Books of the Month (2)

Books of the Month is where I share books I got In My Mailbox, read, and reviewed during the entire month. Variations of these types of posts exist on many blogs so I am not claiming credit for this idea.

Books of September

 

Purchased
Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett
The Raising by Laura Kasischke (my review)
Speechless by Hannah Harrington
Dreamsleeves by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Easy by Tammara Webber

Every Day by David Levithan
Flesh & Bone by Jonathan Maberry
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller (e-book)
Second Chance by Katie Kacvinsky (e-book)

Paperback Swap
Hurry Up and Wait by Isabel Ashdown

RAK:
In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin (e-book)

For Review:
The Liar, The Bitch and the Wardrobe  by Allie Kingsley
If I Know It's Coming by Nick Hupton

Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves

Wild Girls by Mary Stewart Atwell
Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler (SBB)

Won:
Skinny by Donna Cooner
Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

Never Enough Stories: Companion Stories by Denise Jaden

The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner

********************

Read

(links to Amazon) 
  Stoner & Spaz by Ron Koertge 
Dead to You by Lisa McMann
  From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas
  Lush by Natasha Friend
  Timepiece by Myra McEntire
  Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone (DNF, 126 pages)
  Stolen by Lucy Christopher
  Saving June by Hannah Harrington
  Easy by Tammara Webber
  Second Chance by Katie Kacvinsky
  Hana by Lauren Oliver 

********************

Reviewed

(links t0 reviews) 

 Stolen by Lucy Christopher 

Banned Books Week Hop - Giveaway

As I look over the list of the Frequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century, I notice that I have a lot of these books on my own bookshelves. It is hard for me to imagine that other readers would not have the same opportunity to read these stories. 

I've personally never had to experience a limitation to the books I've had access to and am thankful that I've always had the chance to make choose the books I want to read whenever I want to read them.


Thanks to I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and I Read Banned Books for hosting this giveaway hop and helping bring awareness to challenged books. I'm happy to participate and offer a gift card so that readers can have the opportunity to choose their own book. There are 3 entries possible: one free entry, one for following me on Twitter, and one for commenting about which challenged book you will get if you are the winner.

Giveaway Rules
Must be at least 16 yrs or older
Open to U.S. address only
Following is NOT required
To enter, fill out Rafflecopter below

Contest ends October 6th 2012

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: Requiem

"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:

Requiem
by Lauren Oliver
Published by HarperTeen
Publication Date March 5, 2013














(from Goodreads)

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

After listing the series books I haven't finished in yesterday's Top Ten Tuesday, I realized just how much I want to read Requiem right now. Just thinking about Lena and Hana and Alex took me back to the moment of when I finished Delirium and was overcome with emotion. I'm reading Hana now and all I can say is thank you Lauren Oliver for giving your readers something to tide us over. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I Haven't Finished

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists. I am too so that is why I am participating this week.

 THE SERIES I HAVEN'T FINISHED

Reading a series is a commitment. I've finished several, but there are many that I still need to get to. Here is my list, limited to 10 (but there are more).

 The Ones I Haven't Even Started:

1. Fallen by Lauren Kate

This one's been on my shelf a  while. As more time passes, I'm not sure if I'll ever get to this one.

2. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

 I think I might skip this one too.

3. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

I've Read the First in the Series:

4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

5. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

6. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

I recently finished the audiobook and knowing there are 5 in this series is a bit overwhelming. 

Can I commit to 5 books? I don't know about that.

Finishing the Series means Saying Good-bye:

7. Cupcake by Rachel Cohn

Gingerbread and Shrimp (books 1 and 2) 

I haven't read it because I don't want it to be the end. 

I'm Just Waiting for the Final Book to be Released:

That says it all!!

8. Read Unearthly and Hallowed by Cynthia Hand 

Boundless to be published January 2013

9. Read Hourglass and Timepiece by Myra McEntire

Infinityglass to be published in 2013

10. Read Delirium and Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Requiem to be published March 5, 2013

Still on My Mind: Noah from Temptation

Still on My Mind is a meme hosted by Haley at Ya-Aholic where every Thursday she features a book that was "so something" that she revisits them on her blog. Haley invites other bloggers to participate. (details here)


Your heart misleads you.
That's what my friends and family say.

But I love Noah.
And he loves me.

We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other's arms.

It should be

ROSE & NOAH

forever, easy.

But it won't be.

Because he's Amish.
And I'm not.




A few weeks ago a read and reviewed Temptation by Karen Ann Hopkins. It took me forever to write my review (read it here) because I found that I wanted to focus on the character Noah more than review the book. I decided to save that for another time which I guess is now because I cannot stop thinking about this character.

In the review, I barely touched the surface of what Noah's life was like and the depth of his love for Rose. He was so conflicting - being both caring and obsessive. I couldn't decide if he is someone that Rose really should be with. Was this a healthy relationship? He was so set in his ways and beliefs and making her a part of his life. There was one point when Noah acknowledged that he hadn't really thought about Rose's life with her English friends - her other life - without him. At that point, he did make an effort - though very little.

I marked quote after quote where Noah questioned Rose's motivation and who she was and just how different they were from each other. From the very beginning this questioning began:

If Rose had been Amish, she would have joined my sisters. The fact that she had chosen the boys worried me.
     That was the problem with English girls -- they did what they wanted.
     But then again, maybe that was one of the things that made Rose so intriguing . . . and dangerous to me. (page 34) 

But his wasn't a complete jerk. He was pretty crush-worthy based on his affection and attentiveness to Rose BUT it is a pretty fine line between devotion and obsession. I shared my thoughts with the author, this is what she said:

As far as Noah is concerned, I completely agree with you.  You captured the heart of the problem perfectly when realizing that even though Noah loves Rose greatly, is he REALLY good for her?  I wrote his character from my own observations and interactions with many of the young men and even some adult ones within the Amish community.  At the heart of their culture, there is much love, respect and caring shown towards their women (mostly), but the men are still the bosses.  The culture revolves around the strict interpretation of the Bible, causing boys to grow up with a very definite idea about the role women.  Can any of these young men change their ideas and beliefs?  YES!  But, only those with more pliable personalities and a strong motivation to do so.  BELONGING will delve into the Amish culture, especially the young ones, much deeper than TEMPTATION.  I'm sure you'll be surprised and even shocked by the end!

I'd love to know what other readers thought about Noah. Did you love him? Hate him? Did you accept his perspective because of his upbringing? If you've read Temptation, let me know your thoughts about it in the comments below. Thanks!

Waiting on Wednesday: Boundless

"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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boundless

by Cynthia Hand

Published by Harper Teen

Publication Date: January 22, 2o13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The past few years held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner ever could have anticipated. Yet through the dizzying high of first love to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she could no longer deny was that she was never meant to have a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seemed like the best option, so she’s headed back to California—and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must choose her fate once and for all. (from Goodreads)

 

Last week Cynthia Hand revealed the description for Boundless and now I can finally share that I am waiting on it. I admit that I was slow to like this series. Unearthly left me frustrated with so many unanswered questions,  but I couldn't read Hallowed fast enough. Many questions were answered, but new problems came up. I want to know what happens next with Clara and Tucker and Christian, and I want to find out what other secrets her brother Jeffrey is hiding.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Stolen
by Lucy Christopher
Published by Chicken House Ltd.
Publication Date: May 4, 2009
Pages: 299
Source: Library









(from Goodreads)

It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him. This is my story. A letter from nowhere.

Told in a letter to her captor by 16-year-old Gemma, Stolen explores the influence that a really wild and remote space can have on the inner development of a young woman.

Gemma, a British city-living teenager, is kidnapped while on holiday with her parents. Her kidnapper, Ty, takes her to the wild land of outback Australia. To Gemma’s city-eyes, the landscape is harsh and unforgiving and there are no other signs of human life for hundreds of kilometres in every direction. Here, there is no escape. Gemma must learn to deal with her predicament, or die trying to fight it.

Ty, a young man, has other ideas for her. His childhood experience of living in outback Australia has forever changed the way he sees things. But he too has been living in the city; Gemma’s city. Unlike Gemma, however, he has had enough. In outback Australia he sees an opportunity for a new kind of life; a life more connected to the earth. He has been watching and learning about Gemma for many years; when he kidnaps her, his plan finally begins to take shape.

But Ty is not a stereotypical kidnapper and, over time, Gemma comes to see Ty in a new light, a light in which he is something more sensitive. The mysteries of Ty, and the mystery of her new life, start to take hold. She begins to feel something for her kidnapper when he wakes screaming in the night. Over the time spent with her captor, Gemma’s appreciation of him develops …but is this real love, or Stockholm Syndrome?

My Thoughts 

This is another book that I almost let slip by me and I would have been a fool to let it. When Stolen was first published, it caught my attention briefly but it wasn’t until Heather from Buried in Books asked me about it that it became a book that I had to read. At the time, she hadn’t read it either but knew more about the premise than I did and she explained that it was written as a letter by the kidnapped to her captor. I thought that was an interesting way to tell this story and I was convinced that it is a book that I must read.

I had no idea how intense this book was going to be. And as I read it, I kept thinking to myself, I don’t know if I could have handled reading this story as a teenager. It was emotionally gripping and confusing because I could never get a handle on how I was supposed to feel about Gemma’s captor, Ty. Like Gemma, I hated him because he stole her away from her life, her family, everything that she knew. He was a creeper and a stalker. He drugged her to kidnap her, but once he had her, he didn’t harm her. He did what he could to take care of her. There wasn’t a time that I ever thought what he was doing was right, but I could understand he motives and justifications of wanting her with him.

Stolen is beautifully written with exquisite descriptions of the landscapes which depict a vastness of the desert. I could feel the heat of the hot blazing sun and the coolness of the desert nights. I also experienced the intensity in the moments when Gemma tries to fight back and escape her captor. It made me anxious and my heart pound. It felt like I was there witnessing those moments, not reading about them. I think that is a testament to the author’s ability to captivate the reader and make them believe in this story.
I didn’t know how the story was going to end until the very last pages, and I think Stolen ended perfectly. The story could have gone in many directions and been much more darker than it was. I like that the author didn’t take it there just because she could. Let someone else tell that story. 

Disclaimer: This review is based on the hard cover version which I checked out from my local library. I was not compensated in any way for providing this review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.