Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - Annabel Greene seemed to have everything going for her, but it all came crashing down. She starts her junior year of high school alone and ostracized. An odd friendship with the school's most notorious loner helps Annabel find herself and face the truth of that horrible summer. Similar to Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, but still an excellent story. Teen girls will love it. (YAC)

The Appeal by John Grisham - Small firm wins big case against corporation. Corporation spends big money to get case dismissed on appeal. Eh. Whatever.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld - I've enjoyed this series, but wouldn't say I loved it. Am still planning on reading the next one :)

Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley -  kind of a contemporary fantasy/science fiction blend.  Set in an alternate Earth, at a dragon preserve. Teen boy on his first solo overnight in the park finds a dead poacher, a dying dragon mother, and one live baby dragon.  Story is set as the book the guy wrote about what happened. Was good, but not great.  For great McKinley, read The Hero and the Crown, The Blue Sword, or Sunshine.

both: 100 books

All Hallow's Eve by  Vivian Vande Velde - A collection of 13 stories that all happen on Halloween. Focus is on the creepy and suspenseful and not gross out horror.  Very good.  (YAC)

The Barrens and Others by F. Paul Wilson -  Another collection focused more on the creepy and suspenseful, though Wilson does do gory. Some stories related to comic books and a couple of screenplays. And Repairman Jack. Good stuff.  (A to Z)

both: 100 books

Unfortunately not an especially thrilling bunch :(

Cauldron by Jack McDevitt - A failing space program gets a boost from a new star drive  and two veteran pilots get to return to deep space to test the drive and investigate some mysterious space objects. Vague description, I know :)  but the detail is too long. Book is readable and enjoyable, but has very little zip (I was going to say 'drive', but decided not to go there). Very slow throughout, and then the main mystery of the omegas is handled very quickly.  For fans mostly.

The Exchange Student by Kate Gilmore - Talk about a foreign exchange student! Fen is an alien from Chela, one of nine teen Chelans sent to Earth to live with human families and learn about life here. 16 year old Daria isn't thrilled to have Fen come into her home, but when she realizes he is as much an animal lover as she is, she opens up. She is a registered zookeeper, helping to breed endangered animals. But Fen and friends do have an ulterior motive. Which, thankfully, isn't the cliched 'eating humans' motive - though, at points, I did wish it was(Daria's sister is a stereotypical fashion fanatic teenager). Nice stuff about animals and ecological disasters.    (YAC)

Tracing the Shadow by Sarah Ash - Plot is extremely complex. Interesting characters, nice magical feel with some very different types of magic. Some good action, but loads of explication. Almost too many characters. Felt like more of a setup for the next book(s). Would be interested in the next one and in her other books. Good writing.

Flora Segunda by Ysabeau Wilce - First the purely silly - great cover to the hardback and I love the author's first name (yes, I'm a Ladyhawke fan & a Guy Gavriel Kay fan). Another complex plot, with good characters, with way too much explication as compared to the action. Some very inventive, original ideas that could have used some better editing. But would be interesting in at least looking at the next one.  (YAC)

all books: 100 books

Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell - Kind of hard to explain :) But I'll try. A nice mix of cultures transplanted to a new world, combined with the destruction of the technology that brought them there, results in a retreat to frontier times. But an enemy bent on subjugation and sacrifice mean forcing an amnesiac to retrieve his memories to regain needed technology. I did enjoy it after I got past the Caribbean patois, which threw me for a bit. (A to Z)

Ragamuffins by Tobias Buckell - sequel but much more typically SF. Spaceships and guns :)  The aliens who control most of the galaxy have decided that humans need to be eliminated. Humans, of course, fight back.  A young woman, Nashara, has been implanted with a virus that could help take down the computer networks of the aliens' minions - but her survival afterwards is uncertain. The two books connect when the wormholes between the worlds are reopened, allowing the planet on one end and the ships on the other to seek help from each other.  I'll be looking for more from Buckell definitely!

