The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer / Michelle Hodkin

I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I FORGOT TO POST THIS EARLIER! I read this book during the summer and saved the post in anticipation of its publication (in late September) and it totally slipped my mind! My apologies for the lateness, but here's my take...

TITLE: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
AUTHOR: Michelle Hodkin
OWNED by CCLS? On order.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin is a haunting read. Although it's 400+ pages, it is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat and wanting to know.... what, how, and really? I was fortunate enough to be able to read an uncorrected proof of this particular novel and it was worth it! Here's the story...

TUOMD is Hodkin's first novel. It is a story (some truth to it possibly??) of a seventeen year old girl named Mara Dyer who wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of the tragic event that led to the death of her best friend, her boyfriend, and a friend of her BFF. It is this tragedy that causes her whole family to move from Rhode Island to Florida in order to allow Mara to start over. With the help of her lawyer father, her psychologist mother and her two brothers (one older and one younger), will Mara be able to move on and come to grips with the accident that may or may not have been her fault?

Read TUOMD if you're looking for something that is sure to keep you guessing. It's a twisty mystery with suspense, intrigue, romance, murder, and more....

M's Verdict: Whoa...what a story! Although it may be 400+ pages, I guarantee (no money back though;) that you won't be able to put this book down! It's gripping and has such a crazy premise that you will want to know what's coming next. What the description doesn't mention is that Mara seems to have some slight psychological issues that she needs to come to grips with. I definitely see a sequel in Hodkin's future. We'll have to stay posted for that one!

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Creature Tech / Doug TenNapel (graphic novel)

TITLE: Creature Tech

AUTHOR: Doug TenNapel

OWNED by CCLS? Yes.

Description from the library catalog, which was borrowed from Booklist:

"Out in Turlock, California, all hell breaks loose when a mad scientist's spirit opens one of the crates of top-secret stuff at the Research Technical Institute, aka Creature Tech because of rumors, essentially correct, about what sort of things go on there."

M's Verdict: This is the first time I really had to refer to the library catalog description in order to, well, describe a book I read. Creature Tech is a great read for anyone who is intrigued by mad scientists, giant dead space eels, demonic cats, slugbeasts, the supernatural, and alien organisms. Although it's a bit of a bizarre premise, it is definitely not a dull storyline and the illustrations, as always, are impressive. If you're looking for something a bit less bizarre, try TenNapel's Ghostopolis, which is still pretty unusual, but a bit less... supernatural??

Elixir / Hilary Duff

TITLE: Elixir
AUTHOR: Hilary Duff
OWNED BY CCLS: Yes.

This is a hard book to summarize and explain. Oddly similar to something I've read before. Perhaps comparable to Lauren Kate's Fallen. See for yourself...

Clea Raymond, the seventeen year old daughter of a prominent U.S. politician (mother) and surgeon (father), leads an unusual life to say the least. Clea works as a photojournalist and travels the world taking photos that she believes "capture the soul." Both of her parents are also constantly "on the go" with their work, leaving Clea to fight the paparazzi on her own or spend time with her BFF Rayna and her bodyguard/best friend Ben.

During one of Clea's father's missionary trips to Brazil he goes missing. There are no answers, only questions surrounding his disappearance. Fortunately, one of Clea's photojournalist assignments takes her (and Ben) to the festival of Carnival in Brazil. Clea's trip morphs from a simple photo shoot expedition to a bizarre adventure of sorts that includes fear, love, mystery, intrigue and tales of 500 years past. Perhaps the trip to Brazil will provide Clea with some closure, but it sounds like it may only stir up more questions.

Check out Elixir today @ FRE--only 1 copy is currently available!

M's Verdict: A few things...
(1) This book is hard to explain/describe.
(2) This book leads well into a sequel (coming out this October : Devoted).
(3) I wish that when I had started reading this book that I hadn't known who wrote it. I'll admit that the only reason that I picked up this book is because I wanted to see if actor/singer/songwriter Hilary Duff could write. Unfortunately, I can't help but wonder if this didn't influence how I read this book.

For example, have you ever watched a movie or seen a trailer for a movie and then tried to read the book? How many of you picture what the characters look like? (i.e. When I read Twilight it was after seeing previews of the movie. This meant that as I read the book, I pictured Kristen Stewart as Bella and Robert Pattinson as Edward. I think this definitely changes how you read as well as how you think about a book. The same applies for when you see a movie after reading that book it was based on. More often than not I think--"that is soooo not what I pictured him/her as.)

Clarity / Kim Harrington

TITLE: Clarity

AUTHOR: Kim Harrington

OWNED by CCLS? YES!

Clarity by debut author Kim Harrington is not a book that you're going to want to miss! I read this book a month or so ago and have been waiting for the opportune time to showcase it on the blog. I cannot say enough good things about this novel! Anyhow, just because I love it, doesn't mean you're going to, so read the description below to see if it's something you might like. (May I suggest it for your first summer reading book!! It would be a great beach read!)

Clare Fern, who belongs to a family of psychics, is sixteen and lives in the tourist town of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Unbeknownst to her, she and her family are about to have the summer of their lives. When Clare's brother becomes a suspect in a murder of a teen girl in a local motel, Clare must work with the police detective, her cheating ex-boyfriend, and the new detective's quite hot son to prove that her brother is innocent. Will her gift, which is sometimes unpredictable, be able to help clear her brother's name and keep her safe from the lurking murderer? Check Clarity out if you're looking for a suspenseful novel filled with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing.

M's Verdict: Obviously it's AWESOME! (If you cannot remember why, read above:p) I will definitely be eagerly awaiting Kim Harrington's upcoming novels, including Perception (the sequel to Clarity and expected to be released in March 2012).

Ghostopolis / Doug TenNapel

TITLE: Ghostopolis
AUTHOR: Doug TenNapel
OWNED BY CCLS? Yes.

One of the graphic novels that I frequently recommend to readers new to graphic novels is Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel. I read Ghostopolis a few months back and I have continued to search out and read all of the TenNapel GNs that I can get my hands on.

Ghostopolis is a bit weird and unusual, but that's what makes it fun. Once you start reading, I guarantee you'll want to read another of TenNapel's comics, if not--see me!

Picture this...
You have an incurable disease, that's as bad as it can get, right? Think again! You're zapped into the afterlife by a ghost wrangler, along with a horse skeleton (that appears to be alive--weird), and the ruler of this afterlife is not pleased with your arrival, so he sends his minions after you. Fantastic! Fortunately the ghost wrangler who accidentally sent you to this other world has an ex ghost girlfriend, who can hopefully get you back to where you belong. All this and more is jammed into Ghostopolis. Want to know how it ends? Check it out! If it's already gone, don't worry, there's another copy on order!

Check out Doug TenNapel's website too : http://tennapel.com/ .

I am currently reading Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner and Power Up by Doug TenNapel.