Ana: Hello, I’m Ana

Thea: And I’m Thea

Ana & Thea: And we’re…[Wyld Stallyns] BOOK SMUGGLERS!!!!!!!

*play facemelting riffs on air guitars*

We’ve brought you some of our favorite authors with their reflections on 2009 and plans for 2010… We’ve brought your some of our favorite bloggers with their own wonderful ‘best of’ lists… But now it’s finally time to get our own hands dirty! We have scoured our personal libraries, gone through all our reviews for the year, and we are happy to report that we finally have our final picks ready to go. The rules: the books in our lists are books that were published in 2009 and that we read and reviewed here.

Thus, we Smugglers are proud to present you with our Most Excellent Books of 2009!

ANA

Looking back at the books I read in 2009 and comparing to those I read in 2008, it is plain that there has been a huge shift in my reading habits.

Last year I read 134 books, out of which 88 were Romance Novels. This year, I read and reviewed 133 (OMG LESS books read in 2009???!! Shame on me!) books and only 37 were Romance novels. One of my New Year’s resolutions was to read more Fantasy and YA and I am happy to see that I succeeded: in fact, I read more YA than any other genre this year (39) and loads of Fantasy as well (36, if you count UF). I am pretty satisfied with the results, I feel like I read some pretty good stuff and discovered wonderful new authors and genres – I also read quite a few short stories and I have found a new appreciation for the format. If I have a New Year resolution for 2010 is to read more anthologies and short stories. On the down side, I read less Graphic Novels than I wanted, another fact I plan to rectify in 2010.

With all that in mind, my top 10 list was a pretty easy one to come up with and I think it reflects beautifully the genres I read the most this year.

Thus, my favourite reads of 2009 are, in no particular order:

Scandal by Carolyn Jewel

Review here.

Scandal is my favorite type of romance novel: all the focus on the main couple. Add to that, the fact that this is a historical about a reformed rake and voila, you have me interested from the get go. The thing that makes this one different though, is the fact that the story opens with the rake ALREADY reformed and completely in love with the girl trying to prove that he has changed. Via flashbacks, we see just how much of a rake he was in the past and the writing is so lovely, and the story is so amazing, I just loved everything about this one.

Ash by Malinda Lo

Review here.

I love fairytale retellings! Ash is based on Cinderella and I loved the writing, which I thought was very lyrical. Above all, I loved the main character Ash and her journey to happiness, battling depression and abuse till the very end, when she saves herself and find love not in the arms of a Knight in Shining Armor but in the arms of another kick-ass girl, the King’s Huntress.

Revealed by Kate Noble

Review here.

I found Kate Noble’s books this year and now I am a fan for life. Revealed is here because it has lovely writing, and an amazing pair of protagonists: a beta hero and an alpha heroine. In fact , in any other romance novel, the heroine would have been the Rival or the Villain: she is rich, beautiful and the most influential woman of the Ton, and she knows it and she loves it. Then there is this sentence that is their signature greeting “It’s just me” that made me melt pretty much every time they said it.

Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Review here

One of my most anticipated reads of 2009, Fragile Eternity is Seth’s book, the one character that I loved since the first book in the series, and whose point of view we hadn’t seen. I love this fairy-human world, the struggles of all characters to fit in either or both. Complex relationships and politics and amazing writing, proves to me that Melissa Marr can do no wrong in my book.

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Review here.

This one I did not see coming, it caught me by surprise and I read Going Too Far in one go, I read till I was done with it and it was well past midnight and I can’t remember the last time I did that. I was so engrossed in this love story between too youngsters in a small town : one who wanted to stay put, the other wanted to go and there were more layers to the story and to the characters than a freaking onion and the vegetable comparison is so lame and so tame when compared to the book that I am a bit ashamed of myself for using it. In any case, this is an amazing YA romance between two characters on equal footing of awesomeness and one book I loved with all my heart.

The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Review Here.

Now, this one, this one is here for several reasons: Nick, the unreliable narrator (just how much, you need to read it to find out); the relationship between the two brothers, Alan and Nick, (this book is about brotherly love and devotion and it is awesome); the many cool details in the story including the Goblin Market. Above all, the main reason for loving this book is the crazy chemistry I have with Sarah Rees Brennan’s writing. Plus, it has the best opening sentence of the year:

“The pipe under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn’t have been so bad except that Nick kept his favourite sword under the sink.”

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Review here.

The best Steampunk novel I read this year, with all the elements that make it pure Steampunk goodness: alternate history, worldbuilding where the Steampunk elements are necessary and not only white noise. It has a mix of biology and mechanics, a great story and two great kids as the protagonists, especially the girl-who-pretends-to-be-a-boy. And Holy Barking spiders!, the book comes with wicked illustrations too!

Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh

Review here.

I love Nalini Singh’s books and with this first in her new series, she outdid herself. Angels’ Blood is one of those books where plot meet characterization and everything is well balanced and everything just works. Elena Deveraux is my one of the strongest, most interesting female characters I have read and I loved her every single word.

Demon Forged by Meljean Brook

Review here.

Meljean Brook is another author whose writing I have crazy chemistry with. I love everything she writes and Demon Forged is her best book to date. From the amazing romance to the awesome worldbuilding where everything matters and everything has a reason. The stakes are high and the author is not afraid of showing it. This is Paranormal Romance at its best. I dare say all the nay-sayers have not read Meljean Brook’s Guardian series.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Review here.

Liar is one of those books that speaks directly to me but not because of the characters and story (although both are really, really good) but because of the narrative itself. I love unreliable narrators and Micah is the Ultimate Unreliable Narrator because right from the first page we know she is a compulsive liar. What comes next is an exercise of writing that begs the reader’s attention and connection in order to really work as every single line makes one wonder and doubt. This book is gripping, mind-blowing and brilliant. I Loved it.

The ones that didn’t make it:

My list would have looked quite different if I could have included books not published in 2009. By now, our regular readers must know how much I enjoyed, loved, ADORED the books below. I loved them for the amazing world building, the awesome characters and above all the incredible prose. Patrick Rothfuss’ is particularly akin to “reading beauty” (tm Kris n Good Books)

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Queen’s Thief Series by Megan Whalen Turner

Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

Notable Mentions:

(For other damn good books from this year, and for those not published in 2008)

Because it is so hard to narrow down to a mere top 10, we always try to mention other notable, awesome reads from 2009 or before.

For starters this was the year I discovered Brandon Sanderson, a fantastic Epic Fantasy writer, with a thing for writing kooky Magic systems. I loved his Mistborn Trilogy and Warbreaker. Speaking of Fantasy, I also loved finding out the Princess books by Jim C. Hines, they are Fantasy, fairytale retellings of the highest order with Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty as warrior-princesses. It’s a mixture of comedy and high adventure and so much fun!

Two other that totally worthy of praise are Jasmyn by Alex Bell, a modern fairytale and Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter, I loved both books with their somewhat unreliable narrators (it seems I used this excuse a lot this year, but I am a fan!).

On the Romance front, I need to mention my favourite contemporary romance of the year: Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James. James writes the best romantic comedies around. But in the romance genre, I really am a historical romance fan and this year I felt I was especially lucky with the ones I read. Eloisa James’s This Duchess of Mine, Loretta Chase’s Don’t Tempt Me, Julia Quinn’s What Happens in London and Meredith Duran’s Bound By Your Touch are the finest romance published in 2009.

Then, a couple of YA like Rampant by Diana Peterfreund and Lips Touch by Laini Taylor, and this is me totally cheating, because I never reviewed this one but I looooooooooove the writing like whoa and OMG.

Finally, I read only but a few short stories and graphic novels but the ones I did were quite memorable. The Dragon Book anthology with stories of luminaries of the Fantasy genre was amazing and One Con Gloryby Sarah Khun was quite possibly the most fun I ever had with a short story. As for Graphic Novels , I absolutely loved Madame Xanadu, The Walking Dead and Rapunzel’s Revenge.

Favourite characters:

2009 will be known as the year when I lost my heart over and over again to some amazing characters. Top of the list is Eugenides from Megan Whalen Turner’s Queen’s Thief Series. Oh my word! That guy is unbelievably clever and one of the most memorable characters ever. I also fell in love with Nick and Alan from The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan and their brotherly relationship. I can’t wait to read more!

But really, this year is the Year of the Awesome Female characters. Never before, I fell in love with so many of them. First there were two kick-ass warriors: Elena Deveraux from Nalini Singh’s Angels’ Blood and Irena from Meljean Brook’s Demon Forged. Then, there are: Rapunzel from the graphic novel Rapunzel’s Revenge and the three princesses from Jim C. Hines books that are strong and spunky. Equally strong but in a more quiet way, is Anna from the Alpha and Omega books by Patricia Briggs. And also, any Juliet Marillier protagonist. After reading those example of awesome female protagonists, I find myself wanting more!

Love the authors:

I developed serious author-crushes this year. I always start falling in love with the books, then I follow the white rabbit to their blogs and voila, I almost feel like a stalker because I read everything they write, be it movie reviews, book reviews, writerly stuff, etc. These authors are only but a few I discovered this year and their blogs are awesome and well worth reading:

Jim C Hines, Sarah Rees Brennan, Justine Larbalestier, Diana Peterfreund, Karen Mahoney, and Patrick Rothfuss. Plus “old” favorites Meljean Brook and Nalini Singh . Gotta love the people who bring me so much joy!

2010 Books I REALLY want.

Where do I even start?

Highest on my Most Wanted list are A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner (I got the ARC! I got the ARC! Ahem), The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr, the next Sevenwaters book, Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier, Demon Blood and the Iron Duke’s Steampunk series by Meljean Brook and The Demon’s Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan.

I also wait with baited breath for the next in the Princess Books by Jim C Hines, Red Hood’s Revenge , Forget You by Jennifer Echols, Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes, Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld, Lex Trent versus the Gods by Alex Bell, Prospero in Hell by L. Jagi Lamplighter and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson…

plus anything by Nalini Singh, Julie James, Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Loretta Chase, Meredith Duran and Linnea Sinclair.

I also reserve the right to be caught by surprise by new-to-me and debut authors. There is nothing quite as amazing as finding new treasures!

2010 is looking like it’s going to be a mighty fine year for reading! I can’t wait!

THEA

I didn’t go through such a dramatic shift in reading habits as Ana as I was pretty varied to begin with, but I did read a whole lot more Young Adult this year – so that’s something! This year, I reviewed a grand total of 159 books (holy crapoly!!!!!). Of those 159 books, the most dominant genre was YA – a whopping total of 75 books reviewed were YA! I blame our YA month for the imbalance (and just in case you were wondering, of those 75 YA titles, 27 were SF, 20 were Fantasy, 11 were UF, and 11 were Horror, with the remaining 6 YA books historical/literature/graphic novels). Besides YA, I reviewed 21 Fantasy novels, 20 Urban Fantasy novels, 15 Horror titles, and a pitiful 8 Science Fiction titles (the remaining 20 books were a mix of literary fiction – mystery, thrillers, chick-lit, even 2 romance titles – and graphic novels/manga).

Pretty GD nuts, huh?

All that said, and without any further ado, here are my top 10 picks of the year…

Flood and Ark by Stephen Baxter

Review of Flood HERE; Review of Ark HERE.

I lucked out this year, as Flood was just released this fall in the US, and then shortly after Ark hit stores in the UK – and thanks to the good folks at Gollancz (and Ana in the UK), I was able to read both books in the duology within only a few short months of each other (whereas other poor folks here in the US have to wait until next year for Ark). And holy, holy crap – I’ve discovered a brand new MUST BUY author in Stephen Baxter. Flood, which tells the apocalypse by way of subterranean ocean leaking and flooding the Earth’s surface, was an awesome good novel and one I thoroughly enjoyed (even if it was a bit clinical and cut and dry). But Ark took the series to an entirely new level – it was flat out, knock my socks off fantastic, and the first (and only one of TWO books) I gave a perfect 10 rating to this year. Let me just put it this way – If I had to pick a single favorite book from 2009, it would be Stephen Baxter’s Ark.

