Discussion: Old versus New

This Week’s Topic: Old vs. New

Last week, we were talking about review books, and I found out that many of you review books from your shelf or the library. Now I'm curious - do you review newer titles, backlist, or a mix?

Blog Tour: Hope and Other Punch Lines

Hope and Other Punch Lines
Julie Buxbaum
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

The New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things and What to Say Next delivers a poignant and hopeful novel about resilience and reinvention, first love and lifelong friendship, the legacies of loss, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

Sometimes looking to the past helps you find your future.

Abbi Hope Goldstein is like every other teenager, with a few smallish exceptions: her famous alter ego, Baby Hope, is the subject of internet memes, she has asthma, and sometimes people spontaneously burst into tears when they recognize her. Abbi has lived almost her entire life in the shadow of the terrorist attacks of September 11. On that fateful day, she was captured in what became an iconic photograph: in the picture, Abbi (aka "Baby Hope") wears a birthday crown and grasps a red balloon; just behind her, the South Tower of the World Trade Center is collapsing.

Now, fifteen years later, Abbi is desperate for anonymity and decides to spend the summer before her seventeenth birthday incognito as a counselor at Knights Day Camp two towns away. She's psyched for eight weeks in the company of four-year-olds, none of whom have ever heard of Baby Hope.

Too bad Noah Stern, whose own world was irrevocably shattered on that terrible day, has a similar summer plan. Noah believes his meeting Baby Hope is fate. Abbi is sure it's a disaster. Soon, though, the two team up to ask difficult questions about the history behind the Baby Hope photo. But is either of them ready to hear the answers?

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.

This week I can't wait for....

Top Ten Tuesday: A Decade of My Best Books

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

A Decade of My Best Books!

Wow! This was quite a topic! It was a little tough for me, because I did not start pleasure reading again until 2013, so I will be cheating on the years prior, and picking from books published in those years. I am declaring this one of the most difficult TTT topics to date. I struggled, when looking back at each of my "year in books" with which book to pick. I will confess, that when it came between a blockbuster and a less hyped book, which gave me equal enjoyment, I selected the less hyped book, because I am always rooting for the little guy. However, I really enjoyed looking back at all the books I have read, and though I could never choose a "favorite", I chose books that I remember quite fondly or left a big impression on me.

Blog Tour: The Boy Next Story

The Boy Next Story
Tiffany Schmidt
Series: Bookish Boyfriends, #2
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Amulet Books
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

The second book in a series where your favorite literary characters come to life, inspired by the timeless classic, Little Women!

There’s no one better than the boy next door. At least not according to Aurora Campbell, fourteen, who has been in love with Tobias May since their very first sandbox kiss. The problem is, he’s in love with her older sister, Merrilee. And Merri is already dating one of his best friends.

Rory is learning all about pining as her class reads The Great Gatsby, a book she doesn’t find “great” at all. Also not great—her GPA, something she needs to fix, quickly, if she’d like to apply for the chance to spend a week studying art with her hero in New York City over winter break. But when Ms. Gregoire assigns her to read Little Women for extra credit, Rory discovers more than she expected—both about herself and Toby. Maybe she wasn’t in love with the boy next door. . . but the boy next story.

Love is complicated, and it’s all about to get even trickier for Rory at Reginald R. Hero Prep . . . where with the help of one quirky English teacher, students’ fantasies come true, often with surprising consequences.

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.

Discussion Post: Review Books - Yours, Mine, Ours?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where we discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging.

Blog Tour: Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small

Bright Burning Stars
A.K. Small
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Best friends Marine Duval and Kate Sanders have trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School since childhood, where they’ve formed an inseparable bond forged by respective family tragedies and a fierce love for dance. When the body of a student is found in the dorms just before the start of their final year, Marine and Kate begin to ask themselves what they would do to win the ultimate prize: to be the one girl selected to join the Opera’s prestigious corps de ballet. Would they die? Cheat? Seduce the most talented boy in the school, dubbed the Demigod, hoping his magic would make them shine, too? Neither girl is sure.

But then Kate gets closer to the Demigod, even as Marine has begun to capture his heart. And as selection day draws near, the competition—for the prize, for the Demigod—becomes fiercer, and Marine and Kate realize they have everything to lose, including each other.

#AmReading YA

Top Ten Tuesday: All the Stars

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

All the Stars!

Once again, I was not really feeling the topic, but you all know, I love making lists. I have read over 170 books so far, and many were great, but not too many earned the full 5-stars from me. Below, are the 8 books, which have earned 5-stars from me, and two others that were so, so close, and I want to show them more love.

Blog Tour: You, Me & Letting Go - Katie Kaleski

You, Me, & Letting Go
Katie Kaleski
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

A love so epic, no label is needed.

Van Sato’s got labels. Tourettes, ADHD, SPD - words that have defined his existence since the time he was old enough to know what they meant. Now, Van wants to prove he’s more than an acronym, a syndrome, a problem kid. He takes a summer job as a day camp counselor to prove he’s capable of independence and moving on to the next phase in his life. Maybe, he might even make a friend while there. Someone who’s got just as many or even more labels than him. Someone who understands what it’s like.

