Summer Lovin'

If there's one thing I usually try to avoid it's young adult romance. Maybe I'm simply too old to care about teens falling in love–or maybe I just don't really care for romance in general. There are, however, a few exceptions and most of them come in the form of anthologies. 

I wasn't really familiar with most of the authors featured in Summer Days and Summer Nights, but I am a huge fan of Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat (another exception), and seeing ner name on the cover was enough to make me curious.

Summer Daysand Summer Nights on Amazon

I admit, I read Block's story “Sick Pleasure” first, and it definitely is my favorite out of the twelve short stories featured in the collection. Block's autobiographical account is not a big fairy tale, or a thrilling romance. It is a simple story you probably heard a 100 times already, but her equally sweet and gloomy perspective, and the way she threats Los Angeles as a setting, make it stand out in the best way possible.

Others that stood out to me are “Last Stand at the Cinegore” by Libba Bray and “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” by Lev Grossman. Bray's “Last Stand at the Cinegore” might not be the best out of the stories, but I am a sucker for campy horror, and this tale of a cursed movie was right up my alley. And “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things”, a clever take on Groundhog Day, is just one of those stories that really makes you stop and reminds you to enjoy the little things that make endless summer days so special.

Overall, I really enjoyed the anthology as a whole. There were two or three stories I just skimmed over, but I think that's going to be the case with any anthology–especially if it combines a wide range of styles. So if you haven't read it yet, check out Summer Days and Summer Nights. It's the perfect book for those last few lazy summer days.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura

Book Shopping

Book Summer would not be complete without a post on Out Of Print, 'cause no matter if you're back-to-school shopping (they do have amazing  totes and pencil pouches!), on a mission to show the world your favorite book, or just want to do some good (every purchase sends a book to a community in need)  …Out of Print is the place to go.  

Here's a look at their new "Miss Peregrine's Home for Perculiar Children" collection and some of my all time favorites (how cute is that Nancy Drew sweater?):

Which one is your favorite?  

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura  

My Best Friend's Exorcism

Between the mind-blowingly awesome Stranger Things, and the less mind-blowing (but still kind of entertaining) Dead of Summer, I found myself craving even more 80s horror. So, I googled "horror novels set in the 80s" and found My Best Friend's Exorcism. 

The year is 1988, Abby and Gretchen have been best friends forever. Both are a little nerdy, love E.T., and the roller-rink…but all that changes after a little experimentation with LSD goes wrong and Gretchen begins to act strange. While it's not uncommon for childhood friends to drift apart in high school, Abby knows that this is something more…something terrifying.  And there is only one possible explanation: Gretchen in possessed.

Author Grady Hendrix has a unique talent to blend the heartwarming with the disturbing …and still make you laugh at the same time. My Best Friend's Excorcism is chilling, but not a straight up horror novel. It is heart-warning,  but not just another coming of age story. It's a high school drama, but not in the least bit juvenile. It is amusing, but never silly, and the result is a story that keeps surprising you on every page, because you never quite know which direction it will take next. And if that is not enough to win you over, the vivid setting–a Charlestown private school–and the colorful 80s references definitely will.

My Best Friend´s Exorcism on Amazon

So just put on some 80's music, heat up some Eggos (Sorry, I had to),  

and read My Best Friend's Exorcism – you won't regret it.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura  

Summer Break

I'm taking a tiny blogging break in July, but that doesn't mean that I'm gonna leave you hanging. So here's my "book summer" round-up with every thing you need to keep you entertained until August:

Here's the greatest classic summer reading list,  the best new releases of spring/summer 2016,  and what has to be the funniest book of the year. Then we have my favorite summer snack and a jamming playlist that you can take to the beach or into the woods.  

…But whatever you do: don't forget to keep cool!

See you in August for the final "book summer" month!

Until then…

Peace, Love, and Lobsters
Laura

The Killer in Me

While most 17 year old girls have nightmares about showing up unprepared for a test or being stood up at their prom, the things Nina Barrows sees when she closes her eyes at night are a little more substantial …and a lot more terrifying. 

Ever since she was a little girl Nina's dreams have been haunted by "The Thief", a sociopath serial killer who stalks and kills at random, and then disposes his victims' bodies in an abandoned

mine in the deepest, most desolate part of the desert. Yet, no one except Nina has ever heard of him.  Joined by her former best friend Warren, who is not sure what to make of her obsession (or maybe delusions?), Nina decides to hunt the Thief down.  But once they get to the to the deserts of New Mexico – the Thief's hunting grounds –  the man who awaits them there seems to be the exact opposite of the brutal killer Nina had come to know through her dreams, and she soon begins to doubt everything that she had once been so sure of.  

While the gripping and brilliantly twisted plot of  Margot Harrison's debut novel make it a book that you can't put down,  it is the atmosphere that really sets it apart from other thrillers.  The setting – a captivating  mix of eerie and beautiful – is so vivid that it almost competes with the characters themselves. Yet, the story never gets lost in descriptions that slow down the plot. The writing is always sharp, on point, and at times even "noir-ish".  And even though I pride myself  in my deductive skills I found myself questioning them a little more with every chapter  – just like Nina herself.  

If you enjoy a gritty mystery, with dark and disturbing revelations, and a hint of romance, then mark July 12 in your calendars or preorder "The Killer in Me" now. You definitely won't regret it …except for the increase in your electrical bill because it may want to make you sleep with the lights on (if you dare to sleep at all, that is).

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura  

Advanced review copy provided by Net Galley 

Tic Toc Nic…

Even though there is a ferris wheel on the cover, All The Missing Girls  is more reminiscent  of a roller coaster ride – and just like a roller coaster ride it's impossible to get off once you're on it.

Ten years ago Nicolette's (Nic) best friend Corinne disappeared from Cooley Ridge, their small North Carolina  hometown. Now, Nic is back in Cooley Ridge to help her brother fix up their old family home – and it does not take long until her past catches up with her and old wounds that she thought had long been healed start to itch again …especially when Annaleise, Nic's neighbor, disappears, in the middle of the night– just like Corinne did ten years ago.  

Small towns and missing girls are hardly an original premise – but it's the way this story is told that  makes it one of the most original books I've read in years, because author Megan Miranda  is telling it backwards. That's right, after the set up the story jumps ahead 15 days and then counts down – day by day, until we reach the night in question and find out what really happened to All The Missing Girls.

My first thought was that this sounds like a really confusing concept, but Miranda uses this to her advantage, and the result is an extremely immersive reading experience that messes with  the readers' minds in the best possible way:  The confusion – and most importantly the distrust – that is haunting the narrators flies of the pages and makes you feel like you're actually right there in Cooley Ridge, trying to solve the case yourself instead of just reading about it.  

Preorder "All The Missing Girls"

All The Missing Girls hits the shelves on June 28, and is guaranteed to keep you up during those long summer nights – sleep is overrated anyway.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura  

Advanced review copy provided by Net Galley 

Summer Reading (Play)list

First of all, thank you for all the nice Birthday wishes!  

And now on to the regular blogging:

I know that some people hate listening to music while they read, but I think a good playlist makes everything better.  So here's my beach book playlist  (don't worry it also works on a balcony, or even on your couch):

Summer Reading (Play)list on Spotify

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura