Happy Halloween!

Hi, all! It's Halloween!!! It's also my anniversary -- no, we didn't completely plan on getting married on Halloween, it just worked out that way (because my brain couldn't handle the concept of planning a wedding a year or more out).

We had our anniversary dinner last night over at Linger in Denver, a street food themed restaurant that just happens to be located in an old mortuary. It was fabulous and I highly recommend it to anyone in the Denver area.

I'll be handing out candy tonight and watching horror movies -- with hubs for as long as he can handle it. On the agenda are The Barrens and Detention and I am very aware that both movies may be absolutely terrible (links to trailers provided). I'm also reading Dan Chaon's short story collection, Stay Awake. So far it's eerie and completely unsettling.

For my last #Mx3 post, I thought I'd throw out some last minute Halloween horror recommendations.

If you're in the mood for some Pine Barrens/Jersey Devil horror in book form, check out Robert Dunbar's fantastically terrifying book The Pines and the follow up The Shore.

For some funny high school horror in the vein of Detention, you might like one-sitting read A Bad Day For Voodoo by Jeff Strand and on the movie front you absolutely must see Dance of the Dead and Boy Eats Girl, two hilarious high school horror movies (though not necessarily all YA appropriate movies).

For immediate gratification, head over to Michael Boccacino's site for a fabulous short Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling epilogue (and Halloween "trick") here.

And some of my general favorite horror reads from years past are (get ready for lots of exclamation points):

Naomi by Douglas Clegg -- my intro to Clegg's work and still one of my absolute favorites!

Haunted and Ghosts of Sleath by James Herbert -- the first two books featuring David Ash (book three, Ash, is due out this December!)

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill -- his award-winning collection of short stories and one of the best collections out there! You can read them in between trick r treaters!

James A. Moore's Serenity Falls trilogy. Supremely fun!

Breeding Ground by Sarah Pinborough. Holy freaking moly! Women hatching giant spiders. Yeah, icky and creepy as all get out.

Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest. This is the first in her Eden Moore trilogy and it's absolutely wonderful!

Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. A coming of age horror that's neck and neck with It in terms of fabulousness!

Moonfall by Tamara Thorne. Haha! This one is just pure fun!

Enjoy!

Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace

I'm happy to be part of the TLC book tour for Danny Wallace's Charlotte Street this morning!

In lieu of my typical synopsis here, I'll let the author do the talking:



Holy cow! Within just a few pages, I was laughing out loud reading this one! Jason's drunken Facebooking had me rolling on the floor!

After Jason Priestly -- lots of fodder for 90210 jokes throughout the book! -- realizes he still has the girl's camera, he and his friends end up going on a bit of a scavenger hunt to try and find her. Interspersed throughout the book are a handful of blog posts written by the girl in question, though she remains mysteriously anonymous. And of course Jason isn't one of her six-ten readers.

But the book is not just about Jason trying to find the girl he thinks could be the one. The book is also about sort of finding yourself. The reader knows that Jason was a teacher, though the real prompting for his leaving his job is revealed a bit later in the book. But Jason is at a bit of an impasse. It's a situation that's shared by some of his friends as well. What do they want out of life? What do they want to do WITH their lives?

Charlotte Street is a charming story and while I've not read any Nick Hornby (yes, shamefully I've seen the movies but not read any of the books), I would imagine that many Hornby fans will be drawn to Wallace's fiction debut. I would hope so anyway. Charlotte Street is a (dare I say it?) romantic comedy but one that fans of High Fidelity will appreciate (both men and women, in other words!).

To see other stops on the tour, visit the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Danny Wallace and his work you can visit his website here, you can also like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

Ironskin by Tina Connolly + a Giveaway

Good morning, readers! I'm part of the TLC tour for Tina Connolly's Ironskin today. Be sure to read all the way to the bottom if you're interested in winning a copy of this fantastic book for your very own TBR pile!

In the five years since the end of The Great War, Jane Eliot has grown used to the iron mask she must wear to cover her fey cursed scars. A teacher and governess by training, Jane has excelled in many positions but has always found that her scars and her mask have been held against her in the end. But then a certain advert for a governess catches Jane's eye and she knows the position will be perfect. The job specifies a child born during the war, one with a delicate situation. Even Jane is unprepared for the extent of said situation, though. Jane is determined she succeed, though, especially upon hearing how all the other governesses have abandoned the child in the past. It also helps that the girl's father, Edward Rochart, appeals to Jane in a way she's never experienced. 

Tina Connolly's debut is an inventive twist on Jane Eyre. The Great War is one with the Fey, and they are wicked in a way that I've not seen in most books. Yes, they're tricksters, but Connolly's Fey have declared war on humankind. They're weapons, Fey bombs, leave survivors like Jane afflicted with a curse -- emotions that they can't control themselves and are forced on those around them -- leaving them not only physically scarred but shunned in society. The only way to "cure" the person is to bind the cursed and scarred area in iron.

Like I said, inventive!

Like the classic Jane, Connolly's version is also headstrong and smart. She's one of my all-time favorite heroines and I really love seeing her pop up in so many books, either in new interpretations or simply in inspiration. Connolly does her justice here in Ironskin but has definitely made her version of Jane her own. 

I also love that Ironskin is essentially an alternate version of a somewhat Jane era England, barring the fey technology that is. Even down to slight twists on Shakespeare's classics that earn mention in a couple of places in the book. It's a fun blend of historical fiction and fantasy that I think will appeal greatly to readers comfortable with either genre.

To see what others thought, visit the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Connolly and her work, visit her official website here. You can also follow here on Twitter.

And now for the giveaway! Thanks to TLC and the publisher, I've got one copy up for grabs (US/Canada only please). Just leave me a comment here before midnight, November 11. Include your email (so I can get in touch if you're the winner). I'll draw a name and announce the winner on Monday, November 12. 

Good luck!

New releases 10/30/12

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

Tangled Bridge by Rhodi Hawk

Death's Apprentice by KW Jeter & Gareth Jefferson Jones

Initiate's Trial by Janny Wurts

Stray Souls by Kate Griffin

Out for Blood by Kristen Painter

Dead Asleep by Jaime Freveletti

Grace Grows by Shelle Sumners

Home by Matthew Costello

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones

Iced by Karen Marie Moning

Stalked by Allison Brennan

Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom

The Old Gray Wolf by James D. Doss

The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart by Leanna Renee Hieber

Chasers by James Phelan

Rebel Heart by Moira Young

Venom by Fiona Paul

New on dvd:
The Campaign
Safety Not Guaranteed
Ruby Sparks

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:
Home
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
Through to You by Emuly Hainsworth

Devil's Gate by F.J. Lennon

Astral Fountain is on the brink of big success and Kane Pryce is planning to ride the wave as far as he can. As the lead guitarist with the band, he stands to profit big time if rumors of a record deal become a reality. But when his old friend and ghost hunting partner, Ned, turns up at a show with an interesting proposal, Kane finds himself pulled back into a life he thought he'd left behind. A wealthy heiress has hired Ned and Kane to exorcise the spirits of an old California bridge. She claims her motivations are altruistic -- one too many suicides and she's tired of the whole thing -- but Kane and Ned soon find there's something bigger going on. With almost 200 deaths to its name, the bridge seems to be connected to a long and dark history of occult practice. If Kane persists with the job, he could find himself the latest victim. 

I really enjoyed the ghost busting portions of this book. In truth, it makes up about 3/4 of the story. The history of the bridge and the job Kane and Ned are hired to do are interesting and make for a unique read.

The other 1/4 of the book concerns Kane's band career. I know that it's all character development as far as Kane is concerned but the bickering and the rock and roll lifestyle didn't mesh well with the rest of the book for me personally. To be honest, I couldn't wait to get through each part about the band just so I could get back to the real meat of the story. The continued conflict with the lead singer also started to really get on my nerves. I wanted Kane to just deck the guy and move on!

The band Kane was more than a little bit of an asshole. The ghost busting Kane was still a bit of a jerk, but definitely much more appealing -- especially paired with the soul trap and the spirits, the mystery of the latest suicide victim, and the Crowley occult stuff.

I didn't dislike Devil's Gate by any means. I didn't love it either. It was a good read but I couldn't fully enjoy it simply because I felt this constant sort of disconnect -- like I was reading two books at once rather than one cohesive story.

Devil's Gate is F.J. Lennon's second book to feature Kane Pryce. Although I have not read the first installment, Soul Trapper, it seems that Devil's Gate stands pretty well on its own. There's enough backstory and recap material present throughout the book that someone unfamiliar with Kane's previous story quickly catches on. That said, I'm curious about Kane's first adventure and the soul trap as well. 

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

I was a big fan of Gretchen McNeil before I even read her work. I follow the YA Rebels over on YouTube and always get a big kick out of Gretchen's antics. Of course when talk of Ten started floating around the interwebs, I added it to my must have/wishlist and even preordered a copy in honor of the Army of Ten campaign. Sadly with so much going on, it wasn't until this week that I was able to start reading -- the book hit shelves on September 18! Yikes that's a reading delay! But I decided it would be perfect for the Murder, Monsters, & Mayhem challenge hosted by Jenn over at Jenn's Bookshelves (check out her own post on Ten as well).

Anywho, I would have read this one in one sitting had I had the chance! It's that much fun!

When Meg and Minnie decided to attend the party at White Rock House, they thought it would be the event of a lifetime. A parent free weekend of partying, drinking, and hanging out with friends on a remote island is what they expected. But this weekend is anything but. A storm leaves them stranded and most of the partiers -- including the host -- never arrive. There are ten of them at first. Ten who watch the strange video. And then there are nine. At first they think it's a suicide but then there's another death. Sure, the second death could be an accident. Until there's a third. As the kids fall, one by one, the rest are left to figure out who's responsible. Someone on the island is a killer and time is running out for the teens.

McNeil's latest is an intense teen horror/mystery inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Reading it brought me back to my middle school Christopher Pike days!

As Jenn pointed out, Meg is the stand out as a lead you can side with, sympathize with, and connect with throughout the story. She's a writer, too! She pays attention to everything going on around her but even she can't guess what's really going on here. And McNeil does a great job keeping the reader guessing as well. In truth, I'd figured it out -- the clues are all there -- but I second guessed a few times thanks to McNeil's occasional and very effective sleight of hand tactics.

Ten is super fun for adults and I'm betting teens in the mood for something dark and thrilling will love it as well!

A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorhead

I'm part of the TLC tour for Caroline Moorehead's A Train in Winter this morning.

When the Germans arrived in Paris in 1940, it initially appeared that life could go on as usual for the French. They soon learned this was not to be. Though the government was willing to bow down to Hitler and the German forces, many of the country's citizens were not. As the resistance formed and gained strength a number of women came out in support. They were mothers, daughters, wives, and sisters -- teachers, doctors, dentists -- some as young as 14. At a time when they were considered secondary citizens, these women were able to slide under the radar, at least in the beginning. Though many of them would perish in Auschwitz, their heroism will not be forgotten. 

Caroline Moorehead explores the history of the French resistance in A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France. It's interesting to note that at the time of her research, 2008, only a small handful of the women still remained. The ones who were able shared their stories and offered great insight into this remarkable story.

While this is certainly a fascinating piece of history, I did find that Moorehead's approach was a bit muddled. The opening chapters are filled with names of resistance participants and small pieces of their backstory, but there are so many of them that they quickly become confusing -- unless you were to take notes along the way. I found myself flipping back and forth trying to remember someone's background as we came across them again further down the line.

I should point out -- for any potential readers who come across my post -- there's a very helpful appendix in the back of the book listing the women and their background notes. Had I paid attention to the table of contents, I likely would have saved myself a lot of confusion! But now I'm able to tell you it's there and you can benefit.

Another thing I struggled with through the first half of the book was the organization. Moorehead skips back and forth in time, moving forward a bit and back again over and over. My own preference would have been a more linear timeline just to help keep the story straight.

While I had some issues with the overall organization, Moorehead's style is certainly not overly academic. In fact, I think she falls in the middle in terms of a well-written look at a very important chapter of history that will be respected by scholars and appealing to a more general audience as well.

A Train in Winter was a challenging read, but one that I think is important for so many reasons.

To see what others thought, visit the official TLC tour page here.