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April 23, 2014

20SomethingReads.com Newsletter April 23, 2014
When TV Takes Over
Remembering Gabriel García Márquez, 1927-2014
Teenreads.com Spring Fling Contest
REAL TALK Publishing
Bookreporter.com Books Mom Will Love 2014 Contest
We Want YOU!
Adult Reviews
When TV Takes Over

It goes without saying by now that we are major TV junkies. Maybe we’ve written a newsletter or two or 10 about our current faves. And like the Jo Marches and Dan Humphreys of the world, we’re writing what we know. This week something weird happened, though: We’re usually on the same page (screen?) when it comes to what we’re watching, but recently we’ve been finding ourselves obsessing about TWO DIFFERENT SHOWS. Crazy, right? But before you panic and call our parents to make sure we’re taking our vitamins, we should tell you that although the shows we’re watching are entirely different, they’re not entirely different.

Let’s just come out and say it: Nikki’s fresh off a “Pretty Little Liars” bender, and Emily’s been doing some “Veronica Mars” investigation (see what we did there?...and the detective jokes keep coming strong) in her off hours. We’re not proud, but we’re also not not proud. Both of these shows have a huge and vocal fandom, so we know we’re not alone in our love. What’s interesting is how our love for two different shows aligns for the same reasons. Obviously, there are some basic similarities: dramas set in high school; some element of mystery; strong, female protagonists; romantic entanglements (triangles, squares, quadrilaterals) that inspire tears, joy and countless YouTube tribute videos. And it’s no surprise that our love has a lot to do with all that stuff.

It goes even deeper than that. Besides the clearly seductive quality of these shows as mindless entertainment, they also instill a sense of hope that can’t be taken for granted. They evoke memories of our past...of a simpler time, when the love of your life could be the quiet (and secretly hot) kid who sat behind you in geometry class. And even though you might tearfully say goodbye on prom night, you’d inevitably end up back together in the college years (or the Kickstartered movie). It was a time when you allowed yourself to be vulnerable to a certain kind of fantasy fulfillment, before you grew up and realized that not all your dreams come true...and especially not just by snapping your fingers and clicking your heels together (here’s lookin’ at you, Sabrina the Teenage Witch). It also makes us think about the things we did back then, the things we shouldn’t have done (are we showing our age?!), the things we wish we did and the things we wish we could forget.

Sure, this goes for TV shows, but it also applies when it comes to YA novels. Even though young adult books are written and marketed toward young adults (go figure), they’ve become increasingly popular amongst the 20- and 30Something crowd. We might even be the biggest consumer demographic for all those blockbuster teenybopper series. We may not be competing in the Hunger Games (per se…), but we can definitely relate to the more human parts of the story. Plus, it’s a genre that’s practically devoted to the discovery of identity, and who knows more about that than us 20Somethings? We also have a tendency to over-identify. Look what happened to us after eight episode of “True Detectives”; we practically opened our own detective agency.

But back to the matter at hand. Look, the weather literally just got nice, so our social schedules will be back on track in no time. Until then, we’ll be finishing up seasons four and three of our shows, respectively. And indulging in all the simple pleasures high school melodramas offer. Hey, didn't "Awkward" just start up again on MTV?

While you're waiting for us to get our heads out of the TV gutter, here's some newly released books with reviews you should check out. LEAN IN: FOR GRADUATES by Sheryl Sandberg is the expanded and updated version of the book that made it onto everyone 20Somethings "To Read" list. Tailored towards recent graduates just entering the workforce, this edition of LEAN IN includes a letter to graduates from Sheryl Sandberg and six additional chapters from experts offering advice on finding and getting the most out of a first job; résumé writing; best interviewing practices; negotiating your salary; listening to your inner voice; owning who you are; and leaning in for millennial men. A FEW SECONDS OF RADIANT FILMSTRIP: A Memoir of Seventh Grade by Kevin Brockmeier tells the story of 12-year-old Kevin who sets out in search of himself. Along the way, he happens into his first kiss at a church party, struggles to understand why his old friends tease him at the lunch table, becomes the talk of the entire school thanks to his Halloween costume, and booby-traps his lunch to deter a thief. In THE COLD SONG by Linn Ullmann, Milla is hired as a nanny to allow Siri to work her long hours at the restaurant she own and her husband, Jon, should be meeting the deadline on his book. All of a sudden, their life in their idyllic summer community takes a dire turn when Milla disappears without a trace on one rainy night in July. After her remains are discovered and a suspect is identified, everyone who had any connection with her feels implicated in the tragedy and haunted by what they could have done to prevent it.

And don't forget to check out the 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.

What high school TV shows do you lose sleep over? Let us know via Facebook and Twitter. We'd love to hear from you!

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

 

Remembering Gabriel García Márquez, 1927-2014

This week, the world lost a literary great --- Gabriel García Márquez. The Latin American, multi-prize-winning author was 87 years old, and his legacy will carry on through his extremely elegant command of the written word.

Márquez, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982, wrote several long-form classics, as well as a handful of short stories and some poetry, all of which remain as popular in the current day as when they were first released. He is perhaps best known for ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE (1967), the definitive book on magical realism, a genre he created, that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. His imaginative contouring of characters, relationships, time and space creates a highly engaging and page-turning experience for the reader --- an unparalleled experience that continues to inspire and delight writers and readers alike. The themes of family and the sense of community in juxtaposition with solitude and violence make for a compelling and mind-bending tale.

Another Márquez fan favorite, LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA (1985), maintains its critically acclaimed status as an Oprah's Book Club pick from 2007. This saga of the emotional and physical distresses of heartbreak and disease is a "sentimental story about the enduring power of true love." His unique ability to simultaneously glamorize and downplay human emotion and interaction is just another exquisite display of his true talent.

Márquez's identity and accomplishment as a staple figure in the literary world extend beyond his personal work. He was also an icon of the Latin American "Boom" movement alongside his confidantes, Julio Cortázar (author of HOPSCOTCH), Carlos Fuentes (author of THE DEATH OF ARTEMIO CRUZ) and Mario Vargas Llosa (recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010). The "Boom" movement came about as a "modernist departure from the European literary canon," in an effort to prove to the world that great writing existed outside of New York and Paris. The spearheads of the "Boom" movement and others that followed introduced a rejection of conventional narrative form --- an indirect expression of the political turmoil plaguing Latin America. The movement evolved and flourished with the help of determined and smart supporters, like Márquez, who introduced literary-landscape-shifting ideologies. In essence, his insights and work were key in making Latin American literature (and global literature) a thing of the present and the future.

So this week, we celebrate the life, work, spirit, drive, imagination and intellect of a man, a writer, an author, a novelist, a husband and a father, who will continue to amaze and arouse admirers through his extraordinary language.

(Check out when we compared ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE to Robin Thicke's 2013 summer hit "Blurred Lines" in our famous #TBT blog feature from last August here).

--- Written by Nicole Sherman


 

Teenreads.com Spring Fling Contest

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

REAL TALK Publishing

Our new monthly feature, "REAL TALK Publishing," continues with an interview with Chip Kidd, Associate Art Director at Alfred A. Knopf. In all three parts, 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.

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

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.

Next up: Barbara Marcus, President and Publisher of Random House Children's Books

 

Bookreporter.com Books Mom Will Love 2014 Contest
If you're a mom, enter for this special opportunity to win yourself a treat --- or enter to surprise your mother or wife with a literary treasure trove!

From now through Friday, May 9th at NOON ET, readers will have the chance to win one of our 10 prize packages. Each prize package is filled with a selection of 10 of the varied and wonderful books featured below, along with a marvelous array of gifts: Tazo tea, a Divine dark chocolate bar and a Crabtree & Evelyn bar of soap and bath sponge shaped like a flower. *If you don't win, these books also make for great gift-giving suggestions for that special woman!

APART AT THE SEAMS: A Cobbled Courts Quilt Novel by Marie Bostwick
THE APPLE ORCHARD by Susan Wiggs
BRIDGE TO HAVEN by Francine Rivers
DARK WITCH: Book One of The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy by Nora Roberts
DRIVING LESSONS by Zoe Fishman
FOUR FRIENDS by Robyn Carr
GOODNIGHT JUNE by Sarah Jio
THE IDEA OF HIM by Holly Peterson
THE LAST ORIGINAL WIFE by Dorothea Benton Frank
A LONG TIME GONE by Karen White
MARRY SMART: Advice for Finding THE ONE by Susan Patton
MRS. POE by Lynn Cullen
THE MUSEUM OF EXTRAORDINARY THINGS by Alice Hoffman
THE ONE & ONLY by Emily Giffin
ONE HUNDRED NAMES by Cecelia Ahern
THE QUAKER CAFÉ by Brenda Bevan Remmes
THE ROAD TO TESTAMENT by Eva Marie Everson
THE SAME SWEET GIRL'S GUIDE TO LIFE: Advice from a Failed Southern Belle by Cassandra King
SHADOW SPELL: Book Two of The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy by Nora Roberts
TEST OF FAITH by Christa Allan

Click here to enter the Bookreporter.com Books Mom Will Love 2014 contest!

 

We Want YOU!

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.

 

Adult Reviews

CARNAL CURIOSITY: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods (Thriller/Adventure)
When Manhattan’s elite are beset by a series of clever crimes --- and Stone Barrington is a material witness --- he and his former partner, Dino Bacchetti, find themselves drawn into the world of high-end security and fraud. As Stone and Dino delve deeper into their investigation, they learn that the mastermind behind the incidents may have some intimate ties to Stone…and that the biggest heist is still to come. Reviewed by Judy Gigstad.

THE COLD SONG by Linn Ullmann (Mystery)
When Milla is hired as a nanny to allow Siri to work her long hours at the restaurant she owns and her husband, Jon, to supposedly meet the deadline on his book, life in their idyllic summer community takes a dire turn. One rainy July night, Milla disappears without a trace. After her remains are discovered and a suspect is identified, everyone who had any connection with her feels implicated in the tragedy and haunted by what they could have done to prevent it. Reviewed by Jane Krebs.

