ORPHAN BLACK returns! A reading list for CLONIACS

Since discovering ORPHAN BLACK during a holiday TV-watching binge with my awesome 19yo, I have been breathlessly awaiting the second season and folks, we are ALMOST THERE. Why am I posting about it TODAY? Because, folks, today I am sharing my CLONE-THEMED reading list.

In addition to being masterfully acted by Tatiana Maslany, ORPHAN BLACK is a fascinating exploration of the nature of identity, personality, individuality and the boundaries of scientific intervention into the lives of homo sapiens. The show makes me FEEL & THINK and that's pretty much the whole deal.

Here are a few books to read alongside your journey with the many faces of Sarah/Alison/Cosima...

EXPIRATION DAY - This fantastic futuristic debut by William Campbell Powell takes readers on a journey with Tania Dealy who, like Sarah Manning, begins by thinking she is an ordinary human girl. More about technological cloning than genetic cloning, nonetheless this is a terrific read. (Tor Teen, April 2014)

THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION - Nancy Farmer's award-winning 2002 novel is a modern-day classic. Here's the start of the Amazon description: "Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested." Need I say more?

THE DIFFERENT GIRL by Gordon Dahlquist (Dutton, 2013) is a fascinating meditation on how human thoughts are born. The narrator is a robot who seems to have made a cognitive leap past her identical sisters.

ORIGIN by Jessica Khoury (Razorbill, 2012) is a techno-romance set in a lush Amazonian garden. Here's high praise from National Book Award-winner Judy Blundell: "Is this science fiction? It feels too scarily real. This spellbinding tale of the horrors of genetic engineering gone mad is both thriller and love story, breathlessly paced and beautifully told."

NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005), which inspired a very good film by the same name starring Kiera Knightly, Carrie Mulligan and Andrew Garfield, is a haunting fictional memoir narrated by Kathy H., who accepts her lot as "carer" and ultimately "donor." As the reader discovers the true meaning of these words, the story grows in potency, complexity and tragedy.

Bookanistas: THE FIFTH WAVE by Rick Yancey

Plot without spoilers...An alien invasion threatens to destroy humankind--and the humanity within those who remain alive. Can Cassie survive? And, if she does, who or what will be left of the girl she used to be before the coming of the Fifth Wave?

Of literary interest...Kudos to the book design team who created a look for the novel that matches its edgy structure. Beyond appreciating Cassie's impeccably-crafted apocalyptic world, and the thrill-a-minute plot that keeps you wondering who the good guys are right up to the final pages, readers will appreciate Yancey's deep, rich exploration of the meanings of words like "self," "other," "trust," and "hope."

Finally, just gotta say...I would never have picked up this arc if it had not been recommended to me by a very smart publishing biz gal. It's a big book (both long, page-wise, and highly promoted, marketing-budget wise). And the jealous-resentful-mid-list writer in me was initially resistant to spending hours reading these particular pages. But I am beyond glad that I did so because this novel is, simply, empirically and literarily a terrific read. Rick Yancey deserves the hype. So, uh, thanks Colleen!

Want more Bookanista book love this Thursday?

Christine Fonseca  marvels at MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza – with giveaway!
Corrine Jackson is blown away by BRUISED by Sarah Skilton
Elana Johson  buzzes about STUNG by Bethany Wiggins
Jessica Love raves about THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING by Ashley Elton
Shannon Messenger  shares an exclusive excerpt from INSOMNIA
Tracy Banghart  swoons for THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson
Lenore Appelhans celebrates 17 AND GONE by Nova Ren Suma

And Thursday is not just Bookanista day but, all year, it's VerseDay (details at http://versenovels.com/).  This week's host is ONE A DAY YA. Click on over for reviews of ORCHARDS by Holly Thompson, MAY B. by Caroline Starr Rose, and DISPLACEMENT by Thalia Chaltas.