Jul
28
2010
The #1 New York Times-bestselling author presents a riveting novel where a canine search and rescue volunteer fights danger and finds love in the Pacific Northwest wilderness. To most people, Fiona Bristow seems to have an idyllic life-a quaint house on an island off Seattle’s coast, a thriving dog-training school, and a challenging volunteer job performing canine search and rescues. Not to mention her three intensely loyal Labs. But Fiona got to this point by surviving a nightmare… Several years ago, Fiona was the only survivor of the Red Scarf serial killer, who shot and killed Fiona’s cop fiancé and his K-9 partner. On Orcas Island, Fiona found the peace and solitude she needed to rebuild her life. But all that changes on the day Simon Doyle barrels up her drive, desperate for her help. He’s the reluctant owner of an out-of-control puppy, foisted upon him by his mother. Jaws has eaten through Simon’s house, and he’s at his wit’s end. To Fiona, Jaws is nothing she can’t handle. Simon, however, is another matter. A newcomer to Orcas, he’s a rugged and in-tensely private artist, known for the exquisite furniture he creates from wood. Simon never wanted a puppy-and he most definitely doesn’t want a woman. Besides, the lanky redhead is not his type. But tell that to his hormones. As Fiona embarks on training Jaws, and Simon begins to appreciate both dog and trainer, the past tears back into Fiona’s life. A copycat killer has emerged out of the shadows, a man whose bloodlust has been channeled by a master with one motive: to reclaim the woman who slipped out of his hands…
This is a perfect summer read! I love Nora Roberts and her ability to pull the reader into a great story, with realistic characters and heart-stopping action. The mystery element of all of her novels put her on every reader’s MUST READ list and her latest will not disappoint. Fiona Bristow is the only survivor of a serial killer who strangled women and then buried them with a red scarf. Years later, when a copycat killer starts creeping into Fiona’s life, she realizes she may be the next intended victim. Not only does Nora Roberts tell a great story, but she tells a complete story. There is never any weak moments in her plot. Her characters are fully fleshed out and the romance angle doesn’t ever make you cringe.
I whole-heartedly recommend THE SEARCH as the perfect beach book (or rainy day book)!
Jul
26
2010
Book Trib recently ran a photo taken from US Weekly and People Magazine of Lindsay Lohan carrying a book called Toxic Friends by Susan Shapiro Barash. I am always fascinated to see what the celebrities are reading. I have posted about celebrities and their book choices many times before on this site and it is something I am endlessly interested in.
Jul
25
2010
The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman
Heralded as “a modern day Jane Austen” by USA Today, National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Allegra Goodman has compelled and delighted hundreds of thousands of readers. Now, in her most ambitious work yet, Goodman weaves together the worlds of Silicon Valley and rare book collecting in a delicious novel about appetite, temptation, and fulfillment.
Emily and Jessamine Bach are opposites in every way: Twenty-eight-year-old Emily is the CEO of Veritech, twenty-three-year-old Jess is an environmental activist and graduate student in philosophy. Pragmatic Emily is making a fortune in Silicon Valley, romantic Jess works in an antiquarian bookstore. Emily is rational and driven, while Jess is dreamy and whimsical. Emily’s boyfriend, Jonathan, is fantastically successful. Jess’s boyfriends, not so much–as her employer George points out in what he hopes is a completely disinterested way.
Bicoastal, surprising, rich in ideas and…
This weekend, the New York Times Book Review featured Allegra Goodman’s THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR. It was also reviewed on one of my favorite book blogs, BOOKINGMAMA.
I’m starting it this week and will let you know what I think…in the meantime, here are some quotes from additional reviews of THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR.
“Allegra Goodman’s new novel has so many compelling ingrediants. Where, then, to start? Perhaps, as with food labels, it would be best to begin with the biggest: an irresistable story . . . If you’re hankering for a feast of love, let yourself fall under the spell of Allegra Goodman’s delicious tale. You won’t leave hungry.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Allegra Goodman mixes up a lively stew of characters from the cotcom-era bubble: bold young software titans, Berkeley tree-huggers, bibliophiles and a pair of investment savvy rabbis. The plot may be IPO-centric, but the novel is old-fashioned and wildly romantic.”
—Time
“a midsummer’s dream of a novel . . . Goodman’s nimble language, usually displayed in her characters’ sharp readings of one another, is one of the great pleasures of her writing. The other is her ability to integrate serious metaphysical questions into her entertaining comedies of manners.”
—Maureen Corrigon on Fresh Air
“wry, astute, and gratifying.”
—The New Yorker
“a smart, witty treat.”
—The Christian Science Monitor
“Proves that a story combining romantic complications with nefarious plots involving Internet start-ups is a delicious mix.”
—Town and Country
“Allegra Goodman has Austen’s gift for articulating the dynamics within a closed social system. Like Charles Dickens, she pens enjoyable reads rich with many characters, myriad subplots and kernels of social commentary.”
—Miami Herald
“enchanting and sensuous . . . a romance that dissects ambition with a jeweler’s precision.”
—Boston Herald
“In her new novel, she works on a larger social canvas than ever before, armed with an awareness that to comprehend all the scheming and the sorrow, wit is indispensable.”
—Slate
“It is the women you’ll love, because their differences–hard-driving dot com exec Emily versus latter day hippy Jessamine, for example–are eclipsed by the connectedness that comes from being both female and family.”
—O.Magazine
“Now in her early 40s, her skills and style are finely honed, her range improved. “The Cookbook Collector” captures the whimsy of youth and newfound wealth, the coarsening of middle age, fringe groups of Judaism and ecology. And she does so not through connected stories or novellas, but through a grand sweep of narrative that pushes beyond a character study of Jess and Emily and into their companies and companions.”
—Portland Oregonian
“The Cookbook Collector will appeal to readers who seek the pleasures of a beach read – romance, lovers’ betrayals, depictions of jet-setting people with money and power – but who also crave substance: solid prose, well-crafted scenes, developed characters, abundant literary allusions and plenty of food for thought.“She captures the world with intensity and humor, using characters who become dear, but never flat. The cookbook collector of the novel’s title refers to one who would rather collect cookbooks than cook, someone who would stand apart from the world instead of participating in it.”
—Dallas Morning News
“This is a story of people coming to fully participate in life. On the way, fate brings some unexpected turns, but the work ends in a way that seems balanced and realistic, but also right. It’s a hard balance to strike, and Goodman succeeds wonderfully.”
—Denver Post
“enchanging and sensuous . . .expertly prepared, delectable and satisfying.”—Kansas City Star
“The world she weaves practically vibrates with humanity–and it’s hard not to imagine that if Austen were to drop in for a visit, she’d pull out a laptop and feel very much at home.”
—People (four star review)
“Allegra Goodman captures that frenzy with charm and authority . . .Goodman’s characters strive to do what’s right and we care about them.”
—Providence Journal
“. . . a sprawling, fiercely smart, socially astute drama set in the dot com era.”
—Portland Mercury
“. . . a graceful writer and such an uncommonly astute observer of human foibles that when she focuses her steady gaze on the Bach sisters, her novel is pure delight.”
—National Public Radio
“I can’t think of anyone else who manages that precarious tone so well, balanced with Zenlike tranquillity between genuine mirth and heartfelt despair. She describes modern life in stories as witty and astute as Zoë Heller’s or Claire Messud’s but without a drop of bitterness . . . Goodman is a fantastically fluid writer, and yet for all her skill, she’s a humble, transparent one who stays out of the way, never drawing attention to her style or cleverness.”
—Ron Charles in The Washington Post
“Goodman is quite wise about human nature, but fond of it nonetheless. Her characters vie for their chance, full of foibles and endearments, hoping to fool each other even as they effortlessly fool themselves . . . a gentle, comedic touch, a nicely carpentered plot and characters who swell our hopes for their happiness.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer
“devilishly clever”
—Sacramento Bee
“a delightful tale . . . With humor and a keen ability to maintain tension, Goodman lines up all the many pieces for a tidy resolution.”
—New Jersey Star Ledger
“[in] her latest and best book . . . Goodman uses the theme of hunger and appetite to refract the giddying facets of this period, and she does so to great effect. . .
A power-hungry young mogul is so intent on exhorting his troops with empty optimism that he cannot hear his business partner shouting across the room that their site has been compromised by hackers. A perfect peach serves as the vehicle for an extended seduction as subtle and sweet as fruit’s flesh.
The book is worth reading for these scenes alone, or for the fairy tale ending, but the biggest payoff for most readers will be a bittersweet nostalgia for that recent past when it seemed all appetites could be fulfilled.”
—The San Francisco Chronicle
“In her sixth novel The Cookbook Collector, she ups the stakes with a deft literary hat trick, expertly braiding disparate threads involving dotcom start-ups, environmental radicalism, and rare-book collecting into one consistently engrossing narrative . . . Goodman delivers a novel of impressive élan and real emotional resonance.” A–
—Entertainment Weekly
“captivating”
—Vogue
“Fans of Goodman’s lovely, nuanced novels have a treat in store with this tale of two sisters.”
—Entertainment Weekly summer preview
“Goodman is especially admired for evoking smart and subtly nuanced characters, and Emily and Jess are so emotionally authentic that I almost tried to Google them. She also perfectly captures what it felt like to be an optimistic, idealistic twentysomething during one of the most optimistic, idealistic periods in American history—when anyone who didn’t risk everything felt like they were missing out on the main chance. . . . Unlike many of the companies of the First Digital Age, The Cookbook Collector is enormously satisfying and well worth the investment.”
—Elle
“Sisters find that love can be wondrously, or tragically, accidental. Goodman is a romantic realist who dazzles with wit, compassion and vegan recipes.”
—Wall Street Journal summer preview
“Goodman (Intuition, 2006, etc.) . . . Frequently laugh-out-loud funny but always fundamentally serious, the novel takes a clear-eyed look at the competitive instinct and the profit motive as they clash with our equally strong need for love and connection . . . . A witty, warm and wise look at the human condition in the digital age.”
—Kirkus (starred review)
“Goodman (Kaaterskill Falls) is remarkably successful in creating rich, engaging characters and a complex story of love and identity that reads like life itself. Highly recommended.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“If any contemporary author deserves to wear the mantle of Jane Austen, it’s Goodman, whose subtle, astute social comedies perfectly capture the quirks of human nature. This dazzling novel is Austen updated for the dot-com era . . . Enjoyable and satisfying, this is Goodman’s (Intuition) most robust, fully realized and trenchantly meaningful work yet.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A glimmering tale, spiked with hilarious banter, of ardent individualists, imperiled love, and incandescent interpretations of the mutability and timelessness of the human condition.”
—Booklist (starred review)
Jul
25
2010
Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz
When a rumor starts circulating that Tara’s boyfriend Brent has been sleeping with one of the guy cheerleaders, the innuendo doesn’t just hurt Tara. It marks the beginning of the end for an inseparable trio of friends. Tara’s training for a marathon, but also running from her fear of abandonment after being deserted by her father. Whitney Blaire seems to have everything, but an empty mansion and absentee parents leave this beauty to look for meaning in all the wrong places. And Pinkie has a compulsive need to mother everyone to make up for the mom she’s never stopped missing. This friendship that promised to last forever is starting to break under the pressure of the girls’ differences.
And then new-girl Riley arrives in school with her long black hair, athletic body, and her blasé attitude, and suddenly Tara starts to feel things she’s never felt before for a girl—and to reassess her feelings about Brent and what he may/may not have done. Is Tara gay—or does she just love Riley? And can her deepest friendships survive when all of the rules have changed?
Release Date: December 2009
Publisher: Egmont (Young Adult)
Pages: 272
The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson
What if you were married to a wonderful husband for twenty-eight years but in love with another man? What if you were in love with them both?
Annabelle McKay knows she shouldn’t have any complaints. She’s been in a stable marriage that’s lasted almost three decades and has provided her with two wonderful children, thousands of family dinners around a sturdy oak table, and a husband so devoted that he schedules lovemaking into his calendar every Wednesday morning. Other wives envy the fact that Grant is not the type of man who would ever cheat on her or leave her for a younger woman. The trouble is Annabelle isn’t sure she wants to be married to Grant anymore. The trouble is she’s still in love with someone else.
In the early tumultuous years of her marriage, Annabelle carried on a clandestine affair with the one person whose betrayal would hurt her husband the most. When it ended, she and Grant found their way back together and made a pact that they would never speak of that time again. But now years later, with her children grown and gone, and an ominous distance opening between them, she can’t help but remember those glorious, passionate days and wonder if she chose the right man.
Then, when called to New York City to help care for her pregnant daughter, Annabelle bumps into her old lover. Offered a second chance at an unforgettable love, she must decide between the man who possesses her heart and the husband who has stood squarely by her side. A journey into the what-ifs that haunt us all, The Stuff That Never Happened is an intricate, heartfelt examination of modern marriage that brims with truths about the nature of romantic love.
Release Date: August 3, 2010
Publisher: Crown
Pages: 336
Sea by Heidi Kling
Still haunted by nightmares of her mother’s death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father’s relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder—something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother’s plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn’t do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward.
But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn’t think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts.
A compelling summer romance, Sea marks the arrival of a stunning new voice in YA.
Release Date: June 6, 2010
Publisher: Putnam (Young Adult)
Pages: 327
How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley
A brand-new book of hilarious and insightful personal essays by the iconic, irresistible Sloane Crosley.
