The last 20 are from…

I should have a review  up for Destined for An Early Grave soonish (letting it simmer for awhile so that I don’t sound too fangirly,) and I’m currently totally absorbed in a fantastic read, so in the meantime…Why not pull out a sorta-meme. This one has been drifting about but I saw it on Presenting Lenore and again today on Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’? and thought I’d do it, too.

Prompted by an article that both ladies reference in their posts, essentially, you look at the last twenty books you read and list where you got them from. It’s a neat idea, and I have a feeling for where my majority will lie, but let’s see. Here goes.

1. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver – Library and read for a workshop
   
2. Dull Boy by Sarah Cross – Borrowed from library
   
3. Close Encounters by Katherine Allred – Purchased from bookstore because I couldn’t find it in my library consortium
   
4. Bird by Rita Murphy – Read for review for my regional library system
   
5. Fire by Kristin Cashore – Received ARC
   
6. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler – Borrowed from library and bought (after realizing how much I loved it)
   
7. Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge – Purchased it, again because no library owned it
   
8. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan – Autobuy series for me
   
9. Prada & Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard – Borrowed from library
   
10. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson – Borrowed from library to read for the course I am currently enrolled in
    
11. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – Borrowed ARC from a fellow YA librarian
    
12. Nekropolis by Tim Waggoner – Read ARC for review/received from publisher
    
13. Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs – Borrowed from library
    
14. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen – Read for review for my regional library system
15. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie – Borrowed from library
    
16. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen – Purchased because I was being impatient
    
17. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones – Purchased
18. The Strangely Beautiful…Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Heiber – Received ARC from author/publisher
    
19. Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore – Ordered
    
20. When the Circus Came to Town by Laurence Yep – Borrowed from library
    
21. Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost – Also an autobuy author for me; I was at the bookstore on release day as soon as I could possibly get there

It was a no-brainer that I would have borrowed most from the library. I do work in one, after all. And out of the ones I actually purchased, quite a few were because I love/adore/worship the authors and will buy all of their future releases, and the rest were either due to my impatience or because I just couldn’t get them through the library. So, the next time my husband complains about me buying a book, I guess I have something to show him.

(Oops! Just realized I did 21 instead. Ah, well.)

Resenting the Hero ~ Moira J. Moore

In a realm beset by natural disasters, only the bonded Pairs–Source and Shield–make the land habitable and keep the citizenry safe. The ties that bind them are far beyond the relationships between lovers or kin-and last their entire lives…Whether they like it or not.

This was a strange one for me: I liked the story, but couldn’t stand Dunleavy, the book’s first person narrator.

The novel begins in the Matching Circle, a ceremony which will bind Dunleavy’s Shield to a Source; the pairing is out of her hands. That’s not to say that Dunleavy doesn’ t have her preferences, and Shintaro Karish is at the very bottom of her list. From the back cover: “…the legendary, handsome, and unbearably self-assured Lord Shintaro Karish. Sure, he cuts a fine figure with his aristocratic airs and undeniable courage. But Karish’s popularity and notoriety – in bed and out – make him the las Source Lee ever wanted to be stuck with.” And so my problem with her began from the moment they bonded and she let her interactions with Karish be ruled by heresy and gossip.

Throughout the whole of the novel Dunleavy, or Lee, seems vaguely blind to all but her own preconceptions. If she learns anything from someone else’s actions, something that may go against her belief in them, it’s acknowledged and quickly swept under the rug, sometimes left there, it seemed, to be forgotten. Most of the time I wanted to shake her for this.

Granted, she never admits to being the most gracious of persons, and instead takes full responsibility for her traits: “But I was a seflish person. I knew this about myself.” And she is, mostly, exhibiting that selfishness in her thoughts more constantly than through outright actions. I had a very, very hard time warming up to her. Actually, by novel’s end, I still hadn’t warmed up to her. She didn’t seem to grow (much) and her personality barely bent to allow for newfound revelations (such as Karish’s reputation, which may or may not be quite what it seems.)

I sincerely hope that she changes in the next book, if only slightly, because I dislike disliking the main character in a book I was otherwise engaged by.

And I definitely was engaged. It took me no time at all to read. I liked Karish and several of the secondary characters – including one we “meet” only through letters (which probably makes him little more than a periphery character. Still. I liked him.) And the concept of a Source and Shield, a bonded pair able to avert natural disasters, was nicely handled. It certainly required a varied form of magic and was, in fact, the only magic to be had in the story. There was also treachery – always good for quickening the pace – and betrayal. All good.

Other than Dunleavy, the only thing I could pick at would be that rather big events were ushered in with one sentence, usually at the beginning of the chapater. I was usually left saying “Whoa! What happened there?” or “Huh? Really?”

Still, I will definitely be reading The Hero Strikes Back and, most likely, Heroes Adrift. Unless I still want to throttle Dunleavy. Which is a definite possibility, but even then, I’m intrigued and so may opt to stew and grumble as I turn the pages instead.

House of Night – New Cover

So, here it is: the cover for Tempted, the next book in the House of Night series.

So…you’d think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High Priestess, saving Stark’s life, biting Heath, getting a headache from Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High Priestess in training and her gang. Juggling three guys is anything but a stress reliever, especially when one of them is a sexy Warrior who is so into protecting Zoey that he can sense her emotions. Speaking of stress, the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings. Aphrodite’s visions warn Zoey to stay away from Kalona and his dark allure, but they also show that it is Zoey who has the power to stop the evil immortal. Soon it becomes obvious that Zoey has no choice: if she doesn’t go to Kalona he will exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life, her heart, and her soul? Find out in the next spectacular installment in the House of Night series, TEMPTED.”

I want to be excited about this, I do, and in some ways I guess I am, but…the last one? < Sigh > Went in directions I just couldn’t understand. (Please, please, Zoey, pick a guy. At this point, any guy! Though, from the blurb, it doesn’t appear that’s going to happen just yet. Damn.) That said, I’ll still definitely be reading it, and I’ve got to say, the page on the HoN site for this one is something, and there’s a teaser on there (which is what I got when I clicked on the link to read the first chapter.)

So…thoughts?

Thank Goodness for Retro Fridays!

Prompted by Angieville‘s new feature, Retro Fridays, I did a feature on Joanne Dobson, a mystery author whose books I loved. After they stopped being released, well, I couldn’t let go of the hope that there would be more, and guess what? Joanne Dobson commented on one of my pages, letting me know that Karen Pelletier is still on the case! Check this out:

According to Amazon:
“Professor Karen Pelletier is about to realize her dream; after six years in the English Department at New England’s exclusive Enfield College, she is up for tenure. Then Professor Joseph Lone Wolf, her rival for the one tenured spot in the department, whose ethnicity gives him minority-preference status, is found dead from an overdose of Peyote buttons. First on the list of suspects, Karen is harassed by a homicide cop with a grudge against his colleague, the love of Karen’s life, Lieutenant Charlie Piotrowski. On campus, political passions rage. Two of Karen’s favorite students, Khalida Ahmed, a hijab-wearing Muslim, and Hank Brody, a coal-miner’s son on full scholarship, are caught up in the furor. Without the presence of her beloved Charlie, now serving a tour of duty with the National Guard in Iraq, will Karen be able to survive the investigation, protect her students, and find a permanent niche in the world of academe? And what if the killer feels the need to strike again?”

Death Without Tenure is going to be released this December by Poisoned Pen Press! This is ridiculously exciting news for me. Really. Just looking at that cover is flooding me with so many memories of the days I spent on the campus of Enfield College, solving cases with Karen and the Lietenant. Really, I’m…I…yeah. I’m a happy girl.

Thank you, Ms. Dobson, for commenting!

This Week’s Goodies

I discovered the Book Depository! Wonderful, yes, but my wallet’s not going to like me much for it. Still, I showed some restraint and only purchased two books: The Lies of Locke Lamora¹ by Scott Lynch and The Pale Assassin (Pimpernelles #1)² by Patricia Elliott.

