New Books

Graphic Novels:

Blue Exorcist Vols 4-7 --While most of the students at True Cross Academy head home for the summer break, Rin and his classmates are sent to a training camp in the forest district, and the right to go on a real mission is riding on their performance! Locating and recovering their objectives in the woods is tough and will require teamwork, skill, and more than a little magic -- and Rin will have to learn to rely on his friends. But, is Mephisto masterminding something behind the scenes?!
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Vol. 5 -- Chibi-Usa gets sucked into the far reaches of space-time and vanishes! It's up to Tuxedo Mask to reach her and get her back safely while Sailor Moon and the others must escape Nemesis and the evil clutches of Wiseman and his cronies. But as Tuxedo Mask travels through the space-time storm, he encounters an ominous woman claiming to be his daughter! Who is this strange woman? Is she really Chibi-Usa?!
Death Note black edition. Vol. 1 --     Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects -- and he's bored out of his mind. But, all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now, Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. Will Light's noble goal succeed, or will the Death Note turn him into the very thing he fights against?
Hana-Kimi Vol. 1 -- Mizuki Ashiya is no slouch when it comes to a challenge. She's a star of track and field at her high school, after all. So when she falls for fellow athlete Izumi Sano, she figures out an ingenious plan to get close to him. Now, she's moved to Japan, enrolled in the all-male high school Sano goes to, and become his roommate! How? She's disguised herself as a boy! Whatever happens next, things are about to get seriously complicated!

Fiction:

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake -- For three years, seventeen-year-old Cas Lowood has carried on his father's work of dispatching the murderous dead, traveling with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat, but everything changes when he meets Anna, a girl unlike any ghost he has faced before.
Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix -- Battling aliens, space pirates, and competitors, Prince Khemri meets a young woman, named Raine, and learns more than he expected about the hidden workings of a vast, intergalactic Empire, and about himself.
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare -- Mortal Instruments, book 5 --     When Jace vanishes with Sebastian, Clary and the Shadowhunters struggle to piece together their shattered world and Clary infiltrates the group planning the world's destruction.

Graphic Novels:

Bleach Vols. 16-17, 25-28

Fiction:

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore -- Sequel to Graceling, companion to Fire - the young Queen of Monsea tries to help her country heal from the wounds left by her father's curse, and learns that her advisors are only helping themselves.
Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan -- Kane Chronicles #3 - Carter and Sadie can't seem to beat Apophis. Can they find the spell that will turn his shadow into a weapon capable of destroying the evil god?
Destined by Aprilynne Pike -- Wings #3 - Laurel and her faithful friends race to save Avalon, knowing that not all of them can survive, and that perhaps Atlantis is not saveable.
Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi -- companion to Ship Breaker - orphans Mahlia and Mouse struggle to survive in their war-torn land. When disaster strikes, Mahlia, with her new companion, dog-man Tool, must find the courage to act to save Mouse, as he once saved her.
Insurgent by Veronica Roth -- sequel to Divergent - Tris battles to survive and protect those she loves as war surrounds her. She grapples with love, loyalty and loss in this complex dystopian adventure.
Selection by Kiera Cass -- volume 1 - America Singer is part of the "selection", a group of girls chosen to compete for wealth, position and the love of a prince, when all she wants is to win the right to marry her true love, Aspen, who is lower caste than she.
Immortal Rules by Julie Kawagawa -- Blood of Eden #1 - Allison never wanted to become a vampire, so when the worst happens, she flees, and joins a group struggling to find a cure for the disease that created the vampires in the beginning.
The Accused by John Grisham -- Theodore Boone #3 - while the town watches, Theodore Boone is accused of committing robbery, and his friends must fight to protect him, even if it means breaking a few rules.
Invaders by John Flanagan -- Brotherband Chronicles #2 - Hal and the other Herons face many perils as they track down the pirates who stole Skandia's most prized artifact, the Andomal.
Hourglass by Myra McEntire -- teenaged Emerson uses her ability to manipulate time to help Michael, a consultant, prevent a murder that occurred six months earlier; at the same time they explore their attraction to each other.

Graphic Novels:

Superman. Nightwing and Flamebird. Vol. 2 -- Superman is gone, and the only thing that stands between Earth and an invasion led by General Zod of Krypton are Nightwing & Flamebird, who are, of course, kryptonians themselves! And Lois Lane discovers that her father, long believed dead, has returned, bearing an ominous message for her...
Essential. Web of Spider-Man. Vol. 1 -- An all-new Spiderman series opens with all-new villains and challenges for the black-clad superspider!
Marvel Masterworks Presents. The Amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 6 -- Spiderman and Jonah Jameson are both targets of the Kingpin! Can Spidey overcome his dislike of Jonah long enough to defeat their mutual enemy? Plus other adventures.
Spider-Man. Deadly Foes of Spider-Man -- Spider-man's deadliest foes take the limelight, and struggle to succeed against other villains and heroes alike.
Amazing Spider-Man. The Complete Ben Reilly Epics. Vols. 2-3 -- follow the further adventures of the clone spider-man, and also find out what's happening to Peter Parker and MJ as Spidey faces the loss of his powers!
Spider-Man Through the Decades -- a sampling of epic and moving moments through the life of Spider-man, from the 1960's forwards.
Spider-Man. Chapter One -- Explore the reinvention of Spider-man for the 21st century as he faces off (for the very first time) some of his most traditional enemies.
Spider-Man. The Vengeance of Venom -- When Spider-man first donned his sleek black suit, he had no idea it would eventually become his greatest enemy, Venom! Watch as Eddy Brock tries to take down Spidey!
Ghost Projekt by Joe Harris --  With the end of the Cold War, many things are coming to the surface in Russia. U.S. Weapons inspector Will Haley and a beautiful Russian Agent risk their lives to find out what powers a mysterious weapon has, and to rescue it from the hands of brigands.
Resistance. Book 2, Defiance by Carla Jablonski -- Paul, Marie and Sophie attempt to keep their cool as Nazi soldiers occupy their village in France; the lives of French Resistance fighters and even hidden Jews depend on their courage and their silence, as conditions steadily worsen.
Amy Devlin Mysteries. Books 2, All Saints Day by Christina Weir -- Every ten years on All Saint's Day, a murder victim - a sinner with a saint's name -- has been found; in a month the anniversary will recur; can Amy Devlin solve the case before then? And what about the reporter camped on her doorstep?

Nonfiction:

How to Draw Zombies by Mike Butkus -- drawing lessons cover anatomy, setting the stage, features, horrific elements, zombie apocalypse, and more!
Miles to Go for Freedom by Linda Barrett Osborne -- primary sources including interviews, newspaper accounts and more reveal the early history of segregatiion and the civil rights movement in the Jim Crow era.
How to Feel Good: 20 things teens can do by Tricia Mangan -- twenty healthy skills for teens to build confidence and calm in the face of daily

Fiction:

Calling by Kelley Armstrong -- Darkness Rising #2 - Maya and her friends have been kidnapped, and after a terrifying helicopter crash, find themselves being pursued by evil-doers across the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their supernatural powers to aid them.
Partials by Dan Wells -- After a weaponized virus has wiped out most of the human race, Kira makes a discovery about the Partials - an engineered (and feared) species, which could change the future for both of them - forever.
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers -- Ismae is only 14 when she escapes a brutal arranged marriage and then is whisked away to the Abbey of St. Mortain, where she is trained to become Death's Handmaiden.

Books I'm reading

I just finished reading two great novels:

Divergent by Veronica Roth is a dystopian science fiction thriller about a young woman who lives in a society stratified into five factions. Each faction reflects an aspect of life in the society, and once a person chooses their faction they must do their utmost to support its goals. But Beatrice is a "divergent", whose personality does not fit into one mold. And when she makes discoveries that lead her to realize something is deadly wrong, her secret divergence may be the only thing that can save her.

This was a great story, with a strong heroine and good secondary characters. The world-building was thorough, and creative, and I believed in the world as I read it. It isn't quite as intensely violent or emotional as "Hunger Games", but it is equally well written. If you like science fiction, action-adventure, and a bit of romance, you'll love this one! The sequel, Insurgent, is due out soon.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers is a fantasy with a strongly realistic medieval setting. This book for older teens (and adults) is a fantastically well-told tale of a teen girl with a powerful ability; she can see the marque of death on people. She was raised in a very abusive household, and at the beginning of the book she is helped to escape from an unwanted marriage, and her life is dedicated to St. Mortain, the "god" of death. She is trained, over the next three years, as an assassin. When she is sent out on her first assignment, though, she finds that the world, and the act of killing, are both far more complex than she had ever realized. Ismae has to come to some very powerful realizations about herself, her god, and her place in the world. Again, there's a beautifully written story, a strong heroine who is both flawed and powerful, a wonderful hero with his own personal agenda and desires, and a terrific set of secondary characters. A sequel, featuring one of Ismae's fellow assassins of the god of death, is to follow.

I read Grave Mercy in an advance reader copy, and it is now on order for the library. Our copy should be available within a few weeks!

New Books

Graphic Novels:

Jim Henson's Tale of Sand -- from an unpublished screenplay, scruffy Max awakens somewhere in an unfamiliar town in the Southwest, and is pursued by all manner of man and beast.
Rust. Vol. 1, Visitor in the Field by Royden Lepp -- life was hard enough on the farm before pilot Jet Jones crashes into the Taylor family's barn, pursued by a giant decommissioned war robot!
Justice League. Rise and Fall -- Prometheus killed Arsenal's daughter, who was Green Arrow's sidekick. In revenge, Green Arrow hunted and killed Prometheus. Now an outlaw, he is being hunted by his own former team members.
Green Lantern Chronicles. Vol. 4 -- Star Sapphire has appeared over Coast City and Hal Jordan may have met his match!
Spider-Man & the New Warriors. Hero Killer -- Spider man and the new Warriors delve into the mysterious disappearance of several superheroes. Also stories of Black Cat, Cloak & Dagger, and Venom.
Fantastic Spider-Man -- Reed Richards has detected a trio of dimensional anomalies that could rip the universe apart. But the Fantastic Four is now the Future Foundation, and Spider-man, among others, has to fight off a horde of zombie pirates and the Sinister Six!
X-Men. Prelude to Schism -- what does it mean to be a leader? find out in this story about the team -- before everything changes!
Essential X-Men. Vol. 10 -- X-Men adventures from 80's and 90's continue! features allies and antagonists like Gambit, New Mutants, Shadow King, Orphan Maker, and Cameron Hodges.
Bamboo Blade Vols 1-3 by Masahiro Totsuka -- poor, living on instant noodles, a high school Kendo instructor makes a bet that he can turn his all-girl team into a winner; but with only a single girl on his team, he's got a lot of work to do!
Toradora vol. 1 by Yuyuko Takemiya -- Ryuji learns that appearances are deceiving; despite his sweet nature, his unintentionally sharp gaze and frowning expression make people think he's a thug. When he makes an enemy out of the best friend of the girl he's crushing on, life goes from bad to worse!
Cardcaptor Sakura ombinus Vol. 3 by CLAMP -- fourth-grader Sakura finds a book in her father's library - and in it she finds a magical guardian creature who tells her that it is now her duty to help him track down and reconfine the demons that escaped while he was napping!
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne, adapted by Loic Dauvillier - the classic adventure tale of a balloonist racing around the world to complete a bet, finely illustrated.
Voltron Force. Vol.1, Shelter From the Storm -- Years ago, Voltron vanished and the lions were scattered. Now reunited and with new recruits to aid them, the team and Voltron are ready to protect the Universe!
Rumble Pak Winter and Spring 2012 issues -- Rumble Pak is an Original English-language manga anthology series published by eigoMANGA. Rumble Pak showcases original comics created by artists from around the world including a line-up of original stories written and produced by predominantly independent American comics artists.

Fiction:

Sleeping Beauty: the One Who Took a Really Long Nap by Wendy Mass -- the Girl's been sleeping a hundred years. The Boy's got issues of his own! The classic story told from two points of view.
Starters by Lissa Price - to support herself and her brother in a grim future world, sixteen year old Callie rents her body to Seniors who want to experience youth again, but when she discovers that her body is to be used to commit a murder, she must fight to protect herself.
Black Heart by Holly Black - Curse Workers #3 - Cassel is torn between his decision to work for the Federal government, and his love for Lila, who has joined her father's criminal organization.
Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George -- school outsider Jessie is having secret trysts with Emily, who is a popular member of the student government, but when they find themselves on opposite sides of a social issue, they must decide what to do with their relationship, and their beliefs.
Fear by Michael Grant - Gone #4 -- as the young residents of Perdido Beach come to understand their relationships, the Darkness finds a way to be reborn, and the youths come to know fear at new levels of intensity.
Vixen by Jillian Larkin - Flappers #1 -- in 1923 Gloria rebels against her regular life and visits a speakeasy, while her cousin hides her own rebellion, and her best friend Lorraine makes plans of her own...
Torn by Amanda Hocking - Trylle #2 -- Wendy, a changeling troll princess, returns to her rightful home, where she discovers her own new powers, fights enemies, and tries to make important romantic decisions.
Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss -- a fifteen year old becomes involved with a conservative Christian girl despite his father's adamant atheism and his own questions about life.
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga -- seventeen year old Jazz learned all about being a serial killer from his father, but his own moral sense drives him to contact the police to help them track down the town's newest killer "The Impressionist".
Boy21 by Matthew Quick -- Finley is the only white player on his troubled school's basketball team, and when he is asked to mentor a new player who transferred there midyear from an elite school on the west coast, he finds they have a lot in common despite their racial differences.
False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen - Ascendance trilogy #1 -- four cast-off teens are chosen to compete in a brutal contest - the one who survives will impersonate the lost prince of Carthya, and the others will die. But orphan Sage has his own agenda, and his own secrets.
Spellcaster by Cara Lynn Shultz - sequel to Spellbound -- seventeen year old newbie witch Emma is happy to be back dealing with the ordinary problems of prep-school, when something dark and powerful begins to prey on her and her eternal beloved, Brendan. Can her new understanding manage to save them?

What I'm Reading

I picked up "The Coming of the Dragon" by Rebecca Barnhouse, after reading a review of the companion novel "The Peaceweaver" that is soon to come out.

We have "The Coming" in Juv fiction, but it is well-worth picking up if you love good fantasy. I'll be recommending it to all my teens and some adults as well. It follows the story of Rune, a foundling boy who grows up beneath the watchful gaze of Beowulf, King of the Geats. When he is nearly grown, a tragedy strikes the kingdom - a Dragon awakens and begins to raid the nearby farms and halls. The King, his finest warriors, and Rune, all go out to seek it and slay it before it destroys their lands.

So far, and I'm about halfway through the story, this is a beautifully written tale of adventure, legend and magic. The pacing has been excellent, Rune is a fantastic boy-hero with strengths and flaws, who makes mistakes but has honorable intentions, and carries them out to the best of his ability. The secondary characters are interesting and likeable, and the world-building is very good. Viking/Norse culture really comes alive to the reader.

I would say that if you've read and enjoyed the Ranger's Apprentice series, or the Eragon books, or The Hobbit, you'll love "The Coming of the Dragon" and probably "The Peaceweaver" as well!

