Oneida Stainless Pro Series – Stainless Steel Multi-Pot
The Oneida Stainless Steel Multi-pot is such an awesome part of the kitchen that I wanted to use it as soon as I unwrapped it from the packaging. Whether you’re making pasta, steaming some vegetables, or making a delicious winter soup, Oneida and the Stainless Steel Multi-pot have got you covered. This is the first multi-pot I have owned and I knew I was going to love it from the moment I started using it. Cooking is a breeze no matter what you make with this pot. Just drop your pasta into the colander and you can cook and drain it all in the same pot. Steaming vegetables has also never been easier. Oneida gives you plenty of excuses to make family-style meals that the whole family can enjoy, all in one pot.

You can learn more about the Oneida Stainless Steel Multipot at the Oneida website. You should be able to find this where fine kitchen products are sold online or offline. It currently has a list price of under $70 on Amazon.

Cuisine Foundations: The Chefs of Le Cordon Bleu
It doesn’t seem to matter whether you know how to cook or you’d just prefer to eat, most people are familiar with the Le Cordon Bleu name and reputation. This is one of the reasons that I am thrilled to recommend Cuisine Foundations. Sold in a box set, you receive two books that will take any cook and make them a chef, if only for a meal. Not only that, but if you can’t cook this will be sure to propel you to at least a basic cook status.

If you have no cooking knowledge reading or looking through Cuisine Foundations can be a daunting task, but if you read and follow the basic instructions you will find that cooking is easier than you ever thought it could be. With a wide range of recipes you have the ability to start in your comfort zone and venture into the unknown once you are more comfortable. Each book offers plenty of full-color illustrations, step by step instructions, and the ability to look up cooking terms as you need them. The Cuisine Foundations set also includes a Chef’s Tea Towel.

Any foodie that likes to cook from recipe books needs this set. This will end up being the foundation for any gourmet meals cooked by new chefs at home, so if you’re buying for the person that loves to cook you should really consider this set for their present this year. Amazon has the Cuisine Foundations Set available for around $50.

Capresso Automatic Milk Frother – FrothPRO
The Capresso FrothPRO is the absolute perfect gift for the budding barista. Coffee drinks are incredibly popular these days, but they are also unnecessarily expensive. That being said, with a FrothPRO and a cappuccino, espresso or even a coffee maker there is no reason why someone can’t create the same amazing drinks at a fraction of the price. The froth PRO includes settings for hot, warm, and cold and you can choose to froth or just warm something up. While the froth setting will help to create delicious coffee based drinks, the warm setting is perfect for creating hot chocolate or just warm milk, if you like that sort of thing. The froth PRO is a standalone small appliance that won’t take up much space. It even includes an auto shut-off feature for safety. Two frothing discs and one heating disc is included. All parts are even dishwasher safe, so even cleanup will be a breeze.

I love our Capresso Froth PRO and use it often. While it may not seem to be the normal holiday gift, if you have a coffee shop fan in your family, this will be an invaluable present and they will love it!

The FrothPRO is also cost effective as far as presents go. You can order this through the Capresso website for $59.99. If you really want to splurge (or let your relatives feel like they live in a coffee shop) you might even want to consider the Capresso Impressa C9 One Touch Coffee Maker.

NuWave Oven
The NuWave Oven was something I had been curious about for some time. Whenever I see something on an infomercial I tend to write it off and move on, but I kept coming back to this intriguing item. The thing I liked the most about this was the convenience factor. Cleanup is simple and there is almost nothing that this oven won’t do. The NuWave oven will fry, bake, broil, grill, and dehydrate. I am sure it does other things, but you get the idea. You can cook poached eggs in the NuWave for breakfast and have ribs for dinner. You can even cook meat from a frozen state.

Using three cooking methods (infared, convection, and conduction) the NuWave Oven offers a fast, easy, and simple way to get dinner made in a healthy, delicious way. The NuWave doesn’t take up too much space but it will hold plenty of food. It comes with an extender ring to allow it to hold more food, but to give you an idea, without the ring it will cook a ten pound turkey. If you add the extender, the turkey can be as heavy as sixteen pounds! After hearing about this I considered buying it just for the convenience during holidays. I don’t know about you, but I always need more room in my oven. Foodies might be shocked at this present, but everyone I know that has one loves it. It will just take one meal for them to be incredibly thankful (if they aren’t to begin with).

You can learn more about the NuWave Oven at the NuWave Oven Website. This is available through the website for $120 and you receive numerous free extras at the time of purchase.

Conserving Now – Bring Your Own – Family Starter Eco Kit
If you have someone in your family that wants to make shopping trips easier or that cares about the environment then Conserving Now needs to be on your radar. Offering a host of eco-friendly products including ways to educate classrooms on the environment, Conserving Now offers excellent products at fair prices. We received the family starter eco-kit, which includes two oversized cotton totes, a set of three market bags with a cinch bag for storage, a bag recycler, some door hangers, and some static clings. While things like the door hangers and the static clings have not really been used by us, I have found the bags to be invaluable. They are huge, hold a great deal and are incredibly well made. With that in mind, these make a fabulous gift for shoppers and people hoping to avoid plastic bags in the future. These bags would easily hold the contents created in a small to medium shopping trip.

You can learn more at the Conserving Now website. The Family Starter Eco Kit is available on the website for $40.99.

Green Ostrich – Preserve Recycled Plastic Large Apple Green Colander
Green Ostrich offers a host of products that are all eco-friendly. Offering everything from kitchen products to various school supplies, Green Ostrich has you covered. I was shocked to find out how much I loved the Preserve line they carry. We recently moved and I was missing some key kitchen essentials so we decided to focus on those things. We received one of the Plastic Large Apple Green Colanders and its been love at first use ever since. Not only is it sturdy and made to last, it’s also incredibly inexpensive. I have priced other (non eco-friendly) colanders of this quality and found then to be in the $20 range. The Preserve colander is $8 less than that. It’s also a vibrant, gorgeous color. If you’re looking for practical gift options, I highly suggest putting this towards the top of your list.

You can learn more about the Preserve line and the Apple Green Colander at the Green Ostrich website. The Preserve Apple Green Colander is available on the Green Ostrich website for just over $12.

Green Ostrich – Preserve Recycled Plastic Apple Green Tableware Pack
Preserve eco-friendly tableware made me consider switching to completely eco-friendly dishes. While I have yet to make the full transition I will say that for about the last month this set of dishes (cups, plates, and bowls) has been our main set. We use them for the majority of our casual meals and snacks. As someone that needs to diet, I love the plates because they are a tad smaller than some dinner plates, which means less food. I still end up getting enough, but find that I am not taking too much because there just isn’t room for extras. Cleanup is simple and these packs come in a variety of great, vibrant colors. We chose the green and I absolutely adore them! These would be great for young families, college students, and people considering the switch to eco-friendly products.

