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!

Your & My Secret vol. 1

Ok, the premise of this series caught and drew me in quickly: A girl who acts much too "boyish" and a boy much too shy that has a huge crush on her accidentally swap bodies! Crazy! Gonna be funny. Recipe for a cute romance.

Not sure that's what I am getting.

I liked the first volume well enough, although I wasn't thrilled with it. Nanako, the female lead, is not my favorite person and I'm not sure that can be changed with her attitude toward Akira, the male lead.

I'm going to give the series a chance, read a few more, and see how I feel about it then. I'll post another review with my later feelings and opinion.

If you've read the series before, let me know what you think. Is it worth finishing? I'd love to know what others thought of it!

The Good Neighbors: Kin

Holly Black in one of the best writers, in my opinion, when it comes to Fay. Almost as if she lived partially in their world herself! The Good Neighbors is no exception to her phenomenal story telling!

In graphic novel format, Black pairs with Naifeh to tell the dark and chilling story of Rue, a teenager whose mother had gone missing, father seems to have lost touch with reality, and whose own world seems to be turning into one crazed distortion of reality. Trying to get a grip on something Rue is thrown for a loop when she discovers her mother was a faerie.

This first volume in the series was incredible and gripping, just what I expect from Black! And it has me itching to reach for the next one!

Norse Mythology

Neil Gaiman is simply retelling stories that have been around for some time, stories that have inspired many, stories that are not new. And yet, the writing style of Gaiman changes the telling, makes these stories almost something unique to Gaiman. I found myself looking at a couple of the characters in these tales in a new light, something that usually only happens when an author chooses to re-imagine the stories.
I absolutely loved reading this one. It had me laughing so often and reading aloud large bits to my husband because they were just too wonderful not to share.
Whether you are new to Norse mythology, an old fan of Odin and fam, or just picking this up because of Gaiman, I think you will really enjoy this book!

The Sleeper And The Spindle

Picked this one up to read with my 5 yr old daughter and we were both pleasantly surprised by this unique story. Gaiman does an incredible job of reshaping the tale of sleeping beauty by firstly continuing the tale here, but also twisting the nature of the spell that has been placed upon not only a young princess but eventually on the people in the lands surrounding her kingdom. The Queen of a nearby kingdom, who once slept under a similar curse for a year in a glass coffin, travels with three dwarves to discover the origin of the spell and fix things. Such a wonderfully singular tale that speaks once more to Gaiman's gift of changing everything he touches to something better. Add in the stunning artwork of Chris Riddell and this is a book that holds its audience captive!

I loved this one, would love to add it to my own shelves in the future, and encourage everyone to give it a try. It is short, and worth the read!

The Jane Austen Project

Take two people from our current timeline, give them a crash course in 1815, and toss them back into the past to have them get close to one of the most prolific writers in history. What could possibly go wrong? Well for Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane it starts with a climbing boy. Can they hope to alter the past as little as possible while trying to become friends with the Austens and get close enough to get their hands on some very personal letters and a manuscript always though unfinished? Or will they change things too much and alter the world they came from?

This was a very interesting read, guys! Flynn tells the story of two people getting to do what a lot of us avid readers wished we could do, go back and meet the writer of some of our favorite stories, get the chance to know her, try to understand her more. But we all know that playing with time travel is a dangerous game. Something Katzman and Finucane learn as soon as they arrive in 1815 and nearly have the whole thing blown over a surly inn keeper and their lack of luggage. Yet they persist.

What follows was a bit of a roller coaster for our characters as they try to balance themselves carefully into a world they really can't fully fit into while trying not to alter the course of history too much. After all they were only sent back to observe, get copies of a few letters and a manuscript, and make it home to tell their superiors what they learned. But Rachel in particular has a very hard time keeping to the mission plan.

I enjoyed the novel, despite how easily it all ended when things did go south for our travelers. It was fun to read of Rachel trying to hold back the fangirl when interacting with Jane. Watching events unfold at the end of Jane's life in a different way. And seeing that world from the eyes of someone from our own time. It all made for a great story told with a wonderful voice. Because while Rachel sometimes annoyed me enough to have me groaning and rolling my eyes, I did like the way Flynn wrote her. The book was fun! I would recommend it to anyone unable to get enough of Jane Austen of Regency era novels!

Attack On Titan vol. 23

So this post is not going to really be a review of the newest edition in the Attack On Titan series. I want to say that the story is getting much more in-depth, the characters are becoming more complex, and well, whose side am I supposed to be on exactly?! Because it is all a convoluted mess. And isn't that exactly what WAR is? Amazing job with the series Hajime Isayama. I am thoroughly entrenched in it and loving every minute.
But that is all I can say about this one without ruining bits of the series from before this. So go pick up the manga if you have not already, and then we can talk more about it.

Instead I want to take a minute to use this post to point out that I finished a book! Ok, so maybe it is already a week into February and my first finished book is actually a manga, and none of that is saying much. But, you know what? We went to the library and I gave up the two books that seemed so darn interesting but I haven't had the commitment to actually read them and instead picked up the next in a series I have been reading for a while and two other books that have caught my eye off and on recently. This is my jumping on the wagon! I'mma read me some books!

2018 Reading Challange

Yeah, I should be hiding my face in shame for the lack of books I have been reading lately. I ended the year 9 books short of my goal and I haven't finished a book in about two months. That being said, I have been reading a lot of stories, just nothing socially acceptable, and I did manage to kick ass with NaNoWriMo this year that had been beyond exciting. Still, seeing my failure with the challenge for 2017, I am going to set a lighter goal for the new year and I plan on really going for it this year!

I am going to meekly claim 24 books for my goal this year. And I am setting no parameters for which books I will read, although I think I will be focusing on books currently on my small shelf in my bedroom, books I have easy access to.

What are you planning to read this year? Let me know if you pick up any real good ones, so I can add them to my list! Hope you have a very bookish new year!

A Silent Voice vol. 7

This is it. This is the final volume in the series. Oh all the feels. Let me try and capture how awesome this series was.

So, if you saw my first review of volume 1 (only posted days ago because I couldn't put these manga down!) then you got the bare bones of how the story starts. Let me give you a little more of a recap. Shoya was the middle school daredevil, the kid that jumped off bridges to prove his worth to the other boys he considered his friends. He hated boredom. So when they get a transfer student who happens to be deaf, Shoya makes it his purpose in life to torment Shoko and pit the other classmates against her. Even though it works, all the other students, even the teacher, bully poor Shoko, it all backfires terribly when Shoko's mother demands recompense for the numerous hearing aides Shoya has destroyed. Suddenly Shoya finds himself on the other end of the stick as the others in his class begin bullying him. Unable to take it, Skoya lashes out at Shoko one final time that causes her to finally leave the school.

The meat of the tale begins when Shoya, having had enough of the loneliness he has had to endure over the years since his actions, decides to take his own life. Getting his affairs in order, Shoya realizes there is one last thing he must do before he ends it all: apologize to Shoko for what he did. But when he goes to confront her she is understandably upset, and when he "speaks" to her (because he actually learned sign language to get his message across) he realizes that he wasn't the only one just done. Deciding to try and right the wrongs he caused this girl, Shoya resolves to push on, resulting in one of the most incredible pictures in manga that I fell in love with.

The rest of the series is about their growing friendship. That's not to say everything is rainbows and unicorns from there on out, oh no! Shoko and Shoya both have a lot of pain that lies just beneath the surface, and sometimes it rises up and people get hurt. They also have a lot of people they have effected over the course of time they have known each other, and not everyone is as forgiving as Shoko or as determined to make amends as Shoya. The ride is bumpy and incredible.

To say I loved this series would be an understatement! The story was so real, from the bullying to the difficulty in making things right; the characters were real, from Shoya's complicated feelings about Shoko to the mothers who are trying to raise difficult children alone; the plot was real, and all of it came together to form a story that will stick with me for some time. This is a series I plan on buying to reread in the future and recommend to everyone who reads manga. This one was just amazing! So if you haven't read it yet, go find it, now! And if you have, tell me what you think. I would love to talk about this one all day!

A Silent Voice vol. 1

Last year I saw a trailer for an anime that looked really interesting, but I have been unable to find it. So imagine my surprise and excitement when I stumbled upon the manga at the library! I am so eager to read this series!

A Silent Voice is the story of Shoya, a middle school boy that hates to be bored. So when the new transfer student turns out to be just another girl, he is disappointed because girls never want to have fun like the boys do. Only, Shoko, the new student, is deaf! This leads to Shoya deciding that the newest way he is going to keep himself entertained is by tormenting Shoko. Until karma strikes and Shoya looses everything.

In this first volume we hate Shoya, that's exactly how the creator wanted it. You need someone just horrible to suffer for what he has done, otherwise it seems unnecessary. But in this story we cheer karma on after Shoya becomes the target for all the bullying in the school in retaliation for all he put young Shoko through. Yet, I still feel a bit of sympathy for Shoya at the end of this one, and can't wait to see where the story takes him and Shoko!

Seriously, this is a great story already, and I encourage all my manga fans to pick this one up! And if you have seen the anime, please, tell me where I can find it!

Confessions of a Middle School Nerd

Ok, so I found this one on the local authors shelf as well, and I picked it up for my 10 yr old son who is now part of the middle school in our small town school system. But he has a long to read list of his own, so I decided to go ahead and read it by myself. A very interesting choice.

Confessions of a Middle School Nerd is a very short read, only 81 pages with the text taking up only a small block of each page. But it was a fun and quick read for that reason. Written in the first person by a narrator who is quirky and funny, this book is almost like a journal for the writer. The narrator starts off by saying that she wrote most of this down to work through a few things, mostly days in her life that she feels should be highlighted to help her come to a conclusion she can only catch glimpses of. So we get little tidbits of this middle schooler's days. The stories are all focused around one main point, the narrator is awkward. But in the end she comes to the realization that not only is she ok with this fact about herself, she can revel in it, because she likes who she is.

Like I said, the book was short and sweet. I enjoyed taking a little time to read it, especially since I could so relate to some of these moments in the narrator's time in middle school. So I encourage anyone to pick it up. Have a laugh or a knowing nod of the head, and pass it on to a middle schooler that might need a little reinforcement that they are not the only ones out there being awkward, and it's perfectly fine to be so. Let me know if you have read this one!

Geek Lust

How could I not pick up a book that not only gets so close to my own blog's title, but is literally about the driving force behind everything I am interested in? I saw this on the Local Author shelf and that was just an even better reason to pick it up, because you guys know I love reading things written by people close by. So I picked it up and while I didn't absolutely love this book, it was fun to read.

Alex Langley binds together in these pages everything that makes a geek a geek. Covering everything from the original geeks, scientist that started things, to all the mediums that geeks revel in, including but not limited to books, shows, movies, podcasts, and games. While the book is divided in a pretty clear manor, moving from one subject to the next in a cohesive manor that ties it all together, Langley's lists and frequent content jumping does make this book a bit more chaotic to read than I would have liked.

But it was fun! I mean, a whole book listing the many reasons people mark me as weird, yeah I enjoyed seeing in print that there are whole groups that love the things I love. It was also a lot of fun to pick out which of the many names in each medium I have enjoyed over the years. Who doesn't love it when someone acknowledges their love of that one book series you thought you were alone in reading!

I had fun with this book and recommend it to anyone with the willingness to basically read a book of lists. After all, it helped me discover a lot more shows, books, and games I should be partaking in!

The Elfstones Of Shannara

Setting out to reread the Shannara series with a friend, I was thrilled at the chance to return to the world that not only drew me into the world of fantasy, but that awakened within me a desperate need to tell my own stories of fantastic nature. However, I was a little worried that upon rereading some of them I would find that I was no longer as in love with Terry Brook's early writing style, after all my tastes have changed a lot since I was 10. I need not have feared. Elfstone of Shannara was the first book that left me crying long after I put it down (a sad spoiler I won't detail), and when I watched the show it came as no real surprise that I was curled up in my husband's lap for an hour as I cried more tears for that plot point. Yes, today I cried again. I love this book so much, and even after all this time the story still touches every part of my heart!

Elfstones follows the story of Wil Ohmsford and Amberle Elessedil as they try and safe the magical tree, the Elcrys, from death which would result in the failing of a magical barrier that keeps hordes of demons at bay. Wil and Amberle's journey takes them across half the FourLands, introduces them to numerous characters that both hinder and help their cause, and twists and turns in ways that are truly captivating.

Even though this was the third time I read this book I loved it just as much as the first. However, since I read it after watching the show, I found that there were so many details that I had forgotten, details that were left out of the show. Does this upset me? Well, a little since some of my favorite characters were left out of the show (*cough* Stee Jans *cough*). But as Terry Brooks has been heard saying lately, the show is a beast in and of itself. Things had to be changed to keep audiences interested, to keep things new and exciting. So if you are going to read this book because you loved the show, keep in mind that the book was here first, and it's its own story.

I look forward to the next time I am able to sit down and reread the whole series once more in the future. This is a story I love to revisit from time to time. So tell me, how did you discover Shannara? What do you think of both the book and the show? Let me know!

I Am Here! Omnibus 2

Hikage's story continues in this second volume right where the first I Am Here! book ends. So in this one we find out who Black Rabbit really is along with a new twist in Hikage's growing world. We also get to see more of Hinata and Teru outside of Hikage, like a flashback to when they first became friends.

This story is a very short one, only spanning the two books containing a total of 19 chapters. But everything I needed was in those 19 little tales! Hikage grows just enough over the course of this story to make it real and give us hope for her future, even becoming a voice of encouragement to others as Hinata and Black Rabbit did for her. And even though there was no real settling of things between Hikage and her two suitors, there was enough of a decision that it gives the reader hope for what her future is going to hold.

I really enjoyed this one! I think I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Toyama's other stories! And encouraging all my other manga lovers to pick this one up.