April 2015 ~ Natflix&Books

Friday, April 24, 2015

Weekly Rewind 4.25.15

Friday, April 24, 2015 9:58 PM with 15 comments

Weekly Rewind
The new books on my shelves 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 Tynga's 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.

My Life and Blog

Life: I'm going to be super brief today because I'm sick and tired and ready for bed. I'm down to 25 teaching days and a week and half until I'm home for a long weekend. I did some really fun activities in the classroom this week which was good for both me and the students. I snagged a pile of books from the library sale this week, but will feature them next week as I just do not have the energy to link them all.

Blog: I finally got a review for 99 Days up this week which you can find here. I also posted a TTT and a WoW.

New books: I'm so excited for the books I'm sharing this week, so without further adieu, I hope you are all having fabulous weekends. Hopefully a weekend of soup, orange juice, and sleep will cure me up before Monday rolls around.

For Review

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

So happy to have snagged a copy of this. A new Sarah Dessen just screams, "Summer is right around the corner!"

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

I don't know what kind of deal Ms. Hodge made with the cover gods, but it was worth it. Stand-alone retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.

Material Girls by Elaine Dimopolos

I'm honestly not exactly sure what this is about. Based on the cover I was expecting a Project Runway type story (love that show, btw, I'm so impressed with people who can sew and create), but reading the synopsis it sounds...dystopian. We'll see.

Wild Hearts by Jessica Burkhart

As some of you know, I grew up in beautiful Wyoming, so when I saw this was set in the least populated state, of course I snagged it!

The Summer After You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

A summer romance set at the Jersey Shore during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Undertow by Michael Buckley

Per GR: Action, suspense, and romance whirlpool dangerously in this cinematic saga, a blend of District 9 and The Outsiders. Sounds pretty good.

What I snagged from the library

Interstellar starring Matthew McConaughey

I love Christopher Nolan and am excited to see this one.

Wild starring Reese Witherspoon

This sounds like a strong film about a woman getting her life back. I love Reese Witherspoon.

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!

Waiting on Wednesday (97) The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen

Wednesday, April 22, 2015 6:49 AM with 8 comments

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 Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen

Author: Katherine Howe
Publisher: G.P. Putnam
Release Date: September 15, 2015

Link to Goodreads:

A haunting, contemporary love story from the New York Timesbestselling author of Conversion

It’s summertime in New York City, and aspiring filmmaker Wes Auckerman has just arrived to start his summer term at NYU. While shooting a séance at a psychic’s in the East Village, he meets a mysterious, intoxicatingly beautiful girl named Annie.

As they start spending time together, Wes finds himself falling for her, drawn to her rose petal lips and her entrancing glow. But there’s something about her that he can’t put his finger on that makes him wonder about this intriguing hipster girl from the Village. Why does she use such strange slang? Why does she always seem so reserved and distant? And, most importantly, why does he only seem to run into her on one block near the Bowery? Annie’s hiding something, a dark secret from her past that may be the answer to all of Wes’s questions . . .

Why I'm excited:

To start off: what a cool cover! Simple, but so neat. Everything about this synopsis sounds intriguing to me, too. Aspiring filmmaker, seances, and mystery? Sign me up. This actually just floated across my radar, but now I can't wait to have it.

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

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TTT: Favorite All-Time Authors

Tuesday, April 21, 2015 7:20 AM with 9 comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme/original feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Click the link to go to their site to see the original list for today plus links to a whole slew of other blogs. After you read mine, of course.

Today's topic: All-time favorite authors

I know I'm not the only one who struggled putting this list together. So hard! Here's the best I can do.

1. Margaret Atwood

Ms. Atwood is the queen. While I don't always love every single thing she writes, I have mad respect for this genius, prolific woman. The Robber Bride and The Blind Assassin are two of my all-time favorite novels. I cannot recommend them enough.

2. Megan McCafferty

The Jessica Darling series is my favorite series. I love JD, and Marcus--swoon.

3. e. lockhart

One of my favorite characters of all time was created by e. lockhart: Frankie Landau-Banks. I also really enjoyed the Ruby Oliver series and We Are Liars.

4. J.K. Rowling

I cannot get enough of Harry Potter.

5. Meg Cabot

From The Princess Diaries to the "Boy" series to Heather Wells, I love Meg Cabot's fun, fluffy style.

6. Tom Perrotta

I have so much love for Election. I read it probably once a year. LOVE.

7. Sophie Kinsella

I liked the first few Shopaholic books, but love the stand-alone novels.

8. Kasie West

Fairly new on the scene, but she has already become and auto-buy. I love her characters and story-lines.

9. Stephanie Perkins

This woman can write a romance.

10. Bret Easton Ellis

I can't stomach what he's been putting out lately, but my love for Less Than Zero and Rules of Attraction easily lands him on this list (American Psycho is pretty amazing, too, in a totally depraved way).

Well that's it for me. Who are your all-time favorite authors? Link me up!

Hey lovely readers: I love meeting new bloggers. If you decide to follow, my preference is through Bloglovin'. If you are a new follower, please let me know and leave a link so that I can follow back. Thanks!

99 Days (Early Review)

Sunday, April 19, 2015 5:52 PM with 3 comments

99 Days

Author: Katie Cotugno

Publisher: Baltzer + Bray

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything—how I destroyed my relationship with Patrick the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. How I wrecked their whole family. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done.

Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”

Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.

