Review: Ink by Amanda Sun

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Paperback, 377 pages

Expected publication: June 25th 2013 by Harlequin Teen

(info grabbed from GoodReads) 

Ink is now being resting on my “Disappointments of 2013” shelf.  What stands out about this one as compared to the others it’s shelved with is that there isn’t really anything wrong with the book.  I have a handful of things that I need in a book, that being that a story needs to be coherently written, the plot needs to make sense, and the characters have to be reasonably believable.  And I didn’t have any of those problems with Ink -- the writing is fine, the story goes in a logical direction, and the characters aren’t completely unrealistic in their decisions or personalities.  The big problem I had with Ink can be explained with an analogy: it’s like having nothing but green jolly ranchers your whole life, and then suddenly having a blue jolly rancher.  It’s exciting at first, but at the end, it’s still another jolly rancher.  Ink is another paranormal romance, but with the twist of being set in Japan with Japanese mythology as the magical element.

What really makes Ink a true disappointment for me is that it could have been so good.  The book started off on the right foot, exploring the differences between Japan and life in the United States, and showing it through the eyes of a seventeen year old girl.  Katie as a character came off a little generic at first, but she was bearable.  When the romance started to bud, however, everything went downhill.  That spark from the beginning all but disappears; we’re still in Japan, but the newness is gone from Katie’s perspective.  That perspective was what was making the book stand out in the sea of paranormal romance and the loss of it made the book suffer.

I think I would’ve been happier with the book focusing on the romance, if there had been some chemistry.  I felt nothing when reading the romantic buildup between Tomohiro and Katie.  But these things tend to depend greatly on the person reading, so I can’t honestly say that others won’t appreciate this aspect of the book.  I didn’t; I thought Katie was a bit weird in her courtship methods (stalking) and that there was no insight into what Tomohiro would have seen in her.  She’s not especially witty in their conversations or anything.  The only thing she has going for her is that she’s the intriguing foreigner.  From where I was sitting, I concluded any attraction from Tomohiro’s perspective was purely physical.  I need something more to make my heart skip a beat, but who am I to judge true book love?

Ink was not for me, but it might still be for you.  If you like the paranormal romance genre as a whole and are interested in Japan, you probably will like this book.  To me, it felt incredibly generic.  It’s like Twilight wearing a kimono, but with less sparkle.  I would recommend it to someone who either has read a ton of paranormal romance books and loves the genre through and through, or someone a little newer (who’s not as jaded as me). 

Final Thought: 3 out of 10 toadstools

This review is also posted on GoodReads

Review: The Truth About You & Me by Amanda Grace

Smart girls aren't supposed to do stupid things.

Madelyn Hawkins is super smart. At sixteen, she's so gifted that she can attend college through a special program at her high school. On her first day, she meets Bennet. He's cute, funny, and kind. He understands Madelyn and what she's endured - and missed out on - in order to excel academically and please her parents. Now, for the first time in her life, she's falling in love.

There's only one problem. Bennet is Madelyn's college professor, and he thinks she's eighteen - because she hasn't told him the truth.

The story of their forbidden romance is told in letters that Madelyn writes to Bennet - both a heart-searing ode to their ill-fated love and an apology.

Paperback, 264 pages

Expected publication: September 8th 2013 by Flux 

 

(info grabbed from GoodReads)

 

I was very surprised when I reached the end of this book.  Not because of some huge plot twist or a cliffhanger -- nothing like that.  I was surprised because of how much I liked this book.  The fact that it is written in a series of letters (well, really one big letter and then two short ones) had me concerned.  I didn’t think I would enjoy a book written in such a way and I thought there would be a multitude of writing issues.  I was completely wrong -- I love the way this story was told.  The Truth About You and Me is such a fresh and intensely emotional read that any lover of contemporary and/or romance should definitely give it a second (and third and fourth) thought.

Like I said before, I thought I was going to have to trudge my way through the second I read that it was told through letters.  After reading though, I found that this story was much more powerful because of how it is told through a letter.  It is the literal truth from a girl to a man that shared a relationship filled with one sided lies.  Obviously because it is a letter, there was no way to get around it being more tell than show than a regular novel, but I don’t think this really was an issue.  Many times I would get lost in the story, which is usually a struggle when the prose doesn’t paint a proper picture and simply tells the reader what’s going on.  The author’s prose makes up for any shortcomings that did come from the way it is written.

The main point I want to make is how this story perfectly embodies the naivety of a teenage girl who thinks she is in love.  Regardless of whether or not she is actually in love -- that is left up to the reader’s interpretation -- the story is filled with the raw emotion of a young girl struggling with finding herself while being torn between duty and temptation.  Because the story is supposedly written by the main character, we not only see the world as she does, but also only what she wants us to see.  I think how the author played with this idea was brilliant and that the main character’s willingness for deception made for a more interesting character.

I found The Truth About You and Me to be one of the best books I’ve read in awhile, probably the best of 2013 so far.  It is by far my favorite book by Amanda Grace, who I wasn’t convinced before NetGalley approved me for this title that I would ever read again.  This book is not for everyone; it is not a squeaky clean read.  It’s about a good girl behaving stupidly in her own words.  But if you can handle a more adult take on young adult, I suggest picking this one up.

 

Final Thought: 10 out of 10 toadstools

This review is  also posted on GoodReads

Review: Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton

Elizabeth Caldwell doesn’t feel emotions . . . she sees them. Longing, Shame, and Courage materialize around her classmates. Fury and Resentment appear in her dysfunctional home. They’ve all given up on Elizabeth because she doesn’t succumb to their touch. All, that is, save one—Fear. He’s intrigued by her, as desperate to understand the accident that changed Elizabeth’s life as she is herself.

Elizabeth and Fear both sense that the key to her past is hidden in the dream paintings she hides in the family barn. But a shadowy menace has begun to stalk her, and try as she might, Elizabeth can barely avoid the brutality of her life long enough to uncover the truth about herself. When it matters most, will she be able to rely on Fear to save her?

Paperback, 350 pages

Expected publication: July 8th 2013 by Flux

(info grabbed from GoodReads)

Some Quiet Place held one of the top spots on my most anticipated of 2013 list.  The concept had me hooked: a girl who feels no emotions but can see them as people.  I was very interested in seeing how this idea could be turned into a full novel and make an interesting character.  However, while I did think that the mystery behind Elizabeth (our blank emoticon) was well done, the character it was centered around completely fell flat.  If it weren't for how intriguing the book was, I probably would not have finished it.

It is a supreme challenge to create a character that lacks emotions and still can move the reader.  I felt like there were situations added to create sympathy for Elizabeth, but it didn't work for me as I did not care about her to begin with.  Elizabeth may be void of emotions, but I don't think she necessarily had to lack a personality.  As is pointed out in the book, she does experience minor emotions.  There would have been absolutely no story without them; she experiences curiosity which causes her to delve into her past and the reason behind her "condition."  I know for a fact that curiosity is an emotion because it is on every one of those "I feel..." charts where you select what you're feeling for the day.  And if you didn't know, yes those are the difinitive resource for determining what is an emotion.  The way it was written gave the reader that same sense of emptiness, but I thought there could have been more inner conflict.  Or maybe there couldn't, but I definately wanted more.  Her inner thoughts about emptiness could have been more complex and witty.  Based solely on how she's written, Elizabeth was a shallow character.  But again, maybe that was the idea, to which I have to point out does not make for a very interesting read.

The secondary characters were little more than plot devices.  Fear (a personified emotion) was there to push the story along as Elizabeth does not care enough to do so on her own.  Her friend Maggie was there to induce emotion.  The human boy love interest was there to create romantic conflict.  And the list goes on.  The character I was most disappointed with was the mean girl stereotype who was nothing more than just the mean girl stereotype.  Throwing petty insults and being mean with very little motive just seemed... I hate to say it, pathetic.  There could have been so much more going on with there relationship to warrent such anger from mean girl stereotype.  With a story about a girl with no emotions, it would have to be heavily reliant on the reactions and emotions of the secondary characters.  With Some Quiet Place, none of the secondary characters managed to come even close to making up for what Elizabeth was lacking.

The character issues are doubly important as this is a mostly character driven book.  There is the issue of her visions and dreams, but what moves Elizabeth along her path is the secondary characters, not the events themselves.  The external conflict also didn't feel as fleshed out as it could have, with the ending reveal not being a grand display of fireworks for my brain but rather a fire that burned bright for a minute and fizzled unexpectedly to a simmer till the end.  Nevertheless, it was the intrigue of both the external conflict and the internal conflict that keeps this book readable, though I have to add that Some Quiet Place did struggle to hold my interest at times.

While I did not entirely enjoy Some Quiet Place, I do see room for growth in the author and a potential for great new ideas.  This story did have many interesting concepts, but it seemed that the author was not quite ready to write such a story.  The writing was choppy at points, could have used some more varied and complicated sentences, but wasn't entirely bad.  The dialogue was convincing and the pacing was even, two very important elements in a novel.  Even though Some Quiet Place suffers from shallow characters, it does have an intriguing plot and great ideas.  I am not turned off to this author completely, and do look forward to seeing more great ideas that will be played out better.

Final Thought: 2 out of 5 toadstools

This review is also posted on GoodReads

Review: The Archived by Victoria Schwab

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

Hardcover, 328 pages

Published January 22nd 2013 by Hyperion 

(info grabbed from GoodReads)

Victoria Schwab is becoming a fast favorite author for me as I love her original ideas and the way she writes.  Like in The Near Witch, her prose tends to be more long winded and breathy, giving it an ethereal feel.  It didn't have quite the effect that it did in The Near Witch, as this is an urban fantasy and would be less appropriate.  The writing is even paced and relaxed, and it never rushes.  While I do enjoy fast paced books, I also like more relaxed reads like this one.  Though the writing makes this story more relaxing to read, the story itself is not.  The Archived is full of action and butt-kickery, as Mackenzie’s job requires it. 

In The Archived, our main character, Mackenzie, works doing maintenance for the library that houses the dead.  (HOW COOL IS THAT?)  But by maintenance, I mean she has to chase down awoken spirits in the dark cloisters of the space inbetween the library and the real world and lead them back to the library -- sometimes by force.  The mystery of the book is that many more spirits are waking without any apparent reason.  Mackenzie already had her hands full with keeping her job a secret, but with an influx of spirits, it becomes more than simply overwhelming.

There is some romance in The Archived, but it’s not a huge part of the book.  More like sprinkles on top than the ice cream that is the mystery.  It is also interwoven with the rest of the plot, so it doesn’t feel like it was tacked on for marketability.  I guess that means it’s not-so-much sprinkles and more like the cookie dough in cookie dough ice cream -- it would be vanilla without it and who wants vanilla?  Bring on the cookie dough!

I also always appreciate an ending that doesn’t leave me screaming, which occasionally happens in trilogies.  I want to read more and know more about the world Victoria Schwab is designing, but I’m not ripping my hair out in agony waiting for the sequel.  However, I’m not a particular fan of cliffhangers.  If you need to be rocking in your chair with questions for the next book, this may not be for you.  But if you want a solidly great book with an awesome mystery, a heroine who can hold her own, and lyrical prose, The Archived is most likely a good fit for you.

Final Thought: 9 out 10 cookie dough toadstools

This review is also posted on GoodReads

Review: Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley

 Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she's returned home…only to find that it's three years later and she's sixteen-or at least that's what everyone tells her.

What happened to the past three years of her life?

Angie doesn't know.

But there are people who do—people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren't locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage, Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality, otherwise known as her "alters." As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of yourself that are responsible?

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: March 19th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books

(info grabbed from GoodReads)

Pretty Girl-13 is a powerful novel dealing with heavy, real-life issues.  Even with the disturbing subject matter, the author managed to write a sad but beautiful story.  The story circles Angie post-abduction trying to figure out her new life and what happened while she was gone.  It focused a lot on the psychology of such a victim rather than the event itself.  The real mystery of the novel was not who abducted her, but the mystery of Angie’s own head -- the reason (or reasons) for her amnesia.

I loved the realistic way the author explored the difficulties of coming home after such an experience.  Even though Angie has been through enough for ten lifetimes, her homecoming isn’t all sunshine and roses.  Her parents have to readjust to her essentially coming back from the dead, her old friends have moved on each in their own directions.  Angie has to navigate through the drama of friends and family, though with a stumble and a fall here and there.

I was impressed with how Angie progressed gradually from her thirteen year old mind into a sixteen year old one.  Her thoughts and actions fit those of a thirteen year old, but over the novel, her behavior started to change.  It was subtle and easy to miss, flowing right along with the story.

The only thing that bothered me was that their seemed to be a lot of coincidences that hung from the edge of being unrealistic.  I take that back; there were a few things that were completely unrealistic.  I can’t really spell them out as they would be spoilers, but since they occurred so far into the book, it didn’t really bother me.  I was already engrossed beyond recovery and merely raised an eyebrow at my book.

Since this story deals with a more vexing subject matter, I would recommend it for more mature readers rather than younger teens (or immature older people).  I definitely think it is worth a read for anyone who finds the possibilities of the human mind fascinating.

Final Thought: 8 out of 10 toadstools

This review is also posted on GoodReads

Review: Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman

Something is wrong in Aquae Sulis, Bath’s secret mirror city.
The new season is starting and the Master of Ceremonies is missing. Max, an Arbiter of the Split Worlds Treaty, is assigned with the task of finding him with no one to help but a dislocated soul and a mad sorcerer.

There is a witness but his memories have been bound by magical chains only the enemy can break. A rebellious woman trying to escape her family may prove to be the ally Max needs.

But can she be trusted? And why does she want to give up eternal youth and the life of privilege she’s been born into?

Paperback, 400 pages

Expected publication: February 26th 2013 by Angry Robot 

(info grabbed from GoodReads)

I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If I had to sum up Between Two Thorns simply, it would be traditional mystery meets the whimsical world of Harry Potter.  For me, the world of Between Two Thorns had a similar magical feel that I definitely enjoyed.  That’s where the similarities end, however, as Between Two Thorns is a very adult written book.  Not that it has anything inappropriate for younger readers -- it doesn’t really. Like most adult books, it is not character driven like ever popular YA books.

Speaking of the characters, I felt that the author put together a wonderful cast.  The characters had their own personality and their own piece that they brought to the puzzle.  In the beginning, though the book is third person, we takes turns following Cathy, Max and various other characters.  I loved how eventually you could see the pieces coming together, but at first it seemed that the characters were all completely unrelated.  While I did think that this aspect was well written, I did also feel that the constant switching between seemingly unrelated storylines a bit disorienting.  It also took quite a bit of reading before anything started to form together; half of the book was used for build up for each of the characters.

When the book did pick up and all our players are coming together, it became a very enjoyable read.  I especially loved Cathy’s story and issues with her family.  Her sacrifice and ingenuity to attain her goals made her my favorite character by far.  She is a witty underdog in the world of the fae-touched, and served as stark contrast to Max, our soulless split-world detective.

However, after the book started to pick up, I thought it began to feel rushed.  The climax came and went, still well written, but it was the downward action afterwards where I felt the book may be lacking.  There were several issues that were unresolved, and the book tries to end on a cliff-hanger, but more so felt incomplete.  Obviously, there is a sequel, but the ending page didn’t feel so much like the ending of a book as the ending of a chapter.  I for one think that even books that aim to be trilogies or series should be complete in and of themselves, so this was an issue for me.

Though with its hiccups, Between Two Thorns had good prose, great characters, and was a well done mystery.  I recommend it to anyone who loves faeries, high society related books, and/or a good mystery.  It is all those things in one, which made for a very fun read.

Final Thought: 3 out of 5 toadstools

This review is also posted on GoodReads

TEotWaWKI Tour Stop!

Oh good, the world didn't end yesterday!  YAY!  The End of the World as We Know It will be referred to as TEotWaWKI from here on out. 

Review Time, but first a blurb:

They wanted to party like it was their last night on earth. They just might get their wish….

Meet the four most unlikely heroes ever:

Teena McAuley: Queen Bee, first-class problem solver, resident heartbreaker.

Leo Starnick: UFO conspirator, pizza delivery boy, all-around slacker.

Evan Brighton: Baseball all-star, extreme virgin, Teena-worshipper.

Sarabeth Lewis: Straight-A student, weekend hermit, enemy of the color pink.

When Teena locks Leo, Evan, and Sarabeth in the basement during her biggest party of the year, she doesn’t plan on getting trapped in the Loser Dungeon herself. She can barely imagine a night with these dweebs—let alone a lifetime. But when an alien invasion destroys their entire Midwestern suburb, it looks like these unlikely friends are the last people on earth. Now, it’s up to them to save the world….

 Published July 17th 2012 by Alloy Entertainment

On the surface, TEotWaWKI seems like a mash up of a lot of stories that have been done and redone.  We have a group of teens who wouldn’t normally be seen with each other thrown together in to faceoff with invading aliens.  So basically, The Breakfast Club meets The War of the Worlds.  To me, just that combination was intriguing and had me interested, but I was honestly surprised by how much I grew to love this book.  I thought it was brilliant how the author took two very different ideas, threw them together and created something that was completely her own.  

The book was in a lot of ways a demonstration on how extreme circumstances can lead to character transformations.  What first appeared to be shallow and selfish characters turn into a team full of depth that grow to genuinely care about each other.  At the beginning we are introduced to these characters that appear to be simple archetypes: the Queen Bee, the smart girl, the stoner, and the jock.  I thought it was really interesting how the author played with the archetypes and gradually added layers to each character.  But it wasn’t just the reader who these layers were being exposed to; it was also the other characters.  Each character discovered not only things about themselves, but also depth to each other that they never knew was there. 

What I was surprised by was how by the end of the book, I found some characters endearing where at the beginning I loved to hate them.  Teena in particular, who is our resident Queen Bee, starts out very typical: self-absorbed, catty, and mean.  Not a nice girl.  However, it’s not that she makes a 180 with her character; it’s that you start to see her from a different perspective and form sympathy for her because you begin to know her as a person and not as a simple archetype.  This also happens with the other characters in their own way.

Is TEotWaWKI a realistic interpretation of an alien invasion?  Who knows!  What seems to be the overall point is that we don’t know who we are going to be in extreme circumstances.  So who is to say that a group of teenagers thrown together from a party mishap couldn’t save their town from an alien invasion?  I personally loved the message and how it was humorously explored, but I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone.  Drugs and sex are casually talked about in the book, along with some swearing.  I didn’t think it was gratuitous, but if you’re sensitive to those things, I thought you might want a heads up.

Final Thought: 4 out of 5 toadstools

This review is also posted on GoodReads

But no, there's more goodies:

Top Ten Books You Should Read Before the End of the World by Iva-Marie Palmer

So, when I initially set out to write my top ten for Where the Mome Raths Outgrabe, I had in my mixed-up head that it was to be a list of my favorite books. Which freaked me out a little because I feel like choosing a limited number of favorite books is like choosing which body parts I’d most like to lose. (Yes, I’m alluding a Neil Gaiman quote.) But really, my Top Ten Books You Should Read Before the End of the World is a little different than that, no? With this list, I want to share some must-read books that might be new to some of you, I hope.  Nine are not-YA picks and one is a YA that I feel was somewhat under-read. I think they’re all good to have under your belt should the world bite it. (And yes, I know it didn’t happen yesterday or anything, but one never knows, really.)

I hope you find something new to check out, and in turn know that I’m always scouting book recs so please friend me on GoodReads and recommend away!

American Gods – If you haven’t read Neil Gaiman yet, it’s time you did. In this book, I felt like he exposed the cracks in the world and found magic in them. 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart – I feel like I need to tell everyone I know about this book because I don’t feel like it blew up in the YA world the way it should have. Frankie’s not just a girl, she’s the girl. This has an awesome feminist, girl power message without seeming at all preachy. 

The Secret History by Donna Tartt – Even though I’d read other adult books before this one, this was the first book I read that made me feel like a grown-up. There’s something so seductive about Tartt’s storytelling. It seeps right into your blood. Okay, now I want to read this one again.

L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy – World-building is a skill attributed to fantasy and sci-fi writers, but I don’t understand why James Ellroy doesn’t get credit for being excellent at it, as well. No one does grimy, gritty, old Los Angeles quite the way he does, and you feel like you’re part of the action when you read him.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach – I read this this year, and yes, it’s a bestseller, but it might not be a natural pick-up for YA fans. But you should pick it up, because Harbach is amazing at his craft. Every character matters. Every word matters. But the cool thing is, Harbach’s so skilled he doesn’t draw attention to how much it all matters, which is something only the best writers manage.

Vurt/Pollen by Jeff Noon – I am making clear how old I am, but I read these books right when the Internet was becoming a thing, and they’ve stuck with me. Really great science fiction makes us think not just about the future, but where we are now, and Vurt and its companion, Pollen – about the blurred lines between reality and virtual reality do just that. 

Automated Alice by Jeff Noon – A lot of people try to retell Alice in Wonderland (one of my favorite books), but Noon does it best, I think. In his version of things, Alice travels to the future (which, since this book is older, is now the past: 1998, to be exact.) I like digging this one up to reread every now and again. (Momo, I think you’ll like it, too.)

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby – Four people show up on the same rooftop on New Year’s Eve all with the same idea: To jump off. Sounds cheery, right? Told in alternating points of view, something I’ve been wont to do in my writing (and in End of the World), every character feels unique and important. Plus, reading this makes me think Nick Hronby has as many voices in his head as I do.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – Atwood was doing dystopian YA before that was even a thing. I’m forever grateful to the hip sociology instructor who assigned this to me. If you haven’t read it, do so soon. 

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – This one is on here for me. I confess to never having read it but I always keep meaning to. Supposed to be a stellar example of first-person storytelling (my favorite, often), I’m putting this on my 2013 to-read list. Hold me to it.

Iva-Marie Palmer is the author of The End of the World as We Know It, a sci-fi action comedy from Alloy Entertainment (creators of Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries).  Find her online on Twitter (@ivamarie), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ivamariebooks) and at her website (www.ivamariepalmer.com).

Palmer lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son and lots of (filled) bookshelves.

The books are each linked for easy GoodReads access!  Go forth and read!  I think it's a stellar list and am definitely adding them to my TBR pile (especially Automated Alice -- I think I'll like it too).  Think the Iva-Marie Palmer seems pretty cool?  Stalk her by checking out these links:


Iva-Marie Palmer's Website
Author's Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads Author Page

These links are for TEotWaWKI:
Goodreads
Amazon
Facebook