Books Too Good To Keep To Myself by Kris O'Brien https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou Share your book recommendations. Include the book cover. en-us 2021-07-25 21:46:54 UTC 2025-12-13 16:29:33 UTC hello@padlet.com Aurora Rising (2019) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (first in a trilogy) krisobrien https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1660430757 This science fiction novel, newly on the SD Teen Choice list, reminds me of Firefly, a space Western, which I LOVE.  The teen cadets are graduating from their space academy and number one ranked student Tyler Jones misses the draft where he gets to pick his team because he is rescuing the title character Aurora in inter-dimensional space.  He gets assigned those students no one else chose and they form a rag tag team.  They get sent on their first mission which they all assume is a milk run, but it turns out that Aurora is on board their ship and her strange story and powers lead them to several dangerous situations that their talents seem to be perfectly picked to handle.  It is a celebration of how the characters, although individually flawed, are incredible as a team.


]]> 2021-07-25 21:50:22 UTC https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1660430757 Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa (first in a trilogy) krisobrien https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1660431943 Thus book alternates between two main characters: Yomeko a half-human, half-fox shape shifter has grown up in a temple her entire life where the monks have prepared her for one mission:  escaping with their part of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers.  Whoever holds this entire scroll can call forth the Kami Dragon and have a wish granted every thousand years.  

To fulfill this mission Yomeko forms an interesting alliance with the second main character--Kage Tatsumi based on a deception that she too is searching for the scroll even though she has it hidden in her possession. Kage Tatsumi is part of the Shadow Clan who has been ordered to go to the temple and retrieve the scroll for them.  He has been trained as a weapon and holds a most powerful sword that unleashes the power of a demon.  He has been trained to control the demon and not let it overtake his entire being.  

Yomeko realizes that without Tatsumi she would not stand much of a chance to fight the demons who are searching for the scroll as she travels to her destination to reunite the pieces of the scroll. But if Tatsumi, a samurai trained as a cold blooded killer, discovers Yomeko’s secret, he will kill her without remorse.  

]]> 2021-07-25 21:56:31 UTC https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1660431943 When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669051768 https://www.amazon.com/When-Crickets-Cry-Charles-Martin/dp/1595540547

A man with a painful past. A child with a doubtful future. And a shared journey toward healing for both their hearts.

It begins on the shaded town square in a sleepy Southern town. A spirited seven-year-old has a brisk business at her lemonade stand. But the little girl’s pretty yellow dress can’t quite hide the ugly scar on her chest.

Her latest customer, a bearded stranger, drains his cup and heads to his car, his mind on a boat he's restoring at a nearby lake. The stranger understands more about the scar than he wants to admit. And the beat-up bread truck careening around the corner with its radio blaring is about to change the trajectory of both their lives.

Before it's over, they'll both know there are painful reasons why crickets cry . . . and that miracles lurk around unexpected corners.


]]> 2021-08-04 15:51:15 UTC https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669051768 Sink or Swim by Megan Reiffenberger https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669052032 Sink or Swim is the first novel by Watertown Graduate, Megan Reiffneberger. It tells the story of professional swimmers. When a new member joins the team, everything changes. Sharese Jensen]]> 2021-08-04 15:51:32 UTC https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669052032 Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin patti_johnson https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669053048 This romance novel is a quick read because you won't be able to put it down! You will insist on knowing what is going to happen next. It's a story about two best friends and their individual journeys to find love. My all-time favorite, I can't count the number of times I've read it. ]]> 2021-08-04 15:52:32 UTC https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669053048 Red Rising by Pierce Brown (1st in two sets of trilogies) anniedrees https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669053516 The solar system has been conquered, but this is unknown to Darrow as he works in the mines of the planet Mars. Not everything is as it seems, and the truth is about to smack him in the face. Slavery, new identities, and doing whatever it takes to make it out on top...
Think the Hunger Games on steroids!]]> 2021-08-04 15:53:04 UTC https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669053516 No Mercy (1st in a trilogy) https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669053849 On medical leave from the Army, Mercy heads home to her family ranch after the recent death of her father, having been away for 20 years. It's her responsibility to decide whether to sell the ranch or not, and she gets little help from her sister and nephew. After a dead body is discovered on her land, Mercy butts heads with the sheriff, Mason Dawson.

When another body is discovered, Mercy starts her own investigation into the deaths. As she unearths buried secrets, her life--and the lives of family members--are put in jeopardy.]]> 2021-08-04 15:53:27 UTC https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669053849 The Selection (first in the series)- Kiera Cass jenna_jewell https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669056287 It's a bit like The Bachelor in a dystopian society. From Goodreads: 
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.]]> 2021-08-04 15:55:29 UTC https://padlet.com/krisobrien/oxss7n5uos90byou/wish/1669056287