Book Review: The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Book Review: The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty

The Shambling Guide to New York City Visiting a new city can be so hard. How do you know if a hotel is right for you? What are the must-see attractions? Which restaurants serve entrails and hedgehogs?

Fear not, Underground Publishing is here to help! In Mur Lafferty’s delightful The Shambling Guide to New York City, there’s another side to the city — and the about-to-be-published guide book covers it all.

Zoe Norris, travel book writer, has moved home to NYC after leaving her previous job in disgrace after a disastrous affair with her boss — who left out little details like being married when he seduced Zoe. Now unemployed, Zoe stumbles across an ad for a job opening with a new travel publishing company. Sounds perfect — except every time she tries to apply for the position, she’s told that she’s not right for the company. Indignant, Zoe pursues the job with even more determination (Hey, is this discrimination? What about Equal Employment Opportunity laws?), but gets a shocking awakening when she lands the job and learns the truth: Underground Publishing caters to the supernatural world, here known as “coterie” (watch out — the term “monsters” is considered highly offensive), and Zoe will be the only human employee.

Zoe’s coworkers are a veritable menagerie of coterie: Her boss Phil is a scary vampire, the writers are zombies (who are pretty great guys so long as they have a steady supply of brains), and then there’s the water sprite and the death goddess who become Zoe’s strongest allies at the office.

As Zoe navigates her new work life, it’s an eye-opening experience, to say the least. Coterie are all around, but most humans are too oblivious to see what’s right in front of them. And as if “normal” supernatural life wasn’t enough to take in, a new threat has emerged, and the zombies are getting a little… hungry.

Plus, Zoe’s next-door neighbor is awfully cute but seems to be keeping secrets, and unfortunately, has seen Zoe in some rather compromising conditions. (Important to note: The coterie workplace doesn’t have sexual harassment laws, so if your coworker is an incubus who makes you want to rip off your and/or his clothes whenever you’re in the same room, you’re pretty much on your own.)

Meanwhile, Zoe isn’t just the helpless (and potentially tasty) human that her boss and colleagues believe her to be, and with the help of a strangely agile homeless woman, she’s getting a crash course in defensive weaponry and learning to kick coterie butt… just in case.

The Shambling Guide to New York City follows Zoe through her initiation into the hidden world of coterie, with selections from the guidebook interspersed between chapters. The writing is light and tongue-in-cheek, with the ironic, hip attitude that signals a fun romp through urban fantasy.

Early on, I commented that “there is a fine line between funny and dumb, and the book I’m reading is teetering on the brink.” Fortunately, the plot takes off fairly quickly, and it’s easy to become engaged in Zoe’s crash-course in survival among the coterie.

“Um,” she said, cursing her awkwardness. She should have been smoother, but she had never before stood in a sewer, dirty and bloodied, covered in demon gore, and attempted a first kiss. She didn’t know the etiquette.

With breezy humor and plenty of action, The Shambling Guide to New York City is an engaging and entertaining romp. There’s some serious sexytime in the mix (remember that incubus I mentioned?), quippy repartee, and an amusing array of creatures, demons, Public Works employees (you’ll see), and all sorts of undead and the otherwise non-human.

In terms of tone and pacing, I was reminded most of Nicole Peeler’s Jane True series (which I adore). If you’re a fan of urban fantasy, and like the idea of a human rising to the occasion in a non-human world (and really getting her grrrl power on), check out The Shambling Guide.

Meanwhile, I’m all in… and really looking forward to getting my hands on the newly released book 2, The Ghost Train to New Orleans. More Zoe and the gang? Yes, please!

_________________________________________

The details:

Title: The Shambling Guide to New York City
Author: Mur Lafferty
Publisher: Orbit
Publication date: 2013
Length: 350 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Source: Purchased

24Mar2014

The Monday Agenda 3/24/2014

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Despite another week of real-life craziness, I did manage to read some great books!

Night Broken (Mercy Thompson, #8) Grasshopper Jungle The Summer I Wasn't Me

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs: Loved it! My review is here.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith: Weird and wonderful. My review is here.

The Summer I Wasn’t Me by Jessica Verdi: Done! Watch for my review and blog tour post about this terrific YA book on April 5th!

The kiddo and I have more or less ditched Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper, although we may end up giving it one more shot. We also read the first chapter of Treasure Island, but we’re feeling very non-committal at the moment.

Fresh Catch:

No new physical books this week, but I did get a few e-ARCs that look pretty terrific:

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

The Shambling Guide to New York City The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry Visible City

I’ve just started The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty, and so far, it’s a riot.

