written by Kat, PBW's Daughter
A few months before the book fair at my school, I saw a lot of my friends reading the same book. The cover was black with snow white hands holding a bright red apple on it. I never knew that in just a few months, this book would become my favorite novel.
On the day of the book fair I went during sixth period to shop for some new books. I’d been wondering what was so great about this book with the hands and the apple on the cover, and there it was at the book fair, too: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I decided to pick it up and read the first couple of pages. I was so engrossed in it that I didn’t even notice that the bell rang. I grabbed my stuff and ran to the car riding area and ordered my mom to park, come inside and buy me a copy of Twilight (she always wants to buy me books, so she did.)
Although my mom didn’t know it, I stayed up all that night reading Twilight. About the time when the sun rose over the horizon, I had finished. I was so tired but I had to know what would happen next to Bella. My mom went out right away and bought the next two books, New Moon and Eclipse, for me.
Twilight has some kind of magnetic pull to it. It’s like you can’t get away from reading it, even if you don’t like that kind of stuff. I personally never cared for vampires, nor did I like romance, but Twilight kept me reading, and I really loved it. It is a young adult book, but I think it’s a great book for anyone to read.
My mom says you should give copies of books you love to other people, so I asked her if I could give away three copies of Twilight here on her blog. She said I could but that I'd have to write up the post myself. So here it is. If you’d like a chance to win one of them, in comments name a book you think I’d like to read (I'm thirteen and a half years old, and right now I’m reading Beauty by Robin McKinley and The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle.) Post your comment by midnight EST on Saturday, July 12, 2008, and then I’ll draw three names from everyone who comments and send the winners an unsigned copy of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer plus a bookmark I made myself. Mom says my giveaway is open to everyone on Earth, even if you’ve won something here at her blog before.
I would love to win your book giveaway! Sounds wonderful!I suggest a book called The thief of always by Clive Barker. I have read that book a few times and I believe your mom would approve of it.
ReplyDeleteMy baby brother loves this series.
ReplyDeleteTeresa
I love Twilight, too! (A lot of adults do.) :)
ReplyDeleteI'd suggest Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series. It's really good.
Mm...I'm 13 as well, my mom's asking me to respond. ^^;
ReplyDeleteMercedes Lackey's books (particular the Valdemar series! You may wish to refer to a series timeline for those, though, so you read them in order) are always good, although some of her books are a little more adult.
I remember the Septimus Heap series (Angie Sage) as being good; haven't read the books in a while though. There's four so far.
Garth Nix's Old Kingdom trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen) was good, it's still one of my favorites.
Cinda Williams Chima's Heir trilogy (The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir, and The Dragon Heir, the last of which is coming out August 12th) is also very good. Got the first book last Christmas and was immediately hooked.
If you haven't already read them all the Enderverse books written by Orson Scott Card are good, as are all his other books; there's a lot of them, so I won't list them off.
And there are so many more books I could suggest, if I could just remember them.
Hope that helps!
Abby
Hi, this is Abby's mom and I just wanted to add that Abby already has the 3 Meyers books so don't put her name in the hat. Thanks!
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin, is still one of my all-time favorite books. I also remember loving The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley.
ReplyDeleteA couple of books I think you'd like:
ReplyDeleteMaximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson. The main character in this book is a smart, funny teenage girl who has been genetically mixed with birds so she has wings like an angel. This is actually part of a series, so if you like the first one, there are 3 more.
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. This a re-imagining of the Alice in Wonderland stories that was really interesting. It's also part of a series, but I think only the 2nd one is out so far.
Hope you enjoy the recommendations.
Maximum Ride The Angel Experiment by James Patterson was a favorite of my son's...
ReplyDeleteI think they've made [i]Twilight[/i] into a movie that comes out next January. I don't need to enter the contest, but I recommend Meg Cabot's [i]All American Girl[/i] and [i]Jinx[/i]. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some suggestions for you that wouldn't make your mom frown, but, I was always reading books that were WAY grown-up for me even at your age.
ReplyDeleteI will say that I just finished the Golden Compass series by Phillip Pullman and it is really interesting. You might like it.
Hi Kat! Isn't it amazing how some writers can truly deprive us of sleep? :) I'm glad you found the book - everyone needs a story to love!
