Great Reads for this Summer

Following April’s Great Reads for this Spring, I have decided to share with you, the readers of The Bookshelf, a few awesome, inspiring, and thrilling books that will help you start your summer off right. 

Below is a list of award-winning and accolade-garnished books. I have read a few of these books, but not all of them. A great part of summer reading is discovering new books, so I thought it seemed fit that I include some books that I have yet to read, but I may read later during the summer. Sound cool? [nod your head] Here they are:

• I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan: I own, but have not yet read, this contemporary novel. This book, which has received nearly all perfect reviews, follows the lives of two brothers, Sam and Riddle, and their days in an unstable household. Living with a sketchy father and always moving from place-to-place, Sam does not completely understand how different his life is than others’, until he meets a kind, church-going girl, named Emily. Ultimately faced with two different paths to choose from, living his old life or embarking on a new chapter, bringing Riddle, his little brother, along. This book is said to be a beautiful story about how one person can make a difference and a change.

• The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch: Oh, where to start with this witty book? The first in a five book series, this book, whose title I will shorten to Secret, is a wonderful, often humorous story about two best friends, Cass and Max-Ernest, and dysfunctional families; quests to discover big mysteries; nefarious villains; evil chefs; antique stores; little, ugly, friendly creatures; and the Terces (backwards: Secret) society. Sprinkled with quirky illustrations, Secret is a funny and engaging read.

• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: (Yet another book with a long title.) I desperately want to read this book, but my local bookstore never has it in stock. Sixteen-year-old Jacob grew up hearing tales from his grandfather about a place where kids with special abilities live. Now that his grandfather has passed away, Jacob finds old pictures of children from this home; kids that can float, kids that can see the dead, kids that can read minds. Determined, Jacob finds this home and is surprised at what he finds: the exact children from his grandfather’s photographs. However, not all is well in this home. A terrible monster is lurking around, a monster only Jacob can see. This book comes complete with the actual photographs owned by Jacob’s grandfather.

• Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce: Last week I finished reading this spectacular retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. In this adaption of the original, there are two sisters, Scarlett and Rosie (both shades of red). After a deadly encounter with a Fenris, a werewolf type thingy, Scarlett is left with a missing eye and scars all over her body. Scarlett fought against the Fenris and was able to save her sister but not her grandmother. Seven years following the incident, Scarlett and Rosie are a Fenris-fighting duo, killing the wolves in attempt to save innocent people around the world. However, when Silas, Scarlett’s old fighting partner returns from an extended vacation away from fighting, Rosie finds herself often wanting to do something other than killing the Fenris. She wants to keep hunting, but she does not want it to be her life. But Rosie feels like she would be betraying Scarlett, who saved her life from a Fenris, if she were to stop hunting. A great tale of sisterhood, friendship, guilt, danger, and fulfillment, Sisters Red should be on the top of everyone’s to-read list. 

There it is! Continue reading The Bookshelf during the summer to discover even more great books of all genres!

(images via and via and via and via)

The Throne of Fire: Hieroglyphic Heroes

Rick Riordan, one of my all-time favorite authors, just recently released The Throne of Fire, the second book in his Egyptian mythology series, The Kane Chronicles. In 2005, Riordan, once an adult mystery author, released his first novel for middle readers and young adults, The Lightning Thief. This Greek mythology adventure mystery novel spawned the widely popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Upon ending Percy Jackson’s story in 2009, Riordan created two new series, another one about Greek mythology and one about Egyptian mythology. Despite taking different directions and adding new characters to his more recent books, Riordan’s books remain the best of the best, garnering many accolades and number one positions on bestseller lists. His previous books have been called “clever”, “adventurous”, and “witty”. The Throne of Fire lives up to the level of greatness that its predecessors created.

A warning to all: Spoilers from The Red Pyramid, the book before The Throne of Fire, are present in this review. Proceed with caution.

The Throne of Fire started off with a bang. Taking place a few weeks after the end of The Red Pyramid, Carter and Sadie, the book’s sibling protagonists, find themselves in the Brooklyn Museum, scouring for a scroll, a piece of The Book of Ra. Ra, the sun god, has been in hibernation for centuries, but Sadie and Carter want to attempt to bring him back to Earth using the powers that they have as Egyptian magicians. The siblings believe that bringing Ra, the original Egyptian god, back will allow them to defeat Apophis, an evil snake spirit that wants to swallow the world. Sounds like Carter and Sadie are saving the world, right? That’s not what some people think.

The majority of the other magicians think that bringing gods into the mix will only worsen the world’s problems. They believe that the gods are manipulative, greedy, and too powerful. It sounds like they’re trying to do what’s best too, right? No. The magicians, especially the powerful ones, are evil, forceful, antagonizing people who try to stop Carter and Sadie from retrieving the remaining two pieces of The Book of Ra, the book that will revive Ra. With the ever-present threat of Apophis and evil magicians looming over them, the sibling duo travels the world in search of the rest of The Book of Ra. Along the way, they encounter a few friendly gods, many menacing gods, water demons, evil ice cream men, and, of course, a giant baboon.

Told from two witty and fascinating point-of-views, The Throne of Fire is spot-on. Just like, The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire is an audio transcript from a cassette given to the author by the main characters. This book is a daring, mysterious, humorous experience. Its magical spells and memorable characters will stay with you long past the final page. You will be dazzled by its rich setting and lyrical descriptions. Rick Riordan is the ultimate author and his novels are the ultimate stories. 

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

What I'm Reading (05/03/11)

I know that's it has been a while since my last "What I'm Reading" post (August seventh, to be exact), but I figured it's never too late to revive an old idea. So, without further ado, I present to you a new "What I'm Reading" post!

I have begun reading The Throne of Fire, by Rick Riordan. The second in The Kane Chronicles, The Throne of Fire is the sequel to The Red Pyramid, which followed the story of Carter and Sadie as they attempted to rescue their father from the evil Egyptian god, Set. Much like Riordan's Greek mythology novels, The Kane Chronicles offers many daring adventures, witty remarks, and visits to international locations. I look forward to reading The Throne of Fire, and I hope to have a review up on Saturday (fingers crossed). This is all part of The Bookshelf's Favorite Author Month. While I have not finished the The Throne of Fire yet, I am positive I will love it because Rick Riordan is, and has been for a while, one of my absolute favorite authors!

The publisher's synopsis is below, however, I would suggest you not read it if you are planning to read The Red Pyramid – major spoilers will be revealed!

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.

And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished.

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?

Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.

That's The Throne of Fire! I look forward to posting on Saturday!

The Lost Hero: Greek Gods Galore

This past week I finished read The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. Riordan is the author of The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which I highly recommend (but don't see the movie- it was awful), so I had high expectations for this book. Fortunately, my expectations were not let down.

For those of you have read the Percy Jackson series, this book takes place only a few months after the final book. However, you do not have to read the Percy Jackson series before reading this book. The Lost Hero introduces all new characters, who discover they are demigods: the offspring of a mortal and a Greek God. The three main characters, Jason, Piper, and Leo are whisked off to Camp Half-Blood, a training area and school for young demigods. The camp is disgruntled, because a prophecy has been predicted by the camp's oracle. Nobody is exactly sure how to decipher the prophecy, but one thing's for sure: Jason, Piper, and Leo have to complete a quest to help fulfill the prophecy. From that point on, the three friends have to travel around the world, on a flying, metal dragon, named Festus (Latin for "happy"). I can't tell you exactly why they have to travel the globe, because that would be a major spoiler. I can tell you, however, that Percy Jackson is missing in this book, as in lost. Nobody knows where the hero is, and his disappearance ties in with the quest.

This was a great book. Rick Riordan did a great job at keeping the same mood and tone form his previous, phenomenal books. As always, his research must have been very extensive. There is a lot of accurate information about the places the characters travel to (Grand Canyon, NY, Quebec, Detroit, Oakland, Chicago, San Francisco, etc.), the Greek gods (he introduced many new gods, many of whom I'd never heard of until reading this book), and Roman gods (yes, there are also Roman gods, however I can't say anymore, or I'll be giving away a major spoiler). I admire his work, and will be reading his Egyptian mythology book, The Red Pyramid, next.


Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

The Red Pyramid: A Disappointment

It is very rare for me not to finish a book. Unfortunately, this past week I was unable to finish a book. I was expecting so much from The Red Pyramid, Book 1 in Rick Riordan's new Egyptian mythology series, The Kane Chronicles. I was positive that is was going to be as stellar as Riordan's previous Greek myth series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. However, those dreams were shattered at about page 300. I was so disappointed, that I didn't read the last 200 pages. I found many things wrong with this book. I thought the fact that it was a transcript from an audio recording was odd. I thought the character development was poor. I found the book very bland, with not enough vivid, descriptive settings, and lastly, the plot seemed too similar to Percy Jackson's. At many times the characters and storyline were almost identical, except for it being an Egyptian equivalent. I am very sad that Rick Riordan did not live up to his full potential. I will not be reading his books again.

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars