Blog Tour: The Whole Thing Together

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Summer for Sasha and Ray means the sprawling old house on Long Island. Since they were children, they’ve shared almost everything—reading the same books, running down the same sandy footpaths to the beach, eating peaches from the same market, laughing around the same sun-soaked dining table. Even sleeping in the same bed, on the very same worn cotton sheets. But they’ve never met.

Sasha’s dad was once married to Ray’s mom, and together they had three daughters: Emma, the perfectionist; Mattie, the beauty; and Quinn, the favorite. But the marriage crumbled and the bitterness lingered. Now there are two new families—and neither one will give up the beach house that holds the memories, happy and sad, of summers past.

The choices we make come back to haunt us; the effect on our destinies ripples out of our control…or does it? This summer, the lives of Sasha, Ray, and their siblings intersect in ways none of them ever dreamed, in a novel about family relationships, keeping secrets, and most of all, love

MY THOUGHTS:

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it would be a light summer read, but instead, I found myself reading multiple perspectives (for some reason, I thought there would just be two) and re-reading bits to make sure I understood what actually just happened (I misunderstood a key moment in the book). I felt myself surprised by the opening but once I felt I understood all the siblings and their places, I devoured it. 

This book is ALL about family - the strangeness of these two families and how they revolve around each other. I loved learning more about Sasha and Ray and the room (and other things) they shared. I liked how this summer changed everyone in both families. It's a book about grief, growing up, finding yourself, understanding your role, finding happiness, and healing. The Whole Thing Together didn't leave me after I closed the book, the characters are still with me and I'm still thinking about them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ann Brashares is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The Here and Now,3 Willows, The Last Summer (of You and Me), and My Name Is Memory. She lives in New York City with her family. Visit Ann’s website at AnnBrashares.com and follow on Twitter @AnnBrashares.

FOLLOW THE TOUR:

March 20: Bookhounds YA

March 21: Butter My Books

March 22: Here's to Happy Endings

March 23: Fiction Fare

March 24: A Midsummer Night's Read

March 27: Emily Reads Everything

March 28: In Wonderland

March 29: The Reader Bee

March 30: Books, Music, And All Things Written

March 31: YA Book Nerd

April 3: Peace Love Books

April 4: Tales of the Ravenous Reader

April 5: Sarah's Nightstand

April 6: Novel Ink

April 7: Fangirlish

April 10: The Fandom

                Page Turners 

April 11: Liz and Lisa 

April 12: Gidget Girl Reading

April 13: Art, Books, & Coffee

April 14: Leslie Lindsay

April 17: Swoony Boys Podcast

April 18: Ramblings of the Perpetual New Girl

April 19: YA Wednesdays

April 21: I'd So Rather Be Reading

April 22: Adventures in YA Publishing

April 24: Adventures in YA Publishing

April 25: A Dream Within A Dream

April 26: Lost in Literature

Nasty Women's Nonfiction Books

This is by no means an extensive list, only a list of books that have stuck with me and recent reads. But if you're looking for feminist middle grade books (and who isn't?) this list is a good jumping off point.

You might also like my feminist picture books post and my Fierce Female YA books post and my Middle Grade books.

Blog Tour: Vigilante

ABOUT VIGILANTE:

A brutally honest, uncompromising story about a teen girl who decides to take matters into her own hands. 

It's senior year, and Hadley and her best friend, Magda, should be starting the year together. Instead, Magda is dead and Hadley is alone. Raped at a party the year before and humiliated, Magda was driven to take her own life and Hadley is forced to see her friend's attackers in the classroom every day. Devastated, enraged and needing an outlet for her grief, Hadley decides to get a little justice of her own. 

Donning a pink ski mask and fueled by anger, Hadley goes after each of the guys one by one, planning to strip them of their dignity and social status the way they did to Magda. As the legend of the pink-masked Vigilante begins to take on a life of its own, Hadley's revenge takes a turn for the dangerous. Could her need for vengeance lead her down a path she can't turn back from?

LINKS: Amazon | BN | Indiebound

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I think it's the perfect book to start a conversation about women and how they can help other women, how they can learn to protect themselves, and how shaming other women isn't right. I felt terrible for Magda and how the world turned on her. I love the idea of Hadley and her new sisterhood. I love how they helped each other out, on several occasions. I liked the idea of the Pink Vigilante, going after guys the law couldn't - but at the same time, I didn't always agree with her decisions. I know that I don't have those fighting skills - but this book makes me want to change that. I loved the romance of this book. I loved the friendship between Hadley and Zoe. I love how this book made girls feel powerful, in control of their lives, able to help others, and fight back. I really loved the addition of Detective Diane, she was powerful and yet her hands were tied at times. I love how she taught the classes and how she spoke at the school. The ending threw me, I wasn't expecting that! Vigilante is a powerful read about friendship, grief, death, healing, and getting a little of your own back. 

ABOUT KADY CROSS:
Kady Cross is a pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and a pride of cats. She likes singing with Rock Band on the 360, British guys, Vietnamese food, and makeup (she’s hopelessly addicted to YouTube makeup tutorials!). When she’s not writing Kady likes to catch up on her favorite TV shows, read a good book or make her own cosmetics.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

Tour Schedule:

Week 1:

3/20: The Irish Banana Review - Makeup Looks

3/21: The Fake Steph - Looks From Books

3/22: Megnificent Books - Review

3/23: Bibliobuli YA - Q&A

3/24: The Book Return - Review

Week 2:

3/27: Such A Novel Idea - Playlist

3/28: Books Are Love - Review

3/29: YA Book Nerd - Review

3/30: BCS Reviews - Review

3/31: Avid Reader - Top 10 Vigilantes

Giveaway:

3 Finished Copies of VIGILANTE (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Picture Book Review: My Hometown

This book displays one town's Main Street history from 1860s to present day.

My Thoughts: A great read with very little words, this book is perfect for this year's Summer Reading theme. It illustrates how the town stays the same through the year, but more importantly how it changes with the building and the people. Great for one on one reading where you can pour over the amazing illustrations. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Author I'd Love to Meet

This week's topic is authors I'd LOVE to meet. I've had the good fortune to meet so many wonderful authors. Here are a few I haven't met yet. 

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish 

JK Rowling (Hey, I dream BIG)

Jill Shalvis

Sarah Morgan

Miranda Kenneally 

Jennifer L Holm

Shannon Messenger

Jennifer E. Smith

Emery Lord

Jenny Han

Stephanie Burgis

And so many more!

Bonus:

Jane Austen

Glittering Court Release Day Blitz

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…

I really Enjoyed this book, check out my review here. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

RICHELLE MEAD is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Vampire Academy series and its spin-off series, Bloodlines. Originally from Michigan, she now lives in Seattle, Washington.

ENTER TO WIN A COPY:

Enter for a chance to win one (1) of ten (10) copies of The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead (ARV: $10.99 each).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on March 28, 2017 and 12:00 AM on April 5, 2017.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about April 7, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Girl Rising

From Goodreads:

Girl Rising, a global campaign for girls’ education, created a film that chronicled the stories of nine girls in the developing world, allowing viewers the opportunity to witness how education can break the cycle of poverty.

Now, award-winning author Tanya Lee Stone uses new research to illuminate the dramatic facts behind the film, focusing both on the girls captured on camera and many others. She examines barriers to education in depth—early child marriage and childbearing, slavery, sexual trafficking, gender discrimination, and poverty—and shows how removing these barriers means not only a better life for girls, but safer, healthier, and more prosperous communities.

My Thoughts: I haven't seen this film (yet) but man was this book ever powerful. First - the pictures were great and very vibrant. I love how the book had details about the girls after the movie ended. I also loved the back of the book for the How to Help section because after reading this, you DO want to help. I loved this book because these girls were strong, determined, intelligent, brave, and inspiring. A heartbreaking reading but so inspiring at the same time. 

Cover Thoughts: Powerful
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Purchase for ALL libraries. Share this book and talk about it - with everyone! 

Blog Tour: Windfall

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Alice doesn't believe in luck— at least not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for the last few years, she's been pining for her best friend Teddy. She and he are alike: both are outsiders, both know tragedy. She lost both her parents when she was 9 and lives with her cousin now. Teddy's father abandoned the family, leaving his mother to grapple with the weight of his gambling debts and barely able to hold it all together. 

Then, on Teddy's 18th birthday, Alice buys him a lottery ticket, and to their astonishment, he wins 145 million dollars. In an instant, their lives are completely upended. But what at first seemed to be a blessing, soon starts to feel like a curse. As Alice and Teddy deal with the ripple effects caused by that one little ticket, they learn more about themselves than they ever could have imagined, and about the unexpected ways that luck and love sometimes intersect. Now, if only Teddy can see through his windfall and back to the ones who love him.

WINDFALL is a story about luck, love and fate, and what the world owes us. Jennifer E. Smith’s unique voice is one to watch and you are in for a for a treat!

RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2017
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

JENNIFER E. SMITH (@JenESmith) is the author of seven novels for young adults, including The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. She earned a master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and spent years working as an editor on a number of bestselling books, including Ballantine's New York Times bestseller Tell the Wolves I'm Home. Her work has been translated into thirty-three languages, and four of her novels are currently in development for film. She lives in New York City.

MY THOUGHTS: I adored this book as expected. I'm a huge fan of the authors, so I was very happy to be asked to be part of this tour! I love the relationships in this book from Alice and Teddy and Alice and Leo. I love Alice bought Teddy the ticket for his birthday and it changed his entire life. I like how he and his mom needed the money. There were times when I wasn't Teddy's biggest fan, but I grew to like him again in the end. I like how Leo and Alice tired to help keep him grounded and not go crazy spending money left and right. I adore love how he tried to make all their childhood dreams comes true. I loved Max and Leo and their relationship.  I felt terrible for Alice and her past. I admired her determination. I admired her desire to help people - the way her parents helped people. But I also loved how she started to lean on her friends more and become part of something for herself. I love the romances and the friendships in this book. I love the idea of paying it forward and helping to change the world with a ripple effect of kindness - what a beautiful sentiment! 

I've often thought about what I would do if my husband and I won a huge lottery like this. There are so many options. Paying off debt would be first. Then traveling. I have lots of places I'd love to visit. Of course charities would be involved. And taking classes about all the things I still want to learn. 

How would you spend your money if you won the lottery?

Book Display Ideas: April

Spring is here! Flowers are starting to pop out. Rain is upon us. Soon the grass will green up and leaves will appear. Here are a few book display suggestions for the month.

Check out last year's post for more topical ideas.

Other Dates:

Week 2: Garden Week

Flowers

Book Display Idea: Books with Flowers on the cover

Movie Dates:

April 7th: Going In Style

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/183099541069889206/

Book Display Idea: Heist Books

April 14th: Fate of Furious

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/183099541070116910/

Book Display Idea: Books with Cars on the cover

April 14th: Lost City of Z

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/81064862013944225/

Book Display Idea: Survival Books

Nasty Women's Middle Grade Books

This is by no means an extensive list, only a list of books that have stuck with me and recent reads. But if you're looking for feminist middle grade books (and who isn't?) this list is a good jumping off point.

You might also like my feminist picture books post and my Fierce Female YA books post.