Fashionista Piranha

News: September Book to Movie Adaptations

fashion_piranha — Sun, 11 Sep 2016 22:37:55 GMT

Read the Book Before You See the Movie!

Thank you IMDB.com for providing the movie plot summaries.

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS
Date: September 2nd
Adapted From: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz
Plot Summary: A lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from an adrift rowboat.

THE 9TH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX
Date: September 2nd
Adapted From: The 9th Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen
Starring: Jamie Dornan, Aiden Longworth, Sarah Gadon
Plot Summary: A psychologist who begins working with a young boy who has suffered a near-fatal fall finds himself drawn into a mystery that tests the boundaries of fantasy and reality.

THE DRESSMAKER
Date: September 23rd
Adapted From: The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham
Starring: Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Hugo Weaving
Plot Summary: A glamorous woman returns to her small town in rural Australia. With her sewing machine and haute couture style, she transforms the women and exacts sweet revenge on those who did her wrong.

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
Date: September 30th
Adapted From: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Starring: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson
Plot Summary: When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: New Releases: September 1st, 2015
2014: The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan
2013: Utah Shakespeare Festival: Love’s Labour’s Lost
2012: The Picture of Dorian Gray (Marvel Illustrated) by Oscar Wilde
2011: Love*Com Vol. 1 by Aya Nakahara
2010: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
2009: Giveaway #10: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
2008: The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield

Review: Ghostly Echoes (Jackaby #3) by William Ritter

fashion_piranha — Sat, 03 Sep 2016 02:14:25 GMT

Ghostly Echoes
by William Ritter

The third book in the Jackaby series

Nearly a decade ago, Jenny Cavanaugh was brutally murdered in her home. Ever since, she has haunted 826 Auger Lane. After all this time, she has finally asked Jackaby and Abigail Rook to help her remember the circumstances of her death so that she can identify her killer. As Abigail begins to experiment with possession so that she can access Jenny's locked-up memories, a series of deaths erupt that curiously mirror the circumstances of their ghostly investigation. Realizing Jackaby and Abigail may be able to protect future victims from the her fate, Jenny urges them to partner with the police to solve the gruesome crimes. Jackaby and Abigail will probe deeper into the supernatural than ever before on a mystery that will take one of them to the depths of the Underworld itself.

This series is always so good! Each story blends mystery, suspense, and humor with fast-paced adventure and a rich Gothic atmosphere. Ghostly Echoes goes a little deeper and a little darker, introducing more creatures from folklore into New Fiddleham. I really came to appreciate Ritter's depth of research as he pulls from all cultures of the world for his otherworldly characters.

His human characters are equally captivating. The mystery of Jenny's death has been building for the past two books, and as Abigail and Jackaby dig deeper into the past, we experience more of the personal history not just of our favorite spook Jenny, but also of Mr. R. F. Jackaby himself. When Abigail stumbles across his record of his own work as a Seer, as well as the seers before him, we finally catch glimpses of his childhood, his origins, and the rich history of his work. It's so...well, for lack of a better word, so cool. So well done. So exactly what you'd expect of Jackaby.

I don't think I've ever commented on the covers of these books, but they're so beautiful. When I saw the blue cover of Jackaby on a shelf, I was immediately drawn to it, and that distinctive silhouetted cover was the hook that finally got me to start reading. (Let's not pretend we don't all occasionally judge a book by its cover.) I was so happy that Beastly Bones and now Ghostly Echoes have continued in the same vein. I've not seen it confirmed officially, but I believe we see the profiles of Jackaby on the first cover, Abigail on the second, and Jenny on the third. It makes me wonder which character will be on the next book. Charlie Cane? Lydia Lee? I can't wait to see, although I don't like thinking about how long that wait will be, since this book just came out on Tuesday and who knows when the next one will hit the shelves.

5 out of 5 stars

To read more about Ghostly Echoes, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: Rain (Paper Gods #2) by Amanda Sun
2014: Subscription Box: Comic Bento, August 2014
2013: The Lost Sun (United States of Asgard #1) by Tessa Gratton
2012: Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff
2011: A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
2010: Discussion Question: Favorite Opening Line
2009: Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin
2008: RuneWarriors by James Jennewein and Tom S. Parker

Review: Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite by Michael Ghiglieri & Butch Farabee Jr

fashion_piranha — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 05:00:03 GMT

Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite
by Michael P. Ghiglieri & Charles R. “Butch” Farabee, Jr.

Every year, accidents lead to tragic deaths in America's national parks. In Yosemite alone, nearly nine hundred people have died through falls, drowning, exposure, or criminal activity. In this comprehensive account of Yosemite's history, Michael Ghiglieri and Butch Farabee catalog the many ways that folks have met untimely ends in Yosemite. Peppering the grim anecdotes are also tales of rescue and the extreme effort it takes to save a life in the backwoods and sheer cliffs of America's wild. The authors occasionally enter the narrative, as both men assisted in search and rescue efforts throughout the park. They bring authority and occasional dry humor to the gripping, horrifying collection of stories.

This isn't a book for everyone. First and foremost, it's very sad. So many of these accidental deaths could have been prevents if visitors to the park would follow the instructions from rangers or posted on signs. A bit of common sense would have saved so many lives. Some thrill seekers make such appalling, poor decisions that it seems inevitable that they find a tragic ending, but that doesn't erase the lost potential of that life.

But if you are fascinated by the macabre, by harrowing tales of midnight rescues in deep snow or dangerous maneuvers done by men who can barely see in the dark, then this book is so interesting. When the book was published in 2007, it contained every Yosemite death that the authors were able to find in old and contemporary records. The deaths are listed by type: there's a chapter for drowning, climbing accidents, vehicle accidents, suicide, homicide, and more. Many of the incidents are described with novelistic flair, recreating the final moments before tragedy struck. When a victim survives, excerpts from post-accident interviews are included to fully demonstrate the impact on their lives in the weeks, months, and years after their rescue.

For those of you who trend toward squeamish, I thought I'd mention that excepting the skeleton on the cover, there are no photos of the deceased in the book. Each chapter is opened with a photograph or illustration of a Yosemite landmark or the park's wildlife, and that is it for illustration. Nothing terribly graphic.

Interested in the subject but Yosemite isn't your national park of choice? I've seen variations on this theme chronicling deaths in the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, and the Great Smoky Mountains. Poke around and I daresay you can find a few stories for any of the national parks. But I recommend this one. Ghiglieri and Farabee are a good team, capturing the drama and tragedy of each story, making tales that would be worthy of telling beside a campfire on your next adventure out in the woods.

5 out of 5 stars

To read more about Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: New Releases: June 2nd, 2015
2014: American Rose by Karen Abbott
2013: The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
2012: Fashionista Piranha on vacation until June 9th…
2011: Fashionista Piranha will be on hiatus for a while…
2010: Giveaway #13: Asian Pacific American Book Lot Winner
2009: The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

Review: The Selection (Selection #1) by Kiera Cass

fashion_piranha — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 22:28:06 GMT

The Selection
by Kiera Cass

Book One in the Selection series

In the kingdom of Illéa, the future queen is selected through a random lottery. Thirty-five girls are chosen from different districts throughout the land, and they compete in a Bachelor-style reality TV show for the chance to become the wife of the prince. At seventeen, America Singer is the perfect age to be entered into the Selection for Prince Maxon, the only son of the king and queen and heir to the throne of Illéa. The problem is that America is already madly in love with a boy from her hometown. Inclusion in the Selection will bring upward mobility for the Singer family, and with the strict numbered caste system in place, America can't turn her back on the opportunity. After all, even if she IS chosen, what chance does she have with thirty-four other girls, nearly all of whom come from higher castes?

The Selection is like the Hunger Games if the violence was removed and replaced with the glimmering gowns and splendor of the Capitol. Instead of tributes fighting to the death, we have pretty girls trying to seduce a prince. Both competitions are broadcast to the general population in the ultimate reality TV.

I love this book for the guilty pleasure that it is. It's as addictive as chocolate, and really captures the drama and energy that makes it so difficult to turn away from reality TV shows. The descriptions of the luxuries of palace life contrasted with America's humble origins makes me eager for the inevitable movie adaptation. There are a few forehead-slapping moments when I want to shake the characters for saying or doing something stupid, but in the world of reality TV this is all part of the entertainment, so I find myself far more forgiving of America's bone-headed moments.

Prince Maxon is every inch the perfect, sensitive, well-meaning royal searching for true love from girls who desire him for the money or fame his position brings. I can't help but pity the poor guy; he's under tremendous pressure PLUS his love life is on display for all the world? How humiliating. I kept waiting for some darker aspect of his personality to surface, but other than a few haughty moments that I would expect from a boy from such a privileged, sheltered background he's pretty much a perfect gentleman.

I don't quite know what to make of America, our heroine. She's an interesting young woman. Initially, she enters the Selection because both her mother and her boyfriend think she should for the potential prestige, but no expects her to be a serious contender. By being honest with Prince Maxon about her wishes for the competition and offering him an alliance of friendship instead of romance, America manages to secure her position in the Selection. It's very cleverly managed. But a pretty young woman in a YA novel inevitably ends up in a love triangle, and America's moping over her sweetheart Aspen and her burgeoning feelings for the Prince are quite predictable.

