In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Nora hasn’t heard from her childhood friend Clare in years but when she unexpectedly gets an invite to Clare’s Hen Party (Bachelorette Party) a sense of nostalgia lures her to the party. Unfortunately Nora quickly regrets this decision just like those counselors in “Friday the 13th” regret their trip to trip to Camp Crystal Lake. The weekend Hen Party getaway in the woods quickly turns from a reunion with old pals to a nightmare for Nora when she awakens in a hospital with dim memories of the weekend other than the knowledge that someone was killed and flashes of violence. 

This is a great read for a rainy spring weekend.  When Nora first arrives at the cabin in the woods for the Hen Party, the way the author paints a sense of foreboding is incredible. I would’ve turned around and left the party right then and there. Piecing together the event of the party weekend turned nightmare along with Nora were thrilling and fun. It was like a puzzle; you’re trying to put together the pieces of Nora’s memories with her. I started to figure parts of the puzzle out before she did but the terrifying conclusion was still hair-raising. I recommend cozying up with “In a Dark, Dark Wood” by Ruth Ware pronto. And if someone offers you a weekend getaway at a remote cabin in the woods with no cell service, think twice! 

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 stars

I received a free ARC of this book at BEA 2015.

This review was previously posted as an "Insta-Read," on @bwobny

Little Lit: Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit

Summary:
Anna is seven years old and has lived in a world of languages and friends when her professor father leaves her with a friend and never comes back. It's 1939 in Poland and Anna finds herself alone in an unfriendly world until a tall, thin man sees her. He calls down birds to cheer her up and then warns her not to be seen. Anna follows him out of Krakow and through the Polish countryside. As they wander together, avoiding the dangerous Bears and Wolves that would hunt them down, Anna has to learn the best ways to survive in a hostile world.

What I Liked:

• I liked the view of this time period from a very different perspective.
• I loved the poetry of the language.
• I liked the concept of someone being able to change languages by the day and the way that makes someone think about language and what people are saying or not saying through words.

What I Would Have Liked:

• An explanation - I fully expected there to be some author's note at the end to clarify some of the very vague references that are made (especially near the end). I feel like I missed something even though I'm pretty sure I didn't. It started to feel like it was based on a true story of someone, but without an explanation, these very specific (yet vague) details left me confused and a little frustrated.
• A better sense of time - Part of this is just the way the book is, but I would have liked a better sense of how much time had passed. Because I felt it was important to know Anna's age to better grasp her reactions to some of the events.
• There was one scene near the end of the book that just felt gratuitously unnecessary. It didn't really add to the book or to the story. I understand bad things happen, but this particular scene (I don't want to be more specific because spoilers) didn't seem to serve a real purpose.

Verdict:

• Overall I thought this was a beautifully written book. The ending felt a bit rushed to me, but the use of language made me glad that I read it.
• Anyone interested in history, World War II, stories of growing up, or poetically written prose will enjoy this book.

I received this book as an advance reader copy at BookExpo America.

Little Lit: The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels

Buckle up for my quick review of The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels with illustrations by Emma Block.

Summary:
Miss Petitfour lives with her many cats. loves to prepare treats, and travels by tablecloth. She's a quirky character, but well-loved by the people around town who are used to her unusual ways. Each chapter follows a new adventure that Miss Petitfour and her cats stumble into with everyone coming safely and happily home at the end of the chapter.

Available for sale November 10, 2015

What I liked:

• The idea of the book - I always find it interesting when someone writes a children's book with an adult as the main character. Most of the books I can think of that fall into this originated decades in the past - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (1940s), Mary Poppins (1930s), Amelia Bedelia (1960s). And, with the exception of Amelia Bedelia, children were still the focus even if they weren't the protagonsts. I think Miss Petitfour fits in pretty nicely with this cohort, though I will be curious to see what the response is from children reading this.
• I liked that Miss Petitfour traveled by tablecloth (perhaps that is where I'm connecting to Mary Poppins) and that the wind not going the right direction causes many of the mishaps, as should be expected.
• I liked the adventures. They were fun and unusual and interesting.
• I liked the illustrations, which matched the tone and feel of the book quite well. It's going to be a lovely little volume when all are rendered in color.

What I would have liked:

• I would have liked the cats to be a bigger part of the story. There were so many of them that we don't really get a good understanding of most of them. I would have liked their personalities to be a bit bigger and have more impact on the story and on Miss Petitfour.
• I would have liked to see more of Pleasant, the one child we do meet in the book. She seems like a very interesting person and I wanted more of her.
• I would have liked a little less of the long lists of names and definitions and a little more of the quirk and fun that comes through a good part of the time.

Verdict:

• Some people are going to find this book utterly charming. I certainly enjoyed parts of it.
• However, it didn't quite work as a whole for me. I don't know if it was the lack of children (or children type creatures - the cats could have worked well for this) or if it was just a personal preference.
• Miss Petitfour is whimsical, but she is firmly an adult, which lends a more mature tone to a book that seems to be focused on a slightly younger audience.
• I think that many people, both adults and children, will be calling for more adventures for Miss Petitfour.

For more information you can check out Anne Michaels GoodReads page and you can find more about Emma Block's illustrations on her website.

I received this book as an advance reader copy at BookExpo America.

BEA Superlatives 2015 Edition

A couple of times when we've gone to Book Expo, we thought it would be fun to vote for book-ish superlatives. One year we did it during the event via Instagram, but this year that didn't happen.

So we pulled together this group post to give you a taste of what Jenn N, Rebecca T, and NaomiRuth found most and best of at this year's Book Expo.

Author You Were Most Looking Forward to Seeing:
Jenn N: The author I was most looking forward to meeting was Tess Gerritsen. I love the Rizzoli and Isles novels. Tess was there to promote her new standalone novel, Playing With Fire. She was so sweet. I'm so glad that I got to meet her.
NaomiRuth: Probably Linda Urban. (Although, I found out I could go like two days before and had no time to prepare, so I was mostly just excited to be there and super out of it). I met Linda Urban at a past BEA event (the bookseller speed-dating author event) and I have really enjoyed her books. She's coming out with a middle grade fantasy/adventure and she usually does contemporary fiction, so I'm interested to read Milo Speck, Accidental Agent.
Rebecca T: There were so many, but I think I probably squealed loudest when I saw that Rae Carson was going to be there. Walk on Earth a Stranger looks absolutely amazing.

Best Surprise:
Jenn N: The best surprise was Michael Connelly. I'm in love with Mickey Haller aka The Lincoln Lawyer. So it was awesome to meet his creator. This signing wasn't listed in any of the BEA programs. I overheard someone on the Tess Gerritsen line talking about it and then got the details on Connelly's Twitter page.
NaomiRuth: Jon Klassen and Michael Buckley were both surprises (Michael Buckley is like always kept a secret, I don't know why. It's very strange). I love both of them and have such a respect for their work and for who they are as people, so I was really, really excited to see both of them.
Rebecca T: I have to second NaomiRuth's comment about Michael Buckley. Last year or the year before we happened to see in the PW Daily that he would be signing in booth the final book of the Sisters Grimm series. This year he wasn't on the schedule again, but we scoured the Daily and got very excited when we saw that he was indeed there again, signing his new YA novel.

Most Illegible Autograph:
Jenn N: Peter Kujawinski co-author of Nightfall. He and his friend Jake were really nice though. They're apparently longtime friends like Jen and I are. We all had a little laugh together. Their personalities sold this book for me. I can't wait to read it.
NaomiRuth: Probably Michael Buckley? I don't know?
Rebecca T: I have to go with Rebecca Serle. She was amazing and even signed other books for people (I brought a copy of Famous in Love which she signed), along with the ARC of Truly Madly Famously (which I can't wait to read!).

Best Line You Stood In:
Jenn N: The best line I stood in was the 3 mile long line for Starbucks. I love macchiatos.
Just kidding (although I do love macchiatos). The best lines I stood in were those at the Harlequin booth. The carpet was nice and plush. The people who worked at the booth were friendly and everyone waiting in line with me was pleasantly chatty. Plus their signings were for multiple authors. So by standing on just one line, you got to meet several awesome authors all in one shot. You definitely need the Harlequin tote you received to carry ALL your new Harlequin books home.
NaomiRuth: The line for Annie Barrows because I met this lovely lady who has written a book and has a radio show, and it was just a very encouraging, engaging kind of conversation. I love being able to meet new people and to hear their stories! :D
Rebecca T: I think my favorite experience was on the line for Shannon Hale (of course she would bring the best people together!). A group of us chatted basically the whole time and we met an author and it was just a lot of fun.


Longest Line:
Jenn N: The longest line I stood on was for Celeste Ng. Apparently Jen and I weren't the only ones intrigued by the plot of Everything I Never Told You.
NaomiRuth: By size: Patrick Ness (but we got cut). By duration: Salina Yoon, no doubt about it. That line was like molasses on a Massachusetts winter day. She was super adorable though, so I'm glad I waited on it.
Rebecca T: I think the longest line I waited in by size was probably the Harlequin Teen line on Thursday, but I agree with NaomiRuth - Salina Yoon's line definitely took the longest. So long. But she was very nice and did a little drawing in everyone's book.

Most Organized Publishing House:
Jenn N: Penguin Random House was the most organized. Their in booth signings featured tickets that were handed out approximately one hour prior to the signing. They also had adequate space to queue up while you waited.
NaomiRuth: Abrams seemed pretty organized, from the line I stood in. I don't know. I was mostly just wandering around from booth to booth or following Rebecca around. It was a very surreal kind of day, so I don't remember a lot of it.
Rebecca T: I agree with Jenn N that Penguin Random House had their act together. They were the largest booth probably and were placed in the corner, which helped, but the tickets (to make sure they didn't run out of books) and the people they had directing traffic, breaking up the lines, and making sure aisles were kept clear did a fantastic job.

Cutest Autograph:
Jenn N: Not really cute, but I definitely got a chuckle out of Lauren Saft's inscription in my copy of Those Girls. "I hope your friends are nicer than these girls." I'm currently reading her book right now and, yeah - those girls are awful friends. Lol
NaomiRuth: Rebecca Stead's Rebecca T got this signed for me, so Stead wrote "Surprise!" Which is adorable.
Rebecca T: For me it's definitely Maryrose Wood. Not only was her signature very cute, but she also recognized our blog name and got excited to meet me, which completely and utterly made my day.

Funniest Author:

Jenn N: Is it too easy to say that Judah Freidlander was the funniest author? The stand up comic and former 30 Rock star was there to promote his upcoming collection of comics and sketches. He was sporting his trademark - a quirky trucker hat - and took time to pose for pictures and a brief chat with all his fans. He's super funny and super friendly.

NaomiRuth: The funniest author/illustrator moment I had was with Kenneth Oppel and Jon Klassen when I asked them if I could take a picture with them and Wombly and Oppel was concerned about what Wombly was. It was hilarious. Funniest author/illustrator just in general? Probably Michael Buckley. He was wandering around looking at the line and his publicist had to come running over and was herding him back to the front and he was shouting, "She always thinks I'm going to wander off and get lost." He cracked me up.
Rebecca T: Once again I have to agree with NaomiRuth. Kenneth Oppel and Jon Klassen were the most hilarious pair. Their reaction to Wombly and their banter with each other was adorable and hilarious.

Book You're Most Looking Forward to Reading:

Jenn N: It's so hard to pick just one book as the one I'm most excited about! If I have to choose just one I'd say Playing With Fire. I've only read Tess' Rizzoli and Isles books so I'm really interested in something different from her. Although I will miss the latest exploits of my girl Maura Isles.

NaomiRuth: Well, I already read The Nest by Kenneth Oppel and Jon Klassen (it was AMAZING and I almost cried and it was beautiful and I kept stroking all of the pictures) I started reading The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, so that's the one I'm most excited about right now. There are a lot of good books, though.
Rebecca T: Ah! So many! I think, though, that I'm most looking forward to Armada by Ernest Cline. I just loved Ready Player One so much and I'm dying to read this new one. Of course, I already did my Top 10 books I'm looking forward to reading, so you can go check that out, if you want to get a taste of more books we picked up at BEA.

So there you have it - those were our superlative moments. If you made it to BEA we'd love to hear about some of your superlative moments. And if you couldn't make it, then we'd love to know who you would have liked to meet or what books you would have liked to snag!

10 BEA Books I'm Super Excited About

It's hard to believe it's already been 2 weeks since BEA! Those of you following us on Instagram or Twitter already got a sneak peek at some of the fun we had.

And next week you'll finally get those BEA Superlatives I promised you (as long as certain people get me their votes...)

So this week I thought I'd give you a little taste of a few of the books I was most excited to get my hands on. In no particular order.

1. Armada by Ernest Cline - Ready Player One was a smash hit with our entire book club. So finding out that Cline had a new book coming out AND was signing it at BEA? It was like a dream come true. I can't wait to read it!


2. The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows - Though she's probably best known for her Ivy + Bean books, Barrows also co-wrote The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society which is one of my top favorite books of all time and I will never stop convincing people to read it, so I was definitely getting in line to pick up this beauty. It's so lovely and thick too!


3. I Will Take a Nap! by Mo Willems - Every year I have wanted to meet Mo Willems and every year it hasn't worked out. But this year, not only was he going to be there, but he was signing a new Elephant and Piggie book which are my FAVORITES so I was determined and I succeeded! I got a ticket, stood in line, and am now the proud owner of an autographed copy :D


4. The Marvels by Brian Selznick - I loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret and was a fan of Wonderstruck as well. I really enjoy the way Selznick intermingles text and images and his crosshatch pencil style drawings are gorgeous. So happy to get my hands on this one!


5. Truly Madly Famously by Rebecca Serle - I met Rebecca on Twitter, and then stayed up until 1 in the morning to finish Famous in Love, the first book in this series. Not my normal cup of tea, but I loved loved loved it and can't wait to find out what happens next!

6. The Unmapped Sea by Maryrose Wood - this is the 5th book in the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. I picked up the first one on the title alone and absolutely fell in love. I've been reading each installment with eagerness. Plus it was fun to meet Maryrose and I got quite a thrill when she recognized our blog and was excited to meet me too!


7. Lies I Told by Michelle Zink - It was so great to see Michelle. She was a local author at our Borders and is such a sweetheart! She was excited to see me too and even posted our picture together on her blog. I'm really looking forward to reading this book, too. I've enjoyed Michelle's other books and this one looks really interesting.


8. Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson - Her Girl of Fire and Thorns series is seriously amazing so I'm actually giddy over getting to start this new series.


9. The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness - The premise of this totally sold me on it. What would it be like to live in a YA novel when you're not the "chosen" one? I'm dying to find out. NaomiRuth and I had his signing on our list, but we stumbled across an ARC drop earlier in the day. It's a good thing we snagged copies then, because his line was so long it got cut off.


10. The Cage by Megan Shepherd - Two words: Human. Zoo. I really liked The Madman's Daughter and Her Dark Curiosity so I'm super curious about this one.

Of course, there are plenty of others I'm really excited about, but these are probably my top ones.

Are any of them books you're looking forward to reading, too?

Are you ready for some BEA fun?

This week Rebecca T and Jenn N are on their way to the Big Apple for the Bloggers' Conference and Book Expo America!

We're pretty excited.

Rebecca T plans to run another edition of our BEA Superlatives on our Instagram and Jenn N is usually posting stuff to our Twitter, so feel free to follow along either to live vicariously (if you can't make it yourself) or to join in the fun with us!

And if you're going to be there, I hope we get a chance to say hello! Here's to a fantastic Book Expo. We're looking forward to all the new books we'll learn about.

Party Games: A Fear Street Novel by R.L. Stine

"Her friends warn her not to go to Brendan Fear's birthday party at his family's estate on mysterious Fear Island. But Rachel Martin has a crush on Brendan and is excited to be invited. Brendan has a lot of party games planned. But one game no one planned intrudes on his party—the game of murder.
As the guests start dying one by one, Rachel realizes to her horror that she and the other teenagers are trapped on the tiny island with someone who may want to kill them all. How to escape this deadly game? Rachel doesn't know whom she can trust. She should have realized that nothing is as it seems… on Fear Island."
-rlstine.com

After a twenty year hiatus, R.L. Stine resurrects his best-selling "Fear Street" series with "Party Games."  The original "Fear Street," novels were some of my favorite books in high school especially "The Cheerleaders" trilogy.  Suddenly not making the squad didn't seem so bad after all.  See a complete list of all the "Fear Street" and see R.L.'s personal favorite at this his website.

Sidenote, I just realized that this series debuted over 20 years ago, and therefore I've been out of high school for 15 years.  Now, there is a frightening thought that I didn't plan to encounter on "Fear Street."

