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  • Search Results for: tana french

    • Book Review: “The Secret Place” by Tana French (ARC)

      Posted at 6:15 am by Laura, on August 19, 2014

      The Secret Place by Tana French 20821043

      Publisher: Viking Adult
      Publishing Date: September 2
      Genre: mystery
      ISBN: 9780670026326
      Goodreads: —
      Rating: 
      ★★★

      The photo on the card shows a boy who was found murdered, a year ago, on the grounds of a girls’ boarding school in the leafy suburbs of Dublin. The caption says, I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.

      Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to get a foot in the door of Dublin’s Murder Squad—and one morning, sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey brings him this photo. The Secret Place, a board where the girls at St. Kilda’s School can pin up their secrets anonymously, is normally a mishmash of gossip and covert cruelty, but today someone has used it to reignite the stalled investigation into the murder of handsome, popular Chris Harper. Stephen joins forces with the abrasive Detective Antoinette Conway to find out who and why.

      But everything they discover leads them back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends and their fierce enemies, a rival clique—and to the tangled web of relationships that bound all the girls to Chris Harper. Every step in their direction turns up the pressure. Antoinette Conway is already suspicious of Stephen’s links to the Mackey family. St. Kilda’s will go a long way to keep murder outside their walls. Holly’s father, Detective Frank Mackey, is circling, ready to pounce if any of the new evidence points toward his daughter. And the private underworld of teenage girls can be more mysterious and more dangerous than either of the detectives imagined.

      When Detective Frank Mackey’s teenage daughter Holly brings a card to show Detective Stephen Moran, it alters the course of his career and her private girls’ school forever. At St. Kilda’s, there’s a giant bulletin board tacked with cards full of secrets, creatively pieced together and revealing the boarders’ most hidden thoughts anonymously. But Holly spotted one pertaining to a murder that happened a year ago, and thought the Dublin Murder Squad ought to reopen the case. In doing so, she’s brought her friends back into a pool of suspicion, and their enemies become more vicious.

      I’ve enjoyed French’s writing. She has a way of getting into your head with her language — and her writing differs depending on the perspective she’s using. From psychological thrillers to cold cases, French gets deep into the mind of the protagonists and takes you on a journey analyzing every single detail of a case till the surprising end. That’s the beauty of her style. And I really appreciate it. But Moran and Conway were not detectives I wanted to follow. Moran’s language was filled with incomplete phrases and thoughts. Scattered, fragmented. Like I just demonstrated. Throughout. Conway had an incredibly foul mouth and such a negative work style that I’m nervous to think she may be the next protagonist for Dublin Murder Squad #6. But while I didn’t enjoy the detective portion of the story, I liked the boarding school side.

      On that side of the story, we follow Holly and her three close friends to their first full year together at boarding school. Two of them were previously day-people only, but now the four of them spend their nights at St. Kilda’s and do everything together — eat, study, sleep, shop. They promise one another they’d never let a boy get between them, because they have enough love to give for each other. But there are many Colms boys — the boy boarding school just down the road — and one of Holly’s friends becomes involved. And when one starts, the others follow. Two of the four girls make a desperate attempt to keep their friendship picture perfect, while another group of vicious girls point and laugh and bully and continuously try to tear them apart. All the while, these groups are wrapped up in the eventual murder of Chris Harper, and Holly and her friends are desperate to bring the police back to close the case completely.

      It was difficult for me to rate this because I did like it over all, but not as much as her past work. I loved the subject, I loved the boarding school portion, and I loved that French’s writing stayed true. But because half the book is told through the detectives’ point of view, and I didn’t enjoy those parts, I’m left a little sad. This is definitely worth the read for French fans, and it echoed a lot of great storytelling as seen in Endeavour, which was interesting. Give it a whirl, tell me what you think!

      Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Viking for review!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 3 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: mystery, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “Broken Harbor” by Tana French

      Posted at 11:56 am by Laura, on July 12, 2013

      Broken Harbor by Tana French 16171207

      Publisher: Penguin
      Published: April 2013
      Genre: fiction, mystery
      ISBN: 9780143123309
      Goodreads: 3.93
      Rating: 
      ★★★

      Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy always brings in the killer. Always. That’s why he’s landed this high-profile triple homicide. At first, he thinks it’s going to be simple, but the murder scene holds terrifying memories for Scorcher. Memories of something that happened there back when he was a boy.

