Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Book News: August Releases



It's a new month and with that comes new books! Here are the August releases I'm most excited for. (Click on the book title for it's Goodreads page.)

Coming August 2nd . . .


by 
Lara Zielin

One summer chasing tornadoes could finally change Jane's life for the better.

Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister can't quite admit her mother's alcoholism is spiraling dangerously out of control until she drives drunk, nearly killing them and Jane's best friend.

Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left the problems at home years ago for college. A summer with him and his tornado-chasing buddies may just provide the time and space Jane needs to figure out her life and whether it still includes her mother. But she struggles with her anger at Ethan for leaving home and feels guilty--is she also abandoning her mom just when she needs Jane most? The carefree trip turned journey of self-discovery quickly becomes more than Jane bargained for, especially when the devilishly handsome Max steps into the picture.



by 
Alex Morel

Jane is on a plane on her way home to Montclair, New Jersey, from a mental hospital. She is about to kill herself. Just before she can swallow a lethal dose of pills, the plane hits turbulence and everything goes black. Jane wakes up amidst piles of wreckage and charred bodies on a snowy mountaintop. There is only one other survivor: a boy named Paul, who inspires Jane to want to fight for her life for the first time.

Jane and Paul scale icy slopes and huddle together for warmth at night, forging an intense emotional bond. But the wilderness is a vast and lethal force, and only one of them will survive.




Coming August 21st . . . 

by
Pittacus Lore

Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive.

Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. . . .

I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we're looking for the others--including John.

But so are they.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England. 
And Number Three in Kenya.
                                                         They caught me in New York--but I escaped.
                                                         I am Number Six. 
                                                        They want to finish what they started.
                                                        But they'll have to fight us first.




by 
S.A. Bodeen

Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft.

And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way.



by
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

After the grand explosion of her relationship, seventeen-year-old Max Scott developed what every girl in the history of the world has been waiting for: a way to get over being dumped. Now Max is the go-to guru for heartbroken high-school girls all over NYC. But when her ex unexpectedly shows up in her neighborhood, Max’s carefully controlled world starts to unravel. With her clients’ hearts hanging in the balance, Max will have to do the seemingly impossible: get over him once and for all.

Brilliant at bringing humor to the trials and tribulations of the lovestruck, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have crafted a tale that will resonate with any girl who has ever been in love or had her heart broken. It brims with smart observations, features a pitch-perfect teen voice, and will attract fans of Jenny Han, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Barnholdt. Readers are sure to fall head-over-heels for this sharp spin on breaking up, making up, and getting even.

Coming August 28th . . .


by 
C.J. Hill

When twins Sheridan and Taylor wake up 400 years in the future, they find a changed world: domed cities, no animals, and a language that’s so different, it barely sounds like English. And the worst news: They can’t go back home.

The twenty-fifth-century government transported the girls to their city hoping to find a famous scientist to help perfect a devastating new weapon. The moblike Dakine fights against the government, and somehow Taylor and Sheridan find themselves in the middle. The only way to elude them all is to trust Echo, a guy with secrets of his own. The trio must put their faith in the unknown to make a harrowing escape into the wilds beyond the city.

Full of adrenaline-injected chases and heartbreaking confessions, Erasing Time explores the strength of the bonds between twins, the risks and rewards of trust, and the hard road to finding the courage to fight for what you believe in.


What books are you most excited for this month??

Reading Challenge: August Linky List


Link up your August review right here! =)


Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Tune in Tuesday: My Teen Years Edition #4


Tune in Tuesday is a weekly segment hosted by Ginger from greads that showcases music. 
Each week you post a new or old song in hopes to gain it more interest.

For the whole month of July, Tune in Tuesday is going old school. Instead of sharing any song we will be sharing the songs from when we were teens.

Oops! I know I said last week was the last edition of My Teen Years but silly me forgot there was 5 weeks in July. So here we are again for one last peek (this time really is the end) into the music of my teen years.

THE JONAS BROTHERS!

I saw The Jonas Brothers in concert for the first time in 2005 when they opened up for The Cheetah Girls. Since that day I've seen them in concert eight more times. They are one of the sweetest most incredible bands I've ever had the chance to meet! 


Year: 2006
Album: It's About Time
Hit Single: Mandy



Year: 2007
Album: Jonas Brothers
Hit Single: S.O.S



Year: 2008
Album: A Little Bit Longer
Hit Single: Burnin' Up




Year: 2009
Album: Lines, Vines and Trying Times
Hit Single: Paranoid



Year: ????
Album: Jonas Brothers?
Hit Single: To Be Determined...

Rumor has it The Jonas Brothers are working on a new album. All I can say is if and when it comes out  I'm totally buying it, and if they decide to promote it by going on tour I'M SO THERE! 

Learn More About The Jonas Brothers:

What's your favorite Jonas Brothers song?

Monday, July 30, 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012

Foreign Cover Friday: I'll Be There

Foreign Cover Friday is a weekly meme hosted by The Reading Fever, where foreign covers of the books we know and love are spotlighted and discussed. To join, either pick your favorite foreign cover or pick many foreign covers, and start discussing!

