What A Library!

Amazing.

Waiting On Wednesday, April 8

After reading and loving The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan I am super eagerly waiting on the next installment, The Dead-Tossed Waves.

It's not out until Spring 2010 though..

Sigh :(

Review: The Lucky Ones by Tohby Riddle

Look! I'm finally reviewing an Australian book! See the bridge?! See!! And it's not a girly book! Amazing :)

The Lucky Ones by Tohby Riddle takes place in Sydney in the 80s. Tom is out of high school and going to art school, just kind of meandering along in life. His best friend is Cain, who is needy and troubled and very interesting. He's interested in Kara, but is too shy to do much about it.

The book is really laid back, not that it doesn't go anywhere (plenty happens!), just that it doesn't make you feel like you need to rush to any destination. It reads a bit like a memoir, everything's believable, it's like Tom is just filling us in on all these things that happen, telling it like it is. He makes keen observations and expresses things in really interesting ways.

I kept trying to imagine how these events could possibly have happened. I mean, one minute Cain and I are joking about our awkwardness with this girl, and the next minute he's catching the late bus to see her on a wild stormy night. It sounded like something from a Bronte sisters novel. What was Cain doing in a Bronte sisters novel?

As I mentioned above, this book has guy-appeal! Written by a male with a male persepective (but it's perfectly fine for the ladies too). I don't seem to ever see that many YA books for guys that aren't fantasy so I am pleased that this one is so great. It's also quite witty! I laughed quite a few times throughout the book.

I particularly liked the setting, Australia in the 80s, the book has an amazing atmosphere. (Plus the boys crash a Bob Dylan press conference, well worht reading!)

It was a fantastic read, especially if you're looking for something that's not generic and might make you think a little outside the box. I give it 4/5 stars :)

You can check out Tohby Riddles website at www.tohby.com.

Review: Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols is a perfect example of when a romantic teen novel can be done oh-so right. A fresh storyline; Meg gets caught, trespassing and drunk, and is made to spend her spring break riding around with (spunky) tough cop John on the night shift for the week to learn her lesson. It's got deep, well-developed characters with secrets and desires and the capacity to make witty, sarcastic or cutting remarks. Plus there's plenty of teen angst and attitude and conflicting emotions.

Jennifer Echols is also great at dropping hints and clues that you can pick up on if you want to be all sleuthy and try to figure out some stuff if you like or else you can go with it and marvel at the sneaky things that you read but thought nothing of earlier.

It's really addictive stuff, I loved the story and the characters. Plus, it wasn't superficial, there was plenty of things going on that the character's had to work out and get over so I didn't feel like my IQ was slowing dropping but I still got that great buzz from reading a chick book! Aaaah book heaven :)

Highly recommended! 4/5 stars!

I don't think you can find much stuff by Jennifer Echols in Australia but I will now devote my time to trying to track down her other books :)

Also, check out Jennifer's website (http://www.jennifer-echols.com/) and blog (http://jenniferechols.livejournal.com/)

Review: Heartbreak River by Tricia Mills

Heartbreak River by Tricia Mills is about Alex who is spending her summer, like usual, working for her family's river rafting company. Having not been in the water since her father died in a rafting accident, Alex is still grieving her father and she's still not over her ex-boyfriend, Sean, who left soon after her father's death. When Sean returns to work at the rafting company for the summer, Alex is forced to confront her fears and work up the courage to really talk to Sean.

This is a really romantic novel - Tricia Mills usually writes romance novels under the name Trish Milburn - with the story centering around Alex and Sean's rekindling romance. Plus there's lots of other great characters who work with Alex, and they all react differently with each other (they rarely get along!) and make for great reading.

Why couldn't he wear his emotions out in the open? Didn't he realize that I needed to know what was going on in that head of his? Had he had any reaction at all to Tommy saying he wanted to kiss me?

Alex was dealing with some really complex emotions about her father and his death which grounded the story and gave it a more serious aspect rather than just Alex and her summer fling. It was a good fun read though and I definitely enjoyed it.

I give Heartbreak River by Tricia Mills 3.5/5 Stars, go check it out if you're in the mood for a romantic read! It's released in April!