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  • Tattoo by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

    Posted by JULIE DAVIS at 8/13/2011 1:00:00 PM
    Bailey buys some temporary tattoos for herself and her friends, Delia, Annabelle and Zo, to wear to the dance on Monday night.  The tattoos are supposed to last for three days and are just a fun, spontaneous purchase.  However, as she picks them up, Bailey hears voices saying, "Sidhe blue.  Blood green."  After they put on the tattoos, the girls realize that the tattoos have given each of them powers.  Bailey has the power of fire, which she discovers when she accidentally sets a snobby classmate's shoe on fire.  Delia can transform things into other things.  She uses her power for fashion , like adding highlights to Bailey's hair.  Annabelle can now read the thoughts of others.  Zo has the gift of premonition.  With the help of Bailey's visions, the girls realize that they have been given these powers for a purpose, and they must stop an ancient evil from rising before everyone at the dance is killed.

    I give this book 3 stars.  Although the premise is great, the book drags in a couple of places, primarily when Bailey has her visions.  Jennifer Barnes also wrote Killer Spirit and Perfect Cover, about a girl recruited to be on a cheerleading squad whose members actually work for the CIA.  These books are better written, and I highly recommend them and hope Barnes will continue the series.  Tattoo was a good read but not a great one.  
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  • First Strike by Jack Higgins & Justin Richards

    Posted by JULIE DAVIS at 8/10/2011 11:00:00 PM

    Jade and Rich are back in another spy adventure.  In this outing, they are going to a private reception at the White House, the president's way of thanking them for their help in their last book, Sharp Shot.  On their way to Washington, they and their father take a detour by China to check on the status of some nuclear weapons in China.  This is due to a cryptic message from a colleague who warns them if a rebel group fails they will go after the "football."   Their dad stays in China to help stop the rebels.  In the meantime, Jade and Rich continue to Washington and get a private tour of the White House before the reception.  At the reception, the rebels have infiltrated the White House and are determined to capture the President and the "football," the briefcase of nuclear launch codes.  With most of the Secret Service dead or captured, can Jade and Rich help keep the rebels from getting their hands on the nuclear weapons?

    I give this book 4 stars.  Towards the end, I simply could not put it down.  The plot is complex, and the action continual.  The majority of the book takes place in the White House and the discussions of the inner rooms and Secret Service protocols is fascinating.  Following the trend of other adult authors, Jack Higgins tries his hand at young adult fiction with great success.  The Chance twins series is a great spy series that have lots of action and intrigue.  Start with the first book, Sure Fire, which introduces the twins and their father.  This are great books if you like the Alex Rider books.
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  • Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

    Posted by JULIE DAVIS at 8/10/2011 10:30:00 PM
    In her 17th adventure (not counting the between-the-numbers books), bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is being pressured to choose between on-again, off-again sometimes boyfriend cop Joe Morelli and security expert Ranger.  Her mother thinks it is time for her to settle down before she gets too old.  With that in mind, she sets Stephanie up with a former high school football star who has moved back to town.  In the last book, the bail bonds office is blown up and it is now being rebuilt, while they try to run the office out of Mooner's bus.  While digging the foundation, first one body and then another body turn up shallowly buried in the dirt.  Then bodies are being left in the lot with a note "For Stephanie."  In addition to a killer leaving her bodies as presents, Stephanie also has Nick Alpha after her for her self-defensive killing of his brother.  With the help of sidekick Lulu and her crazy Grandma Mazur, Stephanie must solve both mysteries while also dealing with her capture list which includes an elderly man who thinks he is a vampire and a man with a dancing bear.  The high jinks ensue with lots of eating, pepper-spraying, and her penchant for blowing up cars. 

    This book is not available in our library.  However, if it sounds like something you would like to read try the Sammy Keyes mysteries by Wendelin Van Draanen for humorous mysteries or The Christopher Killer, the first in the Forensics mystery series.  

