As someone familiar with the mystique surrounding the Manson Family Murders, I was intrigued by the premise of Micol Ostow’s book. Her novel, loosely based on the Helter Skelter events of 1969, explores the perspective of one of Manson’s  followers.


FAMILY did not disappoint. The novel’s style, episodic verse, is a perfect fit for Mel’s story–jagged words and thoughts are plucked from her mind at all the right moments.

Mel, an emotionally broken young woman, abandons her home and drifts toward San Fransisco. When she meets Henry, she is drawn to him–his soft words and his warm embrace seem to fill all her hollow places, but Henry’s love exacts a price. In “the family”, everything belongs to everyone…of course, Henry’s appetites require that hearts and minds and souls and sinew belong to him alone.

Henry is the now, the supernova, burning bright. For Mel, Henry is the undertow.

As Mel is pulled into the dark deeps, I bit my nails and feverishly turned pages. All at once, I was angry and afraid. Mel’s descent is terrifying, but I could not help but feel pangs of compassion for the broken girl, the ruined psyche so abused and driven to madness. The ending comes with a twist, but even in the final pages, even when I knew the inexorable climax, I could not turn away from Melinda.

I mourned for her fall, even as I gasped at the blood on her hands.

FAMILY is a book I will not soon forget.

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Although Entwined is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses, it stands on its own as an enchanting story, a fairy tale romance with unique elements of magic and suspense. Dixon’s story threads are at first golden and whisper light, but as the novel unwinds, the author weaves in darker tones. When Azalea and her royal sisters discover a magicked passageway, they all become entangled in a moonlit snare. Night after night, they return to Keeper’s Pavillion to dance. But Keeper, their mysteriously handsome host, is not all he appears to be. For Azalea, a touch of silver reveals the frightening truth about blood oaths and curses–her castle, her kingdom, and her life are all in danger.
 
Dixon has a special knack for subtle characterization and gorgeous detail. Azalea is no cookie cutter Princess Royale–she’s resourceful and delightfully headstrong, the caring eldest sibling to her motherless sisters. Along with protagonist, many of the other principal players evolve as Azalea’s perceptions change. Page by page, the reader comes to love Lord Bradford (the Princess Royale’s swoonworthy suitor) Mr. Pudding (an elderly servant), Lord Teddie (a surprising and silly visitor) and even grim Fairweller (the handsome, but sober minded Prime Minister). The dynamics between all players change as the plot thickens–the relationship between Azalea and her estranged royal father is especially poignant. The texture of these relationships makes the novel feel all the more satisfying and complete.
 
I reccommend ENTWINED for anyone with a weakness for rich, well drawn fairy tales. This one’s an absolutely lovely debut.
 
Hungry for more? Like Azalea’s mother, I enjoy a rich, moist white cake. This recipe is delicious, the same one I use for basic layer and strawberry shortcakes.
 
Binge!
 
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Hi. This is jmartinlibrary’s 10 year old kid.

So this review isn’t done by some looney forty year old. Not my mother, of course, you weirdo. My mom isn’t anywhere near 40, and she isn’t looney, either.

Anyway.

I loved THE FOURTH STALL by Chris Rylander. It’s great for kids (Ha! Take that, children!) ages 10-14. It’s 314 pages of awesomeness. So… 4 ½ stars. It was really cool, one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time.

Wait…(shuffles through papers) I forgot. The book is about a guy named Mac, “Mom, I’m not doing another book report.” who solves problems. Then he gets into this Hullabaloo (I quote,) with this guy named Staples. And then Staples has a fight with Office Max. But not really. So it’s kind of a “mob” war between Staples and Mac’s groups. It rocks my socks. Read it.

Oh. Wait.I didn’t tell you where the story happens. See, Mac and Staples and all those people aren’t grownups or boring high school kids, either. They are 7th graders. See, Mac takes care of business in the east wing bathroom at his school. And by “takes care of business,” I don’t mean he is making a stink in there. He’s running a totally solid business empire from the 4th Stall.

My mom mostly made me add that last paragraph, FYI. She thought I wasn’t telling you enough about the story. She still doesn’t. Sheesh. Anyway, you should read THE FOURTH STALL, but not in the bathroom because well, that’s just nasty.

Anyway, I’ll make you an offer you can’t resist. Read this book and I’ll promise you’ll love it.

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So…looking for a YA thriller? I’ve got you covered!

High Concept, Action Packed Story?

Check.

Northrop’s plot equation is genius: Seven mismatched, unprepared teens + One creaky, remote high school building x Eleventy billion falling flakes = Holy Cow, TRAPPED is scaring the snow out of me and I’m loving every minute of it!

Brilliant YA voice?

Double Check.

The author nails an authentic point of view. Protagonist Scotty Weems is as real as any guy you knew in HS. Weems’ locker is just above yours, remember? Over the course of the novel, I didn’t just watch him slowly unravel. I came to understand his dreams (He’s got more on his mind than basketball), his anxieties (Acne is hell), and his panic. (Are we all going to die here? Alone? With nothing but cafeteria food?!)

Adrenaline Fueled Suspense?

Triple Check!

Oh…the panic! As the snowdrifts rise above Tattawa High School’s safety glass windows, the feeling of claustrophobia is frighteningly palpable. Each nightfall brings new terror–pitch black hallways and oppressive, opaque walls of snow. Whispers and prayers in the dark. Will the heat last? When will the lights go out? WHEN WILL SOMEONE ARRIVE TO RESCUE?

Is there anyone out there who can?

And just as panic gives way to despair…the teens decide to act. I bit my nails as I turned the last pages. I had to know who survived…and who didn’t.

TRAPPED is terrific. I’m begging for a sequel. For me, Scotty’s story just can’t be over.

