It’s the end of September, already? Can someone please tell me where this year has gone?? Next thing I know, I’ll have to sit down and do my best-of-the-year post. I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet…

Though how could I forget the Cybils nominations open at midnight, Eastern Time, tonight (so for you West Coast people, you don’t have to stay up late…)? Click through the link to read the guidelines.

And here’s the best from this month:

Shiver (Scholastic): “For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf — her wolf — is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human — or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.”

I liked how this one pairs the spare, winter feel of the book, but gives you a hint of the intensity of the love story.

Scumble (Dial Books):”Nine years after Mibs’s “Savvy” journey, her cousin Ledge has just turned thirteen . . . But Ledger Kale’s savvy is a total dud — all he does is make little things fall apart. So his parents decide it’s safe to head to Wyoming, where it’s soon revealed that Ledge’s savvy is much more powerful than anyone thought. Worse, his savvy disaster has an outside witness: Sarah Jane Cabot, reporter wannabe and daughter of the local banker. Just like that, Ledge’s beloved normal life is over. Now he has to keep Sarah from turning family secrets into headlines, stop her father from foreclosing on Uncle Autry’s ranch, and scumble his savvy into control so that, someday, he can go home. Starring a cast both fresh and familiar, “Scumble” brilliantly melds Ingrid Law’s signature heart and humor with the legendary Wild West.”

I just liked this one. It feels fun, whimsical, but grounded. Kind of like the book.

Mare’s War (Knopf): “Meet Mare, a grandmother with flair and a fascinating past. Octavia and Tali are dreading the road trip their parents are forcing them to take with their grandmother over the summer. After all, Mare isn’t your typical grandmother. She drives a red sports car, wears stiletto shoes, flippy wigs, and push-up bras, and insists that she’s too young to be called Grandma. But somewhere on the road, Octavia and Tali discover there’s more to Mare than what you see. She was once a willful teenager who escaped her less-than-perfect life in the deep South and lied about her age to join the African American battalion of the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. Told in alternating chapters, half of which follow Mare through her experiences as a WAC member and half of which follow Mare and her granddaughters on the road in the present day, this novel introduces a larger-than-life character who will stay with readers long after they finish reading.”

The best flap copy, I think, is one that explains the book, but doesn’t give anything (or at least much) away. This is a perfect example of that.

Other Books Read This Month:
Green
Dance With Them
The Red Pyramid
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (DNF)
The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate
Ugly as Sin
Cracked Up to Be
Nine Parts of Desire
The Summer of Moonlight Secrets
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

Running total: 131 books
Adult fiction: 22
YA: 47
MG: 37
Non-fiction: 15
Graphic Novel: 10
Didn’t Finish: 7