I hope everyone is having a beautiful Christmas, and I have some recommendations for those of you who are eager to spend their Christmas money and gift cards!
Team Novel Teen, a group I'm a part of that promotes clean teen fiction, cast votes recently for their favorite YA books released during 2012.
I feel really bad about not posting in a while (been sick and sooo busy), and it'll be probably another week or two before I'm able to post another book review (and I have some great books I want to share!). In the mean time, if anyone remembers way back last year, when I first started this blog, I said I'd probably have some posts about food, which I have yet to do. So I've decided to share a favorite recipe a friend of mine gave me last year around this time:
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and Crystallized Ginger
Here's what you'll need:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups of oil
2 cups flour
16 oz. canned pumpkin (slightly more is okay)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place liners in cupcake pan.
Mix it all together.
Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full or a little more if you like them slightly rounded and full.
Bake about 20 minutes.
When cool, frost with:
8 oz. cream cheese (room temp.)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (salted is okay)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Mix together.
If desired, top with a few pieces of chopped crystallized ginger.
This recipe is really yummy and a perfect Thanksgiving dessert! I like to eat mine with a mug of hot tea. Mmm...
"You have no identity. Legally, you don't exist. On paper, your parents died seven years before you were born. They joined the CIA and gave up their identities--their lives. And you were born into that. But that's not you anymore. You have to be somebody now." She looked back, speaking through clenched teeth, "I was somebody." "No," he whispered. "You weren't. Now you are."
Stephanie Pookay isn't her real name. In fact, according to the government, she doesn't even exist. She's a "spook." That all changes when a CIA mission goes awry and Stephanie, or whoever she is, suddenly finds herself orphaned and stranded by the CIA at a fancy boarding school. All her life, Stephanie, or as her new--maybe goth, maybe not--roommate dubs her, "Spooky" has been told who to be and what to do. Now Spooky has to figure out exactly who she is.
Finding something to do, however, won't be a problem. There's something not quite right about Chambers Academy. There's a mysterious janitor roaming the halls, hidden rooms, cameras in strange places, and a school club labeled the "Icarus Project" that doesn't seem to fit the standard after-school extracurricular activity. Spooky is determined to do some snooping around, but without the CIA's help, will she find herself in over her head?
Crystal Mazzuca's Spooky is a light and fun read with quirky characters I loved and felt for. Full of laughs, intrigue, and tender moments, this story ends satisfactorily with plenty of mystery left at the end to dive into another adventure.
Genre: YA/Mystery
Ages: 12 and up
Pages: 231
Publication Date: 2011
I've decided to start something new on my blog. Authors survive in the writing world not only because of their terrific story-telling skills but because of readers. Especially in this new world of publishing that's changing by leaps and bounds, and most authors have to market themselves without a huge marketing team behind them. So, on a regular basis, I'm going to choose a great author I admire and love and have a "Support an Author" day.
Today's author:
Jill Williamson
Author Bio:
Jill Williamson is an author of all things weird. She grew up in Alaska with no electricity, an outhouse, and a lot of mosquitoes. Her Blood of Kings trilogy won two Christy Awards, and she recently released Replication, a science fiction teen novel from Zonderkidz. Jill lives in Oregon with her husband and two children and a whole lot of deer.
Jill is the fearless leader of Team Novel Teen. It's an amazing group of authors and readers who promote clean, teen fiction. Jill also has recently released a young adult spy series called "The Mission League." Read my review of the first book The New Recruit here.
Now, how do we support Jill, you ask? There are some really simple and quick things you can do (besides going out and buying her books and reviewing them, of course!).;-)
Huzzah! You just supported an amazing author! Good for you!
*gives a virtual pat on the back*
For your general "likeableness" today, here's a special treat
for those of you who haven't read any of Jill's books and
would like to sample some of her writing (and for
those fans who just like re-reading her awesome stories!)
The first chapters of each of Jill's books:
But I had to stay in. My mother had died for this loony organization. I'd do whatever it took to live up to her sacrifice, at least until I found out who "they" were. And made them pay.
Spencer Garamond has been recruited into a super secret spy agency known as the Mission League. You'd think, hey, any fourteen-year-old guy would be thrilled to be a spy-in-training, but Spencer was more or less forced to become spy by none other than his grandmother to keep him out of trouble. It was either join the Mission League--a Christian spy organizaton--or be shipped off to military school. So Spencer joins the Bible geeks, who he thinks are just a little off their rocker, if you know what I mean.
But then, his perspective of the Mission League changes when he discovers his parents, whom he never met, were spies, and his mother died for the cause. Combine this revelation with encountering an odd gang of Russian boys and mysterious woman named Anya who's been haunting his dreams for years, and Spencer discovers maybe he should be taking this Mission League thing a bit more seriously.
The New Recruit by Jill Williamson is a fresh twist on a spy tale full of intrigue, humor, and touching moments. One of the best aspects of the book for me was the viewpoint of a non-Christian character in a primarily Christian setting. Spencer's view of various characters' beliefs and actions that provoke misunderstandings and Christian culture clashes is eye-opening and I believe important for other Christians to know about. Spencer and the other characters' paths toward understanding each other is slow but believeable. Add in the over-arching, suspenseful mystery in Moscow, and The New Recruit is a fun and thought-provoking read.
Genre: Christian/YA/Suspense
Ages: 14 and up
Pages: 399
Publication Date: October 2012
Part of a Series: The Mission League (Book 1)
*I would like to thank the author and publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Visit these awesome bloggers who will be reviewing and hosting book giveaways of
--Check out the website for the Mission League. It has character details, sketches, the book trailer, classified terms, a map of Moscow, and even summaries of the next books in the series.
"You have to know the nature of the one you serve. We have no promise of tomorrow. But we know the character of the One. Our ability to do what we do is rooted in our faith in him."
Nikki looked down... "I've never had faith in anything except what is tangible. I doubt I ever will."
Nikki Youngblood's life has been turned upside down. Her parents are dead and she's abandoned her guardian, Damon Vessler, to stay under the protection of the guardian angel, Will, and the Halflings-- Mace, Raven, and Vine. Unfortunately, Nikki is in love with both Raven and Mace, which is only made more awkward by the fact that all of them are going to be on a small boat bound for Europe with half a dozen other Halflings. Excuse the pun, but Nikki definitely feels like a fish out of water.
Besides the tug-of-war feelings between Nikki and the guys, she's also struggling with her newly-discovered role as a Seer and trying to embrace faith, which is crucial for her journey. Pulled in many different directions, Nikki makes a decision that changes the course of her life entirely, and not for the better.
Several reveals in Guardian by Heather Burch I saw coming, but the way they were revealed I didn't expect. The start of the book was a bit hard to wade through at first, mainly, because I'm not a huge love triangle fan and the beginning was very heavy on the painful feelings between Mace, Nikki, and Raven. However, the way Burch adds a couple twists later balances the book enough for me to be satisfied.
The twists involving Nikki were especially heart wrenching, but I believe they helped in deepening her character. I'm anxious to see how her story pans out in book three, Avenger (which is aptly named, by the way). Also, I actually liked Mace and Raven better in Guardian than in Halflings. Mace's character felt a bit more fleshed out and three-dimensional, and Raven's conscience and vulnerable side were more evident in this installment. Some of my favorite characters though were the minor ones, especially sarcastic and awesome Zero. I mean, can we have a novel just about him?
The only thing I found a bit confusing and frustrating was trying to understand the fate of the Halflings. I'm curious to see how Burch will approach this in the conclusion of the series. Guardian is a bit darker than its predecessor, but I liked it even better. The character arcs are a bit deeper and the story is gaining an almost breathless momentum. I'm looking forward to discovering more answers in Avenger to the many questions that arose in Guardian, including two majors ones: What is the character of Nikki, and who will she serve?
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary Fantasy/Romance
Ages: 15 and up
Pages: 320
Publication Date: October 2012
Part of a Series: Book 2 (Halflings series)
*I received this book courtesy of Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Check out the FREE ebook, A Halflings Rescue, that takes place between Halflings and Guardian. It's a fun story!
In this free illustrated short story from the popular Halflings series by Heather Burch, Nikki and the Halflings team intercept important information regarding the kidnapping of Hollywood's hottest teen celebrity, Mandy Mosen. Will they be able come to the young starlet's aide in time, or is Mandy's fifteen minutes of fame about to end? Includes a bonus first chapter from Guardian, the next full novel in the Halflings series!
"It's beautiful," I said, my voice clouded with embarrassment.
"It's more than that." He watched the ocean below. "It's like God painted it himself, then spun it into motion." Beckett angled his head toward me, took his aviators off, and let his eyes burn into mine. "This is Ireland, Finley. It's rough. It's wild. And it is holy."
Finley Sinclair is trying to make a new start as a foreign exchange student in Ireland. But the past is deeply entwined with her present as she uses her deceased brother's journal to follow his time in Ireland years before in the hopes that she can rediscover the same closeness to God Will had when he was alive.
Beckett Rush is a distraction Finley doesn't need. A famous and ridicuously good-looking movie star, Beckett offers to help Finley retrace her brother's steps--if she helps him rehearse lines for the movie he's starring in. Along with Beckett, Finley soon finds her life entwined with a dying old woman who needs peace, a wise nun, a classic mean girl, and the love and warmth of her host family. Stress and a myriad of tiny pressures begin to weigh Finley down, from drama with Beckett to unsuccessfully trying to compose a piece of music based on Will's life for her audition with Julliard. She tries to cope the best way she knows how but it leads her down a dangerous road. Can she find her way back?
There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones is in my top ten favorite books, and I don't see it moving any time soon. Finley is a phenomenal main character who's emotions are felt deeply as if you are inside her head. There are so many great lines in this book I wish I could list them all, from the poignant moments, like in the prologue, to the hilarious moments between some of the characters that had me laughing out loud. All the characters are three-dimensional, complex, and played critical roles in Finley's character growth. The setting is described in rich detail that made me feel like I was actually in the small village of Abbeyglen or in Galway or wherever Finley and Co. went. I wanted to buy a ticket to Ireland after I finished reading!
I actually passed by this book several times in the bookstore before buying it. I saw the cover and thought it looked interesting. The second time, I picked it up and read the synopsis and the prologue, thought it sounded good, but I didn't want to spend the money. Finally, after a few times of being drawn to the book like a magnet, I bought it, read it, and was changed. There You'll Find Me dove deeper than I thought it would and beautifully displayed the dark truth of earthly struggles but also the light that's the truth of God's never failing love.
Genre: Contemporary Christian/Coming of Age/Romance
Ages: 14 and up
Pages: 303
Publication Date: October 2011
Part of a Series: Spin-off of Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones
