Book Review: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Title: Jellicoe Road
Author: Melina Marchetta
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library, Amy
Young Adult, Contemporary

At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor's the reluctant leader of her school's underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can't avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future. (From GoodReads) 






So I have to say that the blurb does the book absolutely no justice, and the thing about Jellicoe Road is that there really isn't a description that could. 
Britney has been recommending this book to me for some time as it is her favorite book in the history of ever, and she got Amy to read it. Then I had the two of them telling me that I had to read it RIGHT NOW. They also gave me the warning I'm going to give to you: The first half of this books makes about zero sense. 



Trust me, the way it all falls together is totally worth the confusion you'll feel at the beginning.

And the middle.

Melina Marchetta's writing is superb. Even when you have no idea what's going on, her writing is poignant and beautiful. Not many authors can make the jumping back and forth in time thing work, but she does it brilliantly. Her characters are real and raw and painful and human. While her writing is in fact lyrical and flowing, every part of the story is relevant, either to what's happening in the present or to what's happened in the past. 

Taylor Markham is easily one of my favorite contemporary female leads. She is not easy to like. She is tough and complex and layered. She is unkind, except when she isn't. Life has dealt her a lot of blows and the way she responds to those blows and the way she reacts to the people in her life is very real. 

There's so much you can't say about this book because it would spoil the whole thing, which is a testament to how tightly written the book is. 

Jonah Griggs is amazing. He is completely flawed and his story is beautiful and heartbreaking. His interactions with Taylor are some of my favorites.  

And there's Santangelo and Raffy and the Five and Ben...gosh this book is beautiful. 

Here, I'll describe it like this. 

Reading this book at the beginning is like having your nose pressed against the painting Reflections of Clouds on the Water by Monet. You see beautiful colors, but it doesn't make any sense because all you can see is the space right in front of you. So you read a little bit more, take a step back, look left and right and see a little bit more. It's still a little fuzzy, but it's still beautiful. You keep reading, take more steps back and you see more and more. By the end, you're able to see the whole picture and it's magnificent and breathtaking. 

I won't lie, I didn't feel this way until over halfway through the book, around page 222, in fact. In talking to other people who have read it, they hit that "Oh. Oh I need to sit down for the rest of this" moment at different points. So just trust me. If you pick up this book and you're reading and reading and still have felt the magic, just wait. It'll happen. 

Melina Marchetta is adapting Jellicoe Road for a film. 

You can read more about how where they are in this process at her blog: 

http://melinamarchetta.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/dear-melina-marchetta-when-is-jellicoe-going-to-be-a-film/

I'd recommend this book to everyone.

There were three parts where I cried and I can't tell you about any of them because again, spoilers, but I will give you my favorite line. It doesn't seem like much without context, but it will stay with me.

I remember love.

Up next, I'm reading Swim That Rock and On the Wrong Track.

Nostagically,
Gabi

Book Review: Holmes on the Range by Steven Hockensmith

Title: Holmes on the Range

Author: Steven Hockensmith

Series: Holmes on the Range #1

Publisher: Minotaur Books 

Source: Library; Recycled Books 

Adult, Mystery, Western

1893 is a tough year in Montana, and any job is a good job. When brothers Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer sign on as ranch hands at a secretive ranch, they’re not expecting much more than hard work, bad pay, and a few free moments to enjoy their favorite pastime: reading stories about Sherlock Holmes. When another hand turns up dead, Old Red sees the perfect opportunity to employ his Holmes-inspired “deducifyin’” skills and sets out to solve the case. Big Red, like it or not (and mostly he does not), is along for the wild ride in this clever, compelling, and completely one-of-a-kind mystery. (From GoodReads) 

I don't have the faintest idea why it took me so long to read this book. It's a western (which I love) and it's a mystery (which I love even more) and it's got a touch of Holmes (which I love the most) and it features a pair of detecting brothers, which always wins points with me. (I blame the Hardy Boys. And Simon & Simon.)

Holmes on the Range is told from Big Red's point of view. Also known as Otto, he's the younger, more educated brother of Old Red (Gustav) who is really not that old at all. They're the only family each other has left, so while they don't always see eye to eye, they stick with each other. So when Old Red lines up to take a job at the Bar VR ranch, Big Red begrudgingly gets in line with him. As they come to find out, this is precisely the moment things start to go terribly wrong.

This was a really fun read. It's got all the things you might expect from a western including cowboys, cattle (did you know such a thing as a cattalo existed?), a stampede, an outhouse, and interesting words like "deducifying". It's got everything you might expect from a mystery including a murder, make that more than one murder, sneaking about in the dark, mysterious gunshots, and plenty of red herrings. And a cannibal. Hockensmith infuses this romp with a healthy dose of humor. Some of the characters are a little bit canned, such as the maid and the pompous old Englishman, but you've also got some very clever plot twists and unexpected moments. There's also the Swedish chef, which had better be a Muppet reference, I'm just sayin'.

I adore both Gustav and Otto. I will admit that as a reader I had a little bit of a hard time connecting with Otto as the narrator. He spends most of his time observing Gustav observing the rest of the world, and he reminds the reader frequently that Gustav is the only family he has left. I guess I wanted more of him as a character. I also wanted more of Gustav, though, so what can you do?

Read the rest of the series, I suppose.

Holmes on the Range certainly passes the "will I read the next book in the series" test and I've already checked out On the Wrong Track from my local library.

According to Hockensmith's website, there are no plans for a movie or TV adaptation of Holmes on the Range, which is a total shame. I know westerns aren't the hot thing right now, but this would make a seriously entertaining film or mini-series. Also, I vote for Christopher Gorham as Gustav.

I thought long and hard about who I'd want to play Otto and I just couldn't come up with a good idea for his actor. If you've read it, who would you choose? 

I'd recommend Holmes on the Range for anyone who enjoys a good mystery, isn't opposed to westerns, and can handle a little bit of cheesy-ness. 

Up next I'm reading Jellicoe Road, because Britney will kill me if I don't. 

Adios, pardners!

Deducifyingly, 

Gabi 

Book Review: Board Stiff by Kendel Lynn

Title: Board Stiff
Author: Kendel Lynn
Series: Elliott Lisbon #1
Publisher: Henrey Press
Source: ARC courtesy of Frisco Public Library
(And then I bought the eBook edition through Barnes and Noble)
Adult, Mystery

Elliott Lisbon takes care of a multitude of problems for the board members of the Ballyntine Foundation, of which she is the director. From catering to courting potential donors, she's the go-to gal. She also handles small "discreet inquiries" like finding misplaced Pomeranians and smoothing ruffled feathers when restaurant checks don't get paid. Her life gets a lot more complicated and her inquiries a lot less discreet when member Leo is murdered and the board chair (and her boss' favorite) Jane is pinned with the crime.


But her complications don't end there. Her sexy ex moves into town for a new job...as the police lieutenant. He also moves in to the house next door. He also starts dating a potential donor so Elli's got to play nice. (Mostly.) There's also Matty, who she might be dating. Thankfully she's a spunky, determined woman with a great best friend and a sporty Mini-Cooper to get her from suspect to suspect.

But proving Jane innocent is difficult with so much stacking up against her, and Elliott's inquiries aren't unnoticed. She'll have to pull out all the stops to get the criminal, the guy, and her next paycheck.



The book gods smiled upon me and I was super fortunate to receive an ARC of Board Stiff from Henery Press through the library I work for. I did a short, spoiler free gif review for it which you can see on Tumblr here if the fancy strikes you.

Board Stiff is smart and funny creates a fabulous southern atmosphere. Elliott is a heroine you can immediately get behind and root for, because you've probably been her at some point even if you've never investigated a thing in your life. She's smart, determined, and quirky (you won't find her without her hand sanitizer) and she's hilarious. Here are two of my favorite lines:

"I peek through my peep hole. I may be cranky, but I'm not crazy. I can't just open the door for some whacko killer and then yell him to death." 

And:

"I showered quickly. As quick as I could, anyway. I do things a certain way and it makes my skin itch if I change in any way. All very reasonable and not in the least obsessive." 

If you know me well, or have traveled with me, you'll know that I'm pretty picky about showering so I emotionally bonded to Elli as a character. :p

Elli's a businesswoman with some serious people skills and smarts. What I love most about her as a character, though, is her ability to stand up for herself. Whether she's dealing with potential investors, little old  ladies, tough as nails chefs, rude women, attractive men, or jackasses, Elli doesn't take anybody's lip.

One of my absolute favorite moments is when Elli pushes somebody into a pool. I won't say who or why (spoilers!) but it's one of many moments you'll find yourself cheering for her.

If you like fast paced, humorous mysteries with a kick-butt woman who can get her man and close her case, hop in the Mini-Cooper with Elliott Lisbon and hang onto your hat.

Henery Press is having a sale on their eBooks from now until June 30th, so hit up Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or your usual eBook store to snatch up Board Stiff and all the other Hen House titles for .99 cents. It's a fabulous deal for some fabulous summer reads.

Rumor from the Hen House is that Elliott and company will be back soon with her second adventure, and I can't wait!

Swimmingly,
Gabi

Liebster Award

So I was recently reminded that I owe Jake of CausticSnark a cake, and also that he was gracious enough to give me a blog award thing of awesome!

Which is, in fact, quite awesome.

In order to accept this super awesome award, there are Things That Must Be Done.

1. Thank the person that nominated you. Merci, Jake! 
2. Display the Liebster Heart on your blog. 
3. Nominate 3 to 5 more different bloggers 
4. Post 11 things about yourself.
5. Create 11 questions for your nominees to answer.
6. Answer the 11 questions you've been asked in your nomination.

Okay, so here are Jake's 11 questions for his nominees: 

1. Do you have any semi-useless superpowers (e.g., "I always know exactly what time it is," or "I can pay attention to two TV shows at once")? If so, what are they?
Yes, yes I do. I have the power to summon invisible chickens. And the power of self-rescission, which usually kicks in about .5 seconds too late. I'm also impervious to a particular person's power of retcon. 

2. What is the worst book you have ever read? What was so terrible about it?
As a grown-up, Fifty Shades of Grey. It was terrible because it misrepresents women, men, young adults, billionaires, people in the BDSM community, and intelligent human beings in general. 

As a kid, I really hated both Ella Enchanted and Harriet the Spy. I can't really remember why exactly, except the feelings I still carry about both are that people are mean and they made me sad. 

3. If you use some kind of analytics tool, what's the weirdest search that's led someone to your blog?
I do, and the weirdest phrase so far is "a bloo bloo bloo sherlock". ...I don't know. 

4. Which Hogwarts house would the Sorting Hat place you in?
According to Pottermore, Ravenclaw. I took great exception to this for a long time until it was pointed out to me that I would probably be sharing a House with both The Doctor and Sherlock. Then I was okay with it. 

5. How many roads must a man walk down?
As many as it takes until he finds the one on which he is at peace. 

6. What's your favorite alcoholic drink? (If it's somewhat obscure, what's in it?)
Jack and Coke. Although, if I can get Red Stag Cherry Whiskey and Coke, I'll take it. 

7. What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow? Please specify African or European.

8. What's the coolest thing you've ever gotten paid to do?
I had a job working a register at a comic shop on the weekends for a bit while I was in college. The guy who owned the place had just bought an English bull dog puppy that he kept at the store, so I got to watch puppy while he ran the table top gaming tournaments on Saturday. It was fun because, well, it was a comic shop, but also because the men who came in never ceased to be amazed and a little weirded out by this college girl holding a bull dog puppy that could talk comics and show them the latest issue of Batman. 

I also got paid to dress up in a full on Disney World quality Winnie the Pooh costume and roam around a city hall building for an afternoon. A fireman jumped on me. But not like that. 

9. What's in your Zombie Apocalypse survival kit?
Knives, lighters...oh, we're not talking about my purse, are we? Still, knives, lighters, guns, lots and lots of ammo, water, beef jerky, zebra cakes, solar recharge kit for my iPod, iPod, pens/pencil/paper, a really well stocked first aid kit, a written copy of the pact that I will not hesitate to shoot if any of my fellow survivors are bitten in any capacity, and a decent pair of boots. 

No, I will not be packing light for the Apocalypse, either. 

10. What would you do for a Klondike Bar?
I would sing a Kanye West song. 

11. Cake or death?
Death. Ooh, I meant cake!  

Eleven Things About Me
1) I write fanfiction in several fandoms. 
2) I only eat one color of Skittles at a time. Same for M&Ms. I don't eat either in a movie theater because I can't see the colors. 
3)One day, I will play roller derby. Because of reasons, I have a bad lower back and must acquire some more core strength before putting myself on skates again (spasms, ouch), but one day I will be Doll X. 
4) Beer makes me die.  
5) There's literally a list of over ten movies from the 1980's I haven't seen, including Back to the Future. 
6) One day I'd like to write full time, or write part time and have a family. I also plan on being an official librarian and secretly I'd still love to act. 
7) I love Jesus. 
8) It's hard for me to be emotionally open about myself, even with people I care about and I think that because of this I don't tell people that I care about that I love them enough. But I do love them. 
9) My cat's name is Mycroft. 
10) If you could have relationships with cities, Chicago would be my long term relationship and New York my fling.  
11)Eleven is my Doctor.

And here are the 11 questions for my nominees! 

1) If you could choose any book universe to live in, what would it be? 
2) If you could guest star in any TV show, which one would you choose? 
3) What do you keep in the trunk of your car? 
4) What is your favorite quote?
5) Would you ever hug a complete stranger? 
6) If you could visit a different decade or era, when would you go? Why then? Would you stay?
7) What's your favorite OTP and from which fandom?
8) If you were stranded on a desert island, what three books and what three people would you want with you?
9) How would you like to be remembered?
10) What's the best and/or worst pick up line you've ever heard? (Did it work?)
11) What would your last words be before departing this world? 

And now for my people!

1) Heather, one of my bestest friends is a kickass teacher and is all around amazing. She does awesome book reviews.  
2) Writer, armchair historian, and passionate about politics and dead revolutionaries, my friend Jen provides her perspective over at In the Shadow of the Greats. 
3) Romancing the Laser Pistol is run by my friend Amy, her husband Chris, and their friend Fry. From romance to science fiction, there's a little something for everyone! 
4) Amy! Who does not have a blog of her own, but generates awesome-sauce guest posts for I Eat Words and Romancing the Laser Pistol. If I ever get off my duff and update more, maybe she'll do one for me. :) 
5) My friend and co-worker Tony runs Everyday Plate, which will make you hungry and point you in the direction of the best restaurants and food trucks around. 


All right! I'm out. 
Coming soon, a book review for Board Stiff by Kendel Lynn! 

Auf wiedersehen, liebchens!
Gabi  
 

Book Review: Anew by Chelsea Fine

Title: Anew
Author: Chelsea Fine
Publisher: Firefall Publishing
Series: Archers of Avalon #1
Source: Barnes and Noble
Young Adult; Fantasy/Romance




So I hadn't used my Nook in well over a year, and I finally decided to charge it and update it so I could see what the new OverDrive app looked like. Much to my surprise, I had three or four YA titles I'd purchased on sale some time ago and I figured I should read them since I'd apparently thought they were interesting at some point. The first of these that I read was Anew by Chelsea Fine.

Anew is the first in the Archers of Avalon trilogy that follows the story of seventeen year old Scarlet Jacobs and twin brothers Gabriel and Tristan Archer. We meet Scarlet when she wakes up in the woods outside of Avalon, Georgia. She's fifteen and she knows her name, but nothing else. Not how she got there or where she came from. Skip ahead two years and Scarlet's been taken in by her guardian, Laura and goes to high school with her best friend Heather like any other teen girl. She meets the smart, handsome, funny, endearing, mysterious etc Gabriel at Avalon's annual Kissing Festival (!) and the two strike up a relationship. Gabriel has secrets, though, including a twin brother that might hold the key to Scarlet's missing memories and her life before Avalon. However, the closer she gets to Gabriel and Tristan and the closer she gets to unlocking her memories, she finds herself in more and more danger with less and less time.

There are aspects of this book that I genuinely enjoyed and other aspects left me looking for a bridge from which to suspend my disbelief.

That sound you hear is the bridge creaking.

I know that the whole amnesia thing is not exactly breaking new ground, but the mythos that Fine constructs is really interesting. Without giving too much away, Scarlet is the victim of a curse gone wrong, a curse that affects not only her but both of the Archer brothers. Her fate has been bound to the twins for a long, long time. What one brother needs destroys the other; what the other brother wants destroys them all. As far as angsty, dramatic set ups go, it's a doozy.

Fine also has some really snappy dialogue, especially from green-eyed brother Tristan. For example:

Gabriel glanced down. “Seriously, Tristan? You drive around with a trunk full of weapons?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m the family bad guy.”

And also very poignant lines like this:

“Knowing death is nearby gives you a chance to live...deliberately." 

On the flip side of that, there's a lot of ridiculousness from Scarlet's best friend Heather who literally speaks in text lingo. Now, I'm guilty of occasionally dropping a "jsyk" or "brb" into a conversation, but this character's sentences are full of "O-M-G" and "Scarlet, W-T-H?" which made me want to strangle her juuust about every page. Scarlet picks this up at some point during the book, making statements like "Worst. Date. Ever."

L-O-L one more time.

Heather's character is a little over the top in the crazy fashion obsessed sense but she's fun and oddly perceptive and I feel like the text lingo is a disservice to her character. While she is over the top, she's also smart, honest, and willing to defend her friend no matter what. I liked her, but my willingness to get behind her as a character was thwarted by her charming quirk.

Oddly enough, I also liked the love triangle aspect of this story. I know, I know. Hold your tomatoes. Because of the intricacies of the curse, it puts a different spin on it. It had the potential to be really heart rending. Yup, I said had potential. One of the more frustrating aspects of the story was also the love triangle. It's fairly obvious early on which brother she's "supposed" to be with, and because of that the other brother doesn't get as fully developed of a personality.

A moment to address how Scarlet first meets Gabriel. At a town-wide Kissing Festival, a two day event in which everyone (parents and kids) in the town of Avalon randomly kisses their neighbors, the postman, the dentist... There are also events like the Kissing Sock Hop and Kissing Booths...I just...can't... A Valentine Festival with a kissing booth is one thing. An entire multi day event where one might be accosted and kissed by anyone in your community is weird. Maybe that's just me. 

I also wanted better development of the brother's relationship. There's denial and secrecy between siblings, sure, but Tristan and Gabriel seemed almost clueless about each other at points. Their main focus is Scarlet, but they've also been brothers for a long, long time. (No, they are not vampires. Or werewolves.)

The story is good and the characters are for the most part interesting. It seemed inconsistent, because there are a lot of great scenes and dialogue moments but there are enough eye roll moments that it detracted from the experience. I did finish the book wanting to know what happens next for these guys, but I'm not compelled to make the second in the series, Awry, my next read.

No movie news on this one, but you can watch a book trailer on the author's Goodreads page.

If you'd like a quick fantasy read with a bit of a little twist, you might enjoy Anew. Or, this might be a good recommendation for a reluctant young teen reader who enjoys triangles and text lingo.

Srsly,
Gabs

Book Review: Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough

Title: Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
Author: Robert Goldsborough
Publisher: Mysterious Press
Series: Nero Wolfe - prequel
Source: Library
Adult Mystery 











Let me try to explain the depths of my joy when I spotted this on the bookshelf at the library I work at:

No, really. I startled a passing librarian with my shriek and dance of joy. I had a much better reaction from one of our other co-workers, who also was quite excited about this find.

Archie Goodwin is one of my top five favorite men of mystery, if you will. I don't actually remember how I stumbled upon the Nero Wolfe series, just that someone put the second of Rex Stout's novels in my hands (The League of Frightened Men) when I was a teenager and told me to read. So read I did, and I fell in love in with Fritz and Wolfe and Archie. But mostly Archie.

If you're unfamiliar with the Nero Wolfe series, it is set in New York and starts in the early 1930's (although carries through several decades after) and follows the cases of Nero Wolfe, a private investigator. Nero Wolfe has several extreme eccentricites, including the fact that he very, very rarely leaves his brownstone home, follows a regimented schedule every day that cannot be broken, he eats very lavish meals prepared by a live-in chef (that would be Fritz), and grows orchids in a rooftop hothouse. Wolfe does not tolerate the iterruption of his schedule, his authority being questioned, his privacy being invaded, most women, most men, stupidity, business talk over dinner, and a great myriad of other situations.What he does tolerate (with or without grace) is Archie Goodwin.

Archie is Nero Wolfe's presence outside the brownstone. He serves as legs and ears and eyes while interviewing witnesses, trailing suspects, and chasing perpetrators. Archie also serves as a thorn in Wolfe's side -it's offically part of his job- to motivate his boss into taking cases so they can get paid. He's a charmer and a smooth talker; a ladies man and always a gentleman. He's savvy and street smart and he quits as many times as Wolfe fires him, but it's always an idle threat. When Rex Stout's series starts, Archie's been working for Wolfe for several years.

Rex Stout passed away in 1975, and eleven years later Robert Goldsborough had his first Nero Wolfe novel published, Murder in C Minor. With the blessing of the Stout estate, he wrote several more Wolfe and Archie mysteries. Now, he hasn't written a Wolfe book since 1994 (which for you non-instant math people like me is 19 years ago) and what better way to return to the scene than with the fan's dream: an origin story. A prequel. Hallelujah.

Archie Meets Nero Wolfe opens with Archie, fresh from Ohio, working a job as a night watchman on the docks. He's nineteen and looking for his big opportunity in the city - and winds up killing two men in self defense. He's let go from the watchman position, but impresses P.I. Del Bascom and gets taken on in the private detective's office. Archie's big opportunity comes with the Big Case. Tommie Williamson, son of a very wealthy businessman, is kidnapped and his father taps Nero Wolfe to take the case. Wolfe calls in the best detectives he knows, including Bascom who brings Archie to the table. The race is on to find the boy and find the kidnappers and to secure Archie's place in literary history.

As a longtime Archie fan, I loved this book. It was a fun trip through 1920's New York with a young, sharp Archie who relayed details to the reader with great panache and flare. As a long time mystery reader, it left something to be desired. The story moves quickly, from the small introductory mysteries that set up Archie's skills into the bigger mystery of Tommie Williamson's disappearance. There's some legitimate detective legwork, and you do get a sense for Archie unfolding the process of how he'll operate as a detective for the first time. We're also shown Orrie Cather and Saul Panzer (who are very important supporting characters in most of the Rex Stout novels) meeting Archie and how they work both with and independently of Wolfe.

Speaking of Wolfe, he's not a prevalent in the book as I was expecting, but when he was he was utterly and perfectly Wolfe. Short fuse, fabulous vocabulary, and an all seeing eye to rival Sherlock Holmes himself all wonderfully played out. It was just wasn't enough! Part of the joy of the Goodwin/Wolfe read is their exchanges and interactions and I suppose I was expecting more of them having some of those first conflicts and concessions.

Wolfe is not amused by your shenanigans.

For the most part, Goldsborough does a good job with Archie's voice. Archie is a very distinctive first person narrator. Some of the story felt like it was being told by a nineteen year old Archie and some of the story felt like it was being told by the Archie who matured over the course of several decades. However, and this might be more important, Archie is completely charming throughout. And I think that's what it is. If you're approaching this book with the intent of sinking your teeth into a meaty mystery, you may come away wanting. If you're approaching this book as a handshake, as polite introduction to one of the mystery genre's greatest men, you'll be pleasantly delighted.

So, if you like 1920's New York, cozy mysteries, classic private investigators, or already love Archie and Wolfe, you should definitely pick up Archie Meets Nero Wolfe. If you've not been to the world of Stout as of yet, I don't think I would recommend you start here. Start with The League of Frightened Men or Champagne for One and then consider hitting the prequel.

Usually I try to find out if any movie rights are associated with a book, and in this case there are not. However, Archie Goodwin was brought to life by Timothy Hutton in the A&E Nero Wolfe series which ran for two seasons 2000-2001. Timothy Hutton and Maury Chakin are Goodwin and Wolfe, respectively, and neither one of them could be more perfect for the roles. It's a great mystery series with fantastic costuming and dialogue. It's available on DVD.

Perfect Archie Goodwin is perfect.

If you speak Italian, YouTube also has episodes of the newer Italian version of Nero Wolfe. While Timothy Hutton is perfection as Archie, the Archie in those episodes is also quite wonderful.

No, I don't speak Italian.

Italian Archie is also good looking.

Yes, I'm learning Italian.

I recommend the Wolfe/Goodwin series to pretty much everyone, no matter whether you start with the original Stout or pick up Goldsborough's prequel. They're great characters you should definitely get to know.

Hope you all enjoy the upcoming St. Patrick's Day!

Don't drive spifflicated!

Gabs  

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 

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

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

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

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

Review: Objects of My Affection by Jill Smolinski

Objects 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.

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