Monthly Archives: September 2011
Impromptu Readathon
April at Good Books And Good Wine is hosting an impromptu readathon this weekend. Since I have a stack of books to catch up on, I’m joining in. Not sure how many books I’ll get through, but hopefully I’ll make a dent in this stack.
Readathon Details: The readathon starts tonight September 29 and ends on October 3. Sign up here.
These are some of my book choices:
Fall Books!
I’m currently reading The Faerie Ring, but I can’t decide what to read next. Any recommendations? I’ll update this post with my progress.
Review: The Future Of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Book: The Future Of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler, Razorbill / Penguin, November 21, 2011
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary mixed with SciFi
Format/pages: Hardcover 309 pages
Format read/Source: ARC via LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Preorder the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
More Info: LibraryThing | Goodreads | The Future of Us Facebook page
If you had the opportunity to look into the future and see how your life turned out, would you do it? And would you try to change things about your current life to impact that future? The Future Of Us explores that topic with two characters that get a glimpse of their future in an unexpected way. The year is 1996, when the Internet is just starting to gain mass appeal, and America Online is the most popular website. Emma has just received her first computer and sets up a free AOL account when she gets the surprise of her life when Facebook appears on her screen, long before it’s invention. She sees her life fifteen years in the future through her future self’s Facebook status updates. Josh and Emma, shocked by what they find out on their respective profile pages, soon see themselves struggling to fit their future into their present lives. This thought-provoking and engaging book explores the idea of destiny and how our choices shape the future.
In 1996 I had a computer but was just getting my feet wet with email and the Internet. I never had AOL, but received the CD-ROM inserts weekly in the mail. I remember using a Netscape browser at the time and had a different Internet provider than AOL, but I recall that AOL was overwhelmingly the popular choice at the time. (This is an interesting article comparing the Internet of 1996 to 2011.) It was easy for me to relate to the characters and their limited computer experience as well as the pop culture references of the time such as Friends, Dave Matthews, and Toy Story. It was also fun for me to see the characters puzzle over references to Glee and Netflix that they see in their future status updates.
If I was in Josh and Emma’s shoes when I was in high school I would probably be glued to the computer and looking up the Facebook profiles of everyone I knew. With all that power, it’s a wonder that they were able to go about their daily lives. I was immediately fascinated by this concept and what they would uncover and try to change. The book also provides an interesting social commentary on privacy issues of today and the personal as well as the banal details we share online.
The book is co-written by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler, and this is my first experience with their work. The story is told through Josh and Emma’s alternating POV and it was hard to tell the difference in the writing between the two authors. The chapters flowed very smoothly and without any jarring stylistic differences.
Emma’s character frustrated me at times with some of the rash decisions she makes. Based on her actions in 1996, it made perfect sense to me how her future life ends up the way that it does. Josh is a little more mature and easy going and I felt more sympathetic to his character. As they wrestle with the knowledge of their future it is interesting to see how they try to change, or pursue the path that they see.
Overall I enjoyed this book, and couldn’t put it down until I found out how it ended. The Future Of Us is a fast paced and enjoyable read but also makes you think about your life and the choices you make. I also liked the 90s nostalgia, but wonder how much of that will translate to younger YA’s. My tween daughter read it and loved the Facebook aspect of the book but lost interest a bit when the action focused on the present day. Initially I also was drawn in by the facebook from the future concept, but later appreciated the deeper message behind the story. Look for The Future Of Us in stores November 21st.
Waiting on Wednesday- Slide by Jill Hathaway
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine highlighting upcoming books that we are eagerly anticipating.
This week I am featuring Slide, a paranormal debut by Jill Hathaway.
From Goodreads:
Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.
Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.
Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.
Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.
Maybe it’s the time of year, but this creepy type of premise sounds very appealing to me right now. It promises to be an intense and exciting read, and the cover looks very intriguing as well. Unearthly‘s Cynthia Hand blurbed it, so that also makes me optimistic about this one. SLIDE is due to be released on March 27th, and is published by Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins.
What book are you waiting on this week?
