The Beauties by Anton Chekhov

These stories were my first introduction to Chekhov. They are a selection of 13 short stories - the cover describes them as 'Essential stories', so I don't know whether that means that someone has selected these as superior or more important than others of his? I always love to read the blurb in books about the author and his background, but there was  nothing at all in this, just a photograph of him, and then straight into the stories. So I've googled him and, in short, he was born in 1860 in Russia, the son of a grocer. He started writing short pieces for a magazine under a pen name, and then went on to write major works such as 'The Seagull', as well as continuing his short-story writing. He died from tuberculosis at the age of 44.

I'm not usually a fan of short stories, I like to get my teeth stuck into a plot and see characters grow, but there was something calming and untroubling about these short stories. Sometimes I thought characters from one short story were appearing in another because of the similarity of some of the Russian names, and I quite liked that idea, even though I think I was mistaken about it. All the stories are, I believe, set in Russia and cross all classes. There are stories of peasants, stories of aristocrats and of soldiers, but in all cases it is made obvious that of course everyone is human and has the same feelings. The stories are romantic, moving, real. Chekhov has a definite art of describing emotion, whether the person in question is male or female. Even though you obviously assume the stories are set in the time of writing, ie the late 1800s, because they are stories of human emotion and feeling, they could actually be describing modern day characters.

A wonderful collection.

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Zoe Sugg is better known to her (mainly) teen followers for her online beauty vlog written under the name Zoella. She is also the girlfriend of vlogger Alfie Deyes, whose book 'Pointless' sold thousands in its first few days of publication. 'Girl Online', which is about a young girl who writes an anonymous blog, and then falls in love with an American pop star, is Zoe's first novel, but unfortunately I didn't really like it. I thought it was twee, sugary, childish - not at all for the teen market which it is aimed at. I would happily let my 12-yr-old read it (but I won't, because it's just a bit rubbish). I'm also writing this review the day after Zoe and her publishers have admitted that the book was written by a ghost writer, possibly teen author Siobhan Curham, and that Siobhan was given 6 weeks to write the novel. If that is true, then it is evident in the book. It definitely feels like a rush job.

I hope the thousand of youngsters who have bought the book already aren't too disappointed, but I definitely was.

Blue by Lisa Glass

Blue
by Lisa Glass

Like surfing? Like chilling out on the beach? Like reading about teen summer romance? Well this book is PERFECT for you. Even if you've never surfed in your life, I promise you that after reading this book you will be itching to give it a go. It's set on Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall (a beautiful part of the world - but I'm biased because I live there myself!) and follows 16 year-old Iris who meets Zeke at a yoga class. Iris isn't aware that Zeke is actually a champion surfer, but as she starts to fall for him she wonders whether the relationship is for real, whether she is just 'one of the many', and how the relationship would last when Zeke has to travel round the world taking part in competitions.

Iris has to confront family crises, jealousy, cheating, and horrific accidents - all in the name of love. But a final tragedy could upset all her dreams...

This book is full of surf lingo and slang, and you really get to understand how competitive surfing is amongst those who take it seriously. There are so many rules about the waves and who can ride them - I never realised! One thing's for sure - if ever I want to take up surfing (I'm just a lowly bodyboarder) I now know to make sure I have a proper surf instructor teaching me!

A great book which makes you want to dash to the beach and jump into the waves. A perfect summer read. It's the first in a series - the next 'Air' is out June 2015.

Fire Storm by Lauren St John

Fire Storm
by Lauren St John

I can't believe this is the last in the trilogy of the One Dollar Horse series. I've loved every one of them (as I have all of Lauren's books - do read her White Giraffe series set on an animal reserve in South Africa and her Laura Marlin Mysteries - all excellent). I tried to read this one slowly to make it last and savour it but of course it's impossible. You have to read one chapter straight after another.

Casey is now looking to win the Grand Slam of horse 3-day eventing by training for the Burghley Horse Trials. But a few changes in her life start to pose a threat to this possibility. It all literally becomes a matter of life and death. The young and handsome Kyle walks into her life playing with her emotions, and the reappearance of Anna Sparkes causes Casey to fear for the safety of herself and her adorable horse Storm. But is it Anna that Casey has to watch out for?

I look forward to finding out what exciting series Lauren St John has in store for us next.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins

Stephanie Perkins is quite big in America, so Usborne were excited at publishing this book over here in Britain, and have been giving it a big push. I know the title screams teen romance, and it's not the reading material I usually go for, but I wanted to see what the publisher was getting so excited about. I was pleasantly surprised. I read it in about a day, some parts I couldn't put down so found myself cooking tea with one hand and reading the book with the other (not advisable, quite dangerous, do not copy). It had your heart racing in some sections, others had you quietly screaming to yourself "Just tell him how you feel for heaven's sake!", then some parts I couldn't believe would actually happen in real life, but this is fiction isn't it?

Anna has been packed off to Paris by her famous author father, so she can study there for a year (almost like our final 6th form year over here) in an American school, before she chooses her University. She doesn't know anyone there, and she doesn't speak any French. She befriends the girl in the dorm room next to her, and then latches onto her group of friends, one of whom is the handsome - but short - Etienne St Clair. Anna left behind the beginning of a possible relationship with Toph and hopes to pick up where they left off when she returns home at Christmas, but finds herself drawn to Etienne, who unfortunately has a girlfriend. But relationships are tricky things, you can't help who you fall in love with, and this first term in Paris for Anna is a whirlwind of feelings - confusion, paranoia, love, hate, jealousy. Does Etienne feel the same way about Anna as she does about him? Will they admit their feelings to each other? Will Etienne leave his girlfriend?

A great teen romance which will make your heart melt. If you like this, also try Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie.

After Iris - The Diaries of Bluebell Gadsby by Natasha Farrant

After Iris - The Diaries of Bluebell Gadsby
by Natasha Farrant

What a wonderful book, I loved it. Just right for girls 10years and over. Written part film transcript and part diary, it is about young Bluebell (but she much prefers Blue) whose twin sister Iris died in a car accident 3 years earlier. Blue records her family's life on video - much to the annoyance of her eldest sister Flora. Blue, Flora and their younger brother and sister Twig and Jas live in a beautiful old, but cold, house in London. They are looked after by a Bosnian au pair Zoran, as their father spends most of the time working in Warwick, and their mother constantly travels all over the world with her job. The past few years have been an emotional struggle for them all, especially Blue, and you can sense the family slowly falling apart. Only the silent and solitary Blue, cameragirl extraordinaire, is able to show her feelings in her diaries. She thinks she's finally found someone to talk to when carefree and loveable Joss Bateman pops into her life and she finds she has a huge crush on him. However, the path of young teenage love is an unfairly rocky one, but help and friendship is not too far away...

You will laugh, and you will find a lump in your throat, but mostly you will just love this book.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

How I Live Now
by Meg Rosoff

I first read this book when it was published about 8 years ago, and instantly became a Meg Rosoff fan. I then read Just In Case, What I Was, There Is No Dog, and have been lucky to read an advance copy of  Picture Me Gone (published 5th September 2013). I loved them all. There is now a film coming out of How I Live Now (release date at the moment October 2013), so I thought it was time to re-read the book.

Well, it was better than I remembered. American teenager Daisy is sent to live with her cousins in England. She is quite happy with this, as her dad has married devil woman Davina (Daisy's mother died giving birth to Daisy), and they are expecting their own baby. Her dad seems to want her out the way so he can start a new life with his new family - at least that is how Daisy tells it. We also learn that Daisy has an eating disorder and has seen many a psychiatrist while growing up in America.

As soon as she arrives in England and is met by her cigarette-smoking young teenage cousin Edmond (well, one of the cousins, there are four of them in the family), she knows that she has found a new home. Her Aunt Penn flies off to Oslo on a mission of world peace, and leaves the cousins alone. The days are fun-filled, relaxing and hugely enjoyable. Even more so as Daisy finds she has a real connection with Edmond, and they fall in love. This is not to last however as war breaks out in England. Airports are closed down so Aunty Penn can't return home and Daisy can't get back to America. Soldiers take over the cousins' farm, and the girls are separated from the boys. So begins a tale of survival and heartache for Daisy as she struggles to look after her younger cousin in a country torn apart by war, and tries to be reunited with the rest of the cousins - especially Edmond.

The story is told from Daisy's viewpoint and is full of emotion, humour, anxiety and fear. There are no direct quotes - all conversations are recorded indirectly. This is how the whole book is and I wonder how this will translate onto the screen. I hope it works. A heartbreakingly wonderful story.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor and Park are two teenagers at the same school. Eleanor is the new girl, slightly kooky, weird dresser, bright red curly hair, a little overweight, and Park is half Korean, nearly always in black, loves reading comics and listening to British indie music. Park is the only person who befriends her, to start with because he feels sorry for her, but then he realises they both like comics. He introduces her to his music as he discovers she knows no modern music, owns no records or any means of listening to music.

Eleanor is not forthcoming with much information about herself or her life, and we the reader know more about her than Park. She is one of 5 children whose father has left, but her mum has a new partner. Unfortunately, he is an abusive alcoholic, doesn't let anyone out the house to enjoy themselves, all the kids have to sleep in one tiny room, and Eleanor has already been kicked out the house once before for trying to stick up for her mum when he had a violent episode.

Eleanor and Park slowly start to fall in love, battling school bullies and Eleanor's troubled situation. But the abusive stepdad has not yet found out about it. What will happen when he does...

I didn't really warm to Eleanor at all, I was amazed Park put up with her depressive and weird behaviour, and I had too many questions about her home situation. Why weren't the police called at any point during the violent moments? Why is she so overweight if there is very rarely any food in the house?

Despite all this, I enjoyed the romance - I even shed a tear or two at times, and I hoped that they would make it through all the bad stuff.

If you like John Green, you'll like this.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green


Teenagers are going mad for John Green, and having read this book, I can see why.

Hazel has cancer of the lungs. She must carry an oxygen tank on a cart everywhere she goes, and her parents know each day could be her last. She attends a cancer support group and is friends with Isaac who becomes blind with his cancer. One day Isaac brings along his friend, Augustus, whose cancer lost him a leg, and Hazel is smitten. So begins a beautiful relationship - but heartbreakingly short.

John Green brings his characters to life, he gives them humour to cope with their situation, but at the same time you will find yourself with a lump in your throat as the end closes in.

Also try Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher, and Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler.

Hostage Three by Nick Lake

Hostage Three
by Nick Lake

Amy is 17, fast approaching her 18th birthday, is a rich kid in a private school, has just finished her exams at school, but immediately fails them (she smokes a cigarette during her final exam). She lost her mother a while back, her dad has since remarried but spends all his time at work, and Amy doesn't get on with her stepmother. When her dad announces they are going on a round-the-world yachting trip, Amy doesn't really want to go. But dad hires a captain, a cook and a third staff member and off they go. The captain prepares the route taking care to avoid the Somali coast, as pirates have been known to linger there to board ships, take hostages, then demand ransom money from the rich yacht owners. Unfortunately, this does then happen. During the terror of the events which unfold, Amy starts to fall in love with Farouz, one of the pirates. How will things fare for the pair? Will Amy and her family survive the hostage situation? Will the ransom get paid? An original story about love and family.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Dash And Lily's Book Of Dares
by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

What a great teen novel! (definitely teen - swear words here and there). Lily leaves a red moleskine notebook on a bookshelf in the town's main bookshop. In it is a dare for anyone who reads it. Dash finds the book and decides to follow it up with his own dare in return. So begins a relationship of words, secret messages and dares between two people who have never met each other. The temptation to meet is strong, but will their own versions of each other match up to the real thing?

A must-read for fans of John Green! Also try Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher, and Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson.

A World Between Us by Lydia Syson

A World Between Us
by Lydia Syson

This felt more like an easy-read adult novel than a teenage one. I'm not sure this would be a commercial success in the teenage market. (The cover is very old-fashioned and rather awful which may not help.) That said, I quite enjoyed the story. It is London 1936, and Felix is a trainee nurse living with her mum and brother Neville, whose best friend George is in love with Felix, of which she is at first totally unaware. Felix gets caught up in a march of supporters of the Spanish Republicans - it is the start of the Spanish Civil War. She bumps into Nat, who is off to Spain as a Brigader, planning to help fight against the Spanish rebels. They instantly fall for each other, and once he has left she decides to do the same, and escapes to Spain to help in the army hospitals. However, George finds out where she has gone, and he too follows her out there to serve. Felix has to decide whether to follow her head or her heart, and one near-death experience almost helps her decide.

Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

Ketchup Clouds
by Annabel Pitcher

From the author of the very sad but great My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, this is another tear-jerker - I loved it. It was moving, and true to life when describing teenage relationships. I just loved Aaron's character and, with everyone else who reads this, wished that 'Zoe'/Alice would confess her mistake and be with him from the beginning.

'Zoe' is telling her story in the format of letters to a prisoner on Death Row in Texas, partly because she feels the same guilt as him - he has murdered his wife and a neighbour in a fit of jealous rage, and she has caused a terrible accident due to her feelings for two brothers. It's about letting go of your guilt and moving on with your life.

Definitely teenage for bad language.

If you like this, you'll also like The Fault in our Stars by John Green, Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, and Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.

This book has recently won the Waterstones Childrens Book Prize 2013, and deservedly so!

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

Why We Broke Up
by Daniel Handler

Probably better known as his pseudonym Lemony Snicket, Daniel Handler turns his hand to something more emotional and teenagey. I loved this book - I wanted to read it again once I'd finished it. Min Green starts dating Ed Slatterton, the very popular basketball player at school, infamous for his dating of girls. However, their relationship comes to a hurtful end and Min boxes up all her mementos of their time together ready to give them back to him. This book is a series of letters to Ed explaining each memento and why they now mean nothing to her, and it is in this way that we the reader find out how their relationship had progressed but then come to its sudden painful end. Brilliant. One for fans of John Green (see my review of one of Green's books - The Fault in our Stars). Also, if you like this try Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, and Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher.

Second chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Second Chance Summer
by Morgan Matson

By the author of Amy and Roger's Epic Detour (fantastic book), this story follows Taylor and her family as they travel to their summer house in Lake Phoenix, Pennysylvania. It's a summer of high emotions - Taylor's father has cancer and he knows this is the last summer they'll be spending together. Also, the last time the family were at the summer house (5 years ago), Taylor had fallen for Henry but it had ended badly, and she'd fallen out with her best friend there, Lucy. So she comes ready to face the past, and to face the future without her dad.

A great easy read - recommended.

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

What I Saw and How I Lied
by Judy Blundell


A post war American romance novel, full of first love, jealousy and a mysterious accidental death. I read it in one sitting and loved it.

Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale

Someone Else's Life
by Katie Dale


Overly long and overly complicated! Rosie and Holly were swapped at birth, so were brought up by the wrong parents. But then Rosie finds her real parents, but then one of them turns out to be not her parent, then Holly goes out for revenge on Rosie, Rosie loses her boyfriend, then gets him back again, then the same happens with Holly.....aarghh! Too much!

The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker

The Other Life
by Susanne Winnacker

There has been a rabies outbreak in Los Angeles and the government's militia have advised the public to spend the next 4 years in confinement in their bunkers, with regular updates over radio. Sherry and her family have run out of food, and contact has been lost with the outer world. Sherry and her father decide to exit the bunker and find food, but instead of finding food they find the Weepers - rabies infected humans with puss oozing from their eyes. The father is taken away to a weeper's nest, and Sherry finds help in the form of Jacob and other survivors who have taken refuge in a big villa - the Safe Haven. It slowly emerges that the area the survivors live in is actually fenced off from the rest of the country, and the military have no intention of letting those survivors - or the weepers - through back to humanity.

A good story - first in a series - a bit too fluffy when the romance is described. Jacob and Sherry seem to quickly form a relationship before they even know much about each other. But they are both sharing an existence of fear, and worry whether they'll survive another attack from the weepers.

Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie

Falling Fast
by Sophie McKenzie


From the author of the Girl, Missing series and the Medusa Project series - both brilliant.

River is 16 and a true romantic. She wants to find THE ONE, she wants to fall head over heels in love and never fall out of it. She auditions for the role of Juliet in an inter-school production of Romeo and Juliet, but due to a bit of a fluster, ends up with the role of the nurse. The fluster comes in the role of Romeo - Flynn, a brooding, fiery, serious moody teenager from the local boys school. River is hooked - he has to be THE ONE. Then he falls for her. But he's hiding many secrets - his father was an abusive alcoholic who his mother threw out the house. They now live in a tiny flat with his two sisters, and Flynn tries to protect them all. A huge job for a teenager with multiple jobs, school work, a play and a violent past. Can River cope with his behaviour? Is this what she wanted from her dreamy ideal of her one first and true love?

I read this in a day. A great teenage love story, describing all the emotions a teenage girl would go through on falling in love for the first time. Not for readers under 12 - very powerful language and descriptive scenes only for 13+.

Fever by Dee Shulman

Fever
by Dee Shulman

Quite a long story - I skimmed through quite a lot of it as I thought it was too long and was taking a while getting to the main story. Sethos is a Roman gladiator in AD152. He loves Livia, but she is betrothed to a powerful man, one not willing to let her go. Eva is a student in 2012. She is super intelligent and loves the sciences. A lecture and show by an American scientist goes drastically wrong, and Eva is unknowingly infected with a deadly virus which kills her but then immediately brings her to life again. Meanwhile, Livia and Sethos are discovered by the betrothed and both murdered, but Sethos wakes uninjured in a parallel world. He finds he can time travel, and journeys to 2012 to find the cause of a fever which killed him in the end and ended the life of many others. He bumps into Eva who looks uncannily like Livia - in fact, is her. She starts to have flashbacks of her previous life as Livia, and realises she and Sethos are destined to be together. Complicated, eh?