Top Ten Tuesday - Top 10 Books on my Summer TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week the topic focuses on the dreaded TBR pile.  Mine is extensive but if I had all the time in the world, I'd devote it to the following:

Seraphina

I've had this for ever so long and have yet to read it.  Like many bloggers the books I have given as gifts or buy myself tend to languish under the pile of review-required tomes.  I will get to this one soon though because DRAGONS!

Days of Blood and Starlight

This is another one that is suffering from being a gift but I want to read it so badly. I loved most of Daughter of Smoke and Bone (check out our YAck on it, which shows clearly that it was a book of two halves) and apparently the stuff I wasn't sure of is effectively taken care of in this follow up.

Friday Brown

I have heard amazing things about Vikki Wakefield from Australian bloggers and am excited that she now has a publisher in the UK (the increasingly awesome Hot Key Books).  This book has an interesting premise and from my skim of the first few pages looks to contain ALL THE PRETTY WORDS.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

 I'm a long term fan of Neil Gaiman and his books are an automatic read for me.  This one looks like it might actually be his best yet and I cannot wait to get my paws on it.

White Oleander

I received this recently from lovely friends Meghan and Jonny who appear to have given copies to everyone they know.  I vaguely remember watching the film years ago but no details remain in my mind and its hard not to want to read a book so ardently recommended.

The Humans

I've had a copy of this for a few months but it was snaffled away by Polka Dot Steph (review coming soon) who confirmed that it is every bit as awesome as everyone is saying it is.  She's now returned my copy and I'm excited about getting to it ASAP.

More Than This

Because Patrick Ness.

The Dream Thieves

The Raven Boys was one of my favourite books of 2012 and I'm excited that an ARC of The Dream Thieves is currently on its way to me from NYC via BEA2013 (along with a Ryan Gosling colouring book - thank you, lovely YAckers).  I've never met a Stiefvater book I didn't love so have no doubt I'll be raving about this as soon as I finish it.

Loki's Wolves 

I just started this today and am already enjoying it. I'm a huge Percy Jackson fan and have long wished for something similar based around Norse mythology - and here it is, with Ragnarok and everything.  Jolly good show, authors Jolly Good Show.

The Sea of Tranquility

I've been struggling with the New Adult genre, I really have (check out this review which covers most of the issues I've had with it) but The Sea of Tranquility comes highly recommended so I'm giving the genre one last shot.  ONE.  It had better be bloody good.

And that's them.  What will YOU be reading this summer?

The Straightforward Pathway Had Been Lost (Review: Stray by Monica Hesse)

Stray
Monica Hesse
Hot Key Books 2013

In Lona’s world Foster Care is a thing of the past. Seen as an archaic social construct that often put vulnerable children at risk, it has been replaced by a curious process known only as the Julian Path.  Pathers like Lona spend 23 hours per day plugged into a virtual simulation of the life of Julian – a perfectly average, happy child whose parents Life Captured his every moment in order to create a childhood of pleasant memories for children left without parents of their own. Lona has been on the Path since babyhood, experiencing life primarily as Julian.  Even in the hour a day devoted to calisthenics, Pathers talk in a curious Path speak, referring to themselves as We and Us. Never as Me or I. They share everything, every memory, every feeling that Julian experiences is their reality.  At eighteen, they are transferred to a different facility and this is what happens to Pather Fenn, two years before Lona.  Fenn and Lona are almost friends even as they are almost each other, different people with the same identity and she feels a loss when he leaves, a loss that hasn't quite left her the day that his face appears inserted into her Path, instructing her to run…

Lona is a unique character in that she has a duel personality.  She is herself, but she’s also Julian. She has memories as Lona but more of Julian.  When she ends up Off Path her character develops in a way that is utterly fascinating.  She becomes herself but that self is constantly informed by her childhood – or Julian’s childhood, rather.  As her story progresses, a strong, stubborn young woman appears and her interactions with those around her demonstrate a kind heart somewhat stifled by the naivety of someone who has never truly lived in the real world.  She is mature yet oddly childlike and her story is utterly original.

Fenn, by the time readers meet him properly has a personality that has developed somewhat more than Lona’s.  Yet not in an entirely good way.  The kind, gentle boy that Lona knew has grown into a somewhat embittered young man who is trying and not always succeeding  to make his way in a world that he doesn't entirely understand.  With Fenn, comes Genevieve who is again extremely well drawn.  She dislikes Lona on sight yet is never unlikable herself, despite her snide comments and insecurities.  In many ways, she’s the most interesting character of all having never been On Path and yet (unlike, as we see, the majority of society) never viewing Pathers as anything other than individuals.  There are other characters that flit in and out and one in particular who is totally compelling but to talk about them would give too much away suffice to say that they complete an already curious line up.

The story line of Stray could so easily have become a convoluted mess what with the Path and the non-Path and the implications of both but it is testament to Monica Hesse’s mad skills that it is never hard to follow.  She skilfully riffs on the idea of identity and its genesis and what it means to share your memories with many – in a way Stray is an incredibly clever analysis of a hive mind.  Particularly accomplished is the Path speak with its curious use of collective pronouns is often creepy but when Lona and Fenn use it in private conversations it is also hauntingly beautiful and the comfort that it engenders in all Pathers is inherent to the story line.

Stray is, unbelievably, the debut novel of Monica Hesse and is thus far one of the strongest titles of 2013.  It’s not always easy to find a truly original premise these days and while Stray touches on similar issues to, say, The Truman Show (and, as the press release mentions Being John Malkovich) it is never anything other that its own exceptional story.   It’s sets both Hesse and relatively new imprint Hot Key apart as ones to watch and is highly recommended by The Mountains of Instead.

This review was brought to you by Splendibird. Stray is available now from places where books are sold. Thank you to the publisher for sending us this title to review.

The Night Itself Book Trailer! (starring Splendibird - for your sins).

Recently, myself and a few others were approached by lovely Hannah Love at Walker regarding the upcoming title from Zoe Marriott - The Night Itself. asking if we would like to participate in making a book trailer.  I'm pretty sure that everyone said yes... and now you get to experience the result.

The Night Itself combines present-day London with the mysteries of ancient Japan, centering around Mio and a mysterious sword bequeathed to her on her 16th birthday. Mio decides that she's not sure she wants to wait that long when she has a fancy dress party to attend and grabs the weapon early. Needless to say, it's not the smartest idea she's ever had and before you can say "sorry, Grandpa" she's embroiled in a world of long dead warriors, oddly attractive fox-men (really) and a crazy cat lady.

It's been a long time since I enjoyed a book this much - more than anything, The Night Itself is a hell of a lot of fun which is not to say that it isn't also sinister, intriguing and compelling. With this title, Marriott has cemented her place as one of the UKYA authors and as this is the first in a series, there is awesomely plenty more to come.

The Night Itself is published on 4th July and you can hear a few of us reading from the book in the trailer below.  Everyone sounds great, because they are reading really, really good words.  Pretty sure I was the only one recovering from chickenpox though... but onward and upward. Enjoy!  Oh, and buy the book - it's really awfully good.