Search This Blog
2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2026 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (7)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (2)
- Maine (3)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico
- New York (3)
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee
- Texas (2)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (5)
- Austria (1)
- Canada (2)
- England (19)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Italy (1)
- Mexico (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Norway (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Bahamas (1)
- Vatican City (1)
2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
2026 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge
2026 52 Club Reading Challenge
2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
2026 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge
2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge
2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge
Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)
2026 Countdown Reading Challenge
Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo
2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge
2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)
2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge
European Reading Challenge 2026
2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)
2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge
The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge
The Life Skills Reading Challenge
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Light, Funny Break-up Tale Vintage Leavitt
7:34 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When Mallory Bradshaw's boyfriend of thirteen months cheats on her with some cyber chick he's never even met, the 16-year-old is livid. She's so upset, she decides to swear off boys forever. Then, she discovers an old list of goals her grandmother wrote in 1962. The quaintness of it (run for pep club secretary; sew my own homecoming dress; host a dinner party, etc.) strikes a chord in Mallory's wounded soul. Her grandma obviously lived in a softer, more innocent time, an era when boys didn't cyber-cheat on girls they claimed to love. Mallory vows, right then and there, to bring back those simpler days. Ditching her cell phone, computer, iPod and anything else that didn't exist in her grandma's teenage years, Mallory embarks on a quest to check off every item on the goal list. So what if she can't sew on a button to save her life? Who cares if her school hasn't had a pep club in 50 years? Mallory's going to do everything on her grandma's list, even if it kills her. Which it just might.
As Mallory attempts to follow in her grandma's footsteps, she finds the path back to the good ole days to be a little rockier than she imagined. Her friends think her attempt to "go vintage" is crazy, and Mallory's starting to agree. When she seeks inspiration from her grandma (who doesn't know about her granddaughter's attempt to step back in time), the older woman seems distant and unwilling to reminisce about the past. Is it possible that her teenage years weren't as easy-breezy as they seem? Undaunted, Mallory continues her journey which, really, has always been about one thing: finding her own identity. As she struggles to complete the list, Mallory learns some important lessons—about finishing what she's started, about her grandma and, ultimately, about herself.
Vintage is a good way to describe this novel because it's everything you'd expect from the always upbeat, always funny Lindsey Leavitt. With its warm, peppy tone; its quirky, relatable characters; and its pointed, but not preachy moral, Going Vintage is vintage Leavitt. Which is what makes the book so fun. Is it the most original story I've ever read? Nope. The most impactful? Nuh uh. Still, it's a light, enjoyable tale that's perfect for the lazy days of summer, which are coming all too soon ...
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs) and sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Going Vintage from the generous folks at Bloomsbury via those at NetGalley. Thank you!
Friday, March 14, 2014
Whitney Award Nominee A Taut, Lyrical Thriller
8:48 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Some books are so difficult to describe, I don't even bother trying to write my own plot summary. All the Truth That's In Me, a stark, riveting YA mystery by Julie Berry, is one of these. So, let's start with the official back cover blurb:Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their village of Roswell Station. Two years later, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family.
Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who's owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn't know it—her childhood friend, Lucas.
But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to make a choice: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.
This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith's passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.
Although she's written half a dozen books, I'd never heard of Julie Berry until All the Truth That's In Me was nominated for a Whitney Award. The novel's worthy of one, for sure. It's well-written, tightly-plotted and uniquely told. Our heroine—the very empathetic Judith—tells a harrowing tale, one that's full of mystery, sorrow, shame and, ultimately, redemption. While the book is mostly clean, it's not an easy read. What is it, then? How about surprising, disturbing, and absorbing? I still had some questions by the end of the book, but overall, I found this one very satisfying.(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and references to rape
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of All the Truth That's in Me from the generous folks at Penguin. Thank you!
Monday, March 10, 2014
A Death-Struck Year: YA Historical Fiction Done Right
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Although a vicious strain of Spanish Influenza has swept from Europe to the U.S., killing thousands all over the world, Cleo Berry feels safe. After all, the 17-year-old lives in Portland, Oregon, far from any reported cases of the disease. While Cleo's brother and his wife—her guardians—are away on an anniversary trip, she's boarding in the student dormitories at her private high school. She misses her large, quiet house, where she doesn't have to deal with a bunch of loud girls sharing her space, clogging up the communal sinks, and "borrowing" her things. Cleo's not sure how she's supposed to bear such indignities for six whole weeks.
Then a group of soldiers at Washington State's Camp Lewis falls ill. It's Influenza, way too close to home. As a precautionary measure, the Portland Department of Health prohibits public gatherings and closes all schools. With her brother still gone and the family's housekeeper away, there's no one to watch over Cleo. She goes home, anyway. On her own in a city that's reeling from its first cases of the deadly flu, Cleo's not sure what to do with herself.
When Cleo sees an advertisement begging for volunteers to help the Red Cross nurses treat flu patients, she feels drawn to the cause. Knowing her brother would never approve of her taking such risks, she sends word that all is well, there's no need for him to return early from his trip. It's a lie. The housekeeper hasn't returned to look after her and Cleo's spending so much time at the hospital she's forgetting to sleep, eat, and look after her own health. How long will it be before she's struck down by the disease? Is helping strangers really worth so great a risk? What will Cleo, all alone in a dying city, do if she's the one who needs life-saving aid? As more and more people perish from the flu, Cleo must decide what's most important:—aiding those who are already dying or saving herself.
A Death-Struck Year, a debut novel by Makiia Lucier, paints a vivid and harrowing picture of what it must have been like to live through the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic. Through Cleo's eyes, the reader sees—and feels—the panic, the fear, and the horror caused by this deadly natural disaster (according to Wikipedia, the 1918 flu outbreak infected about 500 million people worldwide, killing 50-100 million of them). Despite its bleak subject matter (and Lucier gives plenty of grisly details), this is a warm novel that offers hope even in the grimmest of circumstances. With tight prose, sympathetic characters, and an evocative setting, it's historical fiction done right—a rarity in the world of YA lit. Fans of the genre, teens and adults alike, should not miss this absorbing novel.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (no F-bombs), blood/gore, and vague references to sex (STD's, birth control, etc.)
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of A Death-Struck Year from the generous folks at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Thank you!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Once Was Lost More Miss Than Hit for Me
6:33 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
As a pastor's daughter, 15-year-old Samara Taylor is used to being seen as the perfect girl from the perfect family. If only it were true. Her mother's in court-ordered rehab, her father's more interested in his congregation's welfare than in his family's, their house (paid for by the church) is falling down around their ears, and Sam's pretty sure God doesn't exist at all, let alone care about her and her problems. Of course, she can't talk to anyone about any of this, not without breaking her family's fragile image. So, she follows her father's lead, swallowing her fears and saying nothing.
When Jody Shaw—a 13-year-old soloist in the church choir—vanishes from Sam's little town, it shocks everyone. As the days pass without any sign of her, Sam's crisis of faith deepens. How could a loving God allow something so awful to occur? At the same time, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Nick, Jody's 18-year-old brother. People say he's the prime suspect in his sister's disappearance, but Sam doesn't know what to believe anymore. She just wishes time would rewind itself back to the days when everything made sense.
While Sam grapples with all her worries and fears, she must find strength somewhere. Will that search lead her back to the God who comforted her through childhood or down a much more dangerous path?
So, after reading a few Sara Zarr books, I've realized they're kind of hit and miss for me. I adored How to Save a Life, but felt pretty meh about Story of a Girl. My reaction to Once Was Lost (also published as What We Lost) is similar to the latter. It's not that I didn't like the novel, I just didn't love it. Zarr always writes well, using strong prose, complex characters and realistic conflict to tell engaging stories. But, sometimes they click with me, sometimes they don't. My problem with this one mostly boils down to Sam— to me, she comes off as sympathetic, but not all that likable. Her whining and self-absorption get really annoying really fast. Also, the plot of Once Was Lost runs pretty thin, so it's a character-driven novel steered by a heroine I don't really care for, meaning that overall, Once Was Lost just fell kind of flat for me. Ah, well.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't really think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs) and mature situations
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Once Was Lost from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)
Readin'
This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
Listenin'
A Batter of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander
Followin' with Bloglovin'
Followin' with Feedly
-
-
A Review of The Parched Lands4 hours ago
-
-
Down in the Sea of Angels by Khan Wong11 hours ago
-
Delta Lady by Rita Coolidge14 hours ago
-
-
Whistler by Ann Patchett20 hours ago
-
Suppression by P M Emerson1 day ago
-
-
Between the Sound and Sea1 day ago
-
-
-
Our Thing1 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Cela, Camilo José "The Hive"3 days ago
-
Summer plans...3 days ago
-
-
Rules for Aging and Larceny3 days ago
-
-
Week in Review #254 days ago
-
How Freaking Romantic5 days ago
-
-
-
Some crime fiction1 week ago
-
-
-
June TBR3 weeks ago
-
-
-
Madrigals and Mayhem by Elizabeth Penney4 months ago
-
-
Sunday Post #5681 year ago
-
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus1 year ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?2 years ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?3 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Design by:
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
