Secrets of Truth & Beauty

Secrets of Truth & Beauty by Megan Frazer
When Dora Cohen was 7 she won the title of Little Miss Maine, to her parents  she was "Little Miss Perfect". At 17 Dara is far from perfect, she is now plus sized and angry. After getting an assignment from her English teacher to do a multimedia project about her life, she jumps at the chance to make a statement about how society views overweight people. Embarrassed and humiliated her parents pull her out of school and make her go to therapy. Dara has had enough of her overbearing parents and decides it's time to leave. She contacts her sister Rachel, whom she has never met and has been estranged from their parents for many years. Over the summer she learns about her sister, her family and herself.

This is a great book, a story of acceptance of both yourself  and others.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Karou is not your typical 17 year old art student. There is something very different about her. Karou is living two very different lives in two very different worlds. In one world she is an art student making her way day to day; in the other she is sent on errands to collect human teeth for her demon father. He needs them for his magic. Her worlds are about to collide and she has no idea that when it's over her life will  never be the same.

This is definitely a good vs. evil story and I found myself switching sides many times. If you like fantasy this is the book for you. I look forward to reading the sequel.

What to Look for in Winter: a memoir in blindness

What to Look for in Winter.... by Candia McWilliams
Can you imagine losing your sight? Now imagine you make your living writing books.  Well that's what happened to Candia McWilliams in 2006. Forced to face the reality of blindness Candia chronicles her life from her mother's suicide, to her failed marriage, to the slow onset of blindness. She does this with both humor and candor.

This book is not for everyone. You will laugh as she thinks back over her life but there are also times when you just want to cry.

The Name of the Star

The Name of the Star  by Maureen Johnson

A ghost story with a twist, The Name of the Star grabs you and doesn’t let go until the ride is over. 

Seventeen year old Rory moves from Louisiana to London to attend boarding school. Just as she arrives someone starts mimicking the brutal murders of Jack the Ripper. She not only becomes a suspect but grabs the attention of the killer when she witnesses one of the murders. Now here is the twist the killer is a ghost.

Blood Red Road - Book One - Dustlands Trilogy

Blood Red Road by Miora Young

I loved this book! It is a cross between The Hunger Games and Mad Max. Saba is an 18 year old girl living in the post-apocalyptic world of Silverlake, she is isolated and uneducated. The story is told in her voice the spelling and grammar mistakes were hard to get past but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Saba's twin brother Lugh is kidnapped and she must go out into a ruthless and lawless world to find him. Her less than cooperative little sister Emmi and a crow named Nero are her constant companions. She is eventually captured and taken to Hopetown, a brutal and unforgiving place, where she is forced to cage fight for the entertainment of the crowd. Saba must kill or be killed.
Check this out! 
http://pages.simonandschuster.com/bloodredroad

Velocity

Velocity by Dean Koontz. 
Dean Koontz is one of my favorite authors. When you pick up one of his books you know you will enjoy it and Velocity does not disappoint. This book grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go.

Billy Wiles is an ordinary guy, leading an ordinary life that is until he finds a note on his windshield. Billy has a choice and no matter what he chooses someone will die. He soon becomes a helpless pawn in a serial killers game that with each note his victims are more innocent and the murders more gruesome.

The Eleventh Plague

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch.

Twenty years after the start of the war that caused the Collapse, fifteen-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather travel post-Collapse America scavenging, but when his grandfather dies and his father decides to risk everything to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down.

I see a movie in the making.

Starters

Starters  by Lisa Price

A genocide spore kills everyone in Callie's family except for her brother. In fact, everyone who was not vaccinated died. Alone and homeless Callie has to support herself and her brother. She has found a way. She rents her body to seniors who want to be young again. Something goes wrong and she is trapped in both her world and her renters.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

In Stitches: a memoir

In Stitches: a memoir  by Anthony Youn, MD

Even at a young age Anthony Youn was always trying to fit in but the one thing he  was sure of is  that he wanted to be a doctor. This is the story of his life, his struggle to fit in and the hard work and determination it took to get through medical school. 

Funny and informative at the same time, anyone thinking about becoming a doctor should read this book.

Taken

Taken  by Norah McClintock

Young girls in Stephanie's town are disappearing. She thinks it can't happen to her but she couldn't be more wrong.

This is a short read but it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Almost Perfect

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher. 
 Logan is an 18 year old high school student in Missouri. His mom works to much and is getting over a broken heart. Logan is also recovering from the break up of a 3 year relationship. He feels neglected and all alone that is until he meets Sage, a new student who has a very big secret and turns his world upside down.
This one will make you laugh and cry.

Beauty Queens

Beauty Queens  by Libba Bray

When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

A sarcastic and funny look into the world of beauty pageants.

The Kill Order

The Kill Order by James Dashner.
 Normally I am disappointed with prequels but this was not the case. The Kill Order grabs you from the beginning and never lets go. The Maze was a means to an end. The Kill Order was the beginning. Before Thomas and even before WICKED there was Mark and Trina this is their story and what happened to them and to mankind after the flares.

A Stolen Life

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard.
This is an incredible book. It chronicles Jaycee's life from the moment she was kidnapped at age 11 until she is reunited with her family 18 years later. Jaycee tells her story in her own words and at times they are hard to read.
 Be prepared she is very candid and you will wonder how so many people could have been so blind.

No Easy Day

No Easy Day  by Mark Owen
I have to admit this is not a book I would usually read but once I started I couldn't put it down. No Easy Day is not just about the mission to kill Osama bin Laden but it is also a look into the Navy's most elite fighting team, Seal Team Six.