The Bughouse Affair

The Bughouse Affair: A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery (Carpente #1)
by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini
Forge Books, 2013. 272 pgs. Mystery.

Muller and Pronzini, both well-established mystery authors in their own right, team up to bring us the Carpenter and Quincannon mysteries. John Quincannon, and ex-Secret Service operative, joins up with Sabina Carpenter, a former Pinkerton agent, to form a private investigation bureau in 1890s San Francisco. While Carpenter chases a pickpocket who uses brutal means to get the gold, Quincannon finds himself staking out the homes of wealthy businessmen in search of an elusive, and deadly, housebreaker. But Carpenter and Quincannon will soon find that their two cases may not be as separate as they believe. And is the man who is always hanging around really the notorious (and probably fictional) Sherlock Holmes?

As a first joint effort, this book was not bad. The use of 1890s slang was really forced and often made the narrative hard to follow. (I, for one, still could not tell you what exactly a "bughouse" is.) But, overall, it was an amusing book and I would be excited to see the second in the series, especially if they toned down the detective slang a lot.

JH

Daddy's Gone A Hunting

Daddy's Gone A Hunting
By Mary Higgins Clark
Simon & Schuster, 2013. 338 pgs. Mystery.

When Kate Connelly, a promising CPA in a well-to-do firm, is found unconscious at the scene of an explosion at the family's antique furniture store, police suspect that she deliberately set the fire as a vendetta against her estranged father. Her sister, Hannah, senses that there is something more at the bottom of this. Will her questions serve to exonerate Kate, or will they only awaken demons that have been hidden since she was a little girl?

I will admit that I stopped reading Mary Higgins Clark years ago because I felt her books had become too formulaic and predictable. I picked this up on a whim and really found myself enjoying the book. It had all the things I had loved years ago about Mary Higgins Clark (the excitement, the adventure the mystery), but came off as less a formula book than her previous books had been. Overall, a fun, quick read.

JH

Masters of the Word: How Media Shaped History

Masters of the Word: How Media Shaped History
By William J. Bernstein
Grove Press, 2013. 448 pgs. Nonfiction.

In this his second book, Bernstein examines how writing, printing, literacy and media - and the access the common man has had to all of them - have impacted society through the ages, starting thousands of years ago in Mesopotamia and traveling up to the present day and the influx of digital media.

Bernstein presents an interesting concept: the idea that media and literacy are about power. He shows, time and again, how governments and regimes have exploited the use of media or controlled education and literacy in order to maintain power over the populace. At the same time, counter-revolutionary groups have learned that in order to combat controlling regimes, they must acquire use of media and increase literacy among the common man.

The facts Bernstein presents are interesting and serve well to support his thesis. He has clearly researched the rise and use of media extensively and is able to give a clear description not only of the history but of the motivations behind all the happenings he describes. This is a great book for anyone interested in how past innovations have changed history and are still affecting our world today.

JH

The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs

The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs
By Dana Bate
Hyperion, 2013. 320 pgs. Fiction.

When Hannah Sugarman's high-powered relationship collapses, she seizes the opportunity to do what she's always wanted: cook. Without her landlord's knowledge, she begins an underground supper club which, while highly successful, is also highly illegal. Will Hannah be able to navigate the danger of these secret dinners and still maintain her growing friendship with her landlord?

Dana Bate's writing is fun and light-hearted, and she creates characters that are completely charming. The book has almost a Hollywood romantic comedy feel about it, which gives it a lot of appeal. It's a good book to curl up with on a Saturday afternoon with hot chocolate and a warm blanket. 

JH

Stealing the Preacher

Stealing the Preacher
By Karen Witemeyer
Bethany House Publishers, 2013. 347 pgs. Romance.

Crockett Archer's dream is finally coming true: he is leaving the family ranch to become the preacher in a neighboring town. But his dream comes to a grinding halt when he is kidnapped from the train by an ex-outlaw determined to fulfill his daughter's birthday wish for a minister to soften her father's stony heart. Crockett manages to escape, but finds he can't forget Joanna Robbins' prayers. Could it be that he was meant to minister in a different way than he had imagined?

Karen Witemeyer is a rising writer in the world of Christian historical fiction and does a great job creating likeable characters. While her plots sometimes border on the impossible, they are really fun and light. A great book to read over the holidays.

JH

The Last Word: A Spellman Novel

The Last Word: A Spellman Novel (Spellman #6)
By Lisa Lutz
Simon & Schuster, 2013. 352 pgs. Mystery.

In her latest volume of the Spellman Files series, Izzy Spellman is in charge of her parents' private investigation company, having effected a hostile takeover of management. But being in charge is not all it has cracked up to be. Besides struggling to pay the bills, it appears she is being framed for embezzling money from her increasingly forgetful client and backer. Will this spell the end for Spellman Investigations?

Lutz's books are unique, to say the least. Her expository style (all presented as a series of documents and case files, like you might find in a private investigator's filing cabinet), lends an air of verisimilitude to her books. The writing is extremely engaging and the characters quirky, but completely relatable at the same time.

JH

Without a Summer

Without a Summer (Shades #3)
By Mary Robinette Kowal
Tor Books, 2013. 368 pgs. Fiction.

In this third book of her Glamourist series, Mary Robinette Kowal brings her heroes, Jane and David Vincent, back to England to continue creating glamours to the delight of the English upper classes. But when chance keeps the winter snows coming deep into April and May, Jane and Vincent must find a way to keep tempers from flaring and blame from being laid at the feet of the innocent coldmongerers, without knowing that each step they take draws them deeper into an intricate plot for power.

Kowal's Glamour series (Shades of Milk and Honey being the first) is a really unique take on historical fiction, combining the history of Regency England with a fantastical touch of glamour magic. This third volume was gripping, with the plot twisting its way to a stunning conclusion. A great read for lovers of historical fiction.

JH

Eventide

Eventide (Tales of #1)
By Tracy and Laura Hickman
Scribe's Forge Publishing, 2011. 342 pgs. Science Fiction.

When a traveling bard falls into the clutches of a ravenous dragon, he keeps himself from being eaten by entertaining the dragon with story after story. The dragon finally lets him go, on the condition that he collect new stories with to entertain him. Thus the bard travels to Eventide and begins recording (and embroidering) the daily sagas of the village to share with his dragon lord.

The Hickmans unite to give a really fresh and fun feel to this collection of interwoven stories about a small village and the young and unimportant man who slowly becomes the hero. They have perfected the art of combining the small events of village life to show how they unite to make the big events people will remember.

JH

Wretched Writing: A Compendium of Crimes Against the English Language

Wretched Writing: A Compendium of Crimes Against the English Language
By Kathryn and Ross Petras
Perigree Trade, 2013. 224 pgs. Nonfiction.

Kathryn and Ross Petras have compiled a volume of what they consider the most wretched writing tropes found in literature, ranging from classic to modern authors, from bestsellers to little-known B-list writers. No one, the authors claim, is immune from writing stunningly bad prose once in a while. But they should be.

The book includes some hilarious and mind-boggling examples of writing that has actually been printed. One thing to be aware of is that, apparently, a lot of really bad writing happens in the description of sex scenes, so there is some fairly risque content. And I objected to the authors' categorization of outdated word usage as "wretched." Victorian writers writing about the "gay times" they had would have no way of knowing that the word would have a different meaning 200 years later. But, overall, a very engaging look at some of the worst sentences ever.

JH

Song of the Quarkbeast

Song of the Quarkbeast (Kazam #2)
By Jasper Fforde
HMH Books for Young Readers, 2013. 289 pgs. Young Adult Fiction.

In this second chronicle of Kazam Mystical Arts Management, foundling and acting manager Jennifer Strange must navigate her eclectic crew of sorcerers to defend themselves against a plot against the management of magic itself in the Ununited Kingdoms. Will magic become the tool of one megalomaniac? And what exactly will happen when the magicians hear the song of the Quarkbeast?

Jasper Fforde's style can only be described as satirical, witty, and original. It makes his books hard to describe, because there is so much in them that is so far outside of our realm of reality. Fforde does a fantastic job making you buy into his fantasy world. The reader will find themselves torn between wanting to tear through the book to find out how it ends and reading slowly to savor every witty word.


JH

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon (No. 1 La #14)
By Alexander McCall Smith
Pantheon, 2013. 256 pgs. Mystery.

Alexander McCall Smith brings back Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi for another unique Botswana adventure in this most recent installment of his Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Mma Ramotswe must help her friend at the Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon discover who is trying to put her out of business through bad publicity. Could it be the nefarious Violet Sepotho? And with Mma Makutsi due to give birth any day, will the agency ever be the same again?

