Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen YP FIC GODBERSE

It is 1929 in New York and anything goes. The city is a glittering playground for the wealthy and beautiful, but prohibition makes it necessary for hoodlums and heiresses to rub elbows to keep the liquor flowing and the party going non-stop. Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey left the same small town to follow two different dreams. Letty wants to be the belle of Broadway with her name in lights. Cordelia just wants a life with the father she never knew, but his dangerous lifestyle leaves Cordelia with just one person to trust: her new friend Astrid Donal. Astrid seems to have everything a flapper could want but is hiding a secret past. They are the Bright Young Things and they’ll love, lose, win, or die to find their dreams in this new series by the author of The Luxe books.

Luxe fans rejoice, you have a new spoiled rich kid historical romance series to go crazy for! Bright Young Things is more than just a Gossip Girl clone set in the 20s (but Gossip Girl fans should love Godbersen’s books to!). Godbersen is able to recreate history and bring a sense of the glamour and danger of a magical time gone by. Then she fills the set with characters that are larger than life and fun to root for and/or against. In Bright Young Things there is a lot of characters and plot to take in, but with Godbersen’s skill with large casts I never felt lost. I think the best romantic pairing so far is Thom and Cordelia. Thom is the son of a gangster rival of Cordelia’s father. FORBIDDEN ROMANCE ALERT!!! Always good fun! With Letty we get the glitter and seamy underbelly of Broadway and Astrid is the ultimate Party Girl with a Past. This is a must for fans of historical romance, rich kid books like the Gossip Girl series, and especially fans of the Luxe series.

Virals by Kathy Reichs YP FIC REICHS

Tory Brennan, niece of famed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones TV series and novels), has just moved to a nearly uninhabited island to live with her father that she just found out existed. She passes her days exploring the islands wildlife with her newfound friends, fellow “sci-philes” that share her love of mystery and discovery. When they find and explore an abandoned lab they rescue a lab animal with a virus that has never been seen before. Soon the virus passes to the group altering their DNA and unlocking heightened senses and abilities that appear when they are in danger. And they certainly are in danger, because the first thing their senses lead them into is a mystery of murder and scientific corruption. They’ll need all their scientific know how and their new powers to crack the case and survive to tell about it.

This is a fast paced forensic science/mystery/paranormal adventure! And I never thought I’d see those genres get mixed together, but surprisingly they work well. Basically it is like Bones or CSI meets Maximum Ride. It can be a little weird to go from hard science to science fiction, but the powers are cool and once the plot gets really moving the action is so much fun most readers will enjoy the ride. The characters aren’t that original or deep, but no worse than the forensic science and sci-fi adventure books that Virals takes its inspirations from. Basically, the book is fun and there isn’t anything else exactly like it out there. Fans of Patterson’s Maximum Ride series should especially enjoy this one, and I think Virals could be an even better series in time.

The Painted Boy by Charles De Lint YP FIC DELINT

Jay Li has known he was different when a dragon tattoo magically appeared on his back on his 11^th birthday. Now 17, Jay is headed from the mean streets of Chicago to the desert of an Arizona border town. Jay discovers that not only is he part of an ancient society called the Yellow Dragon clan, but he is also a dragon himself. He has to navigate the criminal gangs that run the town, avoid run ins with other mystical animal clans, and form new friendships if he is to learn about his new powers and survive the quest he is destined to undertake.

This is a great read for contemporary fantasy fans. It has a well developed lead character, cool powers, and a great setting. The mix of the beauty of the American Southwest with mystical elements is a brilliant choice by De Lint. The mix of criminal gangs and ancient clans of animal shapeshifters also works really well, because the more magical elements are grounded by the real world problems. I especially enjoyed having a cast of Asians and Latinos that are well developed and can show readers a look into other cultures. Like most, Child of Destiny discovers new powers, learns to use them, undertakes a grave and perilous quest books Painted Boy starts a little slow and occasionally covers ground that is too familiar, but the unique setting and cast and De Lint’s skill at writing make this one well worth reading. Fans of the Percy Jackson books (YP FIC RIORDAN) really need to give Painted Boy a look.

Blank Confession by Pete Hautman YP FIC HAUTMAN

Shayne Blank walks into the police station and says that he’s killed somebody. That’s where his story begins, but there’s also Mikey’s story about what happened with Shayne, Mikey’s sister, and her psychopath drug dealing boyfriend on the roof. Dig deeper and find the truth that hides beneath the surface.

This is a really great short read. The story is told in alternating chapters by two narrators: the detective interviewing Shayne and Mikey. Mikey is a really well rounded, funny character and he drives the story and makes the book richer and deeper. Shayne really is a blank, but that’s intentional. The author leaves Shayne hard to figure out, because the book is about how people should always look more deeply at other people. It really pays off, because the book has a lot of suspense, humor throughout, and a very worthwhile climax. If you like gritty and realistic fiction with well written characters, check this one out.

Best Books of 2010!!!

Do you wonder what books you missed in 2010? With so many new books in the library every year how can you tell what was the cream of the crop? Easy! Every year the Texas Library Association makes lists of the best books of the year. TAYSHAS List is the best young adult books for 2010 and the Maverick List is the best graphic novels form teens in 2010. Time to catch up on the best books you missed! Check out the lists then check them out at the library!

All TXLA award books can be found at: http://www.txla.org/reading-lists

Blood Ninja 2: The Revenge of Lord Oda by Nick Lake YP FIC LAKE

After Taro killed the evil Lord Oda Nobunaga he thought he was safe, but unfortunately Lord Oda is alive, er undead, because he has risen as a vampire! This is bad timing as Taro and his friends are off to find Taro’s missing mother. When they fall into a trap a tragedy occurs that drives Taro to find the Bhudda Ball, a weapon of ultimate power and meet Lord Oda on the battlefield to get Bloody Revenge!!!

Blood Ninja 2 is even bloodier and ninja-ier then the first! It has a great flow of action, awesome swordplay and magic, really evil villains, and exciting plot twists. It is one of the coolest horror-action series in a long while. Fans of the first book or of Darren Shan’s novels should LOVE this book. I love that Lake includes lots of accurate historical detail so it takes you to another place and time. I also think that manga fans will really love the Blood Ninja series, because it totally reads like a really awesome manga. Basically if you like action packed books you should (BAD PUN ALERT) sink your teeth into Blood Ninja 2!