Kathy's First Semester of the 2011-2012 School Year

School starts tomorrow! I need to keep track of what I am reading just like my students do. (Only, unlike my students, I plan to write more than one sentence about each of the books I read.)

This is my third thread of 2011.

Here is my first thread: Kathy's Second Semester Reading 2010-2011.

Here is my second thread: Kathy's Summer Reading.

I am excited to get back to work and to start talking about great books with my students.

1. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (341 p.) -- Blending true events with the wildly fictional, Jack Gantos writes about a boy named Jack Gantos growing up in a planned community in rural Pennsylvania. The town is dying and a grounded Jack is only let out of the house to assist an elderly neighbor write the obituaries for the old residents teaching Jack about the town and world history too. Great language and images but a plot where nothing much happens.

2. Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh (320 P.) -- Honor is a Hunter who was kidnapped by vampires, held captive and tortured for two months. She survived but is still traumatized. Dmitri is Second in Command to Archangel Raphael and the most feared vampire in New York. When Honor is forced to leave her safe refuge of the Academy and go out and work with Dmitri on a murder, she is at first very frightened but her pride won't let her show it. Dmitri is fascinated by her and wants her as a bedmate. She has always been fascinated by him too but isn't going to do anything to make it easy for him. Both have to explore difficult pasts before they can forge a relationship that will satisfy both of them.

3. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (432 p.) -- Elisa is a young princess who feels unwanted and unloved and eats to find comfort. She has been told that she has a destiny to fulfill but doesn't know what it is. When she is married suddenly to a king from another land and taken to his country, she is confused and frightened. Shortly thereafter she is kidnapped and learns that the people of her husband's country are fighting a war and need her help. This was a great story about a young girl finding her purpose in life and finding that she has strengths she never knew she had.

4. The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Guay (144 p.) -- Graphic novel fairy tale with Jane Yolen's descriptive writing and Rebecca Guay's lovely illustrations. The last dragon has hatched long after people have forgotten that there were dragons and it depends on a healer's daughter and a storytelling kite-maker to find a way to defeat the dragon. Along the way they fall in love.

5. Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis (295 p.) -- A hunky hero and lots of cute critters including an abandoned dog named Twinkles make this a sweet romance with tons of humor. Lilah is stretched between her kennel business and trying to go to school online. She doesn't need a sexy man in her life. Brady is in town just for a while to see his foster brothers. He doesn't want any emotional entanglement either. But their no-strings affair soon has them both wanting more. Nice romance.

6. Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs (345 p.) -- Triplets meet for the first time and fight monsters. Three very different girls find out they are triplets and descendants of Medusa tasked with being the monster hunters of their generation. Entertaining start to a trilogy. Each chapter is told from the first person viewpoint of one of the girls but the voices are so distinct that it is easy to distinguish which girl.

7. New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb (402 p.) -- Eve travels to Dallas to try to recapture escaped violent pedophile Isaac McQueen. He was almost her first case as a rookie cop and now he wants revenge. Traveling to Dallas and dealing with McQueen brings back horrible memories of Eve's childhood. Very dark and very intense story.

8. Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett (309 p.) -- The myth of the minotaur is humanized in this story told from the viewpoint of the minotaur's sister and Theseus. Aridadne is training to be the next goddess and her brother Asterion is supposed to be the next Minos but was born a monster. Theseus was sent be the father he just meant to Crete to be a sacrifice to the minotaur. Ariadne and Theseus become allies as they both struggle to find their proper destinies.

9. Lassiter by Paul Levine (283 p.) -- Lassiter is a lawyer painted in shades of grey. He's willing to do what it takes for his clients. When Amy Larkin comes to him because he was the last to see her sister Krista before she disappeared years earlier it brings back memories of a time he would rather forget. To try to make things better, he agrees to investigate and soon finds himself exploring the porn industry of South Florida. This story has lots of twists and turns and was entertaining.

10. A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber (280 p.) -- Young Stephanie Harrington is eager to explore her new planet but her parents are rightly concerned with the dangers. To distract her, they put her on the track whoever is stealing celery from the settlers. Her investigation leads her to the discovery of a new intelligent species on the planet. Treecats have been observing humans since they arrived but have managed to keep themselves hidden until now. Stephanie and the treecat named Climbs Quickly but called Lionheart by Stephanie meet and bond. Stephanie and her parents need to find a way to keep the treecats safe from those who would rather they wouldn't exist and human predators who want to capture and study them.

