Lauren Reads YA

Bookstore Tour: Paard van Troje

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:32:00 -0400

Last week, I went on a trip to Belgium—to be more specific, these three cities: Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges. I had made a list of cool places I found online and we went exploring. In Ghent, we found this beautiful bookshop & coffee shop. If you’re ever in Belgium, this place is definitely worth visiting.

Unfortunately it’s the only shop I’ve really taken pictures of for the blog, but there will be a video (either my June Document Your Life video or a Travel Diaries one for this trip) where you’ll be able to see more of this bookstore and others. Until then, check out my Foursquare list with favourite places in the three cities I visited.

Paard van Troje | Foursquare

Kouter 113
9000 Ghent
Belgium

I only saw this when I was editing photos—didn’t even notice it before!—but look, it’s the Dutch translation of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green!

Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell.

All photos were taken by me with a Nikon D5100 + 50mm lens.

Upcoming Releases (42)

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:00:58 -0400

In this weekly feature, I spotlight some young adult and middle grade books that will be coming out in the next week.

A Trick of the Light
by Lois Metzger
Expected publication: June 18th, 2013

Mike Welles had everything under control. But that was before. Now things are rough at home, and they’re getting confusing at school. He’s losing his sense of direction, and he feels like he’s a mess.

Then there’s a voice in his head. A friend, who’s trying to help him get control again. More than that—the voice can guide him to become faster and stronger than he was before, to rid his life of everything that’s holding him back. To figure out who he is again. If only Mike will listen.

Telling a story of a rarely recognized segment of eating disorder sufferers—young men—A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger is a book for fans of the complex characters and emotional truths in Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls and Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why.

Star Cursed (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #2)
by Jessica Spotswood
Expected publication: June 18th, 2013

Spoiler warning: This is the second in a series! The synopsis may include spoilers.

With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate’s friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.

Cate doesn’t want to be a weapon, and she doesn’t want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood’s schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she’ll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.

In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess’s quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternate history of New England.

Proxy (Proxy, #1)
by Alex London
Expected publication: June 18th, 2013

Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.

Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.

Tarnish
by Katherine Longshore
Expected publication: June 18th, 2013

Anne Boleyn is the odd girl out. Newly arrived to the court of King Henry VIII, everything about her seems wrong, from her clothes to her manners to her witty but sharp tongue. So when the dashing poet Thomas Wyatt offers to coach her on how to shine at court—and to convince the whole court they’re lovers—she accepts. Before long, Anne’s popularity has soared, and even the charismatic and irresistible king takes notice. More than popularity, Anne wants a voice—but she also wants love. What began as a game becomes high stakes as Anne finds herself forced to make an impossible choice between her heart’s desire and the chance to make history.

Intuition (Transcendence #2)
by C.J. Omololu
Expected publication: June 18th, 2013

Spoiler warning: This is the second in a series! The synopsis may include spoilers.

As Cole begins to accept her new life as Akhet, someone who can remember flashes of her past lives, every new vision from her past lives helps explain who she is in this life. As her passion for Griffon grows, she learns to identify other Akhet around her, including Drew, the young self-made millionaire who reveals his startling connection to Cole—he was her husband in Elizabethan England and gave her the ankh necklace that has been returned to her after centuries in hiding. Drew’s attentions are overwhelming as he insists that their connection in the past signals their future destiny together, but before she can decide who she truly loves, Cole must learn to harness her unique Akhet abilities if she is to ever understand her role in this strange new world.

Book Trailer Thursday (14)

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:01:24 -0400

In this weekly feature, I spotlight a book trailer for a YA or middle grade novel every Thursday.

Make sure to watch it in 720p for the best viewing experience! :)

I’m personally so excited to read REBOOT. I’ve got a copy on the way to my house and I can’t wait to start it!

Reboot (Reboot, #1)
by Amy Tintera

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

Top Ten Tuesday (26): Beach Reads

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:01:23 -0400

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week, there is a new topic for a list to make about books, reading, and blogging. This week’s theme is:

Top Ten Beach Reads

What I consider a beach read: something that is easy to concentrate on even if you don’t have the chance to be alone (like on a beach, camping, etc.), usually contemporary romances, preferably set during summertime!

Books I Have Already Read And Will Recommend As Beach Reads

1. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
This will always be my top recommendation when it comes to summer reads. Maureen Johnson is the absolute best author to turn to when looking for these kind of fun beach books! I suggest reading this only when you are going travelling/exploring soon, because it will wake up the wanderlust in you.
P.S. If you’ve already read this, check out the sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope, or any of Maureen’s other books!

2. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
A road trip book about music and friendship, with a GORGEOUS cover and spine! What more could you want?

3. Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker
‘The year that broke her heart. The summer that healed it. A dual love story.’ A super cute, short romantic contemp! The perfect beach (or boat?) read.

4. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
This is one of my all time favourite summer reads with my #1 favourite book cover (and spine, and back cover). It’s quite a big book for a beach read, but so worth it!

5. Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
The ultimate travel book. This one follows Bria—completely inexperienced with travelling—during her journey to and through Central America.

Books I Have Not Yet Read But Will Read As Beach Reads This Year

6. Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik
Apparently this is a modern Pride and Prejudice retelling, which I didn’t know when I bought it, but oh well, this will be interesting! Hopefully it’s as fun and easy as the cover makes it look.

7. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
It’s been a while since I last read something by Sarah Dessen, and for some reason I always wait for summer, because her books just have that summer-y feel to them! I’ve heard this is most people’s favourite Dessen book, along with Along For The Ride, so I’m excited!

8. Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham
1 concert, 2000 miles, 3 ex-best friends. Sounds like a fun, interesting summer read! Also, you can never go wrong with a road trip.

9. This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
I quite liked this author’s debut novel, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, and this one sounds super fun and interesting! Will hopefully be ordering it soon.

10. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
I have been eye-ing this book for ages and still haven’t picked it up. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know either. I feel kind of bad because I have a really pretty bookmark of this, but don’t even own the book yet. BAD, BAD LAUREN. Anyway, SOON.

Upcoming Releases (41)

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 06:39:02 -0400

In this weekly feature, I spotlight some young adult and middle grade books that will be coming out in the next week.

Boy Nobody (Boy Nobody, #1)
by Allen Zadoff
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school, in a new town, under a new name, makes few friends and doesn’t stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend’s family to die—of “natural causes.” Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, and moves on to the next target.

When his own parents died of not-so-natural causes at the age of eleven, Boy Nobody found himself under the control of The Program, a shadowy government organization that uses brainwashed kids as counter-espionage operatives. But somewhere, deep inside Boy Nobody, is somebody: the boy he once was, the boy who wants normal things (like a real home, his parents back), a boy who wants out. And he just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program’s next mission.

Mortal Fire
by Elizabeth Knox
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

Sixteen-year-old Canny Mochrie’s vacation takes a turn when she stumbles upon a mysterious and enchanting valley, occupied almost entirely by children who can perform a special type of magic that tells things how to be stronger and better than they already are. As Canny studies the magic more carefully, she realizes that she not only understands it—she can perform the magic, too, so well that it feels like it has always been a part of her. With the help of an alluring seventeen-year-old boy who is held hostage by a spell that is now more powerful than the people who first placed it, Canny figures out the secrets of this valley and of her own past.

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
by April Henry
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

“Take her out back and finish her off.”

She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.

And that she must run.

In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.

Another Little Piece
by Kate Karyus Quinn
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

The spine-tingling horror of Stephen King meets an eerie mystery worthy of Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars series in Kate Karyus Quinn’s haunting debut.

On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish… a bloody razor… and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese’s fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past.

Born Of Illusion (Born of Illusion, #1)
by Teri Brown
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City.

Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived.

But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Linked (Linked, #1)
by Imogen Howson
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

Elissa used to have it all: looks, popularity, and a bright future. But for the last three years, she’s been struggling with terrifying visions, phantom pains, and mysterious bruises that appear out of nowhere.

Finally, she’s promised a cure: minor surgery to burn out the overactive area of her brain. But on the eve of the procedure, she discovers the shocking truth behind her hallucinations: she’s been seeing the world through another girl’s eyes.

Elissa follows her visions, and finds a battered, broken girl on the run. A girl—Lin—who looks exactly like Elissa, down to the matching bruises. The twin sister she never knew existed.

Now, Elissa and Lin are on the run from a government who will stop at nothing to reclaim Lin and protect the dangerous secrets she could expose—secrets that would shake the very foundation of their world.

Riveting, thought-provoking and utterly compelling, Linked will make you question what it really means to be human.

Rush (The Game, #1)
by Eve Silver
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out.

Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

Infamous (Fame Game, #3)
by Lauren Conrad
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

Infamous brings Lauren Conrad’s juicy, gossipy Fame Game series to a stunning conclusion.

As the star of MTV series The Hills, Lauren Conrad understands Hollywood life. She uses insider knowledge to tell the story of Madison Parker, Kate Hayes, and Carmen Curtis, stars of The Fame Game, the reality TV show that follows the girls as they try to become famous in L.A.

Kate and Carmen are about to become big stars, but they’re going to have to survive some backstage drama first. Madison is learning hard lessons about fame as she deals with backstabbing “friends” and family, out-of-control paparazzi, and a scandal reported in every tabloid.

Dance of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death, #2)
by Bethany Griffin
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

Bethany Griffin continues the journey of Araby Worth in Dance of the Red Death—the sequel to her teen novel Masque of the Red Death.

In Dance of the Red Death, Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city.

Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero.

With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.

Charm & Strange
by Stephanie Kuehn
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

When you’ve been kept caged in the dark, it’s impossible to see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars…

Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself. He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.

He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable.

Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present. Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild darkness inside his mind or make peace with the most elemental of truths—that choosing to live can mean so much more than not dying.