      Mick Kennedy always solves his cases and solves them efficiently. When O’Kelly gives him a case to work on with rookie partner Richie, Mick races to work. But this triple homicide of a family out in Brianstown, the old Broken Harbor, brings back memories of his own childhood vacations — one in particular he believes mangled his youngest sister’s sanity.

      This is the fourth in Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. Kennedy appeared in the last, Faithful Place, following the trend of featuring the previous book’s side character as the new protagonist. Also typical of French’s style is the psychological twist within each case. Rather than spanning several weeks or months, this book spans less than a week, and it is packed full of clues, twists, and wild circumstances.

      I loved the dynamics of Kennedy’s partnership with rookie Richie. He teaches, he scolds, he praises. He does not belittle Richie like the rest of the department, but instead wants him to learn from his mistakes and observe others in action.

      The insanity bits begin to take hold when Kennedy’s sister Dina enters the scene. Her dialogue is fantastic — run-on sentences, incomplete phrases, scattered breaths and punctuation, ideas not quite stringing together. That sort of dialogue continues into Patrick’s character, and later Jenny’s, as you begin to see their worlds crumble around them. This is such an effective way of recognizing the deteriorating mind without it being the mind of the protagonist.

      What prevented me from giving this four or five stars is due to the length. There were many passages I felt were unnecessary — whole chapters, even. As much as I enjoyed Dina’s character, I think we could have done without this side story. There was something about it that felt unresolved, or that if it was going to be explored at all then it should be done in depth rather than in the back of the mind or whenever it was convenient.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 3 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: mystery, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “Faithful Place” by Tana French

      Posted at 4:23 pm by Laura, on June 3, 2012

      Faithful Place by Tana French

      Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was nineteen, growing up poor in Dublin’s inner city, and living crammed into a small flat with his family on Faithful Place. But he had his sights set on a lot more. He and Rosie Daly were all ready to run away to London together, get married, get good jobs, break away from factory work and poverty and their old lives.

      But on the winter night when they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn’t show. Frank took it for granted that she’d dumped him-probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again.

      Neither did Rosie. Everyone thought she had gone to England on her own and was over there living a shiny new life. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie’s suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank is going home whether he likes it or not.

      Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he’s a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly-and he’s willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.

      This third installment of the Dublin Murder series was better than the first book (In the Woods) and not as fantastic as the second book (The Likeness). It is a mixture of the two, with personal dilemmas like the first and loads of intrigue and mystery like the second. Faithful Place is first and foremost a love story, discovering the past and revealing mysterious incidents through vengeance. Frank Mackey is quite the charmer, and stops at nothing to discover what happened to his old girlfriend (and later, his brother).

      Rather than taking place in offices and solving the mystery through crime lab results and scientific data, Frank discovers everything “old school.” He’s always at the scene of the crime, back home, or visiting old friends’ places and having multiple conversations with others. At first the conversations seemed to drag – I wondered what the point was for all the dialogue – but once it seemed to be too much, Frank (and the reader) could immediately make connections to other conversations and incidents from the past. Tana French was very clever in her subtle hints and twists in the plot.

      What was incredibly fascinating was the internal switch in my mental accent. The voice reading in my head was no longer a midwestern American, but an Irish voice that I’m sure was a terrible mimicry of a true Dublin accent. The slang, phrasing, and deliberate misspellings in the dialogue begged to be read with the accent in mind! It certainly became entertaining, and easier to read once I got the hang of it.

      Filled with intrigue, old-fashioned word-of-mouth mystery-solving, folklore, and Irish homeliness, I would recommend this book to anyone who deeply enjoyed The Likeness (which Frank makes repeated appearances in) or wants a good heartbreaking love story that ended in murder. The relationships between the characters are entertaining, the conversations and class divides interesting, and the atmosphere intoxicating.