McCall Smith is the master of character development and he hasn't failed in his latest offering. I love how easy it is to be captivated by the minutia of the characters' lives - it is what makes me feel like I could go to Botswana and meet the characters on the streets of Gabarone. The incidents may seem small, but the way the story is told is completely endearing.

JH

A Question of Honor

A Question of Honor (Bess Cr #5)
By Charles Todd
William Morrow, 2013. 320 pgs. Mystery.

Bess Crawford finds herself again embroiled in an investigation when she sees Lieutenant Wade in a station hospital, a man who, while under her father's command in India ten years before, disappeared under the suspicion of having murdered 5 people. As she looks more into the circumstances of the old affair with her father's sergeant major, Simon Brandon, she discovers that someone is just as eager not to have the past resurrected.

Even as the fifth in a series, Todd continues to entrance with Bess Crawford and her instinct for trouble. He makes it believable that a nurse on the front lines would be investigating the things happening around her that don't make sense to her. He also puts in a lot of great detail about life during WWI. Todd creates with Bess a wonderful series of what I call "gentle mysteries," where the plot is driven less by action and adventure and more by great characterization and puzzle solving.

JH

The Anatomy of Death

The Anatomy of Death (Dr Dody #1)
By Felicity Young
Berkley Trade, 2012. 320 pgs. Mystery.

Dr. Dody McCleland knows that, as a doctor at the turn of the 20th century, she has not chosen an easy career path. But when asked to perform an autopsy on a fellow suffragette who mysteriously dies at a rally, Dody realizes just how complicated her life can be. Working with the handsome Inspector Pike, will she be able to find the culprit in time and bring justice to her friend?

This is a premiere novel for Young, and she does a fantastic job creating very likeable characters and investigating an interesting period of time. She focuses a lot of her research on the plight of the suffrage movement in England and brings a lot of new information to the scene. She does have a tendency to get a little medically graphic, so it might not be the best book to choose if you are not interested in medical details.

JH

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts

Just My Type:A Book About Fonts

By Simon Garfield

Gotham Books, 2011. 356 pages. Nonfiction

Until the advent of computers for the common man, most people had never given a moment’s thought to fonts. Now everyone has myriad fonts at their disposal: Century Gothic, Bookman Old Style, Helvetica, Comic Sans, Garamond, etc. This book is a terrific introduction and overview to font design, implications & consequences of font selections, and a bit of history of types. There are numerous historical vignettes and anecdotes. My favorite regards the unfortunate fate of the original Cobden-Sanderson fonts used to produce the beautiful books that issued from the Doves Press in the early 20^th century. The stories of successful and unsuccessful font selections permeate our culture.  Amy Winehouse, Barack Obama, The Beatles and the Beach Boys, American Airlines, IKEA, Vanity Fair & Tiger Woods all pepper the pages of Just My Type. Font designs are intellectual property and require licenses for their proper use. There is a deliciously ironic story about a problematic anti-piracy campaign by HADOPI, the French agency responsible for policing copyright infringements.

This book is well written, nicely illustrated, and surprisingly engaging. I found this book to be both useful and entertaining. One word of warning: if you do read this book, you may find that you begin seeing the typefonts instead of the words.

SML

Luminaries

Luminaries
by Eleanor Catton
Granta Books, 2013. 834 pgs. Historical Fiction
This is a quite interesting historical novel, set in New Zealand in the 1860's. The story begins with a recent arrival to the gold mining settlement entering a hotel lounge and stumbling into a mystery. Each of the twelve men are connected by a series of mysterious events that occurred simultaneously several weeks earlier. At first suspicious, they quickly decide to take this new person into their confidence, relating their various stories. A prosperous young man has disappeared, a prostitute collapsed in the road in what looks like a bizarre suicide attempt and a man is found dead in his cabin with an unaccounted for fortune in gold. What follows is a sweeping tale of these mysterious events. The author does an excellent job of capturing the language and tone of a classic Victorian novel without sounding contrived or overwrought. While the book does have a somewhat daunting length, it reads rather quickly. This is to be recommended to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or classic literature.

CHW

The Paladin Prophecy

The Paladin Prophecy
by Mark Frost
Random House, 2012.  547 pgs.  Young Adult

For as long as Will West can remember, his parents have asked him to hold back.  Stay in the middle of the pack at school, and keep your physical abilities to yourself. But when Will slips up and scores off the charts on an achievement test, he not only gets an invitation to a tony prep school, but all Hades breaks loose. Guys in black cars start following him around; he arrives home to find a woman who looks like his mother there, but whose mannerisms and dead eyes reveal her to be something quite other. When Will gets a text from his father simply saying "Run, Will," he does--at three times the speed of anyone chasing him. When Will's parents disappear, he makes his way to The Center for Integrated Learning where he finds good friends and frightening enemies. Will's powers, as it turns out, have to do with an ages-old battle between an ancient, monstery race from a place called the Never-Was, who are trying to break out of their confinement to take over the world they claim is theirs. The Paladin Prophecy has lots of interesting characters: a New Zealander Vietnam vet guardian angel, a Snape-like school counselor. Will is a fine young man, and a sympathetic character, though he doesn't seem as concerned about his parents and some others who are helping him as he might be. But, guided by his missing father's rules for living, and aided by his new friends from school, Will boldly takes on some truly creepy and frightening creatures in this first volume of what promises to be an exciting series for teens.

LW

Kate: The Future Queen

Kate: The Future Queen
By Katie Nicholl
Weinstein Books, 2013. 354 pgs. Biography

Kate Middleton started out as your average, shy girl from a working class family. No one knew she would one day be married to Prince William and become Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. This book attempts to chronicle her life starting with her family roots, working through her childhood and school years, her courtship and marriage to Prince William and finally ending with the birth of Prince George.

I love reading about the Duchess of Cambridge, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. That being said, I’m pretty sure there was quite a bit of speculation on the author’s part, and I noticed a few errors. The book isn’t perfect and I wouldn’t consider it an absolute authority, but I did learn a few new things and found it fascinating. I would recommend it to people who, like me, enjoy reading about the royal family and are okay with a bit of gossip. If, however, you like nothing but solid and confirmed facts, stay away.

ACS

Finding Your Roots: Easy-to-Do Genealogy and Family History

Finding YourRoots: Easy-to-Do Genealogy and Family History

By Janice Schultz

Huron Street Press, 2013. 230 pages. Nonfiction

This is a welcome and useful introduction to doing U.S. family history from the perspective of one who is both a librarian and a genealogist. The book tells the reader how to get started on family history and then focuses on the different record types: where to find them and how to use them. Each chapter introduces and focuses on a set of related records: The First Steps in Finding Records (much about U.S. census records here); Federal, State, and Local Government Records (includes wills & probates, land & deed records, tax records, and naturalization records); Military, Church, and Cemetery Records; and Printed and Internet Sources. Schultz includes a little bit on doing Native American and African American research in a chapter that introduces immigration records.

The text is illustrated with images of the wide variety of record types and each chapter is supplemented with a section listing a few internet resources. This book should be enough to get anyone started on their U.S. research. Once the records take them out of the country they will need to look for guidance beyond this little introduction.

SML

Steelheart

Steelheart

By Brandon Sanderson

Delacorte Press, 2013. 386 pages. Young Adult

The world has changed—and not for the better. In Sanderson’s dystopian world a handful of humans have acquired great powers and they use them to rule the world. They’re called Epics and the most powerful Epic of all is the invincible Steelheart. When David was 10 years old his father was killed by Steelheart. David watched him die and now, a few years later, he means to avenge his father’s death. But how do you kill someone who’s invincible? David has some theories.

The pace is quick, the writing engaging, and the characters likable. David repeatedly produces metaphors, often funny, but always awful.  A light, fun & easy read.

SML

The Walnut Tree: A Holiday Tale

The Walnut Tree: A Holiday Tale
By Charles Todd
William Morrow, 2012. 256 pgs. Fiction.

Charles Todd has always presented a uniquely beautiful and heartrending vision of Britain during and after WWI in both his Inspector Rutledge and Bess Crawford mystery series. In this stand-alone tale, Todd introduces us to Lady Elspeth Douglas, a young woman who joins the nursing corps after experiencing first-hand the desperate need for trained medical personnel on the front lines. Beyond the wearing work of caring for the dying, Elspeth finds herself caught up in the stories of both her fiance, Alain, an officer in the French army, and a young British officer, Captain Peter Gilchrist, whose bravery has become legendary behind the lines. It will take a Christmas miracle to help Elspeth see the blessings of all she has experienced in this pivotal year.

Even in when describing the most desperate of circumstances, Todd's lyrical prose is soothing and enchanting. His storytelling ability is unparalleled, transporting the reader to the front lines with ease and grace. Even though he is describing horrific events, he never uses sensationalism or violence to draw in the reader. The characters are compelling and interesting. It's a book that, when I put it down, I felt a little happier for having read it.

