GreenBeanTeenQueen

It took me forever to narrow this list down to ten! In order to make it easier, I only included books published in 2009. If I were to include books I read in 2009 that were published earlier, my top three would be Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, Paper Towns by John Green, and Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson. Here were my top reads of 2009: Honorable Mentions: Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz Logsted-a beautiful fairy tale re-telling that gave me warm fuzzies, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler-a heart wrenching tale of loss and love that made me cry, and Blue Moon by Alyson Noel-a book that surprised me the entire way through 10. Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford-This book is laugh out loud hysterically funny and it's a great go-to book for guys and girls who enjoy humor. I've recommended this one and have heard back rave reviews from everyone who reads it. The audiobook is also wonderful and worth checking out. My Review 9. Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie

Kristen at Bookworming in the 21st Century is encouraging bloggers to post their New Year's Resolutions. Here are mine (mostly reading related): 1. Read 200 books in the year. This year I made it to 150 (not counting any picture books) so I'm pretty sure I can make it to 200 next year. 2. Read review books faster.-I had a hard time with this one this last semester due to my class schedule, but no more lit class! (Kristen had this one too and I thought it was a great goal) 3. Post my reviews on Amazon, GoodReads, etc. more often-I always forget to due this unless it's Bloggiesta time and then I spend my entire weekend copying and pasting reviews everywhere! 4. Read the books that win the ALA Media Awards if I haven't read them already (I still haven't read this year's winners-gasp!) 5. Actually use the Wii Fit! (Yep, we have one, but it's getting dusty at the moment) 6. Try out a new hobby-I just think it would be cool to try something new-any suggestions? A

Georgia Nicolson is coming to the US! Finally!! I have been waiting for this movie forever . You've read my blogs about this series, I even got people signed up for the Georgia Nicolson reading challenge (which the Mr. Linky then broke for, so if you want to sign up or post a review, leave it in the comments please!). I think Georgia is fabbity fab fab and the books always make me laugh out loud. When the movie was released I was very excited to see it, but it never made it's way over here-until now. On January 1st, Nickelodeon will be airing Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging at 7pm (Central Time) . One of my very awesome teens told me about it and we squealed with delight. (Thanks Morgan-you rock!) I can't wait!

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme where I highlight books for tweens. Add your Tween Tuesday link in the comments! When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Historical/Time Travel About the Book: It's 1979 and Miranda's mom is gearing up to appear on the $20,000 Pyramid. Miranda is trying to deal with the sudden end of her friendship with her best friend Sal and immerses herself in her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time. When Miranda starts to receive mysterious notes, she has to determine what she believes about time travel and what truly makes a friendship. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I read this book many months ago, but I've held off on blogging about it because I didn't find myself gushing over it like everyone else and I wanted to think about why. I enjoyed it, and I think it's a good read, and I'm featuring it on Tween Tuesday because I think some tweens will enjoy it. It just didn't strike me as a book that could have a huge tween aud

Back in August, I had to travel to Texas for school and my husband came with me. We always take audiobooks on road trips, but rarely ever agree on what to listen to and if we both like it. For this trip we picked up the first book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy-and we're both addicted! (And we haven't agreed on anything since Harry Potter!) Skulduggery is a snarky, wise-cracking skeleton detective. He meets up with Stephanie at her uncle's funeral and the two are off on an adventure full of magic, secrets, and lots of humor. This has become my go to series for anyone looking for a great read. I've booktalked it to tweens, teens and adults. I've gotten all our children's librarians addicted. I gave these books as Christmas gifts this year. Seriously, this is a must read series!! With as much as I love this series, you can imagine my delight when author Derek Landy agreed to answer some questions on my blog! Welcome Mr. Landy! GreenBeanTeenQue

Christmas is almost here-yay! I'm spending mine with family and friends and this is my first year hosting. Luckily, everyone is bringing something, so I'm only in charge of the stuffing (I'm making spinach and artichoke stuffing-yum!) and I'm making a chocolate pie. It'll be a fun day and I'm looking forward to it. Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope you have a great day and have lots of fun-and of course get lots of books!:) P.S.-Celia asked about my chocolate pie recipe. Really it's just chocolate pudding in a pie crust and put in the fridge to set overnight. Really easy, but I get to count it as pie, right? :)

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Genre: Historical Release Date: 6/30/2009 About the Book: Kat is a country girl and doesn't know anything about her parents. When her caretaker dies, Kat journeys to London looking for answers about her past. Her talent in embroidery opens the door for her to serve at court with Queen Elizabeth. Little does Kat know how close she is to discovering her true identity... GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I go back and forth on if I like historical fiction or not. Sometimes I really enjoy it, and other times I find it too dense. The Stolen One is a book that will make you fall in love with historical fiction. Author Suzanne Crowley fills her book with historical detail, but the story never gets bogged down with facts and descriptions, which is often the case of historical fiction. There are so many wonderfully fleshed out side stories of supporting characters that make this a richly layered novel. It can be a little confusing keeping track of the numerous characters at cour

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme where I feature great read for tweens! Add your own Tween Tuesday post in the comments. The Unsigned Valentine: And Other Events in the Life of Emma Mead by Johanna Hurwitz About the Book: Fifteen-year-old Emma journals about daily life in Vermont 1911 including her many adventures and a possible romance. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I discoverd this book when I first started working as a librarian via another tween librarian's blog. I'm so glad I found it and picked it up, because it's a very delightful book! The Unsigned Valentine is actually the third book to feature Emma, but I didn't realize that when I read it, so you can read this without being familiar with the companion books. Don't let teenage Emma fool you into thinking this book is too old for tweens. This is actually the perfect book for readers who have enjoyed the American Girl or Dear America series and are looking for something new. I also think those tween girls

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Paranormal Release Date: 11/17/09 About the Book: Ever and Damen are back in the third installment in The Immortals series. Ever and Damen are searching for an antidote to the curse that prevents them from being together. Ever remains hopeful that she and Damen will be together again, but when she meets Jude, she finds herself unsure of her destiny and her true soulmate. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: It was easy to fall back into Ever and Damen’s world and get caught up in their epic love story. Author Alyson Noel keeps up the twists and turns and she never ceases to surprise me. I didn’t think anyone could pull me away from being a Damen fan, but Jude makes a strong case. I can see why Ever ends up confused! Haven and Miles take a backseat in this one and the story concentrates more on Ever and Damen, but for the moments we do see them, they shine. We also get to hear a bit from Riley (via the help of others) and her appearances, even if they are not really seen

Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Romance Release Date: 9/29/2009 About the Book: Cassie wants a husband, family and a perfect Christmas, so she decides to enlist the help of a professional matchmaker. In order to meet her match, Cassie must complete three tasks. Cassie is in for a Christmas she'll never forget. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says : So I've never read a Debbie Macomber book and I really didn't think I would. Her books are cozy romances and grandma's read them. I even met Ms. Macomber at ALA and she was very sweet, but I didn't really think about picking up one of her books. But then I was in the mood for a cozy holiday read and this showed up when I started searching for Christmas books. I have to say, if you're in the mood for a light and fun fast read, read a Debbie Macomber book. I finished this one in two nights-which is unusual when I'm reading during the week-I usually take a week to finish a book unless I'm reading on the weekends. The story is predi

Note: This is a recycled post from last year, but I wanted to share the love of this one again since I think it's one to read every holiday season. Also, the cover changed this year from the one on the left (which I love) to the one on the right (which I think is just ok) What do you think? Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Romance Release Date: October 2008 About the Book: Let It Snow is a new holiday offering from three popular teen authors. Each author contributed a holiday romance short story to add to the collection. Maureen Johnson starts things off with The Jubilee Express , in which Jubilee (no, not a stripper, but named for a piece in her mother’s collection of the Flobie Santa Village) finds herself stranded on a train in Gracetown in a huge snowstorm. A trip to the Waffle House introduces her to Stuart and friendship, or maybe something more, starts to form. In A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle , author John Green hilariously describes the mission of three friends to get to the W

This Tween Tuesday is part of a blog tour for KidzBookBuzz. Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme where I highlight great tween reads. Be sure to add your Tween Tuesday link in the comments! Just Grace and the Snack Attack by Charise Mericle Harper Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 12/14/09 About the Book: Grace's class has a new project-find out about unusual food around the world. Grace decides to research potato chips. Grace finds herself a little jealous when her dad seems more interested in helping her best friend Mimi with her hot dog project than he does with Grace's potato chips. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: This is the fifth Just Grace book and the first one I've read. The nice thing about the book is that I didn't feel lost, so a reader could pick up any title and jump right in. There are lots of illustrations, because Grace loves to draw, so the book would be great for readers who enjoy the Wimpy Kid books and are looking for other humorously illu

I've never thought of myself as a fast reader. I've read anywhere between 10-25 books a month this year, which includes about 2-5 audiobooks since I'm a multi-tasker when it comes to reading. But sometimes when I look at blogs and see a list of books someone is planning to read that week or a roundup of what they've read that month, I feel like I don't read fast enough! I guess I don't feel like I'm a fast reader because I'm the type of reader who wants to savor each word on the page, where my husband reads fast because he has no problem skimming parts. So if you're a fast reader, are there any tricks you have? And if you're not a fast reader, what do you do to get that huge TBR pile read quickly?

HarperTeen is getting into the holiday spirit with their Pitch Black Holiday Gift Guide . If you're a paranormal fan, you should check this out! The site lets you pick what sort of paranormal book you're interested in reading, vampires, faeries, werewolves, witches, and then creates a list of books that fall under that category. You can then add titles to a wish list and share them with friends and family via e-mail, Facebook, Blogger, Twitter and tons more. It's very cool and the best way to hint to those gift givers you might need a little help! :) Check it out and let me know what you think!

I'm really looking forward to break this year because I'll have time to catch up on all the reading I've pushed aside for school. Karin (from Karin the Librarian) had the same idea and started the Holiday Break Reading Challenge . If you're planning on reading at all this break, you should join up! Here's the rules: 1) Anyone can participate. I'm focusing on teachers and students, but if you want to cram a little extra reading in during the holiday season, please join us. 2) The Reading Challenge is designed to be self-paced. I will ask for you to set a goal for the number of books you want to read, but if you don't reach the goal - no big deal. This is for fun. 3) You don't have to provide a list of books you plan to read in advance. You can, but it isn't required. My mood determines what I read so I usually don't stick to a list. If I can't do it, I don't want to force others to do it. 4) The Holiday Break Reading Challenge corresponds

I got my Secret Santa gift for the Book Blogger Holiday Swap today! My Secret Santa, Janice from Janicu's Book Blog sent me the Vampire Academy Box Set. I'm super excited because these books are on my TBR pile and I've been wanting to read them for awhile. Not only did I get an awesome gift, but I got a new blog to follow!:) Thanks Janice!

I reviewed this one for my children's lit blog and I wanted to re-post my review here. I'd love to know if you ever read this one (as a teen or an adult) and what your thoughts were. Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: Originally published in 1975, but still circulating today. About the Book: Forever is the story of teens Michael and Katherine-from their first meeting, to their first date, and the first time they have sex. Of course they think everything will last, but will your first love always last forever? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I never had the chance to read this one as a teen, and I'm glad I read it now. While some of the story is outdated (Katherine's sister Jamie has a hobby of hooking rugs, the teens listen to records, Michael and Katherine are asked if they "go together") the emotional impact of the story still resonates today. I remember my first love-I felt like Katherine-wanting to be with him, not caring about school as se

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme where I highlight great reads for Tweens! Babymouse: Queen of the World by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm -I love Babymouse ! She's the best pink superhero. She's a a spunky little mouse who has quite the imagination. Each book is a new adventure from Rock Star to Beach Babe and you know you're in for a treat with each new volume. Babymouse is the perfect graphic novel for tween girls. Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi -This is an action packed graphic novel! The second volume was released this year, which is great because my tween readers have been asking for it forever. There's a good mix of adventure and fantasy, and the books have been optioned for a movie. Jellaby by Kean Soo - Jellaby is one of my favorite graphic novels-especially if you're looking for one that will make you warm and fuzzy and leave you smiling long after you finish it. This is followed up by Jellaby : Monster in the City and you can also find several

If you read this blog, you know I've been book lusting after this title for months now! The trailer is wonderfully done and makes me want to read this book NOW! Check it out: Want to win a hardcover of MAGIC UNDER GLASS by Jaclyn Dolamore plus more prizes? See http://fabulousfrock.livejournal.com/ for details!

Jen at Biblio File is celebrating her blog's 5th birthday and in honor of that she's hosting a reading challenge. The goal is to read for five hours this weekend and read something you've been wanting to read. I decided to participate and use this as a chance to catch up on the books I'd pushed aside because of grad school. I started Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. So far I really like it, although it had kind of a slow start for me. But I'm enjoying it and I'm hoping to spend some time later this week finishing it. I'm glad I took the time to make reading my focus today. I try to take time to read every day, especially when I have the day off from work, but with taking a children's lit class this semester, I haven't had a lot of time to read extra books. I'm looking forward to my winter break when I can catch up on my TBR pile even more!

Jen at Bibio File is celebrating her blog's 5th birthday and in honor of that she's hosting a mini-reading challenge. The idea is to read for five hours this weekend and you have to read something you WANT to read, not something you HAVE to read. I'm planning on reading my five hours today and I hope you can join in and find five hours to remember why you love reading!

You've read my review of The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein and now you can get to know the author, Libby Schmais. 1. I know you work as a corporate librarian-what's that like? I work for a large accounting/consulting firm where I do research on a variety of topics, mostly financial, from bios of bank executives to research on talent management to finding data on the hedge fund industry. Working as a corporate librarian is a good profession for a writer, because it uses an entirely different part of your brain than writing fiction. At work, instead of trying to create a fictional world, I’m trying to uncover facts and data. And one of the highlights of my job is that I have a flexible schedule, which allows me time to write. 2. Have you ever traveled to Paris? What would you suggest visitors do on their trip? Oui, I have been to Paris, but not in many years, sadly. Writing this book made me really long to get back there, although much like the characters in The Pillow Book, t

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 12/8/09 About the Book: Lotus dreams of living in Paris and becoming an existentialist. She' s trying to learn French, she's following the rules of French Women Don't Get Fat, and she even started a French Club at school and got her best friend Joni to join-even though Joni does not share in her love of all things France. Then Sean joins French Club and both Joni and Lotus find themselve crushing on the new boy. Will these best friends let a boy come between them? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book, because I have a pet peeve with books that contain a lot of forgein language that I can't translate. But I had lots of fun reading this one. And author Libby Schmais does a great job mixing in French and I never felt like it was distracting and I still understood it! Lotus is a fun character and there were several times I was laughing over her thoughts and sayings. She's very quirky,

I am joining the 2010 Debut Authors Challenge hosted by The Story Siren. My goal is to read at least 15 debut books in 2010. Here is my list of books to start with-I'll be adding more as the year goes on. 2010 Debut Author Reading List 1. A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler 2. The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard 3. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken 4. A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis 5. Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy 6. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting 7. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore 8. Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland 9. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins 10. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa 11. The Mark by Jen Nadol 12. Forget Her Nots by Amy Brecount White 13. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White 14. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young 15. Gaurdian fo the Dead by Karen Healey

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 7/8/2008 About the Book: Loner and self-professed nerd Leon finds himself befriending Melody, a girl whose face was disfigured in a fire years before. No one has ever talked to Melody and everyone thinks she's a freak and Leon is self concious about his growing attraction to her-especially when beautiful and popular Amy starts to show and interest in him. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says : I read this one because it was on the Gateway premlinary nominee list and I'm so glad it was. I'm not sure if I would have come across it otherwise. I wasn't sure what to expect-I'll admit when I first saw it on the list, I thought "oh, it's just on there because it's a Missouri author." But I was blown away by this book. Brian Katcher packed so much emotion into this story-I found myself tearing up at parts and honestly, I don't cry that much in books. The characters are all well drawn and the writing flows easil

Ok, so I didn't want to tell you about this, because really, I want to win this one! But the lovely Karin is giving away a SIGNED ARC of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater! Good luck-and if you win, will you let me borrow it?

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme I started to feature great books for tweens! If you'd like to participate and post your own tween books, put your link in the comments below. If your tweens (and teens) are anything like the ones at my library, they love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books! Since the success of these books, we've seen a growth in books told in cartoons which is great because my tweens can't get enough of them. Here are some of my favorites to give to Wimpy Kid fans. Alivin Ho Allergic to Girls, School and Other Scary Things Alvin is younger than Greg Heffley, but I think readers of all ages will have fun reading about him. (my Dad picked up the second book since it was about camping and he loved it!) Alvin is nervous and he has a lot of things he's allergic to-or so he claims. His adventures are lots of fun and they're great picks for young readers wanting something similar to the Wimpy Kid series. Ellie McDoodle Have Pen, Will Travel These books ar

Happy Thanksgiving!! Will you be getting up to watch the Macy's Parade? I know I will-it's tradition! I love all the Broadway previews before the parade and I can't pass up a chance to see Sesame Street and the Muppets. I wanted to say a HUGE thank you today to all my readers-I'm amazed every day that people actually read this blog. Also, thank you to all the amazing young adult authors who write the greatest books out there. Without you, I wouldn't have a job as a teen librarian and I love promoting your books. I'm off to Chicago to spend the holiday with the in-laws and my family for our first combined family event since the wedding. And I'm going to try my hand at cooking-I'll be making spinach artichoke stuffing. Cross your fingers for me, because if you knew my cooking horror stories (like how I put too much baking soda in cupcakes, or how I burn pretty much everything I've ever made, or how I tried to make bacon and my husband came home to a v

A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler Release Date: May 2010 About the Book: Terrified that her mother, a schizophrenic and an artist, is a mirror that reflects her own future, sixteen-year-old Aura struggles with her overwhelming desires to both chase artistic pursuits and keep madness at bay. As her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet keeps drawing Aura toward the depths of her own imagination—the shadows of make-believe that she finds frighteningly similar to her mother’s hallucinations. Convinced that creative equals crazy, Aura shuns her art, and her life unravels in the process. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: It's such a small world! A couple weeks ago, Holly e-mailed me and after chatting a bit, we discovered we're in the same town! I was thrilled! We never have local YA authors here! Today Holly stopped by the library and we got to talk and we're both very excited about planning some YA events. My teens have been a

Tween Tuesday is a meme where I feature great tween reads. Leave your Tween Tuesday link in the comments below. I thought I would feature some great picture books for tweens this week. This is just a short list-there are many many more, so I may try to feature picture books every few weeks. Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers, Illustrated by Christopher Myers - Looking Like Me is the story of a young boy and all the things he sees himself as when he looks in the mirror. Is he a brother, a writer, a runner? This collaboration between father and son is a great read. The text flows and has a wonderful rhythm and the illustrations are a mixture of paintings and photographs. Even though it does skew a little young, I could see it being used with fifth and sixth graders to make their own "who I am" poems and stories. I would also highly recommend Jazz by this father/son duo if you're looking for a great book of poetry to read aloud. Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester -Wo

Rating: 5/5 Stars (If I had a gold star award, I would give it to this book) Genre: Fantasy Release Date: 10/1/2009 About the Book: Do you remember your first kiss? Three supernatural tales of first love (or lust) and that first kiss that can change you or overpower you. In "Goblin Fruit" goblins prey on young girls-and not the pretty popular ones-the ones that want to be them. In "Spicy Little Curses" a young woman is cursed with a voice that will kill anyone who is nearby to hear it. Can she risk telling her love the one thing he wants to hear? In "Hatchling" a young girl finds her fate intertwined with demons and secrets kept by her mother. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Dark, dangerous, and delicious! This collection is an amazing work of fiction-and it's addicting. You won't want to put this one down! I don't always enjoy short stories, but this collection blew me away. Each story is wonderfully written and the characters are well developed.

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell will be released April 27, 2010. It tells the story of teenage Carrie Bradshaw before Sex and the City . I watched the show off and on in re-runs (didn't get HBO in college) and I have seen the Sex and the City movie. I have to admit I'm intrigued, but at the same time I'm nervous. This could either be great or fall flat. I do think it's a great way to bring in adult readers to YA who maybe haven't read YA recently. But is it going to be adult fans of the show that read this one or are teens going to pick it up? Today's teens were most likely not watching Sex and the City , but it is a big part of our culture, I'm sure most would know who Carrie Bradshaw is. So what do you think? Will you be reading it? And do you think teens will be picking it up?

I posted a few days ago about how I'm participating in the 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge . Right now I have Ex-Mas by Kate Brian and The Gift by Cecelia Ahern on my list to read. I have some others on hold and I'm hoping they get to the library in time. Hold lists for holiday books start early!! I'd love your help making my Holiday Reading list. What is your favorite holiday read? Or what new release are you looking forward to?

So I had this great afternoon of reading planned for Monday afternoon. I had my books all lined up and ready to go. But then I discovered that the New Super Mario Brothers for Wii was released on Sunday! I have been so excited for this game, I of course ran out and bought it. And now I'm addicted. I can't stop playing!! The game plays like my Super Nintendo Super Mario Brothers game, which I loved. But this addiction is terrible because the end of the semester is coming up and I have reading and projects to work on and I have to have all my Gateway nomination ratings in by December 2! Sigh...I'll get it all done, but I'll be taking game breaks for sure! What distracts you from reading?

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme where I highlight some great tween reads! Post your own Tween Tuesday link in the Mister Linky below and share the fun! The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt -I recently bought the sequel to this one, Devon Delaney Should Totally Know Better , so I wanted to share with you how much I loved the first one. Devon has spent all summer telling her summer friend Lexi about how she's very popular at school and dating the hottest guy (so not true). So when Lexi ends up staying past summer and starts attending school with Devon, Devon scrambles to make her lies become truth. This is a fun read and one of the cutest tween romances ever! If you know any tween or middle school girls, this would be the perfect holiday gift. Shug by Jenny Han I reviewed Shug when I first started blogging, but it's so good it deserves to get mentioned on Tween Tuesday. Annemarie is crushing on her long time best friend, Mark, but he's not seeing her in

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Historical Release Date: 2003 (was also a 2004 Printz Honor book) About the Book: Sixteen-Year-Old Mattie is trying to hold her family together after her mother has passed away. Mattie struggles with her responsibility to her family and her passion for writing and wanting to escape the farm. When she gets a summer job at a lodge on Big Moose Lake, she meets a young woman named Grace Brown who tells Mattie to burn her letters. When Grace shows up dead in the lake, Mattie begins to read Grace's letters and pieces together not only Grace's murder, but her own life and what she must do. GreenBeanTeenQueen: Sometimes there are books that draw you in so completely to the story and the characters you don't want to let go. This was one of those reads. I loved this book. A Northern Light is a richly layered character driven novel that is a joy to read. The great thing about Jennifer Donnelly is that I never felt she bogged down in the details as some write