Part of the growing trend toward Urban Fantasy in Young Adult fiction, The Mortal Instruments series is dark, edgy and has more than a few neo-gothic horror overtones. Clary Fray, a seemingly normal teen from Brooklyn, realizes one day (or actually, one evening) at a teen club that she can see things, things that should not be real, that her friends cannot see. In the blink of an eye, Clary is knee deep in a reality that includes demon-hunters (and demons, of course), vampires, warlocks and werewolves - and the truth is that it's the same reality she has lived in all of her life. She just couldn't see it all before because someone or something was preventing her from seeing it. As Clary learns more about the world of the Shadow Hunters (descendants of angels who hunt demons) from an enigmatic boy named Jace, she also discovers the dark secrets of her own family's history and the true nature of her place in the world.
I have not read this, but have heard good things about it from those that have.
Jeffrey Archer has woven a thoroughly enjoyable tale of a scoundral - Harvey - who cheats anyone anyway he can. Through an innocent third party, he manages to dupe four men out of a total of $1,000,000. One of these, a university professor, determines to follow his father's motto: don't get angry, get even. The professor puts together a dossier on Harvey and contacts the three other men and convinces them to come up with a way to get the money they lost back. (They had all invested in north sea oil shares that turned out to be worthless.) The schemes they develop and carry out are not only brilliant, but also very humorous reading. The delightful twist at the end had me laughing all through the last chapter.
Jeffrey Archer is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, I have not read this one, but I hear its the one to read. My favorite was As the Crow Flies, and I highly recommend it. The thing I love about Jeffrey Archer is that he seems to be able to write in all genres, but most of his books seem to be historical epics.
The epic tale begins when Claire Randall, a young combat nurse in World War II, moves to Scotland with her beloved husband to re-ignite their marriage interrupted by the war. Hiking one day, Claire accidentally passes through the stones of an ancient stone circle and wakes up to find herself in 16th century Scotland. Lost, alone, and confused (yet, determined), Claire's path crosses, and is inextricably linked to, a young Highland warrior, James Fraser. (The kind of man women want, and men want to BE.)The story that ensues would make Shakespeare proud--danger, suspense, passion, betrayal, true love, and tragedy. Gabaldon is a master story teller. She shrouds her fantasy in just enough reality as to completely seduce her readers.
I may have been the only person that hasn't read this book yet, that is why I'm dying to.
This is a story told by Death. An interesting point of view perhaps, but as it is set in Germany during World War II, perhaps it is entirely appropriate. It is also a story of a young girl, who in spite of having a life that no one would wish on anyone, still manages to have glimpses of pleasure through many small things, including the few books that she manages to acquire (or shall we say, steal).
I actually read this and loved it. Very endearing read, and it makes for a good discussion.
Ok so there you have it girls. I will put the vote on the side and you have one week to place your vote.
Thanks Rain! I will have to say, I didn't love that Jeffrey Archer As the Crow Flies for some reason. I just couldn't get into it! And I am a little sci-fied out from Hunger Games, so I am going with the one that looks most epic and romantic, which are my fave!
ReplyDeleteOK I just checked to see if I could edit the pole and enable everyone to vote twice, but it won't let me now that people have already voted. So far it's all different books, so if everyone puts their first choice in the pole and lists thier 2nd choice here please :)
ReplyDeleteI am a bit torn. If City of Bones were not a young adult book, that would be my choice. But after the teen angst in Twilight that caused me to toss it aside; I need blood, sex, and gore if I am going to read a book like this. I to have heard great things about Outlander, the first in it's series. I was still able to juggle more than one book at a time, this would be my choice. Maybe we can decide to read the series. So, the Book Thief or Not a Penny Less are my choices.
ReplyDeleteOk looks like we have a winner! Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, by Jeffery Archer. Sorry Nat, but luckly it is available via Kindle. My brother-in-law says its his all time favorite book,and so far he has not led me astray with his recommendations. So we will review this one in March. I do like Jess's suggestion of reading the entire Outlander series, but only if we all read the first one and all wanted to continue.
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