The Immortals Series by Alyson Noel

The Immortals series begins with Alyson Noels’ book Evermore. It continues with the Blue Moon, which picks up where Evermore left off. Both books are available at the Library in the Young Adult section, as well Art Geeks & Prom Queens, which is a previous publication by Noel.



Evermore
16 year-old Ever loses her family in a tragic accident. Soon after, as she mourns their loss, she discovers she can hear people’s thoughts, see their auras, and can know a person’s entire life just by touching them. She avoids her classmates and general human contact because of these new abilities and is ostracized at school. When she meets Damen, who can make things disappear and reappear, she is drawn to him because of the calm he brings her. Unsure of what he is, Ever discovers he is a part of an enchanted world where no one dies. She will soon discover how she fits into this new world.



Blue Moon
The sequel to Evermore continues with the story of Ever, who is learning more about her abilities as they strengthen. However, as she grows more powerful, Damen, the man she loves, seems to be weakening. In order to save him, Ever must travel to Summerland, another magical place. While there she uncovers Damen’s painful past and the ability to turn back time. Will Ever chane the past to bring back her family, or will she remain in the present and save the man she has grown to love?

This series will be enjoyed by any fans of Twilight and other mystical storylines. Noel is a strong writer, who is able to capture the imaginations of the readers with her descriptive words. Shadowland, which is not yet published, will be the follow up book to Blue Moon.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Fans of the Twilight series and Melissa Marr’s faerie series Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, and Fragile Eternity will devour Rachel Vincent’s My Soul to Take, the first book published by HarlequinTeen, a division of the legendary romance publisher. My Soul is the first of the Soul Screamers series.

High school student Kaylee Cavanagh seems to have a gift, but how special that gift is could be debated. The ability to predict things would be cool if you weren’t predicting when people were going to die. What makes this “gift” even more regrettable is the blood-curdling scream that accompanies it. Kaylee, although she doesn’t consider herself beautiful or extraordinary, just wants to try live normal life, which includes hanging out with her best friend, Emma, and finishing high school. Her young life has already faced the obstacles of her mother’s death and her father leaving her with her aunt, uncle, and snobby cousin and classmate, Sophie. Kaylee’s life veers far left of normal when she begins predicting the deaths of strangers and classmates, who just seem to drop dead for no reason.

Further complicating this issue is Nash Hudson, a gorgeous jock, who takes an interest in her on the same night as the death premonitions begin. Kaylee, a social zero at her school, wonders why Nash, one of the hottest seniors, would want to hang out with her. What could they possibly have in common? (More than you know.) And, why does he have such a calming effect on her, especially when the premonitions take place?

There are many secrets that have been kept from Kaylee, and her ability to predict death will soon force the truth to be revealed.

My Soul to Take will interest Twilight fans, but this story contains no vampires or werewolves. Instead Vincent uses legends in Irish folklore to shape her series. The book is a healthy mix of romance, paranormal, and mystery, and the author keeps the reader in engaged with plenty of twists and turns. The topic of death is in the forefront of the novel; therefore, it may not be appropriate for younger teens. The physical romance is fairly limited because of the age group for which it is intended and the heavy topic of death.

Gearing Up for College

Although the school year hasn’t even started many students already have college on the brain. The Moore Memorial Public Library has a number of books that can help future college students prepare for their furthering their education. A number of these books and some websites have been compiled in a brochure, also known as a bibliography, available at the library and online. The bibliography, entitled “College & Career Resources” contains information about available test preparation guides, financial aid, scholarships, and college guides. Prospective college students may also check out books that can help with the application and essay process. For those who are still exploring career options, the guide provides the names of books and links that explore career trends. Lastly, the guide also has a list of Spanish language materials and websites for local universities and community colleges.

The printed version of the guide is available in the computer area of the library. Please speak with a reference Librarian, who can help you locate the desired materials. Preparing for college is an exciting experience, and your local library is here to help you with the process.

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci

Once a year during the month of July thousands of comic book nerds pounce on San Diego, CA to attend Comic-Con, or as Cecil Castellucci so lovingly calls it: “nerd prom.” A couple of years ago Castellucci and fellow young adult author, Holly Black, met at Comic-Con and got to talking about what would happen if a Jedi were to fall in love with a Klingon. For those of you not in the nerd-know, the intermingling of Star Wars and Star Trek fans in a “big no-no” in the geeky world of comic books and science fiction. Black and Castellucci likened it to a spacey version of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. The prospect of collaborating together to produce this story seemed like a geek’s dream, except the reality was no publishing company in their right mind would want to produce it. The authors felt this idea was too good to pass up, so they decided to ask a group of their favorite young adult authors, also known for their geekiness or geek characters, to contribute short stories about geekdom. The end result was Geektastic: stories from the nerd herd.

