January Book Giveaway

Free, Free, Free

During the month of January the Hobart Library will be giving away free books from our book sale room. To receive a free book you must submit a book review to be published on this (Book Nook) blog. If you would like to participate pick up a book review form at the circulation desk. One entry per person.

Six Word Memoirs edited by Smith Magazine

Can you sum up your life in six words? If you can go to www.smithmag.net and submit your six word memoir. Mine is Read, Love, Laugh, Eat good food.

In I Can't Keep My Own Secrets teens wrote their six word memoirs. Some are funny and some are heartbreaking but all are real.

First Love was Worth Every Tear by Anna K.

A Purring Cat Makes Everything Better by Callista W.

Family Night is Secretly My Favorite by Lindsey D.

Six Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak is about first loves and painful breakups.

First College Sweethearts now Happily Married by Jason Pintor

We Belly Laugh Every Single Day by Michelle Ottey

My personal favorite is: My Apartment is Much Cleaner Now by Daniel J. Stasiewski

I Fell in Love Twice Today by Vanessa Aricco.

Love has Healed My Many Wounds by Inara de Luna

These two books are fun to read. Check them out!!

Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne

Reading Level: Young Adult

(5 out of 5)









I have to say that I loved, loved, loved this book. I loved this book so much that when I found out the library didn't own the second and third one in the trilogy I went and bought them and read both of them the same night. That's why I don't buy books normally. I read to fast and I don't feel like I get my money's worth because I usually don't read a book again, unless I really like it, so maybe I will read it again.

I actually have read several of Rachel Hawthorne's books and didn't even know it because she writes under the name of Lorraine Heath as well. I really enjoy her writing. Her characters stay with you. I'm still waiting for her to write a book about Rawley Cooper. Maybe one day she will.

Moonlight is about Kayla. Kayla is a nature lover and for the summer she is working as a Sherpa in the National Forest. There she meets Lucas and she is drawn to him. What she doesn't know is that Lucas is a werewolf and she is his soul mate. As they explore their feelings the werewolves, though they like to be called shape shifters are being hunted by humans. This is a fun read and Ms. Hawthorne has a unique spin on werewolves. I highly recommend it to paranormal romance readers.

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Reading Level: Young Adult
(3 out of 5)







Lately I seem to be reading books that keep my attention but when I finish them I just want to hurl them across the room. I'm really not a violent person and I do not want to harm books in any way, but I'm feeling less than satisfied.

I liked the concept of the story being rooted into the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. That was very cool. But I feel like this book was a very long beginning. 513 pages long which don't get me wrong I love long books but I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Abbey's best friend Kristen dies. The book starts out with her funeral even though the body isn't found until later in the book. You never really find out if her death was an accident, suicide, or murder. You just know that she drowned in the river. Abbey uncovers two diaries that Kristen had been keeping. The black one is normal every day stuff and the red one tells of how she met a boy with the first initial D. Kristen never tells Abbey about D, so Abbey feels betrayed. Abbey has a love interest but from the beginning you start to wonder if something isn't right. Later on you find out that something isn't right. Then you find out some stuff and the book ends.

If you visit the authors website http://www.jessicaverday.com/ you find out that this is a trilogy. The next one titled The Haunted will be out next September and the third untitled book will come out September of 2011. I will read the rest of the trilogy when it comes out because I feel like I'm missing something and I want to know what comes next.

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan

Reading Level: 10 and Up

Set in North Carolina, Surviving the Applewhites, is a comedy about Jake Semple, a juvenile delinquent, who is sent to be home schooled at the Applewhite's family creative academy. All of the Applewhites are artists. Randolph Applewhite, the head of the family, is a sculptor and theater director. His wife Sybil is a famous novelist who writes best-selling mysteries. she has a guru named Govindaswami who visits and cooks Indian food for them. Aunt Lucille is a poet. Daughter Cordelia is a dancer. There are various other family members with different talents. E.D. who is around Jake's age is studying butterflies. She eventually learns that her talents are suited to being a production manager. The goal of the Applewhite family is to turn Jake around to as they say, "find the good kid under the exterior". Lucille tells him that he is a radiant light being and not to let anyone tell him differently. He said his social worker would just sigh and shake her head at him a lot and that she never would have referred to him as a radiant light being. Eventually his time with the Applewhites does turn Jake around. As the family works on the musical, The Sound of Music, Jake surprisingly finds out that he is getting noticed as both a singer and an actor with talent.

Written by Karin Olsen.

What the Moon Saw by Larua Resau

Reading Level: 10 and Up

What the Moon Saw focuses upon a fourteen-year-old girl named Clara Luna which in Spanish means Clear Moon. Clara lives in a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland with her mother, father, and brother. Her father is Mexican, having illegally immigrated from Mexico and started a landscaping business. All of the houses look the same. The yards look the same. She is looking for something else, something more real, but she doesn't know what it is. She also wants to learn who she is. One day, a letter arrives from her grandparents, inviting her to spend the summer in Mexico with them. They live in a poor village in southern Mexico called Yucuyoo. Clare accepts their invitation and finds that she truly loves them and life there. She discovers that her grandmother, Helena, is a healer and learns eventually that she too is a healer. This is her true calling. Laura Resau tells the story, using soft, poetic language. She alternates back and forth between Clara and Helena. This is a beautifully written book which has won many awards.