    I give this book 4 stars.  This is one of the funniest mystery series that I have ever read.  I actually laugh out loud while I am reading these books.  Between Lulu and Grandma Mazur, the zaniness never stops.  Start with One for the Money, so you don't miss out on the character development and introduction of all these wonderful characters.   
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  • Runaway by Meg Cabot

    Posted by JULIE DAVIS at 8/10/2011 10:00:00 PM
    This is the final book in Meg Cabot's Airhead trilogy.  After being kidnapped by Brandon Stark, son of evil billionaire Robert Stark, Em Watts is trying to figure our how to get the real Nikki Howard to tell why Robert Stark would have transplanted her brain into Nikki's body.  (In book one, Em's brain in transplanted into the body of super model Nikki Howard when she is almost killed in an accident at one of Stark's stores.)  The problem is that Nikki will only tell on one condition - she gets her body back.  On top of that problem, how can she get Christopher to realize that she really loves him and was forced to leave with Brandon?  She needs the help of Christopher, her crazy friend Lulu, rock star Gabriel Luna, tech-savvy cousin Felix and even Nikki to expose Robert Stark's evil Project Phoenix before it is too late for all of them.

    I give this book 4 stars.  These books have science fiction, romance, and mystery combined in one.  Start by reading the first book Airhead.  This series is a fun read, and I also recommend Cabot's other series The Mediator, about a girl who helps ghosts with their unresolved issues with the living.  The first book in that series is Shadowland.
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  • The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group - Catherine Jinks

    Posted by JULIE DAVIS at 8/8/2011 12:00:00 PM
    Tobias Vandevelde wakes up in a dingo pen with no memory of how he got there.  Shortly after coming home from the hospital, he and his mother are visited by Reuben and    They tell him that he is a werewolf, a genetic condition that emerges in seventh sons.  His mother throws them out of the house, but Tobias is curious.  At the urging of his friends, he contacts Reuben and offers to meet him.  The kids are planning on taping Reuben to expose him.  However, once Tobias ends up being kidnapped, he starts to believe that he might actually be a werewolf.

    I give this book 4 stars.  It is not your usual werewolf book, because of the humor in it.  I recommend that you read The Reformed Vampire Support Group first, because the characters also appear in The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group.  The Reformed book also introduces Reuben, and you find out how he becomes "reformed."  Lots of humor in both of these books, and they make great reads.  These paranormal characters are not typical.
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  • Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney

    Posted by JULIE DAVIS at 8/8/2011 11:00:00 AM
    Forced to flee from the island of Mona and unable to return to the County due to the war, the Spook, Tom and Alice set off to Ireland for refuge.  Tom has been warned not to ever go to Ireland by the Morrigan, goddess of witches who has sworn revenge on Tom.  In addition, the Fiend is still stalking Tom and Alice.  The trio is brought in to help fight a powerful group of dark mages who are preparing an annual ritual to enhance their magical abilities.  In a fall while fighting the dark, the blood jar, which is keeping the Fiend away from Tom and Alice, becomes cracked and the blood starts leaking out.  While attempting to stop the mages, Tom must also try to bind the Fiend; and, of course, the Morrigan threatens Tom as well.  Will Tom and Alice survive or will they fall to the Fiend?  Will they be able to return to the County to protect their homeland?

    I give this book 4 stars.  Delaney continues to deliver solid horror and adventure in this eighth book in the series.  He has wonderful character development, and his books are impossible to put down once you start.  Start with Revenge of the Witch and delve into this fantastic series for great, spooky reads.
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  • Memento Nora by Angie Smibert

    Posted by JULIE DAVIS at 8/6/2011 9:00:00 PM
    Set in a future where The Coalition, a terrorist group, makes even a trip to the mall dangerous, Nora is about to have her first experience at TFC, the Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic.  After witnessing a bombing, Nora is taken to the clinic, where she will take a pill and forget all about the instance.  In the future, no one has to worry about anything unpleasant because a pill can make it all go away.  While at the clinic, Nora notices Micah, who surreptitiously shows her he doesn't swallow the pill.  So Nora doesn't swallow hers either and begins to realize that someone needs to remember.  Her mother is a frequent visitor to the clinic, and Nora is horrified when she discovers the reason behind her mother's trips.  Together with Micah and Winter, students who would never have been in her group before, the group creates an underground newspaper.  However, the government is not happy with their activities and is trying to stop them.  How can Nora remember what has happened if she is caught?

