What We Read Last Week - June 22nd

I read two young adult novels last week (for the curious, my strategy for YA book selection has been to go to The Hub at North York Central Library and grab books that look interesting!):

I picked up Alan Gratz's Something Rotten because the concept seemed so strange--a retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet as a modern-day teen detective story.  I know from comments that quite a few of you have been reading Shakespeare plays and this novel is a really interesting take on the old story (I'm eager to read the sequel, which does the same thing for Macbeth).  Purists might not find this a very faithful adaptation, but I thought it was great fun.  If anyone knows the Veronica Mars TV series from a few years back this is rather like that with a Shakespeare twist.

Matt Beam's Can You Spell Revolution? reminds me a little of the older Gordon Korman novels like the Bruno and Boots series.  A group of grade 8 students in small-town Canadtake inspiration from historical revolutionaries to try to change how things work at their school.  Quite funny, with some serious subtext about power, authority and hierarchy in the world and at school.

Alan H is a web librarian at Toronto Public Library.  He reads all over the place.

What have you read recently?  Let us know by commenting!

Comments

[Mary]

Recently i had just gotten a book from this booklist called Last dance of the frosty queen. i i just finished it a few mintures ago. it was a wonderful book with alot of intresting characters that make the book whole. the story is humrious story of life and how sometimes we make our most important decisions when we're still so young. very good book

[Krista]

i got the bookmark that suggested that one from the library, it sounded interesting and i just put it on hold now.
Speaking of the bookmarks, i was wondering if anyone knows how to enter the codes on the back of them?

[Mikey K]

Well, I have just finished a book, that I have pick out from the library called "The great book of buttasaures". Yes, it may sound immature at the moment, but its actually a help guide to the other books the author has written.
In my opinion, this was just hilarious and helped me on the names I got confused with, in his other books.

[Shazia]

I was recently reading The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory, who is also the author of The Other Boleyn Girl. Her books are really interesting to read its mainly based in 16th century England, at the time of King Henry VIII and his daughters and wives. Its based on a true story but obviously has fiction in it to make it sound more interesting. Philippa Gregory really knows how to make history seem more outstanding and fun to read and enjoy! Props to Philippa Gregory who has mastered the art of writing historical fiction and actually making it sound realistic and great to read.

[Cindy]

I've recently been reading a manga called "Liar Game" my friend recommended it, i was a bit sceptical because a lot of the mangas out there are almost the same, but it's really good and is one of those mangas you'll remember.

[Camille]

I just finished two novels by Kate Brian called 'Private' and 'Invitation Only'.They're both part of the 'Private' collection. Well I absolutely love them. I literally could not put them down. I'm now trying to get the third, but yes these books seem to follow a lot of other books out there such as Gossip Girl, The Clique. But this is more than you're average teen fiction. Yes the novel depicts the lives of these rich, beautiful private school students but the book also throws in some mystery and suspense. I recommend this book for anyone.

[Cindu]

I also read the Liar Game series and the manga is so awesome! Other books that i think everyone should read are the Magic Thief series by Sarah Prineas because they are so amazing! One of the series i'm reading right now is the Night World series by L.J. Smith, better known as the author who wrote the Vampire Diaries series. It is really good and if anyone likes anything to do with mythical beings trying to live in the modern day world they should so read this!!

[Mary]

Just this monring i alos finsihed a book called Nick of tim serosuly a good book about a secret agent named Nick St. Claire (loved that name) who's sent to rescue santa, and save sant's daughter Mary Christmas (also another awesone name) it does sound kinda wierd but when you read the actually story it's pretty good. also finished another one today called Dark Magic by Christine Feehan. though i don't want to go into to much detail it's definately one of my favorites in this authors series. so they're all wonderful book. and i'm just about to finsih another today so i'll probaly be posting soon again. :) lol

[Cecilia]

Krista - you can enter the code from the Word Out website - it's under "Top Secret".

[Yna]

I finished this book called "Deadly Little Secrets" it's a good book, suspense and romance. It's very interesting. If you read this book, there is a sequel to it called "Deadly Little Lies" it's by Laurie Stolarz. She has great books. I recommend you to go to lauriestolarz.com

[Rene]

I am starting to read a book name Big Guy by Robin Stevenson it is very interesting. It mostly talks about a guy looking for a relationship over the internet which to me it sounds very bad because online dating is not good. But anyways sofar I am at when they are suppose to meet.

[Balakumar]

This was a really good book, but it doesn't have the action of Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman. It is a really good book that had me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to read the sequel to the book

[Ashna]

Thrilling

[Krista]

I just finished A Great and Terrible Beauty yesterday, and Rebel Angels today (the first two in the series by Libba Bray). They are both really great books that i absolutely couldn't put down until i finished. They're about a girl named Gemma who can enter other realms, and about the struggle for the power to control the realms. i cant wait to get the third book, The
Sweet Far Thing (:

Cecilia- Thanks, that never actually occurred to me.

[Gowseca]

OMG! I just got the 2nd and 3rd book in the series! I put them on hold long time ago, and I just picked them up yesterday! I'm really excited to finish the series! Also, has Libba written any other novels?

[Gowseca]

Also, currently I'm starting to read the Gossip Girl series. I've been told there different from the tv series.

[Anusan R.]

I have recently read Chasing Vermeer. This is a really interesting mystery. The detectives are two children. If you are looking for a good mystery, read this book.

[Joey]

I finished reading "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. It is literally the most captivating and beautifully rendered novel I have read. I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy novels of the science fiction and romance genre.

There is also a movie scheduled to be released in August 2009. You should definitely read the book before you see the film =)

[Jeanette]

I have just finished reading Wicked Lovely. Many of my friends had recomended it. It was really good. It's about this girl who sees Faeries and is slowly drawn into their world by the Summer King. It was totally entrapping. I finished it in one night. I couldn't put it down!

[Shazia]

Oh wow, I read The Time Travellers Wife as well!
It was recommended to me by my English teacher and to be honest that book was really good, it was a really big book and i didnt expect to actually like it, but instead I loved it it was really well written and interesting to read! But the end was unfortunately pretty disappointing. But overall it was a great book!

[Krista]

Gowseca: Ya, Libba Bray has written a bunch of other books (which i have yet to read, u can look them up on her website: www.libbabray.com

[Oshin]

I finished reading "Someday this pain will be useful to you" and I really found it difficult to put down. Its so unusual from a lot of the other teen books which are kind of crudely written and really just focus on a few set topics. This book was written in really good English! so I actually improved on my vocabulary. I like that it had a lot of dialogue and not paragraphs of description.

[Jenahaian]

I just finished reading a CSI book which was called "Headhunters." At first, it started of kind of slow, but as I kept reading, it got really interesting. I couldn't even put it down! I wanted the case solved, as much as the detectives in the book did! Overall, book contained a lot of description. I would recommend this book to anyone who just likes a good mystery book. But, I wouldn't recommend this to someone who has fears of gruesome crime scenes, headless bodies to be more specific. I would also advise that it would be much more interesting, reading the book, before watching the episode on TV.

[Dhairya]

I just recently finished a book called Grim Hill: The Secret Deepens, It's a great book. It started getting a little boring in the middle but I kept reading because I knew the first part got interesting at the end.I would advise you to read all three of them. It is the best series in the whole world!!!

[5_asdf]

RE: "Can You Spell Revolution?":
Sounds like an American title (or non-Canadian...). But Gordan Korman is Canadian. Haha, ironic.