Written by Karin Olsen.

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Reading Level: Adult

(3 out of 5)

John Tyree is home on leave when he meets Savannah Lynn Curtis. Savannah's in North Carolina for the summer building homes for Habitat for Humanity. When John and Savannah meet the attraction is mutual and they spend the next couple of weeks together and fall in love. Can their love survive being so many miles from each other? When 9/11 happens John re-enlists and that changes the course of their lives.

I don't read to many Nicholas Sparks books because they are usually sad. Someone usually dies. While I think Mr. Sparks is a great story teller I like to read books with happier endings. I ended up reading this book because when I went to see New Moon one of the previews was for a movie called Dear John based on Nicholas Sparks book. The movie looks good. It stars Channing Tatum, which is a total cutie, and Amanda Seyfried. I'll go see it to see how closely they followed the book. I'm hoping they didn't follow to closely because I wouldn't mind a different ending.

My Sister's Keeper the Movie

I watched My Sister's Keeper last night and I loved it. I have not read the book so I can't compare the two. And I have heard that the endings are different. From what I've heard I like the movie ending better. I think the book ending is definitely Jodi Picoult's style but it would have made me want to hurl the book across the room. Ms. Picoult does like to throw her readers a curve ball. I guess for me the books ending sounds way sadder than the movie ending, but stuff like that does happen.

This movie had a great cast, Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, and the very talented Abigail Breslin and Sophia Vassilieva.

This story makes you think. How far would you go to save your child? Would you have another baby that would be your other child's savior? Would you be able to let one child suffer the pain of being poked and prodded to save your other child's life? When is it time to let go? To say enough is enough?

I did get confused a few times watching the movie because it does go back and forth from present day to the past but I worked it out. This is a great story and I thought the acting was very good. I would watch it again.

The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha

Reading Level: Adult
(4 out of 5)








What does it mean to Forgive? According to the dictionary it means to grant pardon for or remission of an offense, debt, etc. To grant pardon to a person. Sounds easy enough but would you be able to forgive your son's killer?

Irene and Nate Stanley have lived a quiet life with their two children, Bliss and Shep, in southern Illinois for most of their lives. One day Nate announces that he got a sheriff position in Oregon and they were going to move. Irene doesn't want to leave the life she has always known but she gives in to her husband and off they go to Oregon. About a year into living in Oregon the unthinkable happens. Their fifteen year old son Shep is shot in killed in there home during a robbery. His murder turns the Stanley's lives upside down. All Irene can think about is wanting justice for Shep's death and for her that means putting his killer to death. But the justice system can work slowly and years go by without word of his execution and Irene has to face facts. Can she continue hating her son's killer or can she forgive him?

I thought that this was a thoughtful, emotionally moving book. Life does move on after a tragedy. But how you move on is different from person to person. Ms. Rakha does throw in some curve balls that I wasn't expecting and I always enjoy when I don't see something coming.


On the back flap the book says, "Dramatic, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting, The Crying Tree is an unforgettable story of love and redemption, the unbreakable bonds of family, and the transformative power of forgiveness.



I highly recommend this book.

New Moon the Movie

Now I know what your thinking. This is a book blog but in my defense New Moon was adapted from the book by Stephenie Meyer.

I went and saw New Moon last night and I was not disappointed. I thought it was fantastic. I liked New Moon even more than I liked Twilight. The story stuck pretty close to the book and any additions that were made I think just added to the movie. The acting was well done and the special effects were really cool. I thought the wolves looked pretty realistic. I can't wait to watch it again.


Leave us a comment!
Did you love the movie or hate it?

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

What would you do if one morning you found a flower blossom in the form of wings on your back?

In the novel Wings by Aprilynne Pike, this phenomenon happens to Laurel, and she realizes that she is not human.

With her new identity, Laurel must defeat the trolls, who could destroy the fairy world. This extraordinary story gives a new meaning to the word 'fairy tale.' It is a refreshing read because the author does not follow the original ideas of fairies. The creatures are life-sized with flower wings instead of the traditional butterfly shape. This story is spiced up with a love triangle which has a surprising ending. Although the completion of the novel does not completely satisfy the reader, it leaves room for a very anticipated sequel.

This review was written by Samantha, a Hobart library volunteer. Do you have books you would like to review? Email them to cdaumer@lakeco.lib.in.us and type Book Review in the subject line.

Jermy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass

What if four keys held the meaning of life? That’s what a soon to be 13 year-old is trying to find in the book Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass. Wendy Mass’s one-of-a-kind characters, realistic settings, and unique situations, keep readers hooked through all of the many twists and turns.

