Author Guest Post: Mike Mullin & A Giveaway - Ashfall Blog Tour

Please welcome Mike Mullin, author of Ashfall, to the blog today!

Top 10 Recent Books that Should Be Read More Than They Are

I love the hit books and the hit series as much as anyone: Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Graceling, and Gone, for example. I’m also a fan of new entrants Across the Universe and Divergent. But lots of people discuss these—what I want to do is mention ten recent books that deserve more hype than they get. If you’d like to see everything I’m reading or just talk books, become my friend on Goodreads. So here, in no particular order, is my list:

Epitaph Road by David Patneuade

A plague wiped out 97% of men in 2077. Thirty years later, Kellen struggles with being an overprotected and over-controlled teenager in a world dominated by women. When he overhears a conversation between his mother and her ice-queen boss, the thrill ride begins. Notable for the poetry and humor in the epitaphs that lead every chapter, as well as for the story. I’ve reread the book once and the epitaphs three or four times.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork

Marcelo is the perfect counterpoint to the flashy action heroes cluttering our movie screens and bookshelves. (Yes, I’m guilty as charged with Alex and ASHFALL.) As a teenager with Asperger’s, he struggles to find his place in the world. Along the way, he’ll be forced to choose: Is it more important to be loyal to family or to do the right thing?

Memento Nora by Angie Smibert

A chillingly plausible dystopian novel that explores the connection between fear and consumerism. I loved the ending—it left me some space for my own interpretation of what just happened and what's coming next.

Nothing by Janne Teller

I don’t even like this book. It’s populated by vicious, unsympathetic teens. But it belongs on this list both because I can’t stop thinking about it and for its fearless writing. Every time I thought: Teller isn’t really going to go there—she did. Buy two copies. Burn one and keep the ashes in a matchbox on your desk. You’ll want the second copy to reread. It’ll make sense after you’ve read the book.

The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner

A heady mix of Steinbeck, Yoda, love, death, teenage romance, grief, bizarre diseases, and pitch-perfect teenage romance. Go. Read it now. Thank me later.

The River Between Us by Richard Peck

A novel like a matryoshka doll, as you open each layer, a new and progressively more beautiful surprise awaits within. Peck deals with racial issues and the horrors of The Civil War with nuance, grace, and sophistication. The River Between Us belongs on a shelf with Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird—it’s that good.

Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

Take one part badass heroine from The Graceling, one part alternate reality from War for the Oaks. Spice liberally with Spanish culture. Shake thoroughly and enjoy well-chilled.

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

I love the language in this book. You could open it anywhere and know you’re reading a Victorian story. Let’s try it, shall we? “Perfecting ourselves, Zora and I pretended to check our clutches at the good doctor’s door….” Also has a mystery, forbidden romance, and paranormal twist for those of you who aren’t as geeky about language as I am.

XVI by Julia Karr

Karr envisions a future in which the sexualization of childhood and ubiquity of advertising have reached their nadir. Nina Oberon struggles to define herself in this dystopic society while unraveling a family mystery about her absent father.

You by Charles Benoit

Benoit slices high school open and lays its steaming, stinking entrails on a stainless steel table, ready for the reader's autopsy. It’s also amazing in that it begins and ends with the same few paragraphs of text, but in between, Benoit manages to completely change what the words mean to the reader.

Ashfall releases October 11th!

Giveaway Details:

4 copies of Ashfall are up for grabs over the course of the Ashfall Blog Tour. There is also 1 copy available for international readers. Please verify The Book Depository ships to your country. To improve your chances of winning leave comments on all the Ashfall Blog Tour stops!

Please leave a way to contact (Twitter, email, etc.) you to enter

In your comment mention if you are in the U.S/Canada or international