Books the Ninja can't wait to read

The Ninja can't wait for these titles to arrive on library shelves. Be the first to request them!

The Silver Blade by Sally Gardner Gypsies, magic, danger, Paris, and the French Revolution. Good times! (Sequel to The Red Necklace.)	Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater Lonely girl, lonelier werewolf, snowy Minnesota = supernatural love. Yum. (Author of Lament.)	Fire by Kristin Cashore Features a gorgeous human-monster in a kingdom at war. Prequel to Graceling.
Going Bovine by Libba Bray A boy with mad cow disease road trips with a dwarf. Big change from Bray's Victorian-era fairies.	Pop by Gordon Korman Teen boy meets retired pro football player, who is helps train him, but is really. . .strange. Korman's never fails to please.	The Eternal Kiss: 13 vampire tales of blood and desire Holly Black, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Rachel Caine. . .to name a few.

The Ninja Reviews. . .The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

What you know about vampires is completely, absolutely, 100% wrong.

Vampires aren't repelled my garlic or crosses. They can't fly. You won't see one transform into a bat. And they definitely don't disappear in a veil of mist. In fact, vampires are just about the weakest, wimpiest beings on earth.

Nina, who lives in Sydney, Australia, was fanged (bitten and infected by another vampire) when she was 15. . .back in 1973. She's been a vampire - and teenager - for decades. And being a vampire is the least exciting thing in the world. Nina spends her days comatose and her nights sick, often nauseated, writing novels or watching soaps on TV. The only time she gets out of the house is for the Tuesday night Reformed Vampire Support Group that she is forced to attend with other grouchy, weak, miserable vampires.

But things change when one member of the group is found in his apartment, just a pile of ashes with a stake where his heart would be. Despite the fact that he wasn't exactly the most well-liked member of the group, the others are shocked, frightened, and determined to find out who killed a fellow vampire. In the process, Nina will prove that vampires aren't as weak and useless as they've always thoughts themselves to be.

I went back and forth between reading this when I was at home, and listening to the audio when I was in the car, and I loved both. If you love Australian accents, you should definitely listen to the audio!

The twist on what vampires are really like was great. I love that Nina eventually fought back against the stereotype that she and her fellow vampires had given themselves. Sure they spend most of their days fighting off sickness from the vampire infection, but that doesn't mean they can't find ways to somehow make a difference. The action scenes were especially well-written and there are lots of references to current vampire books and movies that made me snicker. The only problem I had was that I sometimes felt that some of the arguments between characters went on for longer than I'd like. I got a bit distracted from time to time. And, being a book about vampires, there is some talk about drinking blood that might make a few readers feel icky.

Overall, I would recommend this book to open-minded fans of vampire fiction, fans of humor fiction, and anyone who just wants something different to read.

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Book Signing and Donuts!

This Friday (as in tomorrow!), Rachel Caine will be signing copies of her latest book, Carpe Corpus, at Barnes & Noble in Fort Worth, 1612 S. University Drive.Click Here for directions from the Central Arlington library.


We all know donuts are delicious. I mean, right? YA author Lara Zielin's book Donut Days comes out in August, but she's sending me an advanced copy to review just for all of you! To help promote her book (and the fact that donuts are oh-so-delicious), Lara made this video for the enjoyment of donut-connoisseurs everywhere. If you like it, let Lara know, because she is a super-fabulous lady.