Teaser Tuesday: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater.

The Dream Thieves –
Scholastic Press

All of us have secrets in our lives. We’re keepers or keptfrom, players or played. Secrets and cockroaches — that’s what will be left at the end of it all.
— Prologue

“So what you’re saying is you can’t explain it.”
“I did explain it.”
“No, you used nouns and verbs together in a pleasing but illogical format.”
— Chapter 5

Since most of you are not from the same part of the world as I am ... at least that’s what statistics tell me ... most of you won’t understand the quote “Well, here we are again, old lovely ...”. It’s from a sketch that Germans traditionally watch on New Year’s Eve (called Dinner for One – ignore the man at the beginning and start at about 2:24). Anyway, end of the year and probably my last book this year is playing catch up to a series I must confess I slightly lost sight of. Despite reading trackers and publication lists, there were just too many other things I also wanted to read. So many books, so little time. I’m not too far into this yet, so I can’t say very much about it apart from that I really should start taking notes for books in a series to remember the details. But I’m certain that more will come to me while I read. And the plus side of not getting to this book immediately is that the next is also already available.

What is your final read of the year? Share teasers and New Year’s resolutions in the comments. Have a very good turn of the year and I’ll see you on the flipside.

Teaser Tuesday: My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins.

My True Love Gave To Me –
St. Martin’s Press

Shame leads to secrets, and secrets lead to lies, and lies ruin everything. Especially friendships.
— Beer Buckets & Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire

“I’m pretty sure you spice your cookies with something illegal.”
“Cinnamon is not a controlled substance.”
— Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White

Season Greetings, dear readers! I hope that you have some holiday cheer ... or at least a kind of weather that is less wet and stormy as my current location. But who wants a white Christmas, when you can have a green, wet, and stormy one? Especially if you have a collection of brilliant, holiday-spirited short stories to keep you company. I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of the narrations. I even wish that some of them were longer and that I could have the chance to get to know more of the characters, but that is often the beauty of such stories that they leave the rest to you imagination. And no matter if you celebrate Christmas or the Winter Solstice or Hanukkah, these cute love stories will certainly bring cheer to your bookshelf.

What are your experiences with short story collections? Love them? Not so much? Indifferent? Let’s hear from you in the comments. Have a very merry Christmas, if you celebrate, and in any case a lovely week.

Teaser Tuesday: Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger.

Shut Out – Poppy

“I'm serious. They’ll call me a pussy.”
“And if you help them, I’ll call you a dick. So no matter what you do, you’re going to be some form of genitalia.”
— Chapter 2

Chloe didn’t have all the answers, either. I knew that now. But she had known something all along that I hadn’t: that being ashamed of what you want or how you feel is pointless, and letting anyone else make you feel ashamed is a waste. We all wanted different things, and that was okay.
— Chapter 32

I have no idea what it’s like to date a football player ... or a soccer player for that matter. At least not a professional one with a team feud and everything. But that’s beside the point. The point is that this book is cleverly funny and entertainingly adorable. It also helps if you like Greek comedies, but that’s optional. I especially like that the book is so open about girls and their talks and experiences of physical intimacy. I am aware that this might repel readers, but I think it’s important to depict in books because the topic is a reality at that age for many girls. No, it’s not an instrument to get what you want, from neither side. And I think this book is a humorous approach to show exactly that. Among other things.

Next I’m in the mood for some seasonal reading, I think. For the past two years I’ve re-read Dash & Lilly’s Book of Dares in the run up to the holidays. Do you have any re-reading traditions? Share suggestions and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.

The Retribution of Mara Dyer –
Simon & Schuster Books
for Young Readers

“The freaks shall inherit the earth.”
“I don’t think that’s how democracy works.”
“Democracy is overrated.”
“Spoken like a true dictator.”
— Chapter 26

I’d done things—things I regretted and things I didn’t. I was too old to blame them on being young. My family had been too good to me for me to blame it on them. I’d made my choices by myself. Some of them had been wrong, but they were my choices. I owned them. No one else.
— Chapter 59

I like challenging books. And I like books that need time to develop their theory. And I really like books that have a strong underlying network of clues that, if decoded, explains everything. With this final instalment of the Mara Dyer trilogy there are two options for me: It’s not been long enough for me to think about and come to a conclusion, or there was too much time between books that I missed vital details ... I refuse to believe that the hints weren’t there and that I sat there at the end with a complete “what the heck just happened” for nothing because it made no sense.
The previous two books, and this one as well, have a great way of playing with your concept of right and wrong, real and unreal, while always staying grounded in their basic principles. I admire how the author has created such a complex theory and framework for all of it to work and I already know that I will come back to the books and dissect them to find all the hidden hints, links, and meanings. Because I will understand everything about them and not just the basics, dang it!

Do you think that book series suffer when you have too much time between their publication dates? Do you re-read before a new book in a series comes out? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.

