I used the phrase “the stage is set” intentionally—All Men of Genius plays off elements from both Twelfth Night and The Importance of Being Earnest. Certain plot motifs—a girl pretending to be her twin brother and catching the love of a confused and conflicted duke (in this case Duke Ernest Illyria, head of the college)–come directly from Shakespeare, while certain names and lines, not to mention a certain side of London life, come from Wilde (plus a handbag that turns into a baby carriage!). A lightheartedand playful style is in homage to both, and it’s fun to trace out the references.

Illyria is a mysterious place. It is run by an enormous clockwork wall, powered by water, and the gears never stop grinding. Even the Duke, whose father was the founder, does not know the whole basement in all its maze-like glory. And there are many secrets to be found—doors without apparent locks or knobs to open them, strange squid-like creatures that steal supplies, invisible cats, trains that don’t run for no obvious reason, robot-like creature with claws that reach out to rip human flesh.

Violet and her childhood friend Jack both gain admittance and are room-mates, which helps Violet immensely with her scheme. She learns to lower her voice and walk differently, learns to bind herself tightly, and surprisingly, learns that she misses being a woman. Her growing feelings for the Duke are a part of this. Meanwhile, the Duke’s young ward Cecily is drawn towards this sensitive young “man” and finds herself falling for Violet, believing her to be Ashton.

Cecily’s governess is a woman named Miriam, a young widow who was born a Jew in Persia and as such is doubly outcast. She is very independent and is carrying on, in secret, with another student who befriends Jack and Violet. There’s a theme of women having to live hidden lives just to express who they really are, while around them men are allowed unlimited freedom, that is seen in Violet and Miriam’s lives as well as echoed in Cecily’s, whose remarkable position allows her access to a scientific education and free run of the college without her having to disguise herself.

Each student is expected to produce some marvelous invention by the end of the year, to be revealed at a grand “faire” attended by the Queen. Violet plans to unveil not only her invention but her true self. Will all go according to plan, or will she be unmasked ahead of time? Will the duke still love her once he finds out how he’s been deceived? Will she survive until then?

All Men of Genius is a fun read, written in a somewhat Victorian style that fits the subject matter. It’s of a genre called steampunk, which I had to look up cuz I’m not cool like that, and which basically means it’s set in Victorian times but with sci-fi and fantastical elements—like a rabbit with a parrot’s voice box who curses like a sailor. If you enjoy classic literature with a few twists, this is a book for you.

CONTENT NOTE: Although it is classified as Young Adult, I would recommend it only for older teens, due to several sexual references and some swearing and bawdy humor.

Elizabeth loves Shakespeare, Wilde, and wildly-imaginative puns and wordplays. She is glad she was born in modern times as she is not a good housekeeper and would not have been a good governess. Learn more at her blog Planet Nomad.

I’m not sure how genre-busting it is, but this book did work for me. Immediately, this novel felt like the popular dystopian genre that is so prevalent in YA literature right now, one that many adults are appropriating for their own as well. In addition to that, though it’s set in 2045, 80′s culture has made a comeback, so there are lots of references to all-things 80′s such as John Hughes movies, Family Ties, Matthew Broderick, spiked hair, and acid-washed jeans. Every time one of those references popped up, I smiled.

In addition to that kind of popular culture, 80′s computer and video games are critical to the plot. From one of the first computer game ever, Adventure, to the arcade game that everyone loved, Pac-Man, it’s all here.

When billionaire James Halliday, founder of the virtual reality OASIS died, he announced a contest (via pre-recorded video) stating that he was leaving his fortune to the first person to find the Easter Egg (a hidden item coded into games and software). “Gunters” such as 18-year-old Wade Watts, known by his avatar’s name Parzival, have stocked up on knowledge of all things Halliday, mostly 80′s culture and computers, hoping that it will help them figure out where the Easter Egg is hiding.

For a year, nothing happens. No one finds anything, but then the first gate is uncovered by Wade and another gunter, and the race is on. Parzival is one of them, and the other is Art3mis, a gunter who Parzival has a virtual crush on. Lines are blurred between online interactions and reality. Most teens like Wade live their entire lives inside OASIS. Games are played, and many people even opt to enroll in the OASIS-based school. Due to the immersive nature of it, you aren’t just looking at a screen. You are in the game/school, appearing as your avatar.

I’m floundering on the plot summary, so take this from the PR info I received:

Ready Player One opens in the year 2044. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes a grim, poverty-stricken reality by spending his waking hours jacked into a sprawling online utopia known as the OASIS, where you can be anything you want to be, and where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, he is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket: somewhere within this alternate reality lies hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.

This is an adult book, but I see it crossing over to YA readers (especially young men), because of its 18-year-old protagonist and the popular themes. In fact, with the title that nods to a video game and the bright colors, my own 13-year-old daughter picked it more than once wondering if it was for her. It’s definitely not a middle-school read, due to some mature themes and language, but honestly the upper end of YA frequently explores those kinds of themes, so it’s right in line with what high schoolers who like to read generally select for themselves.

Jennifer Donovan admits to having Pac-Man fever, wearing acid-washed jeans, and having a little crush on Alex P. Keaton. She blogs at Snapshot.

She continued browsing, and eventually picked up I Am Number Four. I didn’t know anything about it, other than they made a movie about it. The bookstore employee said, “That book is very popular. It’s pretty good if you are looking for books that aren’t just about girls being mean to each other.”

Bingo!

When Amanda found out that the second book by Pittacus Lore was coming out, The Power of Six, she definitely wanted to keep reading. I haven’t read either of them, so I can’t really say much, but for some reason I feel safer with sci-fi/fantasy teens than modern day ones.

Here are her thoughts on this book:

This is a continuation of the first book, and definitely lived up to expectations. I can’t give a lot of detail, so I don’t give away the first book, but this The Power of Six is the story told by John Smith, also known as Four, and Marina, also known as Seven. John’s story is a continuing one, so fans of the first novel will recognize him and his story. He has been reunited with Six, as they travel to find their 4 remaining allies. Marina is a new character who is telling her story from a convent in Spain. Her only friend is also her guardian, Adelina, who has turned her back on their home planet. Marina’s only goal is to get out of the convict to find the other four.

If you aren’t familiar with the first book, you’ll need some background. Nine children and 9 adults (Cepans) were sent from thier home planet, Lorien, running from the Mogdorians, who tried to take over thier planet. They went to earth and pretended to be human, changing thier names and disguising themselves to hide from the Mogdorians that were still seeking them. By this book, the first 3 are dead, and they are all seeking to find each other and fight the Mogdorian army.

I thought this book was really good. It had a lot of adventure, and moved really fast.

Jennifer’s daughter Amanda is an 8th grader, a trumpet player, an artist, a texter, and of course — a reader.

I also find them to be a bit timeless, because we can read about teens in a story that is free of texting and disrespecting their mothers and prom dresses and cursing.

Enclave reminded me of The Hunger Games from the get-go, but not in a derivative sort of way. Part of it was the violence, but unlike The Hunger Games, the violence that Deuce and the other hunters use is purely for survival, not for sport. It made it easier to handle from a plotline, but if you are sensitive to violence or prefer your children to avoid it, then you might wait on this one, because there definitely is some violence.

In the College Enclave, one of several underground communities, it’s a struggle to survive. In fact, because life is so fragile, children are simply known by a number until their naming ceremony that happens when they are older teens. At that time, they are also given a job: Breeders, Builders, or Hunters. Deuce is a skilled fighter and is named a Hunter. It’s a prestigious assignment, because the rest of the group depends on the Hunters for food and protection, but it’s dangerous as well.

The Hunters often come in contact with Freaks, a sort of human/animal mutation who not only hunt but eat humans, and killing is the only way to survive.

Deuce gets paired up with a partner who is from “above ground,” and made his way to the Enclave when his city was annihilated. Fade proves to be helpful when he and Deuce are sent out on a mission. They meet some strange original characters and situations along the way. Aguirre provides all the details from “the past” (i.e. right now, or even future to us) that make us connect with dystopian stories.

There is some romance, but I found it complementary to the plot and not a superfluous distraction.

Enclave is obviously the first in a series, but this novel stands alone as well. We are left feeling curious about what will happen next, but not left hanging, which I appreciate.

AUDIO NOTES: Emily Bauer narrates the story well. She is able to voice a teen girl convincingly and builds suspense in just the right places, making it an enjoyable listen.

I knew she sounded familiar, and sure enough, she also narrated Life As We Knew It, another end-of-the-world YA novel.

Jennifer Donovan doesn’t fear the end of the world, but she does enjoy a good story, and thinking about a horrific future gives authors great fodder. She blogs at Snapshot.

The story opens with Ransom Lawe, a fundamentally decent man, on his way to work on a hot, crowded tram. A woman with a crying baby is harassed by a sentinel from the Census Bureau, a beefy man who is responsible for arresting women who go over the allotted 2 children allowed per couple. (Interestingly enough, in this world divorce does not seem to be an issue) The man grabs the baby and swings her upside down, nearly braining her against the side of the car, and Ransom gets involved. This seemingly random occurrence sets in motion a trail of events that will impact his life forever.

Meanwhile his wife, Teya, is trying to hide an unplanned third pregnancy. She and Ransom are both burdened by this, wanting to keep the child and trying to figure out a way possible to do this. Teya’s sister Mona is in a position to help them, but to do so would jeopardize her career and she’s not willing to get involved. It’s not until the mother from the tram reappears that a solution becomes possible, albeit a dramatic and difficult one.

Their world is full of hardship: food shortages and rations, potatoes and corn sold on the black market, everyone living in small ugly apartments reminiscent of Soviet-era Russia. The city is walled but Ransom’s job takes him outside, where he strips old homes (i.e. homes from our current time) of anything that can be recycled, and marvels at the idea of living in an actual house with an actual yard. He and his partner have to kill a gorgeous old cherry tree because it’s not a native species.

The Third has a gripping plot. My 15 year-old son was quickly hooked, and stayed up late into the night to finish it. I, too, had a hard time putting it down, although every so often I would stop and roll my eyes at what seemed like projected paranoia from our present day. But Ransom and Teya are likable characters and it’s easy to relate to them and their plight.

Elizabeth is an omnivorous reader, devouring books of all genres. Her son is a lot pickier. Read more of their interactions, and other things, at her blog Planet Nomad.

On one such jaunt, R and his buddies come across a salvage party of the Living. He kills and eats the brain of a young man named Perry Kelvin and is immediately taken through Perry’s life. Each bite of brain earns him more of Perry’s history. On a whim, R decides to take a Living girl named Julie – Perry’s girlfriend – back to the zombie hive, claiming he wants to keep her safe. But as he gets to know Julie, he realizes he’s changing, and maybe his life as a zombie doesn’t have to be the way it is.

Warm Bodies is Isaac Marion’s first novel. It’s not your typical zombie story, as it’s told from R’s point of view, and the reader quickly comes to care about R. It’s a beautifully written and at times humorous take on the zombie phenomenon. The cause of the conversion to the Dead is never fully explained, but the references to war, greed and the state of the world make it pretty obvious that humankind did it to themselves. But all hope is not lost, as more of the Dead join R in his quest to rejoin the Living.

The comparisons between the Dead the Living show they both really want one thing – to survive. The Dead teach their kids how to eat and kill a Living, and the Living teach their kids how to defend themselves from the Dead. The Dead need brains to keep living – so to speak – but they soon wonder if this is really true, or if they just need brains to remember what it was like to be alive.

Marion adds a third layer of complexity to the battle between the Living and the Dead – Boneys. Boneys are zombies who have reached full skeleton status, all of their flesh having completely rotted away. There’s something even more sinister to the Boneys than the Fleshies, who seem to be pretty ok people, as far as zombies go. The Boneys don’t want the Dead to rejoin the Living and do whatever possible to stop them.

Warm Bodies could be described as a zombie love story, but it’s really so much more than that. Anyone who has enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or the movie Shaun of the Dead should check out Warm Bodies.

Nancy often feels like a zombie after not getting enough sleep. She writes about her 2 boys and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys.

Death’s Excellent Vacation is the third anthology edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. Like the previous anthologies edited by Harris and Kelner, the 13 short stories have one thing in common: they take place during a vacation. There are some gems in this set of stories, some that fall way short, and most fall somewhere in between.

Readers of supernatural or paranormal fiction will recognize some of the authors – Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse books are probably the most well-known thanks to the HBO series True Blood. The anthology starts off with “Two Blondes,” where Sookie and her vampire friend Pam mix business with pleasure on a riverboat casino. Also included are “One for the Money” by Jeaniene Frost of the Night Huntress series, starring Cat and Bones, also vampires, and “The Perils of Eferjim” by Katie MacAlister, a spin-off of the Aisling Grey, Guardian series with Aisling’s demon sidekick Jim off on an adventure of sorts. I’ve never read anything but either Frost or MacAlister but I’ve already added the first of each series to my to read list.

Other stories I enjoyed were “The Heart is Always Right” by Lilith Saintcrow, about a gargoyle who must grudgingly follow his duty to feed “the heart,” “Pirate Dave’s Haunted Amusement Park” by Toni LP Kelner, about a newly turned werewolf visiting an amusement park she frequented as a kid, and “Thin Walls” by Christopher Golden, where a man revisiting the places he traveled to with his deceased wife encounters a woman who wants to help him move on, which was reminiscent of Stephen King.

Often with supernatural stories, especially where vampires are involved, there is violence and explicit sex, and this is true with some, though not all, of these stories. Just a heads up if this type of thing isn’t your thing.

Notes on the Audiobook:

The audio version of this anthology is read by 2 narrators. Christopher Lane reads the stories with a male main character and Amanda Ronconi tackles those starring a female. Both narrators did a wonderful job with their stories, though Lane seems a bit more versatile in his characterizations. I’m also used to a different voice for Sookie, having listened to the first few books in that series.

Nancy thinks it would be fun to be a werewolf for a day. She writes about her 2 boys and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys.

Now Diesel has his own series, along with Lizzie, expert cupcake maker with the ability to find enchanted objects, Carl, a monkey with the tendency to give the finger, and Cat 7143, a one-eyed ninja cat that used to belong to Lizzie’s great-aunt.  Diesel is on the hunt for stones representing the Seven Deadly Sins, and must protect Lizzie from Gerewulf Grimoire, his cousin with a much more sinister reason for wanting the stones.  In Wicked Appetite, they are searching for the gluttony stone, and the road to the stone is littered with junk food, odd collections and other forms of gluttony.

Fans of the Stephanie Plum books will recognize Evanovich’s style – the bumbling heroine, her hulky partner/bodyguard, the comedic sexual tension, the slapstick comedy.  But as Evanovich herself once told EW.com, “If you want to cry, you’re not going to like my books. If you want a really good plot, you’re not going to like my plots. My books have pizza and cussing and sexy guys.”  If you are a fan of the Plum books, then you’ll like Wicked Appetite. Look for a new Unmentionables book every September.

Notes on the Audiobook

The audiobook is narrated by Lorelei King, who has also read the last few Plum novels, along with novels by Sue Grafton and Patricia Cornwell.  Ms. King has been described as ‘the best known American voice on radio 4,’ having recorded more than 200 programs for the BBC.  I was also surprised to learn that she voices Wendy and Packer in Bob the Builder.  She did a great job with Wicked Appetite, although her “southern” accent for Lizzie, who is from Fairfax, VA, and Lizzie’s boss Clara, a Boston-area native, left a little to be desired.

I’ve only read the first 7 of the Plum novels, all on audiobook.  I find the pace of the books, along with the comedic elements, are perfect for an audiobook.  I just sit back and enjoy the story, instead of getting impatient because I can read faster than the narrator speaks, like I do at times with audiobooks.

Nancy thinks gluttony is one of the more fun Deadly Sins.  She writes about her 2 boys and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys.