Grace's July Indie Next List Picks

The July Indie Next List just came out and two of the featured reads are my current favorites to recommend!

Grace's 1st Pick: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell has quickly become one of my favorite authors.  I would buy anything she wrote, even if it was a technical manual on how to operate a vacuum cleaner.  That's why I'm so excited to tell you all about her latest novel, Landline, because not only is it about a topic way more exciting than vacuum cleaners, it's an exceptional piece of writing! 

Georgie McCool (seriously, what an awesome name!) is about to make a big move in her career as a television writer and she couldn't be happier, except that it means the slow implosion of her marriage is about to speed up.  Georgie's husband, Neal, and their kids leave for Christmas while Georgie stays behind to work on her new TV show, and she begins to wonder if she's finally ruined everything.   That's when she discovers that her old landline offers a way to communicate with Neal in the past, exactly one week before he proposed.  Now she has the opportunity to fix her marriage before it even starts...unless she's not meant to?  Faced with a choice of moving forward or living in the past, Georgie must decide which path is the best for herself, her marriage, and her family.

Readers will be enthralled with Rowell's true-to-life characters and her ability to make a magical connection to the past seem completely feasible.  I mean seriously?  A magical landline?  And yet, I completely bought into it because Rowell's writing totally captivates and engrosses the reader from the very first chapter.  It's the perfect beach read, rainy day read, stay up until all hours of the night read, forgot to make dinner because this book is so good read...you get the idea!

Grace gives this book 5 out of 5 carrots!

Click here to purchase your copy of Landline from The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop & Guest House.

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Grace's 2nd Pick: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

My second pick is featured as the cover page title of the July Indie Next List and it has a take-charge, intelligent heroine at the helm.  Kelsea Raleigh Glynn has been raised in exile, but now that she has come of age, she must reclaim her mother's throne and learn to be a ruler despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  There's the Red Queen, a powerful monarch in a neighboring kingdown; the Caden, a group of assassins tasked with eliminating Kelsea; and the Regent of Tearling, her uncle Thomas, who will do anything necessary to stay in power. Facing these three foes, Kelsea must gain the trust and loyalty of her protectors and subjects, as well as learn to use the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense power passed on to her by her late mother.

What doesn't this novel have?  Readers can find magic, adventure, mystery, and romance as they follow Kelsea's journey to reclaiming her throne.  Johansen has laid a fantastic foundation for what promises to be thrilling trilogy in this first book.  While the story seemed to drag in a few places, it had more than enough twists and turns in the plot to keep me reading late into the night.  Johansen's characters and world-building really blew me away and must have impressed some other readers as well because Harry Potter producer David Heyman has taken on the project of creating a film version of the book with Emma Watson starring as Kelsea!  While book to movie adaptations always make me nervous, it sounds like the novel will be in good hands.  Just be sure to read the book before the story hits the big screen!

Grace gives this book 4.5 out of 5 carrots!

Click here to purchase your copy of The Queen of the Tearling from The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop & Guest House.

More of an eBook reader?  Click here to find out how you can support your local, independent bookshop through eReading!

"Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell

I might be a little late to the Rainbow Rowell fan club, but I've got to say that I'm absolutely hooked after reading Fangirl.  I gave serious consideration to immediately re-reading the book once I finished it, but my pile of "books to be read" is just so huge at this point that I was forced to move on.

Meet Cath, an 18 year old starting her freshman year of college.  Her twin sister has abandoned her to meet new people, her roommate is less than polite and has an overly friendly boyfriend, her dad isn't coping well with the whole "empty nest" thing, and her fiction writing professor constantly expects more from her.  All Cath really wants to do is disappear into the world of fanfiction where she's most comfortable.  She's already gained a little bit of fame on the Simon Snow (world-wide literary phenomenon--picture Harry Potter) forums.  Fanfiction is what helped her cope with her mother leaving, created a stronger sisterly bond with her twin, and provided the inspiration for her chosen field of study.  Faced with a new life outside of her comfort zone, Cath will have to choose between moving forward in the real world or continuing to hide in the fanfiction world.

Rowell has a real talent for creating characters so life-like that you almost believe they are people you know.  The dialogue that flies back and forth between certain characters is so realistic and true to the college experience (or at least my college experience) that I was constantly telling people, "Here, just listen to this, I have to read it to you."  Perhaps most impressive was the amount of work and planning that evidently went into setting up a fictional Harry Potter-esque franchise as part of the backdrop for this book.  "Excerpts" and plot points from the Simon Snow series are sprinkled throughout which further sucks the reader into the book.  I actually did a web search to see if Simon Snow was a real series just to make sure I wasn't missing something.  I also appreciated the fact that this is a true young adult novel.  While I do enjoy a good teeny-bopper book, Fangirl  is definitely written for a slightly more mature audience (I'd probably recommend to ages 16+) and I found that really refreshing.

Grace gives this book 5 out of 5 carrots!

Click here to purchase your copy of Fangirl at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop & Guest House.

More of an eBook reader? Click here to find out how you can support The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop through eReading!

"The Secret History of the Pink Carnation" by Lauren Willig

This book is not technically a recent read for me as I finished it this past spring, but we've been pretty busy at The Velveteen Rabbit and haven't had much of a chance to blog about what we're reading.  Now that I finally have a chance to sit down and type out my thoughts, I'd like to first give credit to Beth for recommending this fantastic series to me.  It'd been one of her staff picks for awhile and now I can see why!  My only disappointment in this series is that it isn't a true story, which just goes to show how wonderful Willig's narrative really is!

The novel is a story within a story.  The reader follows Eloise Kelly, a smart but slightly fumbling American grad student as she works to uncover the secret identity of the Pink Carnation, the most elusive English spy during the Napoleonic wars for her dissertation.  Her search leads her to some of the descendents of the Purple Gentian, another famous spy whose identity was revealed and therefore was forced to retire.  One such descendent, a Mr. Colin Selwick, is a little more than irate to find that his great-aunt has let a perfect stranger look at their family papers and it's hate at first sight.  Of course, hate has always been rumored to be far closer to love than most would think.....

As I've already mentioned, I was more than a little disappointed that the majority of the espionage and intrigue in this novel was all fiction.  I so desperately wanted there to really be a Pink Carnation and a Purple Gentian, but that just shows how totally engrossing Willig's novel is.  It sucked me right in and didn't even let me go when I finished the book.  I had to immediately purchase the next book in the series (and the next after that and the next after that.........you get the idea).  Now, at the halfway point in the series, I'm taking a small moment to recommend this novel to readers in search of a great escape from reality.  Then I'm heading back to England with Eloise and the Pink Carnation!

Grace gives this book 5 out of 5 carrots!

Click here to purchase your copy at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop and Guest House!

"Persuasion" by Jane Austen

Jane Austen's last novel, though overshadowed by her other wonderful classics, is fully worthy of the highest praise. Anne Elliot is the unmarried heroine of the story, having been persuaded to deny her love her hand in marriage, due to class distinctions. Now a handsome naval officer, a resentful Captain Wentworth and Anne are brought back into the same social circle. Various love interests and crises spice the pages, which go by altogether too quickly.

Unique charaters make this novel the intriguing satire that it is. Proud Sir Walter Elliot, conniving Mrs. Clay and fickle Mary Musgrove are a few who make their appearances. Anne Elliot herself is described by her creater as "almost too good for me", according to every description of the book that I've read. The plot jaunts across England, from Lyme to Bath, and the latest news is never far behind. An intelligent commentary on England's gentry, it is moreover an artfully scripted lesson in love and true character.

Kerry gives it five out of five carrots!

Click here to purchase your copy from The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!

"I'm Not Her" by Janet Gurtler

As a senior, Kristina has everything she could ever want. She is athletic, outgoing, pretty, popular, and of course with those qualities comes a boyfriend of her choice. Her little sister, Tess, on the other hand, is quiet, shy, and smart. Feeling the need to give her sister, who is now a "Freshie", a head start in high school, Kristina tries to ease Tess into society by taking her to parties and introducing her to all of the popular kids. But Tess prefers to keep to herself and watch everything from the outside. That all changes when Kristina gets diagnosed with cancer. Tess quickly finds with Kristina gone, the popular kids and everyone else comes to her for answers about Kristina. With her sister bedridden and both of her parents very distraught, Tess realizes that she needs to be strong for her family in order to keep them from falling apart. Luckily they also have Jeremy, who not only makes Kristina happy, but also seems to understand what she needs during this difficult time. Both Tess and Kristina come to understand that true friends are always there to help and love you when you need it the most.

"I'm Not Her" is an inspiring story about life and its struggles. It suggests that when a drastic changes occur in life, you sometimes need to step out of your shell. Being strong and steady for the people who are hurt and confused is very important.

Clare gives this book five out of five carrots!

Click here to purchase your copy of "I'm Not Her" at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

I'm probably not the only one writing a bad review of this sad, sad excuse for a novel--after all, Bushnell has given her readers plenty of cause to hate this book. First of all, it is a young adult novel based on the life of fictional flirt Carrie Bradshaw, whom you may know from Sex and the City. In that way, this book serves as a sort of gateway into the television show, which is less than appropriate for a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl (young adult books are usually geared to ages 12-17).

Secondly, I have never--EVER--read a book with a character so devoid of life. The young Carrie in this book isn't witty or interesting--I'd rather read the story of her pet rock than read another droning page of boyfriend woes, complaining about friends, etc. Seventeen-year-olds are wonderfully over-dramatic and vivacious! Carrie Bradshaw is like a sad dead thing. What happened to the Carrie who playfully sports a tutu on the streets of New York? What happened to the word-playing, savvy writer who women all over the world wanted to emulate? Bushnell had a prime opportunity to write a sprightly coming of age novel, but her writing prowess fell short. Way short. The ingredients list on the back of Carrie Bradshaw's neon pink nail polish is far more interesting than this drivel.

The best thing about writing a bad review is that it allows you the opportunity to recommend BETTER books, and I have plenty:

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty is the journal of the loveable Jessica Darling, a hyper-observant, cynical, brainiac high school girl who makes even the most mundane of days humorous. The love story is also much more realistic to high school and much more enviable than Carrie Bradshaw's lackluster relationships.

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison is one I've mentioned before, but it bears repeating: Georgia Nicholson's life will have you laughing out loud on every single page. That sounds like a cliche, but I promise you--it's so true.

What's your favorite young adult book? Feel free to comment, and further save people from the travesty of The Carrie Diaries!

Beth gives this book one out of five carrots.

Click here to buy The Carrie Diaries at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!

"Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?" by Louise Rennison

I've loved the Georgia Nicholson series since they first came out nine years ago, but it was hard to be sad while reading this latest (and final!) book. In fact, it was hard to do anything but laugh hysterically. Rennison has once again shown her finesse at diving into the confused minds of teen girls, who are--in English-speak--quite mad. This final chapter in the Georgia Nicholson saga finds our protagonist choosing between Masimo, the English-impaired Italian heartthrob, or Dave the Laugh (who is, of course, a laugh). I savored every moment of Georgia and her friends' chaotic, laugh-out-loud funny lives.

A note to parents: don't be thrown off by the...err, unique titles of the books in this series. The Georgia Nicholson books are among the cleanest, most appropiate young adult books I've read. There is no drinking, no drugs, no sex...just great hilariousness that your daughter (and you, probably!) will love. This book is recommended for seventh grade and up. (Also...adults love it too! There have even been editions of this book published just for grown-ups.)

Start off with Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging and you won't be able to stop reading this fabulous series!

Beth gives it five out of five carrots!

Click here to order this book at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop and Guest House!

"Twenties Girl" by Sophie Kinsella

*NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK! Click here!*
This book was 435 pages of pure, undiluted joyful reading. Kinsella has created her most loveable characters yet in Lara, a twenty-something klutzy, modern girl in London coping with a recent breakup, and Sadie, the ghost of her great-aunt, circa 1922. Lara didn't ASK to be haunted by the hilariously annoying Sadie, and she certainly didn't ask for a friendship--but that's what she got. Sadie has two goals for her ghostly time on earth: one, to find her beloved dragonfly necklace, and two, to live vicariously through Lara. The former lets us dive into an intriguing mystery with a beautiful finish, and the latter lets us see Lara dressed anachronistically in full 1920's costume, falling in love. You'll fall in love with every unique and skillfully drawn character, especially Sadie. A comedy, a romance, and a mystery wrapped up all in one, this is one book that will leave you wanting more!

Beth gives it five out of five carrots!

Click here to order your copy of "Twenties Girl" at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!

"Savannah Blues" by Mary Kay Andrews

I am always reading, but there's a frantic period near the end of the summer, when the school year is fast approaching, that I tend to binge-read. And what better author is there to sit down and read in a lazy summer afternoon than Mary Kay Andrews? Andrews' Savannah Blues makes for the perfect end-of-summer reading treat. Heroine Eloise "Weezie" Foley, an antique picker, copes with divorce (and subsequently living in her ex-husband's backyard), being accused of murder, and new love with an old boyfriend, all with her own unique brand of cyncism and hilarity. What could make this delectable book of romance and mystery even better? Its setting: Savannah, Georgia, a city which Andrews writes about with tangible affection.

Beth gives it four out of five carrots!

Click here to order your copy of "Savannah Blues" by Mary Kay Andrews from The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!