Young Adult Books

Winger Fri, 2013-05-24 Sat, 2013-06-08 - Fri, 2013-08-30 Winger by Andrew Smith http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/winger This is the Year When Ryan Dean West Will Manage to Remake His Image. Are rugby and his crush on his best friend, Annie, enough to outweigh his bully roommate and the strict rules of his pretigious bording school? ShareThis Image Size Standard (157px wide) Don't display book covers Do not show publication date Ryan Dean West is a 14-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy. read more

Thousand Words Fri, 2013-05-24 Sat, 2013-06-08 - Fri, 2013-08-30 Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/thousand-words What Would You Do If You Thought Your BF Will Forget You When He Goes to College? Ashleigh decides to send her boyfriend a racey picture, but things don't go as she planned... ShareThis Image Size Standard (157px wide) Don't display book covers Do not show publication date Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself --- sans swimsuit --- to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send." read more

Rules Of Summer by Joanna Philbin Release Date: June 4, 2013 Publisher: Poppy Age Group: Young Adult Pages: 352 Summary:THE RULES OF SUMMER is about two 17 year-old girls living in the same beachfront mansion in East Hampton for the summer, one “upstairs” (the daughter of a very blue-blooded family) and one “downstairs” (the niece of the family’s housekeeper.) Isabel is the privileged daughter who’s used to having guys fall at her feet. Rory is the no-nonsense girl from a small New Jersey town who’s always been the friend, never the girlfriend. Besides becoming each other’s unlikely allies, both Rory and Isabel have a summer romance that will change their lives. My Thoughts: I’m one of these people who don’t like it when the perspectives switch back and forth, especially without really telling us. And this book did that, a lot. It did bug me a little bit. We are introduced to Isabel who is the rich families daughter. She is used to getting what she wants when she wants it. Guys fall at her feet, she never really has to second guess anything. The other girl in this novel, my favorite, is Rory. Rory comes from another town where she lives with her mother who is like a child. Rory takes care of her more than she should. Rory goes to spend the summer helping her aunt and waiting on this family. Shes supposed to do errands and just do whatever needs done. Rory thought this could be an opportunity to get away from her mother and see something new. Rory and Isabel form a complicated and great friendship. It starts out rocky at first but it got interesting to say the least. Both girls also meet guys. Isabel likes a older guy who is a surfer, while Rory likes Isabel's brother Conner. I really really liked Conner. He is what made the story for me. I just wish we had got to see him more and got to interact more. This is the story of self discovery, and seeing how the other half lives. I loved Rory as a character and I did like the plot. Overall: I enjoyed reading it. I thought there would be more rivalry or more scandal but there wasn't too much. Don’t get me wrong, there was some but nothing I found too thrilling or surprising. I enjoyed it but not a favorite I guess. Cover: Its alright, but it doesn’t really stand out, you know? What I'd Give It:

Yellowcake: Stories Fri, 2013-05-24 Sat, 2013-06-08 - Fri, 2013-08-30 Yellocake by Margo Lanagan http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/yellowcake-stories Maybe You Just Need Some Short Stories to Get You Through Finals... Margo Lanagan crafts 10 short stories, ranging from fantasy and fairy tale to horror and stark reality ShareThis Image Size Standard (157px wide) Don't display book covers Do not show publication date YELLOWCAKE brings together 10 short stories from the extraordinarily talented Margo Lanagan --- each of them fiercely original and quietly heartbreaking. The stories range from fantasy and fairy tale to horror and stark reality, and yet what pervades is the sense of humanity. The people of Lanagan's worlds face trials, temptations and degradations. They swoon and suffer and even kill for love. In a dangerous world, they seek the solace and strength that comes from family and belonging. read more

For those of you who aren't familiar with this weekly meme, Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by ParaJunkee & Alison Can Read where there’s a great opportunity to meet new bloggers! Q: The #FF is 150 weeks old! And we want to hear from you! What would you change about the hop? What do you like about it? Or just suggest a question to be used for next week! A: Yay for #FF-versary! :) I wouldn't change anything about the hop. I truly enjoy getting to discover new book blogs that lead to new friendships and more book lovin' fun! What do you love about it? :) **NOTE**: For those of you who follow me through Follow Friday make sure to leave your link so that I can follow back! :)

