"Beastly" by Alex Flynn. You know the story. Beauty's father picks a rose. The beast forces him to bring his daughter to the enchanted castle. Romance follows. Beast becomes prince once again.
But what if the Beast was a 15 year old high school sophomore? Who just happens to insult the wrong girl? And joins an internet chat group to discuss his problems? Meet Kyle Kingsbury, and join him in his quest to undo the curse he so richly deserves.
This tale is funny, poignant and enjoyable. It's just romantic enough, but not sappy. Kyle's narrative is light and quick, never dull. And the happy ending has just enough of a quirky twist to make you laugh. Enjoy!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
New Books!
Graphic novel:
Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 1 by Robert E. Howard
Books:
Nation by Terry Pratchet -- Mau and Daphne, along with other refugees, set about rebuilding their community after it was destroyed by a tsunami
The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees -- Frankie finally finds the courage to as his friend Julianne to the Homecoming dance, setting off a showdown with a rich senior and Frankie's older brother and his gang member friends.
Double or Die by Charles Higson -- Young James Bond goes on a mission to find his kindapped professor whose escape is vital to world security.
The Storyteller by Edward Myers -- Jack, who has gone to the city to make his fortune, catches the attention of the grief-stricken king, his beautiful daughter, and his cruel son, and attempts to help them and the kingdom through his stories.
The Apprentice's Masterpiece by Melanie Little -- A family of conversos, jews who have converted to Christianity, living under the Spanish inquisition is torn apart when their secrets is discovered and two brothers reunited after one has been made a slave and another works for the Inquisition.
Pretty Face by Mary Hogan -- When an overweight high school student spends the summer in Italy, she learns to relish life and understand the true meaning of beauty.
Rogue's Home by Hilari Bell -- Sir Michael Sevenson and his squire Fisk tell of their journey to Ruesport, Fisk's home town, to investigate blackmail and a series of suspicious fires.
Big Splash by Jack Ferraiolo -- Matt Stevens uncovers a mystery while working for the "organization," a mafia-like group run by seventh grader Vincent "Mr. Biggs" Biggio, specializing in forging hall passes, test-copying, black market candy selling, and taking out hits with water guns.
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (RBH) -- A 15-year-old girl, who has spent most of her life being abused by her kidnapper and knows he killed his previous victim when she had begun to look more like an adult, hopes her own demise is approching, but her kidnpaper wants her to help him find a replacement for her and train the new victim to his tastes.
I Know It's Over by C. K. Kelly Martin (RBH) -- Still trying to come to terms with his parents' divorce, 17-year-old Nick experiences ups and down with his girlfriend, especially when, after beginning a trial separation, she announces that she's pregnant.
Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 1 by Robert E. Howard
Books:
Nation by Terry Pratchet -- Mau and Daphne, along with other refugees, set about rebuilding their community after it was destroyed by a tsunami
The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees -- Frankie finally finds the courage to as his friend Julianne to the Homecoming dance, setting off a showdown with a rich senior and Frankie's older brother and his gang member friends.
Double or Die by Charles Higson -- Young James Bond goes on a mission to find his kindapped professor whose escape is vital to world security.
The Storyteller by Edward Myers -- Jack, who has gone to the city to make his fortune, catches the attention of the grief-stricken king, his beautiful daughter, and his cruel son, and attempts to help them and the kingdom through his stories.
The Apprentice's Masterpiece by Melanie Little -- A family of conversos, jews who have converted to Christianity, living under the Spanish inquisition is torn apart when their secrets is discovered and two brothers reunited after one has been made a slave and another works for the Inquisition.
Pretty Face by Mary Hogan -- When an overweight high school student spends the summer in Italy, she learns to relish life and understand the true meaning of beauty.
Rogue's Home by Hilari Bell -- Sir Michael Sevenson and his squire Fisk tell of their journey to Ruesport, Fisk's home town, to investigate blackmail and a series of suspicious fires.
Big Splash by Jack Ferraiolo -- Matt Stevens uncovers a mystery while working for the "organization," a mafia-like group run by seventh grader Vincent "Mr. Biggs" Biggio, specializing in forging hall passes, test-copying, black market candy selling, and taking out hits with water guns.
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (RBH) -- A 15-year-old girl, who has spent most of her life being abused by her kidnapper and knows he killed his previous victim when she had begun to look more like an adult, hopes her own demise is approching, but her kidnpaper wants her to help him find a replacement for her and train the new victim to his tastes.
