May Genreflecting: Mystery & Suspense: The Details

Based on the Collins English Dictionary, a subgenre is "a category that is a subdivision of a larger genre." (Source) Mystery & suspense books are by nature very inquisitive. There is either a puzzle to be solved or some future event to be anticipated. When I hear the word mystery I often find myself thinking of a good detective novel like Sherlock Holmes. It's the thrill of the chase that allows me to thoroughly enjoy these stories. Suspense novels often times give me a sense of dread that I just can't quite pinpoint. They're not necessarily scary or of-putting, they just exude a sense of anticipation that keeps me on the edge of my seat.

While suspense doesn't really have subgenres per se, mystery certainly does. Depending of what kind of setting and characters you enjoy, there is definitely something to be found for you among mystery books. I personally prefer paranormal mysteries. While contemporary mysteries are alright, I prefer basic realistic/contemporary fiction. I have been known to enjoy a historical mystery for the sake of the time period. The 1920's & 1940's are some of my favorite decades, so if a mystery is set during those years I am far more likely to read it. When it comes down to it though, I love a good paranormal mystery for the simple fact that there are so many non-traditional elements. In a paranormal book, almost anything can happen, so I find the over-abundance of possibilities even more exciting in a mystery context.

Some of my favorite books that fall under these categories are The Raven Boys by Maggie Stievfater, Heist Society by Ally Carter, & The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci. 

While you may hold strong to the notion that The Raven Boys is simply a fantasy/paranormal fiction book, I would argue that it falls under paranormal mystery. We are presented with a challenge/puzzle at the very beginning of the book. We know the two possible outcomes for the book & now we must follow the characters are they work their way through each obstacle to discover the truth. 

Heist Society on the other hand is a fantastic example of what I love in a good suspense novel. While for the most part the stakes are not life & death in these fun novels about a teenager burglar & her band of merry thieves, there is definitely a sense of an impending situation. Nothing is as simple as a heist, the motives behind all of these jobs are what drive the story and leave you guessing as to whether they will succeed & where they will go next.

Do you have any favorite mystery or suspense novels? I'm looking to broaden my reading palate & would love some suggestions! Come back next week when I discuss my older book The Killer's Cousin.

Waiting on Wednesday: Smoke (Burned #2) by Ellen Hopkins

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Ellen Hopkins is an incredible writer. I believe that's a bit of an understatement, but those of you who have read her work know just how difficult it can be to summarize her greatness. Of all the books she's written, Burned  has always been one of my favorites. It was one of the earliest books I reviewed on this site & has remained one of the ones I've always hoped to see be given a sequel. Well it seems my dreams are coming true as Ellen has graciously decided to write the next installment. Smoke due September 10th (such a wonderful gift for my birthday on the 8th) promises to answer some of the lingering questions that remained after we left Pattyn. Check out the summary below.

Pattyn Von Stratten’s father is dead, and Pattyn is on the run. After far too many years of abuse at the hands of her father, and after the tragic loss of her beloved Ethan and their unborn child, Pattyn is desperate for peace. Only her sister Jackie knows what happened that night, but she is stuck at home with their mother, who clings to normalcy by allowing the truth to be covered up by their domineering community leaders. Her father might be finally gone, but without Pattyn, Jackie is desperately isolated. Alone and in disguise, Pattyn starts a new life, but is it even possible to rebuild a life when everything you’ve known has burned to ash and lies seem far safer than the truth?

From Goodreads

An incredible story about the human spirit & our ability to endure, Smoke promises to give a peak into the new life that Pattyn is trying to form. After such horrible experiences at the hands of her father & her community, I can't imagine the difficulties she is trying to face with respect to recovery. With Ellen's lyrical style, this is sure to be one of my favorite books of the year. Do you have a favorite Ellen Hopkins book? Have you read Burned? 

Humorous BEA survival tips & Armchair BEA for those unable to attend!

Every year thousands of people flock to the publishing mecca & event of the year that is Book Expo America at the Javits Center in New York City. While I have never had the good fortune to go (I will make it one of these days) I love reading the articles leading up to it (where to go, what to see, where to eat) and the recaps from my favorite bloggers.

Luckily a few years ago, a few lovely folks decided that they were tired of missing out on all the great bookish action, so they created the virtual convention Armchair BEA. I've participated for the last two years & it makes a world of difference in my opinion. You get to hop around the blogosphere meeting new bloggers, publishers, authors, & just getting to enjoy all the bookish things we already love like interviews, sneak peeks, & of course giveaways! A newer component is the live reporting from BEA. I think this enhances the experience even more because you feel like you're actually there!

Registration is free and currently open & the agenda for posts is live. If you've never participated, don't be nervous. You don't have to do everything; the beauty of this is that you get to choose just how involved you want to be in everything. Take it from me, you'll have may more fun than you thought possible & you'll be counting down the days until the next Armchair BEA.

For those of you fortunate enough to be able to attend, Shelf Awareness has posted some humorous survival tips that I think can help anyone. Enjoy the snippet below & let me know in the comments if you'll be attending the live or virtual conference!

Swag carefully. Each ounce of free galleys and gewgaws will double in weight hourly. If you need to understand the science behind this, please watch an episode of Doctor Who.

The holy trinity of publishing is ink, paper and booze. The first two may have gone virtual, but the last can still be found trickling from various booths. Look for the sponsored happy hours and free wine. It is sanctioned drinking on the job. It will also make your feet feel better.

Don't be a jerk. People will remember how you made them feel. This goes for everyone--from the vaguely dubbed industry professionals to the novice author-publishers.

Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7) by Patricia Briggs review

Obviously MAJOR SPOILERS abound as this is the 7th book in a series.

Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

From Goodreads

If you've read my blog long, or even if you're new around here, you might know that I ADORE the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. I found this series fairly early in the game, right before the 4th book was published. I devoured them all and eagerly await the next installment every time. Unsure if they were "appropriate" for my blog audience, I refrained from reviewing them for quite some time. When I finally did bite the bullet, I did 2 sets of mini-reviews that cover the first 5 books (1-3, 4-5) and have subsequently reviewed each released book since then. Even more exciting was the fact that I finally got the chance to meet Patty at a signing for this book! It made all the difference in the world to hear her talk about her characters and actually read to us in the voices of those characters. But enough rambling, let's dig into the review!

Some time has passed between the ending of River Marked and the beginning of this book. Mercy has healed from her wounds and is settling in as the alpha's mate. Now residing in the Hauptman household, she is also officially step-mother to Adam's daughter Jesse. The easy-going nature of this relationship is what lulls you into a fall sense of security because right from the get-go we know something is wrong when no one from the pack can be reached.

There is a lot of suspense and detective work that has to go into discovering just what has happened to the pack. Making things even more difficult is the shear number of those involved. Despite these obstacles, and being a bit out of her element being the one solely in charge of the well-being of any and all pack members, Mercy shines throughout the book. Her dedication to the ones she loves can lead her into trouble if she's not cautious, as it naturally does in this book, but she wouldn't be Mercy if she didn't fight tooth and claw.

What made me really love this book, as opposed to the "meh" feeling I had for the last one, was the reappearance of some long-missed companions. There are a lot of beings and characters in Mercy's world and we don't often get to see many of them as often as we'd like due to other storylines. This book however saw the return of many characters that I had missed and their interjection allowed us to see how Mercy has grown and changed since the series first started. She is no longer just a shapeshifting mechanic working for a fae in a local shop, aggravating her werewolf neighbor with broken down vehicles, but otherwise trying to stay out of the supernatural world. Rather than hide from this world that she can't help but be a part of, Mercy has embraced her role in it and is a bit more careful in her actions.

If you haven't read the series yet, give it a go. There's hardly any romance, but lots of supernatural action that will keep you wanting to read. If you're a bit squeamish though, be forewarned, as these are werewolves, vampires, & fae who don't always necessarily have the best interests of humans in mind.

Do you read this series? What do you think? Do you have any other series that are like it that you love? 

May Genreflecting: Mystery & Suspense: The Basics

I wanted to do a reading challenge for the subject of Genreflecting, but I didn't get much feedback (maybe because it asked you to read 2 books for each genre and discuss them or because it's not really a "reading challenge" per se, but more an educational experiment), so I've turned it into a monthly feature! For each month of 2013, there will be a specific genre that will be analyzed. I'm planning to have author input and at least 2 reviews of books in the genre as well.

April's genre is Mystery & Suspense! These two books often go hand-in-hand simply because they are so closely linked. While mystery books are usually trying to find out the who & why of an event and suspense books usually know something terrible has happened, but are experiencing the book with a sense of impending disaster. These book tend to be read by those teens seeking a more intriguing read as puzzles are often-times a main component. That's not to say that these are all "thinking" books though, I personally love some of the paranormal mysteries that seem to abound. But as that is a subgenre, you'll just have to wait until next week to learn more! (paraphrased from Teen Genreflecting, 2003)

A few of my favorite authors you may recognize in this genre are:
Carol Plum-Ucci- The Body of Christopher Creed
Lois Duncan- Daughters of Eve, I Know What You Did Last Summer
Christopher Pike- Chain Letter

I'm excited to say that I've chosen my two books, one older and one newer, to read for this challenge. The older book is The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin (originally published in 1998) and I'll have a review and analysis up on Friday, May 24th. The newer book is All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab (originally published in 2010) and I'll have a review and analysis up on Friday, May 31st. I'll also be hosting a giveaway, so stay tuned!

Waiting on Wednesday: Insomnia (The Night Walkers #1) by J.R. Johansson

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

By now I'm sure some of you have noticed I love me some series. Unfortunately so many of them are ending soon so I'm always on the lookout for something new. Insomnia, the first book in The Night Walkers series, by J.R. Johansson isn't set to release until June 8th, but I think it will be worth the wait. This sounds like such an interesting premise that I have feeling I'll finish it in no time flat.

It’s been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.

Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker.

Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?

From Goodreads

Can you imagine that? If I had to suffer through the dreams of the last person I made contact with that day it wouldn't necessarily be all that bad since I always see my husband last, but if you saw someone different every single day that would be a nightmare! Even more fascinating is how this girl can manage such placid dreams so often that Parker doesn't want to be anywhere else. While I hope he isn't the stalker, I have a feeling that this is one of those books that we won't know the truth anytime soon; and I'm okay with that. What do you think? What books are you looking forward to reading?

Dare You To by Katie McGarry review

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

From Goodreads

All Beth wants to do is live a nice quiet life with her mom. Too bad nobody else seems to want that. After one too many run-ins with her mother's on again, off again, drug dealing, abusive boyfriend, Beth finds herself sentenced to a new life with her estranged uncle. To make matters worse, the cocky jock who tried to pick her up at the Taco Bell is to be her uncle-approved guide in her new town and high school. 

Ryan's life isn't nearly as hard as Beth's, but it's nowhere near as perfect as everyone believes. With an absent older brother and feuding, manipulative parents, baseball is Ryan's only hope for escape. A golden recommendation from Beth's uncle would clench Ryan's hopes of getting drafted into the majors, but Beth's different than any girl Ryan's ever dealt with. It's a good thing he loves a challenge.

Angst, attitude, and attention are the three big starter elements to this unlikely love story. This book is about so much more than their romantic love, it's about love in all its forms. So many relationships in this book are strained and tested because of the different kinds of love that we choose to accept. Rather fast-paced, but believable, Dare You To has continued to further my belief that Katie McGarry knows how to write a  moving and spirited book about love trying to overcome the most difficult of obstacles.

Beth doesn't really stand out to me as a unique character. She's a rebellious teenager, with a dark family secret, and an alcoholic, absentee mother. She rebels in the typical fashions, but has found companionship among similarly discarded teens. Naturally when she is given the opportunity to move to a new life and start over, she resists. What makes her different than what I expect most characters to do is that she never actually accepts her new life. She doesn't gradually forget about her former existence, it taunts her every waking moment. Beth isn't ready to let go & it causes lots of hiccups in her new town.

To me, Ryan is the stand out character in this story. There are so many things about his make-up that aren't typical, but that when put together in him, make him all the more desirable. The foundation of his moral compass is pure & strong. I didn't think there were many guys like him around in YA today. You'll have to read the book to fully appreciate & understand what I mean.

The background characters were actually quite active in the story. At least 75% of them directly contributed to the way the story progressed. Without their actions, so many things wouldn't have happened. I do wish we had seen more of Beth's uncle, but that's just my preference. I think Katie has done an exemplary job of creating some of my favorite YA contemporary romance because of its warmth and credibility. I really look forward to her next work!

ARC graciously provided by Around the World ARC Tours