October Read '09

I was a reading fool earlier this month! Our local library has a Friends of the Library group that hosts a book sale twice a year to raise money for new books. It was held on the first Saturday of October and I picked up a stack of books (as always!!!) to add to my ever-growing collection of Books-to-Read-Someday. While at the sale I happened to stumble across a small box filled with an entire series of young adult books. I picked up one and thought "These look a bit strange, but might be interesting" so I paid a couple of bucks for the box of books, brought it home, and stuck it in the closet. After finishing the book I was reading at the time, I picked up the first book in the series and read the entire book in one day. Now granted, the books are only about 180-200 pages long, so that's not like reading Gone With the Wind, but still, the first one grabbed my attention and held on like a pitbull with a pot roast. I'll tell you more about this series in a paragraph or two.....

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
First in the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series. I saw the trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation of this book when Ed and I saw the latest Harry Potter movie this summer. I figured the book is always better than the movie, so I'll read the book before the movie is released. If that premise holds true I might wait to see the movie until it is released on DVD. It was a fine book, but really nothing amazing. Percy Jackson is a geek of a pre-teen boy about to be kicked out of yet another boarding school when he finds out that he is "special". After a battle with a Minotaur and the apparent death of a beloved family member, Percy finds himself at camp. Yup, camp. And this isn't just your usual summer camp - this place is straight out his Greek mythology text book. As it turns out, Percy is the son of a Greek god, and he and his new friends have just ten days to find Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to Mount Olympus. If he fails, life as we know it will end as the warring between the gods will affect all human life. Along the way Percy must comes to terms with the father that abandoned him, solve the riddle of the Oracle, and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Everworld: Search for Senna
Everworld: Land of Loss
Everworld: Enter the Enchanted
Everworld: Realm of the Reaper
Everworld: Discover the Destroyer
Everworld: Fear the Fantastic by K.A. Applegate

The first six of twelve books in the Everworld series. These are the books that grabbed me and wouldn't let go. The second book takes up exactly where the first left off, and the first one leaves you hanging so you HAVE to pick up the next book and start reading! :) In short, five teens find themselves in Everworld - a world created by the gods when they grew tired of our world. But these aren't just the Greek gods. We have Norse gods, Egyptian gods, and some others that are probably made up for the series. And all of the gods I've read about so far want one thing - Senna. Senna is one of the five teens, and the connecting thread between the other four teens. She is also a witch who can apparently travel from Everworld to the real world. Some gods want her so they can get to our world, others want her to prevent the transportation to the other world. Confusing? Yeah, just a bit! The other four teens (David, Jalil, April, and Christopher) want to return home and can get glimpses of home when they sleep in Everworld (they apparently are in both places at once, so they are not missed at home). After finishing the sixth book I had to take a break. These kids were wearing me out! Each book is written from a different character's point of view, starting with David. Fast paced and all consuming, don't start this series if you don't have lots of time to read!

92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber
After the crazy pace of four teens in Everworld, I needed to read something laid back and relatively mindless! This fit the bill perfectly! The most recent installment in the Cedar Cove series, this novel focuses on Sheriff Troy Davis and his relationship with his old flame, Faith. There is also a subplot involving Mack McAfee and his new neighbor Mary Jo Wyse. And the corpse that was found in the cave is finally identified and the case put to rest. Who is he/she and what happened to them? I'm not telling! :) Apparently I need to read the Christmas book that was released last year as I missed a few things, such as the arrival of Mary Jo and the birth of her baby. I'm not usually a fan of Christmas books, but I suppose I can check this one out.

I had hoped to finish another book in October, but the past week was just too busy. Most nights I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. I think I'll pick up the Everworld series again once I do finish this book. I'll let you know how it all ends at the end of the month!