The One and Only Ivan had pretty much everything a good story needs—emotion and hopefulness and heartbreak. The author had me humming HOME (by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes) halfway through the book.

Ivan is based on a true story about a gorilla that really lived in an abusive shopping center slash zoo. He made many friends there, including a stray dog and an old elephant named Stella. The janitor and his daughter were Ivan’s buddies/comrades/amigos as well.  In spite of terrible conditions and cramped quarter, Ivan and his friends managed to have an interesting life.

Did I mention Ivan was an artistic gorilla? From birth, in the jungle, Ivan painted with dirt and mud. In the shopping center, he learned to use art supplies to paint and draw amazing, expressive pictures.

Eventually, a new baby elephant comes into Ivan’s life. Just like Ivan, Ruby had been kidnapped and torn from her family. Hunters killed both their parents. Ivan had also lost his own sister. Before Stella to elephant died, Ivan made a promise to take care of Ruby. He is determined to give Ruby a better future. He must find a way to get her (and the rest of his animal friends) out of the mall and into a real zoo, the kind of place where humans make amends for their cruel treatment of animals.

Ivan decides to use his artistic abilities to reach his goal…but you’ll have to read the rest to find out if he succeeds.

All in all, I think this was an absolutely extraordinary verse novel. I highly recommend you pick it up. I’m thankful the nice people at HarperCollins gave my mom and I a review copy!

Hungry for more?

Try my mom’s recipe for Banana Pudding. Yummo.

Ingredients:

3 reg. sized boxes instant vanilla pudding mix

5 cups milk

8 ounces sour cream (yeah, you read that right)

12 ounces Cool Whip

2 boxes vanilla wafers

10 bananas

In a large bowl, blend pudding mix with milk (use a wire whisk). Add sour cream and half the cool whip. Mix well. Set aside. In a large bowl or dish, layer in the following order: cookies, bananas and pudding mixture. Top with remaining cool whip.

Binge!

But. Here’s the deal.

Here be dragons.

Okay, maybe there’s just one dragon. Here be one big, scaly, seemingly invincible, fire-breathing dragon who wants to dine on roast girl with a side of scorched dreams. I stare down this ugly beast almost every day. It taunts me, warns me to turn back, demands my immediate and unconditional surrender.

I’ve learned it’s no use bargaining with this particular dragon. Without mercy, it devours peace offerings, always eating up more of my time and resolve. I can’t kill it, either. I’ve slayed it a thousand times, only to see it slink back, alive and whole again. The only thing I can do is face the mirror and confront the monster hiding in my reflection. Often, I can intimidate the treacherous brute, temporarily banishing it out of sight. There’s a magic chant that usually works:  Go away, dragon. I’m writing and I don’t have time for you today.

Hungry for more? Try this recipe for Kitchen Sink Brownies, which appease all but the fiercest creatures.

Binge!

I give you my list!

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Six Second Summary: Emerson’s visions aren’t hallucinations. She isn’t seeing ghosts, either.  Does the mysterious Hourglass organization have all the answers? Michael and Kaleb need her help to untangle the past, present, and future.

I loved it because: McEntire gives Em a voice full of humor, heartbreak and longing. Hourglass is a bittersweet, twisty tale that’s sure to enchant Young Adult readers and anyone craving swoon-worthy(!) romance.

Shelve it between: Falling Under by Gwen Hayes and Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, two equally engaging YA paranormals.

All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

Six Second Summary: Anya Balanchine, the daughter of a dead mafia boss, is out of options. In a bleak future where resources are running out and chocolate and coffee are banned, she’s torn between loyalty to her family and her heart, which just happens to belong to the assistant DA’s son.

I loved it because: Zevin captivates with splashes of noir and honest, unforgettable characters. Anya is one of my favorite new heroines and All These Things I’ve Done is anything but your typical dystopian.

Shelve it between: Ship Breaker by  Paolo Bacigalupi and Black Cat by Holly Black, alternate worlds with dark, sparkling heroes and villains.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Six Second Summary: When Ty, a handsome yet troubled young man, kidnaps Gemma, the wildlands of Australia become her home and her prison. After stalking Gemma for years, Ty is determined to capture her heart, but his obsession threatens to destroy them both.

