“There are things in the universe that are simply and purely evil. A warrior does not seek to understand them, or to compromise with them. He seeks only to obliterate them.”
—Thrawn
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Review: “Thrawn” by Timothy Zahn
Murder Mystery
Review: “I Hunt Killers” (Jasper Dent #1) by Barry Lyga
Serial killers: they’re pinnacles of murder mysteries and most of the time becoming icons in both literature and film such as Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs. When it comes to young adult fiction however, serial killer characters themselves can usually be hit or miss. it’s not that the book may be bad, but the big reveal can either be disappointing or the idea not clever enough for its own good. Continue reading
Top 10 LGBT YA Novels I Recommend
Before you read, I’d like to dedicate this post to all the families and victims hurt in this morning’s tragedy. For those who for some reason haven’t heard, a lone shooter mercilessly massacred fifty people and injured just as many at a gay nightclub (called Pulse) in Orlando, Florida. Police are still investigating into further detail, but it is a known fact that this wasn’t just a random shooting. This was a hate-fueled attack meant to kill and harm innocent people.
If anyone is reading this, don’t pray for repentance or hate, but pray for the families and friends that have been affected by what many are calling the worst mass shooting in United States history. Do not call for gun control. Reports are coming in that the gunman was posing as a security guard and guns were not allowed in the club. If there is anything we should call for, it’s for the acceptance of LGBTQA+ people everywhere, and to fight homophobic attacks like this with love and understanding.
To everyone affected by the shooting, everyone is hearing your cries. And to everyone else, I have a quote for you from a Holocaust survivor named Henry Golde, “Hate is nothing, and love is everything.”
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Gay literature is an iconic part of the LGBTQA+ community, especially towards teenagers and young adults, so in celebration of LGBT Pride Month, I’ve decided to make a Top 10 list for the best gay young adult novels I wholly recommend. Now, there are a few rules to this for anyone who’s reading. The first rule is that these entries have to have an LGBT person as the protagonist and not just as a side character. Second, it cannot be explicit and must be readable for anyone from fourteen to even nineteen years of age. And third, having no more than two of an authors’ works is acceptable by my standards because granted, I haven’t read every gay book for young adults; heck I’m even including ones I’ve reviewed on here already. And keep in mind that this is a recommendation list and not a list of the greatest LGBT young adult novels.
With that said, here’s the Top 10 List of LGBT YA Novels I Recommend.
Review: ‘Tri-Angles series: Land Sharks’ by Katharine M. Nohr
So I was asked by a good editor friend of mine if I could review a novel she’s having published next month, and I decided to review this. If you have the time after reviewing this, please be sure to order it via the link below 🙂 Thanks!
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Legal dramas, whether they be on TV, film, animation or literature are practically a dime a dozen in this day and age. And who can blame us? Many people love popular media that takes place in the court room, from old movies such as ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ to modern ones such as ‘Law and Order’. It has become a staple of popular television and literature everywhere. However, if you are going to make your legal drama stand out, it is considered wise to make it creative and new.
Katharine Nohr’s ‘Land Shark’ is in many respects that kind of legal drama.
Review: ‘In a Dark, Dark Wood’ by Ruth Ware
Whenever I read books about a group of strangers meeting in an isolated place and being thrust into a horror story, I often can’t help but roll my eyes. If you remember my review of ‘The Rules’ in October, you may recall it kind of left a foul taste in my mouth. It was by no means terrible, but it left me wanting more variety and depth. I wanted an original story with new characters, a sense of chilling atmosphere, and be genuinely scared and care for the characters.
Well…Ruth Ware’s chilling novel ‘In a Dark, Dark Wood’ is that book. Continue reading
Review: ‘Death Nell’ by Mary Grace Murphy
‘Death Nell’ is another book requested that makes me scratch my head after reading it. The title is a play on the word ‘death knell’, a bell that rings whenever someone dies. I was given the request a while ago but have been busy until now to read it. At first, I was expecting a mildly amusing mystery story centered on a middle-aged blogger, but got something a little bit more in the end.
LaNell ‘Nell’ Bailey is a popular but unknown food critic that owns a blog named ‘Nell’s Noshes up North’. Most of the restaurants and grills she goes to are met with glowing reviews. However, after unfairly giving a well-liked local restaurant called ‘Sam’s Slam’ a bad review, Nell starts receiving awful messages from a troll on her blog regarding her critiquing skills and the review of Sam’s Slam. Not long afterward, the body of a woman also named ‘Nell’ scares her into thinking a killer is after her. With the help of her friends, Sam from the restaurant she gave a bad review to, and herself, Nell must try to solve the case and figure out who wants her dead.
Before, I go on with this review, I should probably state that this book is not meant for everyone. The demographics for this is obviously leaning toward older women, mainly either housewives in their late forties to early fifties and female foodies with too much time on their hands. I’m not saying this is exclusive to those types of people, but ‘Death Nell’ isn’t written for everyone’s interests in mind.
I myself was expecting a serious mystery book centered on a food blogger with dark themes and a big mystery, but instead got something else out of this. Not to say it didn’t have those sort of elements (the reveal of the murderer is surprising and the way the bodies were found shocked me), but oddly enough, the focus of the book was also on Nell’s interactions and daily life while going through this. We see her try to keep a positive attitude, keep her weight down while being a food critic, interact with her dogs named after ‘Seinfeld’ characters, and slowly forming a friendship with Sam. Granted she can be condescending and whiny at times, but Nell makes up for this with her trait of realizing her mistakes and trying to fix them.
One other thing I like about this book is the fact it brings up how influential blogging and reviews are on business, and that a critic should not let their emotions control what they write. So many authors and writers like myself need to take this into heart in order to succeed. I thought it was subtle the way it was brought up.
Much like ‘Sorceress Rising’, another book set in my lovely home state of Wisconsin, so many businesses and landmarks are incorporated in the pages and setting. I’m also not too sure if some of these locations and restaurants even exist, but I have to give the author credit for making these places seem real with real customers. That’s what I like about a book; when they make a place seem too real to be fiction.
So what’s my verdict on this? Honestly, this book isn’t for me. I give it credit for having its own charm and charisma for the characters and a lively setting of Wisconsin towns. However, this type of book isn’t meant for the readings I’m interested. If you like this type of literature, that’s fine. I may even read it once more in the future, but I personally would place it among my favorite novels.
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If you have any questions or already have an opinion on the novel, feel free to leave any comments. Thanks!
Reader's Boulevard 