Weekly Rewind 10.29.16

Weekly Rewind
The new books on my shelves and my week in a nutshell.

Throughout my student teaching semester I was using my weekend post as a way to let people know what's going on in my life, so I'v decided to rename my weekend post because this feature is more personal than just what books I've received. The Weekly Rewind will be about what's going on with me and my blog, as well as about the books I've added to my shelves. This post is linked to Stacking the Shelves over at Tynga's Reviews and the Sunday Post over at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 

Life and Blog

Life: Sorry I've been pretty MIA these few couple of weeks. Between work and traveling and the loss of my beloved cat, I've just been swamped and emotionally fairly wrecked. I traveled to San Francisco to meet my best friend two weekends ago. She had tickets to a two-night Ween concert and asked me months ago if I wanted to spend the weekend with her in San Fran. I had a wonderful time catching up with her and seeing all the sights. I love that city, but it had been years since I was last there. 

I'm currently wavering on joining NaNoWriMo in a couple of days. I've had a pretty big breakthrough in the novel I've been wanting to write for literally years, but the way it is pulling me will definitely require me to do more research than I can do before Nov. 1st. Part of me feels like I should just dive into the parts I can write and stop making excuses. The fact of the matter is that I'm not getting any younger and this book isn't going to write itself. If I can just resign myself to the fact that my first novel length work is probably going to be shit--and that that is 100% ok--the quicker I can just get over myself and just write it already. 

Blog and reading: Because of above excuses, I really haven't been posting, but I hope to get back into the swing of it. I did post a WoW this week of my very most anticipated book of 2017. The cover was finally released this week (and it is flipping amazing). I seriously cannot wait to get my hands on this one. I loved The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly. 

I am currently reading The Boy is Back, Six of Crows and Holding Up the Universe. All three are excellent in their own way. I'm also reading The Mental Floss History of the United States which is about as entertaining as a history book can be. I've been continuing my reread/listen of the Harry Potter series. I'm on the last disc of the Prisoner of Azkaban as I type this so will be on to the Goblet of Fire by the time I post it. 

New books: Because I missed last week, I'm going to post a couple of the books I would have featured alongside this week's. So without further ado, I hope you are all having fabulous weekends! 

For Review

  

   

Dead Girls Society by Michelle Krys

If you tell me that a book is about a secret society, I'm pretty much going to read it. 

The Boomerang Effect by Gordon Jack

Funny books with male protagonists are my weakness. This is about a stoner boy who is asked to take a Norwegian exchange student under his wing. It sounds hilarious. 

The Timekeeper by Tara Sim

This is about an alternate Victorian society that is controlled by clock towers. Isn't that intriguing? 

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

This love story is getting great reviews so I'm excited to dive in. 

You in Five Acts by Una LaMarche

I LOVE performing art schools is one of my favorite settings. I'm very excited for this one. 

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

This follows a humanoid teen who soles purpose is to protect the girl she has grown up with. This isn't my typical type of read, but I couldn't ignore that cover. 

Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

I still haven't read Wolf by Wolf despite it being one of my most anticipated books of 2015. I need to get on that! 

Well that's it for me this week. Feel free to leave a link to whatever weekend post you do (Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post, etc). I love to see what books people have recently snagged and especially enjoy hearing about my fellow bloggers' weeks. I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!

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Waiting on Wednesday (170) The Arsonist

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. Click the link to see the original post plus a whole slew of links to other blogs. After you read this one, of course.

The Arsonist

Author: Stephanie Oakes
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: August, 2017

Goodreads:

Molly Mavity is not a normal teenage girl. For one thing, her father is a convicted murderer, and his execution date is fast approaching. For another, Molly refuses to believe that her mother is dead, and she waits for the day when they’ll be reunited . . . despite all evidence that this will never happen.

Pepper Yusef is not your average teenage boy. A Kuwaiti immigrant with epilepsy, serious girl problems, and the most useless seizure dog in existence, he has to write a series of essays over the summer . . . or fail out of school.

And Ava Dreyman—the brave and beautiful East German resistance fighter whose murder at seventeen led to the destruction of the Berlin Wall—is unlike anyone you’ve met before.

When Molly gets a package leading her to Pepper, they’re tasked with solving a decades-old mystery: find out who killed Ava, back in 1989. Using Ava’s diary for clues, Molly and Pepper realize there’s more to her life—and death—than meets the eye. Someone is lying to them. And someone out there is guiding them along, desperate for answers.

At turns heart-racing and heartbreaking, The Arsonist is an intricate tapestry—of love, loss, and the mysterious connections between us all.

Why I'm Excited:
I am dying to get my hands on this one. I LOVED The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly (it is seriously amazing if you haven't read it yet), and have been tracking this book ever since. It finally has a gorgeous cover. Gimme, gimme, gimme. (For real, please, please, please gimme!) 

What are you waiting for on this Wednesday? Link me up!

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Waiting on Wednesday (169) One of Us is Lying

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. Click the link to see the original post plus a whole slew of links to other blogs. After you read this one, of course.

One of Us is Lying 

Author: Karen M. McManus
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: May 30, 2017

Goodreads:

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom alive. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. He died on a Monday. But that Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates. Now, all four of them are suspects in his murder. Are they guilty? Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

They all have a motive. They all have something to hide. They all have a history with Simon. And one of them is definitely lying.

Why I'm Excited:
Breakfast Club with a criminal twist? So. Much. Yes. I was immediately desperate for this book as soon as I read this synopsis. It sounds amazing and I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for this one.  

What are you waiting for on this Wednesday? Link me up!

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Waiting on Wednesday (168) Hello, Sunshine

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. Click the link to see the original post plus a whole slew of links to other blogs. After you read this one, of course.

