Inhuman by Kat Falls

 

Published: September 2013

Publisher: Scholastic Inc

Pages: 375

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

In a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts or her father’s life is forfeit.

America has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country riddled with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees of animal traits. Even the plantlife has gone feral.

Crossing from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s necessary. Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief. Sixteen-year-old Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artifacts—he is a Fetch. It’s a dangerous life, but rewarding—until he’s caught.

Desperate to save her father, Lane agrees to complete his latest job. That means leaving behind her life of comfort and risking life and limb—and her very DNA—in the Savage Zone. But she’s not alone. In order to complete her objective, Lane strikes a deal with handsome, roguish Rafe. In exchange for his help as a guide, Lane is supposed to sneak him back west. But though Rafe doesn’t exhibit any signs of “manimal” mutation, he’s hardly civilized . . . and he may not be trustworthy.

Don't you just love it when a book takes you by surprise?  I know I do, and Inhuman did just that.  I really hadn't heard anything about it, just saw it at work and thought it looked interesting.  Took it home and devoured it in two days.

It was a little different from the usual apocalyptic/dystopian fare in that the plague that caused the problem did not create zombies, but human/animal hybrids.  The world building around these 'manimals' was superb and very cleverly done. It was very easy to imagine these creatures.

There is the usual bit of attraction between Lane and Everson (the soldier) and then Lane and Rafe (the rogue), which of course turns into a bit of a triangle, but it wasn't the focus of the story and I enjoyed the differences between the two guys.  One of the things I enjoyed was the fact that everyone knew exactly what had happened to cause the 'plague', and people were being held accountable - although perhaps not in any way that I would have expected.  There is of course the usual prejudices to be dealt with, but Ms. Falls put everything together into an exciting and mysterious story that kept this reader turning pages without a break.

There was a wonderful twist towards the end that I definitely did not see coming and while the ending was satisfactory in many ways, there was also a bit of a cliffhanger, so I'm waiting patiently for the next book to see what happens.  Great fun and well worth reading for apocalyptic fans.

Follow Friday - November 29

Friday Follow is a blog hop that was started by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we will answer!  This is a great opportunity for bloggers to network and interact. 

This week’s question – 

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving Day food? If you’re not American or Canadian, what is your favorite holiday food?

My dad makes this amazing Asian sticky rice for Thanksgiving...I know its not a traditional dish for most people but it is at our table!  A close second would be candied yams/sweet potatoes...mmm....

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Game Plan Blog Tour - Author Q & A

Ella Parker seems to have everything: great friends, an awesome family and a star position on her high school basketball team. The only thing missing is a boyfriend.That changes once she catches the eye of Sam Cleveland. With Sam by her side Ella has it all. When a drunken night results in an unwanted pregnancy, her perfect life is turned upside down and she’s faced with an impossible decision.

Katherine Frayne has always wanted to be a mother. But with the last results of her in vitro fertilization pointing to chance of a baby, her hopes are dashed. Then her husband Danny suggests they adopt. At first Kat is resistant, but she soon realizes that it may be her only chance at being a mom.  

Game Plan is honest and heartbreaking at times. The story follows Ella and Katherine as they both navigate their lives amidst tough decisions that not only affect them, but those they love the most.

Sounds like a great ISU novel, eh fellow librarians?? AND a Canadian author to boot!  

Please stay tuned for my upcoming review...

A quick Q and A with Natalie Corbett Sampson

How did you get started in writing?  

I don’t remember – I’ve always loved to write things as far back as elementary school. In university I majored in Biology and English – biology for the career that would make some money and English because that’s what I loved. During the process of adopting my daughter I wrote a blog and a lot of Game Plan came out of that – from the experiences I documented there. Originally I wanted to try to publish the blog but in the end it wasn’t relatable enough – putting the experiences into a narrative story made it more complete.

Where do you find your inspiration/ideas?

All over the place! My kids, my own experiences. I love lines in music that carry emotion and impact, and sometimes imagine a whole story growing out of one line. I have found stories by asking ‘what if…?’ Most of the ideas aren’t worth a novel but it only takes one!

What do you normally do when you experience writer's block?  Any weird quirky rituals that you'd like to share with your reading audience?  