I Know It's Over by C. K. Kelly Martin (RBH) -- Still trying to come to terms with his parents' divorce, 17-year-old Nick experiences ups and down with his girlfriend, especially when, after beginning a trial separation, she announces that she's pregnant.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
book review
Little Brother by Corey Doctorow - I just finished reading this yesterday. It was VERY very good! Marcus is a smart aleck 17-year old computer nut. He can hack any system, and has, including his school's "unhackable" laptops. He and his friends are deep into playing an online/real-world scavenger hunt game. One day they ditch school to follow the latest clues, and get themselves into a mess of trouble - terrorists bomb the bridge across San Francisco Bay, and they are caught up in a mass of arrests following the action.
Marcus' smart mouth gets him into deep trouble, and the rest of the novel follows as he struggles with the repercussions of both his actions and the response of the Federal Government to the terrorists. It's a terrifyingly real scenario, with implications for many things that have happened in the real world over the past few years.
You'll be thrilled by Marcus, his bravery, the dangers he confronts, and the ultimate conclusion. Be prepared for a wild ride!
Marcus' smart mouth gets him into deep trouble, and the rest of the novel follows as he struggles with the repercussions of both his actions and the response of the Federal Government to the terrorists. It's a terrifyingly real scenario, with implications for many things that have happened in the real world over the past few years.
You'll be thrilled by Marcus, his bravery, the dangers he confronts, and the ultimate conclusion. Be prepared for a wild ride!
National Book Award Winner
For "Young People's Fiction" goes to Judy Blundell's "What I saw and How I lied"!
I haven't read this one yet. Have you? What did you think of it? Please, post a comment!
I haven't read this one yet. Have you? What did you think of it? Please, post a comment!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Classic book review
"Scorpions" by Walter Dean Myers is a Newbery Honor book.
Jamal is 12. He lives in Harlem. He's being hassled by the principle at school. His mother is working all the time. His brother Randy just went to jail for murder. And now Jamal has been given the task of "running" the Scorpions, his brother's gang. As Jamal and his best friend Tito soon find out, all the good intentions in the world don't help when things go badly awry.
This classic novel portrays life on the street as it really is, for real boys growing into young men. It doesn't pull punches; it tells an exciting, honest story about how two boys "take what the street put down".
Jamal is 12. He lives in Harlem. He's being hassled by the principle at school. His mother is working all the time. His brother Randy just went to jail for murder. And now Jamal has been given the task of "running" the Scorpions, his brother's gang. As Jamal and his best friend Tito soon find out, all the good intentions in the world don't help when things go badly awry.
This classic novel portrays life on the street as it really is, for real boys growing into young men. It doesn't pull punches; it tells an exciting, honest story about how two boys "take what the street put down".
Thursday, November 13, 2008
New Book Review
"Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow" by Jessica Day George is a fantasy novel that I truly loved. "The Lass", unnamed by her mother, is the seventh child of a poor woodcutter, living in near-poverty in a frozen northern land. Winter comes early and harshly, but Lass is not afraid. When a white stag, reputed to be able to grant a wish to whoever shall catch it, is seen in their village, she sets out to do so. This begins a series of adventures that will change her life, and the lives of all her family.
Follow Lass as she seeks for a name, finds adventure and danger, and attempts to rescue her beloved eldest brother from a mysterious curse, all the while she struggles to remain true to herself.
Lass is a strong, believable heroine, who does what she thinks is right, whether or not it is easy. She endures, struggles for, and achieves, more than she believes is possible. You'll enjoy the rich language, evocative scenery, and folkloric nature of this romantic fantasy.
Follow Lass as she seeks for a name, finds adventure and danger, and attempts to rescue her beloved eldest brother from a mysterious curse, all the while she struggles to remain true to herself.
Lass is a strong, believable heroine, who does what she thinks is right, whether or not it is easy. She endures, struggles for, and achieves, more than she believes is possible. You'll enjoy the rich language, evocative scenery, and folkloric nature of this romantic fantasy.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
booksale week!
This week is Annual Library Booksale week. This means crazyness at the Library, as many of us put in volunteer hours at the sale. It also means great bargains for you - check here for all the details of when and where the sale is.
We will probably have over 100,000 books for sale this year - I helped set out the Sci Fi and Teen sections this year, and there are some really good things there, as well as TONS of general fiction, mysteries, history, literature, religion, politics, science and more... there's a book on EVERY subject under the sun.
See you there!
We will probably have over 100,000 books for sale this year - I helped set out the Sci Fi and Teen sections this year, and there are some really good things there, as well as TONS of general fiction, mysteries, history, literature, religion, politics, science and more... there's a book on EVERY subject under the sun.
See you there!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Ender's Game Comic
"Ender's Game" is a great sci-fi novel by Orson Scott Card - and now there's a Graphic Novel of it. If you'd like to read it, click here.
National Book Foundation Awards
November 18, the National Book Foundation will announce the Winner of the National Book Award.
