A Local Habitation: An October Daye Novel
by Seanan McGuire

This review of A Local Habitation is long, long overdue. The book actually hit bookstore shelves back in March and it’s good. Like really really good. Hope you’ve buckled your seat belt bceause, unfettered by the world building necessary in Rosemary and Rue, the second October Daye novel races right into the story and doesn’t slow down until it’s time to get off the ride. Altho, I recommend trying to take your time reading it. Otherwise you’ll end up like me, anxious to ride again and stuck in a line that wraps around this month and well into September 2010.

Here’s the part where I remind you I’m friends with Seanan. And the skeptics are right, I probably wouldn’t tell you if I hated the book. I mean I’d tell her but she’s trying to make a living at this writing thing so I’d be a little circumspect about blurting it all over this blog. Of course, if I hated it or even only mildly tolerated it, I wouldn’t be talking about it at all. I’m notoriously easy to please when it comes to movies and television. Not so much with a book. Fair or not, one bad book by an author can end up souring my opinion of even books I may have previously loved. I may not read serious books but I do take my reading seriously. So if I don’t like a book, I’m not going to recommend you pick it up at the library much less go out and spend money on it.

But A Local Habitation? Worth the money. Two books in and Toby has wormed her way into my heart. And, despite all she’s been through, she’s not the most cautious of people so that makes for a pretty nerve-racking read at times. Or maybe it’s because I do know Seanan? Anything could happen when Toby walks into a new situation. Anything. Luckily there are a few folks in the book who seem to feel exactly the same way. Even better, at least one of them is my second favorite character. So it’s not just me who gets a little anxious about Toby’s newest case.

What else can I tell you without actually telling you anything at all? How about my one negative? The mystery itself wasn’t that compelling. There are some clues early on that, once you realize what’s happen, may make you go, “Oooooh, now I get why…” But I wasn’t really drawn in by it. Part of that is due to the large number of mysteries I consume. It’s made me fairly picky about my mysteries. That said, I think it was also because I was so into the outcome of Rosemary and Rue and and I just never felt as connected to the characters involved in A Local Habitation‘s outcome. That said, how Toby is affected by it all was much more interesting to me. That’s the angle I found both thought provoking and touching.

Oh! My “couple” gets some play in this book. Not that they’re together or there’s any hint that they might be anytime soon. But we do get what I’m gonna call “proof” there’s something there. So naturally that makes me happy! And, yes, I am being purposely vague here. Get the book if you want to know what I’m talking about!

In conclusion, I’m already ready to re-read A Local Habitation and can’t wait for more Toby.^*

Review Note: Although I’ve since purchased my own copy, DAW Books provided a signed ARC for this review.

* Speaking of, DAW Books bought the next two Daye books back in March! Yay!

The Sky is Everywhere
by Jandy Nelson

Synopsis

After a lifetime of being one half of the inseparable ‘Walker Girls’, Lennie is left lost and reeling when her older sister Bailey suddenly dies at the age of 19. We’re introduced to Lennie on her first day back at school, one month after Bailey’s death. What follows is a truly heart-warming and often heart-wrenching glimpse into the grieving process of a sister and family who have truly lost what matters most.

Review

It took me a few chapters to really get into The Sky is Everywhere, but once I got used to the flow of the unique language and flowery dialogue, I was really blown away! As Lennie progresses through the various stages of her grief, the reader is taken on this very emotional journey right along with her. Although I’ve never lost anyone close to me, Lennie’s reactions to life without her closest confidant – while sometimes shocking – felt very true, and left me wondering how I would ever make it through such a tragedy. Almost every chapter opens with a sample of Lennie’s writing, which gives the reader an intimate look at some of Lennie’s pivotal thoughts and ties the story together beautifully.

The Sky is Everywhere is filled with a great cast of quirky, flawed, yet completely lovable characters. Each is completely unique, with their own voice and distinct personality, and all fill an important role in Lennie’s life. Even though Lennie’s family is a little kooky, I rarely found them so over-the-top as to be unbelievable, and it was clear that their actions always originated from the heart.

It’s hard to imagine a story could be so fantastical and yet so realistic at the same time, but The Sky is Everywhere accomplishes just that. With its unique prose, focus on music and poetry, and collection of quirky characters juxtaposed against the heart-wrenching tale of a family dealing with grief, The Sky is Everywhere is an emotional journey that will leave you completely satisfied and yet wanting more.

Verdict

I actually hugged the book and cried a little when I finished reading The Sky is Everywhere. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story that deals with real human issues without taking itself too seriously. I can’t wait for more from this debut author!

*This book was provided for review by the publisher, via the Goodreads first reads program.

**The Sky is Everywhere is book #4 for the TwentyTen Reading Challenge.

See? This is exactly why I can’t ever decrease the size of my TBR pile. (Looks down at post below.)

As you’re all painfully aware, I love, love, love Kelley Armstrong’s books. Her Women of the Otherworld series is one of my favourites, and I anxiously await each new book that comes out. That’s why I know there’s no way I’m going to be able to resist buying her newest addition to the series Tales of the Otherworld.

Here’s a bit about this collection of short stories from Randomhouse.ca:

Tales of the Otherworld explores the lives of some of Armstrong’s most popular characters, giving readers glimpses into how Clay and Elena met, how Eve and Kristof first hooked up (a brand new novella), and how Lucas and Paige got married.

Personally I’m most excited to read about Lucas and Paige’s wedding. That’s one story I’ve wished for ever since I found out they were married “off-screen” (so to speak). And to make a great thing even better? All proceeds from this anthology go to World Literacy of Canada. How awesome is that?

Hello. My name is Jody. I am a bookaholic, and I think I have a problem. My problem of course being that I am absolutely unable to stop buying books! Seriously. I made a pact with myself that I wouldn’t buy any new books (gift certificate shopping excluded) until my TBR (To Be Read) pile was under control. And yet, I just keep adding to it.

Here’s a look at what the TBR pile looked like back in November:

And now the pile is almost double that size! Granted many of the books in the picture above have been read and removed from the pile, but many more have also been added. (Check out my TBR list on Goodreads here to see all the additions.) And that doesn’t even factor in all the new books that I’ve obtained and already read since this shot was taken…

See? I have a problem. I’ve also reached capacity on my current bookshelves and have new ones on the way. And I decided I was going to decrease my book pile by going digital whenever possible in the future, but I have so many physical books waiting for me, I haven’t begun to shop digital!

So fellow book lovers, do you have an out of control TBR pile? Or have you managed to stop buying faster than you can read? What are your secrets for controlling the book buying impulse? Help me help myself! What can I do to get this crazy habit under control?

If any of you are like me, the prospect of getting rid of any of your books is scary and unwanted. It doesn’t help that I’ve always dreamed of having my very own personal library. Every book I give away seems to chisel away at that dream. Not to mention my lack of riches. You know, the riches that would buy the kind of space needed to house a personal library.

As it so happens, I just moved in with a friend and the space I have for books just got even smaller. I was suddenly faced with reducing my book collection (somewhere between 700 to 900 books, based on my Goodreads account) by a substantial amount. It was… Well, I still don’t like to think about it. But I’ll give you a tip. Do your book purges when you’re tired and only have a limited amount of time to get it done. I was a lot less likely to 1) start re-reading books as I went and 2) be sentimental. Not that there isn’t a place for sentimentality in a purge but, in the past, I’ve hung onto books for the weakest of reasons. This time my exhaustion made it easy to ignore that little voice inside urging me to KEEP THEM ALL.

In the end, I had two full bookcases marked to go. Eep! I’ll be honest, this is where I’ve faltered in the past. If I don’t get them out of the house fast enough, I break down and put a good portion of them back on my shelves. Good thing this time they had no opportunity to talk me into keeping them. The day after I finished sorting through them all, I had a big yard sale which included the books. At that point I was more interested in lightening the load we had to lug around town to different donation centers than making any money, so we put out big bags and offered to let people fill a bag with as many books as they fit for $2.

The book corner at my yard sale.

Note: This is a pretty awesome idea and I recommend it if you’re having a yard sale and mostly just want to clear house. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all that successful in this case. That or I just had too many books. Either way, the day went fast and the book pile never seemed to get significantly smaller.

Right after we set up shop, one of my neighbors wandered up the driveway with one of those folding portable grocery carts. It was Community Yard Sale weekend and she was making the rounds. She got very excited about the book pile. My friend (the one I moved in with), Mo, told her to not to worry about a bag, “Go ahead and fill your cart with as many as you want!” Neighbor Lady was dismayed and insisted she use a bag. Despite our reassurances that we didn’t mind, she felt like she’d be robbing us. Ha!

