#jon mcgoran
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134 & 135 for the book ask (recommend and unrecommended something :) )
hi!! thanks for asking! referencing this post:
134. unrecommend any book you like!
oof okay so i scrolled back through goodreads about this to see what the thing i hated most vehemently was, and it turns out it's SPLICED by Jon McGoran. i, who hardly ever rate anything i dislike, rated it one (1) star and wrote a 2k-word review about how bad it was. the science was Bad™, the Real World Parallels were Bad™, the white saviorism was Bad™, the premise could've been Cool™ (i'm absolutely here for human-animal hybrids in sci-fi in a totally normal way i promise *shoves lucius and friends under a rug*) but the execution was so terrible that it was Bad™™™. gosh what a deeply bad book, -1000/10 recommend.
135. recommend any book you like!
ANY?!? i've been percolating on this for a while because there are SO MANY GOOD ONES, and ultimately i decided to go back through goodreads and look at the most recent thing i rated five (5) stars, so drumroll for our winner, please...
NOTHING BUT THE RAIN by Naomi Salman!!
i went into a little more detail about why i loved it so much over here, but it was just. so good, and so short, and so funny, and so fucked up and deeply weird, and it answered none of my worldbuilding questions and i loved that for both of us, honestly?? i wasn't expecting it to become an insta-fave and it did, and i'm still thinking about it months later.
thanks again for asking!!
#text#answered#book asks#book games#agardenandlibrary#books#nothing but the rain#naomi salman#unclear if i should tag the other one lmao#torn between 'don't want to put hate in tags if people are looking for joy' and 'but i need to find it'#spliced#we'll just tag it that i guess#that's probably generic enough right if i leave off the author name??
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Sixteen-year-old Jimi knows people change, but nothing could prepare her for what’s about to happen to her best friend, Del. Del is obsessed with becoming a chimera (ki-mir-a): a person who pays back-alley geneticists, known as ""genies,"" to illegally splice animal genes into their own. The resulting physical changes have scared lawmakers into drafting legislation declaring chimeras officially nonpersons—so when Del goes missing, Jimi is desperate to find him before he alters himself forever.
As she tries to save him, Jimi must face down unscrupulous people and risk her own life—all while knowing that if getting spliced is the choice Del has made, it means he’s leaving her behind forever.
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Hey, hey, Jon McGoran, quick question... WHAT THE FUCK
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New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (May 5th, 2020)
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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!
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New Standalones/First in a Series:
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
The Betrothed by Kiera Cass
Four Days of You & Me by Miranda Kenneally
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (Re-print. Originally published 2016.)
Windswept by Gwen Cole
The Wild by Owen Laukkanen
The Dark In-Between by Elizabeth Hrib
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Last Girls by Demetra Brodsky
The Life & (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
How to Live on the Edge by Sarah Lynn Scheerger
Forged in Fire & Stars by Andrea Robertson
The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQueen
My Summer of Love & Misfortune by Lindsay Wong
War & Speech by Don Zolidis
The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton (Kindle Release)
Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn
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New Sequels:
Path of Night (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #3) by Sarah Rees Brennan
Dark Skies (Dark Shores #2) by Danielle L. Jensen
Aurora Burning (The Aurora Cycle #2) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Spiked (Spliced #3) by Jon McGoran
___
Happy reading!
#books#bookish#booklr#bookworm#bookaholic#bibliophile#book blog#book blogger#Features#New Releases#new books#ya#yalit#young adult#on books#on reading#read#reading#reader#tbr#to-read#May Releases#May 2020#long text post#jon mcgoran#amie kaufman#jay kristoff#danielle l jensen#sarah rees brennan#kat dunn
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5/4 Book Deals
Good morning, everyone! It’s the start of a fresh new week and I’m back to share some books on sale. :) I’ve been super interested in The Greenhollow Duology for ages, has anyone read it? The Silence of the Girls is a great historical fiction set during the Trojan war that mainly follows Briseis (if I recall correctly!).
