Allusions & Inklings

REVIEW: Black Diamonds: The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years That Changed England by Catherine Bailey

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 19:05:00 +0000

Black Diamonds: The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years That Changed England
by Catherine Bailey

Published 12.30.2014

544 pages

Publisher: Penguin

Source: library

From the New York Times–bestselling author of The Secret Rooms, the extraordinary true story of the downfall of one of England’s wealthiest families

Fans of Downton Abbey now have a go-to resource for fascinating, real-life stories of the spectacular lives led by England’s aristocrats. With the novelistic flair and knack for historical detail Catherine Bailey displayed in her New York Times bestseller The Secret Rooms, Black Diamonds provides a page-turning chronicle of the Fitzwilliam coal-mining dynasty and their breathtaking Wentworth estate, the largest private home in England.

When the sixth Earl Fitzwilliam died in 1902, he left behind the second largest estate in twentieth-century England, valued at more than £3 billion of today’s money—a lifeline to the tens of thousands of people who worked either in the family’s coal mines or on their expansive estate. The earl also left behind four sons, and the family line seemed assured. But was it? As Bailey retraces the Fitzwilliam family history, she uncovers a legacy riddled with bitter feuds, scandals (including Peter Fitzwilliam’s ill-fated affair with American heiress Kick Kennedy), and civil unrest as the conflict between the coal industry and its miners came to a head. Once again, Bailey has written an irresistible and brilliant narrative history. (from GoodReads)

REVIEW: C'mon. Admit it. Between Kate Middleton and Downtown Abbey, you have a certain fascination with the Brits' Class System of Current Era and Yesteryear.

I get it. You're talking to a girl who's read her way through the Plantegnets, Tudors, most of the Hanoverians, and then moved onto the Romanovs and various French ruling houses. When I read my fill, I moved on to various aristocrats.

It's interesting stuff, but at times, can make for dense reading. Catherine Bailey's Black Diamonds is anything but and makes for a terrific balance of family battles and intrigue, class wars and social change, and the consequences the mix brought. The book covers the following topics in a well-structured, informative way that move in and out of each other smoothly:

Wentworrth family history

Their ancestral home, Wentworth Wodehouse, including grounds, staff, events and artifacts

Coal industry in the United Kingdom, with especial attention to Nothern England and Wentworth collieries

Government intervention and regulation thereof

To a lesser extent, WWI & WWII

So, this book isn't just about the Fitzwilliam family, but as the last Earl Fitzwilliam decided to burn 16 tons of family papers and saved correspondence, putting together a comprehensive history of a family shrouded in smoke and ash must have a herculean task. However, Bailey gets bits and pieces where she can from passed down oral histories, letters saved by other families and interviews with survivors of the era. While some might be disappointed that the book isn't exclusively focused on the family, I found the information on the coal industry, and specifically, the colieries that the family owned, to be an intergral part of the story to the point where I could not imagine speaking of one without involving the other.

A few minor complaints stand out. The bulk of the Wentword family history focused on the 6th, 7th and 8th earls. The 9th earl apparently was an alcoholic of little note. However, I don't feel the 10th and last earl got his due. The bulk of the information on him seemed lacking in comparison to the others, and he seemed to be defined by his legal fight with his older brother for the title, and how that brother was treated by his parents, rather than by his own life. As a consequence, his personal story is not fleshed out and falls short, and the book ends abruptly. However, despite this, I enthusiastically recommend this book to any reader who enjoys the subject or loves a good example of nonfiction. Cheers!

REVIEW: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Across the Universe
(Across the Universe #1)
by Beth Revis

Released on 01.11.2011

398 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: own - won in giveaway

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming (from GoodReads).

REVIEW: I remember clearly when this book came out. All the buzz, the glowing reviews, the excitement over a sci-fi book for the YA crowd. I never got around to reading it at the time, despite having a copy.

Argh, you guys, I'm just going to rip the band-aid off: this book was **thisclose** to being a DNFer for me. I got almost halfway before the tide started turning to the point of being tolerable. With the help of a good beer (full disclosure: I read the second half a little tipsy).

But it's the first half I have the most issues with. Subjectively, it simply wasn't my type of writing, which is a shame since I do enjoy science-fiction. The first thing that caught my eye was the use of an odd metaphor as Amy is being frozen:

"My heart wanted to pound, beat upon my ribcage like a lover beating on the door. . "

This is coming from a seventeen-year old girl. It makes me cringe. The simile makes sense in that it explains what her heart wanted to do, but it sounds wrong coming from her. She didn't say 'knocking'; she said 'beating'. 'Beating' connotes anger, enough anger that it's coming out in physical aggression. I'm not normally this nitpicky, but it simply sounds odd that this is what she compared it to. She gave no indication that she was ever in such a relationship, and given her age, the word choice strikes me as sounding so very wrong. It definitely isn't the last time in the book that a character thinks something that seems so misplaced given the situation. Check out these lines that Elder thinks after Amy is unfrozen and then is sedated to keep her from becoming hysterical:

"I stare at her, and even though her chest is moving up and down in steady breathes, she looks more dead now than she did in the ice.

I wonder if she dreams."

Really? You just said she looks like she's dead (well, relatively speaking), and you're wondering if she's dreaming? Huh? I mean c'mon, it's like he's trying to evoke Snow White or Lady of Shallot type of sentiments. It feels melodramatic.

Then there is the back and forth chapters between Elder and Amy while Amy is frozen. I have no problem with shared first-person points-of-view. However, one chapter from Amy explaining her semi-conscious distress is enough. But it just goes on and on with the introspection and the dreams that sometimes become nightmares. It feels redundant after a point and makes for dull reading.

The other issue is that Amy and Elder feel flat. They both seem to have the same voice, with the only differences being their backgrounds and settings. There really isn't anything that stands out in terms of characterization to me, and I need that to truly enjoy a story.

Then comes a very large issue for me, and that's the insta-love. Look, I get insta-attraction, and maybe I'm alone on this, but never once as a teenager (or ever) did I look at a guy and think, "Ohhhh yeah, great body. I can totally trust him." And this is exactly the conclusion Amy comes to after regaining consciousnesses and taking in Elder's physical characteristics:

"The high cut of his cheekbones and the strong curve of his forehead make him look instantly trustworthy, maybe even kind."

And later:

"All of this adds up to a certain something that makes him just look like the kind of guy who can lead a ship. It's almost as if God had known Elder was going to be some sort of leader or whatever, so He gave him the right face and body for it."

I am going to bypass the opportunity we have here about discussing the issue of young women (or anyone, really) making character judgments based on hotness for the moment, and just sum up my thoughts as, "Ew. That's wrong." I guess one must be hot to be a leader? And what happened to judging people on their actions? And if one is a leader and also hot, of course, he must be ordained by God. Or whatever.

If this is Amy, I'll be blunt: I don't like silly heroines.

There are other issues. Amy in particular has a tendency to be redundant about things as big as constantly wanting her parents and as little as remarking on the difficulty of understanding the ship's inhabitants due to their accent. There also is SO much inner dialogue/introspection in this book that when action does come around, it feels like a bridge or a lead-in to more inner thoughts. A whole lotta shoulda/woulda/coulda that doesn't add much for me.

In terms of plot, I don't know a whole lot about space science, so I can't speak as to whether it's plausible, but here are my issues (beware: spoilers):

predictable plot twists (inner dialogue of characters practically give it all away)
a love triangle by itself would be a cliche, but this book has a pseudo love triangle between Amy, Elder and a secondary character. It only serves to give Elder jealously issues over his insta-love interest. The triangle is rendered ridiculous due the fact that it's never one to begin with.
and the BIG issue: gratuitous attempted-rape scene in addition to simultaneous mass mating. I'm not even joking.

Look, anyone who reads my reviews knows that I don't have issues with sex in YA and that I support stories that support rape survivors. The attempted rape scene is during something called the Season, which is when all the inhabitants of this one section of the ship are essentially programmed via the water supply to have sex and make babies. I don't particularly care for the many descriptions of the various sexual couplings that the main characters had to step over in public. I think the concept of the Season helped illustrate the lack of individual freedom, but all the public sex as scenery was overkill. It's during this time of extreme arousal that Amy was attacked and is rescued by a male secondary character. I feel Amy's attempted rape was slipped into the story for the sole purpose of putting her in danger so she could be rescued. This absolutely wasn't needed. We already knew the ship was dangerous for her; she'd been warned multiple times, other characters were worried about leaving her by herself in public and she'd already been cornered and felt threatened once before! I just felt a level of disgust at it, and it deeply felt like a contrived attempt at sexual salaciousness on top of graphically described scenes of mindless sex.

Not only did this happen, but it was never resolved. NOTHING happened or was said about the attackers thereafter. Maybe this was followed-up in a subsequent book, but I'm in the firm opinion that each book in a series should stand on its own as a whole story. Using something as serious as an attempted rape as a device for moving the plot along and then never coming back to it in a meaningful way made me extremely angry. It was dealt with very cheaply.

Then there's Amy's BIG epiphany at the end. I won't spoil it, but let's just say it was weak, way weak and compared the actions of someone who truly loved her to someone who likely played her, and came up with justification for a decision that just had me writing the note, "WHAT?"

In the book's defense, the second half was much better than the first, but I still don't like the book as a whole. What we have here is a great concept with a weakly executed plot and poor characterization. Maybe it's me. Maybe this is an indication that I should stick to realistic contemporary YA for the most part. Whatever the reason, Across the Universe and I simply did not work on many levels.

