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2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


27 / 30 books. 90% done!

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


39 / 50 books. 78% done!

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona
- Arkansas (1)
- California (7)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (2)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (2)
- Maine (4)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee
- Texas (3)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (2)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*

International:

- Australia (6)
- Austria (1)
- Canada (2)
- England (21)
- Fiji (1)
- France (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Italy (1)
- Mexico (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Norway (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Bahamas (1)
- Vatican City (1)

My Progress:


34 / 51 states. 67% done!

2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


24 / 25 books. 96% done!

2026 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

My Progress:


29 / 50 books. 58% done!

Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


38 / 52 books. 73% done!

2026 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 52 books. 65% done!

2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


22 / 40 books. 55% done!

2026 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


24 / 51 books. 47% done!

2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge

2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


19 / 25 books. 76% done!

2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


44 / 52 books. 85% done!

Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)

My Progress:


54 / 65 books. 83% done!

2026 Countdown Reading Challenge

My Progress:


55 / 55 books. 100% done!

2026 Series Reading Challenge


23 / 36 books. 64% done!

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

My Progress:


70 / 125 books. 56% done!

2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge

My Progress:


9 / 9 books. 100% done!

2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)

My Progress:


36 / 60 books. 60% done!

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 40 books. 25% done!

European Reading Challenge 2026

My Progress:


7 / 50 books. 14% done!

2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)

My Progress:


67 / 125 books. 54% done!

2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge

My Progress:


4 / 5 challenges. 80% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

My Progress:


98 / 100 names. 98% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

My Progress:


76 / 80 skills. 95% done!
Monday, September 30, 2013

Casinos and Secrets and Magic, Oh My!

So, you may have noticed that I've been on quite the YA dystopian kick lately.  What can I say?  It's been one of my favorite genres ever since it became a thing.  Still, a lot of the time, reading post-apocalyptic novels is kind of like watching re-runs of a show you once liked.  The concept continues to appeal, but the delivery gets old pretty darn fast.  And yet, a few recent discoveries (The Hallowed Ones and The Outside by Laura Bickle; Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis) give me hope that there's still some originality to be had in this very saturated genre.  We'll see.

In the meantime, here's one that looks promising to me:  Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston.  My ARC of the book hasn't arrived yet, so you're going to have to settle for a little teaser/spotlight thing.

If you haven't heard of Frozen, here's a quick synopsis:
Welcome to New Vegas, a city once covered in bling, now blanketed in ice.  Like much of the destroyed planet, the place knows only one temperature—freezing.  But some things never change.  The diamond in the ice desert is still a 24-hour hedonistic playground and nothing keeps the crowds away from the casino floors, never mind the rumors about sinister sorcery in its shadows.                                                                                                                                                                               At the heart of this city is Natasha Kestal, a young blackjack dealer looking for a way out.  Like many, she's heard of a mythical land simply called "The Blue."  They say it's a paradise, where the sun still shines and the waters are turquoise.  Most importantly, it's a place where Nat won't be persecuted, even if her darkest secret comes to light.                                                                                                                                                           But passage to the Blue is treacherous, if not impossible, and her only shot is to bet on a ragtag crew of mercenaries led by a cocky runner named Ryan Wesson.  Danger and deceit await on every corner, even as Nat and Wes find themselves inexorably drawn to each other.  But can true love survive the lies?  Fiery hearts collide in this fantastic tale of the evil men do and the awesome power within us all.  

Okay, yeah, it sounds a wee bit like every other YA dystopian out there.  Except it's set in a Vegas that's frozen and dead, but still alive.  That's enough to grab my interest right there.  I also like the road trip aspect as well as the deep, dark secret element.  How about a little look-see at the trailer to pique your interest even more?  Here you go:


    
Cool, right?

Here's another fun fact:  Melissa de la Cruz—the best-selling author of the Blue Bloods series as well as lots of other books for teens—and Michael Johnston are married.  To each other.  They collaborate on all their books, from rough drafts to final edit.  Fun, huh?  To promote their newest venture, they've written a series of guest posts that will appear on a handful of blogs, one of which belongs to Yours Truly.  Here's what the authors have to say about creating characters for Frozen:


One of the pleasures of writing in the young adult genre is to create characters who are young in age but wise beyond their years. In the world of Frozen, because cancer is a matter not of 'if' but 'when', the life expectancy rate is in the thirties, which means that when you are fifteen, you are middle-aged. This was partly inspired by an article we had read about the former Soviet Union, where the life expectancy rates in 2000 for males was 58.  Compare that to the life expectancy in the U.S. which is 82. Twenty years shaved off your life just for living in a different country. It's mind-boggling.

It was fun to create Ryan 'Wes' Wesson, who at sixteen is a military veteran. He's only a boy, but he's seen so much of the world, survived wars, seen devastation and cruelty, but at heart, he's a softie. The brave new cold world expects its citizens to be tough, to be selfish, to be as cruel as their new environment, but Wes keeps his humanity intact. Mike and I fell in love with him from the first time he steps on stage in our book, when he turns down a mouth-watering steak because the price to eat it (giving up his soul) is too high. We love a good steak and we know how hard it was to turn it down! J

If you want to read more from Mel and Mike, you can check out their guest posts on these fantastic blogs:



So, what do you think?  Does Frozen sound like your kind of adventure?  I'm anxious to give it a go.  How about you?

(Book image from Barnes & Noble; synopsis and guest post provided by Penguin)
Thursday, September 26, 2013

352 Pages of Blood, Gore and Not Much Else

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When the world erupts in a sudden explosion of unimaginable violence, everyone's shocked and confused.  Well, maybe not everyone.  Some—those to whom the darkness speaks—know precisely what's happening.  They welcome the chaos, the destruction.  The rest cower in fear, not understanding how or why their neighbors, friends and families have turned into such vicious, blood-thirsty monsters.  They're not zombies or werewolves or vampires, but something else, something that looks human, but acts like a feral animal.  No one's safe from the creatures, so consumed are they by beating, maiming, torturing and killing anyone who shows signs of retaining even an ounce of their humanity. 

Four teenagers—Mason, Aries, Clementine and Michael—struggle for survival in this strange new world.  All are worn down by what they've seen, what they've had to do.  They're traveling the same road, ultimately heading to a place that's rumored to be safe.  But, what will they really find when they reach Vancouver, B.C.?  A refuge or just more death and despair?  Can the darkness be outrun?  Defeated?  With so few real humans left in the barren, empty world, it's up to the four kids to figure out how to not just survive, but also triumph against a powerful, ancient enemy.  How will they achieve such a lofty goal, though, when they barely know each other, let alone trust each other?  And will their efforts be in vain when they discover the secret one of the teens is desperately trying to keep hidden?

Dark Inside, a debut novel by Canadian author Jeyn Roberts, offers readers an adrenaline-fueled, action-packed story that will engage even reluctant readers.  It's dark, though, and thick with violent, gory scenes.  In fact, that's about all there is to this tale—the writing's nothing special, the characters lack depth, and there's little that's original or surprising about the plot.  The kids spend all their time running from the bad guys, making no real progress toward solving the problem or saving the world.  Without that kind of plot development, Dark Inside is basically 352 pages of  blood-gushing, gut-spilling horror which, let me tell you, gets really old, really quick.  I checked the book's sequel, Rage Within, out of the library at the same time I did Dark Inside with the intention of reading the novels back-to-back.  When I finished the latter, though, I decided I'd had enough gore.  Since I didn't care enough about the characters to read on, I didn't.  'Nough said.  

(Readalikes:  Its sequel, Rage Within; also reminds me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy and other post-apocalyptic novels)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (no F-bombs) and violence/gore

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find
Tuesday, September 24, 2013

In the After Not Quite In-Thralling Enough

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Amy Harris doesn't know from where They came.  She doesn't know why They chose to attack Earth.  She has no idea how to eradicate the plague that is Them.  All the 16-year-old can do is hide behind the electric fence that keeps the monsters away from her Chicago home, keeping the lights off and making as little noise as she can.  Silence isn't that difficult when you're alone in a vacant city, an empty world.  Still, Amy's learned to tiptoe and taught herself and Baby—the toddler she found in an abandoned supermarket—to communicate in simple sign language.  It's the only way to stay alive when they're forced to venture beyond the safety of the fence.  

When a new enemy threatens to invade their fortress, Amy knows it's time to leave.  But where will she go, especially with a small child?  Rescue comes in a most surprising way, landing Amy and Baby in a place that should feel safe.  So, why doesn't it?  As Amy discovers the shocking answers to her most baffling questions about Them, she begins to realize just how much she's risking by staying.  Leaving is suicide, but what choice does Amy have?  She'll protect Baby with everything she's got, even if it means forfeiting her own life.  The only question is where will the child have the best chance for survival?  And what will Amy have to sacrifice to get her there?

Even though the YA market is saturated with dystopian novels, most of which are clichéd copycats, I can't stop reading them.  Occasionally, I stumble across one that makes me glad I haven't given up on the genre yet.  Unfortunately, In the After, a debut novel by Demitria Lunetta, isn't one of them.  The monsters are a little different, but everything else in the story is pretty much been-there-done-that.  Pacing-wise, the tale moves right along, making most of its 450 pages fly by.  Still, if the book had been shortened, the plot tightened up, the characters fleshed-out and the prose enlivened, it would have been a much more enjoyable read.  As is?  Meh.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Orleans by Sherri L. Smith as well as other YA dystopian/horror novels)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (no F-bombs), violence/gore and mild sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find
    
Friday, September 20, 2013

A Compelling, Well-Written YA Amish Horror Novel? Yes, Please!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Katie's lived all her life in a secluded Amish village, interacting very little with the "English" world outside of it.  She's content there.  Really, she is.  And while she'll probably do exactly what everyone expects her to do—be baptized into the Amish religion, marry her best friend, Elijah Miller, and stay in the community for the rest of her life—Katie just wants a little taste of the outside before making any big commitments.  That's what Rumspringa is all about.  She intends to enjoy the experience fully.  Then, and only then, will she be able to decide what she really wants for her future.  She should probably be terrified to leave the only life she's ever known—even temporarily—so why does the thought of it thrill her so?

Before Katie gets even a tiny taste of freedom, forces from the outside begin encroaching on her quiet, gentle world.  At first, it's just whispers, rumors of some nameless evil terrorizing the English.  Then, Katie gets her own glimpse, though of what she's not sure.  

To protect their people, the Amish elders close off their community, allowing no one in and no one out.  Katie wants safety as much as anyone else, but when an injured stranger is turned away without getting the help he so obviously needs, she hesitates.  Then, she hides the handsome Canadian, knowing full well that it could lead to her own banishment.  As Alex describes the horrifying things he's seen on his journey, Katie realizes that by hiding an outsider, she's putting herself and her people in more danger than even she can imagine.  Can she turn Alex out, even if it's for the greater good?  Can she risk telling the elders what she now knows, even if it leads to her own exile?  Will God protect them all from this unthinkable evil?  Or is it up to Katie to save herself and her loved ones?  As danger creeps ever closer, with everyone she's ever loved in its direct path, she'll have to decide whether to trust the elders or follow her own instincts—even if they lead her straight to hell.

The market is so saturated right now with YA dystopian and horror novels that it takes a lot to make one stand out from the crowd.  So, how does The Hallowed Ones, Laura Bickle's first YA novel, manage to do just that?  Easy.  Bickle took an old idea, changed up the setting, added an intriguing heroine, mixed in a community of interesting folk, sprinkled on some compelling philosophical questions and molded it all together using the right tools: heart-pounding action, a twisty plotline, a forbidden romance and, most of all, tight, solid prose.  Voilá!  She crafted herself a winner.  But, The Hallowed Ones goes even further than that—its more serious, contemplative tone makes it even more unique, as does its ruminations on faith, religion, and the consequences of both obedience and rebellion.  I've heard other reviewers say that because of these things, this book feels more New Adult than Young Adult.  That may be true, but it really doesn't matter—I'd recommend this one to anyone (well, anyone over 16 or so) who loves a good horror story that's as substantial as it is satisfying.  It really is that good.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of its sequel, The Outside, also a bit of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan)

Grade:  



If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (no F-bombs), violence/gore and mild sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought an e-copy of The Hallowed Ones from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.  
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