Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted over at Tynga’s Reviews, that gives us a place to nerd out about all the new books we’ve gotten recently! I don’t plan on making this a weekly feature, but I do expect to do it once in a while when I get a bunch of books i’m excited to read. Anyway, without further ado, here are some books i’ve acquired lately that I can’t wait to read! (Links will take you to Goodreads)
From the Library
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Seige and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
I feel like I’m really behind on reading some very well loved series, and this is one of them. Excited to start it!
How Not to Find a Boyfriend by Allyson Valentine
I grabbed this one on the way out as my four year old was having a tantrum so I literally have no idea what it’s about. Guess we’ll see!
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
I just finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and I am beyond blown away. It was so so good, and I absolutely can’t wait to read this. Again, I know i’m way late on this series, but I’m so glad I picked it up! This one’s getting started tonight.
Purchased
I had some Kindle impulse buys this week . . .
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about her books lately, and grabbed this one to try it out.
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Another one I’ve been meaning to read forever but haven’t gotten around to!
Last Second Chance by Caisey Quinn
Was looking for a light, easy, fun summertime read and I’m hoping this one will fit the bill!
Won in a giveaway!
Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler
I was lucky enough to win a signed ARC of this through The Flyleaf Review, and I’m super excited. I’ve loved Dahlia Adler’s witty writing style through her writing on her website, and the synopsis looks great! Also, it is my very first ARC as a book blogger so I’m going to hug it and squeeze it forever. Also read it and review it of course!! Thanks again to the Flyleaf Review for the giveaway.
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine that highlights upcoming releases that we can’t wait for!
The book that I can’t wait for this week is. . . .
From Goodreads
By: Julie Kagawa
Publication date: October 28th, 2014
Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they’re positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.
Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.
Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon’s newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember’s bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.
DRAGONS!!! So waayyyy back in the day, dragons are what got me started reading. Like really reading; can’t put it down, wandering around the house tripping over things reading. Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series was my first love and I still go back and re-read them occasionally. I’ve been a fan of Julie Kagawa’s for a while as well, I’ve read and really liked her Iron Fey series. If you follow her on twitter, you’ll probably know that she makes these awesome dragon figurines as well. Yes, she is ridiculously multi-talented. So when she announced that she was writing a book about dragons, I was so excited. And after reading the synopsis and seeing the gorgeous cover (don’t you want to touch it?) I just can’t wait until it comes out!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish, with a new top ten topic every week. For this week, the topic was. . .
Top Ten Covers I’d Frame as Pieces of Art
1. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Viewing this on the computer does not do it justice. The art is just beautiful, with real depth and detail.
2. Pegasus by Robin McKinley
3. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
The cover for this was just released and it looks beautiful. Can’t wait to see it in print.
4. Happenstance by Jamie McGuire
5. The Selection by Kiera Cass
6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
7. Black City by Elizabeth Richards
8. Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
9. Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
10. Shine by Lauren Myracle
There are so many beautiful covers being released all the time, it was really hard to choose. What is your favorite?
Poison
Bridget Zinn
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Date Published: March 12, 2013
Pages: 288
Source: Library
Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.
But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.
Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?
Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.
4 Stars!
My Review
I loved this book! A lot of my favorite books have really strong female characters, and Kyra fits the bill. She’s only sixteen, but she’s a Master of Potions, and knows how to fight better than most men. After an unsuccessful assassination attempt on the princess, she’s been on the run until she can find the princess again for a second try. Along the way, she manages to acquire a piglet named Rosie who’s supposed to help track the princess, and a companion named Fred who, along with being very handsome, also knows how to cook and make Kyra laugh. It’s tough to review this one without spoilers so I’ll give you a list of what I loved below.
What I Loved
1. Kyra: She’s a badass. She’s only sixteen, but knows hand to hand combat, how to precisely measure potions to make someone tell the truth without killing them, and has utter loyalty to her kingdom and her friends.
2. Rosie: Rosie is a tiny piglet that helps Kyra track the princess. She’s adorable, carries a little basket around her neck and is best friends with a giant dog. What’s not to love?
3. The world: Potions in the kingdom of Mohr can heal, change your appearance, put someone to sleep, turn them into wood or kill someone. There are witches and magical creatures, gypsies and magical jewelery. It all felt really effortless and I never questioned why something worked or the rules because I was completely immersed in it.
4. The plot: I had to give a somewhat abbreviated review because I wanted to avoid spoilers. The plot keeps you guessing till the end and there are little twists and turns throughout. I loved not know what the full story was until the end.
5. The humor: The characters are like reading about a good friend. They joke around, have witty comebacks and you generally enjoy getting to know them. The light-hearted dialogue is central to the book.
