Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

I was so excited when the library finally got me this book! I had waited many months for my name to show up as #1 on the waiting list, and even longer for the person who had checked it out before me to return it. Once past the initial euphoria of finally holding the book in my hands, I discovered that like other books that David Sedaris has written, this one is filled with amusing episodes from Sedaris' life, some of which are found in his other collections. That was a bit of a letdown. Fortunately for me as a reader, this collection contains one of my favorite vignettes, "Big Boy", which takes me back to an episode during my own childhood when my cousin Pam and I were trapped in a bathroom at a relatives home. Sedaris' account is side-splittingly funny. So was the event we lived through. It's great when a book can make you laugh out loud. This book makes you run to friends and family and force them to read the passages that have made you weep with laughter. Not every book that claims to be funny makes you laugh... this one does.

In the first half of the book, Sedaris draws hysterical portraits of other family members, most especially his sister Lisa (who will say anything) and his father (who is a food hoarder). The second half of the book involves Sedaris' attempts to learn or perhaps avoid learning French. He talks about his teachers, his fellow language students, and the peculiar words and phrases he does learn ("bottleneck", "witch doctor") in lieu of those phrases that would be more helpful in conversation with the people in Paris. As always, Sedaris is both touching and amusing, and his writing style and gift for description are nothing short of brilliant. It's always a pleasure to pick up one of his books, even if, as in this case, I've read some of the stories before. Like visiting with old friends from high school, however, you leave remembers why you wanted to get together in the first place. Sedaris is a comic writer of the first order, and I will continue to read through all the titles he has published.

Submitted by Gerti

Sweep Series by Cate Tiernan

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)

Morgan Rowlands is just a typical teenage girl until she meets Cal Blaire and finds out she is a blood witch. A blood witch is someone who is a descendant of one of the seven Wiccan clans. Her world is turned upside down, but not necessarily in a bad way. I am almost down with the third book and there are 15 total in the series. I am so excited because all 15 our published. Yeah!!!! At about 200 pages apiece these books are easy reads. I have been enjoying reading them.

Abandon by Meg Cabot

I'm so excited because this is my 200th post! Wow!


Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)

Of course I have to pick the start of a trilogy out to read, when the rest of the trilogy isn't published yet. I think I told some one not too long ago I was done with series because they just leave me hanging, wanting more. But who am I kidding. I can't give up a good book, series or not. This was a really good book. This is a modern version of Hades and Persephone. Seventeen year old Pierce knows what it's like to die, because she's done it before. People think her being brought back was a miracle but Pierce knows the truth. Death wanted her to live with him forever but she ran. He wants her back. After moving back to the town her mom grew up in Pierce thinks she will have a fresh start, but she was wrong. He followed her there. Pierce is torn between wanting to be rid of him and wanting to get closer.

The second book which will probably come out next year and is titled Underworld. I can't wait.

Afterlife by Claudia Gray

Reading Level: Young Adult
(4 out of 5)

Afterlife is the last book in the Evernight series. Worry not because a book about Balthazar titled Balthazar is coming out in 2012. I'm looking forward to reading about him.

Afterlife finds Bianca as a wraith and Lucas as a vampire. They head back to Evernight to give Lucas a chance to become accustomed to his vampire status. Surprisingly he is welcomed back with open arms by Mrs. Bethany. While Lucas struggles at being a vampire Bianca is discovering just what she can do as a wraith. That she has a higher purpose. I thought that Ms. Gray tied up loose ends quite well and I was happy with the ending. This was an incredible series that I enjoyed from start to finish.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Reading Level: Young Adult

(4 out of 5)

If you have read Ms. Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy you will want to read The Gathering. If you haven't read The Summoning, The Awakening, and The Reckoning I highly recommend that you do. All three were amazing. The Gathering starts a new series called Darkness Rising and is about another group of kids that the Edison group has put together.

Maya lives in Salmon Creek which is a small medical research town on Vancouver Island. The town is so small it's not on any maps, only has about two hundred residents, and the school houses sixty eight kids from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Strange things have been happening. First Maya's friend Serena, who was the captain of the swim team, drowns in the lake. Then a year later cougars start appearing around Maya and they won't go away. Her best friend Daniel has a hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations. The sexy new boy Rafe makes Maya feel different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than it's share of skeletons in its closet.

I'm excited because on Ms. Armstrong's website it said that by the end of this trilogy we may see some of the characters from the Darkest Powers series. I'm ready for the next book but it won't be out until next year.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Reading Level: Adult
(Haven't Read it Yet)

This is one of the books in my pile just waiting to be read. I love a good zombie story or movie. So I'm looking forward to reading this one. Because I'm not sure when I will get to it I wanted to put it on the blog in case someone else out there loves zombies too.

R is a young man with an existential crisis–he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, noidentity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy’s memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim’s human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between. (Taken from the Book Jacket)

Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffery Stepakoff

Reading Level: Adult
(Haven't Read it yet)



I have a ton of books I want to read and none of them have been grabbing my attention. I blame my TV watching for my lack of interest in my books. I've been catching up on Glee and Farscape has grabbed my attention. Netflix is evil. We bought a Roku to hook up to our TV so we can watch all the Netflix instant TV shows and movies right on the TV. It's addictive. And I can't forget about all the awesome TV shows and movies we have here at the library. And while my books were winning out for awhile, lately the TV is in the lead. While I have tried to read and watch at the same time I get distracted. Why wouldn't I trying to do two things at once.


Fireworks Over Toccoa is a love story. Lily Davis Woodward was married just days before her husband was sent abroad to fight in WWII. When her husband and the rest of the soilders return home a huge party is planned, fireworks included. Lily meets Jake Russo, a handsome Italian immigrant, during the fireworks display that he is responsible for. During that encounter he steals Lily's heart and soul leaving her torn between doing what is right and following her heart. This looks like a really good one. I'm going to read it eventually.