New sci fi, fantasy, & paranormal books to check out

Fated by Alyson Noel Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter's sanity, Daire's mother sends her to live with the grandmother she's never met, but who recognizes the visions for what they truly are-the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker-one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead. This is the first book in the new Soul Seekers series by the author of The Immortals series.
	The Selection by Kiera Cass Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illea, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illea's prince--but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her.
The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze Tired of the royal family's relative comfort while they suffer in the wake of worldwide catastrophes in 2090, rebels kill the British king and abduct two of his children, but Princess Eliza escapes, disguises herself, and joins the rebels to seek revenge and the safe return of her siblings.
	Sweel Evil by Wendy Higgins Sweet southern girl Anna discovers at age sixteen that she is the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, the only one of her kind. As Anna struggles to fight the dark legacy of her father, she falls for the mysterious Kaidan Row, the ultimate bad boy. Forced to face her destiny, she must decide whether to embrace her halo or her horns
Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Alpha Bryn's humanity becomes a bigger problem as she takes her place in the werewolf Senate and tries to address a new threat to the pack.
	The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda Seventeen-year-old Gene has passed as a vampire for years, carefully following every rule, but now, just as he finds a girl worth fighting for, he is chosen to participate in the hunt for the last remaining humans among ruthless vampires who soon suspect his true nature.
Immortal City by Scott Speer Jackson is the hottest Angel in the city, soon he'll be a full Guardian and people will pay for him to save them. Then he falls for Maddy who likes him for who he is and not for his celebrity, but a serial killer is loose.

Who do you cheer for?: Team Edward or Team Jacob

One of the things I did to prepare for last Friday's Eclipse Movie Release Party, in addition to baking cupcakes, was create two short videos supporting Teams Edward and Jacob. Many Twilight fans consider themselves to be on Team Edward or Team Jacob when it comes to who they think should be with Bella. So, I brainstormed cheer ideas for both teams and got my cousin Mike to assist me with filming. We came up with our own cheers and choreography to demonstrate the obsessive support fans have for characters in the Twilight series. Neither of us had any experience with cheerleading (which will be obvious once you view either clip), but we had a lot of fun making the videos. The inspiration behind the videos was SNL's Spartan Cheerleaders (played by Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri). We had hoped to debut the videos at the Eclipse Party, but the computer would not play the files. I was very disappointed after all the work spent on planning, filming, and editing. Well, now thanks to YouTube, our embarrassing antics and choreography can be viewed on any computer. Enjoy!



Cheers for Team Edward:


Cheers for Team Jacob:

Photos from our Eclipse Movie Release Party

On Friday we had an Eclipse Movie Release Party for fans of the Twilight books and movies. We even celebrated the vampire Edward Cullen's birthday (he turned 109 last Monday). In addition to answering trivia questions for prizes and listening to music, we also enjoyed eating Red Velvet Vampire Cupcakes and Jacob Black Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (made by yours truly)! I added a few pictures below. There are more on the library's Facebook page. Thanks to everyone who came to the party! We had 25 attend.

Eclipse midnight movie release fun

Attention Twilight fans! If you're looking forward to seeing Eclipse when it comes out June 30, why not make a marathon of it? AMC Theatres are planning  The Twilight Saga Experience. At this event you'll watch all three movies in the series: Twilight (2008), New Moon (2009), and Eclipse (2010). The cost is $30 and you'll also receive a limited-edition event lanyard and a $10 AMC gift card. The fun starts at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, June 29. Local theaters participating in the Twilight marathon include South Barrington 30, Streets of Woodfield 20, and Randhurst 16 in Mount Prospect.

In November I attended back-to-back showings of Twilight and New Moon for the New Moon midnight release and it was fun to watch the movies with a large audience of crazy, but well-behaved, fans. Just remember to buy your tickets soon before they sell out! You can pick up the tickets at the theater in advance of the marathon, so on June 29 all you have to do is show up and present your tickets!