ReplyDelete~ Dawn
p.s. you reminded of my flashlight nights when I was a teen - oh the batteries I burned through! :)
If you haven't read the "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman, then do consider it: my 10 year old loves, loves, LOVES them, though my 13 year old, who doesn't like fantasy, wasn't so keen. However, even the 13-year-old-who hates fantasy loved "Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zevin, which she, her sister, me (aged 43) and my mum (aged 81) all thought was fabulous.
ReplyDeleteIt is a supernatural book, the first in a YA series but The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong is very good.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Oh, you've got to try Mari Mancusi's Coven series. My 14-year-old daughter and I fought over who got to be the first to read Stake That! after we both read the first book in the series - Boys That Bite. I never thought I would be interested in stories about vampires either but these are so well-written and are real page-turners. The bonus is that my daughter and I equally enjoy them and after we've both read them, we get to discuss them with each other and share our favorite parts in the books.
ReplyDeleteTry anything by Markus Zusak. ("I Am the Messenger" and "The Book Thief" are his best, but his others are great reads, too.)
ReplyDeleteHappy reading!
Patti
"Twilight" is a book I'd definitely like to read. And I've read "Beauty" by Robin McKinley too. And for my book suggestion, I'd like to recommend "Vampire Acedemy" by Richelle Mead. It's part of her new Vampire Academy series of books.
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky enough to work at a bookstore, so I've got a pretty big range of books buzzing around in my head right now.
ReplyDeleteOld Man's War by John Scalzi is an excellent modern piece of military science fiction. Endearing characters and well written action is always a winner.
The Knight and the Rose by Isolde Martyn was surprising - it's a classic fantasy with a strong female lead, but it's written simply and without any pretentiousness. I enjoyed it all the way through.
Empress of Mijak by Karen Miller was also a fun read. A bit predictable, but all the characters were distinct and the gradual unfolding of the epic story was very engaging. So, another recommendation.
Chris HK (ruzkin)
My all time favorite books when I was your age (god that makes me sound old--) are trilogies by L.J. Smith:
ReplyDeleteThe Vampire Diaries:
*The Awakening
*The Struggle
*The Fury
*Dark Reunion
(and she's currently writing another trilogy based on one of the characters in the trilogy)
The Secret Circle
*The Initiation
*The Captive
*The Power
Dark Visions
*The Strange Power
*The Possessed
*The Passion
Several of these are available in collectors editions with some or all of the books in one. If you liked Twilight, I'd try the Vampire Diaries. Secret Circle is about witches, and Dark Visions about a set of teens with various psychic type powers. Oh and I forgot about The Forbidden Game Trilogy by her too--which is presently available in an omnibus edition. It deals with Norse mythology.
She also has a series called The Nightworld, but it seems to be geared at a younger audience than the trilogies.
Kat,
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend a cozy mystery by Stephen B. Bagley called Murder by Dewey Decimal. You can get it online at the major bookstores or at Lulu.com (http://www.lulu.com/content/881558)
I wish we could all have one great, big Breaking Dawn reading party!
ReplyDeleteI always have to suggest Cassandra Clare's MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series (even though the third isn't out yet). City of Bones and City of Ashes gripped me at least as much as the Twilight series.
Also, Peeps by Scott Westerfeld and the Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray. The latter is historical, sure, but the story and intrigue are strong enough to cut past that for people who don't like historicals, I think.
Thanks for posting! Do you have a bookish blog, too? If not, you should!
Wow, lots of great suggestions already! Nice post, by the way, the book sounds interesting. When I was your age I tackled "Gone With The Wind." You may enjoy that if you don't mind a really long read : )
ReplyDeleteI'll suggest The Chrestomancy series by Diana Wynne Jones. She also wrote Howl's Moving Castle which is brilliant. I've not read anything by her that's disappointed me.
ReplyDeleteKat,
ReplyDeleteI know someone already mentioned Mercedes Lackey, but I'm going to list what books specifically:
The Heralds of Valdemar series, particularly Arrows of the Queen (Talia's story)
Tales of the 500 Kingdoms stories (The Fairy Godmother, One Good Knight, Fortune's Fool, The Snow Queen)
Elemental Masters Series
Stand alone books The Black Swan and Firebird
Dragon Jouster's Series
I believe Misty does a wonderful job re-telling classic fairy tales so I would honestly recommend the 500 Kingdom's stories the most and then The Black Swan and Firebird over all the others. Enjoy reading! I know I love it!
