Review: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

How does one stumble across (the second in a series) alternate history about time-traveling historians published in 1998? Why John Green tells you to read it, of course. (Ok, he told everyone on YouTube, it is not like we share book lists or anything). I have never read the first book in the Oxford Time Travel series, so I approached To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis as a stand alone. And I am happy I read this QUIRKY book- it was very smart and very fun.
                                       

From Connie Willis, winner of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, comes a comedic romp through an unpredictable world of mystery, love, and time travel... Ned Henry is badly in need of a rest.  He's been shuttling between the 21st century and the 1940s searching for a Victorian atrocity called the bishop's bird stump.  It's part of a project to restore the famed Coventry Cathedral, destroyed in a Nazi air raid over a hundred years earlier.   But then Verity Kindle, a fellow time traveler, inadvertently brings back something from the past.  Now Ned must jump back to the Victorian era to help Verity put things right--not only to save the project but to prevent altering history itself. (GoodReads).

Level of Originality: 10 +. Alternate history, time travel, and hilarious historians. I LOVED how fresh this felt. But a warning, this book expects a lot of you. You need to hit the ground running to be ready to embrace this original mash-up. It was a bit hard to get into the book and figure out what was going on, but that could be because it was the second in a series. 
Level of Absurdity: 10. This is supposed to be absurd- it is a fish out of water story with Ned totally unprepared for the Victorian era.  This is something of a comedy of coincidences, so it is very silly. I giggled a lot.
Level of Paranormal Romance: 2. Minimal romance, but I was pleasantly surprised when Ned got moves at the end of the book. Apparently he is dashing in his straw boater hat. I like it! 
Level of Harry Potter-ness: 7. This book requires focus and dedication. The narration is complicated. Since it is told from Ned's POV when he is confused, the narration is confused, etc. After I got the hang of this, I loved that I was being challenged to fully engage with the structure of Willis's writing and all of the history asides. It might not be for everyone, but this history grad student got a kick out of it.

Stacking the Shelves: A Library Book-ARC Mixer

It is Saturday which means Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tygna's reviews. Yay! Today old and new books are mixing on my shelf. We have some newly released beauties and some Spring 2013 releases in ARCs which sound awesome. There is serious reading ahead around here. What did you pick up this week? I hope all you East Coasters enjoy this warm spell. Happy weekending to all.

ARCs: 
Cinders & Sapphires by Leila Rasheed (Downton Abbey + YA. Yes, please) and The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (The sequel the the hilarious/scary The Name of the Star, with the awesome Rory. See my review!)

Good, Old-Fashioned Library Book:
Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) by Laini Taylor (This sequel is going to be epic)

Friday Book Updates: Why We Read

via

Review: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill was such an adorable read. I buzzed through this book in just two days and giggled out loud on public transit. I hate to be that weirdo laughing at their book on the train, but this is just so darn charming. At least it sort of looked like I was reading a book for adults- these cover models look old. Grad Student 1, Creepy YA Book Covers, 132.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for - gasp - the wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's the queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her ... well, pocket. Julia also believes in fate, and that Mark, her childhood crush, is her MTB - her meant-to-be.

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts ... from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to live a little along the way. And thus begins a wild-good chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love. Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be (GoodReads).

• Originality: 4. Classic Rom-Com. Boy gets stuck with girl in an unlikely scenario, they hate each other, fall for each other while pretending to deny it, and then.....Extra points for the London setting and a leading lady with a surprisingly complex sense of self and relationships.
• Absurdity: 8. OK why do these two end up in so many pig piles/wrestling? I mean, muddy fields, museum galleries, hotel lobbies, front steps. Is gravity different in London?
• Level of Paranormal Romance: 7. This is a Rom-Com in the best sense--it is How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days level cute.  Jason is hilarious and Julia, even though she has the nickname "Book Licker" is smart and just sassy enough. I loved the banter between these two. I also loved the pig piles (particularly one out in a field ifyouknowhatImean wink wink).
• Level of Harry-Potterness: 3. This book will probably not stick with me like a true HP read, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a fun fling!

Waiting on Wednesday: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Listed in NPR's 2012 In Review: 50 Wonderful Things From The Year In Pop Culture, was a great book about young love:

"4.  Rainbow Rowell's luscious, delicate novel Eleanor & Park, which tells as vivid a story about young love, mix tapes and comic books as you're likely to read. Already out in the UK, it will be released in the US in February."  

I was intrigued, so over I went to GoodReads:

"Bono met his wife in high school," Park says.
"So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we’re sixteen."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
''I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I’m not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

YUP- this looks perfect.  March 5th 2013, see you then Eleanor & Park.  Until then, I will be "Waitin' on" this title. What is your WoW this week? As always, a thanks to Jill at Breaking the Spine for hosting Waiting on Wednesday.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals For 2013

Hellllllooooo and happy Tuesday book-blog friends. I hope you are all having a fab week. We here at YAF and WS feel very motivated to be back to work and have resolved to be better people this year (it involves, but is not limited to, studiously flossing our teeth).  Today's TTT is all about the bookish goals we have made for ourselves. We can't wait to hear what yours are, too.

Ladies we like reading = Good bookish inspiration.

Grad Student's goals:

1. To not skim the end of books but force myself to be patient. Sometimes if I love a story I have GOT to know how certain elements turn out. But really, this is a bad habit.

