unspoken

I worry about stories like this.  I worry that they’ll fill up my heart and mind and ruin me for any other books ever.  Holly Black’s Curse Worker books felt this way – like an ache in your chest and a glitter explosion in your brain.  Intellectually I know it is not true, but it feels like Sarah Rees Brennan’s got my heart and soul tied up in knots.  I’m beginning to think she LIKES it.

Kami Glass is in love with someone she's never met—a boy she's talked to in her head since she was born. This has made her an outsider in the sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale, but she has learned ways to turn that to her advantage. Her life seems to be in order, until disturbing events begin to occur. There has been screaming in the woods and the manor overlooking the town has lit up for the first time in 10 years…

The Lynburn family, who ruled the town a generation ago and who all left without warning, have returned. Now Kami can see that the town she has known and loved all her life is hiding a multitude of secrets—and a murderer. The key to it all just might be the boy in her head. The boy she thought was imaginary is real, and definitely and deliciously dangerous.

Unspoken is about Kami.  And Jared.  Jared is Kami’s imaginary friend, and has been since she was a little girl.  Except he just became real.  And it turns out that he’s got a crazy family with issues.  Well that’s alright then, because Kami’s whole TOWN has issues, including but not limited to: sinister secrets, attempted murder, and, oh yeah, ritual animal killings in the woods behind Kami’s back garden. 

The story has all the makings of crazy, but it doesn’t go there (quite).  Instead, it’s wise-cracking, smart, emotional (oh lord, don’t get me started!), and has a gothic mystery at its heart that will take more than one book to unravel (see what i did there?  i warned you, like the good reading citizen that i am).  In the process, Kami, Jared and all of their friends and enemies have taken up residence within me.  You know, like good characters do. 

If I had to pick a ‘best part’ of the book, I’d point to the entire thing.  There’s Kami, who is determined to be a journalist and unafraid of looking silly.  Jared, who is in her head and may have dodgy motives.  Angela, Kami’s prickly best friend.  Ash, who is new and beautiful but confusing.  Rusty, Angela’s trusty brother.  Holly, a new friend.  The entire cast of characters in the village, PLUS Jared’s family and Kami’s family.  It should feel crowded, but instead it is just right.

Can I describe a book as painfully good and make you understand it in the best possible light?  Because Brennan has put me through something delicious and hilarious and dark, and I am not sure I’m ever going to be the same (also not sure i’m going to make it until the release date of Lynburn Legacy #2).  In fact, I am very sure that I’ll spend the next few weeks imagining what happens next, and urgently wishing for more of Sorry-in-the-Vale and magic and murders and epic soulmates.

Unspoken is marvelously entertaining, and I can’t recommend it enough.  It’ll definitely make an appearance on my ‘Best of 2012’ list.  Also a consideration: that lovely paper art cover.  It’ll look spiffy on your shelf.  Go get this book!

Recommended for: fans of fun, life and reading.  Maybe especially to those who like YA fantasy, but definitely not limited to them.   

Fine print: I received an e-ARC of this book for review (via NetGalley) from Random House, and I intend to buy an enormous box of Unspoken hardcovers for my friends for Christmas.  Friends: get excited.  Random House: you are genius for publishing this book.  The end.

waiting on wednesday (37)

I’m participating today in "Waiting On" Wednesday. It is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and its purpose is to spotlight eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.

During Book Blogger Appreciation Week, one of the daily writing ‘prompts’ involved being an evangelist for a book that has been overlooked.  I highlighted Lindsey Leavitt’s contemporary YA Sean Griswold’s Head.  It’s a charming read with heart, and I’ve been looking forward to spending time with more of Leavitt’s work.  Lucky for me (and you!), her next book sounds like a hoot.  I can’t wait to meet Mallory and her grandmother’s list.  Going Vintage will be published by Bloomsbury, and releases on March 26, 2013.

The cure for a break-up? Go vintage and live like it’s 1962! 

When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to "go vintage" and return to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat on you online). She sets out to complete grandma’s list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. But the list is trickier than it looks. And obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how good Oliver (Jeremy’s cousin) smells. But with the help of her sister, she’ll get it done. Somehow. 

Lindsey Leavitt perfectly pairs heartfelt family moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and a little bit of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.

What books are you waiting on?

top ten ‘older’ books i don’t want people to forget

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we all get to exercise our OCD tendencies and come up with bookish lists.  If you’d like to play along, check out this post.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought that putting together today’s list was HARD.  Not because I have a shortage of favorite backlist books (in fact, I have too many), but because this feels momentous.  The selection is important, because I don’t want people to forget these books – but it felt like cheating to put in books that no one is likely to forget (I’m thinking Neil Gaiman here).  Anyway… as you’ll see, my list is a mixed bag. 

