Hooked on Books

BEA 2012 Tips and Advice!

2012-05-29T22:02:00.000-04:00

I've had a couple requests for a post with my tips/advice from BEA last year. And voila! Here it is! Listen to my wisdom and you're sure to have a wonderful week!

1) For the love of god wear comfy shoes! I wore flip flops last year and my feet stopped working by the second day. And I mean literally stopped working. Remember that episode of Friend's where Chandler plays too much Pacman and gets "the claw" - it was that, but both my feet.

Ack argh argh ugh

2) If you're planning on going to a signing and you know the author is a really big deal (say Lauren Oliver or Ian McEwan) go early. Do not wait until the time on the schedule because they may very well tell you there aren't enough books (happened to me at the Harelquin booth last year - went to a 1 o'clock signing at 12:50 and they told me I was out of luck, there were already more than enough people lined up).

Lines and line and more lines

3) Bring a snack or two because you may get hungry but honestly you may be too busy for the thought to even cross your mind. Better advice is to eat a big breakfast. Even if you're not a breakfast person. You will thank yourself for it later.

It is the meal champions eat. And you are all champions to me!

4) Don't bring a bag, because they will be giving out tote bags like crazy. I still have and use many of my bags from last year. (I have my eye on this awesome one from Quirk books). That said, don't take every tote bag you see because you will end up with a bag of bags and you need that space for books!

5) Plan to do some stuff in the evenings but also keep in mind that you may just want to lie down on your bed and stay very still. Your limbs are going to ache and you may be better served by a quiet evening with friends then a party or event. My hotel supposedly has a swimming pool, so there's a good chance you'll find me there in the evenings (*side note - I do plan on attending the Teen Author Carnival and PubDate though, so if you're going to be there let me know!)

6) What to pack? Your usual stuff. Enough clothes, basic toiletries, phone (and charger), camera (and charger). Nothing unusal. The only thing "special" you need to bring is your BEA registration, schedule and business cards if you have them. And remember less is more. You're going to want that extra space for books

7) Who are you? I may know your first name, your blog name, and your Twitter handle but that doesn't mean I'm going to know what you LOOK like. If you're putting any sort of blog post up about BEA put a picture of your face in it so I know who to look for. Like this:

Or even this:

On that note - Say Hello! I really want to meet you. Last year I was new to blogging and I barely spoke to any of the people I recognized. The people I did talk to were random strangers in line and they were all amazing to talk to. But it makes me think it would have been even greater to talk to the people I've already connected with. But we warned. When happy/excited I tend to hug people.

This could be us <3

I am very excited about next week and hopefully I'll remember my own advice when the time comes! Watch the blog Thursday and Friday for my list of BEA books to be on the watch for!

Are you going to BEA? Let me know in the comments! And be sure to share your tips and tricks too!

Book Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

2012-05-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Series: Graceling Realm #1
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: High Fantasy
Page count: 472
Source: Purchased a copy

Release Date: October 1 2008

Ebook Version: Kobo / Kindle

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

My Review
Where has this book been all my life?

Ok maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit. I've had plenty of excellent high fantasy in my life. There's just something about high fantasy that gets me every time. But that doesn't diminsh how real and how deep my love for this book is.

Kristin Cashore has created an amazing world within the pages of Graceling. It was so detailed! and she combined just enough elements from the real world to make it the believable. It never felt over the top or ridiculous. This is the type of world building I can only hope to aspire to one day if I ever get my butt in gear and write my fantasy novel. The world of the Seven Kingdoms come alive in my head when I was reading.

And then there's Katsa. She's like the fantasy version of Katniss. Or maybe Katniss is the dystopian version of Katsa? Either way she's a kick ass heroine. She's strong, brave, and independent. She stands up for herself! I may have cheered out loud a few times, I was so proud of her. I also really liked her relationship with Po. It really felt like they were equal partners, which is definitely something you don't see enough of in
YA novels.

There isn't much more to add. This book is straight up amazing.

Final recommendation: If you like fantasy or books with strong female characters this is a must read. Seriously, stop reading my blog and go check it out (and then come read my blog again).

About the Author
Kristin Cashore wrote the New York Times bestsellers Graceling and Fire, both of which have been named ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Graceling is the winner of the 2009 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature and Fire is the winner of Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. The books are world travelers, currently scheduled to be published in thirty languages. Her third book, Bitterblue, comes out in May 2012.

Book Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

2012-05-28T00:22:00.000-04:00

Series: Steampunk Chronicles #2
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Steampunk
Page count: 416
Source: Received egalley via Netgalley

Release date: May 22 2012

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling - or dangerous. Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens.

My Review
I absolutely adored The Girl in the Steel Corset, it was fun, it was fiesty, it's a brilliant introduction into the steampunk genre. It should then come as no surprise, that I loved The Girl in the Clockwork Collar for all those reasons - and more!

The main reason I love this series is Finley Jane. She's smart, capable, brave and oh so flawed. I love a complex main character, espeically a female main character. There's nothing cut and dry about her and she can't be reduced to a simple archetype. I like that she is indecisive and struggling with two sides of her personality. It makes her seem more real. I may not have an actual dark and light side trying to coexist inside me, but I'm sure many readers can relate to the difficult choice between what is easy and what is right.

But it's not just Finley that keeps me hooked on this series. It's the whole cast of characters. Griffin, Emily, Sam, Jasper. I'd be hard pressed to pick a favourite. They're all so unique, life like and extremely likable. Kady Cross even writes excellent bad guys! How the characters are written more often than not will make or break a novel for me, and The Girl in the Clockwork Collar suceeds in making every character fun to read about.

I found the action of this novel, a little more subdued than the original. There was a lot more planning and deceit than actual fighting. However, I can't really complain about this change. It allowed the story to go in some interesting directions that I don't think it could have otherwise. And there was still just enough action thrown in to keep me satisfied.

I am happy to report that The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, is just as amazing as The Girl in the Steel Corset. If you haven't pick up this series yet, what are you waiting for? Move it to the top of your TBR ASAP!

Final recommendation: A fabulous second book that fans of the first are sure to love and a great series for new and old steampunk lovers.

About the AuthorKady Cross is a pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and a pride of cats. She likes singing with Rock Band on the 360, British guys, Vietnamese food, and makeup (she’s hopelessly addicted to YouTube makeup tutorials!). When she’s not writing Kady likes to catch up on her favorite TV shows, read a good book or make her own cosmetics.

More from Kady Cross
The Girl in the Steel Corset

Camp Wordsmith: Buried Under Revisions

2012-05-26T19:57:00.003-04:00

I have undertaken an adventure for 2012, alongside fellow bloggers Angel (Mermaid Visions) and Jen (Almost Grown Up). Were each going to write a novel and we're going to track our progress through these weekly updates. We'll be checking in every Saturday with our word counts, and story updates as well as discussions on craft/inspiration.

