Read Anything Good Lately? - The Familiars

So I have been trying to catch up on some reading lately, so I have
decided to introduce a new section to the blog, Read Anything Good Lately? I read quite a bit and I am especially fond of Fantasy and Sci/fi. I also read a lot of Children's and YA novels so if you were expecting reviews of the latest and greatest in more mature literature sorry to disappoint. For the very first installment I give you, the Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson.

Around Thanksgiving I was excited to have my family stay with me. This included my Dad's girlfriend Louisa and her daughter, Danielle and husband Brian. While talking Brian mentioned that his brother wrote a kids book so of course my hears perked up. So I was excited to see that we had it at my library!

The Familiars takes place in the magical world of Vastia. Young witches and wizards are taught magical abilities along with an animal companion known as a familiar. When Aldwyn a typical fish thieving back alley cat accidentally gets chosen as a young boys familiar he is thrusts on an adventure he is unprepared for. Aldwyn meets up with two other familiars, sparrow Skylar and a tree frog named Gilbert. Together they have to go on a quest to save their loyals (their human companions) that have been kidnapped by the corrupt queen of Vastia, Loranella.

The Familiars is a quick read but is jam packed with adventure. The book does a good job appealing to kids, its an easy read and the content, although suspenseful at times is not scary. Although the content is geared toward a younger set it, it doesn't skimp out on the fantasy and epic novel tropes we have come to expect, including humor, side quests and of course and open ending. The Familiars does take a new spin on the magically fantasy book, the main characters are the animal companions! The supporting characters end up becoming those given great power and tremendous responsibility.

The adventures of the Familiars continue in the Secret of the Crown and Circle of Heros. Production on an animated movie version of the Familiars has begun. The film's release is expected in 2014.

Net galley

This one is for all of my librarian/bibliophile friends, but can also relate to my craft friends. Read on for further details!

In the library world a big part of the job is collection development. This involves painstakingly combing through review journal after review journal looking for the best upcoming titles. It's hard to blindly order something based on a 200 word review. We often order some titles based on a starred review. When title come in, they often do not live up to the hype. Another problem in the library world is recommendations or reader's advisory. No matter how much of an avid reader you are, it is impossible for librarians to read every single book in the collection. When new books come in we will get them slightly in advanced in order to process them (put labels and catalog them). It doesn't really give us enough time to suggest it to patrons right away.

Net Galley is here to help! It is a free service that allows you to browse their various titles and preview a book before its publication date. It's simple to navigate and they have a great selection of books! For my crafty friends they have craft and art books ready to be viewed!

How does it work? Log on to Net Galley and sign up for an account. Browse by keyword or by genre, then download a copy. This requires you to download Adobe Digital Editions, but don't worry that is also free. Many of the galley copies are also available for e-reader devices so you can read it on the go. After you are done reading a book you can write a review through Net Galley and it is sent to the publisher. Net Galley lets the reviewer keep the rights to any review you have written. So you can publish that review on your own. A little caveat to that, some publishers will email you and ask you to not publish you review until the book comes out.

You may also notice that titles will have an expiration date, which is usually 60 days. Its similar to Over Drive and e-book lending services, you only have the book for a certain amount of time before the file is removed. Hopefully you aren't a slow reader because 60 days is plenty of time.

I am signed up for it and currently reading two books from there. One is a crafty book called Knits for Nerds and the other is a graphic novel called the Coldest City. I think its such a neat idea and more librarians should take advantage! So if ya sign up and read something good I'd love to hear about it!

Sarina

Fat Vampire: a fat disappointment

Vampires of course are the latest trend in teen culture, (although it has appeared to die down a little). In a world with beautiful vampires with their their good looks and young love that is intact and lasts forever. BUT, what happens to the not so charming,nerdy awkward guy becomes a vamp ?  The answer can be found in Doug Lee, in Adam Rex's Fat Vampire. As if teenage years aren't awkward enough imagine being stuck as a perpetual adolescent. To make matters worse for Doug, he has to struggle to find blood (he ends up settling for cows). Meanwhile unbeknown to Doug he is being hunted by a reality show, Vampire Hunters. What is Doug to do? Can he survive life as a vamp?
I was very excited to read this for several reasons. I am not a fan of the vampire trend, so a book a mocking vampires, awesome! Then the twist of further mocking Twlight beauties by making the main protagonist an ugly nerdy vampire, I was so there and was ready to laugh! Also the cover, (in Teen Lit, covers sell books) further demonstrated the quirk and humor of the book. So where did Fat Vampire go wrong?
The first few chapters of the book were entertaining. When we first meet Doug, he is already a vampire and the only person that knows is his best friend Jay. Doug's vampire-ism doesn't stop them from going to comic-con where they rob a blood donation bus. In another incident Doug tries to get blood from a panda at the San Diego zoo, when the zoo keepers notice him in the pen, he freaks and accidentally transforms himself into bat. I was under the impression that the rest of the story would be filled with silly hi-jinks as Doug struggles with
new vampire lifestyle, instead the rest of the story well took a weird turn. Just about all of the silly incidents occurred in the first several chapters. A dual narrative is introduced from the point of view of Sejal, a foreign-exchange student from India. She is hoping to reinvent herself because she has 'the google' (a self diagnosed addiction to the internet). The two narratives to meet and catch up, but I really don't know why. At first it seems she is going to be Doug's Bollywood Bella to his awkward chubby Edward, but their relationship fizzles out before it even starts.
Another issue in Fat Vampire was the character development. In the case of Doug, the main character, there was none! Doug is the main character and we know nothing about his home life and his family. In youth literature thats usually an important aspect of the character, it shows the reader what makes the main character tick and makes him a bit more relatable. Doug was not at all, he was a jerk! At one point, out of no where Doug becames a super cool mack daddy vampire and gets a girl friend.. the only reason, to use her, so he can suck her blood while they make out. I hated Doug, I felt more of a connection to the secondary characters, like Jay, Sejal and the theater kids she hangs out with.  
The biggest upset for me was the end.. ::SPOILER ALERT:: 3/4 of the way through the book a plot actually emerges! Doug is told his vampire-ness can be reversed if he kills the head vampire. So he goes out on a hunt and it turns out its his mentor Stephen. So they meet up one night and I expect an epic battle, but the Vampire Hunter guys kill Stephen with steak through the heart. As for Doug he gets hit with a steak as well, Segal is next to him and it seem he might survive. There are several possible outcomes that could occur, and they are all included in the last two pages, with the last option being, Doug dies.
Really? That's how you end the story? That is horrible and makes me feel like I wasted my time reading the stupid book. I wanted to love this book I really did, but that ending drove me over the edge. That is just lazy writing! Bottom line, Fat Vampire was just as horrible as the books it was parodying. As far as vampire books go, it sucked.