The Lies That Bind and Third Lie's the Charm: A Liar Society Two-Fer!

Lies That Bind
by Lisa and Laura Roecker
The Liar Society, book two

Kate has heard of messages from beyond the grave, but she never expected to find one in a fortune cookie. Especially from her best friend, Grace—who's supposed to be dead.

At the elite Pemberly Brown Academy, nothing is as it seems. A popular girl has gone missing, and Kate owes it to Grace's memory to find out what happened. But in a school ruled by secret societies, who can she trust? Definitely not Bradley (despite his hotness) — he's one of them. Still, she may just have to get closer to him if she wants to get some answers. (Description from Amazon.com)

This series just keeps getting better.  Kate is one smart cookie and I love her sarcasm, loyalty, and determination.  I love her relationship with Seth, her next door neighbor, and I love seeing how she and Liam keep dancing around each other.  What I love best about these books, though, is the mysteries.  Every time I think I have it figured out, the Roeckers put another twist in Kate's path, throwing both her and me for a loop.  The stakes keep getting higher and let's just say that this book ends on a real doozy of a plot twist!

Third Lie's the Charm
by Lisa and Laura Roecker
The Liar Society, book three

Katie Lowry knows she could've stopped Alistair from doing something stupid if only she'd picked up the phone. Now she has to live with the guilt. She's sick of the lies, sick of the secret societies that rule life at Pemberly Brown Academy. But there's only one way to take them down: from the inside...

Following the HUGE twist of an ending in book two, Kate is out to get her final revenge...to avenge Grace's death and bring peace to Pemberly Brown once and for all. The only way to do that is from within the system she's struggling to bring down. To give up the boyfriend she loves, to fake her way to the top, and to...well go red (for rage, revenge, really who cares...red is bad@ss!).  Kate's emotions hit the wall in the third book and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her finally get the closure she needed and deserved.  It was a journey well worth taking!

Full disclosure: Purchased for my Nook, eARC from Netgalley

I really can't recommend this series enough...they are fun, easy to read mysteries with a great main character and plots that will keep you on your toes.  Start with book one, The Liar Society, and you won't be sorry.

I Represent Sean Rosen

I Represent Sean Rosen
by Jeff Baron

Sean Rosen knows what he wants. A ten-million-dollar deal with a big Hollywood studio. The only problem is, he's a kid. And he's busy with school. And he lives far from Los Angeles or New York City. But Sean does have a laptop and a phone, and he's smart. He's about to have the ride of a lifetime as he discovers the ins and outs—and dos and don'ts—of becoming one of the youngest movie moguls the world's ever known. (description from Amazon.com)

Funny at times, but ultimately not as good as I'd expected. This book was a fairly quick read, but I didn't really feel enthusiastic at all once I'd read it. Sean never really learns not to lie and doesn't have to face any real consequences for all of his deceptions... I kind of found that disappointing and unrealistic. If you love books where you really see inside the character's head, you might like this one, but I don't think it'll be a hit with everyone.

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my library

The Testing

The Testing
by Joelle Charbonneau

It’s graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is celebrating. All Cia can think about—hope for—is whether she’ll be chosen for The Testing, a United Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest new graduates to become possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-war civilization. When Cia is chosen, her father finally tells her about his own nightmarish half-memories of The Testing. Armed with his dire warnings (”Cia, trust no one”), she bravely heads off to Tosu City, far away from friends and family, perhaps forever. Danger, romance—and sheer terror—await. (description from Amazon.com)

If you devoured The Hunger Games and having been struggling to find something with just the same bite to it, look no further. This is the book you've been waiting for... it is the closest I've come yet to the experience I had reading The Hunger Games. 

This book has the same danger, excitement, self-sacrifice, a hint of romance...and left me DESPERATE to get my hands on the second book. I highly recommend this one.

