Bibliophile Support Group

Sorry I haven't gotten a new book review up in the last couple of weeks - I've been busy during this Happiest Time of the Year! ;) I will say that I heartily recommend the Lois Lowry trilogy: The Giver , Gathering Blue , and Messenger , and believe them to be fascinating and stunning in all their sci-fi/dystopia glory. Also, if you're into star-crossed romance, scandals, and a historical setting where the girls get to wear awesome dresses (1899-1900), check out The Luxe series: The Luxe , Rumors , and Envy . Yes, there's a final book out called Splendor - but I haven't read it yet! These books make for fun, fast reading! So - I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !!! See you in 2 0 1 0 ! Wishing you all get piles of books under the tree, MrsRonWeasley

Stage Fright is Meg Cabot's fourth entry in her middle-grade series Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. This time around, Allie's class at her Elementary school is putting on a play - and Allie is so ready to portray Princess Penelope, the starring role. Only problem? One of her best friends, Sophie, also wants the role. Can she beat out her best friend without ruining her friendship? And will Allie's mom's newfound celebrity status help Allie become as famous as she suddenly desires? Now, I read and readily enjoyed both books 1 and 2 ( Moving Day and The New Girl ), but hadn't gotten a chance yet to read Best Friends and Drama Queens (the third book in the series), which had me a bit worried when I started Stage Fright . But - no worries! Stage Fright , though surely relished to the maximum when read in complete order, was still extremely fun and easy to catch up on! In fact, Meg Cabot's trademark hilarious humor was in full blast in this middle-grade book....

Hell Week is the (dare I be cliché and say it? I dare!) hellishly good sequel to Rosemary Clement-Moore’s Prom Dates From Hell . This fun, supernatural YA novel continues the Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series. Now, if you haven’t read Prom Dates From Hell yet I gently (okay, not so gently) warn you that this review may contain small spoilers. This series isn’t quite as explosively serialized as The Summoning/The Awakening or The Hunger Games/Catching Fire – but still. Don’t want to ruin any of the fun, right? So, I happily supply the link for you to read the review of the first novel Prom Dates from Hell instead: http://bibliophilesupportgroup.blogspot.com/2008/05/prom-dates-from-hell.html Okay, moving on… Maggie has moved on from high school (a cool rarity in YA) and is a freshman in her professor dad’s college. But bursting into the local newspaper scene is proving a lot more difficult for our likable Veronica Mars/Buffy hybrid than she hoped. Not even her college newspaper is ...

Invisible Lines is the newest middle-grade novel written by Mary Amato. Trevor Musgrove has just moved to a not-so-cheerfully nicknamed apartment complex (“Deadly Gardens”) with his hard-working mother and two young siblings. His new middle-school is of a higher caliber than he’s been to, and Trevor is determined to get “in” with the popular boys, stay in an interesting class that he was somehow mistakenly placed, and make the elite “Plague” soccer team. Thing is, unlike some of his new friends, Trevor needs to baby-sit his little brother and sister every evening while his Mom works to keep a roof over their heads. Also, unlike his new friends, Trevor can’t really afford a notebook for his new advanced science class or the cleats for soccer. He’s not sure how he can make all his dreams come true, but he’s sure gonna try. First off, if the cover of Invisible Lines puts you off – I’m with you. (Because of technical issues, I was unable to put a cover picture on this post, but to check o...

The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance is the first book in a planned trilogy named Candle Man by Glenn Dakin. The plot centers on teenage Theo who has been brought up in what would basically be described a “secluded” way. You see, he’s been told since he can remember that he has a serious and dangerous illness involving his hands, which means Theo wears special gloves. Thing is, his guardian, Mr. Saint, and his ever-present butler, Mr. Nicely (I know, awesome names, right?!) have kept Theo so cut off from the outside world, that he can’t help but thirst for knowledge of the rest of England. So as soon as Theo has the opportunity to escape the confines of his room, he takes it. Even if he is rather frightened and unprepared for what lies ahead of him. What he doesn’t realize until later is, his guardian might not be such a “saint”, nor his butler quite as “nice” as he always believed. And maybe he has a true ancestor; someone called reverently the “Candle Man”. And maybe there’s an evi...

Thanks to everybody who entered the Vampire's Assistant contest! Two winners have been selected and sent emails. If you are one of those lucky people make sure to email me back ASAP ! :) Go see the movie, bibliophiles! With all those previews they're showing on TV, ya can't help but be intrigued, eh? ;)

Please, for your own sake, don’t read this review of Catching Fire unless you have already read The Hunger Games . If you haven’t, check out my review of The Hunger Games here: http://bibliophilesupportgroup.blogspot.com/2008/09/hunger-games.html Also, if you are looking for my contest , simply scroll down or click here: http://bibliophilesupportgroup.blogspot.com/2009/10/vampires-assistant-contest.html Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games blew me away, as it did many. I mean, wow ! I was left breathless, stunned, and in a state of suspense when it came to a close – Katniss clearly not as safe as she (and we) hoped she’d be after winning the Games with the sweet, every-girl’s-dream-guy Peeta. The Capitol, she had found out, was not happy with her pulling one over on them. But, what she didn’t realize at the end of The Hunger Games was just how much the final seconds of the Hunger Games impacted all the other districts. Katniss’ actions roused in the citizens’ weary, tired bodies an in...

Have you heard about Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant movie coming out on October 23rd? Well, if you haven't here's your chance to learn more about it before heading to the theatres! Yep, it's your chance to WIN !!! There will be TWO winners, to be exact! ABOUT THE MOVIE In theaters October 23rd Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares. THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE http://vampiresassistant.net/ CIRQUE DU FREAK has been rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned - Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13) for sequences of intense supernatural violence and action, disturb...

Kelley Armstrong’s The Awakening is the sequel to the adored (speaking from my opinion) The Summoning . If you have yet to read The Summoning , please skip this review and run, don’t walk, to your local bookstore or library to read it! Need more convincing? Read my review of The Summoning here: http://bibliophilesupportgroup.blogspot.com/2008/06/summoning.html Reading my review of The Awakening will only spoil all the deliciously thrilling things that happen in The Summoning . Now, on to The Awakening . I must admit, I have been dying to read this since the day it came out in April. Sadly, due to a series of unfortunate events, I was unable to do so until recently. But it was definitely worth the wait!!! Last we were with Chloe, she was betrayed by her Aunt Lauren and trapped in a faux hotel room, trying to “summon” Liz, whom all signs pointed, was dead. We pick up shortly thereafter. It’s hard to know what to say without giving anything away. You see, Kelley manages to keep the sus...

The Maximum Ride Celebration Promotion is officially over!!! Two of you guys should have an email letting you know you WON !!! Thanks to everybody for entering and spreading the word! I got more entries than I expected for my first EVER contest!!! :) Thanks so much!

Hi! Looking for my awesome contest? Simply scroll down or click here: http://bibliophilesupportgroup.blogspot.com/2009/08/promotion-celebration-for-maximum-ride.html Otherwise, here is my review of the week, after a couple weeks slacking off. Sorry about that, by the way. :) Nameless Night , by G. M. Ford, is a "novel of suspense" according to the cover. Well, that definitely describes it! But before I get into all that, let us pause and get a brief synopsis: When a man is found nearly dead in a railroad car he is admitted to a group home for disabled adults, and since they seem unable to identify him they christen him "Paul Hardy". Seven years pass in a haze until Paul becomes involved in yet another near-death incident and he wakes up in the hospital with extensive and mysterious plastic surgery and a much clearer mind. One small problem? He still has amnesia, and now he continually has flashes, pictures that he can only hope may be memories. But just as soon as h...

Do you love the series Maximum Ride ? How about James Patterson? Are you a huge fan of action-packed books? Well, I’m thrilled to bring to you an opportunity to stock up on some awesome reading!!! ENTER TO WIN A SET OF JAMES PATTERSON PAGETURNERS! MAXIMUM RIDE – IF SHE LIVES, THE WORLD LIVES, IT’S THAT SIMPLE. Read “MAX” - the newest book in the bestselling Maximum Ride series. On sale in paperback 09/01/09! Still reeling from their most recent adventure, Maximum Ride and the rest of the flock must head out to sea to uncover the secret behind a brand new series of disasters—fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii, hundreds of ships are being destroyed. As if that weren’t enough, they’re also being tracked by a criminal mastermind with, oh yeah, an army of mercenaries. Can the flock save themselves and the ocean, and the world, from utter destruction? Now for the rules : The Maximum Ride: Max Promotion is open to legal US residents who are at least 13 years of age as of August 24, 200...

Behind Every Illusion is Christina Harner’s debut book, the first novel in a new YA fantasy series. (Sorry, I wasn't able to get a picture in time for my posting.) The focus is on Tatiana, a very timid, introverted teenager who is on the brink of her eighteenth birthday and college. Her shyness in social interactions causes her some serious anxiety about leaving home, but it helps that she’ll be going to the same college as her older sister, Bethany, and her (slightly) younger brother, Isaac. Her siblings, especially her kindred spirit Isaac, hold a special bond with her since their parent’s death when she was only 11. But only Isaac knows just how horrifying that experience was to Tatiana, as she had had a feeling that her parent’s wouldn’t be coming back from their trip, and was unsuccessful in convincing them to stay home. Isaac has always been convinced Tatiana was special since that day she told him, and when Tatiana’s 18th birthday passes, she must admit he may be right. But...

I don’t know if maybe there are some of you out there who’ve never heard of Agatha Christie (I can just see, simultaneously, someone saying, “Who?” and someone else saying, “Who doesn’t?”)… But y’all should. She is the Queen of Crime and the originator (as far as I know, at least) of the “cozy” murder mystery. There is something oddly enjoyable about snuggling up in a comfy chair and reading about murders, suspects, and Christie’s truly infamous sleuths. Agatha is the creator of such greats as Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, and others. Even the mysteries she writes that lack a traditional detective are first-rate. Why? Because her writing talent surpasses the ages. The books take place from the 30s to the 70s. There is no Internet, no iPods, no video games – but there is a good cup of tea and a full cast of British characters, so believable and well penned that you could almost say you’d met the people before. Except one (or more) have committed the oh-so-heinous crime of murder. And oh ...

Nicholas Sparks brings us yet another novel, The Lucky One . Thing is, though I know it is “yet another novel” to many of you – I actually haven’t read anything of Nicholas Sparks’ yet. Sure, I saw A Walk to Remember (who could resist Shane West?), but I never base my thoughts on authors strictly off a movie of one of their books. I’d say most of you bibliophiles feel the same way. So, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it be mushy? Saturated in love scenes and gloriously romantic language? I had no idea. But I did think the cover was pretty. (I know, I know – we shouldn’t pay attention to covers, but how can you help it?) Spoiler free synopsis comes to this: Logan is an honorably discharged U.S. Marine who has embarked on a journey with his dog, Zeus. He has succumbed to curiosity fueled by his fellow marines about the beautiful girl in a photograph he found, abandoned, in the deserts of Iraq. Thing is, the photograph turned into something more than a pretty, anonymous woman to look ...

Jinx is a stand-alone paranormal by the never-disappointing Meg Cabot. Jean has earned her nickname, Jinx. And it’s for that very reason, her tendency to attract and cause trouble that she has now fled from her small town to her Aunt’s home in New York City. Jean’s hoping to start a new life, one in which she could go two minutes without messing stuff up. But she’s not up to a great start when she finds out her once adorable and fun cousin Tory is now a gothic seductress trapped in a high schooler’s life. And Tory doesn’t find Jean charming like her friends do. When Jean only angers her cousin further, entirely by accident, by befriending Tory’s cute boy-next-door crush, Jean learns out more about why Tory’s “act” isn’t as much of an act as she was hoping it was. And, of course, she has try and keep Tory from not only endangering herself, but everyone else around them. But what could she expect? She’s a jinx. As expected from Meg Cabot, Jinx didn’t fail to entertain me. The pages flew ...

All over my paperback copy of April Smith’s North of Montana , there are reviews mentioning how “breathless” the novel is, how it “zips along”, and how it’s a “page-turner”. What did I think? Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Ana Grey is an FBI agent dealing with a sexist boss. She makes a great bust, but the aforementioned boss curtails her much-deserved promotion. She ends up having to prove herself on a high-profile case about an iconic actress claiming she became addicted on prescription drugs because of a deviant doctor. (Quite the hot topic lately, isn’t it?) But while investigating the case and trying to please all parties involved, Ana is faced with sudden questions of her childhood. Long faded memories begin to surface, and a woman claims that a recent shooting victim was her cousin. A woman she’s never met. A woman she is apparently supposed to be grieving. Juggling the two proves to make both more difficult. Thing is, I can’t say I agree with the super-positive snippet...

Eyes Like Stars in the first book by Lisa Mantchev in the Theatre Illuminata trilogy. Bertie lives on a stage. Her friends are fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Her crush is Nate, a pirate from The Little Mermaid . And her childhood friend and now frenemie is Ariel, a hunky spirit from The Tempest . That’s right. On the stage Bertie lives on, all those characters from all those plays? They’re alive and bursting with drama. And not just the characters from Shakespeare. Every single play that has ever been written is represented in The Book. The Book that makes all of this possible. The Book that creates the magic. But Bertie isn’t one of these characters; the theatre has taken her in, with a rather murky explanation as to why. It is her home. The only place she knows. However, Bertie isn’t the most gracious of guests. She can’t seem to help making messes and getting into mischief. And when she is threatened with banishment – she has to find a way to make herself invaluable to t...

A stand-alone suspense novel, The Quickie , is co-written by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Lauren's whole world shatters when she sees her husband, her best friend, with another woman. Instead of being honest about it, her horror leads her to "innocently" question her husband. He lies. This makes it all too easy to succumb to the charm of a handsome, longtime admiring coworker. Before she knows it, she's made things even. But when her newfound lover slips out to get some ingredients to cook for her, Lauren witnesses a crime. In an instant, what had started out as a heartbroken, accidental night becomes a race to make sense of what she's seen. The lies begin to pile up as she tries desperately to save her marriage, hear astounding information about the man she spent the night with without betraying her shock, and somehow not risk everything she lives for in the meantime. The Quickie didn't convince me in the first few pages, I'll admit. I can be ho...

Sarah Dessen gifts us with yet another beautiful novel, Just Listen . Annabel’s life has always been in the shadow of her more buoyant and beautiful sisters, being not quite as outgoing and not quite as lovely. But she’s lived a life that many other teenage girls desire. She’s a local model, like her sisters before her. She’s best friends with the most popular girl in school. She goes to all the parties. And even if she pales in comparison to her older sister, she is pretty in her own right. But that’s before the party. After that, she’s friendless and invisible, except when she’s being harassed by her ex-best friend. Her home life falls apart as well, his stunning sister in danger of succumbing to an eating disorder and her mother having a difficult time facing the truth. Sitting alone at lunch, she can’t help but become more intrigued by the other loner in school: Owen. Especially since he doesn’t seem to care that he’s a loner. In fact, he doesn’t seem to care about anything but mus...

The author of the awesome ghostgirl and coming soon sequel ghostgirl: homecoming was kind enough to answer some of my questions. If you still haven't read ghostgirl (get with it, you're missing out!), there may be mild spoilers. Here's how it went: Okay, the biggest, most important question for all of us readers who LOVE ghostgirl : Do you plan on writing more books in the ghostgirl series? How many (assuming you aren't going to deny us this wish)? · I'll write as many as my publisher allows! I have just finished the third book and I think I'm on a roll! I do love writing them and I’m so glad that there are people out there who love reading them. If you are writing more books (please, please, please), will Maddy make another appearance (purposefully vague, since I don't want to give anything away in ghostgirl: homecoming )? · You never know. Were you ecstatic when you got your first copy of ghostgirl ? The covers are truly amazing! · ...

