Top Ten Tuesday: Books from the Past

 This week's topic is books that we read and loved 10 years ago. It was fun putting this post together and seeing what I read and loved back in the day.

@yabooknerdlibrarian 10 years ago I was reading these YA books and loving them! #booktok #toptentuesday #YAbooks #5starreads #booktalk ♬ original sound - Jennifer @YA Book Nerd 📚📚📚

Picture Book Review: Creature of Habit

 

What happens when someone new comes along and shakes up your routine?

This book was a fun read with a great message about how not sticking to a rigid schedule help make new discoveries.

Library Recommendation: Highly Recommended for your picture book collection - in both school and public libraries. 

** If the author's name sounds familiar, it's because she writes awesome YA books. 

Book List: YA Books set in Hollywood

Last week, I talked about Hollywood books for Adults, so this week I'm talking about YA books. 

I love YA books set in Hollywood. It's one of my favorite buzz words.

Book List:

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith

Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler

Love Scene, Take Two by Alex Evansley

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan

Books Not Pictured:

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West

Lost in Hollywood by Cindy Callaghan (Middle Grade)

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle

Teen Idol by Meg Cabot

The Daughters by Joanna Philbin

Now a Major Motion Picture by Cory McCarthy 

Spoiled by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Off the Record by Camryn Garrett 

Geekerella by Ashely Poston

On Your Radar: Field Notes on Love (21)

Title: Field Notes on Love

Author:  Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher:  Delacorte Press

Publication Date: March 5th

Why it Should be on Your Radar:

* Siblings
* Trains
* New Adult/YA book

* Filming movies
* People's Stories
* Relationships
* Names
* Road Trip (sort of)
* Two Dads
* Grandmother
* Dreaming Big
* Going after your Dreams
* Friends
* Finding the meaning of Love


Highly Recommended Read
I love Jennifer E Smith's book and was So Happy to have an ARC sent to me.

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?

BEA Recap: Author Moments

This year at BEA, I had some great moments meeting and chatting with authors. Here are few pictures I snapped to remember.

The Harlequin booth always has a group of knock out authors. Two of my favorite romance writers were there, Susan Mallery (Fool's Gold) and Kristan Higgins. I was very happy to chat with both of them for a minute. I just finished Hold Me, the first in the newest Fool's Gold trilogy. And next up I'm going to read If You Only Knew.

I got a hug and a signed copy of Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between from Jennifer E. Smith which I read and LOVED. (Review coming soon.) 

My librarian friend snapped this picture of us.

I stood in line for ages for Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl! For some reason I had it in my head that it was a graphic novel. I'm happy to be wrong. I'm really excited to read this book - and happy for my signed copy. We talked about how Black Widow needs her own movie!

I've heard such great things about the Daughter of Deep Silence, so I was excited to meet Carrie Ryan and grab a copy.

Super happy to see Liza, whom I chat with on twitter signing her YA debut Hello? - which sounds like a fantastic friendship story and I can't wait to read it!

Carolyn Mackler was signing the Infinite In Between about five teens throughout their high school careers. I'm really excited about following their friendship for four years. Plus I'm really looking forward to her MG debut: Best Friend Next Door. (I  just ordered this from my local library)

I sat in Richelle Mead's line for almost 2 hours because the line started, I really wanted to read Soundless (fantasy based in Chinese folklore), and because I really needed to sit down and rest. It was perfect. I chatted with people in line, had a snack, and then hugged the book tightly. 

I was first in line - something that NEVER happens. 

I got the book signed for my father-in-law and he wrote a little note in it for me.

Super nice! 

photo credit: Pam Jaffee

After that, I wondered over to the line for Meg Cabot, happy I got up extra early for a ticket. 

Those of you who read this blog regularly, know that I'm a huge fan of Meg Cabot's - she's the reason I became a YA Librarian. 

We've met a few times before, so we snapped a picture. 

 I just finished Royal Wedding (and a re-read of the books prior to this one). We talked about that while I had the book signed for a friend.

It was the PERFECT ending for a fantastic conference. I couldn't stop smiling!

Upcoming Book Review: Geography of You and Me

One night Lucy and Owen get stuck in an elevator when a black out hits the entire East Coast. It's only 30 minutes before help funds them, but it's enough to make a small connection,

They spend time that night walking about the city - eating ice cream and talking about why they love or hate the city. Finally they climb up to the roof of their apartment building where they talk about everything.

Lucy awakes in the morning - on top of the roof and alone. The spell is broken as she's not sure if she should find Owen and talk with him some more.

That one evening changes both of them. Soon, each of them are moving to new places. They start keeping in touch with emails and postcards, but eventually life gets in the way and their communication dwindles.  Was their friendship only meant to last that one night?

My Thoughts: I Loved this book - I loved how their short time together changed the way they viewed things in the world and how it changed both of them.I liked how they struggled to remain friends during their life changes - the moves, dealing with parents, exploring new cities, and finding new friends. I liked how they still thought about each other. I really liked  the short chapter portion - and how connected they were at that time. I really liked how they traveled around different parts of the world and how they saw the sights. I loved this sentence (the last one in this paragraph):

I Loved this book, a perfect read from one of my favorite authors. Add it to your TBR list!

Cover Thoughts: Love it!

Source: ARC for review

Release Date: April 15th

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is a rewind, so I'm choosing Books to Have In Your Beach Bag. It's warming up a little here, but quickly going back into the coldness of winter. Right now I'd love to be on a beach reading. I've done this topic before, but there are so many great ones. So check out the previous one for more summer romances.

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish

Books I'm Dying to Read: April Edition

Here's a list of books I can't wait to get my hands on come April! 

Taking: Kyra wakes up to discover 5 years have gone by and her entire life has changed in a blink of an eye. 

Tease: Different Perspective inspired by real life events from the bully's point of view.

Catch a Falling Star: Playing the girlfriend of a Hollywood Star - could become complicated.

Sleep No More: Similar to Lisa McMan's Wake trilogy!

Countdown: Still reading the 39 Clues series - but slowly starting to lose interest.

Last Best Kiss: Retelling of Persuasion 

T'was the Night before College (no cover): Love her novels in verse

To All the Boys I've Loved Before: So excited for this one!

Don't Call Me Baby: What happens when your life is an open book - but you get to tell your side of the story?

Open Road Summer: Road trip, music tour, and summer romance

What I Thought was True: Summer romance from opposite sides of the track.

100 Things to do Before You Grow Up: Sounds interesting -wonder how many I've actually done.

Dinner with the Highbrows: Manners go out the window here.

The Here and Now: Falling in love with someone in this world is against the rules for time travelers - but it happens.

Far from You: Murder and secrets

Rebel Belle: Dangerous Southern Belles!

Geography of You and Me: Love this author - can't wait to read this one. (Have ARC hoping to read it this week)

Home for Mr. Emerson: A biography - love the cover

Greetings from the Graveyard: Love this series! The trio is starting their own greeting card company - can't wait to see what they come up with.

Bloom and Doom: The start of a new series set in a flower shop

Sugar and Iced: Love this series! Set during a beauty pageant. 

Ninja Librarians: The Title alone makes me want to read this one - how could you go wrong?

Ring and Crown: Game of Thrones crossed with Gossip Girl? YES