Happy Holidays from my family to yours.

Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows is not your average London teenager. For one thing, he's pale as milk, from his skin to the hair on his head. For another, he's a friendless soul, who prefers tunneling under the earth to hanging out "Topsoil." His family life doesn't exactly scream normal, either. His father spends his days manning a dusty museum, filling it with items from his unofficial archaeological digs. In his free time, the eccentric tunneler hides out in his home's cellar, a place where the rest of the family is not allowed to come. Will's mom gets through the day by zoning out on tv, ignoring her family obligations in favor of sitcoms and police procedurals. His sister keeps the house running with obsessive precision, offering the slovenly Will little affection. No, Will is definitely not your average Joe.

In Tunnels, the first book in a new series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams, we find Will performing his own clandestine tunneling. He's got a sidekick, a misfit named Chester, who is also his only friend. The two boys spend their time digging under the city, hoping to find pieces of London's past. It's a (relatively) harmless diversion, until the boys stumble upon something they can't explain. Before they know it, Will's dad is missing, they are being chased by strange, sinister creatures, and the only answers seem to lie far, far under the earth. Will knows his father was working on something big before he vanished, but he also knows the police will never believe his crazy theories - it's plain to see that Will is the only one who can find his father.

Will and Chester set out on the biggest adventure of their lives. Descending into the labryinth of tunnels beneath London, they discover a whole other world, a land where humans live, work and breathe - under the city. Most of the underground dwellers don't take kindly to "Topsoilers," so Will's search for his father leads him into trouble of all sorts. He finds himself racing through tunnels trying to outrun the dreaded Styx; being mauled by bloodthirsty animals; having his mind pilfered; and much, much more. As dangerous as it is, Will can't shake his fascination for the underground world - there's something so familiar about it all. Far beneath the city, Will's search for his father will lead to answers about his own identity.

Tunnels, which starts out a little slow, picks up once the boys are underground. By the middle of the book, you'll have trouble setting the story aside. It still drags in places, but overall, it's an action-packed adventure that will keep you turning pages. The novel suffers from clunky writing - an over-reliance on adverbs plus some flow issues kept me from really sinking into the story. My biggest beef with Tunnels, however, is all the questions it leaves unanswered. I realize the authors had sequels on the brain, but I still think the story needs enough resolution to leave the reader satisfied. The debut book in a series also must leave the reader thirsty for more, and this one just ... didn't. Although I'm curious about what will happen to Will, I doubt I'll pick up the next book. I love the premise of the series, but its execution leaves a lot to be desired.

The authors have a cool website dedicated to the series - check it out here.

Grade: C

(Book image from Barnes & Noble)

I've been trying to update this blog, but my computer keeps crapping out on me. It waits until I'm right in the middle of doing something super important (like checking my Facebook), then announces that "The monitor is going to sleep" and shuts itself down. My resident computer expert says he gives up - anybody know what's wrong with it? I shouldn't complain - after all, we have 4 (yes, 4) computers in this house - but my computer is perfect. Boo hoo. If I can't bribe my friend into fixing it, I might have to convince Santa to buy me a new computer for Christmas.
In the meantime, I'm forging on with my attempts to update this blog. No, I don't have a review to share (I will next week - never fear), but I do have some fun stuff to chat about ...
(1) First off, I thought you might like a peek at the little someone who has been comandeering my life (and my heart) lately. This isn't a fabulous picture of her (her eyes are closed) or of me (I had been on a plane all day), but I still love it. If my computer ever boots up again, I will try to post more pictures of her :)

(2) Even though I've never read Elle Magazine in my life, I picked up a copy today. Guess whose name appears - not once, but twice - on Page 75? Oh yeah, that would be mine. Even though Elle is a fashion/beauty magazine, it has a pretty decent book section - at least in the January 2009 issue. Check it out. I'll be signing autographs all weekend. Ha, ha.
(3) I've gotten some fun emails lately about Christmas goings-on in the online book community:
- If you're searching for the perfect book to give/get this holiday, check out Bookreporter.com. Not only are they counting down the reasons to gift books this year, but they also have a nifty What to Give/What to Get guide. While you're there, enter to win a basket of books.
- Speaking of Bookreporter, I just got an email from Joshua Henkin, author of Matrimony, talking about the new gig he has going on - every month, he will be posting about his discussions with book groups. I just got Josh's book in the mail, and I am so excited to read it. I tried so many times to win it from other bloggers, so I was thrilled when he offered me my own copy. If you would like your very own copy, stay tuned - I will be holding a Matrimony giveaway in February.
- Also stay tuned for my review of Taken By Storm by Angela Morrison. Angela is the sister of a friend of mine, so I was hoping and praying that her book didn't suck. It's hard to write scathing reviews when you sorta know the author. Luckily, the book was really good. The story involves an LDS teenager who's trying hard to live the way her church dictates - no drinking, no smoking, no pre-marital sex, etc. When she and the hunky new kid hit it off, she suddenly finds herself wanting to give into temptation. This is not your mother's LDS fiction (I'm not even sure it's considered LDS fiction since it's being published by a national publisher) - it's realistic, edgy, and engrossing. This one will appeal to all those kids - Mormon and non - who are trying to be "good" despite all the pressure they face on a daily basis. Taken By Storm won't be available until March, but you can check out Angela's website now. Angela's really interesting, so keep your eyes open for my interview with her as well as my review of her novel.
- I just got my first catalog from Bas Bleu. They have lots of fun bookish gifts - I'm especially coveting this. I also noticed that they pay $25 for book reviews. Interesting.
(4) To those who won books in my last giveaway: I will do my best to get your books in the mail before Christmas, but considering the huge lines at the post office and my attempts to keep the baby away from crowds and germs, that may not be possible. So, thank you in advance for your patience!
(5) Okay, I can't remember anything else. I hope you are all enjoying the pre-Christmas frenzy. I escaped Mommy duties last night and headed to the mall for some shopping. The place was packed, but guess which store had the longest lines? Borders. Great news - looks like lots of readers will be getting just what they want for Christmas!
I've got a baby who's rooting around for her bottle - I better get Her Highness some refreshment. Happy reading, everyone!

So, it's 2 a.m., the baby's asleep and I'm wide awake! Since I didn't get a chance to choose any giveaway winners yesterday, I plugged the info into http://www.random.org/, and voila!




These two ladies won a copy of The Reincarnationist: Linda and Caseykelp

These two ladies won a copy of The Memorist: LazyDaisy0413 and acrisalves

Congratulations to the winners. If you will send me your snail mail addresses (blogginboutbooks[at]gmail[dot]com), I will get your books out to you ASAP.

Thanks to all who entered this contest. I had a blast reading your fun and creative answers to the question about past lives. Thanks also to M.J. Rose for her generosity.