Reads things. Writes things. Fluent in sarcasm. Willful optimist. Cat companion, chocolate connoisseur, coffee drinker. There are some who call me Mom.
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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is which books top our wish lists (because every review blogger has one miles long, I’m sure).
So here’s a funny story. I was cleaning off the top of the dresser yesterday (It’s been a while, but let’s not talk about that.) and I totally struck gold. I found A BARNES & NOBLE GIFT CARD. Unused. For forty dollars!
Which of course translates into only one thing: book shopping!
My book wish list is ridiculously long and full of loads of books I am pining for, but here are the books which will be competing for purchase on my shiny new gift card. While some of the books I’m pining for most are still only available for pre-order, you’ll only see books already released on my list. I’ll save the pre-orders for another day. (Note: Sadly, basic math says I can’t buy all of these books with my gift card, so I’ll have to narrow it down from ten to the ones I want most up to the ceiling of my card. First world problems.)
Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury – I read a sample of the first few chapters of this book and definitely want to read the rest. In fact, I don’t know why I haven’t bought it already or at least tracked down a copy through the library.
The City of Ember (The First Book of Ember ) by Jeanne DuPrau – I know almost nothing about this series, except that one of my closest friends (and one of my only friends in real life who reads YA and admits to it) LOVES this book. And that, my friends, is good enough for me. I trust her. Even though she did not like Cry, the Beloved Country, which made me cry inside just a little bit.
Mindwar by Andrew Klavan – Strangely, I’ve only read the third book in this series, but I really enjoyed a lot of things about it. It gave me things I wanted from Ready Player One. I liked the characters, too.
The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey – I’ve been absolutely pining for this book since I read The Girl at Midnight. And it’s finally here! The Girl at Midnight definitely reminded me of Daughter of Smoke and Bone with its other-world and girl-out-of-her-world things it has going on. I loved the characters. Loved the story. Can’t wait for more.
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh – this book hit my radar when Katherine Marsh released another book called The Door By the Staircase, which also sounds great. Jepp deals with issues of fate, and I find myself desperate to know how his quest resolves.
X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz with Kekla Magoon – I forget where I first noticed this book. I think it might have been in a BuzzFeeds list or something. This is a novelized story about Malcom X, co-written by his daughter. Definitely interested in this one.
The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz – I might be the only person who hasn’t read this book. At least, that’s what I think whenever I see it, like, everywhere on the interwebs. Every time I read a historical novel I tell myself I should read them more often. I love the idea of reading a story set in the early 1900s about a girl who dreams of being more than a hired girl. Looks awesome. Must read.
Starflight by Melissa Landers – I think I saw this one advertised on Facebook, and actually, I can’t recall reading any actual reviews of it. Reading the book description makes me think Firefly meets These Broken Stars, which sounds like a great pairing to me. (If I had you at Firefly, we should be friends.)
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab – I’m a huge fan of the type of fantasy-scape described in the marketing copy. Also– the copy claims this is perfect for fans of Holly Black, Maggie Stiefvater and Laini Taylor? That’s me! (Okay, confession: I need to read Holly Black. Haven’t yet. But I will. Hopefully soon. but Stiefvater and Taylor are pretty sure bets for me.) Also I read some cool stuff on Victoria Schwab’s twitter page. That might be where I first learned about this book, actually. So, yay Twitter.
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson – I saw this on several must-read-type Top Ten Tuesday posts, and the description made me laugh so hard I almost had tears. Yes, please! There is never enough furious happiness in my life.
Summertime flies. In our county, we’re just two weeks away from school starting up again. Already, back-to-school gear is everywhere in stores. It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over. I feel like only a few weeks ago school was ending. But alas.
This past month, I posted a couple of lists– one about underrated books and one about books that made me dream about new hobbies. In fact, one of my reviews (Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet) came from another blogger’s list of underrated books.
As far as reviews, it was a busy month! Here’s a quick note on each book I reviewed.
A middle grade historical novel about a girl who is forced to move to a Japanese internment camp in California in the 1940s. I thought this was a really moving story, and it walked the balance well between showing reality and preserving the innocence of young readers.
The follow-up to the popular Girl on a Wire, which I really wish I’d read first. Girl in the Shadows features a female magician who discovers she has real magic, and that a secret group is hunting her for it.
This was my nonfiction pick for July. You’ve probably seen some of the #IWishMyTeacherKnew posts on Twitter– this book is by the teacher who posted that first note and why she started doing the exercises with her classes to begin with. It’s a lot about how to build a supportive community environment within the classroom. It’s an excellent read for parents as well. I learned a lot reading it.