    I give this book 4 stars.  I enjoyed the plot and the suspense builds throughout the story. 
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  • Death by Moonlight edited by Charlaine Harris

    Posted by JULIE DAVIS at 8/6/2011 8:00:00 PM
    This an anthology (collection) of short stories is subtitled Mysteries from the Dark Side.  Famous authors have written stories that are paranormal in nature to include.  The first story is one by Charlaine Harris, who is probably best known for her Sookie Stackhouse stories which have been turned into the show True Blood.  I am a huge Harris fan.  She has 4 different series of books, and I have read every book of all 4 series.  I have also read many of the anthologies that she has done.  This story is about a vampire when the Pyramid Hotel is attacked by the Fellowship of the Sun (an event for the 7th book of the series All Together Dead).  This is one of the weakest stories by Harris that I have ever read.  In addition, the other stories in the book are really not up to the quality that I expect from these anthologies. 

    I give this book only 2 stars.  Based on similar books, it was disappointing.  This book is not available in our library.  I would suggest Horowitz Horror and Bloody Horowitz by Anthony Horowitz or Gothic!  Ten Original Dark Tales by Deborah Noyes, which are better written than this book.

    As an aside for those of you who watch the True Blood series, please, please try the books.  They are so much better than the TV series.  I was so excited that they were making these books into a TV show, and then I was so disappointed after viewing the first disc.  I didn't even bother renting anymore.  Other than the names and conditions (vampire, weres, etc.), the TV series is unrecognizable from the book series.  Please try the books.  Start with Dead Until Dark, and you will be hooked.  When your done with those, try her Harper Connelly mysteries, about a girl who is struck by lightning and can know find dead people.  Excellent!
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  • Under the Dome by Stephen King

    Posted by JULIE DAVIS at 8/6/2011 7:00:00 PM
    In the middle of the day, a dome comes down over the town of Chester Mill's, Maine.  No one can see it, and the first casualties (deaths) occur when people drive and fly into the dome.  Chester's Mill has a little over 2,000 residents, and the story delves into how individuals and the community as a whole deals with this crisis.  As the residents discover that the dome is not going away, the military on the outside is trying to break through as well.  Nothing can penetrate the dome, even the weather.  The town has no breeze, no rain, and the temperature is increasing daily.  The fire trucks had been in a neighboring town on a training exercise, so there is no fire department.  The only doctor in town and the police chief die early in the siege.  King's character development is incredible.  Every character is completely fleshed out, and you feel like you know them.  What makes this book so fascinating is the exploration of how people react in a crisis situation.  While some characters rise to the occasion and try to do the right thing, others quickly resort to their baser instincts as dark secrets are revealed.  You will truly be amazed at how many people in the town survive and the origin of the dome.

    I wanted to read this book after reading an excerpt of it in Entertainment Magazine.  The book was excellent, and King is a wonderful writer.  However, the book is very dark and is quite a condemnation on the human race.  This is also a thick book, topping out at over 1,000 pages.  King is definitely a master storyteller, and none of those pages are wasted or extraneous (extra).

    I give this book 4 stars.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  This book is not available in our library, but I would suggest Lord of the Flies by William Golding or Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer.
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  • The Gardener by S. A. Bodeen

    Posted by JULIE DAVIS at 8/6/2011 3:00:00 PM
    Disfigured from a dog attack when he was 5, Mason has developed "white knight syndrome" over the years.  He always tries to help out or rescue anyone in trouble.  Unfortunately for him, this impulse kicks in while visiting the nursing home where his mother works.  He is surprised that his mother is caring for catatonic (in a non-responsive trance) teenagers instead of elderly patients.  When one of them suddenly wakes up in response to a DVD he plays, she pleas with him to help her escape from the Gardener.  Even though he knows he shouldn't, he helps her escape the facility and they and his friend are on the run for their lives.  The group responsible for her condition will stop at nothing to get her back - dead or alive.  The story is fast-paced and the science in interesting.  The book raises questions about world hunger, and the mystery of Mason's missing father is also solved.

    I give this book 4 stars, and I would also recommend The Compound by this same author.
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