Parenthetical

Russ and DJ have been best friends forever, and so have their “outrageous courageous” firefighter fathers. When both men die fighting a house fire, they’re town heroes — until the coroner finds drugs in their systems. All Russ wanted was to be just like his dad, but how can he accept the flawed man his [...]

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Scarlett’s family owns, and lives in, a stately old hotel in Manhattan, but both the hotel and the family have seen better days. They barely have enough money to make ends meet, Scarlett’s brother’s last chance at an acting career is crashing, her older sister is stuck in an Austenesque relationship with Wealthy Fratboy McYacht, [...]

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Incarceron is the ultimate prison: no way in, no way out. It was designed long ago to prove that even the dregs of humanity could create a paradise if properly managed, but the AI that manages the prison became sentient and turned it into a hell. Finn was born full-grown in Incarceron and remembers nothing [...]

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And it comes down to… Howl vs. Eugenides. Go vote, but read the battle first; it’s brilliant. (Spoiler alert: they go have a beer together a la Giles and Ethan Rayne.)

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Autoshare for Hunger Games and cocktails: the long-awaited Hunger Games drinking game, including delicious-sounding cocktails like The Katniss (Pernod Absinthe, gin, bitters, & grapes) and The Cinna (balsamic, strawberries, & vodka). Why aren’t there more YA-themed cocktails and drinking games? Someone should do something about that. Thank you. (Thanks, Arianna!)

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This link combines three of my favorite things: cover art, fantasy novels, and charts. Check out Orbit Books’ annual intern-generated Chart of Fantasy Art. A few highlights: Swords and “glowy magic” are down, but still incredibly popular. Wolves are down; elves and fae are way down (we can only hope this category includes vampires) New [...]

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I didn’t read a single piece of fiction this summer. This is unheard of. What’s even more surprising is that I read all four non-fiction books cover to cover and enjoyed most of them. From favorite to least: Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip and Dan Heath — When I [...]

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In the YA Fantasy Showdown, Katsa is most satisfyingly kicking Edward Cullen’s ass. Other contests include Christopher Chant vs. Hermione Granger, Ged vs. Edward Pevensie, and the incredibly painful Katniss vs. Tally. For added value, each contest includes a bit of fic describing the battle. I like the one in which Chrestomanci informs Hermione the [...]

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I seem to have taken an accidental hiatus from blogging. Review every book I read? Post about all the interesting things I’m cooking? FAIL. The end of the school year plus a few months of poor health wiped me out, man. But after a good month and a half of summer, I think I’m ready [...]

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