The Gateways are here!

The Gateways are here, the Gateways are here!

Okay, so not here... but the preliminary nominees are in! And my work begins to help get them here. You can visit them from their original source, but I'll also include them below. The Gateway Committee met in early August (I stalked them through the MASL site, so sue me. Okay... they had it listed on the site and I assume they met to talk about, you know, the Gateways). I figured at this meeting they likely narrowed it down to the top 25 potential nominees and the list would come out any day. I waited nearly three weeks and during that time I visited MASL every day, the official Gateway blog, and I googled "2014-2015 Preliminary Gateway Nominees." I did this with such anticipation and hope for the first week, and by the time the searches actually gave me what I had been anticipating I had to refresh my search just to be sure Google wasn't hallucinating.

Okay, a bit dramatic, but still...

From what I can tell they waited until all the MASL awards (there are about 5ish) had their preliminary lists and released them all at once. Which makes sense. I am excited about this list. Usually I can glance at the list and automatically eliminate a few, but not this time. This list is fairly diverse and has some interesting topics ranging from cancer kids to historical supernatural novels.
In blue are my reactions/anticipations of the novels

Also I'd like to note I started this entry a week ago and have been so busy with a new job and start of a new semester at school that I chipped away at this thing bit by bit every day. I discovered this list last Sunday but am posting this today. Since then I have read 3 more books. Enjoy!

Article5 by Kristen Simmons
Post-apocalyptic novel of a strict society and the consequences faced by those who oppose the forming government. Ember and her mother keep a low profile, but when her mother is arrested Ember knows she needs to save her. Otherwise, her mother won't be coming back.
Dystopia/Apocolyptic novel, I like. I hope it's well-done though, the genre is over-saturated and I've read some real duds.

Croaked by Gina Damico
Teenage girl is sent away to live with her uncle for the summer. However, turns out her uncle is the Grim Reaper and he puts her to work for him.
Nice modern take on the supernatural genre! Difficult teen discovers she's part of a supernatural family.

Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman
Identical twins Rachel and Alice often switch identities and even their aunt and uncle can't tell. They are so connected they can even feel each other's pain, so when once is kidnapped the other experiences the damage the other sister takes. It is up to her to use what is happening to her to find her sister.
Growing up I was a HUGE Lois Duncan fan. This reminds me of the books she wrote, I'm really excited for this one. 

The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando
Just before graduation the seniors of Oyster Point High participate in an unofficial scavenger hunt. One senior, Mary, is determined to win after losing her spot at Georgetown University and will stop at nothing to beat out the boy who took her spot.
Something about this reminds me of Jellicoe Road, which is probably one of the top 10 books I've ever read (hmm... future blog entry?!). Of course, it could turn out all teenybopper rage, I-hate-this-boy-but-our-feud-causes-us-to-understand-each-other-and-we-fall-in-love-at-the-end. Don't get me wrong, I love a good feud-turned-love-story (Jellicoe Road was) I just hope it's well-done.

Boy21 by Matthew Quick
Former basketball phenomenon Russ moves to Finley's school. Russ will only answer to Boy21, his former jersey number. Problem is, 21 is Finley's jersey number. Both boys must work together as the number 21 brings their lives together.
I must admit, I struggle to get excited about boy books. Boys who have the same basketball number that fight/bond over a jersey number? Meh. However, I've been skeptical of boy books before and ended up really enjoying them.

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
After a car accident that kills her boyfriend, Allie struggles to remember the events of the night and mourn her loss. What proves more difficult is as she morns her boyfriend, she realizes she was hiding the truth from herself long before his death: that their relationship was an abusive one. As the police investigate the accident, Allie and her friend Blake are the prime suspects.
Hate to be an automatic skeptic, but I've been working with books a long time. The cover looks cheap and my local library doesn't carry it. I ended up buying the book for $2.50 from bn.com, which is also telling. Means it is likely independently published which means it might be a bit rough. Reminds me of Jennifer Browns Bitter End which was amazing. It has a lot to live up to.

Burning Blue by Paul Griffin
When one of the most popular girls in Jay's high school is scarred for life after someone splashes acid on her face, he decides to use his hacking skills to discover who her attacker was. However, the more he learns the more complicated everything gets.
Now this sounds exciting. Not that this girl gets acid on her face, but it is an interesting premise and while I haven't read Paul Griffin, I am familiar with his books and he seems to write real quality novels.

Butter by Erin Jade Lange
Over 400lbs, Butter decides he is tired of his obese body and decides to kill himself. But he doesn't just plan to kill himself, he advertises that he will eat himself to death live for his whole school to see.
Just finished this one. I originally though it sounded really cool, but I got skeptical when I saw it was written by a skinny blonde chick. Not that a skinny blonde chick can't write about being an obese boy, but it does seem like an odd author/character pairing. I'll write an actual review of this book in a separate entry.

Dark Eyes by William Harlan Richter
Wally is adopted by a New York family, but she was adopted from Russia. After a rebelious childhood with her adoptive family, Wally takes off and lives on the streets only to discover her biological father is looking for her--to kill her. She must learn her birth mother's secrets before he can find her.
There are a few Lisbeth Salander teen wannabe books, two of them are on this list. In a way this synopsis reminds me of the Fearless series from the early 2000s, but the other Lisbeth Salander teen wannabe book sounds a bit better and there is likely only room for one of the final list.

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Evie O'Neill has upset her parents one too many times and is sent to New York City to live with her bachelor uncle. It is 1926 and Evie is thrilled to be among the flappers. However, her supernatural power to know the history of any object she touches lands her right in the middle of a murder mystery and all clues point to one suspect: a man who has been dead for many years.
This one I read last year, and in my opinion everything Libba Bray writes is gold. While my favorite of her work is Beauty Queens, This one is a close second. It has a spunky flapper protagonist with supernatural powers and just enough feminist angst to get the message across without forcing it down your throat. 

Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon
Thriller with a protagonist compared to Lisbeth Salander. Noa grows up in foster care and at sixteen attempts to live life "off the grid" as a hacker. But when she wakes up in a mysterious place with an IV in her arm, Noa learns she needs allies to help her discover who is looking for her and why.
I'm super excited about this one. I'll start it tomorrow as my next audiobook. This is the other Lisbeth Salander teen wannabe book and it sounds closer to Lisbeth than Dark Eyes does. 

Every Day by David Levithan
A does not have a body. A is neither male nor female, but A is a person who changes bodies every day. When A spends the day in the body of Justin, A falls for Justin's girlfriend Rhiannon. For the first time he trusts someone with his secret and the two attempt a relationship that is seemingly impossible and unpredictable.
While I enjoyed this book, I struggled with it because I listened to the audio book and the reader was female. I suspect this was done on purpose and while I am in complete agreement with the point Levithan is trying to make (love doesn't have a gender) it for some reason made it difficult for me to connect. Plus the actress had a voice that was scratchy and broke a lot. Anyway, for the official review...
I think this book might spark some controversy if selected. If parents in Blue Springs are currently support banning Hold Still because the main character happens to be friends with a gay girl (they don't even date, just friends) then this will blow their suburban minds.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Cancer kids Hazel and Augustus meet in a cancer support group. They discover they have similar thoughts on life as well as dying and bond over the love of a book. Despite the fact that one teen is dying and the other is in recession, the two form a relationship where their greatest concerns involve the reasons for their favorite book ending the way it did.
I know. It's sad, cancer kids. However, it is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read and has made me finally a John Green convert (didn't like his other books--I know YA reader blasphemy). Hazel and August discuss the philosophy of life and it just has such meaning. Tears streaming down face for about 50 pages, well worth it. One billion stars.

The Final Four by Paul Volponi
Four players with a desire to prove themselves during March Madnesss. This fictional tale depicts the individual stories of one player from the final four teams, why he loves basketball, and what winning the NCAA Championship will do to change his life.
Boy Book. I'll take one for the team and read it (get it?!).

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
Arn is a boy whose village in Cambodia is overrun by soldiers. Taken to a work camp he must struggle to survive and keep his family safe, even when that means taking up a gun and becoming a soldier.
I'm sort of over Patricia McCormick's political agenda (okay, she says she doesn't have one she's just pointing out the condition of humanity--but seriously). However, she is a good author and she does research her stuff very well, so to a Cambodia labor camp I will go!

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry
Gabie works as a pizza delivery girl. One night another pizza delivery girl she works with, Kayla, goes missing, and earlier that night someone called and specifically asked if the girl who drove the Mini Cooper was working--the car that Gabie drives. Gabie feels that she was the one that was supposed to be kidnapped that night and will stop at nothing to uncover the truth and find Kayla.
Ooooh, a good mystery! The Gateways need at least one good mystery, I hope this one lives up to it. I've saving this read for October.

October Mourning by Lesla Newman
On October 6, Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard was beaten and left on a fence to die, which he did. Matthew was openly gay and his murder was considered a hate crime. At a nearby Wyoming university, Lesla Newman was the keynote speaker for a seminar on tolerance. Years later she compiled this work of poetry and stories of how Matthew Shepard's death effective the lives of many.
Another book that will likely spark controversy but I must admit, I sort of enjoy a little conflict with my literature. I just finished this one and the poems are well-written. I finished the book in about an hour.

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
In a fictional realm a prince is searching for a girl who can communicate with fish. When he finds Emma he thinks she might be the girl, but it takes some adventures for her to prove his skills to him.
I go back and forth on this one. Interesting fantasy premise... but then it kinda sounds like a mushy love story. I'll just have to read this one before I can really form an opinion. 

Revived by Cat Patrick
After a deadly accident that kills her, Daisy is revived. She then becomes part of a government experiment where Daisy has died and been revived five times in her life, and she is only fifteen. She must do what she can to escape and lead a normal life.
Government experimentation? I've already confessed to reading the Fearless series. I'm pretty excited for this one. 

Skinny by Donna Cooner
Ever is overweight and constantly hears a voice in her head that tells her all the mean things her classmates think about her. In an attempt to lose weight and become healthier, Ever undergoes a risky surgery that may help her.
This one is kinda self-explanatory. I'm excited to read it though, when I read Fat Cat for one of the previous Gateway Lists I was all gun-ho about going organic and losing weight. Can you inspire me, Ever?

Slide by Jill Hathaway
Vee is a narcoleptic which means she passes out at seemingly random moments. However, she is not completely unaware during one of her episodes, she slides into someone else's mind and experiences the same things they do. When her sister's friend Sophie commits suicide only Vee knows that she was actually murdered.
Another Lois Duncanesque novel, I'm excited for this one too!

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller
Travis returns from war in Afgahnistan to discover his personal life is falling apart. His parents split up, his brother is dating his girlfriend and has stolen his car, and he struggles to sleep at night due to nightmares of things he witnessed while at war, including his friend's death. However, he runs into Harper, a girl he has known since middle school, and things start to take an unexpected but pleasant turn.
Boy book. It reminds me of one of the Gateways I read a few years ago about a girl who falls in love with a boy who is kinda in a gang but not really and ends up murdering his neighbor. I forget the name of the book and really don't feel like researching it but it had a dog on the cover. Anyway, while this isn't a girl loves gang-boy novel its a boy love story and... meh. 

Starters by Lissa Price
In a future society everyone between the ages of 20 and 60 have been eliminated. Callie and her little brother are orphans, as are almost all children her age. They live a squatters with their friend Michael and make their way to Prime Destinations, a place where Enders, or those 60+, can rent out bodies of the young to have a chance to be young again. However, while Callie's body is being rented her chip malfunctions and she is aware the whole time but unable to control her own body. She learns that her renter is planning to do much more while in her body than just have a good time...
Dystopia/Apocolyptic. Interesting premise, I hope it doesn't disappoint!

The Warrior's Heart by Eric Creitens
Part memoir of his life growing up and time as a Navy SEAL, part life advice for young men, Eric Creitens addresses what it means to make powerful choices and to act with courage every day.
Boy book. However, the teacher side of me is excited that a non-fiction book made the list (Common Core is ALL about that non-fiction stuff we keep hearing about...). Also, I think this would be a really good book for boys and I know a lot of them ask for books about war heroes or war stories.

Trafficked by Kim Purcell
Hannah is an orphan in Moldova, a country that sits between Romania and the Ukraine. She is given the opportunity to move to Los Angeles to work as a nanny for a Russian family. However, she soon discovers that she was mislead and is unable to leave the house she works in or take time off. She works 16 hour days and is what is considered a modern-day slave. With false papers, no money, and a language barrier, Hannah is stranded.
I'm excited about this one, though it also isn't available at my library, which is one of my red flags. However, it reminds me of Patricia McCormick's Sold, except she's not a sex slave and she's past the age of puberty... well anyway. I think this will be a good one. 

Disclaimer: I would also like to note that this is in no way a criticism of the Gateway Committee. Those on the committee work really hard to narrow down a TON of books into 25 preliminaries. Right now they are likely getting started on the 2015-2016 preliminaries while Reader Selectors are scoring the 2015-2014 books. Once the scores are in the committee will need to evaluate the scores and make sure the final 15 books meet various standards including those with the highest Reader Selector scores and a good variety of titles so that at least every high school student in the state of Missouri will find something they will enjoy. That's a pretty tall order. While I'm disappointed that some of of the books from the initial 72 did not make the cut, I am sure the committee had reason. Any criticism of these books or this list are my own opinion.

The Blog About My Blog...

Greetings! This blog is about, well... my blog! As the description says, the theme about this blog will be about my adventures in reading, gaming, relationships, and starting life in a new city. Here are some facts that make me qualified to discuss such topics:

• I can type
• I have been reading since roughly the age of 6
• I play online games
• I have a boyfriend
• I moved to a new city

In all seriousness, though, here's a bit about me:

Reading & Books

• I am an avid reader and have spent my career surrounding myself with books. I worked for Barnes & Noble for six years and for the last three I have been working for public libraries. My degree is in English Education and I'm working on my Master's in Library and Information Science with a certification to be a School Library Media Specialist (what many of you know of as a School Librarian). 
• Currently I am working part-time for a public library in the St. Louis area and as a library aide for a school district.
• I serve as a Reader Selector for the Missouri Gateway Award. The Gateway is an award given to an American author of a teen novel (grades 9-12) annually by the Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL). The Reader Selectors are a variation of readers from all over the state. Mostly they are teachers and school librarians, but there are readers from the public libraries and also students are welcome to read. The committee publishes a list of 25 books every August (any day now!) and the Reader Selectors have from that date (any day now!) to December 1 to read all 25 books and rate them. Last year was the first year I read all 25, but I didn't even do that (technically). I read so much teen lit that when the list comes out I already have a chunk read.

Gaming

• I play Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games. What is that? I don't have time to explain, go here and read about it. Basically, if you are familiar with World of Warcraft or have some sort of vague concept for what it is, you're kinda with me. I started playing in 2008 when my then boyfriend wanted me to game with him. He had played an MMO before that had essentially been discontinued and was looking for something new. I was given the choice of several games and, being a reader, chose Lord of the Rings Online.
• I have two characters (also know as "toons") at level cap in LOTRO. They are Sylvarian (a Rune-keeper) and Lazarian (a Lore-master). Their names are pronounced Sylv-ree-in and Laz-ree-in, but everyone just says them how they are spelled and think that I'm a boy. Oh well. Sylv is a healer/DPSr (Damage Per Second) and Laz is DPS/CC (Crowd Control). They have been with me five years now and I will talk about them as if they are real.
• I also play Star Wars the Old Republic (SWTOR). I started there about two years ago when the game was in beta (when the game isn't really out yet and people are allowed in on invite only so the developers can work out bugs and players can provide feedback--being in beta often gives gamers some unofficial bragging status and all players who are subscribed within a certain amount of time, a month usually, from release are called "founders"). I got my Jedi up to 37 then returned to LOTRO. Now LOTRO is being, well, lame (separate blog post I'm sure) so a few of my friends and I from LOTRO are in SWTOR playing on the Imperial (dark) side. I'm currently leveling a Sith Warrior Maurader named Lazreleth and she's pretty awesome.
• Yes, I have friends in the gaming world. To them, I am known as Laz.

Boyfriend

• This will be less word. I have a boyfriend named Tim. He and I met in Lord of the Rings Online (yup! Nerd love) and have both recently moved in together. 
• We had a puppy! Well, we got  a puppy together. I have a six year old terrier, Delilah, who was feeling rather lonely after our move to St. Louis and Tim kept trying to wrestle her like she was a boy and she was trying to figure out when he would just figure out that she was to be adored, but not wrestled. Well, we got a boy puppy and named him Samson (yeah, famous couple dogs for the win). He's totally insane and it's been awesome watching him grow. As of this post he is 3 months old.

New City

• When we met, I was living in Kansas City, Missouri and Tim was living in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is from St. Louis originally and so we met up when he was home to visit his family for Christmas last year. Through a series of events he ended up moving to St. Louis soon after that and we commuted back and forth for a few months. In April we got an apartment together but I was working for a school district. I officially moved to St. Louis at the end of May and am adjusting to the various similarities and differences between St. Louis and Kansas City.

Please enjoy reading this blog and if you don't, move on. The opinions here are my own  and if you don't like them there are surely blogs that will say what you want to hear.

Peace out.