1. I’m pretty sure if I went through my stacks, I’d find a copy of this one, and an ARC at that. But look at that UK cover! It’s gorgeous. So much more old world than the US one. If I enjoy this, I’m think I’ll need to use the Depository to purchase Red Seas Under Red Skies, too.
2. The Pale Assassin. The US release date got bandied about, which led to me getting impatient, and further to buying it from the UK. Here’s what this one is about: “Eugenie de Boncoeur is growing up in Paris, unaware that her guardian has contracted her to marry the sinister spymaster known as ‘le Fantome’ when she turns sixteen. She finds herself falling for the handsome lawyer, Guy Deschamps, but there is little time for romance; France is descending into chaos as the Revolution takes hold. Soon Eugenie is fleeing for her life. Her brother Armand has become involved in a plot to save the King from the guillotine, the mob is searching for aristocrats, and le Fantome, the pale assassin, is on their trail – desperate for revenge.”

Let’s see…Okay, so, Margaret Atwood. I read The Handmaid’s Tale, loved it. Brought The Penelopiad home, haven’t read it yet. But I’ve always said, after that first taste of Atwood’s writing, that I needed to read more. I’m not sure The Year of the Flood is the best place to begin – it might be necessary to read Oryx and Crake first – but when this ARC came in the mail I was happy. The Year of the Flood will release on September 22nd.

The Purloined Boy by Mortimus Clay. I was on Twitter and lucked into being included on the blog tour for this one. Expect more come early September. It looks great!

And the last two…I might have squee’d a bit when I opened my mailbox and saw them.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner. This one is drawing comparisons to The Hunger Games, which, even if it’s only remotely similar, I’m on board. Here’s the synopsis:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

The Maze Runner will be out on October 6th.

And, finally, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. This one is big! 626 pages! And I do love a chunkster. This sounds fabulous:

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

I’ve got a little mini-vacation coming up in August and I do believe I’ll be settling in with Beautiful Creatures. (This one will be released in December.)

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker ~ Leanna Renee Hieber

What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Considering how few of Queen Victoria’s Londoners knew of it, the great Romanesque fortress was dreadfully imposing, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met the powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadow, the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She knew simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow-white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gifts. But this arched stone doorway offered a portal to a new life, an education far from the convent—and an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death….

Yesterday morning, shortly after finishing Howl’s, I began The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker. One late (early?) morning and a strange event of my own later, I turned the last page, an action that was swiftly followed by the desire for more. More of Ms. Hieber’s blend of myth and magic, more of the rain soaked streets of London, and more of Percy Parker herself.

I think, perhaps, my favorite thing about this novel is Percy’s timidity, which may be an odd thing to say, but not when you consider the potential for growth. Percy is a character who has it in her to be spectacular; I think as the series continues we are going to witness her spine straighten and her head raised with strength and confidence, and it is going to be a lovely journey. And as she’s written, her timid nature is easy to bear because it’s understandably warranted, and her nature is so sweet in spite of it that certain scenes are more meaningful because of it.

If it seems as though I’m talking in circles, I’m sorry. I’m trying rather desperately to not reveal the surprising turns of the novel. In some ways, good ways, it was not at all what I expected. It was more…intricate, with a storyline that is indeed part Victorian era ghostbusters and also mythical exploration. As the pieces began to fall into place I could sort of see where it was going and couldn’t help but delight in it just a bit.

I’m tired today but it was thrilling to be engaged in a book that kept me reading well past 1 a.m, that got me out of bed not long after to begin again. And that, of course, means that I will absolutely be reading the next book, and the one after that and so on.

And in the next book, I hope we get more of the Guard, the individuals responsible for protecting an unsuspecting world from supernatural encroachers. More of Percy’s progression towards being a strong and commanding presence. And more of a certain Professor Alexi Rychman who, I’m sure, would have made my academic days a little, ah, brighter.

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is going to be released by Dorchester on August 25th. I hope you’ll seek out a copy then. But…because I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC, I’m going to be holding a giveaway in early August for a finished copy to be mailed to the winner upon its release. Make sure to check back if you’d like to enter!

Thoughts on: Howl’s Moving Castle ~ Diana Wynne Jones

From the book:

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s fare more to Howl – and herself – than first meets the eye.

It was only a year or so ago that I saw the movie based upon this book and had declared that I would read it soon after. My intention was true, but things – being mostly other books – got in the way. Every time I visited a bookstore I’d pick up a copy, put it back, commit to reading it another time. Well, I guess now was the right time.

When this book popped up in one of my “What I Got” posts, most everyone who commented on it said that it was nothing like the movie, and they were right. While the bones are there, the film story is indeed very different. In some ways, for me, for the better, and as is always the case, in others not so much.

What struck me about the book is that I think, were she real, I wouldn’t quite get along with Sophie. She had a prickly personality; stubborn, gullible, so turned around that she was easy to anger. Oh, she had a good heart, and good reason to be turned around, I suppose, but if I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure if I liked her through most of the book. In fact, I’m pretty sure I was tempted to shake her more than once.

Howl was…Howl. In his own way he’s as infuriating as Sophie, but much more charming about it. I stuck slips of paper into the book at two points. The tone and melodrama of the first seemed to sum up his character (and made me smile because of it):

“I feel ill,” he announced. “I’m going to bed, where I may die.”

The second, okay, so it made me chuckle because I can see it so well:

“Go to bed, you fool,” Calcifer said sleepily. “You’re drunk.”

“Who, me?” said Howl. “I assure you, my friends, I am cone sold stober.” He got up and stalked upstairs, feeling for the wall as if he thought it might escape him unless he kept in touch with it. His bedroom door did escape him. “What a lie that was!” Howl remarked as he walked into the wall. “My shining dishonesty will be the salvation of me.” He walked into the wall several times more, in several different places, before he discovered his bedroom door and crashed his way through it. Sophie could hear him falling about, saying that his bed was dodging.

Even drunk, Howl is rather easy to love, and while no one would ever want to put up with a man who sheds green slime when he’s having a tantrum, there is something about him.

In Diana Wynne Jones’s book, she created a marvelous cast of characters with little exposition; there are a few that are only mentioned, and still they stay with you. Also, the world-building of the story is incredibly imaginative and visual. Had I never seen the movie, this book would have played out like one in my mind as I read.

This was my first DWJ book, but it won’t be my last. I’ve got House of Many Ways sitting on a shelf not too far away; I’ll be reading that one soonish, I think. But I’d also like to explore her other worlds. And I think I’ll be watching Miyazaki’s Howl’s very, very soon, too.

We Have to Wait Till When?

Look at these YA lovelies…

Magic Under Glass – Jaclyn Dolamore
From Amazon: “Nimira is a music-hall performer forced to dance for pennies to an audience of leering drunks. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to do a special act – singing accompaniment to an exquisite piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new life. In Parry’s world, however, buried secrets stir. Unsettling below-stairs rumours abound about ghosts, a mad woman roaming the halls, and of Parry’s involvement in a gang of ruthless sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing young fairy gentleman is trapped inside the automaton’s stiff limbs, waiting for someone to break the curse and set him free, the two fall in love. But it is a love set against a dreadful race against time to save the entire fairy realm, which is in mortal peril.”

This sounds wonderful – automatons! fairies! a mad woman roaming the halls!! Magic Under Glass is set to be released by Bloomsbury in February January¹ of 2010. The author, Jaclyn Dolamore, doesn’t have much up on her website yet, but you can follow her on her blog.

And while I couldn’t find the cover, I’m also excited about Stephanie Burgis’s A Most Improper Magick (Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson) – it looks fabulous! From the author’s website:

“Kat: Twelve years old and quite aware that she’s far more competent than either of her maddeningly patronizing older sisters. If only they hadn’t thwarted her plan to run away to London dressed as a boy and earn a fortune! When she makes a midnight foray into her mother’s cabinet of secrets, though, she finds out something nobody expected. Her mother wasn’t just a witch, she was a Guardian, a member of a secret Order with staggering magical powers–and Kat is her heir.”

Follow the author on her blog (I know I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled there for the cover.) A Most Improper Magick will be released by Atheneum in April of 2010.

¹Jaclyn left a comment that her book will actually be released a month earlier! Yay!

Retro Friday: Joanne Dobson

Angie started this wonderful feature called Retro Fridays – the point being to talk about books that aren’t so new, maybe even out of print, but books that you loved for whatever reason, and haven’t forgotten after perhaps even years and years. So…That’s what I’m going to do today, and my Retro Friday is going to feature author Joanne Dobson.

In 1997, during my evening shift at a small bookstore, I came across the first in a new academic mystery series called Quieter Than Sleep. We got no more than two copies in to be shelved but, after reading the back cover, I snagged one for myself.

It got put aside for weeks only to be pulled it out during a family road trip of sorts. This book – actually several in this series – became one associated with sense memories for me. Reading it is etched so firmly in my mind, I can easily recall where I was, what I was doing, what I was eating, etc. And I distinctly remember being thoroughly engrossed in the novel. Quieter Than Sleep introduces Karen Pelletier, a professor at Massachusetts’ fictional Enfield College and single mother, whose “literary passion” was Emily Dickinson. After one of her colleagues is murdered – perhaps because he discovered something huge about Dickinson  – Karen takes up the role of unwilling sleuth, and meets one Lieutenant Piotrowski.

The stage was set perfectly in that first book for those that followed. And those that followed? I devoured. I was so into The Raven and the Nightengale that I almost didn’t get to the building on time for a poetry event at which I had been chosen to read.

But then, after The Maltese Manuscript, my favorite of the series, they just stopped. Nothing had been resolved in that last book, nothing to make it seem as though it would indeed be the last of Karen Pelletier, and I felt bereft. For years after, I kept searching for news of the series, of Joanne Dobson, and found none. A part of me still holds out hope that maybe there’ll be another book coming. Because they were that good, because they made me care about Karen, Piotrowski, all the regulars, and because they warmed me whenever I read them.

I’m pretty sure that the first three or four books in this series have gone out of print, and so I cherish my copies all the more. They have a definite, permanent place on my keeper shelf, and I urge you, if you do come across one somewhere, pick it up. I think you might enjoy it.

Quieter Than Sleep | The Northbury Papers | The Raven and the Nightengale | Cold and Pure and Very Dead | The Maltese Manuscript

Review: The Luxe ~ Anna Godbersen

Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn.
Irresistible boys with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions.
White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hookups.
This is Manhattan, 1899.

Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan’s social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City’s elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone—from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud—threatens Elizabeth’s and Diana’s golden future.

With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the girl whose glittering life lit up the city’s gossip pages is swallowed by the rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps, someone wanted to see Manhattan’s most celebrated daughter disappear…

I am completely enamored with the turn of the century as the story’s backdrop. It is at once glamorous and stifling. Especially for women. It’s easy to look at the cover of The Luxe, to read about the society balls and the gorgeous gowns, and to forget that at the time women were often forced to marry to better their families, or out of duty and with a sense of responsibility instead of love. And yet, for that, it’s still impossibly romantic. Stolen moments, a barely-there touch, a note written in someone’s hand on crisp, white stationary. I enjoyed both the commentary and the fluttering lashes of improbable love.

It took me a while to read this because, and I’ll be honest, of all the comparisons the book was drawing to Gossip Girl. However wrong of me it was, that comparison put me off. And I shouldn’t have let it. (You would think, in fact, that I would know better by now.) The Luxe could be described as a guilty pleasure, sure, it can even be considered fun and perfect for warm summer evenings. And, if I’m continuing that honest streak, I can see how it reflects a bit of G.G. mentality, but with more flare and manners.

There are certainly parallels to be found between the characters. And the characters of The Luxe certainly pulled at me. Some were a blend of immaturity and desire; a heady combination that motivated several questionable decisions. Others were cunning and petulant; one in particular was worthy of a catfight slap or two. And then there were others that I just couldn’t warm to, and, since I believe they were written to be difficult, I can say it was done successfully.

I’m glad I ended up buying a copy of my own, forgoing the wait at the library, because I can assure you I will read chapter six and a few other passages again. And perhaps again. This of course means that I will now need to own Rumors and Envy, and though I may wait for the paperback release, Splendor. (I’ll read the library copy, buy the paperback to keep the set the same.)

I was thrilled that The Luxe held my of late wandering attention and I hope it’s a continuing trend.