Anathema by Colleen Coble

The peace of the Amish country is shattered by a burglary and two murders. Hannah Schwartz, who has been taught to forgive by her Amish upbringing, can not find it in her heart to forgive whoever murdered her parents; therefore, she runs away with her Englisch boyfriend, only to find that she made the wrong decision.

Colleen Coble has great insight into the Amish ways and weaves a terrific story for the reader. This book was recommended by one of my sophomore students, so it is enjoyable for readers of all ages.

The Mediator: The Ninth Key by Meg Cabot

Having a love life is practically impossible with a ghost hovering over Suze constatnly. Mediator Suze Simons is becoming more popular in school and has been invited to a pool party. While at the party, she meets and dances with Tad. Maybe her love life is starting to go in the right direction. However, later that night, a woman-ghost wakes her up screaming, "tell Red he didn't kill me."

Becoming curious about this Red character, Suze investigates and discovers a lead to Mr. Beaumont. Disguised as a school news reporter, she is able to get an appointment with him and tells him what the ghost said. He asks Suze what others have not--to contact the others he has killed. Luckily, she is able to escape and comes across Tad.

What does Tad do as the plot thickens? And will Jesse make more surprise appearances?  This second book in The Mediator series will keep you on your toes.

Guest review submitted by: RAWR!

Mediator: Shadowland by Meg Cabot

Susannah Simon (Suze) packs up her bags and moves to California, thinking this will be her big break. Too bad for Suze that the thing or things she is running from wander back into her life--or better yet, her bedroom. Yes, Suze finds herself a smoking-hot boy in her room, but that's not the problem. The problem is, he's a ghost.

Suze is a mediator, a person who helps the dead move on. Ever since she was a little girl, she has gotten daily visits from ghosts who need her help; however, she has no ambition to help them. Luckily, this works out when Jesse, the hot ghost-boy in her bedroom says he doesn't need her help.

However, at her new school, she happens to come across a ghost who has only revenge on her mind and wants Suze gone. There goes the normal, peaceful life.

Watch Suze struggle through a new family, a new home, a new school, and a whole lot more ghosts.

Guest review submitted by: RAWR!

The Coffin by Ellen Schreiber

Once again Alexander leaves Dullsville for some urgent business. Unable to stay away from him for too long, Raven goes to the one place where he might be--Hipsterville. While staying  there with her aunt, Raven starts to investigate--which leads her to The Coffin Club. Thinking it's a club for vampire wannabes, Raven starts to leave when she finds a secret passageway leading her to something unexpected: real vampires. While trying to blend in with the night-wanderers, Raven sees the one person she never wants to set eyes on again--Jagger. Trying to avoid him, she runs into a new vampire, Phoenix, who seems oddly familiar.

What is Jagger's ultimate plan? Why is Phoemix so familiar? And will Alexander ever return? All of these questions will be unlocked in Schreiber's humorous fifth book.

Guest review submitted by RAWR!

Dance with a Vampire by Ellen Schreiber

Finally, with Jasper and Luna gone, Raven and Alexander can be together without interruptions. That is, until Jasper and Luna's little brother Valentine comes to town and annoys Raven's little brother Billy. It seems that Raven's relationship with her boyfriend is always troublesome.
Will this cause a separation? What does Valentine want with Billy? When will Raven and Alexander have peace?

This fourth book of Schreiber's is a never-ending ride which will keep your eyes glued to the page.


Guest review submitted by: RAWR!

Vampireville by Ellen Schreiber

Reunited with her vampire boyfriend, Raven tries to succeed in doing what normal teenage couples do. This all backfires when evil vampire Jagger's twin sister Luna makes a visit to Dullsville. Luna, Jagger, and Alexander have a past together, and Luna and Jagger are back for revenge. In addition, Jagger wants to turn Raven into a vampire to make her love only him. But how does Trevor Mitchell, popular soccer dweeb, fit into this equation?
Jump into this hilarious third book of Vampire Kisses where surprises lurk at every corner.

Guest review submitted by: RAWR!

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

The second book of the Darkest Powers Trilogy gets even more exciting. Chloe and her gang of supernaturals are still on the run from the Edison Group. Now that her Aunt Lauren is part of the group that is trying to "cure" her, Chloe doesn't know who to trust.

Find out if Chloe makes it out alive or dies trying.

Guest review submitted by: RAWR!

The Confession by John Grisham

In The Confession, John Grisham makes a valid case for abolishing the death penalty through the character of Donte Drumm, the town's star football player who sits on death row for the murder of a cheerleader nine years before--a murder which he did not commit. The story revolves around the race to save his life when the real murderer comes forward and confesses to a preacher who lives several states away. Allowing the reader to see what goes on behind the scenes in preparation for a lethal injection and in the court appeals process, the story also reveals the racial prejudices in a small Texas town where the condemned is black and the victim white.

Grisham does an excellent job of creating suspense and leaves readers with many questions about the Texas penal systerm.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Lisbeth Salander, one of the main characters of the novel, is not a typical do-gooder because of her punk style and dragon tattoo; however, she  helps Mikael Blomkvist (an atypical journalist charged with libel) investigate the disappearance of Henrik Vanger's grand niece. With her excellent computer hacking skills and his interest in finding answers, Salander and Blomkvist look into the Vanger family's secrets and find  a very complex story.

The book contains violence against women and sexual encounters, adding to the intricate plot.

The Girl Who played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who played with Fire is the second book in Stieg Larsson's triology.  Pubisher Mikael Blomkvist once again becomes entangled with Lisbeth Salander, who is accused of three murders. The plots twists around Sweden's sex trafficing laws and Salander's past life.

This book moves slower than the other two, but still provides quite a maze through which the reader can navigate.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

In Larsson's last book before his death, his reliable female character, Lisbeth Salander, wakes up in a coma, and once again, trusts Mikael Blomkvist to help her discover who has shot her and her father, a Soviet defector in the Swedish security force. Blomkvist and Salander communicate mostly on-line to take care of the evil forces at work around them.

Like Larsson's other two books, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest contains a plot so well-woven the novel is hard to put down.