Most Read Authors: Maggie Stiefvater + Blue Lily, Lily Blue and Sinner

With the release of the highly anticipated Blue Lily, Lily Blue, the third book in The Raven Cycle, Paige and I are celebrating all things Maggie Stiefvater with a joint most-read authors post.

I (JoLee) like to think of myself as a Maggie Stiefvater original. The reason being that I read Lament, her debut novel, before she had published any other books. I can thank Angie at Angieville for this, just as I can thank her for introducing me to so many great authors. I loved Lament so much that I was really itching to read Ballad, but it wasn't out yet, so I read Shiver when it came out in August instead. And from that point on I have kept up with Maggie Stiefvater's new releases.

I (Paige) heard JoLee talk about Maggie Stiefvater often, but she never recommended her books to me. When I called her on it, JoLee told me wasn't sure I'd love them because paranormal isn't always my thing (which is true). I read Lament and Ballad, but it was The Scorpio Races that solidified my fandom. I have now devoured all her books.

At ten books, Maggie Stiefvater sits at number five on my most-read-authors list. She sits at number four for Paige.

I've (JoLee) met Maggie in person twice (so we are totally on a first name basis, right?) The first time was when I was living in Kansas City, and I dragged (okay, so they didn't take much convincing as they were already huge fans too) my whole book club with me to the event.

Maggie is funny and charming in person, and during the question and answer period she called on me. Hooray! At this signing we had the added bonus of meeting Brenna Yovanoff and Tessa Gratton, and you know I love them too.

In July I went to see Maggie in Baltimore. I was extremely late due to children and grown-up responsibilities and ended up last in line. The upside to being last is that I got a doodle. I told Maggie how nice it was to see her again and about how my sister was planning on going to a signing on this tour too, probably in Denver.

I (Paige) was really bummed when I realized I was going to be out of town when Maggie came to Utah until I realized we would be in Colorado at the same time. I invited my cousin, Emily, to join me at the Denver signing, and we had a great time talking about books and meeting Maggie. Em told her she had never read one of her books, and I told her she met my sister in Baltimore. The lady behind us in line took this picture with my ancient phone.

You know you've found the author for you when thinking about your favorite book sounds like this: "Ballad is definitely my favorite. No. The Scorpio Races. No. I'm crazy about The Raven Boys."  2014 has been a good year for Stiefvater fans with the release of both Sinner and Blue Lily, Lily Blue.

I closed Blue Lily, Lily Blue last night in that sweet place where you know that the book is going to linger in your mind for a while and, in order to hold onto all those feelings, you avoid thinking about anything else.

The level of anticipation for Blue Lily, Lily Blue has been off the charts. Paige and I have been talking about it for months. And wow. I couldn't be more pleased. Not only is it a fabulous sequel, it is also perfectly suited for this time of year (and you know how crazy I am about seasonally-appropriate reads). The whole time I was reading the book I kept thinking about how amazing it would be to do a Raven Boys road trip. I don't live that far from Virginia. Maybe I could make that happen.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue is everything we've come to expect from The Raven Cycle. Blue, the boys, and the women of 300 Fox Way are searching for Maura who mysteriously disappeared at the end of The Dream Thieves. They are so close to finding Glendower that they can almost taste it, and the stakes keep getting higher the closer they get. The ending of this book was intense and unexpected. I love how Maggie Stiefvater keeps shuffling the villains around in this series.

One of the overarching themes in Blue Lily, Lily Blue is how unknowable and yet how very connected this little group is. "Gansey thought of how strange it was to know these two young men so well and yet to not know them at all" (Chapter 37 in my review copy). I love how this idea is woven through the story. I also just adore the characters in this book. I'm not going to list my favorites because I can't possibly choose. These characters belong together. And speaking of belonging together, the way that all of the characters are woven together is more intricate than we could have guessed. Blue Lily, Lily Blue is out October 21st, 2014. Review copy from NetGalley.

I fear that lightning may strike me down, but the Mercy Falls books were not my favorites. I enjoyed them, but really my favorite things about them were Cole and Isabel. You can imagine my delight in a book focused on them and their story.

Cole is in LA to film a reality show with his newly formed band. At least that's what the outside world thinks. In truth, he's there for Isabel. Isabel is dealing with the separation of her parents and trying to survive her job at the high scale, trendy boutique, .blush. And now the two are in the same city, trying to decide if this could work.

Isabel and Cole were not in healthy places when last we met, and I thought Maggie allowed them to grow and change in this book beautifully. Their better sides came out more and more as the book progressed, and I found I liked them more and more.

Isabel and Cole really fit in LA, making the setting perfect for the story. Both were so out of place in Mercy Falls. The setting is rich and interesting--I would expect nothing less from Maggie Stiefvater--and felt very real and true to life. I loved all the interesting characters in Sinner. Leon was one of my absolute favorites and I also loved Sofia. Sinner was a great return to the world of the Shiver series.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue reviewed by JoLee
Sinner reviewed by Paige

Reading on a Theme: Inspired by the Classics

This weeks post is one of my favorite Readings on a Theme so far. There's something so fun about reliving a favorite story.

Peter Pan:

After John and Michael go missing, Wendy is certain they are out there somewhere. She goes on a quest to find the beaches they may be surfing and meets Pete, Belle, and their gang at Kensington Beach. The question remains: are they real or figments of Wendy's imagination born from her grief? I found Second Star haunting. If the original Peter Pan were not full of whimsy, it would feel exactly like Alyssa Sheinmel's story. Despite the sadness of the book, I was drawn to it and found it hard to put down. I enjoyed the re-imagining of many of the characters and felt it was true to the original, if only emotionally. Review copy from NetGalley.


Brideshead Revisited:
Chelsey Philpot's Even in Paradise is a gender-swapped retelling of Evelyn Waugh's classic novel. The Buchanan family, like the Flytes, is beautiful, rich, powerful, and deeply wounded. Philpot's book reads like a classic. There is something old fashioned about this book. Perhaps it's that the Buchanan's function like an old aristocratic family. Perhaps it's that the narration always seems to keep the reader at arms length, so that we, like Charlie, are part of and separate from the Buchanan's world all at once. Personally, I found this style perfectly suited to this type of story. The Buchanan's and their island retreat remind me of the Kennedys or the sparkling Sinclairs of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars. Even in Paradise is out October 14th, 2014. Review copy from Edelweiss.
 

Romeo and Juliet:
Girl on a Wire is the least obvious retelling of the bunch. In fact, at first I didn't even realize I was reading a Romeo and Juliet tale. Wire-walker Julietta (Jules) Maroni joins the Cirque American with the hope that her family will finally receive the recognition they deserve. However, the Cirque American is also the home of a family of trapeze artists who are the Maroni's rivals, the Garcias. Together and in secret Jules and Romeo (Remy) Garcia seek to unravel the mysteries of the past, discover why their families are enemies, and who wants the past to repeat itself. Gwenda Bond's book is full of mystery and the romance of the circus. Out October 1st, 2014. Review copy from NetGalley.

The Fall of the House of Usher:
The Fall is a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's classic tale told from Madeline Usher's perspective. The Fall is spooky and wonderful and in every way worthy of Poe's original. The details in Griffin's story are what really add to the overall creepiness. In Bethany Griffin's hands the House of Usher comes alive. It is a character in itself, sentient and malevolent and extremely jealous. The doctors are creepy as well. Madeline gets a voice in Griffin's story, and I thought she told the story of her life trapped in a hungry house very well. The disjointed narration adds to the suspense and psychological aspects of the horror story. Out October 7th, 2014, The Fall is the perfect read for the Halloween season. Review copy from Edelweiss.

Emma:

Cecilia Gray's idea to put all of Jane Austen's characters together in one high school is pretty fun. Only With You is the only book in the series that I have read, but I could definitely see that the best part about these books is how all the characters' stories interweave. Only With You is Emma's tale. However, instead of trying to set up a Harriet, she attempts to set up the Anne Elliot character from Persuasion with the George Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. As in many retellings the fun comes not from the surprise ending but in reliving a beloved classic in new clothes. These stories will probably be most loved by Jane Austen fans. Review copy from NetGalley.

P.S. You might also enjoy this Reading on a Theme: Inspired by the Classics.

Second Star reviewed by Paige.
Even in Paradise, Girl on a Wire, The Fall, and Only With You reviewed by JoLee.

Pair It With: Queen of Hearts, Volume Two: The Wonder and Stray

Here we have two tales of deposed princesses, who in other stories would serve as secondary characters. Dinah is Wonderland's rightful Queen on Hearts. When Aislynn is stripped of her title she becomes a fairy godmother.

I absolutely loved the first book (featured here) in Colleen Oakes's Queen of Hearts Saga. The Crown was in every way a pleasant surprise, and I very much enjoyed how Oakes adapted the Wonderland and Lewis Carol's creation.

The Wonder is the second installment in Dinah's story. I did not enjoy it with the same fervor that I loved the first in the story, but that is primarily due to my personal preferences. The first in the series takes place in the palace and is full of courtly intrigue and is full of slippery characters. Book two begins where The Crown left off. Dinah has escaped the palace and is wandering in the Twisted Woods. The woods are beautiful and frightening and weird in the way that only Wonderland can be. The problem for me was that there was just a bit too much solo wandering.

Things began to pick up once Dinah met up with Sir Gorann (who kind of reminds me of Tamora Pierce's Corum from The Song of the Lioness). From there a number of unexpected events occur.

I want to know what's going to happen in the next installment. I'm enjoying this villain's tale, and I'm wondering how Dinah will become the dreaded Queen of Hearts.

The Wonder is out September 23, 2014. 

Review copy from NetGalley.

Aislynn is a princess in a fairy-tale world. All women have magic in this world, but it is a dangerous magic, and if it is not controlled it will corrupt a young girl and all she touches, eventually turning her into something evil, a stray. Or so, Aislynn has been told. She spends her life trying to tamp down her powerful magic. When she's unable to do so, she is Redirected to a life as a fairy godmother.

Elissa Sussman's tale is a fascinating take on fairy godmothers, who never really get to be the star of the show in the fairy tale world, despite their powers. In Stray no one would aspire to become a fairy godmother. They are held up as examples to young ladies for what they too could become if they cannot hold back their magic.

At first, I was afraid that Stray was going to be a thinly veiled metaphor. The beginning especially seemed to be a condemnation of the purity movement. Just read the prayer for The Path: “I am grateful for my father, who keeps me good and sweet. I am grateful for my mother, who keeps her own heart guarded and safe. I am grateful for my adviser, who keeps me protected. I am grateful for the Path, which keeps me pure. Ever after.” In the end, I think the magic that the girls possess could be read as ambition, intelligence, sexuality, voice, basically anything that can be seen as threatening in a world which desires to control women.

I felt that the book became more nuanced as it went on, and much more about the story than the misogynistic aspects of Aislynn's world. I love how dark this fairy tale is. It has the same feel as many dystopias with their controlling social structures.

I'm eager to see where Elissa Sussmann will take this series. I'd definitely read more.

Stray is out today, October 7th, 2014.

Review copy from Edelweiss.

Reading on a Theme: Alternate Realities

Huge Jasper Fforde fans here. Today the newest book in his Last Dragonslayer series comes out in the United States. The Ununited Kingdoms is one crazy alternate reality, so to celebrate the release of the Eye of Zoltar we are posting about some of our favorite alternate worlds. Spoiler Alert: Two of them were created by Jasper Fforde. 

The Ununited Kingdoms:
Jennifer Strange, foundling and acting manager of the magic corporation Kazam, of the Kingdom of Hereford in the Ununited Kingdoms, has to head to the Cambrian Empire to seek a huge and powerful magical gem, in order to keep the occasionally unpretified Might Shandar from killing the two remaining dragons in Eye of Zoltar.  As usual, the details of Jasper Fforde's book are what make this series so much fun. Jennifer's search (it's not a quest) takes her to the most dangerous of the Ununited Kingdoms where the economy is supported mainly by jeopardy tourism. Fforde fills this quest with unexpected perils and some fun new characters. The Eye of Zoltar is out on October 7th in the U.S. Review copy from NetGalley.

Magical Mobsters:
Holly Black created an awesome world with White Cat. This is a world where magic is illegal, so the magical families (known as workers) become mobsters. The fear of being worked is so pervasive that everyone wears gloves (magic occurs through touch). It's a dark world with the curse workers forced into the underbelly of society. Cassel is the only non-worker in his family. He's trying to fit in to the non-magical world, but he loves the con too much to stop. He's also having weird dreams about a white cat. He wakes to find he has sleep walked to strange places, and the conversations he overhears just don't add up. Like all good crime novels, the Curse Workers series has some totally unexpected twists and complications.