Ark follows a group of talented young people as they try to get a spot on humanity’s last ditch effort to survive the floodwater apocalypse – through the creation of a spaceship that can travel at super-luminal speeds, in a search for an inhabitable planet elsewhere in the universe. Part military thriller, part exploration novel, and all around a compelling, haunting, and ultimately hopeful tale about the human will to survive, Ark is one damn fine book. I loved it. And I have proceeded to glom Stephen Baxter’s scifi backlist, thanks to this awesome duology.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Reviewed HERE.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth was probably my most anticipated, lusted-after book of 2009. I had been hankering for this book since way back in 2008, when I first caught wind of the synopsis, heard the lyrical title, and saw the gorgeous cover. And wouldn’t you know it, not only did The Forest of Hands and Teeth live up to my incredibly high expectations, but it surpassed them. PLUS, author Carrie Ryan is one of the coolest cats on the web. (That’s right, I just used the phrase “cool cat” – she’s THAT awesome)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is about a village in the woods, surrounded on all sides by fences that keep the “unconsecrated” – or zombies – out, and the humans in. But one girl dares to dream of a future beyond the fences and the rules of her strict society, and when the fences inevitably fall, she has the strength to seek out life beyond in the forest of hands and teeth. I don’t think there are words to express my love for this grim, post-apocalyptic tale – it’s a zombie novel, but like the best works of zombie fiction, it’s not so much about the undead as it is about the living. I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. And its companion novel, The Dead-Tossed Waves is – you guessed it – my most anticipated novel of 2010.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Reviewed HERE.

Like the rest of the known universe, I was enamored with Catching Fire – in fact, I loved it even more than The Hunger Games, primarily because it finally showed me that Ms. Collins can create something new and compelling (The Hunger Games was a tad too much Battle Royale meets The Running Man meets The Long Walk for my tastes). I loved the action of this second book, I loved the government complications, the surge of rebellion in the districts of Panem, and most of all, I loved how Katniss grows in this book.

And….TEAM PEETA, for the win! I cannot wait for the third book this coming fall.

Slights by Kaaron Warren

Reviewed HERE.

As I said in my review of Slights, I don’t think I have the words to properly convey the sense of shock, of depravity, of total, awesome horror that Kaaron Warren’s debut novel from Angry Robot left me with. This is one of the most disturbing books I have read in a very long time – not since Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves have I felt so unsettled (in the BEST way) by a book. Horrific, resonating, and profoundly sad, I loved Slights. This is horror at its absolute finest, and I wholeheartedly recommend Ms. Warren’s novel to all.

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews

Reviewed HERE.

It was a close call between this novel and Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs for a spot on my top 10 – but ultimately, Magic Strikes won out because of the sheer scope of the book. In this third novel, heroine Kate Daniels goes through a LOT – she finds herself in an honest-to-goodness Arena, fighting off creatures decidedly outside the usual realm of shapeshifter/vampire/fey. The action is unparalleled, and Ms. Andrews just continues to get better with each subsequent book. I cannot wait for the next Daniels novel early next year – if it’s anything like Magic Strikes, I’ll be one happy camper.

Hunger by Michael Grant

Reviewed HERE

I started this outstanding series by Michael Grant this year, and loved both Gone (published in 2008) and Hunger immensely. Michael Grant’s FAYZ books, about a seaside California town whose inhabitants over the age of 14 all disappear one day, is the stuff Stephen King fans will salivate over. Part X-Men, part Lord of the Flies, sprinkled with a healthy dose of supernatural King-style terror, Hunger is a surprisingly gritty Young Adult novel. Don’t let the YA label fool you – there is nothing juvenile about this title. It is Grim, with a capital “G.” Heck, I loved Hunger more than I did Stephen King’s Under the Dome (a similar setup to Michael Grant’s FAYZ)! Recommended for fans of violent, dystopian style novels.

Naamah’s Kiss by Jacqueline Carey

Reviewed HERE.

It’s no secret that I am a Jacqueline Carey fangirl. The Kushiel’s Legacy books are among my favorites of All Time – if I’m stranded on a desert island, Kushiel’s Dart (or Kushiel’s Avatar) is coming with me. With Naamah’s Kiss, Ms. Carey returns to the world of Terre d’Ange, this time with a new heroine named Moirin, touched not by Kushiel but Naamah herself. Naamah’s Kiss has everything I have come to expect from Ms. Carey’s books – adventure, strong characters, breathtaking worldbuilding, love and sex, and prose so lush it makes you catch your breath in wonder. Ms. Carey takes Moirin to lands far beyond Terre d’Ange’s borders, to cultures different and familiar at the same time – and I loved every second of it. This is a no brainer for me – Naamah’s Kiss completely rocks.

Drood by Dan Simmons

Reviewed HERE.

As with Ms. Carey, it should come as no surprise that I am a huge Dan Simmons fangirl. His Hyperion cantos are among my favorite books of all time, and so when I learned he was releasing a new book this year, I was beside myself with giddiness. Drood is Simmons at his best – weaving intricate history with strong characters, solid plotting and an unmatched eye for detail. About Wilkie Collins and his jealousy and close friendship with Charles Dickens, Drood is part mystery, part horror, and captures the era and both authors flawlessly. Seriously, Dan Simmons is an author that does his homework. Another home run from Dan Simmons, as he proves again why he is one of the finest authors of ANY genre he chooses to write in.

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Reviewed HERE.

Another YA novel with the word “Fire” in the title! But seriously, Fire is a book that completely took me by surprise. I had the pleasure of reading both Graceling and this companion novel/prequel this year, and both blew me away. I loved the character of Fire, the world of “monsters” and their normal counterparts. Ms. Cashore’s second novel, in fact, appealed to me more than her debut novel did. Fire is YA Fantasy at its finest, evocative of Tamora Pierce. I love the strong heroines that she writes, and urge everyone – especially young girls dissatisfied with the wishy-washy Bellas of the YA literary landscape – to read her work.

Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier

Reviewed HERE.

Another no-brainer, favorite author of mine is Juliet Marillier, and her 2009 release of Heart’s Blood – a Celtic retelling of Beauty and the Beast – is another solid gold winner. Ms. Marillier, like Ms. Carey, is an author whose prose never fails to win me over. Lush, evocative, hauntingly beautiful, Heart’s Blood is no exception. I loved this smart, heartfelt retelling of a familiar fable.

Honorable Mentions (2009 Close Calls and Pre-2009 Published Favorites)

As the title suggests, this section is for favorite books read in 2009 – books that I loved but didn’t make the cut (barely), or would have made the cut if they were published this year.

I. 2009 Close Calls

I think I lucked out this year, as I read a number of really awesome memorable books. For organization’s sake, I’ve broken ‘em out by genre:

In the YA Genre, these 2009 close calls include: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman, Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr, The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong, Forest Born by Shannon Hale, The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness, Rampant by Diana Peterfreund, Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison, Blood Promise by Richelle Mead, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines (a VERY narrow miss for my Top 10), and Going Bovine by Libba Bray.

In the Fantasy Genre: Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey, Jasmyn by Alex Bell, and Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter top the list of 2009 published titles that I absolutely loved, but didn’t quite make the top 10.

In the UF Genre: Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs, Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire, Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs, and Deadtown by Nancy Holzner top my favorites. I didn’t read as much UF this year as in 2008, but the genre still holds a soft spot in my heart. Seanan McGuire and Nancy Holzner are two debut UF authors that managed to completely win me over with their first in a series books, and I eagerly await for more from them. And Patricia Briggs is Patricia Briggs – her writing is AMAZING.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Paranormal Romance Genre novel Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh, and Horror Genre novel Hater by David Moody. Both took me by surprise and managed to win me over, and are definitely recommended.

II. Pre-2009 Publication Faves

Leading the pre-2009 published favorites read this year is Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go – the only other book (besides Ark) that I gave a 10 rating to. This is literary fiction, yes, but also falls into the realm of science fiction, about mysterious “donors” and their upbringing in an english countryside boarding school. Mr. Ishiguro has won numerous awards for his literary efforts, and Never Let Me Go showed me why he is so worthy of those accolades. Please, for the love of pete, read the book before watching the movie adaptation coming out next year. Please.

Along with Never Let Me Go the lightbook Goth by Otsuichi would easily have made my top 10 list, had it been published in 2009. Goth tells the story of two teenage sociopaths in Japan, and is a truly chilling portrayal. Another title that easily would have cracked my top 10 was delightful gothic/regency/romance/fantasy novel The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett. I hadn’t seen this book reviewed anywhere, but I was so very glad I took a chance on this title.

There were a slew of pre-2009 YA titles that I read and absolutely loved this year, so I’ll just list them quickly: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Pretties, and Specials), Genesis by Bernard Beckett, Exodus by Julie Bertagna, and Feed by M.T. Anderson. Also Wildwood Dancing and Cybelle’s Secret by Juliet Marillier were standout novels that deserve mention.

On the fantasy front, I also discovered the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson this year, which is one of the most inventive and original epic fantasy series’ I have read, period. There also was the beautiful The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne Valente that blew me away. Finally, The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia McKillip was another solid winner that I truly loved and wholeheartedly recommend.

Favorite Characters:

I didn’t discover anyone as lovely as Miles Vorkosigan or Amelia Peabody this year, but I did read a number of YA protagonists that totally won me over. Perhaps most winsome of them all are Todd and Viola from Patrick Ness’s incredible/awesome/insert superlative Chaos Walking series, The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer. I love these two characters so very much; I root for them like no other pair that I can think of in an ongoing series. So, they get my vote!

New Authors:

2009 was another great year for new-to-me authors – topping the list has to be Diana Peterfreund, author of the excellent Secret Society Girl series (which I *will* get around to finishing soon) and the awesome Rampant, a new YA series about killer unicorns and the girls that slay them. Diana is not only a fabulous author, she’s also really friendly, she’s allowed us to bug her for interviews and guest posts, and she also shares the love for Christopher Pike. Another autobuy author I discovered this year is Brandon Sanderson – his Mistborn books blew me away, and his 2009 release, Warbreaker wasn’t too shabby either. He’s definitely an author I will be looking out for in the future.

Finally, there’s the ineffable Stephen Baxter. Man, I loved Ark with every fiber of my being – so much so that I am currently glomming his backlist (I just finished Moonseed which was also absofreakinglutely phenomenal – another one for the keeper shelf. Next up is Titan – I love me some apocalyptic-toned scifi!). This guy’s writing just does it for me.

2010 Books I Cannot Wait to Read:

Oh, the list is long indeed. I suppose I should set a reading goal for next year – and that is READ MORE SCIENCE FICTION. It’s a genre I love (hell, my favorite two books of 2009 were scifi titles), and there’s no excuse for my deficiency in this area. So, if there are any scifi titles you have to recommend, please let me know! I’m all ears.

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness – The dramatic final novel in the Chaos Walking series. The Ask and the Answer kicked my ass – I cannot wait to see what Mr. Ness has in store for Todd and Viola in this third book.

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan – Given my big love for The Forest of Hands and Teeth this is – if you’ll pardon my lame puns – a no-brainer! Seriously, love Carrie Ryan’s writing, and cannot wait for this title. The covers are gorgeous too.

Lies by Michael Grant – Again, given my love for Gone and Hunger, it should come as no surprise that this third book in the planned 7 book series is on my most anticipated of 2010 list.

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs – Patricia Briggs freaking rules. Mercy Thompson is one of my favorite UF heroines for a reason, and I cannot wait for more of her in Silver Borne.

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews – Again, given my love for Magic Strikes this is an autobuy for me. Love Kate and Curran, and cannot wait to see where Ms. Andrews takes them next! (Although what is with these stupid “Guaranteed Good Read!” stickers on books? Who do publishers think they are fooling? They just look tacky)

The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss – I read The Name of the Wind this year as part of our “What She Said” feature, and I loved it. So, I, along with the rest of the fantasy reading world, will be anxiously hoping for The Wise Man’s Fear in 2010.

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer – OMG. Probably my MOST highly anticipated book of 2010 – I *loved* with the force of a thousand suns the first two books in Ms. Pfeffer’s Moon Crush trilogy (Life as we Knew it and the dead and the gone were my two favorite reads of 2008), so I am on tenterhooks waiting for this third volume. EEEEEE! The cover gives me goosebumps.

Mr. Shivers by Robert Jackson Bennett – I have heard nothing but Good Things about this upcoming title, and hey, I even have an ARC. I cannot freaking wait to dive in. (Plus, I hate to be shallow, but how awesome is that cover??)

Horns by Joe Hill – I really, really enjoyed his debut novel Heart-Shaped Box, and being the son of Stephen King and all, I’m partial towards Mr. Hill. Horns looks to be a fantastic read, and I have high hopes. AND I have an ARC that I am just dying to start ripping through…

The Line by Teri Hall – Talk about BUZZ, this book is all over the blogosphere. The cover is gorgeous, the title mysterious and atmospheric, and the synopsis sounds like it’s a book right up Thea Alley. I cannot wait.

Black Magic Sanction and Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison

I was a little bit disappointed with White Witch, Black Curse, the newest entry in Kim Harrison’s otherwise near-flawless The Hollows series. BUT, I still have high hopes for the next Rachel Morgan. And I absolutely loved Once Dead, Twice Shy, Ms. Harrison’s YA entry – and I eagerly await Madison Avery’s next novel.

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead – Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy books are among my favorite YA Vampire series’ – and given the number of YA Vampires out there, that’s saying a LOT. Forget the poorly written (and brain numbingly idiotic) Twilight, because it is all about Rose. And Adrian.

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong – The Summoning (book 1 in the Darkest Powers series) didn’t really wow me, but I was pleasantly surprised by The Awakening this year. Chloe and Derek are a wonderful couple, and I am eager to see where The Reckoning takes them.

Naamah’s Curse by Jacqueline Carey – Come on. Jacqueline Carey. Book 2 in Moirin’s story. No. Brainer.

Walking the Tree by Kaaron Warren – I loved Slights so very much, and was incredibly impressed with Kaaron Warren. So, it goes without saying that I will most certainly read her next book – which happens to be fantasy title, Walking the Tree, again from Angry Robot.

Prospero in Hell by L. Jagi Lamplighter – I was so delighted with Prospero Lost, and I wish everyone would run out and purchase it. Seriously, smart, funny, well-researched and impeccably written. THIS is Urban Fantasy like you’ve never seen it before – and I want more Miranda and Mab!

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson – The new Brandon Sanderson, first of a planned 10 book series, is an investment (both emotionally and economically). But it’s one I’m ready to make. Come on, The Way of Kings!

Eona: The Last Dragoneye by Alison Goodman – I loved Eon: Dragoneye reborn very, very much. Though there were predictable elements, it reminded me of all the things I loved in Tamora Pierce’s Alanna books and Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori. This is an action filled YA fantasy that took me by surprise, and has me impatiently waiting for the next book.

The Third book in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series – Seriously. Is it October yet? I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS, DAMMIT!

Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier – A new Sevenwaters book!!! I am going into paroxysms of glee!

And with that we, your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers, bid you so long, farewell, au revoir, see you in 2010!

And be Excellent to Each Other, dudes!

Welcome to Smugglivus – Day 30!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guest: Today we bring you our interview with Nancy Holzner, author of new Urban Fantasy novel Deadtown (reviewed yesterday by Thea HERE).

Please give a warm welcome to Nancy!

The Book Smugglers: First and foremost, thanks for taking the time to “chat” with us! Your new novel Deadtown is a gritty urban fantasy, set in an alternate version of Boston. Can you tell us a bit about your book, and why you chose Boston for your paranormal setting?

Nancy: Thanks so much for inviting me! I’m excited to be here, and I’d love to say a few things about my novel. Deadtown is Boston’s paranormal-only district, home to vampires, werewolves, two thousand zombies—and Vicky Vaughn, Boston’s only active shapeshifter. Vicky is one of the Cerddorion, a race of Welsh shapeshifters who trace their origins back to the goddess Ceridwen. Vicky exterminates people’s personal demons for a living; she spends her time dealing with demon-haunted clients, putting up with a pain-in-the-neck teenage zombie apprentice, fending off a research scientist who’s a little too interested in what makes her tick, and trying to squeeze in an occasional date with her kinda-sorta boyfriend, workaholic werewolf lawyer Alexander Kane. When one of her clients is murdered by a Hellion, Vicky must face the demons of her own past—before that Hellion destroys the city and everyone in it.

I chose Boston because I lived there for several years and know the city pretty well. I also liked playing with the idea of how a relatively compact city like Boston, one that has a reputation for being intellectual, liberal, and full of history, would deal with a plague that sweeps through the downtown and creates a couple thousand insta-zombies.

The Book Smugglers: Urban Fantasy is a genre that has been experiencing crazy growth over the past few years – every month it seems there’s another badass heroine with a flaming sword (or gun, or lasso, etc.) taking the paranormal world by storm. Why did you decide to write an Urban Fantasy novel (series)? Are there any UF authors in particular that you admire?

Nancy: I’d been reading urban fantasy for a few years, ever since a friend recommended Kim Harrison’s Hollows series and I quickly started hunting for similar books. I loved the genre’s inventiveness and sheer imagination; it’s so much fun to read. It wasn’t long before I was coming up with ideas for my own urban fantasy world. There are a lot of authors I admire: Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Devon Monk, Charlaine Harris, Rachel Caine, Jon Levitt. Those are the ones who come to mind immediately.

The Book Smugglers: Your heroine, Vicky, is a demi-human shapeshifter and demon slayer with n intriguing mythological background. You have a PhD in English and according to your biography you began your career as a medievalist. How much of a role did your educational background play in writing Deadtown? Did you do any additional mythological research for your universe?

Nancy: Well, you can take a scholar out of academia, but you can never entirely take academia out of the scholar; that’s why I call myself a “recovering academic.” I spent a lot of years studying and analyzing and teaching literature, and that remains a big part of who I am and the way I approach a project. I enjoy research, for example, and can get sucked into that phase of writing a novel for months if I let myself. For Deadtown, I reread the Mabinogi, the collection of medieval Welsh legends that inspired the background mythology for the novel, but I didn’t let myself go overboard. I didn’t, for example, spend time reading scholarly articles about that text, because I wasn’t trying to understand it in light of its historical context or contemporary literary theory—I just wanted to use it as a springboard for my novel. It’s possible to overdo it with research, with the result that you either straitjacket your own story or end up trying to cram in way too much of the cool stuff you discovered.

The Book Smugglers: Speaking of your heroine, her full name is Victory “Vicky” Vaughn – which has a lovely pulp-noir-ish ring to it. You also happen to be an author of traditional mystery…coincidence? Or fiendish plot? C’mon and spill – are you a Raymond Chandler fan?

Nancy: Most things I do are part of a fiendish plot, but I can’t really talk about that in public. I do like reading mysteries—I have ever since a grad-school friend got me hooked on Victorian detective fiction and Agatha Christie. Now, I’m a huge Donald E. Westlake fan, and the novels he wrote as Richard Stark have a strong noir feel to them. I’m also a fan of Victor Gischler, whose Gun Monkeys is brilliant neo-noir pulp, (and I’m excited because I just found out he wrote a vampire novel—I haven’t read it yet, but it’s on my TBR pile.) If you’ve read either of those authors, you’ll know I like a little humor mixed in with my grit.

The Book Smugglers: The concept of “Deadtown” – a cordoned off area of Boston following a freak airborne viral mutation that instantly killed all humans in the area – is pretty cool and original (kind of like an inner city enforced ghetto for supernatural creatures). What inspired this idea? Do you think the supernatural community of shapeshifters, vamps, werewolves, zombies, assortment of demons, etc would have come out of the closet (coffin, whatever) had it not been for that plague?

Nancy: In the case of a plague like that—immediately deadly and unlike any known pathogen—the first thing the city would do would be to set up and enforce a quarantine zone. And then when events got even stranger, when the previously dead (or seemingly dead) victims started to rise, there’s no way that those victims would be allowed to leave that quarantine zone. No one knew whether they were still contagious. No one knew, exactly, what they’d become. Instead of working to integrate them back into society, the impulse would be to keep them contained.

Before the plague hit, Kane had been encouraging the supernatural community to come forward. He was recruiting paranormals to an activist group that was supposed to show the humans that the “monsters” were friendly to them and could be trusted, that they could live side by side. But on one hand, many paranormals weren’t interested, and on the other, a lot of humans thought that Kane and his group were crackpots. When the plague hit, paranormals (who were immune to the virus) helped to manage the quarantine zone. Not only were the humans forced to acknowledge that paranormals were real, they also reacted with the same fear they felt toward the zombies. All residents of Boston were genetically tested; anyone not human had to live in Deadtown. Some cooperated; others left the state or went into hiding. But human society had to recognize paranormals officially—whether either side wanted that or not.

The Book Smugglers: One of the main characters in your book, werewolf lawyer Alexander Kane, is a passionate fighter for civil rights. In your estimation as their creator, do the undead/non-human inhabitants of your world (or, as Kane would say, “Paranormal Americans”) deserve the same rights afforded to humans?

Nancy: That’s a tricky issue, because many of the PAs (those Paranormal Americans) represent a real danger to humans. They’ve been operating under the radar for centuries and many of them chafe at the restrictions humans place on them now. Humans are right to fear them; some of these creatures mean them harm. Kane’s strategy is to try to put PAs and humans on an equal footing legally, but he’s a true believer in concepts of justice and fair play that many PAs don’t share. Although the zombies want and deserve equal rights, some other types of paranormals would rather be invisible predators living outside of human rule. The humans would be smart to treat the paranormals as a powerful but not-entirely-friendly nation rather than trying to control them.

The Book Smugglers: In Deadtown, bad dreams are often demon infestations, and we love the breakdown of different types of demons you cover in the book. Similarly, your take on zombies is refreshingly different too. What inspired your spin on these classic horror monster icons? Do you have any favorite zombie or demon movies and/or books?

Nancy: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was the original zombie novel, and it’s still my favorite. Victor Frankenstein’s monster is an intelligent creature who’s trying to understand his place in the world and is angry with the creator who brought him into being and then rejected him. Although my zombies are plague victims, not the result of an overreaching scientist playing God, there are some parallels. They want to be accepted and allowed to get on with their existence, but their unnaturalness provokes fear and a desire to control. They raise questions about what’s “human.” For example, Tina (Vicky’s apprentice) is in many ways a typical teenager. But she’s also a zombie. Her character calls into question both what’s normal and what’s monstrous.

As for the demons, they represent those things that bedevil us. Where do they come from? In thinking about that question, I decided that there are two main kinds of demons: those that have no independent existence and come into being through strong human emotion—fear, guilt, anger, hatred—and those that do exist independently and operate on a larger scale. The first type of demon torments individuals, and these are the personal demons that Vicky fights for her clients. The second type is destructive on a much larger scale, hostile to humans in general, not just a particular individual. They represent Evil-with-a-capital-E.

The Book Smugglers: What writing projects do you have on the horizon? And when can we expect the sequel to Deadtown?

Nancy: Deadtown’s sequel is currently with my editor and will be out in about a year. I’m working on proposals for more books in the series. I also have an idea I’m playing with for a contemporary fantasy set in the Catskill Mountains. It’s a wonderful setting for a fantasy, an eerie land that’s home of Rip van Winkle, the Headless Horseman, Native American legends, stories about witches and gnomes . . . I’m having fun playing with the possibilities.

The Book Smugglers: In the spirit of Smugglivus, can you share with us your favorite books of 2009? Are there any books you are looking forward to reading in 2010?

Nancy: Some of my 2009 urban fantasy favorites:

Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre

Skinwalker by Faith Hunter

On the Edge by Ilona Andrews

Magic in the Shadows by Devon Monk

Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding

In 2010, I’m looking forward to the next books in the Kate Daniels and Allie Beckstrom series. I’m also looking forward to Sean Cummings’ Shade Fright, which I was lucky enough to read early. It’s got a heroine who likes opera and still kicks ass—that’s my kind of book.

The Book Smugglers: ARGH! Human blood’s been spilled and the ravenous, unstoppable zombie horde is coming! You can save ONE book, ONE movie, and ONE TV show – QUICK! What are they?

Nancy: Oh, no! Years ago I gave up watching TV to find time to write, so can I sacrifice a TV show and save two books instead? Okay, I’ll play by the rules. My husband wisely advised me to save The Zombie Survival Guide, but before I could act on that the medievalist in me rushed forward to grab the book and the movie.

Book: The Riverside Chaucer, which is the complete works of Chaucer in one volume. Chaucer’s got everything—sex, humor, piety, science, allegory, romance, philosophy, war. His writings are endlessly fun, except maybe for the “Treatise on the Astrolabe,” but that might come in handy if I had to lead a band of survivors away from the zombie infestation (and assuming I, um, had an astrolabe). It’s also a massive book that could double as a weapon in a pinch.

Movie: Ingmar Bergman’s 1960 film The Virgin Spring, which is based on a 13th-century Swedish ballad. The first time I saw this film, I was blown away by its unsentimental depiction of the contradictions of life in the Middle Ages: beauty and harshness, love and despair, brutal violence and deep faith—faith that persists in the face of evidence that suggests an absent or hostile God.

TV show: Hmm . . . are you sure I can’t swap this one for another book? Well, I’m a crazed opera fanatic, so for myself I’d save the PBS series Great Performances at the Met. But my daughter has some favorite shows, so for her sake I might save 30 Rock or Mad Men.

The Book Smugglers: We Book Smugglers are faced with constant threats and criticisms from our significant others concerning the sheer volume of books we purchase and read – hence, we have resorted to ’smuggling books’ home to escape scrutinizing eyes. Have you ever had to smuggle books?

Nancy: Not into my house. My husband buys at least as many books as I do. We’ve got overflowing bookcases in almost every room of our house, and even so we still have books stacked up in piles everywhere. We live in constant danger of getting buried under a “bookalanche.” We’re probably good candidates for ebook readers at some point in the future, but we both really like physical books. (Although now that I think of it, when the zombies attack I could grab my ebook reader and save my entire library! For some reason, that’s suddenly become a major temptation.)

The Book Smugglers: Thanks again for your time, Nancy, and we wish you all the best with your release of Deadtown!

Nancy: Thank you! I enjoy your site and look forward to reading your reviews, conversations, and posts in the coming year.

Nancy Holzner grew up in western Massachusetts with her nose stuck in a book. This meant that she tended to walk into things, wore glasses before she was out of elementary school, and forced her parents to institute a “no reading at the dinner table” rule. It was probably inevitable that she majored in English in college and then, because there were still a lot of books she wanted to read, continued her studies long enough to earn a masters degree and a PhD.

Nancy lives in upstate New York with her husband Steve, where they both work from home without getting on each other’s nerves. She enjoys visiting local wineries and listening obsessively to opera. There are still a lot of books she wants to read.

You can read more about Nancy online at her website HERE.

Giveaway Details:

We are giving away one copy of Deadtown, courtesy of the publisher! The contest is open to entrants in the US only, and will run until Saturday January 2, 2010 at 11:59 PM (PST). To enter, simply leave a comment here letting us know what YOUR favorite first book in an Urban Fantasy series is. Good luck!

Welcome to Smugglivus – Day 30!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guest: Jeff, another awesome Alert Nerd-ian. Jeff is a pretty cool dude who also runs his own solo blog, Jefferson Stolarship and writes about all sorts of things – comics, music, books, etc. We’re thrilled to have him over for Smugglivus.

Ladies and gents, we give you Jeff!

I was watching Up In The Air over the holiday weekend, and when George Clooney’s character asked his audience to imagine fitting everything in their life into a backpack, the first thought I had was, “but what am I going to do with the books?” As a former bookstore employee (the Village Green in Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, where my chief duties included making coffee, flirting ineptly and trying to identify books based on the most Holmes-stumping clues I’d ever heard, up to and including, “it’s red.”), a bit of a packrat (the first book I ever received as a gift, The Hobbit, is still on the shelf in all its tattered and dog-eared glory), and a person who has always believed that a book worth reading is a book worth buying, I have a lot of books. I used to have a honest-to-goodness library room in my house, which had shelving on every wall that would allow it, wall-to-wall and full to bursting, and an easy chair tucked into a dormer where I could sit and read and pretend to be a heady intellectual.

Right now, all of those books are in storage. It’s like losing an arm.

As a result of that phantom gnawing, 2009 was one of my most inconsistent years when it came to buying books and reading books. It was mostly, I think, the year I burst out of my shell, the comfort zone of masculine literary fiction, of Russo and DeLillo and the like, and all the myriad fantasy novels that I’d ensconced myself in over the years. In fact, 2009 is the year that I nearly burned myself out on fantasy literature.

Like I said above, the first book that I received as a gift was The Hobbit, and I got it for Christmas when I was five. It took me awhile, but I read the thing unassisted and on subsequent Christmases the same cool aunt that gave me the first Tolkien book gave me the Lord of the Rings books and finally, at the ripe age of nine, The Silmarillion, which was the most fascinating book I had ever read in my life. It was a textbook about a made-up world. It had an elven glossary – a glossary! As much as the previous books got me interested in fantasy, it was The Silmarillion that took the budding little structuralist in me and got him addicted. What can I say? I’ve always been a sucker for meta, behind-the-curtain stuff.

For twenty-five years, I was addicted to swords and wizards and quests. I even wrote a lengthy Comparative Lit paper on the portrayal of the wizard in different cultures, one that included block quotes from Shakespeare and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and Terry Pratchett and Joseph Campbell and, like, twenty other authors of varying degrees of critical acclaim and academic relevance. College, incidentally, was when I really started to get off the rails because I started reading any and every appealing-looking bit of mass-market chaff in order to counterbalance the pretentious, literary fiction that I had to read for school. I read about a book a week, sometimes more. But familiarity breeds contempt. And on top of that, too many of the authors I followed had either just wrapped a series of were falling victim to interminable delays and the filler I found myself devouring in their stead was rarely as nourishing. There are, I realized, just far too many people who cannot wait to write the Dark Elf trilogy with their own Mary Sue.

With that realization, I embarked on two sweeping literature tangents: I started reading more science fiction and I started reading ‘chick lit’ (with a dash of YA thrown in thanks to a ton of great recommendations from Ana and Thea).

That’s right: I started reading chick lit. Not bodice-ripping romance (though I keep secretly hoping that Ana and Thea will dare me to do so), but the Charlaine Harris, Sophie Kinsella, Helen Fielding stuff that I’m supposed to be gender-allergic to. After being told that my own writing has chick-litty qualities, I was too curious not to dive into that pool, no matter how much I didn’t enjoy the Sex and the City movie. “It’s a safe bet,” I blogged after reading one, “that this heady blend of onanism/introspection and melodrama is up my alley, since I spend a good deal of my own personal time wallowing in my own onanistic, introspective melodrama.”

I was being a bit snarky, but here’s the thing – I ended up loving most of it. Except for the ones that weren’t very good, which I dismissed as being not very good and not as endemic of some lack of worth in the genre. And I realized that regardless of genre, it’s still about telling the same basic stories. Self-discovery, love, coping with loss, struggling with the dissatisfying mundanity of day-to-day life – that’s what’s universal in fiction, irregardless of incantations and orc decapitations.

My goal for 2010? More horror. Again with the decapitations, right? I browse the shelves at Borders and B&N, but have yet to find something that moves my needle that way that Heart Shaped Box or Demon Theory did. I’m really looking forward to Slights, but we aren’t seeing that in the US until April 2010 (at least I only have to wait until February for Joe Hill’s Horns). I’ve always been a horror buff, but I feel like some really good material goes unseen because it isn’t King or Koontz. So, I guess I’m asking this august and discerning group of bibliophiles for some recommendations in that regard. What should I put on my TBR list for the new year?

Thanks to Ana and Thea for inviting me over to ramble on for a bit.

Have a very merry Smugglivus, one and all.

Thanks Jeff, and a Merry Smugglivus to you too!

Next on Smugglivus: Author Nancy Holzner sits down for a Chat with us!

Welcome to Smugglivus – Day 24!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guest: The lovely Sarah Kuhn, one of the good, hardworking folks behind the geektastic blog Alert Nerd. Sarah also happens to be an author – her debut novel One Con Glory was released this year (and both of us Smugglers LOVED it).

Please give a warm welcome to Sarah!

So I’m looking back on my year of reading (reflecting, if you will – just imagine me gazing pensively out the window at some generic body of water while CW-approved power ballads tinkle away in the background). It’s been a pretty fantastic twelve months: I’ve greeted many newly-published works with open arms, but I’ve also discovered a lot of swoon-worthy stuff from previous years.

In other words…I have tons of unhealthy new obsessions to take me into 2010! Yay! Ring the gong and prepare the fannish-bordering-on-inappropriate message board postings!

I’ve decided that the only proper way to really look back on this year is to give out awards. Or maybe I should say “awards” since the recipients don’t actually get anything except a mention here and my undying devotion.

Ready?

Best New-to-Me Book: Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr

I devoured Melissa Marr’s first tome of urban fairy courts on a road trip – reclined back in the passenger seat, fingertips gripping the book so hard, I thought I was going to bend it in half. My addiction was instant and undeniable; as soon as we docked at our first destination, I tore out of the car and to the nearest book store so I could buy the next one. I love that this series is so lushly, unabashedly romantic, but also gives us teen girl characters who demonstrate their considerable strength in complex, perfectly believable ways. No idealized damsels here, folks.

Best Actually New Book: Going Bovine, Libba Bray

Look, I basically love everything Libba Bray does, whether she’s penning her kick-ass Gemma Doyle trilogy or donning a cow suit for promotional purposes. So it was kind of a given that I’d love this, but goddamn…“love” might not be strong enough a word? Bray’s heady mix of mad cow-afflicted teen, sugar-addict angel, and hypochondriac dwarf is hilarious and acerbic and deeply, deeply witty…but it will also totally break your heart. Like, it will sneak up on you in the middle of the page and rip your poor heart out of your chest and stomp all over it until you’re bawling your head off. I mean all this as the highest of compliments

Best New-to-Me Heroine: Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson from Moon Called, Patricia Briggs

I have Thea to thank for this one. When you read as much urban fantasy/paranormal romance as I do, the heroines occasionally start to blend together. Like, “Oh, this chick, she’s really strong or whatever and she can do some way frakkin’ cool supernatural thing and she rocks a leather jacket and every guy she meets is totally into her, but…hey, she’s just a regular girl. You know.” Mercy – mechanic, shapechanger, actual regular girl – is a thoroughly distinctive breath of fresh air. She’s believably flawed, but she knows who she is and doesn’t angst all over the place about her supernatural lot in life. From page one, her voice is fully-realized and totally easy to relate to.

Best Actually New Heroine: Calliope Reaper-Jones from Death’s Daughter, Amber Benson

Here’s another voice that grabbed me from the very first paragraph. Cally – who actually is Death’s Daughter, thank you very much – instantly engages you with her motormouthed inner monologue. It’s kind of like getting on a speeding train – a hilarious, quippy, delightfully boy-crazy speeding train – without knowing exactly where you’re going. And yet, to misquote Liz Lemon, you really want to go to there. Or I sure did, anyway.

Returning Series That Continues to Kick My Ass: WVMP Radio, Jeri Smith-Ready

The first WVMP Radio book, Wicked Game, was probably my favorite read of 2008: undead DJs, awesome ex-con-artist protagonist, startlingly unique take on the vamp mythos (no voluminous black leather dusters involved!). Also, sex that’s actually…um, sexy. I was a little worried that Smith-Ready’s follow-up, Bad to the Bone, couldn’t possibly get under my skin in the same way. Foolish worries! Bad to the Bone is stuffed with twisty underworld intrigue, amazingly realistic relationship issues, and perfectly-placed touches of humor. Oh, and more sexy sex. Third book cannot get here quickly enough.

Coupling I Would Most Like To Write Fanfic About (If I Actually Wrote Fanfic): Mercy Smith/Riley Kincaid, Branded by Fire, Nalini Singh

Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series is another Awesome Thing I found out about thanks to Thea and Ana. And while I enjoy that each book focuses on a new pairing (and we get little updates on previous pairings, since it’s all set in the same world)…I really would not object at all if every book from now on was about Mercy and Riley. Over the course of Branded by Fire, these two strong, excessively stubborn personalities are pushed together, hate each other, have great sex, and eventually fall in love. The sex happens first, but the way Singh develops their relationship from a deeply emotional standpoint is what really got me.

Love Interest I Most Want To [REDACTED]: David the Djinn, Weather Warden series, Rachel Caine

Ah, David. What can you say about David, really? My brain transforms itself into a mush-like substance just thinking about it…him. Whatever. Daaaaaaviiiiiiiid.

Most Heart-Attack-Inducing Cliffhanger: Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins

OH MY GOD. SERIOUSLY.

Most Anticipated Reads:

(2009) Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

This gorgeously-designed doorstopper of a book is tempting me so hard from its perch on my overloaded bookshelf. The only reason I haven’t cracked it yet is I’m in the middle of like five other books I should finish first. Right? Right?! Anyway, this Southern Gothic tale of magic sounds beautiful and atmospheric and supernaturally romantic and lots of people I respect have said it’s the best thing ever. In other words: crack for Sarah.

(2010) Guardian of the Dead, Karen Healey

I have long admired Karen Healey’s writing – she’s one of the smartest, funniest, most insightful (I almost typed “insightfulest,” which shows you why, perhaps, I am always blown away by people with such obviously big brains) comic book bloggers around. She often makes me think of elements within four-color fandom that never would’ve occurred to me, or looks at said elements in a way that has me shrieking “right onnnnnnnnnnnnn” at my computer screen. Healey’s debut novel is full of (to quote her website) “M?ori mythology, magic, theatre, earthquakes, monsters, boarding school, tae kwon do, and the other horrors of a Christchurch winter.” Don’t you wish you could read this right now? Where is my freakin’ time machine?

Thanks Sarah!

Next on Smugglivus: Jeff of Alert Nerd

Title: Deadtown

Author: Nancy Holzner

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: December 2009
Paperback: 336 Pages

Stand alone or series: Book 1 in a planned series

How did I get this book: ARC from the publisher

Why did I read this book: I think I fell in lust with this book as soon as I heard its title and laid eyes on its delightfully over-the-top cover. I mean, look at that flaming sword AND machine gun! Then I read the synopsis, saw the word ZOMBIES, and was instantly smitten. AND when author Nancy Holzner contacted us shortly after we received an ARC from the publisher, we immediately got her to agree to an interview.

Summary: (from NancyHolzner.com)
They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders — but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…

But now Vicky’s got bigger things to worry about. The Hellion who murdered her father ten years ago has somehow broken through Boston’s magical protections. The Hellion is a ruthless force of destruction with a personal grudge against Vicky, and she’s the only one who can stop the demon before it destroys the city and everyone in it.

Review:

Victory “Vicky” Vaughn is Boston’s premiere (and only) demon slayer, and she also happens to be a demi-human – a special brand of shapeshifter known as a Cerridorion. Ever since a mysterious plague overtook the downtown part of the city, instantly killing any humans in the vicinity, downtown Boston has become known as “Deadtown” – a quarantined area where all paranormal creatures are required by law to live. Following the outbreak of the plague, the humans that died returned to life as zombies – definitely undead and with insatiable appetites (but for regular food, not necessarily human flesh). The very public existence of zombies also meant other preternatural creatures, like vampires, demons and werewolves, decided to step out of the closet and reveal themselves to the world. While paranormals lack the essential liberties and rights afforded to humans, for demi-humans like Vicky, it also means she can conduct business out in the open. When she’s not helping clients get rid of their demon infestations and keeping Deadtown safe, she juggles a romance with werewolf lawyer and champion for paranormal rights, Alexander Kane. Lately, though, something’s been wrong in Vicky’s line of work – and when the “Goon Squad” (the storm troopers that patrol and are quick to abduct and imprison “the monsters” of Deadtown) pays Vicky a visit and haul her in to Boston Police Headquarters, Vicky knows something sinister is brewing in not only Deadtown, but the entire Boston area. A very specific demon from Vicky’s past, a Hellion known as The Destroyer, is back and it’s killing people. Determined to stop the Hellion once and for all, Vicky agrees to help the police, but this task might prove even too big for Vicky’s ample skills as a deeper plot is revealed – politicians, paranormals, witches and sorcerers all seem to be involved. And Vicky only has a short amount of time to get to the bottom of the mystery, before Boston is torn apart by the Destroyer.

I read a lot of Urban Fantasy, and have a few go-to staples. Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan books, Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson books, Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series, and Ilona Andrews’s Kate Daniels books all top the list as THE best female protag-centered UF to beat (at least, in my opinion).

And wouldn’t you know it? Nancy Holzner and her awesome heroine Vicky Vaughn sure make a strong case to get added to the essentials list. From the second I saw the ridiculously awesome, over-the-top cover for the book, I had high hopes and Ms. Holzner truly delivers with this incredibly solid debut UF novel. Deadtown is told with an authoritative voice starring a great new heroine, and puts an imaginative spin on the usual paranormal suspects; the plotting and worldbuilding are compelling and undeniably fresh.

In short – I absolutely loved Deadtown.

From a writing standpoint, curling up with this book feels like settling down with an old, favorite novel friend – Ms. Holzner writing is snappy, sassy and fast-paced without a single dragging or dull moment. The mystery is a tad on the predictable side (the mysterious bad guy isn’t really much of a shocker), but the pacing and execution of the story are solid and more than enough to compensate for a lack of plotting complexity. In many ways, Deadtown is reminiscent of Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series – both are adrenaline-fueled reads, both share the idea of supernatural creatures living in a cordoned off area from the rest of the “normal” humans, both have a plague as the catalyst for supernatural creatures coming out of the woodwork. And, perhaps most importantly, Deadtown’s heroine, Vicky, is just as likable as Ms. Harrison’s Rachel Morgan – strong, competent, and sympathetic. That’s not to say Deadtown is some imitation Rachel Morgan novel though; Ms. Holzner’s UF debut is certainly strong enough to stand on its own, as an engaging new series in its own right. (But, if you, like me, are a fan of The Hollows, you’ll definitely love this book!)

As a heroine, Victory Vaughn rocks. First off, the name is fantastic – evocative of sultry bombshell broads from the 1930s and 1940s, in a cool, pulp noir Lauren Bacall kind of way. Vicky is dedicated to her job, she doesn’t take anyone’s crap, but she’s not so insistently tough that she’s abrasive (a failing of many an UF heroine). She also has a pretty cool supernatural ability as a Cerridorion – a shapeshifter that can change shape only three times per month, a descendent of witch-Goddess Ceridwen. As a Cerridorion, Vicky’s powers are inherited and she can only use them so long as she has no children, in a fascinating twist on supernatural ability (Vicky’s sister, Gwen, has given up her shapeshifting abilities for children and stability, and the contrast between these two characters is pretty cool stuff). In terms of secondary characters, Deadtown also shines – Vicky’s sister Gwen is a fascinating counter to Vicky’s more dangerous personality; I also enjoyed Vicky’s vampiric roommate Juliet, and especially loved her sort-of boyfriend, the werewolf and attorney Alexander Kane. And, of course, there’s Tina the teenage zombie – Ms. Holzner’s take on the unfortunately reanimated is both hilarious and a bit sad. Those who died in the mysterious Boston downtown plague have returned from the grave, but have been rejected by their family members (especially after their reanimated bodies start to decay and turn green). Tina, as Vicky’s over-exuberant sidekick, is a delightful comic presence.

Deadtown is a debut UF novel that I simply could not get enough of. I absolutely loved this smart, fast Urban Fantasy and highly recommend it to anyone – especially jaded UF readers looking for something fun and new.

Notable Quotes/Parts: From Chapter 1:

Two rules I live by: Never admit to being a shapeshifter on a first, second, or third date with a human. And never, ever bring along a zombie apprentice wannabe on a demon kill.

Lately, given my lack of a social life and my kinda-sorta relationship with a workaholic werewolf lawyer, Rule Number One hadn’t presented much of a problem. At the moment, it was Rule Number Two that was giving me trouble. Of course, I’d only formulated Rule Number Two about thirty seconds ago, but I intended to uphold it for the rest of my life—assuming that I’d make it out of here and have a rest of my life to live.

Rule Number Two was thanks to Tina, who—against my orders—had followed me into my client’s dream. I was here to exterminate a pod of dream-demons, and the last thing I needed was a teenage zombie in a pink miniskirt.

“Hi, Vicky. I thought you might need this.” Tina waved my flamethrower, then looked around. “Whoa. It’s weird in here.”

Weird didn’t half describe it. We stood in the middle of a huge circus tent, the top stretching up and up until it disappeared somewhere in the stratosphere. Eerie music from an out-of-tune calliope swirled through the air. All around us loomed dozens of crate-sized boxes, painted crayon-bright red, blue, and yellow. Suddenly, a box to my right flipped open. With an earsplitting screech an evil-faced clown sprang out, jack-in-the-box style. I raised my pistol, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. The bronze bullet nailed the demon-clown right between its eyes. It shrieked, bobbing around on its spring, then dissolved into a puff of sulfurous mist.

“Cool!” Tina brandished the flamethrower. “Let me do the next one.”

You can read the full chapter online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: Make sure to stop by tomorrow as we have Nancy Holzner over for an interview – plus a chance to win Deadtown…

Verdict: Deadtown is one of the strongest starts to a new UF series I have had the pleasure of reading in a long while. Absolutely recommended for old genre fans and new fans like – and I cannot wait for the release of book 2. Ms. Holzner is a talent to watch out for.

Rating: 7 – Very Good

Reading Next: Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

Welcome to Smugglivus – Day 29!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guest: Amy, the blogging force of nature behind My Friend Amy. Not only does Amy run her own blog, but she also undertakes the massive coordination effort of creating, organizing and executing Book Blogger Appreciation Week! We know how busy Amy can be, so we were thrilled when she agreed to write us a piece for Smugglivus.

Ladies and gents, the lovely Amy!

I was so excited that Thea and Ana invited me to post for Smugglivus! I think the world of them both and their ability to add to my wishlist!

I have no one special genre that I specialize in at my blog…I will pretty much read anything that catches my attention. Therefore my list of favorite reads might seem a bit eclectic.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown certainly wins points for making me cry every other page.

This fantastic book, told from the perspective of a school shooter’s girlfriend, was layered and rich in characterization. There were no clear criminals and plenty of emotions to go around. I am definitely looking forward to more from Jennifer Brown.

I also loved the latest installment in Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely Series. Fragile Eternity raised the stakes for all our key players and was filled to the brim with delicious teen angst. I loved every second.

I personally think no 2009 list is complete without a mention of Catching Fire the second book in the addictive YA dystopian series.

I sacrificed a night of sleep to get tickets to stand in line for this book at BEA and when I read it, I wasn’t at all disappointed. I also find myself dragged into a Team Peeta/Team Gale debate every so often on Twitter, and all I have to say to that is Gale rhymes with fail.

On the more quiet literary front, I fell in love with the writing of Beth Kephart. I even tried to start a little campaign to encourage people to buy her newest YA offering, Nothing But Ghosts, which was a beautiful book about loss and healing. Beth writes so beautifully her words must be savored as you read and enjoy.

I also loved Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen which had some of the finest characterization I’ve read all year. A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman wrecked my heart with its exploration of class and priviledge.

And finally, since I’m known for my reviews of Christian fiction, my favorite books in this genre of the year include The Passion of Mary Margaret by Lisa Samson and Love’s Pursuit by Siri Mitchell, both novels about love and taking risks to both love and be loved.

I’m incredibly excited for 2010! I am very much looking forward to Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr, Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart and The Passage by Justin Cronin. I’ve received an advanced review copy of that last one and I’m dying to dig into it over break.

On my own blog, if you stop by, I’m also endeavoring to read more graphic novels in the coming year, read more about various issues of social injustice around the world in coordination with the Social Justice Reading Challenge, and of course keep up with all the latest and greatest in the genres I love. Here’s to another fabulous year of reading!

Thanks Amy!

Next on Smugglivus: Harry of Temple Library Reviews

Welcome to Smugglivus – Day 29!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guest: Harry Markov of the awesome/fantastic/phenomenal speculative fiction review blog Temple Library Reviews! Harry and the two of us Smugglers form an unholy trinity – we love having him over for guest blogs, reviews, etc and of COURSE had to have him here for Smugglivus.

Please give it up for Harry, folks!

Ah, it’s December. The year rolls into a retirement home on a wheelchair and it’s time to turn back to all the neatly crossed calendar boxes and wonder: “Where the heck did another year go and was I in a comma locked in a bunker to have missed it?” Yes, always the profound questions with me.

I was busy. D’oh. That much I know, but not all has been reading books and landscaping imaginary scenery for my writing. Making through 2009 on a personal level has been my biggest feat and I certainly hope that I get a break from very bad years, because 2008 wasn’t that good a year either. I did lose some sanity along the way, but found some extra pounds I was quite sure I would never see again. This reflected on my reading bit and as homemade stats show I have managed to read just above forty novels.

But I have it all covered for next year. I have actually given my TBR list to imported Swizz architects and they are constructing my very own Babylon Tower. Construction is supposed to finish never and for labor force we plan to enslave Europe. Apart from performed badly in the reading department I also had way too many hiatus posts on my blog as well as not having written as much as I could have, but I am all optimistic about this year.

The tendency as you may have noticed is for my plans to deflate, collapse and deform like a spectacular disaster movie plot line, but there were some good moments through the whole bit you know. For starters I started this improvised feature called “Reviewer Time”, where I set out to interview review bloggers and showcase the hard work they have put into their sites and its content. The idea popped up during my Blog Anniversary, which I celebrated low key, and the central idea was to show people the people behind the reviews, network, make new friends and yes, get a few thousand hits from it as well. It worked, sort of. Now I have gained more people as friends, which have made blogging way more fun. I also proved to myself that I can pull off an eight-month long feature on a regular basis.

But sentimentality aside, the year without books would have been empty and desolate and I consider myself lucky for the opportunity to read and review the following novels in 2009:

“Slights” by Kaaron Warren: This book scared me witless, kept me intrigued and induced an infinite long string of nail-biting “Oh no, no, no” moments. Staring at the screen to read has never been so tense for me before. It’s good to see Kaaron nominated for an Aurealis in best horror category.

“Flesh and Fire” by Laura Anne Gilman: I am a huge wine lover. Not an expert, but hand me a bottle and I shall drink, even if it’s cheap and utter vinegar. I’m also a spell junkie, so when those two mix into an inviting world with compelling characters only good can emerge and to be frank, Gilman make me feel more like a newbie, impressionable and all, and not like the jaded reader I am.

“Scar Night” by Alan Campbell: Great cover art, spectacular premise, steampunk, assassins and murders and a city hanging on chains over an abyss. What is there not to like? I know I’m cheating since this is not a 2009 release, but stuck with me as a novel I didn’t want to finish, because I would be back to the real world again.

“The Light of Burning Shadows” by Chris Evans: It’s rare for a book to completely bewitch me, install a rare sense of wonder and make me chuckle. Chris Evans has done that for me, for which I am grateful. I loved the grander battles, more magic and atmospheric scenery.

“The Living Dead” anthology: I am a huge zombie fan, so there was no way I was going to miss adding this to my top reads of the year. I am guilty of stretching this read for more than half a year, but boy did it rock my world.

2010:

I am a dreamer, so I usually find myself with bright pick glasses of positivity, when the New Year is about to debut and this year is no exception guys. What you will hear is aiming at the moon with a bow and arrow set, but as a good friend always says, “Always aim for the moon and even if you miss, you will land among the stars”.

For starters I hope to get a job by then, start revisions on that urban fantasy novel, which now is promising, and with the money I earn feed my habit. There are no particular titles I’m giddy to see released for I am giddy for all wonderful books. I also would hope to land a freelance gig, for which I am preparing as we speak. Come January I will query the big publishers again to see whether they would consider me again after having stuck on the scenery for almost two years. Fresh start and everything. I’ve enough books as it is, but I am more or less aiming for contacts rather than the free books. If all goes according to vague plans, hopes and pure luck I will also move “Temple Library Reviews” on a separate website with a professional design and looks and all everything.

But let’s move onto more grounded goals, which depend on my own organizational skills and iron will. January is going to be a themed month over at “Temple Library Reviews” and the topic is Western comic books and graphic novels. Apart from reviews, which will pop every day and cover past, ongoing and limited series I envision guest posts from reviewers, comic book enthusiasts and interviews with comic book creators, printed and online. In reality I can see a train wreck in slow motion with the causes, which lead to it, but I think I can manage it along with my exam session.

Come February “Reviewer Time” will come with a new season. Brand new review bloggers, new design, new PR approach and new ways to entice people to pay attention to the feature, because after all I need to keep my media-addicted attention whore alter ego in check. I got me a vague idea who the reviewers will be and what I want the design to look like, so I am all good for now.

I would also be relieved to find a contributor that would have a post a week ready and keep the blog running, even when I lose control over my life and the activities within I can have a constant in the equation.

Thanks Harry!

Next on Smugglivus: Sarah of Alert Nerd

Welcome to Smugglivus – Day 28!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guest: Carolyn Crane (aka CJ) of the awesome Urban Fantasy/Paranormal/Romance/SF blog The Thrillionth Page and Little CJ.

Not only is CJ a prolific, witty, hilarious blogger – she’s also a soon-to-be published author! Her debut novel, Mind Games, comes out in March 2010. And the cover is preeeeeetty.

Please give it up, folks, for CJ!

Best of 2009 and looking forward to 2010, by Carolyn Crane of the Thrillionth Page, and Little CJ, her childhood portrait painted by an elderly aunt that hangs on her office wall.

Carolyn Crane: First up for fave books of the year: Men of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong, the mesmerizing, suspenseful prequel to the Women of the Otherworld series.

This book came out past January. Whoa! I’m not an anthology reader, but these four tales—great on their own—also bring hugely satisfying new depth to some of my favorite characters in all of paranormal literature; especially Jeremy and Clay Danvers

Little CJ: Character depth, riiiight. Carolyn likes this book because it satisfies her nosiness bone, which is huge.

Carolyn Crane: No, being interested in learning about characters means they’re great characters.

Little CJ: Oh, so Gabby Nelson, your high school nemesis, is a great character? That’s why you Google her all the time?

Carolyn Crane: Next up: Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole!

I loved super evil Sabine, who comes from a culture where bad is good and good is bad. She’s thrown in with uptight and noble Demon King Rydstrom. This was a hot, humorous book with prophecies, battles, characters dragging each other across a wasteland…

Little CJ: coughSexyDemonKingchainedinadungeoncough.

Carolyn Crane: *stony silence*

Little CJ: coughmindintheguttercough

Carolyn Crane: I wonder if there is a dungeon out there that needs a childhood portrait painted by an elderly aunt on chained to the wall?

Little CJ: *gulp*

Carolyn Crane: Another fave this year: Bound by Your Touch by Meredith Duran!

I loved everything about this story of Lydia, the prim Egyptologist, and the “silver-tongued Viscount Sanburne.” Great characters, a smart, intricately drawn relationship and all sorts of lovely play around the philosophies, societal fashions, and rages of the day. The Regency world came alive for me with this book as it never has before.

Little CJ: Yeah, especially during that steamy scene where Lydia and Sanburne were trapped on the roof, huh?

Carolyn Crane: Two other memorable fave reads: Bad to the Bone by Jeri Smith Ready, another installment in the fascinating WVMP vampire radio station series, and Made to be Broken, the second in Kelley Armstrong’s Nadia Stafford hitwoman series.

Little CJ: The year of morally dubious heroines.

Carolyn Crane is looking forward to:

Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne – Maggie and Doyle’s story. Does anybody else love the this smart, sturdy spy as I do?

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook – Steampunk story of a feared and powerful merchant mogul, a dead body, and a lady inspector. I’m dying to get my hands on this thing!

Switch by Megan Hart:

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OMG, promises to be dirtier and more delicious than her previous ones. Yay!

Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead:

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I love Georgina, and I’m such a sucker for this fabulous series! In this one, I understand she has to help plan Seth’s wedding. Nooooo!

Heart’s Blood by Gail Dayton

a master conjurer, a street urchin, a mystery fraught with danger and a wonderful writing voice. Psyched!

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn

A standalone novel of historical suspense by the author of the fabulous Lady Julia Grey series!!!!

Little CJ is looking forward to:
Carolyn Crane using less exclamation marks!! That will be super cool!!!

Predictions for 2010:

Social Media:

Carolyn Crane: Twitter users will double. And the amount of spam will triple.
Little CJ: Carolyn Crane will continue to be mystified by the dirty twitter porn girls who try to be her twitter friend, and naively shocked when they don’t want to discuss movies and JR Ward with her.

Fashion:

Carolyn Crane: Steampunk will greatly influence women’s fashion, and the frock coat, the monocle, and the pince nez will come back.
Little CJ: however, like all fashion trends, it will completely bypass Carolyn Crane, who will continue to remind people of Velma from Scooby Do, wearing baggy turtleneck sweaters and thick glasses.

Theater:

Carolyn Crane: The Wolfman with Benicio del Toro will be the hugest movie ever!
Little CJ: Carolyn will spend most of this movie with her eyes shut tight, and popcorn grease-covered-fingers in her ears, humming because she can’t bear to watch her precious Benicio in distress. Then she will come out of the theater and act like it she actually watched it.

Characters:

Carolyn Crane: Anita Blake becomes a celibate monk in a monastery in a remote island in Greece, and bored readers clamor for her to be slutty again. The Scribe Virgin hooks up with the Omega in the blockbusting finale Black Dagger Brotherhood, and they have an octopus child that kills Phury! Roarke travels back in time to rewrite the Mayan calendar to save Eve Dallas, thereby saving all of humanity. Also, Stephanie Plum accidentally blows up Joe Morelli and Ranger in a car, but a clever surgeon knits their many severed body parts back together to create a single man, Rangerelli, and Stephanie and Rangerelli marry and have a crime-solving octopus child.
Little CJ: Not.

Authors:

Carolyn Crane: An author somewhere will behave in an unwise and hugely regretful way online, topping the last such scandal.
Little CJ: And Carolyn Crane is praying right now that it won’t be her, in one of her freak chocolate and PMS-fueled rages.

Décor:

Carolyn Crane: A dungeon somewhere gets spruced up with a painting of young Carolyn Crane done by an elderly aunt. The spiders are gleeful.

Little CJ: Gulp

Thanks CJ!

Next on Smugglivus: Amy of My Friend Amy

Welcome to Smugglivus – Day 28!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guest: Gav of the speculative fiction blog NextRead. Gav is an avid reader and blogger, and even on occasion reviews books here for us at The Book Smugglers! Of course, we had to have him over for Smugglivus.

Please give a warm welcome to Gav, folks!

I’ve been struggling writing this post as I’ve suffering a little book burnout over the last few weeks. It’s an occupational hazard with blogging I guess that you end up being made aware of more books than anyone (including you) is going to be able to read in a lifetime never mind a year! And when you love reading Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Crime, and Lit Fic and their various sub-genres you end up having to filter through a rather scary volume of books.

I am getting back to form now. I think I just needed a bit of a rest from new books and a bit of comfort reading. So I’ve been reading Terry Pratchett, the man that lit this fire in me and Jim Butcher one of my favourite Urban Fantasy withers.

What always makes choices of books difficult is how do you choose what to read? I could spend all my time comfort reading, by that I mean reading authors that I know and love and I know I’m going to enjoy, or I could push myself and try to read someone new.

And that’s mostly what I’ve done on my blog, NextRead. I’ve read around 70 authors and reviewed 100-odd books. I have a soft spot for debut authors and try to feature as many debuts as I can. It’s a trend I want to continue in 2010.

So here are three debuts I’m looking forward to in 2010:

Mr Shivers by Robert Jackson Bennett

It is the time of the Great Depression. The dustbowl has turned the western skies red and thousands leave their homes seeking a better life. Marcus Connelly seeks not a new life, but a death – a death for the mysterious scarred man who murdered his daughter. And soon he learns that he is not alone. Countless others have lost someone to the scarred man. They band together to track him, but as they get closer, Connelly begins to suspect that the man they are hunting is more than human. As the pursuit becomes increasingly desperate, Connelly must decide just how much he is willing to sacrifice to get his revenge.

Tome of the Undergates by Sam Sykes

Lenk can barely keep control of his mismatched adventurer band at the best of times (Gariath the dragon man sees humans as little more than prey, Kataria the shict despises most humans and the humans in the band are little better). When they’re not insulting each other’s religions they’re arguing about pay and conditions. So when the ship they are travelling on is attacked by pirates things don’t go very well. They go a whole lot worse when an invincible demon joins the fray. The demon steals the Tome of the Undergates – a manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates. And whichever god you believe in you don’t want the undergates open. On the other side are countless more invincible demons, the manifestation of all the evil of the gods, and they want out. Full of razor-sharp wit, characters who leap off the page (and into trouble) and plunging the reader into a vivid world of adventure this is a fantasy that kicks off a series that could dominate the second decade of the century

Spellwright by Blake Charlton

Nicodemus is a young, gifted wizard with a problem. Magic in his world requires the caster to create spells by writing out the text . . . but he has always been dyslexic, and thus has trouble casting even the simplest of spells. And his misspells could prove dangerous, even deadly, should he make a mistake in an important incantation.

Yet he has always felt that he is destined to be something more than a failed wizard. When a powerful, ancient evil begins a campaign of murder and disruption, Nicodemus starts to have disturbing dreams that lead him to believe that his misspelling could be the result of a curse. But before he can discover the truth about himself, he is attacked by an evil which has already claimed the lives of fellow wizards and has cast suspicion on his mentor. He must flee for his own life if he’s to find the true villain.

But more is at stake than his abilities. For the evil that has awakened is a power so dread and vast that if unleashed it will destroy Nicodemus… and the world.

And some seconds novels I’m excited by:

Horns – Joe Hill

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples. Once, Ig lived the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned American musician, and the younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, Ig had security and wealth and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more – he had the love of Merrin Williams, a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic. Then beautiful, vivacious Merrin was gone – raped and murdered, under inexplicable circumstances – with Ig the only suspect. He was never tried for the crime, but in the court of public opinion, Ig was and always would be guilty. Now Ig is possessed with a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look, and he means to use it to find the man who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It’s time for a little revenge; it’s time the devil had his due. HORNS: It’s moving, sad, often funny, redemptive, and filled with hope.

The Midnight Mayor Kate Griffin

It’s said that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, then the Tower will crumble and the kingdom will fall. As it happens, that’s not so far from the truth …One by one, the magical wards that guard the city are failing: the London Wall defiled with cryptic graffiti, the ravens found dead at the Tower, the London Stone destroyed. This is not good news. This array of supernatural defences – a mix of international tourist attractions and forgotten urban legends – formed a formidable magical shield. Protection for the City of London against …well, that’s the question, isn’t it? What could be so dangerous as to threaten an entire city? Against his better judgement, resurrected sorcerer Matthew Swift is about to find out. And if he’s lucky, he might just live long enough to do something about it …

City of Ruin by Mark Charan Newton

Viliren: a city of sin that is being torn apart from the inside. Hybrid creatures shamble through shadows and barely human gangs fight turf wars for control of the streets.

Amidst this chaos, Commander Brynd Adaol, commander of the Night Guard, must plan the defence of Viliren against a race that has broken through from some other realm and already slaughtered hundreds of thousands of the Empire’s people.

When a Night Guard soldier goes missing, Brynd requests help from the recently arrived Inqusitor Jeryd. He discovers this is not the only disapearance the streets of Viliren. It seems that a serial killer of the most horrific kind is on the loose, taking hundreds of people from their own homes. A killer that cannot possibly be human.

The entire population of Viliren must unite to face an impossible surge of violent and unnatural enemies or the city will fall. But how can anyone save a city that is already a ruin?

—

And a few more on my I gotta read list:

by William Horwood

The adventure of a lifetime is just beginning . . .

It has lain lost and forgotten for fifteen hundred years in the ancient heartland of England Ð a scrap of glass and metal melded by fierce fire. It is the lost core of a flawless Sphere made by the greatest of the Anglo-Saxon CraeftLords in memory of the one he loved. Her name was Spring and contained in the very heart of this work is a spark from the Fires of Creation.

But while humans have lost their belief in such things, the Hydden Ð little people existing on the borders of our world Ð have not. Breaking the silence of centuries they send one of their own, a young boy, Jack, to live among humans in the hope that he may one day find what has been lost for so long. His journey leads him to Katherine, a girl he rescues from a tragic accident ÂÐ it’s a meeting that will change everything. It is only through their voyage into the dangerous Hyddenworld that they will realize their destiny, find love and complete the great quest that will save both their worlds from destruction.

Their journey begins with Spring . . .

Wolfsangel M D Lachlan

The Viking King Authun leads his men on a raid against an Anglo-Saxon village. Men and women are killed indiscriminately but Authun demands that no child be touched. He is acting on prophecy. A prophecy that tells him that the Saxons have stolen a child from the Gods. If Authun, in turn, takes the child and raises him as an heir, the child will lead his people to glory. But Authun discovers not one child, but twin baby boys. Ensuring that his faithful warriors, witness to what has happened, die during the raid Authun takes the children and their mother home, back to the witches who live on the troll wall. And he places his destiny in their hands. And so begins a stunning multi-volume fantasy epic that will take a werewolf from his beginnings as the heir to a brutal viking king, down through the ages. It is a journey that will see him hunt for his lost love through centuries and lives, and see the endless battle between the wolf, Odin and Loki – the eternal trickster – spill over into countless bloody conflicts from our history, and over into our lives. This is the myth of the werewolf as it has never been told before and marks the beginning of an extraordinary new fantasy series from Gollancz.

The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross

Bob Howard is an IT specialist and field agent for The Laundry, the branch of Her Majesty’s secret service that deals with occult threats. Overworked and underpaid, Bob is used to his two jobs overflowing from a strict 9 to 5 and, since his wife Mo has a very similar job description, he understands that work will sometimes follow her home, too. But when ‘work’ involves zombie assassins and minions of a mad god’s cult, he realizes things are spinning out of control. When a top secret dossier goes missing and his boss Angleton is implicated, Bob must contend with suspiciously helpful Russian intelligence operatives and an unscrupulous apocalyptic cult before confronting the decades-old secret that lies at the heart of The Laundry: what is so important about the missing Fuller Memorandum? And why are all the people who know dying …?

The Swords of Albion: Bk. 1 by Mark Chadbourn

1588: The London of Elizabeth I is rocked by news of a daring raid on the Tower. The truth is known only to a select few: that, for twenty years, a legendary doomsday device, its power fabled for millennia, has been kept secret and, until now, safe in the Tower. But it has been stolen and Walsingham’s spies believe it has been taken by the Enemy. This Enemy is not who we usually think of as our traditional opponent. No, this Enemy has waged a brutal war against mankind since time began, and with such a weapon they might take terrible toll upon England’s green and pleasant land…And so it falls to Will Swyfte – swordsman, adventurer, scholar, rake, and the greatest of Walsingham’s new breed of spy – to follow a trail of murder and devilry that leads deep into the dark, venomous world of the Faerie. As Philip of Spain prepares a naval assault on England, Will is caught up in a race against time in pursuit of this fiendish device…

The Restoration Game – Ken Macleod

There is no such place as Krassnia. Lucy Stone should know – she was born there. In that tiny, troubled region of the former Soviet Union, revolution is brewing. Its organisers need a safe place to meet, and where better than the virtual spaces of an online game? Lucy, who works for a start-up games company in Edinburgh, has a project that almost seems made for the job: a game inspired by The Krassniad: an epic folk tale concocted by Lucy’s mother Amanda, who studied there in the 1980s. Lucy knows Amanda is a spook. She knows her great-grandmother Eugenie also visited the country in the ’30s, and met the man who originally collected Krassnian folklore, and who perished in Stalin’s terror. As Lucy digs up details about her birthplace to slot into the game, she finds the open secrets of her family’s past, the darker secrets of Krassnia’s past – and hints about the crucial role she is destined to play in The Restoration Game …

Empire of Light by Gary Gibson

The nova war has begun to spread as the Emissaries wage a fierce and reckless campaign, encroaching on the area of space occupied by humanity and forcing the Shoal into a desperate retreat. While Dakota goes in search of the entity responsible for creating the Maker caches, Corso, left in charge of a fleet of human-piloted Magi ships, finds his authority crumbling in the face of assassination attempts and politically-motivated sabotage.

If any hope exists at all, it lies in an abandoned asteroid a thousand light-years beyond the Consortium’s borders, and with Ty Whitecloud, the only man alive with the skill to decipher the messages left behind by an ancient race of star travellers. Unfortunately Whitecloud is locked in a prison cell aboard a dying coreship adrift in space, awaiting execution for war crimes against Corso’s own people. But if humanity has any hope of survival, Corso is going to have to find some way to keep him alive – and that’s only if Dakota doesn’t kill him first …

Kraken by China Mieville

Deep in the research wing of the Natural History Museum is a prize specimen, something that comes along much less often than once in a

lifetime: a perfect, and perfectly preserved, giant squid. But what does it mean when the creature suddenly and impossibly disappears?

For curator Billy Harrow it’s the start of a headlong pitch into a London of warring cults, surreal magic, apostates and assassins. It might just be that the creature he’s been preserving is more than a biological rarity: there are those who are sure it’s a god.

A god that someone is hoping will end the world.

—-

And as I’m always behind a few books that I haven’t managed to read from 2009 and earlier:

The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin

‘For several hours I believed that my daughter had drowned and my wife as alive, when in fact the reverse was true’. It is bitter mid-winter when Katrine and Joakim Westin move with their children into the old manor house at Eel Point on the Swedish island of Oland. But their new home is no remote idyll. Just days later, Katrine is found drowned off the rocks nearby. While Joakim struggles to keep his sanity, Tilda Davidsson – a young policewoman fresh out of college- becomes convinced that Katrine was murdered. Then, on Christmas Eve, a blizzard hits Eel Point. Isolated by the snow, Joakim does not know that visitors – as unwelcome as they are terrifying – are making their way towards him. For this is the darkest night of the year, and the night when the living meet the dead.

Waters Edge by Karin Fossum

Walking through the woods one warm September day, Reinhardt and Kristine Ris pass a man who is in a state of agitation. Unusually in a small town, he does not return Kristine’s smile and drives off in a hurry. Near the end of their walk they make a terrible discovery: lying in a cluster of trees is the lifeless body of a young boy. It is a moment that will change their lives for ever. Inspector Sejer is called to the scene, but can find no immediate cause of death. As the weeks go by, the appeal for the man seen in the woods to come forward remains unanswered. A once peaceful community is deeply shaken and the children lose the sense of complete freedom they had enjoyed. Then a second boy goes missing.

The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg

For the first time in English, the second psychological thriller from No 1 bestselling Swedish crime sensation Camilla Lackberg. In the fishing community of Fjallbacka, life is remote, peaceful — and for some, tragically short. Foul play was always suspected in the disappearance twenty years ago of two young holidaymakers in the area. Now a young boy out playing has confirmed this grim truth. Their remains, discovered with those of a fresh victim, send the town into shock. Local detective Patrik Hedstrom, expecting a baby with his girlfriend Erica, can only imagine what it is like to lose a child. When a second young girl goes missing, Hedstrom’s attention focuses on the Hults, a feuding clan of misfits, relgious fanatics and criminals. The suspect list is long but time is short — which of this family’s dark secrets will provide the vital clue?

The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick

The Chathrand – The Great Ship, The Wind-Palace, His Supremacy’s First Fancy – is the last of her kind – built 600 years ago she dwarves all the ships around her. The secrets of her construction are long lost. She was the pride of the Empire. The natural choice for the great diplomatic voyage to seal the peace with the last of the Emperor’s last enemies. 700 souls boarded her. Her sadistic Captain Nilus Rose, the Emperor’s Ambassador and Thasha, the daughter he plans to marry off to seal the treaty, a spy master and six assassins, one hunderd imperial marines, Pazel the tarboy gifted and cursed by his mother’s spell and a small band of Ixchel. The Ixchel sneaked aboard and now hide below decks amongst the rats. Intent on their own mission. But there is treachery afoot. Behind the plans for peace lies the shadow of war and the fear that a dead king might live again. And now the Chathrand, having survived countless battles and centuries of typhoons has gone missing. This is her story.

The Rats of the Ruling Sea by Robert V.S. Redick

THE RATS AND THE RULING SEA begins where THE RED WOLF CONSPIRACY ended; Thasha’s wedding is hours away. It is a wedding that will both fulfil the promise of a mad god’s return and see her murdered. Pazel has thwarted the sorcerer who would bring back the god but both sides now face deadlock. Can Thasha be saved? Can the war between two Empires be stopped? THE RATS AND THE RULING SEA is, once again, focused on the giant ancient ship, the CHATHRAND, but now she must brave the terrors of the uncharted seas; the massive storms and the ship swallowing whirlpools and explore lands forgotten by the Northern world, all the time involved in a vicious running battle with a ship half her size but nearly her match. Robert Redick’s new novel takes the reader further into the labyrinthine plots and betrayals that have underscored the trilogy from the beginning. We learn more about the Ixchel as they fight for survival against the Chathrand’s rats, discover more about the true motives of conspirators, live with Thasha and Pazel as they face death and deceit, and as the Chathrand sails into the infamous Ruling Sea. Robert Redick’s sequel to the acclaimed THE RED WOLF CONSPIRACY is a masterpiece of plotting and adventure. As each page turns the reader shares with the characters the dawning realisation that nothing is at it seems.

Destroyer of Worlds by Mark Chadbourn

It is the beginning of the end . . . The end of the axe-age, the sword-age, leading to the passing of gods and men from the universe. As all the ancient prophecies fall into place, the final battle rages, on Earth, across Faerie, and into the land of the dead. Jack Churchill, Champion of Existence, must lead the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons in a last, desperate assault on the Fortress of the Enemy, to confront the ultimate incarnation of destruction: the Burning Man. It is humanity’s only chance to avert the coming extinction. At his back is an army of gods culled from the world’s great mythologies – Greek, Norse, Chinese, Aztec, and more. But will even that be enough? Driven to the brink by betrayal, sacrifice and death, his allies fear Jack may instead bring about the very devastation he is trying to prevent . . .

Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link

Blending fairytale, fantasy, horror, myth and mischief in a delicious cocktail, Kelly Link creates a world like no other, where ghosts of girlfriends past rub up against Scrabble-loving grandmothers with terrifying magic handbags, wizards sit alongside morbid babysitters, and we encounter a people-eating monster who claims to have a sense of humour. With more than a pinch of macabre humour, this is writing to come back from the dead for.

