14 Books of Lurve

So tomorrow is Valentine’s Day (and if I see another pink flower, my eyes will cross and I will begin a campaign to eradicate all pink flowers) (I’m just kidding) (really) and those of us who are without significant others (and by that, I mean that the pretty boys on TV/movies/behind microphones? They’re not your boyfriends. Yes, shocking, I know.) will have to turn to books for romance (or you could go out and meet someone new, really, but it’s cold outside and my bed is hella comfy). So I, always in the mood for civic duty, have compiled a list that um, lists (what else would it do?) books that have romance that made my toes curl.

(Important note: Twilight is not on this list.)

Now admittedly, I don’t read many books that have romance as a central theme but I like books that have a certain glimpse of it. The toe curling kind. Anyway, without further ado, here’s the list of lurve:

• Skip Beat- Yoshiki Nakamura
  Okay fine, this is a series and manga at that but people, it has Ren. No wait, let me say it properly.Ren. Look, I know he’s 2-D but damnit, I wish he wasn’t.
• The Ghosts of Ashbury High – Jaclyn Moriarty
  This book is awesome on its own but the subtlety and the beauty of the romance between the two titular characters (er, the ghosts) made me swoon a little bit.
• The Agency Series – Y. S. Lee
  James is bloody awesome. So is Mary but that was a given because I wouldn’t read a book without an awesome protag but James? Sweet, nerdy, awesome.
• The Bride of the Water God – Mi-Kyung Yun
  Okay, so, the art in this book is divine. And while it is rather complex, the romance (what I read of it) is delicious in a manhwa kinda way. Plus the art!

• Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances – Masami Tsuda
  This manga series is intriguing in that it gives you the same situation twice. Once from the viewpoint of the guy and then again from the girl’s perspective. I liked it.
• Oyayubihime Infinity – Fujieda Toru
  Okay admittedly, even though it may not look like it, the book was a lot more intellectual than I had thought it would be. It takes a long look at what real love is, of course in a manga-ish way.
• Gakuen Alice – Tachibana Higuchi
  You know what’s galling? An elementary school kid’s love life is way more exciting than mine. That’s just sad but this series is like Harry Potter set in Japan. Honestly, if this was made into a movie…okay no, they would kill the fun in it, Hollywood would.
• Cold Fire – Kate Elliott
  So the romance was barely present in the first novel but boy did the second one amp it up. I literally swooned multiple times.

• Jellicoe Road – Melina Marchetta
  You already know how much I love the romance in this. Subtle, deep, the stuff ever afters are made up off. Sighhhh.
• Keturah and Lord Death – Martine Leavitt
  I must thank my friend Emily for bringing this to my attention. The book’s out of print but I think the e-book is available for purchase on Amazon and guys, you need to go out and read this. It is freaking beautiful. So unexpectedly compelling.
• Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins
  Duh. (Sorry Krystle, haha.)
• In the Forests of the Night – Kersten Hamilton
  Finn! Irrepressible, wonderful. I must reread this series just to make myself ready for the last book in the series. So very gorgeous, this book.

• Nevermore – Kelly Creagh
  You just need to read this and figure it out for yourself. Honestly, I’m forgetting why I liked this because it’s been a while since i read it but I did like it and I wish they’d hurry up and release the next one.
• Eona – Alison Goodman
  Kygo and Eona’s love story is a messy one with blood and betrayal but it’s got lots of toe curling moments that will make you wish the book wouldn’t end.

And there you go. Oh no, wait, one more thing.

Hee. Happy Valentine’s Day.

On My Radar

This is not really a meme but something the ladies over at Book Smugglers do and it seems like an interesting way to spread awareness about books so… here are some books  that I am dying to read:

Ironskin – Tina Connolly
Coming from Tor/Forge Fall 2012
This is a steampunk retelling of Jane Eyre.
….
Yes, you read it right. Seriously. It involves fairies, curses and a potentially sexy Rochester. I can’t wait to sink my fingers into it. We all know how I felt about Jane so let’s hope I like this retelling better.

Royal Street – Suzanne Johnson
Coming from Tor on April 12th
So, this one has pixies. And a kick ass heroine. And werewolves, vampires and all other delicious accoutrements of an urban fantasy…I’m not too sure about the romance but we’ll see as I have a copy from Net Galley. Yes, it’s on Net Galley. Go get it.

Vessel – Sarah Beth Durst
Coming from Margaret K. McElderry Books in September

This one is all about the cover. I am in love with the cover and seriously, do you blame me? Look at it.

A History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters – Julian Barnes
Published June 15th, 2011
My professor in my World Lit class recommended this and dude, how can you resist that title? I can’t.

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told Entirely in Haiku – Lee Wardlaw
Published February 15th, 2011 by Henry, Holt and Company

It’s from the viewpoint of a cat. In haiku. I don’t think you can go wrong with that. Seriously.

The House of Sleeping Beauties – Yasunari Kawabata
Published March 5th, 2004 by Oxford University Press

Cuz sometimes a girl needs some Japanese lit to make life go around. I love stories like these. They are surreal, magical and just so damned intriguing.

Aleeza’s Guest Post: Top Ten Underappreciated Books of 2011

Entertaining you today will be the brilliant Aleeza from Aleeza Reads and Writes. Enjoy her perceptiveness and amazing observations about books that really should have gotten more attention.

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All right, so first of all, I’m so excited to be blogging for Bibliophilic Monologues! Nafiza was the first bookish friend I made on Goodreads, and I’ve been following her lovely, deliciously bookish blog for ages now. But before this turns into a quasi-love letter, I’ll get on with the topic at hand.

You see, I’ve read lots of books this year. Lots as in, ‘more than the combined number of books I’ve read in the last five years.’ Some of them were hyped releases, some of them I just happened to stumble upon—and some of the latter I ended up REALLY liking. So I’m going to highlight the ones I read this year, which also released this year, that I feel should’ve gotten more buzz.

1—Split by Swati Avasthi: Reading about physical abuse is hard. Excruciating, actually, because I live in a place where it happens every day, all around me, even if I don’t see it happen—like my housemaid, for example, gets beaten by her husband even though she’s almost fifty, only because sometimes she gets home a few minutes late, whereas her husband sits home all days and lazes around doing nothing. This book, however, is about two brothers who’ve been broken apart because of their abusive father, and how they have to learn to live through the consequences. It made me cry my eyes out and made me want to hug every single person in this world who’s gone through similar experiences. And I am not a hugger by any stretch of the word, so you know I liked this book a LOT.

2—Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess: So like Split, this book also centers around how a girl’s life has been affected by a Horrible Parent ™. In this case, her mum’s a major druggie—by major I mean SHE’S NEVER, EVER, EVER SOBER—and reading about how she finally fights her way out of all that crap was tough but oh so worth it.

3—The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller: In the vein of tough but beautiful books, this one DEFINITELY deserves a mention. I mean, yeah, so maybe the first half is boring enough to make you almost cry, but once you get through that, you realize just how much of a gem this book, especially if you know of the horrible fate of the last Tsar and his family. (I didn’t. Hey, I never claimed to know much—or anything—about world history.)

4—Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez: Violins, cut-throat musical competitions, hot English competitors you’re not supposed to be attracted to but end up being so anyway, realistic and absorbing mother-daughter relationships…this book’s got it all. It’s short but GRIPPING and just…really grips you. Okay, okay, sorry about the lameness, but this book does just that—grabs you until you get totally sucked into it. Can’t believe it’s the author’s debut!

5—Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis: How can you a resist a book that has an amazeballs combination of the following: Spunky heroine, hilarious dialogue, lovable characters, a wonderfully well-executed plot AND set in Victorian England? Exactly—you can’t! I had no idea I would like this one so much and, can’t wait to reread it before the sequel comes out.

6) How to Save a Life: I don’t know a SINGLE person who’s read this book and not loved it. So I really wish more people would read it and fall in love with it. It’s about so many different things I can’t even begin to try to encapsulate it in a couple of lines—all I can say is that it’s heartbreaking and real and just so very lovely.

7—Ashfall by Mike Mullins: So yeah, a lot of people do in fact know about this book, but I’m including it anyway because LOADS more people should. As far as survival stories, this one’s top-notch.

8—Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson: Let me just tell you right away: THIS BOOK WILL BLOW YOUR MIND AWAY. You probably have heard of it, but here’s me recommending anyway to go out and get a copy ASAP. It’s that brilliant.

9—Variant by Robinson Wells: So this may not be the best book I’ve ever read, but it’s just so intriguing and suspenseful and well-executed I’d never hesitate to recommend it. Believe me when I say that the twist in this book will leave you BREATHLESS.

10—Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt: So I’m including this book last because it was actually a NYT Bestseller. Despite that it seems to me that most people in the YA blogosphere haven’t really heard much of it. I can’t really even explain how much I love this book—it’s heartbreaking and just so goddarned beautiful. It’s a historical MG contemporary—I know I just majorly contradicted myself, but I hope you get what I mean—and it’s a must read for EVERYONE. I don’t even read much MG but this one made me realize how awesome it can be if it’s well done.

