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For adults and older teens
The Graves of Saints by Christopher Golden
Last Breath by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Throat Culture by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala

For ages 10 and up
The Lovely Shoes by Susan Richards Shreve

Short Story Time
Down to a Sunless Sea by Neil Gaiman

The Play's the Thing
Translations by Brian Friel

February 2013: 45 books and scripts read

Recommended for ages 8 and up
Bone: Quest for the Spark, Book Three by Tom Sniegoski and Jeff Smith

Recommended for teens and adults
The Waking: A Winter of Ghosts by Christopher Golden and Thomas Randall
Brain Trust by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Newspaper Blackout by Austin Kleon

The Play's the Thing
The Skin of Our Teeth by Thorton Wilder

January 2013: 28 books and scripts read

Best Bets for Kids
Bone: Quest for the Spark: Book #3 by Thomas E. Sniegoski and Jeff Smith
Too Cool for This School by Kristen Tracy (coming out in August)

Best Bets for Teens and Adults
Prowlers by Christopher Golden (re-read)
A Winter of Ghosts by Christopher Golden and Thomas Randall (conclusion to The Waking trilogy)

Non-Fiction Pick
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

While I have made four "Best of" picture books list now, this is only my second "Best of" list for middle-grade and chapter books and I am still refining it. As I was compiling and winnowing my list for this year, I noticed some themes. So, this year the list is categorized! And, like a stripy shirt or the right pair of jeans, I am hoping the categories will hide the true heft of the list(s).

THE BEST PICTURE BOOKS OF 2012 This marks my fourth annual list of the best picture books of the year. This also marks my last year of compiling this list as a professional story-time lady. Working at the bookstore, weekly story times were always my favorite part of the job. I loved trying out books on the kids (who, on the whole, sat rapt no matter what I read) and I especially loved

November 2012: 31 books and scripts read

For kids of all ages
Make Magic! Do Good! by Dallas Clayton

For teens and adults
The Story of Us by Deb Caletti
The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks
Skin Deep by Christopher Golden
Burning Bones by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Last Breath by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
(Can you tell that I'm re-reading the fantastic Body of Evidence series?)

For stage and screen
Am I Bovvered? The Catherine Tate Show scripts
Proof by David Auburn

August 2012: 12 books and scripts read

Best Bets for Teens and Adults
The Fallen 4: Forsaken by Thomas E. Sniegoski
In the House of the Wicked: A Remy Chandler Novel by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Middle School Must-Haves
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Eighth Grade is Making Me Sick: Ginny Davis's Year in Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm and Elicia Castaldi
Confectionately Yours #2: Taking the Cake! by Lisa Papademetriou

Picture Book Pick
Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds

May 2010: 24 books + scripts read

Teen Fiction
This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas
The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti
The Beautiful Between by Alyssa Sheinmel
The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz

Adult Fiction
The Map of Moments by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon

Non-Fiction
Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom by Queen Latifah and Samantha Marshall
Gothic Charm School: An Essential Guide for Goths and Those Who Love Them by Jillian Venters, illustrated by Pete Venters

June 2010: 22 books + scripts read

Picks for Teens
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala
Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe

Picks for Kids
Summer of Moonlight Secrets by Danette Haworth
Seaglass Summer by Anjali Banerjee
The Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

Picture Book Picks
Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners by Laurie Keller
Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and Other Poems by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Carin Berger
Forever Friends by Carin Berger

October 2010: 27 books + scripts read

Recommended For Teens and Adults
White Cat by Holly Black
Dark Water by Laura McNeal
Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly
Banished by Sophie Littlefield
If You Live Like Me by Lori Weber

Recommended For Ages 9 and Up
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other man-made Catastrophes by Lenore Look, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
A Prince Among Frogs by E.D. Baker (the final book in the Tales of the Frog Princess series)

Recommended For All Ages
Birdy's Smile Book by Laurie Keller

Non-Fiction Pick
The Sitcom Career Book by Mary Lou Belli and Phil Ramuno

I know that the gift giving season has officially begun when The New York Times devotes almost half of the Sunday Book Review to Children's Books, including their annual list of the Best Illustrated Children's Books.  This year the section is chock full of great books.  Here are a few nifty titles from the review I want to share with you in case my links to the NYTimes don't work - sometimes you

November 2010: 24 books + scripts read

Recommended For Teens and Adults
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Family by Micol Ostow (coming out in April 2011)
Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn

Recommended For Ages 10 and Up
The Secret Journeys of Jack London, Book One: The Wild by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon, illustrated by Greg Ruth (coming out in March 2011)

Recommended For Ages 8 and Up
Cinderella Cleaners #5: Scheme Spirit by Maya Gold
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look, illustrated by LeUyen Pham


Non-Fiction Pick
Underfoot in Show Business by Helen Hanff

Here is a wrap up of my 4 and 5 star picture book reads for January, 2011. I haven't differentiated between 4 or 5 (although you can see them all at Goodreads.) I like most books I read--I give out a lot of 3 out of 5's. I am struck by very few, so if I give out 4 stars, then I think the book is great and worthy of note. As for how a book gets 5 stars: if it's not because the book is

Lots of picture book reading in February. These were among my favorites. Monsters Eat Whiny Children (Kaplan, Bruce Eric) This qualifies as the best book about complaining since Emily Jenkins' I Love You When You Whine.  The indecisiveness of a group of monsters as to the best way to serve up whiny children is at the heart of this humorous book. Kudos for mentioning curry: "They all tried to

February 2011: 21 books + scripts read

Recommended for teens and adults
Red Glove by Holly Black (the second in the Curse Workers series)
I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan
The Sweetness of Salt by Cecilia Galante

Recommended for tweens
Warp Speed by Lisa Yee
A Girl's Best Friend by Leslie Margolis
All the Things You Are by Courtney Sheinmel

Recommended for kids and families
Ninja Cowboy Bear Presents the Way of the Ninja by David Bruins, illustrated by Hilary Leung

July 2011: 30 books + scripts read

Recommended for ages 12 and up
The Summer I Learned to Fly by Dana Reinhardt
Doggirl by Robin Brande

Recommended for ages 14 and up
Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin
My Not-So-Still Life by Liz Gallagher
Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

The Play's the Thing
What the Moon Saw, or I Only Appear To Be Dead by Stephanie Fleischmann
Asiamnesia by Sun Mee

In a year that was notable for the uproar over the demise of the picture book (Julie Bosman's article for the New York Times) and the voracious response from authors, illustrators, librarians, booksellers, parents and publishers (Proclamation! and Challenge!, to name a few) it was surprisingly difficult to narrow my "best of" list down to twenty, let alone ten books. This is especially exciting

More children at home = less writing time and less time to blog about the nonsense I like to blog about.

Here is today's smorgasbord. (Mmmmm... smorgasbord...)

Both SF Revu and Locus have reviewed Shimmer #14, saying things like "unsettling little tale" (Sam Tomaino, SF Revu) and "I am not entirely convinced that there is anyone actually alive in this world. Except the bugs and worms." (Lois Tilton, Locus) about my story, "This House was Never a Castle". I'm not sure the bugs and worms are even alive--at least for long (the children eat them, you see).

Morpheus Tales has collected a "best of" issue and included my story about fungus gone wild, "A Most Unfortunate Gaffe". You can check out the always disturbing cover art and buy a copy here. 

And finally, Echoes of the Dead hit some sort of milestone yesterday--I've never had a sales burst like this for one of my books before, even after going free. Maybe it's a little instant karma for the pirate/plagiarism bullshite? It's sales rank was around 7K when I woke this morning. I'm no "J.K. Patterson" (all sarcasm intended), but I'll take it. 

Have a great weekend, folks

March 2012: 24 books + scripts read

Recommended for ages 14 and up
The List by Siobhan Vivian
Joe Golem and the Drowning City by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Devine Intervention by Martha Brockenbrough (to be released June 1st, 2012)

Picture Book Pick
Zoe Gets Ready by Bethanie Deeney Murguia (to be released May 1st, 2012)

May 2012: 25 books and scritps read

The Play's the Thing
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (read multiple times)
An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen (I read a translation of Ibsen's original text as well as the adaption by Arthur Miller)

Picks for Teens and Adults
The Secret Journeys of Jack London: The Sea Wolves by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) by Holly Black
Parallelogram, Book 1: Into the Parallel by Robin Brande

Picks for Tweens
Gold Medal Summer by Donna Freitas
Seeing Cinderella by Jenny Lindquist
Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen by Donna Gephart

There were some days in July when I had perhaps 15 minutes to pick up a novel and read. But I'm happy to report that I spent some time writing, and plenty of time reading scripts, rehearsing, and doing research. Since I had a low book count this month, I'll just offer up a few highlights:

Burn For Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, the first volume in a planned trilogy, will be officially released this September. I have enjoyed all of their solo efforts to date, so I was eager to see what happened when they collaborated. Burn for Burn is a compulsive read, a layered story in which three teen girls attempt to bring down three peers who have deeply hurt them. I look forward to reading the second and third books, which will be released in 2013 and 2014.
Related posts:
Interview: Jenny Han
Interview: Jenny Han, Again!
Interview: Siobhan Vivian
Book Review: A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian
Book Review: The List by Siobhan Vivian

Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones - When the Dog Star, Sirius, is found guilty of a crime, he is sent to Earth to live as a dog and seek out something fantastic. This was, if you can believe it, the first standalone Diana Wynne Jones novel I've ever read; I read The Chronicles of Crestomanci and The Dalemark Quartet years ago.
Related post: Diana Wynne Jones Blog Tour at Bildungsroman

At the end of August/beginning of September, I'll post my picks for August. In the meantime, check out my other booklists (organized by topic, age group, time period, etc) and click through the "Best of" tag on my blog.

January 2010: 28 books + scripts read

Teen Fiction
Fat Cat by Robin Brande
Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson
Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn
Albatross by Josie Bloss

Juvenile Fiction
The Funeral Director's Son by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

Picture Books
Bounce by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Scott Menchin
Stretch by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Scott Menchin

February 2010: 28 books + scripts read

Picture Book Picks
Dog and Bear: Three to Get Ready by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Bears on Chairs by Shirley Parenteau
Cat Dreams by Ursula K. LeGuin, illustrated by S.D. Schindler

Early Reader Alert
Daisy Dawson is on Her Way! by Steve Voake, illustrated by Jessica Meserve

For ages 8 and up
The Baby-Sitters Club: The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin (coming out in April)
Smile by Raina Telgemeier (non-fiction graphic novel)
A Pearl Among Princes by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains, or, The Search for a Suitable Princess by Laurel Snyder

For ages 12 and up
Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen
After by Kristin Harmel
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (coming out March 2nd)

March 2010: 28 books + scripts read

Recommended for Early Readers
Daisy Dawson and the Secret Pond by Steve Voake, illustrated by Jessica Meserve

Recommended for Middle Schoolers
Finally by Wendy Mass
Suddenly Supernatural #2: Scaredy Kat by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Suddenly Supernatural #3: Unhappy Medium by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
The Keys to the Kingdom: Lord Sunday by Garth Nix
Sincerely, Sophie by Courtney Sheinmel (coming out in June)
Sincerely, Katie by Courtney Sheinmel (coming out in June)

Recommended for Teens and Adults
Where Angels Fear to Tread by Thomas E. Sniegoski
White House Autumn by Ellen Emerson White
Long Live the Queen by Ellen Emerson White
Secrets of Truth and Beauty by Megan Frazer
This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas (coming out in April)
My Double Life by Janette Rallison (coming out in May)
Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala (coming out in June)
Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs (coming out in June)

April 2010: 35 books + scripts read

Teen Fiction
The Julian Game by Adele Griffin (coming out in September)
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter
Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman
The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don't Mind by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Bad Apple by Laura Ruby
Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

Juvenile Fiction
Cinderella Cleaners #2: Prep Cool by Maya Gold
Cinderella Cleaners #3: Rock and Rule by Maya Gold
Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde

Graphic Novels
Alison Dare, Little Miss Adventure by J. Torres and J. Bone
Alison Dare: The Heart of the Maiden by J. Torres and J. Bone