Waiting On Wednesday [@LE_DeLano @FierceReads @SwoonReads]

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

My pick for this week:

DREAMER (Traveler #2) by L.E. DeLano

You’re still you no matter where you go.

Jessa has learned the hard way that traveling to alternate dimensions isn’t all delicious, glittering desserts and fancy parties: it also means accidentally running into people she thought she'd never see again. Still mourning a devastating loss, Jessa isn’t really prepared for the arrival of a reckless version of someone she once loved who is now bent on revenge. Add an increasingly complicated relationship with her best friend Ben, the reappearance of an old enemy, and the threat of the multiverse collapsing, and Jessa’s got a lot on her plate. She may be destined to help save an infinite multitude of worlds… but in the end, all Jessa really wants to do is save her friends.

published April 10th by Swoon Reads

add to your Goodreads shelf // pre-order from Book Depo // or Amazon

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Why?

I really, really, really enjoyed reading Traveler (steampunk pirates, remember?) and the second book was one of those I was most looking forward to for 2018. I very much want to know what happens in this new story. I know I'm going to need to reread the ending of Traveler to refresh my memory but it had something that made me very eager to read the sequel.

I really cannot wait to read Dreamer and find out what it has in store for Jessa, the other characters we've already met and any new ones!

(Plus it's from Swoon Reads which greatly increases the probability of it being a great read for me.)


That's my pick for this week, what's yours? Tell me in the comments and/or link me to your own post!

Hamilton & Peggy! ~ L.M. Elliott review [@L_M_Elliott @KatherineTegen ‏@epicreads @KTegenBooks]

Hamilton and Peggy!: A Revolutionary Friendship
Katherine Tegen Books
February 13, 2018
448 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

The ebook of Hamilton and Peggy! is currently only $1.99, so hurry up and buy it! (Kindle / Nook)

For fans of the extraordinary Broadway musical Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author L. M. Elliott delivers a richly detailed historical novel about the lively Peggy Schuyler and her devoted friendship to Alexander Hamilton during the drama of the American Revolution.

Revolutionary. Friend. Lover. Sister.

Peggy Schuyler has always felt like she’s existed in the shadows of her beloved sisters: the fiery, intelligent Angelica and the beautiful, sweet Eliza. The three of them have a magnetic pull—they are stronger together than they are alone. But it’s in the throes of a chaotic war that Peggy finds herself a central figure amid Loyalists and Patriots, spies and traitors, and friends and family. Charming, quick-witted, and clever beyond compare, Peggy is determined to use her talents to make her own mark on the Revolutionary War.

When a flirtatious aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, writes an eloquent letter to Peggy asking for her help in wooing the earnest Eliza, Peggy finds herself unable to deny such an impassioned plea. A fast friendship forms between the two, but Alexander is caught in the same war as her father, General Philip Schuyler, and the danger to all their lives is real. Everything is a battlefield—from the front lines to their carefully coded letters—and Peggy must put herself in harm’s way to protect the people she loves. But will her bravery and intelligence be enough to keep them all safe?

It has been far too long since the last time I read a truly captivating historical fiction YA novel - something that Hamilton and Peggy! absolutely was.

Aside from some of those Dear America books I read in middle school, I have read remarkable little about the American Revolution. Most of what I know about it probably from history class and a few TV documentary type shows. It was really interesting and enlightening to read something that showed me the people behind some of those Names I knew factually.

I really, really loved how L.M. Elliott showed us Peggy Schuyler through a modern eye but still in keeping with the time period and what is known about her, her family, the time, etc.

"...Would consider any man "a poor thing," who seeks to entertain and garner the friendship of other men by gossiping and criticizing women." (pg 304)

As her author bio for the book says, this story combined "her passions for research, American history, theater, ad early feminism." Pairing the hopes and desires of Peggy (and several other female characters) with the fight for American independence was very well done; it is a logical pairing.

That the men were working so hard for independence, for freedom and the ability to make their own choices while still subjugating women and owning slaves is confounding, to say the least, when you think about it. But I am happy that the author did not ignore either fact, it really helps you to recognize how frustrated - and later, disappointed - some must have been when 'freedom' was won.

