Bibliophile Support Group

It’s that time of year again, you fiendish book lovers! As always, I hope you had a Christmas full of happiness, warmth and BOOKS. Whether those books were wrapped up under your tree or bought with some gift cards! Hopefully you haven’t burned through ALL your disposable income, as this my sixth annual Stand-Out Books of the Year post! You know you’re going to want to check out my recommendations… Each year that I post this wrap-up, I seem to be recording less and less reading. Well, that is MOST certainly the case for 2015. Now not only do I have that same full-time job, but I have been doing overtime, went on a work trip and started college courses in September. In other words… yikes! Yet we must face that as we get older and gain more responsibilities and goals, well – our free time sharply declines. So you shall see that reflected in my numbers.   Also: I am only presenting 19 books as Stand-Out’s this year. Standard rules apply – the books I pos...

The World Within: A Novel of Emily Bronte is the YA historical fiction novel by Jane Eagland. Change is in the air. This is what worries Emily – as she loves spending all of her time with her sisters Charlotte and Anne, as well as her brother Branwell in their small, quiet village of Haworth. Their shared stories, often written down, spurs her imagination and takes her on grand adventures. But when her father falls ill and Charlotte is sent away to school, Emily’s world begins to crumble. Branwell seems less and less interested in his little sisters and Anne may not be as dependable as Emily once thought… The World Within: A Novel of Emily Bronte interested me in that I love historical fiction and I love Charlotte Bronte. I’ve never read Emily’s Wuthering Heights (though I do own it) and every time I start it I am put off by how much I dislike the characters. Yet I still thought this book may be intriguing. Sadly, Eagland’s presentation of Emily’s unknown childhood with her f...

TGIF, Bibliophiles! Grammarly.com has provided us with a fun flowchart to figure out who we should be sending a holiday card too. Enjoy!

The Game of Love and Death is a YA historical novel with a mythological twist by Martha Brockenbrough. Throughout the centuries Love and Death have selected their players for the great Game. And always, always, Death wins… This time new players have been carefully chosen as they lay as infants in 1920. One a white baby boy, Henry Bishop, adopted by a wealthy family with a secured future within their expectations. The other a black baby girl, Flora Saudade, orphaned almost as suddenly as she was born and to be raised by her grandmother. Neither knows of the Game they are now a part of. In 1937, Henry is looking to get a college scholarship during the Great Depression and Flora dreams of soaring the skies like Amelia Earhart while singing in her family’s jazz club at night. Their fateful meeting is the catalyst to a Game like no other. A Game that may take turns that even Love and Death do not foresee… The Game of Love and Death was an elegant, ambitious story told from ...

The Lost Track of Time is a debut middle grade novel by Paige Britt. With her mind full of ideas and bursting with imagination, Penelope has aspirations of being a writer. Yet her mother’s plans for her are quite different – and every minute of Penelope’s days are scheduled and planned, leaving no time for her dreaming since she must use time to be “productive.” But when the unexpected happens – a hole in her schedule lasting an entire day! – Penelope somehow falls into it. Suddenly she is in a wonderful place called the Realm of Possibility that is being destroyed by the Clockworkers, led by the villain Chronos. Thrust into a position where her imagination is desperately needed, Penelope begins an adventure like no other – looking to find the Great Moodler, the one person that can save the Realm of Possibility and answer her many, many questions. The Lost Track of Time was a charming, intelligent, warm novel of brilliant wordplay! Anyone who is familiar with my reading ha...

A Little Friendly Advice is a YA contemporary novel by Siobhan Vivian. When Ruby’s long absentee father shows up unexpectedly at her sixteenth birthday party, her old buried emotions come bubbling up to the surface. It hasn’t been that long that Ruby has been okay, or at least thought she was okay, with her father’s abrupt leaving of her and her mom. The experience had left little Ruby with a fractured childhood, warping her behavior in such a way that only time and her best friend Beth were able to get her through it. Yet with his sudden return, Ruby wonders how much of that messed up girl was just hidden away in the recesses of her mind – because she feels as though her life is spiraling out of control once again. So when Ruby gets the hell out of her apartment where her dad is standing, to try and enjoy what is left of her birthday, her friends – devoted Beth, daring Katherine and telltale Maria – have all sorts of advice and thoughts as to what she should do. It’s only w...

The Unnaturalists is a YA alt-Victorian steampunk novel by Tiffany Trent. Fascinated with her father’s work in the Museum of Unnatural History, Vespa Nyx enjoys spending her days cataloging the Unnatural creatures of their world. Yet her unusual hobby is growing less and less socially acceptable as she nears seventeen and is expected to be a respectable young lady with marriage prospects. Just when Vespa is beginning to sullenly accept her tedious fate, strange accidents begin to happen at the museum and she finds herself running into a young Tinker boy that believes she has a role to play in the future of New London – as a witch. But witchcraft is the worst possible violation in New London and punishable by death… As a fan of steampunk, I was very excited to read The Unnaturalists and had been wanting to for quite some time. Tiffany Trent excellently presents a fleshed out alternative world with magical creatures, various cultures and even a legend of how New London came ...

