Book Launch with Nicki Pau Preto and Joanna Hathaway!

Nicki and Joanna!

 Yesterday I had the great pleasure of going up to Niagara on the Lake Public Library to the Launch Event for Nicki Pau Preto's Heart of Flames and Joanna Hathaway's Storm from the East! The journey to go the 40 miles from my house to the Library was a trek (because nothing is ever simple for me). I look a local bus downtown, caught a special bus up to Niagara Falls, walked across the Canadian Border via the Rainbow Bridge, and took my first ever Uber ride! It took 3 hours and I was frozen (I don't know how I forgot that it is always 20 degrees colder near the falls. Almost like I haven't lived here for 27 years...), but it was 100% worth the adventure!

The launch was held in an intimate meeting room, decorated with tons of paintings by local artists, several of which I would have bought in a heartbeat if I had money. I was the first to arrive and was able to grab a seat off to the side in the front row! The authors got lovely personalized book mugs from the library and the head of the teen programming facilitated the event! Fellow First Rider Raven also asked questions from Bookstagram through a livestream!

Nicki and Joanna talked about their publishing journeys. I was surprised to find out that Nicki's first agent actually dropped her because they claimed that “YA Fantasy is dead.” HA! As if! It is still one of the most popular genres around today! Nicki had always had the dream of publishing whereas it was never a true goal of Joanna's, who originally wrote for the fun of it! She was pushed by her writing group to enter a contest. A contest that she won and gained an agent through!

Both authors also addressed their worst and best parts of the journey. For Nicki, it was being dropped

by the first agent, but Joanna apparently had a truly terrible cover for her debut Dark of the West. The best thing about her publishing journey was that they got rid of that cover! (I'm intensely curious about this cover now! Joanna if you're reading this please send it to my IG!! I promise I will keep it a secret!) Nicki's dream goal of having the subscription box Owlcrate choose her book and in February 2019 that was realized and it still startles her that she got that lucky. Both Nicki and Joanna agreed that their favorite parts had just been extreme good luck!

A big part of writing fantasy is reigning in the detail when worldbuilding. Joanna Hathaway is a huge history nerd and kept trying to add more history to her books, which are fantasy based on the world wars. At one point she was told off by her editior for having a long paragraph on the differences between a Spitfire plane and a Seafire plane! “It's a fantasy world, Joanna! The Spitfire can do what the Seafire does if you need it to!!” oops! She would also become fixated with making sure the speeds of the planes were accurate, like how much sea would they cover, going at what pace, until she got so fed up she threw up her hands and declared that her imaginary spitseafire planes could just

Nicki Pau Preto and I!

move faster!!

Nicki Pau Preto also felt this type of pressure while writing Heart of Flames. She laughed, “My map doesn't match what's in my head and what I wrote in the first book before I got a map, so I'm really confused generally when trying to figure out distances now. I was googling eagle flights and doing the math. Finally I gave up and just did whatever worked with the plot.” Nicki invented things and then had to cut it. Joanna was drawing on history whereas Nicki was just doing all this to herself! She became committed to the depth of the novels and their dense history of her made up world after her editor kept saying “MORE MORE,” so basically she blames Sarah Macabe at Simon Pulse! (Joanna was clearly jealous and she would love to run wild with details!!)

A startling revelation came when asked what inspired the authors to write about their topics. It turns out that Nicki originally wanted to write about dragons, but felt with the popularity of Game of Thrones that the market would be overrun so she chose Phoenixes despite being afraid of birds! She isn't afraid of her phoenixes though, it is almost therapeutic to write about them now! It was also quite interesting to learn that Joanna chose to write about wars due to her love of history (something we have in common)!

Both authors write from multiple perspectives in their novels. Nicki has 5 POVs in Heart of Flames and said that “keeping [them] in order was challenging. It was like writing five different books, since all of the characters have to have a story and intercut!” She laughed a laugh of someone incredibly stressed out about her life choices and sighed, “I don't recommend it!”

I was fascinated to learn that one of the original two agents that offered to take up Dark of the West told Joanna that the book would be better if it didn't have the pilot, but just the princess. Since the book is told equally through Athan the pilot's and Aurelia's points of view it is alarming to think of what the books could have been. I can't speak for all readers, but I for one am so glad Joanna kept the story true to her history nerd loving self and kept Athan in. The pilot aspect is what makes her books stand out so wonderfully from the crowd!

Joanna Hathaway and I!

One of the most lovely lessons I think the authors stressed at this event was that you have to be true to the story you want to tell even when you have to sacrifice some things when you are published. Be true to what you want the story to be and trust what you're doing because it always first and foremost still has to be good to you, otherwise why are you working so hard! This especially came up when Nicki and Joanna were discussing how different it was to write one's first book vs the rest of a trilogy after the first novel is out and being consumed by the public. They agreed that writing the first book in isolation was a great help to figuring out what the story needed to be, even if you have to “write it wrong first” as Nicki said. But when it came to writing the second book they agreed there is more pressure when knowing there is an audience out there. Joanna said that she has to be careful not to be influenced by her readers even though it now “feels like a partnership. I don't want to do something so out of left field that it won't be satisfying any long because [reader and writer] are in this together now!” Nicki mentioned that as she writes the third and final book in the Crown of Feathers trilogy she is getting real time reaction from readers as they devour Heart of Flames, the second novel that was just released. At one point she found herself assuring a reader that the next books would indeed have more of the romance that readers were eager for only to realize later that she had actually cut a lot of it out! Joanna was also startled by how some readers were gunning for the long desired relationship in her books to pan out further and was worried because her characters actually won't see each other again for a large chunk of book two! The point of all of this was to reiterate that books as they are being written belong to the authors that created them. If their vision isn't fulfilled the book is kind of a moot point. I truly loved this message from them because it isn't often expressed or understood by demanding readers.

At the end of the event I asked the question that had most been on my mind while reading the Crown of Feather books and that is about Nicki's process of writing the historical documents that are scattered throughout the books and the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter. It turns out that while working on her first book, her editor suggested adding in the documents as a way of cutting out some of the larger world building paragraphs. Now since they are expected as part of the format of

Joanna and Nicki with their readers!

her books Nicki jots down ideas for them, things she finds interesting or little tidbits that she wrote down already for herself to keep the world straight and writes them all up at the very end! She is always making up more history and always adding more to her boos to flesh them out as much as she can. She knew each chapter would begin each chapter from the very beginning, but she cannot actually write them until she knows around how many chapters the book will actually have so she is always thinking about them but not quite writing them until halfway through or so.

All of this was absolutely amazing to hear live from the authors directly! It is such a fun and lucky thing to be able to spend an afternoon and actually talk to the people who brought worlds to life on the page. After the event, the authors held a signing of their books. I hung back so that almost everyone else who attended had gone ahead so that I could spend more time with Nicki and Joanna (because I am selfish like that). It was well worth the wait! It was a pleasure meeting them both! (I actually gushed to both of them on Instagram when I posted these photos on my account @bookwormextraordinaire). I felt like I already knew Nicki through the internet so it was particularly awesome to meet her and be able to talk about the First Riders in person! And oh my gosh, Joanna was an a sweetheart! She even had me message her when I got home to make sure I arrived safely. These two ladies are as lovely as they are talented and it was truly worth the trek I made to meet them!

~Laura!

PS here is a photo of a very frozen Laura posing on the Rainbow Bridge near Niagara Falls with my books!

Series Spotlight: The Witchlands by Susan Dennard

The Witchlands by Susan Dennard

I am so excited to tell you that I was invited to be a part of the blog tour celebrating the new fancy schmancy boxset of the wonderful Witchland series! It came out on Tuesday and you really should check it out! It includes the first 3 core books of the series with new covers and an amazingly detailed map of the Witchlands!

Every Tuesday for the last couple months on Instagram I've been posting photos about how much I love this series! I thought I would do a round up for you folks who aren't hanging out over there yet!

But before we go into that I should probably tell you what it is about! The series is set in a world that has three empires ruling it. Everyone there is born with some kind of magical skill that is called a Witchery, hence the world being called the Witchlands! For the last two decades the three empires have held a sort of peace that was brought about by the "Twenty Year Truce." But that truce is about to come to an end, bringing back the centuries-long war! The books mostly follow 2 badass women, Safiya and Iseult! One can tell if you're lying and the other can see the threads of emotions. Together they can stop the war, so what happens when they are torn apart? (Have I hooked you yet? Honestly I was hooked the moment I read "WITCHLANDS! so if you got any farther than that I'm surprised!)

So, back to the round up! Through these posts I have found out that I am definitely a waterwitch and that if I were to have a patronus from the Witchlands it would be a Sea Fox. But what does that mean? Well, in the Witchlands everyone has a witchery. There are so many kinds but they all fall under one of six elements. Four of them are the physical elements like Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, and then two are more abstract, Void (death) and Aether (life). To find out I was a waterwitch I took THIS quiz that Susan Dennard the author of the series made. I was surprised by this because I was sure that with my work with animals I would be an earthwitch! Then the coolest thing happened. I voiced this surprise and Sooz Dennard actually commented! She said that, "maybe my waterwitchery let's me connect with animals because I'm naturally in sync with the ebb and flow of the world!" The more I think about this the more I believe that she may be a genius! That fits me perfectly! The more I learn about the world of #theWitchlands the more I fall in love with the series! And as for my Witchlands Patronus? Well it goes spectacularly with my waterwitchery! I got the Sea Fox! I took the quiz HERE and it said, "Fickle as the tides, their tempers might turn on a dime--but their hearts never will. Silky, beautiful, and awe-inspiring, no magical creature in the Witchlands is quite so alluring--or quite so clever--as the Sea Fox!"

Honestly, as cool as finding out how I would fit into the Witchlands, the witchery isn't my favorite part of the world that Susan Dennard has made for us. What I love the most is her characters. Safi and Iz are two of the strongest leads I've ever read and they are surrounded by even more badass, strong allies! I wish I lived in a world where they were in charge! I wholeheartedly recommend that you read this series! Come for the magic but stay for the connections! 

The Witchlands Boxset can be found at most major retailers, irl and online! Let me know if you check them out!

~Laura!

Review: Changeling by William Ritter

Changeling by William Ritter 

Publisher & Release Date: Algonquin Young Readers, July 2019 

Type: Middle Grade, Fantasy (272 pages) 

Series: Book One of The Oddmire 

Summary: Magic is fading from the Wild Wood. To renew it, goblins must perform an ancient ritual involving the rarest of their kind—a newborn changeling. But when the fateful night arrives to trade a human baby for a goblin one, something goes terribly wrong. After laying the changeling in a human infant’s crib, the goblin Kull is briefly distracted from his task. By the time he turns back, the changeling has already perfectly mimicked the human child. Too perfectly: Kull cannot tell them apart. Not knowing which to bring back, he leaves both babies behind.

Tinn and Cole are raised as human twins, neither knowing what secrets may be buried deep inside one of them. Then when they are twelve years old, a mysterious message arrives, calling the brothers to be heroes and protectors of magic. The boys must leave behind their sleepy town of Endsborough and risk their lives in the Wild Wood, crossing the perilous Oddmire swamp and journeying through the Deep Dark to reach the goblin horde and discover who they truly are.

My Review:

Earlier this year I was asked to review the first book in William Ritter's new series, The Oddmire called Changeling and I jumped on the opportunity. I have never agreed to a blog tour so fast! I absolutely love Ritter's writing. His first book, Jackaby remains one of my all time favorites. He has a way of adding charm and wit into every aspect of his work!

Changeling is an enchanting fairy tale set in the same world as Jackaby. That was all I needed to know before I dove headfirst into the mysterious Oddmire Forest. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down! It is perfect for all ages, but I can see little kids particularly falling into the world Ritter has created in The Oddmire and never wanting to leave. This book is easily on the level of storytelling that is set up in the Spiderwick Chronicles!

The idea of the changeling is one of the oldest folk tales of Europe, a fairy child that is swapped out with a human child. Changelings have fascinated people for centuries and are prevalent even in today's pop culture, having recently been featured in shows such as Supernatural and Outlander and even an episode of the podcast Lore. I, myself, have always been interested in the idea of them.

So, with a myth so beloved by many it is hard to believe that there can be an original take on it, and yet Ritter does just that! What if the switch in interrupted? What if the babies, human and fairy alike grow up together? Changeling answers just those questions!

My favorite part of this book is the mix of beautiful, eerie setting in the Oddmire that I would love to explore and the amazingly rich and detailed, full of life and motive characters that inhabit it! Hinkypunks, Goblins, Shapeshifters, and fantastic Humans all come together to solve the mystery of the changeling!

As soon as I finished it I wanted to read it again. It was heartwarming and funny, but also just as dark as a true fairy tale should be! I enjoyed Changeling and am eagerly awaiting the next book in what is sure to become a beloved series for young readers for many years to come!

(Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for sending me the advanced egalley in exchange for this honest review!)

~Laura!!

Cover Reveal: Heart of Flames by Nicki Pau Preto!

It's here! It's here! The cover reveal for the much anticipated sequel to Nicki Pau Preto's amazing debut Crown of Feathers is here!! 

Yesterday Paste Magazine had the honor to reveal the Heart of Flames cover and shared with us an exclusive excerpt from the novel! Click here to read the amazing teaser!

As one of the First Riders Street Team I also have the privilege of revealing this absolutely gorgeous cover with all you fellow bookworms! 

Isn't it stunning? I absolutely cannot get over the level of detail Artist Kekai Kotaki put into this cover! I don't know about you but this cover and that excerpt is making me itch for 2020!!

Be sure to add both Crown of Feathers and Heart of Flames (and the final book in the trilogy) to your Goodreads by following this link! 

You can also read my review of it here! 

And be sure to keep an eye out of my First Riders Tag to keep up to date on all the Phoenix News!

~Laura!

On the Buffalo Reading Invasion!

You are probably wondering what a Reading Invasion even is, right? WELL LET ME ENLIGHTEN YOU! Reading Invasions are basically a flashmob of readers. Every summer here in Buffalo since 2012 local readers invade a park for an hour and we READ. It is really that simple, but it is a whole lot of fun! Last night was the first of the 2019 season! An hour of blissful reading with a crazy number of other book nerds!

I think my first Reading Invasion was in June of 2013 (at least according to the bookmark pictured above). I remember it vividly (besides the date). It took place at Bidwell Park, where the first Invasion of the year is always at. I remember looking around about a half hour in and seeing all these people absorbed in their books! It was a wonderful feeling! These were my kind of people.

I also noticed at my first invasion that passerbys giving us curious looks. Never before had they seen such a sight! What were we doing? Why were we all just sitting there? WERE WE ALL JUST READING? WHAT WAS GOING ON? It was lovely to see that confusion and find out later on that most of those people actually showed up and read themselves at the next Invasion! Spreading the love of books for the WIN! Last night I looked up again and saw no passerbys giving us looks because it has become such a Buffalo Summer thing that it is widely known, accepted, and cherished! How lucky are we to live in such a place?! I like that I see familiar faces from Invasions past and that every year it gets bigger and bigger!

One of my favorite aspect of the Buffalo Reading Invasion (other than the reading itself) is that besides the first one of the season, they are held in a different park every month! If I’m not mistaken the invasion very rarely goes to the same park twice and I can see why! Buffalo has something like 180 parks or something crazy number like that! Going to an Invasion brings you to a park of the City you may not have discovered before! I love that the first Invasion of the year is always at Bidwell though. There is a independent bookshop practically in Bidwell Park and every year when the Invasion is there I go in, look around, and always buy a new book. One year it was a Doctor Who book, last year it was the 3^rd book in the Three Dark Crowns series! This year I bought A Curse So Dark and Lonely and ran into a coworker!

Here is a panoramic view of the Invasion last night! Look at all those readers!

The Buffalo Reading Invasions remains one of my all time favorite things to go to in the summer! 

If you'd like to learn more or find out when and where the next Invasion will be check out the website here or like the official Facebook page here! 

I hope to see you and your book next month!

~Laura!

Review: Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

Publisher & Release Date: Ink Road (Owlcrate Exclusive Edition), Feb. 2019

Type: YA Fantasy (486 pages)

Series: Book One of Crown of Feathers

Summary: I had a sister, once…

In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.

I promised her the throne would not come between us.

Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.

But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled.

Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.

Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken.

My Review:

Crown of Feathers is an absolutely wonderful fantasy debut that I am becoming rapidly obsessed with. I will be recommending this book for years to come! I really enjoyed it!

I'm not gonna lie it had a slow start. There was some action early on and then a lot of history and exposition. The history of the world is weaved in along with Veronyka's back story as she gets to where she needs to be. At first it seemed to bog down the action because even early on I was invested with the action that was occurring, but rest assured it is all necessary and fascinating! I promise that it does pick up and once it does you won't be putting this tome down!

One of the things I love most about Crown of Feathers is that it has multiple, third person point of view chapters from a few different characters. It was a great choice on Pau Preto's part to write the novel like this because it allows the reader to know more than any of the characters at any given time. The reader becomes so incredibly invested in Veronyka, Tristan, and Sev as we try to guess how and when they will interact if ever. Each of these characters are rich with detail and I want to know them all in real life! Especially Veronyka, who has so much to offer readers by teaching subtly about inner strength and being yourself.

And of course I can't forget about the true selling point of this novel, the phoenixes that are rode into battle! I got this book through Owlcrate. The only thing I knew about this book was these phoenixes which is why I ordered my first subscription box! If you're a long time follower of my blog you know that I love animals and work closely with wildlife. This book is close to my heart because of the idea of animages, people who can communicate with not just phoenixes, but all animals. I want this gift so badly it stings. It touches on so many important ethics surrounding animals that are completely relevant today!

If it isn't obvious, I can't get enough of this book. I cannot wait to dive into the sequel. Nicki Pau Preto is an incredible writer and I can't wait to see where she goes next!

~Laura!

Review: Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Release Date: April 2017

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Type: Young Adult Contemporary Romance

Pages: 400

Other Titles in the Series: More Than We Can Tell (#2)

Summary: Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope. Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past. When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

My Review:

Holy crap! This book blew my mind. I stayed up late to read the last two thirds of the book. I haven't done that in ages.

Let me back track. Brigid Kemmerer was at TBF, but somehow in all my research I didn't realize I wanted to read her books. I noticed her book at the Barnes and Noble they set up in the gym and I bought it. When I went up to meet her and get it signed I embarrassed myself. Because, of course I did. She thanked me for getting the book and I fumbled and said I hadn't read it yet, but wanted to because I like letters. She handled the situation way better than I did. But I am so sad that I hadn't read it beforehand because I would have loved to have told her in person how much I absolutely loved it!

This was a fantastic story. I normally don't like contemporary fiction but the premise of this drew me in. This was so real, I felt like I knew Juliet and Declan, like I went to school with them. It was convincing, it left me thinking, it was so normal, but extraordinary at the same time. I don't know, you could read the book and not be blown away. You will probably not cry buckets and buckets and swear at the characters for being idiots. But I did. I did those things because the depth of the writing demanded it of me. This is very character driven. The pain of these two kids pulls you in and the suspense of their letters holds you on the edge of your seat so you can't stop reading even if you tried. I loved them both so much and I can't wait to read the story of Declan's best friend Rev.

~Laura!

My To Be Read Pile for April and May!

My To Be Read Pile for April and May!

Jhereg by Steven Burst- I've got this on the top of my pile because it is the beginning of my best friend's husband's favorite series!

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson- MJ is one of my favorite authors and is one of my personal heroines and I am beyond excited to read her latest novel which I have heard nothing but good things about!

Brave Birds by Maude White- I have waited so long to get my hands on this book! My friend Maude is an incredible artist who cuts stunning birds out of single sheets of paper!

Teen Book Festival Preparation!

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi- I have actually started this one and it is good so far!

Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland- Modern day Harpies? Sign me up!

Alanna by Tamora Pierce- One of my good friends has wanted me to read this for YEARS and since Tammy is coming to TBF this is the perfect time!

The Novice by Taran Matharu- I've been looking into reading more fantasy and this book seems really interesting!

Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg- Epic Road Trip books are amazing and I think this one will be too!

The Last True Love Story by Brendan Kiely- This novel about helping an old man remember his love sounds like it will move me to tears.

Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand- Stories come to life? Y E S!

The Year of Shadows by Claire Legrand- A kid's gothic novel? Of course I want to read it!

Review: The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke

The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke

Release Date: October 2017

Publisher: Del Ray Books

Type: Adult

Pages: 299

Series: The World of Lore

Summary: They live in shadows--deep in the forest, late in the night, in the dark recesses of our minds. They're spoken of in stories and superstitions, relics of an unenlightened age, old wives' tales, passed down through generations. Yet no matter how wary and jaded we have become, as individuals or as a society, a part of us remains vulnerable to them: werewolves and wendigos, poltergeists and vampires, angry elves and vengeful spirits.

In this beautifully illustrated volume, the host of the hit podcast Lore serves as a guide on a fascinating journey through the history of these terrifying creatures, exploring not only the legends but what they tell us about ourselves. Aaron Mahnke invites us to the desolate Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where the notorious winged, red-eyed Jersey Devil dwells. He delves into harrowing accounts of cannibalism--some officially documented, others the stuff of speculation . . . perhaps. He visits the dimly lit rooms where seances take place, the European villages where gremlins make mischief, even Key West, Florida, home of a haunted doll named Robert.

In a world of "emotional vampires" and "zombie malls," the monsters of folklore have become both a part of our language and a part of our collective psyche. Whether these beasts and bogeymen are real or just a reflection of our primal fears, we know, on some level, that not every mystery has been explained and that the unknown still holds the power to strike fear deep in our hearts and souls. As Aaron Mahnke reminds us, sometimes the truth is even scarier than the lore.

My Review:

One of my friends told me to listen to the Lore Podcast for a spooky time! Anyone who has read my blog for a long period of time will notice that I love spooky paranormal type books and The World of Lore is right up my alley! This book is a companion to Aaron Mahnke's amazing podcast. It contains a lot of the podcast episode scripts plus a few extra stories!

My favorite thing about Lore is that they are real stories. Mahnke did not make these up. He has done his research and these are all real folklore and the history behind them! Mahnke is one of the best storytellers I have ever encountered. He talks to you, he tells you the story instead of just relating it. He uses colloquial language and yet remains lyrical. While he knows he is writing for a wide range of people he is also able to make it seem as if he is writing just for a single reader, just for you. He is funny at times, but never cheaply, he takes his work seriously as you can tell how important these truths are to him. And the stories, most importantly, always gives me chills down my spine. He pauses in all the right places to maximize, for lack of better term, the spookiness factor. Mahnke doesn't just tell you these spooky stories though, he touches on why these stories are important to us and why they resonate with readers.

I couldn't pick just one favorite tale as I like all of them, but there are some that stand out. Some of the stories are ones that I was already familiar with such as the one about Robert the Doll (“Unboxed”) and the gremlins (“Tampered”). But most stories I had never heard of such as the Beast of Bray Road (“Trees and Shadows”), John McMillian's grave site (“Dinner at the Afterglow”), and the Phelps' Haunting (“Passing Notes”). All of these stories stick out in my head because each of these, to me, were some of the creepiest!

This review is for the book, but to be honest I recommend listening to the podcast more as I think Mahnke's readings of these stories enhance their spookiness factor exponentially. I do encourage you to check out this book, though if you already love the podcast or if you prefer to read your stories. Personally, I plan on getting my own copy as soon as I can because I do adore the podcast, but also because it is great to have a hardcopy to reference. Also, because of the crazy macabre artwork by M.S. Corely! I think this artwork enhances Mahnke's words. It takes the place of the cadence of Mahnke's voice and adds that missing factor!

The entire World of Lore is incredible and I was excited to find out that Monstrous Creatures is only the first collection that Mahnke is planning! I for one cannot wait to read Wicked Mortals and Dreadful Places (out this May and October respectively)! I hope that these books bring a lot of attention to the podcast as well so that Aaron Mahnke can continue telling us these amazing, true, and spooky tales!

~Laura! 

Review: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Release Date: February 7^th, 2017

Publisher: WW Norton Company

Type: Adult Mythology

Pages: 299

Summary: Introducing an instant classic—master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a dazzling version of the great Norse myths.

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly reincarnating Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, the son of giants, a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. From Gaiman’s deft and witty prose emerges the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to dupe others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.

My Review:

Like most I know my knowledge of Norse Mythology started and stopped with Marvel's limited representation. I wanted to know more, but wasn't sure where to begin. Then Neil Gaiman wrote this and TADA!

The novel is made up of short tales hat Neil Gaiman has beautifully rewritten so that they are more accessible to today's audience. They are also surprisingly funny. (I love that Thor admits that when something goes wrong he immediately blames Loki because it's faster!)

Like I said, my knowledge is solely based on Marvel comics and their cinematic universe so when upon reading I realized that a lot of what is known by most audiences is limited or changed from the original myths I can't say that I was all that surprised as that is what usually happens with popular adapations. Mostly the changes are about who is related to who and how. And of course it's 100% more in depth. This is literally the meaning of "the book is better." Neil Gaiman's tales make me want to delve deeper into the mythology and find out what else Marvel messed with. One constant is Loki (well he isn't actually known as Thor's brother) is still at the center of all the mischief.

If you are curious and like me don't know where to start you should definitely read this first just like I did. And if you have any recommendations as to which books I should read next to learn more about Norse Mythology, please let me know!

~Laura!

Review: The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley

The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley 

Release Date: August 1^st, 2017 

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA 

Type: Adult Fiction 

Pages: 336 

Summary: In 1859, ex-East India Company smuggler Merrick Tremayne is trapped at home in Cornwall after sustaining an injury that almost cost him his leg and something is wrong; a statue moves, his grandfather’s pines explode, and his brother accuses him of madness.

When the India Office recruits Merrick for an expedition to fetch quinine—essential for the treatment of malaria—from deep within Peru, he knows it’s a terrible idea. Nearly every able-bodied expeditionary who’s made the attempt has died, and he can barely walk. But Merrick is desperate to escape everything at home, so he sets off, against his better judgment, for a tiny mission colony on the edge of the Amazon where a salt line on the ground separates town from forest. Anyone who crosses is killed by something that watches from the trees, but somewhere beyond the salt are the quinine woods, and the way around is blocked.

Surrounded by local stories of lost time, cursed woods, and living rock, Merrick must separate truth from fairytale and find out what befell the last expeditions; why the villagers are forbidden to go into the forest; and what is happening to Raphael, the young priest who seems to have known Merrick’s grandfather, who visited Peru many decades before. The Bedlam Stacks is the story of a profound friendship that grows in a place that seems just this side of magical.

My Review:

While Natasha Pulley's first novel, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street will remain my favorite of her two books, The Bedlam Stacks is in a pretty close second. And just like my review of that book this review will also contain spoilers because it is hard to gush about this without them.

The Bedlam Stacks took me a little while to read because it is a slow paced book. This is not a bad thing. By taking her time with the plot Pulley makes sure that the reader is paying attention. As I went along with Merrick from his time at home in Cornwall to his time with Raphael in Peru and understood more and more of what was happening in the Bedlam Stacks the more I realized how well Pulley writes. Tiny clues, given slowly once understood make this book start reading faster and faster until I couldn’t go read quickly enough.

Like the characters of Watchmaker the characters of this novel are stand out. (SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD) And much like Mori the Watchmaker in her first novel Raphael is also a special kind of magical. (Mori, by the way, makes a small appearance in this book confirming that these books are in the same version of our world. One in which I would like to live in, honestly). This novel seamlessly blends historical fiction with the slight fantasy. Raphael is a bit of a mystery for most of the novel, but his unique magical talent makes him one of the most interesting characters I have ever read, just like Mori.

What I liked most about this novel is how Merrick interacts with the setting of Peru, the culture, and his own family's history there. Like I said earlier, this novel is a slow burn and it is as such because the novel is from Merrick's perspective and as he pieces it together so does the reader. As he learns more the more interesting the novel becomes. For me, I think another thing I liked is that Merrick is learning Spanish while in Peru. I, too, am learning the language and while the dialogue of this book is in English they are actually using Spanish some of the time. When they do Merrick points in out, whether the speaker is talking slowly or clearly enough for his skills. And when he brings it up I try to translate the sentences into Spanish, just to see if I can! (I mostly could get about half, which I felt was pretty good!)

I am not sure if this review has made much sense, but I hope it made you want to pick up Natasha Pulley's second novel (and her first actually. You can find my review for that one here)! 

 ~Laura!

Review: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

TheWatchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley 

Release Date: July 2015 

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA 

Type: Adult Fiction 

Pages: 318 

Summary: 1883. Thaniel Steepleton returns home to his tiny London apartment to find a gold pocket watch on his pillow. Six months later, the mysterious timepiece saves his life, drawing him away from a blast that destroys Scotland Yard. At last, he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori, a kind, lonely immigrant from Japan. Although Mori seems harmless, a chain of unexplainable events soon suggests he must be hiding something. When Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist, unwittingly interferes, Thaniel is torn between opposing loyalties.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is a sweeping, atmospheric narrative that takes the reader on an unexpected journey through Victorian London, Japan as its civil war crumbles long-standing traditions, and beyond. Blending historical events with dazzling flights of fancy, it opens doors to a strange and magical past.

My Review:

The summary above is vague because to tell the reader what makes this book special is a mild spoiler. That being said, be warned as I don't want to be vague when discussing how great this book is, so mild spoilers ahead.

This is one of those books that I felt a type of pressure to read because I just kept seeing it. At work, at the store, and online! I follow a few bookstagrammers on Instagram and this book kept popping up! I have a collection of photos saved to my account of book recommendations and when I went through this book was saved 3 different times. I'm telling you it was fate when I finally found it at the library!

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is set in Victorian London mostly and a few chapters in Japan. I love this time period and I love clockwork so right away I'm invested. The main characters are primarily Thaniel and Mori, both of whom I absolutely adore. Thaniel is a low key bloke just trying to do what's right and is intriguing in his manner of being. He works for the government as a telegraph clerk and suddenly one day his life is drastically altered because of a watch. A clock that Mori made.

Then there's Mori himself. (Here comes those minor spoilers!) Mori is a little bit magic. This book blends contemporary Victorian with fantasy seamlessly and it is beautiful. Mori can remember what's about to happen. He is sort of clairvoyant as he can see the moment one decides to do something and the possibilities that action opens up. This blew my mind. I've been thinking about it for days. Once his abilities are explained further thinking about it sent me down the rabbit hole. If one could see the various outcomes of what one only intends to do it must become maddeningly endless. And then there is Mori's work. He is the watchmaker on Filigree Street after all. His clockwork is years beyond its time and frankly even our time. Can you imagine a clockwork octopus set to random gears so it appears to think on its own? And moves like it's real?! I'm trying to and it doesn't seem logical without magic. Imagine having a pet octopus or bird that is clockwork? I wish that clockwork would make a come back. This book made me want to take apart my mom's cuckoo clock to see how it works (she would murder me dead twice over). Katsu, by the way, is the octopus and he's a scene stealer. I loved him so much.

The plot of The Watchman of Filigree Street is just as intriguing as its characters are. It's part fantasy, part thriller with some mystery and drama thrown in. There's bombs and fake marriages and domestic life and politics all rolled into one package. There was a bit about three quarters of the way in though where I wasn't sure if anything was actually happening. The plot slowed and I didn't really see how it could all wrap up together and then WHOA it started to go so fast that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Not a bad fast, just a fast paced mystery unraveling and you're trying to keep up with the revelations. You know what I mean?

There is nothing about this book that I would change. Natasha Pulley is a fantastic author who we are very lucky to have. I read on Goodreads that she is writing a sequel and I dearly hope that it's true because I am itching to read more about Thaniel and Mori. I can see this being an interesting series for many more books to come.

~Laura!

Thoughts From Places: Turtles All the Way Down Tour

My Trip to New York City's Nerdfighteria

In October I went to New York City for a couple days to go to the Turtles All the Way Down tour with Hank and John Green. I left on a Monday night at about 10:30pm (by Megabus which was late. It's always late because it comes from Toronto and it always gets stuck at the border.) I got into the city at about 8:30am or so and started the long walk to my Hostel from 27^th to 88^th. I could have taken the subway but I love walking the city as I never know what I'll find. I did take a break in Times Square to people watch and around 62^nd where I went to Lincoln Plaza Cinema to see Loving Vincent that movie that is completely painted in the style of Van Gogh! That wasn't a spur of the moment thing though. I have been following it's progress since they announced the movie years ago. Originally it wasn't coming to Buffalo and I thought I'd never see it but it just so happens that it was still playing in New York so I couldn't not go see it! I love seeing movies by myself. The first time I did was last year when I went to see Alice Through the Looking Glass while backpacking.

I love NYC!

I went by myself, but I met a bunch of nerdfighter friends, old and new, for a gathering before the show. I belong to the New York Nerdfighter group on Facebook. I joined it years ago when I went to the NYC stop of the Tour Because Awesome! In line for the concert I met some awesome people! Some of whom I met up with at NerdCon and again here! It was like a mini reunion! Seamus set up a pre-show gathering that I went to, but was late for! By the time I got there they had already written a bunch of nerdfighter notes and were just about to put them in John's (and Maureen Johnson's) books! One of the coolest parts of this was that Lori Earl, Esther Earl's mom was there. I had forgotten my TSWGO bracelet and she noticed and gave me one!! Lori is the mom of Nerdfighteria and is the loveliest person.

