November book selection: Born At Midnight

November's Book Club selection is Born At Midnight by C.C. Hunter. Read the book and discuss it with us in person on December 1 at 3:30pm, or discuss online here.
Born at Midnight looks like a great read, incorporating vampires, werewolves, faeries and shapeshifters into the storyline. Here's a synopsis of the book:
Kylie's surrounded by vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches and shapeshifters. And if she believes what they tell her, she's one of them. They're just not sure exactly how she fits in. As Kylie struggles to cope with the realization that these creatures even exist, and the fact that she might not be human, she's got two hot guys, a werewolf and a half-fairy vying for her attention. And they can just keep vying. Kylie's determined that before she lets her heart loose on love, she needs to unearth the truth. What does the ghost want? Who can and can't she trust? And most of all . . . What is she?

And here's a Born At Midnight BOOK TRAILER to watch! Intriguing!

Breaking Dawn Movie Trailer

Okay, who's going to see it? What are your expectations? Any thoughts on this?

October Selection: Darkness Becomes Her

When we meet on October 8,  we will be discussing Kelly Keaton's Darkness Becomes Her. This book takes place in a spooky New Orleans setting.  I became interested in this title back in June, when I visited New Orleans and the American Library Association conference there.  It's fun and interesting to imagine the fictional characters of the story in the real-life places I've been.
Also, just F.Y.I.: I think that I saw the gate that's pictured on the cover of the book at one of the cemeteries that I visited in New Orleans. All the graves are above ground, in little marble buildings, and some of them had elaborate ironwork fences with gates around the grave. This one, with it's weeping angel in the middle and the two tree branches that form the frame for the gate really stick out in my mind!


Here's a trailer for the book, which is nice, but doesn't do it justice.  The book was pretty amazing, and the plot twist surprised me, which I like.  I will take the time to read the next book in the series, and I can't say that for all the books we read at Bella's Book Club.
 

July Book Selection: Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Hey BBC members! July's meeting will be a fun one, so you don't want to miss it. We'll be discussing Gena Showalter's Intertwined. I've seen that some of you have come in to check out the book, so we should have a pretty good discussion to post here later.
Here's a summary of Intertwined:

Sixteen-year-old Aden Stone is a magnet for the supernatural. He has four human souls trapped in his head. Then he meets Mary Ann--and the voices in his head quiet. But Aden's troubles are just beginning.

Sounds intriguing! Most reviews I've read about this title have high praise for the romance element of the book, as well as the dark, brooding mystery.

July's meeting will also be the meeting where I give you the update on the American Library Association conference and all the new paranormal books coming out for the rest of the year! Remember--it's held in New Orleans this year, the city of vampires and voodoo! You never know what stories or fun freebies I'll bring back to share!

Book Selection for June: Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

This month's book selection is James Patterson's Witch and Wizard. It's the first book in a planned series. Here's a summary:
The world is changing: the government has seized control of every aspect of society, and now, kids are disappearing. For 15-year-old Wisty and her older brother Whit, life turns upside down when they are torn from their parents one night and slammed into a secret prison for no reason they can comprehend. The New Order, as it is known, is clearly trying to suppress Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Being a Normal Teenager. But while trapped in this totalitarian nightmare, Wisty and Whit discover they have incredible powers they'd never dreamed of. Can this newly minted witch and wizard master their skills in time to save themselves, their parents--and maybe the world?

Read along with us, and post your opinions here!

Tomorrow's the day! PATRICK JONES LIVE at TECUMSEH BRANCH!

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 9th at 1:00! Get ready everyone, as Patrick rocks the Tecumseh Branch with interesting stories of his travels and talks about his Teen fiction books. Most of all, the BBC'ers are chomping at the bit to ask the difficult questions we all want to know about our favorite Patrick Jones book, The Tear Collector. And, just to whet your appetite, here's Patrick answering some questions in preparation for his Fort Wayne tour...

SPECIAL EVENT! Author Patrick Jones to speak at Tecumseh Branch Library

If you read my earlier post, you'll see that the Bella's Book Club selection for April is The Tear Collector. This month, we will be having our in-person discussion at the library on April 7th at 3:30pm, as planned, but we also have a very special bonus: a chance to meet the author, Patrick Jones! On Saturday, April 9th at 1:00pm, Patrick will be speaking at the branch, with a light reception following. There should be plenty of time for all of us to ask questions and chat with Mr. Jones. Don't forget to bring your copies of his books to have them signed!

I can tell you from experience that Patrick is a wonderful speaker--he is really interesting and HIGHLY entertaining! We look forward to his visit. You won't want to miss this great event!

What We're Reading: The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones

Yes, it's a vampire book!

The April selection for Bella's Book Club is The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones. Don't let the sad boy on the front cover fool you. There is something freaky going on at Lapeer High. What if that friend of yours who is always there for you, always ready to be the shoulder you cry on, was really a vampire who lives on the tears that you cry?

Read the book, then come to our discussion on April 7th, 3:30 pm at the Tecumseh Branch in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Or, for those of you reading along with us long-distance, please comment here or on the book discussion page that I'll post a few days after April 7th.

And, as if that wasn't enough, we have a book trailer to watch for this one! Awesomesauce!

Book Discussion: Fallen by Kate Lauren

Random notes from the March Bella's Book Club meeting about Fallen:

She keeps dying over and over again because she loves this guy--unfair, and kinda repetitive!

Luce is clingy. She is shallow because as soon as she sees Daniel she doesn't like Cam! What is with this?

The story started out slow, but gained momentum about half way.

All the clues in this book lead to nothing (note: some of them do lead to something, but there are a LOT of red herrings!

Everyone in this school is involved in this struggle between good and evil, and Luce doesnt know that at first.

They don't fight to win---they fight til they get tired.

The librarian is evil--that's just wrong (tee hee!)

Cam does nice things, yet he is a "bad" character. He gets a bad rap.

We really like the shadows, they build suspense and their existence really adds to the mystery of the book.

What We're Reading: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Bella's Book Club is reading Fallen by Lauren Kate as our book of the month. We will be discussing it at our in-person meeting on March 3 at the Tecumseh Branch Library, and we will be discussing it online here shortly after that. Read along with us, and put your comments on the blog.
Here's a book trailer for Fallen:



Fallen has been optioned as a movie by Disney Studios, so we may see this book hit the big screen. Here's a plot summary:

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

What we're reading: BEASTLY by Alex Flinn

Bella's Book Club met in January to discuss a potpourri of books, because over the holidays, we left it sort of open-ended for each reader to choose a book, and bring it in to discuss. It gave us all great ideas for future book discussions!

We chose the book for February: Beastly, by Alex Flinn, from one of those discussions. We also want to make sure to read Beastly before the film is released in March. We will be meeting at the Tecumseh Branch Library in Fort Wayne, IN on February 3 at 3:30 to discuss this intriguing book!

If you are reading along with us, hope that you enjoy this book...I know can't wait to read it! We will post a discussion after the in-person book club meets. In the meantime, here some nifty tidbits from the upcoming film: