About Sonia Gensler

Sonia Gensler grew up in a small Tennessee town and spent her early adulthood collecting impractical degrees from various Midwestern universities. A former high school English teacher, she now writes full time in Oklahoma. So far, her husband and cat are putting up with this. The Revenant is her debut novel.

Mr. Mojo Risin’

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Sonia Gensler

I love Noir mysteries, and I’m a big fan of teen Noir like Veronica Mars and Brick, but so far I haven’t found much in the way of Noir mystery in the realm of Young Adult fiction. There are plenty of novels with Noirish elements, but I’ve long been searching for a story set in a gritty urban environment with a teen character acting as detective in a murder investigation.

And now I’ve finally found it!

Today I have a fabulous YA teen Noir recommendation for you–a book praised by Kirkus in a starred review as “dead on” and “flawless fun.” And the best news? This book is 1) set in Oklahoma City, and 2) authored by an Oklahoman whose previous book was a National Book Award finalist (that has since been adapted into a film due to release in August). How exciting!

Tim Tharp’s latest novel, Mojo, is the story of Daryl, a teen blessed with smarts, a great sense of humor, and loyal friends, but who nevertheless is intent on improving his social status by acquiring a bit more “mojo.” After his discovery of a classmate’s dead body brings him a fleeting fame that soon turns sour, Dylan directs his attention to a more noble investigation–finding a beautiful rich girl who has gone missing. This requires interviewing the girl’s wealthy classmates from Hollister, an exclusive private school on the north side of town. To Dylan’s delight, these teens are not at all stuck up; rather, they seem pleased by his investigative efforts. Not only do they freely offer him information, but they also allow him access to their social scene. Dylan’s friend Audrey is skeptical, but Dylan can’t help enjoying this new sense of inclusion and coolness.

Is it all too good to be true?

Like all good Noir stories, Mojo twists and turns, taking the reader to unexpected places. This cleverly plotted mystery is told in an authentic and accessible way that will appeal to readers of all ages, including reluctant readers. Learn more about Mojo and Tim Tharp’s other novels at his webpage: timtharp.wordpress.com.

Haunting Mysteries

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Sonia Gensler

My reviews usually focus on Kidlit novels, but from time to time it’s fun to recommend a book intended for adults. Especially if it’s a historical mystery . . . and particularly if there are ghosts involved. If you’re in the mood for a spooky, sexy mysterry with a sleuthy heroine, I say you can’t go wrong with the novels of Simone St. James.

In The Haunting of Maddy Clare (2012), we find Sarah Piper in post-Great War London, barely eeking out a living as a temporary clerical worker. When faced with an unusual request from a male client for a specifically female assistant, she really has no choice but to meet with him. As it turns out, Alistair Gellis is a handsome, wealthy, and seemingly harmless individual. However, he also is a ghost hunter, and he needs a female assistant because the particular spirit he is tracking turns violent around men. Sarah, weary of her lonely, impoverished life, agrees to help. Though the set up is a bit reminiscent of Henry James’ Turn of the Screw — handsome aristocrat makes an offer the lady cannot refuse, and the lady’s choice thrusts her into a terrifying mystery — this Gothic tale is much more a romantic mystery than a study in psychological horror. Equal parts steamy and spooky, The Haunting of Maddy Clare will keep you reading long into the night.

Imagine if a pre-Peter Wimsey Harriet Vane, still a student at Oxford, had encountered a haunted village. If this notion strikes your fancy, you might like
Jillian Leigh, the heroine of An Inquiry Into Love and Death (2013). A dedicated student at Oxford’s Somerville College (alma mater of Wimsey author Dorothy L. Sayers), Jillian is pulled out of her sequestered studies by news that her uncle has died suddenly. Apparently she is the only one available to officially identify the body and to pack up his belongings. Jillian plans to finish these tasks as quickly as possible, but the seaside town of Rothewell appears to have other ideas. First, there’s Uncle Toby’s house, which seems to be haunted within and without. Then there’s handsome Scotland Yard inspector Drew Merriken, who claims to be investigating Toby’s death. Ultimately, however, it’s a very personal revelation that keeps Jillian in Rothewell, despite the violent ghosts and menacing residents. Another page turner, An Inquiry into Love and Death will keep you glued to the page as Jillian fights to uncover the true source of terror in Rothewell.

Look for Simone St. James’ next book, Silence for the Dead, in April of 2014.

It’s tough getting Out of the Easy

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Sonia Gensler

Out of the Easy opens In the spring of 1950 with seventeen-year-old Josie Morraine dreaming of an escape from the sin and filth of New Orleans to attend Smith College in Massachusetts. She has the brains and ambition, but it’s becoming increasingly clear to her that these qualities aren’t enough. You see, the deck is stacked against young Josie. She cleans rooms for a New Orleans madam, her mother is a foolish and thieving prostitute, and the recent murder of a Memphis businessman draws a cloud of police suspicion and mob interference that threatens to tie Josie to the city forever.

Things aren’t all bad. Josie also works at a bookstore with her friend Patrick, whose father rents her a room above the store so she doesn’t have to live at the brothel. She has steady, loyal friends who look after her and who want her to succeed. Even Willie, the Conti Street madam, has Josie’s safety and education in mind. But Josie knows if she is ever to realize her dreams, she must completely sever ties with New Orleans. This means losing the only friends–the only family–she’s ever known.

The harder she pulls away, however, the more the city tightens its grip.

As with the internationally best-selling Between Shades of Gray (which I reviewed in 2011), Ruta Sepetys has created a strong-willed and captivating heroine who must make sacrifices and endure painful losses in order to thrive. The French Quarter setting certainly contrasts with the cold and forbidding labor camps of her previous book, but the danger is still palpable and the tension will keep you glued to the action until the very last page.

For a fascinating look at the story behind the novel check out this lovely video, in which Ruta discusses her inspirations and research.

In the meantime, enjoy the teaser trailer:

My latest author crush

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Sonia Gensler

I recently read Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz, and I knew at once it was going to be one of my favorite reads of 2012. (It probably ranks among the top two, actually, along with the previously reviewed Code Name Verity.) Are you a fan of Gothic mystery? If so, you’ll love this. Fond of Dickens’ tales of orphans struggling to survive in dirty, dangerous London? If the answer is yes, you simply must read this. Perhaps you like stories about magicians and sorceresses and inanimate objects that come to life? If so, READ THIS BOOK.

Awarded multiple starred reviews and a place on the New York Times 2012 list of notable children’s books, this novel wil beguile you with its complex, endearing characters and unusual conflicts. Furthermore, the two main settings for the action (London and the Lakes District) are so deftly portrayed that you’ll experience the book as if living it (or, the very least, watching a film version of it). To me, it’s the perfect book to read over the holiday seeason, not just because the story takes place over Christmas. Splendors and Glooms is a tale of resilience, enduring love, and redemption. I simply adore it!

Schlitz has written other wonderful books for you and your children to enjoy:

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair (10 and up), in which a very naughty girl is plucked from an orphan asylum and adopted by two elderly sisters to work in their shady family business. The Wall Street Journal said “People throw the word classic about rather a lot, but A Drowned Maiden’s Hair genuinely deserves to become one.” (This book inspired a character in my upcoming novel, The Dark Between!)

The Night Fairy (7 and up) A beautifully illustrated book about a fairy who must negotiate a dangerous world after losing her wings. This sweet and suspenseful tale entertains while it teaches (in a non-preachy way) about independence and empathy. Booklist raves: “A far cry from the conventionally sweet, whimsical stories about diminutive fairies, this tale begins with violence and ends with redemption. In between is an imaginative adventure story in a familiar, yet exotic landscape.”

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Winner of the 2008 Newbery Award, this unique picture book is reminsicent of Canterbury Tales, only a little more accessible to the 10 and up crowd. Kirkus deemed it “brilliant in every way” and The Bulletin called it ”a vivid, convincing portrait of medieval adolescence.”

All of Schlitz’s novels are as relevant and readable for adults as for children. Treat yourself today!

For love of Emily D.

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Sonia Gensler

I am an Emily Dickinson fangirl. I’ve been to her house. I’ve stood awestruck by her grave (with really bad hair, sadly). I’ve stayed up late reading amazing biographies of her. I even have a finger puppet fashioned in her likeness guarding my computer.

I came late to this obsession. It wasn’t until graduate school–until I taught her poems–that I learned to appreciate her signature ambiguity. What at first seemed maddening and obscure became ingeniously universal. Even when my students claimed to hate her poems, they still recognized themselves in her examinations of faith, autonomy, passion, and depression.

But I digress from the point of this post. Today I’m recommending Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things, in part because its protagonist feels the same way about Emily Dickinson as I do:

At the Jones Library in Amherst, there’s a collection of Emily Dickinson’s letters. This week I have spent hours staring at her handwriting. I know it’s idolatry that it does not matter what the words say, just that Emily Dickinson’s pen made these shapes, that Emily Dickinson’s hand folded this paper, that when I walk by her letter, I feel its light.

Claire, an eighteen-year-old repeating her senior year, is grieving two profound losses. Though she seems paralyzed in every other aspect of her life, her study of Emily Dickinson prompts a prolonged burst of creativity. Writing her own poetry becomes an outlet for repressed emotions, but it also draws negative attention from her English teacher’s student observer, Tate, who thinks Claire may be suicidal. Claire rebuffs his offers of help and burrows deeper into her fascination with Emily Dickinson, going so far as to break into the Dickinson museum after hours, to boldly try on the poet’s famous white dress . . . and to run away from the museum wearing that dress when the alarm sounds. Is it fortunate or creepy that Tate is there to rescue her?

Thus begins a journey in which Claire must learn how to trust, forgive, and somehow move forward, for at the heart of this story is a mystery only she can solve. Emily’s Dress isn’t light or easy, but author Kathryn Burak’s sensitive, lyrical prose (and poetry) make this book a joy to read. There is darkness to contend with, but readers will also be lifted by Claire’s wit and humor as she negotiates new friendships and the possibility of romance.

Any other Dickinson fans out there? Any Dickinson-related books to recommend?