Author Interview: Alleece Balts

One of the books I enjoyed reading lately is The Crowd by Alleece Balts. Today, Alleece joins me to talk more about what inspired her to write The Crowd and what we can look forward to when Ella’s story continues in The Journey.

ME: I find that a story is often inspired by a question. Was there a question that inspired you to write The Crowd?

ALLEECE BALTS: What if you found yourself the victim of bullying, but not at the hands of just one mean kid – what if an entire school was against you? What could you do on your own? That’s a pretty heavy subject matter, but I didn’t necessarily want to write an angry or brooding book because I feel like there are already a number of dark books out there that deal with bullying. So for The Crowd I really strived to write something entertaining … Continue reading

Top Ten Books On My Wish List

TTT Books on My Wish ListTop Ten Tuesday: Books On My Wish List

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 … Continue reading

Monthly Wrap-Up: July 2016

july2016_2July 2016

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.

Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Continue reading

Review: Goldheart by Kenley Davidson

goldheartGoldheart
Kenley Davidson
Page Nine Media
Available May 2016

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Web Site

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 … Continue reading

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Made Me Want to Learn Things

TTTTop 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.

Six of Crows by Leigh BardugoSix of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – parkour

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!

Continue reading

Review: The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng

year of the bookThe Year of the Book
Andrea Cheng
HMH Books for Young Readers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When a social shift at school leaves Anna without her best friend, she turns to books for companionship. When she feels pressure in Chinese class because she doesn’t know as much as the other kids, books are her refuge. But as the people in Anna’s life begin to experience troubles of their own, she learns that sometimes, just like the heroes in her stories, she must step out into the unknown and offer help. Sometimes, Anna learns, this is precisely what makes for the best friendships.

Anna charmed me from the first page. I loved the descriptions of the stories she … Continue reading