Top 10 Books I Want To Reread
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 Ten Books I Want To Reread. I don’t get the chance to reread books as often as I’d like. I’m motivated to reread a book if:
- It’s part of a series and I want to refresh my memory before the next book is released
- I tore through the book quickly the first time and want to savor it again
- It’s a favorite book that I never get tired of
- The story is complex and I missed some of the nuances the first time around
- There’s a movie adaptation coming out soon
- It’s a seasonal book that I read every year
In no particular order, these are the books I’d like to reread:
1. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins – Would like to reread before the movie comes out, and also I think these are the kind of books that that you get something new out of when you reread.
2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – This book just makes me happy, and I’m planning to “reread” it via audiobook when it is released in October in that format.
3. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand – Would like to catch up on this book before Hallowed is released in January
4. Chime by Franny Billingsley – Loved the writing in this book and would enjoy taking my time reading it a second time.
5. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh – Think this would make a good Halloween reread with all of the Poe references.
6. Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan – Another perfect book to reread during the winter holidays.
7. Divergent by Veronica Roth – This one meets several of my reread criteria: a favorite book with a sequel due out next year that will eventually be made into a movie.
8. Carrie / Salem’s Lot / The Shining by Stephen King – I went through a Stephen King phase a while back, and these are some of my favorites. Am curious to see how they hold up. And it’s also a great time of year to bring them out again.
9. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor – Such a gorgeous book. It’s a little soon to read it again, but I’ll definitely look forward to revisiting it.
10. Blood Red Road by Moira Young – One of my favorite dystopian books of the year, and I’ve been itching to reread it. When I read it the first time the dialect was hard to get used to at first, but I’d like to read it again with fresh eyes.
What books do you want to reread?
In My Mailbox (32)
In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren & inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. It is a way to feature the books you purchased, traded, borrowed or received for review each week.
This week I received:
Bought:
Fateful by Claudia Gray – A historical fiction with werewolves that’s set on the Titanic? I’m eager to read it.
Half-Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout – This one has been getting a lot of positive attention from bloggers and I’m curious to check it out.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – Lots of hype about this book, and it sounds like a must read.
What did you get in your mailbox this week?
Indelible by Lani Woodland: Review and Bookmark Giveaway
Today I am happy to share my review of Indelible, the second book in the Yara Silva series by Lani Woodland, as part of the Indelible blog tour. You also can enter for your chance to win one of 3 signed Indelible bookmarks!
Book: Indelible by Lani Woodland, Pendrell Publishing, September 27, 2011
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Format/pages: Ebook available September 27, Hardcover (416 pages) available in October
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Preorder the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
More Info: Goodreads
Series: Book 2 of the Yara Silver trilogy.
Author Info: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Summary via Amazon:
Yara is beginning to understand just how much her life will change now that her Waker abilities have emerged. She has come to terms with the fact that seeing ghosts is part of her life, but she isn’t ready to let being a Waker dictate her choices. All she wants is a ghost-free senior year with her boyfriend, Brent, and her best friend, Cherie. But Yara soon discovers that there are more dark secrets in her school s history than just the curse she broke. While an angry ghost makes Yara question everything she thought she knew about spirits, she and Brent learn that there are long reaching consequences to last year s adventures. As new enemies emerge and old ghosts resurface, Yara finds herself in the center of another deadly mystery, and this time she has to contend with the living as well as the dead.
Review:
In Indelible, the sequel to last year’s Intrinsical, Yara Silva, a Waker who can communicate with ghosts, faces more challenges and excitement in her new school year at Pendrell Academy. After spending the summer in Brazil with her grandmother and mentor Vovo, fine-tuning her Waker abilities, she’s ready for action. However, she would like some time to spend getting reacquainted with boyfriend Brent, and best friend Cherie before getting pulled into another mystery. Unfortunately, Yara starts her senior year off on the wrong foot by angering a new ghost, introduced to her by mysterious new boy DJ, and once again Yara finds herself embarking on a dangerous mission.
I enjoyed Indelible just as much as Intrinsical, and found Yara’s journey thrilling and emotionally satisfying. There is a smooth transition from the last book in the series, and a brief recap of the events that helped to refresh my memory. Indelible builds upon the story from the first book very nicely, with the familiar blend of surprises, suspense, sacrifice and charm I enjoyed in Intrinsical.
