Book Embargo

Everyone is neurotic. At least, I hope so, so that I am not alone. Alicia Thompson’s book helps prove that. Leigh Nolan is such a great girl and has no problem “thinking up for her self,” even if she has trouble speaking up for herself, if you get what I mean. She is majoring in psych and going to the same school as her high school boyfriend, who is a bit of a dick. Each of the chapter headings are different psychology terms, Counterconditioning, intimacy v. isolation, and confirmation bias.
Absolutely fabulous. Such a fun read.

Fabulous review here, from someone who I guess knows the author, at Shane Guy External. And another good description at Marsh Agency.com which I will copy for you here,

Eighteen-year-old Leigh Nolan is just starting her freshman year at a small college in California and is suffering from the psych major syndrome, a common affliction wherein a psychology major, overwhelmed by conditions, effects, and disorders, begins to overanalyze her own life.
When Leigh is asked to complete forty sentences about herself for an assignment, some of her answers start her thinking. What compels her to procrastinate on every paper she has to write? Why does she lie all the time, mostly about little things that don’t even matter? And how in forty sentences could she have possibly forgotten to mention Andrew, her boyfriend of over a year? Although, what exactly is going on with the lack of intimacy in their relationship anyway?
Not that Leigh feels guilty about that last one when she shows up at Andrew’s apartment, all dressed up for their date, and finds him still in his pyjamas. Nor does she feel too bad that the date is a bust, largely due to her aversion for peanut sauce (she never told Andrew she hated Thai food, but still). Now, Leigh’s appreciation of Nathan, Andrew’s aloof math-major roommate, walking shirtless around their apartment . . okay, that she feels a tiny bit guilty about.

Unfortunately, this book is not due out until AUGUST of 2009. Not sure why I have already gotten an advance of it… but yeah. It was so much fun.

There is this whole story line about being a mentor, and yeah it will spoil it a bit for you, but it made me laugh SO HARD, I have to share it with you. This is Leigh describing a contest she got 2nd place in, “…”You can achieve anything you want. Well, almost anything. You know, if there wasn’t some stupid girl who wrote some cookie-cutter piece of crap essay about The Heart of Darkness.” THIS IS TO A BUNCH OF MIDDLE SCHOOLERS!!!
Oh lord priceless.

So yeah, definitely check it out. It has good times, bad times, serious topics and one liners, and lots of overanalyzing. But it also has lots of good kids, which make every book better to be. Remember August 2009, BE THERE!

Tags: alicia thompson, august 2009 release, college, disney, fiction, hyperion, hyperion teens, leigh nolan, novel, psych major syndrome, psychology, stiles college, teen read, thompson, young adult

You might think this book is just another little bit of fluff. The cover indicates it is definitely woman fiction. Yes to the woman’s fiction part, but it was so much more than just a bit of fluff. These days it seems that there is not enough “pressure” (if that is the right word) on what should be done to keep a marriage together. I think that this book shows (in a fabulous and fun way) different routes you can take.

Amazon info here though please make sure to purchase through your local independent bookshop! And from the Random House website,

All you need is love? For the residents of swanky Mayfair Estates, a pre-nup is just another item on the wedding to-do checklist—but three friends get more than they bargained for when they promise to love, cherish . . . and sign on the dotted line.

Ellie married her handsome, wealthy Prince Charming when she was young, naive, and willing to sign a one-sided pre-nup in the name of true love. But seven years and one toddler later, her happily-ever-after has come screeching to a halt. If she can’t save her marriage, she’s determined to save her divorce…. When Jen married Eric, he knew she wasn’t head over heels. Still, he insisted they were perfect together and even bankrolled her business. But when Jen’s career takes off, she may lose the husband she loves more than she realized—and everything else she’s worked for…. Up-and-coming attorney Mara is sure her fiancé has forgiven her for a foolish one-night fling—until he adds a “cheating clause” to the pre-nup she had demanded. If he really trusts her, why the clause? And if she’s really trustworthy, why is she objecting?

As romance collides with real life, three very different women turn to each other for moral support and insights about how to safeguard their most valuable assets: their hearts.

Good review over at Genre Go Round. It really is a great friendship book, though I did not feel that the men were all that thin on the description. From that review, “Thus the reader never fully sees the viewpoints of Michael, Eric or Josh.” While you don’t see the viewpoint of the three men, I feel that the way Kendrick writes them shows the kind of men they are. While I was definitely not endeared to Michael, I actually respected Eric and Josh as much as the three women.

