Friday, January 31, 2020

Discussion: How I Feel About Self Indulgence


This Week’s Topic:
How I Feel About Self Indulgence


I constantly lament my lack of free time, and therefore, authors who waste my time inserting things into a book, that have no place in the plot frustrate me. It's not that I don't get that it's THEIR art, and they can do what they want. I'm just saying, that I don't care for it.

Thursday, January 30, 2020

#AmReading YA


I am thinking of calling this the "difficult to properly express my thoughts" edition. Everyone knows sequels are tricky to review, but the standalone was no walk in the park either. I have to be a little vague, because I cannot bring myself to spoil it! So, this is me, apologizing in advance, if I seem a little evasive in the reviews below. 

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Can't Wait Wednesday!


Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am combining CWW with Books From the Backlog hosted by Carole at Carole's Random Life in Books. This will allow me to feature some newly "rediscovered" books, which I plan on reading, alongside a new release.

This week I can't wait for:

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Getting Personal

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Getting Personal!

This week is a cover freebie, and I wanted to focus on covers featuring people. I remember having a long debate with my daughter about covers, and she doesn't tend to like covers that feature people. She allows, that it is ok, as long as there are no full faces, such as people turned around or in profile. I am not sure where I stand on that whole issue, but I have liked lots of covers, which showed people, both illustrated and photographed - some with faces, some without. I think I can be initially drawn to a cover, because it is simply attractive, but I tend to really like, or even love, a cover after I have read the book, because I tend to understand or connect to it more. Anyhow, here are some favorites from the past year featuring people.

Monday, January 27, 2020

In a Nutshell Reviews: YA Edition


In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

Friday, January 24, 2020

Blog Tour: Echoes Between Us - Katie McGarry


Echoes Between Us
Katie McGarry
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Tor Teen
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Acclaimed author Katie McGarry's breakout teen novel about a girl with everything to lose and the boy who will do anything to save her A girl with nothing to live for and a boy with everything to lose:

Veronica sees ghosts—more specifically, her mother’s ghost. The afterimages of blinding migraines that consumes her whole life and keeps Veronica on the fringes. But the haunting makes her wonder if there is something more going on….

Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but this All-American is hiding an adrenaline addiction that could kill him. Drawn to each other after a chance meeting, can they help each other battle the demons that haunt their every step or will they push their luck too far and risk losing it all…including their lives?

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Blog Tour: The Hand on the Wall - Maureen Johnson


The Hand on the Wall
Maureen Johnson
Series: Truly Devious, #3
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson delivers the witty and pulse-pounding conclusion to the Truly Devious series as Stevie Bell solves the mystery that has haunted Ellingham Academy for over 75 years.

Ellingham Academy must be cursed. Three people are now dead. One, a victim of either a prank gone wrong or a murder. Another, dead by misadventure. And now, an accident in Burlington has claimed another life. All three in the wrong place at the wrong time. All at the exact moment of Stevie’s greatest triumph . . .

She knows who Truly Devious is. She’s solved it. The greatest case of the century.

At least, she thinks she has. With this latest tragedy, it’s hard to concentrate on the past. Not only has someone died in town, but David disappeared of his own free will and is up to something. Stevie is sure that somehow—somehow—all these things connect. The three deaths in the present. The deaths in the past. The missing Alice Ellingham and the missing David Eastman. Somewhere in this place of riddles and puzzles there must be answers.

Then another accident occurs as a massive storm heads toward Vermont. This is too much for the parents and administrators. Ellingham Academy is evacuated. Obviously, it’s time for Stevie to do something stupid. It’s time to stay on the mountain and face the storm—and a murderer.

In the tantalizing finale to the Truly Devious trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson expertly tangles her dual narrative threads and ignites an explosive end for all who’ve walked through Ellingham Academy.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Can't Wait Wednesday!


Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am combining CWW with Books From the Backlog hosted by Carole at Carole's Random Life in Books. This will allow me to feature some newly "rediscovered" books, which I plan on reading, alongside a new release.

This week I can't wait for:

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Recently Added

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Recently Added!

I sort of always share my stacking the shelves via my Sunday Post. I cannot really remember the last time I added a physical book. I think I won one last year, but I sent it to a blogger in Puerto Rico for her classroom. Therefore, I want to talk about books I've added to my TBR, since I sort of just do that (a LOT) on the DL.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Blog Tour: Tweet Cute - Emma Lord


Tweet Cute
Emma Lord
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Purchase
Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming — mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account. 

  Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time. 

  All’s fair in love and cheese — that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life — on an anonymous chat app Jack built. 

  As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate — people on the internet are shipping them?? — their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Blog Tour: Finding Mr. Better-Than-You - Shani Petroff


Finding Mr. Better-Than-You 
Shani Petroff
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Camryn has been dating Marc FOREVER—since freshman year! She dropped out of volleyball to go to all his games, switched her schedule around to be in his favorite class, and has been busting her butt to get into Columbia so they can go to the same college. So when Marc suddenly, and very publicly, breaks up with her a week into their senior year so that he can date the new transfer student, she’s absolutely devastated.

But why be sad, when you can get even? Inspired by her favorite movies, Camryn decides that the best revenge is a Senior Year well lived, starring a boy who is ever so much better than her ex. With a little help from her friends, Cam is going to have the Best. Senior. Year. Ever.

Or else!

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Can't Wait Wednesday!


Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am combining CWW with Books From the Backlog hosted by Carole at Carole's Random Life in Books. This will allow me to feature some newly "rediscovered" books, which I plan on reading, alongside a new release.

This week I can't wait for:

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Debuts of 2019

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Best Debuts of 2019!

Every year, I make an effort to read debuts. I have talked about how I like to say I knew them first, but I also like to expand my list of must-read authors. 2019 was a bonanza for me! I found so many new author to shower with my book-love, and I am eager to read more from each and everyone of these authors. I read about 50 debuts in 2019, and her are 10 of my favorite from YA authors.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Blog Tour: Every Other Weekend - Abigail Johnson


Every Other Weekend
Abigail Johnson
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
What if your safe place…is a person?

Adam Moynihan’s life used to be awesome. Straight As, close friends and a home life so perfect that it could have been a TV show straight out of the 50s. Then his oldest brother died. Now his fun-loving mom cries constantly, he and his remaining brother can’t talk without fighting, and the father he always admired proved himself a coward by moving out when they needed him most.

Jolene Timber’s life is nothing like the movies she loves—not the happy ones anyway. As an aspiring director, she should know, because she’s been reimagining her life as a film ever since she was a kid. With her divorced parents at each other’s throats and using her as a pawn, no amount of mental reediting will give her the love she’s starving for.

Forced to spend every other weekend in the same apartment building, the boy who thinks forgiveness makes him weak and the girl who thinks love is for fools begin an unlikely friendship. The weekends he dreaded and she endured soon become the best part of their lives. But when one’s life begins to mend while the other’s spirals out of control, they realize that falling in love while surrounded by its demise means nothing is ever guaranteed.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Blog Tour: Throw Like a Girl - Sarah Henning


Throw Like a Girl
Sarah Henning
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Poppy
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Friday Night Lights meets Morgan Matson's The Unexpected Everything in this contemporary debut where swoonworthy romance meets underdog sports story.

When softball star Liv Rodinsky throws one ill-advised punch during the most important game of the year, she loses her scholarship to her fancy private school, her boyfriend, and her teammates all in one fell swoop. With no other options, Liv is forced to transfer to the nearest public school, Northland, where she'll have to convince their coach she deserves a spot on the softball team, all while facing both her ex and the teammates of the girl she punched... Every. Single. Day.

Enter Grey, the injured star quarterback with amazing hair and a foolproof plan: if Liv joins the football team as his temporary replacement, he'll make sure she gets a spot on the softball team in the Spring. But it will take more than the perfect spiral for Liv to find acceptance in Northland's halls, and behind that charming smile, Grey may not be so perfect after all.

With well-drawn characters and a charming quarterback love interest who's got brains as well as brawn, Throw Like a Girl will have readers swooning from the very first page.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Discussion: Why Punish Yourself?


This Week’s Topic:
Why Punish Yourself?


I always like looking through my Goodreads feed to see what everyone is reading and whatnot, and I noticed a bunch of updates from a blogger I follow, which really caught my attention. She rated the first book in a series 1-star, but then I saw she continued the series. Not surprisingly, she also rated each subsequent book quite low. Several days later, over on Twitter, I saw a blogger asking, pretty much, the same question I am asking - why punish yourself?

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Can't Wait Wednesday!


Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am combining CWW with Books From the Backlog hosted by Carole at Carole's Random Life in Books. This will allow me to feature some newly "rediscovered" books, which I plan on reading, alongside a new release.

This week I can't wait for:

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Top Ten Tuesday: Looking Forward to in 2020 - Adult Edition

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Looking Forward To in 2020!

It seems my 2020 TBR has grown since my post last week, where I shared the YA books I am looking forward to in 2020. This shelf does not only house YA book, there are also many adult books I am looking forward to, and today, I will share 10 of those picks with you. Many of these are from authors I have read and LOVED, a few are adult debuts by some of my favorite YA authors, while others are just books that sound perfect for me.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Five Star Friday: December 2019



On the first Friday of each month, I will share my five-star reads from the previous month. Fingers crossed, I have lots of books to tell you about.

December was a great month! I was able to get ahead on my ARC reading (miracles do happen!), and finish my reading challenges (In your FACE, 50 States. I did it!). I read 37 books, and added another 5 books to my 5-star shelf.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Blog Tour: Loveboat, Taipei - Abigail Hing Wen


Loveboat, Taipei
Abigail Hing Wen
Series: Loveboat, Taipei, #1
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
For fans of Crazy Rich Asians or Jane Austen Comedy of Manners, with a hint of La La Land

When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.

Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.

Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Can't Wait Wednesday!


Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I am combining CWW with Books From the Backlog hosted by Carole at Carole's Random Life in Books. This will allow me to feature some newly "rediscovered" books, which I plan on reading, alongside a new release.

This week I can't wait for: