Tag: genre: mystery

• Book Review: “The Case of the Missing Moonstone” by Jordan Stratford

  Posted at 7:30 am by Laura, on February 21, 2015

  The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency: The Case of the Missing Moonstone by Jordan Stratford

  Publisher: Knopf BFYR
  Published: January 2015
  Genre: middle grade, historical fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9780385754415
  Goodreads: 3.96
  Rating: ★★★★

  Lady Ada Byron, age eleven, is a genius. Isolated, awkward and a bit rude—but a genius. Mary Godwin, age fourteen, is a romantic. Adventurous, astute, and kind, Mary is to become Ada’s first true friend. And together, the girls conspire to form the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency—a secret constabulary for the apprehension of clever criminals. Their first case involves a stolen heirloom, a false confession, and an array of fishy suspects. But it’s no match for the deductive powers and bold hearts of Ada and Mary.

  Ada finds numbers in everything. It’s how she understands her world. Mary is observant and a romantic, longing for adventure. When the two girls are thrust together, they become a dynamic duo and form a detective agency to help London find and prosecute the real criminals not put in the newspaper Ada reads everyday. Mary and Ada take on a case regarding a missing heirloom, and are able to solve it by discovering loopholes in propriety, the power of logic, and learning from one another.

  When I found this adorable middle grade read pertaining to Ada Lovelace (Lord Byron’s genius computer programming daughter) and Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein), I knew I had to read it. Toss in Percy Shelley, Charles Dickens, and references to The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, and I knew I’d be in love! This is Victorian Gothic / early detective fiction for young readers!

  The author’s note regarding the ages and dates of all the characters was definitely a welcomed one. Mary was actually old enough to be Ada’s mother in real history, and obviously Percy was not much older than Mary. In the book, the author took liberties to make Mary, Ada, and Charles roughly the same age (with Charles the only character the accurate age in 1826), Percy their tutor, and Byron long dead. Even with these liberties, Stratford managed to capture these characters in such a way that it truly reflects who they eventually became (or at least how we know them to be). For example, Ada really was a bit of a rude genius, and Percy passionate but somewhat wishy washy. Mary, from what I’ve read, longed for adventure outside her home, but outwardly showed herself to be docile and polite (hence the shock of her book!).

  Anyway, enough with my amazement with the timeline and nods and general Victorian-ness!

  I found myself laughing at least once each chapter. There would be a turn of phrase, a line, an observation, a remark, that would cause me to laugh at the pun or the reference or the characterization. I especially enjoyed reading Ada’s line of logic — like how a guard should let two young girls into Newgate because no one ever begs to be let in, only let out — and Mary’s observational skills coming into play later on. The things Percy would fall for — like following the butler into the distillery and getting locked inside — would make me smack my forehead in exasperation, laugh, and read on.

  Everything fit together nicely, like a neat little puzzle. I’ll admit I was paying more attention to all the Victorian literary parallels more so than the mystery — so solving the mystery of the missing moonstone came as a surprise, and quite clever too. The mystery is easy and intriguing enough that I think young readers will really enjoy it.

  This book is perfect for mystery readers, educators, librarians, and logophiles (who will especially enjoy the puns and dialogue). I can’t wait for the next one, featuring Jane (aka Claire Clairmont) and Allegra! The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency will be an automatic buy for me.

  This qualifies as book #2 in my resolution to read 10 library books in 2015.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: middle grade, genre: mystery, 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

• Book Review: “Jackaby” by William Ritter

  Posted at 8:35 am by Laura, on November 6, 2014

  Jackaby by William Ritter 

  Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
  Published: September 2014
  Genre: young adult, fantasy, historical fiction, gothic, mystery
  ISBN: 9781616203535
  Goodreads: 3.79
  Rating: ★★★★

  “Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion–and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”

  Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary–including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police–with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane–deny.

  Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.

  Abigail Rook had dreams of taking adventures around the world, following her father’s footsteps in archeology and unearthing history’s mysteries. But after a series of negative responses from friends and family, she decided to create her own adventure, and ended up in New Fiddleham where she met the extraordinary R.F. Jackaby, an investigator in supernatural occurrences and crimes. From the moment she steps through his door, the town erupts in mayhem: a serial killer is on the loose. Jackaby and Junior Detective Charlie Cane are convinced it’s a supernatural being, and though Abigail cannot see proof of it, neither can she see the villain as a human. Adventure has finally begin.

  What an amazing genre-bender! It truly is a blend of Doctor Who and Sherlock, with the incredible supernatural events and beings — what’s even more, so many of these creatures are of various cultural lore — and sole Seer of the beings, and the obnoxiously intelligent and socially inept detective wrecking havoc around the police. Gosh, I loved Jackaby. I loved the way Abigail worked around him, too. Her wit and spunk really helped the two of them bounce ideas off one another, fight off unwanted attention, push aside those who didn’t/couldn’t/wouldn’t believe. Both were incredibly fun.

  Reading this was like candy. Not too frightening, not too humorous, just the right amount of fantasy and realism, wit and logic. Any fan of either of those British shows would eat this up. I can’t go into too much detail, else I’ll spoil the book. Let’s just say I’m glad this is the first of a planned series. You can bet I’ll be buying the sequels.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 3 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Black Ice” by Becca Fitzpatrick (ARC)

  Posted at 8:15 am by Laura, on October 2, 2014

  Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick 

  Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 
  Publishing Date: October 7
  Genre: young adult, thriller, mystery
  ISBN: 9781442474260
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★.75

  Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn’t prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

  In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there… and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

  But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

  Britt’s trained hard in the past year for her backpacking trip the Teton Range in Wyoming. She knows how to survive the weather, the mountains, and exhaustion. But she’s not prepared to be taken hostage. Britt is positive that one of these men is responsible for the murders of intelligent, beautiful girls whose bodies were discovered in these very mountains. In an effort to save her friend, Britt agrees to help two young men off the mountain during a terrible snow storm — all the while hoping her ex-boyfriend will find her before she becomes the killer’s next target.

  I read this thriller in a day and loved every minute of it. It was fresh and exciting. I loved reading about a physically and mentally strong, independent female character who doesn’t have superpowers to get her through tough situations. She’s still very much a heartbroken girl after her ex, Calvin (who is also her best friend’s older brother), unexpectedly ended things with her several months prior to this trip, and I think that’s what drew me to her. The female protagonist doesn’t need to be cold-hearted to be strong and independent. She acknowledges she’s spent her life depending on the men who surround her, and this trip would be a message for them and to herself that she can go out on her own and literally survive. Loved it.

  While I was able to piece together the real killer and the connections everyone had to other characters in the story about 75% of the way through, I was still incredibly curious as to the killer’s motives — and that alone was spine-chilling. It’s that charm and hidden misogynistic hatred that all girls fear in men, and it felt so incredibly real. It’s a message to men, as well. I hope boys read this book. It’s the perfect peek into a self-sufficient girl’s mind, and her ongoing calculations about men who are kind as well as severe. It gives the reader an idea of what it’s like to walk in a girl’s shoes, only heightened by the immediacy of a kidnapping.

  I’m not sure what else to say other than it’s a great thriller! It’s perfect for YA, too. I’d imagine that, if this book were geared for adults, more suspenseful passages would have been written to heighten the tension. This YA is fast, and I will not be surprised if it’s one day turned into a movie. It really has that cinematic feel to it. Oh, love it!

  Thank you, Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster, for providing the digital and BEA print copy for review! And thank you/shout out to my grad pub friends, Hannah and Morgan, for standing in line at BEA to get this!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: mystery, genre: thriller, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “The Secret Place” by Tana French (ARC)

  Posted at 6:15 am by Laura, on August 19, 2014

  The Secret Place by Tana French 

  Publisher: Viking Adult
  Publishing Date: September 2
  Genre: mystery
  ISBN: 9780670026326
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★

  The photo on the card shows a boy who was found murdered, a year ago, on the grounds of a girls’ boarding school in the leafy suburbs of Dublin. The caption says, I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.

  Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to get a foot in the door of Dublin’s Murder Squad—and one morning, sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey brings him this photo. The Secret Place, a board where the girls at St. Kilda’s School can pin up their secrets anonymously, is normally a mishmash of gossip and covert cruelty, but today someone has used it to reignite the stalled investigation into the murder of handsome, popular Chris Harper. Stephen joins forces with the abrasive Detective Antoinette Conway to find out who and why.

  But everything they discover leads them back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends and their fierce enemies, a rival clique—and to the tangled web of relationships that bound all the girls to Chris Harper. Every step in their direction turns up the pressure. Antoinette Conway is already suspicious of Stephen’s links to the Mackey family. St. Kilda’s will go a long way to keep murder outside their walls. Holly’s father, Detective Frank Mackey, is circling, ready to pounce if any of the new evidence points toward his daughter. And the private underworld of teenage girls can be more mysterious and more dangerous than either of the detectives imagined.

  When Detective Frank Mackey’s teenage daughter Holly brings a card to show Detective Stephen Moran, it alters the course of his career and her private girls’ school forever. At St. Kilda’s, there’s a giant bulletin board tacked with cards full of secrets, creatively pieced together and revealing the boarders’ most hidden thoughts anonymously. But Holly spotted one pertaining to a murder that happened a year ago, and thought the Dublin Murder Squad ought to reopen the case. In doing so, she’s brought her friends back into a pool of suspicion, and their enemies become more vicious.

  I’ve enjoyed French’s writing. She has a way of getting into your head with her language — and her writing differs depending on the perspective she’s using. From psychological thrillers to cold cases, French gets deep into the mind of the protagonists and takes you on a journey analyzing every single detail of a case till the surprising end. That’s the beauty of her style. And I really appreciate it. But Moran and Conway were not detectives I wanted to follow. Moran’s language was filled with incomplete phrases and thoughts. Scattered, fragmented. Like I just demonstrated. Throughout. Conway had an incredibly foul mouth and such a negative work style that I’m nervous to think she may be the next protagonist for Dublin Murder Squad #6. But while I didn’t enjoy the detective portion of the story, I liked the boarding school side.

  On that side of the story, we follow Holly and her three close friends to their first full year together at boarding school. Two of them were previously day-people only, but now the four of them spend their nights at St. Kilda’s and do everything together — eat, study, sleep, shop. They promise one another they’d never let a boy get between them, because they have enough love to give for each other. But there are many Colms boys — the boy boarding school just down the road — and one of Holly’s friends becomes involved. And when one starts, the others follow. Two of the four girls make a desperate attempt to keep their friendship picture perfect, while another group of vicious girls point and laugh and bully and continuously try to tear them apart. All the while, these groups are wrapped up in the eventual murder of Chris Harper, and Holly and her friends are desperate to bring the police back to close the case completely.

  It was difficult for me to rate this because I did like it over all, but not as much as her past work. I loved the subject, I loved the boarding school portion, and I loved that French’s writing stayed true. But because half the book is told through the detectives’ point of view, and I didn’t enjoy those parts, I’m left a little sad. This is definitely worth the read for French fans, and it echoed a lot of great storytelling as seen in Endeavour, which was interesting. Give it a whirl, tell me what you think!

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

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 3 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: mystery, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Always Emily” by Michaela MacColl (ARC)

  Posted at 9:16 am by Laura, on March 25, 2014

  Always Emily by Michaela MacColl 

  Publisher: Chronicle Books
  Publishing Date: April 8
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9781452111742
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★

  Emily and Charlotte Brontë are about as opposite as two sisters can be. Charlotte is practical and cautious; Emily is headstrong and imaginative. But they do have one thing in common: a love of writing. This shared passion will lead them to be two of the first published female novelists and authors of several enduring works of classic literature. But they’re not there yet. First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor’s death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle—before someone else gets killed.