Tami
Jacksonville
Great review Kat!
ReplyDeleteI really need to read this series. I'm behind aren't I?
My daughter and I have really enjoyed Julie Kenner's demon hunting soccer mom series. California Demon, Demons Are Forever and the third book just released, Deja Demon. Very fun books and the main character has a teenage daughter who gets involved with her and her demon hunting activities.
We usually fight over who gets to read the books first when they release.
I would suggest Meg Cabot's YA novels and Rachel Hawthorne's novels.
ReplyDeleteHi Kat! Cool giveaway. I think you would like Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy if you haven't already read it. The first one is The Amulet of Samarkand. Anything by Tamora Pierce, I loved her no matter what age I read her at (particularly the Alanna/Lioness series).
ReplyDeleteI was going to suggest The Ruby Key but you're already reading it, and you should let us know what you think of Beauty, becuase it's been on my mind to add to the TBR stack! :D
Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteI'd suggest WICKED LOVELY by Melissa Marr. Gorgeous, dark and gritty YA faerie book.
Cheers,
Karen
Have you tried any of Gena Showalter's YA novels? I think there's three "Red Handed", "Black Listed", and "Oh My Goth". I bought the first two for a friend's daughter and she really enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteHi Kat! You have to read "A Great and Terrible Beauty" and "Rebel Angels" by Libba Bray. Make your mom go out and buy them both if you haven't already read them. They are also young adult books but I'm 30 and LOVE them. They are fantastic stories and also have really beautiful cover art. The third book in the series is coming out in 2008. (Or possibly is already out and I've been too busy writing to notice.) Thanks for doing the giveaway. I'm looking forward to reading "Twilight" whether I win or not.
ReplyDelete-DiDi
What a wonderful idea to ask for book recommendations and to give away a book in the process! My daughter (whose initials are KAT) recommends the following:
ReplyDeleteChasing Redbud or Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Dragon Riders by Cornelia Funke
She and I would both love to read Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, so please put our name in the hat. -signed KAT and her blogger mom
I recommend anything by Lois Duncan, and I would start with Locked in Time. I read her in the eighties, and LOVED her books.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is 13 and a half too. I asked her for her three favorite books and here they are:
ReplyDelete'Therese Raquin' by Emile Zola
(you can get a free copy of it in English here: http://manybooks.net/titles/zolaemiletext04thrqn10.html )
'The Secret of Shabaz' by Jennifer Macaire (That's actually my book, but she loved it and has read it three times!)
The Saddle Club (she has devoured all the series and I'm waiting for her to outgrow them, but I don't think she will!)
:-)
Thank you for your suggestions, next time I go to the book store I'll try to find some of these novels. In the meantime, keep posting your comments, I keep seeing titles that catch my eye.
ReplyDelete~Kat ^^
This book is out of print, but The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West by Mary Stanton. I also recommend Watership Down by Richard Adams, which should still be in print.
ReplyDeleteSari
Hi Kat, and welcome!
ReplyDeleteI would second the recommendations of "The Summoning" and "The Amulet of Samarkand." Those are both fun books.
Also, you might like "Sorcery and Cecilia: or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot" by Patricia C. Wrede and Carolyn Stevermer (they wrote it by sending each other letters, which is fun). It's a historical fantasy with a bit of magic. (No vampires.)
I do enjoy good YA books and it sounds like 'Twilight' is a winner. I also love books in a series. :)
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's twice your age and I'm nearly twice that, but I have a few thoughts for you. I second the Bartimaeus trilogy (I'm currently reading it) and His Dark Materials trilogy (just finished it).
Check with your mom first, but I'm a huge Sheri S Tepper fan. 'The True Game', 'The Awakeners', and of course 'Gate to Women's Country' are my favorites.
I also love Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series.
Yay, reading!
I'd suggest "The Night of the Hunter" by Davis Grubb. It was made into a terrific movie starring Robert Mitchum in the 50s. It's one of the most suspenseful books I've ever read. (It took me a little while to get used to the lack of quotation marks, though.)
ReplyDeleteWhatever you pick, I hope you find something that enthralls you as much as "Twilight" did.
Jeff P.
Green Rider by Kristen Britain. It's a fantasy novel, but kind of fantasy light. No dragons and such, but lots of magic.
ReplyDeleteI would love to recommend The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. I love fairy tales and this is a great one. Would love to be entered in the drawing for Twilight.
ReplyDeleteI loved Twilight and can't wait for the final in the series next month! My niece suggested that I read Ally Carter's Gallagher Girl books. There are two in the series right now and they are wonderful. Takes place at a girls prep school where they are being trained to be secret agents.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, don't put my name in the hat; I've got a fiction backlog now.
ReplyDeleteI'll second Sorcery and Cecilia, as well as it's sequels. I'd also recommend Mairelon the Magician by Patricia Wrede and A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer - both regency/gaslight fantasies.
Barbara Hambly has a lot of good stuff - I'd call out Stranger at the Wedding or Bride of the Rat God as particularly good. (Bride is a fantasy set in 1920's Hollywood).
You might also like Terry Pratchett's YA series that starts with Wee Free Men - if you haven't discovered Pratchett yet you've got some real fun waiting for you.
A more adult, but probably acceptable book, is Steven Gould's Blind Waves. It's a SF romance/mystery; one of my favorite reads.
You may have figured out that I read a lot - if my name comes out of the hat, buy yourself one of these books instead.
This book looks good!!! Love to win!
ReplyDeletecpullum@yahoo.com
Thanks for the great suggestions. I would recommend Christopher Paolini. His books are wonderful. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteKat - it's not a young adult novel, but young adults with mature reading tastes would have no problem with it - it's the most beautiful book I've ever read, and I can't tell you exactly why. But the story is magical and the prose is poetic. Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin. A flying horse, a city in the far north of New York state that is sometimes hidden behind a cloud wall, a demon trying to build the Brookly Bridge to Heaven...
ReplyDeleteI don't need a copy of Twilight. I just like to recommend Winter's Tale to people who can appreciate it.
Hi Kat!
ReplyDeleteRingworld's Children by Larry Niven would be worth trying. Lovely post today.
I would recommend _The Forgotten Beasts of Eld_ by Patricia McKillip
ReplyDeleteDAL
PS: Oops, "The Life of Charlotte Bronte" is by Elizabeth Gaskell, not George Eliot.
ReplyDeleteBut while you're at it, read "Jane Eyre", too. ;)
Hi Kat :) Great post!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce. Oceans of sand, giant desert cats that bled gold blood, and a sun that bleached your skin instead of tanning it...fascinating. LOL. I also inhaled The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey.
I already own Twilight, so please don't put me in the running.
Perhaps you should also read Sunshine by Robin McKinley. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThe Princess Bride by William Goldman.
ReplyDelete"Life As We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeiffer
ReplyDeleteMore post-apocalyptic science fiction than fantasy, and rather dark, but a terrific tale about a family's love in the face of tragedy.
I would recommend reading all the Tamora Pierce novels she's an exellent YA author. Protector of the Small series is one of my more fav though.
ReplyDeleteThe Holly Black novels- though I haven't read the Spiderwick Chronicals yet. Her other titles Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside are really good though these are recommended for older teens.
Vivial Van Velde, Jonathan Stroud, Garth Nix, Cassadra Clare, Gail Carson Levine, and Tiffany Trent are some authors that I would recommend.
I'm currently reading Twilight now and I've been sucked into the story since page 1. It really is a good book. I think you might enjoy a book called "A Fistful Full of Sky" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. It's about a family of spellcasters and the main character is the middle child of a brood of five. If you do get to read it I hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteHi Kat! Definitely check out Holly Black's novels, although they might be more suitable when you're a little older? Also try Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle. Golden, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfield. I think that's enough for now. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm a Twilight-loving teen as well. (Edward or Jacob? I'm ambivalent.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I have to echo the recommendation of Jonathan Stroud. He has a gift. The Bartimaeus Trilogy is some of the best fiction you'll ever lay eyes on. Apart from your mom's novels, that is. :)
The Book Thief is a real tragedy (are there any happy WWII books? Anywhere?) but it's totally worth it. It's a gorgeous book.
Somebody already said the Princess Bride. Also, rent the movie after you read the book. It's just as good, but in a different way.
I adore Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. The language is a bit difficult, but the story is spectacular.
Have you read the Artemis Fowl series? I don't know anybody who dislikes them. (The new one is coming out this Tuesday, btw.)
If you're not averse to books with pictures, you might want to check out the manga section of your local Borders/Waldenbooks/BAM. My personal favorites are Bleach and FullMetal Alchemist. Fruits Baskets is also excellent. Just remember that it reads right-to-left (that's reading backward to us Americans) and make sure you check the age recommendation on the back cover before you start reading. There's some pretty crazy stuff in the manga scene.
My personal favorite is Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I read it three or four times a year, probably.
So, are you ready for Breaking Dawn? We don't have long now, it's coming out August 2nd!
I know she's not as modern as some of the authors aforementioned, but I think her work is timeless: Anne McCaffery's Dragonrider series was the first really cool sci-fi/fantasy series I read, after Tolkien's stuff, and I was 13, too. No vampires, or werewolves, but lots of dragons, and wonderful, engrossing world-building. You're so savvy, tho' you've probably already read them!
ReplyDeletewhat abut Marked by PC and Kristin Cast. It sounds fantastic. I'm thinking about buying for my son just for me to read it lol
ReplyDeleteI think for me, Anne McCaffrey's books helped make me into a mature reader. They are what helped me cross from reading more YA books into reading more adult books. Any of them (Along with the Pern books, her brain and brawn, spaceships controlled by brains sci-fi was great).
ReplyDeleteAlso, Meg Cabot's Haunted series. Loved them. Same kind of girl trying to find love story, but instead of vampires, ghosts.
Hi I've read Twilight so pls don't include my name. Anyway I love David Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean Series. I must have re-read these books a dozen times!
ReplyDeleteAnything by Tamora Pierce and Lois Macmaster Bujold is great and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game plus Ender's Shadow.
I think I saw someone put Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce. This belongs to a trilogy, I read it when I was a kid and re-read it a few years back, it was still as beautiful and heartbreaking as before. This author also has a series about fire unicorn I think, can't remember the title but not bad too.
Yvonne
I *loved* Robin McKinley's The Hero and the Crown, and The Blue Sword.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a huge fan of Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series.
Without having read anyone else's comments, I'd suggest: Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series and his Midnighters series, Justine Larbestier's Magic or Madness trilogy (she is interestingly enough Scott's wife and I love both their books), oh and a favorite of mine from when I was younger are Patricia C. Wrede's Princess Cimorene books. Oh, and Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series is STILL one of my favorite and I periodically re-read it.
ReplyDeleteMy 13 year old LOVED The Witch of Blackbird Pond!!!
ReplyDeleteNo need to add me to the contest but I couldn't resist recommending a book to you that no one else has mentioned yet.
ReplyDeleteIt's A Sheepfarmer's Daughter by Elizabeth Moon and is the first in a tilogy called The Deed Of Paksennarion. The other two books are Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold.
They make up an epic fantasy story that some have compared to Lord of The Rings. It is full of sword and sorcery but with a great element of realism and believable characters.
Well, I'm not thirteen years old, but I recently read Uglies by Scott Westerfield. It was an amazing book and one I wish I'd written. It's the first book in a trilogy. The next two are called Pretties and Specials.
ReplyDeleteUglies is about a world in the future where everyone has an operation at age sixteen to turn them into supermodel beautiful. I stayed up late reading it. I also read during the day when I was meant to be writing...
Hey, I'll enter your contest. :-) (Why not?) I've heard a lot about this book, and I'm just a tad curious to see what it's about. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSmooth way to get books, there! My mom makes me buy them all myself.
I know this is going to date me as far as age-wise since these books came out in 1970 but when I was your age I also loved to read. My 2 favorite books were: Deenie and Are you There God? It's me Margaret. Both by Judy Blume, who wrote many young adult books in the day. I still have them, and when my 6 yr old gets a little older, I will pass them on to her.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is 13 1/2 too, at the moment she's reading 'Chosen' by PC and Kristin Cast, as well as 'Size 12 is not Fat' by Meg Cabot which she says is fabulous. It's great that you're reading so much, maybe you can work on a novel with your mum one day. Here in Australia we seem to get books released long after they've come out in the states. Thanks for the blog.
ReplyDelete