What it’s about (from Goodreads):

In this fable, the first man on earth to count the hours becomes Father Time. The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so. 

Our thoughts:

This is a wonderful story about the meaning of time. If you think about it, we count time constantly, all day long. There are clocks everywhere. There is the clock on the nightstand telling us when to get up, one on the stove, the microwave, the coffee pot, the water cooler, the TV, the VCR and even our phones. We have clocks on our walls, in our cars, and on our wrists, all counting down the minutes to what? Why do we always need to know what time it is?

The point that Mitch Albom makes in The Time Keeper is that we should all stop trying to control time and spend more time appreciating it. Granted we do need to measure time in order to function in today's world. I can't imagine my boss would be too pleased if I wandered in to work at any hour, but I do think we would all be more relaxed if we didn't pay such close attention to the clock.

I can't say that I like all of Mitch Albom's work, but I really enjoyed this book. I loved the story line and the ending.

We would recommend this to:

Fans of Historical Fiction

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Our source: ARC via Netgalley

 

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

 

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Our thoughts:

Gah, I loved this! I was SO excited to get approved for a Netgalley copy early and no I'm SO SAD that I have wait so long for the seond book!

 

There was a lot going on here: changing family dynamics, worrying about paying for college, trouble with friends. Cara's pretty much every teenager - except she has a hot alien exchange student staying with her. Through everything, Cara is real. She's not some perfect version of a teenage. She's someone I could have been in high school - or someone I would have been friends with - and that makes her incredibly relatable.

 

We would recommend this to:

Fans of YA, Fans of Fantasy, Those who enjoyed the Sultry Springs series

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Published by: Viking

Our source: Our local library

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

Quentin Coldwater is brillant but miserable. He's a senior in high school, and a certifiable genius, but he's still secretly obsessed with a series of fantasy novels he read as a kid, about the adventures of five children in a magical land called Fillory. Compared to that, anything in his real life just seems gray and colorless. 

Everything changes when Quentin finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the practice of modern sorcery. He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. But something is still missing. Magic doesn't bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he though it would.

Our thoughts:

We would recommend this to:

People who are looking for an edgier Harry Potter

Published by: HarperCollins

Our source: Our local library

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

I adore Gaiman's creative mind. His books are always a fantastic adventure, and this one is no different. The child narrator is spot-on and the illustrations of the book add so much to the story.

It's hilarious and the perfect read-aloud book.

We would recommend this to:

Parents or grandparents who want a fun book to read aloud to the kids in their lives, anyone who just wants a fun distraction, kids of all ages

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Published by: Quirk

Our source: Complimentary Copy from the Publisher

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

I found this to be wonderfully strange and very creepy. I loved the idea of being able to go back to another time period. My favorite part of the book though was the pictures and how Riggs has tied these very odd photographs into his story. I found both the story and the photography to be very creative and entertaining.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is Riggs's first novel and I loved it. It's so full of adventure and fantasy that I didn't want it to end. Riggs's second novel of Miss Peregrine's peculiar children titled Hollow City is slated to come out in January 2014 and I can't wait. I' looking forward to not only the tale continuing, but also some more great photos.

We would recommend this to:

Fans of fantasy, horror and fiction of all ages, anyone looking for a good Halloween read

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Our source: Our local library

What it’s about (from Goodreads):

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

Our thoughts:

 

It seems like so many of the current vampire books have un-scary vampires. Here, the vampires are scary. They're still sexy and glamorous, but they're dangerous in a way that I feel is missing from other currently popular books. And it felt impressive that Tana does not want to be a vampire.

 

This book was great. It was a slowly building story that came together great. I loved the characters and the world Black built. It's one of those books that I wish I could have five sequels to read right now because I just want to keep living in the story.

 

And although the vampires were scary, the book itself wasn't too scary. I'm a wimp and could handle it just fine! If you're looking for a not-scary-but-seasonal Halloween read, I strongly recommend this one!

We would recommend this to:

Fans of vampire stories, people who like stories of friendship and survival,  anyone looking for a good Halloween read