Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
More than flowers blooming in May…

Beauty-queen survivalists, time travel, blood magic and a little Cyrano de Bergerac–this jumbo-sized edition of Fresh Takes has a whole bunch of somethings for everyone. CONTEMPORARY (mostly) NOVELS The YA lexicon has yet to come up with a standardized way to classify the wide variety of the category. I usually break my recommendations up into “Paranormal” and “Contemporary” meaning “non-paranormal.” But this time I have a historical novel. And how can I them “realistic” novels when I lead off with a book about a plane-full of Beauty Queens that crash lands on a Lost-slash-Survivor type island? I could, of course, just call them delicious. BEAUTY QUEENS by Libba Bray. (Scholastic; May 24) It’sMiss Teen America plus Lost plus Heart of Darkness. Only funnier. I am constantly awed and amazed by Libba Bray’s ability to reinvent herself between books. Trust me on this–Bray is one Literary Prize Winning author who will never bore you. Beauty Queens mixes slap-stick fun with action adventure, genuine peril and real issues. Devilishly clever and funny, even while asking why girls apologize for things that aren’t their fault, and what does “act like a lady” really mean, and what does it mean to be a girl…

Sara Reyes | Weekend Ramblings
Saturdays with Sara / September 11, 2010

I went to a busy birthday party last night and found myself surrounded by the book people. Or in other words friends I know from one or another book related events who sorta knew each other in passing. We gathered at a couple of tables, talked about our lives and then the conversation turned to authors and books we’re reading. Not every one present read the same genre but we all did share one thing: we love to read. Most of us mourned the lack of time we have to read because there is some much out there we feel we’re missing, but we all had something to contribute. So what did we talk about? We talked about the upcoming FenCon next weekend. FenCon is a speculative fiction literary conference in Addison. They have guest authors, artists and musicians along with writing instructors, gather for a weekend of learning and fun. I go for the fun part, others go to hone their writing skills and others go for costuming or the musical performances. A group of us will get rooms in the hotel even though it’s local and spend a weekend of intensive fun — being away from our jobs…

August Updates from YA!

Let’s just get this straight: I do not set foot outside during the daylight hours of August unless I absolutely have to. Fortunately for me (and you) there are some fabulous books to spend the day with in air conditioned comfort. Paranormal Most of the fun is taking place in the SF side this month, starting with The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June, by Robin Benway. Three sisters (April, May and June) with very different personalities–and extremely different ways of dealing with a new school and their parent’s recent divorce–unexpectedly each develop supernatural abilities one day. (Redevelop, actually.) One can disappear, one can see the future, and one can read minds. Their abilities help them navigate the hell of high school, but when April gets a vision of disaster, they must band together to save the day, and bring peace to their strained family. This is a paranormal for readers who don’t automatically reach for paranormals. It has magic, but it’s not aboutmagic. Or rather, it’s about the magic of family and sisterhood, and rediscovering those bonds. I adored all three sisters, who take turns narrating the tale. The tone is fresh and funny, but also heartwarming and…

From Young Love to Poison Gardens, Explore the Shelves in July

July is full of cool books to help you beat the heat, with something for everyone. Find them below, grouped (loosely) by genre, so you can find what you’re looking for to get you through the dog days of summer. In contemporary relationship novels, Jennifer Echols always tops my list. She hits all the right notes: flawed but relatable characters, romance interwoven with important steps from kid-world to adulthood and a fantastic voice. Following on the heels of May’s romantic comedy ENDLESS SUMMER, Jennifer goes more for the gut with her new release FORGET YOU (July 20, from MTV Books). RCM: So, first a blurb: What’s the story about? Jennifer Echols: Zoey’s family life is falling apart. Her dad has taken up with a 24-year-old, her mom has attempted suicide, and her arch-enemy Doug has discovered this secret about her mom. Zoey’s terrified Doug will spill her mom’s secret just to spite her. But as long as her relationship with her boyfriend is rock-solid, Zoey thinks she can handle anything. Then she’s in a car accident that wipes out her memory of the entire night. And she can tell from the way Doug’s acting that something big happened between them….

Sandi Shilhanek | Fabulous Fabulous….Boas And Tiaras Tea
Guests , Sundays with Sandi / June 13, 2010

Yesterday was the DFW TeaReaders annual Boas and Tiaras tea. It’s the one time of the year that we try to dress a bit for tea, and show our fabulous selves with wonderful tiaras and colorful boas. Last year I had to miss the event because of family obligations, but this year I was lucky enough to attend! As usual the food and fellowship were divine! If there’s a downside to this event it’s that it’s so big it’s hard to know where to sit, and who to socialize with. I know I missed meeting several newcomers to our events, and I really hope that they return often so I can get to know them. This year was a bit different I believe in that we had a raffle drawing. We had very generous authors who donated great prizes. Amongst the authors donating were Dakota Cassidy, Michele Bardsley, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Dianna Love, Claire Avery and Jaye Wells. If I missed an author donation I’m terribly sorry and know it was greatly appreciated. Did I mention that I was lucky enough to win one of the baskets donated by Michelle, and got a galley of her new book, Cross Your Heart?…

Tea, Authors, and Chocolate, Oh My!
Saturdays with Sara / June 12, 2010

None of what I am about to write would have been possible without the wonderfulness that is Sara R. and DFWTea!  She is just a wonderful person who makes all these author events happen! Look who came: Dakota Cassidy : Website, Twitter: @DakotaCassidy Kimberly Frost : Website,  Twitter: @frostfiction Rosemary Clement-Moore: Website,  Twitter: @rclementmoore Jaye Wells: Website, Twitter: @jayewells Michele Bardsley: Website, Twitter: @michelebardsley Claire Avery: Website, Twitter: @authorclaire The Fab Kimberly Frost sat at our table–we yapped her ears off!  She is a wonderful person and guess what might stop by next month for Paranormal Fest.  WHOO HOOO! This is what happens when you sit at a table with me!  She was such a good sport! Signing my books–YEAH! 2 books being read next month during Witchy July Would-Be Witch (A Southern Witch Novel) Barely Bewitched Also the Fab Dakota Cassidy (Pink Boa), Jaye Wells (Blue Boa), and Rosemary Clement-Moore (tiara)! Now Jaye Wells we all know I love click here and here for more on her.We all know I love the Sabina Kane series!  Check them out! Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane) Book 1 The Mage in Black (Sabina Kane) Book 2 Do you guys know who is in…

Sara Reyes | A Painful Task — Culling the Book Shelf
Saturdays with Sara / May 22, 2010

I had one of those weeks — eventful but feel like I didn’t do ANYTHING. I know I read some books because my husband cleaned out the stack I left on his side of the bathroom. He really hates to see my book discards, it sorta drives him absolutely batty. Especially if it’s book club week and he’s in charge of making sure the house is “company-ready.” So he’ll go through and collect all the books and sort them into: business books (ones for Fresh Fiction), borrowed books (library and friends), keepers, and ones for book club trade. I’ve learned (sigh, no make that BIG SIGH) to let go of books that I’m not going to re-read or ones that were good but not great. It’s time to release them into the wild or in my case, to book club members. So, I did spend 30 minutes on Wednesday going through his stacks of books. Fortunately for him, he makes this easy to do. In other words he brings all the books to me in my office, loads them up on the desk so I’m forced to “deal with them” and comes prepared with bags and a box. Work and…

Sara Reyes | To Read YA or Not, That’s my question…
Readers , Saturdays with Sara / May 8, 2010

What a wild week I’ve had: three signings attended (if I was a woman with super powers I could have gone to seven of interest), two author dinners, one reader lunch and one reader dinner. Today I go to our monthly tea and we’ll have a guest, Marie Bostwick. But first all this gadding about is expensive and second fun and third, exhausting. Why exhausting? Good question, I’ll tell you! Because I bought a bunch of books and oh, my, even YA ones. And now I’ve got to read them! All right I can say I’ve read YA in the recent past, after all, you’ve heard our stories of being there for at least three of the final Harry Potter release parties, which I’ll always remember until I die. They were fun and I doubt ever to be replicated no matter how hard they try to make a book or series so “important.” HP has the magical quality of reaching all generations. And it was in all the media: books, audio, movies, games. Only thing I know missing is the television and since The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ is now open, they’ve covered the theme park version as well….

Rosemary Clement-Moore | Exciting Reads for Your April Spring Fever Slack-Off…

Fresh Takes from the Teen Shelves All the news, updates and gossip for the Young Adult — books, authors, movies and more! Ah, spring fever. Every April, I have the hardest time making myself do work. I just want to lay around enjoying the gorgeous weather–not too hot, not too cold–goofing off. Which for me means reading books. Here are a few suggestions for your Spring Fever Slack Off, starting with interviews with Kelley Armstrong and Heather Davis, who were nice enough to tell me about their new releases. Kelley Armstrong has been delighting fans of contemporary fantasy and paranormal romance with her Women of the Otherworld series (Bitten, Dime Store Magic) for awhile, and in 2008, she added a series of YA books to her extensive list, the third of which comes out on April 6th. Kelley Armstrong: THE RECKONING is the final book in the Darkest Powers trilogy. In the first book, fifteen-year-old Chloe Saunders started seeing ghosts. After a breakdown at school, she was taken to a group home, which she quickly discovered was not what it seemed. After being on the run in THE AWAKENING, she’s taken shelter in a place that seems safe. But for…

Two Series to Check Out — Perfect Reading & Gifts

Fresh Takes from the Teen ShelvesAll the news, updates and gossip for the Young Adult — books, authors, movies and more! With the holidays come up, I have two cool recommendations for you. Both authors were good enough to tell me about the books and share some of the inspiration behind the books. They’re good reading, and not coincidentally, would make great gifts. They’re highly praised, with broad appeal for young readers. (In other words, there’s nothing in them that will make your sister hate you for giving it to your niece. In fact, she’d probably thank you.) First is (the awesomely titled) TIDINGS OF GREAT BOYS, by Shelley Adina. I asked Shelly to tell me what it was about. Shelly: Finals week is approaching, and Lady Lindsay (Mac) MacPhail is still undecided on where to spend the holidays. Normally she’d go home to Scotland, but spending two weeks alone in the castle with her dad isn’t as appealing as it used to be. So she invites her friends Carly, Lissa, Gillian, and Shani to join her for the holidays! Mac is determined to make this the best Christmas ever. She even decides to organize the traditional Hogmanay dance for…