BEA Recap Part 1: The Books

Book Expo America is a book lover's dream, and this year I was lucky enough to be able to attend my 5th BEA since 2009. And this year, I was not only there as press, I was also there as an author signing copies of THE MEMORY OF AFTER in the signing area (dream come true, for reals!).

Like most attendees, I had a list of "must get" books, but what I love most about BEA is the serendipity of discovering new titles. There were so many great finds this year that I ended up bringing back 37 titles with me (not including books I bought at the many bookstores I visited in the city) that I'm excited to read and cover on the blog in the months to come.  Today I'm going to spotlight some of my favorites. (NOTE: I was approved for some of the big BEA titles - such as Jandy Nelson's I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN and Scott Westerfeld's AFTERWORLDS - on Netgally and Edelweiss and so I skipped getting physical copies to save space)

Top 10 "must get" books that I snagged:

GLORY O'BRIEN'S HISTORY OF THE FUTURE by AS King (Oct 14, 2014, Little Brown) - Luckily I was invited to Little Brown's Brunch Preview where I unapologetically grabbed a copy of this before BEA even started. It's no secret I'm an AS King fangirl, so I'm super excited about GLORY.

SINNER by Maggie Stiefvater (July 1, 2014, Scholastic) - My very favorite thing about LINGER and FOREVER? Cole St. Clair. I've been saying for years that Cole needs his own novel, so when I heard about SINNER, I was struck with major book lust. I braved the galley drop at the Scholastic booth to get my hands on this pretty. I also got to chat with Maggie briefly at the Scholastic breakfast before BookCon (delicious smoothies!)

ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER by Stephanie Perkins (August 2014, Penguin) - this wasn't really at BEA, but it was part of a raffle of all three Stephanie Perkins books at the #YAparty. Amazingly, I won the raffle and instantly became the most hated/envied person in the room. Naturally, I couldn't wait long to read this. My teasers for you? a) It's HOT. Isla and Josh's chemistry is through the roof. b) It's my favorite of the trilogy. c) I can't wait to discuss the ending with you -- squee!

STITCHING SNOW by RC Lewis (Oct 14, 2014, Disney-Hyperion) - A sci-fi fairytale retelling? Sign me up! This debut has been on my radar for some time, and when I heard (thanks Debby!) there were stacks of it sitting in a secret room in the bowels of the Javits (in reality, left over from Book Blogger Con), I dashed over to stash this in my tote.

THE BONE CLOCKS by David Mitchell (Sept 2, 2014, Random House) - Okay, so David Mitchell was signing his newest novel at 2 pm Friday after my own 1 pm signing, so I knew I'd never make it to his line and I was pretty devastated about it. But David also had a panel as part of Book Con on Saturday, and so I went about an hour early to line up for it (making me about #50 in line). A RH publicist gave everyone at the front of the line tickets to pick up galleys at the RH booth after the panel and we trembled with excitement. (Seriously, so much trembling in that line).

The panel between David and his editor was glorious. I loved his advice to "shoplift" from the best writers and his anecdotes about his writing process. And then. After the panel, I made my way to the podium to say hi. I told David it was my birthday (it was) and he gave me a birthday handshake. Here's hoping a tiny bit of his genius rubbed off on me.

ROOMS by Lauren Oliver (Sept 23, 2014, Ecco) - I acquired Lauren's adult debut thanks to our shared agent on a visit to the agency the week before BEA and thus was able to avoid one of her monster lines (I did stand in line for PANIC, however, which turned out to be quite a fun line thanks to Marlon).

MY REAL CHILDREN by Jo Walton (available now, Tor) - I stood in a line to get the hardcover of this signed. It's an adult speculative fiction title about (possible) parallel lives, which is one of my favorite topics right now.

SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (Oct 14, 2014, Candlewick) - I had the pleasure of meeting Mac at the Irma Black ceremony and lunch at Bankstreet College the week before BEA (more about that in a later post), and then I stood in line to meet Jon and get an F&G of their newest collaboration. First of all, Jon is super adorable and took the time to show me a video of his cat lounging while signing my book. (!!!) And the book is adorable too. Both Daniel and I love it and the vaguely sci-fi ending.

I'M MY OWN DOG by David Ezra Stein (August 5, 2014, Candlewick) - David Ezra Stein's INTERRUPTING CHICKEN is one of my top 10 picture book favorites of all time, so I was bummed that his signing was directly after mine and I'd never make his line. But, as luck would have it, we ran into each other in the author green room after my signing, and his lovely editor gave me a front of the line pass for his signing. #authorperks! I'M MY OWN DOG is super cute and funny, too.

THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES by BJ Novak (Sept 30, 2014, Penguin) - Yep, I was more than an hour early and the third person in line for this (behind the YA book twins), the only celebrity signing line that I attempted. Since it was at the Penguin booth, we weren't really allowed to line up early, so we just sort of hovered. I haven't actually read this yet (because only words, no pictures, ha!), but I'll report back when I do.

Top 5 serendipitous finds:

WE ALL LOOKED UP by Tommy Wallach (March 31, 2015, S&S) - Tommy and I share an editor at S&S and that editor gifted me an early copy of Tommy's debut. Then, at the #YAparty, Tommy was playing piano (he's a singer/songwriter too - check out his forthcoming album "I Meant it to be Sweet"), and we got to chat. That weekend, I went up to Bushwick where he took me to a block party. Fun! The novel looks incredibly intriguing, and I can't wait to dig in.

THE ART OF SECRETS by James Klise (available now, Algonquin) - I stopped by the Algonquin booth on Saturday and since it was so quiet, I got to chat with Editor Elise Howard for quite some time. I told her I only had room for one more book, so she pitched me several and I was won over by her pitch for this. Really all she had to say was "twists" and I was sold.

BAILEY BOAT CAT by Louise Kennedy (Sept 2, 2014, Bloomsbury) - This might have been my favorite random find at BEA. There was a small giveaway stack at the Bloomsbury booth and I was instantly smitten by this cat on a boat. Full color photos throughout of Bailey cuteness.

ONE DEATH, NINE STORIES, short story anthology (August 2014, Candlewick) - This was a booth giveaway and I was instantly attracted by the list of contributors, including AS King, Ellen Hopkins and Rita Williams-Garcia. All 9 stories are linked by the death of one 19 year old named Kevin.

