My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea. It's to highlight the books on hold
This week's topic is a freebie - so I'm going to showcase the top 10 books I desperately want to get my hands on at BEA this week! There's a few that I have already at my library that I can't wait to read - so I'm not counting those. This week it's a mix of MG, YA, and adult novels. Plus I'm cheating and adding 5 extra, because there's no way I can limit myself to just 10. The first 5 are in order and after that, it's not.
I'm not talking about the bookmarks you can buy at Upstart or somewhere else, but rather the bookmarks from authors and publishers.
Addie and Bea grew up together, although they were cousins, they were as close as sisters. Addie knew that she would never have a debutante ball like Bea. Then the war came and it changed everything.
After the war, they hit a rough patch. They didn't speak for several years, until Bea invites her to Kenya.
In present day, Clemmie's learning just how little she knows about her grandmother's life. As a high profile lawyer, she's put her entire life on hold to work for promotion. But the more she learns about her family, the more she begins to question her life choices.
As the stories weave together, the reader learns what happened to cause the rift between Bea and Addie and how they grew apart and why Addie went to Kenya to try to salvage their relationship.
Now that BEA is officially here, the excitement is starting to grow! I'm so excited to talk with everyone about books and to meet new and old friends! I'll be sharing my tips each week until the big event!
My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea. It's to highlight the books on hold at the library. I usually have 20-40 items checked out
Sophie and Grace host midnight spy missions to improve their spy skills. Grace has wanted to spy on Sophie's school counselor Dr. Agford for ages. Grace has always found her suspicious, but Sophie never wanted to get too close. Dr. A has a reputation at school and Sophie doesn't need her attention.My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book: spies, potential murder, and the investigation made it hard to put down. I wanted to uncover the truth about Dr. A. The many twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. The relationship between Sophie and Grace added tension. With Sophie being a public school and Grace being home-schooled, they had various view points of both school and social interactions. They also had different groups of friends. I found Trista entertaining, especially her prank. I hope there are more Young and Yang myseries planned as this was fantastic!
They decide to peek in her windows, a one time exception. They see blood everywhere - and immediately call emergency services claiming to have witnessed a murder.
The next day at school, Sophie's called to the principal's office where her parents, Dr. A, and a police officer gather to talk about the incident the night before and the proper punishment. Now more than ever Sophie distrusts Dr. A. Could she be hiding something significant? If so, can Sophie figure it out without getting into more trouble?
This week's topic is Top Ten Favorite Book Covers. I'm going to talk about my top ten summer romance covers. It's hard not to judge a cover, but I love the covers that make me wish I was there. - enjoying the sun, the waves, and the magic.
Olive died for a little less than three minutes following a car accident. When she awakes in a hospital - her world has drastically changed. Three weeks later, she's beginning to understand.My Thoughts: I loved this book - I loved unraveling Olive's story and the layers of relationships. I liked the relationship between Olive and Annie. I like how Annie supported Olive, but wasn't afraid to tell her the truth. I enjoyed the side story of Annie's photography and Olive learning to like taking pictures. Nick and Olive's relationship is adventurous, soul-searching, and sweet. I like how Olive's parents and her understanding of them changed throughout her journey.
Her mother no longer trusts her. Her boyfriend never came to the hospital to check up on her. The only people standing by her are her best friend and her younger brother. People talk about her at school. She can't sleep.
Her mother believes she needs to talk to a professional. She decides to travel outside her area to attend a Near Death Society support group. It's weirder than she ever imagined, but that's where she meets Nick.
Nick makes her feel things. The more time she spends with him, the better she feels. She might be neglecting her best friend and making her parents unhappy, but she's trying to find herself. Should she try to fall back in line or make her own path?
At BEA two years ago, someone told me I should read the Bridgerton series. They were RIGHT, I devoured this series. I loved every book. Here's a new book of short stories sharing what happened after the books ended.
Zoe and her cousin become interns at Fairyland Kingdom. Jess has her heart set on being a Princess, but Zoe's just amazed that she was accepted in the first place. It's been a rough couple of years, following the death of her mother. Jess has been with her every step of the way. Together, they imagine a summer filled with fun.
Jess doesn't win the coveted Princess role, leaving her a very small chance of winning the $25,00 scholarship. Zoe isn't given a cast role, instead she's a Lady-in-Waiting for the Queen. She's the Queen's minion.
She learns very early in the summer tips and tricks to make the Queen happy. She tries to obey at all times, even though she doesn't agree with the policies. It hardly makes her popular with the other interns. Still she tries hard to make everything run smoothly. If only she could figure out the identity of the boy who rescued her as he could be her Prince Charming.
Now that BEA is officially here, the excitement is starting to grow! I'm so excited to talk with everyone about books and to meet new and old friends! I'll be sharing my tips each week until the big event!
Emily's mother often retells the story of her naming, how she was named after Emily Dickinson while looking in at a book in a bookstore, and how she knew her daughter would write poetry- just like her namesake. Emily's kept that book close to her. Her mother wrote down all her life's progress besides fitting poems.
Emily doesn't like to write poetry. She's not interested in it. She's more interested in happy endings. When an accident causes her to misplace her book, she worries about finding it. Mostly Emily worries about her destiny. Is she in control of her own destiny?
What will happen to her future? After talking with her best friend, her cousin, and her mother, Emily decides to attempt to change the way she makes decisions. If she changes, will the book come back to her? And can she change her future?
Today at YA Book Nerd we have Jane, one of the five spies we meet in the new YA historical adventure Maid of Secrets. I just started the book and so far, it's fabulous! Jane is usually a woman of few words, but she graciously agreed to speak with us today.
Author Bio via Goodreads:
Jennifer McGowan writes Young Adult romance full of swash and buckle. Her first novel, MAID OF SECRETS, debuts in Spring, 2013 from Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Savannah and Dirk finally have a moment of peace and quiet to themselves after a crazy time getting married. Now they're spending their honeymoon on an island. Savannah gets a note from Ryan and John. They've book Savannah and Dirk a cottage and lighthouse for their romantic vacation.My Thoughts: I really adore this mystery series. I love the characters and the banter between them. I love reading about Savannah's family. Even though their past wasn't pleasant, they found love with their grandmother. I was happy to learn more about Dirk's family life, even though, he too had a rough childhood. I can't wait to learn more about his family. Even though the two were on their honeymoon, they seem to have a hard time relaxing. The island seemed charming, ideal for a honeymoon or a vacation. I liked reading about the politics of the island. I'm interested to see how the series will change now that Dirk and Savannah are married.
On the first trip up to the lighthouse, Savannah notices a woman racing down the beach. Immediately her curiosity kicks in.
She convinces Dirk to go investigate with her. They hear her scream followed by bullet shots. Savannah goes towards the woman while her husband heads towards the trees where the gun was fired. The woman dies in Savannah's arms, bringing back painful memories for her.
Neither Savannah nor Dirk are impressed with police procedure following the death. When Savannah recognizes the woman as a TV anchor, who's death is deemed an accidental drowning, she vows to uncover the truth behind her murder.
West lives in a society that only wants the best and brightest to survive. So when couples want children, they're forced to pair up with two other parents. Two children are created with DNA from all four parents. Each parent takes home a child to raise. Somewhere between the 10th and 20th birthday, the pair becomes activated. They then have one month to locate and kill their Alternate. If they both fail, they are simultaneously destroyed.My Thoughts: I love the concept of this book - it's definitely dark. West was strong, insecure, and sometimes made the wrong choices. In a way, she reminded me of Katniss. There were times when I wanted to ask what was going through her head - except that I knew and while I understood her thought process, I didn't agree with all her decisions. The opening sequence broke my heart, but it sets the tone for the book. I really liked Chord and how he tries to pull West our of her grief. I loved the moments between West and Dess. A great character driven novel with action, death, and a terrifying ending. Dualed is an engrossing debut novel that makes me want the sequel Divided!
West's world goes into a downward spiral when she accidentally gets her brother killed. Now she's the last one left of her family. Her brother's best friend has promised to protect her, but since his Alt killer her brother, she can't look at him without feeling guilt and pain.
West does something crazy in order to survive - in order to feel something. She thinks that it will help with her training, for when she becomes activated. When the time comes, she wrestles with that question. Is she the best version?
Now that BEA is officially here, the excitement is starting to grow! I'm so excited to talk with everyone about books and to meet new and old friends! I'll be sharing my tips each week until the big event!
My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea. It's to highlight the books on hold at the library. I usually have 20-40 items checked out at the library and another 20 items on hold.
