USA Today's Top 150 Bestselling Books:

According to USA TODAY, the following is a list of the top 150 best selling books, based on sales through Sunday, 6/27/2010.  For reviews, book news and a searchable archive of USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list - or to check out the top 150 books, visit their website:
http://content.usatoday.com/life/books/booksdatabase/default.aspx

Side note - more than 25% of the books listed are in the Children's / Young Adult category (those highlighted)!!!

1  Sizzling Sixteen, Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's), $27.99
2  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson (Vintage), $14.95
3  The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown), $13.99
4  The Girl Who Played With Fire, Stieg Larsson (Vintage), $15.95
5  The Overton Window, Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions), $26.00
6  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, Stieg Larsson (Knopf), $27.95
7  Finger Lickin’ Fifteen, Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Paperbacks), $8.99
8  Family Ties: A Novel, Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press), $28.00
9  Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), $12.99
10  The Neighbor, Lisa Gardner (Bantam), $7.99
11  Dark Flame, Alyson Noel (St. Martin's Griffin), $17.99
12  Take Four, Karen Kingsbury (Zondervan), $14.99
13  The Passage: A Novel, Justin Cronin (Ballantine), $27.00
14  The Kane Chronicles, Book 1: The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan (Hyperion), $17.99
15  Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin), $15.00
16  The Lion, Nelson DeMille (Grand Central Publishing), $27.99
17  Black Hills, Nora Roberts (Jove), $7.99
18  The Help, Kathryn Stockett (Putnam Adult), $24.95
19  Sh*t My Dad Says, Justin Halpern (It Books), $15.99
20  Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown for Young Readers), $22.99
21  Rushed to the Altar, Jane Feather (Pocket), $7.99
22  The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing), $7.99
23  The Why of Work, David Ulrich, Wendy Ulrich, Marshall Goldsmith (McGraw-Hill), $27.95
24  Whiplash, Catherine Coulter (Putnam Adult), $26.95
25  Swimsuit, James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Grand Central Publishing), $14.99
26  Little Bee: A Novel, Chris Cleave (Simon & Schuster), $14.00
27  Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard (HarperTeen), $8.99
28  Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown for Young Readers), $8.99
29  Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 5: The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion), $17.99
30  Dead in the Family, Charlaine Harris (Ace), $25.95
31  Frankenstein: Lost Souls: A Novel, Dean Koontz (Bantam), $27.00
32  Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1: The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion), $7.99
33  Best Friends Forever: A Novel, Jennifer Weiner (Washington Square Press), $15.00
34  The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic), $17.99
35  206 Bones: A Novel, Kathy Reichs (Pocket Star), $7.99
36  Orchard Valley Grooms, Debbie Macomber (MIRA), $7.99
37  Matters of the Heart, Danielle Steel (Dell), $7.99
38  Burned, P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast (St. Martin's Griffin), $17.99
39  One Day, David Nicholls (Vintage), $14.95
40  Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2: The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion), $7.99
41  The Spy: An Isaac Bell Novel, Clive Cussler, Justin Scott (Putnam Adult), $27.95
42  New Moon, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown for Young Readers), $10.99
43  McKettricks of Texas: Garrett, Linda Lael Miller (HQN), $7.99
44  Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, John Grisham (Dutton), $16.99
45  To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (Grand Central Publishing), $6.99
46  Savor the Moment, Nora Roberts (Berkley), $16.00
47  Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion), $7.99
48  Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin (Penguin), $15.00
49  61 Hours, Lee Child (Delacorte Press), $28.00
50  Spirit Bound, Richelle Mead (Razorbill), $17.99
51  Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything, Geneen Roth (Scribner), $24.00
52  Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3: The Titan’s Curse, Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion), $7.99
53  The Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents, F.A. Hayek (University of Chicago Press), $17.00
54  Heart of the Matter, Emily Giffin (St. Martin's Press), $26.99
55  Married by Morning, Lisa Kleypas (St. Martin's Paperbacks), $7.99
56  The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Michael Lewis (W. W. Norton & Co.), $27.95
57  Storm Prey, John Sandford (Putnam Adult), $27.95
58  Broken: A Novel, Karin Slaughter (Delacorte Press), $26.00
59  Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, Anthony Bourdain (Ecco), $26.99
60  Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, Tony Hsieh (Business Plus), $23.99
61  The Castaways, Elin Hilderbrand (Back Bay Books), $14.99
62  The 9th Judgment, James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown), $27.99
63  Blockade Billy, Stephen King (Scribner), $14.99
64  Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, Chelsea Handler (Simon Spotlight Entertainment), $16.00
65  Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, Chelsea Handler (Grand Central Publishing), $25.99
66  Honeysuckle Summer, Sherryl Woods (MIRA), $7.99
67  The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary, Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books), $14.95
68  Dear John, Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing), $13.99
69  Private, James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown), $27.99
70  The Shack, William P. Young (Windblown Media), $14.99
