It's Monday, what are you reading? (14)

Hosted by The Book Journey

I actually loved all of the books I read this week, which was a refreshing change as I seem to be picking up quite a few that aren't quite as delicious as I would have hoped lately. Not sure exactly how much reading I'll manage this week as I have an insane amount to do and I think I might try doing NaNoWriMo, but I'll manage my best.

Last week I finished reading:

Liesel and Po by Lauren Oliver

Loved loved loved this, incredibly whimsical and of course Lauren Oliver's writing is amazing. I know it's intended as a middle grade, but it's appropriate for anybody because it's so wonderful. I definitely need to purchase a hardcopy in the future.

Lark by Tracey Porter

I didn't realize this had the fantastical element it did (ghost girl) but it worked in a spooky and heartbreaking way. This is a little slip of a book but it definitely left an impact, I just wanted a little more from the ending.

Love Alone by Emmanuel Kattan

Just finished this earlier tonight,  so many quotable bits. It was kinda Milan Kundera meets Simon Van Booy and the result is an incredibly beautiful but slightly twisted love child. I may have to test my rusty French and pick up Kattan's other novel in its original language.

What I plan to read this week:

Eating Dirt by Charlotte Gill

I didn't get a chance to start this memoir about tree planting yet but perhaps this will be its lucky week?

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

I was insanely excited when the latest Levithan- with pictures!- showed up in my mailbox so of course I am totally skipping ahead on my reading list to dig into this dark and creepy tale; not quite classic Levithan from Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Boy Meets Boy but I am certainly intrigued.

A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead

I was really looking forward to this historical fiction set during WW2, and then two copies showed up in the past week, so now I have double the reason to read it! Plus, it's for an upcoming book tour.

What are you reading this Monday?

P.S. It's officially my 23rd birthday now. EEEK. 

In My Mailbox (October 23rd-29th 2011)

Hosted by The Story Siren

Wonderful batch of books this week. I'm insanely excited to read The Tiger's Wife which for some reason I still haven't managed to so I definitely plant to get to that soon. Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking broke my heart when I read it (review here) and Blue Nights deals with the death of her daughter so I imagine it'll be just as tragic and I'll have to make sure I'm not already feeling down when I read it. As somebody doing their masters with plants of course I am excited about a plant book- Untamed Garden. World War II fascinates me and I especially love a story about inspiring women so I was really excited about A Train In Winter, so excited I apparently got it from two sources! The Chronicles of Harris Burdick looks absolutely gorgeous, as does the Fred Herzog photography book and overall I just can't wait to dig into these gems.

{For Review}

Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales by Chris Van Allsburg (Thomas Allen)
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber (Thomas Allen)
A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead (ARC) (TLC Book Tours)
Chosen by Chandra Hoffman (TLC Book Tours)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Unsolicited) (Scholastic Canada)
Fred Herzog: Photographs (D&M Publishers)
A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead (Random House Canada)
Untamed Garden by Sonia Day (Random House Canada)
Blue Nights by Joan Didion (Random House Canada)
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (Random House Canada)

Have you read any of these books? What was in your mailbox this week? 

Always A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Note: This review contains no spoilers of Always A Witch, but does contain spoilers of the first book in the series, Once A Witch, a review of which can be found here. 

Always A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Release Date: August 1st, 2011
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: Publisher
Buy It: Book Depository

When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past where she soon finds herself disguised as a Knight family maid.

Although I enjoyed Once A Witch I wasn't entirely blown away, but with its follow up MacCullough definitely appears to have found her groove. I was intrigued when I learned that Always A Witch was going to take place mostly a century earlier in time, especially since MacCullough's contemporary world felt so believable but luckily, MacCullough has a knack for setting and I was once again transported. Plus, with the absence of a love interest I didn't particularly enjoy for most of the novel and a whole new cast of creepy evil characters the result was a sequel I actually enjoyed more than the first book in the series.

Everything I enjoyed about Once A Witch was just better in Always A Witch, the plot was more enticing, the characters more creative, even the writing seemed to flow better. It was also nice that although Tamsin's story is a "series" it is in fact only two books, and this one wraps up the telling quite nicely. That said, although I preferred the sequel, I don't think it would work great as a standalone and that you really need to read Once A Witch to fully appreciate it's followup. I also appreciated the confidence Tamsin had gained from the first half of the story, I felt MacCullough did a great job with her growth as a person and it was nice to see a main female character who wasn't always relying on a man.

My favourite parts about Always A Witch were definitely the villians! La Spider and Liam Knight were both incredibly spooky characters and it was interesting to see how they compared to their distant relative Allistar- who I actually found some sympathy for in this portion of the story. Overall, Always A Witch is definitely the second half of a story not a complete tale on its own, but it was also enchanting and thrilling in a way that surpasses its prequel and that readers looking for a story that is more action and less romance are certain to enjoy.

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Release Date: June 7th 2011
Pages: 404
Format: E-Book and Audiobook
Publisher: HarperCollins 
Narrator: Emily Eiden
Source: Netgalley and Personal Shelf
Buy It: Book Depository

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she’s dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she’s trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

I'm on the fence about Hereafter- I guess you could say I'm midway between two worlds (okay bad joke, I know). There were aspects of the novel I enjoyed and others that I felt were lacking. Amelia was pretty passive and timid, and I had a hard time believing that it took her so long to become curious about what had happened to her, what her life was, how she died. I just felt like with nothing to do all day she might have started wondering about these questions sooner.

The other problem I had besides the waif of a main character, was the whole relationship between a ghost and a human component, and the fact that the human seems to have so little issue with it. I mean, isn't it just fundamentally creepy to be making out with a dead girl?

What I did appreciate was that for once the girl was the supernatural being (and she saved the boy! even if she spent the rest of the novel afterwards being the one in need of saving) and there was no love triangle at all, both aspects which made Hereafter refreshing compared to many paranormals. I also enjoyed Hudson's writing, this is a debut but she manages to cultivate the creepy and ominous feeling you want out of a ghost story especially since I listened to it on audiobook. Ultimately,  I'm not entirely sure if I'll read the rest of the trilogy, it depends on if the synopsis for the next book catchers my attention. Even though I wanted more backbone from the main character, I did enjoy the mystery component of Hereafter and I would definitely consider reading another novel by Hudson in the future.

Author Interview with Mary O'Connell

Answer in 140 characters or less.

1. Where did the inspiration for The Sharp Time come from?

The tendencies of people to look away instead of helping someone in need. An alternate title for The Sharp Time: Against Complicity.

2. What is your writing process like?

Fast! Fast! Fast! I have three kids. aged 12, 10, and 3, so I have to write when I can and not let the hours slip away in a daydreamy haze.

3. Your first publication was a collection of short stories and now eight years later you have written a YA novel, what caused the change? Do you see more YA in your future?

I loved hearing from teenagers who found the adolescent voices in my collection authentic. I’m working away on my next YA novel right now.

4. If you could go back in time and tell your teenage self anything, what would it be?

It gets better.

5. What 2011 releases are you really looking forward to or have enjoyed so far?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, The Marriage Proposal by Jeffrey Eugenides, Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro.

Thank you Zoe! I’m pretty inexperienced at tweeting, but these were great questions!

Mary O'Connell is a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop and the author of the short story collection, LIVING WITH SAINTS. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in several literary magazines, and she is the recipient of a James Michener Fellowship and a Chicago Tribune Nelson Algren Award. THE SHARP TIME is her first novel.

Thanks so much to Mary for stopping by In The Next Room! To learn more about her debut novel, The Sharp Time, stop by her website.