February 25, 2015

Guess what, guys? Daylight Savings Time returns in less than two weeks! We can’t wait for that extra hour of daylight in the evening instead of the morning...unless you’ve been taking those D vitamins all winter, another dose of warm rays will do our bodies (and minds) good. It also means that spring is not as far off as it feels. And you know what spring means: a whole new season of books and TV! And, sure, spring flings or whatever.

Unfortunately, the time shift means we’re losing an hour of sleep, which will throw off all of our rhythms (for at least a week). On the bright side, we’ll finally have a good excuse to eat lunch before noon. Like bears coming out of hibernation, we’re emerging from the long snooze and we’re very hungry. Always. Before and after noon. Even right now.

Speaking of hibernation, movies are also coming out of their long winter slump. The post-Oscars movie output is historically bleak, but Fifty Shades of Grey (ever heard of it?) and Kingsman: The Secret Service were the first early buds of a fertile crop of spring movies we’re looking forward to. The silver screen turns green, so to speak, and we couldn’t be happier. Fifty Shades had us #sprung from our seats and, like Anastasia Steele herself, we’re ready for round two. Kingsman was action-packed --- not to mention super funny --- and we always associate action flicks with nice weather. Basically, both got us warmed up for summer blockbusters. Always nice when the movies are based on books!

The only thing that’s kept us entertained during this long, cold winter is awards season. It’s finally over, and we have mixed feelings about seeing it go. (Is awards fatigue a thing?) We started strong with the Golden Globes, and ended this weekend with an Oscars broadcast as dull as a Neil Patrick Harris punchline. Don’t get us wrong, we love NPH, but maaaybe he should stick to the Tonys. Luckily, Gaga saved the show in the eleventh hour (literally) with her rousing, surreal tribute to The Sound of Music. Turns out, there is someone in the world who can out-Julie Andrews Julie Andrews. Shoutout to Patricia Arquette and Graham Moore for some incredibly moving acceptance speeches. The most memorable part of the night? The touching reunion of the wickedly talented Idina Menzel and the alien who used to be John Travolta.

Looking ahead, there are so many movies we’re hyped about in the coming months. Cinderella, Serena, Pitch Perfect 2, Get Hard, Furious 7, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, MAD MAX. Which, of course, brings us to the glorious return of Shai Shai the Golden Goose in Insurgent in March. The queen of the coconut swish has been on a bit of a hiatus since The Fault in Our Stars came out last summer, and we can’t wait to see what kind of holistic healing trends she’s going to share with the world on this upcoming press tour.

Between movies and the new season of "House of Cards" (coming Friday), here are some books to check out...with more reviews below.

The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family in THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS by Allison Pataki. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich and ready to marry. Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, “Sisi,” Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom.

MY SUNSHINE AWAY by M.O. Walsh unfolds in a Baton Rouge neighborhood best known for cookouts on sweltering summer afternoons, cauldrons of spicy crawfish, and passionate football fandom. But in the summer of 1989, when 15-year-old Lindy Simpson --- free spirit, track star and belle of the block --- experiences a horrible crime late one evening near her home, it becomes apparent that this idyllic stretch of Southern suburbia has a dark side, too.

Darkness has a way of creeping up when Ian is with Priss in CRAZY LOVE YOU by Lisa Unger. Even when they were kids, playing in the woods of their small upstate New York town, he could feel it. Still, Priss was his best friend, his salvation from the bullies who called him "loser" and "fatboy"...and from his family's deadly secrets. Now that they've both escaped to New York City, Ian no longer inhabits the tortured shell of his childhood. He is a talented and successful graphic novelist, and Priss...Priss is still trouble.

If you happen to love YA and you happen to be in a book group, then check out our latest bookshelf on ReadingGroupGuides.com's "Not Just for Teens: YA Books for Great Group Discussions" here. We've rounded up 20 young adult titles that are just as thought-provoking and compelling as their grownup counterparts. We've included classics like THE GIVER, teen memoirs like Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai’s I AM MALALA, literary fiction like Printz Award winner I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN, and even novels in verse like BROWN GIRL DREAMING. You're never too old to give YA a chance, and these books are sure to lend themselves to a great discussion with your group.

See if you were a winner in our latest “Books to Fall in Love With 2015” Valentine’s Day Feature here. Also listed is your top 10 literary loves and lusts --- needless to say, you all were feeling some good type of way this Valentine's Day.

Click here to see if you won a copy of SEARCHING FOR GRACE KELLY in our Special Feature/Contest. Read our review of this fun book here and check out our exclusive 20SomethingReads.com's interview with author Michael Callahan here.

In the spirit of the many fashion weeks taking place all over the world, we want to bring your attention to a very cool Special Feature/Contest for WHY'D THEY WEAR THAT? by Sarah Albee in conjunction with National Geographic, hosted on Teenreads.com. You can find more details about the contest by scrolling down, but note that this one is definitely for fashionistas and history buffs alike.

5 Things We’re Obsessed With at This Very Moment, in no particular order:
1. Spring Break, y’alllll.
2. Spring fruits and vegetables; we’re looking at you, fiddlehead ferns.
3. St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans...but mostly that corned beef and cabbage with all the fixin’s.
4. The series finale of “Parks and Recreation”; we already miss you, Pawnee.
5. Kazuo Ishiguro’s latest, THE BURIED GIANT, and its stunning cover.

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

WHY’D THEY WEAR THAT? is a necessary addition to your growing coffee table book collection. With a foreword by the famous "Project Runaway" star, Tim Gunn, WHY'D THEY WEAR THAT? is a unique history lesson in the line of fashion. Beginning with commonplace garb of the Ancient World and ending with 20th century modernwear, the book traces different fashion trends throughout the centuries. Plastered with colorful imagery and riddled with fascinating facts, such as the US only produces 2 percent of the clothing that American consumers buy --- whoa!, WHY'D THEY WEAR THAT? is guaranteed to give you the fashion history you never knew you always wanted.

In this Teenreads.com Special Contest, there are 10 copies of WHY'D THEY WEAR THAT? to give away to readers who would like to read the book, which came out on February 10th. To enter, please fill out this form by Tuesday, March 10th at noon ET. Good luck!

- Click here to read more in the Teenreads.com Special Feature and to enter the contest.
- Click here to read the review.
- Click here to read more about the book.
 

BERTIE’S GUIDE TO LIFE AND MOTHERS: A 44 Scotland Street Novel (9) by Alexander McCall Smith (Fiction)
Newlywed painter and sometime somnambulist Angus Lordie might be sleepwalking his way into trouble with Animal Welfare when he lets his dog, Cyril, drink a bit too much lager at the local bar. Meanwhile, the long-suffering Bertie --- on the cusp of his seventh birthday party --- has taken to dreaming about his 18th, a time when he will be able to avoid the indignity of unwanted girl attendees and the looming threat of a gender-neutral doll from his domineering mother, Irene. Reviewed by Rebecca Kilberg.

BLOOD INFERNAL: The Order of the Sanguines Series by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell (Thriller/Adventure)
With THE BLOOD GOSPEL, James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell combined science, myth and religion to introduce a breathtaking world where miracles hold new meaning and the fight for good over evil is far more complicated than we ever dreamed. And now, in this epic conclusion to the Order of the Sanguines trilogy, they take us to the very pit of Hell itself, making us peer into the abyss and face our greatest fears, to answer the ultimate question: What price will we pay for true salvation? Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE COUNTRY OF ICE CREAM STAR by Sandra Newman (Dystopian Thriller)
In the ruins of a future America, 15-year-old Ice Cream Star and her nomadic tribe live off of the detritus of a crumbled civilization. Before reaching the age of 20, they all die of a mysterious disease. When her brother begins showing signs of the disease, Ice Cream Star sets off on a bold journey to find a cure. Led by a stranger, a captured prisoner named Pasha who becomes her devoted protector and friend, Ice Cream Star plunges into the unknown, risking her freedom and ultimately her life. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

CRAZY LOVE YOU by Lisa Unger (Psychological Thriller)
Darkness has a way of creeping up when Ian is with Priss. Even when they were kids, playing in the woods of their small upstate New York town, he could feel it. Still, Priss was his best friend, his salvation from the bullies who called him "loser" and "fatboy"...and from his family's deadly secrets. Now that they've both escaped to New York City, Ian no longer inhabits the tortured shell of his childhood. He is a talented and successful graphic novelist, and Priss...Priss is still trouble. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE DAMNED by Andrew Pyper (Supernatural Thriller)
Despite surviving a fire that claimed the life of his twin sister, Ashleigh, Danny Orchard has never been able to enjoy his second chance at life. Ash had been a budding psychopath who privately terrorized her family --- and death hasn’t changed her wicked ways. She has haunted her brother for 20 years, and now, just when he’s met the love of his life, she wants more than ever to punish him for being alive. So she sets her sights on Danny’s new wife and stepson. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

FEBRUARY FEVER: A Murder-by-Month Mystery by Jess Lourey (Mystery)
Mira James’ hot and heavy relationship with boyfriend Johnny Leeson is definitely warming up her winter. But when Johnny has to go to Portland, Oregon, for a month-long internship, airplane-averse Mira lets her septuagenarian friend Mrs. Berns talk her into a visit. After a few glasses of champagne and Mrs. Berns’ encouragement, Mira begins to relax and enjoy herself…until a fellow passenger is murdered and a snowstorm traps the train in the Rockies. If Mira can’t track down the killer, she may end up derailed --- permanently. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.

THE GLITTERING WORLD by Robert Levy (Supernatural Thriller)
When up-and-coming chef Michael “Blue” Whitley returns with three friends to the remote Canadian community of his birth, it appears to be the perfect getaway from New York. He soon discovers, however, that everything he thought he knew about himself is a carefully orchestrated lie. Once the shocking truth starts bleeding back into his life, his closest friends must unravel the secrets of Starling Cove and the artists’ colony it once harbored. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

GLOW by Ned Beauman (Fiction)
Twenty-two-year-old Raf spends his days walking Rose, a bull terrier who guards the transmitters for a pirate radio station, and his nights at raves in warehouses and launderettes. When his friend Theo vanishes without a trace, Raf’s efforts to find him will lead straight into the heart of a global corporate conspiracy. Meanwhile, he’s falling in love with a beautiful young woman he met at one of those raves, but he’ll soon discover that there is far more to Cherish than meets the eye. Reviewed by Stephen Febick.

