In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, in order to bring books to the attention of readers and to encourage interaction between bloggers.  It's also a great way to discover new books to add to your ever-growing to-read list!  Stop by Kristi's blog to participate or to take a look at what bookish things everyone got this week.

Here are the books that I've gotten since last time:

For Review:

• ARC of Halt's Peril by John Flanagan
• ARC of Vixen by Jillian Larkin
• ARC of Banished by Sophie Littlefield
• ARC of Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Bought:

• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
• The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (Kindle Edition currently only $2.39!)

Special thanks to Penguin, Barnes & Noble First Look, Random Buzzers, and the Amazon Kindle Store for supplying me with this week's books! ;)

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (3)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee's View.

Check it out to sign up and participate, or to discover some awesome book blogs!

This week's question:
If you have or would have a daughter, which book would you want her to read?

 Oh man, this is a hard one.  There are just so many.  I don't have a daughter, but if I did then I suppose it would depend on her interests as to which specific book I would choose, because I would want it to be one that would appeal to her and keep her interested in reading.  It would definitely also be something that had a message about being a strong woman in this world, as well as being a good person - maintaining self-respect, standing by her convictions and becoming someone she could be proud of and all that.  For the purpose of just answering the dang question, I suppose I couldn't really go wrong with Jane Eyre.

 The Book Blogger Hop is a meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

Check it out to sign up and join in, or to check out some great book blogs!

This week's question:
What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?

I would love to have my own library in my house - not like a study with bookshelves on one wall, but a large room dedicated to being a library with room for all of my books to be stored properly and room to grow.  And comfy reading spaces, of course!  Also, I'd like to have an unabridged OED in there. 

Welcome to all of the new faces, and welcome back to the old ones!
This was a busy week for me and thus a slow one,
but here is some of what has been happening on my blog since last time:

Reviews:
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Extras:
In My Mailbox

Thanks for stopping by!

Review: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Title: Twenty Boy Summer
Author: Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Little, Brown
Publication Date: June 1, 2009
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Won

According to Anna's best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance.

Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie -- she's already had her romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

This book broke my heart!  If you know me, then you know that I am most definitely not one of those girls who cries.  So when I tell you that I had to read this with a box of tissues nearby, you know that it is heartbreaking!  The grief is so accurate and honest and pure.  It was wrenching to read it at times, especially if you have ever experienced the grief of losing someone that you love.  It was like emotional torture, but the good kind - the kind that you expect a good book to make you feel while you are reading it.

The book follows Anna's journey as she makes attempts to shed the weight of that grief, even though she can't help but cling desperately to it for fear of erasing what once was.  She must also wrestle the guilt that comes along with surviving and continuing on with your life even though that person cannot experience it with you.  And she attempts to do this alone, since she is the only one who knows about her relationship with Matt.

I liked and sympathized with Anna's character.  At times I found the best friend, Frankie, to be a bit much, but not unrealistically so.  She's just the type of girl which I find a little annoying, so it's good that her character was able to annoy me in the same way as a real person would.  And it made me admire Anna that much more for still seeing the good in her friend no matter how ridiculous she could be at times!

The writing was beautifully done and captured the essence of grieving really well.  I laughed.  I cried.  And by the end of it all, I was left feeling hopeful though not entirely healed, which, I think, is how it should be.

Review: Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Title: Hunger
Author: Jackie Morse Kessler
Publisher: Harcourt Graphia
Publication Date: October 18, 2010
Series: Horsemen of the Apocalypse #1
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: NetGalley

“Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.”

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home: her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power — and the courage to battle her own inner demons?

There are things about this book that I really liked, and some stuff that bugged me while I was reading it.

Things I liked:

• The idea behind the book is a good one - an anorexic teenage girl being made into Famine. The premise intrigued me.
• I think that the portrayal of anorexia is well-executed. The view into the thoughts and torments of girls with eating disorders was realistic and believable, as well as horrifying.
• The characters are interesting and messed up. I particularly liked the way in which all of the Horsemen were characterized.
• The way the book ended left me a little surprised, but I like the way in which it was done because I think that the message is the most important thing about this book.

Things that bugged me:

• The narration - the narrative voice felt a bit fickle to me. The book mostly uses a third person omniscient narrative, but at several times throughout the narration, it switched over to a stream of consciousness type of deal in which we get Lisa's thoughts coming from the narrator. This happens as though the narrator is thinking them itself. That is, rather than the narrative saying that "Lisa thought, 'blah blah blah'", it would be stating the events taking place and then just interject one of her thoughts into the narrative as though the narrator were Lisa, which it obviously isn't. It was particularly irritating, since the voice of the ancient and ever-wise narrator was completely different from Lisa's, and would likely never think or say something like, "This is so freaking cool." It felt out of place, and it bothered me - things like that often do. Every time that it occurred I felt like the story was interrupted for me because I found myself stopping to be annoyed by it. This is probably my main reason for not giving the book a higher rating.
• There kinda wasn't enough story for me. It's a really short book (right around 180 pages) - more like a novella, really - which would have been okay except that the pacing felt rushed in places. I would've liked it if more time were taken for further plot development and for there to have been more events over a little more time..just more, really.  

So, overall, I liked the idea and the characters. I think that it effectively shows how scary, gross, destructive, etc. that eating disorders are. And I think it's got a pretty good message at the end as far as the struggle for healing is concerned. If my issues with the narration and length/pacing aren't something that's going to bother you, then you'll probably find yourself more satisfied than I was. I liked it okay, but I didn't love it like I wanted to.



A portion of all proceeds from the sale of this book are donated to the National Eating Disorders Association.

