November 13, 2013

We’re bouncing from holiday to holiday this time of year. Now that Halloween is over (and, lucky for you, our window to write Halloween-themed newsletters), we’re getting right into our Thanksgiving spirit --- let’s just say our fingers are all marked up from all those hand-drawn Turkeys. Thanksgiving Thursday will bring plenty of traditions (on top of the ever-important virtual throwback there will be live throwbacks), which may or may not involve the following: sibling rivalry, sibling revelry, American football, lots of different kinds of potatoes (mashed, baked, scalloped, sweet, Fingerling, Red Bliss with skin on, Red Bliss with skin off) and pumpkin pie, apple pie and something we call "meta pie" (3.14ths of all the pies). Tis the season for seasoning, and it’s safe to say that Thanksgiving can be done a tur-trillion ways.

Whether you’re a 20Something returning to your hometown from college, a 20Something excitedly awaiting that long weekend away from work or a 20Something celebrating your first Thanksgiving with your new S.O., it’s certain that this holiday is one for reconnecting with old friends. In fact, that might be the best part (subject to office debate --- Emily still maintains the best [baste?] part is the turkey). We like to think of the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving as a holiday (a.k.a. Thanksgiving Eve) unto itself, one that comes with its own set of traditions. Translation: this is your mini high school reunion nine years too soon (a.k.a The Nightmare Before Thanksgiving).

These pre-Thanksgiving traditions vary across the country, but so many include taking the obligatory trip down memory lane and reflecting on the following: inside jokes from high school, the drama of your sticker-trading and pog-playing years, how cool it felt to stay up late to watch SNICK, carpooling to your various sporting events, and shamelessly flirting with your cute next door neighbor in front of his/her parents. If you’re anything like us, you'll find yourself starting every conversation with “Remember that one time in that chatroom…(ASL)?” and tracking down your high school crush to see if he/she is still available (and still a hottie!). (Don’t worry if this sounds a lot like Throwback Thursday --- the festivities may start on Wednesday, but once the clock strikes midnight, you’re right on point.)

Jokes aside, there are a lot of reasons it feels good to reconnect with old friends. During the rest of the year, it’s easy to get caught up in our busy 20Something lives. Whether that means we’re working, crafting alienatingly witty messages on OKCupid, breaking in shoes, doing laundry, brainstorming Halloween costumes, obsessing over “Breaking Bad,” reading the latest bestseller, discovering new authors or places to hang out, making lists* or watching any movie starring Michael Fassbender, we tend to lose ourselves in our day-to-day concerns. So when we’re able to find a slice (no such thing as too many pie jokes!) of time to catch up with friends we haven’t seen in a while, we realize it's nice to be with those who have been there since the beginning. There’s a certain satisfaction --- not to mention comfort --- in being so close to your roots. It’s like Proust once said: Home for the holidays or bust!

*It’s not a coincidence that Emily just learned what a “listicle” is this week.

We have two books (complete with reviews) to spotlight this week...in addition to Marcel Proust's classic SWANN'S WAY: In Search of Lost Time, which we think you should check out if you haven't already. S., created by J.J. Abrams and written by Doug Dorst, is a literary tour de force about "a woman who picks up a book left behind by a stranger. Inside it are his margin notes, which reveal a reader entranced by the story and by its mysterious author. She responds with notes of her own, leaving the book for the stranger, and so begins an unlikely conversation that plunges them both into the unknown." And also WRITERS BETWEEN THE COVERS: The Scandalous Romantic Lives of Legendary Literary Casanovas, Coquettes, and Cads by Shannon McKenna Schmidt and Joni Rendon, who go under the covers to expose the risqué exploits of the literati. From Norman Mailer to Edith Wharton and many in between, there's something in here for all different "tastes."

On a networking note, we will be attending "5 Under 35" hosted by the National Book Foundation on Monday evening in Brooklyn. This celebration of emerging fiction writers will be hosted by Carrie Brownstein (of "Portlandia" fame) and special guest Colson Whitehead will be DJing. We're thrilled to mingle with many other 20Somethings...and 30Somethings.

In between working out, updating the site, planning for friends' birthdays, Nikki has been thoroughly enjoying her new (and first!) subscription to The New Yorker, reading Alice Munro's short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" and currently, "Find the Bad Guy" by Jeffrey Eugenides. After hearing Katie Corrigan speak at the Random House Open House (A Day of Health + Wellness) last Friday, she will be reading her new memoir GLITTER AND GLUE in the upcoming weeks. Emily just finished reading DIVERGENT, the first book in the famous YA series, and will be moving on to INSURGENT and then ALLEGIANT, respectively. Share with us what you're reading or planning to read via social media on our Facebook page or Twitter handle!

Keep an eye out for our Holiday Bundle of Cheer feature and contest that will go live by the end of this week! We’ll be bundling up five contest prizes with all the featured titles along with holiday-themed items.

And we'll be back to you with one more round of Thanksgiving tales before the last Fall holiday!

--- Nicole Sherman ([email protected]) and Emily Hoenig ([email protected])

Are you obsessed with pop culture? Were you the first one in line to see Ender's Game or The Book Thief? Are you piling up the books you're planning to spend your nose buried in on Thanksgiving while your extended family talks about how it's time to pay for your own cellphone bill? Are you getting kicked off the family plan? Do you have a good turkey tale?

If so, we want to hear from you. We are looking for ongoing contributors for book reviews and blog posts who would like to impart their wisdoms on life, love, books, TV, movies, pop culture and all the other stuff we 20Somethings just can't get enough of. Send a cover letter and writing samples to [email protected] and [email protected]. Write for us enough and we'll add you to our Contributors page.

 

BLOG: I’ll Know It When I See It: A Road Map to Science Fiction
Overwhelmed by all the Ender's Game hype and don't know where to turn for some sci-guidance? Look no further! Resident expert Austin "Dallas" lays out the nuts and bolts (so steampunk of me?) of all the different types of science fiction and its sub-genres.

BLOG: Throwback Thursday: Bittersweet Books (Without Almonds)
In honor of National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds day, these bittersweet books in this TBT roundup had us alternately smiling and sobbing --- and always, always expanding our horizons.

BLOG: Throwback Thursday: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again!
This Halloween TBT is an equal-opportunity shocker, filled with un-scary scary books and scary un-scary book.

ACCUSED: A Rosato & Associates Novel by Lisa Scottoline (Mystery)
Mary DiNunzio has just been promoted to partner and is about to take on her most unusual case yet, brought to the all-female law firm of Rosato & Associates by a 13-year-old genius with a penchant for beekeeping. Allegra Gardner’s sister Fiona was murdered six years ago, and it appeared that the accused, Lonnie Stall, was the culprit. But Allegra believes Lonnie is innocent and has been wrongly imprisoned. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

AT NIGHT WE WALK IN CIRCLES by Daniel Alarcón (Fiction)
Troubled young actor Nelson lands a starring role in a revival of The Idiot President, a legendary play by his hero. The tour across his South American country whisks him out of the shelter of the city and across a landscape he has never seen. With each performance, Nelson grows closer to his fellow actors until, during one memorable performance, a long-buried betrayal surfaces to force the troupe into chaos. Reviewed by Josh Mallory.

BELLMAN & BLACK by Diane Setterfield (Gothic Horror)
Caught up in a moment of boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters William’s life, the terrible and unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters into a rather strange bargain with an even stranger partner. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

THE CREEPS: A Samuel Johnson Tale by John Connolly (Fantasy/Horror)
When a new toy shop’s opening goes terrifyingly awry, Samuel Johnson must gather a ragtag band of dwarfs, policemen, and very polite monsters to face down the greatest threat the Multiverse has ever known --- not to mention assorted vampires, a girl with an unnatural fondness for spiders, and highly flammable unfriendly elves. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

CUT TO THE BONE: A Body Farm Novel by Jefferson Bass (Mystery/Thriller)
On a sweltering hillside in Knoxville, Dr. Bill Brockton launches an unusual research facility. Brockton is determined to revolutionize the study of forensics to help law enforcement solve homicides --- but the scientist's plans are derailed by a chilling murder that leaves him reeling from a sense of déjà vu. As the body count rises, the victims' fatal injuries grow more and more distinctive --- a spiral of death that holds dark implications for Brockton himself. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE DAYLIGHT GATE by Jeanette Winterson (Gothic Horror)
Good Friday, 1612. Pendle Forest. A gathering of 13 is interrupted by local magistrate Roger Nowell. Is this a coven or a helpless group of women trying to save their family from the stake? Two already stand accused of witchcraft. The wealthy, respected Alice Nutter tries to defend them, haunted by her own past entanglement with magick. She doesn't believe in the Devil, but as she fights for justice, her life is endangered by forces visible and invisible. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

DEAD MAN'S TIME by Peter James (Thriller)
During the investigation of a savage burglary in Brighton, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace realizes he has kicked over a hornets nest of new and ancient hatreds. At its heart is one man, Gavin Daly, who has a score to settle and a promise to keep --- both of which lead to a murderous trail linking the antiques world of Brighton, the crime fraternity of Spain’s Marbella, and New York. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

DEATH OF A NIGHTINGALE by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis (Mystery/Thriller)
Danish Red Cross nurse Nina Borg has been following Natasha Doroshenko's case for years now. Nina, who had tried to help Natasha leave her abusive Danish fiancé more than once, can't see the young Ukrainian mother as a vicious killer. But in her effort to protect Natasha's daughter and discover the truth, Nina realizes there is much she didn't know about this woman and her past. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

DIRTY LOVE by Andre Dubus III (Fiction)
In these linked novellas in which characters walk out the back door of one story and into the next, love is "dirty" --- tangled up with need, power, boredom, ego, fear and fantasy. These narratives express extraordinary tenderness toward human beings, our vulnerable hearts and bodies, our fulfilling and unfulfilling lives alone and with others. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

DOING HARD TIME: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods (Mystery/Thriller)
When Stone Barrington embarks on a trip to Bel-Air, he expects a relaxing break from the fast pace and mean streets of New York. But a case that had seemingly been resolved has returned in full force --- with lethal results. And this deadly situation makes for strange bedfellows when Stone finds himself teamed with the least likely ally: a gentleman of unique abilities who can fly below the radar and above the law. Reviewed by Judy Gigstad.

EARLY DECISION: Based on a True Frenzy by Lacy Crawford (Fiction)
EARLY DECISION is a novel that follows five students over one autumn as Anne, “the application whisperer,” helps them craft their college essays, cram for the SATs, and perfect the Common Application. It seems their entire future is on the line --- and it is. It’s because the process, warped as it is by money, connections, competition and parental mania, threatens to crush their independence just as adulthood begins. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.

THE GOOD BOY by Theresa Schwegel (Mystery)
Edgar Award winner Theresa Schwegel (OFFICER DOWN) returns with THE GOOD BOY, her most dramatic and emotional novel to date, a family epic that combines the hard-boiled grit of her acclaimed police thrillers with an intimate portrait of a young boy trying to follow his heart in an often heartless city. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE LUMINARIES by Eleanor Catton (Historical Mystery)
From the author of THE REHEARSAL comes a bold neo-Victorian murder mystery set in a remote gold-mining frontier town in 19th-century New Zealand, in which three unsolved crimes link the fates and fortunes of 12 men. Winner of the 2013 Man Booker Prize, THE LUMINARIES is the longest novel in history to win the prize, and Eleanor Catton is the youngest fiction writer to receive this great honor. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

S. created by J.J. Abrams, written by Doug Dorst (Thriller/Adventure)
A young woman picks up a book left behind by a stranger. Inside it are his margin notes, which reveal a reader entranced by the story and by its mysterious author. She responds with notes of her own, leaving the book for the stranger. And so begins an unlikely conversation that plunges them both into the unknown. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

T. C. BOYLE STORIES II: The Collected Stories of T. Coraghessan Boyle, Volume II by T. C. Boyle (Fiction/Short Stories)
By turns mythic and realistic, farcical and tragic, ironic and moving, T. C. Boyle’s stories have mapped a wide range of human emotions. The 58 stories in this new volume, written over the last 18 years, reflect his maturing themes. Along with the satires and tall tales that established his reputation, readers will find stories speaking to contemporary social issues, from air rage to abortion doctors, and character-driven tales of quiet power and passion. Reviewed by Jane Krebs.

TWIST: A Frank Quinn Novel by John Lutz (Thriller)
Frank Quinn is a decorated ex-cop and a former homicide detective specializing in tracking serial killers. Someone is stalking Quinn's niece, Carlie Hobbs, and the NYPD can't stop him. A blonde, blue-eyed beauty, Carlie fits the victim type of the killer who's been terrorizing women --- leaving them bound, gagged, and tortured with surgical precision. To win against the most personal adversary of his career, Quinn will have to set the perfect trap...with the perfect bait. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE WHOLE GOLDEN WORLD by Kristina Riggle (Fiction)
Seventeen-year-old honors student and all-around good girl Morgan Monetti has a secret affair with TJ Hill, her calculus teacher, while declaring it’s fine because she's an adult. However, the legal system doesn't have the same view. We learn the gripping story of the relationship and its aftermath from the viewpoints of Morgan, her mother, and TJ's wife. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

WRITERS BETWEEN THE COVERS: The Scandalous Romantic Lives of Legendary Literary Casanovas, Coquettes, and Cads by Shannon McKenna Schmidt and Joni Rendon (Reference/Writing)
WRITERS BETWEEN THE COVERS rips the sheets off real-life love stories of the literati --- some with fairy tale endings and others that resulted in break-ups, breakdowns and brawls. From the best break-up letters to the stormiest love triangles to the boldest cougars and cradle-robbers, this fun and accessible volume reveals literary history’s most titillating loves, lusts and longings. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.