Review: ‘Coraline’ by Neil Gaiman
Posted: May 4, 2014 Filed under: Reviews | Tags: middle grade, reviews 5 Comments
The day after they moved in, Coraline went exploring….
In Coraline’s family’s new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close.
The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.
Only it’s different.
At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there’s another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.
Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.
Neil Gaiman is a strange author to me in some ways. I love his scripts, and his Sandman graphic novels, and those of his other books that I’ve read. But I haven’t read that many of them. I don’t exactly know why. So when I saw Coraline at my local second-hand bookstore, I snapped it up. (The cover above is the cover of the version I own. There are prettier covers, but it does capture the weirdness pretty well.)
And no, I haven’t seen the movie either. Although now I kind of want to.
I don’t read a lot of middle grade fiction yet. (My son and I are onto chapter books. If I put all the Geronimo Stilton books I’ve read into my Goodreads account I’d be 50% done on my 2014 challenge already.) But this has got to be one of the best, surely.
I love Neil Gaiman’s wry humour. It’s—dare I say it—terribly British. I love how calm and clever Coraline is, and how even when she’s scared she manages to be brave. As she said, “When you’re scared but you still do it anyway, that’s brave.” Wise little girl.
Apparently Gaiman wrote this book for his five-year-old daughter. So either his daughter is also very brave or he’s trying to give her lots of opportunities to learn, because this is a scary-ass book. At the point where Coraline’s other mother offered to sew button eyes onto her as a mark of her acceptance into their creepy family, my own eyes bugged out a little.
There weren’t any plot twists I didn’t see coming. But this is middle grade fiction, which means the twists tend to be a little more clearly telegraphed than they would be in a book for adults. Nothing wrong with that.
There was one thing lacking from the book. Gaiman didn’t often touch on how Coraline was feeling. When she first discovered her parents were missing, it took her a full 24 hours to cry about it. This is partly because her parents are a little remote and she’s used to fending for herself, but I think it was partly a stylistic choice Gaiman made—not to wallow, or let Coraline wallow, in her emotions. Maybe he did it because the content of the story is nightmare-inducing, and if he’d described the taste of fear in the back of her throat, the shaking of her hands, it suddenly wouldn’t have been middle grade anymore?
Or maybe that’s just his style. Like I said, I haven’t read that many of his books, and those I have read were ages ago.
Either way, although I noticed the lack of emotion, the extra distance that imposed wasn’t enough that I couldn’t follow or enjoy the story.
This is a 4.5 star read for me.
This Writer’s Space: Deborah Kreiser
Posted: April 30, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: this writer's space 6 Comments
Where I Write
I wish I could say something exciting about where I write. I do have a little desk set up in the kitchen where I *sometimes* do my writing, but the chair is hard and it’s not really ideal. Besides, I often write in the evenings, and what better place than sitting next to my loving husband on our comfy family room couch? You can’t see it in the picture, but we have a TV and a woodstove in there, too, so he’ll watch his shows while I work and we’ll snuggle together in the warmth from the fire.
Where I’m Inspired
It sounds silly, but just looking out on our backyard makes me relax and stay open to my muse. On nice days, my kids will play on the swingset while I write at the patio table. That fresh air really freshens my mind.
But when I need some really big inspiration, I think of some of the National Parks I’ve visited. Years ago, my husband and I were park rangers (that’s how we met!), and those huge, breathtaking vistas really free me.
To Be Read
I am a total bookworm, but I’ve *just* started a new job—as an elementary librarian!—and between that and my own book coming out, I’ve had little time for pleasure reading. Though I do plan on re-reading Skellig by David Almond so that I can read My Name is Mina, its companion, which I just discovered existed. Still, I normally read a lot more than that . . . give me another week or so and I’ll be up to my usual one or two books per week schedule.
About Deborah
Deborah Kreiser writes fiction of the Young Adult variety. Her debut, THREE WISHES, came out on April 15 from Astraea Press, and is available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If she had three wishes, they would include: a lifetime supply of calorie-free chocolate, a self-cleaning house, and the ability to expand time as needed. When not dreaming of her next plot, she works in a school library in Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband and two young daughters. Follow her on Twitter, her Blog, or Facebook!
About Three Wishes
Tall and lanky, Genie Lowry is only noticed at academic awards assemblies—until the day she turns 17 1/2, when her body changes from Kate-Hudson-flat to Katy-Perry-curvy—and she finds out she’s a real, live genie. Suddenly, every guy at school is paying attention to her, including Pete Dillon, her never-in-a-million-years crush.
But to gain her full powers and keep her new body, Genie has to find a master, and she’s not sure if Pete’s Master (or Mr) Right. With help from her dead mother’s interactive diary and an imposing mentor with questionable motives, Genie uncovers the family history and genie rules she never knew. She grapples with her new powers and searches for the perfect master as she tries to make her own wishes come true.
Top Ten Tuesday: Books to read if you liked the movie
Posted: April 29, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: top ten tuesday 6 Comments
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is my top nine books you must read if you loved the movie or TV show (and one you shouldn’t if you loved the play). In some ways, it’s probably redundant, because I can’t imagine I have too many readers of this blog who wouldn’t have read the books first anyway. But I guess you never know when someone might wander in from the untamed wilds of the internet, looking for ideas.
Disclaimer: These images are all stills from the various movies and TV shows. I make no claims to ownership…although I wouldn’t mind owning Richard Castle. Just saying.
Harry Potter. Given how fabulously popular — and justifiably so — this series was, it’s hard to imagine there’s anyone left who loved the movies and hasn’t bothered with the books. But if you’re one of those, GO READ THE BOOKS. The richness of Rowling’s world is masterfully executed, and there are little moments in the books that never made it to the movies.
Lord of the Rings. As with Harry Potter, there are plenty of moments in Tolkien’s world that didn’t make it to the movies. Walk with the hobbits; you won’t regret it.
The Hunger Games. I loved the first two Hunger Games books (and liked the third). The movies really did them justice. I’m actually hoping the Mockingjay movie/s make me love the story more than the book did, which is a little peculiar, I admit. But regardless, read the first two books in the series at least. You won’t regret it.
Sookie Stackhouse. The True Blood TV show took some fairly hefty liberties with the plot and characters, for example letting some survive that died in the books. While that doesn’t bother me — I’m not a purist about these things — the books are fun stories in their own right.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. A lot of my friends, who fondly recall the original dodgy BBC TV series of these books, really didn’t like the movie. I enjoyed it — I can still burst into a rendition of So Long and Thanks For All The Fish — but the Hitchhikers books were my first experience of comedic fiction. It was a revelation. Read it and laugh: it’s good for the soul.
The Mortal Instruments. As a disclaimer, I haven’t seen the movie yet. But I really liked this trilogy (with a slight qualifier on the last book in that I wish Clare had resolved one plot element sooner than she did).
Castle. This is a weird one on my list, because the TV show came first. Now there are ghost-written books by “Richard Castle” that parallel the books the character writes on TV. Maybe it’s my giant crush on Nathan Fillion, but I really liked them too — and I don’t usually read crime fiction.
Divergent. I haven’t seen this movie either, but I loved the first two books in the trilogy. I’ve held off reading the third, given the reaction it provoked among fans…
Eragon. The Eragon movie was, let’s be honest, a stinker. I wanted to like it, given I enjoyed the series (and it has ANIMATED DRAGONS!), but I just couldn’t. If you’re the same, loving stories about dragons and wanting another one, these books could be for you.
Wicked. Ok, this is an anti-recommendation. A warning, if you will. I’ve been obsessing on the Wicked musical lately, and I’ve also read the book. If you love the musical and want to follow Elphaba’s story in more depth, don’t get too excited or it may leave you wanting. When the musical was written they took elements of the book and then strung them into a coherent story, whereas the book is disjointed. I’ve been really wishing someone would write a book based on the play’s version instead, but I guess that’s never going to happen!
What books would you recommend to others?
Book (re)launch, excerpt and contest: ‘The Best Man’ by Ana Blaze
Posted: April 28, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: novella, romance, self-publishing 2 CommentsThose of you with especially keen memories may recall that I’ve promoted The Best Man before. This was another of the books published by Entranced. It’s now being re-launched, with a cover that I personally love more than the original. And do you know what the best part is for you, as a reader? Another giveaway! Also, that excerpt makes me want to rush out and buy the book RIGHT NOW!
The Best Man
by Ana Blaze
Genre: Contemporary Romance Novella
Rating: Steamy
Available now in e-book or audiobook!
Beth Chase is too busy planning perfect weddings to worry about the lack of action in her own love life. But if she was looking for a man, she wouldn’t be looking at Colin Pratt. Her boss swears that Best Man Colin is a quiet scholar and science fiction writer who couldn’t possibly cause a fuss at his own brother’s wedding. He’s clearly never met the man in question.
Snarky, sexy and more than a little inebriated, Colin is the final obstacle between Beth and the last perfect wedding she needs to make partner. Of course, when she helps him into a taxi at the end of the night she has no idea that he’s only just begun to poke holes in her professional exterior. Colin might have the skills to seduce a romance professional, but can he convince her that he’s the best man to share her happy ever after?
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Giveaway
Enter here to win a $10 Starbucks gift card (open internationally)!
Excerpt
Colin was right; she let him take her to dinner. He wanted to call and have a limo pick them up, but Beth insisted on driving. She did let him pick the restaurant from a list of suggestions.
They were seated at a very nice Italian place with an old stone fireplace and a dozen small round tables covered by pristine white cloths. Classical music played quietly, allowing for the possibility of private conversations.
Colin smiled at her from across the small table. “You look lovely.”
“You already said that.”
“It’s still true.”
“Thank you. You look rather handsome yourself.”
“Wait until you see me without any clothes. I’ll blow your mind.”
She bit her lip to keep from chuckling too loudly. “I have seen you without your clothes on.”
He nodded. “That’s right. How did that go over again?” His head dipped to the side and studied her.
“I was under the impression you knew how to behave in public as long as you weren’t dosed with Xanax and the entire contents of the courtesy bar. Should I have prepared a list of appropriate dinner topics for you?”
“Ah, like the rain in Spain? No worries, love. If I have learned anything from television we are now expected to surreptitiously survey the couples around us and guess at their lives.”
Beth giggled. “Is that so?”
“Definitely. Take this lovely couple to our right.” He inclined his head in the direction of a grey-haired woman who was arguing with the white-haired man across from her. “Oh. Don’t look directly at them! Sneakiness is an essential part of this mating ritual. So, what do you think, first date or high-priced escort?”
Charmed and feeling playful, she leaned closer. “No way. Clearly, they’re spies. Only they work for enemy organizations. Twenty-five years ago they met on an assignment that involved seducing each other and accidentally fell in love. Now they meet in secret once a year in honor of the life they couldn’t have because of their duty to their respective groups.” She sat back in her chair and grinned.
“That’s good.” Colin nodded. “Damn, that’s brilliant. You must go on a lot of dates because you are very good at this game.”
She nodded to a young couple across the room. “Go ahead. Try again.”
He nodded. “Cause a distraction so they don’t see me looking.” He glanced over at them quickly and then back. “Challenging.”
“If you’re not up for it …”
Colin held up his hands. “I didn’t say that. I’m just suggesting that successful completion of this mission should allow me access to the next level.”
“The next level of what?”
“Us. I want to know your middle name, at least one honestly embarrassing story, and I want to be in your bedroom tonight.”
Grinning, she shrugged. “Deal. Impress me.”
“This is their third first date.”
Beth raised an eyebrow.
