It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey. Want a good book to read? Stop by and see what’s new in the world of literature!

We had a beautiful, albeit windy, weekend here in NJ so I spent as much time as I could outside. There was a town wide garage sale that was a lot of fun to walk around, although I didn’t find anything I really wanted/needed and only spent $1 on a little kids lemonade and cookie stand – totally worth it! 🙂 Went to my first baseball game of the season this weekend as well which is always a great time. It’s one of those local baseball teams with tickets for $10 and anywhere is a great seat to watch the game. I love it because it gives me a chance to be outside while supporting a family-friendly baseball team.

As for reading, I’ve been doing much of that as well. I ripped through one book, Grave Mercy, in a couple of days it was that good. It’s hard for me to find a book that captures my attention so fully these days, so it was very enjoyable. I’m already excited for the second in the series, although it’s not being released until Spring 2013. Bummer! Also, my good friend and author extraordinaire, Alissa Grosso, has her second book coming out on May 12. I not only get to attend her release party (YAY!), but she’s doing a blog tour and will be stopping by to guest post on my blog sometime mid-May. Stay tuned! Giveaways ahead! (Her first book Popular was amazing, if you haven’t read it you should, and her second Ferocity Summer is bound to be just as awesome.)

Here’s what I’ve been reading:

  His Fair Assassin: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers -I couldn’t put this YA book down. That rarely, and sadly, happens anymore. I saw it come through the library and after reading the inside jacket flap decided to check it out for myself. Usually, I find books through buzz or recommendations posted by other bloggers or readers, but I must’ve been under a rock because I didn’t hear anything about this book until it was right under my nose. I love how the heroine is snatched away at a young age from a horrible marriage and taken to a convent where she is trained to be an assassin for Death. But on a mission she begins to realize that not everything is what it seems. Also, there’s a great love story that slowly unfolds without that being the main emphasis of the story. Nor is the heroine so wrapped up in the guy that she loses sight of her mission and who she is as a woman. My favorite kind of story. A must read!

  I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga -This is an intense YA book. Very dark. Actually, I’m more surprised that a book like this, don’t get me wrong, I really love this book, isn’t under fire because of its dark content. I guess sex attracts more red flags than murder. The protagonist, Jasper, is a teenager whose father was a notorious serial killer who, although now caught and in prison, raised his son in the art of killing. While Jasper doesn’t want to be like his father he’s also intrigued with death and killing more than a normal teenager should be. So when a young woman is found murdered in his home town with all the markings of a serial killer’s handiwork, Jasper is drawn to find out who is killing and why. All this is heightened by Jasper’s conflicting desire to not become his father and as he thinks, if you had a gift of running really fast, wouldn’t you be a runner? Some days it’s all he can do not to use the gifts his father taught him.

  Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne – I’m sad to say that I haven’t read many of the great sci-fi classics. Verne is a writer I’ve always admired and know the stories of, but haven’t actually read his original versions. So I’m listening to this great novel on CD and want to continue listening to more of the sci-fi classics after this one.

  Everlast by Chad Michael Murray – I wouldn’t necessarily pick out a book written by an actor, unless it were a memoir, but this graphic novel by the star of the TV series One Tree Hill caught my attention. The illustrations are dark and gritty, matching the tone of the book perfectly. What if (and this made a great unintentional reading parallel), someone discovered that the center of the earth was actually hollow? What if the Eden of the Bible were a place of peace and happiness and the chosen few could escape Earth and travel to its secret core? Thus, Everlast and others are bound to seek the people destined for this “heaven” before the end of the world as they know it. A great premise for a novel and I’m loving it already.

I hope you’re reading week is just as enjoyable as mine is! Happy reading! 🙂