Monthly Book Recommendations

Goodness, guys and gals!  Where did the summer go?  Who knows, who cares, but it's time to get back in the swing of things and bring you more Monthly Book Recommendations!  Click on the photos to go to goodreads.com and read more about the books.

The Between by LJ Cohen
Fae, Faerie, and magic - honestly, it's not my usual cup of tea, but LJ Cohen did a great job with characters here.  Lydia doesn't like her stalker, in fact, she wishes he would just go away.  But he isn't the strangest thing to happen in her life.  Her fate has always been tied to the world of Fae, and she has to make hard choices in order to save her family.

You can purchase The Between from amazon.  You can read my full review on examiner here.

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
This is such a great coming-of-age story with zombies.  I loved how even though the zombies are a big part of the piece, it was more about the humans and how they dealt with being in this world.  Benny is growing up in a town where the people are more scary than the undead, and it's done almost flawlessly.

You can purchase Rot & Ruin from amazon.  You can read my full review on examiner here.



Run by Patti Larsen
I've read this whole series - The Hunted - and it's quite good.  It's dark for YA, but done really well, and super action packed.  If you prefer slower-paced novels, this series is not for you.  They are always trying to get away from something, and things never quite seem to pane out for the best with Reid.  Highly recommended for a fun, fast, and action-packed read.

You can purchase Run from amazon.  You can read my full review on examiner here.




Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The re-telling of Cinderella... with steam punk and dystopian elements?  Okay, I bit hard.  I loved this book, absolutely adored it even though I was very well aware of how it was going to end.  It was a quick read, fun, and who doesn't love fairy tales?  Well, if you don't love fairy tales, this probably isn't the book for you - but I promise you, it's good.  Well written too!

You can purchase Cinder from amazon.  You can read my full review on examiner here.

Monthly Recommendations

I am blogging A-Z starting tomorrow, so I figured I would post this one day early!  Here are my monthly book recommendations.  If you feel like purchasing any, you can follow my link.

Poke by Dalya Moon
YA Paranormal Romance
Zan has the weirdest supernatural power ever:  He sees the future of girls who poke him in the bellybutton.  It's usually a turn off, so he's never been with a girl before.  That is, until he finds Austin.  When she pokes him, he doesn't see anything.  This starts the love story where Zan immediately wants to be with her because there is finally some mystery in his future.  This was a fast-paced and very fun novel.  After I got over the whole "poking bellybuttons is a super weird power," it was really enjoyable.

You can purchase Poke from amazon.


Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
YA Urban Fantasy
While I admit there are some similarities to some bigger name books out there, I still really adored Leigh Fallon's characters.  It was a fun read, with tasteful romance, and the main character's love was far less creepy than some other YA stories out there.  Megan and Adam have reason to be drawn to each other inexplicably.  It's a cute, fast read, and I'm interested to see where Leigh takes it in the future.  I am hoping that the follow up has more deviations from the normal YA UF, but I will definitely read the next in the series regardless.  It was a lot of fun.

You can purchase Carrier of the Mark here.


My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
YA Paranormal
This was a fun read.  Rachel Vincent gives you just enough description to lead you into the frightening world of discovering your true nature (and who knew that bean sidhes could be cool?)  It's a great first novel in the series, and I am interested to read more.  Definitely on my recommended list.

You can purchase My Soul to Take here.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
YA Paranormal Romance
I feel weird calling this YA Paranormal, because I feel this more focuses on the unraveling of Mara's sanity.  A lot of people leave this book wondering, "Okay, what on earth just happened?"  But that is part of the charm, as the book leaves you with more questions.  It's the first in the series, and it definitely jumped into a good start.

You can read my full review here.
Or you can purchase The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer here.

Monthly Recommendations

Prized by Caragh O’Brien

YA Dystopian

The second installment of the Birthmarked Trilogy does not disappoint.  It picks up with Gaia trying to figure out her new place of residence.  Not only is it completely backwards from the Enclave, but it is just as bad in some respects.  Gaia has new elements to deal with, especially a huge sense of confusion.  But her desire for justice is stronger than ever.  I am waiting anxiously for the next in the series to come out, as Caragh O’Brien’s writing has turned into one of my favorites.

My full review can be found on examiner.com

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

YA Paranormal Romance

Reading the dust jacket, I thought this was a novel that I had seen before.  And okay, it does have all the typical YA elements of romance in it, but I really liked this one.  Mary Lindsey creates an amazing background for all her characters, and the plot got so enticing towards the end that I couldn’t stop reading to sleep (consequently, I paid for this the next day at work).  Definitely recommended for anyone that likes paranormal.  It’s not horror, but there are some suspenseful moments.

My full review can be found on examiner.com 


The Clockwork Giant by Brooke Johnson
YA Steampunk

Brooke Johnson went the self-publishing route, but she does her debut novel justice.  The Clockwork Giant focuses on Petra Wade's attempt to make herself known, not just as a woman - in a society where women have no standing - but as an engineer.  The descriptions of the clockwork, the intricacies that Brooke includes in her writing make it a fantastic read.  If you are interested in reading a self-published author, this is where you should start.  Oh, and there was a good amount of editing that went into the piece, so you don't have to cringe through the "Your so nice." <--- I hate those.  You can also read my full examiner review.

All of these books were part of my To Be Read Pile Challenge.  To learn more about the TBR Challenge, click on the button in my sidebar!

Monthly Book Recommendations

Happy New Year!  If you are anything like me, you are probably feeling a little under the weather this morning.  Though I don't party like I used to (college is only two and a half years behind me, but it seems like a lifetime ago), I do love the beginning of another year!  A few glasses of wine or champagne, and I can celebrate a new year with my beloved husband.  We go into part two of our first year as a married couple - and it has been brilliant so far.

We have arguments, sure.  And sometimes, for an outsider looking in, you might think "What on earth are they doing together?!"  But five seconds later, you blink and you miss it, we're back at our best.  You think, "There is no one better suited to be together."  That argument that seemed to last a lifetime was no longer than five minutes.

And most of the moments we spend together?  Perfect.  In every way.  I even love the arguments, because they prove that we still have our own opinions and thoughts - we were not put on this earth just to please each other, but to push each other to be our best.  And that's what he makes me, he pushes me to be my best.

But enough kind words for the man in my life, here's what you all were waiting for!   
The monthly recommendations:

Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster
YA Science Fiction

You are now obsolete.  Everyone else has been upgraded, save our main character and a handle of other people.  Kyle has been left behind.  Mike Lancaster paints the story as a teenager would, giving the key details, but leaves out a massive amount of description, but he gives us enough.  It is a fast paced book that flies by.  It's a simpler story with a straightforward plot - but it is very interesting nonetheless.  I like it, and describe it as another "snack read."  At the end, I was satisfied, but I wanted a bit more from Kyle's story.  There is apparently, according to Goodreads, a book titled 1.4 coming out in January.  I don't see how this novel could have a sequel, but I would still be interested in reading it.

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
YA Sci-Fi

Guys... you must.  This book.  This.  It is one of the best YA romances I've read in awhile - and it has zombies!  ZOMBIES!  The fact that our beloved main character, Nora, takes a good half the book to really fall in love with Bram, it makes it that much more touching.  It is believable, even though he's totally and completely dead.  And Habel takes some liberties with story telling, every chapter is from a different character's point of view.  And it is done quite flawlessly.  Her use of Victorian language, the style of prose, all of it is pretty incredible.  This is a bit of a harder read for YA, which is why I think it is a great crossover book (or it at least has cross over appeal).


Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
YA Fantasy (on the cusp of Urban Fantasy - but it's more Fantasy)
When this book was coming to an end, for some reason, I really wanted it to stand entirely alone.  I think Taylor did such a good job at sucking me into the main character that I wanted to have her story wrap up at the end.  I know there's so much more that she can go into, and I will definitely pick the next book up - but I still wanted the ending to be "good" for our main character, instead of being a bit more ambiguous.  With that being said, Taylor does well with description.  The end gets a little heavy handed with telling instead of showing - but the rest of the novel is beautifully woven.  Because of this, I do recommend it.  I wrote a full review on my examiner.com page.

Review: The Hunger Games

I have been devouring books again - and this one was an easy one to sink my teeth into.  I know, I know, I'm a little late.  I saw the article in Entertainment Weekly about the movie and was intrigued by the plot line.  I wasn't expecting much, since most Young Adult books that get turned into movies typically are not that great of a read (there are exceptions here, of course!).  But I can't imagine that the movie is going to do this book justice.  Suzanne Collins nails it.

First off, her world and characters are very believable.  The main character, Katniss, is coming-of-age in a world that isn't so friendly to teenagers.  In fact, the government requires them to fight to the death.  One male and one female from each district are brought to the capital and entered into the Hunger Games, where the last male or female standing wins a large prize for their district and themselves (not to mention they are still alive).

Katniss comes from District 12, the coal mining district and the poorest.  All odds are stacked against her when she steps into the arena.  Suzanne Collins plays against your expectations.  She puts you in Katniss's head - swarmed with emotions, misread signals, questions, and anger.  We, as the reader, see oftentimes what she doesn't.  We understand more than she does because of how we were brought up - but that just makes Katniss more likeable, because you understand her, even when she doesn't understand herself.

I am definitely going to pick up the other two novels in the series - I was very pleased that this book.  Even the ending left me satisfied but still questioning a few things.  And the descriptions are almost lyrically playing over and over again in my head.