Derby Girl by Shauna Cross

First Line: "I don't know how it happened or what sort of backroom deal went down, but apparently I'm living in a small Texas town with two culturally clueless impostors for legal guardians, when I just know my real parents are out there somewhere."

About: Bliss's grandmother and mother were pageant queens and it is expected of Bliss to be the same. Instead, Bliss is a "indie-rock-loving, thrift-store-prowling, homemade-T-shirt-wearing, blue-hair-dying misfit girl who thinks life is a '60s movie." And Bliss discovers roller derby and falls in love with it. Until her parents find out.

My Thoughts: I'm embarrassed to admit that I saw the movie first. Whip It (in theaters now!) starring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, and Juliette Lewis is based on Cross's Derby Girl (see preview here). I thought the movie was fabulous and the book is just as great. The dialogue is hilarious and intelligent, the derby scenes are fantastic and the characters are lovely. I recommend both book and movie.
As an aside, the derby girl names are fantastic and I found a couple of sites you can visit to make your own derby girl name. Check out Mia Psycho's Roller Derby Name Generator where my name was revealed to be Jamie Shattering or try The World Famous Rollergirl Name Generator where I was Bomb Clancy (I think this one rocks).

Readlikes: For more girls and sports try Catherine Gilbert Murdock's Dairy Queen and the two that follow in the series. I also recommend Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti and Beige by Cecil Castellucci.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

First Line: "I remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves."

About: The first time Grace sees Sam he is in the form of a wolf, and he saves her life. Grace will learn many years later that the wolf that saved her from being killed is actually a werewolf. Wounded and afraid, Sam turns to Grace, the young woman he has been keeping track of for years, after he is shot and alone.

My Thoughts: I had high hopes for this book, the premise sounded wonderful and reviews were good. But ultimately I was not impressed. I had a real problem getting involved in this story. The characters were a little flat to me, and I never really felt like I got connected with them. I did like that Sam and Grace narrated alternating chapters and Stiefvater also has a very unique take on werewolves. I wish I could have liked it more, but never got hooked on this love story.

Readalikes: Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause is another werewolf love story, Beast by Donna Jo Napoli, and East by Edith Pattou are also good.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

First Line: "The first time I saw him, a heavy, gray fog clung to the cornfields, tails of mist slithering between the dying stalks."

About: Jessica learns during her senior year that she is a vampire princess (insert gagging noises) and has been betrothed to a vampire prince since birth. Now, as she is coming of age, she meets her fiance and is expected to return to Romania with him to rule feuding vampire clans.

My Thoughts: It sounds really bad, right? I mean, vampire princess, Romania, parents staked by locals with pitchforks...So why did I pick this book up? I have recently had a run of people asking what to read now that the Twilight series is over (I will have a few more upcoming reviews about this, too, so watch for more "After Twilight" selections). This title kept popping up and I noticed that it got several good reviews. I recommend reading this book versus listening to the audio version. I listened to the audio mostly and the fake accents really got on my nerves after awhile. There is some really sappy, bad-80s-romance-novel dialogue in this book ("And you say you have no qualms about destroying me. About sacrificing me," I countered. "So just do it. Do it and prevent the war. I am sacrificing myself, Lucius....Just do it, if you're so goddamn hardened! So goddamn vicious! Do what you claim you were going to do all along!"). But overall it was a nice compliment for Twilight fans and features a stronger heroine than Bella.

Readlikes: Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause and Need by Carrie Jones

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

First Line: "This whole enormous deal wouldn't have happened, none of it, if Dad hadn't messed up his hip moving the manure spreader."

About: D.J., short for Darlene Joyce, is spending a majority of her summer working hard. Her older brothers, both former high school football stars, have moved away and her father is living in a lot of pain. That means the majority of the farm work falls to D.J. But one day the last person she ever expected to see comes to help her with her chores. Brian, her high school football team's arch-nemesis and star quarterback. Turns out, Brian's coach wants D.J. to train Brian, just like she did with her older brothers. But neither Brian nor D.J. could foresee what that summer had in store for them.

My Thoughts: Yeah, this is another one that I have been meaning to read for a long time. I read Princess Ben by Murdock a while back (see my posts from August 2008 to get my thoughts on that one) but Dairy Queen just kept getting forgot. An upcoming visit by Catherine Gilbert Murdock to the public library I work at kicked me into gear. And boy, am I glad it did. Although this does have a rather fluffy cover, males and females will enjoy it. D.J. is a tough, no-nonsense teenager who loves football and slowly begins to realize that she should try out for her high school's football team. There are two books that follow D.J.'s adventures, second is The Off Season and due to be released very soon is the final book, Front and Center.

Readalikes: Also, try The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

First Line: "In these dungeons the darkness was complete, but Katsa had a map in her mind."

About: Some children are born with a Grace. This Grace can allow children to excel at mathematics, healing, mind-reading, and in Katsa's case, killing. Katsa is the niece of a king and has become his tool for keeping his subjects in line. If anyone upsets him, they will get a visit from Katsa. Katsa has shut herself off from most people, with only a few friends and allies until she meets Prince Po, who is searching for his kidnapped grandfather. Katsa begins to realize that maybe she could have a normal life and that maybe she can make her own decisions.

My Thoughts: This is another book that I have been holding on to for quite some time, waiting for the right moment when I could savor it. It was a wonderful story and world that Cashore has created. There is action and romance and suspense and humor. Cashore is writing two companion novels, with Fire coming out in October. Highly recommended.

Readalikes: Authors that write similarly to Cashore are Tamora Pierce and Megan Whalen Turner. I also suggest Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder and Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.

On My Bookshelf: Catherine Gilbert Murdock's books (just found out she is making an author visit to my library in the fall--Yippee!).

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

First Line: "Nina was stuck."

About: Not all vampires are strong, beautiful and deadly. Nina, in fact, is the complete opposite. She has been a vampire since 1973 and has been a member of the Reformed Vampire Support Group nearly as long. The Support Group vows to only live on hamster blood, not human blood. Nina writes a series of vampire novels that make the heroine strong and brave. When one member of the Reformed Vampire Support Group is killed, Nina must find a courage similar to her heroine's to save her friends.

My Thoughts: I love the idea of this book, poking fun at the recent abundance of teen vampire novels that make the life of a vampire appear romantic and desirable. Nina and her group feeding on hamsters is hilarious and there are remarkably unique characters in this book, including werewolf Reuben who reads the Harry Potter books and 82-year-old vampire Bridget who enjoys knitting. It took me a while to get seriously involved in this book but it was worth it.

Readalikes:I highly recommend The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and also suggest reading other books by Catherine Jinks, including Evil Genius.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

First Line: "When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold."

About: The future is bleak in this book by the author of the Underland Chronicles. Katniss is trying to provide for her mother and sister by sneaking out of the district they live in to hunt and gather food. But the day of the reaping is coming and every year the 12 districts compete for food and other supplies in The Hunger Games. When Katniss's sister is selected to represent their district, Katniss takes her place and is suddenly fighting for her life.

My Thoughts: I have had this book on my book shelf for months and months, waiting for the right moment to read it. The second book in the series will be out this fall and finally I had time for The Hunger Games. After hearing glowing reviews of it, I was a little worried that my hopes for this book would be too high. I was not disappointed! From the first chapter I was hooked on Katniss and her life and her struggle to get back to her family. The action is non-stop and I found myself holding my breath for Katniss. I can't wait for the sequel!

Readalikes: I would recommend The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Giver by Lois Lowry, the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld and The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
On my bookshelf: Graceling by Kristin Cashore and The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks