Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

2011/387 pages

Another one of Phillips' quirky southern charmers. This is part of the Wynette Texas series, but I jumped in midstream with this one. Phillips is one author who can always make me laugh.

After ruining her best friend Lucy's wedding to the town's favorite son, Meg finds herself stranded in Wynette without funds or transportation. She is forced to take menial, dirty jobs or face jail time for her unpaid motel bill. Phillips goes a bit far in arranging this scenario, which seems a little flimsy at times. However, her characters never fail to charm and amuse her readers. She has an ear for sharp dialogue so her books are especially fun to "read" on audio.

I had a bit of a hard time buying into the romance between Meg and her tormentor, Ted, but I was curious enough about Meg's predicament to hang on until the end. Remind me to never run out of gas and money in a tiny Texas town!

"Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived" by Rob Bell

198 pages

Millions of Christians have struggled with how to reconcile God's love and God's judgment. Did God create billions of people only to select a few to go to heaven? What about the people who have been hurt by Christians? Or the ones who have never heard about Jesus? These are troubling questions—so troubling that many have lost their faith because of them. Others who stay in the church might think about these things but feel too scared to voice their concerns out loud. Some just try not to think about it. But here, pastor and bestselling author Rob Bell asks: what if these questions bother us for a good reason? Is God trying to tell us something? Perhaps contemporary Christian views about heaven, hell, and salvation are distorted from what God intends. Bell uses a variety of Scriptures to support the idea that God wants everyone--every single person ever born--to be reconciled to Him one day, and because he's all-powerful, one day that will happen.

Needless to say, this is an extremely controversial idea that has earned Bell a lot of criticism and ridicule from the Christian community. I wanted to see what all the fuss is about. Although I don't agree with everything Bell says here, I think he does make some very good points and I got a lot out of "Love Wins." I won't get into the theology here, but I will say that Bell backs his ideas up with Scripture--his interpretation of it, that is. Of course, the mainstream ideas about Christianity are based on interpretation as well, so it's a matter of perspective. Some verses are clear-cut, but most require some level of analysis and then there's the matter of translation. In some cases, Bell makes some pretty big leaps in his arguments, but for the most part he supports himself well. I'm guessing that some of his most vocal critics haven't even read the book, as I've discovered that many of the claims against him aren't true--mainly, that he doesn't believe in hell or that there are people in hell (he certainly does). The bottom line is that this book will definitely make me examine my own beliefs and inspire lots of discussion, which is always good.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

2011/307pgs

WARNING: This is the longest review ever-sorry about that! I guess I had lots to say!:)

About the Book: In a future where Earth is being destroyed, the hopes of finding a new planet to continue life is pinned on two ships-the Empyrean and the New Horizon. Waverly is the oldest girl on the Empyrean and wants a bit more to her life other than a proposal from Kieran, the oldest Empyrean boy. When the Empyrean is met up with their sister ship, New Horizon, the ship is abuzz with what the ship could want. Soon, the Empyrean is being mounted and all the girls are whisked away to a new life on the New Horizon.

As the oldest, Waverly knows she must fight for their survival and rights. The New Horizon has never been able to successfully conceive children in deep space and they want the girls of the Empyrean to help them create a new generation. Meanwhile, on the Empyrean, the boys are looking for a way to survive and save their friends and family. Kieran tries to take leadership of the ship, but is overthrown.

With Waverly and Kieran surrounded by enemies, they must each formulate a plan to save their ship and those around them.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: Glow is one of the big buzz books of 2011. I finished it a week ago and I'm still unsure what I thought about it. To make it easier for me to formulate my thoughts, I'm going to break this review down into what I liked and what I didn't like.

What I liked: I liked that Waverly is pretty kick butt and I can see her growing during the rest of the series into a nice, strong, female lead that you really want to cheer on. I also liked that the book is straight science fiction-this is scifi in space in the future-no genre mashups. There's a bit of romance in the book, but it's not a focal point. Instead the story is more about Waverly and Kieran and their respective trials of survival in their own way. Waverly is fighting a more psychological battle where Kieran is fighting more of a physical and spiritual one. There's a small hint that there might be a love triangle, but I'm holding out hope that that doesn't happen in future books, because I think the story is strong enough without it. (Also, the character that could possibly be in the love triangle is kind of a jerk, so I would have a hard time wanting Waverly to be with him.)

Glow is fast paced and the action starts very early on-just a few pages in, which makes for a quick, page-turning read. The story alternates between what's happening with Waverly and her ship and Kieran and his ship. The New Horizon is an interesting ship that will get readers talking for sure! Anne Mather is the leader, or Pastor, of the ship and it borderlines on a cult. She's a great bad guy because you never know who to trust or not, what to believe and you want Waverly to fight back. Kieran on the other hand is dealing with a ship that has been attacked, trying to keep up morale and find a way to save his ship, it's passengers and the missing girls. Kieran begins holding meetings and preaching sermons to boost morale. One ship has religion that is bad and harmful, another has a religion that is hopeful and healing.

