Monday Meme:: If You Liked: THRONE OF GLASS

Although I haven't personally read this series by the NYT Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, most of my friends have, and the above meme seems to describe their opinions perfectly. According to them, it's a roller coaster of love and rage and tears and every other emotion in the book. This series is going to be six books in the making, and you may be wondering what to read while you wait for book 5 next year. Here are a few suggestions. 

The Winner's Curse: Marie Rutkoski- Though this world is not so dramatic and wild as the one in Throne of Glass, I believe it is one of the most elegantly crafted fantasy worlds I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Kestrel is a complicated heroine, and you won't want to wait for the third book once you've devoured this book and its sequel, The Winner's Crime. Click here to request a copy.  

Falling Kingdoms: Morgan Rhodes- In another six book epic fantasy, royalty and commoners entwine, and fates are tied that cannot be broken. I've heard many good things about this series as well, and if you think you'd like to learn more, click here.  

The Grisha: Leigh Bardugo- A trilogy that begins with Shadow and Bone, The Grisha books are a winding path of dark and light, good and evil, and convoluted notions of who is true and who is a lie. The gifted ones have powers to control the elements, and when one normal girl discovers that she is a Grisha, her life changes forever. See what happens by clicking here. 

Monday Meme Spotlight: Eliot Rosewater Award

It's award time again! Every year a selection of books are chosen for the Eliot Rosewater Award, nominated in the fall and award given in the late spring. It's a program for high school students to choose the winner, and here are a few of the books nominated this year.

Fangirl- Rainbow Rowell: Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? This one is really fun, and there's a lot to be loved in this novel. Request a copy here.

Throne of Glass audiobook- Sarah J. Maas: After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men- thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. I have a lot of friends who adore this book, and the audiobook is said to be amazing as well. Click here to request it.

Boy Nobody- Allen Zadoff: They needed the perfect assassin. Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends, and doesn't stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend's family to die-of "natural causes." Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target. But when he's assigned to the mayor of New York City, things change. The daughter is unlike anyone he has encountered before; the mayor reminds him of his father. And when memories and questions surface, his handlers at The Program are watching. Because somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and parents; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program's mission. I haven't read this one personally, but I think it looks pretty interesting. And it must be good if it was nominated for an award. Click here to request a copy.

So hopefully one or more of these sound interesting to you, and be sure to check out the rest of the selection on display in the teen area.

Monday Meme Spotlight: I Am the Warrior

     Everyone likes a strong main character- and who's stronger than the warriors of any culture? Here's a couple books or series that you might like, featuring strong warriors, male and female alike. 

1. The Graceling Realm series- Kristin Cashore: These are three novels set in different time periods of the same universe. Each has a pwoerful female lead, a strong male counterpart, and an interesting, unique world that captures your attention and won't let you go until you've finished all three in the series. I love these books, and they're good enough to read again and again. You can check them out by clicking here.

2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series- Rick Riordan: I'm pretty sure everyone has read these by now, but they're a prime example of what I'm talking about. They're all fighters, finding a way out of any situation using their smarts, their talents, or their sheer power. There are tons of epic battle in this five-book series, and I'm sure you won't have a hard time reading them (or re-reading) if you so choose. If you'd like them, click this link.

3. Girl in the Arena- Lise Haines: Gladiators, anyone? Neo-gladiators, that is. In a modern world where gladiatorial games have risen once more, one girl takes the stage. In a futuristic world startlingly easy to envision, Lyn must fight for her freedom to marry when a gladiator kills her stepfather and captures her dowry bracelet- meaning she must marry him, unless she can find a way to win her life back. Click here if you want to check it out.

4. Blood Red Road- Moira Young: Okay, I'll be straight with you- this is also a series, called The Dust Lands Trilogy. But I didn't like the second one at all, which was really disappointing, because this book, the first, is AMAZING. It's a struggle to survive and save the ones Saba, the protagonist, loves, with wild characters,  a silver-eyed fighter named Jack, and the relentless TonTon, who chase them through blistering deserts and precarious mountain passes. Anyway, everyone is a fighter- you have to be, in their world. Here's where you can request it: click!

5. The Throne of Glass series- Sarah J. Maas: I haven't read this series, to tell the truth. But it comes highly recommended by our YA Librarian Melissa and kwatanabe, a fellow contributor. It's a about an assassin- yeah, it's that cool- fighting for her freedom in a competition to find the newest assassin for the crown. I hear it's a pretty great read, so if you want to check it out, click here!

     Whether you think you're a fighter or not, read these books to feel confident and strong in everyday life. And always, always remember: