Tag: genre: young adult

• Book Review: “Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins

  Posted at 3:39 pm by Laura, on April 8, 2012

  

  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

  Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are still alive. Katniss should be relieved, but now there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol – a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

  As the nation watches Katniss and Peeta, the stakes are higher than ever. One false move and the consequences will be unimaginable.

  Spoilers ahead.

  I have heard and read many reviews about the second book accusing it be a “repeat” of book one, or “duller in comparison,” and even the worst, “falls into the second-of-every-trilogy-sucks category.”

  Let me just say that I completely disagree. The seconds in trilogies, I’ve noticed, build tension and anticipation, leaving the reader hanging at the end, anxiously awaiting the next and final installment. As I type this, I would much rather begin Mockingjay than wait till tomorrow when the book is in my presence! So as far as an unresolved plot, as many suggest, yes it’s there but we should keep in mind this is a trilogy, not a stand-alone.

  Also, it most certainly is not a repeat. If anything, the only concept that’s a repeat is that Peeta and Katniss are back in the Games. We’re introduced to the day-to-day life after the first Games, the suffering that comes with the success within a starving District. In Hunger Games, the brief glimpse of District 12 life is enough for us to sympathize and root for Katniss to win. Changes occur, rebellions begin, knowing who to trust and who to talk to (and where!) threatens Katniss’s life.

  The Games are entirely different as well – new characters (among them is a favorite of mine, Finnick Odair) bond with Katniss and Peeta and form alliances that have never happened before. The second book truly reveals the heightened sensations of rebellion, anger, madness, struggle, love, and hate – each a step up from the game of survival that encompassed the first book.

  Rating: ★★★★★
  Goodreads: 4.38 of 5

  Posted in Reviews 2012 | 3 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: dystopian, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins

  Posted at 7:29 am by Laura, on April 4, 2012

  

  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

  In a dark vision of the near future, twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live TV show called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed.

  When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister’s place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

  I had read this last June – the entire trilogy in four days – and after I saw the movie I had to re-read it. I wanted to absorb the book once more, and at a slower pace. This way, I could appreciate the story more and focus less on how tense and anxious I felt while reading the thriller.

  What makes Hunger Games so successful as a young adult novel is its first person, present tense narrative. The immediacy of the plot and the obsessive thoughts bring the reader straight into the moment, down to every single decision Katniss makes in the Games. Her honest mental contemplations, straight-forward descriptions, and skepticism in trusting others is refreshing. Sometimes, this sort of writing lacks in literature. There can be an overabundance of descriptions but little development of character. Other times, there is no sustenance of much of anything.

  The characters – most especially Katniss and Peeta – are well-rounded as well as flawed. Katniss has strength, survival instincts, and unconditional love for her family. She’s a fighter. However, she is blind to true kindness, and at times can be cruel to others due to this weakness. Peeta is the opposite: he’s open and honest, wears his heart on his sleeve, and while he lacks survival instincts, he is honorable and understanding. The problem, though, is that he is rather naive, and too trusting of others’ intentions. These characteristics will play out across the trilogy, but I just want to point out that while both characters are flawed and may not be the absolute best of role models, we must keep in mind that the situations they are in and the fully developed attributes lend to excellently formed personalities to which a reader can relate.

  This dystopian narrative also lends itself to the possibility of where this country (and even this world) may be headed. Like Brave New World, 1984, and Lord of the Flies, these scenarios could actually happen. Consider society’s obsession with reality TV. I’m not just speaking of “Jersey Shore” and “Housewives of ___” but also “Survivor” and “American Idol.” Shows that follow real people around in a game, where the winner gets money, fame, and recognition, even if only temporarily. Toss in our political unrest domestically and internationally, and we’ve the perfect recipe for Hunger Games.

  Back to the book – I would highly recommend this for everyone, especially new readers. The immediacy of the narrative easily prevents the reader from putting the book down, flipping page after page, soaking up the story, begging for more.

  Rating: ★★★★★
  Goodreads: 4.54 of 5

  Posted in Reviews 2012 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: dystopian, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Upcoming Books! [11]

  Posted at 8:18 pm by Laura, on April 2, 2012

  

  Apologies for the lateness. Many papers sneaked up on me this weekend! (PS I definitely thought “snuck” was a word. This is terrible.)

  ~

  Title: Triggers
  Author: Robert J. Sawyer
  Genre: sci-fi, thriller
  Publisher: Penguin
  Publishing Date: April 3
  Summary: On the eve of a secret military operation, an assassin’s bullet strikes President Seth Jerrison. He is rushed to the hospital, where surgeons struggle to save his life. At the same hospital, researcher Dr. Ranjip Singh is experimenting with a device that can erase traumatic memories.
  Then a terrorist bomb detonates. In the operating room, the president suffers cardiac arrest. He has a near-death experience-but the memories that flash through Jerrison’s mind are not “his” memories. It quickly becomes clear that the electromagnetic pulse generated by the bomb amplified and scrambled Dr. Singh’s equipment, allowing a random group of people to access one another’s minds.
  And now one of those people has access to the president’s memories- including classified information regarding the upcoming military mission, which, if revealed, could cost countless lives. But the task of determining who has switched memories with whom is a daunting one- particularly when some of the people involved have reason to lie…

  ~

  Title: Dorchester Terrace
  Author: Anne Perry
  Genre: historical mystery
  Publisher: Random House
  Publishing Date: April 3
  Summary: Thomas Pitt, once a lowly policeman, is now the powerful head of Britain’s Special Branch, and some people fear that he may have been promoted beyond his abilities. He, too, feels painful moments of self-doubt, especially as rumors reach him of a plot to blow up connections on the Dover-London rail line—on which Austrian duke Alois Habsburg is soon to travel to visit his royal English kin.
  Why would anyone destroy an entire train to kill one obscure Austrian royal, or are the rumors designed to distract Pitt from an even more devastating plot? He must resolve this riddle at once, before the damage is done.
  Meanwhile, in a London sickroom, an old Italian woman—at the end of a romantic career as a revolutionary spy—is terrified that as she sinks into dementia, she may divulge secrets that can kill. And a beautiful young Croatian woman, married to a British power broker, hoards her own mysteries. Apparently all roads lead to the Continent, and Pitt suspects that between them these two fascinating women could tell him things he desperately needs to know. But as the hours tick by, it seems that the only woman Pitt can count on is his clever wife, Charlotte.

  ~

  Title: Death Comes Silently
  Author: Carolyn Hart
  Genre: mystery
  Publisher: Berkeley Hardcover
  Publishing Date: April 3
  Summary: Winter has arrived in Broward’s Rock, South Carolina, and business has slowed for Annie Darling, owner of mystery bookstore Death on Demand. So when the island’s resident writer publishes the latest in her popular mystery series, Annie jumps at the chance to host a book signing, even though it conflicts with her shift at the local charity shop, Better Tomorrow.
  Luckily, fellow volunteer Gretchen Burkholt agrees to sub for her. The signing goes well, but Gretchen interrupts the event multiple times, leaving voice mails about scandalous news she’s dying to share. Even though Gretchen tends to be excitable, Annie heads over to Better Tomorrow, where she finds Gretchen dead on the floor, an axe by her side.
  Annie enlists the help of her husband, Max, to piece together a puzzle involving an overturned kayak, a stolen motorboat, a troubled love affair, and a reckless teenager. And she must tread carefully in her investigation, because a killer is on the loose, and that killer works well in the foggy days of winter.

  ~

  Title: Grave Mercy
  Author: Robin LaFevers
  Genre: young adult, fantasy
  Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  Publishing Date: April 3
  Summary: Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
  Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

  ~

  Happy reading!

  Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: history, genre: mystery, genre: young adult, upcoming books

• Book Review: “The Dressmaker” by Kate Alcott

  Posted at 8:07 am by Laura, on March 17, 2012

  

  The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

  Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she’s had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic’s doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

  Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.