Week: 22

Stage: Revising First Draft

Revisions are hard!

I'm not sure I can elaborate more than that.

After giving myself a week off from the WIP I jumped into the revisions. You should see the first few chapters of my WIP. It's pages and pages of red. Most of my core content is the same but it needed to be reworded or switched around a little. I'm also breaking Chapter 2 into two parts, and adapting Chapter 3 into one of those parts. It's definitely going to take a lot of time and hard work to get through these revisions but I think I can have a second draft all ready to go sometime in early July.

But for now, back to the revisions!

Fangirl Friday: Space Quest Kickstarter

2012-05-25T11:06:00.001-04:00

Fangirl Friday is a weekly feature hosted by Hooked on Books. It's that time of the week where you can let your inner fangirl (or boy) loose. It is not only allowed but encouraged that you gush about your favourite fandom to your heart's content.

Like many people I have recently discovered the fabulous website that is Kickstarter. I loved the idea of community funded projects and the creativity on that site amazes me! There are some amazing projects - like the Garden Tower or Brassft Punk (a New Orleans tribute to Daft Punk) and some that I don't quite get - like B D Wong's musical recording and the poorly named Cheese and Crack.

But what I really want to talk about today is the Two Guys Space Venture - from the creators of Space Quest.

You may not remember the old Space Quest games from 20ish years ago, but they were a lot of fun. And now the two creators have reunited and want to make a new game. One that can be played not only on the computer but on iPad and Android tablets as well. Check out their video to learn more...
This kickstarter is just about halfway funded and you should definitely consider jumping on board. There's a new prototype (as of yesterday) for you to test out, so you can see if it's something you would enjoy. For a pledge of only $15 you get a digital copy of the game but they have some amazing reward levels beyond that as well - including exclusive backer t-shirts, your name in the game, concept art etc.

As a major sci-fi geek this game sounds amazing and I can't wait to play it. They even have Rob Paulsen (voice of Pinky from Pinky and the Brain and Yakko for Animaniacs) as part of their cast! Plus I love the idea of being in involved in the creation of a video game.

I hope you check out this and the other amazing projects on Kickstarter and have a happy friday!

Book Review: The Pack by Jason Starr

2012-05-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

Publisher: Berkley UK
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Page count: 352
Source: Received copy from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: April 26 2012

When Simon Burns is fired from his job without warning, he takes on the role of stay-at-home dad for his three-year-old son. But his reluctance pushes his already strained marriage to the limit. In the nestled playgrounds of the Upper West Side, Simon harbors a simmering rage at his boss's betrayal.Things take a turn when he meets a tight-knit trio of dads at the playground. They are different from other men Simon has met, stronger and more confident, more at ease with the darker side of life-and soon Simon is lured into their mix. But after a guys' night out gets frighteningly out of hand, Simon feels himself sliding into a new nightmarish reality. As he experiences disturbing changes in his body and his perceptions, he starts to suspect that when the guys welcomed him to their "pack," they were talking about much more than male bonding. And as he falls prey to his basest instincts, Simon must accept that werewolves exist if he is to turn the tides of his fortune...

My Review
At the beginning of this novel Simon has it all. A good job, loving wife, adorable kid, nice apartment. But then he suddenly loses his job and everything changes. He becomes a stay at home dad, money gets tight. There's a lot of adjustments to be made. The later werewolf craziness aside, I really liked this part. I really liked the way it stretched Simon as a character and the way he was forced to comfort certain negative aspects about himself. Good character development, especially when it comes at a price, is always a positive in my personal ledger.

Then we get into the crazy werewolf stuff. What sets The Pack apart from some other werewolf novels, is that Simon is not transforming/changing in isolation. There are a whole group of guys just like him, and more importantly there is a pack leader. Also the transformation is much more subtle, it's not simply a case of being bitten. It becomes a bit more nuanced then just an animalistic act, and because of that the whole process takes a lot longer. This means the reader gets to spend a lot more time examining the different stages of the transformation, instead of simply being pushed through a whirlwind of action. Some people may not care for this more drawn out approach, but I really appreciated it.

However, I can't review this book without mentioning the women. To put it simply, they were really poorly written. There are only a few women that play any sort of role in this story, and for the most part I found them one dimensional and overly irrational. More often than not, their actions just didn't make sense. I am easily frustrated when their are no female characters the reader can respect.

Overall, I have some mixed feeling about this novel. I enjoyed reading, but I was distracted and bothered by the female characters. If I have ratings I would probably put this around a 3/5.

Final recommendation: A good thriller, and a new and interesting take on the werewolf novel. There are some problems with the characterization but if you're willing to overlook them, you'll find this an entertaining read.

About the Author
Jason Starr was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1966. He grew up playing sports, such as tennis and baseball, and dreaming of pitching for the Yankees. In college, at Binghamton University, he took an interest in literature. He worked as a dishwasher, telemarketer, financial reporter, publishing assistant (he was fired from a publishing job at St. Martin's Press for reading and writing at his desk), and computer networking salesperson before publishing his first novel in 1997. Starr is the author of nine international bestselling crime novels, set mainly in the New York City area: Cold Caller, Nothing Personal, Fake I.D., Hard Feelings, Tough Luck, Twisted City, Lights Out, The Follower, and Panic Attack. His tenth novel, The Pack, is the start of a new series, and will be published by Berkley/Ace in June, 2011.

Book Review: Changeling by Philippa Gregory

2012-05-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Series: The Order of Darkness #1

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Page count: 272
Source: Received ARC from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Release date: May 29 2012

Italy, 1453. Seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is brilliant, gorgeous—and accused of heresy. Cast out of his religious order for using the new science to question old superstitious beliefs, Luca is recruited into a secret sect: The Order of the Dragon, commissioned by Pope Nicholas V to investigate evil and danger in its many forms, and strange occurrences across Europe, in this year—the end of days. Isolde is a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in a nunnery so she can’t inherit any of her father’s estate. As the nuns walk in their sleep and see strange visions, Isolde is accused of witchcraft—and Luca is sent to investigate her, but finds himself plotting her escape. Despite their vows, despite themselves, love grows between Luca and Isolde as they travel across Europe with their faithful companions, Freize and Ishraq. The four young people encounter werewolves, alchemists, witches, and death-dancers as they head toward a real-life historical figure who holds the boundaries of Christendom and the secrets of the Order of the Dragon.

My Review

There's a lot of great things about this book. It's set in Italy during the Inquisition. It doesn't hit you over the head with yet another teen romance. There's a secret society. Nuns sleepwalking and having visions. The list go on and on.

True to form, Gregory creates some amazing and likeable characters. I always feel like I get to know her characters so well. I especially loved Isolde. She's strong, brave and intelligent. She gets into some unfortunate situations but she never seems to lose herself because of them. Same goes for Ishraq. It was nice to have some strong female characters in a historical fiction novel. But my favourite character, by far, was Freize. He not only provides some much needed comic relief but he is often the voice of reason and intelligence.

Changeling has a lot of great elements that Philippa Gregory is famous for, but one thing I thought it was missing was the detail. That's not to say the Italian world of 1453 doesn't come alive on the page. Because it does. But it's missing the careful detail and thought that I'm used to seeing in her work. This book is only 272 pages but there are two complete stories held within it - the story of the nuns and the story of the werewolves. I think that both of these stories could have easily been their own novel but they were both shoved together in one. At the very least it could have used more than 272 pages - everything just felt too rushed.

Changeling is a fun and quick read. I completely lost track of time while I was reading it and the pages just seemed to turn themselves. I just wish there are been MORE of it. I can't wait to how the follow up books turn out.

Final recommendation: YA historical fiction and paranormal fans are sure to fall in love with the start of this new series, but fans of Philippa Gregory's adult titles may be a little disappointed with this new YA project.

About the Author
Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the novel The Other Boleyn Girl, which was made into a TV drama and a major film. Published in 2009, the bestselling The White Queen, the story of Elizabeth Woodville, ushered in a new series involving The Cousins’ War (now known as The War of the Roses) and a new era for the acclaimed author. Gregory lives with her family on a small farm in Yorkshire, where she keeps horses, hens and ducks. Visitors to her site,www.PhilippaGregory.com become addicted to the updates of historical research, as well as the progress of her ducklings.

More by Philippa Gregory
The Lady of the Rivers

New Release: Suffocate by S R Johannes

2012-05-21T11:30:00.000-04:00

Hello book lovers! I was recently contacted about an interesting new novelette series by S R Johannes. The first of the series, Suffocate is being released today.

Here’s a little more about the story…

“For centuries, the world outside the Biome has been unlivable. Today, marks the first time anyone will attempt to leave the suffocating ecosphere. Eria is not worried because her scientist father has successfully tested the new Bio-Suit many times. It's a celebratory day until something goes horribly wrong. In the midst of tragedy, Eria uncovers a deep conspiracy that affects the very air she breathes. If those responsible find out what she knows, they won't stop hunting her until she takes her last breath.”

Sounds good right?

I’m planning on reading and reviewing it soon, but until then I just wanted to let you know that you can now purchase Suffocate for only 99 cents (Amazon / B&N)

Also you can add it on Goodreads!

The 2nd novella in the series, CHOKE, is scheduled for Fall 2012. The 3rd, EXHALE, is scheduled for Winter 2013.

About the Author

S.R. Johannes is author of the Amazon Bestseller Untraceable and a current nominee of the Georgia Author of the Year in the Young Adult category. After earning an MBA and working in corporate america, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. She lives in Atlanta Georgia with her goldendoodle Charley (notice he is listed first :), her British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world. You can find her hanging out online and visit her at srjohannes.com

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Book Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

2012-05-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

Series: Of Poseidon #1

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural
Page count: 324
Source: Received egalley from Netgalley

Release Date: May 22 2012

Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen's not fully convinced that Emma's the one he's been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help--no matter what the risk

My Review

In the beginning Of Posedion, started out like many other YA mermaid books I’ve read this year. An unsuspecting teen (in this case Emma), is discovered to be a mermaid, living on land. Of course the mermaids, or Syrena, are quite beautiful, and they assume human form in order to find out more about her. Even going so far as enrolling in her high school to keep tabs on her.

Despite all these similarities, however, I still found Of Poseidon, to be a unique and interesting tale. I liked the idea of rival (if that’s the right word for it) mermaid tribes, I found it interesting the way Anna Banks mixed in greek mythology, and I loved the biological detail that went into describing the differences between mermaids and humans. I think Anna Banks did an excellent job answering any questions I have had about the Syrena and their way of life, but I never felt bogged down by the details. They blended nicely into the story.

I also really liked the romance of this story. The relationship between Galen and Emma is of the star crossed lover variety. Which is nice because, it made things a little more interesting and meant that the characters could continue to develop (instead of the focus switching to their relationship). In my opinion Emma and Galen were treated as equal individuals in this story and that was a nice change.

And the ending! I know some people said they saw it coming, but I was completely caught off guard. It was such an interesting twist and I can't wait to see what it means for book two.

Final recommendation: A fun and well thought out mermaid tale. It's a great book to take to the beach or read on vacation.

About the Author
Anna Banks is a young adult author repped by Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency. She lives with her husband and daughter in the Florida Panhandle. She has a southern accent compared to New Yorkers, and she enjoys food cooked with real fat. She can't walk in high heels, but she's very good at holding still in them. If you put chocolate in front of her, you must not have wanted it in the first place. Of Poseidon is her debut novel.

Camp Wordsmith: First Draft!!

2012-05-19T15:05:00.001-04:00

Week: 20
Stage: Editing First Draft

I have finished my first draft! It still feels just as good to say that as it did earlier this week. I finished my first draft.

This feels too crazy. 20 weeks ago I didn't have a single word typed, now I have an entire manuscript printed off and sitting in front of me.

So what's the plan now? Well first I gave myself a week off. I took part in the Bout of Books Readathon which was a lot of fun. It was nice to sit down and read and not be constantly thinking about the WIP. And then because I was feeling pretty good about myself I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo in August. I have (what I think) is an amazing idea for a high fantasy novel. I started to write down some thoughts about it this week and its blossomed into pages and pages of a new notebook and a bunch of hand drawn maps. I'm hoping to do as much planning as possible in the next two months to prepare.

After this weekend, I am going to edit my first draft. I'm not going to list word counts for a little while because who knows how it's going to fluctuate. My plan is to have the majority of the editing done by the end of June with a second draft all ready to go before I start Camp NaNo. Once I have a second draft I'm actually going to give it to other people to read. WHICH TERRIFIES ME!! But hopefully I'm too distracted with the fantasy novel to dwell on it.

So that's where I'm at and what I intend to be doing for the next 2-3 months. But for now pop the champagne because I am celebrating!

Fangirl Friday: In Bilbo's Pantry (1)

2012-05-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Fangirl Friday is a weekly feature hosted by Hooked on Books. It's that time of the week where you can let your inner fangirl (or boy) loose. It is a time where you are encouraged to gush about your favourite fandom.It is also the home of "In Bilbo's Pantry", a source of cookbook and recipe reviews.

Welcome to the first "In Bilbo's Pantry". I love to cook, but having just been a university student for the past 4-5 years I haven't had a lot of opportunity to get creative with my cooking. I've been offered a number of cookbooks for review lately and I thought why not? It gives me chance to expand my cooking/baking skills. Why "In Bilbo's Pantry" you ask? Well at the beginning of Lord of the Rings we're told that Bilbo loved to feed his guests all sorts of food and drink from his pantry and from there the idea for this feature was born.

