A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Upon the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Charlotte struggles to keep the family's woolen mill running in the face of an overwhelming mortgage and what the local villagers believe is a curse, but when a man capable of spinning straw into gold appears on the scene she must decide if his help is worth the price.

Upon the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Charlotte struggles to keep the family's woolen mill running in the face of an overwhelming mortgage and what the local villagers believe is a curse, but when a man capable of spinning straw into gold appears on the scene she must decide if his help is worth the price.

Rating: 8 of 10.

Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier

Eyvind has always wanted to be a great Viking warrior and perform honorable deeds in the name of his Warfather god, Thor, and he finally has his chance when his leader and friend asks him to find a fabled land where men with courage can go to seize their destiny and bring glory to themselves.

Loved this book, I hadn't read any fantasy in a while and this was a good one. True, it didn't take a genius to figure out how the book would end; but the book was fun to read anyway. Has enough gore for boy readers and enough love for the girl readers.

Rating: 8 of 10.

Paper Towns by John Green

One month before graduating from his Central Florida high school, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the predictable boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q's neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears.

I know John Green is supposed to be a wonderful author; the reviews on the book are impressive, etc.--BUT this book left me wondering why everyone likes him so much. The description of the various social groups in a high school were right on and I loved the interaction of the group of friends...but, come on, how many kids would skip their high school graduation (and the parties and the family gatherings and the gifts)? And I guess I didn't think that kids think so deeply, looking for meaning and significance where there might not be any.

Rating: 7 of 10.