Friends

Friday, September 28, 2012

Austin Teen Book Festival

I'm super excited to be in Austin, TX this weekend with Brit for the Austin Teen Book Festival! We drove down this afternoon and met up with her friend Lauren (who is super awesome and nice enough to let me crash with them at her place!) and then went to a blogger dinner downtown. We met lots of bloggers, including Jenny and her friend Caron, and Kari. We also got to visit with Rae Carson and Jessica Khoury who are both gracious and gorgeous! 

The Festival should be really amazing. If you are not familiar with the Festival, check it out here: Austin Teen Book Festival 

So, currently I'm reading a ridiculous amount of books. Book monogamy, if I haven't mentioned, is not my strong suit.

Books on the metaphorical nightstand: 

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan 
Wildefire by Karsten Knight 
Blackout by Mira Grant 
Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny 
Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith 

Yeah...I should commit. 

Reviews to come! 

In the meantime, I leave you with my favorite music discovery of the week. 

Read on! 
Gabi 


Monday, July 9, 2012

Review: The Secret Journeys of Jack London: The Sea Wolves by Christopher Golden

Title: The Secret Journeys of Jack London: The Sea Wolves
Author: Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
Publisher: HarperCollins, Feb. 2012
Series: Secret Journeys of Jack London #2
Source: Library


The first book in this series, The Wild, frustrated me so much that I ran right out and picked up the second one from my library the next day. Now mind you, I work at said library so it's not like I went extraordinarily out of my way, but I might have done so if necessary. There's a stark wildness about these books that appeals to me, plus I desperately need to know if the character Jack develops into by the end of the first book carries through successfully into the second.

The Sea Wolves picks up immediately after where The Wild leaves off. Headed for home to assure his mother that he's still among the land of the living (hover-parents should chew on the idea of the communication capabilities in the eighteen hundreds for a moment) when his ship is attacked by pirates. And, as it happens, these are no ordinary pirates. In his valiant attempt to stave off the attack, or at least save lives aboard his own ship, Jack manages to become a prisoner aboard the pirate ship. He quickly learns that his survival is dependent upon his quick wits, which have at least temporarily earned him favor in the eyes of the captain. He is not the only prisoner on board, and soon the survival of a trapped young woman lies in his young but determined hands.

The Sea Wolves is a fantastic high seas adventure with a most terrifying paranormal touch. Jack is certainly more realized as a character, and his escapades left me breathless. I read this book in one evening. There are more supporting characters in this go 'round as well, and most of them are very well developed. There were a couple that could have used some more time, but it is all about Jack so it's forgivable. I cared about Jack, his choices, and his fate much more here. Christopher Golden leaves no lag time, and readers are jerked through the pages from one intense moment to the next, Jack and his allies (?) facing both physical, mental, and emotional challenges.

The ending left me pulling at my hair going, "Seriously? We're leaving this here?" There's a hint of a third book on Golden's website, and clearly that's where this leads. No word on a possible pub date for book three that I could find, which is sad.

Egads. This series.

If you like adventure stories, paranormal YA, or suspense, this book might be for you. If you're on the fence because of the first one, skip it. This story, while it alludes to the first book, gives you enough of a bridge so that you won't be lost, but not so big a bridge that it's annoying. (You know what I'm talking about, former BabySitter's Club readers.)

The Sea Wolves, as part of a package with The Wild, has been optioned for film by Fox.

Liam Hemsworth for Jack, anyone?

Booking it,
Gabi

Sunday, July 8, 2012

BEA Recap!

I had the great fortune to travel up to NYC last month to visit the city for the first time in my life and to attend the ever so awesome Book Expo of America.

Which just sent me a friendly reminder email to respond to their "were you REALLY there" survey.

Yes, BEA, yes I was really there.


Britney (Of I Eat Words), our co-worker Amy, and I got there on Saturday and spent a glorious madcap three days doing touristy stuff and getting to know the city. This included the Museum of Modern Art, Times Square, the ferry to Staten Island and seeing Lady Liberty and eating great food.

If you look closely you can see the Tardis. I also discovered that the subway is possibly the greatest invention mankind has ever come up with. This makes me slightly crazy, I am aware, and I am okay with this. But seriously, the subway. Dear people who built Dallas: Where were you on this? Surely that dry dirt issue could have been overcome.

Also amazing is this little place called Tea & Sympathy which is down in Greenwich Village. It's part of Little Britain, which stole our hearts as well as our stomachs. Lots of British regalia, as well as a little shop next door where you can buy imported goods. Alas, no Benedict Cumberbatch or Matt Smith sightings.

We got to see Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theater, too. (After braving the TKTS line. Recommended: levitation devices. Your feet will thank you later.) It was amazing, and definitely a Gabi-must-do-this-before-she-dies event. 



On day three we met up with the most amazing Claire Legrand and prepped for BEA. There are two rules of thumb for BEA:

1) Meet lots of awesome people.
2) Grab lots of books.

Rinse and repeat.

Also optional are visiting workshops, panels, and author signings. We went to the most awkward author panel in the history of ever, in which the moderator managed to ask virtually nothing about the topic (the evolution of young adult books) but did manage to ask really awkwardly phrased questions about the lack of ethnic diversity in the author's works. All of the authors present were very gracious about the whole ordeal, I must say, especially Jenny Han. Amy and I did go to a really fabulous workshop on hosting graphic novel events. Everyone was very knowledgeable and helpful with tips and such. One of the booksellers represented Midtown Comics, which I am sad to say we didn't get to, but it is most assuredly on my list of places to go the next time I'm in NYC.

Also: Kristin Cashore. Our faces explain the rest. We love her like a lot a lot. 

We got there for her signing line very early and fangirled accordingly. 
The most fun part of it all was getting to meet so many awesome people and hang out at BEA and in the city. So many blogs, so many awesome peeps!

It was awesome to meet Liz of Elizziebooks who does blog posts AND vlogs on her YouTube channel.

Check out the super fashionable and sweet Frankie of First Novels Club 

Bethany Larson covers books, music, and pop culture at her blog. Plus, she loves Joss Whedon and Suits. Major points for both.

It was a pleasure to meet and hang out for a bit with Kelsey of Reading or Breathing and Lindsi of Books, Sweets and other Treats!  Lindsi's blog and her bookshelf are adorable.

I met the lovely Jessica of Wastepaper Prose only briefly, but they run a blog with very nifty interviews and YA reviews.

Be sure to visit Liza at WhoRuBlog for amazing YA reviews!

Author and blogger Melissa Buell was awesome and you check out her blog and works here: Have Imagination, Will Write

And now it's time for that feeling when you know you're forgetting someone and it will strike you at approximately 4am. So, my apologies if I have forgotten! Some of my business cards went into my box of books that I shipped home from BEA. Books and bags and business cards are now...ah...somewhere in the city of New York, presumably, as what arrived in my box was a parka.

No, really. I have a parka from New York and I have no idea why it came to me.

You might notice these are not books.

My box came, with my handwriting on it, and lo, the lord of the post office laid his hand upon it, and so the pages turned into cold weather clothing. (The post office denies such a deity, but is looking into the matter.) So...luckily I managed to shove several of my goodies from BEA in my suitcase, and I'll do a In My Mailbox type thingie tomorrow for the few that survived.

But if I get a job in New York, at least I'll be prepped for winter. Holla.

Loved New York and seeing it with the most awesome travel companions and most awesome host ever, and definitely loved my first BEA experience! Here's to next year!

Booking It,
Gabi






Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Review: Secret Journeys of Jack London: The Wild by Christopher Golden



Whatever I thought this book was going to be, it turned around, slapped me in the face and made me feel like a girly-girl for saying (out-loud in an outdoor voice) EW on more than one occasion.

This book. Crikey.

