The Reece Malcolm List

 

by Amy Spalding

Devan’s life changes in a blink with the death of her father. Moving across the country. No more best friend. No more beloved high school theater. And she’s going to live with her mother. The reclusive, famous writer Reece Malcolm. Whom she has never met. And only has a small list of (Internet-sourced) information about.

Her list is bound to get longer if she’s actually living with Reece, right?

Look. Let’s just put this out there riiiiiiight from the start. I am a musical theatre* junkie. I mean, I like theatre in general. But musicals? Musicals are my jam.**

So, clearly, there’s a special spot in my heart for books about musicals. And The Reece Malcolm List is one of those books. The opening paragraph name-checks the Hair track, Aquarius. Troy Bolton and the closed-to-soon Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson are mentioned. This is a big deal (and super varied) for me. As Kelly sometimes says, this is a Kellie book. It’s just good to get this information out there, I think. I am genetically predisposed to like this book. Or positively, absolutely hate it.

Luckily, I felt the former, not the latter. Oh, Reece Malcolm, you made me very happy.

I know with the introduction I just gave it seems like this is All Musicals All the Time. And there are a lot of references and situations involving theatre – the main character is trying out for a production of Merrily, We Roll Along – but it’s not ALL about theatre. In fact, it’s really about a mother and a daughter trying to figure out who they are separately and together.

What I liked best about Spalding’s book was the way she spread out the drama. It’s a book about relationships and theatre and the drama isn’t DRAMA all the time. There was an ever-changing subtlety to the tension, or lack thereof, between characters as the book developed. I keep wanting to use the word “pitch” to describe this. The pitch of the tensions changed flawlessly.

I’m not even sure that made sense, but there you have it. It’s just how I feel, guys.

Just incredibly well-done all around. Enjoyable, heart-breaking and -warming. A delight. Just a delight.

Also – for those, like me, who are musical junkies, Amy does a kick-ass blog series called Musical Theatre Mondays on her website. I highly recommend checking it out.

*I am that person that spells it “theatre.” If you’re going to the theater – it’s the movie theater. The theatre is a stage. It’s just how I roll, guys, for clarification.

**Just ask my coworkers who are frequently subjected to the awesomeness that are broadway cast recordings.

 

Butter

By Erin Jade Lange

Butter is morbidly obese. Over 400 pounds. And not popular. Online, though, he can be whoever he wants – including a friend-and-maybe-something-more to the popular and pretty Anna. 

Knowing Anna’s waiting for him online is nice, but doesn’t help when Butter’s dealing with bullies, jerks and anyone’s snide comments at school. He snaps. And decides to eat himself to death. Live on the Internet. On New Year’s. For all to see. And judge.

 

So, Butter. An interesting one. I want to put this out there from the get go: Lange can write. And the premise is incredibly fascinating.

Unsurprisingly in this day and age of reality tv, Butter’s (aka JP) popularity soars when his website goes live. And he’s suddenly grappling with liking the attention, but understanding the attention is still to do with his weight – not his personality.

Like I said, lots of interesting things happening in this book. And the story is engaging and maintains a pretty even pace – all things I like.

I had to say all of that first because the ending RUINED the book for me. Entirely. Massive spoilers ahead, guys.

So, when JP is in the hospital after trying to kill himself with food, he is weighed and realizes he’s lost a lot of weight. The reason he lost the weight? He was STARVING himself while he hung out with the popular kids. Luckily, he acknowledges the fact this is a really, really bad and unhealthy way to lose weight. But it’s that initial starved weight loss that encourages him to continue. SUCH a mixed message. Do not like. At all.

Also – and this is the thing that got me REALLY fired up – JP is friends-with-a-possibility-of-more with Anna online. When he gets popular, Butter also becomes friends with Anna – but never tells Anna he and JP are one in the same. However, Anna finds out (which leads to other things I will not spoil) and, unsurprisingly is upset. BUT. At the end of the book, she let’s him off the hook! She tells him that she’s mad (at him, but not the online him – shwha?), but that they can continue to possibly pursue something! What?!? He gets what he wants even though he lied and deceived to get it? Because he’s a nice guy? That is NOT the definition of nice I would use! Ugh. Anger.

