Stephenie Meyer has started a trend. October 31, 2008
Posted by Victoria in Fiction.Tags: Teen Fiction, vampire fiction
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Stephenie Meyer’s wildly popular Twilight series, about a young girl named Bella who falls in love with a teen vampire named Edward, continues to remain popular even though her fourth and final installment, Breaking Dawn, failed to impress die-hard fans.
In fact, reports were circulated that Meyer had to indefinitely postpone the publication of her companion to the series entitled Midnight Sun, a retelling of the saga written from Edward’s perspective . This was blamed on leaks of the rough draft onto the Internet. This has caused much disappointment amongst her fans.
But, at least fans can satisfy themselves for now with the first Twilight movie, which is slated to be released on Nov. 21, 2008. Additionally, teen vampire/romance novels are popping up all over and the ones that already existed are in demand.
For those who are unfamiliar with the series, but whose curiosity has been piqued by all the buzz, here is a list of the Twilight titles in order. All of these are available in Teen Fiction.
All of these titles are also available in downloadable audiobook format on Overdrive!
And, for those of you who are more than familiar with Stephenie Meyer, and are craving more romantic vampire fiction, well fear not! Here are some other popular teen titles with a werewolf thrown in.
Blood and Chocolate - Teen Sci-Fi
Annette Kurtis Clause
Sixteen-year old Vivian is a loup-garou, otherwise knows as werewolf. When she moves with her pack to a new town she encounters a reclusive teen named Aidan. He is a human or “meat boy”. It isn’t long before she finds herself torn between true love and her loyalty to the pack. It is dangerous for her to reveal their secret.
The Silver Kiss - Teen Pbk
Annette Kurtis Clause
Zoe is a teenager whose mother is dying from bone cancer. She meets Simon, a pale but handsome young man, who is her sole support. Soon she finds out his lonely secret.
Shattered Mirror -Teen Sci-Fi
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Sarah comes from a long line of vampire hunting witches who see the world in black and white. When she meets Christopher, a vampire who does not kill to feed, she realizes that some things might be a bit gray.
Sweetblood - Teen Fiction
Pete Hautman
Sixteen-year-old Lucy is obsessed with vampire subculture. She is a diabetic, and believes that hundreds of years ago, diabetics were the true vampires. She meets Draco online, who claims to be a real vampire, and he slowly sucks her into an intriguing and somewhat dangerous underground culture that very few know about.
Vampire Kisses - Teen Fiction
Ellen Schreiber
Raven is a goth teen who believes she lives in the dullest town in the world. She longs for a vampire kiss and the secrets it unleashes. When mysterious Alexander and his family move into the creepy Benson Hill mansion, she thinks she’s found her kiss.
Blue Bloods -Teen Fiction
Melissa De La Cruz
The Blue Bloods are vampires that live amongst New York City’s elite socialites. Schuyler Van Alen is one of them, but doesn’t know it yet. She does know has never felt like she fit in with her classmates at the elite prep school she attends. She wears baggy vintage clothes instead of designer ones and is a loner. When she turns fifteen, she starts noticing blue veins showing up everywhere through her skin, and she craves raw meat. When the most popular girl in school winds up dead, Schuyler makes it her mission to figure out what’s going on.
Latest Additions October 28, 2008
Posted by stacey in Fiction.Tags: Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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Sorry! I realize this is a day late, but I’m going to go for the idea of “It’s better late than never.” I’m also going to pretend like I did it on purpose and I was trying to give you extra time to catch up on reading all of those great books you’ve been checking out. Right? Right!
So now that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business. Here are last week’s additions to The Reading Room:
Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Death’s Half Acre: A Deborah Knott Mystery by Margaret Maron
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
The Mercy Rule by Perri Klass
Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva
The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard by Erin McGraw
The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst
Working Stiff: A Sofie Metropolis Novel by Tori Carrington
There you go. Eight more books to peruse, pick-up, and enjoy!
—Stacey
Jon Hassler October 23, 2008
Posted by Ann in Fiction.add a comment
I discovered today that one of my favorite authors, Jon Hassler, died several months ago.
Jon Hassler, a lifelong resident of Minnesota, was a high school English teacher and a college professor before he turned to writing. His first book, Staggerford (published in 1977), set in small town Minnesota, garnered accolades such as this one from the Cleveland Plain Dealer-
“An absolutely smashing first novel … a novel of confrontation, of love, of sympathy and affection … an altogether successful work, witty, intelligent, compassionate.”
Hassler wrote of small towns, college life, and relationships. He wrote with wit and with style and with a gentle hand. Many of his characters appeared in more than one book (particularly the feisty school teacher Miss Agatha McGee), and the town of Staggerford itself is as much a character as a setting. While his books are not overtly religious, many of the characters are Catholic, and the religion features prominently in the novels.