Top Ten ‘Older’ Books I Don’t Want People to Forget

1. A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter – THIS. BOOK.  Was my childhood.  I mean that quite literally.  I’ve read it over 25 times, and its gentle, beautiful story of a stubborn girl growing up in rural Indiana in the early 20^th century will always be a favorite.  It should be one of yours, too.

2. Sabriel by Garth Nix – There’s a wall in this story: a wall between magic and the ordinary.  And if the darkness that’s gathering beyond the wall is let loose, it’ll be the end for all.  Wonderful prose, and another favorite.

3. Chalice by Robin McKinley – I adore everything Robin McKinley, but of her recent books, this is one of the least-celebrated.  Its abstract focus might keep it out of the limelight, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it for someone who likes books that are quietly intense.

4. The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle – Bullying, silence, and deliberately making the hard decisions… sounds like a contemporary YA, doesn’t it?  This one needs to be read by anyone who considers themselves a fan of that subgenre. 

5. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen – There was a time when I devoured everything WWII-related, and this story, melding that subject matter with a retold fairy tale, is not quickly forgotten.

6. Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery – You may know Anne of Green Gables, but do you know Marigold?  Montgomery wrote precious few standalones, but this coming-of-age classic full of family dynamics and youthful capers is possibly my favorite of her books.

7. The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones – If you can believe it, I had never read a Diana Wynne Jones book until I studied abroad in Spain.  This madcap adventure was love at first read, and usually the one I recommend to others (if they don’t express interest in Howl, claro).

8. The Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger – This book is a heartfelt epistolary tale about baseball and growing up in the shadow of war.  It is not to be missed.

9. The Once and Future King by T.H. White – I first read my mother’s old paperback copy of this Arthurian tale at age… 10?  Its complexity and epic scope mixed with humor and coming-of-age tale made it a favorite.

10. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck – This was a 10^th grade Honors English book at my high school.  It’s an important book, and one that not many of my peers have heard of, much less read.  If you have any interest in pre-Communist Revolution China, historical or cultural sagas, or would like to, this is the book for you.

What are the books that you don’t want people to forget? 

shelter & seconds away giveaway

Here’s a fun story: I didn’t know anything about Harlan Coben before I picked up his YA debut, Shelter.  Turns out he’s a bestselling author (of adult books), and he’s now bringing his talents to the world of young adult fiction.  His YA series is fast-paced, dark, mysterious, and with a little bit of an edge that will work for anyone who likes horror, thrillers and mystery.  I’ll be buying them for the guys on my reading list this holiday season.  If you’d like to win both books in the Mickey Bolitar series, read to the end of this post – Penguin has generously provided copies for giveaway.

Mickey Bolitar's year can't get much worse. After witnessing his father's death and sending his mom to rehab, he's forced to live with his estranged uncle Myron and switch high schools. Fortunately, he's met a great girl, Ashley, and it seems like things might finally be improving. But then Ashley vanishes. Mickey follows Ashley's trail into a seedy underworld that reveals that Ashley isn't who she claimed to be. And neither was Mickey's father. Soon Mickey learns about a conspiracy so shocking that it leaves him questioning everything about the life he thought he knew.

When tragedy strikes close to home, Mickey Bolitar and his loyal new friends—sharp-witted Ema and the adorkably charming Spoon—find themselves at the center of a terrifying mystery involving the shooting of their friend Rachel. Now, not only does Mickey have to continue his quest to uncover the truth about the Abeona Shelter, the Butcher of Lodz and the mysterious death of his father, he needs to figure out who shot Rachel—no matter what it takes. 

Mickey has always been ready to sacrifice everything to help the people he loves. But with danger just seconds away, how can he protect them when he’s not even sure who—or what—he’s protecting them from?

In addition to those summaries, I suggest you check out the Seconds Away book trailer, the official Mickey Bolitar website, and Coben’s author website.  Or, you know, just enter the giveaway and find some dark storytelling for yourself!

Want to win copies of Harlan Coben's YA novels Shelter and its sequel Seconds Away?  Simply fill out the FORM.  Two winners will receive both books.  Giveaway open to US addresses only, and will end on October 15th at 11:59pm EST.  Winners will be selected randomly and notified via email.  All prizes provided by Penguin.  Good luck!

Fine print: giveaway prizes provided by Penguin via Big Honcho Media. I did not receive any compensation for hosting this giveaway (although I did get copies of both books!).