Tender Morsels by Margo Langan

Liga endures unspeakable cruelties at the hands of her father, before being magically granted her own personal heaven, a safe haven from the real world. She raises her two daughters in this alternate reality, and they grow up protected from the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever …Magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga’s refuge. Now, having known Heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side?

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

Frey is the captain of the Ketty Jay, leader of a small and highly dysfunctional band of layabouts. An inveterate womaniser and rogue, he and his gang make a living on the wrong side of the law, avoiding the heavily armed flying frigates of the Coalition Navy. With their trio of ragged fighter craft, they run contraband, rob airships and generally make a nuisance of themselves. So a hot tip on a cargo freighter loaded with valuables seems like a great prospect for an easy heist and a fast buck. Until the heist goes wrong, and the freighter explodes. Suddenly Frey isn’t just a nuisance anymore – he’s public enemy number one, with the Coalition Navy on his tail and contractors hired to take him down. But Frey knows something they don’t. That freighter was rigged to blow, and Frey has been framed to take the fall. If he wants to prove it, he’s going to have to catch the real culprit. He must face liars and lovers, dogfights and gunfights, Dukes and daemons. It’s going to take all his criminal talents to prove he’s not the criminal they think he is …

Seeds of Earth by Michael Cobley

The first intelligent species to encounter mankind attacked without warning. Merciless. Relentless. Unstoppable. With little hope of halting the invasion, Earth’s last roll of the dice was to dispatch three colony ships, seeds of Earth, to different parts of the galaxy. The human race would live on …somewhere. 150 years later, the planet Darien hosts a thriving human settlement, which enjoys a peaceful relationship with an indigenous race, the scholarly Uvovo. But there are secrets buried on Darien’s forest moon. Secrets that go back to an apocalyptic battle fought between ancient races at the dawn of galactic civilisation. Unknown to its colonists Darien is about to become the focus of an intergalactic power struggle, where the true stakes are beyond their comprehension. And what choices will the Uvovo make when their true nature is revealed and the skies grow dark with the enemy?

Every Last Drop by Charlie Huston

After a year hiding out in the Bronx, Joe Pitt is given an assignment he can’t refuse. One Clan needs Joe to inform on another, but he’s playing them both while keeping his eye on the main prize: his girl Evie is on the Island somewhere and he’ll do anything to get her back. And in this case, ‘anything’ means coming face to face with the horrendous secret that lies beneath the Vampyre world. It’s a quest that will drive him to the heart of the two most perplexing mysteries of the Vampyre community: how were the Clans originally formed, and where do the powerful ones get all that blood? The search for the answer takes Joe to a dark corner of Queens, puts him face to face with a mythic and savage Clan, and leaves him in possession of a vision he’ll never scrape off his retinas – as well as a bargaining chip that redefines his place in the Vampyre universe.

My Dead Body by Charlie Huston

As the concluding volume of this highly acclaimed series opens, Joe has spent a year splashing around in the city’s sewer system, protecting the perimeters of the ground on which his love, Evie, now lives. Above ground, Manhattan’s Vampyre clans have at last abandoned any claims on civility and have finally sprung fully for each others’ throats. But as Vampyre civil war rages, Joe is tracked down by an old acquaintance and pulled back to the surface. At last, the many questions that have driven him will be put to rest – and the many friends and foes who have defined his world will either be put in the ground or will claw their way to survival. The carefully maintained peace is forgotten. When the stakes are this high, there can be no neutrality – only winners and losers. But when the blood stops flowing, what side will Joe Pitt be on?

Deep Water by Pamela Freeman

As unrest stirs across the Eleven domains, subversive questions lead to unexpected answers. And ghosts of the dead walk in increasing numbers – for those few that can see. In a land where stonecasters foretell destinies for a fee and gods talk to those who can listen, the future is uncertain and is built on a bloodsoaked past. So what did happen one thousand years ago, when Acton’s people came across the mountains? Was Acton himself a hero and liberator, or a bloodthirsty invader and scourge of the travelling people? Wild magic gives Bramble some dangerous insights into a land’s disturbed history. And why did Ash’s Traveller father not teach him the secret songs of his people? The ultimate answers to all these questions are hidden in time, where perhaps they should stay.

Full Circle by Pamela Freeman

Saker has devoted himself to dark enchantments and desires nothing but vengeance. And vengeance he has in abundance. His ghost army is slaughtering those of the new blood, fuelled by an ancient wrong. But while Saker had thought revenge would be simple, he’s now plagued by voices foreshadowing a calamity beyond his comprehension. Ash and Bramble raise the warrior spirit of Acton, mighty in life and powerful in death. Only he can stop Saker’s rampage. But is Acton, Lord of War, murderer or saviour? And why would he help strangers protect a world he’s never known? Bramble has been marked as Saker’s nemesis, but will be challenged by deeper powers than Saker can command – as well as by her own feelings for Acton. As the living fight the dead, strange forces will shape an uncertain future from pain and suffering.

—

Well that’s 26-odd books already and seeing as I’m planning on reading 6 books a month in 2010 there’s 50 or so spaces left to fill. And that’s the exciting thing about the world blogs.

You never quite know what you’re going to find when you read them and you never quite know what is going to fall through the door and those are usually the most surprising ones.

I hope there is a couple of books on that list that your want to read as much as I do. Look for review sof a large chunk of them on NextRead in the first half of 2010.

Have a great 2010 and thanks to the Book Smugglers for inviting me to show off some old and new books that I’m looking forward to reading.

Thanks Gav!

Next on Smugglivus: Carolyn Crane of The Thrillionth Page

Welcome to Smugglivus – Day 28!

Throughout this month, we will have daily guests – authors and bloggers alike – looking back at their favorite reads of 2009, and looking forward to events and upcoming books in 2010.

Today’s Guests: Liz and Mark of the speculative fiction/horror/fantasy blog My Favorite Books. Liz and Mark are quite the married couple – they promote a lot of the finest up and coming books in the UK and KNOW EVERYONE. It’s staggering! So, naturally, we had to have ‘em over for Smugglivus.

Please give it up for Liz and Mark!

Retrospection and the Future

Events 2009

2009 for MFB (read for Mark and myself) has been a very interesting year. We set out to become as active as we possibly could within the blogging and reviewing community. We attended as many signings as we could, we created an autograph book and took it around to every event we attended, we took photos and we reported on various events.

It’s been a blast. When it comes to the adult events, the highlight was definitely the unexpected and very flash invite to attend the Gollancz Autumn party which was a fantastic evening. We got to hang out with some of the coolest and most creative people in the industry today – I got to say “hi” again to the amazing Robert Holdstock and found him to be as gracious and friendly as ever. I got to embarrass myself utterly by having the most cringeworthy conversation with Sam Sykes, debut Gollancz author, ever and then got rescued by Ana, Gav and Mark. Thank the gods.

Here it is to illustrate why I should not be left alone with people:

ME: You look a bit like Jack Black. I agree with Alex. (that would be Alex Bell)
HIM: Really? I am not sure I am happy with that…should I be insulted?
ME: You shouldn’t be – Jack Black was hot when he was younger.
HIM: !!!!
ME: Actually, more like Leo Di Craprio now, to be honest. It’s the eyes.
HIM: !!! What, I hate him.
ME: Oh, look at that: the earth just cracked open to swallow me. *dies*

On the kids’ side, the coolest event has to be a tie-up between Random House Three Author evening and the Puffin event. Both totally exceeded my expectations and I’ve now become fans of even more authors and am now unhealthily fascinated by Jason Bradbury…

The largest event we attended this year was definitely Eastercon. It. Was. Amazing. And for the record, I booked our tickets for 2010 already. Not only do you get to hang around with some cool writerly types, publisher types, and readers and fan-types, there is the traders hall and zomg, the lovely beautiful books they were selling was just ace!

Here are some choice photos from various events and some photos of some autographs from our autograph book.

2009 in retrospect

I read my first ever Eoin Colfer novel: Airman – and loved it. I thought that if this was the way the new year is starting, things are only going to get better. Mark discovered Brent Weeks and fell in love – embarrassingly he’s now quite a fan-boy but is still torn about his Joe Abercrombie/Brent Weeks allegiance. Mark also got the chance to get stuck quite heavily into his Black Library books and keeps raving at me about them and all you have to do is look at his reviews and you can tell that he’s a fan of the authors and their writing. He’s currently reading Gav Thorpe’s The Shadow King and it does sound simply amazing.

One of my many highlights for 2009 was Tom Lloyd’s The Stormcaller. I couldn’t believe the complexity and depth of character, political plotting and force of storytelling. It blew me away. I’ve not read the other novels as yet – I’m waiting for them to be in travelsized editions as lugging the oversized books around is just way too heavy. But I’d heartily recommend Tom’s writing. Definitely an author who deserves a larger profile for writing proper epic fantasy that makes you want to swing a sword yourself.

Probably one of the most illustrious people we got to meet this year was Raymond E Feist. Who sushed me. Yes, you read that correctly. I got all fan-girly and got him to sign my various books and I took photos and I then stood to the side, giggling with Danie Ware from Forbidden Planet and Kaz-Mahoney-soon-to-be-very-famous-author, and we made so much noise he looked up from his signing, scowled deeply and said “Can you please be quiet?” we were dumbstruck. Then he laughed and said “only kidding” and then did the rest of the signing whilst chatting to us and his various fans. *phew*

In May I tackled one of the most difficult books I’ve ever read and although I didn’t want to, I decided to put the review up regardless. The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw just did not sit well with me at all. It broke my heart because it was badly written, the story was unrealistic and the characters were flat and awful. He had managed to destroy one of my favourite genres. I have subsequently had a great number pop by the blog to leave their own negative comments and although it’s not something I’m proud of, I’m just relieved to have found that I’m not the only one who has issues with it.

We had the chance to attend – as volunteers – The Gemmell Awards. The event was a stunning celebration of one author’s strength of personality and determination to write larger than life fiction. So many authors and publisher peeps were there and we all felt very glamourous, swanning around in our fab outfits. Naturally, we got to swing axes around after the fact and needless to say, it’s been grand and if the inaugural Awards were this well received, we’re hoping for an even better year in 2010.

Looking at this entire year’s reading and things we got up, we’ve had a bumper year. I’ve read and reviewed in excess of a hundred books. Which I’m quite proud of but I know others out there who have read vastly more than that!

Goals for MFB for 2010:

Read more books to review, run even more competitions and stalk authors mercilessly for interviews.

On a personal level I want to read more fantasy. I’ve not read much fantasy this past year and I feel the need to sink my teeth into big books and experience some epic battles. I also want to read / try to read science fiction regularly – I’ll try a book a month, I think! I can see Ana and Thea laughing their heads off already. Shush! I also want to try and establish a level playing field for myself when reviewing. At the moment I’ve been swept off my feet by so many great childrens’ and YA books coming up that I’ve completely let all my adult reading fall by the wayside. Not good! Mark mentioned that he’ll be focussing on reading more sci fi this year too, along with some non-fiction books, which will be interesting for us as we tend to share books we’ve read and then we have little arguments about them…maybe I take a leaf out of The Book Smuggler’s forest and we do co-reviews!

Something I’m also thinking of bringing onto the blog is relishing “older” books and authors we’ve somehow managed to miss reading. I think highlighting these authors we feel passionate about, and who we owe our love of reading to, is a good idea! If we can garner these guys a new audience, then we’ve won a little bit, at least.

We’ll be doing as many events as we can in 2010 and we’ll try and blog about as many as we can and give away random goodies from these events, if there are any to be had. Stay tuned for that.

Overall, I’m incredibly excited about 2010 as a reader – forget reviewing, that’s accidental (and a happy accident) – but having had the chance to see some of the amazing novels coming out from the big names and the indies, I can’t wait for it all to happen soon dammit! One of the crowning moments for 2010 – for me personally as a big fan and reader of his books – is the publication of Phil Rickman’s novel: The Bones of Avalon with the main character being Elizabeth I’s conjuror and alchemist and maybe the original 007, John Dee. I’ve read the opening chapters and people, it’s amazing.

I can go on and on and on about upcoming books but to be honest, it’s going to get tedious and dull. All I want to say is: support your authors and bookshops. Without us, their readers and clients, these talented people won’t have jobs. Show your love by buying books from independents bookshops too, keep talking about authors and where you buy, and challenge yourself by trying a new author or a new genre and to just keep on reading!

Thanks Liz & Mark!

Next on Smugglivus: Gav of Next Read