June 22, 2012

The Curseworkers Series by Holly Black


I was lucky enough to meet Holly Black at Book Expo a few weeks ago and I got the chance to tell her how much I loved her Curseworkers series.  I'm amazed that I was even able to get anything coherent out because I just love these book so effing much and I never thought I'd get the chance to meet Holly Black and tell her that.  In lieu of a real review of this series (it would've just devolved into 'I love this series asdfjkl;zxvnm!!!!' anyway) I've decided to do a little list to try and gather my thoughts on what I love so much.  So here we go...

Five Things I Love About Holly Black's Curseworkers Series
(In no particular order.)

1. Cassel Sharpe - This boy has one completely effed up life and yet he's one of the best narrators I've ever encountered.  Ever.

2. The fact that Cassel opens up his world to Sam and Daneca.  Boy was a loner with a capital L when these books started, but these two wormed their way into Cassel's heart and now he'd do anything for them.  They've become family.

3. Blowback - I love that there are consequences - physical consequences - for using magic.  

4. The amulets - They're the only thing that can absorb the magic totally, without causing any blowback.  They can look like a fancy necklace, a piece of gravel, or anything in between.  They protect you from being worked, but only once and it's hard to tell the real from the fake, unless you know where to get them.

5. The Lila situation - I don't want to spoil anything, because these books are so freaking awesome you should experience them for yourself, so just know that this story is flawless.  Holy messed up shit Batman!

Please please please, if you haven't already, look for these books and read them.  I've recommended them to anyone who asks for a new teen book to read.  You won't be sorry!

June 19, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (19)



This week's topic is
Top Ten Books On My Summer To Be Read List

Now, I just went back to the TTT with my spring to be read list and I've only gotten through 3 of those so far.  I hope the summer list fares better than that.  I've also themed this list and the theme is...
SUMMER
Okay, I know that's not very inventive, but I've been reading summer books for months.  Now that it's finally summer I can enjoy them the right way, sitting outside with a lemonade and nothing to do.



1. Unbreak My Heart - Melissa C. Walker
2. Reunited - Hilary Weisman Graham
3. Twenty Boy Summer - Sarah Ockler
4. Moonglass - Jessi Kirby
5. A Midsummer's Nightmare - Kody Keplinger
6. My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick
7. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour - Morgan Matson (reread)
8. Past Perfect - Leila Sales
9. The Summer of Firsts and Lasts - Terra Elan McVoy
10. Girl at Sea - Maureen Johnson




June 14, 2012

BEA in pictures




We actually got the last four tickets to meet Molly Ringwald which was awesome because, hello, it's Molly effing Ringwald.


The Children's Book and Author Breakfast was amazing.  All the speeches were so great.  I think John Green's was my favorite though - about how books don't need to be messed with to compete with the new technologies (and Angry Birds).  That books engage the reader in a different way than the other entertainment mediums and we shouldn't be trying to emulate those because books already do the job they're meant to and they do it well.  He really hit some points that are exactly what I think about technology and reading and it was awesome to hear from someone else.


Sarah Maas (Throne of Glass) who is probably the nicest person ever.  I ran into her a few times that week and she was just so awesome.  I'm so glad I got to her signing early because the line was unbelievably long!


Maureen Johnson.  In the next line I waited in after this I started reading The Name of the Star and I didn't want to put it down.


Libba Bray.  Talk about a long freaking line.  It was so worth it though, she was awesome!


Oh, this?  This is my new best friend HOLLY FREAKING BLACK.  There was a super secret (I mean, I'm pretty sure it wasn't actually super secret, but it felt like it) Holly Black signing with Ellen Kushner for Welcome to Bordertown.  By the time we got there they were out of books, but we did not care at all.  My goal was to tell Holly Black how much I love The Curseworkers series.  Mission accomplished.  Also, we took this awesome picture.  So yeah, life made.


Alexandra Bracken, whose tumblr I've followed for over a year now (and I told her so when I met her).  I really like her and I've been dying to read The Darkest Minds since she announced it.


Siobhan Vivian & Jenny Han.  Very awesome ladies who gave me sunblock.  Apparently Siobhan Vivian is from very near where I am from, that was cool to find out.


Kirstie Alley, whose line we found by accident and hopped on.  She was super nice and I told her I loved her on Dancing with the Stars.

One of my favorite signings that I didn't get a picture of was Diana Peterfreund.  I finally got to tell her how much I love the Secret Society Girl series and that I have re-read it every summer since 2007.

To sum it up, BEA was exhausting and amazing.  I met some amazing authors and bloggers (I met Anna from Anna Reads and Katherine from The Lady Critic's Library, both of them awesome.  I've followed their blogs for a while now and it was very cool to meet them in person.)  I'm so glad I had the chance to go, and I'm very much looking forward to going again next year.

