Hola compadres!

Another Sunday, another stash, another installment with some fabulous news to share!

Book Blog Covention

A couple of Sundays ago we reported that the first ever con for book bloggers, The Book Blogger Convention, will happen in New York on the 28th of May one day after the Book Expo America (May 25-27) and that Thea was going to attend both whilst Ana was going to stay home dying of envy.

Well folks, some things have changed and we have some further news to report! First of all, the BBC has affiliated with BEA and if you register for the former you are automatically registered to the latter. How great is that?

Second, there are going to be several interesting panels during the con like Professionalism/Ethics, Marketing, Author/Blogger Relationships, Building Community, Writing/Building Content, and Thea has been invited to be a panelist for the Marketing segment!

Finally, because she must be there to see this in person, Ana decided to throw caution to the wind and will be joining the hordes attenting both events! This will be grand, the second time ever the Smugglers get to meet in person. Needless to say, we are Super Excited.

So come on, join us! Registration for the con is still open and available for a discounted rate of $90 (until February 14). This includes your pass to BEA, so it’s quite a deal!

In Other News:

Locus Magazine in its February 2010 issue, published The 2009 Recommended Reading List with inputs from many professionals of Fantasy and Scifi genres. Amongst the listed, some of our own favorites such as the ubiquitous Ark by Stephen Baxter (which seems to be making most ‘top of’ lists); Drood by Dan Simmons, Liar by Justine Larbalestier and Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. And of course, many, many others that we really want to read (what else is new?).

On that same vein (hee),The 2009 Stoker Awards Preliminary Ballot has been released. The Stoker Awards are held each year by the Horror Writers Association in celebration of the best of the genre has to offer. And we are stocked to see Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Kaaron Warren’s Slights making the list! The Forest of Hands and Teeth and Slights were two of Thea’s Top 10 reads from 2009. You can read her review for The Forest of Hands and Teeth HERE, and the review for Slights HERE. Also, you can check out our interview with Carrie Ryan, her Smugglivus Guest Post, as well as Kaaron Warren’s guest post about her favorite horror reads of 2009. Congratulations, Carrie and Kaaron!

As you might be aware, the last season of Lost premiered last week with an episode that was mind-blowing and which already sent us into full Theorising Mode. We probably exchanged a hundred emails after we watched the episode discussing the implications of everything that happened to the future of the show. If you are rolling your eyes right now, well, it seems you are not alone. We were shocked, we say SHOCKED, to find out last week, that we, as Lost fans, are officially considered….annoying, Oh, the HORROR, by the non-fans of the show. This, according to this video from The Onion. (Seriously now, THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME. We lurves it. Thanks to Willaful for the heads up).

Current Giveaways:

Don’t forget that our Soul Screamers giveaway is still going! You have until February 15th to enter for a chance to win either both and (first winner) or (two additional winners). You can enter it here.

This Week on The Book Smugglers

We kick start the week with a Lisa McMann special. Thea reviews Fade and Gone books 2 and 3 in the Wake Trilogy and we will have a massive giveaway to celebrate the release of Gone.

On Tuesday, it’s another very special day here at the Book Smugglers. Thea reviews A Dark Matter by Peter Straub, one of the masters of Horror and one of her favourite authors since she was a child. And we are supremely proud to announce that her review will be followed by an interview with the author!

On Wednesday, Ana reviews A Tale of Two Demon Slayers by Angie Fox, third in her Demon Slayer UF series.

Thursday sees Ana reviewing Lex Trent Versus The Gods the first YA offering by writer Alex Bell. The review will be followed by an interview with the author.

Finally on Friday, Thea reviews the Fantasy novel Except the Queen by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder.

And that’s it from us today.

Enjoy your Sunday!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

“On The Smugglers’ Radar” is a new feature for books that have caught our eye: books we heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions into the Amazon jungle. This is how the Smugglers’ Radar was born, and because there are far too many books that we want than we can possibly buy or review (what else is new?) we thought we could make it into a weekly feature – so YOU can tell us which books you have on your radar as well!

On Thea’s Radar:

*rubs hands together* I cannot freaking wait for this upcoming anthology, that includes the likes of Diana Peterfreund, and is edited by the formidable duo of Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier. Can we say, AWESOME?

Edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier, this teen anthology asks the question: which is better and badder, the zombie or the unicorn?

Saw this cover over at Aidan’s blog, A Dribble of Ink, and am intrigued. I have The Adamantine Palace on my TBR (and will be reviewing it in the next two weeks), so I’m excited to see more form Stephen Deas!

When Berren makes the mistake of stealing a purse from a thief-taker, it should have condemned him to a short and brutal life in the slave-mines. So when the thief-taker offers to train him as an apprentice instead, he can’t believe his luck. The thief-taker has secrets of his own, though, and Berren is soon sucked into a faraway war, filled with mercenary soldiers, necromancers who brew potions that can change your destiny, and a psychotic girl-princess with a penchant for cutting pieces out of her lovers’ souls.

It’s no secret that I am an unabashed Rachel Caine fangirl – her Weather Warden series is amongst my top 3 favorite currently running UF series’ PERIOD. New cover art is out, and I. Am. Stoked.

Did you know Dan Simmons has a new novel coming out this year? Hmm? I am a sucker for anything this man writes. He, like Neil Gaiman, is a Writing God in my mind. I cannot wait for Black Hills.

When Paha Sapa, a young Sioux warrior, “counts coup” on General George Armstrong Custer as Custer lies dying on the battlefield at the Little Bighorn, the legendary general’s ghost enters him – and his voice will speak to him for the rest of his event-filled life.

Seamlessly weaving together the stories of Paha Sapa, Custer, and the American West, Dan Simmons depicts a tumultuous time in the history of both Native and white Americans. Haunted by Custer’s ghost, and also by his ability to see into the memories and futures of legendary men like Sioux war-chief Crazy Horse, Paha Sapa’s long life is driven by a dramatic vision he experienced as a boy in his people’s sacred Black Hills. In August of 1936, a dynamite worker on the massive Mount Rushmore project, Paha Sapa plans to silence his ghost forever and reclaim his people’s legacy-on the very day FDR comes to Mount Rushmore to dedicate the Jefferson face.

Also, as the release date draws ever closer, I am really getting excited for the next installment in Claudia Gray’s Evermore books. And I really like this cover for Hourglass.

Bianca will risk everything to be with Lucas.

After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas take refuge with Black Cross, a fanatical group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at their hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend—the vampire Balthazar—hiding is no longer an option.

Soon, Bianca and Lucas are on the run again, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they travel, Bianca can’t escape her destiny.

Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything . . . but can it survive what’s to come?

I just recently saw the formidable Danielle of Opinionated, Me? review this older YA book, and immediately thought: MUST HAVE.

Since the war and the bombs, Hatfork, Wyoming, is a broken-down, mutant-ridden town. Young Chaos lives in the projection booth of the abandoned multiplex, trying to blot out his present unable to remember his past. Then the local tyrant, Kellogg, reveals to him to over a can of dog food that the bombs never fell. The truth is a little more complicated. With a fur-covered girl and an automobile, Chaos sets out on journey, following the empty highway to the edge of the American nightmare, ins search of a missing identity and a stolen love. The truth he finds,is indeed a little more complicated. or a lot . . .

And finally, saw this over at Angie’s blog, Angieville. Now, I am a huge fan of Moira J. Moore’s Hero books. I *love* Taro and Lee. But seriously, these covers blow chunks. Instead, compare the lovely art from Chris McGrath and imagine if THIS was the art for Ms. Moore’s wonderful books.

On Ana’s Radar:

I am currently madly, unhealthly in love with Angry Robot’s entire catalogue. They have what appears to be, some crazy shiz coming out. Evidence #1:

On the streets of Indianapolis, the ancient Arthurian cycle is replaying in the lives of rival street gangs. Told through the eyes of King, as he gathers like-minded friends and warriors around him to venture into the fastness of Dred, the notorious crime lord, this is a stunning mix of myth and harsh reality. A truly remarkable novel.

Evidence #2:

There is a box. Inside that box is a door. And beyond that door is a whole world.

In some rooms, forests grow. In others, animals and objects come to life. Elsewhere, secrets and treasures wait for the brave and foolhardy.

And at the very top of the house, a prisoner sits behind a locked door waiting for a key to turn. The day that happens, the world will end…

and I know that this is way more like Thea’s cup of tea, but I liking the sound it so..evidence # 3:

Botanica is an island, but almost all of the island is taken up by the Tree.

Little knowing how they came to be here, small communities live around the coast line. The Tree provides them shelter, kindling, medicine – and a place of legends, for there are ghosts within the trees who snatch children and the dying.