*SPOILER ALERT: If you have not yet read the fantastical ghostgirl , and don't want to know how the first one ends (and really, why would you want to ruin the awesome experience of reading the book?), please don't read the review for the sequel. If anything, trust me and just go and buy them both.* Tonya Hurley's ghostgirl: homecoming has Charlotte Usher in the next level of the afterlife. Yet again, however, she finds it sorely lacking in pearly gates. But her newly matured understanding, which she gained by the end of ghostgirl , helps her deal with the fact that she and her classmates are now interns. That's right. Interns. Interns at a call center . A call center that helps teens who need guidance. Yeah, not exactly what she was expecting. But, apparently, there are more levels to immortality than you'd guess. Plus, with her new roommate Maddy the only fellow deceased sticking around to talk to her, she can't help but wonder if maybe "graduating...

Tonya Hurley offers up a very unique YA novel in ghostgirl . Charlotte has always been invisible and ignored throughout her life - so the first day of school is her opportunity to insert herself, however forcibly, into the popular crowd and into the heart of her dream guy, Damen. Or so she hopes. But just as things are looking her way (Damen is partnered up with Charlotte as lab partners and asks for her to tutor him), she dies. By way of choking on a gummy bear. And seeing her hopes and dreams disappear isn't even the worst of it. There aren't any pearly gates waiting for her. No, she still has to go to "school" and "graduate". There is an afterlife, and it includes "Dead Ed". But as much as her fellow deceased school mates urge her to let go of her old life, Charlotte just isn't made that way. She made plans to get what she wanted this year, and death isn't a big enough barrier to keep her from making it happen. Ghostgirl is one of those...

Caroline Rennie Pattison’s The Whole, Entire, Complete Truth is her first Sarah Martin mystery. Sarah’s parents have moved her and her older brother, Ray, to Muskoka, which is much more “back-country” than crowded city. All of a sudden she has to ride her bike a long distance to see another house. And this move comes just in time for her first year of high school. Parents. Don'tcha love ‘em? So, she’s already not too happy with her police detective father - then she begins to become friendly with horse-loving neighbor, Mindi. But when she asks to accept Mindi’s invitation to meet up after school and introduce to her to her beloved horses at her mother’s boyfriend’s house, Mr. Braemarie, he insists that she can’t visit her there but that Mindi is just fine to spend time at their house. Even Sarah’s mom is confused. To Sarah’s already dangerously curious nature, this refusal is extremely suspicious and she can’t help but be tempted to find out what exactly it is about Mr. Braemarie’...

The Shamer's War is the final book in the thrilling series, The Shamer Chronicles. It began with The Shamer's Daughter and continued with The Shamer's Signet and The Serpent Gift . I won't give a description of The Shamer's War because it would give spoilers for the first three books for those of you who haven't had the exciting chance to read them yet! So I'm going to write on the first book, The Shamer's Daughter and give you the basic gist of it. Because, honestly, you are truly missing out by not reading these fantastic book by the amazing author Lene Kaaberbol. Dina has inherited her mother's "gift" - being a Shamer. But Dina in no way finds the ability to force people to look into your eyes and cause them shame for past wrongs a gift. Especially since neither do the fellow villagers. Despite being only 10 years old, no one will look her in the eye. And deep down, Dina understands it is because looking into a Shamer's eyes only...

This tale from fantasy writers' Tad Williams and Deborah Beale centers on siblings Tyler and Lucinda, whose divorced parent's seem more interested in their new, independent lives than them. When they receive an odd, out-of-nowhere invitation to Ordinary Farm from an uncle they've never heard of, they're dismayed when their mother leaps at the opportunity to get them a place to stay while she goes on a single's retreat. What ensues is more than either or them expect or bargain for. Despite it's childish looking cover, Dragons was a page-turner and certainly not condescending in it's writing. In fact, the cheerful little girl on the dragon? Yeah, it doesn't quite happen that way. Anyway, my point is: I'm 21 and I loved it, so don't let the cover scare you away. The Dragons of Ordinary Farm managed to be original, creative and fresh, while being spooky, suspenseful and awesome! Lucinda and Tyler were believable as siblings - and both of them likab...

There isn’t a Meg Cabot fan out there that needs any convincing to go pick up her new book, the sequel to Airhead , Being Nikki . In fact, I almost don’t even need to know what her books are about to go out and buy them. There’s a certain trust with an author this consistently great. However, some of us need a bit more info. So, here goes. Em Watts is still reeling from the fact that her brain is now inside Nikki Howard’s supermodel, celebrity body. She still can’t believe she’s honoring modeling contracts because otherwise the man who “saved” her life, Richard Stark, will sue her parent’s for the full cost of her surgery, not to mention all the legal problems. Then there’s the fact that she has a strong suspicion that the Stark company is watching her at all times, not to mention tracking her computer usage. But none of that’s as bad as being dead (literally) to her best friend, the guy she loves. And, technically, Emerson Watts is dead. Which makes it a bit difficult to communicate w...

John Flanagan's first fantasy/action book in his Ranger's Apprentice series begins the story of Will, a castle ward - which is an orphan taken in by the Baron, given food, shelter, and the opportunity to better their station in life on Choosing Day. Choosing Day is the event that happens in every castle ward’s life where they get the opportunity to make their wishes for their future careers known and hopefully be selected by the Craftmaster of their liking (for example, the Battleschool Craftmaster is an army recruiter of sorts, there’s a Diplomat field, Horsemaster, and many others). Will, having grown up with no information known of his parents (and no last name), knows only that his father was a brave warrior who died in battle. Because of this, he wishes with all his heart to be accepted in the Battleschool. But when Choosing Day is over, he’s been rejected by the Battleschool because of his small size and strangely offered a spot by the Rangers, who have always been consi...

Joyce Sweeney's new novel centers on Hunter, a teenage boy who has been in foster care his whole life. Now that his faster dad has died, he and his foster sisters are under their unstable foster mother's guardianship. His only shred of hope is when he sees long-haired, motorcycle driving man that he is convinced is the same man that came to him when he was four and told him he was his guardian angel. When things start changing for the better and his prayers begin to be answered, Hunter is sure that finally someone cares about him. But is his guardian angel really what Hunter hopes he is? I thought this was a fantastic novel!!! Joyce Sweeney so perfectly weaves Hunter's story so that he is real to the reader. I cared immensely about everything happening to him. All of his foster sisters and even his foster mother were starkly contrasted and made to be three-dimensional - honest and raw in their portrayal. Hunter's voice was spot on, and Sweeney's writing style was po...

Hi! Wow - been too long. Sorry about that! I hope you forgive me by accepting a few mini reviews of books I've been reading during my blogging absence. They're short and sweet. And I don't think any of us mind getting straight to the point, right? Here goes: Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow , by James Rollins The concept : 13-year-old Jake Ransom's famous, archaeologist parent's disappeared years ago while on an expedition. He and his sister, Kady, aren't the closest since she's into the popular crowd and he is more often found following his parents footsteps. During a thunderstorm while they are viewing their parents artifacts in a museum, they suddenly find themselves in a different world full of multiple cultures and a bad guy called the Skull King who wants revenge on the people living there. My reaction : Despite a few twists and ending with a decent cliffhanger, I couldn't help but feel that the novel was missing a main ingredient. Jake ...

The Twilight Saga , starting with Twilight , continuing with New Moon and Eclipse , and ending with Breaking Dawn is exactly the reason why I am a bibliophile. Thank you Stephenie Meyer. This review won't contain one tiny spoiler, I promise. I am only going to give a small summary of the first book - because I don't think ANYTHING should be known before reading this truly fantastic series. Bella is a fairly clumsy newcomer to Forks, Washington. Living with her dad and all the rainy, cloudy days will take some getting used to. But when she first lays eyes on the Cullen family in the school cafeteria - the extraordinarily beautiful family, especially one in particular named Edward - she doesn't realized that her entire life is about to change. My reaction to the series? Wow. Just - wow. I love the genre but I just never got around to this series. But with the movie coming out and all the increased buzz going around - my interest piqued. And am I glad it did! There is a magn...