  Practical Charlotte and imaginative Emily may be two creative and artistic sisters, but their opinions and habits often clash in Haworth. They both notice their brother Branwell acting oddly — or, more so than usual — coinciding with their neighbor’s mysterious death. Soon Charlotte and Emily meet the neighbor’s son, a frightened woman, and a determined stranger on the moors, each with a different story that, eventually, influence the sisters’ writing and future success.

  This review is battling two sets of opinions (ha, quite like these sisters!): one based off a Brontë fanatic and academic, and one based off a YA reader. As someone who has spent the last 10 years researching the Brontë family, reading their works, watching adaptations, and reading the occasional fictional account, I would have rated this with 1 star. Their lives were exaggerated and slightly misrepresented, and something about their father Patrick seemed off from all I’ve researched on him. Then again, the only true critic would be someone who befriended the real Brontës, and obviously they’re long gone.

  As a YA reader, I could give this 4 stars. It’s a great introduction to the secluded family, to the minds of the authors of the strange and wild stories, to the gothic feel of the moors. The mystery is intriguing, the situations the sisters encounter are thrilling, and the growth between the sisters is beautiful to watch. Emily and Charlotte are given alternating chapters in their own POV, and I have to say Emily’s is most compelling. She’s given life and freedom, while Charlotte’s seems restrained. Maybe it’s an expression of their personalities, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the real Charlotte and it would’ve been great to read some more depth in her chapters. Something quite like Jane’s in Jane Eyre — restrained to others but inwardly flourishing.

  For a cozy mystery set on the English moors in the 1830s, this is an entertaining read. Yet I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who is a massive Brontë fan or scholar. It’s a good bridge for those new to the Brontës and their quiet yet turbulent lives.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Chronicle Books for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 4 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Savage Girl” by Jean Zimmerman (ARC)

  Posted at 9:15 am by Laura, on February 27, 2014

  Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman 

  Publisher: Viking
  Publishing Date: March 6
  Genre: historical fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9780670014859
  Goodreads: —
  Rating:  ★★★★

  Jean Zimmerman’s new novel tells of the dramatic events that transpire when an alluring, blazingly smart eighteen-year-old girl named Bronwyn, reputedly raised by wolves in the wilds of Nevada, is adopted in 1875 by the Delegates, an outlandishly wealthy Manhattan couple, and taken back East to be civilized and introduced into high society.

  Bronwyn hits the highly mannered world of Edith Wharton-era Manhattan like a bomb. A series of suitors, both young and old, find her irresistible, but the willful girl’s illicit lovers begin to turn up murdered.

  Zimmerman’s tale is narrated by the Delegate’s son, a Harvard anatomy student. The tormented, self-dramatizing Hugo Delegate speaks from a prison cell where he is prepared to take the fall for his beloved Savage Girl. This narrative—a love story and a mystery with a powerful sense of fable—is his confession.

  Hugo Delegate knows he’s in trouble. Whether or not it was Savage Girl — Bronwyn — who committed the murders or he, Hugo’s determined to free her and take the blame instead. He tells their story from the very beginning, in a windy, dusty city in Nevada where his wealthy family found and collected this feral young woman and brought her to New York City to be educated, trained, and prepared for her season. But somewhere within his story, Hugo blurs Bronwyn’s character, and begins to wonder if his love for her blinds him from her true nature, or if something — someone — more sinister is at work.

  While many historical novels stick to the historical facts of the day — politics, education, fashion, transportation, social expectations, belief systems, etc — Zimmerman embodies the language of the day in her story. From skeptical Harvard medical man to a drunkard wailing over his love, lust, and confusion, Zimmerman’s Hugo is a character that comes alive through the rich diction. I felt like I was on the train with his family, traveling across the country and entering high society and working with this “raised by wolves” young woman. Bronwyn is quite similar too — her growth is fascinating, her fierce independence and loyalty and brave nature colliding together to create this beautiful, believable character from the wilds. Feral children are not simply stories; they were real.

  When I first received this ARC, I assumed it would be like reading Catherine from Wuthering Heights plucked and dropped into Edith Wharton’s high society — her passions and wild-like manner considered animalistic and foreign. It’s nothing like that, and I’m glad. The mystery of the murders propelled the already intriguing plot (the character growth is enough to keep you reading), and it’s not until the exact last page that the truth is revealed. Zimmerman will keep you guessing, tossing around Hugo, Brownyn, and many other suspects back and forth. Who should you believe? The unreliable narrator? The wild woman?

  Oh, it’s just so wonderfully written. Transported in time! A time that many seem to skip across when discussing history, that age between the Civil War and the suffragettes — beautifully represented in this great book.

  Thank you, Viking and Goodreads, for providing this book for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, goodreads, review

• Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books for Halloween

  Posted at 10:16 am by Laura, on October 29, 2013

  Top Ten Tuesday, a concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, is a themed post that connects bloggers to bloggers, bloggers to readers, and readers to readers. Every Tuesday has a special topic, and this Tuesday is Top Ten Best Books To Read For Halloween.

  

  Best topic, because this is essentially tapping into my graduate thesis!

  1. The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle — A vampire contagion spreads across the country, but somehow avoids all religious grounds. Katie, an Amish girl, is exposed to the terror and has to convince her community to fight for survival. If you’re looking for chills and apocalyptic horrors, read this. Check out my review! 

  2. Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough — This folktale and eerie song is absolute truth for a little English hamlet post-WWII. A family is cursed to have at least one of the youngest children captured by Long Lankin, a haunting poltergeist that has consumed children since the Middle Ages. I couldn’t sleep for days! Check out my review.

  3. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson — What would happen if Jack the Ripper murders happened in modern time, and even the cameras all over London couldn’t catch him? That’s what Rory is about to discover. This book is for anyone with a deep fascination with the 1888 murders. Check out my review!

  4. The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd — H.G. Wells’s The Island of Dr Moreau has another secret: Dr Moreau has a daughter, and she’s in for a big surprise. If her father is considered a monster, then what does that make her? If you’re in for a sci-fi twist, read this book and my review.

  5. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson — We all have two sides to our personality…but which one is your true self?

  6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte — This is more than a love story. This is a story about two tormented families across generations, ruined and corrupted by one man whose only wish was to be accepted.

  7. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield — An author is on her last legs and has one more tale to tell. She hires a biographer to record this story, and the biographer makes some haunting discovers about a mansion, some deranged twins, and a horrifying house fire. One of my absolute favorite books (and a new one out in a few weeks); check out my review!

  8. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness — Albeit not frightening or a ghost story, this book is packed with magic, lore, history, and alchemical science. If that doesn’t scream a book to dive into during a magical time of the year, I don’t know what does. Read my review!

  9. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill — Best. Ghost. Story. Ever.

  10. The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter — The Hardscrabble children are sent to live with their aunt in London, but they wander through many adventures and come across a boy who is half human, half animal. A creepy and wonderful middle grade novel worth checking out.

  What are some of your favorite Halloween recommendations?

  Posted in books, Top Ten Tuesday | 15 Comments | Tagged books, genre: fantasy, genre: gothic, genre: horror, genre: mystery, genre: sci-fi, top ten tuesday

• Top Ten Tuesday: Books on Fall TBR List

  Posted at 10:45 am by Laura, on September 17, 2013

  Top Ten Tuesday, a concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, is a themed post that connects bloggers to bloggers, bloggers to readers, and readers to readers. Every Tuesday has a special topic, and this Tuesday is Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List, in no particular order.

  

  1. The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch — An ARC I received that is very good so far! William Baker takes a year off from his life in NYC and moves to Oxford, England. While there, he’s caught up in sudden friendships and a whirlwind romance, experiences he never thought would fall into his plans away.

  2. Allegiant by Veronica Roth — Because I have to know how it ends.

  3. The Secret Daughter of the Tsar by Jennifer Laam — Another ARC I received. After falling in love with Paullina Simons’s trilogy, and then reading Natalie Standiford’s Cold War account, it seems Russian-themed fiction is destined to fall into my hands and sink deep into my heart. I have hopes for this one.

  4. Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield — As a long-time fan of The Thirteenth Tale, I’m beyond excited to read this next chilling book by Setterfield! She has the power to unsettle and fascinate, and I cannot wait to read her words again.

  5. The Daring Ladies of Lowell by Kate Alcott — From the author that brought you The Dressmaker is another ARC due out in February 2014. This book follows a young woman who becomes a Mill Girl, and the series of events from working conditions to a murder of a fellow factory worker leads to a shocking court case based on true facts.

  6. . The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett — Hay-on-Wye, Victorian painters, Shakespeare manuscripts, lost love, books, obsession, history…This is the book for me!

  7. Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd — An ARC that will be published in January 2014, and the sequel to The Madman’s Daughter, a retelling of H.G. Wells’s The Island of Dr Moreau, this book is bound to be great for Victorian London enthusiasts and fans of Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

  8. Stolen by Lucy Christopher — I’m always talking about this book and recommending it to people, and yet I’ve never read it! It’s about time that I do.

  9. And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard — An ARC due out in January 2014 about a girl traumatized by a school shooting, interwoven with healing inspiration from Emily Dickinson’s works.

  10. Just One Day by Gayle Forman — Another one of those books I’m always recommending yet I’ve never read. Need to get on that.

  What are some books on your to-read list this fall?

  Posted in books, Top Ten Tuesday | 4 Comments | Tagged books, genre: dystopian, genre: gothic, genre: history, genre: mystery, goodreads, top ten tuesday

• Book Review: “Broken Harbor” by Tana French

  Posted at 11:56 am by Laura, on July 12, 2013

  Broken Harbor by Tana French 

  Publisher: Penguin
  Published: April 2013
  Genre: fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9780143123309
  Goodreads: 3.93
  Rating: ★★★

  Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy always brings in the killer. Always. That’s why he’s landed this high-profile triple homicide. At first, he thinks it’s going to be simple, but the murder scene holds terrifying memories for Scorcher. Memories of something that happened there back when he was a boy.

  Mick Kennedy always solves his cases and solves them efficiently. When O’Kelly gives him a case to work on with rookie partner Richie, Mick races to work. But this triple homicide of a family out in Brianstown, the old Broken Harbor, brings back memories of his own childhood vacations — one in particular he believes mangled his youngest sister’s sanity.

  This is the fourth in Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. Kennedy appeared in the last, Faithful Place, following the trend of featuring the previous book’s side character as the new protagonist. Also typical of French’s style is the psychological twist within each case. Rather than spanning several weeks or months, this book spans less than a week, and it is packed full of clues, twists, and wild circumstances.

  I loved the dynamics of Kennedy’s partnership with rookie Richie. He teaches, he scolds, he praises. He does not belittle Richie like the rest of the department, but instead wants him to learn from his mistakes and observe others in action.

  The insanity bits begin to take hold when Kennedy’s sister Dina enters the scene. Her dialogue is fantastic — run-on sentences, incomplete phrases, scattered breaths and punctuation, ideas not quite stringing together. That sort of dialogue continues into Patrick’s character, and later Jenny’s, as you begin to see their worlds crumble around them. This is such an effective way of recognizing the deteriorating mind without it being the mind of the protagonist.

  What prevented me from giving this four or five stars is due to the length. There were many passages I felt were unnecessary — whole chapters, even. As much as I enjoyed Dina’s character, I think we could have done without this side story. There was something about it that felt unresolved, or that if it was going to be explored at all then it should be done in depth rather than in the back of the mind or whenever it was convenient.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2013 | 3 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: mystery, goodreads, review

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• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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