April 9, 2014

If you’ve been plugged into the 20Something cultural airwaves these past couple of months, you may have picked up some strong signals about this new “trend” --- or “anti-trend” if we may --- called normcore*. What is normcore you ask? We asked ourselves the same thing when we’d only heard the word abuzz in the Twitter-sphere (and backlash in our own social circles). So we did what any sweet, inquisitive 20Somethings would do: We googled the s%&! out of it. Take notes, Rust Cohle, we’re the true detectives here. It seemed like the trend was to write about normcore so we jumped on that non-brandwagon. How normcore are we?!

*The “n” isn’t even capitalized --- we don’t want any letters standing out. See what we did there? Don’t worry, you will.

After extensive research, we’ve come to learn that normcore is a fashion/culture movement labeled by the website K-Hole (a self-proclaimed “trend forecasting group”). New York Magazine’s fashion blog, “The Cut,” called attention to the movement, causing the Internet to normsplode. Basically, K-Hole identified normcore as a response to Mass Indie culture --- where everyone is special, so no one is special. On the other hand, normcore kids aren’t even trying to be special, which somehow makes them special?! Someone’s math isn’t quite adding up (are calculators #normcore?). What we’re seeing is a rejection of every girl in your high school dressing like Zooey Deschanel, and thus being indistinguishable behind blunt bangs and thrift shop glasses. When the counterculture becomes the culture, someone has to take a passive-aggressive stand.

Still following? Maybe we’ll all get more comfortable with a list (are lists #normcore?)...or in a pair of mom jeans. Here are some things that are, to our knowledge**, normcore: your dad; white, label-less sneakers; performance fleece; Breyer’s ice cream; Jerry Seinfeld; Budweiser; non-fashion sweatpants; Fleetwood Mac; overalls; TGI Fridays. The list goes on, but you get the picture (are cameras #normcore?). An article in the New York Times summed up normcore as anything that can be considered “bland, suburban anti-fashion.” They go on to say that “normcore may be a hypothetical movement that turns into a real movement through the power of sheer momentum,” and that’s where we get really hung up.

Whether you think normcore is silly or not, it’s happening. And by “happening” we mean everybody is talking about it on the Internet. What’s interesting is that we would have never noticed normcore IRL, but once the Internet named it we started seeing it everywhere. Remember what trends used to be like when we were in middle school? One kid would show up wearing Adidas shower shoes and then we’d all have our mothers go out and get them for us. We’re still haunted by the sound of dozens of flatlining Tamagotchis. We still get chills thinking about pressing our fingers into a palm tree-shaped oily sticker. And don’t even get us started on scrunchies --- we’re still waiting for that trend to rear its frizzy head again. These days, being active on the Internet is like walking into your eighth grade homeroom.

We obviously have a lot to say about this...we could pretty much write a book (ever heard of ‘em?), but that would be too normcore. Or would it be anti-normcore?

**We’re still clearly not clear on exactly what #normcore is. Are you?

All said and done, the irony of normcore is that it is inexplicitly anti-consumerism. But the Internet makes consumers out of all of us --- we may not be buying (insert economics joke here), but were definitely buying into.

And while you all sit around in your L.L. Bean monogrammed bathrobes ruminating on the ifs, ands or buts about normcore, here are three reviewed books you definitely want to check out. THE HUMOR CODE: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner focuses on the search for the secret behind humor. Their journey spanned the globe, from New York to Japan, from Palestine to the Amazon and was not short of their own humor experiments along the way. SLEEP DONATION: A Novella by Karen Russell comes in eBook only and the poignant intimations of moral doubt and personal loss are more Hamlet than Hunger Games. Already heaped with accolades, the dystopian riffs are sharp and imaginative. SOUS CHEF: 24 Hours on the Line, written by chef Michael Gibney, takes place over the course of 24 hours and gives a behind the scenes look in an upscale New York restaurant kitchen. In SOUS CHEF, readers will find all the details, in rapid-fire succession, of what it takes to deliver an exceptional plate of food --- the journey to excellence by way of exhaustion.

