Books | Amy C. Shaw

Genre Talk: Urban Fantasy & Magical Realism

October 8, 2015 • 12 Comments

Among the many genres out there, I have never read urban fantasy. Yet I have found myself, more than once, thinking, Oh, wouldn’t it be cool for a story to have a contemporary setting but there are fantasy elements? and then remembering, Duh, that’s urban fantasy.

But any time I have ever read a synopsis for an urban fantasy title, it’s an instant pass, not interested. It doesn’t matter that I like the contemporary books I’ve read by Cynthia Hand and Jennifer Lynn Barnes, I have no interest in their urban fantasy. Why? Well, it comes down to that paranormal/supernatural elements are generally not my cup of tea. I don’t want to read about fallen angels (unless it’s a la The Screwtape Letters) or vampires, because I just don’t have an interest there.

So is there urban fantasy where the fantasy elements aren’t supernatural as much as they’re just… fantasy-like? Maybe a secret underworld kingdom where they lead very different lives? I think A Corner of White has this sort of story line, but I haven’t read it. Harry Potter was sort of like that… Harry lives in Muggle world but finds out his heritage of wizardry. From what I understand Percy Jackson is somewhat similar. So are these stories urban fantasy? Or are they more magical realism (another genre I’m not real knowledgeable of either)?

I get a little weirded out when I’m reading a story and expect things to be normal, and then suddenly it’s not, but with Harry Potter I knew it going into it, and I enjoyed it. Perhaps the same could be said for other stories with magical or fantasy elements in an otherwise normal world.

Part of me blabbing about all this is not just a possible interest in reading these genres, but also in writing them. Sometimes I get story ideas I feel sort of fall into these lines, but I think, Oh, that won’t work out. It’ll seem dumb. But I’m thinking surely it can be done. I mean, I had no problem getting into the TV show Fringe and how it explored alternate universes. I know that it’s sci-fi, but why should it be different if it’s something more magical? As long as the story’s good and I can connect with the characters, that’s what matters.

So what do you think about urban fantasy and magical realism? How do you define the genres? Any books you’d recommend for me?

Birthday Book Haul!

September 29, 2015 • 17 Comments

My birthday was this Sunday, and while it has come and gone, the gift of books remains! I also got some music, TV/movies, and some some cute Funko Pops, including one you’ll see hanging out with my new books, but of course wanted to highlight THE BOOKS…

Yes, that’s Hermione! I know she would approve of books for birthday presents. Now I just wish I could read all of them NOW, but I’ll have to wait and read them one at a time. I also just realized a few days before my birthday that Sharon Cameron is a local author and I’ve seen her for the past three years at the local SCBWI conference I attend! That made me even happier to get Rook.

Now… any recommendations for which I should read first?

The Top 10 Books on my Fall TBR

September 22, 2015 • 24 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is the The Top 10 Books on my Fall TBR. Out of the actual seven titles I said I intended to read for the summer, I read all seven! BAM! I’m quite excited about that. We won’t get into how pitiful I am about the books I own and still haven’t read as I instead parooze the library… instead let’s move on to the books I hope to read this season. This list is in no particular order.

1. The Wrath and the Dawn

This is the next read for our book club and our meeting is in early October, so I plan to dive into it pretty soon.

2. Vicious

I bought this on Nook a little while ago when it was a good deal, and I think it’s about time I read some Schwab!

3. Six of Crows

I plan to buy this either on release day or soon thereafter because LEIGH BARDUGO! And GRISHA!

4. Rook

I’m pretty sure I’m getting this one for my birthday, and Charlene praised this Scarlet Pimpernel retelling, so I’m looking forward to it!

5. The Fixer

This is another one I am pretty sure I am getting for my birthday. I enjoyed The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and look forward to this new series starter.

6. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson #1)

I have never read these books, but grabbed the first book on an e-deal recently, so I believe I’m going to have to check it out!

7. On Writing

I read a review of this that explained that this book is part Stephen King memoir and part actual writing advice, so I plan to just read the part about writing, since I’m not really all that interested in Stephen King himself.

8-10. The Hunger Games Trilogy Re-Read

In anticipation of the last movie (!!!) I really want to reread the trilogy. I devoured these books in 2011 before the first movie had been released (though it was cast and I had seen those first pics released of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale). These books got me back into reading, especially YA! I’m pretty excited about experiencing the trilogy again.

What do you hope to read this fall?

Sherlock Holmes-ish & Late Night Chats

September 16, 2015 • 7 Comments

AKA, mini-reviews of Jackaby and On the Fence.

Jackaby by William Ritter

What I expected: a book inspired by Sherlock Holmes. What I didn’t expect: paranormal. Apparently I didn’t read the synopsis very closely. I spent the first bit of this book adjusting to the paranormal creatures that existed in this world, and once I was able to accept that, I was able to enjoy it for the most part. The narrator, Abigail, is discovering everything about this world along with the the reader, and is a good sidekick for Jackaby, like Watson is for Sherlock. Jackaby was eccentric, as expected from the book’s description, and I enjoyed him.

