Category: Reviews 2015

• Book Review: “A Touch of Stardust” by Kate Alcott (ARC)

  Posted at 6:30 am by Laura, on February 12, 2015

  A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott

  Publisher: Doubleday
  Publishing Date: February 17
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780385539043
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★

  When Julie Crawford leaves Fort Wayne, Indiana for Hollywood, she never imagines she’ll cross paths with Carole Lombard, the dazzling actress from Julie’s provincial Midwestern hometown. Although the young woman has dreams of becoming a screenwriter, the only job Julie’s able to find is one in the studio publicity office of the notoriously demanding producer David O. Selznick—who is busy burning through directors, writers and money as he begins filming Gone with the Wind.

  Julie is given a front-row seat to not one but two of the greatest love affairs of all time: the undeniable on-screen chemistry between Scarlett and Rhett, and off screen, the deepening love between Carole and Clark. Yet beneath the shiny façade, things in Hollywood are never quite what they seem, and Julie must learn to balance career aspirations and her own budding romance with outsized personalities and the overheated drama on set.

  Julie Crawford dreams of becoming a screenwriter, and what better place to go than Hollywood. Her arrival is perfect, because the intimidating perfectionist David Selznick is in the beginning stages of filming Gone With the Wind. Originally placed in publicity, Julie’s luck changes when she meets Andy Weinstein, Selznick’s assistant, and Carole Lombard, the soon-to-be-wife to Clark Gable and Hollywood’s hottest female actress. Together, these two help Julie inch closer to her goal, while the whirlwind of the biggest movie of all time coincides with whisperings of a second world war.

  I’ve been an Alcott fan from the start (Dressmaker, Daring Ladies of Lowell), and this book is just as wonderful as it is different from her previous publications. Julie, fresh from college with big dreams, is eager and determined to make her way through life without the help of her stifling Midwestern parents. She’s young, naive, and starry-eyed, and thus falls into several Hollywood holes on her journey. But her awe ceases once she meets the actors, the humans behind the characters they play. Shy Clark, energetic Carole, poised Vivienne, humorous Hattie — even the eye-gauging-inducing producer, David (oh my LORD that man drove me insane). And on this journey is someone who challenges her and supports her: Andy.

  Andy, working as Selznick’s right hand man, is constantly under pressure and works hard to keep publicity from freaking out and Selznick from blowing a gasket. He’s also Jewish, which poses a problem whenever the glamor of a movie set fades away and real world politics leaks in. With family in Berlin, he’s watching the papers and listening to the radio, waiting for the right moment to head off to Europe.

  I liked how Julie interacted with Andy. (With all the characters, really, especially Carole. Those two were more than boss and assistant — they were genuine girlfriends always ready to rush over and save the day during a crisis.) She was believably shy and quick to become jealous — hard not to be when he’s an older man and in the business and city of artful lies — which felt authentic for her age and upbringing. I felt connected with her as a mid-twenties Midwestern girl. At the same time, watching her grow with him, stand up for herself and demand respect and equality in the relationship, that was wonderfully empowering. My only wish was for Andy to be less of a downer with her. He felt more real and promising at the baseball game than at any other time. Yet, of course he’s a bit on the down side — he’s stressed in several areas of his life, has a decade more in experience and reality, and knows that Julie is only just beginning. I didn’t love him the way Julie did — but I could certainly see why she did.

  Do not be fooled by the jacket summary! This novel is far more about a girl’s journey in the magic of Hollywood during the filming of the greatest American films in history than it is about love affairs — and thank goodness for that!

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this copy from Doubleday for review!

   

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, review

• Book Review: “Daughter of the Forest” by Juliet Marillier

  Posted at 2:18 pm by Laura, on February 10, 2015

  Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

  Publisher: Tor Books
  Published: February 2002 (originally April 1999)
  Genre: fantasy
  ISBN: 9780765343437
  Goodreads: 4.28
  Rating: ★★★★★

  Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know only contentment.