I loved it because: This book nearly destroyed me. I repeat, DESTROYED ME. The stellar writing, the terrifying arc, the devastating yet inexorable conclusion gripped me like a brain boiling fever. Stockholm Syndrome, thy name is Stolen. Bravo, Lucy Christopher.

Shelve it next to: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and You by Charles Benoit, two more books that absolutely shattered me.

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Six Second Summary: More than anyone else, Princess Celie understands Castle Glower. Something mysterious and magic holds the key to its shifting rooms and disappearing passageways. When Celie’s parents vanish after an attack, she and her siblings must rely on the castle to help them put things to right.

I loved it because: Celie’s story pushed back the years and whisked me back to a place where wardrobes lead to other lands and knights become friends with reluctant dragons. Tuesdays at the Castle is destined to be a classic, not only for middle grader readers, but for magic bean buyers of all ages.

Shelve it between: Howl’s Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones and Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Five Second Summary: Strangers gasp at the creatures sketched in Karou’s notebook. They smile at her beautiful lies. Turns out there are secrets beyond even her own spellbinding reach. Brimstone never told her the truth about herself–about war torn Elsewhere, magic wishes or dangerous angels.

I loved it because: Smoke and Bone hooked me with an amazing premise, and kept me furiously turning pages with elegant prose and complex, expertly woven twists. And the romance! The star-crossed loves of Smoke and Bone are divinely wrought, as surely as Romeo and Juliet.

Shelve it between: Stardust by Neil Gaiman and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, two more of my all time favorite reads.

Hungry for more? Try this recipe for Creamy, Dreamy No Fail Fudge. Another sure bet for this season!

Binge!

Dear  Ms. Mafi,

Did you know that SHATTER ME was one of my *most* anticipated YA books of the year? Did you know that your blog posts are so funny and wise that I simply couldn’t wait to cheer the release of your debut? Did you know you are exactly the humble/endearing/charming kind of author we readers/writers/librarians root for in earnest?

Really? You had no idea?

Then I’m positive you didn’t know how secretly worried I’ve been. I was one of the lucky mortals who scored an early ARC last spring at TLA, and let me tell you, once the book was in my hot little hands, I was terribly anxious. I feared I’d somehow be disappointed. How could the book possibly live up to my expectations? How could a book be THAT GOOD?

My anxiety melted away once I started reading. Yes, SHATTER *is* that good. Actually, it’s so lovely and heart-wrenching and adrenaline spiked and fearsome in all the right ways. Its hyperbolic spirit echoes the essence of adolescence. Its prose aptly crystallizes moments, making my heart flutter with excitement and yearning.

In short, SHATTER ME made me fall in love with Juliette’s story. May I beg a favor? Please make haste and write more books. (I just bought and downloaded the enhanced e-version and I’m not sure how long the extra content will tide me over! GASP!) I need to know much more about Warner, Juliette and Adam. Even more importantly, I simply must unlock the secret of the ‘white bird with streaks of gold like a crown atop its head.’

Most Sincerely,

@jmartinlibrary
Your Constant Reader and Applauding Mafi-keteer

Pretty cool, eh?

Okay.  I must admit, as much as I enjoy a good horror novel, I’ve read a few zombie yarns by other authors that left me…ahem…cold. The formulaic lab outbreak, the shambling hordes, the lone pack of stereotypical survivors, etc. Been there, done that.

Bought the (shredded, blood splattered) t-shirt.

Jonathan Maberry’s DEAD OF NIGHT, however, is a terrific departure from this formula. He injects the novel novel with all the elements I crave in a scary, hairy good book. DEAD OF NIGHT has it all. A compelling heroine. In your face action. Terrifying horror. And real literary heft. If you enjoyed the rich characterization in THE STAND, if you ate up the action and twists in THE WALKING DEAD, then you’ll love this book, too.

The term ‘roller-coaster ride’ gets thrown around a lot in reviews, but it’s truly apt for DEAD OF NIGHT. When the opening chapter starts off (with a bite, I might add), it’s a little like the hydraulic snap of the safety restraint on a coaster car.

Click…click…click...We come to know and care about the characters...Click…click…click…We’re afraid for Dez and JT…We need to see them through this.

At the top of the white knuckle climb, the bottom drops out and the plot roars into a frightening descent. Oh yes, there is blood and jagged teeth. But the most terrifying moments aren’t wrought from gore–Maberry infuses real fear into the narrative. Readers are pulled under the shivering skin, into the minds of his characters.

We’re Billy Trout, the calloused newshound. We are Volker, the doctor who releases hell on earth. Most of all, we are Dez, the last cop standing, the woman with her back against the wall. When she’s forced to shoot a lost zombie child, we feel the painful trigger squeeze. We know Dez’s bravado is “thin & fragile, nailed to the walls of her heart by rusty pins.”

“But here, for a fragment of a moment, Dez thought that she caught the flicker of something else; it was as if she looked through the grimed glass of a haunted house and saw the pale, pleading face of a ghost. In the second before the thing lunged at her, Dez saw the shadow of the little girl screaming at her from the endless darkness…

…The screaming face of the little girl, trapped inside the mindless thing that had been her, was worse than anything. Worse than even all the voices screaming inside Desdemona Fox’s head.

So Dez screamed, too.

And with a movement as fluid and fast as if she had been practicing her whole life for this single moment, Dez drew her glock and pointed and fired straight and true and blew out the lights in the haunted house…“

WOW.

Dez faces inhuman evil and almost insurmountable odds. After reading the last one hundred pages, the story jolts to its inexorable stop. The reader is left to wonder, is this how the world ends? Not with a bang, but with a bite?

Hungry for more? Try this scrumptious dirt cake. The ‘dirt’ may look like something under a zombie’s fingernails, but it’s oh so tasty.

Binge!

Following a terrific foreword by David Chang, author Tosi introduces herself and shares  how Momofuku Milk Bar came to be. We learn how it evolved from a tiny spot—a prep table and a downstairs freezer—into a thriving entity in its own space. The origin story is entertaining on its own, but add the next section, which includes Tosi’s ‘hardbody’ tricks and tips, and you’ve got a stellar introduction to an outstanding menu of to-die-for treats.

 And let me tell you, you won’t find three or four tempting recipes in these pages, you will marvel at the wonderland of options. Just glancing over the signature dishes (Crack Pie, Cereal Milk, Compost Cookies, Candy Bar Pie…) is enough to drive me to fire up the ovens. These dishes are so much more than the sum of their parts.

 Tosi hasn’t just listed recipes, she narrates them. It’s as if the master chef is at your side, guiding you through preparation of all the dishes. And she does it in a way that’s manageable for all levels of cooks. Many shortcut substitute measurements and ingredients are listed beside the more complicated counterparts—you can measure by gram or by the familiar volume. (On a side note, now I finally grasp why creaming the sugar and butter is so critical to a perfect cookie texture.)

 The narrative flavor speaks to one of the best qualities of the cookbook—it’s so incredibly versatile. Tosi doesn’t just give rigid instructions for discrete fare. She provides interchangeable building blocks of flavor and texture—so many crumbs, crusts, crunches, and curds(!) I can use in my own mad scientist sweet tooth lab. After reading the cookbook and trying a few things out, I felt confident about the foundational elements and techniques. Now I can combine them to suit my own taste.

 Mmmmm….I’m giving this book a permanent place on my kitchen shelf. Tosi calls her work a labor of love. I call it scrumptiously brilliant.  

 Hungry for more? Try this L.A. Times rendition of Crack Pie.

From page one, the reader is immediately immersed in the sights and sounds and smells of Le Cirque des Reves, a magical world spun with from starlight and shadow. As we get to know the protagonists, Celia and Marco, we see the sweep of an elegant hem on the painted floor, we smell the smoky sweet scent of caramel, we hear the tick-tock of enchanted clockwork. Beyond the circus gates, the innumerable tents hold singular wonders–bottles filled with memory, ice gardens heavy with frozen blooms, deep rooted trees that burn with wishes and dreams.

The circus is filled to bursting with story.

And it’s all part of the game. A game in which two magicians pit their chosen proteges against one another. Cirque des Reves becomes the chessboard, the battleground from which Celia and Marco cannot escape. And they are not alone. The competitive work, their combined illusions form a fragile web in which many performers, friends and guests are precariously suspended.