If you’re looking for a fun, light-hearted fantasy read, I can’t recommend this enough. It’s entertaining and will keep you guessing until the end.
About the Author
Bridget wanted to make people laugh and hoped readers would enjoy spending time with the characters she created. As a librarian/writer she loved books with strong young women with aspirations. She also felt teens needed more humorous reads. She really wanted to write a book with pockets of warmth and happiness and hoped that her readers’ copies would show the watermarks of many bath time reads.
So I thought it would be a good idea to start a post, once a week on Sundays, just to go over the past week on the blog and fill you guys in on what’s going on with me outside the world of books. It’ll also be a place to put all the links for the week in one place and let you guys know if you missed something important!
This week on the blog. . .
My review of Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson – 4 stars!
Waiting on Wednesday: Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson
My post on joining the 2014 Book Blogger Summer Reading Program
My review of The List by Siobhan Vivian – 3 stars!
This week in real life. . .
I live on a small farm so we’re constantly either thinking about getting new animals, getting new animals or trying to find a place to put the new animals that I got. Just kidding. But it does feel like i’m always trying to rearrange the setup around here to accomodate animals. Anyway. We got a calf in December that we had to bottle feed, and even though we had a ridiculously cold winter, she made it! So right now, she’s living in the field with our two goats. The field was originally intended to hold just our goats though and now it’s woefully small for her. So while we’ve been figuring out fencing, which is super fun, I’ve been shuttling her and the goats back and forth between my back yard and her field every day so she gets some grass. Of course they have hay, but they love the grass so much and do so much better on it. So the place where I’m supposed to be able to let my dog out to pee is currently occupied with farm animals. Which also means that I have to pick up cow poop every day before I can let the dog out again. lol.
A goat on my back porch in my yard
The cow in question – she comes like a dog when you call her
We also have 11 hens for eggs and every day for the last couple weeks we’ve had a fox coming through our yard. Last year we lost all of our chickens to raccoons and foxes so for these chickens we built a chicken tractor. Which is basically any kind of mobile chicken coop. I’ll probably do a post just about that, because we came up with a really cool design for it. Anyway, the fox has been foiled every day but I got some good pictures of him. And then yesterday I was outside and I saw the reason he’s been roaming around. Below our house, I saw the mommy fox with four kits. They were too cute! If I could have stolen one, I would have.
He was 15 feet from my front porch
I know, crappy picture, but you can see the baby in the center
Mommy fox with babies – apparently foxes are really hard to photograph well
This week has also been full of gardening and gorgeous weather and also some torrential rain. Next week I’ll do a gardening post and show you guys some of what I’m growing. How was your week? Anything new or exciting happen for you? Let me know below! And I’ll leave you with some more pictures.
My favorite tree – Japanese maple in our front yard
We get some really pretty sunsets
The List
Siobhan Vivian
Publisher: Push
Date Published: April 1st, 2012
Pages: 332
Source: Purchased
An intense look at the rules of high school attraction — and the price that’s paid for them.
It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn’t matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.
This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, “pretty” and “ugly.” And it’s also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two
3 Stars!
My Review
I really wanted to love this book. When I started reading it, I had really high hopes that it would put an interesting take on high school, and how the labels that kids give themselves and each other affect their lives. And while it did do that, it fell flat in its delivery for me.
The book follows the points of view of eight different girls at their high school, Mount Washington High, after the posting of the annual tradition: a list that names the prettiest and ugliest girls in each grade. It’s always embossed with an official seal, and no one knows who makes it or who passes on the responsibility of making it every year. We follow each girl from their discovery of their name on the list, and to how that changes their lives. Part of the issue I had with the book was the multiple story lines. I don’t mind alternating chapters with different points of view, most of the time, but this isn’t a very long book and the chapters aren’t super long either. So it was a little confusing switching from character to character and trying to remember who was who, and what grade they were in, and why did they not like that person again? Then by the time I got into the groove of that character again, we’d be switching to a new one.
The book delves into some pretty serious topics, and I was actually really glad to see that. It’s hard to find books that seriously try to address topics that are somewhat difficult to talk about. The main one that stood out for me was Bridget’s eating disorder and how being on the list worsened her problem. It also addressed how that affected her younger sister who always idolized her and I think that’s a really important issue. The problem is, nothing got resolved. We didn’t see any decision on Bridget’s part on what she was going to do. We didn’t see her get help for her problem. And that was kind of upsetting. I felt like it would have been a great place to set an idea of what would be a good path to follow, at least give kids some realistic solutions for someone who was going through these problems. But Bridget is even more messed up at the end of the book than the beginning, and we don’t see much hope for her recovery. And that was disappointing for me.
Some of the characters had really great character growth, and others just.. . .didn’t. And honestly, I wasn’t too attached to any of the characters in particular, just because there were so many points of view. There is a small twist to the story at the end, but it wasn’t particularly surprising for me, and again that doesn’t get resolved either.
I feel like i’m listing a lot of negative things and that’s not what I’m trying to do. I did enjoy reading it. It’s a well-written book and it tries to address some super important topics. And the fact that those are even in here was great to see. I just hoped for more closure at the end of the story. Maybe that’s the way the author meant for it to be. That all of these problems can’t be fixed easily, and that life is complicated and can’t be sewn up neatly. And I understand that goal, but it made a somewhat frustrating ending for me. This book definitely earned 3 solid stars, and I would try some other books by this author.
About the Author
So Katie’s Book Blog is starting this awesome reading challenge for the summer. I don’t know about you guys but I used to love the summer reading programs at the library. They always had prizes at the end, sometimes pizza parties or cool t-shirts. And you got to meet up with a bunch of other kids who love books! This is the same thing but for grown-ups. Well, I don’t act like a grown-up. . . .age is just a number people! 😉 Anyway, this is a summer reading program for all of us book bloggers! We sign up and set a goal for the number of books we want to read from May 1st – September 1st. Set up a Goodreads shelf for it and you’re good to go! And as a bonus, there will be prizes too! I have my link to my Goodreads shelf below, where I will put the books up as I finish them. So if you want to join, which I’m pretty sure you’ll want to, head over to Katie’s Book Blog and link up!
Oh and by the way, my goal is. . . . . .
30 Books
My Goodreads Shelf
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine that highlights upcoming releases that we can’t wait for!
The book that I can’t wait for this week is. . . .
From Goodreads
By: Morgan Matson
Publication date: May 6th, 2014
The Pre-Sloane Emily didn’t go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn’t do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell. But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just… disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try… unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait… what?
Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?
Go Skinny Dipping? Um…
I’m a little late jumping on the Morgan Matson bandwagon. I happened to pick up Second Chance Summer at the library last week and loved it! It was really well written and I totally fell in love with the characters. So when I saw that she had a new release coming out in May, I had to put it on here. I’m hoping it’s just as compelling as Second Chance Summer was and the premise sounds really fun. I love the idea of a list of things she has to do, and what happened to Sloane? Can’t wait to read it!
Second Chance Summer
Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Date Published: May 8th, 2012
Pages: 468
Source: Library
Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.
4 Stars!
My Review
I picked this one up by accident at the library last week. I was strolling through the YA section and saw this one out of the corner of my eye. I’m a sucker for pretty covers and so I grabbed it on a whim and I’m so glad I did! I know it’s a couple years old, but I saw that the author has a new book coming out next month and I loved it so much that I just had to review it anyway.
Taylor and her family just got some really bad news. Pretty much the worst kind of news a family can get, and they got it on her birthday. Her father is dying and only has a few months left to live and he wants to spend the time with his family at their lake house that they used to go to every summer. After spending the last few years not spending too much time together, the summer starts out awkwardly and is made worse by the fact that Taylor is confronted with the two people at the lake that she would have rather never seen again. Finding out that her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend are still there after five years is hard for Taylor to deal with, especially since she’s the reason they’re not friends anymore.
Let me start out by saying that I had a totally different impression of what this book was going to be about before I read it. I’m not sure why, but I thought this was going to be more a teen romance novel. And although there is romance in there, it’s definitely not the focus of the book. Much of the book is devoted to the way that a family deals with devastating news, and how they use the limited time they have left. The author does it beautifully. I lost my mother when I was 16 unexpectedly, and I don’t know if that’s part of why I was so invested in this storyline. I don’t think so, although it did make me think about what you would do with extra time with a loved one if you knew it was almost the end. It’s really beautifully written and brought me to tears several times, because you could feel the emotions of the characters. The fruitless anger, frustration and overall sadness as Taylor goes through these last few months with her dad just come out as very real as well as the joy she finds as her family pulls together.
What I Loved
1. The characters: Taylor herself is a very relateable character, you can feel her pain and joys throughout the story and she has incredible growth as a character from beginning to end. Lucy is the greatest friend! She has to work through so much resentment over what happened in the past with Taylor, but she cracked me up too. She’s boy crazy and utterly loyal to her friends. And last but not least, Henry. Sigh. I could have done with a lot more of Henry! He is just the perfect guy for Taylor, and super adorable too.
2. Working through grief: As someone who has experienced a death of a close family member, I really identified with Taylor as she was going through this loss and the time before it. I was brought to tears several times because of how real this felt emotionally.
3. The lake: Loved the setting at the lake house. I’ve been to a beach house several years in a row and I got that same nostalgia that I saw in the book. Where things look exactly the same even as time goes by. And it’s the perfect setting for teenage friendships and romance.
4. The writing: This book is very well-written, one of those books you keep reading until 1 in the morning and then realize you have to get up in 5 hours. (*facepalm*) It’s one of the ways I know I love a book, you get so engrossed you don’t even feel the time passing by.
What Bothered Me
For a longer book, I could have used more romance. There was a lot of build up to it, and I felt like when we finally got to the romantic part of the story, it was cut a little short. And more kissing scenes! You can never go wrong with more kissing scenes.
I am officially a Morgan Matson fan after this. If you want a book about love and loss and family, this is the one for you. And if you’re smart, you’ll have some tissues ready!
About the Author
Morgan Matson grew up in New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut. She attended Occidental College in Los Angeles but halfway though a theater degree, she started working in the children’s department of Vroman’s Bookstore and fell in love with YA literature.
Following college graduation (and the proud bearer of an incredibly useful theater/English degree) she moved back East to attend the New School, where she received her M.F.A in Writing for Children.
Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, inspired by Morgan’s three cross-country road trips, was published in May 2010. It was named an ALA Top Ten Best Book, a PW “Flying Start” book, and was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Book Prize. It has since been published in five different languages and six different countries.
In the meantime, Morgan moved back to California, went back to school again and in 2011 received an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California.
Her second book, Second Chance Summer, was published in May 2012 and draws largely on her experiences spending summers growing up in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.
Morgan currently lives in Los Angeles, though she loves to travel and does it whenever she can. She is currently writing another book, to be published in 2014.
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Leslye Walton
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Date Published: March 25, 2014
Pages: 320
Source: Purchased
Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird.
In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naïve to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the Summer Solstice celebration.
That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo.
First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.
4 Stars!
My Review
I don’t know about most of you, but I don’t get a lot of longer stretches of time to read. I have three little kids and so any reading time is come by in short bursts. Fifteen minutes while I’m waiting for the bus, after I get them down for bed at night, things like that. And for most books, that’s fine. I can hop in and out of them without any trouble. When I tried to do that with this book though, I was struggling. That’s because it’s not an easy book. It’s a great book, and so very well written but the writing style doesn’t lend itself to a casual read. You have to concentrate. Every sentence means something, words are chosen so carefully for the images they convey. So it took me a little longer to get through this because I had to wait for times when I could concentrate.
I don’t want to give away the plot too much, so I’m not going to go over too much of it. This book was written as the story of Ava Lavender, but much of the beginning of it was dedicated to her family’s history. Even though this part of the book was important for the story, it was hard for me to connect with. It covers the family’s move from Europe to America and their life there. The book was much more interesting for me once it got to Ava’s birth and life. Ava is born with wings. There was nothing to indicate that she wouldn’t be a normal baby, and when she was born the doctors were unsure of what to do with her. Her mother also didn’t know that she was going to have twins and was very surprised when Ava’s brother, Henry, was born as well. The book after their birth is centered around the little town where they live and their lives confined to their house on the hill. Much of the action of the story occurs once Ava decides to start leaving the house to see more of the world and what being a normal girl is all about.
What I Loved
1. The imagery: This book is filled with beautiful, lyrical writing. You can see the town where they live, the house on top of the hill they live in. You can picture Ava’s wings so perfectly because the writing leads you to see it. The author has a wonderful writing style that is almost like reading poetry.
2. The bakery: Much of the book is tied together through the food of the bakery. There are strong French influences throughout, but you can see it most in the knowledge of the pastries, the breads, and all of the different food that Emmiliene cooks in her bakery. Different things are cooked for different reasons, and you can almost taste all the magical things she bakes as you read it.
3. Love: This is a book about love in all its forms. Romantic love, love between friends, between siblings and between parents and children. It’s about the love a boy has for a pet, and the love that a parent has for a child, even when the child is grown. It’s about the fear of falling in love after pain and loss, and how your life is worse because of that fear. It’s wonderful, and even if you’ve never been in love, there is a lot for everyone to identify with.
4. The magical realism: Leslye Walton writes so well that you don’t even question how the magic fits into and is weaved into the regular world around them.
What Bothered Me
Not a whole lot! The beginning of the book was hard for me to connect with. It was a little drier, a little harder for me to lose myself in. Once Ava’s story started, I was immediately drawn in. And the beginning of the book is very necessary for the story, it just wasn’t as interesting for me personally.
If you love beautiful writing and an engrossing story, you should check it out! You won’t regret it.
Reading On The Farm 