Waiting on Wednesday (141) Sometimes We Tell the Truth

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.

Sometimes We Tell the Truth

Author: Kim Zarins
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: September 6, 2016

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In this contemporary retelling of The Canterbury Tales, a group of teens on a bus ride to Washington, DC, each tell a story—some fantastical, some realistic, some downright scandalous—in pursuit of the ultimate prize: a perfect score.

Jeff boards the bus for the Civics class trip to Washington, DC, with a few things on his mind:
-Six hours trapped with his classmates sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
-He somehow ended up sitting next to his ex-best friend, who he hasn’t spoken to in years.
-He still feels guilty for the major part he played in pranking his teacher, and the trip’s chaperone, Mr. Bailey.
-And his best friend Cannon, never one to be trusted and banned from the trip, has something “big” planned for DC.

But Mr. Bailey has an idea to keep everyone in line: each person on the bus is going to have the chance to tell a story. It can be fact or fiction, realistic or fantastical, dark or funny or sad. It doesn’t matter. Each person gets a story, and whoever tells the best one will get an automatic A in the class.

But in the middle of all the storytelling, with secrets and confessions coming out, Jeff only has one thing on his mind—can he live up to the super successful story published in the school newspaper weeks ago that convinced everyone that he was someone smart, someone special, and someone with something to say.

In her debut novel, Kim Zarins breathes new life into Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales in a fresh and contemporary retelling that explores the dark realities of high school, and the subtle moments that bring us all together.

Why I'm excited:
There are a handful of books that you either adore or despise when you major in English. The Canterbury Tales is definitely one of those books. I happen to adore it.  I was overjoyed when I got to teach it to my seniors during my student teaching semester (Oh how I wish there was a way to teach it to 6th graders, but the material is just way too esoteric...and risqué). I'm so very excited for a YA contemporary re-telling. Please don't let me down, book.

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

Hey lovely GFC and new followers, please follow me by Bloglovin. (I like to follow back, so please let me know if you're a new follower--and leave a link!) Thank you!!!

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Weekly Rewind 3.5.16

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'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: This is going to be brief. I just woke up from a two-hour nap, and I'm still exhausted. This week wore me out! I'm staying in VA this weekend. While I obviously like the weekends I spend with my husband the most, I'm looking forward to a weekend of sleep, movies, and reading (I also have a pile of grading to get through, but I'm not going to think about that right now). Anyway, I'm doing well. Definitely feeling the winter slump, but spring break is in a couple of weeks.

Blog and reading: Just a WoW this week. Last week I finished listening to/reading Just One Day. I liked it, but didn't love it like most of my friends. I didn't really like Wilhem. I did like the year at school and thought the disintegration of her friendship was realistic. I have Just One Year, but I don't know if I'm going to read it. I wish it was a sequel instead of a companion. I don't know if I care what he did during that year. I'm currently rereading Rebel Belle so that I can finish the series (I only have vague memories of the first book) and am still rereading Attachments. I'm listening to Blue Lily, Lily Blue.

For Review

   

A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachmann

This references Cabin in the Woods, so of course I picked it up.

Divah by Susannah Appelbaum
"Part gothic thriller, part historical fiction, the novel straddles the Upper East Side and the lush trappings of the Carlyle hotel, and Paris during the Reign of Terror in 1789. Marie Antoinette is the Queen of the Damned. Marilyn Monroe is an expert demon hunter. To kill a demon, Hermès scarves, Evian water, and a guillotine are the weapons of choice." I mean.
Liars and Losers Like Us by Ami Allen-Vath
This doesn't look like the most original story, but I'm a sucker for prom/homecoming books.
Relic by Gretchen McNeil
A horror story about a group of teens encounter an evil force in a mine.

What I snagged from the library

   

Books:

Zero Day by Jan Gangsei

This sounds like a YA Homeland. I'm excited for this one.

Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira

Gotta love a bookish girl. This sounds adorable.

Audio:

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

This is my least favorite of the three, if I'm honest. I still find this series intriguing, but I'm not loving this one.

Movie:

Black Mass

Excited. I'm looking forward to a Johnny Depp film where he is a person instead of a character.

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!

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Waiting on Wednesday (140) You in Five Acts

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.

You in Five Acts

Author: Una LaMarche
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: November 1, 2016

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The latest contemporary novel from Una LaMarche, acclaimed author of Five Summers, Like No Other, and Don’t Fail Me Now. In the high-pressure months leading up to the performance that will determine their futures, a group of friends at a performing arts school look back on when an unexpected event upended everything. The moment that changed their relationships, their friendships, and their lives forever.
It's always been you—you know that, right?
With these first, simple words, Una LaMarche paints an intricate portrait of five friends connected by one dream of stardom. But for Joy, Diego, Liv, Ethan and Dave, that dream falters under the pressure of second semester, senior year. Ambitions shift and change, new emotions rush to the surface, and a sense of urgency pulses among them: Their time together is running out.

