Blog Archives
Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay
Book: Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay, Katherine Tegan Books, December 27, 2011, YA Contemporary, Standalone Book
Format/pages: Read Overdrive library ebook, also available in hardcover 451 pages.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Love and Leftovers caught my eye with its cute cover and title, and discovering it’s a verse novel just clinched the deal. I’ve only read a handful of verse novels so far but have really fallen for the format. Usually the stories are quick but fulfilling reads, and impactful with the expressive, sparse prose. The style works well for this book because the main character Marcie writes short poetic entries in her journal, which becomes the format for the book.
Marcie and her mother beat a hasty retreat out of Idaho one summer and head to New Hampshire when her parent’s marriage dissolves. Marcie leaves behind her rocker boyfriend Linus and group of friends they have dubbed the Leftovers. Summer turns to fall and soon Marcie is starting a new school year in her new adopted home. She’s out of the Leftover group at her new school when popular football player JD starts to pay her some attention. Marcie has mixed feelings about her new life and her father and friends she left behind and tries her best to hold it together.
I like the idea of the Leftovers, the group of friends who don’t fit into one particular group. I always liked the Leftover, or Floater group in school and think that’s a fun group to be in. Marcie, though, makes it sound kind of negative and would rather join the popular group in her new school. Things get questionable when Marcie is less than honest with her loving boyfriend back home about her new life in New Hampshire.
Marcie is flawed and realistic, and I could relate to her even though I didn’t always agree with her way of handling things. I liked how she grew as a person throughout the book, and the way the relationships with her friends and family evolved. There are some great emotional and heartwarming scenes with the adults and friends in Marcie’s life.
Love and Leftovers is an enjoyable book, perfect for contemporary fans or for fans of verse novels. The characters, witty writing, and story are entertaining and make it a quick read. I would love to read more from Sarah Tregay.
Check out more reviews of Love and Leftovers:
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
Book: Let it Snow – Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle, Speak, September 11, 2008
Genre: Young Adult Romance/Holiday/Short Stories
Format/pages: Own Kindle edition, also available in paperback 352 pages.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
More Info: LibraryThing | Goodreads
I was looking around for a holiday themed read on Christmas Eve and remembered that I promised myself to read Let it Snow this year, a book my daughter recommended to me last December. Three awesome YA authors and three interwoven holiday themed short stories sounded like just the ticket. This book is a lot of fun and provided a good amount of holiday cheer. The quirky characters, witty and smart dialogue, funny moments, and romance all made for a satisfying, cozy read.
The first story, The Jubilee Express, written by Maureen Johnson, is my favorite. Jubilee’s Christmas Eve plans are dashed when her parents are jailed in a Santa Village shopping frenzy. Jubilee has to miss her boyfriend’s party and take off on a train to stay with her grandparents. When the train gets caught in the snow in Gracetown, she stops at the Waffle House for some food and leaves with Stuart who offers to let her stay with his family while she’s stranded. Stuart and Jubilee find they have a lot in common as they spend Christmas Eve getting to know each other. I would love to read a whole book about these characters, and was sad to see this charming story end.
The second story, A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, written by John Green, is the comic relief of the collection. In this story Tobin is called on a mission to the Waffle House to bring down a game of Twister for the train stranded cheerleaders. Tobin, JP and The Duke try to drive through the treacherous snow to get to the Waffle House to complete their task and to score some hash browns. This one was funny, with snappy dialogue and I liked the way the characters overlapped from the previous story. Glad to read more from John Green.
The last story, The Patron Saint of Pigs, by Lauren Myracle, is about redemption, love and friendship, and even features an adorable teacup pig. Self-absorbed Addie is trying to mend her relationship with Jeb, who was also on the train with Jubilee and the cheerleaders. This story ties the collection together and comes full circle as Jeb’s mysterious girlfriend Addie is featured. This one has some tender moments as Addie tries to make amends with her friends and Jeb. The only other book by this author I’ve read by Lauren Myracle is Shine, so it was interesting to see this other side of her.
This collection was just what I was looking for and gave me a good dose of holiday spirit. Christmas is in the backdrop of every story, but is not heavily featured so it’s still a good read any time of year. I liked all of the stories, but Jubilee’s was my favorite. My daughter recommends reading them in reverse order so you end the book on a high note with the first story so maybe I’ll try that next year. Would love to see more holiday short story anthologies like this. The overlapping characters made it a fun, cohesive collection. Recommended if you enjoyed Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares or are a fan of any of the three authors.
2012 Reading Challenges
So, I was only going to join the Debut Author Challenge this year, but I decided to add a few more. I do like reading challenges for the motivation and to help organize my reading throughout the year.
A few book titles carryover into more than one challenge. The titles listed are a work in progress and I’m sure there will be changes made throughout the year.
These are the challenges I will be tackling:
The 2012 Audio Book Challenge is hosted by Teresa @ Teresa’s Reading Corner.
There are four levels to the challenge:
- Flirting-Listen to 6 Audio Books
- Going Steady- Listen to 12 Audio Books
- Lover- Listen to 25 Audio Books
- Married-Listen to +++ Audio Books
Since I’ve listened to about 20 audiobooks this year I think I can achieve 25 next year. Titles TBD.
The Sophomore Reading Challenge is hosted by Shanyn @ Chick Loves Lit.
After getting hooked on several debuts last year, I’m eager to read their sophomore efforts this year. The challenge is to read 10 sophomore YA/MG novels in 2012:
1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
2. Fever by Lauren DeStefano
3. Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
4. A Million Suns by Beth Revis
5. Until I Die by Amy Plum
6. Truth by Julia Karr
7. Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh
8. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
9. The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton
10. Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
The Completely Contemp Challenge is also hosted by Shanyn @ Chick Loves Lit.
Contemporary is a category I’ve been reading more and would like to continue that trend. I like this challenge because the goal is to read books from 2010-2012, and I’ll be able to catch up on some of the books on my shelves already. The goal is to read at least 3 books total, and I’m going to try to read 5 books for each year.
2010:
1. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
2. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
3. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
4. The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, June by Robin Benway
5. A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
2011:
1. Amplified by Tara Kelly
2. The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
3. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
4. Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
5. Choker by Elizabeth Woods
2012:
1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2. Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
3. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
4. The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen
5. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
The Standalone Challenge is hosted by Hafsah @ IceyBooks & Britta @ ilikethesebooks.
Sometimes it’s nice for a change of pace to read a book that’s not part of a series. The goal of the Standalone challenge is to read 15 standalone books released in 2012:
1. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
2. Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
3. The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen
4. This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
5. Cursed by Jennifer Armentrout
6. In Honor by Jessi Kirby
7. Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne
8. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
9. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
10. First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky
11. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
12. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
13. Above by Leah Bobet
14. The Other Life by Suzanne Winnacker
15. The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova
I’ve signed up for the Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.
These are the debut books I’m planning to read:
1. Elemental by Emily White (May, Spencer Hill Press)
2. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows (February, HarperCollins)
3. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (February, ATOM)
4. Above by Leah Bobet (April, Arthur A. Levine books)
5. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (February, G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
6. The Glimpse by Claire Merle (June, Faber & Faber)
7. Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (February, Tor Teen)
8. Slide by Jill Hathaway (March, Balzer & Bray)
9. Starters by Lissa Price (March, Delacorte Books)
10. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth (May, Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR)
11. The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker (February, Usboune)
12. Level Two by Lenore Appelhans (Fall TBD, Simon & Schuster)
13. The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova (April, Sourcebooks Fire)
14. Storm by Brigid Kemmerer (April, K Teen/Kensington)
15. Glitch by Heather Anastasiu (TBD, St. Martin’s Press)
16. The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges (January, Delacorte)
17. Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne (February, Putnam Juvenile)
18. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock (May, Katherine Tegan Books)
19. Halflings by Heather Burch (January, Zondervan Publishing)
20. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks (May, Feiwel & Friends)
I just found out about this challenge in Feb. but am excited to participate. The YA Audiobook Challenge is hosted by Jen @ A Book and A Latte. Since I listen to so many YA audiobooks, the required 12 should be a snap!
I’ll keep track of my listening here:
1. The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
2. A Million Suns by Beth Revis
3. Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
5. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
6. After by Amy Efaw
7. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
Which reading challenges are you taking on this year?
Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe
Book: Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe, Viking Juvenile, October 13, 2011
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Series: Standalone
Format/pages: Own Kindle edition, also available in hardcover 458 pages.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
More Info: LibraryThing | Goodreads
Buy the Book: Amazon
Sara leaves small town life behind when she earns a scholarship to study dance with an exclusive company in the city. Now living in a host family’s home, she has to re-learn all she knew about ballet as she enters this new competitive world. She begins an addictive relationship with Remington, an older aspiring choreographer looking for a muse. But Rem inspires Sara as well to question her own path. Being a dancer is all Sara has ever known, but as her dreams become reality she starts to see a new potential future that she never envisioned.
Audition is Stasia Ward Kehoe’s debut and is a novel in verse. This is only the second novel I’ve read in this writing style, after Lisa Schroeder’s The Day Before. I really like this poetic style of writing; it is to the point and quickly gets to the heart of the story. The writing says so much with such few words and is emotionally satisfying and fast to read. Audition gives an interesting glimpse into the life of a dancer, and shows how unglamorous and challenging things are behind the scenes. Though there is a lot of dancer terminology of interest to those knowledgeable of this life or have always wanted to learn more, the story is more of a coming of age that anyone can relate to.
Sara struggles with keeping up with the more experienced dancers as she juggles her daily dance classes with the demands of high school and college prep. She seems more mature than other girls her age since she is living away from home and living her dream while embarking on her first relationship. But she does have insecurities and has some errors in judgments along the way as she tries to find her path. I liked her strength and perseverance and found her an engaging main character. Her relationship with the elusive Rem is more mature and pushed more boundaries than usually found in YA books.
In the background of the world of competitive dance we see the dark side including eating disorders, competition, jealousy, dancing through injuries and the demand to always put dance first in your life. It is interesting to see the dedication to this life and what it takes to succeed, and the normal everyday high school experiences you must leave behind.
Audition is an intriguing coming of age about finding your way and gaining the courage to make choices in life. The creative backdrop of ballet gives a new fascinating dimension to the story that sets it apart. I highly recommend this contemporary debut.
Watch the Book Trailer:
2012 Debut Author Challenge
It’s time again to sign up for the Debut Author Challenge, hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. I’m scaling back my reading challenges for next year, so this is probably going to be the only reading challenge I sign up for in 2012, besides having a general reading goal.
The challenge is to read a minimum of 12 Young Adult or Middle Grade debut novels between January 1 2012 – January 31 2013 and post reviews on your blog or on Goodreads.
There have be some exciting new changes like the addition of mini challenges, ARC tours and a Debut Challenge Newsletter. You can read all about that here. There is a listopia on Goodreads with all the 2012 YA/MG debuts so you can start planning your list.
For 2011 I hoped to read 30 debuts and I’ve read 20 so far. My 2011 list is here. Hopefully I’ll sneak in a few more debuts before the year is up.
***
Here is my 2012 list in random order. Links go to Goodreads and will be updated with reviews as they are available:
1. Elemental by Emily White (May, Spencer Hill Press)
2. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows (February, HarperCollins)
3. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (February, ATOM)
4. Above by Leah Bobet (April, Arthur A. Levine books)
5. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (February, G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
6. The Glimpse by Claire Merle (June, Faber & Faber)
7. Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (February, Tor Teen)
8. Slide by Jill Hathaway (March, Balzer & Bray)
9. Starters by Lissa Price (March, Delacorte Books)
10. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth (May, Farrar, Straus and Giroux BYR)
11. The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker (February, Usboune)
12. Level Two by Lenore Appelhans (Fall TBD, Simon & Schuster)
13. The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova (April, Sourcebooks Fire)
14. Storm by Brigid Kemmerer (April, K Teen/Kensington)
15. Glitch by Heather Anastasiu (TBD, St. Martin’s Press)
16. The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges (January, Delacorte)
17. Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne (February, Putnam Juvenile)
18. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock (May, Katherine Tegan Books)
19. Halflings by Heather Burch (January, Zondervan Publishing)
20. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks (May, Feiwel & Friends)
I’m sure I will add on and make changes throughout the year. For instance, I have no contemporary books listed and I’m sure that will change.
Are you up for the challenge? Go sign up! The deadline to join is May 31, 2012.
The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
Book: The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton, TOR Teen, September 27, 2011
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Format/pages: Hardcover (343 pages)
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars
Buy the Book: Amazon
More Reviews: Goodreads
Series: Book 1 of the Faerie Ring series.
Author Info: The Faerie Ring Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
In The Faerie Ring, debut author Kiki Hamilton blends historical fiction with the paranormal in the story of a stolen ring that holds the key to peace between the faery realm and the rulers of England. Tiki only stole the ring out of desperation to provide food for her orphan family, but now she is caught in the middle of a high stakes battle over the treaty, and her own mysterious past comes to play in the negotiations for it’s return. With the ring missing, the faeries are free to roam the streets of Victorian London, bringing mischief and chaos and threatening war. Fellow thief Rieker seems to know a lot about the significance of the ring, but is he a trusted ally or a master of deceit? The author spins a magical tale of adventure, romance and suspense in this fast paced and action packed urban fantasy.
I’m always a bit wary about reading books about faeries, but the historical aspect of this one intrigued me and does set it apart from other books. The faeries we meet are the devious sort that keeps you looking over your shoulder. We get a taste of the faery world that left me wanting to learn more about them.
In terms of the setting, I liked seeing the contrast of Tiki’s rough life as a pickpocket trying to scrape by to the extravagant, privileged occupants of Buckingham Palace. Familiar landmarks such as Charing Cross, Covent Garden, and Hyde Park become a character in the book and provide a scenic backdrop to the events of the story. The vivid descriptions brought me right to Victorian London and made me feel like I was part of the action.
Although I loved the setting of the book, my favorite part of the story was the characters. Tiki is kind, protective and scrappy and will do anything for her adopted family. The youngest member of the family, Clara, is very ill and that is the motivation for Tiki to earn money to provide a better life for her. Tiki also has a strange birthmark on her wrist that seems to be familiar to those in the royal family as well as to the faery folk. Rieker is another thief in Tiki’s circles that starts to pop up more and more once he discovers that she has the faery ring. He is mysterious and seems to know more than he is letting on. All of the orphans in Tiki’s family and the royal princes she meets are compelling characters that add interest to the story. There is some romance in the story, but it is not a major part. I also liked that it is a gradual romance and I look forward to seeing how it develops in future books.
The book flows smoothly throughout with an effortless writing style. It is pleasant to read and with an entertaining, easy to read and even pace. The story is told through third person POV that suits the story well. The dialogue of the character’s rings true to the historical time period as well.
I think this book will appeal to those that enjoy fantasy books, and also to YA historical fiction fans. The Faerie Ring is filled with adventure, excitement and romance and is a strong kickoff to a new four-book series. Look for the sequel The Torn Wing to hit stores in 2012.
September reading recap
Here is what I read and reviewed in September:
70. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
71. Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead
72. Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake
73. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
74. A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
75. Saving June by Hannah Harrington
76. Indelible by Lani Woodland
77. Envy by Gregg Olsen
78. The Future Of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Book Stats for September:
Books read: 9
Audiobooks: 2
Ebooks: 2
Favorite Book Read: Anna Dressed In Blood
Reading Challenge Updates:
Read 100 Books in a year: 78/100
2011 Debut Authors: 19/29
YA Historical Fiction: 3/15
Contemps: 7/20
Dystopian: 14/23
Current Giveaways: Today is the last day to enter!
Win an ARC of Envy by Gregg Olsen
Win 1 of 3 bookmarks signed by Lani Woodland (Indelible)
What were some of your favorite books read in September? What are you looking forward to reading this month? I hope to read a few creepy and scary books- any suggestions? Have a great October!
