Blindsided

Blindsided by Karis Walsh is romance between a television news host and a trainer of guide dogs.

Cara Bradley is the host of the television show Around the Sound which highlights people around Puget Sound who do good for other people or the environment. Cara loves her job, but her family thinks she needs to climb up the ladder to a more prestigious position as a news host. Cara just likes meeting people who care about others and not just their own fame.

Lenae McIntyre has just opened her own center to train guide dogs for the blind. She left a life in television news writing to do some good in the world and give others the freedom a guide dog provides. She has matched a few people with dogs and her center is starting with her first batch of puppies.

Cara and her crew show up at the McIntyre Training Center to interview Lenae. After a rocky start to their meeting, Cara and Lenae reluctantly agree to work together to promote the training center. As they learn to trust each other, they realize there is an attraction they cannot ignore.

Walsh has written a sweet romance with two great characters - plus puppies!

Walsh, Karis (2014). Blindsided. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by AS King is the story of one girl who can see the future - or is losing it.

Glory is about to graduation from high school. She has no immediate plans for her future except to take pictures. She wants to find her place in the world - a place she is not sure is secure since her own mother committed suicide.

Then, after drinking a disgusting concoction, Glory is able to see the past and future of people. Each time she looks into someone's eyes, Glory has visions of his/her great-great grandmother on the Underground Railroad or escaping from Nazis. She can also see future generations - and the next US Civil War.

In order to keep track of what she is learning, Glory starts to write a history of the future. She is also dealing with her mother's death, her father's sadness, and a best friend she doesn't really like.

King is a masterful storyteller. Her characters are either more advanced than average or they are crazy. Readers will have to decide. Read any of her books!


King, AS. (2014). Glory O'Brien's History of the Future. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Personal (Jack Reacher #19)

Personal by Lee Child is the nineteenth book in his Jack Reacher series - Reacher is a retired Army MP who wanders the United States and steps in to solve crimes or inflict justice when he feels necessary.

Though Reacher has been out of the Army for years, you are never really out of the Army. On a bus near Seattle, Reacher finds a copy of the Army Times and sees his name in a personal ad. It says to call General Shoemaker - he is calling in a favor.

Reacher calls from Seattle and is put through to General Shoemaker. He is told to wait in the coffee shop across the street. A half hour later Reacher is on his way to a base to be flown across the country to North Carolina.

There has been an attempt on the President of France. The shot was from almost three quarters of a mile. As there are only a couple dozen people in the world who could make that shot, Shoemaker has brought Reacher in because one of the potential suspects is someone he arrested sixteen years before.

Reacher will be partnered with Casey Nice of the State Department to investigate the few Americans on the suspect list. They will travel to the mid-West, France and England before the case is solved - and the time limit put on the case is running out. They have to find the sniper before the G8 meeting in London.

Child has created a great character in Jack Reacher. Fans will continue to follow his through his travels and adventures.

Child, Lee. (2014). Personal. New York: Delacourte Press.

The Job (Fox and O'Hare #3)

The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg is the third book in their Fox and O'Hare series. Nick Fox is an thief who is known for the elaborate cons he uses to steal. Kate O'Hare is an FBI agent who chased Fox for years before catching him. Now they are secretly working together to take down international bad guys.

Fox and O'Hare are getting the team back together to go after a ruthless criminal who disappeared years ago. Rumor has it that when he disappeared, he had plastic surgery but Fox has an idea to lure him out.

Evanovich and Goldberg have created a series that is a cross between the TV shows White Collar and Leverage - the bait set to catch the bad guys is creative and fun, a giant con that only works because of the greed of the mark.

This is a great series. Read it from the beginning!

Evanovich, Janet and Lee Goldberg. (2014). The Job. New York: Bantam Books.

Gathering Darkness (Falling Kingdoms #3)

Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes is the third book in her Falling Kingdoms fantasy series.

Mytica has been united through war. Now the king's goal is to find four ancient / mythical stones that contain magic that used to be free in the land. Anyone who controls even one of the Kindred will have access to almost limitless power. But the king is not the only one looking for the stones.

Princess Cleo, married to the conquering king's son Magnus also seek the stones to reclaim her throne. Magnus also wants the stones to overthrow his father. And his sister, Lucia, the most powerful sorceress born in one thousand years seeks the stones to restore the land that has been dying since the magic was trapped long ago.

For reasons of love, greed and vengeance the land of Mythica people are racing against each other to claim a magic that until recently was thought to exist only in bedtime stories - but if they are real, the one who controls them will rule the land.

Rhodes has created a great fantasy series filled with compelling characters. This series is worth reading.

Rhodes, Morgan. (2014). Gathering Darkness. New York: Razor Bill.

Cauldron (Priscilla Hutchins #6)

Cauldron by Jack McDevitt is the sixth book in his science fiction series featuring Priscilla Hutchins.

In 2255 the age of space travel is winding down. Though there are faster than light ships, it still takes a while to arrive anywhere far away and the programs have slowly been cut. The Prometheus Foundation is one of the few privately funded agencies who still has a couple of active ships.

Priscilla Hutchins, former star pilot, is a fundraiser for Prometheus. After an event she is approached by a man who says he has a new engine that will make the current Hazeltine seem slow. He claims that space travel can be so much faster than humans could reach the center of the Universe.

If the tests work, a new age of space exploration will be underway. But if it fails, the Prometheus Foundation will only have one remaining ship and little hope of staying in business.

McDevitt has created a great science fiction series featuring an awesome character in Hutch.

McDevitt, Jack. (2007). Cauldron. New York: Ace Books.

Gracefully Grayson

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky is the story of a  girl who is trapped in the body of a boy. I believe it is the first middle grade novel to deal with a transgender protagonist.

Grayson Sender lives with his aunt, uncle and two cousins in Chicago. He is in sixth grade and does well in school - at least as far as grades go. He does not have any friends. He has isolated himself from others because he has a secret.

Each morning after Grayson gets dressed he imagines himself wearing other clothes. His pants become a shirt or a dress. It used to be that the image lasted longer, but now it fades by mid-morning and he is wearing boy clothes again.

Grayson is sure that if his classmates knew how he feels they would make fun of him. But his true self is trying to break through. When a notice goes up to audition for the school play, Grayson signs up - and tries for the lead of Persephone.

Polonsky has written a beautiful book exploring what makes a person one gender or the other.  Grayson is a wonderful character readers will love. Read this book today.

Polonsky, Ami. (2014). Gracefully Grayson. New York: Hyperion.

