Hello, my sweet little things. Have you all been well?

As you all know, All Hallows Eve is coming up. Now, I know what some of you may have been wondering--why hasn't Danielle, the lover of all things horrible and bloody not made a single note over the past few weeks? Well, the answer is simple, dearies--I forgot.

No, not about Halloween. About mentioning it on the blog. See, my birthday is on November 1st--the day after Halloween. So, naturally, I've been so preoccupied of sending lists of books I reallyreallyreally want to my friends and loved ones. Halloween just slipped my mind.

But now, the Cryptkeeper is back, bitches. With gifts!

Here is a list of books up for grabs:





(The Eye of the Storm by Nicholas Wilde)





1st place winner gets their choice of THREE of the above books. Second place gets TWO, and third place gets ONE, as in whatever's left :)

As you can see, nothing really drool-worthy, but hey, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

To enter, you MUST leave a comment with your email or other form of contact on it and you MUST be a follower. Extra entires:

+1 follow on twitter @opinionatedme12
+2 tweet about it
+3 sidebar mention
+5 blog post
+10 comment on every book review I've ever written (I don't really expect anyone to do this, but, you know, it sounds fun...)

Open till Saturday, November first. Good luck!

Title: Impossible

Author: Nancy Werlin

Pages: 376

Where I got it: Wal-Mart

Summary:

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her. And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day. Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old evil?

Inspired by the ballad "Scarborough Fair," Impossible combines suspense, fantasy, and romance.

Lucinda "Lucy" Scarborough is a normal seventeen year old girl. Good friends, athletic, foster parents who love her. She even has a date to the prom. The only abnormality in her life is Miranda, her insane, homeless birth mother.

For as long as she can remember, Lucy's mother has been a shadow hanging over life. Refusing treatment, she comes and goes as she pleases, showing up at the most inopportune times--at Lucy's school, for instance, singing the Simon and Garfunkel ballad, "Scarborough Fair". Usually, Miranda is only a afterthought, like a mild scratch on Lucy's ankle. Until prom night, that is.

Lucy, hand-in-hand with her well-intentioned prom date Gray, Miranda suddenly appears, shrieking nonsense warnings and chucking empty bottles at Lucy and her family. The police are called, Miranda is escorted to a mental institution, and Lucy eventually makes it to prom. But, to make a bad night worse, Lucy is raped by her prom date, who kills himself by running his car into a tree.

Soon, Lucy discovers she's pregnant. And herself and her unborn baby are part of a long-running family of women haunted by a rejected Elfin Knight, cursed to become pregnant at eighteen and go insane shortly after their daughter's birth. They are given three impossible tasks, their only hopes to break the curse--make a seamless shirt, find a patch of land between salt water and sea strand, and plow and sow this land with only a goat's horn and a single drain of corn. None of the Scarborough women have completed these task, all going mad as their mothers before them.

Now, I know what you all must be thinking--that this is a dark, depressing tale of misery and woe. That only tragedy can await you upon opening Impossible. But, surprisingly enough, this isn't the case. In fact, I'd call Impossible one of the most feel-good novels I've ever read.

No, I'm not a sadist. It just isn't a depressing book. Even while dealing with rape and ancient curses, Werlin graces her writing with a certain sense of lightness and comfort, while also keeping things appropriately eery.

For me, however, this was kind of a love/hate book. I loved it in that way you love an old Disney movie, the kind that brings back that sense of romance and love and 'dreams really do come true ya'all!!!'. But, the older you are, the harder it is to ignore the flaws and cheesiness and lack of realism that are just so glaringly obvious you start to wonder if whomever was in charge just gave up and hoped their audience wouldn't notice.

My main tiff with Impossible was Lucy--she didn't come across as a real person to me. The first thing I look for in these sort of things is believability. Do I feel like I know this character? Is this how they would react to this situation? Do I like them? The answer to all of these were a huge, resounding no.

Lucy is perfect--not perfect as in good at everything, perfect as in perfectly behaved. Every parent's dream--works hard, gets good grades, does the sports thing, obedient, polite, beautiful. Not once, during Impossible, has she acted out, or even raised her voice. She's just too perfect for me to like, and maybe that just reflects my personnel preferences, but still. I can't bring myself to enjoy reading about her.

There is a strong romantic undercurrent to Impossible. Zack, the token Childhood Friend Turned Lovah, is one of the most unbelievably sweet fools I've ever read about. In fact, let me make this clear, ladies--let me make this clear, ladies--never marry a man who does not utter these EXACT words:

I loved you for that. I can’t even tell you how much. I’d kill for you. I’d die for you. I’d be happy forever if you’d only smile at me–although, come to think of it, I wish you’d kiss me. I want to hold you; I want to hold me. You are so gorgeous I can hardly believe it. You make me laugh; you make me cry. Nothing matters but you. Nothing matters but you. Nothing matters but you

Hands to yourself, ladies. This ones mine.

Okay, I was wrong about the "undercurrent" thing--romance and family and relationships are the plot here, the three tasks and the curse taking a second seat to Zack and Lucy and her foster parents. I must say, this was quite irritating to me. It felt like they spent five seconds on the so-called focus on Impossible, and everything seemed so unevenly distributed. It's a very hard thing for me to describe, but it was a bit discerning.

Overall, I don't think Impossible is worth all the hype it's gotten over the past few months. While it's definitely a nice weekend read, I wouldn't call it the Next Great American Novel. Worth checking out, though.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Also: cool book trailer:

Title: Angel of Death

Author: J. Robert King

Pages: 413

Summary:

Fear the reaper.

The angel of death in Chicago oversees all people in the megalopolis, making sure their deaths fit their lives. Though most deaths naturally do, those that result from serial murder do not, so the angel spends much time trailing a serial killer in his patch.

On the trail of one such man, he encounters a cop and falls in love with her. When he is assigned to kill her, though, he has to make a choice between divinity and humanity.

Where I Got It: as an official ensign of the Robot Army, it was sent...

My first impression of Angel of Death, based off the back cover, was that it would be another Alphabet Killer-esque Serial-Killer-ZOMGwemustSTOPHIM!!!-mystery. But from the very first chapter, I was proven very, very wrong.

Beginning in the first person conversational narration of the titular Angel of Death, who at first seems like your run-o-the-mill God-Complexed serial killer (with possible daddy issues). But, throughout these first pages, reveals himself as the real-fucking-deal. Not only does he summarize the careers of his latest conquests--in this case, several serial killers within his district--but he gives you information on these men that nobody but a existentially-in-touch paranormal being would know--somebody who can tell a person's life story at first glance. Despite what the back-cover would want you to believe, this is not about the 'gorgeous cop on his [serial killer's] trail'--this plotline is promptly solved before you even reach the 200-page mark. The cop, Donna Leland, is your run-o-the-mill, dedicated, headstrong, sassyindependanttoughasnails detective who donttakenoshit. But wait, she's also secretly fragile and senstitive to the crazy fucks she hunts down--her twin brother, a paranoid schitzophrenic, was institutionalized and killed himself with a lovely makeshift noose of his own shirt before the two reached 18. Also, she's quasi-religious and says Mother of God a lot. So, now you know.

Anywho, at first you think it's going to be a downer ending--the Angel of Death (who, by the way, loves making his jurisdiction riddled with ironic and fitting deaths) only comes across Donna because she and his latest project--perverted, hillbilly, abusedasachild Keith MacFarland--are scheduled to die on the same day. He impersonates himself as a cop to scope her out, only to, within five excurtiatingly purple-prosed minutes, fall in love with her. So, naturally, they get it on.

As it would turn out, through an unfortunate series of events, Angel of Death loses his wings or whatever and becomes of his new, mortal, cop flesh, because of this little transgression. Now, having been in the middle of his Deathly Duties with Keith, everybody thinks he is the serial killer (who's perverted antics one really has to read the book to get), not Keith. This includes His Precious, Donna, who, despite her feelingsofbetrayel, has that whole twinBrother complex and still loves him. And so, to dip into the plot anymore than I already have would be criminally begligant to Your Needs.

What I really didn't like about this book was the cliches that positively littered it. We've discussed the Femal Cop Complex, the Freudian Complex (present in both Donna and Keith), and the Otherwordly Being Falls In Love With Mortal thing. Now, we have incredibly long-winded descriptions of thisandthat, mopetastic name-droppings of the twin brother in Donna's narratives, and a general state of atmospheric depression that is more TwilightTHEMOVIE!!! than Se7en, which I suspect is what King was aiming for, what with the gory desciptions of twisted crime scenes and whatnot.

But, overall, I liked it. While revealing the whole shindig in the first few pages doesn't leave much in the way of mystery, watching the deal unfold for Donna and Company is fine. Their are, naturally, bits of dark humor here and there, and how dark and humorous they are. The characters are, for the most part, well-defined and written. It is a lovely twist on your basic serial-killing urban-fantasy thriller. I'd love to reveal the end for ya'll, but that would be irresponsible parenting. It is very much worth a read.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Also: No offense to anyone, but if she says "Mother of God" one more time, someones getting a beat-down. Just saying. Also, a priest gets decapitated.

Bought:

Can Cameron find what he's looking for?

All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school - and life in general - with a minimum of effort. It's not a lot to ask. But that's before he's given some bad news: he's sick and he's going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure - if he's willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

Bookmooch:

For as long as they can remember, Brendan and Gary have been mercilessly teased and harassed by the jocks who rule Middletown High. But not anymore. Stealing a small arsenal of guns from a neighbor, they take their classmates hostage at a school dance. In the panic of this desperate situation, it soon becomes clear that only one thing matters to Brendan and Gary: revenge.

Review:

Christmas on TV is wilder, weirder, & more wondrous than you think! The Christmas TV Companion is a funny, engaging look beyond the same Christmas specials that air every year to the cult TV rarities, over-the-top
made for TV holiday specials & bizarre, spacey shows that truly expand the notion of “Christmas spirit.” Loaded with pop culture references, this book is sure to please pop aficionados & TV junkies of all stripes. Its remarkable breadth of content covers the far-out gems of yesterday, as well as the irreverent & cutting edge Christmas material of today, from Arthur C. Clarke to South Park, and from Ed Sullivan to Squidbillies. This guide also contains practical examples for enhancing your own Christmas TV viewing.

Time is a funny thing in the hospital. In the mental ward. You lose track of it easily.
After six months in the Maryland Mental Health Unit, Kyra Sellers, a.k.a. Goth Girl, is going home. Unfortunately, she's about to find out that while she was away, she lost track of more than time. Kyra is back in black, feeling good, and ready to make up with the only person who's ever appreciated her for who she really is.
But then she sees him. Fanboy. Transcended from everything he was into someone she barely recognizes. And the anger and memories come rushing back.
There's so much to do to people when you're angry. Kyra's about to get very busy.

Carlotta Ikedi (A.k.a Feddie Girl) has never liked school. Not in California. Not in Oklahoma. When her exasperated parents ship her off to boarding school–in West Africa–Carlotta faces a life, culture, and existence unlike anything she’s ever known.

School rules and regulations, rising bell, lights-out, manual labor, inspections, dining time, prefects, punishments, mean bunkmates, and visiting days–it’s all here. But author Nona David takes Carlotta’s story a step further when her adventure’s lead to unfortunate incidents that threaten to drive her American family into the clutches of infidelity and organized crime.

Boarding school doesn’t get any better than this…

For those who have experienced the boarding school life, the adventures of Feddie Girl will bring those memories crashing back… For anyone else, get ready to see the world as Feddie Girl.

Murder, mystery, and adventure aren’t your typical birthday presents . . .
But for Theo, anything that breaks up his ordinary routine is the perfect gift.
A mysterious “illness” and Theo’s guardians force him into a life indoors, where gloves must be worn and daily medical treatments are the norm. When Theo discovers a suspicious package on his birthday, one person from the past will unlock the secret behind Theo’s “illness” and change his life forever.
Molded into an exhilarating steampunk adventure that gives birth to the next great fantasy hero, Theo Wickland, Candle Man: The Society of Unrelenting Vigilance is the first book in a trilogy by debut author Glenn Dakin.

That's it for me. Til next time, m'luvs.

During my daily Blogger Browsing, whilst skimming through the latest bookish posts, I realized something:

You guys really should be reading something.

Not in the sense that you don't read. You all do, clearly. I mean something as in something new, something you probably haven't even heard of before I came along. One of those books that subtly changed a generation while no body noticed. Something that means more then sparkly vampires and fallen angels and all this nonsense. Something had to be done.

Hence, Books You Really Should Be Reading was born.

Every Friday, you will be greeted from a long week of studies with a new (to you) post about a book that really, truly means something. And I'm not talking Everybody Poops (though you really should be reading it anyway. You know, for the public's sake.)

So, my dears. I introduce to you...

DESOLATION ANGELS by Jack Kerouac



Summary:

The classic novel from the definitive voice of the Beat Generation, Desolation Angels is the story of Kerouac's life just before the publication of On the Road--as told through his fictional self--Jack Duluoz. As he hitches, walks, and talks his way across the world, Duluoz perceives the angel that is in everything. It is life as he sees it.

Why you should be reading it: It's Jack Kerouc, you jackass.

One of his later novels, Kerouc expands on his creation of the Beat generation, one he started with On the Road.

Desolation Angels is a fragmented work, perhaps a return to the epic grandeur of the Great American Novel Kerouac always wanted to write, and away the general subtly and surrealism of On The Road.

I first found Desolation Angels while browsing through Amazon more then a year ago, when I was thirteen and looking for something zomglifechanging. Of course, I didn't find it, but still.

This is not a review. If I wanted to write a review, this wouldn't be Friday. No, this is simply a recommendation. So go, my dears. Go and explore Kerouac like you've (most likely) never dared before!

(Danielle lazily signs off)

Title: Easy

Author: Kerry Cohen Hoffman

Pages: 163

Where I got it: library book sale.

Summary:

Easy. At the ripe young age of fourteen Jessica has discovered that getting the attention she wants is just that -- easy. It's not the attention of a divorced mother who spends all of her time grieving over a broken marriage. Nor is it that of a father with a new girlfriend who's moving on with his life. It's certainly not the attention of a clueless older sister or a best friend since grade school who still acts like she's in grade school. No. For some reason being noticed by her friends and family seems to have become almost impossible. Boys -- and men -- are a different matter altogether. With the right clothes and attitude, Jessica realizes that she can get all the male attention she wants.

What she doesn't realize is how easy it is to get more than you're ready for.

Remember when you were younger, maybe twelve or eleven, and you would be so riveted by anything relating to teh smex that you would venture into your school library and check out that one book that looked even remotely titilating? Remember how you would read the book in two hours on Saturday and then just think about how unrealistic it was, yet you were still intrigued enough to finish it?
That's Easy.

The entire 160 pages just screams "after school special". One long retorical scenerio you get in health. Maybe a tad more detailed then any school would bother with, but still. I wasn't buying it.

Jessica is an Emotionally Distraught Teenager, who feels Unloved (admittedly) Unwanted (admittedly) and Worthless (oh, so admittedly). After her parents divorce (due to the Extramarital Affair), she feels like no one Understands her and, once more, nobody Wants her. So she retreats to two things: photography (healthy) and trolling the freeway for men to honk at her Jailbait-tastic ass (very, very Unhealthy). Why all the Capitalizations, you may be asking yourself. Well, the answer is as simple as the plot: Easy is so, ridiculously formulmatic that it's themes have become diagnoses in themselves. Seriously. Go out and read any book on Teenage Promiscuity and replace all those character names with these character names, and they're the same thing.

Jessica, albeit, is a very well-drawn out character. While it is so motherfucking annoying that she is constantly going on and on and on about how miserable, shameful, and alone she is, it does reflect the way most teenagers feel like they're problems are the center of the universe. I know I, for one, can relate. But then, there's also this hypocricy that's glaringly obvious. She complains that her mother only cares about herself and her problems, yet all Jessica herself does is whine about her life to everyone around her. She complains that her old friend (deemed the "school slut" for...growing boobs...in the fourth grade...or something) is picked on and ignored, but Jessica is doing exactly that. It's just so mind numbing how self-centered she is, how self-righteous but at the same time so pathetically down on herself...ugh. No thank you.

Like I said, this is just the written version of a health video, but there are things to be learned from it: don't have sex till your good and ready, don't tell a twenty year old cashier your eighteen when your not (but, come on, he has a pony tail!) Don't go around the street looking for said Twenty Year Old's Civic and fuck him. Do not tell him your not a virgin. Do not tell him you live at your neighbor's house (when they have twin babies...) so that he goes stalking said neighbor's house in said Civic look for said Eighteen Year Old that is said you, even though you asre in fact said Fourteen Year Old with Self Esteem Issues.

Are we clear?

So, don't go out and spend a bucketful on this baby, because all it can be is that lazy weekend read to pass the hours before you have to go to a party or something. Maybe get it for a curious eleven year old whom you want to scare off of having sex for, like, ever.

Rating: 4--not even meh.

My sister, Erika, wrote a very interesting article about the End of the World Crisis. I just thought someone in the blogesphere might find some amusment in it. Enjoy.

As many of you know, the planet Earth is very sensitive. One might even call it a pussy for it's overreaction to any sort of change. And this goes for civilization--the intelligent and organized life that inhabits Earth--as well. We have set up a system that, yes, works--until the next economic\enviromental anything.

Think of all the things that could horribly dissrupt our carefully built civilization: crop failure, economic depression, supervolcano--yes, that's spelled right--nuclear war, a technological rebellion via superintelligence--again, not a typo--overpopulation, global warming, climate change of any kind, massive tsumnami, ice age, antibiotic resistance, mutual assured destruction, peak oil, experimental accident, global pandemic, famine, fucking terminators, for God's sake!

And that's just organized civilization and\or humanity. Earth itself is threatened from a great many things, not excluding stellar evolution (which predicts that, in about 5 billion years, the sun will become the red giant and literally fart out--but not before burning us all to death), a meteorite collision, alien invasion or annihilation, the opposite of red giant, white dwarf, which would leave earth frozen already before gravitional pulls drag us into said dwarf, black hole ignoring the boundaries of personal space, long-term planitary movement, or, again, nuclear or atomic anything.

I could go on about an apooclypse on the universe. But really, this is exhausting.

Many have put dates on the eventual desruction of the world as we know it. A good number of religions have bet on 2012. Sire Isaac Newton has said that it will be no earlier than 2060. The agricultural effects of ovverpopulation is estimated to make a huge difference around 2050 (granting that the current birth and death rates stay at the same steady pace as is). Transhuman thinkers are varied, but are certain on the existential risks of certain technologies they've created. Apocolypses are popular in popcultures, including zombie, alien, and religous (see Armegeddon).

This isn't, however, a new development in the public eyes. In a poll done SciFi.com, virtually all Americans believed that some sort of doomsday scenario could realistically impact the human race, and that many feel that such a scenario is likely to be man-made. Others believe that a series of chemicaal accidents within the outermost edges of the emptiest space will cause a reverse Big Bang, one that will wipe out itself (itself being the universe).

Douglas Adams, author of the single greatest books series ever--The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy--said that the world will end and start over once the meaning of life was discovered, and that others belive this has already happened.

The end of days has always been of morbid fascination to people. We have created clocks and countdowns to the end by nuclear war. Countless books, movies, and artworks have been dedicated to the subject of the ultimate annihilation. Every dispute between every nation brings us closer and closer to a worldwide final genocide. If the world doesn't agree to disagree, if an equilbrium can't be brought about, man-made mass destruction is immenent. Natural and enviromental causes waver just behind.

What is the only things major religions agree on? Armegeddon. What is the one thing that united Earth in the Watchmen movie? Nuclear bombs on all major cities. The threat of some kind of statistically plausible end both seperates and unites us. Seriously. The only thing that can gets us to shut up and stop fighting like 12-year-olds is total annihilation and death.

Face it--to be educated on our own power just doesn't cut it anymore. Now that aliens and zombies and meteors and weather and total nothingness are in the picture again, it appears that we're screwed no matter what we do and how much we know.

The Doomsday Clock--concerning aforementioned WWIII--is currently at 5 minutes to midnight.

Thank you, Erika, for letting me copyright your ass. Now here's Adam Lambert for 2012:

Title: The Monstrumologist

Author: Rick Yancey

Pages: 434

Where'd I get it: sent from author.

Summary:

These are the secrets I have kept.
This is the trust I never betrayed.

But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets.

The one who saved me...and the one who cursed me.


So begins the journal of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome me find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.

Critically acclaimed author Rick Yancey has written a gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does a man become the very thing he hunts?

Will Henry, orphaned by a fire and left to the hands of Dr. Warthrop, Monstrumologist, awakens one night to find an old graverobber at the door, with a strange and mysterious package for the doctor.

I feel like there should be more to this little summary, but that's all I'm writing. Why? Because there is far too much I want to say about this book to waste time with summaries. That's why.

The first thought I had about the Monstrumologist is how in God's name am I supposed to pronounce that? The second was author insertion! author insertion! The third was snap to! WTF??? But only the fourth one is actually relevant to this post:

so...very...Gothic.

And that's exactly what it is: Gothic. From the scenery to the dark subject matter to the time period, and even to the characters. Everything screams of a young America, taking place in the (fictional?) town of New Jerusalem, in the dark basement of a man who studies monsters. I want to say this is told in the first person, but not until the last fifty or so pages does Will Henry--our protagonist--come in to play as an actual character. The rest, he seems to be just a fly on the wall to the ramblings and manic fits of his master. I suppose this is appropriate--it is, after all, named the Monstrumologist--but I'm kind of a character-driven gal, and there was a lot of info-dumping. Not to say this is a bad thing, but anyone looking for an Emotional Novel should best take their business elsewhere.

Now, for the rest of you:

This book reads like one written in the time period it's told, which is Yancey's biggest accomplishment by-far; a very refined, old-time voice that somehow stays readable for teens is no easy task. While, for those who have never read a Gothic novel, it may be slow-goings, it is definitely entertaining. In fact, I'm going to venture off and say that it is perhaps one of the most technically well-written, modern day novel I've read in quite some time.

Yancey definitely has a world-building quality about his writing that makes you feel like your actually there. His descriptions are so Dracula-style Gothic that it's not hard to believe these are the memoirs of a delusional old man recounting events that are real entirely in his mind (or are they...?).

Again, this is, first and foremost, a plot-driven novel. While there are some honest attempts at character depth thrown in, I was much more interested in the beasts then Will Henry. I guess the doctor is supposed to bridge the gap between monster and human, with his "holyshitimONTOSOMETHING!!" crazes and borderline-neglectful treatment of twelve-year-old Will Henry (who, by the way, your unlikely to forget his name--seriously, it's said about three times a page). It's kind of a co dependant relationship between Will and the doctor. Clearly neither enjoy their company, and it isn't until the last few pages is it evident that they even care for each other, but they both need each other. You know? No? Fine. Moving on.

There are certain times when a character is flash-backing, that's so long (albeit, entertaining) that it could warrant it's own novel. I think these parts are the most interesting, especially one involving a ship and some bored crew members. It perfectly demonstrates the idea that monsters are only monsters because we make them monsters...or that we are, in fact, the monsters.

Getting back to the characters for a moment (making this my most scatter-brained review to date), it's really only Will and Warthrop that stand out. They're co dependence is all at once heartbreaking and amusing. Both, in a way, need one another, but they also despise what the other means to them--to Warthrop, it's a vision of himself and to Will, it's a vision of what he owes. I'll leave it at that, because, goddamnit, I can't get my thoughts straight. Consider this a good thing.

Honestly, when I started the Monstrumologist, I had an entire list of things wrong with it. No emotional depth, no character building, no this, no that. But now that I'm finished with it, looking at it's kickass cover stare up at me beside the keyboard, I can't think of a single thing I would have changed.

Rating: 9 out of 10--close to perfection.

Also: You can check out Yancey's website for some character profiles, as well as some info about his other novels (including the bestselling Alfred Kropp series)

You guys, it's been a good week.

The Bought:

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

The shootings in Pleasant Valley were fifty miles away, but at Central High a grief and crisis counselor is hired, security is increased, and privileges are being taken away.

No one knows why.

If you break the new rules the punishment is severe. And the rules keep changing every day.

School feels like a prison.

It's for their protection, yet fifteen-year-old Tom Bishop and his friends learn that things are far more sinister than they seem. Students and teachers begin disappearing.

There's no way to stop it.

Nationally best-selling and acclaimed author Francine Prose has written a haunting novel about what happens when protection goes too far and what it means to have freedom extinguished -- in the name of safety.

In spring 1970, the artist Ralph Steadman went to America in search of work and found more than he bargained for. He met an ex-Hells Angel, called Hunter S. Thompson who had just shaved his head. Their working relationship resulted in Gonzo and a friendship that lasted for more than thirty years. THE JOKES OVER tells the story of a remarkable collaboration that documented the turbulent years of the Civil Rights movements, the Nixon Years, campaign trails, Watergate and many of the great events that shaped the twentieth century. It is also the story of a friendship and the unique understanding (and betrayals) that existed between them. Few people knew Hunter as well as Ralph Steadman did. In this wonderful memoir, elegaic, bizarre and hilarious, Steadman tells for the first time his story, in words and pictures, of Ralph and Hunter, a great British original on a great American original, Butch and Sundance on acid...

The Borrowed:

At sixteen, Sarah Trestle has a lot going for her. She's cute, funny, and a terrific alto. She's also great behind the wheel, which is why she drives the getaway car. But Sarah T doesn't complain; she loves being part of the best clique in Kalamazoo: The Sarahs.

Sarahs Aberdeen, Babbitt, Cody, and Trestle aren't out to hurt anyone -- they're simply honing their craft. They start off their summer the usual way: interspersing petty crimes with nature walks, crushes, and volunteer work. Of course, everyone knows that a band of criminals is only as strong as its weakest link. When Sarah T botches a shoplifting attempt, her fate in The Sarahs is seriously called into question. And she's willing to do just about anything to prove that she's worthy....

Rachel has finally come to terms with the outrageously unfair fact that her younger sister, Miri, has inherited magical powers from their mom. But now the whole witchcraft thing is spiraling out of control. Mom is a magicaholic, Miri's on a Save the World kick, and the one teeny tiny love spell that Rachel begged for has gone embarrassingly, horribly wrong.

Suddenly, the fate of everything is in Rachel's hands.

Her family.

The world.

Senior prom.

The(paperback)Swapped:

Twelve-year-old Sarah Jane Sarah Jane can refer to:

Models:
Sarah-Jane Dias, an Indian model and veejay; winner of the Femina Miss India World 2007 title
Sarah-Jane Hutt, the fourth delegate of the United Kingdom to win the Miss World pageant in 1983

Otis adores the red cowboy cowboy

Horseman skilled at handling cattle in the U.S. West. From c. 1820, cowboys were employed in small numbers on Texas ranches, where they had learned the skills of the vaquero (Spanish: “cowboy”). boots her daddy gave her They fit perfectly and give her a sense of safety and comfort in what has turned out to be pretty intense place to be--kept safely away from her father and his drinking and abuse. Sarah and her long-abused mother devise a plan to escape, and together with her younger sister they head out on an adventure that sounded good at the time it was being plotted. But Sarah finds herself not only away from her father, but also away from everything she has ever loved and deep in shame for living in the only place her mother could afford--a motel. Picked on at her new school, and with the good changes her mother promised not coming quickly enough, Sarah is torn between love for her father and facing the truth that he is dangerous. She convinces herself he has changed and tries to get back to the man who gave her the beautiful red boots.

Some people would say this is the story of a photograph. How it was taken, and what happened to me after the whole world saw it.

And it is.

But it's also the story of a lot of other things. A boy so beautiful he's like a punch to the throat. Best friends-;the outrageous old ones and the out-of-the-blue new. It's about fishnets and eyebrow rings and a chick named Hamlet. Kick lines at lumberyards and conga lines at the prom. Crying in cars and gazing at stars. Mistakes, misunderstandings, and misconceptions. Good girls, bad boys, and everyone in between.

This is a story about love.

So look at the picture all you want.

I am so much more than what you see.

The Mooched:

W

hat happens on the afternoon of October 1 came to be known as the Pulse, a signal sent though every operating cell phone that turns its user into something...well, something less than human. Savage, murderous, unthinking-and on a wanton rampage. Terrorist act? Cyber prank gone haywire? It really doesn't matter, not to the people who avoided the technological attack. What matters to them is surviving the aftermath.

Before long a band of them "normies", that's is how they think of themselves, have gathered on the grounds of Gaiten Academy, where the headmaster and one remaining student have something awesome and terrifying to show them on the school's moonlit soccer field. Clearly there can be no escape. The only option is to take them on.

The Reviewed:

The best holiday traditions are meant to be broken.

It's only December 1, and Vanessa Clayton has been dreading Christmas since she spotted tinseled trees at her local mall in September. Thankfully, she and her husband, JT, can't afford to drag their twin boys across the country to New England for the annual celebration at her stuffy sister-in-law Patience's home. Not that Vanessa has prepared a proper Christmas for her family in years, and she has less time than ever since she agreed to consult on the script of a local play. Her older sister, Thea, is no help -- she'd rather make art and flirt with surfers than babysit her nine-year-old nephews. Then Patience drops a holiday stress bomb: Her family will come to California instead.

In between "baking" cinnamon rolls for the school potluck and overbearing Patience testing her patience, Vanessa can't stop thinking about the difficult but charming playwright at work. Meanwhile, Patience's teenage daughter, Libby, obsesses over a college boy she has met by the pool, and Thea searches desperately for the meaning of Christmas -- for her latest installation, of course. As their holiday plans go comically awry, these four women discover the true spirit of the season is hidden in every festive surprise.

In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska’s ice. Thus was Dr. Blue’s Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born.

But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of gas—dubbed the Blight—that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead.

Sixteen years later, a massive wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it in what is known as the Outskirts, lives Blue’s widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history.

Zeke’s quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive...

A teenage boy.A dark wizard.A mystic scroll. And the fate of a world hangs in the balance. . . When Alex “the Axeman” Logan is pulled from his world to help young princess Dara save her kingdom from the Shadow Lord, he thinks there has been a mistake. He’s a teen guitar player close to failing 11th grade, not some defender of the realm. All he has are some school books, his wits, and his love of fantasy movies. Overnight his life is history. Alex must confront the Shadow Lord and his minions when he is thrust into a land that has changed from a magical paradise to a barren, hopeless, helpless realm invaded by a dark army. But Alex is not alone. He has the help of Dara, a magic scroll, and a band of unlikely companions drawn from his own history books: a hardened Roman Legionnaire, a swift Japanese Samurai, a mighty African Warrior, a fiery Amazon Archer, and a spirited Shaolin Monk. Can Alex become more than he believes and lead his small band of Defenders to the Hall of Shadows, the birthplace of the Shadow Lord? The fate of the realm and everyone in it rests on him.

Once, all power in the Vin Lands was held by the prince-mages, who alone could craft spellwines, and selfishly used them to increase their own wealth and influence. But their abuse of power caused a demigod to break the Vine, shattering the power of the mages. Now, fourteen centuries later, it is the humble Vinearts who hold the secret of crafting spells from wines, the source of magic, and they are prohibited from holding power.

