A Good Week in Books (108) -BEA 2015 Edition

I’m not sure a better week in books exists, at least for me. I went to BEA again this year. And well, I feel like I brought home all of BEA with me.

I was really impressed this year. I feel like the staff/authors/exhibitors/etc. have slowly been learning more and more what works and what doesn’t. And I was genuinely and happily pleased by the level of organization this year. I was  blown away by the authors in attendance. And I was even more blown away by the people I bumped into and got to see again at the conference.

Some of the coolest people/bloggers were there and I sometimes feel like even more of a book nerd in their presence than in authors’. I got to go with my friend and newbie blogger, Emma (testybadger), and it was so much fun introducing her to this part of the conference. Really, BEA is one giant networking tool of awesome and I feel so lucky to have been able to go for so many years in a row. I always bring a book along with me in case I need it while waiting in line. But, there are always such cool people to talk to in line that I barely read it.

The books I picked up:

Some books are going directly to my library. Some have already been mentally divvied up for a few select/amazing friends. And some are going to the boyfriend.

The master list:

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
After the Red Rain by Barry Lyga, Peter Facinelli, and Robert DeFranco (signed)
365 Days of Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Voyagers: Project Alpha by D.J. MacHale
The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz (signed)
The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead (singed)
The Marvels by Brian Selznick
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith (signed)
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Fairest by Marrisa Meyer (signed)
Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (signed)
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
City Love by Susane Colasanti (signed)
Kissing Ted Callahan (and other guys) by Amy Spalding (signed)
Soundless by Richelle Mead (signed)
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate (signed)
Another Day by David Levithan (signed)
Tonight the Streets are Ours by Leila Sales (signed)
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy (signed)
Beastly Bones by William Ritter
Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti
The Anatomy of Curiosity by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff (signed)
Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa
We’ll Never be Apart by Emiko Jean
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle
Awake by Natasha Preston
The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone
Juniors by Kaui Hart Hemmings
The Blackthorn key by Kevin Sands (signed)
Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul (signed)
Anton and Cecil Cats on Track by Lisa Martin and Valerie Martin
Uprooted by Lynne Reid Banks
Stone Rider by David Hofmey
The Tale of Less Valued Knights by Marie Phillips
The Ables by Jeremy Scott
Unlovely by Celeste Conway
Sweet Goodness: Unbelievably Delicious Gluten-Free Recipes by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming
The Scorch Trials Official Graphic Novel by James Dashner
The Golden Compass The Graphic Novel Volume 1 by Philip Pullman
Max the Brave by Ed Vere
Zen Socks by Jon J Muth
Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Miss Todd and her Wonderful Flying Machine by Frances Poletti And Kristina Yee (signed)
8 An Animal Alphabet by Elisha Cooper (signed)
Max Ride First Flight Preview by James Patterson
Star Wars Previews by Aaron, Cassaday, and Martin
Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Low by Remender and Tocchini
Revival by Seeley and Norton
Velvet by Brubaker and Epting

Here are a few photos of the fun. The one where I’m making an exceptionally awkward facial expression is me behind a cut-out of the character Jackaby. I just had to. The other one of me is more charming; it’s me after finally getting to sit down after a long day of lugging books. The conversation happening is between Libba Bray and Barry Lyga when they came to the Librarian’s Lounge just to have a book discussion with librarians. I was in the front row, inches from Libba (my favorite author)!

How was your week in books?

Waiting on Wednesday (142)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating.

This week I am waiting on Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella (6/9/15):

Description from Goodreads:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series comes a terrific blend of comedy, romance, and psychological recovery in a contemporary YA novel sure to inspire and entertain.

An anxiety disorder disrupts fourteen-year-old Audrey’s daily life. She has been making slow but steady progress with Dr. Sarah, but when Audrey meets Linus, her brother’s gaming teammate, she is energized. She connects with him. Audrey can talk through her fears with Linus in a way she’s never been able to do with anyone before. As their friendship deepens and her recovery gains momentum, a sweet romantic connection develops, one that helps not just Audrey but also her entire family.

Why I’m Waiting:

I remember reading the entire first Shopaholic book in a bookstore. I don’t think I read any more of the series, but I do remember really getting into book 1. When I heard this author was writing a YA, I got really excited.  Here’s my opportunity to read more of her. The concept of the book sounds super interesting and adorable too. I need more excellent YA contemporaries in my life. And this one is super promising.

What are you waiting on this week?

PS. I’m off to NY after work today. I’ll be at BEA Thursday and Friday. Maybe I’ll see you there? I know I have a very good week in books to talk about when I get back.

