Whew!

It's been early mornings to go out and do book talks, late nights to do programs, and meetings, meetings, meetings.  I've got some end-of-the-year programs to get through, then it's on to Summer Reading!  Speaking of which, I haven't got any decorations for the YA Room figured out in the slightest.  OK, one big gasping breath and go!
 
Soul Music, by Terry Pratchett.  My husband the musician would love this, if I could just get him to pick it up.  I read him some paragraphs and he loved them, but he's a slow reader and hard covers intimidate him, I think. 
The author mocks rock and roll and popular music but continues to be thought provoking.

The Red Pyramid, by Rick Riordan.  I was excited to read the author's first in a new series.  While the book is well-researched and has lots of accessible, memorable information about Egyptian mythology, it wasn't quite as good as the Percy Jackson books.  The main detractor was that the book is about a brother-sister team, so the author alternates between them, writing from both perspectives.  This isn't bad in itself, but the author can't make it work-- both characters have pretty much the same voice, so it's very difficult to remember who is talking, since they sound the same.  Perhaps he'll get the hang of that particular writing tool in the next installment. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie; illustrations by Ellen Forney.    I read this for booktalks, but didn't end up taking it along.  But what a great book!  It's got enough crass-funny parts to be realistic for young readers, but the author doesn't go over the top.  The jaw-dropping I-can't-believe-they-put-that-in-a-book moments are enough to hook readers into what is a very intense story about real problems. 
Despite the fact that the main character's race is a constant issue, this book would be good for anyone.  Most people have something that they feel separates them from their peers.  This would be a really good book to use in class or in a book club.

The Returners, by Gemma Malley.  I ordered this for my library, because it sounds like a really cool premise.  I didn't get very far in to the book (20 pages); it totally didn't grab me, and I've got too much on my plate now to try to force myself into books.