71  Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press), $17.99
72  The Host, Stephenie Meyer (Back Bay Books), $16.99
73  Spoken From the Heart, Laura Bush (Scribner), $30.00
74  Uncharted terriTORI, Tori Spelling (Gallery Books), $25.00
75  Sarah’s Key, Tatiana de Rosnay (St. Martin's Griffin), $13.95
76  Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris (Ace), $7.99
77  The Doomsday Key: A Novel, James Rollins (Harper), $9.99
78  Undone: A Novel, Karin Slaughter (Dell), $7.99
79  Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese (Vintage), $15.95
80  A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill), $14.95
81  Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Objective, Eric Van Lustbader (Grand Central Publishing), $27.99
82  That Perfect Someone, Johanna Lindsey (Gallery), $25.99
83  My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands, Chelsea Handler (Bloomsbury USA), $13.95
84  The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel, Garth Stein (Harper Paperback), $14.99
85  9 Steps to Keep the Doctor Away, Rashid Ali Buttar (GMEC Publishing), $23.95
86  Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl, Rachel Renée Russell (Aladdin), $12.99
87  Lowcountry Summer, Dorothea Benton Frank (William Morrow), $25.99
88  Pretty Little Liars: Wanted, Sara Shepard (HarperTeen), $16.99
89  The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho (HarperSanFrancisco), $13.95
90  Run for Your Life, James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge (Vision), $9.99
91  Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney (Amulet), $12.95
92  The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger (Little, Brown), $6.99
93  Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris (Ace), $7.99
94  Empire of the Summer Moon, S.C. Gwynne (Scribner), $27.50
95  StrengthsFinder 2.0, Tom Rath (Gallup Press), $22.95
96  Innocent, Scott Turow (Grand Central), $27.99
97  What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel (Workman Publishing Group), $14.95
98  The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (Knopf Books for Young Readers), $11.99
99  An Echo in the Bone, Diana Gabaldon (Bantam), $17.00
100  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books), $13.95
101  Pretty Little Liars: Flawless, Sara Shepard (HarperTeen), $8.99
102  The Burning Wire: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel, Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster), $26.99
103  Sidney Sheldon’s Mistress of the Game, Sidney Sheldon, Tilly Bagshawe (Harper), $7.99
104  Lucky One, Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing), $13.99
105  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Jeff Kinney (Amulet), $12.95
106  Bullet, Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley), $26.95
107   Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Jeff Kinney (Amulet), $12.95
108  War, Sebastian Junger (Twelve), $26.99
109  Medusa: A Novel From the Numa Files, Clive Cussler, Paul Kemprecos (Berkley), $9.99
110  The 39 Clues: Storm Warning, Linda Sue Park (Scholastic), $12.99
111  South of Broad, Pat Conroy (Dial Press), $16.00
112  How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster (Harper Paperbacks), $13.00
113  Spies of the Balkans: A Novel, Alan Furst (Random House), $26.00
114  Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen (Algonquin), $13.95
115  Living Dead in Dallas, Charlaine Harris (Ace), $7.99
116  Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Deception, Eric Van Lustbader (Vision), $9.99
117  Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (Del Rey), $6.99
118  Ten Things I Love About You, Julia Quinn (Avon), $7.99
119  Only the Good Spy Young, Ally Carter (Hyperion), $16.99
120  Look Again, Lisa Scottoline (St. Martin's Griffin), $13.99
121  Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown), $27.99
122  Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, Rhoda Janzen (Holt Paperbacks), $14.00
123  The 39 Clues: The Maze Of Bones, Rick Riordan (Scholastic Press), $12.99
124  The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd edition, The College Board (The College Board), $21.99
125  The Wedding Girl, Madeleine Wickham (St. Martin's Griffin/Thomas Dunne Books), $13.99
126  1984, George Orwell (Signet Classic), $7.95
127  Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand (Signet), $8.99
128  Mission of Honor, David Weber (Baen Books), $27.00
129  Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Dr. Seuss (Random House), $17.00
130  Lord of the Flies, William Golding (Perigee), $9.99
131  The Glass Castle: A Memoir, Jeannette Walls (Scribner), $14.00
132  Beezus and Ramona, Beverly Cleary (HarperCollins), $5.99
133  The Magicians, Lev Grossman (Plume), $16.00
134  Relentless, Dean Koontz (Bantam), $9.99
135  Dead to the World, Charlaine Harris (Ace), $7.99
136  The Necromancer, Michael Scott (Delacorte Books for Young Readers), $18.99
137  The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of Little Bighorn, Nathaniel Philbrick (Viking), $30.00
138  Just Take My Heart: A Novel, Mary Higgins Clark (Pocket), $7.99
139  Club Dead, Charlaine Harris (Ace), $6.50
140  Promises to Keep: A Novel, Jane Green (Viking Adult), $25.95
141  The 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman (Moody Publishers), $14.99
142  House Rules, Jodi Picoult (Atria), $28.00
143  Nightlight: A Parody, Harvard Lampoon (Vintage), $13.95
144  The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (Back Bay Books), $13.95
145  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Jamie Ford (Ballantine Books), $15.00
146  Zeitoun, Dave Eggers (Vintage), $15.95
147  Pretty Little Liars: Heartless, Sara Shepard (HarperTeen), $16.99
148  Pretty Little Liars: Perfect, Sara Shepard (HarperTeen), $8.99
149  Dead As a Doornail, Charlaine Harris (Ace), $7.99
150  The Forbidden Game: The Hunter; The Chase; The Kill, L.J. Smith (Simon Pulse), $10.99

New York Times Best Sellers: Children's Books

As of June 25th, here are the New York Times Top Selling Children's Books.

Top 10 Children's Chapter Books:   

1	THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99.) Ancient gods (this time from Egypt) and a mortal family meet. (Ages 10 and up) # of weeks on list: 7
2	THEODORE BOONE: KID LAWYER, by John Grisham. (Dutton, $16.99.) He’s 13, but he knows what to do when he encounters a murder case. (Ages 8 to 12) # of weeks on list: 4
3	THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) In a dystopian future, a girl fights for survival on live TV. (Ages 12 and up) # of weeks on list: 93
4	TALES FROM A NOT-SO-POPULAR PARTY GIRL, by Rachel Renée Russell. (Aladdin, $12.99.) The further reflections of a junior Samuel Pepys of the female variety; a "Dork Diaries" book. (Ages 9 to 13) # of weeks on list: 2
5	CATCHING FIRE, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) The protagonist of "The Hunger Games" returns. (Ages 12 and up) # of weeks on list: 42
6	INFINITY (CHRONICLES OF NICK), by Sherrilyn Kenyon. (St. Martin’s Griffin, $17.99.) Brain-eating demons complicate academic life. (Ages 12 and up) # of weeks on list: 4
7	THE CARRIE DIARIES, by Candace Bushnell. (Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins, $18.99.) Carrie Bradshaw, years before “Sex and the City.” (Ages 14 and up) # of weeks on list: 8
8	PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS (THE ULTIMATE GUIDE), by Mary-Jane Knight. Designed by Philip Chidlow. (Disney-Hyperion, $12.99.) Gods, beasts and tips for children with an immortal parent, based on Rick Riordan’s series. (Ages 10 and up) # of weeks on list: 13
9	FALLEN, by Lauren Kate. (Delacorte, $17.99.) Thwarted love at boarding school. (Ages 12 and up) # of weeks on list: 28
10	BIG NATE: IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF, written and illustrated by Lincoln Peirce. (Harper/HarperCollins, $12.99.) Where Nate goes, trouble follows. (Ages 8 to 12) # of weeks on list: 12

Top 10 in Children's Paperback books:

1	THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak. (Knopf, $11.99.) A girl saves books from Nazi burning. Excerpt (Ages 14 and up) # of weeks on list: 145
2	THREE CUPS OF TEA: YOUNG READERS EDITION, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. (Puffin/Penguin, $8.99.) A former climber builds schools in Pakistani and Afghan villages. (Ages 9 to 12) # of weeks on list: 73
3	THE FORBIDDEN GAME (THE HUNTER, THE CHASE, THE KILL), by L. J. Smith. (Simon Pulse, $10.99.) In this dark game, the humans prove to be the playthings. (Ages 12 and up) # of weeks on list: 2
4	BEEZUS AND RAMONA, by Beverly Cleary. Illustrated by Tracy Dockray. (HarperCollins, $5.99.) The movie tie-in edition of the midcentury classic about a girl and her often pesky little sister. (Ages 9 to 12) # of weeks on list: 2
5	SHIVER, by Maggie Stiefvater. (Scholastic, $8.99.) Love among the lupine. (Ages 13 and up) # of weeks on list: 3
6	THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, by Sherman Alexie. Illustrated by Ellen Forney. (Little, Brown, $8.99.) A young boy leaves his reservation for an all-white school. (Ages 12 and up) # of weeks on list: 62
7	PINKALICIOUS AND THE PINK DRINK, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. (Harper Festival/HarperCollins, $3.99.) Pink meets lemonade in a series of experiments. (Ages 3 to 7) # of weeks on list: 4
8	IF I STAY, by Gayle Forman. (Speak/Penguin, $8.99.) A young cellist falls into a coma. (Ages 12 and up) # of weeks on list: 11
9	SAVVY, by Ingrid Law. (Puffin/Penguin, $7.99.) Mibs is about to turn 13, the age at which supernatural abilities are conferred on members of her family. (Ages 9 to 12) # of weeks on list: 12
10	SCAT, by Carl Hiaasen. (Knopf, $8.99.) An eco-mystery, with a dismal swamp and wild characters. Excerpt (Ages 9 to 12) # of weeks on list: 8

Top 10 in Children's Series books:

1	THE TWILIGHT SAGA, by Stephenie Meyer. (Megan Tingley/Little, Brown, hardcover and paper) Vampires and werewolves in school. (Ages 12 and up) # of weeks on list: 150
2	PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, hardcover and paper) Children of the gods battle mythological monsters. (Ages 9 to 12) # of weeks on list: 154
3	DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. (Abrams, hardcover only) The travails of adolescence, in cartoons. (Ages 9 to 12) # of weeks on list: 75
4	PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, by Sara Shepard. (HarperTeen, hardcover and paper) Four girls less perfect than they seem. (Ages 14 and up) # of weeks on list: 15
5	THE 39 CLUES, by various authors. (Scholastic, hardcover only) A brother and sister travel the world in search of the key to their family’s power. (Ages 9 to 12) # of weeks on list: 50
6	HOUSE OF NIGHT, by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. (St. Martin’s, hardcover and paper) Vampires in school. (Ages 14 and up) # of weeks on list: 94
7	RANGER’S APPRENTICE, by John Flanagan. (Philomel, hardcover and paper) A boy warrior battles evil. (Ages 9 to 12) # of weeks on list: 45
8	VAMPIRE ACADEMY, by Richelle Mead. (Razorbill, paper only) Undead boarding school. (Ages 12 and up) # of weeks on list: 27
9	THE SECRETS OF THE IMMORTAL NICHOLAS FLAMEL, by Michael Scott. (Delacorte, hardcover and paper) The quest of a 14th-century alchemist. (Ages 12 and up) # of weeks on list: 6
10	WARRIORS, by Erin Hunter. (HarperCollins, hardcover and paper) Four clans of cat warriors aspire to meet up with the StarClan. (Ages 10 to 14) # of weeks on list: 89