Yara has some help and moral support from her family this year as her parents and Vovo are now living nearby. I was thrilled to see Vovo’s character featured prominently in this book, since she interested me so much through her limited appearances in the first book. She holds the key to a lot of the answers Yara seeks and it’s interesting to get more insight into Waker history. She is one of Yara’s biggest supporters and always there with her fresh baked cookies, and special herbs and jewelry to protect Yara in her dangerous line of work. Along with the familiar carryover characters from Intrinsical, there are some new characters introduced that further complicate Yara’s life.
I enjoyed seeing Yara’s character growth and how she is managing her gift and facing her fears. Her relationship with Brent is tested as he is struck with a serious illness, and once again Yara faces some tough choices as she battles ghosts, villains and her own internal demons.
The plot twists kept my interest level high throughout the book, and the even pace made it a quick read. The mystery, characters, relationships, and emotional story make this a standout YA paranormal series. I think readers of Intrinsical will enjoy the compelling sequel even more. If you haven’t read Intrinsical, Indelible works well as a self-contained story, though you will get more out of it by reading Intrinsical first. I can’t wait to see what happens in the final book of the trilogy, Inevitable.
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Thanks again to Once Upon A Twilight for hosting the tour. Follow the next stop on the tour Monday at Writers Write, Right? and read Jamie’s review of Indelible. Be sure to click here to see all the tour stop information. If you missed my earlier post listing Yara’s favorite books you can read it here. And don’t miss the live chat with author Lani Woodland at Once Upon A Twilight on Tuesday Sept. 27.
Signed Bookmark Giveaway:
The Giveaway has ended. Congrats to Nicole, Paige and Linda who will be receiving a signed bookmark! Thanks to all who entered the giveaway.
Envy by Gregg Olsen: Review and Giveaway
Book: Envy by Gregg Olsen, Splinter/Sterling Publishing, August 23, 2011
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
Format/pages: Hardcover 285 pages
Format read/Source: ARC via LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
More Info: LibraryThing | Goodreads | Official Empty Coffin series site where you can read the first 5 chapters, find character playlists and more
Series: Book 1 of the Empty Coffin series
I haven’t read many crime stories, but was in the mood to try something new. I was drawn to Envy’s creepy, gorgeous cover and was hooked further when I read the premise. The combination of cyber-bullying, mystery and paranormal seemed really fresh and like it would be an interesting fall read. I was curious to see how it all tied together to a real cyber-bullying true crime, and if it would be a story I would recognize. Envy is adult true crime writer Gregg Olsen’s YA debut, and he delivers a well-woven mystery with plenty of suspense, surprises and suspects that kept me guessing throughout.
Katelyn is in a dark place in her life where everything is going wrong. When she is found dead, it seems clear to everyone that she took her own life. As the citizens of Port Gamble, Washington try to cope and make sense out of the shocking death, the telepathic twins Hayley and Taylor suspect it wasn’t a suicide at all. They begin their own investigation into Katelyn’s death and discover that everyone has something to hide.
The town is full of interesting and colorful characters and we get to know them through the multiple point of view narration. The twins are the main focus, and their paranormal ability is one of the mysteries explored as well as Katelyn’s death. In the beginning I found the teen dialogue to be a bit forced at times and some of the pop culture references a little distracting. But as the story progresses, those small issues smooth out and the writing flows nicely.
The time frame makes some leaps from past to present as more of the characters’ history and relationships to each other is revealed. The mystery kept me on the edge of my seat as I tried to put together the clues to solve the crime.
Regular readers of true-crime mysteries or those up to date on the case Envy was inspired by may be able to figure out the ending ahead of time. For me, I was surprised up till the very end. I thought the conclusion was unpredictable and enjoyed all the twists in the story.
Envy is a creepy and exciting mystery on it’s own but also makes you think about online behavior with the cyber-bullying part of the plot. It makes the story that much more scary and real when you combine the bullying aspect with the mystery.
I think this book should appeal to YA fans of dark, creepy stories, and also Adult true crime fans. Envy is a promising and well-crafted kick-off to the EMPTY COFFIN series, and I look forward to reading the next installment. The sequel is called Betrayal, and it is expected to hit shelves in Fall 2012.
Check out the book trailer:
ARC Giveaway:
The Giveaway has ended. Congrats to Karen who has won an ARC of Envy. Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway!