And because I can’t help it, here’s some other books I also liked that I felt should’ve received more attention:

Dreams of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia: Three girls who meet in a Swiss boarding school, all from different cultures, and how their lives intertwine with each others.

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal: A simple yet gorgeous story about a girl falling in love for the first time, and the devastation she goes through when it goes awry.

Past Perfect by Leila Sales: Cute, unique and full of heart.

Clean by Amy Reed: Teens in rehab and their painful pasts and how they learn to live with them.

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts: Post-apocalyptic fiction at it’s best. Will most likely result in you hiding under a rock for the rest of your life in fear of earthquakes. Or not.

Always a Witch by Carolyn McCullough: Sequel to Once a Witch, which it improves upon by approximately 17 gajillion notches.

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley: An atmospheric and absorbing high fantasy with rich imagery and heartfelt characters—including one really hot one. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself, heh.)

Books New On My To-Read List

So hello peoples. I am back. Still not fully because I have one more final left but I have *looks at date* yeah, seven more days before I have to go through that hell so…I shall blog! I thought it would be interesting to share some of the recent additions to my ever-growing to read list (745 and counting, eep!).

Silence – Michelle Sagara

Two things you need to know about M. Sagara: 1) She’s Canadian and 2) She’s an awesome writer. I love her Chronicles of Elantra series which has managed, so far, to achieve the perfect balance between romance and fantasy (some, maybe many, will disagree with me about the romance, it’s okay, I can live with it). Her world building is amazing and if this book is anything at all like The Chronicles of Elantra, I’m going to be a happy reader.

Burnt Snow – Van Badham

This one sounds amazing and because it’s Australian, I’m inclined to believe the raving reviews. However, because it’s Australian, it’s going to take me a while to get my hands on it but I will have it sooner or later. Hurhur. (Do I sound vaguely creepy to you cuz I do to me. :\)

The Sweetest Spell – Suzanne Selfors

I feel vaguely embarrassed by the fact that I have this book on my list simply because it’s so out there. So, it is being marketed as the retelling of The Ugly Duckling but I don’t know… the synopsis does not seem at all similar. Anyway, apparently the protagonist can turn milk into chocolate milk and that makes her really desirable… yeahhh….out there. We’ll see. It might be worth it for the potential lulz.

New Girl – Paige Harbison

So I hear tell that this is the retelling of Du Maurier’s Rebecca of which I am a big fan. So, I was in and lucky enough to grab a copy from Net Galley. I’ll let you know how it is.

And finally

A College of Magics – Caroline Stevermer

High fantasy for the win! Why didn’t I see this before? I can’t wait to get my hands on this.

Lists: High Fantasy in the YA Genre

High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s. (Thanks Wikipedia)

What with all the vampires and other beings of varying sparkliness running around, YA high fantasy tends to get a bit lost. So those of you wanting to sink your teeth into the genre, I have (out of the goodness of my heart, hur) compiled a list of the books I have read and liked.

• The Girl of Fire and Thorns – Rae Carson
  This is has all the ingredients necessary for a good high fantasy novel. Strong female heroine, actions, magic and romance. Sink your teeth into this.
• Burn Bright – Marianne de Pierres
  This one is almost a supernatural fantasy masquerading as a high fantasy novel but I feel that further into the series, we may see how exactly the world differs from ours…what I mean to say is, it’ll get more complex hopefully.
• Witchlanders – Lena Coakley
  A 2011 debut like the Rae Carson book, this one successfully combined fascinating characters with an equally compelling plot. I loved it.
• Blood Song – Rhiannon Hart
  This could also almost be a supernatural but it’s high fantasy. There are lighter elements and vampires but also some staples of high fantasy. I liked it.

 

• The False Princess – Eilis O’Neal
  Readers will recognize some elements of this as the retelling of Cinderella. I, for one, found it a fascinating, well told story about romance, greed, ambition and self-discovery. It was a remarkable debut.
• Brightly Woven – Alexandra Bracken
  This one has one of the most fascinating love interests ever. The hero, so to speak, is one of my favourites in literature.
• Plain Kate – Erin Bow
  If you haven’t heard about this one by now, you must have been living under a rock. A big rock. You need to get out and go get this book. Taggles is the Master.
• Star Crossed – Elizabeth C. Bunce
  This one is also a very engaging high fantasy with magic, kings, romance and mystery. Did I mention action? I loved it.

• Eon – Alison Goodman
  You didn’t think I could plug high fantasy novels without naming Eon, right? But I’ve already gabbed about it enough, you should read it already.
• The Naming – Alison Croggon
  This is for all those readers who like their high fantasies complex. This is an intricate and exquisite narration, similar to the epics such as Lord of the Rings. Obviously, it’s breadth is not that expansive but it is similar in feel and sobriety. I loved it. It is so gorgeously told, so involved and the world building, character development and the plot so…epic.
• Sabriel – Garth Nix
  I need to reread this series. It’s one of those that leaves you a bit wonderstruck at the end of each book.

Let’s talk books!

I’ve been dying to have an in-depth conversation with my blog (hur) about books. Particularly the ones I’ve read and really liked. It’s different from a review because I don’t necessarily want to talk about the books closely. Just that, you know, give you, my dear Readers, a glimpse of what has currently made it onto my to-read list and what books I think you really should give a try.

My majors seminar deals with “the haunting of Canadian history” and for once, we have been assigned really good novels. Well, so far the ones I’ve read have been really good. Not books I’d necessarily read out of my own choice but now that I have read them, I’m glad to have done so.

Both these novels are just so immensely beautiful. Three Day Road is a war story while Shoot talks about the Mclean Gang who were Canada’s own outlaws. They have been buried in history but their story is one the world should know. The youngest Mclean brother was 15 years old when he was hanged. I did my presentation on Shoot so I’ve become quite familiar with the Mclean gang. Heh.

And they are both so beautifully written. To convince you, I have an excerpt from Three Day Road.

“We even die in threes. I have watched countless times how a soldier dies. He is a man before the bullet strikes, but when he is hit and the pain crashes into his body and he realizes he only has moments left on this earth, he becomes a desperate animal. Finally, inescapably, he becomes a corpse.”  -:-Joseph Boyden-:-

Anyway, that’s my school reading. Can Lit has some gems that does not often get discovered by yours truly because high lit (term used to distinguish between popular lit and literature that has some “literary” substance and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a whole different can of worms that I have no desire to open up right now) is not something I seek out. I like my reading light and fun. This is not to imply that I don’t like my fun reading well written, I certainly do. I just don’t want to engage in themes that are too heavy for my poor heart. I have a tendency to get really involved in whatever I’m reading and if I’m reading depressing stuff, I go around being depressed. It’s not particularly fun when your reading experience bleeds over into your real life. You know?

Next, I want to talk about my love for certain Australian authors. The author of The Poison Throne, Celine Kiernan, told me that the reason Australian authors seem to shine so brightly is because their publishers/editors allow them to have their “own” voice and shape their own stories the way they want to. Whatever they are doing works for me because honestly, I’ve read quite a few Australian authors and almost all of them worked very well for me. Here are some books I particularly enjoyed:

These were all very amazing in the way of amazing stuff. I’ve noticed a certain cleanliness in the way of the narrative voice and tone in Australian authors. They seem to be unafraid of going wherever their muse tells them to – something that is very lacking in North American authors. At least the ones I have read. Even the books that I have liked have had a glimmer of uniformity, a semblance to other books in the genre. In my Restoration theater class, we learned that during that period (as pertains to literature and not really history), being original was looked down upon. What was more creative was telling a story that had been told once and telling it in such a way that made it seem new and novel. I was thinking that we may be seeing the second coming of the Restoration era, at least in North American books because honestly, there are only so many stories you can tell. It’s how you tell the story, how you go about the journey that matters more than the destination you reach in the end. As long as that end does not come with a cliff hanger, of course. Ahem.  And finally, three books that recently made it on my to-read list and why I want to read them.

The cover. I’m being honest here! Plus it’s described as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for teens. I’m not really sure about that since I still have to read the latter but hey, it looks cool.

 

A retelling of the frog prince. I love fairy tale retellings so I’m totally in for this one. And finally,

Cinderella as an automaton. How much awesomer can it get? Heh. That’s it for now. What’s new on your reading list?

Author Interview: Kersten Hamilton

Paperback, 336 pages
Published September 5th 2011 by Graphia(first published November 15th 2010)
Amazon | Chapters | BookDepository

Synopsis:

Teagan Wylltson’s best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures—goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty—are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn’t worried. Her life isn’t in danger. In fact, it’s perfect. She’s on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She’s focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.
Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn’s a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he’s crazy or he’s been haunting Abby’s dreams, because he’s talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby’s right. The goblins are coming.

Read my review here.

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1. Have you always wanted to be a writer? Was there any one moment in your life that you just stopped whatever you were doing and thought, “I’d just really like to write books?”

Always. It hasn’t been easy, and still isn’t, but I have been working towards this since I was six years old.

2. I know you must have been asked this question many times but where did you get the idea for Tyger, Tyger?

When I was a child, a goblin crept out of the dark and slipped her paw into my hand. The creature’s name was Lina, and she came to life in a book by George MacDonald. Lina was a dog–like beastie with green eyes lit by amber fire, and a huge mouth with icicle–like teeth. Curdie, the hero of the story, could feel the real hand of any creature inside its flesh glove, and when Lina put her paw in his hand: “a shudder, as of terrified delight, ran through him…instead of the paw of a dog, such as it seemed to his eyes, he clasped in his great mining fist the soft, neat little hand of a child! The green eyes stared at him with their yellow light, and the mouth was turned up toward him with its constant half grin; but here was the child’s hand!”

When I read those lines I felt it. I felt the child’s hand inside a rough paw glove, and I knew I wanted to pull a child out of a goblin one day.

3. How many books are planned in the series and will they all have titles borrowed from the Blake poem?

I’m not sure yet whether there will be three or four – but I am sure there will be just enough to finish the story well. All of the titles will be borrowed from Blake—because the books, like his poem, explore the nature of good and evil.

4. What was your favourite novel when you were a teenager? Do you have a book that you turned to for inspiration?

I loved too many books to choose a favorite! But I do have a writer that I turn to for inspiration, and one I have mentioned before: George MacDonald. He also wrote At the Back of the North Wind, Lilith, and Phantastes. His work has inspired generations of writers—from Tolkien to Neil Gaiman.

5. What is the one thing that you want your readers to take away from Tyger, Tyger. I know that reading is subjective but if you were able to, what is the one thing you would require readers to see in Tyger, Tyger?

That creation is deeply good, and the choices we make, even small choices, really do matter.

Thank you for having me on your blog, Nafiza!

For more information, visit Kersten’s website.

Abarat: The Book Covers

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the covers of the books. The first two anyway. So here they are:

And as a bonus, I found a manga version. I’m not sure it’s a legit cover but it’s really cute so.

Tomorrow, the reviews of the first two books.

Abarat: The Fan Art

Yebba Dim Day (An island in the Abarat by Soma-plume)

The 25th Hour (by Lordratchezlath)

Revisioning of the original painting by Clive Barker. Lady at Yebba Dim Day by Mizzy Chan

Isn’t this super cool? If ever there is a real life version of Abarat, I imagine it to look something like this. Created by hovelkamp.

Christoper Carrion colourized and slightly humanified. Original painting by Clive Barker. Revisioning by AprilQween.

Tomorrow, the book covers.

Abarat – An Introduction

I dreamed a limitless book,
A book unbound,
Its leaves scattered in fantastic abundance.

On every line there was a new horizon drawn,
New heavens supposed;
New states, new souls.

One of those souls,
Dozing through some imagined afternoon,
Dreamed these words,
And needing a hand to set them down,
Made mine.

— Clive Barker, Abarat: Book 1

The Books of Abarat is the name of the series authored by Clive Barker. The first installment was released in 2002 and I think (am not absolutely positive) that there are going to be a total of four books in the series.

So Nafiza, you may ask, what is so special about this book that you are running a week long event on this?

Well… I don’t really know how to properly articulate the answer so that you will see what I see in Abarat but I shall attempt to do so anyway. Imagine a world where time is a place.

Every hour of the day is a different island and if you want it to be three p.m. in the afternoon, you don’t just wait for time to pass, oh no, you sail to the island where it is always three p.m. Boggles the mind, huh?

Read more here.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is Abarat.

Another special thing about the books is that all of them contain original paintings done by the author to portray the strange creatures that look like they have crawled out of someone’s nightmares or someone’s acid trip. They are rich in colour and a veritable feast for the eyes.

And those are just the paintings. The stories contained within the pages are compelling enough that were the paintings not present, they would attract just as much attention and evoke as much love.

The characters:

Candy Quackenbush (the main character)

The three women of Fantomaya.

John Mischief (and his brothers.)

Malingo (He just may be my favourite character)

Every story needs a villain. Christopher Carrion. But somehow, he makes me pity him.

(All pictures belong to Clive Barker.)

So, this is the introduction. Tomorrow, we will see the art that Abarat has inspired from its fans.