My Review: I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU, by Ally Carter

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So I knew not to expect a book of epic proportions when I picked up this series the other day – but what I ended up getting, was something that turned out to be both light-hearted and humorous – and an overall, good read.  Ally Carter has created a YA spy series for girls, that mixes a James Bond meets Cody Banks kinda feel, but blended it all with the humor and pitfalls that a normal fifteen-year-old girl would endure.

Cameron Morgan is now a sophomore at the elite Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women - which from the outside, looks every bit what a private institution for the socialite daughters of wealthy families should.  But Gallagher Academy has had years of creating this false façade to those not in the know – because unless snobby all girl academies normally teach their students the art of hand to hand combat, how to kill a man with nothing but a limp spaghetti noodle, or how to defuse a nuclear war-head, then the Gallagher Academy is anything but normal.  In fact, it’s actually a school for spies. 

Over the past 3 years Cammie has attended the school, she’s mastered fourteen languages and now knows how to kill a human with her bare hands, seven different ways.  She’s good – in fact, some would say she was born with the art of espionage in her blood.  Because after all, she is the daughter of two of the most elite spies the CIA has ever seen – and oh, her Mom just so happens to also be the headmistress of the Academy. 

As Cammie weaves her way through first semester, armed with the intelligence of a genius and a handful of great friends at her side, she meets a normal teenage boy from outside the school - a boy that simply cannot learn her secrets, cause then she’d have to kill him.  What happens next, is a web spun entirely (well mostly) of lies as she struggles to hold onto the normalcy that Josh brings to her life – and Cammie’s left asking, will she be able to hang on to both worlds?

While Carter’s overall storyline was fun, I did find myself disappointed in the few moments that Cammie needed to be brilliant and say something that would really knock the socks off those around her.  Just once I wanted her to be say something amazing, to match all the really cool things that she could do – but then she’d open her mouth and stutter out fragments of nothingness.  For a girl that can speak 14 different languages, she has a very difficult time during the moments that I wanted her to be a strong heroine – although Carter does write that into the storyline and explains that this is one of Cammie’s downfalls.

Overall, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You, was a very easy and fun read.  Carter does a fantastic job with all the clandestine nuances of the story, which would make anyone, want to run out and join the CIA.  It’s the perfect story for YA’s – and I’m sure I would’ve been head over heels on this series, when I was in middle school…and definitely would’ve found myself pondering my chances of becoming the next 007.
Ally can be found on Twitter: @OfficiallyAlly
Or check out her web page: http://www.allycarter.com/


View all my reviews >>

USA Today's Top 50 Bestselling Books:

According to USA TODAY, the following is a list of the top 50 best selling books, based on sales through Sunday, 6/20/2010.  For reviews, book news and a searchable archive of USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list - or to check out the top 150 books, visit their website: http://content.usatoday.com/life/books/booksdatabase/default.aspx


1  The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown), $13.99
2  The Overton Window, Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions), $26.00
3  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson (Vintage), $14.95
4  The Girl Who Played With Fire, Stieg Larsson (Vintage), $15.95
5  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, Stieg Larsson (Knopf), $27.95
6  George Washington’s Sacred Fire, Peter A. Lillback (Providence Forum Press), $19.95
7  The Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents, F.A. Hayek (University of Chicago Press), $17.00
8  The Lion, Nelson DeMille (Grand Central Publishing), $27.99
9  Sh*t My Dad Says, Justin Halpern (It Books), $15.99
10  The Passage: A Novel, Justin Cronin (Ballantine), $27.00
11  Black Hills, Nora Roberts (Jove), $7.99
12  Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), $7.99
13  Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin), $15.00
14  Whiplash, Catherine Coulter (Putnam Adult), $26.95
15  The Kane Chronicles, Book 1: The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan (Hyperion), $17.99
16  The Help, Kathryn Stockett (Putnam Adult), $24.95
17  Frankenstein: Lost Souls: A Novel, Dean Koontz (Bantam), $27.00
18  The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing), $7.99
19  Matters of the Heart, Danielle Steel (Dell), $7.99
20  Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown for Young Readers), $22.99
21  Dead in the Family, Charlaine Harris (Ace), $25.95
22  Little Bee: A Novel, Chris Cleave (Simon & Schuster), $14.00
23  Orchard Valley Grooms, Debbie Macomber (MIRA), $7.99
24  The Spy: An Isaac Bell Novel, Clive Cussler, Justin Scott (Putnam Adult), $27.95
25  Uncharted terriTORI, Tori Spelling (Gallery Books), $25.00
26  Swimsuit, Patterson (Grand Central Publishing), $14.99
27  Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, John Grisham (Dutton), $16.99
28  Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard (HarperTeen), $8.99
29  Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, Anthony Bourdain (Ecco), $26.99
30  McKettricks of Texas: Garrett, Linda Lael Miller (HQN), $7.99
31  Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything, Geneen Roth (Scribner), $24.00
32  61 Hours, Lee Child (Delacorte Press), $28.00
33  Best Friends Forever: A Novel, Jennifer Weiner (Washington Square Press), $15.00
34  Burned, P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast (St. Martin's Griffin), $17.99
35  Storm Prey, John Sandford (Putnam Adult), $27.95
36  Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 5: The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion), $17.99
37  The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Michael Lewis (W. W. Norton & Co.), $27.95
38  Savor the Moment, Nora Roberts (Berkley), $16.00
39  The Castaways, Elin Hilderbrand (Back Bay Books), $14.99
40  Married by Morning, Lisa Kleypas (St. Martin's Paperbacks), $7.99
41  Twilight, Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown for Young Readers), $8.99
42  Spirit Bound, Richelle Mead (Razorbill), $17.99
43  Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1: The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion), $7.99
44  Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, Tony Hsieh (Business Plus), $23.99
45  To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (Grand Central Publishing), $6.99
46  Honeysuckle Summer, Sherryl Woods (MIRA), $7.99
47  That Perfect Someone, Johanna Lindsey (Gallery), $25.99
48  Lowcountry Summer, Dorothea Benton Frank (William Morrow), $25.99
49  Blockade Billy, Stephen King (Scribner), $14.99
50  Heart of the Matter, Emily Giffin (St. Martin's Press), $26.99

As Yoda Would Say: Have Some Reading, I Do!

So I decided to stop by Barnes & Noble today, to pick up a few books from my GoodReads "To-Read" list...and well, I wasn't able to stop at just getting one or two...or three...or four, for that matter.   

 I picked up 10, yes TEN, books today!  And then I came home to find a care package on my door step, from my Canadian critique partner extrodinaire, Heidi - which contained two more books, that I've also been looking forward to reading! 

As the title of this entry explains, I guess you could safely say that I have some reading ahead of me!  And well, you know what that means?  MORE BOOK REVIEWS!!!!  Yeah!  I never thought I'd be so excited to read and write reviews - but of course, it's because I'm doing it on my own, and it's not because an instructor is making me!  I simply can't stop reading...and I can't stop writing about what it is that I'm reading!   

 So without further ado, here's a list of what I will be reading and reviewing (in no particular order) over the next couple of weeks:

THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak

HUSH, HUSH, by Becca Fitzpatrick

Thank you to Heidi, my above mentioned critique partner from the land to the North for adding this to my shelves!  I can't wait to read this one!

HEIST SOCIETY, by Ally Carter

STARTED READING: 7.01.10

FINISHED READING: 7.03.10

REVIEW TO FOLLOW

HOLES, by Louis Sachar

SMALL STEPS, by Louis Sachar

This is the sequel to HOLES, and I've heard nothing but great things about this read!

 

HOW TO DITCH YOUR FAIRY, by Justine Larbalestier

This is the second book Heidi sent in my care package - and I'm looking forward to reading this one, as well!

I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU, by Ally Carter

Book #1 in the Gallagher Girls series.
STARTED READING: 6.24.10
FINISHED READING: 6.26.10
READ MY REVIEW!

CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY, by Ally Carter

Book #2 in the Gallagher Girls series.

 
 
 

STARTED READING: 6.26.10

FINISHED READING: 6.28.10

REVIEW TO FOLLOW

DON'T JUDGE A GIRL BY HER COVER, by Ally Carter

Book #3 in the Gallagher Girls series.

 
 
 

STARTED READING: 6.28.10

FINISHED READING: 6.29.10

REVIEW TO FOLLOW

THE GIVER, by Lois Lowry

Book #1 in The Giver series.

GATHERING BLUE, by Lois Lowry

Book #2 in The Giver series.

MESSENGER, by Lois Lowry

Book #3 in The Giver series.

If you have a particular book out of the above that you'd like for me to get to first and write my review - let me know!  And as always, check back often to read my reviews, as I delve into my big To-Read list!  

My Review: THE HOST by Stephenie Meyer

THE HOST by Stephenie Meyer


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I just finished reading Stephenie Meyer’s, THE HOST – and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.


Earth has been invaded and taken over by a new species of alien souls that believe the hostility and murderous ways of humans, has become detrimental to our planet.  But these souls need human bodies in order to survive - and they attach themselves deep within their host - utilizing their bodies, their minds, and their memories...while leaving the human they’ve possessed, rendered utterly useless.  For most humans that have been occupied, they fade away completely, almost from the very moment the host takes control.  But for some, they fight their way to somehow stay connected to the shell of their body, never truly giving in.


Melanie Stryder - one of the last human occupants of Earth - will do whatever necessary to resist being taken hostage.  These vile beings have managed to overtake everyone that Melanie knows and loves, with the exception of her younger brother Jamie – and she has reason to believe that a small handful of her relatives might still be alive and hiding, somewhere out in the deserts of Arizona.


It’s up to Melanie to protect her and Jamie from succumbing to the catastrophic demise of the human race, while trying to find the last of their family - or any other humans for that matter.  And she does so, by hiding them both outside the surrounding alien population – only risking her life when necessary, to steal food and whatever else, to keep them both alive.  It’s during one of her attempts to gather more food, that Melanie is attacked – unbeknownst to her, by another human - who thinks that she just might be an alien too.  After a brief struggle and a mad escape, Melanie flees – only to be caught again, as the man stammers to explain that his name is Jared Howe.  And it’s then that he realizes that he’s just found another human amongst the millions of alien souls…and he’s not about to let her go.


Over time, as Melanie, Jared, and Jamie learn to rely on one another to survive – it’s then that Melanie realizes how important Jared has become to her very existence, as one of the last humans on Earth.  But it’s just a matter of time before Melanie is captured during a mission to find one of her long lost relatives – and it’s then, that her body is taken over by a soul, named Wanderer.


Wanderer has lived many lives, on many plants – more so than most other souls – but this is her first visit to the planet known as Earth.  Her existence, as well as those of all other souls, is a life of gentleness – never needing to resort to anger or aggression to further their needs.  And it’s because of this that Wanderer is caught off guard when Melanie fights against being occupied and refuses to surrender her mind.


It’s then that Melanie begins to fill Wanderer’s thoughts with memories and dreams of Jared, and the life she once had.  Before long, Wanderer finds herself longing for the arms of man, she’s never even met - and as the two of them become the most unlikely of allies, they find themselves on a quest to find the man they both love and the younger brother they’ll do anything to protect.


THE HOST is a story of unusual circumstances of love, the struggle just to exist, and the persistence to overcome.  I thoroughly enjoyed Meyer’s first attempt at writing a novel for adults - and at times, I found myself contemplating what I would do, if I were Melanie.  While there were a few moments within the story that struggled to move along – there were more times that I found myself emotionally caught up with the decisions being made.  And that ability to make the reader completely immerse themselves within the story, is what Meyer’s is known for.


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Check out the YouTube book trailer of THE HOST, by Stephenie Meyer: