The October Daye series by Seanan McGuire

Hello good readers!  I know it's been a while, but I wanted to share with you one of my new favorite series - the October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire. 

If you like Sookie Stackhouse or you remember what the Anita Blake series was like in the beginning (before the books became all about Anita feeling angsty about sex, Anita having amazing metaphysical sex and her guilt about having unconventional and amazing metaphysical sex), you will love the October Daye books. 

When we meet October (Toby) she is young woman with a family, who also happens to be half fey (aka a changling).  While on a mission to find the her fey Duke's missing wife and daughter, Toby disappears and when finally she returns, 14 years have passed.  Now she try rebuild her existancce as well as solve her friend Coountess Winterose's murder, before Winterrose's dying curse takes Toby's own life. 

This series is absolutely wonderful.  I plow through each book, because the pacing and the characterization is so good.  In fact, when I finished book 4, I almost ran over to my local bookstore to grab number 5!!!!

Highly reccommeneded!!!!!!!!! 

Review: The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

What if a Chicago serial killer constantly evaded justice, not because he out smarted the police, but hecause everytime he committed a murder, he escaped into the past...or future.  What if one of his victims lived and refused to let her attempted murderer get away?

The Shining Girls is like watching The Sixth Sense for the first time - the way your head spins when the twist is revealed.  It leaves you breathless, buzzing with questions and an intense desire to talk about it just to see what other people think.  I'm still trembling with excitement.

Beukes is AMAZING!  When you are tracking a series of different characters over 60 years inside the same city, your attention to detail must be flawless.  In every time period, with each different voice, I felt as if I was with the characters - the chill crept into my bones as Harper and I walked through the snow on a Depression Era evening or the panicked adreneline jammed into my stomach as when Kirby and I realize we may not live.  Beukes made me feel every second of that book and I can hardly come down from the high.

Highly reccommended for fans of gritty mysteries as long as you can handle a hefty helping of time travel! 

On the Horizon: Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero & Tom Bissell

Have you heard of Tommy Wiseau's The Room?  If not, please answer the following questions:

1. Do you expect your films to have plot and semi-decent acting?  Then skip the rest of this review.

2. Do you love bad films?  Keep reading!

For those of you not familiar with The Room...let's just say that it's become Millennial's answer to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  There's no discernible plot - just a collection of random scenes held together by an overly enthusiastic bad actor with a heavy accent.  It's magical.

Anyways, I just found out that Greg Sestero (the best friend in the film) is writing a book on his experiences on set.  This is going to be epic!

Deleted scenes from the lovely Rainbow Rowell....

For those of you who are not aware, I am a huge fan of Rainbow Rowell, author of Attachments, Eleanor & Park and the upcoming Fangirl.  You can imagine my delight when I she shared on Twitter that she has a few deleted scenes from Attachment available on her blog. 

Please share in my joy.

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Usually all my reviews begin with a brief summary of the book, but because I don't want to spoil even a second of this plot for anyone all I will only tell you this:

This book is about a girl with cancer.  You will laugh.  You will ball your eyes out, but you will never be sorry you read it.

This book is perfection.  Children with cancer are always described as strong and heroic and while Hazel is all of these things, she's also a 16 year old girl - a sarcastic, eye rolling teenager, trying to navigate her life.  She makes it clear to the reader that her disease may dictate what she is able to do, but it doesn't define her as a person.

And Augustus...sigh. Forget about Edward Cullen!  Augustus is the sweet, playful guy I fall in love with - my Jesse Swanson (Pitch Perfect) or Jim Halpert (The Office).  Most of the time, this type of chracter gets overlooked for the bad boy or the sauve guy, but Green makes lets him shine.  Within pages of meeting him, like Hazel, you will wonder where he has been all your life. 

Highly reccomended for those who love:

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Megan McCafferty's Jessica Darling series
• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Review: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Libby Day was the only survivor of the brutal murder of her family, known as The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas - the innocent little girl who hid in the snow while her brother murdered her mother and 2 sisters.

Years later, Libby can no longer play the victim.  Her book deal failed, because no one is interested in the grown up Libby Day...except for the Kill Club - a group of murder enthusists.  Maybe they might interested in having Libby investigate the murder....

What I loved about Gillian Flynn's writing is that she is has no qualms about making her leads chracters unlikable.  Libby is unapologetically about her lack of ambition.  She doesn't work, has no friends, but what made this portrayal convincing, was that she didn't want anything.  This type of character usually wants the best for as little as possible, but Libby, she just wanted to be left alone.  It made watching her her struggle to research her family that much more compelling. 

Here was a woman who went from no interest in anything, who was now obsessed with her own journey.  It was fabulous!

Highly recommended for fans of Gone Girl (Flynn's latest novel), Megan Abbott and Sara Gran.

Review: The Dinner by Herman Koch

Dinner with family.  Sometimes fun and enjoyable, but for two brothers, it's not just about sibling rivalry.  It's their children and life as they know it hangs in the balance.

The WSJ called this novel, "A European Gone Girl".  They may have exaggerated a bit...or a lot to say the least.  This book did nothing for me, mostly because I could not connect with the lead character/narrator - the less famous brother.  

He spent the majority of the story trying to prove what a jerk his brother was.  Arrogance, the way he orders food, his constant politician's smile, his summer home, how he consumes his meal, his adopted children...by the time I got to the problem with the children, I was just bored.  

If I wanted to watch 2 people attack one another that much, I'd start paying more attention to politics.  

On the bright side, I finished a book club book weeks before the meeting, rather than the morning of.  

Life Lessons from Jurassic Park

Dear Scientific Community,

It recently came to my attention that is a growing movement to revive certain extinct species.  There was even an independently organized TED event hosted in Washington DC last (15 March 2013). 

While I understand the fascination with this concept, I am a bit perturbed.  Did anyone read and/or watch Jurassic Park or any of it's sequels?  Seriously.  None of those books/movies ended well. 

Maybe this is something you should consider before moving forward with this project.

Thanks,
Fox in the Stacks

Review: Death in the Floating City by Tasha Alexander

Venice should be a romantic place, but when Emily and Colin are working on a case, there's little time for romance. 

Our hero and heroine have are being employed by a childhood frenemy of Emily, who needs to locate her missing husband and ascertain who murdered her father in law.  This journey will take them back over 100 years to a pair of star crossed lovers from feuding families. 

As you all know, I am a huge fan of the Lady Emily series.  I love how progressive and daring the character is for her time as well as the beautiful relationship between Emily and Colin.  It's sweet and genuine, but what really struck me this time, was the mystery. 

Alexander could have easily used this book as a retelling of Romeo & Juliet, but instead, she dove deeper.  We get a tale of enduring love and faithfulness that I got so engrossed in that sometimes, I didn't want to switch back to Emily. 

So lovely!  Highly recommended for fans of the Lady Julia series! 

Some thoughts on addiction by Russell

 This was such a good piece of writing, that I just had to share it with all of you. 

Russell Brand gives us a very honest insight into what addiction is, what the best way to cope with it is and the new cause he's supporting.

Doctor Sleep Book Cover!

Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining hass cover art!  Gorgeous, right? 

Check out the rest of the story from GalleyCat.

Review: The Shining by Stephen King

Danny Torrence knows things. He can tell you about a phone call he wasn't in the room to hear or what you were thinking about a moment ago. Most of all Danny knows, Daddy, Mommy and him, should not spend the winter in the Overlook Hotel, but when you're only 5 years old, how can you warn anyone?

This book works so well on so many different levels, but what really sells it is Danny the - perfect balance between knowledge and innocence.  Here is this little boy, whose vocabulary and sentence structure is years beyond him, but the shining always leaves him confused - even comatose at times.  The same gift makes him highly empathetic to people, but he doesn't always understand what their feelings mean.  While he wants to understand it all, at 5 Danny already knows how too much information can people hurt people and has already begun to keep secrets in order to protect those he loves.  It's as if he's been given a dictionary to read without knowing the alphabet.