The world-building is a bit vague, but if further developed it could be quite intriguing. Illéa, built in the ashes of a fallen America, is at war with New Asia. The country is also imploding, with rebels attacking the palace with a frequency quite disturbing to contestants in the Selection.

I ripped through this book with rare speed, and immediately started hankering for my next fix in The Elite. I don't pretend this is great literature, but it is delightful and entertaining, the perfect antidote to the more serious novels with important messages that I must read for work.

4.5 out of 5 stars

To read more about The Selection, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015:
2014: Book Store Stories: Watch Your Placement
2013: Tides by Betsy Cornwell
2012: Fashionista Piranha is on a break until August 14th...
2011: Tales of the Tudors Book Giveaway
2010: News: Press “Pause” on Fashionista Piranha
2009: Ashland 2009: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
2008: Discussion Question: Explain Your Screen Name!

Subscription Box: Savor the Dark Book Club, June 2016

fashion_piranha — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 23:20:45 GMT

Savor the Dark Book Club
June 2016

Quarterly Co. is a subscription box service company that partners with celebrities to "curate" boxes, usually themed around food or fashion or cool gadgets, which are mailed out four times a year. For their book and chocolate-themed box, Quarterly partnered with Ghirardelli.

Chocolate and books are two of my favorite things to consume. I go through both in absurdly large quantities. Pairing the two items in a subscription service? That's a match made in heaven! I found out about Quarterly's Savor the Dark Book Club, a subscription box limited to only three mailings, and immediately wanted to sign up. I did question the wisdom of shipping chocolate bars in the summer heat, but after considering the amount of candy I've had sent to me and the fact that I can't think of any major meltdowns, I thought it would be safe enough.

I opened the box and it looked like there won't be any problems with melted chocolate. It was packaged separately in its own box, next to an ice pack and wrapped in another bag. I turned my attention to the letter at the top of the box, a note from Miranda Beverly-Whittemore welcoming readers to her novel. Attached to the letter was a list of discussion questions for her novel June and several recipes that I think must tie into the novel, because not a one calls for Ghirardelli chocolate.

JUNE: A Novel by Miranda Beverly-Whitemore
Twenty-five-year-old Cassie Danvers is holed up in her family’s crumbling mansion in rural St. Jude, Ohio, mourning the loss of the woman who raised her—her grandmother, June. But a knock on the door forces her out of isolation. Cassie has been named the sole heir to legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery's vast fortune. How did Jack Montgomery know her name? Could he have crossed paths with her grandmother all those years ago? What other shocking secrets could June’s once-stately mansion hold?

Soon Jack’s famous daughters come knocking, determined to wrestle Cassie away from the inheritance they feel is their due. Together, they all come to discover the true reasons for June’s silence about that long-ago summer, when Hollywood came to town, and June and Jack’s lives were forever altered by murder, blackmail, and betrayal. As this page-turner shifts deftly between the past and present, Cassie and her guests will be forced to reexamine their legacies, their definition of family, and what it truly means to love someone, steadfastly, across the ages.

Sounds OK. It's not a novel I would have been likely to pick up on my own, but it sounds interesting enough. I'm sure I'll find it diverting enough on a lazy summer afternoon. The book was not autographed by the author, but a bookplate that she had signed was thrown into the box. It's not nearly as collectible, but the fact that they thought to include it was a nice touch.

GHIRARDELLI INTENSE DARK 72% Cacao Twilight Delight Chocolate Bar
The luxuriously deep and velvety chocolate in Ghirardelli Intense Dark is made by selecting the highest quality beans to create our all natural exclusive bean blend. Experience a moment of timeless pleasure as the intense chocolate pleasure lingers and time stands still.

GHIRARDELLI INTENSE DARK Cabernet Matinee Chocolate Bar
The luxuriously deep and velvety dark chocolate in Cabernet Matinee is infused with the tart flavor of blackberries and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes delivering unrivaled chocolate intensity. Experience a moment of timeless pleasure with Ghirardelli's Intense Dark chocolate.

GHIRARDELLI INTENSE DARK Hazelnut Heaven Chocolate Bar
The luxuriously deep and velvety dark chocolate in Hazelnut heaven is infused with crunch, deep roasted hazelnuts delivering unrivaled chocolate intensity. Savor a moment that will carry you through your day.

All three of these chocolate bars sound delicious. I've had some of the Intense Dark chocolate bars before, and they always have a nice balance between the bitterness of the chocolate and the added in flavors like blackberry and hazelnut.

The Savor the Dark Book Club is a nice enough idea, but it's rather a poor deal. Each box is $45 ($40 + $5 S&H) and the value of the items inside is nowhere near that. June is a $26 book, and 3.5 oz Ghirardelli chocolate bar sells for $3.95 at the grocery store (and often will be on sale for $$2.50 or $3). Most subscription boxes have a value higher than the price tag, since it's likely that the recipient will like every single thing in the box. After seeing the contents of this box, I immediately canceled the subscription. I can pick my own book and my own chocolates without the risk of getting something I don't want.

It's too bad, because the box idea was a good one. If another company attempts something similar in the future, I'd be open to trying again.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: The Deception of the Emerald Ring (Pink Carnation #3) by Lauren Willig
2014: The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford
2013: Born of Illusion by Teri Brown
2012: The Queen’s Vow by C. W. Gortner
2011: Fashionista Piranha will be on hiatus for a while…
2010: The Queen’s Lover by Vanora Bennett
2009: Contest #8: Diggin’ Up Reading
2008: New Moon (Twilight #2) by Stephenie Meyer

Subscription Box: Powell's Indiespensable #59

fashion_piranha — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 05:03:12 GMT

Powell's Indiespensable Book Club
Volume 59: Homegoing

Since 2008, Powell's Books of Portland, OR has run a book club/subscription service that sends a new, autographed hardcover book in a custom slipcase to its subscribers. Each mailing is accompanied with notes on the selected book and a surprise selection of extra items.

HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi

A novel of breathtaking sweep and emotional power that traces three hundred years in Ghana and along the way also becomes a truly great American novel. Extraordinary for its exquisite language, its implacable sorrow, its soaring beauty, and for its monumental portrait of the forces that shape families and nations, Homegoing heralds the arrival of a major new voice in contemporary fiction.

Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle’s dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast’s booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. One thread of Homegoing follows Effia’s descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana, as the Fante and Asante nations wrestle with the slave trade and British colonization. The other thread follows Esi and her children into America. From the plantations of the South to the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the coal mines of Pratt City, Alabama, to the jazz clubs and dope houses of twentieth-century Harlem, right up through the present day, Homegoing makes history visceral, and captures, with singular and stunning immediacy, how the memory of captivity came to be inscribed in the soul of a nation.

Generation after generation, Yaa Gyasi’s magisterial first novel sets the fate of the individual against the obliterating movements of time, delivering unforgettable characters whose lives were shaped by historical forces beyond their control. Homegoing is a tremendous reading experience, not to be missed, by an astonishingly gifted young writer.

I'm really excited about this month's selected book! I don't know much about Homegoing but one of my co-workers has been absolutely RAVING about it for weeks, and her enthusiasm makes me want to drop what I'm currently reading and dive in.

Like all Indiespensable books, Homegoing is signed by the author and comes in a custom slipcase. It's so simple, yet elegant. I love the way these slipcases look when they're all lined up on my shelves. A small yellow chapbook is also included with the book that includes an interview with Yaa Gyasi.

SCRIPTA NOTEBOOK (BLANK PAGES)
This is just the sort of notebook I'm always looking for! It has unlined blank pages, a pocket on the back cover for miscellaneous bits of paper, an elastic band so the book won't fly open when jostled in a bag, and it's roughly 8" x 6" so it's quite portable. This is great!

PENTALIC ILLUSTRATION PENS
When I'm not geeking out about notebooks, I can get pretty obsessive about pens. I'm not a snob, by which I mean I don't have a brand that I'm strictly loyal to, but one of the easiest ways to put a smile on my face is to tell me to go to Office Depot and pick up some new pens for the office. I'll spend an hour poring over the different features and testing the smoothness of the ink flow.

I think it's so cool that Powell's is encouraging Indiespensable subscribers to express themselves. Whether this notebook gets used for taking notes on books while you're reading or for making diary entries or observational sketches, it's a fun, bookish thing to include.

Powell's Indiespensable subscription costs $39.95 per box. To learn more about it, visit the Indiespensable page at Powell's Books.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: New Releases: June 30th, 2015
2014:
2013: Narcoleptic Sunday by Jeremy Haun and Brian Koschak
2012: Sailor Moon Vol. 3 by Naoko Takeuchi
2011: Fashionista Piranha will be on hiatus for a while…
2010: Bite Me by Christopher Moore
2009: Winner: Diggin’ Up New Reading
2008: The Aviary Gate by Katie Hickman

Review: Beastly Bones (Jackaby #2) by William Ritter

fashion_piranha — Sat, 21 May 2016 16:03:52 GMT

Beastly Bones
by William Ritter

Book 2 in the Jackaby series

Abigail Rook has begun to settle into her role as assistant to paranormal investigator R. F. Jackaby. Vicious shape-shifters that disguise themselves as kittens and ghosts living in the bedroom are all part of a normal day's work. Life with Jackaby is never dull or routine. When dinosaur bones are discovered in nearby Gad's Valley, Abigail is eager to visit the site and indulge her love of paleontology. Jackaby is disinclined to go until former police detective Charlie Cane writes the pair, asking them to investigate a mysterious animal that has begun attacking the animals and people living around the dig site. They oblige, and soon after setting foot in Gad's Valley are swept up in an intrigue of stolen bones, scientific rivalries, murder, and an impossible creature's return to life.

One of my favorite things about Beastly Bones was the vicious competition between Owen Horner and Lewis Lamb. The characters' names are tribute to real-life fossil hunters like Richard Owen and Jack Horner, and the conflict between the two men is modeled on the behavior of 19th century paleontologists like Richard Owen, who is as remembered today for his ruthless self-promotion and brazen claims of discoveries others made before him as his contributions to the study of dinosaurs. In the book, their behavior seems so ridiculous for men of science, but that's how it was in the early days of this field.

Owen and Lamb may not be able to get along with each other, but Abigail and Jackaby continue to be a powerful partnership. They work so well together, with Abigail's simple common sense, scientific background, and observation skills complimenting Jackaby's endless store of esoteric knowledge and experience with the otherworldly. Their relationship is also refreshingly platonic; although there is some romance, the young adult staple love triangle is avoided.

Other relationships in the novel deepen, too. While the mystery of the events in Gad's Valley consume much of the book, we also learn more about Jackaby's resident ghost, Jenny Cavanaugh. Usually, she appears as a cheerful and beautiful woman, but we see a darker and sadder side of her now. Jackaby describes it as an echo, when a spirit becomes unable to move beyond their final moments. Abigail frets that Jenny may become trapped in this echo state, but they cannot help her until the ghost is willing.

A Victorian atmosphere, ghosts, and dinosaurs...how could I not love this book? It's got all of my favorite things in one neat package. Even better, Ritter handles each of these elements well, bringing them together for a story that's creative, fun, and full of surprises. The third book in the series, Ghostly Echoes, will be released towards the end of summer. I can't wait.

5 out of 5 stars

To read more about Beastly Bones, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015:
2014: The Anatomy Lesson by Nina Siegal
2013: The Big Top Giveaway
2012: Fashionista Piranha on hiatus until May 24th
2011: In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
2010: Discussion Question: E-Reading
2009: News: Digital Piracy Affects Books, Too

Review: Everland by Wendy Spinale

fashion_piranha — Sun, 08 May 2016 21:28:19 GMT

Everland
by Wendy Spinale

Sixteen-year-old Gwen Darling has protected her brother and sister ever since their parents were killed when bombs were dropped on London and a horrific plague unleashed. Each day they scavenge the ruined city and try to avoid the German soldiers who call themselves the Marauders. Under the command of Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer, the Mauraders kidnap survivors and use them for desperate experiments to find the cure to the plague that claimed the lives of most adults and will eventually kill everyone else. When they take Gwen's sister, she is determined to get her back. As she sets out to pursue the soldiers, she stumbles across a boy named Pete who leads a gang of children in defiance of the Captain and his men. Pete agrees to team up with Gwen to recover her sister after realizing that she has something he needs very badly to save his family of lost boys.

I really enjoyed this steampunk spin on J. M. Barrie's classic Peter Pan. It's a darker, grittier story set in a dystopian London that has been re-named Everland. Instead of a magical island accessible through pixie dust flights, Everland is a bombed-out shell cut off from communication from the rest of the world. Anyone who was there when illness broke out died or are now unable to leave, and it's unknown what the fate of the rest of the world has been. It's also unclear just when this story is meant to take place. The fact that the German empire has invaded England makes me think it's set right around World War I, a popular era for steampunk stories, but Gwen acts so contemporary and modern that I thought she might be in the not-so-distant future. The complete lack of any version of Internet or cell phones makes me throw the story back into the past, but maybe it's just an alternate world that doesn't quite line up with anything.

Some characters remain very recognizable. Bella may no longer be a fairy, but she zips through the air thanks to steam-powered wings. Gwen and her siblings share the closeness of the original Darling children, though Gwen is far more active than her Edwardian counterpart. Individual Lost Boys may only get a few pages of story time, but their personalities shine in even brief appearances. But other characters are dramatically different. Captain Hook has transformed into a prince of the German Empire. Instead of a grown man, he's just another boy roughly the same age as Peter Pan. I have to admit that I didn't care for some of the changes to his background and story, but the core of Hook, that callous and bloodthirsty nature mixed with a frustrated childishness, is definitely at the heart of this character.

One little change that I really liked was a change to Tiger Lily's ethnicity. Instead of a Native American, she's been recast as South Asian. After all, we're in London, not a fantasy island in the sky. It makes far more sense that Lily wears a sari, not buckskins and feathers, as she leads the Lost Boys through London's secret underground tunnels.

Everland has some great plot twists and leaves the ending open for a sequel. (In fact, the author has confirmed that the book is the first in a proposed trilogy.) I love the world that Wendy Spinale has created and I'm looking forward to seeing where Gwen, Pete, and the Lost Boys go next.

4 out of 5 stars

To read more about Everland, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: Before Tomorrowland by Jeff Jensen, Brad Bird, Damon Lindelof, and Jonathan Case
2014: Bracelet of Bones (The Viking Sagas #1) by Kevin Crossley-Holland
2013: Crystal Bones (Faelin Chronicles #1) by C. Aubrey Hall
2012: Fashionista Piranha on hiatus until May 24th
2011: In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
2010: The Big Book of Gross Stuff by Bart King
2009: Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R. J. Anderson

Review: Jackaby (Jackaby #1) by William Ritter

fashion_piranha — Sun, 08 May 2016 18:39:43 GMT

Jackaby
by William Ritter

Abigail Rook arrives in New England determined to make it on her own. The young Englishwoman immediately seeks employment, but the only job available is assistant to R. F. Jackaby, supernatural investigator and resident town weirdo. Jackaby agrees to take on Abigail after realizing her observation of mundane details neatly complements his own skills. On her first day, Abigail and Jackaby are confronted with a serial killer who drains his victims' blood. The police want nothing to do with Jackaby and his tales of extraordinary, supernatural killers, but if he and Abigail can not identify the person responsible he will surely strike again.

If you're looking for a strong-willed and entertaining heroine, Abigail is your girl. Born to a life of privilege in England, she abandoned it to excavate bones on a paleontological dig. When that project abruptly ended, Abigail sailed to America rather than return home to her parents and a more conventional life. Abigail is smart, funny, and modern – yet she's unusual, not impossible. She's a natural successor to spunky protagonists like Jacky Faber and other female adventurers.

Familiar with stories of Sherlock Holmes, she initially assumes Jackaby uses Holmes' rational deduction to figure out the secrets hidden by the residents of New Fiddleham. R. F. Jacaby's intuition stems from a far more mysterious place, as he can see and hear that which others cannot. He shrouds himself in mystery and even Abigail can rarely penetrate the facade. Their conversations are so much fun as Jackaby skillfully evades answering Abigail's questions. There is so little revealed about his character. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not even sure how old Jackaby is meant to be. Abigail describes him as a young man with eyes a hundred lifetimes old, but she definitely doesn't give the impression that they are contemporaries.

The mystery of the serial killer is one of the weaker aspects of the novel, in that the identity of the murderer is telegraphed early and frequently. Most readers will solve the mystery far puzzle than the two detectives – well, detective and his assistant – which makes Jackaby and Abigail seem a bit slow on the uptake. But the strength of the book rests not on the plot but on the characters and their interactions with each other. Abigail and Jackaby, Jackaby and his testy relationship with the local police officers, Abigail and a cute puppy dog of a policeman who helps the detectives on the case...the relationships between all of these characters add up to a fantastic, rich world that is utterly delightful to visit.

I'm glad that I discovered this series rather late because I don't have to wait for the sequel, Beastly Bones. I want to go back to New Fiddleham as soon as possible to learn more about the mysterious world of R. F. Jackaby Investigative Services.

4.5 out of 5 stars

To read more about Jackaby, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: Before Tomorrowland by Jeff Jensen, Brad Bird, Damon Lindelof, and Jonathan Case
2014: Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier
2013: Crystal Bones (Faelin Chronicles #1) by C. Aubrey Hall
2012: Fashionista Piranha on hiatus until May 24th...
2011: In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
2010: O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell
2009: Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R. J. Anderson

Review: The Temptation of the Night Jasmine (Pink Carnation #5) by Lauren Willig

fashion_piranha — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 21:25:14 GMT

The Temptation of the Night Jasmine
by Lauren Willig

The fifth book in the Pink Carnation series

After many years abroad in India, the Duke of Dovedale returns to England to avenge the death of a friend. Robert has barely set foot on his estate when he encounters his distant cousin Charlotte and rekindles their childhood friendship. Charlotte, a daydreamer who loves books and fairy tales, is instantly smitten and quickly convinces herself that Robert is a hero straight out of one of her stories. When his plot for revenge forces Robert to befriend the members of the notorious Hellfire Club so that he can infiltrate their organization, he breaks off his budding relationship with Charlotte in order to protect her. Devastated, Charlotte is soon distracted when she stumbles across a plot against the king and realizes that she may be the only person who can protect him.

I have to get a few disappointing things off my chest: there's no Pink Carnation in this book. In fact, very few characters from the previous novels in the series make an appearance. No Black Tulip. No Lord Vaughn or Mary Alsworthy, no Amy and Richard Selwick. While Charlotte is a sweet girl with a surprising spine of steel, she was never quite as interesting as some of Willig's other heroines. She spent too much mooning and moping over Robert, especially in the first half of the book, which was quite sluggish at times as a result.

Robert never quite matched the charm of his preceding leading men, either. He was constantly rehashing the old “I'm no good for this pure girl so I must leave her...but I love her so much that I can't stay away!” argument and it was tiresome. There was friction between him and his Dovedale relations because he wasn't raised as a member of the aristocracy, so there's so much that he doesn't know about the workings of court life. I wish we had seen more of that in the book and less of his inner waffling.

Charlotte was a side character in The Masque of the Black Tulip, one of Henrietta's closest friends, and she's appeared occasionally in other the books. She isn't quite interesting enough to hold her own, now when there are so many other interesting personalities in Willig's world.

In the present, Eloise and Colin have settled into a relationship. Their scenes are an amusing break from the melodrama of Charlotte's life. In this sitcom-like episode, Eloise realizes that she has no idea what Colin does for a living, and in imitation of her research she tries to uncover the answer by sneaking into his study at night and going through his bookshelves instead of simply asking him directly. The silliness of her situation was a welcome relief.

2.5 out of 5 stars

To read more about The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: New Releases: March 3rd, 2015
2014: Review: Who Owns America's Past? by Robert C. Post
2013: Lady at the O.K. Corral by Ann Kirschner
2012: Vacation: Weddingpalooza
2011: The Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer by Lucy Weston
2010: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
2009: The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

News: March Book to Movie Adaptations

fashion_piranha — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 18:32:58 GMT

Read the Book Before You See the Movie!

Thank you IMDB.com for providing the movie plot summaries.

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT
Date: March 4th
Adapted From: The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Kim Barker
Starring: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman
Plot Summary: A journalist recounts her wartime coverage in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

ALLEGIANT
Date: March 18th
Adapted From: Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James
Plot Summary: The third installment of the blockbuster Divergent series franchise, ALLEGIANT, takes Tris and Four into a new world, far more dangerous than ever before.

THE LITTLE PRINCE
Date: March 18th
Adapted From: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd
Plot Summary: A little girl lives in a very grown-up world with her mother, who tries to prepare her for it. Her neighbor, the Aviator, introduces the girl to an extraordinary world where anything is possible, the world of the Little Prince.

BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE
Date: March 25th
Adapted From: DC Comics' Batman and Superman characters
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
Plot Summary: Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on Superman, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It's up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: Guest Post: JANAM KUNDLIS by Michelle Moran
2014: The Scribe by Antonio Garrido
2013: Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
2012: Vacation: Weddingpalooza
2011: Random Ranting: What NOT TO DO When Submitting a Manuscript
2010: Dawn of the Dreadfuls (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies prequel) by Steven Hockensmith
2009: Henry V: The Graphic Novel by William Shakespeare

New Releases: January 19th, 2015

fashion_piranha — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 16:27:46 GMT

NEW RELEASES IN HARDCOVER

THE PORTABLE VEBLEN by Elizabeth McKenzie
THE PORTABLE VEBLEN is set in and around Palo Alto, amid the culture clash of new money and old (antiestablishment) values, and with the specter of our current wars looming across. A young couple on the brink of marriage --- the charming Veblen and her fiancé Paul, a brilliant neurologist --- find their engagement in danger of collapse. Along the way they weather everything from each other’s dysfunctional families, to the attentions of a seductive pharmaceutical heiress, to an intimate tête-à-tête with a very charismatic squirrel. Fiction

RIVER ROAD by Carol Goodman
Nan Lewis, a creative writing professor, hits a deer while driving home from a faculty holiday party. But when she gets out of her car to look for it, the deer is nowhere to be found. The next morning, Nan is informed that one of her students was killed in a hit-and-run the night before. And because of the damage to her car, Nan is a suspect. In the days following the accident, Nan finds herself shunned by the same community that rallied around her when her own daughter was killed in an eerily similar accident. When she begins to find disturbing tokens that recall the death of her daughter, Nan suspects that the two accidents are connected. Psychological Thriller

THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING: Adventures of an American in Britain by Bill Bryson
In 1995, Bill Bryson got into his car and took a weeks-long farewell motoring trip about England before moving his family back to the United States. The book about that trip, NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND, is uproarious and endlessly endearing. Two decades later, he set out again to rediscover that country, and the result is THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING. Nothing is funnier than Bill Bryson on the road, so prepare for the total joy and multiple episodes of unseemly laughter. Memoir / Travel

THE STARGAZER'S SISTER by Carrie Brown
William Herschel, the great composer and astronomer, rescues his sister, Caroline, from a life of drudgery in Germany and brings her to England and a world of music making and stargazing. Lina, as Caroline is known, serves as William’s assistant and the captain of his exhilaratingly busy household. William is generous, wise and charismatic, an obsessive genius whom Lina adores and serves with the fervency of a beloved wife. But when William suddenly announces that he will be married, Lina watches her world collapse. Historical Fiction

WARRIORS OF THE STORM by Bernard Cornwell
A fragile peace reigns in Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia. King Alfred’s son, Edward, and formidable daughter, Aethelflaed, rule the kingdoms. But all around the restless Northmen, eyeing the rich lands and wealthy churches, are mounting raids. Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the kingdoms’ greatest warrior, controls northern Mercia from the strongly fortified city of Chester. But forces are gathering against him. Northmen allied to the Irish, led by the fierce warrior Ragnall Ivarson, are soon joined by the Northumbrians, and their strength could prove overwhelming. Historical Fiction

NEW RELEASES IN PAPERBACK

THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST by Holly Black
Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries' seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once. At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointy as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking. Until one day, he does... As the world turns upside down and a hero is needed to save them all, Hazel tries to remember her years spent pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough? Fantasy / Young Adult

FROG written by Mo Yan, translated by Howard Goldblatt
FROG opens with a playwright nicknamed Tadpole, who plans to write about his aunt. In her youth, Gugu --- the beautiful daughter of a famous doctor and staunch Communist --- is revered for her skill as a midwife. But when her lover defects, Gugu’s own loyalty to the Party is questioned. She decides to prove her allegiance by strictly enforcing the one-child policy, keeping tabs on the number of children in the village, and performing abortions on women as many as eight months pregnant. Fiction

THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND by Katarina Bivald
Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her book-loving pen pal. When she arrives, however, she finds Amy's funeral guests just leaving. The residents of Broken Wheel are happy to look after their bewildered visitor --- not much else to do in a small town that's almost beyond repair. They just never imagined that she'd start a bookstore. Or that books could bring them together --- and change everything. Fiction

WE SHOULD HANG OUT SOMETIME: Embarassingly, A True Story by Josh Sundquist
Josh Sundquist only ever had one girlfriend. For twenty-three hours. In eighth grade. Why was Josh still single? To find out, he tracked down the girls he had tried to date and asked them straight up: What went wrong? The results of Josh's semiscientific, wholly hilarious investigation are captured here. From a disastrous Putt-Putt date involving a backward prosthetic foot, to his introduction to CFD (Close Fast Dancing), to a misguided "grand gesture" at a Miss America pageant, this story is about looking for love -- or at least a girlfriend -- in all the wrong places. Memoir / Young Adult

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
2014: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke
2013: Movie: Les Misérables
2012: 15 Great Works of Literature-Inspired Nail Art
2011: Closing down for end of year Festivus…
2010: News: Seriously Cool Pop-Up Book
2009: College Girl by Patricia Weitz

New Releases: January 12th, 2016

fashion_piranha — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 19:25:28 GMT

NEW RELEASES IN HARDCOVER

DICTATOR by Robert Harris
At the age of 48, Cicero --- the greatest orator of his time --- is in exile, separated from his wife and children, tormented by his sense of failure, his great power sacrificed on the altar of his principles. And yet, in the words of one of his most famous aphorisms, “While there is life, there is hope.” By promising to support Caesar --- his political enemy --- he is granted return to Rome, where he fights his way back to prominence. Even so, no public figure, however brilliant and cunning, is completely safeguarded against the unscrupulous ambition and corruption of others. Historical Fiction

THE DRESSMAKER'S WAR by Mary Chamberlain
In London, 1939, Ada Vaughan is a young woman with an unusual dressmaking skill and dreams of a better life for herself. That life seems to arrive when Stanislaus, an Austrian aristocrat, sweeps Ada off her feet and brings her to Paris. When war breaks out, Stanislaus vanishes and Ada is taken prisoner by the Germans, she must do everything she can to survive: by becoming dressmaker to the Nazi wives. Abandoned and alone as war rages, the choices Ada makes will come back to haunt her years later, as the truth of her experience is twisted and distorted after the war. Historical Fiction

THE LOST TUDOR PRINCESS: The Life of Lady Margaret Douglas by Alison Weir
THE LOST TUDOR PRINCESS is the first biography of Margaret Douglas, the beautiful, cunning niece of Henry VIII of England who used her sharp intelligence and covert power to influence the succession after the death of Elizabeth I. Drawing on decades of research and myriad original sources --- including many of Margaret’s surviving letters --- Alison Weir brings this captivating character out of the shadows and presents a strong, capable woman who operated effectively and fearlessly at the very highest levels of power. Biography / History

