Tuesday, 5 September 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourn.
Holding a grudge can be an art form. Or a bad habit. Or a really big misunderstanding. And sometimes it’s a safety blanket and a shield. The protagonist Quinn certainly has the art form part of this down and the other options didn’t just spring to mind out of nowhere either. This was a quick and entertaining read which also touched upon some heavier topics like trust and loss and other family issues. I liked how there wasn’t just the one big thing dominating the whole book but rather a number of things adding up around this one central issue. I forget who said it (and am too lazy to look it up right now) but books have it way harder than real life because they have to be realistic and make sense ... and when does life ever revolve around just one really big plot point? But in contrast to real life I somehow expect these issues to be somewhat resolved by the end of the book in a satisfying and not glossed over manner. So books really have to pass a higher bar than real life.
Of course the danger of such a multitude of issues is that in order to fit them into a manageable length something else has to fall by the wayside. In this case I have the feeling that the secondary characters had to carry the brunt of the cut. There are quite a few of them and they all have some really interesting aspects and backgrounds, but they felt a little flat to me. This doesn’t distract from the overall enjoyability of the book, but this is the rare case where I think another 50 or so pages would have done the book a big service in terms of depth and character development. But I also realise that this might not be the ambition and in that case, this really fits the bill of an entertaining, romantic, summery read.
Are you someone who holds grudges? I’ll admit that I have been known to do so on occasion (I’m still not over the fact that someone “lost” me in the middle of Alice’s Labyrinth in Disney Land when I was five ... just saying.) Share your teasers (and grudges if you like) 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!
Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourn.
 |
| Wesley James Ruined My Life – Swoon Reads |
“Yes, well, that was the plan.” The smile hasn’t slipped from his face, but he won’t meet my eyes.
— Chapter 13
“You’re blinded by his stupidly handsome face.”
“Ha! I knew you thought he was cute.”
— Chapter 17
Holding a grudge can be an art form. Or a bad habit. Or a really big misunderstanding. And sometimes it’s a safety blanket and a shield. The protagonist Quinn certainly has the art form part of this down and the other options didn’t just spring to mind out of nowhere either. This was a quick and entertaining read which also touched upon some heavier topics like trust and loss and other family issues. I liked how there wasn’t just the one big thing dominating the whole book but rather a number of things adding up around this one central issue. I forget who said it (and am too lazy to look it up right now) but books have it way harder than real life because they have to be realistic and make sense ... and when does life ever revolve around just one really big plot point? But in contrast to real life I somehow expect these issues to be somewhat resolved by the end of the book in a satisfying and not glossed over manner. So books really have to pass a higher bar than real life.
Of course the danger of such a multitude of issues is that in order to fit them into a manageable length something else has to fall by the wayside. In this case I have the feeling that the secondary characters had to carry the brunt of the cut. There are quite a few of them and they all have some really interesting aspects and backgrounds, but they felt a little flat to me. This doesn’t distract from the overall enjoyability of the book, but this is the rare case where I think another 50 or so pages would have done the book a big service in terms of depth and character development. But I also realise that this might not be the ambition and in that case, this really fits the bill of an entertaining, romantic, summery read.
Are you someone who holds grudges? I’ll admit that I have been known to do so on occasion (I’m still not over the fact that someone “lost” me in the middle of Alice’s Labyrinth in Disney Land when I was five ... just saying.) Share your teasers (and grudges if you like) in the comments.
Tuesday, 29 August 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson.
How little and how much can you say about the second book in an extremely close-knit trilogy with a staggering number of layers and secrets that on the one hand conveys the art of this kind of story telling while also preserving the secrets and twists? Because it makes a very big difference if you read the first book with too much knowledge. (I know this because I had to skim through Kiss of Deception before starting this one to jog my memory a bit and just knowing who is who in terms of two central characters changed my perspective quite a bit. It’s so much fun just to speculate about their identities.)
This second book opens up the world quite a bit to a whole new part of the continent and also further introduces political intrigues on top of personal ones. Add to that the history of this fictional world and the layers and possible ramifications go through the roof. If you’ve read the novella as well and realise the misunderstandings due to time, distance, and perspective, you gain another layer ... add the personal deceptions and lies and the times you want to throw these characters into a cell and only let them out when they’ve talked it out become immeasurable.
A wonderful second book that not only lives up to the first but also lays a great foundation for a high-heart-rate finale.
Sometimes the narrator of a book is unreliable, but sometimes it’s just the narration itself that adds to the mystery through its information management. Which book has stayed on your mind because of its narrative style recently? Share your thoughts and 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!
The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson.
 |
| The Heart of Betrayal – Henry Holt and Company |
“As you command, Komizar. I will sleep well tonight if I must slit my own throat to do it.”
He smiled. “I think we’re beginning to understand each other at last.”
— Chapter 36
“The rules of reason build towers that reach past the treetops. The rules of trust build towers that reach past the stars.”
