If You Like: Books with Male Narrators

"If You Like…” is a feature highlighting blogger recommendations for books, authors, TV shows, movies, and music based on the things you already know and love.

This week's books all have male narrators. So, if you want a book with an authentic male perspective, check these out!

The Secret War

The Secret War
by Matt Myklusch
Jack Blank Adventures, book two

Jack and his fellow students are now well into their School of Thought training and are “sidekicking” for official, card-carrying superheroes. But even though Jack feels more at home in the Imagine Nation, he’s still hiding secrets from his friends Skerren and Allegra.

Jack is trying to find out how far the RÜstov sleeper virus has spread, working to find a cure, and striving to avoid the dire future that Revile warned him about. Meanwhile, Jonas Smart is working just as hard to discover what Jack is hiding from everyone. When a rogue Secreteer—the protectors of Imagine Nation citizens’ secrets—starts selling info to the highest bidder, Smart is ready and waiting. If Jack is going to help prevent a second RÜstov invasion, keep Smart from discovering his secrets, and find out what a shadowy, half-mad Secreteer knows about his long-lost father, he’ll need to learn to trust his friends and find the true path toward becoming a hero himself.(description from Amazon.com)

Though I have not yet read the first book in this series, I absolutely plan to go back and do so. Matt Myklusch has created a captivating and imaginative new world! I love that superheroes, villains, ninjas, robots, and more all live together in the Imagine Nation. If you check out his website, you can even see the different and awesome sections of Empire City....so cool!

There are really wonderful characters in this series, too. I love the yoda-like Stendeval, the morphing Allegra, and of course our accidental hero, Jack! Listening to this book also added another dimension as Norbert Leo Butz gives each character their own distinct, and often humorous voice. Each character really came to life with their own faults, foibles, and yes, super powers!!

This was a great adventure with a lot of heart. Jack is keeping all kinds of secrets from his friends, the biggest being his knowledge that their greatest enemy may in fact be him! To see him struggle with this knowledge and learn that the best thing he can do is trust his friends really brought emotional depth to the book.

Well done! I can't wait to see what happens next.

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile

In My Mailbox - August 7, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Every week bloggers can share what they received in the mail or at the bookstore or at the library. The goal is that everyone can be exposed to more books this way!

For Review:

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Everybody Sees the Ants by A. S. King
Wintertown by Steve Emond



Bunheads by Sophie Flack
The Phantom Limb by William Sleator

*A HUGE thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for sending me a small box o'books...you rock!!*


From the Library:

Overbite by Meg Cabot
Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey
Rip Tide by Kat Falls



All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

Won!!:

Love Story by Jennifer Echols
*Thank you so much to Chick Lit Teens and Simon and Schuster!!*

The End of Time

The End of Time
by P. W. Catanese
Books of Umber, book three

The adventures of Happenstance and Umber reach their epic, surprising, and emotional conclusion. As Happenstance struggles to master his unusual abilities, he realizes that time is running out -- because Umber's rivals threaten to undo all the good he has achieved, while an unexpected new enemy with terrible destructive power approaches the kingdom. (description from Amazon.com)

I loved this conclusion to the Books of Umber series. Happenstance is still one of my favorite middle grade characters. Catanese is so good at imagining interesting and intriguing characters, both good and bad.

Umber is an amazingly interesting and quirky character. His merry band of adventurers are also lovable. Each has their own multidimensional uniqueness. I love how no character is perfect...just a single flaw can make someone so much more fascinating.

I especially love Catanese's imagination for "bad guys." They are creepy, intense, and believable. He manages to take the fantastic and bring it to everyday life. In that way, the Books of Umber is able to believably mix our world and the fantasy of Umber's new world.

With amazing sights and adventures, quirky characters, and fantastic friendships, the Books of Umber series officially lives on my bookshelves as one of my favorites.

Full disclosure: Review copy received from publisher

Steel

Steel
by Carrie Vaughn

Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.

The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain. (description from Amazon.com)

I'm very conflicted about this book. While I loved the story and characters, I wasn't fond of the writing style itself. I was also left with some major questions unanswered and so felt a little unsatisfied when I finished.

Jill was a very believable heroine. She's tough and trained in swordplay, but she's also thrown into a scary and unbelievable situation, to which she's never quite sure how to act. I loved the blend of her bravado and sheer terror at certain moments.

