Skip to main content

Editorial Content for Hot Little Hands: Fiction

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Sarah Rachel Egelman

Claire, living far from her native London and studying film in San Francisco, is trying but not quite succeeding in growing up. When she finds herself pregnant with her ex-boyfriend, Luke, the reality of adulthood is suddenly becoming unavoidable. Her choice to terminate the pregnancy is swiftly dealt with, and she doesn’t miss a beat in her hipster life. Read More

Teaser

Over the course of nine loosely connected stories, HOT LITTLE HANDS introduces us to young women, at once clever and naïve, who struggle to navigate the chronic uncertainty and very real dangers that come with being impatient for the future and reluctant to leave childhood behind. Abigail Ulman’s voice feels of the moment --- sharp and powerful --- as she deftly explores ageless themes of sex and maturity among girls who are both confident and frighteningly exposed.

Promo

Over the course of nine loosely connected stories, HOT LITTLE HANDS introduces us to young women, at once clever and naïve, who struggle to navigate the chronic uncertainty and very real dangers that come with being impatient for the future and reluctant to leave childhood behind. Abigail Ulman’s voice feels of the moment --- sharp and powerful --- as she deftly explores ageless themes of sex and maturity among girls who are both confident and frighteningly exposed.

About the Book

For fans of HBO’s "Girls," Abigail Ulman’s heartbreakingly tender and often darkly funny fiction is a fresh take on the experiences of contemporary young women.
 
Claire is magnetic. On the cusp of adulthood and letting go of her adolescence one miserable responsibility at a time, she’s moved from London to San Francisco to work toward her PhD and minor in cheap whiskey, pour-over coffee, and guys who can’t be bothered to shower. When she finds out she’s pregnant by a heartsick ex-boyfriend, the solution seems clear, if only to her.
 
Kira is a talented 13-year-old Russian gymnast who leaves her traditional family to travel to America.
 
Elise and Jenni, two Australian high school students, seek asylum from the hooking up and heavy drinking they’ve been doing for years by reenrolling in their childhood sleepaway camp.
 
Over the course of nine loosely connected stories, HOT LITTLE HANDS introduces us to young women, at once clever and naïve, who struggle to navigate the chronic uncertainty and very real dangers that come with being impatient for the future and reluctant to leave childhood behind.

Abigail Ulman’s voice feels of the moment --- sharp and powerful --- as she deftly explores ageless themes of sex and maturity among girls who are both confident and frighteningly exposed.

Audiobook available, read by Gemma Whelan

Daniel Gilbert

The secret of happiness is variety, but the secret of variety, like the secret of all spices, is knowing when to use it.

Attribution

Daniel Gilbert

Editorial Content for What Happens Now

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Aliza M., Teen Board Member

From standardized tests to summer planning, I haven't exactly had time for reading over the past couple of months. So when WHAT HAPPENS NOW by Jennifer Castle showed up in my mailbox last week, I couldn't wait to finally start reading something again.

To say I was not disappointed is an understatement. You know those books that keep you up through the night and into the early hours of the morning? The ones that fill your head with an entire universe of plot, setting and characters? This was one of those books. Read More

Teaser

Ari Logan is battling to win her war against depression and the dark night she hurt herself on purpose. It's not easy: her best friend is drifting away, her mom's emotionally checked out, and she spends her days playing caregiver to her handful of a half-sister, Danielle. At first, Ari quietly longs for Camden from afar, seeing in him everything she wants to be. When the two discover a true connection the following summer, Ari lets herself fall not just for the quirky and self-assured Camden but also his friends, tumbling into their world of independence, adventure and shared sci-fi fandom.

Promo

Ari Logan is battling to win her war against depression and the dark night she hurt herself on purpose. It's not easy: her best friend is drifting away, her mom's emotionally checked out, and she spends her days playing caregiver to her handful of a half-sister, Danielle. At first, Ari quietly longs for Camden from afar, seeing in him everything she wants to be. When the two discover a true connection the following summer, Ari lets herself fall not just for the quirky and self-assured Camden but also his friends, tumbling into their world of independence, adventure and shared sci-fi fandom.

About the Book

Ari Logan is battling to win her war against depression and the dark night she hurt herself on purpose. It's not easy: her best friend is drifting away, her mom's emotionally checked out, and she spends her days playing caregiver to her handful of a half-sister, Danielle. But it's summer, and anything is possible...
 
That's when Camden Armstrong steps onto the beach of Ari's local swimming lake. 
 
At first, Ari quietly longs for Camden from afar, seeing in him everything she wants to be. When the two discover a true connection the following summer, Ari lets herself fall not just for the quirky and self-assured Camden but also his friends, tumbling into their world of independence, adventure and shared sci-fi fandom. As Ari's romantic dreams come true, she must unlock the mysteries of the very real and troubled boy behind her infatuation, while also struggling with her own demons, obligations and loyalties.
 
From the acclaimed author of  THE BEGINNING OF AFTER and YOU LOOK DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE, WHAT HAPPENS NOW is a touching, insightful novel about learning to heal, learning to love and what happens when fantasy becomes reality.

When you go on vacation, which of the following do you do? Please check as many as apply.

June 9, 2016, 650 voters

Summer Golf Reading for 2016

In April, the first major golf championship of the year was held at Augusta National in Georgia. The Masters is a tournament steeped in history, and this year’s event added to that history with a classic failure that will long be remembered. Defending champion Jordan Spieth led the tournament from the first day on Thursday to the final nine holes on Sunday. He had built a five-stroke lead as he began the back nine, but that evaporated as he went six strokes over par on the next three holes, including a quadruple-bogey 7 on the 12th hole, where he ignominiously hit two balls into Rae’s Creek, the water hazard that borders the hole. Although battling back and coming close, Spieth could not recover the strokes he had lost. Englishman Danny Willett became the first European to win the Masters since 1999.

Editorial Content for Steeplejack

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Matthew Burbridge

STEEPLEJACK, the first book in a new young adult series by A.J. Hartley, is, in the simplest terms, a fantasy novel. Although fantasy is the genre it has been wedged into, I will tell you now that it is much bigger than that. STEEPLEJACK is a fantastic detective-noir story set in a steampunk South Africa. It has all the trappings of a great detective story, including a main character with only good intentions and a bad reputation, a dead innocent in the opening, a wide-spread web of conspiracy, fast-talking interrogations and shady dealings --- just to get any interested parties ready! Read More

Teaser

Seventeen-year-old Anglet Sutonga lives repairing the chimneys, towers and spires of the city of Bar-Selehm. When Ang is supposed to meet her new apprentice Berrit, she instead finds him dead. That same night, the Beacon, an invaluable historical icon, is stolen. The Beacon’s theft commands the headlines, yet no one seems to care about Berrit’s murder --- except for Josiah Willinghouse, an enigmatic young politician. When he offers her a job investigating his death, she plunges headlong into new and unexpected dangers.

Promo

Seventeen-year-old Anglet Sutonga lives repairing the chimneys, towers and spires of the city of Bar-Selehm. When Ang is supposed to meet her new apprentice Berrit, she instead finds him dead. That same night, the Beacon, an invaluable historical icon, is stolen. The Beacon’s theft commands the headlines, yet no one seems to care about Berrit’s murder --- except for Josiah Willinghouse, an enigmatic young politician. When he offers her a job investigating his death, she plunges headlong into new and unexpected dangers.

About the Book

Seventeen-year-old Anglet Sutonga, Ang for short, repairs the chimneys, towers, and spires of Bar-Selehm, the ethnically-diverse industrial capital of a land resembling Victorian South Africa. The city was built on the trade of luxorite, a priceless glowing mineral. When the Beacon, a historical icon made of luxorite, is stolen, it makes the headlines. But no one cares about the murder of Ang’s new apprentice, Berrit --- except for Josiah Willinghouse, an enigmatic young politician, who offers Ang a job investigating Berrit’s death. On top of this, Ang struggles with the responsibility of caring for her sister’s newborn child. 
 
As political secrets unfold and racial tensions surrounding the Beacon's theft rise, Ang navigates the constricting traditions of her people, the murderous intentions of her former boss, and the conflicting impulses of a fledgling romance. With no one to help her except a savvy newspaper girl and a kindhearted herder from the savannah, Ang must resolve the mysterious link between Berrit and the missing Beacon before the city is plunged into chaos.
 
A fresh take on historical fantasy attune to today’s demand for multicultural YA, STEEPLEJACK will resonate with readers of all ages.
Like many of us, author Tracy Deebs grew up idolizing superheroes. As an adult, Deebs used these pop culture stars to enhance her fun writing style. In her thoughtful blog, Deebs discusses the heroes who most influenced her writing today. Her vivid descriptions of Wonder Woman's knee-high red boots and golden lasso demonstrate the importance of costume and style --- it's all about the details! Her love of bad boys like Batman and strong, independent women like Wonder Woman gives us a glimpse at the types of superheroes readers are introduced to in her exciting Hero Agenda series, co-written with Tera Lynn Childs

June 9, 2016

This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that we think is a great summer reading selection. Read more about it, and enter our Summer Reading Contest by Friday, June 10th at 11:59am ET for a chance to win one of five copies of KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST by J. Ryan Stradal, which is now available in paperback. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!

Author Talk: Steven Rowley, author of Lily and the Octopus

Jun 9, 2016

Steven Rowley has worked as a freelance writer, newspaper columnist and screenwriter, but now, with his excellent debut in bookstores, he’s well on his way to becoming a household name. LILY AND THE OCTOPUS is an epic adventure and a fierce love story about the lengths to which one man will go to save his dog. In this interview, Rowley reveals the heartbreaking inspiration behind his first novel, why your 40s can feel like the “halftime” of your life, and how he tends to blur the lines between prose and poetry in his writing.