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

My Thoughts:

From the moment I saw this cover and read the description, I knew I was going to love this story. The narrative takes place over 99 Days (you probably gathered that from the title, you smarty pants, you). I absolutely loved the format the author used for this--with each chapter being one of the 99 days. The chapters varied in lengths with some being super short and others long. The 99 days are the days of the summer that Molly Barlow has to spend back in her hometown before she can leave for college after spending her senior year at a boarding school. While the story is told one day at a time, Molly often flashbacks into the past to give us a full understanding of the story and why she fled her hometown in the first place.

Why did she leave? you ask. Well, that's the heart of the story. Molly's whole life has been tied with the Connellys, especially Patrick Connelly. From being inseparable friends when they were little, to being in love as teenagers, they have always been intertwined. That all changed when Molly's mom, a famous author, did the unthinkable: she published a novel torn directly from her daughter's life that revealed her biggest lie. Back in her sophomore year, she slept with Patrick's older brother, Gabe. Feeling like the entire town has turned their backs on her, Molly escapes for her senior year, only to have to return for the summer.

Molly secures a job at the lakeside inn where she used to spend her summers, now under new management. There she meets Patrick's new girlfriend, a girl she actually can't help but like. She also finds herself becoming involved once again with Gabe...while still occasionally yearning for Patrick who was once her whole world. She is trying to find a way to reconnect with the girl who was her best friend before she made her great escape. She is also trying to decide if she can ever forgive her mother for her enormous betrayal. And while these relationships are important, the bulk of the story is about Molly and the two fellas.

Besides the unique format, what I appreciated most about this story is that both of the boys were realistic. While both boys are charming in their own ways, they both have some serious flaws, too. The author also explores the ways in which the girl is so often labeled the slut, when in this case, one part of the cheating pair was a blood relative of the "victim." The relationship between the two boys is frayed and tenuous, but not necessarily because of Molly. Sibling relationships are so complicated, and the author does a good job exploring this.

I'll be honest, while I hate reading about cheating when a marriage is involved, I don't automatically hate it when cheating occurs in YA. Frankly, at the age of 16, 17, or 18, the protagonists are so young that the relationships probably wouldn't have worked out anyway. This is a general statement, not a reflection of this particular book: High school romances rarely last--and while it is awesome when they do--I feel like that is probably for the best that they don't. Young people should explore what is out there. They should feel the highs of love and lows of heartbreak. They should be single and hang out with their friends. They should feel the giddiness of falling for someone new. They should pine for the one who got away. So while you might hear complaints about the cheating and the love triangle from others, you won't hear it from me. Teens make mistakes (adults make mistakes). They are young and still becoming who they really are. So while Molly, and all of the characters, makes some seriously stupid choices, I still liked and cheered for them.

I really enjoyed this story and ate it up. I kept telling myself: just one more chapter, and was through the whole story before I knew it. I loved the format and appreciated the realistic and gritty relationships from the shaky friendships to the tenuous familial relationships to the romance.

Definitely recommend.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the publisher in exchange of honest review.

Weekly Rewind 4.17.15

Friday, April 17, 2015 9:40 PM with 11 comments

Life and Blog

Life: So my internet was down all last weekend which is why I didn't do an update. Today's update is going to be brief. It's already getting late, and I'm tired. I'll give a proper update next week. I'm down to 32 school days (yes, I'm counting). I'll be home one last time in three weeks. There were eleven weeks between spring break and summer break which was just way too long to go without seeing my husband. Even the seven weeks we are going is excruciating long.

Blog: This week left me exhausted every day. I have reviews to do, but just no energy. I hope to get some serious blog time in this weekend--including doing some visiting. I did write a post last week that I have to admit I'm really proud of about Showtime's show The Affair and my growing wish that more shows would follow the single season show format. You can read that here if you're interested.

New books: Because I didn't do an update last week, this week will include what I would have featured last week. I'm so excited for the vast majority of these. So without further adieu, I hope you are all having fabulous weekends!

Review Books

Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Yes, I have it, and yes, I'm super excited.

Rook by Sharon Cameron

Two people (teens, I'm assuming) in an arranged marriage discover neither is who the other believed them to be.

Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

I really enjoyed Golden by this author, so I'm hoping to love this book about a girl who begins to fall for the guy who got her ex-boyfriend's heart through organ donation.

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

Per GR: "For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always." I'm intrigued.

Secrets of Attraction by Robin Constantine

I usually don't like kiss-y covers, but this is pretty cute.

In a World Just Right by Jen Brooks

A multiverse novel.

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

Billed as a cross between Stardust and The Fault in Our Stars which is...interesting.

Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver

A twin pretends to be her sister after her sister's death. I've been looking forward to this one.

Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger

A companion to The Duff which I bought recently but still need to read.

Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman

I'm currently reading this book. It is obviously influenced by the Megan Meier/Lori Drew case which I just talked about in class a couple of weeks ago.

City Love by Susanne Colasani

Three girls living together in NYC before their freshmen years of college.

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman

The sequel to The Prisoner of Night and Fog which I still need to read.

Sophomore Year is Greek to Me by Meredith Zeitlin

This book about a girl spending time in Greece with her family sounds charming.

Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens

Two girls at an all-girl school in the 1930s start a detective agency which sounds adorable.

Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein

A girl with magical ancestry is becoming a genie. This is not getting great reviews, unfortunately.

What I snagged from the library