Eventually she filled her bag and headed off down the street, thanking us profusely as she went and promising to return later. When we saw her on her return trek, not long after, Mo told her to come back at noon when we’d be closing up and she’d be welcome to fill her cart with as many books as she could fit.

Meanwhile, as I said, book sales didn’t go so well. Pretty much everything else of value disappeared before noon but not those damn books. (Yes, I loved them and it was hard to give them up but at that point I was just dreading having to box them all back up and lug them across town to the library. Books are heavy. Damn books.)

But shortly before noon there she was, trekking down the street in our direction. She was extremely appreciative and as she pawed through the books she kept stopping to make sure it was really OK, “Are you sure? I’ve got a lot of books here!” “Yes, I’m positive.” “Are you REALLY sure?” “Really, really sure. I’m just happy someone else will get some enjoyment out of them. I promise!” And so it continued from there. Every few minutes she’d stop and ask again.

People came and went while she continued to pile books into her grocery cart. At one point Mo rearranged the books in the cart to free up some space for her making us all laugh. But finally she had filled it up and was once again thanking us profusely. It was at this point she insisted we all give her our attention.

You see, it turns out she’s had a very bad year. First her husband died, which was horrible but not terribly unexpected given their age. But then her (22 year old!) daughter had gotten cancer and died as well. Yes, a very bad year. She talked about how hard it’s been to adjust to life without them. How you aren’t supposed to outlive your children. How expensive things like that can be. And how hard it is to escape all of that.

But now? Reading these books will help give her a little escape, a way to occupy her mind with something other than what she’s lost. So, when she said she was grateful to us and went on and on about how much it meant to her, she really meant it. We had given her something to look forward to at a time when she doesn’t have much of that. Then she gave both Mo and I big hugs and, as we fought off tears, she trudged off down the road pulling her cart o’ books.

Books comfort me in a way few other things do. Even the ones I don’t love as much as others are hard to lose. But if you have to get rid of books? Knowing they’re giving someone else pleasure and an escape she so desperately needs? Not a bad way to say goodbye.

Chasing Harry Winston
by Lauren Weisberger

I’m happy I borrowed this book. Because thankfully I didn’t pay any money for it and I now can give it back.

Synopsis

Chasing Harry Winston focuses on a year in the life of Leigh, Emmy and Adrianna – three best friends living in New York and nearing their 30^th birthdays. When faced with some serious disappointments in their lives, the ladies decide it’s time for a major change. The three friends vow to undergo this challenge together, making a pact to each change one major thing in their own lives, while helping to support and keep each other on track.

Review

The dialogue in Chasing Harry Winston flowed well and there were a few chuckles along the way, but unfortunately the characters were extremely stereotypical. Adrianna is the beautiful trust-funded socialite, Leigh the serious workaholic, and Emmy the timid mouse. And each of them has exactly the type of relationship you’d expect: torrid affairs, solid and stable, and the doormat. The story moves back and forth between each of the three girls lives, which is an effective way to give us each characters side of the story, but made the narrative feel a bit jumpy at times. The plot was very predictable and took a frustratingly long time to get to exactly where you knew it was going. Then the story ends rather abruptly without really showing us the better lives the girls had built for themselves.

Verdict

As you may have guessed, I didn’t exactly love Chasing Harry Winston. I almost didn’t finish this one, but I thought there would be some payoff at the end. There really wasn’t enough of one to warrant recommending this. Skip it and try the Shopaholic books instead.

*Chasing Harry Winston is book #5 for the TwentyTen Reading Challenge.

Good Monday morning! I hope everyone had a good weekend. I babysat my 2-1/2 year old niece who has started “reading” her favorite bedtime story to me. This of course involves her remembering pieces of the story and mixing them with gibberish, but it’s pretty cute, and hopefully a sign that she’s going to be a book lover when she grows up too. (I’m going to do my best to ensure that she is!) Do you have any little book-lovers in your life? How did you discover they were going to love to read?

Now, let’s brighten up this Monday morning with something fun like announcing a winner! Our giveaway for The Lovely Bones audio book has closed and we have a winner.

