City of the Beasts, by Isabel Allende

The book I am currently reading is called City of the Beasts, by Isabel Allende and is set in the States and later, the Amazon rainforest. It begins with the story of Alexander Cold whose mother is dying of cancer. Alex’s dad decides to send the kids to their grandparents because he plans to take his wife to better hospital, out of California. Alex goes to New York alone to live with his eccentric grandmother who has been planning another expedition to a foreign place. Alexander ends up going on a trip of a lifetime when they travel to the heart of the Amazon Rainforest.

O.M.

Blue Bloods by Melissa de La Cruz

The book I just finished reading is called "Blue Bloods" by Melissa de La Cruz. The book was based in New York City and follows the life a 15 year old girl named Schyler Van Alen. She is from a once-rich family and has to deal with being poor at her ritzy private school. As if that wasn't hard enough, she finds out she's a vampire. Mostly all of the old prestigious New York families are. I really liked this book because I loved Gossip Girl and this was recommended. It's a really good book because it has the glitz of New York City, but the depth of more serious books. I would give this book a 9.5 out of 10. It was amazing.

Charlie Wilson's War, by George Crile

I'm reading Charlie Wilson's War. This is the story the new movie is based on: the tale of a rogue congressman, a playboy, who masterminded a covert ploy to fund the Taliban against the Russians in Afghanistan. It is a good read.

L.M.

Lullaby for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill

The book I am reading right now is called Lullaby for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill. It won "Canada Reads" last year on CBC Radio. It follows the story of Baby as she navigates her way in and out of her father's life. She'll often ask her Dad what happened to her mother and he'll always tell her a different story. She is a tough young girl, but I am not finished reading it yet, so we'll see how it turns out for her. At the end of the book, the author lists some amazing books that have influenced her. She is very convincing and I now want to read all of her recommendations!

RL

The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks

A very unique and different take on a survival guide. The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks is a very humorous book dealing with, well surviving a zombie outbreak. The book is very detailed; it has steps and precautions to take if you are confronted with different epidemics. The book also instructs you on how to manage your resources, what items you should have. At the end of the book, there are many "Historical Zombie Attacks" that were recorded since the beginning of time to the present. Even though they are fictional they are pretty entertaining to read. So if you're an avid zombie fan, or have time to burn, I suggest you pick up this book.

L.L.

A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

I just finished Miriam Toews "A Complicated Kindness". I was very disappointed as I felt like it was a "Seinfeld" episode--I kept waiting for something to happen. While it was interesting to learn about Mennonite life, the plot never developed. As I hate to let a book defeat me I finished it, but since it had won awards I was expecting a lot more. All in all--disappointing.

Poison, by Chris Wooding

The morbid tale of a vengeful assassin... is not this book. This one is more like a fairy tale that's been twisted around so that the ends meet, and the middle part is just as loopy.

A girl named Poison lives in a swamp, and she doesn't like it, because she doesn't fit in and her step-mother hates her. When her little sister, Azalea, is kidnapped by phaeries in the middle of the night and a changeling is left in her place, Poison leaves her home town in order to go and rescue her sister. Sounds simple? Well, it's not. Take all the fairy tales you can think of and smoosh them together, and that's just the beginning, but I won't say any more, because spoilers are bad.

This book is definitely for people who like action and adventure, and don't forget twisted fairy tales. If you don't like twisted fairy tales, find something else to read.

Another good book by the same author is "The Weavers of Saramyr" and the ensuing trilogy.

M.B.