Holiday for Grown Ups: Funny Girls

Two books at the top of my holiday wish-list are Cool, Calm and Contentious by Merrill Markoe and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling.

I love funny books by funny ladies, and these two come highly recommended. (Here are some reviews, in case you’re on the fence about whether you want them too.)

Funny ladies are so in right now, with the success of Bride’s Maids and a slew of new female fronted comedies on the TV. If you’re looking for a gift, or if you’re into keeping all the good things for yourself, here are a couple of suggestions:

Review: Imaginary Girls

Author: Nova Ren Suma

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Series: n/a

Genre: YA, Mystery, Paranormal, Fantasy

Rating:  3.5/5  

Recommendation: Ages 14+

From Goodreads:

Chloe’s older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can’t be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby’s friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

First of all, how amazing is that cover? It’s gorgeous. I have a lot of feelings about this book.  Not all of them good. This book is one of the most difficult I’ve had to review. It’s an incredibly layered and complex read with lyrical, image heavy writing and a moody atmosphere.

Review: The Gray Wolf Throne

Author: Cinda Williams Chima

Publisher: Hyperion

Series: Seven Realms #3

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Rating:  4.5/5 

Recommendation: Ages 15+

Review: The Iron Thorn

Author: Caitlin Kittredge

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Series: Iron Codex #1

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Steampunk

Rating: DNF

Recommendation: I Don’t.

From Goodreads:

In the city of Lovecraft, the Proctors rule and a great Engine turns below the streets, grinding any resistance to their order to dust. The necrovirus is blamed for Lovecraft’s epidemic of madness, for the strange and eldritch creatures that roam the streets after dark, and for everything that the city leaders deem Heretical—born of the belief in magic and witchcraft. And for Aoife Grayson, her time is growing shorter by the day.

Aoife Grayson’s family is unique, in the worst way—every one of them, including her mother and her elder brother Conrad, has gone mad on their 16th birthday. And now, a ward of the state, and one of the only female students at the School of Engines, she is trying to pretend that her fate can be different

Waiting on Wednesday: The Space Between

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights books that we can’t WAIT to be released.

For my first WOW let me tell you about a book I’ve been DYING for. It comes out next week, so I don’t have to wait much longer, but trust me when I say that you should all be surprised that the anticipation hasn’t killed me yet.

A Long, Long Sleep

Author: Anna Sheehan

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Series: n/a

Genre: YA, Sci-fi

Rating:  4/5 

Recommendation: Ages 15+

From Goodreads:

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss. Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now, her parents and her first love are long gone, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire— is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat. Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes— or be left without any future at all.

My love for this book knows no bounds, it is one of the best things I’ve read in a very long time. Don’t be fooled however, it is neither as romantic or quite as action packed as the description would have you believe.I have a lot of feelings.

Aurelia

Author: Anne Osterlund

Publisher: Penguin

Series: Aurelia Series, #1

Genre: YA Fantasy (non-paranormal)

Rating:  3.5/5 

Recommendation: Ages 13+, Reading level 9/10th  grade, YA Fantasy Fans

From Good Reads:

Princess Aurelia is next in line to rule the kingdom of Tyralt, but she would rather be one of the common folk, free to learn and roam and . . . not marry the next tyrannical prince that comes courting. Naturally, the king wants Aurelia to marry for political power. Aurelia wants to marry for love. And someone in the kingdom wants her . . . dead. Assigned to investigate and protect Aurelia is Robert, the son of the king’s former royal spy and one of Aurelia’s oldest friends. As Aurelia and Robert slowly uncover clues as to who is threatening her, their friendship turns to romance. With everything possible on the line, her life, her kingdom, her heart, Aurelia is forced to take matters into her own hands, no matter the cost.

I actually quite like Aurelia, maybe more than my 3.5 rating suggests. I loved its potential. The potential of the world, characters, conflict, and story that Osterlund has built. I don’t think they’re fully realized here, but I have massive hopes for the sequel, which I can’t wait to read.