Introducing 'Silver Smoke' by Kennedy Clarke

I received an e-mail from young adult novel writer Kennedy Clarke who introduced me to her new book, Silver Smoke. It's the first book of a fantasy fiction series and it's about (this was what she wrote in the e-mail):

seven teenagers who are descendants of humans and archangels (or archdemons). Each of them must uncover the chilling (and sometimes sinister) mysteries of their lineage in order to save three races of superbeings from an all out war that no one can win. It's an action-packed story with lots of romance, laughs, and interesting characters.

You can read the first chapter here. Kennedy will also be releasing more chapters from Silver Smoke for free if there are more fans on her Facebook page for the books.

More information can be found on her website.

Ready to Hunt?

If you loved Twilight or just got sick of it, you can always turn to alternatives, right? Anyway, if you're familiar with the vampire world, you might have heard of P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, a mom and daughter author-team. Their popular vampire series called House of Night has been all the rage.

In fact, the first book in the series, Marked, has been listed among the 2008 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.

Now, the 5th book in the series is out and it's called Hunted. To get a glimpse of the new book, you can either watch, read or listen to some bits from it. Choose any of the options below or if you can't get enough, go ahead and devour them all!

Watch the book trailer



Read the FIRST chapter of Hunted

Listen to the SECOND chapter of Hunted

Teen Read Week 2008

Since Teen Read Week is next week and this is the first time I've heard about it, I might just as well write something about it. I'm not a teen anymore, just got out of it, but nevertheless, I still enjoy reading teen and young adult books. Well, I am a young adult anyway, so it's right that I should be reading YA books. But then, YA books are being read by everyone now of all ages. It definitely appeals to a lot of people.

So how are you going to celebrate Teen Read Week? This year's TRW will be from Oct 12, 2008 until Oct 18, 2008. How did you celebrate it last year?

I won't be celebrating but I hope to read a book or two. No more assignments to do but I still have one presentation to prepare for. Hopefully, I can read something this weekend!

Anyway, you can vote for your favourite teen books for 2008 Teens' Top Ten next week. Readers from the ages 12 till 18 are eligible to vote over here.

26 books are being nominated and here they are:

1. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
   
2. Betrayed by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
   
3. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
   
4. Daemon Hall by Andrew Nance & Colin Polhemus, illus
   
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
   
6. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
   
7. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
   
8. Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
   
9. Genesis Alpha by Rune Michaels
   
10. Glass by Ellen Hopkins
    
11. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
    
12. Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale by Holly Black
    
13. Jango by William Nicholson
    
14. Jinx by Meg Cabot
    
15. The Luxe by Anna Godberson
    
16. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
    
17. Penelope by Marilyn Kaye
    
18. Saving Zoe by Alison Noel
    
19. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
    
20. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
    
21. Tamar by Mal Peet
    
22. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
    
23. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
    
24. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
    
25. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
    
26. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
    

Sadly, I've only read one book from the list above, which is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I have Eclipse and The Sweet Far Thing in my TBR stack though. I also have the movie version of Penelope but I haven't watched it yet. I didn't know that there was a book version of it! Which ones have you already read?

Curious to know about 2007 Teens' Top Ten? I was curious too and found the list! Here it is:

1. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
   
2. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
   
3. How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
   
4. Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever by James Patterson
   
5. Firegirl by Tony Abbott
   
6. All Hallows Eve (13 Stories)by Vivian Vande Velde
   
7. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
   
8. River Secrets by Shannon Hale
   
9. Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe
   
10. Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks
    

For years before 2007, just head on over to the ALA site and check them out.

YA Romance Challenge!

July 1, 2008 ---> February 28, 2009
I really like the button!

There's a new challenge in town and it's being hosted by Becky of Becky's Book Reviews! This will probably be my 4th challenge.

Here are the rules of the YA Romance Challenge:

1. Read six YA romance novels between July 1, 2008 and February 28, 2009.
2. Romance should be a strong element within the story. But it doesn't have to be the only element. Realistic fiction (contemporary). Historical. Fantasy. Science Fiction. Retold Fairy Tales. All genres are allowed.
3. They can be part of a series, or stand-alones.
4. They can be long or short.
5. Happy books are NOT a requirement
6. Audio books are allowed.
7. Up to three movies can be substituted for books. So you could watch 3 movies, read 3 books if you prefer.

