The Game of Love and Death

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by Martha Brockenbrough

Review by KM

I’ll admit, the beautiful cover art was the first thing that attracted me to this book. It was standing on the top of our New Releases shelf at the library, all bright and brilliant and never having been checked out. I may not believe in love at first sight with people, but I’ve fallen into love at first sight with many books and this was one of them.

Summary

Not since THE BOOK THIEF has the character of Death played such an original and affecting part in a book for young people.

Flora and Henry were born a few blocks from each other, innocent of the forces that might keep a white boy and an African American girl apart; years later they meet again and their mutual love of music sparks an even more powerful connection. But what Flora and Henry don’t know is that they are pawns in a game played by the eternal adversaries Love and Death, here brilliantly reimagined as two extremely sympathetic and fascinating characters. Can their hearts and their wills overcome not only their earthly circumstances, but forces that have battled throughout history? In the rainy Seattle of the 1920’s, romance blooms among the jazz clubs, the mansions of the wealthy, and the shanty towns of the poor. But what is more powerful: love? Or death?
Musings

I am having a really hard time encapsulating the reasons why I love this book, so I’m going to try to do a rambling break down.

The characters: Love and Death are fantastic. While Flora and Henry’s stories were unique and lovely to read, I really ache for a book that is entirely just Love and Death. Their interactions were the best, especially when they’d hint at the years of history and players that came before. You could feel the way they were trapped within their roles: the expectations that they were held to and how they sometimes resented it.

The history: I’m not one for historical novels, usually. If I’d taken a closer look at the summary and caught the 1920’s reference, the book would’ve probably stayed on the shelf. There was something great about this. It isn’t the breakthrough book that is going to lead me to loving all historical novels, but it was definitely refreshing to see a recently released book that doesn’t have a ton of references to Twitter or current celebrities.

The diction: A lot of authors can tell an awesome story, but there are just a few books where the words flow in such a way that they stay with you. They repeat over in your head, bouncing around like wind chimes on a breezy day. I found that in this book and that’s why it’s spent the last three weeks in my house instead of returning to the library.

This wasn’t a quick read for me. It took time to get through, a slow but pleasurable read. I guess since I’ll have to return it to the library, I’ll be getting a copy of my own later this week.

The Story of My Tits

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by Jennifer Hayden

Reviewed by SA

Fans of this blog may notice that this book is a little out of the ordinary. Not only does it deal with a serious issue, it also doesn’t come out for a while, not until the end of September. But I wanted to talk about it now, to push people towards it.

I wanted to read something new: a graphic novel, sure, but also a true story about something incredibly serious. Breast cancer is something that will affect 1 in every 8 women (in the US); and for women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer. I wanted to read a first hand experience about dealing with this disease, and The Story of My Tits may be one of the most interesting and honest graphic novel I ever picked up.

Summary

Jennifer Hayden has had her ups and downs with her breasts: they weren’t always there for her, in many ways. Growing up flat chested and only blossoming while in college, she has a definite connection with her tits. But the usual family drama unfortunately is undermined by a cruel visitor: cancer. Three women, all diagnosed with cancer, fighting to survive. Not to mention the divorces, the mistresses, relationship issues with boyfriends, husbands and parents.  Jennifer’s relationship with her tits slowly grows, matures, and changes completely, as she realizes just how much of a story they have to tell.

This book is very different from the ones we review on this blog. For starters, it is a memoir. It’s also a graphic novel, and a book about breast cancer. But it’s so unique, it is definitely worth the read, and a bit of contemplation. It’s a book that made me think, and really talked to me on a personal level, woman to woman. It made me grateful for the body I have, and aware that it may not always be there for me. It’s life affirming, empowering.

The story itself seemed a little long at times, as a whole lifetime is captured. Some events seemed somewhat irrelevant to the story as a whole, but it is a life that is being conveyed, so each part must matter to the author. It is how Hayden has chosen to tell her story, so I listened. And so should you.

What struck me was how honest and unashamed she was. The story really got to me because the author didn’t seem to hold back. Every thought, every fear was shared: fears for her family, her mother, her mother in law, herself. She speaks of what helped her through the worst, be it the support around her, or finding her own ‘goddess’ to bring her through the bad. It was like listening to a personal friend tell you everything about her experience with cancer. It really was eye opening.

The artwork really added to the essence of the novel: the author drew her experience for us to comprehend it better, which really helps create that author-reader connection. She’s a surrealist grappling with reality, with the sharp reality of cancer: as of such, her artwork reflects that, sometimes veering into the fantastic. This is how the author interprets her situation, and she takes you on a real journey with her.

In the end, it made me thankful for the tits I have. The odds of me or someone I know developing breast cancer as not in my favor, and this book reminds to me treasure my body, and my friends, and be thankful for the present. I feel like it’s required reading for people with tits: you never know how good you have it until this huge part of you is gone.

It’s sweet, sarcastic, skeptical, and honest. Well worth the read. The Story of My Tits comes out on September 29th.

Illuminae

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by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Review by KM

Typically I’d be waiting to post this review. The book doesn’t come out until October, and while you can totally pre-order it, there’s nothing like sharing a book and being able to have them grab it from their local bookstore that day. However, I’ve already told everyone in my life about this book — I’m serious; I work two jobs and all my coworkers at BOTH know about this book, the release date, and how amazing it is — so you’re all next. This is my favorite book of 2015 so far and that’s a really tough statement because The Walls Around Us and A Darker Shade of Magic were both released this year.

Summary

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto one of the evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Musings

Where do I even start?

I want to drown in this book, in the year of 2575, and die of a deadly plague because there is no way I’m tough enough to survive it. I have the biggest book hangover from this; one that I haven’t had since reading Howl’s Moving Castle for the first time.

This book has EVERYTHING: bio-warfare, crazy artificial intelligence systems, intense imagery, and space. Yet, it doesn’t feel like everything is crammed in there just to make cameo in the story, y’know? It all comes together fantastically. It took some of the most brilliant tropes from classic science fiction like Battlestar Galactica, 2001: Space Odyssey, and likely some cues from zombie films, merged them all together to make something new and courageous. The plot twists and spins, but it doesn’t feel like it’s going off kilter.

Now, this book is kind of crazy. You should open it as if you’re opening a manila envelope, filled with everything a database could come up with on this one horrifying event. There are interviews, chat logs, data files, summaries of video clips, and diagrams. Check your dates carefully; they tend to go in order, but some of them definitely are misplaced. The entire story is pieced together through this evidence. I didn’t expect to love this style so much, but it works so well.

I will admit there were about five pages through a new technology-based-character’s viewpoint where I got concerned: was this going to end up being cheesy? This character is given more personality than he would be in older sci-fi novels, but I think it fits.

Ezra makes me laugh like no one else. It probably says a lot about my personality that most of my conversations with my friends sound identical to those between him and his. It’s fantastic and enjoyably crude in those small happier moments. While I adore Kady, I would’ve loved to see the world through Ezra’s eyes more often.

I could go on and on about this book forever, but I’ll stop here before I spoil everything. I have no doubt that I’ll be doing some sort of give-away for this come October, but if you really want this book, preorder it now before you forget. You will not regret it.

From a Distant Star

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by Karen McQuestion 

Reviewed by SA

Aliens. Did that catch your attention? I’m a sucker for a good alien story, and was so, so pleased to find From a Distant Star on my reading list. And boy, this book is CUTE. I think that;s the best word to describe it! It’s a romance with barely any romance; an action story with only mild action; it’s a story of love, friendship, and a quest for home. And it’s so amazingly sweet.

A brief summary

Lucas is dying of cancer.
As he nears the end, the impossible happens. An alien crash lands in his yard and uses his body as host in order to troubleshoot a way off of this strange planet known as Earth. Emma, Lucas’s longtime girlfriend, knows right away that the man who came back from the brink of death was not the Lucas she knew and loved. It doesn’t take long for her to piece things together, and determine something has to be done: the alien must be sent home in order for her to get the love of her life back.

Together, she and ‘Scout’, the alien who’s taken over Lucas’s body, must road trip to the one place they know must be able to help. But Scout’s arrival has not gone unnoticed: strange government agencies are on their tail, with nefarious plans for the alien being. Can Emma get Scout home in time, and bring her love back to life?

The premise of this novel is awesome. For once, the aliens who visit us wish us no harm, searching only to communicate and befriend us. Scout tries to slip into Lucas’s life, to quietly observe rather than taking over and trying to run it himself. He only wants to understand and learn. I absolutely love this. I’m so tired of the earth-hating alien trope!

As I said earlier, this novel is so cute, incredibly sweet. Scout and Emma form a bond you would not expect. They grow to respect each other, and even love each other, though platonically. They learn from each other and grow from their experiences.

The plot itself is a little bit… simple? This is not a bad thing, no, but the threats never seem that threatening. Scout has a certain advantage that doesn’t leave much room for deceit, so there’s never any worry whether a character is anything but who they say they are. There are moments of action, fight scenes, car chases, even threats and capture, but there’s never any doubt about who’s going to end up on top. It’s unrealistic that so many people would be so selfless in helping Scout and Emma.

Emma herself I actually feel divided about. On the one hand, she’s resourceful and smart, knows how to hold her own, and seems like a very believable characters. What seems less believable is her obsession with Lucas. It’s completely understandable that she’s in love, that she worships her boyfriend, but at times it was borderline terrifying. She mentions more than once that “other people can’t have him, he’s mine” (usually about classmates who find him very attractive, because he’s so hot) and that they both know they will be together forever (it’s been a year, and he’s been dying of cancer). While she manages to appear independent, there are hints of a co-dependent personality. She literally cannot live without Lucas.

Which only seems to make the book more interesting, because Lucas himself only appears for tiny amounts of time, in Flashbacks and so on. It’s a love story where the main love interest is being possessed for 99% of the time (or playing host to an alien entity, which is pretty different). So while Emma’s rants about undying love can be pretty obnoxious, the lack of clingy romance balances things out.

Scout himself is a fantastic character. He’s a non humanoid alien (huzzah!) who cares (sometimes called too sensitive) about people and just wants to learn and fit in. Sometimes he acts like a small child, other times like a wise old man, and always like an adorable alien who doesn’t know heads from tails on this strange planet. I would love to read more about him.

All in all, while a simple plot, this novel had great premise and was a fun, fast read. I recommend it for fans of YA who want something fun to devour. CUTE ALIEN ROAD TRIP, YALL!

Anatomy of Publishing

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This is a bit of a break in the mold for Readcommendations, but certainly something we didn’t want our readers to miss. We know a lot of our readers aren’t only out there devouring books like us; they’re writing too. They’re plotting, researching, and having word-wars over Twitter and Tumblr.

While social media is amazing, I’ve always wanted to be able to go on a writing retreat. Just a few days in tranquility with no adorable pictures of cats to stop me from writing and other writers there to encourage. This year, I’ve heard of some great writing retreats happening, but one of my favorites has to be the Anatomy of Publishing retreat.

Anatomy of Publishing is being run by Courtney Stevens (Faking Normal, Blue-Haired Boy, Lies About Truth) and she’s written a better post than I could on her blog about this. Other awesome authors are going to be helping out, too, including Natalie Parker, Tessa Gratton, and Victoria Schwab.

The retreat focuses on making you a more confident writer with better tools, as well as discussions on how to market your book after the publication process is done. 

Court is running a contest this week for people checking out the retreat. The prizes are phenomenal!

