Rants and Raves: Things In Books That Float My Boat

This is a feature that appears sporadically on the blog, whenever I have a bookish issue I need to rant or rave about. Feel free to comment with your thoughts!

 Earlier this week I blogged about things in books I'm just not that jazzed about. Now, it's time to talk about things in books that float my boat.

(Again, this is partly inspired by my recent paring-down of my Goodreads to-read list, and also by Small Review's similar posts Talk to the Hand and Give Me That Book!)

These are all things that hit the right notes for me, for whatever reason:

- Victorian/Regency era. I don't know that I really need to explain this, do I? The formalities. The balls. The perceived social slights. I drink it all up.

Gratuitous P&P picture.

- Anything with a psychological element, especially if it's used in an interesting way with the storyline. Caveat: mental health issues MUST be portrayed accurately. Otherwise this will backfire badly and probably cause me to get more aggravated than if there had never been any psychological element at all.

- Gothic anything, pretty much. Depends how much it falls on the side of horror (usually a NO for me) versus suspense/mystery/thriller (YES). Double points if it's a historical Gothic setting (not just a general sort of Gothic atmosphere in a modern-day setting).

- Historical fantasy/pseudo-historical fantasy. By the latter I mean, the story takes place in a world that FEELS like it's a medieval fantasy or whatever, but it's not actually set in the real world. Or maybe it is but you don't know because that isn't made clear. Whatever, as long as there are heroes and heroines off on quests, and princesses doing princess-y things, and maybe a meddling sorcerer or two, I'm happy.

- Witty banter and unresolved sexual tension. Hey, if it was good enough for Jane Austen, it's good enough for everybody.

"The Look," for everyone's appreciation.

- Star-crossed lovers/forbidden romance. Because if the couple isn't bickering (see above), then the conflict has to come from *somewhere*, so we must rely on external forces to part them! And nothing makes you want to root more for a couple to get together than if everyone else is trying to separate them.

- Non-human beings slowly getting in touch with their "human"/emotional side. I probably haven't read all that many books where this has happened, but I do like it when it does! Examples that spring to mind are Isabel in Mistwood by Leah Cypess, and Wanderer in The Host by Stephenie Meyer.

- Twins and clones. Twins because they can switch places and fool people, or have a special "twin connection" of some sort (which needs to be written well, mind you), and clones because they are a creepier version of twins. (Although clone stories are only interesting if the clone has a distinct personality; if it's just used as some sort of plot device in a sci-fi story and the clones are like robots, I'm out.)

- Fairy tale retellings. Love 'em. I prefer ones that are set in a historical/fantasy setting, however – I'm a little more iffy on modernized or sci-fi-ed fairy tales.

What elements/premises/tropes in books float your boat? Do you share any on my list?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Authors

The "Top Ten Tuesday" meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is our favorite authors. It was hard to disentangle these from my favorite books, so I tried to pick authors who have written more than one book I've enjoyed (often a series).

1.) Patricia Wrede - in particular for her Enchanted Forest series and her Sorcery & Cecelia collaboration with Caroline Stevermer

2.) Tamora Pierce - especially her Song of the Lioness and Immortals series

3.) Suzanne Collins - I think we all know why this is a favorite.

4.) Scott Westerfeld - for his Uglies series

5.) Shannon Hale - I adore The Goose Girl.

6.) Jane Austen - a reason does not need to be given for why Austen makes this list.

7.) Jaclyn Moriarty - for her Ashbury-Brookfield series, especially the first two!

8.) Meg Cabot - well, she has written SO many books but I especially like the Mediator series.

9.) Sharon Shinn - I like select books from her series (The Truth-Teller's Tale and Archangel) as well as her standalone Summers at Castle Auburn

10.) J.K. Rowling - once again, we all know why.

Who are your favorite authors?

The start of a new blog...

I've been following other YA book blogs for a while now and finding them a very valuable resource for discovering new books to check out (and also which ones just aren't worth it). So I thought I'd try my hand at it.

These next few books are all on my "favorites" shelf, so they are all of exceptional quality (and all get 5/5 stars)!



1.) The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale - The action begins when Princess Anidori journeys to the neighbouring country of Bayern to be wed to their prince, and her lady-in-waiting, Selia, incites a revolt. Forced into hiding as a goose girl while Selia pretends to be the true princess, Ani makes new friends among the commoners, develops her powers of "wind-speaking," and falls in love. But when Selia threatens to destroy all that Ani holds dear - will she have the strength to prove herself?

A re-telling of the fairytale, Hale's novel grabs you emotionally and doesn't let go. Her writing is lyrical and her characters are both true to life and true to the magical setting her novel takes place in. Though I've never read the original fairytale, and I don't know how much Hale changed, I thoroughly enjoyed this version.

2.) Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty

The first time I saw this book I actually wasn't too sure what to make of it and if it was really my kind of read. My mom was the one who suggested it and since it was on sale at Black Bond Books I thought, what the heck. So glad I made the purchase! This book is quirky and unbelievably funny, with a main character that teens can relate to, who matures at a realistic pace.



The story details the trials and tribulations of Elizabeth Clarry, in a unique format of notes from her mother, letters from a stranger (who becomes a friend) at another school, and communications from a variety of made-up organizations like "The Association of Teenagers." It's easy to empathize with the challenges Elizabeth faces and you will be rooting for her in no time! I can't promise, however, that you'll feel sorry for Celia - I never did.

Moriarty has written two other books in the series (focusing on different main characters) - The Year of Secret Assignments and The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie. I really enjoyed both of these as well and am eagerly anticipating her fourth, The Ghosts of Ashbury High, that comes out in June 2010.

3.) Sorcery and Cecelia, by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer



This book is also written in the format of letters, this time between two cousins living in Victorian times (which is my favorite era, of course). The twist? This is England with magic. And it has just about everything you could ask for - cunning magicians, evil stepmothers, complicated spells, plucky heroines, dashing gentlemen...and romance! I particularly like this novel because it started out as just a writing game between the two authors, and you can really tell they had lots of fun with it. All the little historical details are spot on and highly reminiscent of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen (whom they pay tribute to in their acknowledgments). Overall a really fun read for lovers of history and magic alike.

4.) Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

This is another one of my comfort reads (and sort of has the same feel as Sorcery and Cecelia, in a way). Meliara is a countess with no interest in society's expectations and a passion for righting wrongs and upholding justice. When she refuses to give in to ruthless King Galdran's demands, the result is war - and in the process Meliara is injured and captured by the enemy troops. The man who holds her captive - Vidanric Renselaeus - is difficult to read and his motives seem ambiguous; Meliara can't quite figure him out but isn't sticking around to try. She manages to escape and the adventure begins...