THIS CENSUS-TAKER by China Miéville
In a remote house on a hilltop, a lonely boy witnesses a profoundly traumatic event. He tries --- and fails --- to flee. Left alone with his increasingly deranged parent, he dreams of safety, of joining the other children in the town below, of escape. When at last a stranger knocks at his door, the boy senses that his days of isolation might be over. But by what authority does this man keep the meticulous records he carries? What is the purpose behind his questions? Is he friend, enemy…or something else altogether? Urban Fantasy

UP FROM THE SEA by Leza Lowitz
A powerful novel-in-verse about how one teen boy survives the March 2011 tsunami that devastates his coastal Japanese village. On that fateful day, Kai loses nearly everyone and everything he cares about. When he’s offered a trip to New York to meet kids whose lives were changed by 9/11, Kai realizes he also has a chance to look for his estranged American father. Visiting Ground Zero on its tenth anniversary, Kai learns that the only way to make something good come out of the disaster back home is to return there and help rebuild his town. Middle Grade / Children's Fiction

WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR by Paul Kalanithi
At the age of 36, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality. Memoir

NEW RELEASES IN PAPERBACK

AQUARIUM by David Vann
Caitlin lives alone with her mother in subsidized housing next to an airport in Seattle. Each day, while waiting to be picked up after school, she visits the local aquarium to study the fish. Gazing at the creatures within the watery depths, she accesses a shimmering universe beyond her own. When she befriends an old man at the tanks one day, who seems as enamored of the fish as she, Caitlin cracks open a dark family secret and propels her once-blissful relationship with her mother toward a precipice of terrifying consequence. Fiction

A GOD IN RUINS by Kate Atkinson
Kate Atkinson's LIFE AFTER LIFE explored the possibility of infinite chances and the power of choices, following Ursula Todd as she lived through the turbulent events of the last century over and over again. A GOD IN RUINS tells the dramatic story of the 20th century through Ursula's beloved younger brother, Teddy --- would-be poet, heroic pilot, husband, father and grandfather --- as he navigates the perils and progress of a rapidly changing world. Historical Fiction

MISSOULA: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer
Jon Krakauer chronicles the searing experiences of several women in Missoula --- the nights when they were raped; their fear and self-doubt in the aftermath; the way they were treated by the police, prosecutors and defense attorneys; the public vilification and private anguish; their bravery in pushing forward and what it cost them. Krakauer’s dispassionate, carefully documented account of what these ladies endured cuts through the abstract ideological debate about campus rape. True Crime

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: New Releases This Week: January 13th, 2015
2014: Sidebar: Review Status for Books 2014
2013: The Lion in the Valley (Amelia Peabody #4) by Elizabeth Peters
2012: Delilah by India Edgehill
2011: Closing down for end of year Festivus…
2010: The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan
2009: Discussion Question: Buying Textbooks

News: January Movie Adaptations

fashion_piranha — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 17:00:35 GMT

Read the Book Before You See the Movie!

Thank you IMDB.com for providing the movie plot summaries.

SHERLOCK: THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE
Date: January 6th
Adapted From: Sir Conan Arthur Doyle's Sherlock Holmes character
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman
Plot Summary: Not really a movie, but the holiday special from the BBC series Sherlock will be released in movie theaters before airing on television. Set in Victorian London instead of the show's contemporary setting, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson tackle yet another case.

THE REVENANT
Date: January 8th
Adapted From: The Revenant by Michael Punke
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy
Plot Summary: A frontiersman named Hugh Glass on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s is on a quest for survival after being brutally mauled by a bear.

13 HOURS
Date: January 15th
Adapted From: 13 Hours Mitchell Zuckoff
Starring: James Badge Dale, John Krasinksi
Plot Summary: An American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya as a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.

THE LADY IN THE VAN
Date: January 15th
Adapted From: The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett
Starring: Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings
Plot Summary: A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her car that's parked in his driveway.

THE 5TH WAVE
Date: January 22nd
Adapted From: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Maika Monroe
Plot Summary: Four waves of increasingly deadly alien attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: Subscription Box: Book Riot, January 2015
2014: Anything That Moves by Dana Goodyear
2013: A Sound Among The Trees by Susan Meissner
2012: At the Mercy of the Queen by Anne Clinard Barnhill
2011: Closing down for end of year Festivus…
2010: Sticklers, Sideburns & Bikinis by Graeme Donald
2009: News: TwiCon 2009

New Releases: January 5th, 2016

fashion_piranha — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 03:25:48 GMT

NEW RELEASES IN HARDCOVER

MIDNIGHT IN BROAD DAYLIGHT: A Japanese American Family Caught Between Two Worlds by Pamela Rotner Sakamoto
After their father’s death, Harry, Frank and Pierce Fukuhara moved to Hiroshima, their mother’s ancestral home. Eager to go back to America, Harry returned in the late 1930s. Then came Pearl Harbor. Harry was sent to an internment camp until a call came for Japanese translators, and he dutifully volunteered to serve his country. Back in Hiroshima, Frank and Pierce became soldiers in the Japanese Imperial Army. Before the Fukuharas would have to face each other in battle, the U.S. detonated the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, gravely injuring tens of thousands of civilians, including members of their family. History

PASSENGER by Alexandra Bracken
In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles, but years from home. And she's inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she's never heard of. Until now.
Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods --- a powerful family in the Colonies --- and the servitude he's known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can't escape and the family that won't let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, his passenger, can find. In order to protect her, Nick must ensure she brings it back to them --- whether she wants to or not.
Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods' grasp. Young Adult

THE NIGHT PARADE by Kathryn Tanquary
The last thing Saki Yamamoto wants to do for her summer vacation is trade in exciting Tokyo for the antiquated rituals and bad cell reception of her grandmother’s village. Preparing for the Obon ceremony is boring. Then the local kids take interest in Saki and she sees an opportunity for some fun, even if it means disrespecting her family’s ancestral shrine on a malicious dare.
But as Saki rings the sacred bell, the darkness shifts. A death curse has been invoked...and Saki has three nights to undo it. With the help of three spirit guides and some unexpected friends, Saki must prove her worth --- or say goodbye to the world of the living forever... Middle Grade / Fantasy

SPARK JOY: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Japanese decluttering guru Marie Kondo’s THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP has revolutionized homes --- and lives --- across the world. Now, Kondo presents an illustrated guide to her acclaimed KonMari Method, with step-by-step folding illustrations for everything from shirts to socks, plus drawings of perfectly organized drawers and closets. She also provides advice on frequently asked questions, such as whether to keep “necessary” items that may not bring you joy. Self-Help

NEW RELEASES IN PAPERBACK

AMERICAN RECKONING: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity by Christian G. Appy
How did the Vietnam War change the way we think of ourselves as a people and a nation? Christian G. Appy, author of the widely praised oral history of the Vietnam War, PATRIOTS, now examines the relationship between the war’s realities and myths, and its impact on our national identity, conscience, pride, shame, popular culture and postwar foreign policy. History

THE BURIED GIANT by Kazuo Ishiguro
Kazuo Ishiguro, one of the best novelists working today, is also one of the most surprising. He has written drawing-room novels, dystopian fiction, surrealist works, and now a post-Arthurian tale of knights and ogres, of elderly villagers searching for their long-lost son, and of a she-dragon rumored to be the cause of a mist of forgetfulness that has plagued the land. As in past books, Ishiguro uses his story to meditate on memory and loss. Historical Fiction / Fantasy

ROGUE WAVE (Waterfire Saga, Book Two) by Jennifer Donnelly
Serafina, Neela, Ling, Ava, Becca, and Astrid, six mermaids from realms scattered throughout the seas and freshwaters, were summoned by the leader of the river witches to learn an incredible truth: the mermaids are direct descendants of the Six Who Ruled-powerful mages who once governed the lost empire of Atlantis. The ancient evil that destroyed Atlantis is stirring again, and only the mermaids can defeat it. To do so, they need to find magical talismans that belonged to the Six. As they hunt for their talismans, both Serafina and Neela find reserves of courage and cunning they didn't know they possessed. They face down danger and death, only to endure a game-changing betrayal, as shocking as a rogue wave. Young Adult / Fantasy

THE SWEETHEART by Angelina Mirabella
It’s 1953, and 17-year-old Leonie Putzkammer is cartoonishly tall and curvaceous, destined to spend the rest of her life waiting tables and living with her widowed father in their Philadelphia row house. Until the day a legendary wrestling promoter walks into the local diner and offers her the chance of a lifetime. When Leonie becomes The Sweetheart, one of America’s most infamous female wrestlers, she attracts the fans she desires but complicates all of her relationships. Historical Fiction

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: Fashionista Piranha will be on break for the holidays
2014: Giveaway: Where Spirits Dwell
2013: Sidebar: Books Reviewed in 2013
2012: Uzumaki: Spiral Into Horror Vol. 3 by Junji Ito
2011: Closing down for end of year Festivus…
2010: Remaining Unread: The Top Ten Reasons We Don’t Get To Certain Books
2009: When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall

Review: Goosebumps: Slappy's Tales of Horror by R. L. Stine

fashion_piranha — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 03:25:43 GMT

Goosebumps: Slappy's Tales of Horror
by R. L. Stine

Slappy the Ventriloquist’s Dummy introduces four creepy stories, based on four previously published Goosebumps books. In “A Shocker on Shock Street”, two children are given a chance to test a new theme park attraction that utilizes ultra-realistic special effects. Jamie Tolagson's graphic style recalls old EC horror comics (but child-safe, of course) and the traditional comic book style.

