Archives for September 2014

Monthly Recap

MONTHLY RECAP | September 2014

September 30, 2014 Comments : 4

september

I can’t believe September is over. I don’t want it to be because that means it’s closer to the end of the year. Eeeeek.

Here are things that happened in September:

Autumn is hereeeeeee.

A year ago on September 9th, I decided to go self-hosted. And this year, I renewed my hosting! So another year of blogging! Yayyyyyy.

I MET JANDY NELSON! Well, again. But this time I actually read her book before meeting her.She is the sweetest!

I’m making exceptional progress (design-wise) with my top-secret project. I said I would have it opened in October, but it really isn’t ready. Not for another few months, which is extremely regretful.

Reviews

(ARC) REVIEW | Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

September 30, 2014 Comments : 2

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer
September 30, 2014
Dutton Juvenile
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
* ARC courtesy of Kelly

If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be at home in New Jersey with her sweet British boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing him in the library stacks.

She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.

But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead.

Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.

From New York Times bestselling author Meg Wolitzer comes a breathtaking and surprising story about first love, deep sorrow, and the power of acceptance.

myreview
First sentence: “I was sent here because of a boy.”

Guess how I felt when I finished this book? Rageeeeeeee.

Belzhar is about a young teenager, Jam, who is sent to the Wooden barn, a boarding school for kids that because her boyfriend died. At the school, she is put together in special English class, comprised of four other teenagers, all dealing with issues that haunt them. They are given a journal, where it takes them to an unimaginable world filled with moments before tragedy hits them. Here, the characters are given a voice to confront their past and their reality.

I feel so cheated by what happens. I kind of enjoyed Belzhar even though I disliked the main character, but what sent me over the rage train was what you find out towards the end of the book. I just—I can’t.

Holy Mother Cover

HOLY, MOTHER COVER! | Changes in This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

September 29, 2014 Comments : 10

holymothercover

Inspired by What She Reads, Pure Imagination Blog, and Stacked.

I admit I’m a book cover snob. Who isn’t though?

Book covers are the first thing that attracts readers to a book. A good cover can draw someone is, just as a bad cover can easily draw someone away. It can essentially make or break a book. Holy, Mother Cover! is where I showcase the book covers that stand out (or make me cringe), and discuss cover changes.

(A big special thanks to Georgie at What She Reads for bestowing me this fabulous name and to Charlotte at Gypsy Reviews for creating the beautiful feature banner you see before you.)

**COVER CHANGE: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales**

[row][column size=”1/2″]What do I think about the cover design? I’m into it.

I love the way the letters of the title are spaced out. It uses the entire cover, and that works extremely well. I love how “a novel” is tucked inside the ‘O’. The colors and the background picture of the model doesn’t distract me. And you know what’s the best part? “LOVE” is spelled out in pink! I never paid close attention to why the letters were in a different color, so seeing that thrills me. (Thank you, Charlotte, for alerting me.)

Though, it bothers me that the cover doesn’t feature a turntable. It’s an extremely huge part of the story. I didn’t understand, at first, that the headphones were there to emphasize music. When I did, I thought it was weird that it wasn’t as clear.

Would I buy this book based on the cover? YES. I own a copy, so.[/column] [column size=”1/2″]What do I think about the cover design? It’s a decent design?

It’s simple and focus on what’s important. It’s telling you that music is what save the main character’s life. I love the colors and how it complements each other. And that turntable! I’m so happy to see it here. The hardcover was missing this important image.

But it’s not my favorite cover of This Song Will Save Your Life. I don’t like the black background. It’s good that it makes the colors, the title, and the turntable the focal point, but for some odd reason, it gives me a headache because it makes the cover look a bit dated. Also, I don’t like how the colors are angled. I just wished it was more three-dimensional.

Would I buy this book based on the cover? Nope. Not for me.[/column][/row]

Which cover design do you prefer? Would you buy the hardcover or paperback cover?

Reviews

REVIEW | Landline by Rainbow Rowell

September 27, 2014 Comments : 3

Landline by Rainbow Rowell
July 8, 2014
St. Martin’s Press
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

myreview
First sentence: “Georgie pulled into the driveway, swerving to miss a bike.”

I adore Rainbow Rowell, but what a letdown, this book was. (Yoda coming out here. Ha!)

Landline takes place over the course of a few days around Christmas. It starts with Georgie, the main character, unable to make the trip to Omaha to see Neal’s mother because she has writing to do for a new TV project. Her husband, Neal, decides to go anyways with their two daughters, leaving their relationship very much up in the air. In the mix is a magical telephone that allows Georgie to talk to past-Neal. And well, stuff happens.

To me, Landline is very much about communication, which is the thing that Georgie and Neal lack. Georgie doesn’t know where she and Neal stand since they are apart from each other—both mentally and physically. I think that Rainbow Rowell did a good job translating that into the story, but not so much to communicating to her readers why it matters. I’m still left wondering why I should care about the problems Georgie faces.

Events

BOOK EVENT + GIVEAWAY | Jandy Nelson’s “I’ll Give You The Sun” Book Launch

September 24, 2014 Comments : 20

Source*

Named a 2011 Young Adult Library Services Association “Best Fiction for Young Adults pick” for her debut novel, The Sky is Everywhere, Not Your Mother’s Book Club™ proudly presents presents highly acclaimed author Jandy Nelson sharing her latest masterpiece, I’ll Give You the Sun. With rave reviews by the likes of New York Times-bestselling authors Ransom Riggs and Tahereh Mafi, I’ll Give You the Sunis a radiant novel which will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

Joining Jandy is actress and audio book narrator Julia Whelan, who provided narration for Jandy’s audio recording of I’ll Give You the Sun. Julia has co-starred in Fifteen and Pregnant alongside Kirsten Dunst (1998), played Grace Manning in the Golden Globe-winning television series Once and Again (1999-2002), and was the star of the film The Secret Life of Zoey alongside Mia Farrow (2002).

No matter what, I had to see Jandy Nelson. I needed to tell her that I’ll Give You The Sun destroyed me. Rain nor shine. I was going to tell her. Absolutely imperative to my health. And see her I did.

I walked almost a mile to get to the bookstore, only because I had time to kill so I got off the train a stop earlier. (Note to self: Don’t walk the way you did. Not very safe.) And when I got to the bookstore, I was early enough that I got a very good seat.

Holy Mother Cover

HOLY, MOTHER COVER! | The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

September 19, 2014 Comments : 20

holymothercover

Inspired by What She Reads, Pure Imagination Blog, and Stacked.

I admit I’m a book cover snob. Who isn’t though?

Book covers are the first thing that attracts readers to a book. A good cover can draw someone is, just as a bad cover can easily draw someone away. It can essentially make or break a book. Holy, Mother Cover! is where I showcase the book covers that stand out (or make me cringe) and discuss cover changes.

(A big special thanks to Georgie at What She Reads for bestowing me this fabulous name and to Charlotte at Gypsy Reviews for creating the beautiful feature banner you see before you.)

This past Tuesday was the book birthday of Jandy Nelson’s latest book, I’ll Give You the Sun (everyone should read this), and I wanted to celebrate it (even though it’s a bit late). I thought why not do a cover change/theme post of her first published novel, The Sky Is Everywhere?

And booom, here we are.