Official Website of Mette Ivie Harrison, Children's writer, triathlete

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker	This is definitely not a book I would recommend for every Mormon. It is edgy and at times irreverent. But it also hit my funny bone and I thought it was unique and told a story about a different side of Mormonism. It gave me hope that I can remain a Mormon despite my problems.	You by Charles Benoit	I don't know quite how to describe this book. Formally, it's written in second person, which I would have thought a ridiculous choice until I read it. And then it seemed absolutely right. I suspect there are a lot of ripped pages somewhere in the back, behind the scenes, of stuff that didn't work in second person. But I was gripped. This is the story of a troubled kid who is trying to do the right thing, and another kid who seems likeable and then turns gradually more manipulative. Because he can.

White Cat by Holly Black	I loved this story of Cassel. He lives in a world where magic workers are forced to wear gloves to protect others from magic. He has a secret, but it isn't the one he thinks he has. And the surprises keep coming. I also loved the romance here, understated and dark as it is. Such sexy covers!	Servant of a Dark God by John Brown	I know John and he says that this book is what came out of his life as a farmer, wondering what would happen if humans were farmed the way that other animals are, and who the farmers would be--and what they would want. That's one way to pitch the story, but I think it is also the story of a young boy and his family and what they do when in distress. It is also the story of a father who is forced to choose between his son and his religion. And the story of a mother who is a demon and tries to protect her children anyway. This is a rich story, told well.
Heist Society by Ally Carter	I've read some of the Gallagher Girls books and I enjoyed them, but this one was a little older and a little more sophisticated, in my opinion. It was just loads of fun, with all the switches you could wish for. If you like Leverage, you'll like this book.	Child of Fire by Harry Connolly	This book was originally meant to be my "waiting for the next Harry Dresden book" fix, but something happened along the way. On the one hand, this is no Harry Dresden. On the other, this might actually be better. I like dark, and this is dark. Very dark. Children burning dark. I also liked the conflicted hero. He is darker than Harry, and the action felt a little more real, the consequences harder hitting. I only wish Harry could write these faster.
Mistwood by Leah Cypress	I started reading this book, thinking it would be a fairly standard paranormal romance. And then I read chapter two. This definitely has romance in it, but it is actually a clever fantasy about figuring out who you are and what that means. It is also the story of a king who has been dethroned and another king who is waiting for his crown. And about those who battle on the side of the pretender, and the true king. You'll be surprised which side you take.	The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan	This is a story of two brothers who are trying to love each other. It's a romance about a girl who falls in love with the right boy, and then struggles with falling in love with the wrong boy. It's a mystery about the past and who did what to whom. You may guess the first part of the mystery, but there are so many twists and turns, you will never guess them all. I can't tell you much about the plot without runining it. But there are demons in the world and people can call them, and those people are magicians. But this isn't Harry Potter and the magicians aren't the good guys. And it turns out that no one is who they seem.
In the Company of Angels by David Farland	I don't know if this book will have interest for those outside of the Mormon culture, but this is a story often told, usually with hyperbolic sweetness. I was disappointed that no official church company would publish Dave's evenhanded account. There are heroes in this story and villains. But even the villains are humanized and the heroes are flawed. I loved the plain reasoning behind the deaths of so many of this pioneer company and I loved the viewpoint characters chosen. I could go on and on about what a great book this is. I cried at the end, and I don't cry often. I didn't want it to happen, and I knew what was coming all along.	The Patriot Witch by C.C. Finlay	This is a revisioning of the American Revolution with magic, but it is also a chance to relook at the demonized Founding Fathers or alternately, the Lionized ones. I liked the author's ability to show a balanced world, characters who are good and bad in parts. I fell into this world and didn't want to come home.
Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford	When I was in college, I was the news editor for a student newspaper. One of my reporters wrote an article about the Japanese interment camps in Southern Utah. I was trying to edit it for clarity, and ended up making a terrible mistake in judgment, and offended the author and likely a bunch of his sources. It was so difficult for me, as a student of German history, to see anything but the worst in those camps. Jamie Ford writes a true story about them, and about a Chinese boy who does not go into them, but tries to get his friend out. I loved this bitter, sweet story. It was the perfect flavor for me, and a bit of redemption for us all.	Gifts by Ursula K. LeGuin	This is the first book in a series I discovered recently that is amazing in its breadth and depth. Each book in the series is so different, yet they tell a story that spans different cultures and many changes. I loved this first story about a boy whose gift is not what it is assumed. And I was chilled to read about a father who would go so far to ensure his power.
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey	Loved this story with a main character who isn't beautiful and thin. She sees herself as rather painfully fat, but she still has adventure and falls in love. I truly admire Karen for her courage in telling a story with Maori mythology and by all accounts, getting it right. But it's not just a book about a PC world. This is fun stuff and the joy of it is, the different tradition means you won't guess where it is going. But Karen's genius means it will all make sense.	The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch	This is a complicated adult fantasy novel and the heroes are all thieves. The magic system is complex, and so are all the cultural artficacts around it. But I was captivated from the first, and I wanted the heroes to win. The author did not give me what I wanted.
The Duff by Kody Keplinger	I have just about given up on romance as a genre. Every once in a while, a friend will recommend one that I find utterly boring, replete with the standard cliches and plot. I won't say this book is the most original romance out there, but I liked it. I really did. I liked the set up with a main character who believes she isn't as pretty as her friends. I could see the misunderstanding and I believed it. I also think that this young writer is going to really wow us in the future with more books as she gets even better. I hope she doesn't give up with the success this one has had, and go to Hollywood or something. Maybe I should hope that, for Hollywood's sake, but I don't.	Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal	I liked this book and I hated it. Mostly I hated it because I wanted to have written it. In fact, I have a book that will probably never be published because it is too similar to this one, a kind of homage to Austen with magic. I was skeptical going in, but it worked. It felt like an Austen novel. The development and ending felt like Austen, if she wrote with magic. I felt satisfied, as if a new Austen book had been discovered.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver	This could have been cheesy or trite. I don't think it was. The idea is sort of It's A Wonderful Life mixed with Gossip Girls. I was dubious that I would end up caring about the main character, but I did. I believed the changes she went through as she has a chance to relive one day of her life over and over until she gets it right. And I was converted to the ending. Sweet, maybe sickly sweet, but what I wanted then.	Devices and Desires by K.J. Parker	I don't even know what to call this book. It feels like fantasy, but there is no magic in it and it's obvious the research is impeccable. It's a little like Guy Gavriel Kay, I suppose. But darker, with no redemption. And I liked it anyway. I liked this story of a city at siege and the look inside the characters involved, the traitors and the heroes. It inspired me to write a story of my own, where there was a hole left open, and that doesn't happen often. Read a page and you'll be hooked.
The Stone Child by Dan Poblocki	I don't like horror. It scares me too much. So this book was just right for me, a middle grade horror. It was really, truly scary. But it wasn't too scary. I didn't guess where it was going to go, and I was fascinated by the villain, which I think it what all good horror does.	Boneshaker by Cherie Priest	Steampunk is the new vampires! But it's being done better than vampires. Smarter characters, more interesting dilemmas, better worldbuilding. This is the first in the wave, and it's got an adult viewpoint along with the young adult one, so it's not published as YA, but YA's love it. Also, adults love it. Zombies are usually totally uninteresting to me, but I liked these. They were scary, but also had a sciency background to explain them. Not so much it took away the fear, but enough to make it feel less like cardboard. And dirigibles! I love them!
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott	This is NOT a book you want to read. However, once you start, by the first sentence, you also CANNOT put it down. It would feel like a turning away from the plight of the girl who is so very real. And even if this is a fictional story, there are too many cases of real girls who have been living in plain sight with their abusers and no one told or knew. It doesn't take long to read, but it will rip your heart out. I had a debate with a friend about what the ending meant. I felt it was pretty clear what happened, since only one thing could happen, but the friend read it differently. I wish I could believe his ending was the real one.	Sharon Shinn	I love almost everything Sharon Shinn has written, but this book is so easy to fall into. It is probably the most commercial of her books, and it works for both adults and teens. It's about a young noblewoman who becomes caught up in court intrigue, and the romances that swirl around it. But it is also a great sister story with a fine twist. No one who reads this book will dislike it.
Darkborn by Alison Sinclair	I liked the magic in this world, but I think I liked the romance more. It didn't feel trite to me, and the stakes were high. The climax is exciting, the characters are interesting, and I think this book deserves a lot more press than I've seen it getting. Great for adults and teens alike. I'm looking forward to the sequel.	Thief Eyes by Janni Lee Simner	I will admit that I met Janni and heard her talk about this book before I read it. Janni is so interesting and kind that it would be difficult not to be favorably disposed to a book she had written. But it has happened to me before, and it didn't this time. Because this book is freaking fantastic! Also, I wish I had written. In fact, I think I may write it anyway, in German style, just to show that I can. It's a book that twists an old Icelandic myth into a present day contemporary fantasy and it does it well. I am obviously in favor of the project of retelling old forgotten myths from cultures that do not match our own but have lessons for us anyway. This one has some surprisingly strong female characters in it, and it turns out that is not as unusual as you might think, if you go back far enough. There are waves of female archetypes, and these are some kick-butt ones. I don't want to say more for fear of ruining it, but it is a must read for girls and anyone interested in myths of old Europe.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead	I read this book on an instore recommendation from our local indie, The King's English. It was before the Newbery. I read it, liked it so much that I gave the copy I bought (which was signed) to a friend for his birthday. He never read it, sadly. Then I bought another copy (unsigned) and read it out loud to my daughter, age 10. Then my friend's parents picked up the book about ten months later, after the Newbery which they knew nothing about, and they both read it and said they loved it. Then I went to ALA and got to hear Rebecca Stead give her acceptance speech for the Newbery. Then I hated her a little for being so gracious and funny (while I tend to be awkward and embarrassing in public). Which tells you very little about the book, doesn't it? It's about a girl whose old friends are changing as she changes. And also about time travel. I hope that wasn't too much of a spoiler. It's set in the 80's and her mother is a contestant on the $20,000 Pyramid, so lots of trivia for those who love it. For adults and kids.
Lips Touch by Laini Taylor	This is a book of loosely connected fantasy short stories that all center on the image of a kiss. It is also loads of fun to try to figure out how it is going to work. I couldn't do it, but in that way, it feels like a mystery reading it. It is also a great lesson on how to do everything that people say doesn't work, and make it work anyway.	Life Lode by Jo Walton	This is a book I cannot recommend to everyone, but it is a very interesting, well-written book about what the world would be like if everything were different, if marriages could happen in all sorts of assortments and taking lovers was an open business, and magic affected the time space continuum. Jo says that all of her fantasy is actually science fiction, and this is really interesting to think about.
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld	Readers of my recommendation lists may be tired of seeing Scott Westerfeld on them year after year. Pretty much everything he has published is brilliant. This is brilliant, though utterly unlike his Uglies series or really anything that he has published before, except for its brilliance. It is steampunk with illustrations, and really great one. But the story shines here, intelligent and with fun steampunk sciency sorts of things. How can you not love flying, genetically modified whales? Also huge robots you sit inside and drive? And it teaches kids about World War I in a way they will not forget. All in one nice, shiny package.
Glimpse Carol Lynch Williams	Carol is a friend of mine and I watched her struggle with writing this book over the course of about seven years. I know she was working on it before that, but that is how long it took once she was willing to share it with me. It is a hard book, told beautifully, about two sisters. One of them has a terrible secret and the other is jealous of it. Until she starts to dig closer and closer to the truth. Then she wants to shy away from it and can't. It is like that for all of us, isn't it? This is a story about growing up and about triumphing over tragedy. A series of prose poems, because a glimpse is all you can stand.
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