My Gift to You ~ New Books for December (part 2)

Fair Tail volume 23 by Hiro Mashima

Graphic Novel (Manga) 

SLAYING A MECHANICAL DRAGON!

The king of Edolas has taken a final stand in the fearsome, magic-proof Droma Anim! The only ones who can stop him are Fairy Tail's three dragon slayers. But how can magic stop a magic-proof killing machine? Discover the final fate of the world of Edolas!

Fantasy Sports vol 1 by Sam Bosma

Graphic Novel 

In Sam Bosma's debut graphic novel, a young explorer and her musclebound friend go treasure hunting in a mummy's tomb - but if they want to get rich, they're going to have to best the mummy in a game of hoops! Can they trust their bandaged adversary to play by the rules? Or will they be stuck in the tomb forever?

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

Action/Adventure 

Natasha Romanov, called the Black Widow, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, rescues a young girl from Ivan, the man who once trained her as an assassin--and eight years later she is called upon to protect the teenager Ava has become from a threat from the past--and possibly from S.H.I.E.L.D itself.

Emergent Behavior by Nicole Taylor

Bots book #1

Science Fiction 

A robotics genius, Edmond West has developed a plan to create the world's first Artificial Intelligence truly indistinguishable from a human being. His Bots will eradicate global slavery and allow humanity to channel its darkest impulses safely, harming only these soulless machines. His greatest success, however, may also be his undoing. He's finally created the perfect humanoid robot; perfectly intuitive, perfectly emotive… and perfectly unpredictable.

The Foxglove Killings by Tara Kelly

Mystery 

 It started with the murdered deer in the playground with the unmistakable purple of a foxglove in its mouth. But in the dying boondock town of Emerald Cove, life goes on.

I work at Gramps's diner, and the cakes―the entitled rich kids who vacation here―make our lives hell. My best friend, Alex Pace, is the one person who gets me. Only Alex has changed. He's almost like a stranger now. I can't figure it out...or why I'm having distinctly more-than-friend feelings for him. Ones I shouldn't be having.

Then one of the cakes disappears.

When she turns up murdered, a foxglove in her mouth, a rumor goes around that Alex was the last person seen with her—and everyone but me believes it. Well, everyone except my worst enemy, Jenika Shaw. When Alex goes missing, it's up to us to prove his innocence and uncover the true killer. But the truth will shatter everything I've ever known about myself — and Alex.

Happy Birthday...

...to Margaret Stohl!

10 Romantic Reads...

...to maybe try while I am on my honeymoon!

1.  Beastly by Alex Flinn - A modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return to his human form.

2. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - In a small South Carolina town, where it seems little has changed since the Civil War, sixteen-year-old Ethan is powerfully drawn to Lena, a new classmate with whom he shares a psychic connection and whose family hides a dark secret that may be revealed on her sixteenth birthday.

3. The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale - Fifteen-year-old Dashti, sworn to obey her sixteen-year-old mistress, the Lady Saren, shares Saren's years of punishment locked in a tower, then brings her safely to the lands of her true love, where both must hide who they are as they work as kitchen maids.

4. Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge -  Betrothed to the demon who rules her country and trained all her life to kill him, seventeen-year-old Nyx Triskelion must now fulfill her destiny and move to the castle to be his wife.

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Sixteen-year-old Hazel, a stage IV thyroid cancer patient, has accepted her terminal diagnosis until a chance meeting with a boy at cancer support group forces her to reexamine her perspective on love, loss, and life.

6. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale - On her way to marry a prince she's never met, Princess Anidori is betrayed by her guards and her lady-in-waiting and must become a goose girl to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim the crown that is rightfully hers.

7. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley - Told in alternating voices, an all-night adventure featuring Lucy, who is determined to find an elusive graffiti artist named Shadow, and Ed, the last person Lucy wants to spend time with, except for the fact that he may know how to find Shadow.

8. Immortal City by Scott Speer - Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery. Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

9. The Selection by Kiera Cass - Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illea, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illea's prince--but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her.

10. Wings by Aprilynne Pike - When a plant blooms out of fifteen-year-old Laurel's back, it leads her to discover the fact that she is a faerie and that she has a crucial role to play in keeping the world safe from the encroaching enemy trolls.

New Books ~ August 2014 ~ Part 6

Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling by Lucy Frank

In this novel in verse, two very different girls bond while hospitalized for Crohn's disease.

Tune: Vanishing Point by Derek Kirk Kim

Andy's life is going nowhere, fast. He left art school with his career all worked out ahead of time, but ...to say it didn't work out is the understatement of the century. Unemployed and living with his overbearing parents, Andy struggles to keep sight of the lofty goals that once drove him. But it's hard, even when he reconnects with his old art school crush, Yumi. Things look better, briefly, with Yumi back in the picture and an actual job offer on the table. But then Andy takes the job offer--to work at a zoo--and finds himself in an alternate dimension. The zoo? Is run by aliens. The exhibit? Is him. 

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman

Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance; so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who's grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.

Natural Beauty: Homemade Recipes for Radiant Skin & Hair by Elizabeth Tenhouten

Combining a wealth of tips and 75 recipes for all-natural beauty aids, using nothing but pure ingredients direct from Mother Nature, with a philosophical approach to beauty as the foremost purpose of human existence, Natural Beauty inspires readers to pursue a natural, healthful approach to caring for their mind, body and soul.

