January Book List

Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
The first book in the Weather Warden series, about a Warden named Jo who's running for her life after a terrible incident. The characters have various powers over weather, earth, and fire (like Captain Planet, only cooler :D), which would make this book awesome to me even if there was no plot, but the plot is pretty good. But be aware that it's written for adults.

Praying For Rain: Surrender and Triumph in Life's Desert Experiences by Nancie Carmichael
This book is such an encouragement. It outlines what we can learn from different "desert experiences" in our lives such as depression, burnout, seasons of waiting, etc., using examples from the Bible and from the author's own life. I probably underlined half the book! I took my time reading it because I wanted it to sink in - I expect to come back to it in the future.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The sequel to The Hunger Games, and, in some ways, even better. There are plenty of twists and turns, and at several points I had to set the book down and pace around yelling about how crazy it was. Evan found this very amusing. Only six more months to wait for Book 3!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Another YA novel about how far technology should go and what it truly means to be human. I had a pretty good idea of the plot going in, but the fast pace held my attention. Sometimes it was the only thing that did. :\

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Sequel to Life As We Knew It. This one is not in diary format and centers on a New Yorker named Alex and his two sisters, whose parents and older brother are lost and presumed dead right from the start of the moon incident. The suspenseful/depressing balance shifts more toward depressing. I just found out a third book is coming out in April and brings the two previous books together, so I might feel differently about this one when it's all over.

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
One of the reviews of this novel describes it as a "modern fairy tale" and I think that sums it up. It's about a 30something woman and an 11-year-old girl and how their two stories (and others) come together. De los Santos is a poet, and it's obvious in the way she writes. If you require that your fiction be very realistic, you'll probably roll your eyes at this, but I thought it was beautiful and inspiring. LOVED IT.

Books for January: 6
2010 year to date: 6

I'm declaring a personal break from apocalyptic media. :P The combo of several dystopian/apocalyptic books, the end of Dollhouse, and The Book of Eli (and probably other things I'm forgetting) has noticeably affected my mood this month. It's just not good or constructive. So I plan to stick to fluffy or encouraging things for a while.

January Book List

Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
The first book in the Weather Warden series, about a Warden named Jo who's running for her life after a terrible incident. The characters have various powers over weather, earth, and fire (like Captain Planet, only cooler :D), which would make this book awesome to me even if there was no plot, but the plot is pretty good. But be aware that it's written for adults.

Praying For Rain: Surrender and Triumph in Life's Desert Experiences by Nancie Carmichael
This book is such an encouragement. It outlines what we can learn from different "desert experiences" in our lives such as depression, burnout, seasons of waiting, etc., using examples from the Bible and from the author's own life. I probably underlined half the book! I took my time reading it because I wanted it to sink in - I expect to come back to it in the future.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The sequel to The Hunger Games, and, in some ways, even better. There are plenty of twists and turns, and at several points I had to set the book down and pace around yelling about how crazy it was. Evan found this very amusing. Only six more months to wait for Book 3!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Another YA novel about how far technology should go and what it truly means to be human. I had a pretty good idea of the plot going in, but the fast pace held my attention. Sometimes it was the only thing that did. :\

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Sequel to Life As We Knew It. This one is not in diary format and centers on a New Yorker named Alex and his two sisters, whose parents and older brother are lost and presumed dead right from the start of the moon incident. The suspenseful/depressing balance shifts more toward depressing. I just found out a third book is coming out in April and brings the two previous books together, so I might feel differently about this one when it's all over.

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
One of the reviews of this novel describes it as a "modern fairy tale" and I think that sums it up. It's about a 30something woman and an 11-year-old girl and how their two stories (and others) come together. De los Santos is a poet, and it's obvious in the way she writes. If you require that your fiction be very realistic, you'll probably roll your eyes at this, but I thought it was beautiful and inspiring. LOVED IT.

Books for January: 6
2010 year to date: 6

I'm declaring a personal break from apocalyptic media. :P The combo of several dystopian/apocalyptic books, the end of Dollhouse, and The Book of Eli (and probably other things I'm forgetting) has noticeably affected my mood this month. It's just not good or constructive. So I plan to stick to fluffy or encouraging things for a while.