Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: 3 Recommended Novels

As I'm writing this on Sunday afternoon, the snow is falling (we're up to about 3 inches now), and we're waiting for the Super Bowl to begin. It was great day to stay inside: we read a little, played some cards, and listened to music.

In case you couldn't guess, we're rooting for the Eagles in my house. I spent most of the weekend baking and preparing sinful snacks (read: fatty and salty) to go with the copious beer that I'm sure we and our friends are going to consume as we cheer our state's team on to victory. (By the time you read this, you'll know if we're smiling or crying.)

My busy editing season is creeping up, but I managed to finish three books and break up with a fourth.

I finally read the newest book in the Invisible Library series. In The Lost Plot (Ace, Jan. 9), Genevieve Cogman keeps the characters and plotting fresh and promises many more adventures to come. In this outing, Irene Winter and her assistant, Kai, must visit an alternate 1920s New York City to obtain a book that is being used by a dragon queen for her own political games. I loved the way Irene reaches into her bag of many skills and talents to outwit the mob, the crooked police, and warring dragons while protecting a fellow librarian and saving her own life. I also love the ending of this installment, which will take the series into new territory. The Invisible Library books breath new life into speculative fiction: part paranormal, part steampunk, part alternate history, part mystery plus adult characters in adult situations. I'm sad I have to wait another year for book five. A note on the audiobooks: As you know, I recently reread the first three Invisible Library books via audiobook. Susan Duerden narrates the series (produced by Audible Studios) and does a decent job. My only complaint is that her performance sometimes toes the line of overdramatic, making me forget these books are not middle grade fantasy but adult stories that often address adult themes. I'm not sorry to have listened to the audiobooks, but I was happy to return to print. (Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.)

Here's a book for your best of 2018 list: The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara (Ecco, Feb. 6). Set in New York at the dawn of the AIDS epidemic, the book focuses on four transgender or gay teens who escape their homes looking for acceptance, love, and a future. Cassara personalizes the Latino ball scene and exposes the indignities and cruelties suffered by this population of men and boys who want nothing more than to be themselves, some hoping to escape their birth gender. Undereducated, without resources, and finding it difficult to pass as straight, so many of these boys see prostitution as their only recourse. If they're lucky, they'll find shelter in a house run by a more experienced queen, who tries to protect them, feed them, and support their true natures. But even with friends and lovers, too many of these individuals succumb to disease, poverty, drugs, and violence before they've even had a chance to truly live. Angel, Venus, Juanito, and Daniel's stories broke my heart and opened my eyes. I'm so glad I took a chance on this book--based on true events--and I can't recommend it enough. I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Harper Audio; 15 hr, 35 min) read by Christian Barillas. My full audiobook review will be available from AudioFile magazine, but let me say here that Barillas's respectful and brilliant performance is unforgettable.

Set in 1879 Albany, New York, The Winter Sisters by Robin Oliveira (Viking, Feb. 27) is the story of two young girls who disappeared when trying to walk home from school after a massive spring blizzard. Readers learn the fate of the sisters fairly early on, so this complex mystery focuses less on the girls and more on the identities of the men who kidnapped them. Woven throughout the novel are feminist issues that still haven't been fully dealt with almost 140 years after this story takes place. Although the current #MeToo movement has given some women courage to speak out, teens, children, the poor, and women of color are still very much without a support system, and for them, rape trials haven't advanced much since the nineteenth century. One of the disturbing facts I learned from this book is that the age of consent at that time was 10 years old, and so a preteen girl could be blamed by a defense attorney for her own rape. The mystery was well done, and the ending wasn't completely predictable, though I had one of the bad guys pegged midway through. I also enjoyed revisiting Oliveira's previous character Mary Sutter, who has her own problems as one of the few licensed female physicians of the era. I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Penguin Random House Audio; 16 hr, 36 min), read by Tavia Gilbert. I'm a big fan of Gilbert's work, especially her characterizations and the way she has of completely drawing me into a story. Her performance here met my every expectation. She enhanced the drama of action scenes, found the emotional heart of the characters, and kept me glued to my earbuds during the courtroom scenes. Recommended in print or audio. (Thanks to the publishers for the review copy.)

Click for more

Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Reading at the End of Summer

Topmost in my mind right now is not books. My thoughts and concerns are with Texas and the other areas of the Gulf Coast that are being pounded by rain and facing rising water.

Please stay safe, help your neighbors, and remember that you and your family are more important than your things. Know that those of us in the north are thinking of you and are finding ways to help.

If you want to find a legitimate way to aid the hurricane victims, be sure to check out a reliable source. It's horrible, but scammers come out during crises. I know CNN is vetting organizations, as is USA Today, Huffington Post, and the Weather Channel. Visit their websites for information on ways to get involved.

What I Read Last Week

The Ice-Cream Makers by Earnest van der Kwast (37Ink, Aug. 1): I couldn't resist this novel about a family of ice cream makers who spends the winter in their native Italy and the summer in the Netherlands. Four generations of men give their lives over to the ice cream machine, all that is except Giovanni, who instead hears the call of poetry. When his father begins to slip into dementia and his brother asks for a huge favor, Giovanni must choose the path of his future. I generally love family sagas and novels that have a strong food element, but The Ice-Cream Makers was only okay for me. The writing was fine, but I didn't connect strongly to the story, which had more of a melancholy or bittersweet feel to it than the promised charm and quirkiness. You might like it better than I did. The unabridged audiobook (Simon & Schuster audio; 9 hr, 1 min) was read by Jacques Roy, who handled the variety of needed accents believably and ably distinguished among the characters. His fine performance kept me listening (I would have likely abandoned the print), but he didn't turn the book into a winner.

Just Dance by Patricia MacLachlan (Margaret K. McElderry Books, Sept. 12): Sylvia loves to write poetry and is thrilled when she's given the chance to write a kind of "out and about" column for her local newspaper over the summer before she starts fifth grade. Because she lives on a Wyoming farm outside of a very small town, Sylvia is sure she won't have much to report and won't find any surprises. But before the summer is over, she has made a new friend, learned how to appreciate the world around her, and even sees her mother--once a famous opera singer--in a new light. This is a sweet middle grade story that will delight readers of all ages. I loved the themes of the importance of family and how easy it is to bring joy to others. I also liked the reminder that there is always something new discover, even in a familiar place. If you enjoy middle grade stories or have an elementary school reader in your life, don't hesitate to give Just Dance a chance. It comes out next month.

Park Bench by Christophe Chabouté (Gallery Books, Sept. 19): I was surprised by how taken in I was by this black and white graphic novel (comic) with no dialogue. I loved this look at life from the perspective of a park bench. The story takes place over several years, during which we see snapshots of a group of individuals: some hurry by, some stop at the bench to rest or read, one homeless man likes to sleep on the bench. Through the expressive, simple drawings, we see some of the people grow and change: a pregnancy, a death, a retirement. The ending even has a little surprise. This is a comic I know I'm going to "read" again. The first time through I was interested in the overall story line, but now I want to follow specific characters more closely to see how each relates to the bench. Did I really catch every panel featuring a man who seems to be thwarted in love? What about those older women who sometimes stop to chat? Look for Park Bench next month.

In Other Reading News

• I'm stalled in Quicksand by Malin Persson Giolit for no particular reason than I put it down and never seemed to pick it back up. I may return to it again, but the first several chapters didn't advance me into the story, so maybe I'll just let it go.
• I'm currently listening to The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin, the third book in her Broken Earth series. I love the characters and the universe and Robin Miles does a brilliant job with the narration.
• I finished the audiobook of Sourdough by Robin Sloan, which was read by Therese Plummer. It's a light story that takes place in the Bay Area and involves a non-cooking robot programmer who is given a special sourdough starter, which changes her life forever. Plummer's performance is a good match to the novel and characters. I'll be reviewing this for AudioFile magazine soon.