Through reading this book, I had the privilege of experiencing all of those qualities. Let me tell you- it did not disappoint! It starts off great. A young teenage boy, Jeremy, is sent a box from his deceased father. Supposedly, it holds the meaning of life. How can something so small hold something so big?

Seems simple, right? Wrong. What seemed to be something way too easy to do suddenly gets complicated- the four keys required to open the box are missing! Before he can think twice, Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy, set out on a quest to find these keys that appear to be literally impossible to find. But, this duo has everything it takes- passion and determination. Well, at least they think that’s all they need…

For a thought-provoking read, engulf yourself in Jeremy and Lizzy’s adventure in Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass!


Submitted by Guest Reviewer A. Jenkins

Love Rules by Dandi Daley Mackall

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)



Jake, Emma, and Mattie have been like the Three Musketeers all there life. Jake and Emma Jackson are brother and sister and Mattie Mays is Emma's best friend. While Emma and Mattie were originally in the same grade Mattie skipped a grade due to her really good test scores. So Mattie and Jake graduate at the same time and both are going to the same college in California. Emma makes them promise to send her a love rule every week. This was a fun read. It makes me sad I didn't go away for college. Dorm life seems like it would have been fun. If you are looking for a feel good book about first loves and being away from home for the first time check out Love Rules.

The Carousel Painter by Judith Miller

Reading Level: Adult
(4 out of 5)











If you are looking for an inspirational story that has romance and mystery then this may be the book for you. It is a sweet story and I read it in a day. The process of making the animals for carousels was really interesting and they sounded beautiful.

Carrington Brouwer moves from Paris to Ohio and gets the enviable job of painting carousel horses for a factory owned by her friends father. She has to deal with prejudice in and out of the workplace. Then a valuable necklace is stolen and she is the prime suspect. Will she find out the truth before her livelihood and budding romance is put at risk?

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvator

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)


This book has a whole new take on werewolves. Forget about changing with the moon, they change with the seasons. Sam lives two lives. In the winter he is a wolf and he watches over Grace and in the summer he is human but never dares to talk to her. Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. The yellow eyed wolf, her wolf, watches back and he feels deeply familiar. Then one day Sam changes back to being human even when it's cold out and him and Grace look for a way to have a future together.

This is the start of a new series. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one.

Mouth To Mouth by Erin McCarthy

Reading Level: Adult
(4 out of 5)








If you are looking for a fun, sexy read then look no further. Erin McCarthy had me giggling from page one and I didn't stop until I turned the last page. Some moments in the book had me laughing out loud. Russ Evans is a detective trying to catch a con man that cons a lot of money out of his female victims. On a stake out he meets Laural Wilkins the con mans next target and Russ wants to keep her safe. But Laural has an agenda of her own, she not only wants Russ but she wants to help him catch his con man. I think I found another favorite author.

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

Reading Level: Young Adult
(3 out of 5)

What does a horse in a bathtub, fairies, and acting all have in common? They are all in this book. Seventeen year old Kelley Winslow lives in New York and has a bit part in a Shakespeare play. You have to start somewhere right? Then she meets Sonny Flannery and he isn't from around here. He grew up in the Otherworld and he is in New York to guard the Samhain Gate, which happens to be in the middle of Central park. Once a year the Samhain Gate opens and Fae from the Otherworld try to make it to the other side that is why Sonny and the rest of the Janus guards have to stop the Fae from coming through. The Fae are not always nice. I liked this book but it left me wondering if another book is to follow. Not everything is resolved at the end and I hope there is another book so I can find out what happens. All in all it was a fun read. I especially liked the horse in the bathtub.

The Soldiers of Halla by D.J. MacHale

Reading Level: Young Adult

(5 out of 5)

The Soldiers of Halla is the tenth and last book in D.J. MacHale's Pendragon series. Finally questions are answered! Bobby and the other travelers have this one last chance to save humanity. This is the last war against the antagonist, Saint Dane. Saint Dane has created worlds where there is no freedom. Bobby and the others have to keep rebels/exiles safe because they are what's keeping the universe still going and not under complete control of Saint Dane.

Like the ninth book, this book was awesome. Very fast paced and full of adventure. It keeps you reading and makes you lose sleep time. I loved the ending. I hate when series don't end well, but this book ended in a way better than I expected. I recommend this book for everyone, all ages. Especially those who have read the first nine.



Written by Amanda Cronin

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Reading Level: Adult
(4 out of 5)

Life of Pi is about a boy nicknamed Pi. As his family is moving from India to Canada the ship breaks somehow and Pi is thrown on a lifeboat out in the middle of the ocean. Unfortunately, he is not alone. Also on the boat is a Bengal tiger, a hyena, a zebra, and a chimpanzee. What helps him get through is his faith in three religions.

Reading that, you might be thinking this is a boring book like I did at first. But, it really is a good book. It's full of many good quotes too. It's a real adventure with faith and truth, fact or fiction, man versus nature, and innocence and experience.