Idols by Margaret Stohl

In the near future, four teenagers discover that their emotions have been weaponized and that they have been genetically bred to end the alien occupation of Earth.

New Books - October (Part 5)

Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin

A teenaged guitarist in a rock band deals with loss and anger as he relates the events that landed him in a juvenile detention center.

 Icons by Margaret Stohl

After an alien force known as the Icon colonizes Earth, decimating humanity, four surviving teenagers must piece together the mysteries of their pasts--in order to save the future.

Gris Grimly's Frankenstein by Gris Grimly

Retells, in graphic novel format, Mary Shelley's classic tale of a monster, assembled by a scientist from parts of dead bodies, who develops a mind of his own as he learns to loathe himself and hate his creator.

Happy birthday to 1/2 of a writing team!

It's Margaret Stohl's birthday!  She writes the Beautiful Creatures series along with Kami Garcia.  Here are the books in order:

Movie Monday: Beautiful Creatures

Happy Monday YAs!  It's time for Movie Monday!  Let's get right to it~

The Book:

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave. Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

I LOVED this book!  The setting is so well described, I loved the kind of gothic southern story.  I read this during the summer too, so I could imagine it really well.  I also listened to it on audiobook, which was also great.  (Gotta love well narrated audiobooks!)  I haven't gotten a chance to read the other books in the series, but I will definitely get there eventually!

What we know about the Movie:

The movie rights were bought in 2009 by Alcon Entertainment and Richard LaGravenese was attached to direct.  (director of P.S. I Love You and A Little Princess, among other things!)  They started filming this (Hooray!  It's officially coming to theater!!!) in May of this year.  So...on to the important part...

The Cast:

Lena Duchannes

Alice Englert is playing Lena.  She's beautiful, right?  Perfect look for Lena.  She's a newcomer to the acting biz, this being one of her first major roles.  I hope she does well!

Ethan Wate

Alden Ehrenreich is playing Ethan.  Not as thrilled with this one.  His main picture on IMDB is putting me off.  He's been in some TV before this, but this seems to be his first big movie role.  We'll see!

Want to see more of the cast?  Check out the film's IMDB page.

The movie is set to come out in February.  When we get a trailer I'll be sure to post it up here for you guys and gals.  Have a great Monday :)

November's New Books (Part 2)

 

The Margrave by Catherine Fisher

Check the Catalog

Galen and Raffi's quest has brought them to the Pits of Maar. There, below the surface of the world, in the deepest darkness, a most evil thing is waiting for them to come.

Frost by Marianna Baer

Check the Catalog

When Leena Thomas gets her wish to live in an old Victorian house with her two closest friends during their senior year at boarding school, the unexpected arrival of another roommate--a confrontational and eccentric classmate--seems to bring up old anxieties and fears for Leena that may or may not be in her own mind.

 Palace of the Damned by Darren Shan

Check the Catalog

After failing his mentor and killing the entire crew of a ship in a bout of revenge for the death of his assistant, Larten is bereft with guilt. He no longer has the drive to live the vampiric life, and hides out in Paris, masquerading as a human. There, he finds some happiness, even falling in love with a girl. But the darkness inside him is too great for humanity, and he is forced to make a choice: hide in the shadows of the human world, or take his place among the vampire clan and protect those weaker than himself. But enemies are waiting, traps are laid, and Larten's path is bound to be strewn with bodies.

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Check the Catalog

Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand and control the impact of Lena's claiming, which is even causing her family members' abilities to dangerously misfire.

 The Death Cure by James Dashner

Check the Catalog

Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test. What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says. The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.
Will anyone survive the Death Cure?

Books to movies

Curious which of your favorite YA books might become movies soon?  Here's the low down on what I've heard:

• A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb is reportedly being worked on by the same studio that brought you Twilight.  The book is about a ghost, Helen, who has been haunting people for 130 years when she meets a teenage boy who can see her.  Breaking Dawn: Part 1 will be in theaters next month, by the way.
• Everyone knows about this one already I think, but I'm so excited about it, I'll say it here again.  Hunger Games! March 23 2012!  Mark your calendars!
• Another dystopian movie?  You bet.  The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness is next up to get the big screen treatment.  The first book in the series is The Knife of Never Letting Go and centers around the people of Earth colonizing a distant planet, which is already inhabited by a race of aliens.
• I think pretty much everyone I know reads this book in school, and its finally coming to movie screens.  Keep an eye out for trailers for Lois Lowry's The Giver!
• Cassandra Clare's novels are popular, especially her Mortal Instruments series, coming to a theater soon near you!  Lead actors are Jaime Campbell Bower and Lily Collins.
• I am SO excited for this one... I love the book and I love the actress!  The book is The Perks of Being a Wallflower and playing one of the characters... Emma Watson!  Hermione herself!  I can't wait to see how she does in other roles, though I will always be expecting her to start waving her wand and casting spells.
• I hadn't heard of this one, but it sounds cute: Geek Charming by Robin Palmer has been made into a movie by the Disney Channel and will premier on Friday, November 11th.
• I read and liked Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, and apparently that is being made into a movie too!
• A favorite of mine, Wings by Aprilynne Pike, has been optioned by Disney.  That doesn't mean its being filmed yet, but Disney has bought the option of making it.  Oh, and Miley Cyrus is supposedly going to be the star!

Well these are all I could dig up for now.  I'll let you know if I find out about any others!