But now rumors come of a new darkness rising in the vineyards. Strange, terrifying creatures, sudden plagues, and mysterious disappearances threaten the land. Only one Vineart senses the danger, and he has only one weapon to use against it: a young slave. His name is Jerzy, and his origins are unknown, even to him. Yet his uncanny sense of the Vinearts' craft offers a hint of greater magics within -- magics that his Master, the Vineart Malech, must cultivate and grow. But time is running out. If Malech cannot teach his new apprentice the secrets of the spellwines, and if Jerzy cannot master his own untapped powers, the Vin Lands shall surely be destroyed.

In Flesh and Fire, first in a spellbinding new trilogy, Laura Anne Gilman conjures a story as powerful as magic itself, as intoxicating as the finest of wines, and as timeless as the greatest legends ever told.

If you lost someone you loved, what would you pay to bring them back from the dead?

Old Marsh, the gardener at Belerion Hall, warned the Villiers girl about the old ruins along the sea-cliffs. “Never go in, miss. Never say a prayer at its door. If you are angry, do not seek revenge by the Laughing Maiden stone or at the threshold of the Tombs. There be those who listen for oaths and vows….What may be said in innocence becomes flesh and blood in such places.”

She was born Iris Catherine Villiers. She became Isis.

From childhood until her sixteenth year, Iris Villiers wandered the stone-hedged gardens and the steep cliffs along the coast of Cornwall near her ancestral home. Surrounded by the stern judgments of her grandfather-the Gray Minister-and the taunts of her cruel governess, Iris finds solace in her beloved older brother who has always protected her.

But when a tragic accident occurs from the ledge of an open window, Iris discovers that she possesses the ability to speak to the dead…

Be careful what you wish for…it just may find you.

When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.

Yes, my dumblings. It has been a good week.

So, what'd you guys get?

Well, you guys. It's finally happened. I knew this day would come, just as surely as the sun would set and the Florida prison inmates would buttfuck each other in the corner of their crap-covered cells.

I have received...hate mail.



I know, I know. Would could I have possibly done to deserve such nastiness? Such bitchiness? Such...stupidness?

The answer is...I don't know.

I think I should just post the offending transcript:

dear DANNIE,

fu. where do you get Off thinking yur so amazing? ur getting all these fucking ARC copies for review you only have 130 followers!! where do you come off getting all these ARCs when you've only been blogging 4 months? WTF is ur problem? have you ever thought about the rest of us who actually have to PAY for our books, whil your getting them for free?! your reviews suck and i have no effing idea why authors or publishers or ANYBODY would want yuo to even READ them, let alone give them to you free!

unlike you, i work hard on my own blog (which im not going to tell you) and pay for all of my books. wen publishers ask me to review their books, i decline, becuz i know that review copies cost money the authors dont have and i choose to buy the books with everbody else! your just selfish for taking money away from these poor authors and books away from honest readers who blog because they love to read, not just for free books! you obviously don;t even like to read, with the sarcasm in your revewing tone and how you always focus on the negative aspects of a book instead of just enjoying it for what it is! your just a stupid, idiotic poser who should be focusing on schoolwork (ms D average freshman) instead of wasting your good years complainging about books you recieve for free. you obviously dont have much of a social life and are trying to vent your angers onto your readers, which just isnt fair!

next time you decide to steal a book from somone, id suggest you take a good hard look at yurself and decide where your lfie is going!

hatefully yours,

T

So...um...wow.

T...dear, sweet, moronic T. I apologize if I've...erm...offended you in any way. Needless to say, what you've written is hurtful and in desperate need of spellcheck, but I will try to respond in a manner appropriate for the intelligence level you have demonstrated.

FUCK YOU!

Seriously, though. Everything you have said is so completely out of line I don't know where to begin. Number one--I am, in no way, shape, or form, stealing anything from anybody. Yes, I do only have about 130 followers and, yes, I have had this blog for a little under four months, but that does not mean I don't work for the followers and readers I do have and it in no way means I write this blog for the free books. Yes, I do enjoy the free books--what schmuck wouldn't?--but I did not start this blog just so I could get them. I do not think I'm amazing in any way. I think I'm just a kid writing down my thoughts for books I liked or didn't like. And I have no idea why anybody would give me free books either, but they do, and, again, it does not mean I'm stealing them. And, yes, I have thought about those who have to pay for their books--I am one of them. I have been one of them since I was seven years old, and I intend to stay one of them until the day every book in the world has been burned and fed to three eyed demons from the underworld.

I have no doubt, T, you work hard on your own blog. I believe anyone who takes the time to create a blog spends many hours making it nice and pretty and approachable. And that's fine that you decline ARC offers--your choice, not mine. If the opportunity to read a good book comes along, I take it. Sorry if that makes me a thief, but there it is. And the "sarcasm" in my "tone" (is this true, readers?) by no means I do not like reviewing books. It means I am a sarcastic person with sarcastic thoughts (though it is probably just a coping mechanism for the inner pain I feel 'cause I wasn't hugged as a child *sarcasm*).

As for me focusing on the negative--this isn't intentional. Well, maybe it is. I'm on of those people who believes something is as bad as it's worse quality, and it that makes my reviews seem negative...well, there are plenty of blogs out there who focus on the positive. Read one of them.

Now, as far as the whole "social life" concept goes--the gloves are coming off, bitch. I do, in fact, have a social life. If I didn't have a social life I'd be you, sending misspelled hate letters to poor, defenseles teenage girls (that'd be me). If you wanna get technical, if I had no life, I'd be dead. So why don't you put that on a dick and suck it, you shitcake.

*sigh*

There.

Much better.

So, what say you, dear reader, on this matter? Any hate mail stories you'd like to share? Comforting words to little ol' me who, despite the tough exterior, is secretly crying inside?

Seriously though, you guys, if I come across bitchy, it's a complete accident and I don't mean it. It stings to hear someone call me out on things I wasn't even aware I did, and if you have any constructive critism or something for me, feel free. And any not so constructive critism for dear T would also be welcome.

Let the flames commence.

Title: Vacations From Hell

Authors: Libbra Bray, Cassandra Clare, Claudia Gray, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Mlynowski

Pages: 280

Summary:

Life's a beach . . . and then you're undead?

In this must-have collection, five of today's hottest writers—Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Claudia Gray (Evernight), Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), and Sarah Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks)—tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. Lost luggage is only mildly unpleasant compared to bunking with a witch who holds a grudge. And a sunburn might be embarrassing and painful, but it doesn't last as long as a curse. Of course, even in the most hellish of situations, love can thrive. . . .