Diego hopes to get out of the friend zone. Liv wants to escape, losing herself in fantasies of the new guy. Ethan conspires to turn his muse into his girlfriend. Dave pines for the drama queen. And Joy needs to finally appreciate what's been right in front of her all along.

An epic ensemble piece in the vein of Fame and Let’s Get Lost, You in Five Acts is a eulogy for a friendship that captures the excitement, pain, longing, and melancholy surrounding transitions.

Why I'm excited:
I've always been slightly obsessed with performing arts high schools (I'm going to assume that is the setting based on the synopsis and Fame reference). I would love to work at one someday. I also really like multiple POVs. So basically this is the book for me. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for this one.

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

Hey lovely GFC and new followers, please follow me by Bloglovin. (I like to follow back, so please let me know if you're a new follower--and leave a link!) Thank you!!!

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Weekly Rewind 2.27.16

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'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: Last weekend ended up being really fun. My husband and I met at the halfway point and stayed the night in a motel. The town we stayed in was so small that we really just ended up staying in our room. I'd had the foresight to bring my DVD player, so we watched Sicario which I had checked out from the library (it was pretty good. Not my favorite, but I love how versatile Emily Blunt is as an actress. She is amazing). I'm heading up to PA this weekend and after that probably won't go back up until my spring break in late March. I really did like meeting him halfway through. Two hours is so much more palatable than four.

This week has been SO long. This has been the first full week I've worked in...I don't know how long. Between three-day weekends, snow days, and the time I took for my b-day, I've had a lot of short weeks in a row. My students were kind of crazy this week. I think we are all going through that late winter slump when winter break is far behind you, but summer break is still months away. I definitely remember feeling this way last year, too (and of course I remember it from being a student myself). I'm ready for spring. Snowmageddon notwithstanding, this has been a pretty mild winter, but I'm still ready for nice weather and flowers and, you know, all that stuff.

What has been good this week is that I finished the curriculum a couple of days earlier than the other English teachers, so I snuck in a unit on the hero's journey and gave them a creative writing assignment to create their own hero's journey short story. Most of them are super into it (even the ones I didn't think would be). I'm really excited to read their stories...and I know they are really excited to share them with me. I love being able to step away from the standards for a couple of days and let them do a fun assignment (not that a creative project is even really stepping away--I do teach English, after all).

Blog and reading: Just a WoW this week. I'm currently reading A Darker Shade of Magic, re-reading Attachments, and listening to Just One Day. While I'm enjoying A Darker Shade, I don't love it nearly as much as I did Vicious (which is one of my all-time favs). I do love her writing, though. I have a trillion books to read right now between the library and arcs. I haven't been reading nearly as much as I'd like these past couple of weeks either. I've just been so beat every day after trying to wrangle 70 eleven/twelve year-olds all day.

New books: I've a handful of pretty titles to share with you this week. So without further ado, I hope you are all having fabulous weekends!

For Review

   
   

Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller

I'm excited about this historical fiction YA about a girl who must go to China with her dad to find a rare orchid else he gets thrown into jail and her sisters into an orphanage. 

Map of Fates Maggie Hall

I need to read A Conspiracy of Fates first, but I've heard good things and definitely plan on trying to squeeze it in this week.

Save Me, Kurt Cobain by Jenny Manzer

I'm not going to lie. I'm a bit wary of this one. I loved Nirvana when I was in high school. I cried when Kurt Cobain died. Has anybody read this one?
The Keeper of the Mist by Rachel Neumeier
The mist that usually keeps a kingdom hidden is lifted and a girl needs to save it somehow...
Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate
I love the idea of the seven deadly sins as archetypes. I hope this is as cool as it sounds.
Shades of Darkness by A.R. Kahler
All I know about this book is that it takes place at a boarding school and maybe has a murder mystery. The one review I skimmed said it was so confusing that it didn't make a lot of sense, so, we'll see.
The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins
I know this is a Grimm story retelling, but I can't remember which (lesser known) origin story it is based on.
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
Three teens try to survive their senior year with diverging paths that threaten their friendship.

What I snagged from the library

   

Books:

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

I'm reading A Darker Shade of Magic right now so that I can dive into this next.

After the Woods by Kim Savage

This book has long been on my top of 2016 most anticipated list. I'm excited it came in on its release date (with AGoS).

Audio:

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

This has been on my TBR list for ages. I've been trying to tackle my very backed-up list with audio books for my commute (and long drives home).

Movie:

Spectre

I'm not a super Bond fangirl, but I do enjoy these movies. I do kind of think Daniel Craig is a tool...even if I do like looking at him.