Nominated this year are five Young Adult Authors and their Novels:
Laurie Halse Anderson, Chains (Simon & Schuster)
Kathi Appelt, The Underneath (Atheneum)
Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied (Scholastic)
E. Lockhart, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (Hyperion)
Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now (Alfred A. Knopf)
We own, or soon will own, copies of all five of these books; so start reading now and root for your favorite!
For more information about this event, you can visit the National Book Foundation site.
Nominated this year are five Young Adult Authors and their Novels:
Laurie Halse Anderson, Chains (Simon & Schuster)
Kathi Appelt, The Underneath (Atheneum)
Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied (Scholastic)
E. Lockhart, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (Hyperion)
Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now (Alfred A. Knopf)
We own, or soon will own, copies of all five of these books; so start reading now and root for your favorite!
For more information about this event, you can visit the National Book Foundation site.
Monday, November 3, 2008
NEW books!
Cricket Man by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (branches) -- Kenny secretly calls himself Cricket Man to give himself more self confidence and the courage to be a hero for his depressed and slightly older neighbor, Jodie.
Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson (RBH) -- Vol. II of Octavian Nothing... Octavian and his tutor flee to Boston and join Lord Dunmore's counterrevolutionary Royal Ethiopian Regiment, soon finding themselves engaged in naval raids along the Virginia coast as the Revolutionary War breaks out.
Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix (RBH) -- When Cecelia and her friend Harper try to speed her ascendancy to the throne, they find danger and many imposters who challenge her claim.
Chalice by Robin McKinley (EWL, RBH) -- Beekeeper Maril's life changes when she is named the new Chalice, the most important advisor to the new Master, a former priest of fire.
Vidalia in Paris by Sasha Watson (RBH) -- Vidalia's summer in Paris studying art is fun and exciting until she discovers the boy she's dating seems to be part of an art theft ring.
Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link (RBH) -- Nine macabre short stories with a fantastical twist.
Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett (RB) -- Eldery Maddy tells to a mysterious boy the romantic story of her love for wild and free-spirited Feather and her search for him on a fantastical voyage across the sea.
Paper Towns by John Green (RBH) -- Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the boringness of his life until beautiful and exciting Margo, his neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears.
Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce -- Young Evvy and her magic teacher are sent to the isle of Starns to solve a problem - and Evvy discovers a volcano is on the verge of erupting.
Second Seige by Henry Neff -- Tapestry bk. 2 : Max and his allies take great risks as they try to acquire the Book of Origins, an artifact of unimaginable powers, in hopes of halting an ancient eveil that is destroying the world.
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -- Katniss' skills are put to the test when she takes her sister's place in the annual televised survival competetion, which is used to maintain control of the people by the rulers of Panem, which was once called North America.
You Just Can't Get Enough by Cecily Von Ziegesar -- Gossip Girl: the Carlyles bk. 2 -- The triplets make a place for themselves in the high society of Manhattan's Upper East Side.
President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White -- Meghan's happy life in Massachusetts changes drastically when her mother becomes the front-runner in the race for U. S. President.
Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos -- Set in the 60s, Rico, a pale-skinned Cuban American, leaves New York City for Wisconsin, only to discover he still feels like an outsider and that violent, judgmental people can even be found in the wholesome Midwest.
Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde -- A girl with no memory of anything, even her own name, learns she might be 12-year-old Isabelle, believed to have been stolen by a witch six years previous.
Shonen Jump V. 6
Ultimate X-Men Vol. 18, Apocalypse -- The Shadow Kings escape from his mental prison unleashes Apocalypse to plague the world, especially the X-Men, again.
Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson (RBH) -- Vol. II of Octavian Nothing... Octavian and his tutor flee to Boston and join Lord Dunmore's counterrevolutionary Royal Ethiopian Regiment, soon finding themselves engaged in naval raids along the Virginia coast as the Revolutionary War breaks out.
Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix (RBH) -- When Cecelia and her friend Harper try to speed her ascendancy to the throne, they find danger and many imposters who challenge her claim.
Chalice by Robin McKinley (EWL, RBH) -- Beekeeper Maril's life changes when she is named the new Chalice, the most important advisor to the new Master, a former priest of fire.
Vidalia in Paris by Sasha Watson (RBH) -- Vidalia's summer in Paris studying art is fun and exciting until she discovers the boy she's dating seems to be part of an art theft ring.
Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link (RBH) -- Nine macabre short stories with a fantastical twist.
Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett (RB) -- Eldery Maddy tells to a mysterious boy the romantic story of her love for wild and free-spirited Feather and her search for him on a fantastical voyage across the sea.
Paper Towns by John Green (RBH) -- Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the boringness of his life until beautiful and exciting Margo, his neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears.
Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce -- Young Evvy and her magic teacher are sent to the isle of Starns to solve a problem - and Evvy discovers a volcano is on the verge of erupting.
Second Seige by Henry Neff -- Tapestry bk. 2 : Max and his allies take great risks as they try to acquire the Book of Origins, an artifact of unimaginable powers, in hopes of halting an ancient eveil that is destroying the world.
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -- Katniss' skills are put to the test when she takes her sister's place in the annual televised survival competetion, which is used to maintain control of the people by the rulers of Panem, which was once called North America.
You Just Can't Get Enough by Cecily Von Ziegesar -- Gossip Girl: the Carlyles bk. 2 -- The triplets make a place for themselves in the high society of Manhattan's Upper East Side.
President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White -- Meghan's happy life in Massachusetts changes drastically when her mother becomes the front-runner in the race for U. S. President.
Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos -- Set in the 60s, Rico, a pale-skinned Cuban American, leaves New York City for Wisconsin, only to discover he still feels like an outsider and that violent, judgmental people can even be found in the wholesome Midwest.
Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde -- A girl with no memory of anything, even her own name, learns she might be 12-year-old Isabelle, believed to have been stolen by a witch six years previous.
Shonen Jump V. 6
Ultimate X-Men Vol. 18, Apocalypse -- The Shadow Kings escape from his mental prison unleashes Apocalypse to plague the world, especially the X-Men, again.
Pick up those sticks!
It's time to start thinking of Christmas presents & there's nothing like giving someone you love a hand knitted scarf or hat. Knitting is easy and fun! I really enjoy knitting, mainly because if I make a mistake, I can just rip out the yarn and start over again. The library has a lot of really good books on knitting for all stages and ages of knitters. I learned how to knit out of books & so can you. Here are a few I recommend.
for beginner knitters:
DVD "Art of Knitting"
"Knitting: Teach Yourself Visually" by Sharon Turner
"Knitgrrl" and "Knitgrrl 2" by Shannon Okey
"Not Another Teen Knitting Book" by Vickie Howell
for beginner to intermediate knitters:
"Hot Knits" by Melissa Leapman
"Punk Knits" by Share Ross
for advanced knitters:
"Knit Coture" by Gail Downey
Even if you are a beginnning knitter, it's fun to look at the more advanced pattern books to give yourself some goals. Everyone starts out knitting scarves & the more you knit the better you become.
There are a lot of good internet sites for knitters, one that I really have learned a lot from is Knitting Help.com
because it has videos of knitting techniques.
Happy knitting! Cindy@Central
for beginner knitters:
DVD "Art of Knitting"
"Knitting: Teach Yourself Visually" by Sharon Turner
"Knitgrrl" and "Knitgrrl 2" by Shannon Okey
"Not Another Teen Knitting Book" by Vickie Howell
for beginner to intermediate knitters:
"Hot Knits" by Melissa Leapman
"Punk Knits" by Share Ross
for advanced knitters:
"Knit Coture" by Gail Downey
Even if you are a beginnning knitter, it's fun to look at the more advanced pattern books to give yourself some goals. Everyone starts out knitting scarves & the more you knit the better you become.
There are a lot of good internet sites for knitters, one that I really have learned a lot from is Knitting Help.com
because it has videos of knitting techniques.
Happy knitting! Cindy@Central
Hello Gentle Readers
Wow, it's been a while since I posted - sorry about that! Halloween was a busy period for us... all dressed up in our cat's ears and egyptian tattoos...
What was your holiday like? Read anything particularly scary? I've been putting the finishing touches on an adventure for a game I run - my players' characters are about to enter a seriously haunted house, infested by ghouls, ghosts and haunts of all types... one wrong move, and they may all die! Hahahaha!
One of the other Reference Librarians, Cindy, has made a halloween resolution - she's going to start posting comments on her knitting and crafting hobby; if you have a particular craft you love, let us know and we'll try to talk about good books in that area - and you might actually influence what we BUY for the Library!
We also have a new monthly TEEN BOOK newsletter for your enjoyment.
What was your holiday like? Read anything particularly scary? I've been putting the finishing touches on an adventure for a game I run - my players' characters are about to enter a seriously haunted house, infested by ghouls, ghosts and haunts of all types... one wrong move, and they may all die! Hahahaha!
One of the other Reference Librarians, Cindy, has made a halloween resolution - she's going to start posting comments on her knitting and crafting hobby; if you have a particular craft you love, let us know and we'll try to talk about good books in that area - and you might actually influence what we BUY for the Library!
We also have a new monthly TEEN BOOK newsletter for your enjoyment.
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