If you aren't sure about which authors to read, here is a list of recommended authors taken from the YA Romance Challenge blog:

1. Ally Carter
   
2. Ann Brashares
   
3. Anna Godbersen
   
4. Cameron Dokey
   
5. Carrie Jones
   
6. Catherine Gilbert Murdock
   
7. Cecily von Ziegesar
   
8. Deb Caletti
   
9. E. Lockhart
   
10. Elizabeth Scott
    
11. Francesca Lia Block
    
12. Gail Carson Levine
    
13. Jaclyn Moriarty
    
14. Libba Bray
    
15. Louise Rennison
    
16. Meg Cabot
    
17. Megan McCafferty
    
18. Melissa Kantor
    
19. Melissa Schorr
    
20. Rachel Cohn
    
21. Robin McKinley
    
22. Sara Zarr
    
23. Sarah Dessen
    
24. Shannon Hale
    
25. Sonya Sones
    
26. Stephenie Meyer
    
27. Susane Colasanti
    
28. Tina Ferraro
    
29. Zoey Dean
    

I'll do some research first on what books I shall read for the challenge. Anyway, I'll be putting Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer on my list, that's for sure. I bought it on Sunday! =D

The Fourth Book In The Bella-Edward Series

I didn't know that there would be a fourth book in the Twilight saga written by Stephenie Meyer! I thought Eclipse would be the last! Wow! Luckily, I visited The Book Smugglers blog and saw this post.

And honestly, I'm getting quite excited over it. I haven't bought or read the 3rd book, Eclipse, yet. And unfortunately, I did not really enjoy New Moon. It had been quite a tedious read. Well, I just hope that Eclipse wouldn't be so disappointing!

Also, the 4th book, Breaking Dawn will be out in 2 months' time! It'll be out on August 2, 2008. I'm not sure when it'll be available in Malaysia.

Anyway.....here are the book covers in correct order!

Twilight


New Moon


Eclipse


Breaking Dawn

My favourite cover would be Breaking Dawn's!

New Young Adult Books

I subscribe to Library Point's newsletter and the following is a list of new young adult books. If you have no idea on what to read next, consider these books!

Newly Released:

• Th1rteen R3asons Why: A Novel - by Jay Asher
• Beastly - by Alex Flinn
• Betwixt - by Tara Bray Smith
• Spud - by John van de Ruit

Books for Guys!

• All-in - by Pete Hautman
• Paranoid Park - by Blake Nelson
• Rucker Park Setup - by Paul Volponi
• Girls for Breakfast - by David Yoo

Books for the Ladies:

• All Made Up: A Girl's Guide to Seeing Through Celebrity Hype and Celebrating Real Beauty by Audrey D. Brashich
• Blue Jean: What Young Women are Thinking, Saying, and Doing compiled by Sherry S. Handel; written and edited by young women
• My Sisters' Voices: Teenage Girls of Color Speak Out by Iris Jacob
• Hooking Up: A Girl's All-out Guide to Sex & Sexuality by Amber Madison

That's all. Have a great start to a whole New Year and have fun READING!

New Books! New Books!

Wheeeeeeeee!!! I bought two new books today. Well, actually my mom bought them for me. I’m broke, you see. Anyway, the books are Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

I’ve read reviews of Twilight in other book blogs and the reviewers were raving about it. So, I thought I’d just buy it and give it a try. It’s about a vampire and this girl who fell in love with the vampire. Hmmm, should be interesting right? I certainly hope so. Howl’s Moving Castle already had excellent reviews. Plus it was first published way back in 1986! A year before I was born. And I only knew about the book now.

By the way, there were 10% discounts for both the books since I’m not a Popular card member. Members will enjoy 15% discounts though. Now, Popular is having a sale and some books have up to 70% discounts! Don’t miss it now! If you are a student, you can get the Popular card for only RM5. So, if you are a frequent buyer of books, then having the card would be advisable.

I bought so many books now and there is not enough place for them on my bookshelf. My bookshelf is very full. I have to place my new books on my study table temporarily. I might have to clear another bookshelf to make room for these new books. I have two bookshelves in my room. One holds storybooks and the other holds my schoolbooks and huge files for notes. Looks like I have to clear the study bookshelf but I don’t think it’s going to work since it’s practically full too.

There was the other blogger who said she stuffed her books into her wardrobe too! Wish I can do that but no, I would not do that. What if there were silverfish in the books? What if the silverfish were to crawl into my clothes? What would happen when I wear those clothes with the silverfish in them??? *shivers*

Don’t think too much now.

Well, the books just have to rest on my study table first before I find a home for them.

Books I Want To Read

I would like to read the books listed below. I read about them in an article at the Hornbook Magazine website and I suppose they are meant for both young adults and adults. Have you read any of them before? If yes, do tell me how you find it/them, okay?

Postcards From No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers

Feed by M. T. Anderson

America by E. R. Frank

Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond

A Step from Heaven by An Na

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

This Is All by Aidan Chambers

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M. T. Anderson

Traitor to the Nation by M. T. Anderson

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

Australian books are not bad. There should be more books by Australian writers sold here. Looking For Alibrandi is an excellent book written by Melina Marchetta. It has even been made into a film in 2000 and I have only known about it today. Oooh, how I would love to watch it since I love the book so much!

The story is told from Josephine Alibrandi's point of view. Josephine is of Italian descent and she lives with her mother, Christina. She is 17 years old and studies in St Martha's. She is there on a scholarship. She has 3 best friends - Sera, Lee, and Anna, and they always hang out together. They are all very different from one another but still; they are the best of friends.

Josephine had the biggest crush on John Barton, a highly intelligent boy. But, there is another tough guy on the scene too. Jacob Coote is from Cook High. Josephine begins to fall more for Jacob and her feelings towards John start to fade. John seems to have problems and he confides in Josephine but I feel that she does not understand him. She is already absorbed in her own world with her own problems ranging from fights with Jacob to racism remarks from schoolmates.

After 17 long years, Josephine's father, Michael Andretti, comes back. Initially, they were like oil and water and were determined not to have anything to do with each other. But as time goes by, they got to know each other and became good friends. She is also trying hard but unsuccessfully to pair up her mother and Michael since they are her parents anyway.
The saddest part of the book was where one of Josephine's friends, (I won't tell you who) committed suicide just before their Higher School Certificate exam. Josephine and her friends and enemy took it very badly.

In my humble opinion, this is a really good book and I hope there will be more Australian books in Malaysia.

How To Walk in High Heels - The Girl's Guide to Everything by Camilla Morton

A really catchy title, don't you think? This was my Christmas present by my sister who is always trying to make me behave more like a lady. Sometimes I listen to her advice and sometimes I try to defend myself. =) Anyways, this book is helpful in a way, with lots of great tips and witty suggestions. It teaches you how to lead the life similar to a celebrity or a princess.

It even mentioned that a 5 cm heel is considered practically FLAT! Moreover, the higher and the thinner your heel is, the higher your status will be. So girls, better invest in a pair of really good and high high heels in order to receive more attention because duh! you will become really tall and easily noticed! It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

I liked one where the title is How to Change a Nappy. There are other eye-catching titles too. It even has tips for the low-tech girl. You can learn how to use a printer, how to ebay, know the different parts of a computer, which is the keyboard, the monitor and the mouse (it does not bite), and more.

In fact, almost everything a girl needs to know is in this book. Well, like I said, almost. So, don't go expecting that everything can be found in this book.

How to Survive New Year's Eve, How to swim in shades, How to sound like a politician, How to use a knife, spoon and fork, How to love champagne, How to find and delete viruses, How to make popcorn, How to change a light bulb, etc. And if you can't do it, take a step back and let a man finish the job for you. No point getting your well manicured nails dirty or broken. That's a popular tip in there.

Lastly, I guarantee you'll learn a tip or two, which you may find useful one day. And to all the girls: enjoy being a girl! There's nothing more you could ask for.

My Place by Sally Morgan

I've finally finished reading this book after 3 or more weeks! It's a heart-warming story of a family with Aboriginal roots in Australia. Most of it is written from Sally's point of view. Sally is the eldest child in the family. She lived in Manning with her mother (Gladys), grandmother (Nan), and her 4 siblings - Jill, Billy, David, and Helen. Her father, Bill, died when she was only a young girl. He was a POW (Prisoner of War) in Germany and was tortured so brutally until he needs serious hospital treatment even when the war had ended a long time ago.

Besides Sally's point of view, there are also stories from 3 other people. Arthur Corunna, Gladys Corunna, and Daisy Corunna. Arthur is Sally's granduncle, Gladys is Sally's mom, and Daisy is Sally's grandmother, whom she refers to as Nan. It was quite difficult for Sally to get Gladys' and Daisy's stories as they were reluctant to share their past. Especially Daisy (Nan) who is defiant in keeping her past a deep secret.

Anyway, this book reminds me of another book on racism and slavery, which is Roots by Alex Haley. These stories are eye-opening as we are taken back to history where we learn about the troubles and conflicts between races. At times when I read them, I became emotional and felt anger about how they were treated cruelly and in a totally unfair way. Fortunately, times have changed.

My Place is interesting from the first page but when I reached the middle of the book, it got a little boring for me as I feel the story was lagging. However, when I reached Gladys' story, things took to a faster pace. Overall, this Australian classic is definitely a must-read. I learned a lot about Australia while reading this book. It also stresses on family importance and accepting one's roots. Really important things to ponder on.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

This is the second time I've read this particularly hilarious book about a 15-year-old boy, Christopher who has Asperger's Syndrome or autism. He lives in Swindon with his father and attends a special school. Christopher is brilliant at Maths and Physics and he aims to sit for the A Level Maths exam. He dreams of taking more A Level exams and then getting a degree to eventually become a scientist.

The story begins with the death of a neighbour's dog, Wellington. Someone had intentionally stuck a garden fork through the poor dog and since Christopher had been quite fond of the dog, he is determined to find out who killed the dog. Thus, he writes a book with interesting illustrations to tell his story.

As he goes on his journey to find out the dog's killer, Christopher finds out some secrets, which his father had hid from him. He has also started talking to strangers, something he never does because to him, strangers could be dangerous. Christopher finds comfort in familiarity.

This is a different kind of book and written in an unusual but likeable style. Definitely worth reading again!