Shel's First Post!

I know, I know - it has taken me over a week to write my first post.  It's a lot of pressure deciding what to write for your inaugural post.  Should I be serious, should I try for funny, review a book, introduce myself?  Way too much pressure.  In the end, I decided that I was putting much too much thought into this.  Well, without further ado: 

Hi - I'm Shel.  BookJunkie, boy crazy, pie (and cupcake) loving Shel.  I love to read, no seriously, I LOVE reading.  I can finish a novel in a few hours and with the good ones, I get so lost in the story the building could fall down around me and I would not notice.  My prefered genre is really any book that makes me laugh - I'm the silly one, the BookJunkie that loves the ridiculous.  I don't do serious books.  A lot of that has to do with my day job, but mostly, I just like to be happy.  You will not see reviews of Lovely bones or Marley & Me (even though Nat made me go see the movie - I still have not forgiven her) from me.  Some of  my favorite books include Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, the Harry Potter series, Pride & Prejudice, anything by Meg Cabot and the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan.  So, yeah.  That's me and welcome to my world. 

The Spring and Summer of 2011 have been full of thoroughly enjoyable books.  Here are some of my favorites:

The Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare - I know I am a little late to the party with these books, but they really are superbly written.  I love the sarcasm of the characters, especially Jace.  I love that Clary is often at a loss as to how to react to his sarcasm.  I love the supporting characters - Alec, Simon, Magnus, and Luke.  If you have not read these books, I highly recommend them.  And if you ever need a good laugh, just mention Shadowhunters, Jace, brickwalls, or mangoes to Bel or Nat - trust me, you won't be disappointed. 

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White -   This book was fantastic.  Seriously fun.  I read it in just a few hours and  immediately recommended it to my fellow BookJunkies.  Evie is hilarious and such a fun heroine.  She is a 16 year-old who is able to see through the veil protecting paranormals (vampires, fae, werewolves, and assorted others), which makes her invaluable to the international agency tasked with policing the paranormals.  A spunky heroine, sarcasm, a bedazzled pink taser and a boy who can make himself look like anyone - need I say more?

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton -   I came across Angelfire by accident.  I was walking through the library and liked the cover.  I know I shouldn't, but I completely judge books by their cover.  Angelfire was a great read and my surprise find of the year so far.  I am dying for Wings of the Wicked which is scheduled for release early 2012.  The story was unique (to anything I had read), the writing engaging and the characters captivating.  The main character, Ellie is a strong, capable female lead.  I find I often want to beat-up the female leads in a lot of books, but I did not feel that way about Ellie.  Plus, the Will in my head is super hot and he has joined the ranks of my imaginary boyfriends. 

Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising by Jason Henderson - I kept seeing this book in the bookstore and I walked on by.  That was a mistake.  I am glad I finally succumbed to the urge to pick up this book.  There are not alot of YA books written by male authors that have a boy as the lead character, so I was intrigued.  I was not disappointed.  Alex Van Helsing seems to be a typical boy sent to boarding school in Switzerland for about the first three pages of the book.  Alex has no idea that the legends of "The Van Helsing" are true and that he has a calling greater than the average 14-year old.  Alex is a loyal friend, inventive and just unsure of himself enough to make me root for him to figure it all out.  I am anxiously awaiting the second installment, Alex Van Helsing: Voice of the Undead releasing July 26, 2011. 

There are so many others that I have read and loved, including Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini, A Need So Beautfiul by Suzanne Young, Abandon by Meg Cabot, The Chicago Vampire Series and Dark Elite Series by Chloe Neill and so many more.  I look forward to reviewing and blogging about these and the plethora of new books I am anxious to read. 

Well, thanks for reading this.  I hope you come back again to read my ramblings and those of my fellow BookJunkies. 

~Shel