Sequel to Perfect Chemistry

Last year I read and loved Perfect Chemistry. Since then I have read three more of Ekeles' books, and I know that she is an author that I will want to get every book she writes. I recently noticed that there is going to be a sequel to Perfect Chemistry and I was not sure how that would work since it seemed like Perfect Chemistry had a pretty solid ending.

However, I just read this description for the new book, Rules of Attraction, on Ekeles' creative site, and I could not be more excited.

"When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now."

I am really glad that the book will focus on Alex's little brother. I really enjoy books that while not continuing to follow the same main characters still have common characters. It will be nice to have the familiar characters, while having new ones in the spotlight. I also love the front cover. I can't wait for the release in April 2010. I wonder if Ekeles is working on another fun rap video book trailer.

Ink Exchange Bargain Price

Earlier this summer I read Wicked Lovely, and I knew that eventually I would want to read the other two. I was just getting a couple of books off of my Amazon wishlist, and I realized that right now the Ink Exchange paperback is listed as a bargain price of only $3.60! I was so excited, and put it in my cart right away. I thought others would be excited as well.

The 10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge

Just when I told myself that the 2010 Debut Author Challenge would be my only challenge this year, I saw Kay Cassidy's post about 10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge co-hosted with Teen Book Blogger Jessica. The best thing is that I already have loads of books in my TBR pile that qualify, so I won't even have to spend any more money to participate in the challenge. Here is my list of possibilities, as I may alter my list as I go along or I might not be able to read all of the books in the year. I will read at least ten though. Also there are a few on my list that I am not completely sure are teen chick lit, but I will decide when I read them if they seem to fit or not.

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles
Twisted Sisters by Stephanie Hale
Revenge of the Homecoming Queen by Stephanie Hale
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
Rumors Anna Godbersen
Envy Anna Godbersen
How to Salsa in a Sari by Dona Sarkar
Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
The Elite by Jennifer Banash
In Too Deep by Jennifer Banash
Violet by Design by Melissa Walker
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler
Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald
Schooled by Anisha Lakhani
Zeta or Omega? by Kate Harmon
Violet in Private by Melissa Walker
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
Rich Boys by Jenny O'Connell

Simone Elkeles also has more books coming out this year that I would love to read, so while I said I don't HAVE to spend any money to participate in the challenge, I am sure that I will be buying some more books that will fit the genre.

YA for your Inner Teen

I was just reading this post over at Class of 2k9 mentioning whether or not the authors in the class wrote with an age group in mind. I loved Cheryl Renée Herbsman's response, "I think the teen years are such an intense part of life, an era that stays with you always in some way or another. It’s a time that’s so tumultuous. It never ceases to draw me in. So I write with a mind to my inner teen. And I still love reading YA. So I don’t think of it as writing only for teens, just the teen within all of us." (emphasis mine) YA is one of my absolute favorite genres, and it was fun to see Herbsman mention why so many adults are still drawn to the genre.

Bella at Midnight

In November I started reading Bella at Midnight with a group of my students as part of a book club. I always enjoy book clubs most when I am reading the book for the first time along with my students. The novel set in the medieval world told from multiple perspectives tells the story of Isabella beginning with a little background about her parents and the events that led her father to send her to live with peasants right after her birth. She stays with the family and becomes best friends with the prince who was also coincidentally with the family as a baby. The beginning of the book foreshadows that the two will have intertwined lives and that nobody could expect just how their lives would unfold.

The story is told in three books, introducing new characters and twists to the plot in each one. I enjoyed seeing how the events all came together and the role that each of the narrators would play in the grand scheme of the story. There was also smatterings of magic to add to the plot. From beginning to end, my mind was busy predicting and guessing what was going to happen next.

Shiver

This summer I heard some buzz about Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, and I knew it was a book that I would love to read. At a recent trip to Borders I could not resist buying a copy, even though it was still only available in hard cover, and I was really trying to not spend as much money on books. I am so glad that I gave in and bought the book!

Grace has always had a fascination with the wolves that live in the woods by her house, especially her wolf, the wolf with the yellow eyes, the one who saved her from being killed by the pack of wolves in her childhood. She longs for her wolf in the summer months when he is absent. What she does not know is that he is not just an ordinary wolf. In those months he is not really gone but in human form. A change in events leads the two to meet each other as humans and she discovers not only his secrets but more about herself along the way. The two struggle to find a way to keep him as a human so they can stay together. His seasons as a human are running short. If he shifts back to being a wolf, it just may be that he never turns into a human again.

The novel had a lot of action and suspense as I was wondering just how all the events would come together. It was also fun to read the book to see how the wolves in this book would be similar to those in the Twilight saga, as well as ways that they were different. Many of my students have maintained a high interest for novels with the plots of romance between humans and vampires or werewolves with series like Vampire Academy and Vampire Kisses; however, I have not noticed any of them read Shiver yet. I am sure that they would be excited about the book.

I just realized that Stiefvater will be releasing a sequel, Linger in July of 2010. A fun summer read to look forward to! In case you want to see other thoughts on the book, here is one of the reviews I read earlier this summer that prompted me to head straight to Amazon to add it to my wishlist so that I would not forget to read the book.

Mistletoe

Last year around this time I heard about Mistletoe: Four Holiday Stories by Hailey Abbott, Melissa de la Cruz, Aimee Friedman, and Nina Malkin. I was excited that a copy came available on Book Mooch; however, I decided to save it until the holidays came around again since it was January when I received it. Last night I pulled it out to read while I was waiting for the girls to go fast asleep so that Santa could make an appearance. I had read other books where a group of authors came together to write stories, and once again, I loved the set-up. Each story was unique but fit well with the overall unifying theme of romance and discovering what is truly important during the holidays.

While I expected the book to focus on high school characters, I often found myself forgetting it was a YA book. In one story they actually were in their first year of college (Friedman). Another had an actor "It" boy who was already living on his own, and the story reminded me more of chick lit than YA (Malkin). The other two did have characters who were still high school aged and had more of traditional high school themes.

I enjoyed the holiday read. It is fun to have a change of pace and move through stories faster than novels, although I often do wish that I could read more about the characters.