EVEN IN PARADISE by Chelsey Philpot (October 14, 2014, HarperTeen) - Chelsey and I share an agent and since he has such great taste, I must read this! I got to meet her in the author green room after our signings (we were signing at the same time -- rivals!!).



If you want to see my entire book haul, check out my instagram.

Bookanista Review: Half Lives by Sara Grant

Icie's parents warn her of an imminent biological attack and urge her to find a mountain shelter that built to store nuclear waste but was never approved for that purpose. It may be her only chance for survival. Years in the future, the cult of the Great I AM, led by teenage Beckett has arisen on the mountain. They keep to themselves to avoid the terrorists that live in the nearby ruin of a city.

HALF LIVES is such a fascinating story. On a pure enjoyment level, Icie's story is the one with the high stakes, high emotions and edge-of-your-seat suspense.  But Beckett's story engages for another reason - the careful and imaginative worldbuilding.  It's a micro-culture based on today's Facebook society, and without any of the context, the cult's practices sound like rants of a crazy person.

I had the pleasure of attending a revision workshop with Sara Grant, so reading HALF LIVES was incredibly enriching for me on a craft level.  One of her revision tips was to color code each character's dialogue and revise each separately to make sure they are distinct and consistent. I was very impressed with the character development in HALF LIVES, so her process definitely paid off.

HALF LIVES is available now.  Find out more about it at the author's website.

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

FTC disclosure: Netgalley

What are the other Bookanistas recommending this week?

Shari Arnold gushes about HYSTERIA by Megan Miranda

Shelli Johannes-Wells raves about RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA by Kimberly McCreight

Shannon Messenger adores THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Kasie West

Tracey Neithercott is mad for EARTHBOUND by Aprilynne Pike

Kimberly Sabatini dishes about ROSE UNDER FIRE by Elizabeth Wein

Katy Upperman can't get enough of AUDREY, WAIT! by Robin Benway

Bookanista Review: The Originals by Cat Patrick

Cat Patrick has some of the most inventive premises in YA, and I love her for that. FORGOTTEN (read my review) and REVIVED (read my review) were both solid reads.

THE ORIGINALS gives us three cloned sisters who must share the life of one girl or risk being "found out" (by whom is never clear, which deflated the tension a bit for me). Lizzie takes mornings and she and her sisters Ella and Betsey are fine with this arrangement. Until the day Lizzie gets switched to afternoons, meets Sean and gets a huge crush on him.

Suddenly, it's the most important thing in the world to Lizzie that she be allowed to live her own life and make her own choices -- so she risks everything by telling Sean her family's secret (an aside: what's up with all the "intra-trust" in YA novels lately?).

I mean, I guess I get it - because I wanted to trust Sean too. He's incredibly appealing and he and Lizzie have great chemistry. Their fight to be together - and their relationship in general - was the highlight here for me.

Another highly original story from Cat Patrick! Find out more about THE ORIGINALS.

FTC disclosure: ARC from ALA

And here's what the other Bookanistas are reading:

Elana Johson is enthralled by CROWN OF EMBERS by Rae Carson

Stasia Ward Kehoe is mesmerized by GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers

Christine Fonseca adores DEAD SILENCE by Kimberly Derting

Corrine Jackson revels in ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sara Dessen

Katy Upperman is charmed by QUINTANA OF CHARYN by Melina Marchetta

Kimberly Sabatini is touched by TARNISH by Katherine Longshore

Mini-Reviews: Three YA Thrillers

Are thrillers the next big thing in YA? I know I can't get enough of them! Here are a few I've read lately.

THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW by Robin Wasserman

Pitched as THE DA VINCI CODE for teens, this novel features Nora, a normal girl who gets caught up in a centuries old battle between rival religious factions who all want to get their hands on a device said to allow one to communicate directly with God. Because of their superior Latin skills, Nora and her friend Chris are asked to help with a translation project. Nora is given the less important task of translating a pack of letters from the daughter of the subject of interest, but soon uncovers some startling secrets that set in motion a chain of events that result in Chris's death and the disappearance of her boyfriend Max.

Nora is one of those unlikely book heroines who is a whiz at cracking puzzles and putting together the most obscure of clues - but is also terrible at reading people and their intentions. Nora's nature is what drives the plot and many of the twists and turns of the narrative, an interesting thing to ponder since one of the themes is guilt and taking responsibility for your actions.  In any case, THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW was an exciting read - one of those few that I stayed up late to finish because I HAD to know how it all played out.

FTC disclosure: Bought

ADAPTATION by Malinda Lo

ADAPTATION has a legit creepy opening: Reece, her debate partner (and longtime crush) David and their teacher are waiting for their plane when they get the news that all air travel is grounded because of a rash of bird strikes that have caused crashes around the nation. They end up renting a car and after a bird strike drives them off the road, Reece wakes up in a locked-down military hospital - one month later.

Once she gets home, the world has changed in subtle ways, but most alarming are the vivid dreams Reece is having.  She confesses these both to David and to the manic-pixie-dreamgirl (Amber) she crashes into on the street one day. The middle section of the book concentrates on Reece's growing alienation to her ho-hum life and attraction to all things Amber. And then ... things get really weird, really fast culminating in a jaw-dropping climax that opens up a whole new world of possibilities for the next book.

FTC disclosure: NetGalley

PERCEPTION by Kim Harrington

The sequel to CLARITY, PERCEPTION brings back psychic teen Clarity in a new mystery.  Clarity is getting secret admirer letters - are they from her ex-boyfriend Justin, from estranged crush Gabriel or are they of a more sinister nature altogether? When a girl from Clarity's school disappears, Clarity starts to suspect it must be the latter.

One thing that surprised me in CLARITY was Clarity's lack of female friends (see my review). Well, in this installment, Clarity is not only courted by the popular girls (who hope to exploit her psychic ability) but also gains a (slightly creepy/unhinged) new BFF.  Her sassy voice continues to shine here, the new mystery is properly compelling, and the on-again/off-again romance with Gabriel provides some great swoon.

FTC disclosure: Unsolicited review copy

What others thrillers should I move to the top of my reading pile? Any suggestions?

Review + Author Interview: Ask the Passengers by AS King

I've been an AS fangirl ever since her debut DUST OF 100 DOGS. She's one of the most innovative writers in YA and ASK THE PASSENGERS is another winner.

Astrid is tired of all the labeling that goes on in her small town.  Why can't people just love without having to define it and put it in a box? So she spends her free time lying on the picnic table in her backyard and sending love to the passengers in the planes that fly overhead.

Something that characterizes AS King's work is a very authentic contemporary voice mixed with an element of the unexplained. Here it would appear that what Astrid sends out into the universe has an effect on someone in the planes overhead.  If it's love, that passenger might make a shocking declaration. If it's frustration, the passenger might react in kind.  It's a genius metaphor for reaping what we sow.

As Astrid struggles to find her place within her family (overachieving mother and sister, pothead father) and within her circle of friends she also falls in love with another girl and ponders philosophy deeply.  Her character arc is touching and inspiring.

ASK THE PASSENGERS is available now. Find out more about it at the author's website.

And now, as per our tradition, I interview AS King and she provides us with an embarrassing photo from her past.

What the craziest or most remarkable thing that has ever happened to you on a plane?
Smoking. Smoking is probably the craziest and most remarkable thing that ever happened to me on a plane. Seriously. How did they let us do that? And why did they ever think that there was a smoking "section" and a non-smoking "section?" We all knew that we all smelled like ashtrays when we walked off those flights, smokers or not. Also: it's a can of flying oxygen. I ask you: who thought smoking in a can of oxygen was a good idea?

I'm old enough to remember that - it was pretty insane. So I've heard that Socrates is your favorite philosopher. What are your favorite words of wisdom from a philosopher other than Socrates?
That's a tough one. Or maybe not. I think we can consider Buddha a philosopher, so here are some of my favorites from Buddha, who is so boss, it's not possible to measure his bossness:

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.
The mind is everything. What you think you become.
What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What's the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?

You've read my book LEVEL 2 (thanks!). If ATP's main character Astrid were to land in Level 2, what memory would she play over and over?

Correction: I read and loved LEVEL 2.

If Astrid landed in Level 2, I'd say she'd play Memory #43254 over and over. (Tags: NYC, walks, when mom still cared.)

Mom and I take a walk all the way to Central Park to see the statue of Balto, the sled dog who delivered medicine to people dying of diphtheria back in 1920-something. She tries to tell me about diphtheria and she doesn't care when I don't listen. I'm six. We're taking a break from Ellis. We love Ellis, but she's a lot of work because she's three. Mom holds my hand, and when I make up a song about Balto, she asks me to tell her the words and we sing it together the whole way home. We laugh a lot.

Wow! I think I need a moment to recover from that awesomeness. Don't a get a photo?

In honor of our long-standing tradition, I will also include this awkward photo for you, Lenore.

 
I don't think I've ever shared this one before. It's me taking a free throw in 1987/8 as a senior on my basketball team. My right leg is like a robot leg. I had really bad knees back then. Plus, I was 5'10" and got pushed around a bit under the basket, so knee pads were a must.

I use this picture in some of my school presentations with this caption: Did I make this shot? Does it really matter?

For the record, I still take a mean free throw. But I am now 5'9" tall.

The placement of your opponent's hand is really ... awkward.

Best part: That hand is my best friend's hand. We've been BFFs since we were 4.

Thanks Amy!

FTC disclosure: Review copy from publisher (Thanks Mitali!)

Book Review and Author Interview: Revived by Cat Patrick

Cat Patrick has some crazy cool concepts as starting points for her books.  There was FORGOTTEN (my review) about a girl who can only remember the future and not the past and the upcoming ORIGINALS about three clones who share the life of one girl.  REVIVED is about Daisy, a girl who has died 5 times and been brought back to live by a drug called Revive.

At the start of the novel, Daisy is killed (her 5th time) by bees and she has to move from Michigan to Omaha, Nebraska with her agent "parents" to start over.  Though she shunned contact back in Michigan, she decides to live more in Omaha and becomes friends with a girl named Audrey and her hot brother Matt. Meanwhile, Daisy discovers that the Revive program might be more sinister than she thought.

Daisy and her relationships with Audrey and Matt take up a lot more page time than the intrigue surrounding the program.  Though they seemed to form deep bonds more quickly than is probably realistic, I enjoyed their camaraderie and conversations and found the plot developments genuinely moving. REVIVED is a quick, satisfying read.

I'm thrilled to have Cat on the blog today for a short interview.  Let's dive in!

REVIVED features a drug called Revive that brings its taker back to life. Despite the fact that it doesn't really work that way, if you could give Revive to anyone in history, to whom would you give it to and why?

I'll admit that Stephen King's 11/22/63 is fresh in my mind, but I'd love to bring back President Kennedy and see how the world would be different with him still in it.

Being able to cheat death, Daisy at first doesn’t seem to grasp the real value of life. Was this thematic undertone a deliberate choice or did it naturally develop while you wrote?

It was a deliberate choice. I always knew Daisy would discover the value of live through loss. The loss itself developed over the course of writing and editng the book but the intent remained the same.

Since you created a secret government agency with sinister motives, I have to ask – are you a conspiracy theorist? What are our governments hiding from us?

I wouldn't call myself a conspiracy theorist but like anyone, I do wonder what secrets our govermnet keeps from us. My first thought: Aliens!

The kids in the Revive project face off against the animals of Pet Sematary – who wins?

Yikes! Unfortunately, I think the animals of Pet Semetary would win because eventually, the drug Revive would run out. I think those animals are impossible to kill.

When I got my first check from my book advance, I splurged on a Kate Spade handbag. What did you buy?

Some funky Fluevog shoes. I love them!

Thanks Cat! REVIVED just came out in hardcover. Find out more about it at the author's website.

FTC Disclosure: I received this book as part of a publisher sponsored blog tour.

Book Review and Author Interview: AS King discusses Everybody Sees the Ants

DUST OF 100 DOGS and PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ are two of my all time favorite YA reads, so obviously I was super excited about EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS.  Not surprisingly, AS King blew me away yet again - with a teenage male protagonist who is so achingly real, I can't believe he's fictional.

You ache for Lucky.  He's bullied, yet still has a positive outlook on life. His parents are at a loss about what to do to help him - which disappoints him but doesn't make him sullen. The situations he finds himself in are often painful, but he finds the humor in them. And his dream connection with his missing POW grandfather somehow helps him come to terms with the powerlessness he feels in his waking life.

Yes, you need to read this book!

Lucky me (and you), I have an interview with Amy today - yay! Let's do it!


I love making playlists for books. What do you see as Lucky's theme song at the beginning of the book vs the middle vs the end?

This book’s soundtrack is Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere. I listened to it almost exclusively during the writing of the first draft. Anyone familiar with that album will see some serious connections. (Can you spot the flower that grows out of the sand?) So, “Crazy” would be the beginning. “St. Elsewhere” would be the middle. Not sure about the end. Since that first draft, I’ve made a soundtrack, though, so I can add some stuff. After that comes to Radiohead songs: “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police.” After that is Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise.” And some random others: “Ma and Pa” from Fishbone, “Dog Eat Dog” by Adam and the Ants, “Running Away,” “War,” and “Guiltiness” by Bob Marley and the Wailers. I guess of all of these, “Karma Police” fits as the ending song, but only if you see things in a weird way like I do. There is positive in that song that some people might not see.

Also what would all the ants dance to?
I think the ants would dance to just about anything, depending on their mood. Moshing to punk rock and Waltzing to Mozart are all possible. The ants are limitless in most regards.


You always have a magical element in your books - reincarnation, a talking pagoda, dreams which are something more - does your next book continue this motif?
I guess it does. As does the next book—though in almost all of these situations, those magical elements could be in the main character’s head, and not real at all. I don’t mean to do this—it’s just the way my brain works. I’m not a very boxed-in or literal person. I believe that anything is possible because no one has proved to me beyond a reasonable doubt that this is untrue. The next book’s slant on this is a little less surreal, though. I think it’s more of a linear book, which was a real challenge in itself. I decided to go linear to challenge myself. I won’t be doing that again any time soon. (Find out more about ASK THE PASSENGERS here).


I remember from our chat at BEA that you spend a lot of time at the community pool. Do you have anything else in common with EVERYBODY's characters?
I am the vice president of my community pool and Mr. King and I donate a few hundred hours per year to it. I do swim laps like Lori Linderman…but not 200 a day. I do try to swim in lane three if I can. To prove my dedication to lane three, I can show you a picture.

Outside of that, I think being the same age as Lucky’s parents, and having several friends who never had fathers because they were lost in the Vietnam War has made me feel closer to those characters than I normally would feel to them. Also, I love Arizona. I’m writing this interview while I’m in Arizona and I just fall more in love every time I’m here. If the kids weren’t in school up in PA, I’d move here.


You know I have to ask you for an embarrassing picture from your youth ...

Oh man. Okay. Look. This is me at 14 or 15. I am rocking a white angora beret. And that bangs-over-the-eye look. It was a toss up between this picture or the one of me with the plaid pants and the Barry Manilow album from my 8th birthday, but this won. I was SO SERIOUS here. Because I was SO COOL, Lenore. Can’t you just feel the cool?

I can! Thanks Amy!


Check out the previous stops on the tour at Amy's website.

Author Interview: Laini Taylor discusses Daughter of Smoke and Bone + Giveaway!

Laini Taylor's DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE comes out tomorrow, but since I am flying back to Germany tomorrow morning, I am going out tonight to hunt down a finished copy.  Because I LOVED this novel.  (Read my review)  And I need to have it on my shelf.

Today I am so thrilled to welcome Laini to the blog for an interview.  Let's get started, shall we?

One of my favorite parts of DAUGHTER was that Karou could travel the world via portals. If you were granted three round trips via the portals, where would you go and why?

I want a portal like Brimstone’s! It’s tricky to narrow it down, but a couple of mentions in the book really are my own: to step over to India to buy mangoes? Yes, please. I joke that I am going to go on a mango world tour, and it’s not really a joke at all. Here is leg 1 of the tour:

                                (A typical dinner for Jim and me in Chiapas, Mexico; note also cream cake and beer). 

Between mangoes and India, which is prime a travel dream of mine, that tops the list.

I also envy Karou’s shopping sprees to the Paris flea markets, so that’s an easy one.

The last one, though … Last wishes must always be the hardest. Of all the places in the world … it would be somewhere beachy, I think. One of those perfect travel magazine beaches. Ooh, I know: Bora Bora, because it is so expensive to travel there (I’ve --ahem-- looked into it, longingly). Could my portal round-trip be a package deal and include an over-water bungalow for a week, please? ☺

Done! Speaking of international locations, what made you choose Prague as a primary location for the story? Was it easier or harder to write than the fantasy world part of the novel?

I first visited Prague in 1996, taking a night train across Germany from Amsterdam. I don’t remember what sparked my interest in the first place, but that trip settled it: I’ve seen a lot of cities, and I think Prague is the most beautiful, and on top of that, it’s got this awesome aura of strange. 

It’s all Gothic and Baroque, domes and towers, on the side of dark and brooding, but with marionettes everywhere—that was such an unexpected bonus. I love marionettes! The golem is from Prague; mystics communed with angels here and alchemists strove to turn lead into gold—and were put to death for failure; and then there’s the Astronomical Clock. After it was finished, the clockmaker’s eyes were stabbed out so he could never make a better one. It’s that kind of stabbiness that makes Prague more than beautiful. It’s kind of creepy, in the best possible way. 

My husband Jim and I went back in 2005 to research a graphic novel we were planning out, and we rented an apartment behind Tyn Church for nine days and basically spent the time “hunting vampires,” figuring out where we thought they would live and congregate and hunt, and where humans might hide from them. We ended up not doing that book, but the city was in my head just waiting for a story, and it made Karou’s perfect home.

For me, exotic settings are pure wish fulfillment. In Karou, I was imagining a life that I would have loved, as a teen—and now—to climb inside of. Prague and art school are only the beginning.
It’s definitely easier to take a real place that already has such a wonderful vibe of mystery and exaggerate it than it is to create an entire world from scratch. With Prague, I had the benefit of centuries of real history, artistry, war, mythology. The pleasure was in adding my own layer to what is really there: Poison Kitchen, the Art Lyceum, Mustache Bar, Zuzana’s puppet show, the vampire tours. I wish they were real. (Lenore's note: So do I!!)

There in fact are ghost tours, which were my inspiration for Kaz’s line of work. Jim and I went on one our first night in Prague and it was the perfect introduction to the city.

When I chose Marrakesh as a setting, unlike Prague, I had not been there. I was just jonesing to go, and after the edits were done: I did!

Here is a glimpse of the crowds in the Jemaa el-Fna, one of the book's central locations. It is here that Karou first glimpses ... you know who.

Karou's friends think her drawings of her chimera family come from her imagination. What fantasy things do you wish were real?

Ooh, I’ll take a portal, please. Also: wishes.

[quick explanation: The character Brimstone in the book is sometimes called “The Wishmonger” because in his trade with humans, he pays in wishes. They have their own denominations, the lowest being a scuppy, the highest a bruxis, but the cost of a bruxis is such that a person could only ever have one in a lifetime. Gavriels are the most powerful practical wish.]

Scuppies and shings for the little things—I want Karou’s hair situation!—and gavriels for the real stuff.
I would also like for dragons to exist, please. In the wild, like tigers, and with reclusive habits, so that one might go on a dragon safari in, say, Borneo, and hope to glimpse one. One *might* even come across an abandoned egg and hatch it and raise it. I would want mine to be not too big, but big enough to ride, and with a really good temperament. Like a snake, it wouldn’t have to eat all the time, because that could present some problems. Not that I've thought about this before ...

Also, I’ve said before that I would be first in line for wing graft surgery, but that’s a fib. I’m still waiting to make sure Lasik is safe! Ha ha. And anyway, as cool as it would be to have wings—so beautiful!—it would cut down on sleeping positions and I’d have to learn how to sew to alter all my tops and jackets. Best I guess to just have flight a la Superman, without the wings. Hm. Now I'm torn. Wings or no wings?

A particular fantasy creation I would love to have made real is Philip Pullman’s daemons. That is one of my favorite fictional creations of all time. I think my daemon would be a fox—not because it’s an especially good fit for my personality, but because I like foxes and would love to have one perch on my shoulder. (Lenore's note: SWEET!)

                                     (I think my daemon wants in.)

I adore the stories in LIPS TOUCH. Which character from DAUGHTER do you think would be most tempted by Goblin Fruit?

I would say Karou, because in spite of her strength, she has such a yearning to be loved, to belong. That could make her vulnerable. There is this passage about her:

It was hard to imagine feeling that magical tingling sensation [butterflies] in the pit of her belly any time soon. Best not to worry about it, she thought. She didn’t need it. Well. She didn’t want to need it. Yearning for love made her feel like a cat that was always twining around ankles meowing pet me, pet me, look at me, love me.
Better to be the cat gazing coolly down from a high wall, its expression inscrutable. The cat that shunned petting, that needed no one. Why couldn’t she be that cat?
Be that cat!!! she wrote, drawing it into the corner of her page, cool and aloof.
Karou wished she could be the kind of girl who was complete unto herself, comfortable in solitude, serene. But she wasn’t. She was lonely, and she feared the missingness within her as if it might expand and … cancel her. She craved a presence beside her, solid …

That’s really drawn from my own conflicted psyche at that age. I had an image in my mind of strong girls and women who were aloof and not attention-seeking, who strode through life with heads high, not concerned with who might be watching, and I admired that so much. I tried to affect it, but it never felt genuine, and also, in this twisted way, that very aloofness and “unneediness” was calculated to attract desire! Like Kizzy and Karou, I did crave recognition. If I could go back in time and whisper something in my own young ear, something that would really get through, it might be along the lines of Be that cat.
If young women could discover and create themselves without concern for boys, it would be wonderful—they can, of course, and do, but budding sexuality is a very powerful force, and goblin fruit is a very powerful temptation!

That passage really speaks to my teen self too! In fact, I pulled that last part of the quote for my review! So, last question: I know it's really, really early, but I am dying to read the DAUGHTER sequel. Can you give us a one or two word tease to tide us over?

Hmmm. Yes. I can give you two words:

Dust and starlight.

:-)

Ack!  Must read NOW!  Thanks Laini!

Thank you Lenore!!! Great questions.

For more about DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE, check these resources:

Official website: daughterofsmokeandbone.com
Laini's site, www.lainitaylor.com, and Twitter feed, @lainitaylor

GoodReads book page

Next stop on the tour is The Story Siren tomorrow!  

Giveaway!

I have one finished copy, donated and shipped by the publisher, for a reader in the US.  Fill out this form by October 4, 2011 at 11:59 pm CST for your chance to win!

Book Review and Giveaway: Forgotten by Cat Patrick

London has a strange affliction - all her memories come from her future instead of her past.  So when she meets Luke and has no memory of him, she sadly surmises that he's not part of her future.  However, day after day, she meets Luke "for the first time" again.  So why can't she remember him?

FORGOTTEN has a great premise but it is one that is extremely tricky to pull off. Author Patrick does an admirable job of it, though the mechanics of London's affliction are somewhat hazy (especially as they relate to Luke).  Memories are so important to our understanding of who we are, and it made sense that London would be more confident than a typical teen because she remembers her future self.  Because of this confidence, her relationships with her friends and mother were both refreshingly free of unnecessary angst, though London came off as pretty manipulative at times (for example, in the situation involving her best friend). London's sweet romance with Luke was a highlight here - I love good guys in YA.

FORGOTTEN is available in hardcover now.  Find out more about it at the book website and watch two of London's video diaries here!

Thanks to Big Honcho Media, I have two copies of FORGOTTEN to give away.  If you live in the US and would like a copy, fill out this form by August 2nd.

Advance Buzz Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Goblin Fruit, the first story in Laini Taylor's LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES collection, is one of my favorite bits of writing ever.  Still, when I heard the premise of DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE - an angel and a demon once fell it in love and it did not end well - I thought it might be too high fantasy for my taste.

Fast forward to the YA Buzz Panel at BEA.  Laini's editor praised it with words like "best book ever" and I was intrigued enough to fight a crowd at the back of the room after the panel for a copy (the only book I can really say I made an effort - beyond line-standing - to get).

DAUGHTER starts out by introducing us to 17 year old Karou, a blue haired art student in Prague with a broken heart and a strange "family" of chimaera who run a magical shop that deals mysteriously in wishes and teeth.  Thanks to Laini's intoxicating writing and attention to detail, I was not only enthralled by Karou and the earthly locations she inhabits, but also by the stranger creatures and the "elsewhere" world they come from.  And this is no small feat - as the mere description of a monster or fantasy world usually makes me yawn and wish I were reading another book.

I don't want to talk too much about plot beyond the fact that Karou gets caught up in a war between angels and demons - except to say that I was surprised by where the book ended up (and yes, it's the first book in a series).  But I do want to give you a taste of some of the writing.  Here's a passage about Karou (and note that this quote is taken from a galley so may be different in the finished novel):

"Karou wished she could be the kind of girl who was complete unto herself, comfortable in solitude, serene. But she wasn't. She was lonely, and she feared the missingness within her as if it might expand and ... cancel her.  She craved a presence beside her, solid. Fingertips light at the nape of her neck and a voice meeting hers in the dark. Someone who would wait with an umbrella to walk her home in the rain, and smile like sunshine when he saw her coming. Who would dance with her on her balcony, keep his promises and know her secrets, and make a tiny world wherever he was, with just her and his arms and his whisper and her trust." (p. 71)

And so it is that I can end this review with a satisfied smile and tell you I fully expect this amazing novel to appear on my year end best list.  Be sure to get it when it comes out on September 27th.

Book Review: The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Alex wakes up naked in a stranger’s bed after drinking too much the night before. The boy, Carter, claims they had sex. Twice. And Alex is horrified because she can’t remember anything, and she thinks she should remember her first time. When she confesses to her roommate, her roommate insists that she’s been date-raped and that they need to go to their boarding school’s secret society, The Mockingbirds, in order get justice.


Good things first. I am thrilled that this novel brings up the subject of date-rape in a sensitive, discussion worthy way. There is no victim blaming and the idea of YES means YES vs NO means NO brilliantly brings across that if you don’t specifically agree to having sex, then you are being taken advantage of and are a victim of a crime.

Author Whitney, a date-rape victim herself, also deftly shows how Alex’s trauma effects her relationships and her day to day life and sets up a tender romance with a fellow student, Martin, to underscore the difference of consensual “hooking-up” and non-consensual date-rape.

However, I was extremely frustrated with Alex for taking action against her alleged rapist based solely on circumstantial evidence. She can’t remember if she had sex or not (question: especially as a virgin, wouldn’t she feel some physical effects of forced entry?), so simply takes Carter’s word for it (a boy who is known to make false claims) and sees two empty condom wrappers as proof that something MUST have happened.

Now I can see why she wouldn’t necessarily think of doing a rape-kit and why she wouldn’t want to go to the police, but why not see a doctor for some tangible evidence before making a very serious claim against someone that could severely damage their reputation?

SPOILER (invisio text! highlight with your curser to read): I realize this becomes a moot point once Alex regains her memories – still it really bothered me through most of the novel.
I also wasn’t thrilled with the idea of The Mockingbirds’ brand of justice. It’s clever, sure, but it also smacks of the very bullying it is trying to combat.

It is for those reasons that I recommend this novel, but with some reservations.

THE MOCKINGBIRDS is available now in hardcover. Find out more about it at the author’s website.

Book Review: Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Nastasya is an immortal, and she’s been partying to forget the pain of her tragic childhood for hundreds of years. But when her fellow immortal, and best friend, Incy starts using magik to hurt people, Nastasya flees to a rehab house for wayward immortals.


First off, I want to address the title. Immortal Beloved is somewhat of a misnomer, because there is no one here being loved immortally (at least not in this installment of the purported series). I was expecting something along the lines of THE ETERNAL ONES (see my review) where two people love each other across time, but instead this is more of a learning to love yourself story.

Nastasya, or Nasty as her friends call her, is a train wreck at the start. It’s interesting that she’s considered a teen protag despite her immortal age, but of course, she certainly is stunted emotionally and has aged so little physically that she looks like a teen. Nasty has a lot of demons in her past, but finally decides she wants to better her existence – or at least escape the pressure for a little while.

Enter River’s idyllic farm. Nasty finds everything boring and beneath her at first (and her snide asides are infinitely amusing), but after a lot of back-breaking work and stargazing starts to let herself heal. Since this is more of an internal process, the vast majority of the novel is either following Nasty’s daily drudgery at the farm or flashbacks from her past which shed light on her emotional state. Surprisingly perhaps, this all worked for me, and I very much enjoyed seeing Nasty emerge from her shell and interact more with the other immortals at the farm (though I must confess, I had a hard time keeping some of them apart) as well as the mere humans around the town.

There’s also a fair amount of immortal mythology and magical powers woven in which I found quite fun. I am looking forward to Nasty’s further adventures.

IMMORTAL BELOVED is out in hardcover now. Find out more about it and read the first chapter at the author’s website.

Book Review: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Small and scrappy, Nailer works as a ship breaker on “light crew” in a post-apocalyptic version of America’s Gulf Coast. It’s a dangerous job, and everyone is looking for that one “lucky strike” that could take them away from all the poverty and struggle and set them up for life. Nailer proves lucky, not once, but twice and has to decide the best way to parlay his luck into a better future for himself and those he cares about.


SHIP BREAKER pulsates with energy from page 1 as we follow Nailer into the narrow, claustrophobic passages of a dead freighter on the search for copper wire to make his quota and justify his place on his work team. As Nailer confronts challenge after challenge in a series of escalating cinematic action sequences, we also really get inside his head and root for him unabashedly.

Because this is much more than a post-apocalyptic adventure novel – it’s also got great characters. Nailer is not perfect, but he’s clever and retains a certain level of basic human decency and compassion even when most of the world’s population seems to have abandoned such luxuries. That he wants so badly to do the right thing – the good thing – is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. And the cool thing is – that instinct pays off.

The other major character here is Nita, and she’s a great counterpoint to Nailer. She grew up rich and pampered, but that “swank” life doesn’t do her much good on the run, and she learns to admire Nailer’s resourcefulness and survival skills. Nita represents a possible improvement of Nailer’s lot in life, but she’s characterized to be so much more complex than a mere golden goose. Her relationship with Nailer is fascinating to watch develop.

Supporting characters are also diverse and well-drawn. Tool, the” half man” is especially noteworthy and ties to the theme of loyalty that is thread throughout the narrative (as does Pima, Nailer’s friend from the light crew, albeit in a radically different way). And Nailer’s father? One of the most terrifying fictional guys I’ve come across lately.

There are a few places where the plot disappoints a bit, devolving into a sort of panicked “run for your life” mode that I never can totally get into, but those bits aside, this is an ambitious, rollicking ride that sparkles with originality and complexity.

Oh, and there is a sequel planned! SHIP BREAKER II – THE DROWNED CITIES will be out sometime next year. I can't wait! Find out more about it and the author, when I post my interview with him later on (which includes a book giveaway!)

My Rating – 4 Zombie Chickens: An Excellent Example of the Dystopian (Post-Apocalyptic) Genre

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore

Book Review: The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris

Tim Farnsworth is a successful lawyer with a seemingly happy life – an adoring wife, Jane, with whom he travels around the world, a teen daughter, Becka, and a lovely large house. But Tim hides a secret – he is sometimes afflicted with the compulsion to walk and stay walking until he passes out from exhaustion. During his previous episodes, he tried all manner of treatments, but no doctor knows what to do to help him. And now, it’s back.

Stylistically, the writing here matches the tone of the story – it flows so well yet is brutal and unsympathetic as it sweeps you along with its strong current. “This is real life,” it seems to say. “Real life is messy, it’s unfair, and it doesn’t wait around for you to pull yourself together.” If Ferris is hard on Tim – making him lose his career, his comforts, his fingers to frostbite, and eventually his mind – he’s just as hard on Jane and Becka, though he doesn’t give them near enough face time. Jane is portrayed as the kind of woman to stand by her man even when he doesn’t want her to, and frankly doesn’t deserve it. But she’s not a saint – she’s an alcoholic. Becka is grumpy and no amount of exercise or dieting can rid her of her considerable girth.

As if to really drive home his themes of hopelessness and pointlessness of life (I was reminded of Ecclesiastes 1:2-3), Ferris introduces a subplot concerning an innocent man accused of murder and lest the rest of world think it’s off the hook, bees seem to be dying in large swarms.

This is far from Ferris’ highly praised first novel THEN WE CAME TO AN END (which I reviewed here), so if nothing else, it shows he has range.

THE UNNAMED came out this month in hardcover. Find out more about it at the author’s website.

Author Interview and Giveaway: Malinda Lo discusses Ash

This is the 2nd stop of Malinda Lo's 7 stop blog tour which commenced yesterday at Teen Reads and continues at Hope's Bookshelf tomorrow.

As part of the tour, I got to ask Malinda some questions about her debut YA novel ASH (which I enjoyed and reviewed here).

ASH is set in a fantasy world. Did you create a map to help you get your bearings?

Yes:

Now that you’ve retold Cinderella where the main character falls for a woman instead of the prince, do you have any plans to tackle other fairy tales?
I do have one fairy tale in mind, but it would not be a young adult novel, so I’d rather not say more at this time. I’m a little superstitious about revealing too much about what I’m working on in the early stages!

My next novel, though, is not a fairy tale retelling. It is set in Ash’s world, and it’s a fantasy quest-type of novel.

Which classic work of world literature is ripe for a GLBT retelling in your opinion?
Hmm ... well, one of my favorite novels of all time is Pride and Prejudice. Everybody seems to be redoing Jane Austen with monsters these days, so how about instead of zombies, we had Pride and Prejudice and Lesbians? That idea cracks me up, except I love P&P so much that actually I would hate to have any of it changed. (I admit, I can’t bring myself to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.)

Wait! I’ve thought of one. Little Women. I want a retelling of Little Women in which Jo actually is gay instead of merely coded as gay, and she does not marry that German professor guy. That would make my day.

You did graduate research about The X-Files. What where some of your findings? And what is your all time favorite episode of the series? (Mine is “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose”)
I thought it was really interesting how the producers of The X-Files did incorporate fan feedback into their creative process, while simultaneously having extremely mixed feelings about the incredible level of investment fans had in the series. They wanted to please viewers, but they didn’t quite know what to do with their fans.

Since The X-Files was one of the first TV shows to have a dedicated online audience, the producers were some of the first people in Hollywood to be forced to deal with the blessings and curses of internet fandom. Sure, Star Trek came first, but most of Star Trek fandom developed before the World Wide Web, and it’s impossible to overstate how much of an impact the internet made on creators of TV shows. Instant feedback can be good, but it can also be stifling on creativity.

My favorite X-Files episode ... I just looked through an episode list to refresh my memory, and one stands out from the rest: “Bad Blood,” written by Vince Gilligan. A hilarious take on vampires. I love it every time.

I love that one too! Thanks Malinda!

Also check out Malinda's website for answers to frequently asked questions about ASH.

Want to win a gorgeous hardcover copy of ASH? Just tell me in the comments what fairy tale you'd most like to see reworked and what your fresh spin would be OR tell me what your favorite X-Files episode is if you are a fan of the show. Extra entry for linking to this contest in your blog (sidebar is fine) or social media site (please leave a separate comment indicating that you did so if you want the entry to count). Contest will remain open until 11:59 PM CST on Oct 3rd and is US and Canada only.

Book Review: Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Valerie may be the most hated person in town after her boyfriend Nick kills a teacher and several students at their high school. Even though she didn’t shoot and was in fact shot herself while shielding a fellow classmate (student council president Jessica), she did help Nick create the ‘hate list’ that he used to pick his targets. After a summer in therapy, Valerie is back for her senior year, hoping to put the past behind her.

The focus of HATE LIST is survivor’s guilt and how all of those affected by the tragedy must work through their heartache, confusion and hate. By revolving around Valerie, an unwitting accessory to the crime, and by including a moving subplot where the formerly snotty Jessica attempts to befriend Valerie, the narrative is able to really dig deep into the themes of forgiveness and redemption. And Valerie is a complex creation – frustrating in her stubbornness and obliviousness but ultimately sympathetic enough to root for.

Though some chapter headings begin with news articles about the victims and there are flashbacks to the day of the shooting as well as to scenes of Valerie and Nick’s seemingly happy relationship, the structure is mostly linear. It’s a solid approach, though not as flashy or shocking as fellow school shooting novels such as Jodi Piccoult’s NINETEEN MINUTES or Lionel Shriver’s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (my review).

HATE LIST comes out September 1st in hardcover. Find out more about it on the author's website.

PS: The tear on the cover is very fitting since I did have to shed a few tears at the end of this powerful novel.

Book Review and Giveaway: Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

After her father dies under mysterious circumstances, Lia discovers that she and her twin sister are part of an ancient prophesy that pits them against one another. Lia must stay one step ahead of her sister to prevent the apocalypse.

This hauntingly lovely novel has a lot going for it: a vividly realized historical setting (1890s New York), confident writing and a premise that makes you want to dig deeper. And that’s good, because it has to overcome the fact that it is basically a set-up for a trilogy. There are no big showdowns here, but a series of mysterious occurrences and coincidences as well as several smaller showdowns that serve well to build atmosphere and explain mythology but are sorely lacking in the action department.

Some of the specifics of the prophesy itself reminded me of the movie Constantine, which was considerably darker than what I expected. And I have to admit that although I like the idea of astral projection and dream travel, I found these passages unsettling (and nightmare inducing) and had to skim over them.

THE PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS is available in hardcover now. Find out more about it at the author’s website. I have an extra ARC that I can send out to one of my readers next week, so let me know in the comments by August 24th if you'd like it.

Book Review: Ash by Malinda Lo

After her mother’s death, Aisling (aka Ash) is devastated. And she’s inconsolable when her remarried father dies, leaving the family with debts that Aisling’s new stepmother forces her to pay off with servitude – so much so that she prays the fairies will take her from the human world. That is until she meets Kaisa, the King’s huntress. Because Kaisa teaches her to hunt and ride - and most importantly to value life and love again.

As my regular readers know by now, I am a huge fan of fairy tale retellings, especially when they follow the recognized formula but bring some sort of new twist to the story. In case you couldn’t tell, ASH is a retelling of Cinderella – with more dangerous fairies and a less over-the-top evil stepfamily than the Disney version.

The tale Debut Author Malinda Lo spins is haunting and powerful enough on its own, but she also weaves in various fascinating dark faerie tales that characters tell each other. Much will probably be made of the fact that Aisling falls for a woman instead of the prince, but in the world of ASH’s narrative, it feels like the most natural thing in the world and no one even bats an eye.

ASH comes out in hardcover on September 1st. Find out more at Malinda Lo’s website.

First Chapter Challenge (1)

To kick off my first chapter challenge, a personal challenge this summer to whittle down my review pile, I read the first chapter of 5 books that have been sitting on my shelf a long time to determine if I would keep them on my shelf or give them away.

The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer
Publisher: Scholastic
Release date: January 2009
One sentence summary: Bad girl Angela is sent to a reform school whose methods are questionable.
First sentences: All of the girls fell silent. The woman took a few seconds to look around the room, making eye contact with each of us. When she finally spoke, her voice was cold, with a slight accent that said she had lived years in places beyond our reach.
First chapter review: In the space of 8 pages, we are introduced to Hidden Oak, the girls, and a Dr. Spicer who asserts her absolute authority over the girls. We are also teased with flashbacks of what Angela might have done to be deemed dangerous - which is possibly murder. It's a solid start, but it's nothing that can't be put down.
Verdict: Return to TBR. The reviews I've read of this have been mixed, but considering David Levithan edited it, I'll give it a chance.

Suddenly Supernatural Book 2: Scaredy Kat by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers
Release date: February 2009
One sentence summary: Kat, who has recently discovered that she's a medium like her mother, investigates the disappearance of a boy in the abandoned house next door.
First sentence: The truth is, I find it very embarrassing when my mother talks to plants.
First chapter review: Although this is the second book in a series, I didn't get the sense from the first chapter that I needed to have read the first one to understand this one. The voice is fresh and fun and although I could've done without the e-mail correspondence, this is a nice set-up to what seems like a quick read with some spooky elements.
Verdict: This is one I definitely want to pass on to my favorite 11 year old. If I manage to get to it before I see her again, I'll read it myself. If not, I will pass it on to her with a good feeling.

The King's Rose by Alisa M. Libby
Publisher: Dutton (Penguin)
Release date: March 2009
One sentence summary: 15 year old Catherine Howard catches the eye of Henry the 8th who wants to make her his 5th wife.
First sentence: The Thames is a messenger of fortune, rippling smoothly beneath the prow of this barge.
First chapter review: The first chapter is a mere 2 1/2 pages and has a very reflective, dreamy tone. In order to get more a sense of Catherine, I also had to read chapter 2, which introduces the central tension of the narrative. She's proud of being chosen as Henry's next wife but also terrified (considering what happened to Anne Boleyn). She knows she has to deliver another male heir or else... The writing flows well, but knowing what happens to Catherine is basically a retread of Anne's story, I'm not that intrigued.
Verdict: Pass on to a friend who loves Tudor historicals.

The Dracula Dossier by James Reese
Publisher: William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Release date: October 2008
One sentence summary: Dracula author Bram Stoker is the prime suspect in a series of killings that will be attributed to Jack the Ripper and he must work to clear his name.
First sentence: You do not know me, and you never will.
First chapter review: This dossier starts out with a letter from an unknown collector to a senior editor at William Morrow. With the letter he includes a lost diary of Bram Stoker which tells of his involvement with Jack the Ripper. It's a pretty dry start. I probably would've been more hooked had it immediately begun with Bram's diary whose first line states "It seemed wise to hide the bloodied knife."
Verdict: Meh. It sounds like an ok book, but I have a pile of books waiting with some amazing premises, so I think I'll pass on this. I'll donate it to the library.


Suffer the Children by Adam Creed
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Release date: none in the US yet, May 2009 in the UK
One sentence summary: After a paedophile is brutally murdered, Inspector Staffe must question the families of his victims.
First sentence: Staffe raises his head as high as he can, sucks in the underground air.
First chapter review: To be honest, I couldn't even finish the first chapter. It is written in third person present, which is beyond awkward, and the subject matter is just not my thing.
Verdict: Didn't hook me. Will donate to library. I did like this cover the most of the 5 though.

Anyone want to weight in and tell me if I making a huge mistake keeping or getting rid of any of these?