I don't care for giving negative reviews, but my issues with the book really stuck with me. But for many, the book worked. I've linked to some below. I encourage you to read them or visit the GoodReads page so you can get a broader idea of what the book was like:

Inkcrush
I Read Banned Books

Review: Gated by Amy Christine Parker

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Wed, 18 Jun 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Gated
by Amy Christine Parker

Released: 08.06.2013

352 pages
Random House Books for Young Readers
Source: library

A fast-paced, nerve-fraying contemporary thriller that questions loyalties and twists truths.

Appearances can be deceiving.

In the Community, life seems perfect. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Pioneer invited Lyla’s family to join his group and escape the evil in the world. They were happy to be chosen, happy to move away from New York and start over in such an idyllic gated community. Now seventeen, Lyla knows that Pioneer is more than just their charismatic leader, he is their prophet . . . but his visions have grown dark.

Lyla is a loyal member of the Community, but a chance encounter with an outsider boy has her questioning Pioneer, the Community—everything. And if there’s one thing not allowed in the Community, it’s doubt. Her family and friends are certain in their belief. Lyla wishes she could feel the same. As Pioneer begins to manipulate his flock toward disaster, the question remains: Will Lyla follow them over the edge?

From the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand why anyone would join a cult. But Gated tells the story of the Community from the inside looking out, and from behind the gates things are not quite so simple. Amy Christine Parker’s beautiful writing creates a chilling, utterly unique YA story. Perfect for fans of creepy thrillers and contemporary fiction alike. (from GoodReads).

REVIEW: Here's my general impression of Gated: mediocre writing in terms of word choice and descriptions. While a decent writer in terms of structure and plot, Parker's writing in Gated did not achieve much in terms of artistry. Here's a sample from the first page:

The sky is a perfect cloudless blue and the air is hot from the summer sun.

Do you see what I mean? Just boring, first year lit & comp type of writing. I was constantly reminded of the writing style one would find in a Sweet Valley Twins book. However, in that case, we are talking about writing for a serial series, something familiar that a reader can return to the same way she (or he) will tune in for a favorite sitcom. For the subject matter in Gated, I would expect the language to be compelling; instead, it felt languid. Additionally, Sweet Valley Twins was written for middle-grade girls, while the protagonist in Gated is shortly turning 18, and I believe was marketed to the YA crowd.

This is not to say that there are not interesting aspects of Gated. In particular, the reason why Lyla's family joined the Community was a potentially intriguing look into the psychology of family grief, guilt and responsibility. Had this been fleshed out more, I think this would have added more of an emotional base to the book. Again, the rather ho-hum writing rendered many of the emotions expressed in Gated as two-dimensional and flat. This is very unfortunate as the plot was well executed.

Please bear in mind that I am saying this is boring writing for older YA readers. There is a reason that I kept thinking of an MG series when reading - the writing is very young. Middle graders or struggling readers might find this a very good book and find some excitement that I could not.

Me, Neil Gaiman & a Hammock

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Well, hello all! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the lovely people over at the Broke and the Bookish. This week we are discussing our top books on our TBR lists this summer!

Unfortunately, I won't be at the beach this summer, nor am I a 'beach read' kind of girl, but I still have my books to read marked!

Stardust by Neil Gaiman - I've been a fan of Neil Gaiman's work ever since I got way into comic books in junior high and discovered Sandman (although I really was more of an X-titles girl). Gaiman came to Pittsburgh over a year ago, and I got this beautiful anniversary copy of Stardust, which he was lovely enough to sign, too!

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - I was pregnant when I was there,

and as any good bibliophile does, I picked up a copy for my soon-to-be-born son. When I told Mr. Gaiman who it was for, he looked at me funny and said, "You know, I normally put the person's name I'm inscribing it to in a headstone. Somehow that doesn't seem appropriate as he is not here, yet. " HAHAHAHA!!! Guess he was kind of right! He did wish my son pleasant slumber, though:

Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar - yeah, I know, right? I have no excuse. This pretty has been on my shelf FOREVER. In my defense, I stopped blogging shortly after getting this, then got pregnant and then was reading only about baby products, sleep training and how french kids eat everything and are better behaved than U.S. kids. Considering how much I LOVED Raw Blue and Saltwater Vampires, I have my fingers crossed for this one.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - another I've had on my

shelf for too long and have heard good things about. I also think I have the sequel somewhere. . . . I'm not usually into book covers since they tend to get faddish in YA, but that one really is well-designed.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo - I borrowed and loved The Tale of Despereaux so much that I went out and bought my own hardback copy of it and this one, too. Never quite managed to get around to reading it, but I'm really looking forward to escaping to my kiddie dreamscape.

White Cat by Holly Black - people SWEAR by this book. I tried it

once a few years back, but didn't get far. I think I was just burned out, but I've always wanted to try again and have faithfully kept my copy (it's signed, too - I won it from Midnyte Reader several years back).

Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Willaims - I got this one from a lovely blogging acquaintance as a thank you for a book tour I organized. It was so unexpected, and I was very touched that she did that, especially since she knew how much I love Aussie YA. I started this recently on a family trip - loved what I read so far, but was utterly exhausted at the end of the trip and need to pick it back up.

Semi-Charmed Life by Nora Zelevansky - Nora came to Pittsburgh over a year ago for a

program and signing. I went with my chapter of the FYA book club and had a wonderful time talking with her. If I remember correctly, this one is a bit satirical, about a very young woman who ghost writes a celebrity's blog - sounds like it's going to be a fun, tongue-in-cheek read to me!

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski - yet another that's been on my unread shelf for far too long! Also heard fun things about it and look forward to the shenanigans!

That's it for me! What do you think? Can't wait to hear about yours!

Reunited & It Feels So Good!

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Well, hello there! Remember me. No? I don't blame you. It's been a very long time. So long that I am a tiny bit embarrassed.

Some things have happened. The first thing is that I simply got into a reading rut. Nothing really captured my interest anymore. The second thing is that I became a mom for the first time in spring of 2013! It's been a wonderful, yet overwhelming, experience. I've still read for pleasure throughout it all, but mostly books that I've read before or series that I could slip comfortably into at the end of a great, but very tiring day with my son.

But I've missed writing. And I've missed discussing. So, here we are.

The posting will be sporadic, but I hope to post at least once a week. Posts will go up fairly soon after I write them. And despite what I say in my review policy, I won't be asking or accepting ARCs (e-galleys or hard copies) or review copies any time soon. I have a LOT of books sitting on my shelf that I need to read before I even think of doing that. And frankly, trying to 'keep up' with all of that is what burned me out the first time around. I have to try this out again, find my rhythm and go with it. My priorities have changed. So, if I want to blog, how I do it has to change, too. You'll likely see more back-listed stuff and maybe some books other than YA. Everything else I'm playing by ear. As always, I welcome your feedback.

Thanks for sticking around. I hope you'll continue to do so, and I look forward to talking about the bookish goodness here with you again.

Bring Raw Blue to the States!

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 18:19:00 +0000

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Hello Everyone!

I know. It's been a while, right? I don't really blog anymore because frankly, I don't feel like I can keep up with a busy reading and reviewing schedule like I used to. You, as readers, deserve the best. I can't give my best right now, so here we are.

BUT. . . . you know I can't pass up an opportunity to stump for my favorite book!

As most of you know, I am a die-hard fan of Kirsty Eagar's work, and of Raw Blue in particular (you might have seen my "Case for Carly" page), so I wanted to send all of you a little request. Melissa from i swim for oceans and I were tweeting the other day about how we could help promote it better so maybe/hopefully someday it will catch the eye of a U.S. publisher (it's being published in the U.K. this August).

National Public Radio (NPR) is compiling a list of the Top 100 Best YA Books ever, and to help them, they are asking listeners to send in their lists of their personal Top 5 YA books.

I encourage you to send in your list, regardless of whether Raw Blue is among your personal Top 5. If Raw Blue is among your top reads, I hope you'll consider putting it on there. Imagine how awesome it would be if a group of book lovers and bloggers starting listing this book that not too many people in the U.S. have ever heard of - in my world of hoped-for results, the peeps at NPR would be scratching their heads saying, "Whaaaa?"

***SIDENOTE - NPR, I WILL TOTALLY SEND YOU MY PERSONAL, BELOVED COPY TO READ AND REVIEW (I'll want it back, though :).

Again, I hope you'll consider submitting your list regardless of whether Raw Blue is on there, but I do hope you find room for it! You can find the link for the article/comment list sections here.

U.K. Cover

ALSO! You might have read the sentence up there about Raw Blue being published in the U.K.? The book is available for pre-order RIGHT NOW at The Book Depository for $8.18 and NO SHIPPING! So, all you wonderful readers who have expressed an interest in reading this gem now have the opportunity to do so at very little cost! Go, go! What are you waiting for?

A special shout-out and thanks to Melissa for also posting about this - if it's a contemp that Melissa is advocating for, you know it's good!

REVIEW: Jellicoe Road (or, I feel like I've cheated on Melina Marchetta)

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:31:00 +0000

Jellicoe Road
by Melina Marchetta (website | twitter)
Released: 03.09.2010 (U.S.)
Publishers: HarperCollins, 492 pages (U.S.paperback)
Awards & Honors: Australian Book Industry Award Nominee for Book of the Year for Older Children (2007), Cybils Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2008), Printz Award (2009), Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2007), W.A. Young Readers Book Award (WAYRA) for Older Readers (2008), W.A. Young Readers Book Award (WAYRA) for Older Readers (2008), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2009)

Source: Giveaway I won through the Aussie YA Reading Challenge 2011

In this lyrical, absorbing, award-winning novel, nothing is as it seems, and every clue leads to more questions.

At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor's the reluctant leader of her school's underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can't avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future (from GoodReads).