It was a fun one and goes on sale on November 25th, 2008. Head on over to your local independent bookshop, and then start reading!

Tags: beth kendrick, Book, chick lit, fiction, h ardcover, kendrick, novel, paperback, prenup, prenuptial agreement, random house, rh

I just found a new book! No idea how I missed it since apparently there are now four out in the series. Oh well! I just know that it is FUN! Shannon Greenland has written a series called the Specialists. It is about teens who excel in one area, and are recruited to a secret government organization (who becomes more like a family) where they learn limits, further their skills, and learn respect for themselves and their friends.

From Shannon’s website, here is the description of the first novel, Model Spy…

Sixteen-year-old Kelly James is in a lot of hot water. When David, her incredibly nice, not to mention super cute and irresistible, college RA, asked her to uncover some top-secret information, she thought why not? All she has to do is hack into the government’s main computer system. Simple enough for a computer techie genius like herself. But a few hours later, she is caught. Only this isn’t a run-of-the-mill arrest. Rather than serve a jail sentence in a juvenile detention, she accepts the option to change her identity and enlist in a secret government spy agency that trains teen agents to go undercover. After all, she has no family or friends at school. What does she have to lose? Instantly, Kelly Spree, a.k.a. girl genius GiGi, is born. And as if that wasn’t overwhelming enough, she discovers that David works for this agency as well. Before she even begins to understand what is going on, she’s sent on her first mission as an undercover model. Her partner? None other than David himself!

A really nice review here at FlamingNet.com.

And from Shannon’s website is a great bio.

You name it. Shannon Greenland’s done it. Hiking, rafting, swimming, snorkeling, sailing, surfing, mountain biking, spelunking, canoeing, power lifting, running, camping, para sailing . . . well, you get the drift. She’s traveled the world extensively and is thrilled to be living on an island, looking for her new adventure. Believe it or not, Shannon dreaded reading and writing when she was a kid. How ironic that she’s now an award winning author.

Goes to show you, you don’t have to start out liking books and reading to end up loving them Check out the Specialists Novels, because they are F-U-N!

Tags: fiction, greenland, kelly james, model spy, novel, penguin putnam, shannon greenland, speak, specialists, spy, young adult, young adult novel

One of the reasons I like to read fiction is because at the end, the characters can be happy. The goal of course is for the author to make it believable, but still, I want HAPPY people…

I just finished reading Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins. It was beautiful. It takes place in India in the 1970’s. Here is the jacket blurb on it…

When her father loses his job and leaves India to look for work in America, Asha Gupta, her older sister, Reet, and their mother must wait with Baba’s brother and his family, as well as their grandmother, in Calcutta. Uncle is welcoming, but in a country steeped in tradition, the three women must abide by his decisions. Asha knows this is temporary — just until Baba sends for them. But with scant savings and time passing, the tension builds: Ma, prone to spells of sadness, finds it hard to submit to her mother- and sister-in-law; Reet’s beauty attracts unwanted marriage proposals; and Asha’s promise to take care of Ma and Reet leads to impulsive behavior. What follows is a firestorm of rebuke — and secrets revealed! Asha’s only solace is her rooftop hideaway, where she pours her heart out in her diary, and where she begins a clandestine friendship with Jay Sen, the boy next door. Asha can hardly believe that she, and not Reet, is the object of Jay’s attention. Then news arrives about Baba . . . and Asha must make a choice that will change their lives forever.

It was a beautiful book.. (haven’t I said that already?) But it really was. The family dynamics, with the father gone to America, the mother and two sisters left to live with relatives. The money problems, the Indian culture, it was all so beautifull7 written and described.

However, it was not a romance novel where everyone lives happily every after in their perfect world. It was a novel of family honor and respect, doing what is right even though it may kill you inside.

It was beautiful and worth it, but have tissues ready at the end!

Look for it on the shelf of your local independent bookshop in January of 2009. I also wanted to include this bio of Mitali, from her website, because it will definitely show you how this woman knows her stuff about different cultures!

Mitali Bose Perkins was born in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Her name means “friendly” in Bangla, which she tried to live up to because the Bose family moved so often – they lived in India, Ghana, Cameroon, London, New York City, and Mexico City before settling in the San Francisco Bay Area when she was in middle school. Mitali studied political science at Stanford University and public policy at U.C. Berkeley, surviving academia thanks to a steady diet of kids’ books from public libraries and bookstores, and went on to teach middle school, high school, and college students. She lived in India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and California with her husband and twin sons before the Perkins family moved to Newton, Massachusetts, where they live now.

Tags: calcutta, fiction, india, mitali perkins, novel, secret keeper, secrets, young adult

A synopsis from LoveReading.co.uk

1867, Canada - As winter tightens its grip on the isolated settlement of Dove River, a man is brutally murdered and a 17-year old boy disappears. Tracks leaving the dead man’s cabin head north towards the forest and the tundra beyond. In the wake of such violence, people are drawn to the township - journalists, Hudson’s Bay Company men, trappers, traders - but do they want to solve the crime, or exploit it? One-by-one the assembled searchers set out from Dove River, pursuing the tracks across a desolate landscape home only to wild animals, madmen and fugitives, variously seeking a murderer, a son, two sisters missing for 17 years, a forgotten Native American culture, and a fortune in stolen furs before the snows settle and cover the tracks of the past for good. In an astonishingly assured debut, Stef Penney deftly weaves adventure, suspense, revelation and humour into a panoramic historical romance, an exhilarating thriller, a keen murder mystery and ultimately, with the sheer scope and quality of her storytelling, one of the books of the year.

A Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly,

The frigid isolation of European immigrants living on the 19th-century Canadian frontier is the setting for British author Penney’s haunting debut. Seventeen-year-old Francis Ross disappears the same day his mother discovers the scalped body of his friend, fur trader Laurent Jammet, in a neighboring cabin. The murder brings newcomers to the small settlement, from inexperienced Hudson Bay Company representative Donald Moody to elderly eccentric Thomas Sturrock, who arrives searching for a mysterious archeological fragment once in Jammet’s possession. Other than Francis, no real suspects emerge until half-Indian trapper William Parker is caught searching the dead man’s house. Parker escapes and joins with Francis’s mother to track Francis north, a journey that produces a deep if unlikely bond between them. Only when the pair reaches a distant Scandinavian settlement do both characters and reader begin to understand Francis, who arrived there days before them. Penney’s absorbing, quietly convincing narrative illuminates the characters, each a kind of outcast, through whose complex viewpoints this dense, many-layered story is told. (July)

And lastly, from Powell’s Books, the comment is what got me.

Rarely has a suspense thriller trod the path that Stef Penney has taken. Even as one waits with bated breath to find the killer, one gets sucked into yet another aspect of the novel — the dynamics of human relationships against the bleak picture of cold isolation! The reader’s prerogative to judge and condemn is taken away as the story unfolds to reveal the vulnerabilities of the human heart. Moments of intense sadness are overlaid by the immediate concerns of survival. This is one of those books that leave you feeling the end has no business to arrive so soon.

Now, my opinions:

All that said, it was a good book. All of the points that each of those sites bring up is accurate, and they do not mention that there are a few moments where you have to stop and say, “wow, I did not think we were going THERE.” I was not as enthralled as others who have read it. I LIKE HAPPY CHARACTERS! 1867 Canada does not lend itself to happy characters. But it was still a good book, definitely worthy of the read and it comes out in paperback on May 4th 2008. Look for it in your local independent bookshop then!

Tags: 1867, canada, fiction, fur, fur trade, furs, hardcover, murder, novel, paperback, penney, scalping, stef penney, tenderness of wolves.

Something to Blog about, my friend Shana’s book, has been reviewed!!!

Over here at Arm Chair Interviews, there is a very nice and positive review. I shall cut and paste for any linkaphobes in the audience.

Something to BLOG About
by Shana Norris
Published by Amulet Books (February 2008)

Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

Shana Norris’ debut novel, Something to BLOG About, melds blogging and narrative–and the result is a cute and unique look at teens on their own turf. Norris gives the reader everything: boys, blogs, a nasty bully, a dating mom and an insecure heroine.

Libby (not Elizabeth) Fawcett’s decision to start a secret blog (meant for her eyes only) chronicles the happy, sad and mundane emotions and experiences of our misunderstood and occasionally clumsy heroine.