Sophomore Year is Greek to Me is a YA contemporary novel by Meredith Zeitlin. Growing up as a single child, raised by her dad in New York, Zona has never felt she was lacking anything. Since her mom died before she could remember her, the loss has never truly hurt – though she knows it has never left her dad. She has her close-knit friends, her new position as features editor at the high school paper and enjoys a trust-based, roommate type of relationship with her journalist father. When her dad tells her they are moving to Greece for six months for him to cover their economic crisis, Zona is upset for two reasons. One, she does not want to leave all she knows and loves in New York. Two, she knows that his work is not the only reason her dad is taking her to Greece. That is where her mother’s family lives. Her big family. Her big family that returned her father’s many letters and has never attempted to contact her in her entire teenage life. The big, Greek family she has no in...

As you lovely bibliophiles know, I am taking college courses now. It has left me with less time than ever to read and review books. Sometimes it really depresses me, but I know that it will pay off with time and that someday I will be reading more once again! In the meantime, this week there is sadly no new review! However, I do have some book industry related news and information to share that you'll hopefully be interested in! Firstly, author Jody Rawley's new YA Kindle novel Rapunzel in Control an international literary quarterly called Adelaide Magazine. This was a huge honor, as they rarely spotlight a YA *or* Kindle book! To see his excerpt click here . To browse the literary magazine for other interesting reading, explore here: http://adelaidemagazine.org/contributors.html Secondly, there is a Odyssey Writing Workshop starting three new online writing classes and a webinar in January 2016! The application deadline are in December, so you'll need to get to it ...

The Dead House is a YA contemporary psychological thriller by debut author Dawn Kurtagich. Two decades ago there was a fire at Elmbridge High, leaving dead and missing students. So much was unknown at the time, though fascination and mystery surround the now abandoned, condemned former boarding school. Then a diary is found among the rubble. It is not that of Carly Johnson, a primary focus in the initial investigation – a student who vanished without a trace. Instead it was written by Kaitlyn Johnson. Who is she? How is she related to Carly? Did she truly exist? This new information reopens the case – and an examination of the diary alongside gathered psychiatric reports, video footage, text message and emails creates a far more disturbing account than anyone expected… The Dead House is CREEPY. It’s been a while since I read a book that left me a bit unsettled each time I put it down to go to bed, go about my daily tasks, etc. But this one did it. Uh huh. CREEPY. ...

The School for Good and Evil: The Last Ever After is the final book in the middle grade fantasy trilogy by Soman Chainani. As a huge fan of The School for Good and Evil and The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes , I pre-ordered this last book. If you have not read the prior two books, I would strongly suggest avoiding this review for any potential spoilers – the books are too good to spoil!! I am trusting that you are not continuing to read unless you are already a fan… Back in Gavaldon, Agatha is happy that her prince, Tedros, is not really a prince in her hometown – and neither is she a future queen. Yet, very quickly, she begins to doubt their Ever After. Part of the problem is that Tedros and Agatha’s story has not truly finished yet – it is still being written. Their tale is still connected with Agatha’s old best friend, Sophie. Now enemies with Agatha, Sophie has embraced the now young School Master, whom has convinced her of their love and that love o...

Through Waters Deep is a Christian historical WWII era romance by Sarah Sundin. It is the first book in her Waves of Freedom series. In 1941 Massachusetts, Mary Stirling enjoys her position as Boston Navy Yard secretary – she excels at it but happily can avoid any particular attention in her role. There’s nothing she likes less than attention… When naval officer Ensign Jim Avery comes to Boston on a new assignment, they recognize each other as childhood friends – in fact, Mary clearly remembers Jim’s infatuation with her best friend. As their friendship and camaraderie grows, events take a darker turn – someone seems to be sabotaging the USS Atwood . Tensions are growing regarding the divided opinion on potentially entering into the new war… This is a dangerous time on the Boston shipyards… I have previously enjoyed Sarah Sundin’s Wings of Glory series, as they have a rich historical background with WWII. Unlike some other historical fiction romances that brush over detail...

The Masque of the Black Tulip is an adult historical novel with a contemporary mashup and the second in the Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig. Many years ago I read The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and enjoyed it. I am finally getting interested in continuing the series, which last I checked now has twelve novels and is not done yet!! I would definitely recommend reading The Secret History of the Pink Carnation first, as it introduces the reader to the fictionalized world of flowery espionage in England during the days of the Napoleonic wars. We also first meet our cast of characters in it. Though The Masque of the Black Tulip puts emphasis and focus on a different set of characters, they are within the same family and social circle. So, I still recommend reading it first. Okay, now onto deets of The Masque of the Black Tulip! Having discovered the shockingly delicious identity of the Pink Carnation, modern day graduate student Eloise has even more questions....