A Quick Update

Since it's Wednesday, I just wanted to update you guys quickly and say that I won't be doing Waiting on Wednesday posts anymore.

The thing is, sometimes I don't look into new releases for awhile. Sometimes I am not excited enough about any releases I know about, to feature them on the blog. And this leads to me feeling like I have to post about an upcoming release every single week, so I search Goodreads until I find something. At that point, I'm not even excited about the "something" that I find. I'm just glad my search is over and I have a post.

I don't have any plans for Wednesdays yet. Lately it's been difficult finding topics to discuss on Thursdays and Fridays, which are my other "free" blogging days. (AKA days when I'm not posting reviews or weekly memes.)

This kind of brings me to my next discussion: I'm going to attempt to be a more relaxed blogger from now on. The concept still freaks me out a little, like ... what do you mean I don't have to post every week day??

But I don't. I don't have to keep weekly posts like this around just to fill up space. Nothing on this blog should be here for that purpose. It should be here because it's something I am honestly excited about and want to share with you guys.

I might take the blogging down to say, three or four posts a week -- which is still great. It's still consistent and it still takes effort on my part, just hopefully not stress.

So, yeah, I'm still going to blog about upcoming releases I'm excited about. It'll just be in more of a discussion post format, and it will be less often. I'll also still blog consistently. I just won't pressure myself so much to get a post up every single day.

I'm going to cut this off here, because it doesn't look so much like the "quick update" I promised anymore. But let me know what you guys think -- will you miss Waiting on Wednesday posts? Do you even read them? Are they a part of your own blog?

Waiting on Wednesday

I always say I want to read more diversely, but sometimes (many times) that does not happen and I fall back on the same old books - I stick to contemporary YA with straight white characters the majority of the time. I read about mental illnesses fairly often, but they're usually the same ones - eating disorders, anxiety, depression.

So, I am excited about this book. It's different from what I normally read. I have never read about a character who is intersex, and that will change.

This book comes out on April 7, 2015. It can be found on Goodreads here.

Goodreads Synopsis: A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she's intersex . . . and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between.

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned--something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

Waiting on Wednesday

I'm not a huge reader of non-fiction. It's not that I don't want to be - I just honestly have no idea where to start! A lot of popular non-fiction books just don't interest me.

I have watched Carrie's videos on Youtube for quite some time now, so when I heard she was releasing a book, and that it was non-fiction, I thought it would be a good thing for me to pick up.

The book comes out on May 14, 2015. It can be found on Goodreads here.

Goodreads Synopsis: We all know that growing up is hard to do, and sometimes the only thing that makes it better are the reassuring words of someone who has walked that bumpy road just a few steps ahead of you and somehow ended up as a fully-functioning adult. Carrie Hope Fletcher is that person.* Thanks to her phenomenally popular YouTube videos, Carrie has become an 'honorary big sister' to hundreds of thousands of young people who turn to her for advice, friendship and, most of all, the knowledge that things will get better.

Carrie has created a safe and positive space for young people to connect and share their hopes and concerns online, and now she will share her most personal thoughts and experiences in her first book, ALL I KNOW NOW. Part memoir, part advice guide, it will include Carrie's thoughts on some of the topics she's asked about most regularly: bullying, body image, relationships and perhaps the scariest question of all: what does the future hold for me? With warmth, wit and a sprinkling of hard-won wisdom, Carrie will provide the essential tools for growing up gracefully . . . most of the time.

*Although she did recently post a video about how to pee in a onesie. So the definition of 'adult' is a bit flexible here . . . 

Waiting on Wednesday

Isn't this such a pretty cover? I love the blue, and the clouds and birds, and the font ... It caught my eye right away, and then I found out it was about a girl with an eating disorder and felt even more interested. I can't wait for this one! It releases on July 7th.

You can find it on Goodreads here.

Goodreads Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Stevie is trapped. In her life. In her body. And now in an eating-disorder treatment center on the dusty outskirts of the New Mexico desert.

Life in the center is regimented and intrusive, a nightmare come true. Nurses and therapists watch Stevie at mealtime, accompany her to the bathroom, and challenge her to eat the foods she’s worked so hard to avoid.

Her dad has signed her up for sixty days of treatment. But what no one knows is that Stevie doesn't plan to stay that long. There are only twenty-seven days until the anniversary of her brother Josh’s death—the death she caused. And if Stevie gets her way, there are only twenty-seven days until she too will end her life.

In this emotionally haunting and beautifully written young adult debut, Meg Haston delves into the devastating impact of trauma and loss, while posing the question: Why are some consumed by their illness while others embark on a path toward recovery?

Waiting on Wednesday

I found this book on Netgalley and it really seems like my type of book. It's a novel in verse (I LOVE those) and I really like the concept as well. A good girl falls for a bad boy, only to find that she can't change him and has entered a relationship that is harmful to herself. It comes out on April 8th, which is WAY too long of a wait - I hope I'm accepted for a review copy instead!

You can find the book on Goodreads here.

Goodreads Synopsis: When a good girl falls for a bad boy

She thought she loved him. She thought she could change him. She thought if she just believed in him enough, his cheating and his drugs and his lying would stop, and she'd be his and he'd be hers and they'd love each other forever.

But for Samantha Henderson, X-the boy she will not name-is trouble. He's older, edgier, bohemian . . . and when he starts paying attention to Sam, she can't resist him. Samantha's family and friends try to warn her, but still she stays with him, risking her future and everything that really matters.

As moody and vivid as it is captivating, Dating Down is told in scenes and bursts of poetry that create a story filled with hurt, healing, and hope.

Waiting on Wednesday

First of all, isn't this cover gorgeous? I cannot get over how beautiful it is. The colors are awesome, the font is pretty - it's all just wonderful.

Also, it sounds like it might be a road trip book! Those are always perfect for spring and especially summer, and it's coming out around that time - on April 21st.

The Goodreads Synopsis: A page-turning, evocative novel for fans of THIRTEEN REASONS WHY and SPEAK, about a girl who must follow a trail of mysterious clues to discover what happened to her sister.

Sisters Leo and Paris Hollings have only ever had each other to rely on. They can’t trust their mother, who hops from city to city and from guy to guy, or their gambler stepfather, who’s moved them all to Las Vegas. It’s just the two of them: Paris, who’s always been the dreamer, and Leo, who has a real future in mind—going to Stanford, becoming a doctor, falling in love.

But Leo isn’t going anywhere yet… until Paris ditches her at the Heartbreak Hotel Diner, where moments before they had been talking with physics student Max Sullivan. Outside, Leo finds a cryptic note from Paris—a clue. Is it some kind of game? Where is Paris, and why has she disappeared?

When Leo reluctantly accepts Max’s offer of help, the two find themselves following a string of clues through Vegas and beyond. But the search for the truth is a not a straight line. And neither is the path to secrets Leo and Max hold tightly.

Waiting On Wednesday

I was SUPER excited when I found out this was happening. It's been awhile since I finished the Princess Diaries series, but I'm more than ready for another book. Honestly, this would have been my pick weeks ago if it had a cover back then!

This one comes out July 2, 2015.

The Goodreads Summary: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Diaries series, comes the very first adult installment, which follows Princess Mia and her Prince Charming as they plan their fairy tale wedding--but a few poisoned apples could turn this happily-ever-after into a royal nightmare.

For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements. Mia's gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn't need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui.

But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother's leaked "fake" wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia's father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone--especially herself--that she's not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?

Waiting on Wednesday

I've already heard some good things about this book, and it seems like such a cool concept! It releases April 21st, and I'm already so excited for it.

Goodreads synopsis: When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.

After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all. 

Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake.

Waiting on Wednesday

It finally has a cover! I'm a bit unsure about this book - it's the first in a new series about Mia's long lost half-sister. I think I'm either going to love it or be let down, but I loved The Princess Diaries, so I'll definitely be giving this a try. It'll be fun to get back into the world, as well as Meg Cabot's writing!

Here's the (super short!) synopsis from Goodreads: In FROM THE NOTEBOOKS OF A MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCESS a new middle grade series, readers will see Genovia, this time through the illustrated diaries of a spunky new heroine, 12 year old Olivia Grace, who happens to be the long lost half-sister of Princess Mia Thermopolis.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. It's a weekly event where bloggers share a book release they are excited about.

Kissing Ted Callahan (And Other Guys) by Amy Spalding

Goodreads Summary: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist meets Easy A in this hilariously realistic story of sneaking out, making out, and playing in a band.

After catching their bandmates in a compromising position, sixteen-year-old Los Angelenos Riley and Reid become painfully aware of the romance missing from their own lives. And so a pact is formed: they'll both try to make something happen with their respective crushes and document the experiences in a shared notebook.

While Reid struggles with the moral dilemma of adopting a dog to win over someone's heart, Riley tries to make progress with Ted Callahan, who she's been obsessed with forever-His floppy hair! His undeniable intelligence! But suddenly cute guys are popping up everywhere. How did she never notice them before?! With their love lives going from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye, Riley and Reid realize the results of their pact may be more than they bargained for.