Tabby Dubanowksi wants to forget about everything, the hospitalization, the judgment, the whispers behind her back. As a camp counselor, she will be admired, looked up to, and able to help people who don’t know anything about her old life. Tabby wants a fresh start and a chance to re-ignite her passion for film-making, if only for one summer.

After running away from their pasts, Van and Tabby collide in a storm cloud of attraction laced with self-doubt, insecurity, shame, and blame. Now, with Van feeling like he might have to quit his job, and Tabby struggling to quell the urge to cut, they will struggle to find themselves in a world designed to keep them apart.

Sunday 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.

Discussion: Jump in Someone Else's Train

This Week’s Topic: Jump In Someone Else's Train

I started drafting this post after seeing yet another blogger making the switch from Blogger to WordPress, and it had me wondering, why make the switch?

In a Nutshell Reviews: YA Edition

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

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.

This week I can't wait for 

Top Ten Tuesday: Page to Screen

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

Page to Screen!

Many, many, MANY books have been adapted to the big and small screen, and I will admit, I enjoyed many of them. When I saw this topic, these were the first ten YA adaptations that popped into my head, but they are by no means all the ones I loved.

Blog Tour: Happy Messy Scary Love - Leah Konen

Happy Messy Scary Love
Leah Konen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Amulet Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

As everyone at her Brooklyn high school announces their summer adventures, Olivia harbors a dirty secret: Her plan is to binge-watch horror movies and chat with her online friend, Elm. Olivia and Elm have never shared personal details, apart from their ages and the fact that Elm’s aunt is a low-budget horror filmmaker. Then Elm pushes Olivia to share her identity and sends her a selfie of his own. Olivia is shocked by how cute he is! In a moment of panic, assuming she and Elm will never meet in real life, she sends a photo of her gorgeous friend Katie. But things are about to get even more complicated when Olivia’s parents send her to the Catskills, and she runs into the one person she never thought she would see. This sweet and funny summertime romance is perfect for fans of Love and Gelato and The Unexpected Everything.

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.

Discussion: What is Quiet YA

This Week’s Topic: What is Quiet YA?

I have been seeing this term around, and I had an idea of what it was in my head, but it seems to mean different things to different people. It even prompted one prolific YA author to tweet about it.

Blog Tour: This Is Not a Love Scene - S.C. Megale

This Is Not a Love Scene
S.C. Megale
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Buy Links

Lights, camera—all Maeve needs is action. But at eighteen, a rare form of muscular dystrophy usually stands in the way of romance. She's got her friends, her humor, and a passion for filmmaking to keep her focus off consistent rejection...and the hot older guy starring in her senior film project.

Tall, bearded, and always swaying, Cole Stone is everything Maeve can't be. And she likes it. Between takes, their chemistry is shockingly electric.

Suddenly Maeve gets a taste of typical teenage dating life, but girls in wheelchairs don’t get the hot guy—right? Cole’s attention challenges everything she once believed about her self-image and hopes for love. But figuring this out, both emotionally and physically, won't be easy for either of them. Maeve must choose between what she needs and what she wants, while Cole has a tendency to avoid decisions altogether. And her failing lungs might not wait for either.

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.

This week I can't wait for:

Top Ten Tuesday: Cover Loving - Illustrated Covers

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

Cover Loving - Illustrated Covers!

This is not really the TTT topic, but why would I want to read a book featuring a character like me? Scary! I scratched my head for a little while, and then I thought of all those cover features people do, where they pick a topic and feature covers they like, which fit said topic. That made me think of all the fabulous illustrated covers floating around, especially for one of my favorite genres - contemporary romance. (Then I giggled remembering Nick's tweet about it). But seriously, I am a cover-ho, and these forth-coming beauties have me drooling.

One Old, One New: The Kate Meader Edition

One Old, One New features two books - one old, one new, which are connected in some way. Today, I am sharing two books by Kate Meader.

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.

Discussion: Too Old for Love?

This Week’s Topic: Too Old for Love?

I had received a newsletter from Jen Doyle, where she talked about a movement to change the idea of putting an age restriction of romance heroes and heroines. What prompted Doyle to write about the topic was when one her heroines, who was a whopping 36 years old, was considered too old to fill the role.

Blog Tour: Getting Hot with the Scot by Melonie Johnson

Getting Hot with the Scot
Melonie Johnson
Series: Sometimes in Love
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

“Playful, passionate, and positively unputdownable!”—New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren

IT’S TIME TO FLIRT WITH A MAN IN A KILT

Cassie Crow, a pop-culture reporter for a TV talk show, is focused on becoming a “serious” journalist. But when she stumbles into a kilted Highlander with a killer accent, Cassie decides that taking one night off from work and spending it with a sexy Scot couldn’t hurt. . .

Logan Reid has built a career on his charm, hosting a series of off-the-wall hijinks on the Web. But when the Scottish prankster meets the all-American, equal parts intelligent and irresistible Cassie, Logan realizes that one night of fun won’t be enough. Could it be that this career-focused, commitment-phobic couple is finally ready to take a chance at true and lasting love?

“Witty, sexy, and oh-so-fun. . .Melonie Johnson is an addictive new voice in contemporary romance.” —New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker

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.

This week I can't wait for: