Cool Covers of The Future

Strange Chemistry have released the new cover for Laura Lam's follow up to Pantomime, Shadowplay!  Found here at Tor.com.

Top Ten Sequels That Avoid The Second Book Slump

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.  I changed the title this week.  It's supposed to be "Top Ten Best Sequels Ever", but I couldn't find ten titles that would fit under that heading without lying.  Instead I went for "Sequels That Avoid The Second Book Slump".  This way I could include some titles which are fantastic, as well as some sequels that are okay but certainly not THE BEST EVER! 

 

 

And because I couldn't make it to ten this week, here are two books I hope will be the best sequels ever!

 

 



 What sequels do you consider to be the best ever?

I Love Post

I treated myself over the weekend...and Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman arrived today!  Excuse me while I stare at the shiny.

Top Ten Books On My Fall 2013 TBR List

 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Broke and The Bookish.  I should be moving in a couple of weeks to a different county.  I figured that before I sign up for a new library card (although honestly that's the first thing I want to do once I move in - have you seen the Graphic Novel section in the Millennium Library?  Locke and Key here I come!), I should at least try and read some of the books that I already own.  Hence, my list this week did go over ten...Top Twelve Tuesdays could be a thing, right?! 

 

What books are on your Autumn TBR list?  Any new suggestions for when I cave and get a library card?

Cool Covers of The Future

I can't believe the cover for Chuck Wendig's final Miriam Black book has been floating about for a month and I had no idea.  NO IDEA.  But now I do!  Look at the pretty....I'm so excited for The Cormorant; and when we finally move I'm going to have to find somewhere to display all three (and maybe the Blue Blazes) of my precious Joey Hi-Fi covers.  Cover found here at Angry Robot.

Insignia

Fourteen-year-old Tom Raines looks set to go the same way as his listless, gambling addict of a father, with no hope for the future - until one day everything changes.

Tom is recruited by the State to become a Combatant: one of an elite group of teen soldiers, chosen for their unique virtual reality skills, to fight World War III in space!

But is Tom's future really as safe as the army claims?  Are there spies, and corruption, in their number?

And what happens when you question the rules?

I started Insignia back in July, read about 100 pages and then moved onto other books.  I picked up S.J. Kincaid's debut YA again yesterday morning and didn't stop reading until I had finished it (well, I went to work and ate and such but you get the picture).

Goodness:

• That Tom isn't necessarily a good guy.  He'll do anything to win a game and is often described as vicious.
• Easy to read; finished Insignia in two sittings.
• Kincaid portrays plenty instances of friendship between her characters.  The Doctors of Doom!  Tom not wanting to dob Wyatt in; Vik, Wyatt and Yuri realising that Tom wasn't acting like himself and actually staging an intervention; plus the many instances of Wyatt saving Tom.
• That the whole Heather as a crush sub-plot was dropped pretty quickly, with Tom realising she was manipulative.
• Echoes of Ready Player One (with the admiration/friendship/romance behind an avatar between Tom and Medusa especially)
• It's never clear if the good guys are truly the good guys, i.e. Lieutenant Blackburn.
• Smart!  For a YA book there was plenty more going on political and science/technology-wise than pure action or relationship drama.

Not So Keen On:

• Information dump!  Sometimes the writing became a little information heavy, but that's somewhat to be expected from a first book setting up a trilogy. 
• Sometimes the kids read older than they should have done.

Overall, I was really impressed with Insignia and hope that the next book in the trilogy, Vortex, can avoid the second book slump.

Just a Note

I've had a bit of writers block recently, as you can probably tell from the lack of reviews that have been posted.  In an attempt to actually get some reviews up, I'm going to do some bullet point reviews for the time being.  Hopefully, even by just writing some little notes and posting them, I'll soon get back into the swing of things.

Emma x
  

The Fault Amongst Our Stars

Even though I may be the last person on this earth to have read John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, I still must warn you that this review may or may not contain spoilers.  Just in case, you know? :)

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis.  But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Walters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

This is what I wrote once I had finished John Green's The Fault Amongst Our Stars:

Manipulative?

 

I felt like I was continually being bombarded with situations and tropes to make me cry.  Yes, Green's writing style made this book easier to read than the subject matter would normally allow.  Yes, I enjoyed reading how Hazel and Augustus' friendship blossomed through a mutual love of a book.  But, and it's a big BUT, why does the seemingly healthy one always have to get sick in order to validate the story?  That's not a twist anymore, it's become an expectation.

The only part that actually made old cold-hearted me cry was when Hazel's mother claims that once Hazel dies, she won't be a mom anymore.  And I thought that was the saddest thing I had ever read.  The statement is sort of retracted towards the end, with Hazel's mom realising she'll always be a mom, which is a shame, because yes, although she will always be Hazel's mother, she won't have anyone to mother.

I thought there were some interesting philosophical ideas here, (especially for someone who hasn't got a clue like me), as well as some interesting thoughts about what you can insinuate with the form of fiction, but I wouldn't say that John Green convinced me enough to get emotionally invested in his characters: and wasn't that supposed to be the whole point?  I want to be sad when a character that I've spent 300+ pages with gets sick; I want to feel all the things.  I don't want to feel that I've been duped, and I think that's all I felt after finishing The Fault Among Our Stars. 


Eleanor and Park

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn't stick out more if she tried.

Park is the boy at the back of the bus.  Black T-shirts, headphones, head in a book - he thinks he's made himself invisible.  But not to Eleanor...never to Eleanor.

Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other.  The fall in love the way you do the first time, when you're young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose.

Full disclosure: I'm not normally a romance girl.  I like romantic films, but in books (especially YA) mushy feelings and relationships are giant turn off for me.  But I liked Eleanor & Park.  A lot.  Lovely, honest and well written; Rainbow Rowell portrayed a relationship that I could believe in.

The main fact that totally won me over?  There's no love at first sight. Hooray! Instead Rowell showcases Park and Eleanor's transition from strangers, to best friends, and onwards in a fantastic way, ensuring that I would, too, find reasons to fall in love as they did.

I'm going to keep this short, as my words can not convey how cute, quirky and heart-warming this story is.  Get a copy and find out for yourself.  Then come back and discuss how the 80's is a perfect time to set a romance book with me!

Top Ten Books I Would Love To See As A Movie/TV Show

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.  This week I get to pick ten books that I would like to see made into a movie/T.V. Show.  I could name a few books that deserve a better screen adaptation (*cough* Time Traveller's Wife, Dresden Files, Northern Lights...), but I'm keeping positive and optimistic this week!  So without any further grumbles, here are my choices for this week:

Rivers of London

NOS4R2

Newsflesh

Cinder

Ready Player One

Ink

vN

Hell Train

The Diviners

M is For Magic

What books would you like to see made into a film/TV series?