3- $300 coupons to this Madcap Retreat:

1- 50 page manuscript critique by me (Courtney C. Stevens)

3- signed copies of Faking Normal

1- ARC of The Lies About Truth

5 – electronic copies of The Blue Haired Boy

Despite how much I want to, I can’t go to this retreat this Summer. I need you guys to go and then tell me all about it, so I can sit here and burn in a jealous rage — I mean, I’ll be happy for you, but still totally jealous.

Check it out, apply, and write awesome books that I can review on here.

Salem’s Vengeance

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by Aaron Galvin

Review by KM

I’ve always been attracted to books about witches and magic. It’s probably the Halloween-baby in me trying to break out. Either way, I was delighted to find this on NetGalley. In fact, I’ll probably be taking a vacation to Salem this year because of it.
Summary

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Kelly never expected to meet the Devil’s daughter. She only sought innocent dancing in the moonlight, not a coven entranced by their dark priestess.
When her friends partake of a powder meant to conjure spirits – and the results go horribly awry – Sarah is forced to make a choice. To keep their secret risks her own damnation, but to condemn them may invoke the accusing remnants of Salem to rise again.

Musings

Okay, for some reason, I pictured this 90’s sitcom My Best Friend’s The Devil’s Daughter when I read this summary (that’s not a real sitcom. Except in my head. It’s awesome; there’s a laugh-track and everything). That’s not what this is. Salem’s Vengeance is written like a historical novel, but with paranormal elements. Well. Kind of. Kind of scientific, drugged-up elements too.

The ending left on such a note that the plot was wrapped up enough where it didn’t need a sequel, but there was definitely enough there to make one if wanted. That is how I love my series. The best part of all? The second book is already out. I saw it on Amazon and it’ll probably be my welcome-to-the-weekend reward.

Seriously, this book is on Amazon right now for three friggin’ dollars. Three dollars. Your morning Starbucks is already going to cost you more than that, so you should really buy the book to accompany your S’mores Frappuccino (have any of you had that yet? It’s amazing. I’m gaining weight from thinking about it right now).

My one warning about this book is to beware reading it before bedtime. The action scenes are brutal and, while I loved them, I was stuck staying up a lot longer than I expected. Nightmares were definitely on the menu that night.

Now, I have to go dive back into this world with the sequel.

The Color of our Sky

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by Amita Trasi 

Reviewed by SA

Fair warning: this book is a difficult read. The subject matter is heavy and painful, so there are content warnings for rape, abuse, and violence, to say the least. It will also frequently bring you to tears. Yet the story is one of love and determination, spanning years and breaking your heart. I absolutely loved it.

Synopsis

Tara has returned to India, to her old apartment in Bombay, the scene of the kidnapping of her friend Mukta eleven years previously. Mukta was a village girl, daughter of a prostitute and fated to become one herself, who was brought in to their household by Tara’s father when she was no older than ten. The girls grew up together, spending five years blossoming their friendship, before the fateful night when Mukta was abducted. Now Tara is determined to find her, and will do so at any cost. The novel spans thirty years, taking you to the past, the present, and pushing into the future as Tara digs up clues to her friend’s fate… as well as secrets surrounding her own family.

First and foremost I loved the lyrical nature of this novel. Trasi has an incredible style, and manages to bring to life the most gorgeous images of India – as well as the, well, not so gorgeous. She weaves local terms into her text, which at first I found a little confusing, as there was not always enough context to grasp their meaning, until I found the lexicon in the back. She truly brought India to life, for better of for worse.

The bond between Tara and Mukta was one of the factors that kept me reading this book so intently, even through the incredibly terrifying moments. The character development through the course of the plot was grounded and human, which made the two of them gain dimension and depth. The other characters in their lives sometimes lacked the spark that brought them out of the page, but with the two young women front and center, the focus is where it should be.