Jules moves from her NYC home to a Texas ranch with her mom, and both ladies are determined to learn how to care for the ranch themselves. This was a lot of fun to read.
A light sci-fi about a group of humans struggling for survival post-war with machines (which the machines won.) The heroine dies in the opening scene… but her clone rejoins the group. Is she a separate person, or does she get treated as a carbon copy replacement of her original?
This novel was just honored with the Christy Award. The story is a suspense/dystopian mash-up. A serial killer takes girls from the lowest caste. Guards must find him before he kills again.
Peace. Love. Order. Dome. Those are the rules Natalia lives under. But soon she learns that her leaders have kept dark secrets. What she uncovers may destroy the dome itself.
This was one of my favorites this month. In an era in which talent can be bought, a lowly laborer possesses a natural talent that leaders will stop at nothing to destroy. The son of a powerful leader believes controlling talent is wrong will have to risk his life to prove it. Great read. I loved the imagery that related to music.
A Chinese-American girl struggles to learn the meaning of friendship through the books she reads when her best school friend abandons her for a new girl. I loved the references to other stories and Anna totally had my heart.
Author Jeff Wheeler listed this book as one he was really excited about, and later I heard other bloggers talking about it. So I checked it out. And I’m so glad I did! This was more of a new adult story by the character’s ages. Definitely a great read for fans of Melissa Grey’s The Girl at Midnight or Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.
Conjoined twins wrestle with what it is to be normal, and how to pursue their very different dreams for college and a future. I liked a lot of things about this story. If you liked One by Sarah Crossan, check this one out.
Another of my favorites this month. Kenley Davidson is awesome. I loved the first book in the series, Traitor’s Masque, which is a retelling of Cinderella, and I loved this one, too. Goldheart is a retelling of Rumplestiltskin. I loved the way Davidson pulled the familiar tale into a completely fresh and new story.
Ever since her grandparents’ deaths, Anna has felt disconnected from her life and her friends. She becomes more and more focused on ending her life. Aliya notices Anna’s strange behavior and starts to worry, but she doesn’t want to overreact. Surely talented, put-together Anna can’t be thinking of suicide. This is a pretty dark read, but the story also offers hope.
Sneak Peek at August
Here are a few of the books you can expect to see reviewed here next month:
After her grandparents’ unexpected deaths, Anna begins to feel untethered from her life. She fantasizes about suicide, the only end to the awful pressure of existing that she can see. On the outside, her best friend Aliya senses something isn’t right with her usually level-headed friend. But as Anna’s behavior becomes more and more erratic, it’s hard for her friends and family members to face the truth that something is deeply wrong.
This is a fairly dark story about a teenage girl suffering from depression. What I liked most was having the inside and outside views of Anna—in her point-of-view and her friend Aliya’s. I found it easy to empathize especially with Aliya because while she watched Anna spiral downward, she wanted to help, but she didn’t want to overreact. Where’s the line between someone having an off day versus some kind of deeper masked depression? I had several friends who wrestled with thoughts of suicide in high school, so that definitely resonated with me.
There are a couple of sections of the story written from Anna’s mom’s point-of-view that I didn’t think were really necessary. Of anything, they felt the most preachy and repetitive, since often we saw the same scene again through Anna’s perspective.
Often a story about depression (sometimes even without meaning to) glamorizes the depression itself. This story doesn’t do that. Anna’s feelings are disturbing, even to her, but she feels trapped by them. They make her blind to the things going on around her—things like the boy who has a crush on her, and the joy she once felt spending time with her friends. Detached captured that element of depression really well, I thought, and it also offers hope without feeling chastising or belittling to Anna’s experience. We see the trauma that not only she experiences. We see it in the reactions of her family members and her friends.
While I think this is a great examination of depression and suicidal thoughts, some of Anna’s ideas and pursuits are a bit graphic. This might not be a good read for someone in the midst of these kinds of feelings. Friends and family members of someone suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts might find the window into Anna’s and her family’s experiences validating or helpful.
See the content notes for additional information.
Cultural Elements
None.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate profanity. The first half only uses mild profanity infrequently. After an intense event, Anna ups the ante and swears quite a bit (which she acknowledges).
Romance/Sexual Content Kyle hopes to ask Anna out, but instead chickens out.
Spiritual Content Anna briefly contemplates jumping in front of a car to end her life, but worries about facing God afterward. What if she killed innocent people in the process?
Later, she comments that maybe God figures she deserves to die after all when one of her plans to kill herself seems to be coming together easily.