From light and funny to dark and creepy, these stories have something for everyone. You definitely won't want to leave this collection at home!

I picked this one up on a whim from a Borders 20% off sale and, since it was my monthly Three Book Weekend, I thought I'd give it a shot.

"Cruisin'" by Sarah Mlynowski

Liz and Kristin are on a 4-day graduation cruise, with one goal in mind--lose Kristin's virginity. But things go awry once they learn of a series of vampire attacks on numerous cruise ships...

When I read anthology's such as these, I tend to notice the first story is always the worst. Vacations From Hell was no exception.

The writing was just so...shallow. I have never read anything by Sarah Mlynowski, though I do own her Bras a Broomsticks novel (never got around to it), so maybe this is just her style of writing. And, even though its a short story, I felt the characters were so one-demensional, and there were so many trite details it was like reading a fifth grader's English class assigment. It kind of has an Evernight like twist at the end--whoever's read that book knows what I mean--but it's so poorly executed I was left with more questions then answers. If you decide to read Vacations, you should probably skip this one.

Rating: 4/10

"I Don't Like Your Girlfriend" by Claudia Gray

Evernight author Claudia Gray delivers one of the lighter titles of the anthology, starring Cecily as a young witch going on her family's annual coven meeting at their beach house. Since witches are not allowed to tell any men about their existence, the coven must practice their magic while keeping their fathers, husbands, brothers and sons in the dark. These trips are never fun for Cecily--her archenemy, Kathleen, makes sure of that.

But when Kathleen brings her new boyfriend on the trip, Cecily notices something is amiss. But can she uncover Kathleen's secret while still mantaining the laws of witchcraft?

This one was just plain adorable. While Gray isn't exactly Jane Austen, she does have a sweet touch to her descriptions and dialogue.

Rating: 7/10

"The Law of Suspects" by Maureen Johnson

My love for Maureen Johnson knows no bounds.

Undoubtedly my favorite of the collection, Law of the Suspects features Charlotte and her psych student sister Marylou on a trip to Paris to visit their cousin Claude. Stranded in rural France with only a mysterious housekeep for company, the girls begin to grow suspicious of their cousin's whereabouts and their neighbor's unearthly behavior. Especially when Catherine is told by their zombie-like neighbor the story of "The Law of Suspects"--a time in the Reinessense when anyone even remotely suspected as a criminal were jailed and executed. But this story turns out to be more then a morbid conversations starter...it's a curse.

Holyfuckingshit, this one is so damn good. Aside from some really out-of-place, gratuitious make-out sessions, "The Law of Suspects" is absolutly perfect. One of the few stories I've read where I actually have no clue what's going to happen.

There's a lot of funny bits in "Suspects"--such as this little tidbit, when Charlotte is describing the lack of entertainment in their villa:

There were also some board games and a television with antennae and no cable that got only one station, which showed only American cartoons dubbed into French, mostly Bob l'eponge, who lived in a pineapple under the sea.

I don't know. I laughed.

Rating: 9/10

"The Mirror House" by Cassandra Clare

Another strong one, and Clare once again delivers beautiful scenery and a relatable heroine.

Violet and Evan are newly dubbed step-siblings with an awkard romantic tension, their parents newlyweds who seem more an like old bickering couple, Evan's father Phillip a controlling, short-tempered sleaze. Every night Viola is lulled to sleep by the sounds of her mother and Phillip arguing, and she struggles with her feelings for Evan.

On a trip to the beach, the two meet the beautiful Mrs. Palmer, who leads Evan away with a suspicious request to fix her car.

Evan comes back hours later, pale and somehow empty. Violet must uncover the truth behind Mrs. Palmer before it's too late.

Cassandra Clare is definetly a top-notch writer (top-notch, listen to me) and, though the ending was pretty obvious, it was a fun read.

"Nowhere is Safe" by Libba Bray

Nothing I can say would not spoil you, so I'll just get down to the basic.

It's kind of like a Blair Witch Project thing, a boy talking to the camera recounting the events that have occured, which basically is the story. Interesting and chilling, "Nowhere is Safe" is a wonderful conclusion to Vacations from Hell.

Hannah Moskowitz is the author of the bestselling YA novel, Break, about a boy on a mission to break every bone in his body. I was lucky enough to score an interview with Hannah about inspirations, writing and...twitter.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to talk with me about your novel, Break. Let's start with some basics: what got you into writing?

As a child, I used to write to make myself feel more comfortable. I switched schools between first and second grade, and I remember being scared my first day and sitting by myself and writing a story. It was always a coping mechanism, and later it became a little more.

How'd you come up with the idea for Break?

I wish I had an interesting story. I knew I wanted to write something about a guy on a bizarre mission. One evening I went to see Into The Wild with my best friend, and I started thinking about that image of Chris McCandless, surrounded by food he couldn't eat. And that night the idea just hit me.

On your website, you say your books feature "brothers, sexual ambiguity, and babies, but not cancer." Explain?

And I just wrote a book with cancer in it, too, damn. (Don't worry, it's a bit part). I feel like "issue" books are really fond of cancer. "Cancer" in YA novels is basically shorthand for "someone brave who is going to die" and I get a little bored of it. And of course that's exactly what I used it for. I'm going to go back in edits and make that character get hit by a bus or something.

And almost all of my books have brothers and sexual ambiguity...BREAK is a little short on the second, just because I thought there was enough going on without Jonah running around wondering who he was attracted to.

Was it hard writing about not only a self-destructive protagonist, but also a male?

I always write boys, so that wasn't a stretch for me. I have a much easier time with boys. And writing a self-destructive character was surprisingly easy. I think it's harder to write characters who are sad and don't do anything about it.

Was it difficult getting published at such a young age?

Mmm...I don't think anymore than it is for people who aren't young. I went through exactly the same channels--query letters, partials, fulls, requests, rejection, agent, more rejection, book deal. I followed the process to a T. I just got very, very lucky and got all the way through to the book deal bit. There are so many talented writers out there who haven't gotten that far yet--and a bunch who have, too. Young and old both.

Are your characters based off of people in your own life?

My general answer is no, but...yes. Ha. The characters are very very different from the real people, but a few of them were inspired by people in my life.

What/whom are your primary influences?

Chuck Palahniuk, John Irving, John Green, Ned Vizzini, Nick Hornby, Hilary McKay, Joyce Sweeney, Stephen Chbosky, David Levithan, Albert Camus.

What's next for you?