  On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period’s glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

  What a thrill! This historical novel had everything I could ever hope for: a few days’ events on the Titanic, the sinking and its utter chaos, the rescue on the Carpathia, the hearings that followed the arrival in New York City, the fashion industry and its fluctuations in 1912, suffragists and women’s rights movements, journalism tactics, the law of the time, British class divisions and America’s lack-thereof, and finally a love triangle.

  Phew.

  What sets The Dressmaker apart from other Titanic literature is Alcott’s focus on the aftermath of the sinking, rather than setting sail and the events on the ship. Roughly twenty pages were spent on the ship, and the following 280 included everything about the rescue, the hearings, and historical context of the changing dynamics in New York City. So many newspaper headlines, so many specific characters, several recognizable events – I was completely fascinated and had to put the book down several times to research the accuracy (rest assured, Alcott’s extremely accurate on the hearings) and information on the characters presented. In fact, in Alcott’s author’s note, she states:

  Much of the testimony in this book is taken directly from the transcripts of the U.S. Senate hearings in the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic.

  It was from these hearings that ocean-liners are now required to have equipped and experienced crew, a sufficient number of lifeboats, and lifeboat drills before departure.

  The sinking of the Titanic has always been an interest of mine, but I was wholly ignorant of the hearings or even what happened to all the survivors. I know more about the ship itself than the people. This book sheds light to the era, dropping familiar names, places, and events, providing a complete cultural and historical experience.

  For any who may avoid the novel because of the hint of a love triangle, do not worry. That aspect of the story is most certainly not the main point or dominant thread of the novel. Tess is a strong character, a bold woman set to escape the class system and become independent. Imagine all the things she’s exposed to in New York City, a place without classes and full of opportunity. She seizes these moments.

  Rating: ★★★★★

  Goodreads: 3.44 of 5

  EDIT: “The Smithsonian” magazine has a whole article dedicated to the Titanic and its survivors. In this article is a spotlight on twins Michel and Edmond, both of whom are mentioned in this novel as well. I really do mean it when I say Alcott worked hard for historical accuracy!

  Posted in Reviews 2012 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fiction, genre: history, genre: mystery, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• New books on my shelves!

  Posted at 8:35 pm by Laura, on March 6, 2012

  Apologies for the lack of posts – my birthday was a few days ago and I’ve been busy with family and friends.

  However, it’s certainly been a book-filled birthday! I received these books (and gift cards to purchase some of these books), and I’m really looking forward to reading them!

  

  

  The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey, Passion by Jude Morgan, Faithful Place by Tana French, The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

  Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl, The Meaning of the Night by Michael Cox, Divergent by Veronica Roth, War Horseby Michael Morpurgo

  Posted in books, Update Post | 2 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: children, genre: classics, genre: dystopian, genre: fiction, genre: history, genre: mystery, genre: young adult, goodreads

• Are Teens Embracing E-books? – PW

  Posted at 2:19 pm by Laura, on February 24, 2012

  Are Teens Embracing E-books?: The Digital Divide – Publisher’s Weekly – Karen Springen

  A recent PubTrak survey from R.R. Bowker indicated that teens remain reluctant when it comes to e-books. Accustomed to social media, they find that electronic stories have “too many restrictions,” according to the report. But many industry players—agents, booksellers, publishers, and authors—are saying just the opposite: digital sales are booming for YA fiction.

  …

  As for the dreaded cannibalization of print, it does not appear to be happening in YA. “The whole pie grows,” says Hilt. “There’s a lot more evidence that users are going back and forth between digital and physical. People are now buying more books when they become digital readers. The key is to have the book available in all formats.”

  The goal for books of any format is to create more readers. The article is very optimistic that more and more teens will embrace the e-reading experience. The YA market is expanding, and it also allows for any self-conscious adults who may otherwise steer clear of the YA/children’s section of bookstores to browse more freely with e-readers.

  Posted in Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged ebooks, ereaders, genre: young adult, magazine, news, publishing

• Upcoming Books! [5]

  Posted at 3:00 pm by Laura, on February 19, 2012

  I’m going to play around with a new format this week.

  Title: Pandemonium
  Author: Lauren Oliver
  Genre: young adult – fantasy – dystopia
  Publisher: HarperCollins
  Publishing Date: February 28
  Summary: The old Lena is dead. The old Lena remains with Alex in Portland, Maine, behind a wall of smoke and flame, but the new Lena was born in the Wilds, transformed by hardship, deprivation, and loss.
  Now an active member of the resistance, Lena fights for a world in which love will no longer be considered a dangerous disease. Her inner life is as turbulent as the world around her. . . . Although consumed with grief for Alex, might she be falling in love with someone else?
  The second in Oliver’s “Delirium” trilogy.

  ~

  Title: And Then It’s Spring
  Author: Julie Fogliano
  Genre: children’s
  Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
  Publishing Date: February 14
  Summary: Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they’ve had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be on its way. Julie Fogliano’s tender story of anticipation is brought to life by the distinctive illustrations Erin E. Stead, recipient of the 2011 Caldecott Medal.

  ~

  Title: The Dressmaker
  Author: Kate Alcott
  Genre: historical fiction
  Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
  Publishing Date: February 21
  Summary: Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she’s had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic’s doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.
  Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.
  On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic.

  ~

  Title: Londoners: The Days and Nights of London Now – As Told by Those Who Love It, Hate It, Live It, Left It, and Long for It
  Author: Craig Taylor
  Genre: nonfiction
  Publisher: HarperCollins
  Publishing Date: February 21
  Summary: Five years in the making, and published on the eve of the 2012 Olympics, “Londoners” is a fresh and compulsively readable view of one of the world’s most fascinating cities–a vibrant, narrative portrait of contemporary London, featuring unforgettable stories told by the real people who make the city hum.

  Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: adult fiction, genre: children, genre: dystopian, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: history, genre: nonfiction, genre: young adult, upcoming books

• Sourcebooks Gives ‘Embrace’ a Big Marketing Push – PW

  Posted at 1:28 pm by Laura, on February 17, 2012

  Sourcebooks Gives ‘Embrace’ a Big Marketing Push – Publisher’s Weekly – Sally Lodge

  

  In a world where angels seek vengeance and humans are warriors, a teen must choose her destiny in Embrace, the launch title of a fantasy series by debut author Jessica Shirvington. Due in March from Sourcebooks Fire, the novel is supported by a $200,000 marketing budget, the largest the publisher has ever allocated for a young adult book. Sourcebooks doubled the size of the initial marketing campaign due to the enthusiastic reaction to its 4,000-copy ARC mailing to booksellers, librarians, teachers, and book media, a response that Chris Bauerle, director of sales and marketing, describes as “a tidal wave.” What is it about the novel that triggered the early buzz?

  Read on to find out why! Normally I would never pick up a paranormal book with a cover like this – seems too stereotypical teeny-bopper – but the summaries and reviews are absolutely stunning.

  Posted in books, Link, publishing | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: fantasy, genre: young adult, magazine, news, publishing

• Upcoming Books! [4]

  Posted at 8:28 am by Laura, on February 13, 2012

  Apologies for the late post, normally I do this on Sundays. Been a rough few weeks with class.

  Here’s the latest news on upcoming and newly published books!

  Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult which will be released February 28th!

  

  Summary: Edward Warren, twenty-four, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.
  With her father’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?
  Lone Wolf explores the notion of family, and the love, protection and strength it’s meant to offer. But what if the hope that should sustain it, is the very thing that pulls it apart?

  ~

  At Left Brain, Turn Right by Anthony Meindl

  

  Summary: 15 Weeks and 25 Ways to Unleash Your Inner Brando, Einstein, and Shakespeare:
  The most successful and creative people in the world don’t possess anything different than you. They have no magic formula or special secret. They’ve simply prevented the left hemisphere of their brain – the “logical,” analytical side – from sabotaging their life. Whether you’re a ballerina or banker, accountant or actor, At Left Brain Turn Right shows you how to silence the noise of your left brain, ignite your creative side, and live the life you’ve always imagined. Using relatable no-nonsense stories from his own creative journey, Anthony Meindl guides you from the left brain to the right to realize your own full creative potential.

  ~

  The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice, out on Valentine’s Day!

  

  Summary: A young reporter on assignment from the San Francisco Observer . . . An older woman welcoming him into her magnificent family home that he has been sent to write about and that she must sell with some urgency . . . A chance encounter between two unlikely people . . . An idyllic night—shattered by horrific unimaginable violence, the young man inexplicably attacked—bitten—by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness . . . A violent episode that sets in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation, as the young man, caught between ecstasy and horror, between embracing who he is evolving into and fearing what he will become, soon experiences the thrill of the wolf gift.

  ~

  And finally, a few books to look forward to later in 2012 and 2013:

  • Lisa O’Donnell’s The Death of Bees, two young sisters trying to keep the world at bay after the mysterious death of their parents
  • French Lessons author Ellen Sussman’s The Paradise Guest House, set in Bali during the aftermath of the 2002 nightclub bombings, a story about love, risk, and facing up to our deepest fears
  • A four book series by Lemony Snicket, due out October 23rd.
  Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: adult fiction, genre: children, genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: nonfiction, genre: young adult, upcoming books

• Upcoming Books! [3]

  Posted at 5:23 pm by Laura, on February 5, 2012

  Here’s the latest news on upcoming and new publications.

  Don’t Forget, Nana, God Bless Our Troops by Jill Biden

  Read about this upcoming children’s picture book here. Tentative publishing date June 2012.

  Summary: Inspired by her own granddaughter Natalie, Vice President Joe Biden’s wife Jill tells a family story through a child’s eyes of what family life is like when a parent is at war across the world.
  When her father leaves for a year of being at war, Natalie knows that she will miss him. Natalie is proud of her father but there is nothing to stop her from wishing he was home. Some things do help her feel better. Natalie works with her Nana to send her dad and the other service men and women cookies and treats they have made. Natalie, her mom and brother can see and talk to Dad over the computer, and the kindness of friends at school and at church help her feel supported and loved. But there is nothing like the day when her Dad comes home at last.

  ~

  The Bedlam Detective by Stephen Gallagher out Monday February 6!
  

  

  Summary: Set in England in 1912, this masterful whodunit from Gallagher (Red, Red Robin) introduces Sebastian Becker, a former policeman and Pinkerton agent who now works as the special investigator to the Masters of Lunacy, looking into cases involving any “man of property” whose sanity is under question. His latest assignment takes him to the small town of Arnmouth to determine whether Sir Owain Lancaster has gone around the bend. Lancaster returned from a disastrous trip to the Amazon, which claimed the life of his wife and son, only to attribute the catastrophe to mysterious animals straight out of Doyle’s The Lost World. Lancaster believes that the creatures that plagued him in South America have followed him home, and are responsible for the deaths of two young girls, a theory supported by a local legend of a beast of the moor.

  ~

  First Girl Scout: The Life of Juliette Gordon Low by Ginger Wadworth out tomorrow!

  

  Summary: Just in time for the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts in 2012, a lavishly illustrated account of the fascinating life of the woman who started it all. Juliette Gordon Low was a remarkable woman with ideas that were ahead of her time. She witnessed important eras in U.S. history, from the Civil War and Reconstruction to westward expansion to post–World War I. And she made history by founding the first national organization to bring girls from all backgrounds into the out-of-doors. Daisy created controversy by encouraging them to prepare not only for traditional homemaking but also for roles as professional women—in the arts, sciences, and business—and for active citizenship outside the home. Her group also welcomed girls with disabilities at a time when they were usually excluded.

  ~

  Happy reading, everyone!

  Posted in Upcoming Books | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: adult fiction, genre: children, genre: fiction, genre: mystery, genre: nonfiction, genre: young adult, upcoming books

• 

• 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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