I REGRET EVERYTHING: A Love Story by Seth Greenland (Fiction)
Jeremy Best, a Manhattan-based trusts and estates lawyer, has a second life as the poet Jinx Bell. To Spaulding, his boss’s daughter, 33-year-old Jeremy is, at first, already halfway to dead. When Spaulding, an aspiring 19-year-old writer, discovers Mr. Best’s alter writerly ego, the two become bound by a devotion to poetry. Their budding relationship offers them the possibility of enduring love --- or the threat of tragic loss. Reviewed by Jesse Kornbluth, founder of HeadButler.com.

MOTIVE: An Alex Delaware Novel by Jonathan Kellerman (Psychological Thriller)
Ursula Corey is a successful, attractive divorcée who has been executed. Two suspects emerge: the dead woman’s business partner/ex-husband and her divorce lawyer/secret lover. But just as psychologist Alex Delaware and homicide cop Milo Sturgis think they’re zeroing in on the perp, a bizarre new clue stirs up eerie echoes of a previously unsolved murder. And the discovery of yet another crime scene bearing the same taunting signature raises the specter of a serial killer on a mission. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

MY SUNSHINE AWAY by M.O. Walsh (Fiction)
MY SUNSHINE AWAY unfolds in a Baton Rouge neighborhood best known for cookouts on sweltering summer afternoons, cauldrons of spicy crawfish, and passionate football fandom. But in the summer of 1989, when 15-year-old Lindy Simpson --- free spirit, track star and belle of the block --- experiences a horrible crime late one evening near her home, it becomes apparent that this idyllic stretch of Southern suburbia has a dark side, too. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

OBSESSION IN DEATH by J. D. Robb (Mystery/Thriller)
Eve Dallas has become the object of one person’s obsession --- someone who would kill for her. With a murderer reading meanings into her every move, handling this case will be a delicate and dangerous psychological dance. And Eve knows that underneath the worship and admiration, a terrible threat lies in wait. Because the beautiful lieutenant is not at all grateful for these bloody offerings from her “true and loyal friend.” And in time, idols always fall… Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THERE’S SOMETHING I WANT YOU TO DO: Stories by Charles Baxter (Fiction/Short Stories)
Charles Baxter’s new book is a collection of 10 interrelated stories, the first five named after virtues, the second after vices. Baxter’s point is that all of us cover the spectrum of moral qualities, as do his characters --- from the pediatrician conflicted about his work to the altruistic missionary who contracts a disease in Ethiopia and, upon returning stateside, commits robbery to pay for medicine. In Baxter’s world, as in life, decisions are rarely easy. Reviewed by Michael Magras.

TWELVE DAYS: A John Wells Novel by Alex Berenson (Thriller)
John Wells, with his former CIA bosses Ellis Shafer and Vinnie Duto, has uncovered a staggering plot, a false-flag operation to convince the President to attack Iran. But they have no hard evidence. Now the President has set a deadline for Iran to give up its nuclear program, and the mullahs in Tehran --- furious and frightened --- have responded with a deadly terrorist attack. Wells, Shafer and Duto know they have only 12 days to find the proof they need. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE WHITES by Richard Price, writing as Harry Brandt (Crime Fiction/Mystery)
When Sergeant Billy Graves is called to a 4:00 a.m. fatal slashing of a man in Penn Station, his investigation of the crime moves beyond the usual handoff. And when he discovers that the victim was once a suspect in the unsolved murder of a 12-year-old boy, the bad old days are back in Billy's life with a vengeance, tearing apart enduring friendships forged in the urban trenches and even threatening the safety of his family. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.

THE GLASS ARROW by Kristen Simmons (Fantasy, Young Adult)
Once there was a time when men and women lived as equals, when girl babies were valued, and women could belong only to themselves. But that was ten generations ago. Now women are property, to be sold and owned and bred, while a strict census keeps their numbers manageable and under control. The best any girl can hope for is to end up as some man’s forever wife, but most are simply sold and resold until they’re all used up. Reviewed by Alison S., Teen Board member.

BONE #1: Out From Boneville (Tribute Edition) by Jeff Smith (Comic Book, Graphic Novel)
A special edition of the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling graphic novel that launched Scholastic's Graphix imprint. Includes 32 pages of bonus artwork, including a brand-new illustrated poem by Jeff Smith! In 2005, Scholastic launched Graphix with the publication of Jeff Smith's BONE in full color. To celebrate ten years of publishing, we offer this special tribute edition of OUT FROM BONEVILLE. Rediscover the world of BONE . . . or explore it for the first time. Join Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone at the beginning of their incredible journey filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures. And as an extra treat, inside you'll find minicomics and artwork inspired by BONE, created by 16 bestselling, award-winning artists. Reviewed by Matt Lazorwitz.