The Iron Trial –
Scholastic Press

They all yelled in excitement. Tamara yelled because she was happy, Aaron yelled because he liked it when other people were happy, and Call yelled because he was sure they were going to die.
— Chapter 10

“I see your future. One of you will fail. One of you will die. And one of you is already dead.”
— Chapter 14

Here’s what I should know by now but still struggle with: Reading in public is not something I should do if there is any chance of emotional turmoil ... and with these two authors that was obviously going to be the case. Mind you, this time I didn’t burst into tears (progress!), I just started arguing with the book and people maybe thought that I was a little demented. I had a lot of fun with this book and enjoyed the characters and story, the humour and the twisty twist that twists.
I have a severe dislike for all those supposed reviewers who have likened this to a certain seven-book-phenomenon-boy while obviously not having read the book. Or who discredit it because of the authors or whatever. No one is forcing anyone to read anything (well apart from school, but those books live and die with the teacher ... mostly). Books – and their authors – should never be objects of hate. Everyone is free to dislike a book or author, but that’s about it. No reason to be nasty about it or make others feel like they couldn’t possibly like something because that would clearly mean they had no taste.
I for my part am very much looking forward to discovering how this cursed business and the twist will work out. I understand that for this age group the book had to traditionally be a bit shorter, but I really wished that it could have been longer to add a little more detail and flesh out the world and its characters, which I’m sure will happen over the course of the following books. (A gentle reminder that the phenomenon-boy also took quite a while to grow into his characteristics ... I don’t recall him or his friends being fully formed characters in the first book. And rightly so, at eleven. That’s all the comparison I’m going to draw at this point.)

Is there a cooperation of two of you favourite authors that you would like to see? Or maybe it already exists? Share ideas and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins.

Isla and the Happily Ever After –
Dutton Children’s Books

I am hard on myself. But isn’t it better to be honest about these things before someone else can use them against you? Before someone else can break your heart? Isn’t it better to break it yourself? I thought honesty made people strong.
— Chapter 27

“Ugh, then who cares? You won’t lose anything you haven’t already lost.” She flicks a snowflake from the tip of my nose. “For once in your life, listen to your younger sister. She’s taller, and she knows better than you.”
— Chapter 30

First things first: It’s pronounced Eye-la ... like the first syllable of island. And now that we have that out of the way, secondly a confession: I still like Anna and the French Kiss best out of this series, but that is simple bias for the fish-out-of-water-experience the protagonist has in that book. Isla is firmly settled into her boarding school life and thus you won’t get the beautiful exploration phase of Paris in this book. Here you get the equally beautiful phase of two people quite freely admitting that they like each other and then encounter obstacles and manage them. I liked that the two didn’t have lengthy “does the other person like me at all moments” but that this story addresses the “does the other person love and accept me enough to overcome these problems”.
And the cameos of the other two couples cleverly gave both of them a great conclusion. I couldn’t stop smiling when I read that part. There were other parts of this book when I had to put it down and walk away for a few moments for love to hate this reasons, but I basically read this book in one sitting. An engrossing feel-good read with none of the shallow vapidity.
You can read this book without having read the other two books. But if you plan on reading those as well, I strongly recommend that you read them in order.

No creative question this week, just plain asking you to share your teasers in the comments. And if you celebrate this week: happy Thanksgiving to you!

Teaser Tuesday: Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan.

Team Human – HarperTeen

Let’s examine what a prize that is one more time: no more direct sunlight ever again, no more laughter. You get eternity, but you don’t have the sense of humor to enjoy it! Also, vampires don’t eat food. You never get to eat chocolate again. Ever.
I’d rather die.
— Chapter 4

But I couldn’t tell Cathy about Francis’s undead love-weasel ways. Anyway, this was more proof that Francis really was too old for her.
It truly was for her own good.
Agreeing with Francis gave me a stomachache, so I sat there and made a face.
— Chapter 9

As I’m currently reading a few books that won’t be out until late next year and I don’t quite want to tease you too badly, I picked up a random favourite author ... and look, I got a 2 for 1 deal! You might have noticed that I absolutely adore Sarah Rees Brennan and would possibly read a shopping list she wrote with similar enthusiasm to her other writings because I can’t imagine that it would be dull. In this book Sarah and Justine Larbalestier combine their genius to poke some good-natured fun at vampires and their often doe-eyed love interests. All in the name of saving humanity and rational thinking ... or something like that. And on top of that you get a really cool main character in a story that can be read as quite thought-provoking. But I dare you not to laugh or chuckle at least once while you’re reading.

Would you be the one who dates a vampire or the one who tries to convince the friend that there are more viable options? Share ideas and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan.

The Blood of Olympus –
Disney Hyperion

“Of course we’re not cool! You’re as bad as Jason! I’m trying to resent you for being all perfect and hero-y and whatnot. Then you go and act like a standup guy. How am I supposed to hate you if you apologize and promise to help and stuff?”
— Chapter 12

Your voice is your identity, he’d told Reyna. If you don’t use it, you’re halfway to Asphodel already.
He hated when his own advice applied to himself.
— Chapter 29

The story how Rick Riordan first entered my reading-consciousness is in itself quite entertaining ... or so I think. It all started a few years ago with Christmas approaching and my best friend asking me what I wanted – or rather, which book I wanted – she knows me quite well, after all. I hadn’t really thought about presents for myself (an eternal problem for said best friend) and so I scrolled through book recommendations of a certain unnamed online retailer. I had recently bought something or other about Greek mythology and I kept getting recommendations about this Percy Jackson guy ... I told my friend that she could choose between a list and threw Percy on there as well. And for a reason I don’t know she purchased a boxed set of the first three books. I read them all over Christmas break and then made my tutoring kid (reluctant reader if you’ve ever seen one) read them (in English, which I was coaching him in). He loved them and we found out that there were two more books to be published ... I had never seen this boy so anxious for me to bring him a reading assignment. I also had to explain that there is a certain amount of waiting involved between two books because the next might not be written yet. And seem patient to wait even if I was anything but.
Fast forward to today: My former pupil no longer needs my help but he just finished the book and we had a really good chat about it. Not in English, but at least he read it in English (good thing his impatience won against waiting for the translation). We both loved the book and are happy/sad to see the conclusion of this series. Percy and the other Demigods have accompanied us through quite a few years and it’s a little bit like saying farewell to really good friends. The finale was almost everything I hoped it would be. Close enough to perfection to be called perfect. There is the matter of Apollo, which I’m uncertain about and which might need some clearing up, but maybe that’s just me. I would have loved to see a bit more of some characters, but I understand why I didn’t and that’s okay. I don’t know if there is any more to tell about the Greek (and Roman) demigod world, yet I hope that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of them. In that sense: αντίο and vale, demigods.

Do you have stories of how a book/author/series entered your life? Share them along with your teasers.

Teaser Tuesday: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Young Elites by Marie Lu.

The Young Elites –
G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Be true to yourself, Violetta once told me when I was trying in vain to win Father over. But that’s something everyone says and no one means. No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.
— Chapter 8

They were the best of friends as long as they did not know they were supposed to be enemies. The truth would do its damage soon enough.
— Chapter 21

Here is how my reading of this book went: Last Thursday night I read the first few chapters but had to stop because, curse you reality, sleeping at work is frowned upon. I finished reading at approximately 2:30 am on Saturday in a state of disillusion that was not just caused by the late hour. But the disillusion was decidedly positive!
Marie Lu has done it again. After the Legend series this one takes a decidedly darker turn but still shows her expert way of creating multi-layered, complex characters and great world-building skills. Adelina is an interesting character, who is haunted not just by her ghosts but also by her own personality. The reader can hardly fault her for her actions and the origin of her darkness is comprehensible enough. And Raffaele is one of my favourite new characters of the year. I want a friend like him.
I still don’t know what to think about ... the thing ... that happened towards the end. And what I actually want to happen next because there are a lot of options and at the moment neither of them seem like a particularly good idea. Good thing that I now have a year before the next book to make up my mind ... and that’s about the only good thing of that wait.

We’re nearing the end of the year so naturally there are a lot of best-of lists cropping up at the moment. Are you listing any best-ofs? Share ideas and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith.

The Geography of You and Me –
Poppy

Sometimes it seemed as if his whole life was an exercise in waiting; not waiting to leave, exactly, but simply waiting to go. He felt like one of those fish that had the capacity to grow in unimaginable ways if only the tank were big enough.
— Chapter 4

But there’s no such thing as a completely fresh start. Everything new arrives on the heels of something old, and every beginning comes at the cost of an ending.
— Chapter 36

When I was younger there were always two sayings that I couldn’t quite figure out how both of them could exist at the same time: “Distance makes the heart grow fonder” and “Out of sight, out of mind.” I always kept asking myself which is it? For this novel, it’s definitely absence ... or rather distance, because even if there is half the world between them, they’re never really far from each other. Jennifer E. Smith writes happy books that don’t scream happiness at you from the very beginning and that’s what I probably appreciate most about them. If a book has the claim to be contemporary, I want it to have a make-believe reality that makes sense. As someone who has been stuck in a small lift more often than she likes to count (damn you, insufficient university funds!), it makes a lot of sense that you can feel connected to the person you were stuck with. (Always a great conversation starter that “Seems like I’m stuck with you then” line ... not really.) And since travelling is one of my other favourite things, this story is a perfect reading balm for dreary autumn days. Works also for any other kind of weather but the sun hasn’t come out at all today so please excuse the light depressive turn. Fact is, this book has quite a bit of sunshine between its pages.

We switched back to standard time this weekend and thus have early nightfall from now on, time to cosy up with books! Where is your favourite reading spot? Take a blanket and share your teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall.

A Little Something Different –
Swoon Reads

They sit there in the window of the coffee shop for almost an hour, not talking much, but looking at each other over the tops of their books, flirting somehow even without words.
It would be gross if it weren’t adorable.
— Chapter 5.11

“We’re going to find that boy and make him talk to you.”
“That sounds awfully threatening,” she says.
“Okay, so we’ll stake out a table with a good view over by the balcony and you can watch him from afar.”
— Chapter 6.8

Love stories can be sweet or cavity-threateningly sugary. Or they can be a little different. On the bill, this is your average boy and girl go to the same college, share a class, and over the course of a few months get to know each other well enough to start dating. Nothing too special. Of course, there is the necessary misunderstanding, the various tripping hazards, and a more or less dark secret from the past. I would have put this down in any other scenario were it not for the clever hook: The story is told from multiple perspectives but those of the couple. There is the brother, the best friend, the grumpy barista, the reluctant classmate ... a bench (I didn’t know there was so much to say about butts sitting on wood) and a squirrel. And a few others. It’s a very cute idea to show a couple in the stages of getting to that point of becoming an item with everyone but the two of them realising that they would be great together. Or maybe they realise it but the readers don’t know because they’re not in their heads. Usually you have the frustrating perspective of one person guessing what the other thinks about them. Now you have the entertainingly frustrating complete ignorance of their inner life.
I would have liked for this story and concept to be more developed. Right now it felt like quickly jotted down scenes that could be developed into something bigger ... the overall effect is that of a slightly malnourished novel where the lanky frame it could have grown into is still visible. Overall an entertaining, quick read.

What do you think of the idea of the many different points of view? Would such a concept interest you? Share opinions and teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas.

The Perilous Sea –
Balzer + Bray

“You might be the scariest girl I have ever met,” he told her.
“Let’s not be dramatic,” she said drily. “I’m the only girl you can remember ever meeting.”
— Chapter 19

“May I remind you that you are speaking to someone capable of smiting you with a thunderbolt?”
“Is there any point to flirting with a girl who is not capable of that?”
— Chapter 21

This is not the same book as last week though it does have a very similar title. It’s also the second book in a trilogy. And there are changes in the narration from the first book as well. The content, however, is very different! I could have done a reading relay with several titles I have a the moment ... several Sea, some Trial and one with Fire ... but I digress (could be an interesting idea for a challenge though: Read only books in succession that share a word in their title.).
The beginning of this book was very frustrating for me, but I think that was the intention as I kept wondering how in the world the characters got to that place and why. And as can be assumed the book told the story in a backwards fashion with the two story lines neatly coming together towards the end. Thus a lot of ground was covered while hardly any time passed. I liked the alternating chapters of present “what the heck happened?”and past “how the heck will they get to where they are?” You get to know the characters a lot better and on a more diverse scale than you did in the first book and I think this expansion of character knowledge will benefit the trilogy as a whole. So a solid job on the second book. If you like witty banter between characters, you should definitely look into this.

Have you found yourself surrounded by books with similar titles? Share books and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey.

The Infinite Sea –
G.P. Putnam’s Sons

You never know when the truth will come home. You can’t choose the time. The time chooses you. I’d had days to face the truth that now faced me in that cold, black space, and I’d refused. I wouldn’t go there. So the truth decided to come to me.
— Chapter 13

I didn’t think it was a promise at the time. I told myself it wasn’t. Told him it wasn’t. But there’re the things we tell ourselves about the truth, and there’re the things the truth tells about us.
— Chapter 76

Here’s a truth about my reading habits: I dislike narrator changes within a series, or changes of perspective ... and especially focal changes and changes in voice within a book. It’s fine when multiple perspectives are introduced in the first book, but I have a hard time warming up to new perspectives in a second book. Or if there’s suddenly another I-narrator ... or no longer an I-narrator at all. I hope you get the idea. I like continuity ... and my favourites from book one.
Here’s another truth about my reading habits: They totally and completely change if the book can persuade them to do so.
With this book those changes actually went so far that I was annoyed when my former favourite narrator got some page time because I so badly wanted to know what was happening to the other one. Luckily, this didn’t last long and I still like my former favourite, but now I have new characters to like! And I think that this is a thing that grows when it’s divided: Liking characters. Also makes the reader more vulnerable, but who said that reading was cuddly and safe? But damn you (in the kindest possible way), Rick Yancey, for that twist ... or the other one! Still reeling. Just saying.
I understand why many people who loved the first book might not like the second, because it is so very different in plot development and pace. The writing is the same. Very deep and revealing. And beautiful even if the subject itself is anything but. Second books can do one of two things: continue in the trajectory of the first book, which can be very rewarding, but also hard, or cut out a completely new path, which isn’t any less difficult, but can also lead to amazing results. And the more I think about it, the more I think this sequel executed the second of those options rather well.

Do you have reading habits that you gladly throw out the window for the right book? Let’s hear about them and share your teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas.

Heir of Fire – Bloomsbury
Children’s Books

His silence demanded information for information – a fair trade. She sighed. “Let’s just say it was fear and necessity and impressively deep-rooted survival instincts.”
— Chapter 22

Men didn’t build more armies and forge more weapons without having plans to use them. And they certainly didn’t hand out bits of mind-controlling jewelry unless they wanted absolute dominion.
— Chapter 24

I should stop being surprised by this series, by its twists and turns and unexpected developments. The fact that I haven’t also shouldn’t surprise me any longer. The basic story line is unassuming enough, but the layers Sarah J. Maas adds to it make it quite extraordinary. There is not a single character whose motives you should disregard. Second-guess every single detail and especially what you thought you’d figured out. And don’t even think of hoping for one thing or the other. Even if it might look like something is headed in a certain direction, the story will almost certainly prepare an undercurrent to the complete opposite. All very vague and maybe a bit cryptic, but you absolutely need to discover this series for yourself.

Which book has surprised you recently with an unexpected plot twist? Share your reads and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan.

Unmade – Random House Books
for Young Readers

Kami saw why so many teenagers who had adventures in books were interestingly tragic orphans. Parents were a real buzzkill, adventure-wise.
— Chapter 13

She wanted to be the person she was, and not the person anyone, including herself, had ever thought she should be.
— Chapter  24

There are not enough adjectives in this language to encompass how much I adore Sarah Rees Brennan ... and not just because she’s a seriously cool lady who gives out totally confusing spoilers (still a bit shaken after I reached a certain number and kept thinking that there would not be another occurrence of that phrase and that was just so!wrong!). Right, were was I? Final book in this amazing trilogy that I especially love because of its wonderful, spunky, witty, funny, independent, brave, clever (insert more adjectives here) heroine. And secondary characters who are not secondary at all. I’d probably be scared to death by Angela, but I’d give a lot to have her on my side. I love how Kami is the one who initiates action, who cannot and will not accept things as they are, and who will go to Cambridge because she is not only clever but also knows how to apply this cleverness. Even if due to loyalty reasons I still think Oxford is much better ... Perfect conclusion to Kami’s story with just the right amount of pain, sadness, and joy (if there is more I’d still be first in line to read it).
I have so many quotes bookmarked because they’re incredibly true and fitting. Especially regarding what happens to another certain someone. And about identity and self-consciousness. “Why be broken, when you can be gold?” ... This certainly is gold.

What are qualities you admire in a strong literary heroine? Share examples and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: The Boy in the Smoke by Maureen Johnson

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Boy in the Smoke by Maureen Johnson.

The Boy in the Smoke –
Hot Key Books

Was this actually happening? Was his father threatening him, physically, here on the Eton parking grounds?
— Chapter 2

Things change. Never act as if situations won’t change.
— Chapter 2

You don’t need to have read the Shades of London series (but seriously why haven’t you?) to enjoy this short story. And if you have read them (and currently suffer from the really mean cliffhanger) then you get some neat additional information about a certain character. And the best part? You can read this story online for free if you click here.

Teaser Tuesday: Rain by Amanda Sun

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Rain by Amanda Sun.

Rain – Harlequin Teen

So the goal of the creepy goth cult was to save the world, feed the hungry, clothe the poor? That didn’t sound so bad.
“That’s it? You don’t want to take over the world or something?”
Jun grinned. “Do I look like some crazy dictator?”
“Looks can be deceiving.”
— Chapter 3

“Hey,” he panted.
“‘Hey’?” I repeated. “You collapse at my door and you say ‘hey’?”
— Chapter 14

How many countries have you travelled to (in books)? You can easily add Japan to that list with this series, learn a ton of vocabulary, and get a highly enjoyable story to boot. This is the second book in the series and contrary to quite a few series with second book syndrome this one really picks up the pace. Sure, there are some aspects of second book syndrome related to the love-interest situation, but I actually think that this is utilised in a way that makes sense. Such an interesting story universe; I’m already curious about the next book ... fingers crossed that the last chapter won’t throw me for a loop (too badly, a little might be okay ... maybe).

What’s your favourite read from a culture that is completely foreign to yours? Share recommendations and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu.