June 12, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (18)


This week's topic:
Top Ten Books I'd Recommend As Good Beach Reads

I am Captain I Take the Wrong Books to the Beach.  I read Deathly Hallows at the beach for the first time and I sobbed into the sand.  (In my defense, my friends planned a shore weekend when DH came out and I had to read it.  I'm pretty sure I ignored them a whole lot that weekend.)  I think the problem is that I take whatever I'm in the middle of with me rather than go for overall feeling.  Oh well, here goes nothing...



1. Rites of Spring (Break) - Diana Peterfreund
(Note - This is the third in a series, so start at the beginning.  Hell, bring all of them with you.  Secret Society Girl, Under the Rose, and Tap & Gown.  You won't regret it!)

2. Wanderlove - Kristin Hubbard
This just has such a great summer-y I'll-go-where-ever-my-life-takes-me spirit.

3. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour - Morgan Matson
Road trip!

4. The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han
Summer house!

5. Playing Hurt - Holly Schindler
 Hot boy at a resort!

6. Sometimes It Happens - Lauren Barnholdt
This one bounces back and forth between the first day of school and the summer before it.

7. Two Way Street - Lauren Barnholdt
 Road trip!  With an ex-boyfriend!

8. Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) - Sarah Mylnowski
 This isn't technically a summer book, but the no parents situation and poor decision making reminds me of summer.

 9. Along For the Ride - Sarah Dessen
Beachy town!  Hot boy!

10. The Disenchantments - Nina LaCour
Road trip!  Rock band!  Feeeeeeelings!


It turns out that beach reads to me are summer themed.  And contemporary.  Hope you enjoyed them and I can't wait to see everyone else's lists!

June 11, 2012

In My Mailbox: BEA edition!

In my Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren

Warning: this is going to be a giant post.  I went to BEA last week and had the best time ever.  I love being surrounded by book people.  I met some awesome authors and bloggers and got a crap ton of books.  I had my sister as a guide and no idea what I was getting into.  It was really an overwhelming experience, but I loved it and I can't wait to go back next year!  So, I'm going to break down this IMM by day.

Day One (Tuesday):

City's Son - Tom Pollock (signed!)
The Spindlers - Lauren Oliver (signed!)
Level 2 - Lenore Appelhans(signed!)
Between Shades of Gray - Ruta Sepetys (signed!)
Out of the Easy - Ruta Sepetys
Black City - Elizabeth Richards
Time Between Us - Tamara Ireland Stone
The Diviners - Libba Bray
Partials - Dan Wells (signed!)
Sun of Apollo - Darab Lawyer
The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken
Confessions of a Murder Suspect - James Patterson
When It Happens To You - Molly Ringwald (signed!)
Feedback - Robison Wells
Glass Heart - Amy Garvey
Because It Is My Blood - Gabrielle Zevin (signed!)
Beta - Rachel Cohn
What's Left of Me - Kat Zhang (signed!)
Rules of Civility - Amor Towles (signed!)
Jepp Who Defied the Stars - Katherine Marsh

The brown case is a Lemony Snickett thing they gave away.  It has an advance chapter of the next book, a calendar, some soap, a pen...very awesome stuff.


Day Two (Wednesday):

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
Princess Academy, Palace of Stone - Shannon Hale
The Butterfly Clues - Kate Ellison (signed!)
The Future We Left Behind - Mike A. Lancaster
The Demon Catchers of Milan - Kat Beyer
Chanel Bonfire - Wendy Lawless
I Funny - James Patterson
The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa (signed!)
Shadows - Ilsa J. Bick
Beta - Rachel Cohn (signed!)
Lone Bean - Chudney Ross (signed!)
A Mutiny in Time - James Dashner (signed!)
The Diviners - Libba Bray (signed!)
Every Day - David Levithan
Throne of Glass - Sarah Maas (signed!)
The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern (signed!)
For Darkness Shows the Stars - Diana Peterfreund (signed!)


Falling Kingdoms - Morgan Rhodes
Bootlicker - Steve Piacente (signed!)
In a Glass Grimmly - Adam Gidwitz
The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson (signed!)
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone (with a Days of Blood and Starlight preview!)- Laini Taylor
Altered - Jennifer Rush
Fathomless - Jackson Pierce


The Land of Stories - Chris Colfer

Day Three (Thursday):

Gold - Chris Cleave
Every Day - David Levithan (signed!)
Starry River of the Sky - Grace Lin
Soho Teen Spring 2012 Sampler
Nothing Special - Geoff Herbach
34 Pieces of Us - Carmen Rodriguez (signed!)
The Theory of Everything - J.J. Johnson (signed!)
Burn for Burn - Sioban Vivian & Jenny Han (signed!)
Ferocity Summer - Alissa Grasso (signed!)
The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken (signed!)
Entice - Jessica Shirvington
Skylark - Meagan Spooner (signed!)
Fathomless - Jackson Pierce (signed!)
Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein
The Hollow City - Dan Wells
The Curiosities - Maggie Steifvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff (signed!)

So, yeah, I had a busy week.  Oh!  And then only one day after Book Expo what do I get in the mail but ANOTHER BOOK!

Seraphina - Rachel Hartman

I really have to thank all the publishers and everyone involved in Book Expo for such a great time and all these great books that I got last week.


June 7, 2012

BEA 12

Just wanted to say that I'm sorry that I've been a bad responder this week, but I've been at BEA!  I've been pretty much getting home, making my lunch for the next day, and dropping into bed.  I'm going to try and catch up through the weekend and expect some BEA posts next week!

June 6, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine



Title: Over You
Author: Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
Pub Date: 8.21.12
From goodreads.com: After the grand explosion of her relationship, seventeen-year-old Max Scott developed what every girl in the history of the world has been waiting for: a way to get over being dumped. Now Max is the go-to guru for heartbroken high-school girls all over NYC. But when her ex unexpectedly shows up in her neighborhood, Max’s carefully controlled world starts to unravel. With her clients’ hearts hanging in the balance, Max will have to do the seemingly impossible: get over him once and for all.

Brilliant at bringing humor to the trials and tribulations of the lovestruck, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have crafted a tale that will resonate with any girl who has ever been in love or had her heart broken. It brims with smart observations, features a pitch-perfect teen voice, and will attract fans of Jenny Han, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Barnholdt. Readers are sure to fall head-over-heels for this sharp spin on breaking up, making up, and getting even.

June 5, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (17)


This week's topic:
 Top Ten Tuesday Rewind

We can pick any past topic we want, so I'm going to go with...

 Favorite Fictional Couples in Books
These are, as usual, presented in no particular order.  Spoiler-phobes beware, I mention things.



1. Mia & Michael (The Princess Diaries)


What can I say about these two?  TO ME YOU ARE PERFECT.  He made it snow for her!  She stole from the Genovian Palace to give him moon rocks for his birthday!  He freaking built a robotic arm and moved to Japan for two years so that he could prove that he was worthy of a princess.  And, you know, they also do totally normal stuff like get take out and watch Star Wars and debate Buffy versus Xena.  Over 14 books all I wanted was for these two crazy kids to make it work, and I finally got my wish.  Thank you Meg Cabot!

2. Katniss & Peeta (The Hunger Games)

Oh my god you guys, THESE TWO!  Just everything.  All they want to do is keep each other safe in these impossible situations.  They’re both willing to die to give the other the chance to live.  Peeta has loved her forever, while it took Katniss a long time to realize who she couldn’t live without.

3. Anna & Etienne (Anna and the French Kiss)

He’s English and perfect.  Or not so perfect, but whatever.  She’s a girl trying to navigate a French boarding school called SOAP.  They tried to keep it in the friend zone, but just couldn’t make it stick.  This is one of my favorite contemporary reads of all time and these two are why.  They’re perfect together.

4. Hazel & Augustus (The Fault in Our Stars)

A girl who was afraid to get close to anyone for fear of leaving them and the boy who wouldn’t let her get away.  Such a heart wrenching love story, but a beautiful one.

5. Hadley & Oliver (The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight)

I love that Oliver was willing to break airline rules to help a girl he didn’t know from Adam and that a pushy, rule-abiding passenger is the reason they spent their initial time together.  I love that their relationship develops over one plane ride to England and they wind up helping each other through heavy issues in their lives.

6. Jessica & Marcus (The Jessica Darling Books)

YOU.  YES, YOU.  Another great series-spanning love story.  A sassy, sarcastic girl and the boy who threw her for a loop.  I WISH OUR LOVE WAS RIGHT NOW.

7. Hermione & Ron (Harry Potter)

The is just the perfect example of how to go from friends to a couple.  Yeah, it spanned seven years and included a wizarding war, but damn did JK get it right.  Books and books worth of build up and a happy ending to boot.  In the midst of all the sobbing I did during book seven, the R/Hr kiss was one thing that filled my heart with happiness.  Oi, there’s a was going on here and whatnot.

8. Lila & Cassel (The Curseworkers series)

Did I ever want these two to get some sort of happiness.  They’re so messed up by how they grew up and the world that they live in.  I mean. From the age of 14 Cassel thought he killed her.  And Lila, the daughter of a crime boss lived as a cat for three years.  They finally get the chance to be okay and then Cassel’s mother works her to love him and NOTHING IS EVER OKAY AGAIN.  Sweet Jesus, I love an everything sucks all the time relationship in my stories.

9. Delaney & Decker (Fracture)

These two are another best friends to relationship that I adore.  Nothing like a near death experience to wake you up to what’s right in front of you.

10. Ginny & Harry (Harry Potter)

Book Ginny and Harry, of course, because all movie Ginny wants to do is TIE HIS SHOES AND FEED HIM.  HE IS NOT YOUR SMALL CHILD GINERVA, HE IS YOUR WIZARDING WORLD SAVING, MESSY HAIR-HAVING, BOY WHO LIVED BOYFRIEND.  GET IT TOGETHER WOMAN!  But book Ginny I love.  And I’m thrilled that book Ginny and Harry wound up married and Harry officially became part of the Weasley family and everyone’s happy forever and ever, the end.