Sunday, September 29, 2013

Catching Up: Three Quick Reviews

Today I’m doing some catching up with a few quick reviews.

     The first is a book I received as an advanced copy from the author. Gabrielle Prendergast runs VerseNovels.com and does a tremendous job supporting the genre, so I wanted to support her by spreading the word about her book, Audacious, (YA) which releases October 1st. I hadn’t read a novel in verse in a while and I think I was long overdue. I finished this one within a day.   
     From reading her blog posts, I know that Ms. Prendergast enjoys a bit of controversy. During Banned Book week she expressed the desire that her own novel would make the most challenged list one day. Given that a great deal of the story revolves around the C word, I’m betting she’ll get her wish. Although the story wasn’t really for me, I think the audience for verse novels is growing and there are plenty of readers out there who will feel differently.



     My second review is for Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon. The premise sounded unique: a 17-year-old cancer patient tries to get the most out of life while living out his final days in Hospice. I hunted down a copy of the ARC at BEA, even though it meant crossing the Javits Center more than once with critically aching feet. The writing was excellent, the boy voice rang true, and the story line kept me reading at a quick clip. I would have preferred more romance and less lustiness, but perhaps that’s more true to the teenage boy POV.




     Also at BEA, I picked up The Show Must Go On! By Kate Klise (for ages 7-10). I’ll be honest, I didn’t seek this one out, but someone handed it to me and I didn’t know how to say no. I recently decided to share it with my 8-year-old nephew and before giving it to him, I thought I’d read it, so we could discuss it later. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a lot of fun, with black and white line drawings throughout. It has humor. It has heart. It has a dastardly villain who the circus performers must band together to overcome. It uses wordplay and even incorporates a little math, as well as clever characters that young readers will root for. I hate to nag my nephew, but I’m dying to know what he thinks of it.
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , ,

30 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2013 at 2:44 AM

    Thanks for the mini review. Given the mismatch between the themes of the my book and your values, I think you were very gracious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MaureenSeptember 30, 2013 at 9:33 AM

    Wah! So many interesting books. I will check out The Show Must Go On for my daughter.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Barbara WatsonSeptember 30, 2013 at 10:59 AM

    The Show Must Go On sounds like such an intriguing mix of ideas and presentation!

    ReplyDelete
  4. S.P. BowersSeptember 30, 2013 at 1:06 PM

    Thanks for the heads up on these books. Someday I'll get to BEA...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Courtney ReneSeptember 30, 2013 at 1:24 PM

    The Show Must Go On sounds like a good pick for me too. Thanks for the review. Not as much time spent reading right now for me, but its nice to have a good book in the Que for when I actually have time.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Victoria LindstromSeptember 30, 2013 at 1:36 PM

    Thanks for the great reviews, Ruth. I'm also going to check out VerseNovels.com!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mirka BreenSeptember 30, 2013 at 2:35 PM

    As before, you reviews are honest, sober and respectful, Ruth. Thank you for these. Do let us know what your nephew has to say, because the line between adults reviewing and kids feedback in kid-lit is fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Karen LangeSeptember 30, 2013 at 3:11 PM

    Thanks for the reviews! I need to pass this on to my sister. Her youngest is 10 and she's always looking for good books.

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownSeptember 30, 2013 at 6:22 PM

    Thanks for the quick reviews! I think I'm going to check out Audacious. It sounds promising!

    ReplyDelete
  10. DMSSeptember 30, 2013 at 8:17 PM

    Thanks for sharing the book reviews! All of these books are new to me. I am a fan of Kate Klise- her books are so fun and witty. I like the drawings by her sister and her word play makes her books so fast and entertaining.

    ~Jess

    ReplyDelete
  11. Leandra WallaceSeptember 30, 2013 at 9:01 PM

    Argh, I'm so clueless, Ruth! I'm going to be sitting here all night wondering what the C word is, lol! I've not read any novels in verse. They just don't really appeal to me. But maybe if I found the right one?

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownOctober 1, 2013 at 7:55 AM

    I love your mini reviews - they're concise, honest, perceptive, and you always have something nice to say even if the book wasn't your cup of tea. Stories that take place in circuses or carnivals are fun, creepy and cool. I love them. Have a great week! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Susanna Leonard HillOctober 1, 2013 at 12:12 PM

    These sounds interesting, Ruth. I like your phrase "more romance less lustiness" :) I keep meaning to try a novel in verse... but I just never seem drawn to them...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Coleen PatrickOctober 1, 2013 at 4:05 PM

    Off to check these out! Thanks, Ruth. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Romance Book HavenOctober 1, 2013 at 5:01 PM

    Thanks for posting. You make it sound so interesting. Off to check out these books now...

    Nas

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousOctober 1, 2013 at 6:25 PM

    I'd love to read all of these, especially the first one since I love verse novels.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Crystal CollierOctober 2, 2013 at 10:25 AM

    Awesome. I was just asked some recommendations for middle grade readers, and now I have a few more to pass on. Super sweet reviews! How do you condense it so well? Wow.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sherry EllisOctober 2, 2013 at 9:46 PM

    The last one sounds really cute.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Elizabeth Varadan, AuthorOctober 3, 2013 at 1:36 AM

    Hi, I'm new to your blog, I came via Peaches' blog. I enjoyed these reviews. I've read a couple of novels in verse now, and was pleasantly surprised, as I thought they would be a strange read. The genre seems to be getting more popular, too. I especially like the sound of The Show Must Go On. That's gone on my TBR list.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Annalisa CrawfordOctober 3, 2013 at 4:42 AM

    I like the sound of Somebody Up There Hates You (and really love the title). I think if the protag is a teenage boy, you won't get much romance at all! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yanting GuehOctober 3, 2013 at 6:44 AM

    The Show Must Go On sounds good. I'd love to pick it up, and hope your nephew reads it soon! Few months ago, I read a YA book on cancer as well, John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. It was sad. It was funny. It was honest.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Karen StrongOctober 3, 2013 at 8:29 AM

    I have seen SOMEBODY UP THERE HATES YOU in the bookstore and the premise did sound good. Thanks for the review. I may put it on TBR list now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Robyn CampbellOctober 3, 2013 at 10:48 AM

    We loved The Fault in Our Stars! Ivy (our daughter) read it in like one day or something. Just a few hours. Now she's a HUGE John Green fan. Great reviews Ruth. The Show Must Go On is a book we'll be buying. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  24. Allyn StotzOctober 3, 2013 at 12:05 PM

    Thanks for the reviews, they all sound great! Never read a novel in verse but it sounds like something I might need to check out.

    ReplyDelete
  25. MorganOctober 3, 2013 at 12:25 PM

    Oooo... thanks for this post, Ruth! Perfect timing as I'm searching for my next read! :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. cleemckenzieOctober 4, 2013 at 11:35 AM

    BEA was very good to you, Ruth. All except your feet. :-) Somebody Up There Hates You was such a great read. I'm glad you mentioned it here.

    ReplyDelete
  27. MarciaOctober 4, 2013 at 3:09 PM

    Such a variety here! Thanks for sharing. :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. theartofpuroOctober 8, 2013 at 4:09 PM

    Thanks for this post:) Great reviews:)

    ReplyDelete
  29. D.E. MaloneOctober 8, 2013 at 4:17 PM

    Thanks for the reviews, Ruth. Somebody Up There Hates You sounds like it shares a similar premise with Chris Crutcher's book, Deadline.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Missed PeriodsOctober 10, 2013 at 6:54 PM

    I love the title "Somebody Up There Hates You."

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)