In My Mailbox (18)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren

On my nook:

City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

Peaches - Jodi Lynn Anderson

Variant - Robison Wells

Bought:

White Cat - Holly Black

Red Glove - Holly Black

Black Heart - Holly Black

Team Human - Sarah Rees Brennan & Justine Larbalestier

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare

Okay, I was a crazy person this week.  I've been trying, pretty successfully, since Book Expo to not buy anything.  Then I found out about a freaking awesome signing going on not too far from me (an hour and a half is not that far, right?) at Oblong Books.  Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, and Sarah Rees Brennan?  Hell yes, I'm totally there.  I had an amazing time.  The staff of Oblong was awesome, doing a little YA book talk beforehand, a whole lot of raffles, and letting us line up in the store when it started raining.  It was great seeing Holly Black again and telling her (again) how much I love the Curseworkers books.  Sarah Rees Brennan and I talked about The Vampire Diaries for a little bit (which was so awesome!  And she is totally on Team Alcoholic Vampire Slayer with me.  Love it!)  It was also amazing to meet Cassandra Clare in a smallish setting and get to chat with her.

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic

Title: Never Eighteen
Author: Megan Bostic
Pages: 200
Publisher: HMH Children's Books

From goodreads.com:  

I had the dream again. The one where I’m running. I don’t know what from or where to, but I’m scared, terrified really.
Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. But in the short time he has left there’s one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live—even though he never will.
It’s probably hopeless.
But he has to try.

Oh lord, this book.  What can I say about this book?  I liked the concept.  Cancer kid (Austin) goes on a road trip to say goodbye to the people that have been a part of his life.  He brings along his best friend Kaylee as wheel man and unrequited crush on this journey. That's about all I enjoyed about it.  It was so, so preachy.  Austin was all 'let me fix all your problems with a single conversation' even though they were deep rooted emotional problems that would take years (probably in therapy) to overcome.  It was just not believable.  He came off as unlikeable.

The other major problem I had with the book was that there were too many issues.  Drugs, rape, divorce and reuniting of parents, eating disorders, a many years long feud between mother and daughter, abusive relationships - all in a 200 page book.  AND they were all solved because Austin came in and dropped a little bit of outsider knowledge on them.  I don't think so.  It felt way too rushed and, once again, unbelievable. 

I have to say, I am one who enjoys sad books.  I don't shy away from books where a main character most likely dies.  Also, I really like best friend love stories, which this has.  I am a prime candidate to like this book and I didn't, so I can't in good conscience recommend it to anyone else.