The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault

In the maze of cubicles at Samuelson Company, editorial assistant Billy Webb struggles to focus while helping to prepare the next edition of a dictionary. But there are distractions. He senses that something suspicious is going on beneath this company’s academic façade. What’s more, his (possibly) flirtatious co-worker Mona Minot has just made a startling discovery: a trove of puzzling citations, all taken from the same book, The Broken Teaglass. Billy and Mona soon learn that no such book exists. And the quotations read like a confession, coyly hinting at a hidden identity, a secret liaison, a crime. As Billy and Mona try to unearth the truth, the puzzle begins to take on bigger meaning for both of them, compelling them to redefine their notions of themselves and each other.

The Broken Teaglass is at once a literary mystery, a cautious love story, and an ingenious suspense novel that will delight fans of brilliantly inventive fiction.

 Emily Arsenault’s debut book was dreamy, dark and dreary. Just like In Search of Rose Notes, which I have read, loved and reviewed here http://oopsireadthatbook.blogspot.com/2011/12/in-search-of-rose-notes-by-emily.html

 I love the 3 D’s and I immensely enjoyed this book.

As emotionally satisfying as In search of rose notes, this book had a bonus delight.

It centred on words.

The mystery, the plot and the setting were all about words.

Set in Samuelson Company, a dictionary publisher’s office, the book follows College graduate Billy Webb as he lives a lonely existence in the cubicle till his colleague colleague Mona Minot stumbles upon citation from a novel called The Broken Teaglass. Each cit seems to tell a story that may reveal a past secret, buried deep in the grim office.

I haven’t read many books with male protagonists but Billy was cool. Highest form of praise I can give a dude.

With oddball characters and a plot brimming with suspense The Broken Teaglass is a literary puzzle and a coming-of-age novel with a dark and subtle sense of humour.

P.S - Another reason I totally love this book with every fibre of my being is that it introduced me to LEXICOGRAPHY!

I am 19 and totally clueless plus aimless about life and career and crap, but every once in a while I come across super-fun sounding jobs.

For example, right now I want to be a writer on a NBC sitcom. (And subsequently have a three-way with Amy Poehler and Will Arnett.)

30 Rock may or may not have influenced this decision.

Anyhoo, after reading The Broken Teaglass, I think it’d be SWEET if I was a lexicographer. Turns out they just have to read a bunch of magazines of their choice all the time and not really talk to people.

 I think it was a job specifically designed for me.

P.P.S- Another fun part of this book was all these random people calling the office and sending them letters etc with completely random and hilarious inquiries. That shit was gold.

P.P.P.S- Some might find pacing problems with this because the plot kind of moves along really slow. I savoured every bit but just wanted to put this out there. 

In Search of Rose Notes By Emily Arsenault

At age eleven, Nora and Charlotte are the best of friends—until their teenager babysitter, Rose, disappears under mysterious circumstances. They decide to “investigate,” using paranormal theories and techniques they glean from a hand-me-down collection of Time-Life books. But their search goes nowhere, and leaves both girls distraught and angry with each other.

In her late twenties, Nora is drawn back her old neighborhood, and to Charlotte, when Rose’s bones are found. She was probably murdered, and Charlotte is adamant that they solve the crime. Nora—who was the last known person to see Rose alive—is forced to reconsider her memory of the events surrounding the disappearance, and her own troubled adolescence following those fateful days. And she’s not sure if she’s ready to face the secrets that begin to surface.

Told in alternating narratives from the past and present, this is a mystery about broken friendship and the unease of revisiting adolescent memory.

I don’t think I have ever read a book like this.

It was a thing of beauty.

Psychologically stimulating and arousing waves of nostalgia to float around me like fireflies in a dark and damp night, In Search of Rose Notes is a magical and precious book.

The characters- all the characters, were fully fleshed out and seemed so real and so human, I physically ached for them when the book got over.

There was the mystery of the missing babysitter and who killed her and woven with that were the flashbacks to Nora and Charlotte’s childhood and their paranormal investigations.

There was a dreamy, dark and dreary air throughout the book.

It doesn’t even feel like a book I read but more like a book I lived.

Emily Arsenault is a literary treasure and this book is a literary gem. 
Last words: 

Memories, secrets and a pernicious past collide together in this emotionally exhausting book to deliver an epiphany of sorts.

Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer

Sarah Weaver wasn't looking forward to starting at an all-girls school. But that was before she met Maddy. Maddy and her best friend, Agnes, are fun and rich and interesting-and for some reason, they seem to really like Sarah. Before long, Maddy and Agnes have moved Sarah into a big house off campus, where they cook together, buy each other presents, and share each other's secrets. So why does Sarah feel like something's bizarrely wrong? As more and more cracks start to show in Maddy's and Agnes's perfect veneers, Sarah notices some strange and disturbing things: Maddy's compulsive lying, Agnes's obsession with Maddy, and the deterioration of their friendship. And just when Sarah begins to question her own sanity, things turns deadly. Fans of Pretty Little Liars will devour this juicy debut novel.


Published June 21st 2011 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Disturbing.

Chilling.

For a YA book it was surprisingly gritty and unexpected.

The book was promoted as being similar to Pll.

But it’s not.

It’s so much better.

The summary doesn’t really give out much and that was perfect because I devoured the book hungrily. I couldn’t put it down till I finished it. And even when I did it left me breathless and I couldn’t really disconnect from it immediately.

