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January 28, 2014

20SomethingReads.com Newsletter January 29, 2014
February: A Month to Score?
Feature + Contest: Books to Fall in Love With 2014
Special Feature: SEMPRE and SEMPRE: Redemption by J.M. Darhower
We Want YOU!
What's NEW on 20SomethingReads.com?
Young Adult Reviews
Adult Reviews
February: A Month to Score?

With almost 20Something days of January under our (faux) fur-lined belts, we can safely say that 2014 is pretty tame so far. January is never the flashiest month, despite celebrities doing their awards-show best to keep us entertained. There isn’t really much to speak of, except, of course, the Grammys. Following suit (and tie) from our last newsletter, here are some Grammy highlights that had our ears ringing:

Beyoncé and Jay Z: Mr. and Mrs. Carter, making monogamy look better than ever. Surfbort. Surfbort.

Lorde’s nails: Not only is she 17 years old and a multi Grammy-winning singer, but her waxy manicure was one of the weirdest and coolest things we saw all night. Definitely nails fit for a Lady(e).

Madonna’s resurrection: Resurrection is one way to put it. The Material Girl was definitely bringing something Sunday night, we’re just not quite sure what.

Daft Punk’s popularity: The ubiquitous helmet-wearing duo were everywhere! Even though they won Album of the Year, the only thing we were wondering was what kind of gadgets their headgear was harboring --- and if there’s x-ray vision involved, maybe they can tell the world what was under Pharrell’s hat.

Macklemore’s marriages: Marry ME, Macklemore! Meaning, like, be my husband.

Lady Gaga, Miley and Rihanna were no-shows: Certainly no one came in this year like a wrecking ball (or like a giant egg, for that matter). Our favorite drama queens were missed --- even though they apparently had better things to do.

Trent Reznor flipping the Grammys the bird: Technically this happened after the Grammys, but the Nine Inch Nails frontman was super pissed that his show-closing performance was cut short. In true rock n’ roll style, he took to Twitter to complain about it.

Taylor Swift [insert joke here]: Don’t get us wrong, we love T. Swift as much as the next dateless-on-Valentine’s Day girl, but she always seems to get herself on the wrong end of the joke. It definitely doesn’t help that she’s the 1% dancing.

Paul McCartney: Okay, and Ringo too. Happy now, dad?!

Now that that’s out of the way, take our February-themed pop quiz: What do the Super Bowl, the Sochi Winter Olympics and Valentine’s Day all have in common? They’re all things we're not participating in! February is a bit more “active,” but the best we can do is stick to our 2014 resolutions by hitting the gym…once a month. Needless to say, we have a few things to “work out.” Until we’re holding hands with our SOs across the dinner table on that fateful day, we only have eyes for chicken wings and football players. And those Olympians hanging in Russia.

If the only Super Bowl you’ll be having is a super bowl of chicken soup, and you’re looking to out-celebrate love by throwing the biggest Olympics party of the year, might we suggest going for a Russian theme? We’re talking all-you-can-eat (drink?) borscht and vodka, a samovar for whatever it’s for, Emily’s grandma and, to top it all off, a “Who Am I” drinking game featuring Russian authors: Nabokov, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Bulgakov, Pasternak, Gogol, Turgenev, Pushkin, Chekhov, Rand, Uris...you get the point. For every wrong guess, players must take a shot of Stolichnaya. Preferably, you should be wearing your mom’s Ralph Lauren sweater from circa 1989 and blasting some Tchaikovsky during the commercials. And, of course, all this must be done by torchlight. Bonus points for a Mikhail Baryshnikov guest appearance. Valentine’s Day who? Sochi all the way!

As always, there are plenty of great books out this month. To start with, we’re totally fangirling over B.J. Novak’s debut short story collection, ONE MORE THING: Stories and Other Stories. “The Office” actor gets serious (and seriously funny --- if this book trailer is any indication) with stories about the most human of phenomena: love, fear, hope, ambition, and the inner stirring for the one elusive element that just might make a person complete. We’re also looking forward to Rachel Joyce’s PERFECT, the highly anticipated follow-up to her acclaimed debut, THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY. It’s about 11-year-old Byron Hemmings, whose life takes an unexpected, yet unmistakable, turn one morning. Unable to trust his parents anymore, he confides in his best friend, and together they concoct a plan. Last but not least, there's journalist Erika Hayasaki’s THE DEATH CLASS: A True Story About Life, a nonfiction book about nurse Norma Bowe, who decided to teach a course on death at a college in New Jersey, never expecting it to become wildly popular. By following her over four years, Erika Hayasaki shows how Norma steers four extraordinary students from their tormented families and neighborhoods toward happiness.