The Service of the Sword by David Weber et. al - a Worlds of Honor story collection. I love Honor Harrington and her universe. Several excellent military sf authors offer up stories. Good stuff.(888)

The Night Room by E.M. Goldman - A group of high school students are offered a chance to to participate in "Argus", a VR program that lets you see yourself 10 years in the future at their high school reunion. The only problem is that one of them isn't alive. So the group decide to try to stop one's future death, which may have been planned by a vengeful computer hacker. Characters start off fairly stereotypical, but develop real personalities as the story goes on. Entertaining, but not essential. (YAC)

all books: 100 books

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - I enjoyed this (not surprised as I usually like Pfeffer's work) - a meteor hits the moon and knocks it closer to Earth, resulting in catastrophic climate changes.  Told journal-style, teenager Miranda tells of life after the strike - the fear, the hoarding of supplies, and dealing with life and family in the face of possible death.  (YAC challenge, A to Z)

Strays by Ron Koertge - was good. 16 year old Ted is placed in foster care after the death of his parents.  Ted is used to spending most of his time with animals - his dad owned a pet store and they had lots of pets. Now he's at a new inner-city school, dealing with all new people and trying to deal with his parents' deaths. Nice side element of Ted talking with animals and how his new life affects that.  (A to Z)

Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White - Oh, man, I was so jazzed to find out this book had come out - I love the President's Daughter series. Meg is close to the edge after her kidnapping ordeal and the follow-up medical ordeals to fix her hand and knee. Feeling trapped at the White House, she decides to go ahead and go off to college, where she finds things aren't much easier - the Secret Service invasion hasn't endeared her to her dorm mates and the papparazzi annoy them all; her health issues continue; plus there's getting to know new people and the whole college experience.  Meg is a great character and White tells a great story.  (YAC challenge, A to Z)

Dark Congress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) by Christopher Golden - An ancient goddess is released and the Dark Congress convenes to determine whether demons will continue to live in the shadows or come out into the open to prey upon humans. Old grudges will be brought to the table and the demons will need an arbiter. And they have chosen - Buffy Summers. Fun.

Genesis Alpha by Rune Michaels - Josh was a designer baby - born so his stem cells could be used to save his older brother Max, who was dying of cancer. Now Max is in jail, charged with murder. Is Max guilty? And if he is, is it Josh's fault? Something in his genes?  The dead girl's sister seems to think so.  Good thriller - interesting look at genetic engineering, also gaming (title refers to a game all four kids play)

Prom Anonymous by Blake Nelson - meh. Readable, but kind of predictable. Maybe because I didn't go to my prom? (and don't feel I missed out on much)  It's fun fluff, with some more mature issues (sex and drugs). It might pair well with the movie Pretty In Pink - man, James Spader was so delightfully nasty :) (A to Z, YAC)

all books: 100 books

edited 2/28/08 to add last book

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld - Second in the Uglies trilogy. Tally has become a pretty and has forgotten much of her time in the Smoke. But a party crasher leads her to a hidden stash: 2 pills and a letter from herself, written while still ugly. She and new boyfriend Zane each take a pill and then try to get the other pretties in their group to remember and to challenge the status quo. Definitely have to read in order, but a very good follow-up - now I have to get Specials and Extras. (challenge: YAC)

Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz - Paranormal romantic thriller. Raine is settling her late aunt Vella's estate when psychic sensibilites lead her to find a bound, kidnapped young woman in a padlocked room in the basement. Entering her life immediately after is P.I. Zack Jones, also a sensitive, who asks for her assistance. They have an immediate connection, but there is a huge complication - he works for the Arcane Society, the group she blames for her father's death. And his offer of letting her have copies of her father's case file are enhanced by the idea of working with someone who understands and shares her abilities. I love Krentz (and her alter ego Amanda Quick) - zippy dialogue, quick action, speedy plots - she'd fall into the guilty pleasures category, except that I don't feel guilty about reading :)   (challenge: Pub)

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain - With shades of Silence of the Lambs, Cain's detective Archie Sheridan is in charge of a regrouped task force charged with finding the killer of several local teen girls. His investigation is complicated by the addition of a reporter and  his weekly visits to Gretchen Lowell, an incarcerated serial killer with whom he has an intense personal connection - he was to be one of her victims, but instead she let him live and torments him with the prospect of more bodies. Cool :)  Archie is a great protagonist and Lowell is one serious deranged individual.

