Twenty-five-year-old LILLIAN STOLTZFUS is living in the shadow of her deceased brother. When her dad gives her the gift of land that would normally go to the eldest son, it includes a bakery he built as an offering to a suitor for her. No one wants marriage for Lillian more than she wants it for herself, but at twenty-five, she fears she will end up a spinster if Seth never returns her secret feelings for him. Thirty-year-old SETH MILLER is loaded down with the responsibility of caring for an overbearing father. His loyalty to his father's farm has caused him to put his own needs on hold his entire adult life. Being secretly in love with Lillian for many months, he finds it difficult to speak to her because he lacks the confidence having never dated before. Will the contents of an old spice box change everything for both of them? Or are they destined to admire each other from afar indefinitely? Views: 13
For a limited time, Claudia Gray’s star-crossed paranormal romance Evernight is available with a special sneak peek of Balthazar, the upcoming Evernight companion novel, and excerpts of the rest of the Evernight series, including Stargazer, Hourglass, and Afterlife.From School Library JournalGrade 8 Up—Bianca has been uprooted from her happy, uneventful life to start anew at an elite boarding school where her parents will now be professors. Even though Bianca doesn't feel that she is the Evernight type—rich, beautiful, or gifted—she knows that her parents feel this is best for her. She and Lucas Ross share a special connection from the moment they meet and he, like Bianca and a few others, is an outsider. He is a rebel who is on a mission to discover the secret behind Evernight Academy. As the weeks progress, their relationship heats up. What they don't realize, however, is that they each harbor a great secret that could divide them forever. Can their love survive the truth? Gray's writing hooks readers from the first page and reels them in with surprising plot twists and turns, and the open ending will keep them guessing and waiting on the edge of their seats for the next book in the series. A must-have for fans of vampire stories by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, Stephenie Meyer, and the like.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistWell-dressed, private-school vampires are a growing trend in teen horror lit. Bloodsucking Gossip Girls have shown up in Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods series, Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy books, and now in this debut, set in a spooky, exclusive boarding school. Sixteen-year-old Bianca is dreading her first day at Evernight Academy, where her parents have taken teaching positions. Then she meets handsome outsider Lucas, for whom she falls with quick intensity. Everyone at Evernight has secrets, even Bianca, and as her romance deepens, she risks revealing the otherworld identity of Evernight’s glamorous population, even as she wonders if Lucas, too, is hiding something. Some logistical questions about the student body, composed of both vampires and humans, are left unanswered, and a few story threads, particularly about Evernight’s headmistress, are left dangling; the ending leaves room for a sequel that may tie everything together. Still, Stephenie Meyer fans will find similar rewards in the flashes of humor; the terrifying battle between ancient, supernatural societies; and the steamy romance in which love bites aren’t just a euphemism. Grades 8-11. --Gillian Engberg Views: 13
Henry Huggins is friends with Beezus Quimby -- even though she's a girl and has a pesky little sister. Her name is Ramona, and she's got a way of causing trouble!When Henry finds a bonanza of gum balls, Beezus helps him take them to school to sell. She knows he's trying to earn money for a bike. Henry's best chance to get one comes when there's an auction for lost bikes at the police station. He sets off to buy a red one, but Beezus and Ramona tag along -- and Ramona brings a fat slimy garden slug . . . . In her first book, Henry Huggins, Beverly Cleary created funny, endearing characters and situations that left readers asking for more. In this second adventure, Henry tries to get the bike he longs for, and readers laugh while hoping that Henry's dreams come true. Views: 13
There is very little peace for a man with a body buried in his backyard.But it could always be worse. . . . More than a year ago, mild-mannered Jason Getty killed a man he wished he’d never met. Then he planted the problem a little too close to home. But just as he’s learning to live with the undeniable reality of what he’s done, police unearth two bodies on his property—neither of which is the one Jason buried. Jason races to stay ahead of the consequences of his crime, and while chaos reigns on his lawn, his sanity unravels, snagged on the agendas of a colorful cast of strangers. A jilted woman searches for her lost fiancé, a fringe dweller runs from a past that’s quickly gaining on him, and a couple of earnest local detectives piece clues together with the help of a volunteer police dog—all in the shadow of a dead man who had it coming. As the action unfolds, each character discovers that knowing more than one side of the story doesn't necessarily rule out a deadly margin of error. Jamie Mason’s irrepressible debut is a macabre, darkly humorous tale with the thoughtful beauty of a literary novel, the tense pacing of a thriller, and a clever twist of suspense.Review"Jamie Mason wields a pen that magically blends beautiful prose with unrelenting thrills. Each page delivers something new and fresh; in her hands, even the mundane becomes extraordinary. Grab a chair with a comfortable edge, because Mason will keep you poised there until the final page." —Alex Adams, author of White Horse“Three Graves Full is something special - an offbeat, high-class, pacey mystery that blends black humor with dark lyricism, and deft, intricate plotting with dead-on psychological insight. This is a gem of a debut.”—Tana French, author of In the Woods"Three Graves Full is an astonishing debut novel, smart and stylish and wonderfully light on its feet. Jamie Mason writes crisp, surprising sentences, and this aura of wit infuses her lovely plot with an absolutely Hitchcockian menace. I think she was probably born to be a writer, and I eagerly look forward to whatever she will do next." —Peter Straub, New York Times bestselling authorMason’s quirky debut novel deftly weaves dark humor into a plot that’s as complicated as a jigsaw puzzle but more fun to put together...Mason’s written a dandy of a first outing with not a single boring moment. (Kirkus )Portraying characters so well and so thoroughly, examining and explaining their motives even for murder, requires a level of skill that is rare, marking this as an astonishingly accomplished debut and Mason as a writer to watch very closely. (Michele Leber Booklist, Starred Review )Mason strides confidently into Coen brothers territory with her highly entertaining, solidly plotted debut about loneliness and the need for companionship... With sly wit Mason tweaks genre clichés while respecting crime fiction tenets. (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review )An extraordinary debut novel that ensnares the reader in its web of suspense and ratchets up the anxiety with each chapter...Three Graves Full is deep and dark, yet funny, a refreshing combination that snags the reader like a grappling hook—destined to become a success. (John M. Wills New York Journal of Books )Filled with biting wit and great prose style, Three Graves Full by newcomer Jamie Mason may be the debut of the year. (Bookspan )“Ripping good novel…Mason has a witty and wicked imagination, yet she’s also responsive to the pains of inarticulate people…” (Marilyn Stasio New York Times Book Review )Mason's prose is at times as lovely as poetry, and wry humor deftly offsets her grim tale to devastating effect. This tale has more twists than a corkscrew and you'll find yourself surprised at nearly every turn... Mason has written a quirky and downright thrilling treat that is not to be missed. (Kristin Centorcelli Library Journal, Starred Review ) About the AuthorJamie Mason was born in Oklahoma City, but grew up in Washington, D.C. She’s most often reading and writing, but in the life left over, she enjoys films, Formula 1 racing, football, traveling, and, conversely, staying at home. Jamie lives with her husband and two daughters in the mountains of western North Carolina. Views: 13
