2013 Thankfully Reading Weekend: Day 2

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Jenn

It’s day two of Thankfully Reading Weekend!  How did everyone do yesterday? Full stomachs, plenty of reading time…sounds like bliss to me! I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to a day of reading at home, avoiding the retail madness! We’re heading out later today for a Thanksgiving parade but other than that, I have no plans on leaving the house!

Today’s challenge is being hosted by Jen over at Jen’s Book Thoughts! It’s a good one, be sure to check it out!

If you are just starting your Thankfully Reading Weekend today, remember to include your link and any other posts in the the kick-off post!

Happy Reading!

Posted in Thankfully Reading Weekend | 1 Comment

2013 Thankfully Reading Weekend: The Kickoff

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Jenn

It’s time!!

This is the official kick off post for Thankfully Reading!  Instead of braving the crowds and shopping this weekend, we’re spending our time curled up with a book! Not starting your Thankfully Reading Weekend until tomorrow or Saturday? Don’t worry, link up your post whenever you are ready!

Feel free to link up your kick-off post below, as well as any update posts you have. Don’t have a blog? Not to worry; keep us updated on your progress via the comments. Haven’t signed up yet to participate? Not to worry! There is still plenty of time!

If you don’t know what to post, here are some ideas. But remember there are no rules; feel free to post as little/as much as you like!

  • How did you celebrate Thanksgiving?
  • What’s in your TBR pile for the weekend?
  • How much time do you think you’ll have for reading?
  • What book are you starting out with?
  • Are you reading print, ebooks, or audio? Maybe a bit each?
  • What books will you be sharing at Thanksgiving dinner? Be sure to keep track of any recommendations you receive and share when you have the time.If you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, don’t worry, this is a weekend for everyone throughout the world.
  • Pictures and/or vlogs are a great thing to add to your kick-off posts!

Throughout the weekend, feel free to post about your progress or even get some reviews up. Be sure to come back and link up your posts. Then take a break and check out everyone else’s posts. We’re looking forward to seeing how everyone else is celebrating Thankfully Reading Weekend.

Oh and don’t forget that some of your fellow readers will be on Twitter. You can search for Thankfully Reading Weekend tweets and hook up with others by using the hashtag #thankfulreading.

On Sunday afternoon, we’ll post another link-up for your wrap-up post. Tell us how your Thankfully Reading Weekend went. You could give mini-reviews of your books, tell us how many books and which books you read, number of pages, number of hours, and so on. This is a rule-free, contest-free event, so you can wrap up the weekend however you’d like.

With that said, let’s get reading!! Be sure to include your kick-off post (or comments about your plans!) below! Come back tomorrow to check out the great challenges (and prizes!) we have lined up!

Posted in Thankfully Reading Weekend | 4 Comments

Review: Speak of the Devil by Allison Leotta

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Touchstone; First Edition edition (August 6, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 145164485X
  • Source: Author

D.C. sex-crimes prosecutor Anna Curtis barely has time to celebrate her recent engagement before she’s called in to investigate a horrific crime.  A group of men from MS-13, a local street gang, attack a brothel, leaving a wake of brutal murder and rape. The group is led by Diablo, a man with cosmetic enhancements that give him the appearance of the devil himself. Anna’s investigation isn’t going to be easy; locals are afraid to speak up against Diablo for fear of the repercussions.

In this midst of this investigation, Anna becomes immersed in wedding plans. Her fiance, Jack, is the chief of the D.C. homicide unit. He and his daughter, Olivia, are still recovering after the death of his wife, Nina, killed a few years ago by the very gang Anna is investigating.  Anna’s personal and professional life converge when she becomes the focus of MS-13. Despite Jack’s pleas that she step down as prosecutor of the case,  Anna stands strong, refusing to fall victim to her fear. In her investigations, however, she reveals a secret that is so unbelievable that it risks her future with Jack.

Leotta’s own history as D.C.’s sex-crimes prosecutor for over a decade is clearly evident in Speak of the Devil. From the detailed information about legal procedures and the spot-on characterization of the gang members, Leotta really knows her stuff.  She doesn’t sugar coat the violence and depravity involved in her line of work. She doesn’t lessen the blow in her descriptions of the brutal crimes, instead accurately detailing the facts.  But what stands out for me most in this novel is Anna’s character.  Her career could drag her down emotionally, but she won’t allow that. She stands up for herself and what she believes in, never allowing anyone other than herself to influence her actions and path in life. While that means that her life isn’t necessarily always the happiest, at least she is true to herself and what she believes in.

This is my first sampling of Leotta’s writing and I cannot wait to dive in to the two previous books in the series.  Leotta is a skilled writer of a calibre that puts her above other authors she’s been compared to (who will remain nameless *cough* Grisham *cough*). Her writing is a leap above other legal thrillers. I expect nothing but excellence from Leotta! I know this is a challenge she can meet (and exceed!).  Highly, highly recommended.

Watch Allison herself discuss her writing of Speak of the Devil:

Posted in Review, Thriller, Touchstone Books | Leave a comment

Review: Adé: A Love Story by Rebecca Walker

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Little A / New Harvest (October 29, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 054414922X
  • Source: Publisher

A nineteen-year-old college student and her friend, Miriam,  embark on a trip to Africa. The unnamed narrator’s life is forever altered upon arriving in Egypt, feeling as though she is finally home. With almond-shaped eyes and dark skin, she’s never really felt as though she’s belonged.  Then, upon arrival at an island off the coast of Kenya, she meets Adé.  An attractive Swahili Muslim, the life Adé leads is completely unlike anything the narrator has ever known. It is Adé who gives her the Arabic name, Farida.

Farida and Adé fall in love and Farida encourages her free-spirited friend, Miriam to continue her travels.  When Farida and Adé decide to marry, Farida is thrust into a life rigid with Swahili wedding customs.  It is required that Adé travel home with her to request her parents’ permission to marry. It is then that the young couple are forced to face the political war and a difficult life raging around them. Devoid of worldly possessions and even the most basic medical care, Farida contracts cerebral malaria and meningitis, demanding that she make a choice between her love of Adé and her own health and safety.

The cultures Farida is introduced to in her journeys alter her tremendously. A privileged Yale student, this is the first glimpse of a world unlike her own.  The adversity that she and Adé were forced to face was heartbreaking.  They overcame the cultural challenges only to be forced to surrender to a condition that only modern medicine can occur. The romantic in me wants to believe that love can conquer everything but alas, that is not always the case.

That’s not to say this is a dark and depressing read. Instead, it was incredibly rewarding and uplifting, watching Farida experience her rebirth and growth that would have never happened without Adé. He gave her a new life, a new outlook on her future and place in this world.  The love that Farida shares with Adé is far beyond what we think of traditional and, perhaps due to this, is on a completely different parallel than the love that many of us face. They share a once in a lifetime sort of love, a beauty set in an area riddled with war and destruction. While this novel is short, it packs a punch that will linger, living readers breathless. It is a novel unlike any I have ever witnessed, a true gift. Highly, highly recommended.

Rebecca Walker is the author of the best-selling memoirs Black, White and Jewish and Baby Love, and editor of the anthology Black Cool. She is also the editor of the anthologies To Be Real, What Makes a Man, and One Big Happy Family. Her writing has appeared in Bookforum,  Newsweek, Glamour, Marie Claire, The Washington Post, Vibe, and Interview, among many other publications, and she blogs regularly for The Root. For more information, please visit www.rebeccawalker.com and follow her on Twitter: @rebeccawalker.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me the opportunity to review this title. Be sure to check out the other stops in this tour.

Posted in Literary Fiction, Little A / New Harvest, Review | 3 Comments

Review: Cut to the Bone: A Body Farm Novel by Jefferson Bass

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Jenn

  • Series: Body Farm Novel
  • Hardcover: 368 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow (September 24, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0062262300
  • Source: Publisher

It’s the summer of 1992.  Dr. Bill Brockton is the head of the University of Tennessee’s Anthropology Department.  After having his credibility tested while on the stand, Brockton is desperate to find a gauge for estimating a victim’s time of death. Therefore, he and his young assistant embark upon the most unusual of research projects: creating an outdoor “lab” facility that will allow them to study insect growth and maturity on corpses of the deceased.

Brockton’s hopes of revolutionizing forensics are thwarted when he is called in to help the police investigate a brutal killing. Its resemblance to a case he worked years ago is uncanny. When another murder with similarities to those in his past takes place, Brockton realizes that this brutal serial killer is trying to gain his attention.  Clearly he did something to infuriate this heartless killer.  Brockton must not only help identify this killer but simultaneously protect his loved ones from his potential wrath.

I was thrilled beyond belief when I learned that this dynamic writing duo was releasing the prequel to one of my all-time favorite forensic thriller series.  I have always been fascinated with the real-life “Body Farm” Dr. Bass created in 1980, so learning about the creation of the fictionalized version really had my attention. What I really appreciated about this novel was learning more about the young Dr. Brockton and his motives for his course of study.

If you (gasp!) haven’t started this series yet, this prequel is the perfect impetus to get you started! The writers have skill at relaying just enough forensic details to intrigue the reader without bogging them down with complex and technical terminology.  If you are a fan of any of the crime scene television series like CSI or Bones, I guarantee you will be a fan of this truly outstanding series!  Highly, highly recommended.

Posted in Review, Thriller, William Morrow | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Audiobook Review: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Jenn

  • Age Range: 10 and up
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; Unabridged edition (April 10, 2007)
  • ISBN-10: 0061341045
  • Source: Personal copy

Twelve-year-old Stephanie is confused when, after her eccentric uncle passes away, she is on the list to attend the reading of the will. There, a stranger appears, a man bundled up in a scarf, coat, and hat.  He’s introduced as Skulduggery Pleasant, a close friend of her uncle. When it comes time for the reading of the will, Stephanie is shocked to learn she’s inherited her uncle’s home.

Stephanie is attacked her first night staying alone in her uncle’s home. It is Skulduggery Pleasant who comes to her rescue, but Stephanie sees him for what he truly is: a walking, talking skeleton detective. She quickly becomes immersed in a world of magic in which an evil creature by the name of Nefarian Serpine is attempting to get his hands on the Scepter of the Ancients, a weapon that will wield him limitlessness power.  Together, with Skulduggery, the unlikely duo must confront this ancient evil and prevent him from taking control over the world!

A few weeks ago, I put out a request on Twitter for audiobook recommendations. This series was one of the first recommendations I received.  I don’t listen to a lot of middle grade/young adult audio books so I was really looking forward to this adventure. And boy, was it an adventure! Skulduggery Pleasant encompasses so much that I feel is missing in middle grade books! A young, female protagonist who, despite her age, is quite strong and fearless. The addition of Skulduggery himself adds a sense of humor and wit that lightens a potentially dark plot line. A sci-fi/fantasy meets detective story! But what really stands out for me is the audio book production.  Not only is there an outstanding narrating performance by Rupert Degas, but each chapter leads with catchy (ok, and a little bit cheesy) music. It’s almost as if you are listening to a television series or a radio show.

Finally, while the cover looks a bit creepy, the tone of the book is actually not. I have both an eight and a fourteen year old and I think this would be appropriate for both!  I guarantee any fan of mystery or magic of any age will fall in love with this unlikely duo of evil fighting heroes!  I cannot wait to listen to the next book in this eight book series! Highly, highly recommended.

Posted in Audiobook, Harper Collins Publishers, Kid-Lit/Middle Grade, Mystery/Suspense, Review, Science Fiction, YA | 1 Comment

Review: Rising Sun, Falling Shadow by Daniel Kalla

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Jenn

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Forge Books (September 24, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0765337649
  • Source: Publisher

*Note: This is the sequel to The Far Side of the Sky. It is recommended that you read this book first.

1943 Shanghai: Over 20,000 Jewish refugees seeking safety in Shanghai are forced by the Japanese to move into a “relocation” camp, a one-kilometer area known as the “Shanghai Ghetto.”  Dr. Franz Adler and his new wife, Sunny, struggle to run the city’s only hospital for refugee Jews. The Adlers struggle to keep their family united, always fearful of being discovered by the Nazis or Japanese. Due to the internment of British and American citizens, Franz’s pregnant sister-in-law, Esther, is separated from her husband, Simon. While Simon is able to evade capture, the life he is forced to live in hiding is less than desirable.

While Franz tries to find the best in their current situation, Sunny cannot get over her father’s death and is desperate for revenge. Unbeknownst to Franz, Sunny joins in an underground resistance group.   Franz’s daughter, Hannah, barely a teen herself, struggles to be recognized as more than a young girl. This struggle puts her directly in harms way and she becomes involved in a smuggling ring, carrying contraband into restricted areas.  Meanwhile, Franz struggles to treat the injured refugees with minimal supplies, under the watchful eye of power-hungry individuals who would like to do away with the hospital and the Jewish refugees…permanently.

Kalla creates an incredible and terrifying world in Rising Sun, Falling Shadow. While the premise seems dark, an underlying element of hope and love of family is what stands out most to this reader. Additionally, although this is the second book in a series, the characters introduced in the first novel continue to grow and develop, becoming genuine individuals that readers will connect with and become attached to. Watching the family go through these numerous struggles, overcoming despite the highest of odds, is endearing and heartwarming.  What stands out to me most of all, however, is how little we as American citizens know about this torture and cruelty that transpired in Shanghai. We are all aware of the Nazi occupation in Germany but I am shocked to admit I was unaware of the atrocities that took place  against those struggling to seek refuge outside their homeland.

I genuinely do recommend that you do start with the first book in the series before starting this one. While it can serve as an adequate standalone, you will miss out on a great deal of character building and development by leaping right into Rising Sun, Falling Shadow. It’s a dark part of our world’s history that at times, is quite difficult to swallow. That said, what Kalla has created in this series is incredibly endearing, hopeful,  and ultimately, wholly rewarding. He doesn’t inundate the reader with overwhelming amounts of historical facts, instead focusing on the individuals who experienced it. Highly, highly recommended.

 

Posted in Historical Fiction, Review, Tor Books | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Jenn

  • Age Range: 12 and up/Grade 7 and up
  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Delacorte Press; First Edition edition (September 24, 2013)
  • ISBN-10: 0385743564
  • Source: Publisher

A decade ago Calamity came, a meteor that gave people extraordinary powers. Soon these individuals began to be referred to as Epics. Rather than using their power for good, they demanded more power and domination. No one dared to stand up to the Epics other than a rogue group of individuals known as the Reckoners. These individuals lacked any special powers but devoted all their time to studying the Epics so they can be eliminated.

David is an eighteen-year-old young man who is desperate to join the Reckoners. His young life has been spent studying the Epics, specifically Steelheart, the Epic that killed his father.  He has more knowledge of the Epics than any other individual, a knowledge that borders on obsession.  His desire to bring them down is personal; he’s willing to risk everything to bring down the Epic. With the Reckoners, David can finally execute the plan he’s been developing for the past ten years.

First reaction after reading this book? Wow! I read the synopsis and was immediately intrigued.  Sanderson has developed a post-apocalyptic world in Chicago (referred to as Newcago) that is dripping with intensity, never a dull moment.  What makes this novel stand out to me are the Epic’s super powers. They aren’t your typical, run-of-the mill powers.  With these powers come weaknesses that be used to the Reckoner’s advantage. Like Superman and his kryptonite, there is some flaw in their power that can bring them down.  David, through his diligent study of  the Epics, is the unlikely hero that will stop their ten-year reign.

The world Sanderson builds is unique and all together terrifying. He isn’t one of those authors that creates something without any explanation as to its cause; there is a reason and explanation for everything. Additionally, he pays homage to the super heroes/villains in comic books, a novelization of my favorite things about comic books!

While it is labeled as a young adult, don’t let that sway you from reading this novel. It had my attention from the beginning. Honestly, they only thing “young adult” about this book is that the main character is in his teens. There is a bit of violence so perhaps the age range of 12 and up is a bit low; My son is fourteen and I plan on allowing him to read this but do your due diligence and read a sample yourself before passing it on to your child to read.

Overall, I found this to be a incredibly well crafted novel guaranteed to thrill readers of all ages. I’m thrilled that this is the beginning of a three book series. I cannot wait for more! Highly recommended.

Posted in Random House, Review, YA | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Introducing Cozy Mystery Week 2013

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Jenn

CozyMystery2013

The fall/winter months are times of year best spent curled up with a blanket and a nice book. Even better, a cozy mystery! Cozies are certainly one of my favorite types of books that, unfortunately, I don’t have the opportunity to read as much a I’d like. So, what better reason to read about them than a week-long celebration of cozy mysteries?

During the first week of December, before the holiday hustle and bustle takes over my life, I will feature my favorite cozy mystery series. Each day I will focus on a favorite series of mine, both new and old.  A fan of cozies yourself? Join me! Link up below or indicate your interest in the comments below. Also, I’ll create a link-up the beginning of cozy mystery week,  so feel free to link up any cozy mystery posts you’ve written. The best part? They can be from any time period, not only Cozy Mystery week.

So, get your comfortable reading spot, a nice warm blanket, a cozy mystery or two, and join me for Cozy Mystery Week!

 

Posted in Cozy Mystery Week | 6 Comments

TSS: Week in Review

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Jenn

Fall is definitely in the air here! Frost on the ground, dressing in layers, and treats/forecasts of snow next week!   I won’t complain! I think this is the perfect time of year to curl up with a book!

It was a quiet week on the blog.  I’m just getting over the cold so I didn’t have much energy to read, instead spending the day curled up in bed.  Here’s what happened on the blog this week:

I’m really looking foreword to once again hosting Thankfully Reading Weekend! No Black Friday shopping for me! I’d much rather stay home and read!  No rules, not obligations. Join us!

In the next week I will be posting more information on Cozy Mystery Week which will take place the first week in December. I had a lot of fun hosting this last year, discovering quite a few new cozy mystery series! I hope you will stay tuned and sign up!

I don’t know about you but I’m going to go curl up with a book! Have a wonderfully bookish week!

 

 

Posted in The Sunday Salon | Leave a comment