Author Archives:
Blogger Interview: Allison from The Book Wheel
THE INTERVIEW
What makes your blog unique?
My blog has a very odd mix of genres. My two most popular are literary fiction and political non-fiction, which have nothing to do with each other. I love literary fiction for fun, but I have a background in Political Science, so I really enjoy reading political books. I’m different in that I don’t push a political agenda with my reviews – I just like to spread the word of a good book that might teach someone something!
What have you just finished reading? What are you currently reading?
I just finished The Secret of the Nightingale Palace by Dana Sachs, which I loved. I rarely give 5-star reviews, but this one made the cut. I’m currently reading The Forgotten Presidents: Their Untold Constitutional Legacy by Michael J. Gerhardt, an ARC that I requested from NetGalley.
What advice do you have for new bloggers?
Don’t expect it to be a moneymaker! I had these grand ideas of signing up as an affiliate and that the cash would start rolling in, but I was wrong. Blogging is something you have to do because you want to and you love it. It’s rare for someone to make a living from it.
What are your hobbies outside of reading and blogging?
There’s life outside of reading and blogging?! I work full-time and am starting graduate school in the Fall, so reading and blogging may be the only hobbies I will have time for, but I enjoy spending time with my husband and our two dogs. We live in the Denver area, so we love getting in the car and driving randomly into the mountains to see what we find.
If you were the heroine of a novel, what genre book would it be?
Political non-fiction. I’m going to grad school for Public Policy and would love to enact a policy with large-scale implications. I should point out that this book would also be written by Hillary Clinton.
What book would you most like to be the cover model for?
Eeek! I don’t know that I’d want to be on the cover of any book! Although, referring back to the question before this, I suppose I’d be okay with being on the cover of my own book, if I did indeed star as the heroine of a non-fiction bestseller.
What is one thing on your bookish bucket list?
This is a funny question because another blogger and I searched the web wide and far for a bookish bucket list that wasn’t just for books and found nothing, so we started our own. Some of the things I have on there are to have a wall of bookshelves with a ladder, have books with my stamp in 10+ countries, and attend the BEA. Here’s the link: http://thebookwheelblog.com/50bookishthings/
FAVORITES
- Board Game: Hungry, Hungry Hippos
- Dessert: Tiramisu
- Movie Based on Book: Anne of Green Gables (the Megan Follows one)
- Sport: SEC Football (Go Gators!)
- Television Show: Law & Order (original or SVU – not CI)
FIND ALLISON
Blogger Interview: Cain Freeman from No BS Books
THE INTERVIEW
What inspired you to start blogging?
From the start, I knew I wanted to propagate a message of love and good cheer. What better way to do this than by being an opinionated smart ass? In all seriousness, it was a combination of too much time and reading too much. I know, how can one possibly read TOO much? Well, I was reading more than a book a day, and my library was just starting to run out of interesting reads. Desperate for a way to slow myself down, I turned to blogging.
Who is your favorite author and why?
Man, that’s hard. I sort of want to wear all their skins really. If I had to choose one though, it’d be Ellen Hopkins. No other author is able to draw an emotional response out of me so reliably. There is no suitable comparison to the experience that is one of her books. They transcend the boundaries of standard literature, creating something breathtaking. In addition to the quality of the stories, there’s the importance of them. Every book by Ellen Hopkins takes an honest look at the hard parts of the world, the tough issues. Having ideas presented this way is immensely important, and can serve as some of the best lessons.
If you could live in a fictional setting, which would you choose?
Republic City from The Legend of Korra. The mix of fantasy, steampunk, and the prohibition era is just remarkable. Plus, I’d love to be a bender. For those of you who haven’t watched The Last Airbender or The Legend of Korra, a bender is an individual who is able to control one of four elements, water, fire, earth, or air.
What characters do you wish you could be friends with?
Ben Wolf from Deadline by Chris Crutcher has a definite place in my heart. Looking at it, I don’t even know if we’d connect in any way at all, but the story pulled at my heart strings so much, I feel that I should be friends with him. It’s like I owe it to him. Then there’s a character I hope everyone feels this way about: Ron Weasley. Does this need explanation? Anyone who’s read Harry Potter wants to be friends with him! And anyone who hasn’t read Harry Potter, isn’t worth mentioning.
What is your favorite bookish memory?
Can’t believe I’m going to admit this, but when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out, I may have dressed up as Harry Potter and been at the bookstore for the midnight release. That is purely hypothetical of course. Remember that, hypothetical. If we were to talk about things that actually happened, because that Harry Potter thing obviously never did, it would be the moment I realized I had an addiction. Last Fall, or Autumn if you prefer, I want on a vacation with my family to the Florida Keys. I brought something like thirteen books with me. Our vacation was only eleven or so days long, I read every single book I brought with me.
Have you always enjoyed reading?
Ever since first grade I have loved reading, and audiobooks even before that. I can’t think of a single period of my life where I fell out of favor with reading. It has been a constant companion.
What is your favorite book-to-film adaptation?
Since I am absolutely unique and special, I know my choice will blindside all of you. The Harry Potter movies were absolutely great, staying faithful for the most part, and maintained the feeling when they had to change the plot. How they could have done I better job, I don’t know. Creating ten hour epics isn’t realistic, so we have to settle down, and embrace the condensed versions of the stories.
FAVORITES
- Board Game: Risk
- Dessert: Fried ice cream
- Movie Based on Book: Shawshank Redemption
- Sport: Competitive sofa sitting is always a great one.
- Television Show: In Western television, it’d have to be Breaking Bad. Counting television from elsewhere in the world, I’d have to pick the holy grail of human artistic creation, Death Note.
FIND CAIN
- Blog: No BS Books
- Twitter: @nobsbooks
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Goodreads: The Last of the Mohicans
Series: The Leatherstocking Tales #2
Source: Borrowed
Note:
Although this is technically the second in a series, it can be read as a standalone.
Summary: The young British officer Duncan Heyward is charged with escorting the daughters of his superior officer through the American wilderness in the midst of the French and Indian War. When they are abducted by a Huron, he must rely upon the help of the scout Natty Bumppo and his Mohican friends to rescue them.
Review: The Last of the Mohicans can be a little slow, one of those books I only finished reading as quickly as I did because I was required to do so. Cooper enjoys descriptions, particularly of the American landscape, and his detours can interrupt the pacing. During class discussion, it was observed that Natty Bumppo (Hawkeye) often makes his most meditative speeches right in the middle of action. There may be a fierce battle going on to defend his life, but Hawkeye always has time for reflecting and expounding.
The characters, though to some extent types, are all interesting and generally likeable. The one exception is Alice, who as the exemplary white female spends most of her time fainting, cowering, or crying—assuming she is present at all. Her sister Cora, however, is wonderfully spirited and brings a lot of fight and heart to the novel. Hawkeye, Uncas, Chingachgook, and occasionally Heyward conspicuously display masculinity in scenes that make one want to celebrate the American hero, while Magua is a wonderfully complex villain. As some critics have observed, Cooper’s Native American villains are often similar to his heroes; they are good or bad based on whether they are for or against Hawkeye. This makes judging Magua’s actions complicated.
The major theme of the novel is the creation of the American identity, and Cooper explores this in many ways—through race, gender, language, war, etc. His exploration can become complicated, and often contradictory, leaving the reader with a lot to pull apart in what may be a vain attempt to extract the ultimate meaning or conclusion on the matter. Should the Europeans and Native Americans intermarry? Do they share an afterlife? Is one language or culture better than another? The answers to these questions and others appear to be variously yes and no. Perhaps Cooper himself was conflicted and had no resolution. It does, however, provide the reader with a lot of material to ponder.
Overall, this is a fascinating novel that gives a close look into the struggle of forming an American identity in the country’s earliest days. Recommended for those who enjoy adventure stories, history, or nature writing.
Published: 1826
You Might Also Like
The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart
Goodreads: The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict
Series: The Mysterious Benedict Society 0.5
Souce: Purchased
Official Summary: Before there was a Mysterious Benedict Society, there was simply a boy named Nicholas Benedict. Meet the boy who started it all….
Nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict has more problems than most children his age. Not only is he an orphan with an unfortunate nose, but he also has narcolepsy, a condition that gives him terrible nightmares and makes him fall asleep at the worst possible moments. Now he’s being sent to a new orphanage, where he will encounter vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances — and a mystery that could change his life forever. Luckily, he has one important thing in his favor: He’s a genius.
On his quest to solve the mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner, but also friends in unexpected places — and discovers along the way that the greatest puzzle of all is himself.
Review: The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict is a great follow-up novel (in terms of writing order; this is a prequel!) to Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society series. The tone is fun, quirky, and clever—a perfect light read that will both entertain and challenge the mind. This book features a single mystery, that of a hidden treasure, rather than a series of puzzles, but there are just enough clues to encourage readers to try to solve it along with Nicholas. The solution was fairly obvious to me from the start, but younger readers (the intended audience) will probably find it right on their level, challenging enough to be worth their effort but not so much it becomes frustrating.
The book is thicker than many middle grade novels, but the pace moves along steadily. There is lots of action, and a few scenes that are laugh out loud funny, with a bit of character development thrown in on the side. The orphaned Nicholas, used to knowing selfish adults and bullying children, must decide if there are people in the world worthy of his trust. He also must decide what his priorities are. If he finds the treasure, will he keep it for himself, help just a few friends, or find it in himself to become more generous? As you might be gathering, there is also a sprinkling of life lessons in this text, but good ones—optimistic and never preachy.
There are a few tie-ins to the Mysterious Benedict Society that readers of the series will delight in recognizing—things about his past and his character that Mr. Benedict mentions in the series. Stewart is not quite as self-referential as I was expecting, however. This book also does not reach quite the level of suspense as the other three. Many times I was anticipating something to go horribly wrong that never did. Middle grade books don’t have to be dark, but readers could handle a little more danger than Stewart seems to be giving them credit for.
This is a great addition to the series that no Mysterious Benedict fan will want to miss. Nicholas himself is charming, precocious, and fascinating, and it is clear how such an extraordinary education leads him to do further extraordinary things. (Note: This will also read as a great introduction to the series, for those who did not read The Mysterious Benedict Society first. Either order of reading will work!)
Published: April 10, 2012
You Might Also Like
Blogger Interview: Melissa from Harley Bear Book Blog
THE INTERVIEW
What makes your blog unique?
I made up some features that let me show my personality:
- Pashion for Bookish Fashion:I make outfits for whatever book I’m reading using Pinterest.
- Review & Recipe: I do a mini review of a book and then a recipe that I created or modified that goes with it.
- I also like to do fun posts like this flow chart I made to help people pick their next book.
What have you just finished reading? What are you currently reading?
I just finished Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins. It had a crazy cliffhanger! I’m starting Elixir then Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout tonight!
What advice do you have for new bloggers?
My advice is to build relationships with other bloggers. Meet people on twitter, visit blogs regularly, and participate in readathons like Bout of Books. Basically, just get involved and don’t be shy!
What are your hobbies outside of reading and blogging?
My favorite thing in life is dancing. I used to be on dance teams, but now that I’m out of school I just take Zumba classes! I also like shopping and baking (hence the features on my blog)
If you were the heroine of a novel, what genre book would it be?
That’s a hard question. I’d like to think I’m as smart or brave as Katniss, but I think I’d probably be in just a contemporary romance book. Maybe one of Sophie Kinsella’s books because I’m always embarrassing myself in front of cute guys.
What book would you most like to be the cover model for?
One with a pretty dress like The Selection!
What is one thing on your bookish bucket list?
I actually did a whole post on a bookish bucket list that you can read here. My favorite is probably attend BEA or meet Sarah Dessen.
FAVORITES
- Board Game: Does Apples to Apples count? or Mall Maddness from when I was a kid
- Dessert: CHEESECAKE!
- Movie Based on Book: Perks of Being a Wallflower
- Sport: football
- Television Show: Gilmore Girls
FIND MELISSA
- Blog: Harley Bear Book Blog
- Twitter: @HarleyBearBooks
- Facebook: Harley Bear Book Blog
- Pinterest: Harley Bear
April Recap
Books Reviewed
(Covers Linked to Reviews)
Author Interviews
- John A. Heldt (The Mine)
- Laura Lond (My Sparking Misfortune)
- Alethea Kontis (Enchanted)
Features
May Preview
So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
Goodreads: So Yesterday
Source: Purchased
Official Summary: Ever wonder who was the first kid to keep a wallet on a big chunky chain, or wear way-too-big pants on purpose? What about the mythical first guy who wore his baseball cap backwards? These are the Innovators, the people on the very cusp of cool. Seventeen-year-old Hunter Braque’s job is finding them for the retail market.
But when a big-money client disappears, Hunter must use all his cool-hunting talents to find her. Along the way he’s drawn into a web of brand-name intrigue-a missing cargo of the coolest shoes he’s ever seen, ads for products that don’t exist, and a shadowy group dedicated to the downfall of consumerism as we know it.
