Q&A and Monsters of Men Review

So I totally forgot that I promised to put up a review of Monsters of Men.  Well I got two good questions for Q&A so I'll answer those and then do my review.  Both of my questions came from Michelle H. and here they are:


What books would you recommend for summer reading? 

Hmmmmm....I happen to know some awesome books coming out this summer.  Depending on what you're looking for, I'd say that Angie Frazier's EVERLASTING (June 1) is a really sweet read for someone looking for a book that's a little bit of adventure mixed with a little bit of Jane Austen.  Another book coming out this summer that I've gotten to read is JACK BLANK AND THE IMAGINE NATION by Matt Myklusch (out August 3).  I got to read a draft of this book.  It's a MG that's going to knock people's socks off.  Superheroes? Zombie robots?  And those are just in the first chapter.  I'm also going to push INCARCERON.  I took a sick day and sat outside to read it.  It was a fantastic book that'd be perfect for some days at the beach, but remember to put on sunscreen before reading because once you start, you'll forget everything else.  One summer book that I'm really looking forward to reading is Chelsea Campbell's THE RISE OF RENEGADE X.  I'm a big fan of this superhero trend.  The description reminded me of both POWERLESS and DULL BOY, both of which were fantastic.

Since Cinco De Mayo was yesterday (oops - missed it), do you have any wild crazy stories involving lampshades worn on the head or wearing someone else's underwear home? (I swear I thought they were mine... I like wearing boxer shorts!)


Ha!  I'm not sure I can share them here!  There was one story involving a cowboy hat that could get me in trouble.  No, here's one.  There was this bar up in Rhode Island that I used to hang out at for karaoke.  Me and a couple of friends would always go down there and sing.  When I was younger I had dreams of being a singer.  Anyway, on my 24th birthday my friends and I celebrated there.  It was fantastic.  People were buying me drinks left and right.  Well, the bartender was this guy we called Jumby (I wish I could remember the origin of that nickname).  I was so drunk, me managed to convince me to do a duet with him.  What did we do?  Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand's "You Don't Bring Me Flowers."  He was behind the bar and I remember climbing ON the bar at one point.  I'll let you guess as to whether I was Neil Diamond or Barbara Streisand.

MONSTERS OF MEN Review


Okay, listen.  If you haven't read the first two books in this series--Chaos Walking--then you need to go read them.  Patrick Ness has written the best trilogy this decade.  Better than Hunger Games (which I adore).  Each book is part of a trilogy but also stands on its own and has its own lessons.  


My problem with most trilogies is that the second book sags and the third book is a race to wrap everything up.  MoM has none of these shortcomings.  It is a perfectly paced, perfectly plotted book that blew my socks off.  I have trouble doing reviews because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone.  Here's the thing:  Most people are turned off because they hear that this series has sci-fi elements, but those elements are just setting...their pieces on the stage.  This book (all three books really) is the story of a young man and a young girl who have to make choices and then live with the choices they make.  It's about friendship and love and doing the right thing even when it hurts.  I don't cry at a lot of books (movies are another story), but this one had me bawling for like the last three chapters.  


MONSTERS OF MEN deserves 5 of 5 stars for being awesome.  If you don't read this book, baby angels will cry.


Also, I'm not a fan of book trailers but this one for MoM is really well done.