So, yeah. I had problems with Butter. But it was a highly thought-provoking book. Would lead to some interesting discussions in a book club, I would think. It certainly exposes some scary truths about high school.

So, read it for yourself and see what you think!

Your Flyleaf is Showing : The Diviners

Hello, people of the Internet!

Today you are witnessing a Moment In History. And by “moment” I mean a thing I finally decided to do. And by “in history” I mean it may never happen again, so it is unique.

I have created a series. For this blog. That I’m really excited about. It’s called Your Flyleaf is Showing* and this is the first entry** in the series.

What is this series about, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. It is about book binding. Not the art of. But a celebration of the books that embrace that art. That relish in it. Knowing FULL WELL the population at large will never see or embrace the love that went into it. So I want to expose this injustice! Set the Binding Free! Strip them of Their Clothing! Embrace the Hidden Book Art! (etc.)

I also will include a brief review of the book I’m covering (unless I’ve reviewed it before). It’s probably just going to be easier to dive right in. So let’s do that. The very first book in the series is (drum roll, please!):

The Diviners, Book 1
by Libba Bray

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I frequently compare this book to The Avengers because it is about a group of awesome people – with different origin stories – assembling. Set in New York City in the bustling 20s, this tome (it clocks in at just under 600 pages) kicks off Bray’s new series featuring the occult, speakeasies and awesome 20s lingo.

It is A LOT of book. And there are A LOT of people, places and things (read: nouns) the reader has to track throughout the book. Evie, who mostly serves as our main character, brings it all together as the nucleus of the story. Most of the connection threads running through the various stories run through her and she is certainly the focus of the book’s action.

What I think Bray does best in this book is merge elements of fun with elements of creepiness into the same plot. The mood of the book isn’t interrupted because there’s a funny scene or a creepy scene (and there are PLENTY of these), nor does Evie’s lightheartedness take away from her reaction to those creepy scenes.

I think the “problem” with Evie – or, at least, a problem I can see people having – is her slang. It’s like a second language, but one I found appropriate for Evie. She wants to be the bees-knees SO BAD and her language (and attitude) completely reflects it. She is That Girl. A touch annoying, a little selfish, but always well-meaning.

On the whole I really liked The Diviners. Bray’s writing is always lush and always makes me laugh. While it is the start of a series, it doesn’t leave you with that awful unfinished feeling other series have at times. Also, I hope it instills the proper amount of fear in Ouija Boards that I firmly believe all people should have.

* Title courtesy Brynne!
** And possibly the last. We all know how I roll by this point.

Mystic City

by: Theo Lawrence

Aria and Thomas are the perfect star-crossed lovers. They met in secret – down in the dangerous underworld where revolutions are hinted at – and kept all knowledge of their relationships from their warring, ruling families. But, due to their cannot-be-parted lives, they became engaged and put an end to decades worth of fighting and political maneuvering. Truly, a tale for the centuries.

   Except Aria is having memory problems. Huge gaps, actually. And, for being so much in love, she doesn’t seem to be able to stand Thomas for long periods of time. And she keeps seeing a mysterious stranger…

Read in one sitting. Late into the night. And that description? It didn’t even get into the fact MAGIC is involved. Yeah.

So, clearly, there’s a lot going on. We’ve got a dystopian society. Within the society there’s the warring between families and the rebellion of the underworld (read: magic) people. We’ve got an interesting take on magic (and fancy gadgets!). Some memory issues. Lies. Deception. Hot dudes. Girl fights. Etc. Etc. Like I said, a lot. Going. On.

Which isn’t a bad thing – the plot moves at a quick pace and manages to mostly keep everything in order. There were a few twists and turns (esp. at the end) that probably weren’t necessary, but it wasn’t enough of a wrench to really throw me off the storyline.

It’s always interesting to merge a dystopian society with magic elements. Which technically means it’s really not a dystopian – unless magic was discovered between now and the time of the book. But, that’s really neither here nor there. Just know there are elements of present day society (and it’s theoretical eventual ruin) reflected in this book in addition to supernatural elements. And, if I’m being honest, I wish the world building had been a bit stronger towards the beginning.

Lawrence dives right into the intrigue – which totally works! – but because the world is kind of…presented as we go, some of the elements can be seen as convenient rather that a restraint of the new world.

I liked all the main characters. I thought some of the secondary characters (Thomas, specifically, and all of Aria’s friends) were a bit thin and stereotypical. I also want my villains to be robust and I was left wanting in that category.

But, as I mentioned above, this is a very fast book. Action ALL OVER THE PLACE. And quite a thriller. I’m very, very interested to see what happens in the second book. I just hope a lot of these sort of sloppy elements are cleaned up a bit.

Oh, and as a note, I’m not particularly on board with the comparison blurbs to The Hunger Games. Aside from a fast plot, a teen girl protag and being set in a possible future, nothing else is similar. And there are A LOT of books that have those same elements. I get wanting to make that connection, but no. It’s a bad one. Shrugs.

Available: Now!

The Probability of Miracles

by Wendy Wunder

Cam has cancer. And treatment isn’t going well – but she’s proud of how realistic and forward she is about her diagnosis. Her mom, though, has a broader outlook on what can heal a person. And when she hears of a small town in Maine where miracles are a guarantee, the Florida family is suddenly uprooted to go catch a miracle.

Cam thinks it ridiculous – but Promise, Maine has a few tricks up its sleeve that just might have Cam believing in the impossible.

This is one of the many Cybils-nominated books that dealt with morality in some way, shape or form. When I first picked up Probability of Miracles my initial reaction was “Greeeeeeeeat. Another dying teen. Just what I need for this dreary day.” (December in AK is almost always dreary. Twoish hours of sunlight will do that.)

But I was so happy to find it was so much more! Instead of being a “cancer” book, I was thinking of it as a “hope” book. There’s actually not a lot about cancer in it – we aren’t in a hospital and Cam doesn’t show too many symptoms.

Cam is actually so honest and upfront about what’s happening to her, you want to shake her silly sometimes. She constantly wants to disengage and distance herself. But Promise, Maine is a special place. And, for lack of a better word, magical things seem to happen there and it’s a lovely thing to see Cam adjust her worldview as these things happen. (There were some points where the “fantastical” world of Promise reminded me a bit of Sarah Addison Allen’s worldbuilding.)

I also liked and appreciated Cam’s family history with Disney World – which, I think, made her inability to believe in miracles even more understandable. There’s also a lovely scene where Cam sets up situations so it looks like miracles are happening for her family. It completely ends up backfiring but it really showed Cam DOES care – even if she’s not great at expressing it.

The rest of the family is really well developed and keeps the optimism going when Cam gets down on life. (This is always pretty evident when you want to know what happened to them after the story ends, I think. And I want to know! Did they move back to Florida or stay in Maine?) Asher – the boy Cam meets in Promise – was a bit one-note for me, but I understand what kind of person Wunder was looking for Asher to be.

Promise, the town, was very whimsical. I actually would have liked a bit more focus on it and the whimsy – but that might have been problematic, like revealing the man behind the curtain, so… – just because so much of the story hinged on Promise’s miracle-producing ability.

I did have this thought during Cybils reading, though: (there were a handful of cancer books in the nominees) how hard books about teens with cancer are trying to not be stereotypical books about teens with cancer. Which led to protags that, actually, had a lot of similarities. None of them wanted pity for their illness, for the most part they all were forward about what was happening to them, and they all had some major coping mechanisms to keep emotions and people at bay (usually this was through sarcasm). No real observations, just a thought about a lot of the similarities as they try to avoid the “common” thing.