The game does not end, the circus must remain until a victor emerges and a loser falls. But what happens when opponents become lovers? What happens when each side cannot bear to win?

THE NIGHT CIRCUS has the answer, and surely much more. The narrative twists back and again through time and many perspectives. One cannot help but search each new page for clues, for answers, for puzzle pieces to place on the table’s larger picture. The reader’s journey is part of the story–the tale feels complete only when the last revelations click into place. For me, that final clarity was satisfying beyond the last scene.

In the end, I flipped to the last page, desperate for a trapdoor into the novel’s world. Call me a red-scarved reveur, but I was not ready to leave the circus.

And I’m certain I’m not be alone in this. THE NIGHT CIRCUS beckons, secure your own admission. This debut will pull you into it’s sparkling, magical game.

Hungry for more? Try this recipe for *glorious* homemade caramel sauce. Maybe it will tide you over until the next time Le Cirque comes to town.

I know you wrote TEXAS GOTHIC for yourself and not for me especially (Althoughitsurefeltlikeyoudid, didyourealizethat?), but I thought you should know some of the reasons I think it’s the BEST BOOK YOU’VE EVER WRITTEN:

a.) The gorgeous word choices that stop me in my tracks, the ones that make me remember how much I appreciate stellar writing. (Anyone who can use the word ‘cabal’ as effectively as you do, deserves some kind of Hermione-Granger-Smart-Girl-Snark Lifetime Achievement Award)

b.) The fabulous, dead on analogies that make me nod my head and help me understand and relate to the character’s precise emotion: “…cognitive dissonance up to eleven.”

c.) The delicious, complicated, sweet Tracy and Hepburn/John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara flavored relationship built between Ben and Amy. TEXAS GOTHIC is the kind of romance freshly painted in a gothic palette with touches of DuMaurier’s REBECCA and classics such as TURN OF THE SCREW.

d.) The terrific characterizations, including loyal, half nerd, half not-so-crazy loon Phin and every-ranching-patriarch-I-ever-known-in real-life Grandad Mac. (I grew up in a ranching town, and I know you did, too. You’ve really captured the small touches of ranch life.)

e.) The Goodnight family’s tea shop products which I picture marketed in Philosophie meets Practical Magic packaging.

f.) Finally, I love that I can successfully turn off my editorial mind and just bask in appreciation of a truly good book.

This one’s definitely a keeper.

Your Constant Reader,

Jenny (Who Would, Thank You Very Much, Like a Sequel Soon.)

Here’s the back cover description of the book from the back cover:

Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn’t as simple as it seems–she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that “normal” doesn’t mix with magic, and she’s worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds. Not only to protect her family, who are all practicing witches, but to protect any hope of ever having a normal life.

Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard work. Only, Amy and her sister, Phin, aren’t alone. There’s someone in the house with them–and it’s not the living, breathing, amazingly hot cowboy from the ranch next door.

 It’s a ghost, and its more powerful than the Goodnights and all their protective spells combined. It wants something from Amy, and none of her carefully built defenses can hold it back. This is the summer when the wall between Amy’s worlds is going to come crashing down.

Y’all, I LOVED Texas Gothic. Go out and buy it so we can talk about it over white mocha lattes and these Ranch Cookies!

Binge!

FAMILY did not disappoint. The novel’s style, episodic verse, is a perfect fit for Mel’s story–jagged words and thoughts are plucked from her mind at all the right moments.

Mel, an emotionally broken young woman, abandons her home and drifts toward San Fransisco. When she meets Henry, she is drawn to him–his soft words and his warm embrace seem to fill all her hollow places, but Henry’s love exacts a price. In “the family”, everything belongs to everyone…of course, Henry’s appetites require that hearts and minds and souls and sinew belong to him alone.

Henry is the now, the supernova, burning bright. For Mel, Henry is the undertow.

As Mel is pulled into the dark deeps, I bit my nails and feverishly turned pages. All at once, I was angry and afraid. Mel’s descent is terrifying, but I could not help but feel pangs of compassion for the broken girl, the ruined psyche so abused and driven to madness. The ending comes with a twist, but even in the final pages, even when I knew the inexorable climax, I could not turn away from Melinda.

I mourned for her fall, even as I gasped at the blood on her hands.

FAMILY is a book I will not soon forget.