You can learn more about the Preserve line and the Recycled Plastic Apple Green Tableware Set at the Green Ostrich website. The Preserve Apple Green Tableware Set is available on the Green Ostrich website for just under $20.

George Foreman Healthy Cooking Smart Kitchen Multi-Cooker
One of the coolest brands for cooking with small appliances these days is George Foreman Healthy Cooking. I have used George Foreman products in the past and it seems that everything works fabulous for my needs. We have an Evolve Grill that we received awhile back and I use it often. I was thrilled to try the Multicooker because it’s not what you’d normally expect from the George Foreman Healthy Cooking name. However, it works just as well as other products in the brand. Sporting a 26-cup (5 quart) cooking space, the Smart Kitchen Multicooker can steam rice, cook vegetables and meat, and is the perfect space to make delicious soups and strews. Like other Smart Kitchen products, this Multicooker is nonstick so you do not need to use excessive amounts of butter or oil. It’s also a cinch to clean. The Intelli-Probe has cook settings for rice, steaming, and different temperature settings including searing for stews and other foods. A stainless steel steaming basket is also included for fish, vegetables and other foods. Best of all, when you’re done cooking you can remove the pan (which is quite stylish) and bring it to the table for some delectable family style meals. This makes an excellent gift for the entire family or your favorite foodie.

You can learn more about the Smart Kitchen Multicooker at the George Foreman Healthy Cooking website. Some other great options (I have yet to try, but have my eye on) include the Skillite Searing Skillet and the Panini Grill. You can order the Smart Kitchen Multicooker at the George Foreman Healthy Cooking website. It’s normally $80, but is currently on sale for $40 so it’s the perfect time to buy one. We’re also giving one away so make sure to enter for your chance to win one!

TJ Maxx Kitchenware Products
I have been a TJ Maxx shopper for years. While the clothing section can always be hit or miss, I often find amazing deals on home products. If you’re looking for a brand name cookware set at the fraction of the price or you want some beautiful accent pieces to brighten up your kitchen TJMaxx is the perfect store to look. On a recent trip I purchased some glass canisters for around $12. They sit on my counter holding dried pasta, sugar, and flour. This is just one of the great finds that was available that day. From knife sets to gourmet pans, TJMaxx has just about everything your kitchen might need and could be missing. This makes TJMaxx an excellent option for holiday shopping. If you have any picky relatives or friends you’re buying for, TJMaxx offers such an eclectic range of products that you shouldn’t have a problem finding something for everyone. If you find you like what you see, but can’t find that perfect gift you can even consider a gift card, which would allow the gift participant to do the shopping for themselves.

You can visit the TJ Maxx website to find a store near you!

Novica Hand Blown Glass Products
We have had the pleasure of writing about Novica products in the past. We received a few items from them when we moved into our home. One of the items that we received, the Spirals of Thought Glasses in Blue were a huge hit. These handblown glasses are absolutely amazing. They are thicker than your average glasses and the art work involved in creating these offers something simple yet dynamic. The spirals running through the glasses are fabulous. Our friends love them and we use them all the time. Purchasing from Novica also allows you to support artisans from around the world. The glasses we purchased were made by a duo of artisans that are incredibly talented. The men hail from Mexico and offer a number of different products through the Novica website.

You can learn more about The Spirals of Thought glasses at the Novica website. You can currently purchase these glasses for under $40 and there are a host of other amazing products available on the site.

Noodle and Boo Reed Diffuser
I’m a sucker for any product that adds a light, breezy scent to the room. The Crème Douce scent of the Noodle & Boo Reed Diffuser is simply exquisite. It combines the scents of peach, water blossoms, mixed berries, clover honey, milk and vanilla beans. You’ll get a whiff of the individual scents, which combine to form a sweet, delicate flavor within the air. What I love about the Noodle & Boo Reed Diffuser is that the scent isn’t overpowering. Just the right hint of each scent combines to form a new, layered scent that gently wafts through the room or any other environment where you place it.

This gift is great for those who are looking for ways to make their home unique. This is definitely an original product. So many air fresheners do not last, but this reed diffuser is continuous, leaving the room smelling delicious. To find out more about Noodle and Boo visit the following website.

Don’t forget to visit our other holiday guides:
Food – Books – Toys

Technorati Tags: 2010 Holiday Gift Guide, Gift Giving, Ten Items, List of Ten, Home, Kitchen, NuWave, TJ Maxx, Novica, Recycled, Preserver, Capresso, Le Cordon Bleu, Oneida

Ripley’s Believe it or Not: Enter if You Dare

About the Book: This book is filled with a selection of wacky, crazy and incredible facts. There are also features relating to these facts and interviews with the people associated with the stories included in this book. The book has been newly designed for this new year edition. Within the book, you will find information on how to access the fully-integrated Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Enter if you Dare website, where you can gain access to a plethora of video clips that accompany the book. In the gatefold section, there are eight. amazing pages worth of tales of vampires that are said to be “true”! There are also additional pullouts with amazing, full-size images that are downright shocking!

What Makes it Great: If you asked our son he would say it was because it is filled with odd and interesting facts that are simply unbelievable! He asks for these books every year, so it’s kind of a tradition in our house making sure that he gets them for Christmas. They are always some of his favorite presents every year, too. This makes a great gift for an older child or an adult that likes learning about oddities and things that are too weird to normally be true!

You can learn more about Ripley’s Believe it or Not: Enter if You Dare on the Ripley’s website. You can also purchase this online, at Amazon for under $18.

Guinness World Records 2011

Check out some of the new Guinness features: New to The Guinness Book of World Records 2011 edition is a new design. To usher in the new decade, those behind this infamous book have given it a new, eclectic design with a fun, poster-style motif sure to remind you off the circus, the wild west and there are even pressed WANTED ads. The records are presented GPS style. Starting in Greenwich, London, the starting place of time, Guinness takes us round the world, city by city, to find wild, crazy, and amazing, world record setting feats. There is an extensive glossary, that is bound to help you learn new words, and a selection of spreads on the Space Shuttle being retired this year, the 75th year (Diamond) Anniversary of Television, a Pop Culture Chapter with information on all your favorite movies, comics, manga, graphic novels, DVDs, and more, and, of course, information on Mr. World Record Breaker.

What Makes it Great: It seems silly even filling this section out. Everyone knows what makes the Guinness Book great. Filled with record breaking items, the Guinness Book gives the average guy or gal a chance to be a record holder. I know in our house, every year this is a must-have gift for our son. He’s been collecting the Guinness books ever since he discovered them when he was around five years old and he’s not planning to stop any time soon. The Guinness book is one of those rare gifts that works just as well for an eight year old as it does for an eighty year old!