  But Sorcha’s joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift-by staying silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever.

  When Sorcha is kidnapped by the enemies of Sevenwaters and taken to a foreign land, she is torn between the desire to save her beloved brothers, and a love that comes only once. Sorcha despairs at ever being able to complete her task, but the magic of the Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them all…

  Sorcha is surrounded, protected, and loved by her six older brothers. She’s a talented healer for such a young lady, and thrives helping the sick and wounded or tending in her garden. But an evil woman, an enchantress, enters their household at Sevenwaters, and the children are cursed. Sorcha seeks help from the Fair Folk, and is set to accomplish a task alone and silent. But her task is disrupted when three Britons take her across the water to their land in Harrowfield. An outcast in enemy lands, Sorcha’s task is her only solace, and a deep bond forms between her and the master of Harrowfield. But with everything seeming to fall apart around her, Sorcha begins to wonder if her task served any purpose at all.

  I ran until I was dizzy and breathless, until I reached the far end of the beach,
  where the rocky headland rose from the white sand. There I leaned my back
  against the stones and listened to my heart pounding and drew in breaths of
  wild sea air. I had not realized, had not known how painful a burden had been
  laid on me, until now, when for a single day I was free.

  What lush, vivid, unhurried writing. This is storytelling at its finest. Marillier is brilliant and I bow to her. I read her Shadowfell trilogy and really enjoyed it, and this book was given to me by a friend. All I needed was a push with the #DOTFreadalong to reenter Marillier’s world and fall in love all over again. She takes her time to tell a story. We experience Sorcha’s journey in every minute detail — every joy and pain, happiness and sorrow. We feel it as if it’s our own. I loved each of her six brothers, all with varying talents and interests — and even their propensity to speak for her even though she can speak for herself — and I loved watching her change from a young girl with simple joys to a young woman with a lifetime of experience guiding her intuition and heart.

  Another thing Marillier masters is creating different obstacles and side stories often enough to make it more life-like. They don’t feel like plot devices inserted here and there to keep the character on their toes. Every moment of happiness wasn’t suddenly jolted with terror or horror, or vice versa. The story unfolded slowly, a gradual rise and fall, building tension and release. Reading it was like breathing. With the occasional choked-back sob, of course.

  But oh my GOD that scene, the test, Red’s test in Sevenwaters. That scene. I died. My heart broke and mended a million times over. There were so many of those scenes, both heart-pounding and gut-wrenching. I want to read these passages over and over and over and over.

  ~

  See reviews of Shadowfell, Raven Flight, and Caller.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 6 Comments | Tagged book review, books, DOTFreadalong, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: romance, goodreads, readalong, review

• Book Review: “I Remember You” by Cathleen Davitt Bell (ARC)

  Posted at 8:10 am by Laura, on February 4, 2015

  I Remember You by Cathleen Davitt Bell 

  Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
  Publishing Date: February 10
  Genre: young adult, romance
  ISBN: 9780385754552
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★

  Lucas and Juliet couldn’t be more different from each other. But from the moment Lucas sees Juliet, he swears he remembers their first kiss. Their first dance. Their first fight. He even knows what’s going to happen between them—not because he can predict the future, but because he claims to have already lived it.

  Juliet doesn’t know whether to be afraid for herself or for Lucas. As Lucas’s memories occur more frequently, they also grow more ominous. All Juliet wants is to keep Lucas safe with her. But how do you hold on to someone you love in the present when they’ve begun slipping away from you in the future?

  Lucas is paying attention to Juliet all of a sudden, and she doesn’t know why — but she’s not bothered by it either. Hockey guys rarely speak to bookish, debate club girls like her. He’s nothing like she expected, and she thrills in his attention, devotion, and thoughtfulness. But there’s something else going on too, and it’s hard for him to explain and for her to understand: Lucas “dreams” of the future and “remembers” the present. It’s as if his future self is inhabiting his current self, urging him to change his future and the future of his relationship with Juliet. But with these dreams come fearsome headaches, and Lucas would do anything to not only stop the headaches, but stop the insight to the future.

  The publisher summary isn’t quite what I read, and I did my best to give my own summary as well — and even that doesn’t quite explain what happened in this book. But it’s certainly a puzzle of a read, and I was interested enough to keep on reading to figure out what was happening to Lucas — and how he’d change after his serious accident, an attempt to get rid of the headaches and “dreams.” Told through Juliet’s perspective as if writing in a journal, the reader works through the mystery of Lucas’s mind just as Juliet is reflecting on the events.

  But if the mystery of Lucas’s mind isn’t enough to compel you to read the book, you can definitely read it on a maturity standpoint. Lucas tries to describe what’s happening to him as if it’s his future self inhabiting his current (or “past”) self. And it shows. He reminded me very much of a man rather than a teenage boy. It became more apparent as the book progressed that this was definitely the case. Watching Juliet fall in love with that side of him was heartbreaking and wonderful all at once.

  This is a primarily a romance, but it’s also dark. Lucas isn’t exactly predicting the future, and he’s not having visions or hallucinations. But he tells Juliet things that end up happening — a friend’s house burning down, the Christmas gift Juliet gives him, George W Bush’s election into office, the war in Iraq — and Juliet attempts to make sense of it all.

  Believe me, you’ll try to as well.

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

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Alistair Grim’s Odditorium” by Gregory Funaro

  Posted at 7:35 am by Laura, on January 24, 2015

  Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro

  Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
  Published: January 6, 2015
  Genre: middle grade, fantasy, steampunk
  ISBN: 9781484700068
  Goodreads: 3.97
  Rating: ★★★★

  Grubb, age twelve (or thereabouts), has never known anything beyond his miserable existence as a chimney sweep, paid only in insults and abuse by his cruel master.

  All of that changes the day he stows away in the coach belonging to a mysterious guest at the inn that he is tasked with cleaning. Grubb emerges from Alistair Grim’s trunk and into the wondrous world of the Odditorium. Fueled by a glowing blue energy that Grubb can only begin to understand, the Odditorium is home to countless enchanted objects and an eccentric crew that embraces Grubb as one of their own.

  There’s no time for Grubb to settle into his new role as apprentice to the strange, secretive Mr. Grim. When the Odditorium comes under attack, Grubb is whisked off on a perilous adventure. Only he can prevent the Odditorium’s magic from falling into evil hands-and his new family from suffering a terrible fate.

  Grubb knows he’s no hero. He’s just a chimney sweep. But armed with only his courage and wits, Grubb will confront the life-or-death battle he alone is destined to fight.

  Grubb (spelled like the worm but with a second b) is an orphaned chimney sweep working for a very large, very grumpy Mr. Smears. An accident at the local inn drives Grubb to hide in a trunk stowed in a carriage — and the next thing he knows, he’s a stowaway granted permission to live in the dark, mysterious, glowing Odditorium. He stumbles across several enchanted and mechanical objects, all running off this strange blue or red energy. But Mr. Grim instructs Grubb to not ask questions, to not cause trouble, and to not touch anything. A small mishap with a tinkered pocket-watch sends Grubb on a wild journey across time and space with a sorcerer, a banshee, a witch, a business investor, a fairy, and countless Odditoria to save Victorian London and prevent the Odditorium’s magic from falling into Prince Nightshade’s hands.

  What a witty and fun adventure! I thought Odditorium was going to be a quirky Victorian Gothic book, but it’s not. It felt like a child Dickens mixed with Potter mixed with Snicket — and yet wholly unique. A mixture of Roman mythology and Celtic lore, with a dash of Victorian culture, and a dollop of magic, Odditorium is definitely a whirlwind of a read. I especially loved the illustrations by Vivienne To — it really added to the story!

