My tribute to our beloved Baxter Bear

I've been putting writing this off, which is funny because when we lost Topaz I wrote her post right away.  But every life is different, and so is every loss, and this one has been harder because it seemed so much less fair.  If you follow me on Twitter, then you know my Internet quiet has mostly stemmed from a seemingly innocuous incident on May 31st when Thurman and Baxter got a case of the runs, which for Baxter, quickly escalated to major health issues.  After a week and a half of seemingly good progress, lots of drugs and several involved specialist appointments we lost Baxter very, very suddenly on the morning of Tuesday June 21st.  After getting a little bit stressed from a follow up blood test, he had heart failure and within an hour we were saying goodbye.  It was shocking, he had been happy and hearty looking minutes before, and unlike Topaz (who we got to spend nearly 17 years with) Baxter was gone from our lives after only two short years.

Baxter had an incredible personality, and a story to match.  Our beautiful and brawny boy came to us as a foster towards the end of our three years of fostering with Annex Cat Rescue.  He was a trade for a foster we had had for a few months who was the first and only foster who hated our other cats.  It was the middle of a crazy thunder and lightening storm late in the evening of May 7th 2010, when a VW van pulled up outside our house.  The transport volunteer came to our door with Baxter loose in her arms (somehow there was no carrier available and nobody was worried because Baxter was so chill).  I was horrified that he'd been loose in her car and her arms in the middle of a storm that had all my cats cowering in our house.  We live next to a busy street, what if he got spooked?  But he just hung from her arms like he was chillaxing in a hammock on a summer day.

He was beautiful, with long, thick hair and tabby markings with a white skunk stripe and the whitest tummy.  And his personality was even more charming then his good looks.  He strolled into our home that first evening and never once hissed or swatted, not that night or any time thereafter, instead he walked up to Cheddar Cheese (our local Casanova) and started to sniff him and groom him.  Just like that, he was part of the family, there wasn't even a 15 minute adjustment period.  Even Topaz, the very ambivalent senior she'd become, was loved up by Baxter, who would cuddle up against her for long stretches of time. She had never let another cat do that, but she never once got annoyed with him.

We were all very much in love, so it seemed a given when Topaz died that we add him to the family.  I wanted him to be the good thing that came from her loss.  You see Baxter had a very trying start to his life.  Either born on the streets or dumped, Baxter became part of one of Annex Cat Rescues Feral Colonies in the Distillery District (a particularly dangerous feral colony in Toronto  because it's bordered by two major expressways) somewhere along the way. He was a difficult cat for our trappers to be able to catch for his TNR (trap, neuter and release). When they finally did, they realized he was far too sociable to be put back on the streets, unfortunately there were no foster homes available and though he tried his best to stay in the carrier he was released back to the colony and put on the list. A while later he was injured and caught again, and this time he was placed in a foster home. He was skinny and needed to be shaved from all his mattes, but he came around and settled in.

He was adopted, but his adoption was short lived as the woman who took him broke her contract with ACR and surrendered him to the Toronto Animal Services after only a few short months.  At that point in time there was a crisis in animal rescue in Toronto, as the Humane Society had been shut down with an animal welfare and cruelty investigation, and every available rescue in the city was overrun with pets who needed help.  Toronto Animal Services put Baxter on the list for immediate euthanasia, which he was only saved from by the microchip ACR had given him that was still listed to them.  The board got a call them they had 3 hours to pick him up, and my friend, and at the time the president, Gayle had to rush around to their various location trying to find him before it was too late.

Needless to say, our poor bear was a bit traumatised.  He needed a shave from matting, and was pretty slim.  He spent a few days with Gayle, then moved in with a fellow fosterer Catherine and became her first ever foster cat.  In the three months with her, his hair grew back out and he plumped up to the big bear we would always know him as.  In the emails prior to his arrival, Catherine had nothing but glowing things to say "He's a big guy, very laid back (he has added a very calming vibe to my home!) and he loves people- including strangers! He's the first cat that I've fostered and it's been a delight!"

So many dedicated volunteers with ACR had a role in Baxter's life through his trials and tribulations, I've always joked that I was communicating with his groupies.  From the moment I announced his adoption to the day I announced his death, any time I posted a picture or talked about him online, at least one ACR person would chime in to say how thrilled they were to see him so healthy and happy.  I had emails and facebook messages from all sorts of feeders, trappers, and other members asking how he was and wanting pictures.  The hubby and I took such joy from providing his fairy tale ending.

Baxter was one of those rescue cats who was eternally and constantly grateful for his new cushy circumstances.  He went out in our little backyard with the other cats (on his leash and harness), but he rarely stayed long, as his chaise lounge was calling him.  He loved snuggling and tummy rubs, kittens and toddlers (honest to god, he loved them), he greeted anyone who came into our home as an old friend.  He was incapable or simply didn't know how to meow, and instead he'd huff at you while bobbing his head.  Anytime you asked him a question he'd answer.  He had the cutest little provocative sashay when he walked, and he loved laying on his back, with his tummy in the air, at my feet while I cooked.  He was an incredible bed hog, and no matter how many times I shifted him I would always wake up with him taking over the entire bottom third of my side of the bed.

I've spent a lot of time sick this past year, and Baxter loved every minute of taking care of me. Sick=lots of long cuddles, and he would lay down on top of me and insist I don't move for as long as humanly possible.  With the hubby he liked to sit up in his arms like he was people.  They often read or watched movies this way, but I was never able to get it quite right so he'd just hunker down on me.  He was especially fond of the steroid tummy I developed over the past 8 months and was always very into standing on top of it and needing it vigorously.  I used to joke that he was helping me digest, it was desperately uncomfortable ( he was a big boy!) but he would purr loudly and I didn't have the heart to stop until he'd had a good 10 minutes or so.

He was a ray of sunshine that the hubby, me and the fuzzy kids will miss greatly.  Unlike when Topaz passed away, I'm unsure what to do.  Maybe we'll foster again, or maybe we'll adopt (kittens are totally therapeutic, and their own ray of sunshine as well), but for now we're all just trying to get used to our new quieter household. 

If Baxter's story pulls your heartstrings, then I would suggest considering adding Annex Cat Rescue to your list of charitable donations this year.  If it wasn't for their tireless work, and dedicated volunteers, Baxter would have had a considerably less happy outcome.  We may only have had two years with him, but they were great, and he was a very happy boy.

Underworld, by Meg Cabot- Review

From Goodreads:
Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead.

Not this time.

But she is being held against her will in the dim, twilit world between heaven and hell, where the spirits of the deceased wait before embarking upon their final journey.

Her captor, John Hayden, claims it’s for her own safety. Because not all the departed are dear. Some are so unhappy with where they ended up after leaving the Underworld, they’ve come back as Furies, intent on vengeance…on the one who sent them there and on the one whom he loves.

But while Pierce might be safe from the Furies in the Underworld, far worse dangers could be lurking for her there…and they might have more to do with its ruler than with his enemies.

And unless Pierce is careful, this time there’ll be no escape.

Like Abandon, Underworld did not end up telling a story I expected.  And although it had some mysterious elements and several new characters I didn't enjoy it as much as Abandon.  My main issue with Underworld was the way John and Pierce's relationship was developed.

Where in the first book Pierce stood her ground with John and refused to have him make choices for her without her consent or knowledge, in Underworld she is much more doe-eyed and forgiving.  She makes token complaints but is constantly turning around and cooing over him in a very love sick way.  And I'm talking serious relationship infractions involving life altering lies.  It became hard to believe Pierce didn't want to spend her life in the Underworld when every time John sudo tricked her into staying, she forgave him.  

John became further dis-likable to me with small details like how he "dressed" Pierce in clothes she didn't like but which he found her attractive in, and filled her closet with the same.  And I haven't even gotten into the whole locking her in her room thing, or demanding that none of the other occupants of their home speak to her.  Controlling much?

Although I gather from hearing Cabot speak about the books, that she was going for Bad Boy with John, I feel like she missed the mark in book two and started making him a full blown  Ass Wipe.  Words like abuse and unhealthy come to mind, and although the domineering man fantasy has its place in Romance for many women (I mean how many copies of 50 Shades have been sold by now?  Its starting to feel like one of those old school McDonald's signs "5 trillion sold!) I cringe at it being used in YA romance.  Teens who are actively imagining a torrent love life, if not already embarking on it hardly need to start idolizing unhealthy relationships.  God knows they have a life time to make those mistakes, why suggest they're normal and something to be coveted?

Besides it make Pierce 100% less unlikeable to me (and John too of course), she becomes so wishy washy, namby pamby.  Not at all what I'm looking for in my girl characters.  I like some backbone, sense of self and independence.

In the end, despite a hurricane bearing down on them, reveals about John's past and how it ties into the island, and the return of characters who continued to be enjoyable (Mr. Smith, and Kayla), I couldn't get past my issues with John and Pierce and enjoy the story.  As it stands I won't likely read the last part of the series, but I still recommend Abandon.  It works as a one off, and for me, was more enjoyable on its own.

Underworld, by Meg Cabot

Published by Point, May 2012

My copy kindly provided by Scholastic

Buy Underworld on Amazon

Abandon, by Meg Cabot- Review

Last year, at the This is Teen event in the Scholastic store in downtown Manhattan, I had the chance to see Meg Cabot, Maggie Stievfater and Libba Bray.  At the time I had only read Libba's books but all three of the ladies were so entertaining I was immediately tempted to buy all of their books.  The only thing that stopped me was my towering pile of BEA books waiting to be packed, back in our hotel room, and my escalating sense of doom that we would never get them all back to Toronto without a plane to our selves.

Flash forward to earlier this month when a timely delivery from Scholastic gave me the excuse I need to start this series already.

From Goodreads:
Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone... because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.
But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

I really liked the dynamic and pacing of book one.  Pierce's history is doled out in bits and pieces, and how John works into it is only slowly revealed.  There are whole conversations between them where you're not sure what they're referring too and it made for a fast paced, page turning read.  It also makes a nice twist on the love story angle, and I particularly liked the less than lovey dovey tension the two of them had going on.

The secondary story, of Pierce's family and some of the locals on the Island, was also intriguing, and I enjoyed seeing the world fleshed out beyond Pierce and John.  That being said, I thought Pierce's mom and dad got short shifted with their rich/angry/divorced pigeon hole, and wish they'd been developed into less stereo-typed stand ins and more characters of their own.

Abandon is an intriguing, modern day take on the Persephone myth, and Cabot has injected enough mystery and story twists to it to make it her own while still doffing her hat to the original.  From her talk I'd expected something very different from what I got, and certainly after reading The Goddess Test so recently it was nice to see at totally different angle on a retelling.  

Although it wasn't quite as strong as I had hoped, especially considering the company it was placed in at the This is Teen event, Abandon was enjoyable quick read.  If your looking for a good beach/hammock read this summer then I would definitely consider adding it to your list.