You can learn more about Guinness 2011 at the Guinness World Records website. You can pick up the Guinness 2011 at Amazon for under $17.

Crave by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz

Description for Crave: The rare blood disorder that Shay was born with has confounded even the most dedicated of doctors, including her step-father, Martin. Shay’s mother married him who was one of her doctors, and he has been trying to figure out both what is wrong with her blood and how to find a cure for Shay. He even stopped work on his world-renowned leukemia research to help Shay. Things change for Shay when she turns 17. Not only is she given new blood transfusions, but she begins to feel stronger. These transfusions comes with a price and soon Shay is having weird visions…visions that include vampires.

What Makes it Great: Vampires are all the rage these days. Normally, I am pretty against them because while I love vampires, I find that writers usually mess them up. Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz do a nice job building characters that we can enjoy. Fans of Roswell might recognize the names Burns and Metz as they used to write for the show prior to creating this book concept. Shay is an interesting, if not sometimes frustrating, character that suffers from a debilitating illness that limits her life. Through a series of events Shay’s life soon changes and the things that happen make it easy to lose yourself in what appears to be the first novel in a future series.

You can learn more about Crave at the Simon and Schuster, where you can purchase the paperback for $9.99. You can also pick this up at book stores and department stores where books are sold.

Slayed by Amanda Marrone

Description for Slayed: Vampire hunting is a legacy for Daphne and her family. The sixteen-year-old is a part of the Van Helsing family of vampire hunters, a tradition dating back hundred of years. Daphne is not thrilled to be passed down such a legacy, especially when her parents are off decapitating vampires for money. Daphne craves normalcy. She’s tired of moving around and wants to settle so she can actually attend school and make friends. Instead, this young vampire has left her fate in the hands of her family, spending her life going from motel to motel, but never without a hefty supply of garlic!

Daphne’s life changes forever when the Van Helsing’s must head to a small coastal town in Maine. These vampires have no fangs, but they enjoy eating small children, a new breed of monster they have never seen. Along the way, she meets and falls for a boy, Tyler Harker, but he is the son of her family’s slaying rivals, so their relationship can never be…or can it?

Tyler Harker, AKA, the son of the rival slayer family. What’s a teen vampire slayer to do?

What Makes it Great: Amanda Marrone has a knack for writing books about teenage girls that have parents that just don’t get where they are coming from. Daphne is seventeen (though I felt she was written slightly younger) and she wants to be normal. Vampire slaying isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be unless you’re Buffy. Making use of the Dracula line of characters, this future tale will make fans of the classic novel curious and it will thrill teenage girls that love fantasy. This is a fun, light-hearted kind of read that goes by relatively quick. Vampire-loving, fantasy enthusiasts should enjoy this young adult novel.

You can learn more about Slayed at the Simon and Schuster website. You can purchase this wherever books are sold. It is currently available in paperback form through the Simon & Schuster website for $9.99.

Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Description for Crusade: Jenn has been training and living at the Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones in Spain for the past two years. She is one of a select few who have pledged to defend humanity or die in the process. With each passing day, vampires gain power, and the fierce battles she will face against them are just beginning. When a family member dies, Jenn returns to San Francisco, which has become a stronghold for her enemies. Alone without her slaying team, Jenn feels isolated and knows she has put herself at risk just being here. She also misses Antonio, her fighting partner, whom she has fallen for, despite the odds and dangers of having any form of relationship with him. When Jenn faces a massive betrayal, she begins to doubt herself and her cause, but she must rely on her head, her heart, and her training to stay alive.

What Makes it Great: Girls that like a little romance with their violence, fear, and intimidation are going to be mighty fond of Crusade. In a world where vampires reign supreme, ruling the world through violence and fear, there are only a handful of people able to fight the good fight and keep them at bay. As you might imagine, its a fight that these rare vampire hunters probably will not win. While Crusade takes a couple of chapters for some to warm up to, the writing is captivating and the story should prove to be pleasing to the teenage audience that it was written for. Teenagers will appreciate this in their stocking or as a gift because not only will it entertain them, but it’s the first in a new series, so now is the perfect time to pick it up!

Crusade is available at major bookstores and other stores were books are sold. You can learn more about Crusade on the Simon & Schuster website, where the hardcover is available for $16.99.

The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith

Description of The Other Side of Dark: Katie Mullens has gone crazy. She was normal once, before her mother died…before she started filling her sketch pads with insane drawings filled with darkness and blood. Law Walker knew Katie before she went crazy, when she was just your average, talented, artist, but he does not know the truth behind her artwork. Katie sees dead people, in accidents, from suicides and in a variety of other fashions and then she draws them. Law wants to get to know Katie better, even if his father is against this, especially since Katie is white and potentially dangerous. One of the dead people she sees has a secret and Law needs to know it, even if it is more shocking than he anticipated.

What Makes it Great: The Other Side of Dark succeeds on so many levels because the author had the ingenious idea of taking a good old fashioned ghost story and melding it with history, romance, and a nice dose of suspense. Smith’s writing cuts right to the heart of things. She has a way of putting words on a page that let you know exactly how her characters think and feel. This gives the reader a chance to really feel the characters emotions and it enhances the connection between the reader and the book. While I am new to Smith’s books I look forward to reading more of her work as soon as possible!

The Other Side of Dark is available in hardcover format for $16.99 and e-book format. You can learn more about the book at the Simon & Schuster website.

Blank Confession by Pete Hautman

Blank Confession Description: Even in a new town, Shayne Blank is in trouble right away. The new kid on the block, the other kids find him to be weird. Though he seems smart and fearless, there is something that isn’t right concerning his background. Then, one day, Shayne walks into the Police Station in town and confesses to a murder. This shocking revelation leads investigators down the road into an even more complicated series of events than even they could have anticipated.

What Makes it Great: Told through alternating viewpoints, when the new kid in town walks into a police station to confess to being a murderer, it’s up to the reader to get a grasp as to how the new kid got himself into that situation. Hautman is known for his writing skills and with that in mind, this would be a great gift for his fans. The only real downside to this book is that it goes by fairly quickly. It’s not very long, but it is a compelling story and it does not make any attempt to overstay its welcome. If you’re looking for a stocking stuffer and need an intriguing book, this might work out well. It’s the perfect size to peek out of a stocking and it will be an easy read to finish before school is back in session.

You can learn more about Blank Confession on the Simon & Schuster website where it is available for $16.99.