Written by Amanda Cronin

The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman

Reading Level: Young Adult
(5 out of 5)

This is the third book in Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy. The first two are The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. I like the whole trilogy, but this one is my favorite book. It's about a young girl named Lyra and her friend Will, who she met in the second book. They're on a quest to find Lyra's father and stay our of danger, because the Church is out to find and kill Lyra. I don't want to say why they want her dead, but I'll say that it's about a religious prophesy. The two kids find help from an armored bear and two tiny Gallivespian spies. At one point in the story, they go to the world of the dead, which I thought was really cool.

Throughout the book, Lyra's father is assembling an army to wage war against God and the heavens. An assassin is out looking for Lyra and Mary who's fate has also been prophesied. Dust is falling from the sky, and everything depends on Lyra and Will, just two seemingly normal kids. This book has demons which are people's souls in animal form that are outside of their bodies. Different worlds, one with people who look like our world's deer with elephant trunks and cruise along on wheels made from seed pods. Angels! There are two angels who help Will when he is separated from Lyra. This book really has it all. Adventure, war, politics, fantasy creatures, and the true experience of growing up. It's one of my favorite books of all time.

Written by Amanda Cronin

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)


While reading a book have you ever had that I want to throw this book across the room moment? I did at the end of the this book. You know when there is only one page left and nothing is resolved that there has be a second book. I don't mind there being another book I just mind that I didn't know there was a second book and I didn't have it to start reading it right away. I have since cooled down and I do not want to harm books in any way. :)

There is a strange phenomenon going on all over the country. Some teenagers that die aren't staying dead. They are coming back to life, but they are no longer the same. The politically correct term for them is living impaired not zombie and they are trying to blend back into society. But that's hard to do when the living doesn't understand them and want them to disappear for good. Not everyone feels that way. Pheobe Kendall falls for Tommy Williams the leader of the undead kids and no one can believe it especially her best friend Margi or her neighbor Adam. Adam has realized that his feelings for Pheobe run deeper than just friendship.

This book makes you think what if that really did happen. You die but don't stay dead. Would your parents be happy that you are "alive"? Would your friends still be your friends? Really good book and I can't wait to read Kiss of Life the next book in the series.

Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine

Reading Level: Young Adult
(3 out of 5)

This book was a little slow going for me. It finally picked up the pace for me towards the end. Broken Soup is about a family that has been torn apart by a tragic accident. Mom can't cope, Dad leaves, and big sister has to take care of her younger sister. And then one day things start to change and they may be for the better. This was a sad read but I'm glad I finished it.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)

After reading this book I really wish I got to spend every summer at a beach house. I'm a little jealous. Oh well I'm over it now.

This book was really good. Isabella, aka Belly, measures her life in summers. To her everything wonderful and magical happens between the months of June and August. Summer is being at the beach house with her mom and brother Steven and more importantly with Susannah and her two sons Conrad and Jeremiah. Jeremiah and Conrad are the boys she has known forever. This summer, the summer she turns 16, is a summer full of wonder and changes. The more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

The Alchemyst: the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

If you enjoy stories of legends and myths intertwined with historical events, you will like the “Alchemyst”. This is Book One of a three book series. Book Two is “The Magician” and Book Three is “The Sorceress”.

Nicholas Flamel and his wife Perenelle are both almost 700 hundred years old and own a book store in California. Nicholas is a famous alchemyst who owns an ancient book, the Book of Abraham the Mage, which holds the elixir for the secret of eternal life. Twins Sophie and Josh Newman, are unwittingly caught up in the battle between rival alchemists over possession of this book. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh are only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.

Some legends are true.
Sophie and Josh are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time. Enjoy!

Written by Helen Duda

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)

I don't want to give anything away so this book is about a Gothic boarding school called Evernight Academy, a girl named Bianca, a boy named Lucas, and many many secrets. Are you intrigued? If you are check it out. Any fans of Stephenie Meyer, Richelle Mead, or Cassandra Clare will like Claudia Gray. Evernight is the start of a series. The next one is Stargazer. The next two not released yet will be Hourglass and Afterlife. I can't wait. For more information: www.claudiagray.com

Godmother, The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon

“Godmother, The Secret Cinderella Story” written by Carolyn Turgeon and published in 2009 is one of our new adult fiction titles. The novel flips back and forth between the fairy world and the present-day world of New York City. The main character, an older woman named Lil, lives in New York City and works at a bookstore in Manhattan. Lil’s secret, which she will let no one in the human world know, is that she was Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother and that she, instead of Cinderella, fell in love with the Prince. Thus, three hundred years ago, she was banished from the fairy kingdom and forced to live in the human world. Lil loved her life in the fairy world. There she was beautiful with red hair and green eyes, and could fly over the fairy lake with her three beloved fairy sisters, Maybeth, Lucibell, and Gladys. In the human world, she likes her job at the bookstore and working for the owner of the bookstore, a handsome, bookish, and kind man named George. With pure white hair, she is told she holds an aura of glamour and that she must have been quite beautiful when she was younger. Now her skin is quite wrinkled, and her after-work life is rather lonely – spent in her apartment alone each night where she reads books and watches television. Additionally, Lil has to hide the remnants of her fairy world, like the large feathery white wings across her back which she has to bind when she goes out and all of the white feathers floating in her apartment which she has to burn every morning. However, one day, upon befriending a fairy like woman named Veronica, Lil decides she will redeem her past mistake in the fairy world by acting as Veronica’s Fairy Godmother, sending her to an elegant ball, and thus giving Veronica a chance at true love. This, she is hoping, will be enough for her to be allowed to return to the fairy world she so misses. The writing is lyrical, pulling the reader into a feeling of the world of the fairies versus the New York City environment. You might want to check out the author’s lively blog featuring her writing and road trip adventures. Interestingly, this book has been optioned for a movie. It will be neat to see how it turns out.

Submitted by Karin Olsen

Lily Dale: Awakening by Wendi Corsi Staub

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)

What could be worse than getting dumped via text message? Calla thought that was the worst thing that could happen to her but she was wrong. Not long after getting dumped she finds her mother dead. Calla's life as she knew it is over. Her father is a professor and is scheduled to do a sabbatical in California. While her dad is in California getting things ready for them Calla goes to spend the summer with her grandmother Odelia in Lily Dale. To Calla's shock Lily Dale is full of psychics including her grandmother. As Calla gets to know Lily Dale and the people who live there unusual things start happening to her. She starts seeing ghosts and having visions. Is she like her grandmother and will she ever uncover who her mother really was. The only way to uncover family secrets is to stay.

I really liked this book but it read like a first chapter. What I mean by that is it felt like I was only getting the beginning of the story not the middle or the end. That could be because there are three other books that follow. Lily Dale: Believing, Lily Dale: Connecting, and Lily Dale: Discovering. The next two books are out already but Lily Dale: Discovering will be out in October 2009.

I can't wait to start reading the next book.

Nick of Time by Ted Bell

I just read the Young Adult book "Nick of Time" by Ted Bell. I enjoyed it very much and would rate it a 4. The setting is on the coast of England in 1939, the eve of World War II. Nick McIver, a 12 year old boy, and his younger sister Kate help their father who is looking for German U-boat wolf packs that are circling the Channel Islands. The information they provide to Winston Churchill is vital as he tries to warn England of the imminent Nazi invasion. One day Nick discovers an old sea chest, left for him by his ancestor, Captain Nick McIver, asking for help. The chest contains a time machine which Nick uses to return to the year 1805 to help his ancestor and the Admiral Lord Nelson's entire fleet. The Royal Navy is being threatened by the French and the evil pirate Billy Blood. Meanwhile, Nick's sister Kate with the help of two of England's most brilliant detectives, Lord Hawke and Commander Hobbes, tries to stop invading Nazis. An adventure for all ages.

Submitted by Helen Duda

Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert

Reading Level: Adult
(3 out of 4)

I liked this book but it seemed like it took me forever to get through it. I would have liked the romance to have been explored more. All in all I'm glad I read it.

Mia Lockhart is a tattoo artist and she practices martial arts. Mia has a secret. She is a Keeper. Keepers are woman who are warriors, healers, and protectors. They have the ability to keep people safe. As Mia practices her craft among the boxers and martial artists of South London, she has no idea that a man who calls himself "Dragonfly" is watching from the shadows.

Adrian Ashton is a brilliant scientist, an expert in the field of biophoton emissions from cells within the human body. He is also a skilled martial artist and a modern-day vampire. With the aid of an ancient Chinese text, he has mastered the art of draining the chi of his opponents and by doing so he kills them but he stays young. Mia is drawn to him but when she finds out he is threatening those she loves she knows she has to stop him.

Fade To Black by Alex Flinn

Reading Level: Young Adult

(4 out of 5)

Fade to Black is told alternately by three voices.

The facts: Alex Crusan is an HIV-positive student, and while he is sitting in his car he is attacked by an unknown assailant wielding a baseball bat. Alex is taken to the hospital with multiple injuries.

The suspect: Clinton Cole was seen by a witness riding his bike around the time and area of the attack. He has harassed Alex at school but he would never do something like that. Would he?

The witness: Daria Bickell never lies. She told the police she saw Clinton do it, so she must be telling the truth. But did she really see Clinton do it?

The victim: After the windshield shattered Alex ducked under the steering wheel. He knows what he saw and must decide what he wants to tell.

I liked this book. The three alternating voices was a nice change in pace and Daria's chapters were done in verse.

Love is Hell by Marr, Westerfeld, Larbalestier, Zevin, and Stolarz

Reading Level: Young Adult

(4 out of 5)

Sometimes I love to read short stories. I like that they are short and to the point. This book has a couple of authors I really like so I had to give it a try. Scott Westerfeld's story Stupid Perfect World was my favorite but they were all good. Gabrielle Zevin's story Fan Fictions was weird even for me and I'm not sure I liked it or not. I'm still rolling it around in my head. The other stories are Sleeping with the Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz, Thinner Than Water by Justine Larbalestier, and Love Struck by Melissa Marr.

