Tag Archive | US author

A2Z Blog Challenge this year? My TBR shelf says yes!

Feb18

logo of A to Z Blog Challenge April 2014 Every spring, I agonize over whether or not to participate in the April AtoZ Blog Challenge.

Twenty-six posts in 26 days…

By no means impossible, but it sure is tough for me to get all the posts’ subjects to align with the A-through-Z daily schedule in April (we have Sundays off, thank God!).

However, my to-be-reviewed shelf of worthwhile reads is so overflowing that I  easily set aside 26 great books, each with a wee-bitty alpha tag, just waiting for April – and I still have scads more to write about in the meantime!

So yes, I’m committing myself to 26 A2Z posts in April again – third time’s a charm? See me at #785 on the AtoZ list?  (This will also help immensely with my pre-2014 books backlog as part of the Bookish blog TBR2014 Challenge)

Are you up for the Challenge too?
**kmm

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)

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)

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)

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.

Palace of Spies, by Sarah Zettel (book review) – impersonation, extortion, treason!

Nov6

book cover of Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel published by Houghton Mifflin HarcourtDanger, passion, politics, treason,
strictest etiquette ruling every word and movement,
secrets upon secrets in the palace!

Laced tight into her gowns and her role, imposter and spy Peggy is treading on dangerous ground at court with every hand of piquet played and every meaningful glance from her sister ladies-in-waiting.

So much upheaval when Queen Anne died and left no clear successor – George of Hanover is now king of Protestant England, James Stuart the Catholic is sure he’s the true king, and spies in both their courts are trying to make sure the “right” king reigns.

Just published on Nov. 5th, Palace of Spies asks “How brave could you be if your country’s future was at stake?”
**kmm

Book info: Palace of Spies (Palace of Spies, book 1) / Sarah Zettel. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Impersonating a lady-in-waiting is the least of the dangers awaiting Peg in King George’s court, as the orphaned teen must uncover a treasonous plot before the killer strikes again.

Nothing could prepare 16-year-old Peggy for the shock of being thrown bodily into the street when she refuses to marry the abusive man chosen by her guardian. As the poor cousin, she’s always been at the fringes of London society events, so now must accept “Mr. Tinderflint’s” offer of help, curious about how he knew her late mother.

How very odd! Her unladylike skill with languages will help Peg become Lady Francesca, a lady-in-waiting whom Princess Caroline thinks is recovering from a terrible illness. Evidently, no one knows that Fran died while away from the court, so Peg will step into her silk brocade shoes and continue spying in the palace! Dangerous times in 1761 England, as King George has been placed on the throne over James Stuart, who is still trying to become King.

Now Peg/Fran must balance not only her towering wig and court etiquette, but also the demands of Tinderflint’s partners for daily reports, the jealousy of other ladies-in-waiting, a handsome artist, and an unsuitable suitor with Stuart sympathies!

Can she keep fooling everyone in Hampton Court?
Which side of the royal dispute is Tinderflint on?
How can a Lady ever be with a mere artist?

Spies everywhere, coded messages in the woodwork, and no way to let her cousin know she’s still alive – Peggy has her clever hands full in this first book of the Palace of Spies series. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Solstice, by PJ Hoover (book review) – hotter’n Hades in new Texas?

Nov4

book cover of Solstice by PJ Hoover published by Tor TeenFatal heat waves,
acceptable losses,
is there any solution?

Her mother’s overprotectiveness, her father’s abandonment, the eternal summer that’s killing everything on Earth – and somehow just-turned-18 Piper can fix everything??

As PJ noted at a recent author talk, she actually did have some input on the cover art (most authors don’t) and made sure that the city skyline was truly Austin!

Especially for fans of

  • dystopias (with a twist)
  • Greek mythology
  • growing up stories and finding your own path
  • climate change as a character
  • ancient tales set in modern times
  • love triangles with real tension

Grab this debut novel from a Texas Sweetheart writer today and discover the depth of the choices which Piper must make.

How far would you go to save your family? to save the world?
**kmm

Book info: Solstice / P.J. Hoover. Tor Teen, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  [publisher book trailer] [author’s book trailer]  Personal copy; cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk:
Piper endures her overprotective mom and the heat waves sweeping the earth, little realizing that she alone holds the key to solving the global climate crisis and averting the death of humanity!

Mom’s greenhouses protect rare medicinal plants from the heat bubbles that push Austin over the 120 degree mark so often now. But they’re like a prison to Piper, who just wants to graduate and go somewhere, anywhere away from the dark visions which began on her 18th birthday.

At school, handsome Shayne understands her better than her best friend does and new guy Reese promises answers about Piper’s ever-absent father. Her mom’s sudden out-of-town trip gives Piper the chance to go on her first dates – and discover that she’s not just a teen girl from Texas!

Questions about the strange birthday gifts delivered by messenger and her mother’s habit of moving them so frequently have peculiar answers, involving the Underworld and Hades’ motivation, plus Mars plotting to rid the world of humankind forever…

Who is Piper (really)?
How could she stop the Global Heating Crisis?
Which stunning guy should she choose – when her mother hates them both?

Greek mythology meets near-future dystopia in this debut novel where only the relationship stresses are hotter than the everlasting summer.
(One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

My Basmati Bat Mitzvah, by Paula J. Freedman (book review) – Bollywood plus Hebrew School?

Nov1

Book cover of My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Freedman published by Amulet BooksHebrew school – check.
Bollywood movie DVD collection – check.
Punjabi and Yiddish grandparents at the same celebration – oy vey!

It’s worth a special trip to your favorite local library or independent bookstore to meet Tara and friends in My Basmati Bat Mitzvah if you like

  • interesting family dynamics
  • a look into two different cultural heritages
  • guys and gals who are trying to sort out relationships and other complicated things
  • middle school experiences that are both funny and typical
  • a strong-minded main character who still has big questions
  • conversations about faith and God that aren’t self-righteous sermons
  • chances to be “both X and Y” instead of having to be “either X or Y”

Samosas at the bat mitzvah reception and chilies in the matzoh ball soup? Count me in!
**kmm

Book info:  My Basmati Bat Mitzvah / Paula J. Freedman. Amulet Books, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]   Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: Tara just wants to add a hint of India to her bat mitzvah ceremony, to stay friends with her best friends, and to win the robotics contest – how can this all be so hard?!

The twelve-year-old loves her Yiddish-speaking Gran and her Punjabi grandpa, Bollywood movies and cheezy monster flicks, the Diwali and Hanukkah festivals of light that each side of her family celebrates.

Attending Hebrew school in preparation for her bat mitzvah at age 13, she’s confused about God – better talk to Rabbi Aron some more. And she’s confused by best buddy Ben-O’s sudden blushes and breath mints, by the class clown’s attentions, by Rebecca wanting to be best friends with her and that snooty Sheila at the same time.

A mishap with an heirloom sari and continuing jibes that her Indian mother’s conversion to Judaism didn’t really make her Jewish collide with problems on the robotics team and a glimpse into Sheila’s not-so-perfect purple life in the hectic weeks leading up to her bat mitzvah.

How can she balance new friendships and old?
Why are boys so weird now?
Can she really mix India and New York City in her bat mitzvah?

The importance of family traditions and questions about faith thread through this coming-of-age story like the golden threads in Daadiji’s beautiful sari.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

2013 can’t be nearly over – I still have books left!

Oct30

logo for @Bookish's 2014 TBR ChallengeWait – how did we get ten months through 2013 already?!?

Thanks to the TBR2013 Challenge on Bookish blog, I’ve been steadily catching up on my 2012 TBR shelves this year (click the TBR2012 tag in the right-hand column for posts about the 50+ pre-2013 books that I’ve recommended this year).

But every time I write up a recommendation for a 2012 book that means I’ve set aside a 2013 book… so I’m still behind, and my to-be-read and to-be-reviewed shelves never get smaller!

So I’m signing up with Bookish again for the TBR2014 Challenge so I’ll get these great 2013 books written up for you, even if it’s during 2014!

And, looking at the stacks of 2013 (and earlier!) books that I won’t have time to write up before year’s end, I am planning on hitting the 50+ mark again in 2014… does it never end??

Which 2012 or earlier books highlighted this year on BooksYALove have you read?
**kmm