Happy New Year!

I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday filled with good family times, friends,fun, delicious food, sleep, and great books!

The new year is a time for looking forward, so I thought I'd give you a glimpse of some of the exciting sequels to well-loved series that will be published in the next few months. Is your favorite book on this list? If not, leave a comment to let me know what series books our library is missing. If so, leave a comment about which book you're most eager to read.

City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare (May 8)
Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth (May 1)
Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver ( Feb. 28)
Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate (June 12)
Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins (Mar. 13)
Bloodrose (Nightshade #3) by Andrea Cremer (Jan. 3)
Fever (Chemical Garden #2) by Lauren DeStephano (Feb. 21)
The Calling (The Gathering #2) by Kelley Armstrong (April 10)
Destined (Wings #4) by Aprilynne Pike (May 1)
Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse #12) by Charlaine Harris (May 1)
Fear (Gone, #5) by Michael Grant (April 3)

Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls, #5) by Ally Carter (March 13)
Maximum Ride: Nevermore (Maximum Ride, #8) by James Patterson (Aug.)
Endure (Need, #4) by Carrie Jones (May 19)

PAGE TO SCREEN: THE HUNGER GAMES

If you haven't seen this already, take a look at this preview for the upcoming film version of The Hunger Games. It looks like it might be faithful to the book which is wonderful as it is a pretty sensational book.

HELP!

I've been processing dozens of new books into the library and my brain is so crammed with titles that I can't choose my next book to read! Help me out. What have you read recently or what are you reading that you would recommend?

GUNNERKRIGG COURT: ONLINE GRAPHIC NOVEL

I found this while browsing book sites today. Gunnerkrigg Court sounds like a series that would captivate Harry Potter fans but also mesmerize readers of quirky science fiction. There are three volumes available, but I'm not going to purchase them right now as the second volume is scarce and expensive. Fortunately, you can read the comic online at http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=1

Win a copy of INHERITANCE!

Early reports are that the final book of the Inheritance Cycle is amazing!  If you'd like to win your very own copy of Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, just go to the BOOK REVIEWS page, write a review of ANY book of your choice using the described format, and submit it to Christine.Schmor@mpsd.ca by Wednesday, December 10th.  Reviews will be posted on the blog. You may submit up to three reviews to increase your chances of winning. The winner will be randomly chosen from all entries on December 11th.

Get your book reviews in! Good luck! 

TWO AMAZING NOVELS

While the Eragon fans settle in to read the fourth and final installment, I have two suggestions for the rest of you.

The first is Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I feel certain that this book is going to be the next huge word-of-mouth hit. Taylor presents two breathtaking worlds: modern day Prague and a magical world mired in conflict between angels and chimera. The action is epic, the mysteries deep and the characters intriguing and sympathetic. The chemistry between the two main characters makes Edward and Bella seem like distant acquaintances. Here's a synopsis:

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

I just finished reading the second novel, The Scorpio Races,  by Maggie Stiefvater. She is the best-selling author of Shiver, Linger and Forever.  The action in the standalone novel is set on the small island of Thisby, where every fall the ocean tide brings large, powerful and vicious water horses to the shore.  For generations, young men have caught and tried to tame these beautiful monsters in order to ride in the Scorpio Races, a competition that  crowns one champion a year, but leaves many mangled bodies on the sand.

Two of the competitors are the protagonists of the story. Sean Kendrick, a skilled horse-whisperer, has raced and won many times on the back of his beloved red water horse, Corr. This year he races in order to win the life of his dreams or lose everything. Puck is the first girl to enter the race and she does so on her ordinary island pony, Dove. Even though no one believes she has a chance to win, and that in all likelihood she will lose her life in the race, she competes in order to keep her family together in the home she has always known.

Gradually , Sean Kendrick and Puck are drawn together in their quest. Their  developing relationship seems a fragile thing in the midst of the  dark magic  enveloping the island.


You will be drawn in by the authenticity of the characters and the often explosive action in this story.

Read it!

INHERITANCE IS FINALLY HERE!!

The long wait is over! The fourth and last book in the Inheritance cycle arrived Friday afternoon - several days ahead of schedule. We have four copies, but two were immediately snatched up. So, if you are an Eragon fan, you'll want to hurry in to claim one of the two remaining copies. See you Monday!