Friday, September 4, 2009

Friday Finds

Here is what I found this week for you to browse and enjoy:

Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser - Found from Popinfresh @ Popin's Lair
Popular kids go missing whenever an anonymous blogger posts that he wants them to die. Does the mysterious new student know what's going on? Brandy Danner's review on GoodReads.com says, "Just about all the notes I want in a teen thriller: revenge, comeuppance, red herrings, and a bit of torture. Characters are distinct from each other; readers can tell apart even the background characters (though some of these are still fairly one-dimensional). Strasser’s writing is still more functional than lyrical, but the gripping plot will keep readers turning pages late into the night anyway."

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - Found on the NY Times Best Seller List
NY Times says, "Love among the lupines." GoodReads.com says: As she has grown up, Grace has watched the wolves behind her house and felt an unspoken connection to a yellow-eyed wolf. Sam lives for the summers--when he can live like a human--and feels the protection of his pack and the watchful eye of a silent girl in the winters. When Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy, is it her wolf? And when the winter comes Sam has to fight to stay human--and to stay with Grace.

Ophelia and Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein - Tipped off by The Story Siren
I don't think it's any secret around these parts that I love YA books that attempt to make classic works of literature more accesible to teens (and adults who were less than enthusiastic about doing their required reading when they were in high school). That being said, Lisa Klein's novels Ophelia and Lady Macbeth's Daughters tackle two of Shakespeare's fantastic plays, Hamlet and Macbeth, by changing the primary POV to a teenage female and giving a fresh face (and freshened-up language) to the tales.

7 comments:

Brooke from The Bluestocking Guide said...

Have you read Lady MacBeth by Susan Rivers? It was really good.

Literature Crazy said...

No, but I'm becoming obsessed with Macbeth... may have to check that out. Thanks for the tip.

-.- said...

Hamlet and MacBeth were great plays, I'll have to check out these books.

~ Popin

Marie Cloutier said...

Listen to Brandy- she's a smart one! :-)

Missy B. said...

Wish You Were Dead sounds really good!

gautami tripathy said...

I like your finds. Worth checking out!

Friday Find: Magdalene and the Mermaids

MizB said...

Hey... I just read your Friday Finds comment over at my blog... I've never read L.Ron Hubbard, so can you explain what you meant, please (you said: "I love the irony of having a book by L. Ron Hubbard and a Christian non-Fiction book both featured in your post.")? I'm curious!

Thanks!

MizB