The Mortal Instruments Box Set by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments Boxed Set Description: The Shadowhunters-touched by angels and charged with protecting innocents—battle demons and other evil in the bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

City of Bones: When Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder. Much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with odd markings. This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons—and keeping the odd werewolves and vampires in line. It’s also her first meeting with gorgeous, golden-haired Jace. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in an ordinary mundane like Clary? And how did she suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

City of Ashes: Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what’s normal when you’re a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? Clary would love to spend more time with her best friend, Simon. But the Shadowhunters won’t let her go—especially handsome, infuriating Jace. Clary’s only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil—and also Jace’s father. When the second of the Mortal Instruments is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor suspects Jace. Could Jace really be willing to betray everything he believes in to help his father?

City of Glass: To save her mother’s life, Clary travels to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters—never mind that by doing so she is breaking the Law, which could mean death. Even worse, Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by Shadowhunters who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight. Luckily, Clary finds an ally in the mysterious Sebastian, who holds a strange attraction for her. As Valentine musters a demon army, can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their ancient hatred and work together? And can Clary harness her newfound powers to help save them all—whatever the cost?

What Makes it Great: This is the perfect series for a middle or highschooler looking for something new and interesting to keep them busy. I have seen this series compared to the likes of Harry Potter, Twilight, and even Percy Jackson and the Olympians. While I admit, I have not read most of those series, I will say that I loved this one. The world is similar to the others, in that this is a fantasy style book, as well. However, comparing this to Twilight does a great disservice to Cassandra Clare, who seems to have a decent grasp on writing and plenty of talent. With strong characters, a well drawn-out plot, and excellent storytelling The Mortal Instruments set will be sure to please any book addict between the ages of ten and forty.

You can learn more about the Mortal Instruments Boxed Set at the Simon and Schuster website, where you can also purchase it for $26.99.

Garden of Shadows by VC Andrews

Garden of Shadows Description: Before Flowers in the Attic there was a young girl, filled with hope and innocence. That woman was Olivia, soon to be Olivia Foxworth. Despite to feel joy in her life, the happiness she expects to feel from marrying rich and powerful Malcolm Foxworth and living in Foxworth Hall never appears. Malcolm barely pays attention to her, and she is stuck in a gloomy, lonesome, forboding, and huge mansion. With nothing to do but let her emotions fester, life in the Hall sets the stage for an evil that will triumph over the lives of her children, as well as their future generations to come.

What Makes it Great: V.C. Andrews is one of those writers that is so dramatically scandalous you can’t help but want to read her soap opera style of writing. Her characters border on ridiculous at times. No matter what series you are reading you know that someone is going to fall and end up in a wheelchair and there is going to be a plot that includes incest in some form or fashion before the end of the series. I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone that was on the younger spectrum of their teenage years. It contains rape, incest, abuse, and plenty of other adult topics. While the graphic nature of these things are not always laid out, it’s still a pretty scandalous for younger audiences. If you’ve read Flowers in the Attic, this prequel is certainly worth checking out. It will lead you to a much better understanding of how Olivia Foxworth came to be the woman that she ended up being later in life.

Garden of Shadows is a reprint from the original novel which came out in the late 80s. You can pick up either print on Amazon for under ten dollars.

The Dragon’s Apprentice by James A. Owen

Dragon’s Apprentice Description: The sequel to The Shadow Dragons, takes place seven years later. John, Jack and Charles are finally able to make it back to the Archipelago of Dreams. This reunion, though joyous amongst the three and their friends, is overshadowed by the threat of Ecthroi, primordial Shadow, and the threat of the splitting of Time. This trio must travel through a forgotten Door from the Keep of Time, which was destroyed, in the hopes of restoring time. There, they must seek the Dragon’s Apprentice. Failure means the end of both of these worlds, but success comes with its own drama.

What Makes it Great: Our son read the previous book in the series and made us swear that we would get him this one. Since then, he has read it several more times. Despite the high number of pages in these books, time seems to fly when reading them. The writer, James A. Owen has a great grasp on what it is to tell a story, so you will be shocked at how fast reading this will go. If you are buying for someone that has never read the other books in this series, it would do you best to start from the beginning. However, if you know someone that has read the other books and has been waiting for this one, you have to get it for them. Fans of the previous novels will not be disappointed.

You can pick up The Dragon’s Apprentice at Simon & Schuster where it is available for $17.99.

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Rot & Ruin Description: Benny Imura is more than just your everyday teenager. He is living in a zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America. In this world, it is every teen for himself. Teens must find a job by the time they turn 15 or they end up losing half their rations. Benny is not thrilled at riding shotgun with his older brother, Tom, who is a zombie hunter. Not wanting to lose his rations he has no choice but to become Tom’s apprentice. Thinking the job is going to suck, Benny soon learns there is much more to this job, and being human, especially in this chaotic world he lives in.

What Makes it Great: It’s a zombie book. Do I really need to say more than that? Zombies battle it out against the Bounty Hunters that are there to make some cash by bashing in some zombies. I had no clue who Jonathan Maberry was until reading this, but you can bet I will be keeping him in my sights now that I know what he is capable of writing. This is the first in the series, so get it while its hot. Zombie, horror, and violence/action fans will really enjoy Maberry’s take on the modern day zombie and the cash-for-hire hunters that are trying to get rid of them.

You can pick up Rot & Ruin through the Simon & Schuster website for $17.99.

Technorati Tags: 2010, Holiday Gift Guide, LI Kids, Top Ten, Books, Literature, Teens, Tweens, Reading, Must Have, Holidays, Christmas, Chanukah, Hanukkah, Winter Celebration

When I was given The Magnificent 12: The Call to read for LI Kids, I looked and saw that one of my favorite authors, D.J. MacHale, author of the Pendragon series, had something interesting and positive to say about this book. When I saw this, I knew right away that this was going to be a good book, but as always, I still had a few doubts. I wanted to prepare myself just in case it was not as good as Hale claimed.

Up to this point, I had never read anything by the author, Michael Grant, but I was willing to give this book a chance. One of the main reasons for this is because I like teen fantasy and adventure books. So, when The Magnificent 12: The Call was offered to me, it was an easy decision to make. When I read this novel, I was pleased to find it was both funny and adventurous all at the same time.

Synopsis:
The Magnificent 12: The Call offers the perspectives of two different people, in two different time periods, switching in between parts of the book. In the present, the protagonist, Mack MacAvoy, is chosen to be one of the Magnificent 12, a group of 12, twelve year olds. This group is chosen by Grimluk. Grimluk is an old man, who when he was a twelve year old, personally met the original ‘Magnifica’, as they called them in ancient times. Grimluk was responsible for sentencing the Pale Queen, an evil creature with twelve lives, to The World Beneath for three thousand years. The Pale Queen has a daughter, Ereskigal, who is also known as Risky. Risky, like her mother, is an evil creature with twelve lives, as well.

When Mack starts his adventure, he is in the boy’s bathroom with the school bully, Stefan. When Grimluk appears, Mack is told that he is one of the Magnificent 12. Later in the book, Mack gets a Golem as a friend to take his place as Mack at his house. Then, an old lady gives Mack and Stefan one million dollars from a Swiss bank account, with access to it through two credit cards, iPhones for both of them, and two plane tickets to Australia in order to fulfill their mission.