      Rating: ★★★★★
      Goodreads: 3.89 of 5

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: mystery, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “In the Woods” by Tana French

      Posted at 9:25 pm by Laura, on February 17, 2012

      In the Woods by Tana French

      As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

      Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox – his partner and closest friend – find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

      Fun fact: I read the second book (The Likeness) without realizing it was the second book and absolutely loved it. It’s one of my favorites and Cassie Maddox is also a favorite character of mine.

      That being said, the narrator Rob Ryan was a difficult character to relate to. His narrative was clinical and descriptive, and not very emotional. By the end of the novel, he blatantly states he would only tell the story the way he could see them, without opinions and bias. His relationship with Cassie is adorable – they would bounce one-liners, zingers, and banter back and forth constantly. The dialogue and chemistry were immensely entertaining during the sludge of “whodunit” ruts.

      Because of their relationship, Cassie was the most fascinating character. I think a part of it had to do with my familiarity of her narrative in the second book, but also because she was the most alive and most truthful character in the murder investigation. Rob’s murky past and turbulent present cause for some anxious monologues and self-reflection in the midst of clinical descriptions of facts, evidence, and interrogations.

      The murderer was not someone I would have guessed either. So many fingers pointed in so many directions that when the murderer was revealed, I was baffled. Even the explanation was startling! This was the moment in the work when psychological expertise took a heavy role. I have to applaud French on her ability to create such multidimensional and accurate (psychologically) characters, motives, and reactions!

      Rating: ★★★★ of 5

      Goodreads: 3.62 of 5

      Posted in Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: mystery, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “Hercule Poirot’s Christmas” by Agatha Christie

      Posted at 12:49 pm by Laura, on October 21, 2012

      Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

      Published: 1938 (“Murder for Christmas” and “Holiday for Murder”)
      Publisher: originally G.P. Putnam Sons (Penguin), then Harper Collins
      ISBN: 9780062074010
      Goodreads: 3.81
      Rating:
      ★★★

      Christmas Eve, and the Lee family’s reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.

      When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man…

      Alfred, David, Harry, and George Lee may be brothers but they each lead vastly different lives. Alfred is a doting son, David still mourns over his mother, Harry is the prodigal returned home, and George is incredibly thrifty. Their wives are passionate and suspicious, and everyone is on edge when Simeon invites the whole family together for Christmas. What does this awful old man want? Will there be any holiday cheer? Who is this estranged granddaughter Pilar and a dear old friend’s son Stephen? Why are the servants nervous this Christmas? Everyone is to be blamed for the murder, but who really committed the crime?

      This was my first step into old school mystery fiction. I’m not much of a mystery reader, in the traditional sense. I like Tana French, and the typical plot twists in general fiction, but who-dun-its and clues are not my thing. Since the holidays are approaching and people rave over Agatha Christie’s brilliancy, I decided to give this a shot!

      It was a quick read, and light and interesting and fun. But I think the book could have benefited with more descriptions of her characters and the setting. This may be a personal preference or a change in the times — I’m not sure — but Christie lacked the description I felt was necessary to help the reader discover the murderer just as Poirot does. Christie was excellent with dialogue!  She knew just how to shape a turn of phrase to make you love and hate a character all at once. But when Poirot gave his big reveal, I was stunned. Poirot used physical descriptions of the murderer and the surroundings to guide everyone to his conclusion. I would not have gotten there on dialogue alone.

      I wonder if I should read one of her first pieces, or a Miss Marple story, and see if this can change my opinion of Christie and mystery fiction. After all, Christie became the queen at some point!

      Posted in Reviews 2012 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: mystery, goodreads, review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 1:55 pm by Laura, on December 1, 2019
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      I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel — ★★★★★ — If you’re a reader you’ll find at least one thing in this book that is relatable to you! If not the entire book! Sharing your books with friends (or not), repeatedly going to the library and grabbing armfuls of books and holds (even though you have plenty of books at home you own and haven’t read), never leaving the bookstore without buying at least one book, knowing that book recommendations need more than “it’s great!” because readers all have different reading tastes, getting so lost in an audiobook the day has flown by and you didn’t do any housework or errands, rereading favorites because you love them (or not because you don’t want to mess with the memory of them), reading books with your children, racing to finish a book club title (or not and accepting the end will be spoiled), running out of space in your home for your books, buying and building more bookcases, dreading a move because of all the books you own, not owning a whole lot because you go to the library always, owning a lot because you go to the bookstore always, buying books to support authors but never reading them, buying used books because you like holding previously loved books, buying new books and cracking the spine…it’s endless!

      The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott — ★★★.5 — It’s good. The writing is perfect for historical fiction, the right atmosphere and tone for a Cold War novel. I enjoyed it enough to want to keep reading. But by the end it felt rushed, a little deflated. The love story fell apart/fizzled, and I found Boris to be incredibly selfish and thought Olga had it coming. There may have been some aspects of the CIA storyline that was totally over my head and implied and I simply didn’t catch on—some threads seemed loose, frayed, unanswered. I think my attention fell apart a bit when I spotted a major editorial error in a chapter heading. That said, I liked stylistically what was done with the novel. I liked you didn’t have to read Dr Zhivago in order to read and follow the story. I love that art prevails all, that art can reflect culture and criticize. I want to know more about the Cold War, about how people knew he was writing Dr Z and that the whole world knew before it was even published that it was criticizing the Soviet Union. I wanted more about the spying—lots of drops but not a whole lot of the actual acquisition of things—and perhaps more of Boris’s wife and what she was feeling about all of this (was she targeted too or just Olga? What’s the point of “hiding” the relationship when everyone knows what you’re doing, you pig, Boris? Sorry, moving on…). I loved the development of the CIA love story, and wanted more that too—with a more concrete ending please!

      The Trespasser by Tana French — ★★★★ — The sixth of French’s Dublin Murder Squad series held up to her usual literary detective fiction flair. It was a totally new experience for me to listen on audio to a Dublin Murder Squad detective rather than reading—the Irish narrator really grabbed and pulled me in. Hearing the thoughts aloud instead of reading them myself really put me on edge too, truly believing Conway’s paranoia was real and rooted in logic. French’s mysteries have always appealed to me. Her writing is engaging yet literary, smart yet accessible. I would not lump French in the same wheelhouse as Flynn or Hawkins or Ware as so many do—she stands out on her own. She’s a mystery writer for those who aren’t into mysteries (like me!). I also really enjoy that we follow a squad and not the same protagonist with each novel. The secondary character from the previous book becomes the main character for the next—and so forth. The trouble is…I think this series is now complete? Conway was the secondary character of the previous book, The Secret Place, but she’s still with her partner from that book in here too. I’m curious to see if French will continue the series, and how, now that we’ve closed this particular chapter of the Dublin Murder Squad narrative.

      And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander — ★★★ — Mystery isn’t really my jam to read, but I devour BBC/Masterpiece Mystery shows. This young Victorian woman who goes off on adventures and still stays true to the constraints of her society—a modern woman for her era without seeming anachronistic—happens to be at the center of a mysterious death. Lady Emily is recently widowed and ready to get out of mourning. But upon discovery of her late husband’s journals and fascination with Greek artifacts, Emily starts to fall in love with the man he was and learn that his death was…quite fishy. From London to Paris to Santorini to Cairo, Lady Emily must find the truth to her husband’s death and the mystery of stolen museum artifacts, all without shocking her mother half to death turning down marriage proposals. Emily was loads of fun and super intelligent. This had more dialogue than I expected, but the feel of the novel made me think, “If Jane Austen was born now and wrote historical mysteries, this is what she’d write.” It’s witty and clever, had lots of red herrings, and I was guessing through the end. I’d definitely pick up the next in the series!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2019 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, genre: nonfiction, mini review
    • Advance Excitement at a Glance XXVI

      Posted at 6:15 am by Laura, on October 3, 2016

      advanceexcitement2015

      A monthly meme to keep up with the latest publications, featuring advance copy reviews to look forward to reading.

      It seems so many of my favorite authors have new books out in October. Some long-time favorites like Jodi Picoult (October 4) and Tana French (October 4), a new favorite in Emma Mills (October 4), a middle grade debut from Megan Shepherd (October 11), Kenneth Oppel‘s latest (October 11), and Marie Benedict’s debut book The Other Einstein (October 18) are all titles I’m looking forward to reading.

      But this one in particular holds a special place in my heart.

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      Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
      (October 4, Knopf BFYR)

      Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. 

      Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.

      Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. . . . Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.

      Niven is such a remarkable woman, and All the Bright Places moved me. I can’t wait to dive into her next!

      Also, it looks like all of my money will be gone October 4th…*prepares bank account*

      What books are you looking forward to in October?

      Posted in Advance Excitement, books | 0 Comments | Tagged advance excitement at a glance, books
    • Book Review: “Velvet Undercover” by Teri Brown

      Posted at 4:45 am by Laura, on November 16, 2015

      24903917Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown

      Publisher: Balzer + Bray
      Published: October 20
      Genre: young adult, historical fiction, mystery
      ISBN: 9780062321275
      Goodreads: 3.71
      Rating: 
      ★★★★★

      Samantha Donaldson’s family has always done its duty for the British Crown. In the midst of World War I, seventeen-year-old Sam follows in their footsteps, serving her country from the homefront as a messenger for the intelligence organization MI5. After her father disappears on a diplomatic mission, she continues their studies of languages, mathematics, and complex puzzles, hoping to make him proud.

      When Sam is asked to join the famed women’s spy group La Dame Blanche, she’s torn—while this could be an unbelievable adventure, how can she abandon her mother, who has already lost a husband? But when her handlers reveal shocking news, Sam realizes she can’t refuse the exciting and dangerous opportunity.

      Her acceptance leads her straight into the heart of enemy territory on a mission to extract the most valuable British spy embedded in Germany, known only as Velvet. Deep undercover in the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Sam must navigate the labyrinthine palace and its many glamorous—and secretive—residents to complete her assignment. In a place where personal politics are treacherously entangled in wartime policy, can Sam find Velvet before it’s too late?

      Samantha is a knack for languages and mathematics, skills her father taught her ever since she was a little girl. She is approached after a competition by a member of MI5, and offered a position within a secret women’s spy group La Dame Blanche. With her intelligence and skill set, she could be an asset to her country in this endless war. But once Samantha reaches Berlin and is immersed in the kaiser’s court to find and rescue another agent under the codename Velvet, she realizes there are more conspiracies, lies, and hidden agendas than she could ever comprehend.

      Safety of any kind is just an illusion.

      My mind is blown. Samantha Donaldson is a wonderful character to narrate this intense journey. She’s intelligent and quick, similar to Hermione Granger, but she has a sense of warmth and empathy that reminded me so much of Gretchen in Anne Blankman’s Prisoner of Night and Fog. There are several layers and threads and plots in this book, and Samantha’s wicked-fast brain is able to see the evidence before her and tries to bring the clues together like solving a code. Her moments of weakness as a spy are quickly realized — and I was very grateful to see that she did slip as often as she did (we’re only human! And she’s only seventeen!) — and her strengths create heart-pounding scenes and urgently move the plot along. She’s the star of the novel through and through and kept me on the edge of my seat!

      “…people are human beings no matter where they’re from.”

      WWI — its purpose, its beginnings, the endless years, the advancements in warfare technology, and everything that comes with spying at the turn of the century — was an absolutely perfect and frightening setting for this. The future of the world felt palpable as well, with the distrust of the Germans and the rocky foundation of figuring out whom to confide when news begins to travel so quickly. If I were a teacher, I could easily create a whole lesson around Velvet Undercover (WWI); Prisoner of Night and Fog and Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke (Germany 1930s); Book Thief, Code Name Verity, and Between Shades of Gray (WWII); and The Boy on the Bridge (Cold War).

      I feel as if I’m losing who I really am. 

      Imagine being a spy! You could be caught at any moment, tortured and/or put to death instantly. You could find your information rather quickly (in which case, is that good or bad? Is it valid?) or it could take ages and require an immense acting stamina. How do you know the people you’re informing are telling you the truth, that they’re on your side? Or, on the other hand, how do you know the people you’re obtaining information from is on your side? Who is an innocent civilian versus another spy? The blending of information and personalities takes a toll on Samantha, and watching her come apart at the seams (much like Cassie did in Tana French’s The Likeness as an undercover cop) can only give us a glimpse into the true horrors of that position.

      You must read this book.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Top Ten Tuesday: Take My Money!

      Posted at 5:35 am by Laura, on August 18, 2015

      Top Ten Tuesday, a concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, is a themed post that connects bloggers to bloggers, bloggers to readers, and readers to readers. Every Tuesday has a special topic, and this Tuesday is Top Ten Auto-buy Authors.

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      The Authors & The Books that Made Me Throw My Money Down || authors with several books / series / collections that I own entirely

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      Jodi Picoult || Tana French || Paula Brackston || Juliet Marillier
      Kate Morton || Rainbow Rowell || Stephanie Perkins || Gayle Forman

      The Authors & The Books that Will Make Me Throw My Money Down || authors with one book / one series / an unfinished series that will be automatic purchases for future books/series

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      Anne Blankman || Sharon Biggs Waller || Patricia Bracewell

      Honorable Mentions || authors that are automatic reads — Sarah Dessen, Huntley Fitzpatrick, Morgan Matson, Kate Alcott, Ruta Sepetys

      Huh. I’m surprised I don’t have more fantasy on here. Or contemporary. Or male authors. Whoops?

      Do we have any similarities? Did you notice any trends or patterns with your auto-buys / auto-reads? Share!

      Posted in books, Top Ten Tuesday | 2 Comments | Tagged books, top ten tuesday
    • Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I Want to Meet

      Posted at 3:45 am by Laura, on May 12, 2015

      Top Ten Tuesday, a concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, is a themed post that connects bloggers to bloggers, bloggers to readers, and readers to readers. Every Tuesday has a special topic, and this Tuesday is Top Ten Authors I Really Want to Meet.

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      I’m assuming this meant authors who are still alive today. That is why Charlotte Brontë and Jane Austen aren’t on this list. (That is the only reason why they are not on this list.) Those who are on the list are ones I’m dying to have a face-to-face conversation with. I want to take them out for coffee/tea/long islands and chat books, movies, music, history, travel, life. But I guess a short meet-and-greet in a signing line would be fine, too…

      Rainbow Rowell
      I’ve seen that you’ve been to my city so many times and yet, every single time, without a doubt, I’ve been working that day. Curses!

      Stacey Lee
      Thank you for writing Under a Painted Sky. Seriously.

      Anne Blankman
      And along that same vein of YA historical fiction: thank you for writing Prisoner of Night & Fog and Conspiracy of Blood & Smoke.

      Megan Shepherd
      Good thing I’m (hopefully) meeting you at BEA!

      Kate Morton
      Where in the world do you come up with these great stories?!

      Juliet Marillier
      Same to you – how do you do this? You make me fall in love with fantasy the way no author ever has.

      JK Rowling
      Because of reasons.

      Jenny Han
      I hear you’re fabulous. Good thing I’m (also hopefully) meeting you at BEA!

      Sarah Dessen
      Once again, you’re an author I narrowly missed meeting this month because of work. You are my go-to YA author, and it would be a pleasure to finally meet you.

      Patricia Bracewell
      I just want to pick your brain and chat English history with you. Can we do that? Please?

      Honorable mentions: Jodi Picoult, Erin Morgenstern, Sara Raasch, Charles Finch, and Tana French

      Which authors made it onto your Top Ten list?

      Posted in books, Top Ten Tuesday | 12 Comments | Tagged authors, books, top ten tuesday
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    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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    • Recent Posts

      • Deal Announcement: Chloe Gong, YA Fantasy
      • MSWL for 2021
      • Top Five Books of 2020
      • Book Review: “A Darker Shade of Magic” by VE Schwab
      • Mini Reviews
    • 2021 Reading Challenge

      2021 Reading Challenge
      Laura has
      completed her goal of reading
      1 books in
      2021!
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