REVIEW: Confession time: I have an Author Crush on Melina Marchetta. Oh, it's amazing. You ever feel like you know an author just by reading the books she writes? That's me and Melina. We could be sitting across from each other in a cafe, look up and see each other. She'd wave, and I'd wave back, because you know, we know each other, the author and her reader. And then she'd look at me like I was crazy, and then I'd realize that she was waving at the person behind me. And I'd feel like an asshole.

And I do. Feel like an asshole that is. Because me and Jellicoe Road? We didn't work out. And now I feel like I've book cheated on Melina, the author who brought me true love with Saving Francesca and The Piper's Son.

How? How did this happen? This book is almost universally praised. And here's the odd thing: it still made me bawl like a little baby. This book haunted my thoughts after I closed the back cover. I thought about it all night. I was deeply emotionally invested in Taylor's welfare. And I hated it, hated that, except for Jonah, Taylor didn't get a break once in the book. I wanted to wring this book's neck like a chicken and stick it in the oven, but not to eat it. I just wanted to make sure the book was really dead so it would stop pecking at my mind. Because it's still haunting me. I've got a ghost book chicken standing behind me, and it keeps following. Which is why I am writing this review. I'd originally planned on rereading Jellicoe Road later in the year, thinking that a second go would be just the thing. I think I still will, but I have to put this one to rest for the time being by writing it out.

The prologue? Heartbreaking and beautiful. It sold me, and convinced me to read the entire story in one sitting. And then the confusion started. The story is told primarily from Taylor's point-of-view, but mixed in at a steady pace are these italicized stories that don't seem to have anything to do with the present. Since they didn't seem to have anything to do with Taylor, I found myself in a 'what-the-hell' state because of them. When the connection was made, I was too far into the book to really care about the characters much except for backstory. Which is a shame since the backstory is majorly connected to Taylor and who she is. I would've never guessed it from the first half of the book, which centers on a territory war between Taylor's school, the townie kids, and the cadets from a military school who camp nearby for part of the year. The territory war had a serious tone to it, like Richard Cormier's The Chocolate War. It felt very dark and ominous to me, and it was over something that I would have loved had it been more 'capture-the-flag', but instead, it was a serious issue where people got hurt. Mixed in were Taylor's reoccurring dreams about a mysterious boy, and I was at loss as to where the plot was going. All I knew was that Taylor was adrift in a large state of confusion and emotional turmoil, and the one adult she could depend on (her house leader, Hannah) had disappeared without a way to contact her.

While some of the humor that Machetta so masterfully can mix into realistic and difficult situations started appearing in the second half of the book, by that time I was. . . reading just to finish it, because I did want to find out where this was going and what would happed to Taylor. She's a hell of a character - tough, anti-social, practical, and has aching well under her heart so well-covered that she doesn't even know it's there until Hannah splits. And I really, truly loved her. I realize that love-interest Jonah gets a lot of praise from readers, but the real hero here is Taylor. No person should face everything she had thrown at her, and while, yes, this does happen, taking it all in one book is what kept me up after finishing it. I would write you a list of all the horrifying things that she had to deal with, but it would be spoils galore. By the time I got to one of the final things, I just threw up my hands and said, "Really! Really?!" It was punch, after punch, after punch. And I know it's a bit bizarre to talk about characters like they're real people, but there could be a real Taylor. I'm sure there is. I just kept thinking about how she is going to have to deal with theses losses again and again throughout her life, and my heart just kept breaking for her more and more. And that's why I was angry. Because no matter how good she can get her life to be, it's never going to come close to the life she deserves.

I vow to read this book again, I keep feeling like there must be something I missed, some redemptive quality that would tell me that Taylor's future would bring the love and heartbreak of Hannah, her parents and their friends' full circle, that I could bet that her future would be better supported and nurtured than her past. Based on past precedent, I couldn't, and more than anything else, that's the thing that's kept this book haunting me: doubt that Taylor will get some measure of happiness in her life.

Quotes:

"It becomes one of those defining moments in your life, when your mother does that. It's not as if I don't forgive her, because I do. It's like those horror films where the hero gets attacked by the zombie and he has to convince the heroine to shoot him, because in ten seconds' time he won't be who he was anymore. He'll have the same face but no soul. I don't know who my mother was before the drugs and all the rest, but once in a while during our splintered time together I saw flashes of a passion beyond anything I'll ever experience."

-page 20

***

"It's like she never really managed to grab hold of me with a firmness that spoke of never letting go."

-page 190

***

"'Don't listen to Santangelo. Once he was convinced that a girl he was going out with looked eactly like Cameron Diaz and, I swear to God, my father looks more like Cameron Diaz.'"

-page 221

***

"I remember love. It's what I have to keep on reminding myself. It's funny how you can forget everything except people loving you. Maybe that's why humans find it so hard getting over love affairs. It's not the pain they're getting over, it's the love"

-pages 261-62

REVIEW: Crossed by Ally Condie

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Crossed
Matched #2
by Ally Condie (website | twitter)

Released: 11.01.2011

367 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Source: library

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever. (from GoodReads).

REVIEW: This middle book unfortunately turned out to be middle of the road for me. I truly enjoyed its predecessor, Matched, and I eagerly looked forward to seeing how Cassia would develop further in book two. Sadly, I think she went stagnant. I know middle books often act as bridges, but wow, characters can hop off the bridge at some point, right? With a limited number of major players, very few twists, and little character development, Crossed turned out to be a prettily written, but ultimately, superfluous book in the trilogy. And trust me, I am very disappointed that it was as I thought Cassia was turning into someone more kick-ass in the first book.

Don't get me wrong. I don't need all my female leads to be full of charisma and feel they are **different**. I like the quiet girls with invisible steel. In book one, it seemed like Cassia was gaining a growing awareness of her world, its origins and limitations. While her confusion and attractions to both Ky and Xander were very significant parts of the story, I thought that storyline paralleled Cassia's growth as a character and her burgeoning dissatisfaction with the Society. The bulk of Crossed was made predominately of her quest to find Ky. The other part of the book focuses on her and the other characters' ponderings about the rebellion against the Society, called the Rising, and its fabled leader, the Pilot.

The 'yea' things about the book are the alternating first-person points-of-view from Ky and Cassia. Loved hearing Ky's thoughts directly from him and learning a bit more about his background and secrets. However, the lack of action mixed with Condie's lovely and lyrical prose made most of the book feel anti-climatic and seem like a serious study on constant introspection. Almost EVERY LITTLE THING said was thought upon by either Ky or Cassia. So, if Ky said paragraph A in Cassia's chapter, then Cassia in turn thought about it, and often, it was simply a reinterpretation of what Ky already said, as if she was retelling herself so she could really soak it in. And vice versa when it was Ky's chapters. A little of this is lovely, particularly with Condie's soft and impressionistic writing style. A book full of this understated narrative with a steady and quiet plot made for dull reading at times.

I will still read book three. I've read the first two, and I want to know what happens. I realize that three books is a nice number for a series, but like Lauren DeStefano's Wither, I think the plot of the entire series would have been better served if it was limited to two books. At the very least, I think Crossed could have been shortened, thus creating a more urgent and exciting plot while keeping Condie's lyrical writing in tact.

Quotes:

"It's been so long since I've let myself feel anger that I don't just feel it. It covers my mouth and I swallow it down, the taste sharp and metal as tough I'm gnawing through foilware."

-Ky, page 4

***

“In the end you can't always choose what to keep. You can only choose how you let it go.”
-Ky, page 21

***

"'If you love someone, if someone loved you, if they taught you to write and made it so you could speak, how can you do nothing at all? You might as well take their words out of the dirt or try to snatch them from the wind."

-Cassia, page 60

***

"Love has different shades. Like the way I loved Cassia when I thought she'd never love me. The way I loved her on the Hill. The way I love her now that she came into the canyon for me. It's different. Deeper. I thought I loved her and wanted her before, but as we walk through the canyon together I realize this could be more than a new shade. A whole new color."
-Ky, page 234

***

"The he shifts a little and points to a page in the open book before us. "There," he says. "River. That's one of the words we need," and the way he says it, the way his mouth looks an his voice sounds, makes me want to leave these papers alone and spend my days in this cave or in one of the little houses or down by the water, trying only to solve the mystery of him."
-Cassia, page 264

REVIEW: You Against Me by Jenny Downham

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:09:00 +0000

You Against Me
by Jenny Downham

Released on 12.02.2010 (U.K.)/09.13.2011 (U.S.)

413 pages
Publisher: David Fickling Books (website)
Source: gift from family

If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do? When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another. (from GoodReads).

REVIEW: There's a lot to really like in this one, and even some moments to really, truly love. You Against Me is a well-written and poignant book about the people who stand behind, beside and against both the victim and the accused of a heinous crime. It's rare for me to appreciate what I view primarily as a plot-driven book. I was surprised myself, but Jenny Downham has crafted a sensitive and realistic story about what happens when two people, two families and an entire school face each off and take sides over an accusation of rape. Bear with me. I feel the need to use bullet points on this one:

The Good Stuff

every character is realistic, and not a single one is angel or a demon. They are fully rounded characters regardless of their importance in the story. Downham nails the notion that there are no easy decisions and everyone is susceptible to bad decisions and good actions
going with that same theme, Downham really shows through character interaction that slippery slope question of what is good-natured teasing/flirting and what is harassment, and it seems like each individual has their own definition of what is going 'too far'. She truly shows through her characters how society views the treatment of women in many, many shades of grey. And quite a bit is really ugly.
Mikey and Ellie are fabulous foibles to each other. Their families' circumstances are incorporated into their characters with such good planning that this also turns into a story beyond rape and into one that also draws distinctions about social and class differences
I love the growth of Mikey in particular! The beautiful, touching scenes between him and Ellie were absolutely some of the best parts of the book. And the ones with him and another girl really show his none too savory characteristics.
Ellie is amazing. I want her for a daughter and a friend. It's not that she doesn't screw up, it's that she comes full circle and eventually gets to where she needs to go

The Eh Stuff

Part of the reason that I am using bullet points for this review is because I failed to become fully emotionally involved in this story. I read it one sitting. As much as I appreciate the book and the plot, there lacked an essential hook for me. The 'it' glow that takes it from being a book that I like to one that I love wasn't there.
I really appreciated that this book showed the 'other' people affected by rape, but I think it would have been a fuller, more emotional story if both Mikey's sister and Ellie's brother had bits told from their points-of-view. Perhaps then it would've have been too much, but I struggled with finding an emotional center that tied me to the book the whole way through, but not including the people directly accused and primarily affected made the story feel like it had something missing.
Didn't buy the ending. After everything, I just don't see how. . .

Do I still think you should read this one despite me 'eh' points? You bet. Although I didn't love it, given that I STILL liked this one even though it's carried by the plot means it's made of WIN for you good plot lovers. You Against Me has clear, meaningful writing that will make you think, question, be angry and give thanks.

Weekly News Roundup ~ 01.12.2012

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Awards

From the Examiner, "Moira Young Wins U.K.’s Costa Book Award for Children"
And here is an opinion piece from The Guardian, "Moira Young's Costa win is a victory for dystopias"
The Morning News announced its shortlist for the 2012 Tournament of Books

Post To Note

Bloggers should pay attention to the news surrounding this bit of proposed legislation. From Copyblogger, "The Problem with SOPA (And How to Stop It)"
I REALLY loved reading this! From The Bygone Bureau, "In the Land of the Non-Reader:
Jonathan Gourlay stops reading books. This is what happens to him"

Movies & TV

From Entertainment Weekly's The Shelf Life, "'Harry Potter' director Chris Columbus to write forthcoming fantasy-adventure series -- EXCLUSIVE" and from Variety, "Chris Columbus has 'Secrets'"
From HuffPost Entertainment, "Movie On-Screen Couples: Rupert Grint, Emma Watson The Biggest Earners"
From HuffPost Entertainment, "Charlize Theron In 'Snow White & The Huntsman': New Still Shows Evil (PHOTO)"
From Digital Media Wire, "Alloy Digital Extends Young Adult Reach by Acquiring Generate" and BetaBeat, "Alloy, to Further Dominate Young Adult Market with ‘Next Generation Media’ Factory"

General News

Really liked this New York Times article on the modern relationship between authors and readers, "Why Authors Tweet"
From NPR (includes audio), who spoke to Walter Dean Myers, the nation's latest ambassador for young people's literature, about his appointment and what he wants to accomplish, "To Do Well In Life, You Have To 'Read Well'"
I just really loved this interview from The Economist with the president of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, "Why does art have to be mainstream to be significant?"
From Entertainment Weekly's The Shelf Life, "See the trailer for 'The Fault in Our Stars' by John Green -- EXCLUSIVE"
From The Independent, "As celebrities choose Amazon, is this the end for publishers?"
From FoxBusiness, "Barnes & Noble Considering Sale of Nook Business"
From The New York Times, "Barnes & Noble to Offer Nook Discount to Subscribers of 2 Publications"
From The Millions, "The Soundtrack of Our Books"
From Salon, "What Occupy can learn from the Hunger Games"
From Reuters, "Amazon, Indiana strike state sales tax deal"
Interesting. The happy bookgirl in me dances, but the cynic asks, "What's the catch?" Sorry, I've read Fast Food Nation too many times. From GalleyCat, "McDonald’s to Put 9 Million Books in UK Happy Meals"
MTV revealed the cover to Rebel Heart, the sequel to Blood Red Road by Moira Young, "Peep The EXCLUSIVE Cover For 'Blood Red Road' Sequel 'Rebel Heart'" Is this our Jack?

From YouTube
THE TRAILER FOR THE NEW KIRSTY EAGAR BOOK RELEASED!!!! AHHHHHH!!

Author Jessica Martinez offers a grand synopsis of her novel, VIRTUOSITY, a story of love and addiction woven into the lives of musically gifted teenagers.

and the trailer for There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff was released - the book is out on 01.24.2012

Tempting Tuesday ~ Chapters 5-8

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Woot! Here we are for week two of our Some Girls Bite read-along! Hope you enjoyed last week's answers. Tina from Tina's Book Reviews is hosting this week with the questions for Chapters 5-8.

1. In what is a make you blush, steamy scene in the book- Chapter 5 has Ethan and Merit sharing a few hot moments after Merit's hunger strikes...that is until Ethan becomes a total cad! What do you think of him so far? Strong, masterful vampire, conceited playboy.....lover boy in disguise?

MUHAHAHAHA, oh Ethan, you friggin' dumbass. If vamps are going to go public, perhaps they ought to familiarize themselves with modern attitudes, no? Poor Merit, being asked to stand in as an official mistress? I'd be gobsmacked, too! I generally like Ethan, but this is not one of his better moments. I mean, c'mon, ewwwwwww! Nothing says love like putting you on the sexual satisfaction payroll. How romantic! I guess 'relationship' is not in a Master Vampire's lexicon. I'm sure he didn't think of it as an insult, but man, mistress? That's cold.

Maybe he should've started with coffee?

2. Merit and Mallory begin some major training in these next few chapters, resulting in cool Katana Sword facts and Ninja moves. What is the most physically challenging or adrenaline fueled event/activity you have participated in?

Don't laugh, but I for real hurt myself doing Pilates. I was lying on my back doing some sort of leg stretches where you keep your leg straight and gently pull it towards your face as much as you can, and I heard and felt a pop! I immediately felt pain behind my knee (and nausea - I don't deal well with this stuff), and I couldn't straighten my leg. It swelled up and I had to have an MRI. Turned out that I pulled my meniscus in my knee and tore some tissue. It's okay know but acts up when my knee is in one position for too long.

Haha, that wasn't the most mentally challenging, though! That one just had the worst outcome! I actually used to rock climb - the shoes, the chalk and the harness, and that kicked my ass, big time. It used my entire body AND helped me deal a little with my fear of heights. I had to zip line off the top of a tower, too, and THAT was the most challenging. I was scared to death. I was bawling my eyes out at the top, and a group of five-year olds shamed me into going through with it with their chanting: "Go, Lindsay, Go!" Color me humbled.

Speaking of katana swords, here's a lil snippet of a Merit inspired conversation with my hubs from last week. Enjoy:

Me: So I think I want to take a self-defense or beginner's martial arts class
Le Hubs: like Roseanne? Poke eyes and knee some guy in the groin? But seriously, why?
Me: because I've wanted always to (kick ass, that is). And you won't let me have a katana so this is the next best thing.
Le Hubs: fine with me
Me: If I'm good at it, can I get a sword?
Le Hubs: no swords
Me: you have a gun, and we have a boning knife. I should have a sword to smite mine enemies with
Le Hubs: I don't have a gun...I have a Kentucky rifle that takes about 20 minutes to load and is 50 pounds...and it's not even in the house
Me: So what's your dysfunctional gun have to do with my kick-ass sword? If I am going to be a proper samurai, I need a sword. You can't argue with logic, babe. It just is.

I rest my case.

3. Mallory and Catcher have sparks so intense they almost fly off the page.....what do you think of this cozy couple? Did you like the insta-love between them? Do they add to the story?

That wasn't love, that was totally lust! And Cather, wow! At least Mallory uses her lust judiciously, hehe. I think it became love, though. It was a convenient storyline, but it was a hilarious one, so I didn't mind. Like Mallory, I get the allure of a guy who won't put up with bullshit (hence, my husband). Plus, um, Cather. . . yeah, boyfriend needs his own series, don't you think?

4. Lets talk Bff's....Mallory is hands down a terrific friend to Merit, the girls relationship is real, down to earth and fun....not to mention hysterical. What is your favorite memory or favorite thing to do with your bff? Feel free to share pics!

HAHAHA, I wouldn't tell some stories publicly in a million years! BUT, I had a grand adventure with her when we were on a school trip to Quebec City in Canada during high school. We were seniors, and we snuck away to this beautiful, picture perfect little cafe where we had wine and desert. Neither of really had much alcohol before, so we felt like we were being so bad, especially since we would've been suspended if caught. And, as we were in a little French cafe, we felt like we were so sophisticated, as well. Ahhhh, I miss those days! Still one of my fondest memories, and anytime we are together and we see a print of Van Gogh's Cafe Terrace At Night, we just look at each other and smile. Over ten years later, and she's still my bestie.

5. Things are starting to heat up in the mystery department...the set up at Red, Morgan's flirty appearance.... Catchers vague answers......as correlation day gets closer for Merit do you think someone is out to get her...or maybe recruit her to another house? Or PS- feed her some more food...because goodnight this girl likes to eat!!!

Honestly, I had no idea as I read, and I actually thought the connections between it all turned out to be one of the weaker points of the plot. Did I think someone was out to get Merit? Seemed that way to me. I really have never bought that her being attacked was a random act of violence, so we shall see!

That's it for the questions on chapters 5-8! Join us next Tuesday for more Chicagoland Vampires goodness! Also, be sure to also check out Tina's request for help and support of her best friend's family as they care for their beautiful, but terminally ill daughter. Please keep them in your thoughts.

GIVEAWAY + Q&A with Alex Givarry, Author of "From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant"

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:04:00 +0000

Alex Gilvarry might not be the typical author you read if your normal fare is YA. He's debut novelist and his new book, From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant, hits the shelves today . However, his work is creating major buzz with its 'coming to America' story infused with politics, satire and a heady dose of fashion. I'm a third of the way into the book, and twenty-something Filipino implant Boyet Hernandez is charming me with his humor, naievete, and his devotion to succes and all things beautiful. I'm happy to host Mr. Gilvarry on Bibliophile Brouhaha today. Be sure to read to the end for a chance to win a copy of From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant and to view the book's trailer! For more, check out this nice piece from The New York Times, "The Tale of a ‘Fashion Terrorist’". My full review is coming soon!

Q: How did you come up with the idea of having a fashion designer get caught up in a terrorist plot?

A: When I thought of the book I was working for a children’s publisher in SoHo where I was surrounded by fashionable people—models, designers, boutiques—and my girlfriend was a model, therefore I spent a lot of time at fashion shows and parties. I was an observer, really. This was during 2004-2007, which, in my mind, were some of the most violent years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every morning there was a report on the radio of the war against terror. Guantanamo was also ever-present, specifically the stories of innocent men mistakenly locked up or sold for bounties. Men imprisoned without due process. This really struck a cord with me, to the point of obsession. So when I started writing the novel, the two worlds met in my mind and somehow they made sense to me as a storyteller. The plot grew out of the convergence of these two worlds.

Q: This story was, by turns, funny and frightening. How did you balance these two extremes without losing the impact of either?

A: That's the line you walk in satire. A comedy needs to know when to be serious for it to have any lasting impact, emotionally or politically. Lenny Bruce, Joseph Heller, Gary Shteyngart. Along with laughs, they're hitting a nerve that’s wired into some kind of truth. Now while there's nothing funny about what happens at Guantanamo Bay, the situation is absurd, it almost sounds made up… It feels like fiction, but it is real. I just needed to know when to hold back on the funny and simply describe the place and the state of the men who are there. The prisoners as well as the guards. One of the characters, a guard named Cunningham, has several funny exchanges with the narrator, Boy, his prisoner. It's the situation which remains frightening. In my novel it was important for me to have fear and comedy side by side.

Q: Why did you decided to make Boy an immigrant? What do you feel his experience as someone new to America added to his story?

A: A lot of my favorite novels are about immigrants, people on the periphery, trying to get in. This is what Boy, the narrator, is trying to do in the fashion world, and through a turn of circumstances winds up a suspected terrorist. I also wanted to write about the Philippines, where my mother is from, and where some of this book takes place. Because the Philippines has a lot to do with America. When I go there everyone speaks English, what I described in the book as an “American English.” I wanted to touch on America's hand in that country, and more broadly what America means to a Filipino man like Boy. I wanted to imagine America today through an immigrant's eyes in the aftermath of September 11, not just for the purpose of the novel, but for myself too.

Q: What sort of research did you do while writing this novel, both with regard to the fashion industry and the life of Gitmo detainees?

A: Well I didn't go to Guantanamo. It’s not a place where they let novelists in. So I read anything I could. Books by lawyers who represent detainees—Clive Stafford Smith, Joseph Marguiles. Also memoirs by former detainees such as “Enemy Combatant” by Moazzam Begg and “Five Years of My Life” by Murat Kurnaz. These are some of the most important books about America written in the last decade in my opinion. On the fashion side I simply read about women's fashion. Boy is a designer of women's wear, and so I read what I thought he would read. Fashion magazines and biographies. All of this helped make everything more real and suspend disbelief.

Q: Boy makes sure to tell everyone that, though he is a fashion designer, he isn’t gay. How did you go about confronting other stereotypes that might creep into characters like those in this book?

A: I love narrators that lie to you much more than the ones that tell you the truth. It was important to me that Boy be in a sort of denial with the reader, and himself, yet to project a machismo attitude that we find in many American Bildungsroman tales. Boy’s story is not so much a manual of how to be a man, but how to be a man if you're a designer of women's wear. He's not your stereotypical fashion designer. Really, I don’t see him as straight or gay. In the end of the book he ends up falling in love with a transvestite. I saw Boy as a different kind of man. A more modern man. Like David Bowie in the 1970s.

A: I share a childhood with the hero of my novel, even though he’s a fashion designer from Manila and I’m a novelist from Staten Island. Like my hero, I wasn’t a big reader when I was a kid—YA fiction wasn’t as tremendously diverse as it is now—but when I finally fell in love with books as a teenager, the age of the protagonist didn’t matter to me. Good stories transcend any genre and tend to stick around. Here are some of the books that shaped my head and prepared me to write novels.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster & Jules Feiffer

Initially, it was the art of Jules Feiffer that drew me in. Illustrations were a break for a kid like me who couldn’t sit still for very long, but Feiffer’s art reacts so well with Norton Juster’s text. If I ever write a YA or fantasy novel, this will be my guide. Eventually I watched Feiffer’s Carnal Knowledge, which had a huge impact on me, dramatically. The film was a lesson in good dialogue.

Getting Even by Woody Allen

One of the first story collections I ever owned. This is how I learned the power of comedic timing, at least on paper. There are plenty of classic Woody one-liners, but the way he litters them throughout the narrative is just masterful. Especially good are “A Look at Organized Crime” and “A Twenties Memory.”

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler

This is a novel of class and immigrants in 1940s Montreal, following the young entrepreneur and social climber, Duddy Kravitz. Like the hero of my novel, Duddy is driven, and sometimes blinded, by the need to succeed. He’s the classic underdog, perhaps Richler’s alter-ego, and he makes an appearance in several other Richler novels.

The Russian Debutante’s Handbook by Gary Shteyngart

I was twenty-one when this novel came out, and I thought to myself, finally, here is a man writing the kind of books I want to read. The rise and fall of Valdimir Girshkin, from New York to Prague, from lowly clerk to feared gangster, is a classic for our time. Shteyngart is a master of tempo, comedic timing, and language of Nabokovian scale. I later got to work for him as a research assistant, where he taught me much about the writer’s life. Work, drink, therapy—it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Well, Alex just put that last one on my list! As promised, please find the book trailer below in which the author pokes fun at himself and the book a bit (disclosure: language - I wouldn't play this one at work (like I did - whoops)).

From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant
by Alex Gilvarry

High fashion and homeland security clash in a masterful debut.

Boyet Hernandez is a small man with a big American dream when he arrives in New York in 2002, fresh out of design school in Manila. With dubious financing and visions of Fashion Week runways, he sets up shop in a Brooklyn toothpick factory, pursuing his goals with monkish devotion (distractions of a voluptuous undergrad not withstanding). But mere weeks after a high-end retail order promises to catapult his (B)oy label to the big time, there's a knock on the door in the middle of the night: the flamboyant ex-Catholic Boyet is brought to Gitmo, handed a Koran, and locked away indefinitely on suspicion of being linked to a terrorist plot. Now, from his 6' x 8' cell, Boy prepares for the trial of his life with this intimate confession, even as his belief in American justice begins to erode.

With a nod to Junot Diaz and a wink to Gary Shteyngart, Alex Gilvarry's first novel explores some of the most serious issues of our time with dark, eviscerating wit.

A native of Staten Island, New York. His novel has been selected as a Barnes & Noble Discover pick, and an Indiebound Next pick. He's been a Norman Mailer Fellow, and his writing has appeared in The Paris Review and on NPR. He lives in Brooklyn and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

****GIVEAWAY TIME****

This contest is open to all U.S. and Canadian addresses.

To win a brand-spanking new copy of From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant courtesy of Penguin, leave a comment below with some reaction to what you read in the Q&A session above. Be sure to leave your name and email address, as well.

For an extra entry, tweet this post and leave a direct link.

Giveaway will be open until Wednesday. January 18th at noon EST.

IF YOU have trouble posting a comment, please email me ASAP at bibliophile.brouhaha@gmail.com OR tweet me @bibliobrouhaha.

GOOD LUCK!

Weekly News Roundup ~ 01.05.2012

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

In Memoriam

From the New York Times, "Simms Taback, Author of Wry Children’s Books, Dies at 79"

Awards

The 2011 Cybils Finalists have been announced! Here's the list for the Young Adult category:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Bunheads by Sophie Flack
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
Frost by Marianna Baer
Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen
Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

and for the Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult) category:

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1) by Susan Ee
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Misfit by Jon Skovron
Red Glove (Curse Workers, Book 2) by Holly Black
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
The Shattering by Karen Healey

Blog Post to Note

An excellent and well-balanced reaction piece from the The Compulsive Reader, "Reading Rants: Balancing Amazon and the Local Indie"

TV & Movie News

From The Daily Blam, "Ender’s Game Signs Abigail Breslin as Valentine, AramisKnight as Bean & Five Other Young Actors"
From Entertainment Weekly, "Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin set to play 'Ender's Game'"
From FirstShowing.net, "Listen: Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars Sing for 'The Hunger Games'
From Salon, "And the next “Tintin” is … Gregory Maguire, R.L. Stine, Sherman Alexie and other authors predict the next post-"War Horse" teen blockbuster"
From CinemaBlend, "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Director May Go To Heck For MGM"
From MovieWeb, "Six The Hunger Games Photos with Lenny Kravitz and Woody Harrelson"
From Moviefone, "Hunger Games' Crash Course: Everything You Need To Know About Katniss Everdeen and More"

General News

Since he stepped in it the other week, columnist Farhad Manjoo is back on Slate with this, "Independent Bookstores Are Not Doomed"
From Engadget, "Amazon stops blocking rival e-reading apps on Kindle Fire"
From World Literature Today, "8 Featured Author Picks: Favorite Children's Literature"
From the New York Times, "Publishers vs. Libraries: An E-Book Tug of War"
From MTV's Hollywood Crush, "12 YA Novels We Can't Wait To Read In 2012"
From LATimes, "25 literary resolutions for 2012. What's yours?"
Really enjoyed reading this - from the LA Times Jacket Copy, "Not just for kids: Andrea Cremer discusses 'Bloodrose'"
From Publisher's Weekly, "Harper Charges Open Road with Infringement in E-Release of 'Julie of the Wolves'"
Guest post by author Cassandra Clare from the Speakeasy blog at the Wall Street Journal, "The Secret Worlds Teens Hide From Adults"
From USAToday, "Paranormal romance writer Amanda Hocking scored with e-books"
From i09, "If Famous Writers Had Written Twilight…"
Great article from the New York Times on the recently named national ambassador for young people’s literature , "Children’s Book Envoy Defines His Mission"
From USAToday, "Cover reveal of Cassandra Clare's 'City of Lost Souls'". Article also has the prologue!

