July 31, 2015

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.

"Ava, sweetheart, if you ask me to talk about how I got to be the woman I am today, what do you think I'm going to say?"

~ The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant


 

July 24, 2015

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.

"Every day is the first day of the rest of your life."

~ Bed & Breakfast Bedlam by Abby L. Vandiver

July 22, 2015

Everything, Everything


"If my life were a book and you read it backward, nothing would change. Today is the same as yesterday. Tomorrow will be the same as today. In the Book of Maddy, all the chapters are the same. Until Olly." ~ pg. 132

Madeline is an eighteen-year-old girl who is literally allergic to the outside world. She stays cooped inside her sterile, protected, all-white furniture and walls home. She isn't allowed to leave and doesn't really wish to leave until she sees Olly, the new boy next door. The romance between Maddy and Olly is told through narrative, vignettes, diary entries, e-mails, illustrations and charts.

And just like that, Everything, Everything earned a spot at the top of my best reads of 2015. I had many emotions throughout the book even though I frick fracking knew the plot twist. I literally smiled and cried as it unfolded. It is not a page-turner; I mean this in a good way. It is a novel I purposely read slowly to enjoy every detail. And when I turned the last page, I was sad that the story of Maddy and Olly came to an end. The 'Spoiler Reviews by Madeline' were such a treat. The story itself is not the ordinary young love story.

"Me in love would be like being a food critic with no taste buds. It would be like being a color-blind painter. It would be like—like skinny-dipping by yourself." ~pg. 70

I don't usually do this but cannot conclude my review without acknowledging the teamwork it obviously took to publish Everything, Everything. Very rarely do readers think about the different people and process it takes before a book reaches their fingers. A big part of why I enjoyed this novel so much is because of the characters and outside-the-box storyline. But as a copy editor, I also enjoyed it because I could tell the hard work and love behind it. So well done, Nicola Yoon. So much so that I don't know how you can top this debut. Editor Wendy Loggia, you believed in a good one! Thank you for sending ARCs out into the world because Madeline's story found its way to me and moved me, as you hoped it would. I can only hope my review encourages others to read and pass it along. And how awesome is it that the author's husband, David Yoon, is a writer and designer. He did a great job with the illustrations in the novel. Usually I skip right over charts, images and such but those in Everything, Everything caught my eye and wouldn't allow me to skip the page. I can't say more praise about this upcoming novel without spoiling the plot. Just know that Everything, Everything is. every. thing.

"Familiar, foreign, comforting, and thrilling all at once." ~ pg. 164

Everything, Everything will be published on September 1, 2015, for young readers. Listen, bookhearts. No matter your age add it to your TBR lists, Amazon pre-order, or NOOK wish list now. It is so worth your coins. Support this author of color! I know September seems like a long way from now so I will be sure to remind you of its release. Thank me later.

DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Published: September 2015
Pages: 250
Edition: Galley
Challenge: Diversity on the Shelf; New Authors
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

July 19, 2015

Series Sunday: Go Set a Watchman News & Reviews

(To Kill a Mockingbird Sequel)


Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Go Set a Watchman, the sequel to the classic novel by Harper Lee titled To Kill a Mockingbird. I read TKAM twice: once in middle school and again in high school. I remember the gist of the novel but not too many deets; therefore, I am going to re-read it before I begin reading the sequel.

In the meantime, I tried to avoid spoilers but it's damn near impossible. Go Set a Watchman has over 4,000 ratings on Goodreads. Much to my chagrin, it sparked debates on race and whether it should have been published. GSAW has been out less than a week and already critics and media outlets have released opinions. Below are the links to ten (10) articles that caught my attention. It's kind of a big deal.


How Go Set a Watchman Speaks to Our Time

So, Should You Read Go Set a Watchman?

Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman Better Off Lost?

Should Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman Have Been Published?

Go Set a Watchman is a mixed bag of nostalgia and end-of-childhood awfulness.

With critics like these, it's no wonder Harper Lee stayed silent.

Go Set a Watchman is a Revelation on Race, Not a Disappointment

Celebrities and Writers React to Go Set a Watchman on Twitter

The Biggest Plot Twists of Go Set a Watchman, Explained (spoiler alert)

The New York Times Book Review of Go Set a Watchman (spoiler alert)


 

July 17, 2015

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.

"The way I figure it, everyone gets a miracle."

~ Paper Towns by John Green

 

July 14, 2015

The Kind Worth Killing


"There once was a novelist's daughter
Whose eyes were the green of seawater." ~ pg. 249

The book blurb says it all: The Kind Worth Killing is a dark and devious literary suspense novel about a random encounter, sex, and a conversation that quickly turns to murder."

Ted meets Lily on a late flight from London to Boston. Too many martinis lead to playful banter that reveals details about themselves. In a joking yet half-serious manner, Ted says he'd like to kill his wife for betraying him. Lily offers to help. Back in Boston, the two forge an unusual bond and move their plan forward. But Ted begins to fall in love with Lily despite knowing about her dark history of murder. It's not all fun and games anymore when someone is left dead.

What a lethal game of cat and mouse! Bookhearts, you know I love a good psycho suspense thriller. The Kind Worth Killing fit the bill within the first 100 pages or so. Then it became a story of predictable layers. Perhaps I read one too many books of this genre and can easily figure out the ending. Nonetheless, it was an okay read that may have a sequel based on the last page.

Title: The Kind Worth Killing
Author: Peter Swanson
Published: February 2015
Pages: 311
Edition: Hardcover
Challenge: New Authors
Rating: ♥♥♥

 

July 12, 2015

Series Sunday: Archie Comics 'Riverdale' Show

(Archie Comics)


Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Riverdale, the TV show pilot based on Archie Comics. Deadline and Entertaiment Weekly report the one-hour forthcoming show has moved from Fox to the CW. I don't like cartoons but I still read Archie regularly. So when bookheart/fellow book blogger, The Reading Diva, sent me the news link, I literally squealed with delight. Listen. When I tell you that I am excited, I. Am. Ecstatic! Archie Comics coming to my TV screen will be one of the best things since sliced warm bread monogrammed bookmarks. Stay tuned for more info and an official review when the premiere of Riverdale airs.

July 10, 2015

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.
 "I've read many more books than you. It doesn't matter how many you've read. I've read more. Believe me. I've had the time."

~ Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"OMG, Mum's gone insane."

~ Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

 

July 7, 2015

Love Lies Beneath


"consider
that we are essentially
water and wonder
how many eons
we squander,
every time
we allow
ourselves to cry." ~ pg. 51

Once a widow, twice divorced Tara is a woman who prefers to keep her past a secret. Following a ski accident, she begins to trust Calvin, her handsome surgeon. Tara is swept off her feet. But then she notices strange things: threatening texts, a mysterious van staked outside her home, a break-in and odd behavior from Calvin. Tara is housebound in recovery so there's nowhere she can go. Besides, there is no one to turn to, certainly not her envious sister, her prickly brother-in-law, her jealous best friend or her estranged mother. Tara's life may seem perfect but her past is catching up to her future. What's done in the dark for sure comes to light, sometimes not until the last minute.

"I'm stark, raving sane." ~ pg. 30

I expect certain things from certain authors. When I pick up an Ellen Hopkins novel, I expect beautiful prose. Not so when I looked at the first page of Love Lies Beneath. I saw paragraphs, chapters, punctuation! It completely threw me off making it hard to concentrate on the story. Sure, the story line was a great theme but it was hard for me to get past the standard novel format. Instead I only got a glimpse of six or seven poems that served to separate parts of the book. Love Lies Beneath would've been so much greater with Ellen Hopkins' signature poetic writing style.

"Tell stories, like the snow." ~ pg. 226

Love Lies Beneath is expected to be published on July 21, 2015. Hopkins fans, if you're like me and love her prose, hesitate on placing your pre-order. Download a free sample before purchasing the whole book. For those new to Hopkins, give her a try.

DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: Love Lies Beneath
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Published: July 2015
Pages: 313
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥

 

July 5, 2015

Series Sunday: Grey as Told by Christian

(Fifty Shades #4)


Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Read an installment of a series.
  • Share your review/recommendation below.
  • Include the title, author and series name.

"It's obvious this is her first love. Books." ~ pg. 43

My Series Sunday pick is Grey, the fourth book in the Fifty Shades series by E.L. James, told from Christian's point of view. Yes, curiosity got me. I buddy read it with a couple friends, live tweeted and posted my thoughts on Goodreads as I read along. Where to begin? Oh, where to begin?

The sub-dom/erotic/damaged love story of Ana and Christian is finally told in Grey's own words, thoughts, reflections and dreams. The story is retold from the moment Ana literally stumbles and falls into his office to his conflicted emotions through their arrangement. We finally see why Grey enjoys pleasurable pain and what his nightmares are really about.

I have wanted to read Christian's point of view since the first Fifty Shades book. There was much more to his back story than what he shared with Anastasia. I felt he was holding back more truths, past hurts, nightmare details and the intensity of his feelings.

"Nothing wrong with consumption—after all, it drives what's left of the American economy." ~ pg. 21

Hey, I can't even be mad at E.L. James for capitalizing on the Fifty Shades phenomenon. She has given "soccer moms" and the like a trilogy to fill the void and add excitement to their lives, even if it is through fiction of pages. This fresh new take on the entire story was just the fix needed to complete the Fifty Shades series...if it would've been released years ago. Now? It just proves Grey really is fifty shades of fucked up.

Share your thoughts if you've read or currently reading Grey.

Title: Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian
Author: E.L. James
Published: June 2015
Pages: 405
Edition: eBook
Challenge: Popsugar Color in the Title
Rating: ♥♥♥

 

July 3, 2015

First Lines Friday


First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.
  • Grab your current read(s).
  • Share the first line(s).
  • Include the title and author.

"I have three cars. They go fast across the floor. So fast. One is red. One is green. One is yellow. I like the green one. It's the best. Mommy likes them, too."

~ Grey by E.L. James

 

July 1, 2015

The Third Wife


"It was starting to melt around the edges, like a tub of frozen ice cream left on the counter, the mass of it still there, hard and cold, but almost soft enough to be able to scoop it out without bending a spoon." ~ pg. 42

Goodreads recommends reading Lisa Jewell's The Third Wife if you like authors Jojo Moyes and Liane Moriarty. I have to agree. This novel is family drama with a side of dark familial mystery. It all begins with a drunk woman who lurched into the path of an oncoming bus. Unfortunate accident or suicide?

"Adrian had never intended for his life to get this convoluted. Two ex-wives. One late wife. Three sons. Two daughters. Three houses. And a cat." ~ pg. 21

Adrian Wolfe is a grief-stricken widow. He thought his marriage was perfect. So if his third wife's tragic accident was indeed a suicide, why did she do it? He investigates the cause one year after his third wife's death. His oldest son uncovers poison-pen e-mails sent to his late wife all beginning with "Dear Bitch." As he digs further, his seemingly perfect happy marriage of two years was sprinkled with disturbing secrets.

The extended family goes on annual trips, hang out on the weekends and overall get along fine due to the circumstances of broken homes. No one holds a grudge against Adrian for his habit of cheating on his wife and starting a new family with a mistress...twice guilty. The children get along well and appear to be each other's support system. I love that we get a glimpse into each child's personal life and struggles. Fortunately, the story alternates points of view and the author treats readers to flashbacks of Maya, the third wife, in the months leading up to her death. The characters of The Third Wife are so well-developed.

"Like an abrupt end to a really good book, frantically thumbing through the pages to see if he'd missed a bit, bewildered and rudderless." ~ pg. 36

The Third Wife is indeed a really good book. Like the quote above, I actually did thumb through the pages frantically getting to the end but at times, went back a couple chapters to see if I'd missed something. The mystery was written in such a way that I suspected damn near everyone except Billie the cat. Every character earned suspicion. Unpredictable by all means. Lisa Jewell, you did that! The Third Wife earned a spot in my top books read of 2015.

DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: The Third Wife
Author: Lisa Jewell
Published: July 2014; June 2015
Pages: 271
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