Click for more

Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge: Gift Card Winner

Sorting out who finished the challenge and who didn't from the links and comments was quite a chore. But when I finally got everyone in order (based on date/time stamps), I went to random.org and drew a number.

The winner of the $25 gift card to Powell's for completing the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge is

Wendy (aka Literary Feline) of Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Congratulations, Wendy!

And thanks to everyone who signed up for the challenge.

I hope you'll continue to link up your reviews and/or leave a comment about your progress through the series. Just click on the Sookie button in the sidebar or use the label scroll-down menu (click on Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challnge) to get to the link page. (I plan to remove the Sookie tab from my header, because I need the tab for something else.)

Click for more

Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge: Soon Ending

Yikes! It's hard to believe that a year has passed since I announced the first challenge I ever attempted to host: the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge. I was not a good host, and I failed to offer as many prizes as I promised. I realize now that I had grandiose plans.

In three days this challenge will end. If you have completed the challenge you are eligible for a $25 gift card to Powell's (U.S. and Canada) or to the Book Depository (rest of the world).

I will pick a winner using a random-number generator from the links and comments from those who completed the series (only one entry per person). If you haven't yet linked up or commented about completing the challenge, you have a few days left to do so. I'll pick a winner on July 1 when I turn on my computer in the morning.

Congratulations to all those who finished the challenge and good luck in the prize drawing.

Click for more

Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge: Prize Winner

Happy Halloween! I have the perfect way to celebrate: Today I'm announcing the winner of the first Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge giveaway drawing.

I used time the time stamp on the comments and on the Mr. Linky site to incorporate the people who left comments but not links into the drawing. Then I eliminated duplicates, because each person got only one chance in the drawing. Then I went to random.org and picked a number. I truly think I did this fairly. It was quite complicated to figure out!

As you may recall, the prize was Charlaine Harris's new Sookie Stackhouse short story collection: A Touch of Dead. Okay, okay already, I won't keep you in suspense any longer! The winner is

Julie from Booking Mama!

Congratulations! I'll be in touch with you shortly and get your book out to you immediately.

Click for more

Giveaway: Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge

Get ready for the first prize for the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge. All you have to do to be entered is to have read one book and have left a link or a comment on the Progress and Link Post.

The details for eligibility are listed under "Prizes!" in the link post, so be sure to take a look. I've decided to give the slow pokes a chance to enter, so I'll draw a name (using Random.org) on October 31. Consider it your Halloween present.

Okay, so you want to know the prize? It's a brand new, just published Sookie book called A Touch of Dead by, of course, Charlaine Harris. This is a very special anthology, because it includes every Sookie Stackhouse short story ever written. Yep, you read right. It's brand spankin' new, and it could be yours just for reading one of the earlier Sookie books.

According to Powell's, the five stories are "Fairy Dust," "One Word Answer," "Dracula Night,""Lucky," and "Giftwrap."

Good luck and watch this blog on Halloween, and may you all find your own special vampire love.

Click for more

Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge: Links

Welcome to the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge Progress and Link Post!

To sign up for the challenge and to read the rules, see the welcome post. Note that this post is available via the "Sookie" tab below my banner photo.

Discussions

If you're on Twitter, remember that we'll be discussing Sookie all year using the hashtag #SookieSRC. Whenever you have a comment, want to tell people you have a review up, or want to announce the completion of a book, be sure to tweet! Also, be sure to visit everyone's reviews and comment. The challenge will be more fun if you get to know everyone else who is blogging, tweeting, and reading Sookie over the next year.

Bloggers

Please link your reviews using Mr. Linky. In the top box, type your name and then the book title in parentheses: Beth F (Club Dead). In the bottom box, please put in the link that will lead specifically to your review (not your home page).

Non-Bloggers (Bloggers Who Don't Review)

Please leave a comment with your name and the title of the book. If you want to add a few sentences about what you thought about the book, please do (see prizes below). When leaving a comment, please use a unique name so you can be entered into the drawings for the prizes (for example: use something like Sue from Nebraska or John795 for each of your comments).

Prizes!

There will be three prizes plus a grand prize given throughout the year. Here's how the prizes will be given (the specific dates will be announced here later).

1. October: The new Sookie anthology that will be published in the fall.
2. February: A surprise and special book related to Sookie.
3. May: A bookish prize related to Sookie.
4. Grand prize in early July: Super-duper, to be announced.

Prizes 1–3

A week before each of the three smaller prizes is to be given, I'll publish a post describing that prize and give the cut-off date. All people who have read at least one book by the cut-off date will be eligible for the giveaway. If you have left a comment saying you completed a book or have added a link to a review, you will be in the drawing. Only one entry per person. This is cumulative, because everyone reads at a different pace. As long as you have one link or one comment up by the time the prize is announced, you're in.

I will assign each person a number based on the date and time of his or her first link or first comment to this post and then use random.org to find the winner and a runner-up. I'll post the name of the winner on my blog and give that person three weeks to respond. If the winner does not contact me, I'll give the prize to the runner-up. Only one of these prizes per person.

Grand prize

For the grand prize, you have to have finished the entire series of nine books, and you have to have "reviewed" all nine. Some of you (like me) are starting this series somewhere in the middle. That's fine, I have a solution.

Bloggers can link up their old reviews to Mr. Linky. If you don't have old reviews or you don't like to review, you can do one of these: (1) Put up a post about the series that includes a sentence or two about each book, post mini-reviews of each book, post a write up about the series as a whole, or discuss the previously read books in your challenge wrap-up post. Come back here and link the post(s) to Mr. Linky. (2) Comment here listing the previously read books and adding a sentence or two about each book or giving your overall impressions.

Non-bloggers can add a comment (or two or three!) listing the previously read books and either add a sentence or two for each book or give your overall impressions of that group of books. When you leave a comment, be sure to sign with your unique name (see earlier) so I can enter you into the drawing.

Note that for the smaller prizes, you just need to have read at least one book, you don't need to have completed the challenge or to have reviewed anything. So entering into the grand prize giveaway is totally up to you. Even if you won a smaller prize, you are eligible for this one.

NOTE: If Mr. Linky has disappeared, just leave a comment with your link, and I'll add your link when he appears again. Sorry. I put in a help request, so I hope our links are back soon.

Click for more

Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge: Sign Up

Welcome to the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge!

Here's your chance to catch up on Sookie and all her friends -- living and undead, fully human and not.

It's easy, it's fun, it's for you! And you have an entire year to complete the challenge.

The Rules:

1. Between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, catch up on Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series. No matter if you're starting with book 1 or book 8, you have a year to read all about Sookie. Read Sookie in print, listen to the audio, read an eBook -- format is not an issue.

2. Sign up using Mr. Linky. Put your name in the top box. For the bottom box, please use the URL that links specifically to your blog post about this challenge, not to your blog's home page.

3. After July 4, I'll create a post with another Mr. Linky where you can link your reviews so everyone can read them track your progress.

4. If you don't have a blog and want to join in, sign up in the comments here. Later, let us know about your progress by leaving comments on the review link page.

EDIT: You can join any time during the course of the challenge.

The Books:

Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and Gone

EDIT: Don't miss the chance to win the first seven books from Melissa at Melissa's Bookshelf. Thanks, Melissa!!

EDIT #2: if you're on Twitter, the challenge is using the hashtag #SookieSRC (for Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge). Feel free to join in #SookieSRC conversations whenever you see them.

EDIT #3: Don't miss the chance to win the first season of True Blood! Michelle of GalleySmith is offering incentive to get you through this challenge: Sookie on your big-screen TV. Thanks Michelle!!

There are also Sookie and gang short stories and an up-coming anthology! For more, see Charlaine Harris's website.

Click for more