Monthly Archives: May 2011
Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Perfect Beach Reads
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish featuring a new top ten list each week. Everyone can participate- head on over to their blog and sign up.
This week’s topic is Top 10 perfect beach reads. What I look for in a beach book is a gripping read with a great story. A book I can get lost in and finish before the sun goes down. It doesn’t matter if it’s a contemporary romance, thriller, or paranormal – as long as it has a compelling story that keeps me turning the pages.
These are the titles I am planning to read over the summer:
1. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (available now) – A funny and feminist satire about beauty pageant contestants on a “lost” type island.
2. Wildefire by Karsten Knight (July 26) – A paranormal with a twist and a strong heroine.
3. Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson (June 14) – A psychological “Memento” type thriller.
4. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (June 7) by Ransom Riggs – A unique fantasy that incorporates vintage photographs to tell the story.
5. Moonglass by Jessi Kirbi (available now) – A contemporary read with an actual beach setting.
6. Hourglass by Myra McEntire (June 14) – This is getting some good early buzz. Sounds like a compelling paranormal debut with romance and surprises.
7. Love Story by Jennifer Echols (July 19) – A contemporary romance that uses a class creative writing project to mirror two students feelings for each other.
8. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini (available now) – Another twist on mythology that incorporates romance and action.
9. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (available now) – This one has been out for awhile and is loved by many. Time for me to dive in. If I get a chance I want to read The Piper’s Son by this author as well.
10. Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz (June 21) – Love and witchcraft collide in this author’s Adult debut.
There are also a handful of series books I’m looking forward to reading this summer:
Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles (Aug. 16), Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer (July 26), Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (July 12), Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter (June 21), and Supernaturally by Kiersten White (July 26).
Past favorites that would also make perfect beach reads are:
The Summer series trilogy by Jenny Han, Sea by Heidi R. Kling, Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, Audrey Wait by Robin Benway, Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, and the Glass trilogy by Maria V. Snyder.
If you are a fan of audiobooks, be sure to bookmark Audiobook Sync to download free audiobooks of Young Adult and summer classic titles this summer (June 23- August 17). The first titles available will be Shiver and Romeo and Juliet.
What do you look for in a summer read? What are your top beach reads?
In My Mailbox (19) – week ending May 28
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and she was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. It is a way to feature the books you purchased, borrowed or received for review each week.
This week I received:
For Review:
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray – This one looks hilarious! A plane of beauty pageant contestants crashes on a Lost-type island.
E-books for Review:
Netgalley:
Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff – Looking forward to reading this. It seems to be about a kid on the run who falls in love.
Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz – I’m curious to read this YA paranormal romance that is about love and reincarnation.
From the Library:
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys – I have been wanting to read this for months, and finally my hold came in at the library. It is a historical fiction about a fifteen year old Lithuanian girl trying to survive the Russian holocaust. Looks to be a heartbreaking read.
What did you get in your mailbox this week? Happy reading!
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Book: Blood Red Road (Dustlands #1) by Moira Young
Published by: Margaret K McElderry, June 6 2011
Genre: Young Adult Dystopia
Format/pages: Hardcover 512 pages
Format read/Source: eGalley via Simon & Schuster
Date read: May 26 2011
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Blood Red Road is Moira Young’s debut and is the first book in the Dustlands series trilogy. This book has been getting a lot of buzz and in fact Ridley Scott recently picked up the movie rights. I found the story to be gripping and fast paced, and one of the best of the new crop of post-apocalyptic books.
18-year-old Saba grew up on a desolate, sandstorm plagued, dusty land known as Silverlake with her twin brother Lugh, younger sister Emmi and their father. One day, a huge sandstorm hits, and four horsemen arrive and kidnap her brother. As twins, Lugh and Saba have close ties and her brother means everything to her. Saba vows to rescue Lugh and sets off immediately on her dangerous mission. She does not have many clues to go on, and leaves with only her red-hot intense drive to find her brother.
Saba is out in the wilds on her own for the first time and faces treacherous conditions and predators on her journey. She finds herself literally fighting for her life, similar to Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. Saba begins her quest with the single minded goal of finding her brother, but along the way gets caught up in a scheme with the band of rebel girls the Free Hawks to take control of an out of control society. She also meets up with handsome adventurer Jack, and tries to fight her intense feelings for him so she can stay focused on her mission.
Blood Red Road has a unique voice that sets it apart from other dystopian works. The first thing you’ll notice when you start reading is the first person narrative style used for the main character Saba. The written dialogue lacks quotation marks, and the words are spelled phonetically. This story telling device helps set the tone of the book and brings Saba’s voice alive. It does take a bit of getting used to, but after the initial distraction I grew to appreciate this stylistic choice.
As the protagonist, Saba is strong and fierce and riveting to follow. Her story is compelling because she is so focused on her goal to find her brother. She finds, though, that she is resourceful even without her brother and that others look to her as a leader. She is tough and can appear to be heartless at times, especially with regards to her treatment of her younger sister Emmi. Saba does show growth in this coming of age story and it’s gratifying to see the walls start to come down.
The pace of the book moved quicker for me in the second half. That’s when Saba starts to interact and build relationships with other characters. The supporting characters in this book are so colorful and inject a burst of energy in the story. The romantic interest Jack is charismatic and contrasts nicely with Saba. Emmy the younger sister is sweet, yet tough for her age. The Free Hawks are resourceful and help tell the revolution side of the story. Jack’s friend Ike is another like-able character and he and young Tommo round out the group nicely. There are some creepy villains as well of course to keep the tension level high.
The book has some fantasy elements in the story that remind me of the works of Maria V. Snyder and Kristin Cashore. There is a whiff of magical mystery surrounding Saba. For example, Saba has a pet crow named Nero that is very clever and human-like in his behavior. Saba also has a mysterious heart stone necklace that has a special gift. There are other unexplained magical instances in the story that perhaps will be addressed in the next book.
Blood Red Road has a fast pace, with plenty of action and a healthy dose of violence. The story has a unique voice, compelling story and characters that should appeal to fans of dystopian books such as The Hunger Games or Divergent. It is a great beginning to the trilogy, and I’m anxiously awaiting the next book.
Edited to add: The sequel has a title! Rebel Heart publishes Summer 2012.
Armchair BEA: Nurturing Book Blogging Relationships
Armchair BEA is a site for book bloggers to participate in a Virtual book convention, while Book Expo America is happening in New York. Today, book bloggers are posting about nurturing relationships.
My book blog is about nine months old now, and I have greatly enjoyed building relationships in the blogging community. I do have friends and family members that like to read, but the majority of the people I talk to about books are online.
As a new book blogger, I have found these sources invaluable, in no particular order:
1. Goodreads – One of the sites that inspires me the most in terms of book recommendations and passionate book reviews is Goodreads. This was the first book site I joined and where I found a sense of community in the book world. I participated in book clubs, writing my first reviews, and started keeping track of my reading progress for the first time. If not for Goodreads, I would not have started my own book blog. When I’m interested in a new book, I check here first to read my friend reviews first to see if the book would be a good match for me.
2. Book Bloggers – I love to discover new books on book blogs, or read a thought provoking discussion post, or top ten lists. The book blogging community is so generous with their time and quick to give advice to new book bloggers. I’m discovering new blogs everyday and love to read and comment on reviews. I used to be a blog lurker but now I try to visit and comment on at least 5 blogs a day. I listed my favorite blogs on my blog roll, but I find new great blogs everyday.
3. NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Galley Grab – New bloggers or international bloggers may have a hard time accessing review copies to cover on their blog. NetGalley and Galley Grab are two great online sources for digital ARC’s. NetGalley has fabulous customer service available on Twitter and NetGalley books can be read on a variety of e-readers.
4. Twitter – Twitter is my go to place for news about new books, authors, blog posts, contests, and more. Such a great site for bloggers to connect, ask questions, and share information in general. It’s fun to follow favorite authors and hear about their new books.
5. Comic-Con and other conventions – There are many amazing bookish conventions every year, and the one that I attend annually is San Diego Comic-Con. In the past three years I have gone to panels for my favorite TV shows and to learn about new movies. Last year I discovered that it is also a great place to meet authors and publishers. Last years author attendees were: Rachel Caine, Charlaine Harris, Richelle Mead, Heather Brewer, Rick Riordan, Scott Westerfeld, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl and more. Comic Con is a great place to meet up with other readers to talk books, meet authors, and get books signed. I can’t wait to find out who will be attending this year. Definitely try to attend a convention when you get the chance.
6. Libraries – Your local library is a fantastic resource for books that I use all the time. I wish I could afford to buy all my books, but luckily I have the library to keep me well stocked. I love to see bloggers review older books that I can pick up at the library. This is also a great place to join a book club, or attend author events. My local library recently had a YA author event for a signing and a Jeopardy style game where you play and show your knowledge of YA fiction. See what your library has in store this summer.
7. LibraryThing – I joined LibraryThing this year and have enjoyed finding my way around there to see what they have to offer. One program that is great for bloggers is their Early Reviewers program where you can sign up to received ARC’s monthly.
8. Publishers – I know many bloggers have established partnerships with publishers that help get the right book in the hands of right blogger. One of the publishers I’ve had the pleasure of working with is Harper. This publisher is so easy to work with and makes appropriate book suggestions based on the audience of your blog.
9. Authors – Authors have such an online presence now and are so approachable through blogs, twitter, facebook pages, and more. They definitely partner with bloggers by participating in author interviews, giveaways, guest blogs and more, and some may contact you directly to request a review.
These are some of my favorite resources. What are some of your favorites? Feel free to leave a link so I can visit your blog.
Armchair BEA: Best Books of 2011 – Early Favorites
Today’s topic for those participating in Armchair BEA is: Best Books of the year (so far) and most anticipated titles for the rest of the year. Let’s get started!
Best Books of 2011: Early Favorites:
1. Chime by Franny Billingsley – Lovely, inventive and original. Chime is a stand-out with strong characters and a magical story. Loved it!
2. The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder - A strong, contemporary story told in verse that’s full of heart and emotion.
3. Delirium by Lauren Oliver – Heart-wrenching and beautifully written. A love story set in a dystopian society where love is forbidden.
4. Divergent by Veronica Roth – One of my favorite dystopian books since The Hunger Games. Filled with heart-stopping action – I couldn’t put it down.
5. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab – The Near Witch is deliciously eerie and captivating, with a suspenseful fairytale quality.
6. Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal – Well-written and compelling coming of age book set in 1980s New York.
7. Strings Attached by Judy Blundell – Beautifully told 1950 era New York coming of age book about a struggling dancer who gets caught up with the mob.
8. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand – Recommended for those weary of Angel-centered books. This is the best of the bunch.
9. Where She Went by Gayle Forman – Just as good, if not better than If I Stay. Loved Adam’s voice and the unexpected way the story unfolds.
10. Wither by Lauren DeStefano – Fast paced and disturbing dystopian book centering around 3 sister wives. A dramatic and fascinating read.
The back half of 2011 looks to be amazing with lots of great new releases to get excited about. These are a few I’ve heard are at BEA that I would be seeking out:
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Crossed by Ally Condie
Fateful by Claudia Gray
I’m sure there are tons more books at BEA to get excited about. What are you looking forward to reading this year? Do we have any 2011 favorites in common?
Strings Attached by Judy Blundell
Book: Strings Attached by Judy Blundell
Published by: Scholastic Press, March 2011
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
Format/pages: Hardcover 310 pages
Format read/Source: Library Book
Date read: May 21 2011
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
It is the year 1950, and 17-year-old Kit Corrigan has left her Providence home headed for New York City to try to make it as a dancer. Her estranged boyfriend Billy and brother Jamie have just enlisted in the army, and she and her father don’t see eye to eye. Now Kit is trying to make ends meet on her own. She finds a small place to live and a job on a chorus line of a show called “That Girl From Scranton!” She’s feeling desperate just when help comes her way from Nate Benedict. Nate is Billy’s father and is a lawyer with mob ties. He offers to set her up with a new dancing job, and a nice apartment and clothes. All he asks is help with a few favors from time to time. Kit gets in over her head in this story of love, scandal, mystery, and intrigue.
I enjoyed Strings Attached a lot, and it’s one of the best I’ve read in the YA historical fiction genre. I was swept up in the story immediately and captivated with the details of Kit’s life in New York during the Korean War. The historical details are obviously well researched and transported me to another time and place. I felt like I was watching a film noir as the scandalous story unfolded.
Kit is on the one hand very mature to be able to handle life alone in New York. But at the same time she is naive in her relationship with Nate. He is bribing her so that he can get closer to his son, and for Kit’s help with his unsavory business dealings. Kit has a tumultuous relationship with Billy, who is a possessive and jealous boyfriend. He always seems to be walking in on her as she is embracing another man, which doesn’t help matters.
The story unfolds slowly and the details of Kit’s life are filled in through flashbacks to her life in Providence. We learn about her childhood and growing up as a triplet. We also learn about her relationship with Billy and her complicated family history with his father Nate. The flashbacks don’t interfere with the story in New York, but add a new perspective when viewing the current events.
The events of the book lead up to a jam packed ending, filled with shocking revelations and dramatic twists and turns. The books ends with such a big finish it is a shock to read after the more even pace of the first three quarters of the book. The book has a satisfying though bittersweet ending that was a complete surprise.
Strings Attached has a great story with a modern feel and relevance to today’s contemporary YA readers even though the story is set in the past. The noir-like tale of 1950 nightlife and gangsters has painstaking and vivid historical details of interest to history buffs as well. I’ll be sure to pick up the author’s previous book, National Book Award winner, What I Saw and How I Lied.
For more info, or to peruse or buy the book:
In My Mailbox (18) – week ending May 21
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and she was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. It is a way to feature the books you purchased, borrowed or received for review each week.
This week I received:
For Review:
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson – An adult psychological thriller that sounds really exciting! Ridley Scott is directing the movie version.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs – Sounds creepy, a fantasy that incorporates vintage photos to tell the story, also being made into a movie.
E-books for Review:
Simon & Schuster Galley Grab May newsletter:
Love Story by Jennifer Echols – My first book by this author, a romance set in New York.
Dreams of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia – 3 girls from different worlds spend their summers together at a boarding school in Switzerland.
Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess – Looks like a raw look at a difficult mother-daughter relationship.
From the author:
Winterborne by Augusta Blythe – Mia inherits superpowers on her 17th birthday, and her friend Loie is there to lend a hand. They both fall for a British guy who is not who he appears to be.
Netgalley:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Volume 8: Last Gleaming by Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, Scott Allie – Season 8 finale with the return of Spike!
Bought:
Feed by Mira Grant ($2.99 for Kindle edition) – First book of the Newsflesh Zombie series.
What did you get in your mailbox this week? Happy reading!