From the author of the sensational bestseller I Was Told There’d Be Cake comes a new book of personal essays brimming with all the charm and wit that have earned Sloane Crosley widespread acclaim, award nominations, and an ever-growing cadre of loyal fans. In Cake readers were introduced to the foibles of Crosley’s life in New York City-always teetering between the glamour of Manhattan parties, the indignity of entry-level work, and the special joy of suburban nostalgia-and to a literary voice that mixed Dorothy Parker with David Sedaris and became something all its own.
Crosley still lives and works in New York City, but she’s no longer the newcomer for whom a trip beyond the Upper West Side is a big adventure. She can pack up her sensibility and takes us with her to Paris, to Portugal (having picked it by spinning a globe and putting down her finger, and finally falling in with a group of Portuguese clowns), and even to Alaska, where the “bear bells” on her fellow bridesmaids’ ponytails seemed silly until a grizzly cub dramatically intrudes. Meanwhile, back in New York, where new apartments beckon and taxi rides go awry, her sense of the city has become more layered, her relationships with friends and family more complicated.
As always, Crosley’s voice is fueled by the perfect witticism, buoyant optimism, flair for drama, and easy charm in the face of minor suffering or potential drudgery. But in How Did You Get This Number it has also become increasingly sophisticated, quicker and sharper to the point, more complex and lasting in the emotions it explores. And yet, Crosley remains the unfailingly hilarious young Everywoman, healthily equipped with intelligence and poise to fend off any potential mundanity in maturity.
Jul
22
2010
Chick Lit (the appropriately named but much analyzed genre appealing to women between the ages of 18-40 that typically focuses on single women looking for love) is extremely popular…but not just in books. Chick Flicks are the film version of Chick Lit and are equally scrutinized and looked down upon by film snobs. These chick flicks, also called romantic comedies, are often accused of giving women unrealistic ideas of love and romance. Critics feel these films set women up for disappointment because no man is ever going to measure up to the men we see on screen. In essence, chick flicks set the bar too high. But honestly, what woman doesn’t enjoy a trip to the theater (or DVD player) to watch a carefree tale about a down-on-her-luck woman who doesn’t seem to have anything going for her when the movie starts and then all of a sudden…enter Mr. Romance. We know how it’s going to end…happily ever after…and we know the comedy is going to be hokey and slapstick…but we like it. It’s an escape. We don’t want a woman to pine for a man and then not get him, or wish for a baby/job/vacation/pet and never have it work out. We are faced with that reality in life, we don’t need it in our entertainment. It’s why we read light, fluffy tales of women looking for love…and finding it!
So occasionally we will be discussing “Chick Flicks”. (Eat, Pray, Love is due in theaters in August, so expect a mention here at BookFinds next month. We were big fans of the book and can’t wait to see Julia Roberts portrayal of the uber-cool Elizabeth Gilbert.
In the meantime, this weekend I finally got around to watching WHEN IN ROME with Kristen Bell. For anyone who missed this movie when it hit the theaters in January, let me give you a quick summary.
An ambitious young New Yorker (KRISTEN BELL), disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a “foolish” fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of an odd group of suitors: a sausage magnate (DANNY DEVITO), a street magician (JON HEDER), an adoring painter (WILL ARNETT) and a self-admiring model (DAX SHEPARD). But when a charming reporter (JOSH DUHAMEL) pursues her with equal zest, how will she know if his love is the real thing
I read one review of the film that said it was hard to believe a girl as cute and likable as Kristen Bell would have any trouble meeting Mr. Right. Obviously this person hasn’t frequented any bars lately…single girls like Kristen Bell are all over the place! If WHEN IN ROME were a book it would be considered “high concept” because it involves a rather large plot element that dictates most of the story. The fact that Kristen Bell steals coins from a fountain in Italy and then ends up having the original owner’s of those particular coins fall in love with her is high concept. When she then learns that the man she is falling in love with was one of the owner’s of the coins she stole, she begins to doubt his love for her…thinking he is simply under her “spell” and not truly interested in her. The movie was enjoyable and entertaining. If it had been a book, I would have read it on the beach and enjoyed every unbelievable moment of it. Check it out on DVD if you are looking for a sweet escape.
Jul
21
2010
- 8 in the Box by Raffi Yessayan
The harrowing scene is always the same: the home of a single woman, no signs of forced entry, no evidence of an intruder, and no victim—only a bathtub filled with blood. Newly promoted homicide detective Angel Alves wants to make his mark in the department and a difference on the streets, but tracking this elusive serial killer sorely challenges his commitment and skills. Meanwhile, assistant DA Conrad Darget has his own hands full mentoring an ambitious young law student and rallying his fellow attorneys in their daily courtroom battles. With each new attack the twisted mystery only deepens, and the hunger for answers—and action—intensifies. No sane mind could comprehend the dark design behind it all. And no one can anticipate the final fateful strokes that will lead to a shocking endgame.
Right from the start we learn that Eight in the Box is a legal term, referring to the number of people sitting on a jury. There are, quite literally, eight people in a box, in a courtroom, waiting to hear a trial and determine the fate of one person. There is a reason television shows like Law & Order have lasted as long as they have and keep multiplying, people love the dark side of the law. Raffi Yessayan writes about this gritty world with accuracy and doesn’t hold anything back. Yessayan, a former Boston prosecutor and now defense attorney, has walked the dark streets of Boston and writes from experience. In Eight in the Box we are immediately greeted with a brutal murder, a bathtub filled with blood and a serial killer, aptly named the “Blood Bath Killer.” Yessayan presents the reader with the facts and lets the story slowly unfold with spine-tingling details and a mysteriously cloaked killer named Richter. Yessayan will leave you turning the pages faster than you can say “Pahked the cah.” Move over Dennis Lehane, Boston has a new voice in crime fiction.
Jul
20
2010
The Language of Trees by Ilie Ruby
Today is the release date for Ilie Ruby’s debut novel, THE LANGUAGE OF TREES. We read an early copy of this beautifully crafted novel and were impressed by her use of magical realism in telling a story of such enormous depth and heart. Here is an interview with Ilie:
1. Tell us the story behind the story. How did The Language of Trees come to be?
I wrote the book over a period of several years. I was inspired by the gorgeous landscape of Canandaigua, where my family spent childhood summers. The area is teeming with Native American folklore and ghost stories. It is also an extremely evocative place. Every rented cabin that we stayed in had a ghost story attached to it. In the cabin next to ours lived a woman with 13 cats, she was the secret keeper of the place and we were enthralled with her stories and folklore.
2. What was the most challenging aspect of writing your debut novel?
I actually started with the character of Luke, a blithe spirit. I felt his character very strongly but knew that if I wrote the story from his perspective I would have to create a spirit world and maintain that for 350+ pages. I realized that I wasn’t so much interested in creating a spirit world but more a world that was spiritual.
I also found it hard to know when to stop creating new versions. One of the hard things about writing something over a long period of time is that your tastes change, and your wisdom about writing changes. Then you have to reconcile your own phases and styles.
3. What is the message you want readers to take away from your book?
That although you may go through hard times, there are such things as second chances—you can fall in love after tragedy. You can start anew.
4. Describe your background.
My mom was an artist. I grew up writing and painting every day. I actually thought everyone did these things every day. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that this was not a way of life for most people.
5. Describe your writing schedule. Do you outline? Any habits?
I don’t outline novels. I outline short stories. I am a night owl so writing late at night is the best for me. I usually write in long stints—10 to 12 hours per writing “session.” I can’t do that anymore now that I have 3 little kids, so I am having to alter my writing schedule.
6. What books are on your nightstand? What are you currently reading?
I am reading a lot of humor writing at the moment: things that make me laugh—David Sedaris, old Woody Allen, Ayelet Waldman, among others. Also some books on “mommy-ing,” and adoption.
7. Which authors inspire you?
Alice Hoffman, Alice Seybold, Anita Shreve, and a bevy of poets: Jack Gilbert, Jorie Graham, Mary Oliver, etc.
As a child, my favorites were Judy Blume, Norma Fox Mazer, C.S. Lewis
8. What have you learned from this experience?
To be cautious about where galleys are sent and make sure they end up in the right hands.
9. What is your advice for aspiring writers?
Stick with it no matter how long it takes. Learn to respect your own individual timeline. Respect your first drafts.
10. What are you working on now?
I am actually going to outline a second novel and a children’s book, Eden’s Garden, about a girl who came from Ethiopia. I promised my daughter I’d write a book for her so this is it.
Jul
19
2010
Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia
Seventeen-year-old Teagan McNeel falls for captivating Garreth Adams and soon discovers that her crush has an eight-point star etched into the palm of his right hand-the mark of an angel.
But where there is light, dark follows, and she and Garreth suddenly find themselves vulnerable to a dark angel’s malicious plan that could threaten not only her life, but the lives of everyone she knows.
Divinely woven together, Angel Star takes readers on a reflective journey when one angel’s sacrifice collides with another angel’s vicious ambition in a way that is sure to have readers searching for their own willpower.
Angel Star is the first book from Jennifer Murgia, a brilliant new YA author. What if you met your guardian angel? What would happen if you fell in love with him?
It is a story about a girl with a normal life going to school and dreaming about what all girls dream about…the perfect boy to come along and fall in love. Teagan never imagined a world beyond her own. Until…a transfer student appears and shares with her a secret no other human knows. There are angels, guardian angels, that are there our entire lives. Teagan’s guardian angel, Garreth, is allowed to reveal himself and the world of angels to Teagan only because Teagan has powers unknown to her that will help save humanity.
Teagan learns that Garreth has given up his wings and will become human in eight days in order to declare his love for her and prepare her for the darkness. Garreth will no longer be able to protect her as he has all her life from the shadows. The struggle between the light and the dark become personal when those around her are touched by the darkness.
Can Teagan grasp her hidden power and hold on to her true love, or will the darkness overcome her and lead her down a dark path? Temptation to do so is strong, but can Teagan harness her powers to see the Truth?
Hadrian, a dark angel, is very alluring and beautiful in his in own right. She encounters Hadrian in a painful struggle to save Garreth, her guardian angel. In the end she has to choose between Garreth and Hadrian … learning that some people have more than one angel. Could one of them be a dark angel that pulls at the darkness within us?
The story pauses at this point where Teagan knows that Hadrian is watching her too. Lemniscate (2011), the sequel to Angel Star, will continue Teagan’s story…
I could not put this book down. It was fast paced, action packed, with a brilliantly woven love story… This book is one of my new favorite-must-keep books and I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel. I look forward to reading more of Jennifer’s book in the future. She has a fantastic and imaginative writing style, which paints the most detailed scenic pictures. I could picture the stone chapel in the woods and every scene Teagan experienced.
Wonderful book, Jennifer! Congratulations on realizing a dream. I truly look forward to many more books from you…
Angel Star is the first book from Jennifer Murgia, a brilliant new YA author. What if you met your guardian angel? What would happen if you fell in love with him?
It is a story about a girl with a normal life going to school and dreaming about what all girls dream about…the perfect boy to come along and fall in love. Teagan never imagined a world beyond her own. Until…a transfer student appears and shares with her a secret no other human knows. There are angels, guardian angels, that are there our entire lives. Teagan’s guardian angel, Garreth, is allowed to reveal himself and the world of angels to Teagan only because Teagan has powers unknown to her that will help save humanity.
Teagan learns that Garreth has given up his wings and will become human in eight days in order to declare his love for her and prepare her for the darkness. Garreth will no longer be able to protect her as he has all her life from the shadows. The struggle between the light and the dark become personal when those around her are touched by the darkness.
Can Teagan grasp her hidden power and hold on to her true love, or will the darkness overcome her and lead her down a dark path? Temptation to do so is strong, but can Teagan harness her powers to see the Truth?
Hadrian, a dark angel, is very alluring and beautiful in his in own right. She encounters Hadrian in a painful struggle to save Garreth, her guardian angel. In the end she has to choose between Garreth and Hadrian … learning that some people have more than one angel. Could one of them be a dark angel that pulls at the darkness within us?
The story pauses at this point where Teagan knows that Hadrian is watching her too. Lemniscate (2011), the sequel to Angel Star, will continue Teagan’s story…
I could not put this book down. It was fast paced, action packed, with a brilliantly woven love story… This book is one of my new favorite-must-keep books and I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel. I look forward to reading more of Jennifer’s book in the future. She has a fantastic and imaginative writing style, which paints the most detailed scenic pictures. I could picture the stone chapel in the woods and every scene Teagan experienced.
Wonderful book, Jennifer! Congratulations on realizing a dream. I truly look forward to many more books from you…
Jul
18
2010
We are really digging the cover of debut author Allie Larkin’s STAY (Dutton, June 2010). I don’t know if it’s the lovable look of the pup on the cover, the color contrast between the dog and the beautiful blue sky background or the heart dog tag dangling precariously from the title. All in all, it’s a winner and one we would definitely gravitate towards on the NEW BOOKS table at our favorite bookstore. Here’s the description of Allie’s debut novel, STAY:
Savannah “Van” Leone has loved Peter since the day they met. The problem is, Peter has loved Van’s best friend, Janie, since the moment they met. And now they’re walking down the aisle, with Van standing nearby in a Halloween orange bridesmaid dress, her smile as hollow as a jack-o-lantern. After the wedding, Van drowns her sorrows in Kool Aid-vodka cocktails and reruns of Rin-Tin-Tin, and does what any woman in her situation would do: She buys a German Shepherd over the internet.
The pocket-sized puppy Van is expecting turns out to be a clumsy, hundred-pound beast that only responds to Slovakian. Van is at the end of her rope—until she realizes that this quirky giant may be the only living being who will always be loyal to her, no matter what. And thus begins a friendship that will alter Van’s life in ways she never imagined.
Joe leads Van to Dr. Alex Brandt, a rugged vet with floppy blond hair and winning smile. But just as things are starting to heat up, the newlyweds return from their honeymoon, forcing Van to decide just how much she’s willing to sacrifice in order to have everything she ever wanted. Warm and witty, poignant and funny, Stay marks the arrival of an irresistible new voice.
Be sure to check this one out! Here’s the trailer for STAY.
Jul
16
2010
We are adding a new category to our blog posts…drum roll please…
FRIDAY’S FOCUS!
Every Friday we will give you a brief rundown of the books we received over the course of the week. We will “focus” on the books that are jumping into our To Be Read pile. So without further ado…
Everybody knows everybody in The Hollows, a quaint, charming town outside of New York City. It’s a place where neighbors keep an eye on one another’s kids, where people say hello in the grocery store, and where high school cliques and antics are never quite forgotten. As a child, Maggie found living under the microscope of small-town life stifling. But as a wife and mother, she has happily returned to The Hollows’s insular embrace. As a psychologist, her knowledge of family histories provides powerful insights into her patients’ lives. So when the girlfriend of her teenage son, Rick, disappears, Maggie’s intuitive gift proves useful to the case—and also dangerous.
Eerie parallels soon emerge between Charlene’s disappearance and the abduction of another local girl that shook the community years ago when Maggie was a teenager. The investigation has her husband, Jones, the lead detective on the case, acting strangely. Rick, already a brooding teenager, becomes even more withdrawn. In a town where the past is always present, nobody is above suspicion, not even a son in the eyes of his father.
“I know how a moment can spiral out of control,” Jones says to a shocked Maggie as he searches Rick’s room for incriminating evidence. “How the consequences of one careless action can cost you everything.”
As she tries to reassure him that Rick embodies his father in all of the important ways, Maggie realizes this might be exactly what Jones fears most. Determined to uncover the truth, Maggie pursues her own leads into Charlene’s disappearance and exposes a long-buried town secret—one that could destroy everything she holds dear. This thrilling novel about one community’s intricate yet fragile bonds will leave readers asking, How well do I know the people I love? and How far would I go to protect them?
Release Date: August 3, 2010
Publisher: Shaye Areheart Books
Pages: 336
He was a tough-guy Welshman softened by the affections of a breathtakingly beautiful woman; she was a modern-day Cleopatra madly in love with her own Mark Antony. For nearly a quarter of a century, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were Hollywood royalty, and their fiery romance—often called “the marriage of the century”—was the most notorious, publicized, and celebrated love affair of its day.
For the first time, Vanity Fair contributing editor Sam Kashner and acclaimed biographer Nancy Schoenberger tell the complete story of this larger-than-life couple, showing how their romance and two marriages commanded the attention of the world. Also for the first time, in exclusive access given to the authors, Elizabeth Taylor herself gives never-revealed details and firsthand accounts of her life…
RELEASE DATE: JUNE 15, 2010
PUBLISHER: HARPER
PAGES: 512
As Egypt’s young king is crowned, a vicious killer waits in the shadows. . . .
Egypt’s next Pharaoh, the young Tutankhamun, is ready to claim his birthright—a vast, powerful, and sophisticated empire. It should be at the height of its glory, but it is troubled by long-lasting foreign wars, public dissent, and internal struggles. With his new wife, Ankhesenamun, the daughter of Nefertiti, Tutankhamun undertakes an audacious plan to consolidate his power and return tolerance and enlightenment to his land. But not everyone wants the ambitious new Pharaoh to succeed, and soon sinister “gifts” begin appearing in the royal palace—evil objects designed to terrify the nineteen-year-old King.
Rahotep, the stalwart chief detective of the Thebes division, is summoned to the palace to investigate. As he begins to piece together the clues, he realizes that the mysterious gifts have much in common with a series of sadistic murders plaguing the city. Rahotep’s determination to protect the vulnerable King and Queen makes him a target, too, and he is soon enmeshed in a web of intrigue and danger that reaches from the top command of the army to the dark heart of the empire’s government. What he discovers will change his life and put everything he loves at risk.
In this compelling second novel, set against the dazzling splendor of the golden age of the Pharaohs, Nick Drake takes an imaginative and historically accurate look at one of the most fascinating reigns in ancient history. Drawing on the latest archaeological evidence, he crafts a sophisticated and gripping thriller that explores one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of ancient Egypt—the untimely death of young Tutankhamun.
RELEASE DATE: June 29, 2010
PUBLISHER: Harper
PAGES: 384
Sixteen-year-olds Charlie, Keiran, Brooke, and Hallie have just been signed up for their own reality television show. They can’t even believe it. “You’ll be The Hillsmeets The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” the Armani-suited executive tells them, “and the hottest thing on our network.” How could they say no?
But soon enough, cameras following them everywhere and interfering producers surreptitiously scripting their lives start to affect the four best friends’ relationship. Brooke seems to want all the screen time. Keiran is abruptly written out of the show-and consequently the group’s friendship-when she doesn’t rate well. As soon as Charlie realizes what’s going on, she figures out the perfect way to give the studio and her home audience a much-needed reality check.
Because friends don’t let friends do reality shows.
RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2010
PUBLISHER: Poppy (Young Adult)
PAGES: 288
What if… Your picture was taped inside teenage boys’ lockers across America, your closets were bursting with never-worn designer clothing, and the tabloids constantly asked whether you were losing your “good girl” status?
It’s a glamorous life, but sixteen-year-old Kaitlin Burke, costar of one of the hottest shows on TV, is exhausted from the pressures of fame. Then she hits on an outrageously daring solution, one that has to remain top secret or it will jeopardize everything she’s ever worked for.
RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2007
PUBLISHER: Poppy (young adult)
PAGES: 256
It’s tough living in the shadow of a dead girl. . . .
In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.
When two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears, Miranda is stripped of her former life. She must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.
In this powerful debut novel, stunning new talent Holly Cupala illuminates the dark struggle of a girl who must let go of her past to find a way into her own future.
RELEASE DATE: June 22, 2010
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen (young adult)
PAGES: 304
When she lands a coveted nonpaying, nonspeaking role in a play going on a European tour, Rachel Shukert—with a brand-new degree in acting from NYU and no money—finally scores her big break. And, after a fluke at customs in Vienna, she gets her golden ticket: an unstamped passport, giving her free rein to “find herself” on a grand tour of Europe. Traveling from Vienna to Zurich to Amsterdam, Rachel bounces through complicated relationships, drunken mishaps, miscommunication, and the reality-adjusting culture shock that every twentysomething faces when sent off to negotiate “the real world”—whatever that may be.
RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2010
PUBLISHER: Harper Perennial (paperback)
PAGES: 336
In the early morning of December 3, 1999, Lily Safra stood shivering in her nightgown on the grounds outside her sumptuous Monte Carlo penthouse where, just hours before, her fourth husband, reclusive billionaire Edmond Safra, died in a fire. An American nurse employed by the Safra family was eventually convicted of the arson death. Overnight, Lily became one of the wealthiest widows in the world.
The Brazilian-born Lily Safra was no stranger to tragedy. In 1969, her second husband, the Brazilian multimillionaire Alfredo Monteverde, died from two gunshots to the chest. The Brazilian authorities ruled it a suicide. In 1989, her beloved eldest son and four-year-old grandson died in a car accident. But just who is Lily Safra? Despite having become a fixture in society columns for her generous charity work and lavish parties, the elegant and enigmatic widow has remained in the background.
Gilded Lily tells Lily Safra’s story for the first time. Using archival sources, court documents, and interviews with childhood friends and former employees in South America, investigative journalist Isabel Vincent chronicle’s Safra’s rise from humble origins in Brazil to fabled wealth in London, New York, and Monaco.
RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2010
PUBLISHER: Harper Perennial (paperback)
PAGES: 336
Shey Darcy, a 39-year-old former top model for Vogue and Sports Illustrated led a charmed life in New York City with a handsome photographer husband until the day he announced he’d fallen in love with someone else. Left to pick up the pieces of her once happy world, Shey decides to move back home to Texas with her three teenage sons. Life on the family ranch, however, brings with it a whole new host of dramas starting with differences of opinion with her staunch Southern Baptist mother, her rugged but overprotective brothers, and daily battles with her three sons who are also struggling to find themselves. Add to the mix Shey’s ex-crush, Dane Kelly, a national bullriding champ and she’s got her hands full. It doesn’t take long before Shey realizes that in order to reinvent herself, she must let go of an uncertain future and a broken past, to find happiness–and maybe love–in the present.
RELEASE DATE: August 23, 2010
PUBLISHER: 5 Spot
PAGES: 400
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “Duffy,” she throws her Coke in his face. But things aren’t so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
RELEASE DATE: September 7, 2010
PUBLISHER: Poppy (Young Adult)
PAGES: 288