Review: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman

In One Line:  Min fell in love with Ed - but this is why they broke up. 

Genre: Epic stream-of-consciousness poetic perfection

The Gist:

This is one of those reviews when I don’t want to tell you a single thing about the book because I want you to read it SO MUCH and I just can’t stand to think of clouding your opinion and whatnot. But essentially the brilliant and incredible Min has just broken up with basketball co-captain Ed, and is heading over to his house to dump a big box on his doorstep. A box containing all the trinkets and magic of their short relationship, and all the reasons why they broke up. 

The Cover:

Let’s not just talk about the cover here people. Let’s talk about the ILLUSTRATIONS. Because this book is illustrated throughout with all the stuff that’s in Min’s big box. And I was on the tube reading this, and even though I knew they were just pictures I actually had to trace each one with my fingers because they were all so tangible and beautiful. And the cover is so stunning, and I could see people on the tube glaring at it wondering what the hell I was reading and I wanted to just shout out and insist that everyone else read it too. Just holding the hardback book in your hands is an experience in itself. So yeah. You might be able to tell that I like it. 

without the dust jacket

Why You’ll Love This Book

• It’s beautiful. Poetic. Intelligent. Deserves to escape the boundaries of ‘genre’ and get on some literary prize shortlists. Because there are still some suckers out there who think that fiction for teenagers is all about vampires and children killing children for TV kicks. Well this isn’t just a book. It’s a fricking piece of art. 
• I love Min so much. I love that her full name is Minerva. I love that she has to tell everyone the story of how she got her name. I love that she FEELS so deeply and thinks that she’s an adult but really she isn’t and is completely obsessed with movies that I’ve never even heard of. I especially love that I’d blatantly be part of her group of friends. God I wish Min were real so we could chat about how much the world bloody sucks right now. 
• I love that there is absolutely NOTHING like this book out there at the moment. Apologies if there actually is, but I’m just not aware of them. I hate that people may want to copy the style and will never, ever be able to emulate it. Because Daniel Handler is obviously not a real person, but some kind of literary genius. And also Lemony Snicket. 
• Are the movies referred to in this book real? No, wait, don’t tell me. I absolutely don’t want to know. Min is obsessed with Golden Age cinema, and maybe at the beginning of the book I thought about googling some of the things she talks about, and then I thought HECK NO. I don’t even care if they’re real or not. In fact I prefer to believe that Daniel Handler made it all up and this is just part of the magic. So if the movie references are real I just don’t care. It all makes Min just that bit more beautiful. 

expensive plum wine

Why You May Not Love This Book:

• Ed needs a lot of showers. He showers very frequently throughout the book. This concerns me. 
• There’s lot’s of weird food in this book. Even an egg igloo. I’m not a foodie, and I don’t really get foodies, so maybe this didn’t work so well for me. Also, apparently there is caviar inside the egg igloo, and I think that’s kind of gross. 
• By the time you get to the end, your heart will be broken into a million rose-petal-shaped pieces. And you may have to take some quiet time to pull yourself back together. This book has ALL OF THE FEELINGS. And if you can’t handle those feelings right now, just give yourself some space. But do please still read this book. Every single living soul on the planet should read this book. 

I can't stop thinking about you

The Hypersomnia Test:

No brainer. I didn’t want this book to end. I read it slowly, languorously, hoping that I could make it last a little longer. And when I was on the tube, prime nap time I should point out, my journey went by in double speed because I was so entirely engrossed in Min and all her deep, deep and many feelings. 

movie star

Final Verdict:

This book is utterly perfect. There is not a single word out of place. The gorgeous pictures enhance everything and never detract. And I just wish that I could wipe my memory so that I can read it all over again. One of my books of the year so far. And it will take some beating, I’m telling you. 

Further Reading:

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

To buy Why We Broke Up please click HERE!!!

Top Ten Ultimate Angel Books

So this week I've reviewed two books about those fantabulous mythical beings known as angels. To see my reviews, please click below:

For Angel Dust by Sarah Mussi please click HERE!

For Immortal City by Scott Speer please click HERE!

So I thought that with those books in mind, I'd present to you my ultimate Angel books, for whether you want to be saved, or just because maybe you find feathery wings HOT. Please note that these are in no particular order. 