“Hear me out, love. Their first, first date went horridly awry. He made an utter fool of himself but knew immediately that she was the only girl for him. Seeing no other option he obviously created a vessel for time travel and went back to try again. Their second date went only slightly better, so he is trying a third time in hopes that she will agree to go out with him again.”
“Do you think she’s going to say yes tonight?”
His eyes softened when they met hers. “I hope so. But if she doesn’t he’ll keep trying until she does.”
“He does seem persistent — what, with the whole time machine thing.”
“He has to be. He’s never fallen for a woman quite so hard before, and first impressions are very difficult to override.”
Beth nodded. “My middle name is Rose.”
“That’s … My mother was named Rose.” His voice took on a wistful note.
“If another man told me that I’d be sure it was a pickup line.”
He smirked. “And it no doubt would be. All other men are total scum. You should give up dating them completely.”
She rolled her eyes. “What kind of stuff do you write? You write, don’t you? You said that last night.”
He stared at her for a moment before responding. “How do you feel about poetry?”
Her lips twitched. “You write poems. Poems?”
“Of course not.” He shook his head. “Only total saps write poetry. I write manly guides to … manliness, and also … motorcycles.”
“So that’s a yes on the poetry? I thought you said something about short stories.”
He sighed. “I write, in general, everything. The poetry is the worst. I’m complete rubbish at it, but I like it the best. I also write short stories — generally in the science fiction genre. I have one entirely un-publishable novel and a few more unfinished, but almost equally unlikely to find an audience.”
“Tell me one of your poems.”
He leaned across the table. “No.”
Beth leaned in and dropped a sweet kiss on his mouth, smiling as she sat back again. “I’m glad I came out with you tonight.” She was having fun, nearly too much fun given their temporary status. The air sparked between them.
He grinned and sat back in his chair. “I am too, Beth. But, I’m still not going to recite any of my poetry.”
“Fair enough, though I’ll bet hearing one would have gotten me all … hot for you.”
Colin snorted. “Doubtful. Besides, we both know you just changed the subject so that you could get out of telling me your embarrassing story.”
Beth nodded to the waitress as she placed their food on the table. Colin gave the woman a quick smile and said, “Thank you.”
“I don’t have any embarrassing stories.” She twirled some pasta around her fork, brought it to her mouth, and groaned in appreciation. Colin was smirking at her. Beth blushed. “This is really good.”
“I’m very happy to see you enjoying it.”
“This whole don’t-mind-me-I’m-just-a-shy-book-guy thing is totally an act, isn’t it?”
“Book guy?”
“You know what I mean. The nice manners and excellent vocabulary come in handy by getting girls to lower their shields, and then you swoop in with all the innuendo and … touching.”
“Ah, yes. You’ve got me. I’m a dreadful rogue.”
About the Author
Ana lives just outside Washington, DC, with her very supportive husband and three rather demanding cats. She loves the ocean, Indian food, Ikea, and cooking. Before settling down as a writer, Ana was an elementary school teacher, a preschool teacher, a camp counselor, a waitress, a research assistant, a canoe tour guide, and one glorious summer during college she spent eight hours a day placing stickers inside library books so they would be part of the fancy new automated checkout system. She won’t say which job she liked best.
Ana is a member of Romance Writers of America.
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Review: ‘Haze’ (The Rephaim #2) by Paula Weston
Posted: April 27, 2014 Filed under: Reviews | Tags: AWW, reviews, urban fantasy 7 Comments
Gaby Winters’ nightmares have stopped but she still can’t remember her old life. Still can’t quite believe she is one of the Rephaim—the wingless half-angels who can shift from place to place, country to country, in the blink of an eye. That she was once the Rephaim’s best fighter. That demons exist. That Rafa has stayed.
But most of all, she can’t quite believe that her twin brother, Jude, might be alive.
And Gaby can’t explain the hesitancy that sidetracks the search for him, infuriates Rafa, and sends them, again, into the darkest danger
I’m struggling with how to review this book, given it’s the second in the series and a lot of people reading this probably won’t have read the first (which is Shadows). I could just write IT’S AWESOME GO BUY IT RIGHT NOW in all caps and then put in some animated gifs of people squeeing all over the place, but that’s not particularly coherent.
At the start of Shadows, Gaby is miserable. She lost her twin brother, Jude, in a car accident a year before. Her sleep is tormented by nightmares of his death and of a strange vision of demons rampaging through a nightclub—and when she has good dreams of their time backpacking together they tear her up just as much, because he’s no longer with her.
Then Rafa shows up, defiant, sexy and disbelieving Gaby’s claim that she doesn’t remember who he is.
Rafa tells Gaby she and Jude are the half-angel offspring of Fallen angels who broke out of hell. A year ago, the pair disappeared together. Gaby woke up in hospital believing she was human. Now, both Rephaim and demons are very interested in finding out what she and Jude did, and will go to all kinds of lengths to get hold of her.
I love Gaby as a main character. She’s sassy and confident. Although Jude’s loss—because regardless of who they really are, he’s still gone—has left her broken, she lifts her chin and soldiers on as best she can.
The chemistry between her and Rafa is volatile. He can be an asshole, but it’s a blustery front to hide his own pain: pain over events from Gaby’s past that she no longer remembers. And when he lets his guard down, showing his compassion and tenderness…woo. *fans self* Haze has the exact right blend of romance and plot that I love in a good urban fantasy. The romance is present, and the slow burn is sexy as anything, but it’s not the main focus of the story.
The two books are set over about a two-week period. That’s how fast the pace is. There were times reading Haze that Weston would throw in a reference to something that happened “this morning”, for example, and I’d be like, WHAT THOSE CHAPTERS WERE ALL ONE DAY? So much was packed into them it seemed impossible—but it really gives you a sense for how exhausted the characters must be, the urgency of the storyline. When they had a chance to pause for food or a sleep I was relieved on their behalf!
I gather there’s at least one more book in the series, maybe two. Like Shadows, Haze has an ending that has equal parts closure and setup for the next book. I MUST HAVE IT NOW!
Paula Weston is an Aussie writer, so that’s another plus—although I gather a deal has been signed for them to come out in the UK and US so you guys don’t have to miss out on this particular slice of awesome. Yay you!
This is a five star read.
Excerpt and giveaway: ‘Lore: Tales of Myth and Legend Retold’ anthology
Posted: April 24, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: contests Leave a comment
Lore: Tales of Myth and Legend Retold
by Brinda Berry, Karen Y. Bynum, Laura Diamond,
Jayne A. Knolls, Theresa DaLayne, Cate Dean
Release Date: 03/2014
A collection of six folklore retellings that will twist your mind and claim your heart.
SHIMMER: A heartbroken boy rescues a mermaid… but is it too late to save her?
BETWEEN is about a girl, a genie, and a ton of bad decisions.
SUNSET MOON: Eloise doesn’t believe in Native American magic–until the dreamcatcher spiders spin her down an unknown path.
THE MAKER: An incapacitated young man bent on revenge builds a creature to do it for him.
A BEAUTIFUL MOURNING: The story of a Maya goddess torn between duty and love, and the ultimate sacrifice she must make to achieve true happiness.
THE BARRICADES: When a human girl risks everything to save the life of an Eternal prince, will their feelings for each other change the world they know, or tear it apart?
Buy Links:
Excerpt from The Maker
Cassandra Francesca Levinsky had been mine, more or less, since the second semester of freshman year. Addiction was probably a better term for it than a romance—I couldn’t get enough of her—nor she of me. Everyone knew us as Brettandra—I know, like Brangelina—that’s how legendary we were—Brett and Cassandra, the best looking couple on campus.
In the end, I only drank so much to deal with the sight of her throwing herself at every other guy in the room—and to obliterate the green haze of jealous rage that overtook me when others wanted a piece of her. But if I were forced to admit it, I kind of got off on that, too. Like I said, we couldn’t get enough of each other.
I’m not sure exactly when those long weeks of getting the cold shoulder first started. My memory’s not what it used to be. And I don’t have much of a recollection of what happened after we left the party. Maybe I blacked out. The next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed, my skull on fire. I learned later that Cassandra walked away from the wreck without a scratch on her. She left me for dead, my skull cracked open like an egg.
The guy we hit never walked again. Yeah, I felt kind of bad about that, but I’m not in such great shape either.
They found me in the driver’s seat, the engine’s firewall inches from the tree we plowed into. The wrecked BMW was registered to me—so as far as anyone knew at the scene, Cassandra was never even in it. The medical report stated that if she’d called for help right away, instead placing an anonymous call after she was long gone, the bleeding might not have been so extensive.
That I might have made a good recovery.
But, if that were the case, then this story would never have been written.
Author Bios:
Brinda Berry:
Brinda Berry lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She’s terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality. She doesn’t mind being called a geek or “crazy dog lady”. When she’s not working the day job or writing a novel, she’s guilty of surfing the internet for no good. Find Brinda at www.brindaberry.com
Karen Y. Bynum:
Dragons, unicorns, genies…oh my! NA/YA author, coffee-lover, olive-hater, tea-drinker, music-listener. Random becomes me. Easily distrac— Blog
Laura Diamond:
Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist and multi-published author of all things young adult paranormal, dystopian, and horror. When she’s not writing, she is working at the hospital, blogging at Author Laura Diamond–Lucid Dreamer, and renovating her 225+ year old fixer-upper mansion.
Jayne A. Knolls:
Jayne A. Knolls lives and works in New York City. The Maker is her first published work of New Adult Fiction. Jayne can reached at JAKnolls@optonline.net
Theresa DaLayne:
My name is Theresa DaLayne and I’m a new adult author with Bloomsbury Spark, an amazing digital imprint of Bloomsbury publishing. Website
Cate Dean:
Hi there – thanks for checking in. My name is Cate Dean, and I write romantic suspense and paranormal, with some action packed YA paranormal and fantasy thrown in. I love to write, and I have been doing it most of my life. I’ve made up stories in my head for as long as I can remember, and I am thrilled to be able to write them down and share them with you. If you want to be the first to know when the next book is released, or be in on some fun, exclusive contests and giveaways, join my list here: http://catedeanwrites.com/join-my-list. You can learn more about me and my books at my website: http://catedeanwrites.com
***GIVEAWAY***
Excerpt and giveaway: ‘Ex Factor’ by Elisa Dane
Posted: April 23, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: contests, young adult 1 Comment
Ex Factor
by Elisa Dane
Release Date: 22 April 2014
***
Bodie Scott knows about grief all too well. Critically injured in an alcohol related accident the year before, Bodie struggles with the fact that he’ll never play football again, and he’s so far behind in credits he can’t see straight. That is, until he meets Nev. Haunted by their bloody pasts and wary of a shared future, Nev and Bodie turn to one another for comfort and support, and realize they’re not so alone after all. And when the party scene at school threatens the life of a loved one, the two stop at nothing to keep the past from repeating itself.
Available from:
Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Excerpt
Clueless as to what had her so excited, I sat quietly and waited for her to calm down. It was apparent she wore her emotions on her sleeve, and I knew right away she was a straight shooter. This girl couldn’t lie to save her life. The truth would always show on her face.
She hooked a finger toward me and leaned in close again. “I cheer with Livvie on the Diamond team. She’s been talking you up, telling everyone what a great tumbler you are. Are you excited about your tryout tonight?”
My stomach fell as soon as the words “excited” and “tryout” fell out of her mouth. I was most certainly not excited. In fact, if I were being honest, I was dreading it. I’d lain awake most of the night, worrying the girls at the gym wouldn’t like, or accept me, and terrified I wouldn’t be able to meet the coach’s expectations. X Factor Cheer was looking for a ringer for their level five squad, an ace in the hole—someone with amazing acrobatic skill to “wow” the competition judges and audience.
