"Waiting on" Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



This week's selection is:

SECOND CHANCE SUMMER
By: Morgan Matson
Published By: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Preorder the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Taylor’s family might not be the closest-knit – everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled – but for the most part, they get along fine. Then they get news that changes everything: Her father has pancreatic cancer, and it’s stage four – meaning that there is basically nothing to be done. Her parents decide that the family will spend his last months together at their old summerhouse in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former summer best friend is suddenly around, as is her first boyfriend. . . and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses, the Edwards become more of a family, and closer than they’ve ever been before. But all of them very aware that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance – with family, with friends, and with love.



Why it's wanted:
I've started enjoying a lot more contemporary books recently, and this sounds like it could be a really good read and a very touching story.

Blog Tour: Excerpt from Haunted by Joy Preble

Welcome to today's stop of the Haunted Blog Tour! Haunted by Joy Preble is the sequel to Dreaming Anastasia, and these paranormal books feature Russian folklore in a new way. Joy Preble is a local Houston author who I've had the pleasure of seeing many times at various book signings and events, and she is a great person. I'm very excited to be part of this tour!

Before we get to the excerpt, here's a bit about Haunted and the scene from which the excerpt comes:

HAUNTED by Joy Preble

Anne Michaelson is trying to forget everything that happened last year. But it's hard to do when her heart aches for Ethan "and there's a wild-haired woman stalking her..."

Ethan Kosinsky is embracing his newfound mortality. But something is drawing him back to the girl he left behind-back to Anne and back to the magic...

A mysterious stranger is hunting Anne wherever she goes. No one sees her but Anne. When she searches for the woman's identity, Anne exposes secrets about her own life- things that will change her life forever. And when the gorgeous Ethan returns, her life gets a lot more complicated.

Anne thought her journey with the Romanov family had ended, but it was just the beginning...



This excerpt comes from a chapter from Ethan's point of view. In this scene, Ethan has returned and his presence has set the big bad stuff in motion again. The mysterious rusalka that has been stalking Anne turns suddenly malevolent and tries to drown Ben. Tess, being Tess, blames this on Ethan, who attempts to defend himself to her while Anne comforts Ben.

"I didn't do this, Tess."

"Maybe not," she acknowledges. "But you started it all. Everything was fine before you started following her around. And now it's not. So don't even try to deny that part, Ethan."

"There was something down there." I don't mean to tell her this, but I do anyway. "it was only a flash. A shadow. But I saw it. A woman, I think. And then there was a voice. Did you hear it too?"

"I'd have told you if I did." Tess flips that long blond hair behind her. "But I bet Anne did." She sighs, seems to push all that flaring anger down a few notches. "I hate this. Watching her. It's like when her brother died. She got all quiet then too. That's just how she is - private like that. But I guess you know that. Or if you don't - well, you should."

"Of course I know it." Only if I did, then I should have pushed more for the truth, rather than accepted Anne's silences. But I didn't. "And for the record, I didn't start all this. It would have happened whether I was there or not. She was the one, Tess - the girl who could save Anastasia. I was just the person who figured it out."

Tess is quiet for a moment. This unnerves me almost more than the rest of it. In my thankfully limited experience, Tess has never been quiet.

She looks at me, her expression intense. "Ethan - what made Ben jump into the pool?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to try to find out."

Tess pokes a finger at me again. "I'm holding you to that." Her voice lowers to almost a whisper. "She feels responsible, you know. For Anastasia's death. Probably for that rotten Viktor, too. That's what I think, anyway. I guess that might not be worth much to you, it being my opinion and all. But that's how I see it. And no this thing with en is going to make it all worse."

She places her hand s on her hips and seems to wait for me to disagree with her. My jeans and T-shirt continue to drip pool water.

"So that shadow woman," Tess asks. "What exactly is it that you thought you saw?"

The answer rises from me quickly. Like the tales of Baba Yaga that I'd once thought were just stories, another tale come to mind: one that the women in my village had told when our neighbor's nineteen-year-old daughter had drowned in the river a few days after her lover had died of influenza. She was pregnant, and he had promised to marry her, and then suddenly, he was gone. She grieved and grieved, and then one day, her father found her floating, her hair wild around her in the water.

Rusalka," I say. "Russian mermaid."

"Ru-what? Don't just say that like I'm supposed to know what you're talking about. Mermaid? Like Ariel in that Disney movie?"

I smile in spite of myself. "More malevolent. Less cheery singing. Definitely less cheery outcome. Women who've been wronged. Sometimes murdered. Always near a body of water. The transform sometimes. That's how the legends go. They become this other thing - this water creature. In some stories, the find release. In others, it's more - um, permanent. But I've - well, I've seen things. They're real. Rusalkas exist."

"Terrific. You know it might be easier if you made us a list, Ethan. You know - crazy Russian folklore shit that's going to appear, freak us all out, and try to kill someone's boyfriend. That kind of thing."

"I'll consider that. So he really is her boyfriend?"

Tess raises an eyebrow. "Yup. So this mermaid thing - is it dangerous?"

My silence is my answer. It's broken by the sound of sirens. Someone's called an ambulance or the fire department.

"Ben has been really good for her," Tess says. "So while you're screwing things up again, you remember that."

"I'm here to help. That's why I came back." It sounds foolish coming out of my mouth as it did in my head before I said it.

Tess laughs. "Right," she says. "So start helping."



And there you have it! Be sure to check out the rest of the stops for the Haunted Blog Tour here!

Teaser Tuesday (32)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is my teaser:



"We had no choice. We ran into the darkness of the early morning, leaving behind the last physical links to our family and the life we'd lived together just a year ago."


p. 23 (e-ARC) from STARTERS by Lissa Price

Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

CINDER
By: Marissa Meyer
Published By: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: Jan. 3, 2012
Series: Lunar Chronicles (#1)
Pages: 387
Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl... Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.



When I first heard about Cinder, I wasn't sure that it was something I would want to read. Cinderella meets cyborgs? It seemed a little out there. But after hearing so many good things about it, I decided to give this book a chance, and I am so glad that I did. Cinder is an incredibly inventive spin on a fairy tale and one that will keep you captivated from beginning to end.

Cinder is one of the most well-respected mechanics in New Beijing, but she also has a secret - she's a cyborg. She does everything she can to hide this from others, including always wearing gloves and boots in the market. Her family knows the truth, though, and her stepmother constantly uses Cinder's nature against her. But things begin to change the day that Prince Kai comes to the market. Because not only does Prince Kai come, but also the deadly plague that is sweeping the country strikes those near to Cinder. When her stepmother blames Cinder for her sister's illness, Cinder finds herself handed over to the government to be a research subject for an antidote to the plague. But everyone involved in that research will learn more than they bargained for. And on top of everything else, Cinder's struggles with her family and the plague research, there's still the matter of the prince and the ball...

Cinder is nothing like your usual fairy tale retelling. The basic tenets of Cinderella are there - the wicked stepmother, stepsisters, a prince, a ball - but the similarities end there. Cinderella was merely a starting point for Marissa Meyer; she expanded the tale into something new and wonderful all on its own. I really enjoyed Cinder's character, cyborg nature and all. Then again, I really enjoyed all of the characters (wicked stepmother and stepsister aside - those two I wanted to strangle). And Iko, even if she was an android, was such a great best friend. I loved how this story had multiple layers, encompassing not only Cinder's struggle with her family and the plague research but also political crises and the hardships that Prince Kai had to endure. Because Prince Kai...who wouldn't want a prince like that? He loved his people and was so dedicated to doing what was best for them. From family tragedy to political unrest he had to deal with more than any teenager should. And yet, with his kindness, he completely won my heart just like a real prince should.

There are many surprising twists and turns along Cinder and Kai's respective journeys, though one important plot twist is fairly obvious early on in the story. Despite that, the many layers and especially the sci-fi elements kept me intrigued and made it nearly impossible to put this book down. The only thing I did wonder about was the setting - it seemed that New Beijing could have just as easily have been any other city if the Chinese names and appellations had been omitted. Because I love foreign settings, I was slightly disappointed by the lack of vivid setting, but everything else in the book more than makes up for that.

Cinder is a great debut novel from Marissa Meyer and one that will keep you turning the pages because you just have to know what happens next. I can't wait to read the next book in the Lunar Chronicles!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. Each week we will share the books we have just finished reading, are currently reading, and are planning to read.



Just Finished Reading:
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Wither by Lauren DiStefano

Currently Reading:
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (Book Club)

Planning To Read:
Starters by Lissa Price
Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard



What are you reading this week?

In My Mailbox (31)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that was started by Kristi at The Story Siren with some inspiration from Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. It features books or book-related things that have been bought, borrowed, won, or received in the mail. Be sure to check out The Story Siren for a list of all the other blogs participating!



Bought:



13 to Life by Shannon Delaney
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green



Weekly Recap:

February Book Portrait: The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison (Interview and Giveaway)

Review: The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Monday Reads
Teaser Tuesday: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Top Ten Tuesday
Waiting on Wednesday: Mirage by Kristi Cook
Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday



What books did you get this week? Please leave a comment or link to your own IMM post!

Follow Friday (31)

Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Allison Can Read. Visit either of their blogs for complete rules of the following fun!

This week's question:

"Activity!!! Take a picture or describe where you love to read the most..."

My answer is going to be kind of boring...my favorite place to read is in my bed, surrounded by lots of pillows and snuggled under a blanket. It's very comfy!



What are your answers? Please leave a comment or a link to your blog!

Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

GRAFFITI MOON
By: Cath Crowley
Published By: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: Feb. 14, 2012
Series: None
Pages: 272
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Netgalley
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.



This book had me intrigued before I even opened the pages. From the great cover to the synopsis, Graffiti Moon seemed like it could be a very sweet book with a great love story. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.

Lucy has been admiring Shadow's graffiti for a long time, but more than that, she admires him. She knows that whoever is behind this beautiful artwork has to be the guy for her, and to celebrate her senior year being over, she is determined to find him. Her friends, however, have other plans for her - plans that include going to a party with Ed, a guy with whom she had an awful date a while back. Lucy agrees to go along with her friends as long as they still look for Shadow. As luck would have it, Ed is friends with Shadow and offers to help Lucy find him. Together they explore the city, finding some of Shadow's best work and talking as though their bad date had never happened. But what Lucy doesn't know is how many secrets are between them...and all good things must come to an end...

Let me begin by saying that I think I am in the minority when it comes to reactions to this book. Even though it had it's good points, I had more issues with it than I was expecting. It took me a while to get into this book. What I considered to be a major plot point was revealed fairly early (read: in the first ten pages), and that threw me off a bit. Beyond that, though, not much happened in the first third of the book. However, during the setup, a lot of the dialogue was hard to follow, forcing me to reread passages several times to determine who was saying what. And although I did like Ed and could sympathize with him, I found it difficult to connect with the other characters.

What kept me reading this book (because I did consider putting it down) was Crowley's writing style. She used some beautiful imagery, and I enjoyed seeing how Shadow's graffiti translated into Poet's words and then into Lucy's interpretation. I also liked the extra poems that were interspersed with the chapters of Ed and Lucy's point of view. Yet even though I did finish the book and liked the ending, I never felt the connection to the story that I was hoping for.

As I said before, I am in the minority with my feelings about this book. Though Graffiti Moon didn't meet my expectations, I wouldn't discount reading something by Cath Crowley in the future for her writing style alone. For other opinions of this book, I suggest checking out these reviews from Ginger at GReads! and Tara at Fiction Folio.

"Waiting on" Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



This week's selection is:

MIRAGE
By: Kristi Cook
Published By: Simon Pulse
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Preorder the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Seventeen-year-old Violet McKenna is back for her senior year at Winterhaven, and thrilled to be with Aidan after a long summer apart. But when a violent and disturbing vision begins to haunt her, Violet suddenly feels unsure of everything: who to trust, if she is in danger, and—worst of all—whether she and Aidan are really meant to be together.



Why it's wanted:
I loved Haven and can't wait to read more of the story! Besides, with a cover like that, you know the book has to be good and interesting.

Teaser Tuesday (31)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is my teaser:



"'Mission accomplished,' I whispered. Then I turned, knowing it was time to go back to the world where I could be invisible, but never unknown.

And that's when I saw him - a boy across the street - seeing me."


p. 77 from I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter

Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Top Ten Tuesday (14)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there will be a new topic and a new list to make. Be sure to stop by the host blog to see all of the other blogs participating!



This week's topic:
Top Ten Books I'd Quickly Save If My House Was Going To Be Abducted By Aliens (Or Any Other Disaster)

I'm going to have to cheat a little bit on this list. There are so many books I'd want to save, but honestly, most of them could be replaced. So, as far as books go that can't be so easily replaced, I'd want to save a lot of my signed books. But since I have too many of those, I'll only list a few here, those that have a special message in them:

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
2. Illegal by Bettina Restrepo
3. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
4. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
5. Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
6. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
7. Where She Went by Gayle Forman
8. Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

And now, the dorky moment for this post: Book 9 would be as many of my organ and choral scores as I could possibly grab. I'd hate to lose all of my music with all of my markings...probably even more than I would hate to lose my books.

And finally, I would take my Book of Common Prayer and my first Bible.



What made your Top Ten list? Please leave a comment or link to your blog!

Review: The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

THE BUTTERFLY CLUES
By: Kate Ellison
Published By: Egmont USA
Release Date: Feb. 14, 2012
Series: None
Pages: 336
Genre: Mystery
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Netgalley
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place--possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.

But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"--a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind.

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined--a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.



I'll admit it - I first wanted to read this book because of the cover alone. In a sea of books with covers full of pretty girls in elegant dresses, this book stood out. (In fact, I did a whole feature on this book because of its cover - you can see that here.) However, once I started reading, it became clear that this book stood out for many more reasons, including great writing and an engrossing story.

If Penelope "Lo" Marin had to be described in one word, it would be this: obsessive. She collects beautiful trinkets, stealing them when she has to, and arranging them all just so in her room. She suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder and feels an urge to tap and whisper to herself (in multiples of three, of course) to make everything alright. And finally, when she learns that a young girl named Sapphire has been murdered when it was almost her instead, Lo won't rest until she finds out who the murderer is. However, finding the murderer takes Lo to a new world, an area of the city known as Neverland. There Lo meets Flynt, a street artist who has the possibility of becoming so much more than just a tour guide. Even with Flynt's help, tracking a murderer isn't easy, despite her clues. But these clues could reveal more to her than she ever imagined...

I know what you're thinking - another murder mystery that can be easily solved. Think again. The Butterfly Clues might be a mystery, but it is more than that: It is truly a story of the characters. Almost everyone that we meet has their own story to tell, and I love that we get to learn them all through Lo's memory and investigation even if we don't meet them directly. Lo herself is such a memorable character. Not only is she forced to deal with constant relocation and the death of a sibling, but also she suffers from OCD; I'm sure I will remember her constant "tap, tap, tap, banana" for a long time. Because Lo is on her own and an outcast, she views the world differently, and this was refreshing to read. I also loved getting to know Sapphire. Her journal entries added so much to the story, making my heart break for her and for her life cut short. Finally there is Flynt...but I think I will leave you to find out for yourself about him.

Even though Lo's OCD habits took some adjusting to and the mystery could be predicted, there were definitely still surprises. Beyond that, though, the story was very well-written with both wonderful descriptions and insights. The dark, seedy world of this book came to life and made me fear for Lo's safety, and yet the characters and their stories were still moving. The mystery might be solved, but the characters' lives weren't, and I would have loved to know what the future had in store for them.

The Butterfly Clues was a fantastic debut novel from Kate Ellison, providing just what you would want in a murder mystery and more. I'll look forward to reading more from this author!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. Each week we will share the books we have just finished reading, are currently reading, and are planning to read.



Just Finished Reading:
The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Currently Reading:
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (Book Club)

Planning To Read:
Wither by Lauren DiStefano
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith



What are you reading this week?

In My Mailbox (30)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that was started by Kristi at The Story Siren with some inspiration from Alea at Pop Culture Junkie. It features books or book-related things that have been bought, borrowed, won, or received in the mail. Be sure to check out The Story Siren for a list of all the other blogs participating!



Bought:



I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover by Ally Carter
Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand



Weekly Recap:

February Book Portrait: The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison (Interview and Giveaway)

Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
Review: Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Monday Reads
Teaser Tuesday: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
Top Ten Tuesday
Waiting on Wednesday: Shadows Cast by Stars by Catherine Knutsson
Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday



What books did you get this week? Please leave a comment or link to your own IMM post!