The Raft

The Raft by SA Bodeen is a survival story in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Robie lives on Midway Atoll, a 2.4 square mile island northwest of Hawaii. When she gets stir crazy on the small island mostly filled with researchers, she visits her aunt in Hawaii.

After staying with her aunt for a few days, her aunt has to fly to the mainland for work. Robie, at sixteen, is too young to stay on her own in the city. A friend of her aunt promises to check on her each day, but on her first night alone Robie walks to get food after dark and is attacked by a crazy man. After she escapes she decides to fly home.

Residents of Midway can catch a ride on any of the supply planes with no ticket or reservation. As long as there is room (or something can be taken off for the next flight to keep under the weight limit) they can fly home. Robie show up at the small airport about an hour before the flight is to leave. At the last minute she is put on the plane and they take off - a few hours behind schedule. Neither her aunt or her parents know she is going home.

A couple of hours into the flight they hit a storm. After a while of turbulence, one engine dies. Max, the copilot, tells Robie to put on a life vest and get ready to open a life raft once she is outside of the plane. Then he throws her out the door.

Max and Robie make it into the life raft but have no way to know where they are, no way to steer even if they knew which way to go, no fresh water, and one bag of Skittles for food.

Bodeen has written a harrowing tale of survival against the odds. Readers will enjoy the story while being glad they are not in Robie's shoes.

Bodeen, S.A. (2012). The Raft. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3)

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers is the third book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy - an historical series set in 1400s Brittany when Duchess Anne, at twelve years old, inherits the throne.

The Convent of Saint Mortain, the god of Death, trains young women to be assassins. They are educated in combat, espionage, poisons and seduction. When they are ready they are sent out to do Mortain's will - as seen by the Seer.

Annith has been at the convent since a couple of days after she was born. She has seen friends be sent on missions, but she has not been sent out. She knows she is ready - she is better at most lessons than the teachers at this point. With Brittany on the brink of war she needs to be out there helping.

When Annith finds out she will become the next Seer - a skill she has never been shown to have - she fears being trapped in the convent for live. She decides to escape and track down the Abbess to prove she can function as an assassin.

Annith will meet up with both the feared Hellequin who hunt souls in the night and the Arduinna, followers of a goddess wronged by Mortain and therefore enemies of hers. She will make her way to the court of Brittany and do what she can to keep the country from falling to France.

LaFevers has created a wonderful series set in a fascinating time in history. Read them!

LaFevers, Robin. (2014). Mortal Heart. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Endsinger (Lotus War #3)

Endsinger by Jay Kristoff is the third book in his Lotus War trilogy a fantasy / science fiction blend about a world based on Japanese mythology.

There is civil war across the Shima Imperium. What is left of the ruling Kazumitsu Shogunate and the Lotus Guild are fighting the Kage rebels and other dissidents lead by a young woman who has tamed a Thunder Tiger.


The four clans have always pledged allegiance to the Shogun. But with his death, two clans have not committed to his successor - a man the Lotus Guild is using as a puppet to take over total control of Shima. 

The Lotus Guild has been keeping people in line with the growth of the blood lotus - a drug to which much of the population is addicted and has taken over so much crop land there is not enough food. The Guild is mechanized and the resulting pollution have gone too far.

In this third volume, war will decide who is to rule the land of Shima - who will be in charge of the final destruction or the slow healing of that land. Kristoff has created a fascinating world combining fantasy / mythology with science fiction machines.

Kristoff, Jay. (2014). Endsinger. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Wildlife

Wildlife by Fiona Wood is the story of a semester spent in the woods.

Crowthrone Grammar high school in Melbourne, Australia sends kids to live in the woods for one semester, the equivalent their sophomore year. They still have to take classes, but the focus is on getting in shape and learning to survive outdoors. Each student has to complete overnight hikes and one solo overnight.

Sibylla Quinn will be joining classmates, a couple she has known since kindergarten, living in the woods for nine weeks. She has never been overly popular, but due to a new ad campaign that put her picture on billboards around town, she will come to the attention of the most popular guy in school.

Louisa is new to Crowthorne and is hoping the setting and group of people will help her move on from the death of her best friend. She is not looking forward to meeting new people, but her therapist is hopeful.

Wood has written a well-crafted novel of coming of age and the meaning of friendship. Readers will alternately like and loath characters as Sib and Lou find their place in the world. Wildlife has been short-listed for a few Australian teen book awards.

Wood, Fiona. (2013). Wildlife. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Boxers and Saints

Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang is his two book series about the Boxer Rebellion in China - each from a different point of view.


Boxers is told from the point of view of Little Bao. Bao is from a traditional Chinese village. His first encounter with a foreigner is when a group of men come to "get justice" for someone by stealing vegetables. While they are there they smash a deity who protects the village.

This leads Little Bao to train to fight and eventually form the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fist - traveling from village to village defending people. They call upon the spirits of the gods to save China.

Saints is from the point of view of  Four-girl. She never fit in with her family and decides to become a devil. Since she doesn't know how to become a devil, she talks to a man called a foreign devil, who is a priest. When she hears of a group of men roaming the countryside killing missionaries, priests and Chinese Christians she knows she is destined to be a warrior woman like Joan of Arc.

Bao and Four-girl meet twice in the books which tell their stories in parallels. Yang is a master of the graphic novel - capturing so much with so few words and beautiful illustrations. For a study guide visit goodokbad.

Yang, Gene Luen. (2013). Boxers. New York: First Second.

Yang, Gene Luen. (2013). Saints. New York: First Second.

No One Needs to Know

No One Needs to Know by Amanda Grace is love triangle with a twist.

Zoey is on scholarship to a private girls school in Tacoma, Washington. She was hoping to use the school as a way to change her life - allow her to go to college and make life better for her little sister. But the first week of school freshman year, she made a mistake at a party. Now, three years later, her reputation is still in ruins. She has few friends and she is biding her time to graduation - when she will work full-time to help get her sister out of their neighborhood school.

Olivia is one of the most popular girls in school. She has been best friends with her twin brother their whole life. But he has been pulling away lately. They go to different schools and he doesn't want to spend their eighteenth birthday together.

Zoey and Olivia are put together in history class to work on a project. They have never been friends and have ideas about each other. Reluctantly, they plan a paper they will write. Then, coincidentally, Zoey meets Olivia's brother Liam.

Grace has written a story of friendship, family, first love and getting to know people beyond the image they project to strangers. Great, fast read.

Grace, Amanda. (2014). No One Needs to Know. MN: Flux.

Wild Rover No More (Bloody Jack #12)

Wild Rover No More: Being the Last Recorded Account of the Life and Times of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer is the twelfth book in his Bloody Jack series - featuring a main character who readers gladly follow from disaster to adventure.

Jacky is now a free adult. She is nineteen and based in Boston but still spend much of her time on one of her sailing ships. When returning from the south, Jacky brings a diplomatic pouch - as required by law when asked. But this is not an official pouch, but a forgery that contains evidence to frame Jacky for traitorous acts.

When Jacky finds out about the plot against her, she flees Boston to hide until her friends can clear her name. She will play a governess to a monster of a child, and as fans have been waiting for, she will join the circus.

Meyer has written a wonderful character who gets herself into and out of trouble with the grace of a ballerina. Mary Jacky Faber is a delight to follow through an exciting time in history. Start the series at the beginning with Blood Jack.

Meyer, L.A. (2014). Wild Rover No More. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Looking for Trouble (Girls Night Out #2)

Looking for Trouble by Victoria Dahl is the fourth book in her Jackson Hole, Wyoming series and the second book in the Girls Night Out.

Sophie has lived in Jackson Hole her entire life. She is a librarian and has a group of friends who get together every week for dinner. There is a firefighter who works next door to the library who is always asking her out. But Sophie is waiting for someone - someone who sees past her quiet, conservative clothing to the person she truly is underneath.

Alex Bishop is back in town after sixteen years. He left the second he graduated from high school has not looked back. His childhood was overshadowed by the disappearance of his father. His mother repeatedly pulled Alex and his brother Shane out of school to follow rumors of where their father went.

Now Alex is back for a memorial service for his father, but the first night he is in town he runs into a beautiful woman who he would like to see again. While Sophie knows who Alex is - the family resemblance is strong between the brothers - Alex doesn't know that Sophie is the daughter of the woman his father left with.

Dahl is a master storyteller. Her characters are wonderfully flawed. Her stories are steamy and always have laugh-out-loud moments. Victoria Dahl is the place to start if you have never read a romance novel.

Dahl, Victoria. (2014). Looking for Trouble. New York: HQN.

Show of Force

Show of Force by AJ Quinn is the story an a Navy pilot and a foreign correspondent who fall in love.

Tate McKenna is a US journalist living in Bahrain. She is currently covering the Secretary of State's tour of the Middle East.

Commander Evan Kane, US Navy pilot of the F-18A is stationed on the USS Nimitz currently in the Middle East. She will be attending a US Embassy event scheduled for the Secretary of State's visit.

When Tate sees Evan across the room she is instantly intrigued. When she sees her ask the Secretary of State to dance and they waltz like dance instructors, she is amazed. What woman would have chutzpah to ask the highest ranking woman in the US to dance - and in a region not known for its gay rights.

It isn't until she is completely hooked that Tate finds out that Evan is the Secretary's daughter. And while it could make her job uncomfortable, she has to take a chance.

Quinn has written a suspense novel with military action, two great characters, a homicidal terrorist in a fast-paced read that fans will devour.

Quinn, A.J. (2013). Show of Force. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson is the story of one young woman making a difference.

Princess Elisa of Orovalle is being married today on her sixteenth birthday. She will be marrying the king of the neighboring land of Joya D'Arena - a man she has never met.

Once married they will travel to his land. Elisa will be accompanied by the two people she trust most in her life - her nurse and her maid. She will move to a land where she knows no one else.

There is something about Princess Elisa that makes her a target in her own country and by moving she may be safer. She has been blessed with possession of the godstone - a jewel that appeared in her belly on her naming day. Once every fourth generation one person is chosen to become a hero or accomplish a great feat. Elisa cannot imagine what she will do to complete hers.

Carson has written an enjoyable novel with an unlikely hero who is forged by her journey into the savior for her people.

Carson, Rae (2011). The Girl of Fire and Thorns. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Rebel Spring (Falling Kingdoms #2)

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes is the second book in her Falling Kingdoms fantasy series.

The three kingdoms of the land of Mytica have been united by King Giaus through trickery and war. Now to cement his rule, he has promise a marriage between his son Magnus and Princess Cleo of the conquered Auranos.

The two conquered lands are not settled. While many of the upper classes of Auranos have let themselves be brought in my Giaus's smooth words and promised, the citizens of Paelsia have been forced into labor camps to build a road linking Auranos, Paelsia and Limeros and continuing into the Forbidden Mountains. The road is not merely a path, but a way to connect the dying land to they mythical land of the Watchers - to regain magic that has been lost for a thousand years.

Four young people will determine the fate of humanity and even that of the Watchers. Princess Cleo vows to regain her father's kingdom and help the people. Jonas Agallon, leader of the rebels, will try to free his people from slavery and avenge his brother. Prince Magnus will attempt to seize power from his father with a lost artifact that will give him power. And Princess Lucia, Magnus's sister, is the sorceress who has been prophesized for generations. 

Rhodes has created a great YA fantasy series with espionage, war, politics, and magic.

Rhodes, Morgan. (2013). Rebel Spring. New York: Razorbill.

Secret Lies

Secret Lies by Amy Dunne is the story of a new friendship that changes the lives of both young women.

Jenny O'Connor is popular. She and her three best friends are known for their rude comments toward other students. But the truth is that she is never the one saying rude things and she doesn't really like two of her three friends. She doesn't feel like she can be herself around them.

Nicola Jackson does not really have any friends. Her life consists of high school and trying to avoid her mother's boyfriend. Since she was twelve, he has been beating her and threatening to kill her.

After a particularly rough morning Nicola is fleeing her home when she literally runs into Jenny. She knows who Jenny is but doesn't believe that Jenny knows who she is - but Jenny has noticed her before. Jenny offers to take Nicola home and clean up her hand that was hurt when they crashed to the ground.

Nicola is suspicious, but Jenny seems to genuinely want to help. After spending the day together, Jenny convinces Nic to spend the night - and when she accidentally walks in on Nic changing into her pajamas and sees the scars on her back, she makes up a lie to convince her parents to allow Nic to move in for a while.

Dunne has written a steamy teen romance novel with an underlying story of overcoming abuse. Both of her characters have secrets that they have never felt comfortable talking about and together they begin to heal. This is a great YA lesbian novel.

Dunne, Amy. (2013). Secret Lies. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

Odyssey (Priscilla Hutchins #5)

Odyssey by Jack McDevitt is the fifth book in his science fiction series featuring Priscilla Hutchins.

Humans have been exploring outer space for decades. Life has been found on a handful of planets - but no other technologically advanced race has been seen. UFO sightings of the 1960s have been replaced by the idea of moonriders - aliens or ships that are out there but the government is not admitting it.

More moonriders have been spotted over the last few months than any other time - to the point where the Academy has scheduled a flight to leave monitors where they were seen. A team of four will be sent on a one month flight to place monitors in a few locations to hopefully capture proof of technology from another race.

The Academy is in the midst of political termoil after an asteroid narrowly misses Earth. While it is not the prevue of the Academy to watch for them (Congress cut funding to the program that was tasked with watching) they are bearing the brunt of the political upheaval. The combination of the asteroid and a flight to search for moonriders may leave the Academy open for attack by its enemies - unless the moonriders prove to be real.

McDevitt's wonderful series continues with this novel. His characters are great, his world building impeccable, and his weaving of many stories and personalities makes for great reading.

McDevitt, Jack. (2006). Odyssey. New York: Ace Books.

Conservative Affairs

Conservative Affairs by Riley Scott is the story about a speech writer for the Mayor of Oklahoma City.

Jo Carson is the mayor's speech writer. And her current assignment is to write a speech supporting traditional marriage and the defense of marriage act. While the mayor ran on a platform of fixing corruption, but as a southern republican, she is expected to take a stand against gay marriage. Jo respects Mayor Stratton, but as a closeted lesbian, doesn't love all aspects of her job.

When a staff member hears that the mayor's husband was caught leading a woman-not-his-wife into a hotel, Jo is the one who volunteers to tell Stratton. While their marriage has not been good for years, Madeline Stratton is shocked to hear the news. In an effort to provide for the mayor's well-being, Jo whisks the mayor away from the office. With the media circling, Jo takes her to her own apartment to hide out and regroup.

When Madeline discovers that Jo is likely a lesbian, her reaction is not what Jo expects. Scott has written a fast moving political novel with two hot main characters who feel an attraction they cannot control and placed them in the middle of one of the most controversial civil rights battle going on today.

Scott, Riley. (2014). Conservative Affairs. Tallahassee: Bella Books.

Timeless

Timeless by Rachel Spangler is the story of Stevie Geller going back to her hometown to accept an award that will change her life.

Stevie Geller is a successful novelist and playwright. She lives in New York and has since she left high school and headed to NYU. She hasn't looked back in ten years.

When her manager tells her that she is getting an award from an arts committee in the town where she grew up, Darlington, Illinois, she tells him she is not going to the ceremony. Stevie likes to write from the comfort of her loft and does not feel the need to mingle with her readers. If there is a cause she feels strongly about, she writes a check. She is an author not a gay-rights activist. After some arguing, Stevie agrees to go to Darlington, but only for 34 hours.

At dinner with her hosts, and her manager, Stevie sees her high school English and theater teacher, Jody, the woman who made Stevie admit to herself that she is lesbian. And who still takes her breath away.

Then at the award assembly, in front of the entire student body, Stevie's anxiety about public speaking and being noticed kicks in. She has no idea what has happened, but when she wakes up it appears to be 2002 again. And she has to go to school - with all of the knowledge of a 28 year-old. Stevie must confront a few things in her life before she will be sent back to the present day - but first she has to figure out what they are - while trying to ignore her strong feelings for her teacher.

Spangler has written a enjoyable book that allows her character to change the course of her life. The story is sweet and the premise horrifying - then again, having the knowledge and maturity of a twenty-eight year old could make high school less painful, right?

Spangler, Rachel. (2014). Timeless. New York: Bold Strokes.

Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1)

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes is the first book in her fantasy series of the same name.

The three lands of Auranos, Paelsia and Limeros used to be one land back when elemental magic was free in the world. Now the three kingdoms have little to do with each other. Limeros in the north is frozen for all but a couple of months a year. Paelsia is becoming a desert where little will grow. Auranos in the south is the most prosperous.

Four young people from the three lands will determine the future. Princess Cleiona Bellos of Auranos is about to begin a journey through enemy territory in search of a magic legend. Jonas is enraged at the death of his brother at the hands of a royal from the south and will fight to the death to avenge him. Lucia discovers she is adopted as strange things begin to happen around her. And Prince Magnus of Limeros will be changed forever when he reveals his heart to the one he loves.

Rhodes has created a great fantasy series. This first installment will entice readers to follow the four characters through the misery and hope of love, loss, espionage, and war.

Rhodes, Morgan. (2012). Falling Kingdoms. New York:Razor Bill.

Afterworlds

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld is a story inside of another story. One is about Darcy Patel who has just signed a contract with a publisher to write two books, one of which has the first draft completed. The other story is the one that Darcy wrote.

Darcy Patel just graduated from high school. Her parents think she is off to college, but she is about to surprise them. She has just signed a contract (for a lot of money) to write two books for Underbridge Publishing. And she is going to defer college, move to New York City and write for the next year. Darcy's sister, Nisha, has created a budget based on her contract salary that will give her a couple of years in the city.

Darcy's first night in NYC she attends a YA authors drinks night. She is shocked to see so many authors she looks up to at the event. And she meets the newly signed authors whose books are yet to be printed - among them Imogen Gray.

The protagonist of Patel's book, Lizzie, is in the opposite chapters. Lizzie is on her way home from visiting her father in New York City, on a layover in Dallas, when terrorists attack the airport. She is far enough away to call 911 and the dispatcher encourages her to play dead. Lizzie plays dead so well she leaves her body and crosses over into the flipside. There she meets Yamaraj who helps her understand what is happening and then guides her back into her body.

Westerfeld has created two stories in one, both with great lead protagonist and a variety of wonderful supporting characters. The descriptions of YA authordom seem real and exciting filled with humor and anecdotes that have likely happened to Westerfeld or his friends. (I know that like one of the characters, author Libba Bray had a friend lock her in the trunk of a car to be able to describe it accurately.) Afterworlds is definitely worth a read.

Westerfeld, Scott. (2014). Afterworlds. New York: Simon Pulse.

Clariel (Abhorsen #4)

Clariel by Garth Nix is a prequel to his Abhorsen trilogy and takes place 600 years before Sabriel's book in the same Old Kingdom.

Clariel, the daughter of a High Goldsmith, has just moved to the city of Belisaere. She would prefer to have stayed near the forest where she could apply to be a Boarderer.

Now she has to attend a kind of finishing school for the Guild families where she will be guided in classes that will help her achieve her goals. But Clariel is not adjusting well to the city. Her focus is on how to get back to the forest.

As a cousin to the king, she will be granted an audience with him. He has stopped ruling the kingdom and is waiting for his daughter to take over - but she has been missing for years. The only rituals he still follows are the ancient, including the kin gift.

In the vacuum that the king has left, the head of the Goldsmith Guild has become the governor and taken over much of the ruling of the city and it surrounding areas. There are rumors that Governor Kilp has plans to take over the kingdom by finding a relative of the king he can use as a puppet.

Nix has delighted Abhorsen fans by giving us a new book 14 years after the last and does not disappoint. He is a masterful storyteller using a wonderful world. This is one of the best fantasy series - and it now continues.

Nix, Garth. (2014). Clariel. New York: Harper.

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan, author of If You Could Be Mine, is a wonderful lesbian young adult novel.

Leila is an Iranian American living in Boston. She attend the private school Armstead Academy. She is hoping to get through high school without anyone finding out she likes girls. But when a new student arrives, she is smitten.

Saskia is not like other high school students. She is confident and does what she wants. And she decides she wants to be friends with Leila when Leila gives her a tour of the school.

As Leila confronts her feelings she is convinced to try out for the school play. She auditions for a role opposite Saskia in the hopes of getting closer to her. And it looks as if her feelings may be reciprocated.

Farizan has written another great GLBTQ novel. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite YA authors. Read her books.

Farizan, Sara. (2014). Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel. New York: Algonquin.

Young Elites (Young Elites #1)

Young Elites by Marie Lu is the first book in her new fantasy series.

Ten years ago a blood plague passed through the land of Kenettra. Many died. Many children who survived were scared or changed. There are now rumors that some of them developed powers.

Adelina Amouteru lived through the plague but lost an eye. She is now a malfetto, seen as a second class citizen to be feared. She has ruined her merchant father's change of getting a good price for her in marriage. Her sister also had the blood plague but escaped without scaring.

When Adelina overhears her father agree to sell her to pay off her debt she has to run away. Before she can get far her father finds her, but something snaps in her. Somehow she calls demons from the shadows and in the terror, her father is trampled by a horse. She is arrested for murder.

Before Adelina can be burned at the stake, the Young Elites - those with powers - come to save her. Now she will have to learn to control her power and become a Dagger, or fail and be killed.

Lu is a master storyteller. This beginning to a new series will delight fans of her dystopian series Legend and new readers alike. Get it from the library today.

Lu, Marie. (2014). The Young Elites. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa by Kristen Lippert-Martin is about a girl who doesn't know who she is.

Sarah - at least that is what people call her, she doesn't think it sounds exactly right - is in a hospital. She is undergoing treatment to have memories removed.

Just before her latest surgery, the power goes out. She is returned to her room where she finds a note. The note says to take the pill and lay still on her bed. She doesn't know who wrote the note, but she takes the pill and lays down.

When she has a memory of her life she flies out of bed. Under her bed she finds clothing and a pass key. Then the hospital is attacked. What follows is Sarah trying to stay alive while her memories begin to return.

Lippert-Martin has written a thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats while they find out about Sarah's past and the reasons the hospital is being targeted.

Lippert-Martin, Kristen. (2014). Tabula Rasa. New York: Egmont.

Freshman Year (You Know Who Girls#1)

The You Know Who Girls: Freshman Year by Annameekee Hesik is the first book in her Gila High YA series.

Abbey Brooks and her best friends are about to start high school. Kate has come up with a list of rules for them to guide their behavior and (hopefully) make them fit in with the older crowd. The list includes not joining the basketball team - partly because there are rumors that some of the players are lesbians.

Abbey and Kate are tall so they are being encouraged to try out for basketball by current team members. Abbey wants to try out. She wants to join because she thinks maybe she is lesbian - or at least she knows that there is a senior girl who she finds fascinating.

Hesik has written a great start to this series. Abbey Brooks finds her way through her feelings and the opinions of others to decide the type of person she wishes to become. Great lesbian YA book.

Hesik, Annameekee. (2012). The You Know Who Girls: Freshman Year. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

Gun Metal Heart (Daria Gibron #2)

Gun Metal Heart by Dana Haynes is his second book featuring Daria Gibron who was introduced in his Crashers series before she broke out into her own series.

Daria Gibron is an Israeli ex-Shin Bet agent who worked for the DEA and FBI before she crossed the line to save someone and was put in the CIA arrest list. She is currently living in Italy recovering from an illness and getting back in shape. When a friend tracks her down and asks her for help she is pulled into an international plot to steal new drone technology.

American Citadel is a technology company that has created a set of tiny drones. They have set up a demonstration for a group of buyers in their Idaho research division. Unfortunately, Daria has just agreed to protect the woman who they are targeting.

Daria Gibron is an amazing character who would give Jack Reacher a run for his money. Haynes has written her into a fast-paced thrill ride with political twists.

Haynes, Dana. (2014). Gun Metal Heart. New York: Minotaur.

Omega (Priscilla Hutchins #4)

Omega by Jack McDevitt is the fourth book in his science fiction series featuring Priscilla Hutchins.

Thirty years ago humans discovered clouds in outer space that seem to attack planets with man-made structures. One of these Omega waves is headed toward Earth but will not arrive for almost one thousand years.

However another wave appears to be turning toward a solar system. A ship is sent to see why - if there is intelligent life in that system. What is found is a planet with humanoid creatures who have less than a year to live unless the omega cloud can be diverted.

Priscilla Hutchins, now acting head of the Academy - the agency in charge of most space exploration - must quickly organize a team to try to save the creatures on a planet being called Lookout.

Two teams are sent to assists the couple of people already on site. One team will be tasked with trying to stop or turn the wave. Another team will be studying video from the planet's surface to learn the inhabitants' language an customs so they can try to warn them of what is coming.

McDevitt has created worlds both fascinating and believable through out outer space. His characters are great and readers will root for them in impossible situations. Great science fiction series.

McDevitt, Jack (2003). Omega. New York: Ace Books.

The Perilous Sea (Elemental #2)

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas is the second book of her Elemental trilogy - set both in 1883 England and in a magical realm near by.

Price Titus is about to head back to school at Eton. He hopes that Iolanthe Seaborne is already there disguised as classmate Fairfax. He has been hiding her since she revealed herself as a great elemental mage and became the target of a manhunt. The prince, while ruler of his realm in name, is being watched by the Bane who is waiting for an excuse to break the uneasy peace and take over power.

At the same time, a young woman has come to in the middle of a desert in a sand storm. She has no idea who or where she might be. But she knows she must avoid the Bane and his soldiers of Atlantis.

Thomas has written a great fantasy story - one of the most engaging I have read in a while. Read it today!

Thomas, Sherry. (2014). The Perilous Sea. New York: Balzer and Bray.

The Heist (Gabriel Allon #14)

The Heist by Daniel Silva is the fourteen book in his series featuring Gabriel Allon - an Israeli spy and art restorer.

After being in the field much longer than he wished to be and giving up on being able to retire from service to his country and spend time restoring paintings, Gabriel Allon has agreed to take over the Office. In the free time he has left, he has taken a job in Venice restoring an alter in a church. But like all of his free time, it is interrupted.

General Ferarri of the Carabinieri's Art Squad informs Gabriel that he has arrested a friend. Art dealer Julian Isherwood was on a trip to Lake Como to evaluate a painting for sale. When he arrived, the man he was to meet had been murdered. Isherwood is in custody until Gabriel vouches for him and agrees to take the job finding a stolen painting.

Gabriel will travel through out Europe and back to Israel to try to find a stole Caravaggio - that has been missing since 1969. Along the way, he will discover other missing paintings, and come up with a plan to find the person using stolen art to build a nest egg.

Allon is an amazing character who you will want on your side and in charge of your safety. He is one of the best spies ever written. Start the series at the beginning!

Silva, Daniel (2014). The Heist. New York: HarperCollins.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Aline Sienz is a beautiful book about friendship and love.

Aristotle usually spend his time alone. He feels like he doesn't need friends. But one day at the pool, while he is practicing floating, a boy offers to teach him to swim. Dante is a great swimmer and spends as much time in the water as possible.

As Ari and Dante become friends they discover many things about each other, their similarities and differences. Dante doesn't think of himself as Mexican because he doesn't speak the language. Ari is proud to be Mexican American. Dante is an only child, Ari has three older siblings. Dante likes to read poetry which Ari has never tried before. But through their differences they learn about each other and begin to appreciate each other.

Saenz has written a wonderful book that deserves the four awards it won (Printz Award, Stonewall Book Award, Pura Belpre Award, and the Lambda Literary Award). It is a beautiful book that will make readers fall in love with the characters. Buy a copy today!

Saenz, Benjamin Alire. (2012). Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Boomerang

Boomerang by Noelle August (a pseudonym for Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger) is a novel of two people competing for one job while trying to fight an attraction to each other.

Mia Galliano is about to start an internship at Boomerang, the hottest online dating service in Los Angeles. She is an aspiring film maker who wants to be taken seriously, plus she wants the money to finish a film about her grandmother.

Ethan Vance is a soccer player who graduated with a degree in psychology. He is starting the same internship and needs the job to pay school loans and rent. He had no idea the internship was going to be a competition.

Boomerang has an open minded work policy, but the one non-breakable rule is no dating coworkers. Plus Ethan and Mia will be encouraged to go on three dates through the service to become familiar with the product they will be helping to market.

August has written a fun, light read with two characters readers will be rooting for - who are trying to defy the magnetic pull they have for each other.

August, Noelle. (2014). Boomerang. New York: William Morris.

Pantomime (Pantomime #1)

Pantomime by Laura Lam is her first book featuring Micah Grey.

Iphigenia Laurus, who goes by Gene, is the daughter of a noble family. She is expected to do all of the things a proper young woman does and stop doing boyish things with her brother, Cyril. But Gene is not like the other girls of her social class with their fancy balls and dresses. While Gene has been raised as a girl she was born with both female and male parts.

Gene has been to many doctors over the years, but there is little known about the condition. After her last doctor, she has had enough. She runs away, uses a different name and changes her gender. He is now Micah Grey. And always a good climber, he talks his way into the circus to be trained as a trapeze artist. But still, no one knows his secret.

Lam has written a wonder fantasy novel with a great character who is caught between what society says and what is reality. Readers will devour the story and rush to find the second book, Shadowplay.

Lam, Laura. (2013). Pantomime. New York: Strange Chemistry.

My Best Friend, Maybe

My Best Friend, Maybe by Caela Carter is the story of a renewed friendship.

Colette and Sadie were best friends for years, until three years ago when they stopped hanging out with each other. Colette is sure is was Sadie's fault. But she have moved on. She has a new best friend and a boyfriend.

One day, out of the blue, Sadie asks Colette to go on a family trip to Greece to her cousin's wedding. The trip would be completely paid for and all Colette has to do is get to the airport on time - and convince her parents to let her go.

Colette is torn. She misses Sadie and their friendship, but she does not want to get hurt again. She does not understand why Sadie stopped being her friend. Sadie thinks she knows why they stopped being friends. She thinks that Colette left her based on some religious bias when she found out a secret.

The trip to Greece will give them time to realize that their friendship ended over a misunderstanding. They will have time to decide if they like each other now and want to become friends again.

Carter has written a sweet novel about giving someone a second chance.

Carter, Caela. (2014). My Best Friend, Maybe. New York: Bloomsbury.

Frenemy of the People

Frenemy of the People by Nora Olsen is the story of two high school students who are convinced they will not like each other coming together over a shared interest.

Clarissa has had the same friends for years. But when she comes out to them as bisexual, they do not react well. Her response is to try to start a Gay-Straight Alliance at school. The first day of school, she announces the club at the assembly.

Lexie's reaction to Clarissa announcing the club is indignation. As the only out lesbian at school, she would never join a club run by a preppy girl whose only interest seems to be riding horses. So Lexie confronts Clarissa and asks if she have ever even kissed a girl.

While they have little in common, they both want to help Clarissa's sister be nominated for Homecoming Queen. Desi wants to win and while she may not be as obvious a choice at the head cheerleader, she is going to give it her all. It is her last year of school before she has to graduate or stop attending anyway - Down's Syndrome students can attend until the age of 21.

As Lexie and Clarissa begrudgingly get to know each other, the find that they like each other a lot in this teen romance novel. Anyone who doesn't understand the cause of the financial crisis will appreciate Lexie's help in explaining it. This is a complex and sweet novel of first love.

Olsen, Nora. (2014). Frenemy of the People. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

Th1rteen R3asons Why

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher is a heartrending and though-provoking look at how people treat each other and the butterfly affects of actions/comments.

Clay Jensen has just received a package in the mail. He has no idea what it contains or who sent it. But when he opens it, he finds a pile of cassette tapes. The tapes were recorded by a classmate, Hannah Baker, who killed herself two weeks earlier.

The tapes are being sent to thirteen people at school who Hannah feels contributed to her decision to commit suicide. Clay cannot think of anything he might have done to hurt Hannah. He has had a crush on her for a long time and they worked together, but they didn't really know each other.

Clay starts the tapes in his garage on his dad's old stereo, but after his mother walks in he feels he needs a more private way to listen. As he walks around town with an old Walkman, Clay becomes more angry, confused and worried about his part and about how others treated Hannah.

Told in two simultaneous narratives, the tapes and Clay's reactions, Thirteen Reasons Why is a powerful novel in a similar way as Speak or Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson or So Much to Tell You by John Marsden. A great book that is somewhat painful to read.

Asher, Jay. (2007). Th1rteen R3asons Why. New York: Razorbill.

Blackbird (Blackbird #1)

Blackbird by Anna Carey is the first book in her series by the same name.

A young woman wakes up and finds herself on the subway tracks with a train coming. Her muscles will not respond. She is sore everywhere, she has a new tattoo on her wrist and she has no idea who she is. There is a backpack next to her that contains one thousand dollars, food and water, a pocket knife and a note that says not to go to the police.

She calls a number from the backpack and a man tells her to meet him at his office which is marked on her map. She goes into a store to get cleaned up and meets a guy her age. He gives her a ride to the office and leaves her his phone number, just in case.

Going to the office does not help her find out who she is, in fact, it puts her in more danger. With nowhere to turn, how will she find out who she is? And who is following her? How does the same man keep finding her after she loses him?

Carey has created a suspenseful novel where readers are as confused as the protagonist - but will keep reading with the hope of finding out what is going on, who the girl is, and how she got into this situation.

Carey, Anna. (2014). Blackbird. New York: HarperTeen.

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)

Heir of Fire by Sarah Maas is the third book in her Throne of Glass series about Calaena Sardothien, an assassin with a secret past.

Calaena, the king of Adarlan's champion, has been sent Wendlyn across the sea. She was sent there to be out of harm's way. Her job is to assassinate the prince, but she has her own agenda. She plans to use the time to seek out the Fae and ask Maeve, their queen, how to stop the king.

When Calaena meets Maeve, she is told she must train in order to gain entry to the city of Doranelle before she will receive answers. She is assigned a trainer, Rowan, who will decide when she is ready.

Back in Adarlan's capital of Rifthold, Calaena's friends Chaol and Dorian are trying to stay on the king's good side while working secretly to find a way to break the spell that has stopped magic from working.

Maas has created a great fantasy series. Calaena Sardothien is a warrior who readers will love. Her world is fully formed and complex and will delight and capture fans of all ages.

Maas, Sarah. (2014). Heir of Fire. New York: Bloomsbury.

The Homecoming (Thunder Point #6)

The Homecoming by Robyn Carr is the sixth book in her Thunder Point romance series about a small town on the Oregon coast.

Seth Sileski is finally coming back to Thunder Point. The sheriff deputy who was in charge has been promoted and Seth will take his place. Seth grew up in Thunder Point and left after high school on a football scholarship. He played on year for the University of Oregon and one year for the Seattle Seahawks before a car accident ended his career. He has been trying to get assigned to his home town for years - partly to spend more time with his family and partly to win back his best friend.

Iris McKinley was Seth's best friend from age four to 18. Then there was a misunderstanding about the prom and they stopped being friends. She has never forgiven him for something he doesn't remember that broke her heart.

Iris is the high school counselor. She remembers the tough times she had as a teen and wants to help others navigate the weirdest time in life. She is dedicated to her students and works with the teachers, coaches, and local law enforcement to give them every advantage. Seth and Iris will work together and run into each other in town and have to deal with the past if there is any hope of them becoming friends again, or more as Seth wishes. 

Carr's Thunder Point series is a look at an idyllic small town in a beautiful setting. Her characters are wonderful and fans will enjoy keeping up with past main characters as new ones are introduced in her stories. These are great light reads and perfect for the beach.

Carr, Robyn. (2014). The Homecoming. New York: Mira.

Blackout (Blackout #1)

Blackout by Robison Wells is the first book in his series of the same name about a future virus that causes teens to develop powers.

Aubrey Parsons was never popular before she started hanging out with Nicole. Now she seems popular. But really she is Nicole's spy. Aubrey somehow developed the ability to become invisible. At the prom she is sent to spy on a boy Nicole likes when Aubrey notices soldiers surrounding the site. She keeps hidden as the rest of the teens are rounded up and put on a bus.

After the dance, exhausted from being invisible for far longer than normal, she has collapsed near the dance floor when Jack Cooper finds her. He was watching the dance from up the hill. Though he is a student it is his to clean up after the dance. 

Jack and Aubrey try to avoid the soldiers and make it back to Aubrey's home only to be turned in to the Army by her father. All teens in Utah are being rounded up and taken to a base for testing. They say a virus has caused some teens to develop dangerous powers - powers the Army wants to use to fight the terrorists who have been attacking sites all over the United States - terrorists who are also teens.

Blackout is an exciting young adult novel of great and terrible powers. The main characters are compelling and readers will impatiently await the next book.

Wells, Robison. (2013). Blackout. New York: HarperTeen.

Chindi (Priscilla Hutchins #3)

Chindi by Jack McDevitt is the third book in his Priscilla Hutchins series - a superluminal pilot who usually works with archeologists exploring distant planets.

After a narrow escape on her last mission, Hutch is ready to retire. The Academy has other ideas and begs her to do one last flight - taking a group of alien hunters to investigate a radio signal picked up near a neutron star.

The Contact Society is thought of as a bunch of crazies. They train to meet aliens in spite of the fact that after exploring hundreds of planets, intelligent life has only been found on one world (with ruins on others implying that there once was a sentient race).

Priscilla agrees. She has been requested personally by the group. It should be a few weeks flying there and back. It is unlikely that the signal will lead to anything. Another ship is being sent to the possible target of the transmission.

After just a few days on site, Hutch agrees to meet up with the other ship and see what they found. It appears that there is a net of satellites at the end point that monitors the planet they surround and send a signal to another location.

The Contact Society is off to find the next point in the web. And what they find is the most incredible find since space travel began.

McDevitt has created a great character who goes to fascinating, and sometimes dangerous, planets. This is a great science fiction series that combines the far reaches of space, quantum physics, and archeology.

McDevitt, Jack. (2002). Chindi. New York: Ace Books.

The Prime Minister's Secret Agent (Maggie Hope #4)

The Prime Minister's Secret Agent by Susan Elia MacNeal is the fourth book in her Maggie Hope series.

After working her way from the Prime Minster's typist to a spy who was dropped in Germany, Maggie Hope is back in the UK and recovering from her mission. She has been teaching potential spies in Scotland. And spending a lot of time by herself trying to come to terms with what she did in Germany.

When Maggie gets an invitation to see her friend Sarah in the ballet in Edinburgh she decides she would be terrible company. But after a training incident her old teacher sends her to Edinburgh anyway. And it is a good thing he did - three of the ballerinas are ill, including Sarah.

While Maggie talks her way into an investigation, forces in Japan plan an attack on the United States - who have still declined to join the war.

MacNeal has created a great character in Maggie Hope. Set in a full time in our history, the Maggie Hope series is filled with espionage, adventure, friendship and hope. MacNeal is a master. Start reading the series today!

MacNeal, Susan Elia. (2014). The Prime Minister's Secret Agent. New York: Bantam Books.

The Devil in the White City

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson is the story of the Chicago World Fair and one of the first known serial killers in the United States.

After the Paris World Fair, that included the impossible construction of the Eiffel Tower, some people felt that the United States needed to answer with an event of our own to show our place in the world. A few different cities put their names in the hat and Congress voted to have the Fair in Chicago.

The design of the grounds, from where to build, to what to build and how to surpass the Paris event was rife with so many committees that by the time decisions were made there was doubt about time left to build. Architects Root and Burnham who were the top architects in Chicago were put in charge. They recruited architects from around the country and the landscape architect Olmsted. The one decision that had left to be made was who was going to build something that could surpass the Eiffel Tower?

While the Fair grounds began construction, a man calling himself H.H. Holmes moved to Chicago. Through dishonest that had not yet been seen in business, Holmes build himself a small empire beginning with the purchase of a pharmacy. Eventually he built his own building with hidden rooms. Not only was he a dishonest business man who made up people on whom to pile debt, people had a tendency to disappear around him.

Larson is a master story teller and a consummate researcher. His narrative nonfiction flows in a way that others strive to match. If he writes about anything you are remotely interested in, buy the book.

Larson, Erik. (2003). The Devil in the White City. New York: Vintage Books.

Falling for Max (Kowalski Family #9)

Falling for Max by Shannon Stacey is the ninth book in her Kowalski family series.

After being in Whitford, Maine for seven years, Max Crawford does not feel like a part of the community. He is fine working from home - most people don't know what he does and the rumors are flying - and seeing some friends on Sundays when they come over to watch sports on his large television. But on his monthly list of things to do he has added 'go on a date.' His friend Josh recommends getting into town more to meet people.

Tori Burns has been in Whitford for two years. She is graphic designer who works on book covers. She also works part-time at the Trailside Diner because she likes the human interactions. Her cousin Gavin is one of the cooks. She moved to Whitford to escape her parents' divorce and has sworn off romance.

When Max walks into the diner, Tori already knows who he is even though they have never spoken. Whitford is a small town and they have some overlapping friends. When Tori finds out about Max's quest for a date and hopefully for a wife, she agrees to help him get ready. He needs practice with small talk and becoming more comfortable around people.

Stacey has created wonderful characters in her Kowalski family series. Her stories are fun and romantic and fans will return to see their favorite characters in future stories.

Stacey, Shannon. (2014). Falling for Max. Ontario: Carina Press.

Deepsix (Priscilla Hutchins #2)

Deepsix by Jack McDevitt is the second book in his science fiction series featuring pilot Priscilla "Hutch" Hutchins.

The planet Malevia III is about to be destroyed. There is a gas giant barreling toward it that will cause it to break up and become space dust. Scientists have begun to arrive to watch the once in a millennium event and collect data that they will study for years to come. But when a scan of the planet shows a building with a tower on the planet that was thought to be free of sentient beings, the Academy searches for a ship that can arrive in time to get some pictures and samples from the ground.

Priscilla Hutchins is in charge of a ship that is returning to Earth from Pinnacle - the only other planet found to have a sentient race. She is asked (told) to make a detour. And, as she has on of the few people who survived a brief survey of Malevia III 20 years before, take him to the surface to explore in the few weeks the planet has left. Hutch is not an archeologist but has worked with them for twenty years and has a love of discovery.

Randall Nightingale will never forget his first trip to Malevia III. He lost most of his team when they were attacked by local wildlife. Since then he has become the scapegoat for what went wrong with that expedition and ridiculed in the media by author Gregory MacAllister (who is on a cruise ship headed to watch the destruction). He has been keeping a low profile on Pinnacle and is ready to retire to Scotland.

McDevitt has created a great character in Hutch. His stories are fantastical but plausible. And his worlds are fascinating. The Priscilla Hutchins series is great science fiction - start at the beginning and read them all.

McDevitt, Jack. (2001). Deepsix. New York: EOS.

Another 365 Days (365 #2)

Another 365 Days by K.E. Payne is the sequel to 365 Days - a book in diary format about a high school girl in England.

Clementine Atkins continues her schooling while dealing with her first real relationship. She and her girlfriend Hannah have been going out for a while. She lost her best friend over it - Alice admitted that she wanted to date Clem and couldn't watch her with Hannah. Now, with the new year, things will be mixed up.

When Hannah starts to spend too much time with someone else, Clem gets jealous and they fight. This is the year they take the tests that will help determine their futures - either more high school or off to college. And someone Clem had a major crush on has finally figured out the Clem exists - what rotten timing.

Payne has created an accessible character with who readers will identify. The book it full of humor, trying times, and the angst of being a teen in a world where you are different. Great lesbian YA novels.

Payne, K.E. (2013). Another 365 Days. New York: Bold Strokes Books.

The Darkest Minds (Darkest Minds #1)

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken is the first book in her Darkest Minds series about a virus that creates psychic abilities in children when they hit puberty.

When the government started to notice the ability of some children to either control electricity or move things with their minds, all kids who showed symptoms were collected and taken to camps. After that the restrictions on child birth grew until it was all but illegal to become pregnant.

Ruby was taken to a camp when she turned ten. She didn't know where she was going or why. During registration she was asked what color she was - each separate ability was labeled with a color: blue, green, yellow, orange and red. The blue and green were seen as slightly less dangerous. Ruby didn't know anything about the colors, but convinced the doctor she was a green because she didn't want to be like the mean kid with an orange mark on his back.

Now, years later, a sound the camp uses to disable kids in times of trouble causes Ruby to black out. She wakes in the hospital. She is told the frequency was created to weed out yellows and oranges hiding as greens.

A rebellious faction that is fighting against the government wants to help her escape the camp. They don't tell her what she will have to do in return.

Bracken has created a fascinating dystopian series. There are many sides and complexities that Ruby will have to fight her way through to find her true friends.

Bracken, Alexandra. (2012). The Darkest Minds. New York: Hyperion.