Hungry for more?

Try this recipe for Perfect Divinity Candy. This white, melt away treat is a lot more satisfying and sweet than snow.

Binge!

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For me, Gwen Hayes’ debut, FALLING UNDER, is a slice of gourmet dark chocolate torte. It’s the scrumptious, forbidden dessert I shouldn’t be allowed to order–the one I can’t resist devouring.

Sound delicious? Take a look at the ingredients:

1 brilliant, incredibly introspective yet tragically repressed heroine with caramel curls.

1 smoldering, completely swoon-worthy yet recklessly smitten bloke in tails and a cravat.

2 fiercely loyal best friends

1 cross-dressing psychic

1 haunting string quartet

A dash of invocation and exorcism

1/2 dozen nights in a kingdom of dark, forbidden dreams.

1,001 moments of hot, sizzling, flush cheeked romantic suspense.

Gwen Hayes combines these elements to concoct an irresistible book. If you’re like me, and have a heartbreaking weakness for dark heroes like Heathcliff and Rochester, you’ll love FALLING UNDER.

Hungry for more? Try this recipe for Deep, Dark Chocolate Cake. It’s not as dangerously sinful as Haden Black, but it’s *almost* as delicious.

 

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A couple of weekends ago, I hosted a session at the 2011 DFW Writers’ Convention called Bringing Pages to Life.  

The class was loads of fun–I met a lot of terrific writers, and since then I’ve been immersed in reading and critiquing sample pages from attendees. Of course, I’ve also been reading published books, beta reading for crit partners, and working on my own WIP.  

In looking at my own writing and that of others, one question plagues me:  

Is this book read-able, or is it un-put-down-able?  

Really, doesn’t everything–finding an agent, selling a book, finding an audience–***partially hinge on this one, crucial question?  

I think so.  

I think readable books… 

have a decent premise.  

have coherent plots.  

have believable dialogue.  

have sympathetic characters. 

have a narrative voice.  

garner nice, personal rejections from agents and editors.  

are damned with faint praise. 

languish in the slush pile. 

are destined for dark drawers.  

I think un-put-down-able books… 

have killer premises that hook readers and don’t let them go.  

have such compelling plots that readers can’t stop turning pages. 

have wholly convincing, honest, distinct dialogue.   

have living breathing characters with vivid dreams, recollections, memories, desires, and fears.  

have narrative voices so strong and so rich, they make readers laugh out loud, reach for kleenex, grumble in anger, gasp in surprise, and linger over passages,  

garner urgent requests from agents and editors.  

are ardently championed with with praise and recommendation.  

are pitched, sold, and slated for release.  

are destined to be bought, borrowed, and beloved.  

 Sigh. 

I know. It’s soul-sucking to think of our own work as ‘readable.’ But we can’t settle. We have to keep reading, keep listening, and keep learning. We can’t rest  or be satisfied until we write books that are totally UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE. 

Hungry for more? Then try this recipe for Sweet and Salty Party Mix. One handful is never enough.

Binge!

***Yeah, yeah. I know there are plenty of other variables (timing, luck, notoriety, etc.) that factor into a writer’s sucess, but this post isn’t about those. So sue me.

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As a librarian, I read hundreds of titles every year, and a good percentage of them get tossed aside before the final chapters. Maybe I’m jaded, maybe my standards are too high, but if I’m not enchanted in the opening pages, I’m out.

I’m always looking for the next un-put-down-able novel.

Sigh.

WITHER is that book.

DeStefano plunges the reader into an alternate reality—a terrifying, near future. In the quest to eradicate disease and imperfection, mankind loses life span. Genetic engineering gives a first generation a healthy, unnaturally long life, but their children and grandchildren pay an unforeseen price. Now, a fatal, mysterious virus claims all girls at age twenty, and all boys at twenty five.

While the rest of world lies charred and broken, North America survives—a wealthy upper class feebly hangs on by forcing young women into polygamous marriages in order to sustain the population.

In WITHER, sixteen year old Rhine Ellery endures this fate. Against her will, she’s torn from her twin brother and spirited away to marry Linden, the son of a wealthy, controlling man. Linden’s father is a doctor searching for an antidote to the virus.

And he’ll do anything for a cure, no matter who has to die.

As Rhine discovers the secrets behind the good doctor’s work, the noose tightens. Imprisoned in Linden’s beautiful, illusory mansion, she has to find an escape or face living out her remaining days trapped a doll’s house.

Complicated relationships develop between Rhine, her captors, and her sister wives. Rhine’s emotions shift realistically, she matures into an intelligent, resourceful young woman determined to fight fate and keep hope alive for herself and for Gabriel, the brave and loyal servant who becomes her truest ally and soul-mate. Their fates are entwined–it’s their freedom which hangs in the balance.

DeStefano’s details are so vividly spun, her characters so fully formed, I found myself completely drawn in by page five. This is not a run of the mill high gloss, high concept novel. Yes, the plot zings, but the quality of DeStefano’s writing eclipses the premise.

Rhine’s voice—all at once, heartbreakingly real and elegantly melancholy—is WITHER’S pulsing lifeblood, its driving force. At turns, I devoured pages. At other moments, I lingered over passages, rereading sentences to savor their emotional heft and clarity.

I can’t overstate how much I enjoyed the book. I experienced the same thrill–the same rush of anxiety and sadness and hope–I felt when I first read THE HANDMAID’S TALE, THE HUNGER GAMES, and MATCHED. My favorite elements of all of these came to life in DeStefano’s debut.

WITHER is lush and literary and compelling.

It is worthy.

Hungry for more? Try this recipe for Better than Anything Cake. It’s *almost* as rich as WITHER.

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