November 13, 2014

This Is What Happy Looks Like - Jennifer E. Smith

Title: This Is What Happy Looks Like

Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Pages: 416
Publisher: Poppy

From goodreads.comWhen teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 
Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?


Another solid contemporary romance from Jennifer E. Smith.  I really enjoy her straightforward, not-too-flowery writing style and I love her characters.  I really liked seeing Graham's perspective, a little peek inside a movie star's head who doesn't really feel like a movie star, and Ellie was awesome too.  The only thing that felt slightly off at first was the storyline with her dad.  I wound up liking how it played out, but at the beginning it felt a little unnecessary.  Also, something about the pacing felt choppy, but it may just be how it was broken up while i was reading it.  Overall this was a great contemporary summer read- just what I was looking for when I read it.


November 6, 2014

The Scar Boys - Len Vlahos

Title: The Scar Boys

Author: Len Vlahos
Pages: 256
Publisher: Egmont USA

From goodreads.comA severely burned teenager. A guitar. Punk rock. The chords of a rock 'n' roll road trip in a coming-of-age novel that is a must-read story about finding your place in the world...even if you carry scars inside and out. 

Like an older, punk rock version of Wonder.  The Scar Boys tells the story of Harry, a boy badly disfigured by burns when he was a kid.  Everyone in his school is terrible to him, except one person - Johnny.  They become best friends and, as so many do, they start a band.  Turns out, they're pretty good.  They go from playing local events to clubs to the point where they want to take it on the road before Johnny leaves for college.


The Scar Boys is an exploration of a lot of things in a very quick moving time in your life.  The summer before college is that time where you start questioning EVERYTHING: your parents, your friends, and especially yourself.


From a bookselling point of view this book is a godsend.  I'm always looking for new books to give to reluctant teen boy readers and this is perfect.  It has a really great boy voice and is about one of my favorite things - music.  An easy sell and a great read.



November 4, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday (74)


This week's topic is


I am 100% a rereader.  I get attached to characters and never want to let go.  There are series that I’ll always reread that I’m not putting on this list because it is just a constant level of wanting to read them again in my brain (Harry Potter, The Princess Diaries, Secret Society Girl, Anna/Lola/Isla).

These are books I need/want to reread so I can continue the series:

The Darkest Minds
Throne of Glass
I Hunt Killers
The Mara Dyer series
Rebel Belle

And there are some books that I will never ever tire of rereading:

Bloodlines
Some Girls Are
Also Known As
Where She Went

 Love Happens (this is a totally cheesy 90s Christmas book that I have loved forever and reread every year DO NOT JUDGE ME)

What about you guys?  Do you like to reread or do you feel like it's a waste of reading time?