I really love adventure based stories, and I really love boy-adventure with all the nitty-gritty survival and danger elements. A lot of this is because I live vicariously through it, because you wouldn't catch me dead more than a day's journey away from a shower. The rest of it you can blame on my older brother for introducing me to the Hardy Boys and Batman at a very young, impressionable age. Hiking, mountain climbing, river rafting - I love it all to pieces and partake of these activities, but only if I know there's a shower waiting for me at the end.

There are no showers in this book, mmkay? But you'd expect that, with Jack London being the main character and all. Christopher Golden and his co-writer, Tim Lebbon, have taken famous author Jack London and made him into the seventeen year old protagonist of a series about formerly unknown adventures that Jack London had as a young man. If you've read Call of the Wild, (and if you haven't, what's wrong with you? Get thee to a library!) you know that London (the real one):

A) admired dogs/wolves and the spirit of the wilderness and
B) was not adverse to writing violence.

Golden and Lebbon keep to that legacy quite well.

Young Jack London sets out for the Yukon to experience the untamed land and to attempt the hunt for gold. At first he is accompanied by his sister's husband, who is older than him by almost fifty years. (No, really, fifty years.) His brother-in-law, realizing he will not survive the journey if he attempts it, leaves all the supplies and hope on Jack. Our intrepid hero is not deterred, and sets off into the wild alone. Meeting a couple of kindred spirits on the way, Jack and his compatriots soon run afoul of men who prove to be almost as wild as the land they're exploring, or so they think. Dark creatures lurk deep in the undiscovered country, creatures that are very hungry and take familiar shapes before devouring their prey. Jack must overcome all the dangers the Yukon has to offer: man, nature, the supernatural, and the wildness within himself if he is to ever return home to California.

As far as characters go, Jack can be a difficult one to live with for as much as he carries the story. Jack asks of himself several times, "Who is Jack London?" at a couple of places I felt like the authors weren't sure, either. Jack is young and impulsive, which makes sense in a seventeen year old boy who is on his own. However, he also comes off as cold and completely uncaring towards his companions in places you'd expect a little concern or compassion. The authors give us a pretty promising secondary character named Merritt (which is awesome) who really gets the short end of the stick as far as development from the authors and sympathy/concern from Jack. Jack is also learning to communicate with the wild, including a wolf that has seemingly supernatural capabilities.

Maybe I wanted too much from Jack as a character, but I really struggled through the middle of the book.

It paid off.

The end beastie that Jack tangles with is absolutely hair-raising, spine-tingling, read-through-your-fingers terrifying. This is the part at which I was shouting "EW! Ew, ew, EW!" repeatedly. I won't spoil what it is, but it is based in actual myth/lore, and I may never camp in the north.

The last quarter of the book is stuffed with all the things I was hoping for throughout, and it was a good payoff for my reading investment.

(But seriously. Ew.)

If you like high outdoorsy adventure, historical supernatural folklore fiction, or Jack London, The Wild might be a tree for you to bark up. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

The Wild was published in 2011 by HarperCollins. According to Christopher Golden's website, 20th Century Fox has picked up the film rights to The Wild and the second book in the series, Sea Wolves.

There's also a hint of a third title to be added to the series later.

In my next post, I'll be recapping the awesomeness that was BEA2012 in the Big Apple, which I traveled to with my fab coworkers Amy and the very awesome Brtiney of I Eat Words and got to meet lots of bloggers and had a generally smashing time! 

Happy howling!
Er, reading!
Gabs

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Review: Death Cloud by Andy Lane



 So, if you follow me on Twitter (and please do!) you may know I love a certain Doctor who travels the universe in a Blue Box.

I also love a certain Detective who unravels the universe with a magnifying glass and a different Doctor. I first fell in love with Sherlock Holmes when I was twelve years old and we read one of the short stories in my literature class. That's right. My journey with Holmes and Watson began not with A Study in Scarlet nor with Hound of the Baskervilles, but with The Three Garridebs. Crimes commence, guns fire, bromance happens. I was sold.

I loved it so much, I pushed it on my best friend until she fell in love with it, too.

Then she discovered the film, Young Sherlock Holmes. 

Thankfully, this book is not related to the film at all. I avoided it for awhile because the title is Death Cloud which made me feel like it could have supernatural overtures in it, and whenever I think of Young Sherlock Holmes and supernatural overtures my mind flashes back to this:




I'm mostly sorry if I've just traumatized you.

Fortunately, Andy Lane spares us the animated pastries of doom and gives us a rather intriguing plot and excellent dastardly villain whom fourteen year old Sherlock Holmes attempts to foil while on holiday with his aging Uncle and Aunt in the country.

On leave from his boarding school for the summer, Sherlock's older brother Mycroft comes to collect him only to inform him that he can't come home for the holiday. Their father has been called back to active duty in the military in India. Their mother isn't well and Mycroft is Very Important now, so off to Auntie and Uncle's Sherlock goes.

In the country, Sherlock finds his relatives are a bit odd and there's an evil old woman heading the staff of servants. Mysterious deaths occur both in the village and on the Holmes property, and in order to fit the puzzle pieces together, Sherlock will need the assistance of a new found friend and a newly acquired mentor. He might even have a conversation with a girl, if he's lucky.

When I first finished reading Death Cloud, I gave it three out of five stars. It's definitely an enjoyable romp. Sherlock is fourteen in this story, and his age and the writing style gear it towards middle/tween readers more than older YA, which is what I had anticipated when I picked up the title. However, there's a fair share of violence in the story and relatively graphic imagery, which may overwhelm a more squeamish tween reader. There are several Americanisms, and the writing can sometimes lean towards too young, at least for my reading tastes. My friend and co-worker Amy suggested that any Americanisms might have been changes made by the publisher, such as they did with the Harry Potter series. She may well be correct, as the first three or four books in this series are already out in the UK, and the second one is just being released in the states this month. The title of the second book in this series has also been changed for American audiences.

If this is true, publishers, to you I say jog on. Give me the Britishness.

Also three stars for Sherlock not being quite...Sherlock enough. I understand that this is an exploration of his formative days, but he was a little too removed from the final Holmes that we see for me to buy it. He started coming into it near the end, with some of the arrogance he displays, but over all he just wasn't Sherlock enough for me.

Of course, I may be biased towards the amazing sociopath version of Holmes portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock right now.

Also, I will tell you that this series is trying very much to not contradict anything in the actual cannon of Doyle's Holmes. This means that there's no Watson in this story, and can't be (at least directly) in any of the books to come as Holmes and Watson don't meet until Stamford introduces them in A Study in Scarlet. This, for me, is sad, because I love Watson possibly more than I love Holmes. So less a star for that.

Also, there's a girl. Sherlock's mentor, who is an awesome character I have to say, has a teenage daughter named Virginia in whom Sherlock forms an interest. Virginia in and of herself is a well written character. She's smart and spunky, and is not impressed with Sherlock's deductive skills. It isn't her character that annoys me, it's the fact that she's thrown in to be a romantic plot driver, or at least a crush for a character that will wind up only acknowledging Irene Adler as The Woman. Maybe for teens reading this who haven't read cannon that won't be a deal. It will be interesting to see how Lane develops this in further volumes. I don't know if Virginia was written as to attract female readers to the series, or to be the token pretty girl for the male readers. At least she's got personality, I have to give Lane that much. 

At any rate, after a day or two of chewing on it, I decided to up it to four stars. The plot is very well done and the villain is pretty twisty. I do like me a twisty villain. Clearly set up as a precursor to the future Moriarty role, Lane's antagonist is sufficiently sadistic and rather cunning. The overall "evil plan" might be a little far fetched, but the action and adventure carry it along well enough to go with it.

Points for overall action and adventure, too. Sherlock doesn't back down from a fight, even when he should, which leads to some amusing and nail biting encounters.

Mycroft gets some attention in this, which I love, and he's portrayed very well. 

