Author Archives: Laura

• Book Review: “The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow” by Katherine Woodfine

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on June 27, 2016

  The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine
  

  Publisher: Egmont
  Published: June 2015
  Genre: middle grade, mystery, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9781405276177
  Rating: ★★★★

  You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair’s department store!

  Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and MYSTERIES around every corner. WONDER at the daring theft of the priceless CLOCKWORK SPARROW! TREMBLE as the most DASTARDLY criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, CRACK CODES, DEVOUR ICED BUNS and vow to bring the villians to justice…

  Sophie is thrilled to start her first job at what the newspapers are calling the finest department store in London, opening in just a few more days. On the night before the grand opening, a priceless jeweled clockwork sparrow is stolen from one of the exhibition rooms, and Sophie is the last person seen in that room. With evidence piling up against her, Sophie seeks help from porter Billy and model Lil to solve the mystery.

  I adore middle grade mysteries! They’re so much fun, and English authors know just how to write enjoyable detective fiction for the young and young-at-heart. I hope the US audience will get a chance to read Woodfine’s work, because it’s such a delight!

  This felt like a mixture of the quick wit in Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and the glittering eye-candy of Mr. Selfridge and The Paradise. Sophie is a sweet character and determined to do well in the department store, but she’s met with opposition everywhere she turns. She used to live in a fine home, but circumstances have brought her down to the working class. She doesn’t mind, but she wishes the other shopgirls would treat her as an equal. When it came time to defend herself, Sophie was reasonably distraught, but the majority of the legwork in the mystery-solving was conducted by Billy (who is sweet on her and loves detective comics) and mannequin (model) Lil, who is very much like Phryne Fisher in how she goes about cracking cases! Even Joe, the homeless “lost boy” trying to escape a gang (which comes into play later, of course!) has clues to share to solve the mystery.

  I cannot write a review without mentioning the setting! Sinclair’s is a beautiful and fascinating department store. Pets, food, clothes, toys, trinkets, you name it and it’s there! Department stores aren’t quite like this anymore — a full-on experience and assault to the senses. It makes the mystery even more intriguing and electrifying when a tiny but important clockwork sparrow is stolen. Of all the sparkling items and expensive china and luxurious fabrics, this sparrow is what turns the department store upside down. In the author’s note, Woodfine suggest the store is a bit like the 6-story Waterstones in Piccadilly. Having been there twice now, I’d have to say that’s exactly how I picture Sinclair’s!

  If you get the chance, you need to get your hands on this adorable MG mystery. It’s a must-have for your detective collection.

  EDIT 10:45am: Just heard from Woodfine that the book will be published in the US!

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  This book qualifies as book 8 of 12 of the “Rock My TBR” Challenge, hosted by Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler, in an effort to read more books off my overflowing TBR bookcase.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016, Rock My TBR | 3 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: middle grade, genre: mystery, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Re Jane” by Patricia Park

  Posted at 5:15 am by Laura, on May 30, 2016

  Re Jane by Patricia Park

  Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
  Published: May 2015
  Genre: adult fiction, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780525427407
  Rating: ★★★★

  For Jane Re, half-Korean, half-American orphan, Flushing, Queens, is the place she’s been trying to escape from her whole life. Sardonic yet vulnerable, Jane toils, unappreciated, in her strict uncle’s grocery store and politely observes the traditional principle of nunchi (a combination of good manners, hierarchy, and obligation). Desperate for a new life, she’s thrilled to become the au pair for the Mazer-Farleys, two Brooklyn English professors and their adopted Chinese daughter. Inducted into the world of organic food co-ops, and nineteenth–century novels, Jane is the recipient of Beth Mazer’s feminist lectures and Ed Farley’s very male attention. But when a family death interrupts Jane and Ed’s blossoming affair, she flies off to Seoul, leaving New York far behind.

  Reconnecting with family, and struggling to learn the ways of modern-day Korea, Jane begins to wonder if Ed Farley is really the man for her. Jane returns to Queens, where she must find a balance between two cultures and accept who she really is.

  Jane Re has been told her entire life that she’s, essentially, not enough. She’s not Korean enough, American enough, intelligent enough, pretty enough. Desperate to escape her uncle oppressive household, she takes on a nannying position in Brooklyn for two English professors and their Chinese daughter. As the year rolls by, Jane begins to find a solid rooting with the family, but Ed, her boss’s husband, is beginning to cross the line. When her grandfather dies, Jane seizes the opportunity to fly to Seoul and attempt a new life there, immersing herself in modern-day Korean culture. Once again, circumstances change for her, and it’s time for her to decide how to continue her biracial, bicultural life and accept her wholly, complete self.

  I seem to be on a roll with finding great contemporary retellings of favorite classics. As I’ve said before, I’m very wary of retellings because many times they just rely too heavily on the original to be able to stand on their own. Since Jane Eyre is my favorite book, I am extra critical of all the retellings I’ve seen out there. But, like Eligible, Re Jane successfully stands on its own — and then some.

  The parallels between the two books are excellent, and the deviations from the classic are original, compelling, and authentic to this Jane’s story. I think my favorite aspect of the book was getting to experience Jane’s biracial, bicultural dilemma so intimately. The cultural awareness and sensitivity was spot on, and I hope to see more phenomenally written books like this in the market.

  I was caught in no-man’s land — the gulf between English and Korean
  felt wider than the East River and the Han combined. 

  In a non-spoilery nutshell, Jane experiences vastly different Otherness depending on her surroundings. In Flushing, Queens, she’s singled out as the “fake Korean” because her father was American. Her physical features are slightly different from the other Koreans in her neighborhood, and she’s treated as if she’s tainted or corrupt. When she works in Brooklyn, her boss Beth accidentally assumes Jane is Chinese, yet Jane and Devon (the girl she nannies) can easily see the racial differences between each other. (Devon also experiences Otherness with the other Chinese students at school, but that’s a piece of great dissection you can discover on your own!) However, when Jane jets off to Seoul, she may be teased for her archaic Korean speech, but her Otherness is praised. She carries many sought-after Western beauty features: height, nose, eyes, cheekbones. She’s been told her whole life that favoring one side of her identity is better than embracing both. Now, here she is in her mother’s homeland, being told that it’s better to be something other than fully Korean. What’s great about this is that Jane’s uncomfortable. It’s not a matter of deciding which part of her identity she should embrace over the other — it’s about understanding, loving, and combining both.

  That wasn’t so much a nutshell, but it is one aspect of the book that was deeply explored. For anyone who is following the We Need Diverse Books campaign, or #ownvoices, you need to read this book.

  This is not to say that it was condescending; instead he spoke with the weight of personal experience. More often than not, I was able to free-ride on the shorthand of his authority. […] But at times I wondered whether I relied too heavily on Ed’s account of things, rather than seeing for myself.

  It’s not possible to talk about any Jane Eyre retelling without some mention of the Mr Rochester figure. Ed was cool, I liked Ed, I could see Jane with Ed, and not once did I ever feel uncomfortable with the thought that Ed was roughly 10-15 years older/her employer/married. Many times retellings fall flat with the romance aspect because there’s too much emphasis on the age gap. In the 1840s, the age difference was not an issue. It’s the fact he was her employer, in the beginning at least. So why do so many retellings focus on the age?

  Well, thank goodness Park did not do that. She instead focused on certain aspects of age differences in relationships. Someone who is 10+ years older, who married, had a child, bought a first home, bought a first car, will definitely have more life experiences, and that’s bound to create communication issues. The drama in the relationship between Jane and Ed focused on that: how they spoke to one another, and how they interacted with other couples in their respective age groups. If you’ve read Re Jane, I love to hear your thoughts on this!

  This qualifies as book 6 of 10 library books in 2016. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 7 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review

• Mini Reviews VI

  Posted at 5:30 am by Laura, on May 23, 2016

  The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

  Publisher: Anchor
  Published: March 2012
  Genre: adult, historical fiction
  Summary: A gorgeous novel that tells the story of a group of young women brought from Japan to San Francisco as “picture brides” nearly a century ago. The story traces the extraordinary lives of these women, from their arduous journeys by boat, to their arrival in San Francisco and their tremulous first nights as new wives; from their experiences raising children who would later reject their culture and language, to the arrival of war. This is a spellbinding novel about identity and loyalty, and what it means to be an American in uncertain times.

  Review: I’ve never come across a narration quite like this before. It was written in plural — “we” and “us” instead of “I” or “she.” (Grammar nerds, please tell me the correct name for it!) This narrative style is fitting, as this short book details the lives of Japanese “picture brides” coming to San Fransisco in 1917, working the lands, raising children, and disappearing during WWII. As a society that values the group over the individual — and told through the eyes of women — it makes sense for the structure to follow that narrative style, too. These poor women, these lost voices, were so hopeful in the beginning for a new and prosperous life, only to find their husbands were lies; they would continue to work the land; they might eventually work in laundries or great homes; they would raise their children as Japanese only to find their children shamed and rejecting their culture for an American one; they would wake up in the morning to an empty bed and no husband in sight; and they would, one by one, leave their homes and cross the Rockies, never to be seen or heard from again. Thought-provoking.

  This qualifies as book 4 of 10 library books in 2016. 

  Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

  Publisher: W.W. Norton Company
  Published: November 1998 (first published in 1966)
  Genre: adult, historical fiction
  Summary: The novel is Rhys’s answer to Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontë’s book had long haunted her, mostly for the story it did not tell–that of the madwoman in the attic, Rochester’s terrible secret. Antoinette is Rhys’s imagining of that locked-up woman, who in the end burns up the house and herself. Wide Sargasso Seafollows her voyage into the dark, both from her point of view and Rochester’s. It is a voyage charged with soul-destroying lust. “I watched her die many times,” observes the new husband. “In my way, not in hers. In sunlight, in shadow, by moonlight, by candlelight. In the long afternoons when the house was empty.”

  Review: The one reason I’m not giving this one star is because it’s an excellent example of colonialism and racism in the nineteenth century. The book’s saving grace is the academic fodder for discussion. Apart from that, I had a hard time caring about Bertha, or understanding the motivations and personalities of the characters. It’s not a compelling story, and I’m not sure it could stand on its own. It’s as if the only way this could be read is alongside or after reading Jane Eyre. Otherwise the writing feels disjointed, disconnected, and lost.

  This qualifies as book 5 of 10 library books in 2016. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 6 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, mini review, review

• Book Review: “Eligible” by Curtis Sittenfeld

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on May 18, 2016

  Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

  Publisher: Random House
  Published: April 2016
  Genre: adult fiction, contemporary
  ISBN: 9781400068326
  Rating: ★★★★

  This version of the Bennet family—and Mr. Darcy—is one that you have and haven’t met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help—and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray.

  Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master’s degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won’t discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane’s fortieth birthday fast approaches.

  Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip’s friend neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . .

  And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.

  Liz travels back with her sister Jane to Cincinnati after their dad, Mr. Bennet, suffers a heart attack. They say they’ll only stay as long as he needs them, but the sisters find the house is falling apart — and their younger sisters are in dire need of some life coaching. When cousin Willie comes to town and the Lucas family hosts a barbeque, Liz and Jane run into doctors Fitzwilliam Darcy and Chip Bingley. Little do they know, this dinner party changes the course of their lives.

  Of all the Jane Austen Project books so far, this one is the best. All the key characters and scenes are there — the bare bones of Pride & Prejudice — and Sittenfeld seamlessly uses those elements in a modern setting, rather than trying to squeeze modern life inside an Austen novel. The classic humor is there, the personalities of the characters, everything. Of course Mary would be the snarky, multi-degreed student holed away in her parents’ house. Of course Jane would be a calm yoga instructor. Of course Bingley would be on a reality show, and Mrs. Bennet a shopaholic, and Willie a Silicon Valley nerd. Social media plays a huge role in the novel as well, and it works.  This book was written so cleverly to properly match modern time, it didn’t feel like a forced retelling of Pride & Prejudice.

  While Eligible is a retelling of an Austen classic, it’s also a character study. Liz is a fantastic journalist, critiques her family and deeply loves them at the same time, and is (hilariously) clueless with men. She’s intelligent and confident, but her weaknesses are relatable as well. There are some parallels with the classic Elizabeth Bennet, but Liz can stand on her own.

  I’m sure you’ve read the reviews and seen the hype by now. Trust in it. Eligible is worth a read.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 9 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review

• Book Review: “Fever at Dawn” by Peter Gardos

  Posted at 5:45 am by Laura, on May 7, 2016

  Fever at Dawn by Péter Gárdos

  Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  Published: April 2016
  Genre: adult fiction, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780544769793
  Rating: ★★★★

  July 1945. Miklos is a twenty-five-year-old Hungarian who has survived the camps and has been brought to Sweden to convalesce. His doctor has just given him a death sentence — his lungs are filled with fluid and in six months he will be gone. But Miklos has other plans. He didn’t survive the war only to drown from within, and so he wages war on his own fate. He acquires the names of the 117 Hungarian women also recovering in Sweden, and he writes a letter to each of them in his beautiful cursive hand. One of these women, he is sure, will become his wife.   In another part of the country, Lili reads his letter and decides to write back. For the next few months, the two engage in a funny, absurd, hopeful epistolary dance. Eventually, they find a way to meet.

  Determined to survive long after the brutal war in concentration camps, Miklos devises a plan to make the most of his life and fight against the fluid building up in his lungs. He writes beautiful letters to 117 Hungarian women who are also recovering in hospitals in Sweden, with hopes that at least one of them may become his wife. Lili, recovering in a hospital across the country, reads his letter and writes back on a whim. Over the next six months, as Lili regains her strength and Miklos battles a ticking clock, the pair fall in love. But falling in love through words is a dangerous game, for how will they ever meet in person? Standing up against hospital policies and fighting against their own health, Miklos and Lili will do whatever it takes to be together and start life anew.

  Translated fiction is usually hit or miss with me. The language can feel stilted or ridiculous, and as a result it keeps me at a distance from the narrative. But this one is definitely a hit. Though there were moments when it was painfully obviously this was a translated work, I cannot stress enough how easy it was to gloss over that little bump and continue falling head over heels into the story. And that’s what we’re all after, right? Right.

  Miklos is a such a twenty-five-year-old guy. The doctor tells him he’s going to die in six months, and what does Miklos do? Plan a future with a woman, any woman, who writes back to his letters. But unlike other twenty-something guys, the war has made him humble. His mind is full of spirit but his body is on the mend, he loves to smile but his metal teeth frighten people, he has such passion for intellect and beauty that it can sometimes be intense. His mind draws Lili in, and her heart, spirit, and mind draw him to her. He wasn’t going to fall for any woman who wrote back – he was going to fall for her. No question.

  There are so many moments that resonate with contemporary love stories that it’s no wonder this has been published and translated into so many languages. Trade letters for tweets or online dating messages, trade hospitals for countries, trade phone calls to skype chats, and you have this story again. But what makes this such a gem is the determination for starting over and creating a better life, a new life, after all the death and destruction these two witnessed, lived, and survived so young. Toss in the fact this is based on the author’s own parents’ stories and letters, and you’re in for a teary ride.

  If you’re looking for a story that unfolds slowly, told with humor and heart, you’ll find that with Fever at Dawn.

  Thank you, NetGalley, for providing the advance copy from HMH for review!

   

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 4 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review

• Book Review: “Traitor Angels” by Anne Blankman (ARC)

  Posted at 5:15 am by Laura, on May 2, 2016

  Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman

  Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  Publishing Date: May 3
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction, adventure
  ISBN: 9780062278876
  Rating: ★★★★★

  The daughter of notorious poet John Milton, Elizabeth has never known her place in this shifting world—except by her father’s side. By day she helps transcribe his latest masterpiece, the epic poem Paradise Lost, and by night she learns languages and sword fighting. Although she does not dare object, she suspects that he’s training her for a mission whose purpose she cannot fathom…until the king’s men arrive at her family’s country home to arrest her father.

  Determined to save him, Elizabeth follows his one cryptic clue and journeys to Oxford, accompanied by her father’s mysterious young houseguest, Antonio Vivani, an Italian scientist who surprises her at every turn. Funny, brilliant, and passionate, Antonio seems just as determined to protect her father as she is—but can she trust him?

  When the two discover that Milton has planted an explosive secret in the half-finished Paradise Lost—a secret the king and his aristocratic supporters are desperate to conceal—Elizabeth is faced with a devastating choice: cling to the shelter of her old life or risk cracking the code, unleashing a secret that could save her father…and tear apart the very fabric of society.

  It’s 1666: six years since King Charles II returned from exile and reclaimed the throne, and a year with very little (if any) rain for England. John Milton is an exiled regicide, living as quietly as possible in a small country home outside London. Elizabeth is aware she’s had an unusual upbringing, but everything comes to light when her father is arrested and he whispers a mysterious, poetic line in her ear. Using clues sprinkled throughout Paradise Lost, Elizabeth flees in the night with an Italian scientist to Oxford on horseback, and races against the clock to discover and safeguard her father’s secret. But when the clues trace back to London’s St Paul’s, and indeed the very heart of Charles II’s court, Elizabeth must make a bold decision before the entire city erupts in flames.

  Damn.

  This is a book for nerds and bookworms and history buffs and adventure seekers. This is like Da Vinci Code meets Possession meets YA (heck, I’d even toss YA out the window — this is that lovely in-between of classic adult and engrossing YA, a pure crossover). A mission hidden within a great literary work. A mystery that could unravel all society holds dear.

  It has everything. Galileo, astronomy, natural philosophy. John Milton, poetry, Paradise Lost. The Civil War, Oliver Cromwell, Charles I and II. Royalists and Puritans. Science and religion. Oxford, Bodleian, Whitehall, the Tower. The Great Fire of London.

  Are you drooling?

  While I could go on about Elizabeth’s character development, the delicate way Blankman handled fact and fiction, Antonio and Robert, the political turmoil of the era, the heart-pounding discoveries and captures — I won’t. You need to discover this for yourself. This book is dynamic and brilliant and quite possibly Blankman’s best yet.

  I am astonished, and I want nothing more than to roam Oxford again and picnic by the river and revisit my studies on the English Civil War, with a copy of Milton by my side and Renaissance historians gushing about the Italian progress. When an author can make me miss academia at this level, I promise you the book they wrote is excellent. And Blankman’s is exactly that.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Balzer + Bray for review!

  See my other reviews for Anne Blankman’s books: Prisoner of Night and Fog, Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 6 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: action/adventure, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review

• Advance Excitement at a Glance XXIV

  Posted at 6:45 am by Laura, on April 30, 2016

  

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

  Holy massive month of releases. Some of my favorites — Morgan Matson, Stacey Lee, Stephanie Perkins, Jessica Brockmole, SJ Maas — and some potential newbies, like The Crown’s Game and Sing, all come out in May. But one book I’m particularly excited about, Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman, releases in just a few days!

  

  Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman
  (Balzer + Bray, May 3)

  Six years have passed since England’s King Charles II returned from exile to reclaim the throne, ushering in a new era of stability for his subjects.

  Except for Elizabeth Milton, the daughter of notorious poet John Milton. By day she helps transcribe his latest masterpiece, the epic poem Paradise Lost, and by night she learns languages and sword fighting. Although she does not dare object, she suspects that he’s training her for a mission whose purpose she cannot fathom.

  When the king’s men arrest him, Elizabeth follows his one cryptic clue and journeys to Oxford, accompanied by an Italian scientist, Antonio Vivani. When the two discover that Milton has planted an explosive secret in the half-finished Paradise Lost—a secret the king and his aristocratic supporters are desperate to conceal—Elizabeth is faced with a devastating choice: cling to the shelter of her old life or risk cracking the code.

  Nerd book of nerdy proportions. Give it to me now.

  What books are you looking forward to in May?

  Posted in Advance Excitement, books | 0 Comments | Tagged advance excitement at a glance, advance reading copy, books

• Book Review: “Assassin’s Apprentice” by Robin Hobb

  Posted at 4:45 am by Laura, on April 27, 2016

  Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

  Publisher: Del Rey
  Published: April 1995
  Genre: adult, fantasy
  ISBN: 9780553573398
  Rating: ★★★

  Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father’s gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz’s blood runs the magic Skill–and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family.

  As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.

  Fitz can’t remember too much of his early life, apart from working as a stable boy and bonding really well with the animals. When King Shrewd acknowledges Fitz is the bastard son of Prince Chivalry, he has a plan sorted just for Fitz, one that marks him above a commoner but not quite nobility. Fitz will be a trained assassin, using his Skill to assist his mission. But as raiders attack the kingdom’s coast, Fitz’s assignment becomes all too real, and a complicated web of deceit may be his undoing.

  This book seems to have followed me around for the last few months without any intention on my part! It was a gift from my Secret Santa, Samantha, it was one that a friend eyed and purchased over the holidays, and it was chosen as the Flights of Fantasy Book Club pick for March. MARCH. It is now April and I’ve finally finished it. A belated review for this book club pick. And hopefully I can shed some light as to why.

  Hobb’s writing style is one that begs to be absorbed across long sittings. Once you’re involved with Fitz’s narrative, the prose becomes engrossing and the story picks up its pace. But if you’re a chapter-before-bed kind of reader, you may be out of luck with this one. Reading small portions each day made the book feel slow and plodding.

  This first book in the Farseer trilogy is also full of character development and insight. We watch Fitz grow from about six years old to early young adulthood, and experience a whole spectrum of events with him. He’s an outcast because he’s a bastard child, but he’s neither commoner, servant, nor noble. He’s of royal blood but cannot be given special privileges, yet there’s no denying he has the Skill, which runs through royal families. He’s in quite the predicament, and the King, as well as his subjects, treat Fitz as such.

  Overall, I did enjoy the book, but it took me two months to get through it. If I had time to sit across a weekend and be completely immersed in it, I’m sure I would’ve loved it. I am curious to see what happens to Fitz, and the writing really is beautiful — so I plan to read the second book too.

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  This qualifies as book 5 of 5 of the “Flights of Fantasy” Challenge, hosted by Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books and Rachel @ Hello, Chelly.

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  This book qualifies as book 7 of 12 of the “Rock My TBR” Challenge, hosted by Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler, in an effort to read more books off my overflowing TBR bookcase.

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Reviews 2016, Rock My TBR | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, flights of fantasy, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, review, rock my TBR

• Deal Announcement: Jared Reck, YA Contemporary

  Posted at 4:21 pm by Laura, on April 26, 2016

  

  Deal Announcements feature my most recent deal as an agent and the story behind it. Writers and readers should experience how an agent knows when they’ve struck gold and sign an author, the beginning of the journey to publication.

  I’m excited to announce the publication of Jared Reck’s You’re the Nerds!

  Erin Clarke at Knopf has preempted two YA novels by debut writer Jared Reck. The first of two stand-alone titles, You’re the Nerds, tells the story of JV basketball player Matthew Wainright and what happens when he falls for his childhood best friend, Tabby. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Laura Crockett at TriadaUS negotiated the six-figure deal for world rights and Uwe Stender will handle film rights.

  Once upon a time…

  One mid-January day, I received a query from Jared. He jumped right into the heart of the book, not wasting any time to capture my attention. I could hear the protagonist’s voice already, and I wanted to read more! Especially after reading that Matt’s “sabotaged by the overdramatic movie director in his head.” I couldn’t help but think of those Expectation vs Reality panels from (500) Days of Summer, laughed a bit, and asked for 50 pages.

  A week later I was able to sit down and read those 50 pages — and I couldn’t stop laughing! I begged for the full and finished it that night. Matt is driven and determined, struggles to maintain a solid friendship, and learns how to come to terms with grief. I laughed and laughed and cried and laughed some more. In short, Jared can write a compelling voice. Two days later, I offered representation. I needed this manuscript. I needed Jared!

  Whirlwind already, right? Well. Jared and I were not prepared for the following whirlwind…

  After about a month of reviewing the manuscript and going through some final polishing, I sent the manuscript off to editors. One week later — one week later — I received a call from Erin Clarke at Knopf, detailing the offer.

  I couldn’t believe it. Neither could my boss, Uwe. It was a dream offer from a dream editor, begging us for this dream book. And she called me on April Fools Day.

  But this was no joke.

  And the rest…is history.

  Congratulations, Jared! You’re going to be a published author!

  Posted in deal announcement | 1 Comment | Tagged agenting, deal announcement

• That One Time I Binged on Kinsella… II

  Posted at 5:55 am by Laura, on April 25, 2016

  

  Welcome back to the second edition of That One Time I Binged on Kinsella! Last time we discussed I’ve Got Your Number and The Undomestic Goddess, as well as what inspired my Kinsella binge in the first place: Can You Keep a Secret? Now we’re here to discuss two more non-Shopaholic Kinsella books.

  

  

  Twenties Girl (★★★.5) surprised me in many ways. At first I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as everyone said — a ghost great-aunt? really? — but I absolutely sank into it! Lara’s romantic storyline hit a little too close to home for me, so I found it difficult in the beginning. Sadie, Lara’s great-aunt/ghost, could be annoying and conceited, but that changed as the story developed more and we could explore her character. There’s a surprising thread in the story that deals with art and art history, which was fun and really amped up the pace. When Lara’s Trump-like uncle gets involved with the art deal — and the overall family history — Lara comes to terms with many aspects of her life and takes control.

  And it’s that “taking control of your life” thread that made Twenties Girl enjoyable. The Lara at the beginning of the book is clinging to a rather poor and directionless job, lacks strong familial relationships, feels isolated from friends, and is quite obsessive with a dead relationship. Sadie tries to snap her out of it, simultaneously teaching her (in her nagging, Sadie way) to live each day fully and to know when to fully invest in something worthwhile. By the end of the novel, Lara has sorted her priorities and knows what she wants in life.

  Remember Me? (★★★) has an intriguing premise: what if you lost your memory from the last three years, and found your life is completely different? New appearance, new job, new set of friends, a marriage? Now if that happened to me, I’d have a full-blown panic attack. But in typical Kinsella fashion, Lexi uses these positive changes (she’s gorgeous! She’s the boss! She has a hot, rich husband!) to her advantage and attempts to put the pieces of the puzzle together in a humorous way. How did she go from poor and struggling to a success? There are two accidents in the novel, and I had such a great theory going from about page 50 that was completely debunked in the last three chapters. Prepare for the twist!

  Though it’s mostly discussed through Lexi’s romantic entanglements — her husband versus Jon, the successful but laid-back architect her husband employs — Kinsella touches upon glossy exteriors and their hidden flaws. On the surface, it looks like Lexi woke up to the perfect life. But those perfections do not make up Lexi, a quirky, fun, kind, flawed individual. She has a beautiful, state-of-the-art, magazine-spread home, but there’s nothing in there that feels personal, homey, or lived in. She’s the head of a department in a big company, but her employees see her as a cutthroat snake, something Lexi most certainly is not. She’s married to a gorgeous businessman, who fits everything on a dream checklist, but that checklist does not equal a dream relationship. It seems perfect and wonderful and safe, but flaws make life enjoyable. And in the case of Lexi’s relationship with Jon, they are far more equal to each other, and that’s a healthy lifestyle.

  ~

  I read Kinsella at just the right time in my life. As I alluded to a few weeks ago, the beginning of 2016…well, sucked. Kinsella brought smiles and humor. And in each of the novels I read, I found a little something to relate to that also lifted me up. Can You Keep a Secret? spoke to me on a billion levels, most especially in the career fumbles and trying to prove oneself. I’ve Got Your Number shared the same fluctuating confidence and self-doubt I experience daily, and The Undomestic Goddess reminded me that it’s possible to try new things and still remain exactly who you are. Twenties Girl taught me to be bold, and Remember Me? encouraged me to look beyond the glossy exterior and into the heart of things.

  I’m sure plenty of readers felt the same way about her novels, for any of the protagonists in any of their situations. Kinsella’s books are semi-predictable, they’re quick reads, and you can guarantee some laughter. But I think that’s what makes them so enjoyable: her voice is accessible and relatable to so many women. You can’t help but love the characters and wince over their hilariously embarrassing situations. You’re glad this isn’t your life, and at the same time, this is your life. And it brings such comfort.

  Have you read Kinsella? What are some of your favorite books?

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 6 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: romance, mini review, review

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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 travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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