My Book Boyfriend ~ Roarke

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

My Book Boyfriend is a Wednesday meme hosted by The Unread Reader, in which we drool over fictional male characters who make us swoon. Please, come join our SqueeGirl infatuations and show us your favorite men of lit!

My boyfriend this week is so hot he only needs one name. I've been dishing into J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts's In Death series on and off since the late Summer, and I can't get enough or keep my metaphorical hands off the enigmatic, the sophisticated, and just possibly, the reformed ROARKE.

Official Statistics

Date of Birth: October 6, 2024
Residence: 222 Central Park West
Roarke Industries Headquarters: 500 Fifth Avenue
Established Roarke Industries in 2042

Physical characteristics

Eve looks up his statistics in Naked in Death. They are as follows:
Height: 6 feet, 2 inches
Age: approximately 34 years old
Weight: 173 pounds
Eye color: blue
Hair color: black

Roarke is from the back allies of Dublin. He's a former thief and murderer and is a successful businessman. Fiercely loyal to a select few, he loves Lt. Eve Dallas with everything he's got and helps humanize her to readers. In a future world where everything is fake and manufactured, he prefers the old school finer things in life that have stood the test of time.

“I want to see you again." He stopped, took her face in his hands. "I need to see you again."

Her pulse jumped, as if it had nothing to do with the rest of her. "Roarke, what's going on here?"

"Lieutenant." He leaned forward, touched his lips to hers. "indications are we're having a romance.”

-Naked In Death

My pick for Roarke is English model David Gandy. Do a google image search for him - there are AMAZING pictures of him. He's a naughty boy. . .

Tempting Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Boy howdy, this is why I like to blog. I would have never found found out about the Chicagoland Vampires series if it weren't for the lovely quartet of Jenny (Supernatural Snark), Missie (Unread Reader), Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) and Tina (Tina's Book Reviews). They organized a fabulous read-along of this the first book in the series, Some Girls Bite (my review). If you'd like to join in for next week, go over to Jenny's blog and sign up! Here's my answers to this week's questions. . . enjoy!

1. Let’s say tomorrow a “vampire manifesto” as Merit calls it runs in newspapers across the country announcing their existence. How do you think you would react? If you were hesitant to believe initially, what would it take to convince you they were real?

If you don't want this, we need to get you some hormones.

Um, vamps are hot. I'd be stalking the night wanting to meet one. I'd immediately sign up for Fang Weekly, and if such a publication didn't exist, I'd start one. Yes, of course, they might be dangerous, can't trust them blahblahblah. Whatever. If they've been around all this time and haven't hurt me, then I figure they're fine. Naive? Possibly. Hopeful? You betcha. Alexander Skarsgård, helloooo? I rest my case.

2. Since being turned into a vampire means complete removal from your former life and a new job serving your House in some capacity, what do you think you would miss most about the life you live now?

My husband! Which means he'd have to turn, too. He could be the house accountant. Then we could have hawt vampy fun together. I'd also pine for the sun. I don't sun bathe or anything, but I love watching the seasons change, so it'd way sad to never watch the leaves change and Spring growing in the sunlight. You just can't beat watching the sun dance on water, breaking behind a cloud, or leaves and branches filter its light.

3. What are your first impressions of Merit and how she’s handling all the changes in her life?

Eh. Loved Mer, but she was hit or miss with how she reacted. I'm not knocking a complete meltdown or anything, but I think she sometimes acted beneath her age, particularly with how she behaved out of anger towards Ethan. I might have behaved the same way at 19 or even 22, but at 27 or 28, I think I would have stepped back and considered all of the circumstances a bit more than she did.

4. When you first read the description of Ethan, what actor/model/person you know pops into your head as the perfect embodiment of him? Feel free to include pictures ;-)

Prince Andrea of Monaco, baby, but with green eyes. What do you think? Wow, I seriously just drooled finding these pics. . . I'm totes classy.

5. Do you think Merit’s anger at Ethan himself, not the situation, is justified?

See my answer for #3, but no, I don't. Ethan did the best he could do for her. He saved her from an untimely death. Merit may have lost some things in becoming a vamp, but she didn't lose her life. She didn't lose the people who love her. She had an income within a week with gainful employment and a built-in support system. That's a lot to be thankful for and more than most people have. Girlfriend needs to count her blessings, and if she really wanted the alternative, I'm sure she could find someone to give it to her. I understand her being angry and needing to take it out on someone, but the way she dealt with Ethan was wrong. I'd expect someone younger than she is with less life experiences to behave like that, but not at her age.

That's it for the questions on chapters 1-4! Join us next Tuesday for more Chicagoland Vampires numminess!

REVIEW: Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Some Girls Bite
by Chloe Neill (website)
Book One of the Chicagoland Vampire series

Released: 05.07.2009

341 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade - Penguin Group
Source: library

Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn't exactly glamorous, but it was Merit's. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker-and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.

Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she's traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan "Lord o' the Manor" Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries' worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude- and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan's attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone's still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago's nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war-and there will be blood (from GoodReads).

REVIEW: Okay, bear with me. I find it difficult to review urban fantasy and paranormal romance with as much detail as I do YA fiction, but here's trying. Some Girls Bite was gratuitous escapism. SEXY, FUN and FUNNY gratuitous escapism. Upon finishing book one, I immediately sought out books two and three. Hey, I like me a good dose of escapist fun.

I mean, c'mon. Let's be honest. If you read fang lit, then it's highly likely that you daydream (okay, fantasize) about one of two things:

You want to become a vampire (or other supe) -OR-
You wouldn't mind being seduced by one

Our heroine, Merit (aka that lucky bitch), just got BOTH options fulfilled, and does she appreciate them? Um, hell no! Master Vamp Ethan (hummina-hummina) finds Mer bleeding from a bad-vamp inflicted neck wound. Rather than let the 27-year old die, he changes her. She whineswhineswhines about how her 'life' as a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago specializing in medieval lit is over since fanged ones are not allowed to study at universities. She feels her unjustified changing at Ethan's hands most grievously. Mer, sweetheart, I'd like to quote a line here from Good Will Hunting:

". . . you're gonna come up with the fact that there are two certaintees in life. One, don't do that. And two, you dropped a hundred and fifty grand on a fuckin education you coulda got for a dollah fifty in late chahges at the public library."

Seriously, Merit. You have the rest of your immortal life to study medieval lit - you don't need to go to university to do that. And the market for professors in that area blows. AND you just got permanent vamp protection and employment FOR-EH-VER! Suck it up. Things could be worse. You could be dead.

Mer's little tirades on this matter aside, she's a fun quirky character who moans and makes the best of her initiation into the supernatural world in equal parts. Her reluctant acceptance is both amusing and exasperating, but with the addition of other fun characters, Some Girls Bite makes for an enjoyable read. Neill shines with her dialogue, and the banter between Merit and her BFF, Mallory, is very funny and fast-paced. Catcher and Ethan are MAN CANDY, and I'm not talking supermarket aisle candy - this is the good stuff. We're talking Godiva. Particularly Catcher (nom nom nom). Between the quirk and sexy, this a a read that I think fans of Gilmore Girls will enjoy.

This is definitely UF-light, and by that, I mean the book simply doesn't read as seriously as a book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Fever or Midnight Breeders series. There are nods here and there to other series through references and characters with the same names or backgrounds. It's decent, fun writing, although I occasionally found myself rewriting sentences so they read better. Merit lacks the maturity I'd expect from someone her age, but the mix of fun characters, funny exchanges and the building romantic tension between Merit and Ethan (and Morgan - teeheehee) means I started on book two fairly soon after finishing this one (I'm a sucker for UF series). While this book isn't gourmet, it is a good, sexy break from my ordinary fare. Kind of like a pan of Chicago deep dish.

Quotes:

“That was a mistake," I said. "It shouldn’t have happened."
He wet his lips, then ran a hand across his jaw. "No?"

"No."
Silence, then, "I could offer you more.”
I blinked, looked up, met his eyes. "What?”
"Power. Access. Rewards. You’d need be available only to me.”
My lips parted, words momentarily failing me, the shock of it was so overwhelming. "Are you asking me to be your mistress?”
He paused, and I had the sense that he was deciding if that was, in fact, what he was offering me. Likely weighing the costs and benefits, deciding if easing his erection was worth the trouble I'd cause. A flush crossed his sculpted cheekbones. "Yes.”
"Oh, my God.” I dropped my gaze put a hand at my abdomen, wondering how this night had suddenly become so bizarre. "Oh, my God."
"Is that a yes?”
I looked up at him again, saw the flash of panic on his face. "No, Ethan, Jesus. Definitely not.”

-page 113

"But he's young! What is he, twenty-eight?"

"He's twenty-nine. And what did you think he was going to look like?"

She shrugged. "You know - old. Grizzled. Long white beard. Scruffy robes. Lovable. Smart, but a little absentminded professorish."

I bit back a grin. "I said 'sorcerer,' not 'Dumbledore.' So he's hot."

-Merit and Mallory on Catcher, page 134

REVIEW: Fury by Shirley Marr

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Fury
by Shirley Marr (website)

Released: 05.01.2010

277 pages
Publisher: Black Dog Books (website)
Source: received on loan from Go Aussie Book Tours/The Unread Reader and Irresistible Reads
Note: This is an Australian title not released yet in the U.S. Please don't confuse it with the Elizabeth Miles book with the same title. Both covers have a similar color scheme.

Let me tell you my story.
Not just the facts I know you want to hear.
If I’m going to tell you my story,
I’m telling it my way.

Strap yourself in...

Eliza Boans has everything.
A big house.
A great education.
A bright future.

So why is she sitting in a police station confessing to murder?

Gripping, funny, dark and shocking. Welcome to the mind of a modern Furious girl (from GoodReads).

REVIEW: Oh, how I love me a good YA that's not afraid to 'go there'. The Land of YA Go There is a brilliant place made of intelligence, intrigue, and things lost, protected and avenged. It's the place where the stories are self-contained but also relate to societal issues at large. It's the fabled destination that provokes reaction and conversation. Written with sarcastic wit and caustic observation, Shirley Marr's darkly humored and timely Fury is one of the most memorable and sophisticated YA offerings I've read in 2011.

Welcome to the Real Housewives of the O.C., Adolescent Aussie Edition. Eliza Boans is a rich, snobby, high school alpha female, and she makes no bones about it. She lives in a uber wealthy, uber exclusive, gated enclave. She has the best of the best of everything and knows it. And she positively oozes with sarcastic observations about her world and herself. Consider:

"I'm the last person that anyone would have suspected. I'm just Lizzie, typical teenager. I'm all about angst, attitude, designer labels and cupcakes. I want to grow up and do something cool with my life, such as build an orphanage in a third world country like all those saintly Hollywood celebrities. That or, like, cause a scandal and become megafamous. Everyone knows that's how you get noticed these days."
-page 2

Her detached but spot-on observations about things are really what made me like her. While not a likable character in the 'girl-next-door' sense, her intelligence, brutal honesty and fierce loyalty for her friends will coax your admiration for her. Her brattiness, arrogance and territorial tendencies will leave you exasperated. As you read more, you may even feel some degree of compassion for her, but the worst of her actions might leave you shocked. Straight up, she's a killer. And she doesn't regret it.

The plot is gourmet. Eliza's voice hooks you from the beginning and takes you through a series of present conflicts and past reflections that reveal a complex story of family history, grudges and regrets, fierce loyalties and bitter rivalries that teenage female friendship uniquely produces, and the highs and pitfalls of wealth and influence. You could read this book a number of different ways but you would be doing it an injustice if didn't acknowledge its satirical observations on status and celebrity. Whereas Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games offers commentary on our modern world through dystopian violence, Marr does it with moody humor and vengeance. Marr has a real knack for playing characters off one another, effectively using flashback, and incorporating both minor and major twists. There is a great quid pro quo competition between Eliza and the shrink assigned to handling the murder case that will have you think, "Who the hell is in charge here?" And you know what? The events leading up to the murder. . . I never saw it coming. And I completely get where Eliza is coming from.

A delicious and heartbreaking mix of loyal friendship, vengeance, gossip, entitlement, and the surrealism of status and wealth. Fury incorporates all these into a fast-moving, intrigue-laden stew that will have you saying, "I want more."

TO PURCHASE: Fury is an Australian copy not available outside of Australia. Please go to www.fishpondworld.com to purchase a copy with FREE SHIPPING!

***In mythology, furies were goddesses of vengeance.

"I remembered the first time I heard my parents arguing. As a five-year-old. standing right where I was right now. That's when my mother started drinking. That's when my dad starting coming home less, until one day he never came back at all."
page 103

GIVEAWAY: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:20:00 +0000

Hey Everyone! Today is the paperback release of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. It's book one of the All Souls Trilogy (book two, Shadow of Night, is set to publish in the summer). This book got huge buzz when it first released in hardback back in February and debuted at # 2 on the New York Times bestseller list (Warner Brothers has also acquired the screen rites).

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together.

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism (from GoodReads).

I have not read this book just yet (but I will be!), but here are links to Ms. Harkness's website (love that name) and to the reviews on GoodReads. Also, check out this fabulous video of Ms. Harkness giving a walking tour of Oxford and talking about her inspiration for the book:

The fine folks at Penguin have offered a brand spanking new paperback copy of the book to one lucky reader.

So, if you'd like the chance to enter the GIVEAWAY, here's whatchuhavetodo:

Leave a comment with your email address
If you'd like to tweet for an extra entry, please leave a direct link.

That's it! No follow necessary! The contest will close on Wednesday, January 4th at Noon EST.

Good luck everyone!

Weekly News Roundup ~ 12.22.2011

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

In Memoriam

From The Washington Post: "Russell Hoban, author of ‘Riddley Walker,’ dies at 86"
From The School Library Journal, "VOYA Cofounder Dorothy Broderick Dies at 82"

Blog Posts To Note

From Romancing the Naked Hero via YA Bookshelf Daily (twitter @YABookShelf): "The Bastard Needs To Go: Or The One Hero Type I Refuse to Review" - BRAVO!

TV & Movie News

From Variety: "Pic partners wowed by 'Wither'; Prospect Park, Violet House land feature rights to dystopian tale". I'm pretty excited about this. Even though I had some issues with Wither, I think a movie adaptation has major cinematic and creep potential!
From Screen Rant, "'Ender's Game' Adds Another Young Actor"
From Entertainment Weekly's The Shelf Life, "See the book trailer for 'Cinder' Marissa Meyer's YA debut -- EXCLUSIVE"
From Rope of Silicon, "Interview: Jeremy Irvine Discusses His Feature Film Debut inSpielberg's 'War Horse'"

E-reader News

From The Bookseller, "Nook coming to the UK in 'not too distant future'"

Response to the Amazon Price Check Issue

From Bloomberg, "EBay Plays ‘Anti-Amazon’ Offering $10 In-Store Discount"
From The Wall Street Journal, "Groupon Launches Anti-Amazon Promotion of Sorts"

Other News

From NPR, "The Teens Are All Right: 2011's Top 5 YA Novels"
From The Reporter Herald in Loveland, CO: "Teens talk writing process with author Brenna Yovanoff"
From Flavorwire via Shelf Awareness: "The 25 Most Beautiful College Libraries in the World"
From The Guardian: "HM Castor's top 10 dark and haunted heroes and heroines"
From NPR (with audio): "7 Books With Personality: Nancy Pearl's 2011 Picks"
Hadn't heard of this book. You? A review from the LA Times, "Not Just for Kids: 'Planesrunner' by Ian McDonald"
From The Christian Science Monitor, "More books, more choices: why America needs its indies"
From Scholastic via The Huffington Post, "'Hunger Games': Top 10 Awesome Young Adult Dystopian Novels".
From the New York Times via Heidi from YA Bibliophile (via her twitter: @hmz1505), "A Children’s Story Series: Will a Game Help Books?"
From The Guardian, "Fifty things I've learned about the literary life"
From Flavorwire: "Books, Booze, and Beds: 10 Legendary Haunts of Artists and Writers"
Epic fail of unspeakable proportions - from the Associated Press via Hindustan Times, "Thousands of rare books burned in Egypt"

And a special thanks to Shelf Awareness for finding and sharing this little jem:

The Elements of Style from Jake Heller on Vimeo

Teaser Tuesday: On A Dark Wing by Jordan Dane

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm finishing up reading an e-galley of On A Dark Wing by Jordan Dane, which releases on 12.27.2011. I cheated a bit and included four sentences, but. . . you'll see why.

"She looks ten years younger, don't you think?
I swear, I don't know why people say that. When someone is seventy-five, does ten years really make a difference?
"Yeah, she looks. . . better." I lied.
How could someone look better dead than alive?

REVIEW: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:34:00 +0000

Graffiti Moon
by Cath Crowley (blog | website | twitter)
Released: 08.21.2010 (Australia) /will be released: 02.14.2012 (U.S.)
244 pages (AU)/224 (U.S.)
Publishers: Pan Macmillan Australia/Knopf Books for Young Readers
Awards & Recognition: Winner, NSW Premier’s Literary Award (Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature); Winner, Prime Minister’s Literary Award (Young Adult Fiction)

Source: Go Aussie Book Tours @ The Unread Reader

Pre-order it on Kindle | Hardback

"Let me make it in time. Let me meet Shadow. The guy who paints in the dark. Paints birds trapped on brick walls and people lost in ghost forests. Paints guys with grass growing from their hearts and girls with buzzing lawn mowers."

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.

His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.

Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.

But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes (from GoodReads).

REVIEW: Every once in a while a book walks in with magic dancing in almost every sentence:

"'Where's the fire, Lucy Dervish?'

In me. Under my skin."

Oh damn, Lucy. You just made go and miss high school. I remember that feeling, that one of anticipation, the one you have on a night when anything is possible.

Right from go, Cath Crowley's language in Graffiti Moon is nothing short of hypnotic. I haven't seen original descriptions like this in. . . well, let's just put it this way: I don't think that I have. You can find quotes you want to write on slips of paper and keep in your pocket for when you need them in almost every chapter. The language is written in bright colors and secret corners, just like Shadow's art. The prose is absolutely lyrical and delightful to read. Do you ever feel like you can reach out and touch a story, like its a painting? That's Crowley's gift. You can feel every brush stroke, every painted layer, every single draft as Lucy and Ed breath deep and try to make it through their night together.

