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Review: Delicate Monsters - Stephanie Kuehn

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Release Date: June 9, 2015
Source: Netgalley
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin

Delicate Monsters - Stephanie Kuehn
Delicate Monsters - Stephanie Kuehn | Goodreads

From the Morris-Award winning author of Charm & Strange, comes a twisted and haunting tale about three teens uncovering dark secrets and even darker truths about themselves.

When nearly killing a classmate gets seventeen-year-old Sadie Su kicked out of her third boarding school in four years, she returns to her family’s California vineyard estate. Here, she’s meant to stay out of trouble. Here, she’s meant to do a lot of things. But it’s hard. She’s bored. And when Sadie’s bored, the only thing she likes is trouble.

Emerson Tate’s a poor boy living in a rich town, with his widowed mother and strange, haunted little brother. All he wants his senior year is to play basketball and make something happen with the girl of his dreams. That’s why Emerson’s not happy Sadie’s back. An old childhood friend, she knows his worst secrets. The things he longs to forget. The things she won’t ever let him.

Haunted is a good word for fifteen-year-old Miles Tate. Miles can see the future, after all. And he knows his vision of tragic violence at his school will come true, because his visions always do. That’s what he tells the new girl in town. The one who listens to him. The one who recognizes the darkness in his past.

But can Miles stop the violence? Or has the future already been written? Maybe tragedy is his destiny. Maybe it’s all of theirs.


What happens when you take three self-destructive, morally grey people and force them to interact with each other? A high stakes psychological thriller from Stephanie Kuehn, potentially her best work yet.

What I enjoy the most about turning to a Stephanie Kuehn novel is that I'm always given the sense that she is in control of this story. It's a strange thing to mention over and over; but there are some books with extraneous details, some books when I'm crossing things out in my head as I'm reading (and wondering what the point of X and X truly is). This will never happen with a Kuehn novel. She's a wordsmith through and through, and she keeps her novels taut with tension and her writing tight so that the thriller elements are well and truly highlighted.

For her other novels, I've read reviews suggesting that some plot elements are predictable. Well, not so for me, and particularly not at all for this novel. I think this is where the fact that Kuehn used a third person perspective came in handy. Furthermore, instead of one unreliable perspective, we now have three. All those elements together make the past and future events that much more unpredictable. Still, even knowing that these PoVs are unreliable doesn't stop you from caring about the characters -- or if not about them, at least what they will do or what lays in store for them. Kuehn excels at making their voices not only distinct but also compelling (definitely didn't expect to ever feel empathetic towards a sociopath but wow, what.). I also think that these additional perspectives allowed for greater character complexity in the side cast, as each character has something different to say about, say, Mr. Su or Mrs. Tate. This is why I say that Delicate Monsters may be Kuehn's best work yet. The pacing is just as fast as her other novels, and the climax action-packed and full of tension and the best sort of satisfying character and plot reveals.... and now we've got added character complexity and unpredictability. Delicate monsters, indeed.

Another thing that I really appreciate about Kuehn's novels is that she's handling very real issues. Her books aren't all about mentally ill characters - there's criticism on race, parenting, class, etc. But, most of all, she gives mentally ill people a voice. Whenever I've read a sociopathic character, it's generally been in the form of a villain. What easier way to create a villain than someone who doesn't care about harming other people, right? Taking on the challenge of creating a compelling, 3D sociopathic character is hard -- and yet, Kuehn does this with ease. Her books are so, so discussable - and not just for their take on mental health but also on other issues.

I can only hope that a writer as talented as Kuehn will always have a place for her stories to be published. I'll certainly be coming back for more.


Books to Anticipate

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Hey everyone, so today I thought that I would do something similar to my previous “books you should anticipate” post and talk about books I’ve recently read that I think you should anticipate + books that I am anticipating and/or are on my immediate radar.


So first off, I wanted to remind y’all of good books coming out really soon:
  • Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn, June 9th release | Review HERE

    What happens when you take three self-destructive, morally grey people and force them to interact with each other? A high stakes psychological thriller from Stephanie Kuehn, potentially her best work yet.
Books that are not coming out soon but that are SUPER GOOD and look for ARCs or PRE-ORDER NOW!
  • Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, September 15th release

    So, when I was in high school and saw the title "The Designated Ugly Fat Friend" while browsing my local Borders, I was reluctantly curious. I didn't know what the book was about and yet I had a feeling that I would just click with it. When I read The DUFF, I had the sense that Kody Keplinger had seen all my insecurities and I had read a book that put a name to something I hadn't always realized that I was feeling. Yes, I had felt like the DUFF multiple times. That sort of realization -- a book making you more aware of societal norms/constrictions -- is exactly the sort of feeling I got from Dumplin'. Julie Murphy not only understands female friendship particularly well but she also excels at portraying how we treat female bodies and socialize females to look at their own bodies. If you're a fan of the DUFF, definitely check out Dumplin' this fall.

    Also not in video but: I just read a fairly popular YA contemporary romance that essentially does what this book is fighting: fat-shaming. So, yeah, Dumplin’ is a really important read to have on your radar.
  • Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson, September 22nd release

    This book is like Oregon Trail meets In a Handful of Dust (California is the Promised Land; road trip with girls carrying guns and being self-sufficient; harsh land and evocative writing styles about these dystopic atmospheres; water is a hugely valuable resource, etc.), with a large character cast. Rae Carson writes with as much historical detail as someone like Diana Gabaldon, and her story is reminiscent, to me at least, of the older fantasy tales where daily actions made for a large part of the narrative, which gives us a distinct sense of atmosphere (and the danger inherent to the terrain and other outlaws). Her world very much comes to life. There's less romance than I expected (and a little less fantastical elements too - I think that'll get expanded on in the future), but strong, well developed heroine, wonderful sense of the world and atmosphere, a fully developed cast of characters to root for and hate: I’m definitely returning for more!
Both are September releases, back to back weeks. The 15th & the 22nd so keep them marked on your calendars!

Books That I Recently Read and Loved:
  • The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart

    I think that it’s fairly easy to tell whether or not you’d like this book. I saw the premise and knew that I would love it, as it reminds me of one of my favorite personal essays (“Your Life as a Girl” by Curtis Sittenfeld). But, as she did with We Were Liars and The Boyfriend List, E. Lockhart changes narrative styles, so that might not jive with other readers as it did with me. My advice: read an excerpt. Does the premise appeal to you? Are you okay with the narrative style? Then I think that you’ll be good.
  • Black Iris by Leah Raeder | Review HERE

    Leah Raeder is an auto buy author. Sometime in this video I mention that & mention my excitement for her upcoming new title this November 3rd, CAM GIRL.
Books That I'm Anticipating:

They’re on my radar. Either they’ll be the first ones I’ll look for BEA or the ones I’ll pre-order or somewhere in between those options. TBR PILE!!!
All of the below books may or may not be at BEA. I officially suck at looking up which ones will be there along with the authors but oh well! If they’re not there, they’re definitely on my radar for later!
Also books that I've recently requested:
Books that I forgot to mention in the video but am still anticipating:
(The summer/fall is really aiming to steal all our monies, no??! WHY SO MANY BOOKS!)

The reason why I’m awful at reading lists is because lists like these are always updating and I’m always forgetting about titles. My TBR books - hahaahahah, I'm doing such a good job with those (NOT). My most anticipated debuts titles, I’ve read a few more on; my most anticipated 2015 books, I’ve also read some more on… and in the end, still most of the above titles were not on those lists. ALWAYS UPDATES. ARGH TBR WHY YOU ALWAYS EXPANDING??

Which titles are you most anticipating? Are you going to read any of the ones I recommended above? Have you read any of these books? Let me know!

P.S. - if you're looking for bookish rounds... they're coming... hopefully... it's hard to catch up on 3 weeks (and 3 weeks because of internet issues + lots of work!).

How Far Would You Go for Your Favorite Books?

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How far would YOU go for your favorite books? This is a tag made by Robyn Schneider and I was tagged by Ameriie at Books Beauty Ameriie. It's in celebration of EXTRAORDINARY MEANS & our lovely book fandom. These questions felt a little like they were asking me how big of a fangirl I am. My answer: I'm a loser who throws up on planes and cares less about adaptations than avoiding commercials.

ARE YOU CURIOUS NOW?!

Also: TAG! YOU'RE IT!

The Extraordinary Means Tag

THE QUESTIONS --

1. I would give up the internet for a month for a signed first edition of this book-

First off, I need to point out that I'm not always consistently on the internet. I take a lot of time off. Look at my lack of bookish rounds posts!

Second off, the easy answer is Harry Potter and that's for a reason!

But if you really want me to choose, I'd go with either Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Emma or Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, and The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. If we're talking about first editions that I'm going to sacrifice something for, we're going either OLD or really popular.

2. I would give up pizza for a year if it meant I could sit next to this author on a long plane ride-

Mmm. Pizza.

I throw up on planes, y'all. One of my most embarrassing experiences/memories -- see the video for more details lol -- involves me throwing up on the dude wearing a business suit next to me. He was gracious. I was mortified. And now even with taking nausea pills, I still will occasionally throw up. So, I also take sleeping pills. A long plane ride = either throwing up or asleep.

BUT IN HYPOTHETICALS OF COURSE: Maggie Stiefvater may? have written on tumblr about adam being inspired by some guy who she'd talked to on a plane. I feel like any of the SUPER DUPER big name people like J.K. Rowling and George R. R. Martin would be disappointing mostly because I'm awful on planes, wouldn't know what question to ask; but also because there's SO MUCH to ask. How on earth would you do without making a mess?

An alternate author I chose is Kristin Cashore, whose works I love!

3. I would sit through a thousand hours of commercials if it would ensure that Hollywood made this book into a movie-

No adaptation is worth a thousand hours of commercials to me. I hate commercials with a fiery passion. They're full of poisonous stereotypes about societal expectations and ugh --

If I were to choose a book I think would make for a good movie though... The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. Although I like The Raven Boys better, The Scorpio Races just reads like a movie. It's cinematic in setting and scope.

4. I would never read a new book again if it meant I could live inside this book-

So, obviously, I could pick Harry Potter for all of these... but I won't. So I guess The Castle series because it's just so quaint and adorable and Diana Wynne Jones made all these quirky characters that I can't help but love and these different cultures and countries. Plus how cool would it be to randomly see Howl's Castle floating up in the sky?

5. I would let my google search history be made public if it meant I could be best friends with this author-

I'm not actually embarrassed by my google search history, y'all are free to it. But maybe Rosamund Hodge, because I deeply respect her stories and if I'm going to be best friends with an author, there has to be some sort of base level like that. Plus I don't want to repeat the authors already mentioned above.

6. I would donate everything I own to goodwill if it meant I could date this book character in real life-

If I could have a twenty-first century version of Mr. Darcy, I'm sure I'd be a happy woman. WAIT: BUT EVER SINCE TALKING TO KIRA ON HER SPLINTERED REVIEW, I'VE BEEN HAVING DOUBTS ABOUT THIS ANSWER ACK ACK ACK.

So, y'all, I tag all of you. But for specifics, I'm going to tag the people who I owe comments & who I miss talking to because of this prolonged half-assed absence of mine: Pam at YA Escape from Reality, Juhina at Maji's Bookshelf, Hannah at Fully Booked Reviews, Frannie at Frannie In the Pages, Bruna at Bruna WritesHappy Book Lover's Blog, Amanda at Beautiful Bookish Butterflies, Lyn at Great Imaginations, Kristin at Book Sniffers Anonymous, Mishma at Chasing Faerytales, CJ at Sarcasm and Lemons, Michelle at Book Briefs, Tressa at Wishful Endings, Tara at Librarian Who Doesn't Say Ssh, Aylee at Recovering Potter Addict, Trish at Between the Lines, Tessa at Crazy for YA, Jasprit and Rachel at The Reader's Den, Aly at My Heart Hearts Books, Small Review, Charlotte at The Simple Tales, Anya at On Starships and Dragonwings, Carmel at Rabid Reads, Nitzan at The Book Babe's Reads, Sajda at Across the Words, Aya at A Canadian Girl, Stormy at Book.Blog.Bake, and Amy at Ode to Jo and Katniss.

How would y'all respond to these questions?

Review: Dumplin' - Julie Murphy

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Release Date: September 15, 2015
Source: Edelweiss
Published by: Balzer + Bray

Dumplin' - Julie Murphy
Dumplin' - Julie Murphy | Goodreads

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine— Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.


I probably shouldn't be posting this review so early, but I thought about summer/September, and I figured that I'm going to be busy with graduate school applications and research and might forget and a review is better than no review, regardless of the timing. Also, there will be no spoilers.

So, when I was in high school and saw the title "The Designated Ugly Fat Friend" while browsing my local Borders, I was reluctantly curious. I didn't know what the book was about precisely and yet I had a feeling that I would just click with it. When I read The DUFF, I had the sense that Kody Keplinger had seen into all my insecurities and I had read a book that put a name to something I hadn't always realized that I was feeling. Yes, I had felt like the DUFF multiple times. That sort of realization -- a book making you more aware of societal norms/constrictions -- is exactly the sort of feeling I got from Dumplin'. Julie Murphy not only understands female friendship particularly well but she also excels at portraying how we treat female bodies and socialize females to look at their own bodies. If you're a fan of the DUFF, definitely check out Dumplin' this fall.

First off, major, major props for the kind of female friendships portrayed in this book. That's not to say that there aren't ugly moments between friends - jealousy, petty words, stupid fights. No, some of that might be there, and in my opinion makes everything more realistic, but at the core is the long-lasting love and identity that comes from deep rooted friendship. It felt like I was sinking back into the slumber parties of Dominoes and maltballs, tussling, watching Miyazaki films, blowing bubbles; or right outside my college creative writing class, my head in my friend's lap as she stroked my hair during our break and we talked; or preparing for a party all together, dancing, pre-gaming, dressing, applying makeup, etc.. The very first lines are about how Willowdean and her best friend, Ellen, met and became such great friends. Ellen has become a part of Willow and remains integral to who Will is at the start of the novel and who she becomes by the end. The romance does not, at all, overshadow the friendship, even if boyfriends are sometimes barriers to honesty and intimacy.

But the real props for this book is for exactly what you would expect: Dumplin' is all body types positive. You know, maybe this won't hit as home for other readers as it did for me, but the personal moments that came? I kept bookmarking so many pages. The fad diets, the strain between Willow and her mother and her aunt - that entire dynamic on body weight, the bikini body, the judgment on relationships, the "expected" effect of a romantic interest, romance and intimacy and body weight (No, a boy will not make you feel better about your insecurities; he cannot magically help you feel beautiful. You have to get there first, and deal with how you feel before you can get intimate, etc.). A Facebook friend recently posted a link to an interview from a previous Biggest Loser winner, and how she was saying that show was so dehumanizing and being on it was the greatest mistake of her life. I'll be honest: because reality shows have become so ingrained into our life, and because you literally can't pass a single day without some judgment of a woman's body, and because I'm not being discriminated against for this, I've not really thought a whole lot about fat shaming in a broader societal context so much as the perception of females. This book got me thinking about fat shaming. Thinking, thinking, thinking; and I'm very glad that this is going to be published. I remember, too, when I was in ninth grade - the only author we ever had come to talk to us was a lady who'd talked about how fat is not a feeling, and yet we're always saying we feel fat. Nine years ago, and that's about all I remember except that so many people made fun of that lecture after she had left, and I never understood why because I thought that she had made such great points. So, yeah, even in high school, we couldn't have someone constructively criticize the way we use the word fat in social contexts without turning the conversation into something lesser.

Anyway, back to the book itself: yes, this book is all body types positive, and Willow's self-confident attitude -- conquering her insecurities and learning to shine as much as she does on that cover -- was such a pleasure to read! I loved every minute of her character growth, and as I've said before, bookmarked so many pages with beautiful quotes about life and friendship, not just our perception of female bodies. I would also like to point out that Dumplin' is not just about a self-proclaimed fat girl entering the beauty pageant. In fact, I think that this would also appeal to fans of North of Beautiful. Dumplin' is about girls who have felt ridiculed, who have been bullied because they look different or who are shoved into boxes, people expecting very particular things about them -- and how these girls reclaim and empower themselves. The romance is indeed a side plot and used to help fuel character realizations and character growth arcs, but it's definitely still hot and sweet.

So is the setting. I grew up in California. I don't know much about the south or Texan culture aside from what some people have told or I've read in books, but I did really love the sense of setting that we got here. It fit so perfectly with the small town vibe, beauty pageant, and sports focus that rounded out the arcs of side characters. In fact all the mention of the iced tea and sometimes the bikinis and hot weather made me think gosh, this would make for a perfect summer read.

If you've got an ARC of Dumplin', don't hesitate to read this one. Especially if you were a fan of The Duff and North of Beautiful, and books of similar ilk that I can't seem to think of right at this moment. Hell, forget that. if you're a fan of romantic contemporary novels with a focus on female friendships and positive messages about female appearances, read Dumplin'.

What Books Are You Most Excited to Read?

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Hi, everyone! Today I've got another tag, this time to celebrate new releases -- or releases coming now/late summer/fall (or even later, with Passenger, which just made for an easy question). You can change the questions by putting in titles that you'd like to promote if you want. Mostly I just want to help promote these titles & bring your awareness to them, especially as a few of them are being released really soon!

Also feel free to answer as many of the questions as you'd like, whether that's only one or them all :). And and and! Feel free to interpret them as you like (e.g. Q1: not just tropes but characteristics of a fave; Q7: monsters on your feels as in favorites instead of psychological thrillers, etc.).


1. What makes you MORE HAPPY THAN NOT (in books)?
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera | Release Date: June 2, 2015
A book to anticipate!

So this question is actually the reason I started this tag. I received an email from SoHo Press about the #MoreHappyThanNot tour where people across social media were meant to answer: What Makes You More Happy Than Not? But I wanted to promote more than one book, and because I'm a cheeseball, I'd probably answer that my friends and family and the love and connections that I have make me more happy than not, so ANYWAY I figured that I would mention both the book & BOOKS in general.

So! What tropes make me happy in books? What elements are like "key words" to me to pick up the book? Alternatively, I could've interpreted this question to mean what sort of things make for favorite books - not necessarily tropes - but oh well. I was filming at midnight lol. Be glad I'm awake.

