Mandy’s Top 5 Reads of 2012

So this year, my reading was a little more eclectic than usual. I also read a little less than usual. Maybe that’s because many of the books I read had me pondering their deeper meanings, their nuances, the actual craft of the author. Whatever it was, I still got to read some seriously awesome books. So here’s my top 5 titles, in no particular order:

1/ Red Queen by Honey Brown

Red Queen is one of those titles that’s not quite crime or thriller, not quite spec fic – it just IS. And wow, is it creepy. And beautiful. Brown’s writing has a real melody to it.

2/ Feed, Deadline and Blackout by Mira Grant

Yeah, yeah, I’m cheating here by bundling all three novels of the ‘Newsflesh’ trilogy together. But technically, they’re one story. And you should read them. Now. Before the dead begin to rise.

3/ Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan

Back when I reviewed Sea Hearts here at Burn Bright in February, I wrote that I adored it. I still do. Margo Lanagan can twist words and sentences into heart-splitting scenes that will play in your memory forever.

4/ Bluegrass Symphony by Lisa L Hannett

I dipped into a few short story collections this year, most from Australian small press.  Lisa’s collection was a real standout for me (along with Felicity Dowker’s Bread and Circuses. But it would be cheating to add that in too. Oh. Oops). Hannett is another author whose words rise and fall like music; Bluegrass Symphony is as twisted and bleak as it is beautiful.

5/ Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Linqvist

More zombies. This time, in a very serious, heartbreaking novel that explores grief and loss. With lots of gory and mucky and cool horror stuff that smells like expensive cheese.

5 Most Anticipated Reads of 2012

Okay, most of these are already out there in the wild, jumping off bookshop shelves. Actually, most are jumping off MY shelf, coz I already have them in my To Be Read pile. I’m just a little backward and haven’t got to them yet. So, here are the five books I can not wait to sink my teeth into next year:

1/ Shine Light by Marianne de Pierres.

Oh. Yeah.

Do I really need to explain? Really?

2/ Stage Fright by Marianne Delacourt

Book three in the Davitt Award Winning Tara Sharp series has been screaming ‘Pick me! Pick me!’ from my bookshelf since the first week it was released. Tara’s noisy like that. I’ll be putting her out of her misery very, very soon.

3/ Illumination by Karen Brooks

Another one from the already-purchased-not-yet-read pile. The third and final book in the Curse of the Bond Riders trilogy, I can’t wait to see what this doorstop of a book has in store for characters Tallow and Dante.

4/ Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

The thirteenth and final book in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series is due for release in early May next year. *Sigh*. I hope Sookie finds happiness. I hope she finds love (preferably with Sam, ahem). I hope we get a satisfying ending to the series that spawned the TV show, True Blood.

5/ The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I know, I know, it’s not new. In fact, The Scorpio Races was released in 2011. But I didn’t know about it until it was recently recommended to me by uber-author, Alison Goodman (EON and EONA) And, you know, when Alison Goodman personally recommends something – you have to read it, right? I’ll let y’all know how I go.

Hello and Welcome to my review of Naturally Charlie!

I’m so excited to share with you how much I loved this book, and couldn’t force myself to put it down!

Here’s the summary:

“Twenty-five year old Charlotte “Charlie” Barrow is caught between her old life and the one she is beginning to build when she crosses paths with a handsome stranger on the subway. Not looking for romance, she closes her heart off to the possibilities of love. With a knack for mishaps, Charlie maintains her sense of humor while befriending the kind stranger who seems to be there at all the right times. New York freelance writer, Charlie Adams, is forging his own path beyond the expectations of the society circles of his childhood. Rejecting family money, and fast-lane friends, he is snubbed by his family as he follows his own compass to a life more extraordinary. Through a coincidence of events, they come to rely on each other for comfort. This is the tale of two Charlies learning to trust again while fighting their fates to create their own destiny.”

Naturally Charlie follows the journey of Charlotte and Charles, both who go by the nickname Charlie, and are going through rough times in their lives. While Charlotte is dealing with a broken heart from an intense break up, and death of her ex-fiancée Jim, just six months later, Charles is dealing with many changes in his life, his thoughts and morals, as well as the death of his aunt (the only family member he could ever really relate to!).

Bumping into each a few different times throughout the story, Charlotte and Charles decide to attend one another’s family funerals, not exactly the ideal first “date”, but it doesn’t matter to either of the two. They both need someone to lean on during these rough times.

From attending the funerals to spending Saturday afternoons, napping and watching movies together, the two get really close, and start having feelings for each other (even though neither want to admit to it).

But while Charles wants to not only help Charlotte get through her last break up and her ex-fiancée’s death, but also he wants to take their own relationship farther, he doesn’t want to “just be friends”, he wants much more! Unlike Charlotte who wants time to herself, to clear her head, and heal. Charlotte wants to end one part of her life, before she starts any other part.

Even though I received this book for review, Naturally Charlie was the perfect little love story I’ve been looking for! I really liked both of the characters, Charlotte was down to earth and I could connect to her many times throughout the story, and Charles was the perfect guy and girl could dream of!

LOVED it! If you haven’t picked this up yet, you should!

Step Up Revelation

Starring: Ryan Guzman, Kathryn McCormick, Misha Gabriel, Peter Gallagher,

Stephen “tWitch” Boss

Ok, let’s start with a confession: I love movies with pretty choreography. And sometimes, I want to watch something that requires no thinking, so I look for something with little plot, some romance and pretty leads. I had watched the previous Step Up movies (still remember you there, Channing Tatum!) and while they have no plot whatsoever, they’re fun. Plus, the new Step Up movie had Kathryn McCormick and tWitch in it—two of my favourite So You Think You Can Dance contestants (still think you should’ve won Season 4, tWitch!)—so I said “What the hell, it can’t be worse than Robogeisha,” and watched it.

By the way, Robogeisha: You know the sort of movie that’s so bad, but so bad it was actually funny? Women sprout swords from their armpits and butt! A giant robot smashes buildings and blood spurts out of the concrete! How hilarious is that? That’s Robogeisha for you.

So, Step Up Revolution. It starts with an illegal dance number in the middle of the road. People stop the traffic and dance, all over the cars and stuff. It’s pretty cool actually, and I squealed when I saw tWitch. He seems like a pretty great guy and I’m always happy to see him on movies and TV. So, there’s the routine, done by “The Mob” and then we’re treated to a glimpse of the lead guy, Sean. As you probably guessed, he’s poor. Oh well. Sean meets Emily (played by the gorgeous Kathryn McCormick), they flirt, standard romance happens. Then—oh no!—she’s the daughter of the businessman who wants to tear down Sean’s neighbourhood!

I won’t lie—the plot is pretty standard and straightforward, but I didn’t really care. The dance numbers more than made up for it. The second one—the one which Emily sees at an art gallery—is breathtaking. There’s a play on colours, on lights, that is just beautiful. Really, you’d want to join The Mob afterwards—which, of course, is what Emily does. And she’s the lead right off the bat! You have to love how appropriate everything is in this movie.

This is where we get our third dance. And it’s so gorgeous! Emily is dressed in this beautiful ruffled dress that makes her movements seem longer. And Kathryn pulls the dancing off so effortlessly… Really, she’s a thrill to watch. Of course, the lead guy (Ryan Guzman) is pretty good as well, but she has this lightness, this range of movement that’s so wonderful and fluid. I remember a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance who said Kathryn can practically levitate—and watching her dance, you realize that yes, she probably can.

Of course, drama ensues (the people in the Mob find out who Emily is, she doesn’t get a position in a dance company … yada yada), but the dances carry the generic plot through. The two “protest” dances are pretty amazing and well-choreographed—not to mention the last one of them is pretty long and complete. And the last dance between Emily and Sean is so sweet, so heart-wrenching… it sent chills down my spine. Really, they have great chemistry in that number.

I’m not lying when I say I love how conveniently everything is wrapped up in the last three minutes of the movie. The “Oh, I was working for the bad guy, but I just saw you dancing and I actually work for Nike and want to hire you,” type of thing. It’s pretty funny, actually, but considering the type of movie… who cares?

Final verdict: While not ground-breaking or complex, Step Up Revolution is a pretty fun movie to watch. It’s got great routines and the lead actors are so pretty to look at. So, if you’re looking for something with a light, simple plot that’s not hard to follow but has great moments tying everything together, then this is your thing.

Many thanks to New York Times best-selling author, L.J Smith for tagging me in The Next Big Thing meme last week. Burn Bright will soon have an interview with L.J. and you can read reviews of some of her many books here and here and here.

Thanks also to Cheryse Durant for the intro!

So here it is …

1) What is the working title of your next book?

Actually, the story is an embryo at this stage and doesn’t have a title yet but it’s a contemporary crime novel with a 40 plus protagonist.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

It’s a combination of suggestions from my editor and my own ideas. She (Ed!) steered me in a direction and now I’m off and running with characters and ideas.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Humorous crime slash chick-lit slash romance slash mystery!

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I’m still building the characters up in my mind, so it’s a bit early to say. Plus I’m a big fan of the unknown actor. I like the lack of wider context they bring to movies. So, I’d definitely be hoping a casting agent could discover THE NEXT BIG THING!

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

An unusual ladies book-club finds themselves caught in a murder investigation that will change their lives forever.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m always represented by the amazing Tara Wynne of Curtis Brown, Australia.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Just starting to write it now but a novel usually take 6-9 months for a first draft.

8)  What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Hmmm, not sure actually. This one might be in a class of its own 🙂

I love mysteries and crime in stories, regardless of the genre and I’ve been hankering to write a story with a middle-aged protagonist for a while. Following on from the Tara Sharp series it seemed a natural progression to write from the POV of a character closer to my own age.

9) Who or what inspires you?

Music, books, people, visual imagery. I love the photography site 500 pix – I look at it every single night. But mostly,mysteries intrigue me – any kind. I have an insatiable curiosity.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

The story pivots around the vagaries and foibles of a book-club. A lot of readers have either thought about joining one, are in one currently, or have been in one. Also the main character is a single mum. Been wanting to do that for a while too. But as is always the case with me, the characters will be very quirky.

Now, I’m tagging a bunch of writers who are names for you to look out for, now and in the future. Thye are already doing great things that will only get … greater! They will be posting next Wednesday, so be sure to stop by…

Mandy Wrangles:

Ms Scarlet Stiletto herself!

Kylie Fox:

The lady who can do everything!

Graham Storrs:

The real deal in SF!

Paula Weston:

Definitely The Next Big Thing!

Welcome to my review of Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins! This is the second book in the Hex Hall series, the first being, Hex Hall. If you haven’t picked up this series you really should. I can’t wait to see how the story continues in the third and final book, Spellbound!

Here’s the synopsis:

“Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch, which was why she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shape-shifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered she’s a demon, and her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping her kind off the face of the earth.

What’s worse, Sophie has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is why she decides to go to London for the Removal, a risky procedure that will either destroy her powers forever—or kill her. But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery: someone is raising new demons in secret and planning to use their powers to destroy the world. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Acher to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him any more. Does she?”

Though I loved Hex Hall and never thought the second book could be better or even nearly as good, it was! With Demonglass, Rachel Hawkins hit it out of the park.

The end of Sophie’s first year at Hex Hall, is just around the corner, as is summer. While most of her friends and classmates are happy to finally leave school and be able to spend their summer doing what they please, Sophie agrees to spend her summer with her dad, the Council, Jenny (her best friend), and Mr. Hot, Cal! Spending the next three or so months in this huge mansion isn’t exactly what Sophie thought she would be doing for her holidays.

Demonglass introduces two new characters, Nick and Daisy, who are demons just like Sophie and her Dad. The characters in Hex Hall were amazing, each character was interesting and had depth, but Demonglass took them to a whole new level! I really enjoyed reading about the love triangle between Cal, Sophie and Archer! Sadly I still can’t say which team I’m on because I really like both. While Cal is more a delicious hot and good boy, Archer is more the bad-ass hot guy. Cal is more quiet and relaxed, letting Sophie decide how she feels, Archer is more open and aggressive in his relationship with Sophie.

The story line is a bit different this time. Hex Hall was more about Sophie, her love life, and school. Demonglass is much bigger than that. It included Sophie, her love triangle….and pretty much the rest of the demonic/paranormal world. But what happens when this demonic/paranormal world is in danger? What if someone is breeding demons to build an army and start a war? What will Sophie have to do to save her world? Will Sophie have to decide between Archer and Cal? Who will she pick? The guy her dad approves of, or the guy he doesnt?!

If you haven’t read this series, you really should get on it! I loved the first two books, and can’t wait to see what the third has in store for me!