 

Swindon and the Book World:
The first four Thursday Next books would most properly be considered alternate histories because they take place in the 1980s, but, with the second set, we jump forward fifteen years to Thursday's life in the 2000s. Thursday lives in a world where the Crimean War didn't end for hundreds of years, people are worried about been smitten by an all-powerful Deity, time travel is possible and necessary, the Goliath corporation owns everything, and literature is taken very seriously. I absolutely love Thursday, and Jasper Fforde is astoundingly creative and funny. He takes all these seemingly unrelated plot points and by the end of the book they all come together. 
 

The United States of Asgard:
I fell hard for Tessa Gratton's The Lost Sun.  It's is an alternate reality where the Norse gods are real, and the present-day culture of the United States is embedded with Norse myth and legend. In this setting, Soren Bearskin and Astrid Glyn embark on a quest to find the lost sun god, Baldur. Soren has inherited his father's berserking fever, and he tries to fight it, so as not to lose himself (literally) to the rage and frenzy of the battle. Astrid, as a devotee of Freya, the goddess of magic and hell, can see the future and is devoted to fate. Fate in this novel is an almost tangible thing that you could pick up in your hands and devour. Soren narrates the novel, and he has a really strong voice. The tone of the book is a bit gritty with overtones of melancholy and lots of atmosphere. 

Gladiators in America:
Lise Haines' Girl in the Arena is set in an America very close to our own, expect that gladiator fighting is a national sport. The gladiator lifestyle has spawned a sub-culture full of rules and rituals not to mention clothing styles. Basically being a family member of a gladiator means following the gladiator code of conduct. Lyn is the daughter of seven gladiators, meaning her mother, Allison, has been married to seven gladiators. When Allison's seventh husband is killed in the arena and the victor picks up Lyn's dowry bracelet from the wreckage, Lyn is required by the gladiator bylaws to marry her father's killer. Lyn, however, is not one to play by the rules.

JoLee's Third Quarter Review

Today I'm thrilled to be linking up with Everyday Reading, one of my very favorite blogs. Janssen writes about her family, style, food, and of course books. She is living abroad in London for the next three months, so there are lots of fun travel posts right now too.

This quarter I read 35 books. 10 of which were audio books. Some you have already seen on this blog. Some are slotted for upcoming posts, and some you may never see on the blog again.

• Dissonance by Erika O'Rourke 
I kind of have a thing for parallel reality books right now. This is a fun one.

• The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt (featured here)
I have loved all of Lindsey Leavitt's books, but this is my favorite.

• The Vanishing Season by Jodi Anderson Lynn (featured here)
  It's not really a ghost story. It's not really a mystery. It's about three friends who just happen to be living with looming danger.

• The One by Kiera Cass (audio)
America kind of drove me crazy by the end of the series.  

• The Winter People (featured here)
A ghostly story that could be fun for Halloween or winter. 

• A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (audio)
Not my favorite book club pick. 

• The Lost Sun by Tessa Gratton (audio) (featured here)
I loved this one with an unreasonable fervor. 

• The Fire Wish by Amber Lough (featured here)
Genies, princesses, and swapped identities. 

• Unknown by Melissa Pearl (featured here)
A fantasy that kind of dragged. 

• Half a King by Joe Abercrombie (featured here)
A fantasy that completely won me over. 

• One Past Midnight by Jessica Shirvington
Another parallel reality book. 

•  Tiger's Curse by Collenn Houck (audio) (featured here)
All of my friends have read this series, but I don't think I'll pick up the next book. 

• My Real Children by Jo Walton
A third parallel reality book. Look for a reading on a theme featuring parallel realities next month. 

• The Strange Maid by Tessa Gratton (audio)
I didn't love the sequel to The Lost Sun with the same burning passion, but it's still a great series. 

• The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
This is a fantasy-lover's dream. It's a great series for people who miss Harry Potter. 

• One Plus One by Jojo Moyes (featured here)
My second Jojo Moyes book. I liked it better than The Girl You Left Behind. 

• To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
It started off a little rocky, but I loved Lara Jean by the end. 

• The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal (audio)
I listened to the audio book and was so delighted to find it has the same narrator as Seraphina. 

• The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas (featured here)
Fabulous sequel to The Burning Sky. I can't wait for the next. 

• Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (featured here)
This heady romance made me stay up way too late. 

• Watership Down by Richard Adams
Another book club book. I loved it when I was a kid and enjoyed the nostalgia as an adult.

• Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (featured here)
I don't think it's the tour de force that many seem to, but it's definitely something special. 

• The Jewel by Amy Ewing (featured here)
The Handmaid's Tale for young adults. 

• Falling into Place by Amy Zhang (featured here)
If you can handle the depressing subject and self-destructive teens, it's well written,

• Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes (featured here)
I couldn't finish this one.

• City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Foster (audio)
The Asian-inspired setting is really interesting. And the mystery/ fantasy hybrid reminds me of Terrier by Tamora Pierce.

• Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White (featured here)
This book seemed to get a lot of ad space, but it's not my favorite historical fantasy. 

• Pills and Starships by Lydia Millet (audio) (featured here)
I was absolutely blown away by this post-apocalyptic novel.

• Starry Night by Isabel Gillies (featured here)
The anti-Isla and the Happily Ever After 

• The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters (featured here)
Suffrage and hypnosis. It's an interesting pairing. 

• The Art Whisperer by Charlotte Elkins (featured here)
A fun mystery featuring an art conservator. 

• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The final book club pick on this list. I think Julian Fellows took his inspiration for Carson from this book. 

• The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg (audio) (featured here)
I've never had an author take me into a beating heart before. 

• Playing with Matches by Suri Rosen
A cute tale of a teenage matchmaker. 

• Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares (audio)
On the one hand I read it super fast, and, on the other hand, I am flummoxed that the girls haven't resolved any of these issues in ten years time. 

13 Spooky Reads for the Halloween Season

Today is the first of October and that means that Halloween is creeping ever closer. We love a seasonally appropriate read. And, really, there is no reading season we love more than the Halloween season. It's is the perfect time to pull out a creepy book and settle in for a night of haunts. As thirteen is the scariest number, here are thirteen spooky reads. We'll freely admit that quite of few of these have caused us to lie awake long into the night.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield: This is one of my favorite Gothic novels. It's so true in style and character to the original Gothic novels of the 18th and 19th century.

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson: I fervently wish that the third book in The Shades of London series was out this fall so I could listen to it for Halloween. These tales of London's secret ghost police and both creepy and funny.

The Fall by Bethany Griffin: This retelling of "The Fall of the House of Usher" is absolutely perfect for a Halloween read. It is absolutely worthy in every way of Poe's original.

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs: I love the Mercy Thompson series. Bone Crossed is the spookiest of the series, as Mercy goes to Spokane to help out a semi-friend with her ghost problem. 

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray: Rebel Angels is the second and scariest book in the Gemma Doyle series. The insane asylum and the girls in white totally creep me out. 

The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud: The first in the Lockwood and Company series, The Screaming Staircase, was on my list of favorites last year. I am so excited to listen to the sequel this Halloween.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: This book was my creepy Halloween read in 2012. The monsters are pretty terrifying. Ransom Riggs incorporates photographs into the story and some of them are pretty creepy too. 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane  by Neil Gaiman: Neil Gaiman has a magic touch. This is a short little tale about terrible, scary, magical things that happen to a little boy. It is kind of perfect.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: If you want a Halloween read that is not too scary, but still is suited to the season, this is a good choice. Bod is raised by a gang of haunts in a cemetery.  

Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow: If you want something really scary this is the book for you. The White Hands are petrifying. When I read a ghost story I want it to have a lot of atmosphere and this book has atmosphere to spare.

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff: Hannah is haunted by the ghost of her dead best friend, Lillian. As if that isn't scary enough there is a serial killer about murdering young girls. They occasionally haunt Hannah as well.

Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourne: Don't let the cover turn you off, the third in the Lady Julia Grey series is a fabulous Gothic tale.  With its Wuthering Heights parallels, from the wild moor, to the returned gypsy, and the crumbling manor house, Silent on the Moor is just so dang creepy.  

Terrier by Tamora Pierce: Beka Cooper has some unusual talents. She can hear the ghosts that are carried by pigeons. Soon Beka is on the trail of the "Shadow Snake" who holds little children for ransom.  


P.S. You also might enjoy: Reading on a Theme: Hauntings