Abandon, by Meg Cabot

Published by Point, April 2011

Buy Abandon on Amazon

Insurgent, by Veronica Roth- Review and Giveaway!

From Goodreads:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Like everyone else, I rushed out on May 1st and bought Insurgent, then like half of the folks at BEA I then lined up for an hour and a half to get another copy (this time signed) from the lovely Veronica Roth herself.  Which means two things, one- obviously I loved it (spoiler alert!), and two- I really need to give you my extra copy, but only if you promise to come back and chat with me about how much you loved it. Deal?  I figure I owe you all after my two weeks of poor posting, even if I had really great reasons. 

So before I go any further here's the requisite ass covering.  If you have not read Divergent yet, do not read this review, as I will not be held responsible for any spolierage.  As per usual, I won't be telling you folks how it ends or anything, but if you're concerned cover your eyes and scroll to the colourful entry form at the end for the giveaway.  I promise not to take it personally, so long as you come back and gab with me once you've caught up and read Insurgent yourself.

I'm going to start by saying that Divergent had insane buzz, and although I really loved it, I didn't go as mad for it as many did.  That being said, I was waiting on Insurgent with baited breath, and not only did it beat the buzz of anticipation but I think it's safe to say I enjoyed it even more than Divergent.  Now possibly, it's because I hadn't spent a couple of months being told by everyone that I would love it in advance, or hearing it was "the next Hunger Games" (the next Harry Potter of Dystopian, but of course), but honestly I think it's because it's the stronger of the two books.

Tris was a struggle for me in book one.  She was kick ass in all the ways I generally love, but she often didn't have the heart I wanted her to have.  You might remember, from my Insurgent review, that I felt her friends reflected upon her badly, meaning they augmented my sense of her being too cut throat.  And in the end I felt like I liked Tris, but didn't love her.  Insurgent rectified a lot of that for me.  Watching Tris struggle with some of her decisions and then make ones that had decidedly more sentiment to them was rewarding.  And by the end Roth had firmly planted me in the "GO TRIS!" camp.

For me, Divergent was a love affair with Four, and I was worried how that would play out in Insurgent.  I was right to worry, the balance shifted and Four was definitely not the hero he was in Divergent, throughout book two.  However, I really enjoyed the shift in power between the two characters and I liked what it did to their relationship and I 100% loved the call out at the end.  If only more YA's would make such bold statements in their love stories.

Every bit as engrossing and edge-of-you-seat nail biting as the first book, Divergent was an excellent book two in a fast paced series.  The twist at the end was especially fantastic and now I'm eager to see how Roth will wrap up such a sweeping story in just one more book.

When I got my signed copy at the BEA I told Roth I loved Insurgent, and in fact preferred it to Divergent.  And when I told her I loved the end she said she was glad because it had been very controversial.  So now I'm dying to know, who among you didn't love the ending and why?  Please share in the comments.

Insurgent, by Veronica Roth
Published by HarperTeen, May 1 2011
Buy Insurgent on Amazon

Now on to the Giveaway!  Open to US and Canadian addresses (sorry international folks, it's a fat book), until Midnight on July 8th. 

What Happened to Goodbye, by Sarah Dessen- Review

From Goodreads:
Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.

Sarah Dessen is one of those writers whose books are guaranteed good reads for me.  Engrossing, enjoyable, and something I can sink my teeth into no matter what's going on.  I'd grabbed What Happened to Goodbye ages ago at a signing in Toronto, and I'd been waiting for the perfect moment to dig in.  When I got shingles I decided this had to be the thing I was saving this book for, because last time I treated myself to a little Sarah Dessen comfort was after my grandmother died in September, and if Dessen could get me through that then she could certainly entertain me through shingles.

I'm not sure I can totally explain what it is about Dessen's books that I enjoy so thoroughly, but since this is a review, I'm going to give it a try.  Without a doubt its how she writes her characters, they're sympathetic without being weak or needy, they're complicated but not angsty, they're teenagery but on the cusp of college so generally the more mature variety, they're intelligent and interesting but still totally relate-able.  In a much shorter statement, she writes great characters.  But she also writes solid stories.  They all boil down to discovering who you are and making it work, but with a mix of plot lines which can involve all sorts of somewhat crazy situations like meeting a pro-skate boarder, finding out your brother in-law created a mega social media site or having a father who flips restaurants for a living.  It works because her stories are always about the people, the rest is just set up.

But in the end I think what I love about Dessen's books is that they have heart.  People are good to one another, they make strange friendships and unlikely bonds, and things work out in the end.  Maybe not perfectly, but they work, and we all need stories that end well on occasion.

What Happened to Goodbye was all of these things.  McLean was another great female lead, a la Dessen, meaning she was both a fighter and a lover but not at all a pushover.  The way McLean's life is simultaneously falling apart and coming back together is both cathartic and engrossing, and the love interest twist (oh Dave!) was just the right note of sweet without being cloying.  The various side characters, and sub-plots were fun, and by the end of the book (as per usual) Dessen left me slightly nostalgic for a town and a group of people who don't really exist except for in the pages of her book.

Fun little bonus?  There's a tiny little cross over with the first ever Dessen book I read, Along for the Ride.

An excellent add on to your summer read list, What Happened to Goodbye won't disappoint the Dessen fans out there and will be a great introduction for new fans.

What Happened to Goodbye, Sarah Dessen
Published by Viking Juvenile, May 2011
Buy What Happened to Goodbye on Amazon

An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green- Review

Recently, in attempt to up my game, the hubby bought me two Pintz winners An Abundance of Katherine's and Where Things Come Back. After reading The Fault in Our Stars, I'm pretty sure John Green can do no wrong, so when the read-a-thon came around I decided An Abundance of Katherine's was the perfect starter book.

Listen, I have to tell you, I hate math. Math and I have been mortal enemies since grade two. Under any normal circumstances I would tell you a book involving math would not be my cup of tea, but John Green is a magician (see above surety that he can do no wrong), and he managed to make it clever and fun. Of course he's coupled it with a preposterous situation, a prodigy whose only dated Katherine's (and many of them), and his desire to create an equation to predict relationship success so he won't have his heart broken by any more of them. Of course he's also coupled the whole thing with humor and some seriously excellent supporting characters and an excellent road trip adventure.

A teenage prodigy, depressed from having his heart broken, is not a character anyone would want to read about for long, at least not on his own merit. Throw in Colin's best friend Hassan and suddenly it's an endlessly humorous situation.

About two weeks into class, Colin raised his hand and Ms Sorenstein said, " Yes Colin?" Colin was holding his hand underneath his glasses against his left eye, in obvious discomfort.

"May I be excused for a moment?" He asked.
"Is it important?"
"I think I have an eyelash in my pupillary sphincter," replied Colin, and the class erupted into laughter...
After class Hassan found Colin eating a peanut butter and no jelly sandwich on the wide stone staircase at the school's back entrance.
"Look." Hassan said. "This is my nineth day at a school in my entire life, and yet somehow I have already grasped what you can and cannot say. And you cannot say anything about your own sphincter."
"It's part of your eye," Colin said defensively. "I was being clever."
"Listen, dude. You gotta know your audience. That bit would kill at an opthamologist convention, but in calculus class, everybody's just wondering how the hell you got an eyelash there."
And so they were friends.

Hassan and Colin have an excellent dynamic, with Colin being largely socially inept and Hassan filling in as his go-between much like Sherlock Holmes and Watson.  They make a fun and lovable duo, where I can't imagine one without the other.  That being said, Green fills An Abundance of Katherines with great side characters like Lindsey and her mother Hollis, and a variety of intriguing folks form their small town. 

Besides being funny and clever, An Abundance of Katherine's won me over for its distinctive messaging about being 100%, unapologetically yourself, and loving it.  Green has written some decidedly non-conformist, socially awkward teens, they don't find easy popularity or have magical endings with hot girlfriends and all the answers to life, but they not only accept who they are, they thrive on it.  It was absolutely delightful to read, and as much as I want to announce all YA should aspire to similar ideals (they should), I have to say its as much about how Green writes it, as it is about what he writes.
An Abundance of Katherine's, by John Green
Published by Dutten Juvenile, September 2006
Pintz winner
Buy An Abundance of Katherines on Amazon

The Big BEA and Life These Past Two Weeks Recap

A year ago this Wednesday I started the most insane run of bad luck ever.  It started with a bike accident, you might remember how I did some serious damage to my face, my left hand, and both of my knees, and couldn't eat, type or walk, and could barely hold a book.  Shortly after that I came out of 13 years of remission for my Rheumatoid Arthritis, then at the end of the summer my grandma died, and a week later the hubbies grandpa died (both in Saskatchewan).  In November I got called for jury duty, and by early January my Rheumatoid Arthritis had gotten so bad I could barely dress myself. In April I got shingles, and then the day before the hubby and I were supposed to leave for the BEA Baxter and Thurman got sick.

Turns out Baxter has a previously undiagnosed genetic heart defect, which had gotten quite serious, and the vet wasn't sure he was going to make it through the weekend.  We cancelled the trip, and except for a couple of tweets and a header for the blog apologizing for the mess and confusion I went offline.

But I'm here with good news!  Baxter is doing well, it's impossible to say if he'll live 4 months or 6 more years at this point but we're committed to making every moment count and enjoying his company.  He's heavily medicated and being carefully monitored so fingers crossed that he'll beat the odds and have a long and healthy life (the crazy unlucky bit here is I've had 3 other cats with this heart condition and only Topaz lived past 6 years old, Baxter is currently 6).  The other good news was that since Baxter was rallying and the big BEA trip was what had gotten me through all the unpleasantness of the past year the hubby made the executive decision that I was flying out to New York on Monday morning, and booked my hotel so that I couldn't back out.  Within just a few hours I was at the airport and on my way.  It's maybe the craziest, last minute, seat of my pants travel I've ever been on.  And just like that I was in New York!

The Internet at my hotel was the pits though, so hence my further lack of Internet presence outside of previously scheduled posts.

I missed the Blogging Conference, which was unfortunate (I was really looking forward to meeting The Bloggess, my new personal hero), but word was that it was much the same as last year and a lot of the speakers were not actually book review bloggers so the info wasn't particularly relevant.  For my first night I stayed at The Gem hotel, a sweet little boutique hotel 2 blocks away from the Javits Centre.  I highly recommend it.  It was a great price, had excellent customer service and was a nice, quiet room (with working Internet, included in the price!).  And did I mention it was TWO BLOCKS away from Javits?? Amazing.  Unfortunately I cancelled our reservation on Saturday and by Monday they had filled it, so I was only able to stay the one night.

Maggie Stiefvater

Tuesday

Julie Kagawa

I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:30am, a good half hour before I planned on getting up, a true sign I was BEA excited.  I headed over to Javits, got my suitcase checked, picked up breakfast then promptly started running into blogging friends who were no longer expecting me.  There were many hugs, and to my great delight everyone's first words were "How's Baxter?", which only further confirmed to me, these are my people.  I took it relatively easy the first day, only ending up with less than 20 books, and I took an hour and a half mid-day to change hotels.  The highlights included getting my hands on a copy of The Diviners (Libba Brays newest book!), meeting Maggie Stiefvater (who actually told me she hoped I liked Raven Boys, to which I laughed and told her she was crazy if she thought I wouldn't), and meeting Julie Kagawa (who was also super lovely and we chatted about her training her chickens, didn't I tell you? These ARE my people!).

mmm Shake Shack!

Michelle Hodkin

At the end of the day, I rushed back to the hotel, ate some of my favourite NYC food (shake shack baby!) and then cabbed it downtown for the Teen Author Carnival.  I missed the first half of the first session because of the dinner break (but since I hadn't eaten since breakfast it seemed rather imperative), but I took in the second session which was about Kick Ass Characters (I'll have a full write up about that and the other evening author signing I went to tomorrow).  I had the worst time picking sessions since there was an over abundance of spectacular authors there, but since kick ass characters are my ultimate favourite I thought I'd go with topic over authors (though Barry Lyga, and Jackson Pierce were in my panel which was amazing).  Afterwards I bought The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (starting my foray into duplicates for this trip, but come on! So many great signatures!), and went upstairs and had a great gab with the charming Michelle Hodkin, who is also my people as we talked animal rescue (as we often do on twitter) and how Baxter was doing.

Wednesday

Wednesday morning was the Random House Power Reader Breakfast.  I was starting to feel the BEA fatigue setting in, and wasn't nearly as bright eyed and bushy tailed, with considerably sorer feet and shoulders, as expected.  I was super lazy and took a cab the 10 blocks up (have to baby those feet when you can!) and was promptly rewarded with a delicious array of food and a cappuccino.  I ran into a bevy of twitter/blogging friends including Jenn of Jenns Bookshelves, Jennifer of Lit Housewife and Candace of Beth Fish Reads, and we gabbed books, gardens and our respective trips into NYC while eating our way through breakfast delicacies.  There was a brief chat by two forthcoming Random House authors: Nate Berkus and  Charles Duhigg, then it hit 9 and the party started to break up to commence another marathon Javits day.

Elizabeth Norris, Veronica Roth, Bethany Griffin and Aprilynne Pike

I decided to camp out in a couple of the long lines Wednesday, for some of the group signings.  Although it meant less time tramping the floor I got a number of great books by authors I really enjoy, all signed.  The other huge perk was getting to sit on my camp stool a lot and having some much needed foot rest and some slightly more regular meals. So win, win all around.  Amy from Amy Reads was floating around Wednesday and we texted back and forth and met up several times between signings and coffee meet ups.

Brandon Mull

Highlights of the day included meeting Veronica Roth, who I told I loved the direction she took with the ending of Insurgent (she said she was glad because it had been controversial. Obviously I need to pay more attention to the interwebs because I'd totally missed that and am wondering why), meeting Jonathan Maberry (who was lovely, and had exciting news which I won't disclose since he said it was top secret), and Brandon Mull (who I had to compliment on the worlds best battle cry "Frito-lay!", which lead to a great conversation about how much the hubs and I loved Fablehaven and how much we were currently enjoying the Beyonders, which made him very happy and lead to him telling me how he's finished the final Beyonders now and that he's really excited about it and thinks it's the most epic ending he's written- to which his editor agreed).

That night I joined up with Amy and Alix of Romance Book Forum, and had fabulous free truck tacos (sounds sketchy but was instead fantastic on so many levels) and then hit the Penguin Bird Bash and the indie Pub night party with the smaller presses.  I have to say, I've never been in a club with so many book people before, it was pretty funny.  Amy introduced me to Alex Stone who she met at the Harper Collins party Monday night.  He's a magician whose book Fooling Houdini comes out in 8 days.  Can I just say? Hanging out with a magician is fun, though in all likely hood Alix's comment to Alex's tricks "I'd be more impressed if he did it naked" seems to have gone down in BEA history already as one of those classic moments (sort of like the biter last year actually, you know, the type of moment everyone hears about and remembers).

Thursday
Thursday morning found a very tired me staggering out of bed with very sore feet and shoulders, and staggering all the way to the Javits in a very half asleep fashion.  I was roundly rewarded for my efforts though by a significantly quieter day on the floor (despite the fear of all attending about the 1000 power readers that were set to show up Thursday.  For the record I only spotted 2).  I finally found the Quirk booth, which I had been hunting for all week, had a lovely chat with the Edgemount folks, who I also had troubles finding earlier and went to several very exciting signings.  Among them, Kristin Cashore!! Who blew through an incredibly long line in a record amount of time and still took time to chat to each of us, as well as Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton and Brenna Yovanoff who were signing their very popular compilation The Curiosities from their Merry Sisters of Fate website.

Thursday night, after a decent late lunch and brief rest at the hotel, I headed out to Bryant Park and the main branch of the New York Public Library.  I've been before, but had never seen the Children's book room.  Since it was only a few blocks from the hotel it seemed like a good quick outing, and for the record was the second NYC library branch visited this trip (talk about a bookish binge).  I was thrilled to see they still had the book bag I had coveted off their website three years ago, and even better yet, now it was on sale!  So I grabbed one, headed back to the hotel to switch it out from my purse (way more comfortable on my poor shoulder!) and then headed down to Books of Wonder for the 2012k signing.

The talk was relatively brief, and each of the authors either talked a bit about their book or read a bit from their book and then there was a really nice, laid back, signing. I had a great little chit chat with Meredith Zeitlin (author of Freshman Year and other Unnatural Disasters), and A.C Gaughen (author of the much raved about Scarlet).  Yes, I bought Scarlet, and then I had dinner in Union square while watching a band, and THEN I went to The Strand, where I was very well behaved and only bought 4 books.  I would congratulate myself but to be honest I think I was finally starting to hit book acquiring burn out (shocking, I know) and was also starting to have heart palpitations about packing all these buggers without the help of my clever husband.

Friday
Friday morning I spent two hours organizing myself and packing (which I managed pretty well, and not only fit everything I wanted but also got everything home undamaged!), and then took off for the Met to see the Schiaparelli and Prada: impossible conversations exhibit, which was spectacular.  I finished off the day with a small walk through Central Park before heading to the hotel for what was to become the most stressful attempt to make a flight I've ever had in my life.  Despite the best efforts of the most appalling customer service ever at the Marquis Marriott hotel, and one of the single worst cabbies in the history of NYC, I manage to make it out on my 8:10 flight for Toronto.  Thank god for the amazingly flexible folks at Porter Airlines, who were both kind and generous with me- I made a flight I technically wasn't in time for, and with additional checked bags that were overweight! AND while semi hysterical from my two hour foray trying to get to Newark on time, and while having to pee so bad I could barely stand still.  In all honesty I don't know how I made it through security without getting pulled aside for a full body cavity search, I must have seemed insane.  Also thank god for the very large glass of wine Porter handed me as soon as we were at cruising altitude.

In the end I brought home 79 books (already arranged on my shelf by release date! Though I've had to start doubling up books on shelves, cringe), and had another wonderful time.  I've met a bevy of wonderful new bloggers, and many of my favourite authors, many of whom I feel like I know from Twitter, but who I loved meeting in person at long last.  Like last year, BEA was the ultimate extravaganza for book lovers to get together and do what they like best, gab books and socialize.  I'm not likely to go next year, but if you haven't been before I highly recommend thinking about putting it into your travel plans.

Now it time to catch up on some reading and blogging!

Between the Lines, by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer- Review

From Goodreads:
What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

I've never read a Jodi Picoult novel before, but to say there has been buzz in anticipation of this, her first YA novel,  would be an understatment.  So when it popped up in my mailbox a few weeks ago, from the lovely folks at Simon and Schuster, I was excited to give it a go.

The story premise is a cute concept.  Delilah will be immediately recognizable to most readers as themselves at a younger age, and the longing to be swept into the story one readers of any age or genre will be able to sympathize with.  I also like the fun Picoult had with the characters in their "down time",  Socks won't play his part because he thinks he has a zit (he's Olivers horse), or the villains love for baking and painting.

The big downfall of Between the Lines for me was the age group it was trying to reach.  This didn't feel like a YA book to me so much as a MG novel, and unlike MG novels like Riordan's or Mull's, Between the lines did not feel like a novel that could bridge the gap between 12 year olds and 15 year olds.  Too much of the story was over simplified for precocious or older readers.   Delilah and Oliver are too immediately and desperately in love, there are too many references, from a very early point in the story, about how they can't loose each other or be without the other.   Complex situations arise for dramatic or story progression reasons that are then discarded or too easily resolved.  For instance Delilah's mom gets concerned about Delilah talking to a book and takes her to a shrink, which goes very badly, but doesn't have any consequences- even after the shrink expresses concern, leaves the office and then comes back to find her with the book sopping wet and all indications that she had dumped it into his fish tank.

In the end I think this story would have worked a lot better for a younger audience, and although there are a few moments that might be inappropriate or over the head of a younger reader, feminist mermaids, and Oliver's confession that although Seraphima is too vacant for him to actually be interested in she's hot enough that the kissing scenes aren't torture, immediately come to mind- I would think the average 7-9 year old girl would get a big kick out this story.  Maybe as an edited read aloud?

Between the Lines, by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Published by Simon and Schuster, June 26th 2012
My copy kindly provided by the publisher
Buy Between the Lines on Amazon

Ladies in Waiting, by Laura L. Sullivan- Review

From Goodreads:
Eliza dreams of being a playwright for the king’s theater, where she will be admired for her witty turns of phrase rather than her father’s wealth. Beth is beautiful as the day but poor as a church mouse, so she must marry well, despite her love for her childhood sweetheart. Zabby comes to England to further her scientific studies—and ends up saving the life of King Charles II. Soon her friendship with him becomes a dangerous, impossible obsession. Though she knows she should stay away from the young, handsome king, Charles has a new bride, Queen Catherine, and a queen needs ladies in waiting. And so Zabby, Beth, and Eliza, three Elizabeths from very different walks of life, find themselves at the center of the most scandal-filled court that England has ever seen.

I love history, and although I had read about Charles II in relation to Cromwell, I didn't know much about his reign after Cromwell's fall.  So when Ladies in Waiting came up on Houghton Mifflins spring titles list I was eager to give it a try.

Filled to the brim with well researched information and fascinating tidbits, Ladies in Waiting did not disappoint in the historical department.  A very great deal of the historical details focused on girls and their very cloistered/controlled lives and Sullivan is very no-nonsense about spelling it out for the reader.

Her father had given him permission to try for her hand, leaving them alone with only a maidservant within, for propriety, and a liveried footman without, in case he should try to claim his prize by force.  Now, that was a though, he mused.  It had certainly been done before, though mostly through abduction.  Still, if he managed to spoil the goods here on the chaise, she and her father would probably agree to let him buy what remained...

What her father had proposed was not strictly speaking legal, but it was a common enough occurrence.  Young girls with fortunes were cajoled, coerced and yes, even abducted into giving themselves and their fortunes.  And most of the time, at least one parent was complicit.  Marriages were arranged, and though in theory consent was necessary, in practice a proposal was less a case of will you? than you will.

For many readers it will be an eye-opening experience, even for those who thought they understood the limited lives of women.  Many people don't realize the strange combination of limits and freedoms for the rich and noble women, especially those living at court where scandal, seduction and politics all lived hand in hand.  Ladies in Waiting beautifully illustrated this dynamic in a very realistic way.

However, the actual story of Ladies in Waiting left me both a bit confused and frustrated.  For starters, it's told in a very confusing Omnipotent point of view, often shifting mid-paragraph from one persons point of view to another which frequently left me back tracking trying to figure out what just happened.  It would have been much more effective for me if it had been a shifting first person POV that changed chapter to chapter, or if it had stuck to just one of the girls POV, at no point did the Omnipotent POV make enough of a difference to the telling of the story to warrant it's use.

My other complaint about this otherwise well researched book, was how each of the three girls focused on, were each a wildly exceptional circumstance.  Zabby, from the Barbados, is scientific and brilliant, she has been allowed to run around in pants and explore and she's come to London , not to find a husband, but to further her studies.  Eliza is a very rich merchant's daughter, who has been sent to court to make a noble match, she is a playwright and a free spirit.  Beth is a stunning beauty whose family has been ruined by her father, she has a title but is penniless and is dogged by a syphilis ravaged, monster of a mother.  Each girl is such an extreme of an already unusual situation that I found it very difficult to take them seriously, especially when taken within the confines of a well researched historical novel.  By the end each girls story had taken such a ridiculous turn it was bordering on bizarre, and I was left completely put off by the whole thing. 

A highly researched historical YA, that fell short for me in both its strange omnipotent POV and even more bizarre fictional adventures, I'm not sure what the intention for Ladies in Waiting was, but it missed the mark in my books.

Ladies in Waiting, by Laura L. Sullivan
Published by Houghton Mifflin, May 8th, 2012
My copy provided by the publisher
Buy Ladies in Waiting on Amazon

BEA Books Review Recaps

In addition to the books I've just recently read (see this weeks earlier posts, The Name of the Star, and Bitterblue) there are a handful of books I've reviewed in the past year that are also going to be at the BEA.  So in case you're on the fence about something, or you missed my earlier reviews I thought I'd have a quick recap of some of my faves.

The Immortal Rules, by Julie Kagawa
A fantastic new spin on Vampires and post apocalyptic stories, Julie has set the stage for a gripping new series and a to-die-for new kick ass heroine.  I reviewed this fab book back in March, and could hardly contain my gushyness. I will totally be fan girling on Julie both at the Book Blogging Conference and her autographing sessions! In booth signing Tuesday June 5th, 11:00am-11:45 booth 3739, and Booth 26 (autographing area) Wednesday June 6th 4-5pm.

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
YOU WILL FEEL ALL OF THE THINGS, and you will cry.  But you will also laugh, and it will be great, I promise you.  I reviewed The Fault in Our Stars back in January and could not say enough good things about it.  My copy was one of the pre-signed ones, so I won't camp out for tickets to Johns autographing session this week.  However, I will troll by to get a look at this fantastically heart-breaking author. Wednesday June 6th, booth 26 (autographing area) 10:30-11:30.

Legend, by Marie Lu
A BEA book from last year which had tremendous buzz, Legend's sequel, Prodigy is going to be at the BEA this year.  I reviewed Legend back in January, it was really the first of several dystopians to get me out of my dystopian blahs from this past fall. Marie Lu will be signing in booth Wednesday June 6th from 12:30-1:30.

Croak, by Gina Damico

Super fun debut Croak, was part of my Giving me the Creeps October posts, super in advance of it's March 20th release date.  Damico will be at BEA this year signing part two of her series, Scorch, which I can hardly wait to get my hands on!  Also, I really want to meet the wacky and zany Damico, who will live in memory for me, as being the woman who tweeted a photo of a fairy penis to Meggie Steifvater.  For real.  From a penis museum. LOVE IT.  Gina will be signing Scorch and Croak in booth 20 (autographing area) on Wednesday June 6th from 3-4pm.


Not going to be BEA'ing it up? The great news is these books are ALL in stores now.  So go ahead and treat yourself to a "I'm not going to BEA, I deserve a book" read.

Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore- Review

From Goodreads:
Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Long, long ago, in the very beginnings of this blog, I read Graceling and Fire, and loved them.  Kick ass heroines, great stories, all sorts of heart, beautiful covers, what more could you want?  They were my favorite kind of fantasy and reminded me of my beloved Tamora Pierce in all the very best ways.  After completing them I jumped on Cashore's blog to see what was next only to discover she was writing a third book in the same world called Bitterblue. Exciting!

After three years of missed release dates, blog silences and other mysterious non-news about Bitterblue there was suddenly a PW article that explained it all, hallelujah!  Cashores many rabid fans waited for its release, earlier this month, with baited breath. Could it live up to this level of anticipation?  The cover was beautiful, and matched the rest of the series (yay!), but would the story live up to three years of burning want of more?

In short, yes.

Bitterblue was the perfect final piece, to a masterfully crafted trilogy.  Billed as sequels, prequels and companion books, but never as a series, I think it's most true to say these three books should be read as a closed set- whatever you want to call it.  Chronologically you would read them in the order of Fire, Graceling and then Bitterblue but Graceling and Fire could be read in either order, so long as you finished off with Bitterblue as it's really the concluding piece to the puzzle.

Once again Cashore has written a fantastic leading girl.  Bitterblue is empathetic, smart, cool under pressure and is quickly becoming a formidable ruler.  Yet unlike Fire or Katsa, Bitterblue has no extraordinary powers, which I particularly loved about her.  She's not fantastically beautiful, or unbelievably clever, there's no sweeping love story or secret discovery that she's graced, she's just a girl trying to be good at the job she was born to do, and correct the horrible things her father has done to her country.  She's such an every girl, whose surrounded by the extraordinary and yet somehow Cashore has made her extraordinary in her ordinariness.  It's unbelievably delightful.

Po, Katsa, Fire and a whole host of other characters make either cameos or extended jaunts through the story, which is also thoroughly rewarding.  Cashore delves further into some of their personalities and relationships, revealing all sorts of hotly contested and wondered things, and just generally giving us more of all the characters you've grown to love.  I especially loved how she drew together the Dells and Fire to Bitterblue and the impact it has on everyone as they discover Leck's origins.

Best of all? Dial has packaged this masterpiece up in an astoundingly beautiful way.  People were commenting on how gorgeous my book was, continually, as I read it.  And it is, but it's also clever, oh so clever.  The beautiful exterior blue cover with the mysterious three keys, that matches the previous two covers, but underneath it's a rich dark purple- with a mysterious solitary key.  I have a theory which I'll share in the comments if you're interested, since it's totally spoilery. I'm not sure I've ever read a book whose cover and binding alludes to secrets in the story or are in any way particularly clever, but  I love it!  I want more of it!  The inside of the book is also gorgeous, with maps and all sorts of chapter art all in the same dark purple.

I finished Bitterblue with a big and contented sigh. It was everything I'd hoped for and more.  If you haven't read these three books then you're missing out on some of the best in YA fantasy currently available.  You're also missing out on some of the best YA heroines you could possibly read about.  Basically, you're missing out, so don't. 

And YES! I almost flipped out when I realised Kristin would be at the BEA this year!! Signing Bitterblue!  WELL, guess whose obviously getting another copy?!  Wednesday June 6th, she's signing in-booth from 11am-12, and then again at the autographing area from 10:30-11:30am on Thursday June 7th at table 4.  Will I see you there?

Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore
Published by Dial, May 1st, 2012
Buy Bitterblue on Amazon

The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson- Review

Maureen Johnson, super voice of YA lit, Twitter goddess, YA Saves founder, and until recently, totally non-represented on my bookshelves.  In fact, although I knew who she was, followed her on Twitter, and was generally amused by her antics, until the release of her latest book The Name of the Star, I had had no burning need to dive into her work.  But from the moment The Name of the Star hit shelves I knew I wanted to read it, so although it took me months to get to it, I bought it almost as soon as it released and then prayed to god it wouldn't end up in paperback before I got to it (always super embarrassing when that happens. YES, I have a problem. Obviously).  So when the Dewey Readathon swept around in April my first add on to my readathon list was NOTS, because nothing says late night reading like a bit of Jack the Ripper YA!

From Goodreads:
The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London, it's the start of a new life at a boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

The book opens with a great creepy scene stealer and then flips to Rory's somewhat bland arrival in London for her first year in boarding school.  I loved how Johnson jumped right into the action and how she played it out into Rory's arrival so that her trip is immediately tainted by Ripper mania, there's nothing better than a story that has you jump in with both feet right in the outset.  Also, it was dark and late and I was alone in my living room and I was already getting too creeped out to use the bathroom.  This was exactly what I was looking for!

NOTS isn't unrelentingly creepy though, which is good because I'm a bit of pansy when it comes to creepy things, there is a lot of great humor too.

"She's really fine," Boo said.  "Probably some period thing.  I go completely mental too.  Period fever.  It's the worst."
This effectively killed all conversation for a while...
"Fixed that," she said.
"You told him I had period fever," I replied.  "There's no such thing as period fever."
"No such thing as ghots either."
"No, there is really no such thing as period fever.  There's a difference between being a guy and being an idiot."

I mean, if you follow Johnson on Twitter you'd be disappointed if there weren't a few giggles, but I was relieved none the less.  I was especially entertained by some of the American/English jokes.

"Formal?" I said.
"Fancy dress means costumes," Jazza said.
It was clearly one of those mornings when I was particularly American.  That happens sometimes.

As someone who moved across the country, started a new school and lived in residence I can tell you that Johnson also hit the nail dead on with a whole host of the details.  Small things like Rory's comments about her "two incredibly large suitcases, both of which were heavier than I was and were marked with big orange tags that said HEAVY.", or many of the moments of culture shock were so familiar to me from my own experience that it had to have come from first hand experiences of her own.  Or she's crazy psychic, which is distinctly possible.  What I'm getting at here is that although it's a creepy ghost story with funny moments, Johnson has kept it firmly footed in the relatable world of the real, so that at no point was I pfting situations and thinking- Um? Hello? That's so make believe.

In the end I thoroughly enjoyed The Name of the Star, and can hardly wait for book two in the series to come out.  Also?  I've become a teeny bit fan girly and can't wait to see Maureen at the BEA this week (Wednesday 12:30-1! Booth 4), though I'm thoroughly disappointed it that there's no sneak peek at book 2. It's really going to be embarrassing this year how many books I'm going to get second copies of because I want them signed.  Thank god for the car!

The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson
Published by Putnam Juvenile, September 29th, 2011
Buy The Name of the Star on Amazon