I really enjoyed reading about Captain Marjory Cooper, a woman that ran her ship based on respect, not fear. It was really interesting to read about the other female pirates, too. I know that there actually were some in history, same as female soldiers before it was allowed, and it was really cool to see how Vaughn showed different types of female pirates and what may have driven them to that life. In fact, all of the pirate lifestyle that was represented was interesting and realistic.

While I loved the time travel aspect of this book, I didn't really understand how it happened or worked. There was sort of an explanation towards the end, but I didn't really feel that it was at all believable or well told. That was one of the things that I really just didn't connect to, and as such a large part of the story, that made it hard to truly love this book.

I felt like there were several things that just didn't click for me on this one. Lots of other readers out there have loved this book, though, so if you like pirates, time travel, romance and adventure, you may still want to give it a shot.

Sucker Punch - Movie Review

Sucker Punch

I finally got the chance to see Sucker Punch now that it's out on DVD. I watched with my husband (who hated it) and my sister (who liked it, too) and I really enjoyed it. First off, the soundtrack is amazing! I'm always amazed how much music can affet everything. It was the perfect blend of melancholy, mixed with hard rock to pump up the action sequences.

The basic storyline was sad, but the dream sequences were exciting and full of girl-power moments, which I absolutely love. The special effects were awesome and those sequences were very steampunk-y, which rocked.

I loved the way that they were able to layer the different realities of the movie. To give the girls a mental escape, a place that they had power, even when they were really helpless. I also loved the realization and decision that Babydoll made at the end of the movie.

I thought it was very well done. I can see how some people (including my husband) would hate it, though. It's not a movie for everybody.

Secrets of Tamarind

Secrets of Tamarind
by Nadia Aguiar

It’s been four years since Maya, Simon, and Penny Nelson left the lost island of Tamarind. For Maya, the island is a nearly forgotten part of her childhood; for Penny, it’s a secret place she can’t remember, but longs to see; and for Simon, it’s an adventure waiting to happen. An evil group called the Red Coral Project is lurking around the Nelson’s home in Bermuda, and the children discover that the project has moved into Tamarind, and are desiccating it to ruin. Only the Nelson’s can save the island.

In Tamarind, there is the mystery of the magical mineral ophalla that Red Coral is greedily mining, their old pirate ship, the Pamela Jane, and the secret of their friend Helix’s parentage. This time, it is up to Simon to put the clues together, and save his sisters from the island and the nefarious Red Coral Project—and defeat Red Coral before the magnificent island is put to ruin. (description from Amazon.com)

I really enjoyed this middle grade adventure. I kind of wish that I had read the first book in the series, The Lost Island of Tamarind (I will probably go back and read it at some point), not because I didn't understand what was happening (this takes place four years later, so it's separated into reminiscences rather than directly affecting the events of this book) but because the writing is so good that I want to visit this world again!

Aguiar describes a lush and magical island. This series is sort of Peter Pan meets Lost. The island contains wonderous creatures, interesting people, and sights that just make me want to jump in with my camera in tow. Add to that mix a really devoted and adventurous family of kids that are continuously able to save the day...you've got a winner!

This book was just what I needed as a fantasy reader who had read one to many paranormal romances recently. This brought me right back to what I had loved about reading fantasy a few years ago. Pure adventure. Pure magic. Pure smarts and courage and devoted friends.
Definitely worth reading!!

Full disclosure: ARC received to review for SLJ

Hourglass

Hourglass
by Myra McEntire

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened? (description from Amazon.com)

What a debut! This is one of those books that I put down and was afraid to pick anything else up...nothing was going to sit right for awhile...McEntire gave other books a lot to live up to!!

That's why this book is getting a GOLD STAR REVIEW!




I loved this book...hot buttered biscuits, did I love this book! It's got adventure, it's got time travel, it's got "ghosts," it's got romance, it's got betrayal, it's got jealousy...oh yeah, did I mention the romance?

In amongst the time traveling awesome adventure is some hot, hot romance. Not only does Emerson have one HAWT soul mate, but she's got another suitor that I just want to reach through the book and snatch up. How lucky can one girl get? The best part...it's not the focus of the book. Yes, you will be fanning yourself at some moments...maybe even drooling, but the adventure and mystery is the real story.