11. Blood: Book One of the Mercian Trilogy by J. K. Wignall (272 p.) -- Will was made a vampire in 1256 at age 16. He should have been the Earl of Mercia. Now it is 750 years later and he still doesn't know why he was turned or who turned him. But there is some hint of a prophecy now along with a girl who is supposed to be part of the prophecy. This one was slow and the characters were bland.

12. A Lawman's Christmas by Linda Lael Miller (249 p.) -- Clay McKettrick comes to Texas to accept the job of sheriff and start his own ranch. He is looking for a wife to help him build his dream. He meets the widow of the former sheriff who died in the local brothel and falls for her. She is too busy trying to survive as a widow with two little girls to have time for romance. What begins as a marriage of convenience soon becomes a love match.

13. Eve by Anna Carey (322 p.) -- In a world where 98% of the population died of a plague, Eve is in a girls' school learning and planning for a bright future. When she discovers that she is being raised to birth the next generation, she runs away to the wilderness to try to find another place. She meets Caleb who has run away from the labor camps that orphan boys are sent to and learns a lot about what is really happening in the world. This is the first of a trilogy. There is a start of a romance between Caleb and Eve that seems doomed to failure.

14. Mercury Rises by Robert Kroese (314 p.) -- This one has a complex plot to destroy the Earth. Heroes are Mercury - an amoral low-level angel, Christine - a former reporter for a religious publication, Jacob Slater - FBI explosions expert, and Eddie - low-level angel and would-be author. The story is complex. I'm still not sure who was trying to destroy the Earth or even if that was really their intention. Story is filled with ironic humor and was entertaining. Recommended to read Mercury Falls first though.

I don't know what grade you teach but I helped a teacher set up a LibraryThing group for her class to log their books on. It is a private group so I can't direct you there but if your kids are 13 and older you might consider trying that.

15. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa (400 p.) -- We get to follow along as Ash, Puck, Grimalkin and a few others travel to the End of the World so that Ash can become human. Along the way we learn about what being human is. And we learn a lot more about Ash. Excellent and vivid language and images make this story a joy to read.

16. Touch (A Denazen Novel, Book 1) by Jus Accardo (251 p.) -- Dez is a daredevil and adrenaline junkie whose goal in life is to make her father angry. When she stumbles on a strange boy and takes him home, she is first concerned only with how angry her father will be. But Kale is different. He is a "Six" with strange mutant powers and Dez's dad is the head of a group that is using these "Sixes" to perform illegal acts. Kale's touch can kill any living thing but Dez. This one has adventure, excitement, and a really hot romance.

17. Echo Falls by Jaime McDougall (238 p.) -- More adventure than romance, this is the story of Phoebe coming to Echo Falls to get away from someone who is trying to kill her and meeting Aidan who is a policeman and the head of the local werewolf pack. There have been a series of murders of non-pack werewolves and an attack on Phoebe too. Phoebe wants to keep Aidan and the other werewolves safe by staying away from them and not telling what she knows about her pursuer. It takes a lot of time and convincing before she will trust Aidan to help.

18. Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel (474 p.) -- Wonderful mashup of steampunk, science fiction, romance and zombies. The characters were all well-drawn and the main characters were easy to fall in love with. Excellent story that is the first of a new series by this debut author.

19. Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George (232 p.) -- Celie lives in a castle that adds new rooms when it is bored. Celie delights in exploring the castle and mapping it. Her skills become even more useful when her parents - the king and queen - are missing and presumed dead and a prince from a neighboring country decides to try to take over the Castle. Exciting middle grade adventure.

20. Changes: The Collegium Chronicles, Book Three by Mercedes Lackey (336 p.) -- Third book in Collegium series. Mags, Lena and Bear are coming of age. Lena and Bear finally find a way to deal with their fathers and stand up for themselves. Mags comes to realize that being a spy is the best thing he can do for Valdemar. Unknown assassins are trying to de-stabilize Valdemar and discredit the heralds. Mags and company use all their skills to thwart their plans.

21. Fetching by Kiera Stewart (326 p.) -- Olivia and her friends decide to use dog training techniques on their fellow middle school classmates and have a variety of results that they could not have anticipated. Sometimes what you want doesn't turn out like you thought it would.

