Wednesday, April 19, 2017

"Waiting on" Wednesday


"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



This week's selection is:


RAMONA BLUE
By: Julie Murphy
Published By: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: May 9, 2017
Preorder the Book: Amazon


Goodreads Summary: Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever.

Since then, it’s been Ramona and her family against the world. Standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona is sure of three things: she likes girls, she’s fiercely devoted to her family, and she knows she’s destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flaky mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now, with her sister, Hattie, pregnant, responsibility weighs more heavily than ever.

The return of her childhood friend Freddie brings a welcome distraction. Ramona’s friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where it left off, and soon he’s talked her into joining him for laps at the pool. But as Ramona falls in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift too, which is the last thing she expected. With her growing affection for Freddie making her question her sexual identity, Ramona begins to wonder if perhaps she likes girls and guys or if this new attraction is just a fluke. Either way, Ramona will discover that, for her, life and love are more fluid than they seem.




Why it's Wanted:

This book sounds like it tackles some tough issues in a new way. I love a good emotional read, and this will probably be one I enjoy delving into.

Friday, April 7, 2017

Book Sketch: The Radius of Us by Marie Marquardt


THE RADIUS OF US
By: Marie Marquardt
Published By: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: Jan. 17, 2017
Series: None
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Netgalley
Buy the Book: Amazon


Goodreads Summary: What happens when you fall in love with someone everyone seems determined to fear?

Ninety seconds can change a life — not just daily routine, but who you are as a person. Gretchen Asher knows this, because that’s how long a stranger held her body to the ground. When a car sped toward them and Gretchen’s attacker told her to run, she recognized a surprising terror in his eyes. And now she doesn’t even recognize herself.

Ninety seconds can change a life — not just the place you live, but the person others think you are. Phoenix Flores-Flores knows this, because months after setting off toward the U.S. / Mexico border in search of safety for his brother, he finally walked out of detention. But Phoenix didn’t just trade a perilous barrio in El Salvador for a leafy suburb in Atlanta. He became that person — the one his new neighbors crossed the street to avoid.

Ninety seconds can change a life — so how will the ninety seconds of Gretchen and Phoenix’s first encounter change theirs?

Told in alternating first person points of view, The Radius of Us is a story of love, sacrifice, and the journey from victim to survivor. It offers an intimate glimpse into the causes and devastating impact of Latino gang violence, both in the U.S. and in Central America, and explores the risks that victims take when they try to start over. Most importantly, Marie Marquardt's The Radius of Us shows how people struggling to overcome trauma can find healing in love.




First Thought After Finishing: This book tackles a lot of issues, but it does so with sensitivity and reason and as part of the overall story.

Gretchen is recovering from the ninety seconds that changed her life and destroyed the illusion of safety. She rarely goes out other than to babysit for her cousins. One day, she thinks she sees her attacker again, only it's not him. It's Phoenix, an asylum seeker from El Salvador. He knows better than to get involved with Gretchen--or anyone--he needs to free and care for his brother and figure out the future. Only the universe has other plans for them. As the radius between them shrinks, both realize that secrets can only stay hidden for so long, and in order to move forward, they have to confront their past.

I thought the premise of this book sounded interesting, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did. Gretchen and Phoenix both have their own backgrounds and experiences. Phoenix's story in particular broke my heart, especially when considering for how many people that life must be a reality. Phoenix had incredible strength and integrity, and I just wanted to reach through the pages and give him a hug. He wasn't always perfect, but he is definitely a good guy who deserved some good in his life.

Then there is Gretchen. I enjoyed reading her journey of coming back to life. What I loved most is that although Phoenix helped her and gave her incentive to take back control, she did not drastically change just because of a boy. She had good friends, a supportive family, and she was willing to accept help. She was adrift just as much as Phoenix, and that is what made them work so well together.

"When he's with me, we are both here. Right here."

Beyond the couple, I loved the dual POVs in this book as well as the occasional flashbacks. There were moments of fun and general kindness in the midst of all the heavy issues, and those moments also carried emotional power. If I had one complaint, it would only be the ending, because I wanted to see ore from the characters. Still, although their tumultuous journeys found some resolutions, I find myself thinking about Gretchen and Phoenix and hoping that they would have happiness in their fictional future.

Most Memorable Aspect: Gretchen and Phoenix were so perfectly matched. Circumstances brought them together, but they make sense as a couple. I loved that they needed each other and that their relationship had balance.




Wednesday, April 5, 2017

"Waiting on" Wednesday


"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



This week's selection is:


THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED
By: Becky Albertalli
Published By: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: April 11, 2017
Preorder the Book: Amazon


Goodreads Summary: Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.

There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him.

Right?




Why it's Wanted:

I enjoy reading books about sibling relationships, probably because as an only child I want to live vicariously through the stories. This sounds like it has the potential to be a really cute story!

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Release Day Blitz: Zenn Diagram by Wendy Brant and Perfect by Cecelia Ahern



As a math teacher, I love the title of this book! Plus (see what I did there?) I love the idea of a girl who loves math and is a synesthete of sorts. I can't wait to read this one!



ZENN DIAGRAM
By: Wendy Brant
Published By: Kids Can Press
Release Date: April 4, 2017
Series: None
Pages: 328
Genre: Contemporary
Reading Level: Young Adult
Buy the Book: Amazon


Goodreads Summary: Eva Walker is a seventeen-year-old math genius. And if that doesn’t do wonders for her popularity, there’s another thing that makes it even worse: when she touches another person or anything that belongs to them — from clothes to textbooks to cell phones — she sees a vision of their emotions. She can read a person’s fears and anxieties, their secrets and loves … and what they have yet to learn about calculus. This is helpful for her work as a math tutor, but it means she can never get close to people. Eva avoids touching anyone and everyone. People think it’s because she’s a clean freak — with the emphasis on freak — but it’s all she can do to protect herself from other people’s issues.

Then one day a new student walks into Eva’s life. His jacket gives off so much emotional trauma that she falls to the floor. Eva is instantly drawn to Zenn, a handsome and soulful artist who also has a troubled home life, and her feelings only grow when she realizes that she can touch Zenn’s skin without having visions. But when she discovers the history that links them, the truth threatens to tear the two apart.




~ ~ ~ EXCERPT ~ ~ ~

While he waits for his coffee, I snuggle deeper into the couch, hoping he won’t notice me. The only thing worse than filling out college applications the night of the homecoming dance is your crush seeing you fill out college applications the night of the homecoming dance. I guess it should make me feel better that he’s not at the dance, either, but it doesn’t. When guys don’t go to homecoming it seems like a conscious choice. When girls don’t go, it just seems like they didn’t get asked.

“Tall black drip!” the barista calls out, like she’s calling out his name and not the drink. Zenn is tall and dark, but there is nothing drippy about him. He is most definitely non-drippy, whatever that means. He takes his coffee and I think I am home free until he steps away from the counter.

Crap. He sees me. I am equal parts mortified and thrilled.

He raises his cup in a silent greeting and comes a few steps closer. He opens the lid and I try not to stare at his mouth as he blows on his coffee to cool it.

“Hey, Zenn.” My voice sounds goofy in my own ears. Too loud in this small, cozy space.

He takes a tentative sip from his cup. Straight black coffee, no cream, no sugar, no chocolate syrup. What a badass.

“No homecoming for you either?” he asks.

I close my laptop and press my hands against the warm surface. I shrug. “I’m not much of a dancer.” Zenn nods in agreement. “Yeah. Me neither.”

He comes even closer and sits down on the arm of the sofa across from me. His knees are spread wide, his forearms resting on his inner thighs, his hypnotizing hands holding his coffee in the triangle between his legs. He looks so comfortable, so at ease in his own skin. How does one get that way? You wouldn’t think it would be hard – I mean, we’re born in our skin. It should be pretty comfortable by the time you hit seventeen, eighteen. But for me...not so much.


~ ~ ~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~ ~ ~

So my name alone should give you a clue that I graduated from high school when bangs were big and clothes were baggy. I went to Northwestern University and majored in journalism even though I had no desire to be a journalist. I've been married to a great guy for a whole drinking-aged person's life. I've got two amazing and yet very different (and very tall) teenage kids. I like crappy food, pinning inspirational quotes on Pinterest, have a tendency to start paragraphs with "anyway", and I wish I were funnier. I would love to be one of those really, REALLY funny bloggers (like Insane in the Mom-Brain) that makes you pee yourself a little bit. I am only moderately funny. I admit that. It's one of my great sadnesses in life.

​I started writing fiction when I was 10, but tried to be practical with the whole journalism thing. Didn't take. Shortly after college, the fiction-writing desire reared its non-practical head and I've been writing ever since. 

Anyway, I'm probably just like you. We'd probably be friends if we met in real life. (Well, let's be honest. It's likely that only my friends are actually reading this blog, so we probably ARE friends in real life.) But whether we are friends in real life, or just virtual friends through cyberspace, I hope you will enjoy your time here.

Check out my debut YA novel, ZENN DIAGRAM (KCP Loft 4/4/17), available for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Target!

Find Her Online: Website | Twitter | Instagram


~ DON'T MISS THIS GIVEAWAY!~

(1) Winner will receive an annotated copy of Lessons in Falling by Diana Gallagher (US only) Follow these rules to enter!

3 winners will receive a hardcover of ZENN DIAGRAM, US Only. The giveaway will be open until April 11th at 12:00 a.m. Eastern.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Cecelia Ahern's first book, Flawed, was so popular, and now the next installment is here! Are you eager to see what happens next? It's bound to be good!



PERFECT
By: Cecelia Ahern
Published By: Feiwell & Friends
Release Date: April 4, 2017
Series: Flawed
Pages: 352
Genre: Dystopian
Reading Level: Young Adult
Buy the Book: Amazon


Goodreads Summary: Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed by a morality court, Celestine's life has completely fractured--all her freedoms gone.

Since Judge Crevan has declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick--the only person she can trust.

But Celestine has a secret--one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing.

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save just herself or to risk her life to save all Flawed people.

And, most important of all, can she prove that to be human in itself is to be Flawed?





~ ~ ~ EXCERPT ~ ~ ~

They stay there for three hours. My muscles burn, my feet ache, but I’m afraid to move.

When the fire has reduced to a smolder, Granddad and Dahy are ordered to place the bundles of food onto the coals. The farmworkers watch from their orderly line, their F brand armbands all visible on their right arms, just above their elbow.

This was supposed to be a celebration, a coming together to show that the Guild couldn’t beat them down. Now the Whistleblowers themselves are here. Hiding behind the tree, huddled on the ground, hugging my legs, shivering from the damp forest, I can’t say that I feel empowered. This feels like a defeat.

Granddad and Dahy cover the food with the soil so it will cook under the ground in the heat. Granddad looks at the ground, his work finished, as though he’s buried me alive. Again I want to call out to him that I’m okay, I made it out, but I can’t.

A phone rings and the female Whistleblower takes it. She steps aside, walks away from the others, so she can talk in private. She moves closer to me in the woods. I tense up again.

“Judge Crevan, hello. It’s Kate. No, Judge, Celestine isn’t here. We’ve checked everywhere.”

Silence as she listens and I hear Crevan’s voice from where I stand. Kate walks farther and stops by my tree.

I press my back to the tree, squeeze my eyes shut, and hold my breath.

“With all due respect, Judge, this is the Guild’s sixth visit to the property and I believe Mary May was meticulous in her search. We’ve checked everywhere you can imagine. I don’t believe she’s here. I think the grandfather is telling the truth.”

I can hear the frustration in her voice. They’re all under pressure to find me, pressure placed on them by Judge Crevan. Kate takes a few more steps, right into my eyeline.

She slowly scans the forest, her eyes searching the distance.

Then she looks right at me.


~ ~ ~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~ ~ ~


At twenty-one, Cecelia wrote her first novel PS, I Love You, which was sold to forty-seven countries. The film of the same title, directed by Richard LaGravenese and produced by Wendy Finerman productions, starred Hilary Swank, Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Bates, Gerry Butler, Harry Connick Jr, Gina Gershon and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. PS, I Love You was one of the biggest-selling debut novels of 2004, reaching number 1 in Ireland and in the UK Sunday Times bestseller list. It was also a bestseller throughout Europe and the USA, staying on the best-seller list in Germany for 52 weeks.

That same year, in November 2004, her second book Where Rainbows End (as Rosie Dunne hardback in the US, Love, Rosie paperback in US) also reached no.1 in Ireland and the UK, remaining at the top of the Irish bestsellers list for 12 weeks and again was a bestseller internationally.  Where Rainbows End was adapted for film titled Love, Rosie and will be released in Oct 2014, starring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin.

Her third book If You Could See Me Now was published in November 2005 and also became an international bestseller. It has been optioned by producer Simon Brooks, producer of Love, Rosie.

Cecelia’s fourth novel A Place Called Here (published under the title There’s No Place Like Here in the US) also became an international number one bestseller.

Thanks For The Memories her fifth novel was also a huge bestseller and is now being adapted for a TV Drama Series by Gate Productions.

The Gift was published in October 2008 and became an International bestseller. It is optioned by Oscar winning producer Andreas Bareiss, and it is going into production later this year.

Her seventh novel The Book Of Tomorrow was released in October 2009 and eOne Television are developing it for a TV series in the US.

In March of 2011 her two short stories, Girl in the Mirror were published.

In November by Cecelia’s eighth novel The Time Of My Life was published and also became a bestseller.

Her ninth novel One Hundred Names was published in October 2012 and became a number one bestseller.

Her tenth novel How To Fall In Love was published last November and also became another bestseller.

To date Cecelia has sold over 22 million copies of her books worldwide.

Find Her Online: Website | Twitter | Instagram


~ DON'T MISS THIS GIVEAWAY! ~

2 Winners will receive finished copies of FLAWED & PERFECT, US Only. Ends on April 18th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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