Young Adult Books

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald brilliantly captures both the disillusionment of post-war America and the moral failure of a society obsessed with wealth and status. Bus he does more than render the essence of a particular time and place, for in chronicling Gatsby’s tragic pursuit of his dream, Fitzgerald re-creates the universal conflict between illusion and reality. – goodreads.com Knowing that the movie was coming out, my book club choose to read The Great Gatsby this month. I couldn’t have been happier as this is one of my favorite books! Many people were “forced” to read The Great Gatsby in high school and most people strongly dislike it. Ok, I’ll just say it. They hate it! I also teach The Great Gatsby in my senior English class, but I strive to help my kids see the genius of the book and not hate it so much. The other girls in our book club briefly remembered reading it in high school but didn’t really get it either. They were excited to read it again. I am not even sure where to begin when it comes to reviewing this book.  It’s hard for me to talk about it without giving away the major plot points! The story is told through the eyes of Nick Carroway, cousin of Daisy Buchanan and neighbor to Jay Gatsby. He tells the story of wealth, excess, greed, and lost love. He mingles with the poor, the rich, and the newly rich which Fitzgerald describes perfectly. While the story takes place in the 20s, the themes are timeless  and easy to understand today. Fitzgerald has a talent for character development. Gatsby is a mystery yet the reader feels as if they know so much about him. Of course, you do eventually find out who the real Gatsby is and perhaps, he isn’t who you think! Daisy is at times glamorous and annoying. Her husband, Tom, is loud, obnoxious, and a racist. It doesn’t take long for the reader to see that Tom is having an affair with Myrtle, a lower class woman who is desperately trying to move up. Will she ever be able to move up? Can someone who is lower class make it in a world of money? In addition to the great characters, there is also the setting. Gatsby’s parties showcase the excess of the times. The fictitious East and West Egg which represents old money and new money respectively. The Valley of Ashes is as it seems. A dark dirty place halfway between the city and the large houses of Long Island. The story itself is about money and where it places you in society. Not only that, but it is important where you get your money from. There is also the billboard featuring Dr. TJ Eckleburg’s giant spectacles keeping watch over the Valley of Ashes. The eyes that see all. There are lots themes and points that you can take away from book but it is the theme of hope that I believe comes out strong. It was a busy month for those of us in book club so we decided that book club should take place at the movie. I had already seen it twice but who’s counting! I absolutely LOVED it! Actually we all loved it. It follows the book and I mean follows the book. Many of the scenes are word for word. Some scenes had me grabbing for my book because it showcased a line I just didn’t remember. The reviews are mixed. Some have criticized Baz Luhrmann because they believe the movie is too ostentatious, but in reality, wasn’t that what the Roaring 20s was all about? Glitz and glamor? The Great Gatsby is a book worth reading and a movie worth seeing. Even if you read it in high school, read it again as an adult. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. And if you want to talk more, just send me a message. I can always talk about Gatsby. ~Happy Reading! Sara

” The fortune-teller, long since dead, had said I was born with the gift of rain . . . Like the rain, I had brought tragedy into many people’s lives but, more often than not, rain also brings relief, clarity, and renewal. It washes away our pain and prepares us for another day, and even another life. Now that I am old I find that rains follow me and give me comfort, like the spirits of all the people I have ever known and loved. ” (Book Two, Ch.23, p.431) Malaysia was at once colonized by the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British. The Gift of Rain is set against the period of British Malacca, toward the end of the country’s colonization, when Japanese soldiers cut through impenetrable rainforest of Penang and took over the government. The story is told by Philip Khoo-Hutton, the son of an English father and Chinese mother who grew on the Malay island and lived through the Japanese occupation during World War II. The novel opens about 50 years after the Japanese surrender, when Philip is an old man, still living in his childhood home redolent of painful memories—memories that are brought into sharp focus by an impromptu visitor from Japan. Michiko was the former lover of Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat and master of aikido that Philip befriended in the late 1930s. Endo-san became the most formative influence on Hutton’s life on the eve of war. Gradually Hutton warms to his visitor who teases out story of Hutton’s life with Endo-san. I had gone back to many of those places in the days after the war, when in the silences of my life I missed him. I had gone hoping the places would still retain an echo of his presence, and of his passage, but I had only met with emptiness. (Book One, Ch.15, p.168) An Eurasian, Hutton (his step-siblings were pure British from his father’s first marriage) was never fully accepted by either the Chinese or the English in Penang. Over time and since an early age he has hardened himself against the insults and whispered comments. Alienated from his community and family, the 17-year-old at last discovers a sense of belonging through an unexpected friendship with Endo, who becomes his mentor and master of martial art. The story Hutton tells is meandering, but engaging, leading from his infatuation with the sensei (teacher) to a more mature knowledge that friendship with this man with an insidious purpose on the island is a burden as well as a privilege. He has accepted the bargain: Endo’s protection for his native knowledge. The problem is, some mistakes can be so great, so grievous, that we end up paying for them again and again, until eventually all our lives forget why we began paying in the first place. (Book One, Ch.13, p.154) The Gift of Rain, framing its story on a little-heard-of Malaysian island with a diverse people and culture, delves into the moral ambiguity that its protagonist faces when war erupts. Hutton finds himself torn between love for his family and loyalty to his Japanese teacher and friend. Tan is not afraid to deal with such grey areas into which he puts Hutton. Both Hutton and Endo are well-etched. They are both shouldered with the duty to protect their families and have to act within the constraint of obligations. Tan’s treatment of their dilemma and emotional complexities is both nuanced and realistically ambiguous. They are capable of nobility, but also failures of the spirit and most importantly, they have to bear responsibility for evil as well as the good they do. The only drawback of this debut (nominated for Booker Prize 2007) was the excessive aikido element that sometimes teeters over into daftness. Tan’s evocative and thoughtful prose also evokes the work of Kazuo Ishiguro and Somerset Maugham. 432 pp. Weinstein Books. Paper. [Read/Skim/Toss] [Buy/Borrow]