Ugh. I hate blanking! I’ll typically just force myself to get something down; a dialogue, a description of a location, some introspective thought a character might have… eventually the writing will become worthwhile and I can either edit or delete the proceeding parts – it’s much harder to work with a blank page than to try to improve bad writing. Sometimes I just have to walk away. I get worried if I’m not in the mood to approach writing that I may do more harm than good by forcing it – especially if I’m editing something that’s already not too bad.

Favourite author?

Impossible! I can’t list one. I love all sorts of authors. There are some whose books I’ll read just because of the author’s name; Phillipa Gregory, Tish Cohen, Jodi Piccoult, Wally Lamb, Lawrence Hill, Robert Munsch…

If you could give advice to any aspiring writer, what would it be?

I think it’s pretty simple: just write. Don’t write for fame or money or because someone wants you to. You have to want to write and enjoy it, and if you do, then the process is just as valuable as the end result which means if the end result isn’t what you hoped it’s not that big of a deal. I’m so lucky and happy that Game Plan was picked up by a publisher and still can’t believe it’s a ‘real live book’. But if that hadn’t have happened I’d still have my story and the things I gained in the process.

Learn more about Natalie and her new book here -

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ncsampson

Twitter: @Nsampson17

Blog: http://www.nataliecorbettsampson.com

Waiting on Wednesday - Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (by Goodreads)

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

You had me at Beauty and the Beast and Graceling.  Perfect!

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

 

Published: November 5th, 2013

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Pages: 304

Copy: Netgalley

Summary: Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides— especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own.

Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.


The Naturals was an exciting and thrilling murder mystery that kept the tension at a very high level.  It was a little reminiscent of Criminal Minds in its execution, with a touch of Barry Lyga's ' I Hunt Killers' and a dose of Kimberley Derting's 'Body Finder' series thrown  in for good measure. 

In any book like this there has to be a certain suspension of belief.  Let's face it - the FBI are not going to be using 17 yr olds as profilers, but if you accept that fact as written, then the story itself was surprisingly believable and easy to fall into.  The kids in the story act like any normal bunch of kids in a group situation.  There's petty bickering,  taking sides and a degree of sexual tension that of course amps up the action a little. 

Ms Barnes uses a similar technique to that of Kimberley Derting, where she gives the reader a glimpse into the mind of the killer by the use of short italicised  chapters from the killers POV. These are both disturbing and enlightening, and I admit that on hindsight, I should have worked out who the killer was sooner than I did.

All in all, a great start to what I hope will be a series.  Bring on the next one Ms. Barnes.

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received. 

This week I received - 

Summary (by Goodreads)

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

I don't often read contemporary novels but every now and again, I like a good love story.  :)
- Christinabean

Shout Out to Indies: Much Ado About Nothing by C. E. Wilson

We here at The Paperback Princesses often receive emails from Indie authors requesting reviews and are blessed with free book copies. Often we are unable to get to so many titles before our mass market published books take over our TBR shelves. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of great reads though! We want to give back to those Indie authors and are declaring EVERY SECOND SUNDAY our SHOUT OUT TO INDIES MEME. For those of fellow bloggers, please feel free to add our meme to your regular schedule. We only ask that you quote and link back to us as a courtesy. For all of you Indie authors, we invite you to contact us at the contact link to your top left. We will select 1 - 3 titles (each time we post) that sound interesting. Lastly, for you readers, this is a bit of a test so please do comment and let us know what you think. We will also be offering up giveaway copies whenever we can! So without further ado, here is this week's pick -

 

Published: November 1st, 2013

 

 

Shakespeare’s work features some of the most memorable stories and characters ever created, yet for too many curious readers the combination of ultra-dense dialogue and unfamiliar historical settings make tackling the Bard’s work something between a tedious chore and a confusing mess of bird-bolts and quondam carpet-mongers.

While it’s nearly impossible to replicate or improve on these works, it is (thanks to their timeless nature) possible to make them more accessible to a wider audience.
In this Young Adult retelling of one of William Shakespeare’s most iconic plays, join C.E. Wilson as she breathes new life into Much Ado About Nothing, the first in her series
Shakespeare for Everyone Else.

Two couples.

Clark and Heaven.

Beatriz and Bennett.

