Jump Into Books

February started off as a really slow month for me, but in like the past week and a half (coincidentally the same week and a half that I should have been revising for mocks) I read a load of books, so it was surprisingly good! Apart from that, I haven't really done much of anything all month, so I probably won't have a lot to talk about here. Books Read: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo Attachments by Rainbow Rowell Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April G Tucholke Smuggler's Kiss by Marie Louise Jensen Trouble by Non Pratt Spy Society by Robin Benway Banished by Liz De Jager  Cress by Marissa Meyer Total: 9 (which is a lot for me by normal length month standards, so I'm pretty happy!) Books Reviewed: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo Attachments by Rainbow Rowell Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April G Tucholke Trouble by Non Pratt Weird, I felt like I posted more th...

What is teaser tuesday? It's a meme hosted by  Should Be Reading  and here are the rules:  • Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page •  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!  (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!   "A dull hum. Bonfires on rafts float beyond the docks."  -The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant, Page 93 (I think, my cat conveniently walked across the book and lost my page), by Joanna Wiebe

Suley, Georgia, is home to Lost Lake Cottages and not much else. Which is why it's the perfect place for newly-widowed Kate and her eccentric eight-year-old daughter Devin to heal. Kate spent one memorable childhood summer at Lost Lake, had her first almost-kiss at Lost Lake, and met a boy named Wes at Lost Lake. It was a place for dreaming. But Kate doesn't believe in dreams anymore, and her Aunt Eby, Lost Lake's owner, wants to sell the place and move on. Lost Lake's magic is gone. As Kate discovers that time has a way of standing still at Lost Lake can she bring the cottages—and her heart—back to life? Because sometimes the things you love have a funny way of turning up again. And sometimes you never even know they were lost . . . until they are found. Best Bits:  I love when a new Sarah Addison Allen book is released. The only way I can describe it is comforting. It's like visiting an old friend and being able to chat for hours. Sigh. She has ...

Hello, dear readers! A very exciting post today, as I have the great pleasure of helping with the cover reveal of The Illusionists, the sequel to the wonderful Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve . And if you haven't read Fearsome Dreamer already, then you'd better get on it (here are some links to places you can buy it: Waterstones , Amazon , Book Depo  or your local bookshop or wherever!. I'm not saying you should buy it right now but that's exactly what I'm saying. Seriously, it's realllly good). Anyway, yes, book cover for The Illusionists! --- --- (wait for it) --- ISN'T IT PRETTY?! A shocking new world. A dangerous choice. Two futures preparing to collide... Having left her soulmate White behind her in Angle Tar, Rue is trying to make sense of her new and unfamiliar life in World. Its technologically advanced culture is as baffling as is it thrilling to her, and Rue quickly realises World's fascination with technology can have intoxicating and deadly co...

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga at  Tynga's Reviews ! It's a way to highlight the books that everyone got throughout the week. Purchased: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd In the darkest places, even love is deadly. Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true. Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of ...

Trouble Non Pratt March 6th 2014 Walker Books A boy. A girl. A bump. Trouble. Hannah’s smart and funny ... she’s also fifteen and pregnant. Aaron is new at school and doesn’t want to attract attention. So why does he offer to be the pretend dad to Hannah’s unborn baby?  Growing up can be trouble but that’s how you find out what really matters. Okay, first things first, is that or is that the best cover you've ever seen for a book about teen pregnancy. I know I keep going on about it, but seriously, I love it. It's the only cover for a book about teen pregnancy that has ever made me want to actually read the book because it is (usually) the one thing that comes up in contemp/realistic YA that I pretty much refuse to read about. A little bit because Personal Reasons and a little bit because I always just assume that they're either going to be all smooshy and romantic and blah (I can handle smooshy romance on its own, but smooshy romance + babies?! Nope) or that they're go...

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea April Genevieve Tucholke April 3rd 2014 (UK) Faber and Faber (UK)  Faded Gatsby glamour and thrilling gothic horror meet in this gorgeously told, terrifying and dreamy YA romance. You stop fearing the devil when you're holding his hand... Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White's sleepy, seaside town...until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet's crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Violet's grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who likes coffee and who kisses you in a cemetery... Violet's already so knee-deep in love, she can't see straight. And that's just how River likes it. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was kind of a weird book for me. I'm still no...