From the back cover: "In these supernatural stories by five of today's hottest writers love may be twisted and turned around, but it's more potent than ever on its quest to conquer all.

From two students who let the power of attraction guide them to break the hard and fast rules of their world to the girl who falls hard for a good looking ghost with a score to settle, the clever, quirky characters in this exciting collection will break your heart, then leave you believing in love more than ever."

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Krause

I was walking in the Young Adult section of the library yesterday and I saw this book hanging half off the shelf. I read this book about two years ago. I really liked it even though the ending was not what I was expecting. But sometimes that is a good thing. Then I watched the movie and the ending was the polar opposite of the ending in the book. I loved that. The movie ended the way I thought the book should have ended, so in the end I got the ending I had wanted.


Blood & Chocolate features Vivian Gandillon. She is a werewolf. She falls in love with a human named Aiden. Aiden claims to be fascinated with magic and wolves but will he accept Vivian for who she is? The library owns several copies of the book but unfortunately we don't own the movie. But I highly recommend reading the book first and then watching the movie.

Maverick by Lora Leigh

Reading Level: Adult

(4 out of 5)

Maverick is the second book in the Elite Ops series. The first book is called Wild Card. The Elite Ops team is made up of dead men, men who "died" and restarted their lives with new identities and a score to settle. Micah Sloane was formerly David Abijah. Micah is an Elite Ops agent and his assignment is to keep Risa Clay safe and catch the man who was paid to assassinate her. The same man that had killed his mother and ruined his life. Risa was betrayed eight years ago by her own father and has spent the time since trying to rebuild her life. Micah is posing as her lover but is it really just pretend? Ms. Leigh's books are filled with action, humor, and romance. I can't wait for the next book.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)

City of Glass is the last book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy. I'm very sad that this series is over but on a good note Ms. Clare is writing a prequel so it may not have the same characters but the setting will be similar. This book finds Jace, Clary, Isabelle, Alex, and Simon in Idris the home of the shadow hunters. Clary is on a quest to find a spell to reawaken her mother from a coma and the rest are having to talk to the Clave for past actions in the first two books. Two new characters added are Sebastian and Aline. Sebastian isn't what he seems. This book does not disappoint it is filled with action, forbidden love, and revelations.

Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward

Reading Level: Adult
(4 out of 5)

I love, love, love books but let me tell you one thing I hate about them. I wait what seems like forever for a book to come out and then in a few days I have it read. Which I guess that's a personal problem I have and has nothing to do with the book. Sometimes we have to wait a year before a book is out and I wait with excited anticipation and I try really hard not to rush through the book but sometimes I just can't put it down. I remember when I was reading Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer I really wanted it to last a long time. I knew that the final chapter of the series was coming to a close and I wanted to savor it. But I would sit down to read and before I realized it 100 pages had already flown by and I was getting closer to the end. I guess that's what makes me love/hate a series. I can't wait until the next one but I know sooner or later it has to come to an end.

I didn't discover J.R. Wards fantastic Black Dagger Brotherhood series until about a year ago and what I loved was that five or six books had already been published. I didn't have to wait that long to read the next book and than the next. But of course I finished what was available and I had to wait 10 months for the next one to come out. I read this book in two days. I try so hard to slow down but when I get hooked on a story there is no putting on the brakes. And now I'm crying because who knows when the next in the series will be published. Tell me to stop feeling sorry for myself and move on to the next book. Okay I feel better.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a series about vampires. The king is Wrath and him and his brothers (not really related) try to keep their vampire race safe from the lessers. The brothers being Rhage, Thorment, Zsadist, Phury, Butch, and Vicious. The vampires come from the Virgin Scribe and the lessers come from her brother the Omega. The Omega is bad news. He takes men's souls and has them do his bidding, mainly killing the vampires. This book revolves around Rehvenge even though Ms. Ward has other little stories going on at the same time. Rehvenge is a drug lord and owns a notorious nightclub that caters to the rich and heavily armed. He is approached to kill Wrath because of his shadowy reputation. Rehvenge is part Symphath which means he could be exiled if anyone finds out. As the plot thickens within and out of the Brotherhood Rehvenge finds comfort in Ehlena, but will she except him if she were to find out about his secrets.

If you haven't read J.R. Ward and really like vampire romance books please check out her books. I love this series and can't wait to read the next one.

And the Winner Is!!!

Sorry I'm a day late in announcing the winner but yesterday was very busy around the library. Thank you to all that participated and I hope to have another give away really soon.

The winner is:

Dawn said...
A group of us just started a book club and started out with Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes. That was a great book, but not my favorite. I've liked all her books so far but I think The Plain Truth is my favorite one of hers. I also loved The Quickie by James Patterson. Really anything by him. I also love Nicholas Sparks and just finished The Lucky One for our second bookclub book. So many to choose from!

Congratulations Dawn! You can choose a book from the ones I selected or get one from the book sale room.

Mozart's Ghost by Julia Cameron

“Mozart’s Ghost”, by Julia Cameron is a supernatural romance novel set in New York City. It was published in 2008. The main character is a woman named Anna who lives, in a New York City apartment building, upstairs from a man named Edward. Edward is a professional pianist studying a number of composer’s works for an important upcoming competition. Among those composers works is that of Mozart. Edward practices night and day for the competition, which irritates Anna. She is a professional medium (also a substitute teacher by day) who meets with her clients in the building. Because of Edward’s practicing, she is having a difficult time hearing what those who have passed to the other side have to say. Then, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart begins contacting her. His strong, larger-than-life, personality and sudden appearances at awkward moments grates on her. He encourages her to go for a relationship with Edward. Also, he loves Edward’s music, saying that Edward plays Mozart’s music the way he himself would play it. He wants to give Edward a few suggestions that will help him win the competition, and wants Anna to relay them to Edward. This request creates a big problem for Anna. She feels that most people think mediums are strange. Also, she has lost a few boyfriends when they found out she was a medium. Because she and Edward have realized an attraction to one another, it is difficult for her to tell Edward about Mozart’s message. She feels the cost could be her relationship with Edward. Meanwhile, she has been practicing appearing normal so that Edward will not even suspect she is a medium.
There are some other interesting characters in the book such as Anna’s twin brother, Alex, who befriends Edward. Anna also has a few friends, a homosexual male friend named Harold who is the principal of a school Anna is subbing at, a bi-sexual guy friend who is interested in Anna, and a female friend who has sort of a disastrous dating life.
I’m glad I read this novel. Overall, I enjoyed reading it. It turned out to be interesting, even though I didn’t care for the beginning. At first, the writing didn’t seem to flow well, and I thought the letters Edward wrote to the couple who is financing his career seemed like something a child would do. I was thinking, you’ve got to be kidding. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go on reading. Then suddenly, the writing got a lot better and I wanted to read the book, though I’m not sure I ever loved the letter part of it. I think Cameron portrayed the work of a medium very well. Something, however, that really bothered me in the novel was how the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan was described as being conservative and not open to mediums. This is not true. Ann Arbor is known for being a metaphysically progressive town. If Cameron had selected almost any other town in Michigan, that would have perhaps made sense, but this does not. Also, the other thing I wondered about is why Edward would be interested in Anna. She does not seem very likable. I am also wondering if the character of Anna is based upon a real life friend of the author, Sonia Choquette. Choquette, who lives in Chicago, is a medium and a bestselling author. In her autobiography, “Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir”, Cameron says that she befriended Choquette, helping her with her writing. The physical description of Anna seems to match that of Choquette. I wouldn’t be surprised if the character of Anna wasn’t loosely based on her.
Some people describe “Mozart’s Ghost” as a predictable but enjoyable “light romance”. I think this is true. I also agree with others that it would make a good film, though I would hope that if “Mozart’s Ghost” does get made into a film, that Ann Arbor gets a truer-to-life description of the forward-thinking town that it really is.


Review written by Karin Olsen

Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir by Julia Cameron

Reading Level: Adult Non-Fiction

Julia Cameron’s autobiography, “Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir” was published in 2005. Cameron, born March 4, 1948, is an award-winning poet, playwright, and filmmaker. She has also written many non-fiction titles, is a journalist, novelist, screenplay writer, songwriter and composer, and a strong advocate for and teacher of creativity. She has written thirty books. Among them is “The Artist’s Way”, “The Vein of Gold”, “Walking in this World”, “The Right To Write”, and “The Sound of Paper”. Cameron is most known for The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, c1992, a twelve-week program she created for artists and others to unblock their creativity. She believes in everyone becoming unblocked creatively whether you are an artist, a writer, or a business person. She based her program upon the twelve-step Alcoholics Anonymous programs.“Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir” is a fascinating book that I read quickly. Cameron’s writing is amazingly honest and I love her depictions of her daily life as an artist. They were quite inspiring. She speaks about her first marriage to the famous film director, Martin Scorcese, her struggle with overcoming alcoholism, and in later years, dealing with a mental imbalance which had to be treated with medication, her upper-class upbringing in Libertyville, Illinois, complete with horses, her daughter by Martin Scorcese, Domenica Cameron-Scorcese who is an actress, writer, and director, her second marriage to author Mark Bryan whom she met in Chicago and who collaborated with her on “The Artist’s Way”. She also talks about her writing life, her beloved parents and siblings, the creative artists and metaphysical people she has met in the places she has lived and worked – Los Angeles and Venice Beach, California, Chicago, New York City, London, and Taos, New Mexico, how she went from writing for “The Rolling Stones” Magazine in New York City when she met Scorcese to screenplay writing in Hollywood, to being a film critic in Chicago, etc. She has mastered a number of forms of creative writing and journalism as well as in her later years, successfully working with music. Julia emphasizes that she had always desired to be a writer. This has been her life’s dream. In “Floor Sample” she speaks about the difficulty of being accepted by the “in” people, surviving financially, finding people who believe in you, “hearing” the work, becoming creatively unblocked, and persevering as an artist. She also speaks of the disappointments when she finished her Hollywood screenplays but they were not made into films. She says it felt like they had been “aborted”. A lot of the book also speaks about her work travelling the country with Mark Bryan and other teachers, teaching “The Artist’s Way”. I have known about “The Artist’s Way” since somewhere in the 1990’s when I lived on Maui and took “freewriting classes” from my writing teacher, Lollie Groth. She used freewriting and “The Artist’s Way” to unblock writers. A decade earlier, in my twenties, I had lived in Chicago and been a member of an organization called “Women in Film”. I was lucky enough to hear Cameron speak as part of a panel discussion about filmmaking. At that time, she left an impact on me and I never forgot about her. Little did I know that years later, I would be using the tools of her yet-to-be written book “The Artist’s Way”. Cameron recommends three basic tools for getting creatively unblocked. The first tool is what she has termed “the morning pages” which are three one-sided 8 ½ x 11” pages of straight writing, getting the junk of your life down, and writing whatever comes to mind. The second artist’s way tool is holding a weekly artist’s date with oneself, where you take yourself somewhere that will inspire you. It could be a bookstore, a café, or a boutique. It is a way of honoring yourself as an artist. The last creative tool she talks about is taking walks. Longer walks are better but shorter walks will do. She says that walking unblocks your creativity, giving you ideas. I have heard other writers also speak of that.

Upon reading “Floor Sample”, I decided to look at the books by Cameron that I had not previously looked at. I checked a bunch out at the library. They are excellent - truly well-written. She says that “The Vein of Gold” may be hard to get through but the people that worked through it ended up having good results with it. I also ended up reading a novel she wrote that was published in 2008. It is called “Mozart’s Ghost”. I really enjoyed it. Sometimes people who speak and write about writing are not good at fiction writing. Fortunately, this is not the case with Cameron. I would highly recommend “Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir”, particularly if you are interested in the creative life. It totally left a strong impression on me. I would also recommend “The Artist’s Way” and Cameron’s other books. They literally have the power to change your life.

Review written by Karin Olsen

New to the Library

What I love about working in the library is that I get to see all the new books that come in. So as I was looking on our new shelf of books I came across these four titles that looked really good.

Adult Book

I love Keri Arthur. I have read all her Riley Jenson books and this is the seventh book in the series. In this installment you find Riley hunting down a powerful sorceress who can raise the dead to do her killing. Plus Riley is caught between her steady vampire Quinn and her growing crush on the sexy bounty hunter rogue wolf Kye Murphy. I can't wait to read it.

Adult Book

Jillian Hoffman is the bestselling author of Retribution. I haven't read any of her books but

Plea of Insanity sounds intense. Julia Vacanti is a young ambitious prosecutor facing a case that could launch her career. The defendant is David Marquette a successful Miami surgeon and devoted family man that is accused of killing his wife and three children. The plea is Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. Just reading the first few lines peaks my interest. Maybe it peaks yours as well.

YA Book

In King of the Screwups Liam Geller is Mr. Popularity. Everybody loves him and he excels at everything. But like a typical teenage boy he has a knack also for screwing up. His father throws him out of the house and Liam is taken in by his gay glam-rocker disc jockey uncle. Liam has a chance to start over and be everything his father wants him to be but his "Aunt" Pete see him for who he really is and Liam has to decide which version of himself he can live with. Sounds good!

YA Book

Fate is the sequel to Tattoo. So I'm not going to spoil it for anyone who wants to read these books in order.

What I'm reading right now

Right now I have been reading Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series like a mad woman. I can't read them fast enough. They are that good. These books are rooted in Greek and Atlantean mythology. They have Gods, vampires, were animals, romance, danger, humor, and so much more. I can't believe it took me this long to pick these books out. If you haven't read anything by her please go to the library now and get the first book in the series Fantasy Lover. If you like all of the above you wont' be disappointed. Her website is http://www.dark-hunter.com/.

Book Giveaway @ the Hobart Library

The Hobart Library is giving away one free book from our book sale room. You have from April 1 to April 30 to enter the giveaway. How do you enter the giveaway? Excellent question. To enter you need to leave a comment about what your favorite book is. If you leave a comment then email me lklemm@lakeco.lib.in.us your information so I can get a hold of you if you win. I will randomly select and announce the winner on May 4th. The winner will get to choose from any book in the book sale room or from these pre-selected titles:

Babyville by Jane Green, The Host by Stephenie Meyer, The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks, 204 Rosewood Lane by Debbie Macomber, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, The Choice by Nicholas Sparks, 0r To Have and To Hold by Jane Green.

Looking Back

I have been thinking lately about some of the really good books I have read in the past. I thought I would share them with you all in blog land. They are all YA reads and I give them all 4 out of 5 Book Lover's.