After years of friendship Clark decides that his senior year is the time to finally profess his love to his long-time crush Heaven; a sweet and simple girl who her father knows to be loyal, trustworthy and caring. She returns Clark’s love because, like him, she has also seen her feelings blossom over time. Theirs is a cute love that differs a bit from the other couple in the play.

Beatriz and Bennett at first glance seem to want nothing to do with the other. Every conversation, every remark is a withering attack which reveals their lost history and similarities. It’s not long before their friends hatch a plan to set them up because everyone is convinced they still love and care for one another. Will either of them be able to resist the strong attraction between them?
As these two couples try to make it through their senior year, their friend Donnie does what he can to keep the group happy. The problem lies in Donnie’s half-brother Jason who wants nothing more than to spoil the fun – even at the cost of Heaven’s reputation.

When both couples are pushed to the limits, whose love will endure?

Find out in this modern retelling of Shakespeare’s memorable play Much Ado About Nothing.

When we asked C E why she writes for a YA audience, this is what she had to say:

Writing has always been a huge passion of mine.  Ever since I was little my mom has laughed about how I would create worlds with fairies, pixies, giants and just about any other mythical creature I could think of.  I just always enjoyed creating a fantasy world which I could visit.

Amanda Hocking and Stacey Kade were definitely an inspiration because not only did I find their books fascinating and enjoyable, but they were both able to create worlds that were sophisticated enough for adults while bringing out the child in you.  

 

C.E. Wilson is currently living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and her two dogs and two cats. They are all the loves of her life. When she’s not writing young adult fantasy novels, she enjoys writing short stories on her Deviant Art page. She loves to write stories involving giants and little people (also known as GT) and nothing helps her to write more than Coca-Cola and glazed doughnut holes.

 

I love Shakespeare retellings, so I can't wait to get to this one.

Hero Worship by Christopher E. Long

 

Published: January 8th, 2014

Publisher: Flux

Pages: 240

Copy: Netgalley

Summary: Goodreads

Ever since becoming an IWP—Individual with Powers—Marvin Maywood has dreamed of joining the Core, a group of gifted heroes who save lives and stop crimes. But because he's a homeless teenager who is forbidden to use his amazing powers, wanting and achieving that dream are two very separate things.

But when Marvin saves a family from dangerous hoodlums with his incredible strength and speed, his chance to try out for the Core comes at last. The opportunity seems like a dream come true—until he realizes that the idyllic hero life he imagined is just a mask for the corrupt reality. And when a beloved hero is murdered, Marvin is suspected of being the villain behind the crime

Review:
There seems to be a little bit of a trend right now in books with 'superheroes' in them.  Or perhaps not a trend, but I have seen a few - Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart comes to mind.  Hero Worship was an interesting book with a look at the seemier side of having powers.  In fact, people are tested and it is discovered whether those powers are 'clean' or 'dirty'.  In this book though, the terms are somewhat open to interpretation.

The story follows Marvin, a talented if somewhat idealistic teen, who has a serious case of hero worship for one of the more prominent heroes.  Marvin was a nice boy but his situation seemed a little strange.  He lives with two friends, also 'dirties,' in a maze of concrete under a highway, yet they have electricity, TV and running water.  For me this seemed just a little too convenient.

Other than that, I liked the characters.  Marvin's reaction to Roisin offering him a trial for the superheroes set was just exactly what any red-blooded guy would do.  I had fun watching him flounder his way through the very murky waters.  This was definitely a case where the reader sees what's coming way before the main characters do, and it made it fun to read.  I could see clues and kept wishing that Marvin would just open his eyes and see what was really happening. His two friends, Yvonne and Kent are great balancing influences and it's easy to believe the affection they have for each other.  An older steadying influence is provided by Gus, who seems to take them under his wing a little - I liked him a lot.  Reminded me a bit of my grandfather.

Christopher Long has written comic books for DC Comics and Marvel Comics and a host of others and this shows in his writing.  Hero worship was fun to read and I'm sure will be loved by anyone who enjoys that super hero type world full of last minute escapes and over the top action.

Follow Friday - November 22

Friday Follow is a blog hop that was started by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we will answer!  This is a great opportunity for bloggers to network and interact. 

This week’s question – 

You Are It! We are playing #FF tag this week. Comment on as many blogs as you can, even if they aren’t participating in #FF. Just say Happy #FF! At the end of your comment. Keep a running total if you want and update your post with it. The bigger the number the more impressed we will be!

 

FUN!!  LET'S GO!!

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (by Goodreads)

YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING. 

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. 

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. 

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.

I really enjoyed The Goddess Test series by Aimee Carter.  Here is a new series she has been working on.  :)

Fantastic Fairytales - Charming by Elliot James

 

Published: September 2013

Publisher: Orbit

Pages: 400

Copy: from publisher

Summary: Goodreads

He comes from a line of Charmings — an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chainmail and crossbows to kevlar and shotguns, he was one of the best. That is — until he became the abomination the Knights were sworn to hunt.

That was a lifetime ago. Now, he tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. One that shouldn't change just because a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar... Right?

Ok, so I realise that putting this one in under the Fantastic Fairytales banner is a bit of a stretch, but let's face it, where would fairy tales be without the princes Charming? 

Charming was a thoroughly enjoyable, lighthearted and funny paranormal  that explains the inclusion of all those Prince Charming's in the tales, and answers the question 'What happened to them'.  Obviously a good prince Charming never dies.

There was some great world building, with a very plausible, if somewhat unlikely reason for vampires and werewolves etc.  With a diverse cast of characters and a very believable attraction between John and Sig, I particularly loved the fact that they acknowledged their attraction but didn't act on it immediately, or completely..  Stanislavsky and his two nephews made the best bad guys and Molly was just brilliant as the spiritual member of the group.  Her extreme faith was believable, yet she never turned into a bible thumper. With lots of tongue in cheek humour,  this particular Charming has his hands full just keeping himself under the radar, and you'll laugh out loud and cheer him on through all his trials and tribulations. 

Not specifically a YA, this one is just fine for older teens.

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received. 

This week I received - 

Summary (by Goodreads)

From author Andrew Fukuda comes The Trap, the explosive finale to The Hunt trilogy—perfect for fans of The Hunger Games!

After barely escaping the Mission alive, Gene and Sissy face an impossible task: staying alive long enough to stop an entire world bent on their destruction. Bound on a train heading into the unknown with the surviving Mission girls, Gene, Sissy, David, and Epap must stick together and use everything they have to protect each other and their only hope: the cure that will turn the blood-thirsty creatures around them into humans again. Now that they know how to reverse the virus, Gene and Sissy have one final chance to save those they love and create a better life for themselves. But as they struggle to get there, Gene's mission sets him on a crash course with Ashley June, his first love . . . and his deadliest enemy.

I am on pins and needles about the finale to The Hunt Trilogy.  This was such a dynamic series so fraught with action and suspense.  I have been anticipating this last book for quite awhile...
- Christinabean

Shout Out to Indies - St Edmund Wood by Caitlin Luke Quinn

 

 

We here at The Paperback Princesses often receive emails from Indie authors requesting reviews and are blessed with free book copies. Often we are unable to get to so many titles before our mass market published books take over our TBR shelves. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of great reads though! We want to give back to those Indie authors and are declaring EVERY SECOND SUNDAY our SHOUT OUT TO INDIES MEME. For those of fellow bloggers, please feel free to add our meme to your regular schedule. We only ask that you quote and link back to us as a courtesy. For all of you Indie authors, we invite you to contact us at the contact link to your top left. We will select 1 - 3 titles (each time we post) that sound interesting. Lastly, for you readers, this is a bit of a test so please do comment and let us know what you think. We will also be offering up giveaway copies whenever we can! So without further ado, here is this week's pick -

 

 

 

Published: September 25th, 2013

Publisher; Central Avenue Publishing

In a village near the Welsh marshes in 1820s England, outward appearances and behavior are important. Mary Burnley refuses to conform.

A young woman, widowed and shunned by her village.
A clergyman, new to his parish and congregation.
An unknown, unforgivable past.
St. Edmund Wood, a refuge.

In Regency England, Mary Burnley returns to her home after eighteen months of marriage; she is scorned and shunned by the village, and her mother. When Mary meets the Rev. Mr. Nathaniel Godwin, the new curate for the village church, life becomes a little less bleak. It is in the mysterious and beautiful St. Edmund Wood where a dark, unknown past is revealed, and it is in St. Edmund Wood where her new-found happiness will either be made, or broken.

This is a short story, only about 112 pages, but I'm looking forward to trying it.  Have any of you read it yet?

We Have a Winner

               We have a winner from our giveaway for a hardcover copy of Ilsa J Bick's 'Monster'

Annette Mills, from Annette's Book Spot.

 

Congratulations Annette.

Follow Friday - November 15

Friday Follow is a blog hop that was started by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.  Each week a different question is posted by our hosts and we will answer!  This is a great opportunity for bloggers to network and interact. 

This week’s question – 

Are there any book to movie adaptations where you think the movie is better than the book?

I can't think of any book to movie adaptations that were better than the book.  But the reason why is because we have such vivid imaginations and sometimes those concepts cannot be re-created onscreen.  There have been quite a few movies that I have seen which have influenced me to want to read the book.  
- Christinabean

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Waiting on Wednesday - Snakeroot by Andrea Cremer

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (by Goodreads)

Fans asked for it, and now they've got it! Andrea Cremer is continuing the story she began in in her internationally bestselling trilogy: Nightshade, Wolfsbane and Bloodrose. In this new installment, Bosque Mar haunts the dreams of both Adne and Logan, trying to escape for the Nether, where Calla, Shay and the other Guardians trapped him in the final battle in the War of All Against All. Will he turn Adne to the dark side? Will Logan reclaim his birthright? And will darkness take over our world? In a novel filled with magic, romance and breakneck action, master storytelling Andrea Cremer's newest installment will not disappoint!

Although I enjoyed Nightshade immensely, I haven't been able to find dedicated time to finish off the series.  I love Andrea Cremer's writing style though and maybe Snakeroot will give me the incentive I need to make more time.  

- Christinabean

Let's Hear it for the Boys - Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein

 

Published: 1987

Publisher: Ace books

Pages: 264

The historians can’t seem to settle whether to call this one "The Third Space War" (or the fourth), or whether "The First Interstellar War" fits it better. We just call it “The Bug War." Everything up to then and still later were "incidents," "patrols," or "police actions." However, you are just as dead if you buy the farm in an "incident" as you are if you buy it in a declared war...

In one of Robert A. Heinlein’s most controversial bestsellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe—and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against mankind’s most alarming enemy.

This fantastic book was originally published in 1959. My own copy of the book was published around 1970 and it was a gift from my Dad.  He had previously given me a copy of Issac Asimov's Foundation trilogy, and he thought I needed a little light reading after it.  Some of you may remember the  Starship Troopers movie not too long ago (actually it was in 1997 so I'm really dating myself here), with Casper van Dien as the lead character Johnny Ricco.  It was an incredibly violent movie with lots of CGI bugs running around the screen, but it was great fun to watch.

Anyway, the movie was based on the book, which was considerably less violent, but considerably more enjoyable.  The main characters are in their late teens and are just leaving high school and going out into the world, or universe in Not written as a YA book, it still fits into that category, and there are many more violent YA books available today. A great book to look out if you are a fan of science fiction, or even if you're not.

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received. 

For the last few weeks Christinabean has been doing our Stacking the Shelves posts, but this week I had so many new books come my way from the library, I thought it was time that I did one. I'm not sure how many of them I'm going to have the time to read though.

 

Don't you just love libraries.  I've just realised there isn't a contemporary title amongst them.  Which one would you read first?


Don't forget to enter our giveaway for a copy of Monsters by Ilsa J Bick.

Listen Up - The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan

 

 

Published: January 2013

Publisher: Blackstone Audio

Cassandra Campbell (Narrator), Julia Whelan (Narrator), Danny Campbell (Narrator)

A gripping novel set in Belle Époque Paris and inspired by the real-life model for Degas’s Little Dancer Aged Fourteen and a notorious criminal trial of the era.

Paris. 1878. Following their father’s sudden death, the van Goethem sisters find their lives upended. Without his wages, and with the small amount their laundress mother earns disappearing into the absinthe bottle, eviction from their lodgings seems imminent. With few options for work, Marie is dispatched to the Paris Opéra, where for a scant seventy francs a month, she will be trained to enter the famous ballet. Her older sister, Antoinette, finds work—and the love of a dangerous
young man—as an extra in a stage adaptation of Émile Zola’s naturalist masterpiece L’Assommoir.