Also be sure to check out our ongoing feature for SEMPRE and SEMPRE: Redemption. The enticing series from author J.M. Darhower are passionate stories about love, sacrifice, death and freedom. 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. In the sequel, SEMPRE: Redemption, 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.

→ Click here to read an interview with author J.M Darhower.
→ Click here to learn more about the series.

Connect with us via Facebook and Twitter!

Nicole Sherman (Nicole@bookreporter.com) + Emily Hoenig (Emily@bookreporter.com)

Spring is finally here, and with it comes warmer weather, blooming flowers...and the chance to win seven great new YA books! You have until Thursday, May 1st at NOON ET for a chance to win a prize package with all of the books below in a signature Teenreads.com tote bag.

Five winners will receive each of the following titles:

DEATH SWORN by Leah Cypess
HEADS UP PSYCHOLOGY by Marcus Weeks
THE KILLING WOODS by Lucy Christopher
PLUS ONE by Elizabeth Fama
SALVAGE by Alexandra Duncan
THE SUMMER I FOUND YOU by Jolene Perry
THE SUMMER OF LETTING GO by Gae Polisner

Click here to enter the Teenreads.com Spring Fling contest!

Our new monthly feature, "REAL TALK Publishing," continues with an interview with Chip Kidd, Associate Art Director at Alfred A. Knopf. In Part 1, Kidd tells us about his graphic design philosophies, his day-to-day responsibilities, the favorite covers that he has designed --- including JURASSIC PARK and 1Q84 --- and more. We'll be following up shortly with Part 2 on Tuesday, April 15th and Part 3 on Tuesday, April 22nd.

A Little Bit More About the REAL TALK Publishing Feature...

Over the next few months, we'll sit down with book editors, librarians, booksellers, children's literature professors, book cover designers, publicists, professional reviewers and more, giving you insight behind the books. Through interviews, guest posts and sometimes sneak peeks inside their offices, you'll get to learn more about the book industry and all the work that goes into creating some of the world's best written word.

BOOKSHELF: Riding the New Wave of K-Lit: Korean Books are Hot Around the World!
The Korean literary scene is exploding, and the only way to keep up is to start reading their books. Literary agent and author Barbara J Zitwer has curated a bookshelf with a variety of Korean titles to help us get in on the action.

BLOG POST: Behind the Scenes of the Divergent Advance Screening
Veronica Roth's bestselling Divergent series made its long-awaited theatrical debut this month, and Superfan Nikki was lucky enough to catch an advanced screening. Check out some of the highlights, including a speech by the author herself.

BLOG POST: Highbrow? More Like Huh?-Brow!
20SomethingReads contributor Lauren Sarner takes a look at the "huh?" moments in some classic highbrow books.

We are looking for 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.

If you're out of school for the summer months, this could be the perfect opportunity to share your thoughts and beef up your resume. Here's looking at you, kid!

Not sure you want to commit long-term? We know what that's like and would love to hear your idea for a "one-off" piece if you are not ready for commitment. If you are interested in more of a long-term commitment, the deal is if you write for us enough, we'll add you to our Contributors page.

DOROTHY MUST DIE by Danielle Paige (Youth Fiction)
I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado --- taking you with it --- you have no choice but to go along, you know? Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though --- but even that's crumbling. Reviewed by Kate F.

GOING OVER by Beth Kephart (Youth Fiction, Historical Fiction)
It is February 1983, and Berlin is a divided city with a miles-long barricade separating east from west. But the city isn't the only thing that is divided. Ada lives among the rebels, punkers, and immigrants of Kreuzberg in West Berlin. Stefan lives in East Berlin, in a faceless apartment bunker of Friedrichshain. Bound by love and separated by circumstance, their only chance for a life together lies in a high-risk escape. But will Stefan find the courage to leap? Or will forces beyond his control stand in his way? Reviewed by Alice Dalrymple.

CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION: An Inspector Banks Novel by Peter Robinson (Mystery/Thriller)
The body of a disgraced college lecturer is found on an abandoned railway line. In the four years since his dismissal for sexual misconduct, he'd been living like a hermit. So where did he get the 5,000 pounds found in his pocket? Leading the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks begins to suspect that the victim's past may be connected to his death. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE COLD NOWHERE: A Jonathan Stride Novel by Brian Freeman (Psychological Thriller)
Duluth PD Lieutenant Jonathan Stride discovers a young woman, Cat Mateo, hiding in his bedroom. Cat is the daughter of a woman he tried and failed to protect from a violent husband years ago. When Cat asks Stride for protection from a mysterious person she claims is trying to kill her, Stride is driven by guilt and duty to help her. But should he be afraid for --- or of --- this damaged girl? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

DESTROYER ANGEL: An Anna Pigeon Novel by Nevada Barr (Thriller)
Anna Pigeon, a ranger for the U.S. Park Services, sets off on an autumn canoe trip with her friends and their daughters. On their second night out, Anna goes off on her own for a solo evening float on the Fox River. When she comes back, she finds that four thugs have taken her companions captive. With limited resources and no access to the outside world, Anna has only two days to rescue them before her friends are either killed or flown out of the country. Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.

EYES CLOSED TIGHT by Peter Leonard (Thriller)
O'Clair is a former Detroit homicide investigator who now owns a motel in Pompano Beach, Florida in his retirement. One morning, he discovers a lovely young woman dead on a lounge chair. When a second girl is murdered, O'Clair knows someone is trying to send him a message. So he returns to Detroit Police Homicide to review the murder file and try to figure out what he might have missed. And when his young girlfriend, Virginia, is kidnapped by the killer, the stakes grow exponentially higher. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE HUMOR CODE: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner (Humor/Social Sciences)
Dr. Peter McGraw, founder of the Humor Research Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder, teamed up with journalist Joel Warner on a far-reaching search for the secret behind humor. Their journey spanned the globe, from New York to Japan, from Palestine to the Amazon. Meanwhile, the duo conducted their own humor experiments along the way --- to wince-worthy, hilarious and illuminating results. Reviewed by Robert Doyle.

THE IDEA OF HIM by Holly Peterson (Fiction)
Allie Crawford has the life she always dreamed of. But when she finds her husband locked in their laundry room with a stunning blonde, a scandal ensues that flips her life on its head. And when the woman wants to befriend Allie, an old flame calls, and a new guy gets a little too close for comfort, she starts to think her marriage is more of a facade than something real. Maybe she's fallen in love not with Wade, but with the idea of him. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.

I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN by Mary Higgins Clark (Thriller)
Producer Laurie Moran’s true crime television show will launch with the unsolved murder of Betsy Powell. Betsy, a socialite, was found suffocated in her bed after a gala celebrating the graduation of her daughter and three friends. Reopening the case with the cooperation of the surviving guests that night, Laurie is sure to have a hit on her hands. But when the estranged friends begin filming, it becomes clear each is hiding secrets. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.

KILL FEE by Owen Laukkanen (Thriller)
State investigator Kirk Stevens and his occasional colleague, FBI special agent Carla Windermere, witness the assassination of one of the state’s wealthiest men. The events of that day will lead Stevens and Windermere across the country, down countless blind alleys, and finally to a very flourishing 21st-century enterprise: a high-tech murder-for-hire social media website. But just who has the dead-eyed shooter targeted next…and who’s choosing his victims? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA PRESENTS ICE COLD: Tales of Intrigue from the Cold War edited by Jeffery Deaver and Raymond Benson (Thriller/Short Stories)
The Cold War --- a terrifying time when nuclear war between the world's two superpowers was an ever-present threat, an all-too-real possibility that could be set off at the touch of a button --- provides a chilling backdrop to this collection of all-new short stories from today's most celebrated mystery writers. Bestselling authors Jeffery Deaver and Raymond Benson have joined forces to bring us 20 tales of paranoia, espionage and psychological drama. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

NYPD RED 2 by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (Thriller)
A woman of vast wealth and even greater connections is the fourth in a string of shocking murders that have hit New York City. As the public pressure mounts, and political and personal secrets of the highest order hang in the balance, Detective Zach Jordan and his partner, Kylie MacDonald, must find out what's really behind the murderer's rampage. But Kylie has been acting strange recently --- and Zach knows whatever she's hiding could threaten the biggest case of their careers. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE OTHER HALF by Sarah Rayner (Fiction)
Chloe is a magazine editor in London who is embarking on an exciting romance with James, her handsome publisher. Maggie is a freelance magazine writer living in a quaint English village…and she is James's wife. Chloe and Maggie's perspectives on this complicated romantic triangle are told in alternating chapters as the affair progresses. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

RAISING STEAM: A Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett (Fantasy)
Steam is rising over Discworld, driven by Mister Simnel. He has produced a great clanging monster of a machine that harnesses the power of all of the elements, and it’s soon drawing astonished crowds. To the consternation of Ankh-Morpork’s formidable Patrician, Lord Vetinari, no one is in charge of this new invention. Who better to rectify this than the man he has already appointed master of the Post Office, the Mint and the Royal Bank: Moist von Lipwig. Reviewed by Roz Shea.

THE SETUP MAN by T. T. Monday (Mystery/Thriller)
Johnny Adcock is an aging Major League pitcher with the perfect retirement plan --- he moonlights as a private investigator. On the team bus after a game, teammate Frankie Herrera confides in Adcock that he has a “problem with his wife.” What sounds like the standard story of a pro athlete’s marriage gone sour quickly turns into the most dangerous case of Adcock’s second career when Frankie is killed in a car accident, leaving far too many questions unanswered. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.

SLEEP DONATION: A Novella by Karen Russell (Science Fiction/Fantasy)
Already heaped with accolades, Karen Russell is a gifted writer who likely will get plenty more for her eerie fantasy about a sleeplessness epidemic. The dystopian riffs are sharp and imaginative, but what sets the novella apart are its poignant intimations of moral doubt and personal loss: more Hamlet than Hunger Games. Reviewed by Kathy Weissman.

SOUS CHEF: 24 Hours on the Line by Michael Gibney (Memoir)
Chef Michael Gibney uses 24 hours to animate the intricate camaraderie and culinary choreography in an upscale New York restaurant kitchen. In SOUS CHEF, readers will find all the details, in rapid-fire succession, of what it takes to deliver an exceptional plate of food --- the journey to excellence by way of exhaustion. Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin.

THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin (Fiction)
A.J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died; his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history; and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island. Then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore --- an unexpected arrival that gives A.J. the opportunity to make his life over and the ability to see everything anew. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

VISIBLE CITY by Tova Mirvis (Fiction)
Nina is a harried young mother who spends her evenings spying on the older couple across the street, drawn to their quiet contentment. One night, through that same window, she spies a young couple in the throes of passion. In the coming weeks, Nina encounters the older couple, their daughter and her fiancé, and many others on the streets of her Upper West Side neighborhood, eroding the safe distance of her secret vigils. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

WITHOUT WARNING by David Rosenfelt (Thriller)
Years ago, Katie Sanford’s husband was convicted of the murder of Jenny Robbins but then died in prison. The tragedy is brought up again in the wake of a hurricane that has just wreaked havoc on their quiet Maine town. Since its founding, Wilton has had a quaint tradition of creating a time capsule every 50 years, and the storm unearthed the most recent capsule. Someone predicted Jenny’s death, as well as 11 other tragedies, which are still occurring even long after the death of Katie’s husband. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

WORDS OF RADIANCE: Book Two of The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson (Fantasy/Adventure)
Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive sequence began in 2010 with the New York Times bestseller THE WAY OF KINGS. Now, the eagerly anticipated WORDS OF RADIANCE continues the epic story and answers many of your questions. Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.