This is WebGenii, with an installment from my Reading Diary. So, what have I been reading lately?
young adult
Reading Diary #03: WebGenii’s Reads
This is WebGenii, with another installment from my “Reading Diary”. So what have I been reading lately?
I started with “The Bible Repairman and Other Stories” by Tim Powers, published by Tachyon Publications.
Review: “Steampunk!” edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant
I do enjoy a good short story anthology and Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories really fits the bill. It offers 14 terrific stories all in the steampunk genre (although some of them are pretty loosely connected — I’m looking at you Garth Nix!). And the quality of the stories are uniformly good.
Review: “The Goddess Test” by Aimée Carter
What I didn’t expect was to be reaching for a tissue in the first twenty pages. Ms. Carter nicely sidesteps the whole unequal romance trope by placing the emotional center of the novel in the relationship between our heroine Kate and her mother Diana. Kate’s frantic grief over her mother’s looming death drives the plot and gives more weight to the story than a YA romance would normally command.
Review: “Enclave” by Ann Aguirre
Enclave deals with the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse in a world where those people who are trying to maintain civilization are all very young, with a life expectancy of only their early twenties.
Review: “Red Glove” by Holly Black
Red Glove is promoted as a YA novel, although I’d put it more at the 18 year old to adult end of the spectrum than the 13-16 year old range. If your kids are old enough to watch the “Sopranos” or “The Riches” and they like those shows, then this is the right book. Much like those shows, Red Glove contrasts the supposed glamour of a criminal lifestyle with the pain it causes our hero. A younger reader might only see the glamour and magic and miss the misery.
Review: “The Mousehunter” by Alex Milway
When you are out at a bookstore, what first catches your eye? The covers, right? Well that is how it is with me at least. A great cover can pull me in, or push me away from a book. And they always say, don’t judge a book by it’s cover.
That is so true I am finding out more and more, and is really true when it comes to this book. When I first saw the cover I said, “Hmmm, this might be a cute kid’s book.” I was right, but also very, very wrong. Turns out, it is a lot more here than what I thought there would be. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Review: “I Am Number Four” by Pittacus Lore
“I Am Number Four” is a narrative driven story, full of twists, turns and danger for John and Henri. And while that keeps the pages turning, the story lacks any really fleshed out or interesting supporting characters for John.
Review: “Silverfin: A Young James Bond Adventure”
“There’s something slithering in the dark waters around a Scottish castle. Something that must be kept secret, something very deadly. One man with a thirst for power will use it. Whatever the cost. One young boy stands in his way. His name is James. James Bond.”
Cue the music!!
Review: “Lord of the Changing Winds” by Rachel Neumeier
What is refreshing about Lord of the Changing Winds is that it presents a refreshingly new adaptation of griffin lore. When neighboring kingdom Casmantium begins to threaten their desert with ice, the Griffins are forced to flee, taking their desert with them. Griffins are so intimately bound with the element of fire, it has become their own life essence, their spirit.
Review: “The Web of Titan” by Dom Testa
Get this series guys! If you love sci fi, space, adventure; get this one. It really pulls you in and keeps you interested. The drama between the boys and the girls, who likes who, how do they feel for each other etc; is what we teen go though a lot. And when you’re on a spaceship for years or more, relationships are going to happen.
Review: “Chalice” by Robin McKinley
I think Robin McKinley is one of the best fantasists writing today and if you are a writer; interested in writing meaningful, engaging and moving fantasy, then she is a writer to study. If you are a reader, then her books are a joy to read and re-read again.
Cover to Cover #399A: F. Paul Wilson
Interview: Jack: Secret Circles, the latest novel in the YA series about Repairman Jack’s teen years, is out and F. Paul Wilson drops by “Cover to Cover” to talk about Jack’s journey, and focusing on building up the foundation events that influenced young Jack to become the Repairman Jack we all know and love.
Review: “The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail” by Michael Spradlin
The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail is one of those books I picked off the shelf at random. I love books about knights and castles, and one about teens in that time period sounds cool to me. And wow, the first book I read this summer turned out to be one of the best all year!
Cover to Cover #373A: Alma Alexander
Interview: Alma Alexander joins us this week to talk about her YA series “Worldweavers”, and the third book in the trilogy, Worldweavers: Cybermage.
The series is set in the Pacific Northwest, and makes good use of the mystical environment and the Native American influences found there, and has a strong young female protagonist, Thea Winthrop. From the Trickster, to Grandmother Spider, to incorporating a magical twist on Nikola Tesla and the Internet, the tales of the students at the Wandless Academy might be of interest to tweens and teens looking for something beyond Hogwarts.
