The Help

By Kathryn Stockett

Goodreads Reviews

OOOH! I liked this book. It wasn't a page turner, but I loved it all the same. It's about women in the south and deaing with racism. I can't imagine loving a non-page turner, but I did. Read it! It will be good for you. Same goes for Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. That is a MUST READ!

The Truth About Forever

By Sarah Dessen

Goodreads Reviews

Wow. I guess this is good if you don't want to read a book with, you know, content. This is just a bunch of fluff of girl meets guy. I thought I'd try out the author because I've heard about her so often, but this can't really be considered literature in my opinion. More like someone just trying to tell a romantic story. I need more than just lovey dovey. Not just "Oh, he's neat. I like him" and "oh, she's got such a fantastic personality, and had such a hard life. Too bad we have so many problems in our way so we can't really get together." Not for me. I will not be reading more of her books. Plus she had some language issues too!

Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood

By Meredith Ann Pierce Goodreads Reviews Meh... It was okay. I didn't really get into it. To me, it seemed like a new fairy tale or some sort of mythological story that I've never heard about. I guess this is what I get for just grabbing a book off the shelf with no recommendations for it. One nice thing was that it was NOT A SERIES! I actually finished the entire plot in one book. Crazy concept! It reminds me a lot of the Patricia A. McKillip novels.

Inside Out

Also by Maria V. Snyder

Goodreads Reviews

This book is way more Sci-Fi than I imagined. Not really up my alley, but still it was a fun book. She's a great author. It's kind of a like City of Ember...I guess. A dystopia novel...kind of. I don't really know how to explain it. I'm going to read the next in the series just because it's a book, and it's good, but I don't feel like I need to run to all the neighbors to tell them to read it.

Poison Study

By Maria V. Snyder Goodreads Reviews This book was GREAT! It's a little bit of magic, but not enough to be considered fantasy really...yet. I haven't read the others in the series, so we'll see how out there it gets. The plot just WORKS, and it was such a fulfilling read. I'm excited to read the next book. There were a few swear words I could've been happy without, but other than that, awesome.

Books on my Mantle

This is a list of books I plan on reading. On my mantle I have Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn, Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood by Meredith Ann Pierce, Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (first in a series, supposed to be great...reading it today!), and Inside Out, also by Maria V. Snyder. Let me know if you plan on reading them with me. I would love to hear thoughts! Obviously I'm in a YA book phase, but I'll come out eventually. I go in spurts. This one has just happened to last like...6 months. The Sharon Shinn novel isn't YA though. :) I would love recommendations. Please!!!!

Entwined

By Heather Dixon Goodreads Reviews This is a fairy tale retelling of the 12 dancing princesses. I thought it was an awesome cute book. I enjoyed that it had so much more than just the boring old fairy tale plot. The author is comparable to Robyn McKinley, if you've read Beauty. The sisters all had distinct personalities which is so hard to do, seeing as how there are TWELVE. It was a fun book. I would especially recommend it to young girls.

The Demon King (aka "my new favorite books!!!")

By Cinda Williams Chima

Goodreads Reviews

AHHHHH! Read these books!! Soooooo good! Can I just say, read these books!!!! I can't even say how much I love them. I mean, look at the reviews!! Cinda Chima is my new favorite author. I feel like I know the characters personally. She's so good! It's kind of like a fantasy, but without the monsters, elves, dwarves, and such. It does have sorcerers, but it has so many other elements in the story. She is so creative. The next book is called The Exiled Queen. Read it!! I like the second one even more. I can't wait until the next book comes out in September.

An Earthly Knight

By Janet McNaughton

Goodreads Reviews

I liked this book mostly because of the storyline. Apparently it was based on a ballad, but I've never heard of it. This book makes me want to hear of it! So saying that, the characters were a little underdeveloped except for maybe 3 of them, and there were so many loose endings that it almost seemed like the book couldn't possibly be over. But, in the books defense, I didn't notice any of these flaws until thinking the book over a few hours later. When I was reading it, it didn't feel flawed at all, but just flowed effortlessly....like a ballad I guess. I recommend reading it, but it's not a literary masterpiece.

Gone

By Michael Grant

Goodreads Reviews

This book is what I think of when I hear Young Adult Fiction. A quick read based on 14-15 year old kids. Don't expect to know what's going on through the entire book. This is one of those reads where you keep waiting for the conclusion....that never happens. I just finished the 3rd book in the series, and I'm still hanging in there. It's starting to drag a little. There are so many characters that if you put the book down for a couple months or even weeks and then try to read the next in the series, you'll be very confused. I hope the author isn't planning on writing five of these. I'm already dragging my feet about reading the fourth, and it doesn't come out until April. Don't get me wrong, I really like the books, but please let 4 be the end of it. Conclude already. I'm sick of being confused.