Marie throws herself into dance and is soon modelling in the studio of Edgar Degas, where her
image will forever be immortalized as Little Dancer Aged Fourteen. Antoinette, meanwhile, descends lower and lower in society, and must make the choice between a life of honest labor and the more profitable avenues open to a young woman of the Parisian demimonde—that is, unless her love affair derails her completely.

Set at a moment of profound artistic, cultural, and societal change, The Painted Girls is a tale of two remarkable sisters rendered uniquely vulnerable to the darker impulses of “civilized society.

For the month of October my book club decided to read The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan.  This was definitely not a book that I would have voluntarily have taken off the shelf - which is one of the big reasons I like book club - so I decided that since I've been so busy, I would try listening to it instead.  What a surprise I got.  This is an amazing book, that was incredibly well narrated.  Cassandra Campbell and Julia Whelan became Marie and Antoinette in my mind.  Their voices were different enough that there was never any doubt which sister was narrating and I became completely immersed in the story. It was completely fascinating to be 'inside' Antoinette's head as she falls for Emile, and to observe her from Marie's standpoint. 

Ms. Buchanan took two true but unconnected facts from history and has melded them into a moving and mesmerising story that will capture your heart.  Each character comes alive as they are read and I found it almost impossible not to become emotionally involved in the lives of the characters.  Compared to nowadays, there were some strange ideas running around in 1880's Paris and there is some real food for thought in the pages of this book.  The main characters are both in their teens - Marie 13 and Antoinette 17 - when the story starts  and I am sure that this would make a perfect novel for an ISU study.  There is just so much going in inside people's heads.  Perfect for discussion and essays.  We had some great discussions at book club. 

If you want to read something a little different and step out of your box, try The Painted Girls and let me know what you think.  Also if you read and enjoyed 'The Girl With The Pearl Earring I think you'll enjoy this one too.

Same Book, Second Look - The Prey by Andrew Fukuda

Published: January 2013

Publisher: St Martin's Press

Pages: 322

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

For Gene and the remaining humans—or hepers—death is just a heartbeat away. On the run and hunted by society, they must find a way to survive in The Vast... and avoid the hungry predators tracking them in the dark. But they’re not the only things following Gene. He’s haunted by the girl he left behind and his burgeoning feelings for Sissy, the human girl at his side.

When they discover a refuge of exiled humans living high in the mountains, Gene and his friends think they’re finally safe. Led by a group of intensely secretive elders, the civilisation begins to raise more questions than answers. A strict code of behaviour is the rule, harsh punishments are meted out, young men are nowhere to be found—and Gene begins to wonder if the world they’ve entered is just as evil as the one they left behind. As life at the refuge grows more perilous, he and Sissy only grow closer. In an increasingly violent world, all they have is each other... if they can only stay alive.

I figured that since the third book in this series is due out fairly soon that I had better catch up with #2.  I had thoroughly enjoyed The Hunt, and I have no idea why it took me so long to read this one - I've had it home at least twice before and I don't remember reading it, but here's the thing - I think I may have read it before.  Mind you, I'm not certain about that.  It seemed really familiar though. I don't remember reading it, and I certainly didn't remember what was going to happen in the story, but I kept thinking ' this reminds me of something'.  It's the cabin in the woods and the hang glider that really struck a chord.  How many books do you know of with those elements?  Even when I had finished it I didn't remember the story from a previous reading, but that hang glider sure was bugging me.  Ah well.

As it was, I thoroughly enjoyed The Prey, although this time around the story was quite different.  We were seeing the other side of the equation, and the vampires don't play a huge part other than at the beginning and the end.  It felt like taking an apocalyptic novel and turning it into a dystopian, which is somewhat fascinating.    The evil this time around is a bunch of creepy old men who just made the hair on the back of my neck rise.  Don't want to spoil the story though.  Gene and the others have to navigate some strange waters, both literally and metaphorically and there is some nice positive character growth that I enjoyed.  Gene's light-bulb moment comes towards the end and I found his reasoning to be fascinating.  Very cleverly done Mr. Fukuda. 

All in all, I enjoyed 'The Prey', and I'm definitely going to read 'The Trap' but I still think I may have read it before.  Not sure exactly what that says about the book, or me for that matter.  They do say that the memory is the first thing to go!