The horror in the novel is a serious wake up call. The brutality of human trafficking is alive in India, and the torment Mukta is living through would be something I wished could not be real. The author describes in vivid detail the living conditions of these women, the horror of what they have to go through every day, and the definite knowledge that there is no way out. These were the most difficult parts of the novel to read, and it’s enough to bring us to tears.

There were definitely a few things I found weird. For example, Tara’s cash flow. We’re told she has been working three jobs back in America, yet she finds a somewhat endless supply of cash for bribes in India. She also somehow affords to take months out of work to try and find Mukta and doesn’t seem to be working in India either. Maybe this is just a detail, but it took away from the realism that was otherwise so convincing.

Another little weird thing was the quotes. Between chapter, you would get a quote from either Tara or Mukta (sometimes to signify a change of perspective or point of view) which just felt a little out of place. The form of the novel does not call for it: the book is not an interview, a journal, or letters. What are the quotes doing there? They really felt out of place.

Read this book at your own peril: you will find love and friendship, but also pain and suffering. You will read true horror but also true hope. The Color of Our Sky is expected to be published on June 30th.

Boys Don’t Knit (In Public)

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by TS Easton

Review by KM

A few days ago, I was working at the movie theater when my boss told me a hole had appeared in his pocket. His keys kept dropping and he was cursing his bad luck. I told him he could easily stitch the broken pocket together. He said, “I’m not that gay.”

I raised my eyebrow and said, “My husband knits.”

For some unbeknownst reason, fiber crafts often get labeled as effeminate. They really aren’t and it was great to see a book that encourages all of the awesome impacts knitting can have. So, while my boss heads home to his boyfriend of two years and my husband heads home to me, neither of their sexual orientations impact their knitting abilities.

Summary

After an incident regarding a crossing guard and a bottle of Martini & Rossi (and his friends), 17-year-old worrier Ben Fletcher must develop his sense of social alignment, take up a hobby, and do some community service to avoid any further probation.

He takes a knitting class (it was that or his father’s mechanic class) with the impression that it’s taught by the hot teacher all the boys like. Turns out, it’s not. Perfect.

Regardless, he sticks with it and comes to discover he’s a natural knitter, maybe even great. It also helps ease his anxiety and worrying. The only challenge now is to keep it hidden from his friends, his crush, and his soccer-obsessed father. What a tangled web Ben has weaved . . . or knitted.

Musings

I have to say, Easton knows their knitting. A lot of real-life knitting terms were dropped through this book and, as a knitter, I loved ’em. There was a horrifying scene with a size 3.5 Addi Turbo needle that sent shivers up my spine. Seriously, I treasure the few sets of Addi needles I have, just like Ben. I was surprised to see Ravelry, the giant knitting forum, left out. With a huge pattern database and over a million members, Ben would have totally loved Ravelry.

Despite loving some of the references, there were quite a few that made me want to sigh. There was a lot of pop culture put into the book, like mentions of SodaStreams, Jennifer Lawrence, and X Factor. When I see those, I can only imagine a teen grabbing this book out of the library in a few years and realizing how dated it is. Not to mention, they use all of the British slang and even refer to the UK Knitting competitions, but then change the word football to soccer. C’mon, we all know that everyone else calls it football.

It was nice to see Ben’s opinion of knitting change, despite what the people around him would say. It was great to see him calling out his father on his crappy homophobic language, too. More than anything, seeing Ben’s reactions to the women in his life change was the best (even though that was slow and totally realistic of a teenage boy).

All in all, I think this book pulled together the stress of being a teenager, all the expectations and stereotypical taunts when you dare to break away from the mold. It was great and I’d love to see some boys knitting in public.

A School For Unusual Girls

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By Kathleen Baldwin

Reviewed by SA

Hands down, this novel may have one of the strongest female characters I have ever seen in YA. It’s also a very fun read, which is sure to entertain, and seems to be just the beginning of a long and enjoyable series. The Stranje House series might be the most girl power you’ll see in a while, and it’s set in Regency England. Sounds awesome, right?

Summary

After (accidentally ) setting stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House, a school intended to turn her into a proper young lady… by any means possible. But things are not always what they seem in her strange new school: there are hidden passageways all throughout the walls, the girls she studies with are smart and secretive, and the headmistress seems to be encouraging them to be more themselves than actually trying to reform them.

With England at war, and Europe in shambles, it seems as though the only hope for the nation lies with Georgiana’s invisible ink formula – which she hasn’t yet actually gotten to work yet. With the young and handsome Sebastian Wyatt as her lab assistant, she must perfect her ink, in order to change the course of the war. But can she get it done in time, and not loose herself to her heart?

The characters in this novel are fantastic. Georgiana is a smart, independent young woman. She’s a scientist, a chemist, with a nose for challenges. While she never found support at home, she seems to thrive at the Stranje house. The headmistress pushes her with real, tangible deadlines (and consequences) and Georgiana rises to the challenge. And when Sebastian turns up in her life, she works to find balance between her feelings and her work. While I found the relationship a little bit forced, Georgiana never loses her head.

The other women in the house are equally interesting. Some even have certain uncanny abilities which you would not expect to find in this kind of novel. One can seemingly speak to animals, another see possible futures in her dreams. They are all incredibly smart and dedicated to their cause.

The one thing that annoyed was the weak plot. It felt a lot like the pilot for a TV show: lots of promise and exciting ideas for the series as a whole, but a shaky story right here and now. A lot of questions are not answered just to keep the story going. If they hadn’t said “not now,” a lot would have been resolved quicker.

However, I feel like the rest of the series will be a whole lot of fun: a spy story, with cool female protagonists? It’s going to be great.

 

Bodies

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by Si Spencer 

Review by KM

It isn’t often that I’m able to review comics or graphic novels and it’s always a nice change when I am. The cover of this miniseries, all compacted into one book, is so eye-catching that I couldn’t pass it up. I will say, though, if you have an option to get either the physical form or the digital, go with the physical book. There is just something entrancing about reading a graphic novel or comic in book form that you don’t get when you have to scroll down a single page.

Summary

VERTIGO brings you a graphic novel with four detectives, four time periods, and four dead bodies – all set in London. Edmond Hillinghead is an 1890s overachiever who’s trying to solve a murder no one cares about while hiding his own secret. Karl Whiteman is our dashing 1940s adventurer with a shocking past. Shahara Hasan is 2014’s kickass female Detective Sergeant, who walks the line between religion and power. And Maplewood, an amnesiac from post-apocalyptic 2050, brings a haunting perspective to it all.

Si Spencer (HELLBLAZER: CITY OF DEMONS, THE VINYL UNDERGROUND) executes a centuries-spanning murder mystery like nothing you’ve ever seen before, with four sensational artists illustrating a six-page chapter in each issue: Dean Ormston, Phil Winslade, Meghan Hetrick and Tula Lotay.

Musings

I have to warn you: This isn’t a book about housewives from the 50’s committing murders. I kind of wish it was, because that’d be awesome and it’s totally what I thought of when I saw the cover, but this plotline is just as good.

While compelling, this story is definitely a part of the what-the-hell-am-I-reading genre. I really didn’t know how the four stories through time were linked even half way through the novel, which made the resonating lines, “This is brutality,” and “Know you are loved,” even more creepy. Seriously, this isn’t a book I’m pulling out before bedtime — you could be preparing yourself for nightmares.

My favorite detective had to be Shahara Hasan. She’s brilliant and not going to put up with anyone’s BS. I loved reading her pages, watching how she handles the ideas of patriotism and racism while trying to solve this ancient murder. Her artwork, in my opinion, was the best, too. I think Maplewood’s story pulled everything together for me, even though her’s started out the most confusing.

The story ties together in a way you wouldn’t expect, focusing on the cyclical patterns of life, death, and prejudice. It’s a great read, overall, and I can’t wait to get a physical copy.