— Chapter 47
How little and how much can you say about the second book in an extremely close-knit trilogy with a staggering number of layers and secrets that on the one hand conveys the art of this kind of story telling while also preserving the secrets and twists? Because it makes a very big difference if you read the first book with too much knowledge. (I know this because I had to skim through Kiss of Deception before starting this one to jog my memory a bit and just knowing who is who in terms of two central characters changed my perspective quite a bit. It’s so much fun just to speculate about their identities.)
This second book opens up the world quite a bit to a whole new part of the continent and also further introduces political intrigues on top of personal ones. Add to that the history of this fictional world and the layers and possible ramifications go through the roof. If you’ve read the novella as well and realise the misunderstandings due to time, distance, and perspective, you gain another layer ... add the personal deceptions and lies and the times you want to throw these characters into a cell and only let them out when they’ve talked it out become immeasurable.
A wonderful second book that not only lives up to the first but also lays a great foundation for a high-heart-rate finale.
Sometimes the narrator of a book is unreliable, but sometimes it’s just the narration itself that adds to the mystery through its information management. Which book has stayed on your mind because of its narrative style recently? Share your thoughts and teasers in the comments!
Tuesday, 22 August 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.
There has been so much positive buzz about this book. Or it seems to me like that at least. Let me add to that a little. This is a cute girl meets boy, they connect, have some obstacles, but ultimately fall in love story. You can leave it at that and have a very pleasant read, just like hundreds of other books and movies. So why is this one of the books that gets talked about? Because, a little sad as it is, there is the added cultural background that is still enough of a novelty that it gets to be specifically addressed. At the same time for this books it is so intricately woven into the whole plot that there is at no point a moment to question it or to feel alienated. Because at the surface and all the way down these teenage characters have the same problems of finding themselves and their place in life and society as everyone else. And their path is riddled with hilarious and sometimes baffling detours.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and wll recommend it to anyone in search of a well-crafted romantic read with a little backbone.
Summer holidays are slowly winding down here although I feel that the weather at least has cheated me out of at least three weeks. At least my summer reads have mostly held up their end of the deal. How do you feel about seasonal reads that deliver on anything but their season relevance? Share thoughts and 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!
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.
 |
| When Dimple Met Rishi – Simon Pulse |
“So what if your art’s not practical? If you love it, you should do it. What’s the point of anything otherwise?”
— Chapter 10
“I feel like I need to speak out, because if no one speaks out, if no one says, This is me, this is what I believe in, and this is why I’m different, and this is why that’s okay, then what’s the point? What’s the point of living in this beautiful, great melting pot where everyone can dare to be anything they want to be?”
— Chapter 21
There has been so much positive buzz about this book. Or it seems to me like that at least. Let me add to that a little. This is a cute girl meets boy, they connect, have some obstacles, but ultimately fall in love story. You can leave it at that and have a very pleasant read, just like hundreds of other books and movies. So why is this one of the books that gets talked about? Because, a little sad as it is, there is the added cultural background that is still enough of a novelty that it gets to be specifically addressed. At the same time for this books it is so intricately woven into the whole plot that there is at no point a moment to question it or to feel alienated. Because at the surface and all the way down these teenage characters have the same problems of finding themselves and their place in life and society as everyone else. And their path is riddled with hilarious and sometimes baffling detours.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and wll recommend it to anyone in search of a well-crafted romantic read with a little backbone.
Summer holidays are slowly winding down here although I feel that the weather at least has cheated me out of at least three weeks. At least my summer reads have mostly held up their end of the deal. How do you feel about seasonal reads that deliver on anything but their season relevance? Share thoughts and teasers in the comments.
Tuesday, 15 August 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
The Savage Dawn by Melissa Grey.
This is the final book in the Girl at Midnight trilogy – and I don’t want it to be over. Yes, it is totally in accordance with the previous books and I understand why it has to be this way, but that doesn’t mean that in my heart of hearts I wasn’t hoping for something else. Everyone always says that they appreciate a bitter sweet ending, myself included, yet if I’m completely honest I mostly like my chocolate to be that way and hope for my books for a sweeter solution. There is room for interpretation and maybe I’m just a little raw at the moment. Which actually says a lot about how much this series and its characters have come to mean to me. They sort of snuck up on me and now I’m sad to let them go when I was so unprepared for this amount of parting pain.
There were way too many quotes to choose from, which was also true for the previous books. Echo is the sort of main character that especially speaks to me with her love for language and literature, which is reflected in the wonderful writing. And then there are the twists and high stakes that will suck you right in and will make you want to hold on for dear life.
If Urban Fantasy is your thing and you haven’t read this series maybe now that it is complete give it a chance. I know that I will have to come back for a re-read in the not too distant future. And maybe, just maybe there is a chance that it isn’t completely over? I mean there are so many possibilities of stories yet to tell. One can hope, right?
Which bitter sweet ending has last left you satisfied and yet laid waste to you? Share them along with 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!
The Savage Dawn by Melissa Grey.
 |
| The Savage Dawn – Delacorte Press |
But the words engraved in the marble columns betrayed the lie. Language knew. Language remembered.
— Chapter 14
Hate is a choice. And it’s not one I’m interested in making.
— Chapter 39
This is the final book in the Girl at Midnight trilogy – and I don’t want it to be over. Yes, it is totally in accordance with the previous books and I understand why it has to be this way, but that doesn’t mean that in my heart of hearts I wasn’t hoping for something else. Everyone always says that they appreciate a bitter sweet ending, myself included, yet if I’m completely honest I mostly like my chocolate to be that way and hope for my books for a sweeter solution. There is room for interpretation and maybe I’m just a little raw at the moment. Which actually says a lot about how much this series and its characters have come to mean to me. They sort of snuck up on me and now I’m sad to let them go when I was so unprepared for this amount of parting pain.
There were way too many quotes to choose from, which was also true for the previous books. Echo is the sort of main character that especially speaks to me with her love for language and literature, which is reflected in the wonderful writing. And then there are the twists and high stakes that will suck you right in and will make you want to hold on for dear life.
If Urban Fantasy is your thing and you haven’t read this series maybe now that it is complete give it a chance. I know that I will have to come back for a re-read in the not too distant future. And maybe, just maybe there is a chance that it isn’t completely over? I mean there are so many possibilities of stories yet to tell. One can hope, right?
Which bitter sweet ending has last left you satisfied and yet laid waste to you? Share them along with your teasers in the comments!
Tuesday, 8 August 2017
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker.
To play along just do the following:
Just Friends by Tiffany Pitcock.
“No, it’s not like that, we’re just friends.” Countless hearts have probably been battered and bruised by such an utterance. On the other hand, why is it “just” friends? Sure, you can be in love with multiple people, but acting on all those feelings at once is generally frowned upon whereas you can be friends with however many people you like. It helps if your partner is also a good friend, but they don’t have to be the best friend ... if the partnership and friendship can handle each other.
Which brings us to the premise of this book. It’s not a play on the trope that boys and girls can’t ever be friends without developing feelings for each other. It’s also not about one of them being n love with the other for a long time before the other suddenly realises their feelings as well. And not unrequited love either. Although that aspect is not completely absent in theory. And now that you know what it’s not, I’ll let you figure out what it’s actually about.
A very cute and quick read with a lot of miscommunication-face-palm-potential and a good portion of great humour. As I am a sucker for character development I would have loved to see a little more of that concerning the minor cast. The protagonists have a very steep arc in relation to the length or brevity of the plot, but it mostly fits with the overall pace. It’s not all fluff and butterflies, too. There is actually quite a lot of heavy stuff woven into this, almost in a when it rains it pours way. For this alone, I really would have liked the book to be a little longer to address the issues with more depth. It’s a very nice read, but I think there is a lot more potential that could have been explored ... overall quite an accomplishment for a contemporary debut and certainly an aspiring author to watch.
Are you a friends first and then fall in love or a love at first sight advocate ... speaking about reading habits for the most part here. Share preferences and 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!
Just Friends by Tiffany Pitcock.
 |
| Just Friends – Swoon Reads |
“I’ll dust!” he cried, running to the supply closet. “You win, I’ll dust!”
— Chapter 5
Just like that Jenny Wessler lost it.
She closed her eyes and started chucking dictionaries.
— Chapter 31
“No, it’s not like that, we’re just friends.” Countless hearts have probably been battered and bruised by such an utterance. On the other hand, why is it “just” friends? Sure, you can be in love with multiple people, but acting on all those feelings at once is generally frowned upon whereas you can be friends with however many people you like. It helps if your partner is also a good friend, but they don’t have to be the best friend ... if the partnership and friendship can handle each other.
Which brings us to the premise of this book. It’s not a play on the trope that boys and girls can’t ever be friends without developing feelings for each other. It’s also not about one of them being n love with the other for a long time before the other suddenly realises their feelings as well. And not unrequited love either. Although that aspect is not completely absent in theory. And now that you know what it’s not, I’ll let you figure out what it’s actually about.
A very cute and quick read with a lot of miscommunication-face-palm-potential and a good portion of great humour. As I am a sucker for character development I would have loved to see a little more of that concerning the minor cast. The protagonists have a very steep arc in relation to the length or brevity of the plot, but it mostly fits with the overall pace. It’s not all fluff and butterflies, too. There is actually quite a lot of heavy stuff woven into this, almost in a when it rains it pours way. For this alone, I really would have liked the book to be a little longer to address the issues with more depth. It’s a very nice read, but I think there is a lot more potential that could have been explored ... overall quite an accomplishment for a contemporary debut and certainly an aspiring author to watch.
Are you a friends first and then fall in love or a love at first sight advocate ... speaking about reading habits for the most part here. Share preferences and teasers in the comments!
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