Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date: 20 Oct 2009
ISBN: 0525421556
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Websites:
Nina LaCour - Official Site
Nina LaCour - Blog

Place(s) Traveled to: Los Cerros, California

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Synopsis:

An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, from a breakthrough new voice in YA fiction.

dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.

I first heard about Hold Still by Nina LaCour when my friend Alea showed me a link for the trailer and the moment I saw it I knew I had to read it. There was just something about the voice of the narrator that drew me in. I think that she fully captured the essence of Ingrid, it was a haunting voice filled with sadness. Then with the addition of the music....well....it tore at my heartstrings. When I obtained my own copy of the book I tore through it. Lost in the words and the world that LaCour created. Caitlin is such an amazing character as she deals through her grief and tries to come to grips with Ingrid's suicide. For as long as Caitlin could remember it was always her and Ingrid a dynamic duo. Now without Ingrid to lead the way Caitlin has to learn who she is all over again.

Its hard to believe that Hold Still is LaCour's first novel for her words are filled with such amazing imagery and grace. There are no big bangs or over the top thrills but when you read this book you are taken on a wonderful journey. Of all the ways that a person can die suicide has got to be one of the hardest to understand. And while LaCour doesn't pretend to hold all the answers she deals with this difficult subject in heartfelt way. I was blown away by this book and LaCour has earned her way onto my Authors to Watch list because I don't want to miss what she comes up with next.

Date Read: 18 Oct 2009

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: 13 Oct 2009
ISBN: 1416989412
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Pages: 400
Websites:
Becca Fitzpatrick - Official Site
Becca Fitzpatrick - Blog
Becca Fitzpatrick - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: Coldwater, Maine & Portland, Maine

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

What can I say about Becca Fitzpatrick's debut novel, Hush Hush, that hasn't already been said? I don't think my voice will add anything new with the exception that I am not entirely on the Hush Hush bandwagon. There is a lot of hype surrounding this novel and many reviews that gush extensively over the main characters of Nora and Patch. When reading those reviews that say how amazing the two are as a couple I wonder if they've read the same book. Throughout most of the story Patch, a fallen angel, is trying to kill Nora. So...um...how is that romantic? Patch is hailed as this Bad Boy to love and I just don't see it. He is rude and creepy and I have mentioned that he is intent on murder? To me that does not make a swoon worthy leading man. As for Nora...oy...I did not like this character at all. She was vapid and a bit dense. Although I disliked her friend Vee more. Of all the characters I couldn't form any sort of attachment to any of them. And the purpose of Marcie Millar still stumps me. She was just there in random scenes that did nothing to move the story along.

Angels seem to be the up and coming hot topic though and so this book has taken off in a way that I just don't understand. The writing wasn't bad and shows promise for the future but the plot was at times overly simple and at others seemed a bit messy and improbably. Like the time that a few days after a major accident & surgery Vee helps Nora scope out place were Patch works - where Nora for some reason must wear a wig and sluttish clothes while she reads questions off a list. And then she wonders why she doesn't get many answers - especially with such hard hitting subtle ones like "does Patch have a girlfriend?" or "does Patch have a criminal record?"

Flaws aside, the book was engrossing and it only took me a few days to read it. It held my attention and climatic ending had me curious as to where this story would be going next so I will probably check out Crescendo when it is released in the fall of 2010. Though as of now its not a book that I see myself rushing out to get.

Date read: 28 Aug 09

Book Trailer Monday (13): Meet the Class of 2010 & The Tenners

ook Trailer Monday is where once a week I feature a trailer for a book that has captured my attention. This trailer might be for a book that is about to be published, or maybe its for a book that has already been released. There won't be any rhyme or reason to the trailer that I choose....the only common denominator will be that I liked it. That it made me stop or made me think or maybe it made me laugh. I do this mainly for my own enjoyment because I love book trailers. I find them fascinating and I hope that you enjoy the ones that I show here each week as well.

This week I'm going to take a small departure from the regular Book Trailer Monday to show you a short video produced my M2 Productions. For the last few years they have put together a montage of books/authors that will be debuting in that year. So I invite you to take a few moments and learn a little more about the Class of 2010 and The Tenners.

I don't know about you, but I'm really excited about books releasing in the coming year! I think its going to be a great year for books and I am excited to meet/read all these new authors! What about you? What do you think of this weeks trailer? Let me know in the comments.