  From the character names to their personal catch phrases, their hidden talents to their mysterious stories, it was enjoyable to watch Grubb’s world change in a matter of days from a skinny, starving, dirtied chummy to that of a sorcerer’s assistant risking life and limb to save a remarkable collection. The little academic inside me cheered.

  The story ended on a good note with a hint for a sequel. I do hope one comes out. This was a great mini Dickens-meets-fantasy read.

  This qualifies as book #1 in my resolution to read 10 library books in 2015.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, genre: middle grade, genre: sci-fi, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Miss Buncle’s Book” by DE Stevenson

  Posted at 8:00 am by Laura, on January 22, 2015

  Miss Buncle’s Book by DE Stevenson

  Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (org. Farrar & Rinehart)
  Published: 2012 (org. 1934)
  Genre: fiction
  ISBN: 9781402270826
  Goodreads: 4.03
  Rating: ★★★.5

  Barbara Buncle is in a bind. Times are harsh, and Barbara’s bank account has seen better days. Maybe she could sell a novel … if she knew any stories. Stumped for ideas, Barbara draws inspiration from her fellow residents of Silverstream, the little English village she knows inside and out.

  To her surprise, the novel is a smash. It’s a good thing she wrote under a pseudonym, because the folks of Silverstream are in an uproar. But what really turns Miss Buncle’s world around is this: what happens to the characters in her book starts happening to their real-life counterparts. Does life really imitate art?

  Mr. Abbott doesn’t know what to make of this “John Smith” and “his” book Disturber of the Peace. Is “he” an idiot or a prodigy? Is “he” incredibly simple or full of wit and satire? When Miss Barbara Buncle fesses up to being “John Smith” and writing what she knows — literally — Mr. Abbott is beside himself and can’t wait to publish her book. But Silverstream, Miss Buncle’s quaint English village, is not quite ready to read about their town, exposed so nakedly to the public eye. Soon enough, the events in Miss Buncle’s book — the portion she actually used some imagination for — begin to unfold in real life, and fiction and reality start to blur.

  What a charming read! At first I found the writing a bit jarring. The narrative jumps between characters within the chapters. But once I got into the flow, I found I couldn’t put this book down. It’s very much a product of its time in terms of style and execution, but you can find remnants of good old English storytelling in today’s BBC shows. I couldn’t help but think of Doc Martin when reading this.

  My favorite thing about this book — apart from it being a book about a book — was how everyone responded to Miss Buncle’s book and scurried around her, gossiping in front of her, scheming within earshot about discovering the author’s true name. Some cute romances blossomed from this as well, whether or not they were inspired or nudged by the book. Seeing this little town fall down a rabbit hole of a tizzy was very entertaining. It makes me wonder how many people swear up and down they’re a character in an author’s book. (And it must have happened often enough to warrant the disclaimer at the beginning of every fictional work!)

  A delightful read, perfect for an afternoon tea when BBC television just can’t cut it for the day!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Girl Online” by Zoe Sugg

  Posted at 8:15 am by Laura, on January 18, 2015

  Girl Online by Zoe Sugg 

  Publisher: Keywords Press/Atria
  Published: November 25, 2014
  Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance 
  ISBN: 9781476797458
  Goodreads: 3.81
  Rating: ★★★

  Penny has a secret.

  Under the alias GirlOnline, Penny blogs her hidden feelings about friendship, boys, high school drama, her quirky family, and the panic attacks that have begun to take over her life. When things go from bad to worse at school, her parents accept an opportunity to whisk the family away for Christmas at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. There, she meets Noah, a gorgeous, guitar-strumming American. Suddenly Penny is falling in love—and capturing every moment she spends with “Brooklyn Boy” on her blog.

  But Noah has a secret, too, one that threatens to ruin Penny’s cover—and her closest friendship—forever.

  Penny has a lot of thoughts, and she’s encouraged to write them down to keep them from bouncing all around her head. So she starts a blog. It’s a very successful blog, with wide readership and encouraging, loving comments. Penny can connect to these people — but not so much in real life. She’s a klutz, she gets panic attacks, she’s awkward around toxic people in her life. Her only friend is her gay next door neighbor, another outsider who goes to a different school. When Penny’s mother is given a special job in NYC for Christmas, her whole life turns around completely: she meets Noah, a boy who seems to understand her without her explanations. But there are things she doesn’t know about Noah, and discovering these secrets could turn her world — and his — upside down.

  I watch Zoella’s videos off and on — my brother and I especially love the ones she and her brother do together — and when I saw she wrote a book, I couldn’t wait to read it! There’s been debates out there about a ghost writer doing most of the writing, and whether or not that’s true, I can say without a doubt that this book is entirely in her voice. Reading it felt like listening to her in her videos. And because of that, I fell in love with Penny.

  Penny is awkward and panicky yet adorable and intelligent. She knows how to connect with people — even if it is through her online portal and anonymity. This is what makes her so sweet and relatable for today’s audience. Her best friend Elliot is wonderful too — and his flawed moments are so genuine and real that their friendship felt modern as well. Best friends are never perfect. Best friends share secret jealousies as well. And best friends always come back together over a good milkshake!

  While Noah was amazing as well — so very kind and considerate with Penny — I focused so much more on the pacing of the novel. I was relieved to see that the “whisking the family to NYC” bit was about 100 pages in rather than right away. This allowed for a solid understanding of who Penny is, the dynamics with her family, with Elliot, with Elliot and the family, and between Penny and her school friends. We get a proper peek into her life before it’s turned around completely on the family trip. Even when Penny comes home from the magical NYC holiday vacation, nothing feels rushed.

  Finally, I loved how Sugg handled online criticism in the book. Penny loves her blog, and more so because her readers love her. But when she comes home from NYC and secrets leak, she’s the victim of a lot of online hate. And it really messes with her. Anyone in the digital age can relate — and who more so that a YouTube sensation vlogger-turned-author? Thank you, Sugg, for sharing another version of bullying. I especially loved this part of Penny’s blog:

  Every time you post something online you have a choice.

  You can either make it something that adds to the happiness levels
  in the world — or you can make it something that takes away.

  …Next time you go to post a comment or an update or share a link,
  ask yourself: is this going to add to the happiness in the world?

  There were a few small, quirky Britishisms and Americanisms scattered around. The voice was fun and sweet, and very young teenager. This is perfect for someone just getting into YA fiction — and if you’re in for a holiday read! Give this to another digital-type friend — they’ll probably really relate to this too!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 3 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: holiday, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “I Was Here” by Gayle Forman (ARC)

  Posted at 7:45 am by Laura, on January 15, 2015

  I Was Here by Gayle Forman

  Publisher: Viking Juvenile
  Publishing Date: January 27
  Genre: young adult, contemporary, new adult
  ISBN: 9780451471475
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★

  When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

  Cody’s sick of the memorial services and candlelight vigils. These people didn’t know Meg, not like she did. They were two peas in a pod, unstoppable together. And now Meg’s gone — Meg, the sparkling girl full of life and energy, the girl who went and drank poison in a hotel room and planned every last detail of her death. Cody agrees to pack up Meg’s stuff at college, and discovers that Meg was hiding more than her death wish. Angry at the secrets and torn up with grief, Cody decides to sift through Meg’s email and internet history, hoping it can clue her in on her best friend’s final months. What she finds is more than she bargained for.

  This is not a YA book about suicide. This isn’t even a YA book about healing and forging beautiful friendships. It is a YA (what really needs to be the proper NA) book entirely about grief and coming to terms with difficult situations. Cody does form unlikely friendships and she does, in a way, heal, but she takes you on her journey through grief and all the distraught emotions that come with it.

  Cody and Meg’s bond is very clearly a strong one, filled with love and respect and trust. A small, unspoken rift occurred shortly after Meg left for college near Seattle and Cody stayed in their tiny “hick” town. But Cody’s absolutely sure it wouldn’t take a rift in their friendship to force Meg over the edge — she was too full of life. Meg had timed a good-bye email to be sent to her parents and to Cody shortly after she committed suicide, and Cody hopes she can find answers there. Snooping on Meg’s computer started off innocently enough, but when Cody finds a gap in Meg’s sent mail, she knows something was up. Privacy is a luxury not afforded for the dead, and the people Cody meets along the way that help her on her quest teeter between respecting a deceased friend’s privacy and appeasing their desire for relief.

  Like If I Stay, I was neither here nor there with the love story. It was something of a third or fourth interwoven plot line, one that still felt genuine but was not the drive. Cody’s determined to understand her friend’s death, struggling to keep a distance from Meg’s housemates and failing, and trying to figure out where she fits into Meg’s family now that their daughter is gone. While the love story bloomed naturally, with the expected difficulties and divided emotions, it’s definitely more of a side-plot. This novel is, first and foremost, about friendship.

  Forman managed to tackle yet another tough issue in modern young adult lives with taste and authenticity. Every character the reader happens upon is a genuine human, equally talented and flawed, loving and hateful. Grief is a very powerful emotional process, especially when someone so bright dies so very young. Well done, Forman.

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

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: new adult, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Geek Girl” by Holly Smale (ARC)

  Posted at 8:15 am by Laura, on January 12, 2015

  Geek Girl by Holly Smale 

  Publisher: HarperTeen
  Publishing Date: January 27 (originally published in UK, Feb 2013)
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780062333575
  Goodreads: 3.86
  Rating: ★★★★★

  Harriet Manners is tired of being labeled a geek. So when she’s discovered by a modeling agent, she seizes the chance to reinvent herself. There’s only one problem: Harriet is the definition of awkward. Does she have what it takes to transform from geek to chic?

  Geek Girl is the first book in a hilarious new trilogy. It was also the #1 bestselling YA debut of 2013 in the UK, where it was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Best Book for Teens. With all the humor and fabulous shenanigans of Louise Rennison’s Confessions of Georgia Nicolson and Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries, Geek Girl is about to become an international superstar.

  Harriet Manners is definitely the girl to take on trivia nights — she watches documentaries, researches random events, figures, and cultural concepts for fun, and stores it all away in that big brain of hers. Unfortunately, she’s a “polar bear in a jungle,” a misfit in her class, and bullied every day for being a geek. She only has one friend, Nat, and Holly promised Nat she’d go to Birmingham with her for a fashion event. It’s Nat’s dream to be involved in the industry, so when Holly is discovered by a modeling agent, it causes quite the rift between the girls. Not to mention Holly’s confusion over her sudden fame in the fashion world. How is she supposed to transform from a geek to a model when she’s attacked by every loved one?

  Harriet is incredibly charming, witty, and funny. Strange things happen around her each day at every turn, and watching her stumble through the social etiquette made me both laugh and wince. This girl is intelligent, but her social fumbles really place her as an outcast. For example, before she’s whisked away to Russia for a fashion shoot, she stays up all night researching the history of fashion, and ends up spouting trivia to other models that are completely unrelated to current fashion trends, like the origin of cufflinks.

  Everything about Geek Girl is a comedic whirlwind of snappy dialogue, fast action, and exaggerated caricatures. A quick read, and despite the humor and wit, it truly does speak volumes about bullied young adults with unbridled enthusiasm and curiosity. It takes time — as it does for everyone in life — to realize she doesn’t need to blend in to be spectacular, to conform with others and lower her intelligence to be liked and popular. She’s perfect the way she is, “polar bear in a jungle” and all.

  I’m very excited for this to be published in the US! Stacey gave great reviews for the trilogy, so brilliant that I was upset to find it was a UK publication. This will be a major hit in the US, and I can’t wait to read more on Harriet Manners!

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

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “The Magician’s Lie” by Greer Macallister (ARC)

  Posted at 8:15 am by Laura, on January 8, 2015

  The Magician’s Lie by Greer Macallister 

  Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
  Publishing Date: January 13
  Genre: historical fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9781402298684
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★

  The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden’s husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear. But when Virgil happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless—and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding. Over the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn Arden in or set her free… and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors.

  Young, infamous female magician Arden has one night to convince a police officer that she did not kill her husband on stage during one of her most notorious tricks: The Halved Man. While he wants her to begin her story with that particular night, she decides to tell him her life story, the story of how she became a magician. How else can he best understand any of her motives? From the pampered rooms in the city, to barns in the farmlands, from stage dances to railcar shows, Arden reveals herself little by little to the police officer. But is she lying? And if she is, is she lying about the murder — or herself?

  This really is a mixture of Night Circus — the elaborate lifestyle, traveling by train for a show a night, the magic of it all — meets Water for Elephants — the darker elements of abuse and psychological distraught. Arden’s life is governed by the desire to flee a boy who wasn’t right in the mind, a truly dangerous and terrifying character that left me just as much on edge as he left Arden. Arden’s desire to become a dancer is what lead her to the magic show, and her diligence, determination, and strict practice turned her into the success she is at the scene of the crime.

  The twist — the lie, and what kind of lie and where in the story and why — is what really kept me moving. The breaks between Arden’s story and her open discussions with the police gave the reader some insight as to where she might potentially be lying, but I’ll admit I almost skipped those passages simply because it was an interruption in Arden’s story. My advice? Don’t skip those passages. Search for the lie not only in the tale she spins to the police officer — to you — but also in those interruptions. The tiniest lines can give you the clues. And you’ll be guessing all the way to the end.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for sharing this book from Sourcebooks for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, goodreads, review

• The Re-Read Challenge 2015

  Posted at 3:37 pm by Laura, on December 4, 2014

  

  Hannah @ So Obsessed With and Kelly @ Belle of the Literati are hosting a new, fun challenge for bloggers in 2015: The Re-Read Challenge! Not much of a “challenge,” per se, because why wouldn’t you want to re-read and re-experience some of your favorites? I’ll be honest, I’m really looking for a small break from my typical rush to blog and review.

  Interested in participating? Sign up before the end of January, commit to the challenge, and in your re-read review, be sure to answer these questions.

  WHEN I First Read

  WHAT I Remember

  WHY I Wanted to Re-Read

  HOW I Felt After Re-Reading

  WOULD I Re-Read Again

  Add your post to the monthly recap post on Hannah or Kelly’s blogs, and you’ll be entered for giveaways! Check out what other bloggers are re-reading, too. You might come across some other bloggers re-reading the same books as you!

  

  What I Plan to Re-Read: 10 Books

  I want to…

  …sit back and relive the Hogwarts experience (gotta catch up with Pottermore and reread Goblet of Fire (1) and Order of the Phoenix (2) (which will be terrible because I haven’t reread OotP since the day it came out. There’s a dent in my bedroom wall from where I threw the book. You know what brought that on. Don’t even ask).

  …fall into the magic of The Night Circus (3).

  …sob my eyes out over The Fault in Our Stars (4).

  …giggle with Anna in Anna and the French Kiss (5).

  …seek independence with Jane Eyre (6).

  …dive into the suspense of The Likeness (7).

  …agree completely with Emma in One Day (8).

  …completely understand Cath on every level in Fangirl (9).

  …remember why Kate Morton rocks my world in The House at Riverton (10).

   

  Posted in books, ReRead2015, Reviews 2015 | 10 Comments | Tagged books, reread2015

• 

• 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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