Essentially I said that the trope of the Hidden Identity was one of the things that I absolutely loved in fantasy when done well and two examples I give are: The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas & The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, the latter of which inspired ToG.

2. (I) MADE YOU UP: which fictional character do you wish was real?
Made You Up by Francesca Zappia | Release Date: May 19, 2015
Read my second interview here.

I actually refilmed this question! I didn't like my first answer. So I gave two answers: if I were to interpret this question a la book boyfriend type, I'd say Cricket Bell from Lola and the Boy Next Door because Nerdy Sweet Boy Next Door types = my fave. Also the kind of guy I'm probably going to end up with later in my life, as that seems to be my type hahaha.

But if I were to choose a best friend type, I'd go for Fire by Kristin Cashore. It upsets me a little when I see people complain about Fire's "hand-wringing." NGL, I judge people a little bit by how they react to this book / Fire as a main character. If they don't like the writing style or the book, totally fine. But if they think that Fire is somehow weak, my inner judgment meter rises a notch. I don't like being that person but hey, everyone has a character who's like that for them, no? And I admire Fire's quiet strength A LOT. I also love the way Cashore wrote a heroine who has extraordinary powers but who is not a Mary Sue at ALL.

3. In high school, you were THE BOY (/girl) MOST LIKELY to ...?
The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick | Release Date: August 18, 2015
A book to anticipate!

My middle school actually had one of those yearbook category things. We all voted. I was in the "Best Eyes" category. Does it count if you're voted into something you're literally not responsible for having and/or doing? Lol, well, even if I weren't voted into that category in my middle school, I would've been voted into "Most Academic."

In high school, as arrogant as it sounds, probably Most Likely to Succeed as I did all those cliche things to pad my resume and was pretty high in rank for GPA/SAT/again all the cliche markers of "success" that don't actually mean much.

4. Which century would you like to be a PASSENGER to?
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken | Release Date: January 5, 2016
A book to anticipate!

Well, if I had my choice, I wouldn't want to leave our century as women have historically been treated awfully and at least we may? be getting better.

But if I really had to time travel, which centuries am I most fascinated by? Well, even though the Victorian period has been used by so many books, I'm still fascinated by it. Also by the Romans, especially if I can just be a Passenger & leave that brutality by the end of the day.

5. P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU: which of your childhood reads gets this letter?
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han | Release Date: May 26, 2015

I've been told that I read a lot when I was a kid, but I only vaguely remember reading. I remember reading what few Nancy Drew hardcovers there were. I remember a lot of other books on the shelf but not whether I read them. The real exception were those American Girl novels. I devoured them. They were my first exposure to diverse books, girls of different heritage or class and how they coped with the challenges presented to them. Don't remember if they were stereotypes, but I guess I would write that letter to them because they definitely also encouraged my enthusiasm for reading.

Also, lol, Harry Potter. #hpforlife

6. You're not a DUMPLIN' but a ...?
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy | Release Date: September 15, 2015
Read my review here.

Dumplin' is the main character's nickname, so this is a sort of "get to know you better" question. What nicknames do you have? Well, I'm a Chris, Stina, Xtina, Tina, Stinkle, Teenie, Teen, C, Cree Cree, Cokiri, Crystal, Kawthar. Probably more. Kawthar was given to me by my Arabic professor in college. For whatever reason, the other Arabic professor decided to give me another "Arabic name," but LOL Crystal is not Arabic. *shrug*

7. Which books are DELICATE MONSTERS on your feels?
Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn | Release Date: June 9, 2015
Read my review here.

So, multiple ways to answer this question. Monsters on your feels as in your faves, or monsters on your feels like Kuehn's psychological thriller, heart-pounding & intense? I did the latter & recommended BLACK IRIS. You can read my review of that here :) but essentially: gorgeous, magical writing + dreamy atmosphere + unreliable narrator who says she's an unreliable narrator + total unpredictability + dark revenge + suspense = pulse-pounding AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Like that formula?!?!?

A.) I seriously tag all of you. You don't need me to specifically tag you to do this but if you want, I will edit this post to mention you :)

B.) I tag Ameriie at Books Beauty Ameriie, Mel at the Daily Prophecy, Tara at Literally Tara, and Amber at Books of Amber.

C.) And I also tag all the people who I tagged in my Extraordinary Means tag because hey, if you didn't like the questions there, maybe you'll like them here & want to promote some upcoming new releases?

How would y'all answer these questions?

(P.S. - Still planing on doing bookish rounds... but so hard to catch up...)

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds (80)

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Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest.

A month… A MONTH HAS PASSED SINCE I LAST DID THIS FEATURE AND THIS POST IS HUGE AND TOOK ME FOREVER AHHHHHHHH. *falls down ded*

Publishing:
Rights Report 1, 2, 3, 4, 4a, 4b, 5:

  • Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts - Esta Spalding, to be illustrated by Sydney Smith (MG series features a band of loosely related self-reliant siblings who live alone in their car on a tropical island, populated with terrible grown-ups. The book will be published simultaneously in Canada by Tara Walker at Tundra/Penguin Random House in spring 2016. Little, Brown).
  • The Dark Lord's Daughter - Patricia Wrede (MG series follows a girl who discovers she has inherited a dysfunctional, depressed magical kingdom. Publication is slated for 2017; Random House).
  • dotwav - Mike A. Lancaster (YA sci fi thriller; In the novel, a young female hacker joins forces with a member of a secret teen government agency to uncover a sound embedded in music that's being used to control fans. Publication is scheduled for fall 2016; Sky Pony).
  • The Assassin Game - Kirsty McKay (At Cate's isolated boarding school, Killer is more than a game – it's an elite secret society. But what happens when the Game becomes real and it seems that she's the next target? Publication is set for August 2016; Sourcebooks)
  • Unearthed - Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (a YA duology pitched as Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft in space. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017 and fall 2018; Disney-Hyperion).
  • Master Diplexito and Mr. Scant - Bryan Methods (Debut; Oliver Diplexito, the meek son of a British industrialist, discovers the identity of Edwardian England's most notorious thief: Mr. Scant, his family butler. Too frightened to say no, Oliver assumes the dangerous role of Scant's apprentice. Publication begins in 2016, with books to follow in 2017 and 2018; Carolrhoda).
  • Untitled - Candace Fleming (New chapter-book series in which historical figures make their way into a contemporary setting. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Random House's Schwartz & Wade Books).
  • A sequel to Girl, Stolen - April Henry & Run, Hide, Fight Back - April Henry (first is scheduled for 2017; the second is a thriller set in a shopping mall, and is scheduled for 2018. Christy Ottaviano Books/Macmillan).
  • Funny Girl - Betsy Bird (a humor anthology for girls ages 9-12, featuring short stories, personal essays, comics, and poetry from nearly 30 female writers, including Lisa Graff, Cece Bell, Jenni Holm, Shannon Hale, and Rita Williams-Garcia. A portion of the proceeds will support WriteGirl, a creative writing and mentoring organization for teen girls. Publication is set for spring 2017; Viking).
  • Orphan City - Amy Christine Parker (In the story, two orphaned siblings who are recruited to an elite school where almost every student develops superpowers, and the older sibling discovers the school's sinister plans for its students. Publication is slated for 2016; Adaptive Books).
  • Kyle Constantini Finds Her Way - Susie Salom (MG debut; As Kyle participates in a problem-solving competition, she also navigates the maze of sixth-grade friendships, crushes, and trust, using T'ai chi, echolocation, twin ESP, and her lucky blue fedora. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine Books).
  • Sydney MacKenzie Knocks 'Em Dead - Cindy Callaghan (about a girl who is forced to move into the creepy funeral home her family has inherited; she and her friends find a maze of abandoned tunnels and unearth a century-old secret. Publication is scheduled for fall 2016; S&S/Aladdin).
  • The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters - Kara LaReau (a middle-grade trilogy about two sisters, apparently abandoned by their parents, who are kidnapped by lady pirates and forced to endure excitement and solve mysteries. The first book will publish in fall 2016; Abrams).
  • Dead (But Cautiously Optimistic) - James Preller (pitched as The Walking Dead meets The Mysterious Benedict Society. In the “not-too-distant future,” a seventh-grade undead boy has to adjust to middle-school life as a zombie, and with three unlikely friends, he navigates a mystery involving global warming, disappearing bees, and billionaire developers... and more zombies. It's slated for fall 2016; Feiwel and Friends).
  • The Love That Split the World - Emily Henry (a debut novel for teens. In the story, Natalie navigates a cosmic phenomenon that allows her to see different versions and eras of her small Kentucky town, and the stakes are raised when she falls in love. Publication is scheduled for spring 2016; Razorbill).
  • These Books Belong to Ken Z - R. Zamora Linmark (YA debut an exploration of coming out and subsequent heartbreak, viewed through the lens of Oscar Wilde's work and life, and told through a variety of narrative forms including haikus, emails, imaginary dialogues, and lists. Publication is set for spring 2017; Delacorte).
  • A Psalm for Lost Girls - Katie Bayerl (YA debut which centers on an abduction that forever alters the lives of three girls – one who has been missing, one who is living, and one who is dead and rumored to be a saint. It's slated for spring 2017; Putnam).
  • The Last Thing You Said - Sara Biren (about a boy and a girl who are struggling after the death of his sister – her best friend – and can no longer avoid their grief or their feelings for each other. Publication is planned for 2017; Abrams).
  • Mighty Jack - Ben Hatke (MG graphic novel sold to First Second (due in fall 2016 and 2017)) 
  • Miracle Molly - Ben Hatke (an illustrated middle-grade novel (due in spring 2017), sold to Roaring Brook)
  • Mystery Club - Maggie Thrash (YA series In the first installment, two social pariahs at a private school in Atlanta stumble upon their first case when the school mascot hurls itself off a bridge at halftime. Publication is slated for fall 2016, with the second book to follow in 2017. Simon Pulse).
  • The Secret Horses of Briar Hill - Megan Shepherd (MG novel is a novel in the vein of The Secret Garden about a girl named Emmaline living in a children's TB hospital during WWII, who sees winged horses in the hospital mirrors and then discovers that one of the horses has entered her world and needs her help. Publication is slated for fall 2016; Delacorte).
  • Gap Life - John Coy (YA about a high school senior whose parents will only pay for college if he studies what they want; instead he meets a girl who is taking a gap year, gets a job in a group home for adults with special needs, and begins learning things for himself that no university can teach. Publication is scheduled for fall 2016; Feiwel and Friends). 
  • Reeve's End - Kelley Armstrong (In the psychological suspense YA novel, Winter Crane has to survive by her wits and her wilderness skills while unraveling the mystery behind the string of teen disappearances from her Appalachian town, but danger catches up to her. Canadian rights were sold to Amy Black at Doubleday Canada; U.S. and Canadian publication is scheduled for spring 2017. Crown).
  • Witchtown - Cory Putman Oakes (a YA novel about a teenage girl in the business of robbing wealthy witch havens with her mother, who discovers a shocking truth about the life she leads. Publication is set for October 2017; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).
  • P.S. I Like You - Kasie West (about a girl who finds herself falling for a mystery boy she exchanges letters with. Publication is planned for summer 2016; Scholastic). 
  • The Hidden Islands - Sarah Beth Durst (MG fantasy in which a magic barrier has shrouded the islands of Himitsu for centuries, keeping the kingdom safely hidden from all perils, but now the barrier is failing, and two princesses try to save their people. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Clarion).
  • Tito the Bonecrusher - Melissa Thomson (MG debut about a boy who seeks the help of a pro-wrestler turned action star to rescue his dad from a deportation detention center, in a story about heroes, friendship, and forgiveness. It's slated for winter 2017; FSG).
  • Hamstersaurus Rex - Tom O'Donnell, illustrated by Tim Miller (a young middle-grade series about a quirky class pet that undergoes a transformation and helps defend a loyal sixth-grader from a werewolf-obsessed bully. The first book is slated to release in fall 2016. HarperCollins).
  • Scarlet Ibis - Gill Lewis (the story of a girl’s efforts to reunite with her younger autistic brother after they’re sent to different foster homes. Publication is scheduled for spring 2016; Atheneum's Caitlyn Dlouhy Books).
  • Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars - Martine Murray (Molly and Pim tells of a girl who longs for normalcy while her mother collects herbs and concocts potions; when one of those potions goes awry, Molly, with the help of her new friend Pim, sets out to make things right. Publication is set for fall 2016; Knopf).
  • Crushing It - Joanne Levy (Pitched as Cyrano de Bergerac for tweens, the story stars 12-year-old Kat, accustomed to being the invisible wallflower, who ends up wooing the boy next door and learning that true beauty and confidence come from the inside. Publication is set for spring 2017; Aladdin/MIX).
  • The Graces - Laure Eve (YA duology; a teenage girl becomes transfixed by a trio of wealthy and glamorous siblings who wield power over their community, fueling rumors of witchcraft. It's scheduled for publication in fall 2016, with the second to follow in 2017. Abrams).
  • The Traded Girl - H.M. Bouwman (MG historical fantasy; a multi-plotted mythology of immigration that brings together the Zong slave ship, the fall of Saigon, an enormous Raftworld in search of a home, and two Kraken in love; as well as a second, as yet untitled book. Publication is slated for fall 2016; Putnam).
  • The Movie Version - Emma Wunsch (YA debut; In the story, 16-year old Amelia Anderson must deal with the fallout of her brother's schizophrenia diagnosis while balancing her first serious relationship, friendships, and a budding interest in filmmaking. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Abrams).
  • The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming - J. Anderson Coats (MG novel; It tells the story of a headstrong girl with big dreams who boards a steamship bound for Washington Territory, as part of the Mercer Expedition of 1866. Publication is set for spring 2017; Atheneum).
  • Willows vs. Wolverines - Alison Cherry (a middle-grade novel in which a girl invents a fictitious, legendarily brilliant prankster older brother to persuade her new summer camp bunkmates to let her take the lead in the camp's longstanding prank war. Publication is planned for summer 2017; S&S/Aladdin).
  • Untitled - Candace Fleming (an untitled chapter book about Strongheart, the early canine film star. It's scheduled for fall 2016; Random House's Schwartz & Wade).
  • Mabel - Rowboat Watkins (The new book tells the story of a lonely mermaid who learns that the secret to happiness is often right under your nose. Publication is set for spring 2017; Chronicle).
  • Exit, Pursued by a Bear - E.K. Johnston (riffs on Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, reimagining the character of the queen who becomes a statue as a devastatingly popular cheerleader who refuses to become a cautionary tale after she's sexually assaulted. It’s scheduled for spring 2016. Dutton Children's Books).
  • That Inevitable Victorian Thing - E.K. Johnston (imagines a near-future world where the British Empire never fell and teenage life looks very different. Dutton Children's Books).
  • Patrick Griffin's Last Breakfast on Earth - Ned Rust (This first book in a series, pitched as a middle-grade The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, follows a 12-year-old boy's adventures in a parallel, screen-obsessed world, where he learns that he and a giant rabbit are the key to saving the universe. It's scheduled for spring 2016; Roaring Brook).
  • Chub and the Cadre of Evil - Mark Maciejewski (debut; The story is about a bald middle-school outcast who becomes an unlikely hero when he decides to bring down his arch-nemesis and destroys an evil empire in the process. Publication is set for summer 2017; S&S/Aladdin).
  • Catacomb Hill - Charlotte Salter (It's a debut middle-grade novel about a headstrong girl who searches for a mysterious object in a mansion surrounded by sea monsters. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Dial Books for Young Readers).
  • We Are Party People - Leslie Margolis (MG novel about 12-year-old Pixie Peterson will do anything to blend in with the crowd, but must step in the spotlight with the help of her friends. It will be published in fall 2017; Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
  • No Dogs Allowed - Cathy G. Johnson (MG graphic novel; a story about a soccer team of misfit girls. Publication is slated for 2017; First Second).
  • The Muse of Nightmares - Laini Taylor (a gothic-flavored fantasy scheduled for fall 2016. In a statement, Taylor said she was excited to be finally writing “this story that’s been in my head for about two decades.” She went on to describe the basic concept: “There was a war between men and gods, and men won. The few surviving children of the gods have grown up in hiding, dreading the day they know must come: when humans find them, and end them. That day is at hand.” According to Taylor’s editor, Alvina Ling, v-p and editor-in-chief at LBYR, the forthcoming trio of titles is not planned as a trilogy and most likely will not take place in the same world. A topic for one of the subsequent books has been tentatively agreed upon, and the third project will be open to Taylor’s inspiration.) 
  • The Fix-It Friends - Nicole Kear (debut chapter book series; The series stars a well-intentioned but overly enthusiastic second-grader who leads a group of problem-solving elementary-school kids helping other students deal with social issues. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Imprint).
  • Freya series from Rovio Entertainment, written by Matthew Laurence (The novels follow the goddess Freya as she comes out of self-imposed exile and gains power in a modern world. It launches in 2017; Imprint).
  • Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here - Anna Breslaw (debut; 16-year-old New Jerseyan Scarlett Epstein finds herself without an outlet for her online writing after her beloved TV show gets canceled, leading her to write fanfiction about the kids in her own high school. Publication is set for spring 2016; Razorbill).
  • The Distance Between Us - Reyna Grande (MG adaptation of the memoir; an account of the author's childhood in Mexico – where her parents left her in dire poverty at the age of four to be raised by a resentful grandmother, the author's border crossing at the age of nine, and subsequent life in the U.S. Publication is scheduled for fall 2016; S&S/Aladdin).
  • Sequel to An Ember in the Ashes -Sabaa Tahir (which was released in February and has hit national bestseller lists. The second volume takes readers into the heart of the Martial Empire as protagonists Laia and Elias fight their way north to liberate Laia's brother from prison. Razorbill has tentatively scheduled the untitled follow-up for April 2016, with an announced first printing of 250,000 copies.)
  • Ryan Quinn: Freedom Run - Ron McGee (MG series follows the titular 14-year-old who, after his parents disappear, finds out his family is part of a secret organization dating back to WWII that performs dangerous rescue missions. It's planned for fall 2016; HarperCollins).
  • The Elementae series - A.C. Gaughen (A New YA fantasy in which elemental powers are reawakened after a genocide, and a girl realizes she has the power to control the earth on the same day she marries the king who hunted the Elementae to extinction. Terra, the first volume, is slated to publish in 2017; Bloomsbury).
  • Jade - Renée Watson (a YA novel about a teenage girl from a poor neighborhood who must take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way, including a scholarship to a private school on the other side of town and an assigned mentor with whom she doesn't relate. Jade is scheduled to release in winter 2017; Bloomsbury).
  • Night Speed - Chris Howard (The story centers on a teen who, in an act of revenge, uses a highly addictive drug that bestows superhuman strength and speed in order to infiltrate a gang using the drug to commit crime. Publication is set for summer 2016; HarperCollins's Katherine Tegen Books).
  • American Road Trip - Patrick Flores-Scott (a YA novel about Teodoro “T” Avila, a 17-year old whose family is affected by the economy and the Iraq War, but when he falls for college-bound Wendy, he fights to overcome family chaos and turn his life around. Publication is slated for winter 2017; Henry Holt's Christy Ottaviano Books).
  • Letters to the Lost - Kate Bassett (Told from two perspectives, it's a YA novel about a girl and a boy, both running from difficult situations, whose chance encounter leads to a cross-country journey of self-discovery, forgiveness, and love. Publication is scheduled for summer 2016; Flux).
  • Matylda of the Bright and Tender Skin - Holly McGhee (MG debut tells the story of two friends, loss, and a leopard gecko named Matylda. Publication is set for spring 2017; Candlewick Press).
From last time:
  • Maudeville - Michelle Schusterman (MG standalone was previously under contract with Egmont USA. It's about a girl who longs to sing and, after flubbing a big audition due to stage fright, comes upon an old theater run by a glamorous but sinister grand-dame of show business. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Random House).
  • Hibiscus Daughter duology - Lana Popovic (The YA contemporary fantasy series, pitched as The Night Circus meets the The Tiger's Wife, is about two sisters, one cursed to be Death's courtesan and one forced to pass the curse on to the next generation, who must find a way to save each other. Publication for the first book is planned for 2017, with the second to follow in 2018; Katherine Tegen Books).
  • Useless - M.J. Beaufrand (a YA novel set on an island in Puget Sound, in which a teenage girl and her four brothers search for a missing child, but uncover disquieting truths about themselves and their community along the way. Publication is scheduled for fall 2016; Abrams).
  • The World from Up Here - Cecilia Galante (a middle-grade novel following a 12-year-old girl who, in the wake of a family event, must confront her fears while moving to an aunt's house with her autistic brother and their dog. Publication is set for summer 2016; Scholastic).
  • Deleting Tenley Tylwyth - Jennifer Gooch Hummer (In the MG Debut, a 13-year-old girl who can create weather patterns must protect humans from an evil and vindictive Mother Nature. Publication is slated for 2017; Month9Books).
  • Cici Reno Knows it All - Kristina Springer (first in the middle-grade Yoga Girls series; It follows a pre-teen yoga enthusiast who helps her best friend get a crush's attention by impersonating her on Twitter, but a friendly favor turns into a social media love triangle. Publication is slated for spring 2016; Sterling Children's Books).
Book Trailers: An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir (new one), Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon (German), The Night We Said Yes - Lauren Gibaldi, Still Life Las Vegas - James Sie, Isle of the Lost - Melissa de la Cruz, The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich, The Cage - Megan Shephard, Tiny Pretty Things - Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clatyon, The Heir - Kiera Cass, Extraordinary Means - Robyn Schneider

Authors/Interviews: Saint Anything - Sarah Dessen, P.S. I Still Love You - Jenny Han, The Cost of All Things - Maggie Lehrman, Tracked - Jenny Martin, The Truth Commission - Susan Juby, Making Pretty - Corey Ann Haydu, An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir, The Lost Marble Notebook of Random Boy and Forgotten Girl - Marie Jaskulka, Denton Little’s Deathdate - Lance Rubin, Hour of the Bees - Lindsay Eager, None of the Above - I.W. Gregorio, In a World Just Right - Jen Brooks, The First Time She Drowned - Kerry Kletter, Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel - Megan Morrison, Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer - Kelly Jones, The Girl at Midnight - Melissa Grey, Flower - Shea Olsen, Material Girls - Elaine Dimopoulos, Crossing the Line - Meghan Rogers, Tracked - Jenny Martin, Made You Up - Francesca Zappia

Excerpts: Ruins - Joshua Winning, 21 Stolen Kisses - Lauren Blakely, the 2015 YA Fall/Winter catalog of Buzz Books from Publisher’s Marketplace, Extraordinary Means - Robyn Schneider, The Game of Love and Death - Martha Brockenbrough, Nil - Lynne Matson (Bonus Scene), The Winner’s Kiss - Marie Rutkoski Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, The Wrath and the Dawn - Renee Ahdieh, Those Girls - Lauren Saft, This One Summer - Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo Chpt 1-2, Nowhere But Here - Katie McGarry (also here), Nothing Left to Burn - Patty Blount, The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy - Sam Maggs, The BookCon sampler (sort of similar to the Buzz Books catalog), An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir, Chantress - Amy Butler Greenfield, Devoted - Jennifer Mathieu, The Heir - Kiera Cass, Kissing in America - Margo Rabb, Nearly Found - Elle Cosimano, Passenger - Alexandra Bracken, Tiny Pretty Things - Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, Where the Staircase Ends - Stacy Stokes, Lying Out Loud - Kody Keplinger, Black Iris - Leah Raeder, Charmed - Michelle Krys, Legend the graphic novel - Marie Lu, The Remedy - Suzanne Young, Saint Anything - Sarah Dessen, The Whitechapel Fiend - Cassandra Clare, A Girl Undone - Catherine Linka, Mary Unleashed - Hillary Monahan, Hollywood Witch Hunter - Valerie Tejeda, Legacy of Kings - Eleanor Herman, Anything Could Happen - Will Walton, I Am Princess X - Cherie Priest

Awards/Lists: New Voices: the Amaterasu Project - Axie Oh, Amazing Audiobook Nominations, NYPL Summer Reading List, 12 of the Best New Books in May. The Edgar award winners were announced. Jennifer Mathieu won the Teen’s Choice award for debut author and the One by Kiera Cass won best YA book. Here’s the full list of winners. And the Summer 2015 Indie’s Next List.