The lucky reader who will receive an a CD audio book of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones is…

ReaganStar

Congratulations! We’ll be sending you an email to get your shipping address.

(Our winner was selected at random using random.org‘s random number generator.)

Thank-you to everyone who entered our giveaway. We plan to have many more opportunities for you to win great books so stay tuned… another exciting giveaway will be coming up soon!

Happy Friday Book Lovers! Due to work overload I had to take a little break from the hopping last week, but I’m looking forward to participating in the Book Blogger Hop again today!

This fantastic idea to help the large community of book bloggers around the web get to know each other, comes to us via Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books. Basically, the Hop is a weekly event hosted at Crazy-for-Books, where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read. It’s a great way to network with other bloggers and make new friends!

The rules are simple – Add your link to MckLinky, POST ABOUT THE HOP ON YOUR BLOG, and start hopping around and visiting other links that are posted! If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

So, head on over to Crazy-for-Books to sign up and see who else is participating. And let’s do the Hop!

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers #3)
by Kelley Armstrong

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this third (and final) volume in the Darkest Powers Trilogy for some time now.  So as soon as I got my hands on it, I set aside my other books and dove right in. I love that feeling of being reunited with characters you’ve been missing and finally getting to learn the rest of their story.

Synopsis

The Reckoning picks up right where The Awakening left off, with Chloe and her group of genetically modified supernaturals safe from the clutches of the Edison Group at last. Once they get a chance to rest and stop running, the teens finally start learning how to use their powers. But it quickly becomes evident that no one is ready for what the Edison Group’s experiments have created. When their safe house suddenly doesn’t feel so safe, Chloe and her friends are forced to run again, and this time the stakes are even higher.

Review

The Darkest Powers trilogy does a wonderful job of building on the supernatural world created in Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series without ever leaning on those characters to propel the story. Like the first two books in the series, The Reckoning is an action packed adventure that will keep you guessing as the story unfolds and loyalties are put into question. Never knowing who to trust keeps the reader in the same mindset as the characters, and heightens the suspense as things progress to the high-stakes conclusion. I actually found this series to be scarier than the Women of the Otherworld books, and was often on the edge of my seat as Chloe battled her ghosts and demons.

The character development in The Reckoning is fantastic! As usual, Kelley Armstrong’s characters are so layered and authentic that you miss them when they’re not around. Chloe, Derek and Tori all really grow and change throughout the course of this novel. Simon’s role is reduced quite a bit in The Reckoning, but this makes sense as the other characters powers continue to grow.

Between the action, suspense and great characters, The Reckoning is a gripping adventure set in an amazing supernatural world that meshes seamlessly with our own.

Verdict

The Reckoning is a satisfying conclusion to the Darkest Powers trilogy, but it’s so well written that I really wish there were more stories about these young characters to look forward to in the future.

• If you’d like to learn a little more about The Reckoning, read an excerpt here, or check out the cool Browse & Search feature on randomhouse.ca.

*This book was provided for review by the publisher.

**The Reckoning is book #6 for the 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge.

Whew. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks trying to get through the year-end madness at work. I really love that we got a nice four-day weekend right after the insanity this year though. I’m almost fully recovered, and am requesting that they move Easter to the first weekend in April from now on.

It seems I let a few things slide around here in my absence… like the WAGB Book Club selection for April!  I feel awful that we’re already six days in and I haven’t announced the book yet. So, no time like the present to let you know that this month’s Book Club book will be Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus.  Since it was Easter and I’m a little burned out, I decided I wanted something light, fluffy and a little Spring-ish for this month, and what better than tales of Winnie-the-Pooh to bring out the sunny kid in all of us?

I hope all you grown-ups (and self-confirmed big kids) will find your inner child and join us for this little trip back to our youth! Check back at the end of the month for the discussion where we’ll decide if they really did that “Tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff” justice in these new adventures!

Here’s a brief description from Amazon:

It was eighty years ago, on the publication of The House at Pooh Corner, when Christopher Robin said good-bye to Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Now they are all back in new adventures, for the first time approved by the Trustees of the Pooh Properties. This is a companion volume that truly captures the style of A. A. Milne-a worthy sequel to The House at Pooh Corner and Winnie-the-Pooh.

PS – Our top commenters on the discussion will receive a classic Winnie the Pooh bookmark!