World Book Night: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Friends, cohorts, everyone-but-my-mortal-enemies, I invite you to celebrate World Book Night with me! By “celebrate World Book Night,” I here mean: I have twenty copies of a really excellent book that I’m giving out for free – do you want one?   World Book Night is an annual celebration of books and the joy of

Book Review: Bird by Crystal Chan

I had absolutely no idea what to expect with Bird when I sat down to read it over the weekend.  It could have been a ghost story.  It could have been a heart-wrenching tale of family tragedy.  It could have been silly, or mystical, or preachy, or boring.  I chose to just dive right in and

Book Review of The Thickety: A Path Begins by J. A. White

“Creepy kids’ book delivery!” my co-worker announced when she dropped The Thickety in front of me at the bookshop.  The intricate, foreboding cover of the advanced reader’s copy was enough to move it to the top of my reading list. I seem to have developed a reputation as She Who Reads All The Weird Children’s

Book Review: Bird Box by Josh Malerman (coming out May, 2014)

Characters: **** (4 stars) Character Development: **** (4 stars) Plot: ***** (5 stars) Writing: **** (4 stars) Overall: **** (4 stars) (It is hereby stated that I read the advanced reader’s copy of Bird Box and a few details might change before publication.) When I wrote my preview of Bird Box after meeting Josh Malerman at the

Book Review: The Mark Of The Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson (Coming out in March, 2014)

Star Ratings: Characters: *****(4 stars) Character Development: **** (4 stars) Plot: ***** (5 stars) Writing: *** **(5 stars) Overall: ***** (5 stars) (It is hereby stated that I read the advanced reader’s copy of The Mark of The Dragonfly and a few details might change before publication.) How pleased am I to be giving this

Short Review: The Isle of Youth by Laura Van Den Berg

This is just a tiny review excerpted from my blog post Birthday, Books, Bedtime over at The Bookshelf Pirate.  I read The Isle of Youth because it got some good press and I like having new short stories to recommend at the bookshop.  Now that it’s the holiday shopping frenzy, I find that collections and

Thoughts: A Book Hangover after The Secret History by Donna Tartt

This isn’t a proper review.  I don’t know if I’m smart enough to write a real review of The Secret History, and I’m certainly not feeling eloquent or organized enough to attempt one right now.  Instead, here’s an excerpt from my latest blog post about how hard it is to return to the real world

Review of The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman (coming in February, 2014)

I had the chance to meet Alice Hoffman two weeks ago, when she came to my bookshop and did a wonderful reading from her nonfiction book Survival Lessons. She was so interesting, kind, and beautifully honest in her talk, and she graciously let me babble at her like a drunk loon about how much I

Book Review: Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

Star Ratings: Characters: **** (4 stars) Character Development: *** (3 stars) Plot: *** (3 stars) Writing: ***** (5 stars) Overall: **** (4 stars) Age range recommendation: 8-13 We have a stack of Rooftoppers on display at my bookshop right now, and I will admit that I was enamored with this new-to-America children’s book even before

Book Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Star Ratings: Characters: ***** (5 stars) Character Development: **** (4 stars) Plot: **** (4 stars) Writing: ***** (5 stars) Overall: ****1/2 (4 1/2stars) Age rage recommendation: 14+ (Or, you know, only people who are ok with lots of bloody violence. It’s a vampire book, after all!)   I was delighted by Holly Black’s new YA