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20SomethingReads.com Newsletter |
June 4, 2014 |
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Hello, BEA. It's Us, 20SomethingReads.
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We weren’t kidding around last time when we said that our social lives were at an all-time high. They may even be at a lifetime peak...the only way to go from here is down --- we’re on a roller coaster that’s only going down.
Last week was the "ultimate" annual event of the publishing world --- the gathering that we all look forward to so dearly throughout the year --- BookExpo America, a.k.a BEA. BEA is a time when all the big-time and small, independent publishers, booksellers, librarians and bloggers come together to share their products and discuss the current book marketplace. We were lucky enough to spend three glorious days inside the inconveniently located Javits Convention Center, gasping for fresh air and waiting in long (and getting longer) women’s bathroom lines.
But we made an amazing discovery. It was not a book. It was not an author. It was the American Express Business lounge, located mere steps above the crowds where we were able to recharge our phones and our bellies --- free cookies? Check! Just kidding. There were free cookies, but they weren’t really the best part of BEA. The real best part of BEA was the free champagne at the Divergent cocktail party hosted by HarperCollins (look at the pic above of Theo James making a kissy face at Nikki). Just kidding. The best part was the automatic doors at the front of Javits.
But let’s be serious. There were so many wonderful things about BEA this year. From putting faces to email addresses, to taking part in all the early book hype, there was minimal downtime. We attended various informational sessions on social media, a livelier panel on romance and fanfiction (for Emily) and a raucous talk about intellectual property (for Nikki).
Friday was definitely the best day all around with a great mix of highbrow and lowbrow topics (unibrows were uncategorically avoided). Our first event that day really got our brains juiced: We saw Walter Isaacson (@WalterIsaacson) in discussion with Slate Group’s Jacob Weisberg (@jacobwe). For all of you who are unaware of the great genius that is Walter Isaacson, he wrote the internationally bestselling authorized biography of Steve Jobs. For all of you who don’t know who Steve Jobs was, get an internet connection. Isaacson’s new tome, THE INNOVATORS: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution (coming out October 7th, Simon & Schuster), is about the people who invented the internet (besides Al Gore). Basically, we learned that collaboration is the key to innovation and women are the best at everything. You can check out Publishers Weekly’s recap here. Is it obvious that we’re both into smart, older men? Gives a whole new meaning to intellectual property, if you know what we mean. Moving on.
By the end of the day Friday, we were stuffed to the brims with book information and needed some comedic relief. Fortunately, we got it at the BookCon Kickoff. The hour-long, star-studded event was all about book-to-screen adaptations; specifically, Jonathan Tropper’s (@Jtropper) 2009 bestseller THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU. The highly anticipated movie version stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey and “Girls” star Adam Driver, who spoke alongside director Shawn Levy (whose previous films include Date Night and Night at the Museum) and Tropper himself --- who, Jason Bateman accurately noted, has a lovely reading voice. We peeped some clips, heard some excerpts and held our tummies in uproarious laughter. We haven’t read the book...YET, but we’re converts nonetheless. Let’s be honest: If Tina Fey says jump, we jump.
That was the end of our BEA experience, but for many others the party continued though Saturday. Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) woke up before everyone else in the world (8am on Saturday morning) to be the guest of honor at the BEA breakfast event. She spoke about her forthcoming book, NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL (coming out September 30th, Random House). Carol met her the night before at an exclusive Random House party, and only had the nicest things to say about her. That fact alone makes us that much more excited for Lena’s book.
The main event on Saturday, without a doubt, was all about John Green’s (@realjohngreen) THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. While we were not among the thousands of teenage girls who waited in line for hours for this event, we heard through the grapevine that it was one for the books. We both recently read the YA sensation, and are still reeling...all the way to the movie theater this Friday (see what we did there?). Sadly, our BFF Shai Shai the Golden Goose was not in attendance (she was too busy harnessing the power of Mother Earth). In her honor, we’re foregoing popcorn this time around and snacking on clay instead --- it’ll also work to absorb our tears.
Also, be sure to read the new post in our blog: Writing a Novel as a College-Aged Human: A Guide. 20SomethingReads.com's ongoing contributor, Lauren Sarner, returns with a hilarious guide on how to talk about that novel you're writing...without sounding like a jerk.
We absolutely, positively CANNOT forget to mention that our Third Annual Beach Bag of Books Contest is LIVE. You have ONLY until Friday, July 25th at noon ET to enter to win a fine selection of books. Check it out here or scroll down below for more information and a list of the titles included in this year's roundup.
AND...we have a handful of Special Features below. From Anthony Breznican's BRUTAL YOUTH to Sarah Beth Durst's THE LOST and M. Leighton's third installment of her The Wild Ones series, THERE'S WILD, THEN THERE'S YOU, there is ACTUALLY something in here for everyone. We don't just give stuff up like that (poof!) here, so you'll have to scroll to learn more. Trust us, they are all worth it.
Lastly, we strongly encourage you to peep our reviews of THE BEES by Laline Paull and ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr. In THE BEES, Flora is not like other bees. With circumstances threatening her hive’s survival, her curiosity is regarded as a dangerous flaw, but her courage and strength are an asset. However, when she breaks the most sacred law of all --- daring to challenge the Queen’s fertility --- enemies abound. Her deepest instincts to serve and sacrifice are now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will lead her to unthinkable deeds. Anthony Doerr’s new novel, ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, is the story of two children: a blind French girl who flees Nazi-occupied Paris in 1940 to live with an eccentric great-uncle in the walled city of Saint-Malo, and a German boy whose talent for fixing radios earns him a spot at the National Political Institutes of Education, a training school for Hitler Youth. Linking their stories is a 133-carat jewel thought to bring ill luck.
5 Things We’re Obsessed With at This Very Moment, in no particular order:
1) James White on Vine
2) Augustus Waters
3) The Sunac natural market on 11th Avenue (a must to all marooned at Javits with only cardboard pizza on the horizon)
4) Angelina Jolie’s face in Maleficent
5) “Serendipitous encounters @ work” (hats off to Isaacson)
Three cheers to cold brews...and good reading...on these warmer days and cooler nights!
Nicole Sherman (Nicole@bookreporter.com) + Emily Hoenig (Emily@bookreporter.com)
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20SomethingReads.com's Third Annual Beach Bag of Books Contest
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It's time to think about summer reading. We're talking about the kinds of books that you're glad you now have time to kick back with and enjoy. The way we see it, it wouldn't be summer without sun, surf and great reading. You supply the beach chair, and we'll provide the fantastic fiction in our Third Annual Beach Bag of Books Feature and Contest. From now through Friday, July 25th at noon ET, five lucky readers will win a selection of the featured books.
Our featured Beach Bag of Books titles include:
Click here to enter the contest.
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Special Feature: THE LOST by Sarah Beth Durst
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Award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst has been praised for her captivating novels that merge the darkly imagined with very real themes of self-discovery and destiny. In THE LOST, we'll discover just what it means to lose one's way….
Against the backdrop of this desolate and mystical town, THE LOST is an arresting, fantastical novel of one woman's impossible journey…and her quest to find her fate.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read the review.
- Click here for an excerpt.
- Click here to read an interview with the author.
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Special Feature: BRUTAL YOUTH by Anthony Breznican
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Three freshmen must join forces to survive at a troubled, working-class Catholic high school with a student body full of bullies and zealots, and a faculty that's even worse in Anthony Breznican's BRUTAL YOUTH.
To even stand a chance at surviving their freshmen year, the trio must join forces as they navigate a bullying culture dominated by administrators like the once popular Ms. Bromine, their embittered guidance counselor, and Father Mercedes, the parish priest who plans to scapegoat the students as he makes off with church finances. A coming-of-age tale reversed, BRUTAL YOUTH follows these students as they discover that instead of growing older and wiser, going bad may be the only way to survive.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for an excerpt.
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Special Series Feature: THERE'S WILD, THEN THERE'S YOU: A Wild Ones Novel, Book 3 by M. Leighton
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From the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the Bad Boys series and The Pretty series comes The Wild Ones series.
In The Wild Ones series, author M. Leighton's good girls always fall hard for the bad boys. From the darling daughter of a champion Thoroughbred breeder, Cami, in THE WILD ONES to the preacher's daughter, Laney, in SOME LIKE IT WILD, the ladies of The Wild Ones have a lot to hide, but so much to give. It is no different for Violet Wilson, a wallflower and the excruciatingly shy, diamond in the rough of THERE'S WILD, THEN THERE'S YOU. When she meets Jet, a typical rocker fighting for more than just his infatuation with Violet, can the dangerous duo overcome the obstacles getting in the way of their love?
Read more about ALL three in the series in our Special Series Feature and we guarantee you'll be satiated with these indulgent and irresistible love and lust stories.
- Click here to learn more about the series.
THERE'S WILD, THEN THERE'S YOU: A Wild Ones Novel, Book 3
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for an excerpt.
SOME LIKE IT WILD: A Wild Ones Novel, Book 2
- Click here to read more about the book.
THE WILD ONES: A Wild Ones Novel, Book 1
- Click here to read more about the book.
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REAL TALK Publishing
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For our third "REAL TALK Publishing" feature, we talked to Barbara Marcus, the President and Publisher of Random House's Children's Division. As the head of the division, Barbara handles ALL things children's books, but she has a special place in her heart for marketing. In fact, she led the wizardry behind the marketing campaigns for the Harry Potter series --- and more recently R.J. Palacio's modern classic, WONDER!
In Part 1, Barbara talks about the start of her career, the part of her job that makes her "heart sing" and how she manages to keep track of all things Random House Children's. Part 2 is about her work on HARRY POTTER and WONDER. In Part 3, she discusses marketing, gives some overall career advice and shares the best adult books she's recently read.
→ 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.
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Do You LOVE Harry Potter?
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We thought you might! So we're asking you to share your thoughts about the series for our Kidsreads.com readers.
We're excited to announce that we're having a super special Harry Potter feature on Kidsreads.com in July! Unlike you, a lot of our Kidsreads readers have NOT read the series (imagine: they never had a midnight party to celebrate these books), and we want to tell them why it is so special. Every day, we'll be sharing something about Harry to make them excited about reading the books --- a glossary of terms, some information on a character, a recipe for a classic Harry Potter treat and more.
If you would like to participate and contribute to our Harry Potter calendar, email us your Harry Potter ideas at nicole@bookreporter.com and emily@bookreporter.com! These can be a blog post about your favorite part of the book, a breakdown of some cool spells, some cool fan art you drew or anything else funky that shows us your love. Also, you could share your favorite memories of waiting for these books to come out, as well as fun stories about reading them.
We need your thoughts, comments, etc. by Monday, June 30th --- we're excited to hear what you come up with!
(Compliments to l'artiste + TBRN staffer John Maher for accurately representing H.P.)
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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Bookshelf
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Each spring, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony rolls around (see what we did there?), and a new slew of performers and producers are inducted into the prestigious institution in the most appropriate way possible --- at a jam-packed arena filled with passionate fans and live music. This year’s ceremony was held in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center on April 10th, and the New York Times reported that the new arena boasted the highest attendance in the event’s history. Even with the obvious absence of a performance by inductees Kiss, that’s one big feather in Jay Z’s cap. (He’ll be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021.)
Talent from the past is honored at this super exclusive event where viewers are reminded (as if we could have ever forgotten!) of the wide ranging musical skills of eligible candidates and their fellow musicians. Highlights from this year’s ceremony include a rousing rendition of “The E Street Shuffle” from Bruce Springsteen and the newly-inducted E Street Band (joined by Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello), a Nirvana reunion with St. Vincent, Joan Jett, Lorde and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon rotating on the mic, and a juicy Paul Simon snub from Art Garfunkel as he inducted Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens. The whole show aired on HBO on May 31st. Here is The Book Report Network's shelf filled with memoirs and biographies of some of the most legendary talents in the business.
Curated by The Book Report Network.
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Young Adult Reviews
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DARK TRIUMPH by Robin LaFevers (Youth Fiction, Action Adventure)
Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Reviewed by Caroline Osborn.
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., Teen Board member.
DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS by Laini Taylor (Fantasy Fiction)
When a brutal angel army trespasses into the human world, Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat, an alliance that might forge a way forward for their people, and for themselves. From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy. Reviewed by Alice Dalrymple.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF YOU AND ME by Jennifer E. Smith (Youth Fiction)
Lucy lives on the 24th floor. Owen lives in the basement. It's fitting, then, that they meet in the middle --- stuck between two floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, Lucy and Owen spend the night wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is back, so is reality. Lucy soon moves abroad with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father. The brief time they spent together leaves a mark. And as their lives take them to Edinburgh and to San Francisco, to Prague and to Portland, Lucy and Owen stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and phone calls. But can they --- despite the odds --- find a way to reunite? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
NOGGIN by John Corey Whaley (Youth Fiction)
Travis Coates has a good head…on someone else’s shoulders. At some point or another, his head got chopped off and shoved into a freezer in Denver, Colorado. Five years later, it was reattached to another guy’s body, and well, here he is. He’s still 16, but everything and everyone around him changed. If the new Travis and the old Travis find a way to exist together, there are going to be a few more scars. Reviewed by Molly Horan.
PANIC by Lauren Oliver (Youth Fiction)
Panic --- a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher --- began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations and the possibility of first love for each of them --- and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most. Reviewed by Ashley Bressingham.
PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG by Anne Blankman (Youth Fiction)
Gretchen Müller grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her uncle Dolf --- who has kept her family cherished and protected from the darker side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's. But Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler. And Gretchen follows his every command. Reviewed by Brianna Robinson.
TEASE by Amanda Maciel (Youth Fiction)
Emma Putnam is dead, and it's all Sara Wharton's fault. At least, that's what everyone seems to think. Sara has been criminally charged for the bullying that led to Emma's shocking suicide. Now Sara is forced to reflect on the events that brought her to this moment --- and consider her own role in the tragedy. And she'll have to find a way to move forward, even when it feels like her own life is over. Reviewed by Harman K., Teen Board member.
THERE WILL COME A TIME by Carrie Arcos (Young Adult Fiction)
Ever since the accident that killed his twin sister, Grace, the only time Mark feels at peace is when he visits the bridge on which she died. As a way to remember her, Grace's best friend Hanna convinces Mark to complete Grace’s bucket list from her journal. Mark’s sadness, anger and his growing feelings for Hanna threaten to overwhelm him. But Mark can’t back out. He made a promise to honor Grace --- and it’s his one chance to set things right. Reviewed by Brianna Robinson.
THIS ONE SUMMER by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Youth Fiction)
Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. One of the local teens --- just a couple of years older than Rose and Windy --- is caught up in something bad... Something life threatening. It's a summer of secrets, and sorrow, and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart (Fiction, Young Adult)
A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends --- the Liars --- whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
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Adult Reviews
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ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr (Historical Fiction)
Anthony Doerr’s new novel is the story of two children: a blind French girl who flees Nazi-occupied Paris in 1940 to live with an eccentric great-uncle in the walled city of Saint-Malo, and a German boy whose talent for fixing radios earns him a spot at the National Political Institutes of Education, a training school for Hitler Youth. Linking their stories is a 133-carat jewel thought to bring ill luck. Reviewed by Michael Magras.
ANY OTHER NAME: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson (Mystery)
Detective Gerald Holman is dead, and Lucian Connally wants to know what drove him to take his own life. With the clock ticking on the birth of his first grandchild, Sheriff Walt Longmire learns that the by-the-book detective might have suppressed evidence concerning three missing women. Digging deeper, Walt uncovers an incriminating secret so dark that it threatens to claim other lives even before the sheriff can serve justice --- Wyoming style. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE BEES by Laline Paull (Fiction)
Flora is not like other bees. With circumstances threatening her hive’s survival, Flora’s curiosity is regarded as a dangerous flaw, but her courage and strength are an asset. However, when she breaks the most sacred law of all --- daring to challenge the Queen’s fertility --- enemies abound. Her deepest instincts to serve and sacrifice are now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will lead her to unthinkable deeds. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.
THE BOOK OF YOU by Claire Kendal (Psychological Suspense)
Rafe is everywhere Clarissa turns. Since that one regrettable night, his obsession with her has become more terrifying with each passing day. Clarissa’s only escape from this harrowing nightmare is inside a courtroom --- where she is a juror on a trial involving a victim whose experiences eerily parallel her own. As a disturbingly violent crime unfolds in the courtroom, Clarissa realizes that to survive she must expose Rafe herself. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
DEATH MONEY: A Detective Jack Yu Investigation by Henry Chang (Mystery)
When the body of an unidentified Asian man is found in the Harlem River, NYPD Detective Jack Yu is pulled in to investigate. The murder takes Jack from the benevolent associations of Chinatown to the take-out restaurants, strip clubs and underground gambling establishments of the Bronx, to a wealthy, exclusive New Jersey borough. With the help of an elderly fortune teller and an old friend, the unpredictable Billy Bow, Jack races to solve his most difficult case yet. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
DESPERATE by Daniel Palmer (Thriller)
After a heartbreaking miscarriage, Gage Dekker and his wife, Anna, begin the long adoption process, until fate brings Lily into their lives. Young, pregnant and homeless, Lily agrees to give her baby to Gage and Anna in exchange for financial support. Seeing his wife's happiness and optimism for their new life and child, Gage begins to feel a sense of hope he thought he'd lost forever. But something isn't right once Lily enters their lives. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
FIELD OF PREY by John Sandford (Thriller)
After multiple bodies are found in an abandoned farmyard in the middle of cornfields, Lucas Davenport begins to investigate and makes some disturbing discoveries of his own. The victims had been killed over a great many years, one every summer. How could this have happened without anybody noticing? One thing is for sure: the killer had to live close by and was probably even someone they saw every day. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE HIDDEN CHILD by Camilla Läckberg (Psychological Thriller)
Crime writer Erica Falck is shocked to discover a Nazi medal among her late mother’s possessions. To uncover her family's past, Erica must read her mother’s wartime diaries. Could what little knowledge she has be enough to endanger her husband and newborn baby? The dark past is coming to light, and no one will escape the truth of how they came to be. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
I DON'T CARE IF WE NEVER GET BACK: 30 Games in 30 Days on the Best Worst Road Trip Ever by Ben Blatt and Eric Brewster (Sports)
Ben, a sports analytics wizard, loves baseball. Eric, his best friend, hates it. But when Ben writes an algorithm for the optimal baseball road trip, an impossible dream of seeing every pitch of 30 games in 30 stadiums in 30 days, who will he call on to take shifts behind the wheel, especially when those shifts will include 19 hours straight from Phoenix to Kansas City? Eric, of course. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
INVISIBLE CITY by Julia Dahl (Mystery)
When tabloid reporter Rebekah Roberts is thrust headfirst into the story of a murdered woman who was a member of an Hasidic Jewish community located in Brooklyn, she realizes that it may also present her with an opportunity to learn more about her mother, who gave birth to her and then disappeared weeks later to rejoin the very group that Rebekah is now investigating. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.
THE KEEPER by John Lescroart (Thriller)
Hal Chase drives to the airport to pick up his stepbrother for the weekend. When they return, Hal’s wife, Katie, has disappeared without a clue. Hal becomes the prime suspect in her presumed murder, and the lawyer he wants for his defense is none other than Hardy himself. Hardy calls on his friend, former homicide detective Abe Glitsky, to look into the case. Glitsky’s mission is to identify other possible suspects, and there proves to be no shortage of them. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE KRAKEN PROJECT by Douglas Preston (Thriller)
NASA is building a probe to be splashed down in the Kraken Mare, the largest sea on Saturn’s great moon, Titan. It is one of the most promising habitats for extraterrestrial life in the solar system, but the surface is unpredictable and dangerous, requiring the probe to contain artificial intelligence software. To this end, Melissa Shepherd, a brilliant programmer, has developed "Dorothy," a powerful, self-modifying AI whose true potential is both revolutionary and terrifying. When miscalculations lead to a catastrophe during testing, Dorothy flees into the Internet. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
MICHAEL JORDAN: The Life by Roland Lazenby (Sports/Biography)
When most people think of Michael Jordan, they think of the beautiful shots, his body totally in sync with the ball, hitting nothing but net. But for all his greatness, there's also a dark side to Jordan: a ruthless competitor, a gambler. Drawing on personal relationships with Jordan's coaches; countless interviews with friends, teammates, family members, and Jordan himself; and a career in the trenches covering Jordan in college and the pros, Roland Lazenby provides the first truly definitive study of Jordan. Reviewed by Miriam Tuliao.
THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL by Nadia Hashimi (Fiction)
In Kabul, 2007, Rahima and her sisters can only sporadically attend school and can rarely leave the house. Their only hope lies in the ancient custom of bacha posh, which allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until she is of marriageable age. A century earlier, her great-aunt, Shekiba, saved herself and built a new life the same way. Crisscrossing in time, THE PEARL THAT BROKE ITS SHELL interweaves the tales of these two women separated by a century who share similar destinies. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.
ROBERT B. PARKER'S CHEAP SHOT: A Spenser Novel by Ace Atkins (Mystery)
When football star Kinjo Heywood’s nine-year-old son is kidnapped, ransom demands are given, and a winding trail through Boston’s underworld begins, Spenser puts together his own all-star team of toughs. It will take both Hawk and Spenser’s protégé, Zebulon Sixkill, to watch Spenser’s back and return the child to Heywood’s sprawling Chestnut Hill mansion. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE SKIN COLLECTOR: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver (Thriller)
Lincoln Rhyme must untangle a twisted web of clues before a killer targets more victims --- or Rhyme himself. When a connection is made to the Bone Collector --- the serial killer who terrorized New York more than a decade ago --- Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are immediately drawn into the case. Rhyme, Sachs and the NYPD must race against time to answer the many questions the investigation uncovers. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE SON by Jo Nesbø (Thriller)
Sonny Lofthus is a strangely charismatic and complacent young man. He has been in prison for a dozen years, nearly half his life. The inmates who seek out his uncanny abilities to soothe leave his cell feeling absolved. They don’t know or care that Sonny has a serious heroin habit --- or where or how he gets his uninterrupted supply of the drug. Or that he’s serving time for other peoples’ crimes. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THORNLOST by Melanie Rawn (Fantasy)
Melanie Rawn’s new high fantasy series, Glass Thorns, that began with TOUCHSTONE and ELSEWHENS blends the worlds of magic, theater, art and politics. The third installment, THORNLOST, continues the story of Cayden “Cade” Silversun, part Elf, part Fae, part human Wizard --- and all rebel. Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.
UNLUCKY 13 by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Mystery/Thriller)
San Francisco Detective Lindsay Boxer is loving her life as a new mother. Then the FBI sends Lindsay a photo of a killer from her past, and her happy world is shattered. The picture captures a beautiful woman at a stoplight. But all Lindsay sees is the psychopath behind those seductive eyes: Mackie Morales, the most deranged and dangerous mind the Women's Murder Club has ever encountered. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
WHY HIRE JENNIFER?: How to Use Branding and Uncommon Sense to Get Your First Job, Last Job, and Every Job in Between by Richard W. Lewis (Business/Self-Help)
WHY HIRE JENNIFER? is a modern manual that arms job seekers to find their first “real” job and every job thereafter. It's written for college students, grads, twentysomethings, and all the people who know them. Finding your unique positioning or brand, and communicating why its components are useful to the firms is the key to finding a good job. The problem with most college career services is they emphasize the students' similarities as opposed to their differences. It's all backwards. Reviewed by Jesse Kornbluth, founder of HeadButler.com.
WONDERLAND by Stacey D'Erasmo (Fiction)
Rock star Anna Brundage went down as fast as she went up, and then walked off the scene for seven years. Without a record deal or clamoring fans, she sells a piece of her famous father’s art to finance just one more album and a European comeback tour. Anna is now 44. This may be her last chance to cement her place in the life she chose, the life she struggled for, the life she’s not sure she can sustain. Reviewed by Norah Piehl. |
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