Ah, nearly the end of the year; sometimes I’m amazed at how fast time flies. I’m treating you to a non-Cybils rendition of the Jacket Flap-a-thon, out of the five non-Cybils books I read this month, here are the best three:

I Shall Wear Midnight (HarperCollins): “It starts with whispers. Then someone picks up a stone. Finally, the fires begin. When people turn on witches, the innocents suffer. . . . Tiffany Aching has spent years studying with senior witches, and now she is on her own. As the witch of the Chalk, she performs the bits of witchcraft that aren’t sparkly, aren’t fun, don’t involve any kind of wand, and that people seldom ever hear about: She does the unglamorous work of caring for the needy. But someone—or something—is igniting fear, inculcating dark thoughts and angry murmurs against witches. Aided by her tiny blue allies, the Wee Free Men, Tiffany must find the source of this unrest and defeat the evil at its root—before it takes her life. Because if Tiffany falls, the whole Chalk falls with her. Chilling drama combines with laugh out-loud humor and searing insight as beloved and bestselling author Terry Pratchett tells the high-stakes story of a young witch who stands in the gap between good and evil.”
Maybe I’m biased because I love these books, but I love that the flap copy gives you a brief overview of the series and a hint of this book without giving much away at all.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk (Little, Brown and Company):
“If animals were more like us,
if mice kept pets and toads could cuss,
if dogs had wives and chipmunks dated,
sheep sat still and meditated,
then in the forest, field, and dairy
you might find this bestiary,
read by storks, by rats and kitties,
skimmed by cows with milk-stained titties.
“I found the book to be most droll,”
might quip the bear, the owl, the mole.
Others, though, would be more coarse.

“Bull,” could say the pig and horse.
As to the scribe, they’d quote the hen,
“Trust me, he’s no La Fontaine.”

Absolutely pointless as flap copy. Seriously. But it’s SO much fun, and horribly clever, which makes it perfect for this book.

Starcrossed (Arthur A. Levine Books): “In a glamorous castle full of Llyvraneth’s elite, Celyn Contrare serves as a lady-in-waiting to shy young Merista Nemair. Her days are spent dressing in velvet, attending Lady Merista, navigating court gossip, and charming noblemen over lavish feasts. And at night, she picks locks, steals jewels, forges documents, and collects secrets. Because Celyn isn’t really a lady-in-waiting; she’s not even really Celyn Contrare. She’s Digger, a sneak-thief on the run from the king’s Inquisition, desperate to escape its cruel instruments and hatred of magic. If she’s discovered, it will mean her certain death. But life as a lady-in-waiting isn’t safe either. The devious Lord Daul knows her secret, and he’s blackmailing her to serve as his personal spy in the castle. What she discovers-about Daul, about the Nemair, even about her own Lady Merista — could signal civil war in Llyvraneth. And for a thief trained never to get involved, taking sides could be the most dangerous job yet.”

It doesn’t give the plot twists and turns away, and yet manages to be intriguing. What is going on in this book? I want to know.

Other books read this month:
Clementine, Friend of the Week
The Kneebone Boy
Linger
Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool
Bamboo People
Zora and Me
What Happened on Fox Street
The Lost Hero
How I, Nicky Flynn Got a Life and a Dog
Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze
Shooting Kabul
Out of My Mind
Belly Up
The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt

Running total: 163 books
Adult fiction: 24
YA: 58
MG: 56
Non-fiction: 15
Graphic Novel: 10
Didn’t Finish: 7

Happy Halloween!! And, on top of that, it’s the end of another month, and time for another wrap up… there wasn’t much that jumped out and grabbed me, but here’s a few that caught my attention.

Howl’s Moving Castle (Greenwillow Books): “In the land of Ingary, such things as spells, invisible cloaks, and seven-league boots were everyday things. The Witch of the Waste was another matter. After fifty years of quiet, it was rumored that the Witch was about to terrorize the country again. So when a moving black castle, blowing dark smoke from its four thin turrets, appeared on the horizon, everyone thought it was the Witch. The castle, however, belonged to Wizard Howl, who, it was said, liked to suck the souls of young girls. The Hatter sisters–Sophie, Lettie, and Martha–and all the other girls were warned not to venture into the streets alone. But that was only the beginning. In this giant jigsaw puzzle of a fantasy, people and things are never quite what they seem. Destinies are intertwined, identities exchanged, lovers confused. The Witch has placed a spell on Howl. Does the clue to breaking it lie in a famous poem? And what will happen to Sophie Hatter when she enters Howl’s castle? Diana Wynne Jones’s entrancing fantasy is filled with surprises at every turn, but when the final stormy duel between the Witch and the Wizard is finished, all the pieces fall magically into place.”

It gives away more than I would like, but it makes the story seem so… fun. Which it is.

Geektastic (Little, Brown Books): “Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside)and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr. With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O’Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you’re a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on!”

No, I didn’t really like the book overall, but this jacket flap copy did its job: it made me want to read the book.

Happyface (Little, Brown and Company): “Just put on a happy face! Enter Happyface’s journal and get a peek into the life of a shy, artistic boy who decides to reinvent himself as a happy-go-lucky guy after he moves to a new town. See the world through his hilariously self-deprecating eyes as he learns to shed his comic-book-loving, computer-game playing ways. Join him as he makes new friends, tries to hide from his past, and ultimately learns to face the world with a genuine smile. With a fresh and funny combination of text and fully integrated art, Happyface is an original storytelling experience.”

Ugh. Seriously. Ugh. It makes the book sound cloyingly sweet, but it’s the furthest thing from it. It’s a dark book, and it doesn’t have a happily-ever-after ending. Someone didn’t really read the book.

One Crazy Summer (Amistad): “Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past. When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education. Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them—an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia.”

It isn’t the best copy ever, but it did make me curious about the book. That and the cover is *so* cute.

Other books read this month:
Girl in Translation
Dream factory
Bogbrush the Barbarian
The Graveyard Book (audio)
Extraordinary
Countdown
The Fool’s Girl
Marcelo in the Real World
Crossed Wires
Touch Blue
The Red Umbrella
Rocky Road

Running total: 146 books
Adult fiction: 23
YA: 54
MG: 44
Non-fiction: 15
Graphic Novel: 10
Didn’t Finish: 7

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

It was the month of the questions. I’m not sure if it’s a trend — there has always been flap copy that asked a question of the readers. It just seemed that this month (especially in MG and YA books), I got it a bit more than usual. Which begs the question (sorry): what do you think about flap copy that asks a question? Does it work to draw you into the book?

I tend to find myself wanting to answer the questions…

Sisters Red (Little, Brown): “Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris–the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She’s determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead. Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls’ bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett’s only friend–but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they’ve worked for?”

Possibly, but you’re going to feel very very guilty about it all.

The Last Best Days of Summer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux): “For twelve-year-old Lucy Crandall, the last week of August is the most perfect time in the world. It’s the week she gets to spend with Grams at the lake house, canoeing, baking cookies, and glazing pots in Grams’s potting shed. Grams has a way of making Lucy feel centered, like one of the pots on her kick wheel—perfect, steady, and completely at peace. But this summer, Grams doesn’t seem to be exactly the person she once was. And as the week turns into a roller coaster of surprises—some good, some awful—Lucy can’t help but wonder: Will things ever be centered again?”

No. Never. You’ll just have to live your life off balance.

The Demon’s Covenant (Margaret K. McElderry): “Mae Crawford’s always thought of herself as in control, but in the last few weeks her life has changed. Her younger brother, Jamie, suddenly has magical powers, and she’s even more unsettled when she realizes that Gerald, the new leader of the Obsidian Circle, is trying to persuade Jamie to join the magicians. Even worse… Jamie hasn’t told Mae a thing about any of it. Mae turns to brothers Nick and Alan to help her rescue Jamie, but they are in danger from Gerald themselves because he wants to steal Nick’s powers. Will Mae be able to find a way to save everyone she cares about from the power-hungry magician’s carefully laid trap?”

I sure hope so. Because Mae rocks.

Al Capone Shines My Shoes (Dial): “Moose and the cons are about to get a lot closer in this much-anticipated sequel. It’s 1935. Moose Flanagan lives on Alcatraz with his family, the other families of the guards, and a few hundred no-name hit men, con men, mad dog murderers and a handful of bank robbers too. And one of those cons has just done him a big favor.You see, Moose has never met Al Capone, but a few weeks ago Moose wrote a letter to him asking him to use his influence to get his sister, Natalie, into a school she desperately needs in San Francisco. After Natalie got accepted, a note appeared in Moose’s freshly laundered shirt that said: Done. As this book begins, Moose discovers a new note. This one says: Your turn. Is it really from Capone? What does it mean? Moose can’t risk anything that might get his dad fired. But how can he ignore Al Capone?”

You can’t. Al Capone SEES ALL.

How to Survive Middle School (Delacorte Books for Young People):”Eleven-year-old David Greenberg dreams of becoming a TV superstar like his idol, Jon Stewart. But in real life, David is just another kid terrified of starting his first year at Harman Middle School. With a wacky sense of humor and hilarious Top 6½ Lists, David spends his free time making Talk Time videos, which he posts on YouTube. But before he can get famous, he has to figure out a way to deal with:

6. Middle school (much scarier than it sounds!)
5. His best friend gone girl-crazy
4. A runaway mom who has no phone!
3. The threat of a swirlie on his birthday
2. A terrifying cousin
1. His # 1 fan, Bubbe (his Jewish grandmother)
1/2. Did we mention Hammy, the hamster who’s determined to break David’s heart?

When David and his best friend have a fight, David is lucky enough to make a pretty cool new friend, Sophie–who just (gulp) happens to be a girl. Sophie thinks David’s videos are hilarious, and she starts sending out the links to everyone she knows. Sophie’s friends tell their friends, and before David knows it, thousands of people are viewing his videos–including some of the last people he would have expected. David may still feel like a real-life schmo, but is he ready to become an Internet superstar?”

Sure. Why not? John Green did it.

Other books read this month:
The Waiter Rant
The Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
No and Me
The Cardturner
A Mango Shaped Space
Under the Tuscan Sun
Mockingjay
Nurture Shock

Running total: 119 books
Adult fiction: 22
YA: 44
MG: 32
Non-fiction: 11
Graphic Novel: 10
Didn’t Finish: 6

And another month has come to a close. My summer’s quickly fading; the girls will be back in school soon, and I’ll be back to having a more organized day. I’m not sure if that means more or less reading time, though….

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Doubleday): “The wondrous Aimee Bender conjures the lush and moving story of a girl whose magical gift is really a devastating curse. On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother—her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother—tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose. The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden—her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a luminous tale about the enormous difficulty of loving someone fully when you know too much about them. It is heartbreaking and funny, wise and sad, and confirms Aimee Bender’s place as “a writer who makes you grateful for the very existence of language” (San Francisco Chronicle).”
This is actually what made me want to read the book. It’s good copy: intriguing, inviting, and made me curious. Too bad the book didn’t live up to the copy.

The Demon’s Lexicon (Margaret K. McElderry Books): “Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick’s mother stole — a charm that keeps her alive — and they want it badly enough to kill again. Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon’s mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase…and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is desperate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long. Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians’ Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.This is the Demon’s Lexicon. Turn the page.”
Reading flap copy as long as I have — trying to figure out the ins and outs of good copy — I start noticing that some publishers really get it right. Margaret McElderry is one of those publishers. And this is some good copy.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Amulet Books): “Meet Dwight, a sixth-grade oddball. Dwight does a lot of weird things, like wearing the same T-shirt for a month or telling people to call him “Captain Dwight.” This is embarrassing, particularly for Tommy, who sits with him at lunch every day. But Dwight does one cool thing. He makes origami. One day he makes an origami finger puppet of Yoda. And that’s when things get mysterious. Origami Yoda can predict the future and suggest the best way to deal with a tricky situation. His advice actually works, and soon most of the sixth grade is lining up with questions. Tommy wants to know how Origami Yoda can be so smart when Dwight himself is so clueless. Is Yoda tapping into the Force? It’s crucial taht Tommy figure out the mystery before he takes Yoda’s advice about something VERY IMPORTANT that has to do with a girl. This is Tommy’s case file of his investigation into ‘The Strange Case of Origami Yoda.'”
I just loved everything about the design of this book, and that includes the clever back copy. Too much fun.

Other Books Read This Month:
In Mike We Trust
Donut Days
The Prince of Fenway Park
Jane Eyre, the Graphic Novel
Wishing for Tomorrow
The Night Fairy
Turtle in Paradise
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
A Step from Heaven
Incarceron
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling
Carter’s Big Break
North of Beautiful

Running Total: 110 books
Adult fiction: 23
YA: 39
MG: 29
Non-fiction: 9
Graphic Novel: 11
Didn’t Finish: 6

Ah, June. When my reading totals start going up. When the fluff comes out. And, I’m cheating a little, and choosing four. It was a difficult month to get down to even these four, too. Either I’m getting less picky, or the copy is getting better…. Oh, and I mostly read middle grade books this month, and most of the copy choices are YA books. Interesting.

Enchanted Glass (Greenwillow Books): “Aidan Cain has had the worst week of his life. His gran died, he was sent to a foster home, and now malicious beings are stalking him. There is one person Gran told Aidan to go to if he ever got into trouble—a powerful sorcerer who lives at Melstone House. But when Aidan arrives on the doorstep, he finds that the sorcerer’s grandson, Andrew, has inherited the house. The good news is that Aidan can tell immediately that Andrew’s brimming with magic, too—and so is everyone else at Melstone. The bad news is that Andrew doesn’t remember anything his grandfather taught him. Chaos is swiftly rising, and he has no idea how to control it. A sinister neighbor is stealing power from the land, magic is leaking between realms . . . and it’s only a matter of time before the Stalkers find Aidan. If Aidan and Andrew can harness their own magics, they may be able to help each other. But can they do it before the entire countryside comes apart at the seams?”
Fun, clever, doesn’t give hardly anything away, and yet it makes you want to know: can they harness the magic?

Ash (Little, Brown): “In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted. The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love. Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.”
I liked this one solely because it avoided mentioning the Cinderella story at all. It would have been SO easy for the copywriter to throw in a line about a “retelling of Cinderella with a twist” and they didn’t. Kudos to them.

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice (Bantam Books): “In 1915, long since retired from his observations of criminal humanity, Sherlock Holmes is engaged in a reclusive study of honeybee behavior on the Sussex Downs. Never did he think to meet an intellect to match his own- until his acquaintance with Miss Mary Russell, a very modern fifteen-year-old whose mental acuity is equaled only by her audacity, tenacity, and penchant for trousers and cloth caps. Under Holmes’ s tutelage, Russell hones her talent for deduction, disguises, and danger: in the chilling case of a landowner’ s mysterious fever and in a kidnapping in the wilds of Wales. But her ultimate challenge is yet to come. Soon the two sleuths are on the trail of a murderer whose machinations scatter meaningless clues… but whose objective is quite unequivocal: to end Russell and Holmes’ s partnership- and their lives. “

It’s very rare that I like the copy of an adult book. But this one is intriguing, capturing the essence of the book, without giving away too much. It also name-drops and yet doesn’t play up either: it’s Sherlock Holmes, that’s a fact, get over it. Quite good.
Skunk Girl (Farrar, Straus and Giroux): “If Nina Khan were to rate herself on the unofficial Pakistani prestige point system – the one she’s sure all the aunties and uncles use to determine the most attractive marriage prospects for their children – her scoring might go something like this:

+2 points for getting excellent grades
–3 points for failing to live up to expectations set by genius older sister
+4 points for dutifully obeying parents and never, ever going to parties, no matter how antisocial that makes her seem to everyone at Deer Hook High
–1 point for harboring secret jealousy of her best friends, who are allowed to date like normal teenagers
+2 points for never drinking an alcoholic beverage
–10 points for obsessing about Asher Richelli, who talks to Nina like she’s not a freak at all, even though he knows that she has a disturbing line of hair running down her back

In this wryly funny debut novel, the smart, sassy, and utterly lovable Nina Khan tackles friends, family, and love, and learns that it’s possible to embrace two very different cultures – even if things can get a little bit, well, hairy.”
I didn’t particularly like the book in the end, but one of the reasons I picked it up was because this flap copy was so entertaining.

Other books read this month:
Harriet the Spy
Eat, Pray, Love
Wintergirls
Blubber
The School of Essential Ingredients
Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Princess of Glass
Greenwitch
The Grey King
Silver on the Tree
Manga Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Where the Red Fern Grows
Much Ado About Nothing
Two Moon Princess
A Song for Summer
Finally
Cosmic (DNF)
Finnikin of the Rock
The Frog Scientist

Running Total: 94 books
Adult fiction: 21
YA: 32
MG: 23
Non-fiction: 9
Graphic Novel: 10
Didn’t Finish: 6

Good heavens, where did May go?

It’s Memorial Day here in the states, and that’s not a holiday I’ve given much thought to since I graduated from high school and stopped attending my small town’s Memorial Day parade. Though things have conspired this year to make me feel guilty about that, and I’m looking for some suggestions as to what to do to remind my children that there are men and women out there sacrificing their lives so we can live in comfort and freedom. Suggestions?

And I suppose, since it is the last day of the month, I ought to give you my three favorite jacket flaps, huh?

Academy 7 (Speak): “Aerin Renning is a scarred fugitive, Dane Madousin a rebellious son of privilege. On the surface, they have nothing in common. But the two most competitive freshmen at Academy 7 share an undiscovered bond. Both harbor a dangerous secret that threatens their own destruction. And while their safety depends on their staying apart, the two are inexplicably drawn to each other. Evan as unknown forces conspire to separate them, their competition turns to friendship, and their friendship to romance. Now, not only their lives — but their hearts — are at stake. To survive, the two must unite all their knowledge, skills and gifts to uncover a secret bigger than either could have imagined. A secret as big as the entire universe…”

It’s not exactly accurate to the story, and it kind of blows things out of proportion, but, man, it makes you want to read the book. Doesn’t it?

Will Grayson, Will Grayson (Dutton Juvenile): “One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens–both named Will Grayson–are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical. Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans.”

Spot-on. Captures the essence, without giving too much away. Perfect.

Crossing Stones (Farrar, Straus and Giroux): “Maybe you won’t rock a cradle, Muriel. Some women seem to prefer to rock the boat. Eighteen-year-old Muriel Jorgensen lives on one side of Crabapple Creek. Her family’s closest friends, the Normans, live on the other. For as long as Muriel can remember, the families’ lives have been intertwined, connected by the crossing stones that span the water. But now that Frank Norman—who Muriel is just beginning to think might be more than a friend—has enlisted to fight in World War I and her brother, Ollie, has lied about his age to join him, the future is uncertain. As Muriel tends to things at home with the help of Frank’s sister, Emma, she becomes more and more fascinated by the women’s suffrage movement, but she is surrounded by people who advise her to keep her opinions to herself. How can she find a way to care for those she loves while still remaining true to who she is? Written in beautifully structured verse, Crossing Stones captures nine months in the lives of two resilient families struggling to stay together and cross carefully, stone by stone, into a changing world.”

I think it’s a bit too detailed, but perhaps they felt a need to spell out the plot because it’s a novel in verse. It’s still pretty good, though.

Other books read this month:
Radiant Darkness
My Double Life
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
French Milk
Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence; Sabine’s Notebook; The Golden Mean
Confections of a Closet Master Baker
God Went to Beauty School
Running out of Time
The Wide-Awake Princess
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Letter to My Daughter

Running Total: 72
Adult fiction: 17
YA: 26
MG: 15
Non-fiction: 7
Graphic Novel: 9
Didn’t Finish: 5

Another month, another roundup. There were a lot of good books this month, it was hard to choose just three.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon (Bantam): “In her latest enchanting novel, New York Times bestelling author Sarah Addison Allen invites you to a quirky little Southern town with more magic than a full Carolina moon. Here two very different women discover how to find their place in the world…no matter how out of place they feel. Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. For instance, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? Why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life. Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes. Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth and in the hope of bringing back the love she fears she’s lost forever. In Julia, Emily may have found a link to her mother’s past. But why is everyone trying to discourage Emily’s growing relationship with the handsome and mysterious son of Mullaby’s most prominent family? Emily came to Mullaby to get answers, but all she’s found so far are more questions. Is there really a ghost dancing in her backyard? Can a cake really bring back a lost love? In this town of lovable misfits, maybe the right answer is the one that just feels…different.“
It’s a bit long, but it’s one of those jacket flaps that make you just want to read the book. Enough information to tease and interest, but not enough to give away the book’s secrets.

A Conspiracy of Kings (Greenwillow Books): “Sophos, under the guidance of yet another tutor, practices his swordplay and strategizes escape scenarios should his father’s villa come under attack. How would he save his mother? His sisters? Himself? Could he reach the horses in time? Where would he go? But nothing prepares him for the day armed men, silent as thieves, swarm the villa courtyard ready to kill, to capture, to kidnap. Sophos, the heir to the throne of Sounis, disappears without a trace. In Attolia, Eugenides, the new and unlikely king, has never stopped wondering what happened to Sophos. Nor has the Queen of Eddis. They send spies. They pay informants. They appeal to the gods. But as time goes by, it becomes less and less certain that they will ever see their friend alive again. Across the small peninsula battles are fought, bribes are offered, and conspiracies are set in motion. Darkening the horizon, the Mede Empire threatens, always, from across the sea. And Sophos, anonymous and alone, bides his time. Sophos, drawing on his memories of Gen, Pol, the magus—and Eddis—sets out on an adventure that will change all of their lives forever.”
Great book. Really. Read the series; I promise you won’t regret it. But. Don’t read the jacket flaps. Because, really!, this is not what happens. Kind of made me mad, in the end.

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance (Dutton): “It’s lonely being a Mormon in New York City. So once again, Elna Baker attends the New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance-a virgin in a room full of virgins doing the Macarena. Her Queen Bee costume, which involves a black funnel stuck to her butt for a stinger, isn’t attracting the attention she’d anticipated. So once again, Elna is alone at the punch bowl, stocking up on generic Oreos, exactly where you’d expect to find a single Mormon who’s also a Big Girl. But loneliness is nothing compared to what happens when she loses eighty pounds. . . . and falls in love with an atheist. The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance is the memoir about a girl who’s as paradoxical as the city she’s coming-of-age in: A girl who distresses her family when she chooses NYU over BYU; a girl who’s cultivating an oxymoronic identity as a bold, educated, modern, funny, proper, abstinent, religious stand-up comic — equal parts wholesome and hot. As Elna test-drives her identity, she finds herself in the strangest scenarios: including selling creepy, overpriced dolls to petulant children at FAO Schwarz; making out with the rich and famous; nearly getting married in Utah; and arriving at the New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance in an obscene costume. It all boils down to a young woman wondering where love comes from and what will make her feel the least alone in a city full of strangers. Brazenly honest, this is Elna’s hilarious and heartfelt chronicle of her attempt to steer clear of temptation and find out if she can just get by on God.”
I thought this was clever; it made the book sound so interesting. Unfortunately, it hits all the highlights. There’s not much else to the book except what’s in the jacket flap.

Other books read this month:
As You Wish
How to Say Goodbye in Robot
Kaleidoscope Eyes
Demon Princess: Reign or Shine
The Dark is Rising
I am Morgan le Fey
Neverwhere
The Storm in the Barn
The War of the Worlds
Amulet: The Stonekeeper
Amulet: The Stonekeeper’s Curse
Hachiko Waits
Return to Sender (DNF)
Hamlet (DNF)
Breathless (DNF)

Running Total: 57
Adult fiction: 11
YA: 20
MG: 12
Non-fiction: 6
Graphic Novel: 8
Didn’t Finish: 5

Shall we forgo the usual blather, since I’ll have a Library Loot post going up later, and just jump into this month’s books? I think so.

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook (Bloomsbury): “What do a secret squirt watch, a pair of spring-loaded super-boots, and the incredible Kablovsky copter have in common? They’re all inventions of the Secret Science Alliance. This trio of gadgeteers is hard at work in a secret lab, tinkering with technology that’s definitely too cool for school! But when an evil scientist steals their blueprints and hatches a deadly plan, the Secret Science Alliance springs into action. Can three young inventors, armed with their crazy creations, defeat this criminal mastermind? Strap on your welding goggles and get ready for a high-tech adventure from comic supergenius Eleanor Davis!”

Doesn’t this book sound like great fun? I didn’t really love it, but I have to admit that this flap copy made me want to read it!

Shine, Coconut Moon (Margaret K. McElderry): “Seventeen-year-old Samar — a.k.a. Sam — has never known much about her Indian heritage. Her mom has deliberately kept Sam away from her old-fashioned family. It’s never bothered Sam, who is busy with school, friends, and a really cute but demanding boyfriend. But things change after 9/11. A guy in a turban shows up at Sam’s house, and he turns out to be her uncle. He wants to reconcile the family and teach Sam about her Sikh heritage. Sam isn’t sure what to do, until a girl at school calls her a coconut — brown on the outside, white on the inside. That decides it: Why shouldn’t Sam get to know her family? What is her mom so afraid of? Then some boys attack her uncle, shouting, “Go back home, Osama!” and Sam realizes she could be in danger — and also discovers how dangerous ignorance can be. Sam will need all her smarts and savvy to try to bridge two worlds and make them both her own.”

This sums up the book nicely, but doesn’t give away too much of the conflict. Can I mention, though, that I didn’t notice the guy on the cover of the book? And that I really am very tired of headless teen girls on covers??

Heist Society (Hyperion): “When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own–scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected. Soon, Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help. For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in history-or at least her family’s (very crooked) history. “

Okay, so I guess I was in a “fun” mood this month: this one, too, makes the book sound like a huge amount of fun. Which it was.

Other books read this month:
Frankie Pickle
Scarlett Fever
Angus, Thongs, and Full-frontal Snogging
Howards End
Sugar
Over Sea, Under Stone
The Truth About Forever
Candor
Sea Glass
Open: An Autobiography
Swiftly Tilting Planet (DNF)
Timekeeper’s Moon
Marching for Freedom
The English American

Running Total: 42
Adult fiction: 8
YA: 15
MG: 9
Non-fiction: 5
Graphic Novel: 5
Didn’t Finish: 2

I don’t usually have reading goals for myself; I tend to let the books come and go as they are wont to do. But for some reason, this year, I’m feeling like I’m “behind”. I’m not sure that it’s affecting my enjoyment of reading, per se, but there’s a part of me that feels concerned that my numbers aren’t “up” around where I “want” them to be.

Silly, I know. And I have no idea why I feel this way, either. Do you ever get feeling like that? What do you do?

It was another slowish month… but here are the three best blurbs:

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Little, Brown and Co): “In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days workign hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarkes on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon to ask him how she can change their fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest. Grace Lin, author of the beloved Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat, returns with a wondrous story of happiness, family, and friendship. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless adventure story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz. With her beautiful full-color illustrations featured throughout, Grace has created a charming, engaging book for young readers.

Outlaw: the Legend of Robin Hood (Candlewick): “How did Robin of Loxley become Robin Hood? Why did he choose to fight injustice instead of robbing for his own gain? Expressive and gritty, this graphic novel whisks readers back to Crusades-era England, where the Sheriff of Nottingham rules with an iron fist, and in the haunted heart of Sherwood Forest, a defiant rogue — with the help of his men and the lovely Maid Marian — disguises himself to become an outlaw. Lively language and illustrations follow the legendary hero as he champions the poor and provokes a high-stakes vendetta in a gripping adventure sure to draw a new generation of readers.”

The Lost Conspiracy (Harper): “On an island of sandy beaches, dense jungles, and slumbering volcanoes, colonists seek to apply archaic laws to a new land, bounty-hunters stalk the living for the ashes of their funerary pyres, and a smiling tribe is despised by all as traitorous murders. It is here, in the midst of ancient tensions and new calamity, that two sisters are caught in a deadly web of deceits. Arilou is proclaimed a beautiful prophetess—one of the island’s precious oracles: a Lost. Hathin, her junior, is her nearly invisible attendant. But neither Arilou nor Hathin is exactly what she seems, and they live a lie that is carefully constructed, and jealously guarded. When the sisters are unknowingly drawn into a sinister, island-wide conspiracy, quiet, unobtrusive Hathin must journey beyond all she has ever known of her world—and of herself—in a desperate attempt to save them both. As the stakes mount and falsehoods unravel, she discovers the only thing more dangerous than the secret she hides is the truth she must uncover.”

Other books read this month:
Dream Life
The Undaunted (DNF)
A Wind in the Door
Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith

The Catcher in the Rye