Top Ten Tuesday (112): Top Ten Popular Authors I’ve Never Read

Top Ten TuesdayTop Ten Popular Authors I’ve Never Read

I’m sure I’m not the only reader who has a TBR that’s a mile high and two miles wide. That’s basically a given. But I’m sure that there are TONS of readers out there who’ve read at least one book by at least one of these ten popular authors. I have books–in some cases, several–by all of these authors on my TBR right now. And quite honestly, this list could’ve been SO much worse: I only read my first books by John Green, Veronica Rossi,  Rae Carson, and Rick Yancey last year. Eeeep! I’ve got big plans for these ten authors, though.  [Read more…]

Tripping Over March

March

Oh friends, March is looking UP bookwise. So many great books coming out this month. It was harder than usual to narrow down my most anticipated titles, but I think I’ve got some pretty excellent sounding books to look forward to.

The Winner's Curse Marie Rutkoski MarchCheating a touch because I’ve already read this one, but honestly. It was excellent, and so much a fantasy after my own heart. My review will be up very soon, but take my (and, well, just about everyone else’s) word for it: THE WINNER’S CURSE is amazing. (March 4, 2014 from Macmillan)

Alex Wayfare_march.pngI’ve been waiting on this one, friends, because OMG TIME TRAVEL. Visions of the past. A girl who visits new time periods in each of her lives and meets the same boy every time. I’m reading this one soon because it sounds so incredible. (March 4 from Strange Chemistry)

Strange Sweet Song Ari Rule MarchThis book just sounds slightly creepy and mysterious and bewitching. I love the angle with the opera singing young girl, plus it’s got a boarding school and a FOREST (those are always creepy and a place where there are hidden SEKRETS), and the synopsis uses the word “gothic.” Yes, please. (March 11 from St. Martin’s Griffin)

Side Effects May Vary Julie Murphy MarchWhat an excellent, thought-provoking concept: A girl who believes she’s on death’s door decides to live her life with no thought for consequences. Except then WHOOPS her cancer goes into remission and she’s left with all kinds of messes to deal with. (March 18 from Balzer + Bray)

Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender Leslye Walton MarchI don’t even know how I could describe this book to you guys: it sounds like magical realism with family curses, love, and a young girl who is born with wings. I’m loving the fact that the action in this book seems to turn on something that happens on the Summer Solstice because that sounds magical. I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s up with this one. (March 25 from Candlewick)

February Recap

February recap

February Recap

I cannot believe that February is OVER. I don’t understand. Where did it go. *shakes head in disbelief* The upside is that I had a pretty decent February. Had a few snow days from work, which is always awesome; read some great books, which I also awesome; and I finally kept my requesting books to a very pleasant minimum. Huzzah!

Lots of fun stuff on the blog this month and some really super books too, so let me share it all with you!

recap

February recapThe Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt // Open Road Summer by Emery Lord // Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

February recapNo Place Like Oz: Dorothy Must Die #0.5 by Danielle Page // Deer in Headlights: Good Gods #1 by Staci Hart

February recapThe Body in the Woods: Point Last Seen #1 by April Henry // The Kiss of Deception: Remnant #1 by Mary E. Pearson // The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman

recapMarissa Meyer’s series literally keeps getting better. CRESS was AMAZINGGGGGG.

Robin Benway’s spies in GOING ROGUE are so damn FUN!

Historical fiction with witches is usually something I adore. Alas, A BREATH OF FROST wasn’t my favorite.

Brigid Kemmerer’s Elementals series should be on everyone’s TBRs. SECRET–book four–was excellent, as usual.

recapI cry quite often over just about anything, friends, but I definitely shed a few tears over these ten books.

On the opposite end of the feels spectrum, these ten books always make me swoon!

recapOnly waiting on one book this month, but IT’S A BIG ONE (for me, anyway): Jandy Nelson’s I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN. Gimme it.

September recapFebruary is FANTASY month in the Adventures Through Awkwardness Middle Grade Challenge!

For On the Same Page’s second book, we tackled VICIOUS by V.E. Schwab. I gave you the relationship breakdown!

On the Same Page | Vicious | V.E. Schwab

on the same pageVicious by V.E. Schwab

It’s time to talk about our second book, friends! And let me tell you something: It was a REALLY good one that featured a truckload of issues and topics for thought. VICIOUS is billed as superhero fiction, and sure that makes sense, but it’s easy to see while reading that these ExtraOrdinary folks, aka EOs, are not your typical Supermans or Magnetos.

However, quite like most superhero/villain canon, VICIOUS is rooted strongly in relationships: good ones, bad ones, seemingly insignificant ones that transform lives and people. In lieu of talking about the hero aspect of VICIOUS–which Brittany and Alyssa are doing differently and awesomely on their sites–I’m going to break VICIOUS down for you relationship by relationship (leaving out some of the REALLY small ones, unfortunately). So let’s get into it!

[Read more…]

Book Review | Secret | Brigid Kemmerer

book cover Secret Brigid KemmererTitle: Secret
Author: Brigid Kemmerer (web | twitter)
Series: The Elemental Series #4
Genre: Contemporary YA, Paranormal YA, brothers
Amazon | Goodreads | B&N
Publisher: Kensington Teen
Release date: January 28, 2014
Source: ARC from the publisher via NetGalley (Thanks, Kensington!)
Related books: Storm, Spark, Spirit

EARTH. FIRE. AIR. WATER.

