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20SomethingReads.com Newsletter |
July 31, 2013 |
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Obligations, Dating, Movies
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One of the worst things about growing up, and about post-college life in general, is obligations … things like paying your own rent, doing laundry (too soon to TBT?), TAXES, getting to work on time or listening to your best friend go on and on about his/her dating disasters. But worst of all is the dreaded jury duty (editorial note: More like jury doodie!). No matter how many times you lie about all the vacations “you’re going on” or all the “vacations” you’re going on, you’re always tied to the ol’ governmental ball and chain. Nikki has jury duty tomorrow and it has made for one insane week, trying to get all her emails sent, website content updated, getting this newsletter delivered to your inboxes --- basically getting all of her ducks in a row in three days instead of five. With any luck, it won’t last longer than two days (fingers crossed, prayers across the board) and she’ll return to the office a free woman on Monday. If she gets on a trial, all bets are off!
We’re anticipating a whole bunch of FOMO (fear of missing out) on both ends, and to make up for lost time we figured what better way to bring everyone back together than karaoke, the Great Equalizer? Karaoke, of course, is not for the faint of heart (or voice, for that matter), but it’s a great way to gain trust and bring people closer. And belt Alanis Morissette at the top of your lungs, amirite ladies? (Is Alanis not cool anymore?) We recently discovered that we both have a special karaoke place in our hearts for the world’s most charmingly unsingable song, the New Radicals’ You Only Get What You Give. Not only the best ‘90s jam, but it speaks to so much truth --- give and get back (it’s a two-way street). Which --- speaking of obligations --- is definitely something to keep in mind going forward.
Which of course brings us to our next topic: (you guessed it!) dating online and IRL (editorial-ish note: Karaoke makes for a FINE first date --- if you can overcome your fears). On this Hump Day, we want to remind you that in light of Adelle Waldman’s debut THE LOVE AFFAIRS OF NATHANIEL P., now (finally!) available in stores and online, we’re moving from casual to serious with our featured dating blogs. Check it out all this month (August, that is), which is basically as long as Emily’s second longest relationship (self-pity claps!). We’re covering all things on dating, sex, love and relationships from the “quickies” (short-lived online romances) to the real deal.
We’re also running a SPECIAL contest for this scintillating novel, which will award 15 winners a copy of the book and ONE grand prize winner a sweet breakup care package. To win a copy of the book, just enter your mailing information. To be in the running for the package, share your best/worst/funniest/most disgusting/most heartbreaking/hellish/inspirational breakup story. More details below! And we know that you’re a 20Something and you like to put things off (laundry, anyone?) but this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss --- you don’t want to live with the boundless regret of “The Contest That Got Away.” No obligation, but ENTER OUR CONTEST OR ELSE...
As you all know, not only are we obsessed with books here, but we’re also head over heels for movies. Newly featured in our “Coffee Break” section on the homepage is PARANOIA, a thriller based on the 2004 Joseph Finder book of the same name. While the theatrical release hits the big screen on Friday, August 16th, you can check out intern Meghan’s review of the book. If you’ve already read it and are planning to catch the movie (or if you just do one, and not the other --- no judgment) we want to hear about it. Look for 20SomethingReads.com Facebook posts leading up to the film’s release --- great moments for you to connect with us and share your thoughts.
Our favorite "Twitter junkie" author, Bret Easton Ellis is returning to the silver screen with The Canyons, a so-called erotic thriller-drama starring everyone’s favorite substance-abusing redhead (and America’s non-sweetheart) Lindsay Lohan and star of art-house smut films, James Deen --- not to be confused with James Dean who will not be (probably not --- we haven’t seen it yet) appearing in holographic form. The movie will come to theaters nationwide on Friday, August 9th. It will be released on VOD (and yes, we just learned that is the acronym for video on demand) this coming Friday, August 2nd. Rumor has it the movie will be shown at the 70th Venice International Film Festival --- so, it’s got to be good, right? And not only do we love Ellis’ literary work, but his film adaptations are always ones to note. Less Than Zero defined a generation of excessive degenerates and introduced the world to a young (and so handsome!) Robert Downey Jr., and American Psycho left us restless and unable to sleep (or date) for days. We’re patiently awaiting Ellis’ handiwork, Lohan’s comeback and Deen’s mainstream debut.