There's an exploration of what people do to survive in tough situations, religion, trust, relationships, power vs. absoulte power and what is right or wrong and are there blurred lines at times. With everything that is going on in the plot, this one could be ripe for book discussions and dissecting the plot.


What I didn't like: (WARNING: I'm trying to avoid spoilers and be a bit vague, but there may be some spoilers here!!) At times I found the third person narrative and the alternating stories a bit frustrating. This meant the reader knows what is happening when the characters do not, which made their actions a bit hard to deal with since I knew more about the situation then they did. I also felt Waverly was unfair to Kieran and they should have just talked out a lot of things. I felt they never showed any understanding about each other and were both stubborn in their own ways. I know not everything could be wrapped up in one book since this is a series, but Waverley frustrated me by the end with her stubbornness to see everything as good or bad and never the possibility that some things are situational. She was so unaccepting of Kieran which really annoyed me, since I as the reader had been there with him through his trials as well. I also felt that Kieran was much more willing to listen to Waverly than she was to him. I understand that Waverly's situation gave her a bad experience, especially with religion, but she's so willing to brush off Kieran because of her own explanation and experience instead of understanding his side. I hope this gets explored more in the next books, as I think Waverly is being rash. She has issues with trust, which I guess I can understand, but I still felt she was being unfair by the end.

I didn't like that Seth was jerk-we know what happened as the reader because we're told in third person what was going on the ship. So we're told that Seth is not great. But then we're supposed to start to wonder about him and if he's really good or bad. Since we were told about what happened early on, I had a hard time buying into the fact that maybe he wasn't so bad. I think this would have been better with a different narration style.

The author is trying to set up a discussion of power and does power bring absolute power, which I think in some ways works and in others doesn't. Again, I had problems with this because of the way Waverly and Kieran's stories hang at the end of this book. Waverly refuses to trust and see Kieran's side, Kieran has a different viewpoint because of his own situation. Plus, I really hated how Seth was trying to convince everyone that Kieran was out for absolute power. The author makes note in the first two chapters that Kieran is the oldest child and oldest boy on the ship and it's known to everyone on the ship that he is in line to take over after the Captain. He's the Captain's protege. But when the attack happens and Kieran begins to lead, Seth questions him and tries to turn everyone else against him. He claims that Kieran is out for control and power and wonders why they didn't hold an election. Um, the ship was being attacked, people are dying and missing, and you want to hold an election? Plus, we've been told by this point several times how Kieran is in line to take over, so by rule of succession, Kieran taking over makes sense. This just really made me dislike Seth's character even more.

I also never really understood why they just took the girls. Why not take the boys too? If they could never have children, wouldn't having some boys on board help multiply their next generation like they wanted? The whole thing never really made sense to me-I would have wanted both genders to increase my population for sure.

The end doesn't wrap anything up, there are lots of questions unanswered and the cliffhanger is just a bit meh. It leaves you wishing the book was longer and that the whole story could wrap up if the characters would just talk to each other more!

Don't get me wrong-there were things I liked and I think the buzz that this one is generating is great. I like that science fiction, especially scifi set in space, is making a comeback. I think there will be lots of readers who are in love this book, but for me it was a middle of the road novel. I'll read the next books because I'm interested enough to keep going and I want to know what happens and I want answers to my questions, but it's not a book I'll be raving about.

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

2011/348 pgs

About the Book: Chloe's older sister Ruby is the beautiful girl who everyone in town wants to be. Ruby always gets whatever she wants. When Chloe finds the body of a classmate, London, floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from Ruby. But Ruby always gets what she wants-and soon Chloe is able to return and London is alive. No one but Chloe seems to know the truth and Ruby seems to have a strange hold over London and everyone else in town.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: Imaginary Girls is a haunting, creepy and delicious book. It explores the bonds of sisterly love but adds a bit of horror to the story. It's contemporary but not exactly contemporary-it's hard to say exactly what genre it would fall under. It's easy to fall under Ruby's spell and I think this one has a good shot at making an award list come January. Right now it's in my top three picks for Printz! Highly recommended for book clubs-great discussion book!

Liesel & Po by Lauren Oliver

2011/320 pgs

About the Book: Liesl lives in a small attic room where she was banished by her evil stepmother. Liesl didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to her father who recently passed away. So when Liesl discovers a ghost named Po in her attic room, she hopes that Po can get a message to the other side for her father.

Outside the attic room, an alchemist's apprentice is watching Liesl from the street. Will wishes he could be friends with the girl in the attic and his daydreaming causes him to make a mistake-he switches his box of the most powerful magic in the world with the box containing the ashes of Liesl's father.

This sets off a string of events that lead Will, Liesl and Po on an extraordinary journey.


Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: If you're looking for a book to hand over to middle grade readers who want something that's a lighter fantasy with some adventure, Liesl & Po is a perfect choice. I can see readers who really like this one, loving it to pieces and clutching it to them with each re-read. I think this book will have a dedicated fanbase of tween readers who devour it.

I really like when books have varying storylines that all twist together somehow and Liesl & Po has lots of those! I almost felt the book should have been called Liesl, Po and Will, because Will does play a big part in the story and I liked his eventual friendship with Liesl. There are lots of characters which means lots of stories and action to keep track of, but it never felt like it was too muddled in keeping each story straight. In fact, I felt the stories could have been drawn out even more. There were things that were mentioned that I wished were more fleshed out. What happened to the guards sister? What will happen to the adults in the end? Where did Po come from? I still had questions at the end!

Although I had my questions, the story is a beautiful one with themes of family, friendship, magic and finding peace. The writing is touching and heartwarming with the right touch of humor. The world is a magical one that feels a bit foreign and historical-think Victorian setting-as well as having a touch of today. The characters of Liesl, Po and Will are characters that readers will like and want to see succeed. The kids are good, the bad guys are bad, and things aren't always as they seem. There are some twists that while I found predictable, I think some tween readers will find a surprise. The whole book has a feel of a classic tale with ghosts, greedy adults, and kids looking for a home.

A nice addition to libraries looking to add to their middle grade fantasy collections. It could also be a good read aloud, since I think it would have appeal to both genders-it doesn't lean too "girl read" or "guy read." I would recommend to readers who enjoy fantasy or books that have an old classic storytelling feel to them.

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

2011/308pgs

About the Book: Luis Fuentes has always been the brother who is expected to be good and not get into trouble. He has ambitions to become an astronaut and his life has been about sheltering him from the gang violence his brothers grew up so he can achieve his dreams. But Luis has a side that makes him want to take risks, and there's no greater risk than Nikki Cruz.

Nikki Cruz has been hurt by guys in the past and she's not about to trust a guy like Luis-a guy she knows will only end up breaking her heart. Nikki has secrets that make her keep her guard up, but will Luis be able to break them down?

When Luis discovers secrets about his family, he has a choice to make. Will Nikki be enough to save him from a dangerous life?

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: Oh, those Fuentes brothers-they are so hot, how can you not love them all??:) Chain Reaction is another exciting entry into the Perfect Chemistry series, this time telling the story of the youngest brother, Luis. Chain Reaction is a great conclusion to the Perfect Chemistry series and has everything readers will be looking for. Steamy romance-check. Cute crushworthy boy-check. Some drama and surprises to keep readers guessing-check. Couple you want to see make it-check.

Where Alex and Carlos has bad boy streaks, Luis is more cocky and confident, but more of a good guy. He's trying hard not to get involved with the Latino Blood and is trying to stay out of trouble. Nikki isn't so much a bad girl, but instead a girl with secrets that provide her a reason to guard herself from guys. She doesn't want to fall again and get hurt. She's more independent than bad girl, but both Luis and Nikki have their "bad" streaks which makes their romance pretty steamy!

I wish we would have gotten to see their relationship develop more. I felt like in the previous two books, we really got to see the characters fall for each other and spend time getting to know each other. Luis and Nikki have that too, but we don't get to witness it as much-instead we're told about all the time they're spending together and witness they're very hot and heavy make out sessions. I felt like they spent a lot of time making out and that there connection was more physical than in the other books. The times that we do get to see them getting to know each other are sweet and I can see how they would fall for each other. I just would have liked to spend more time with them as that happened.

A treat for fans of the first two books is that we get to see Alex and Brittnay, Carlos and Kiara. I loved revisiting these characters and catching up with them and I'm sure any reader who enjoyed the first two will love these scenes.

There are some surprises in this book which added to the drama. I understood Luis and Nikki's motives, but most of the time I wanted them to stop being so dumb and tell them to just talk to each other already! They really liked making each other miserable and pushing each other away and then pulling back in. They have a lot of give and take which can be a bit frustrating. Serious, why wouldn't they just talk to each already??

While this is the conclusion to the series, the epilogues in each book I think leave it open for us to revisit the Fuentes family again in the future. Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll hear the kids stories next? I also felt that while Chain Reaction is part of a series, it could be read alone and the author does a nice job filling in details readers may need to know from previous books. Another great read full of drama and romance-hand this one to your romance readers who like their books with a bit of spice.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
308 pages

This book definitely will go on my top 10 books for 2011. I am not normally a nonfiction reader but do like biographies. I think everyone will be surprised at the story of Rob Lowes life. His detailed stories of what it was like growing up, when his parents got divorced and what it was like to live down the street from the Sheen's growing up. It is riveting! He saw himself as a nerd in school and was always trying to figure out how to be the "cool" kid. He reads the audiobook version and it is really amazing. He doesn't seem to hold much back and really gives you an inside look at what it was like to be a young actor. His reading is great as you would expect but the voices he uses for characters like Cary Grant, Tom Cruise and Martin Sheen are really entertaining. I loved it and look forward to reading it again!