Nick Merrick is stretched to breaking point. He’s trying to keep his grades sky-high or he won’t get in to college. He’s trying to keep his brother’s business afloat or the Merricks will be out on the street. He’s trying to keep the secret of where he’s going in the evenings from his twin brother Gabriel – or he fears he’ll lose his family. And he’s trying to keep his mind off the hot, self-assured dancer who is his ‘girlfriend’s’ partner.

And then Quinn takes to hanging around his sworn enemy, and an Elemental Guide is counting the hours until he can try again to kill the Merrick brothers. Storms are brewing. On all sides.

SECRETS IN THE WIND. DANGER IN THE AIR.

[Read more…]

Waiting on Wednesday (44): I’ll Give You the Sun

Waiting on WednesdayI’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

book cover I'll Give You the Sun Jandy Nelson

A brilliant, luminous story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell

Jude and her brother, Noah, are incredibly close twins. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude surfs and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and divisive ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as an unpredictable new mentor. The early years are Noah’s story to tell. The later years are Jude’s. What the twins don’t realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world. 
 
This radiant, fully alive, sometimes very funny novel from the critically acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once. 

OMFGGGG YOU GUYS. I’ve been waiting for this cover to come out so that I could feature Jandy Nelson’s I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN in Waiting on Wednesday. In fact, I’ve been so impatient and excited about it that I nearly shouted it out without a cover, just to talk about it. Because I can’t wait for this book. It’s probably one of a very small handful of books that I’m anticipating the most this year. I’m just going to say it now: There’s almost nothing Jandy Nelson can do to wreck my enthusiasm for this book.

Jandy Nelson’s THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE is one of my favorite books. All time. I just love it. She does family so well that I can’t wait to see what kind of relationship she creates between Noah and Jude. It sounds heartbreaking and lovely, and I know that Jandy Nelson’s writing will be BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL. SIGH.

I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN comes out September 16, 2014 (aka not soon enough) from Dial BFYR

I'll Give You the Sun

Book Review | A Breath of Frost | Alyxandra Harvey

book cover A Breath of Frost Alyxandra HarveyTitle: A Breath of Frost
Author: Alyxandra Harvey (web | twitter)
Series: The Lovegrove Legacy #1
Genre: Historical Fiction YA, Paranormal YA, witches
Amazon | Goodreads | B&N
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release date: January 7, 2014
Source: ARC from the publisher via NetGalley (Thanks, Walker Childrens!)

In 1814, three cousins—Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope—discover their family lineage of witchcraft when a binding spell is broken, allowing their individual magical powers to manifest. Now, beyond the manicured gardens and ballrooms of Regency London, an alluring underworld available only to those with power is revealed to the cousins. By claiming their power, the three cousins have accidentally opened the gates to the underworld. 

Now ghouls, hellhounds—and most terrifying of all, the spirits of dark witches known as the Greymalkin Sisters—are hunting and killing young debutante witches for their powers. And, somehow, Emma is connected to the murders…because she keeps finding the bodies. 

Can the cousins seal the gates before another witch is killed…or even worse, before their new gifts are stripped away?

[Read more…]

Top Ten Tuesday (111): Books That Will Make You Swoon

Top Ten TuesdayTop Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon

Swoony books are just the best, aren’t they? There’s nothing quite like reading a book and getting warm-fuzzies/butterflies/tingles when two characters are so well-suited and their relationship is so satisfying, even if they encounter troubles along the way. (Especially if they encounter troubles! That tension increases me swooning!) Of course, there are more than 10 books that will make you swoon and so this list will always be too short. But these ten books had a pretty high swoon factor for me for all kinds of reasons. SIGH…SWOONS.

[Read more…]

Book Review | Going Rogue | Robin Benway

I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Book Review | Going Rogue | Robin BenwayGoing Rogue by Robin Benway
Series: Also Known As #2
Published by Bloomsbury on January 14, 2014
Genres: Contemporary YA, Spies, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Also in this series: Also Known As
Also by this author: Also Known As, Emmy & Oliver
Source: the publisher via NetGalley
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreads
five-stars

Being permanently based in a local New York City high school as an undercover operative has its moments, good and bad, for 16-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver. Pros: More quality time with her former mark-turned-boyfriend Jesse Oliver and insanely cool best friend, Roux. Getting to spend quality time with her semi-retired and international spy honorary uncle, Angelo. Cons: High school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. But when Maggie’s parents are falsely accused of stealing priceless gold coins, Maggie uses her safecracking skills to try and clear their names. Too bad it only serves to put her and everyone she loves in danger. Maggie and her “new team” flee to Paris where they must come up with a plan to defeat their former allies.

[Read more…]

Book Review | Cress | Marissa Meyer

Book Review | Cress | Marissa MeyerCress by Marissa Meyer
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #3
Published by Feiwel & Friends on February 4, 2014
Genres: Dystopian YA, Science Fiction
Pages: 560
Format: ARC
Also in this series: Cinder, Scarlet, Cinder, Fairest
Also by this author: Cinder, Scarlet, Cinder, Fairest
Source: a fellow blogger (thanks for sharing!)
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreads
five-stars

 Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard.

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

[Read more…]