2. Read a couple classics that I never have---I have the Brontes in the bag, but Anna Karenina is staring me down.

3. Go to an author event or two. I live in Manhattan--authors do talks all the time. I should be making the most of this!

Crazy Camper's goals:

4.  Read some smart non-fiction.  Smart reading is good for my brain, but to accomplish this i must

5. Read book reviews so I can find some smart fiction.

6.  Give someone else a book I really love to read and spread the book loving

7. Read one book with friends and actually discuss it ( I am hoping The Book Thief counts as this..)

A big thank you to The Broke and the Bookish for being generally awesome and hosting Top Ten Tuesday!

Review: Ash by Melinda Lo

Continuing on my unintentional binge on re-tellings of fairy tales (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty), this holiday I also read Ash, a retelling of Cinderella.  From Melinda Lo's Website:

In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love—and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love. Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

• Originality: 6. Cinderella and fairies.  New spin.  What is it with fairies and YA fiction?  Authors love fairies. O yea, and Ash doesn't fall for the prince, New spin X2.
• Absurdity: 4. I am giving this a low score, because coming into this you have to have low absurdity bar because you know it is already a fairy tale
• Level of Paranormal Romance: 7.  Higher then normal because of her love for both Sidhean, who has his own scary fairy charm, and Kaisa, who is a beautiful huntress.  A new love triangle for the fairy tales.  And the prince?  We are not impressed.  But more so, this book is more about Ash, and her struggle to find herself, and though the romance is part of the story, I don't think it is the whole story
• Level of Harry Potterness: 7  A Cinderella who lives in a world of fairies and falls in love with another girl?  Unexpected, but it was well written and Ash is confused and in love and struggling with fairies and evil step sisters in a surprisingly relatable way, and this is coming from a girl who has just one sister who she likes, doesn't have to do physical labor, and probably would have fallen for the prince (if not the fairy king).

I liked it.  It is different but the same.  Give it a try.

Stacking the Shelves: So Many Library Books (with those great crinkly plastic covers)

Its Saturday. Yayyyyy! That means.... well more homework for this grad student, but in theory it could be a fun brunch in the Lower East Side. A girl can dream. The good news is, I stopped by the library and got so many good books. I have Bitterblue by Kristin  Cashore (GASP-- I love the first 40 pages), Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay (which has LOTS of feelings so far) and The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski.  Here is more about Romeo Redeemed and why I am intrigued by this series, Juliet Immortal. And as for The Shadow Society:

Darcy Jones doesn't remember anything before the day she was  abandoned as a child outside a Chicago firehouse. She has never really belonged anywhere—but she couldn’t have guessed that she comes from an alternate world where the Great Chicago Fire didn’t happen and deadly creatures called Shades terrorize the human population. Memories begin to haunt Darcy when a new boy arrives at her high school, and he makes her feel both desire and desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible. But Conn’s interest in her is confusing. It doesn’t line up with the way he first looked at her. As if she were his enemy.

When Conn betrays Darcy, she realizes that she can’t rely on anything—not herself, not the laws of nature, and certainly not him. Darcy decides to infiltrate the Shadow Society and uncover the Shades’ latest terrorist plot. What she finds out will change her world forever . . .

What is new to your bookshelf this weekend? Cheers of our whiskey sour to Tynga's Reviews for hosting Stacking the Shelves. Happy reading!

Review: A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

This was the book I was reading when my Nook crashed right before Christmas I walked upstairs to get a sweatshirt, telling my mom, wow I am enjoying this book, came downstairs, and my Nook was done-zo.  Fast forward to Christmas gifts and thank you Baby Jesus for giving me a device that allows me to finish my book.  A true Christmas miracle.

It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone-- and her future full of peril.

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose-- hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire-- is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes-- or be left without any future at all.

Sleeping Beauty meets Terminator/ Total Recall.  I really like this book, though I am not sure exactly why?  My favorite part was when they started AIM-ing/ G-chatting each other to talk about crushes.  Is that really the future?

• Originality:  8. As I just read the modern day Snow White tale Devoured (my review), it seemed fast to jump into another fairy tale retelling  ( Just wait till I write my post about Ash, coming soon, a Cinderella retelling), but this was great! The technology, the jump ahead  in time, killer robots and flash backs were new and fun to read.
• Absurdity: 6.  Considering the combo, I went right along with this story.  High school as a new girl is hard, and Rose, we feel you.  Its harder when you are an heiress who has been asleep for 60 years and everyone you knew and loved is dead.
• Paranormal Romance: Some time jumping romance here, but I wont say anymore.  Xavier, her first love and best friend, it was a short description, but highly swoon worthy.  
• Harry Potterness, 6.  I liked this. I was sad I lost it, and then SO HAPPY to have it back.  I would recommend it.

Of the Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty retellings I read this week, this was my favorite!  

Waiting on Wednesday: Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

                                                
Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

The Body Finder series has been praised as a “delectable blend of mystery and romance” (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books), a “fast-paced, compelling read” (ALA Booklist), and as “imaginative, convincing, and successful suspense” (Kirkus Reviews). With a perfect blend of romance, intrigue, and suspense, Dead Silence continues this gripping series, delivering unexpected twists that will keep readers guessing until the very last page (GoodReads).

This one goes out to Goosie Mama- she looovvveess the Body Finder series. She is going to be very happy when Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting is released in April. Happy New Year to all, and a cheers of our whiskey sours to Jill at Breaking the Spine for hosting Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly meme that showcases upcoming publications we cannot wait to read.