New Boy

February was favorite authors

Tracy Chevalier was on my mother's list. While she noted that Tracy does historical romance, I looked at her list of published works and found this gem.

So I am going to be honest, I am not a big fan of Shakespeare. Because of that, I have never read Othello. And that's what this is, a retelling of Othello. Set in an elementary school outside Washington D. C., Chevalier's characters are sixth grade children just a month away from summer vacation and a larger school in the mid-1970s. Osei is the new student that stands out with his rich dark skin in an all white world he finds himself all too frequently in. Dee is fascinated by him and just a little in love as soon as she lays eyes on him. Ian does not like this interloper encroaching on his territory. Mimi is concerned by and for Osei in his newness, Dee as her best friend, and Ian who has so much control over her. 

As someone who doesn't particularly care for Shakespeare's tragedies, I'll also be among the first to admit to his timelessness. Chevalier does a great job of seamlessly retelling the story in this new setting, and it is believable. The prejudice against the unknown and different translates boldly in this playground drama that takes place in a single, tension-charged day.

And I gotta say, I don't like the story of Othello! Shakespeare sure loved to crush you! But I love this retelling. It gives the story a new audience: those who don't read Shakespeare. I love seeing more of this. So please, read this one, recommend it to others, and send me any other retelling you think I should read!

The Beauty That Remains

So this year the book club is doing lists. The leader of the group has themes and each month the members of the group each post the top 5 for that theme and then pick a book from another member's list. I'm a little behind schedule since it took me some time to get to the library, but I finally got novels from the first 3 months and I am reading like crazy! I am hoping to post a lot more this year!

January was favorite books

I picked The Beauty That Remains from a list and I am so glad I did! It was such an amazing read!

So this novel by Ashley Woodfolk follows 3 narrators, each having list someone close to them, and follows them on their journeys through grief. Autumn has lost her best friend in a car accident, Logan's ex-boyfriend has committed suicide by drug overdose, and Shay's twin sister lost her battle with cancer. Each of the characters is dealing with their loss in different ways as they try to figure out how their lives are supposed to continue from this shattering spot.

Woodfolk does an incredible job at expressing the unique ways in which grief effects us and how we choose to deal with it. As she tells the stories of youths already forced to deal with so much from the outside world, she gives each a distinctly different voice that makes them amazing characters. Not everything works out, not everyone is fixed in the end, but we are given hope, something desperately needed after all the pain throughout this novel.

This story broke my heart many times, nearly bringing me to tears often, and then pressed all the pieces back together again with the hope of mending. I don't think I will ever truly be over this book; it will stick with me for some time. If you haven't read this one, I highly recommend it, although with a lot of caution because it could be triggering for those that have suffered similar losses. This book is really a masterpiece!

How To Breathe Underwater

Kate is a competitive swimmer, best in the state actually, and her father is the coach pushing her to perfection. Until one day at swim practice he is caught in the arms of a swim mom, in front of everyone! Suddenly Kate and her mother are moving an hour away to restart their lives, and Kate is no longer sure who she wants to be or what she wants to do. Enter Micheal, the cute boy across the hall, and Patrice the pretty and sweet girl who welcomes her in Chem class, who also happens to be dating Micheal, something Kate finds out after developing a major crush on the boy. Then out walks Harris, Kate's best friend for nearly her whole life! Kate's entire world is turned upside down by everything, most importantly, her decision to stop swimming. And suddenly Kate, at nearly seventeen years old, has to figure out where she is going from here.

I would like to start by saying the only thing I allowed to be colored by my favor of the author (who is my baby sister) was the fact that I picked the book up in the first place. I do not traditionally read YA Romance, or really very much romance at all these days. I am also completely against first person narrative, it bothers me, I find it hard to get into, and so I avoid it, a fact I am sure I have mentioned before. It takes a lot to get me to read a book combining these too elements, but I have read some of my sister's previous, unpublished works, and I knew she was a great writer, so there was never I doubt I would pick this book up. And I in no way doubt that decision because this book was amazing!

Vicky' writing style is on point! With a unique perspective thanks to the events of her life, she was able to write characters and events that were real, heartfelt, and altogether incredible! Every moment of this book was so perfectly descriptive and emotional! The characters were believable and lovable (even for a moment the father, whom you can't help but feel a flash of pity for). Kate's moments of panic were so accurate they stung, and created an appreciation for the author's ability to craft such scenes that I want to thrust this book on so many of my fellow readers. From the start I was pulled into the narrative and dragged from page to page needing to know how it would all turn out, how Kate would handle everything being thrown at her, how things could possibly work out in the end. And I was not disappointed as I finally laid the book down only a day after picking it up.

Vicky Skinner is a truly gifted story teller! And I can't wait to see what the future holds for this talented young writer! Knowing what is coming next year, what she is working on after that, I am so incredibly excited to add her stories to my shelves and delve into more of her unique tales! Go pick up this book now and get ready to discover a new beloved author!

Backstage

The drama builds in this second book in the Boy Band series! And all of the secrets floating around Mel definitely keep her on her toes as she tries to simply enjoy her new relationship before the band takes off on their third world tour. But things are never that easy, especially for a world famous boy band and those closest to them!

With this second book we get a closer look at the turmoil laying just beneath the surface for this tight knit group of boys and the two women they feel closest to. With everyone keeping secrets and the stress building before the tour starts, there was bound to be plenty of ups and downs! This book was definitely a page turner as I eagerly read it to see what would happen between all of the characters that are really starting to grow on me! And while I feel confident that I know Jacqueline's writing style and I would love to feel secure in Mel's relationship, Smith is great at throwing twists and turns that can completely upend a character's life! So with the end of this book I eagerly grab up the next one and settle in for a world tour that is promising to entertain both the fans of The Kind Of Summer and Smith's readers!

Boy Band

It's been a little while since I picked up and finished a novel. With moving homes and school starting, things have been too chaotic for a book to really grab me. But I was looking forward once more to the Texas Teen Book Festival in Austin, because I knew I was going to find some great new books and authors! I also knew I would be given the chance to once more see a local author that I love to read, Jacqueline E. Smith!

If you have read any of my past posts you might have seen her name as she wrote the awesome Cemetery Tours Series that I love so much! After reading the 3rd book in that series and seeing that the next book wasn't due out until this month, I knew I was going to have to pick up her other series to enjoy more of her fun writing style! Boy Band did not disappoint! As soon as we got in the car to head home from Austin, only a 4 hours drive for us, I picked up the book and began reading. I finished later that night with only breaks for when the car was stopped and cooking dinner! I couldn't put it down!

Boy Band follows the story of The Kind of Summer, a hot new boy band that is about to release their third album, and their closest friend Mel, who happens to be in love with one of the band's members. Told from the point of Mel as she travels with the band taking pictures and video for them while also managing online courses to please her parents, the story is filled with relationship drama, hilarious moments of friendship, and lots of flyer miles! It makes this trope fun to visit one more time as we cheer for Mel and ride on the roller coaster that is her life at 20 years of age.

Jacqueline Smith is such a great writer! Her stories are light and fun with an underlying element of drama that is ever-present in real life! Her characters are relatable and very real, making mistakes and trying to figure out how to navigate life just like everyone else. Of course, the fact that they also have to deal with world wide fame, outrageous rumors, and the stress that comes with being on the road and constantly together, just makes the story all that much more interesting. This first books was incredible and I finished it way too fast! I am already elbow deep in the second book and can't wait to see how the story unfolds!

Blue Bloods

Picked up simply to fill the "B" in my alphabet challenge, I don't even know when or why I acquired this book to be honest. I haven't been terribly interested in vampires for a little while now. But still, I read the book, and found myself intrigued enough to want the next one.

De La Cruz approaches the subject of vamparism and immortality in a way that I had not seen before, a rare feat with the recent influx of vampire stories. She presents to us the notion that what if it was all strictly in the blood? In this series, Blue Bloods are what runs in their veins, their blue blood carrying all their memories, their abilities, their longevity. The blood is cycled, allowing 400 Blue Bloods to live while the others sleep and await their call.

While De La Cruz spins a very unique tale, I couldn't help but feel throughout that she was trying a bit too hard. The imagery of the story, while beautiful, was a bit too much for me and at times I found myself rolling my eyes and wondering why at all would I care about the designer outfits they were all wearing! It also seems that there is a lot crammed into this book. De La Cruz uses the fact that her main character, Schuyler (which took me nearly half the book to realize was pronounced Sky-ler), is just learning all about herself and the Blue Blood society as the device through which the reader learns about this world she has built. And it works. But there are those predictable moments when it feels that she is contradicting herself when in fact she is simply jumping through those pesky loopholes she didn't previously point out.

It might seem like I have a lot to hold against this book, but in fact the story itself is so captivating that I found myself willing to overlook all faults to finish as quickly as I could. Now I am eager to find the other books in an endeavor to see how it all ends!

I do recommend this book to others. The story within is simply too well thought and unique to pass up! It may not be a masterpiece, but I believe De La Cruz has great potential!

After Death

Jacqueline E. Smith is a local (Dallas) writer whom I discovered on the shelf at a small town library. I read the first two books in her series, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the books, I didn't push the issue when we didn't go back to that library. Fast forward to a Texas Teen Book Festival as we are leaving the main room when a book catches my eye. "Hey, I've read those books. They were great! Wonder if the author is here?" I was going to just keep walking (thanks social anxiety), but my mother refuses to pass up the chance to tell an author they have a fan. Twenty minutes later, I walk out with 3 new autographed books and Jacqueline and I are mutually following each other on Instagram. Awesome day!

I meant to read this third book back in January, for the "A" in this year's alphabet challenge. But between house hunting, moving house, the end of the school year, things have been chaotic and I have finally sat down to finish a book for the first time this year!

Guys! This books was great! I already love Jacqueline's writing from the first two books, and her characters are funny, real, and just the best. So it isn't a surprise that I was immediately in love at the start of this last book. That I finished it in one day should have been expected. The story follows Michael, Kate, and Luke primarily with appearances from the always wonderful Brink as well as some truly confusing and vile lesser characters. The story left me second guessing things left and right up until the end when I was pleasantly surprised. Oh, and yes, I teared up at the end, it was beautiful. I am so glad I have this series on my shelf to revisit in the future! And of course I am looking forward to trying out her other books! Go read these, now! You will love them!