A bunch of us got food and then went to Bryant Park for a couple hours to kill time before making our way over to the Town Hall. We all sat in a circle and just talked about all sorts of nerdy things. There was about 20 or so of us. What was great though was that halfway through this other group of people came behind us and just started juggling? It must have been an agreed upon spot to practice or something, but either way it was really cool. One of our group actually abandoned us and they taught him how to juggle. I love how spontaneous NYC is. The venue was only a couple blocks away and I met up with Marie (who had my ticket, she bought us front row because she is amazing!) out front near the tour bus! We actually got to meet Rosianna Halse Rojas before we went in!

John and Hank Green!

The show itself was great. It was like watching a Vlogbrothers video live. John came out first and read a selection from Turtles. And then Dr. Lawrence Turtleman came out and gave a powerpoint presentation on Monotypic Taxa as windows into Modern Phylogeny (aka Hank in a turtle costume wearing a suit jacket). They took questions from the audience in the form of a mock Dear Hank and John episode, wherein they both forgot the format of the podcast. Hank brought out his guitar and sang a few songs. John did a tribute to Amy Krouse Rosenthal in the form of “We are here because we are here because we are here” to the tune of Auld Lang Syne that we all sang together which was sad and moving. Hank came back out and they both sang the Anglerfish song (which by the way is my favorite Hank song), All Star (because of course) and the first verse and chorus of Sweet Caroline BUT we couldn’t sing the BAH BAH BAH or the SO GOOD. It was so hard. John was so excited by the silence in the part that he literally jumped up and down around the stage. It was like his entire life was completed. As an encore they came out and sang the Mountain Goats.

As if just seeing John and Hank the night before wasn't enough, I was also invited to be in the audience for John's segment on Good Morning America the next morning. My friend Seamus was contacted by the producer to have him and 20 or so “mega Nerdfighters” come and welcome John. Seamus invited me and Marie along with a bunch of others! I had to get up at 5am, I fought with the 86^th street station turnstyle, but I did get to the studio. We waited in the VIP line and got our IDs checked (to make sure we were on the list, how cool?!), and got bracelets to wear. Once in we were led to the studio. We could see Times Square out the window. Basically, taping GMA was incredibly boring and kind of annoying. Commercials are forever long. There is this guy there who is supposedly a comedian that is in charge of keeping the audience under control or whatever. He “taught” us how to clap and how to smile and made fun of us. He was actually horrible. One of the serious segments was about that horrible Weinstein or whatever his name is and the comedian fellow literally said, “and remember big smiles.” We all looked at him like he was nuts and he said, “you know appropriate smiles though.” I was so mad that this man was telling me to smile during a segment about sexual assault that I told him to eff off.

The GMA Green Room!

He must hear that a lot though or I didn't say it loud enough because he still chose me to be one of the ten that went backstage to the green room to film a commercial spot with John. That was fun. I can officially say that I met him. I was the closest to where he was sitting (about 5 feet away from him) wearing my Pizza John shirt and he said “Thanks for wearing my torso on your face. Wait, no. You know what I mean!” and he looked around and saw all of us wearing DFTBA merch and was excited that we were all real nerdfighters. He asked me if I liked the book and I responded that since I got it last night from the event that I hadn't started yet. He was excited that all of us were at the show and asked if we liked the “Sweet Caroline” bit because he wasn't quite sure. I especially assured him that it was fantastic and that I loved how excited he got over silence and that it was surprisingly satisfying.

When the 10 of us who were picked came back to the main stage the cast of Goodbye, Christopher Robin was there! Domhall Gleeson, Bill Weasley himself, was there along with Margot Robbie, Kelly MacDonald, and Will Tiltson. The show gave everyone in the audience a ticket to Goodbye Christopher Robin's Director's screening of his film that night. Originally, I was going to try to see Aladdin on Broadway (well actually I tried to win the Hamilton lottery and of course did not get it), but I had already wanted to see the movie so I couldn't pass up a free ticket.

After the taping of GMA, some of us went to a diner on 9^th Ave for breakfast. It was so nice to spend time with other nerdfighters. From there a few of us went to Central Park with the intention of reading some of Turtles, but it was such a nice day so we sat at the top of this GIANT rock in near the children's playground. We sat there for what seemed like several hours but was only a few. Because we had all gotten up so freakin' early time seemed to be moving way too slow because of those extra hours. Eventually, we went to a Starbucks and actually read for a few hours before we made our way to Paris Theatre to use our free tickets. Goodbye, Christopher Robin is an amazing movie and I highly recommend it! What was cool was that the Director was there and introduced the movie! It was an incredible experience, the whole 2 days in New York was just bananas.

I'm so thankful for John and Hank for creating such an awesome and welcoming community. Even though I'm not from NYC the nerdfighters there are so kind and invite me to events even though I can't always attend. 

Best Wishes and DFTBA,

~Laura!