Review: Hunter will draw in readers from the opening pages with his quirky narration and down-to-earth personality. He may be a “cool hunter,” absurdly talented at finding awesome fashion details that will be the country’s next biggest trend, but he is also a teenage boy who finds it awkward relating to his parents or interacting with girls. He is cool, but he is also approachable, and he will charm readers.
The setting of the book is equally alluring, and appropriately New York City. Hunter helpfully describes each neighborhood of the city he enters, painting a vibrant picture for readers who might never have visited. The descriptions are clever and apt enough, however, that even New York residents will not find them boring.
Hunter, and his new friend Jen, lead readers on a wild chase throughout the various districts of New York, introducing them to cramped apartments and luxurious celebrity parties in turn. The pace is fast, as Hunter and Jen have a limited time to test their amateur detective skills and discover who kidnapped Hunter’s boss and why. Readers will keep turning pages.
The book’s only potential flaw? Its premise. So Yesterday is about what makes something cool. The book’s heroes are seeking a way to make coolness more organic, something that arises naturally when people see things they like, instead of something so heavily defined by companies and advertisements.
This is interesting food for thought, and readers will have a lot to consider. Why do they think things are cool? Because they like it or because they see it everywhere? Do they fall for ads and fads? Who does get to decide what’s cool? Ultimately, however, the book’s cause falls a little flat. Changing the definition of cool is unlikely to be a priority for many readers when there are arguably more important problems in the world. So Yesterday is fleetingly captivating, but its message is not urgent.
So Yesterday is both entertaining and very real. The protagonists are charmingly unique, intelligent, and flawed. Their struggles will help readers think about how they define who they are, as they follow Hunter’s and Jen’s journey through the exciting world of fashion.
Published: 2004 (Razorbill)
If You Like Faeries, Then Read….
If You Like, Then Read is a feature where we offer reading suggestions based on books you already like, scheduled once a month. If you have more suggestions, feel free to tell us in the comments! You can check out the rest of these lists here.
Today’s “If You Like, Then Read” is a special guest post from Anne from Creativity’s Corner. Anne founded her blog in 2010 in order to promote discussion about books and is hosting the 2013 Book Bingo Challenge. She currently works as a Cataloger for her local University Libraries.
Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan (MG/YA)
When Henry Atherton’s life is falling apart around him, he takes refuge by helping to clean at Mr. Fogarty’s next door. But instead of the cranky old man he’s expecting, he finds a new friend: Pyrgus Malvae, crown prince of the faeries. Pyrgus’s world is full of faeries, demons, and danger – and he needs Henry’s help if he’s going to defeat the Faeries of the Night. (I’ll be co-hosting a read-a-thon for this series in the near future on my own blog Creativity’s Corner and we’d love for you to join us)
Wicked Lovely by Marissa Marr (YA)
Aislinn has always been able to see faeries for what they are, but has made a point of pretending she doesn’t – you don’t want to attract their attention, no matter what. Except, suddenly her rules for dealing with faeries aren’t working, and the Summer King of faeries is determined to have her for himself.
The Doubled Edge and Bedlam’s Bard series’ by Mercedes Lackey (Adult)
In the Doubled Edge series, the fae have seen two possible futures: one with an evil queen who will do everything in her power to cause pain, and one with a benevolent queen whose reign will be known as a golden age. The Seleighe Sidhe must go to war, if they want to save their queen, little Elizabeth Tudor, so she may someday become queen.
The Bedlam’s Bard shares a few characters with the Doubled Edge series (fae are incredibly long lived!) but is set several hundred years later. Eric Banyon, a traveling Renaissance Faire musician, accidentally wakes one of the noble fae who tells him that he is actually a bard – a musician mage – and enlists his help in a war against the Unseleighe Sidhe.
Once Upon a Winter’s Night by Dennis McKiernan (Adult)
A very loose retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon. A young woman marries a mysterious prince, only to have him turn out to be someone very different than she thought.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman (Adult)
If you’ve seen the movie, forget all that before reading the book – though the spirit stays the same, the majority of the novel is very different. A young half-fairy boy goes on a quest to retrieve a fallen star and gets much more than he bargained for.
OCD, the Dude, and Me by Lauren Roedy Vaughn
Goodreads: OCD, the Dude, and Me
Source: Purchased
Official Summary: With frizzy orange hair, a plus-sized body, sarcastic demeanor, and “unique learning profile,” Danielle Levine doesn’t fit in even at her alternative high school. While navigating her doomed social life, she writes scathing, self-aware, and sometimes downright raunchy essays for English class. As a result of her unfiltered writing style, she is forced to see the school psychologist and enroll in a “social skills” class. But when she meets Daniel, another social misfit who is obsessed with the cult classic film The Big Lebowski, Danielle’s resolve to keep everyone at arm’s length starts to crumble.
Review: OCD, the Dude, and Me has a fantastically fresh and unique voice. The novel is a compilation of Danielle’s writing—school essays (in a conversational style that drives her English teacher insane), emails, personal reflections, post cards, and more—and the look inside her mind is staggering. Danielle is vulnerable, quirky, and real. She relates what makes her uncomfortable, and the lengths she must go to refind her peace (hiding quietly under a pile of messy clothes!) as readily as she relates what makes her strong. If you were captivated by the distinctive voice of Graceling, you will find a comparable, contemporary voice in in OCD, the Dude, and Me.
Danielle faces a plethora of problems in her senior year of high school, including social awkwardness and boy troubles. Her issues do not read like “book issues,” however, but like ones that readers might actually have. Her dilemma is not that she must choose between two amazing guys fighting valiantly for her attention, but that the guy she likes has a girlfriend and seems unaware that she exists—except when he’s making fun of her. Love hurts at Danielle’s high school. But her correspondence with aunt helps her, and readers, learn how to deal with that.
The moments of raw reality in the book are nicely offset by crazier, beautiful ones. Danielle, for instance, is obsessed both with Romantic literature (I can like her just for that!) and the movie The Big Lebowski. She goes to great lengths to have fun her way, dressing up with her aunt and mother to have a nineteenth century tea date in the garden and commissioning costumes to celebrate Lebowski Fest. She meets a variety of characters as unique as she is, ranging from the other members of her social support group, to a tour guide she meets on a class trip to England. Danielle’s life is invariably interesting.
OCD, the Dude, and Me is an exceptional book, a great choice for those who appreciate fresh voices, authentic takes on the high school experience, or quirky characters. Highly recommended.
Published: March 31, 2013 (Dial—Penguin)
Blogger Interview: Isabel from Sab the Book Eater
THE INTERVIEW
What makes your blog unique?
Wow this is tough! I guess what makes my blog unique is that I basically do/write what I like. I don’t limit myself to posting reviews of just YA books or just NA books. I used to worry about who reads my reviews because I review books like Anna and the French Kiss but I also review books like Bared to You. But then I figured this is my blog so I’ll post what I like. I won’t let anything pressure me or make me do differently. Even with my reviews, I say what I want to say. If I didn’t like something about a book, I say it – even if I like the author, even if I gave it a 5-star rating.
What have you just finished reading? What are you currently reading?
I just finished reading Click to Subscribe by L.M. Augustine. It was a fun short read! Right now I’m halfway through Sweetest Taboo by Eva Marquez. I’ve been really into taboo stories lately so I decided to give it a shot. So far it’s…. interesting.
What advice do you have for new bloggers?
DON’T LET ANYTHING OR ANYONE PRESSURE YOU. There are a lot of bloggers out there who have tons of content up already and plenty of ARCs and who are in contact with a lot of authors – but there’s absolutely no rush. Go with your own pace and do things the way you want to do it because if you don’t it, blogging can become exhausting.
What are your hobbies outside of reading and blogging?
I watch TV a lot. I’m a huge couch potato. I watch a lot of TV series – Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Pretty Little Liars, Suits, Awkward… among others. When I’m not blogging, I catch up with the many shows I watch.
If you were the heroine of a novel, what genre book would it be?
Paranormal! There are lots of YA books where the plain, ordinary girl falls in love with this impossibly handsome guy and he turns out to be some sort of creature. I want it the other way around – like in Beautiful Creatures only better. Hehe.
What book would you most like to be the cover model for?
Of the top of my head… any book by Jennifer L. Armentrout. She has really cute covers with cute guys on it!
What is one thing on your bookish bucket list?
The item on my list that’s the most attainable right now: to have an entire room just for books. The shelves in my room aren’t full yet so I still have a long way to go.
FAVORITES
- Board Game: Monopoly
- Dessert: Cookies and cream ice cream
- Movie Based on Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
- Sport: Basketball
- Television Show: Friends
FIND ISABEL
- Blog: Sab the Book Eater
- Twitter: @sabthebookeater
- Facebook: Sab the Book Eater
