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December 18, 2013

20SomethingReads.com Newsletter December 18, 2013
2014 or Bust!
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
2014 or Bust!

We’re wrapping things up at the office before we all head off to our respective holiday celebration destinations. For some of us, that means flying off into the warm West Coast sunset (see ya soon, mom and dad! xoxo, Nikki). For others, it means staying in the frigid cold of New York City (Emily’s not happy about this --- at least she’ll be around to see Miley Cyrus in Times Square, and when there’s a ball involved…). But no matter where you’ll be, the holidays are a time for sipping champagne, stuffing our faces with peppermint bark brownies, reading and binge-watching Netflix. So...basically the holidays are a day-after-day repeat of a regular Wednesday night!

In the past few newsletters, we compiled all the things we love (listicles, apparently), learned to love, grew to hate (listicles?), said goodbye to, said hello to, said “OMFG” to...and everything else in between. From “Blurred Lines” to the end of "Breaking Bad" to the arrival of Nori West, 2013 was an exciting year for pop culture enthusiasts. In the spirit of making lists, here’s one last one of 10 media-related things we’re looking forward to in 2014. As Virginia Woolf always used to say, "There’s no time like the present, except maybe the future."

1. Being one year closer to the 50 Shades of Grey theatrical release (because we can only hold our breath for so long).

2. Sochi Winter Olympics.

3. Finally, the Lena Dunham “self-help” book we’ve all been waiting for! And oh yes, "Girls" starting back up in January.

4. Winter is coming (again though it feels like winter has been here for a month and REALLY should start the first day it snows and end 3 months later) --- and so are some of our favorite TV shows.

5. The Kimye wedding. Who isn’t interested in seeing America’s Sweethearts tie the knot?

6. Listening to new songs over and over until we can’t anymore.

7. Awards season!

8. ALL THE GOOD MOVIES: Divergent, 300: Rise of an Empire, Maleficent, Muppets Most Wanted, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Fault in Our Stars, Gone Girl...we could go on and on and on.

9. Snapchat 2.0: Instachat. Snapgram. Twitbook. Apple, you taking notes?

10. Being wiser. That comes with age, right?

And one more for good luck, cause BOY! do we need it: looking forward to all the Throwback Thursdays of 2014.

As for books we are looking forward to, Nikki is planning on reading ENDLESS LOVE by Scott Spencer this winter break, before the movie hits theaters on Valentine's Day. While this novel was written a little more than three decades go, the powerful story of young love and obsession holds true to this day. The movie stars heartthrob Alex Pettyfer, of Beastly and Magic Mike fame, and the book is a must read to gear up for the silverscreen. Emily will be diving into S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. Abrams, who we all know as co-creator of "Alias," "Felicity" and "Lost," to name a few, writes the story of a young woman who picks up a book left by a stranger. The book is a sort of literary experiment that is making a splash with 20Somethings. We want to hear what you'll be reading this holiday season. Share with us via Facebook and Twitter!

Our Holiday Bundle of Cheer Feature and Contest is ending THIS THURSDAY. You still have ONE LAST CHANCE to win seven great titles, along with some holiday-themed goodies. For more details, scroll below. Enter by December 19th at noon ET.

So as you jingle your little bells, clack your heels together and spread Yuletide cheer, we’ll be reading away the final hours of 2013. We hope you party like it’s the end of the world...but we all know that the world only really ends when there are no more peppermint bark brownies left.

Here’s to so many more great memories, shared thoughts and a slew of highly anticipated books of 2014!

--- 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 NOW. 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

There are a limited number of shopping days left till Christmas and an even more limited number of days (we're down to a handful of hours!) to enter the 20SomethingReads 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 of THIS WEEK, December 19th at noon ET to be one of five lucky winners.

Giving is great, but we all know that winning is better!

 

Ongoing CALL FOR CONTRIBUTORS!
Are you making a list of all the books you plan to read over your winter break? Do you think Beyoncé is the new Santa, since she released her album overnight to all of her fans' surprise? Are you sitting on the edge of your seat in anticipation of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and The Wolf of Wall Street? Have you already started crafting your New Year's resolution? Do you think this could be your best holiday season yet?

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: The Best Graphic Novels of 2013
GraphicNovelReporter.com shares the cream of the crop graphic novels from the past year. Pictures can be worth 2,013 words.

BLOG: 2014 Golden Globe Nominations: Books on Screen
In an extension of our "Books on Screen" feature, we list the best film and TV page-to-picture nominations for each category.

BLOG: Throwback Thursday: Let it Snow!
Our days of TBTs in 2013 are limited. Here are two recommendations we can never forget, now matter how old we're getting.

BLOG: Buying for the Bookworm: 10 Gift Ideas for the Holiday Season
Contributor Amanda throws out some books that make great presents during this holiday season.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Bookreporter.com's Top 10 International Mysteries of 2013

INTERVIEW: Jeff Smith: Tuki, Best 2013 Comics, and More

 

 

Young Adult Reviews

FOUL TROUBLE by John Feinstein (Young Adult +12)
Terrell Jamerson is the #1 high school basketball player in the country. He's got top colleges lined up to offer him scholarships. Press coverage at every game. Everyone says he could play in the NBA tomorrow. He's living the dream, right? Danny Wilcox would tell you a different story. Danny is Terrell's best friend and teammate, and a top prospect himself. But he sees that not all of the people buzzing around Terrell have his best interests at heart. It's a dirty game, but Terrell will have to learn to play if he wants his chance at a slam dunk... Reviewed by Amy Alessio.

THE LIVING by Matt de la Pena (Young Adult +12)
Shy took the summer job to make some money. In a few months on a luxury cruise liner, he'll rake in the tips and be able to help his mom and sister out with the bills. But everything changes when the Big One hits. Shy's only weeks out at sea when an earthquake more massive than ever before recorded hits California, and his life is forever changed. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE NATURALS by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Crime Fiction)
Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people, but it's not a skill that she's ever taken seriously until the FBI come knocking: they need Cassie. What Cassie doesn't realize is that there's more at risk than a few unsolved homicides --- especially when she's sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Reviewed by Benjamin Boche.

ROOMIES by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando (Young Adult +12)
When East Coast native Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment, she shoots off an e-mail to coordinate the basics: television, microwave, mini-fridge. That first note to San Franciscan Lauren sparks a series of e-mails that alters the landscape of each girl's summer -- and raises questions about how two girls who are so different will ever share a dorm room. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

WHAT WE LOST IN THE DARK by Jacquelyn Mitchard (Thriller)
Allie knows why Juliet killed herself: to escape the clutches of Garrett Tabor, whom the trio saw committing an unspeakable crime. When Rob introduces Allie to the wildly dangerous sport of nighttime deep diving, Allie assumes he’s only trying to derail her investigation...until they uncover the horror terrible secret Garrett Tabor has hidden under Lake Superior. Reviewed by Caroline Osborn.

 

 

Adult Reviews

THE APARTMENT by Greg Baxter (Fiction)
Greg Baxter’s début novel is the story of an Iraq War veteran who moves from his American hometown to an unnamed European city. On a snowy December day, a young woman the narrator met weeks earlier helps him look for an apartment. The book, which takes place over the course of that day, is a chronicle of regret and a meditation on violence and those who would exploit it for personal gain. Reviewed by Michael Magras.

BROWN DOG: Novellas by Jim Harrison (Fiction)
Brown Dog, a bawdy, reckless, down-on-his-luck Michigan Indian, has earned cult status with readers of Jim Harrison in the more than two decades since his first appearance. For the first time, BROWN DOG gathers all the Brown Dog novellas, including a never-published one, into a single volume --- the ideal introduction (or reintroduction) to Harrison’s irresistible Everyman. Reviewed by John Maher.

COMMAND AUTHORITY: A Jack Ryan Novel by Tom Clancy with Mark Greaney (Thriller/Adventure)
There’s a new strong man in Russia, but his rise to power is based on a dark secret hidden decades in the past. The solution to that mystery lies with a most unexpected source: President Jack Ryan. COMMAND AUTHORITY is the final published book by Tom Clancy, who passed away in October at the age of 66. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

DEAD EYE: A Gray Man Novel by Mark Greaney (Thriller/Adventure)
Haunted by his former employers and international groups, legendary ex-CIA master assassin Court Gentry, now known as the Gray Man, has always prided himself on his ability to disappear at will, to fly below the radar and exist in the shadows. But when he takes revenge upon a former employer who betrayed him, he exposes himself to something he’s never had to face before. A killer who is just like him. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

DEATH OF THE BLACK-HAIRED GIRL by Robert Stone (Thriller)
A brilliant but careless professor, Steven Brookman has determined that for the sake of his marriage --- and his soul --- he must extract himself from his relationship with Maud Stack, his electrifying student, whose papers are always late and too long yet always incandescent. But Maud is a young woman whose passions are not easily contained or curtailed, and their union will quickly yield tragic and far-reaching consequences. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

INNOCENCE by Dean Koontz (Fantasy/Thriller)
He lives in solitude beneath the city, an exile from society, which will destroy him if he is ever seen. She dwells in seclusion, a fugitive from enemies who will do her harm if she is ever found. The bond between them runs deeper than the tragedies that have scarred their lives, and the fateful night in which they meet will push them to a point of reckoning for themselves and those they protect. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE MURDER CODE by Steve Mosby (Mystery)
When a woman is found bludgeoned to death, Detective Inspector Andrew Hicks suspects a crime of passion, and attention focuses on her possessive ex-husband. But then a second body is found, and more murders arrive in quick succession. As the death toll rises, Hicks must face not only a killer obsessed with randomness and chaos, but also a secret in his own past. If he is to stop the killings, he must confront the truth about himself. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

NEWTOWN: An American Tragedy by Matthew Lysiak (True Crime)
The world mourned the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012. Now comes a startling, comprehensive look at this tragedy, and into the mind of the unstable killer, Adam Lanza. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and a decade’s worth of emails from Lanza’s mother to close friends that chronicled his slow slide into mental illness, NEWTOWN pieces together the perfect storm that led to this unspeakable act of violence that shattered so many lives. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.

A THOUSAND HILLS TO HEAVEN: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda by Josh Ruxin (Memoir)
Newlyweds Josh and Alissa were at a party and received a challenge that shook them to the core: Do you think you can really make a difference? Especially in a place like Rwanda, where the scars of genocide linger and poverty is rampant? While Josh worked hard bringing food and health care to the country's rural villages, Alissa was determined to put their foodie expertise to work. The couple opened Heaven, a gourmet restaurant overlooking Kigali, which became an instant success. Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin.

 

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