Either way, though, for a book that made me cry, I found Probability of Miracles quite delightful and whimsical. You should check it out. If you want.

Every Day

by David Levithan

Every morning, A wakes up in a different body. Everything physically changes – hair color, height, weight, gender – everything.

A rather lonely existence, getting a 24 hour glimpse into a person’s life. Then being yanked away without ceremony and finding another body, another family, another life.

A has developed rules. About interfering. And surviving. And he follows them to a T.

Until he meets Rhiannon.

Fascinating, fascinating concept. And utterly lonely. Think about it: you are not anchored by anything or anyone. You are an island. Anytime you make friends, they are gone the next day. Anytime you react to something, all other people will think it is the body’s owner reacting. A tragedy. Truly.

As usual, Every Day is gorgeously written by Levithan. And he invokes fascinating thoughts about gender, sexuality, drug addiction, what is good, how much a person should interfere, etc., etc. But the larger question is how much should A get to own his life.

For most of the book A is following his pretty strict rules about borrowed body and life maintenance. Trying not to change to much, stick to schedules, only accessing information necessary for existence. His life is, for the most part, mimicking other people’s lives. And it’s both interesting and amusing how A has had to adapt to the different situations – A’s stories about learning different things or being thrown into something in the past are amusing and I could’ve read a whole memoir by A.

But what I most applaud about this book are the boundaries Levithan set up for A’s “ability.” There are rules to what happens when the clock strikes midnight. And Levithan acknowledges and plays along with these rules – as he should. A is old enough to have figured some things out. It would be almost inexcusable if A didn’t have SOME answers about what happens to him. But A has also figured out how to mess with the rules. And I think that’s also great. And wonderful. The fact he has an email account delights me.

When it comes to the bigger questions Levithan asks about A’s interference into the lives of others and religion and whether there are others like A out there, it’s pretty nebulous. I expect it will invoke some strong opinions one way or the other.*

Regarding the religious stuff, I have to say that was secondary to me. I didn’t find it nearly as eye-catching as A’s daily life – until the big reveal. Then I Got It. But for the most part, I was annoyed with it. At the beginning. So, there is that.

All in all, a great book – gorgeously written, strong characters, fast-paced plot. The best part, though, was how many different questions and thoughts it generated in ME. Meaning it probably would make a fascinated book for an (open minded and awesome) book club.

Where this book came from: egalley from the publisher

*Personally, I am cool with A taking over for one day as long as it isn’t major. I still have trouble accepting his interference with a trip to Hawaii…

The Disenchantments

by Nina LaCour

The Disenchantments are going on tour – their first and last – before heading separate ways. 

Colby thinks this tour is part one of an epic gap year exploring the world with his best friend, Bev. But Bev has other ideas – which she expresses to Colby just hours after disembarking up the coast.

As The Disenchantments continue to play shows, Colby has to realign all thoughts on his future – with or without Bev.

You may or may not have noticed this: but I love stories that glorify the awesome randomness of life. (See also: Okay for Now, My Most Excellent Year) This also extends to movies. (See also [and somewhat inexplicably]: The Goonies, Adventures in Babysitting, EuroTrip) And road trip stories. (I’m not going to reveal some of the road trip stories I love. Yes, they are somehow even more weird than EuroTrip*) So a road trip story that glorifies the randomness of life? I am So There.

Luckily, I really, really enjoyed The Disenchantments. I found it utterly charming. Also, heartbreaking. And hopeful. And bittersweet. Just like the summer after senior year, but before college (or whatever comes after senior year) should be.

And as a connoisseur of randomness of life stories,** I may have understood that the seemingly random things were going to come together SOMEHOW but it was glorious to watch how they did. How each decision and action made throughout the trip led to the final few chapters. Ugh. Talk about a reader reward. Love it.

