What is Joshua David Bellin reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Joshua David Bellin, author of Scavenger of Souls.

His entry begins:

My reading is pretty eclectic; though I concentrate on Young Adult, I dip into Middle Grade from time to time, as well as nonfiction, adult science fiction, literary fiction, and more. (Recently, for example, I’ve been reading narratives of North Pole exploration to prepare for a historical novel I’m writing.) Here’s a sampling of what I’ve read in the past month or so:

Rescued by Eliot Schrefer. This is the third installment in YA author Schrefer’s “ape quartet,” each book focusing on one of the four great apes (chimps, bonobos, orangutans, and gorillas). Rescued is about an American teen who tries to return his pet orangutan to the ape’s native Sumatra. As someone who’s loved apes since I was a child, I found this book a powerful but not preachy examination of...[read on]

About Scavenger of Souls, from the publisher:

Querry Genn must face the truth about the past and fight to save humanity and the future in this stunning sequel to Survival Colony 9, which New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry called “a terrific novel.”

Querry and the members of Survival Colony 9 have defeated a whole nest of the creatures called Skaldi, who can impersonate humans even as they destroy them. But now the colony is dangerously low in numbers and supplies. Querry’s mother is in command, and is definitely taking them somewhere—but where? Some secret from her past seems to be driving her relentlessly forward.

When they do finally reach their destination, Querry is amazed to discover a whole compound of humans—organized, with plenty of food and equipment. But the colonists are not welcomed. Everything about them is questioned, especially by Mercy, the granddaughter of the compound’s leader. Mercy is as tough a fighter as Querry has ever seen—and a girl as impetuous as Querry is careful. But the more Querry learns about Mercy and the others, the more he realizes that nothing around him is as it seems. There are gruesome secrets haunting this place and its people. And it’s up to Querry to unearth the past and try to save the future in this gripping conclusion to the Survival Colony novels.

Visit Joshua David Bellin's website.

The Page 69 Test: Scavenger of Souls.

Writers Read: Joshua David Bellin.

--Marshal Zeringue