The story centers on these two, but it's a six pack as both bring along two sidekicks: Jazz and Daisy for Lucy, Leo and Dylan for Ed. And, of course, Shadow - we can't forget him - the holy grail of crushes that holds Lucy's heart, and her quest for him is what slides the story along its track, until it Ed forces her off the trail (or did he just help her find another path?). Early in the night, the two groups inadvertently meet up - Daisy and Dylan are an item, and Jazz has a thing for Leo. You'd think they'd all be friends, but no, Ed and Lucy are anything but, and Daisy has doubts about Dylan.

Sounds easy, right? Sounds high school. Friends, I don't exaggerate when I write that it's so much better than that. What I particularly like about Crowley's writing is that she incorporates a lot of different versions of love and relationships, of how it changes forms and develops as two people move and grow with each other. Of how it can become a poison if it's not nurtured and protected, or if it was never really love in the first place. While primarily a story of two young, talented and wonderful people finding their way through one night with each other, this also is a story that incorporates how families, friends and other loved ones affect us. The weaving in and out of Ed, Lucy and Leo's narratives is packed with hopeful longing and wistful regret, of certain things viewed in the shadow and then again in the light.

This almost is a perfect book for me. There is a 'big deal' situation involving Leo, which brings Ed into the fold. The events leading up to it are well-written, but 'the event' itself felt slightly off to me. I also was amazed that all six, including the two that came off the least sharp (Daisy and Dylan), seemed so witty. I kept thinking, "I would have killed to have conversations this good all the time in high school." As enjoyable as it was, I kept thinking that the perfection and timing of the conversations seemed too perfect at times. I actually feel a little guilty for even pointing these things out, because Crowley's prose is so incredible that it far outweighs any minor things I noticed.

Three girls, three guys, one night. That's the story. But in one night, you get such a full richness of who they are that you'll be racing back through the pages once you're done, picking out your favorite passages. . . just to catch one more breath of that magical feeling and holding it. Read this one - it's a true delight.

Quotes:

". . . and I took off across the night. Took off under a sky bleeding out and turning black. Left Dad sitting outside his shed yelling, "I thought you weren't meeting Jazz till later. Where's the fire, Lucy Dervish?"

In me. Under my skin."
-Lucy, page 1 (I knew I would fall for the this book after reading that on the first page)

"It isn't the smallness of this place that bothers me. It's the grey that's worked its way into the walls. It's the stains on the carpet from some other life that came and left before ours. Bert always said he'd give me a good deal on paint but some places take burning down and rebuilding to make them shiny."
-Ed, page 10

"Every time he looked at me I felt like I'd touched my tongue to the tip of a battery. In Art class I'd watch him lean back and listen and I was nothing but zing and tingle. After a while the tingle turned to electricity, and when he asked me out my whole body amped to a level where technically I should have been dead. I had nothing in common with a sheddy like him, but a girl doesn't think straight when she's that close to electrocution."
-Lucy, pages 26-27

"First piece I ever did was for her. A girl with roads and rivers and deserts running across her skin. Highways on her neck that went all the way cross-country. Off to the side of her was a guy with the hood of his car up and smoke pouring out of the engine."
-Ed, page 38

"Remember
Love doesn't make the world go round
Sex makes it spin for a second or two
If you're lucky
So do chips, sausage rolls and girls in short
skirts
Remember
Love
Lays its fingers on your heart
And holds it
Under water
Remember that
When the next girl smiles"
-Leo, pages 97-98

"I close my eyes and let the movement take me somewhere else, let walls drop into my head the way they do when I feel space around me. Maybe later I'll go somewhere and paint the dark that's sitting behind my eyes. A dark filled with the sounds of the city and her breathing."
-Ed, page 120

Follow Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:20:00 +0000

Question of the Week: When you've read a book, what do you do with it? (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it..?)

I actually haven't done a 'Follow Friday' in a while, but I thought this question was a really important one! Despite my blog's name, I am not a book hoarder. I don't like 'stuff' hanging around my house that isn't being used. I think it's wasteful. The books I keep are the ones which are precious to me. Otherwise, I am a clutter-free kind of girl. I believe in borrowing and giving to my local library. It's only 10 minutes away from me, and that way, everyone can enjoy the book, me included! Like, Alison, I also am reluctant to spend money on a book unless I am certain that I'll like it (I married an accountant - we are big on financial literacy and responsibility at my house). In fact, most of the books I buy are ones that I've borrowed from my library and fell in love with (ex: Saving Francesca, If I Stay, Revolution, The Piper's Son)! I just ordered a slew of books from Australia because I loved the copies I borrowed off a dear friend (thanks, Missie)! Otherwise, all the books I buy are for my giveaway pile.

Happy Friday, and thanks to Alison and PJ for the great meme!

Weekly News Roundup ~ 12.15.2011

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000

A Good Cause

Help support the endeavor 'Reading is Fundamental' by buying this 'YA Saves' t-shirt designed by author Maureen Johnson. Johnson is contributing 100% of her profits to the program whose mission is 'to motivate young children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF's highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8."

Kindle Fire Issues

From The New York Times: "As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised"
And this, too, about a very disgruntled mother of an 11-year old. from The TG Daily: "Kindle Fire draws fire from users"

Amazon Price Checking Issue

From The Washington Post - ArtsPost: "Could Amazon do this for us? (No.)"
From The San Jose Mercury News: "Amazon unnerves local merchants with its killer app"
From paidContent.org: "Stop Freaking Out About Amazon’s Price Check App"
From Shelf Awareness: "Amazon Price Check Saturday Discussion Heats Up" *most recent article*

Movie & TV News

From Entertainment Weekly: "Film rights for 'Daughter of Smoke & Bone' acquired by Universal Pictures -- EXCLUSIVE"
From Salon: "TV and the novel: A match made in heaven"
Well, thank God! - from Cinema Blend: "The Hunger Games Nail Polish Is Happening After All". Marketing ploys in direct contradiction to the theme of the books make me sick. What the hell.
From Jezebel: "Woman’s Bestselling Self-Published Book Will Now Become A Movie"
From Film School Rejects: "Kat Coiro to Direct Adaptation of ‘Here Lies Bridget’"

General News

From Publisher's Weekly: "Author Jill Marshall Launches New Zealand Publishing House"
From The Huffington Post: "Announcing The HuffPost Book Club"
From LA Times - Jacket Copy: "Poets drop out of T.S. Eliot Prize competition over politics"
From LA Times - Jacket Copy: "Book recommendations from poets and rock stars at The Millions"
From The Huffington Post: "David Levithan And Other YA Authors Take Q's From Teens About Writing"
From TheFABLife: "Young Adult Authors Shouldn’t TakeYoung Adult Personally, Says Diablo Cody"
From Shelf Awareness: "Bookstore Sales Fall 7.1% in October"
From Penguin/PR Newswire: " Penguin Group (USA) Introduces Holiday eSampler"
From the Irish Independent: "Christmas treats for young adults"
From The Chicago Tribune Books section: "Teen reads: Winter"

In My Mailbox (25) + Survey Request!

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:43:00 +0000

Hello All! I know I've been out lately, but please know that I will be retuning to regularly scheduled posts starting the last week of December. Had a lot of things going on this Fall, and I decided to take a hiatus in order to give priority to them. Stay tuned - I have reviews coming your way on some awesome Aussie titles, Jenny Downham and more!

Please also consider taking a moment to take my SUPER quick survey at the bottom of this post - it'll help me run a better blog for you!

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme started by The Story Siren with inspiration from Pop Culture Junkie.

This is a great event where we share all the great books we've picked up to read for the week! Please join us in getting to know one another and sharing great reads! Here's what I got this week . . .

For Review

From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant
by Alex Gilvarry
(thank you, Penguin/Vikng)

One of the things I realized during my hiatus is that I miss reading a variety of different genres and groups of books. While my blog will still focus on young adult fiction, I will also be sharing my reactions to different genres of adult fiction, nonfiction and whatever else catches my interest. To that end, I am looking forward to reading this work by a debut author. Here's the synopsis from GoodReads:

"High fashion and homeland security clash in a masterful debut.

Boyet Hernandez is a small man with a big American dream when he arrives in New York in 2002, fresh out of design school in Manila. With dubious financing and visions of Fashion Week runways, he sets up shop in a Brooklyn toothpick factory, pursuing his goals with monkish devotion (distractions of a voluptuous undergrad not withstanding). But mere weeks after a high-end retail order promises to catapult his (B)oy label to the big time, there's a knock on the door in the middle of the night: the flamboyant ex-Catholic Boyet is brought to Gitmo, handed a Koran, and locked away indefinitely on suspicion of being linked to a terrorist plot. Now, from his 6' x 8' cell, Boy prepares for the trial of his life with this intimate confession, even as his belief in American justice begins to erode.

With a nod to Junot Diaz and a wink to Gary Shteyngart, Alex Gilvarry's first novel explores some of the most serious issues of our time with dark, eviscerating wit."

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Guest Post at Reclusive Bibliophile

noreply@blogger.com (bibliophile brouhaha) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:15:00 +0000

Hey Everyone,

Ever thought, "If I'd only known then what I know now?"

I got the opportunity to to just that when the wonderful Melanie at Reclusive Bibliophile asked us, ahem, older YA bloggers to participate in her 'Dear Twenty Something Me' series over at her blog. I just turned 31, and the letter I wrote to my younger self posted today - go over and check it if you get the chance, along with all the other lovely letters.

A warm thanks to Melanie for letting me participate! And for putting up with my horrible, last minute edits!

Thanks,
Lindsay