Life by Committee –
Katherine Tegen Books

But we don’t share that special history of hot chocolate stands, snowball fights, pig Latin conversations, chocolate chip cookie baking competitions.
That said, she has also never told me I am going in the wrong direction as a person, so she wins.
— Chapter 2

I love her for it. For the words she chooses and the secret way she whispers them into my ear. But she’s looking at me like she gets me, and there’s nothing lonelier than the fact that she doesn’t.
— Chapter 6

By now, everyone on the Internet has heard of someone who fell victim to it in some way. Or they have heard the warnings to consider what they share and so on. But (there’s always a but) then there are people who think those rules don’t apply to them, who think they’ll be careful, that the place they’re frequenting is safe ... only to find out that that’s definitely not the case. At least I suspect that the main character of this book will discover this in her not too distant future. I don’t know if I would have been similarly naïve when I was sixteen. I’d like to think not. At the moment the set-up feels very much like it’s rearing up to be a cautionary tale in terms of Internet safety ... to be perfectly honest I’m not too much invested in Tabitha’s fate as I think she’s got it coming for her. Yes, I pitied her at the beginning for losing friends over a non-issue, but then things went downhill rather quickly. Might have a happy-end, might not ... both would be fine and fit the purpose.

How do you feel about books that have a very vocal moral as their base? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove.

The Glass Sentence –
Viking Juvenile

He was imprisoned in a cage, and he was made a spectacle to everyone around him. And yet, for all that, he surveyed the crowd as if they and not he were the spectacle.
— Chapter 2

Immense love is almost always enough to sustain a child. But it does not always provide the logistical and practical necessities, including a steady supply of clean clothes and an understanding that toddlers can become bored with certain aspects of adult life, such as two-hour university lectures on the glaciation of the Eerie Sea.
— Chapter 3

I’m almost definitely not far enough into the story to have a grasp on what is going on ... and that is even before the main plot gets going. On a certain level I understand that different parts of the world have been thrown back in time. However, I don’t quite get why the parts that are more advanced (and by advanced I mean end of 19th century) don’t support the other parts and allow them to catch up faster. Granted, that way Shakespeare and friends might never be (have been?) born, but their texts already exist ... it's slightly confusing. I’m also not sure what this losing track of time means exactly, but I’m certain there will be an explanation. At the very least it is a very interesting concept in a historical setting and I hope that there is more to come.

Are you currently reading something that hasn’t quite opened up to you? Share your experience and teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid.

Let’s Get Lost – Harlequin Teen

With his eyes closed, Hudson could reduce the world to a single engine and nothing more; a world where he could not only name every little part but knew what it was for, how it worked, how to fix it.
— Chapter 1.1

It was not in the script—in any version of the script Elliot had envisioned for tonight— for her to give him one of those smiles that he’d fallen in love with in the first place, and then walk away. But that’s exactly what she did.
— Chapter 3.1

Have you ever had an incident of strange connections? That for example the friend of a friend’s cousin turned out to be one of your colleagues? This book is not quite like that, but the interconnectedness of the individual stories hinges on one character who maddeningly enough is not your focal character. So this is the person you should know the most about simple because you read about her more than about the others. However, more or less the opposite is the case and you get to piece together most of her story through the observation of others. A very interesting concept which is a little challenging if you’re an instant knowledge type of reader. Very worth it though in my opinion as I like to imagine how other characters perceive the actual person narrating the story.

Let me know about strange connections you discovered and share your teaser picks in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead.

Silver Shadows – Razorbill

“Evil and deception are not our ways,” the voice said. “We relish in light and honesty.”
Liars, liars, I thought.
— Chapter 1

“The people I know don’t casually eat shrimp off their best china in one hand while drinking champagne in the other.”
“Technically,” I said, “those are prawns, not shrimp, and I’m sure that’s actually her mother’s second-best china.”
— Chapter 6

Right now I have no idea how this is going to end well ... supposedly that’s the idea of a seemingly hopeless situation. The author does this pretty well, I must say. As much as I like Adrian, but I don’t particularly like his approach to dealing with the situation. It fits the character, but if he was my friend there would already have been an intervention. Maybe not the best idea with a vampire, but who knows. We’ll see how they get Sydney out of there. Hopefully soon. And then deal with the lying liars who lie. Also hopefully.

Which character from a book would you like to be friends with? Share (imaginary) friends and your teasers in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick.

What I Thought Was True
– Dial Books for Young Readers

What “all” does she want to know? The kind of “all” I tell Viv is different from the “all” I tell Mom, so God knows what the “all” is to someone who might want to employ me, and ...
— Chapter 5

“You were the one who told me to watch out!”
“I know.” She hunches her shoulders, shivering a little as another chilly breeze comes off the water. “It’s just maybe . . . maybe you’re watching out for the wrong things.”
— Chapter 11

It is almost too tempting to say that this is a typical Huntley Fitzpatrick, except for the fact that this is only her second book (as far as I’m aware – if not, I want to know the titles of her other books, please). The summery familiar feeling already greets you on the first page, like the place you’ve been going to for ages and which always promises you the best possible holiday. It’s a little different than with My Life Next Door in the sense that you don’t get the feeling that you know the main character because there is this event which everyone is aware of apart from the reader. It is hinted at very heavily though and I only wondered how it all fit together. If summer is taking a break where you are, you can at least have a little summer in your book. But be aware that where there is sun there is also the danger of sunburn. This book is decidedly not a fluffy summer romance. Like a well-prepared North Sea tourist, it has put on layers.

