It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I wanted to get the memory of the DOAWK books I read a few weeks ago out of my head, so I went for some "girly" books last week. Here's what I thought of what I read...

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Finally, by Wendy Mass

The second in the Willow Falls series, I found this book to be a little slower than the first.  The same mysterious woman with the mole on her face that is shaped like a duck appears again and mysterious things happen.  This book reminded me a lot of a recent Disney movie...16 Wishes starring Debby Ryan.  Rory makes a list of all the things she will be able to do when she's 12 and slowly gets to cross them off after her birthday only to find that she didn't really want most of those things on her list.  Fans of the first book will enjoy this one, too.

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Rule of Three by Megan McDonald

Very cute preteen book about a trio of sisters.  This is second book in the series.  It pretty much picks up where the first book, The Sisters Club, leaves off.  This book focuses in on Alex, the middle sister. Any middle child will be able to relate the "hardships" Alex goes through in this book.  She often feels overlooked because she's not the older and she's not the baby, but by then end, she realizes that being in the middle is not so bad.   Easy, but enjoyable read.

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Whisper, by Alyson Noel

I had been eagerly awaiting the fourth book in the Riley Bloom series and was glad to see Riley back on the Earthly plane rescuing souls, although I did find it difficult to get into the storyline about convincing a gladiator named Theocoles to cross over.  This was a more challenging Soul Catcher assignment for Riley, but she did ask for a challenge.   Maybe with the help of Messalina, Theocoles' girlfriend, Riley might be able to convince Theocoles to cross the bridge to the Here and Now.  But does Messalina really want to help Riley?  I did enjoy this book, but I wonder if this is the final book in series.  It was difficult to tell from the ending.  Guess I will wait and see.

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No Ordinary Excuse by Michelle Adams

Gemma forgot to do a project over the break and now she has to come up with a reason why she needs extra time to finish her project.  But she can't just use any ordinary excuse.  She's used too many in the past. What will she come up with?  Cute book, although it was a bit slow in spots. Some readers might get distracted by the Australian jargon, but good readers will be able to get the meaning from the context.   Readers will definitely want to stick it out to the end to find out how it all turns out.  I personally love that Gemma, the main character, learns a lesson about telling the truth by the end of the story.  Yay for YA books that teach moral values!

I was able to get a free copy of No Ordinary Excuse through NetGalley.  If you are a SLMS or Teacher Librarian, you can get free copies of books through NetGalley, too.  If you haven't checked out NetGalley, I highly recommend it.  It's free to sign up if you are a librarian and you can get access to tons of free eBooks (which are really more documents downloads, but hey, it's free!) to try before you buy.  You don't have to write a review of the books you download, but I am sure it is highly appreciated if you do.I highly recommend it.  I've been able to find and a read a few good books that I know I will want to add to our collection.

So, have you read any good books lately?

*I'm an affiliate for things I've bought or used personally.  If you click through any referral links (if included), at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you make a purchase.  Thank you for your support in this way.