Lillah has come of age and is now ready to leave her community and walk the tree for five years, learning all Botanica has to teach her. Before setting off, Lillah is asked by the dying mother of a young boy to take him with her. In a country where a plague killed half the population, Morace will otherwise be killed in case he has the same disease. But can Lillah keep the boy’s secret, or will she have to resort to breaking the oldest taboo on Botanica?

I mean, don’t these sound fa-bu-lous?

Earlier this week, Thea sent me the link to this YA book. I have never read any of Carrie Vaughn’s books, but her new series may be a good place to start:

On one side of the border lies the modern world: the internet, homecoming dances, cell phones. On the other side dwell the ancient monsters who spark humanity’s deepest fears: dragons.

Seventeen-year-old Kay Wyatt knows she’s breaking the law by rock climbing near the border, but she’d rather have an adventure than follow the rules. When the dragon Artegal unexpectedly saves her life, a secret friendship grows between them—even though the fragile truce that has maintained peace between their two species is unraveling around them. As tensions mount and battles begin, Kay and Artegal are caught in the middle. Can their friendship change the course of a war?

In her young adult debut, New York Times bestselling author Carrie Vaughn presents a modern tale of myths and machines and an alliance that crosses a seemingly unbridgeable divide.

And finally, this one, by my new author crush, John Green. Apparently there is no blurb and all we know is: it’s out in April and it is about two guys named…Will Grayson.

What about you? Any books on your radar?

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 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 2009 – Day 21!

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: Danielle, of the YA/Horror/Speculative Fiction/etc blog Opinionated, Me? Danielle is a dedicated blogger and straight-shooting reviewer with a ton of posts to her credit – and she’s only a high school freshman, which makes all her accomplishments even more impressive.

Please give it up, folks, for the awesome Danielle!

When Ana and Thea asked me to be part of Smugglivus, I was more then a little daunted. I’d only been blogging for a short time, and I wasn’t sure I could write a coherent post about what I loved/didn’t love about the publishing world in 2009 (y’know, without rambling). There were so many high points in YA and horror this year, I’m struggling to pin-point the excellent from the enjoyable. So, while extending my deepest thanks to Ana and Thea for putting up with me, here is my bloated Best of list for 2009.

Break by Hannah Moskowitz:

About a boy on a mission to break every bone in his body, Moskowitz’s novel is heartbreaking in a strangely approachable way. It explores beautifully the relationship between brothers and, to a lesser extent, the effects of a loveless marriage. I was sobbing by the end of this baby and, while definitely not for everyone, is something everyone can relate to.

Furnace Lockdown by Alexander Gordon-Smith:

Jesus, this ones scary. About literally the world’s worst prison, a young boy finds himself framed for a murder he did not commit and trapped thousands of feet under ground with no way of escape. Warning: do not read while eating–your food WILL get cold.

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

One of the most frightening novels I’ve read in a long time, and a YA at that. Kind of pseudo-gothic and tragically over looked due to, I’m assuming, the lack of mopey teenage vampires.

Slights by Kaaron Warren

Actually thanks to Thea’s review, Angry Robot is quickly becoming one of my favorite publications with deliciously disturbing releases such as this…I mean, look at the cover.

Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsey

Ah, Dexter. Do you ever disappoint?

For those who don’t know, Dexter is the serial-killer-with-a-heart-of-gold who currently has his own show on Showtime. He is also a book series that makes my heart cry tears of joy. By now, the books have obviously deterred from the TV series, but they are both nonetheless made of win and should therefore be picked up for some good macabre fun. I was actually going to have a Dexter week on my blog in celebration of Design’s release, but then life happened and I had to push it back so far I forgot where I put it. Maybe one day…

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Book Two in the Chaos Walking series, anything I can tell you about it would be a major spoiler. Basically, it’s post-apocalyptic and awesome. Patrick Ness has a true gift for storytelling that only comes along once in a while…definitely a must-read and one of the best of the year.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

It’s zombies. Next.

Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks

Not new, but new to me. Addicting in that very odd way where you don’t realize it’s addicting until you put it down and feel the emptiness of where it was nudged in your hand. The conversational tone and cynical protagonist is just so much fun to follow.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Desson

I feel dirty putting this on the list. I am so not a teen romance type of person, but for some reason someone in The Family thought it appropriate to buy me an entire prize pack of Desson novels for my birthday. After several hours of negotiating with a sales clerk to exchange it for a magazine or something, I relented. I am so glad I did. Possibly one of the sweetest, most touching YA I’ve ever read, my faith has been restored in the Cheesy Cover. Perfect for everyone, YA or not.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

New-to-me and about five sisters who all off themselves within the course of a year, The Virgin Suicides follows the quest several unnamed protagonist take to discover the cause of one of their most alluring childhood mysteries. While I’m not usually a literary kind of reader, I was undeniably attracted to the dark subject matter (emo? Perhaps) and The Virgin Suicides did not disappoint. I’m even considering lifting my Kirsten Dunst ban to watch the movie.

Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert

“If you made a book of what really happened, it’d be a really upsetting book”

–Angela Chase, My So-Called Life

As a teenager, I am obligated to my occasional “nobody understands” temper tantrums. The beauty of Ballads is that Kuehnert puts down into legible print every feeling of frustration and isolation I’ve ever had, put to the best soundtrack I’ve ever heard. One of the few authors I would say “gets” it, and I definitely look forward to anything she has in store.

Deathwish by Rob Thurman

Cal Leandros, I lurve you. I am equally smitten with your creator for simply bringing you into existence. Continues Cal’s adventures as he battles his half-monster heritage and other assorted angsty subjects, this series continues to be one of the most well-written UF’s I’ve ever read. While it obviously has it’s flaws, Cal’s biting narrative and dare-I-say wacky friends will grab you by the throat (and not in a bad way) and never let go.

Pygmy by Chuck Palnhiuk

While he has dropped significantly in popularity since Choke, Chuck Palnihuk has once again released a gem of WTFery that only a guy who turned soap intimidating could produce.

Causes for Concern

Supernatural:

Dear Eric Kripke (creator of Supernatural),

I am done.

I am done with your ridiculous doomsday obsession. I am done with your “witty” satires on the very fans that made you half-way relevant. I am tired of your WTF plots and inability to actually seem like you give a shit. I am sick to my stomach with not your jumping of the shark, but taking a soaring leap over the shark and proceeding to punch it in the face. I am hurt, and I am saddened. This relationship has brought me nothing but grief and heart-ache. I feel like my IQ has gone down just for sticking with you as long as I have. I have given more then you have even thought of giving me. I am tired of you face-raping my beloved Jenson Ackles with Paris Hilton’s big nose and I am so goddamn done with your stupidass oneliners. You hear me? Done. Finished. Over. You can leave your keys on the counter.

Hatefully yours,
Danielle

Under the Dome by Stephen King:

Oh, I had so wanted to love this book. I had shelled out the 35 dollars out of my measly 120 dollar per-week pay check, I had lugged it with me to school and back again, I had shoved it forcefully into my backpack and sacrificed countless hours better spent on homework or socializing reading it…and I’m greeted with this mess? Really, Steve?

Really?

Please, friends, don’t be another causality of Irrational Pricing. If your so terribly obsessed with Mr. King, just go to the library. 35 dollars is not an appropriate price range for this mess.

Most anticipated:

I’m really not one to anticipate over books unless they’re actually available (less I loose my mind) but this is definitely at the fore-front of my 2010 shopping list:

Self Promotion At It’s Finest:

A friend and I started something of a project: see if we can get ONE journal to as many people, places and countries as possible. We called it the Big Fat Nerd Journal, and are looking for some more participants. You can sign up at http://bigfatnerdjournaltour.blogspot.com, or just click the button:

As far as pop-culture has gone, it’s been a pretty shiteous year. More movies have disappointed then blown minds, Jon and Kate have been considered real celebrities, people such as the guy from Renegade have been awarded television shows, and the standard for entertainment has been dropped so low it has fallen off satellite radar and scientist believe it to have melted somewhere in the Earth’s core. But at least we can say goodbye to those horrible 2000 glasses.

Happy holidays.

Happy Holidays to you too, Danielle!

Next on Smugglivus: Kristen of Fantasy Cafe

Welcome to Smugglivus 2009 – Day 12!

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: Kaaron Warren, Australian Horror writer.

Recent Work: Her debut novel, Slights is one of Thea’s favorite reads of 2009 (reviewed here) and has just been nominated for an Aurealis award for Best Australian Sci-fi, Fantasy and Horror Novel of 2009!

Without further ado, we give you Kaaron Warren and her favorite reads of 2009, what she is excited about reading in 201,0 and what we can expect from her next year.

