Teen Books Everywhere!

I recently had a period where it seems I was reading nothing but teen books...wonderful, wonderful teen books...I dove into several series and oh what fun I've been having!

Cinder & Scarlet
by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles

What a fun series!  Meyer does a great job retelling classic fairy tales in an interesting and unique way.  Cinderella as a cyborg mechanic?  Yes please!  The stories are fresh, the characters are intriguing and this is a relevant series in a time when dystopian teen lit is the in thing to be reading.  Book 1, Cinder, focus on the Cinderella story, while Book 2, Scarlet, takes the Little Red Riding Hood mythology to new heights. Book 3, Cress, is due in stores early next year and will be taking on the story of Rapunzel.  Definitely on my to read list!

The Raven Boys & The Dream Thieves
by Maggie Stiefvater
The Raven Cycle

When I knew I was going to be seeing Maggie Stiefvater at the Vancouver Writers Fest, I knew that I wanted to read something of hers before hand but the question was, where to start?  I decided to have a go at her latest series, The Raven Cycle.  Teen bloggers had been showing the first two books in the cycle lots of love and that alone made me want to read these books.  I was not disappointed.  Stiefvater has some of the most beautiful writing I've seen in quite awhile.  Her stories were full of magic, yet still stayed grounded in a contemporary setting.  The characters felt real, and, something I often find frustrating with teen novels, actually like teenagers.  I was up late into the night reading the first two installments and I eagerly await the next book.  I definitely want to check out more books by Stiefvater! I currently have The Scorpio Races and Shiver on my bookshelf.

Just One Day & Just One Year
by Gayle Forman

I blogged earlier this year about my immense love of Just One Day (review here) and I was so very excited to read its sequel / companion novel Just One Year.  While Just One Day was Allyson's story, Just One Year is Willem's story.  After having read both, I have to say that I think that the first installment was the stronger of the pair, but I couldn't imagine not having both sides to this story.  I think that you needed Willem's point of view to flesh out the story and I enjoyed the development of his character.  One of the best set of love stories / coming of age tales I've read in sometime.

Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell

By now you have probably figured out that I'm somewhat obsessed with Rainbow Rowell.  Both Fangirl and Attachments were amazing and I had been saving the critically acclaimed Eleanor & Park like a small child saves Halloween candy to make it last.  Oh my goodness...this one broke my heart.  When I finished the book, I was quite literally surrounded by dozens of tear stained tissues, with mascara running down my cheeks and my perplexed husband asking why I felt the need to read whatever sad thing I was reading right before bed.  Chock full of fun 1980's reference (especially music), this is a love story that pulls every heart string.  You NEED to read this book.  But don't take just my advice, John Green agrees with me too.  Read his NYT review here.

Elementary, My Dear Stoker: Colleen Gleason's THE CLOCKWORK SCARAB

I got a copy of The Clockwork Scarab at the recent Raincoast Teen Reads Winter Preview.  It is one that I had been eyeing out for awhile now so I was really excited to get a copy.  I just loved the premise of the story:

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you’re the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood. And when two society girls go missing, there’s no one more qualified to investigate.

Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not just one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab. The stakes are high. If Stoker and Holmes don’t unravel why the belles of London society are in such danger, they’ll become the next victims

First of all, I loved Dracula and I've enjoyed every Arthur Conan Doyle story that I've read so you can see why this book really peaked my interest. Author Colleen Gleason did a great job in capturing the essence of the works of Bram Stoker and Doyle; you really felt that the characters and situations she created could have appeared in either one of their works.  I also really loved what strong and interesting characters Evaline and Mina were!  This is being called the first in the Stoker & Holmes series so I really hope that there will be more novels capturing the adventures of these two!  Lots of fun, full of mystery, adventure, and romance, this is a great read for teen fiction fans!

Talking Books With Simi Sara!

I've had the privilege to appear on the Simi Sara Show several times in the last year to talk books with Simi and my lovely fellow booksellers Trish and Mary-Ann.  Our last appearance was on Monday October 14th (Thanksgiving!) We talked about a wonderful assortment of books (including one of my favourites at the moment, Fangirl!)  Have a listen!  I would love to hear any of your comments or thoughts about the books we talked about!

The Simi Sara Show on Oct 14th

If you listen to the Simi Sara Show then you know that she is a HUGE reader!  She recently started her own Book Club and Book Blog  which is full of reviews, recommendations, and is sponsored by Black Bond Book /Book Warehouse!  I really recommend you check it out!

October Literary Events in Vancouver (aka Sam Gets to Meet Famous Book People)

This month has been a very literary one for me!  I've had several wonderful opportunities to meet and hear a handful of amazing authors and illustrators speak from all different genre!  Here's the lineup:

Julie Flett, Richard Van Camp, & Julie Morstad 

@ The Vancouver Children Literature Roundtables Annual Illustrators Breakfast

What a fun morning!  Illustrators Julie Flett and Julie Morstad talked all about their process and showed us many images from their various works, while writer Richard Van Camp was full of energy and hilarious talking about his various works for both young children and teenagers.  I have to say, I was partial to Julie Morstad because I find her illustrations to be so beautiful and charming.  I purchased two of her books, When I Was Small, which is a one in a trilogy of picture books, and Milk Teeth, which is a collection of her art.  I've included a few of her images; aren't they incredible?  If you want to see more of Julie Morstad's work, please visit her website!

Grant Lawrence Book Launch 

@ The BC Sports Hall of Fame

Grant Lawrence latest book, The Lonely End of the Rink: Confessions of a Reluctant Goalie, is a the story of Lawrence growing up in Canada and his relationship with the game of hockey.  The book launch took place at the perfect venue, the BC Sports Hall of Fame, and included a book reading, an opportunity to take a shot of Lawrence in net, a live performance by one of his team mates musical group, and free beer!  I haven't yet read this book, nor Lawrence's previous, award winning book, Adventures in Solitude, but they are both now on my to-read pile!

Fantasy @ 6 with Maggie Stiefvater & Maureen Johnson

Vancouver International Writers Festival on Granville Island

Oh my god, I want to BE these two!  Or at the very least, be bff with them.  What an amazingly fun evening with two wonderful teen writers.  I've been a fan of Maureen Johnson since I read the first two books in her Shades of London Series (The Name of the Star, The Madness Underneath) so when I heard she was coming to Vancouver I knew I had to see her speak. I'm new to Maggie Stiefvater's work but after having read The Raven Boys and am halfway through The Dream Thieves I feel it is safe to call me a fan.  This event, moderated by the amazing Shannon Ozirny, was one of the best author events I've ever been to.  It was so casual, so hilarious, and so real that it was impossible not to have a great time; laugher was contagious.  If you ever get the opportunity to see these two in action I highly recommend it!

Lunch with Maria Semple

Corner Stories with Maria Semple, Wayne Johnson, Saleema Nawaz, & Anthony De Sa

Vancouver Writers Festival on Granville Island

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple is one of my favourite books this year so when I heard she was coming for the Writers Fest I was so excited!  As the event grew closer I got an even bigger surprise, I was going to have the opportunity to have lunch with Maria with one of my fellow booksellers, Caitlin (another uber Bernadette fan)!  Maria Semple is one of the funniest, most down to earth authors I have ever met.  She generally wants to talk to you about books (not just hers!) and to swap stories.  One of her most memorable stories?  When she was having dinner in New York and at the next table was Daniel Craig, Mike Nichols, and Oprah!  Amazing!  She also managed to give me several book recommendations that I'm really excited to read.

The next day Caitlin and I headed to the Writers Fest and saw Maria on panel with several other big name authors all discussing the importance of place in their novels. She was a rock star and, in my opinion, dominated the panel with her honesty and observations.  If you've read Bernadette, you know that it takes place in Seattle and is just bang on with regards to the culture there.  If you haven't read Bernadette yet, you really really must.

“In new situations, all the trickiest rules are the ones nobody bothers to explain to you. (And the ones you can't Google.)”

I have just finished Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, and yes, it is as perfect and wonderful as everyone has been saying it is!

This is the second book I've read by Rowell, my first being her debut novel (and her only novel that has been marketed as specifically an 'adult' novel) Attachments.  I loved Attachments so much; I want to be bff with Attachments and call it up on the phone just to say hi and see how her day has been.  If you want to read something smart, funny, and wonderfully romantic (Lincoln O'Neill is very literary crush-worthy), then you must read Attachments.  I haven't yet picked up Eleanor and Park, which has been taking the YA book world by storm and I'm sure I'm going to shake myself upon reading and ask "Why has it taken me so long to read this?!"

So, Fangirl.  Well it's just perfect really.  This book gets everything right; be it falling in love for the first time, becoming your own person, college...the list goes on and on.  One of my favourite things about this book is how Rowell perfectly captures what it is like to really be in love with a book and its story.  I have fell in love with so many wonderful stories and their characters over the years and Fangirl perfectly expresses how it feels to feel this way.  Cath and her love of all things Simon Snow reminds me of myself and how I have fallen under the spell of different characters, worlds, and stories over the years.  When you fall in love with a book, you fall hard and forever.  Some books that I read last month I can barely remember what happened in them;  books I read ten years ago and loved I could quote you entire paragraphs of them.

Fangirl has made me, well, even more of fangirl of Rowell's writing (and now I REALLY need to go pick up Eleanor and Park!) and is a story I'm going to be sharing (and possibly forcing into the hands of unsuspecting book shoppers) with friends.  I eagerly await whatever Rainbow Rowell will next bestow upon us.

**Thank you to Raincoast for my copy of Fangirl!**

“The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting” (Andy Warhol)

It's been awhile since I did a post about upcoming books and since there are so many amazing reads on the near (and far) horizon, it felt like time!  Here's some books to get excited about in 2013 / 2014!

October 2013

Just One Year

by Gayle Forman

Just One Day is one of my favourite books from this year! It is such a beautiful book :)  So excited to read this second installment.

Allegiant (Divergent #3)

by Veronica Roth

The book that all teen dystopian fiction fans have been waiting for!  Only a month away!

December 2013

These Broken Stars

by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

This has been getting amazing amazing reviews for months now.  Not only does it take place in space on a luxury spaceliner, but have you seen this cover?? Gorgeous.

March 2014

The Ghost Train to New Orleans

by Mur Lafferty

Have you discovered the wondrous Mur Lafferty yet? If not then RUN, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore and pick up her excellent novel The Shambling Guide to New York City.  You can thank me later.

Written in My Own Heart's Blood

by Diana Gabaldon

When they bumped this publication date back to March (it was originally scheduled for late 2013), I'm sure I was not alone in my infinite sadness.  But March is just around the corner and now I have lots of time to reread all the Outlander novels in order to get uber pumped up for this book.

April 2014

Raging Star (Dust Lands #3)

by  Moira Young

I loved the first book in this wild west dystopian series (Blood Red Road)  and felt that the sequel fell short of my expectations (Rebel Hearts).  I'm really interested to see how this trilogy wraps up!

Rebel Belle

by Rachel Hawkins

All I know is that I've loved everything this lady has written and therefore MUST read her newest novel.  That is all.

Lair of Dreams (Diviners #2)

by Libba Bray

Libba Bray is awesome in all that she does so it was no surprise that The Diviners was wonderful.  If you like 1920's New York paranormal mysteries then this is the series for you! 

The Crane Wife

by Patrick Ness

I have had this described to me as 2014's The Night Circus.  As one who enjoyed The Night Circus, I am intrigued.  Plus it's by Patrick Ness which means it will probably be wonderful.

Dreams of Gods & Monsters

by Laini Taylor

The final installment in Taylors Daughter of Smoke & Bone series, this promises to be a good one!  And again, beautiful cover alert!

May 2014

Isla and the Happily Ever After

by Stephanie Perkins

Stephanie Perkins is aces when it comes to writing contemporary teen fiction.  Anna and the French Kiss made me yearn for Paris, while Lola and the Boy Next Door drew the reader to San Francisco.  Both are wonderful stories of first love and I can't wait to read Perkins latest.

June 2014

Ruin and Rising (The Grisha Book 3)

by Leigh Bardugo

This series got better and better as it progressed and is probably my favourite teen series out there right now.  Book 1 is Shadow and Bone, Book 2 is Seige and Storm; these are must reads for YA fans!  I'm so excited for this book! :)

Unknown Month 2014

The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy)

by Deborah Harkness

No exact date yet but still worth letting the masses know that it's coming! Who's not excited for this one?!  Harkness has woven a wonderful story of time travel and love and vampires and witches and gosh darned I want to know how it ends!

The Shadow Cabinet

by Maureen Johnson

Maureen Johnson's Shades of London series has been one of my most triumphant finds this year!  I devoured the first two books (The Name of the Star and The Madness Underneath) and am now eagerly, and slightly impatiently, awaiting the final book.  So many cliffhangers! I need to know things!

Teen Book Excitment!

I was very fortunate to attend a wonderful event this morning with the ladies at Raincoast, plus a number of awesome YA Bloggers, to hear about all the exciting books coming out this in the near future!  Let me tell you, there are some gems coming our way this winter!  Raincoast very generously provided me with a number of ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) that I'm rubbing my hands together in anticipation to read!   Would you like to see some of the newest additions to my bookshelf?

I'm sooo excited to read these (especially FanGirl which I've been longing to read for months and months!)  Plus, check out my sweet book bag which will be helpful in carrying all these goodies around town!  A big thank you to Raincoast!  I will be posting reviews once I've read them!

“She didn't know then that life has a way of backing you into a corner. You make your choices when you're far too young to understand their implications, and with each choice you make the field of possibility narrows. You choose a career and other careers are lost to you. You choose a mate and commit to loving no other.”

The Silent Wife has been called this year's Gone Girl.  Having loved Gone Girl (and Sharp Objects, another great book by Gillian Flynn), I was naturally intrigued to give this book a go.  Adding to the hype of this debut novel is the sad story of author, A.S.A Harrison, and how she passed away shortly before it was published.

Now, while an enjoyable read, let's not go saying that this is a different version of Gone Girl....because it really is not.  Yes, both feature two narrators, a husband and wife, that are in a marriage that is more then it appears on the surface.  Yes, both are psychological thrillers with twists and turns.  But really, and I feel a little bad saying this, The Silent Wife does not even compare to Gone Girl.  I've been thinking about why I feel so strongly about this and I think the big reason why is that with Gone Girl, when those plots twists appeared they quite literally knocked my socks off; I didn't see them coming and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.  Gillian Flynn lowered the boom at exactly the right time and with it she took her readers somewhere completely unexpected and exactly where we needed to go.  With The Silent Wife, I kept waiting for the Harrison to drop the boom....and she never really did.  Yes, there was a plot twist (though you could somewhat see it coming) but the shock value wasn't there.  The character of Jodi was really interesting but I felt like there was something missing there, like she was a little more unhinged then we thought and I just kept waiting for her to do something more dramatic then she did.

That all said, The Silent Wife wasn't a bad book...it just wasn't as good as all the hype around it led me to believe.  So if you read it, read it for itself, not as another Gone Girl; because if you do that you will probably be a wee bit disappointed.

Vacation Reads - The NY Edition

I was recently in New York for a week and as you all know, when you are on holiday (especially when there are long plane rides involved) you need several good books to tide you over!  I brought an assortment of literary goodies with me and was very pleased with the three books I was able to get through on this trip!

How the Light Gets In
by Louise Penny

I have shown Ms. Penny the love many times on this blog; her Inspector Gamache series is one of my favourite mystery series out there right now.  With her latest installment, the 9th book in the series, Penny has taken her characters to a whole new level and created, quite possibly, her best book yet.  For those of you that are up to date with the series, How the Light Gets In takes places shortly after the events of The Beautiful Mystery, and thank goodness since we were left in a cliffhanger situation in many many ways.  This book is almost two stories in one; we have all the internal drama from the previous books where relationships are tested and Gamache's world has been turned upside down.  On the flip side, we are also looking at a missing persons case that takes the story to our favourite small town, Three Pines.  I got so emotionally invested in this book that I was up until 2:30 am finishing it up with a box of tissues at my side.  A must for Louise Penny fans!  And if you haven't read her books yet, I recommend you start at the beginning with Still Life since plots and characters weave their way through most of the novels.

Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein

I had heard nothing but good things about this teen novel of espionage during WWII.  It has won numerous awards (including the 2013 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel) and pretty much everyone I speak to, every blog I read, has proclaimed it a literary gem.  I'm not going to lie, it took me awhile to get into this one.  It was a bit technical at first, going into lots of detail about the different planes flown (which makes sense since the author is also a pilot) which, while interesting, was not what I was looking for in this story.  However, by about halfway through I was hooked.  The real meat of the story comes from the friendship of the two narrators, two young women involved in the war effort, one as a pilot and the other with a more ambiguous role (that is fleshed out as you read on).  By the time I finished this one (another that I confess I was up late into the night reading), I again had my trust box of tissues handy and was an emotional mess.  What a story!  Be prepared while reading this one, nothing is as it seems.

I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

The Rosie Project

by Graeme Simsion

What a charming debut!  If you are looking for a light read with substance then look no farther than The Rosie Project!  I had a lot of fun reading this one and can see why it has been getting so much buzz in the book world.  As my coworker Darlene so perfectly put it "If Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory was looking for a wife, then this is how he would do it!"

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper

Reading Roundup - August 2013

I've been reading a lot of wonderful books this summer, some of which I've written about in previous posts.  Here's a selection of what I've been reading lately:

Under the Dome

by Stephen King

After having read Joyland and loving it I knew I needed to read something else by Mr. King.  I didn't want to go with any of his well known horror novels (Carrie, The Shining, and It would be just much to much for me! I would be sleeping with the light on for DAYS!) so I decided to try Under the Dome. It's a fairly new release and was very much in the news this summer since it was turned into a miniseries.  It is the story of a small town that finds itself out of the blue trapped under an invisible dome.  No one can get in or out, no one knows where it came from, and no one knows how to get rid of it.  Not only is this a story with a supernatural twist, but this is a really well done story about people. When confined in this sort of a situation, how will average, everyday people react?  Who will come out on top, who will show their true colours, and who will surprise you complete  (in both good and bad ways)?  I really really liked this book!  It kept me engaged right up to the last page, it was well written, and lots of fun!  I tried watching the miniseries and I've gotta tell you, the book is WAY WAY better!  A really fun read and a great one if you are wanting to read Stephen King but don't want to start off with anything too scary.  I've picked up 11/22/63 which I hope to read sometime soon!

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

I can't believe it has taken me this long to read To Kill a Mockingbird!  What a beautiful beautiful book.  From the time I picked it up till the very last page I was completely lost in the story.  It is a novel that everyone needs to read at least once in their lifetime and not just because it's on every list of 'Books to Read Before You Die'; it is one of the most moving, well written, and memorable stories I have every read.

The Cuckoo's Calling

by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

The book that everyone is talking about this summer due to the unexpected reveal that Robert Galbraith, an unknown author, was in fact literary superstar, J.K. Rowling, making her mystery debut!  I picked it up, just as I'm sure so many did, after the big reveal.  Not only was I interested because of the author (whose first post-Harry Potter novel I really enjoyed), but because the story sounded interesting and I like mysteries.  People, this is a great mystery novel!  Chock full of appealing characters, an intriguing mystery, and a window into the lives of the rich and famous; this book has all the benchmarks you want hit in a mystery novel.  I hope that Mr. Galbraith writes more books featuring private detective, Cormoran Strike, because I would love to find out more about him and hear about more about the cases he's involved in.  On a side note, keep an eye on Strike's secretary, Robin; my favourite character!

The Brutal Telling

by Louise Penny

This is the fifth novel in Penny's Inspector Gamache series and I have to say that it's one of my favourites so far.  I really loved the first two books in the series but felt that the third and fourth book took a bit of a dip for me; I liked them but I didn't love them.  The Brutal Telling returns Penny to her A game.  A murder that digs deep into the heart of the small town of Three Pines; we really get to know more about many of the town residents and the secrets that have been hidden.  Full of twists and turns, an all around great novel.

Blockbuster Books

Being in the book business, I often try to read the 'hot' books so I can tell customers about them.  Here are a few of 2013's biggest releases that I've read.

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE
by Neil Gaiman

This is the book that nerds everywhere have been waiting for this year.  I've only read a few of Gaiman's books (STARDUST, NEVERWHERE, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, and several of the SANDMAN comics) and enjoyed them immensely so I was interested to see how this one measured up, especially since it was getting A LOT of hype prior to its release.  One thing you need to be warned about is that it is very short (only 181 pages) but on the flip-side this is a good thing because you aren't going to want to do anything else until you have finished it up; it's that good.  It is a novel about childhood but not written for children.  It is being called Gaiman's most personal, and many are saying his best, work to date.  It is stunningly beautifully written and will move you to no ends.  It is a fairy tale for grown-ups. It is a must read.

JOYLAND
by Stephen King

The only Stephen King I've ever read was his short story, THE BODY, and that was because I am a huge fan of the film 'Stand By Me'.  I had always avoided King's books because I knew their reputation of being scary and I just can't handle scary books.  I was drawn to JOYLAND because of both the cover (pulpy goodness!) and the fact that King chose to publish this only in paperback (no hardcover or ebook!) so more people would go to bookstores (We love you Mr. King!). The story also sounded like a fun book for summer so I decided I would give it a go.  I read it late into the night and finished it in one sitting.  It's the perfect nostalgic coming-of-age story mixed a mystery and ghost story.  It made me want to go to the PNE and eat hot dogs and ride the ferris wheel.  It reminded me what it was like to be 21 and to be unsure of where your life was going to go in the coming years.  It was an excellent summer read.

LIFE AFTER LIFE
by Kate Atkinson

My first Kate Atkinson!  I have several co-workers that love her Detective Brodie novels and have been telling me to read Atkinson for years.  LIFE AFTER LIFE has been getting such hype (nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction, being called the book of the century by Gillian Flynn; the list goes on and on) that I felt I need to check it out.  Plus it deals with reincarnations which sounded really fun.  This was a beautifully written novel.  I had a hard time following the story at first since it jumps around a lot but you do eventually get the hang of it.  I enjoyed parts of this book more then others but was satisfied with the outcome by the time I finished.  I would not call it my best book of this century (not even the best book of my year), however it was enjoyable and I'm glad to have read it.