I loved Colby’s voice. And Bev’s (even if it was mostly withdrawn)(full disclosure: Bev drove be BONKERS, but I think she was supposed to, so I was mostly okay with it). But I really, really, really loved the characters of Meg and Alexa and how they factored into the story. BUT. I firmly, firmly believe not everyone is going to love or engage with these characters. They are dramatic, and – dare I say – way hipster. And, like I said, Bev is a bit of a mess and HARD to connect with, let alone being likeable. So, this isn’t one of those one-size-fits-all books. And the characters are all sort of in the same vein, so it might be hard to like ANY of them if you don’t like one of them.

But, I found them charming. And the story charming. It warmed my heartstrings.

Delightful.

Published by: Dutton
How I got this book: the library!

* And, let’s be real, EuroTrip also gave us the most amazing Matt Damon cameo EVER and the classic, and catchy, Scottie Doesn’t Know.
** Clearly, a self-appointed title

Send Me a Sign

by Tiffany Schmidt

Mia has been diagnosed with cancer, just as summer is about to start. Just as her friends start discussing the tanning, and the bathing suits and the parties that Mia will, inevitably, have to miss. 

But Mia has always believed in signs. And the signs are telling her if she just keeps her illness secret – hides away for the summer – her friends will never know something was wrong. That she was different.

So she only tells her closest of friends, Gyver, and the boy who may just be playing games with her, Ryan, and starts to look for signs that she can beat the cancer that she’s determined to hide.

Okay. So. I need to rant about this title a bit. But then I bring it back to not-ranting. Fair warning.

This isn’t your typical “I just got diagnosed by cancer” book. Really, it’s not. There are very few medical discussions, and the time Mia spends in the hospital actually seems pretty short.

No, this is a book about Pretending Cancer Doesn’t Exist To Your Friends to Stay Popular. Which – I sorta get? But mostly I didn’t. In fact, it made me think Mia was incredibly shallow if she thought her popularity was more important than her treatment. Likewise, it seemed to acknowledge that Mia knew her friends were shallow enough to think differently of her because she was diagnosed with leukemia. THEN MAYBE YOU NEED SOME BETTER FRIENDS, MIA.*

There are many instances where Mia’s mother is actually egging on her Cone of Silence, even when Mia’s realizing it probably wasn’t a brilliant idea to hide her diagnosis from her friends. Which did make me pity Mia a bit, but it also made me really sad it took almost the entire book for her to stand up to her mom.

On top of all this, Mia does actually tell a few friends. Thereby burdening them with her secret to all of their friends as well. That’s just great, Mia. Way to be a friend to them.

AND THEN, when the secret does come out – as it, clearly, inevitably, obviously, was going to – Mia just feels sorry for herself because everyone is mad at her. For lying. And not allowing her friends to help. And she is beside herself. And bad things happen. And I could not make myself feel sorry for her when they did.**

Just, ugh. Was so ososososososososososo frustrated by Mia’s decision-making process. And of how little she thought of herself and her friends.

And rant over.

So, not particularly liking Mia nor understanding why she continued to make irrational (to me) decisions did have an effect on my view of the story. Esp. since the fallout from those decisions was basically the main plot (like I said, not an I Have Cancer book so much as a How I’m Dealing With Cancer book). But, I got it. I did. She’s terrified. And believes in signs. And just wants to be normal. Not The Girl with Cancer.

And there were a lot of elements of the book I really liked: both of the guys, Gyver and Ryan, were well-depicted. Ryan especially. I wanted to hate him SO much and he never allowed me to. That was both a surprise and great. And I loved that he was the one pushing Mia to tell people. To trust.

And Mia’s relationships with the adult figures in her life were also great. Like I said, I wish she would have stood up to her mom a bit more, but on the whole, I liked it. (Esp. the contrast between her mom and Gyver’s mom.)

This is just one of those books where I didn’t like the main character (or at least her decisions), but I still liked the book on the whole. Because even though Mia clearly had trust and self-esteem issues, all the bad decisions forced her to realize this. And start to work on it – and her friendships. Which = good thing.

