Young Adult Books

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?

Y’all, I am psyched to have the awesome contemporary YA author Susane Colasanti on Good Books And Good Wine today sharing one of her rules for having an awesome summer. Rule 5: Preserve the memories There are two things I’m obsessed with. Okay, I’m obsessed with way more than two things. But two of my main obsessions include documenting and scrapbooking. Documenting (aka taking pictures) is important. I wish I took more pictures in my teen life. There are whole chunks of time I just don’t remember. That’s why I love scrapbooking. When something happens that I really want to remember, I create scrapbook pages to preserve the experience. Like when I had front-row center seats to John Mayer’s show at Madison Square Garden. Do you have any idea how hard it was to score those seats? There was no way I wasn’t going to take a zillion pictures, select the best five, and design a sweet spread in my scrapbook. You can use any kind of notebook for scrapbooking. Nicole’s notebook in Crazy/Beautiful is a perfect example of how to turn any notebook into a stunning scrapbook you will cherish forever. Which reminds me. If you haven’t seen Crazy/Beautiful, you want to get right on that. Not only is it one of my absolute fave films, but Jay Hernandez looks crazy beautiful in it. Anyway. If you prefer using an actual scrapbook, I highly recommend SMASH Books. Each one has themed printed pages. There’s even a whole line of SMASH Book paraphernalia like pockets, stamps, and stickers. How adorable is that? You can find Susane on Twitter and her website. Check out this adorable video from Penguin Teen for All I Need! All I Need synopsis: The last night of summer is only the beginning. Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it’s obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did–and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences? Teen favorite Susane Colasanti returns to the alternating-voice style of her beloved debut When It Happens in this Serendipity-inspired story about summer, soul mates, and the moments that change our lives forever. About Susane Colasanti: Susane Colasanti is the bestselling author of When It Happens, Take Me There, Waiting for You, Something Like Fate, So Much Closer, and Keep Holding On. Before becoming a full-time author in 2007, she was a high school science teacher for ten years. Susane has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from New York University. She lives in New York City. Susane’s seventh teen novel, All I Need, will be released on May 21, 2013. GIVEAWAY TIME: US Only, use the rafflecopter for your chance to win a copy of All I Need. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Federle, Tim. Better Nate Than Ever.February 5th 2013 by Simon & Schuster BFYRNate has always loved musical theater, even though it has gotten him in trouble with his own jockish brother as well as bullies at school who like to fling terms like "fag" and "homo" at him, even though Nate declares that he's too young to declare his sexual preferences in any direction at all. When his best friend Lily finds out that open auditions are being held for the part of Elliot in a Broadway production of E.T., Nate knows that he has to give it a try. With Lily's help, he figures out how to get from his home outside Pittsburgh to New York, and makes it to the auditions after a series of mishaps. He is met by his aunt Heidi, whom his mother doesn't like, after Lily rats him out to her, but Heidi (a failed actress herself) is very helpful. Nate goes through the auditions with some success, only to find that he needs to stay in New York, which is going to run him into problems at home. Nate decides that he really likes New York and theater culture, and sees some hope for his future there. Will he make the final cut before his parents find him out?Strengths: This offers a lot of practical information about what it is like to try out for a Broadway production. Nate's running away is well thought out and realistic; dangers are not necessarily present, but not glossed over. The treatment of Nate's sexuality is perfect for a middle grade novel-- he is interested to see two boys kiss and not be bullied in New York and finds a male friend of his aunt's somewhat attractive, but he doesn't over think it because he doesn't want to really consider kissing anyone at this point in his life.Weaknesses: As I have said before, my students seem to have zero interest in the theater. As much as they love Zadoff's Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have, I can't get anyone to read My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies. Also, knowing how cruel middle school boys can be to each other, and how they love to fling about accusations of being "gay", I would have put Nate in a slightly more masculine pose on the cover. Why default to stereotypes? (Says the librarian in the cardigan and pleated skirt...) Patterson, James and Papademetriou, Lisa. Middle School #3: My Brother is a Big, Fat Liar.18 March 2013, Little, BrownTold from the point of view of Georgia, Rafe Khatchadorian's younger sister. Georgia is starting middle school at the same school where her brother was notorious enough to get kicked out, so all of her teachers immediately suspect that she will be just as bad. Right away, the "princesses" of the school make fun of Georgia, but she still rather wants to be with them. Instead, she is befriended by Rhonda, who is very supportive, but Georgia thinks she is loud and weird. Georgia is in a band (even though she doesn't really know how to play guitar), and when Rafe signs the band up to play for the school, Georgia starts to panic. Even though Georgia claims she is nothing like Rafe, she manages to get into trouble all on her own.Strengths: Undeniable appeal for students who like notebook novels or this series. Nice to see a change in point of view. I normally really like Papademetriou's writing.Weaknesses: Found this disappointing, mainly because it was so mean. Georgia doesn't treat Rhonda any better than the "princesses" treat her. Also, if teachers have a really bad student, and a sibling comes along, we are hugely relieved if the sibling if well-behaved, and don't immediately assume the child will be bad. Papademetriou usually has a better feel for middle school, so I'm assuming Patterson had a lot of input into the outline and character development of this.

In interviews with writers, I see a lot of questions about Writer's Block: Do you get it? What tips do you have for beating it?When I was at the UCF Book Festival earlier this year, I sat listening to a panel of journalists. One of them said, "Journalists don't have writer's block. Ex-journalists have writer's block."And I thought: YES!You have to understand something first: I grew up with a very stereotypical military father. Sprained ankle? Walk it off. Stomach upset? Drink a Sprite and go to school. No excuses, no whining. It may seem harsh, but it was done with love and it's made me a very strong, independent person and I am immensely thankful for that.This is how I approach writing. So, you say you have writer's block? Here's my honest advice, that I am also giving you out of love, with the intent of making you a stronger person, a stronger writer:Get over it. Get over yourself.Sit down in front of your computer/notebook and write. Write about your character eating a Big Mac for all I care. Just do it. Yeah, it may be crap at first. You'll need to get over that, too. And eventually, it won't be crap. Maybe it will even be good. With some revision, it could be great.But it won't be anything if you don't start.Are you a writer? Write. No excuses, no whining.YAtopia is a blog with ten writers talking about MG, YA, and NA books, writing, publishing, and teens. Check out http://yatopia.blogspot.com for information about the contributors and special features.

You should never judge a book by its cover. Sure…but they never said we couldn’t admire them. Cover of the Week pays homage to the beautiful and eye catching graphics that grace the covers of our young adult titles. This week’s cover of the week goes to Consume by Melissa Darnell Release Date: August 27th, 2013 [...]