It's Like this, Cat

Patches here again with my Friday book recommendation.

It's Like this, Cat won the Newbery Medal in 1964. That was way before I was born. But it has a cat in it. It's about a boy named Dave Mitchell and his father who yell at each other a lot. His dad's always telling Dave how educational a dog can be for a boy, so that's why Dave got a cat.

Of course, I know, and you know, that cats are very educational too. Just look at the things I've taught my mom:

How I like to have my chin scratched.

My favorite food.

When I want to go outside or to come inside.

How I like to curl in her lap while she's typing.

Yeah, cats can teach a boy or girl a thing or two.

Happy reading.

If You Aren't Afraid to Cry

I heart you, You haunt me, by Lisa Schroeder

From the back cover:

Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back ...

sort of.

A ghost story, a story of young love, written in verse, that you will need a box of tissue while you're reading.

A Ghost You Gotta Love

Continuing with my theme of ghosts and goblins, vampires and undead, one of my favorite books is Dyan Sheldon's Save the Last Dance for Me. The back cover asks "How can someone who's dead seem so alive?" Yes, B. J. is a ghost, a ghost you gotta love. At least I loved him.

B. J. has an attitude, and Angel wishes he'd act more like what he is, a dead guy, than the pain-in-the-neck big brother he seems to think he is. Angel knows he's a hood who died during a robbery attempt, or did he?

A nice little mystery adds interest to the story of this ghost who may not be all that he seems.

Happy reading.

Fridays with Patches

Hey, Everyone,

Patches here. I'm taking over the Friday postings and will tell you about my favorite books. They're about animals, of course, preferably cats. But also dogs and horses and other critters.

My first recommendation is The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. Did you know this book is a Newbery Honor Book? Well, it is. You can see that on the cover. It's also a National Book Award Finalist. Wow!

It's the story of a calico cat (I'm a calico, in case you haven't met me) who makes friends with a hound dog that lives underneath a house way out in the backwaters of the bayou. The cat was abandoned on the side of the road (like me) and is about to have kittens. Ranger, the dog, takes care of the kittens, but it has some sad parts and some scary parts. If you haven't read the book, you really ought to.

Until next week, happy reading.

Teen Read Week

October 18-24 is Teen Read Week. This year's theme is Read Beyond Reality @ Your Library. Encourage teens to read something out of this world, just for fun. Learn more about Teen Read Week at American Library Association.

Listen to the Ghost is a YA paranormal. It's perfect for this week's read, as well as October's theme. Secrets I Have Kept has an unusual plant that could be considered "out of this world." And Breeze suspects Cam is an alien in Just Breeze. These are just a few books that are for fun reads. Enjoy.

Twilight Times Book Sale

This year is the 10th anniversary of the founding of Twilight Times Books (1999) and the 5th year since we went to print (2004). Those are significant milestones.

In celebration, Twilight Times Books will have a print book sale from Oct. 1st to Nov. 15th. Most titles will be offered to the general public at a 10-30% discount. http://twilighttimesbooks.com/print_books101509sale.html

For a limited time, and while quantities last, we are offering a 30%-50% discount on selected titles. http://twilighttimesbooks.com/print_books101509special.html

Check out our newsletter for info on our latest releases. http://twilighttimesbooks.com/ttb_nl19.html

Christmas is fast approaching, and books make great gifts. I've ordered several. Take a look. You might find some for you, as well.

Have a super weekend.

Haunted

What would it be like to be haunted? Iris, the heroine of Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell, can tell you. For the ghost of a teenager named Elijah, who disappeared years before she was born, is back, and he's chosen Iris.

Boooooooo!

While we're on the subject of ghosts, meet Phoebe, a ghost who doesn't want to be a ghost. Do any of them? Mmm. Interesting thought. Phoebe doesn't actually say "Boo." How many ghosts have you heard talk that way? None? Me either. In fact ... shh, don't tell Phoebe ... but I've never heard a ghost speak.

If you're looking for more spooky stories for Halloween, or just to read on a dark night, try Listen to the Ghost. Keep the lights on.

(Actually, she's a ghost that enjoys playing tricks on people.)

Sleep softly tonight.

Is there a Ghost in the House?

Ghost stories are some of my favorites. Ghosts aren't always bad. Sometimes they just want something: to rest or to tell their story. One good ghost novel I read recently is Ghost for Rent by Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz. The story is written for middle-grade readers and has a haunted house, ghostly figures that dance in the woods, and other weird happenings. Don't you just love haunted houses? I do. Anyway, this is the perfect time of year to share your ghost stories with others, in a dark room, sitting in front of the fireplace, orange and red flames crackling, and the wind whistling outside the windows.

Booooo!

Another Spooky Story

Beyond the fence surrounding the village, in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, live the Unconsecrated. Well, perhaps the word "live" isn't quite accurate. Carrie Ryan's book, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, is about a young girl named Mary and her world of the Guardians, the Sisterhood, and the zombies, the world after the Return. You won't want to read it after dark.

I'm waiting for the next book in the series.

Spooky Stories

I thought for the month of October, I'd talk about spooky stories and other things that go bump in the night. Feel free to add your favorite ghost and goblin and black cat tales. And how about your own personal adventures? We used to go trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. Maybe that's where I developed my "sweet tooth."

Have you read The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman? If living in a graveyard with ghosts as your family isn't spooky then I don't know spooky. When an 18-month-old baby boy's family is killed, the toddler escapes to a graveyard. The ghosts adopt him and call him Nobody, nicknamed Bod.

Bod has one adventure after another as he grows from baby to teen. And he lives in constant danger from the man responsible for his family's death who hunts for Bod too. Drawings scattered throughout the book add to the suspense in the story.

Tune in next week for more spooky stories.

Contest

Hi, Everyone,

Breeze is having a contest to launch her new book, Just Breeze. Win prizes. Have fun. For details, visit Breeze's blog. Thanks and good luck.