Shelter by Harlan Coben

Hello All!

I'm happy to report that Harlan Coben has made a successful jump from adult mysteries and thrillers to young adult mysteries!

Shelter is the story of Mickey Bolitar (nephew of Myron Bolitar, protagonist of Coben's adult mystery series) as he adjusts to a completely new life with his uncle. Mickey has recently lost his father, his mother is in drug rehab, so Mickey is starting a new high school in his sophomore year. He meets the beautiful and sweet Ashley during orientation, but after only a week or so of school, she disappears. Mickey starts asking questions about her, as well as checking into the interesting house nearby. The house supposedly belongs to the Bat Lady, and it's one of those creepy houses that's in every neighborhood--there are rumors about it, it's not kept up, and kids dare other kids to knock on the door.

Being a new kid at school, Mickey doesn't seem to fall into any particular crowd, and starts to make friends with some of the oddballs in his class who join into his adventures. They look for Ashley, information about the death of Mickey's dad, and what's going on at the Bat Lady's house.

Shelter by Harlan Coben contains lots of suspense, along with some humor and good friendships. Recommended.

Happy Reading!
Patti

Shelter by Harlan Coben, Putnam, 2011, ISBN 9780399256509

This book was sent to the Pima County Public Library for review for purchase by Crown Publishers; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Hello All!

I know I told you all how much I loved The Night Circus just in the last week or so, but Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is AWESOME!

If you like:

1980s video games
1980s music, movies and television shows
"Star Wars", "Star Trek" and "Firefly"
Japanese anime & monster movies
Dungeons & Dragons
World of Warcraft
Online gaming
Geek heroes Wil Wheaton and Cory Doctorow

This is the book for you! I love 80s pop culture, and I played my share of Centipede and Ms Pac-Man at the arcade in the early 80s.

This is the story of Wade/Parzival and one of the greatest treasure hunts of all time. Set in the future, where the world is slowly disintegrating, one amazing man who invented all sorts of video and online games, dies, and leaves his fortune to the one who can find the treasure. This is a competition that takes years, and pits the little guy against a corporation. Wade and several friends he makes along the way, go up against a company whose sole purpose seems to be to win this competion. The clues are found in the history of the games inventor, and his fixation of all things gaming and 1980s.

I found Ready Player One to be a great quest and adventure novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the 1980s. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy gaming, a good adventure, and quite a bit of trivia.

Happy Reading!
Patti

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Crown Publishers, 2011, ISBN 9780307887436

This book was sent to me for review by Crown Publishers; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Hello All,

What a wonderful book! The Night Circus completely takes you away into the world of a very special circus and the magic that creates it and holds it together.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is the story of two magicians who bet that each of them can teach a young person with magical talent to win a competition. Ms. Morgenstern brings these two young people together with a circus that is partially created to showcase their talents. Each of them contributes to its ongoing success. The night circus, Le Cirque des Rêves is an amazing concoction itself--its only colors are black and white, it's only open at night, and it is different from any other circus that visits one's town; truly magical. Not only does it change the lives of those in the circus, but it affects the lives of those who attend and who were part of its creation.

I've been trying to think of a book that takes you somewhere as completely as this one did for me, and I haven't been able to think of it. There are other books that I have read that have done so, but my memory seems unreliable at this writing.

This is a beautiful fantasy, a love story, an adventure, and a tribute to magic and to circuses.

Happy Reading!
Patti

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Doubleday, 2011, ISBN 9780385534635

This book was sent to me for review by Doubleday/Random House Publishers; no other compensation was offered or accepted for this review.