Category: YA

Posted on

Recommended Book: The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

6604794-2
Hardcover, 288 pages Published March 9th 2010 by Dial Books
The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

 

My Thoughts…
This book has been highly recommended to me over and over again because… well, Jandy Nelson.

If you’ve never read a Jandy Nelson book, you’re missing out on some of the most heartbreaking prose you’ll ever come in contact with. She has a way of making her characters breathe on the page in a way that will make you laugh and weep and then laugh again.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have never lost someone I’ve been very close to, but the raw vulnerability in Lenny’s grief will touch your heart. I also really believe it will help put words to your grief if you have lost someone close to you.

I 100% recommend this book!

Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life – and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

Posted on

Why Do I Keep Doing This To Myself? (AKA Read Six of Crows RIGHT NOW)

I do this to myself more than I’d like to admit. I hear about these amazing books and buy them and for some reason or another, wait to read. There is no logic behind it. Just a mounting pile of books and “Readers ADHD.” (I swear that’s a thing.)

So when I finally started reading and then finished Six of Crows, I wanted to kick myself! I could have been raving about this book for months!

So, late to the game I might be, but I’m here to tell you to get your butts to the bookstore and grab Leigh Bardugo’s SIX OF CROWS as soon as you can.

It’s an Ocean’s 11-esque heist with incredibly rich and compelling characters, a familiar landscape (hello Grisha series), and knock your pants off twists and turns.

23437156

Six of Crows
Leigh Bardugo
Hardcover, 465 pages
Published September 29th 2015 by Henry Holt and Company
Summary:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

You’re going to love this book!

Posted on

Up Next? #NTTB16

Screen Shot 2016-04-13 at 12.37.09 PM

Last year was the inaugural year for North Texas Teen Book Festival and it turned out to be one of the best book festivals I’ve ever gone to! I was able to volunteer and just soak up all the authors and books and literary flurry that permeated every square inch of the Las Colinas Convention Center.

I met some of my all-time favorite authors and this year, even MORE of my all-time favorite authors will be there. Basically, I’m just going to spend an entire day fan-girling…

Why?

Well because I’ll be able to see:

  • Gayle Forman
  • James Dashner
  • Marie Lu
  • Carrie Ryan
  • Marie Rutkoski
  • Ruta Sepetys
  • Sarah Dessen
  • E. Lockhart
  • Beth Revis
  • Ally Condie

AND SO MANY MORE!

There’s even a lunch the day before I’m attending, but I think the best part will be spending the day with my 13-year old niece Ashlyn who loves books as much as I do! Aunt/Niece bonding here we come.

I’m excited to be volunteering again this year… and you never know. Maybe next year I’ll be able to apply to attend as an author! 🙂

 

Posted on

My 2015 Books in Review

I’m joining in on Jamie’s End of the Year Survey! 

There are few things in life more important to a writer than reading amazing books from other writers. It was Stephen King who said, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.” How true this is! Reading is fuel and although I didn’t hit my goal of reading a published book a week (I’m at 49/52) and this is the FIRST year I didn’t exceed my reading goal (insert feelings of failure)… I DID manage to read about ten of my writer friend’s manuscript and I read own MS about 1900 times, so I’m going to call that a win 🙂

reading-stats-2015-1024x278

NUMBER OF BOOKS YOU READ: 49
NUMBER OF RE-READS: 0
GENRE YOU READ THE MOST FROM: YA FANTASY

best-YA-books-2014

1. BEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2015?

Queen of Shadows is going to dominate this list.

2. BOOK YOU WERE EXCITED ABOUT & THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO LOVE MORE BUT DIDN’T?

This Shattered World

 3. MOST SURPRISING (IN A GOOD WAY OR BAD WAY) BOOK YOU READ?  

The Demon King series… I thought it was going to be “meh”, but I really loved it!

4. BEST SERIES YOU STARTED IN 2015? BEST SEQUEL OF 2015? BEST SERIES ENDER OF 2015?

Best series I started: Throne of Glass series (started and got caught up)

Best sequel: Please Remain Calm

Best series ender: Winter (Lunar Cycle)

5. FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR YOU DISCOVERED IN 2015?

Sarah J Mass (I know, I’m way late to this train)

6. BEST BOOK FROM A GENRE YOU DON’T TYPICALLY READ/WAS OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE?

Ready Player One… I was like, 1980s video games? But it was SO good!

7. MOST ACTION-PACKED/THRILLING/UNPUTDOWNABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR?

Queen of Shadows

8. FAVORITE COVER OF A BOOK YOU READ IN 2015?

Winter (Lunar Cycle)

9. MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTER OF 2015?

ummm… Celaena/Aelin, no question!

10. MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING/ LIFE-CHANGING BOOK OF 2015?

Living Dead Girl… man, I cried so much and didn’t stop thinking about it for awhile.

 11. BOOK YOU CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WAITED UNTIL 2015 TO FINALLY READ? 

The Throne of Glass series!

 12. FAVORITE PASSAGE/QUOTE FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2015? 

“She was fire, and light, and ash, and embers. She was Aelin Fireheart, and she bowed for no one and nothing…” I want to be this quote! 🙂

13.SHORTEST & LONGEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2015?

Longest: WINTER (Lunar Cycle)

Shortest: LIVING DEAD GIRL

14. OTP OF THE YEAR (YOU WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP!)

Aelin and Rowan! (swoon)

15. FAVORITE NON-ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP OF THE YEAR

Aelin and Lysandra!

16. FAVORITE BOOK YOU READ IN 2015 FROM AN AUTHOR YOU’VE READ PREVIOUSLY

The Body Electric (Beth Revis)

17. BEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2015THAT YOU READ BASED SOLELY ON A RECOMMENDATION FROM SOMEBODY ELSE/PEER PRESSURE:

Bird Box

18. NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2015?

Rowan Whitethorn

19. BEST WORLDBUILDING/MOST VIVID SETTING YOU READ THIS YEAR?

Queen of Shadows

20. BOOK THAT PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE/WAS THE MOST FUN TO READ?

Queen of Shadows

21. BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY OR NEARLY CRY IN 2015?

Living Dead Girl

22. BOOK THAT CRUSHED YOUR SOUL?

Living Dead Girl

23. MOST UNIQUE BOOK YOU READ IN 2015?

The entire Lunar Chronicles series… such a unique twist on fairy tales!

looking-ahead-books-2015

1. ONE BOOK YOU DIDN’T GET TO IN 2015 BUT WILL BE YOUR NUMBER 1 PRIORITY IN 2016?

SO many! But the first book on my TBR pile is Six of Crows

2. BOOK YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING FOR 2016 (NON-DEBUT)?

A Court of Mist and Fury!

3. 2016 DEBUT YOU ARE MOST ANTICIPATING?

I am so incredibly excited to see Ashley’s SUFFER LOVE hit shelves and also Traci’s THE READER!

4. ONE THING YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH OR DO IN YOUR READING LIFE IN 2016?

Read a PUBLISHED book a week.

5. A 2016 RELEASE YOU’VE ALREADY READ & RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE:

SUFFER LOVE by Ashley Herring Blake