1. Angel by LA Weatherly 

2. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

3. Fallen by Lauren Kate

4. Going Bovine by Libba Bray

5. The Fallen by Thomas E Sniegoski

6. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

7. Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

8. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

9. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

10. Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Have I missed anything? Your comments, as always, absolutely welcome!

Hugs and high fives,

Nicole

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Review: Immortal City by Scott Speer

In One Line:  Girl who hates angels meets the super hottest of all angels and falls in forbidden love. (to be fair, I totes would too.)

Genre: Angelic guilty pleasure

The Gist:

Maddy lives in what we would call Los Angeles. But in this alternate reality, it is known as Angel City, because about 100 years ago Angels ‘came out’ and started saving people for money. If you can afford the protection, then you can get saved. But Maddy hates all the silly celebrity business that surrounds the angels. She’s too busy being poor and making college applications. Until Jackson Godspeed walks into her life. Turns out she’s a sucker for a hot bod and feathery wings after all. But whilst we have this sexy romance thing happening, someone, or something is killing angels, ripping off their wings and leaving them on the Angel City walk of fame. And of course Maddy and Jacks get involved. How could their insta-love possibly survive?

The Cover:

It’s a little bit racy fantasy, don’t you think? A little bit like those genre novels that pretend not to be blatant erotica because they’ve got vampires in them? But that’s ok. Because this book is absolutely the teen (and therefore chaste) version of that. It’s teen-porn (yes, I’m saying it). Erotica without the sex for teenagers who like their angels hot and hunky and like to imagine all the naughty things that might happen if a hot and hunky angel appeared in their bedroom but don’t actually know the technicalities of the deed yet. Bless ‘em. In the meantime, this book cover does exactly what it says on the tin: you want hot and hunky angels falling in love? You got ‘em!!! 

Why You’ll Love This Book

• This book is totally a mash-up of Sarah Alderson, L.A. Weatherly and Becca Fitzpatrick. And if that’s ok with you, it’s totally ok with me. We’re in full-on guilty pleasure zone here people. 
• There’s actually some pretty witty satire going on. Like, imagine if the Kardashians and the Hiltons and whatever other Hollywood famous family has a reality show and a clothes line were actually the people charged with saving your lives? What if they were Immortal? God help us. An immortal Kim Kardashian. Anyway, I’m pointing this out as a good point. Because it is, I promise. It paints a gloriously satirical slant on the nature of celebrity, how it actually means nothing at all, and is possibly (make that probably) intrinsically evil. Excellent work Mr Speer.
• We’re also in alternate reality realm here, which I love because it opens up so many possibilities. Similar to the Charlaine Harris and the True Blood series, immortal Angels ‘came out’ to the world about one hundred years ago and have been building on their popularity ever since. And just like the True Blood series, what this means is endless potential for alternate history, further characters, and basically, a whole series. I could see this being a TV series - if they could afford all the special affects. 
• The superman flying scene is HOT. Seriously HOT. 
• There is actually a pretty great twist towards the end that I did not see coming. When you actually analyse it (as I am doing whilst I write this review) then you realise that it doesn’t make much sense, but I’m going to give kudos to the twist, because I totally didn’t predict it. 

Why You May Not Love This Book

• Ooooh there are a lot of visual cliches going on here. I think that’s because the author actually works in music videos. So we have Superman style flying, as mentioned earlier, then there’s a creeping into the bedroom thing (my most hated thing EVER) and worst of all, some sexual tension with Angel Dude half naked in the pouring rain. I’m not necessarily complaining about this stuff, because a half naked Angel Dude in the pouring rain is undoubtedly HOT, and yet... cliches just get on my nerves. Visual or not. I’m surprised there wasn’t an upside down kiss at some point really. 
• There are verbal cliches too!!! One bit made me laugh out loud, because it kind of reminded me of the bit in the Little Mermaid when Ursula the Sea Witch goes mental and giant and tries to keep Ariel and Eric apart. If you read this book, and are familiar with this film, then when you get to The Bit you will know EXACTLY what I mean. 
• Despite what I just said about cliches, I wouldn’t have minded Maddy having a bit more personality. Perhaps being a bit more Buffy like? She’s just a tad dry on the personality front. And on a similar note, Jacks is just a big ol’ Angel jock. Once you get past the looks (the gloriously, distractingly HOT looks) then I didn’t catch much of a personality going on there either. 

The Hypersomnia Test:

It passed - and this is because of some clever novel structuring. Sexual tension scenes between Jacks and Maddy are broken up by some actual plot stuff, so I raced through this novel skimming over the Sylvester murder plot scenes because I was just desperate to get to the next Maddy and Jacks scenes!

Final Verdict:

An enjoyable, fun, brilliant little guilty pleasure. This book won’t change your life, it won’t rock your world, but it will give you a lovely distraction from real life for a little bit. And that makes it great in my book. This is what guilty pleasures are for, after all. However, there are a lot of elements that I’ve read before, so there is something predictable about this book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a pleasing predictability, but if you’re looking for the next big ground-breaking fad fiction, I don’t think you’ll find it here. What you’ll find is good old clean fun. 

Further Reading:

Fated by Sarah Alderson

Angel by L.A. Weatherley

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

To buy Immortal City click HERE!!!

Review: Angel Dust by Sarah Mussi

In One Line:  very lovely angel does something very bad indeed.

Genre: Romeo and Juliet, except with more religion, and maybe a little bit of The Little Mermaid thrown in? (not the Disney version)

The Gist:

Serafina is an Angel of Death, which means she has a manifesto and has to be ready to go collect souls when they go meet their maker. She does it very well, and has lots of bells and whistles to make dying a rather nice experience indeed. That’s her job, and she’s one the best and brightest. Until she meets Marcus, who is a gangsta (that’s right people, we’re spelling it that way) who is due to die in a club shooting. Except that Sera can’t stand to see him die because he’s rather beautiful and all that. So a stranger tells her she can ask for an extension, which Sera agrees to rather stupidly, because she fails to read the small print. It means that Marcus’ best friend has to die instead. With time running out on Marcus’ extension, can Sera save his soul as well as avoid the repercussions of her little deal she made with the weird stranger?

The Cover:

I love this cover. Because Goth angels are blatantly cool, and although it represents Sera towards the end of the novel, it makes reading it intriguing because you’ll spend your time wondering how she turns from a very renaissance-reubenesque being into someone who paints tears on her eyes with kohl. Also, Sarah Mussi, your bright pink Impact font ROCKS. 

Why You’ll Love This Book

• It’s full of questions, and meanings and wonderment without ever being patronising, which is a pretty hard feat to do.
• Sera’s voice is brilliant. You just kind of have to accept that she’s overly sweet and rather stupid and get over it, and then once you’re over it her voice becomes a joy to read. There were times when I thought her naivety was a little distracting, but generally her character is believable and ultimately rather loveable. 
• The scope of this book is wild. Sarah Mussi sure knows her shizzle when it comes to the angel world. And she’s thought of everything, which I really like. There’s a whole world up there, with it’s own politics and problems, as well as a hellish world down there, where, if I were to uptake Mussi’s philosophy, a few more of us are doomed to experience than we realise. 

Why You May Not Love This Book:

• If you believe in heaven and hell and angels and all that, then great. If you are a toughened cynic like me, then this book isn’t for you. It just captures on to an ethic that can be hard for some people to grasp and believe in. 
• The doctrine in this book is very heavy-handed and old testament. It’s like the world has very much moved on, and Heaven is stuck in the renaissance. I’m not sure I get that. Same applies to the knowledge Serafina seemingly has. Sometimes she is very knowledgeable on human things, and then sometimes she doesn’t get them at all. I just needed the lines to be clearer. 
• If you’re studying for Religion and Ethics GCSE then you may find this book useful. It raises interesting questions, and things that I’m sure all of us have pondered at some point. If you’re not into the Meaning of Life type thing, then I think you might find the ponderings of Free Will throughout the book a little too much. And also, the only conclusion I could actually come to was that God and Angels therefore couldn’t possibly exist. So I think I missed the point somewhere. 
• Marcus. Marcus. Marcus. Marcus. Why does Sera fall in love with him? Other than the fact that he’s quite pretty? If anyone can enlighten me, then throw the comments my way. Thanks. 
• I didn’t understand the chapter headings. 