Trouble begins to brew during the plane trip to Australia, where Mack and Stefan first meet Risky. The plane starts to go down, and later, Mack and Stefan find themselves falling through the sky. The two boys end up landing in the water. Unfortunately, things get quite tense when, stuck in the water, they believea shark is after them. Soon after this, Mack and Stefan reach Australia, where they meet Jarrah, a twelve year-old Australian girl, who Mack finds out is another member of the Magnificent 12.

From here, the story switches perspectives and we learn that the twelve year old Grimluk is married to his wife, Gelidberry. Grimluk lives with his wife, baby son, whose name has not yet been determined, and his two cows in their village. When someone comes to his village saying that the Pale Queen is coming Grimluk and his family are told to flee their home. Grimluk and his family take all their prized possessions, and flee the village to find the Magnifica. Later, Grimluk meets the Magnifica, and battles the Pale Queen. He and the Magnifica bind the Pale Queen for three thousand years to The World Beneath, but, all is not safe because as long as Princess Ereskigal is alive, if the Pale Queen were to die, Ereskigal would get the Pale Queen’s terrible power. So, bound in chains, The Pale Queen goes down to The World Beneath, for three thousand years.

The writing for The Magnificent 12: The Call was great for a pre-teen or older age group. The author said things in a way that this age group could understand without any trouble. The only unusual thing about the writing for this book was the words used for the spells, and the pronunciation of Risky’s actual name, Ereskigal. However, these things have more to do with the fun way things are handled in fantasy novels and not usually the fault of the writing or the author.

The Magnificent 12: The Call costs $16.99 and is being put out by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. I feel it is worth the cost to get this book and it will be great for anyone that is a pre-teen or older. Your pre-teens and teens will like this book, and chances are, so will you.

Final Thoughts:
If I were asked to read this book again, I would. I actually hope I do read it again. This book makes a great beginning to the series, The Magnificent 12. This book had me so interested in the outcome that I can honestly say that I cannot wait to find out how it all will end.

Technorati Tags: The Magnificent 12: The Call, Michael Grant, Pre-Teen, Teen, Teen Fantasy, Adventure, Katherine Tegen Books, HarperCollins Publishers, Book Review, LI Kids

Signing up is just like your traditional movie subscription service, except that you will receive books. You visit the Book Swim website and pick your plan. For this review we were offered the three books at a time plan. Once you’ve signed up it’s time to fill your queue. We didn’t have any problem finding things we wanted to read. Dominick loves Patricia Cornwell books, so we added some of those and CT has expressed an interested in reading the Percy Jackson series, so we added The Lightning Thief to the queue, as well. We added a variety of other books, but the first three we received were two Cornwell novels and The Lightning Thief. This is pretty fitting because they were the first books that we added at the time.

The quality of the books that we received varied greatly, but they were all readable. If you’re used to checking books out at the library you know what I mean. For example, one of the Patricia Cornwell novels looked almost new. On the other hand, the Percy Jackson title looked as close to worn down as it could look without ripping. One of the obvious differences was that the Jackson title was older and it was soft cover not hard cover. Obviously, it was going to be easier to gain that worn look, especially if it was well-read, which this copy seemed to be.

Once the books are read you just put them in the enclosed envelope and attach the shipping label and send them back. All books need to be sent back at the same time. You receive a certain amount at a time and send them back when you’re done. It’s really that simple.

Shipping time didn’t seem to take more than a few days at most. Once we signed up and picked the books we wanted, we had the first set within three days. Return acknowledgment happens within two to three days after you return them and a few days later you have new books. It’s safe to say that within a week or returning your books you will have new ones.

Book Swim offers a variety of membership options based on the amount you read and how fast you do it. The best plan for most is the three books at a time plan, which runs you about $24 a month. It’s worth it because Book Swim gives you the convenience of letting you pick the books you want to read from home. You won’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on books or spend gas money driving around town to get them. You will also save plenty of time and energy in the process. After all, no one has to know that you’re ordering books for the whole family in your pajamas. If you find that you have plenty of readers in your home, Book Swim is a quick and easy solution to getting the books you want at a price you can afford.

Technorati Tags: Book Swim, Rental Service, Product Review, Books, Reading, Rent, Convenient

In our mini-guide we are promoting books that we would love to read if we had access to them or books that we have read that were just awesome! If we’ve read the book we will link to our review so that you can see our thoughts. Otherwise, we will be offering the book description since we cannot offer a recommendation other than to say that these descriptions seriously piqued my interest!

This Mini-Guide is part of our Ultimate Summer Buying Guide.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future by Michael J Fox
Book Description: In A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future, Michael draws on his own life experiences to make a case that real learning happens when “life goes skidding sideways.” He writes of coming to Los Angeles from Canada at age eighteen and attempting to make his way as an actor. Fox offers up a comically skewed take on how, in his own way, he fulfilled the requirements of a college syllabus. He learned Economics as a starving artist; an unexpected turn as a neophyte activist schooled him in Political Science; and his approach to Comparative Literature involved stacking books up against their movie versions.

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The Meaning of Matthew by Judy Shepard
Book Description: The Meaning of Matthew follows the Shepard family in the days immediately after the crime, when Judy and her husband traveled to see their incapacitated son, kept alive by life support machines; how the Shepards learned of the incredible response from strangers all across America who held candlelit vigils and memorial services for their child; and finally, how they struggled to navigate the legal system as Matthew’s murderers were on trial. Heart-wrenchingly honest, Judy Shepard confides with readers about how she handled the crippling loss of her child, why she became a gay rights activist, and the challenges and rewards of raising a gay child in America today.

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A Brave Vessel by Hobson Woodward
Book Description: In 1609, aspiring writer William Strachey set sail aboard the Sea Venture, bound for the New World. Caught in a hurricane, the ship separated from its fleet and wrecked on uninhabited Bermuda, a bountiful island paradise its passengers would inhabit for nearly a year before reaching their intended destination, the famine-stricken colony of Jamestown. Strachey’s meticulous account of the wreck, the castaways’ time on Bermuda, and their arrival in a devastated Jamestown was read by his contemporaries and remains among the most vivid writings of the early colonial period. Following the life of this ordinary man, Hobson Woodward tells one of the neglected but defining stories of America’s founding. Strachey had literary aspirations and sought to capitalize on his epic experience, but his writings did not bring him the acclaim he sought. Only in the hands of another William would his tale of the wreck and its aftermath make history as The Tempest. A Brave Vessel is the fascinating account of a near-miss in the settling of Virginia, the true story behind one of Shakespeare’s great plays, and the tragedy of the man who failed as an author but who contributed to the creation of a masterpiece.

