Search This Blog







2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (2)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (8)
- Colorado (2)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida (3)
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois (2)
- Indiana (2)
- 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 (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (1)
- New York (5)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (4)
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee (2)
- Texas (3)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (3)
- Wyoming(1)
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (7)
- Austria (1)
- Canada (3)
- England (24)
- Fiji (1)
- France (1)
- Ireland (3)
- Italy (2)
- Mexico (1)
- Morocco (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Norway (1)
- Scotland (2)
- The Bahamas (1)
- Vatican City (1)





2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge








Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo



2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge





Saturday, February 15, 2014
Skinny: It's About More Than Just The Pounds
10:02 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Ever Davies knows she's fat. The 15-year-old weighs over 300 pounds, so it's not like she's surprised when someone calls her an elephant or a whale or a freak or whatever. Not that the words don't wound—of course they do—but she's so used to hearing the labels that she hardly notices anymore. Besides, if real people aren't calling Ever names, she's got Skinny—the constant, nagging voice in her head—reminding her that she's an out-of-control blob who will never be loved. Ever's so used to living (if you can call it that) this way, she's almost given up trying to change things. What's the point? As Skinny is so quick to note, Ever is too pathetic and helpless to do anything right.
After a humiliating experience at school, Ever's finally had enough. Determined to gain some control over her life, she embarks on a risky journey to slim down, get healthy and prove to the world that she's someone worth noticing. And yet, even as the pounds melt off, Ever can't stop hearing Skinny's snarky criticism. Is it possible that Skinny's been right all along? Is Ever destined for failure, no matter how hard she works? Is she really too worthless to bother with—or can Ever find something inside herself that's worth saving, even celebrating? Most importantly, what will happen when she reaches her weight loss goal? Will Ever Davies finally be happy?
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I wanted to read more books about obesity, especially about teens who struggle with the issue. An author friend of mine mentioned that she'd heard good things about Skinny, a debut novel by Donna Cooner. Cooner, who's written picture books, textbooks and children's television shows, is also a former gastric bypass patient—obviously, weight loss is something with which she's intimately familiar. That insider's view makes Ever's fight for control over her body an authentic and poignant one. Cooner's personal experience with bariatric surgery also makes for a story peppered with interesting details about the process. All of that kept me interested. What annoyed me about Skinny, though, is its lack of a well-defined central conflict. Ever's goal is to lose weight, yes, but since the pounds are "magically" disappearing via surgery, she achieves what she wants a little too easily for my tastes. I want to see a hero or heroine really struggle to attain the story goal, and Ever really doesn't that much. Yes, she still has to banish the voice in her head (which, really, is the point of the story), but still ... the central conflict didn't feel like that big of a conflict, in my *humble* opinion. In the end, while I appreciated Cooner's realistic look at a teen undergoing weight loss surgery, Skinny just didn't quite satisfy me.
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Skinny from the generous folks at Scholastic. Thank you!
Friday, February 14, 2014
A Love-Filled Valentine's Vlog
1:00 AM
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 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:
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Cover Reveal: Feral by Holly Schindler
1:00 AM
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:
Sounds like a perfect Halloween read. I don't know about you, but I can't wait. I love the always versatile Holly Schindler and I'm anxious to see what she does with this newest book!
What do you think about the cover? The plot? Does it look and sound like something you might find interesting?
If it does, be sure to add it to your Goodreads bookshelf and pre-order yourself a copy from Amazon or your favorite bookstore.
Oooh, it's so mysterious and intriguing. I love it!
And here's a plot summary for Feral, which will release from Harper Collins on August 26, 2014:
It’s too late for you. You’re dead. Those words float through Claire Cain’s head as she lies broken and barely alive after a brutal beating. And the words continue to haunt her months later, in the relentless, terrifying nightmares that plague her sleep. So when her father is offered a teaching sabbatical in another state, Claire is hopeful that getting out of Chicago, away from the things that remind her of what she went through, will offer a way to start anew.
But when she arrives in Peculiar, Missouri, Claire quickly realizes something is wrong—the town is brimming with hidden dangers and overrun by feral cats. And her fears are confirmed when a popular high school girl, Serena Sims, is suddenly found dead in the icy woods behind the school. While everyone is quick to say Serena died in an accident, Claire knows there’s more to it—for she was the one who found Serena, battered and most certainly dead, surrounded by the town’s feral cats.
Now Claire vows to learn the truth about what happened, but the closer she gets to uncovering the mystery, the closer she also gets to discovering a frightening reality about herself and the damage she truly sustained in that Chicago alley.
With an eerie setting and heart-stopping twists and turns, Holly Schindler weaves a gripping story that will make you question everything you think you know.
Sounds like a perfect Halloween read. I don't know about you, but I can't wait. I love the always versatile Holly Schindler and I'm anxious to see what she does with this newest book!
What do you think about the cover? The plot? Does it look and sound like something you might find interesting?
If it does, be sure to add it to your Goodreads bookshelf and pre-order yourself a copy from Amazon or your favorite bookstore.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Innocence: I Didn't See That Coming
1:41 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Sometimes the jacket copy on a book is so succinct, so scintillating in its simplicity that it's absurd to try to rewrite it in my own clumsy way. I'm not much for reinventing the wheel, so I give you the professionally-written plot summary for Innocence, Dean Koontz's newest mystical thriller:
He lives in solitude beneath the city, an exile from society, which will destroy him if he is ever seen. She dwells in seclusion, a fugitive from enemies who will do her harm if she is ever found. But the bond between them runs deeper than the tragedies that have scarred their lives. Something more than chance—and nothing less than destiny—has brought them together in a world whose hour of reckoning is fast approaching.
Lovely, right? I think the text offers a perfect boiling-down of a novel that's actually very difficult to describe. Like Koontz's popular Odd Thomas books, Innocence is a mix of mystery, mysticism and otherworldly suspense. It's a strange tale, confusing at times, beautiful at others. Overall, it held my interest while making me very curious to see just what made the main characters so repugnant to society. The answer was one I really did not see coming. At all. I loved the big reveal—it surprised and delighted me, while making me ponder my own beliefs. I didn't adore every aspect of this novel, but overall, I enjoyed it.
(Readalikes: Reminded me of Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (no F-bombs), violence, and adult subject matter
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)

Readin'
Liberty Street by Heather Marshall
Listenin'
The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
-
The Wild Season5 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
20+ Kids Breakfast Ideas5 days ago
-
-
TTT- Favorite Indie Authors5 days ago
-
-
-
Top Ten Tuesday: Indie Books on My TBR5 days ago
-
-
-
-
Sheer by Vanessa Lawrence5 days ago
-
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver5 days ago
-
Frankel, Laurie "Family Family"6 days ago
-
-
The Tailor by Tim Sullivan6 days ago
-
-
-
Chase Me If You Can1 week ago
-
Week in Review #371 week ago
-
Books read in August1 week ago
-
-
-
-
Seasonal TBR: Fall1 week ago
-
-
Sparked My Interest: August 20263 weeks ago
-
-
-
Madrigals and Mayhem by Elizabeth Penney7 months ago
-
-
Sunday Post #5681 year ago
-
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus2 years ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?2 years ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra3 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?3 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction
2020 - Middle Grade Fiction