Hello, Sunshine

Author: Leila Howard
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: July 11, 2017

Goodreads:

A Prep School Girl with a Hollywood Dream

Becca Harrington is a reject. After being rebuffed by every college on her list, she needs a fresh start, so she packs up everything and moves to LA, giving herself one year to land an acting gig or kill herself trying.

Unfortunately, not everything turns out as planned, and after a few grueling months, LA is looking like the worst idea ever. As hard as she tries, Becca can’t land an agent, she's running out of cash, and her mom is hounding her to apply to more schools. In an act of desperation, Becca and her friend Marisol start posting short videos online—with the help of their adorable filmmaker neighbor, Raj—and the videos catch the attention of a TV producer. Could this be it? Her big break? Or will she have to move back home with nothing but some bad head shots and a monstrous credit-card bill?

Becca may not get the Hollywood ending she was hoping for, but perhaps she’ll learn there’s more than one way to achieve her dream.

Readers will love every page of this funny, romantic, aspirational, and ultimately triumphant novel about a girl who just wants to make it on her own. 

Why I'm Excited:
This sounds adorable and I love that colorful cover. I love reading about that just out of high school age group and wish there were more books about them without being tragic NA books. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for this one. 

What are you waiting for on this Wednesday? Link me up!

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Weekly Rewind 10.8.16

Weekly Rewind
The new books on my shelves and my week in a nutshell.

Throughout my student teaching semester I was using my weekend post as a way to let people know what's going on in my life, so I'v decided to rename my weekend post because this feature is more personal than just what books I've received. The Weekly Rewind will be about what's going on with me and my blog, as well as about the books I've added to my shelves. This post is linked to Stacking the Shelves over at Tynga's Reviews and the Sunday Post over at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 

My Life and Blog

Life: If you follow me on instagram or twitter, you already know that my beloved cat, Hyades, died last weekend. I knew that he was at the end of his life. He's been on medicine for the last couple of years for thyroid issues, but it is impossible to prepare yourself for any kind of loss. I've had him for over eighteen years and he was honestly the coolest cat I've ever known. I was a wreck last weekend, and am still feeling pretty rough, but I know that he had a long and wonderful life and that he died knowing that he was very, very loved by me and my husband. 

I am home for a long weekend due to Columbus Day and it is much needed. I definitely just need a couple of days with my husband to just unwind and relax. I am hoping to do something fun, though, like go to Cedar Point (or at least go to a movie or something). 

Blog and reading: Just a WoW this week. I'm currently (very slowly) reading Six of Crows. I deliberately put it off until the sequel came out. I'm also reading It's Not Me, It's You, which is hilarious so far. I'm currently listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (for the fourth or fifth time). I just needed the book equivalent of a pint of Ben & Jerry's after this last week. 

New Books: Just a small handful this week, but I'm excited about all of them. So without further ado, I hope you are all having fabulous weekends! 

For Review

The Boy is Back by Meg Cabot

I was elated when I found out there was going to be a fourth book in the "Boy" series. 

What Light by Jay Asher

This romance sounds interesting. I like the Christmas tree farm aspect. 

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria

This looks so intriguing.

Hungry Heart by Jennifer Weiner

I went through a HUGE "chick-lit" (I hate that term so much) phase in my twenties--when it first broke out as a genre--and Jennifer Weiner was at the forefront of my obsession. Good In Bed, In Her Shoes, Goodnight, Nobody--I loved all of them. I haven't read her most recent books, but I'm still excited for this memoir. 

What I Bought

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

I really struggled getting into the arc of this and gave up around page 80 or so, but then I happened to read this conversation on GR where a girl was saying the same thing and another told her it started to pick up around pg. 100. So I'm going to give it another go. It was recently on sale at The Book Outlet, so I snagged it. The flowers in the picture were given by a co-worker who knew I was sad about fat kitty. 

Well that's it for me this week. Feel free to leave a link to whatever weekend post you do (Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post, etc). I love to see what books people have recently snagged and especially enjoy hearing about my fellow bloggers' weeks. I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!

Read More

Waiting on Wednesday (167) The Takedown

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. Click the link to see the original post plus a whole slew of links to other blogs. After you read this one, of course.

The Takedown

Author: Corrie Wang
Publisher: Freeform
Release Date: April 11, 2017

Goodreads:

Kyla Cheng doesn't expect you to like her. For the record, she doesn't need you to. On track to be valedictorian, she's president of her community club, a debate team champ, plus the yummy Mackenzie Rodriguez has firmly attached himself to her hip. She and her three high-powered best friends don't just own their senior year at their exclusive Park Slope, Brooklyn high school, they practically define the hated species Popular. Kyla's even managed to make it through high school completely unscathed.

Until someone takes issue with this arrangement.

A week before college applications are due, a video of Kyla "doing it" with her crush-worthy English teacher is uploaded to her school's website. It instantly goes viral, but here's the thing: it's not Kyla in the video. With time running out, Kyla delves into a world of hackers, haters and creepy stalkers in an attempt to do the impossible-take something off the internet-all while dealing with the fallout from her own karmic footprint. Set in near-future Brooklyn, where privacy is a bygone luxury and every perfect profile masks damning secrets, The Takedown is a stylish, propulsive, and provocative whodunit, asking who would you rely on if your tech turned against you?

Why I'm Excited:
I often think about how glad I am to have been a teenage in the age before social media. It's insane how important the internet and social media sites have become to teenage friendships. The worst thing I had to deal with were vicious 3 way calling attacks. This sounds intriguing. Especially the near-future aspect. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for this one. 

What are you waiting for on this Wednesday? Link me up!

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