Lots of exciting things happening on the site, between contests and new content. As we bid adieu to Nikki as she braves City Hall, we wish YOU happy reading and a snack-filled weekend at the movies, hopefully paid for by your date!
--- Nicole Sherman ([email protected]) and Emily Hoenig ([email protected])
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Special Feature and Contest: THE LOVE AFFAIRS OF NATHANIEL P.
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We are celebrating the new release of THE LOVE AFFAIRS OF NATHANIEL P. by Adelle Waldman with a two-part special contest that will give 15 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book.
Nate Piven, a rising star in Brooklyn’s literary scene, has his pick of both magazine assignments and women. In this 21st-century literary world, wit and conversation are not at all dead. Is romance? Nate thinks of himself as beyond superficial judgment, yet constantly struggles with his own status anxiety --- he is drawn to women, yet has a habit of letting them down.
Our Grand Prize, which will be awarded to ONE winner includes a copy of the book along with a 20SomethingReads.com "Breakup Package.” This special gift includes a boyfriend/girlfriend breakup pillow so you will always have something to hug, a collection of breakup candy from Sugarfina to “eat your emotions away” and Lavender + Chamomile Bath Bubbles to wash away your tears. (See PIC below)
To enter to win the Grand Prize, share your best/worst/funniest breakup story. The Grand Prize winner's breakup story will be featured in our NATHANIEL P. dating blog series, along with 5-10 of the juiciest/most intriguing stories at the conclusion of the contest.
To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday, August 14th at noon ET.
- Click here to read the review and more about the book.
- Click here for an excerpt.
- Click here for a special book quiz.
- Click here for an exclusive interview.
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20SomethingReads.com's Latest Bookshelf: We Were Alternative Before It Was Cool
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Maybe we weren't alternative before it was cool (I know I only starting wearing skinny jeans my freshman year at NYU), but these writers were! Recently, we read and loved Herve Le Tellier's ELECTRICO W; its unreliable narration and strange structure got us thinking about all the books we've enjoyed that don't necessarily play by the rules. From the Modernists (Joyce, Woolf, Beckett) to the Post-Modernists (Foster Wallace, Eggers) and beyond, we're looking at writers who weren't afraid to take risks, who were brave enough to think outside the archaic box. And, as it turns out, there are plenty of ways to break the rules: Non-linear narratives, stream-of-consciousness narration, endless footnotes and meta text (I'm looking at you, DFW), epistolary chapters, diary entries, choose your own adventure-types --- the list goes on and on! We only included 20 of our favorites, but there's a whole wild world of mind-bending fiction out there with your name on it (well, not your name, but you know what I mean). So check it out, maybe with this book-inspired alternative jam for a real meta mood. |
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Coming up on 20SomethingReads.com...
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Special Feature: THE BOOK OF SOMEDAY
California girl Livvi Gray has always been haunted by a terrifying nightmare of an eerily beautiful stranger in a shimmering silver dress. Shortly before Livvi’s 30th birthday, she will come face to face with the stranger from her dream, an encounter that will not only alter Livvi’s future, but change much of what she thinks she knows about the past.
THE BOOK OF SOMEDAY tells Livvi’s story in parallel with that of a brilliant Boston photographer named Micah and a young Long Island wife and mother named AnnaLee. Like Livvi, these two women are swiftly moving toward events that will prove to be the ultimate turning points in their lives, the places where devastating secrets will be exposed --- secrets about the unexpected ways in which we choose to protect, and betray, the people we love.
EROTICA
As if we weren't dating (etc.) obsessed already, word around the office is erotica is the latest craze. We look forward to featuring more steamy titles from this genre to get you all HOT and BOTHERED.
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Young Adult Reviews
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CONTAMINATED by Em Garner (Dystopian)
After the Contamination - an epidemic caused by the super-trendy diet drink SlimPro that turned ordinary citizens into shambling creatures unable to control their violent impulses - the government rounded up the "Connies" to protect the remaining population. Gritty and grabbing, CONTAMINATED is a harrowing, emotionally charged dystopic venture into YA from a well-known and respected writer of women's fiction. Reviewed by Samantha E., Teen Board member.
IMPERFECT SPIRAL by Debbie Levy (Realistic Fiction)
Danielle Snyder's summer job as a babysitter takes a tragic turn when Humphrey, the five-year-old boy she's watching, runs in front of oncoming traffic to chase down his football. Wanting only to mourn Humphrey, the sweet kid she had a surprisingly strong friendship with, Danielle tries to avoid the world around her. It's time for Danielle to face reality, but when the truth brings so much pain, can she find a way to do right by Humphrey's memory and forgive herself for his death? Reviewed by Kate F., Teen Board member.
OCD LOVE STORY by Corey Ann Haydu (Social Issues)
When Bea meets Beck, she knows instantly that he’s her kind of crazy. Sweet, strong, kinda-messed-up Beck understands her like no one else can. He makes her feel almost normal. He makes her feel like she could fall in love again. Reviewed by Ashley Tran.
TRULY, MADLY, DEADLY by Hannah Jayne (Mystery)
Sawyer Dodd is a star athlete, a straight-A student, and the envy of every other girl who wants to date Kevin Anderson. When Kevin dies in a tragic car crash, Sawyer is stunned. Then she opens her locker to find a note: You're welcome. Someone saw what he did to her. Someone knows that Sawyer and Kevin weren't the perfect couple they seemed to be. And that someone --- a killer --- is now shadowing Sawyer's every move. Reviewed by Caroline Osborn.
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Adult Reviews |
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THE BAT: The First Inspector Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbo (Mystery/Thriller)
Inspector Harry Hole of the Oslo Crime Squad is dispatched to Sydney to observe a murder case. The victim is a 23-year-old Norwegian woman who is a minor celebrity back home.Never one to sit on the sidelines, Harry befriends the lead detectives and a witness. They discover that this is only one in a string of unsolved murders, and the pattern points to a psychopath working his way across the country. Harry fears that no one is safe, least of all those investigating the case. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
CHOKE POINT: A Risk Agent Novel by Ridley Pearson (Thriller)
When an award-winning foreign journalist reveals the existence of an Amsterdam-based sweatshop that employs and enslaves young girls as laborers, private security firm Rutherford Risk is hired by a philanthropist to find it and shut it down. Joined by Grace Chu, whose more subtle skills for acquiring sensitive tech information help to balance his improvisational style, Knox heads to Amsterdam in an attempt to dismantle the child labor operation and rescue the girls. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
DEATH OF THE DEMON: A Hanne Wilhelmsen Novel by Anne Holt (Mystery)
In a foster home outside Oslo, a 12-year-old boy is causing havoc. The institution’s steely director, Agnes Vestavik, sees something chilling in Olav’s eyes: sheer hatred. When Vestavik is found murdered at her desk, stabbed in the back with an Ikea kitchen knife --- with Olav nowhere to be found --- the case goes to maverick investigator Hanne Wilhelmsen, recently promoted to chief inspector in the Oslo Police. Could the child be a murderer? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE ENGLISH GIRL by Daniel Silva (Thriller)
When a beautiful young British woman vanishes on the island of Corsica, a prime minister's career is threatened with destruction. Gabriel Allon, the wayward son of Israeli intelligence, is thrust into a game of shadows where nothing is what it seems...and where the only thing more dangerous than his enemies might be the truth. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
EVIL AND THE MASK by Fuminori Nakamura (Thriller)
In Fumihiro Kuki’s wealthy family, it’s tradition that a patriarch, when reaching the end of his life, will beget one last child to dedicate to causing misery in a world that cannot be controlled or saved. Eleven-year-old Fumihiro will be specially educated to learn to create as much destruction and unhappiness in the world around him as a single person can. But as his education progresses, he begins to question his father's mandate. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
FOREVER, INTERRUPTED by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Fiction)
Elsie Porter is an average twentysomething who heads to pick up a pizza for one on New Year's Day. She isn't expecting to see anyone, much less charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they've eloped. Only days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed. At the hospital, Elsie faces Susan, the mother-in-law who doesn't even know she exists. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE HANGING by Lotte Hammer and Soren Hammer (Mystery/Thriller)
One morning before school, two children find the naked bodies of five men hanging from the gym ceiling. The case leads Detective Konrad Simonsen and his murder squad to the school janitor, who may know more about the killings than he is telling. Soon, Simonsen realizes that each of the five murdered men had a dark and terrible secret in common. And when Simonsen’s own daughter is targeted, he must race to find the culprit before his whole world is destroyed. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE HUMANS by Matt Haig (Fiction/Humor)
An extraterrestrial visitor arrives on Earth and does not have positive first impressions of the human species. The visitor, who takes the form of Cambridge University’s prominent mathematician Andrew Martin, is eager to complete his task and return home to his own utopian planet. While initially disgusted by the human way of life, he starts to realize that there may be more to this weird species. As he forges bonds with Martin’s family, he sees hope in human imperfection and begins to question his mission. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE IMPOSSIBLE LIVES OF GRETA WELLS by Andrew Sean Greer (Fiction)
After the death of her beloved twin brother and the abandonment of her long-time lover, Greta Wells undergoes electroshock therapy. Over the course of the treatment, Greta finds herself repeatedly sent to 1918, 1941, and back to the present. In these other worlds, Greta finds her brother alive and well --- though fearfully masking his true personality. And her former lover is now her devoted husband. But will he be unfaithful to her in this life as well? Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
KISS ME FIRST by Lottie Moggach (Psychological Suspense)
When Leila discovers the website Red Pill, she feels she has finally found people who understand her. Thus she is thrilled when Adrian, the website's founder, asks to meet her, flattered when he invites her to be part of "Project Tess." As they email, chat and Skype, Leila becomes enveloped in the world of Tess, learning every single thing she can about this other woman --- because soon, Leila will have to become her. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
LEXICON by Max Barry (Thriller)
At an exclusive school somewhere outside of Arlington, Virginia, students are taught to persuade. They harness the hidden power of language to manipulate the mind and learn to break down individuals by psychographic markers in order to take control of their thoughts. The very best will graduate as “poets”: adept wielders of language who belong to a nameless organization that is as influential as it is secretive. Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin.
LIE STILL by Julia Heaberlin (Psychological Suspense)
When Emily and her husband move to the wealthy enclave of Clairmont, Texas, she hopes she can finally escape --- and outrun the stalker who has taunted her for years. But as she is drawn into a nest of secretive Texas women --- and into the company of their queen, Caroline Warwick --- Emily finds that acceptance is a very dangerous game. It isn’t long before Caroline mysteriously disappears and Emily is facing a rash of anonymous threats. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.
LOVE, DISHONOR, MARRY, DIE, CHERISH, PERISH by David Rakoff (Fiction)
LOVE, DISHONOR, MARRY, DIE, CHERISH, PERISH leaps cities and decades as the late David Rakoff sings the song of an America whose freedoms can be intoxicating, or brutal. The characters' lives are linked to each other by acts of generosity or cruelty. Rakoff's insistence on beauty and the necessity of kindness in a selfish world raises this novel far above mere satire. Reviewed by Josh Mallory.
NEMESIS: A Nameless Detective Novel by Bill Pronzini (Mystery)
Jake Runyon agrees to investigate Verity Daniel’s claim that he is receiving threatening demands for money from a mysterious caller. Verity is nowhere near the helpless victim she pretends to be, and a series of surprise revelations culminates in Runyon being falsely accused of a crime that never happened. With the help of partner Tamara Corbin, Nameless works to clear both Runyon’s and the agency’s good names --- but not until he overcomes a deadly threat to his own safety. Reviewed by Tom Callahan.
THE NEVER LIST by Koethi Zan (Psychological Thriller)
Best friends Sarah and Jennifer kept what they called the “Never List”: a list of actions to be avoided, for safety’s sake, at all costs. But against their best instincts, they accept a cab ride one night and suffer the consequences --- for the next three years, they are held captive with two other girls in a dungeon-like cellar. Ten years later, when her abductor is up for parole, Sarah goes on a cross-country chase and begins unraveling a mystery more horrifying than even she could have imagined. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT by Derek Miller (Thriller)
Home alone one morning, widow Sheldon Horowitz witnesses a dispute between the woman who lives upstairs and an aggressive stranger. When events turn dire, Sheldon seizes and shields the neighbor’s young son from the violence, and they flee the scene. But old age and circumstances are altering Sheldon’s experience of time and memory. He is haunted by dreams of his son Saul’s life and by guilt over his death. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
SHORECLIFF by Ursula DeYoung (Historical Fiction)
Spending the summer of 1928 in a big house on the Maine coast with his 10 older cousins and a gaggle of aunts and uncles seems like a dream come true to lonely 13-year-old Richard. But as he wanders through the bustling house, Richard witnesses scenes and conversations not meant for him and watches as the family he adores disintegrates into a tangle of lust, jealousy and betrayal. He soon finds himself drawn into the confusion and forced to cover for his relatives' romantic intrigues. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.
THE SILENT WIFE by A. S. A. Harrison (Psychological Thriller)
Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she (the killer) and he (the victim) rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
SUMMER DEATH by Mons Kallentoft (Thriller/Mystery)
A teenage girl is found naked and bleeding in a city park, without any recollection of what has happened to her. Another grisly discovery is made on a lakeside beach, and the whole town is on edge. A serial killer walks among them, and while families withdraw to protect their young, Detective Malin Fors must uncover the secrets behind these crimes, potentially putting herself and her own family at risk in the process. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
VISITATION STREET by Ivy Pochoda (Mystery)
It’s summertime in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a blue-collar dockside neighborhood. June and Val, two 15-year-olds, take a raft out onto the bay at night to see what they can see. And then they disappear. Only Val will survive, washed ashore and semi-conscious in the weeds. This shocking event will echo through the lives of a diverse cast of Red Hook residents. Val contends with the shadow of her missing friend and a truth she buries deep inside. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE WEDNESDAY DAUGHTERS by Meg Waite Clayton (Fiction)
Hope Tantry arrives at the small cottage where her mother, Ally, spent the last years of her life. Ally had used the cottage as a writer’s retreat while she worked on her unpublished biography of Beatrix Potter, yet Hope knows little about her mother’s time there. Traveling with Hope are friends Anna Page and Julie, who are grappling with issues of a different era. They’ve come to help Hope sort through her mother’s personal effects, yet what they find is a tangled family history. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.
WHEN THE DEVIL DRIVES by Christopher Brookmyre (Thriller)
A woman hires Jasmine Sharp to find her younger sister, an assignment that takes her back into the world of professional theater. Meanwhile, Detective Superintendent Catherine McLeod is called to the scene of a murder in the Highlands. Following a theatrical outdoor performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream, a prominent figure in the Scottish arts community is shot dead. As their investigations intertwine, it becomes evident that both cases are far more convoluted and dangerous than anticipated. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD by Susan Crandall (Historical Fiction)
Susan Crandall’s latest novel takes place in the summer of 1963 and introduces readers to nine-year-old Starla Claudelle, who runs away from home to be with her mother in Nashville and is offered a ride by a black woman who is traveling with a white baby. As the two unlikely companions make their long and sometimes dangerous journey, Starla’s eyes are opened to the harsh realities of 1963 southern segregation. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
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