Keith because he is so funny in the first one, but right at the start, it was easy to see that that relationship was not going to go like Ginny wanted it too.  I was irritated through most of the book by Oliver, the finder of the letters, but toward the end I felt sorry for him which is a bit amazing considering how he started out.  I liked Ellis and I was glad she wasn't made into a villain.  And the quest itself was fun.  I always enjoy a good road trip and with a sort of scavenger hunt thrown in, it was really entertaining.  I think the ending worked perfectly and I'm glad to have a definite end to Ginny's story.

Provided by NetGalley
Publish date: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins

Hogwarts: Muggle Studies

The Goddess Test (e-book) by Aimee Carter

To save her dying mother, Kate makes a deal with the mysterious and handsome Henry.  He will delay her mother's death if Kate agrees to spend 6 months out of the year with him for the rest of her life. But first she has to pass a series of tests that have left all the previous girls who've tried dead.

Persephone is the new It girl, I am assuming.  Because I know that Meg Cabot has a series coming out soon about her and then there is this book.  It's not about Persephone per se but she figures into the plot a fair amount without making an actual appearance.  I'm kind of hoping she shows up at some point in this trilogy.  Anyway...

Kate is an ok kind of girl.  Her mother is dying and she doesn't know what to do with her life.  Because she has devoted so much of her life to taking care of her mother.  When her mother brings Kate back to her hometown to die there, Kate is manipulated into the position of saving her mother by taking the Goddess Test by Henry, the owner of a large manor house outside of the town.  So Kate has to pass tests that she is not aware of even taking and stay alive since all the girls who have tried have ended up dead.  Slowly, ever so slowly, Kate figures out who Henry really is and yet does not seem to get who everyone else is around her.  She doesn't come off as stupid but she is not very aware or not aware enough.  While I liked her, there were times when all I could think was Really?  And Henry is the standard, standoffish brooding hero.  I mean, given how Henry is, that is totally understandable, but you know, it had some Twilight moments. 

It was an easy read though, very engaging and, given how much I love Greek mythology, very fun for me.  It was nice to see these characters in other settings and how the progression of history might have changed them.  Kate is a super sweet and caring character and I didn't mind her.  I'm curious to see how the series will continue since there was no cliffhanger ending.  This is one series I will continue on with.

Provided by NetGalley
Publish date: April 19, 2011
Hogwarts: History of Magic

Cinderella, Ninja Warrior & Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer (e-books) by Maureen McGowen

"Thanks, but I don't need saving.  Really." She did need saving, but she planned to save herself.  p.97 e-book

A fractured fairy tale with a twist.  In this "choose your own plot" adventure, Cinderella is held prisoner by her evil wizard stepmother and made to be a servant in her own house.  She secretly begins practicing ninja skills and testing her magic abilities.  But a visit from a mysterious servant from the royal house starts a chain of events for Cinderella and her escape.

I loved Choose Your Adventure books when I was young and I love fractured fairy tales so this book seemed right up my alley.  I did like it.  It was very fun though I wouldn't so much call Cinderella a "ninja warrior" as much as a really amazing fighter.  The language felt too modern for the setting but that is my only real complaint.  It was an action packed adventure something you don't see a lot in fairy tales and, though I had a hard time picturing the fighting, it was still exciting.  The choose your own direction part was neat and though I didn't go through all of the possibilities, I will one day.

Hogwarts: History of Magic
E-book

The girl's first instinct had been to go for her stake, rather than sounding the alarm to bring help.  She admired Lucette's instinct to act, rather than relying on others to save her.  This girl had potential. p.306 e-book

Another twisted fairy tale with a "choose your own adventure" plot.  This one was also fun.  I love how the curse came from the neighboring vampire queen rather than an evil fairy queen and how the curse changed as well.  Lucette, Sleeping Beauty, is cursed to prick her finger at 16 and to fall asleep during daylight hours, but then wake during the night while everyone else sleeps.  So she essentially alone at night with the vampires.  But she learns to fight, much to her dad's displeasure, and becomes a vampire slayer. 
Once again I didn't go through all the choices, but I am definitely going to go through them soon.

Hogwarts:  Care of Magical Creatures
E-book


Both provided by NetGalley

Queens of All the Earth (e-book) by Hannah Sternberg

After a mental breakdown, Olivia Somerset is brought to Barcelona by her stern but loving sister, Miranda for some R&R.  Olivia is drawn to the quiet and strange Greg Brown who is traveling with his father.  And the two families become acquainted after a mix-up with the sister's room and Mr. Brown's offer to switch with them.

If you have ever read A Room with a View, then you will be familiar with the plot of Queens.  There are a few changes here and there, but the basic story is there, just modernized and set in Spain rather than Florence.  Since A Room with a View is one of my favorite classics, I really enjoyed this book.  It is the condensed version and the descriptions of Barcelona are beautiful.  All characters fit their classic counterparts, but there are a few key differences that I liked.  The motivation for the trip comes from Olivia losing touch with reality and having a complete breakdown so her sister kindly travels for a bit of "travel therapy."  And the trip proves therapeutic for the both of them as is wont to happen in these books.  I'm not entirely sure if this is classed as YA or adult, but it really could go either way.  It is an enjoyable book whether or not you have read A Room with a View or not.


Provided by NetGalley
Publish Date: June 15, 2011
Hogwarts: Muggle Studies
E-Book

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group (e-book) by Catherine Jinks

Toby is just a kid, playing around with his friends and causing trouble.  Then one night he wakes up in the dingo pen at the zoo and suddenly things have changed, especially after a priest and a shaggy-haired man show up on his doorstep claiming he is a werewolf.

This is a sequel of sorts to The Reformed Vampire Support Group which I read last year in that it continues some of the story from that book with no resolution at this one either.  I'm guessing there will be another one.  About what I don't know.  But anyway, it is not strictly necessary to have read Reformed Vampire, but it makes more sense if you have.  It took me a minute to remember who Reuben was and the whole plot of the Vampire book.  This was a fun adventure, much more action adventure than the previous book.  I guess because werewolves are much more robust than vampires.  Jinks certainly does not let up in this book once it gets started.  The first half was slow and I was getting tired of Toby and his friends, but then the location changes and I sped through the rest ready to find out what happens next.  While lacking wholly sympathetic characters, because even Toby is enough to wear a person out, it was still a decent book.  I found a few funny moments, but it is also very rough and tumble, much like a werewolf.  I was happy to see the vampires and I look forward to reading how the over-arcing story pans out.

Provided by NetGalley
Publish date: April 14, 2011

Hogwarts: Transfiguration
ABC
E-book
350 Pages

Weekly Round-Up 3/14

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

This week I'm reading The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group (Jinks) and listening to The Fixer Upper (Andrews).

Last week I read Something New (Wodehouse) and Mother Carey's Chickens (Wiggin).

From NetGalley

Cinderella, Ninja Warrior (Twisted Tales #1) by Maureen McGowan)
Publisher Silver Dolphin
Publish date: 4/1/11

In this fast-paced story full of adventure and romance, Cinderella is more than just a servant girl waiting for her prince—she's a tough, fearless girl who is capable of taking charge of a dangerous situation. Seeking to escape the clutches of her evil stepmother, Cinderella perfects her ninja skills and magic talents in secret, waiting for the day when she can break free and live happily ever after. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Cinderella and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!

Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer (Twisted Tales #2) by Maureen McGowan)
Publisher Silver Dolphin
Publish date: 4/1/11

In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is an entirely new type of fairy tale–one that will keep today's kids guessing and offer them hours of magical fun.

 

Leave It to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse

One of the most perennially popular of all the Wodehouse titles, Leave it to Psmith, according to Wilfrid Sheed, "helps to usher in the Wodehouse golden age" -- the age of Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, Blandings Castle and all the rest, among whom the ingenious Psmith ("The p is silent, as in phthisis, psychic, and ptarmigan") is entirely worthy to be counted. A debonair young Englishman who has quit the fish business, "even though there is money in fish and decided to support himself by doing anything that he is hired to do by anyone, Psmith, wandering in and out of romantic, suspenseful and invariably hilarious situations, is in the great Wodehouse tradition.