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December 11, 2013

20SomethingReads.com Newsletter December 11, 2013
Holiday Madness
Special Feature: SEMPRE and SEMPRE: Redemption by J.M. Darhower
Special Feature: ALICE CLOSE YOUR EYES by Averil Dean
Shop the Children's Book Week Store This Holiday Season!
20SomethingReads.com's Holiday Bundle of Cheer
Ongoing CALL FOR CONTRIBUTORS!
What's NEW on 20SomethingReads.com?
Young Adult Reviews
Adult Reviews
Holiday Madness

‘Tis the season to spend the next three weeks standing under mistletoe. We aren’t joking; we both planted ourselves under the mistletoe at the holiday parties we attended on Friday night. We remain confident that if we hit the mistletoe mark at each party, we will find our next boyfriends!

In all seriousness, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again...everyone’s looking for a cuddle buddy this cold winter season...and you might just find him or her at your next holiday party. Whether you’re wrapping up exams and presents along with your semester at school, getting all your roast ducks in a row at work before you take off for the holidays or decking the halls of your very first home with boughs of holly, we know you’ve got a party or two to attend before the year’s end. From family parties to office parties, your best friend’s parties, college reunion parties, skeeball team holiday party, winter Olympics diehards parties, Match.com parties, there’s a whole slew of different kinds of seasonal parties. Because we love you, and because we’re experts*, here are a few of our best 20Something DOs and DON’Ts to keep you as sharp as the pine needles on your Christmas tree (or as well groomed as your Holiday Bush).

DO dress the part. Whether you’re dressing up or dressing down, sequins are always in season.

DON’T be dressed in head-to-toe tartan. You don’t want anyone mistaking you for a Claus kid.

DO strike up conversation with a stranger! You’ll score major peppermint bark brownie points for being bold and making the first move.

DON’T forget to follow through! Send your new holiday hunny a post-party text and make a date to meet somewhere with slightly less tinsel.

DO partake in the peppermint-infused beverage consumption, if you want to.

DON’T forget your limits --- no one fondly remembers the person who broke Grandma’s antique vase.

DO know your favorite books of 2013. Some of ours are George Saunders’ THE TENTH OF DECEMBER, Sheryl Sandberg’s LEAN IN and David Sedaris’ LET’S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS.

DON’T introduce yourself using your fancy pen name. Here’s lookin’ at you, Robert Galbraith.

DO be in it to win it. A positively festive attitude goes a long way --- it might even get you to the North Pole and back!

DON’T actually try to go to the North Pole and back. Travel is tricky this time of year.

DO tell the story about the greatest gift you ever gave/received. Everyone appreciates a good conversation starter.

DON’T tell the story about the time you broke Grandma’s antique vase. Especially if it happened earlier that night.

DO know your angles! There will be lots of holiday photos taken, and you want to look your best. New year, new you!

DON’T photobomb your boss. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a ruined picture could cost you your paycheck.

DO take dessert to go! If there’s one thing we learned from family road trips, it’s that snacks make any ride go faster.

DON’T take silverware to go.

DO remember to thank your host. Be gracious, kind and affectionate --- and don’t be afraid to whip out your personal sprig of mistletoe, if the mood is right.

DON’T overdo it. An in-person thank you, a follow-up thank you note AND a poinsettia plant might be too much.

(Note: These are only some well-placed suggestions from some well-seasoned 20Somethings. Not rules to party by.)

Maybe you’re more of an introvert, and “silent nights” are your thing. You can always stay in and watch Chevy Chase in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Muppet Christmas Carol or Home Alone (if you’re into meta movie watching). If your wifi keeps cutting out, we’ve got some great books for you to cuddle up with in front of your crackling yule log (whether it’s real or on TV). KETCHUP CLOUDS by Annabel Pitcher is about Zoe, who confesses to betraying and killing two boys she loved in letters to an unlikely pen pal --- Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer Stuart Harris. If you’re looking for something a little more allegorical, try THE HEN WHO DREAMED SHE COULD FLY by Sun-mi Hwang. Farm-bred hen Sprout is no longer content to lay eggs on command, so she goes off into the wild and learns a lesson about freedom, individuality and motherhood. And if you’re not a hen, check out THE PRINCE OF RISK by Christopher Reich. This story is a high-octane financial thriller set at the crossroads of high finance and international terrorism.

