Saturday, November 23, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (3)



This week I'm joining Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews 


and sharing the books that I acquired throughout the week.


Me Since You by Laura Wiess (Requested Review Copy) - I featured this as a Waiting on Wednesday way back in January and look forward to reading it and sharing my thoughts on what it bound to be an emotional read. It will be available in February 2014.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan (won from Random Buzzers) - It's David Levithan. I love him and his eye-opening, thoughtful books. 

The In-Between by Barbara Stewart (Unsolicited Review Copy) - I was surprised when this one arrived. I don't remember requesting it,  but it is on my wishlist. Woo-hoo! 

That One Summer by C.J. Duggan (ARC; Requested Review Copy) - This is the third book in the Summer Series by Australian author C.J. Duggan. This comes out December 17th where it's summer in Australia. It's a little something to warm up those of us in the U.S. on a cold winter night.

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles (Purchased e-book) - So I've only read one of Simone's books, Perfect Chemistry, but I have all of them. I tried to hold off buying this one until I've read her other books, but it was on sale for $2.99 and one-click, and you know what happened next.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: Camp Payback by J.K. Rock


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:








Camp Payback
by J.K. Rock

Series: Camp Boyfriend #2
Published by
Spencer Hill Press

Expected Publication Date: April 2014
Add to Goodreads









Alex has big plans for camp this year, starting with making it the best summer ever. Having fun and breaking some rules will get her the payback she wants against her parents and her ex-boyfriend. Because of his disgusting texts, she's headed to a super strict all-girls school in the fall. Then she meets Javier and revenge doesn't seem nearly as important as getting to know the troubled loner determined to keep a low profile at camp. But Alex's trouble-magnet personality and Javier's need to stay in the background don't mix nearly as well as their irresistible chemistry. With her home life eroding under her feet and her last year of summer camp speeding to a close, Alex wants to make her mark on the world and squeeze every bit of fun out of her time with Javier. Too bad her old plans for revenge turn back on her just in time to ruin everything. Will she lose Javier too?

Why I'm Waiting 
  • I adored J.K. Rock's Camp Boyfriend and want to read more of the series
  • At sounds like Alex is going to be a little trouble maker and I want to know what she's going to get herself into at camp
  • What are Javier's secrets??
  • Irresistible chemistry = kissing?? Yes?!?! 
 What books are you waiting for?

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Sia by Josh Grayson - Excerpt

Out This Week



SIA
by Josh Grayson
Expected Publication: November 20, 2013
When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle.

EXCERPT
While I wait for my driver, I sit on a step outside the school. I watch the kids go by. No one stops to say hello to me, and I'm starting to understand why. Then I see Kyle trudging out of the school, shaking his thick brown hair back from his brow. I decide to go talk to him. But he changes direction when he sees me approaching.
“Wait! Kyle? Is that your name? Kyle?”
He stops, but doesn't turn around.
Undaunted, I run up from behind. “Listen, I just wanted to apologize for Duke in the cafeteria today.”
“Why? Can’t he take care of that himself?”
“I guess he can, but I don’t think manners are his strong point.”
Kyle squints at me, trying to read my expression, so I keep my eyes wide open. If he's looking for dishonesty or cruelty, I'm determined he won't find any there.
“I don’t get it,” he says skeptically. “Why would you apologize to me?
I shrug. “Because it was wrong of him to be like that.”
“If you're gonna apologize on behalf of Duke, you should apologize to Ben, not me.”
“Um…okay, I will.”
After a moment of quiet, Kyle says, “Okay. Thanks.” He sniffs and looks at the ground, obviously uncomfortable. “As long as we’re apologizing, I guess I owe you one, too.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry about yelling at you at the soup kitchen. That was you, right?”
I nod.
“So I guess it was my yelling that made you run into the street, wasn’t it?”
I nod again.
“Well, I’m really sorry. About all that. I had no idea.”
“Of course you didn't. Don’t worry about it.” I look down the street, past Kyle, but I can't see John and the car yet. I glance down at my nails, still torn and ratty from living homeless. “What were you doing there, anyway?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I volunteer there sometimes.”
“Oh.”
“My parents own a bakery nearby. I work there almost every afternoon. When we have day-old bread and stuff, I take it over to them.”
“You…Oh!” I suddenly recall the slice of bread I'd enjoyed just before Kyle yelled at me that day. Soft, homemade, and unforgettable. It brings a smile to my face. “Well, I know from personal experience that they really appreciate that. It’s very generous of you and your family.”
“It’s the least we can do.” He hesitates. “So you’d been eating there?”
“Yup. All week. With my friend Carol.”
“Carol? That older lady? I know her. She’s sweet. Helps a lot of the kids out. I guess she’s kind of a teacher for lost souls, huh?”
“You could say that,” I agree, remembering my wise friend fondly.
A dark car pulls up to the curb.
I smile with apology. “Sorry, but I have to go. That’s John, here to pick me up. So are we okay?”
“We?”
“Yeah. You and me.”
After a second, he returns my smile and holds out a hand. “Sure.”
I step closer so I can shake it, and while I'm there I purposefully inhale the smell Amber had so detested. She's right. He smells like bread. Banana bread, I think. And cinnamon. Not unpleasant at all.




Author Bio 

Josh Grayson was born in Mexico, raised in Massachusetts, and now lives in Martinsville, Virginia. It was his move to the South that stirred his imagination and gave him the courage to start writing. During his free time, Josh enjoys reading, jogging, swimming, and watching YouTube videos.


Josh currently works as a medical driver, shuttling people all over Virginia and North Carolina. He has also worked as a machinist, film sales rep, administrative assistant, and telemarketer (he apologizes if he called you).
 

Sia is his debut YA novel.

 Author Links:

Monday, November 18, 2013

Book Club Discussion: Why I Love Singlehood

Provisions and Paperbacks, my IRL book club, recently read Why I Love Singlehood by Elisa Lorello and Sarah Girrell. As I said in my previous post (you can read it here), I want to share some thoughts and ideas brought up during the book club and bring my blog readers into the discussion.

Not yet, but there will be spoilers. You have been warned.

Why I Love Singlehood 
by Elisa Lorello and Sarah Girrell
Published November 29, 2010
Pages: 368

Eva Perino is single and proud of it. Owner of The Grounds, a coffee shop nestled in the heart of a college town, thirtysomething Eva cherishes her comfortable life filled with quirky friends, a fun job, and no significant other. In fact, she’s so content to be on her own that she started a blog about it: “Why I Love Singlehood.” Yet when she hears the news of her ex-boyfriend’s engagement, her confidence in her single status takes a surprisingly hard hit. So begins Eva’s clumsy (and occasionally uproarious) search for love as she secretly joins an online dating site, tries her hand at speed-dating, and breaks her own rule by getting involved with one of The Grounds’ regulars. Soon Eva is forced to figure out exactly who—or what—is the true love of her life. 

Sparkling with warmth and wit, Why I Love Singlehood is a charming and insightful must-read for anyone—single or otherwise—who has ever been stymied by love.


There will be spoilers. You have been warned.


Here are some thoughts shared during our book club discussion after reading Why I Love Singlehood:

Disclaimer: We read this back in May and I didn't take any notes, so these are from memory and we actually discussed more, but this is all that's coming to back to me.
  • The person who selected this book wasn't able to make the book club meeting, so we weren't able to hear her thoughts on the book and why she selected it for us to read.
  • The writing style and the voices of the characters were seamless, and it wasn't obvious that Why I Love Singlehood was co-authored. However, when it seemed like the story was about to wrap up, a new story line would be introduced and we were curious if this was because the authors what to make sure that all ideas were included. This probably was not the case, but we considered it.
  • We wanted to hang out at The Grounds. It sounded like a fun place to be with all of the comings and goings of interesting people.
  • Reading about Eva baking made us hungry.
  • As soon as Eva started writing her blog, it felt like she was trying to convince herself that she loved singlehood.When she was with her friends, she embraced the single life, but when she sat down and wrote about it on her blog, she expressed something else. 
  • It was interesting to read about Eva's dates and it made us thankful that none of us were single and dating.
  • There were a lot of characters (many of them were customers at The Grounds) and it was hard to keep track of them all.
  • Overall we liked the book, but thought it could have been shorter and it still would have been as entertaining.

       Goodreads * Amazon * IndieBound

If you have read this book, I'd like to invite you to join in on the discussion and share your thoughts on Why I Love Singlehood!! Just leave your thoughts in the comments! Thanks!!

Up next for Provisions and Paperbacks

 

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Stacking the Shelves (2)



This week I'm joining Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews 

and sharing the books that I acquired throughout the week.



Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (Purchased) - I picked this one up at YALLFest. After finishing FANGIRL, I have decided that I will read all things Rainbow Rowell.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman (Purchased) - Another book from YALLFest. I picked up an extra copy for a friend who NEEDS to read Gayle's books. Everyone NEEDS to read Gayle's books!!

Bang by Lisa McMann (Purchased) - This is the second book of McMann's Visions series. 

Broken by C. J. Lyons (Purchased) - A new to me author. This is Lyons's YA debut.

Asylum by Madeleine Roux (Purchased e-book) - I'm reading this for my book club. I'm a few chapters in and it's going to get creepy!

My Everything by Heidi McLaughlin (Audiobook; gift from the Author) - I cannot get enough of this series. Heidi just announced her next book will be out in December, so I have time to listen to it before Book #3 comes out. Who am I kidding? It's likely I will reread the series again.

The One Left Behind by Lena Nicole (Purchased e-book) - This was recommended to me and I'm participating in a read-along. 

Sneaking Candy by Lisa Burstein (Requested Review Copy) - I've loved Lisa's others books. While her other books are on the serious side, this one sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun. Check back for the review in December.

What new books made it to your shelves?

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Sneaking Candy by Lisa Burstein - Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal!!

 SNEAKING CANDY

I am pleased to be able to reveal the cover for Lisa Burstein’s upcoming release SNEAKING CANDY!! This New Adult romance will have you ready and willing to sign up for grad school. You can read more about this hot, new book after checking out the awesome cover! SNEAKING CANDY releases December 9th!  


About SNEAKING CANDY:  
All I ever wanted was to make a name for myself as Candice Salinas, creative writing grad student at the University of Miami. Of course, secretly I already have made a name for myself: as Candy Sloane, self-published erotic romance writer. Though thrilled that my books are selling and I have actual fans, if anyone at UM found out, I could lose my scholarship…and the respect of my faculty advisor, grade-A-asshole Professor Dylan.   Enter James Walker, super-hot local barista and—surprise!—my student. Even though I know a relationship is totally off-limits, I can’t stop myself from sneaking around with James, taking a few cues from my own erotic writing…if you catch my drift. Candy’s showing her stripes for the first time in my real life, and I’ve never had so much fun. But when the sugar high fades, can my secrets stay under wraps? Add on Goodreads    


Lisa Burstein Author Photo 

Author Bio:
Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University. She is the author of the YA Novels: Pretty Amy and Dear Cassie and the NA Novella: The Next Forever. Sneaking Candy is her first full-length new adult novel.        

Links: Website Blog Facebook Twitter Author Goodreads SNEAKING CANDY Goodreads




This cover reveal is hosted by:
 
 

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: Second Star by Alyssa Sheinmel


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:








Second Star
by Alyssa Sheinmel
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux 

Expected Publication Date: May 13, 2014
Add to Goodreads









A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled beauty trapped between them.

Why I'm Waiting
  • It's a classic reinvented/re-imagined 
  • It's set near the ocean, just in time for summer
  • Surfer boys
  • I've read 2 of Alyssa's books, The Lucky Kind and The Stone Girl, and really liked them and want to read more by her 
  • The cover is really pretty and I think it will look good on my shelf 















Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Camp Christmas by J.K. Rock - Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal!!

Camp Christmas
 The newest novella in the Camp Series by J.K. Rock


Camp Christmas by J.K. Rock
Novella #2
Publication date:  December 17, 2013
by Spencer Hill Contemporary
Genre: Young Adult 
 
About Camp Christmas:
Hannah never meant to be a mean girl – at Camp Juniper Point or at her high school. It just sort of happened during one painful year when her parents split and her life fell apart. Who knew being mad at the world would catapult her to popularity? But since changing the status quo would make her some serious enemies, she’s prepared to ride out her time until graduation. That is, until a camp friend calls her on the act during their school ski trip. Will Julian out her to her friends? Or will the guy she once accused of being King of the Nerds make her wish she was a whole lot more like him?
 
 
 
 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Middle Ground Announcement and Awaken Giveaway

Coming Soon in Paperback!!
Middle Ground by Katie Kacvinsky


Last month author Katie Kacvinsky announced that Middle Ground, the second book of her Awaken series will come out in paperback on November 19th. To celebrate Katie wants to giveaway copies of the first book of the series and I have one to share with my blog readers. 

About Awaken:

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.



Giveaway Details

Prize is one E-book of Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

Enter by Rafflecopter below

Must be 13 or older to enter
One winner will be selected and announced via Rafflecopter
Prize provided by the author

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday: Boys Like You


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:






Boys Like You
by Juliana Stone
Published by Sourcebooks
Expected Publication Date: May 1, 2014
Add to Goodreads












Sixteen-year-old Monroe Blackwell is sent from New York to spend the summer at her grandmother’s in the sleepy town of Twin Oaks, Louisiana. She’s trying to find her way back to where she was before–back to before Malcolm. Back to before her world fell apart.

At seventeen, Nathan Everets has learned that one mistake can change everything. Two months ago, he was on top of the world, and now he’s spending the summer working for his uncle–a court-appointed job, while his best friend is struggling to live. And all of that is his fault. Nathan is the reason his best friend, Trevor, is in a coma.

As these two teens are thrown together, they each slowly begin to heal–they fall in love–and for both Monroe and Nathan, getting back to good, means facing their past and hopefully, finding their future.



Why I'm Waiting
  • My friend Shannon from Stalking the Bookshelves added this to her to be read list, we like a lot of the same books and it sounded good so I added it to mine.
  • I'm a sucker for a will they?/won't they? love story
  • it is set in the south - Louisiana
  • the main character is spending the summer with her grandmother - I hope there is a focus on this generational relationship
  • Juliana is a new-to-me author




Monday, November 4, 2013

Book Club Discussion: The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

Provisions and Paperbacks, my IRL book club, recently read The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison. As I said in the initial post (you can read it here), I want to share some thoughts and ideas brought up during the book club and bring my blog readers into the discussion.

Not yet, but there will be spoilers. You have been warned.

The Butterfly Clues 
by Kate Ellison
Published February 14, 2012
Pages: 325

Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place--possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.

But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"--a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind.

As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined--a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.



There will be spoilers. You have been warned.


Here are some thoughts shared during our book club discussion after reading The Butterfly Clues:
  • So many of the characters weren't known by their real names: Flynt, Sapphire, Bird, and even the main character Lo. Why didn't they use their real names? Did this allow them to create a "street" persona or did it free them from their past? Naming themselves allowed them to be who they wanted to be, eliminated expectations.
  • Lo's OCD stalled her, "But since Oren disappeared it has gotten worse" (page 15) At first it seemed like a quirk, but as we continued to read, it was apparent that it was debilitating. 
  • The OCD affected us as readers. Some of us even arrived to book club saying, "tap, tap, tap, banana" - this was something that Lo did frequently before she could do anything else. Reading her OCD habits was exhausting, halted the flow of the story, but there was a point to this. It stressed what it was like to live with this behavior. As readers we couldn't continue reading progressively until Lo did her rituals.
  • It was easy to be suspicious of Flynt. Did he know Oren? Had their paths crossed? Why did Flynt lie so frequently? Was he the killer? He was connected in too many ways to not be involved somehow. We didn't want to be suspicious of him because he had a certain kind of charm.
  • Lo's OCD puts her in dangerous situations. Her need to know more, to make sense of everything, made her blind to these dangers. The obsession drove her. It's not clear if she realized the danger that she was putting herself in. 
  • Flynt understood these dangers and even though he was sketchy, it said a lot about him that he took risks and was willing to help her. He understood to "rules" of the streets and knew that he was putting himself in danger as they tried to find out what happened to Sapphire (and Lo).
  • The character "The Prophet" did prove to be prophetic - even though he was blind he knew everything about everyone.
  • It was a shock to see Lo's OCD through the eyes of her parents. Her "collecting" of objects didn't seem that bad (we only knew it from her perspective). It was only when her dad described her room that we could understand just how out of control it was. 
  • The Butterfly Clues was an interesting read, a mystery that wasn't easily solved. There are many layers to it and offered a lot to be discussed. It was a great book club pick.
        
Goodreads * Amazon * IndieBound


I'd like to invite anyone to join in on the discussion and share your thoughts on The Butterfly Clues!! Just leave your thoughts in the comments! 
Thanks!!

Up next for Provisions and Paperbacks

Saturday, November 2, 2013

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