What am I reading now?

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: The Demon's Lexicon
Series: The Demon's Lexicon, Book 1
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 322
ISBN: 9781416963806
Publisher: McElderry Books
Author Website: SarahReesBrennan.com
Twitter: @sarahreesbrenna
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5/5 stars

Well, the best thing I could probably write about The Demon's Lexicon is stop reading my little blog, and go out, buy the book and experience it for yourself. It's that good.

My friend Gail has been bullying me into reading these books for quite some time, and finally left me with no choice but to read them, as she sent me the entire trilogy as a combined holiday/birthday/just because present. I finally sat down the other day and started the first book, The Demon's Lexicon, and read it in two sittings. I was immediately drawn into the world of the two main characters, Nick and Alan Ryves, brothers who are on the run from magicians who are trying to reclaim something from the family, an item that may have something to do with their mothers' past. When brother and sister Jaimie and Mae come to the Ryves brothers for help, secrets start to unravel themselves around everyone, all leading up to an ending that I did not see coming, and was such an attention grabber that I was kept up late into the night finishing the book on my second sitting, just so I could see how everything played out.

Sarah Rees Brennan has created quite the story here. She developed such a powerful relationship between Nick and Alan that at times I felt actual concern for them and what was going to happen to them. Brennan moves the story along swiftly, but still takes time to introduce us to new characters and locations along the way. One of my favorites is the Goblin Market, somewhere I hope we get to visit again in later books. I won't give anything away about the ending, but it was quite the turn of events and deftly brought the whole story together. I'll definitely be moving right along to the other two books in the series, The Demon's Covenant and The Demon's Surrender.

Do yourself a favor, go and pick up this book. You won't be sorry.

The Seven Lady Godivas: The True Facts Concerning History's Barest Family by Dr. Seuss

Title: The Seven Lady Godivas: The True Facts Concerning History's Barest Family
Author: Dr. Seuss
Copyright: 1939 (reissued edition copyright 1987)
Pages: 70
ISBN: 0394562690
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5/5 stars

Here is the true story about the Godiva family, and the seven sisters who are each far too intelligent to waste time worrying about frivolous things like doing their hair, makeup, or you know, clothes. When their father is killed by a horse, they take it upon themselves to discover seven Horse Truths, one from each sister, before any of them will ever know true love. What follows is a clever, funny and sometimes touching story that is a little different from your average Dr. Seuss book.

I had first heard about the Seven Lady Godivas at the end of last year, after a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for an exhibit on the work of Dr. Seuss. This past Friday on Dr. Seuss' birthday, I came across this link with more information about the book, so on a whim thought I'd check Amazon to see if they had a copy, and much to my surprise, they had a used copy at a reasonable price, so I picked it up.

I found the book a little hard to read, only because it's a prose story, but I kept trying to read it in rhyme, since it is a Dr. Seuss book after all. There's nothing challenging here, although I found the Horse Truths to be very clever, and the illustrations range so far into the absurd that the nudity doesn't really come across as anything more than silly.

A fun little addition for a fan of Dr. Seuss, but probably nothing a general reader would find appealing.

Fantastic Four: Season One by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, illustrated by David Marquez

Title: Fantastic Four: Season One
Series: Marvel: Season One
Author: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, illustrated by David Marquez
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 136
ISBN: 9780785156413
Publisher: Marvel
Twitter: @marvel
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 4/5 stars

The Season One series of graphic novels seems almost pointless and necessary all at the same time. The purpose of the series is to update the origins of many of the iconic Marvel characters into a more modern day setting, which will probably be good for bringing in a younger generation of readers, yet any of us that have been reading the comics for any amount of time will probably already be familiar with these characters and their origins. Either way, Aguirre-Sacasa did an admirable job of keeping the original flavor of the FF's origin while still keeping it fresh. Marquez adds a nice, clean, modern look to the characters, but again keeps many of the elements that everyone is familiar with. I'll probably end up picking up subsequent Season One titles, just to see how they continue modernizing these characters.

I can almost see this as Marvel's answer to DC's The New 52, without the entire universal reboot; just retell the characters origins with a slightly more modern flair, but not actually getting rid of any of the history that is already present. Good job, Marvel!

Eleanor Brown and The Weird Sisters

You know who is delightful? Eleanor Brown. I had the opportunity to meet her week before last at my local book store, Schuler Books. I got a copy of The Weird Sisters when it was originally released last year, yet haven't gotten around to reading it. (I know. I hang my head in shame) I wanted to hear her speak about her book all the same, and I'm so glad that I did. I thoroughly loved her. She's funny, personable and an all around engaging person. I picked up a copy of the paperback edition of her book with the intention of giving it away on my blog, but have since discovered that my sister has been wanting it, so sorry kids, but family trumps blog. If you ever have a chance to meet her, don't miss that chance. You won't be disappointed.

And needless to say, The Weird Sisters bounced right to the top of my TBR pile as a result of talking to her.

You can check out her website here, follow her on Twitter here, or "Like" her on Facebook here.

Cover Reveal: The Kill Order by James Dashner

Stop by James Dashner's blog to get the first look at the cover for his upcoming Maze Runner trilogy prequel, The Kill Order. Personally, I love it and think it works perfectly with the entire series. Nothing irritates me more than when a series suddenly has a profound cover design change. The Maze Runner books have been consistent throughout, which makes me happy.

Go check out the cover and let James know what you think!