Book Review: The Island by Jen Minkman

Jun22

Leia and her twin brother Luc have been living on the compound for six years after leaving home at the age of the ten. They must fend for themselves under the harsh ruling of Sol. Yet there are secrets that Sol is hiding from the group and unrest continues to build.

A wall to keep out the Fools, people that know nothing and are dangerous, surrounds the island. As Leia tries to escape the compound with the scared book of her people she accidently runs into a Fool! Suddenly everything Leia believes in comes into questions as she sorts through her world’s true history.

I have to say that I completely disliked the whole novella until I got to the ending.

Honestly, I feel that this piece should have been included in a short story collection. There isn’t enough for it to be a stand-alone book.

The author does have the disclaimer that there are Star Wars influences in the book, and I know what you’re thinking; I felt the same way after the first couple of chapters. It didn’t work for me; I felt it was lazy and that without the references the novella would have been stronger.

That is until I got to the ending. In a matter of pages everything made sense and it all came to together in a cute way. Overall it works, just not on it’s own. I mean there was so much potential that was lost by using material that’s already been crafted.

I think Star Wars fans will find the tale entertaining. (I’m a huge fan of the movies myself.) It is labelled as ‘dystopian’, but it’s not your typical type within the genre. Remember, it’s only 80 pages.

Overall I was annoyed whilst reading the book, but truly the ending saved it.

Netgalley provided this novella in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher Patchwork Press and to the author Jen Minkman.

The Island is available now! Give it a shot and tell me what you think, but only if you’re up for it!

Washington State Bookshops: Island Books in Mercer Island

Jun20

Last month I talked about how Redmond, WA is lacking an independent bookstore. After a lovely weekend of travel, I discovered some lovely bookshops across my state! Rather than focus only on Seattle bookshops, my tour will include all bookshops that reside in the State of Washington. Let me tell you we’re a pretty big state and I can’t wait to discover more bookshops in Washington!

In May I traveled to Mercer Island. It really is an island just off of the city of Seattle. Tucked away and only accessible by wheels, this island holds prime real estate and gorgeous views of the water and forest.

Among the homes and businesses is the lovely Island Books, the only bookshop to inhabit the land.

This large bookshop caters to the residents of Mercer Island, but they also serve a greater community of book lovers. This independent bookshop doesn’t just sell books, but seeks to continue the love of reading and word related arts to anyone that enjoys them.

There are old typewriters everywhere.

As well as beautiful displays of well loved books.

Along with selling other knickknacks among the books, I really enjoyed seeing a special games section that caters to local geography.

With an excellent children’s and teen’s section, there is something for everyone. The staff are friendly and knowledgable. There are loads of different areas that the books are grouped into making finding something a treat. The shop even has its own ‘store journal‘ called Message in a Bottle via Tumblr.

It’s a great little stop off when venturing outside of the city and I was very pleased to support such a fine bookshop!

The details:

3014 78th Ave. SE
Mercer Island WA 98040

206.232.6920

info@mercerislandbooks.com

Store Hours

Mon-Wed: 9:30 – 7:00
Thurs: 9:30 – 8:00
Fri: 9:30 – 7:00
Sat: 9:30 – 6:00
Sun: 11:00 – 5:00

Book Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Jun18

Please note this is the second book in the Delirium Series.

Find my review for the first Delirium.

THEN: Lena has escaped her life. Over the fence she has crawled, leaving Alex behind to trek through the Wilds into the unknown. Now Lena has been born anew. As apart of a group of those that wander the Wilds fighting for survival, Lena tries to move forward, grieving for Alex. The ways of her old life are long forgotten. Her body and mind shift to withstand the harsh reality of living beyond the wall.

NOW: Together with her group Lena tries to gather more information as she lives undetected within society. When she gets caught up in the kidnapping of Julian Fineman, the son of the Mayor and symbol of a Deliria Free America. She’s going to have to use everything she learned out in the Wilds to insure their existence.

Throughout everything, the struggle, tears death and hunger, Lena pushes more. Alex died to give her a real chance at life. But in a world where feeling love is outlawed, what’s the point in living when that love is gone?

I really liked the format of this book. Switching between THEN and NOW, as readers we learn how Lena has evolved as a character and she does not disappoint! Multi layered and tough, I have loved to see how Lena has grown into a strong female character. Her heartbreak is also all too real and relatable. The grief within this book is harsh but realistic. I praise Oliver for taking her world to the limits and not backing down from anything uncomfortable.

I was also pleased to read how much more complex this world became. There are more adult themes present. The more I think about it, it’s a standout sequel that does a 180 from its debut. Lena has woken up from the false reality that her government has been controlling and as it’s weaknesses become more apparent the future for everyone looks bleak. It’s a terrifying reality.

Yet throughout Lena never losses hope nor determination. It made me feel as if this world environment was the starting catalyst for The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Humans always want power and control, but a small group will never win over the population thus chaos is inevitable. This is book has hints on that power and it was a pleasure to read something that speaks lightly about the world around us now. Gritty and well paced this second book is a great revelation.

The Dark Mark

Jun17

Outside of the Natural History Museum, London, England 2013

June Reads

Jun15

Goals this month are to read some adult fiction! Long awaited grown up books that I would STILL have have patience to be published in the UK. My reviews for the following will be on my Goodreads account.

11//22/63 by Steven King

Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse mystery #13)

Seawitch by Kat Richardson (Greywalker #7)

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevailer

I’m still working through my huge pile of YA from last month’s library haul but I also have been approved for the following:

The Island by Jen Minkman (ARC)

Demonic Dora – The Demon Diaries by Claire Chilton (ARC)

Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe (ARC)

Skin by Donna Jo Napoli (ARC)

I wish I could read faster, every time I go to the library all I want to do is check out more books. Sigh, how the time will come!

What is one book that you’re reading this month?

My Publishing Intern Adventures – Crimson Publishing

Jun13

Interning is a way of life in the publishing industry. You want to work in publishing? Well, get out there and start interning!

I just wanted to quickly share one of my interning experiences in London. I’ve done an overall of three internships, each was unique in it’s own way.

My latest internship was at Crimson Publishing, an independent education publisher that also releases a lot of other business start ups, parenting and British heritage and culture books.

For four weeks I was paid minimum wage (SEE! They DO pay sometimes! Totally win!), working four days a week to update their annual title HEAP. It’s a reference book used by student who have completed, or are going to complete their A-levels. It shows which uni’s around the UK accept what grades. It’s a fantastic guide to use when revising for the exams.

During those four weeks I fact checked notes from the editor of the book. I updated changes through Crimson’s HEAP database, with the updates going live on the website. We had a pretty tight deadline so I have to get through amounts of pages and chapters in a set timeframe, learning to prioritise ad make sure I hit my targets in order for the book to be published on time. I learned Crimson’s House Style, always a great thing understand a publisher’s house rules for copy.

I got to know members of the sales team as that’s who I was sitting with, and it was great to see how the inside ‘works’ for a medium sized publisher.

I really enjoyed my time at Crimson. I learned so much and it was a joy to work on a project that was completed in the selected timeframe. Culturally, I learned so much about the demographic of England, as well as their education system, that it was only unavoidable that I feel more in love with the country.

I’m so grateful for being chosen for such a great opportunity. It wasn’t what most editorial interns dream of doing, but I am also happy to learn whatever I can. Each publisher is different and no matter what one is doing, it’s the skills and contacts learned that make mostly every internship totally worth it.

If you’re in London and looking to begin working in publishing, check out the SYP’s latest panel discussion on Your Rights as an Intern!