Dee's Top Three!

From dee :
Ugh! I can't even believe I suggested this contest. How the heck am I supposed to choose only three books? Well, here you go, love 'em or not (and I strongly suggest you LOVE them, because, well - *I* do!) (Note: Click on the title to take you to my review. Click on the author's name to visit the author's own site)

Dee's Number Three Pick:
Werewolf Rising, by R. L. LaFevers
This was actually one of our prizes for a contest. It was also reviewed by my son Michael, and by Rebecca, our contest winner. I can't tell you how much I loved this book without gushing all over the place, and that's not always attractive, now is it? But I really loved this book! It had action. It had adventure. It had a young lad with a BIG problem. And of course, you got to see change in this book. By that, not only do I mean that the main character grew some, but he actually changed, as in - he became a wolf! What's not to love? It's supposedly geared for the 9-14 boy crowd, but my 5 year old daughter LOVED this book, and so did I. This would make the perfect gift for any young person on your gift list this season (hint hint!). Pick it up, you won't be disappointed!!

Dee's Number Two Pick:
Testing Kate, by Whitney Gaskell
Oh man, did I really dig this book. You can tell, can't you? I searched for it and had to special order it, and was worried that it wouldn't live up to my own hype. Well, I was soooo wrong! It was all that, AND a bag of chips! (That's pretty high praise, since I really love chips, ok?) This book is about a woman at a crossroads in her life, really. I mean, she's 30ish when she trades in her routine world to try Law School. She deals with a meaner than the devil professor, an eccentric boss, a group of half crazy friends, and a way-too-sexy neighbor. What's a girl to do? Well, pick up this book and find out. Again, I can't see how you won't love this one!

Dee's Number One Pick:
Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson
Did you know I was going to pick this book? How could you not have guessed it? It was the first book that we BOTH reviewed! Plus, I drove seven hours to meet the author and get her to sign my copy (and I even got to have lunch with her!). This book totally rocked my world. I don't even know how many times I've re-read this, but I'm sure I'm well into the double digits by now. It's all about Nonny, born a Crabtree but raised a Frett. The two families couldn't be more different if they tried, and Nonny has to reconcile her blood with her upbringing during the course of this amazing tale. You meet Nonny before she enters the world, and you see her struggle to gain her own voice throughout the story. It has so many layers, it's like eating a light and fluffy French pastry. I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. I cried until I ran out of Kleenex. The relationship between Nonny and the mom that raised her, Stacia, is so touching that you'll want to call up your own momma just to tell her how much you care. The supporting characters are so mulit-faceted that they can barely be called supporting. This book is a winner, and trust me, it will be on my 'favorite shelf' for a very long time to come.