Zebra Forest

Zebra Forest
by Adina Rishe Gewirtz

When eleven-year-old Annie first started lying to her social worker, she had been taught by an expert: Gran. “If you’re going to do something, make sure you do it with excellence,” Gran would say. That was when Gran was feeling talkative, and not brooding for days in her room — as she did after telling Annie and her little brother, Rew, the one thing they know about their father: that he was killed in a fight with an angry man who was sent away. Annie and Rew spend their days under the birches and oaks of the Zebra Forest, telling stories about their father the pirate, or pilot, or secret agent. But then something shocking happens to unravel all their stories: a rattling at the back door, an escapee from the prison holding them hostage in their own home, four lives that will never be the same. (description from Amazon.com)

I had no idea originally if I was going to like this book or not. I was very surprised that not only was it a super quick read... but, I also found myself unable to stop reading. The story was a little far-fetched at first (though it tapped into my childhood fears that some random prisoner from a local jail would break into our house *exactly* like this one does...), but the way that Gewirtz writes is so emotionally compelling that I didn't care any more if the story seemed entirely plausible. 

Both Annie and Rew's reactions to their father's sudden reappearance in their lives felt absolutely real. The intense resentment at having thought their father was dead, only to learn he'd been alive all that time and that they could have visited him. The hope that maybe he'd been falsely imprisoned, though they really knew he was guilty. Their anger at their grandmother for lying to them, even as she was having trouble coping with reality.

I really liked how the book ended, too. Things were emotionally satisfying, but also realistic. Well done.

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my Library

Also Known As

Also Known As 
by Robin Benway

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover. (Description from Amazon.com) 

I really enjoyed this light-hearted spy story.  

The teen voice was perfect. Maggie and her friends were all totally believable, each with their own foibles and backgrounds.  The action was both believable in the sense that Maggie was not the perfect spy... and had me on the edge of my seat at times. 

The romance...ah, the romance... I loved it. It was rocky. It was funny.  It was just gushy enough.  

I did not want to put this book down at all as soon as I started reading and in fact, I would love to see a follow-up story! Fun, funny, and full of surprises.  

Full disclosure: Purchased for my Kindle App

The False Prince

The False Prince

by Jennifer Nielsen

The Ascendance Trilogy, book one

 

In this first book in a remarkable trilogy, an orphan is forced into a twisted game with deadly stakes.

Choose to lie...or choose to die.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.  (description from Amazon.com)

 

Danger, political intrigue, secrets, lies... Sage's story is full of suspense and moments that may shock readers.  While I thoroughly enjoyed this book...and really loved the way the story was presented, when the "big reveal" came, I wasn't that surprised.  I was actually a little shocked at how easily I deduced what was going on. 

 

Despite that, I really enjoyed Sage's character, thought the premise was excellent, and was left clamboring for the next book.  All in all, a winner, despite the lack of surprise. 

 

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my library

Will Sparrow's Road

Will Sparrow's Road

by Karen Cushman

 

In his thirteenth year, Will Sparrow, liar and thief, becomes a runaway. On the road, he encounters a series of con artists—a pickpocket, a tooth puller, a pig trainer, a conjurer—and learns that others are more adept than he at lying and thieving. Then he reluctantly joins a traveling troupe of "oddities," including a dwarf and a cat-faced girl, holding himself apart from the "monsters" and resolving to be on guard against further deceptions. At last Will is forced to understand that appearances are misleading and that he has been his own worst deceiver. (description from Amazon.com)

 

While I enjoyed the setting of this book - the Elizabethan English market circuit - I found myself having a hard time really becoming invested in it.  I'm not sure if it just read too young for me or if it was because I found Will to be too naive to believe...or what. I loved seeing the sort-of birth of freak shows and how the market folk treated one another and what life was like on the road.  I also eventually enjoyed seeing Will figure life out and come to a happy ending, but until then I felt sort of ambivalent about the whole thing.

 

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for SLJ

The Girl is Murder

The Girl is Murder

by Kathryn Miller Haines

 

Iris Anderson is only fifteen, but she's quickly mastering the art of deception.

It's the Fall of 1942 and Iris's world is rapidly changing. Her Pop is back from the war with a missing leg, limiting his ability to do the physically grueling part of his detective work. Iris is dying to help, especially when she discovers that one of Pop's cases involves a boy at her school. Now, instead of sitting at home watching Deanna Durbin movies, Iris is sneaking out of the house, double crossing her friends, and dancing at the Savoy till all hours of the night. There's certainly never a dull moment in the private eye business. (description from Amazon.com)

 

Love mystery? Love historical fiction?  Love Veronica Mars??? (Of course you do, who doesn't??!!) Then...you NEED to check out this book. 

 

Set in the 1940's, this book's atmosphere was exceedingly well done.  The clothes, the slang, the political unrest... I felt like I'd dropped straight into the forties and I wanted to dance the night away with the Rainbows!  The best part was that even with the slang and the differences in our culture between then and today, Iris still felt like an average teenager.  I didn't have that horrible disconnect that you can sometimes get when historical fiction feels too foreign. 

 

Iris was a great character through which to view the forties.  She's Jewish, so considered an outsider, and she's just been exiled from the richest section of New York City down to a much lower socially acceptable area because of scandal and economic misfortune... (does this sound familiar to anyone else? Is your name Veronica in real life, Iris? LOL... J/K)  Similar (but not an exact rip-off, I promise) to Veronica Mars in tone, Iris decides she needs to help her Private Investigator father to close his cases because their family desperately needs the money and because she can go places he can't. 

 

Which leads to a new life built on secrets and lies.  Soon Iris is double-crossing "friends" at school and misleading her father... how long can she keep that up?  The answer...not too long.  The real question, though, is will she be able to solve a potential murder before it all blows up in her face??

 

A rollickingly good ride...and I'm looking forward to the sequel, The Girl is Trouble.

 

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my Library

Spark

Spark

by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Sky Chasers, book two

 

After a desperate escape from the enemy ship, Waverly has finally made it back to the Empyrean. The memory of home has been keeping her alive for the past months… but home is nothing like she left it. Forced to leave their captive parents behind on the New Horizon, she’s returned only to find that Kieran has become a strict leader and turned the crew against Seth. What happened to the Kieran she thought she knew? Now Waverly’s not sure whom she can trust. And the one person she wants to believe in is darkly brilliant Seth, the ship’s supposed enemy. Waverly knows that the situation will only get worse until they can rescue their parents – but how?

Before they have time to make a plan, an explosion rocks the Empyrean, and Seth and Waverly are targeted as the prime suspects. Can they find the true culprit before Kieran locks them away… or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? Now more than ever, every step could bring them closer to a new beginning – or a sudden end. (description from Amazon.com)

 

After my sparkling gold star review of Glow, I was beyond excited to listen to Spark. Unfortunately, for me, the magic was just not quite there in this sequel.  

 

Ryan added a point of view by having chapters told from Seth's perspective. Though I absolutely saw the need for this in terms of moving the storyline forward, it was somewhat jarring to have happen at the very beginning of the book and it threw the "flow" off for me.  It also vastly complicated the emotional tenor of the book and thus slowed the building of the story.

 

Though there was action and suspense in this book, it was much slower in the beginning... I was not immediately grabbed like I had been in the first book.  By the time I was nearing the ending, it had started to get the magic back, and I will definitely be reading book three to see how things end, but I'm hoping that the author will capture the magic again!

 

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for SLJ and AudioFile magazine. Ebook purchased for my Nook. 

New School Year... New...Secrets, New...Scandals, New...Friends?

Since it's back to school season, we created a new display in the Teen Space at our Library full of YA books that have a new school year theme, but with some kind of twist.  Scandals, murders, secrets, and friends... or sometimes frenemies! Thus, "New School Year... New...Secrets, New...Scandals, New...Friends?" was born...

Some of the books that I chose were:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

A fabulous romance!

Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris-until she meets Etienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Etienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne



Totally absorbing!
When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn't expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she's going crazy. Fast.

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

Before there was ever Sex and the City...

The Carrie Diaries opens up in Carrie's senior year of high school. She and her best friends -- Walt, Lali, Maggie, and the Mouse -- are inseparable, and then Sebastian Kydd comes into the picture. Carrie falls into the relationship that she was always supposed to have in high school-until a friend's betrayal makes her question everything. 

Private by Kate Brian

A true High School "soap opera!"

Fifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy—the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. She quickly discovers that inside their secret parties and mountains of attitude, hanging in their designer clothing-packed closets the Billings Girls have skeletons. And they’ll do anything to keep their secrets private.

Other titles include:
Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Monster High by Lisi Harrison
My Name is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson
Something to Hold by Katherine Schlick Noe
Dead is a Battlefield by Marlene Perez
Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

If you have to go back to school, the least you can do is go back to school with a twist, right?

Dirty Little Secrets

Dirty Little Secrets
by C.J. Omololu

Everyone has a secret. But Lucy's is bigger and dirtier than most. It's one she's been hiding for years-that her mom's out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. Tackling an increasingly discussed topic that is both fascinating and disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy's desperate attempt to save her family. Readers join Lucy on a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen's life will have them completely hooked. (description from Amazon.com)

This was a compelling, intriguing, and at moments both gross and shocking book. It's like a soap opera unfolding in front of your eyes - you see it happening, you know what's coming, and still you can't look away...you are hooked! 

My husband and I both watch Hoarders on TV.  I'll admit it. It's one of those shows you turn on and then can't turn off again. We'll watch it for hours. It's educational in a way, but it's mostly morbidly fascinating. You can't help but wonder for hours how it's possible that people actually live like that! It also has the dual  purpose of making me feel much better about how I live my life...sort of like Cops, LOL.

Anyway, this book read like watching an episode's aftermath. I could not put it down! There were moments  when I wished I could, but it was impossible. I can absolutely see now why several of  the teens in our Library had been bugging me to read this one! 

For something a little different that you won't be able to put down...try Dirty Little Secrets!

Insurgent

Insurgent

by Veronica Roth

Divergent trilogy, book two

*CAUTION - This description/review contains spoilers if you have not read Divergent...*

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. (Description from Amazon.com)

It is no secret that I LOVED Divergent.  It was amazing...and while I really enjoyed Insurgent, it just didn't have that same magical *spark* that Divergent did...

One of the things I liked the most about this book...and simultaneously cursed, was that it broadened our world-view and gave much more depth to whole story. Readers got to learn more about each faction - how it was developed, who runs it and where, what are its principles - and how they interact with each other. It was really cool to see how the entire city worked as a whole. 

The world-building felt much more developed here, but in Roth's feeding us so much information, you lose the magic of living directly in Tris' head. As such, I felt that the first half of the book developed very slowly... it was not until midway through that I became really solidly invested in the characters again.

And what Tris and Four go through... I just wanted to reach through the book and hug each of them... There are betrayals, there are massive secrets revealed, there are deaths.  I cannot say more without getting all spoiler-y.

Now... all that being said...the end of this book goes out with a BANG! I love where Roth took this, though I was left with some burning questions that I can only hope get answered in the final book. For a variety of reasons, book three is a must read!



Mini Reviews: The "My Life Has Gone to *Shizz" edition

Body of Water

by Sarah Dooley

Show More

Show Less

Twelve-year-old Ember’s trailer home has been burned in a fire set most likely by her best friend, a boy whose father believes Ember’s family are witches. Yes, Ember’s mom reads Tarot cards as a business. Ember’s friend set the fire to warn the family before his dad did something worse to them. The friend never intended to do so much damage.

Now the family is homeless, and living in a campground. They have no money. Ember’s beloved dog is missing. School is going to start, and Ember and her sister have no clean clothes, no notebooks. The only place Ember feels at peace is floating in the middle of the lake at the campground. She has to make a fresh start. Can she? (description from Amazon.com)

Ember - no house, no money, no clothes, no friends... life has definitely gone to *shizz!

I liked this book, though I thought that some parts wrapped up a little too conveniently at the end.  Ember was not a "likeable" character, per se, but I thought I understood where she was coming from all the way through.  Way more interesting than the poor cover that the book got saddled with...

A Million Shades of Gray

by Cynthia Kadohata

Y'Tin is brave. No one in his village denies that—his mother knows that it takes a great deal of courage and calm to deal with elephants the way that Y'Tin does. He is almost the best trainer in the village—and, at twelve-years old, he’s certainly the youngest. Maybe he’ll even open up his own school some day to teach other Montagnards how to train wild elephants? That was the plan anyway—back before American troops pulled out of the Vietnam War, back before his village became occupied by Viet Cong forces seeking revenge, back before Y'Tin watched his life change in a million terrible ways. Now, his bravery is truly put to the test: he can stay in his village, held captive by the Viet Cong or he can risk his life (and save his elephant’s) by fleeing into the jungle. (description from Amazon.com)

Y'Tin - his village is taken over, half flee, half are killed...his friends turn on him, his elephant may be finding a new home with wild elephants... life has definitely gone to *shizz!

Although I got a little frustrated with the simplified sentences that the author wrote in, they did seem to fit the story.  I liked Y'Tin and was fascinated with his relationship with Lady, his elephant. I found this to be a period in Vietnam that I thought I knew about, but this was definitely a new perspective to view things from. 



Spell Bound

by Rachel Hawkins

Hex Hall, book three

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late? (description from Amazon.com)

Sophie - boyfriend assumed dead, father missing, school taken over by crazies wanting to raise an army of Demons... life has definitely gone to *shizz!

A very good wrap-up to the trilogy.  I thought it packed just the right punch. There were funny bits, there were cool action scenes, there were hot romantic moments, and the resolution was well done. I am sad to see this trilogy end, but I thought this were left at a good point!



The Death-Defying Pepper Roux

The Death-Defying Pepper Roux

by Geraldine McCaughrean

Pepper's fourteenth birthday is a momentous one.

It's the day he's supposed to die.

Everyone seems resigned to it—even Pepper, although he would much prefer to live. But can you sidestep Fate? Jump sideways into a different life? NaÏve and trusting, Pepper sets a course through dangerous waters, inviting disaster and mayhem at every turn, one eye on the sky for fear of angels, one on the magnificent possibilities of being alive. (description from Amazon.com)

I really enjoyed this book.  I felt so bad for Pepper, growing up convinced by the grown-ups around him that he was going to die at fourteen...good for him, taking his fate into his own hands! What follows is a mad-cap adventure, a-la cheesy adventure movie style, with lots of twists, coincidences, and finally a happy ending. 

I thought Pepper was a great character...charming, polite, well-intentioned, and fortunate in his friends.  I was very happy to see the way things turned out for him.  I thought the author did a really great job at keeping the tone of this book light and fun, because poor Pepper's life just starts out so sad...



YA Spectacular Event in Madison, CT

So, I've been running around like a maniac doing summer reading visits to all the schools in the city where I work and I just have not had the time to put together a complicated post. So...that means that this should have gone up ages ago, but instead I'm just getting to it now...

Anyway, on Thursday, June 9th, I was lucky enough to go to the YA Spectacular event hosted by RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT. It was AWESOME. Though I had to brave a horrific lightning storm, downed trees, and a GPS that just refused to accept the fact that, no, I could not go through that giant roadblock and I MUST turn around, getting to see the awesome and lovely Sara Shepard, Sarah Mlynowski, and Maureen Johnson (OMG...I just met one of my heroes!!!) was beyond worth the near death travel experience.

Upon arriving, I was stoked to find out first of all that the authors had not yet made it (Phew! I was so worried I'd have to sneak in the back like a creepy stalker...) and that a bunch of my librarian pals were there, too!! My librarian/blogger online BFF, Jen from Yabooknerd was saving me a seat (*Thank you, thank you, thank you!), my friends from the Windsor library system, Amy and Andrea, both made it, Bailey from the Newington Library and Mary Kate from the Scotland Library also made it! We are a brave, brave crew of YA Librarians, I tell you! No one was keeping us from these lovely ladies.

After buying a copy of Maureen's new book, The Last Little Blue Envelope, and gossiping like crazy about books and BEA with the other librarians and RJ Julia's ya even coordinator, Jen elbowed me... I looked up to see Maureen Johnson peeking out from behind the curtains onstage like a little kid at their first school play performance. *insert giggles here*

As the ladies were introduced, Maureen continued to peek out and then caused the entire crowd to start giggling as she darted across the stage so that she could peek out from the other side. *more giggles*



After introductions, Sara, Sarah, and Maureen finally came out on stage. They had these tall barstools that the ladies were to sit on and as you can see above, Sara Shepard's dress was just a little short and she was a little cautious at first about getting up on the stool. Maureen kept cracking jokes, though and they quickly settled into their places to read.