Today is the final day of my Indie/New Adult feature where I share my thoughts on some titles that have been published recently in the New Adult category. I've read so many it was just easier to do mini-reviews and bunch them together. Hopefully you have enjoyed the feature and have found several books you'd like to read. My most surprising finding with these was that most of the New Adult books we see as popular, were not my absolute favorites. Most of my 5 star reviews (which posted Monday) are more obscure titles that haven't had as much success. It really shows me that books shouldn't be judged by covers or blurbs. Some really can end up surprising you. I can't imagine the past year without having read these Indie titles. My advice would be DO NOT shut Indie books out. I'm thrilled to see that Indie authors are now having so much success and I do believe this has opened up doors for bloggers to be more accepting of these titles :) The books featured today got a 3 star rating from me. They may not have been favorites but they were still enjoyable. The Wild Ones by M. Leighton Add to Goodreads This book is about Camille and Trick. Camille is from a well-off family and Trick is not. He works for her dad but she can't help but notice how hot he is. Trust me, she mentions it a lot. Trick was okay in this book but Camille was annoying as heck. Her internal ramblings about Trick's hotness was just too much. The plot is a little too dramatic during some parts. Other parts bored me a bit. I felt that with a little more work this could have been much more well-rounded and enjoyable. I know Michelle has had huge success with her books, which is great, but this one just didn't grab me as much as I would have liked. Lengths by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt Add to Goodreads I really liked this book cover and that's what originally made me want to read it. The story itself, however, was a bit disappointing. There is a crap-ton of cursing in this book. I'm an adult so it's not like they are new words to me but it was just too much. I don't need to read the F word a million times. It just made the characters seem immature. Deo was an okay character but Whitley didn't grab me. Her backstory was important and heart-breaking but I just never really felt bad for her. There was something missing and the story just never really took off for me. Lots of potential but the characters and language really brought it down. The Crimson Hunt by Victoria H. Smith Add to Goodreads I was really interested in this story in the beginning. I wanted to know the mystery behind Luca and I did enjoy reading about Ariel and how they were somehow connected, due to her past. This book does have quite a few surprises and twists. I would say that the first half was much better than the second. Once I stopped reading for a while I realized I had no desire to pick it back up. It took me a while to actually jump back in and see what happened. I'm not sure why that was. I even skipped a few parts towards the end. But I wouldn't count this one out. I'm a hard sale on science fiction titles so it could have just been me. I do plan to see what else this author writes in the future. Bound Together by Eliza Jane Add to Goodreads Such a cute cover and the summary really made this book seem interesting. It starts out with Zoey trying to escape her homelife. She takes care of her siblings and has a lot of stress on her plate. I enjoyed the whole set up to this story. I felt bad for Zoey and couldn't imagine being seventeen in that situation. She goes on a class trip and has a friends-with-benefits relationship with Matt, even though they never get along. Zoey really uses him for the affection she's missing, then she throws him away after she's done. It hurts Matt a lot. I think the way Zoey treated Matt was really the downside of this book to me. I didn't understand why she was so mean but the

Inspired by Ginger at GReads, I'm sharing my work in progress...here's the first page. I have a few more detail to work out before it's complete...but what do you think?Chapter One: 21 days until Christmas (Saturday)The two boys run past Kate, almost knocking her over. Instead of telling them to slow down, she watches their mother run off after them. Turning away from the family, Kate notices a car pulling into the lot. She grimaces as she recognizes Lila’s car. She has no desire to get into a tussle with her arch enemy, especially in front of her mother. Neither does she wish to act as if Lila hadn’t just tried, unsuccessfully of course, to seal her boyfriend. Plus under her mother’s eye, she’ll have to behave perfectly. Kate looks around and spies a family coming off the farm with their chosen tree. Kate hurries forward eager to help them. As she moves, her foot catches a piece of ice. Kate tries to balance herself, but before she can, her feet slide out from under her. She lands hard on her butt, dazed for a moment. She glances up to see Lila smirking down at her.“Do you think you can help me, if you’re not too busy attempting to ice skate?”Kate grits her teeth and smiles, “Of course.” She hauls herself up, taking care to brush off her butt, wincing at a tender spot. “What sort of tree are you looking for?” “The perfect one, of course.” “Of course you are. Now, what shape are you looking for?” “Did I not just say the perfect tree? Maybe I need someone else to help me.” Lila looks around. Kate catches her mother’s eye who looks at her questionly. Kate can’t afford another customer mishap. She holds in a sigh and recovers, “I meant, how tall and how wide of a tree are you looking for?” Lila nods and thinks for a moment. “Well it has to be the focal point of the room.” Kate nods in understanding. “I’m having a party, you see, and everything must be perfect.” Kate nods again. “What room will you be placing the tree?” “The parlor of course.” Lila looks at Kate as if she’s stupid. Kate fights the urge to roll her eyes. Only Lila would call their living room a parlor. “What about needles, do you want short or long?” Lila shrugs, “Whatever’s best really.” “Do you want to look in our lot or would you like to see our selection of pre-cut trees?” Lila gives me a look, “I don’t think you really understand. I want you to find me the perfect tree. God is that so hard? I’ll be in my car. Don’t take too long either.” Dumbfounded, I watch as she flounces towards her car. Rooted to the spot, my mom startles me, “What was that about?” “That was Lila, I’m supposed to find her the perfect tree while she waits in the car.” Not surprisingly, my mother doesn’t comment on the rudeness of Lila’s behavior or commiserate that picking out trees is not in my job description. Instead, she mutters, “We get all kinds. Your Dad just brought down some fresh cut trees and put them in barn. Why don’t you start there?”

Friday's Child. Georgette Heyer. 1944/2008. Sourcebooks. 425 pages.When we first meet Lord Sherington* he is proposing to Miss Isabella Milborne. He marries a few chapters later, but, his wife is NOT Miss Milborne. After a brutal rejection, he decides to marry the first woman he sees. He happens across an old friend from childhood days, a Miss Hero Wantage. She is much younger than he is--just seventeen! But she's willing, more than willing, to be his wife. How did these two happen to meet? Well, she's running away from home! So Sherry and Hero set off together to London to arrange their marriage. He settles her into a hotel room, and, then begins to go about the necessary details of arranging a super-quick wedding!Sherry wanted to marry so he could inherit now instead of later. At first he thinks his marriage won't really change anything at all in his daily life. But, of course, he was mistaken! Hero is completely clueless about how a proper young wife should behave, what things are socially acceptable and socially encouraged, and what things are NOT to be done. Hero absorbs everything, she's very observant but not exactly discerning. She's impulsive too! So if she wants to try something, she does! Hero's closest friends are her husband's closest friends: Gil, Ferdy, and George. And they all adore "Kitten." In fact, sometimes they understand her better than her own husband. They are quicker to perceive things! They can "read" her better and sometimes they interfere in the marriage to help things run smoother. They often explain things to Sherry in such a way that he finally gets it. Sherry, however, feels that they interfere too much!While Hero is aware of her feelings for Sherry, will her husband ever realize how he truly feels about his young wife?!I enjoyed Friday's Child. It is not my absolute favorite Georgette Heyer regency, but, it is quite enjoyable!!! *Throughout the novel, he's simply "Viscount" or "Sherry" or "Anthony"© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book ReviewsIf you're reading this on a site (other than Becky's Book Reviews or Becky's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead Release Date: June 4, 2013 Publisher: Dutton Adult Pages: 464 Series: Age of X #1 Review Source: Edelweiss Synopsis: (from Goodreads) In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills. When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board. Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.My Thoughts: ‘Gameboard of the Gods’ is Richelle Mead’s latest adult release, but I’ve also seen it categorized as New Adult. It’s definitely an adult novel, but it does have appeal factors of New Adult and even YA. Justin is thirty-something, Mae is a bit younger, and then there’s also a focus on 16 year old Tessa. I think if you can handle mature YA with some adult content (read: sex between consenting adults), then it definitely works for all of those age categories. Personally I was fascinated by all the little details that Mead snuck into this book, and how she world-built. It was super interesting to see genetic mixing and bi-racialism as the ideal, and to be in a world where genetic improvements and implants were commonplace for the elite soldiers. On the one hand you have these huge technological improvements and a highly tech based society, and yet there were also the “backwards” nations with low tech and lots of crime. Interestingly the “backwards” nations were the ones who hadn’t eradicated religion, whereas in RUNA (Republic of United North America) traditional religion is outlawed, and other types of religion are regulated. I was completely enthralled with all of these concepts coming up in the book; they’re all quite controversial subjects, and are related to things being talked about today (e.g. chipping people, messing with DNA, etc). ‘Gameboard of the Gods’ features interesting characters that got my attention right away. Justin is a playboy and an addict; he’s also charming and extremely intelligent. Mae is a super badass fighter who’s also vulnerable; she never wants to feel like someone's possession. Let me say that there is a hugeeee amount of chemistry between Justin and Mae. Justin can’t be with Mae because of a prophecy of sorts (so spoilers, it's talked about pretty upfront), which means the book has lots and lots of delicious UST. Tessa, the previously mentioned teenager, is Justin's ward and is trying to settle in to a school where most everyone sees her as backwards. I’m sure you can tell from my thoughts that this book is very detailed with technology and how things work in every part of the country. I’m not the kind of person who normally enjoys this, but in this book it kept my attention well. Richelle Mead seems to be good at providing lots of information without making it seem too infodump-y. I also loved the contrast of the story: it takes place in a country that disparages religion, and yet the book is full of mysticism and gods/goddesses. There’s a great murder mystery aspect to the story with Justin trying to debunk real supernatural involvement, but this turns out to be difficult. The way it was

The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England by Dan Jones. Viking. 2013. Reviewed from ARC from publisher. Vacation reads (aka, when I talk about books for grownups and post them before holidays.) It’s About: The designated heir of England dies in a shipwreck; England is plunged into civil war as descendants of William the Conqueror fight for the right to the throne; and the winning family is the Plantagenets. Starting with Henry II, son of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Empress Matilda, wife of Eleanor of Aquitaine, and father of Richard the Lionheart and King John, and ending over two hundred years later with his many times great grandson Richard II, The Plantagenets tells of the men, the women, the battles, the politics, the murders, the laws and even the finances that created and shaped both England and its relationship with its kings. The Good: Didn’t you see the title? THE PLANTAGENETS! Henry and Eleanor and Richard, and, well, another Henry and some Edwards tossed in, also. And of course JOHN. We can’t forget him. For those who aren’t captivated at The Plantagenets, I give you this: It starts with a mega disaster of epic proportions. The heir to the English throne is on his way home, along with friends and relations, and of course when you’re seventeen and the world is yours what do you do? You party like a rock star. The fatal flaw in that plan is when the crew of your ship parties with you, crashing the ship before it leaves the harbor, and the heir, his family and friends, and the ships crew, all drown. No, really. The heir’s death results in a “who gets to rule” game; and any game for a throne is a game played out in blood, and death, and battles, and treachery, and loyalty. And that’s just the start of it. The Plantagenets covers a lot of kings: Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, and Richard II, and their wives, children, cousins; those loyal to them, those who turned against them. It ends on a cliffhanger of a sort: the defeat of Richard II by Henry IV, resulting in the end of the Plantagenet reign and the start of the House of Lancaster. All these people in one volume is pretty amazing; it’s almost impressive that it’s “only” 500-odd pages. And let me add: it’s an intense 500 pages. Each of these men and women would warrant a book of their own (and yes, there is a “Further Reading” section for those who want to know more). Heck, specific events within the reign of any particular king would warrant an individual book. Jones does the impossible: providing a lot of information about people with the same or similar names in a way that is both clear and concise and at the same time explains the complexity of a situation. And he does that for an incredible time span. An ally is not just an ally: it’s the grandson of someone significant. The amount of information in The Plantagenets means a careful reading is needed. I found The Plantagenets best read in chunks: I’d read about one ruler, then put it down for a couple of days. A family tree is included, showing the important people mentioned, as well as maps to help explain the battles being fought, especially those on the Continent as the Plantagenets repeatedly clash with the kings of France. Despite the length, sometimes I did want “more” and got a quick fix going over to Wikipedia to find out more about a particular person. I don’t think this is a bad thing: there’s a limited number of pages, and Jones made me care so much about the people he mentioned that I wondered about them and wanted “more.” Wanting “more” is a good thing in a history book, because it means the book has achieved its goal of getting the reader excited about the topic and hungry for information. (Also, I cannot be the only reader who wonders, have any of these families survived to modern times?