A FEW SECONDS OF RADIANT FILMSTRIP: A Memoir of Seventh Grade by Kevin Brockmeier (Memoir)
Over the course of one school year --- seventh grade --- 12-year-old Kevin Brockmeier sets out in search of himself. Along the way, he happens into his first kiss at a church party, struggles to understand why his old friends tease him at the lunch table, becomes the talk of the entire school thanks to his Halloween costume, and booby-traps his lunch to deter a thief. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

HIGH CRIME AREA: Tales of Darkness and Dread by Joyce Carol Oates (Suspense/Short Stories)
Joyce Carol Oates is an unparalleled investigator of human flaws. In these eight stories, she deftly tests the bonds between damaged individuals --- a brother and sister, a teacher and student, two strangers on a subway --- in the fearless prose for which she’s become so celebrated. She confronts, one by one, the demons within us. Sometimes it’s the human who wins, and sometimes it’s the demon. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

INCOGNITO: Lost and Found at Harvard Divinity School by Andrea Raynor (Memoir)
As a bright young girl from Ohio, Andrea Raynor always wanted to be a doctor. Instead, she landed --- almost by accident --- at Harvard Divinity School, which, she quickly discovered, was no typical seminary. From navigating relation­ships to exploring whether a pretty girl can truly wear a collar, INCOGNITO tackles our assumptions about spirituality, the church, morality and identity, and affirms that God often works in ways --- and in people --- we least expect. Reviewed by Michele Howe.

KEEP QUIET by Lisa Scottoline (Psychological Thriller)
Jake Buckman picks up his 16-year-old son, Ryan, at their suburban movie theater. On the way home, Ryan asks to drive on a deserted road, and Jake sees it as a chance to make a connection. However, what starts as a father-son bonding opportunity instantly turns into a nightmare. Tragedy strikes, and with Ryan’s entire future hanging in the balance, Jake is forced to make a split-second decision that plunges them both into a world of guilt and lies. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

LEAN IN: FOR GRADUATES by Sheryl Sandberg (Business/Self-Help)
Expanded and updated exclusively for graduates just entering the workforce, this edition of LEAN IN includes a letter to graduates from Sheryl Sandberg and six additional chapters from experts offering advice on finding and getting the most out of a first job; résumé writing; best interviewing practices; negotiating your salary; listening to your inner voice; owning who you are; and leaning in for millennial men. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

THE LONG SHADOW by Liza Marklund (Mystery/Thriller)
An intruder brutally murders an entire family, and newspaper reporter Annika Bengtzon must fly there to report on the case. Upon arrival, she discovers that a fifth family member is unaccounted for. Soon, the killers are found, but they too have met their demise. Amid a culture weighed down by drug smuggling and money laundering, Annika must try to find the missing girl before it’s too late. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

NORTHANGER ABBEY by Val McDermid (Fiction)
When Cat Morland is asked to join family friends on a trip to Edinburgh, she can’t wait to escape her home in Dorset. She meets new friends, finds love, experiences heartbreak, and faces a mystery or two that can’t compete with her dark and macabre imagination. It’s that creativity that gets her in trouble and could possibly ruin the life she was finally starting to imagine for herself. Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski.

THE OTHER STORY by Tatiana de Rosnay (Fiction)
The hurricane that is the famous author Nicolas Kolt is down to its last battering winds. While he’s hiding on a Tuscan island from publishers, family, friends, and life in general, a whole host of indiscretions and minor misunderstandings come to light. Once more, Nicolas is forced to deal with his past --- a past full of family secrets that he cannot comprehend. Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski.

UNDER A SILENT MOON by Elizabeth Haynes (Mystery/Thriller)
In the crisp, early hours of an autumn morning, the police are called to investigate two deaths. The first is a suspected murder at a farm on the outskirts of a small village. The second is a reported suicide at a nearby quarry. As Detective Chief Inspector Louisa Smith and her team gather evidence, they discover a shocking link between the two cases and the two deaths --- a bond that sealed their terrible fates one cold night, under a silent moon. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

WAITING FOR WEDNESDAY: A Frieda Klein Mystery by Nicci French (Mystery)
Ruth Lennox is found dead in a pool of her own blood. Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson can’t piece together a motive and calls in psychotherapist Frieda Klein, hoping her talents will offer a new angle on the case. When it emerges that Ruth was hiding a scandalous secret, her family closes ranks. Then a patient’s chance remark sends Frieda down a dangerous path that seems to lead to a serial killer who has long escaped detection. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

WARRIORS: An Alex Hawke Novel by Ted Bell (Thriller/Adventure)
When an elderly professor at Cambridge is murdered, a victim of bizarre, ancient Chinese torture, Alex Hawke teams up with his Scotland Yard colleague and friend, Inspector Ambrose Congreve, to find the killer. But the death is only the opening move in a tense and lethal game of geopolitical brinksmanship. Hawke must pull off his most daring mission yet: infiltrate China and neutralize the source of their advantage, or risk witnessing World War III. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.



 

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