New Books

Graphic Novels:
Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine -- When Spider-man and Wolverine become lost in the time-stream together, they must find the villains who put them there and get home, as a team.
X-Men Legacy. Vol. 6 Aftermath -- After a terribly narrow victory over Bastion and the Sentinels, the X-men are exhausted. When one loses control, another retaliates with unthinkable results.
Marvel Masterworks Present The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 4 -- classic X-men stories include the mutant menace Proteus, trickster Arcade, and the White Queen.
Superman. War of the supermen -- Superman and his friends attempt to protect the worlds they love from the invading forces of General Zod.
Wandering Son vols 1-2 by Shimura -- two 5th grade Japanese children, a boy and girl, face their growing adulthood with the realization that each wishes to be the opposite gender.
Gotham City Sirens vol 4 Divsion -- Catwoman and Poison Ivy must put aside their differences to help out their old friend Harley Quinn, after the Joker is returned to Arkham Insane Asylum.
T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents -- would you rather burn out or fade away? If gaining superhero powers would lead to your death, would you take them on?
Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long -- in 1967 Texas, a poor black Houston family and a white family from the most racist side of town cross color lines to save five college kids wrongly accused of a crime.

Nonfiction:
Manga by Stuart Kallen -- A history and explanation of manga and its outgrowth into anime.

Fiction:
Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr -- a group of short stories about characters from the Wicked Lovely novels, and new characters as well.
Croak by Gina Damico -- a delinquent sixteen-year-old is sent to live with her uncle, only to discover that he's a Grim Reaper, and that it will be her role too, very soon.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews -- Greg, at seventeen, has managed not to have any friends until his mother insists he befriend Rachel, a girl he knew in grade school, who now has leukemia.
Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta -- Lumaterre Chronicles #2 - Froi is sent on a secret mission to another kingdom where he must unravel the mystery of a half-mad princess.
Catch & Release by Blythe Woolston -- Polly and Odd share little but their survival from attacks of flesh-eating bacteria, when they set off across country to go fishing and discover what life holds for them.
Where It Began by Ann Stampler -- Gabriella knows she was in a horrible car accident while she was drunk, but she can't remember anything leading up to the accident? What REALLY happened that night in her hot boyfriend's car?
Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade -- sequel to the Ghost and the Goth - Alona's only been dead 2 months, and she's back in our world, "helping" other lost spirits, when she discovers that her family is already moving on from her loss...
Girl Meets Boy: because there are two sides to every story edited by Milner Halls -- twelve pop teen authors team up to tell stories from the guy and girl's poins of view.
Awkward by Marni Bates -- Marni is a bit clumsy, but when she gets put on youtube and becomes a sensation, her whole life changes; is it for the better or worse?
Mercy: the Last New England Vampire by Sarah Thomson -- Hayley, at 14 is struggling with her stepmom, baby brother, beloved cousin's illness, and life generally, when a school project causes her to discover an old horror story with close links to her family.
Predicteds by Christine Siefert -- in the near future, one school is testing a new computer program that can predict the future of students. The only question Daphne wants answered is will Jesse ask her out, but he's a predicted, and there's a secret he's keeping...
Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter -- Gallagher Girls #5 - Cammie awakens in a monastery high in the Alps, with no memory of the past 4 months. Gradually she realizes she's been kidnapped and tortured by a secretive, ancient terrorist organization that is still hunting for her.
Glass Swallow by Julia Golding -- sequel to Dragonfly - Ruby and Peri, each with secrets to keep, join forces in the hopes that their love can protect them from looming disaster.
Crossing Lines by Paul Volponi -- When Adonis realizes that his football teammates have elevated their bullying to tormenting a new, transgender student named Alan, he tries to stand up for what he knows is right.
Thief's Covenant by Ari Marmell -- Widdershins, a thief with the blessings of the god of Thieves, has always taken care of herself. But now something evil, dark and unavoidable is reaching out for her, from the past...
New Girl by Paige Harbison -- when you're the new girl, everything is odd. Especially when the spot you're filling at Manderly Academy was previously filled by the most perfect girl who ever lived. And maybe she's out there, watching, trying to return...