This weeks book is...

I'll Be There
by 
Holly Goldberg Sloan


(US Hardcover)
The sole reason I read this book was because of this cover.
I absolutely ADORE it! 

(US Paperback)
I don't know why they would ever choose a new cover after having that first one, which is perfect.
The butterfly is so fake and photoshopped looking it's not funny. Not to mention that it has no significance to the story whatsoever at all. 

(United Kingdom)
I guess this ones okay. Kind of funky and random. You can't tell a lot about the book from looking at this. The one thing I do like is that the wooden heart Sam made is included, which was a part of the story. Although, it kind of ruined how it looked in my head...

(French)
This one is just plain weird. I can't really tell what the picture is (looking out a window perhaps?) 
To make matters worse why is the title split in three? And why, oh why is it orange? 

(German)
This is the only other one besides the first that I really like.
It's made in the same style as the first but looks more cutesy than dramatic.


Which is your favorite?

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Book Review: Waiting to Forget by Shelia Kelly Welch




Title: Waiting to Forget
Author: Shelia Kelly Welch
# Of Pages: 170
Publisher: Namelos
Publication Date: October 1, 2011
Level: Middle Grade (Ages 10-15)
Rating: 3 Hearts

Note: Thanks so much to Shelia Kelly Welch for sending me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review! 




Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

T.J. has always looked out for his little sister, Angela. When Momma used to go out and leave them home alone, he'd lock the door so they'd be safe, keep Angela entertained, and get out the cereal and milk for her. When Momma's boyfriend got angry at them, he'd try to protect Angela. Later, at their foster homes, T.J. was the only one who knew how to coax his little sister out of her bad moods. The only one who understood why she made origami paper cranes and threw them out the window. But now T.J. is sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, wondering if Angela, unconscious after a fall, will ever wake up. Wondering, too, if he will ever feel at home with his and Angela's new parents—Marlene, who insists on calling him Timothy, and Dan, who seems to want a different son. Going back and forth between Now and Then, weaving the uncertain present with the painful past, T.J.'s story unfolds, and with the unfolding comes a new understanding of how to move forward.

My Verdict

I always have such a hard time rating books that deal with tough subject matter. I settled on three hearts because it was well written, the characters well developed, and because the story was one worth telling. The thing that held it back from a higher rating for me was just how upsetting and sometimes depressing the storyline was.

The book opens with the main character T.J, sitting in a hospital waiting room wondering if his little sister Angela is going to survive. We know she fell but we don’t know how or why.

The book included three main timelines: Now, Then, and Between Then & Now, with a few additional sections (Between, Almost Now…) near the end. I found this writing style to be very affective for this story.

T.Js time at the hospital are the “Now” pieces. The author uses these parts to create tension and suspense as to what happened to Angela and if she is going to be okay. It’s not until the last few pages that we get the answers.

In the “Between” sections, T.J. and his sister Angela have just been adopted by a couple named Marlene & Dan. This is yet another smaller mystery because in the “Then” the kids are still living with their birth mother, so the whole-time you’re also wondering what happens to her that lands the kids in the foster care system.

My biggest issue with this book was that it was upsetting to read about a mother who cared so little about her own children. The mother (Celia) is a single mom who can’t hold a job (not because she can’t get one, but because she always quits), and she goes through many boyfriends (most of which are bad news).  The thing that upset me most was when one of her boyfriends would treat the kids like dirt and she just stood there and watched. At one point, I was so angry I wanted to jump into the book and shake some sense into her! The boyfriend has just flushed her 7-year-olds head down the toilet repeatedly and she blames the daughter for misbehaving, not her brute of a boyfriend! (There was practically steam coming out of my ears at this point.)

In the end, I’m glad I read this book. Despite it’s upsetting subject matter it was a good story, but I say that as a 21-year-old. However, this is meant to be a middle grade book for ages 10-15. I guess it all depends on the person, but this is definitely not the kind of book I was reading at 10 OR 15. It’s some heavy stuff for a 10 year old to handle in my opinion. I would recommend if for the oldest end of that and say 15 +.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tune in Tuesday: My Teen Years Edition #3

Tune in Tuesday is a weekly segment hosted by Ginger from greads that showcases music. 
Each week you post a new or old song in hopes to gain it more interest.

For the whole month of July, Tune in Tuesday is going old school. Instead of sharing any song we will be sharing the songs from when we were teens.

Sigh... today is the last week of the teen year edition. It's been so much fun reliving the music of those years and getting to know what everyone else was listening to. For todays post I've decided to post a bunch of songs that I might not have necessarily known who sang them back then (or now) but that I ALWAYS had to stop and listen to when they came on the radio. 

First Up...

Crash & Burn by Savage Garden

Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer

Blue by Eiffle 65


Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something


I better stop there, because I could go on all day!

When you were a teen, what were your favorite radio hits?