Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano
Publication Date: March 25th 2014
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| Nearly Gone - Kathy Dawson Books |
Nearly Boswell knows how to keep secrets. Living in a DC trailer park, she knows better than to share anything that would make her a target with her classmates. Like her mother's job as an exotic dancer, her obsession with the personal ads, and especially the emotions she can taste when she brushes against someone's skin. But when a serial killer goes on a killing spree and starts attacking students, leaving cryptic ads in the newspaper that only Nearly can decipher, she confides in the one person she shouldn't trust: the new guy at school—a reformed bad boy working undercover for the police, doing surveillance. . . on her.
Nearly might be the one person who can put all the clues together, and if she doesn't figure it all out soon—she'll be next.
Synopsis from goodreads.com
I'm a big fan of murder mysteries and thrilling books and Nearly Gone seems to be more than a regular thriller. Nearly's ability to taste emotion when brushing against someone's skin is a gift, I can't decide to be creeped out by or not. But I'm glad about this supernatural touch, as it gives the puzzle a further angle to be explored. Does this gift maybe connect to the barely readable line between the title saying "All the numbers add up to one killer … herself"?
And then there's the bad boy doing undercover work for the police and I wonder if there is a romance angle and how it might be integrated in the dark atmosphere painted by the synopsis and the cover.
What's your take on the supernatural touch to the story? Do you think it makes the book more complicated? Share your opinion in the comments along with your waiting on choice!
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
Allegiant by Veronica Roth.
Feel free to skip the following paragraph as it is a bit rant-y and if you haven’t witnessed the storm following the publication of Allegiant also confusing.
I made myself stay away from twitter the last few days following the sheer barrage of not only spoilers but also pure ugliness concerning this book. I stayed away a while longer and have stopped reading quite a number of feeds because of the reactions ... I hadn’t imagined that supposed fans could respond in such a way just because they didn’t get what they expected. Not what they wanted, but demanded, and felt entitled to. One of the reviews I read calls the author brave for ending the series this way. I think that no author should feel that they need to be brave to write their story, because that means that there are reasons to be afraid ... it makes me feel sad that there should an aspect of fandom that inspires fear. Just because this is YA doesn’t mean that certain things are a guaranteed outcome. And if readers feel disillusioned or sad then that’s okay. What is not okay in any way is if this turns into anger against the author. Yes, many authors today are in some capacity available on the Internet and make the time to talk to their readers. This sort of one-sided anonymity gives certain types the courage to direct their anger at the author. Would they walk up to them in public and tell them that they hate the book? The author? Threaten their life? This is a whole can of worms that I don’t really want to open. At the end it is a book and if you don’t like the end then you’ll have to deal with it. The author is not your personal writing slave and what is a right and good end for you is not what everyone else would want for a story. Life is not a wish-granting factory and neither is fiction.
Did I enjoy the book/like the end? I’m still undecided. I understand why it ended how it did and it feels true to the characters and the story. On the other hand I haven’t quite figured out when or where the trilogy as a whole may have taken a turn that took it in a direction I wasn’t quite imagining at the end of Divergent. Maybe already in Insurgent. I still think that the scenario is interesting and that the characters are great, but as a whole I might have expected and prepared myself for something different. And this might also be why some readers reacted the way they did to this final book, because they encountered a scenario they weren’t expecting at all. This is just speculation since I stopped reading any of the tirades. I think a re-read of the complete series with the knowledge of the frame will yield quite a few surprises. But not in the near future as I don’t think I could take it. Because what this book does amazingly well is make you feel and experience things. And ultimately this is what good fiction is about in my opinion: not making you happy or feel good, but making you feel something and enjoy the time you spent reading it (because you chose to read rather than doing anything else after all). And those things are certainly true for me.
Chime in about reader expectations, author availability or your thoughts about this book (without spoiling the end). Share your teasers in the comments!
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!
Allegiant by Veronica Roth.
 |
| Allegiant – Katherine Tegen Books |
If someone offers you an opportunity to get closer to your enemy, you always take it. I know that without having learned it from anyone.
— Chapter 32
It’s not often you encounter the real person behind a good-natured mask, the darkest parts of someone. It’s not comfortable when you do.
— Chapter 42
Feel free to skip the following paragraph as it is a bit rant-y and if you haven’t witnessed the storm following the publication of Allegiant also confusing.
I made myself stay away from twitter the last few days following the sheer barrage of not only spoilers but also pure ugliness concerning this book. I stayed away a while longer and have stopped reading quite a number of feeds because of the reactions ... I hadn’t imagined that supposed fans could respond in such a way just because they didn’t get what they expected. Not what they wanted, but demanded, and felt entitled to. One of the reviews I read calls the author brave for ending the series this way. I think that no author should feel that they need to be brave to write their story, because that means that there are reasons to be afraid ... it makes me feel sad that there should an aspect of fandom that inspires fear. Just because this is YA doesn’t mean that certain things are a guaranteed outcome. And if readers feel disillusioned or sad then that’s okay. What is not okay in any way is if this turns into anger against the author. Yes, many authors today are in some capacity available on the Internet and make the time to talk to their readers. This sort of one-sided anonymity gives certain types the courage to direct their anger at the author. Would they walk up to them in public and tell them that they hate the book? The author? Threaten their life? This is a whole can of worms that I don’t really want to open. At the end it is a book and if you don’t like the end then you’ll have to deal with it. The author is not your personal writing slave and what is a right and good end for you is not what everyone else would want for a story. Life is not a wish-granting factory and neither is fiction.
Did I enjoy the book/like the end? I’m still undecided. I understand why it ended how it did and it feels true to the characters and the story. On the other hand I haven’t quite figured out when or where the trilogy as a whole may have taken a turn that took it in a direction I wasn’t quite imagining at the end of Divergent. Maybe already in Insurgent. I still think that the scenario is interesting and that the characters are great, but as a whole I might have expected and prepared myself for something different. And this might also be why some readers reacted the way they did to this final book, because they encountered a scenario they weren’t expecting at all. This is just speculation since I stopped reading any of the tirades. I think a re-read of the complete series with the knowledge of the frame will yield quite a few surprises. But not in the near future as I don’t think I could take it. Because what this book does amazingly well is make you feel and experience things. And ultimately this is what good fiction is about in my opinion: not making you happy or feel good, but making you feel something and enjoy the time you spent reading it (because you chose to read rather than doing anything else after all). And those things are certainly true for me.
Chime in about reader expectations, author availability or your thoughts about this book (without spoiling the end). Share your teasers in the comments!
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
Alienated by Melissa Landers
Publication Date: February 4th 2014
 |
| Alienated - Disney Hyperion |
Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.
Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.
Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.
But when Cara’s classmates get swept up by anti-L’eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn’t safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara’s locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.
Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she’s fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.
Synopsis from goodreads.com
I love word plays and the title of this book seemed multi-facetted, so I’ve taken a closer look and was surprised by the synopsis. I believe that extraterrestrial beings wouldn’t come for our tea and cookies, but the cover paints a pretty peaceful picture and Alienated seems go beyond all that with anti-alien paranoia and a deeper meaning to the simple student exchange.
What is more, I’m curious about the differences and similarities between L’eihrs and humans. If the DNA is closely related, where does the difference set in? And where do they come from? Also, I’m looking forward to watch Cara and Aelyx getting to know each other, to finding out about their respective cultures firsthand.
In my opinion, the extraterrestial streak in this book makes it all the more intriguing. Would the alien topic be a bonus for you as well? Share your thoughts and the books you’re curious about this week!
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas.
I am not currently reading this book for the very simple reason that once I sat down to read it I only stopped when I finished it ... and I can only urgently ask you, if you haven’t read Throne of Glass to get your hands on a copy and start reading this amazing series. This sequel will turn everything you thought you knew about this world right up on its head. It will open completely new vantage points, confirm a few suspicions, give you a dose of what you wanted to happen since the beginning of book one, and then it will lovingly plunge the (metaphorical) dagger into your back and twist. The writing is fast-paced and very visual (at points not for the squeamish) and the plot is definitely well-structured and not at all average. I had my suspicions about one or two things but others were surprising (yet not unreasonable if I think back on the clues that were hidden in the text). Very rewarding to read and I want more! Waiting for publication dates still isn’t my forte ... you’d think that I would get better at that, but no such luck.
Have you just breezed through a book you were anticipating for quite a while? Did it meet your expectations and are you now waiting for the next book again? Let’s hear from you in the comments!
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!
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas.
 |
| Crown of Midnight – Bloomsbury Childrens |
It took one look at the mostly melted candle on her nightstand to know that her encounter in the tomb hadn’t been some awful dream. Which meant that far beneath her room, there was a talking door knocker imbued with an ancient animation spell. And that Elena had yet again found a way to make her life infinitely more complicated.
— Chapter 7
She’d learned the only skills that could keep her safe. To escape death, she’d become death.
— Chapter 38
I am not currently reading this book for the very simple reason that once I sat down to read it I only stopped when I finished it ... and I can only urgently ask you, if you haven’t read Throne of Glass to get your hands on a copy and start reading this amazing series. This sequel will turn everything you thought you knew about this world right up on its head. It will open completely new vantage points, confirm a few suspicions, give you a dose of what you wanted to happen since the beginning of book one, and then it will lovingly plunge the (metaphorical) dagger into your back and twist. The writing is fast-paced and very visual (at points not for the squeamish) and the plot is definitely well-structured and not at all average. I had my suspicions about one or two things but others were surprising (yet not unreasonable if I think back on the clues that were hidden in the text). Very rewarding to read and I want more! Waiting for publication dates still isn’t my forte ... you’d think that I would get better at that, but no such luck.
Have you just breezed through a book you were anticipating for quite a while? Did it meet your expectations and are you now waiting for the next book again? Let’s hear from you in the comments!
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
This Side of Salvation by Jeri Smith-Ready.
Publication Date: April 1st 2014.
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| This Side of Salvation – Simon Pulse |
Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else’s-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David’s still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there’s one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.
Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties in to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven…and they want David to do the same. David’s torn. There’s a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey—especially Bailey—in hope of salvation.
But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined...
Synopsis from goodreads.com
Religion is probably one of the most difficult topics to tackle in literature, especially if it’s not a side-topic and not your standard big general belief thing. I can’t actually explain what makes me want to read this book so much, apart from my love for the author's character building skills (you have met Aura from Shade, right?) and I really want to see how David will present himself and how he will deal with whatever curve ball is heading his way. And I mean if you miss out on whatever salvation is supposed to happen to you and your family and it looks like it really happened that is definitely something worth thinking about. Plus, well ... if you know Jeri Smith-Ready at all ... you know what I’m talking about. Even if there will neither be Irish nor Scots in this book.
Name the book(s) you’re stoked about this week in the comments. And let us know if you’d pick up a book on a touchy subject like religion.
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