S.T. Sanchez's Blog, page 9

12 Days of Christmas: Day 6

 DAY 6

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

In Mary's world there are simple truths.
   The Sisterhood always knows best.
   The Guardians will protect and serve.
   The Unconsecrated will never relent.
   And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
   But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.
   Now, she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

This is a great trilogy. I read it years ago and just reread it.  If you like zombies, check this series out.

12 Days of Christmas: Day 5

 Day 5

The Ruins of Gorlan

They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaksand shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . .

Here is the fantasy adventure that launched the Ranger's Apprentice series, an epic story of heroes and villains that has become an international phenomenon. Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire series. 

I enjoyed this entire series and am so glad to see my son's picking them up.

12 Days of Christmas: Day 4

Day 4 

Mark of the Thief

When Nic, a slave in the mines outside of Rome, is forced to enter a sealed cavern containing the lost treasures of Julius Caesar, he finds much more than gold and gemstones: He discovers an ancient bulla, an amulet that belonged to the great Caesar and is filled with a magic once reserved for the Gods -- magic some Romans would kill for.

This is a great series (so far I am in the middle of book 2) ;) I am anxious to see how it turns out.  My sons read through book 2 and 3 in 2 days, so I'd say he thoroughly enjoyed them. 

 

12 Days of Christmas: Day 3

 Day 3

Under the Never Sky

Fighting to survive in a ravaged world, a Dweller and a Savage form an unlikely alliance in New York Times bestselling author Veronica Rossi's "unforgettable dystopian masterpiece" (Examiner.com).

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption.

In alternating chapters told in Aria's and Perry's voices, Under the Never Sky subtly and powerfully captures the evolving relationship between these characters and sweeps readers away to a harsh but often beautiful world. Continuing with Through the Ever Night and concluding with Into the Still Blue, the Under the Never Sky trilogy has already been embraced by readers in twenty-six countries and been optioned for film by Warner Bros.

This is a title that caught my eye.  I try and run most days and found that I really enjoy listening to audio books.  This is one that I am anxious to try. I love dystopian novels, and this one sounds interesting.

12 Days of Christmas: Day 2

 Day 2

Unwind

The first twisted and futuristic novel in the perennially popular New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman.

In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called "unwinding." Unwinding ensures that the child's life doesn’t “technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child's body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound.

With breathtaking suspense, this book follows three teens who all become runaway Unwinds: Connor, a rebel whose parents have ordered his unwinding; Risa, a ward of the state who is to be unwound due to cost-cutting; and Lev, his parents’ tenth child whose unwinding has been planned since birth as a religious tithing. As their paths intersect and lives hang in the balance, Shusterman examines complex moral issues that will keep readers turning the pages until the very end.

This is a series that my teens are enjoying.  So much so that it is on my buy list. First because they like it.  Second because my son already lost one book from the library and it costs an arm and a leg ;)

12 Days of Christmas: Day 1

 Christmas is a time of year when I typically buy quite a few books for my kids. (and myself lol) So I thought I'd share a book a day either that I read and really enjoyed or that I have heard great things about and am looking forward to reading or giving it to my kids. So here goes.

DAY 1

Dragonwatch

Champion of the Titan

The war against dragons intensifies. Will Kendra and Seth find the help they desperately need from the Giant Queen? This fourth book in a five-book series leaves the underwater dragon preserve of Crescent Lagoon for a gladiator-style arena at Titan Valley, the magical realm of towering giants and enslaved dragons. Our two young heroes have never felt so small or faced a challenge so . . . giant!

No list of mine could be complete without a title from Brandon Mull. My boys have really enjoyed this series.  This is the fourth installment. I believe there will be five.

Lucas Holiday Market - Don't miss it

 

We're less than 2 weeks away from the Lucas Holiday Market. It's sure to be a blast. There will be a tree lighting, Santa, a movie and lots of booths.  Don't forget to stop by and get a new book or bring a book to get signed.

Mark Your Calendar

 Come kick off the Christmas Season with a fun, family friendly event. Come pick up a new book or bring one for us to sign. See you soon!

Spooky Reads for October

With Halloween just around the corner many readers are looking for books to help get them into the Halloween Spirit.

 

Spooky Reads for Younger Readers

PUMPKIN POWER!

Nothing beats Halloween. It's Drew Brockman's favorite holiday. And this year will be awesome. Much better than last year. Or the year Lee and Tabby played that joke. A nasty practical joke on Drew and her best friend, Walker.

Yes, this year Drew and Walker have a plan. A plan for revenge. It involves two scary pumpkin heads.

But something's gone wrong. Way wrong. Because the pumpkin heads are a little too scary. A little too real. With strange hissing voices. And flames shooting out of their faces...

Meet 12 year old Zombie. For a long time he's been hoping that he could get adopted by a nice human family one day.

But when Zombie finally gets his wish, things quickly get out of control, and turn crazier, and funnier than everyone expects.

What will you get when a 12 year old zombie goes to live with a human family? All kinds of hysterically ridiculous adventures, that's what!

Want to know what kind of trouble Zombie gets into?

Spooky Readers for Teens and Beyond

The first twisted and futuristic novel in the perennially popular New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman.
In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called "unwinding." Unwinding ensures that the child's life doesn’t “technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child's body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound.
With breathtaking suspense, this book follows three teens who all become runaway Unwinds: Connor, a rebel whose parents have ordered his unwinding; Risa, a ward of the state who is to be unwound due to cost-cutting; and Lev, his parents’ tenth child whose unwinding has been planned since birth as a religious tithing. As their paths intersect and lives hang in the balance, Shusterman examines complex moral issues that will keep readers turning the pages until the very end.

In Mary's world there are simple truths.   The Sisterhood always knows best.   The Guardians will protect and serve.   The Unconsecrated will never relent.   And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.   But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.   Now, she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Artemis Fowl

 

So my apologies for falling off the face of the earth.  Its been a busy summer. 
 I have been waiting for this movie to come out with great anticipation.  I read and enjoyed all the Artemis Fowl books. The movie in my opinion was an epic fail. 
I so wanted to love the movie, in hopes that they would finish making all the books into movies. However, this movie was nothing like the book. It had the same characters, for the most part, the main plot was changed and I for one was very disappointed.  It was so different, in fact, that I even questioned my memory of the first book. 
I read that they changed the movie because if they made the movie like the book then people would be bored and not surprised.  When has changing the movie from the book ever had a happy ending?  Were fans bored of Harry Potter, or The Hunger Games?  I understand some changes have to made to cram a book into an hour and a half or two hour movie. But this barely resembles the book at all.  I wonder what the author thought about the movie?
However, on a happy note, I have been rereading the series this summer and found them just as enjoyable. My memory of the first book was also accurate, so it's great to know I am not going crazy.  
I will have to say, that my boys did enjoy the movie, having never read the books.  So if you've never read the books, you might find this movie enjoyable.  
I have no idea how they would continue the story as it changed so completely from the first book and the story that continues in the following books.  
What have you been reading?