Category: books

• Book Review: “The Mermaid” by Carolyn Turgeon

  Posted at 10:57 am by Laura, on July 26, 2012

  

  The Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon

  Princess Margrethe has been hidden away while her kingdom is at war. One gloomy, windswept morning, as she stands in a convent garden overlooking the icy sea, she witnesses a miracle: a glittering mermaid emerging from the waves, a nearly drowned man in her arms. By the time Margrethe reaches the shore, the mermaid has disappeared into the sea. As Margrethe nurses the handsome stranger back to health, she learns that not only is he a prince, he is also the son of her father’s greatest rival. Sure that the mermaid brought this man to her for a reason, Margrethe devises a plan to bring peace to her kingdom.

  Meanwhile, the mermaid princess Lenia longs to return to the human man she carried to safety. She is willing to trade her home, her voice, and even her health for legs and the chance to win his heart…

  I had seen so many poor and mediocre reviews for this book, but the cover and the fairy twist kept calling to me. I’ve read Yolen’s “Briar Rose” and Murphy’s “Hansel and Gretel” and really enjoyed those, so I thought I’d give Turgeon a try.

  If I had not been on vacation, I may not have had patience for this book. Simple writing – almost read like a parent telling a bedtime story to a child. The characters were flawed in that they only had one goal in mind, and the main emotions that consumed them were love and jealousy. Margarethe was consumed with love for Prince Christopher (without even truly knowing him at all) and intense jealousy towards Lenia’s mermaid form; Lenia was consumed with love for Christopher (again, without truly knowing him) and jealous of Margarethe’s human form; and Christopher was an arrogant charmer (this is a euphemism for a more blunt and crude word) with no loving qualities whatsoever.

  And yet, I continued reading. It was a dark tale, with vastly different settings and worlds, surrounded with politics, mythology, and religion. I wanted to know the twist, what made this different from Anderson’s (and Disney’s) Little Mermaid. And boy, every difference was a painful one, and quite the shocker. Instead of losing her voice, Lenia loses her tongue. Sacrifices are made, on land and in the sea, for every action Lenia and Margrethe make towards their competition for the prince’s affections. It is not a happy ending, but if one were to experience the story as if it were a legend, then the happier version we know and love could easily be conceivable. We could visualize how the story transformed from “what really happened” to “what I wish had happened.” It was an interesting concept.

  Rating: ★★★
  Goodreads: 3.5

  Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Crossed” by Ally Condie

  Posted at 7:39 pm by Laura, on July 24, 2012

  

  Crossed by Ally Condie

  Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky–taken by the Society to his sure death–only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of a rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices every thing to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.

  Narrated from both Cassia’s and Ky’s point of view, this hotly anticipated sequel to Matched will take them both to the edge of Society, where nothing is as expected and crosses and double crosses make their path more twisted than ever.

  This sequel in the Matched trilogy is vastly different from the first, and compelling in a very alternative way. While the first story explores the Society through a methodically clean lens, echoing the feel of Brave New World with its technological advancements, secretiveness, and pills, the second installment is gritty and political, mirroring a Hunger Games feeling of predator and prey, survival, and rebellion.

  Although the political back-and-forth between Ky’s opinions and Cassia’s opinions could become irksome once in a while, I enjoyed the way Condie revealed more and more about the Society’s current situation and history. All the things I was curious about in the first book were answered in the second, and the second has raised questions for the third that are incredibly deep: is there truly a war? Who are they fighting against? How long has this been going on? Who is the Pilot? How will the Pilot lead the rebellion? What is the rebellion composed of? I’m glad these questions were different from my questions after the first book, because it’s a sign that Condie is diving deeper into her dystopian world and revealing truth to her characters and readers.

  Crossed was nothing like I expected, and yet I was not disappointed. If I had read Matched immediately before Crossed I may have felt jarred by the different atmospheres, but the books in-between certainly helped to give the slow pacing Crossed deserved to resemble the passing of time between Ky’s capture and Cassia’s move.

  Rating: ★★★★
  Goodreads: 3.53

  Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: dystopian, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “The Meaning of Night” by Michael Cox

  Posted at 5:31 pm by Laura, on July 8, 2012

  

  The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox

  After killing the red-haired man, I took myself off to Quinn’s for an oyster supper.

  So begins the story of Edward Glyver, booklover, scholar, and murderer. A chance discovery convinces Glyver that greatness awaits him. His path to win back what is rightfully his leads him to Evenwood, one of England’s most enchanting country houses, and a woman who will become his obsession.

  I fell in love with the first chapter of this book after reading the summary. It was everything I could ever want in a great novel: Victorian England, gothic setting, murder, mystery, story-telling, love, scandal, the highs and lows of London life — and yet, I could not love this book as much as I wanted to.

  Cox certainly needs to be applauded, though! If Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens were still alive today, I think they would congratulate him on his writing abilities and perfect imitation of literature of the time. Cox wrote this piece as if an editor had discovered a long-lost autobiography, complete with footnotes, snatches of parchment covered in poetry, dreams written down after opium and laudanum intake, and of course, the ability to tell a story in “too many words.” This could certainly have been a serial story if such things still existed today.

  However, as brilliant as the writing is and the thorough research put into this piece, I was saddened by my thoughts as I read it. I kept thinking, when will this end? Just get to the point. Collins and Dickens always had surprises and plot twists and sidebars to keep the readers entertained during the major plot, but Cox seemed to lack this. Everything connected together almost too well. After a while I became less and less sympathetic towards Edward Glyver/Glapthorn (his name changes frequently depending on whom he speaks with) and his mission.

  My favorite moments were moments of Edward’s vulnerability: his time in Evenwood. Every chapter with him there brings about a certain humanity. It’s more than his love for Emily Carteret, it’s more than his revenge on Daunt, and it’s more than his personal connection to the estate. Something about it makes him more human, more likeable, and more vulnerable. I looked forward to those chapters and relished it — sadly, there weren’t enough of them.

  I would recommend this book to history buffs and hardcore Dickens fans, as it contains everything one would love. Sadly, for me, I may have just had extremely high expectations.

  Rating: ★★
  Goodreads: 3.64

  Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: gothic, goodreads, review

• In Supreme Court Filing, Libraries Say Decision in Wiley Suit Threatens Lending Rights – PW

  Posted at 10:30 am by Laura, on July 6, 2012

  In Supreme Court Filing, Libraries Say Decision in Wiley Suit Threatens Lending Rights — Publisher’s Weekly — Andrew Albanese

  In a recent interview with PW, lawyer Jonthan Band, who authored the LCA brief, said a ruling upholding the Second Circuit’s interpretation of First Sale would be “a blow to the heart of the library enterprise,” because it would mean libraries conceivably could not lend books that were  printed abroad. “Not only books from foreign publishers,” Band explained, “but American-published books that are merely printed overseas.” The LCA brief notes that a significant portion of U.S. library collections consist of resources that were manufactured overseas, and more than 200 million books in U.S. libraries have foreign publishers.

  Read on for more of the legalities. It’s incredibly to interesting to see how ebook lending and publishing can help some areas of the book business and harm others.

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

• Simon & Schuster is adding QR codes to all its print books – PaidContent

  Posted at 9:14 pm by Laura, on July 5, 2012

  Simon & Schuster is adding QR codes to all its print books. Will readers bite? — paidContent — Laura Hazard Owen

  Twenty-six percent of Simon & Schuster’s sales are now digital, and the QR codes are seen as a way to link digital and print. The codes “make it easy for consumers to visit our site and hopefully subscribe to one of our newsletters,” S&S chief digital officer Ellie Hirschhorn wrote in a recent email to employees. Scanning the QR code on a book ”will bring the consumer to the author’s mobile page on S&S.com where they can sign up for an email, browse the author’s other books and watch video.” Jackets will also include a printed link to the author’s website “so consumers without smartphones or QR scanners could still easily find the author’s page.”

  Personally, I’m not sure it will catch on. QR codes still remain somewhat of a mystery to most Americans – and those who are aware of it rarely whip out their smart phones to scan things. What do you think?

   

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 1 Comment | Tagged books, news, publishing, technology

• JKR’s “The Casual Vacancy” Cover Revealed!!!

  Posted at 8:19 am by Laura, on July 3, 2012

  Click here! Just click here! It’s so simple it’s brilliant!

  Thank you, Hachette Book Group / Little, Brown!

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

• Book Recommendation: “Lost In Austen”

  Posted at 5:01 pm by Laura, on July 2, 2012

  Not a review, but a recommendation for Austen enthusiasts: Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster.

  The journey begins in Pride and Prejudice but quickly takes off on a whimsical Austen adventure of the reader’s own creation. A series of choices leads the reader into the plots and romances of Austen’s other works. Choosing to walk home from Netherfield Hall means falling into Sense and Sensibility and the infatuating spell of Mr. Willoughby. Accepting an invitation to Bath leads to Northanger Abbey and the beguiling Henry Tilney. And just where will Emma‘s Mr. Knightley fit in to the quest for a worthy husband? It’s all up to the reader.

  The point of the adventure is to marry well and happily. Took a while, as I died several times: falling on ice, smothered by pillows, committing a crime, and getting run over by a carriage…But eventually I married and prevailed!

  Remember to play YOU. Not Lizzie Bennet. You will have more fun and adventures by taking the paths you would follow.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged books, review

• Book Review: “Romancing Miss Brontë” by Juliet Gael

  Posted at 11:02 pm by Laura, on June 29, 2012

  

  Romancing Miss Brontë by Juliet Gael

  During the two years that she studied in Brussels, Charlotte had a taste of life’s splendors—travel, literature, and art. Now, back home in the Yorkshire moors, duty-bound to a blind father and an alcoholic brother, an ambitious Charlotte refuses to sink into hopelessness. With her sisters, Emily and Anne, Charlotte conceives a plan to earn money and pursue a dream: The Brontës will publish. In childhood the Brontë children created fantastical imaginary worlds; now the sisters craft novels quite unlike anything written before. Transforming her loneliness and personal sorrow into a triumph of literary art, Charlotte pens her 1847 masterpiece, Jane Eyre.

  Charlotte’s novel becomes an overwhelming literary success, catapulting the shy and awkward young woman into the spotlight of London’s fashionable literary scene—and into the arms of her new publisher, George Smith, an irresistibly handsome young man whose interest in his fiercely intelligent and spirited new author seems to go beyond professional duty. But just as life begins to hold new promise, unspeakable tragedy descends on the Brontë household, throwing London and George into the background and leaving Charlotte to fear that the only romance she will ever find is at the tip of her pen.

  But another man waits in the Brontës’ Haworth parsonage—the quiet but determined curate Arthur Nicholls. After secretly pining for Charlotte since he first came to work for her father, Arthur suddenly reveals his heart to her.

  Usually when an author takes liberties to devise a fictional account of another’s life, it’s poorly written, cheesy, and extremely wild and romantic in its imaginings. Sometimes the truth is twisted to fit the author’s wish for a better outcome. This happens constantly with Jane Austen, but so far I’ve read two books (including this one) that portray Charlotte Brontë as true to life as possible based on literary and academic scholarship (the other: Jude Morgan’s Charlotte and Emily), no frills added, and so strikingly similar to one another and all the research that, to a fan and Brontë scholar, must speak the truth.

  And for that, I have to say this is one of my favorite books.

  Charlotte led such a hard life and I find her and the family utterly fascinating. They each desired love and affection, passions that would throw them off their feet, and yet also desired to be reclusive and alone. This duality speaks to me as an individual – and for someone who may not feel the same, Gael did an excellent job describing Charlotte’s dilemmas. Not a moment of the book was rushed, which is such a blessing. This spans across a decade of Charlotte’s life, and everyone who shaped her eventually shaped her novels. The influence is key to every moment of her life, and any subject – such as her crush on her publisher, the way she snubbed the curate and later fell in love, the way she portrayed herself to various friends in her letters – was given its proper justice and detail.

  Academic and literary truth aside, it was still vastly entertaining! We learn more about Emily, Anne, and Branwell; the insecurities Charlotte felt about her appearance; the overbearing clergyman father; the duties of the curate Arthur; the stardom the “Bell brothers” faced and who they met – far more interesting than reading a biographical description! The language is beautiful as well, and truly mimics the way Charlotte wrote in her letters. Each character had a distinct personality without exaggeration, and despite knowing how everyone’s story ended, I was anxious to see how it would be written. An author that tackles a topic wherein the reader already knows the ending is certainly an author to admire – the fact Gael kept me on the edge of my seat deserves an award!

  Finally, I’m so glad Gael gave life and breath to Arthur. She had little information to work from, but what information she had were derived from first-hand accounts recorded by Charlotte and Arthur’s friends and neighbors. The language of the time would suggest criticism or flattery, and I think Gael did a wonderful job of shaping just the right kind of man he must have been. He was no random, ordinary man who waltzed into the home and asked for her hand in marriage; no, he was there throughout all  of her joys and sorrows, on the edge, waiting for the perfect moment, and gave her the happiest last few months of her life.

  Fantastic book. Utterly beautiful.

  Rating: ★★★★★ of 5
  Goodreads: 3.81

  Posted in books, Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged authors, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: classics, genre: fiction, genre: history, history, review

• Indie Publishers Back Agency Model, Criticize DoJ Deal – PW

  Posted at 8:45 am by Laura, on June 28, 2012

  Indie Publishers Back Agency Model, Criticize DoJ Deal – Publisher’s Weekly

  Nine independent publishers have combined to file joint comments objecting to the pending settlements of the Department of Justice’s lawsuit with Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster related to e-book pricing. The publishers noted that while they continue to sell e-books under the wholesale model, they have “benefitted significantly”–along with authors, booksellers and consumers,– from the ability of the Big Six publishers to adopt the agency pricing model with Amazon, since those arrangements, “contributed dramatically to increased competition and diversification in the distribution of e-books.”

  It is suggested that the ruling could ban the agency model, which then defeats all purpose of bookseller/publisher competition.

  Monopolies are never good, folks.

  The nine publishers backed their statement with statistical reports previously conducted in March. Data always helps in arguments!

  The publishers, who noted that they were never contacted by the DoJ to get their views on industry issues, concluded by stating that if the defendant publishers did indeed collude, competition should be restored in a way that does not ban the use of the agency model, something that would “harm innocent third parties such as the Independent Book Publishers, other trade book publishers, authors, booksellers and consumers.”

  Jeez.

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

• ALA Hands Out First Adult Prizes – PW

  Posted at 10:30 pm by Laura, on June 27, 2012

  ALA Hands Out First Adult Prizes – Publisher’s Weekly – Andrew Albanese

  A committee of librarians has done what Pulitzer Prize officials could not do this year: they selected a winning work of fiction, giving the first-ever Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction to Irish novelist Anne Enright for her book The Forgotten Waltz (W.W. Norton). Robert K. Massie, meanwhile, took home top honors for nonfiction for Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (Random House).

  Thank you, American Library Association! Click to find out more about the awards and the runners-up!

  Posted in books, library, Link | 0 Comments | Tagged awards, books, news

• 

• 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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