Burning Kingdoms by Lauren DeStefano

Summary (from Goodreads):

Danger descends in the second book of The Internment Chronicles, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Chemical Garden trilogy.

After escaping Internment, Morgan and her fellow fugitives land on the ground to finally learn about the world beneath their floating island home.

The ground is a strange place where water falls from the sky as snow, and people watch moving pictures and visit speakeasies. A place where families can have as many children as they want, their dead are buried in vast gardens of bodies, and Internment is the feature of an amusement park.

It is also a land at war.

Everyone who fled Internment had their own reasons to escape their corrupt haven, but now they’re caught under the watchful eye of another king who wants to dominate his world. They may have made it to the ground, but have they dragged Internment with them?

Review:

Sadly, I did not like this one nearly as much as the first book in the series. It started with the awful cover re-design. Why mess with the beauty that was the cover of the first book? Really, a statue? It has nothing to do with the story at all.

The beautiful writing I have come to love and expect from this author is still there. Some of the descriptions read like poetry, and I would literally pause in my reading and re-read certain descriptions just to soak in the pretty words. The characters I loved are all still there. And there was actually a ton more character development in this one, which I love. The people seemed more real.

So what didn’t I like? There were two things that bothered me. One was the eternal question of: is this our world and if so what time period is it? This is never answered, nor even remotely addressed. And while sometimes this doesn’t bother me (like in book 1), sometimes it does bother me because it takes me away from the story to keep asking the question. Is it a totally made up world beneath the floating island? If so, why do the amusement parks have twirling teacups? It felt sort of like a mix of the 1920’s flapper life with World War II warfare with some modern day attitudes. And while I get that one can create their own world that is all these things, I guess I’d like some hint letting me know it is a created world, so I’m not always trying to guess at things. A year would be nice.

The other thing that I didn’t love: nothing happens. Literally nothing happens until the very end of the book. It’s a lot of not knowing what will happen, trying to plan what to do when something does eventually happen, and sneaking out to see the world while waiting for something to happen. It took me 2 weeks to read it! I kept waiting, hoping that something would indeed happen.  I almost gave up on the book twice. I need a little more plot with my novels. Some kind of action before the final chapters would have been nice.

There’s a lot of character development and things learned about our friends from the first book. However, this just wasn’t enough for me. I like where things ended. And wow, did this book become intense in those ending chapters. There’s death, depression, explosions, hospitals, and major goals accomplished by the ending chapter. I just wished some of it was dispersed throughout the whole thing. All in all, I give this one a 6/10. The writing and characters were beautiful. But, I needed so much more than that.

Re-Read 2015: The Titan's Curse (audio book) by Rick Riordan and read by Jesse Bernstein

Summary (from goodreads):

IT'S NOT EVERYDAY YOU FIND YOURSELF IN COMBAT WITH A HALF-LION, HALF-HUMAN.

But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh, and guess what? The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...

Review:

First of all, the cover I used is for the paperback, and not the audio book. The audio book cover was just too small. Second, I read this in one week! Third, I only listen to books in the car, so yikes, I do a lot of driving!

This, so far, is still my favorite book in the series. It starts with a school dance! There’s new half-bloods to meet. There’s Artemis and her band of maiden hunters. There’s the getting to know Thalia, who is awesome. There are fast rides with the sun god. There are more scenes with lots of gods (including a party on Olympus). There’s the ever-present prophecy that can change the whole world. The battles are tougher. The monsters are even more indestructible. And the stakes are so much higher.

This book takes the whole series for a darker turn. Besides the doom filled oracle speech in the beginning about losing one character and another being killed by his/her parent, there’s also the kidnapping of Annabeth! Harry never had to fight so many battles and go on so many adventures without Hermione! Percy really proved himself the hero by how he acted without his wise friend. And also, I loved the relationships he created with Thalia, Artemis, and the other hunters.

There’s a lot of reveals in this book about elements of the prophecy, about the titans, and about new friends. Also, the romance is starting to blossom between a certain two main characters and I loved how Aphrodite had her words about it. I also loved the hunters. Who else can put the children of gods in their place?

So this book, I guess is all about the unfolding of the darkness to come. But, it’s also full of the humor, suspense, and action of the first two books. The kids are getting older and the drama of the story is changing. And I love this too. I’m so excited to delve into the next book in this series. This one so gets a 10/10.

Waiting on Wednesday (141)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating.

This week I am waiting on Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown (10/20/15):

Description on Goodreads:

Samantha Donaldson’s family has always done its duty for the British Crown. In the midst of World War I, seventeen-year-old Sam follows in their footsteps, serving her country from the homefront as a Girl Guide and messenger for the intelligence organization MI5. After her father disappears on a diplomatic mission, she continues their studies of languages, high-level mathematics, and complex puzzles and codes, hoping to make him proud.

When Sam is asked to join the famed women’s spy group La Dame Blanche she’s torn—this could be the adventure she’s dreamed of, but how can she abandon her mother, who has already lost a husband to the war? But when her handlers reveal shocking news, Sam realizes there’s no way she can refuse the exciting and dangerous opportunity.

Her acceptance leads her straight into the heart of enemy territory on a mission to extract the most valuable British spy embedded in Germany, known to the members of LDB only as Velvet. Deep undercover within the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Samantha must navigate the labyrinthine palace and its many glamorous—and secretive—residents to complete her assignment. To make matters worse she finds herself forming a forbidden attraction to the enemy-a dangerously handsome German guard. In a place where personal politics are treacherously entangled in wartime policy, can Samantha discover the truth and find Velvet before it’s too late…for them both?

From author Teri Brown comes the thrilling story of one girl’s journey into a deadly world of spycraft and betrayal—with unforgettable consequences.

Why I’m Waiting:

I have never actually read anything by this author before. Though, I may or may not have an ARC of Born of Illusion that I just haven’t gotten to yet. I do know a lot of bloggers love this author. And I also know that this story sounds amazing! The history, the spying, the secret women’s organization, the danger, the suspense, and just about everything about it sounds like a book I’ll need to read.

What are you waiting on this week?

A Good Week in Books (107)

I had a great book week. Thank you, Macmillan for all the amazing books to read/review. Also, I picked up one from Amazon, and it’s getting awfully hard not to stop reading all the books I’m in the middle of to do nothing to but read this one…I have a feeling I will be reading The Heir very soon. I have terrible self-control when Kiera Cass books.

The books:

The Heir by Kiera Cass
From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess by Meg Cabot
The Truth about Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
Exquisite Corpse by Penelope Bagieu
Broken Hearts, Fences, and other things to Mend by Katie Finn
The Novice by Taran Matharu
Love, Fortunes, and other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius
Kisses and Curses by Fierce Reads (and 15 YA authors)
Velvet by Temple West

How was your week in books?

Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

Summary (from Goodreads):

Mysterious doors with lizard-head knobs. Talking stone statues. A crazy girl with a hatchet. Yes, Liv's dreams have been pretty weird lately. Especially the one where she's in a graveyard at night, watching four boys conduct dark magic rituals.

The strangest part is that Liv recognizes the boys in her dream. They're classmates from her new school in London, the school where she's starting over because her mom has moved them to a new country (again). But what's really scaring Liv is that the dream boys seem to know things about her in real life, things they couldn't possibly know--unless they actually are in her dreams? Luckily, Liv never could resist a good mystery, and all four of those boys are pretty cute....

Review:

I just about lost it when I learned that Gier was writing another YA series. Seriously, my fangirling reached a whole new level. I absolutely loved her time travel series, and for all I knew that would be it for her. As soon as I heard of this one, I knew I would have to get my hands on it. Thankfully, it was sent to me for review. And I may have had a role in my library ordering a copy as well.

Did I love it as much as Ruby Red? Not quite. However, some of the things I loved about this author’s other books were definitely hanging around in this book too. There’s an interesting family dynamic. I love when families play roles in YA books (and aren’t just not in the picture). I loved Liv’s relationship with her younger sister. It reminded me a lot of a past best friendship. I also loved the girls’ relationship with their au pair. There was plenty of humor and sarcasm too. And the characters, overall, were amazing. This is an author that does not hold back on character development.

I’m not sure I was quite as into the plot or romance as I was before though. The plot was sort of the standard YA paranormal romance (with twists and turns that I was guessing the whole time). Though, there were some Maggie Stiefvater-ish moments that gave it the good kind of paranormal romance vibes. But, still it was a little too normal and not enough unique for my tasting.

And as far as the romance goes, I just wasn’t feeling it. I knew what was coming with the reveal at the end, and I’m not sure I like it. I’m actually hoping for a triangle later in the series, in a weird hope that she ends up with someone else.

There’s some interesting stuff about going into other people’s dreams. There’s also some interesting things about raising demons. There is a heavy supernatural element. I found the boys super interesting. And I kind of wish I got to know more about them, and I have a feeling I will in the later installments. All in all, I really liked this one. I was just hoping for a little more. I give it an 8/10.