Teaser Tuesday (September 28)

What is Teaser Tuesday?
It's a meme hosted by Should Be Reading and here are the rules:
Grab your current read...
Open to a random page
Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on the page
Don't include spoilers.

"Some of the more popular types of items we loan out these days include musical instuments, sports equipment, and specialized cooking tools. Many New Yorkers like to give the occasional fondue party, for example, but they don't want to devote the cupboard space to a lot of fondue pots."

-The Grimm Legacy, page 22, by Polly Shulman

In My Mailbox (September 26)

In my mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Here are the books I got this week...

A couple of these books I actually got prior to this week, but forgot to add them to their respective IMMs. So, I'm including them in this weeks post.

Each synopsis is taken from Goodreads

Borrowed:

Jeremy Cabbage by David Elliot

Jeremy Cabbage stuck at Harpwitch’s Home for Mean Dogs, Ugly Cats, and Stray Children, where the dogs are treated better than the kids. And things aren’t much better on the outside: the city is ruled by the arrogant and foolish Baron Ignatius von Strompe, who’s on a campaign to stamp out anyone who’s different. At the top of his list are the outlandish people known as cloons, who look like clowns, say what they want, do as they please, and make everyone laugh the whole way through.

Jeremy’s only chance is a good adoption—but who would possibly adopt Jeremy, an unloved, unwanted eleven-year-old? The answer sets Jeremy off on an outrageous, comical adventure that brings him face-to-face with the Baron himself.

Library:

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

Elizabeth has a new job at an unusual library— a lending library of objects, not books. In a secret room in the basement lies the Grimm Jout of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales: seven-league boots, a table that produces a feast at the blink of an eye, Snow White’s stepmother’s sinister mirror that talks in riddles.

When the magical objects start to disappear, Elizabeth embarks on a dangerous quest to catch the thief before she can be accused of the crime—or captured by the thief.

Polly Shulman has created a contemporary fantasy with a fascinating setting and premise, starring an ordinary girl whose after-school job is far from ordinary— and leads to a world of excitement, romance and magical intrigue

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.
Jackson Pearce delivers a dark, taut fairy tale with heart-pounding action, fierce sisterly love, and a romance that will leave readers breathless.

Princess at the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

The Brothers Grimm tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses is vibrantly retold and set in a fictionalized nineteenth-century Europe. Galen, a soldier (and knitter) returning home from war, encounters an old woman who gives him an invisibility cloak and yarn possessing magical powers. While working as a gardener at the palace, he encounters the princess, Rose, and her 11 younger sisters. Because of a secret bargain their mother made with the evil King Under Stone, the princesses are cursed to dance each night till their shoes are worn ragged. Aided by the good magic held in his yarn, Galen solves the puzzle that has stumped many a prince and earns Rose’s love and hand in marriage. Though cursed and in need of rescue, the sisters are feisty and cunning—not passive victims of their fate. Galen’s magical knitting patterns will appeal to teens fond of this trendy hobby. This is a well-realized and fast-paced fantasy-romance that will find favor among fans of fairy tales, feisty heroines, and dashing young men with strength, cunning, and sensitivity.

Twitter Party Tuesday September 28: Updated with Correct Hashtag

Early next week there's going to be a twitter party for the launch of Y.S. Lee's newest book The Body at the Tower (The Agency #2). I read and loved both books in this series, and I thought I should pass along the info.

The specifics:

Date: Tuesday, September 28
Time: 4pm BST (UK/Europe) or 4pm EST (US/Canada)
Place: Twitter
Hashtag: #bodytower

Walker Books UK and Candlewick Press are co-hosting the parties, and there will be prizes! General twitter fun, and contests for T-shirts, stickers, books await.

Author Interview: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lauren Baratz-Logsted is the author of numerous adult, YA, and kids books. Her newest YA novel, The Twin's Daughter, was released on September 1st.

1. First off, thank you Lauren for stopping by and answering a few interview questions! Can you tell us a little bit about your writing, and your journey to getting published?

That would involve me writing a whole book - that is one big question! Here's the Cliff Notes version: I left my day job of 11 years in 1994 to take a chance on myself as a writer. It took me nearly eight years and seven novels written before I sold the sixth, The Thin Pink Line, as part of a two-book deal. I've now sold a total of 23 books for adults, teens and young children, 18 of which have been published at the time of this writing. While waiting to get published I paid the bills by being a freelance editor, book reviewer, sort-of librarian and window washer.

2. Describe your new book, The Twin's Daughter in a few sentences

It's set in Victorian England and is about a teenage girl who discovers that her wealthy mother has an identical twin who was raised in the workhouse. It's a combination of suspense, romance and mystery...and I hope readers will enjoy it!

3. The Twin's Daughter is a bit different from everything else you've written, what inspired you to write a YA mystery/thriller?

It's actually not as much of a departure as it might seem at first glance. A few years ago I had an adult novel published, Vertigo, that was set in Victorian England and that would also fall under the heading of suspense. In the case of The Twin's Daughter, I knew I wanted to write a book about twins but from the point of view of the daughter of one of those twins. and the idea I had - without giving any secrets away! - would only work in an era that would not have our technological advances. So back to Victorian England I went.

4. Without spoiling any readers, there was quite a big twist at the end (I know that I was surprised). Did you know from the start of the novel how everything was going to end for the various characters?

I'm glad to have surprised you. In fact, with the first draft of the book, while the last lines were the same, the thing you're talking about was totally different. I think it worked fine that way too but I hope it works better as it is: with all the twists in the road - hopefully! - being as shocking to the reader as they are to Lucy.

5. Do you have anything in the works currently?

I'm always working on something. My next YA novel, due out next year, is called The Middle March. It's about a contemporary teen who develops an unusual relationship with the classic novel Little Women. I'm currently waiting to do the edits on that one and in the meantime I'm percolating on another YA idea as well as another series for young children.

6. What's the most recent book that you've read and enjoyed?

I absolutely adored the adult novel Between Friends by Kristy Kiernan. For anyone who at all enjoys the novels of Jodi Picoult, Kristy Kiernan is the author to read.

7. Anything else you'd like to add?

I don't think I've said anything here yet that's either offensive or something I could get arrested for, so I think I'll just leave it at...Thank you!

Learn more about the author at her website: http://www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com/

Check out my interview of The Twin's Daughter here

Book Review: The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lucy Sexton is stunned when a disheveled woman appears at the door one day... a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lucy's own beautiful mother. It turns out the two women are identical twins, separated at birth, and raised in dramatically different circumstances. Lucy's mother quickly resolves to give her less fortunate sister the kind of life she has never known. And the transformation in Aunt Helen is indeed remarkable. But when Helen begins to imitate her sister in every way, even Lucy isn't sure at times which twin is which. Can Helen really be trusted, or does her sweet face mask a chilling agenda?
Filled with shocking twists and turns, The Twin's Daughter is an engrossing gothic novel of betrayal, jealousy, and treacherous secrets that will keep you guessing to the very end. (From Goodreads)

The Twin's Daughter was a suspenseful read, with the perfect amount romance and history thrown in. When I first leanred about the book, I knew I would enjoy it. Who doesn't want to read about twin's separated at birth, especially when class, money, and murder are involved.

I loved reading the book from Lucy's perspective. She's young, privileged, and sheltered. So, it's fascinating to see what she picks up on, and what she overlooks because of her age. For example, she's unable to understand some of the more scandalous occurrences in the house. I also found the class/etiquette differences between Aliese and Helen to be interesting. Aliese doesn't want Helen to be seen by her upper class neighbors until she's been educated. Helen, on the other hand, is comfortable sharing with Lucy the facts of reproduction and puberty. While Lucy's mother didn't give her any indication about what would happen, Helen explained it to her without shame. Of course, I need to mention Kit. He's the son of Lucy's neighbors, and he's got a bit of an adventurous streak. Watching Lucy grow to love him was a nice touch to the story. The mystery also threw me for a loop, too. Honestly, I felt sure that I knew who the murderer was, and boy was I wrong! I doubt anyone will be able to guess which character is the culprite, and their intentions behind the crime.

While I enjoyed all of the time learning about the characters, the action doesn't start until about halfway through the book. I know that some leaders may grow impatient, so I wanted to mention it. It never dragged for me, but my reading pace definitely picked up once I hit the middle of the story.

Overall, Baratz-Logsted did an excellent job in creating her mystery. The romance, suspense, and description of the gap between the wealthy and the poor meshed together extremely well. I can't wait for more from her, and there are a couple of her previous works (The Education of Bet, and Crazy Beautiful) are going on my "to read" list.

The Twin's Daughter
By Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Published by Bloomsbury USA
Rating: B

Thanks to Kate at Bloomsbury for the chance to read this one!

Check back tomorrow for an interview with the author.