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Mon, March 4, 2013

The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding Review

The Reece Malcolm List
By Amy Spalding
Publication date: Feb. 5, 2013
Entangled Teen, 352 pages
Source: Publisher

Things I know about Reece Malcolm:

1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.
3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.
5. She’s my mother.

Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.

L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.

But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?

— Goodreads.com description

I so thoroughly enjoyed The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding. I mean, I got the vibe from the description (I love lists!) that this was going to be a quirky, realistic contemporary story (my favorite kind of book). And it was all those things and more.

Reece was realistic and definitely likable. Sure, she was put in an unlikely situation — dad dies, girl moves in with the mom she never knew, who happens to be a J.K. Rowling-level author, starts to attend super fancy California performing arts school — but her reactions to every situation were spot-on teenage girl. Plus, the interactions and fights with her friends really rang true.

Bonus factor: SINGING!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, so I have zero musical talent. But I’m super into musicals and books and movies about the performing arts. So the Glee aspect here was so fun — I really loved Reece’s drive to perform.

Double bonus factor: One of my favorite characters of the year, Reece’s mom’s boyfriend Brad. Those who have read this book: Is Brad not the best thing ever!?

Anyone looking for a fun, realistic contemporary that’s more about friends and family than about romance (hey, even I can appreciate that from time to time) should absolutely check this one out.

Mon, February 25, 2013

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell Review

Eleanor and Park
By Rainbow Rowell
Publication date: Feb. 26, 2013
St. Martin’s Press , 320 pages
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

“Bono met his wife in high school,” Park says.
“So did Jerry Lee Lewis,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be,” she says, “we’re sixteen.”
“What about Romeo and Juliet?”
“Shallow, confused, then dead.”
”I love you,” Park says.
“Wherefore art thou,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be.”

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

— Goodreads.com description

I read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell right after my friend Magan and thank goodness I had someone to talk to about it because, you guys, it was SO GOOD. It was one of those books that I could not stop thinking about and needed to dissect IN DEPTH. Do we like or hate so and so? What was the deal with the ending? DID YOU LOVE IT AS MUCH AS I DID? Etc.

Like…I tried to write a review, but it was just so fangirly, I had to calm myself down. So, instead of a review, here are bits and pieces of my side of our gChat…I think you will get the gist of my love…

me: ok that book
is why i love to read
i sat down and would not get up for like 5 hours
…
me: i just really enjoyed being in his brain
…
me: they were both so fascinating and lovely
…
me: the whole time i was reading it i felt like somehow rainbow rowell was reaching out and grabbing my heart and that is really emo but it is also TRUE
…
me: holy mother of mercy magan
was that not the hottest thing ever
…
me: ugh that slays me
i love it
i love that book so much
…
me: it’s so hard when a book ends and you just want to imagine what the rest of their lives are like
but will never KNOW
…
me: can we make everyone ever read this and love it as much as we do?
i’m feeling evangelistic over it
…
me: oh man what do people do when they don’t have people to dissect books with them

So, basically, here’s what you need to do:

1. Read Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I immediately preordered a hardcover version after I finished my Kindle version. Be prepared to do the same.

2. Then let’s discuss it even MORE. I’d be lost without bookish friends like Magan (mwah. xoxo.), so know that I am here for you too if you need to freak out as much as I did!

Mon, January 28, 2013

Mind Games by Kiersten White Review

Mind Games
By Kiersten White
Publication date: Feb. 19, 2013
HarperTeen, 256 pages
Source: Borrowed from Jillian <3 <3 <3

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways… or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

— Goodreads.com description

Oww…my head hurt a little after I finished Mind Games by Kiersten White. In a good way!

This story is told from Fia and Annie’s points of view. Things bounce around in time periods and it takes some time for all of the bits and pieces of the story to come together and align in one big picture. It made for a slow read…but it was also super cool! Like I was putting together the pieces of a puzzle while I read. And then when they all got into place it was just like, “Oooooh…NO WAY!”

Did I connect to the characters a lot? Not really. But the storytelling and structure was so smart and enjoyable that I didn’t totally mind. I like it when books are one step ahead of me! Kudos to Kiersten White for going a different route – it’s not as funny/girly as her Paranormalcy series, but is very intriguing in its own way.

Fri, January 25, 2013

Defiance by C.J. Redwine Review

Defiance
By C.J. Redwine
Publication date: Aug. 28, 2012
Balzer + Bray, 403 pages
Source: Purchased

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan–the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same one who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but a fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

— Goodreads.com description

HELLOOOOOOO! WHY DID I NOT READ THIS EARLIER?

Defiance by C.J. Redwine is the perfect representation of one of my favorite types of books: Accessible fantasy. I loved everything about this book, and think it will soon be making its way to my favorites shelf.

If you don’t know, I do a series called “Awful Drawings of Things I Like in Books.” This book fits into a remarkable FIVE of these things…

- Boys who teach girls to fight
- Revenge
- Romantic interests who bicker a LOT before they fall for each other
- NO love triangles
- Wilderness

For me, Defiance knocked it out of the park. For those who maybe can’t dig high fantasy, but are into a few bits here and there (for example, Throne of Glass), definitely give this one a go!

Thu, January 17, 2013

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell Review

Attachments
By Rainbow Rowell
Publication date: April 14, 2011
Dutton Adult, 323 pages
Source:

Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail. But the women still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. Jennifer tells Beth everything she can’t seem to tell her husband about her anxieties over starting a family. And Beth tells Jennifer everything, period.

When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he’d be sifting through other people’s inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can’t quite bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can’t help but be entertained-and captivated- by their stories.

But by the time Lincoln realizes he’s falling for Beth, it’s way too late for him to ever introduce himself. What would he say to her? “Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you.” After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it’s time to muster the courage to follow his heart . . . even if he can’t see exactly where it’s leading him.

Written with whip-smart precision and charm, Attachments is a strikingly clever and deeply romantic debut about falling in love with the person who makes you feel like the best version of yourself. Even if it’s someone you’ve never met.

— Goodreads.com description

As we have established time and time again, when my friend Ginger tells me to read a book, I do. It’s pretty pathetic actually. “Read this book, Anna.” “Okay, yes ma’am, whatever you say ma’am.” OK, the language I actually used was more crude, aka calling myself her Book B****. But still, she told me I HAD to read Attachments by Rainbow Rowell and, per usual, I am so glad I did!

It’s an adult book. I don’t usually review the adult books I read, but I made an exception for this one for two reasons:

(1) Rainbow Rowell has a YA book coming out soon that’s getting a lot of buzz (Eleanor & Park)
(2) IT WAS SO GOOD.

The book is mostly a romance, the type of romantic comedy I get swept away in. But it’s also more than that: It’s about family and friendship, and it’s highly enjoyable.

Bonus points: It’s set in a newsroom. About three careers ago, I ran the night shift copydesk at a newspaper. Loved all the references to life in the news biz (before it mostly went online)!