mer's blog

It’s the trip of a lifetime—a one week visit to the moon! It’s an experience very few people can claim. Three teens will join NASA on this lunar trip—their names drawn by lottery. Millions across the globe have entered. The three lucky winners are Mia (a Scandinavian Goth), Antoine (a heartbroken French boy) and Midori (a Japanese girl desperate to get out of her small hometown). They will stay at a base, DARLAH 2, which was constructed in the 70’s. The liftoff goes beautifully, as does the landing. The group settles into the DARLAH 2 and discovers some technical problems. Everything after is the stuff of nightmares. Will they survive the horror waiting for them on the moon? Will Mia, Antoine and Midori make it home to Earth?
Don’t miss this exciting new book! It won the 2008 Brage Prize—a Norwegian literature award. A translation just released in the U.S. It's brand-spanking-new (to us) and will definitely receive some American love. From the outset, readers are privy to a top secret meeting in regards to the trip. We know that something went horribly, horribly wrong on the moon. Their conversation provides enough details to make us uncomfortable: something on the moon ruined a previous mission and it's still there. Also, they've decided that adding three teens to the mission will provide much needed publicity and will ensure support and approval. They are so doomed.
This book has a movie-like feel. It’s a very quick read and the sense of dread will keep the pages flipping to find out who survives.
Also try:
The Comet’s Curse by Dom Testa
Living Hell by Catherine Jinks
Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

Here are some first line teasers from some highly anticipated new releases:

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

"When he grabs Mama's wrist and yanks her toward the wall-hanging like that, it must hurt."

Black Dawn by Rachel Caine

"Morganville, Texas, isn't like other towns."

Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

"Chains clanked in the darkness of the holding cells."

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

"I wake with his name in my mouth."

Place your hold today!

Always on the fringes of social activity, Evie pretty much keeps to herself. Her paper route places her in the same neighborhood at the same time that Jonah Luks is working. He’s a handsome college student responsible for clearing the neighborhood woods of dead animals. She always watches for him, waits for him. One day Jonah discovers the body of a person in the woods and Evie is one of the first to know (she hides and watches the situation unfolding). The the murder victim is one of Evie’s classmates, Elizabeth (nicknamed Zabet for short). Even though their friendship did not continue past middle school, Zabet’s murder sparks so much turmoil in Evie’s life.
Evie is shocked when she finds herself telling Zabet’s father they were best friends at Zabet’s funeral. The lie just slips out and there’s no way for her to take it back. Hadley (a rough, wild girl who was Zabet’s real best friend) keeps Evie’s secret for some reason. An awkward friendship develops between the two and together they plunge into investigating Zabet’s death. Her new-found friendship with Hadley is often one-sided and Hadley frequently pushes Evie to do things she’s uncomfortable with. Just how far will Evie have to go to find out what truly happened?

If you’re looking for a slightly unsettling, yet interesting character story, give this book a try.
The murder is less of a mystery and more of an investigation that takes a back seat to the new developments in Evie’s life. It’s a perfect read for a gray, rainy, chilly day. Hot beverage necessary.

Also try:

Looking for Alaska by John Green
Lucas by Kevin Brooks
The Secret to Lying by Todd Mitchell

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Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation)is adapting the Chaos Walking trilogy for the big screen! See here for details.