Lindsay's September Recommendations

For our very first month, I proudly came up with the theme novels that take place in school. So read to find out my recommendations for books to read that will make you feel better about going back to school knowing these characters are fairing far worse than you.

Fallen by Lauren Kate

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. 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 Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce – he goes out of his way to make that very clear. But she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Luce 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's an easy way to make you thankful that you're school isn't completely boring? Read about Luce going to Sword & Cross where the classes are long, boring and full of bad kids. Did I mention the guy Luce liked died right in front of her?

 



  Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.
As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Need to spice up your time with some humor, hot boys and magic powers? Hex Hall is just the book for you. With hilarious spells gone wrong, a mysterious death and a forbidden romance, this book is sure to keep your days interesting and cause you to day dream during class. 

 

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her? Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

Secret passages, classes on combat and outings with a cute boy? This book is every girl's dream school - minus the whole secret agent and pain thing. Unless you're into that. Have fun going to school after this one, you might be wondering if your own educational building has some underground tunnels of it's own.





Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick 

A SACRED OATHA FALLEN ANGELA FORBIDDEN LOVERomance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Though it's been a while since I read this book, I remember being so immersed in the pages that I had goose bumps, and not one person could pry me from it's words. If you're looking for a good distraction and a book that pulls you right into it, I suggest reading this book. Also, there's Patch. I think enough is definitely said.

Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers

When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her counselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth.Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.

If I had to pick only one thing I loved about this book, it would be how amazing the scenes are throughout the novel. So many of them were hard hitting, and I find myself still thinking about the scene with her dog over and over again. It really hit home with me. Though I can't relate on a personal level to Parker, I find myself sympathizing with her more than I expected I would.

 Hold Still by Nina LaCour

I am a girl ready to explode into nothing.That night Ingrid told Caitlin, I'll go wherever you go. But by dawn, Ingrid was dead and Caitlin was alone. Suddenly Caitlin has to deal with a completely unfamiliar life—a life without the art, the laughter, the music, and the joy she shared with her best friend. When she finds the journal Ingrid left behind, Caitlin gets a chance to learn about another side of her friend; and the journal becomes her guide as she deals with forging new friendships, finding a first love, and learning to live without the one person who knew her best.

Throughout the course of a year, Caitlin deals with the tragic loss of her best friend, going through school, holidays and the real day to day life she has to endure without the one person she always thought would be by her side. Though emotional at times, this book holds a special place in my heart and makes me thankful for the friends I have that are still around.

 

Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

You say Spoiled like it's a bad thing.Sixteen-year-old Molly Dix has just discovered that her biological father is Brick Berlin, world-famous movie star and red-carpet regular. Intrigued (and a little) terrified by her Hollywood lineage, Molly moves to Los Angeles and plunges headfirst into the deep of Beverly Hills celebrity life. Just as Molly thinks her life couldn't get any stranger, she meets Brooke Berlin, her gorgeous, spoiled half sister, who welcomes Molly to la-la land with a smothering dose "sisterly love"...but in this town, nothing is ever what it seems. Set against a world of Redbull-fuelled stylists, tiny tanned girls, popped-collar guys, and Blackberry-wielding publicists, Spoiled is a sparkling debut from the writers behind the viciously funny celebrity blog GoFugYourself.com

You think your school year is hard? Try being finding out your father is famous and having to go to school with your crazy, protective-of-her-father step sister. That equals hell. But what it also equals? Lots and lots of money! Woo!

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.Her father was right. The monsters are real….To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn't careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

When I read this book, I was not expecting what I got - and what I got was amazing. A connection with a very, very hot boy, a bunch of zombies that aren't exactly the same kind you would expect, and a very, very hilarious friend at school. Read this book or I'll send my zombies after you.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

 Wouldn't school be so much more likable if you were going not to really learn, but rather to go after a cute boy and protect him? I think all of us girls, or vice versa, if there's any reading, would wake up early every day with a smile knowing we'd go to school for that very reason. Cute boy? I'm there!

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.At least, that's what I thought.Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.There was a curse.There was a girl.And in the end, there was a grave.Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

I think everyone can relate to Ethan Wate's school life. Boring, uneventful, boring. But what we can't relate to - and desperately wish for it to spice up our classes - is a new girl. And not just anything, the girl of his dreams. Literally. He's seen her before, and not only that, she's something he never thought was real.

There you have it. My ten chosen books for you to read at the start of school so you have something to daydream about in chemistry, or make you glad you're not having as a horrible time as some of these characters. Did I forget a book that you think is a must school themed read? Let me know in the comments!