Incoming Books: July 17th, 2012

Incoming Books July 17th, 2012!

It’s our incoming books section in a slightly different format - with basic information and links instead of blurbs. If you’re looking for more information for a particular book, click on its cover and it will take you to the publisher’s page.

Even though the format is slightly different we nevertheless want to know: 

Which of these recently or soon to published books would you choose to read first?

 

Macmillan | Tor

 

Dark Companion ~ By Marta Acosta;  Tor Teen | July 2012 | Hardcover | Young Adult Fiction |368 pages

A retelling of Jane Eyre for young adults which includes vampires!

Here’s a blog post from Marta Acosta at Tor called Haunted Mansions and Eclipses.

 

 

Energized ~ by Edward M. Lerner;  Tor Books | 7/17/2012 | Hardcover | 336 pages

No one expected the oil to last forever. How right they were….

A hard science fiction thriller!

 

 

 

Wake of the Bloody Angel ~ by Alex Bledsoe;  Tor Books| July 2012 | Trade Paperback | 352 pages

It’s book number 4 in the popular Eddie LaCrosse series.  They are action packed mysteries set in a fantastical medieval world.

I just finished book number one in the series, and thought it was a blast!

 

Simon and Schuster

 

The Taker ~ by Alma Katsu (book 1);  Gallery Books | March 2012 | 464 pages

True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price.

The first in this romantic historical fantasy.

     

 

 

The Reckoning (book 2 of the Taker Trilogy) ~ by Alma Katsu;   Gallery Books | June 2012 |  352 pages

Lanore McIlvrae is the kind of woman who will do anything for love. Including imprisoning the man who loves her behind a wall of brick and stone.

   

   

Random House

 

The Devil in Silver  ~ by Victor Lavalle;  August 21, 2012| Random House | Pages: 432

New Hyde Hospital’s psychiatric ward has a new resident. It also has a very, very old one.

John really enjoyed this literary novel and should have a review completed soon.

 

 

Non Fiction

 

Vegan for the Holidays ~ Zel Allen;  160 pages | Book Publishing Company |July 1, 2012

A book with recipes for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza and New Year’s Eve celebrations that showcases recipes without meat and dairy.

 

 

 

Book Purchases

 

The Chemistry of Tears ~ by Peter Carey; Random House |May 15, 2012 | Pages: 240

An automaton, a man and a woman who can never meet, two stories of love—all are brought to incandescent life in this hauntingly moving novel from one of the finest writers of our time. 

 

 

 

The Games ~ by Ted Kosmatka; Random House | March 13, 2012 |Pages: 368

Set in an amoral future where genetically engineered monstrosities fight each other to the death in an Olympic event, The Games envisions a harrowing world that may arrive sooner than you think.

This author wrote a Nebula nominated story that I gave a 5.5 star to.

 

Book Winnings

 

Nameless ~ by Karen Hunter;  352 pages| Gallery Books| Jan 2012

In the in between are the Nameless; names are for masters and they have none. They live in the Nameless realm; between being saved and being destroyed. They are Fallen.

 

From Julie at  Reel Swell blog via Heather from Buried in Books! A big thank you to both.

 

 

A three book win from author Carolyn Jewel’s blog.  And look at these covers – very racy!

 

Liquid Lies ~ by Hanna Martine;  368 pages | 03 Jul 2012 | Berkley

Magic is corporate America's best-kept secret, and Gwen Carroway is the best at selling it...

The first in a series of a new paranormal romance by a debut author.

 

 

Melt Into You ~ by Roni Loren; 368 pages | 03 Jul 2012 | Berkley

Book two of an erotic fantasy, which is not my usual genre but goodness knows it could be fun.

 

 

 

 

The Darkest Day ~ by Britt Bury;  Grand Central Publishing | 7/3/2012 | 300 pages

A paranormal romance set in Scotland.

 

 

 

Once again we ask: Which of these books would you choose to read first?

Review: The Girl Below ~ by Bianca Zander

Review by Shellie for: The Girl Below ~ by Bianca Zander

A “post-adolescent coming of age” story where  the “lost” main character finds herself through a series of events, some paranormal in nature.

About:  Told in the first person and mixing the past with the present,  the narrator Suki Piper is a young English woman who has just moved home to London from an extended stay in New Zealand.  She has come back to her old neighborhood where she lived prior to her mother’s death from cancer.  The problem is that Suki can’t seem to get her life together.  It’s one bad situation after another. Worse is that she is having flashbacks or delusions, which are clouding  her ability to make decisions.

Fumbling through her muddled life, she accidently discovers the answers to the questions that are haunting her - questions that seem to be linked to a night in the past, where her mum, dad and family friends drunkenly explored a defunct air raid shelter after a party. It’s here that something which transcends time occurs.

Thoughts:  I enjoyed this layered story with the author’s descriptive writing which is often dryly humorous. There is nothing like the British sense of humor for a good snicker, so expect some giggles. I also liked that it was a vicarious trip to London, New Zealand, Greece and slightly back in time. Set during summer it creates an enjoyable read for the warmer months.  Lastly, with its light paranormal element there is an unusual twist to the story, creating it’s sweet ending.  All wonderful elements for a story.

I did have several problems. One is that I did need to do some skimming to understand the plot, due to its literary nature - the author goes in depth about the characters and their experiences rather than the plot; not a bad thing for many readers.  I also had a hard time relating to the damaged main character.  She has an outlook that life probably could not get any worse, which is not the type of character I normally identify with.  Suki was a series of car wrecks, understandably because she did have some tough events to digest.

In the end, beyond my niggles, I would say that this is a promising début from a talented author. I give it a 3.5 star rating. Recommend for Anglophiles looking for a story with a magical twist, a positive ending, and summer settings in Europe.

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June 19th 2012; William Morrow Paperbacks.

Author Bio:   British-born Bianca Zander has lived in Auckland, New Zealand, for the past two decades. An established journalist, she has written for numerous publications, including The Listener, the Sunday Star-Times, and the Dominion Post. She has produced radio shows and written for film and television, including writing the dramatic short film The Handover, which screened in competition at the Chicago Film Festival. Bianca holds an M.A. in creative writing from Victoria University, Wellington. The Girl Below is her first novel.  Facebook page and a Twitter account.

 

This book is part of a book tour. To find other reviews link to our host’s page via the badge to the left. It will take you to the designated page for The Girl Below.

Thanks for reading.

Giveaway: Summer Reads Hop ~ July 6th to 11th

Welcome to the Summer Reads Giveaway Hop from July 6th to 11th, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer (badge links to site) and co hosted by Rex Robot Reviews!

We have two sets of The Iron Elves fantasy series available for two US winners, courtesy of the publisher!  This offer is to celebrate the paperback version release date of the 3rd in the series, Ashes of a Black Frost, on September 25th.  Two winners will receive the paperback copies of the first two in the series and the hardcover version of Ashes of a Black Frost.

It’s military fantasy with a Napoleonic flavor. Book covers above link to the the publisher’s site for more information on each.

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Rules for this giveaway:

• This book is available for US addresses only
• Please be a reader/follower to enter this contest
• Fill out the Google form COMPLETELY

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Winners for this contest are Brian B. and Levina G.!

This blog hop is now closed, please stop by soon for our next giveaway!

Review: The Island of Dr. Moreau ~ by H. G. Wells

Review by Shellie for: The Island of Dr. Moreau (in audio) ~ by H. G. Wells

A classic science fiction and horror mix that includes monsters created by the amoral Dr. Moreau.

About:  Set in the late 1800’s, an educated and professional man named Edward Prendick inadvertently becomes stranded on a South Pacific island. This tropical island houses the laboratories of Dr. Moreau - a mad scientist of sorts who is doing some unusual and cruel experiments on animals on the remote island. Although Moreau attempts to hide his studies from the stranded newcomer, Prendick eventually finds out what is becoming of the animals when he hears screaming from the laboratories. Prendick is naturally terrified that he too may become one of the doctor’s subjects.

Thoughts:  Originally published in 1896, the novel is an adventure, with some thrilling twists in a spectacular setting. It’s definitely horrific and scientific, although the science is unrealistic based upon today’s standards. It has also been adapted into a variety of movies over the past 100 years. Some look interesting, so I plan to watch a select few since a movie version could be fun and I think would translate well.

There is some interesting commentary hidden in the story, bringing up questions around human and animal social structure, issues of vivisection, definitions of pain, and some unusual monsters; which in some ways reminded me of Frankenstein. So it could be an excellent book for discussion - take a look at its Wikipedia page where there is loads of fodder for thought: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Island_of_Doctor_Moreau

Highly recommended for anyone interested in stories with darker themes. Only 200 pages or so, or just several hours of listening time, I finished it quickly. It was a great read since I love science fiction, horror, and classics and this is all three. I give it a 4 star rating.

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Unabridged audio edition;  read by Jonathan Kent; Tantor Media; 4 hours, 7 minutes; Dec 12, 2006.

Bio:  Herbert George Wells lived from 1866 to 1946. He was a British author, best known for his work in science fiction. Also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, he even wrote text books and rules for war games. With Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback, Wells is considered one of the “Father of Science Fiction".

Interestingly, Wells' training was in biology, and his thinking was Darwinian in context. He was also an outspoken socialist and later became a pacifist.  For more information link about him link to his bio on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells

This book will be include in several challenges. Two are Fill in the Gaps: 100 Book Project and The Basics Challenge where I explore speculative fiction.

Review: The Broken Universe ~ by Paul Melko

A review by John for: The Broken Universe (Universe 2) ~ by Paul Melko

A highly creative and unusual science fiction thriller that spans a multitude of parallel universes and revolves around a whole host of doppelgängers.

About:  John Rayburn has come into possession of technology that allows him to travel into parallel universes – and finds that there are a multitude of them; some similar to his own and some very different. In the similar universes he often finds that there are different versions of himself and his closest friends. These doppelgängers are like identical twins; they are the same in almost every way with only subtle differences marking them apart. But just occasionally, the differences are more fundamental.

John, his friends and a group of their doppelgängers set up the first transdimensional company, exploiting minor differences between technologies, products and events in the multiple universes in order to build a business empire. But their travels and exploits in the multiverse start to garner unwanted attention from other transdimensional travellers.

At first it is the Alarians who cause the Johns and their friends the most trouble. They have been trapped in a single universe and they are desperate to get their hands on John’s multiverse travelling technology. But just as the Johns seem to be getting the upper hand with the evil Alarians, the mysterious and all-powerful Vig appear on the scene, and they appear to be hell-bent on stopping anyone from travelling between universes.

John’s thoughts:  It’s always nice to come across a plot which is totally different from anything you’ve ever read before, and The Broken Universe is just that. It’s different, highly imaginative, creative and fun. The story includes some really neat concepts about the “multiverse” which makes for a nice twisty storyline.

I really like the idea of John and his friends setting up business with their “twins” from multiple universes, and seeing how the almost identical groups interact with each other. So high marks for creativity, uniqueness and a complex plot.

Where it fell down a bit for me was with the villains in the story – they were a bit two-dimensional and not very believable. While John and his close friends were well-developed characters, their foes were like something out of a comic book. This led to some of the main events and action sequences being a bit unsatisfying somehow.

Nonetheless I enjoyed the read and loved some of the ideas that Melko developed. I’d rate this as 3 stars and recommend it to anyone who likes a classic science fiction read.

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Tor Books; June 2012; Hardcover; 384 pages.

This book is the second in a series. The first book is The Walls of the Universe, which was nominated for the Sturgeon, Nebula, and Hugo Awards in 2007.

Here is a bit about the first book in the series via the publisher’s blurb:

John Rayburn thought all of his problems were the mundane ones of an Ohio farm boy in his last year in high school. Then his doppelgänger appeared, tempted him with a device that let him travel across worlds, and stole his life from him. John soon finds himself caroming through universes, and, when the device breaks, unable to return home. John settles in a new universe to unravel the machine’s secrets and fix it.

Meanwhile, his doppelgänger tries to exploit the commercial technology he’s stolen from other Earths: the Rubik’s Cube! John’s attempts to lie low in his new universe backfire when he inadvertently introduces pinball. It becomes a huge success. Both actions draw the notice of other, more dangerous travelers, who are exploiting worlds for ominous purposes.

For more about the author Paul Melko link to his website: http://www.paulmelko.com/