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September 2012

20SomethingReads.com Newsletter September 26, 2012
Books, Videos and Pumpkin Spice Lattes!
Still Ongoing on 20SomethingReads.com
What's NEW on 20SomethingReads.com?
What's Coming Up on 20SomethingReads.com?
This Week's Reviews
Vote in our Poll!
Subscribe to our Blog
Books, Videos and Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

September is one of my favorite months of the year. Even though I'm no longer in need of back-to-school supplies I still find myself jumping for joy when I see brightly colored notebooks for half-off and Crayolas in 64 different shades. Hey, you never know when you might need them.

Fall is officially underway and we all know what that means...the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks! Oh yeah, and great books to curl up on the couch and read as you sip the magically-seasoned latte of your choice. I personally am not a fan of pumpkin, but for some reason when you add espresso and milk it mutates into a delicious treat.

Now, onto the books of fall!

This month, we have a Special Feature for you to check out for Gabrielle Zevin's latest book BECAUSE IT IS MY BLOOD. This is the second book in the Birthright series, and it picks up with Anya Balanchine being released from the Liberty Children's Facility. Determined to turn her life around, Anya's plans are put on hold when she is confronted by people from her troubled past. It's a great fall book to add to your must-read list.

Last month we shared some of our favorite Tumblrs with you and this month we have videos! We added a new video since our last update, from bestselling author Jeffrey Eugenides, discussing THE MARRIAGE PLOT, now available in paperback. Then, just when you thought it was over, another parody of "Call Me Maybe" appears. But, this one is book-themed from the bookstore, Open Books in Chicago, and it's definitely worth a watch. Finally, for all of you Bono fans out there, U2's classic video for With Or Without You has some competition! Check out this parody from David Bukszpan, author of IS THAT A WORD?: From AA to ZZZ, the Weird and Wonderful Language of Scrabble.

As you know, we recently featured two fantasy-themed bookshelves, one spotlighting 20 Fantasy Series, and another showcasing 20 Stand Alone Fantasy Titles . After getting some reader feedback, we have decided to add a third fantasy bookshelf, 20 Fantasy Novels by Female Writers in our October update.

Also, be on the lookout for our homage to Stephen King in October, as we celebrate the "king" of horror's top 20 spooky reads to get you in the mood for Halloween!

J. K. Rowling --- the author of our adolescence --- releases her first book for adults on September 27th, THE CASUAL VACANCY. Though the book is embargoed and no one is really sure what it is about, I'm looking forward to it based on the description here. At 25, I am a member of the Harry Potter generation, but I must confess, I am not an uber fan. I read the first three books and really enjoyed them, but unlike my sister and my roommate --- who have both dressed as Hermione for Halloween --- I never stood in line at midnight for the release of a new book, and the only midnight movie release I have ever been to was for THE HUNGER GAMES (totally worth it!). Talking to my roommate about the book, she said she doesn't want to imagine J. K. Rowling as anything other than the author of Harry Potter, which is understandable; I would never want to imagine Ann M. Martin as the author of anything other than The Babysitters Club.

Curious as to what you think…drop me a line and let me know.

Now…onward to the books.

---Maureen Linehan (Maureen@bookreporter.com)

 

Still Ongoing on 20SomethingReads.com

Bookshelf: Fall 2012 Books On Screen - Featuring 20 upcoming movie adaptations of your favorite books; consider this a heads up on what you want to start reading (or re-reading) now.

Bookshelf: Stand-Alone Fantasy Titles - These 20 Stand Alone Fantasy Titles will keep you entertained while dreaming of far off magical lands brought to you by our contributor, Steve Hubbard. This is a companion bookshelf to our collection of 20 Must-Read Fantasy Series from June. Whether you are a true fan of this genre --- or just know it a bit (after all, if you read Harry Potter you've read fantasy) --- Steve has a list worth noting.

Bookshelf: Top Fantasy Series - Our sci-fi and fantasy expert, Stephen Hubbard had his work cut out for him when creating a bookshelf of quintessential fantasy titles. At one point he had 80 titles on his list! After trying to narrow it down to just 20 titles, which seemed to be impossible, he opted to break his winnowed down list into two bookshelves --- Top Fantasy Series and Best Stand-Alone Fantasy Novels.

This bookshelf features several classic fantasy series, as well as a group of current fantasy writers you'll want to note.

What's NEW on 20SomethingReads.com?

Special Feature: BECAUSE IT IS MY BLOOD by Gabrielle Zevin
Recently released from the Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to change her life for the better. Her old friends have all moved on, advancing in school and dating new people, but when old friends return to collect on previous debts, Anya is forced back into the criminal world that she thought she left behind for good. As she embarks on this new journey, she is thrown into situations that will test her like never before.

Video: THE MARRIAGE PLOT by Jeffrey Eugenides
Watch a book trailer for the paperback release of the bestselling novel, THE MARRIAGE PLOT.

What's Coming Up on 20SomethingReads.com?

Author Interview: Danny Wallace, author of CHARLOTTE STREET (October)

New Bookshelf: Stephen King's Top 20 Spooky Reads (October)

New Bookshelf: 20 Fantasy Novels by Women (October)

Books On Screen: Anna Karenina, Lincoln, Breaking Dawn, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook (November)

New Bookshelf: Downton Abbey-Themed Bookshelf (December)

This Week's Reviews

ROBERT B. PARKER'S FOOL ME TWICE: A Jesse Stone Novel by Michael Brandman (Mystery)
A Hollywood movie company has come to Paradise, Massachusetts, and brought with it a huge cast, crew, and a troubled star. Marisol Hinton is scared out of her wits that her estranged husband's jealousy might take a dangerous turn. When she becomes the subject of a death threat, Jesse and the rest of the Paradise police department go on high alert. Reviewed by Maggie Harding.

THE REVISED FUNDAMENTALS OF CAREGIVING by Jonathan Evison (Fiction)
Having lost virtually everything, Benjamin Benjamin enrolls in a night class called The Fundamentals of Caregiving. He is assigned to 19-year-old Trevor, who is in the advanced stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. As the two embark on a wild road trip across the American West, a new camaraderie replaces the traditional boundary between patient and caregiver. Reviewed by Eileen Zimmerman Nicol.

THE CUTTING SEASON by Attica Locke (Mystery)
Caren Gray manages Belle Vie, a sprawling antebellum plantation that has turned into an eerie tourist attraction. Outside the gates, a corporation has been snapping up land from struggling families who have been growing sugar cane for generations and replacing local employees with illegal laborers. Tensions mount when the body of a female migrant worker is found in a shallow grave on the edge of the property, her throat cut clean. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND by Matthew Dicks (Fiction)
Budo is the imaginary friend of eight-year-old Max Delaney. He loves Max and is charged with protecting him from the class bully, from awkward situations in the cafeteria, and even in the bathroom stalls. But he can’t protect Max from Mrs. Patterson, who kidnaps him. It is up to Budo and a team of imaginary friends to save him --- and Budo must ultimately decide which is more important: Max’s happiness or Budo's very existence. Reviewed by Carole Turner.

YOU ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE by Susan Richards Shreve (Fiction)
It is 1973, and Lucy Painter is a children's book illustrator and a single mother of two. She leaves New York and the married father of her children to live in a tightly knit Washington neighborhood in the house where she grew up and where she discovered her father’s suicide. Lucy hopes for a fresh start, but her life is full of secrets. As the new neighbors enter their lives, her family’s safety and stability become threatened. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.

BLACK FRIDAYS by Michael Sears (Thriller)
An investment firm asks former Wall Street hotshot Jason Stafford to look into possible problems left by a junior trader who died recently in an accident. What he discovers are the kinds of problems that can get you killed. But Stafford has another quest as well: to reclaim his five-year-old son, “the Kid,” from his unstable ex-wife. When the two threads of his life come together, the results are unforgettable. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

HARD TARGET by Alan Jacobson (Thriller)
An explosion pulverizes the president-elect's helicopter on Election Night. It soon becomes clear that the group behind the assassination possesses far greater reach than anything the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force has yet encountered --- and a plot so deeply interwoven in the country’s fabric that it threatens to upend America's political system. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

VANISHING GIRLS by Katia Lief (Mystery)
Girls are vanishing off the streets of New York City, and young women are being murdered. When the violence descends on Karin Schaeffer and Mac MacLeary's comfortable Brooklyn neighborhood, and their best friend becomes the lead investigator, they are drawn into the bewildering series of crimes. As the mystery deepens, what looks like the work of a garden-variety serial killer turns out to be an evil darker than anyone imagined. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

MORTALITY by Christopher Hitchens (Memoir)
Throughout the course of his ordeal battling esophageal cancer, Christopher Hitchens refused the solace of religion, preferring to confront death with both eyes open. In this riveting account of his affliction, Hitchens poignantly describes the torments of illness, discusses its taboos, and explores how disease transforms experience and changes our relationship to the world around us. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

LIONEL ASBO: STATE OF ENGLAND by Martin Amis (Fiction)
Just as the orphaned Desmond Pepperdine begins to lead a gentler, healthier life, his uncle Lionel --- once again in a London prison --- wins £140 million in the lottery. Upon his release, Lionel hires a public relations firm and begins dating a topless model and “poet.” Strangely, however, Lionel's true nature remains uncompromised, while his problems --- and therefore also Desmond's --- seem only to multiply. Reviewed by Jane Krebs.

FOBBIT by David Abrams (Fiction)
Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base is like the back-office of the battlefield. Male and female soldiers are trying to find an empty Porta Potty in which to get acquainted, grunts are playing Xbox and watching NASCAR between missions, and a lot of the senior staff are more concerned about getting to the chow hall in time for the Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood special than worrying about little things like military strategy. Reviewed by Curtis Edmonds.

GONE by Randy Wayne White (Mystery/Thriller)
Hannah Smith makes her living as a fishing guide, but her friends, neighbors and clients also know her as an uncommonly resourceful woman with a keen sense of justice. Her methods can be unorthodox, though, and those on the receiving end of them often wind up very unhappy --- and sometimes very violent. When a girl goes missing, and Hannah is asked to find her, that is exactly what happens. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

WARDS OF FAERIE: The Dark Legacy of Shannara by Terry Brooks (Fantasy)
The Four Lands hang in the balance between science and magic as subversive elements take up arms against the Druid Council. Humans and their allies have developed dangerous weapons using the forbidden secrets of science that long ago destroyed the world. Then a clue to four sets of precious Elfstones is discovered. Their magic has been missing for thousands of years. If it can be regained, the balance of power may shift once again.... Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.

THE ABSENT ONE by Jussi Adler-Olsen (Psychological Thriller)br />Detective Carl Mørck is intrigued when a closed case lands on his desk: A brother and sister were brutally murdered two decades earlier, and one of the suspects --- part of a group of privileged boarding-school students --- confessed and was convicted. But once Mørck reopens the files, it becomes clear that all is not what it seems. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

A KILLING IN THE HILLS by Julia Keller (Mystery)
Three elderly men are gunned down at a local diner. One of the witnesses to the brutal incident was Carla Elkins, the prosecuting attorney’s daughter, who believes she might be uniquely placed to help her mother do her job. But could Carla also end up doing more harm than good --- in fact, putting her own life in danger? Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

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