Spies and Prejudice
by Talia Vance
Expected publication: June 11th, 2013

Fields’ Rule #1: Don’t fall for the enemy.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She’s busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she’s sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either.

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her “nothing amazing,” it’s no loss for Berry. She’ll forget him in no time. She’s more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother’s death.

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can’t Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

How (Not) to Find a Boyfriend
by Allyson Valentine
Expected publication: June 13th, 2013

A funny and smart romantic comedy about getting the guy… and finding yourself.

Sophomore Nora Fulbright is the most talented and popular new cheerleader on the Riverbend High cheer squad. Never mind that she used to be queen of the nerds—a chess prodigy who answered every question first, aced every test and repelled friends at every turn—because this year, Nora is determined to fully transition from social pupa to full blown butterfly, even if it means dumbing down her entire schedule. But when funny, sweet and very cute Adam moves to town and steals Nora’s heart with his untra-smarts and illegally cute dimple, Nora has a problem. How can she prove to him that she’s not a complete airhead? Nora devises a seemingly simple plan to barter her way into Adam’s classes that involves her classmates, friends—and her older brother Phil’s award-winning AP history paper. But soon, Nora can barely keep track of her trades, and struggles to stay in control of her image.

In the end, the only thing that can save Nora is a chess tournament—that she has to compete in wearing her cheerleading uniform. Can she prove to everyone that she can be both a butterfly and a nerd?

Allyson Valentine has created a story so full of enamoring characters, pitch-perfect humor, and delightfully frustrating romance that it will leave you cheering. Great for fans of Stephanie Perkins’s Anna and the French Kiss, Susanne Colosanti and Sarah Dessen.

My Document Your Life video for May 2013. Bookish things in this...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 11:51:52 -0400

My Document Your Life video for May 2013.

Bookish things in this video: the Bout of Books read-a-thon & The Dinner (Herman Koch) signing/book club meeting.

May 2013 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:58:00 -0400

In May, I read 7 books, 4 novellas, and 1 picture book in total.

It was the month of the Bout of Books read-a-thon 7.0. I read 5 books and 4 novellas during the week-long read-a-thon, and afterwards I unfortunately got into a little reading slump. :( I’m currently reading Fear by Michael Grant and I’m hoping to get out of the slump soon!

1. Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy ★★★★☆
2. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne ★★★★★
3. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan ★★★★☆
4. Unbreakable (Unraveling, #2) by Elizabeth Norris ★★★★★
5. Teacher’s Pest (Tales from Lovecraft Middle School, #3) by Charles Gilman ★★★★★
6. Talking Pictures by Ransom Riggs ★★★★☆
7. The Program (The Program, #1) by Suzanne Young ★★★★★

8. Annabel (Delirium, #0.5) by Lauren Oliver ★★★★☆
9. Hana (Delirium, #1.5) by Lauren Oliver ★★★★★
10. Raven (Delirium, #2.5) by Lauren Oliver ★★★★☆
11. Undone (Unraveling, #1.5) by Elizabeth Norris ★★★★★

12. This Moose Belongs To Me by Oliver Jeffers ★★★★☆
Oliver Jeffers is one of my favourite artists and I’m making it my goal to collect and read all of his picture books!

Other highlights of the month:

I went to a book signing and got my copy of Herman Koch’s The Dinner signed.
I won Elizabeth Norris’ giveaway! The prize includes Unbreakable swag (bookmarks, signed bookplates, stickers, magnets, an extra content booklet complete with four short stories, a poster), an annotated copy of either Unraveling or Unbreakable, an e-book of Undone, and signed copies of these Dark Days books: The Elite by Kiera Cass, Life After Theft by Aprillynne Pike, and Reboot by Amy Tintera.
All you had to do for the giveaway was take a picture with your copy of Unbreakable and tweet it with the hashtag #BeUnbreakable. I also wore a Janelle inspired outfit in my picture!
I also won Book Nerd Canada’s April 2013 new release giveaway hop, and chose
to win a copy of Light (Gone, #6) by Michael Grant. I can’t believe my luck this month!
I received an ARC of Substitute Creature from Quirk Books, for an early read. The finished book comes out in September and I will be posting my review then!
I got a Subblime page! If you watch my YouTube videos and want to know what products and items I show in my Document Your Life videos, there is a big chance you will find them there! I also have a campaign about my favourite books, where you can buy them right away.

Reviews
Teacher’s Pest by Charles Gilman

Bout of Books
Bout of Books readathon Introduction
Bout of Books readathon Updates
Bout of Books readathon Wrap-Up

Other blog posts
Book Trailer Thursday (12)
Friday Reads (18)
Giveaway: Teacher’s Pest ARCs [CLOSED]
My Bookish Instagram Pictures (4)
Photo post: US and UK covers of Allegiant
Stacking The Shelves (17)
Top Ten Tuesday (25): Tough Subjects
Upcoming Releases (36)
Upcoming Releases (37)
Upcoming Releases (38)
Upcoming Releases (39)
Upcoming Releases (40)

Book Trailer Thursday (13)

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 10:49:38 -0400

In this weekly feature, I spotlight a book trailer for a YA or middle grade novel every Thursday.