However, I felt there could have been further character development for Abigail, Jackaby, and Charlie, the latter being one of the more prominent secondary characters and potential love interest for Abigail. She is quickly attracted to him, which was fine for me, but I didn’t get enough interaction between the two of them to properly ship them. And Charlie seemed like a nice guy, so I wish I could have gotten to know him better. Hopefully in the next book there will be a little more of him.

The story moves pretty quickly, which I can appreciate, but the pacing and tone almost felt more young YA or maybe even middle grade. I didn’t have a real problem with this. but it was confusing since I never got a good feel for the characters’ ages, but Abigail can’t be younger than 18 (and she feels more like early 20’s), and Jackaby feels he could be any age between 22 and 35ish.

Overall, this was a fun and quick read for me, and I’m definitely interested in reading more. However, I would have liked an additional 50ish pages to flesh everything out a little more, especially the characters.

Rating: 4 stars

Content Advisory: Pretty clean. Some violence, no sexual content, and I don’t recall any language.

On the Fence by Kasie West

After enjoying The Distance Between Us, I immediately put On the Fence on hold at my library, ready to enjoy more by this author who is quickly becoming a go-to for me. Out of all of West’s books I’ve read so far (which is everything she’s published except The Fill-In Boyfriend), this one is easily my favorite. I enjoyed Charlie’s relationship with her brothers, her late-night chats with Braden, and her time at work. I also really liked that this book takes place in the same town as The Distance Between Us and we get some cameos from those characters!

I think in comparison with the romances in Kasie West’s other books, this was the romance that felt the most natural. I did like Addie and Trevor, though much better in Pivot Point than in Split Second; Lyla’s romance in Split Second came out of left field for me (I don’t even remember her dude’s name); and Cayman and Xander were cute but it did feel unrealistic for me, or at least I should say it felt unrealistic that it would last. Of course, I do have a deep love for the best-friend-turned-romance trope, and if you do too, I think you’ll enjoy this one as well.

I don’t have any real complaints about the story, it just didn’t blow me away to a 5 star level. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end, and was surprised in the end by the twist of Charlie learning more about her mom.

Rating: 4 or 4.5 stars (I’m indecisive, I know)

Content advisory: Clean – no violence, only a little kissing, and I don’t recall any language.

Have you read Jackaby or On The Fence? What are your thoughts?

Bookish Wedding Inspiration: The Start of Me and You

September 10, 2015 • 6 Comments

I thought it might be fun to try creating themed wedding ideas based off of books, and how the main character’s wedding might look with our modern sensibilities, and thus, Bookish Wedding Inspiration was born! This is my second contemporary to do for Bookish Wedding Inspiration, and I’m so excited to share the plethora of ideas that I came up with Paige and Max’s inevitable wedding after finishing The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord. Feel free to see my fangirling review here.

For this wedding, I wanted to draw upon several favorite things of Max and Paige’s: books and learning, TV shows, and airplanes. I was amazed by some of the creative ways I found other couples incorporate these very same elements into their wedding day! But first, what look would Paige pick for her big day?

Bride and Groom Look

The Dress

Paige strikes me as the type who would go for simple, classic elegance, and I think this Jenny Yoo dress delivers.

The Accessories

Paige likes purple tulips and pastel nail polish, so obviously both would be a part of her big day.

The Groom’s Look

I picture Max going with the traditional black tux look, with some Firefly cufflinks to add that nerdy touch.

The Bridesmaids

To go with Paige’s purple flowers, I decided on this simple but cute purple bridesmaid dress from Jenny Yoo. No doubt her two best girl friends from The Start of Me and You would be by her side, and I’m sure there would be a couple of new friends from college standing up there with her too.

Invitations

These cute book themed invitations reflect the love Max and Paige have for books.

Photography

The Engagement Pictures

Paige and Max would obviously have to do book/library-themed engagement pictures, like so…

Bridal Portraits

Source

Clearly, Paige would have to pose with a copy of Pride and Prejudice.

…and with an airplane. When I saw this wedding, I almost made the venue for Max and Pagie’s wedding an airplane hangar, but in the end I decided against the actual wedding taking place there, but thought for sure they would find one nearby to take some pictures before or after their nuptials.

Groom Portrait

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Isn’t this picture just so Max?

Ceremony & Reception

Ceremony Venue

Instead of the aforementioned airplane hangar idea, I decided to go with an outdoor ceremony, with a paper airplane backdrop like above, along with other fun airplane details, like their programs and send-off.

Programs/Exit

Reception Details

While the ceremony has plane details, for the reception I see more focus on books and TV shows the couple enjoy together, plus some school-themed additions reflecting their high school romance. I also picture the reception inside.

Source

The Cakes

I thought this cake with book script was beautiful and fitting for the traditional wedding cake. And for the groom’s cake…

Source

Of course.

I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Bookish Wedding Inspiration! What would you like to see at Paige and Max’s wedding? And did this make anyone want to read or reread the book, because I kind of want to reread it after doing this. 🙂

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