Looking forward to 2016 reads

I often get so wrapped in the immediate list of things I have on my reading schedule that I don't look ahead more than that. I thought I'd stop looking at the ground for a little while and glance forward to see what I'm excited about on the reading horizon.

O.k. well, the first book isn't that much forward. It's actually tomorrow. Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X is the first in a new series for him--and it's quite different, but I'll save that for the review. I've been feeling a little withdrawal since I didn't have any Hurwitz last year, but Orphan X is here, so I should get my fix and be fine again.

And next week is Alafair Burke's The Ex.  I haven't had an opportunity to read her books with Mary Higgins Clark, so I'm ready to tear into this one--another author I missed reading last year.

February is bringing The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson, Jo Nesbø's The Midnight Sun and a non-fiction title Incarceration Nations by a John Jay professor named Baz Dreisinger.

Also in February--it's a good month for books--is Daniel Black's Listen to the Lambs, Neal Griffin's A Voice from the Field,  and Johnny Shaw's Floodgate. Very different books, but all titles to look forward to.

One of the debut's I'm looking forward to comes out in February as well: Out of the Blues by Trudy Nan Boyce. 

March has Lyndsay Faye's Jane Steele, Lisa Lutz's The Passenger and a couple of historical fiction titles I'm excited about: Mrs. Houdini by Victoria Kelly and Hanging Mary by Susan Higginbotham.

And I have to admit I'm rather intrigued by Keri Smith's Wander Society.

Steve Hockensmith wants us to Give the Devil His Due in the next Tarot Card mystery, out in April along with Simon Van Booy's Father's Day.

We have to wait until September for the next Walt Longmire novel, but May will bring a new novella, The Highwayman.  I eagerly anticipate BOTH!

Also in May is another debut I'm excited about, Mission Hill by Pamela Wechsler. She's written for TV and now she's starting a legal thriller series. Another TV writer with a book out in May is Noah Hawley whose Before the Fall I'm looking forward to.

And...and...and...the next Fredrik Backman book comes out in May! Britt-Marie Was Here. I can hardly sit still when I type this. If you read My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, you'll know Britt-Marie was a character in that book. It sounds like the new one combines the best qualities of his first two books...but you know my feelings, everything about those two books were spectacular. I just can't wait for this one!  

Finally for May, John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard wrap up The Chronicles of the Invaders trilogy with Dominion. I've really enjoyed this YA series...and it's sci-fi. Who knew?

June brings back Shake Bouchon in Double Barrel Bluff (I just love his titles!). I can't wait for this book, partly because I want to read the Skype seen. Lou did research for that scene while we conducted an interview via Skype! But more than anything, I love Lou Berney's writing. It's such a treat whenever there's a new book from him.

Property of the State is out in June from Bill Cameron. This is a YA and I'm rather excited to see what Cameron is going to deliver in this younger age bracket.

Also breaking into the YA realm this year is Louis Bayard with Lucky Strikes. All one needs to say is that a new Bayard is coming, and I get goose bumps.

In August, Michael Koryta's second Mark Novak novel will come out. Which gives me time to read the first. It is one of the titles on my 2015 list I still hope to get to. And W. Bruce Cameron has another Repo Man book coming!

Sean Chercover will wrap up the Game Trilogy in September with a very fitting title, The Apocalypse Game. And Chris Holm releases Red Right Hand...another one I have to get to from my 2015 list is The Killing Kind. I have to do so before September!

Very quickly, a couple that have already released: Marcus Sakey's final book in the Brilliance trilogy: Written in Fire (does it seem like a lot of trilogies are wrapping up this year?!) and Reed Farrel Coleman's Where It Hurts. I reviewed Coleman's book for Shelf, but I have to get to Sakey's, I can't let that one go unread!

**Correction** Coleman's book comes out next week. It's only January and I'm already losing track of time. Good gracious!

Lots of goodness coming in 2016, right? I'm sure there's more I should have on my list, so let me know what you're looking forward to this year.

Happy Reading!

2014 Favorite Covers & First Lines

Well, it's hard to believe it, but it's that time of year again. Time to sum up the year in reading with my favorites lists. For those who may be new to the blog this year end, I have foregone the use of the term "best" because the connotation indicates there is a standard or rubric that makes the selection objective, when in reality all of these lists--no matter who they are compiled by--are completely subjective and dependent on the choosers' tastes and interests. So my lists are "favorite lists."

I had hoped to integrate some stats from what blog readers also liked this year, but the responses were too few to offer anything up in that realm. Maybe next year?

As for my favorites in the categories of covers and first lines, here are those that rocked my reading world for 2014:

FAVORITE COVERS

5.  A Better World (Marcus Sakey): I think you'll notice a running theme of simplicity in my favorite covers. In addition to A Better World's cover having a connection with the first in the trilogy, it screams a big meaning in a subtle use of art. The only thing that would have improved this cover is a more subtle use of the blurb--preferably moving it to the back cover.

4. Roosevelt's Beast (Louis Bayard): The rich layered approach of Bayard's writing is epitomized in the dimension of this cover. His atmosphere and setting are nailed.  The minimalistic use of color gives each hue strength in the overall arrangement. The font choice for the title builds the suspense before readers even crack the cover. And the wording is limited to the title and author--how wonderfully refreshing.

3. Conquest (John Connolly & Jennie Redyard): I absolutely love the use of shape and light in this cover. It exudes so many elements of the novel: the blending of cultures, the sci-fi genre, they mysterious and unknown, as well as the strong connection to basics of the planet. Again, I think the simplistic color scheme adds strength to each shade and highlight.

2. The Global War on Morris (Steve Israel): This is a very late entry for 2014. The book comes out tomorrow and you'll hear more about it after my review runs in Shelf Awareness, but this cover has a less subtle use of color which is perfect for this political satire. The stark contrast between the elements in this composition are bold and loud and funny, just like the points Israel makes inside the book.

1. The Intern's Handbook (Shane Kuhn): I listened to this audiobook for Audiofile Magazine and much like The Global War on Morris, the colors of this cover are minimal but they are bold and jump out at the viewer. The composition of the cover is brilliant and intricately tied to the plot. I can't help but love a cover that makes a concerted effort to accurately tie into the novel it's representing.  Kudos to Simon and Schuster on this beauty!

FAVORITE FIRST LINES:

5.  Talk by Michael Smerconish: "Fire, tits and sharks are TV gold."

4. Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix: "It was dawn, and the zombies were stumbling through the parking lot, streaming toward the massive beige box at the far end."

3. Don't Look Back by Gregg Hurwitz: "Terror came as a vibration, a plucked-wire note more felt than heard, primary to the deadening heat, to the flick of unseen insects against her face, to the oppressive night humidity that pressed into her pores."

2. Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta: "On the last day of Jace Wilson's life, the thirteen-year-old stood on a quarry ledge staring at cool, still water and finally understood something his mother had told him years before: Trouble might come for you when you showed fear, but trouble doubled-down when you lied about it."

1. The Happiest People in the World by Brock Clarke: "The moose head was fixed to the wall, the microphone in its mouth was broken, but the camera in its left eye was working just fine, and as far as the moose head could see, this was just another Friday night in the Lumber Lodge!"

What covers and first lines tickled your fancy this year? Share with us in the comments, we'd love to know. Tomorrow I'll have my favorite debuts and favorite audiobooks for 2014. See you then!

My Life According to Books

Welcome to today's Thankfully Reading Weekend mini-challenge. This is a meme I have done for the past several years, thanks to my friend Pop Culture Nerd. This year I collaborated with her to come up with the sentence starters and we're sharing it with you for this mini-challenge.

For those who haven't heard of this fun activity before, I'm going to give you the beginnings to ten sentences. You complete the sentences with book titles from books you've read this year. They don't have to be books that were published this year, just books you read this year.

You can see Pop Culture Nerd's responses here. And the responses I gave for previous years include last year, 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009 (yes, I obviously enjoy this--I hope you do, too).

So now on to this year's feature:

1. Black Friday makes me: Roosevelt's Beast (Louis Bayard)

2. If you post racists comments on Facebook, I: (flip) The Kill Switch (James Rollins & Grant Blackwood)

3. In my ID photo, I look like: (I belong in) Morgue Drawer 4 (Jutta Profijt)

4. If someone interrupts my reading, I: Think Like a Freak (Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner)

5. When I read/watch the news I: (become an) Angry Optimist (Lisa Rogak)

6. The last time I (we) visited the zoo, I (we): (were) The Happiest People in the World (Brock Clarke)

7. If I were a Supreme Court justice, I would: (dole out) Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson)

8. Absolutely nothing compares to: Adventures in the Anthropocene (Gaia Vince)

9. Best advice my mom gave me was: Don't Look Back (Gregg Hurwitz)

10. My hope for 2015 is: A Better World (Marcus Sakey)

O.k. what do you think? Ready to take a shot at it? You can post to your blog or leave a comment with your responses. If you post to your blog, be sure to come back and leave us a link so we can come see your responses! It's so much fun to see what everyone comes up with for these.

Don't Look Back - Gregg Hurwitz

My review of Gregg Hurwitz's Don't Look Back first appeared as a starred review in Shelf Awareness for Readers. It is appearing here today with their permission.

First line: "Terror came as a vibration, a plucked-wire note more felt than heard, primary to the deadening heat, to the flick of unseen insects against her face, to the oppressive night humidity that pressed into her pores."

If there’s a dip in Mexican tourism this year, fingers might point at Gregg Hurwitz (Tell No Lies) and his chilling new standalone thriller. Hurwitz’s most recent novels terrorize his everyman characters in the midst of civilization, but Don’t Look Back drops Eve Hardaway, a nurse and single mother, into the jungles of southern Mexico.

What’s supposed to be a fun vacation turns into an unfathomable nightmare when Eve wanders from her tour group, stumbling on an isolated house. She observes the inhabitant throwing machetes at a human-shaped target. The sight is frightening enough, but it doesn’t begin to compare with the horrors about to rain down from the life-threatening trip-wire she’s innocently triggered.

Hurwitz has a history of creating smart, driven female characters, but they usually take a supporting role. Don’t Look Back puts a woman firmly in the protagonist’s seat. Eve’s fears and doubts, her motivations and emotions all ring true for a struggling American parent.

The Mexican setting takes on a character-like role in the novel as well. From the unforgiving weather to the punishing terrain, Hurwitz brings readers up close and personal with the sights, sounds, smells and even the creepy-crawly sensations of the jungle’s occupants: sweeper ants, termites and bats, oh my!

Non-stop action in a darkly exotic land keeps the adrenalin pumping from beginning to end. In one of his darkest books yet, Hurwitz pokes a stick in a hornet’s nest of American fears to excite and entertain. Just don’t read it on the plane to Mexico.

Don't Look Back is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9780312626839) from St. Martin's Press and as an unabridged audiobook (ISBN: 978-1455882465), narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Scott Brick, from Brilliance Audio.

2013 Favorite Reads!

My favorites list always get to be challenging posts because there are definite books or audiobooks that MUST be on the list and then there are some that are very good and I'd like to be on the list, only I need to stick to my cut-off point, so I go back and forth about which is actually the best to appear on the list...and so many things can factor into that final choice. If I read it longer ago, do I remember exactly how it made me feel when I finished? Or am I remembering that better for the more recent books? And as I was mentioning with a friend last week, what I read before that book could impact my reaction to it as well. So, the point of my babbling here is just that this is always a challenge for me. I've read many many good books this year, and I'm so thankful for all of them.

But when I put myself to the task, here are my favorite 10 of 2013 (the titles link to my reviews if you want to see what I had to say when I reviewed them):

EVIL IN ALL ITS DISGUISES (Hilary Davidson) -  Davidson has a keen talent for atmosphere. Between the exotic locales of her settings and the eerie, suspense of the plots, readers are enveloped by the story. Evil in All Its Disguises is Davidson's third entry in her Lily Moore series and her strongest to date. She simply continues to exceed expectations in every aspect of the crime novel and the experience of reading her is unforgettable. Forge, March 2013

SPIRIT OF STEAMBOAT (Craig Johnson) - The novella that started out as a short story is a heartwarming holiday tale featuring one of my absolute favorite residents of Absaroka County, Lucian Connolly. Spirit of Steamboat is all of Johnson's great writing qualities packed into a pint-size book: humor, suspense, sense of time and place, amazing characters speaking sharp dialogue, and a sense of connection. Reading Spirit of Steamboat you feel as though these people are your friends,  your neighbors, your family, so you can't help but relate and identify with them. This is a gem to add to the fabulous Walt Longmire canon. Viking, October 2013

SUSPECT (Robert Crais) - I've long held that L.A. Requiem is my favorite Crais book. But this year, Suspect usurped it. LAR is still my favorite Elvis/Joe book, but Suspect is evidence that Crais strives to be a better writer with every book. His portrayal of both man and dog suffering PTSD is intimate and stunning. The relationship he creates between man and dog is beautifully heart-wrenching. This is simply an incredible book.  Putnam, January 2013

IF YOU WERE HERE (Alafair Burke) - I mentioned last week that I thought the cover for this book was the best of all Burke's covers to date. I also think this is her best BOOK to date.  She's stretching her writing chops and it's paying off in spades. The complexity of her plot and the richness of her characters made this a fast-paced, exciting read.  Harper, June 2013

THE TILTED WORLD (Tom Franklin & Beth Ann Fennelly) - Lyrically beautiful and frightful at the same time. Franklin and Fennelly show no obvious signs of two different writers contributing to this incredible story. The dialogue, characters, atmosphere, tone, it's all pitch perfect. To read The Titled World and not get lost in the story is unthinkable to me. It also brings to light a period we've all but forgotten as well as a segment of the population we never remembered to begin with. William Morrow, October 2013

THE BROKEN PLACES (Ace Atkins) - With each new installment to this series, I love it more and more. Atkins' integration of the storm infused the story with energy and suspense. His depiction of the Southern small town brings out all the splendor of setting and people--both good and bad, but never over-simplified. Quinn's haunted soul is much more than the loner trope of crime novels. He's a dynamic character with layers that Atkins is carefully pealing away with each novel. And the supporting cast of the series is just as distinct and authentic. Putnam, May 2013

TELL NO LIES (Gregg Hurwitz) - I mentioned yesterday that with the discovery of new authors each year, it becomes harder and harder to keep up with them all. Gregg Hurwitz is one I never miss because each book is amazing and each one seems to top the one before it. TELL NO LIES took Hurwitz to new levels of great. His pacing, plot twists, relationships, ethical scenarios and social issues are stronger than ever. Delving into the psychological in this novel, Hurwitz created a one-sitting read. St. Martin's Press, August 2013

THE AMERICAN WAY OF POVERTY (Sasha Abramsky) - O.k. this one isn't crime fiction, but it is one of my favorite reads this year. We all have preconceived notions about poverty and U.S. programs for the poor. Many are faulty notions at best. The American Way of Poverty illuminates the reality through statistics, anecdotes and policy definitions. So many of the ailments of our country are all tied in together: education, health care, poverty, crime...The reality is disheartening but the potential for changes is inspiring. And since education is the first step to change, this book is a definite must-read for any and all Americans. It's motivating and empowering. Challenge yourselves! Nation Books, September 2013

BEAUTIFULLY UNIQUE SPARKLEPONIES (Chris Kluwe) - The other non-crime novel on my list. This book is smart, funny, inspiring and genuine. Kluwe's overall message through the collection of essays, letters, blog posts, etc., is empathy...the Golden Rule. I don't think there's enough emphasis on that mindset these days. It's all "me, me, me." Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies can be blunt and direct, but Kluwe's passion is never questionable. It's refreshing to see a young man in his position in society take an articulate stand in this way. I simply can't stop recommending this one to people. Little, Brown and Co., June 2013

BRILLIANCE (Marcus Sakey) - Can I just do the "OMG, this book is wonderful!" line? It truly is. This was the book that ruined the books I read after it. Nothing could compare. Brilliance is a mix of literary, sci-fiction, crime. The whole concept of the book is fascinating, but in Sakey's able hands, it became extraordinary. I can absolutely see this being The Brave New World of our generation. Ringing in at 500 pages, I couldn't believe how fast the end came...too fast. If you've yet to read this book, GET. IT. NOW. Thomas & Mercer, July 2013

And that my friends is my round-up of my favorite reads of 2013. Now how about you? What made your lists this year? What are the books you've most recommended to others? And what are you most looking forward to in 2014? For me, I'm looking forward to sharing great books with you another year. To, hopefully, trying some new things on the blog and discovering more new authors and celebrating a love of reading and books. Thanks for being along for the ride this year.

Happy New Year and Happy Reading!

Murder & Mayhem in Muskego - Part 2

Saturday is the main part of the Murder & Mayhem conference. This year's line-up of authors was another doozy so the entire day was filled with crime fiction goodness.

There was some kind of accident or something on the highway, so Judy Bobalik and I had to take the back roads route to the library and I was doing a slight panic on the way because this was the first year my duties were in the morning. Holy cow if I was late I'd have been mortified. But  no sweat, we made it in plenty of time for me to see a little bit of Bryan's first gig as panel moderator!

He led Marcus Sakey, Alex Segura, Sean Doolittle and Kieran Shea in a panel called "Flip the Switch." Bryan's last question to everyone was, "what would your last meal be?"

Pie!

And next came my interview with Gregg Hurwitz. What fun and how animated Gregg is. I've said many times, Gregg is simply a natural-born storyteller. He spoke about the beginning of his interest in writing, his research, his work on scriptwriting and of course his new book TELL NO LIES. By the way, I'm absolutely mortified to realize I never posted my review of the book here. I reviewed it for Shelf but wanted to add to the review...so I promise I will get that for you all. In the mean time, I have video of the interview if you care to watch. This year I managed to stay in the chair and Gregg even got me to blush at one point. It's the full interview, so give yourself some time and I hope you enjoy. Also a special shout out to my wonderful friend Larry who handled the activation of the video camera for this one. Thanks Larry!


Following our interview, Kate Malmon took the moderator's reigns to lead Duane Swierczynski, Howard Chaykin, Dana Cameron, Chris Holm and Harry Hunsicker in the "Riff Raff" panel. It started off in riff raff fashion with a phone interruption for Howard.

Sadly, Chris was not telling his bug story here.

Following lunch the noirish-types took the stage for the "Back in Black" panel led by Tim Hennessey and featuring Frank Wheeler, Megan Abbott, Reed Farrel Coleman, Frank Bill, Jedidiah Ayres, and Hilary Davidson. In the picture you'll notice Reed and Frank Bill in their matching hats. I would love to say those are for my Elyria alma mater, but in fact they were a "hat tip" to Rod Wiethop a prominent member of the crime fiction community who has had a stellar year with his sports teams at Effingham High School (hopefully I spelled that correctly).

Frank looks guilty and Megan looks livid - not sure how I managed the timing on this shot.

The rest of the panel is watching to see if a fight breaks out. Noir panels...whatdaya expect?

The rowdy group was up next. Katrina Holm moderated "Sink the Pink." Julie Hyzy dressed accordingly for this panel. Gregg, the Shakespeare "dilettante" and Dan O'Shea who has Shakespeare as his protagonist made for a interesting couple on this panel. Joelle Charbonneau talked about the differences in writing cozies and writing YA. And Tom Schreck, as usual, was the hit of the panel.

Tom's question was "Things that make you go hmmmm."

Even though the panel was "sink the pink" Julie stayed completely dry.

Gregg appears to be very confused. Could it be because of Dan's jacket?

The highlight of my day, second of course to interviewing Gregg, was watching Michael Koryta and Marcia Clark in conversation. They are funny, intelligent and great writers. The stories they shared were captivating. After almost 6 years now, I still haven't lost my interest and fascination in listening to great authors tell stories.

Who looks scary and prosecutorial? "Me. I do." Marcia intimidated Michael before he first met her.

Two wonderfully talented writers. An exceptional session at M&M.

I have to end with an apology because the final session of the day was William Kent Krueger's interview by Libby Fischer Hellmann. I didn't get any snaps of that session, but Kent started off the discussion with a grand praise of libraries and friends of libraries organizations.  A fitting way to cap the day held in a fantastic library.

I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to regularly attend this fabulous event for the last five years now. It's exceptional. If you have the chance to experience it, I encourage you to DO IT!!

Thanks for sticking through to the end of this post; hope you enjoyed it. Happy Reading friends!

Gregg Hurwitz Comes to Cleveland!

Wednesday was the big day here in Cleveland. My dream is that one of these days, people will turn out for a book event like they turn out for a sporting event. A girl can dream, right?

In the mean time, a good crew of folks showed up to the Strongsville Public Library to meet Gregg Hurwitz. And based on what I heard from people's snippets of conversation, they all left thoroughly impressed with him.

I had two special honors on this particular visit. The first was playing chauffeur for Gregg. I took him to the special pre-event soiree that the library hosted. They held a contest for library patrons and ten lucky winners got to meet with Gregg before the event to enjoy some food and conversation in a small setting.

Gregg shared some stories about visiting a middle school earlier in the day, where the kids asked him questions about writing comics and working with Nick Jonas. One young girl wanted to shake his hand because he had shook Nick Jonas' hand. Kids are funny!

He also shared stories about his Russian book tour and his connections to Cleveland. It was informal and fun. And Gregg asked as many questions of the attendees as they asked of him.

Following that meet and greet, I ushered Gregg over to the library where people were starting to fill the event room. The second honor I had Wednesday night was introducing Gregg to the awaiting audience. I always get nervous doing these things, and they never go exactly as I plan, but it was pretty good, I think. It's harder to tell from behind the podium than listening in the audience.

When the star took the podium, though, things went terrifically. Gregg told the audience that writing was the only thing he ever wanted to do, and I do believe he was born to tell stories. He tells them as easily and as smoothly in person as he does on paper. Well, I don't know how easily the on paper comes for him, but he makes it look easy anyway.

At first the stories may have been a bit difficult and he shared the rejection letters that reflected his difficulty, including one--jokingly--from his own sister. It was through his efforts to improve that he picked up his desire for research. Early in his career he was a bit more "daring" than he is now as an older, married, dad. But it was through research efforts that he often stumbled on unplanned details and elements that worked their ways into stories. He says he realized,

As a writer, you're not filling in the blanks to a story that you already know; part of what your job is is to be open to new opportunities.

Gregg says that the writing opportunities he's been afforded have been among his greatest honors and there are still times that he sits at his desk amazed he is able to write for a living. His experiences writing comics have fulfilled childhood dreams. And the process of writing for TV--seeing his ideas go from his head to the page to reality (or at least TV reality)--was amazing and ignited much of the same magic he felt as kid growing up and reading.

This year marked another milestone for Gregg. He had his first movie shot: Careful What You Wish For. Gregg says it's basically Body Heat but instead of William Hurt it's a 17-year-old kid.

These days Gregg focuses less on forensics/explosions/stunts and more on investigating how having a family makes you vulnerable; he looks at incredible pressures and how they work on individuals and their relationships. Gregg has a natural characteristic that I envy. He looks at perfectly normal situations to you or I and sees stories in them. He describes it as taking the world you're in and turning it about 15 degrees off kilter.

As he started to talk about the new book TELL NO LIES, he quoted someone talking about San Francisco (where the book takes place) "if you ever get tired of walking in San Francisco, you can lean against it." Since Gregg has been in L.A. for 15 years now, he went back to San Francisco to refresh himself with it and do his research. He said he did a lot of "walking and driving and hiking and leaning."

Because of the ideas of class and race he was considering for his story, he felt the story could only take place in San Francisco because those two elements are so different in San Francisco than anywhere else.

I had hoped to video record Gregg reading from TELL NO LIES but unfortunately my video recorder didn't have those same hopes. However, I do have audio recording for it. This first excerpt is a reflection of his use of San Francisco:



And he followed that up with a suspenseful scene near the beginning of the novel:



During the Q&A session Gregg revealed that he's always "thought in stories." And that ideas are often a result of truly listening to other people with the mindset that they could have something to teach you. He also says bad movies and bad books have been inspirations for him.

When a member of the audience asked Gregg if writing was a huge pressure...to make a living and support a family. He said it was more so early on, but in reality we all face those pressures as the economy has shown. Even people who thought they had secure jobs discovered otherwise.  But true writers don't feel as though they have a choice. They need to write--it's a compulsion--to tell stories; it's what they're called to do, so he had to make it work and he didn't put a lot of thought into safety nets.

To Gregg, drama is characters interacting with each other, so relationships are paramount. While he wants his books to be page turners, he doesn't want his readers to feel like all they are reading is plot. So character and psychology are key.

One of the things that make novels more intimate than comics or movies or tv is the relationship between writer and reader. Each reader brings their own experiences to a book, so they see things through their own unique perspective. 

One final tidbit I want to share is Gregg's thoughts on ereaders and story delivery. He described himself as a drug dealer. He wants to sell you the drug; how you consume it after that is completely up to you. :-) He is adamant about having the delivery methods available to everyone, though. Publishers finding ways to make ebooks accessible through libraries and have purchase methods available through independent bookstores, etc. But in the end, Gregg Hurwitz is a story teller. He simply wants to be able to tell his stories. And aren't we the lucky ones for it?!

This event was very special to me. I was so thrilled that Gregg made it to Cleveland for this book tour, so I celebrated the event. And part of that celebration was creating a t-shirt that I have to give away to a lucky reader.

Here's the front of the shirt. It says, "I Tell No Lies. I'm a Gregg Hurwitz Survivor."

And the back reads "And You're Next!" Gregg signed the back of the shirt as well.

As a bonus, with this shirt, I have a paperback copy of Gregg's The Survivor to go along with it.

So help me celebrate this incredibly talented young writer. I'll open this up internationally. I may have to break open my piggy bank to mail it, but I really want everyone to have an opportunity, so complete the form below BY MIDNIGHT EASTERN on September 8th for your chance to win. Good luck!

Crime Critters Caught Reading Crime - Simba

Happy Friday and happy last day of May! I have the grand finale for the crime critter photos today and boy is it ever a grand finale! It also bookends our series. We started out with a dog reading SUSPECT and we're ending with a dog reading SUSPECT.

You know how when you see someone you don't get to see often you ask to see pictures of their kids or their family? This is how much of an animal person I am. Whenever I see Gregg Hurwitz, I asked to see pictures of Simba.

While Gregg is plotting and planning his amazing novels, Simba keeps him company. For our Crime Critters series, Gregg caught Simba reading a very special book:

"Here is Simba with SUSPECT. He was delighted to be mentioned in the dedication, and he also believes quite firmly that he was the inspiration for the book, and for Maggie. (Crais refuses to confirm this.) Anyway, he found the book incredibly moving and may have even cried a little when he read the opening chapter. Some lion hunter he turned out to be."

 

Isn't he gorgeous? And I'm super excited because as you know Gregg is going to be in Cleveland in August. Several of my NE Ohio friends have already said they're going to be there; if you haven't registered, be sure you do so. It's going to be a great event! And his new book that's coming out in August, TELL NO LIES, is incredible, INCREDIBLE, but more on that later. Just know that you'll want to see him in person.

Many thanks to Gregg and Simba and all the wonderful folks who contributed to this year's Get Caught Reading series. Now make sure you get caught reading all summer!

My final pet tip of the series: love 'em! That's all they ask for.

My Favorite Reads of 2012!

Here it is, the last day of 2012 and I have for you my list of favorite reads for this year. This was an odd year for me reading-wise. I read some spectacular books, discovered some great new-to-me authors and on the flip side, I think I put down more books than in past years because I just didn't connect with them at all. And while this isn't unusual, I did have distinctly different reactions to a number of books that were quite popular with other readers. I can be weird like that!

To give you an idea of what I started with, out of my 90 reads this year, I first removed the books that are January 2013 publications (I had 6 -- I've never had that many read ahead before), and I then highlighted the books that I felt were contenders this year: 18 books, plus 3 debuts I'll mention at the end. From that I winnowed it down to the list you see below. It was hard as all 18 were fabulous reads, books I've recommended to others and more than worth the time and money invested in them. I'd say I was a pretty lucky reader this year! So I ended up cheating a tad bit. I removed 3 more titles...I'll mention at the end...that weren't classified crime fiction novels. And I combined two titles that were by the same author. Hopefully, you'll forgive me my little cheats. :-)

But enough blather, let's get to the fun part. And don't forget to leave your favorites in the comments.

10.  Astride a Pink Horse - This was the first time I had read Robert Greer, and Astride a Pink Horse is, hopefully, the start to a new series for him. The plot was complex, the characters were dimensional, the themes were strong and thought-provoking. If this is the start to a new series, it's one I'll want to follow.

9. Jack 1939 - Again, this was the first time I had read Francine Mathews, but reading Jack has made me want to pick up all of her back list. This book was so smart and fascinating; it was one of those historical fiction novels that had me running to Google regularly to see what was fact and what was fiction.

8. The Prophet - Michael Koryta returned to a straight crime novel this year and it was a beaut! The rich symbolism throughout the novel elevated it beyond a simple crime story. Throughout his writing career he's continued to improve his character development, which is astounding given that he was exceptional at character development since book one. The Prophet is full of contrasting characters, defying stereotypes and endearing readers.

7.  Gone Girl - This was one time I didn't differ with the masses of readers who loved this book. Gillian Flynn wrote an incredible novel. She defied the likable, empathetic character notion and kept her readers hanging on with a smart, unpredictable plot. Flynn's pushing the boundaries of crime fiction and coming up with an amazing result.

6. Taken - Robert Crais continues to keep the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series fresh with powerful themes and engrossing plots. And unlike a lot of series characters, we continue to learn about Cole and Pike with every book. Taken hits you deep down in the soul.

5. Whiplash River/Gutshot Straight -  Once again I'll apologize for my endless talk about Lou Berney's Shake Bouchon crime capers, but good golly am I glad I found them. They are just fun books. And while Shake is not your pristine hero-type character, you can't help but adore him. I love the constant action of these books; the settings are spectacular; and the dialogue is first class. In my humble opinion, if you want to know how to do a crime caper right, you study these books cover to cover!

4. The Trinity Game - Holy Cow. Sorry, no pun intended on this one. We waited patiently for the return of Sean Chercover and boy did he deliver. This is just a powerfully written, complex story with unique characters. It was also a pretty gutsy book to write. The themes are very touchy for many American readers, but I think Chercover handled it all with grace and elegance. I cannot wait for the next book!

3. The Cut - While I didn't end up reviewing this one, I listened to it back in January on audio (it was an August 2011 release); time factors prevented me from reviewing it at a time that would allow me to do the book justice. And it deserved justice. It is a flat out amazing start to a new series character for George Pelecanos. All the elements that make Pelecanos great are present: the gray characters, the dark atmosphere, the suspenseful pace, the beautiful prose. How the man juggles as much as he does--and still does it all at a level of superiority most of us can never begin to fathom--is beyond me. I'm constantly in awe of his work.

2.  Live by Night - Gosh I always look forward to Dennis Lehane's work. It's simply amazing. His writing is poetic, his characters are relateable and larger-than-life at the same time, the plots keep you glued to the book then devastated when you've turned the last page. The atmosphere of Live by Night was the strongest I think Lehane's created. Taking him out of Boston did nothing to shake this man's talent. This is definitely a book I see standing the test of time.

1. The Survivor - When a story haunts me as much as The Survivor did, I know it's an exceptional book. Some characters just seem to take up residence in my soul after I've finished reading. They hang around with me and we have discussions in my mind about the story. Please don't call in the psych doctors, I'd be devastated if anyone ever took this silent pleasure away. Most of us will never have to deal with psychotic bank robbers threatening our families, but symbolically, this is the story of life's true super heroes; it's the story of how people react and adapt to life's sick sense of humor. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me tell everyone they need to read it. How Gregg Hurwitz continues to top himself book after book is inspiring. He'll have a hard time topping two stellar books in a row, but I wouldn't put it past him.

So, there is my list that I hemmed an hawed over. But indeed I think it's the most accurate reflection of my favorite reads this year. That being said, I have to give recognition to three books that you won't find in the crime fiction aisle of the bookstore. These three are books that I removed because they were strong contenders with the ten above and I wasn't sure how to integrate them:

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend (Matthew Dicks)
The Round House (Louise Erdrich)
On the Outside Looking Indian (Rupinder Gill) - this one actually a non-fiction

The two fiction books revolve around a crime element, but the powers that be in marketing have labeled them as literary fiction or general fiction, I guess. And On the Outside Looking Indian is probably the most unique for me because it's a memoir. I'm not much of a memoir reader, so I think that says a lot about the book!

And then I wanted to give kudos to three debut novels I read this year that were just outstanding and I see these authors doing amazing things (one already is since I read her debut late):

Bloodman (Robert Pobi)
Playing Dead (Julia Heaberlin)
The Things That Keep Us Here (Carla Buckley)

If you did not read my review of Carla Buckley's sophomore novel, Invisible, in Shelf Awareness this month, you'll have a chance to do so this week on the blog. Her debut was a great indicator of amazing things to come!

So, that's it for me for 2012. Next month I'll celebrate five years blogging here at Jen's Book Thoughts. It doesn't seem possible, but it's been so much fun talking books with all of you over the years.  Thanks for joining in the fun. Here's hoping 2013 is full of more book wonderfulness for us all.

Happy Reading and Happy New Year, all!

Favorite First Lines & Covers

I was looking back over my reading spreadsheet for this year and I started to fall behind on keeping track of what I read this year. So, I'm not exactly sure of final totals, but it is somewhere in the vicinity of 95ish books total, a little low which I expected because of all the change this year. I am committing to keeping better track in 2013 and hopefully reading a bit more. But, from what I did accurately track I can tell you that I read at least 77 different authors; at least 54 of the authors were new to me; and at least 13 were debut novels. My audiobook total was the area that took the hardest hit. I listened to about 23 audiobooks. Past years it's been closer to 50 percent of my total. I'm also going to work on getting that back up in 2013 by dedicating at least an hour for walking each day, and I'll listen to audio then.

How about you all? Any areas of your reading that you'd like to work on in 2013? Anything from 2012 that you're especially proud of? A new author you tried? A different genre? Or even sub-genre of crime fiction? Did you discover you loved (or hated) something that surprised you? Share with us in the comments!

This is my week of favorites lists for this year. I'm going to include a new one today and that's my favorite covers and first lines. I have to admit that I am not a connoisseur of covers. I don't buy books because of the covers or reject books because of the covers (at least to date--if a cover really offended me I'd probably not buy it). So take my five choices with a grain of salt. Now on the other hand, first lines are something that I definitely pay attention to; that's why I include them on my reviews. And of course these choices are only from the books I read this year--it also doesn't include any 2013 publications I've read this month.

My Top Five Favorite Covers:

5. Boca Daze. I have often commented about walking down the mystery aisle in a bookstore or library. There's a sea of black, with red and white speckled in. The books that stand out to me are the ones that are NOT black. And the cover of Boca Daze just screams fun without looking preposterous. Since I had an early copy of this one, my cover was just boring black and white. The final cover is a masterpiece.

4. The Prophet. I really have to tip my hat to the Little, Brown folks because this was a bit of a gamble. I know there was some concern about people not wanting to buy the book with the dead bird on the cover. That didn't stop Koryta from hitting the NYT bestseller list with it, though. This is a cover that was tuned into the content of the book and was unique to the book. Nice call on this cover!

3. Whiplash River. I love the pure simplicity of this cover and how well it articulates the constant movement of the book. And again, I think the cover is in tune with the unique elements of the book.

2. Taken. The atmosphere of this cover is what first grabs my attention. I have a large version of this cover hanging on my library wall. It embraces the impending doom that boils in the novel while still showing a ray of hope. And the reflection is equally befitting the content of the novel. This one was well planned out.

1. The Survivor. At first glance this cover may not look like much, but the power behind the itty bitty man on his precipice is breathtaking. If you miss that little man (as I did at first because I was so excited to read a new Gregg Hurwitz book), it changes the cover completely. When I closed this book and really looked at the cover I was blown away. Again, the simplicity of the image was what did it. The enormity of the message in the simple graphic arrangement is stunning. I love this cover. Hands down, my favorite this year.

My Top Five Favorite First Lines:

5. Julia Heaberlin's  PLAYING DEAD:

"Despite its name, Ponder, Texas, pop. 1,101, isn't a very good place to think."

 This opening line is a good chuckle, but it all sets the scene and the atmosphere immediately. I was very excited to read this debut novel after that opening line.

4. Chris Grabenstein's FUN HOUSE:

"He wasn't happy about it, but last night my partner John Ceepak became a TV star."

Chris Grabenstein is a master of first lines. This first line may hold more attraction to readers of the series who already know John Ceepak, but even if you don't have that background, you know quite a tale is close on the heels of this opening sentence.

3. Ace Atkins's THE LOST ONES:

"A couple of roustabouts had been asking about guns at the Tibbehah County Fair, but by the time the word had gotten back to Donnie Varner, they'd long since packed up their Ferris wheel, corn dog stands and shit, and boogied on down the highway."
I love how Atkins's language brings out the setting of the novel. It also seems to add a scent to the air and a color to the page. Even though I know this is going to be a crime novel, I end up with a warm feeling from the way he puts his words together on the page.

2. Gar Anthony Haywood's ASSUME NOTHING:

"His last night in Florida, Joe Reddick remembered the blood in the goldfish bowl."

And the whole book follows suit with that. It's such a startling image to really grab the reader as soon as he/she opens the book!

1. Robert Pobi's BLOODMAN:

"Two hundred feet below the rolling metal surface of the Atlantic, a handful of ghosts skittered along the ocean floor in a jerky seesaw roll, furling and unfurling in a diluvial ballet."

The imagery of this statement is a mix of fun and fear. Bloodman was one of those rare books that taps the paranormal (just slightly) and I still love it and buy into it. It would have been hard to dislike the book after this opening sentence. This is another debut novel, by the way.

I went back and forth with about three other first lines that were great from my reading this year, but I wanted to keep each of these lists today to five, so I determined these five first lines to be my favorite.

Tomorrow I should have my favorite audios of 2012 and Monday will be my overall favorite reads of the year. I hope you'll check back and share your favorites as well! Happy Reading!