What The Good House is about:The Good House tells the story of Hildy Good, who lives in a small town on Boston’s North Shore. Hildy is a successful real-estate broker, good neighbor, mother, and grandmother. She’s also a raging alcoholic. Hildy’s family held an intervention for her about a year before this story takes place—“if they invite you over for dinner, and it’s not a major holiday,” she advises “run for your life”—and now she feels lonely and unjustly persecuted. She has also fooled herself into thinking that moderation is the key to her drinking problem.This is the best audio presentation that I've experienced to date!! Mary Beth Hurt WAS Hildy Good. I loved her raspy voice and she absolutely nailed the accent and the whole vibe of the character. I was struck with how immediate the faces, the houses, and the whole town came to life within my mind as I was listening. There was never a dull moment and I found myself anxiously wanting to return to my iPhone to listen to the story.Recommend? YES! This will probably be in my top favorite books and audios of the year! Hildy captured my attention from her very first sentence, she made me laugh out loud at her inappropriate thoughts, shaking my head in exasperation at her justification of "it's only wine, I can handle my wine." This was a brilliant audio production of a stellar book!!Source: Audible.comSix Sentence Bookish Thoughts #102© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

1984 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian The Age of Miracles The Alchemist The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay Angela's Ashes Annie John The Art of Fielding Atonement Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress The Bean Trees Bee Season Beginner's Luck The Bell Jar Beloved Big Fish The Big Shuffle Brave New World Breakfast at Tiffany's The Brief History of the Dead The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Catch-22 The Catcher in the Rye A Child Called "It" The Chocolate War The Chosen A Clockwork Orange Cold Mountain The Color Purple A Confederacy of Dunces Corelli's Mandolin Crow Lake Dandelion Wine Dare Me The Diary of a Young Girl East of Eden Fahrenheit 451 The False Friend The Five People You Meet in Heaven For One More Day The Fountainhead Gilead Girl in Translation Girl With a Pearl Earring The Girls The Glass Castle: A Memoir Gone Girl A Good American The Grapes of Wrath The Great Gatsby The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society The Handmaid's Tale The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Heart of Darkness The Help The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Hobbit The Hound of the Baskervilles The House of Tomorrow The House on Mango Street How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Anna Jarzab ShareThis Science Fiction Fiction Delacorte Books for Young Readers 0385742770 9780385742771 448 Tue, 2013-10-08 Hardcover Amazon URL http://www.amazon.com/Tandem-The-Many-Worlds-Trilogy-Book/dp/0385742770%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJ2PCDIRRY6BU4NFA%26tag%3Dthebookreport01%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0385742770 Guide Show Indiebound link Show Indiebound buy link Show Amazon link Show Amazon buy link Show B&N link Show Barnes & Noble buy link

Anybody who spends any time on Twitter might have noticed the buzz about Amazon's most recent announcement: a new division called Kindle Worlds, where works based on other works can be published. (You can read the press release here.) How Kindle Worlds will work: Unlike Amazon's self-published division, Kindle Worlds accepts submissions rather than blankly allowing everybody to upload their own work. The works have to stay in the original canon of the story and merely expand upon the already given universe. There are two two separate arms: one where the original publisher licenses the work, where they've reached out to authors to write for this; and another where the authors can submit work and Kindle Worlds chooses whether or not to publish them via their guidelines. This posts focuses on the second, self-publishing (or, rather, self-submitting) arm. It can be argued that this is less publishing fanfiction and more licensed works; it's approved by the publisher to expand the universe of stories that are already collaboratively written. Like Chuck Wendig said, it's a mash-up of tie-in licensing and self-publishing. Licensed works aren't anything new in the realm of entertainment -- all of the Star Wars and Star Trek books you see in the children's section of your local library are licensed sub-works. However, rather than reaching out to writers who do this sort of thing professionally, anybody can submit to Kindle Worlds. What can you write? Amazon currently only has a deal with the company Alloy (and Warner Bros. by extension, for those books that have been made into television shows), so you can only write work for those stories belonging to them. For instance, literary agent Pam van Hylckama Vlieg was one of those who fits into the first arm of Kindle Worlds; she was asked to write four licensed short stories in the Vampire Diaries universe, which will be available in June. As Jon Scalzi explains, "Alloy Entertainment is on board for allowing people to write what they want (within specific guidelines — more on that in a bit). Since that’s the case, there’s probably a technical argument here about whether this is precisely “fan fiction” or if it’s actually media tie-in writing done with intentionally low bars to participation." Alloy Entertainment is also a company that, by default, creates packaged books - all of their series are collaborative, so having multiple writers isn't an issue for them. Because of the submission rules, there are things you can't write about - including pornography. Don't expect publishers like Scholastic to jumping on board with this anytime soon, partly because of how contracts with their authors work - we won't have to pay for Harry Potter fanfiction anytime soon. The concerns: There are multiple concerns within the actual Terms and Conditions for how Kindle Worlds works, including: - the ability of Alloy or Warner Bros. to use your original creations (characters, plots) without paying the author - Amazon owning the story for the term of the copyright, which allows them to do things with it without paying the author The contracts and requirements for the authors who were reached out to are rumoured to be radically different from those who will be submitting, but the details on that aren't known. Vlieg was able to confirm that her contract wasn't the same as the ones for the self-submitting process, though she couldn't go into details on the actual differences, and confirmed that there were two separate arms to Kindle Worlds. As Katie said on Twitter, there's also the issue of people submitting fanfiction that other people have written as their own - how do you know that they didn't just lift it from somewhere else? While there isn't a huge concern for non-Alloy authors right now, this does lead to potential issues in the future for authors who don't want fanfiction of their work published. Contracts will now need new subrights clauses that focu

The book trailer for Katie McGarry's Dare You To, the much anticipated companion novel to Pushing the Limits, was revealed on Harlequin Teen's facebook page yesterday!Ever since we first got a glimpse of Dare You To after finishing reading Pushing the Limits, I've been so excited to read Beth's story! I'm definitely ready for another emotional contemporary read with teen angst and swooning romance...Enjoy the book trailer! Release Date: May 28, 2013Publisher: Harlequin TeenAdd to GoodreadsSummary (from Goodreads):Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth.""No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again...."I dare you..."If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

This week I've been giving you some mini-reviews from Indie/New Adult books that have been released over the past year or so. I'd read a ton of them so it's easier to review a few at once. Monday had the books that got a 5 star review from me and yesterday featured the 4 star books. Today is another batch of 4 star books. Hopefully you will find a few you'd like to add to your list. Fallen Crest High by Tijan Add to Goodreads As far as new adult authors go, Tijan is not one that pops up often. I happened to find this book while browsing one day and was so glad that I did. This is really one of those books where the characters stay with you. You may not love every aspect of the story, but you can't help but keep reading till it's finished. Mason and Logan (the bothers) were great in their own ways and Sam has the misfortune of living with them after her mom decided to marry their dad. This book is pretty complicated with all the plots, sub-plots, and characters but I definitely want to see what happens in the new book. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover Add to Goodreads This one is easy to spoil because there is a lot going on. Tons of tragedy! When Sky meets Dean she has no idea of their past. Sky has been through more than many people could imagine. It was sad to see how broken she was but I was glad that Dean could be there for her. At times the drama seemed a bit too much but it was still a well written story with a lot of great moments between the characters. Dean was my favorite. You can't help but love him and hope that these characters can somehow find happiness through all the heartbreak. Not sure when/if I'll read the next one but so many people loved this one. Play With Me by Piper Shelly Add to Goodreads You know how sometimes you just want a light, sweet book to read? This one is perfect for those times! This was one of the cutest romances ever. Liza is a cutie! Poor girl has been in love with her best friend Tony forever and he comes back from soccer camp in love with another *sigh*. So, she has a plan to become sporty herself in hopes he will notice her. What she doesn't plan for is the soccer captain, Ryan, to start paying attention to her. They have so many of those cute moments that have you saying "awww." The ONLY complaint I had about this story was that it was just too short! I wanted more! Of course, there is now a version in Ryan's POV but still... I wish this one would have been a bit longer. But, I totally recommend it. If You Stay by Courtney Cole Add to Goodreads Some books say they have bad boys but this one is really bad. Pax is a jerk, 100%! He has money to burn but is rude, disrespectful, and has a whole slew of drug issues. Not the easiest character to like but I liked that there was no doubting his personality. Everyone knew immediately what type of guy he was. Mila is a sweetheart who can't help but try to help Pax. Even though she is told to forget about ever changing him, she can't help but have hope that he will get better. It took a while for their sparks to really heat up but I liked seeing Pax change. Much is the story is from his POV and it was easy to see how Mila got under his skin. Courtney Cole is a great author and I look forward to reading more from her. Someone to Love by Addison Moore Add to Goodreads This is a light story and a nice college-age romance but there was something lacking. Maybe it was depth for the character? Not sure. But, in this book, Kendall wants to be a player and she goes to the king of all players, Cruise, for help. She says she's determined to learn how to play guys. The overall story was fun to read but I'm not sure I fully bought the whole "wanting to be a player" thing. I think that with more work this book could have hit it out of the park but for something light and fluffy, it's a pretty good read. I've seen other people with some mix

5 chocolate chocolate chip cookies.Cover Love:Meh. Don't love it, don't hate it.Why I Wanted to Read This:This one has been on my TBR forever. I noticed the movie was on NetFlix and wanted to watch it, but it is my general rule to only watch movies made from books after I read the book. So, I read the book-finally! Here's the synopsis from GoodReads:Troy Billings is seventeen, 296 pounds, friendless, utterly miserable, and about to step off a New York subway platform in front of an oncoming train. Until he meets Curt MacCrae, an emaciated, semi-homeless, high school dropout guitar genius, the stuff of which Lower East Side punk rock legends are made. Never mind that Troy's dad thinks Curt's a drug addict and Troy's brother thinks Troy's the biggest (literally) loser in Manhattan. Soon, Curt's recruited Troy as his new drummer--even though Troy can't play the drums. Together, Curt and Troy will change the world of punk, and Troy's own life, forever. Romance?: No, in fact there are no female characters in the whole book. My Thoughts:Most of these thoughts I wrote as I was reading the book. There is nothing spoilerish but I wanted to remember a few things as I was going along.I love how Troy's dad gets it. When we first meet him he seems like he will be such a hard ass, but he isn't. He is a really good guy--he knows that he isn't doing the best by Troy and recognizes that his son needs something like this to help him become more. He also really wants to help Curt, he's just not sure how much he should do.The most heartbreaking relationship to me is Troy & Dayle's. When Troy is talking about taking Dayle on the subway when they were little and how Dayle looked up to him as a big brother it brought tears to my eyes. When do those kind of relationships change so much?I love Curt so much it's not even funny! Everyone needs someone like Curt in their life. Maybe not a homeless, ADHD, local rock legend, but someone who will push you out of your comfort zone, who will challenge you to try something new, who doesn't easily take no for an answer, but will back down when you need them to.It is heartbreaking to see Troy try and navigate this friendship--his first "grown-up" friendship. It's like seeing a girl twist herself into knots over a boy because she constantly think that he will leave her.I just have to say again, I love Troy's dad. He's a retired Marine who lost his wife and has no clue how to raise two boys. BUT, he is trying and he is not bad at it and he wants the best for Troy, whatever that may be, even if it is punk rock and Curt. It hit me about 3/4 of the way through that this book has no female characters in it. Well, a few very, very minor ones, but really, it's an all male book. An all male YA book. That is next to unheard of in YA lit!Okay, now that I am done I have to say I loved it! This is a coming of age book. There were no magic fixes, no make overs for Troy or Curt, just people headed with hope in the right direction. Nailed it!To Sum Up: This is just a very engrossing read that I want to shove in the hands of both female and make young adults. Excellent stuff!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where bloggers feature upcoming book releases that they're looking forward to. This week I'm eagerly anticipating... Soulbroken(Legacy of Tril #2)by Heather Brewer Publisher: Dial Release Date: August 20, 2013 Synopsis (from Goodreads): [SPOILERS from first book!!] Sometimes you have to break the rules to discover the truth. In this follow up to Legacy of Tril: Soulbound, Kaya has learned that she is Soulbound to Darius, the Barron she secretly trained with at Shadow Academy. But he’s been sent away, leaving Kaya with questions about how he could be Soulbound to her and another Healer. Determined to find answers and prove herself worthy of fighting in the war against King Darrek and the Graplars, Kaya sneaks away, encountering a mysterious Barron named Gage in her travels. But Darius has shocking information about Gage—information that changes everything Kaya thought she knew about what it means to be Bound. I seriously enjoyed the first book in this series, Soulbound, and it feels like it's been FOREVER since it was released. I'm so looking forward to this second book!!