Author Archives: Laura

• Book Reviews: “Tea Rex” and “I Want My Mommy!”

  Posted at 7:29 pm by Laura, on May 12, 2013

  These are children’s books that I spotted at work and couldn’t help but pick up, read, and then recommend to customers. And when that happens, it’s worth putting up a review and then qualify them in my yearly challenge.

  Tea Rex by Molly Idle 

  Publisher: Viking Juvenile
  Publishing Date: April 2013
  Genre: children’s, picture book
  ISBN: 9780670014309
  Goodreads: 4.10
  Rating: ★★★★

  Some tea parties are for grown-ups.
  Some are for girls.
  But this tea party is for a very special guest.
  And it is important to follow some rules . . .
  like providing comfortable chairs,
  and good conversation,
  and yummy food.
  But sometimes that is not enough for special guests,
  especially when their manners are more Cretaceous than gracious . . .

  Averaging five words per page, this book is remarkable. The illustrations tell the story even more than the words, and those illustrations are fantastic. You see how large Rex is — so big Rex’s full body cannot fit on the page — and how frustrated the hostess becomes. Tea and flying crumpets and torn lace and everything, it’s all so humorously beautiful. The manners written in the book almost appear to be the exact opposite in the illustrations. For example: “good conversation” has a picture of the hostess jabbering away, making one guest doze off and the other sneaking another cup of tea. It’s cute, children are bound to love it.

  I Want My Mommy! by Tracey Corderoy 

  Publisher: Tiger Tales
  Publishing Date: February 2013
  Genre: children’s, picture books
  ISBN: 9781589251304
  Goodreads: 3.61
  Rating: ★★★★

  It’s Arthur’s first day apart from his mommy and he really misses her. Even his fantastic dragon suit and favorite toy dragon don’t help cheer him up. Rargghh! he roars grumpily. But luckily Grandma knows just what to do!

  So adorable and true to life, little mouse Arthur dresses up in a dragon costume and goes to Grandma’s for the day. Every time the doorbell rings he races to see if it’s Mommy. But Grandma’s plan to dress up as a Knight makes Arthur’s day pass super fast. Beautiful, soft artwork and a charming story. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: children, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Revel” by Maurissa Guibord

  Posted at 11:37 am by Laura, on May 8, 2013

  Revel by Maurissa Guibord  

  Publisher: Delacorte Books
  Publishing Date: February 2013
  Genre: young adult, fantasy, paranormal romance
  ISBN: 9780385741873 
  Goodreads: 3.84
  Rating: ★

  There’s an island off the coast of Maine that’s not on any modern map.

  Shrouded in mist and protected by a deadly reef, Trespass Island is home to a community of people who guard the island and its secrets from outsiders. Seventeen-year-old Delia grew up in Kansas, but has come here in search of her family and answers to her questions: Why didn’t her mother ever talk about Trespass Island? Why did she fear the open water? But Delia’s not welcome and soon finds herself enmeshed in a frightening and supernatural world where ancient Greek symbols adorn the buildings and secret ceremonies take place on the beach at night.

  Sean Gunn, a handsome young lobsterman, befriends Delia and seems willing to risk his life to protect her. But it’s Jax, the coldly elusive young man she meets at the water’s edge, who finally makes Delia understand the real dangers of life on the island. Delia is going to have to fight to survive. Because there are monsters here. And no one ever leaves Trespass alive.

  Delia McGovern is determined to find out why and how her mother escaped the unmapped Trespass Island. When she arrives, the people find her dangerous and odd, an outsider bringing death and fear into their peaceful haven. As the Revel celebration approaches, Delia discovers a frightening secret lurking in the waters — imprisoning the inhabitants as well as keeping trespassers out.

  I wanted to enjoy this. I loved the idea of some otherworldly sea creature preventing inhabitants from leaving and newcomers from entering. The ocean is a vast and alien world, a frontier not yet fully explored, so having some sort of monster there is alluring. Sure, throw in some Greek demigods as well for fun, but the mysterious, frightening aspects was what I was looking for.

  Guibord failed me. First, Delia was just plain odd for a character. Her internal thoughts were intelligent and somewhat snarky, but everything that came out of her mouth was stilted. The dialogue was off — from everyone, not just Delia — and the actions were unjustified.

  Second, this book could have been written in so many different (and better) ways. Toss out the love triangle, first of all. The horror and tension would have been much better if Jax was seen as a monster throughout. The pull to the water Delia experiences would have been more terrifying, it would make her have difficulty coming to terms with her identity. That would have been interesting. Another aspect would have been introducing the monsters later in the novel, rather than right at the beginning. Telling us immediately what makes this island odd doesn’t add suspense, it kills it. The mystery of the caves no longer seems dire. If Delia were to slowly discover the caves, slowly experience how she feels in the water, slowly piece things together about the island, Trespass would become a terrifying place, and the monsters even more frightening!

  Finally, the excuse of a celebration — Revel — could have been the conclusion. Delia’s identity surrounds Revel. The book is called Revel. The plot Guibord writes, however, does not. And that’s such a disappointment.

  Open with weird events and history of the island, progress to enjoying the water and discovering the caves, continue into the eerie aspect of Jax and the fierce protectiveness of the caves, climax at the discovery of the monsters, and a huge action/ending with Revel and self-discovery (all the while with little doses of Sean-love). That’s the book I thought I was going to read.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: paranormal, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Maureen Johnson’s Coverflip Challenge

  Posted at 8:12 am by Laura, on May 8, 2013

  While the publishing industry is mostly filled with females, it’s still amazing that books are judged by its covers based upon whether the author is male or female. Female authors generally have books with covers that are light, fun, and somewhere — somehow — there is a girl or couple featured across the front.

  Angered by the inequality and curious by the differences, Johnson charged her twitter followers with a challenge: take a popular book and create a new cover based upon the opposite gender of the author. Check out some of the amazing results — publishers, you need to get in touch with these designers! They’re fantastic!

  One of my favorites…

  

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 1 Comment | Tagged authors, books, design, publishing

• Witness, a Digital Mystery Line from HC

  Posted at 10:17 am by Laura, on April 30, 2013

  HarperCollins Plans Digital Original Mystery Line, Witness — Publishers Weekly   

  Two years after HarperCollins’ Avon Books imprint launched the digital romance imprint Impulse, its William Morrow imprint announced plans for Witness, a “digital-original” mystery, suspense and thriller line.

  Over a hundred titles have signed for Witness and ten of them will appear this October.

  Witness will feature the same royalty structure as Morrow/Avon’s other digital-first imprints: authors receive a 50% royalty once their book sells 10,000 copies (initial royalties start at 25%).

  Agatha Christie’s short stories will be digitized and included, as well.

  Thoughts?

  Posted in books, Link, publishing, technology | 0 Comments | Tagged books, ebooks, news, publishing, technology

• Book Review: “The Name of the Star” by Maureen Johnson

  Posted at 8:38 pm by Laura, on April 27, 2013

  The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson 

  Publisher: Speak
  Publishing Date: September 2011
  Genre: young adult, paranormal, gothic
  ISBN: 9780142422052
  Goodreads: 3.9
  Rating: ★★★★★

  The day that Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London to start a new life at boarding school is also the day a series of brutal murders breaks out over the city, killings mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper spree of more than a century ago. Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him–the only one who can see him. And now Rory has become his next target. In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

  Louisiana teen Rory Deveaux transfers to England to attend Wexford, an East London boarding school. On the day of her arrival, a murder occurs — one that mimics the exact same murder as Jack the Ripper’s in 1888. Students and society are entranced more than horrified, following the murders and recounting the history like a historical documentary or TV reality show. But when Rory realizes she can see the murderer and no one else can, her peaceful existence at school ends. This modern Ripper has his sights set on her and her alone.

  A thrilling and entertaining read, especially for an American reader who has traveled to England and went on a Jack the Ripper tour that took you to the exact locations of the murders. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Rory adapting to life in England — noticing the way the English say “thing” (fink) and “perfect” (pahhh-fect); constantly being corrected for defining England, Great Britain, and United Kingdom; interpreting how English boys flirt versus American boys. Reading this was partly nostalgic.

  The characters, even the ghosts, were remarkably relatable and realistic. Jazza was my favorite. If I were a character in this book, I would be Jazza to a T: her love for books (especially Austen), her steadfast determination to do good and think positively of others even when angered, her desire to do well in classes and stay out of trouble. Jerome is an enthusiastic journalist-to-be, constantly keeping tabs on the latest reports for the Ripper case. Boo, Callum, and Stephen were fascinating to read, their backgrounds and past lifestyles shining through their every action and phrase before it was explained to Rory. I especially enjoyed the way Johnson wrote the various ghosts, too — Jo in the 1940s garb and language, Alistair and his love for literature and the Smiths, the man in the tunnel lost and confused, even the Ripper and his mad obsession.

  To see ghosts, one has to experience near-death. Once one sees ghosts, a whole new heirarchy must be explored. Some ghosts are misty and can hardly speak. Some have full ghostly bodies, but repeat the same words or phrases over and over. Others can hold conversations and pass through solid structures, while others look and act mistakenly like humans because they can move solid objects and interact with the environment. This is what sets the ball rolling for the new Ripper: no one can see him, but he can handle a knife.

  Thrilling, chilling, and humorous all at once, Johnson’s first book in her paranormal trilogy is worth every second of reading!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: gothic, genre: paranormal, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Strands of Bronze and Gold” by Jane Nickerson

  Posted at 8:13 am by Laura, on April 23, 2013

  Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson 

  Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
  Publishing Date: March 2013
  Genre: young adult, gothic, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780307975980
  Goodreads: 3.6
  Rating: ★★★★

  When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

  Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

  Sophia leaves her brothers and sister in Boston to stay with her godfather, Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, in Wyndriven Abbey in Mississippi. A handsome, alluring, and wealthy man, de Cressac lures Sophia under his spell by lavishing her with attention and riches. But as Sophia learns more about de Cressac’s four dead wives, notices the lack of company from town, and is forbidden to leave without de Cressac’s permission, she begins to unravel a horrifying past. Trapped in a tangled web of passion and deceit, Sophia fights for freedom and escape to avoid becoming a fifth dead wife.

  Nickerson’s Bluebeard fairy tale retold is stunning. I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of 1850s Mississippi Wyndriven Abbey — both enchanting and foreboding all at once. Bernard is similar in that nature, too charming to be real, too attentive to be safe. While Sophia is entranced with the Mississippi estate, the reader is on high alert for something amiss. That unease continues throughout the book, culminating in high suspense and terror.

  Sophia’s character growth throughout the book is phenomenal. Although Sophia (Nickerson, really) continuously pointed out how different current Sophia was to past Sophia, it was apparent without the added insight. She arrives in humid Mississippi under her godfather’s spell, adoring the clothes he purchases, the mesmerizing food she tastes, and the little gifts and outings Bernard showers upon her. By the end of the novel, she’s fierce, brave, and does not care about frivolous things. I enjoyed watching her grow up, even if the circumstances were horrifying and far from ideal.

  One aspect about the book, from a historical standpoint, that I liked was the incorporation of slavery and a Northerner’s opinion on it compared to a Southerner’s. This part of the book is up for some debate — was it portrayed accurately? Is Sophia too naïve? Is the dialogue appropriate? — but I think, considering Sophia’s lack of experience and intolerance of slavery, it’s entirely appropriate and portrayed rather well. In other words, her innocence lends to the representation.

  Suspenseful, enchanting, terrifying, magical, and gruesome, this book is definitely worth a read.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: gothic, genre: history, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “The Madman’s Daughter” by Megan Shepherd

  Posted at 2:03 pm by Laura, on April 15, 2013

  The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd 

  Published: January 2013
  Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  Genre: young adult, gothic, adventure, sci-fi
  ISBN: 9780062128027
  Goodreads: 3.77
  Rating: ★★★

  Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

  Accompanied by her father’s handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it’s too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.

  Inspired by H. G. Wells’s classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman’s Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we’ll do anything to know and the truths we’ll go to any lengths to protect.

  Juliet Moreau is a cleaning maid in King’s College, London, brought down from her place in aristocracy when her father performed illegal surgeries and disappeared. When she receives news of a possibility of his return, she seeks him out only to find her old servant Montgomery. After begging him to take her to her father, Montgomery and Juliet sail to the South Pacific and land on a remote island, filled with disfigured natives and an eerie sense that her father is hiding behind a monstrosity larger than she could ever dream of.

  Shepherd does an excellent job of maintaining interest as the book progresses. Each chapter is full of action, horror, and scientific curiosity. Each character, from Juliet to Montgomery, to Dr Moreau and the marooned Edward, from Balthazar to Alice, has something to hide. The suspense of their personal secrets, mixed with the dangers of the humid and wild jungle, make for a fantastic gothic read. It’s inspired me to read Wells’s The Island of Dr. Moreau, which normally I wouldn’t have read!

  However, what prevented me from giving the book four or five stars is the forced love triangle. Juliet is torn between Montgomery and Edward, and even in the most terrifying situations she mulls over her emotions. At the end of the book, after all twists and turns are revealed, this conflict is somewhat justified — to give in to animal instinct or to give in to human emotion? The story could have been much better if the triangle weren’t so emphasized or pronounced. The secrets and science and eerie quality of the island could have become more of a character itself — and it had plenty of opportunity to be a character — rather than a backdrop.

  According to Goodreads, this may be the first of a trilogy. I like the way it ended, and do not see a need for a second or third book, but it would be interesting to see what Shepherd has next.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 10 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: action/adventure, genre: gothic, genre: romance, genre: sci-fi, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Books Save Lives: An Ode to YA’s Depiction of Tragedy

  Posted at 10:00 am by Laura, on April 11, 2013

  Check out my blog post over at Quirk Books!

  With excellent books from authors like John Green, Gayle Forman, and Lucy Christopher, why would anyone censor content that truly depicts what teens experience?

  I want you to think back to when you were sixteen. What did you listen to? What did you read? What hobbies did you have, and what did you and your friends do on the weekends? Did you ever fight with your parents? Did you ever have a break-up that felt like the world was going to fall to pieces that second? Were you ever told “you’ll get over it, it’s no big deal” whenever you were upset about something? Did you ever keep secrets from family or friends, and it ate at you late at night and it made you feel small and all alone?

  Whether or not you were a good kid with excellent grades and no drug record, chances are you knew someone who struggled in school, struggled with friends and grades, probably smoked, maybe they experimented, maybe they even took risks. And if you didn’t know someone in real life, you knew a fictional character that experienced all of that, and it opened your eyes to hardships in life.

  Young adult books teach, young adult books say “You’re not alone,” young adult books mirror reality. And it’s because of this terrifyingly perfect, realistic depiction of teen tragedy that several adults ban these books.

  Posted in books, Link, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: young adult, personal

• Defining Young Adult Literature

  Posted at 3:36 pm by Laura, on April 6, 2013

  I’m currently taking a genre study course on young adult literature, and we’re trying to find a way to define the genre, so that it encompasses current YA, classic YA, and all the subgenres of YA.

  We’re finding it to be incredibly difficult! But out class has agreed on these points:

  • YA must have a young adult protagonist (arguments about age continue…11-21, 13-23, 13-19?)
  • YA is a coming-of-age and/or first encounters novel
  • YA has characters and/or experiences that the reader can relate to

  Other aspects of our definition we argue over, such as:

  • respecting the intelligence of the reader (authors like Dessen and Green certainly do, but some other authors write less literary and more entertaining/simple language)
  • accessible language (some classic YA, like Jane Eyre seems to be categorized as lately, doesn’t quite meet this)
  • including “classic YA” (is it YA? Was it thrown in because they’re taught to YA students in school?)
  • are the characters or situations relatable at all?
  • character-driven, or plot-driven, or is it pacing: fast and slow?

  What do you think defines young adult literature? If you could define it in 1-3 sentences, what would be your definition of YA?

  Posted in books, library, publishing | 11 Comments | Tagged books, genre: young adult, library, publishing

• Book Review: “The Hallowed Ones” by Laura Bickle

  Posted at 10:13 pm by Laura, on April 3, 2013

  The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle 

  Publisher: HMH
  Publishing Date: September 2012
  Genre: young adult, fantasy, gothic, horror
  ISBN: 9780547859262
  Goodreads: 4.05
  Rating: ★★★★★

  Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers are free to experience non-Amish culture before officially joining the church. But before Rumspringa arrives, Katie’s safe world starts to crumble. It begins with a fiery helicopter crash in the cornfields, followed by rumors of massive unrest and the disappearance of huge numbers of people all over the world. Something is out there…and it is making a killing.

  Unsure why they haven’t yet been attacked, the Amish Elders make a decree: No one goes outside their community, and no one is allowed in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man lying just outside the boundary of their land, she can’t leave him to die. She refuses to submit to the Elders’ rule and secretly brings the stranger into her community — but what else is she bringing in with him?

  Katie is looking forward to her Rumspringa with Elijah in three weeks. It’ll be the one and only time she can live by her own rules before deciding whether to be baptized into the Amish church. She’s already a bit rebellious, questioning the Elders instead of blindly obeying. But after a helicopter crash and a few Amish disappearances, Katie decides to take matters into her own hands. Once an Outside stranger enters her world, her little rebellions pile up. Katie, fully aware of the Darkness infiltrating her small community, implores the Amish to toss their prayers and passive ways and fight back.

  This was a terrifying book. I hardly slept. With each of Katie’s rebellions (questioning Elders, then buying comic books, then stealing Coke, breaking the quarantine, allowing a stranger to come in), a new horror strikes the page. One minute she is walking through a field, the next a white horse bursts through the trees carrying a saddle with a bloody boot still hooked in the stirrups. One minute she’s milking the cows, the next she enters a home drenched in blood from a family slaughter. Every sentence is agonizingly suspenseful, making the eagerness to turn the page both foreboding and exciting.

  Bickle clearly worked hard to get Amish culture correct in this book. There are moments when Katie explains a tradition or a way of life, but it flows so smoothly with the story I hardly noticed the stopping time for Amish Culture Lessons. I am also extremely happy with the way Bickle portrayed vampires. These vampires are the real thing. These vampires are the ones Victorians feared, the kind that spread like disease, they destroyed rather than seduced, that hypnotized, that cannot enter homes or holy ground, that can only be destroyed with stakes, garlic, and a beheading. These are the very first vampires in folklore, and they are fearsome.

  What’s fantastic is that Katie, and the Outsider Alex, rarely describes the vampires’ appearances. They are called “things” and “monsters” and “the Darkness.” Katie can see they were once human, but their movements, behavior, and red eyes show the most base, evil instinct of humanity: literal blood lust and desire to kill. She is awed, shocked, and frozen in fear, her mind incapable of looking at something that appears to be human and seeing such evil.

  That is a true a proper gothic vampire and gothic reaction. I applaud Bickle. I applaud her for making me  afraid of the dark this week, for making me happy that I’m not living near cornfields now, and for bringing terrifying vampires back into young adult literature.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 5 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: gothic, genre: horror, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• 

• 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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