The Hypersomnia Test:

It failed. I found myself putting the book down and not being particularly inspired to pick it up again. And I think I know why. I wanted more interaction between the lovebirds. They’re hardly ever together, and seeing as epic, earth-shattering romance is the core plot of this book, I just couldn’t find any epic, earth-shattering romance. I didn’t fancy Marcus. I didn’t know why Sera fancied Marcus, and some of the religion stuff just plain annoyed me. 

Final Verdict:

I am a pretty hardened atheist, and I just don’t think this book is for me. I’m quite definite of my opinions of heaven and hell, so reading a book that takes these concepts so seriously, without any semblance of tongue-in-cheek made it a little hard to read. I stand by this book being excellently written, but I’m afraid that I’m just not its reader. 

Further Reading:

Angel by L.A. Weatherly

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Fallen by Lauren Kate

To buy Angel Dust click HERE!!!

Hot Key Books Extravaganza!

It's not often that we get a brand new children's publisher on the block, and very shortly they shall be releasing their very first books on the universe. It's very exciting indeed. So, in celebration of the glory of Hot Key Books, I thought I'd share with you what gorgeous goodies they have coming our way in the near future...

Look how the proofs are numbered at the top! I don't know about you, but I think that is pretty, pretty cool. So now a bit more about the books; and despite the proofs being ordered by number, this isn't the order that they're being released in, so I shall now present them to you, complete with covers and snippets of info, in publication order:

August

Angel Dust by Sarah Mussi

An epic tale of forbidden love between an angel and a young gangsta

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

Exciting first instalment of a thrilling trilogy perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Robert Muchamore and Eoin Colfer

September

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

Award-winning Sally Gardner has sold over 1 million books in the UK and been translated into 22 languages. 

Shrunk by F.R. Hitchcock

Perfect for fans of Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Stanton - a new author with a great imagination. 

October

Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron edited by Jonathan Strahan

Eighteen spellbinding tales from the best children's writers, blended together for the witching hour, including Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix and Holly Black. 

Constable and Toop by Gareth P. Jones

A comic ghost story perfect for fans of Eva Ibbotson and Chris Riddell

A World Between Us by Lydia Syson

A powerful narrative from a strong and passionate heroine will appeal to younger fans of Atonement and Charlotte Grey.

November

Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh

Singular and imaginative, blending historical figures with an inspiring coming of age story. Strong fantasy that has a central romantic hero quite unlike any other. Includes violence, love, astrology, astronomy, and a beer drunking moose.

The Cloud Hunters by Alex Shearer

Quest adventure that covers theme of climate change and segregated society

And there you have it folks! All the brand new titles that the fabulous Hot Key Books are going to be giving us this year. May I add that all comments above about the books come direct from the backs of the proofs - there were no actual blurbs on the back of the proofs (peers over glasses at Hot Key Team), although I would have love to have given you those. Go and check the books out, look out for my reviews in the coming months, and let's have three cheers for a brave and exciting new children's publisher! Hurray!!!

Letterbox Love no.9 - 29th July 2012

The latest books I've received, complete with blurbs and publishing details. Enjoy!

Street Duty: Knockdown by Chris Ould

Victim: Teenage Female, 14 years old.

Unconscious. Head injury. Laceration to arm. Struck by lorry.

Why was Ashleigh Jarvis running so fast that she didn't see the lorry? Why was she so scared? And why was she barefoot on a cold winter's evening?

It's Holly Blades' first case and she wants to know the truth. But how much is she willing to risk to get at the real facts?

Published by Usborne, October 2012

At Somerton: Secrets and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed

One house, two worlds, dark secrets...

England, 1910. The Averley family has lived a life of luxury in India, but now they must return ot Lord Averley's ancestral estate, the sprawling, majestically beautiful Somerton Court. As the family settles in, tensions arise both upstairs and downstairs. Lady Ada must choose between her honour and her heart, Sebastian must fend of ruinous threats from a former servant and lover, and gentle housemaid Rose will find herself at the centre of a scandal so enormous it could destroy the Averyley's reputation forever.

Published by Hot Key Books, January 2013

A World Between Us by Lydia Syson

With Europe on the verge of war Felix is on the verge of discovering love. But discovery means choice and she has to decide between logic and attraction, good sense and passion. As suburban London becomes a memory, Felix has to fight to survive. Not just the battles of the Spanish Civil War, but also the conflicts of her own heart. 

Published by Hot Key Books, October 2012

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

Hector and Standish are friends. 

They live together in Zone Seven where the Motherland can keep them, and others like them, under surveillance. When the friends find out something about the Motherland's plans for a moon landing their lives take on ever more threatening levels of change. And soon Standish finds he really does have to make a stand. 

Published by Hot Key books,  August 2012

NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNGER READERS

Eighty Days Yellow by Vina Jackson

Caught in a frustrating relationship with a man who can't accept her for who she is, passionate, flame-haired violinist Summer Zahova finds release in her music. She spends her afternoons busking on the underground, lost in the works of Vivaldi or Mendelssohn. When her violin is damaged beyond repair, Summer receives a surprising proposition from Dominik, a university professor with powerful desires, who has been captivated by Summer ever since he heard her perform. Dominik will replace her priceless violin, but only if she agrees to play for him in a private concert.

Unable to deny the chemistry between them, Dominik and Summer embark on an intense affair full of daring twists and turns, as unpredictable as it is thrilling. For Summer it is a chance to finally embrace her long-denied dark side, but she'll soon learn that where there's pleasure must come pain. And can a relationship born of such all-consuming passion ever really survive?

Published by Orion, OUT NOW

Arrived on my Kindle

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Beta by Rachel Cohn

Pushing the Limits by Kate McGarry

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

As ever, looking forward to your comments. 
Hugs and high fives,
Nicole
x

For my Grandma Iris

Guys, it's been a tough week.


Last Sunday night I wrote that mini-essay on how to look after my little Ruby-pig, but within 22 hours of leaving to go on holiday to Holland, my mum and I were back home and grieving the sudden lost of my maternal grandmother. She had been ill for some months with leukaemia, but she had been in remission for one month and we expected many many more months and possibly another year or two with her. It's a sad time right now. 


But I don't want to depress you with this story. We've all been though similar experiences. What I want to talk about is feminism, and how witnessing my grandma Iris' strength whilst battling cancer gave me an entirely different view on what it really means to be a woman. 


I remember doing my GCSEs and my English teacher accusing me of being a feminist. I say 'accuse', because at the time I thought it was a dirty word. I thought she was calling me something terrible, an insult. I was young and calling yourself a feminist wasn't particularly cool at the time. At least I didn't think so. I spent so much of my teenage years just battling to be considered 'normal' and that being called feminist couldn't be anything but a slur back then. 


But I did discover soon after that I was, indeed, a feminist, and in my feminist toddler years (whilst doing my A levels I think) I dwelled on the role models around me. All the women in my family were nice little housewives. I wasn't satisfied. I felt like I had to be someone important, separate from a man, and looking around me I couldn't see any inspiration. It made me annoyed. And I suppose I've been living with that annoyance for the last few years, maybe even the last decade. I've always done my own thing, read feminist texts and considered myself an individual in my family - the odd one out. 


But the last few months have shown me that being a real woman has nothing to do with your vocation or politics. It's about your strength as a person. It's about being someone who loves, and is loved. 


My grandmother suffered through a particularly aggressive form of leukaemia (tragically, the same kind that Nora Ephron died from recently) and agreed to partake in a trial form of chemotherapy, not usually given to someone of her age. Throughout all the torment, and frankly, torture, she never complained once. She never made a fuss. She always asked after the well being of her friends and family. She cared about everybody else so much, putting herself second even whilst she was suffering. 


She was valiant, brave, a warrior. I can only ever aspire to have the kind of strength that she had. When the chemotherapy was doing its worst, I had an honest chat with myself and decided that I would have probably given up by that point. My grandma never gave up. She fought every step of the way and never made a fuss. 


This is the kind of woman I want to be. I want to be brave in all my choices. I never want to stop fighting for what I believe in. This is my feminism. Even if I get married and end up in a hum-drum suburb with sweet little children, I will always be a warrior. I will fight for my friends and my family. 


I love you Grandma Iris so much. Your fight over the last seven months has been the biggest inspiration I could ever hope for. I wish one day I can prove myself to be as valiant, courageous and loving as you. 


All my love, all my hugs, and all my kisses,


Your eldest Grand-daughter. 
x