Severed Ties (Volume 1)

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kevin krohn, severed ties

Book: Severed Ties (Volume I) by Kevin Krohn

Publisher: Spiralbound Publishing

Furnished by: The author himself!

Publisher’s Description: “Severed Ties tells the story of Nyne Harper, a college freshman living with her widowed father. At the tender age of two, she lost her mother tragically in a house fire, believed to have been retaliation against her father for blowing the whistle on a large corporate cover-up. The two have been on the run since, trying to piece together some semblance of a normal life while constantly looking over their shoulders. Now an adult, Nyne is ready to quench her thirst for revenge and protect the only family she has left. The question will be, is she prepared for what her life is about to become? A hip, non-stop thrill-ride, Severed Ties is a story of family, friendship, and revenge.”

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Review: Severed Ties is a series by new author Kevin Krohn that follows Nyne Harper; a cute girl who’s just trying to deal with her overprotective dad, boys and college. As if growing up isn’t hard enough on its own, Nyne’s life has a bit of a twist to it: her father, Lesane, is so overprotective because the Harpers are on the run from a dark past that includes murder, mayhem and mystery.

When she was just two years old, Nyne’s mother was murdered in connection with her father’s work at Rytax Pharmecuticals — a corrupt company that will do anything to cover their secrets. From then on, Nyne spent her entire adolescence training to become a stealth killer. And at the age of 20, she decided that it was time to stop running and put her training to the test. The Harpers moved back to their original home in Portland, Oregon to begin a killing spree that would take out an entire family as revenge for what had been done to their own family.

But that’s not the end of the craziness. As Nyne takes out the Stanfield family one by one, things begin to change. Nyne starts to find that her life may not be quite what she thought it was. That, perhaps, these murders aren’t justified; that an eye for an eye doesn’t always make things equal; that maybe the word “family” could have a completely different meaning to her. Her dark past becomes even darker, and suddenly Nyne isn’t sure who she is anymore — or if she’ll ever get the chance to find out.

Severed Ties is a thrill ride for sure, and I’m ecstatic that it’s a series so that we’ll be able get to know Nyne better in the future. She’s a fantastic character — and honestly, even though my life is quite different than hers, I was able to connect. I love that Krohn lets her attempt to live a normal life filled with mundane college lectures and cute, nerdy boys that provide first dates and first kisses. Somehow, to me, it makes all her mood swings and reactions to killing make a little more sense.

Ready to read it? As always, you can click the link at the top of the page to pick it up from Amazon.com. However, if you’re like me and your wallet is a little empty these days, keep checking back to Literophilia: we’ll soon be hosting a giveaway of Volume I!

Volume 2 of the series will be released on June 30th. Until then, you can visit Kevin’s MySpace for more details.

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Chloe Parker’s Top 5

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1984, alice's adventures in wonderland, books, c.s. lewis, chuck palahniuk, douglas adams, george orwell, high fidelity, invisible monsters, lewis carroll, nick hornby, rob gordon, stephen king, the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, the lion the witch and the wardrobe, the shining, the ultimate hitchhikers guide, through the looking-glass and what alice found there, top 5

I read a lot of publishers’ newsletters, and I notice that a certain question pops up quite often during author interviews: “What is your favorite book?”

I’ve never much been one to play favorites with anyone or anything — my tastes are pretty varied, so it’s hard for me to just pick one thing and have it represent everything I like. But recently, it struck me: As a loud and proud Literophiliac, shouldn’t I have some sort of favorites list when it comes to books?

I sat down and really thought about it, and I decided to take a cue from one of Nick Hornby‘s more well-known characters, Rob Gordon. So here we are: my desert island, all-time top 5 favorite books. For now. 😉

The Man’s Book: The Essential Guide for the Modern Man

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the essential guide for the modern man, the man's book, thomas fink

Book: The Man’s Book: The Essential Guide for the Modern Man by Thomas Fink

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Furnished by: ARC from Hachette Book Group

On Sale Date: May 6, 2009

Publisher’s Description: “Being modern and manly in today’s world isn’t always easy.

Do you know how to tie a bow-tie, mix a martini, or make a potato gun?

Do you know when to get married and how to break up, or the difference between a bock beer and a bitter?

Do you know which urinal to choose or how to start a fire with a Coke can?

The answers to every man’s burning questions are within these pages, from the morning wet shave to the whiskey night-cap, from hunting deer with a .30-06 to wooing women like 007. At a time when the sexes are muddled and masculinity is marginalized, The Man’s Book unabashedly celebrates maleness. Organized by subject in a man-logical way, it’s the go-to guide for anyone with a Y chromosome.”

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Review: So I admit, I originally picked up this book on a lark — the publisher’s description makes the book sound like it’s filled with pick-up lines, bar jokes and how to burp the alphabet. I was intrigued at this rare look into the male psyche and figured that, if nothing else, it’d be amusing.

What the publisher’s description doesn’t tell you is that Thomas Fink, the author of The Man’s Book, is a theoretical physicist at the Curie Institute/CNRS and the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences, and he wrote this book in his spare time (although, amusingly enough, Fink took his own author photo to be displayed on the back of the book, and it’s a total MySpace picture… and it looks like it was taken in an airplane bathroom mirror). Check out the author’s website and you’ll get an idea of the tone and style of Fink’s writing.

Instead of cheesy pick-up lines, I found an entire 13-page chapter devoted to women, including sections on to chivalry (apparently it’s not dead), first date etiquette and marriage. Instead of bar jokes, I found a very sophisticated section on drinking that explained nearly every type of wine, beer, spirit or liqueur and its application with or without food. And instead of teaching the reader how to burp the alphabet, Fink has included an entire section on urinal etiquette and, to make sure the rules hit home, a 67-question quiz on where to stand at the urinal to ensure optimal privacy.

Some of my favorite sections include: “Underwear,” where the eternal question of boxers versus briefs is looked at scientifically to find out whom the ultimate victor shall be; a section explaining how to properly brew coffee, which includes a chart showing the caffeine content of popular beverages (did you know that Coca-Cola has the least caffeine content of the major pop brands, including its no-calorie counterpart, Diet Coke?); a page full of men’s superlatives (including Best Advice: “Never apologize,” and Best Beer: Westvleteren 12); and even a list of the 50 most essential books for men.

Overall, this book was just really cool. I learned a lot — not necessarily about men, but just random little facts. And I love learning random things. What really struck me about the book, though, was how sincere and sound most of the advice was. It kind of struck me as a book you’d give to a young man who is just coming of age and will need to know these things growing up (Bar Mitzvah gift, anyone?), or to a boy who’s going to college. But really, it’s just a fun book for any man (or woman) to read. Maybe you’ll pick up some new trivia to show off next time you’re at the bar, who knows?

Those visiting Literophilia from another country may be wondering why I’m writing about this book now, since it isn’t new. But it’s new to us Yankees! Expanded, revised and retypeset, this is the first time that The Man’s Book will be available in America. According to the author himself, “New features include 16 more sections, 35 more figures and numerically indexed sections and subsections.”

ARC Roundup – 5.11.09

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brandon sanderson, burnt shadows, christopher reich, daniel levin, erica eisdorfer, free books, kamila shamsie, naseem rakha, rules of vengeance, shannon hale, the actor and the housewife, the crying tree, the last ember, the wet nurse's tale, twitter, warbreaker

Welcome to another ARC Roundup! It’s a little late this time, but there are a ton of books available, so it all balances out. For those unfamiliar with our weekly roundup, an “ARC” (sometimes known as an ARE) is an Advanced Reading Copy (or Edition, respectively). What does this all mean to you? FREE BOOKS! Read on to find out what’s available straight from the publisher this week.

And don’t forget to check out Literophilia’s Picks — they’re highlighted in hot pink so you can’t possibly miss them.