New Blog

I will not be updating this blog anymore.

I have a new blog at www.auntem79.blogspot.com

Syren by Angie Sage

Each book in Angie Sage's Septimus Heap series gets better and better.  I love how in each book all of the seemingly different story lines all come together.  Syren was full of mystery and adventure with secret ice tunnels, pirates, jinn, and the murderous ghost of Tertius Fume. I couldn't put the book down.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I love the way this story was told, the way it was presented using two different voices.  From the moment I began to read, I felt just like Clay - I had to keep going, I had to keep reading.  What I liked the most about this book was the message that the things you say and do, no matter how trivial you might think it, affect the person your words and actions are directed toward.  And that sometimes, it is when we do nothing or are too afraid to reach out, making it seem like we don't care enough, that can have a negative effect.  I like that Clay learned this and that he did something about it by reaching out to Skye.  

Secrets of New Forest Academy by Tyler Whitesides

With the BEM coming for him, Spencer is off to New Forest Academy for a week, accompanied by his endearing but gullible Toxite-fighting partner Daisy and the not-so-endearing bully Dez.  Adventure and suspense abound as Spencer starts unraveling secrets and realizes that New Forest Academy isn’t as safe for Spencer as he was told it would be.

As with Whitesides’ 2011 release of Janitors, this outstanding sequel carries the same message – we must fight the distraction, fatigue, and apathy that kids are experiencing, making it difficult for them to reach their academic potential.  It’s a wonderful book with lots of twists and turns.  Once you get started you won’t want to put it down.

January 2013 Reading

So I've been keeping track of how many books I read each month, but at the beginning of this year, I was curious to know how many pages I read in that month.

So here are the results:

In January 2013, I read a total of eight books, with a total page count of 2,759 pages!

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

I didn’t get into this book right away, but I’m glad I stuck it out because I ended up really enjoying it.  It is set in the future, generations after some apocalyptic event has driven people underground, and people live within societies known as enclaves.   Each enclave has its own rules and it takes days of running in the tunnels to get to the next settlement.  The tunnels are infested with Freaks, zombie-like creatures who feed on meat, animal and human alike.

Deuce has only ever known life in the enclave, but soon after being initiated as a Huntress, she begins to question the methods of her society.  When she and her hunting partner Fade are banished from the enclave, they make their way topside – the place where Deuce was always taught could not sustain human life and the place where Fade came from.

While there are certainly parallels to other books of this genre, it is different enough that you don’t feel like you’re reading something you’ve already read. I've already added the sequel (Outpost) to my to-read list.