22. Cast in Ruin by Michelle Sagara (457 p.) -- This is a very rich and complex fantasy and is the seventh in the series. The concentration in this episode is on the dragons. Kaylin learns much more about these awesome immortal creatures. She also learns more about her own magical powers. She is still determined to concentrate on her life as a Hawk and live a normal life no matter what new abilities she manifests.

23. Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon (280 p.) -- Cinder and Ella are middle children in a family that is torn apart by evil. There is no handsome prince - just an evil one. But the romantic interest for Ella is a clumsy and too honorable knight. This is a study of grief and a family's disintegration told around a fairy tale.

24. Tricks of the Trade by Laura Anne Gilman (352 p.) -- Another excellent episode about the early days of PUPI. Bonnie and Ben are still trying to come to terms with the Merge. The team is being targeted by an Ancient One - The Roblin - who is a mischief demon. And one of their cases starts out as a simple break-in and quickly becomes something much more complicated and dangerous.

25. Circus Galacticus by Deva Fagan (291 p.) -- Trix runs away to join the circus and finds out that this one is staffed by aliens and travels the stars. She is being chased by the Mandate for the rock her parents gave her before they died. The circus is staffed by the Mandates rivals who are descendants of the Tinkers. Trix finally finds a place to fit in but has to go through lots of adventures before she does.

26. The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (321 p.) -- Charlie can understand any language which is a fact that must be hidden. Understanding the languages of anyone outside one's own class is punishable by death. She gets involved in the Resistance who are trying to overthrow a terrible queen. She also falls in love with one of the Queen's grandsons. Wonderful language, great suspense, and a real page-turner.

27. Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh (496 p.) -- Two stories here - Lord of the Abyss tells the story of Micah and Liliana. He is the youngest prince of Elden who was sent away when he was five and the blood sorcerer came to the country. His mother thought he was going to safety but he was diverted to become the Lord of the Abyss whose job is to hunt down the souls of those who were evil and consign them to eternal punishment in the abyss. Liliana is the daughter of the blood sorcerer who was systematically abused by her father and who is determined to defeat him and restore the true heirs of Elden to the throne. She goes to find Micah and they fall in love.

Desert Warrior is the second story. This reads as on old-fashioned Harlequin with a too handsome rich sheik and a beautiful girl with low self-esteem. The meet, fall in love, and are forced to separate by her family. She grows up and goes to find him. He is still nursing his hurt pride and broken heart and is determined that she will suffer like he has. This was very emotional and intense with scorching love scenes.

28. In Her Sights by Robin Parini (236 p.) -- Excellent page-turner! Jazz Parker is the only female sniper on the Jefferson County SWAT team. She has reinvented herself after a horrible childhood and has real trouble trusting anyone. When she is targeted by the Internal Affairs officer who she beat out for the SWAT team and an enemy from her past, she doesn't have the support of her colleagues. Enter Luke Montgomery, former Army Ranger turned investigative reporter, who is investigating police corruption and ties with the mob. He is also Jazz's former lover. The two must solve both crimes on their way to a "happily ever after" ending.

29. Unleashed (Wolf Spring Chronicles) by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie (400 p.) -- Lots of suspense and tension in this story of Katelyn McBride who goes to live in an Ozark mountain town after the death of her mother. Everyone has secrets and some of the residents are werewolves. Katelyn is attacked and might be turning into a werewolf herself.

30. Drink Deep by Chloe Neill (321 p.) -- Merit has to struggle with her grief at the loss of Ethan Sullivan, the petty demands of the receiver who is put in charge of Cadogan House, her friend Mallory distancing herself, and major magic going on in Chicago for which vampires are getting the blame. She also has to deal with the political situation in Chicago now that a new, vampire-hating mayor is in charge. She works with Jonah who is still trying to recruit her to be a member of the Red Guard and who would like a personal relationship with her. Lots of action and suspense in this one.

31. Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton (320 p.) -- This was a very well-written young adult fantasy that mines Irish mythology for its themes. Teagen is a pretty ordinary girl - studious and goal driven. But her life changes dramatically when she meets Finn Mac Cumhaill. Finn is a nephew of Tea's mother and brings fantasy being to life. After her mother's death, Finn and Tea and her little brother Aiden have to travel to Mag Mell to rescue her human father from the goblins. Along the way she learns some disturbing things about herself and her family.

