#32

#32 The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Book 1 Chaos Walking series)

Have you ever read a book that was so full of evil characters that you nearly throw the book down because you can't believe what you're reading? That was this book for me. And darn you Patrick Ness! Now I absolutely must read the next Chaos Walking book! What happens to Todd and Viola!? I must know!

Todd Hewitt lives in Prentisstown where life goes along quite normally for him. You know, live on a farm, take care of the cows, and listen in to everyone's thoughts including his dog. What? Yes! In this book, there are no secrets. All inner monologue can be heard in a strange mess of sound in Prentisstown. Todd has learned to live with this until he stumbles upon silence in the woods. The silence is coming from a girl. Todd has never even seen a girl before. All the members of Prentisstown are men. So, how did this girl arrive here all alone? As the story continues, Todd begins to learn that everything he has been taught about his town and this new world, has been lies. He and the girl in the woods, Viola, head off on a quest for safety and answers.

#29-31

#29 Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs by Ron Koertge

After reading Koertge's first book about Kevin and his dealings with mono, girls, poetry and baseball, I had to know what happened to him next. So glad I read this little book. Koertge continues his work with verse and Kevin keeps experimenting with poetic types. In this story, Kevin has to choose between his girlfriend Mira and a new girl named Amy, another poet dedicated to the craft just as much as Kevin. He meets Amy at an open mic poetry night his Dad brings him to and is instantly enthralled by Amy's free spirit and poetic talent. They begin emailing poems back and forth while Kevin tries to sort out his feelings for her. A sweet story with some incredible lines. I even used one of the poetry verses as my Facebook status. Now that's serious.

#30 The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson (Book 2 Millenium series)

What can I say about this novel? What can't I say? It's awesome! Lisbeth Salander is once again the focus of this story, but in a very different situation. After saving Mikael's life and pulling off an incredible heist, Lisbeth Salander all but disappears, much to Mikael's chagrin. After numerous attempts to contact her, Mikael believes her to be out of his life forever, until he sees her being attacked on the street one night. Not only is someone trying to kill her, she's a suspect in three murders, including two of Mikael's friends writing for Millenium in an attempt to expose a sex-trafficing operation. As Lisbeth attempts to keep herself safe, she has to face up to her sordid past and Mikael has to decide how far he should go to help an old friend. Will he be able to return the favor she did for him? I highly recommend reading on to find out.

Just bought the last book in the series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, for my Kindle. Only $9.99! Can't wait to get started! I have to find out what happens to Lisbeth!

#31 The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite

by Dr. David Kessler, M.D.

Okay friends, I did cheat just a little bit with this book. I didn't actually read it. I listened to it on my way to and from work. It was enlightening to say the least; it was scary to say the most. If one of your loves is going out to eat, maybe steer clear of this book. It reveals a disturbing side of the food industry and what companies do to hook you into going back for more and more and more. A lot of the book is based on brain research and I found that fascinating. I think my colleagues got sick of me coming to lunch with stories starting with the line, "In this book I'm listening to..." I had no idea how powerful food was, but understand now why it's so hard to "just eat one." The food habits we have trained our brain into believing often keep us from making good food choices. The structure of your brain can actually be changed with food. Yeah! It's that powerful!

#26-28

#26 Glass by Ellen Hopkins

After the first powerful story of Kristina/Bree and her downward spiral, I had to know what would happen to her. Turns out, it got worse. As Kristina continues to deal with her meth addiction, we see how it begins to affect so many others, including her children. (Don't worry...that's not a spoiler). She makes attempts at a job and a new life, but even her best efforts are not as strong as the pull of the "monster." This second in the series is just as compelling and heart wrenching as the first, told again in verse.

#27 Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

The final installment in the Crank series. Fallout is unique in that it is told from the points of view of Kristina's children. The story jumps ahead a few years to show the continued effects of the choices Kristina has made. In their own ways, Hunter, Summer and Autumn are dealing with their mom's past. Hopkins does an incredible job of showing how addiction does not only affect the person with the addiction, but everyone around them as well.

I would highly recommend this series to high school students, many of whom may be suffering from their own addictions. I'd think if these books helped even one young person make better life choices, they would be successful.

#28 Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge

This cute little book was quite a nice reprieve from the Crank books. I think I needed just one more book of verse before diving back into The Girl Who Played With Fire. Kevin Boland is 14, an incredible baseball player, and stuck in the house suffering from mono or "monouglyosis" as he calls it. His dad, a writer, buys Kevin a journal and suggests he spends his time writing to get his feelings out while he gets well. Well, why not! This book is Kevin's journal. And as expected, he drags his feet about writing but ends up learning about poetry and trying his hand at writing some. The teacher side of me loved the writing especially since Kevin plays with different poetic forms including sonnets, couplets, And he has plenty to write about: baseball, the feeling of being trapped inside without his friends, the new girl Mira, and missing his mother who died when he was young.

One of the main reasons I chose to read this book is that its sequel Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs has just come out and I want to get my hands on it too. I'm hoping to write a review of that soon! Stay tuned dear friends!

#25

#25 Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Powerful, poetic, brutally honest. Crank is a journey through the eyes of a teenage girl, Kristina Snow, as she is introduced to the world of drugs. The hold this "monster" has on her life is difficult to witness. Satisfying her addiction soon becomes more important than anything and leads to horrible consequences affecting her and everyone around her.

The writer (or rather, poet) Ellen Hopkins explains in the author's note that the book is fictional but comes from her families experience with drug use. Because of her personal experiences, the story she has written in full poetic form takes on an even more haunting tone.

This is a story for young people as well as adults. It is certainly one I would encourage older YA readers to experience. Kristina's story continues with Glass and Fallout, both of which I've already requested from my library.