I've loved Holly Schindler ever since I read her debut novel, A Blue So Dark.  It is a haunting, memorable story told in vivid, skilled prose.  It made me want to read everything she wrote.  I'm a little behind on that goal, but I've continued to enjoy the author's books over the years.  Holly's not just a talented writer, but she's also a great champion of book bloggers.  Really, what's not to love about her?

Naturally, I was thrilled to be a part of the cover reveal for Holly's forthcoming YA novel, Spark.  Published by HarperCollins, it comes out on May 17, 2016.  You can pre-order it now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Isn't it pretty?



  When the right hearts come to the Avery Theater—at the right time—the magic will return. The Avery will come back from the dead.

A couple weeks ago, the Top Ten Tuesday topic was books on my Spring TBR list.  Today's isn't much different, but that's okay.  I love TBR lists in any form.  Book recommendations come at me all the time from all kinds of sources, so I'm happy to share them with you.  I love seeing yours as well. Joining the fun is simple:  click on over to The Broke and the Bookish for instructions, then create a TTT list on your blog, and share it with the rest of us.  Easy peasy.

This week's topic:  Top Ten Books You Recently Added to Your TBR List



1.  The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury—I just finished a Christian novel about a sin eater in Appalachia and found the idea fascinating.  This YA book continues the theme, but in a completely different way.  It will be interesting to compare/contrast the two stories.


2.  Something by Kristin Hannah—I just finished Hannah's newest novel, The Nightingale, which I enjoyed.  I'm looking for something else by her.  Any recommendations?  I already have Fly Away, so I'll probably start with it.


3.  Kick Back by Chelsea Cain—I try to avoid the type of "gory thrillers" Cain writes, but I got totally sucked into One Kick.  The novel features Kick Lannigan, who was famously kidnapped as a child.  Now a tough, paranoid adult, she's roped into helping find children missing in the Portland, Oregon, area.  As gruesome as the book is, it's also a compelling, adrenaline-rush of a read.  I'm anxiously awaiting the publication of Kick Back, the next installment in the series.


4.  Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke—This one has been getting so-so reviews, but I'm still intrigued by the premise.  A couple adopts a little girl from a Siberian orphanage.  A short time later, in the middle of a blizzard, the child is acting mysteriously and her mother begins to wonder just what she's brought home.


5.  One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis—My kids' elementary school has a homegrown reading program that requires lots of volunteers, of which I am one.  Because of that, I spend a couple of hours each week at the school library.  As you can imagine, the topic of books often comes up among the volunteers, teachers, librarians, etc.  During one such conversation, one of the librarians mentioned how much this book kept her guessing.  I like a good psychological thriller, so I stuck One Step Too Far on ye olde TBR list pile mountain mountain chain.



6.  The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths—I need to stop perusing Kay's Reading Life because Kay's always got great-looking recommendations.  My TBR mountain chain can't take it!  She loves Griffith's series about a forensic archaeologist who helps to solve mysteries.  The Crossing Places is the first installment.


7.  Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner—Bookbub.com recently published a Top Ten list of their favorite WWII novels.  The Nightingale is among their selections, as is this novel about an American scholar interviewing an elderly woman who has dark secrets connected to the war.  Not the most original premise in the world, but one that always manages to hook me nonetheless!


8.  Fig by Sarah Elizabeth Schantz—I noticed this YA novel while perusing Scholastic's catalogs on Edelweiss.  It's about a girl dealing with her mother's schizophrenia and her own emotional/mental issues.


9.  Fifth Avenue Fidos by Holly Schindler—I always enjoy Schindler's books, so I'm looking forward to reading her first new adult novel.  Fifth Avenue Fidos is a fun love story about two lost souls—and their dogs.  Sounds super cute.


10.  All About Aussies: The Australian Shepherd From A to Z by Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor—Speaking of poochies ... The breeder from whom we bought Rory, our Aussie puppy, really recommended this book as a great guide to the breed.  Unfortunately, it's out of print.  None of the libraries in my area have it, nor can I find a copy online for less than $30.  Boo hoo.  I really want to read it.

So, there you have it, ten books I've recently added to my TBR list.  How about you?  Have you gotten any good recs lately?  Any great titles I should be snatching up?  Leave me a comment and I'll be happy to stop by your blog to check out your list.

Oh, and before you go, don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $20 Barnes & Noble gift card and two Book Buckles.  A winner will be chosen (randomly, via Rafflecopter) on Easter Sunday, so don't miss your chance to win!

*All images from Barnes & Noble or author websites

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday full of love.  As a special V-Day treat, I have Holly Schindler visiting today.  I talked about the author yesterday, so we're just going to continue on with the Holly-love.  Holly's prepared a little vlog for us about the part love plays in her new middle grade book, The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky.  Since she does a great job explaining what the story's all about, I won't bother with a plot summary.  You get to hear it straight from the author herself!

I haven't had a chance to read The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky yet, but it sounds like a sweet, empowering story.  I'm excited to see what it's all about!

Holly's put together a blog tour for the book that's full of fun posts.  Click on the icon below to follow along:

I first heard the name Holly Schindler back in 2010, when the generous folks over at Flux sent me an ARC of her debut novel, A Blue So Dark.  The taut YA drama about a teen dealing with her mother's schizophrenia touched me, while convincing me that this author was one to watch.  Schindler's sophomore novel, Playing Hurt, also impressed me.  Tomorrow, I'm going to talk a little about her recently published middle grade novel, but today I'm excited to be a part of the cover reveal for Schindler's fourth novel, Feral:

When high school basketball star Chelsea Keyes injures her hip during senior year, everything changes. Unable to play the game, she's forced to watch from the sidelines as a promising season goes sour. As if that isn't bad enough, she feels like she's been benched from her life - she can't bring herself to so much as look at a basketball, her dad barely talks to her anymore, and her brother won't get off her case. No one seems to understand just how much she's lost.

To help them all reconnect, Chelsea's dad books a three-week family vacation at a lake resort in Minnesota. Chelsea's shocked when she finds out he's signed her up for a boot camp to help her regain some of the strength she's lost since her accident. She's even more shocked when she sees her instructor - 19-year-old Clint Morgan is hot in a way that almost makes Chelsea forget she's got the perfect boyfriend back home in Missouri. Almost. Only the more time she spends with Clint, the more she wonders about Gabe, the guy she's been going out with since junior year. How is it that she feels so much more understood by a guy she barely knows than by the one who should actually know her best? And does her summer fling matter enough to risk the good thing she's got going with Gabe?

As Chelsea battles to rediscover herself, her passions, and her strength, she has to decide what really matters to her. And who. Before she ends up losing everything, not to mention everyone, she cares about.

"You don't know anything, you moronic jerk, I feel like screaming. Because for all his supposed Aura collecting, he has no idea how much Mom truly terrifies me. He has no idea that when I look at her, I'm not staring at a person, but a mirror. I'm seeing me, exactly as I'll be in the future" (135).

Most little girls want to grow up to be just like their mothers. Maybe Aura did, too, back when her mother's manic episodes seemed bright and fun. At 15, she now recognizes the episodes for what they are - scary as hell. Aura used to be able to talk her mom down, but these days, she's so far gone that Aura hasn't the faintest idea how to deal. The only thing she knows for sure is that she never, ever wants to be like her mom.

A gifted artist, Grace Ambrose is the kind of woman who paints fanciful murals on the walls, makes masterpieces out of old pianos, and dangles dozens of carved mermaids from the kitchen ceiling. She's also the lady who smashes into mailboxes she swears are in the middle of the road, runs screaming from buildings she thinks are on fire, and drops lit matches on her bare toes while trying to "fix" trinkets that were never broken in the first place. She's talented, creative, and crazy as a loon.

Aura has promised never to institutionalize her mother, never to insist on medication. Everyone knows Aura's promises are "like locks with no key" (47), but things are getting too complicated too fast. With no one to count on but herself, Aura does everything she can to fix the problem - from hiding to lying to hovering to playing her mother's insane little games. She even sacrifices her own art - the one thing that brings her solace - to keep the insanity at bay. But the crazy just keeps coming. Can Aura save her mother on her own? Or will the darkness that's been passed down for generations in her family swallow Aura whole?

A Blue So Dark, Holly Schindler's debut novel (available May 28, 2010), explores what it means to have mental illness lurking in the thick leaves of your family tree. It shows the terror, the guilt, and the anguish experienced by not just the schizophrenic patient, but also by those who love her. Brutally honest and heartbreakingly real, this is a read that is as painful as it is enlightening. Aura Ambrose is so skillfully drawn you want to pluck her out of the pages and wrap her in your arms. Seriously, I was surprised to see a photograph of Holly Schindler - I fully expected the author to be about 15. That's how authentic her voice is. She writes in vivid, Technicolor prose that thrills over and over with its fresh, visual appeal.

If you prefer happy, bubbly stories, steer clear of A Blue So Dark. It's exactly what it promises to be - dark. It's also an intense, compelling story that will grab you from the very first word. An absolutely stunning debut, this book promises good things to come from an author I will be watching very, very closely.

(Readalikes: Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu; The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley; The Memory of Water by Karen White)

Grade: A-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at Flux. Thank you!