Anna faces her family’s grief over her depression, and for a moment wishes to go back to believing she succeeded with her suicide.
Violent Content Anna spends a lot of time fantasizing about and planning her suicide. She makes several attempts to kill herself, one of which is pretty violent. A boy hangs himself in a tree on Halloween. He appears to be the victim of bullying.
Drug Content
Anna and her friends sneak off to parties a couple of times. Anna drinks beer and lies to her mom about it. Aliya and her friends also drink.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
After recovering from a kidnapping, Elaine Westover wants nothing more than to live a quiet secluded life with her paints. But as her father’s home falls into disrepair and his business fails, she has little choice but to offer her services painting portraits. When a wealthy man hires her to paint an impossible portrait for a year’s income, Elaine considers accepting the job. At the interview, he makes it clear she has no choice but to accept, and he bundles her off to the attic against her will, promising to release and reward her when she completes his task. Her only friend and protector is Will, a young man she takes to be a servant. He vows to help her in any way he can, and soon she realizes she’s falling in love with him. Will feels drawn to Elaine as well, but when he discovers the connection between his family and hers, he knows he can never let her discover his name without ruining every moment they’ve shared together.
The first book in the Andari Chronicles was one of the best surprises I’ve had this year. I loved Davidson’s retelling of the story of Cinderella with its added political intrigue, and ever since I read it, I’ve been excited to read more. I like that this story features characters who appear very briefly in Traitor’s Masque, most importantly, Elaine Westover. While she didn’t strike me as a particularly dynamic character in the first book (she’s really just mentioned and off-stage the entire story), I liked the way her character unfolded in Goldheart.
Rumplestiltskin isn’t one of my favorite fairytales, and I wasn’t sure how a painter would factor into a retelling, but I have to say, I loved how it all played out. The themes about value and gold made the story even richer (see what I did there? Ha ha.) than the original tale. One thing that Davidson does really well is to craft believable fairytale men with believable friendships. Will and Blaise were a great pair, and the scenes featuring the banter between the two of them rank among my favorites.
So far I have to recommend this whole series. I’ll be reading the third book soon, though I’m honestly tempted to start it today. The next book is a retelling of Twelve Dancing Princesses and features another character I enjoyed from Traitor’s Masque: the prince’s friend, Kyril. Can’t wait!
Fans of fairytales definitely need to give these stories a read. They’re a bit grittier than Melanie Dickerson’s novels and a bit more traditional than Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles. It definitely reminds me of Robin McKinley’s Beauty and Spindle’s End, but without the magical elements.
Cultural Elements
The landscape of the story and the characters feel very Western European.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used with moderate frequency.
Romance/Sexual Content A man makes veiled threats that he could and might harm Elaine. She fears for her physical safety and it’s clear he could rape her if he chose, though it’s not explicitly stated. A man hints that his friend needs a few minutes alone in a carriage with a certain woman, but he means for privacy, not sexual reasons.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content Elaine has nightmares and remains tormented by memories of her earlier kidnapping. (From the first book in the series.) A man is bound and left in a cellar after being smacked around a bit. A madman lights his home on fire and himself as well.
Drug Content
None.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Top Ten Tuesday is a Weekly Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is about books that inspire us to learn new things, or at least make us wish we could! Here are some of the books that made me want to take up new hobbies.
Reading about Inej’s amazing spider-like abilities made me wish I was athletic and brave enough to learn some parkour. It looks like so much fun. Well, until you watch all those reels of fail videos. Ouch!
Okay, this one is only slightly cheating because I’ve always wanted to learn glass-blowing anyway. Fun fact: a girl I grew up with actually has an arts degree in this. Anyway, reading about Lucy and how she feels about and connects with her art really made me wish we had local classes that I could take.
Both the protagonists in these books are painters, and I loved the imagery and descriptions of how painting made them feel and how they expressed what they were feeling in the things they painted. I dabbled with painting while I was in school, and I’ve always wanted to continue with more classes. This made me really hungry for it.
I love poetry. I love that a talented poet can use only a few words to paint an incredibly vivid picture and communicate powerful emotions to a reader. This book made me want to write poetry, even though my attempts are often cheesy and hopelessly abstract in a bad way.
(Honorable mention: Good Grief by Lolly Winston, which isn’t YA, but definitely made me wish I was a baker! I would love to have Sophie’s cheesecake recipes. Yum!)
I don’t know if anyone could read this book and NOT want a slice of pie. The best part about this? The author anticipated this and includes recipes in the back of the book! I love cooking, but I’m horrible at baking. This book made me want to give it another try. Like, now.
Despite the fact that I took ballet lessons for years of my life, I’m not the most coordinated person. (I think the idea that dancers are graceful is a bad stereotype anyway. We spend most of our time in wide open spaces where there’s nothing to trip over/bash into, so put us in a room with breakables and floor height changes and see what happens.) I stood on a skateboard one time. I liked it. That’s about as far as that went. I would love to learn to actually do even some of the most basic skateboarding moves. While the skating isn’t a HUGE theme in the story, the ease with which Riley moves and how soothing it is to him definitely made me envious.
I took ballet classes for lots of years, and even though it’s been a long time, I do still miss it. I loved reading about a dancer. It’s always fun for me to read books about ballerinas because I actually know what the names of the moves are and have done them. It’s like reading a book with some Spanish dialogue and being able to trot out your high school Spanish and follow along without needing the interpretation.
Books about punk rock kids hold a special place in my heart because for the last let’s not talk about how many years, I’ve been writing about a trio of punk kids myself. Music is another hobby I’ve dabbled in– once upon a time someone handed me a guitar and a chord dictionary, and I went from there– but I’ve never really taken lessons or learned anything complex. Both these books made me want to take up music again.
What about you?
Have you read any books lately that tempted you to pursue new hobbies? If you’ve read any of the books on my list, did you like them?
A small town home fits just right for Clara, who longs to study the night sky and live in the familiar community where everyone knows her and her sister Hailey. But Hailey wants more. She learns of an art program in San Francisco, and soon it’s all she can think about. Problem is, where Hailey goes, Clara must go, as the two are conjoined twins. While Clara and Hailey can’t imagine life any other way, they each long for things that seem impossible. A boyfriend. World travel. A trip to the stars.
Last year I read One by Sarah Crossan, and I kind of expected this story to follow much the same path. Instead, Gemini charts its own course, following the story of two gifted girls. There were definitely some unexpected moments. At one point, Hailey confronts a girl who’d been a bully in the past. The girl responds angrily, saying she’s spent years trying to make up for her mistake and be kind to Hailey and Clara. Hailey realizes that perhaps this is true, and perhaps she’s the one who’s been holding a grudge and being judgmental. This was a great moment, and it challenged some overused themes about who the bullies and the victims are.
The twins explore what it would take to have a normal life and whether that’s worth risking everything to have. Mukherjee let that journey wind through familiar and expected territory and also into some paths less often tread. Gemini made me appreciate the choices Clara and Hailey made and celebrate their victories and dreams. Some of their dreams become possible. Others remain out of reach. But isn’t that life for us all?
Readers who enjoyed One by Sarah Crossan would probably also enjoy this novel. Fans of Sister Pact by Stacie Ramey and stories that explore deep emotional questions and the bonds of sisterhood will want to add Gemini to their reading lists.
Cultural Elements
Hailey and Clara are conjoined twins, joined back to back. Juanita is one of the girls’ best friends and confidantes. At the start of the story, a boy joins Hailey’s and Clara’s classes. They soon discover that he stutters, especially in situations with high social pressure.
Clara especially struggles with social situations in which people stare or say and do rude things. One of the reasons the family lives in a small community is so that everyone will get used to seeing them and they’ll be able to have something like a normal life within the community. The story explores the idea of normalcy and what it really means to the girls. As they begin to think about college programs, it’s clear they have very different aspirations.
The boys, Alek and Max, address Hailey and Clara individually, at times almost forgetting that they’re joined. While all of that happened seamlessly in the scenes of the story, it felt like a big statement about their individuality and personhood, one I felt was cleverly incorporated into the story.
The issue of surgery to separate the twins does come up, and they evaluate it carefully.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used with moderate frequency.
Romance/Sexual Content Boys from school tease Clara’s new friend Max about his interest in her and Hailey, saying he must be interested in them because he’d be getting two girls at the same time. Max explodes, yelling at the way the other boys speak about Hailey and Clara, as if they’re objects or sex toys.
Spiritual Content None.
Violent Content Hailey’s friend Alek paints a picture that disturbs her. His art often involves gore or dark elements. He later explains why death so often appears in his art juxtaposed against Thomas Kincade-like settings. The pictures are usually only briefly described. The picture that bothers Hailey has a little more description. Alek explains the symbolism of the image and why there’s so much blood, and he means the expression to be flattering. (Yeah, this doesn’t make much sense here. It makes more sense in the story, but I don’t want to give too much away.)
Drug Content
The girls go to a party, but leave early.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
