New Books This Week

Here is what I have added to my Library this week.

First the books:

The 39 Clues: In Too Deep by Jude Watson -- This was fun. I'm enjoying the 39 Clues series. I had to read it fast because I already have a list of students who want to read it at school.

Nightlight by The Harvard Lampoon -- I enjoyed every melodramatic page of Twilight and want to see this parody.

Kindred in Death by J. D. Robb -- The series of futuristic mystery romances are on my "must buy must read immediately". This episode was as pleasurable as the previous ones. I like Eve's sense of justice and the romance between Eve and Roarke.

An Enchanted Season by Nalini Singh et al. -- I'm not really a big fan of novellas but I like these authors and the genre.

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer -- This is one of my favorite of her books. I have an old paperback edition but wanted this new edition. The cover illustration, trade book size, and quality paper make this a keeper for me.

New for my Kindle this week were:

Bound for the Holidays by Mackenzie McKade was free. I'm not a big fan of the genre and haven't read her but the price was right.

Magic in the Shadows by Devon Monk is the third in the series. I have the first two. I read the first one and have the other two for my Kindle. I didn't love the first one but want to see if I like the others more.

Winter Kiss by Deborah Cooke is also in a series. I did read and enjoy the others. I'm looking forward to starting this one.

Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh is the next in the Psy-Changling series. This one concentrates on the Psy. It was a good story about a Psy woman who was tortured and brainwashed to kill the leader of Shine (an orgainzation that helps the Forgotten). He discovers her and knows that she could harm his organization and can't be trusted but they fall in love anyway. We learn more about the past of the Psy in this one. It is a good read but almost requires reading the others first. Not a good introduction or stand-alone title.

This has been an unusual week for me. I have already read four of the nine new titles I received.

So what did you get this week?

What will Dan and Amy do next?

Are you a fan of the 39 Clues books? The most recent (book 6) was released this week and I couldn't wait to read it. This one is In Too Deep by Jude Watson. Dan and Amy are in Australia and, as usual, they are in lots of danger from other Cahills as they search for the clues that will make them the most powerful people in the world.

Here is a brief blurb for the book: A hint from their parents’ past puts Amy and Dan on the trail of secrets their grandmother Grace would NEVER have wanted them to know. Awful memories begin to crowd in on Amy, just as her enemies circle closer. How far would she go to protect Dan? How much of a Cahill is she prepared to be? Perhaps Grace was right – some secrets are better left buried.



If you like the books, you should also check out the website where you can go on missions and play games. There are also prizes to be won.

There was recently a webcast with five of the authors that gave students a chance to solve problems like Dan and Amy and win a clue for the 39 Clues website. Take some time and see if you have what it takes to be an Advanced Agent!

New This Week

Here are the books I bought this week:

They were:

Anne Fadiman's "Ex-Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader" (because I read about it on LibraryThing and was fascinated)

Katrina Michaels' "Midnight Reflections" (because the blurb and the blogs I read said it was good)

Roxanne Rhoads' "Eternal Desire" (because I read her blog and want to check out her fiction)

Nora Roberts' "Bed of Roses" (because I love Nora)

Joanne Harris' "Runemarks" (to be donated to the HS Media Center)

P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast's "Tempted" (to be donated to the HS Media Center)

I also added these books to my Kindle this week:

 These are:

"Unbreakable" by Sydney Somers (free book)

"Magic in the Blood" by Devon Monk

"Rosemary and Rue" by Seanan MacGuire (free book)

"The Bride and the Beast" by Teresa Madeiros

"Witch and Wizard" by James Patterson (free book)

These are:

"Never After" by Laurell K. Hamilton et al.

"Grave Secret" by Charlaine Harris

"Tainted" by Julie Kenner

"The Untamed Bride" by Stephanie Laurens

"Dark Stranger" by Susan Sizemore

"Bound to Shadows" by Keri Arthur

Thus far this week I have only had time to read "Tempted" by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast and "Bound to Shadows" by Keri Arthur. I am currently reading "Never After" - the anthology led by Laurell K. Hamilton and "Demon Ex Machina" by Julie Kenner (because I needed to start another book while my Kindle was recharging.)

A New Alex Rider Book

Where have I been? I didn't know that a new Alex Rider book was coming out Nov. 17 until I got notice of the video interview with Anthony Horowitz from Penguin,


Here is the blurb from Amazon: It's just another day in the life of an average kid. If you're Alex Rider, that is. A con artist has realized there is big money in charity-- the bigger the disaster, the greater the money flow! So that is what he will produce: the biggest disaster known to man, all thanks to genetically modified wheat that can release a virus so potent it can knock out an entire country in one windy day. But Alex Rider will face whatever it takes--gunfire, explosions, hand-to-hand combat with mercenaries-- to bring down his most dangerous adversary yet.


Often imitated, never equaled, the series that triggered a reading phenomenon is back, exhilarating and addictive as ever.

Here is the interview:




Anthony Horowitz also has a web site with more information about the Alex Rider series so that new readers and real fans can catch up or keep up.

This sounds like something my middle school adventure lovers will enjoy.

Next Book on My Reading List

Flesh and Fire is the next book on my reading list. It is the newest one by Laura Ann Gilman.


She has written a number of books in my personal library. I have read and enjoyed her Retrievers series which is urban fantasy. I have read her Grail Quest series which is for children and is an Arthurian fantasy. This new one looks interesting to me even though I have no interest in wine or winemaking. I'm eager to give it a try.


Here's a brief blurb from the jacket: Once, all power in the Vin Lands was held by the prince-mages, who alone could craft spellwines, and selfishly used them to increase their own wealth and influence. But their abuse of power caused a demigod to break the Vine, shattering the power of the mages. Now, fourteen centuries later, it is the humble Vinearts who hold the secret of crafting spells from wines, the source of magic, and they are prohibited from holding power.

 But now rumors come of a new darkness rising in the vineyards. Strange, terrifying creatures, sudden plagues, and mysterious disappearances threaten the land. Only one Vineart senses the danger, and he has only one weapon to use against it: a young slave. His name is Jerzy, and his origins are unknown, even to him. Yet his uncanny sense of the Vinearts' craft offers a hint of greater magics within -- magics that his Master, the Vineart Malech, must cultivate and grow. But time is running out. If Malech cannot teach his new apprentice the secrets of the spellwines, and if Jerzy cannot master his own untapped powers, the Vin Lands shall surely be destroyed.




In Flesh and Fire, first in a spellbinding new trilogy, Laura Anne Gilman conjures a story as powerful as magic itself, as intoxicating as the finest of wines, and as timeless as the greatest legends ever told.

Interesting Idea for Student Technology

Alice Mercer who blogs at Reflections on Teaching posted about an interesting project that she had done with her fifth graders. They used Big Huge Labs Motivator to create posters. This look like it could be a fun project for my classes. It could incorporate using Creative Commons photos from Flickr and writing. It could also incorporate the use of digital cameras and saving and uploading pictures. There are lots of possibilities here.

Here are her fifth graders results:




I'll have to see if I can fit this project in. It looks like it could be fun and teach a lot of technology skills too.

Teen Read Week 2009

It is Teen Read week and YALSA has announced the top ten books for the year as chosen by teens. John Green is number one on the list with his novel Paper Towns. Here is a video where he talks about the honor.

Here are the rest of the top 10.

2. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer

3. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

4. City of Ashes, Cassandra Clare

5. Identical, Ellen Hopkins

6. The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman

7. Wake, Lisa McMann

8. Untamed, P.C. and Kristin Cast

9. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart

10. Graceling, Kristin Cashore

Check out the links on each title to find out more about the book or the author. Happy reading!