The Book Thief: This, people, is a book that changes things. Eloquent and artistic, deep and at times funny, all over heart-breaking, this is the book I've been waiting all year to read. Told from death's perspective - which is so creative it HURTS the writer in me - this is the story of a German girl whose family hides a Jew during WWII, in the epicenter of Nazi Germany. Using poetry, notes, illustrations and anecdotes, this beautiful little tale unfolds like a handwritten note splattered with blood, a tragic love letter to those who have already tasted death's journey. I can't recommend it enough. It is writing at its most daring.
Tell The Wolves I'm Home: Best cover ever goes to.....this book! How could you NOT pick up this cover? Look at it!! Tell the Wolves I'm Home is an impressive and very FELT debut novel, a coming of age story that delves pretty deep into the mind of the adolescent. Readers might see it as a tragedy, a story of loss and forgotten opportunities. Some might just see the story of a sad girl, her dead uncle and her mean sister. It has it's points of beauty and it's points of lingering, but overall this was a stunning first book. And the cover! I can't get over it.
Slammed: Colleen Hoover is my new hero. She's a indie publishing darling, and recently signed a fat contract with a traditional publisher. It's happening more and more, and she is one of the best stories to come out of that. Slammed is definitely a YA novel, and it's main character is a teenager named Layken. For the first thirty or so pages, I wasn't sure that this book would be for me - it just played too much to teenage feelings, which makes sense seeing how it was a YA book! - but then the plot twist revealed itself and I was like "Whoa." From there, I was in, hook, line and sinker. I read the book in two days. I loved the poetry that was brought into the book and I imagine that there are thousands of teens who have found their way to slam poetry because of this novel. It's sort of amazing.
Phoenix Rising: Um, I KNOW THIS AUTHOR!! We connected through our one-time agent, and have been internet writer friends ever since. I highly enjoyed this fiery gem of YA literature by Bette, who is an author with talent to spare. Phoenix is well-written, rich with description and gritty humor, written by someone who obviously is VERY familiar with teenagers in a very realistic way. The story is well-paced and plotted, and Maybee shows her impressive chops from the first chapter, which moves between two characters (one dead!) with an easy grace. Eli and Julie are complex enough for an adult reader to empathize with, and yet young enough that teens will love their steamy romance. The lore behind the Nephilim is interesting and complex, but the real "fire" of this novel is in the characters, dialog and plot.
What I'm reading now: Gone Girl and Divergent are BOTH on my nightstand at the moment! I cannot WAIT to dive into these books. What are you guys reading right now?
Posts
3 comments:
OK...I might have to read those first two, especially the one with the awesome cover. I can't get over the cover on the Phoenix book, though. I would giggle too much. I will get it on Kindle so that I don't have to see the cover, ha.
I recently finished both Gone Girl AND Divergent. You will love them both. Make sure your library has a copy of Insurgent ready for you to pick up when you finish the latter. :)
I loved the Book Thief, much more than I anticipated. I'm in the midst of "The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry" by Kathleen Flinn. Nonfiction, and very interesting!
Post a Comment