Tag: books

book club

BOOK HUNGRY: making waves

abby mumford

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, karla nellenbach, vanessa noble, alyson peterson, cynthia reese, elizabeth ryann, and myself. here’s the deal. we pick a book to read. we discuss via email. we post a review on our individual blogs on the same day (3rd thursday of the month). we link to each other. done. i know, genius. click on each one of their names (above) and it’ll take you to their review. browse. enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is: 

MAKING WAVES by Tawna Fenske


what it’s about from amazon: When Alex Bradshaw’s unscrupulous boss kicks him to the curb after 20 faithful years as an executive with the world’s largest shipping company, he sets out to reclaim his dignity and his pension. Assembling a team of fellow corporate castoffs, he sails to the Caribbean to intercept an illegal diamond shipment. None of them counted on quirky blonde stowaway Juli Flynn, who has a perplexing array of talents, a few big secrets, and an intoxicating romantic chemistry with Alex…

my opinion: i have an issue with expectations because of this thing i call my imagination. it tends to hype things up so much that i’m usually left disappointed. i’m happy to announce i have found a cure.

its name is tawna fenske.

after spending the last year or so stalking following her blog and interacting with her on twitter, i was prepared for her debut novel, MAKING WAVES, to be funny, charming, believable, sexy, hilarious, and silly. it was all of those things and MORE, oh so much more. in fact, the only reason i put down the book was because i was laughing so hard it was shaking so much that if i continued to read, i’d probably have gotten seasick. (juli, stop being my role model!)

in movies and books, there’s usually a certain formula that keeps the main couple apart so the tension has time to mount to agonizing levels, however, the reasons keeping them separate tend to be far fetched and unbelievable. not so for Juli and Alex in MAKING WAVES. the distractions, motivations, and circumstances that pull these two apart (and push them back together again) are valid, completely realistic (albeit outrageous) and aren’t there just to up the page count.

i don’t claim to know much about the romance genre, but i have a feeling that tawna fenske is to rom-com as katy perry is to pop music. (i feel justified in making this claim because i saw the VH1 behind the music about katy perry which therefore makes me an expert.) both katy and tawna had bumpy roads to stardom/publication, but once on the scene, we all wonder how we survived without her catchy pop songs/hilariously saucy books.

yes, this is me predicting tawna’s gonna hit it big. and this is me thanking the publishing people for finally(!) bringing us her books.

and a THANK YOU to tawna herself for making time to chat with four of us Book Hungries. on monday night, tawna, patty, elizabeth, kelly and i had a conference call where we discussed our favorite scenes, the crazy characters, her inspirations, her research, and her continued publication path, in addition to her passing along some stellar blogging advice. you better believe all of the above included her usual brand of sassy honesty. suffice it to say, tawna is as cool as juli is smart. (if you’ve read the book, you’ll totally get that analogy. if you haven’t read the book yet [why ever not? GO READ IT], you probably won’t properly appreciate my wittiness, but being misunderstood is all part of being a writer, right? or, hmm, is that just when you’re a rock star?)

anyways, the moral of this blog post: READ THIS BOOK. read it if you don’t like romance. read it if you do. read it if you’re cranky. read it if you’re happy. read it if you’re 89. read it if you’re 8, WAIT, no, ask your parents first.

okay, this gushing has taken a turn for the weird so i’m just going to say this one last thing: this book is a super fine display of comedy, plotting, characterization, and romance.

*places book on pedestal.*

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book club

BOOK HUNGRY: the beyonders

abby mumford

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, karla nellenbach, vanessa noble, alyson peterson, cynthia reese, elizabeth ryann, and myself. here’s the deal. we pick a book to read. we discuss via email. we post a review on our individual blogs on the same day (3rd thursday of the month). we link to each other. done. i know, genius. click on each one of their names (above) and it’ll take you to their review. browse. enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is: 

THE BEYONDERS by Brandon Mull


what it’s about from amazon: the first book in a new series (Beyonders), A World Without Heroes is an addictive blend of fantasy, humor, and heroic quest. Jason is an ordinary 13-year-old involuntarily transported to Lyrian, a world ruled by the evil wizard Maldor. Jason stumbles across a book bound with human skin and learns of a secret word with the power to unmake Maldor–knowledge that puts Jason in grave danger. Galloran, a blind king who once searched for the word himself, introduces Jason to Rachel, another Beyonder (as people from Earth are called) who had appeared in Lyrian at the same time. Jason and Rachel set out to retrieve the word, and the resulting pages are filled with adventure, drama, loyalty and betrayal—a treat for fans of Mull’s Fablehaven series or those discovering this bestselling author for the first time.

my opinion: i have very mixed feelings about this book because while the latter half of the book picked up, it starts off slow. i was fortunate enough to know this before i started reading (my fellow book hungry gals are faster readers than me), so i was prepared to chug through the beginning, where the humor felt forced, the narrator’s voice seemed ages older than an eighth grader should be, and characters conveniently showed up whenever jason was in peril. it wasn’t until i reached about 250 pages in that i stopped reading every. single. word. and started living the adventure with jason and rachel. their interactions were more realistic and charming, the humor erupted from the story, and when jason took charge, and i believed it.

but then the ending arrived and it wasn’t so much the end of the book as it was a pause in the story. the only author who i’ll let get away with this is patrick ness and his CHAOS WALKING trilogy, so yeah, i wasn’t a fan of this stopping where it did. however, even after all my original misgivings, i AM curious to see where book 2 takes these characters…

join us next month as we read MAKING WAVES by tawna fenske. it’s her debut novel and we’ve all gotten to know her via twitter and her blog, so we know it’s going to be a PARTY!!!

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feelings

goodbye, potter

abby mumford

last night, i saw the final film of the HARRY POTTER series. it marks the end of an era, not just for Rowling and the actors and everyone else involved in the making of the movies, but for the audience — the viewers and readers. as Jo Rowling herself said at the british premiere of HP 7.2, “no story lives unless someone wants to listen, so thank you to you all.”

the beauty and magic of a book or a poem or a movie or a song is that once the artist has created it and releases it into the world, it becomes ours as we read/listen/watch it with glasses colored by our own life experiences.

these books by Rowling have definitely become my own. (you too?) i discovered these books the summer i was 19 and sister E was 8. (she was quite the advanced reader.) i have this vivid memory of sneaking into her room to pull them off her shelves while she wasn’t looking. i read and read and read, but i never remembered turning the pages or seeing the sunshine move across the sky or doing anything but gallivanting across hogwarts with harry, ron, and hermione. my mom would call me for dinner and i’d look up from the pages and blink, confused, because i was in my room in NJ and not somewhere in england. after i finished the first three books, i was devastated because i wanted more magic and i wanted it now, but unfortunately, i had to wait.

and while i waited for the next books to be published a funny thing happened. the books broke down barriers — of the imagination, but more importantly, of genres. they made it acceptable for adults to read YA. this was a BIG moment for me because i’ve always enjoyed reading YA books more than the age appropriate books i “should” be reading. with their freshness and humor and awkwardness and pain and plot and voice and figuring out how they fit into the world surrounding them and figuring out their own powers…i understand YA books. growing up is hard, but it’s something i remember acutely because, heck, i’m still experiencing and doing and feeling it even now despite the fact i should be done with all that. Jo gave us the go ahead to read YA and with that, i was finally able to embrace it wholeheartedly. i admited to myself (and thus the world) that this was my genre. Jo made it cool, and for that, i thank her. (not that i wouldn’t have embraced YA without her help, but maybe not as publicly…)

but back to my original point. with the release of the final movie, it seems like we’ve finally reached the end, but WAIT, not so because the stories live on in us, her audience, whether we are re-reading the books, re-watching the movies, or sharing the books with kids who are now old enough to read them (hello, niece M!). these stories (and all stories for that matter) continue to live and breathe and cast their spells on us muggles.

is there anyone who’s had that type of influence on YOU? a teacher? actor? director? author? mentor? coach? who gave you the courage to embrace your truest self?

p.s. since we’re talking all things Rowling, have you heard or read the transcript of her commencement speech at harvard’s 2008 graduation? i was there (as a guest, not as a graduate. i wish!) and as usual, Jo’s words have a way of leaving the rest of us speechless.

general

sugar lips

abby mumford

when you hear the nickname “sugar lips”, you’d probably turn around and flip off the person who called you that. unless you actually HAD sugar lips, in which case, you’d probably nod your head at the truth of the statement. unless you were a zombie and if you nodded, your head fell off. then you’d have to figure out where your head rolled to. and you’d have to do so by flailing your arms around because (as you well know) you’ve now lost your sight, taste, hearing, and scent senses and are only left with touch. and then, provided you found it, you’d have to reattach your head using some sort of zombie voodoo because by this point, you’d be hungry again and brains are not that easy to come by.

“what’s this all about?” you ask, delicately refraining from adding, “sugar lips.”

they say you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but when your cover looks like this, how can you not?

my judgement? evocative.

i confess i don’t know much about zombies, nor do i know how they’d get lips like those especially since i always assumed they ate brains; brains which are more gelatinous matter than sugar crystals…but what’s my point? this cover? this book? I WANT. i want it like a football player wants a touchdown or a tackle (position depending). i want it like a zombie wants brains. i want it like kate grable wants the antidote.

(see what i did there? i made clever plot references. read here for a full book description.)

fortunately, i don’t have to wait much longer as it’s being unleashed in the wild on JULY 12, but while we wait a little bit longer, the author, carrie harris is having a contest. here’s the post where she details the rules. basically she’s asking her “readers” (i use the term loosely because we haven’t read her work yet so in reality, we’re her future readers. hey cool, i’m coming to you live from the future!) to spread the news about the book’s imminent release. so consider yourself updated and make sure to go to the bookstore on or around JULY 12 to get this book before it gets you because when dealing with zombies, it’s always better to strike first.

(also, you should click the link because her website is beyond amazing.) (and also, ALSO, you’re going down, Breakey. this contest is mine!)

and just in case a zombie apocalypse happens before TUESDAY JULY 12, i’m headed to the nearest candy shop to buy the biggest sugar crystals and coating my lips in them because if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em and if you’re too wimpy to beat ’em and too scared to join ’em, it’s best to try to blend in.

how’s my camouflage?

p.s. no, that is not me. i wish i teeth like that. all the better to eat you with.

wait, wrong story.

book club

BOOK HUNGRY: kiss of snow

abby mumford

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, karla nellenbach, vanessa noble, alyson peterson, cynthia reese, elizabeth ryann, and myself. here’s the deal. we pick a book to read. we discuss via email. we post a review on our individual blogs on the same day (3rd thursday of the month). we link to each other. done. i know, genius. click on each one of their names (above) and it’ll take you to their review. browse. enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is:

KISS OF SNOW by Nalini Singh


what it’s about from amazon: Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules-and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home-and the alpha who is its heartbeat.

my opinion: uh, yeah. you can judge this book by its cover. HOT. it’s a shame i was too far down the waiting list at the library and so had to order it on my kindle app on my phone and thus, didn’t get to see the cover. the things i do for BOOK HUNGRY.

anyways, this story was pretty great. i thought singh handled the main relationship with a finesse you don’t see very often, (i say boldly because i’m not widely read in the romance area.) sienna is young in age (and in love), but has lived an extraordinarily difficult life up til now and so is mature beyond her years. when faced with the grand, but sometimes daunting, romance with the leader of the changeling wolf pack, she embraces it, but doesn’t discredit her occasional fear. it rang very true for me that she’d have a bit of hesitation when faced with an all consuming love with a man who is a powerful, dedicated, and busy leader. she took the time to figure out how she’d fit into hist heart and his life. it was a more practical approach than i’d seen before, and i liked it! it was a lot of fun to see their relationship unfold.

in other areas of discussion, this book is a later one is a series, of which i haven’t read any. it made for a great study in sequels because i know it’s always a challenge for an author to decide how much information s/he should incorporate from the previous novels. for dedicated readers of the series, too much information is boring, but there needs to be enough backstory so that readers who are new to the series won’t get lost. as for this specific book? singh did a decent job, but i do think i would have enjoyed the story a bit more had i read and truly understood all of the political undertones, as well as recognized the multitude of characters who appear throughout. there are a lot of characters (!) and while i did get a vivid sense of who they are and how they fit together (tee hee), i probably would have been more thrilled to see them on the page had i met them in earlier books.

and, as for the ending, no no, don’t worry, i’m not going to spoil it, but i do think it tied up a little too neatly AND she left it open for this world to continue on into another novel. she’s got to bring home the bacon somehow.

verdict: this author is well-trained and as Elizabeth said, just because it’s a romance novel doesn’t mean the characters and world building aren’t fascinating, innovative, and well rounded. i’ll definitely be checking out some more of her works, you know, when my current TBR pile diminishes a bit.

join us next month as we tackle THE BEYONDERS by Brandon Mull.

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