bookshelves of doom

Donation of the day.

Today, I'm donating* Rival, by Sara Bennett Wealer:

The girls take turns narrating their story in the present and the past, providing both perspectives on the arc of their friendship. Rival is a solid contemporary YA drama: Brooke and Kathryn have distinct voices and they're both flawed yet relatable. Sara Bennett Wealer deals with both characters fairly: They both do some really rotten things and some really decent things. Even better, she never tips the balance: It never feels like one character is supposed to be more In The Right than the other. Because of that, I never chose one to root for -- and never even wanted to -- which is a rare (and welcome) thing when it comes to this sort of story.

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*In case you missed it, I took over the running of my town library last week, and every day that I've worked, I've donated a book. Or two.

Donation of the day.

Last week, I took the reins at my town's library, and since then, I've been donating a book every day that I work.

I'm doing so partly because I'm working within the constraints of a small collections budget that has to be stretched across all areas of the library, but mostly because I have MORE BOOKS THAN ANY ONE PERSON COULD POSSIBLY NEED, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: No Safety in Numbers, by Dayna Lorentz:

...while the book veers more Generic Action Movie (lots of conflict, characters defined by a few major traits, not much depth or development) than Critic-Pleasing, Soon-to-Be-Award winner (for example), I enjoyed it unreservedly. The tension ramps up nicely as people start turning on each other, and even more so as characters begin to realize just how Little Brother-creepy their situation is, what with the government controlling the flow of information in—and out—of the mall.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.

Donation of the day.

Last week, I took the reins at my town's library, and since then, I've been donating a book every day that I work.

I'm doing so partly because I'm working within the constraints of a small collections budget that has to be stretched across all areas of the library, but mostly because I have MORE BOOKS THAN ANY ONE PERSON COULD POSSIBLY NEED, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: The Friday Society, by Adrienne Kress:

Considering the cover art, it’s not surprising that Adrienne Kress’ The Friday Society has been billed in more than one place (including here at Kirkus) as a sort-of steampunk Charlie’s Angels.  And while it’s not always safe to judge books by their covers, in this case, what you see is what you get.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.

Donation of the day.

I live in a small town with a small library, and unsurprisingly, my small library has the sort of small budget that calls for lots of creative thinking and whatnot.

And since now—as of last week!—I'm RUNNING THE SHOW at the library, I've decided to donate a book every day that I work. After all, I have PLENTY, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: Starstruck, by Rachel Shukert:

On the scale of realistic-yet-frothy historical fiction starring female protagonists—with What I Saw and How I Lied on the OMG, IT'S AHMAZING end, Vixen on the OMG, WHAT AM I READING end, and The Luxe squarely in the middle—Starstruck has more in common with The Luxe than the others. It has a similar format, in that the focus rotates through the main characters; it has some of the same character archetypes, including the not-so-pretty girl who resents the ridiculously sweet & pure ingenue; and it has a similar feel, in that it's super-soap-operatic and somewhat over-the-top and totally entertaining.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.

Donation of the day.

I live in a small town with a small library, and unsurprisingly, my small library has the sort of small budget that calls for lots of creative thinking and whatnot.

And since now—as of Monday!—I'm RUNNING THE SHOW at the library, I've decided to donate a book every day that I work. After all, I have PLENTY, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: Rapture Practice, by Aaron Hartzler:

...one of the main threads of Hartzler’s narrative is his journey towards understanding that the beliefs to which his family so wholeheartedly, devotedly and genuinely subscribes...aren’t necessarily the same as his. Much of the conflict centers around faith, the form it takes and how we display it, but the harder emotions he grapples with—doubt, anger, confusion and heartbreak—are universal to adolescence, and to coming-of-age. Rapture Practice is about how he finds his way through all that and ultimately makes peace not just with how he’s different from his family, but how they’re different from him.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.

Donation of the day.

I live in a small town with a small library, and unsurprisingly, my small library has the sort of small budget that calls for lots of creative thinking and whatnot.

And since now—as of today!—I'm RUNNING THE SHOW at the library, I've decided to donate a book every day that I work. After all, I have PLENTY, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: Catch Rider, by Jennifer H. Lyne:

Sid is hardscrabble and feisty, and her dry delivery and her distinctive narration made me think of a younger version of Dairy Queen's D.J. Schwenk. Like D.J., she's also got working class roots, a crazy-strong work ethic, a you-say-stubborn-I-say-persistent nature and she lives in a small town where everyone knows everyone. Sid and the setting reminded me of Dairy Queen, but her drive and her knowledge reminded me of the heroines in Joan Bauer's earlier books: in those, they always have a passion for a particular topic, and Sid's passion is just as inspiring and contagious and impressive as any of theirs.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.

Donation of the day.

I live in a small town with a small library, and unsurprisingly, my small library has the sort of small budget that calls for lots of creative thinking and whatnot.

And since now—as of Monday!—I'm RUNNING THE SHOW at the library, I've decided to donate a book every day that I work. After all, I have PLENTY, and it'll make me happy to share.

Today's book: Black City, by Elizabeth Richards:

You've probably already guessed where the story is headed, and you aren't wrong: but that's not to say that there aren't some twists along the way. Since the prose stylings are neither squee-inducing nor remotely offensive, it'll be the plotting, the characters, and the world-building that attract or repel readers: and as Black City has a lot in common with other recent bestsellers, it should be pretty easy to figure out whether or not you should pick it up.

Unless otherwise noted, all donated books come from my personal collection, and have been reviewed by me, either here or at Kirkus Reviews.