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.

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

Goodreads Summary: New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a gripping story about two sisters inexorably altered by a terrible accident.

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

Top Ten Tuesday

Here is the link to the Top Ten Tuesday information from The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Top Ten Characters You Wish Would Get Their OWN Book. I'm interested in seeing if I can even come up with ten of these, but we'll see!

1. Sloane from Since You've Been Gone

I loved seeing Emily's character develop, but there was so much to Sloane's character that wasn't discovered until the end of the book. She seems complex and the end leaves so much room for a sequel in her point of view anyway - I would really love to see that happen.

2. Jonas's Dad from The Giver

I read every sequel wondering what happened to the community after the events of this book. (See how much I'm trying to avoid spoilers here?) I would really like to see a sequel with this setting that takes place after book one, and for reasons that happen in future books, I think Jonas's dad would be the most complex/likeable character to finish the story.

3. Maddie's Dad from Awaken

Apparently I just want to hear from all the dads! But really, if I had to choose anyone on this list to hear from it would be him. He proved to be so complex and even a novella in his point of view would be interesting.

Only three? I've been through my entire 'read' shelf on Goodreads and this is still all I can come up with. I guess the problem is that I read a lot of contemporary, and if there are interesting side characters they usually DO get their own novel. 

Anyway, let me know what you think of the short list, and let me know who's on yours! Maybe I forgot somebody?

Judging Books by Covers #3

Today I've decided to tease us all with 2015 releases. These are all books I'm anxiously awaiting, because I judged them by their covers long before their release dates!

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

The colors on this one are just too pretty. That sky is gorgeous and the font is just perfect. This one comes out on March 31st, so we still have quite some waiting to do!

Even When You Lie to Me by Jessica Alcott

I really love the chalkboard and how well the font matches. The smeared background chalk is really cool and doesn't overshadow the title font, and I like the little teeny pieces of chalk sitting on the bottom as well. This one releases on June 9th.

The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne

 The different fonts come together so nicely here. I like the city silhouette at the bottom and the pink and orange colors. Everything about this is just so cute! It releases a bit earlier than the others, on March 17th.

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.

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler

Goodreads Summary: Sometimes, there are no words…

The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.

Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life.

When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . .

Top Ten Tuesday

Here is the link to the Top Ten Tuesday information from The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Top Ten Books I Want To Reread. I'm sticking to five books this week, because rereads are pretty rare for me.

 

1. My True Love Gave to Me

This is actually my most recent read, but I can already see myself bringing this book out every year. It's perfect for winter, especially because it's a short story collection - so it would be easy to read one or two, even if I didn't have time for the whole book.

2. Ghosting by Edith Pattou 

I read this book earlier this year and loved it. It really surprised me, because I didn't expect to love it quite so much - but I will definitely be rereading in the future.

3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

This book quickly became a favorite of mine. I really connected to the characters and the story, and I feel like I could read it again and again. 

4. Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith

I read this first book awhile back and immediately continued the series, but only read half of the second book. I was definitely enjoying it, but other books caught my attention that I was more in the mood for. I would like to do a quick reread before continuing with the series.

5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I read this for class, but I always get more out of books if I read them on my own time.

November Plans

Hey guys! I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I am slowly trying to get back into this blog. As we move into November, I want to let you guys know what I'm planning for the next month.

As some of you probably know, NaNoWriMo takes place in November. For this reason, I've been scheduling posts these past couple weeks of October and trying to pull the blog together so that it can stand on it's own for a month while I write in my every moment of free time in November.

That said, I'm going to try to keep up with the blog, but reviews will probably be scarce. I'm just not reading enough to post two reviews every week like I did in the past. Also, at least for this month - maybe longer, because it's working a TON better for me - many of my posts will be weekly events such as Top Ten Tuesday and Waiting on Wednesday, etc.

If I do have the time/motivation to blog in November, it will be a pre-scheduling of December posts. I'm determined to get and stay ahead, even if it means less reviews than I'd like - sticking to a review schedule really stressed me out and made reading seem mandatory, which isn't what I want.

Anyway, I hope you guys have a great November. I hope you enjoy the posts I've been working on and that I don't disappoint in my scheduling and such. And if you're also a writer participating in NaNoWriMo, I wish you luck with your novels!

Book Review: Loop by Karen Akins

Quick Facts

My Rating: 4 stars

Series: Loop #1

Date Read: October 29, 2014

Source: Free review copy from Netgalley

Publication Date: October 21, 2014

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Genres: Young adult, science fiction, romance

Summary (taken from Goodreads): At a school where Quantum Paradox 101 is a required course and history field trips are literal, sixteen year-old time traveler Bree Bennis excels…at screwing up.

After Bree botches a solo midterm to the 21st century by accidentally taking a boy hostage (a teensy snafu), she stands to lose her scholarship. But when Bree sneaks back to talk the kid into keeping his yap shut, she doesn’t go back far enough. The boy, Finn, now three years older and hot as a solar flare, is convinced he’s in love with Bree, or rather, a future version of her that doesn’t think he’s a complete pain in the arse. To make matters worse, she inadvertently transports him back to the 23rd century with her. 

Once home, Bree discovers that a recent rash of accidents at her school are anything but accidental. Someone is attacking time travelers. As Bree and her temporal tagalong uncover seemingly unconnected clues—a broken bracelet, a missing data file, the art heist of the millennium—that lead to the person responsible, she alone has the knowledge to piece the puzzle together. Knowledge only one other person has. Her future self.

But when those closest to her become the next victims, Bree realizes the attacker is willing to do anything to stop her. In the past, present, or future. 

Review

This was a great read, but it wasn't perfect. At the same time, I couldn't tell you why something felt off to me - just that it did. It did take some time for the main character, Bree, to grow on me, and that might have been part of the problem.

What I do know is that this book was full of twists and turns. I anticipated some of them, but some were absolutely unpredictable and I loved that feeling of not knowing what would happen next. Finn was an amazing character and so understanding - he was one of the highlights of this one.

Time travel doesn't usually work for me in books - I am usually interested in the plots in theory, but don't actually enjoy them while written. This might have been another aspect that made the book a bit awkward for me going in - but I'm definitely glad that I picked it up despite my usual feelings. Time travel was handled so, so well here. Things were described well and they made sense, and combined with the mystery aspect that made for a wonderful story.

I can definitely say that I recommend this one, especially to those looking for a fun read. Despite the serious things happening in this book - Bree's struggles with her mother, especially - it really did read as light-hearted and fun to me, with the fast pacing and plot twists. Overall, I really enjoyed it.