Clockwork Scarab, by Colleen Gleason (book review) – the Misses Stoker and Holmes, on the case!

Feb4

book cover of Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason published by Chronicle BooksAncient Egypt is all the rage,
“Cognoggins” crave the newest steam-machines,
London society’s fairest maidens are being kidnapped…and worse!

It’s Evalina who inherited the Stoker family call to hunt vampires and the superhuman quickness needed to succeed. The logical mind and innate problem-solving skills shared by Sherlock and Mycroft also live on in gadget-loving Mina.

Only the personal request of Her Highness could make these rivals work together in this 1889 world powered by steam… and lies.

Add a handsome police detective, a young man of the streets who knows more than he should, and a stranger who claims to come from the future (where electricity is legal? Oh, who is he trying to fool?), and things get more complicated than either independent-minded miss had anticipated!

Check out the first Stoker & Holmes book today at your favorite local library or independent bookstore, and immerse yourself in a steampunk city with mystery and mayhem.

Or should modern writers not take classic tales beyond their original authors’ limits?
**kmm

Book info: The Clockwork Scarab (Stoker & Holmes, book 1) / Colleen Gleason. Chronicle Books, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: When young London society heiresses go missing and leave scarab amulets behind, Stoker and Holmes must investigate – that’s Eva Stoker, vampire hunter, and Mina Holmes, niece of Sherlock.

Summoned by the Princess of Wales to solve the deadly mystery, the two young ladies find another dead girl in the British Museum’s Egyptian room – and a young man in strange garb who claims to come from the future!

Inspector Luckworth of Scotland Yard suspects this Dylan fellow in the case, charming street urchin Pix knows more than he’s telling, and another young lady of quality disappears…

Can Eva’s defensive talents keep rational Mina from becoming the scarab cult’s next victim?

Can Mina solve the scarab mystery before Eva’s impulsive actions close off all clues or get them both killed?

Can they get Dylan back to his time in his own world?

Something much deadlier than illegal electricity is stalking the streets and levels of steampunk London in this first volume of the Stoker and Holmes series, even if these dedicated young ladies are underappreciated by the men in their noted families!  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

TBR2014 Challenge – catching up on YA books!

Jan31

Wait a minute…
How did January race by so fast?

Thankfully, I did squeeze in some recommendations of pre-2014 published books for the TBR2014 Challenge on Bookish blog (I’m number 30 there).
(the newest books are great, but the best books of any time are better, right?)

Be sure you check out these recent BooksYALove faves (each title link goes to my no-spoiler recommendation):

book cover of Coda by Emma Trevayne published by Running Pressbook cover of Winter of the Robots by Kurtis Scaletta published by Alfred A KnopfIn Anthem’s future USA, personal music is illegal, but he must play anyway! Coda, by Emma Trevayne (Running Press, 2013)

Something eerie and deadly stalks the old junkyard in Winter of the Robots, by Kurtis Scaletta (Alfred Knopf, 2013).

 

book cover of Relic by Heather Terrell published by Soho TeenTechnology lust killed the earth, say the elders, but the Relic which Eva finds says otherwise in Heather Terrell’s 2013 Soho Teen release.

So that makes 3 of my hoped-for 50+ TBR2013 titles… gotta step it up during February!

What 2013 books are still on your to-be-read shelf?
**kmm

Multicultural Children’s Book Day – many viewpoints, many stories

Jan27

January 27 = Chocolate Cake Day, Holocaust Memorial Day, birth anniversary of Mozart and Lewis Carroll.

Chase’s Calendar of Events will tell you that every day (and week and month) of the year has many holidays, anniversaries, and observances associated with it.

Add Multicultural Children’s Book Day to that list for January 27th, thanks to bloggers JumpIntoABook and Pragmatic Mom! Fewer than 10% of children’s and young adult books published in the US annually feature main characters of color, multiple ethnicities, or varied cultural heritages, even though nearly 40% of American children and youth share these characteristics.

So Valarie and Mia decided to gather up lists of great kids’ and YA books which bring strong multicultural characters and stories into our lives by creating MCCBD, joined by publishers whose books fill this niche – Wisdom Tales Press, Chronicle Books, and Lee & Low Books (including their Tu Books imprint).

In anticipation of MCCBD, I linked several BooksYALove multicultural recommendations on Pragmatic Mom, including:

Book cover of My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Friedman published by AbramsBook cover of The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson published by Margaret McElderry Books Tara tries to balance Hebrew school, Bollywood movies, and the expectations of her Punjabi and Yiddish grandparents as she prepares for My Basmati Bat Mitzvah.

As nightmares-made-real stalk Toronto’s streets, Canadian-Jamaican teen searches for her brother and answers in The Chaos.

book cover of Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac published by Tu Booksbook cover of Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel by Diana Lopez published by Little BrownLike her warrior women ancestors, Lozen is Killer of Enemies to save her family in this chilling future tale, named American Indian Youth Literature best YA novel today!

Struggling with her mom’s cancer diagnosis and her own school difficulties, Chia says just Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel when other situations arise.

And today is also Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, so pop some virtually here!

Which multicultural book would you name to a “best of the best” list today?
**kmm

Winter of the Robots, by Kurtis Scaletta (book review) – robots good, bad, on the loose!

Jan20

book cover of Winter of the Robots by Kurtis Scaletta published by Alfred A KnopfResearching urban otters instead of making fake robots,
Working with cute Rocky for the science fair,
Solving a mystery in snow-bound Minneapolis –
all great until something or someone attacks them!

The ‘keep out’ signs at the abandoned site are there for a reason, Jim, but staying out won’t keep the mysterious whatevers inside the fence!

Scaletta wrote about the deadly snake that Linus encountered at Mamba Point – is this new snow-cloaked peril even more dangerous?

**kmm

Book info: The Winter of the Robots / Kurtis Scaletta.  Alfred Knopf, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Metal skritching, big clawprints in the snow – the abandoned tech site hides something scarier than Jim and his friends can imagine…and it’s ready to escape!

Maybe it awoke when Jim decided not to be genius Oliver’s sidekick for the 7th grade science fair. Or when their new partners’ ideas got Dmitri kidnapped and Rochelle stuck in the junkyard fence looking for otters. Or when the security cameras they borrowed from Jim’s dad spotted something moving way too fast in the Minneapolis snow to be an otter.

After the creatures chase them out of the old Half Street research site, Jim and Rocky decide to send in robots with cameras to figure out what’s going on, even if Oliver won’t help.

Robot competitions, school closed for snow days, pocket burgers – here’s Jim’s chance to impress Rocky, to uncover whatever is haunting Half Street, and to show Oliver that he can build robots, too…if the things don’t attack the science fair partners first!  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Coda, by Emma Trevayne (book review) – music=death, must play anyway

Jan17

book cover of Coda by Emma Trevayne published by Running PressIn the future, personal music is illegal.
Mainline the Corp’s music now and die later of mindrot.
Skip the Corp’s music-drug today and be mind-wiped tomorrow.

Chrome skin implants to gleam under the lights at the music club where the lower levels get their music fix every night, the credits for it earned by letting the Corporation siphon off brainwaves… this future’s so bleak that self-named Anthem’s craving to make his own music is like a torch – and the Corp is all-too-ready to stamp out any individual spark.

This first book in the Coda series is available now in paperback – grab it today at your local library or independent bookstore!

How far would you go to express yourself?
**kmm

Book info: Coda / Emma Trevayne. Running Press Teens, 2013.  [author’s Tumblr]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Only the Corporation may create music, deeply encoded and addictive, but a few citizens like 18-year-old Anthem sneak away to play their own punk-rock songs at the risk of being mind-wiped if caught.

In this not-so-distant future, video cameras everywhere record all your actions and implanted chips tell the Corporation if you’re not listening to enough life-shortening music tracks daily. Anthem’s younger sister and brother are his main reason for living; making his music is the only reason he feels alive. But a few stolen hours of playing his made-from-scraps guitar aren’t enough anymore…

Can Anthem and his friends find a way to perform in public?
Will they live long enough to keep his little brother and sister safe?
Why did the Corp turn music into a drug and a weapon?

Deciding who to trust, daring to love an Upper Level, the chance for revolution – this Coda may signal a change in the music of their lives or a crashing final chord.   (One of 7,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Relic, by Heather Terrell (book review) – frozen secrets, fiery ambition

Jan15

book cover of Relic by Heather Terrell published by Soho TeenHumanity’s remnants dwell on a single Arctic island,
shunning the technology which led to Earth’s near-destruction by flood,
purposely bound by medieval rules more rigid than the ice Ringwall protecting New North.

Eva isn’t a meek Maiden, content to embroider and to make an advantageous marriage. She can’t leave her family’s honor Quest unfulfilled following her brother’s mysterious death – she must venture into the frozen wasteland outside the Aerie as the first female Testor in generations. To prevent her from succeeding, someone is willing to do anything…

Read a selection from the prequel novella Chronicle here, then rush to get Relic at your local library or favorite independent bookstore now – you won’t want to miss a chilling moment of Eva’s quest for answers.

