Archives for February 2016

HOLY, MOTHER COVER! | The Many Covers of The Dark Days Club

February 15, 2016 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 The Simple Tales for creating the beautiful feature banner you see before you.)

**US vs. UK vs. AUS: The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman**

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Events

Happy Galentine’s Day! · YA Friendships Like No Other

February 13, 2016 Comments : 6

Do you know what knocks Valentine’s Day out of the ballpark? Galentine’s Day! Aka the best day of the year! (At least one of the best days, next to Treat Yo Self day on October 13th.)

[quote]It’s a day, coined by the amazing Leslie Knope of Parks and Recreation, to celebrate all the awesome ladies and female friendships in the world! You don’t need Valentine’s Day! Galentine’s Day is all you need.[/quote]

On this glorious day, I want to talk about some of my favorite YA female friendships. I just love these ones sooo much that my soul actually hurts (in the best way possible) when I think about them.

Reviews

(ARC) REVIEW | The Not-So Breakfast Club Shenanigans (Rebel Bully Geek Pariah by Erin Jade Lange)

February 11, 2016 Comments : 2

Four very different teens and a night changes them forever.

The Rebel: Once popular, Andi is now a dreadlocked, tattooed wild child.
The Bully: York torments everyone who crosses his path, especially his younger brother.
The Geek: Tired of being bullied, Boston is obsessed with getting into an Ivy League college.
The Pariah: Choosing to be invisible has always worked for Sam . . . until tonight.

When Andi, York, Boston, and Sam find themselves hiding in the woods after a party gets busted by the cops, they hop into the nearest car they see and take off—the first decision of many in a night that will change their lives forever. By the light of day, these four would never be caught dead together, but when their getaway takes a dangerously unpredictable turn, sticking together could be the only way to survive.[/note]

myreview

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]I received this book for free from Bloomsbury for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.[/note]

First sentence: “Everything is gray.”

What does Rebel Bully Geek Pariah have? The Breakfast Club? Eh, sort of. Cinematic storytelling? Well, you can say that. Compelling emotional depth? No, not really for me. Thrilling ride? I guess.

Reading Rebel Bully Geek Pariah was like watching a drama, but it turned into a crime flick I hadn’t intended to watch. You think it’s gonna go a certain way, but it does a 180 turn. I thought this book would be like an ode to The Breakfast Club—where you see the characters chilling and having heart to hearts, and although you see the resemblance, the over-the-top events stray away from every assumption I had about this book. (I should’ve really read the synopsis carefully.)

Reviews

(ARC) REVIEW | Boy or Girl? How About Both & Neither. (Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin)

February 5, 2016 Comments : 6

Symptoms of Being Human

The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is . . . Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender-fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything.[/note]

myreview

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]I received this book for free from HarperCollins for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.[/note]

First sentence: “The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?”

Ever wonder what it means to be gender fluid? Symptoms of Being Human does that; it introduces readers to a gender identity that most people don’t know even exist. I knew about gender fluid identity, but my understanding of it was vague.

(Note: The pronouns I’m using for Riley is they/their, as that is a gender-neutral pronoun.)

Discussion

TOO MUCH TBR · February 2016

February 3, 2016 Comments : 8

too mch tbr feb

More books keep piling onto my TBR list. I can’t see the horizon! When will I be done? I need to get so much reading done in February. At least I’m reading more books than I was during this time a year ago!

For those who do not know, Too Much TBR is a way to help me see which books I really need to read and tackle them. Is it effective? Perhaps. It helps a lot seeing a visual of the books on my TBR pile.

Let’s discuss what I read last month, and what I’m reading this month!

BACK IN JANUARY

Let’s see, I had twelve books I wanted to read, and I managed to get through half of it (DNF included).

I’ve read and finished Firsts, Shallow Graves, Rebel Bully Geek Pariah, and Symptoms of Being Human. I also Written in Red (The Others #1), which I enjoyed a lot, and Sex Criminals Vol. 1, which was a hilarious read. I’ve officially DNFed Anna and the Swallow Man (because it didn’t keep my attention) and The Word for Yes (because the characters grated on my nerves).

I have half of All The Birds in the Sky read (I am really enjoying the discussions of nature vs technology in it) and part of Salt to the Sea, so I’m hoping to finish them real soon!

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