Andy Lane clearly did his homework, which was the final boost up to four stars for this one. There are a lot, and I do mean a lot, of nods to Doyle's cannon, from bees to boxing to a veiled reference to Holmes' future friendship with Watson. As a Doyle fangirl, I approve.

Definitely interesting enough to pick up the second volume for me, I would recommend Death Cloud to anyone who is a Sherlock Holmes fan and likes a good pastiche or to teens/adults who maybe haven't read or didn't care for cannon Holmes but like YA. 

Death Cloud was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2010.

I haven't seen anything about this being optioned for film, but that's not surprising given the current popularity of both Sherlock the TV series and the Guy Ritchie films. Too much Holmes on the film market? I say never, but I'm not a producer. :)

A true mystery, and an intriguing start to history's most famous detective, Death Cloud is worth your attention if you can get your hands on it.

Check out the official Young Sherlock website for more information on the books, and some nifty interactive features: http://www.youngsherlock.com/

Booking it,
Gabi

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Review: Objects of My Affection by Jill Smolinski

Objects of My Affection: A NovelObjects of My Affection: A Novel by Jill Smolinski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Several years ago I read Jill Smolinski's The Next Thing on My List and really enjoyed it, and I have to say I loved Objects of My Affection even more.

Lucy's a little down on her luck - recently single, recently unemployed, and her son's just started drug rehab. Not a magical place to be in at the age of thirty-nine. She's sold everything she owns except for her car in order to fund her son's rehab, and in an attempt to get back on her feet she takes a job organizing the home of a well known artist. More of a challenge than she bargained for, when taking into account the artist's steely son, the sheer volume of things to be organized, and the fact that Marva, the artist, doesn't want to let any of it go. Pressed to accomplish her goal before the project deadline, Lucy has to learn a little about other people and a lot about herself to get it done.

If the idea of reading about a hoarder panics or depresses you, fear not. There are a lot of laugh out loud moments in Objects of My Affection. It's easy to relate to Lucy, especially if you've ever felt like you should have it all together at any given point in your life and been forced to realize you really don't have it together at all. At more than one point I found myself thinking, "Hello, Lucy, jump on the clue boat," but I think that's pretty realistic. Sometimes people don't see the obvious in themselves (or in others).

Marva is also hilarious, and it was fun seeing the layers of her character develop. Think Dorothy from the Golden Girls, attitude wise, although I think Marva could give even Dorothy a run for her money.

I also really enjoy Jill Smolinski's male characters. I wasn't crazy about Nico in this one, but Daniel was fantastic and Will definitely endeared himself to me by the end of things.

After my recent move, the first several free evenings were spent with a glass of wine and this book, and I very much needed the laughter! If you're a fan of general fiction, chick lit, or coming-of-age-again novels, check out Objects of My Affection or Smolinski's previous title, The Next Think on My List.

I received Objects of My Affection through Goodreads First Reads.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Okay!

So, fervent apologies for creating a blog and then disappearing into the void. I hear that's bad for business. I moved and had no internet (long story, boo installation scheduling) but now I have internet. Yay!

And I have an apartment, which is fun. It's certainly different.

For instance, the maintenance guys are here chillin' as I write this.

Well, they aren't chilling, per say, as much as they are...maintaining? They're super nice, though.

At any rate, I digress.

While I had no internet I did get quite a bit of reading done, and I made my first foray into a teen fiction dealing with the Fey.

And not just any fey, The Fey. Fey of Shakespearean proportions and epicness, who wage fearsome politics, magic, and have love affairs with humans. (Also optional: Terrifying or kidnapping said humans.)



I bought The Iron King as an ebook ages ago, but hadn't gotten around to reading it until recently. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Don't get me wrong, the cover is gorgeous and the premise sounded fun, but as much as I love Shakespeare (and I do love me some Shakespeare) I wasn't sure I wanted a whole story about an American Teen in King Oberon's Court.

Ye who fear Shakespeare, fear not! Kagawa's world building is magnificent - and no stuffiness to be found. (The Bard forgive me.)

Meghan Chase, our heroine, is an average teen girl whose insecurities and difficulties mostly stem from economical and social class issues. Her family is poor, and all her classmates are aware of it. Meghan at points seems to wear it as a badge of honor. She's not a genius, but she's smart. She doesn't think she's the hottest thing since sliced French bread, but she (as far as I remember) doesn't think she's the ugliest stick in the woods either, which I appreciated. I like my lead characters to have some semblance of self-confidence.

For example, after she discovers Robbie's true identity and he does his "trick" with the crows, I especially appreciated her total and complete freak out. It wasn't some ho-hum moment where she knew it all along or wasn't phased because he'd been her best friend forever. It's a legitimate what-the-heck-is-my-life-right-now moment and it's fantastic.

Also fantastic? Puck. He's hilarious and dangerous and is willing to defy his King to assist Meghan in her quest to rescue her little brother. *insert girly sigh here*

I also loved Ethan, Meghan's younger brother. He's absolutely adorable. Think:

Honey from Ouran High School Host Club 

 It's a little ridiculous how cute this kid is. (And yes, all you Ouran fans, I know Honey is like ...seventeen. Work with me.)

There's a lot of action and adventure in this story, which keeps it moving at almost break neck speed as Meghan and her companions try to navigate the NeverNever to accomplish her mission of finding Ethan and discovering her own identity in the world of the fey. Meghan grows as the story goes along, and she becomes pretty savvy, even if she makes a few unfortunate deals. (The fey take their deals very, very seriously.) All though, one such deal brings us the character Grimalkin, who is the most awesome cat. If this ever gets made into a movie, Alan Rickman needs to be the voice of Grimalkin. That's how awesome this cat is.

And yes, there is the complicated fact that Meghan finds herself attracted to the Winter Prince, Ash. I'm not overly fond of Ash in this first outing, but I'm willing to give him a chance in volumes to come.

Over all, I very much enjoyed the Iron King and will certainly be continuing on with the series to find out what happens to Meghan, Puck, Ash, and Grim.

The Iron King was first published by Harlequin Teen in 2010.

I give The Iron King four out of five stars and would recommend it to teens and YA readers who enjoy fantasy, action/adventure, and snarky cats.

Booking it,
Gabi


Friday, March 23, 2012

Review: The Brothers of Baker Street by Michael Robertson


The Brothers of Baker Street picks up immediately where the first in this series, The Baker Street Letters, leaves off. I usually don't go into a book with a lot of expectations, but I totally went into Baker Street Letters thinking, "This is going to be awesome! Two brothers move into Baker Street, get letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes, and solve crimes together!" Which it is...and yet, somehow isn't. Brothers of Baker Street was definitely more enjoyable for me because it was more of what I expected.

The book follows Reggie Heath, thirty-something London lawyer who is having a bit of a life crisis. He's lost most of his money, his on-again off-again girlfriend is currently off-again with him and on-again with a very wealthy man, his brother's busy making love to a lovely young woman in California, and he hasn't got a single client.

Not to mention, if someone doesn't answer all those letters to Sherlock Holmes -and only with the proper form, thank you- the lease on his offices will be void and he'll be given the boot from Baker Street.

Lo and behold, an attractive young solicitor appears and just happens to have a client for him. Reggie hasn't taken a criminal case in years, but beggars can't be choosers. So he ships the letters off to his brother Nigel, not taking seriously the one addressed to him and signed Moriarty.

He should have taken it seriously.

First off, Reggie is adorable. Oddly enough, I can't get a clear picture of him when I'm reading. Sometimes, I think I should be picturing this:

Matthew Macfadyen, Eyebrows of Awesome

But most of the time I wind up picturing:

David Mitchell, also with eyebrow action

...I know. Dashing and smart suddenly gives to awkward and ruffled. Either way, Reggie is totally put upon and just wants his life to be normal and his law practice to do well. He's trying to keep his family name respectable and desperately trying to keep Nigel in line which is a job all its own. He's smart and he knows it, and he's not afraid to take on a challenge (mostly) it's just that he doesn't know what to do after he's charged up the hill.