Speaking of books becoming wildly popular, Carol and Nikki attended an advanced screening of Labor Day, as adapted from the book of the same name by Joyce Maynard. Starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin, both characters ooze with rural sexiness in this tear-inducing flick hitting the theaters nationwide this Friday, January 31st. Brolin plays a runaway convict who hideouts at Winslet's house with her 13-year-old son for the long Labor Day weekend. It makes for a great Valentine's Day date...if you're into that sort of thing. If not, it's also really cool to fly solo at the movies. It's dark in there. In any case, you should trust us and see it --- you'll never look at pie the same way again.

Just a friendly reminder for those who like to plan ahead that the next leap year is in 2016 --- only two years away! Mark your calendars.

And although we make all those sad, cat-faced jokes about Valentine's Day, we are sort of psyched for the guilt-free chocolate binge. In celebration of the Hallmark holiday, our first 20SomethingReads.com Books To Fall in Love With 2014 special contest is now LIVE. For more details on the feature and contest, scroll down. For those who can't wait to enter, click here now.

Connect with us via Facebook and Twitter, we love to hear from you!

Nicole Sherman ([email protected]) + Emily Hoenig ([email protected])

 

Feature + Contest: Books to Fall in Love With 2014

The countdown to "V Day" is on! And we're spreading the love with our Valentine's Day contest and feature. From now through Tuesday, February 11th at noon ET, readers will have the chance to win one of our five Teenreads.com Valentine's Day prize packages, which includes one copy of each of our featured books and some divine chocolate. Click here to read more about the books and to enter for your opportunity to be a lucky (and beloved!) winner. If you're feeling frisky, share with us your all-time book character crush. Don't be shy, we all got 'em! We'll post your literary loves and lusts...and the five winners on Valentine's Day, so be on the lookout!

Our featured Valentine’s Day titles are:
ARE YOU MY BOYFRIEND? by C.B. Bryza
BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver
INTO THE STILL BLUE by Veronica Rossi
NEVER HAVE I EVER: My Life (So Far) Without a Date by Katie Heaney
SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater
THE SWISS AFFAIR by Emylia Hall

 

Special Feature: SEMPRE and SEMPRE: Redemption by J.M. Darhower

The enticing series from author J.M. Darhower, SEMPRE and SEMPRE: Redemption, are passionate stories about love, sacrifice, death and freedom. SEMPRE is the first book in the series and is now available in eBook. Two teenagers, Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco, come from very different worlds. When they fall in love in the midst of a mafia-run sex trafficking ring, they start to question everything they once believed. SEMPRE will be released for the first time in paperback on February 25, 2014. SEMPRE: Redemption is the thrilling sequel to SEMPRE and is now available in eBook. This time around, Haven and Carmine find themselves implicated in the mafia-run organization they once tried to overthrow, and desperately try and find new ground in their relationship. SEMPRE: Redemption will be released for the first time in paperback on April 1, 2014.

- Click here to learn more about the series.

More about SEMPRE:
Two young lovers, Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco, come from very different worlds. When they fall in love in the midst of a mafia-run sex trafficking ring, they begin to question everything they once believed. This is a story about sacrifice...death...love...freedom. This is a story about forever.

Available in eBook NOW. Available in paperback on February 25, 2014.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for an excerpt.

More about SEMPRE: Redemption:
In this thrilling sequel to SEMPRE, Haven and Carmine find themselves implicated in the mafia-run organization they once tried to overthrow, and desperately try and find new ground in their relationship.

Available in eBook NOW. Available in paperback on April 1, 2014.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for an excerpt.

 

We Want YOU!

We are looking for 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].

Not sure you want to commit long-term? We know what that's like and would love to hear your idea for a "one-off" piece if you are not ready for commitment. If you are interested in more of a long-term commitment, the deal is if you write for us enough and we'll add you to our Contributors page.

 

What's NEW on 20SomethingReads.com?

BLOG: Why Zombies Are Monsters for People With Braaaains
Lately it seems that popular culture has embraced zombies (although not literally, because that would be dangerous). Here, 20Something contributor Lauren Sarner explains why.

BLOG: A Guide to Faking Your Way Through Literary Classics
With her signature humor, Lauren Sarner compiles a literary cheat sheet for readers who want to look smart, but don't have the time (or patience) to read through all the classics.

 

 

Young Adult Reviews

AND WE STAY by Jenny Hubbard (Youth Fiction, Contemporary Fiction)
When high school senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school library with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend Emily Beam, then takes his own life. In the wake of the tragedy, an angry and guilt-ridden Emily is shipped off to boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she encounters a ghostly presence who shares her name. The spirit of Emily Dickinson and two quirky girls offer helping hands, but it is up to Emily to heal her own damaged self. Reviewed by Ashley Bressingham.

CRUEL BEAUTY by Sophie Jordan (Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult 14+)
Betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom, Nyx has always known her fate was to marry him, kill him and free her people from his tyranny. But on her 17th birthday, when she moves into his castle high on the kingdom's mountaintop, nothing is as she expected --- particularly her charming and beguiling new husband. Nyx knows she must save her homeland at all costs, yet she can't resist the pull of her sworn enemy --- who's gotten in her way by stealing her heart. Reviewed by Sabrina Abballe.

UNINVITED by Sophie Jordan (Dystopian, Youth Fiction)
Davy had everything --- a terrific boyfriend, the homecoming crown, a bright future at Juilliard --- but when her genetic tests brand her as a killer, she loses it all. Uninvited from her prestigious school and avoided by her friends and family, she is placed in a special class with other "carriers" who are treated like the murderers they someday might become. Reviewed by Ashley Bressingham.

 

 

Adult Reviews

ANDREW'S BRAIN by E.L. Doctorow (Fiction)
In a series of conversations, a cognitive scientist named Andrew relates salient events of his life to a person he refers to only as Doc. He speaks of his divorce from his wife and of the woman who took her place. But he digresses often to muse upon consciousness and disorders of the mind. ANDREW’S BRAIN is the story of a man attempting to make sense of the unexpected turns his life has taken. Reviewed by Michael Magras.

THE ANSWER TO THE RIDDLE IS ME: A Memoir of Amnesia by David Stuart MacLean (Memoir)
On October 17, 2002, David MacLean “woke up” on a train platform in India with no idea who he was or why he was there. Soon he could remember song lyrics, but not his family, his friends, or the woman he was told he loved. All of these symptoms were the result of the commonly prescribed malarial medication he had been taking. Upon his return to the States, he struggled to piece together the fragments of his former life. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

BAD WOLF by Nele Neuhaus (Mystery)
As two grisly murder cases collide, Inspectors Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein dig deep into the past and underneath the veneer of bourgeois society to come up against a terrible secret that is about to impact their personal lives as well. In Nele Neuhaus's second U.S. publication of her popular series, tensions run high, and a complex and unpredictable plot propels her characters forward at breakneck speed. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE DEAD IN THEIR VAULTED ARCHES: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley (Historical Mystery)
Eleven-year-old chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce gathers with her family at the railway station, awaiting the return of her long-lost mother. Yet upon the train’s arrival, Flavia is approached by a stranger who whispers a cryptic message into her ear. Moments later he is dead, mysteriously pushed under the train by someone in the crowd. Who was this man, what did his words mean, and why were they intended for Flavia? Reviewed by Roz Shea.

THE DEATH CLASS: A True Story About Life by Erika Hayasaki (Inspirational/Personal Growth)
When nurse Norma Bowe decided to teach a course on death at a college in New Jersey, she never expected it to be popular. But year after year students crowd into her classroom, and the reason is clear: Norma’s “death class” is really about how to make the most of what poet Mary Oliver famously called our “one wild and precious life.” By following her over four years, Erika Hayasaki shows how Norma steers four extraordinary students from their tormented families and neighborhoods toward happiness. Reviewed by Carole Turner.

THE EXECUTION: A Jeremy Fisk Novel by Dick Wolf (Thriller)
It’s United Nations Week in Manhattan, and Jeremy Fisk can’t let grief over a devastating loss keep him from safeguarding his city. Complicating matters is the startling news of a mass murder in nearby Rockaway --- and the arrival of a disturbingly beautiful and assertive Mexican cop. To have a chance at finding an assassin responsible for 23 beheadings on the US border, these uneasy allies must learn to work together and fast. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE WHO SEE: Dispatches from the World of the Blind by Rosemary Mahoney (Memoir)
Rosemary Mahoney tells the story of Braille Without Borders, the first school for the blind in Tibet, and of Sabriye Tenberken, the remarkable blind woman who founded the school. Fascinated and impressed by what she learned from the blind children of Tibet, Mahoney was moved to investigate further the cultural history of blindness. As part of her research, she spent three months teaching at Tenberken's international training center for blind adults in Kerala, India. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

THE GUTS by Roddy Doyle (Fiction/Humor)
In the 1980s Jimmy Rabbitte formed the Commitments, a ragtag, blue-collar collective of Irish youths determined to bring the soul music stylings of James Brown and Percy Sledge to Dublin. These days, the almost-50-year-old Jimmy has a loving wife, four kids, and a recent cancer diagnosis that leaves him feeling shattered and frightened. As he battles his illness on his path through Dublin, Jimmy manages to reconnect with his own past. Reviewed by John Maher.

HUNTED by Elizabeth Heiter (Psychological Suspense)
FBI rising star and criminal profiler Evelyn Baine knows how to think like a serial killer. But she's never chased anyone like the Bakersville Burier, who hunts young women and displays them, half-buried, deep in the woods. As the body count climbs, Evelyn's relentless pursuit of the killer puts her career --- and her life --- at risk. And the evil lurking in the Burier's mind may be more than even she can unravel. Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum.

THE LAST DEAD GIRL by Harry Dolan (Mystery/Thriller)
A chance encounter on a lonely road draws David into a romance with the enigmatic Jana Fletcher, a beautiful young law student. David would like to know her secrets, but he lets them lie --- until it’s too late. When Jana is brutally murdered, the police consider David a prime suspect. But as he sets out to uncover the truth about Jana, he begins to realize he’s treading a very dangerous path --- and that her killer is watching every move he makes. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

LITTLE FAILURE: A Memoir by Gary Shteyngart (Memoir)
After three acclaimed novels, Gary Shteyngart turns to memoir in a candid, witty and deeply poignant account of his life so far. Swinging between a Soviet home life and American aspirations, Shteyngart found himself living in two contradictory worlds, all the while wishing that he could find a real home in one. And somebody to love him. And somebody to lend him 69 cents for a McDonald’s hamburger. Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller.

PANDEMIC by Scott Sigler (Horror/Thriller)
INFECTED shocked readers with a visceral, up-close account of physical metamorphosis and one man’s desperate fight for sanity and survival. The sequel, CONTAGIOUS, let the reader experience the frantic national response to this growing cataclysm. And now in PANDEMIC, the entire human race balances on the razor’s edge of annihilation, beset by an enemy that turns our own bodies against us, changing normal people into psychopaths or transforming them into nightmares. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

PERFECT by Rachel Joyce (Fiction)
Byron Hemmings wakes to a morning that looks like any other. But when he, his mother and his sister leave home, the morning takes an unmistakable turn. In one terrible moment, something completely unexpected happens. While his mother seems not to have noticed, 11-year-old Byron understands that nothing can be the same. Over the days and weeks that follow, Byron’s perfect world is shattered. Unable to trust his parents, he confides in his best friend, and together they concoct a plan. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE PRIORITY LIST: A Teacher's Final Quest to Discover Life's Greatest Lessons by David Menasche (Memoir)
When a six-year battle with brain cancer ultimately stole his vision, memory, mobility and ability to continue teaching, David Menasche turned to Facebook with an audacious plan: a journey across America in hopes of seeing firsthand how his kids were faring in life. Had he made a difference? Within 48 hours of posting, former students in more than 50 cities replied with offers of support and shelter. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.

RED 1-2-3 by John Katzenbach (Psychological Thriller)
When three red-haired women receive chilling letters in the mail from a killer known only as the Wolf, their lives are upended as they spend every waking moment fearing that their lives could be snuffed out at any time. The Wolf is stalking them, biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to complete his master plan. Yet the one thing this cunning and devious killer didn't plan for is the Reds discovering each other. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE TENTH CIRCLE: A Blaine McCracken Novel by Jon Land (Thriller/Adventure)
Blaine McCracken pulled off the impossible on a mission in Iran, but his work has just begun. Returning to the US, he faces another terrible threat in the form of Reverend Jeremiah Rule, whose hateful rhetoric has inflamed half the world, resulting in a series of devastating terrorist attacks. But Rule isn’t acting alone. A shadowy cabal is pulling his strings, unaware that they are creating a monster who will soon spin free of their control. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE VANISHING by Wendy Webb (Gothic Thriller)
Just as Julia Bishop’s life is collapsing around her, a stranger appears on her doorstep with an intriguing job offer --- he asks Julia to be a companion for his elderly mother, the famous and rather eccentric horror novelist Amaris Sinclair, whom Julia has always admired...and who the whole world thinks is dead. But when she arrives at Havenwood, the Sinclairs’ magnificent, centuries-old estate, she begins to suspect her too-good-to-be-true job offer is exactly that. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

WHAT I HAD BEFORE I HAD YOU by Sarah Cornwell (Fiction)
Olivia was only 15 the summer she left her hometown of Ocean Vista. Two decades later, on a visit with her children, her nine-year-old son Daniel, recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, disappears. Olivia’s search for him sparks tender and painful memories of her past --- of her fiercely loving and secretive mother, an erratic and beautiful psychic, and the discovery of heartbreaking secrets that shattered her world. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

WHAT WE'VE LOST IS NOTHING by Rachel Louise Snyder (Fiction)
On a warm day in April, Mary Elizabeth McPherson skips school with her friend, Sofia. As the two experiment with a heavy dose of ecstasy in Mary Elizabeth’s dining room, a series of home invasions rocks their neighborhood. At first the community is determined to band together, but rising suspicions soon threaten to destroy the world they were attempting to create. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

 

 

 

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