The Rad Librarian

Her new book “City of Veils” is getting a lot of buzz, so I thought I would start with her first mystery set in modern Saudi Arabia.  A teen-aged girl is found drowned in the desert, and her family hires a guide to find out what really happened.  The US author was married intoa Palestinian/Bedouin family that lived in Saudi Arabia so it feels like a authentic insider/outsider experience of that culture.  Great character development and a important addition to the mystery landscape.

One YA anthology cannot answer the age old question of which is better- Zombies or Unicorns, but these superstars of the YA world will die a horrible undead death if they didn’t give it their all fighting it out.  Alaya Dawn Johnson’s Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division reference on purpose) is a particularly awesome short story. Run Teens for your lives!

Character studies based around the history of a fictional international newspaper based in Rome over 50 years is the perfect backdrop to glimpse the interior lives of the protagonists.  More than a few chapters give deep insights into what motivates people into different action.  So far, the best first novel of the year.