Book Review: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

First of all let me start by saying that, ordinarilly, Rachel Caine is an author that I avidly avoid.  I don't read paranormal fiction, and, typically, I'm not a fan of dark fiction either.  However that being said, I just had to try this one!  A dystopian fantasy in which the Great Library of Alexandria not only still exists but controls the world? How could I not try it!?

The world of Ink and Bone is a world where it is illegal to own original copies of books. You are allowed to read the facsimile copies the Library puts out in the Codex (think ultimate/universal e-book library), but to own an original paper-and-ink copy of a book could be punishable by death.  It's a world where there is a thriving black market for books and weird anti-Library cults that would sooner destroy books than let the Library have them.  The Libraries are protected not just by guards, but also automatons that at first glance just look like giant, metal sculptures. 

This is the world that the main character Jess Blackwell lives in.  He's from a family of black market book dealers and finds himself being sent by his family to infiltrate the Library by basically entering into a training competition to enter into Library service in some position or other.  Quite the pickle he's in huh?  If caught stealing books or doing anything that the Library disapproves of, the punishment is a horrible death.  

You become aware that there is a whole lot more than simply this that's going on in the book  and Jess is stuck in the middle of all of it.  However, I'll leave you to discover the fullness of the intrigue and unrest of the book on your own.

I wasn't really sure what I was going to find when I started reading this, but once I got into it I absolutely loved it!!  The world Rachel Caine has created is believable, compelling, twisted, and absolutely fantastic!  Although the book is certainly a darkish fantasy, it isn't disturbingly dark.  Just dark in that kinda creepy, mysterious, intriguing kind of way.  The book has a great mix of characters, and even the most dislikable character you still can't help but love.  They are well-written and their interaction is believable and not stilted or forced.  They are also not static characters, and it is great to watch how they grow together with all they go through.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait for book 2!  

Confessions of a Library Clerk: Series Labeling

Ah series labeling, simultaneously both a joy and a headache. Why when it is such a useful (and, in my honest opinion, important/necessary) thing for a library to do? Because series labeling is not as simple as it sounds. 

A couple years ago now, my library decided to go through our entire fiction collection (all departments) and label all the books that had a corresponding series/series number.  Sounds simple right? Think again.  Here are some of the reasons why:

1) Not all websites agree on what is or is not a series.  At present, my library primarily goes by Fantastic Fiction, however, as we have recently encountered a number of errors/discrepancies on Fantastic Fiction, we also refer to Goodreads, Fiction Database, Librarything, and, when possible, the author's own website.

2) Not all websites agree on series names.  When checking to see if something needs a series label or not, it is not at all uncommon for me to find out that ,yes, it does belong to a series but there is disagreement on what the name of the series actually is.  Some websites default to the name of the first book as being the name of the series, while some might name it according to the main character(s)' s name, and some other site might have a totally different name from either of those. Let me give you an example: Sophie Hannah's Culver Valley Crime series.  On Fantastic Fiction, it's called: Culver Valley Crime; on Goodreads I've seen it referred to as both Culver Valley Crime and Spilling CID; on Fiction Database it's called: DS Charlie Zailer and DS Simon Waterhouse; on Librarything it's Spilling Detectives, and elsewhere I've seen it called Zailer and Waterhouse. To make matters worse? The author does not specify any particular name for the series on her website and on Goodreads (where she is a member) I have seen her use more than one name for the series.  Now, I know that sometimes a book when written over-the-water may have a different name than how it is released in the U.S., but I see no reason for why on earth you would have completely different series names.  That's just balmy. 

3) Not all websites agree on series number.  Why is this?  Oh there are many reasons, but here are ones I usually encounter:  

• Sometimes a website might forget to include a book as part of a given series.

• Publisher and author disagree on series order; believe it or not, it is not uncommon for a publisher to rearrange an author's reading order.  Most notoriously, this happened with C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, but, really, this happens quite often when an author writes a series order differently than the chronological order of events within that series.  Or, when the author goes back later and writes a prequel, as is the case with Clive Cussler's 'Dirk Pitt' series. 

• Author also wrote novellas within that series;  sometimes these will be given half-numbers, while other times they're given whole numbers, or they're not numbered at all making it even more confusing.

4) A fourth reason, and one of the most frustrating, is this: some authors can't seem to make up their own mind what series to make a book and make it part of multiple series!  This one is really, really frustrating.  I know of several authors (Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kresley Cole, and S.M. Stirling being the most notable) where they have a series within a series (and sometimes within yet another one, two, or three other series).  It happens a lot whenever there is a spin-off series within the universe of another series.  For instance: S.M Stirling's 'Emberverse' series.  Emberverse seems to be the overall name for the series, then you have: Emberverse I series also called 'The Change' which is the first 3 books (plus one novella); Emberverse II also called 'The Sunrise Lands' which is the next 3 books; Emberverse III also called 'The Montival' which is, again, the next 3 books; Emberverse IV which is a single title and the author's site says can also be considered as the last book of Montival/Emberverse III; Emberverse V also called 'Rudi's Children' which is another 3 books.  There is then a concurrent series to the Emberverse books called 'Island in the Sea of Time' which is another 4 books.  Then there is Kenyon with her Dark-Hunter series and half-a-million sub-series.  Similar to this issue, is where the author has two separate series and decides to overlap them for a few books (not necessarily one-after-the-other either).  Among these is, J.A. Jance where some of her books belong to both J.P. Beaumont and Joanna Brady.  And, yet another, way this happens (and really messes things up) is when two (or more) author's write together overlapping their series.  Then what do you do?!  The book belongs in two different series by two different authors: case in point - 'Stirred' by J.A Konrath and Blake Crouch it's book 8 in the 'Jack Daniels' series and book 4 in 'Andrew Z. Thomas.'  And then of course you have people like Jayne Krentz who also writes under the names Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick and 'co-authors' series with herself publishing each book in the series under a different name.

So you see, labeling is not so easy after all.  It's great when it's all finished and you can see just how many books actually belong to a series, but it's a never-ending struggle to make sure it is as accurate as possible.  The process is very much a love-hate relationship.

Adaptation Alert: The Selection

Good news for all you 'Selection' fans! So, I was curious and decided to do a little research on IMDB and look of Kiera Cass's book 'The Selction' just to see if anything would come up.  Lo and behold, it did!  Upon further Googling, I found out via the author's own website that in 2015 Warner Brothers bought the rights to make a movie out of her book!  Not much information is available yet other than that Katie Lovejoy as been tasked with the adaptation with Denise DiNovi, Allison Greenspan, and Pouya Shahbazian as producers. Stay tuned for more information!

Adaptation Alert: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Great news for all you fans of Ransom Riggs' book 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'!  If you haven't heard yet, then you will be thrilled to learn that it will be coming to the big screen on September 30, 2016.  It will likely not surprise you to know that the director in charge of turning this creepy book with all the vintage photography into a live-action movie is none other than Tim Burton. A perfect choice for such an unusual book!

Miss Peregrine is being played by actress Eva Green (no stranger to Tim Burton films having played Angelique Bouchard in 'Dark Shadows') and Asa Butter field from 'Hugo,' 'Ender's Game,' 'The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas,' and the BBC TV show 'Merlin.'

They will be joined by such names as Samuel L. Jackson, Judi Dench, and Ruppert Everett.  Colleen Atwood, the magnificient costume designer 'Into the Woods,' 'Snow White and the Huntsman,' and the 2010 Tim Burton 'Alice in Wonderland,' will also be designing the costumes for film.

Here's the sneak peek:

For more information about the film or to see the trailer visit IMDB.

Farenheit 451 Read-Alikes

Alright, so firstly I must admit that I have not yet read 'Farenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury despite it being a classic.  However, working in a library as I do and frequenting Goodreads on an almost daily basis, I have read a lot about it.  'Farenheit 451' is a classic Dystopian novel in which books are illegal (being believed to be the source of strife, unhappiness, etc.) and so need to be destroyed.  In this world, hiding books can have serious consequences.

There are also several read-alikes to Farenheit 451. So if you liked this book you might want to give one of these a try:

1) 'The Reader' by Traci Chee:

The world of 'The Reader' is again a Dystopian world in which books are illegal. They are a magical item, so reading is forbidden and the society in which the main character lives is illiterate.  It is high fantasy story about mystery, murder, revenge, and more in a world with many dangers.  'The Reader' is expected to be published this September and is the first book in the series: Sea of Ink and Gold.  I don't know about you, but I can't wait to finally read it!

2) 'Blood, Ink & Fire' by Ashley Mansour:

Ok, so if you've read any of my other blogposts than you may remember seeing this cover before.  'Blood , Ink & Fire' is another Dystopian world in which reading has been made forbidden.  In this world, books have been replaced with technology that just streams images.  However, for one character, something is different about this stream.  She sees words. This leads her to become obsessed with them and to discover an underworld of booklovers she never knew existed.

3) 'Ink and Bone' by Rachel Caine:

In the world of 'Ink and Bone' books still exist and can still be read, however, it is illegal to personally own books. This is a world where the Great Library of Alexandria not only still exists, but rules and with an iron fist.  Books are deemed more valuable than lives. 'Ink and Bone' is the first book in the series: The Great Library.  Its sequel is 'Paper and Fire and should be coming out in early July.

10 Books with Covers that Make/Made Me Want to Read Them

Ok, so I'm sure we've all heard the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover."  However, the cover is an excellent judge of a book!  Often, they give you enough information about what type of book it is so you know whether it is or is not something you want to read: not by the title, but by the imagery on the front.

Covers are a very important part of a book, and I'm not meaning physically (as that's obvious), but in terms of aesthetics and peaking your curiosity about the book. How many times have you decided to try a book because it's cover intrigued you?  Or, how often have you decided to put a book back on its shelf because of the cove? A good cover gives you just the right amount of information, while also withholding enough information, to give you an idea about a book without giving it away entirely.  It's not just about what information to give the potential reader either, but how to portray it so as to grab your attention and keep you intrigued enough to give it a try.  Ever decide not to read a book because the cover was boring? I know I have, just as I have books I want to read, at least in part, because of the covers.  So without further ado, here are ten books whose covers make/made me want to read them:

1) 'These Vicious Masks' by Tarun Shanker:

This is a gorgeous book cover!  I love the simplicity and elegance of it.  The fancy masquerade style mask with the red ribbon that catches your eye, the beautiful (yet readable) font, and even the choice of colours.  All the little elegant detailing don't just look pretty, but they reflect that this is an historical fiction.  And the mask, well, who doesn't find a mask intriguing?  'These Vicious Masks' is a combination of historical fiction meets X-Men.  

2) 'Scarlet in the Snow' by Sophie Masson:

I love the subtlety of this cover.  The choice of showing a red rose on the front was not just beautiful and indicative of the romance of the story, but also smart as the rose is a nice subtle nod towards the fairytale this is a retelling of.  'Scarlet in the Snow' of the Russian fairytale 'The Scarlet Flower' (Russian version of 'Beauty and the Beast') and 'Fenist the Falcon.'

3) 'Rook' by Sharon Cameron:

I loved this cover, and, having read it, I loved this book (review to come eventually)! Again, I love their choice of colours for the cover.  The more subdued, mono-tones that really help reflect the Dystopian setting of the book, offset by the red of the title and the tip of the feather (which is rather important as the main character is known as: 'the Red Rook').  Besides reflecting the 'code name' of the main character, it is also an homage towards the classic story 'The Scarlet Pimpernel.'  I absolutely loved this book; the gorgeous cover did not disappoint me, the book was just as great!

4) 'Blood, Ink & Fire' by Ashley Mansour:

Like most of the books on this list, I've not tried this one yet, but the cover just intrigues me! The choice of a high contrast, black and white cover really makes it stand out, and covering up most of the face just adds to the mystery.  'Blood, Ink & Fire' is a Dystopian scifi/fantasy novel reminiscent of 'Farenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury where reading and books are forbidden.

5) 'The Selection' by Kiera Cass:

Gorgeous cover!  Again, I've not read this yet (hard to even get a chance to with out often it goes out of the library!), but this cover is what first caught my attention.  I love how they chose to use only one colour on the front.  The varying shades of just a single colour is very eye-catching! (Ok, so if you haven't guess by now, I have a Fine Arts degree, so colour choice and composition really resonate with me.)  Also, the way the central figure is staring out at you while several others, of the same person, are somewhat mirrored in the background just really gets your attention, and I think, reflect well the fact that this book is basically about a beauty pageant. 'The Selection' is a semi-Dystopian romance.

6) ' Mechanica' by Betsy Cornwell:

'Mechanica' is a good example of a book with a gorgeous cover, that, in my opinion, ended up being a bit of a let down. I loved this cover! (The premise of the book was also quite interesting).  The Steampunk font is gorgeous, and the way the gears are incorporated into the landscape was also pretty cool (and don't get me started on the mechanical bugs flying around her!  I love Steampunk bug sculptures, and have made a few myself.).  Everything about this cover just made me want to read it, sadly, having done so I found it a bit disappointing.  'Mechanica' is a Steampunk Cinderella retelling, for me though, I found the story to be rather lacking, the writing was just blah, and the ending lack-lusting. 

7) ' The Marked Girl' by Lindsey Klingele:

This is a really intriguing cover!  The choice of complementary colours really makes it eye-catching, but what really peaks my curiosity is has two different landscapes/worlds shown! The the city-landscape at the bottom and sides, and the beautiful natural landscape descending into it.  This duality of the cover, reflects the story's premise very effectively and really peaks your curiosity! 'The Marked Girl' is an urban fantasy involving a fantasy/magical world and the modern-day real world. Sadly, it has not been released yet so I (and you) have to wait to read it.  It comes out June of this year.

8) 'Love, Lies and Spies' by Cindy Anstey:

Not entirely sure what it is about it, but this cover just really catches my attention. Maybe it's the simplistic nature of the black-and-white silhouettes, or the fact that I rather like keys, but I just love this cover and think it fits the book's premise really well.  What better way to illustrate a period spy mystery/romance than with ladies fans and keys promising the unlocking of secrets?

9) 'Storybound' by Marissa Burt:

I think this is just a cute cover.  A book about going inside of a book with a cover made to look like a book of old fairytales?  Love! 

10) 'Rebel Mechanics' by Shanna Swendson:

This is just a very nicely done cover.  It reflects the historical setting, with just a hint of Steampunk thrown in with that hanging gear on a ribbon.  It doesn't tell you much, but it tells you enough.

These are just a few of the books that I could list here!  I could easily list more, but then this blogpost might never end.  However, 10 beautiful book covers is enough for now.  Hope you enjoyed this post and don't be surprised if I share more book covers later!

Library Rant: Snow Storms

Ok, so this is a bit of a rant since it is a big pet peeve of mine.  For those that don't know, I work part-time at a library in the northern-mid Michigan area.  And if you know anything about Michigan winters, it's that they can be very nasty, with lots of snow. Like right now, yesterday we got probably 8-9 inches (though who can really tell with all this drifting!) and this morning we have really high winds making driving conditions dangerous. Now, fortunately for me (thank you Lord!!!), my library director actually decided to close today, however, this is often not the case.

I've been working at this library for, well, between this time and the first time, it will be 5.5 years this summer, and this is the first time that I can recall the library system EVER closing for weather related issues (except of course when they lose power). Often, the most we can hope for is a 2-hour delay in opening, however, my library system has a new director so hopefully this will change.

But not closing for severe weather is not just a problem that my library system has; this is an issue across the board with many library systems.  Today, I may not have to go into work, but my cousin who works at a library down-state does because her library director did not close/delay.  I went to the local news website this morning to see who all had closed/delayed for today, and when I looked up libraries only 8 library systems had closed state-wide.  Pretty much the whole state, if not the whole state, just got socked with a pretty large snow storm (and it's still blowing/drifting something awful) and only 8 library systems across the state closed.  What?! Even Delta Community College, about the most notorious college in Michigan for not closing in severe weather, had the sense to close today! Here's what I don't get: why?  Sure, no business/organization/etc., likes to have to close, but if it is not safe to be driving, then why stay open?  Libraries, as much as I love them and think they are important, are not a critical service to have open 24-7; it's not like a hospital that HAS to stay open in case of emergency.  It's just books, and no potential library fine for overdue books is worth the risk of crashing your car into a ditch.  Besides, any patron with sense is going to stay home; so, by staying open they are just endangering their own workers and the non-sensible patrons.

Yesterday, I would have worked from 4pm-8pm and been driving home in a snow storm and in the dark.  My mom and I decided it would be best for me to just call in saying I won't be coming in since we knew it wasn't going to be safe.  This was at about 1pm.  Being curious as to whether or not the library would decide to close early after all, I kept checking my work e-mail throughout the day. The e-mails went like this: at 12-something, there was an e-mail of a lady leaving one of the branches early so as to beat the storm; then came an e-mail about Bookmobile being canceled for the rest of the day; next there was one e-mail and one website notice of craft activities being canceled at two different branches for both yesterday and today; then three notices of three branches cancelling yesterday and today's storytimes; and finally, and e-mail about one of our branches loosing power at just after 3pm.  It was only after all this, that our director decided that we should close the library system early that day.  So, 5pm the whole library system was closed.  Great!  The director did the right, and smart, thing by closing early; however, by this time the road conditions had already reached the level of being unsafe.  I know, because I was watching out the window and it was most definitely blizzard conditions; driving in it would have been an absolute white-out.

In closing: would you library directors please pay better attention to the weather forecast/road conditions, realize that it really makes no sense to stay open in a blizzard or before road crews have had a chance clean up after a blizzard, and do the sensible thing more often: close for the day.