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  • Author Archives: Laura

    • Book Haul

      Posted at 3:06 pm by Laura, on November 26, 2012

      Lately I’ve been MIA apart from posting book reviews. I apologize for that, but as it’s been stated in previous posts, graduate school is certainly taking over. The classes and the opportunities are loads of fun, and working in the publishing field is such a blessing. These final two weeks are going to hit me hard, so once all of that has been completed I will post more about the publishing industry throughout the holidays.

      Until then…

      I purchased four other books for family for Christmas, obviously not pictured. These are the ones I’ve been anxiously waiting to buy!

      Crossed — Ally Condie — “In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky — taken by the Society to his certain death — only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.”
      Check out my reviews for Matched and Crossed! About to read Reached!

      Reached — Ally Condie — “After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again.”

      The Secret Keeper — Kate Morton — “1961 England. Laurel Nicolson is sixteen years old, dreaming alone in her childhood tree house during a family celebration at their home, when she spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and then observes her mother, Dorothy, speaking to him. And then she witnesses a crime. Fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress, living in London. She returns to Green Acres for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday and finds herself overwhelmed by memories and questions she has not thought about for decades. She decides to find out the truth about the events of that summer day and lay to rest her own feelings of guilt. One photograph, of her mother and a woman Laurel has never met, called Vivian, is her first clue.”
      Because I want authors to receive their royalties, I purchased this book. I now own the ARC and the final edit! Check out my review.

      The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore  — Joe Bluhm, William Joyce — “Everything in Morris Lessmore’s life, including his own story, is scattered to the winds. But the power of story will save the day.”
      If you’ve never had the chance to watch the Academy Award-winning short film, you should watch it now.

      Daughter of Smoke and Bone— Laini Taylor — “Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.”
      I blame prettybooks for my interest. Every time I’d see this crop up on her blog or tumblr I’d become more interested.

      Days of Blood and Starlight  — Laini Taylor — “Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war. This is not that world.”
      Figured if I’m getting the first, might as well get the second!

      Storm Front  — Jim Butcher — “For his first case, Harry is called in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with the blackest of magic. At first, the less-than-solvent Harry’s eyes light up with dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage. Now, that black mage knows Harry’s name. And things are about to get very…interesting.”
      This was recommended to me by a fellow graduate student and new friend. She’s obsessed with Harry Dresden, wizard for hire.

      Posted in books, Link, Update Post | 1 Comment | Tagged books, personal
    • Book Review: “A Great and Terrible Beauty” by Libba Bray

      Posted at 9:31 am by Laura, on November 25, 2012

      [This is a re-read for a graduate class project.]

      A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

      Publisher: Ember
      Publishing Date: 2003
      Genre: young adult, fantasy, gothic, history
      Goodreads: 3.77
      Rating:
      ★★★

      It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?

      Welcome to the realms, a place where dreams and nightmares can come true.

      It’s late Victorian England, when British citizens exerted their imperial power abroad and technology has yet to rock the foundation of their world. Dickens has published, Tennyson is praised, and girls are still required to prep for their season. Gemma, a rather headstrong and independent girl for her time, is sent to boarding school after her mother’s horrible death. With each girl she meets, secrets build, and visions occur more rapidly. A young Indian man, Kartik, threatens her repeatedly for succumbing to the visions, but offers no help or guidance to close off the realms. As Gemma befriends Ann, a scholarship student, Felicity, a navy admiral’s daughter, and Pippa, a beautiful but doomed daughter of a merchant family, they are bound by a secret so strong their lives could be in jeopardy.

      What Bray does so well with this first book in a trilogy is the suspense, uncanny, and horror qualities that mimic gothic novels. She captures the tone of popular works in that particular time period. The haunts of a girls’ boarding school, the architecture, a mysterious fire, magic, incorporation of literature, undiscovered documents, a slow and suspenseful plot — all of it is brilliant gothic.

      Bray also creates a very modern voice for Gemma. It’s quite believable! Gemma, on the outside, is the typical teenage Victorian girl, standing straight, lacing her corsets, working hard on her studies, aware that her one and only job is to land a husband. She understands “keeping up appearances.” It’s her inner voice that makes her stand out. It makes me wonder if girls were truly like this in the Victorian age. She’ll say one thing out loud like a proper young lady, but in her mind she’s snarky, witty, wishing to rebel against society’s rules and restraints on women.

      And this is why, even after all the threats Kartik gives her, she’s curious about her visions, about the realms. Everything is pure and wonderful and she is liberated for the first time in her life. But this sort of freedom, even the magical sort, has dire consequences.

      The realms are tricky to describe. To get there by will, it takes a portal of light. Once through, anything one wishes will come true. An evil spirit has taken over the realms, though, and temptations are everywhere for Gemma, Felicity, Ann, and Pippa. One bite of the realm’s magical fruit and they will be lost there forever. Despite this, it’s a bit of a heaven for the girls. They are liberated. Anything they dream up becomes real. In short, the realms are the dreamland. The girls become so caught up in its magic that daily life no longer has meaning for them; they would rather live in a fantasy.

      As I have read the entire trilogy, I know what happens in the second and third books. Overall, the trilogy deserves a 4-star rating — it’s true historically, the world of the realms is expanded, and Gemma becomes stronger with each passing chapter — but for a first book, this is a 3. It’s good, I enjoyed it, but it truly is simply an introduction of what’s to come. It cannot work as a stand-alone.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: gothic, genre: history, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Book Review: “City of Bones” by Cassandra Clare

      Posted at 4:49 pm by Laura, on November 19, 2012

      [This is a re-read for a graduate class project as well as excitement for the movie, out August 2013.]

      The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

      Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
      Publishing Date: 2007
      Genre: young adult, fantasy, action/adventure
      Goodreads: 4.14
      Rating:
      ★★★

      When Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder. Much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with odd markings. This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons-and keeping the odd werewolves and vampires in line. It’s also her first meeting with gorgeous, golden-haired Jace. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in an ordinary mundane like Clary? And how did she suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know…

      “We are sometimes called the Nephilim. In the Bible they were the offspring of humans and angels.”

      From the very first chapter, Clary is transported into a world within a world, unprepared and unaware of her role in it. Seeing people no one else can, shimmering edges of fantastical beasts, and recollections of events she swears she never experienced. Her life is turned upside down when her mother is taken away, and it takes an allegiance with the half-angels Jace, Isabelle, and Alec to find her. It’s an unstable allegiance, especially when she discovers that the man who took Clary’s mother could be holding her ransom for something far more important: the Mortal Cup.

      Clare’s skills lie in the perfect balance of action-packed scenes and soft, endearing moments between the characters. There is something for every reader: the descriptions of the Shadowhunter world, where faeries and demons and vampires walk among humans — mundanes, as Shadowhunters call them — where characters range from flamboyant to shy to menacing to empathetic. There is so much action that every character is at risk of death, so much plot that there’s a twist at every turn, and stolen moments of love and heartbreak, just enough to leave the reader wanting more from all the tension and unspoken words. It’s brilliant, this world of half-angels, this world Clare has created. The Mortal Instruments is a series I would highly recommend to anyone! [Sidenote plug: my favorite Shadowhunter series is The Infernal Devices, set in Victorian England and can be read as a prequel or entirely separately from The Mortal Instruments.]

      Clary is an artistic girl, easily accepting of strange and beautiful things. She sees the world through an artist’s eye, which can explain her quick (yet hesitant) understanding of the Shadowhunter world. She’s eager to learn from Jace, an honest and witty Shadowhunter determined to defend as well as expose Clary to the world he knows. Alec and Isabelle, siblings, are wary of Clary’s involvement with their schemes, but they understand her part in their world and aim to teach her to become one of them. Left in the shadows, sometimes forgotten, is Clary’s mundane friend Simon, accidentally stumbling along in the adventures and trying desperately to make Clary leave the Shadowhunters and come back to a normal life.

      However, this book is intentionally left as a cliffhanger. It is purely an introduction to the society and politics that Clary will be exposed to in future books. It is about discovery, learning the truth about individuals, finding out who one’s true family is, the shattering of an old world and learning to embrace a new one, accepting the oddness of glamours and monsters from tales walking among humans. All of this is meant to entice the reader to pick up the next book, City of Ashes. In a plot arc, this is simply the rising action. And what a ride of a rising action is was!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: action/adventure, genre: fantasy, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Final Goodreads Choice Awards Round!

      Posted at 4:15 pm by Laura, on November 19, 2012

      Place your final votes for the best books of 2012 at the Goodreads Choice Awards!

      Posted in books, Link | 0 Comments | Tagged awards, books, goodreads
    • World Book Night 2013 — Send in your applications!

      Posted at 3:10 pm by Laura, on November 16, 2012

      I was incredibly honored and thoroughly loved being a World Book Night book giver in April, and I hope to be one again in 2013!

      WBN has opened up for applications and will continue to accept them through January. Make sure to read up on the book choices and think of a giving plan (where you will give the books, who you give the books to, etc). You’ll have 20 copies to pass out to complete strangers and new readers, so prepare for your WBN Book Giver Speech!

      In April I worked as a writing tutor for my university’s Learning Center. I worked with several international graduate students and freshmen struggling in English classes. I also worked in one of the smaller libraries on campus, the Architecture Library, and was able to pass out books there. As I was carrying a giant box of The Hunger Games, I was asked on buses and at bus stops what I was doing. After telling people — including a police officer — about WBN and my job as a giver, several were interested and asked if they could have a copy! Truly, these books fly out of your hands fast! You’d think a university campus wouldn’t be difficult, but very few college students read much of anything outside of the class list (if they even read those in the first place). Once offered something free and entertaining, they’re interested.

      I highly encourage you to do this! It’s great fun!

      Posted in books | 1 Comment | Tagged world book night
    • Book Review: “Let It Snow” by Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle

      Posted at 2:43 pm by Laura, on November 16, 2012

      Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, & Lauren Myracle

      Published: October 2008
      Publisher: Speak
      Goodreads: 3.96
      Rating:
      ★★★

      Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks.

      This will be divided into three different parts, as it is a collection of short stories!

      The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson: 5 stars

      Jubilee — or Julie, as she tells other people instead — has been dating the perfect guy for over a year and is getting ready to head to his parents’ holiday party Christmas Eve when she finds out her parents have been arrested at a blow-out collectors’ sale. She is sent on a train to visit her grandparents in Florida, but the train is unable to get through the massive snowstorm. This is when she meets Stuart, a charming, dorky, loveable guy who takes her under his wing and to his mother’s home for comfort.

      I’ve never read any of Johnson’s books, and this short story alone has convinced me to start! It was absolutely hilarious, heartfelt, and touching. The characters and all their quirks were so raw and honest, I wished they were real! I’m in love with this piece; so much so that I have to share my all-time favorite passage:

      Maybe you’ve never fallen into a frozen stream. Here’s what happens:
      1. It is cold. So cold that the Department of Temperature Acknowledgement and Regulation in your brain gets the readings and says, “I can’t deal with this. I’m out of here.” It puts up the OUT TO LUNCH sign and passes all responsibility to the…
      2. Department of Pain and the Processing Thereof, which gets all this gobbledygook from the temperature department that it can’t understand. “This is not our job,” it says. So it just starts hitting random buttons, filling you with strange and unpleasant sensations, and calls the…
      3. Office of Confusion and Panic, where there is always someone ready to hop on the phone the moment it rings. This office is at least willing to take some action. The Office of Confusion and Panic loves hitting buttons.

      Right then and there, Johnson convinced me to check out her other books.

      The Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green: 3 stars

      Tobin, JP, and the Duke (whose name is really Angie) are sitting around watching Bond movies late Christmas Eve when a friend calls in and demands they trudge through the snow and join him and his coworkers at the Waffle House. Turns out there’s a hoard of cheerleaders camped there due to the issues with the train, and this is a big deal. Tobin and JP take the bait and drag the Duke along for one tail-spinning (pun definitely intended) adventure Christmas morning!

      I’ve read a few of John Green’s books before, and am very familiar with his characters’ wit, one-liners, and outrageous antics. Unfortunately, the lengths the boys go (and later, JP, as Tobin begins to slow a bit toward the end) to reach the Waffle House for the sake of cheerleaders — to the point of risking near-death in every scenario — seemed a bit ridiculous and out-there. I loved the Duke’s commentary, and I think she was the one grounding bit about the story. For every adoring phrase about cheerleaders, she had something to counter it. She was the witty voice of reason. The fact that not once throughout the several hours did the boys give up made the piece a bit unbelievable — surely they’re cold and tired and thinking the cheerleaders aren’t worth the risk — but it was still a fun read.

      The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle: 1 star

      Addie is fresh out of a break-up and needs comfort from her friends. She hopes that by being assigned the task to pick up her friend’s teacup piglet from the pet shop during her break from work at Starbucks will ease her sorrows. What starts off as a simple task turns into a transportation and financial disaster!

      I’ve never read Myracle’s work, and I’m sorry to say this did not convince me to read any more. Addie was entirely unlikable, constantly bemoaning her break-up and nit-picking every single detail within the first several chapters. When she heads to work the day after Christmas, her coworkers even bring up how self-absorbed she is — Addie even admits it to herself! It truly made for a difficult read. The teacup piglet was adorable though, and Myracle had the difficult task of tying everything together at the end, admittedly rather clumsily.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: holiday, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review
    • Goodreads Choice Awards Round 2

      Posted at 4:08 pm by Laura, on November 12, 2012

      Popping out from the Cave of Overworked Graduate Student to remind you to vote!

      Semifinals are underway!

      Posted in books, Link, Update Post | 0 Comments | Tagged awards, goodreads
    • ARC Book Review: “Beneath the Abbey Wall” by AD Scott

      Posted at 5:07 pm by Laura, on November 5, 2012

      Beneath the Abbey Wall by AD Scott

      Expected Publication: November 13
      Publisher: Atria Books
      Goodreads: —
      Rating: ★★★

      In a small Scottish town, the local newspaper staff doesn’t see much excitement. But that all changes when their no-nonsense office manager Mrs. Smart is found murdered one dreary autumn night. For the staff of the “Highland Gazette,” the investigation becomes personal when the deputy editor, is accused of the crime.

      It’s the late 1950s, the decade of rock n’ roll and television, and change is coming, but slowly. It’s up to budding reporter Joanne Ross to step into Mrs. Smart’s shoes and keep the newspaper office running, all while raising two girls alone. But newcomer Neil Stewart proves a major distraction for Joanne.

      And what does the tragic tale of children stolen from the Travelling people more than thirty years previously have to do with this murder? In a mystery with twists and turns and no clear-cut solution, the secrets of the past must be unravelled before justice can be found.

      I am not sure what I expected from this mystery novel, and I’m still left hanging as to whether that helped my rating for this.

      “Beneath the Abbey Wall” contained all of my favorite elements for the perfect gothic mystery: historically placed, set in Scotland, small community, a mysterious death that throws everything off-balance. The characters were nothing spectacular, which is excellent: no one wants to read about the most perfect person on the planet. We have the traditional commanding McAllister, lead editor of the newspaper, who is great at divvying tasks but poor at expressing his emotions; the battered Joanne, fresh out of a violent marriage and devoted mother of two daughters; the charming Rob and aloof Hector; and the near-constant sobbing Betsy. Watching these employees interact, racing to share the stories with their town even when it’s a negative case about one of their own, was very entertaining and warming.

      The downfall could be pointed to the characters the murder centers on: Mrs Smart, Mr Smart, and Don McLeod, the one blamed for Mrs Smart’s murder. Scott surely meant for the readers to care about Mrs Smart’s death — but not once did I feel any sadness towards her character. All that was ever said about her was that she was a good woman. What made her good? Her personal story when she was young woman was revealed, and I was sympathetic to her for that situation, but I lacked sympathy for her older character. What was it about her that people liked? This question was never fully explained. I was also supposed to resent Mr Smart, but instead I found him to be the annoying character who would pop up only once in a while to remind you of his existence, and then disappear again. And Don lacked personality. He was a drunkard, and it was all people could describe him as. How am I supposed to root for his freedom from prison if that’s the only thing the characters can say about him?

      Joanne was a character that I could easily relate to It was quite eerie. I would feel bothered by her sudden fantasies over Canadian newcomer Neil Stewart — dreaming up romantic get-aways and wishing he’d say he loved her — but before I could go and judge her, I realized I’m quite similar. In fact, most women are, especially if they’ve undergone neglect. She wanted someone else to validate her existence, to make her feel wanted and cherished. When no one — apart from McAllister, which is clear to everyone else except for Joanne — offers this and a new man arrives on the scene, of course she’ll jump on the opportunity.

      As far as the plotting for the mystery, I felt it dragged. At some moments, I forgot this was a mystery novel instead of a love story. Another aspect is the lack of empathy I felt for the murdered and the accused. The writing was beautiful, the relationships between the characters entertaining and exquisite, the descriptions of life in the office and life out in the Highlands lovely. But the mystery itself was left wanting.

      [Read for a graduate course. Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC.]

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: mystery, goodreads, history, review
    • Book Reviews: “The Nutcracker” and “The Night Before Christmas”

      Posted at 4:16 pm by Laura, on November 3, 2012

      Or, in other words, “Book Reviews: Children’s Picture Book Edition!” These are classic tales, so why would we need to review them? Because there are some twists and new illustrated editions out there, and what better way to promote them than review them?

      Image

      The Nutcracker by Susan Jeffers

      Published: 2007
      Publisher: HarperCollins
      ISBN: 9780060743864
      Goodreads: 4.13
      Rating:
      ★★★★★

      New York Times bestselling artist Susan Jeffers has created a Nutcracker unlike any that has gone before, with a lovely spare text based on the ballet.

      This is the perfect gift to share with children before they see The Nutcracker. Everyone who has seen the ballet will cherish it–as will anyone who enjoys stories where love triumphs.

      Everyone knows the story of the Nutcracker. Either they’ve seen the ballet, heard the symphony, danced in the ballet, played the music, or read various books. This, however, is a unique book! Here, Susan Jeffers has combined the true Russian tale — both romantic and terrifying — with the ballet. The artwork reveals movement, the characters look like they are dancing. Play the music with each passing page and you’ve got a real experience in your hands for children to enjoy!

      Image

      The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, Charles Santore

      Published: 2011
      Publisher: Applesauce Press
      ISBN: 9781604332377
      Goodreads: 4.32
      Rating:
      ★★★★★

      Since it was first published anonymously in 1823, the poem “The Night Before Christmas” has enchanted children with the story of St. Nicholas climbing down the chimney and filling all the stockings before springing back to his sleigh. Many families read the poem every year, and now they have an edition to treasure. The poem, faithfully reproduced here, is accompanied by Charles Santore’s lavish illustrations.

      I love this edition! The one I grew up with, Jan Brett’s beautiful illustrations, was stunning enough. When I opened this book and gazed at Santore’s artwork, I was blown away. I especially enjoyed opening and unfolding several pages to reveal more of the poem and the accompanying artwork. One day I hope my children will be as enchanted.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: children, genre: classics, genre: holiday, goodreads, review
    • NY Publishing Houses Struggle to Get Back Online Post-Sandy — PW

      Posted at 8:52 am by Laura, on November 2, 2012

      New York Publishing Struggling to Get Back Online Post-Sandy — Publishers Weekly — Judith Rosen, Rachel Deahl

      Although many on the east coast are powered up once again, thousands in NYC are still managing without power and reliable transportation. Of these include several of our favorite publishing houses. Click the link to see the status report of the Big Six and others in the metropolis, not only for the function of their online presence but the condition of their warehouses as well.

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