It's a masterpiece of terror.  Can't wait to read the sequel!!!

Hooray! A New Book by Charlie Huston!

Huston has not released anything since the very excellent Sleepless, so the annoucement of the new book, Skinner, had me freaking out.  He's and amazing writer with this magical gift of being able to write across genres:

• The Joe Pit series - Noir/Vampires/Lone Male on a mission
• Sleepless - Plague distopia/Gaming/Conspiracy (Think Ready Player One, but darker)
• The Shotgun Rule - Period (1980's)/Drugs/Reconcilliation
• The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death - Quirky/Mystery/Repairing the Human Spirit (See Beat the Reaper and/or Wild Thing)

The new novel sounds like it will combine espionage and robotics.  It should be amazing!!!!

For more info:
http://www.mulhollandbooks.com/books/springsummer-2013/skinner/

http://charliehuston.com/

Review: London Twist by Barry Eisler

After MI-6 bails her out of a bad situation, Delilah owes them a favor.  The job?  To get close to the beautiful activist Fatima in order to ascertain where her brother, a suspected terrorist, is planning to attack.

This novella was such a disappointment.  Eisler has only released one short story since publishing The Detachment and I've missed him greatly.  The books, even the short stories, build and then explode with action, twisting and turning until the reader doesn't know who to trust, but this was so predictable. 

She meets Fatima, they share a few meals, Delilah invites her on a trip to Bora Bora and on the last night of the trip they unexpectedly fall into one another's arms?  Unexpectedly?  Really?  I felt it coming when MI-6 told Delilah that 2 men had already failed to get close to Fatima. 

Let's just hope the next one is better.

Review: Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus

Tobias has spent 10 years in jail for the murder of two of his classmates.  He's served his time, but instead of starting fresh, he chooses to go home to village he grew up in - the village where his classmates when missing.  

The town turns his back on him and just when it seems that things couldn't get any worse, another girl goes missing.  

The pacing this book was intense.  Neuhaus has this incredible way of weaving in and out of the lives of the villagers.  She takes great pains to drop hints and suggestions and just when you think the story story twists on you again.  

I can't tell you too much more or I'm afraid I'll give something away.

Highly recommended for a lovers of Scandinavian crime novels!!!!!!!

New Novella from Barry Eisler!

THIS JUST IN: Barry Eisler is releasing a Deliah novella called London Twist.  Available February 8th.  Less than a week away!!!!

Review: Suspect by Robert Crais

After witnessing his partner's death, LAPD officer Scott James decided he never wanted another partner.  The trauma, the PTSD, were all too much.  Joining the K-9 unit, seemed like the best option.

Maggie is lost. After 3 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, she's loses her partner Pete to an IED. While she's tried to adjust to civilian life, Maggie is haunted by Pete's death and PTSD.  Then Maggie meets Scott.

Did I mention that Maggie is a military dog? 

I was prepared to enjoy this book, because, in my opinion, dogs are the world's greatest pets.  What I did not expect, was the emotional connection I developed with Scott & Maggie.  

While most people haven't experienced PTSD or violent death, Crais was able write about in a way his audience could understand.  Instead of focusing on the symptoms of the disorder (flashbacks, isolation, depression, etc.) he stressed the emotional aspects that come with the loss of someone close - Flashbacks become less about the violence and more about Scott's guilt in not helping his partner more, isolation becomes the determination to never get hurt again.  Now not only can the reader relate to Scott, but they have a better understanding of the effects of PTSD.

Dogs on the other hand are easy to portray.  Just make them loyal and/or funny and BANG!  Instant success, but Crais didn't want a one dimensional sidekick.  He gave her depth by allowing the reader to experience life walking in her paws.  While she may not fully grasp the gravity of every situation she is placed in, Maggie knows her role - to support and protect her handler Pete - and every action reflects that.  Even as he's dying, Maggie offers comfort by licking his face, in between barking and snarling as she protects him. 

Instead of a mystery about a guy with a dog, Crais gave us a love story about two broken souls learn to love and trust again.  One of them just happens to be a dog. 

Highly recommended for anyone who loved or been loved by a human or a dog.

Review: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

There are certain movies and books, that can terrify you so much that you can't even have them in the room with you finish with them.  For me, that moment took place almost exactly 10 years ago, when I read House of Leaves.  I read it on a whim, because a couple of my friends in college had loved it.  I had no idea what was in store for me. 

The book is about Johnny, a slacker, who finds a manuscript that was written by Zampano, a blind old man suffering from dementia.  It's an in depth study of a documentary film, The Navidson Record, with an underground following, complete with footnotes, quotes from experts, etc., but the film doesn't seem to exist.  Johnny decides to read the transcript, letting the reader figuratively peer over his shoulder as he does. 

To say this book scared me is an understatement.  It freaking terrified me.  Danielewski goes to incredible lengths to draw the reader in by changing the font, coloring, positioning and even the placement of the words on the page.  He even switched narrators. 

I would be totally absorbed in The Navidson Record manuscript and suddenly Johnny would interrupt - almost as if he hit the pause button during a very crucial part in the film.  He would begin rambling about the tattoo parlor where he worked and his fantasy girl, a stripper nickmaned Thumper.  Then he would abruptly stop and let me continue reading

At first, Johnny's narration seems random and purposeless - much like the character himself, but soon these little interludes were leaving me unsettled.  As we read more of the transcript, Johnny became more paranoid and by the time we returned to the manuscript, which was already creepy, I started to wonder how this book would affect me.  At one point, it got so frightening, I was no longer able to read it at night. 

The book haunted me for weeks after I finished it.  While I knew it was a work of fiction, I knew there had to be something more to it.  I would spend hours looking interpretations or opinions - anything, but there wasn't anything out there for me. 

This book screamed for a viral campaign, but it was published in 2000.  The Blair Witch Project with it's fake police reports and news stories, had only just shown the world how powerful the internet marketing could be.  Imagine what would happen if it was released today....

Maybe I should read it again. 

Retro Review: Divas by Rebecca Chance

 

Check out a review from original blog for another Rebecca Chance book!

Who’s the real Diva?

•Is it Lola, the Paris Hilton of London, with a trust fund from Daddy to provide her with everything and anything she ever could dream?

•Will it be Evie, who started out as an exotic dancer and then caught the attention of Lola’s wealthy Daddy to become his mistress? 

•Or is it Carin, Lola’s viscous stepmother, who cuts off both Lola and Evie the second her husband falls into a coma?You be the judge!
This is one of the most fun and sexy romps I have read in a long time and I highly recommend it if you want something entertaining and steamy. 
 
There’s one catch - this UK import can not be found just anywhere.  The only place I’ve seen it is at Murder by the Book, so I suggest you race over there right now to get a copy!




Review: Killer Heels by Rebecca Chance

Michael Kors once chided the Project Runway contestants, "Fashion is not for sissies."  Well if it's anything like KIller Heels, Rebecca Chance has got it down!

3 Women all connected by one man, media mogul Jacob Dupleix.

Mireille Grenier has no intention of being ousted from her role as fashion director for a major fashion magazine, Style.

Style Magazine editor, Victoria Glossop is more cutthroat than Miranda Priestly, until someone comes along to send this ice queen to her boiling point.

Rising Star, Coco Raeburn, who is willing to do anything, even change her name to be a an editor.

Will these women unite to form a trio to be reckoned with or will they destroy each other in order to gain power?

Okay, I love Rebecca Chance's books.  Everything about them is slick, sexy and sophisticated - the designer labels, the strong women and of course, the steamy sex....sigh.    It's all fabulous, but this one took me by surprise.  There were a few more twists and turns that I didn't expect and I loved Coco.

Chance did a wonderful job creating very vulnerable character a who couldn't tell anyone no.  Coco was a girl who was so committed to her dream, that she was willing to almost destroy herself in order to fulfill it - struggling with weight, bad relationships, satan in Gucci, anything could bring a a half step closer to fashion editing.  It struck a chord with me, because I think this is a common issue for a lot of young women.  We don't know how to get to the next level, so we answer yes, when in our hearts we know something is not right.  

Highly recommended for anyone who loved The Devil Wears Prada or Plum Sykes!

PS - These books are not available in the US.  Skip Barnes and just go straight to your favorite Indie bookstore.  In my case, it's Houston's Murder by the Book.  

Review: What a Ghoul Wants by Victoria Laurie

Please note:  This is the 7th book in the Ghost Hunter series.  Laurie's books are very enjoyable, but I'm reading them out of order.  If you need to start from the beginning, start with What's a Ghoul to Do?

MJ  Holliday has managed to translate her talent for communicating with the dead into a television show called Ghoul Getters, but her latest shoot at Kidwella Castle in northern Wales may be even be too much for her.  She's investigating the Grim Widow who had been rumored to drown victims in the moat, but MJ suspects something more. The closer she gets, the more danger she's in.

For people who are not aware, I am a Victoria Laurie fan and MJ is just as great Abby Cooper.  She got the biting wit and sarcasm that I've come to love about Laurie's characters.  Her books are light reads, but they still have enough twists and turns to keep me turning pages all night long, literally.  

This one she took to a new level.  There are times when MJ's encounters with the Widow even had me shivering under my covers.  It was fabulous.  

A Change would do you good.

Hey everyone!  Oh The Book Girl will now be known as A Fox in the Stacks!  Check me out at http://foxinthestacks.blogspot.com/.

Review: Die Easy by Zoe Sharp

For Charlie Fox, life should be good.  She lives in a prime apartment in New York City, work is going well, her boyfriend, Sean, has come out of his coma.  Everything should be great...except that Sean's memory of Charlie has not recovered.  Instead of a loving boyfriend who runs a security firm, Sean has returned as a soldier who still blames Charlie for ruining his career in the armed forces, so the idea partnering with him for a bodygaurding job in New Orleans is less than ideal. 

It also doesn't help that someone is trying to murder her client.

What can I say about Charlie Fox?  She is intelligent, courageous, and she can fight with the best of them.  This woman is so badass, it's unreal, but where some authors could make Charlie very one dimensional, Sharp brings an incredible vulnerabilty out in her, especially in the last few books. 

In this one, we see Charlie coping with a shattered dream - her life with Sean.  It never even occurred to her that the brain damage he suffered could affect his memory their life together.  His renewed lack of trust in her seems to be what affects her the most, but instead of falling into the cliches of most memory loss stories, Charlie stays strong.  Rather than forcing the details of lives on him, she answers questions - even the hard one - when they arise.  It was really well done.

Highly reccommeded for those who enjoy Lee Child, JT Ellison and Barry Eisler.

Movie Review: Jack Reacher

As you know, dear readers, I was very skeptical of the Jack Reacher.  A short guy to play Jack Reacher?  No way, but let me tell you, when I let that go, I really enjoyed the movie.

While Reacher could have easily slipped into brutish or cocky man, Cruise stayed true to the character.  His Jack was quiet and unassuming, but demonstrated that he was no dummy.  One of my favorite points was after he reviewed the evidence with Detective Emerson.  The police tried to trip him up by asking Reacher what the serial number was on the rifle, but our hero countered by asking the detective what the year on the quarter was.   Emerson could not provide an answer, but Reacher could.  

It was that type of interaction that proved the production team the character, but they really won me over by providing nods to the book:  

• The scars on his body
• Jack's shopping trip to Goodwill
• A cameo by the author
• The folding toothbrush
• Reacher rinsing out his shirt in the motel room
• Jack using pay phones

These were little things, but it communicated conscious effort on their part to not just make another action movie.  This was a film to introduce Reacher to the world as well as appease the fans.  

For me it was a success.  What do you think?