More books! The next one, INVINCIBLE SUMMER, is coming out sometime in Spring 2011, from Simon Pulse just like BREAK. Don't know yet if it's going to be a hardcover or a paperback, we shall see. And after that, there's another one coming, but I have no idea what or when that will be. Stay tuned. I know I am.

And in the meantime, I'm writing like a mad woman, like always.

One book, one movie, one TV show--Go!

You would not believe how long this question took me.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Fight Club, Queer As Folk

Sell your book over Twitter (140 characters or less!)

A boy is on a mission to break all his bones. (On reflection, that was way to easy)

Any advise for aspiring authors?

Keep writing. Keep selling your writing like it is sex on legs, because no one's going to believe it unless you make them. And keep getting better, because once you have people watching you better have something to show them.

Thank you so much for the interview, and I can't wait to see what you have in store!

Thanks for hosting me!

Hannah Moskowitz is somewhere in the eighteen-to-nineteen age range, unless you read this significantly after she wrote it. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with far too many cats, a sister (sometimes), and several teenage boys on her couch (always). She's afraid of escalators. Her books generally feature brothers, sexual ambiguity, and babies, but not cancer. She hates camping, is a picky eater, and was therefore a very terrible Girl Scout. She's a Literary Arts major at Brown University. She likes milk more than water. Summer more than winter. Blue more than red. Love more than hate.

You can catch Hannah's novel, Break, wherever books are sold! (you have no idea how long I've wanted to say that...)

Title: Break

Author: Hannah Moskowitz

Pages: 262

Summary:

The first feeling is exhilaration.
The second feeling is pain.
The feeling that never comes is regret.

Jonah is on a mission to break every bone in his body. Everyone knows that broken bones grow back stronger than they were before. And Jonah wants to be stronger—needs to be stronger—because everything around him is falling apart. Breaking, and then healing, is Jonah's only way to cope with the stresses of home, girls, and the world on his shoulders. This is the story of his self-destructive spiral, his rock-bottom moment, and how he finally learns to accept help and find true strength through recovery.

The thing is with books such as these (self-destructive feel-good one-sitters) is that there is always the chance that all it will involve is angst and crying and whining and crying and self-revelation and more crying and zomg we all feel sooo much better! Especially when they involve boys and brothers, for an authors insane need to make their boys all sensitive and shit. So I picked up Break with hesitation, prepared for disapointment.

Where did I get this book: the store.

And, I'm thrilled to say, this disapointment did not come.

Break begins as such:

The first feeling is exhilaration.

My arm hits the ground. The sound is like a mallet against a crab.

Pure fucking exhilaration.

Along with his trusty camera women Naomi, Jonah embarks on a mission: break every bone in his body. Falling, slipping, crashing--each time more violent then the last, each break bringing him one step closer to being 'healed'.

I'm just going to get this out there right now; the kids fucked up. His brother Jesse, a year and half younger, is basically allergic to air, more then likely to break into hives at any given moment. His eight month old little brother literally won't stop crying, and with him in the house Jesse can only get worse (milk allergy + breast feeding child=you know what). His parents who really, really should be divorced have decided the best alternative is having said baby. He can't eat without worrying what might set his brother off. He can't think without his other brother wailing across the hall. The only thing he can control is where and when his bones break. Which is...bad.

This takes the old "emotional pain into physical pain" teen cliche and makes it into something completly uncliche. When people thing of self-mutilation, they think of dark haired, pale teenage girls cutting their wrist. Break takes a far needed look at the "macho" side of self harm. The author, who I understand to be a teenager herself (see website), does a refreshing job at creating a real teen voice, instead of the "teen voice" older authors image teens to have. There's lots of cursing and blood and emotion and breakdowns and all them good stuff I know we all secretly love.

Jonah was a wonderfully drawn out character. Though I wasn't crazy about how easily he broke down in a certain therapy session (or in general) it's so easy to see where he's coming from and why he does what he does. I loved his relationship with all the characters, especially Designated Love Interest Charlotte and, of course, Jesse. Naomi I wasn't crazy about, and I can't say I was happy with how their relationship turned out, but I digress. This is without a doubt a character-centric book, one that takes the entire premise and miraculously makes it seem like a sidenote. And, I'll say it again, so very angsty.

Another thing that set Break apart from other YA books is the relationship between Jonah and Jesse. You hear a book involves brothers, you immediatley get this image in your head--protective older brother, destructive younger brother, lots of lovin', lots of cryin', lots of angst, lots of "I'm always here for you!" nonsense. But it's never in the point of view of the older brother. It's never the older brother who's the self-destructive one. It's never an instance where both of the brothers are killing themselves trying to protect the other one. It's never an instance where both of the goddamn brothers have deadly issues. It's either one or the other. A very fine point for Break.

Overall, I lovedlovedloved Break. The plotting was a bit off, some things probably needed to be dwelled on a bit longer. But this is a heart breaking (pun so completly intended), character driven novel that will no doubt leave you completly satisfied.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Also: Don't break your bones. It hurts. XD

Welcome to an all new In My Mailbox. As usual, this meme was created by Kristi at the Story Siren. But first, I'd like to announce some winners:

The winner of Flawless is...



Falling Off the Shelf!

...and the winner of Cleopatra's Daughter (plus an Egyption pen!) is...



Donna!

(thanks to random.org)

Congrats! I've emailed you for your snail mails, but if you don't get it please email me at danielleeloko78@aol.com. Lemme make this clear:

If you do not send me your address within 48 hours of me emailing you, I will pick another winner.

Anyway, let's get back to the gooden's.

Contest:

I was lucky enough to win The Way Home by George Pelecanos from Jennifer at Crazy For Books.



And, dear readers, may I get a HELL YEAH?



Here's the tshirt:





(note: The camera really does add ten pounds. Damn.)

And here's my copy :)



Thank you SciFiChick!

Anyway.

Amazon:



Review:







Also, YA novelist Anastasia Hopcus, who's upcoming debut Shadow Hills is set for release 2010, sent me a nice little swag pack, featuring some purdy bookmarks, and my favorite obbsession, PINS!



(alright, I ain't no prize, but...come on. What is with the horrible pictures this week?)

In other news:

The sixth installment in my favorite guilty pleasure, the Maximum Ride series, now has a cover. It's called FANG (I'm assuming to play with the title of the previous, MAX)



Now, the covers cool, but I'm not crazy about the title. I really liked the play-name that was going around, "The Sky is Falling." You?