Thursday, April 18, 2013

Bookanistas: The Collector

It's been a tremendously long time since I've passed on a book recommendation, and that's a problem that must be solved. Okay, it's probably not that urgent, but we all know how much I like to exaggerate. Anyway, welcome to Bookanista Thursday! We've got new blood in the Bookanista circle, so make sure to check it out. We're chatting up books you might not have heard of. You can add them to your TBR pile and then blame US. We don't mind.

Today, I'm talking about THE COLLECTOR by Victoria Scott. Have a blurb! You know you want one.

He makes good girls...bad.

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried. (Summary and cover courtesy of Goodreads.)


I think this summary says it all--I expected one of those bad boy narrators that you love to hate or hate to love or some combination of confused emotions, and that's exactly what I got. Dante is just such a rhymes-with-crass, but he does it with the kind of humor and swagger that makes you root for him anyway. I couldn't decide if I wanted the good girl to redeem him or him to bring her over to the dark-and-charming side. This was a fun, entertaining read that would absolutely appeal to people who liked Lisa Desrochers's PERSONAL DEMONS. I'm definitely looking forward to the next one.

Luckily, I have these other recommended reads to tide me over...

FIRST…Jessica Love welcomes our FIVE NEW BOOKANISTAS!
Corrine Jackson adores CONFESSIONS OF AN ANGRY GIRL by Louise Rozett
Shelli Johannes-Wells hails HYSTERIA by Megan Miranda
Stasia Ward Kehoe celebrates YALSA’s TEEN LIT DAY
Nikki Katz raves about ROOTLESS by Chris Howard
Gretchen McNeil adores UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody
Rebecca Behrens andTracey Neithercott share why they’re excited to be newbie Bookanistas

Monday, April 8, 2013

The Post Writing Fun

So I finished Sally Slick and sent the manuscript off to critiquers. I'm not sure about other writers, but there's always a funny feeling in the Carrie Brain after I finish a book. I feel like the world has somehow shifted an inch to the right while I wasn't looking--everything's still where it's supposed to be but it all feels a little altered somehow. So in the spirit of distracting myself from the weirdness AND rewarding myself for writing all the words, I try to make the week post-book a lot of fun.

For starters, I went out and got a copy of Axe Cop. This is one of my favorite comics EVAR. It makes me snarf things out my nose, and this time I swear I'm not exaggerating. It's that funny, and the best part is that it's clean enough for me to share with my kids. It's written by a five-year-old, so yeah. I cannot recommend this book more highly--you can check out the web version to see more, but the book is definitely worth it for all the behind the scenes commentary. And right now, the illustrator of Axe Cop is offering a bunch of really cool artwork to help fund his upcoming wedding. Personally, I think this is a great opportunity to support a snarfworthy artist AND twue wuv all at the same time. You should check it out.

Also, I got a copy of a farging hilarious card game called WE DIDN'T PLAYTEST THIS AT ALL. It will live in my purse for the rest of eternity, because it's fast (like a couple of minutes per game), my kids can play it without my having to gloss over any complicated rules or pervy bits, and it contains ninjas, zombies, and kitten ambushes. Let me tell you, there's nothing funner than screaming, "KITTEN AMBUSH!" in the middle of a bar. I tried it. I'm an expert now.

The reason we were in the bar was so my husband could give a talk and then get his head shaved to help support children's cancer research. This is where I give you the obligatory reminder that he's raising funds for MOAR children's cancer research, and we'd both tremendously appreciate any help in donations or word spreadery.

I told them to stop cutting there, but they didn't listen.