If you know of a book trailer that you would like to see featured on Book Trailer Monday then please send me an email with a link to irisheyz_5 AT yahoo DOT com.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (Audio)

Publisher: Random House Audio (Audio); Ballantine Books (Print)

Publication Date: 26 Jan 2009

ISBN: 9780739382837 (audio), 0345505344 (Paperback)

Format: Audio

Pages: 320

Audio Length: 9 discs (~ 11 hrs)

Narrator: Feodor Chin

Websites:

Jamie Ford - Official Site

Jamie Ford - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: Seattle, Washington (1940's & 1986)

Rating: 5 of 5 star

Synopsis:

In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.

This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Ranier Academy, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.

Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel’s dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice–words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago.

Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is one of those novels that I’ve heard a lot of good buzz about. Everyone that I know who has read it seems to love it. So when I saw an audio sitting on the shelf of my local library I thought that I would give it a go. Wondering all the while if it would live up to the hype that I’d heard. Well, hype is the wrong word but I can’t think of one that will fit. This isn’t a book in which I hear people screaming about from the rooftops but its got this quiet and growing following that is harder to ignore then those who scream to be read. When you pick up Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet know that there are no big bangs or earth shattering revelations. Instead there is just this rich story about a boy and a girl and the cruel realities of living in a world during a time of war. The story is told in two parts, there is 10 year old Henry living in Chinatown in the 1940’s war is raging in Europe and there is an ever growing disdain for people of Japanese decent. The other is through Henry’s eyes as a fully grown man still living in the same area of Seattle but in a world that is far far different from his youth. This story is also about a Japanese girl named Keiko who Henry meets at the white school that his father insists on sending him to and that of Henry’s son, a modern boy who thinks that his father is stuck in the past and old ways.

Words can’t describe just how amazing this story was. Jamie Ford has such a gift with words and story telling that I often thought that I was right there in the story standing next to Henry and seeing the world through his eyes. My heart leapt when his did and it broke when Henry suffered. I would sometimes find myself talking over the narrator of the audio – speaking to Henry’s son telling him that he didn’t understand, that if he knew all that his father had gone through he’d be in awe of him.

Speaking of the narrator, can I just say that I loved Feodor Chin’s voice? He did an amazing job with this book and the accents. There were never any issues in trying to determine who was speaking as he had such distinct twists for all the different characters. I really enjoyed listening to this audio, not just because it was a great story but because the narrator was just so good. This is definitely a narrator that I am going to be on the look out for later on. Just as Jamie Ford is an author to watch. His words are pure poetry and his words are so amazingly drawn. I know I keep saying that but its true. Just as its equally true that I really can’t find the words to fully express just how wonderful this story is. So rather than hear me gush fantastic about it I strongly suggest that you go and discover it for yourself.

Date Read: 24 Aug 2009

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 23 Dec 2008
ISBN: 0802798225
Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
Websites:
Simone Elkeles - Official Site
Simone Elkeles - Blog

Place(s) Traveled to: Fairfield, Illinois

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Sunopsis:

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

Perfect Chemistry is one of those books that I first heard about on Twitter. The buzz was all good so I found myself picking up a copy one day at the bookstore. Then as with so many others it got lost on Mt TBR. Then a few weeks ago there was some chatter among friends on Twitter about Bad Boys – love them, hate them and just what makes a well drawn Bad Boy. There are two main categories of Bad Boy, you’ve got the creepy stalkerish boy of Twilight and Hush Hush and then there are the ones that do bad things but deep down they have a good heart. It’s the later of the two that I prefer and its that later category that Alejandro “Alex” Fuentes from Perfect Chemistry falls into. I became intrigued with all the Twitter talk about Alex and so decided to move Perfect Chemistry up a few notches on Mt TBR and initially I was really impressed by it.

Perfect Chemistry is life a modern day Romeo and Juliet or maybe West Side Story would be a better comparison. The two main characters are star-crossed lovers who have many obstacles to over come in order to be together – both outside influences and internal ones as well. Brittany initially reads as a bit shallow but as her story progresses you do learn that there is more to her then her perfect exterior. There is also more to Alex than his gang affiliations. Alex is different then the others in his gang he is smart, doesn’t really mind school and has a secret dream to go to college. He’s realistic and knows that the cards he was dealt won’t really allow for that, but if it doesn’t happen for him then maybe he can makes things just a little bit better for his two younger brothers. Both who see the gang way of life through rose colored glasses. They know their brother is in one and if its good enough for him then why not them?

I thought that the way the relationship progressed between Brittany and Alex was well done and believable and I found that I couldn’t stop reading their story. But as the book moved closer to its conclusion its like they became stuck on repeat. Brittany was only happy when Alex did what she wanted and when what she wanted was for him to leave the gang she couldn’t understand that it wasn’t as easy as say quitting a job. Its around this time that the book started to slip for me. The realism of the beginning started to wan and move into unrealistic territory and the end just became too perfect. Too sacchariny sweet and too much like a fairy tale. By the time I finished the epilogue I had gone from loving the story to merely liking it. I think my end rating may have higher if it wasn’t for that epilogue. I had similar issues with the epilogue for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Both were unnecessary and both seemed as though they were trying to hard. Perfect Chemistry isn’t a bad book and its not a waste of time to read it. I would just strongly suggest that the reader stop reading before the epilogue.

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder

Publisher: Mira
Publication Date: 01 Dec 2008
ISBN: 0778327116
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416
Websites:
Maria V Snyder - Official Site
Maria V Snyder - MySpace Blog

Place(s) Traveled to: Ixia

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

Choose: A quick death and hell or slow poison and hell.

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear.

I recently had the privilege of reading an advanced reading copy (ARC) of Julie Kagawa’s debut book The Iron King. I really enjoyed this new twist on faerie and fell in love with 3 of the main characters – Ash, Puck and Grimalkin, each for different reasons. Of the three Ash is the Bad Boy of the group. He’s dark and mysterious and has a bit of an edge that only the younger son of the Winter Queen can have. During one night of fangirl gushing Julie mentioned that part of her inspiration for Ash was a character named Valek who is featured in Maria V Snyder’s Study series. Well, color me curious and I immediately made a note to look for the first book Poison Study, which was lost somewhere on Mt TBR. Things then began to heat up when Julie began to argue (re: fight) fellow blogger Steph Su for Valek. You can only imagine how this made my curiosity grew in leaps and bounds.

I then went to my shelves, found Poison Study and began to read it that night. It wasn’t long before I was sucked so completely into the world that Snyder created. Yelena is such a complex and wonderfully drawn character. Just when you think you know all her secrets she goes and surprises you. And just when you think that there isn’t anything else she can bear she surprises you again. Her story keeps you on the edge of your seat with anticipation wondering where it all will lead. She starts off as a criminal and soon becomes the food taster for the Commander. During her training she comes into contact with Valek – the Commander’s right hand. He is the Commander’s aide, advisor, and assassin. He is, in short, the ultimate Bad Boy and totally swoon-worthy character.

Poison Study is further fleshed out with the amazing secondary characters that fill its pages. All work together to weave a story that is filled with intrigue, mystery, compassion and so much more. I love Yelena because she is so strong and despite all the odds against her she never gives up. She is a powerful force and yet she is also vulnerable. She makes mistakes, she learns from them and she goes on to make new ones. She is a delightful character to watch and the way that Snyder writes her, makes Yelena seem so very real. Snyder does the same with all her other characters. They all have flaws but you love them because of their short fallings since a too perfect character only comes across as false. Snyder also builds this complex world that the reader can almost see out of the corner of their eye as they read the words that she writes. I fell in love with the land of Ixia and only wanted to know more about it. Snyder built her world and gave it a rich history but she weaved in all the threads of it seamlessly into the story so that they never bogged it down or created a dry patch. Poison Study was a wonderful story and its one that I highly recommend to all. And when you buy it, be sure to pick up the rest of the trilogy because if you are anything like me you won’t want to wait to see what adventures Yelena and the rest will encounter next.

Book Trailer Monday (12): A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas

Book Trailer Monday is where once a week I feature a trailer for a book that has captured my attention. This trailer might be for a book that is about to be published, or maybe its for a book that has already been released. There won't be any rhyme or reason to the trailer that I choose....the only common denominator will be that I liked it. That it made me stop or made me think or maybe it made me laugh. I do this mainly for my own enjoyment because I love book trailers. I find them fascinating and I hope that you enjoy the ones that I show here each week as well.

This week's trailer is for A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas which was released by St. Martin's Press on 14 October 2008. To date I've read two of the four Wallflowers books and I enjoyed them...which is saying a lot considering I'm not typically draw to Romance books. I stumbled across this title in the series while looking for a Christmas themed book trailer and thought that it just looked like fun. This is one book that I think I need to add to my wishlist! What about you? What do you think of this weeks trailer? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

If you know of a book trailer that you would like to see featured on Book Trailer Monday then please send me an email with a link to irisheyz_5 AT yahoo DOT com.

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Publisher: Clarion Books
Publication Date: 14 Sept 2009
ISBN: 0547223994
Format: paperback
Pages: 304
Websites:
Carolyn MacCullough - Official Site
Carolyn MacCullough - Twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: New York, New York

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant.

I first heard about Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough from Alea over at Pop Culture Junkie, she had received it to review and it sounded like such an interesting premise that I sent in a request for it myself. When I accepted as a reviewer I was excited thinking that this would be a fun and interesting read. However, it never really lived up to my expectations and I think that has been part of why its taken me so long to put my thoughts down into words. It wasn’t a bad book and overall I did like it. But I didn’t love it. There also seemed to be too many unresolved bits of the story that I wonder if there is going to be a follow up book. The main character of Tamsin came across as a bit flat to me. As the only witch in her family not to have magical abilities, or a Talent as they call it, I expected her to stand out more. When family secrets are revealed she is all too forgiving too quickly which I find difficult to accept from a teenager. Teenage emotions can be very hormonally driven and wrongs seem to be amplified. But Tamsin seemed to take everything in stride and it just didn’t ring true.

The rest of the cast came across as very two-dimensional there wasn’t very much depth to them. Even with the bad guy in the story, it was hard to figure out his motivation and the reasons behind his actions. Then with the climax, its like there was this long build up and then it all just sort of fizzled out leaving the reader with questions. The ending isn’t an ending, its more like the set up for another story but in my brief searches on the internet I can’t find any conclusive evidence that this book is part of a series. So overall, I liked this book but I didn’t love it. I enjoyed MacCullough’s writing style and she is an author that I will try out again.

Date Read: 25 Aug 09

Contest: Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Regular readers will remember that I recently had the good fortune to read Courtney Summer's sophomore book Some Girls Are (click for my first thoughts). This books is beyond fabulous and it kept me up late into the night reading it. Words can't even begin to tell you just how amazing this book is. Summer's is a brilliant & twisted author that will keep up on the edge of your seat all the way up to the last page. Just when you think you might know how events will go she tosses in a twist that you never saw coming. This is a story that is meant to be shared but I debated on how.

Then my mom and I took a bus trip down to NYC and for the journey I had purchased some book lights - because the overhead lights on a bus can be so unpredictable. I purchased the Flex Neck Reading Light - which has replaceable battery, a clip for its base and a flexible neck. I've had book lights before but always end up discarding them as they will burn out, batteries die, or they are just so cumbersome to use. This wasn't the case with the Flex Neck. The light was more then sufficient for my needs but wasn't so overpowering as to annoy the people sleeping around me on the ride home. Its light weight so it doesn't weigh down the book and the clip and flexible neck made it really easy to use. I was reading a book on my Sony eReader at the time and so was also pleased that there wasn't any real glare on the screen.

I ended up with an extra booklight and thought why not combine to things that I have loved in a contest? So for your chance to win a finished copy of Some Girls Are and a Book Light please tell me a book that has kept you up late. It may have been so good you couldn't put it down or it might be because it scared you or perhaps kept you up thinking about its profoundness. All entries must be made by filling out this contest form. Entries left in the comments will not be counted. This contest will close at midnight EST on 05 January 2010 (the day SGA is released in the US) and will be open worldwide. Good luck to all who enter!

Book Trailer Monday (11): The Liar's Diary by Patry Francis

Book Trailer Monday is where once a week I feature a trailer for a book that has captured my attention. This trailer might be for a book that is about to be published, or maybe its for a book that has already been released. There won't be any rhyme or reason to the trailer that I choose....the only common denominator will be that I liked it. That it made me stop or made me think or maybe it made me laugh. I do this mainly for my own enjoyment because I love book trailers. I find them fascinating and I hope that you enjoy the ones that I show here each week as well.

This week's trailer is for The Liar's Diaryby Patry Francis which was released by Plume Books on 29 Jan 2008. This isn't a book that I've heard of before but I have to admit that I am intrigued by it. Which is what I love about trailers, as I am not sure if this is a book that I would have picked up in stores. But now I might have to bring it home with me at some point. What about you? What do you think of this weeks trailer? Let me know in the comments below.

If you know of a book trailer that you would like to see featured on Book Trailer Monday then please send me an email with a link to irisheyz_5 AT yahoo DOT com.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (Teaser Review)

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: 01 Feb 10
ISBN: 0373210086 (paperback)
Format: ebook
Pages: 368
Websites:
Julie Kagawa - official site (be sure to check out the playlist)
Julie Kagawa - blog
Julie Kagawa - twitter

Place(s) Traveled to: Unnamed Small Town, Louisiana; New Orleans, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; & The NeverNever

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This weekend I read a fantastic book by debut author Julie Kagawa called The Iron King. I was completely sucked into the world that she created and fell in love with all the characters. I hated for this one to end! Kagawa is a fresh new voice to the fantasy genre and definitely an author to watch. Iron King arrives in stores on 01 Feb so be sure to reserve your copy today. Can't wait til then? The read an exept of it here.

Book Trailer Monday (10): Strange Angels by Lili St Crow

Book Trailer Monday is where once a week I feature a trailer for a book that has captured my attention. This trailer might be for a book that is about to be published, or maybe its for a book that has already been released. There won't be any rhyme or reason to the trailer that I choose....the only common denominator will be that I liked it. That it made me stop or made me think or maybe it made me laugh. I do this mainly for my own enjoyment because I love book trailers. I find them fascinating and I hope that you enjoy the ones that I show here each week as well.

This week's trailer is for Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow which was released by Razorbill Books on 14 May 2009. This is another trailer produced by M2 Productions...I swear these people can do no wrong. I have fallen in love with every trailer that they have made so far and this one for Strange Angels is no exception. What about you? What do you think of this weeks trailer? Let me know in the comments below.

If you know of a book trailer that you would like to see featured on Book Trailer Monday then please send me an email with a link to irisheyz_5 AT yahoo DOT com.

December = a Month of Wonder and Mystery

When I was a child I used to love December. The air was getting colder, snow would fall and most importantly Santa would visit bringing with him a host of magical gifts. I used to look toward December with eager anticipation and wonder and joy. Feelings that seem to have been lost somewhere along the way. There isn't much mystery anymore when it comes to the Season. There is no anticipation instead that has been replaced by dread and annoyance. For this is the time of year in which people flock to the mall and other retail shops. Clogging the roads and giving in to random acts of road rage. Its enough to get even the happiest of people down.

But I miss that sense of excitement when it comes to unwrapping a package that magically appeared overnight. Trying to figure out what was inside and the squeal of joy when Santa brought me that perfect present. So to try and recapture those feelings I dub December as a month of wonder and mystery.

For the entire month of December I will not read reviews of books that I haven't read yet. Nor will I read the book synopsis before I make a purchase (or in case of something I own) before I read it....I have a ton of unread books and while I remember remember some details of the write up the full details tend to get lost along the way. Any book that I buy in December will be based on word of mouth....something my book bully or other trusted book lover/friend told me about. I will trust in their judgment that book x is a great read. When it comes to movies I will do my best to avoid previews and go see based on gut reactions to titles....or again word of mouth reveiws (not that I see too many movies in theatres these days but you never know.)

It is because of my book bully, Tiffany, that I've come up with doing this. In several discussions we've had she mentions how she hates any spoilers. She even gets mad at me when I make a comment beginning with the phrase 'well the book synopsis said...' She loves the shock when things are unexpected in books. The mystery at not quite knowing what the turn of a page will bring. A good example of this is Sarah Ockler's Twenty Boy Summer, I had been to an author signing before reading the book and I'd also read some reviews & the book writeup before starting. So this one event that happens in the begging wasn't a shock. I knew it was coming. It effected me but it wasn't a shock. Tiffany hadn't done any of that so when she gets to that point it completely shook her to the core.

So its in the hopes of a reaction like that that idea of my Magical December was born. I'm not the fastest reader so who knows how many books will be affected by this but its not about the quantity its about the experience. And who knows maybe I'll expand this idea into January...and February....and beyond. Because who says that the magic of Christmas should be limited to only one day?