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at  Breaking the Spine . This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about. The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt Acclaimed author Lindsey Leavitt brings her trademark heart, humor, and romance to her hometown--Vegas Sixteen-year-old Holly wants to remember her Grandpa forever, but she’d rather forget what he left her in his will: his wedding chapel on the Las Vegas strip. Whatever happened to gold watches, savings bonds, or some normal inheritance?   And then there's Grandpa's letter. Not only is she running the business with her recently divorced parents, but she needs to make some serious money--fast. Grandpa also insists Holly reach out to Dax, the grandson of her family's mortal enemy and owner of the cheesy chapel next door. No matter how cute Dax is, Holly needs to stay focused: on her group of guy friends, her disjointed family, work, school and... Dax. No wait, not Dax.   Holly’s chapel rep...

Attachments Rainbow Rowell April 14th 2011 Dutton Adult "Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . " Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives. Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke. When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories. By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling fo...

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you? When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission. Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most? Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a fearless and moving tour de...

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga at  Tynga's Reviews ! It's a way to highlight the books that everyone got throughout the week. Purchased: Secret Letters by Lea Cheier Inquisitive and observant, Dora dreams of escaping her aristocratic country life to solve mysteries alongside Sherlock Holmes. So when she learns that the legendary detective might be her biological father, Dora jumps on the opportunity to travel to London and enlist his help in solving the mystery of her cousin's ransomed love letters. But Dora arrives in London to devastating news: Sherlock Holmes is dead. Her dreams dashed, Dora is left to rely on her wits-and the assistance of an attractive yet enigmatic young detective-to save her cousin's reputation and help rescue a kidnapped heiress along the way. Steeped in Victorian atmosphere and intrigue, this gripping novel heralds the arrival of a fresh new voice in young adult literature.  The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hod...

It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words float through Claire Cain’s head as she lies broken and barely alive after a brutal beating. And the words continue to haunt her months later, in the relentless, terrifying nightmares that plague her sleep. So when her father is offered a teaching sabbatical in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out of Chicago, away from the things that remind her of what she went through, will offer a way to start anew. But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire quickly realizes something is wrong—the town is brimming with hidden dangers and overrun by feral cats. And her fears are confirmed when a popular high school girl, Serena Sims, is suddenly found dead in the icy woods behind the school. While everyone is quick to say Serena died in an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it—for she was the one who found Serena, battered and most certainly dead, surrounded by the town’s feral cats. Now Claire vows to learn the tr...

Somehow I lost my weekend to movies...but I didn't mind. Instead of doing my typical mini-reviews of books, I just wanted to spotlight a couple of them. The Lego Movie - Yes, I did go see a kid's movie with my sister this weekend, and it was awesome! We're nerds, so we actually get the references and in-jokes, and the song was stuck in my head for the next two days. Sure, it was silly and had jokes only kids will find funny, but it also had heart. Plus, it has a ton of celebrity voices, so we had some fun picking those out. Lord of the Rings: Extended Trilogy - I make no secret of wishing that I was a hobbit, and I love this series. I'm just now getting around to listening to the cast commentaries, and watching all the special features. This is a feat, because each disc contains a couple of hours of interviews and information...and I only have so much time! I also appreciate that they describe reasons why they have changed things from the book. Much of it has to do with...

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures Kate DiCamillo (illustrated by K G Campbell) September 24th 2013 Candlewick Holy unanticipated occurrences! A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in a genre-breaking new novel by master storyteller Kate DiCamillo. It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new fo...

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at  Breaking the Spine . This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about. The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson Girls started vanishing in the fall, and now winter's come to lay a white sheet over the horror. Door County, it seems, is swallowing the young, right into its very dirt. From beneath the house on Water Street, I've watched the danger swell. The residents know me as the noises in the house at night, the creaking on the stairs. I'm the reflection behind them in the glass, the feeling of fear in the cellar. I'm tied—it seems—to this house, this street, this town. I'm tied to Maggie and Pauline, though I don't know why. I think it's because death is coming for one of them, or both. All I know is that the present and the past are piling up, and I am here to dig.I am looking for the things that are buried. From bestselling author Jodi Lynn Anderson comes a friendship story ...