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February News, Upcoming Reviews, and Other Updates

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Blogging Goals for The Story Sanctuary

How is it February already?! I started the year with lots of glorious plans, many of which are still sitting on a to-do list somewhere, waiting to be realized. For instance, I have some blog-related goals:

  • Create a 2016 To Read List. In the past, my reading lists have been really simple, just a bulleted list which I add a link to once I’ve read and posted my review of the book. I’d really like to do something a bit fancier that has thumbnails of the book covers, links to sites where you can buy the book, etc.
  • Add a fourth weekly post. Not a fourth review, mind you. Two-to-three reviews per week is about all I can keep up with, honestly. I’d love to read all the time, but alas… the whole day-job thing keeps getting in the way. Not to mention that whole sleeping phenomenon that my body wants to spend all kinds of time on. Anyway, I’d like to add a weekly list post. Whether it’s great books I’ve read lately, upcoming reviews, favorite quotes. Things like that.
  • 2015reads_feb_update
    Books I Meant to Read in 2015

    Catch up on the books I meant to read last year. I transitioned to 2016 with about a dozen books left on my To Read list from 2015, and I really want to catch up on those. I’ve read a few already, as you can see. I’m also really trying to work in some of the books I own but haven’t read yet. Not sure what this means in terms of accepting new reviews. Still figuring out the logistics.

  • Comment on other blogs more. I used to be better about this. Partly, reading other review blogs is awesome because inevitably I find books I haven’t heard about, and partly it’s overwhelming because I find too many books I haven’t heard about. But it’s still a good practice, and I do enjoy it.
  • Review more Christian/Clean Middle Grade and Young Adult Books. My original goal with this blog was twofold: 1. To review Christian and clean fiction books to raise awareness about them. And 2. To review popular novels so that parents and readers can find out what kind of content exists in various teen books. I try not to judge, but to provide information so parents can judge what’s appropriate for their kids. So I feel like I’ve done better at the second goal than the first one, and I’d like to bring more balance into the scope of what I read and review.

So there you have my list of blogging goals for this year.

Our Handsome Kitty

In Other February News

(read: this is where I talk about my cat)

The cat we adopted last summer is really acclimating to our home. He likes to lounge on me every night while I’m reading on my tablet. The only problem? He likes to turn the pages while I’m reading! It’s adorably frustrating, because he likes to turn them when he’s ready. Not when I’m ready. So we’re working on that.

This is a picture of him. I haven’t managed to get a picture of him in the act of “reading” with me mainly because I only have two hands, but I’ll post one if I catch him. He’s been a great addition to our family over all. We hope to get another cat sometime soon. He’ll have a kitty friend!

Coming Soon

Reviews Coming February 2016

Over the next few weeks, you’ll see some new reviews and other excitement. One of the things I’m super excited about is a blog tour for Katherine Marsh’s The Door by the Staircase, which is a middle grade novel with some references to Russian folklore. I’m a huge fan of re-imagined fairy tales, so I can’t wait to share more about this book later this month. Other reviews coming soon include:

  • Bad Luck by Pseudonymous Bosch. A light, funny middle grade read.
  • Curio by Evangeline Denmark. A girl discovers a secret world in her grandfather’s repair shop.
  • You Were Here by Cori McCarthy. A contemporary story about a girl still dealing with the unexpected death of her brother. Also– one of the narrators doesn’t talk, so his scenes are told through graphic novel panels. I *love* this!
  • The Feuds by Avery Hastings. You might remember me raving about this book last year when I read the sequel. Boxing, ballet, and genetically engineered human perfection. All the things a good dystopian novel needs, right?
  • Blue Gold by Elizabeth Stewart. I’m pretty sure I heard about this on Twitter, but I’m not sure. Follows the story of three girls and their connection to a rare mineral used to make smart phones. Love the message of social responsibility.

Your Turn!

So what’s on your list of goals for this year? What are you most excited about reading? If there’s a book you really want to see reviewed, leave me a comment! I’ll see what I can do about getting a copy.

 

Mini Reviews: Never Never Part 1 and Reprieve

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Never, Never (Part 1) by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher / Hoover Ink

I stumbled across this series of novellas on Amazon. Of the three parts, I’ve only read Part 1. It basically seems like a novel broken into three pieces. The whole series is available as a bundle for $2.99, which is a pretty great deal.

In terms of the story, it was definitely a wild ride. There’s a lot of romantic tension and some sexual content (main characters watch a video that includes a sex scene, thought it’s dark and only sounds are described) and brief violence. I was really hooked by the idea that both characters have lost their memories and are scrambling both to pretend they’ve got things under control/run their lives as if nothing’s wrong but also figure out what made them lose their memories. It’s clear something sinister happened, and we don’t know if our protags are good guys or bad guys. Will I read part 2? Possibly. I’m definitely curious about the story. Not curious enough to bump it ahead of the rest of my TBR list, though, so for now it’ll have to wait.

Inherit the Stars: Reprieve by Tessa Elwood/Running Press

After falling face-first in love with Inherit the Stars (read my review), I HAD to read this short story featuring Asa and her sister Wren (who is unconscious in Inherit the Stars.) I’ve read short stories by authors whose novels I love and been disappointed by the lack of structure (short fiction is not as easy as you think), but this was not the case with Elwood’s tale. The writing was powerful and the characters really moving. I loved having that chance to see Wren and Asa interact with one another, to have that real-time look at how their relationship worked. It only strengthened my understanding of Asa’s motives in Inherit the Stars. If you liked the novel, I recommend the short story. If you haven’t read the novel, check out the short story. It’s free, and you’ll get a really good feel for the narrative in the full-length novel. Update: I can’t seem to find a good link for the short story online. I think I got it on Amazon, but I don’t see it there now. Check out the Goodreads page and see if maybe it gets updated to show it posted somewhere else?

 

Reading Recap and Plans for 2016

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The last two weeks of 2015 flew past me without a moment for blogging, and I’m only now beginning to catch up on the massive list of things I want to do around here. There are books to read, author interviews to post, exciting blog tours coming up, and of course, more books than I could possibly hope to read!

Coming Soon: Books I’ve Read to Review

To start, here are the books I have read but haven’t posted reviews for yet:

I’m super excited about posting my review of Eleanor & Park. Rainbow Rowell is an author I’ve been meaning to read for a while. I had started Fangirl last summer, but just didn’t get into it. In E&P, she had me at the first line. Wowza. And I felt like I held my breath until the last line. If you haven’t looked at the fan art for the story, it’s definitely worth checking out, too. There are some really clever/cute images.

I also LOVED Paradox of Vertical Flight. I read it after being selected for a blog tour to promote Ostrovsi’s sophomore novel Away We Go. After the amazing ride that was his debut, I can’t wait to read his next. (Also… he’ll be here on TSS in the form of an author interview! *insert hyperventilating and hoarse star-struck sputtering*)

So all those lovely titles will be reviewed here in the next couple of weeks as well as a couple of shorter pieces. I recently read both a short story (“Reprieve” by Tessa Elwood, author of Inherit the Stars) and a novella (Never Never part 1 by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher) that I thought deserved a post. So those will be appearing as well.

But, Wait. There’s More! (Books I Meant to Read Last Year)

Curious about what’s coming after that? In taking stock of my 2015 To Read List, I noticed some books I wasn’t able to fit in. I haven’t accepted many new reviews for Jan-March. My plan is to work back through that list and catch up on those first. Here’s the list:

Every Blogger Has a Mammoth TBR List. This is (part of) Mine…

I’ve also got quite a towering stack of books sitting on shelves and next to my bed that I need to read. Nightingale’s Nest, Shouldn’t You Be In School, Across a Star-Swept Sea, All the Bright Places, Belzhar, and Feuds are among those. Also worth noting (translation: can’t believe I didn’t list these on my TBR list) are Brown Girl Dreaming, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Isle of the Lost, and Embers in the Ashes. Here’s the full stack:

And those are only the actual physical copies of books that I have. Doesn’t include the lists of ebooks filling up my tablet. More reading for me! So it’s already shaping up to be a busy season for reading in my house. My daughter is most excited about the Descendants book and the finale to the Lemony Snicket series All the Wrong Questions.

I also accumulated several really cool nonfiction books that I’m eager to crack open. I’ll save those for another post, though.

How about you?

So how about you? What are you reading now? What did you plan to read last year that you haven’t managed to sit down with yet?

My Favorite Books from 2015 (January to October)

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My Favorite Books from 2015 (So Far…)

So these are not guaranteed to be clean teen reads. This list is made up of the stories and characters which most captured me, deprived me of sleep or free thought until I’d finished the very last page or beyond. Read my reviews (click the book title) for more information on content of each novel. Enjoy!

1. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman – I loved that Shusterman took us on this journey through mental illness and it felt so authentic. At the same time the metaphorical structure made it easy to follow the story and added to its complexity.

2. When You Leave by Monica Ropal – This was one of those books that I read in one sitting and thought about for weeks afterward. I loved the characters and the way Ropal explores the unanswered questions left behind when we lose someone.

3. Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas – I was a little bit torn between this book and Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, but the tie breaker for me was the fact that I loved both the boys in Because You’ll Never Meet Me so incredibly much and couldn’t stop rooting for them. I didn’t realize until just now that both books feature boys named Ollie/Olly, but also deal with a person who is unable to be around others for medical reasons. Both were great books, but BYNMM takes top prize for me.

4. The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey – I loved the fantastic story world in this book. It definitely reminded me a bit of Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but it wasn’t quite so dark, I thought. I loved the romance.

5. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella – This book made me laugh so hard I had tears streaming down my face. The relationships between characters is absolutely great, and the way Audrey’s illness affects each family member is really well-explored. I think it takes a truly amazing writer to take a hard topic like mental illness and yet relate events to us in such a way that we can still laugh. Kinsella definitely has the knack for it.

6. The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow – Right from the very beginning, I was completely hooked on this story. Such high stakes! And I loved that they AI character(s) didn’t follow all the stereotypes about how AI would behave, etc.

7. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – Are you tired of hearing about how much I like this book yet? I feel like it’s all I’m talking about right now. Totally immersive story world. Characters that I just can’t stop thinking about. And an impossible heist to keep me on the edge of my seat.

8. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – This book is like World War Z meets 2001: A Space Oddyssey. Some nights I could not go to sleep for thinking about this book. The dialogue and the unique presentation are definitely among the book’s strengths. I would definitely pick up a follow-up story to this one.

9. These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly – If you’ve been around TSS much lately, you know I LOVE me some books by Jennifer Donnelly. This book really scratched an itch for me. It’s a historical set in the 1890s and touches on some feminist themes about that time. It’s also a murder-mystery and has a really intense (but not explicit) romance. Loved it!

What’s your favorite?

Have you read any of the above books? What are your favorites so far this year?

Upcoming Reviews: October 2015 Part 2

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October 2015 Upcoming Reviews: Part 2

I’m not a huge fan of scary stories, but with Halloween coming soon, I figured it would be festive to include some spookier tales. This is about as wild as I get. Here’s a bit about each book and why I’m looking forward to reading it. Enjoy!

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

About the book: Kady and Ezra, who were until recently girlfriend and boyfriend, must now overcome  awkward post-relationship weirdness and escape invasion, war, and plague.

Why I’m reading it: I read a sample of this story and liked the way it’s told in interview snippets and documents. I really liked those parts of These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.

The Dredge by Jaimie M. Engle

About the book: Sean Marrok’s gift might allow him to stand up to the Regime, but he’ll have to escape them first.

Why I’m reading it: I enjoyed Jaimie Engle’s middle grade story Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light a couple of years ago. This story sounds super different, and I’m eager to see Engle’s writing style applied to dark sci-fi in this novella which won honorable mention in the L Ron Hubbard 2013 Writers of the Future contest.

As White as Snow by Salla Simukka

About the book: A Prague getaway turns into a desperate attempt to save her sister for renowned sleuth Lumikki Andersson. She’s not actually sure this mystery girl is really her sister, but something about the girl’s desperation drives Lumikki to help her, even if it means risking her own life.

Why I’m reading it: This is one of the books I received from Children’s Literature, for whom I also write reviews. As a fan of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I’m interested to read this book, which boasts to be a sure win with fans of Stieg Larsson.

The All Powerful by J K Brown

About the book: Dark powers fuel Jason’s incredible military success and make him a target for a a ruthless Shadow mercenary. Jason teams up with powerful Elementals, but will they be ready for battle in time?

Why I’m reading it: I seem to have an interest in stories about space militia. I wouldn’t have guessed that about myself, but I’m definitely keen to find out whether Jason learns to harness his power in a good way and whether his allies are strong enough to stand against the darkness.

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

About the book: After her father’s death in a shooting accident, Jo and a local reporter uncover an ugly truth surrounding her father’s death and what really happened.

Why I’m reading it: I’ve been talking about this book for the longest time, and I’m finally reviewing it! Yay! It looks dark and suspenseful, and it’s got some mystery to it as the heroine explores the truth behind her father’s death. It’s a little different than my usual picks, but all the more reason to bring it on.

What’s on your reading list?

What spooky stories are on your reading list this month? What do you recommend that hasn’t made my list yet? Have you read any of these titles already, and if so, what did you think?

Upcoming Reviews: October 2015 Part 1

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October Reviews at The Story Sanctuary: Part 1

This month The Story Sanctuary has a pretty diverse line-up, featuring reviews from indie authors, Christian publishers as well as some books from Netgalley’s list of YA publishing houses. Good stuff which I can’t wait to share coming this October 2015. Here’s a bit about why I chose each of these titles for review:

Never Said by Carol Lynch Williams

About the book: Sarah’s sister Anna has always been the perfect one, and then suddenly she’s not. Sarah’s own crises draw her and Anna together once again, and the walls between them crumble once again as they finally share the things they never said to one another.

Why I’m reading it: As a girl with two sisters, I have a soft spot for this type of story. The description reminds me a little bit of Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, which is one of my favorites.

Shades of Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

About the book: Best friends Vee and Kenna are finally safe and free in the kingdom of Doon, and they’re ready to make the most of it by celebrating with all their friends. All too soon a strange dark force boots the girls back into the awful reality of their former lives. To put an end to Doon’s latest threat will require all their strength and spunk.

Why I’m reading it: I’ve been meaning to read this series for quite some time. The covers of all three series books have been gorgeous, and I love the blend of modern day girls and a kingdom of fantasy.

The Lost Princess by Dani-Lyn Alexander

About the book: Ryleigh has left her home world to be with Jackson, who has just accepted rule of his father’s kingdom. Rumors of conspiracy threaten his court. Ryleigh leaves on a search for a missing relic. Jackson must find her before evil plots come to fruition.

Why I’m reading it: I can’t resist a good fantasy. This feels somewhere between Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series and possibly Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan. At least, that’s my hope.

Hopper-Hill Family by Erika Castiglioni

About the book: Piper always wanted a sibling, but she gets more than she bargained for when her cousins move in with her family.

Why I’m reading it: As a parent in a blended family, I’m always interested in books that feature characters and situations surrounding blended family issues. I’m hoping this one will be a story I can recommend to others as well as enjoy for myself.

Magic to Memphis by Julie Starr

About the book: Seventeen year-old Jessie travels to Memphis to win a music contest and finds herself caught in the sights of a killer.

Why I’m reading it: One of the elements I find most intriguing about the story is that Jessie discovers her dad made the same trek to Memphis long ago. I am a total sucker for father/son or father/daughter themes, and I’m hoping for big things from this one.