Is technology still our tool, or has it become our master, as the Triad claims?
**kmm

Book info: Relic (Books of Eva,  book 1) / Heather Terrell. Soho Teen, 2013. [author site]  [publisher site]  [author interview video] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: When her twin brother suddenly dies, Eva feels compelled to fulfill his Quest, despite all odds…and sabotage.

Eamon and the other Testors had long trained for the Boundary Land’s frozen challenges – discover a Relic, write its cautionary tale, earn respect in the Aerie where the words of Lex rule everything.

So Eva searches the Lex and finds a precedent which allows her to participate,
even though true Maidens know their place – at home,
even though the Triad elders grudgingly allow her to go – hoping that she fails,
even though Eva’s discovery in the ice may shatter her society’s foundation.

Their ring-walled city survived when technology’s evils doomed the world to die by flood, but can it survive the truth which Eva uncovers?  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Looking back, peering at the future

Jan13
mounted pheasant in flight wearing Santa hat

Somehow, I pictured Santa as a larger flying critter…

You’ve heard the saying, ” Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans,” right?

Yep. It does.

My good intentions for posting at least once weekly through the holidays got nibbled away daily by everything from a leaking water heater to an ailing older dog (who’s much better now).

January is for new beginnings, so I’ve decide to ignore the blank expanse of recent weeks on BooksYALove and work through the ‘new normal’ of unquiet house and odd schedules as best I can.

No promises of how many books I’ll recommend weekly, but I do have so many great ones that I do want to share – perhaps in a shorter format…

So that you get new posts as soon as I release them, please do subscribe to BooksYALove by email or using your favorite feed reader (see right sidebar for options). I also announce new posts on Twitter as @BooksYALove.

And a big thank you to everyone who visited BooksYALove in 2013 – from 77 countries, WordPress tells me!

**kmm

P.S. You’re Invited, by Erica Domesek (book review)

Nov20

book cover of PS Youre Invited by Erica Domesek published by Atria“I see it.
I like it.
I make it!”

Erica Domesek’s P.S. – I Made This blog motto reflects her passion for transforming everyday accessories and household items into stylish, glitzy and/or funky items – and in this book she shares techniques and materials to help you do it, too.

As we roll into the holiday season, try your hand at updating some table settings, refreshing your home decor, or creating one-of-a-kind gifts with your own unique flair… and a little help from Erica!

Ready, set, let’s craft!
**kmm

Book info: You’re Invited / Erica Domesek. Atria Books, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Rev up your craft supplies, choose an occasion, and turn everyday things into your own creations with this DIY guide from the “P.S. I Made This” blogger.

From paper tape and raffia to the best glues to use on various surfaces, Erica walks crafters through techniques and tips needed for this collection of entertaining-themed projects.

Transform cardboard into Glitzy Coasters, a plain canvas bag into a vivid Pom-Pom Purse, and inexpensive glassware into elegant Mercury Glass Candlestick Holders.

Wander into the hardware store for the secret ingredients needed to make a Dahlia Cocktail Ring and Coin Charm Bracelet, then hit the drugstore as you prepare to create your Faux-Stitch Fedora and Glam Wire Earrings.

Don’t miss the links for enhanced digital content throughout the book, using the mobi app or on the book’s website.

So choose your favorite colors for a quick Patchwork Blanket and say it with your handmade Rope Message Art as you “stay crafty” to put your personal touch on any gathering. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

On the road again – from KidLitCon to the Carolinas

Nov15

logo for KidLitosphere CentralAfter a wonderful and energizing KidLitCon weekend in Austin, I’m taking Sarah & Jen‘s advice regarding “Blogging Burnout” and slowing down a bit.

Hoping to add at least one book recommendation weekly from now through year’s end as we travel to see family and friends (yes, all sorts of great books are along for the ride, some already-read & needing write-up to post, others just waiting for me to read!) – but don’t be surprised if that only turns out to be an average…

What YA books are on your holiday wish list? Remember to use the categories list and tag cloud in the right column to find more books to wish for!
**kmm

Headed for KidLitCon!

Nov8
photo of Congress Street, Austin Texas by Mister-E Chris Eason

(c) Chris Eason

Austin, here we come!

Yes, the Kidlitosphere is descending on the capital of Texas to talk blogging, kids’ books, middle grade books, young adult books, and reading as KidLitCon begins tonight with a meet-and-greet (plus ARC swap), followed by a full day of breakout sessions on Saturday, including keynote by Cynthia Leitich Smith!

Charlotte, Melissa, and I will start the conversation about Blogging Middle Grade Books during the last breakout session. Can’t wait to hear what the bloggers, authors, illustrators, and librarians there to have to say about its challenges and joys.

“On the road again…”

*kmm

Photo of the State Capitol (c) Chris Eason (Mister-E), used under Creative Commons license.