Peggy -and really the entire Schuyler family are people I am sorry I did not previously know more about. Her story and how it fits with that of Alexander Hamilton (whether you know it from the musical or reading or just what was mentioned in school) really beings the Revolution to life.

Hamilton and Peggy! is a fantastic YA historical fiction. The author does a great job using both historical fact and a bit of (reasoned, logical) imagining to allow us to meet Peggy and, through her, learn about some of the less often portrayed elements of the period and the war.








finished copy received, for review consideration, from publisher

Waiting On Wednesday [@KBRitchie @WednesdayBooks]

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

My pick for this week:

THE RAGING ONES by Krista & Becca Ritchie

In a freezing world, where everyone knows the day they will die, three teens break all odds.

Franny Bluecastle, a tough city teen, dreams of dying in opulence, to see wealth she’s never known. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday.

Until the day she does.

Court Icecastle knows wealth. He also knows pain. Spending five years in Vorkter Prison, a fortress of ice and suffering, he dreams of life beyond the people that haunt him and the world that imprisoned him.

Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court—which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny.

With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space. Against thousands of people far smarter, who’ll live longer, and never fear death the way that they do.

published August 14th by Wednesday Books

add to your Goodreads shelf // pre-order from Book Depo // or Amazon

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Why?

I like the way some books are creating worlds (sometimes nearly the same as the one we know) where characters know the day they are going to die. It isn't a new question ("If you could know when you were going to die, would you want to know?") but the ways the authors explore the possibilities is new and makes you think.

I enjoyed both of the Denton Little books by Lance Rubin (Denton' Little's Deathdate and Denton Little's Still Not Dead) and Adam Silvera's They Both Die at the End. 

The Raging Ones has me that extra little bit intrigued because it involves space and leaving planets and ice prisons!

All the more relevant GIFs are on old computer but this one's fun, so . . . .

That's my pick for this week, what's yours? Tell me in the comments and/or link me to your own post!

Waiting On Wednesday [@torbooks @scalzi]

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

My pick for this week:

HEAD ON by John Scalzi

John Scalzi returns with Head On, the standalone follow-up to the New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed Lock In. Chilling near-future SF with the thrills of a gritty cop procedural, Head On brings Scalzi's trademark snappy dialogue and technological speculation to the future world of sports.

Hilketa is a frenetic and violent pastime where players attack each other with swords and hammers. The main goal of the game: obtain your opponent’s head and carry it through the goalposts. With flesh and bone bodies, a sport like this would be impossible. But all the players are “threeps,” robot-like bodies controlled by people with Haden’s Syndrome, so anything goes. No one gets hurt, but the brutality is real and the crowds love it.

Until a star athlete drops dead on the playing field.

Is it an accident or murder? FBI Agents and Haden-related crime investigators, Chris Shane and Leslie Vann, are called in to uncover the truth―and in doing so travel to the darker side of the fast-growing sport of Hilketa, where fortunes are made or lost, and where players and owners do whatever it takes to win, on and off the field.

published April 17th by Tor Books

add to your Goodreads shelf // pre-order from Book Depo // or Amazon

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Why?

Lock In (my review) was a fun read that I remember I liked but - because I read in in the end of 2014 - I don't remember that much else about it, so I look forward to rediscovering those characters and that world. (It's a 'standalone follow-up,' so not remember most of Lock In should be fine.)

I really enjoy reading near-future tales, especially when they mix in either real, factual science with the fictional, or science you can believe is real.

Hilketa sounds like a cross of the gladiators from Ancient Rome, video games . . . and (at least to me) Quidditch and I'm interested in how it came about but also kind of horrified at the description. It should make for an entertaining, possibly troubling and/or thought provoking read, though!

That's my pick for this week, what's yours? Tell me in the comments and/or link me to your own post!

The Precious Dreadful ~ Steven Parlato (earc) review [@SimonTeen @parlatowrites]

The Previous Dreadful
Simon Pulse
February 13, 2018
352 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

Teddi Alder is just trying to figure out her life.

When she joins SUMMERTEENS, a library writing group, she’s only looking to keep herself busy, not go digging around in her subconscious. But as she writes, disturbing memories of her childhood friend Corey bubble to the surface, and Teddi begins to question everything: her friendship with her BFF Willa, how much her mom really knows, and even her own memories. Teddi fears she’s losing her grip on reality—as evidenced by that mysterious ghost-girl who emerges from the park pool one night, the one who won’t leave Teddi alone. To top it all off, she finds herself juggling two guys with potential, a quirky new boy named Joy and her handsome barista crush Aidan, who has some issues of his own.

As the summer unfolds, Teddi is determined to get to the bottom of everything—her feelings, the mysterious ghost-girl, and the memories of Corey that refuse to be ignored.

The Precious Dreadful was just not the book for me; Teddi's character and, especially, the romance really did not work for me. I did not love the writing in the beginning but as the book continued it either changed or I started to like it more. Sadly, I still had issues with Teddi and her relationships.

The romantic relationship in this novel really bothered me. It felt unhealthy and possibly dangerous. The male character had issues - that, weirdly, were stated to the other character very plainly but did not cause any alarm or hesitancy. Even if Teddi seemed fine with the actions, behaviors and words, I wanted one of the other characters to address the potential trouble. No one did (at least not with any follow through).

There's a 'big romantic gesture' that, possibly because of my feelings on the character and the relationship felt more controlling and troubling than sweet and romantic.

Maybe if I had felt more development of the relationship - it seemed to go from an interaction she remembers as 'hostile' (pg 37) to something she thinks could, "end up being for real." (Pg 39) Beyond his physical attractiveness, I had trouble seeing what the character's appeal was to her.

The mystery of this novel was fun and intriguing. The general picture of what happened was easy to guess fairly early on but why it is something the characters need to figure out and how it pieces together was compelling. This was a mystery that I would have enjoyed if I had cared about or understood the characters. At times I liked Teddi's acerbity but other times she felt mean and petty.

It felt like I was too old or too responsible or something for this book. There were too many things that characters did not care about, did not notice, or where there wasn't follow up/consequences.

Also? Teddi was awfully judgmental of people's names for someone named Teddi.

Interestingly, after I finished the book, I found myself wanting Brenda, Teddi's mother's, story. From where she failed Teddi to the things Teddi was so dismissive of and the bits her past mentioned, she could be more sympathetic than her daughter.

So, no, this was not the book for me but if you see the novel's romance differently and are able to connect with and/or relate to the characters more, The Precious Dreadful may be a book for you to read.

digital review copy received thanks to publisher, via NetGalley

Top Ten Tuesday: Cover Love

hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week's Ten:

Love Freebie: 10 Book Covers I Love

The Ring & the Crown (#1) by Melissa de la Cruz

Goodreads / Review

Lock In (#1) by John Scalzi

Goodreads / Review

Watch the Sky by Kirsten Hubbard

Goodreads / Review

Timepiece (Hourglass #2) by Myra McEntire

Goodreads / Review

A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

Goodreads / Review

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (#1) by Michelle Hodkin

Goodreads

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Goodreads / Review

Bad Taste in Boys (#1) by Carrie Harris

Goodreads  Review

Into the Grey by Celine Kiernan

Goodreads / Review

Taken (#1) by Erin Bowman

Goodreads / Review

Please leave a comment and let me know your favorite covers - or any bookish thing you love!

Miss Newman Isn't Human! ~ Dan Gutman review [@HarperChildrens]

Miss Newman Isn't Human! (My Weirdest School #10)
illustrated by Jim Paillot
HarperCollins
February 13, 2018
112 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

With more than 12 million books sold, the My Weird School series really gets kids reading!


In this tenth book in the new My Weirdest School series, Sprinkles Newman, the local TV meteorologist, is coming to Ella Mentry School! She’s going to teach A.J. and the gang all about the weather. But what happens when a real live (well, not live) hurricane comes to the school? Hold on to your umbrellas!

Perfect for reluctant readers and word lovers alike, Dan Gutman’s hugely popular My Weird School chapter book series has something for everyone. Don’t miss the hilarious adventures of A.J. and the gang!

In Miss Newman Isn't Human!, A.J., Andrea and the other kids get a visit from the local TV meteorologist (who is not, actually, someone who studies meteors).  A.J. is sure it's going to be boring, but some unexpected things happen that make for a much more interesting day

This Weird School book, aimed at readers in first through third grades, is a fun, sometimes goofy and even a little bit informative read. The author did a great job not making this a book about weather - at least not evreyday weather. Readers likely aren't  that interested in or already know why/how it rains, etc. (Or if they are interested, this probably isn't where they would look for information.)

Instead, the focus is more on Miss Newman, A.J. and his friends, their goofy teacher and a rare bit of weather. It actually isn't a hurricane, but saying what it is would ruin some of the fun. It is different enough to definitely catch readers attention.

Miss Newman Isn't Human! does include a lot of bad/corny jokes - some that were in previous books, as well - but the way they're included is still funny and should make reading more fun, faster and entertaining for readers.





finished copy received from publisher for review consdieration

Book Trailer Friday [@HarperChildrens @keturahAriel @LadyGraceByers]

The trailer I chose this week is for I Am Enough by Grace Byers and illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo:


about I Am Enough:

I Am Enough is the picture book everyone needs


This is a gorgeous, lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another—from Empire actor and activist Grace Byers and talented newcomer artist Keturah A. Bobo.

This is the perfect gift for mothers and daughters, baby showers, and graduation.

We are all here for a purpose. We are more than enough. We just need to believe it.

---

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March 06, 2018 // Balzer + Bray // 32 pages // Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

Waiting On Wednesday [@helene_dunbar @@skyponypress]

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

My pick for this week:

BOOMERANG by Helene Dunbar

Michael Sterling disappeared from his Maine town five years ago. Everyone assumed he was kidnapped. Everyone was wrong.

Now, at seventeen, he’s Sean Woodhouse. And he’s come “home,” to the last place he wants to be, to claim the small inheritance his grandparents promised him when he graduated high school, all so he can save Trip, the boy he developed an intense and complicated relationship with while he was away.

Sean has changed, but so has his old town and everyone in it. And knowing who he is and where he belongs is more confusing than ever. As his careful plans begin to crumble, so does everything he’s believed about his idyllic other life.

Told in gorgeous prose, Boomerang is an honest, authentic exploration of coming to terms with who you are, what you want, and how vast the distance can be between the two.

published March 06th by Sky Pony Press

add to your Goodreads shelf // pre-order from Book Depo // or Amazon

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Why?

The first few sentences of this book's description are probably what have me the most curious about it, the most intrigued to read it. If a twelve-year-old disappeared and he was not kidnapped, then what happened to him? Did he run away? And how has he been living for the past five years? It leaves me with a lot of questions, for sure.

I also want to know how the money will 'save' Trip and to find out how it all plays out.



That's my pick for this week, what's yours? Tell me in the comments and/or link me to your own post!

Look For Me ~ Lisa Gardner (earc) review [@LisaGardnerBks @DuttonBooks]

Look For Me (Detective D. D. Warren #9)
Dutton
February 06, 2018
400 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner's latest twisty thrill ride, Detective D. D. Warren and Find Her's Flora Dane return in a race against the clock to either save a young girl's life . . . or bring her to justice.

The home of a family of five is now a crime scene: four of them savagely murdered, one—a sixteen-year-old girl—missing. Was she lucky to have escaped? Or is her absence evidence of something sinister? Detective D. D. Warren is on the case—but so is survivor-turned-avenger Flora Dane. Seeking different types of justice, they must make sense of the clues left behind by a young woman who, whether as victim or suspect, is silently pleading, Look for me.

"Whatever she was about to see, it was not her job to feel. It was her job to fix." (Pg 14)

Boston Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren is back in the ninth entry to the series (well, ninth full length novel).  It was supposed to be a nice day with her husband and son, doing something not cop related, but once again work calls. The home, now a crime scene, is horrible but also leaves one question: where is the last member of the family?

Sixteen-year-old Roxanna Baez is missing (along with the family's two elderly dogs) and D.D. doesn't know if Roxy is victim or suspect.

Look for Me really steps things up from the previous novels in the series. I loved them and the way that we also had the perpetrator's point-of-view (or a perpetrator). It added anxiety to the story because you often knew something bad might be going to happen, you only hoped the good guys would stop it in time. In this book, though, we get things from D.D.'s perspective and from Flora Dane's.

Putting aside the fact that I am really, really happy we got more of Flora Dane (she was part of Find Her, which you really should read first), the way this story was presented was great. It made the most of the mystery and allowed readers some great insight into all of the main players. We don't know Roxy's role in everything so you think you want D.D. and Flora to figure things out, but some revelations are painful and tragic enough that I wondered if I really wanted the truth.

Roxy's perspective is made a part of the tale, but through a medium different than narration. It is not her present that readers receive, but glimpses into her past. This keeps the mystery going, but also lets us see that things have not always been so normal and safe and happy for Roxy, Lola, and their family. What we learn of their past is all the more heartbreaking because of basis in reality.

I absolutely enjoyed the way we had D.D. and her family, how she tried to balance that with her (often gruesome) work; then we had Flora, her past and how she was trying to make a present for herself; and the Baez family with its past - its secrets - and what that meant for their present.

As with each of the preceding books, I loved finding out more about D.D., Jack and Alex, unraveling and ultimately solving the mystery. I also hope that there will be more of Flora Dane in future books, she plays against D.D.'s character really well and its great seeing how far (or not far) she's come since we met her.







digital review copy received from publisher, via NetGalley

Top Ten Tuesday (TBR Books I *Still* Haven't Read)

hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week's Ten:

10 Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read 

This whole list probably could have been classics/those books you might have read in English class but I wanted to include some more contemporary titles, as well:

1984 by George Orwell
Goodreads


Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson
Goodreads


Rogue (Shifters #2) by Rachel Vincent
Goodreads

The Merciless by Felicity Heaton

Goodreads 

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Goodreads

The Amazing Mind of Alice Makin by Alan Shea

Goodreads

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Goodreads

Blood Drive (Anna Strong Chronicles #2) by Jeanne C Stein

Goodreads

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Goodreads

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

Goodreads

Now that I've made the list, I'm a bit disappointed in myself, I think actually own three of three of these books . . .

Please leave a comment and let me know what books have been on your list to read the longest that you still haven't read!

Marty Pants: Keep Your Paws Off ~ Mark Parisi review [@@OffTheMarkComic @HarperChildrens]

Marty Pants #2: Keep Your Paws Off
HarperCollins
February 06, 2018
256 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/or Amazon

Marty Pants is back! And in an unexpectedly hairy situation, Marty must put his deduction skills to the test as this new mystery might be leading to monstrous consequences.

When Marty finds a ripped page from his sister's diary, the most crucial piece—revealing Marty's true identity—is still locked inside his sister’s room. Undaunted, Marty pieces the clues together and comes to the most logical conclusion: he's on a one-way trip to werewolfville!

Superhuman speed. Howling. Hairiness. The evidence is mounting against him, and with his werewolf powers growing stronger, Marty is determined to protect his classmates from himself before it's too late—no matter what the cost!

The second book in the Marty Pants series from the award-winning cartoonist behind the “Off the Mark” strip, Mark Parisi, is perfect for fans of Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, and laughing a lot.

Marty Pants returns for another strange, funny, crazy installment of Mark Parisi's Marty Pants series. This time the young aspiring artist has discovered something truly frightening about himself: he is a werewolf.

It seems unbelievable, but seems to make perfect sense, too. Just to be sure Marty decides to watch for the signs: ripped clothing, howling, etc. He needs to keep people safe from his monstrous, true self, after all.

This possible, life altering secret doesn't stop life around him from continuing on. There's still his nemesis Simon to deal with, therapy sessions with Parker, Roongrat's never-ending (but often incorrect) supply of facts and anecdotes, and Marty's sister's current way of spelling her name.

Marty Pants: Keep Your Paws Off is funny and maybe a bit absurd but also lets readers get to know the characters better and develops their relationships. (Marty also supplies a bit of information on different artists - and our Founding Fathers - along the way.) This book a is a light, fun read with enough in its characters and their friendships to make readers want to come back for the next book.

How Marty decides things to be true (what makes him think he's one step closer to confirming his lycanthropic identity) was fantastic. It's that perfect blend of odd and logical that is definitely funny, but somehow still understandable.

The Marty Pants series is targeted at readers eight to twelve-years-old but but older readers will still find the humor and it seems appropriate for any younger readers. Book 3, Marty Pants: How to Defeat a Wizard will be out in November and sounds like it will, again, showcase the . . . interesting conclusions Marty reaches.







finished copy received from publisher for review consideration