After that, I’ll be diving into:

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Visible City by Tova Mirvis

And also in the works:

The Outlander Book Club’s re-read of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon continues! Coming up this week: Chapters 49 – 53. Want to join in? Contact me and I’ll provide all the details!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

22Mar2014

Book Review: Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Book Review: Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Grasshopper Jungle Well, this is certainly one of the oddest books I’ve read in a long time.

In Grasshopper Jungle, we meet 16-year-old Austin Szerba, who lives in Ealing, Iowa and is very much in love with his girlfriend Shann… and with his best friend Robby. Austin spends much of his time either confused or horny, or both. Ealing is a dead-end town that dried up after its major business, McKeon Industries, shut its doors and left most of the Ealing residents unemployed — as a result of which, stores have shut down, people are constantly being foreclosed or evicted, and the entire town has a feeling of hopelessness.

And then one day, things take a decided turn for the apocalyptic. In a weird confluence of events, Austin and Robby get beaten up, some nasty boys steal a McKeon Industries artifact that contains a lethal mold, and a chain of events starts that leads to the end of the world as we know it. This particular end of the world takes the form of 6-foot-tall praying mantises with exoskeletons strong as armor who only want to do two things…

It’s up to Austin, Shann, and Robby to save the world — or not, maybe. Or possibly just figure out what the heck is going on and salvage what they can. Oh, and also figure out what their own little triangle means, and whether anything good can possibly come of it. And yeah, maybe repopulate the planet, if necessary.

Along the way, we get Austin’s family history, all the way back to his great-great-many times great-grandfather in Poland, his descendants and their twisted history, and all the little turns of fate or coincidence that lead them to Ealing, Iowa and a plague of unstoppable, lethal, giant insects.

Austin is an historian, recording everything in his notebooks with a commitment to honesty, while at the same time noting that all written history is, of necessity, an abbreviation. No one can ever record every single thing, so what we end up learning is the bits and pieces that the recorders felt most important, but not necessarily the entire truth.

In Austin’s version of history, we read about Presidents and testicles, agricultural experiments and cave paintings, the Rolling Stones and skateboards. We also learn about love and devotion, confusion and yearning, friendship and bravery, and how dangerous a crazy person with a science lab can be.

The writing is funny, random, and rather Vonnegut-like in places. Odd facts and figures are inserted here and there in Austin’s narrative, and he returns over and over again to repeat certain phrases and thoughts throughout the book. Chief among these:

It was not a good idea.

You know what I mean.

Nobody knew anything about it.

And then there’s the word used by Austin and Robby more than any other in the book, “uh”, followed by the closely related “um”, which are all-purpose responses appropriate for almost all occasions:

Shann squirmed in her seat. She said, “Uh. Am I wrong about something, or do you two boys actually know something more than I do about what he’s talking about?

I said, “Uh.”

Robby said, “Uh.”

Grasshopper Jungle is strange and hilarious, often disgusting, completely rambling, with odd flights of free association and bizarre facts, and a connect-the-dots feel to it that shows either that all life is connected and that the smallest moments may have huge meaning and consequences… or that everything is random and trivial, and that nothing we do matters in the long run. But not really — even in the midst of giant bugs destroying humankind and chowing down on everyone they encounter, there’s a sense of joyous celebration of life that keeps Grasshopper Jungle flying along despite the body parts and cataclysmic events.

Grasshopper Jungle is weird and wild, but utterly wonderful — in its own bug-infested, sex-obsessed, end-of-the-world way.

_________________________________________

The details:

Title: Grasshopper Jungle
Author: Andrew Smith
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication date: February 11, 2014
Length: 388 pages
Genre: Young adult/science fiction
Source: Library

21Mar2014

Flashback Friday: The Ruby in the Smoke

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is a weekly tradition started here at Bookshelf Fantasies, focusing on showing some love for the older books in our lives and on our shelves. If you’d like to join in, just pick a book published at least five years ago, post your Flashback Friday pick on your blog, and let us all know about that special book from your reading past and why it matters to you. Don’t forget to link up!

My Flashback Friday pick this week:

The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
(published 1985)

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Sally is sixteen and uncommonly pretty. Her knowledge of English literature, French, history, art and music is non-existent, but she has a thorough grounding in military tactics, can run a business, ride like a Cossack and shoot straight with a pistol.

When her dear father is drowned in suspicious circumstances in the South China Sea, Sally is left to fend for herself, an orphan and alone in the smoky fog of Victorian London. Though she doesn’t know it, Sally is already in terrible danger. Soon the mystery and the danger will deepen – and at the rotten heart of it all lies the deadly secret of the ruby in the smoke…

Before the amazing His Dark Materials trilogy, there were the Sally Lockhart books. The Ruby in the Smoke is first, followed by The Shadow in the North, The Tiger in the Well, and The Tin Princess.

Set in Victorian London, there’s intrigue a-plenty, as Sally investigates the mystery of her father’s disappearance and faces danger of all sorts, as well as a whole range of shady, nefarious people. I must admit that I never read past the first in the series, but I did like it quite a bit, and have always meant to read on.

Have you read the Sally Lockhart books? Should I finish the quartet?

And a little aside for Doctor Who fans: Hold onto your heads so they don’t explode — the TV movie version of The Ruby in the Smoke (2006) starred Billie Piper and Matt Smith. Awesome, right?

What flashback book is on your mind this week?

Note from your friendly Bookshelf Fantasies host: To join in the Flashback Friday fun:

Grab the Flashback Friday button
Post your own Flashback Friday entry on your blog (and mention Bookshelf Fantasies as the host of the meme, if you please!)
Leave your link in the comments below
Check out other FF posts… and discover some terrific hidden gems to add to your TBR piles!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I’m building a Book Blog Meme Directory, and need your help! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!

20Mar2014

Bookish Bits & Bobs

Posted in Bookish Thoughts by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

So much exciting book news lately! Well, exciting in my little corner of the bookish world, in any case… so I thought I’d write a quick post to tell you all what really had me jumping for joy (or scratching my head) in the last couple of weeks:

It was announced that David Nicholls, author of the wonderful One Day, will have a new book out this fall! Us is scheduled for publication in September; read more about it here.

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this one: Anne Rice is writing a new Lestat book! Prince Lestat is due out in October, and will be the first in a new series revisiting the author’s vampire superstar. Read about it here. I don’t know — I loved Anne Rice’s first few vampire books back in the day, but so many years have gone by that I don’t really feel a need to revisit that world. Plus, to be honest, I haven’t loved the last few books of her that I’ve read. How about you? Will you read a new Lestat book?

Now this really is exciting! According to Patricia Briggs’s Facebook page, the author has just signed a contract for a new Alpha & Omega book, the 4th in the series. The book will be called Dead Heat, and will be published in spring 2015. *happy dance*

Beowulf by… Tolkien? According to this report, J. R. R. Tolkien’s previously unpublished translation of Beowulf will by published by HarperCollins in May.

Quick: When you think of Keith Richards, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? I’ll bet it wasn’t “children’s book author”, was it? In one of the more surprising book announcements of the year, it turns out the Keith will be publishing a books for kids called Gus & Me this fall. Gus & Me will tell the story about Keith’s grandfather and how he introduced Keith to music. Okay, maybe not as juicy as Life, but I’ll still check it out!

That’s it for now! What book news are you most excited about?

20Mar2014

Thursday Quotables: Night Broken

Posted in Thursday Quotables by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

My hands hurt, my hip hurt, my cheek throbbed, and someone had thrown a finger at me — and I hadn’t eaten today. Adam’s hand curled around the top of my knee, and I relaxed and let myself drift off. Nothing was so bad that Adam’s touch couldn’t make it better. Even if he wouldn’t let me give Christy to the fire-dog from hell.

Just a typical day in the life of Mercy Thompson!

And in what I assume is a shout-out to one of my other favorite characters in urban fantasy:

The lawyer’s assistant, who was scribbling down notes, lit right up. “Magic is supposed to affect electricity like that. I’ve read that wizards can’t be in the same room with things like computers and stuff.”

I knew where she’d read that. I bit my lip. It was to our advantage to spread a little misinformation whenever we could.

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

If you’d like to participate in Thursday Quotables, it’s really simple:

Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now. And please be sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com), if you’d be so kind!
Leave your link in the comments — or, if you have a quote to share but not a blog post, you can leave your quote in the comments too!
Visit other linked blogs to view their Thursday Quotables, and have fun!

19Mar2014

Book Review: Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Book Review: Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

Night Broken (Mercy Thompson, #8)

You know how some series outstay their welcome? Well, as far as I’m concerned, Mercy Thompson can stay as long as she wants! In Patricia Briggs’s inventive and engrossing urban fantasy series, Mercy Thompson is the heroine extraordinaire. She fixes cars, kicks butt, bakes amazing chocolate chip cookies, and shifts into coyote form at will. Being married to the Alpha of the local werewolf pack means life is never boring, and she manages to hold her own among all the big, bad (but with hearts-of-gold) wolves, as well as with all the various and sundry supernatural beings that populate the Washington Tri-Cities area.

In Night Broken, the 8th in the series, Mercy faces a truly scary adversary: her husband’s ex-wife. Christy is a human who has perfected the art of manipulating everyone around her by eliciting sympathy for poor little her, and when she acquires a psycho stalker, of course she comes to the pack for protection. Mercy grits her teeth and tries to stay calm, but between Christy’s attempts to take over her home and the dangerous creature that threatens all their lives, it’s no wonder she’s feeling a wee bit tense.

Night Broken continues the author’s winning streak, providing a mix of exciting action and danger while also showcasing Mercy’s emotional side and her struggles and challenges. Having come so far with her, it’s lovely to see Mercy making her way in the pack and enjoying her rare private moments with her oh-so-sexy husband Adam and her stepdaughter Jesse.

I truly loved this newest addition to one of my favorite series — my only complaint being that I read it within two days of its publication, and now I have to wait again!

Obviously, anyone who hasn’t read a Mercy book yet should start at the beginning. If you enjoy urban fantasy with tough, smart women at the lead, this is a series not to be missed!

A final note: For a tiny taste of Night Broken, check out tomorrow’s Thursday Quotables post here at Bookshelf Fantasies!

And if you want to know more about the Mercy books, you can also check out my review of the 7th in the series, Frost Burned.

_________________________________________

The details:

Title: Night Broken (Mercy Thompson, #8)
Author: Patricia Briggs
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Publication date: March 11, 2014
Length: 341 pages
Genre: Urban fantasy
Source: Purchased

18Mar2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: Evergreen

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

There’s nothing like a Wednesday for thinking about the books we want to read! My Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday post is linking up with two fabulous book memes, Wishlist Wednesday (hosted by Pen to Paper) and Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine).

My most wished-for book this week is:

Evergreen by Rebecca Rasmussen
(Release date: July 8, 2014)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

From the celebrated author of The Bird Sisters, a gorgeously rendered and emotionally charged novel that spans generations, telling the story of two siblings, raised apart, attempting to share a life.

It is 1938 when Eveline, a young bride, follows her husband into the wilderness of Minnesota. Though their cabin is rundown, they have a river full of fish, a garden out back, and a new baby boy named Hux. But when Emil leaves to take care of his sick father, the unthinkable happens: a stranger arrives, and Eveline becomes pregnant. She gives the child away, and while Hux grows up hunting and fishing in the woods with his parents, his sister, Naamah, is raised an orphan. Years later, haunted by the knowledge of this forsaken girl, Hux decides to find his sister and bring her home to the cabin. But Naamah, even wilder than the wilderness that surrounds them, may make it impossible for Hux to ever tame her, to ever make up for all that she, and they, have lost. Set before a backdrop of vanishing forest, this is a luminous novel of love, regret, and hope.

Doesn’t this sound terrific? I love the wilderness setting, and the family dynamics sound fascinating. Can’t wait!

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays and Fridays? Come join me for my regular weekly features, Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday! You can find out more here — come share the book love!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

17Mar2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on my Spring TBR List

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week, we’re focusing on the books we most look forward to reading this spring… and yes, I have plenty! Here are the top 10 books on my to-be-read list — some upcoming new releases, and some books that have been patiently waiting for me for months (or years) already:

1) Written In My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon

Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander, #8)

2) Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Mr. Mercedes

3) The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore

The Serpent of Venice

4) My Real Children by Jo Walton

My Real Children

5) Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Landline

6) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

7) Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Burial Rites

8) Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Life After Life

9) The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #1)

10) In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

In Cold Blood

What books are you looking forward to reading this spring? Share your links, and I’ll come check out your top 10!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider following Bookshelf Fantasies! And don’t forget to check out our regular weekly features, Thursday Quotables and Flashback Friday. Happy reading!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

17Mar2014

The Monday Agenda 3/17/2014

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Real life interrupted my reading and blogging plans this week in a big way… but here’s what I did manage to accomplish in my bookish life this past week:

Sunrise (Ashfall, #3) Night Broken (Mercy Thompson, #8)

Sunrise by Mullin: Done! A great conclusion to an action-packed trilogy, Sunrise will definitely satisfy fans of the Ashfall series. Check out my stop on the blog tour here, and be sure to enter the giveaway!

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs: I’m absolutely loving this newest installment in the Mercy Thompson series — and just wish I’d had the time to devote to reading it. I hope to finish in the next day or two!

Fresh Catch:

Here’s what the kiddo and I brought home from the library this week:

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

Grasshopper Jungle Side Effects May Vary The Lost Sisterhood

The next few books I plan to dive into are:

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier

And also in the works:

Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark Is Rising Sequence) The kiddo and are slowly working our way through Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper.

The Outlander Book Club’s re-read of An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon continues! Coming up this week: Chapters 44 – 48. Want to join in? Contact me and I’ll provide all the details!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.