Where this book came from: Galley from ALA
Published by: Bloomsbury/Walker

* Incidentally, some of her friends were actually expressing concern and worry for her, which Mia just lied her way through. Or ignored their voicemails. So, maybe she should also give her friends more credit?

**Okay, I felt bad for her. But in the pitying way. Which she was trying to avoid in the first place.

Keeping the Castle

by Patrice Kindle

Althea, in her falling-apart-beneath-her-feet family castle, has to marry well. Not only because of the aforementioned castle, but also because her family is depending on her marriage. To be a good one. Involving a rich husband.

But just because he’s rich, doesn’t mean he’s worthy. And Althea’s witty nature is more than put to the test with the line of unsuitable suitors that are put in front her her.

This review will be brief – shocking! I know! – because it’s pretty easy to sum up my feelings about Keeping the Castle: a delightful, tongue-in-cheek nod to Jane Austen and Regency era novels about the trials, tribulations and oddities of courtship.

I struggled a bit to connect with Althea, but she’s witty, observant and always seems to be plotting. And I can admire those traits and enjoy the consequences and retorts that come from them. If I had to put a finger on what my issue was with Althea, it was how we were introduced to her: the situation came off as cold and calculating instead of witty and smart to me.

I was a big fan of the characterization of the two ugly stepsisters. (How can you not call them that?) And of all the suitors. A bit on the unbelievable side – but just over that line.

And I loved the Castle. I loved how decrepit it was. It wasn’t just gusty and starting to slightly crumble. It was seriously, 100% falling down. And yet Althea loved it. And wanted to save it.

Like I said – a fun, delightful read. (And a quick one, for what it’s worth.) A great historical read for those who may not like the flowery language of the Regency novels.

Where this book came from: galley copy from ALA

The Dark Unwinding

by Sharon Cameron

Katharine has been sent to the mysterious Stranwyne Keep to declare her eccentric Uncle a lunatic, thus claiming the inheritance he is apparently squandering.

But, upon arrival, Katharine quickly realizes something is afoot at the sprawling Stranwyne Keep. And in a very unexpected way. Her investigations lead to startling revelations about her Uncle and the world – and machines – he has created.

 

This debut from Cameron was AWESOME. Steampunk-esque everywhere. Mysteries. Disappearing inheritances. Forbidden roller skating parties. Fancy dresses.

How could I not like this story?

Katharine was an interesting character. And by interesting I mean: not the type of character I normally love. Throughout a large portion of the story she’s torn between duty and freedom and she doesn’t always pick/do/say the right thing because of it. A few times I wanted to shake the living daylights out of her. One time in particular. At the beginning, I kind of hated  her, to be honest.

BUT. She totally won me over. She is not in an enviable position, given her station and the fact she’s female in the time period. And her acts of rebellion (both tiny and large) are quite ass-kicking.

What I really, really liked, though, was this wasn’t just a story about Katharine trying to get her inheritance from evil elder-guardian. No. There is a mystery afoot. And one that I sort of, kind-of guessed but wasn’t completely sure until the reveal. Which was awesome. It made the plot BIGGER and darker quite effectively. (There was one reveal I SO did not guess. And it made me chuckle. In a good way.)

I had one gripe: as I mentioned above, there are some epic steampunk touches in The Dark Unwinding. Which led to some technical discussions of how things worked and my brain did not compute those scenes. They kind of brought the quick plot to a halt for me a few times. But only a few. I also haven’t had a science or math class in nearly ten years, so, there is that.

Overally, I enjoyed Cameron’s debut – dark, mysterious, intriguing – and very much look forward to the sequel. (I have to assume there’s a sequel. Otherwise. Anger.)

Oh! And! You all know I love when the author includes an afterword about the book. And Cameron’s was awesome AND revealing. I spent at least an hour on Wikipedia after reading about the ties to reality. Heart!

Where this book came from: egalley from publisher
Published by: Scholastic

P.S. It has to be said. That cover! Is! Gorgeous! Esp. if you can see it nice and big (or in person). Also gorgeous? Cameron’s website. Love it.