The "Fear Street" magnet that I got from a school book club still hangs proudly on my fridge.

I was fortunate to not only meet R.L. Stine at Book Expo America this year but I also received a signed Advanced Reader Copy of "Party Games."

Visiting "Fear Street," again was a frightful delight.  Nothing has changed much over the years, and that's a good thing!  As soon as Rachel arrives at Brendan's party, bad things start to happen.  Just like any good slasher film, the body count starts to rise but fortunately this series was never too gory.  However, there are plenty of shocks as scares as Rachel figures out just who or what is after her and her friends.  R.L. does a great job at driving the suspense and keeping the reader guessing as to exactly who or what is causing the terror at Brendan's party and the plot twists in various directions that you, just like Rachel, won't see coming.

I recommend "Party Games: A Fear Street," novel to all "Fear Street" and "Goosebumps" fans as well as any one aged 12 and up who likes their books with a side of fright.  I can't wait for my next visit to "Fear Street."

How about you?  Did you grow up reading "Fear Street" or "Goosebumps"?  Share your favorite stories with us.

R.L. Stine and I at Book Expo America 2014

Special thanks to Macmillan Publishers/St. Martin's Press for the ARC at BEA.

Vampires of Manhattan by Melissa de la Cruz

"The Vampires of Manhattan is 'hipster horror'--the memorable characters from her Blue Bloods series are older and cooler than before, trying to build 'Millennial' lives in the bustle of Manhattan while battling forces of evil and, of course, each other. Hero of this sexy, paranormal action tale is Oliver Hazard-Perry, former human conduit, and Manhattan’s only human-turned-vampire, now the head of the Blue Bloods Coven. When his all-too-human lover is found murdered on the eve of the coven’s annual Four Hundred Ball--a celebration meant to usher in a new era in vampire society, and to mark the re-unification of the Coven after decades of unrest and decay--Oliver is devastated. Now, not only is he trying to create a new world order for the immortal elite, he’s the prime suspect and is stalked by the newly installed head of the vampire secret police. Because according to the new rules, vampires who take human life can now be executed. Burned. How can an immortal sentenced to die fight back? He has to find the killer--and the answers lie deep in vampire lore" 
- melissa-delacruz.com

"Vampires of Manhattan," by Melissa de la Cruz was a quick fun read but I had a few issues with it that prevent me from giving this a rave review.

Despite being described on the authors website as "hipster horror," being told by the publishers representative who handed me the ARC of this novel at Book Expo America this year, I didn't find any hipsters in this novel aside from a passing reference to hipsters populating Brooklyn.  Unless my view of hipsters differs from the authors and publishers definition of hipsters.

I took the sub-title, "The New Blue Bloods Coven," too literally and was delighted.  I hadn't read the original series so I thought this would be a great place to start.  I figured I could start here and then check out the past coven in her original series.  However, this novel seemed to feature all the characters that were in the original series.  Fortunately de la Cruz did a good job of explaining who is who without inundating the reader with exposition.  It also made me more eager to read the original series to see what Oliver, Mimi, and Ara were like 10 years ago.

I loved the complicated relationship between Mimi and Kingsley.  Despite being supernatural beings, they seemed very human and I think most readers could relate to their relationship struggles. 

My favorite part of the novel was the middle.  The point of views switched from Mimi, Oliver and Ara to the point of view of Mimi's estranged husband Kingsley, Oliver's girlfriend Finn, and Ara's partner, Edon.  Not only did the point of view change but the time moved to five weeks prior, so it was cool to connect the dots from one character to another point and time and discover where they ended up.

I also laughed out loud at some of the humorous jabs the characters in the novel make to other famous vampires series that feature sparkly vampires and the like. In the "Blue Bloods" universe this is all part of the "conspiracy" that helps vampires like the "Blue Bloods" stay hidden in plain sight, appearing as ordinary humans who walk in the sun like you and I.

I thought the ending was a little rushed but it ended on one doozy of a cliffhanger which spins this new series on what seems to be a whole new direction unique to this "new coven."  I plan on checking out the potential sequel but while I'm waiting I think I'll catch up with the original "Blue Bloods" series to fill in some of the gaps in characters backstories and some of the vampire mythology unique to the "Blue Bloods" universe.

While I enjoyed this novel, I recommend it to original "Blue Bloods" fans first, I suggest everyone else read a few books from the original series first to fully appreciate the novel.  I'm sure existing "Blue Bloods" fans would love this novel.  I know I'd be thrilled if
de la Cruz wrote a follow-up to her "Au-Pairs" series that I adored.

Have you read "Vampires of Manhattan"?  Did you find any hipsters?  LOL, seriously, please share your thoughts!

Special thanks to Hachette Books for giving me this ARC at Book Expo America.

Wombly and I Go to BEA

So, ages ago back in May Wombly and I went to Book Expo of America to volunteer. Then I got caught up in work and things that I never posted about it. *le gasp!* I am now rectifying that and posting up some pictures of our time there.

At the conference center.

We stopped to get coffee at this wonderful shop.

We went to Candlewick and they told Wombly and I about this book they are very excited about. It's called The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon. Wombly and I are excited about it too!

We then stopped by Abrams to see what books we
could find.

Lastly we stopped by Chronicle Books.

 There you have it! New books, exciting times. Yay!

#BEAhappytoread - we are so ready

It's that time of year again! Jenn N and I are getting our empty suitcases together, stretching out our walking muscles, and prepping our instagram feeds for the amazingness that is BEA.

This year we'll be going on Thursday and Friday and we've got lists the size of our arms of authors we're excited to meet, booths we want to visit, and publisher's we want to talk to.

We'll be posting stuff throughout the days we are there both on our Twitter @borderlessbooks and our Instagram @bwobny, so follow along if you need to live vicariously through us.

Are you going to be there this year? We'd love to see you!

If you've never been to BEA, you're in for a real treat.  We'd also like to help BEA newbies by bestowing some of BEA wisdom upon you.

Do bring a small wheeled suitcase to tote your books home but don't forget to bring money for the bag check, as wheeled luggage is not permitted on the show floor.

Do plan your day in advance by looking over the autographing and events listings on the BEA home page.  This will ensure you don't miss out on anything that you really want to see.

Don't forget to take a breather periodically and do wear comfortable shoes.  BEA is an amazing but long day.  You may also want to consider bringing your own bottled water or snacks to avoid lines at the concession stand.

If you have any BEA tips that you'd like to share, please post them in the comments below.

In addition, we're reprising the "BEA Superlatives" that we did 2 years ago. But this time we're going to be posting nominees to Instagram throughout the day. Then, next week, we'll put together our list of Best Dressed, Most Organized Publisher, Funniest Author, and so forth taking your likes and comments into consideration.

 So, please comment and follow along on @bwoby via Instagram and @borderlessbooks via Twitter.

Identical by Scott Turow

25 years ago, after pleading guilty to killing his girlfriend, Dita Kronon, Cass Gianis is a free man.  Meanwhile his twin brother Paul is the candidate to beat in the race for mayor of Kindle County.  Dita's brother, Hal is convinced that Paul also played a role in his sister's death.  Hal is determined to sabotage Paul's political career and launches his own investigation into what happened the night his sister was killed.  As his team digs through decades evidence, they unearth more secrets and lies than the any of the families ever suspected.

"Identical" is fantastic, it reminded me of one of my favorite TV shows,"Cold Case."  Like "Cold Case," Dita's murder was re-examined in a thorough and detailed manner.  Turow takes his time to tell this tale by slowly introducing the readers to each individual who may or may not have had a role in Dita's demise.  Each character was established like a small but necessary piece in a very complicated puzzle.  As you read, each person interviewed seemingly had motive as they reflect on that fateful day.  You'll be creating your own theories along with the detectives and placing the blame on the various characters until the very end.  It was fun trying to put all the pieces together.  Did Cass really do it?  Or was he just protecting his twin or someone else? Was it a tragic accident?  Or are Cass and Paul merely scapegoats caught in the rift of a generations old conflict with the Kronon family? 

In addition to the mystery elements of this novel, I also loved the rich family dynamics detailed in this book.  The love and resentment that sometimes develops between even the closest of families was illustrated and motivated all of the characters.  Turow also clearly uses his lawyer background to provide the interesting procedural details.  The study of DNA and forensic evidence is thoroughly explained as is its impact on criminal investigation. 

Don't miss out on "Identical," it a great absorbing read.  I highly recommend you pick it up this weekend and get comfy because you won't want to put this book down.

Please note that I received no financial compensation for this review.  I was fortunate to receive an Advanced Reader Copy of "Identical" at the 2013 Book Expo America.

Killer Ambition by Marcia Clark

When Hayley, the daughter of Russell Anatonovich, a prominent Hollywood director, is brutally murdered in a kidnapping plot gone wrong, Los Angeles Special Trials Prosecutor, Rachel Knight is assigned to the case along with her friend, Detective Bailey Keller.  As the ladies work the case they soon discover that all the evidence points to former child star Ian Powers, agent and longtime best friend of Russell.  Rachel and Bailey soon find themselves in a battle between Ian's high-priced lawyers, a doubting Russell, and tabloid media.

Clark definitely took her experience as a former prosecutor for California and put it into this novel.  "Killer Ambition" is full of intricate detail to every step of a criminal case from the criminal investigation through the courtroom proceedings.  I appreciated the fact that things didn't always come easily for Rachel.  You got a real feel for how much hard work goes into putting a case together and the complexities of criminal law.  However, at times, the book had a little too much detail.  I may be nitpicking a bit here but the numerous notations of Rachel's various ringtones for friends and colleagues were repetitive and distracting.  Rachel's frequent concern and fretting over what fashion choices would cause her to perspire the least also seemed odd for a California native.  Aside from that, "Killer Ambition," is a great read.  It's also the third in the "Rachel Knight" series but newcomers (like myself) will have no trouble starting with this novel to enter Rachel's world.

Look for "Killer Ambition," or the first two books in the "Rachel Knight" series "Guilt by Association," and "Guilt by Degrees," at bookstores everywhere. 

Please note that I received no financial compensation for this review.  I received a complimentary ARC at Book Expo America where I had the privilege of getting my copy signed by Ms. Clark herself!

The Superlative BEA Experience

Rebecca T, Jenn N, Naomi Ruth
with our best friend Mr. Javits :)

Jenn N, Rebecca T, and NaomiRuth had such a blast at BEA this week! We met a lot of people, stood in a lot of lines, and snagged some great books (and stay tuned because we'll be sharing some of those with all of you guys!). We wanted to share some of our favorite moments so we decided to do the
BEA SUPERLATIVES!

Hold onto your hats cause here we go! And check out the end of the post for some pics we managed to snag with authors! (and pardon all the exclamation points! We were are a bit excited about everything :) (and the links will take you to the author/publisher's blog/website)

Author Categories
Best Dressed:
Emily White (nominated by NaomiRuth) [She had the sparkliest butterfly hairclip and her earrings were feathery :D]
Tim Gunn (nominated by Jenn N) Would you expect anything less from the Project Runway mentor? He wore a beautiful tailored suit and the coolest caramel colored shoes.  They looked like alligator but I couldn't tell for sure.
Peter Brown (nominated by Rebecca T) This is mainly because of his hat. It was fantastic (and looked good on him too :)

Most Energetic:
Mac Barnett (nominated by NaomiRuth) [he was absolutely hilarious]
Mike Mullin (nominated by Jenn N) He was signing copies of his novel Ashen Winter. In order to get an autographed book, he made you punch a yellow breakaway board and "earn it."
Obert Skye (nominated by Rebecca T) He is so friendly and outgoing and meeting him 2 years ago made me a fan without ever having read a word of his books. This year was the same. He sincerely seems to enjoy meeting everybody.

Most Anticipated:
R.L. Stine (nominated by Jenn N) I'd been dying to meet him since I first read the "Fear Street" series.
Shannon Hale (nominated by Rebecca T) I have loved her books forever and Rachelyons just started reading them, which reminded me how much I adore her style!
Shannon Messenger (nominated by Naomi T) [Because I knew her, or felt like I did, because of bloggy stuff, and I was so excited for her and it was so coooool]

Nicest Surprise:
Michael Buckley (nominated by Rebecca T and NaomiRuth) [He wasn't on the list and we found him anyway because we love him that much. You can't hide Buckley from us!] We thought he was signing a book for a new series, but then they handed out the newest Sisters Grimm and NaomiRuth and I literally jumped up and down squealing in the middle of the booth.
Tim Gunn - (nominated by Jenn N)  I expected him to be nice but he was so friendly and talkative, he made you feel more like a friend than mere fan.

Publisher Categories
Most Organized:
Penguin (nominated by NaomiRuth) [Their lines were organized, their booth was easy to navigate, and their people knew what they were doing. It was wonderful.]
HarperCollins (nominated by Rebecca T) When they did their Harper Teen signing they managed the line very well and the people kept everything organized and moving smoothly. It was pretty impressive.

Friendliest Staff:
Shadow Mountain (nominated by NaomiRuth) [Shadow Mountain has always been super nice and easy to talk to and I would totes work for them if I could finagle my way in. *plots* *evil grin*]
Lerner Publishing Group (nominated by Rebecca T) We went to one of their signings and the line was rather long and a bit awkward to manage, but they kept everyone in place and even moved the entire line to a new location very nicely. They were very pleasant and when we stopped by their booth at the end of the day on Thursday when no one else was around they offered us cupcakes which were amazingly delicious!
Ellora's Cave (nominated by Jenn N) They had great swag and funny, sexy men.

Best Selection of Giveaways:
Disney-Hyperion (nominated by NaomiRuth) [We passed by them numerous times and got some really good giveaways, books, posters, pins, etc.]
Hachette/Little Brown (nominated by Jenn N) Their YA imprint Poppy does many of my favorite reads.
Penguin (nominated by Rebecca T) They had a schedule for their galley giveaways and gave away a nice sampling of different titles over the course of the three days.

Best Tote Bag:
The Hobbit! (nominated by Rebecca T) The original cover on a green sturdy bag. Enough said!

I loved this button and immediately
pinned it on my lanyard.
I go so many comments on it!

Quirk Books with the adorable stack of books tote (nominated by NaomiRuth)


Miscellany Categories
Most Frequent Question:
What is this line for? (nominated by all 3 of us) The consensus seemed to be - if a line is long it must be for something really good. Or, people were just trying to figure out where the end was so they could join it!
Where did you get that button!? (nominated by Rebecca T)

Longest Line for a Signing:
Tim Gunn (nominated by Jenn N) He was well worth the wait!
Harper Teen - including Veronica Roth, Aprilynne Pike, Elizabeth Norris, and Bethany Griffin (nominated by NaomiRuth) [But the wait wasn't bad - we met some super cool people]
Lemony Snicket (nominated by Rebecca T) It was so long I didn't even wait in it. It crushed me to walk away since I'm rather obsessed with his books, but there were too many other authors at that time!

Strangest Encounter:
Another blogger introduced herself and her plush cat to me.  She told me her plush cat was some kind of demon who had more twitter followers than she did.  (nominated by Jenn N)

While standing in line for Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Extra Credit I commented to the woman in front of me in line that I was glad I wasn't the only one who was absurdly organized with spreadsheets and the like. We laughed about it and the way we had backups just in case we lost our hard copies. She noted my name badge and said she had just been on our blog and was the publicist that had recently e-mailed us about taking part in a blog tour! What a crazy, fun coincidence! It was so great to meet her in person! (nominated by Rebecca T)

Book We're Most Excited to Read:
Masque of the Red Death, by Bethany Griffin (nominated by NaomiRuth) [I would've picked In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz, but I'm already half-way through it so, I'll pick the other one because the cover is so pretty! And it looks good! And the author was so nice! Exclamation point!]
Ted Dekker's new book Forbidden (nominated by Rebecca T) NaomiRuth pointed this one out to me and I gasped and clasped it close! I can't wait to read it!
The Diviners by Libba Bray (nominated by Jenn N) I love the craziness of the prohibition era when this novel takes place and the supernatural undercurrent of this novel sounds really fun and different. 

NaomiRuth and Jackson Pearce

Rebecca T and Jackson Pearce
(had to get it from the front of the table
to keep the line moving. This is not a particularly
flattering angle for me but LOOK! AN AUTHOR!

Rebecca T and Maggie Stiefvater

NaomiRuth and Maggie Stiefvater
NaomiRuth manages to make table front posing
look rather normal.

Jenn N and Tim Gunn
"Make it work"

 NaomiRuth and John Hirsch

Jenn N (in blue) and her friend Jen (in coral)
with the men from Ellora's cave

Jenn N and R.L. Stine