You Look Different in Real Life
by Jennifer Castle

For the rest of the world, the movies are entertainment. For Justine, they’re real life.

The premise was simple: five kids, just living their lives. There’d be a new movie about them every five years, starting in kindergarten. But no one could have predicted what the cameras would capture. And no one could have predicted that Justine would be the star.

Now sixteen, Justine doesn’t feel like a star anymore. In fact, when she hears the crew has gotten the green light to film Five at Sixteen, all she feels is dread. The kids who shared the same table in kindergarten have become teenagers who hardly know one another. And Justine, who was so funny and edgy in the first two movies, feels like a disappointment.

But these teens have a bond that goes deeper than what’s on film. They’ve all shared the painful details of their lives with countless viewers. They all know how it feels to have fans as well as friends. So when this latest movie gives them the chance to reunite, Justine and her costars are going to take it. Because sometimes, the only way to see yourself is through someone else’s eyes.

Smart, fresh, and frequently funny, You Look Different in Real Life is a piercing novel about life in an age where the lines between what’s personal and what’s public aren’t always clear.

Upcoming Releases (40)

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 07:25:52 -0400

In this weekly feature, I spotlight some young adult and middle grade books that will be coming out in the next week.

Don’t forget to enter my international GIVEAWAY for 3 Advanced Reader’s Copies of Teacher’s Pest by Charles Gilman (the third book in the Lovecraft Middle School series). Ends June 5th.

The Moon and More
by Sarah Dessen
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo’s sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline’s mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he’s convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she’s going?

Crushed (Pretty Little Liars, #13)
by Sara Shepard
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

Spoiler warning: This is the thirteenth in a series. The synopsis may include spoilers!

In the thirteenth Pretty Little Liars novel, the secrets are more crushing than ever…

It’s springtime in Rosewood, but while everyone else is searching for the perfect prom dress, Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Aria are on a different kind of hunt: They’re looking for A…

Hanna puts her campaign for prom queen on the back burner to volunteer at a burn clinic, where one of A’s victims is recovering. Emily digs into Ali’s past at the mental hospital with some very crazy consequences. Spencer contacts an amateur private eye to help her stalk her stalker. But when their sessions get a little too private, they may forget to keep their eyes on A. And Aria’s worried that A is even closer than she thought. When her dark secret from Iceland comes to light, she discovers that maybe, just maybe, the one person she’s been trying to hide the truth from has known all along.

The liars are finally taking the fight to A. But no matter what they do, A’s always one step ahead, ready to crush the girls completely.

When You Were Here
by Daisy Whitney
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

Filled with humor, raw emotion, a strong voice, and a brilliant dog named Sandy Koufax, When You Were Here explores the two most powerful forces known to man-death and love. Daisy Whitney brings her characters to life with a deft touch and resonating authenticity.

Danny’s mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see.

Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn’t know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.

When he gets a letter from his mom’s property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother’s memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

Siege and Storm (The Grisha, #2)
by Leigh Bardugo
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

Spoiler warning: This is the second in a series. The synopsis may include spoilers!

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

You Look Different in Real Life
by Jennifer Castle
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

For the rest of the world, the movies are entertainment. For Justine, they’re real life.

Smart, fresh, and frequently funny, You Look Different in Real Life is a piercing novel about life in an age where the lines between what’s personal and what’s public aren’t always clear.

Over You
by Amy Reed
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

Max would follow Sadie anywhere, so when Sadie decides to ditch her problems and escape to Nebraska for the summer, it’s only natural for Max to go along. She is Sadie’s confidante, her protector, and her best friend. This summer will be all about them. This summer will be perfect.

But that’s before they meet Dylan.

Dylan is dangerous and intoxicating, and he awakens something in Max that she never knew existed. No matter how much she wants to, she can’t back away.

But Sadie has her own intensity, and has never allowed Max to become close with anyone else. And Max doesn’t know who she is without Sadie.

There are some problems you just can’t escape.

Phoenix (Black City, #2)
by Elizabeth Richards
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

Spoiler warning: This is the second in a series. The synopsis may include spoilers!

Ash and Natalie are just starting to build a life together when things in the United Sentry States go from bad to worse. Ash and Natalie find themselves at the center of turmoil when dictator Purian Rose threatens Natalie’s life unless Ash votes in favor of Rose’s Law—a law that will send Darklings and other dissenters to a deadly concentration camp known as the Tenth.

When Ash can’t bring himself to trade Natalie’s life for those of millions of Darklings, her fate is sealed. Enter Elijah Theroux, the handsome Bastet boy Natalie once saved from her mother’s labs, where he’d been experimented on and tortured. It was his venom the Sentry used to create the lethal Golden Haze, the heart of the government conspiracy that led to Black City’s uprising and Ash’s rebirth as the Phoenix, the face of the rebellion. Elijah is back and Ash doesn’t like him; it’s clear he’s taken with Natalie, and Ash fears she may have feelings for him as well.

But Elijah also may have the answer to taking down Purian Rose for good—a powerful weapon called the Ora. Ash, Natalie and Elijah just have to escape Black City undetected to find it. But fleeing the city and finding this weapon (if it even exists) are easier said than done, and the quest could tear Ash and Natalie apart, even pushing them into the arms of others.

This enthralling sequel to Black City is just as absorbing, delicious and steamy as the first book, leaving readers hungry for the series conclusion.

Rules of Summer (Rules of Summer, #1)
by Joanna Philbin
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

The Rules of Summer is about two 17 year-old girls living in the same beachfront mansion in East Hampton for the summer, one “upstairs” (the daughter of a very blue-blooded family) and one “downstairs” (the niece of the family’s housekeeper.) Isabel is the privileged daughter who’s used to having guys fall at her feet. Rory is the no-nonsense girl from a small New Jersey town who’s always been the friend, never the girlfriend. Besides becoming each other’s unlikely allies, both Rory and Isabel have a summer romance that will change their lives.

Elegy (Hereafter, #3)
by Tara Hudson
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

Spoiler warning: This is the third in a series. The synopsis may include spoilers!

A stalker ghost, misguided Seers, and spellbinding wraiths—Amelia Ashley has faced them all. Now her greatest hope is to spend the rest of her afterlife with her living boyfriend, Joshua. But the demonic forces return to give her an ultimatum: turn herself over to the darkness or watch them murder one living person per week until she does.

Amelia fears she might really be doomed, until the forces of light give her another option. She can join them in their quest to gather souls, with a catch: Once she joins them, she can never see Joshua again.

Faced with impossible choices, Amelia decides to take her afterlife into her own hands—and fight back.

The Impossibility of Tomorrow
by Avery Williams
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

Spoiler warning: This is the second in a series. The synopsis may include spoilers!

Seraphina has been living for centuries, thanks to a special method of alchemy, but only recently has she really felt alive. She’s finally broken free from her controlling boyfriend, Cyrus, and after years of swapping bodies to preserve her immortality, is happily settled into a life worth sticking with. Because in this life, she has Noah.

But Noah might not be as trustworthy as he seems. After he delivers an ominous message that could only come from Cyrus, Sera is worried that her new friends and family will find out her secret. And as her suspicions extend beyond Noah, Sera is forced to wonder about her new friends as well: Could her old coven be disguising themselves right under her nose?

Will Sera have to move to another body—and take another life—or can she find a way to keep what she’s got, forever?

Abandon (Possession, #3)
by Elana Johnson
Expected publication: June 4th, 2013

Spoiler warning: This is the third in a series. The synopsis may include spoilers!

Seduced by power, broken by control, and consumed by love…

Vi has made her choice between Jag and Zenn, and the Resistance may have suffered for it. But with the Thinkers as strong as ever, the rebels still have a job to do. Vi knows better than anyone that there’s more at stake than a few broken hearts.

But there is a traitor among them…and the choices he makes could lead to the total destruction of everything Vi has fought for.

Vi, Jag, and Zenn must set their problems aside for the Resistance to have any hope of ending the Thinkers’ reign. Their success means everything… and their failure means death.

Upcoming Releases (39)

Tue, 28 May 2013 06:33:00 -0400

In this weekly feature, I spotlight some young adult and middle grade books that will be coming out in the next week.

Don’t forget to enter my international GIVEAWAY for 3 Advanced Reader’s Copies of Teacher’s Pest by Charles Gilman (the third book in the Lovecraft Middle School series). Ends June 5th.

Impostor (Variants, #1)
by Susanne Winnacker
Expected publication: May 28th, 2013

Can Tessa pose as Madison… and stop a killer before it’s too late?

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again.

Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

Openly Straight
by Bill Konigsberg
Expected publication: May 28th, 2013

A funny, honest novel about being out, being proud… and being ready for something else.

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He’s won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he’s gay. He’s been out since 8th grade, and he isn’t teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that’s important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys’ boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret — not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben … who doesn’t even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate being different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.

The Distance Between Us
by Kasie West
Expected publication: June 2, 2013

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she’s beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Giveaway: Teacher's Pest ARCs! 3 WINNERS! (INT)

Sat, 25 May 2013 07:16:00 -0400

I’m sure you’ve seen the Tales from Lovecraft Middle School series going around in the book community, and for good reason! It’s an creepy yet adorable middle grade series from the same publishers as the haunting Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

And here’s your chance to win an ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy) of the third book in the series, TEACHER’S PEST. There will be THREE WINNERS, who each get one copy!

Unfortunately these copies don’t have the cool lenticular covers, but still, a free book is always good, right? And it’s an AWESOME BOOK. (Check out my review here!)

Rules & Info:

Must be 13 years or older to enter, or have parent’s permission.
The giveaway is international.
The book will be sent to the winners by the publisher.
You must use the Rafflecopter form to enter, so don’t leave personal information like your (e-mail)address in the comments!
If you cheat and enter one of the actions without doing them, you will be disqualified from this giveaway. I will be checking!
The winner will be picked randomly by Rafflecopter.
The winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. I will send an e-mail to the winner and announce it on Twitter.
I am not responsible for items lost or damaged in the mail.

Enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also check out:
+ Review: Professor Gargoyle (Tales from Lovecraft Middle School, #1)
+ Review: The Slither Sisters (Tales from Lovecraft Middle School, #2)
+ Review: Teacher’s Pest (Tales from Lovecraft Middle School, #3)
+ Ransom Riggs Book Signing & Interview

Review: Teacher's Pest by Charles Gilman (+ GIVEAWAY)

Sat, 25 May 2013 07:15:00 -0400

Teacher’s Pest (Tales from Lovecraft Middle School, #3)
by Charles Gilman

Genre: middle grade, fantasy, horror
Publication date: May 7th, 2013
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 170
Format: Hardcover
Source: From publisher

SPOILER WARNING: As this is the third book in a series, this review will include spoilers for the first book, Professor Gargoyle, and second book, The Slither Sisters.

SYNOPSIS: Don’t be fooled by his friendly smile, his perfect manners, or his shiny red apple. Student council president Howard Mergler is actually a sinister bug-monster in disguise—and he’s summoning swarms of roaches, wasps, fleas, and head lice into the corridors of Lovecraft Middle School! Twelve-year-old Robert Arthur is the only student who can stop him—but he’ll need help from his best friends: the school bully, the school ghost, and an extremely courageous two-headed rat.

THOUGHTS:

Teacher’s Pest was even more fantastic than the previous two books in this series!

In the third installment of the series, Robert and his friends have to stop student council president (and giant fly monster) Howard Mergler from bringing swarms of insects into the school, and turning everyone into giant, creepy bug creatures. That’s all I can really say without spoiling the book too much.

I’m going to be honest here and say that I did have some nightmares…. (“Are they on me? I FEEL LIKE THEY’RE ON ME.”)

I loved the character development in this book, especially Glenn’s. Makes it easier to understand him and his actions. I’m sad that there didn’t seem to be as much Karina in this one, though! MORE KARINA PLEASE.

This has quickly become one of my favourite series. If you like middle grade books, or quirky, weird books in general, please give it a read! *shoves book in hands* (Like, literally. I have a giveaway for the third book. KEEP READING.)

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)

Thanks so much Quirk for sending me this book for review!

GIVEAWAY:

I have a giveaway up for THREE ARC COPIES of Teacher’s Pest, for THREE DIFFERENT WINNERS. Click here to go to the giveaway post!

QUOTES:

Karina turned to Robert. “Remember when I said I only hated spiders? And other bugs didn’t bother me very much?”
“Yeah?”
“I was wrong about that.”

WANT MORE?

So far, the Tales of Lovecraft Middle School series consists of four novels. The first three are already out, and the fourth comes out in September of this year.

Professor Gargoyle (#1)
The Slither Sisters (#2)
Teacher’s Pest (#3)
Substitute Creature (#4)

Also check out the website for the series: lovecraftmiddleschool.com

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

+ Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine, #1) by Ransom Riggs
+ Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling
+ Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne
+ The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1) by Lemony Snicket
+ The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Upcoming Releases (38)

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:25:06 -0400

In this weekly feature, I spotlight some young adult and middle grade books that will be coming out in the next week.

Thousand Words
by Jennifer Brown
Expected publication: May 21st, 2013

Ashleigh’s boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he’ll forget about her while he’s away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh’s friends suggest she text him a picture of herself—sans swimsuit—to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits ‘send’.

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone—until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he’s the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh’s photo—and didn’t look.

Acclaimed author Jennifer Brown brings readers a gripping novel about honesty and betrayal, redemption and friendship, attraction and integrity, as Ashleigh finds that while a picture may be worth a thousand words… it doesn’t always tell the whole story.

Night School (Night School, #1)
by C.J. Daugherty
Expected publication: May 21st, 2013

Allie’s world is falling apart… She hates her school. Her brother has run away. And she’s just been arrested. Again.

Now her parents are sending her away to a boarding school where she doesn’t know a soul.

But instead of hating her new school, Allie finds she’s happy there. She’s making friends. And then there’s Sylvain, a suave French student who openly flirts with her. And Carter, the brooding loner who seems to have her back.

Soon, though, Allie discovers Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Nothing there is as it seems. And her new friends are hiding dangerous secrets.

The Book of Broken Hearts
by Sarah Ockler
Expected publication: May 21st, 2013

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

All I Need
by Susane Colasanti
Expected publication: May 21st, 2013

The last night of summer is only the beginning.

Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it’s obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did—and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?

Teen favorite Susane Colasanti returns to the alternating-voice style of her beloved debut When It Happens in this Serendipity-inspired story about summer, soul mates, and the moments that change our lives forever.

#BoutOfBooks Read-A-Thon: Wrap-Up!

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:49:00 -0400

Last week I participated in the Bout of Books read-a-thon for the second time. I had a fantastic time getting through some of the books on my TBR pile, and socialising with other bloggers! This past Bout of Books was the biggest one yet (with over 500 people participating!) and that made it so much more fun. Definitely something I will do again!

bout·of·books, n:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

– From the Bout of Books team

My Goals

Read 5 books, 2 novellas ✓
Participate in a Twitter Chat ✓
Update my read-a-thon blog post regularly ✓

Books Read

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
Annabel (Delirium, #0.5) by Lauren Oliver
Hana (Delirium, #1.5) by Lauren Oliver
Raven (Delirium, #2.5) by Lauren Oliver
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Unbreakable (Unraveling, #2) by Elizabeth Norris
Undone (Unraveling, #1.5) by Elizabeth Norris
The Program (The Program, #1) by Suzanne Young
Teacher’s Pest (Tales from Lovecraft Middle School, #3) by Charles Gilman

Stats

In total, I read 5 books and 4 novellas, which is 1718 pages.
I read an average of 245 pages a day.
I read 4 of the original 7 books I picked out for the read-a-thon. The rest I added on and changed throughout the week, depending on what I felt like reading and had available to me at the time.
I participated in the first Twitter chat on Monday, and was just in time for the last few questions of the last chat on Saturday. I missed the chat on Wednesday because of time zones.

If you want to participate in the next Bout of Books read-a-thon, make sure to follow @boutofbooks on Twitter and keep and eye on their blog. The next read-a-thon will be in August of this year!

Book Trailer Thursday (12)

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:24:00 -0400

In this weekly feature, I spotlight a book trailer for a YA or middle grade novel every Thursday.

The following trailer is actually for an adult book, but man, does this look cool. I just had to share it! From the same publishers as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Professor Gargoyle.

The Resurrectionist
by E.B. Hudspeth

Philadelphia, the late 1870s. A city of gas lamps, cobblestone streets, and horse-drawn carriages—and home to the controversial surgeon Dr. Spencer Black. The son of a grave robber, young Dr. Black studies at Philadelphia’s esteemed Academy of Medicine, where he develops an unconventional hypothesis: What if the world’s most celebrated mythological beasts—mermaids, minotaurs, and satyrs—were in fact the evolutionary ancestors of humankind?

“The Resurrectionist offers two extraordinary books in one. The first is a fictional biography of Dr. Spencer Black, from a childhood spent exhuming corpses through his medical training, his travels with carnivals, and the mysterious disappearance at the end of his life. The second book is Black’s magnum opus: The Codex Extinct Animalia, a Gray’s Anatomy for mythological beasts—dragons, centaurs, Pegasus, Cerberus—all rendered in meticulously detailed anatomical illustrations. You need only look at these images to realize they are the work of a madman. The Resurrectionist tells his story.”

The US and UK covers of the third book in the Divergent trilogy,...

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:13:51 -0400

The US and UK covers of the third book in the Divergent trilogy, Allegiant!

Top Ten Tuesday (25): Tough Subjects

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:02:26 -0400

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week, there is a new topic for a list to make about books, reading, and blogging. This week’s theme is:

Top Ten Books Dealing With Tough Subjects

1. Willow by Julia Hoban
Subject: depression / self-injury.

2. Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Subject: death / grief.

3. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Subject: cancer / death / grief / illness.

4. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Subject: eating disorder / anorexia.

5. I Don’t Want To Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz
Subject: anxiety / panic disorder. (written in verse)

6. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Subject: death / grief.

7. My Beautiful Failure by Janet Ruth Young
Subject: death / depression / grief / suicide.

8. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Subject: depression / rape.

9. Crash Into Me by Albert Borris
Subject: depression / suicide.

10. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Subject: incest / forbidden love.

#BoutOfBooks Read-A-Thon Updates

Tue, 14 May 2013 03:46:00 -0400

Bout of Books is a week-long read-a-thon from Monday, May 13th to Sunday, May 19th. Check out my sign-up post to see my goals for the week and some more information! This is where I’ll be updating my progress throughout the week. Fingers crossed I won’t forget like I did last time…

Monday
Number of books finished: 2
Number of pages read: 281
Books: The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, Annabel, Hana
+ Participated in the Twitter Chat

Tuesday
Number of books finished: 2
Number of pages read: 233
Books: Hana, Raven, Boy Meets Boy

Wednesday
Number of books finished: 1
Number of pages read: 203
Books: Boy Meets Boy, Undone, Unbreakable

Thursday
Number of books finished: 2
Number of pages read: 426
Books: Undone, Unbreakable

Friday
Number of books finished: 0
Number of pages read: 220
Books: The Program

Saturday
Number of books finished: 1
Number of pages read: 185
Books: The Program
+ Participated in the Twitter Chat

Sunday
Number of books finished: 1
Number of pages read: 170
Books: Teacher’s Pest

Total number of books finished: 5 books, 4 novellas (9 in total)
Total numbers of pages read: 1718 pages

Upcoming Releases (37)

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:18:45 -0400

In this weekly feature, I spotlight some young adult books that will be coming out in the next week.

Out Of This Place
by Emma Cameron
Expected publication: May 14, 2013

Luke spends his days hanging out at the beach, working shifts at the local supermarket, and trying to stay out of trouble at school. His mate Bongo gets wasted, blocking out memories of the little brother that social services took away from his addict mom and avoiding the stepdad who hits him. And Casey, the girl they both love, longs to get away from her strict, controlling father and start anew in a place where she can be free. But even after they each find a way to move on and lead very different lives, can they outrun their family stories—and will they ever be able to come together again? Set in Australia and narrated in alternating points of view, here is an affecting look at the evolving lives of three friends from talented new author Emma Cameron.

Towering
by Alex Flinn
Expected publication: May 14, 2013

Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her.

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.

Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now.

Parallel
by Lauren Miller
Expected publication: May 14, 2013

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She’d go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she’s in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it’s as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby’s life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby’s senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby’s never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn’t choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that’s finally within reach.

Golden
by Jessi Kirby
Expected publication: May 14, 2013

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.

Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.

Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

Winger
by Andrew Smith
Expected publication: May 14, 2013

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

School Spirits (School Spirits, #1)
by Rachel Hawkins
Expected publication: May 14, 2013

Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy’s mom decides they need to take a break.

Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who’s always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt?

Rachel Hawkins’ delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as the New York Times best-selling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!

The Rules for Disappearing
by Ashley Elston
Expected publication: May 14, 2013

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky… But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do—or see—that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules—and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

Truth or Dare (Truth or Dare, #1)
by Jacqueline Green
Expected publication: May 14, 2013

It all started on a whim: the game was a way for Tenley Reed to reclaim her popularity, a chance for perfect Caitlin “Angel” Thomas to prove she’s more than her Harvard application. Loner Sydney Morgan wasn’t even there; she was hiding behind her camera like usual. But when all three start receiving mysterious dares long after the party has ended, they’re forced to play along—or risk exposing their darkest secrets.

How far will Tenley, Caitlin and Sydney go to keep the truth from surfacing? And who’s behind this twisted game?

Set against the backdrop of Echo Bay, an isolated beach town haunted by misfortune, Truth or Dare is a highly charged debut that will keep readers in suspense from beginning to end.

Formerly Shark Girl (Shark Girl, #2)
by Kelly Bingham
Expected publication: May 14, 2013

It’s been a year since the shark attack that took Jane’s arm, and with it, everything she used to take for granted. Her dream of becoming an artist is on the line, and everything now seems out of reach, including her gorgeous, kind tutor, Max Shannon. While a perfectly nice guy from her science class is clearly interested in Jane — removing her fear that no one ever would want a one-armed girl — Jane can’t stop thinking about Max. But is his interest romantic? Or does he just feel sorry for her?

Formerly Shark Girl picks up where Kelly Bingham’s artful, honest debut novel left off, following Jane as she deals with a career choice (should she “give back” by trying to become a nurse, or is art an equally valid calling?) along with family changes and her first real romance — all while remembering who she was before she was Shark Girl and figuring out who she is now.

Remember Dippy
by Shirley Reva Vernick
Expected publication: May 14, 2013

Johnny’s plans fly out the window when he finds out his single mother is leaving town for the summer. She has a breakthough job in upstate New York. He can live with his Aunt Collette but only on the condition that he “help out with” his autistic older cousin, Remember. Yup, you heard it right: Remember Dippy. That’s his cousin’s name—and Remember is a gawky awkward kid with some pretty strange habits, like repeating back almost everything Johnny says and spending hours glued to the weather channel.

Johnny’s premonitions of disaster appear at first to come to cringeworthy fruition, but when the two boys save a bully from drowning, salvage the pizzeria guy’s romance, and share girl troubles, Johnny ends up having the summer of his life.

My Bookish Instagram Pictures (4)

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:54:18 -0400

Click on the photo to go to the Instagram page.

If you’d like to, you can follow me on Instagram. My username is @laurenme0w. :)

Rainbow spines.

Ransom Riggs book signing.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children signed bookplate hardback, signed poster, and two photographs from Ransom’s collection. All time favourite publisher ever. <3

Yellow book spines.

Re-organising my bookshelves from genre/alphabetical/publication date to rainbow colours!

Bookshelf re-organisation finished. In only 45 minutes!

My TBR pile (from April 23, 2013).

The children’s section in the Amsterdam library.

Talking Pictures by Ransom Riggs and The Dinner by Herman Koch.