We set the meeting schedule for 2013 and the lineup is as
follows:
February 13 – Fiction of Choice, meeting at Gardendale
Library
April 10 – Southern Writers
June 12 – True Crime/Travel Writing
August 14 – Fantasy
October 9 – Self Help
December 11 – Holiday Writing
A quick, easy, and sure-to-be popular display may be cobbled together from NPR's recent readers' choice Best Young Adult Novels list, have a look at it!
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Seventeen year old Cass inherited two very special things from his father: a powerful athame and the ability to use it to dispatch murderous ghosts. His mother, and as close to a sidekick as anyone has ever become, shuffles him around the country following leads onghosts and racking up high body counts, ghostly bodies that is. The ghost currently at the top of his hit list is Anna Dressed in Blood, the spirit of a young girl murdered in 1958 who still haunts her home, brutally murdering anyone who sets foot in the house. Cass’s usual MO is to move to town, start school, and see who wants to gossip about the local legends. He finds his mark in the most popular girl in school and, unfortunately, her recently ex-ed boyfriend. Cass gets them to take him to Anna Dressed in Blood’s house, but is utterly unprepared to be knocked in the head and shoved through the door of the house to meet his doom. What started as an immature prank quickly turns gory and horrifying. It will take all Cass’s skills, and the unlikely help of the town nerd, to get him out of this one.
Holley, Emmet O’Neal
Seventeen year old Cass inherited two very special things from his father: a powerful athame and the ability to use it to dispatch murderous ghosts. His mother, and as close to a sidekick as anyone has ever become, shuffles him around the country following leads onghosts and racking up high body counts, ghostly bodies that is. The ghost currently at the top of his hit list is Anna Dressed in Blood, the spirit of a young girl murdered in 1958 who still haunts her home, brutally murdering anyone who sets foot in the house. Cass’s usual MO is to move to town, start school, and see who wants to gossip about the local legends. He finds his mark in the most popular girl in school and, unfortunately, her recently ex-ed boyfriend. Cass gets them to take him to Anna Dressed in Blood’s house, but is utterly unprepared to be knocked in the head and shoved through the door of the house to meet his doom. What started as an immature prank quickly turns gory and horrifying. It will take all Cass’s skills, and the unlikely help of the town nerd, to get him out of this one.
Holley, Emmet O’Neal
Montmorency by Eleanor Updale
Mary Anne, BPL Southern History
The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
Mary Anne, BPL Southern History
Mary Anne, BPL Southern History
The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer
Mary Anne, BPL Southern History
The books of Libba Bray
The Gemma Doyle Trilogy: A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing
Gina, Gardendale
Going Bovine
Gina, Gardendale
Beauty Queens
Gina, Gardendale
The Gemma Doyle Trilogy: A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing
Gina, Gardendale
Going Bovine
Gina, Gardendale
Beauty Queens
Gina, Gardendale
Every Man For Himself: Ten Short Stories About Being a Guy
edited by Nancy E. Mercado
Mondretta, Leeds
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Mondretta, Leeds
Tempest by Julie Cross
Mondretta, Leeds
Mondretta, Leeds
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Mondretta, Leeds
Tempest by Julie Cross
Mondretta, Leeds
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
A young boy, Ged or Sparrowhawk, lives on a small island and discovers he is a powerful wizard. With this discovery, he goes through many challenges and lessons to learn how to control his temper and his magic. In the process, he ventures off to the wizard school on the island of Roke. While he is there, he summons a spirit of the dead along with something even more sinister a nameless shadow being. Sparrowhawk is pursued by and, eventually, pursues the shadow being. Ultimately, A Wizard of Earthsea is a book about self-discovery.
Samuel, Central
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Samuel, Central
NOTE: The new movie is due out December 14 of this year. Mary Anne recommended the audio version narrated by Rob Inglis as well as Inglis’ narrations of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
Samuel, Central
YuGiOh by Kazuki Takahashi
Samuel, Central
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
Monkey D Luffy is a boy who wants to be King of the Pirates. He has eaten one of the enchanted Devil Fruit which gives him the power to stretch but renders him unable to swim. As Luffy tries to amass a crew for his ship and get treasure, adventures take place. He meets many interesting characters with strange powers.
Kyo Kara Maoh by Temari Matsumoto
Yuri Shibuya is normal Japanese boy who loves baseball. One day he tries to defend a school friend from some bullies and in retaliation he is submerged in a toilet. Well, the toilet becomes a portal and he gets sent to another world…the Demon World. He comes to find out that he is the demon king. As he discovers what being demon king means and tries to understand his new kingdom, strange and funny adventures ensue.
Nodame Cantabile by Tomoko Ninomiya
Shinichi Chiaki, who is an arrogant perfectionist, is the best student at Momogaoka College of Music and secretly longs ultimately to become a conductor. He plays the piano and violin but studies only the piano. Another student, Noda Megumi a.k.a. Nodame, is the quintessential messy slacker and eccentric, who studies the piano. Nodame plays by ear instead of by the score and is considered sloppy and playful by most. One night, after Chiaki gets drunk and is broken up from his girlfriend, he collapses outside Nodame’s door, which happens to be next door to his apartment. Nodame falls madly in love with Chiaki whereas he is not interested at first. He eventually finds Nodame’s approach to music to be exciting and fun and is ultimately attracted to her. There are also additional eccentric characters that make this series very enjoyable and entertaining to read.
Samuel, Central
A young boy, Ged or Sparrowhawk, lives on a small island and discovers he is a powerful wizard. With this discovery, he goes through many challenges and lessons to learn how to control his temper and his magic. In the process, he ventures off to the wizard school on the island of Roke. While he is there, he summons a spirit of the dead along with something even more sinister a nameless shadow being. Sparrowhawk is pursued by and, eventually, pursues the shadow being. Ultimately, A Wizard of Earthsea is a book about self-discovery.
Samuel, Central
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Samuel, Central
NOTE: The new movie is due out December 14 of this year. Mary Anne recommended the audio version narrated by Rob Inglis as well as Inglis’ narrations of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
Samuel, Central
YuGiOh by Kazuki Takahashi
Samuel, Central
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
Monkey D Luffy is a boy who wants to be King of the Pirates. He has eaten one of the enchanted Devil Fruit which gives him the power to stretch but renders him unable to swim. As Luffy tries to amass a crew for his ship and get treasure, adventures take place. He meets many interesting characters with strange powers.
Samuel, Central
Yuri Shibuya is normal Japanese boy who loves baseball. One day he tries to defend a school friend from some bullies and in retaliation he is submerged in a toilet. Well, the toilet becomes a portal and he gets sent to another world…the Demon World. He comes to find out that he is the demon king. As he discovers what being demon king means and tries to understand his new kingdom, strange and funny adventures ensue.
Samuel, Central
Shinichi Chiaki, who is an arrogant perfectionist, is the best student at Momogaoka College of Music and secretly longs ultimately to become a conductor. He plays the piano and violin but studies only the piano. Another student, Noda Megumi a.k.a. Nodame, is the quintessential messy slacker and eccentric, who studies the piano. Nodame plays by ear instead of by the score and is considered sloppy and playful by most. One night, after Chiaki gets drunk and is broken up from his girlfriend, he collapses outside Nodame’s door, which happens to be next door to his apartment. Nodame falls madly in love with Chiaki whereas he is not interested at first. He eventually finds Nodame’s approach to music to be exciting and fun and is ultimately attracted to her. There are also additional eccentric characters that make this series very enjoyable and entertaining to read.
Samuel, Central
Faithful by Janet Fox
Beth, Homewood
Beth, Homewood
Owl Service by Alan Garner
A novel with teen main characters that will naturally appeal to adults, The Owl Service concerns several Britishers, a remote Welsh valley, and a realistic plot that very gradually becomes more and more fantastic. Ancient magic is locked up in a service, or set of dinner plates, with an owl motif. An adolescent girl unknowingly starts a chain of events and, before they know it, the young people have unleashed a Welsh mythical story that is no longer mythical.
Richard, Central Fiction
A novel with teen main characters that will naturally appeal to adults, The Owl Service concerns several Britishers, a remote Welsh valley, and a realistic plot that very gradually becomes more and more fantastic. Ancient magic is locked up in a service, or set of dinner plates, with an owl motif. An adolescent girl unknowingly starts a chain of events and, before they know it, the young people have unleashed a Welsh mythical story that is no longer mythical.
Richard, Central Fiction
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Allison, Avondale
Allison, Avondale
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
It’s going to be a sad one. I mean, it does have two teenagers with cancer. A lot of people said it made them cry. I didn’t cry with this one, but with this next one I did…
See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles
I didn’t just cry, I boo-hooed! I think what made it worse was that I didn’t realize it was going to be as serious a book as it turned out to be.
It’s going to be a sad one. I mean, it does have two teenagers with cancer. A lot of people said it made them cry. I didn’t cry with this one, but with this next one I did…
See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles
I didn’t just cry, I boo-hooed! I think what made it worse was that I didn’t realize it was going to be as serious a book as it turned out to be.
Miracle by Elizabeth Scott
About PTSD, a girl is the lone survivor of a plane crash. While not my favorite of E. Scott’s books, I really liked it and would recommend any of her books to patrons. She has lighter reads (you can tell at a glance – they have pastel covers) and more serious like this and Living DeadGirl (my favorite).
About PTSD, a girl is the lone survivor of a plane crash. While not my favorite of E. Scott’s books, I really liked it and would recommend any of her books to patrons. She has lighter reads (you can tell at a glance – they have pastel covers) and more serious like this and Living DeadGirl (my favorite).
Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson
A teen girl starts using meth after losing her mother and grandmother in Hurricane Katrina.
A teen girl starts using meth after losing her mother and grandmother in Hurricane Katrina.
Alice on Board by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The most recent (and maybe the final) book in the Alice series. The book covers Alice’s summer after high school graduation. She is working and dealing with all those questions/feelings about leaving home for college. One of my all-time favorite series! The series begins in elementary school and follows her through middle and high school.
The most recent (and maybe the final) book in the Alice series. The book covers Alice’s summer after high school graduation. She is working and dealing with all those questions/feelings about leaving home for college. One of my all-time favorite series! The series begins in elementary school and follows her through middle and high school.
David Levithan is another favorite author of mine and he has
a new book, Every Day, coming out at the end of August. Here is the publisher’s blurb: Every morning
A wakes in a different person’s body, in a different person’s life, learning
over the years to never get too attached until the day he wakes up in the body
of Justin and falls in love with Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon.
April, Pinson
GENERAL DISCUSSION:
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
From Amazon.com:
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face. Thirteen Reasons Why is the gripping, addictive international bestseller that has changed lives the world over. It's an unrelenting modern classic.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
From Amazon.com:
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.
Orson Scott Card’s Ender Wiggin series beginning with Ender’s Game
From Amazon.com:
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.
Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.
Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If the world survives, that is.
Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face. Thirteen Reasons Why is the gripping, addictive international bestseller that has changed lives the world over. It's an unrelenting modern classic.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
From Amazon.com:
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.
Orson Scott Card’s Ender Wiggin series beginning with Ender’s Game
From Amazon.com:
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.
Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.
Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If the world survives, that is.
Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards.