Gabriel Hernandez's sketchier illustrations for “The Werewolf of Fever Swamp” are in line with more contemporary horror comics. This story calls to mind works like The Walking Dead. It's set in a spooky swamp. A boy and his family have recently moved there, and the boy has adopted a large, wolf-like dog. When a rabbit is found brutally mutilated, his new pet is accused, but the boy is determined to prove Wolf's innocence, and discovers something far scarier haunting the swamp.

“Ghost Beach” is illustrated in a Japanese manga style. While the story can be chilling, the cartoon characters don't always convey it authentically. Two girls are staying with cousins for the summer, and befriend some of the local children. The locals tell the girls about a ghost haunting the nearby beach, and ask for their help in permanently ridding the town of the spirit.

I was going to describe the style of the final comic, “Night of the Living Dummy”, as Telgemeier-esque. It seemed all the more apt when I realized that the artist, Dave Roman, is married to Raina Telgemeier. Characters are rounded and cute, almost bouncing from one panel to the next – which suits the story, which revolves around two sisters feuding with ventriloquist dummies. It's Slappy's origin story, and it's an entertaining one.

I remember reading most of these stories in their original book form when I was a kid. I enjoyed them back in the mid-90s and I had fun revisiting them in this new, graphic form. I've always liked the Goosebumps franchise for its ability to introduce something unsettling into a very real-world setting and slowly build on events in a way that ratchets up the tension while remaining gentle enough that the stories don't give kids nightmares. A cartoonish sense of humor pervades all of Goosebumps, and in the four selected stories it doesn't overwhelm the spookiness. I don't know if this is meant to be the first of many graphic adaptations or just a one-off event, but it's a great way to introduce the stories to a new generation of readers.

3.5 out of 5 stars

To read more about Goosebumps: Slappy's Tales of Horror, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: Fashionista Piranha will be on break for the holidays
2014: Movie: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
2013: Fashionista Piranha Book Blog in 2013
2012: The Most Anticipated Reads of 2012
2011: Closing down for end of year Festivus…
2010: Summary of Book Reviews from June-December 2009
2009: The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell

Review: Ghostlight by Sonia Gensler

fashion_piranha — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 00:43:31 GMT

Ghostlight
by Sonia Gensler

Every summer, Avery and her brother Blake are sent to their grandmother's farm, where they spin stories together about a magical Kingdom. This summer, Blake refuses to play along, telling Avery he's too old for kingdoms and magic. Initially furious, Avery is soon distracted by a boy she finds wandering her grandmother's property, looking to tell stories of his own. He asks her to help him create a movie, and Avery agrees – but once she realizes Julian is intent on making a horror movie set in Hilliard House, a derelict mansion her grandmother has forbidden her to visit, she is scared. Julian teaches Avery about making movies by showing her classic films and explaining different shots and techniques, but each lesson is accompanied by a reminder that they need access to Hilliard House so they can apply what they've learned. Avery slowly warms to Julian's ghost story, but when they finally enter the house to begin filming they uncover the house's own tragic spirit.

Every character in the story has problems that he or she is working through. For Avery, it's learning to recognize and control her temper and coping with the fact that her brother is starting to leave her behind as he grows up. Julian's father is a famous country star, and the celebrity has made it hard for him to talk about his family's problems. Julian himself has several issues that he's learning to deal with through his films.

While Avery and Julian are researching the history of Hilliard House and the identity of the spirit haunting it, they uncover other long-hidden secrets, including a secret marriage, the truth behind the death of a seven year old girl, and an insane mother who may have passed her mental troubles on to her child. Each new twist adds a layer of creepiness to the story.

This middle-grade book will teach readers a lot about film by using examples from psychological horror classics like The Haunting and The Innocents to explain how the director's choice of camera angles, lighting, and shots can shape a movie. It's especially fitting because the story often uses similar techniques to tell its own spooky stories. Julian's excitement cinema is contagious and will encourage some kids to try making their own short films.

Other children might be inspired by Avery's research into the history of Hilliard House to learn more about their own family tree and local landmarks. Her tenacity to chase down the details of what happened in the past is admirable. As she matures Avery also learns to channel her creativity beyond pure imagination into storytelling.

4 out of 5 stars

To read more about Ghostlight, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2015: Fashionista Piranha will be on break for the holidays
2014: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
2013: Thermae Romae Vol. 1 by Mari Yamazaki
2012: Verily, Verily: The KJV by Jon Sweeney
2011: Closing down for the end of the year...
2010: Index of Book Reviews from June – December 2009
2009: When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall

Subscription Box: Powell's Indiespensable #56

fashion_piranha — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 05:20:50 GMT

Powell's Indiespensable Book Club
Volume 56: City of Fire

Since 2008, Powell's Books of Portland, OR has run a book club/subscription service that sends a new, autographed hardcover book in a custom slipcase to its subscribers. Each mailing is accompanied with notes on the selected book and a surprise selection of extra items.

Volume 56's shipment was delayed due to changes in Powell's web platform. As an apology to subscribers, the box was free! That was a very special and greatly appreciated surprise.

CITY ON FIRE by Garth Risk Hallberg

New York City, 1976. Meet Regan and William Hamilton-Sweeney, estranged heirs to one of the city’s great fortunes; Keith and Mercer, the men who, for better or worse, love them; Charlie and Samantha, two suburban teenagers seduced by downtown’s punk scene; an obsessive magazine reporter and his idealistic neighbor—and the detective trying to figure out what any of them have to do with a shooting in Central Park on New Year’s Eve.

The mystery, as it reverberates through families, friendships, and the corridors of power, will open up even the loneliest-seeming corners of the crowded city. And when the blackout of July 13, 1977, plunges this world into darkness, each of these lives will be changed forever.

City on Fire is an unforgettable novel about love and betrayal and forgiveness, about art and truth and rock ’n’ roll: about what people need from each other in order to live . . . and about what makes the living worth doing in the first place.

One of the owners of the store I work at read this and LOVED it. Other than that, I don't know much about the book, but it has a cool cover. I love the shiny metallic red fireworks printed against the black background of the slipcover. The book is autographed by the author on the title page.

As always, the book is accompanied by a little chap book containing a brief bio of Garth Risk Hallberg (a good-looking guy if his photo is to be believed) and an interview with him. This unique touch is one of the things I simply LOVE about the Indiespensable subscription.

RANGER CHOCOLATE 73% Peru tumbes Chocolate Bar
This is a medium-sized chocolate bar, according to Powells. Ranger Chocolate makes artisanal chocolates and caramels in Portland, OR, where Powells is headquartered. They claim that their Peruvian cacao beans are organic and sourced directly from the farmers. The chocolate is bitter but has a slight wine-y/fruity note. It's nice enough but I wouldn't buy it again.

Unlike previous boxes, there's only the one book and one extra item - but hey, the box was free so I'm happy with anything I got. CITY ON FIRE is a book I've been curious about, and since it's here in my hands I might actually read it in a timely manner.

--

Powell's Indiespensable subscription costs $39.95 per box. To learn more and check out books previously selected for subscribers, visit the Indiespensable page at Powell's Books.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014:
2013: Monsterology (Ologies #6) by Dr. Ernest Drake and Dugald Steer
2012: Showcase Presents: Ghosts Vol. 1 by Various
2011: Fashionista Piranha Book Blog on hold for a few weeks!
2010: Closing down for end of year Festivus...
2009: News: Stealing Books
2008: Book Group Expo: Where There's A Will: Shakespeare in the 21st Century

New Releases: December 15th, 2015

fashion_piranha — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:01:30 GMT

There aren't many new releases this week. Things get really quiet in the publishing world this time of year.

