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Tuesday, May 02, 2017
TTT: Fall/Winter, I've Got You Covered
1:00 AM
If you like books and you dig lists, then you're going to love Top Ten Tuesday, my favorite bookish meme. If you've never participated, what are you waiting for? All you have to do is click on over to The Broke and the Bookish, read the instructions, make your own list, share it on your blog, and click around the book blogosphere to find new blogs, get great reading recommendations, and just have fun.
Each week, we're given a topic on which to base our list. Our topic du jour is a freebie about book covers. You can interpret it any way you like and be as creative as you please. I couldn't think of anything clever, so I'm going to share the covers of the Top Ten Books I'm Excited to Read When They Come Out in Fall/Winter 2017 (I'm not a summer person; I'd willingly skip right over June - August if I could):
1. Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson—I loved the first two books in this trilogy, so this final installment is a must-read for me.
2. The Good People by Hannah Kent—This story, about three women who come together in 19th Century Ireland to save a special child from a superstitious community, sounds intriguing. Available September 19.
3. Friend Request by Laura Marshall—This tagline is pretty darn irresistible: "Maria Weston wants to be friends with you on Facebook. But Maria died twenty-five years ago. Didn't she?" Available September 5.
4. There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins—A teen slasher tale sounds like perfect Halloween reading, doesn't it? Available September 26.
5. The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittal—This novel about a beloved teacher who's accused of a heinous crime against a student and the effects of the impending investigation on his family and community looks compelling. Available September 19.
6. If You Knew My Sister by Michelle Adams—A debut psychological thriller, this one is about a woman who was placed for adoption as a young child, while her twin sister was kept by their biological parents. When the adoptee returns to her family home, she and her sister are reunited, but it's not a happy reunion ... Sounds good, no? Available October 3.
7. All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater—I don't know a lot about this one, but it's by Maggie Stiefvater, so it's got to be good, right? Available October 10.
8. The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman—Did you love the book Practical Magic? I did, so I'm excited for this prequel. Available October 10.
9. Renegades by Marissa Meyer—I'm not big on teens-with-superpowers books, but I'll read anything by Meyer. Maybe she'll change my mind about the genre? BTW: I'm cheating on this cover. The above is only a temporary version. Available November 7.
10. This Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis—I've enjoyed other books by this author, so I'm excited for this one—another evil twin story. Available October 10.
So, there you go, my take on this week's topic. What was yours? Leave me a comment and I'll happily return the favor.
Happy TTT!
*I discovered most of these upcoming books from the ultimate list of 2017 books at Reading Like a Boss.
**Book images from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and authors' websites.
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Thin Plot + Whiny Heroine = Ho Hum, But Hopeful YA Novel
8:44 PM
(Image from Amazon)
Megan Riddick should have died when she was two years old. The only reason she's still alive is because Bryon Exby saved her, sacrificing his own life in the process. Now 16, Megan's a quiet, serious honor student who only feels truly comfortable when onstage performing school plays. Which doesn't mean she needs more drama in her life. But that's just what she gets when Charlotte Exby—Bryon's 14-year-old daughter—enrolls at Megan's high school. Thanks to Megan, Charlotte never knew her father. And she's not happy about that.
Although the girls don't exactly hit it off, the pair reluctantly decide to work together to fulfill the bucket list Bryon drafted prior to his death. In the process, they learn some important lessons about friendship, family, and things both fragile and fierce.
If the plot summary for The Truth About Fragile Things by Regina Sirois seems a little thin, that's because it is. The novel has no real driving plot, which makes the story rather episodic and unfocused. Which isn't to say the book isn't interesting or compelling. It is; the threads of the novel just feel as if they're very, very loosely woven together. Megan, our heroine, isn't overly likable. She's "fragile," which seems to mean she has to be whiny, melodramatic, and helpless. While these things definitely bug, The Truth About Fragile Things is, overall, a hopeful novel with some thoughtful insight. It's not a book that's really stuck with me, but it's not a bad one either.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for mild sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Top Ten Tuesday: Automatic Book Turn-offs
9:41 AM
It's Tuesday, which means it's time again for my favorite weekly bookish meme, Top Ten Tuesday. Participating is fun and easy. If you've never done it before, hop on over to The Broke and the Bookish, read over the rules, make your own list, and voilá, you're in!
Last week, we talked about the things that entice us to pick up books. This week, we're chatting about the opposite. Which things make you avoid a book like the plague? What are your reading turn-offs?
Here are my Top Ten Things That Will Instantly Make Me Not Want to Read a Book:
1. Books that are excessively long. I read a fair amount of chunksters, mind you, but I definitely think twice before picking them up. Also, if a book is endless for no apparent reason, I will most likely not continue reading.
2. Erotica. No. Just ... no.
3. Half-naked people on the cover. These books get an automatic bypass from me. Scantily-clad folks on the cover = a sure sign a book is too "spicy" for my tastes.
4. Naughty words in the title. Do you have little kids? Then you know why you don't want to read books with swear words on the cover. "Mommy, that book has bad words! Why are you reading a book with bad words? What does **&&^^!! mean?" Yeah.
5. Self-published books. I know, I know, but I've read too many terribly-written, poorly-edited self-published novels to want to read more. In general, I don't read books that haven't been looked over by a traditional publisher. Not that I haven't read terribly-written, poorly-edited traditionally-published books, but still ...
6. Books with poorly written/edited queries. This one goes hand-in-hand with #5. I get dozens of queries every day from authors/publishers/publicists asking me to review the book(s) they have on offer. A clever, well-written/edited query goes a long way toward making me want to read a book. The opposite is also true. If a query contains sloppy prose, typos/grammatical errors, and flat writing, it's a pretty good indication that the book in question is going to be the same way. No thanks.
7. Poetry. Unless a poem rhymes and is written by Dr. Seuss, I probably won't understand it. Poetry makes me feel dumb, so I avoid it.
8. Short Stories. In spite of what I said in #1, I'm definitely the kind of reader who likes to sink into a rich, detailed novel where I can really get to know the characters and the world in which they live. Short stories don't allow this kind of depth, so I rarely read them.
9. Certain authors. Just like I have auto-read authors, I have auto not-read authors. If I've read enough of an author's books to know they're just not my cup of tea, I don't pick up their work.
10. Deep, dense tomes. My husband is a big fan of deep doctrinal books on religion, philosophy, science, etc. Not me. If I have to read a sentence (let alone a paragraph) five times in order to understand it, then it's not for me. I much prefer clarity to complexity. No one has ever accused me of being a deep thinker :)
So, what about you? What will automatically make you reject a book? Leave me a comment and I'll gladly return the favor.
Happy Top Ten Tuesday!
Labels:Top Ten Tuesday | 17
bookworm(s) said...
Monday, April 24, 2017
My Go-To Author For Light, Fluffy YA Romance Comes Through Again
9:41 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
As an aspiring songwriter, Lily Abbott can't stop writing down potential lyrics in the notebook she carries with her everywhere. When she zones out one too many times in class, her chemistry teacher confiscates the book, leaving Lily hopelessly bored. Jotting down her favorite lyrics from the indie band she loves on her desk helps pass the time. Next class period, Lily is shocked to find that someone has continued penning the song on her desk. Soon, she and her anonymous correspondent are exchanging band recommendations, favorite songs, and increasingly flirty banter. It's not long before they're sharing deeper, more meaningful thoughts. Before Lily knows it, she finds herself falling—hard—for the mystery boy who makes her smile, laugh, and think.
Part of Lily is dying to know the identity of her secret pen pal; the other part is scared of ruining a fun romance with a reality check. Who is her furtive Romeo? Will she still like him when she knows? Will he still like her? How will a friendship-with-potential that works so well on paper play out in real life? Lily is about to find out ...
I read a lot of dark, heavy books, so it's nice to take a break sometimes and enjoy a little fluff. Kasie West is my go-to author for fun, light-hearted novels. I can always count on her for quick, clean rom-coms that are cute, engaging, and humorous. Yes, they're silly high school romances. Yes, they're predictable. But who cares? They're enjoyable. P.S. I Like You is no exception. If you need to insert a little happy into your reading life, you really can't go wrong with a Kasie West novel.
(Readalikes: Other books by Kasie West, including The Distance Between Us; On the Fence; and The Fill-In Boyfriend)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for very mild innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-copy of P.S. I Like You from the Whitney Awards Committee as part of my involvement with the Whitney Academy's judging panel.
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