Someone emphatically not me.
About the Author
I’m a lover of books (YA & Adult romance), chocolate, reality television, and am a proud mother to three All Star cheerleaders. Woot!
I write Contemporary YA romance with cheerleaders. Yep. I write what I know, and it’s my hope that my stories will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but that you’ll find a new respect and interest in the sport of Cheerleading you may not have had before.
Author Links:
***GIVEAWAY***
Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I Crushed On
Posted: April 22, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: top ten tuesday 6 Comments
I thought about going with “characters that broke my heart” for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, but as most of them did it by dying, I thought it’d be a bit spoileriffic. Instead, here are ten characters I’ve had a crush on over the years.
One: Masterharper Robinton from the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. I think Robinton was my first book crush — kind, charming and a musically gifted older man (at least to me as a teenager when I read it). I adored him.
Two: Aiken Drum from The Saga of the Exiles by Julian May. Aiken is the classic charming bad boy — society offers him the choice of jail, “docilisation” or euthanasia, but instead he chose to be exiled back in time. He comes good in the end…sort of…
Sam Merlotte
Three: Louis de Pointe du Lac from Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. I fell in love with vampires when I read this book. I eventually fell more or less out of love with them again by the time I encountered Edward, but Louis was the classic reluctant vampire, full of self-loathing.
Four: Sam Merlotte from The Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris. I was torn between Sam and Eric, but at the end of the day Eric’s completely domineering personality tipped me over toward Sam. (Bill? Meh.)
Five: Herald Kris from the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. This was a tossup between him or Vanyel, but in Vanyel’s case it was always going to be unrequited. :S
Simon Lewis
Six: Simon Lewis from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. Strong, confident and funny, but also a total nerd. That’s my kind of boy!
Seven: Silk/Prince Kheldar from The Belgariad by David Eddings. Clever, confident, cynical, Silk is one of those characters who laughs at the world so that he doesn’t have to face his problems.
Eight: Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. At first I preferred Gale and Peeta seemed a bit wet. But Peeta grew on me. Like cookie dough in the oven. 🙂 The way he and Katniss lok after each other is really sweet, even if there’s a heavy dose of self-preservation on her part.
Aragorn
Nine: Aragorn, son of Arathorn from The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein. The first time I read this I was more fixated on the hobbits and not that interested in Aragorn. I think that was because of my age, because as I got older…wooh! (Also, Viggo Mortensen with black hair and a beard!)
Ten: Jean-Claude from the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurel K. Hamilton. Think of Eric from the Sookie Stackhouse books, only French and even sexier. That’s Jean-Claude. He is much better at restraining his inner beast than Eric, though.
Who would you add to the list?
Review: ‘Cinder’ by Marissa Meyer
Posted: April 20, 2014 Filed under: Reviews | Tags: reviews, sci-fi, young adult 3 Comments
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future
I know I’m coming a little late to the whole Cinder thing and many of you will have already read it, but IF YOU HAVEN’T THIS IS REALLY GOOD YA.
Take Cinderella, stick her in a future Earth and make her a second-class cyborg. Stir in some political intrigue, a terrible plague and a handsome prince, and I’m so there!
One of the things I really enjoyed about Cinder is the richness of the characters. The wicked stepmother is suitably loathsome (but also kind of tragic). The stepsisters are interesting; Pearl is as shallow and cruel as you’d expect — the fairytale required that someone do it, I suppose — but the younger girl, Peony, is lovely and cares for Cinder despite what the rest of the family think of her.
Likewise, Kai isn’t just a two dimensional Prince Charming looking to marry a hot girl with glass shoes. He’s charming, sure, but also funny, kind and terribly conflicted about some of the diplomatic and personal sacrifices he’s asked to make to save his people. I’m not usally one to crush on the typical main character (I was Team Simon, not Team Jace, for example) — but in this case, it’s all about Kai.
Of course, there aren’t really any other alternatives, unless you count the doctor researching the plague cure, and he’s more of a crazy grandfather type. 😉
Cinder‘s plot moves along at a good pace, the story (and Cinder herself) taking the reader from one event to the next without leaving you time to get bored. There is a plot twist but I saw it coming from the first hint in the first two or three chapters — I don’t really think Meyer intended it to be an OMGWTF moment at the end of the book, though, and I never grew frustrated with the characters not figuring it out like I do in some books.
The only thing that was a little unsatisfying is that the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. My advice would be to buy the second book and have it to hand so you don’t have to wait to dive into it when you finish this one.
Five stars! 🙂
Blog hop: ‘The Problem With Crazy’ – donating to charity
Posted: April 18, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: aussie-owned, blog hop, contests, self-publishing 1 Comment
As you guys will know, I am CRAZY about A Problem With Crazy. So I’m super-excited to tell you all that it’s on sale at Amazon and iTunes this weekend! The money you save can be used to buy a box of tissues — you’re going to need them. xo
A word from Lauren: donating to charity
I’d like to think I’m a good person. I try to do get with the whole ‘Do unto others’ program, I occasionally bake cakes for people I love and I even pick up my dogs’ business when I’m out taking them for a walk (and I have two—that’s potentially a lot of you-know-what).
That’s why, when I wrote The Problem With Crazy, it was important for me to work with a charity and donate a portion of sales to them. One of the main reasons I wrote the book was to raise awareness, but I think with an illness that affects so many people and just devastates lives, you kind of need to do more than that.
So, a few months before I hit publish, I contacted Huntington’s NSW, the state body in my, um, state, to ask if I could donate a portion of sales to them. The team there were lovely, but to my surprise it wasn’t as simple as ‘Wham, bam, we’ll take your money, ma’am.’ No, instead they wanted to read it first to make sure it was suitable.
Cue = Lauren having a panic attack.
Don’t get me wrong. Part of me was jump-up-and-down excited that I was getting an industry professional to fact-check me, but another part was freaking the hell out. What if they hated it? What if I offended them with some hideously incorrect fact that I totally made up? What if my manuscript turned into a zombie and tried to eat their brains? (I never said my freak out was rational.)
Thankfully, they ended up contacting me and saying they liked the book and that they would be happy to have me on board. Hell, one of the people who read it even said she thought it would have been a good book to read when she was a teenager going through the same thing.
And so I am now a proud sponsor of Huntington’s NSW. And I couldn’t be happier.
Blurb
The problem with crazy is that crazy, by itself, has no context. It can be good crazy, bad crazy . . . or crazy crazy—like it was when my ex-boyfriend sung about me on the radio.
Eighteen-year-old Kate couldn’t be more excited about finishing high school and spending the summer on tour with her boyfriend’s band. Her dad showing up drunk at graduation, however, is not exactly kicking things off on the right foot—and that’s before she finds out about his mystery illness, certain to end in death.
A mystery illness she is likely to inherit.
When your whole life goes from adventure and ecstasy to sad and suicidal, what’s the point? Not knowing who to love, and who to trust . . . where does it end?
The Problem With Crazy is a story about love and life; about overcoming obstacles, choosing to trust, and learning how to make the choices that will change your life forever.
Blog hop clue
Want to win one of five eBook copies of The Problem With Crazy, a paperback edition, or one of three $5 Amazon gift cards? Collect the clues hidden in the other blogs on the hop and enter to win. To find all the other blogs and the Rafflecopter link, go here.
Blog hop clue E: YOU
About Lauren
Lauren K. McKellar is an author and editor. Her debut novel, Finding Home, was released through Escape Publishing on October 1, 2013, and her second release, NA Contemporary Romance The Problem With Crazy, is self-published, and is available now.
As well as being a magazine editor for a national audited publication on pet care, Lauren works as a freelance editor for independent authors, and was a Runner Up Editor of the Year in the Publishers Australia awards in 2013.
Lauren is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia and is obsessed with words–she likes the way they work.
Cassandra Page 