Emerson doesn't let romance get in her way. Not even when things seem impossible to work out in every aspect of her life. The romance is integral and consuming, but also shoved to the back burner when more important things occur. Emerson is one delicate-looking, snarky, tough cookie that isn't gonna let anyone...not even a heartthrob...tell her how to live her life. She makes her own choices.

*sigh* I want to go home and dive right back into this one now...and I hardly have time to reread anything these days, so Ms. McEntire that is the highest praise I can give you! I will be rereading Hourglass soon...very soon...and I will be purchasing my own copy...AND I will be desperately trying to flatten out the (now very mushed) cover poster that I got at BEA to put on the wall in my office.

Full disclosure: ARC borrowed from Jen at YABOOKNERD - *Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!*

In My Mailbox - May 15, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Every week bloggers can share what they received in the mail or at the bookstore or at the library. The goal is that everyone can be exposed to more books this way!

From the Library:

Quicksilver by Amanda Quick
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
The Charmed Return by Frewin Jones


The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
Ask Elizabeth by Elizabeth Berkley

For Review:

Populazzi by Elise Allen
Queen of Kings by Maria Dahvana Headley

The Girl in the Steel Corset - Signed ARC Giveaway

The Girl in the Steel Corset
by Kady Cross
The Steampunk Chronicles, book one

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her. When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

As I posted earlier this week, I attended the Connecticut Library Association annual conference on Monday and Tuesday. As one of the Young Adult section co-chairs, I organized a program called the "Teen Romance Panel," that featured authors Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Cara Lynn Shultz and Kady Cross (Kathryn Smith), as well as Simon Pulse representative, Jennifer Klonsky. I was honored to be able to meet them all and to participate in the program, kind of by accident. I'm hoping to post some pictures soon!

Anyway, as I mentioned Kady Cross, author of The Girl in the Steel Corset, was there and discussed her new series and how romance is part of it. After the panel, we were lucky enough to have arranged with Harlequin Teen to have signed ARCs for all the attendees. Since I loved this book so much, I got an extra signed ARC to giveaway on my blog (I won't part with mine!!).

Here's what I thought - This is steampunk to crow about! Huzzah! I loved it...breezed right throught it, in that fashion when you start a book and just can't put it down. Finley Jayne is a great character. The supporting cast all have dimension and balance one another, as well. A personal favorite of mine was a shady character named "Jack Dandy."

The storyline was totally intriguing and felt very plausible, surprisingly enough! I love a good automaton adventure. I cannot wait to see what happens in book two when the intrepid group heads across the pond to New York City. Should be a whirlwind of fun.

Full of cool inventions, nefarious plots, heros and heroines that are plucky, intelligent and unswervingly loyal, this is the start of a great new series. And, as Kady said...this one's all about the girl!

If you want to enter for a chance to win the signed ARC, leave a comment telling me what you favorite steampunk invention, story or character might be...If you've never tried steampunk before, tell me why you want to try it. Don't forget to leave me an email address where I can contact you if you are the winner!! I will randomly pick a winner on Friday, May 13th and they will have until the following Wed to get in touch with me to claim their prize. Good luck!!

Full disclosure: ARC received from publisher then signed by author at CLA event

The Inside Story

The Inside Story
by Michael Buckley
The Sisters Grimm, book eight

After the shocking ending of The Everafter War, this book picks up with Sabrina, Daphne, and Puck stuck in the Book of Everafter, where all the fairy tales are stored and enchanted characters can change their destinies. The girls (and Puck) must chase the Master through a series of stories, where they’re willing to change what they need in order to save their baby brother. Soon, however, they are confronted by the Editor—the book’s guardian—who, along with an army of tiny monsters known as Revisers, threatens the children with dire consequences if they don’t stick to the stories. As they chase their quarry and dodge the Revisers, they meet Alice, Mowgli, Jack the Giant Killer, Hansel and Gretel, the Headless Horseman, and more. But will they find their brother in time? (description taken from Amazon.com)

This is one of my all-time favorite series. The part of me that has never really grown up revels in the idea that someone else out there...not just me!...imagined a world where fairy tale creatures were real. There is just something purely magical about the world that Sabrina and Daphne inhabit!

Each of the characters is captivating. Sabrina, Daphne, Relda, and yes, even Puck grow and change throughout the series. In this particular volume, Sabrina deals with some severe self-doubts. Surprisingly enough, Puck assists Daphne in talking her around. Puck even makes some surprising discoveries about himself, his relationship within the family, and drops some hints into his own deeper feelings.

I admire Sabrina's sheer determination and fierce family loyalty, Daphne's heart and endless optimism, but most of all I think I love Puck's well "pucktastic"-ness. He is definitely my favorite character in the series.

This is the second to last book in the series and again ends with a nice cliffhanger. I cannot wait to see how everything works out!

Cyberia: Prime Evil

Cyberia: Prime Evil
by Chris Lynch
Cyberia, book three

Zane and his animal comrades have foiled Dr. Gristle's terrible plots twice--he can't talk to animals, and he can't get at the heart of what makes them wild. Zane can talk to them. He can understand them. He almost is one. Almost.

Zane keeps getting in Dr. Gristle's way though - and he's being sent as far out of the way as Gristle can get him. In fact, he's being sent right into the middle of a new plot of the bad doctor's--and in his new, utterly foreign surroundings, he's entirely too human.

Just what has Gristle done to make these new animals so angry? Can't they see that Zane is their Friend?

In order to get home, Zane must figure out a way to stop Gristle's new plan and make some new friends before he becomes animal feed--or worse. It's time to defeat the evil Dr. Gristle once and for all! (description taken from Amazon.com)

This was a fun, fast adventure read! Zane is a normal(ish) young teen boy that, luckily, can now speak to animals. His nemesis, Dr. Gristle, is always trying to take advantage of Zane's furry friends and he's having none of it!

I loved the scientific concept of the CattleLivid Converters in this book! What a cool idea - battery power derived from the emotions of the animals. Needless to say, collecting the "acid" for these batteries is done in a way that Zane must stop!

Full of zany antics, wordplay, and new friends/frenemies this was a great ending to the trilogy.

Full disclosure: Book received from SLJ for review.

Scumble

Scumble
by Ingrid Law

Nine years after Mibs's Savvy journey, her cousin Ledge has just turned thirteen . . .

But Ledger Kale's savvy is a total dud--all he does is make little things fall apart. So his parents decide it's safe to head to Wyoming, where it's soon revealed that Ledge's savvy is much more powerful than anyone thought. Worse, his savvy disaster has an outside witness: Sarah Jane Cabot, reporter wannabe and daughter of the local banker. Just like that, Ledge's beloved normal life is over. Now he has to keep Sarah from turning family secrets into headlines, stop her father from foreclosing on Uncle Autry's ranch, and scumble his savvy into control so that, someday, he can go home.
(description taken from Amazon.com)

I had read Savvy a while ago and really loved how Law wove a story. I was pleasantly surprised to receive this audiobook from SLJ to review. Set years after the first book, Scumble further explores the savvy families in America and how they survive.

Poor Ledger, hoping to be a phenomenal runner, ends up with a junk savvy...literally. He creates junk. At least that's what he believes at first. His talent is so hard to control, he is left on the remote family ranch for the summer to try to learn to "scumble." Scumbling allows their family to successfully use their special talents, but no one seems to really be able to explain how to scumble...

When Ledge accidentally reveals his savvy to the town's biggest mouth, he has to try and do some damage control. In his quest to make things right, Ledge meets the girl of his dreams, helps his wayward electric cousin find his way, saves the family ranch, and learns quite a few things about himself.

A magical coming of age story, mixed with just the right touches of danger, adventure, and romance. The audiobook version is fun, whimsical, and fits Ledge's voice to a "T."

Full disclosure: Audiobook sent by SLJ for review

Radiance Book Trailer

Okay, I know it seems like all I've been posting lately is book trailers, but...
I'm a big fan of Alyson Noel's Immortals series and the first book in the spin-off series, Radiance looks really great! I love that this one is middle grade, since Riley is a tween when she crosses over.
Here's the trailer...



...did you see the castle? I'm pretty sure that's a shot of Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria...my favorite castle in the whole world and a place that's on my list of must-go locations! *squee*

Anyway, you can get more info on this book and the Immortals series at Alyson Noel's website:
http://www.alysonnoel.com/

Anxiously Awaiting...

The Scorch Trials
by James Dashner

This is a companion book to The Maze Runner, which I LOVED. It was one of my favorite books of 2009. This second book comes out on October 12th, 2010!

May the mystery and adventure continue!!

The Journal of Curious Letters

The Journal of Curious Letters
by James Dashner
The 13th Reality, book one

What if every time you made a choice that had a significant consequence, a new, alternate reality was created - the life that would've been had you made the other choice? What if those new realities were in danger? What if it fell to you to save all the realities? Atticus Higginbottom, a.k.a. Tick, is an average thirteen-year-old boy until the day a strange letter arrives in his mailbox. Postmarked from Alaska and cryptically signed with the initials "M.G.," the letter informs Tick that dangerous - perhaps even deadly - events have been set in motion that could result in the destruction of reality itself. M.G. promises to send Tick twelve riddles that will reveal on a certain day, at a certain time, at a certain place, something extraordinary will happen. Will Tick have the courage to follow the twelve clues M.G. sends to him? Will he be able to solve the riddles in time? Will Tick discover the life he was meant to live?
(description from Amazon.com)

Honestly, I almost didn't finish this book. I loved The Maze Runner, Dashner's YA dystopia out last year, and so when I got the chance to meet him at BEA this year in New York, I leapt at the chance. I had hoped that James Dashner would be signing The Scorch Trials, but instead he was signing the third book in The Thirteenth Reality series, The Blade of Shattered Hope.
Since I now own a signed copy, I really wanted to read the whole series.

However, when I started this book, it really dragged for me in the beginning. I had trouble with Tick's name, first off, and the setup for the 13 realities took too long for me. BUT...since I own the third book now, I was determined to keep going and get through it. In the end, I was glad that I kept reading. The second half of the book really picked up and there was lots of action, danger, and mystery.

The baddie is a really mean, weird, crazy baddie. Mistress Jane gave me chills at one point. Her minions (think kind of like the Wizard of Oz flying monkeys) were very inventive. The method of traveling between realities is cool and the different realities sound intriguing and fun.

Now that the world setup is done in the first book, I am way more excited to read the second book. I look forward to The Hunt for Dark Infinity.

Monthly Roundup - March 2010

Here's what I read in March 2010:

Tanglewreck - Jeanette Winterson
Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
Raven Rise - D.J. MacHale
Prada and Prejudice - Mandy Hubbard
The Enchanted Quest - Frewin Jones
Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show - Frank Delaney
Fired Up - Jayne Ann Krentz
The Betraying Season - Marissa Doyle
Sleepless - Cyn Balog
Twilight: The Graphic Novel vol. 1 - Stephenie Meyer
The Mysterious Benedict Society: The Prisoner's Dilemma - Trenton Stewart
Heist Society - Ally Carter
The Bone Magician - F.E. Higgins
I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It - Adam Selzer
Scandal - Kate Brian
Hourglass - Claudia Gray
Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

Total: 17 books

March 2010 Favorites:

Sleepless - A surprisingly great addition to the paranormal romance genre in YA literature.

I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It - A fun, sarcastic, and thoughtful zombiefest!

Hex Hall - A fun, quick, quirky read with great, realistic characters. Can't wait for a sequel.

Heist Society - It really is Ocean's Eleven with teens. Fun!

Betraying Season - A fantastic sequel, rich in Irish folklore and magic, as well as a little romance...

Thursday Tween Talk - Jan. 7, 2010

As I stated in my last Thursday Tween Talk post, our Library is not doing any Tween Time programs in January because the program attendance dropped so significantly last year (probably due to the weather!). So, instead I decided to do a Tween book review.



Sharp Shot
Rich and Jade series: Book 3
by Jack Higgins

Rich and Jade Chance are once again on the run— but this time, trouble finds them while their father is away on his own mission. After a breathless chase through an amusement park, Jade is taken hostage by a man from Chance’s past who is plotting a dastardly political coup in the Middle East with nuclear weapons as a threat. Worse still, the President of the United States is on his way to the region for a summit meeting. It will take all of the Chance family’s wits and skills to find the bomb and defuse the threat—and time is running out.

I thought this was an excellent choice for tween boys, reluctant readers, and girls who like the "Gallagher Girls" series. The chapters are short, it is action packed right from the first page, and though it involves some geography and politics, it is all written in an extremely easy to understand language. In fact, this book almost read like you were watching it happen on a movie screen. Definitely recommended for those sometimes hard to please tween readers.