It had taken over my mind entirely.

It was such an intense book.

And so realistic and believable.

It kept me on my edge and sent a myriad of emotions flowing through me.

The protagonist and the other two main characters were so heavily flawed it was ridiculous and pleasing at the same time. I could identify with some of the creepiest thing.

Everyone in this book is so wrecked, so wrong, so manipulative

I do believe that the nicest people are slightly mentally unhinged. And we all have some evil in us.

Possessive BFF’s is something I have experienced so I could totally get that plotline.

This book left me with the similar feeling I get after watching psychological thrillers.

This book is vicious.

And it’s a must read.

Sometimes I am left furious that books like these don’t become bestsellers but every book about a girl falling in love with a vampire/fallen angel and what not which has no particular plot becomes a outright favourite and sells like hot cakes.

It’s sad really.

Suspenseful and eerie, this is easily one of my top favourite books of the year.

Lastly, because I can NOT praise it enough I would say it was a Mind-blowing read. I still feel shocked and disturbed. 

I want, no I NEED more books from Katherine Easer.

Similar Books: PRETTY LITTLE DEVILS BY NANCY HOLDER

The Various Haunts of Men By Susan Hill

A lonely woman of fifty-three vanishes in fog; a fat twenty-two-year-old never returns from an early morning walk . . .


Experienced policemen know that most missing persons either turn up or go missing on purpose. But fresh young D.S. Freya Graffham won’t drop it — until she discovers what links the people who disappear on “The Hill,” young and old, men and women, even a little dog. Susan Hill writes with compassion, humour and a unique understanding of the details of daily life.

       

  The Various Haunts of Men is the first in a series by Susan Hill and plays out like a classic crime-show. While it was nothing like the books I usually read(young adult), it’s a lot like the TV Shows I watch and love. This book was very Criminal Minds. It was creepy and the mystery is mind-boggling.
However, it does not start out that way. The plot develops slowly while Susan Hill spent a lot of time on character development and in detailing out the town of Lafferton , a peaceful English cathedral city. The protagonist is a young policewoman Freya Graffham and the book also chronicles her relationship with DCI Simon Serrailler, providing us with some romance. The town itself is described beautifully and a sub-plot of shady new-age practitioners is thrown in.
The Various Haunts of Men opens and is interspersed with sections of "The Tape," which sound like confessions and thoughts of a deranged person. This part is cryptic and while it provides no real clues to the mystery it adds suspense.
I finished this book in one-sitting. I was on a constant guessing game. I just could not put it down. It was addicting and thrilling and had lost of twists and turns.
Recommended to lovers of crime-drama like Twin Peaks, Criminal Minds, Dexter etc.
Also fans of Sidney Sheldon books.


P.S-
Is anyone else waiting for Dexter Season 6 to premiere?!?
I feel like I can barely wait what with all the spoilers making the rounds and the exculsive trailer being premiered at Comic-Con.
I am going to miss Julia Stiles but we do have Colin Hanks who  is guest-starring this season.

That should have been ME!!!!

PRETTY LITTLE DEVILS BY NANCY HOLDER

Hazel Stone wants nothing more than to be a part of the hottest clique in school, the Pretty Little Devils, but she's stuck at a lunch table full of high school C-listers. Hazel has resigned herself to life as a nobody—when suddenly everything changes. The PLDs invite Hazel to one of the group's famous parties, held at the site of one of their babysitting jobs. Before Hazel knows it, she's in with the in crowd—and she couldn't be more thrilled!

But nothing turns out the way she expects. Especially when one her classmates becomes jealous of her newfound status—deadly jealous.

Author Nancy Holder weaves a wicked tale about the price of popularity, and having the kind of friends some girls would just die for.

As much as I loved the books the covers were a let down and did not capture the spirit of the book but for what its worth I do like the redhead cover better than the hot pink one.

Pretty Little Devils was like Mean Girls meets Scream 4.I had just so much fun reading this book.The characters were the stereotypical high school popular kids but that just made this book awesomer.I loved that this book started as a fluffy read but soon became sinister and spooky.I was soon caught up in a guessing game for the killer and I could not put the book down.I must give a warning that DO NOT READ THE LAST PAGE you shall spoil the entire read.The thing that made the book creepier was the personal blog entries of the killer.The book also pays homage to a lot of the horror movies so all the fans of The Ring, Scream etc should totally read this.The main character is not that lovable but the suspense and mystery is what makes this book an absoflippentutely must read.


Similar Books:

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

A Touch Novel Series by Laurie Faria Stolarz

For everyone wanting to read the typical Gossip Girl-ish girly chick-lit but with Suspense this is the Book. :D

Just get a plateful of Macarons and some Icy drinks and settle in cozy with this book.After all we need some suspense to keep us busy till the next season of PLL!

Yes I have a addiction to these yummy pretty Parisian desserts. But no I aint going to the rehab Just gonna dig in some more of my favorite chocolate flavored ones.

:)

The New Pretty Little Liars Poster!
:D

Its pretty similar to the previous season one with the whole aria shushing at the camera and the girls covered in dirt.However they have switched the black dresses for white ones. And and and I am loving what Spencer is wearing!Atleast what can be seen of it!


Yes I confess she is my favorite little liar.