Monthly Archives: November 2015

Book Title:
Where You End
Book Author:
Anna Pellicioli
Publishing Date:
June 8th, 2015
Publisher:
Flux
Date Read:
November 24th, 2015

Synopsis

Miriam Feldman was attracted to the artists, the musicians, the boys who wore broken-down cardigans. Boys like Elliot.

Their relationship was intense, passionate, all consuming. When they were together, Miriam knew who she was, in the way you can only know when you're deeply in love.

Now that it's over, Miriam has to pick up the pieces.

Even when Elliot starts seeing someone else. Even when she impulsively knocks over a priceless work of art. Even when she's blackmailed by the mystery girl who saw her do it.

Without a map, Miriam has to find her way. If only she knew how.

My Review

This book has a lyrical, almost poetry-like writing style that makes it different from a lot of other books.  A lot of other reviews I have read mentioned that the writing style is either one of the best parts of … Continue reading

4 stars
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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. Harmony House Author: Nic Sheff Publication Date: March 22nd, 2016 Publisher: HarperTeen Summary from Goodreads: Jen Noonan’s father … Continue reading

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Book Title:
The Family
Book Author:
Marissa Kennerson
Publishing Date:
October 8th, 2014
Publisher:
Full Fathom Five Digital
Date Read:
November 19th, 2015

Synopsis

Just like any average seventeen year old, Twig loves her family. She has a caring mother and a controlling father. Her brothers are sisters are committed to her family’s prosperity…

All one hundred and eighty three of them.

Twig lives in the Family, a collective society located in the rainforest of Costa Rica. The Family members coexist with the values of complete openness and honesty, and a shared fear of contagious infection in the outside world.

So when Adam, their Father, prophet, and savior, announces that Twig will be his new bride, she is overjoyed and honored. But when an injury forces her to leave the grounds, Twig finds that the world outside is not necessarily as toxic as she was made to believe. When she meets Leo, an American boy with a killer smile, she begins to question everything about her life within the Family, and the cult to which she belongs.

But when it comes to your Family, you don’t always get a choice.

My Review

I haven’t read a lot of books dealing with cults…the one or two that I have read haven’t really been up my alley and I just couldn’t bring myself to enjoy them, no matter how I tried.  While I was … Continue reading

4 stars
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The Family Author: Marissa Kennerson Publication Date: October 8th, 2014 Publisher: Full Fathom Five Digital Summary from Goodreads: Just like any average seventeen year old, Twig loves her family. She has a caring mother and a controlling father. Her brothers … Continue reading

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Book Title:
Hardwired
Book Author:
Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie
Publishing Date:
November 8th, 2015
Publisher:
Flux
Date Read:
November 16th, 2015

Synopsis

Genetically flawed. Perfectly human.

< When seventeen-year-old Lucas Marshall tests positive for the M0A1 gene—a genetic abnormality believed to predispose humans toward violence—he is shipped off to an impregnable government facility to undergo a battery of psychological tests aimed at making him crack. Now, having

But any hope Lucas has of returning to a normal life is shattered when the van transporting him to the reintegration facility is forced off the road by a group of radicals intent on accessing the facility and exposing it's dehumanizing practices. And Lucas is their ticket through the front door.

Spurred by rumors that the facility is secretly holding one of his old friends captive, Lucas and his bunk mate, Chris, agree to infiltrate the testing facility’s inner sanctum. But once inside, Lucas’s carefully laid plans begin to unravel, and he's forced to seek help from a group of kids he neither knows nor trusts. And when every genetic test claims your only allies are hardwired to become the next Charles Manson, it’s impossible to know who has your back.

My Review

If you like a quick science fiction book that is loaded up to the brim with action, then this is a great book to pick up.  It’s incredibly fast-paced and has a story line that will practically blow you away. … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
Book Author:
Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Publishing Date:
October 8th, 2012
Publisher:
Flux
Date Read:
November 18th, 2015

Synopsis

"This is Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, on community radio 90.3, KZUK. I'm Gabe. Welcome to my show."

My birth name is Elizabeth, but I'm a guy. Gabe. My parents think I've gone crazy and the rest of the world is happy to agree with them, but I know I'm right. I've been a boy my whole life.

When you think about it, I'm like a record. Elizabeth is my A side, the song everybody knows, and Gabe is my B side--not heard as often, but just as good.

It's time to let my B side play.

My Review

This is a positively beautiful book. Beautiful Music for Ugly Children tells the story of Gabe, who has been living as Elizabeth, but knows deep down that he is, in fact, Gabe.  Only being “out” to his parents and best … Continue reading

4.5 stars
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Book Title:
Dead Ringer
Book Author:
Jessie Rosen
Publishing Date:
November 11th, 2015
Publisher:
Full Fathom Five Digital
Date Read:
November 12th, 2015

Synopsis

From the moment Laura Rivers steps foot into Englewood High, she notices the stares—and they aren’t the typical once-overs every pretty new girl endures. The students seem confused and…spooked. Whispers echoing through the halls confirm that something is seriously off. “That new girl looks just like her,” they say.

It turns out Laura has a doppelgänger, and it isn't just anyone—it's Sarah Castro-Tanner, the girl who killed herself by jumping into the Navasink River one year ago.

Laura is determined not to let the gossip ruin her chances of making a fresh start. Thanks to her charming personality and California tan, she catches the eye of Englewood’s undisputed golden boy, Charlie Sanders, and it’s only a matter of time before they make their relationship official.

But something is making Charlie and his friends paranoid—and Laura soon discovers it has to do with Sarah Castro-Tanner.

What really happened to Sarah? Why is Charlie unraveling? And how does Laura Rivers fit into it all?

After all, she’s the dead ringer for a dead girl.

My Review

Finding a fantastic thriller tends to be a challenge, since so many of them tend to fall short of their promise to, well, actually be thrilling.  Dead Ringer by Jessie Rosen is a book that will captivate you, and completely … Continue reading

4.5 stars
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Book Title:
I Love My Hair: A Coloring Book of Braids, Coils, and Doodle Dos
Book Author:
Andrea Pippins
Publishing Date:
November 10th, 2015
Publisher:
Schwartz & Wade

Synopsis

For fans of Johanna Basford’s Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest comes a hip, gorgeous doodle coloring book about all things hair. Unlike other adult coloring books, which depict nature scenes and cityscapes, this title celebrates strong, confident women with a passion for style, design, and fashion.

Revel in the mesmerizing patterns and intricate details of Andrea Pippins’s delicate pen-and-ink illustrations, ready for you to color, complete, and embellish. Lose yourself in page after page of bold hairstyles and accessories, from rows of braids, to Mohawks, to sweeping updos, to cascades of ribbons and beads. Be transported to another world as you ink in Medusa’s slithering coiffure, Cleopatra’s elaborate headdress, and Marie Antoinette’s towering bouffant.

Perfect for experienced color-inners and newcomers alike. Coloring enthusiasts of all ages will love this empowering and stylish book. So go ahead—let your hair down, grab some pens or pencils, and add some color to your life.

My Review

As far as adult coloring books go, there are either full of flowers, animals, peaceful scenes, mandalas, or other images that are created to inspire serenity, peace, and the feeling of calm.  But this coloring book is unlike any other … Continue reading

5 stars
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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. Shallow Graves Author: Kali Wallace Publication Date: January 16th, 2016 Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books Summary from Goodreads: For … Continue reading

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Book Title:
How to Be Brave
Book Author:
E. Katherine Kottaras
Publishing Date:
November 3rd, 2015
Publisher:
St. Martin's Griffin
Date Read:
November 13th, 2015

Synopsis

An emotional contemporary YA novel about love, loss, and having the courage to chase the life you truly want.

Reeling from her mother's death, Georgia has a choice: become lost in her own pain, or enjoy life right now, while she still can. She decides to start really living for the first time and makes a list of fifteen ways to be brave - all the things she's wanted to do but never had the courage to try. As she begins doing the things she's always been afraid to do - including pursuing her secret crush, she discovers that life doesn't always go according to plan. Sometimes friendships fall apart and love breaks your heart. But once in a while, the right person shows up just when you need them most - and you learn that you're stronger and braver than you ever imagined.

My Review

How to be Brave was one of the books I had been looking forward to the most for the fall.  It was one of those books that I knew I had to read, because it sounded like it was going … Continue reading

4.5 stars
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