Showing posts with label Margaret K. McElderry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Margaret K. McElderry. Show all posts
Monday, February 15, 2021
Thursday, August 20, 2020
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post
Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Top Ten Tuesday: Highly Rated
Highly Rated!
Once again, I am going off topic. This is something I have been seeing around the blogosphere, and I have been wanting to do for quite a while.
I went to my YA read-shelf, and looked at books with the highest average ratings (for books with over 500 reviews). I was curious as to how my rating compared to the average, and this is what I found.
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:
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Can't-Wait Wednesday: Queen of Air and Darkness - Cassandra Clare
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week I can't wait for
Queen of Air and Darkness !
Queen of Air and Darkness !
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Top Ten Tuesday: In It For the Long Haul
In it for the Long Haul!
This week we are talking about those long books we've read. In all honesty, the longest book I've read is the Bible, but I am going to stick to my fiction books for this list. I read primarily contemporaries these days, which don't tend to be super long, but I tag in for an SFF book every now and again, and those are the books that pretty much dominate this list.
Sunday, July 29, 2018
Sundays with Sam - The Sunday Post
Sundays with Sam is a combination of Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Top Ten Tuesday: What Comes Next!
What Comes Next!
So, that's vague, right? What I am eluding to are sequels I can't wait to read. Many of these are continue stories, where previous books left me hanging or were just set in worlds I can't get enough of. Whatever the reason, I am really happy, that the authors have graced me with additional books.
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Blog Tour: Tradition - Brendan Kiely
Brendan Kiely
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Prestigious. Powerful. Privileged. This is Fullbrook Academy, an elite prep school where history looms in the leafy branches over its brick walkways. But some traditions upheld in its hallowed halls are profoundly dangerous.
Jules Devereux just wants to keep her head down, avoid distractions, and get into the right college, so she can leave Fullbrook and its old-boy social codes behind. She wants freedom, but ex-boyfriends and ex-best friends are determined to keep her in place.
Jamie Baxter feels like an imposter at Fullbrook, but the hockey scholarship that got him in has given him a chance to escape his past and fulfill the dreams of his parents and coaches, whose mantra rings in his ears: Don’t disappoint us.
When Jamie and Jules meet, they recognize in each other a similar instinct for survival, but at a school where girls in the student handbook are rated by their looks, athletes stack hockey pucks in dorm room windows like notches on a bedpost, and school-sponsored dances push first year girls out into the night with senior boys, the stakes for safe sex, real love, and true friendship couldn’t be higher.
As Jules and Jamie’s lives intertwine, and the pressures to play by the rules and remain silent about the school’s secrets intensify, they see Fullbrook for what it really is. That tradition, a word Fullbrook hides behind, can be ugly, even violent. Ultimately, Jules and Jamie are faced with the difficult question: can they stand together against classmates—and an institution—who believe they can do no wrong?
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Need in My Grabby Hands - NOW!
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...
This week we are talking about books that we would love to be reading RIGHT NOW, but, like, we don't have them or a time machine so that we could travel forward in time and make them be released. BUT! until then, we have these wishes in our hearts, and will pray to the book gods for approvals, book mail, or Goodreads wins.
Books I Need in My Grabby Hands!
This week we are talking about books that we would love to be reading RIGHT NOW, but, like, we don't have them or a time machine so that we could travel forward in time and make them be released. BUT! until then, we have these wishes in our hearts, and will pray to the book gods for approvals, book mail, or Goodreads wins.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Friday, January 26, 2018
In a Nutshell Reviews: The Dark Side Edition
In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights. I subtitled this one, The Dark Side Edition, because all three of these books deal with heavy topics and are a little darker than my normal fare.
The Last to Let Go
Amber Smith
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Amber Smith
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
How do you let go of something you’ve never had?
Junior year for Brooke Winters is supposed to be about change. She’s transferring schools, starting fresh, and making plans for college so she can finally leave her hometown, her family, and her past behind.
But all of her dreams are shattered one hot summer afternoon when her mother is arrested for killing Brooke’s abusive father. No one really knows what happened that day, if it was premeditated or self-defense, whether it was right or wrong. And now Brooke and her siblings are on their own.
In a year of firsts—the first year without parents, first love, first heartbreak, and her first taste of freedom—Brooke must confront the shadow of her family’s violence and dysfunction, as she struggles to embrace her identity, finds her true place in the world, and learns how to let go.
Monday, January 2, 2017
Best of 2016
As 2016 comes to an end, we decided to reminisce on our favorite releases this year. There have been so many great books, whether they were anticipated sequels, series endings, or new series beginnings. To celebrate these loved releases, (and especially since we were lame and didn't do a list last year), we've decided to share our best of 2016 picks with you!
So, below are the five books I picked for this post, but since no one else wrote down Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, I'd like to give that one a special shout out because it was AMAZING.
Since witches are my favorite paranormal "creatures," I was very excited to read The Graces, and I absolutely loved it. There's something really mesmerizing about the way it's written, with a narrator who hides things from both the reader and herself - in fact, starting from the beginning of the book, we don't know the narrator's real name. This book was so wonderfully creepy and mystical, and I can't wait for the next one.
After loving Illuminae and Gemina, I was really excited to read Nevernight, and it did not disappoint. Summarizing this book as "stab stab stab" is both spot on and completely inaccurate. There is definitely a lot of stabbing and killing (it's a book about assassins, what did you expect), but there's also a lot of other interesting things at play. I really enjoyed the characters and mythology of the world. For more thoughts, you can check out my review here!
How to Hang a Witch
Adriana Mather
How to Hang a Witch, #1
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Goodreads
Another witch book, but extremely different in style! While The Graces is more about a girl trying to join a group, How to Hang a Witch is about a girl who is completely ostracized by the town and hated for her ancestry. This book was such a wild mystery from start to finish, and I really enjoyed it (full review here). I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Tell Me Three Things was one of those books that is just really relatable even if you don't relate to the exact circumstances of the book. There were so many wonderfully written quotes in this book, and I found so much empathy for the main character. This book made me feel all the feels. For more thoughts, check out my full review here!
Scythe
Neal Shusterman
Arc of a Scythe, #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads
I had a feeling I would like Scythe just from looking at it and reading the description, but I didn't expect it to pique my interest as much as it did. Set in a post-mortality world (that's right, people don't die naturally anymore), Scythes "glean" people to keep the population in check. The way the world was built was just so interesting and really said a lot about our society in general. Definitely a great read if you like dystopian books!
Okay, this was super hard because even though I felt like I read negative three things this year I went to narrow my list down and there were like...eight million books I wanted to choose. RIP.
The Unexpected Everything
Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads
I did a full review of this where I basically rambled for 2000 words about Morgan Matson's insane ability to develop characters and define relationships and make a 600 page novel feel like it's flying by because you just care so much. If you haven't read this, it's a fantastic book to get you in a summery mood, and it was definitely one of the strongest books I read this year (and a book I'll be rereading time and time again).
Lady Midnight
Cassandra Clare
The Dark Artifices, #1
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Goodreads
Lady Midnight totally killed me. I didn't think Cassandra Clare could top The Infernal Devices -- the writing was so beautiful and they're set in Victorian England, one of my favorite time periods -- but every single page of this book just unraveled me seam by seam. I honestly can't believe it came out in May because it feels like I've been waiting forever for the second book but it's only been like seven months. Wild. Anyway, you can read my review here and see me freak out!
I read this in July after Kiersten got an ARC for me at BEA, and skimmed through it again in November when writing my review, and both times it blew me away. Nicola Yoon has a gift for wordplay and storytelling, and after giving 5/5 stars to both this book and her debut, Everything, Everything, she's become an author whose works I'll be excitedly anticipating in the future.
A Court of Mist and Fury
Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Goodreads
I'm sure ACOMAF made a host of Best Of 2016 lists this year and there's no reason I should disturb the status quo, right? Seriously, though, this series is the first I've read by Sarah J. Maas and it's blowing me away so far. I'm honestly a little bit afraid of what's to come in the upcoming third book (but not afraid enough to want it any less). Kiersten mentioned when discussing The Graces that witches are her favorite paranormal creature, and faeries are mine (tied with ghosts) and I think Maas does a phenomenal job with her faerie worldbuilding. Kiersten and I did a double review of this book that you can read here if you'd like!
The premise of this novel sounded super intriguing -- a boy with prosopagnosia (face-blindness) and a girl who was once "America's Fattest Teen" -- united through what else but the cruelness of high schoolers. Jack and Libby, the two protagonists, ended up being so complex and so well-written that they leapt off the page (which I mention in my full review, here) and the story was so adorable I know it's one I'll be rereading often.
Tales of the Peculiar
Ransom Riggs
Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children , #0.5
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Goodreads
I am trash and cannot go even one post without mentioning how much I love this series and I feel like this counts as a "bonus" because it's not a novel or anything and I was pressed for space as it was. Anyway, in my review, I explained that this is "to the Miss Peregrine's universe what Grimms' Fairy Tales are to this one." These short stories are so captivating and they're all written in such a fashion that they truly feel like an old, passed-down collection of anecdotes. This was definitely one of my favorite books to be published this year and something I quite enjoy reading often (in order or not).
Literally, what a phenomenal book. The Memory Book twists YA in a way that I've never read before. The premise of this novel is that it is a diary from the narrator to herself. Sammie McCoy has just been diagnosed with a disorder that causes her to completely lose her memory -- forever. The book is so honest and the story is so hard to tell but told so well. If you want to see me ramble on forever about this you can read my full review here.
Has Jodi Picoult ever written anything I haven't loved? Honestly, I don't know how she does it but I always end up with some tears in my eyes flipping through the book as fast as possible so I can find out what happens at the end. The book is about a trial (this is Jodi, what else would you expect) and a nurse and race relations and all the good stuff.
Picking five favorites was a daunting task. 2016 was another great year in reading for me. According to Goodreads,
I went into this book as a solid Bowen fan, however, I was not totally sold. I mean, you don’t read a lot of romance books where the hero is a farmer, but after a few chapters, I was team Griffin all the way. There was just so much to love about this book. A second chance romance, fantastic MCs, so much food, beautiful family bonds, and spectacular descriptions that pulled me right into Vermont. (my review)
First and foremost, this is an epistolary novel. I adored the format, and thought it really enhanced my enjoyment of the story. And talk about #friendshipgoals. I was so jealous of Scott and Cath’s friendship! This one just really warmed my heart and made me so happy. (my review)
This was also one of my early 2016 reads. In fact, I read the BEA ARC, and therefore, it is not quite the same as the finished book, but I just could not bring myself to re-read, when most of the story is still the same. With that said, I loved this book. This was my first Bracken book, and I was quite delighted with the writing. She did such a beautiful job making me feel the emotions of the characters, and the characters were so incredible. (my review)
This one just blew me away, and that is not something easily done by a contemporary novel. The MCs were so special and damaged and I cared so deeply for them. I am getting a case of the feels right now just thinking about it. (my review)
This was one of my first 2016 reads, and it really set the bar high for me. I loved the characters, I loved the world, I loved the story. The ending was so beautiful, that I was left sobbing. So many emotions! (my review)
Kiersten's Picks
So, below are the five books I picked for this post, but since no one else wrote down Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, I'd like to give that one a special shout out because it was AMAZING.
Since witches are my favorite paranormal "creatures," I was very excited to read The Graces, and I absolutely loved it. There's something really mesmerizing about the way it's written, with a narrator who hides things from both the reader and herself - in fact, starting from the beginning of the book, we don't know the narrator's real name. This book was so wonderfully creepy and mystical, and I can't wait for the next one.
After loving Illuminae and Gemina, I was really excited to read Nevernight, and it did not disappoint. Summarizing this book as "stab stab stab" is both spot on and completely inaccurate. There is definitely a lot of stabbing and killing (it's a book about assassins, what did you expect), but there's also a lot of other interesting things at play. I really enjoyed the characters and mythology of the world. For more thoughts, you can check out my review here!
Adriana Mather
How to Hang a Witch, #1
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Goodreads
Another witch book, but extremely different in style! While The Graces is more about a girl trying to join a group, How to Hang a Witch is about a girl who is completely ostracized by the town and hated for her ancestry. This book was such a wild mystery from start to finish, and I really enjoyed it (full review here). I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Tell Me Three Things was one of those books that is just really relatable even if you don't relate to the exact circumstances of the book. There were so many wonderfully written quotes in this book, and I found so much empathy for the main character. This book made me feel all the feels. For more thoughts, check out my full review here!
Neal Shusterman
Arc of a Scythe, #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads
I had a feeling I would like Scythe just from looking at it and reading the description, but I didn't expect it to pique my interest as much as it did. Set in a post-mortality world (that's right, people don't die naturally anymore), Scythes "glean" people to keep the population in check. The way the world was built was just so interesting and really said a lot about our society in general. Definitely a great read if you like dystopian books!
Noor's Picks
Okay, this was super hard because even though I felt like I read negative three things this year I went to narrow my list down and there were like...eight million books I wanted to choose. RIP.
Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads
I did a full review of this where I basically rambled for 2000 words about Morgan Matson's insane ability to develop characters and define relationships and make a 600 page novel feel like it's flying by because you just care so much. If you haven't read this, it's a fantastic book to get you in a summery mood, and it was definitely one of the strongest books I read this year (and a book I'll be rereading time and time again).
Cassandra Clare
The Dark Artifices, #1
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Goodreads
Lady Midnight totally killed me. I didn't think Cassandra Clare could top The Infernal Devices -- the writing was so beautiful and they're set in Victorian England, one of my favorite time periods -- but every single page of this book just unraveled me seam by seam. I honestly can't believe it came out in May because it feels like I've been waiting forever for the second book but it's only been like seven months. Wild. Anyway, you can read my review here and see me freak out!
I read this in July after Kiersten got an ARC for me at BEA, and skimmed through it again in November when writing my review, and both times it blew me away. Nicola Yoon has a gift for wordplay and storytelling, and after giving 5/5 stars to both this book and her debut, Everything, Everything, she's become an author whose works I'll be excitedly anticipating in the future.
Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Goodreads
I'm sure ACOMAF made a host of Best Of 2016 lists this year and there's no reason I should disturb the status quo, right? Seriously, though, this series is the first I've read by Sarah J. Maas and it's blowing me away so far. I'm honestly a little bit afraid of what's to come in the upcoming third book (but not afraid enough to want it any less). Kiersten mentioned when discussing The Graces that witches are her favorite paranormal creature, and faeries are mine (tied with ghosts) and I think Maas does a phenomenal job with her faerie worldbuilding. Kiersten and I did a double review of this book that you can read here if you'd like!
The premise of this novel sounded super intriguing -- a boy with prosopagnosia (face-blindness) and a girl who was once "America's Fattest Teen" -- united through what else but the cruelness of high schoolers. Jack and Libby, the two protagonists, ended up being so complex and so well-written that they leapt off the page (which I mention in my full review, here) and the story was so adorable I know it's one I'll be rereading often.
Bonus Pick
Tales of the PeculiarRansom Riggs
Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children , #0.5
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Goodreads
I am trash and cannot go even one post without mentioning how much I love this series and I feel like this counts as a "bonus" because it's not a novel or anything and I was pressed for space as it was. Anyway, in my review, I explained that this is "to the Miss Peregrine's universe what Grimms' Fairy Tales are to this one." These short stories are so captivating and they're all written in such a fashion that they truly feel like an old, passed-down collection of anecdotes. This was definitely one of my favorite books to be published this year and something I quite enjoy reading often (in order or not).
Amrutha's Picks
Literally, what a phenomenal book. The Memory Book twists YA in a way that I've never read before. The premise of this novel is that it is a diary from the narrator to herself. Sammie McCoy has just been diagnosed with a disorder that causes her to completely lose her memory -- forever. The book is so honest and the story is so hard to tell but told so well. If you want to see me ramble on forever about this you can read my full review here.
Has Jodi Picoult ever written anything I haven't loved? Honestly, I don't know how she does it but I always end up with some tears in my eyes flipping through the book as fast as possible so I can find out what happens at the end. The book is about a trial (this is Jodi, what else would you expect) and a nurse and race relations and all the good stuff.
Sam's Picks
Picking five favorites was a daunting task. 2016 was another great year in reading for me. According to Goodreads,
- Listened to 105 audiobooks
- Read 248 books
- Added 21 books to my “Favorites” shelf
Note: I tried to pick five books that would not overlap with my fellow WLABBers.
I went into this book as a solid Bowen fan, however, I was not totally sold. I mean, you don’t read a lot of romance books where the hero is a farmer, but after a few chapters, I was team Griffin all the way. There was just so much to love about this book. A second chance romance, fantastic MCs, so much food, beautiful family bonds, and spectacular descriptions that pulled me right into Vermont. (my review)
First and foremost, this is an epistolary novel. I adored the format, and thought it really enhanced my enjoyment of the story. And talk about #friendshipgoals. I was so jealous of Scott and Cath’s friendship! This one just really warmed my heart and made me so happy. (my review)
This one just blew me away, and that is not something easily done by a contemporary novel. The MCs were so special and damaged and I cared so deeply for them. I am getting a case of the feels right now just thinking about it. (my review)
This was one of my first 2016 reads, and it really set the bar high for me. I loved the characters, I loved the world, I loved the story. The ending was so beautiful, that I was left sobbing. So many emotions! (my review)
What are some of your 2016 favorites?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
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