Our Holiday Bundle of Cheer Feature and Contest is still open with a chance to win seven great titles, along with some holiday-themed goodies. For more details, scroll below. Enter by next Thursday, December 19th at noon ET for your chance to win.

There’s something for everyone this season (“There’s always something for everyone, even hens.” -- Nicole Sherman, 2013). Whether you’re out and about brownbagging eggnog or inside hoarding fruitcake, here's to ramping up the holiday spirit! And don’t forget your mistletoe!

We'll be back with one more newsletter next week...to get you set to ring in the new year!

--- Nicole Sherman (Nicole@bookreporter.com) and Emily Hoenig (Emily@bookreporter.com)

 

Special Feature: SEMPRE and SEMPRE: Redemption by J.M. Darhower

The enticing series from author J.M. Darhower, SEMPRE and SEMPRE: Redemption, are passionate stories about love, sacrifice, death and freedom. SEMPRE is the first book in the series and is available in eBook as of November 25, 2013. Two teenagers, Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco, come from very different worlds. When they fall in love in the midst of a mafia-run sex trafficking ring, they start to question everything they once believed. SEMPRE will be released for the first time in paperback on February 25, 2014. SEMPRE: Redemption is the thrilling sequel to SEMPRE and will be available in eBook on December 16, 2013. This time around, Haven and Carmine find themselves implicated in the mafia-run organization they once tried to overthrow, and desperately try and find new ground in their relationship. SEMPRE: Redemption will be released for the first time in paperback on April 1, 2014.

- Click here to learn more about the series.

More about SEMPRE:
Two young lovers, Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco, come from very different worlds. When they fall in love in the midst of a mafia-run sex trafficking ring, they begin to question everything they once believed. This is a story about sacrifice...death...love...freedom. This is a story about forever.

Available in eBook NOW. Available in paperback on February 25, 2014.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for an excerpt.

More about SEMPRE: Redemption:
In this thrilling sequel to SEMPRE, Haven and Carmine find themselves implicated in the mafia-run organization they once tried to overthrow, and desperately try and find new ground in their relationship.

Available in eBook on December 16, 2013. Available in paperback on April 1, 2014.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for an excerpt.

 

Special Feature: ALICE CLOSE YOUR EYES by Averil Dean

With haunting prose and deft psychological insight, Averil Dean spins a chilling story that explores the dark corners of obsession --- love, pain and revenge in ALICE CLOSE YOUR EYES.

Ten years ago, someone ruined Alice Croft's life. Now, she has a chance to right that wrong. She thinks she has found the perfect man to carry out her plan --- Jack Calabrese. However, it isn't long before she finds herself drawn into a labyrinth of terrifying surrender to a man who is more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for an excerpt.

 
Shop the Children's Book Week Store This Holiday Season!

Have a child to buy a present for...or want to appeal to the child in all of us with a to me/from me present for yourself?

As the holiday shopping season is in full swing, we have a place where you can find something special for the booklover in your life --- the Children’s Book Week store. Click here to learn how to purchase prints, posters, t-shirts, mugs, calendars and more featuring designs created for Children’s Book Week by well-known and well-loved children's book illustrators, including Maurice Sendak, Tomi dePaola, Rosemary Wells, Lane Smith, Ian Falconer, Kevin Henkes, and more! It also offers an easy opportunity to do some good, as proceeds from the Children’s Book Week store benefit Every Child a Reader (ECAR), the 501(c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to instilling a lifelong love of reading in children.

Click HERE to shop the Children's Book Week store.

 

20SomethingReads.com's Holiday Bundle of Cheer

Here at 20SomethingReads we're kicking off the holiday season with our Holiday Bundle of Cheer Contest and Feature. As our gift to you, we are spotlighting some amazing books. Five lucky readers will win a copy of each featured title to curl up with this holiday season, along with some incredibly festive goodies.

This year's featured titles are:

CRASH INTO YOU by Katie McGarry
CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge
THE DREAM THIEVES by Maggie Stiefvater
FOREPLAY by Sophie Jordan
THE LAST TELEGRAM by Liz Trenow
THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner
SECRET by Brigid Kemmere

Click HERE to enter by Thursday, December 19th at noon ET to be one of five lucky winners.

Ongoing CALL FOR CONTRIBUTORS!

Are you writing your art history thesis on the Kardashian Christmas card? Are you bursting with Smaug-George Clooney jokes? Are you as obsessed with winter whites as Nikki? Are you planning on only giving books as gifts this year?

If so, we want to hear from you. We are looking for ongoing contributors for book reviews and blog posts who would like to impart their wisdoms on life, love, books, TV, movies, pop culture and all the other stuff we 20Somethings just can't get enough of. Send a cover letter and writing samples to Nicole@bookreporter.com and Emily@bookreporter.com. Write for us enough and we'll add you to our Contributors page.

 

What's NEW on 20SomethingReads.com?

BLOG: Happy Belated Birthday to C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L'Engle!
Austin "Dallas" gives a short SO to some literary greats of the past.

BLOG: Throwback Thursday: More Bang for Your Book!
Our #TBTs, and very much in particular this post, will give you gift-giving inspiration to get you into the holiday spirit. Did someone say gifts? Did someone say "spirit(s)?" Your family, best friend, postman and dry cleaner can thank us later.

BLOG: Once Upon a Time Adults Read Fairy Tales, Too
We're lucky to have contributor Lauren Sarner back (even if it's only for a short amount of time) as she gives a rundown of the best fairy tales for adults.

BLOG: Get Your Hobbit On: How to Prepare for the Release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
With The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hitting theaters this week, we've got all the facts you need to brush up on in anticipation of Peter Jackson's new release.

 

Young Adult Reviews

ANGEL DE LA LUNA AND THE 5TH GLORIOUS MYSTERY by M. Evelina Galang (Historical)
Angel has just lost her father, and her mother's grief means she might as well be gone too. She's got a sister and a grandmother to look out for, and a burgeoning consciousness of the unfairness in the world --- in her family, her community and her country. Reviewed by Anita Lock.

KETCHUP CLOUDS by Annabel Pitcher (Young Adult 12+)
Zoe has an unconventional pen pal --- Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But then again, Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two boys, betrayed one of them, and killed the other. Reviewed by Sabrina Abballe.

LOUD AWAKE AND LOST by Adele Griffin (Young Adult 12+)
There was an accident. Ember knows at least that much. She was driving. The car was totaled. She suffered back injuries and brain trauma. But she is alive. That's the only thing left she can cling to. She can't even remember the six weeks of her life leading up to the accident. Where was she going? Who was she with? And what happened during those six weeks that her friends and family won't talk about? Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

 

Adult Reviews

CITY OF LOST DREAMS by Magnus Flyte (Fantasy)
In this action-packed sequel to CITY OF DARK MAGIC, musicologist Sarah Weston is in Vienna in search of a cure for her friend Pollina, who is now gravely ill and may not have much time left. Meanwhile, Nicolas Pertusato, in London in search of an ancient alchemical cure for the girl, discovers that an old enemy is one step ahead of him. In Prague, Prince Max tries to unravel the strange reappearance of a long-dead saint while being pursued by a seductive red-headed historian with dark motives of her own. Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski.

CROSS AND BURN by Val McDermid (Thriller)
Guilt and grief have driven a wedge between crime-fighting partners psychologist Tony Hill and ex-DCI Carol Jordan. Meanwhile, someone is killing women --- women who bear an unsettling resemblance to Carol. And when the evidence begins to point in a disturbing direction, thinking the unthinkable seems the only possible answer. Cornered by events, Tony and Carol are forced to fight for themselves and each other as never before. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

CROSS MY HEART by James Patterson (Thriller)
Detective Alex Cross is a family man at heart --- nothing matters more to him than his children, his grandmother, and his wife Bree. His love of his family is his anchor, and gives him the strength to confront evil in his work. One man knows this deeply, and uses Alex's strength as a weapon against him. When the ones Cross loves are in danger, he will do anything to protect them. If he does anything to protect them, they will die. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE GODS OF GUILT: A Lincoln Lawyer Novel by Michael Connelly (Legal Thriller)
When Mickey Haller learns that a murder victim was his own former client, a prostitute he thought he had rescued and put on the straight and narrow path, he knows he is on the hook for this one. Far from saving her, Mickey may have been the one who put her in danger. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, Mickey must work tirelessly and bring all his skill to bear on a case that could mean his ultimate redemption --- or proof of his ultimate guilt. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

HAVISHAM by Ronald Frame (Historical Fiction)
Before she became the immortal and haunting Miss Havisham of GREAT EXPECTATIONS, she was Catherine, a young woman with all of her dreams ahead of her. Sent by her father to stay with the Chadwycks, Catherine discovers elegant pastimes to remove the taint of her family's new money. When a charismatic stranger pays her attention, everything --- her heart, her future, the very Havisham name --- is vulnerable. Reviewed by Kathy Weissman.

THE HEN WHO DREAMED SHE COULD FLY by Sun-mi Hwang (Fiction)
This bestselling modern fable from Korea is the story of a hen named Sprout. No longer content to lay eggs on command, only to have them carted off to the market, she glimpses her future every morning through the barn doors, where the other animals roam free, and comes up with a plan to escape into the wild --- and to hatch an egg of her own. Reviewed by Josh Mallory.

THE PRINCE OF RISK by Christopher Reich (Financial Thriller)
Bobby Astor is a fearless New York hedge-fund gunslinger on the verge of making his biggest killing ever. But everything changes when his father, the venerable chief executive of the New York Stock Exchange, is murdered along with the head of the Federal Reserve. In the moments before his death, Bobby's father sends him a mystifying text message that offers the only clue to the identity of the killer and the terrifying motivation behind the attack. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

PURSUIT by Gene Hackman (Thriller)
In a tense standoff with a shopping mall shooter, Sergeant Juliette Worth has the suspect about to surrender. Then, in a few explosive seconds, she takes him down. Instead of kudos for saving his hostage, the Missouri State Criminal Investigation Unit hands Julie cold case duty. Among the forgotten files, she uncovers a disturbing connection between disappearances from years ago --- all pretty girls, all presumed runaways. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE RETRIBUTION by Eric Van Lustbader (Thriller/Adventure)
Ouyang Jidan, a senior member of China's Politburo, and a major Mexican drug lord may be trafficking in something far more deadly than drugs. Jidan is the man who ordered Rebeka --- one of the only people Jason Bourne has ever truly cared about --- murdered. Bourne is determined to avenge her death, but in the process he becomes enmeshed in a monstrous world-wide scheme involving the Chinese, Mexicans and Russians. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

SHIFTER by Brian Haberlin, Skip Brittenham, Brian Holguin, Geirrod VanDyke, Kunrong Yap, and Chan Hyuk Lee (Graphic Novel)
Brought to you by the same folks who gave you ANOMALY, SHIFTER is a roaring adventure tale. It looks and feels a lot like a video game, and that’s by design. The book is also interactive: a free app lets readers make 3D elements of the book come alive on their devices. Reviewed by John Hogan.

SHOOT THE WOMAN FIRST: A Crissa Stone Novel by Wallace Stroby (Hard-boiledMystery/Thriller)
A half million dollars in drug proceeds, guarded by three men with automatic weapons. For Wallace Stroby's determined heroine, professional thief Crissa Stone, and her team, stealing it was the easy part. But when the split goes awry in a blaze of gunfire, Crissa finds herself on the run with a duffel bag of stolen cash, bound by a promise to deliver part of the take to the needy family of one of her slain partners. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

SINS OF THE FLESH: A Carmine Delmonico Novel by Colleen McCullough (Historical Mystery)
In the sleepy college town of Holloman, Connecticut, in 1969, two anonymous male corpses turn up, emaciated and emasculated. After connecting the victims to four other bodies, Sergeant Delia Carstairs and Lieutenant Abe Goldberg realize that Holloman has a psychopathic killer on the loose. Police Captain Carmine Delmonico’s team begins to circle a trio of eccentrics, who share family ties, painful memories, and a dark past. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.

THE SUPREME MACARONI COMPANY by Adriana Trigiani (Fiction)
In this conclusion to Adriana Trigiani's Valentine trilogy, Valentine Roncalli is marrying Gianluca Vechiarelli, the love of her life. However, she hasn't truly considered the cultural and age differences between an American businesswoman and a native Italian who's 18 years her senior. The repercussions lead to a rollercoaster love story with a powerful emotional payoff. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

 

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