Sunday, November 25, 2012

Oh, some good reading has been happening...


   The weather has cooled, and now is the perfect time to cozy up to a nice book. Which nice book should you read you ask? Well, it's not just one, but several. It is time to blow your minds. Yes!

   This post is dedicated to the debut novels I have read, that really, really make you wish you were an author. Yes, all of the following novels are debuts! Let's get started with "The Rook" by Daniel O'Malley.

  

Do not let the cover mislead you. Looks simple enough, but the writing is quite the opposite. If you are a fan of paranormal fantasy like I am, well then, this is the book for you. I kid you not. It has been nominated for best paranormal fantasy book for 2012 on goodreads. That is how I discovered it. 

I truly loved O'Malley's imagination, and I just fell for the character of Myfawny (pronounced like Tiffany). Who knew that a girl with invisible super powers could be such a hard core fighter? He created a girl who is not only strong, but also sensitive and not afraid of being single. You have to read it to find out more about this great character.

I am loving the fact that this the first book of the Checquy Files, a super sercret organization that fights demons, vampires, and all kinds of supernatural beings. The members of this organization are not cute people, but they are the "good guys". There are twists galore, and the suspense keeps you wanting more. I was so sad to finish the book, and I cannot wait for the next one (hope it comes out next year). Fantastic read! 

The next book I have read that you must read is "The Age of Miracles" by Karen Thompson Walker. Another debut novel that really astounded me that it was a debut! Really, where are all this new authors coming from? So jealous. Kidding. Thompson has written a very haunting, sad, and thoughtful novel that will stay in your mind for a week or more. 



The main character is just a tween, but we get to experience how the world changes, literally, through her eyes. It is a coming of age novel that does not disappoint. It is not sappy, just very poignant. What would you do if the earth's magnetic field came to a stop? What if you knew death is imminent, like right now, but you knew what would cause it? Would you let the government rule how you live your last days, or just take off on your own?

See? Not easy questions, but she makes you ask yourself these questions. It is a great novel about the end of the world as this girl knows it, and we get to go on that journey. If you like good fiction, this is one is sure not to disappoint, but surely depress you a bit. 

 The next book is "The Color of Tea" by Hannah Tunnicliffe. I loved this book! Not only does it go on and on about macarons, the French pastry, but it is all about forming friendships with the most unlikely people. Grace, the main character, is a foreigner in Macau, and island part of China. She has to face many hard truths while she is there, but she does. 

Don't you love the cover?

 What I loved about this book, is how honest it was. Tunnicliffe wrote almost like it was her story, and who doesn't love that about an author? Her emotions felt real, and she touches on some hard subjects like infertility and adultery, but they are not the main topic. What is most important is how Grace makes friends in the end; when she didn't want to, when she had almost given up. Ah, the power of a women bonding over pastries... You will like it, trust me.

The next one made me cry - HARD! It is not often - actually, it is very rare when a book makes me cry tears, big fat tears. This book did: "Tell the Wolves I'm Home" by Carol Rifka Brunt. 

 

 I cried because how is it fair that your favorite person dies? That is what June has to go through at fourteen. The death of her uncle. It is very devastating. But what I loved it is that this novel touched on AIDS. The story is told on the year of 1987, just a couple of years after the existence HIV/AIDS had been announced to the world. Do you remember that? I do, as a nine year old, it was creepy how they made it seem like a punishment for sinners. Lo, and behold, it is now affecting all humans alike, no matter your sexual preference. I have not read any books like this one.

Just as good is June's relationship with her sister. Isn't it wicked the way siblings can make our lives miserable, yet we still love them? Some sister power is shown, and I loved the end. Again, it made me cry. It made want to have been there back then and being able to help out more. Thank goodness we have more knowledge now of the disease and we do not live in fear of catching it by touching someone. How sad it must have been for families back then. :(

So these are just a few of the books I have read in the past few months, that I thought I should share. I hope you make the time to go to your local library, or book store, and read. I cannot think of something more relaxing than curling up to a book. No, not with a hot cocoa, as I know I would spill! If you get a change to read any of these, please discuss with me.