Anyway, I hope you’re all hanging in there! Have a wonderful day! :)
Today’s Deals:
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (The Greenhollow Duology #1) https://amzn.to/3c45u6P
Drowned Country (The Greenhollow Duology #2) by Emily Tesh - https://amzn.to/35uLeIO
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker - https://amzn.to/3dbDuhJ
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - https://amzn.to/2YylNVA
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan - https://amzn.to/3c74yOY
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli - https://amzn.to/2KUBHS9
Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter [Kindle in Motion] - https://amzn.to/2YvufVl
The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence - https://amzn.to/35vIPOn
Star Wars Made Easy by Christian Blauvelt - https://amzn.to/2zck9hq
Spliced by Jon McGoran - https://amzn.to/3b5SeNA
The Traitor by V.S. Alexander - https://amzn.to/2W2KlnG
LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff - https://amzn.to/35sXCck
The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh - https://amzn.to/3c3U1nI
Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith - https://amzn.to/2xw68uD
NOTE: I am categorizing these book deals posts under the tag #bookdeals, so if you don’t want to see them then just block that tag and you should be good. I am an Amazon affiliate in addition to a Book Depository affiliate and will receive a small (but very much needed!) commission on any purchase made through these links.
#bookdeals#booksale#fantasy#historical fiction#nonfiction#science fiction#the silence of the girls#pat barker#carlo rovelli#jay kristoff#lifelike#emily tesh#silver in the wood
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October wrap up
Oh boy, it’s November already. Here are the books I read in October:
There's a Wocket in My Pocket! by Theodor Seuss Geisel
8/10
Finished on October 5, 2019
Yet another super short children’s book. It was fine.
The Carnivorous Carnival, The Slippery Slope, The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket
10/10
Finished on October 5, 10, 27 2019
My favourite series ever. Nothing to add.
The Ballad of Narayama by Shichirō Fukazawa
8/10
Finished on October 9, 2019
A novella we read for our Book Club. It was a metaphor of living and dying and the society we live in.
Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu
6/10
Finished on October 13, 2019
I thought it was going to be better. It was about my favourite superhero, and yet, I didn’t feel excited at all as I read it. The characterisation didn’t really work.
The truth and lies of Ella Black by Emily Barr
6/10
Finished on October 16, 2019
I didn’t feel like it was suspenseful enough for a psychological thriller. Kind of cheap. And the twist fell flat.
The Mountains Sing by Phan Quế Mai Nguyến
9/10
Finished on October 16, 2019
Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. It reminded me of Red Girls, but was way better written. The descriptions were stunning, the characters felt real and relatable.
The Weight of the Heart by Susana Aikin
6/10
Finished on October 18, 2019
I’ve read better, I’ve read worse. It was okay, but not something I’d usually enjoy.
Daniela by Stephen Weeks
4/10
Finished on October 19, 2019
It’s an erotic novel set during WW2. That’s all I have to say about it.
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari
9/10
Finished on October 20, 2019
It was good, but it sometimes felt like a rip off of Sapiens.
American Royals by Katharine McGee
8/10
Finished on October 24, 2019
The concept was really fun, although sometimes the book felt like it was Gossip Girl 2.0.
That Reminds Me by Derek Owusu
7/10
Finished on October 24, 2019
I don’t usually read poetry, but it wasn’t exactly poetry, either. I had to google some vocabulary, but it was interesting to read nonetheless.
The Blacklist - The Dead Ring No. 166 by Jon McGoran
The Blacklist - The Beekeeper No. 159 by Steven Piziks
8/10
Finished on October 26 and 27, 2019
I really enjoyed both. It was tacky, sure, but an easy read. And the characters really felt like they were re-created by someone who actually knew what they were talking about.
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Title: Spiked | Author: Jon McGoran | Publisher: Holiday House (2020)
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Spliced by Jon McGoran: A Review
Hey I don’t post book reviews here, but dammit I have a Lot Of Thoughts so here’s one. It’s long, and spoilerific, so it’s hiding below the cut.
This book is . . . Not Great. For a lot of reasons, actually. Spoilers ahoy.
Let me start by saying that pieces of the worldbuilding were interesting and thought out well—it’s obvious that the author’s spent a lot of time thinking about a climate changing future and what that entails for us, so there were intriguing bits of that sprinkled throughout. That’s the nicest thing I have to say. Buckle up.
At the top of my list of grievances, because I’m qualified to speak to this: The science is just Bad. I get it, it’s science fiction—theoretically it’s allowed to bend the rules. However, as a biologist, the fake science bugged me A Lot. The general premise is people (usually teenagers, for whatever reason) can get animal DNA/features spliced into theirs for a price. The rich kids can do this with good fancy doctors. Most people, however, do it with back alley “genies,” who apparently can alter someone’s biology within twenty-four hours in a garage or abandoned house by sticking them with a viral vector and infecting them with animal DNA to give them new physical traits. The soon-to-be chimera (that’s what spliced people are called) then undergoes a lengthy process that they call “sweating out the change,” where their biology and organs and bones and literally everything physical rearranges, again over the span of hours, and you emerge on the other side a chimera. If, however, you decide that you don’t like being a chimera, within 24-48 hours you can go to a “fixer,” a doctor who can somehow reverse this process, but if you wait longer than that, you’re stuck forever.
That’s just not how any of that works. Like, at all.
Human bodies fight off foreign invaders (like, for instance, animal DNA injected via viral vector), unless someone is immunocompromised. That’s, like, the whole point of the immune system. There was no mention of immunosuppressants or anything like that to deal with the body’s immune response, and somehow this whole chimera vector thing is in a couple of syringes, max? Plus, bodies don’t just rearrange and grow new organs and bone structures and glands and what have you over the course of hours while someone lies in an abandoned house under a blanket, which is how we witness a couple chimeras “sweating out” their changes. I’m willing to buy some fudged science if it’s at least believable fudged science, and this was definitely not. Oh, and later on a character gets an emergency splice “stacked” onto him, when his first one almost kills him? So theoretically this bigger better one saves him from the first one, which is also just . . . wrong. Like. Why.
In addition to the science being atrocious, it’s also not super well established why people want to be chimeras in the first place? The tagline on the back of the book says “Getting spliced used to be a fashion statement. Now, it’s a death sentence,” but even the “fashion statement” bit isn’t explained super well in text. Most of the chimeras who the MC, Jimi, asks why they wanted to be spliced say something about “getting back to nature” (which humanity has wiped out, basically) and “honoring/remembering the animals we’ve killed,” or something to that extent. Or they just think It’s Neat(TM). The rich kids clearly do it because it’s cool and trendy, but that no longer makes sense given the book’s political climate. There’s an extremist group (a large extremist group) called Humans for Humanity (H4H) trying to get the Genetic Heritage Act (GHA) passed, which means that anyone who’s not 100% human is no longer a person. But there are huge demonstrations and rallies for this thing, and it’s a popular enough idea that chimeras are ostracized. And yet. People. Still. Choose. To get. Spliced. Just cuz it looks cool, basically, is what I got from my read.
So not only did I not buy the fact that people would want to do this to themselves (because it’s always voluntary—no one forces anyone to be a chimera, ever), I also don’t buy the H4H logic and the fact that the GHA ACTUALLY PASSES IN THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THIS BOOK. It seems weird to me that what’s essentially an elective body modification surgery can mean that people are no longer people? I feel like it’s one thing if you’ve always been part animal, part human, but these people were literally fully human before the opted for this procedure.
It’s impossible not to understand the Real World Parallels, because this book is incredibly heavy handed: Chimera hate is a stand-in for racism and other types of discrimination (although shout out to the giant YIKES I felt when I actually read the word “homosexuals” with my own two eyeballs in the MC’s narration about other groups a certain mega church has discriminated against), but my issue with that is that it’s a false equivalent. You choose to be a chimera (for whatever awful unexplained Reasons). You don’t choose to be a person of color or queer or neurodivergent or marginalized. Trying to parallel the backlash chimeras face in their quest to be recognized as fully people with the struggles that people of color face Doesn’t Work, period. (This isn’t my lane, by the way, I’m super white, but I’m surprised I didn’t see anything along these lines mentioned in the other reviews I read? So I wanted to at least throw it out there, but I’m by no means an expert. Please listen to people of color.)
