Need

Jones, Carrie. 2008. Need.

Everybody has fears, right?

Need would be good for fans of Stephanie Meyer and Melissa Marr. It's YA fantasy with plenty of thrills: danger and romance. Our heroine, Zara, is unhappy to be moving to Maine. True, life had become almost impossible living with her mother since the death of her stepfather--the only man she ever knew as dad. But is packing her up and sending her to good-old-grandma (her stepfather's mother) really the answer?

While on the surface, Zara appears to be a typical teen with typical angst...but nothing is as it seems. And the town she's moved to is NOT your typical town. Well, unless you like things King-style. (And her grandma--so NOT typical!) It all begins when Zara notices one man--one very strange man--who seems to be following her around. This started on the day her stepdad died. He was there at the airport when she left. He is here in her new town too. She seems him--he's always alone--outside her home, outside her school. She knows something is up when she notices he leaves a trail of glitter behind him.

With the help of her new friends--Issie, Devyn, Nick--Zara is out to solve this mystery. What is driving this is the fact that since shortly before her arrival--boys have been going missing. Something similar occurred in her mom's generation--her days as a teen living in that town. Could the strange man following Zara be the key to solving the mystery of who is kidnapping (and most likely murdering) these teen guys?

Zara is anything but a damsel in distress. She's strong. She's opinionated. She's stubborn. She doesn't follow the rules unless it suits her--and let's be honest--that rarely happens. She's broken in a way--mourning the loss of her stepdad, confused by her new surroundings, and more than a little interested in this ever-dreamy-guy named Nick.

Nick.
Nick has thick, dark hair.
Nick has big, chestnut eyes.
Nick has nice, white teeth.
Nick has a big chest with runner's lungs so he could huff and puff and blow my house in. And I do not care. I lean in. He's so cozy warm but I shiver anyway, remembering the woods. My eyelids just don't want to be open and I really want them open because Nick is so cute when he isn't bossing me around. (114, ARC)

Some mystery. Plenty of action. Some romance. Some angst.

Overall, I liked it.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

BCCB 2008 Blue Ribbons

You can read this year's blue ribbons online here, or download a copy here.

There were six of the blueribbon fiction titles in the YA nominees for Cybils. (There are probably other Cybils-nominated titles that were in other categories--not the YA one.)

Audrey Wait and Ten Cents A Dance were two from our shortlist--they both have blue ribbons now!

The other four titles were Octavian Nothing volume 2, MexicanWhiteboy, Season of Ice, and Living Dead Girl.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Historical Romance Challenge

Royal Reviews is hosting the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2009.
3 Books. Historical Fiction.
January 1, 2009 - March 31, 2009

Becky's Reads

1.
2.
3.

I'm thinking I'll read three Sunfire Romance books.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

BTT: Reading Resolutions

Happy New Year, everyone!

So … any Reading Resolutions? Say, specific books you plan to read? A plan to read more ____? Anything at all?

Name me at least ONE thing you’re looking forward to reading this year!

I blogged about reading resolutions this past Sunday. But I'll bring up a few more things here.

My reading resolution isn't so much what to read as to when to read. I'm going to *try* to read my review copies in a more timely manner--trying to get to them before they publish and making mention on the blog the week/month that they're published. I can't promise you can teach me a new trick. But I'm going to try my best. If I fail, then I fail. And I'll keep on trying until I make some headway. I'm not perfect, I'll never be perfect. And I am human. Very human. So don't expect me to be perfect on this or any other resolution.

I am going to try to not let challenges control me. Challenges come and go. And there are more important things than joining each and every one and pushing, pushing, pushing yourself to finish each one you sign up for. It's fine if it doesn't start running you, but it can get out of hand if you let it.

I do want more balance in my reading life.

Right now I am reading Don Quixote. This has been a goal of mine for a while. (It's on several challenge lists for one thing.) And I wanted to start the year off with it.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Announcing...The Cybils YA Shortlist!!!

Audrey, Wait!
written by Robin Benway
Penguin USA

Audrey started it by breaking up with Evan, but when he releases a hit song about her things quickly spiral out of control in this fresh, funny novel by Robin Benway. Audrey's distinct, snarky voice and her passion for music immediately sucked me in to the story. Lots of musical details and a cast of well-developed supporting characters flesh out the book. This is a fun read, but it also takes a look at the flip side of being a celebrity - maybe being famous isn't all it's cracked up to be!
--Abby Johnson, Abby (the) Librarian

Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The
written by E Lockhart
Hyperion

The summer before her sophomore year, Frankie Landau-Banks blossomed. Upon her return to prep school, she finds that she is suddenly one of the most sought-after girls on campus. E. Lockhart has written a novel that is an utter joy to read. Not only is her prose delicious, playful, and lovely, but she created a completely irresistible character and a completely irresistible storyline, complete with a secret society, first love, and the discovery of the delights to be found in the novels of P.G. Wodehouse. Viva La Frankie!
--Leila Roy, Bookshelves of Doom

I know It's Over
written by C. K. Kelly Martin
Random House Children's Books

Nick is sixteen and still in love with Sasha when she tells him she thinks they need a break, still in love with her weeks later when she tells him she's pregnant. In her debut novel, C. K. Kelly Martin writes with precision and honesty about an emotional subject: first love. I Know It's Over traces the arc of Nick's relationship with Sasha from the beginning through the end. But this is not just another story about a guy in love or teen pregnancy; it's a novel in which every detail feels so real and true that you could swear that Nick, Sasha, their family, and friends all actually exist.
--Trisha Murakami, The YA YA YAs

Jellicoe Road
written by Melina Marchetta
HarperCollins

My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die. I counted. It happened on the Jellicoe Road." Thus begins the beautiful and haunting novel, Jellicoe Road, by Australian author Melina Marchetta. The narrative hooked me with the prologue and while I'll be the first to admit that the novel had its challenging moments--it's not a straightforward novel; it weaves two stories together--I never once considered abandoning it. It's intricately and exquisitely written. It's bittersweet, tragic, beautiful, and redemptive. A true must-read in my opinion.
--Becky Laney, Becky's Book Reviews

Sweethearts
written by Sara Zarr
Little, Brown

Jenna has left behind a painful childhood. With her mother's remarriage and subsequent move, she's reinvented herself. Then her grade-school friend, who Jenna thought was dead, shows up at her high school. This novel's crisp focus on the relationship between Jenna and the ghost from her past gives this story heart and soul. It will have readers wondering how the traumas of their young childhoods affect who they are today--and how much any of us are capable of helping the people who have touched our lives the most.
--Kate Fall, Author 2 Author

Ten Cents a Dance
written by Christine Fletcher
Bloomsbury USA

In this beautifully crafted piece of historical fiction about a Chicago taxi dancer in the 1940s, Christine Fletcher brings to life the shady world of a girl who is paid to dance with lonely strangers. Getting to know spirited Ruby was a pleasure, and the gorgeous use of language and 1940s slang in Ruby's authentic voice made this book truly captivating. The experience of being immersed in the vividly captured setting, accompanied by characters that feel like real people, is one that shouldn't be missed.
--Jocelyn Pearce, Teen Book Review

Thaw
written by Monica Roe
Boyds Mills Press

Temporarily paralyzed by Guillain-Barre Syndrome, popular jock Dane is sent to a rehabilitation center in Florida, where he's forced to change his icy exterior while breaking down physical and emotional walls. Though instantly filled with dislike for this exasperating main character, the incredibly powerful themes of love, patience, and honesty had me hooked from the very beginning, both on the plot and on Dane.
--Amanda Snow, A Patchwork of Books

--Jackie Parker, organizer

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Found on the Cybils blog this lovely morning: the shortlist announcements for each category:

Click on each genre for its short list:

Easy Readers
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Fiction
Non-Fiction MG/YA*
Non-Fiction Picture Books
Poetry
Young Adult Fiction

Happy New Year, book lovers!
--Anne Levy, Editor

*We expect this list soon. Sorry for the wait.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews