Behemoth by Scott Westerfield Illustrated by Keith Thompson

Behemoth by Scott Westerfield Illustrated by Keith Thompson

Behemoth is a mixture of alternate history and steampunk written for young adults.  It is the second book in the Leviathan trilogy.  The title Leviathan in the first book refers to a giant living airship.  Leviathan won the 2010 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel. I think it is quite readable for adults as well.

The setting in this part of the series is an alternate history Ottoman Empire.  There are ornate clockwork mechanical walkers and intricate steam powered machines.  The year is 1914.  In this world, the English and Russians are Darwinists masters of genetically engineered beasts and the Germans and Ottomans are Clankers makers of complex clockwork machinery.  I like that in this world, the Americans do both.

This makes for wonderfully ornate illustrations by Keith Thompson.  His website has some of the art from Behemoth http://www.keiththompsonart.com/ The illustrations are wonderfully ornate in black in white with touches of Victoriana, Art Deco, and even Middle Eastern motifs.

The reader encounters living airships, articulated steam elephants, a steampunk library, and an alternate Orient Express.  This transports you to a very different world.  The descriptions are inventive and eloquent.  We get to imagine Iron Golems in the Jewish quarters of Istanbul, fallen nobility in grand hotels, and an air of revolutionary change.

There is constant action, intrigue, hair raising escapes, and suspense.  Tension is created between the main characters; a young woman posing as a boy to serve in the English air corps, and an aristocratic German who is trying to pass himself off as a commoner.

The design of the book is superb; it is set in Hoefler text.  The line spacing and layout are very easy on the eyes.  The jacket design and photo illustration are by Sammy Yuen, Jr.

This is highly recommended, especially for people who read steampunk or atlernate history.

My First Favorite Book - Forever Amber???

So, maybe this wasn't my first favorite book! As most young readers, I devoured Nancy Drew and even read The Hardy Boys. I read every young reader sports biography I could get my sweaty little hands on — from Aaron to Zaharias.

But, I'll always remember Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor, the historical novel that was banned in Boston, among other places. I was almost 15, and getting bored with the reading material available in my small town library. In those days, the Young Adult category was non-existent.

Enter: The head librarian who also happened to be my dear aunt! She noticed my frustration with age-appropriate books and started stashing books under her desk that she thought I might like. Books that my mother would've fainted dead-away had she known, even though my aunt was careful to suggest books that had no erotic content or 4-letter words. Mostly just romance. As I remember, "heaving bosom" was about as bawdy as it got.

I read everything from Tolstoy to Belva Plain. But, the beautiful, historically relevant, Amber St. Clare still haunts me. Unfortunately, it isn't the romance that I remember most about the book, but, instead, the Great Plague! These were the first vivid accounts I'd read of this horrific event, but, don't worry, I'm keeping them to myself on this post. If you want to know more about the "rat plague," Google!

But, plagues aside, I have a decision to make. I'm torn between wanting to read Forever Amber again, after all these years, or simply keeping the memory of this special book and my special aunt in my heart.

What's your advice?


Mary Cunningham is the author of the award-winning 'Tween fantasy/mystery series, Cynthia’s Attic. Her children's mystery series was inspired by a recurring dream about a mysterious attic. After realizing that the dream took place in the home of her childhood friend, Cynthia, the dreams stopped and the writing began.

She is also co-writer of the humor-filled, women's lifestyle book, Women Only Over Fifty (WOOF), along with published stories, Ghost Light and Christmas With Daisy, A Cynthia's Attic short story.


Mary Cunningham Books
Cynthia's Attic Blog
Amazon
Kindle
Quake/Echelon Press

Slam Foreword by Tori Amos Edited by Cecily Von Ziegesar

Slam Foreword by Tori Amos Edited by Cecily Von Ziegesar

This book describes the concepts behind doing a poetry slam. It tells you that most poets perform from memory during poetry slams. Because of this many of the contributions in this book are short raps, poems by singers like Jewel or DMX, and contemporary material.

This book is written for young adults. However, the writing feels like it would be accessible to all ages. The book is clearly written to appear cool and happening. The publisher of the book has a web site, http://alloy.com It is designed as a cool site for teen girls. I didn't expect them to write a book on slam poetry.

There is an interesting mix of poetry by teenage girls; performance poets like Felice Bell, Beth Lisick, or Jerry Quickly; quality literary poets like Allen Ginsberg, Frank O'Hara, Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath and others.

The layout is slightly avant garde. It uses three colors, black, blue, and white. There are a variety of fonts and layouts for the poems. Most of the pages have black and white photographs in the backgrounds.

The back of the book has a mix of one paragraph biographical snapshots and lots of credits for the poems. The book is quite well thumbed by library patrons.

There are quite a few poems from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. I think I want to read more poems from this group.

Some people may not like this book because it is not very traditional. It mixes different skill levels of writing. It would be a very good book for early teens. They would find it cool.

Other people might not like the style of the poetry. Many poems are meant to be read aloud or don't follow traditional rhyme schemes. I liked it because I need to better understand this kind of poetry if I am going to do better in getting people to read poetry in the library setting.

Dead Friends Forever

Extreme Hauntings #1

Wanna be among the first to read it?

BUY HERE

Skater Kaylee Hensler might not be Miss Popular, but there are some friends a girl can do without. When the decaying ghost of a murdered girl decides they need to be total BFF’s, Kaylee will sacrifice the trust of her family, her swim coach’s respect, and any hope of a date for the Harvest Dance.

And oh yeah… discover that super-evil entities are nothing at all like they are on TV or in the movies Aside from seriously bad attitudes, they not only like to kill…but replay the killing again and again for all eternity. To avoid that fate, she’ll have to rely on her wheelchair-bound friend Davey, the mysterious Madame Maggie, and the surprising depth of her own power.

Will Kaylee survive, or will she become someone else's DFF: Dead Friend Forever?

Reviews:
"This book is exceptional! Turner takes a typical kid and ignites her courage to face unthinkable evil. Creepy, exciting, and totally cool, keep a light on when you read this one!" –M.K. Scott, author of Zamora's Ultimate Challenge (aka Michele Scott, The Wine Lovers Mysteries)

"Dead Friends Forever is a gripping tale of teenage turmoil taken to an extreme level. …it's more than a great story, it's a life, or shall I say, after-life event." –Matthew-Levi Kalik

"An incredible book…constantly changing and surprising me…sometimes leaving me breathless after an intense scene…one of the top books I've read…it has the power to leave anyone who reads it completely enthralled… A GREAT READ!!!!" –Skyler Byas

Bio:
During the long winters in central Wisconsin, J.R. Turner loves watching movies, doing arts and crafts and hanging out on MySpace. In the summer she can be found gardening, camping and enjoying the fresh water lakes and rivers. As a kid, her imagination got her in tons of trouble. At seven she dragged her five year old brother onto the roof of their two story home to practice for an imaginary flood, then later nearly drowned him when she imagined a five-foot tarantula in the shadows of the river bank. Many years later, she made her family proud when she won her first award for that very same talent. Today, she takes great pleasure in exploring exciting new story ideas and great characters, as well as chocolate of all kinds.

Quick Facts:
Release Date: March 2009
Title: DFF: Dead Friends Forever (Extreme Haunting #1)
Author: J.R. Turner
ISBN: 978-1-59080-625-8 (10-Digit 1-59080-625-5)
Genre: YA Horror
Pages: 272
Price: $13.99 US $16.99 CAN
Age Group: 12 +

Retail Distribution:
Echelon/Quake Direct (*45% - no minimum -returnable in sellable condition)
Ingram Book Co.
Partners Book Dist.
Follett Distribution
Brodart Co.
Amazon.com
Fictionwise (e-Formats)
*Paid pre-orders will receive a 48% discount.

Have you been to the Hobbitville Gardens?

Welcome to
Hobbitville Gardens…
where adventure grows wild!



THE PIXIE CHICKS

Buy the eBook now at

For a quartet of girlfriends known as the Pixie Chicks, life takes on a delicious new flavor when their normal Friday night walkabout through the Hobbitville gardens reveals secrets and adventures previously unimagined. Who knew the statues were portals to similar, magical gardens around the world? Or that only a select few can travel by statue and fewer still can arrive at their desired point? These four will reach for the stars despite the risks of the unknown to embrace an adventure suitable only for the boldest of teens.

Who is Regan Black?
Regan Black has been indulging her imagination since the moment she discovered the magic of pencil and paper. She's won awards for both her poetry and her adult adventure novels, despite the chaos of managing a husband, two children and a home that could serve as a domestic petting zoo. With two retired greyhounds (give or take a foster), two cats and three birds, she's learned to craft her stories with one hand on the keyboard and one on whoever is in need of affection. If she's not writing, you'll most likely find her reading, gardening, playing with the pets or doing yoga to recover from all of the above. Thanks to the wonders of technology, you can always find her at www.reganblack.com.

Have You Read Locker Shock?

LOCKER SHOCK

By Pamela Ripling
ISBN: 978-1-59080-581-7

Read Chapter One

What would you do if you found something deadly in your school locker and you suspected a friend of stashing it there?

Benjamin Mitchell thinks life really sucks when he nearly fails his history test. What's more, he's trying to get on the Midland Racers hockey team as a replacement goal tender. His buddies, Zach and Frasier are as different as night and day, and Ben feels like salt-water taffy, stretched thinner and thinner as the boys battle for his attention. And as if things couldn't get any worse, Valerie has suddenly started acting like a girl. The pressure is on.

Ben has bigger problems and it looks like somebody is out to set him up. Can he find out before it's too late?

What people are saying about Locker Shock

"...a valuable story. The characterization is superb of today's teenagers." – Sharpwriter.com

"Ben's first encounter with the darker side of life is satisfying and educational without a lot of heavy moralizing, and his uncertainty as he wrestles with the issues of loyalty versus morality is solid and authentic." – Blue Iris Journal

Meet the Author:

Pam Ripling didn't know what she was getting into when she decided she wanted to be published. A bookkeeper by trade and a mother, wife, and daughter most of the rest of the time, Pam dove headlong into electronic publishing when it became apparent that this, at last, was her ticket to stardom and notoriety. With a few romance novels already under her proverbial belt, LOCKER SHOCK! is her first venture into the Young Adult genre. Fueled by her two teenaged sons' experiences in junior high, Pam has created several stories portraying life as a young teen in today's uniquely challenging times. She hopes LOCKER SHOCK! is the first of many.

You can visit Pamela at
www.beaconstreetbooks.com

The Gatekeepers: Raven's Gate (Book Review)

The Gatekeepers: Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: 0-439-85629-9

Matt isn't really a bad kid, he's just looking for someplace to belong and maybe a reason. He is however different from your average kids, and someone out there seems to know that. When he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, Matt's entire life is ripped apart and he is sent on a journey that is more than a little strange, and altogether terrifying.

Worse yet, when he finds himself packed off to Lesser Malling, things get even weirder. Knowing he needs to escape the nightmare he is living, Matt is faced with mortality and his true self. But everyone who tries to help Matt ends up dead or missing. Is the place he's supposed to call home filled with witches or is there a greater evil at hand?

Anthony Horowitz writes a remarkably dark tale. As an adult, I wondered if it might be too graphic for the kids, but I could not put it down. I can see where readers of the dark and gritty would high five Mr. Horowitz's talent for the creepy. A very good read and I am looking forward to Evil Star.

Reviewed by Karen Syed

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