Last year, it was the glorious What’s Your Scott and Jean event – in which several geeky bloggers got together to talk about their geek sacred cow. Now, the good folks at Alert Nerd are back with another Mega-Blog Crossover Event. And this year, the theme is…..True Geek Confessions:

The Background: Unpopular opinions: we all have them. Sometimes you stand alone in loving a super niche-y run of a popular comic book series (like Sarah and her Tefe Holland thing). Sometimes you’re the only person on the entire planet to ’ship a certain ’ship. Sometimes you simply Do Not Get a movie the rest of your geeky brethren is falling all over themselves about. And because a lot of fandom is about sharing loves and hates and communing with your fellow geeks, this can feel awfully lonely. But perhaps if we confess our most unpopular opinions for all the internet to see…well, we’ll feel just a little bit better.

Here’s what you do: On February 17, write up a blog post with your own True Geek Confession. Send your link to sarah AT alertnerd DOT com. We will add you to our master list blog post and you can link back to said post. It will be exciting and wonderful and will hopefully not provoke too many “die in a fire” type arguments.

Of course, we Smugglers could not let the opportunity pass for another geek-out session in which we are to share our deepest, darkest, geekiest secrets ever. It is not going to be pretty, but with the Powers of Greyskull guiding us, we shall bare our souls to you! **NOTE: We are posting our entry a day early because of a scheduling conflict! So all you folks have an extra day to come up with your own Geek Confessions, should the mood strike!**

Ana

I will just go ahead and say it:

There. I said it. And I will not be ashamed of it.

I loved the Ewoks for years before I came to love Star Wars and, I didn’t even know this was an unpopular opinion until a few years ago when I finally watched the movies. Come to think of it, maybe my True Geek Confession should have been: I didn’t watch the original Start Wars trilogy until 1999 when I decided to get ready for the Phantom Menace ( I have no reason, no excuse for that I am afraid. I was lame, that is all. I hang my head in shame, please do not revoke my geek card?).

But anyways. Ewoks. I grew up watching the dudes. One of my favorite movies when I was a child was Caravan of Courage – that movie with the family stranded in Endor with the cute little sister befriending the Ewoks and the Ewoks helping them retuning with their parents?

It seemed to be on TV all the time and I watched it every single time. It is one of my fondest childhood memories and I can’t think of it without having a severe case of the sniffles.

I haven’t watched the movie in ages and I am not sure it will stand the test of times. But I am not sure I even want to know.

But then there was also the cartoon which was one of my favorites.

It was on in the mornings in the same children’s program that aired Dungeons and Dragons and Thundercats. Whenever I was able to stay home from school or when on holidays, I always tried to watch these!

So to me the Ewoks evoke childhood, the memories of watching television in the afternoon after doing homework, drinking milk with cookies. I associate it with good things, always. So when I finally watched The Return of the Jedi in a special session at the movies (pre Phantom Menace) with a bunch of friends who were Star Wars fanatics and I saw the Ewoks and I was like, “OMG the Ewoks, I love them” and my friends looked at me positively horrified and tried to explain to the newbie how the Ewoks destroyed the Return of the Jedi with their cuteness or some such bullshit I was just like “Yeah, yeah, whatever, talk to the hand.”

I love the Ewoks. That is my True Geek Confession. Who else is with me?

Thea:

First off, Ana, I am with you. I first saw Star Wars when I was a young girl of six, and I immediately loved Jawas, all the different droids, and, yeah, Ewoks. I still have my DVD of Caravan of Courage. *pumps fist in the air with Ana*

But that’s not my True Geek Confession.

My Official Confession is…

Seriously, I adore this movie. Why, you ask? It’s a Geek’s Wet Dream. Let me count the ways.

1. Sky High is essentially a young superhero story, in a sort of New Mutants/Teen Titans sensibility. You’ve got a universe where superheroes are commonly known and accepted, and kids with superpowers attend Sky High – a high school in the sky (that constantly moves location for the kids’ safety from super villains and the like). The movie follows Will Stronghold, son of superstar superheroes The Commander (gifted with super strength and invulnerability, played by Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (gifted with the power of flight, played by Kelley Preston), on his first day as a freshman at Sky High. All the freshman have to go through “Power Placement” – that is, they show Coach Boomer (a hilarious Bruce Campbell – who, incidentally, is the perfect I-take-myself-waaaaaaay-too-seriously Gym Coach) their superpower, and he determines whether they go on the Hero track, or the Sidekick track. That is, depending on how badass the kid’s superpower, he or she is relegated to a life of High School popularity and career prosperity….or nerdy mediocrity. Will has a LOT to live up to, as the son of two very famous superheroes, and he’s got a big problem: his superpower hasn’t manifested yet. It might not manifest at all. And he, along with his friends, are relegated to sidekick duty.

Of course, there’s a diabolical plan from an unlikely super villain (recruiting other young villains, world domination, etc). AND even better, romance, high school drama, best friends, the whole gamut. What is NOT to love about this awesome geekiness?

2. CASTING. Where else are you going to see Lynda Carter (aka Wonder Woman), Bruce Campbell (aka Ash), Kurt Russell (aka Snake, aka R.J. MacReady, aka Captain freakin’ Ron), Dave Foley (hey, Kids in the the Hall!), Kevin McDonald (hey, Kids in the Hall again!), Cloris Leachman (aka Phillys Lindstrom), and Kevin Hefferman (aka Farva) together in cheesy abandon?

And these are just the adults! The kids are fantastic too – I love the guy that plays hero Will, Michael Angarano (whom you may recently have seen in Gentlemen Broncos or The Forbidden Kingdom). Layla, played by Danielle Panabaker (of the crappy Friday the 13th remake) is awesome, as is Steven Strait (10,000 B.C., The Covenant, Stop-Loss). Made of WIN.

3. The kitschy names: Will Stronghold. Warren Peace. Gwen Greyson (for Gwen Stacy of Spidey fame and Dick Grayson of Batman fame). Principal Powers. Mr. Boy. Mr. Medulla. Royal Pain. You get the idea.

4. Little touches like the costumes/wardrobe and music. Each character has a specific color scheme: Will (and his mom and dad) only wears red, white, and blue. Layla, the hippie-ish girl with Poison Ivy caliber super powers over plants, only wears green. Magenta, surly girl that shapeshifts into a guinea pig, purple. Gwen Grayson, smart, popular, class president, wears pink. Etc, etc, etc.

All the boys in the film wear converse all stars for the entire film, in the color of their wardrobe (an homage to The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, a Disney film from the 1960s starring Kurt Russell).

All the music is from the ’80s but recorded by new artists. It’s the little things that really stick out and make Sky High so much fun.

5. The high school movie awesomeness. There’s an unrequited love story, the pressure of living up to your parents’ legacy, the ever-present dichotomy between “cool kids” and “geeks,” high school nemeses, bullies, crazy teachers…you name it.

So there you have it. My love affair with Sky High is one that I am no longer ashamed to share! Yeah, it’s cheesy, yeah it’s Disney – but damn, it’s good. I watched it in the theater with my baby sister when it first came out and was hooked.

So there you have it! Our very own True Geek Confessions. Anyone that wants to make something of it, or share your own confession, we invite you to comment away. Remember, you can join in the posting fun – just write up your own True Geek Confession post and then shoot the link over to Alert Nerd.

As for us, we’ll be around. Now, excuse us while we watch our Caravan of Courage and Sky High dvds…

Heidi-ho! It’s another Sunday, and another stash. We hope everyone’s having an awesome Valentine’s Day, whether you’re out doing romantic crap, enjoying your time with friends, or happily on your own!

(We are loving these dorky Valentine’s Day Cards – and so want to share you with you, dear readers.) Now, down to business!

Lisa McMann’s Gone Winners:

We have TEN lucky winners to announce! Drumroll please…

Flash Giveaway: The Valentine’s Day Edition Winners:

And the winners are:

Congratulations to the winners! You know the drill. Send an email to contact AT the book smugglers DOT com with your snail mail address, and we will get your winnings out to you as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone that participated!

Around the Interwebs and Other News:

This week, we were interviewed over by author Sam Sykes, debut novelist of the forthcoming Tome of the Undergates. He asked us about book standards, covers, and – most interestingly – about what women expect out of their reading. You can check out our answers over HERE.

Jessica, the ridiculously intelligent and eloquent woman behind Racy Romance Reviews has a great article up right now: “Feminist Critique of Romance: Ur Doin It Wrong.” Jessica takes a look at Rochelle Hurst’s “THE BARRISTER’S BEDMATE: Harlequin Mills & Boon and the Bridget Jones Debate” (Australian Feminist Studies, Vol. 24, No. 62, December 2009) and has some very interesting findings. In addition to misattributed and out-of-context quotes, Ms. Hurst’s fundamental analysis, argument and logic are shockingly flawed. Make sure to check it out, if you haven’t already.

Also, it’s been all over the place, but we have to reiterate because we are just that. damn. excited. The title and cover of the third and final volume of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series has been officially revealed! Feast your eyes on this gorgeous beauty:

According to Scholastic’s On our Minds blog and an interview with Scholastic’s VP Editorial Director, David Levithan, we can expect the following of Mockingjay:

I am not, under any circumstances, allowed to divulge the contents of the third Hunger Games book. Nada. Nothing. Not a peep. I can, however, share with you five things that will not be appearing in the new book:

- Panem is not shaken up when District 9 is nominated for a best picture Oscar.

- At no point does President Snow utter the line, “This is Snowmageddon, baby.”

- Despite internet rumors to the contrary, it is not revealed that Cinna has been secretly designing outfits for a Capitol operative known as “Lady GaGa.”

- All rumors of a crossover appearance by Geronimo Stilton are false.

- In a tough editorial call, we decided not to have Katniss win the Hunger Games…only to be interrupted by Kanye West.

Ok, so that’s not very helpful. But holy crap, it’s the third book in the series! Mockingjay comes out on August 24th – guess we’ll just have to wait until then.

Also:

That is all.

Finally, in TVlandia news, we Smugglers have an announcement to make. Ahem. Episode 2 of the Sixth and Final Season of LOST – “What Kate Does” – totally, unconscionably SUCKED. Who cares about Kate any more? She’s gorgeous and we love Evangeline Lilly, but good god is Kate the most ridiculously stupid character ever. Also, no more mystical Japanese dude. Please. Only fifteen episodes to go (if you count the two-part finale is as two separate episodes). Let’s get back on the ball, writers. Please.

(Next week, “The Substitute” is a Locke-centric epi. We are pleased. Bring it!)

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

On Monday, Thea kicks off the week with a review of Jen Nadol’s debut young adult speculative fiction novel, The Mark. Later in the day we interview Jen Nadol about her new book, her influences, and her favorite authors and titles.

Tuesday, it’s time for another Alert Nerd Mega-Crossover-Linkup-Bonanza! We posted about it briefly before, but Tuesday is the official day for our very own “True Geek Confessions,” in which we reveal our deepest, darkest, geekiest secrets. Everyone can participate – all you need do is post your own Geek Confessional on Tuesday, and add your link to the Alert Nerd list. You can read all about the official event HERE. Later in the day, Thea reviews Rachel Caine’s newest, the second book in her Outcast Season spinoff series (in the Weather Warden universe) Unknown.

Wednesday is another huge day – it’s our official stop on the Harper Teen 28 Days of Winter Escapes Blog Tour & Book-a-Day Giveaway! We will have a joint review of Delia Ephron’s The Girl With the Mermaid Hair, and also an exclusive Q&A with the author. Make sure to stop by the official Winter Escapes website on Wednesday too, for a chance to win The Girl With the Mermaid Hair and an iTouch.

Thursday, Ana gives her review of Blood of the Demon, Diana Rowland’s highly anticipated sequel to last year’s Urban Fantasy novel Mark of the Demon.

Finally, on Friday we close out the week with Ana’s review of historical romance novel In For A Penny by Rose Lerner. Plus, we’ll have Rose over later in the day to talk about her Inspirations & Influences!

It’s another suicidal hectic week here – we hope you enjoy it!

Hi folks, and welcome to another Sunday roundup on The Book Smugglers!

First, we’ve got a few announcements…

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Last Sunday we set up a reader opinion survey about how we could make The Book Smugglers even better for you good folks in 2010. You’ve spoken, and we’re listening! Based on your responses, we’re implementing a few changes around these parts. We’re definitely going to try to deliver more reviews – especially reviews of fantasy, YA, romance, and SF. We’re going to keep it up with more giveaways – and we’ll try to make them accessible to those outside the US and UK when possible. We’ve also resolved to deliver more joint reviews – in fact, we’re setting a tentative goal of at least three per month (we’re aiming for one joint review per week).

We’ve also made some technical changes to the site. Because we know internet connections vary, and load time on our site can take a while, we’ve cut down on the clutter and have cleaned house. You may have noticed that our blogroll has vanished – but fret not! It’s not really gone. Because we read a LOT of truly exceptional book blogs, author blogs, and publisher websites, and because we don’t want to be forced to pick and choose whom to display on our blogroll, we have simply decided to move the whole thing to a separate page. In the upper-right corner of our right sidebar, you can find the link to our blogroll. We’ve also tried to cut down on the image/plugin clutter on our main page, so hopefully this will help folks with slower internet connections access our site. We think we’ve figured out the no load image problem in our feed (which seemed to affect about a quarter of the people who responded to the technical questions part of the survey) – so hopefully there are no further feed malfunctions. **NOTE: If your feed images still aren’t loading, please let us know in the comments.**

FINALLY, we got a few comments about accessibility and the limited search capability on our site. To solve that issue, we’ve implemented a fancy advanced search plugin, which you can access again in the top right corner of our right sidebar. The advanced search allows you to search the site by Book Title, Book Author, Post Author, Category, Tag, and/or keywords.

We have further plans to streamline the site and improve accessibility, but this is what we’ve got so far, and we hope it helps!

Other News

Last week we hosted a stop on author Elizabeth Eulberg’s Blog Tour for the release of her novel The Lonely Hearts Club. AND, for those interested, the blog tour closes this week with a shnazzy giveaway opportunity! Here’s the info:

Join The Lonely Hearts Club author Elizabeth Eulberg and Amy of MyFriendAmy for a Twitter party Wednesday, January 20, between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. EST!

• Be sure to follow Elizabeth @ElizEulberg and Amy @MyFriendAmy before the party!
• Join the fun! No one expects you or your tweets to be perfect; we’re just happy you made it to the party!
• Anyone who tweets during this hour using #LonelyHeartsClub is entered to win a limited edition Lonely Hearts Club t-shirt!
• Watch for questions from @MyFriendAmy and win awesome prizes including an iPod shuffle, $50 iTunes gift card or $25 VISA gift card!
• To join the party, you can use our official party tweetgrid or just search #LonelyHeartsClub on Twitter.
• Ask Elizabeth questions or chat with other partygoers about how excited you are to read LHC—just use the tag #LonelyHeartsClub in all of your party tweets! (This is added automatically in TweetGrid.)
• Please don’t post any spoilers and don’t forget to pay attention to the time zones, the party starts at 8:30pm EST.

In other interwebs news, the fabulous folks at Alert Nerd are hosting yet another awesomefantasticsuperfabulous Mega-blog Crossover Event!

Last year, it was “What’s Your Scott & Jean?” Day. This year, it’s all about True Geek Confessions. Here’s the event info:

True Geek Confessions

The Date: February 17

The Background: Unpopular opinions: we all have them. Sometimes you stand alone in loving a super niche-y run of a popular comic book series (like Sarah and her Tefe Holland thing). Sometimes you’re the only person on the entire planet to ’ship a certain ’ship. Sometimes you simply Do Not Get a movie the rest of your geeky brethren is falling all over themselves about. And because a lot of fandom is about sharing loves and hates and communing with your fellow geeks, this can feel awfully lonely. But perhaps if we confess our most unpopular opinions for all the internet to see…well, we’ll feel just a little bit better.

Here’s what you do: On February 17, write up a blog post with your own True Geek Confession. Send your link to sarah AT alertnerd DOT com. We will add you to our master list blog post and you can link back to said post. It will be exciting and wonderful and will hopefully not provoke too many “die in a fire” type arguments.

We are so freakin’ excited! Both Ana and I are ready to bare all – what about you? Last year’s Scott & Jean event was so much fun, we cannot wait to participate again! If you’re interested, make sure to check out the Alert Nerd site, and sign up!

This Week on The Book Smugglers

Down to business! On Monday, Ana reviews awesomely nerdy, post-modern YA novel An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.

Tuesday, Thea (finally, for real this time) reviews Kelly Meding’s debut Urban Fantasy novel, Three Days to Dead. HINT: It’s a pretty damn good UF debut.

On Wednesday, Ana takes on Graphic Novel Irredeemable by Mark Waid, with artwork by Peter Krause and published by Boom! Studios.

And then on Thursday and Friday, we have an awesome spotlight with Paranormal Chick-lit/Urban Fantasy novelist Molly Harper. On Thursday, we review her Jane Jameson/”Nice Girls Don’t…” series – Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men, and Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever. On Friday, Molly Harper stops with a guest post about her Inspirations & Influences, AND she also sticks around to answer YOUR burning questions. And bonus – we’re also giving away TWO complete sets of the books! All you have to do to enter is make sure to stop by and ask Molly a question.

Phew. It’s another busy week! Until tomorrow then, we remain…

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

Sayonara, Week 3, and konichiwa to Week 4 of Smugglivus! Before we delve into the goodies we have lined up this week, we’ve got a few announcements.

A Glory-ous Giveaway:

Sarah Kuhn, author and one of the fine folks that run the geektastic Alert Nerd blog, has a short sequel to her debut novel One Con Glory out now! “My Epic Win” is available in the new edition of Grok #5: Retcon. In honor of the release, Sarah is offering a wicked cool giveaway contest – the theme is favorite comic book kiss and/or favorite comic book couple. As for me, well, I don’t think it gets any better than Bigby and Snow from Fables (and since I’m traveling right now and can’t scan The Kiss panel, I’ll just give you my favorite moment between the two of them and the cover for Fables Vol. 8: Wolves):

Guh. They make me all squishy and warm inside. SO, if you’ve got a favorite comic book couple or kiss, head on over to Alert Nerd and leave a comment (or if you prefer twitter, tweet your entry @SarahKuhn. The prize is a copy of Sarah’s excellent One Con Glory (reviewed HERE by both Ana and myself) – and, even better, if you already have read/own OCG, you can still enter for another groovy book-related prize. The contest runs until December 22 at midnight (pacific), so get over. Now.

In other cool geek news, dunno if you’ve seen it yet, but holy rusted metal! The Iron Man 2 trailer is out! Yowza!

In other news, Ana and I are famous! Well, not really. But you can catch us guest blogging over at Opinionated, Me? about our holiday reads (or our lack thereof), and at Grasping for the Wind about our favorite fantasy reads of 2009 (and most highly anticipated fantasy reads of 2010).

Ok, now down to business.

Giveaway Winners:

We’ve got two winners to announce – first up, Kate Noble.

The winner of a copy of Revealed is…..

Also, our giveaway of Raiders’ Ransom is officially closed, and we have one lucky winner to announce! Drumroll please…

Congratulations! You know the drill. Send us an email with your snail mail address (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com), and we’ll get your prize off to you as soon as possible. Thanks again to all that entered – and hey, remember that we still have TWO excellent giveaways still running:

The ARC Giveaway courtesy of Little, Brown (US) and Sarah Rees Brennan’s Silver Dagger Charm Giveaway (of The Demon’s Lexicon) are still up and running. You have until December 26 at 11:59 (PST) to enter – so get those comments in!

This Week on Smugglivus:

Later today, we have two guests lined up. Susan Holloway Scott (whose post should have gone up yesterday but our site was down at the scheduled time!) with her favourite reads of 2009 , followed by Erin Galloway, publicist for Berkley and NAL with a list of books coming out next year from those imprints.

Then, we bid our guest authors adieu, thankyouverymuch, and say hello to some of our very favorite book bloggers. This week, and for the remainder of Smugglivus, bloggers will be stopping in and sharing their favorite reads of 2009, and what they are looking forward to in 2010. Kicking off the week, we have the prolific Aidan Moher of A Dribble of Ink. Then, Danielle of Opinionated, Me? stops by with her best (and worst) of the year. And later in the day, Ana gives her review of Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore.

On Tuesday, our guest bloggers are Kristen of Fantasy Cafe and Lusty Reader of Lusty Reader. Then, later in the day, Thea reviews Witch and Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet.

Wednesday, Thea gives a double review of A Rush of Wings and In the Blood by Adrian Phoenix – two of the titles in her ongoing, edgy Urban Fantasy series. AND we’ll also have Adrian Phoenix over for the day – she’ll be around to answer YOUR questions. Plus, we’ll be giving away TWO complete sets of autographed books from Adrian Phoenix, so make sure to stay tuned.

Thursday, we have guest bloggers Rhiannon Hart of Rhiannon Hart, Angie of Angieville, and Doug, the SciFi Guy over. Later, Ana reviews Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale.

On Friday, Katiebabs of Babbling About Books, and More! gives us her rundown of favorite reads. Following that, Thea reviews Kelley Meding’s debut Urban Fantasy Three Days Till Dead. Finally, what would Christmas be without a giveaway? We have a Very Special Christmas Giveaway planned (there will be many, many books up for grabs).

Saturday, we have two more guest bloggers to close out the week – Jessica of Racy Romance Reviews and KMont of Lurv ala Mode.

Phew. It’s another action packed week, so stay tuned!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

It’s Alert Nerd Day at The Book Smugglers! Today we take a look at Alert Nerd Press – an independent digital publisher dedicated to making geek-centric fiction and nonfiction for the discriminating nerd, both online and in print.

Title: One Con Glory

Author: Sarah Kuhn

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Geek-lit, Romance, Novella

Publisher: Alert Nerd Press
Publication Date: November 2009
Paperback: 103 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone novella

How did we get this book: Review copy from the author

Why did we read this book: We love the geektastic blog that is Alert Nerd, having been introduced to the folks over there earlier this year for their “That’s My Scott and Jean” bonanza. So, when bloggers/authors Matt Springer and Sarah Kuhn contacted us with an opportunity to read and review their novellas, we eagerly accepted!

Summary: (from AlertNerdPress.com)
Diehard fangirl Julie loves Buffy marathons, fighting about comic book continuity, and being left alone.

She might even have to talk to people.

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Thea: I was actually a little nervous starting this novella – I don’t think I’ve ever known an author before reading their work. I love author Sarah Kuhn’s online voice, but writing fiction is a horse of a different color if y’know what I’m sayin’. But, a few pages into One Con Glory made me realize that I really need not have been so worried – because this is one damn awesome, geektastic book. Well written, zippily paced, with a healthy smattering of nerdiness and romance, One Con Glory totally rocks. I loved it.

Ana: Holy Lord of the Rings! This novella is bloody fantastic! Starting with the nifty title, and the cool cover, plus with the inside being awesomely well written, in a perfect balance of geekness and romance. In other words: this is a M.F.A. (Made For Ana) book and I am totally in love with it.

On the Plot: The basic premise is simple – a diehard Glory Gilmore fangirl and press writer named Julie attends GinormoCon as part of her job. While she’s there, she has the opportunity to interview Jack Camden – pretty boy star of the television adaptation of her favorite superhero comic, Periodic Seven. Julie goes to her one-on-one with her skepticism in check, but her own jaded expectations firmly ingrained – she immediately sizes Jack up to be another one of those irritatingly pretty but basically vapid actors that knows nothing of the source material he’s portraying. Imagine her shock, then, when she discovers that not only is Camden a fanboy, but a genuinely nice guy with an inner-geek? On this trip to GinormoCon, Julie’s curmudgeonly world view is about to be rocked, from the most unexpected sources.

Thea: One Con Glory is written in a brisk, sure-handed style, split into three separate parts. I cannot stress enough how clever this novella is, in both form and function. Each of the three parts begins with an entry from Julie’s blog, GloryGilmoreLives.com, and each entry pertains to the following story – whether it be about the Glory Gilmore action figures Julie has lost, the inviolability of the Prime Directive, or the lurking, indestructible nemesis that is Schmthulu. It’s also kinda cool how there are three parts of the story, and there are three Glory Gilmore action figures that Julie has lost over the course of her life.

So far as the actual writing and plotting are concerned, there’s nothing more I could have asked for from One Con Glory. It’s fast, it’s sweet, it’s got all the popgeek references you could want and manages to integrate those into the story without ever sounding forced (it never feels like Julie is using popgeek culture references to show off how incredibly cool/ingrained in the culture she is; rather, it feels natural). I also have to commend Sarah Kuhn for choosing to create a non-existent superheroine and comic as her central icon in the story. Glory Gilmore is an obscure heroine that does not exist in the DC/Marvel/etc cannon – and I think this was a wise choice. Instead of turning into some ode to Wonder Woman or Jean Grey which might have been awkward or could have overwhelmed the story, this fictitious Glory Gilmore is a completely fresh character that allows us to understand Julie’s connection to the heroine, more so than focusing on the superheroine herself.

Ana: Yes, yes what Thea said. But MORE. I cannot stress enough how much I loved this short story for its cleverness and heart. In a small, confined space of 100 pages, Sarah Kuhn manages to write a story with a past, a present and a future without EVER getting sidetracked.

It is a fresh story because the geekness of the main character feels genuine; it is an unique story because it invents a whole series of comics, with amazing story arcs that matter to Julie and it connects the dots of her life. I am being cryptic on purpose because there is a revelation of sorts relate to Glory Gilmore’s arc and Julie‘s arc. It is a heartwarming story because this is not about plot, it is about character and we all know that is just my cup of tea. It also helps that I know what the Prime Directive is and I too have an opinion on the most important issue of whether Scott and Jean are the ultimate Marvel pairing or not.

This is a fast read, a smart read, an awesome read. Sarah Kuhn is ready, folks. I welcome her to my reading world with open arms and I beg for MORE.

On the Characters:

Thea: Just as with the writing, the characters are fantastic – they are the heart of this story, and damn if I didn’t love them. Julie, our intrepid heroine, narrates the novella in the first person. She’s incredibly funny, she’s intelligent, she’s got a biting wit – but this also means that she’s a bit abrasive and emotionally closed off. She protects herself with her hard outward demeanor, yet Ms. Kuhn allows us glimpses behind the facade as Julie’s walls (or should I say shields?) are slowly worn down. To accomplish all of this in a full length novel, to create a heroine as compelling and layered as Julie, is no small feat. To do it in a scant 100-some pages? Now that’s impressive. I loved Julie. I loved how flawed and very human she is – and I love that when it comes down to it and she’s gotta close her eyes and take the emotional plunge, she handles it.

Of course, there’s also Jack Camden. I picture Jack as one of those pretty CW boys – you know what I mean:

Basically, Jack is the holy grail for fangirls. He’s gorgeous, he’s smart, he’s sensitive, and – oh yeah – he’s also an ubergeek who knows his comics, is a badass at guitar hero, and can talk about continuity snafus until the cows come home. Despite being so obviously compelling, Jack also has some nice development over the course of the novella. Yeah, he’s a bit of a too-good-to-be-true heartthrob, but he’s also vulnerable and puts himself out there for Julie. And that’s cool.

There are two secondary characters who also deserve mentions – Braidbeard (nicknamed for his…braided beard) and Mitch (Julie’s best bud). I liked the animosity that underlies Julie and Braidbeard’s friendship (a scene later in the book really makes both of these characters come together) and I loved Mitch and Julie’s friendship as well. Mitch in particular has a fabulous scene with Julie where he calls her out on her crap – and again, it feels completely real. I loved it all.

Ana: I too, loved the characters – all of them. Julie though, takes the cake for being a fully-realised, fleshed out character, with real issues to deal with. She comes across at first as standoff-ish, somewhat abrasive woman, always with an Opinion about everything. I loved her character arc, the self-evaluation that she does and the realisation that she needs to put herself out there and take the risk. And I loved how there was this parallel in which she reclaims both a Glory Gilmore and her own heart.

Then, there is Jack. Holy Smokes, Batman! Jack is the dream guy for any self-proclaimed fangirl: someone who is both hot and geek, shy and confident and above all, emotionally available. He is not without his own issues though, which makes him human rather than merely a wet dream.

I loved their relationship and I especially LOVED the progression of their story and how Sarah Kuhn inserted a bit of sex and a bit of mystery too. The Guitar Hero scene? Akin to everything I love about romance. And so help me Yoda when I read the scene with the Glory Gilmore connection, I said to myself: this woman, she can SO write.
Mitch and Braidbeard were great secondary characters as well each being a counterpart to a side of Julie. One being a friend, the one a nemesis (and everyone needs a nemesis).

To sum up, I loved it all, dudes! And I will shup up now with my muy lameo attempt at being cleverly geek as it is clear I will never ever be as smart as Sarah Kuhn.

Final Thoughts, Observations and Rating:

Thea: If you couldn’t tell, I loved this novella. I loved it. With its prickly (but lovable) heroine, tongue-in-cheek look at conventions, and genuinely heartwarming romance, One Con Glory has it all. (Yes, I just used our blurb right there shut up don’t judge me!)

Ana: (Thea, you cheeky monkey! Damn you for getting there first!). One Con Glory has a perfect mix of everything I love: popgeekery and romance; great writing, plotting and great characters and I LOVED it.

Notable Quotes/Parts: Hey! You can read an excerpt of One Con Glory online!

July 17, 2009
8:46 in the fucking morning.

The food court hurts my eyes. And my nose. And my…general sense of decency.

Let’s be real: the food court hurts everything.

Especially when it’s 8:46 in the fucking morning and my best friend is trying to convince me that tater tots make for a balanced breakfast.

“You know you want it.”

Mitch Caplan waves a deep-fried glob of starch under my nose, a devilish grin playing across his broad, freckle-specked face. Shuddering, I bat his hand away.

8:47 now. Thirteen more minutes in this fragrant, brightly lit haven of over-processed food-like objects. I fidget in my rickety plastic chair, trying to block out sight and smell and sound.

“—because you’re never guaranteed a good crispiness level with french fry breading, but those McDonald’s hash brown thingies are almost too much with the crunch. Am I right? Are you even listening to me?”

“What? I mean…yes.” I shift around so I’m facing Mitch and widen my eyes into a passable expression of true attentiveness. He grins and pops another tot in his mouth.

“You are so not listening,” he says through a mouthful of golden-brown greaseball. “What’s wrong, Julie? GinormoCon anticipation killin’ ya dead?”

Before I can retort, a nasal voice cuts through the hazy, lard-scented air. “She’s got stuff on her mind, Mitchell. Suckin’ up to nerdlebrities is a lot of frakkin’ work.”

Our heads turn and there he is, an amalgam of pasty skin and beanpole limbs and pure smugginess. I narrow my eyes as he slides into a vacant seat at our minuscule table. “Braidbeard,” I mutter. More of a tossed-off epithet than an actual greeting.

“How do you do that?” marvels Mitch. “It’s like you just…appear. Out of nowhere.”

Braidbeard swipes a tater tot and stuffs it in his mouth. “I have superpowers or whatever.”

Right. Because arguing about DC continuity holes ’til you’re blue in the face is a superpower now.

The source of his nickname—a scraggly beard, carefully arranged into three unkempt braids—dances back and forth as he chomps on the pilfered tot. “Double-u tee eff with that chick they just hired on Powers That Be?” he brays, eyes goggling behind his aggressively hip clunky glasses. “Are they actively trying to get cancelled? Because she’s what I like to call a show-killer.”

I groan and slump back in my seat, scanning the food court. Save for a trio of fresh-faced Skrulls huddled over a plate of nachos, we are apparently the only ones who felt the need to stake out the L.A. Convention Center minutes—nine minutes!—before the GinormoCon doors open.

I was hoping to avoid any and all classic Braidbeard dissertations on Why Everything Sucks today, but that’s what I get for hanging out with Mitch. The boys work together at the entertainment website CinePlanet.com, writing quickie reviews and reporting on “exclusive” news bits. Perhaps sensing that being co-workers = forced camaraderie, Braidbeard leeches onto Mitch every chance he gets. And Mitch—a genial, 6’2” mountain of a man who projects an uncomplicated sort of goodwill—lets him.

You can read the full excerpt online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: One Con Glory comes in a pretty sweet package. The cover is fun and really captures the spirit of the novella, AND there are also three great illustrations within from three talented artists (Max Riffner, Pj Perez, and Benjamin Birdie). The book also includes some cool extras: an interview of author Sarah Kuhn with one of her characters (Braidbeard), a list and explanation of each character’s favorite Buffy episodes, and (in awesome Rachel Caine style) a playlist.

Also, you’ll be pleased to learn that Julie’s blog in the novella, Glory Gilmore Lives, is actually a fun mock-blog online! Complete with vintage Buffy the Vampire Slayer reviews and other assorted geek goodness, it’s a pretty awesome fake blog. Definitely worth checking out!

Rating:

Thea: 8 – Excellent

Ana: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Giveaway Details:

We are giving away a totally awesome prize pack to ONE lucky winner! Included in the pack is a copy of One Con Glory, as well as a gorgeous, fangirl-worthy Phoenix tee (size Large), designed by Chris Stewart.

The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada ONLY. In order to enter, leave a comment here telling us who YOUR favorite superheroine is, and why. The contest will run until Saturday, November 7 at 11:59 PM (Pacific). Good luck!

It’s Alert Nerd Day at The Book Smugglers! Today we take a look at Alert Nerd Press – an independent digital publisher dedicated to making geek-centric fiction and nonfiction for the discriminating nerd, both online and in print.

Title: Unconventional

Author: Matt Springer

Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Geek-lit

Publisher: Alert Nerd Press
Publication Date: April 2007 (Originally Published Feb 2003)
Paperback: 141 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone novella

How did we get this book: Review copy from the author

Why did we read this book: We love the geektastic blog that is Alert Nerd, having been introduced to the folks over there earlier this year for their “That’s My Scott and Jean” bonanza. So, when bloggers/authors Matt Springer and Sarah Kuhn contacted us with an opportunity to read and review their novellas, we eagerly accepted!

Summary: (from AlertNerdPress.com)
A tale of sex, booze and geeks at Chicago’s fictional UnCon, Unconventional follows three friends as they love, laugh, and dare I say learn in a loving-yet-irreverent look at fans and fandom (oh, and one of them gets laid. Twice). From founding Alert Nerd Matt Springer, Unconventional is the first book (of millions!) from AN Press.

REVIEW:

First Impressions:

Thea: When we were offered a chance to review Unconventional, I was pretty frakking excited. With a tagline like “A tale of sex, booze, and geeks” how could I be anything but excited? And, for the most part, Matt Springer delivers. Unconventional is an inside glimpse of a group of friends as they tackle UnConvention (Northern Illinois’ top SF convention). It’s a tale about friendships, about growing up, and, yeah, about geeks getting their rocks off to The Phantom Menace bashing and the awesomeness of Leonard Nimoy’s prosthetic ears from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Though it’s an uneven ride, Unconventional gets its message across with some touching and revealing interactions between its trio of characters. And, though it’s a bit dated, I did enjoy the honest, at times cringeworthy look at the unwashed, basement-dwelling male geek stereotype, up close and personal. Though it didn’t particularly resonate with me as a reader, it’s certainly entertaining and it has its moments.

Ana: I basically had a similar reaction to Thea when we were offered a review copy. Alert Nerd is one of my favourite sites these days and upon reading the tagline “A tale of sex, booze, and geeks” , I knew I was in for a bromance- like read and braced myself for just that. And you know. Unconventional totally resonated with me as a reader, maybe because I am geekier than I thought but most probably because I like reading about male characters’ and their struggles – it is always like having glimpses of completely alien minds. But here, they are alien not only because they are men but because they take geekdom to a different dimension (aha) , one that is far away from my own. And I loved this insight into the world of Conventions – to the point where I one day hope to be able attend one. Right now, to attend Comic Con is a matter of honour.

On the Plot:

Unconventional is the story of three friends – a “Trilogy” that has been together since bonding over the Return of the Jedi novelization back in the fourth grade. Now in their mid-twenties, Ham, Marty, and Ron are reunited and headed out to UnConvention, the year’s best SF con, where they’ll drink far too much, find and lose lovers, and get into some heated discussions about the nature of geekdom, their futures, and their friendships.

Thea: In terms of structure, Unconventional is a nice package. Alternating between a present timeline of leadup & three days spent at UnCon, and pivotal flashbacks in each character’s past, this novella is a nicely rounded and decently paced read. Initially, the story drags a bit, injecting a lot of popgeekery references and metaphors without really accomplishing anything to advance the story. That said, once the book kicks into gear at the convention and readers get to know the characters more intimately in terms of their thoughts and emotions, everything clicks.

I did have a few jarring reservations whilst reading Unconventional that do bode mentioning – the first dealing with the dated nature of the material. The novella was originally written in 2001, and as such, many of the references feel a bit tired – the annoyances of Jar Jar Binks, the cash cow milking that was The Phantom Menace, the Gollum references that were cool when The Fellowship of the Ring first came out, a lengthy metaphor about taking the red pill versus the blue pill, just to name a few. When I started Unconventional, I was under the impression that it would be a bit more current, so it was a jarring experience. That said, now knowing the time frame when it was written, I can deal. The difference between 2001 and 2009 is just an unfortunate nether-realm – the references aren’t quite old enough to be “retro” nor are they recent enough to be cool.

The good, more important thing to remember though is that Unconventional is more than a string of empty pop-geek references. Yeah, Unconventional verges on sitcom-y/stereotypical geek movie, but there are some surprisingly touching moments in this slim book, coming together nicely by the last few chapters. Though there’s a lot of the requisite aforementioned Star Wars/Star Trek/SF referencing as well as some good humored, sardonic fun poked at conventions (i.e. dudes who really should not be wearing spandex batsuits doing so onstage), this isn’t so much a book about conventions and fanboy geekdom than it is about friends dealing with their own baggage…friends who happen to be, well, huge fanboy geeks. And that’s cool. I can get on board with that.

Ana: Lord help me for I loved each and every geeky reference and even the dated nature of the novel. Actually scrap that, I wouldn’t even use the word “dated” for this since the issues raised that COULD be seen as dated feel so relevant to me. Every time they mentioned Gollum I giggled; the blue pill versus the red pill speech was totally cool and I completely understand the frustration about the Phantom Menace.

But as Thea says Unconventional is more than that – it is almost a Coming of Age story for each of the character but not quite, because of the ultimate outcome. I liked the format of the novel with each character going on its separate journey during the convention, each at some point or the other meeting another character who became an Obi Wan Kenobi them, giving life advice. It is a book about friendship and about growing up; touching on issues such as: do growing up mean growing away from being a geek? Each of the characters reaches a point where this question is raised and each relates to it in a different manner. It is, about all, a novella about identity. They all depart hoping to have mindless fun at the convention but the journey ends up being completely different from what they expected.

That are many, many Star Wars/Star Trek references and other relevant references to what geeks love and that may be jarring for those readers that do not relate so in that case, this book is certainly not a book for everyone. I also need to mention that I had a couple of problems with the episodic nature of the novel and I am sure I have seen one or two continuity mistakes (there is one scene where one of the guys asks about another character, saying that he hadn’t seen him the “whole morning”. But how could he? It was only 10am and he had just woken up. Yeah, I know. Nitpicking). But since the choppy, episodic feel of the novella is due to the choice of having each character on his own journey, this may be a moot point but still, I could have done with a smoother connection between each sequence.

On the Characters:

Thea: Here’s where Unconventional really shines – because its characters are wonderfully detailed and flawed. Any time a character makes you react strongly, it’s usually a good thing – it means the author is doing his or her job. And certainly, Unconventional had some characters that had me reacting in a strong way. Each of the three protagonists of Marty, Ham and Ron, are dudes with issues. Easily, Marty is my favorite of the lot – earnest, driven, emotional and intelligent, Marty’s an aspiring science fiction author who struggles with the decision to pursue his dream of writing, or stay on the safer career path that will keep him fed. Then there’s Ham (actual name Theo – Ham is short for Hammerhead, a minor character from the Star Wars films) – nervous, dramatic, impassioned Ham, with his convention crushes and his own share of disappointments. And finally, there’s Ron. Asshole, arrogant, selfish Ron, who gives me the urge to blindside tackle him and start eyegouging. The geek of the group who grew into a young Harrison Ford looking guy, suave with the ladies, and who honestly doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself.

