Side Effects May Vary (Early Book Review)

Side Effects May Vary

Author: Julie Murphy
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Number of Pages: 336
Release Date: March 18, 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads:

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality.

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

MY THOUGHTS:

When I first heard about this book, I immediately wrote it off as yet another cancer book (of which there have been way too many lately), but then I finally read the synopsis and realized that this one is a bit different. Instead of yet another weep-y story of a friend, or a couple, losing his/her best friend/love of their life, this book follows a girl who gets a second chance at life when her leukemia goes into remission. Alice is terrified of this second chance, however, because she's been burning bridges left and right in the belief that she is about to die. I haven't read any reviews for this one yet, but I've seen snippets of conversations through GR updates and Twitter convos. People really seem to either be loving or hating this one. I didn't think it was perfect, but I really enjoyed it. I loved how we got to see both Alice and Harvey's side of the story, and I loved how the time line went back in forth between the time Alice was sick (before) to the present when she is trying to get on with her life.

I'm going to go ahead and address the biggest complaint I've seen which is that Alice is a mean girl. Frankly, that just isn't how I saw her. I understood Alice and, while I didn't always like her actions, I understood why she was acting like she was. There are a handful of people to whom Alice isn't "nice." The first is her frenemy turned enemy Celeste. Celeste and Alice have always been competitors. The two are always the ones up for major roles in their ballet studio, but they've tried to maintain a fake friendship. Until Alice finds out that Celeste has been sleeping with her boyfriend, Luke. After that all bets are off. I kind of loved how Alice gets revenge on both Celeste and Luke.

The second person who Alice struggles with is her mom. Right before Alice found out that she has leukemia, Alice catches her mom having an affair on her father. Alice never confesses to seeing the man in her parent's bedroom (through the window), but she cannot forget what she saw. I cannot even imagine having to carry around the burden of knowing that your parent has cheated. I understood why Alice struggled to maintain a normal relationship with her parents which is hard enough when you are a teenager without the extra weight of an affair and being terminally ill!

Finally there is Harvey. Harvey is head-over-heels in love with Alice and has been for years. While Alice starts to let Harvey in while she is sick, she begins to push him away the minute she finds out she is going to live. Alice does not in any way treat Harvey the way he deserves to be treated. She uses him constantly. She knows that he is in love with her and consistently uses that to her advantage. She keeps him on tether hooks. It's appalling. So why am I not outraged? Well, because Alice is a teen girl. She is the type of snooty teen girl who believes the world revolves around her. She thought she was going to die before her 18 birthday, and then found out that she will probably live. She has been pumped full of poison for months, her hair has fallen out, she is constantly in pain, she is carrying the burden of her mother's affair. I think it's understandable if she can only think about herself. Even though she's in remission, the doctors have no idea whether or not the cancer will come back. They don't even know what made it go into remission. I can imagine it is hard for a teen girl to give her heart freely when she has no idea what tomorrow will bring.

There were so many things I really enjoyed about this book. Again, the dual narration and the scattered timeline were excellent. I loved Harvey, he was a little unbelievably too good, but it's fiction, boys in fiction are almost always a little better than they are in real life. I loved how close the two families were. Alice and Harvey were pretty much raised together because Alice's parents and Harvey's mom have always been very close themselves. I loved that the parents were present in their lives, but not perfect.

While this isn't really a complaint because I enjoyed this book, it is kind of misleading to call this one a "bucket-list" book. Alice does have a couple of things up her sleeve in terms of revenge against aforementioned kids at school, but it's not like a: 1. ride in a hot air balloon type of bucket list.

So, again, I think this is one you will enjoy or you won't. I really enjoyed it, and think Alice should be viewed with some compassion. It's very different from the long list of cancer books being published right now which I really appreciated. Highly recommend.

*I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange of an honest review.*

Read More

Uganda Be Kidding Me (Book Review)

Uganda Be Kidding Me

Author: Chelsea Handler
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Number of Pages: 272
Release Date: March 4, 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Wherever Chelsea Handler travels, one thing is certain: she always ends up in the land of the ridiculous. Now, in this uproarious collection, she sneaks her sharp wit through airport security and delivers her most absurd and hilarious stories ever.

On safari in Africa, it's anyone's guess as to what's more dangerous: the wildlife or Chelsea. But whether she's fumbling the seduction of a guide by not knowing where tigers live (Asia, duh) or wearing a bathrobe into the bush because her clothes stopped fitting seven margaritas ago, she's always game for the next misadventure.

The situation gets down and dirty as she defiles a kayak in the Bahamas, and outright sweaty as she escapes from a German hospital on crutches. When things get truly scary, like finding herself stuck next to a passenger with bad breath, she knows she can rely on her family to make matters even worse. Thank goodness she has the devoted Chunk by her side-except for the time she loses him in Telluride.

Complete with answers to the most frequently asked traveler's questions, hot travel trips, and travel etiquette, none of which should be believed, UGANDA BE KIDDING ME has Chelsea taking on the world, one laugh-out-loud incident at a time.

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

MY THOUGHTS:

Chelsea Handler is one of those people I'd like to like more than she is somebody I actually like. I don't watch her show regularly, but I'll sometimes tune in and while I find it and her funny, there is still just something about her I find grating. That pretty much sums up how I feel about this book: While parts of it were pretty funny, other parts were just too much. Memoirs, especially the 4th or 5th memoir of a woman still in her 30s, aren't the easiest books to review, so this is going to be brief.

The first half of this book focuses on Chelsea's trip to Africa with her sister, her roommate, and a couple of other friends. The girls' first stop is for a safari in Londolozai. There they are taken around with a blonde South African man that Chelsea becomes smitten with (in that only man around type of way). The women drink, drink, drink and are pretty much separated from the rest of the guests. The second leg of the trip is to an elephant camp/sanctuary which they hate and leave pretty much immediately. The third part is to another wildlife/safari-ish type of hotel in Vurumba which they invite the 1st leg's guide to join them. This whole section of the book was pretty entertaining. It's a bit insane how much these women drink and Chelsea talks about ingesting valium like they're tic tacs, but it's pretty entertaining. There are several pictures of Chelsea peeing which are funny...and weird and unnecessary, but whatever. 

The rest of the book, however, seemed disjointed to me. Because the whole first half of the book or so was focused on this African trip, to then discuss a London trip and then a trip to Montana (both of which happen first chronologically) seemed like filler. Especially since the title of the book is Uganda be Kidding Me. Frankly, it seemed like she originally sat down to write just about the Africa trip, but when it only came out to be 150 pages or whatever, she said: well, let's see, where else have I traveled that I haven't talked about yet in my other books. The last chapter isn't even about travel at all, but about her trying to get to brunch with friends but her car had been snagged by Whitney Cummings the night before and waiting for hours for Whitney to come back with it. This chapter just doesn't belong with the rest of the book at all, and it's somewhat puzzling to me why it was included.

Again, there are some pretty hilarious moments in the book, and it was a quick and easy read, but I cannot imagine being friends with Chelsea Handler, and if I was, I would never want to travel with her. She's just too brusque for my tastes. While I find that refreshing sometimes, it does get to be too much. What I will say is this: she can definitely write. This is the second book by her I've read and while I didn't necessarily enjoy either, they were both well-written and quickly paced. I will also say that I love how Chelsea is all about her girlfriends. You can tell that even though she acts like an asshole, Chelsea cares more about the girls in her life than any of the guys who flit in and out. I do admire that. If you've enjoyed books by her in the past, I'm sure you will enjoy this one as well, but I think this will probably be the last book of hers that I will pick up.

Favorite Quote(s):

"A mate of mine has a place in Yellowstone Club in Montana."

 "What state is that in?" I asked him.

"Montana."

"Isn't Yellowstone in Wyoming?"
"Yellowstone National Park is, but this is a private ski club in Montana."
"Ahh...yes. I know the place."
"It doesn't sound like you do."

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Read More

Weekly Rewind 3.8.14

The Weekly Rewind
The new books on my shelves, the links I loved, and my week in a nutshell.






Since I started this blog I've participated in Stacking the Shelves, which is a weekly feature hosted by Tyngas Reviews, and I'm going to continue linking to that meme. 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've 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, and the links I've enjoyed over the past week from other blogs and the interwebs in general.  

My Life and Blog

Life: So my office has hired my replacement and expects for me to have her trained by the end of April. She starts mid-March. This blows for several reasons. The first is that I was really hoping to work through the summer as I will not be able to sub over the summer, obviously. I'm crossing my fingers to find a full time position for the fall. If I cannot, I do plan on continuing to sub next year, so looking for a temporary position for the summer is the LAST thing I wanted to do. Nobody is going to want to hire me since it will be obvious by that brand new master's degree that I'm not looking to sit in an office for any real length of time, and who wants to train somebody when they know they would leave at the drop of a hat. Which brings me to my next gripe. Training other people sucks! There are moments of pure craziness in my office when I have to be going, going, going, but for the most part I just sit at a computer. That's why I started this blog in the first place: to have something to occupy my time while sitting in front of a computer 8 hours a day. It's going to take, like, 20 minutes to train this girl. Okay, that's hyperbole, but it's definitely not taking a month. 

This week I subbed for a 4th grade class, a 6th grade class, and for a middle school reading specialist. I'm loving being able to see all the different schools around my city. I haven't been to the same one twice. The 6th grade class was in a swanky part of town and the school was so nice. I would love to snag a job there. 

On the blog front: 

• Monday: nada.

• Tuesday: A release day review of The Winner's Curse. I enjoyed this crazy-hyped novel quite a bit, but I didn't adore it. I'll definitely pick up the second book and would have no problem recommending this book, but it reads like the first book in a series. 

• Wednesday: I'm waiting for One Past Midnight which was originally released in Australia under the title Between the Lives. 

• Thursday: I discussed Reading Reviews. On the one hand I don't want my opinion or review to be swayed, but on the other I want to support my fellow bloggers. 

• Friday: laziness. For the second week in a row I didn't watch a single movie. Hockey's back and I've just been reading more and going to bed kind of early since my sub schedule is getting me up earlier than I'm used to. 

New books:
 
I have a handful of new review and library books that I'm excited about to share with you this week, so without further adieu. I hope you are all having spectacular weekends. Yay for daylight savings. It sucks to lose that hour for the first day or two, but it means Spring is right around the corner. 

Review Books 

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

This was one of those books that people were buzzing about late last year/early this year. I'm a little over three-quarters of the way through, and am enjoying it quite a bit. I haven't read any reviews for this one, but it judging from star ratings on GR, you either like this one or you don't. I do. 

Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell

Nobody knows that London's notorious serial killer, dubbed "The Perfect Killer", is actually a teen girl. Well, nobody except the mother who trained her. I'm over halfway through this one, as well. It's different, but interesting.

Elusion by Claudia Gable and Cheryl Klam

From GR synopsis: An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life. So, Total Recall basically. The cover reminds me of those Lisa Frank stickers I HAD to have when I was in grade school.

The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle

A girl getting over the death of her sister is mistakenly identified as a hero who saved the life a classmate who was committing suicide. I really like the disorienting cover with the Dorothy shoes. 

What I bought

 

Looking For Alaska by John Green

I've only read TFiOS by John Green which I'm a bit embarrassed to admit. I've heard great things about this one and am excited to read it, especially since I found it for $2 at HPB.

What I snagged from the library

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

So, ok, I've owned Throne of Glass for months and got about halfway through it before setting it aside for unknown reasons (seriously, sometimes I just get distracted, even from books I'm enjoying. I don't know). It's been long enough that I'll probably have to start over anyway and I've heard it really is better to read all these little prequel stories first, so I was pumped when this book with all five stories came out and that my library had a copy. 

Mistwalker by Saundra Mitchell

A boy trapped in a lighthouse until he gets a thousand souls tries to seduce a girl into taking his place. I love the cover and have read a couple positive reviews. 

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

After her boyfriend cheats on her without any consequences from the universe, a girl decides to create The Karma Club to get back at people who get away with wrong-doings. It sounds cute in a totally unrealistic contemporary way. 

Link Love

From blogs:

• Rachel from Beauty and the Bookshelf posted about the Seattle Prescreening of Divergent!
• Kara over at Great Imaginations discusses What She Likes in a Book Cover.
• Kelly from Pretty Little Reader tells us To Turn Off CAPTCHA Once and For All.
• Jen from YA Romantics looks at the trend of Author's Alter Egos.

From around the interwebs:

• The incomparable Libba Bray opened up about her depression in a piece: Miles and Miles of No-Man's Land.
• Mental Floss posted 10 Memorable Dr. Suess Quotes  in honor of his birthday.

Read More

Discussion Post: Reading Reviews (To Read or Not to Read?)

Discussion Post: Reading Reviews

Like most bloggers, I don't tend to read reviews for books that I know I'm going to read myself. There are different reasons for this, which I will get to in a minute, but the problem with this is, of course, still trying to be supportive of my friend's blogs. It's a dilemma. Reviews: To Read or Not to Read? That, my friends, is the question.

The reasons I don't read reviews:

1. I don't want my opinion to be swayed.

We don't all have the same taste in books. This is a good thing. Can you imagine how boring the world would be if we all loved and hated the same things? That said, I'll admit that even just seeing low star ratings can put me off reading a book. If I requested, bought, or borrowed a book from the library, chances are that something about the synopsis or cover drew me in. I need to make up my own mind about whether something is for me, but if I see that none of my friends liked a book, the chances that I'll pick it up get slimmer. If I do pick it up regardless, I'll read with a more critical eye than I would if I knew that friends enjoyed it.

2. I don't want my review to be influenced.

It sounds the same, but this is different. There seems to be a lot of crying foul going on. I know that plagiarism exists, but I'm not sure I believe that every time somebody's called out it is really plagiarism. People are going to reach the same conclusions about certain books--especially when it's an obvious comparison. I compared Being Sloane Jacobs to The Parent Trap and The Cutting Edge because these are obvious comparisons. If somebody else also compares the book to these two movies, that doesn't mean that they are copying me, they are just making the same obvious comparison. Regardless, I want my reviews to reflect my own, personal, original opinions (even if my original opinion is the same as 50 others), so I usually don't read reviews of books I haven't reviewed yet. Frankly, it seems like all the buzz around plagiarism has made a lot of bloggers weary of reading reviews which is sad if you think about it. (I'm weary of even hitting the publish button for this post. To reiterate: I know and understand that plagiarism is a problem. I just can't help but wonder if it is really as big of a problem as what some people make it out to be.)

3. Spoilers
Frankly, some reviewers just don't know how to write reviews without giving away major plot points. To be fair, spoiler reviewers tend to be more on Goodreads than blogs, but I've read a few reviews in the past that I wish I could have unseen. On a related note, I stayed away from Twitter for, like, a month when I heard that people were posting spoilers for Allegiant (which I still need to read). Why do people think this is ok? It's not. Quit it.

Reasons I do read reviews

1. I've already read the book.

I read reviews for books I've already read all the time. I like to see how other people viewed the books that I've either loved or hated (or, more likely, liked or disliked). It's fun to read reviews when you know exactly what the reviewer is kind of dancing around because most reviewers DO actively try to avoid spoilers. Plus,  reading other people's reviews will help me view a work in a way I didn't before which is awesome. 

2. I'm on the fence about a book.

This is usually more for books that have been out for awhile. If a book sounds like something I might be interested in, but am unsure about, I'll read a few reviews. I'll try to seek out both positive and negative reviews to get a wider spectrum of opinions. 

3. I like to support other bloggers.

I'll read reviews for books I know I'm going to read if a buddy posts a review because I want to support my fellow bloggers. There is nothing worse than spending all kinds of your free time writing a review only to have very few--or nobody--comment on it. Writing reviews takes time and energy, it sucks when you feel like nobody is reading what you've written. I want my blogger buddies to know that somebody cares about what they've written. I always leave a comment if I've read a blogger's post even if it is literally just a: hey, nice post. It always makes me feel good when I see that I have a new comment and I'm sure other bloggers feel the same. <3 you guys!

As always, I'd love to hear from you. Do you read reviews? Do you wait until you've read and reviewed a book yourself, or do you read them immediately? Let me know! 

Read More

Waiting on Wednesday (43) One Past Midnight

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 Past Midnight

Author: Jessica Shirvington
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release Date: July 22, 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Above all else, though I try not to think about it, I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed. There is no loophole.

Until now, that is...

For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her ′other′ life - a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she′s a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she′s considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other.

With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she′s always wanted... But just what - and who - is she really risking?

   
Why I'm Excited:

I've been wanting to read this book since it came out in Australia last year and was so happy when I found out it was getting distributed in the States. The overseas version had a different (preferable) cover and title--which seems unnecessarily confusing, especially since neither is an improvement. Regardless, I'm excited to get my hands on this one. It's an interesting premise and I've heard good things about the author from my Aussie friends.

The original cover looked like this. Does anybody recognize it?

 

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

Hey lovely GFC and new followers, please follow me by Bloglovin as we all know Google Reader has gone/is going by the wayside. (I like to follow back, so please let me know if you're a new follower--and leave a link!) Thank you!!!

Read More

The Winner's Curse (Release Day Review)

The Winner's Curse

Author: Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Number of Pages: 355
Release Date: March 4, 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.

Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

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

MY THOUGHTS:

The hardest reviews for me to write are always for the over-hyped books. Everybody I know has been clamoring for this one--that cover!--and the raves are already pouring in. Man, this sounds negative. It's not. I actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. I was just so nervous to start it because I'm often the black sheep when it comes to beloved books, but I was easily drawn into this story and read most of it in an afternoon which is rare for me. So while I'm not going to be the dissenting voice this time (yay), I didn't LOVE this book like I know most of my other friends have so far. Don't get me wrong, it is well written and I absolutely enjoyed it, but I'm being a scrooge when it comes it to series, and this definitely reads like the first book in a series. 

The Winner's Curse follows a young girl named Kestrel. Kestrel is an aristocrat, the general's daughter, and a Valorian. Kestrel is at the point in her life where all Valorians must make a decision: She must either get married or join the military. Her father is hoping that she will chose a place by his side and join the military ranks, for while she isn't the best fighter, she has the perfect mind for military strategy. Kestrel, for her part, doesn't really want to choose either. She knows she doesn't want to join the military, despite her father's wishes, but she also isn't in love with any of the boys with whom she might marry. Her whole life changes when, on a whim, she purchases a defiant Herrani slave named Arin.

Over a decade ago, the Valorians conquered the Herrani land. Those families that were deemed worthy got the wealthy homes in the village, including Kestrel's family, and the Herrani who survived the invasion now live as slaves. Arin has gotten by working for a blacksmith and is waiting for the day in which the Herrani can make a move to get their beloved village back.

There were several things that I really enjoyed about this story. The first are the characters, themselves. I loved Kestrel. I loved how intelligent she was and the fact that she could easily climb the ranks of the military should she choose. Even though music is considered beneath the Valorian, she has a strong attachment to her mother's piano and plays whenever possible. I loved the strong friendship between her and Jess, as well as with Jess's brother, Ronan. I also really liked Arin. I was dismayed by some of his actions, but I understood his motivation. I cannot even imagine having to go from a member of society into slavery--especially to the very people who took everything away.

The biggest baddie--who I won't spoil here--was sufficiently hate-worthy. I seriously wanted to dive into the book and take this person out myself. Grrr.

I thought the world building was strong. I was expecting for this to be more, I don't know, fantasy-based or "other-worldly" in some way, but the world read more like historical fiction. There aren't any fantasy or magical elements which I appreciated. The Valorian's authority is wide-spread with many villages falling to them. The emperor who controls it all is said to be a two day trip away by ship which leaves control of the city to Kestrel's father. I found the military aspect pretty fascinating and intriguing, and found myself rooting for both sides.

The relationship between Kestrel and Arin (you know it happens) was well-written and slow burning. There's attraction, but there is no instalove here. The two develop a shaky friendship first and both struggle with their feelings. Kestrel knows that she would never be able to chose a Herrani slave as her mate, and Arin cannot forget what has been done to him and his people.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Winner's Curse. The history/military aspects are well-written and interesting, the secondary characters are fleshed out, and our two main characters are lovely. The novel definitely reads like the first book in a series, though, which would be my only real complaint. The novel doesn't end on a cliff-hanger, per se, but it's pretty close. I definitely wish I would have waited to start this series until all the books were out. Just saying. BUT I do think most people will be drawn into this story completely and can easily recommend it. It's pretty flawless.

*I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange of an honest review.*

Read More

Weekly Rewind 3.1.14

The Weekly Rewind
The new books on my shelves, the links I loved, and my week in a nutshell.






Since I started this blog I've participated in Stacking the Shelves, which is a weekly feature hosted by Tyngas Reviews, and I'm going to continue linking to that meme. During my student teaching semester I was using my weekend post as a way to let people know what's going on in my life. I've 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, and the links I've enjoyed over the past week from other blogs and the interwebs in general. 

My Life and Blog

Life: My mother-in-law was in town for over a week and left on Monday. Is it bad to say that I'm so relived to have my house back? My hubs and I have made our life out of just being the two of us. We cook for two people and have been together for so freaking long that we just have a way of flowing around each other pretty seamlessly. Having a long-ish house guest is like putting a magnifying glass on your life: why, yes, I do watch way too much cooking tv while sitting in pajamas and reading my Kindle, is that weird? 

I subbed three days this week. Once for a middle school English class (a different school than last week and it went much smoother), a elementary art class--which was fun, and for a smarty-pants (that's the technical term) class called GOAL at a high school. They had me fill in for a Spanish class in the middle of the day even though I don't speak a word. Subbing is exhausting, but it's fun to go to all these different schools and have each day be different. I'm definitely crossing my fingers for an actual full-time teaching position in the Fall. 

On the blog front: 

Monday: An early review for Don't Even Think About It. I personally enjoyed this cute contemporary with a paranormal twist by one of my favorite authors, but I know the first person plural narration will be the deal breaker for some readers.

Tuesday: Lazy

Wednesday: I'm waiting for Glory O'Brien's History of the Future. If you haven't heard of this one, take a minute to read the synopsis. It sounds beyond amazing. 

Thursday: I explain Why the 90s Were the Best. Here's just a couple of reasons: My So-Called Life, Clueless, and Nirvana. This was probably the most fun I've ever had writing a post. 

Friday: Lazy squared. I usually post a movie review on Friday, but I didn't watch a single movie this week. Instead, hubs and I binge watched Game of Thrones season 3 which came out on DVD last Tuesday. That red wedding. GRRRR.

On the book front:

As always, I have a handful of books I'm excited to share with you guys. So without further adieu...I hope you are all having splendid weekends!

For Review

Ask Again Later  by Liz Czukas

I'm about 40% through this at posting. It's pretty cute, but not really holding my attention. It follows a girl with two prom options. The book shows the evening with both choices using a coin flip (heads: this happens, etc). 

Promise of Shadows by Justine Ireland

Snagged solely for that bad-ass cover. Seriously the feathers. So cool. Um, about a harpy or something. 

Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

A girl is murdered at her boarding school and then discovers a classmate can see ghosts. It sounds interesting.

Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler

Chelsea Handler is somebody that I enjoy...in small chunks. I'm reading this now, and it's relatively funny, but I would never want to go on an extended vacation with this woman. 

What I Bought

 

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

I absolutely adored--adored--Vicious and have heard this one is awesome. I'm excited.

I do have a question for those who have read this though: After buying this I heard a rumor that the publisher may not publish the third book in the series due to low book sales. If I read this and the sequel will I be super pissed that there isn't a next book due to cliff-hangers, or are the two stories complete enough that it would be ok story-wise to have it end after the second book?

What I snagged from the library

The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman

I honestly don't know how to summarize this book, so if you're interested click the link. That cover is pretty interesting, no?

The Sound of Letting Go by Stasia Ward Rehoe

This is a book in prose poetry which I really feel needs to be said in the synopsis, and it isn't. I don't care as I checked this out from the library and I'm willing to give it a shot, but people need to know what they are buying.

Dare Me by Megan Abbott

For the 5th or 6th time. I will read this book. I will. 

Posts/Links I Loved

From Blogs:

Books for a Delicate Eternity posted a very thoughtful posts about Instalove 101 from an author's perspective.

At Such a Novel Idea Loren and Jess tag-teamed a review for Gone Girl.
Jen and April over at Starry Eyed Revue discuss Authors Behaving Badly.

My Friends are Fiction posted some awesome pictures in her post My Other Hobby: Photography.

From around the interwebs:

I discovered book blogging through Goodreads, so I found this Salon article about how How Amazon and Goodreads Could Lose Their Best Readers very interesting. 

I love this Buzzfeed post of 17 Genius Photos of People Posing with Books.

This Huffington editorial about how JK Rowling should stop writing adult fiction is a load of crap.

Bored Panda featured this Russian mother's photos that are absolutely breathtaking. 

17 Pintrest Fails from Buzzfeed had me cackling. Nailed it!

Well that's it for me this week. Feel free to leave a link to whatever weekend post you do (Stacking the Shelves, In My Mailbox, 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