The Killing Woods

Did Emily's father murder the teenage girl (Ashlee) he found in the woods? He can't remember--he was having a PTSD flash back. Emily is sure he is innocent, not that anyone else believes this. Ashlee's boyfriend, Damon is sure he is guilty, but that was before he realized he has no memories from that night.

I have read many reviews comparing The Killing Woods to Christopher's first novel  Stolen. These books can't be compared, but this is still an interesting psychological thriller sure to attract readers. 

Threatened

Chimpanzees are the closest relative to humans--but in some areas of the world they are hunted for game and for food. Many people, including Jane Goodall, have brought attention to this problem. In Threatened by Eliot Schrefer, a young boy inadvertently becomes one of the chimpanzee heroes. Luc is an AIDS orphan living essentially on his own, trying to make enough to pay back his mother's dept to an unscrupulous money lender. When a professor carrying a metal case comes to town Luc thinks he has found an easy mark. Immediately tracked down, the professor instead pays Luc's debt and takes him "inside" to be his research assistant among the chimps.

Soon left alone among the chimps and other predators, what follows is a beautiful and miraculous story of a boy who saves a pair of orphaned chimpanzees and is inducted into their family. Protected and adopted, Luc makes his home with the only family he has left.

This story is heartfelt and important. As mentioned several times throughout the book and authors notes, we can only protect what we understand and love. Read this book.

Backwards Compatible

Backwards Compatible by Sarah Daltry and Pete Clark is a hilarious and (as you can guess from the cover) geeky read. Costumes, quotes and play by play gaming fill the pages of this love story. I didn't get most of them--just a few amazing Joss Weadon references, but I still found this a page turner. The characters were fascinating, especially Lanyon. And though the language was crude at best--it is how boys talk.

It began with a midnight release of a game. Two people grabbed for it, and only one could walk away holding the game. There was guilt, there was pleading, and there was hatred. But that didn't stop George and Katie from meeting again and again, in the real world and online. Add in a few best friends, gamer acquaintances and a challenge akin to Ready Player One (but on a much smaller scale) and you have the plot to this "geek romance".

This book is geared towards the 20-something college aged crowd, but older teens will enjoy the book as well.


*ARC provided by publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Rule of Three by Eric Walters

Reasons I couldn't put this book down:

• The tag line: "A person can last 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. A community begins to die in just seconds"
• Male POV that was relatable and realistic.
• "Society" was still run by adults even if a teen was seriously in the know.
• Did I mention it was totally realistic?

Things that annoyed me:

• Can a computer virus really travel through AM/FM radio waves?
• So many questions and variables. This was just a set up for book two right? And when will that come out? Waiting is not my forte. And Adams dad will be in the next book right?
• Coincidences like this are unlikely but they really made for a good story.

When a computer virus takes out any and all electronics with computerized parts the world as we know it is over. Fortunately, the main character Adam is set. He drives a real old car with no computer, he built an old pre-computer plane in his garage with his dad, oh and he can fly it too. His mom is police chief--so she knows what's going on, is a community leader, and is armed.

But the best part, his neighbor is a (don't tell because it is classified) former CIA operative who has watched civilizations devolve and has been hoarding supplies for years. Prepares take note, in addition to your supplies choose your neighbors carefully.

In this book the enemy is the human race and the price of survival. I'm expecting this is only book one, and I'm already waiting for book two. This will be popular so add it to your book carts fellow librarians.



If you need me I will be stockpiling canned goods, non-perishables, bottled water and chlorine tablets and any other survival supply I can find.

Read-a-likes:
Life As We Knew It and Monument 14

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

There is something about the books by Katie McGarry that are completely engrossing. They are very romance-y and highly appealing. But there is so much more to them. In this chapter (the third in a series) we finally get Isaiah's story and his burgeoning romance with Rachel.

As with all of McGarry's books, the characters have deeply problematic personal and family lives. She has given each characters a past that is troubling them to them--issues that all teens can relate to in at least one of the characters. In this book Isaiah deals with his abandonment by his family, and the child-care system in addition while Beth has an overprotective family with unbearably high expectations and panic attacks.

This was an excellent book--captivating and appealing. I am getting a bit tired of the male character in books always wanting to protect the female character. Although kudos (spoiler) for Rachel not standing back and being protected.

I hope McGarry keeps writing (maybe one for Abby--my favorite character akin to the waffle loving harbinger in Hold Me Closer, Necromancer).

Things I Love About My Job

Things I love about my job as a librarian:

Speaking with an English accent along with other Teen Services librarians while setting up for a live-action clue event.

It was awesome if a little disorganized. Only one teen knew the game!?!

Relish by Lucy Knisley

Food is how my family relates. A holiday? Here is a huge meal with all the traditional dishes. A birthday? All of your favorite foods. Just another Tuesday? Lets get together with a big giant bowl of clam dip. Food can bring people together and it is a beacon of tradition. Some may say it is just about sustenance--but others know it isn't.

I just finished reading Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley. I'm impressed and I'm ready to go do some cooking. Or baking.

Lucy grew up the child of a excellent cook/ caterer and true foodie. She appreciates and craves delicious, fresh, perfectly prepared delicacies as well as junk food staples. This memoir is humorous and easy to relate to. I immediately began looking for her first novel. A must read for those with culinary aspirations.