Each of these characters goes through a lot in Unconventional, coming to grips with their own shortcomings, fears and hopes. And each of them has at least one moment of genuine reflection as the book progresses, taking them beyond a caricaturish rendering and making them real, flesh and blood people. Even asshole Ron has one such moment! Now that’s saying something. The dynamic between these three friends, strained as it may be at times, is what makes the book. Even if I didn’t particularly love certain aspects of these men, I can appreciate how real they are.

Ana: I am with Thea on this one – the characters are wonderful. Marty, Ham and Ron are flawed and interesting geeks, my favourite also being Marty.

These three are total, complete losers.

But given the nature of the novella, it is important to make it clear that they are not losers because they are geeks – they are losers because they are confined by this “geek” label and they do not do anything above and beyond that. As with someone says in the book, keeping life and real relationships at bay is what makes you a loser.

Ham for example is the one who is the most stereotypically geek– living in his parents’ basement, apparently satisfied with the life he leads, with the fact that he gets to spend his money with his geek stuff. This satisfaction however, may prove to be superficial and there is an amazing scene towards the ending and a breakdown that actually made me cry a little bit.

Dramatically different is Ron, he is the geek who is ashamed to be a geek and he found a way out with the fact that he is cool with the ladies – but he is stuck in the same machine over and over again and is unable to let go. He is the MAJOR loser of the book because he is an asshole to women and even to his friends. A total douchebag, it also makes him very human though.

Marty on the other hand, is the one that is able to break the vicious circle by not only embracing the inner geek but also opening up to the real world. Marty is the proof that is possible to have both.

And that is my Pearl of Wisdom for today. You can call me Obi Wan Kenobi now.

Final Thoughts, Observations and Rating:

Thea: Unconventional is a book that has its moments, both high and low. It’s much more of a dude-centric, bromancy kind of story that didn’t particularly resonate with me, a female member of the geek contingent, but I enjoyed reading it, and I do look forward to more from Matt Springer.

Ana: This novella has its heart in the right place. Since I am a major fan of bromance, dude-centric stories, I loved it. If Alert Nerd keeps publishing novels like that, I predict I will read every single one of them.

Notable Quotes/Parts:

For those who have ever been to a science fiction convention, no explanation is necessary. Those who regularly attend cons understand the unique vibe one encounters when several hundred sci-fi fans gather in one place for three days of inane chatters, outrageous spending, and casual sex – or alternately three days of no sunlight, little sleep and full-on submission to total geekdom.

For those who never been, no explanation will suffice. To those who are con virgins – or “mundanes” , as non-fans are often known to con goers – attending a con might seem, in many crucial ways, like stepping into another world. A quick scan around the lobby of Schaumburg’s Hyatt Regency on the UnConvention’s opening day would do nothing to relieve that feeling. The real trick would be trying to figure out just which world you’d wandered into by mistake.

On a bank of couches, a passable Doctor Who (the fourth Doctor, by all appearances) chatted amiably with an oversized woman in a full renaissance maiden costume, her long hair braided and hanging over her ample (and amply exposed) breasts. Four guys in near-matching black t-shirts have staked out a spot near the concierge desk and were engaging in a fierce session of Magic: The Gathering on the lobby floor. In the expansive atrium area, a small crowd had gathered to watch two jedi engage in an impromptu lightsaber battle.

Everyone had their own particular quirk to flaunt, be it a costume, an allegiance to a particular subclass of fans, or even just a tiny button with the catchphrase “My friend went to the Hellmouth and all I got was this lousy pin” emblazoned upon it. In other words, it was your typical con crowd, and there’s no doubt that any mundanes stumbling upon the proceedings might start searching for the first available shuttle back to Planet Normal.

But for the UnCon community, banded together for three days each year then scattered back into the harsh winds of the “real world”, the Hyatt felt like home.

Additional Thoughts: You can purchase Unconventional online, OR you can download the novella for free in its entirety in an online PDF. The power is yours!

Rating:

Thea: 6 – Good, Recommended

Ana: 6 – Good, and leaning towards a 7

Reading Next: One Con Glory by Sarah Kuhn

As Halloween Week draws to a close (the Madness! The Sleep Deprivation! The Nightmares!), we get ready for another busy week!

But first, a couple of winners to announce.

Monstrumologist/Hollow Giveaway:

The five winners are:

Flash Halloween Giveaway:

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL! Winners, send us an email (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail addresses, and we will get the books out to you as soon as possible!

Thanks again to everyone that entered – and if you didn’t win, don’t fret. We have plenty more giveaway goodies coming your way.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

On Monday we interview Steven Boyett and chat about his the return to the world of the Change, 25 years after his first book Ariel.

On Tuesday Thea reviews Elegy Beach by Steven Boyett (with a giveaway):

On Wednesday, Ana reviews Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh,the new installment in the Psy/Changeling series (plus, a chance to win a copy of the book).

On Thursday, Ana reviews The Dragon Book a Fantasy anthology with stories by Garth Nix, Tamora Pierce, Diana Gabaldon, Naomi Novik, Tad Williams and others whilst Thea reviews UF Unclean Spirits by M.L.N Hanover, book one of the Black Sun’s Daughter

Finally, on Friday we both review two offerings from Alert Nerd Press (“an independent digital publisher dedicated to making geek-centric fiction and nonfiction for the discriminating nerd, both online and in print” YAY) : the novella One Con Glory by Sarah Kuhn and their first novel, Unconventional by Matt Springer

AAAAAAAnd that is it from us today!

Have a great week!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers