Forging an Art

Review of Julie Berry’s The Amaranth Enchantment at BSCreview.

Courtesy of Romantic Times Book Reviews, September 2009:

Contemporary:
Castell, Dianne. Hot and Irresistible
Dale, Lisa. It Happened One Night
Davis, Dee. Set Up in Soho
Donovan, Susan. Ain’t Too Proud to Beg
Halliday, Gemma. Scandal Sheet
Kauffman, Donna. A Great Kisser
Kendall, Karen. Take Me for a Ride
Mallery, Susan. Hot on Her Heels
Novak, Brenda, et al. The Night Before Christmas
Warren, Nancy, et al. A Very NASCAR Holiday

Erotica:
Alexander, Lacey. What She Needs
Hayes, Jasmine. Yours for the Night
Jones, Lisa Renee, et al. Wrapped in Seduction
Jordan, Crystal. Untamed
Lloyd, Joan Elizabeth. Flesh for Fantasy
Lyons, Susan, et al. Men on Fire
McIntyre, Amanda, et al. Winter’s Desire
MacNeal, Melissa. Sexual Secrets
O’Clare, Lorie. Seduction Island
Swann, Leda. Temptation
Whiteside, Diane. Captive Desires

Fantasy:
Howell, Morgan. Candle in the Storm
Taylor, Holly. May Earth Rise
Wilson, C.L. Queen of Song and Souls

Historical:
Bridges, Kate. Alaskan Renegade
Brighton, Lori. Wild Heart
Campbell, Anna. Captive of Sin
Enoch, Suzanne. The Care and Taming of a Rogue
Garlock, Dorothy. Leaving Whiskey Bend
Grothaus, Heather. Taming the Beast
Haeger, Diane. The Queen’s Mistake
Heath, Lorraine. Midnight Pleasures of a Scoundrel
Howell, Hannah. Wild Conquest
Hoyt, Elizabeth. To Desire a Devil
Hunter, Jillian. The Wicked Duke Takes a Wife
Laurens, Stephanie. The Untamed Bride
Lawson, Anthea. All He Desires
Layton, Edith. To Love a Wicked Lord
London, Julia. Courtesan’s Scandal
Lyon, Kate. Destiny’s Captive
McCabe, Amanda. The Winter Queen
MacTavish, Dawn. Counterfeit Lady
Metzger, Barbara. The Bargain Bride
Miller, Linda Lael. Creed Country Christmas
Mortimer, Carole. The Rake’s Wicked Proposal
Nash, Joy. Silver Silence
Petersen, Jenna. What the Duke Desires
Rosburg, Helen A. Lady Blue
Stone, Lyn, et al. A Regency Christmas

Inspirational:
Perry, Marta. Leah’s Choice

Mystery:
Baxter, Cynthia. Murder Had a Little Lamb
Caine, Leslie. Holly and Homicide
Coyle, Cleo. Holiday Grind
Harris, C.S. What Remains of Heaven
Harris, Charlaine. Grave Secret
Kingsbury, Kate. Decked With Folly
Viets, Elaine. Fashion Hound Murders
Washburn, Livia J. Huckleberry Finished
Washburn, Livia J. Killer Crabcakes

Paranormal:
Armintrout, Jennifer. Child of Darkness
Black, Shayla. Possess Me at Midnight
Butcher, Shannon K. Finding the Lost
Chapman, Janet. A Highlander Christmas
Cooke, Deborah. Winter Kiss
Francis, Diana P. Bitter Night
Graham, Heather. Home in Time for Christmas
Gray, Ava. Skin Game
Hall, Traci E. Beauty’s Curse
Kessler, Jackie. Road to Hell
Laurenston, Shelly. Mane Squeeze
MacAlister, Katie. Me and My Shadow
McCarty, Sarah. Caleb
Markham, Wendy. The Best Gift
Owens, Robin D. Heart Change
Pineriro, Caridad. Sins of the Flesh
Rosetti, Denise. Thief of Light
Singh, Nalini. Blaze of Memory
Sizemore, Susan. Dark Stranger
Stover, Deb. The Gift
Summers, Jordan. Crimson
Windsor, Anna. Captive Soul

Romantic Suspense:
Brant, Kylie. Waking the Dead
Burton, Mary. Dying Scream
Dane, Jordan. The Wrong Side of Dead
Howard, Linda. Ice
Lovelace, merline. All the Wrong Moves
Lyons, CJ. Urgent Care
Neggers, Carla. Cold River

Suspense:
Beres, Michael. Traffyck
Gagnon, Michelle. The Gatekeeper
Martin, P.D. The Killing Hands
Robb, J.D. Kindred in Death
Teller, Joseph. Depraved Indifference

Time Travel:
Halliday, Dawn, et al. A Highlander Christmas
Wolff, Veronica. Lord of the Highlands

Urban Fantasy:
Arthur, Keri. Bound to Shadows
Garey, Terri. Silent Night, Haunted Night
Hamilton, Laurell K. Divine Misdemeanors
Hamilton, Laurell K. et al. Never After
Handeland, Lori. Apocalypse Happens
Kenner, Julie. Tainted
Peeler, Nicole. Tempest Rising

Young Adult:
Cast, P.C. and Kristin. Tempted

by the reliably wonderful Donna Jo Napoli, reviewed here.

With a 2010 release date, Jane Yolen’s original action-fantasy graphic novel, The Last Dragon, will be worth the wait.  The Nebula and Caldecott award-winning writer covers all ages and genres – nothing seems out of her reach.  I am particularly fond of  her children’s and young adult books (How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and Girl in a Cage, to name a couple of my favorites), and I have am pleased that she is in agreement with me on the subject of the Harry Potter series; that is, neither of us think they are well written.  It’s nice to have support from a reputable source in libraryland, especially when most librarians in my system are Rowling fans.

Superfun new titles that I have come across very lately, and would be remiss if I did not share:

Brides Behaving Badly - those of us who love My Big Redneck Wedding can appreciate this one.  It is off-the-hook hysterical, a bit nasty, and moderately offensive. 

Some people have no pride, and yet, it must be nice to be comfortable with yourself, even when you look and act like these people do.  If you can’t understand Junior‘s drawl during the post-race interview, don’t bother picking this one up, but if you have ever been to a wedding where both the bride and groom held a cigarette and a beer for formal pictures, it’s all good. 

Appetite for Detention - oh-so-cute chicks pose for those oh-so-common high school moments when you wish your mom would have let you stay home in bed with the heating pad and a bottle of Pamprin.  Back in the day, I didn’t have to worry about my mom reading my Facebook page, like poor Edgar, but she did go through my desk drawers. 

 She’ll deny it forever, but really, there are some things she could not have known if she hadn’t, so I feel for Ed.  And should Caitlin suggest Botox because her mother doesn’t look as “fresh” as Madonna?  That would be a no.  While there was no Botox available to the masses back in the 80s, I did make some mistakes in suggesting anti-aging processes to my mother, who absolutely did not appreciate it.  Just say no, Cait!  Great for teens as well as us old folks.  The next one is, too.

All the Wrong People Have Self-Esteem – I love love love this book.  Where else can you get in-your-face brutal honesty that is socially acceptable from obnoxious teenagers but not from those of us who still kick and scream over stuff that other grown ups, well, think that we should just get over?  I am not a big Darwin fan (yeah, go ahead, I’m used to that), but in the Laurie Rosenwald world, I could totally sit beside him on a plane.  A must have. 

Don’t miss Dave in his Peruvian chullo hat (he is so bad!), excellent McCullers references, warnings about foreign dinner conversation, and advice to boys on eating soup.  Way cool and very informative.  This should be used as a textbook for, um, something or other.

This graphic novel from Minx, which is a fresh and fun take on high school drama set in my high school era (1987), tackles some big issues in such a small volume.  Author Alisa Kwitney and illustrator Joelle Jones make a great team, combining Kwitney’s sarcasm with Jones’ simple but expressive art.  Fifteen/sixteen year old Shira doesn’t fit in with the other students at her Jewish school, but at least she has her dad and her grandma for support, along with her grandmother’s friend Minerva.  Unfortunately, her dad starts to date his secretary (how prime time soap opera is that?) and the world stops turning.  Shira is the odd man out but finds solace in the arms of bad boy Rafael, who teaches her the finer arts of shoplifing and kissing.  I wish I had this to read when I was in high school.

David Almond‘s latest work, a graphic novel illustrated by Dave McKean, film director and illustrator of several Neil Gaiman titles, is a short and powerful look at loss from the perspective of a young boy who finds himself the man of the family when his father dies unexpectedly.  Blue admits that he isn’t tough, and provides evidence in the character of Hopper, the local bully who gets away with his behavior because the adults use the traditional excuses and methods for dealing with “bullies” – ignoring and pitying them.  Blue imagines a savage boy living nearby, one who handles the bully the way Blue would like to himself, and the story takes a spectacular turn when The Savage comes to life, and Blue takes the first steps he needs to continue his life without his father but with the love he shares with his mother and younger sister.

Ridley Pearson‘s latest was a quick read for the LC.  He offered his usual “it was good” when asked for his thoughts, but also noted that the back cover said it was fast paced, and in his opinion, it wasn’t.  Back cover blurbs include comments from Eoin Colfer of Artemis Fowl fame, and Stephenie Meyer of I-don’t-really-have-to-say-do-I? fame.  Pearson is responsible for the Kingdom Keepers series and Peter and the Starcatchers (prequel to Peter Pan) with Dave Barry. He also writes adult crime thrillers, and was the first American to be awarded the Chandler/Fulbright Fellowship in detective fiction at Oxford.

Free online fiction for readers ages 10 to adult, including adventure, fantasy, drama, scifi, horror, and mystery, inspired by the short “dime novel” tradition.  Well-known works by authors such as Orson Scott Card, Bruce Coville, and Elaine Marie Alphin are included along with iPulp originals.  Promoted by David Lubar, YA author of Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie, True Talents, Dunk, and Flip.

iPulp

When I went into the office today, a new ARC was waiting in my mailbox.  One of the perks of being a librarian.  Since I am a young adult librarian, usually they are YA titles or something like, and this is no exception.  It is Graceling by Kristin Cashore, with an October release date. Political intrigues, princesses, action, battles, and it looks like a case of OCD are all on the menu from this new author.  Since I have a full plate, I might pass this on the the LC for his brief opinion before hitting it myself.  I have to finish reading a Catherine Cookson biography tonight for work I am doing on an essay in an anthology due out next year.  No rest for the wicked, as my grandma says.