The 47th Samurai by Stephen Hunter - Bob Lee Swagger finds himself in Japan, delivering a sword taken as a prize of war during WWII, to the son of the man his father fought during battle. Bob Lee really likes Philip Yano and his family and is stunned to find out that they've all (except the youngest girl) been slaughtered soon after he left. Bob Lee immerses himself into the world of the samurai, determined to  avenge the Yano family. I agree with reviews that Bob Lee's swordsmanship requires total destruction of believeability, but I thought the passion of the man believeable and the samurai and sword lore was excellent.

(challenges all books: 100 books, A to Z)

Excellent .

Actually, everything I've read by her has been excellent.

Rage and redemption. Guilt and shame.  When he was nine, Kip McFarland killed someone. He spent  the next 4 years in a mental institute. Now he's got a chance at a new life with his dad and stepmom, with a new name in a new state. But what do you do when the person you fear the most is yourself?

Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way by Bruce Campbell - A B-movie actor gets a shot at A-list fame. Bruce gets cast in a Mike Nichols film starring Richard Gere and Renee Zellwegger and goes all out to fit in. And then things start getting weird - B-movie weird.  Funny, but a bit much (which might be the point!). Enjoyed his autobiography If Chins Could Kill much more - the conversational style works much better there. (challenges: 100 books, A to Z, and 888)

The Fat Girl's Guide To Life by Wendy Shanker - Tired of the dieting mentality, Shanker decides to go after life at her current size and takes on society's prejudices, media, and medical 'experts' to show that you don't have to be thin to have a life. Lots of humor, lots of excellent points. There are better books on the subject, but Shanker kicks some butt here :)
(challenges: 100 books, A to Z)

Remembering Raquel by Vivian Vande Velde -  How will you be remembered after you're gone? Velde's novella shows different points of view in each chapter as Raquel's classmates deal with the news of her death. Also seen are glimpses of her family, the witnesses to the accident, and the driver of the car that hit her. Short, but powerful - another hit by Velde.
(challenges: 100 books, A to Z)

Diana Tregarde Investigates by Mercedes Lackey - SFBC omnibus - includes Children of the Night, Burning Water, and Jinx High - 788 pages!  Before Buffy or Anita Blake, Diana Tregarde was a Guardian, protecting good from evil, doing battle with the occult. Somewhat dated, but still kick-ass. Diana takes on psi-vamps, Aztec spirits possessing human bodies, and a sorceress targeting a friend's teenage son and in danger of waking a slumbering goddess. Burning Night really reminded me of LKH's Obsidian Butterfly - just without the gore.
(challenges: 100 books, A to Z, 888, Chunkster)

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr - excellent story about a young woman who sees faeries and knows they're not all sweet and light - and now the Summer King is inserting himself into her life in the mortal world. Urban fantasy for teens & everyone.

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George - very fun story about a girl who finds her wish to become a dressmaker entangles her with dragons, a prince, and a battle for the kingdom.  Aimed for a younger teen/upper elementary audience, but definitely for any age.

Romance:  Doing It RIght by MaryJanice Davidson - smut is always fun

Fantasy: Fortune's Fool by Mercedes Lackey - a Five Hundred Kingdoms fairy tale - I like this series.

Teen: Undercover by Beth Kephart - a female Cyrano de Bergerac with a teen slant - very good.

Nonfiction: The Big Book of Cross-Stitch Design by the Reader's Digest Association - lots of nice designs
Betty Crocker's Soups and Stews - I'm trying to get back into cooking good things :)
Southern Living Slow-cooker Cookbook - and into using the crockpot     -   I copied some recipes, now I just have to try them :)




a very slow reading month - only 11 books, but raises my total to 243 for the year.

So far this month:

2 teen novels: 
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Richard Yancey - good story with interesting take on King Arthur - and what happened later.

Uglies by Scott Westerfield - got to put the next one on hold :)

Mystery:
One-Way Ticket by WIlliam G. Tapply - love this series

Nonfiction:
Overcoming Overeating by Jane R. Hirschmann and Carol H. Munter - very good.


Still a few days left in the month, we'll see what else I get read :)