Lure by Deborah Kerbel - Reviewed

Lure 
Author: Deborah Kerbel
Release Date: October 2010
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Pages: 200
Target Age: Young Adult

Summary from Barnes and Noble:
A Victorian garden, a fishing lure, and a ghost named John .
Absolutely nothing is going right for Max Green. His parents have just uprooted their family from Vancouver to the bleak suburbs of Toronto, he has no friends, and everybody at his new high school is ignoring him. To make matters worse, he's in love with an older girl who's completely out of his league.
When Max discovers a local library rumored to be haunted by ghosts, he's immediately drawn to it. With the help of some cryptic messages, he begins to piece together the identity of the teenage ghost and the mysterious chain of events that have connected its spirit to the building for over a century. But just who was John, anyway? Why has he chosen to contact Max? And what does an old fishing lure have to do with solving the mystery?

I really liked Lure and enjoyed the way it was written to show two different male point of views.  This was my first novel by Deborah Kerbel and her writing is easy to read and very engaging. One view is from Max in the present, he is drawn to an older girl and of all things a library. The other from John telling his story from the past and what happened to him to cut his life short.  I liked both boy's stories and I loved where the story went at the end.  I honestly think I connected more with John's story, but was never bored by Max.  Definitely recommended if you like ghost stories that aren't too creepy. 

Saturday Six on Sunday

I like to take stock of what books I have here at the house over the weekend and then try to figure out what books I want to read through the week. Not that I usually get six books read a week, but a girl can hope.  My Saturday was a little crazy what with all the reading and relaxing I was doing, so I decided to take this on today instead. 

 The End of Marking Time by C.J. West
Gifted housebreaker, Michael O'Connor, awakens inside an ultramodern criminal justice system where prison walls are replaced by surveillance equipment and a host of actors hired to determine if he is worthy of freedom. While he was sleeping, the Supreme Court declared long term incarceration to be cruel and unusual punishment and ordered two million felons released. The result was utter chaos and the backlash from law-abiding citizens and police departments reshaped the United States. Felons now enter reeducation programs where they live freely among the population. At least that's what they think. In reality they are enslaved to an army of counselors and a black box that teaches them everything they failed to learn from kindergarten through adulthood. Michael believes he's being tested by the black box, but what he slowly begins to realize is that everything he does is evaluated to determine whether he lives or dies.

The Secret of Ka by Chistopher Pike:
One minute Sara's bored on vacation in Istanbul. The next, she's unearthed a flying carpet that cleverly drags her to the mysterious Island of the Djinn—or genies. By her side is Amesh, a cute guy she has a crush on but doesn't yet trust. When Amesh learns the secret of invoking djinn, he loses control. He swears he'll call upon only one djinn and make one wish. The plan sounds safe enough. But neither Sara nor Amesh are any match for the monster that that swells before them. It hypnotizes Amesh, compelling him to steal Sara's flying carpet and leave her stranded on the island.
Discovering the carpet has sparked a new path for Sara, one that will lead her to battle creatures even deadlier than djinn. In this fight, Sara can save mankind, herself, or the boy she cares for. Who will she be forced to sacrifice?

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Is love a disease that needs a cure? According to the government in this alternate present, yes.


The Lost City of Atlantis: Traveling Trunk Adventure 2 by Ben Flinders
Reading this one with my six year old son.  Review will be coming soon.

Afterlife by Claudia Gray
Readers have fallen in love with Bianca and Lucas, and they will be thrilled to read this exciting conclusion to their romantic adventure. I know I'm thrilled to have gotten this from netgalley and can't wait to read it.  I think it's next after I finish reading..............

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
I love, love, yes, LOVE this cover and enjoy sharing it with you whenever I can.  I'm hoping to finish this tonight.  Review coming soon. 

Waiting On Wednesday (11/17/2010) Where She Went (If I Stay #2)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we (bloggers) are anxiously awaiting. This week my pick is Where She Went by Gayle Forman.  I loved If I Stay, it was such a beautifully written book.  I've been looking forward to reading Where She Went since the moment I heard it was being written.  If you haven't read If I Stay I highly recommend that you add it to your TBR list.

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future and each other.

 

Teaser Tuesday (11/16/2010) Nightshade

Miz B and Teaser Tuesdays asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

" Every girl I know says Pride and Prejudice.  Or some other Jane Austen tale of class-obstructed love, conflict, and-insert longing sigh here-marriage."
"I'm not the Jane Austen type." I slowed my steps so he didn't have to work to keep pace with me.


Hope you are all having a wonderful Tuesday!

It's Monday! What are you Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Shelia over at Book Journey where we share what we have read in the past week, what we are reading now and what we plan to read for the rest of the week.  Shelia even hosts a contest for this meme, so get on over there and check her out. 

I've had a pretty crazy week here, wait a pretty crazy month so far.  As you may remember my kids and I are homeschoolers and the kids are in a local homeschooling drama group. They are putting on a production of Scrooge at the end of the month and we are having lots and lots and lots of rehearsals.  Usually this would be wonderful for me because I would have lots of time for reading while the kids are rehearsing, however I'm helping out more than I have in the past which actually means less reading time for good 'ol mom. The kids and I have also become fascinated with Veronica Mars and have been staying up late into the night watching the folks of Neptune. Wow that was rambly.

  Sorry onto the books!

Last week I was lucky to get anything read but I managed to find time for a great book by Deborah Kerbel, Lure!  I'll be reviewing this later on in the week.  I'm now reading Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.  I'm only about 60 pages in but I can tell this one is going to be a hard one to put down.  

I'm pretty sure the next book I'll be picking up will be Afterlife by Claudia Gray.

Having become what they feared most, Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. They must return to Evernight Academy, Lucas as a vampire and Bianca as a wraith. But Lucas is haunted by demons, both personal and supernatural. Bianca must help him fight the evil inside him, combat the forces determined to drive them apart—and find the power to claim her destiny at last.

So what are you planning to read this week?  Inquiring minds want to know, I want to know!