The first cookbook featured is Ted Allen's In My Kitchen. (Sent to me by Random House of Canada). I've watched his Food Network show "Chopped" a few times, and know that his recipes always seem to be something normal/ordinary with a neat twist. Sure enough, that's what I found in this cookbook, with recipes like Bruschettea with Strawberries and tomato, Macaroni and Cheese with Aged Gouda and Chicken Quesdillas with Broccoli Rabe.

For the purposes of this review I decided to tackle the Fried Rice with Crab, Greens and Happy Eggs and the Sticky Bun Bread Pudding.

Mixing up the sauce. Warning the
peppers make it extremely spicy!

Ted recommends making the fried eggs with leftover Chinese takeout. Unfortunately I was fresh out of leftover Chinese so I substituted regular brown rice. This made the dish a little more clumpy than it should have been. It still tasted good (and was probably a little bit more healthy) so as long as you're not concerned with presentation I wouldn't worry about making the same/similar substitutions.

There's a lot of different steps for this recipes - from making the sauce to mix in later, to frying the eggs to go on top of the dish. But despite all these steps, there really isn't that many ingredients and everything is super simple. I understood everything the recipe said to do and appreciated the way everything was broken down in a manageable manner.

Final result: I don't eat a lot of seafood but I loved this dish, it had just enough substance to be really filling, but wasn't greasy. There was also a great mix of flavours. As a heads up, it makes a lot! I had enough to feed myself and the two guys I live with for dinner, and my lunch the next day.

Next, I tackled the Sticky Bun Bread Pudding. I've never made bread pudding before so I honestly had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, however, the instructions were once again easy to follow, and all the ingredients were simple and easy to acquire.

Unfortunately, this one didn't go quite as well. Not because the recipe was wrong but because a) I didn't use the right pan and b) I didn't use the right bread. My pan was too shallow and the type of bread I used was too tough, not soft and eggy like the recipe called for.

Nevertheless it still tasted pretty good, and I especially like that it said to mix the confectioner's sugar with cream to make the icing. It is definitely a recipe I will be trying again, once I invest in a deeper pan.

Mmmm icing....

If you like to cook and are looking to try some new, but easy to pull off recipes, this is definitely a good cookbook to pick up. I'm personally very excited to try making my own Potato Bagels, Salted Caramel Ice Cream and Chicken Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream.

Extra Extra Read All About It!

2012-05-16T10:30:00.000-04:00

Hello book lovers!

Let me start off by saying it has been a crazy year so far! But it's about to get even CRAZIER when you hear all the news I have for you. So without further ado let's get started:

1) I'm going to BEA!
This will be my second year attending, and though last year was amazing I am definitely hoping to be better prepared this time around. I will do a full post about BEA closer to the first week of June but for any of you that are going let me know in the comments. I'd love to meet up!

2) YA Pride
From June 22-July 19 I'm running a LGBTQ in YA blog event to launch my new LGBTQ Resources page. This event will feature book reviews, giveaways, coverage of Toronto's Pride Week and interviews with some amazing authors, such as Catherine Ryan Hyde, Julie Anne Peters, Malinda Lo, Tom Ryan, Kathleen Winters and Madeline George. I really want to spread the word about this event, so if you have any ideas for me please don't hesitate to let me know!

3) I finished my first draft!
Yay!! I did it!! Watch for this week's Camp Wordsmith to hear more about it!

4) Fangirl Friday is changing
Not to worry it's not going anywhere! I love doing Fangirl Friday but it's getting difficult to think of new and exciting things every week. In addition I've also had the opportunity to review a number of cookbooks lately, which I'm really excited about. So I'm going to combine these two things. Every other week will be the regular Fangirl Friday awesomeness. The Friday's in between will be called Fangirl Friday: Bilbo's Pantry (because we know that Bilbo like to feed his guests!) and will feature a new cookbook or recipe. I will be adding a Features page to the tabs at the top that will explain all the details.

That's all my announcements! I hope you share in my excitement and stay tuned for some amazing stuff here at Hooked on Books!

Book Review: Railsea by China Mieville

2012-05-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Publisher: Random House

Genre: Fantasy
Page count: 448
Source: Received an egalley via NetGalley

Release Date: May 15 2012

On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can't shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea–even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-coloured mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it's a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict—a series of pictures hinting at something, somewhere, that should be impossible—leads to considerably more than he'd bargained for. Soon he's hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

My Review
China Mieville is a brilliant fantasy writer. His work takes the genre to new and exciting places and his newest, Railsea, is no exception.

This book is an imaginative retelling of the Moby Dick story, but instead of a white whale there's a giant mole rat called Tracker Jack and instead of ships, there are trains. It's a crazy and intriguing premise and he totally makes it work. I haven't read Moby Dick before but I certainly want to now, just to see how this hold up against the original tale. The neat thing about this story, is instead of revealing the details of the fantasy world all at once - like you would expect - it is divulged layer but layer right up until the last few pages of the novel. I kept turning the pages, excited to see what else would be revealed to me.

As an added bonus, this novel is graced with amazing characters. The main character, Sham is a delight. Adventerous and headstrong yet cautious and naive. He dreams of a more exciting life - and who among us can't relate to that? The female characters - Caldera and Captain Naphi - we're especially well written. I loved Caldera attitude and I loved how complicated Captain Naphi turned out to be. I became heavily invested in these characters and where this adventure was going to take them.

If you need any further convincing that you should read this book, the prose has this rolling soothing quality to it. For a story so exciting and adventure filled, the writing was very calming. I was happy to be reading this book on an e-reader, so I could highlight all the passages I fell in love with. I have never highlighted a book so frequently.

I feel that Railsea is the type of book that every time you re-read it you'll find new things to love and appreciate, and because of that it has earned a permanent place on my bookshelf.

Final Recommendation: For Fantasy and Speculative Fiction fans who want a break from the same old same old and for literary fiction fans that want to be wowed.

About the Author
A British "fantastic fiction" writer. He is fond of describing his work as "weird fiction" (after early 20th century pulp and horror writers such as H. P. Lovecraft), and belongs to a loose group of writers sometimes called New Weird who consciously attempt to move fantasy away from commercial, genre clichés of Tolkien epigons. He is also active in left-wing politics as a member of the Socialist Workers Party. He has stood for the House of Commons for the Socialist Alliance, and published a book on Marxism and international law.

Book Review: The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

2012-05-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Series: Drowned Cities #2

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Genre: Dystopian/Science Fiction

Page count: 439

Source: Received ARC from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Release date: May 1 2012

In a dark future America where violence, terror, and grief touch everyone, young refugees Mahlia and Mouse have managed to leave behind the war-torn lands of the Drowned Cities by escaping into the jungle outskirts. But when they discover a wounded half-man--a bioengineered war beast named Tool--who is being hunted by a vengeful band of soldiers, their fragile existence quickly collapses. One is taken prisoner by merciless soldier boys, and the other is faced with an impossible decision: Risk everything to save a friend, or flee to a place where freedom might finally be possible.

My Review

Having just finished (and loved) the audio of Ship Breaker last week, I was excited to start reading The Drowned Cities. I knew it would be good, I just didn't expect it to be even more amazing than the first book!

The Drowned Cities serves as a companion novel to Ship Breaker. It takes place in the same world, but a different cast of characters dominate this story. I was happy to see more of Tool in this book. He was such a complicated and wonderful secondary character in Ship Breaker is was nice to learn more about him. I had some preconceived notions about his character and I was pleasantly surprised, as the more I read the more layers there were to his personality. The same goes for all the characters in this book. Not a single one is one dimensional or boring and even the so called “bad guys” were relateable (For example - the soldier, Ocho is probably one of my favourite characters of the year.)

The world building in this novel is also spectacular. I talked about Paolo's ability to paint a picture in my review of Ship Breaker, so I won't expand on it to much here, since there are a lot of similarities. I will say, however, that I preferred the jungle-like setting of The Drowned Cities more than the costal setting of Ship Breaker.I just didn't feel as cold and damp when I was reading this novel.

Finally, I like this novel, because it's clear that Paolo Bacigalupi respects his readers. In this horribly disturbing world he has created, he doesn't avoid the negative. He doesn't just allude to it or steer his characters away from it, which is a common gripe I have with some YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels. Here bad stuff happens and it happens to all the characters. People die, are tortured, have their lives immediately threatened in horrible ways. It is not a sugar coated world. This makes his stories even more realistic and gritty and so much more interesting to read about.

Final recommendation: A must read for anyone who is a fan of good storytelling with realistic characters. The Drowned Cities is now tied with The Wind up Girlfor my favourite Paolo Bacigalupi novel and I will happily buy any book he writes the day it comes out from now on.

About the Author

Paolo Bacigalupi’s writing has appeared in High Country News, Salon.com, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. It has been anthologized in various “Year’s Best” collections of short science fiction and fantasy, nominated for three Nebula and five Hugo Awards, and won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best sf short story of the year.
His debut novel THE WINDUP GIRL was named by TIME Magazine as one of the ten best novels of 2009, and won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. His short story collection PUMP SIX AND OTHER STORIES was a 2008 LOCUS Award winner for Best Collection and also named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly. His novel SHIP BREAKER won the 2011 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. He currently lives in Western Colorado with his wife and son, where he is working on a new novel.

Bout of Books Readathon

2012-05-13T19:20:00.000-04:00

I know this is last minute, but yesterday I found myself completing one project ahead of schedule and in order to celebrate I thought why not join in a week-long read-a-thon? Find out more about the read a thon here or follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #boutofbooks

I'm behind on a few review copies and there are a couple of books that I'm just dying to get too. My overall goal for the week is to read 7-8 books. I've thrown a couple extras into the pile to give myself some wiggle room, when deciding what to read next.

Here are the books I want to read:

The Pack by Jason Starr (This was sent for me to review a little while ago now! Really need to get to it)
Red Shirts by John Scalzi - it's not out until June but I can't wait any longer to read it!
Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger - need to read for an upcoming blog feature
The Letter Q - is a part of the same upcoming blog feature as Parrotfish
Graceling by Kristen Cashore - I need to read this book! Everyone keeps telling me I'll love it, and I need to find out if they're right
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - Lent to me by a fellow blogger. I love Greek mythology!
Changeling by Philippa Gregory - Have it scheduled to review this week, so I should probably start with it
Half World by Hiromi Goto - Really intrigued by the premise of this book and it sounds like something I've never read before
Silver: Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion - This arrived Friday afternoon and it is one gorgeous looking book. I can not wait to start it.
I also have three ebooks that aren't pictured here. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks, The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross and Way to Go by Tom Ryan.

I don't think I can go wrong with any of these books, so it should be an amazing reading week. Watch this post for updates (as well as my Twitter account - @Christasbooks) and leave a link to your read-a-thon progress so I can be sure to come cheer you on!

Day 1 Update

Amount read: Last 100 pages of Railsea (brilliant!) and the entirety of The Changeling by Philippa Gregory (227 pages). Also managed to squeeze in about 1.5 hours of my new audiobook The False Prince.

Thoughts on the day: Not bad for my first day. Hoping for even more progress tomorrow!

Day 2 Update

Amount read: Read Of Poseidon (324 pages) and the first 74 pages of Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger. I wanted to read more of Parrotfish but I fell asleep with the book on my face.
Total pages read so far: 725

Thoughts on the day: Got lots of reading done, especially some titles I wanted to get to for awhile. I've read a lot of YA titles so far so tomorrow (Wednesday) I want to get to a few of the adult titles on my list.

Camp Wordsmith: The finish line is so close!

2012-05-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Week: 19

Words this Week: 2,847

Total Word Count: 36,500

Stage: First Draft (but only for a little while longer!)

I can see the finish line folks. It's there - straight ahead, with a shiny white ribbon for me to run through and bottles of water for me to consume. I can totally do this!

Now that I'm approaching the end of this first draft, it's hitting me that I'm going to have to read it soon. From beginning to end. And frankly I'm a little terrified that it is going to suck. A lot. I keep telling myself it's not going to be as bad as I think it's going to be and I really hope that's true. Hopefully it's just a matter of rewrites. That I can deal with.

I have a plan for this weekend. Tomorrow is 100% dedicated to sleeping, eating, working on the WIP and giving the dog a bath. I figure I can get a lot done if I clear my schedule for it. Then Sunday I'm going to devote to the blog and try to get the majority of my posts written and scheduled for the week. That will leave me free on weekday evenings to finish up this draft. I really want to finish it and print it off this week. Printing it off will make it seem very real.

So wish me luck and if you see me on Twitter, feel free to yell at me to stop wasting time and finish this draft!

In related news...

I really enjoyed this post by Jodi Meadows on "How to Write a Perfect First Draft." I found it very encouraging and full of great tips for when it comes time to revise that first draft.

Fangirl Friday: The Avengers

2012-05-11T11:57:00.002-04:00

Fangirl Friday is a weekly feature hosted by Hooked on Books. It's that time of the week where you can let your inner fangirl (or boy) loose. It is a time where you are encouraged to gush about your favourite fandom. Can include movies, t.v, video games, DIY projects etc. Let that inner fangirl shine!

I went to see the Avengers last night and it ROCKED. I love superhero movies, they are by far my favourite film genre, and I often lament how there isn't enough (quality) superhero fiction out there. I'll be reviewing the movie over on my personal blog, The Bibliophile's Guide to the Galaxy, later today but for this post I thought I could celebrate this amazing movie with some of the Etsy good I found when I got home from the theatre last night.

I love these wall panels from Dinaamon's shop. They're so simplistic yet eye catching. My living room is done in green and blues so I'm not sure it would fit as well. But possibly in my kitchen with the red walls.

I recently purchased my first iPhone and I love the variety of cases available for it. This one, from Case15com, may need to added into the rotation. There's a nice Captain America one as well, but I like this one the best.

I'm heading to FanExpo in Toronto this August, with a few other bloggers and I'm still trying to decide what to wear. I'm not really a costume person, but I love pieces that show off my love of certain fandoms (like my I <3 Darth Vader t-shirt). This skirt from BremaEbbingCostume might be a good choice for at least one of the days.

If you want to show off your love of these amazing superheros in a more subtle way, the jewelery route might be a good choice. The earring are from Pandamonium and the bracelet from VintageVir2. I wish I had these last night, I totally would have worn them to the movie!

Do you have a favourite Avenger/superhero? And what do you think - should I wear the skirt and jewelery to FanExpo this year?

Audiobook Review: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

2012-05-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Series: Ship Breaker #1

Narrated by: Joshua Swanson

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy

Source: Borrowed from the library

Release date: May 1 2010

Order It: Print | Audio

In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life... In this powerful novel, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers a thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in a vivid raw, uncertain future.

My Review
The world of the Ship Breakers is bleak. It's dangerous, dirty, hard work and you may not make it from one day to the next. When the opportunity to make some extra money comes along - you take it, no questions asked. Nailer, who has worked the light crew all his life, knows this. And yet he still hesitates, torn between the biggest pay day of his young life, or saving the life of an innocent swank girl.

Paolo Bacigalupi knows how to paint a picture. His descriptions are rich and detailed and as you're reading/listening it seems like the world is springing up around you. His prose is also incredibly unqiue, almost poetic in nature. Even though this is a futuristic version of America, it feels like an entirely different fantasy world and despite it's darkness I loved getting lost in it.

This story is heart breaking, in that it is filled with difficult choices and there isn't always a right answer. One of the things I love about Bacigalupi's adult fiction is his social commentary. Filled with warnings about a dying environment, the overuse of fossil fuels and the commodification of our society, I love the way he uses his genre to put forth a powerful message to the reader. It's toned down a little in this novel, but it is still very present. I think it is important that such messages are represented in YA literature and I respect that he doesn't shy away from them.

Final Recommendation: I've said it before and I'll say it again - if you're looking for a unique, inventive story with really strong writing, then look no further than Paolo Bacigalupi. This book is not as detailed and political as his adult work, but still one of the best YA dystopias out there.

Notes on the Audio

Joshua Swanson has a strong narrative voice. It was smooth and easy to follow. His female voices were a little lacking, but no more so than most male narrators. I don't know a lot about different accents, but he adopted numerous variations and whether real or imagined, they added something to the story and made this an enjoyable listening experience. There were a few times were I felt the story dragging a little - usually parts that were low on dialogue - but overall a good production.

About the Author

Paolo Bacigalupi’s writing has appeared in High Country News, Salon.com, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. It has been anthologized in various “Year’s Best” collections of short science fiction and fantasy, nominated for three Nebula and five Hugo Awards, and won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best sf short story of the year.

Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

2012-05-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Series: Divergent #2

Publisher: Harper Teen

Genre: Dystopia, Adventure

Page count: 525

Source: Purchased a copy

Release date: May 1 2012

*only $10!*

Warning this review may contain spoilers for Divergent by Veronica Roth

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love. Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

My Review

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Divergent by Veronica Roth totally gets the credit for introducing me to YA literature and for it's regular presence in my reading selections. It's just that good. It's got action and romance and a kick ass main character. So it should be no surprise that I, like countless others, rushed out on May 1 to pick up a copy of the sequel Insurgent.

I started it immediately on the subway on the way home. It picks up immediately where Divergent leaves off and it was easy to feel myself sliding right back into the action and the drama. Tris' world has now devolved into chaos. The Erudite faction has gone crazy, Tris has had to do some unspeakable things and the maddness is just getting started. It was an incredible way to start a book, hooking you from the very first pages and Veronica Roth managed to maintain the same level of drama throughout.

It stills shocks me every time I hear that Veronica Roth is 23. It blows my mind that someone my age could be so incredibly talented. She has managed to write a series that is not only action packed but thoughtful and intelligent. There were a number of scenes in Insurgent that really moved me – more so than Divergent. I found Insurgent had more of a message to get out and for me that was a welcome addition.

But despite all this praise, if I'm really being honest I don't think I liked Insurgent as much as Divergent. It's hard to really pin point why, but I think it has to do with Tris. She just didn't feel the same to me. I love her character because she's brave, and impulsive and incredibly loyal. She was everything you want in a heroine. In Insurgent many of her virtues are put to the test and I found her a lot more indecisive and unsure of herself. The rational part of me knows this is just part of her character development, and that there is more to Tris that you can sum up in one book, but I was still a little disappointed. She just didn't have the same feel to me.

Despite my teeny tiny disappointment with Tris, Insurgent is still an amazing novel. It brings the series to a new level, while still maintaining the pace and adventure of the first book. I can't wait to see what happens in book 3 and where Veronica Roth will take these characters next.

Final recommendation: Highly recommended. An amazing book from an amazing writer.

About the Author

Veronica Roth is only 23, so her bio will be short. She’s from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011). The second book in The Divergent Trilogy, INSURGENT, will come out in May 2012. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)

Toronto Comics Art Festival 2012

2012-05-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, Michele of Just a Lil Lost and I headed down to the Toronto Public Library for the Toronto Comics Art Festival.

I've only really got into comics the last few years, but in that short time I have fallen in love with all different kinds - from superhero comics, to manga, to the more literary graphic novels. What started as a few casual reads has no taken over more than a full shelf on my bookcase. Anyways, it goes without saying I was excited about the idea of an entire festival devoted to comics.

Our first stop (after Starbucks) was The Pilot Tavern, for a panel on Comics and Music, with Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim), Kid Koala/Eric San (Space Cadet), and Arne Bellstrof (Baby's in Black).

This was an incredibly interesting panel - all three artists talked about how music was connected to their comics, whether they intended it to be or not. They were all such funny, genuine people and the panel just flew by! Some interesting facts that I learned:

Bryan Lee O'Malley makes "soundtracks" for each book and listens to them in the morning to get into the headspace of the book. When he's drawing, however, he listens to audiobooks instead of music. While drawing Scott Pilgrim 2 he listened to Harry Potter 4!
A lot of the songs from his Scott Pilgrim playlist ended up in the final movie! In addition one of Kid Koala's songs was also in the movie.
Bryan Lee O'Malley's next project is called Seconds and it does not have a musical element. Instead this one focuses on food.
Arne Bellstrof said he was negatively influenced by the movie Backbeat - it made him want to tell the real story of Astrid and the Beatles (thanks to Michele for asking him this question).

After the panel, Michele and I made our way to the Reference Library to check out all the exhibits. We had barely walked through the door when we stumbled across a couple of French artists, who were signing their recently translated Kiki de Montparnasse. They were absolutely delightful to talk to and I can't wait to read Kiki - my first French comic!

We continued to explore the library and were blown away by the amazing artwork and artists that were there. I picked up a lot of business cards and flyers so I could remember all the new comics I found out about.

We wrapped up our day with a final panel - a spotlight on Arne Bellstrof's Baby in Black. His comic focuses on Astrid Kirchherr and Stuart Sutcliffe - one of the first members of the Beatles and their early days in Hamburg Germany. I love the Beatles and the story sounds really romantic and fascinating. I had to pick myself up a copy to get signed after the panel!

Overall, the Toronto Comics Art Festival was an absolutely amazing festival. Michele and I had a great time, I got some amazing new comics and I hope to attend again next year!

Camp Wordsmith: A little bit late

2012-05-06T15:25:00.002-04:00

Week: 18

Words this week: 2, 450

Total word count: 33, 653

Stage: First Draft

I am a day late! Sorry!

Yesterday was the Toronto Comics Art Festival and I spent most of the day there. By the time I got home I was exhausted! It was an amazing day though - watch for my recap today or tomorrow.

Buy anyways, on to the writing. I sadly did not achieve my word goal this week. I wanted to pull a NaNo this past week and write 1667 words every day and I just didn't manage to do it. I'm still playing catch up from my time away (plus Insurgent was released) so I just didn't have as much extra time for writing as I had hoped. Plus I'm reaching the end of my story and I've stopped and started a lot because I'm trying not to rush the ending. But I know it's coming so I keep trying to push ahead too fast.

I also had a brilliant idea for a fantasy novel halfway through the week. I then spent that entire evening drawing a detailed map of the world and planning out major plot points and characters. Totally not what I was supposed to be doing but it is still something I am very excited about. If I can get a couple drafts of the current WIP done by November I will try and write the fantasy novel for NaNoWriMo this year.

This week my goal is to get to 38,000 words. Expert goal of 40,000. I'm going to try and get out to coffee shops more often this week. My apartment is just too distracting. Wish me luck!

Fangirl Friday: May the Fourth Be With You

2012-05-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's Star Wars day! May the Fourth Be With You

I know these guys are pretty excited about it

And if you haven't guessed yet I am too. I've got the DVDs of Episodes IV-VI and a couple bags of popcorn all ready to go for tonight. Star Wars is one of my all time favourite things and I will take any excuse I can to indulge in this passion.

Don't believe me? My I <3 Darth Vader Pinterest Board and Darth Vader's Girl Tumblr stand as evidence.

But I digress. For this week's Fangirl Friday I whipped out my trusty Star Wars cookbook. This book is filled with really easy recipes all named after Star Wars characters/places. For example: Han Burgers, Greedo's Burritos, Princess Leia Danish Dos and best of all - Wookie Cookies. Since I wanted to make a dessert but didn't want to bake I decided to whip up some R2-D2 treats. They have disappeared recently (I blame my boyfriend and my roommate) but they were really easy and really delicious - and perfect to celebrate Star Wars Day with!

Like I said all the recipes in this book are really easy and this one is no exception. It only requires the following ingredients:

Bananas, Kit Kat bars, white chocolate and crushed peanuts (or in my case walnuts because my grocery store doesn't have peanuts)

Then cut the bananas into halves or thirds (depending on the size of your bananas). I also recommend cutting the Kit Kat bars at this point, into pieces that are the same height of the bananas and pouring your peanuts/walnuts into a bowl so that they're all ready to go. Now the fun part!

Melting chocolate! (I enjoy this because I always seem to melt too much and then have to find things like cookies to dip in the excess chocolate). Once you have the chocolate down to an even melted consistency, dip your banana pieces into the chocolate. Be careful it's really hot! I recommend only dipping the top and one side in.

Then roll the chocolate part in the nuts and place a piece of Kit Kat bar on either side of the banana. Repeat for however many R2-D2s you are making. Line them all up on a plate/baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Do not skip the freezing step! I tried one unfrozen and while it was good it had nothing on the frozen ones. Now here's what they're supposed to look like:

Here's how mine turned out:

Not to shabby if I do say so myself!

Are you doing anything special to celebrate Star Wars day? If so I'd love to hear about it! I'd also love to hear what your favourite thing is about Star Wars - character, movie, anything at all.

Feel free to link up your own Fangirl/Fanboy posts from the past week - Star Wars or otherwise!

Book Review: The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers

2012-05-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Dystopia

Page count: 256

Source: Received e-galley via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: May 15 2012

Jessie Lamb is an ordinary girl living in extraordinary times: as her world collapses, her idealism and courage drive her towards the ultimate act of heroism. If the human race is to survive, it's up to her. Set just a month or two in the future, in a world irreparably altered by an act of biological terrorism, The Testament of Jessie Lamb explores a young woman's determination to make her life count for something, as the certainties of her childhood are ripped apart.

My Review

Earlier in the year I read the YA novel Partialsand while I recognized the quality of the writing, I was unable to really get into the novel. I expressed my fear that I was sufferingfrom dystopia burnout. But this week's reading has managed to change my mind. I found myself reading, not one but two amazing adult dystopian novels. On Tuesday I reviewed the fabulous WhiteHorse and today I'm reviewing the equally fabulous Testament of Jessie Lambby Jane Rogers.

The first dystopia I ever really fell in love with was Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale - it's such an amazing and thought provoking read I try to re-read it every chance I get. Reading The Testament of Jessie Lambwas so reminiscent of the experience that is The Handmaid's Tale I couldn't help but become enthralled with it. Both books deal with many of the same issues – primarily centring around women's rights – and do so in which a horrifying and realistic way. The plot of The Testament of Jessie Lamb may have been extreme but at no point did it feel impossible. I could potentially see a future where this scenario could come about.

By far my favourite thing about this book is that is it explains how the world came to be the way it is. It doesn't drop me right into the middle of dystopian society with only a few short lines about the history of humanity. Told through the eyes of the young Jessie Lamb, we see the world devolve gradually while she simultaneously evolves as a character. It's a brilliant. I don't have a million questions about what happened to women's rights and the feminist movements because this book expose how they were generally eroded as people attempt to find a way to survive.

There is so much I loved about this book that I could talk about it all day. But the best thing is the range of emotions it provokes while you're reading it. I had to hurry home after finishing this book so I could get my review down before I forgot all the emotions I felt while reading. Nevertheless I think it is difficult to express how moving this book is. Especially the ending. Right until the last few pages it is never clear what exactly will happen to Jessie. The ending isn't the one I wanted but it was a good one. An appropriate one. It serves as a final reminder that things aren't always as cut and dry as you'd like them to be and when there's a difficult situation, there may be no perfect solution.

Final recommendation: Fans of The Handmaid's Tale and When She Wokewill love this book. A highly recommended read and one of my favourites of 2012 so far.

About the Author (from Goodreads)

Jane Rogers has written five novels & the script for the BBC adaptation of "Mr. Wroe's Virgins," directed by Danny Boyle & starring Minnie Driver & Jonathan Pryce. Her "Living Image" won the Somerset Maugham Award, & "Promised Lands" won the Writers Guild Award for best novel. In 1994 Rogers was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She lives in Lancashire, England.

Book Review: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

2012-05-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Series: Struck #1

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Genre: Supernatural

Page count: 373

Source: Borrowed a copy from Mermaid Visions

Release Date: May 8 2012

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She's survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her. Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come. Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn't who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything

My Review

I was a religious studies major in university and one of my focuses was cults. As a result I was really fascinated by Struckin ways that I hadn't expected to be. In a time of crisis (multiple earthquakes and freak lightning storms) the people of this novel grasp for something that makes them feel “safe” and that something is Prophet and his followers. I was fascinated at how Jennifer Bosworth depicted the cult dynamics and the hold they can have over otherwise rational people. I was also really interested in Mia's lightning addiction. It made me want to seek out more information. I couldn't really find anything but I still love when a book inspires me to do further research. It keeps the experience of that novel going, even after I've finished reading.

Despite my interest in the story, I was a little put off by the love interest – Jeremy. I found him really creepy and untrustworthy. The whole thing just screamed “unhealthy!!” at me and since their relationship really starts to take over the story it only gets worse and worse. For the most part Mia was a pretty strong female character but she seem to lose all her good sense around Jeremy (a guy who watched her sleep while holding a knife!). I hate when that happens in YA novels and don't like the example it sets.

The writing also felt a little choppy. It would quickly jump from one scene to another. I would have liked a little more description added in but thankfully years of reading have left me with a pretty strong imagination. Despite all the parts I found really fascinating I personally think more could have been done with this story. Overall however it was a good debut and I will probably read the next book in the series.

Final recommendation: An action packed adventure, with some really neat twists and unique ideas. May not appeal to everyone but recommended for those who are interested.

About the Author

Jennifer Bosworth lives in Los Angeles, California, where lightning hardly ever strikes, but when it does she takes cover. She is the writer half of a writer/director team with her husband, Ryan Bosworth. Learn more about her athttp://www.jenniferbosworth.com.

What's Hot in Speculative Fiction for May

2012-05-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

I usually try and keep this list down to ten titles but May is going to rock for speculative fiction so I couldn't help but throw on a couple extras. So without further ado, here's are my top speculative fiction picks for May, sorted by release date.

Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore. Dial. May 1 2012
I've only just started this series (the Graceling audiobook is fabulous! - thanks to Brenna @ Ever After Esther for the recommendation) but I am absolutely in love with it. I can only trust the countless recommendations from other bloggers that tell me the rest of the series is just as good. Bitterblue is book 3 so if you haven't started reading this high fantasy series yet you better get cracking!
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Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi. Little Brown Books. May 1 2012I personally think Paolo Bacigalupi is one of the most underrated authors out there. He doesn't get enough credit for how brilliant he really. The Windup Girl and Ship Breaker are absolutely amazing novels and I can only hope for more of the same from The Drowned Cities. Falling somewhere between the lines of steampunk and dystopia it is sure to be a haunting yet heart pounding read.

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Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Harper Teen. May 1 2012
The wait is finally over! I can't believe it's finally here. I need more Tris and more Four and I am dying to find out what happens next. Hands up - who went out and bought this today? And BEA folks, did you see she's going to be signing copies? You'll find me in that line up for sure.
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The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze. Little Brown Books. May 1 2012
To be quite honest the first thing that attracted me to this title was the author's name. How great is that name? The next thing was the gorgeous cover. I love the colour. And then finally the synopsis sealed the deal. This book is a triple threat and I can not wait to read it.
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Silence by Michelle Sagara West. DAW. May 1 2012
I never would have heard if it wasn't for Indigo Teen Blog. She showed a bunch of us blogger a copy at the launch party for Above and it is one gorgeous book - and she assured us it was a good read too! Plus as an added bonus I'm pretty sure it's set in Toronto and Michelle Sagara West is a Canadian author. CanLit for the win!
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Railsea by China Mieville. Random House. May 15 2012
China Mieville is a science fiction superhero so it stands to reason I would jump all over a new release from him. If you like science fiction, he's a pretty safe bet but even if you're more of a literary fiction fan, his books seem to blend in there as well. Railsea is said to be a take on Moby Dick, and I'd love to see how that plays out.
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The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers. Harper Collins. May 15 2012
I think I should come up with a special happy dance, just for when I get to read quality dystopian lit. This is a great story and I should have known. Harper Collins puts out some great dystopian stories - like When She Woke - and The Testament of Jessie Lamb is no exception. Watch for my review later this week.
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2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson. Orbit. May 22 2012
Based on the fact that I'm a die hard Trekkie and Star Wars fanatic, I love books that have to do with space. Particularly life (even if it's human life) on other planets. I love the idea of this book and also that it looks like it's going to touch on some serious and important issues, which always enhances my reading experience. It's also 576 pages - so I expect some quality world building here!
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Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross. Harlequin Teen. May 22 2012
Another highly anticipated sequel! I read Divergent and Girl in the Steel Corset pretty much back to back last year, so I'm pleased to see I may be repeating that pattern with their sequels. I don't get to read as much steampunk as I'd like to so I'm looking forward to settling in to read more of Findley Jane's adventures.
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Changeling by Philippa Gregory. Simon Pulse. May 29 2012
I was very excited to hear Philippa Gregory was going to be writing a YA fantasy novel. Her historical fiction is so much fun to read. I was even more excited when a copy showed up for me. This book is set in Italy in the year 1453, which should prove to be a unique and interesting setting for a fantasy novel. Can't wait to see how Philippa Gregory fairs in the YA universe.
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Darkness Before Dawn by J A London. HarperTeen. May 29 2012
Vampires! And scary vampires at that! In my review of The Immortal Rules I discussed how I actually really enjoy vampire novels, but only ones with proper vampires. Darkness Before Dawn seems like exactly that kind of vampire novel. I'm happy things seem to be swinging in that direction again.
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Silver: Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion. Doubleday. May 29 2012
From the moment I first heard of this book I knew I had to read it. Treasure Island was one of my most favourite books growing up. I read it so many times by copy actually fell apart in my hands. The idea of it all always enchanted me - as does anything with swashbuckling adventures.
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What books are you looking for this month? Any that aren't on this list?