What could be more embarrassing than starting your hair on fire in chemistry class? Having your heartthrob, Seth Jacobs witness the entire tragic event. Could life get any worse? It could if your mother happens to be dating the father of your arch enemy, Angel Rivera. And how do you help your best guy friend (who is also your cousin) with his love life when you can’t manage your own? It’s a good bet you’d stop him from sending his secret love a HUGE bouquet of flowers that she’s sure to hate.

Writing in her online blog keeps Libby focused and sane (along with running). But through a series of events the blog finds its way to school and Libby wonders how she’s ever going to recover from the humiliation of everyone knowing her innermost thoughts.

Something to BLOG About has several things going for it. First, it’s fun, fast-paced and true to the teenage life. Second it is a book you can, without worry, allow your YA to read without concern that sex, drugs and mean-spirited kids will be encouraged.

Armchair Interviews says: It’s refreshing to read a young adult book that shares the teenager’s life with some humor and one that doesn’t encourage destructive behavior as the norm.

Author’s Web site: http://www.ShanaNorris.com

Like I said, a nice review. Makes me even MORE excited to be able to sell the book!!!

Tags: 2008, amulet books, arm chair interviews, armchairinterviews, Book, child, february, fiction, libby fawcett, novel, review, shana norris, something to blog about

Just got the news. Chapter ONE is online!

Yeah, I miss you, too. A lot. Doesn’t change anything.
Sorry
Jacob

In PDF over at stepheniemeyer.com

***Eclipse Quote of the Day*** (7/10/07)
“This hostage stuff is fun.” — Alice Cullen

AUGUST 7TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EEP!

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Tags: august 7th, bella swan, children's book, cullen, eclipse, fiction, first chapter of eclipse, jacob black, juvenile literature, meyer, new moon, novel, stephenie meyer, twilight, vampire

Here is another new cool series by a mystery author. Not an author that writes mysteries, an author no one has met… No seriously, look at his RH page here. There is nothing.

John Twelve Hawks has written two novels. The Traveler was the first and that is now available in paperback. Dark River is the second in the Fourth Realm series.

A couple of cool interviews, here at SFF World, and here is the J12H blip from the Telegraph article,

John Twelve Hawks
Age Unknown
Real name Secret
Previous occupation Who knows?
Address Off the grid
Star character Warrior-babe Maya
Commercial status One novel The Traveller (2006): UK sales, 150,000-plus. Sequel The Dark River due out in July.

John Twelve Hawks is either the world’s most mysterious author or one of its most brilliant conmen. His agent and publisher insist they have no idea of his true identity, describing how he communicates via untraceable satellite phones, using a digital synthesiser to distort his voice.

He does not own a television and drives a 15-year-old car. They report conversations in which Twelve Hawks intones, ‘I saw your office the other day,’ without revealing how or when.

He has also told his editors that he has visited every location he writes about, including London, Prague, the Arizona desert… and Hell. Hawks’s determination to live ‘off the grid’ - without credit cards, conventional ID, personal bank-accounts or a fixed address - is a radical response to the creeping menace of the surveillance society.

His debut novel, The Traveller, read like an obsessive, paranoid mix of Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Matrix and Blair/Bush legislation, in which populations are constantly monitored, supervised and coerced into appropriate behaviour by the ‘vast machine’ of computers, micro-chips and CCTV.

Traveler was a really interesting read, and while some of the reviews I have read feel that Dark River falls into the “middle child” syndrome of the trilogy and is weaker than the first, I am still excited to read it.

I know it isn’t necessary to show the full size cover of The Traveler, but it is just so PRETTY.

Anyways, this is a great set of novels, and they really bring to mind the issues that we in the United States are having with privacy, and with the whole 1984 “Big Brother is Watching You” concept.

A good read all around, go check it out! They should both be available in your local independent bookstore!

1984, big brother, books, cool covers, debut novel, fantasy, fiction, international, j12h, john twelve hawks, novel, pretty covers, privacy, science fiction, series, stay off the grid, the grid, traveler, traveller, trilogy

Tags: 1984, big brother, books, cool covers, debut novel, fantasy, fiction, international, j12h, john twelve hawks, novel, pretty covers, privacy, science fiction, series, stay off the grid, the grid, traveler, traveller, trilogy

Ah the joys of series. Now, some may tell you that I hate series. This is only the case when I start reading the series with book #1 and books 2, 3 (or more) are not fore-casted for years. This is why I love Mitchell Graham. I found his Fifth Ring series years after the trilogy has been published! The Fifth Ring, Emerald Cavern and Ancient Legacy make up the trilogy, and my oh my, it is a good one.

A short review listed on his site,

“Debut novelist Mitchell Graham hasn’t just made a splash in the literary world with the publication of The Fifth Ring, he’s created a tidal wave! Everyone I know is talking about this wonderfully crafted, brilliantly narrated fantasy. ”
-Paul Goat Allen, editor of B&N’s Explorations

Yeah, I agree there!!!

Check this, from an interview with SFF World (which you should definitely read the rest of at their site),

Mitch claims he did not have a desire to write novels until later in life – despite his brush with greatness as a child. At the age of about 9, he wrote a letter to C.S. Lewis saying how much he enjoyed Lewis’ novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. To his surprise, Lewis wrote back thanking him for his letter and “commending a little closer study of the grammatical niceties of the English language.”

Mitch maintained his correspondence with C.S. Lewis for the next 3 ½ years. At that time Lewis’ letters stopped. Mitch was disappointed but hoped the letters would resume. Eventually, he received a letter from an associate of Lewis saying that Lewis had died. The associate wrote, “I know this is a poor substitute, but I’m sending you a copy of my book “The Hobbit”. A love of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth followed.

I know! GAH!!!

Check out his work. All three novels are available and TRUST ME: if there is any word of another in this series, I will let you know!!

5th ring, ancient legacy, c.s. lewis, cs lewis, emerald cavern, fantasy, fiction, fifth ring, graham, hobbit, j.r.r. tolkien, jrr tolkien, lord of the rings, mitchell graham, novel, science-fantasy, sffworld.net

Tags: 5th ring, ancient legacy, c.s. lewis, emerald cavern, fantasy, fiction, fifth ring, graham, hobbit, j.r.r. tolkien, lord of the rings, mitchell graham, novel, science-fantasy, sffworld.net

So readers, are you ready for another rant? This applies specifically to romance novels, but can be generalized to all genres really. You have an author you love, and then you find another title by that author, and start reading only to discover that it takes place BEFORE the book you just finished. There was NO NOTATION anywhere that the first book was part of a series. NOTHING AT ALL.

This really irks me. Have no fear, I have a specific example for you.

Hawk’s Prize, Passion, Pursuit and Pledge are a series of 4 romance novels. They are about four siblings, separated years earlier. Overall each is a decent story, and though there is some repetition, it is a good set of four books. From the back of the book,

Theirs was a tale of Tragedy and Triumph. Four children abandoned in an orphanage. Two missing parents. One man whose hatred had divided a family, whose duplicity ended in murder, inextricably weaving all their lives together in a web of lies that only time could untangle.

Are you ready to see the confusion?

Here is their order.

Hawk’s Pledge, by Constance O’Banyon is the oldest brother, Whit’s story. Hawk’s Passion, by Elaine Barbieri is the first sister Elizabeth’s story. Hawk’s Pursuit, (back to O’Banyon) is the story of one of the sisters, Jena Leigh. Hawk’s Prize, (this one by Barbieri) is of the fourth brother, Drew.

Two different authors, nothing saying it is a specific series. On our computer at work, the spelling of Hawk’s is actually different. Two have Hawks and two have Hawk’s. The second through fourth do make mention to a “Hawk Crest” series but no where in our computer database at work does it reference that. Additionally, though the third and fourth book have cover inserts of the first two as reference, the second book has no reference to the first.

This series at least tried to let you know, with the series list inside, but depending on where you started, you just couldn’t know it was a series.

Trust me dear readers, other authors are much worse at listing this information. (Also, I know it isn’t just the authors. They may write the books, but it is the publishers who choose what goes on the cover and what get listed in terms of other books the author has written.)

And with that, have a good day!

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Tags: barbieri, constance o'banyon, elaine barbieri, fiction, hawk crest, Hawk Crest Series, hawk's passion, hawk's pledge, hawk's prize, hawk's pursuit, hawks, mass market, novel, novels, o'banyon, order, paperback, rant, ranting, rants, romance, romance novels, series, series order