The FOURTH Post of BOOKMAS!

Season's greetings...

...and welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!

It's time for POST FOUR of the TWELVE DAYS OF BOOKMAS.

What IS Bookmas, you ask?

Great question!

Bookmas is similar to Christmas, except it brings tidings of great reads, holiday gifting suggestions, and just about all the bookish fun you can imagine from across the genre spectrum.  It's all in one place at one time (sorta) and ready to help you get out from under the yuletide stress, and get back to enjoying the season...one page at a time.  

Just why is it the "Twelve Posts" and not the twelve books?  Simple...I have WAY TOO MANY titles for you to consider, peruse, and read all about to limit it to twelve titles.  These posts are intended to highlight some great titles, give you ideas for your gifting this year, and help me clear up my "read-it-but-need-to-review-it" teetering stack.  Triple focus...yes siree!  So, ready or not, let's get this sled on the road as we unwrap today's featured titles....

A Brightness Out of the Blue

by

Jill Atkins

9781785913501

Raven Books

An enjoyable twist on the classic Cinderella tale but with several unanswered questions even at story's end...which unfortunately did color my "star rating" overall. I mean, come on...WHO IS CECILY?!?!   How could you now tell us?  *ahem* Anywho... it's a story the reminds us that everyone gets lost sometimes, blinded by brain versus heart, but kindness will never serve you wrong in the end. This holiday discover the magic between the pages of this charming tale for a more modern (and realistic) HEA...

The Glass Spare

by

Lauren DeStefano

9780062491282

Balzer + Bray

Aside from the gloriously intriguing cover, this story has heart, mystery, and danger to boot...most of which comes from our princess hiding in plain sight.  Once upon a time, Wilhelmina Heidle (aka Wil) was simply another girl playing dress up...well, okay, actually she was royalty hidden from the public eye so as to be able to do the king's bidding, and travel within the city walls anywhere her heart pleased.  Sounds like fun?  Well, yes and no.  In truth, she enjoyed the challenges of being as hard to capture as the wind, but in her heart of hearts, she knew she and her siblings were never the apple of her father's eye.  She'd accepted it, forged a life whist in the favor of her brothers, and would have carried on living as such, if not for being stricken with a terrible curse.  You see, Wil isn't like other girls, and I'm not just talking about the royal blood in her veins.  She's different and just how different is going to rock her very kingdom to the core.  She thought she knew who she was or at least who she was trying to be, but she's about to discover she's oh so much more with a future as uncertain as the "gifts" she carries.

A STUNNING start to this duology and one Young Adult Fantasy fans WILL NOT WANT TO MISS!

Special thanks to the teams at Raven Books and Balzar + Bray for the copies for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on these titles, the authors, or the publishers, feel free to click through the links provided above.  Be sure to check back for the next BOOKMAS post for more bookish fun!

Happy holidays and happy reading!

Dead Ed in My Head by Barbara Catchpole

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

You know, I just realized as I was typing this post that it is officially JUNE.  Well, okay, so yesterday was technically the first, but still....it's June!  Where exactly did May go?  I mean, really, can you tell me?  It seems like we only started the month a few days ago and here we are welcoming another.  I guess time really does fly when you're having fun...or in the case of today's title, when you have nothing but time on your hands.

Today, we're traversing the globe with a Young Adult title via Raven Books.  It's a UK publisher, the teen division of Ransom Publishing to be exact, and their catalog is growing by leaps and bounds, hence my excitement in swinging the spotlight their way.  The title on deck today is a new release that just celebrated its BOOK BIRTHDAY last month and is ready for your reading consumption, so, if you're ready, let's raise the dead, or at least get them out of Tod's head!  Today's book of choice is...

Dead Ed in My Head

by

Barbara Catchpole

9781785916335

Raven Books

About the book...

An hilarious and unexpectedly moving story of two generations coming to terms with life. Teenager Tod has a few issues in his life, not least an inability to focus on anything that's ... well ... important. His dad has left home and his mum is nine months pregnant. Tod's only friend is Ed, a stroppy old guy who lives in a nursing home. When Ed dies, Tod finds Ed living on in his head - not as a memory, but as a real, noisy, stroppy person. They have conversations - and Ed even gets to enjoy his own funeral! But what is it like when you have to share your teenage head with a dead rocker? Ed thinks he can offer Todd useful advice - especially when it comes to girls. But Ed stuffed up his own life - is he going to make Tod's even worse?

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Careful what you wish for...

It's a curious story starring those past their prime (or rather, expiration date), teens struggling to fit the molds poured for them, and generally life's bumpy road that we're all simply trying.  Here, some don't while others do so spectacularly...and that's all a part of its charm.

Tod is just your average lad trying to make it in the hallowed halls of learning by being inconspicuous, flying under the radar, and generally never standing out...ever.  Yeah, too bad for him because things are about to get BEYOND interesting when a particularly savvy and sassy senior citizen makes his mind home.  Yes, that's right.  What?  You thought the title meant something OTHER than what it clearly stated?  Nope.  Dead Ed is indeed in Tod's head...much to BOTH their chagrins, at least initially.  You see, while Tod views it as an inconvenience (hello!  Who wants a buddy when you're contemplating flirting, bathrooms breaks, and other "me time" activities?), Ed is beginning to see it for the second chance it may be.  Good thing he's such an upstanding fellow that would never dream of getting our boy Tod into trouble...and leaving him there...for any amount of time.  *blink blink*  Did I mention the guy chose a rock band t-shirt for his casket attire?  Yeah...needless to say things get a bit hairy, so much so in fact that we're not really sure Tod will survive, but we can't give up hope no matter have small it may seem.

All in all, it was a fun read...once us Yanks muddle through the language barriers.  If you're not accustomed to reading British lit (think Louise Rennison's, Georgia Nicholson series), it may throw you for a loop initially...hang in there, it's a right funny story.  The how is explained, the why a mystery throughout most the story (though you will have your suspicions) and you've got to love the ninja girlfriend. The final scene is anything but proper (think funeral with flair) but oh so fitting for the characters involved and the tale as a whole.  I will caution younger teen readers though, as being from across the pond there are certain boundaries that are crossed there that stateside may raise a few eyebrows.  Nothing totally scandalous, just a noticeable difference in a sort of censoring, or not. 

So take a note from Ed, don't be a nob, check out this book for your next YA adventure!  I think you'll be right glad you did...

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About the author...

Barbara Catchpole was a teacher for over thirty years. She taught English, Special Needs and more or less anything else that was left over at the end of the timetabling. She has three sons of whom she is unbearably proud. She still spends a lot of time working in schools. Her main interest is in writing books for young people that are set in the real world and presenting characters that could be real teenagers. She tries to make them funny most of the time with just a little sadness thrown in because life's like that. She believes that adults can communicate really well with teenagers if the adult just makes a huge effort.

SITE

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Special thanks to Rehana at Raven Books for the copy for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite retailer to pick up a copy today.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!