Archive for the ‘supernatural’ Tag
New Books Highlight: Remixes
This week we’ve got three brand new books (just going on the shelves TODAY!) that all feature stories that are based on other stories. Remixing stories is kind of a popular thing for authors to do right now – for example Marissa Meyer’s Cinder which retells Cinderella as a sci fi dystopian tale. Some very cool things happen when authors pick up a favorite fairy tale or classic story and re-imagine it in their own way.
Dr. Frankenstein’s Daughters by Suzanne Weyn
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, there is no mention of Dr. Frankenstein having a family at all. I seem to remember there being a sister, perhaps, but no daughters.Like Kenneth Oppel in This Dark Endeavor, Weyn adds to the story of Dr. Frankenstein by giving him two unacknowledged twin daughters. After Frankenstein dies, the two girls make their way to his creepy castle to claim it as their inheritance. Told in a Gothic style similar to the original novel, this story unravels in a twisty turn-y tale of romance, mystery, and horror as the two very different twins become captivated by their father’s castle and their father’s madness. If you like Oppel’s Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series and the original horror story itself, you’ll want to read this one.
Sneak Peek! “From the Personal Diary of Victor Frankenstein, Ingolstadt, Germany, June 15, 1798. What unbearable guilt! I am the most wretched man alive – a blasted tree, shattered. I am abhorrent even to myself. My gentle and good wife, Hildy, dead. Only nineteen years of age and already gone from my arms, defeated in her struggle to give birth to our sweet tiny girls, Giselle and Ingrid.” (Text copyright © 2013 by Suzanne Weyn)
Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
This is a retelling of the less-known Brothers Grimm tale of Bluebeard, a fierce but rich man who woos and brings home a young girl to be his next wife, but the young girl quickly discovers Bluebeard has deep, dark, murderous secrets hiding in his castle. In Nickerson’s retelling, Sophia Petheram is orphaned at 17, but unexpectedly invited to be taken in by her mysterious godfather. She accepts his invitation, having no other options, and lands at the lavish Wyndriven Abbey set deep in Mississippi. Things there seem pleasant, until Sophia begins to unravel the mysteries and see past the elaborate facades to the horrific secrets lurking at Wyndriven Abbey.
Sneak Peek! “You see, I had a fabulously wealthy godfather. That was why anything was possible for me.” (Text copyright © 2013 by Jane Nickerson)
New Books Highlight: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
After looking at three dystopian books last week – that genre that seems to be taking over the world – let’s look at three brand new books in other genres.
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
With its creepy title, this book sounds like a horror story. It’s really a little fantasy, a little paranormal, a little mythology, a little dystopia, and, yes, a little horror. There’s not just one story here, but there is one story. It’s made up of seven different vignettes – seven interwoven tales set on the same creepy Scandinavian island called Blessed. There are funny things afoot on Blessed, and it appears there have been since the beginning of time. Each piece of the puzzle takes place in a different era, starting in 2073, going back through the 10th century, and ending in time unknown. Fantasy, mythology, and paranormal fiction lovers should pick this up.
Sneak Peek! “The sun does no go down. This is the first thing that Eric Seven notices about Blessed Island. There will be many other strange things that he will notice, before the forgetting takes hold of him, but that will come later.” (Text copyright © 2013 Marcus Sedgwick)
Rory Miller’s life changes forever when she is nearly the victim of a serial killer. She escapes, but she knows who he is and what he almost did to her. She and her family enter Witness Protection, which means starting over in a new place, with a brand new life. Until one of Rory’s new friends goes missing. Has the killer she ran from found her? As teens continue to go missing in Rory’s new home of Juniper Landing, other seem unconcerned, but Rory is determined to track down the truth. If you like a little mystery with your stories, and a little supernatural with your mysteries, check this one out.
Sneak Peek! “His hands felt like ice. He rubbed them together, the dry scratching an even tempo in the otherwise quiet woods.” (Text copyright © 2012 by Alloy Entertainment and Kieran Viola)
Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed
And now for some romance! This is positively Downton Abbey from the perspective of two teens, one a rich young woman, and the other, her ladies’ maid. Lady Ada Averley has just returned from India to her family home at Somerton. A new ladies’ maid is found for her, Rose Cliffe, who is the same age as Ada. The two become close, despite their very different upbringings. Ada finds herself inexplicably involved in a less-than-expected romance with Ravi, an intelligent young Indian man in England to attend Oxford. Forbidden romance, upstairs-downstairs relationships a la Downton, and riveting writing make this a keeper.
