New books for the new year

Once again I missed Thursday, so no Thursday Thirteen. Although that is one of my new year's resolutions, to post here more often, and spice up the posts some. I've got big plans. And maybe the technology will cooperate this year. Since this will be my last post until after Christmas, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Yule, Happy Hanukkah, and a great weekend.

1) The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

2) Player's Ruse by Hilari Bell

3) Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer

4) Hunted by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

5) Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

6) Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

7) Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli

8)The Indigo King by James A. Owen

9) Thirst (vol. 2) by Christopher Pike

10) Royal Blood by Ellen Schreiber

11) The Necromancer by Michael Scott

12) Strange Fate by L.J. Smith

13) My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

Thursday Thirteen #2

13 YA Books without Vampires

In honor of the release of the second Twilight movie, I thought I'd do a TT of YA books without vampires. There are books galore out with vampires, and some of them are quite good. But in the rush to read all things vampire, let us not forget there are other things out there to read about: werewolves, fairies (both good and evil), goblens, trolls, zombies, and that strange bizarre thing known as the real world. So this is just a sampling of the nonvampire ya books out there that have made it to my tbr list, some of them I found browsing B&N's teen page, some from browsing our ya section. So what YA books have you added to your tbr list lately?

1) Gilda Joyce:Psychic Investigator

by Jennifer Allison

2) The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation

by M.T. Anderson

3) The Summoning

by Kelley Armstrong

4) Going Bovine

by Libba Bray

5) Code Talker

by Joseph Bruchac
6) Graceling

by Kristin Cashore

7) The Warrior Heir

by Cinda Williams Chima

8) City of Bones

by Cassandra Clare

9) The Maze Runner

by James Dashner

10) Before I Die

by Jenny Downham

11) Hush, Hush

by Becca Fitzpatrick

12) Meridian
Amber Kizer

13) Wicked Lovely

by Melissa Marr

Thursday Thirteen #1

Thirteen YA Novels about Vampires- for those of you who think there's no such thing as too many vampires. I must confess I haven't read all of them, but my to be read pile tends to get away from me (and take over rooms in my apartment- but that's a different story). Most of these are the first in a series (or first in an I-hope there is more series). Book reviews to come.

1) Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer


2) Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

3) Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

4) Vamps by Nancy A. Collins

5)Vamped by Lucienne Diver

6) The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

7) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

8) Thirst #1 by Christopher Pike

9) Vampire Kisses: The Beginning by Eileen Schreiber

10) Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith

11) The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

12) Vampirates by Justin Somper

13) Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Banned Books Week

Since this is our YA blog, I thought I'd salute Banned Books Week with a list of YA books that have been banned or challenged in the past 10 year (I pulled these titles off of ALA's lists of most challenged books by year). I've read quite a few of them, but seeing them on the lists makes me want to go out and read more of them. How about you? How many have you read? Go celebrate Banned Books Week. Read a book.

1. His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman
2. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
4. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
6. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
7. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
8. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
9. Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
10. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
11. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
12. Forever, by Judy Blume
13. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
14. Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
15. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor
16. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
17. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene

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