Old School Wednesdays is a weekly Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
Yearly Archives
2013
The results for our July Old School Wednesdays Readalong are in! After 166 votes, the book we will be reading is: Archer’s Goon by Diana Wynne Jones The trouble started when Howard Sykes came home from school and found…
Title: The Water Castle Author: Megan Frazer Blakemore Genre: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Fantasy Publisher: Walker Childrens Publication date: January 8th 2013 Hardcover: 304 pages Ephraim Appledore-Smith is an ordinary boy, and up until his father’s stroke, he lived…
Title: Cold Steel Author: Kate Elliott Genre: Fantasy Publisher: Orbit Publication Date: June 2013 Hardcover: 614 Pages Trouble, treachery, and magic just won’t stop plaguing Cat Barahal. The Master of the Wild Hunt has stolen her husband Andevai. The…
Giveaways Inspirations and Influences
Cold Steel: Kate Elliott on Inspirations & Influences (& Giveaway)
“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. The cool thing is that the writers are given free rein so they can go wild…
It’s been a funny couple of days here at Casa de Smugglers with our internal emailing system gone awry (i.e. Ana’s yahoo is not communicating well with Thea’s gmail) but those frustrating moments aside, it’s been a very interesting…
“On The Smugglers’ Radar” is a feature for books that have caught our eye: books we have heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions into the Amazon jungle. Thus, the Smugglers’ Radar was…
It’s Friday, which means we are over at Kirkus! Today, Thea reviews debut YA scifi/dystopian novel Reboot by Amy Tintera… …and she enjoyed it! Reboot is basically the literary equivalent of a summer blockbuster – in a good way.…
Title: Silhouette of a Sparrow Author: Molly Beth Griffin Genre: Historical, Young Adult, LGQBT Publisher: Milkweed Editions Publication date: September 11th 2012 Hardcover: 224 pages In the summer of 1926, sixteen-year-old Garnet Richardson is sent to a lake resort…
September Girls by Bennett Madison (Harper Teen, May 21st 2013, 342 pages) September Girls flew completely under my radar – not much of a mermaid fan here – until the reviews started rolling. And that was when I became…
As you probably know by now, Old School Wednesdays is a new weekly Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when we were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and…
8 Rated Books 9 Rated Books Book Reviews
Joint Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Title: The Ocean at the End of the Lane Author: Neil Gaiman Genre: Fantasy Publisher: William Morrow (US) / Headline (UK) Publication date: June 2013 Hardcover: 248 pages THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE is a fable…
Title: The Testing Author: Joelle Charbonneau Genre: Speculative Fiction, Dystopia, Young Adult Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children Publication Date: June 2013 Hardcover: 336 Pages Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But…
Hello everyone and Happy Sunday! Let’s get straight to business, shall we? The Book Smugglers’ Newsletter: BEA has come and gone, and we’re finally back on schedule (sort of). Our newsletter is ready to go out tomorrow, so if…
“On The Smugglers’ Radar” is a feature for books that have caught our eye: books we have heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions into the Amazon jungle. Thus, the Smugglers’ Radar was…
It’s Friday, which means we are over at Kirkus! Today, Ana reviews a new book from a favourite author: The Daughter Star is the first in a new series from Susan Jane Bigelow and it.Is.Awesome. Go here to see…
Title: Mirage Author: Jenn Reese Genre: Speculative Fiction, Dystopia, Middle Grade Publisher: Candlewick Publication Date: March 2013 Hardcover: 368 Pages A thrilling sequel from an exciting new voice in middle-grade sci-fi tracks two ocean-born children braving the dangers of…
7 Rated Books Book Reviews DNF Books What She Said
What She Said: The Wig in the Window & A Corner of White
Today we bring you the latest installment in our feature, “What She Said…” in which we both review books that the other has previously read and reviewed. This feature arose because of a very serious dilemma we faced at…
Old School Wednesdays is a weekly Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
7 Rated Books Book Reviews
Book Review: The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton / Illustrated by Brett Helquist
Title: The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic Author: Jennifer Trafton and Brett Helquist (Illustrator) Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade Publisher: Dial Publication date: December 2010 Hardcover: 352 pages Ten-year-old Persimmony Smudge leads (much to her chagrin) a very dull…
Title: Joyland Author: Stephen King Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller (Ghosts/Horror) Publisher: Hard Case Crime Publication Date: June 2013 Paperback: 283 Pages Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in…
Hello everybody. Ana here: I’ve been back from BEA and NY for over a week now but still feel like I need more rest. Anyone else suffering post-BEA exhaustion? Giveaway Winners: We’ve got a few to announce! The winner…
“On The Smugglers’ Radar” is a feature for books that have caught our eye: books we have heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions into the Amazon jungle. Thus, the Smugglers’ Radar was…
It’s Friday, which means we are over at Kirkus! Today, Thea lists some of her recommended books – both old school and contemporary – to get young or new readers in the mood for fantasy. The list is inpsired…
7 Rated Books 8 Rated Books Book Reviews Joint Review
Joint Review: Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell
Title: Handbook for Dragon Slayers Author: Merrie Haskell Genre: Historical Fantasy, Middle Grade Publisher: Harper Collins Publication date: May 28 2013 Hardcover: 336 pages Tilda has never given much thought to dragons, attending instead to her endless duties and…