I just finished reading Evernight by Claudia Gray. In preperation for the Young Adult Summer Reading Program I have created many themed bookmarks with lots of summer reading suggestions- one is Twilight Readalikes and one of the titles on the list is Evernight. The story of one of the few born-vampires, Bianca, attends Evernight Academy, a private school for vampires, only to fall in love for the first time with Lucas- a vampire hunter. Not the best book I've read recently, but fun and a quick and easy read- after having read Fantaskey's Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side and the Twilight series (I also picked up Bram Stoker's Dracula and Kostova's The Historian- both of which I LOVE and highly recommend!)- I must admit I'm a little vampired-out. I just checked and it seems the sequel to Evernight, Stargazer, is in process here at the library and will be on the shelf any day now, but I think I'll move on- so many great YA books... so little time!

Well- I finished Living Dead Girl: a novel by Elizabeth Scott last night. The book is only 170 pages so, although I started it at noon yesterday, it was not difficult to finish it in a day. I found it to be a very engrossing yet very disturbing- it still resonates with me today and I am feeling a little off. To think 'Alice's' story of abuse and neglect at the hands of a disturbed and evil pedophile could be true- it makes my stomach churn. An eye opener, but you might want to keep your eyes closed to this one- read at your own risk.

I just started reading Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. I had heard of this book as it made the 2009 Best Book for Young Adults list. One of the hardest things about being a Young Adult Librarian is getting my hands on the books- because the YAs seem to know what's good and they're ususally checked out- but when I noticed this was on the to-be-shelved shelf, I grabbed it! I started reading it at lunch and am quite sure that I will finish it tonight. When a book pulls me in like this one, I am guaranteed a late night and tired tomorrow. I'll be back to let you know how it was....

I just returned from a quick trip back to upstate New York where I lived until last year. I spent 25 years around the Finger Lakes- specifically Canandaigua Lake just south-east of Rochester. Brent Runyon's Surface Tension was the perfect book for me to be reading while I was there visiting. First of all- the book takes place on Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, where Luke and his parents have a cottage where they spend 2 weeks each summer. Second- with summer fast approaching, I am always reminded of the wonderful, carefree summers 'at the lake' where we spent day after day doing nothing but sitting on the dock, swimming with the fishies and picnicing by the shore and this story brought ALL those memories of growing up at the lake, back to me. Over the course of 4 summers- ages 13-16- you follow Luke through physical, emotional and hormonal changes- through family dynamics, growing friendships and personal experiences- he grows up! A simple coming-of-age story. I highly recommend this book as a light, quick, summer read.

I finally finished Girls Like Us! I was listening to it while I rode the bus to and from work and it took a long time to read. The book alternates between time periods from the early sixties and seventies, between the three women- Carly Simon, Carol King and Joannie Mitchell- and then wraps up neatly at the end with a to-date update on each of the singer/song writers. I very much enjoyed hearing about their pasts, the time periods and all the other musicians they came in contact with- it was a small world back them! I highly recommend this book to any aspiring musician or fan!