How is you summer coming along? We have the sometimes entertaining but often rather disrupting thunder storms at the moment among a mixture of sunny days and “blergh-weather”. Share teasers and spots of perfect summer in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Don’t Look Back –
Disney Hyperion

Even if I couldn’t remember who I was, everyone else would never forget. No matter how badly I wanted to ignore the person I used to be, I couldn’t escape a past I didn’t remember.
— Chapter 7

She had immediately protected me. No questions. No hesitation.
— Chapter 27

Would you like some suspense with your light romance, Miss? That’s exactly the kind you question that would precede the serving of this book. For a Jennifer L. Armentrout, the romance was almost tame even by YA standards, but the crime part is a new angle coming from her and I find that I enjoy that side of her. Granted, I had a very early suspicion of the motivation for the murder and also a very narrow list of suspects. However, the main character was believable enough in her amnesia to take a while to connect the dots. Though she could have done the same much earlier and I don’t think that being a sheltered bad princess is an excuse for being blind to something so glaringly obvious ... Still a nice read as an introduction to contemporary suspense reads and especially if you already enough the author’s writing.

Do you have recommendations for books that gently introduce new readers to a new-to-them genre without breaking out the big guns? I for example would never jump head first into a crime novel, but maybe if I eased into them. Let me know about your thoughts in the comments along with your teasers.

Teaser Tuesday: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness.

The Book of Life –
Headline

From that moment my aunt and the house were in an all-out battle for supremacy.
The house was winning, thanks to its chief weapon: Fleetwood Mac.
— Chapter 11

“Do we happen to know of any megalomaniacs with an interest in vampire genetics? Oh, wait, we know two of them”.
— Chapter 14

I am not finished reading and I need to get back to the last 150 pages asap so just quickly this: Deborah Harkness is a witch of word-magic. And I mean this in the most positive way possible. This book has me laughing tears as well as bawling them. I’m currently in the “everything is going to hell in a hand basket stage”, which is also the overall theme of the trilogy, but this never seems unnecessarily cruel or overstated. I fear for all my favourite characters, but not in the they’re all going to die sense. It’s the equally devastating emotional punch I dread. This book is amazing in being able to amaze you and in being absolutely fantastic. I already know that the trilogy will need a thorough re-read (after I’ve coped with this conclusion) to catch all the clever foreshadowing and connections. An exceptional book by a truly gifted writer.

Have you followed the All Souls trilogy? I mainly picked up the first book because it featured my university's city of Oxford ... and after the first page I couldn’t imagine putting the book down. How about you? Share your teasers and stories in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens.

Murder Most Unladylike –
Corgi Childrens

Murders, unfortunately, always come with murderers attached.
— Chapter 1-6

I still remember that first meeting – it would be hard to forget it. It was the first time I’d ever stepped onto a Games field, and incidentally also the first time I truly thought I might die. 
— Chapter 2-5

I snoozed on the release date of this one. Shame on me, really. This is such a fun read, if you’re only the tiniest bit partial to British humour and detective stories. Daisy is determined to be the next detective wonder and Hazel reluctantly accepts the role as Dr Watson to Daisy’s Sherlock. All this in the delightful setting of a 1930ies boarding school for girls of affluent parents. I enjoyed this story a lot, especially guessing along who the murderer might be and why they did it. This is a very clever book definitely aimed at a younger audience with an inclination towards mystery. I would like to accompany Hazel on her next adventure, which Daisy will inadvertently steer them into.

The end of the World Cup finally means more reading time for me. I desperately have to catch up on some books I neglected during the past weeks. And then there is this highly anticipated tome The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, which comes out tomorrow and which will mean that I’ll drop everything to read this first.
Do you interrupt your reading of one book to read something else or do you finish your current book before you start something new?

Teaser Tuesday: After the End by Amy Plum

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

After the End by Amy Plum.

After the End – HarperTeen

“Juneau, you can’t be perfect. You’re going to be clan Sage, not our sole protector.”
“I’d rather be prepared to do both,” I respond.
— Chapter 1

Death by ponytail. It could happen.
— Chapter 4

Just a quick note about this as I’ve just started reading. These two scenes are from the two protagonists of the novel and with just a few words you already know the sort of person the are, or at least project to be on the surface. That’s very skillful writing and I admire Amy Plum a lot, especially when I see how much she has evolved during her first trilogy alone. I love watching writers grow with their books and this is definitely the case here. The whole idea of the story is an interesting concept and I’m looking forward to seeing Juneau stumble through not-at-all-post-apocalyptic modern day ... and meet and clash with Miles.

Do you have an author whose development you’ve followed from their debut? Let me know about them and share your teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo.

Ruin and Rising –
Henry Holt and Co.

“Everyone okay?” Mal asked.
“Never better,” said Genya shakily.
David raised his hand. “I’ve been better.”
— Chapter 5

“Are you going to make a habit of winning arguments? It’s very unbecoming.”
“Was this an argument?”
“Obviously not. I don’t lose arguments.”
— Chapter 8

There are two things tearing on my nerves at the moment. One is the football world cup where I’m part of a heavily fought betting game and the other is this book. And not only my poor nerves, but also my poor heart! This book will happily dangle everything you ever wanted before your very nose and then either reveal it as deadly poisonous or burn it to ashes. I still have quite a bit to go so I also still have hope ... which I by now presume to be a dangerous thing. Because even if the teasers sound light-hearted and fun, which there is also a bit of, there is also the very opposite of it.
Some books demand a considerable amount of space in your life and you gladly give it, while other books simply install themselves there and you find yourself wondering when that happened but can’t find it in you to be unhappy about it. This series more or less stole into my reading pile at first and now I simultaneously can’t wait for the conclusion and don’t want to reach the end ... because of said suspicions about certain hopes. Damn you, Leigh Bardugo, you word magician.

Are you following the world cup or staying as far away from it as possible? If the latter, which books are with you? And if the former, what are you reading between the games? Teasers and opinions are welcome in the comments. Also tips about the championship.

Teaser Tuesday: The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel.

The Break-Up Artist –
Harlequin Teen

I should throw the slippers out like I’ve done with the rest of my memories from that train wreck of a friendship, but I won’t. I never do. I keep them here, in plain sight, a perpetual reminder of why I do this.
— Chapter 1

“Are you serious?”
She glares at me with the fire of a thousand tanning booths. I’ll take that as a yes.
— Chapter 13

Summer is here and with it numerous summer comedies and light romances. This one has an interesting premise insofar as that the snarky narrator starts out as a romantic grump convinced that relationships are meant to be broken. I’ll venture a guess and say that this will have changed by the end of the story. Just how this will happen is not quite clear at this point. Sure, there is the potential guy to convince her otherwise but there is not that much going on there yet.

Do you read according to seasons? At work I’m reading slightly asynchronous and currently have Christmas stories on my table. So Summer reads are definitely necessary to prevent me from humming Jingle Bells in 30 degree weather.

Teaser Tuesday: Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins.

Sweet Reckoning –
HarperTeen

Was that really how they saw me? A dangerous demon assassin? Actually, I kind of liked that image.
— Chapter 22

“Father.” Kai clutched the phone tighter and his eyes hit mine, filled with more torment than I’d ever seen. “I’ve got her.”
— Chapter 24

Back from vacation, didn’t think that I’d be too knackered last week for a post. Sorry about that. I also finished City of Heavenly Fire while I was away and absolutely loved it. Perfect end for the series and too many great lines to choose from ... also possible spoilers.
This is also the end of a trilogy. I must confess that I had to look at my reading log to remember what’s going on. But I found my way back into it and now I’m curious how it will play out. Of course I’m rooting for the protagonists’ love story. However, I’m also quite interested in how Anna is supposed to fulfil the task set before her. Let’s hope that the casualty count at the end won’t be too high.

How many books do you take with you when you go on vacation? I generally have to buy books while away. Not necessarily because I’ve run out but it’s like a compulsion. Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa.

The Forever Song –
Harlequin Teen

“Would it kill you to have a little faith in your older brother?”
“It might.”
— Chapter 4

He smiled, and it turned my blood to ice. “Sing for me, Allie,” he crooned, in a voice that was all too familiar. “Sing for us, and make it a glorious song.”
— Chapter 7

Trilogy conclusion, and what a ride this series was ... or is, seeing that I’m not quite done and expect quite a firework for this one. I mean this is Julie Kagawa and she is a master heart-string-player, emotion juggler, and anticipation tamer. The last cliffhanger at the end of the second book was just brutal and so far this book has lived up to that potential. Sometimes knowing more than the protagonist is a kind of torture as well. And that trap was everything I hoped and feared it would be.
I’m still not quite on board with the impersonal covers. They are lovely but I loved the original cover of the first book with Allison on it. Nevertheless, the content matters more and that obviously stayed the same. Little warning though: If you’re squeamish regarding blood, you might want to stay away from this.

There probably won’t be a TT next week as I’ll be on vacation. There will be books, but no internet. Until then I want to know how you feel about blood and maybe a little gore in books. Does it affect you, do you try to avoid it? Let’s hear from you in the comments and please share your teasers.