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The Girls of Murder City by Douglas Perry
There was nothing surprising about men turning up dead in the Second City. Life was cheaper than a quart of illicit gin in the gangland capital of the world. But two murders that spring were special – worthy of celebration. So believed Maurine Watkins, a wanna-be playwright and a “girl reporter” for the Chicago Tribune, the city’s “hanging paper.” Newspaperwomen were supposed to write about clubs, cooking and clothes, but the intrepid Miss Watkins, a minister’s daughter from a small town, zeroed in on murderers instead. Looking for subjects to turn into a play, she would make “Stylish Belva” Gaertner and “Beautiful Beulah” Annan – both of whom had brazenly shot down their lovers – the talk of the town. Love-struck men sent flowers to the jail and newly emancipated women sent impassioned letters to the newspapers. Soon more than a dozen women preened and strutted on “Murderesses’ Row” as they awaited trial, desperate for the same attention that was being lavished on Maurine Watkins’s favorites.

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Composed by Rosanne Cash
Cash writes compellingly about her upbringing in Southern California as the child of country legend Johnny Cash, and of her relationships with her mother and her famous stepmother, June Carter Cash. In her account of her development as an artist she shares memories of a hilarious stint as a twenty-year-old working for Columbia Records in London; recording her own first album on a German label; working her way to success; her marriage to Rodney Crowell, a union that made them Nashville’s premier couple; her relationship with the country music establishment; taking a new direction in her music and leaving Nashville to move to New York; motherhood; dealing with the deaths of her parents, in part through music; the process of songwriting; and the fulfillment she has found with her current husband and musical collaborator, John Leventhal.

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Knife Music by David Carnoy
Book Description: Tense and twisting, Knife Music is the story of a doctor struggling to clear his name after being accused of raping and causing the suicide of a young girl. The novel pits Cogan, a 43-year-old surgeon and self- described womanizer, against Hank Madden, a handicapped veteran detective. From the outset it’s not clear who is victim and who is victimizer, as the usually dispassionate Madden grapples with his long-suppressed prejudices and his obsession with bringing Ted Cogan to justice at any cost—to the doctor or himself. It all leads up to the most stunning surprise ending since Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent.

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Psycho by Robert Bloch
Book Description: Norman Bates loves his Mother. She has been dead for the past twenty years, or so people think. Norman knows better though. He has lived with Mother ever since leaving the hospital in the old house up on the hill above the Bates motel. One night Norman spies on a beautiful woman that checks into the hotel as she undresses. Norman can’t help but spy on her. Mother is there though. She is there to protect Norman from his filthy thoughts. She is there to protect him with her butcher knife.

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The Signal by Ron Carlson
Book Description: Backpacking into the Wind River Mountains on their tenth annual trip, Mack and his wife, Vonnie, find the magnificent woods and stunning mountains of Wyoming full of ghosts and danger. Mack comes from a long line of ranchers, and his dedication to keeping the family land has led him into penury and a life of crime. Vonnie is a fiercely intelligent, headstrong girl who came west for love, only to have it stolen from her bit by bit. They’ve made this trip to say goodbye to each other, but as they navigate the trails they know so well, they come to understand the true nature of their wounds. And Mack has one more secret: he is trying to receive a signal and retrieve something that has fallen from the sky. It is a beacon that will lead them into a wood far darker than they’ve ever imagined. Ron Carlson’s love for the mountains and his mastery of fiction radiate in the pages of this thrilling, fast-paced love story.

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Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan
Book Description: The man who calls himself David Loogan is leading a quiet, anonymous life in the college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He’s hoping to escape a violent past he would rather forget. But his solitude is broken when he finds himself drawn into a friendship with Tom Kristoll, the publisher of the mystery magazine Gray Streets-and into an affair with Laura, Tom’s sleek blond wife. What Loogan doesn’t realize is that the stories in Gray Streets tend to follow a simple formula: Plans go wrong. Bad things happen. People die.

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The Wet Nurse’s Tale by Erica Eisdorfer
Susan Rose isn’t the average protagonist: she’s scheming, promiscuous, plump, and she is also smart, funny, tender, and entirely lovable. Like many lower-class women of Victorian England, she was born into a world that offered very few opportunities for the poor and unlovely. But Susan is the kind of plucky heroine who seeks her fortune, and finds it . . . with some help from, well, her breasts. Susan, you see, is a professional wet nurse; she breast-feeds the children of wealthy women who can’t or won’t nurse their own babies. But when her own child is sold by her father and sent to a London lady who had recently lost a baby, Susan manages to convince his new foster mother, Mrs. Norbert, to hire her as a wet nurse. Once reunited with her son, Susan discovers the Norbert home to be a much more sinister place than she’d ever expected. Dark and full of secrets, its master is in India, and the first baby who died there did so under very mysterious circumstances. Susan embarks on a terrifying journey to rescue her son before he meets the same fate.

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The Secret Eleanor by Cecelia Holland
1151: As Duchess of Aquitaine, Eleanor grew up knowing what it was to be regarded for herself and not for her husband’s title. Now, as wife to Louis VII and Queen of France, she has found herself unsatisfied with reflected glory-and feeling constantly under threat, even though she outranks every woman in Paris. Then, standing beside her much older husband in the course of a court ceremony, Eleanor locks eyes with a man-hardly more than a boy, really- across the throne room, and knows that her world has changed irrevocably… He is Henry D’Anjou, eldest son of the Duke of Anjou, and he is in line, somewhat tenuously, for the British throne. She meets him in secret. She has a gift for secrecy, for she is watched like a prisoner by spies even among her own women. She is determined that Louis must set her free. Employing deception and disguise, seduction and manipulation, Eleanor is determined to find her way to power-and make her mark on history.

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Song of the Dragon by Tracy & Laura Hickman
Once Humans had a magical alliance with Dragons. Now they and the other races have been enslaved by the Rhonas Empire – the elves – and can’t even remember the world the way it used to be. But thanks to the intervention of one determined dwarf and the human slave warrior known as Drakis, all of that is about to change.

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Omnitopia Dawn by Diane Duane
In an increasingly wired and computer-friendly world, massive multiplayer online games have become the ultimate form of entertainment. And the most popular gaming universe of all is Omnitopia, created by genius programmer Dev Logan. For millions of people around the world, Omnitopia is an obsession, a passionate pastime, almost a way of life. But there’s a secret to Omnitopia, one that Dev would give his life to protect-the game isn’t just a program or a piece of code. It’s become sentient-alive. And it’s Dev’s job to keep it that way…

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The Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi
Idyllic but remote, the Greek island of Thiminos seems untouched and untroubled by the modern world. So when the battered body of a young woman is discovered at the foot of a cliff, the local police – governed more by archaic rules of honor than by the law – are quick to close the case, dismissing her death as an accident.
Then a stranger arrives, uninvited, from Athens, announcing his intention to investigate further into the crime he believes has been committed. Refusing to accept the woman’s death as an accident or suicide, Hermes Diaktoros sets out to uncover the truths that skulk beneath this small community’s exterior.
Hermes’s methods of investigation are unorthodox, and his message to the islanders is plain – tell the truth or face the consequences. Before long, he’s uncovering a tale of passion, corruption and murder that entangles many of the island’s residents. But Hermes brings his own mystery into the web of dark secrets and lies – and as he travels the rugged island landscape to investigate, questions and suspicions arise amongst the locals. Who has sent him to Thiminos, and on whose authority is he acting? And how does he know of dramas played out decades ago?

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Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper.
But her bosses are making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.
Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die. (Not that you’re going to believe her. No one ever does.)
But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side. It’s a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.
The problem is, Lucien’s already dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met whom she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own.
And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.
Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future. . . .
If she even has one.

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Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
In America’s Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota–and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it’s worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life. . . .

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Know of any additional books that I need to keep my eyes on? Let me know if the comments

Technorati Tags: Books, Summer Reads, Mini-Guides, Ship Breaker, Insatiable, The Girls of Murder City, Composed, Rosanne Cash, Psycho, Michael J Fox, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future, The Messenger of Athens, Omnitopia Dawn, Song of the Dragon, The Secret Eleanor, The Wet Nurses Tale, Bad Things Happen, The Signal, Knife Music, A Brave Vessel, The Meaning of Matthew

Still, in the real world Ringwald has aged with all of us. She left high school, got married and has three kids. She’s turned 40 (now 42) and is currently starring on a popular television series. I remember hearing Ringwald would be playing a mom. I wondered where the time went. Now I realize, as long as you can still apply your lipstick with no hands then age is just a number. Life is about more than that, and anyone that thinks otherwise needs to do a little re-evaluation.

Getting the Pretty Back is all about Ringwald and her quest to once again be pretty after the age of 40. As she points out, pretty is a state of mind, not necessarily just about age or fashion. Pretty is taking your shoes off and walking in the rain. It’s about not caring who is watching what you’re doing. It’s about doing it because you know it’s you. The prettiest moments for any woman occur when they are comfortable with themselves, happy, and content to just do what feels right. Ringwald wants to help all women achieve that again.

As you can tell, this is not an autobiography. If you’re hoping to find out what it was like to work with Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, John Hughes, and the other members of the pack then you probably won’t be that interested in this. She mentioned Emilio once, but it’s just in passing, as he gives hair advice on the side of the street.

Instead, women of all ages get essential fashion advice. The advice is perfect for the seasoned pretty girl that has lost her way or the fashion victim looking to become something prettier. You learn the essential closet items, some of the best brands and colors of makeup, and hair advice based on Ringwald’s preferences. Some might think that the goal of this book is to create a bunch of Molly clones, but it’s clear to me that Ringwald’s point was to share her own preferences while encouraging women to go out and find what is right for them.

I will openly admit that I only read this book because it was written by Molly Ringwald. Normally, I wouldn’t bother reading a fashion guide. Still, I was charmed and enchanted during the entire reading process. I also got a lot of good fashion advice. Most importantly though, I was entertained. Ringwald provides a helpful and amusing book filled with adorable graphics and decent advice. I highly recommend women of all ages check this one out.

Technorati Tags: Molly Ringwald, Getting the Pretty Back, Book Review, Fashion, Hair, Makeup, Lipstick, No Hands

The stereotypical characters are here as you would expect them to be, if you were imagining the author of Gossip Girl was writing a new book. You have a rich blonde, a druggie, and a jock. You have a pair of siblings that are on the outside, looking in. You have a beautiful setting in which to enjoy sex, drugs, rock n’ roll, and of course, Starbucks. All of the usual characters are represented.

It becomes apparent very quickly that if you’ve seen or read Gossip Girl that this is not going to be enough to please you. It always feels like a cheap, less interesting version of the series, but in a different setting that is equal in its ability to allow excitement. The actual book is meant to give you a glimpse of freshman year. Most people that went to college won’t remember it being like this! In some ways, it makes it a better, guilty pleasure, so this isn’t a complaint.

The main character is Shipley Gilbert. She is a blonde beauty that hails from Connecticut. She decides that Dexter College, a liberal arts school in Maine, is the perfect place for her to attend. Her roommate, Eliza, is sarcastic and not exactly fit from the same mold as Shipley. Meanwhile, the boys they are paired with (for lack of better words) are Tom, the athlete with a creative side, and Nick, the nature loving (even though he’s allergic) pot-head.

Shipley’s missing brother, a former Dexter College student that disappeared, plays a part in her interest in going to the school. She sheds her good girl existence learning to chew gum and smoke on the way to school because those are things that college girls do. Her relationship with the jock takes some twists and turns, but nothing outrageous ever happens.

There are parts of Cum Laude that drag on and on forever. The climax happens a little too quick which ends up feeling rather disappointing. Some of the novel, for example, the relationships that develop, are extremely predictable. Meanwhile, other parts are good, but cut too short to make you love this.

At the end of the day, Gossip Girl fans are better off re-reading one of more of the GG series books. Likewise, fans of the semi-racy, relationship-driven, college novel would probably be well advised to find another novel to sink their teeth into. If you’re not looking for anything filled with substance this might work as a summer read for you. However, I highly doubt anyone will revisit this after reading it once, which makes it a pointless purchase unless you need fillers for your bookshelf.

If your older children/teens have read the Gossip Girl series, this might not be too far out of their league, but there is a fair amount of sex and drug use to be found here. They call it an adult novel for a reason, so it is a step above what they might have read or what they should be used to. It’s important to consider this when purchasing this book for them. This would be best for adults.

Technorati Tags: Gossip Girl, Cum Laude, Book Review, Adult Novel, Shipley, Dexter College, Guilty Pleasure, Stereotypical

The Prince of Mist is set around WWII and though it never says where it takes place, one can deduce the Carver family lives in England. They escape the city in 1943, to get away from the war. There are also hints it is set in England, as the children call their mother, Mum. While I find the overall story quite good, the wording for The Prince of Mist is a bit off. Other works by Zafón have translated with better success, such as The Shadow of the Wind, which is why I am slightly disappointed with this. Some of the language is a bit stilted and the transitions aren’t quite as smooth as they should be.

The protagonist is 13 year old Max Carver. It is early summer and Max’s birthday, when his father, Maximilian Carver, tells his family that he is moving all of them out of the city to a small town by the sea. The move will happen the next day, and though everyone is initially shocked, the others quickly accept these changes. Max, on the other hand, worries about his friends, the life he knows and cannot sleep. He realizes quickly that the move is also hard on his father, an eccentric watchmaker, who does not sleep a wink that night either, as he worries about whether this is the right move for his family, or not.

Max is the middle child, and only boy. His younger sister, eight-year-old Irina and his older sister, sixteen-year-old Alicia, bicker constantly and things get worse as they arrive at their new home. Waiting for them at the station is a cat that Irina insists upon keeping. Max also notices something odd about the station. The clock there is moving backwards. Thus begins a strange journey of living in a sleepy little town with hidden, terrifying secrets.

Though Max makes a friend quickly in seventeen-year-old Roland, the adopted grandson of the lighthouse keeper, Victor Kray, who also hits it off with Alicia, bringing her out of a massive funk, their lives seem complicated by the mysteries hidden in the Carvers’ new house. The house was built by Dr. Benjamin Fleischmann for his wife, Eva. The two eventually had a son, Jacob, but he died by drowning at age 7. After that, Dr. Flesichmann died and nobody knows where Eva went.

Max is intrigued by a locked gate full of stone statues and home videos they find filmed by Jacob Fleishmann. These seem to be the key to unlocking the puzzle. It will be up to Victor Kray, who was the lone survivor of a shipwreck off the coast of the town, to help them put the pieces together. When The Orpheus sank in 1918, Victor Kray was lucky enough to escape. However, he holds many secrets about what happened, why it sank and how it relates to the strange happenings at Max’s house. He also happens to know about Cain. Cain is bad news. He’s the Prince of Mist, and he’s about to make his resurrection with his sights set on Max, Alicia and Roland.

The story moved at a fairly fast pace. I don’t recall much swearing or bad language, so parents squeamish about giving their pre-teens and teens books filled with nasty words can be rest assured this book is fairly clean. As for sexual content, it really is limited. There is some minor kissing and making out. Where the imagination goes from there is up to the reader, but nothing further is spelled out. It really wouldn’t have enhanced the story to go any further with it anyway. In all, there is mention of kissing on one or two pages.

Honestly, I enjoyed reading The Prince of Mist. The story kept me intrigued and wanting to know more. I don’t want to say it was predictable, but I did guess what could have potentially happened (and did happen) before the end of the book. I don’t think it is that obvious, but readers should have the thought of maybe this could happen by 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through the book. My big problem is the flow of the language. Again, I must stress that I believe some of this got lost in translation.

While adults can enjoy this as much as young adults, I feel that the problems with translation, which cause a lack of smooth transitions and stilted dialogue, will dissuade most adults from giving this book a chance. Still, it is worth the read for Zafón’s ideas alone.

Book Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: The Prince of Mist, Little Brown, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Book Review, Reading, Young Adult, Fiction

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi not only reaffirms my belief, it makes me want to continue reading novels in the young adult genre. Apparently, this is the first young adult novel for Bacigalupi though he has won awards for previous work that he’s done in other genres. I think the thing that I liked the most about Ship Breaker is that while the main characters are children, this is a novel that just about anyone interested in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy realm could appreciate. The kids have a very adult feel to them because the world they live in, while similar, is far different than the one that your children could relate to or understand. This is a novel that is filled with excellent writing, engaging characters and a strong plot that takes you on a roller coaster ride from beginning to end.

The problem with a fantasy novel, specifically when reviewing one, is offering some of the story without giving too much away. Often the best part of fantasy is revealing this new world for the first time and learning about it with each turn of the page. Keeping this in mind, there are some things that can easily be told without ruining anything for the reader.

Nailer, is a teenage boy, somewhere around the age of 13-15 years old. He isn’t sure how old he is, but he knows that he’s not older than his best friend Pima, a hard as nails girl that he has grown up with on the beach where they live. In the Gulf Coast region of the South, life as we know it is a different experience. Oil is a hot, and often rarely found commodity. Oil tankers no longer carry crude. Instead they lay on the beaches and are disassembled by light and heavy crew. Nailer and Pima work light crew together. While Pima is the boss of the crew, Nailer is still small enough to be able to climb through the various caverns of the tanker, stripping copper to make quota.

More than anything, Nailer dreams of making it off of the beach where he scrounges for copper and wishes for a better life. He dreams of a place where he can have a good meal when he’s hungry and where he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder for his dad that knocks him around when he’s sliding. He dreams of sailing away on a clipper ship, the boats that only swanks and the extremely lucky crew have access to. However, after a storm, a clipper ship lands in Nailer’s lap, along with a huge amount of scavenge. The scavenge includes a girl around his age that needs to rely on Nailer to survive. It’s up to Nailer to make the choice to strip the ship and take everything he can for himself and his family or to save the lone survivor on the ship and risk his life for the prospect of a better one.

I don’t normally recommend a YA novel to everyone, but in this case that is what I am going to do. If you love to read, I highly recommend you check out Ship Breaker. This is a fabulous novel that ends in a perfectly resolved manner. The only complaint I have is that I feel like this ended too soon. I will miss Nailer and his crew, although, I am sure this was just my first time of many to actually read this great of a book.

Technorati Tags: Nailer, Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi, Young Adult, Novel, Book Review, Swank, Clipper Ship, Oil

Each book follows a similar format. According to the back of the book I Love You, Little Pumpkin is recommended for children ages 3 and up. I am going to assume that they mean the recommended age for kids playing with it alone. I don’t know how much interest they will show in this past the age of three or four, so I am going to assume that the recommended age was mainly for alone usage.

Babies and toddlers usually love when mom or dad take the time to read them a book. They will enjoy I Love You, Little Pumpkin because of the interactivity for them and because of the adorably, bright graphics that color each and every page. The book is ten pages long and on every other page is has a flap where a child can pull it down and see something pertaining to the text on the opposite page.

In keeping with the Halloween theme, each covered picture has a small child wearing a costume. One of the nicest things about I Love You, Little Pumpkin is that children of all races will find a picture that might remind them of what they look like. Each of the children in the pictures has a different skin tone, which is excellent to see because so many books will just go the easy route and make everyone look the same.

Each page is sturdy, offering plenty of use before it wears down and some natural room for wear and tear. The pages aren’t going to rip unless a child is either trying to rip them or unless they are just a seriously rough player. While babies will enjoy each costumed little one that appears behind each flap, they will certainly be most excited by the last flap, which offers a mirror and lets them see their own face!

I Love You, Little Pumpkin has a list price of $7.99 and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com. The book will be released in July and should be available where books are sold in your local area, as well as through online channels such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you have a little one, they are sure to love this warm and loving book that offers bright colors and exciting interaction between mom and baby.

Technorati Tags: Book Review, Toddler, Baby, Softcover, Lift the Flap, Pumpkin, Halloween, I love You Little Pumpkin, Sandra Magsamen