32. In the Forests of the Night by Kersten Hamilton (295 p.) -- This was an excellent sequel to Tyger Tyger. I loved the characters in this story. They were well-drawn and realistic. I liked the romance between Tea and Finn. I also liked that Tea did not have an absent parent. Her father was very involved in discussing his ideas of proper treatment of his daughter with Finn. The villains were nicely creepy.

33. The Next Always by Nora Roberts (341 p.) -- Beckett has love Clare from afar since they were teenagers but she married someone else. Now she returns to Boonsboro as a young widow with three small boys. Beckett is now an architect working with his brothers to restore an old inn across the street from her bookstore. A romance is kindled but complicated by the stalker who has Clare in his sights.

34. Mastiff by Tamora Pierce (593 p.) -- Beka, Tunstall, Lady Sabine, Achoo and Pounce along with a mage - Farmer Cape - are set on a Hunt to find the kidnapped Crown Prince. His kidnapping is part of a huge conspiracy to bring down the king and set up a new one more sympathetic to the wishes of the nobles and mages. Epic adventure!

35. Death Magic by Eileen Wilks (401 p.) -- The war with the Great Bitch escalates in this episode. Ruben and Rule have formed a secret unit to battle her and ask Lily to join. She can't because it conflicts with her own view of herself and the law. They also have to find a new holder for the Wythe mantle before it damages Lily too much. Because Rule encouraged her to accept the mantle, he feels guilty and his relationship with the Lady all the lupi serves is tested. Lots of excitement and adventure here.

36. Singled Out by Sara Griffiths (192 p.) -- Taylor gets a baseball scholarship and is the first girl who attend a boys' private school. She wants to challenge and hopes to impress college scouts. The school wants to bury a discrimination suit. Naturally many of the boys don't want a girl who is also a baseball star to attend and are determined to bully and harass her until she leaves. Taylor is very alone and isolated but she is determined to triumph.

37. Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis (293 p.) -- Sweet and spicy romance between a Vet with abandonment issues and a uber-organized office manager who is on the run from a traumatic situation. The conflict is mainly because of her promise to return home and run her family's medical center. Cute animal characters too including a kitten named Beans and a lamb named Lulu.

38. Blaze of Glory by M. Garzon (340 p.) -- Tea wants to be a professional show jumper. She wants it enough to put up with her stepfather's beatings. But when tragedy strikes, it is her relationship with her stepfather's nephew that manages to pull her through. Their romance is intense. They keep it secret because they don't want to upset their family. Good romance and great information about horses.

39. Within the Flames by Marjorie M. Liu (374 p.) -- Eddie works for Dirk & Steele protecting those who need his help. Lyssa is on the run from and evil witch who wants to either convert her or kill her and drink her blood. This witch has started a killing spree to draw Lyssa out. Together, Lyssa and Eddie have to find a way to defeat the witch and overcome their own past traumas to find love.

40. Ignite by Kaitlynn Davis (280 p.) -- Kira comes home to South Carolina for her senior year of high school and is dazzled by Tristan - the rebel without a cause, bad boy - even though he and her new best friend Luke are enemies. Turns out Tristan is a vampire and Luke and Kira are "conduits" - the only ones able to kill vampires. Talk about a forbidden romance...

41. The Other Guy's Bride by Connie Brockway (253 p.) -- Ginesse is the accident-prone daughter of two archaeologists who wants to make an amazing discovery of her own. She impersonates the fiance of a Colonel commanding a post near where she thinks her discovery lies in order to get there without alerting her parents. Jim Owens is the man who is escorting her to her "fiance" to pay off a debt to him. They weren't intending to fall in love but these things happen. The two characters are at cross purposes for most of the novel. Great romance and wonderful characters.

42. Ties to the Blood Moon by Robin Waldrop (150 p.) -- DNF - abandoned at 42% because I didn't like any of the characters and the plot was ridiculous even for a YA Paranormal. Some strengths were: the Alaska setting and a new mythology for vampires and werewolves.

43. Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews (372 p.) -- Audrey Callahan and Kaldar Mar are both con artists. But Audrey is trying to go straight until he father pulls her in for "one last job." Unfortunately he wants her to steal a magical object the ends up putting both the Hand and the Mirror on her trial. Kaldar is an agent of the Mirror who really wants to destroy the Hand. His assignment--retrieve the missing object. He wasn't planning on falling in love. Neither was she. Can two con artists ever learn to leave the cons behind and trust each other?

44. Lawe's Justice by Lora Leigh (354 p.) -- Lawe and Diane have are mates and can no longer deny the attraction. However, they have major conflicts as Diane is a warrior and Lawe wants to protect her and keep her somewhere safe. Lots of emotional pain as they struggle to find a compromise that works for both of them.

45. Kaptain Vamp by Joanne Lecuyer (64 p.) -- Alistaire is a young vampire who is determined to show the world that vampires can be good and helpful. He and his best friend make him a superhero called Kaptain Vamp and they go around doing good deeds at his middle school. Cute story!

46. 8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf by Michael Mullin (7 p.) -- This quirky, verse take on Snow White adds an 8th dwarf - Creepy - who banished to the cellar because he was different than his brothers. When Snow White arrives, he is the one who helps foil the Evil Queen's plans for her but his role is never known or appreciated.

47. Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder (390 p.) -- Avry is a healer in a world where healers are blamed for starting a devastating plague which has destroyed society. She is rescued from execution by Kerrick who wants her to heal the man he believes can restore order to the world. She knows him and is willing to let him die until her travels with Kerrick and company show her just how bad off the world is. She decides that she has to heal Ryne. The kicker is that, while she can heal him, the plague will still kill her. Kerrick and Avry start out as rivals but a romance slowly grows between them.

48. Winterling by Sarah Prineas (248 p.) -- Fer feels like a misfit here. She is picked on at school and lives with her grandmother who studies herbs. When she rescues a strange boy from somewhere else and follows him home, she finds a world where she seems to fit. But the world is under the control of the Mor who is damaging it and causing it to be locked in winter. Fer has to find a way to save her new land.

49. Magic Gifts by Ilona Andrews (120 p) -- Kate and Curran go on a dinner date that becomes lots more exciting than either wanted when some vampires get loose and a magic necklace that has already killed a young woman is clasped around the neck of a child. To get if off, Kate has to deal with drunken vikings and an undead Norse monster. Meanwhile, she is being pressured to do something about disorganized state of the Mercenary Guild after the death of its founder and deal with her partner Andrea's problems with Raphael. Great story!

50. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (390 p.) -- Cinder is a cyborg and under the control of her stepmother who despises her. When the Prince comes to her shop to have an android repaired, they become friends. But a plague is raging and the Earth is in danger of being taken over by the kingdom of the moon. This science fiction adaptation of the Cinderella story was excellently written and very compelling.

51. Future Perfect by Suzanne Brockmann (248 p.) -- Juliana owns and operates the bed and breakfast that author Webster staying at while he tries to get over his writer's block. They fall in love even though Juliana has had her heart broken before and likes her life as it as and Webster doesn't believe in love at all. There are a variety of misunderstandings before they admit their love for each other. Good, cozy romance.

52. Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey (309 p.) -- Jessica is married to Lucius, a vampire, and trying to adjust to life among the vampires in Romania. When Lucius is framed for the murder of one of his rivals, it is left to Jess, Mindy and Raniero to find the truth and to save Lucius' life. Jess has to stop waffling and commit to being a vampire queen.

53. Lowcountry Punch by Boo Walker (290 p.) -- T.A. Reddick comes home to Charleston after his fiance walks out on him and he kills a friend gone bad in a drug bust. He is a DEA officer and soon finds himself preparing to go undercover to break up a cocaine network in his hometown. This is complicated when he learns that his new love is the ex-girlfriend of the target of the investigation. Fine suspense.

54. Human Blend by Lori Pescatore (234 p.) -- Laney/Julie is on the run from a group of evil men who want to use her abilities to heal and to see numbers to their advantage. She meets Austin, a cute boy, and Eli, a mysterious doctor, when she lands in a small town in Virginia. Interesting blend of science fiction and paranormal romance with a heavy dose of excitement.

55. Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst (386 p.) -- Teenage vampire Pearl develops the ability to be out in the sunlight (which she loves) and a conscience (which she hates) after being staked by a unicorn. Sent by her family to enroll in high school to find entrees for an upcoming ceremony, Pearl is befriended by Evan and Bethany. Great story with both humor and darkness.

My thread continues here: kmartin802's First 2012 Reading List in the 75 Book Challenge for 2012 group.