Jon Hassler, you are missed. ~Ann
Jon Hassler March 30, 1933-March 20, 2008
Some of his books:
Staggerford
Simon’s Night
The Love Hunter
A Green Journey
Grand Opening
The Dean’s List
The Staggerford Flood
The Staggerford Murders
Nancy Clancy’s Nephew
The New Woman
Junot Diaz October 23, 2008
Posted by Dori in Book Awards, Fiction.add a comment
On Sunday, I went to the Cleveland Public Library’s Writers and Readers Series to hear Junot Diaz, author of the Pulitzer prize winning 
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Diaz was funny, engaging and thoughtful and if you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it. One thread of his discussion was about the role of post-memory in our lives and in his novel. Post-memory, according to Diaz, is how the memories of our parents and grandparents shape and transform our lives, though they are not our direct memories. In Oscar Wao’s case, his mother’s abuse at the hands of the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo resonates throughout her childrens’ lives.
One of the things I look for when choosing books to read are diverse settings and characters. It may sound simplistic, but reading books like this one help me to think outside my own experiences. Diaz singled out the National Book Critics Circle Award as nominating books that are representative of the diversity of American culture. Among books nominated in fiction this year are Diaz’s novel, Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games, Hisham Matar’s In the Country of Men, Joyce Carol Oates’ The Gravedigger’s Daughter and Marianne Wiggins’ The Shadow Catcher. I, for one, am thrilled that more and more books offer up the whole of the American experience. What do you think?
~ Dori
Latest Additions October 20, 2008
Posted by stacey in Fiction.Tags: Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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I hope everyone had a lovely, restful weekend. You’re going to need all your energy once you see how many books made it into The Reading Room last week. Ready? Set? Go!
Cypress Nights by Stella Cameron
The Likeness by Tana French
Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse
Death Angel by Linda Howard
Executive Privilegeby Phillip Margolin
Resolution by Robert B. Parker
Devil Bonesby Kathy Reichs
Last Oracle: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins
See? Now, what are you waiting around here for? You’ve got books to read!
— Stacey
What’s in a Dictionary? October 16, 2008
Posted by Dori in Non-Fiction, Thoughtful Ramblings.add a comment
Today, October 16th, is Dictionary Day, named in honor of the birthday of Noah Webster, he of Webster’s dictionary fame. Noah Webster compiled the first American dictionary way back in 1828 and it’s still one of the most commonly used reference books. How often do you use your dictionary? I use mine to help the kids with their schoolwork, such as looking up the difference between a quadrilateral and a quadrangle (very minimal) and to encourage better spelling (yes, son, I’m talking about you). Also, did you know that there are a zillion types of dictionaries that will give you so much more than definitions – oh, the possible exploration! The Oxford English Dictionary will tell you that the word “dictionary” comes from the Latin “dictionarius” and was first used c. 1225 by Joannes de Garlandia as the title of a collection of Latin vocables for the use of learners. Fascinating, eh? Join me in celebrating the achievements of Noah Webster!
~ Dori
Make Your House Your Home October 15, 2008
Posted by Rosemary in Non-Fiction.add a comment
Two of my favorite books for decorating ideas are not really about decorating. They are more about the architectural bones of a home. Better Homes and Gardens Adding Character with Architectural Details is a gem. It is filled with pointers and beautiful pictures on how to bring character into homes from the very old to the new. If you need ideas for molding, wainscoting, 
fireplaces, and stairways, you will find many examples here. The second book is Prefabulous : the House of Your Dreams Delivered Fresh from the Factory by Sheri Koones. It is a feast for your eyes; the prefab homes are completely stunning. The interiors have clean, uncluttered lines accented with wood and stone. The exteriors feature timber, frame, log, concrete, and steel construction. Each time I look at these two books (and I’ve looked at them often), I find something new to consider for my home.
~Rosemary
A Bountiful Fall October 15, 2008
Posted by Donna in Fiction, Thoughtful Ramblings.add a comment
“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting
and autumn a mosaic of them all.”
- Stanley Horowitz
I know why fall is one of my favorite seasons. The weather is beautiful! The colors are magnificent and there are loads of new books coming out from my favorite authors that I, the obsessive reader, must read! Here are a few that I am looking forward to reading:
The Gate House by Nelson DeMille
Cross Country by James Patterson
Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn
The Victoria Vanishes by Christopher Fowler
What a great time to…..
……….Fall into Reading! ~Donna
Latest Additions October 13, 2008
Posted by stacey in Fiction.Tags: Book Awards, Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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Check it out my friends. It looks like there are just the right number of books to get you all through the week. One per day, like a vitamin dose! How lucky…
Christy by Catherine Marshall
Lost Girls by George D. Shuman
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
The Black Path by Asa Larsson
The Dark Tide by Andrew Gross
And for you super-fans of mystery novels, I’m about to send you into your own personal happy place. The Bouchercon World Mystery Convention just took place in Baltimore, MD and they gave out four big awards: The Anthony Awards, The Macavity Awards, The Barry Awards, and The Shamus Awards. If you want a list of the nominees, to see who won, or just browse a great mystery novel site, Stop, You’re Killing Me is one of my favorites. My link will take you to the awards page, but spend some time looking around and prepare to be amazed!
—Stacey
Fall Inspiration October 7, 2008
Posted by Dori in Non-Fiction.add a comment
~ Dori
