Reading List for YA Lit Course

Starting next week, I will be taking the YA Lit course that my Library Science graduate program offers. I sort of forgot about this course when I went on a massive book buying spree on Saturday. This means that I have a lot of reading goals for the rest of the winter and into spring. For my mini book club that my friend and I do, I have a few books to read through this and next month. Also, she and I both have "catch up" books -- books the other has read that we want to have both read so we can discuss them. So there are our new-to-both-of-us books, and new-to-one-of-us books, and a bunch of books that I have to read for class (about 2 a week). For class, we were given a long list of books, with about 6-8 choices per week, so the list I am including is only of the books I have chosen for those weeks, not the complete options list.

Here are some lists of these books:

Catch-Up Books:

Stolen - Lucy Christopher

The Looking Glass Wars - Frank Beddor

The Replacement - Brenna Yovanoff

Coraline - Neil Gaiman

Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse # 1) - Charlaine Harris

New Books:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (supposed to finish by the end of this month!)

The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (our first sci-fi genre book!)

Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe

Low Red Moon - Ivy Devlin (aka Elizabeth Scott) (we both want to know if this is bad or not...)

Grave Sight - Charlaine Harris (our first mystery genre book!)

Books for YA Lit Course (with due dates!):

Jan 26:

The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton

*The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

The Pigman - Paul Zindel

Feb 2:

*Weetzie Bat - Francesca Lia Block

*Forever - Judy Blume

Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack - M.E. Kerr

Feb 9:

Hope Was Here - Joan Bauer

True Confessions of a Heartless Girl - Martha Brooks

Feb 16:

*Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

*What Would Emma Do? - Eileen Cook

*Breathless - Jessica Warman

Feb 23:

Stoner & Spaz - Ron Koertge

Fat Kid Rules the World - K.L. Going

March 2:

*Suite Scarlett - Maureen Johnson

Fighting Ruben Wolf - Marcus Zusak

Derby Girl - Shauna Cross

March 16:

*Love Sick - Jake Coburn

*Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging - Louise Rennison

Boy Meets Boy - David Levithan

March 23:

Hole in My Life - Jack Gantos

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi

Stiff - Mary Roach

9/11 Report: Graphic Adaptation - Sid Jacobson & Ernie Colon

March 30:

Feed - M.T. Anderson

*The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

*Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia

Fables - Bill Willingham

Keturah and Lord Death - Martine Leavitt

April 6:

*Paper Towns - John Green

Killer's Cousin - Nancy Werline

Silver Kiss - Annette Curtis Klause

April 13:

Sunrise Over Fallujah - Walter Dean Myers

Elephant Run - Roland Smith

April 20:

*Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes - Chris Crutcher

Vegan Virgin Valentine - Carolyn Mackler

April 27:

Your Own, Sylvia - Stephanie Hemphill

Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming - Annette Pina Ochoa

The Starry Rift - Jonathan Strahan

Thicker Than Water - Gordon Snell

The books with * next to them are books I have already read at some time, though I will be rereading them as a refresher. Some of these dates we are required only 2 readings, while a few of these dates we are required to do 4 readings. I included an extra option for a lot of the dates in case I can't get a hold of some of my choices. I'm really hoping this course goes well, since it is on a topic that I (obviously) love, and it is with a professor whom I really enjoy taking classes with.

So... This will be a very ambitious reading time for me.

*face-palm*

Currently Reading: Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black & Justine Larbalestier

The Education of Hailey Kendrick - Eileen Cook - 2011

Title: The Education of Hailey Kendrick

Author: Eileen Cook

Year: 2011

Date Read: 1-16-2011

Overall Rating: * * * 1/2 (3.5/5)

GoodReads Blurb: Hailey Kendrick always does exactly what's expected of her. She has the right friends, dates the perfect boy, gets good grades, and follows all the rules. But one night, Hailey risks everything by breaking a very big rule in a very public way...and with a very unexpected partner in crime. Hailey gets caught, but her accomplice does not, and Hailey takes the fall for both of them.

Suddenly, Hailey's perfect life--and her reputation--are blowing up in her face. Her friends are all avoiding her. Her teachers don't trust her. Her boyfriend won't even speak to her for long enough to tell her that she's been dumped.

They say honesty is the best policy--but some secrets are worth keeping, no matter the cost. Or are they?

Plot: * * * *

Characters: * * * *

Style: * * *

My Review: I liked this book, but not as much as I liked Cook's previous two novels. (Edit: somehow missed that she wrote another book, Unpredictable, which is now at the top of my "Must Find This Book Now" lis). What Would Emma Do? and Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood really grabbed me and I loved the stories and characters. Hailey Kendrick is caught vandalizing a piece of her school campus, and refuses to give up the person she is with because he has more to lose than she does. The story follows the repercussions of her decision not to tell and how this affects her relationships with just about everyone in her life.

I like Hailey, though she was a little too easy a character to peg, and I really liked Drew, the "townie" she meets on cleanup detail. Their conversations were really well done and I loved their back and forth banter. However, the supporting characters, like her friends/boyfriend Tristan, Joel, and Kelsie seemed so boring to me. There was no spark, no reason that I could see to be drawn to any of them, even when Cook explained why/how Hailey and Kelsie became friends.

I felt like the emotional scenes, particularly the weird chemistry that could have happened between Joel and Hailey, the fight between Hailey and her father, and the scenes between Hailey and Tristan could have been more powerful. They felt lacking. I wanted Hailey to scream at her dad, not just forgive him and talk it out and be "closer than ever" in a day. On its own, I would have liked this book more, because even though it was well-written, it didn't feel as strong as her other two books.

Though I would recommend it just because Drew was such a nice character and even though it was a little predictable and had a very "wrapped up in a bow" ending, it was still nice and had a great message to convey about standing up for yourself and learning who you are.

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading: Zombies Vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

Fall for Anything - Courtney Summers - 2010

Title: Fall for Anything

Author: Courtney Summers

Year: 2010

Date Read: 1-12-2011

Overall Rating: * * * * 1/2 (4.5/5)

GoodReads blurb: When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on...but are some questions better left unanswered?

Plot: * * * *

Characters: * * * * *

Style: * * * * *

My Review: Courtney Summers is on a roll. Her characters, especially the lead female characters, are so real, and never perfect, and never fit into that "oh, but I'm so boring and mousy and normal" cliche that seems to happen so frequently in YA lit. Eddie was so mixed up, and flawed, and just sort of broken (temporarily), that she brought me down with her in her grief. Milo, Eddie's best friend, was really what a best friend should be for everyone. When he broke down and finally told Eddie about "that night," it brought another level of understanding to his relationship with Eddie and how he acts towards her. Culler was strange, and also broken, but he should have known better than to manipulate someone's emotions like that, especially a teenage girl grieving her dead father.

The only issues I had with this book, were mostly that I just kept wanting to punch Beth (Eddie's mother's friend) in the face whenever she spoke, because it felt like everyone was forgetting that Eddie was broken too, that her mother should be taking care of her, instead of her mother's friend telling her to get out of the house all the time. This is actually just a sign of a well written character though, since Beth was so convincingly annoying that she made me angry.

Summers' writing always feels true and real, and not glossed over or romanticized like many authors tend to do. I think this is part of what draws me to her books over and over. Nothing seems fake or perfect or set up. Her first three novels have really hit home with me and I look forward to her having a long career. So much care seems to be put into her stories and the lives she creates, it's so refreshing and so raw.

To Buy: Amazon

Currently Reading: The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook

My Book List Update

I've never really listed the books I plan to read in the future... meaning the dozens of books I buy and put on a list to read and then never do. I've already written them down on a piece of paper, but I'll type up maybe 10 or 15 of them here. Maybe this will force me to read some of the books I'm not all that excited about.
Now, you ask, why would I buy books I'm not excited about? Well, because there are some books that have been recommended to me, or that I'm the last person on earth to read (sorry Harry Potter), or that I know are supposed to be good and well written books but just aren't appealing to me. However, I am able to get past my likes or dislikes and at least admit when I book I've read has been a good book, even if I didn't enjoy it myself.
SO here's the list of upcoming books, possibly won't be read in this order:
Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe
Dork Whore by Iris Bahr
Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Footfree & Fancyloose by Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain
Gone by Michael Grant
Redwall by Brian Jacques
All Souls by Michael Patrick MacDonald

I'll try and stick to the list, however a few books are coming out soon that I am really excited about, and I will probably drop everything and read them as soon as they are in my hands... Really, it just can't be helped!

Still reading "Dismantled." An update will come when I'm further into it.

I lied.

Yes, I lied. I said I would write multiple times a week, and then I didn't write for months. My bad.
I've decided to take a new approach, and just write when I want to. Though I will still be writing about books.
Right now I am reading The Lord of the Rings books, and I am only about 50 pages into The Fellowship of the Ring. So far I like it a lot, and I like that I can hear the characters' voices in my head thanks to the movies. Before I started it, I reread The Hobbit. It was a little harder for me to get into this time, but after I made myself accept that Bilbo is just an extraordinarily lucky little man, it got easier. My boyfriend is excited that I am reading the LOTR books so that I can tell him all the differences between the books and the movies. I don't know why he doesn't just read them himself, but it may be because he'd rather being playing LOTROnline. Who knows?
I am also rereading The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, mostly for the Vlogbrothers/nerd fighters blurbing book club. I liked the book the first time I read it, but I think I was 15 and that most of the meaning of the book escaped my grasp.
And since I can't just read two books at a time, I also just started The Chronicles of Narnia. I like it so far, though my mom said she couldn't get past the first book (The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe) because of the religious undertones. And I know they're there, but since I lack quite a lot of religious knowledge I think I will be able to try and ignore it, or else learn from it. We'll see.
I am probably reading other books too.
I just read a whole slew of YA fiction, including the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield and some books a friend recommended. I didn't much care for the books she suggested, which is unusual since I love YA fiction more than any other genre. The Uglies series was alright, I didn't like the writing style but I liked the story. I also read The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson and I definitely liked that. A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian was good too, although I kept wanting the main character to just stick up for herself already!
After (or during) the LOTR and Narnia series I will be moving on to Maureen Johnson's Girl at Sea, E. Lockhart's The Boyfriend List, and Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.
It will be a busy summer of reading for me. Besides those books (which I just bought yesterday) I already have a list of 50 or so books that I own and haven't read yet. My plan is to read them all before 2009, but I don't know how that will work out.
I'll keep you posted. (Or will I?).
In other news, I've easily become roped in by the first episode of The Secret Life of American Teenagers on ABC Family. It's sort of like Degrassi, only less Canadian (not that Canadian is necessarily bad).
Also, can I just say that it would be amazing if the vlogbrothers could go on tour and come to the Boston/Massachusetts area? Hopefully their "Tour de nerd fighting" will make it here!
Also, I graduated! Hooray Me!!!

Books and Blogs

I've decided I need to write more, as well as read more. So I'm turning those two things into a project/challenge for myself. I've already made a list of the books currently in my bedroom waiting to be read and as I slowly trod through them, I'll be writing about them here. Hopefully this will happen more than once a week, but I can't promise anything.
First up is Augusten Burroughs' "Running with Scissors." I'm only a few chapters in, but so far I like it. I think I'll have more to say when I've read a bit further into it. Once I'm finished will it be worth it to rent the movie?
Throughout the course of this project, anyone reading this might notice that I can't keep a straight line of thought. So if you get confused.. it's not you, it's me. And I'll always try to end each day with a little something to think about.. For instance, who was the first person to hire Kathy Bates, and why?