I read a lot of rather random books in 2009. With no real access to bookshops or library, and postage to Fiji very expensive, I relied a lot on haphazard discoveries and working my way through my own library.

One book I did spend the big dough on was Suzy McKee Charnas’ ‘Walk to the End of the World’ and ‘Motherlines’. I really loved her story in Ellen Datlow’s Poe Anthology (also a brilliant read) and so chased down these first two novels. Talk about your strong, multi-layered female characters!

I read two Angry Robot books this year and plan to read the rest. Of course as an Angry Robot Author I’m likely to be positive but these books were both excellent. ‘Moxyland’ by Lauren Beukes is a sharp, funny, horrifying read. ‘Nekropolis’ by Tim Waggoner won me over although I started out thinking I had no real interest in zombies. It’s funny, clever, exciting and sad. All the good stuff.

I re-discovered ‘Down-Bound Train’, by Bill Garnett, a strange, contrived and very creepy horror novel. You can read the story of the rediscovery at my livejournal.

I love Hilary Mantel, and ‘Fludd’ was such a funny, crazy novel I read it twice. I discovered Mantel by reading an interview with her in the New Yorker.

Another odd, old read was Michael Fisher’s ‘The Captives’. I found this in an odd little shop in Suva. It’s about a scientist who is studying primates…including humans. He locks up a man and a woman and observes their behaviour. From there, it gets a bit weird, including body painting.

Ken Grimwood wrote a number of novels but it’s ‘Replay’, about a man who lives his life over and over again, I really loved this year. Another rather contrived novel, I liked the way it played out.

In Worldcon I picked up rather a lot of books, including David Nickle’s ‘Monstrous Affections’. Really creepy stories, thoroughly weird in an ordinary way.

I also discovered a book called ‘Like Being Killed’. Written by Ellen Miller who died in 2008, this book was so depressing and frustrating but brilliant at the same time.

I’m looking forward to reading ‘Sixty-One Nails’ by Mike
Shevdon, another Angry Robot book. He talks about the places in London which inspired the book, and I just love that stuff!

Australian writers I admire with novel series coming out are Kirstyn McDermott and Trent Jamieson. I love their short stories and both seem to have been given the chance to experiment in their longer fiction.

I can’t wait to read ‘Haunted Legends’, edited by Datlow and Mamatas, and ‘Baggage’ edited by Gillian Polack. Both draw on layers of history and story telling and I want to see what everyone else came up with. I’ve got stories in both.

Apart from those two anthologies, I have stories in ‘Scenes from the Second Storey’, Morrigan Books, ‘Ishtar’, Gilgamesh Press, Datlow’s ‘Tails of Wonder and Imagination’, and Exotic Gothic 3, edited by Danel Olson for AshTree Press. Two novels should come out this year: ‘Walking the Tree’ and ‘Mistification’, both from Angry Robot Books. The short movie A Positive, from BearCage Productions, will be playing around the place. I’m hoping for an invitation to Sundance!

I’ll be working on two more novels, probably at the same time because I keep getting inspired by both. Plus a dozen or so short stories I always have on the go!

Thanks very much, Kaaron!

Hello! We leave week one of Smugglivus behind and prepare ourselves for week two with loads more of exciting posts – if we may say so ourselves. But first, last week’s giveaway winners:

Joel Sutherland Giveaway

This is a special giveaway: the three winners get an e-copy of Frozen Blood -which by the way, was nominated last week for yet another award, The Black Quill award for Best Small Press Chill, congratulations, Joel! – plus the chance to become a character in his next book. Drum roll, please. The winners are:

Mariska (comment #29)
Veronika F (comment #44)
Sharon K (comment #14)

Congratulations! We will email you with further details!

Jackie Kessler Giveaway

The winner of one copy of Black and White is: Danielle (comment #40)

Alma Alexander Giveaway

The winner of ONE AUTOGRAPHED copy of Spellspam is: Caitlin Usignol (comment #25)
The winner of ONE AUTOGRAPHED copy of Cybermage is: Mishel (comment #18)

Congratulations! You know the drill – send an email to contact AT the book smugglers DOT com with your snail mail address, and we’ll get your winnings out to you as soon as possible! Thanks to all that entered, and if you didn’t win this time, don’t worry. There’s plenty more where that came from!

And you can still enter the fabulous Simon and Schuster UK giveaway (they are giving away 6 upcoming titles to one lucky winner) .

This week on Smugglivus

We start the week with a post by YA writer Dan Waters later today, in which he talks about his favourite 2009 reads.

On Monday, our guest author is contemporary romance writer Julie James! She talks about the books she loved this year and in the spirit of Smugglivus, gives away copies of her two books. Her post will be followed by Thea’s review of Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines.

On Tuesday, PNR writer Nalini Singh talks about her favourite reads of 2009, and about what she is working on at the moment. You will have a chance to win two of her latest books too! Later on that day, Ana reviews Fantasy novel The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V.S. Redick.

Wednesday’s guest is Lee Harris, Assistant Editor for Angry Robot (the new HarperCollins imprint specializing in Fantasy, SciFi, Horror, and WTF!), talking about exciting releases for 2010. His post is followed by a guest review by Harry of Temple Library Reviews of Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon and will have a major swag to giveaway with Harry’s post.

On Thursday, YA author Jennifer Echols lists her own 2009 faves and tells us all about her upcoming books. Her post will be followed by Thea’s review of YA fantasy novel The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima.

On Friday, historical romance writer Loretta Chase dishes all about her upcoming release, and later we post a joint review of Going Bovine by Libba Bray.

Finally (phew), on Saturday it’s horror author Kaaron Warren’s turn to talk about the books she read in 2009, and we will have a huge Smugglivus giveaway.

Stay tuned, Smugglivites! And as Mr Spock would say:

Ana here, to wish you all a Happy Sunday! What are you doing today? Me, I am fulfilling a childhood dream: I am going to see Bruce Springsteen today at Hyde Park! Hooray! I simply can not wait!

Before I leave though, a few bits and bobs to take care of:

Giveaways:

The 5 winners of the Namaah’s Kiss giveaway are:

Sarah M
Sarah Kay
Carol
Danielle
Kristen

The winner of the Don’t Tempt Me giveaway is:

Roxy!

Congratulations!!You know the drill: Please send your snail mail address to: contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com, and we will send you the books ASAP.

This week on The Book Smugglers:

On Monday, I will be reviewing Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh, her new exciting installment in the most excellent Psy/Changeling series.

On Tuesday Nalini Singh is our guest for the day, talking about Inspiration and Influences. This is when you get a chance to win a copy of Branded by Fire in a Flash Giveaway (because we just know how anxious you all are to read it – as you should be!)

On Wednesday, it’s Novella Day when Thea reviews two stories in the Strange Brew anthology: Seeing Eye by Patricia Briggs and Death Warmed Over by Rachel Caine

On Thursday , it’s Thea’s turn again with the review of Darkness Calls by Marjorie Liu. Word on the Book Smugglers’ grapevine is that it’s even better than the first in the series The Iron Hunt (which Thea really loved!)

Finally,on Friday I will be reviewing a book that first caught my attention because of its beautiful cover and after reading it, became one of my favorites of the year so far. It is the YA novel Eyes Like Stars by debut author Lisa Mantchev. While you wait for our review, just have a look at the book’s awesome website: Theatre Illuminata

Upcoming:

We have a Very Special Event upcoming! Our very own Young Adult Appreciation Month – from July 19th to August 16th, we will be talking about this genre that we love. This is a teaser of some of the books we will review:

Plus, a lot of interviews with authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Diana Peterfreund, Karen Mahoney, Lisa Mantchev and others plus guest posts by YA bloggers and YA editors, and of course, giveaways. We are super excited – what about you?

Other news:

Joel Sutherland , writer of Frozen Blood (reviewed by Thea here) is running a cool contest with loads of possible prizes on his blog to celebrate his nomination for the Bram Stoker award.

Kaaron Warren, author of Slights, the horror novel that Thea considers one of the best of the year, is doing a countdown for the release of the book. In Slights, a character writes a story within a story, in the margins of library books. Kaaron is counting down to the release by writing a bit about each book the character writes in (because of course, each book was not picked at random!) . Check it out here: Kaaron Warren’s Livejournal

And that’s it from us today,folks!

~Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

Title: Slights

Author: Kaaron Warren

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Angry Robot
Publication Date: July 1, 2009 (UK release) / October 2009 (US Release)
Paperback: 528 pages

Stand Alone or Series: Stand alone novel.

Why did I read this book: As official ensigns of the Angry Robot Army, we were offered

Summary: (from AngryRobot.com)
Stephanie is a killer. After an accident in which her mother dies, she has a near-death experience and finds herself in a room full of people – everyone she’s ever pissed off. They clutch at her, scratch and tear at her. But she finds herself drawn back to this place, again and again, determined to unlock its secrets. Which means she has to die, again and again.

And she starts to wonder whether other people see the same room… when they die.

Review:

What should have happened was this:
We got a taxi home.

These brief words mark the beginning of Stevie’s story. After a celebratory lunch with her mother and a few glasses of wine, Stevie drives home. She swerves out of the way of what she thinks is a child in the road and slams into a wall, killing her mother in the passenger seat. Stevie nearly dies, remembering her mother’s screams and awakens in a cold, dark room smelling of mothballs and shit and pain, surrounded by angry faces with unblinking eyes. She lives though, revived back to the world of the living, but Stevie remembers the cold room. The many faces that surrounded her are people from her past and her life; they are the faces of everyone she has ever slighted, and Stevie knows they are waiting to destroy her. It becomes Stevie’s fascination, this cold room at the edge of death, and she tries to revisit it again and again.

I’m not sure how to write this review.

I don’t think I have the words to describe how dark and depraved and strangely, perversely heartbreaking Slights is.

The official synopsis and my own above barely scratch the surface of what this novel is truly about. Yes, Stevie is addicted to her near death experiences, and yes, there is an unsettling mystery of old bones and trinkets and murder in this novel. And yet…this doesn’t do Slights justice. This is a twisted memoir; a pastiche of Stevie’s life; an unrelenting suicide note. Every chapter unfolds in yearly increments – each separated by Stevie’s birthdays following the death of her mother – and gradually reveals Stevie’s past, with her troubled childhood, overlayed with the present gradual deterioration of all her relationships, eventually culminating in her complete and total alienation. Slights is impossible to skim or rush through because of the nature of these chapters, flitting from memory to present, narrated in Stevie’s minimalist, yet darkly chimerical voice. There is a tenuous thread of plot, but this is much more of an examination of character over time than it is a mystery or a linear story.

But as difficult as Slights is to classify, it is infinitely more difficult to put down. I could not stop reading this book, plain and simple. Even when the subject matter involved pedophilia, bitterly painful family scenes, brutality, murder, or – most disturbing of all – the echoing loneliness of despair, I could not tear myself away from this book. Stevie, in her first person narration, is the book, and for all her sociopathic flaws, I couldn’t help but feel for her. Certainly, it’s not Stevie’s intent (nor Ms. Warren’s) to win any sympathies from the reader – like everyone else in her life, Stevie is antagonism personified, pushing away anyone that tries to get close to her, mocking the amiability and affection of others as weakness. And yet, at the heart of Stevie’s noxious thoughts, buried beneath her indifference and venom, she’s just a very messed up person reaching for attention. And having insight to her thoughts, free of pretense, as well as her disturbing past and family heritage, well…it allows the reader to at least understand why Stevie is who she is.

It is testament to Ms. Warren’s skill as a writer that she can inspire any feelings of sympathy at all in this book, especially considering the dark nature of the subject matter. The writing, in itself, is flawless. This is not hyperbole. Her bare-bones writing style, completely free of excessive adjectives or unnecessary descriptions (a style that one reviewer has aptly labeled as “minimalistic”), and the entirely convincing voice of her narrator is brilliant. The writing, effective characterization, and the sheer rawness of Slights makes this a visceral read, and one of the best horror novels I have read not only in 2009, but in years.

Ms. Warren’s brand of terror isn’t of the popular gore or the usual supernatural variety; instead, she drags us through the horror of apathy, the terror of what lurks beneath the veneer of the usual and commonplace.

And it is frankly terrifying how great a book this is.

Notable Quotes/Parts: An excerpt of the excellent first chapter of Slights is available online at Angry Robot, HERE. Check it out for yourself, if you don’t believe me.

Additional Thoughts: Slights marks one of two launch titles for Angry Robot, the new Harper Collins imprint specializing in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and WTF?

Slights will be released in the UK & Australia on July 1, 2009 and will hit stores in the US in September. You can pre-order the book online at Amazon UK.

Verdict: Slights is a forceful, harrowing read, and is not only the best horror novel but one of the best books I have read in 2009. Be warned, this is a dark read and certainly isn’t for everyone…but I loved it. Absolutely recommended, for those with a strong constitution.

Rating: 9 Damn Near Perfection

Reading Next: Namaah’s Kiss by Jacqueline Carey