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!

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Waiting on Wednesday (139) Forever, Again

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.

Forever, Again

Author: Victoria Laurie
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: December 13, 2016

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Lily Bennett is less than thrilled to be the new kid as she starts her junior year in high school.

But soon after classes begin, she meets a classmate, Cole Drepeau, with whom she forms an immediate and intimate bond. As Cole and Lily grow closer, Lily learns about the murder that divided the town more than thirty years before. In 1985, graduating senior Amber Greeley snapped, killing her boyfriend Ben—Cole’s uncle—and taking her own life.

Lily feels inexplicably linked to Amber, and she can’t help but think that there’s more to the girl’s story. Determined to investigate the truth about Cole’s uncle’s death, Lily and Cole are pulled into a dark mystery—one that shakes the constraints of the world they’ve always believed in.

Masterfully told by best-selling author Victoria Laurie, this novel alternates voices between Lily and Amber, a generation apart, as decades of dark family secrets and treacherous betrayals are woven into the most epic of love stories.

Why I'm excited:
I love that this has alternating POVs between Lily and Amber. I love a good mystery, so the reason behind Cole's uncle's death is intriguing.  Family secrets, treacherous betrayals, and epic love stories! Everything about this sounds awesome, so I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for this one.

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

Hey lovely GFC and new followers, please follow me by Bloglovin. (I like to follow back, so please let me know if you're a new follower--and leave a link!) Thank you!!!

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Weekly Rewind 2.20.16

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'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 pretty excited this weekend. I was planning on going home this weekend, but ended up getting a nail in one of my tires and no one could take me yesterday (Thursday) so I had to make an appointment for tonight after school. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get on the road until late and didn't want to drive alone until, like, midnight. My husband also wasn't able to get out of town today. So we've decided to meet in the middle tomorrow and stay the night in a motel. The town half-way is this podunk little town, but it has a couple of motels and it's not like we need a 5 star resort for one night. I'm excited that I get to see him without having to drive the four hours, and it is always fun to stay in a motel because it feels like vacation. It will be fun!

The weather here has been crazy. It is supposed to warm up this weekend, but we had another snow day on Tuesday (which was awesome because we had Monday off for President's Day so free four-day weekend). I'm definitely ready for warm weather and to back to a normal schedule. This isn't in any way a complaint, but I can't remember the last full week I've had to work between snow days, 3-day weekends, and time I took off for my birthday. The kids need to get back into the groove of school--and I really don't want days to be added on to the schedule.

Blog and reading: I posted a TTT and a WoW this week. I'm currently reading Blue Lily, Lily Blue...kind of...I decided to slow down on it so that I finish it a bit closer to The Raven King's release date. I didn't mean to do it, but I picked up Attachments, and immediately started rereading it and can't put it down--again. I'm currently listening to The Lonely Hearts Club which is also a reread. I just get in these moods sometimes where I just want to read/listen to familiar books. I'm fine with it because when I get overwhelmed with new releases/arcs (like I am right now), I can easily slump and rereading keeps me reading, at least. It is what it is. I don't beat myself up about reading anymore as long as I'm reading something.

New releases: I have a fairly hefty haul to share with you this week. So without further ado, I hope you are having fabulous weekends!

For Review

 
    

  

The Lifeboat Clique by Kathy Parks

A girl finds herself on a lifeboat with a group of popular kids--including her ex-best friend--after a tsunami hits a party she snuck into. This looks really fun.

Seven Black Dimonds by Melissa Marr

So I'll be honest, I don't really read books about the fae...and I'm not familiar with this author's work although I know she is popular, but something about this synopsis drew me in and I hope I enjoy this.

The Leaving Season by Cat Jordan

A girl's boyfriend leaves for a gap year before the two go to college together. I think it is pretty easy to figure out what happens by reading the synopsis, but I won't spoil it for those of you who don't read them.

Girl Last Seen by Heather Anastasiu

This is another former friend murder mystery, but the youtube star aspect give it a fresh spin (hopefully).

Charmed by Jen Calonita

I haven't read Flunked yet, but I love these covers so much. So pretty!

The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever by Jeff Strand

A group of kids decide to make a zombie film. I hope this is as fun as it sounds.

Feminism by Nadia Higgins

Rock on.
American Girls by Nancy Jo Sales
As both a teacher and a wannabe author, I find books like this fascinating.

The Literature Book by DK Publishers

I love this series of books from DK. They are so fun and easy to read, plus they are super informative.

What I snagged from the library

  

Book:

Riders by Veronica Rossi

About the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I've been excited for this one.

Audio:

Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

I read this years ago, but don't really remember it. It's fun on audio so far.

Movie:

Bridge of Spies
I love Tom Hanks. I'd watch him in anything.

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