To begin with each author read a passage from her newest book. Maureen briefly explained the plot of her book,Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, and then read a funny passage from the sequel (which I am dying to read!). Sarah Mlynowski read a section from her new YA book, ,Ten Things We Did (...And Probably Shouldn't Have)...which I had to sneak out and buy a copy of to get signed! Finally, Sara Shepard read a section from her new book, The Lying Game.

Next, Maureen played Oprah and did a question and answer session roaming through the crowd. I was tweeting like a maniac during the event...here are some of the tweets I sent out (@jessyabookobssd)

Sara Shepard will be putting out 4 more #PLL books...

Whoops! @maureenjohnson admits to dropping phone in toilet at #BEA11

TEN THINGS WE DID is actually based on Sarah Mlynowski's real life experiences...

Strange abandoned fires...Sara Shepard's hobby growing up...

"I love writing all the secrets people have" -Sara Shepard

@maureenjohnson is lurking in the audience taking questions... #yaauthorcreeping

As you can probably tell, it was kind of a wild and crazy Q&A session! Sara Shepard got asked TONS of questions about both the Pretty Little Liars book series and the TV show. Sarah Mlynowski ended up explaining quite a bit about her somewhat wild teen years, and Maureen Johnson was hilarious...even answering a question about how she keeps her socks organized.



I ended up asking how each author balances their online social networking with their writing time. Sara Shepard says she doesn't do any social networking so it's not an issue. Sarah Mlynowski uses her social networking as a reward for finishing her writing goals. Maureen Johnson, who is famous in YA twitter circles for rivaling Libba Bray as a twitter goddess, admitted that she doesn't really even try to keep the social networking in check. "It just works itself out in the end..."

After the Q&A, the authors were kind enough to sign about a million books apiece! The line was HUGE...no kidding. Having been in this situation before, Jen, Mary Kate and I sat calmly and gossiped until the line went down. Jen and I admired the books we'd bought and exchanged (Yes, we are those book dorks that brought books to lend to each other by other authors to a signing...). Finally, the line went down and we headed up to have our fangirl moments.



It was awesome to meet all three authors, but I was definitely BEYOND over the moon to meet Maureen Johnson in person. I had that moment where I almost couldn't spit out what I wanted to say, but I did finally get to tell her that I recommend her Scarlett Martin series to all my teen readers looking for funny contemporary books. I was somewhat disappointed that they weren't selling Suite Scarlett because I would have LOVED to have a signed copy. Then, Maureen made my night, by not only signing my books, but fulfilling my weird request to have her also add the twitter hashtag, #yasaves, as a homage to her part in the outcry online against censorship based on YA becoming "too dark."

This was an awesome event and I am so grateful that RJ Julia put it together. :)

The Alpha Bet

The Alpha Bet
by Stephanie Hale

Some teenagers use drugs or sex to escape overbearing parents. I used books.

All my life my mother has been hovering over me, afraid to let me experience ANYTHING. So I got really good grades, graduated from high school when I was sixteen, and escaped to a new life—my own life—at college.

To jump-start my social life, I decided to rush the Alphas, the most exclusive sorority on campus. Things started to get complicated when I told one little white lie. (Okay, maybe not so little.) Then one of the sisters invoked the Alpha Bet, a super-secret set of alphabetical tasks we pledges have to complete to prove our loyalty. Now, the Alpha Bet has taken over my life.

Can you spell B-E-T-R-A-Y-A-L? (description taken from Amazon.com)

This is an adorable new favorite! This is exactly the type of realistic fiction that I hope for everytime!! Grace Kelly is a WONDERFUL character. Not only is she cute, lovable, and ultimately relatable...really, who doesn't have that feeling of wanting to get away from their parents when they go to college and then panicking when you realize that you really miss them...but she is also one smart cookie!! As the girl previously known as a dork in a former life, (oh who am I kidding, I'm still a dork, but now I embrace it!!) I loved that not one person gave GK a hard time about being smart and that in fact, she attracts her boyfriend partially by being a science geek! AWESOME.

This book is also full of great secondary characters. An awesome new best friend, a warm and loving set of parents, a fun, respectful boyfriend, and great new "sisters." Hale knows how to write a whole, sweet, lovable package! Defintely a fun read for when you need a little pick-me-up!

Only the Good Spy Young

Only the Good Spy Young
by Ally Carter
Gallagher Girls, book four

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn't know was that the serious, real-life danger would start as soon as her junior year. But that's exactly what happened two months ago when she faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie "The Chameleon" can't hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most trusted allies is actually a rogue double agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers - or even her own heart.

All I can say is WOW. I loved this book, I'm now officially hooked on the series, and when I hit the end I seriously said, "What, no, I need more!"

In this volume Cammie learns much more about the spy world around her and in doing so, begins to seriously doubt, well...everything. She does some soul searching, figures out who she can trust, and ultimately makes a decision at the end of the book that leaves readers hanging...no wait, make that literally drooling over what my happen in the next book.

If you haven't already started reading this series about awesome teen spies...go...go now and read them straight through. You won't be sorry.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
by Stephenie Meyer
An Eclipse Novella

Bree Tanner is a newborn vampire, created by "her" and corralled into compliance by a slightly older vamp named Riley. As more and more newbies are created and subsequently keep dying in accidents, Bree begins to question what she will have to do to survive in this new second life. One day on a hunt she meets another newbie, Diego, who seems to feel as she does about keeping quiet and smart and safe...not showing off and letting the bloodlust overcome...that's how vampires die. As Bree and Diego begin to trust each other, they figure out that Riley may have been lying to them about what they are really here for...why they were created in the first place. Can they stir things up without tempting fate and facing death a second time?

I have to be honest. I am SO over Twilight now that when I heard this book was being published my first thought was that Meyer was just looking for another way to make money. I still think that to some degree, but once I broke down and read this book (because I'm a teen librarian and since it's gonna be huge I consider this to be part of my job) it surprised me.

It was better than I expected. Though I did not remember Bree at all from Eclipse, I read it such a long time ago, it was an interesting new perspective on the Twilight world. Meyer really delved into what the human-hunting vampires thought about and felt in their daily existence. Bree was interesting because she was smart and street savvy (unlike Bella! Sorry, just had to get that dig in there somehow :P) and her relationships with Diego and Fred were fun to read about.

What I didn't like was that even though it was almost 200 pages, it had no chapter breaks at all. I need a place to put the book down when I have to go to work, etc! Also, it was kind of like watching Titanic, I knew ultimately how it ended...

Overall, though, not too shabby.

Better Read Than Dead

Better Read Than Dead
by Victoria Laurie
Psychic Eye Mysteries, book 2

Word of Abby's talents reading tarot cards has reached a mob boss who wants her help in some business matters and he doesn't take no for an answer. When the police seek out her psychic intuition to shed light on a masked man who's been attacking women, Abby finds herself working both sides of the law on her own, leading her to wonder, why didn't I see this coming?

What a fun series. These books are so easy to tear right through. Dutch is a hottie, and Abby is fun and relatable. This book was interesting because it involves the Greek mafia...a little more unusual than the Italian version we are all used to. I learned a little bit about tarot card reading. I really loved getting to jump into Abby's life again. Laurie has a way of drawing out tension to really rachet up the suspense.

Beauty and the Briefcase

Okay, I have to admit that I am a total nut when it comes to seeing all these cheesy, formulaic, girl/love/lessons learned type movies! I Lurve Legally Blonde, Clueless, etc., etc., etc!!

I just got done watching Beauty and the Briefcase on my DVR and I LOVED it!!!
Hilary Duff was funny, cute, and all around likeable/relatable. The guys were all cute and the premise (girl goes to business world undercover to write article for Cosmo magazine about finding the right guy) was totally fun and just different enough, that though I knew the ending far before it came, it was still FUN to watch!

If you love the cheesiness that makes you *squee* when the end comes and then immediately hunt down your bf/hubby to hug like a crazy woman, I recommend you check to see if this is rerunning or Hulu it!

PS - As a wanna be fashionista (wanna be since I am sadly not economically able to ever even dream about owning the things I fantasize about...) I should also mention that the wardrobe, both male and of course female, was fantastic in this movie!