new posts in all blogs
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: suzanne weyn, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 9 of 9
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: suzanne weyn in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
The Haunted Museum:
The Titanic Locket (for ages 8-12) by Suzanne Weyn
It is spring break and Samantha and Jessica are not entirely looking forward to their family vacation. On a replica of the Titanic, the girls will follow the original Titanic’s journey from England, Ireland, and France to New York; that is, without the hitting-an-iceberg-and-sinking part. With no Internet or cell phone access, it will be like stepping into a time capsule.
Each guest is assigned a passenger from the original Titanic passenger list. Samantha and Jessica 
are given twins Alice and Matilda Littlefield. Although Jessica is actually 18 months older than Samantha, they look like twins, and strangely, they bear a close resemblance to the Littlefield twins.
Before boarding the ship, Sam and Jess go to a museum where they look at Titanic memorabilia. Despite the “DO NOT TOUCH” signs everywhere, Jess picks up a pretty locket. But soon after, strange things start happening to the girls.
The numbers on their room mysteriously change from 266 to 299. The locket begins showing up in their room, and even around their necks! Something sinister is at work. There are ghosts who are out to get Samantha and Jessica, and who will make this a vacation the girls will never forget – if they get out alive.
This is a good story for those who are fascinated by the Titanic,
or for anyone who loves a good ghost story.
–Elysse, STACKS Writer
In My Mailbox was created by Kristi from The Story Siren. Here's what I found in my mailbox, at the bookstore, and at the library these last two weeks. Summaries are taken from Amazon, B&N, and GoodReads.
The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong - If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl—someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment—not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever. Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.
Distant Waves: A Novel of the Titanic by Suzanne Weyn - Science, spiritualism, history, and romance intertwine in Suzanne Weyn's newest novel. Four sisters and their mother make their way from a spiritualist town in New York to London, becoming acquainted with journalist W. T. Stead, scientist Nikola Tesla, and industrialist John Jacob Astor. When they all find themselves on the Titanic, one of Tesla's inventions dooms them...and one could save them.
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (ARC, won in a contest by Jennifer of YABOOKNERD) - It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live. A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.
Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev (ARC from 1 ARC Tours) - All her world's a stage. Beatrice Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater. She is not an orphan, but she has no parents. She knows every part, but has no lines of her own. Until now. Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the characters of every place ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.
After by Amy Efaw (ARC from 1 ARC Tours) - An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . . Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there's only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (ARC for review) - Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.
So there you have it, my mailbox for the last two weeks. What found its way into your hands this week?
Y'all know how much I love a good fairy tale retelling. Today, for your reading pleasure, I give you three, all of which I loved.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow Jessica Day George
Rejected by her mother, the lass remains unnamed and a target for trolls, but she bonds with her eldest brother, Hans Peter who returned from the sea a broken man. Then, the bear comes and demands she spend a year with him at his ice palace, where the unknown
she controls everything and kills anyone who gives the lass any information.
A most excellent version of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." This version doesn't set it someplace new or put a new spin on it (although there are some echoes to "Beauty and the Beast" but I think that's mainly because the original tales are fairly similar) but it takes the Nordic tale and expands it, embroiders on its edges and paints us a vast and frozen landscape. George's time spent in Norway, and her minor in Scandinavian studies clearly shine in this book, but not in a way that's annoying or gets in the way of the story. There's too much ice and snow for me to describe this as "lush" but... that's still the word I want to use, so I'm going to just go with it.
Beastly Alex Flinn
Kyle Kingsbury is the most popular, hottest guy at school. And he knows it. After playing an unoriginal and cruel trick at an ugly classmate, just for fun, he gets turned into a Beast. He has two years to find a girl to love, who will love him in return, despite his appearance.
An excellent retelling of "Beauty and the Beast." Flinn really gets inside the beast's head, and it's refreshing to hear the tale from his point of view. Kyle is a believable character that goes through a drastic transformation (literal and metaphorical) that Flinn makes completely believable as he learns to get beyond appearances. An extra touch is the chat room he visits where he talks to other transformed people, mainly the bear from "Snow White and Rose Red," the frog prince, and the Little Mermaid. It was a nice (if quick) glimpse into how the transformed characters thought about their transformation and their prospects for escaping it.
A must read for all fairy tale fans.
The Diamond Secret Suzanne Weyn
Oddly, the latest installment from the Once Upon a Time series isn't a fairy tale at all, but rather urban legend and rumor.
Diamond Secret is about Anastasia Romanov, who was gunned down with the rest of the Imperial family in 1918. For years, rumors swirled that the youngest daughter of the Tzar had survived and many claimed to be her. Recent discoveries, however, have placed her remains near those of the rest of her family.
I'm not a fan of recasting history as a fairy tale (Disney-- I'm looking at you and your horrible version of Pocahantas!) History is an interesting enough story in itself, we don't need to rewrite it. (Now, historical fiction that is true to the history is awesome, as are speculative histories like books that explore what would have happened if... I don't read a lot of those, but I once saw a really cool show in England about what might have happened if the Germans had successfully invaded and taken England in WWII. Fascinating stuff.)
Anyway, I digress. Just, at the offset, I want to state my displeasure with the entire premise of the book. However, I love this series, and I like many of Weyn's offerings to the series. (Especially
The Night Dance). So, I told the history major in me to shut up and sat down and just ate this up.
Ivan is a Red Army deserter, the violence he witnessed on the night of the Imperial family's murders turning him away from Communism.
Sergei is a Count who lost everything but the clothes on his back during the Revolution, desperately trying to find his wife and son, who were supposed to flee to Sweden but never arrived.
The two are friends, trying to find a girl they can pass off as Anastasia to collect the reward money that her grandmother is offering. They figure they have a leg up on everyone else, given that Ivan has actually seen Anastasia on a few occasions, including the night he saw her die.
They happen upon Nadya, a tavern waitress who knows nothing before her time in an insane asylum the year before. She has something that Ivan recognizes--Anastasia's certain
je ne sais quoi and they take her to Paris to pass her off as the missing Grand Duchess.
Adventure and complications ensue.
My favorite part of the book is also my main complaint. Weyn's omniscient narrator doesn't focus on just one character, but rather shifts between the three. I loved seeing inside everyone's heads, but at the same time, it kept me from getting attached to the characters, because I also saw them at the same distance their companions did.
Weyn does include an author note with Anastasia's true story and some of the political background for those unfamiliar. She states "This story mixes true history with imagination to create a possible ending to the Anastasia tale. It is a story that the author would love to believe is true."
So, I did like it, even if I'm not wild about the idea of it.
Last night, I met up with a very good friend of mine from college. Such a good friend, that after working the closing shift at the library I was willing to go to a neighborhood that is too trendy for its own good to have a late dinner and drink.
It was AWESOME. Not the neighborhood where you can't find parking even at 10pm on a Monday, but just hanging out with John for a few hours.
This week looks fun. Today's the my only day shift at work and tonight we're going to a favorite bar that's closing down. On Friday I'm a first-time host of Poetry Friday. While waiting for your poems to roll in, I'll be getting my hair cut. I think I'm going to loose some length, but not too much length? I don't know. My stylist and I will consult. Then on Saturday-Sunday is the 24 Hour Read-a-Thon! Yay! I've been happily surprised at the generosity of people in sponsoring me to help raise money for Reading is Fundamental. I have to work until 5 that day, but I'll start reading on my lunch hour! And in my break! And then all night and all morning. READING IS FUN.
And here are some more entries from the Once Upon a Time... series published by Simon Pulse.
The Storyteller's Daughter Cameron Dokey
My favorite of this batch of three (though I will say
Night Dance was a
very close second).
Once upon a time, there was a king who was betrayed by his queen, and determined not to love, or trust again.
Once upon a time, there were five brothers who used to be princes of a vanquished kingdom. They have vowed revenge on their king for the death of their sister, the traitorous queen.
Once upon a time, there was a blind girl, the daughter of the vizier and storyteller, a girl destined to be the greatest storyteller in history.
Once upon a time, our stories met and wove themselves into one story of love, betrayal, court intrigue, and of telling stories to make a point.
Dokey's retelling of
The Arabian Nights focuses less on the many stories of Shahrazad, and more on how she came about her storytelling ability,why the king decided to behead his brides, and how their love grew. (But we do get some of her tales) Overall, a gripping story.
Also, too often in the
Once Upon a Time... series, it's love at first sight, and attraction without basis. Reading too much of that in a row (like I did) gets old quickly, so I really appreciated that Shahrazad and Shahrayar's love grew in the normal fashion, when neither of them was paying attention.
The only con? The main character's name is Shahrazad, so her name appears multiple times on a page and every time I read it, my brain started singing "Friend Like Me" from the
Aladdin Soundtrack
Well Ali Baba had them 40 thieves, Scheherazade had a thousand tales. Master you're in luck 'cuz up your sleeve, you've got a brand of magic that never fails! You've got some power in your corner now, some ammunition in your can, you've got oomph, pizazz something something something, all you gotta do is rub that lamp and I'll say "Mr. Aladdin sir, what will your pleasure be? Let me take your order, jot it down! You ain't never had a friend like me... WHY DO I KNOW THAT?
Anyway... moving on.
The Night Dance Suzanne Weyn
In this volume, Weyn blends the "Twelve Dancing Princesses" with Arthurian Legend. In this case, the princesses in question are the daughters of Vivienne, Lady of the Lake and a mortal man. 12 years ago, Vivienne was trapped by Morgan Le Fey, and her husband, Sir Ethan, has trapped his daughters in their home ever since.
The youngest, Rowena has found a way out through the fence which sets in motion a quest to save their mother, a quest that Morgan Le Fey will do anything to stop. So across the enchanted lake where their mother is held, Morgan sends boats and ball gowns on Satyrs as dates for the girls to go dancing.
Meanwhile, Sir Bedivere is searching for an enchanted lake, having promised a dying King Arthur he would return Excalibur...
It all comes to a head when Sir Ethan demands to know how his daughters silk slippers get so worn every night and offers a contest-- the first man to figure out where his daughters are going will have his choice in marriage...
A wonderful blending of the two stories, and a great re-imagining of the tale. I liked it just as much as
Wildwood Dancing.
Scarlet Moon Debbie Viguie
Ruth had no choice but to help her father in his blacksmith shop after her brother went off to the crusades. The villagers don't like Ruth's trousers, ropey arms, or men's work, but William, the Earl of Lauton doesn't mind. He likes her quick wit. He likes that she can take of herself.
At every chance she can, Ruth takes supplies to her grandmother's house in the woods--where she's been banished for suspected witchcraft. Still, Ruth knows the woods well enough to fear them.
For it's no ordinary wolf that stalks through the trees, and William has a secret that makes him want to push Ruth far, far way...
I really liked the whole werewolf concept and I loved Ruth's grandmother, but the ending was really rushed and was a let down after such a great start.
I've been reading a lot of spy novels this week, so stay tuned for that!
Our friend Melissa Stewart just gave us information on a Picture Book Festival she is organizing in Belmont, Massachusetts. This is much more than just a group book signing! Each author and/or illustrator has developed a short presentation, performance, or activity to entertain attendees, especially the children. And the entire event will be filmed and made into a documentary. It’s definitely worth checking out!
Belmont Children’s Picture Book Festival
March 29, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
First Church in Belmont, 404 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA
Free and open to the public
Six local authors celebrate the release of their new picture books with an afternoon of fun for the whole family. Meet the authors and illustrators, hear them talk about their books, and enjoy a variety of performances and activities. Wellesley Booksmith of Wellesley, Massachusetts, will make books available for purchase and signing.
Here are the web sites of the participants: Sarah S. Brannen , Anne Broyles, Timothy Basil Ering, Leo and Laura Jaffe Espinosa, James Kaczman, Melissa Stewart
For more information, contact Melissa Stewart at 978-263-7279 or [email protected].
Thank you to the International Reading Association for honoring One Thousand Tracings as the winner of the 2008 IRA Children’s Book Award! I’ll be going to the IRA Convention in Atlanta this May to accept the award. I’m so excited! The conference falls on the week of our planned vacation to Santa Fe. Dave and I rarely fit vacations in these days, but decided to take the plunge for my birthday. Now Santa Fe will have to wait for another birthday. Dave is being a great sport about it all. He’s as excited about the award as I am (perhaps more). I’ll be traveling to Atlanta with my close friend Sy Montgomery. She’s speaking on a panel—Growing up Green: Environmental Conversations with Authors—with Nic Bishop and Melissa Stewart. Sy received this same award in 2000 for her book, The Snake Scientist. We’re looking forward to the conference, and to sneaking off to see the whale shark at the Georgia Aquarium between events!
Anyone who has met our family knows how much I love my Maine Coon, named Pu.
But you may not know just how much she supervises my work.
I spend long hours in the studio when I’m working on a book, but I’m NEVER lonely.
And of course Pu will be in my next book!
Here are a couple of preliminary sketches for Pennies with Pu’s contribution.
I just heard more good news for Tracings—it was selected for the 2008 Storytelling World Awards! I feel so fortunate about the reception of my first book. And I love all the letters and e-mails I’ve received from readers of the book. One of my favorite letters came from a family who had also sent packages to Europeans after WWII. After reading One Thousand Tracings, they decided to try to find the family they had helped in Holland. By searching the Internet, they were able to track them down after all these years, and now the families are planning a reunion to actually meet each other in person! I have met many of the Europeans my grandparents sent packages to. I am so thankful that they shared their stories with me, and am happy that the book has helped other families share their stories.
I’m having a ball working on my current book—Pennies for Elephants. Here’s a sketch:
… for Pennies for Elephants:
How did you get Catching Fire?! People are starting to physically fight for that book!
-Briana
How did you get an ARC of Catching Fire? I would have emailed her but I can't find her information. First time I've seen Distant waves. All the other books look really good and I can't wait to read them.