What attracted me about Michael Robertson's writing was that his characters are real people, and he reveals them as real people through the circumstances of the plot (which can be far-fetched) and their choices. Reggie and Nigel and Laura all develop over the course of the story in a way that feels very honest. Sometimes it's frustrating, but it would be difficult to balance a proposal from a suave millionaire publisher you were fond of if you weren't sure the man you loved would ever figure out he loves you that much, too like Laura has too.

And I really like the character of Laura. She's a redheaded actress that's whip smart and six kinds of sassy. She's not intimidated in the least by anybody and she's not star struck by wealth - but she knows it would be an asset. She's a tough woman and not afraid to speak her mind.

My favorite Laura quote:
     "Nigel," said Laura. "If you are now going to tell me that your touch
 made a woman speak in tongues, I'm leaving the room."

Also quite a bit of trivia learned about the famous London Black Cabs which are apparently some of the safest transportation in the whole world. 

I'm still not quite satisfied as far as Reggie and Nigel working together as a team. I'd like to see more of that, mainly because it would be highly entertaining. 

The plot will require some suspension of disbelief, but it's well worth it. 

The Brothers of Baker Street was published by St. Martin's Press (a Macmillan imprint) in 2011. 

According to rumors, Baker Street Letters has been optioned by Warner Brothers for television. Perhaps Mr. Macfadyen and Mr. Mitchell can duke it out for the lead role. :D 

I give it four out of five stars, and do hope that Reggie, Nigel, and Laura return for a third adventure in the near future. 

Booking it, 
Gabi 

Thursday, March 22, 2012

do what she please

Okay, so I'm the only person in North America not at the Hunger Games premiere tonight and this is tragic, mainly because I am super excited to see Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. 

And if I knew nothing about the Hunger Games, this alone would have me in line for a ticket: 


Seriously. 

I have read all three books, so I can also claim loftier reasons (and I definitely have other reasons) for wanting to see the film other than Lenny. Erm, Mr. Kravitz. 

All that to say that I really love reading and books and music and film and the mixing of all kinds of media. My name is Gabi and this will be my blog to follow my love of all of those things. But mostly books. 

I've worked libraries for a while and I've been at my current library for two and a half years. I can tell you that approximately 105 people are on hold for the first Hunger Games novel so it might be time to make a "while you're waiting" reading recommends list. 'Cause that's gonna take a while. 

My favorite books/authors right now are: 

- All of the Inspector Gamache novels by Louise Penny. She is an amazingly gifted writer and she crafts a terrific mystery. More importantly, you will absolutely fall in love with her characters and make your heart wrench with what happens to them. 

- The Seven Kingdoms trilogy by Kristin Cashore. A gorgeous YA series that takes you to the lands of the Seven Kingdoms and the Dells, you'll meet strong young women, gifted ones called Gracelings, Monsters, princes, the creepiest villain this side of Voldemort, and a librarian called Death. (Technically pronounced Deeth, but still. :D) 

- Anything and everything Sherlock Holmes. I fell in love with Holmes and Watson when I was twelve and never looked back. When they announced the BBC Sherlock I thought I wouldn't be able to take the idea of Sherlock in modern times but Holy Mother of Doyle it is the Best Adaptation Ever. The Brits make the best television. 

Not a book, but I also have a great love for: 

My Doctor is 11. Bow ties are cool. 

Mysteries and Young Adult are my two home genres, so I'll mainly be reviewing those. I do like to spice things up sometimes and throw some random historical fiction or romance or a western in there occasionally. One never knows. 

Thank you for stopping by and I'm extremely excited to meet everyone in the book blog-o-sphere and I hope you'll bear with me as I get this blog off the ground! 

Booking it, 
Gabi