Sneak Peek! (from the Prologue) ” Lady Ada Averley leaned on the rail of the steamboat Moldavia, feeling the hum of the ship’s huge engines through the steel, a rhythmic shudder like a giant’s breathing. The black sea glittered with the reflection of the stars above her, and the wind tugged at her had and loosened the dark curls that framed her pale face.” (Text copyright © 2013 by Disney Publishing Worldwide)
New Books Highlight: Not Yet Shelved
Every time we order new books here, there is a process that they have to go through before they can go on the shelves for you to check out. Sometimes that process takes longer than other times, but usually we are pretty fast. This week I thought it would be fun to highlight three brand new books that aren’t even on the shelves yet so you can plan in advance for the moment they will be available!
That means that there are not links to the catalog for each title, but I have still included the cover image when possible so you’ll know what you’re looking for, and the sneak peek…
The Wrap-Up List by Steven Arntson
Everyone gets assigned their own personal Death, with a capital D, who helps them depart. Gabriela’s Death sends her a letter one day informing her she has but seven days left before he comes to escort her to the afterlife. That sucks. But what’s worse is that it looks like Gabriela will die before ever having kissed someone. A few of her friends have yet to experience kissing, too, so before she dies, Gabriela makes it her mission to set their romantic lives in order. As the week winds down, Gabriela learns that if she can determine her Death’s weakness, she might just be able to stay alive to enjoy her new-found confidence.
Sneak Peek! “Some people die from heart attacks, and some from falling off ladders. Some are killed in car accidents. Some drown. Some, like my grandfather Gonzalo, die in war.” (Text copyright © 2013 Steven Arntson)
Splintered by A. G. Howard 
Alyssa Gardner knows that madness runs in her family. Her great-great-grandmother, Alice Liddell, told her mad dreams to the author Lewis Carroll who was inspired by them to write Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa’s ability to hear plants and animals leads her to wonder if there is some truth to Alice’s story. She comes to realize that in order to break the curse of insanity, she must descend into Wonderland and right the wrongs her great-great-grandmother perpetrated there years ago.
Sneak Peek! “I’ve been collecting bugs since I was ten; it’s the only way I can stop their whispers. Sticking a pin through the gut of an insect shuts it up pretty quick.” (Text copyright © 2013 Anita Howard)
Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger
This is the first book in a series called Finishing School. Sophronia in uninterested in girlish pursuits, much to the annoyance of her mother who is desperate for Sophronia to become a proper lady. She enrolls her in a prestigious finishing school, Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. When Sophronia begins there she is skeptical, but she soon learns that the school is somewhat different than your typical finishing school. Girls there are taught, among the normal things like singing and sewing, the tricks of the trades of espionage. Carriger also writes the steampunk Parasol Protectorate series (adult fiction).
Sneak Peek! “Sophronia intended to pull the dumbwaiter up from the kitchen to outside the front parlor on the ground floor where Mrs. Barnaclegoose was taking tea. Mrs. Barnaclegoose had arrived with a stranger in two. Meddling old battle-ax.” (Text copyright © 2013 Gail Carriger)
MCTBA 2013 nominees announced!
The list of 15 nominees for the 2013 Milwaukee County Teen Book Award is here! Nominees include some books that have been popular here in Shorewood, such as The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Be sure to vote for your favorite before March 1, 2013. Remember, you don’t have to read all of them to be able to vote. If you read one and you liked it, why not make it your choice for the award!
Alex is hiking in the woods when an electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device and killing billions. Alex must survive in this new world, learning who can be trusted and who is no longer human. For all of you post-apocalyptic fans!
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Diagnosed with stage IV thyroid cancer, Hazel has always known her fate. But when she meets Augustus Waters at a cancer support group, Hazel struggles to change her outlook on life and love. This is a laugh-out-loud funny read, true to John Green’s style, yet also a deeply sad book.
In a tale full of dragons and royal scandal, Seraphina is a strong willed young lady who uses her musical talents as a distraction for her own dark secret. Sure to become a new fantasy favorite!
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
The day that Rory Deveaux arrives in London is also the day a series of brutal murders breaks out over the city. Rory is the only one who saw the prime suspect – and now Rory has become his next target. This play on the Jack the Ripper story is as thrilling as it is magical.
Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl
17-year-old Althea must marry well in order to support her family and maintain their ancient castle. When the perfect bachelor arrives in her tiny town she thinks they may finally be saved, except that his annoying business partner keeps getting in the way!
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
Tired of his parents’ fighting and being bullied at school, Lucky Linderman begins dreaming of being with his grandfather, who went missing during the Vietnam War, but a summer in Arizona with his aunt and uncle and their beautiful neighbor, Ginny, help him find a new perspective.
In the 15th-century kingdom of Brittany, Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where she learns that the god of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts – and a violent destiny.
Day is the most wanted criminal in the Republic. June is its most valuable asset. When Day is accused of killing June’s brother, she will stop at nothing to hunt him down – but what if everything she thought she knew was a lie? Bonus: the sequel, Prodigy, is coming soon!
Finley’s life is basketball, so when he’s asked to befriend a nationally ranked player at the same position, he’s unsure of what to do. Events from both boys past start to surface and shape their uncertain futures.
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick
Peter’s life as a baseball star is over, and now he needs to find something else to do. Of course, he can’t tell his best friend he’ll never play again, just like he can’t tell his parents about his grandfather’s forgetfulness.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
EPIC ALERT! Puck Connolly is the first girl to ever attempt the race. Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. But can they control the deadly water horses long enough to survive? Check out Stiefvater’s other 2012 release, The Raven Boys: Book 1.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Karou was raised by monsters. Her life as an art student in Prague is constantly disrupted by horned chimaera Brimstone’s mysterious errands to foreign cities. But when black handprints appear burnt into Brimstone’s doorways, coinciding with mysterious sightings of fiery angels, Karou is about to lose everything – and gain a whole new world. The sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight, is now out!
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
A wireless operator during WWII, Verity is a spy and master of deception – and a Nazi prisoner. In exchange for Allied wireless codes, she is allowed to live one day for each new piece of the truth. But as Verity’s story, and the story of her friendship with pilot Maddie, is slowly revealed, the truth is not always what it seems.
The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
In and out of hospitals for a life-threatening illness, sixteen-year-old Cam spends the summer with her family in Promise, Maine where her mother hopes the town’s mystical healing qualities will save her.
How to Save a Life by Sarah Zarr
Jill’s mother is adopting a child from a pregnant teen after the death of her father. Mandy is 19 and running away from the life she knows to give her unborn child a better life than she had. Both girls will need to face their pasts to find the family they need now.
The Name of the Star
When Rory moves to London from Louisiana to attend school she knows things will be different. At first trying to keep up with classes and learn British slang takes all her time. But when copycat Jack the Ripper murders happen in her neighborhood and at the school, Rory gets pulled into the investigation. “Rippermania” takes over London and Rory finds herself at the center of a the mysterious killings.
A great murder mystery with a supernatural twist, The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, is an exciting read filled with interesting characters, and fantastic setting, and a truly original plot.
Ghosts and Witches
A few great reads featuring ghosts and witches:
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
Emerson sees ghosts, apparitions from the past. And until she meets Michael, she fears for her sanity. After meeting Michael she fear’s for her heart. An innovative and delicious supernatural romance.
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Sophie, a witch, is sent to Hecate Hall after her spell goes terribly wrong and she’s discovered. At “Hex Hall,” she meets Jenna, her vampire roommate, Elodie, the mean girl who wants Sophie in her coven, and Archer, the hottest warlock at Hecate and Elodie’s boyfriend. Excitement ensues as Sophie learns more about her magic and tries to win Archer. Don’t miss the sequel, Demonglass!
If those two aren’t enough, here are a few more:
Immortal by Gillian Shields
Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski
Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith
Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