JH

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
By April Genevieve Tucholke
Dial, 2013. 368 pages. Young Adult.

"You stop fearing the devil when you're holding his hand . . ."

Nothing much ever happens in Violet White's sleepy, seaside town, until River West arrives and draws a tide of grim events in with him. Though Violet's wary of River and suspicious of his lies, she can't help falling in love with his easy charm, his love of good food and good coffee, and the way he steals kisses from her in the cemetery . . . and that's just how River likes it.

But when the townspeople begin to die one by one, Violet begins to wonder: is River just a crooked-smiling boy with a mysterious past, or is he something more?

I love how easily this book crawled under my skin—I’m nigh unto impossible to scare, but as the pieces of the mystery surrounding River began to fall into place, my heart rate began to rise. The novel’s violence is gritty, uncompromising, and in stark contrast to the writing's dream-like quality; and it will have readers sitting on a knife’s edge until the final line slips out of sight. With shades of Daphne DuMaurier, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Stephen King, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea should be on every gothic horror aficionado's list.

CA

Etiquette & Espionage

Etiquette & Espionage
By Gail Carriger
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2013. 336 pages. Young Adult.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia Temminnick is more interested in climbing into dumbwaiters and dismantling clocks than she is in proper manners—a "flaw" her mother is desperate to change. So the well-intentioned Mrs. Temminnick enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality . . . but Sophronia quickly realizes the school is not what her mother had in mind.

At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish . . . everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course!

The cover of Etiquette & Espionage does no justice to this delightful first installment in a series—readers will fall in love with plucky Sophronia and her cast of mismatched friends, and Sophronia's quick wit and wonderful narration will have readers in stitches. Great for anyone looking for a clean, action-packed novel with a little romance and a lot of laughs.

CA

The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave
By Rick Yancey
Putnam, 2013. 480 pages. Young Adult.

At the dawn of the fifth wave, Cassie Sullivan is running from the Others—alien beings who have brought four waves of destruction and terror down on humanity. Wave one's electromagnetic pulse rendered all technology useless. Wave two's tsunamis obliterated the coastal cities. Wave three was the Red Death, a plague carried by birds that decimated 97% of the world's population. And wave four brought the Silencers, humans who were implanted with alien intelligence as fetuses.

Now, the Others' cunning manipulations are turning humanity against itself. Cassie's bestie is her M-16 rifle, and she believes staying alone is staying alive—until she meets Evan Walker, who may be her only hope for saving her little brother . . . and for saving herself.

Rick Yancey has long been a favorite author of mine, so I started The 5th Wave with high expectations—all of which Yancey exceeded. He is a masterful storyteller, and he hones the tension in The 5th Wave to a fine point by placing strong (yet vulnerable) teens into impossible situations. As always, Yancey's diction and style are deft, and many lines will haunt readers long after the last page is devoured: " . . . If I am the last one, then I am humanity. And if this is humanity's last war, then I am the battlefield." Not to be missed.

CA

Southern Cross the Dog

Southern Cross the Dog
By Bill Cheng
Ecco, 2013, 336 pgs. Fiction.

This book was difficult for me to finish. I liked many parts of the storyline and really wanted to love it. I did listen to the audiobook and wonder if the multiple characters and storylines made it more difficult to follow along.

After the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 Robert Chatham loses everything and starts a journey of self discovery and creative adventures. I loved the language of the South and the random and richly detailed characters Robert meets up with. Some of the content was difficult to get through as there are brutal challenges Robert faces and plot drags in some parts. Overall if you like the a Southern Gothic novel. The history alone made it worth reading as well as Robert's hopes to make a life after the flood.

EW

Among Others

Among Others
By Jo Walton
Tor Books, 2012, 304 pgs. Science Fiction

Jo Walton has written a fantastic book about magic, growing up, and books. Morwenna was injured and her twin sister killed when their mother tried to battle them with dark magic. Mori runs away to her father she has never known and ends up in a bland boarding school. This story has so many elements to it as Mori makes friends, find a library with a science fiction/fantasy book club, and learns to live without her sister. Through journal entries Mori's life is told in some back story and current events. Her communication with fairies and experiences are magical in a completely different way from other books with the storyline of magic and boarding schools. It was fun to see the book club discuss well known fantasy books and I loved the descriptions of England and Wales.

EW

Night Film

Night Film
By Marisha Pessl
Random House, 2013, 602 pgs. Fiction

The size of this book my intimidate some people but the story moves so quickly and the plot is so detailed that I barely noticed. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator as well as the mystery combined with creepy characters and somewhat mystical feel. The book is written in a clever format using screenshots of websites, news clippings and police reports so definitely  look through the book even if you listen to the audio version since there is a lot of imagery added to the suspense.

In this book Pessl uses a mysterious father-daughter relationship as the focus of the mystery being solved. Ashley Cordova is the daughter of filmmaker Stanislas Cordova who has a dark history. She supposedly commits suicide and from here the book goes in to an intense investigation of her death, her life, and Cordova's life as well. The main character,  a reporter named Scott McGrath, is intriguing and it was interesting to read (hear) his story as well and why he is so intent on proving Ashley didn't commit suicide.

EW

The Rosie Project

The Rosie Project
By Graeme Simsion
Simon & Schuster, 2013. 304 pgs. Fiction

Don Tillman is a brilliant yet socially challenged professor of genetics who has decided it's time he found a wife.  So he develops a sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the possible mates with "undesirable" qualities (smokers, drinkers, people who don't arrive on-time to everything, etc), and dubs it the Wife Project.  Rosie Jarman is, according to the survey, completely incompatible.  Don quickly disqualifies her as a possible wife candidate, but decides to help Rosie with her own project of finding her biological father.  An unlikely friendship develops between the two, and Don is puzzled to find that he can't stop thinking about Rosie. 

This is a charming, sweet, funny, engrossing book, and I stayed up far later than I should have to read it.  Don seems to be a very similar character to Sheldon Cooper of TV's Big Bang Theory, and seeing his life slowly change to accomodate the whirlwind of change that is Rosie is an enthralling process.  There is some language but if you can get past that this will most likely be a highly enjoyable read.

BHG

The Program

The Program
By Suzanne Young
Simon Pulse, 2013. 416 pgs. Young Adult

In Sloane's world, suicide among teens has become an international epidemic, affecting one in every three teens.  The only solution anyone has come up with is The Program.  But Sloan is desperate to keep herself out of The Program because anyone who has ever come out of it returns as a blank slate: their volatile and suicidal nature is gone, but so are their memories.  Sloan knows her parents would do anything to keep her alive so she must try to appear as normal as possible, but it's getting harder to hide the truth.

This is a page-turning dystopia with a storyline that is more complex than I first thought.  It will give readers a lot to think about as they examine the lengths that people will go to save their loved ones and whether the end justifies the means.  This is a solid offering on the wide table of dystopias out there to choose from.

BHG

The Rithmatist

The Rithmatist
By Brandon Sanderson
Tor Teen, 2013. 384 pgs. Young Adult

Joel wants to be a Rithmatist more than anything.  Rithmatists have the power to give life to chalk drawings known as Chalklings, and they defend the American Isles from the very real danger of Wild Chalklings.  But before the mysterious Rithmatist inception ceremony years ago, Joel was passed over as a Rithmatic candidate.  Instead, he can only watch as the lucky Rithmatist students at his school study their magical art.  When students start disappearing from their bedrooms with only a trail of blood left behind, Joel helps the professor investigating the crimes and they start to discover something that could change their world forever.

While it seems murky at first, the magical system in this book is very interesting and inventive.  Add to that the story of Joel, a likable character who is dedicated and smart and the wider intrigue of world-altering events, and you have a pretty enjoyable novel on your hands.  Highly recommended for fans of young adult fantasy.

BHG

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays 
By Ree Drummond
William Morrow Cookbooks, 2013. 400 pgs. Nonfiction

Popular blogger Ree Drummond has come out with her third cookbook, which focuses on holiday food throughout the year. Starting with "New Year's Day" - with recipes like "Resolution Smoothies," continuing with "The Big Game" (Buffalo Chicken Bites, Potato Skins, Sliders) and on through Christmas and New Year's Eve, this book has every holiday in-between covered. Each section is also preceded by a "Do-ahead Game Plan" with an outline for what you need to do to prepare for the big day: anything that you can freeze, chop, or lay out ahead of time will go there.

Besides being charming and helpful, this book is a pleasure to flip through. The photos and graphics are lush and most recipes have a photo for every single step. Add to that many idyllic photos of Drummond's ranch life and her thoughtful, funny introductions to each section and recipe, and this book is pretty much delectable. Highly recommended for the coming holidays or any time of year.

BHG