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, in order to bring books to the attention of readers and to encourage interaction between bloggers.  It's also a great way to discover new books to add to your ever-growing to-read list!  Stop by Kristi's blog to participate or to take a look at what bookish things everyone got this week.


This week, I received four new books:

For Review:

• Manifest by Artist Arthur (from NetGalley)
• ARC of Matched by Ally Condie (from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program)

Won During Banned Books Week:

• Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler (from The Debs, supplied by Little, Brown)
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (from Tahleen's Mixed Up Files)

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Follow Friday & Book Blogger Hop (2)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee's View.

Check it out to sign up and participate, or to discover some awesome book blogs!

This week's question:
What is your reading suggestion this week?

It is so hard to choose just one!  Tons of new YA came out this week.  I'm going to go with Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.  I've been on a historical fiction kick.  I haven't been able to read it yet, but it looks pretty cool.

 The Book Blogger Hop is a meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

Check it out to sign up and join in, or to check out some great book blogs!

This week's question:
When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move on to another title?

I guess it depends on how much I'm not feeling what I'm reading and on which books I have waiting in the to-read pile.  I usually at least try to push forward and finish a book.  There aren't many that I cannot finish.  However, if I've given a book a couple of fair chances and I still cannot stay interested in it, I will switch to one of the books from the stack.  I always have the intention to (and almost always do) go back and finish the first book again at a later date.  This does not really happen to me as much as it used to, because with all of the online resources that are at our disposal, such as the book blogosphere and sites like Goodreads & Amazon, I am able to do enough research on a book to know beforehand if it is something that I will probably like, and to avoid the ones that are unlikely to appeal to me.  I also think that it is important, when accepting a book for review, to be discerning.

Welcome to all of the new faces, and welcome back to the old ones!
Here is some of what has been going on at my blog this past week:

Reviews:
Winter Shadows by Margaret Buffie
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Extras:
In My Mailbox

Thanks for stopping by!

Review: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Title: The Scorch Trials
Author: James Dashner
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: October 12, 2010
Series: Maze Runner #2
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Random Buzzers

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back.  But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety...until Teresa triggered the end.  In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated - and with it, order - and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim...and meal.

The Gladers are far from done running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder - does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

Whoa! If y'all thought The Maze Runner was a crazy ride, wait until you read The Scorch Trials. Madness ensues pretty early into this sequel and will have you on the edge of your reading chair as the action-packed trials continue for Thomas and his friends. The plot is filled with new action, conflict, drama, and twists - and the Scorch is as menacing as the Maze ever was.

Something that I really liked about this book is that the character development begins to occur with a bit more depth. Those who read my review of The Maze Runner know that I felt the characterization took a backseat to the plot. The Scorch Trials makes up for it though, giving us more details about what is going on in Thomas's head and heart, and without taking away from the pace of the plot to do it. We learn some of Thomas's back story through sporadic memory dreams, which makes it easier to connect with him as a protagonist since he begins to develop more character through the discovery of pieces of his past. Also, the characters in general are able to react in more emotional ways as new obstacles are presented to them, some of which appear to be designed to trigger emotional responses.

I didn't feel like the ending of this one was as strong as in the first book - how could it be, after the shock of that one? - but I still liked it. And now I impatiently await the conclusion. I really want to see how it wraps up!

I liked The Maze Runner, but I really liked The Scorch Trials. If you want to know more, then go read it!

Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: October 6, 2009
Series: Maze Runner #1
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Borrowed

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

To describe this book as Ender's Game meets Lord of the Flies would be pretty accurate.

The reader and protagonist are both thrown into the story in medias res.  So the beginning part of the book is spent trying to find out what little is known about the Glade from the kids who were already there when Thomas arrives.  Once the girl shows up, even the bits and routines that the Gladers do know are upended and the madness ensues!

The plotting in this book is fast-paced and action-packed.  There is almost always something crazy going on to keep the reader occupied and, even when there isn't, there is an array of things to try to figure out.  The book is very action and plot driven.  In fact, I would say that the characterization suffers a bit in exchange for all of the plot madness, and falls a little flat because of it.  The reader does not really get a sense of the emotions of the characters very often, and I found it difficult to really sympathize with or care about the characters as much as I would've liked to.  This is partly because the action is so non-stop that the characters never really have time to sit around and think or talk about their feelings, or to interact in personal ways.  Also, none of them can remember life before the Glade, which means we don't really get any back story for any of them.  Normally, this lack of connection to the characters would bother me in a book, because I am all about the character-reader connection.  But, because the action is so abundant and the characters spend most of their time reacting instinctively, I can mostly forgive it in this case - even if the character with the most presence was the Glade itself.  (Honestly, it sort of reminded me of the Island in LOST - mysterious, present, looming.)  Also, the ending is pretty 'whoa!'

If you like puzzles and craziness and action in your post-apocalyptic dystopias, then you will probably like The Maze Runner.

In My Mailbox (1)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren in order to bring books to the attention of readers and to encourage interaction between bloggers.  Stop by Kristi's blog to sign up or check out what everyone got!

Since this is my very first time to participate in IMM, I am going to show y'all some of the things that I've gotten in the mail over the past several weeks.


For Review:
Winter Shadows by Margaret Buffie
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
ARC of The Scorch Trials by James Dashner



From NetGalley for Review:
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton
Hunger and Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler
The Lying Game by Sarah Shepard

Extras:
Firelight swag
Winter Shadows swag
Book Clues from Shay Doran of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (which I posted about here)

Bought:
Halt's Peril by John Flanagan

What did you get in your mailbox?