In addition to the paralleling not working, it also sets up a nasty “white savior” situation with our MC, Jimi, becoming the Chimera Savior. Jimi is not a chimera. Jimi is the one who miraculously saves the endangered chimeras at the end, and makes a rousing speech on TV about how we all gotta love each other and get along. Jimi saves the day. Which, I get that she’s the MC, but with the paralleling to our own contemporary real world issues . . . yikes. 0/10 do not do, especially when you’re a white man writing a (probably—of course it’s not specified, but her name is actually Dymphna Corcoran, named after an Irish saint, so I’m Guessing) white protagonist.
Other miscellany that’s worth mentioning:
There were at least five (5) references to skeeviness (of the sexual harassment/edging toward narrlowly-avoided assault variety), and one attempted skeevyness on page. Against our 16-year-old girl protag (and one of the referenced ones was when she was a KID ON A PLAYGROUND). I get it, that’s life. As a female-presenting person, trust me I get it. However. Just because it’s life, doesn’t mean I want to read about it in a YA sci-fi thriller that’s not about that sort of thing. It was very jarring, and made my pulse skyrocket every time in panic, and it was borderline creepy to me, because the author is a middle aged man.
Also, holy abuse, Batman. Jimi has one (1) friend, Del, and Del’s cop father is horrifically abusive. Physically violent (and, spoiler, murderously physically violent). Does Jimi or Jimi’s mom (Del’s NEIGHBOR) do anything to get Del out of this house and situation? Nope. Not a thing. Ever. Del just comes running to Jimi’s place when he’s SERIOUSLY INJURED for Jimi to help fix him up so they can share a kiss (their first! They’re best childhood friends but the kiss early on Changes Everything! Ew! Why!), and then start the plot, which is Jimi trying to track down Del before he gets spliced. The abuse is . . . not handled well, or thoughtfully. That’s frustrating and disheartening.
This book is also super info dumpy, especially at the beginning—we’ll be chugging along through (kind of stilted at times) dialogue, and then we’ll get a couple big paragraphs of Jimi explaining the world history, or current political climate (she’s a Very Informed Teenager, okay), or family drama, or whatever, and then we’ll proceed with the chapter. And the timeline is rushed—the whole book happens in like a week? I get that it’s a thriller and it’s supposed to be fast paced, but the plot follows Del 1. Not being a chimera, 2. Becoming a chimera, 3. Running away to a chimera Haven, and 4. Dying when chimera Haven turns out to be a secret hunting ground where people can pay money to track down and shoot chimeras for sport (y i k e s), so naturally he tries to blow up the town nearby and then his dad shoots him and Del’s the only one who gets blown up (double yikes). Oh, but this is all from Jimi’s POV, don’t worry: she’s trying to track down Del and make sure he’s okay this whole time. That’s the plot. I just . . . why. To any of it. To all of it. If you see this cover, like I did, and get excited, please do yourself a favor and put it back on the shelf. You’re not missing anything worth reading.
#text#personal#reviews#book reviews#lol yikes i don't have a tag for that#but now i do!#spliced#jon mcgoran#one star#sigh
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All Jimi wants is pick up the pieces of her life and move on. She never intended to uncover a conspiracy, or become a hero for chimera rights-- she just wanted to protect her best friend, Del. But now she's a public figure, and she can't quite shake the spotlight. . . or her suspicion that she's being followed.
Still, when a strange chimera shows up, half-dead with nothing but an odd hospital bracelet to identify him, of course Jimi tries to help. But everything goes wrong-- and her friend Dr. Guzman is arrested for murder. Desperate to prove his innocence, Jimi does some digging, and discovers that the sick chimera came from a hospital owned by Howard Wells. . . . The businessman who pioneered the Genetic Heritage Act, which sought to label all chimeras as inhuman, and undeserving of basic rights. Has he really had a change of heart?
Teaming up with her chimera friends Rex and Claudia, Jimi sets out to investigate Wells' hospital-- but discovers the seemingly-charitable endeavor is hiding an extensive, dark secret. To save lives and shut down a criminal operation, Jimi and her friends will have to risk everything-- and incur the wrath of Howard Wells himself.
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Guest Post by Jon McGoran, author of Spiked + US Giveaway - FFBC Tours
Hi all, . Today, I'm thrilled to share with you this guest post by @JonMcGoran . The author of Spiked tells us about writing in these trying times. . Inside -> US Giveaway . Tour hosted by @the_FFBC @holidayhousebks #spiked #Yascifi #jonmcgoran #yabooks
Spiked, written by Jon McGoran, is the third book in the Spliced series. This young adult Sci-fi/dystopian novel will be released on Tuesday, May 5, 2020.
Today, I’m excited to host a post by Jon McGoran where he tells us about writing in these trying times. At the end of this post, there is also a US giveaway.
Thank you so much, Jon McGoran and Michelle @ the FFBC tours, for having me…
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Welcome to #ThrowbackThursday, Horror Edition! Looking for new chills and thrills? Then don't miss HARDBOILED HORROR!! #tbt
There’s something out there in the dark.
There’s always something watching.
There’s always something reaching for you.
Always.
And sometimes there’s someone you can call. Someone you can hire. Someone who knows these dark streets and back alleys. Someone who knows how things work in this part of town. Private eyes who are often as dark as the things they hunt. Investigators who know how to look in the shadows for the things that go bump. Good guys but not always nice guys.
Hardboiled Horror collects fifteen original tales of noir mystery shot through with elements of horror and the supernatural. Occult detectives, paranormal investigators, seedy P.I.s, amateur sleuths and ghost hunters tackle the cases no one else can handle.
The killer lineup includes Heather Graham, Kevin J. Anderson, Rachel Caine, Scott Sigler, Seanan McGuire Alethea Kontis, Jonathan Maberry, Chris Ryall, Dana Fredsti, Jim Beard, Jacopo della Quercia, John Gilstrap, Jon McGoran, Josh Malerman, Max Allan Collins & Matthew V. Clemens, Lois H. Gresh and Nancy Holder.
Edited by New York Times bestseller and five-time Bram Stoker Award winner Jonathan Maberry.
https://amzn.to/2U351ff
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New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (May 14th, 2019)
Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!
New Standalones/First in a Series:
Happy Messy Scary Love by Leah Konen
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
On A Scale of One to Ten by Ceylan Scott
Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta
We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal
Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno
The Candle & the Flame by Nafiza Azad
Testimony From Your Perfect Girl by Kaui Hart Hemmings
New Sequels:
Splintered (Spliced #2) by Jon McGoran
There’s Something About Sweetie (Dimple & Rishi #2) by Sandhya Menon
Tomb of Ancients (House of Furies #3) by Madeleine Roux
Happy reading!
#books#bookish#booklr#bookworm#bookaholic#bibliophile#book blog#book blogger#new releases#new books#may 2019#may#2019#yalit#yareads#young adult#Features#on books#on reading#read#reading#reader#madeleine roux#sandhya menon#jon mcgoran#kaui hart hemmings#nafiza azad#nina moreno#hafsah faizal#sarah henstra
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So New Blacklist Book-exactly like The BeeKeeper.
The author assured me that his book on sale March 28, is much like S1-S2, not the current story direction. That means in Bokenkamp’s canon, Tom/Baby are NOT part of it. So WTH is Bokenkamp and Sony doing trashing their own show? I don’t get it these books are not fan fiction they are based off original creator’s direction. Why divert from S2 to push plot driven garbage that alienated 1.5 million viewers in ½ a season? For a stupid spin off that nobody wanted. If it hits 0.6, not even sycophant softball recap columnists can put a bow on it. DOA means you’re done. Anyway the new book, is called The Dead Ring by Jon McGoran and it’s out March 28. I suggest Bokenkamp shred this god awful plotline and reverse the damage before it corrupts the original canon further. But for the books, I can live with cancellation because *this*👇🏻is still original direction.
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Title: Splintered | Author: Jon McGoran | Publisher: Holiday House (2019)
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The Big Idea: Jon McGoran
The Big Idea: Jon McGoran
In the aftermath of writing his latest novel Spiked, author Jon McGoran found the reality of the moment catching up with the future of his fiction in ways he didn’t expect… and in ways that gave him food for thought.
JON McGORAN:
One of the things that has drawn me to science fiction since I was a kid is the way it embraces—or, as a writer, allows one to embrace—big ideas. I have one of those…
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