Before I begin, let me just start off by saying that this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I adore Gillian Flynn’s writing and her characters, oh the characters.

Do I actually like the characters? Not particularly, but Gillian Flynn sure knows how to write them. With alternating point of views, I usually have a hard time distinguishing between the voices, but nope, not in GONE GIRL. I always KNEW who was talking without taking notice of the chapter headlines– and even when a character did a 360 change in tone/voice.

It’s hard to get into it without spoiling anything because of a good amount of twists and turns, so I’m just going to lay out the synopsis for you courtesy of Goodreads:

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around

Do I recommend Gone Girl? Um yes, without a doubt. A couple chapters in and I was already texting my friend, “I WISH I COULD WRITE LIKE THIS”. The book is manipulatively awesome and this is one you’re going to want to discuss. Needless to say, Gillian Flynn’s previous works have shot up in my to-read list.

GET. YOUR. COPY. NOW. (my psychotic-ness is showing)

- Jane 

P.S. I leave you with one of my favorite passages, THE COOL GIRL.

Synopsis: Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City–and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult–also known as “The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies.” When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer–if he doesn’t catch her first. (via Goodreads)

Exterior/Interior? Truth to be told, I wasn’t crazy about the cover the first time I laid my eyes on it from afar. Then I got up close and personal.. and found myself liking it quite a bit! There is so actually quite a lot of detailing in the cover and it totally embodies the spirit of the book. Perfect font for the interior AND I loved the 20′s feel of the chapter headings!

Setting/Plot/Character? We are thrown into New York in the 20′s and Libba Bray really makes the city come alive. In the Diviners, we get a great mystery, a bit of gore, supernatural elements, and a main character that is navigating a new environment and learning about herself and the people around her. I actually have a hard time finding main characters that I like. Most of time the female lead just doesn’t do it for me. This is NOT the case for Evie O’Neill. She is a modern gal and her voice carries off the pages and I can literally hear her speak in my head. She has a vivacious personality– charismatic, strong, and fun! A new beginning, a new city to explore, and in the midst of all that… something sinister is at work. You just want to know what’s going to happen next!

Writing/Pacing? Libba, Libba. You are awesome! The writing was fantastic, descriptive, and full of life. It isn’t one of those “quick, fast” reads that you couldn’t put the book down. This is a book where you can soak up the details of the world that the author creates– it feels like a work of art.

In One Word: Spirit– perhaps it’s a weird keyword, but this book just has a ton of spirit and personality!

My reaction to the ending: It ended on the perfect note.  It was nice to finally get a book that can stand alone on its own… but also made me feel connected to the characters enough that I would pick up the next installment of the series! I liked the fact that there wasn’t  a crazy cliffhanger at the end. The cliffhanger routine gets a bit pushy… So yay for a great conclusion!

Overall Consensus: A fabulous story from Libba Bray that mixes old school creepiness in. It was everything that I hoped for when it was first announced that Libba Bray would be penning this book. I enjoyed the Gemma Doyle series and was excited to see her come back to her roots in penning this supernatural creepy kind of historical novel. The Diviners is a breath of fresh air from the other books in the YA market– TOO MANY DYSTOPIAN/SCI-FI books!– and it absolutely delivers with an awesome female lead, a creepy mystery, and a world that is richly written. I absolutely recommend this.

Out today! Go grab your copy NOW!

Jane

Girl knows me well. The book in question is none other then Mark Zusak’s The Book Thief. Debuting at #10 on NPR’s Best Young Adult Novels and as a nominee of my young adult book club, naturally I had to put my vote in for it.

The Book Thief will make you THINK, EXAMINE, and FEEL. It’s the type of book that draws you in, makes you savor the words, and leaves you satisfied every time you put it down. Beautifully written, raw, and with great impact, The Book Thief goes on my list of Must Reads— not for the usual “unputdownable” ability, but for the amazing work of art that Zusak has created.

I really can’t put it any better than the blurb on the cover:

“BRILLIANT and hugely ambitious…
It’s the kind of book that can be LIFE CHANGING.”
- The New York Times

I was hugely impressed and I think you will be to. Read it.

Jane

Easy introduces us to Jacqueline who made the dreaded decision of following her boyfriend to college (dun dun dun!). Predictably, the couple runs into problems aka her boyfriend breaks up with her after being exposed to frat scene and wanting to “explore” his options. Things rapidly go downhill when Jacqueline is attacked in a dark parking lot before being rescued by a mysterious stranger. What I really enjoyed about this book is that it mixes a combination of things that college is. Being able to balance classes, admitting that you need extra help, being heartbroken because a relationship doesn’t pan out, dealing with an attack and even learning self defense. To top it off, Webber provides us a heroine that is flawed but goes for improvement and a hero that intrigues both Jacqueline and the reader.

Easy is a fast enjoyable read and I would recommend it to the twenties audience. Read if you enjoy Young Adult but would like to see more mature concepts in your reading.

Happy Reading!
Be sure to tell me what your thoughts are if you end up picking it up.

Jane

A handful of scenes from Albert Camus’ The Stranger were still relatively fresh in my mind as I picked it up last month to read it for the first time in half a decade. They largely consisted of the scene that follows that unforgettable first line, “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know;” the epic final conclusion, and the scene where Meursault describes one of my favorite themes of the book:

“…I often thought that if I had had to live in the trunk of a dead tree, with nothing to do but look up at the sky flowering overhead, little by little I would have gotten used to it. I would have waited for birds to fly by or clouds to mingle, just as here I waited to see my lawyer’s ties and just as, in another world, I used to wait patiently until Saturday to hold Marie’s body in my arms…after a while you could get used to anything.“

I had remembered the existentialist sentiments and apathetic attitudes that characterize the novel. I remembered the story’s structure, and even most of the characters. But something drew me to give it another exploration, and I’m so glad I did. I got to discover something so intensely emotional in this book that is so easily characterized as cold. From the heart-breaking efforts of Maman’s fiance during the funeral procession to the scene in Chapter 2 of Meursault’s Sunday life that had a stanza of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock playing in my head on repeat: “Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets / And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes / Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows?…” I got to re-realize that, hey, existentialists have feelings too.

I know it’s not exactly summer reading, but if you haven’t gotten to reading it yet, or haven’t read it in a while, I highly recommend picking it up. Look, it’s only about 120 pages, and there’s really no better time than when you’re in the middle of a killer heat wave like we’ve got up here in NYC to try to understand how the main action of the book was caused, in part, by evil summer rays. I swear, I was out there in the sun all weekend, and there were times when I got so irritated, I thought to myself… yo, Meursault… I totally get it.

Now for a dark quote-for-thought from the end of the book:

“I had lived my life one way and I could just as well have lived it another. I had done this and I hadn’t done that. I hadn’t done this thing but I had done another. And so? It was as if I had waited all this time for this moment and for the first light of this dawn to be vindicated. Nothing, nothing mattered, and I knew why. So did [the chaplain]. Throughout the whole absurd life I’ve lived, a dark wind had been rising toward me from somewhere deep in my future, across years that were still to come, and as it passed, this wind leveled whatever was offered to me at the time, in years no more real than the ones I was living. What did other people’s deaths or a mother’s love matter to me; what did his God or the lives people choose or that fate they think they elect matter to me when we’re all elected by the same fate, me and billions of privileged people like him who also called themselves my brothers? Couldn’t he see, could he see that? … he would be condemned, too.”

If you like The Stranger, please take the time to read or watch “Waiting for Godot,” the play by Samuel Beckett. And then, if you still trust my recommendations, read As She Climbed Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem (a recommendation from fellow blogger Nate Gatsby! Thank you!), in that order. And then you and I should get coffee together and discuss Gogo and Didi vs. Garth and Evan, Meursault vs. Lucky, and Lack vs. Godot. And then you and I will be BFFs. The end.

Happy existentialist reading!
Carin

This is a story about A. The best way to put it is that he is a wanderer- every day he wakes up in a new body with a new past. He accesses these memories and uses them to get through the day with as little interference as he can to the person’s life. Until one day… when he meets someone that he is irresistibly drawn to.

