"Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles #2)" by Rick Riordan

452 pages

In "The Red Pyramid," the first book of the Kane Chronicles, we met Carter and Sadie Kane, a brother and sister who are descendants of the House of Life from Ancient Egypt and therefore able to perform magic. However, being part of the House of Life brings some big problems into Carter and Sadie's lives. The first book in the series found them fighting to the control Ancient Egyptian gods that had been unleashed in the modern world. In "Throne of Fire," they face their most threatening enemy yet--the snake Apophis, who will bring Chaos to the entire world if he is released. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in four days, the world will end. To fight the forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god, Ra. But first they have to not only search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra but also learn how to say the correct spell.

Although I think the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series are better, I have been enjoying the Kane Chronicles. The characters are fun and charming, and the text is full of Riordan's silly, sometimes corny humor (and I love it!). I think some parts jump around too much so it's difficult to follow the story, but for the most part I like the fast-paced action. I'm looking forward to the final book in the trilogy!

Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have)

by Sarah Mlynowski, 357 p.

Somehow April convinces her parents that she can stay with her friend, Vi, and Vi's mom while her dad and step-mom move to Ohio. Except Vi's mom will be with a touring theatre group.  And there is no adult supervision.  April and Vi do some pretty crazy things, and April finds out more about herself than she ever thought she would.


At first, I really disliked this book because a) April is obnoxious and horrid and b) I'm tired of reading about mean people getting away with things.  But the further I got into the story, the more I appreciated that April truly was growing up and that she wasn't just another snot.  Thank goodness for redeeming qualities...

Karma : a novel in verse

by Cathy Ostlere, 517 p.

In October 1984, Maya and her father are on a trip to New Delhi to return her mother's ashes after her death.  On their first night, Indira Ghandi is assassinated and the city erupts in chaos, separating Maya and her dad.  Maya is then pulled through the city by Sandeep, a guy she doesn't know but who ensures her survival in a city in turmoil.

This was a really beautiful story.  The turmoil between Sikhs and Hindus in Maya's personal life mirrors similar conflicts in India.  I also loved the idea of east/west love stories, and coming to terms with one's background.

Turnabout

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix, 223 pp.

Amelia and Anny Beth meet in a place that is doing what is called Project Turnabout. Both women are over 100 years old and as far as their families know, they have already passed away and had donated their bodies to science. However, in order for the science project to work, the bodies must be alive. Each of the people in this place have to have a certain type of body in order for the project to work. The project is an injection that each individual have had in order to "unage." The process is that they still have birthdays every year, but instead of aging, they are getting younger. By the time Amelia is 16 and Anny Beth is 18 (and out of 50 participants), these two are the only ones left as far as the agency knows and they must either go back to the agency and entrust themselves to be taken care of by the doctors there or find someone to care for them before they become infants again.
Will Amelia and Anny Beth find someone in time? Or will they decide to trust the agency to provide for them?
I really enjoyed this book. It took me just a few hours of reading - mostly because I could not put it down. In the author's note at the back of the book, Haddix explains where she came up with the idea of "Turnabout:"

"I bought a card for a friend, joking that it's actually good that we get older, not younger, on our birthdays because - as the punch line went - who would want to live through puberty twice? It made me wonder: What if someone had to? I already had age and aging on my mind because I'd just attended my grandmother's ninetieth birthday party, and I'd recently visited my husband's grandmother in Kentucky, a month before her death. Somehow all those things - the card's question, the ninetieth birthday, the Kentucky visit - meshed in my mind. Turnabout was the result."

"Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac" by Gabrielle Zevin

271 pages

Sixteen-year-old Naomi's life changed forever with the toss of a coin. If she hadn't lost the coin toss, she wouldn't have been the one to go back into her high school to retrieve the camera from the yearbook office. She wouldn't have slipped on a piece of trash on the stairs and hit her head. She wouldn't have lost her memory of the past four years. Now Naomi can't remember anything that happened to her after age twelve. Her family's been reshaped; she's involved with activities that she never cared about before; and she has a best friend and a boyfriend who are strangers to her. As Naomi gets more clues about the person she had been right before her accident, it seems like she had become someone totally different from who she was as a kid--and who she is after the accident.

Of the young adult books I've read this year, this is one of my favorites. The idea of losing one's memory and having to reevaluate everything is fascinating and made me think about how I'd react in the same situation. It also made me consider what my 12-year-old self would think of who I am today. There's some stereotypical teen drama and romance in here, but it seems more sincere and not quite as predictable as some other young adult stories are. The story made me laugh and is also touching without being too cheesy. I fell in love with the characters right away, especially Will and Naomi's dad. Great stuff all around!

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

"I'll know when you get your memory back."
"How?" said Alice.
"The way you look at me. As soon as you remember, I'll see it in your eyes."

Alice wakes up after a fall from her bike in Spin Class (boy have I been there) believing she is 29 and about to have her first child. Life couldn't be grander with her adoring husband Nick and the new fixer upper they just purchased. Trouble is, Alice soon discovers that she is actually 39, the mother to three children she doesn't remember and is in the middle of a horribly nasty divorce from Nick. Every single memory of the last ten years of her life is gone.

This could easily have been a fairly light chick lit book. Instead it is a unique take on the midlife crisis. What if everything you've become in the last ten years is wiped away and you are dealing with the present with your past mentality? How does that help you or harm your growth as a person? A strong character study with a touch of mystery as the reader hangs on wondering what really happened with Nick and how it will all play out. Two side stories-journal entries from Alice's sister about her troubles having a child and letters her Aunt Fannie writes to a mysterious man-add to the journey of discovery the book provides.

2011, 432 pages.

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

Meh. You know the drill. Someone is killing people and sets his target on Stephanie. Stephanie is surrounded by crazy people including the lovable and feisty Grandma Mazur, the not fat but fluffy packed into a size two, Lula and of course the two guys in her life Ranger the mysterious and Morelli the cop. Both hot, both in some kind of love/lust with Stephanie. Killer is found, no decision is made and boom-the end. Only this time-you get stickers!

I know my reviews are not Library Journal quality-I like them this way.Still, this might be my harshest review yet. This is the seventeenth book in the series. Every single book follows the same plot device above. Enough already. I almost feel guilty when I get a customer hooked on the series because despite the funny and light read offered-eventually they get that glazed look. You know the one. 2011, 307 pages.