The anthology features Black and Castellucci’s story, “Once You’re a Jedi, You’re a Jedi all the Way” and others by writers such as, M.T. Anderson, David Levithan, Lisa Yee, Libba Bray, and John Green. Illustrations and mini-comics by Bryan Lee O’Malley, of Scott Pilgrim fame, and his wife, Hope Larson (Chiggers) provides transition between each short story. If you have a love of Star Trek, Star Wars, cosplay, and high school drama club there is something for you in this collection. Current geeks or those learning to embrace their inner geek will enjoy the humor of these stories and most likely see a little bit of themselves in this book.

This is the first collaboration between Black and Castellucci. For those who enjoy Geektastic, check out individual works by these authors. The following titles are available at the library:

Holly Black: The Good Neighbors, Ironside: a modern faery’s tale, Valiant: a modern tale of faerie, Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, and Tithe: a modern faerie tale

Cecil Castellucci: Jane’s in Love (graphic novel), Beige, The Plain Janes (graphic novel), The Queen of Cool, and Boy Proof

Sacred Scars by Kathleen Duey

Fans of Kathleen Duey’s Skin Hunger will be happy to learn the second book of the A Resurrection of Magic trilogy, Sacred Scars, is now available at the Moore Memorial Library. The story picks up with Sadima, Franklin, and Somiss, who have been driven out of Limori by a suspicious fire to a series of caves. Somiss is still on his mission to restore magic, which has been outlawed, by capturing a group of orphaned street boys. He claims to want to train the boy, but Sadima is skeptical of his motives.

Similarly to Skin Hunger Duey also follows the character, Hahp, who lives generations into the future of Sadima’s reality. Hahp is still reluctantly attending the Academy of Magic in Limori and its dangerous classes. Although Hahp and his roommate, Gerrard, have agreed to work together to bring down the evil at the academy, they know that they will need the assistance from all of the students. Now they just need a plan and the trust of their fellow students.

Skin Hunger was a National Book Award Finalist. Both books are available at the library. Sacred Scars is currently available in the New Books area, and Skin Hunger is shelved in the YP section of the library.

I’ve resisted reading The Umbrella Academy because it was created by Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, a band I do not find pleasing to my ears. However, one of my favorite comic blogs, Living Between Wednesdays, and the respectable iFanboy Podcast have listed it as one of the best comics to come out in the past year. You must imagine my shock when I discovered while reading Grant Morrison’s introduction to the story that Gerard Way is a total comic book geek who can school you with the best of them.

The Umbrella Academy is a disbanded group of superheroes, who were all born on the same day at the same time by women who didn’t know they were even pregnant. What a weird way to start a life. Shortly after they were born they were collected and adopted by the eccentric Sir Reginald Hargreeves, who is really an alien disguised as a well-known well-to-do. Hargreeves trains the UA to save the world from an unknown threat, but eventually the group disbands. They are united when Hargreeves dies and reclaim their task of saving the world.

It’s a beautiful adventure.
You should read it.

Aside from being in the band My Chemical Romance, Gerard Way is a total comic book nerd, who has been drawing and writing comics since the age of five. Before his success as a musician he attended the School of Visual Art in NYC, which is where he cut his teeth as an artist and creative writer. He has stated in interviews he was influence by Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol along with ZombieWorld by Pat McEown.
Gabriel Ba has previously collaborated with his twin brother Fabio Moon. His first US release, De: TALES is available at Moore Memorial Public Library.

I would also like to acknowledge Dave Stewart did the colors for The Umbrella Academy because they are lovely and deep. Stewart is known for his color contribution to Darwyn Cooke’s DC: The New Frontier, Loeb and Sale’s Catwoman: When in Rome (We have it at the library.), Joss Whedon’s Fray, and numerous other comics from Dark Horse, DC, and Marvel. It’s luscious stuff.

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

Newsweek calls Meg Cabot “chick-lit royalty,” and she continues to reign supreme. Cabot, the author of several young adult novels, such as the Princess Diaries series, recently published Being Nikki, the second book in her Airhead series. Airhead was the first book in the series, which introduced Em, a brainiac trapped inside the body of a internationally-adored supermodel, Nikki. This first book told the tales immediately after Em’s brain was placed inside Nikki’s body. Being Nikki picks up where the last book left off, but this time around is a little bit mystery, a little bit romance, and a whole lotta funny. Cabot also splashes in a healthy mix of celebrity culture for those interested in night life, movie stars, and the latest trends.

Em/Nikki struggles to balance passing 11th grade with runway shows and photo shoots half-way around the world. When Nikki’s mother goes missing, there is one more struggle added to her packed schedule. A best friend intent on revenge of Stark Industries, a brother who keeps demanding answers, and a constant stream of ex-boyfriends looking to rekindle fanned flames adds to Em’s dilemma, but also makes for a hilarious, quick read for those who love Cabot’s wacky story lines.

Being Nikki, Airhead, and many of Cabot’s previous books are available at the Moore Memorial Public Library in the Young Adult and General Fiction areas.