A and Rhiannon were the constants of this book. We open up with these two characters and we watch how they try to figure out, individually and together. I never once grew annoyed with either of the characters as I often do with the YA books that I read. But what I really loved about this book is that every chapter was a glimpse into someone else’s life. I felt like I knew a version of each person that A inhabited at some point in my own life. I traveled with A through all of those bodies- we were just visitors and we were able to see things from their perspective without losing ourselves. This book holds a great balance of love, self, and perspective. Exactly my cup of tea.

I’ve been in a reading slump as of late. I was reading some good books but nothing that really made me want to devour the words and/or filled me with that “evangelical zeal” that John Green mentions in The Fault in Our Stars. This changed it for me. Every Day is a beautiful story and instead of returning the book back to the owner, I kept it just so I could re-read certain passages… and then basically the whole book again. I highly recommend this so keep an eye out when Every Day hits stores this August.

I leave you with this quote (this is from an advance copy so it is subject to change).

“It’s so hard when you’re in one body to get a sense of what life is really like. You’re so grounded in who you are. But when who you are changes every day- you get to touch the universal more. Even the most mundane details. You see how cherries taste different to different people. Blue looks different. You see all the strange rituals boys have to show affection without admitting it. You learn that if a parent reads to you at the end of the day, it’s a good sign that it’s a good parent, because you’ve seen so many other parents who don’t have the time. You learn how much a day is truly worth, because they’re all so different. If you ask most people what the difference was between Monday and Tuesday, they might tell you what they had for dinner each night. Not me. By seeing the world from so many angles, I get more of a sense of its dimensionality.”

Sigh. What a great book.

Happy Friday and thanks for reading!

Jane

This was a crazy fun experience and I got to meet so many book lovers! It makes me giddy to know that there are so many fans out there that are just like me. AND everyone was super nice and into all the shenanigans… ARC giveaways, fun swag, and of course, the author signings! It was AWESOME. Oh and like always, I had to take a bunch of pictures and without further ado… here they are!

Oh hey Clifford! Would you like to come home with me and be best friends with my doggie, Chloe Lee?

I found Charlotte’s Web! Absolutely love this.

Say hello to some shirtless goodness courtesy of the “fallen archangels” (aka half-naked men with black wings) at the Becca FitzPatrick signing!

Someone is in there. Like what?!

I couldn’t resist and had to give this cute little penguin a kiss!

The amazing Lois Lowry. If you haven’t already, watch the Children’s BEA breakfast stream and shed a tear or two.

EEEK! Lois Lowry signed my poster. Definitely framing and hanging this baby up.

Okay. I’m okay. I’m not fangirling or anything. I’m cool…. AHMYGAWD, CHRIS COLFER IS IN FRONT OF ME!!!!

He’s channeling his inner “Edward”. Boy was totally glowing/sparkling.

“Make it work!” Wish I could have… but the line for this was ridiculously long!

LIBBA BRAY! What a beautiful banner. Now let’s head over to the booth to see what the fuss is about…

Swag alert! Libba signed my book AND I have a new super cool necklace.

My trusty bags I got to carry my BEA haul. Thank you for being so sturdy!

Last but not least…my BEA Haul. It’s a huge stack and I can’t wait to read them all!

Once I finally lugged all my books home, instead of collapsing, I decided to pull up the stream for the Children’s Book & Author BEA Breakfast with Chris Colfer, John Green, Lois Lowry, and Kadir Nelson. It was amazing and I would have killed to have been there in person. If you haven’t already, I really do recommend watching it. There were some really hilarious moments and beautiful, beautiful speeches.

Chris Colfer: … and basically he is the Justin Bieber of the literary world

Chris Colfer: I did publish some fanfiction about the two of us titled, “The Fifty Shades of Green“

Such a happy day!

Jane

Well, that’s what I would refer to books such as the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey.

You know. Books don’t have the “best” writing but are selling like hot cakes because of the story. Books that everyone names as their guilty pleasure and/or have on their e-reader in fear of being seen with it in public and therefore losing all literary credibility.

I can’t speak for myself as I haven’t read the latest cultural phenomenon (I am begrudgingly giving Fifty Shades this label). If you’re wondering what the difference between “cultural phenomenon” and “gateway drug” is, my answer to you is that Harry Potter is most definitely a cultural phenomenon and the writing is nowhere near the “not that great” status.

Growing up, I was always the girl with the nose in a book. Unfortunately, not many of my friends shared my love for reading… however, with books that have captivated to the cultural phenomenon status, more and more of my friends began to read to see what the fuss was about (I would get into my theory of how reading is cool again, but I’ll save that for another rainy day).

So anyway, back to gateway drugs. According to D.A.R.E website, “a gateway drug is a drug that opens the door to the use of other, harder drugs”. My theory is that books like Fifty Shades don’t have great writing but because of their over simplified language, this is what is drawing in the non-readers. They can finally read a book without having to analyze what the author is saying, what the underlying theme is, what the book stands for. etc. These are the reality shows of our TV. They totally suck but we’re riveted anyway! Now because we finally got our reluctant readers reading… they’re curious.

“Hey! Reading can be fun!”

Right…with a crazy “sexy” stalker man and yet another weak female protagonist. Sigh. At least you’re reading.

“Maybe I’ll try picking up that other book that everyone is raving about!”

Ding ding ding! You want to read more?! YES! 

Thus, the book is a gateway drug that leads to more reading… and hopefully to bigger and better things!

Thoughts? Opinions? I’d love to hear what you think of the “gateway drug” term for books.

- Jane 

P.S. I’m sorry if I offended anyone with my cavalier description of Fifty Shades of Grey. I’m basing it off of what I have heard from friends/co-workers personally and what I’ve been reading on the web in reviews/articles. Again, I did not read this book and I usually frown upon looking down upon a book without doing so… but I did try to read it. Maybe I’ll try again. Also, you have to remember that most people think this way about Young Adult books and I happen to love a lot of Young Adult… so nothing personal! Let’s still be friends?

P.S.S. It’s Friday before Memorial Day! You know what that means… the first Summer Friday for us publishers aka half day Fridays all summer long. Needless to say, I’m super excited for the nice long weekend!

————

Update 6/15/12: I decided to finally read Fifty Shades of Grey to see what it’s about and so I could really have an opinion. My subconscious is saying “ugh” and my inner goddess is saying “maybe I should read the next one…?” Yeah. I pretty much couldn’t make up my mind about this book. I can see what the appeal is but I personally wouldn’t go out of my way to buy/read the next one in the series.

I can hardly believe It’s been nearly a year since I’ve started working full-time in trade book publishing. I get restless easily, and I can’t lie — I was fully prepared for this trip, in which I’d be staring at sheets of paper for hours, to bore me straight out of book production and into the arms of a shiny new field. I expected these hours spent alone in a hotel room to give me time to evaluate my choices and I damn-near set myself up mentally to have one of my infamous change-of-life-path epiphanies where I’d realize that it was time to move on.

But the trip did just the opposite.

I truly had one of those end-of-How-The-Grinch-Stole-Christmas-moments, where I looked around at the smiling faces of these production folk (and other new-to-the-industry professionals) after spending 6 hours at the local bar talking about everything from the nature of our jobs and the companies we work for, to the shows we love to hate and the time we got arrested for… and the space in my heart for this job and this industry grew three sizes that night. What I tend to forget, after alternating stressful 10-hour days and so-bored-so-restless stretches of time, after alternating “been-there-done-that” moments and moments where I feel like I have to accomplish the impossible, after I’ve gotten used to seeing celebrity authors and working on million-dollar books, after the complaints have laid seeds of frustration in my mind — I tend to forget that I love this industry. I love helping make books happen, I love being in an office with hundreds of people who are, for the most part, so much like me, it’s hilarious. I love that I’m in the middle of an intense time of change for the way we create and experience books, that we get to come together across departments and imprints and companies and industries to brainstorm how to shape and adapt to this transition. I love the free books and the free booze and being surrounded by people who love what they do, who are lighthearted about their jobs because, well, books are not life-or-death situations, but are serious about their work because they truly believe in the final product of their efforts.

And maybe the Book Industry Guild just softened me up with free cookies and $3 beers. Or maybe the two days off really did put things in perspective for me — just not in the way I anticipated.

In any case, I still do want to evolve. I want to expand my skills, and broaden my horizons. I see my career as an ever-changing story [way more fitting for an app then a printed book ], but at least for now, one year into the field, I have faith that I will find that expansion right here. One year into the field, and I’m still proud to call the book industry my home.

That’s pretty impressive for me, guys.

Well, now that we’re finally re-entering New York City (and I didn’t even mention that I love New York City, the publishing hub of the U.S.), it is time to sign off to grab more free booze (office pool tournament!) and prep for a very important lunch tomorrow (department cupcake challenge!). Again, these bonuses are not the reason I love this industry… but they certainly don’t hurt its case.

Happy (working?) everyone!

Carin

*Warning, there will be mentioning of the plot.
Hover over the rollovers to see the spoilers!*

Synopsis: Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students–children of the wealthy and powerful–carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought. (via Goodreads)

Cover? I’ve never been a fan of the Vampire Academy/Bloodlines covers. Though I will give The Golden Lily an extra point since I kind of like the type treatment and design? I like how the lilies are sprouting!

Interior? Serif font, yes! The last book I read was in sans-serif and I hated it so much. It bugged me while reading… Also, I like the embellishment of the “Chapter” headings.

Setting? It is in the fabulous Vampire Academy universe so it already has points– but Mead does even more world building in this by taking us into the Alchemists’ lair and we get to see how things operate away from Palm Springs. I thought that was a nice touch and it certainly makes us understand and sympathize with Sydney even more.

Plot? There is a  great play to an earlier plot point in Bloodlines. Meanwhile we have Sonya and Dimitri working with Eddie and Adrian researching and experimenting about spirit and Strigoi to Moroi transformation. Oh and Sydney gets a boyfriend. I will say that though there was a lot going on, plot took the backseat to the character development and interaction.

Character(s)? The Golden Lily is the perfect title because this book really delves into Sydney and her tie to the Alchemists. She is pushed to see that the picture that the Alchemists painted isn’t so black and white. Is it better to be loyal to a bunch of crazy killing humans than the good and honorable vampires that have become family? This is a heavy thing to set upon our protagonist who has been taught to believe one thing all her life. It made her feelings fly all over the place.

This whole book has character development and we get more glimpses into: Jill (girl is smart and willing to do what it takes), Angeline (rough around the edges but smoothing out), Eddie (selfless through and through… but like Dimitri, will you give in if given the chance?), Mrs. Terwilliger (happy that they didn’t bluntly bring “witches” into the mix… but a more tasteful “caster” background), and of course, my love, Adrian (finally doing something with himself and caring about others). I’m clearly invested in all of these characters.

Writing? It’s Richelle Mead. We’re golden.

Pacing? Much like Bloodlines, a lot of the novel is setting up for an ultimate showdown. This didn’t bug me though because there were enough things going on with the characters and their development that I was never bored. I felt like it was well rounded, wasn’t rushed, and ended on a perfect note.

Predictability? Okay. I really dislike when I can predict what is going to happen in books and I did have most of it figured out– but it was so good that I didn’t care at all! I just wanted to keep going and going… I do wish that Richelle Mead lightened up on the hints that were present throughout the story. Have some faith in your readers! We don’t need an obvious arrow to connect the dots.

In One Word: More–as in I want MORE!

My reaction to the ending: Finally.

Overall Consensus: Yet another installment by Richelle Mead that gave me goofy smiles on my face, an urge to keep flipping pages, and left me wanting more.. 4/5 stars

—

Needless to say, I was the happiest girl in the world when this ARC (Advance Reading Copy) was handed to me. I jumped up and down in the hallway at work. I have no shame because I simply LOVE the characters in the Vampire Diaries/Bloodlines universe. I am eagerly awaiting the next one!

Thanks for reading my fan girl rants!

Jane

SPOILER! Bonus quote!

I tried to be a better person for her– but it was to impress her, to get her to want me. But when I’m around you, I want to be better because… well, because it feels right. Because I want to. You make me want to become something greater than myself. I want to excel. You inspire me in every act, every word, every glance. I look at you, and you’re like… like light made into flesh. [...] You have no clue how beautiful you are or how brightly you shine.

Guys. I die. I’m melting before your eyes.