NEW RELEASES IN HARDCOVER

RICHARD III: A Ruler and His Reputation by David Horspool
With the discovery of Richard III's bones under a parking lot in Leicester, England, interest in this divisive and enigmatic figure in British history is at an all-time high. RICHARD III dispassionately examines the legend as well as the man to uncover both what we know of the life of Richard, and the way that his reputation has been formed and re-formed over centuries. But beyond simply his reputation, there is no dispute that the last Plantagenet is a pivotal figure in English history --- and David Horspool's biography chronicles this tumultuous time with flair. Biography

NEW RELEASES IN PAPERBACK

HOW IT WENT DOWN by Kekla Magoon
When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white. In the aftermath of Tariq's death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth. Young Adult

STORY THIEVES by James Riley
Life is boring when you live in the real world, instead of starring in your own book series. Owen knows that better than anyone, what with the real world’s homework and chores. But everything changes the day Owen sees the impossible happen---his classmate Bethany climb out of a book in the library. It turns out Bethany’s half-fictional and has been searching every book she can find for her missing father, a fictional character. Bethany can’t let anyone else learn her secret, so Owen makes her a deal: All she has to do is take him into a book in Owen’s favorite Kiel Gnomenfoot series, and he’ll never say a word. Besides, visiting the book might help Bethany find her father…Or it might just destroy the Kiel Gnomenfoot series, reveal Bethany’s secret to the entire world, and force Owen to live out Kiel Gnomenfoot’s final (very final) adventure. Children's Fantasy

The ZODIAC LEGACY #1: Convergence by Stuart Moore and Stan Lee with illustrations by Paris Cullins
When twelve magical superpowers are unleashed on the world, a Chinese-American teenager named Steven will be thrown into the middle of an epic global chase. He'll have to master strange powers, outrun super-powered mercenaries and unlock the mysterious powers of the Zodiac. Children's Fiction

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014:
2013: Mythology (Ologies #5) by Lady Hestia Evans and Dugard Steer
2012: News: New Christian Andersen Fairy Tale Found!
2011: Fashionista Piranha Book Blog on hold for a few weeks!
2010: Closing down for end of year Festivus...
2009: The Emperors of Chocolate by Joel Glenn Brenner
2008: Guardian by Julius Lester

Review: The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

fashion_piranha — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 21:35:33 GMT

The Nest
by Kenneth Oppel

Something is wrong with Steve’s baby brother. His parents are constantly taking the newborn to the hospital, and whispered conversations Steve overhears indicate that even if the baby survives, his life will be difficult. One night, in a dream, an angel appears to Steve and offers to fix his brother. Steve can save his brother if he’ll only say “yes”, but something about the increasingly insectoid angel holds him back.

I can’t go too much into the plot without revealing major spoilers, but I’ll try to describe something of the atmosphere of the novel. Never straight-out frightening, The Nest unsettles the reader with every turn of the page. The narrator Steve isn’t entirely reliable. He reveals that he’s had certain psychological problems in the past that may color his interpretation of events. But even if his narrative isn’t entirely true – it’s left to the reader to determine its accuracy – Steve’s descriptions of enormous wasp-like creatures that communicate telepathically make my skin crawl.

As the “angels” release details about their plans to fix Steve’s brother, you begin to really sympathize with the boy. He feels completely isolated except for these extremely sympathetic and understanding wasps. They’re asking Steve to make major decisions that will affect his entire family, and any time he reaches out for help his parents think he’s acting up for attention or that his previous problems are returning.

This creepy middle grade novel will thrill fans of books like Coraline. While the story initially seems simple and straightforward, it is as layered as a wasps’ nest. It’s pleasingly complex and will make the reader uncomfortable, but it’s still suitable for children.

4.5 out of 5 stars

To read more about The Nest, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
2013: Beauty's Daughter by Carolyn Meyer
2012: Egyptology (Ologies #2) by Emily Sands and Dugald Steer
2011: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
2010: The Candidates (Delacroix Academy #1) by Inara Scott
2009: Going on hiatus...
2008: Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

New Releases: November 24th, 2015

fashion_piranha — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 18:00:50 GMT

NEW RELEASES IN HARDCOVER

BOYS IN THE TREES: A Memoir by Carly Simon
BOYS IN THE TREES reveals Carly Simon’s remarkable life, beginning with her storied childhood as the third daughter of Richard L. Simon, the co-founder of publishing giant Simon & Schuster. It was a childhood enriched by music and culture, but also one shrouded in secrets that eventually would tear her family apart. Simon captures moments of creative inspiration, the sparks of songs, and the stories behind writing "Anticipation" and "We Have No Secrets," among many others. Memoir

GRATITUDE by Oliver Sacks
No writer has succeeded in capturing the medical and human drama of illness as honestly and as eloquently as Oliver Sacks. During the last few months of his life, he wrote a set of essays in which he movingly explored his feelings about completing a life and coming to terms with his own death. “It is the fate of every human being,” Sacks writes, “to be a unique individual, to find his own path, to live his own life, to die his own death.” Together, these four essays form an ode to the uniqueness of each human being and to gratitude for the gift of life. Essays

Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern
Seventeen-year-old Rose Levenson has a decision to make: Does she want to know how she's going to die? Because when Rose turns eighteen, she can take the test that tells her if she carries the genetic mutation for Huntington's disease, the degenerative condition that is slowly killing her mother. With a fifty-fifty shot at inheriting her family's genetic curse, Rose is skeptical about pursuing anything that presumes she'll live to be a healthy adult --- including her dream career in ballet and the possibility of falling in love. But when she meets a boy from a similarly flawed genetic pool and gets an audition for a dance scholarship across the country, Rose begins to question her carefully laid rules. Young Adult

Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio and Will Staehle
Meet Warren the 13th, a cursed 12-year-old Victorian bellhop who’s terribly unlucky...yet perpetually optimistic, hard-working, and curious. Orphan Warren’s pride and joy is his family’s hotel, but he’s been miserable ever since his evil Aunt Anaconda took over the management. Anaconda believes a mysterious treasure known as the All-Seeing Eye is hidden somewhere on the grounds, and she’ll do anything to find it. If Warren wants to preserve his family’s legacy, he’ll need to find the treasure first --- if the hotel’s many strange and wacky guests don’t beat him to it! Children’s Fiction

NEW RELEASES IN PAPERBACK

THE COUNTRY OF ICE CREAM STAR by Sandra Newman
In the ruins of a future America, 15-year-old Ice Cream Star and her nomadic tribe live off of the detritus of a crumbled civilization. Before reaching the age of 20, they all die of a mysterious disease. When her brother begins showing signs of the disease, Ice Cream Star sets off on a bold journey to find a cure. Led by a stranger, a captured prisoner named Pasha who becomes her devoted protector and friend, Ice Cream Star plunges into the unknown, risking her freedom and ultimately her life. Dystopian Thriller

POSITIVE by David Wellington
The tattooed plus sign on Finnegan's hand marks him as a Positive. At any time, the zombie virus could explode in his body, turning him from a rational human into a ravenous monster. If he reaches his 21st birthday without an incident, he'll be cleared. Until then, he must go to a special facility for positives. But when the military caravan transporting him is attacked, Finn becomes separated. To make it to safety, he must embark on a perilous cross-country journey across an America transformed. Horror

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014:
2013: The Small Hand and Dolly: Two Novels by Susan Hill
2012: Isle of 100,000 Graves by Jason
2011: Another little break for school...
2010: The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
2009: Going on hiatus...
2008: Coolest Package Ever From Makers of 'Coraline'!

Review: The Witches by Stacy Schiff

fashion_piranha — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 22:51:30 GMT

The Witches: Salem, 1692
by Stacy Schiff

In 1692, during the bitter cold of winter, a minister’s daughter complains that she is being tormented. The diagnosis? A witch must be afflicting her. Soon other girls are complaining of being pinched and poked. They writhe in agony and scream in horror as shades and specters swirl around them. Soon accusations begin to fly against neighbors, spouses, parents, and children. The prisons swell as witches are arrested and held for trial. In an odd twist, confessed witches are allowed to live while those who refuse to admit their guilt are hanged. As panic spreads, the accusations increase. Before a year has gone by, the madness has ended, but not before twenty people lost their lives.

The notorious Salem witch trials are brought to life once again under the vibrant pen of Stacy Schiff. I think people who typically find history books boring would be pleasantly surprised. Schiff writes this almost like a thriller, very taut and full of suspense. The account is also very straightforward, and describes the politics of the era very thoroughly so that readers can understand the jockeying for power that accompanied the trial.

What the biography does not do – and perhaps what it never could do – is enlighten the reader about the personalities of the possessed girls or the accused witches. Trial transcripts tend to be spotty and subject to distortion, as the men who recorded the events were not bound to be impartial or journalistic in their approach. New England records from the time are also curiously sparse. Women were rarely prominent in the records before and after 1692, so other than a few notes in family genealogies and church records very little is known about their lives. Since there’s no way to know what set these women off or what they thought of the events afterwards, the events always remain somewhat distant.

The great question of “Why did this happen?” is never definitively answered, either. Several explanations that have been proposed over the years are presented, and it’s possible that all of these things were contributing factors to the Salem events. My conclusion, which I assume was Schiff’s as well, is that it’s impossible to know. Too much information was never recorded, or has been lost in the centuries since the witch trials.

3.5 out of 5 stars

To read more about The Witches, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014:
2013: The Iron Traitor (Iron Fey #6/Call of the Forgotten #2) by Julie Kagawa
2012: Bibliomat: Book Vending Machine
2011: Another little break for school!
2010: The Virgin Widow by Anne O'Brien
2009: Doodle of the Day: Twilight
2008: Babylonne by Catherine Jinks

Chronicle Books Spring Preview

fashion_piranha — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 22:19:00 GMT

Chronicle Books Spring Preview
San Francisco, CA

Recently I had the pleasure of attending Chronicle Books’ spring preview. Booksellers were invited to the publisher’s headquarters in San Francisco for a sneak peek at upcoming 2016 children’s titles. Seriously cool, right?

The first title they talked about was Let’s Play by Herve Tullet. He’s the artist behind interactive books like Press Here and Mix It Up. Each book is very clever and fun. Children are given instructions like “Press this dot”, and when they follow and turn the page, they see the result of their efforts – the dot has moved or changed color or some other surprise. Let’s Play follows a dot through an exploration of emotions.

Next up was Are We There Yet? by Nina Laden and Adam McCauley. Straightforward premise: as a mother drives her kid to their destination, he constantly asks “Are we there yet?” The richness of the book comes from the illustrations, which feature some pretty wild locations and backgrounds that readers will want to explore, even if the kid in the car can only focus on where he’s going. There’s no narrative text to distract from exploring the worlds in the book. This would be a great one for kids who like to make up their own stories.

Tell Me a Tattoo Story was easily my favorite book presented by Chronicle. Alison McGhee and Eliza Wheeler created a beautiful celebration of a son getting to know his family history by asking his father about the tattoos on his body. The illustrations are stunning, the story simple and sweet. I can easily think of several parents who would love to have this book. It’s exactly the sort of book that would appeal to Millennial parents.

Tell Me a Tattoo Story

Sometimes all I want from a picture book is colorful, bright graphics and a cute story. That’s exactly the description of Mamasaurus, a “lost mother” book starring dinosaurs. Stephan Lomp’s art is so appealing, and you can never have too many dinosaurs. I’m quite excited about this one.

For those of us who need a reason to laugh at American presidential campaigns – and by the time this book comes out next spring, there will be many of us craving a break - President Squid answers the call. Aaron Reynolds and Sara Varon have created a sea creature determined to run for President. He boasts of his many qualifications for office. This is another great read-aloud book for kids, and of course it’ll be very relevant in 2016.

One of the intriguing chapter books showcased was Once Was a Time, a story about time travel and friendship. A scientist unlocks the secret of time travel during World War II, but to protect the knowledge from the Germans it is entrusted to his daughter Charlotte, who escapes into the future. Charlotte becomes determined to reunite with her best friend Kitty, wherever she may be in her new timeline. An interesting premise, no?

When I was a kid, fandom wasn’t quite as rampant as it is now. I mean, we got obsessed with things but I don’t think it was the industry that it is today. It’s just so much easier for fans to connect and communicate with each other now. I mention this only because fandom plays such a critical role in Gena/Finn, a story told through text messages, blog posts, e-mails, and journal entries. It connects two young women who are obsessed with a TV show, but their initial friendship quickly deepens as they find connection in a digital age.

The last book was Flora and the Peacocks, and it was extra-special because the author, Molly Idle, was at the preview to share it with us. She showed up some of her art (more of it was hanging in a display, which was REALLY cool) and talked about her work. The book just looks stunning. Like her previous Flora books, this is a wordless story featuring a little girl who loves to dance and two avian companions. Flora must successfully navigate jealousy and make a friendship with three succeed.

After the preview we were able to browse the rest of Chronicle’s current frontlist books, which is always fun. There are a lot of cute books coming up this holiday season! The original art from several spring books was on display. I love looking at the art up close, so that you can see the illustrator’s technique really clearly. As we prepared to leave, we were handed a goodie bag containing several ARCs, including some from the presentation, in a cool Chronicle Books reusable bag.

All of these books will be hitting store shelves in March and April. I can’t wait!

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014: The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
2013: Limit Vol. 5 by Keiko Suenobu
2012: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
2011: Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
2010: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
2009: Giveaway: Sorrow Wood by Raymond L. Atkins – WINNERS
2008: News and Discussion Question: Rare Books For Sale

Review: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

fashion_piranha — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 18:13:43 GMT

Wonderstruck
by Brian Selznick

While going through his mother’s things after she dies in a car crash, young Ben finds a bookmark with a note he suspects was written by his father, a man he has never known. Although he lives with his aunt and uncle only a few miles away from his childhood home, Ben decides to run away to New York City to find his father. It’s a difficult task for anyone, but a freak accident has recently left Ben deaf. A boy named Jamie befriends Ben soon after he arrives and helps him find a place to hide in a secret room at the Natural History Museum. Interwoven with Ben’s adventures are wordless illustrations that tell the story of a girl named Rose, living in the 1920s. Like Ben, she’s a runaway who goes to New York City to see her idol, silent film star Lillian Mayhew. Eventually the narratives of Rose’s picture-story and Ben’s text-story are joined in a triumph of Selznick’s unique mixed-media approach to storytelling.

The illustrated pages are beautiful black and white pencil sketches. They remind me of animation storyboards. Each page captures a moment and your imagination fills in the space between each scene. In some ways, “reading” these pages is challenging, because once a child learns to read they rarely look back to wordless storytelling. But it suits the novel so well. As the reader passes the initial surprise and discomfort of learning to read a story without words, it creates empathy for Ben and Rose, both of whom are deaf, and their struggle to communicate with other non-deaf characters.

I also liked the choice to give the visual chapters to Rose. We know she loves silent films, and it feels incredibly right that her story be told in a format that she enjoys. Brian Selznick shows such creativity and thoughtfulness in the creation of this novel.

I haven’t even touched on the story yet. What child doesn’t fantasize about hiding in a museum overnight? Whether their curiosity is inspired by films like Night at the Museum or books like From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, kids always want to know what goes on behind the closed doors. It’s a real treat to follow Ben through the museum’s hidden corridors, and the mystery behind his father’s identity keeps the story moving forward.

It’s an amazing, wonderful book. I can’t recommend it enough. Beautiful, intriguing, and endlessly creative, this book is perfectly described by its title. It will surely leave each reader Wonderstruck.

5 out of 5 stars

To read more about Wonderstruck, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014: Subscription Box: Comic Bento, September 2014
2013: Utah Shakespeare Festival: Richard II
2012: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
2011: Taking a break...thank my teachers for it!
2010: News: 10 DIY Projects For Old Books
2009: Massive Giveaways from Powells Books!
2008: The Fire and the Light by Glen Craney

Review: Soundless by Richelle Mead

fashion_piranha — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 17:10:34 GMT

Soundless
by Richelle Mead

Once upon a time, a small village became isolated at the top of a mountain. The residents lost their hearing, and the frequent avalanches and blocked roads prevented them from leaving. In exchange for the precious metals the villagers mine from the heart of the mountain, food and supplies are sent up a cable from the kingdom of Beiguo, far below. But now blindness spreads through the village, and the miners can no longer meet the quota set by the linekeeper. As the deliveries shrink, a young woman named Fei fears for her village. One night, she is awakened from a nightmare and realizes that her hearing has been restored. Though she struggles to cope with the strange new sensations of sound, Fei knows that this gift may help her achieve what no one has attempted in living memory: descending the mountain to find help for her people.

Fei won’t make this journey alone; she’ll be accompanied by Li Wei. Once, they were sweethearts; but when Fei was offered the chance to work as an artist, recording the history of the village instead of toiling in the mines, she took it. Her choice meant a marriage between herself and Li Wei would be forbidden, but long-buried feelings are awakened during the arduous journey down the mountain.

A grand adventure and two hearts sharing an unbreakable bond – this is the stuff great tales are made of, and Fei’s story lives up to expectations. From the first page, as she helps her sister chronicle the history of the village, Fei’s compassionate and protective nature is revealed. It’s clear her life is privileged, as the village goes; artists don’t suffer the brutal labor of working the mines, and as the most talented painter in her generation she’s guaranteed the best of everything the village can offer. It would be so easy for her to turn a blind eye to problems, but she doesn’t. Instead, Fei takes on the burden of the village, and by drawing strength from her loved ones she finds courage and strength to do the impossible. It’s impossible not to admire and believe in her.

Fei couldn’t even begin her journey without Li Wei. He is passionate and strong, a young revolutionary in the making. The strength of his conviction that change must come to the village breaks through Fei’s reluctance to move against the status quo. His physical strength combined with her new hearing is the only reason they survive the struggle down the mountain’s cliffs. It’s a great partnership. Their sacrifice becomes all the more admirable because it would be so easy for the two heroes to abandon the village and stay in Beiguo, where they are free to marry and be together.

My favorite moments weren’t the romance, though. Instead, I appreciated the little moments as Fei experiences sound for the first time. I can’t imagine what it would be like to suddenly gain a new sense, a foreign new way of interacting with the world around me. With Fei, I think Mead does a good job of describing what that process would be like. Fei’s initial shock at sound, her inability to articulate the experience to others, and the way the new stimuli overwhelm her all felt extremely realistic. I also found the idea of an entire village of deaf people intriguing, and enjoyed how they communicated without speaking.

Throughout the book, the existence of a race of magical creatures called pixius is mentioned as an old folktale. In a classic deus ex machine, they appear at the end of the book to help save the day. There were short descriptions of the legendary creatures but there’s was no other indication of otherworldliness in the story. No magic, no other mythical beasts. I guess that’s not entirely true – Fei’s experienced unusual, possibly prophetic dreams throughout the book – but the pixius presence is still so sudden and strange that it’s jarring.

But no matter. I still loved this book. Soundless has just the right balance of adventure and romance, realism and fantasy. Once I started the book, I just couldn’t put it down.

4.5 out of 5 stars

To read more about Soundless, buy it or add it to your wishlist click here.

Peeking into the archives...today in:
2014:
2013: My Extreme Nerd-On for Reading Rainbow and LeVar Burton
2012: Iago by David Snodin
2011: Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror Vol. 1 by Junji Ito
2010: Writer’s Block: A Real Eye Opener
2009: Giveaway: Sorrow Wood by Raymond L. Atkins – WINNERS
2008: News: Twilight Fans Turn Into Violent Mob