A brief summary of author and industry events from last week and the week before, and the week after, and the week after that, and a summary of “news from the north,” with more technical details of publishing.

Photos from Children’s Book Week! and Teen Lit Con!

The CBC won BEA’s Industry Ambassador Award.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting YA: a post about the recent trends in YA, including horror and mental illness. I saw on Edelweiss somewhere a book described as having a mentally ill character, which was the hot new thing. I don’t remember the exact phrasing, but it was a little bit disgusting.

If you’re headed to BEA, check out this “Can’t Miss Galleys” list from Publisher’s Weekly.

If you didn’t already know, Penguin greenlit the sequel to An Ember in the Ashes.

Like Ember, Dorothy Must Die is a really popular series.

What happens when a manuscript goes on submission at a publishing house?

An eight-year-old girl is on a crusade to stop Scholastic in the UK from gendering books.

Making ebooks “free” doesn’t actually help poor kids.

Jay Asher has been on the “50 States against Bullying” tour with 13 Reasons Why.

Erin Stein is making an imprint at MacMillan called Imprint. Oneworld is also launching a new YA Imprint. And Caitlin Dlouhy gets an imprint at Atheneum.

Juvenile book sales plummet. I’m confused, weren’t they just last month on the rise?

First Book & its partners are giving away 60,000 books to children in need. CBC is making books available to prisons by establishing libraries.

According to Amazon, these are the 100 YA books to read in your lifetime.

Both The Heir and Saint Anything debuted on the Indie Bestseller List.

J.K. Rowling & John Green have so many followers on twitter, I guess, they can’t say anything without people making a big deal. Rowling revealed Myrtle’s full name and people started wondering whether she’d based the character off the U.S. Senator. Though both use their accounts to do some good.

Cover Reveals:

It's Your World - Chelsea Clinton (MG)

So I've definitely missed a few covers - were there about 121 reveals in the past month? If I have missed some that you've seen around, please let me know :).

Cover Reveal Watch: Miss Peregrine #3, The Mirror King

Discussion/Other Blogger Posts:

Have you read these popular May books?

Are you anticipating these June books?

As happens when you ignore such a post for a month, I’ve got a ton of recommendation links for y’all. Read Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir and A Tale of Two Besties. 7 YA Pairs That Rival Bonnie and Clyde (and one day Christina will catch up on pop culture & watch Bonnie & Clyde), 5 Beauty and the Beast Retellings That We’re Adding to Our Floor-to-Ceiling Libraries (can I have this library too plskthx?), 7 YAs based on Myths and Tales from Around the World (would love to read Cindy Pon’s book + Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu’s book), YA Books for Every Lunch Table in the Cafeteria (Graceling & Raven Boys are definitely also for the Nerds haha), 5 Ebook Prequels You Definitely Want on Your Reader (totally knew the Throne of Glass ones would be there - & sometimes I wonder if their popularity spurred the release of others), 5 YAs for Fans of Ready Player One (so much YA I haven’t heard of!), 9 of the Best Words I Learned While Reading The Girl at Midnight (totally true, I also texted my friend living in Japan about one of these words), 7 of Our Favorite Eerie Small Town YAs (I keep hearing really good things about Bone Gap & I really really want to order it! But looking at my shelf, I can’t :O), Visit the Right Coast in These 7 East-Coast Set YAs (so interesting; definitely hadn’t heard of these even though there must be more in that category… B&N is so good at exposing you to new reads!), 6 of YA Lit’s Best Shakespearan Retellings (can’t really judge this until I read more Shakespeare), Visit the American West with These 7 YAs (huh… I didn’t think Wyoming is West but I’m totally skewed because west = west coast for me haha), 13 Under the Radar LGBTQ YA (see this is why B&N ROCKS!), 7 Nice YAs from the Midwest (I love all the categories that B&N also comes up with), 2015 YA Summer Romance Preview (just the other day I saw someone asking for recs of this nature!), 5 of Our Favorite Platonic Boy-Girl Friendships in YA (yes more of these please!), Have you ever gone back to build your teen self a dream bookshelf, 6 YA Books with Awesomely Unique Formats (yes, I love that YA is pushing the boundaries of what we’d consider a traditional novel), 1960s Set YA Novels (historical YAs are definitely the ones that fall through the gap the most for me), 7 YA Books That You Can Read in One Day (Well, depending on how quickly you read…), 7 of the Best Girl Packs in YA (yeah, you can’t make this list without mentioning Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), 8 Awesome Aussie YAs Everyone Should Know (Melina Marchetta will make any Aussie YA list :D), 7 YA Books That Celebrate the Art of Storytelling (Mermaid in Chelsea Creek! I actually have that on my shelf!), 5 YA Books to Read While You Angrily Await the Remaking of The Craft, 6 YA Reads for Russophiles, 9 Indispensible YA Brother Stories, 7 YAs That’ll Make You Terrified of the Ocean, Just in Time for Summer, Awesome Books to Bust You Out of Any Reading Slump, 6 Books Every Introvert Should Read, Diverse Genre Fiction for Teens, 5 Books to Watch for in May, 10 Best New YA Books That Explore Sexuality, 6 Frenemies in YA, 12 Must Read Graphic Novels

Basically, lol, I got tired of writing comments on each article, but that doesn’t mean those later ones are any less worthy of your attention! It’s more than just Barnes & Noble Teen Blog.

This past week was #IReadYA week from Scholastic & here are 16 reasons you’ll never get tired of reading YA. And of course 46 of the most beautiful sentences in YA. And 5 reasons why reading YA as a teen is beneficial. How much should children read after all?

Have you ever been curious about the age of the models on YA book covers? The answers might surprise you.

A long time ago there was a twitter hashtag about #VeryRealisticYA. This was a pretty good Buzzfeed round-up of some of the tweets.

Do you think that you should read Middle Grade lit? Here’s a flowchart you can use to ask yourself that question.

Should you give a kid a book? The answer is always yes.

And here are 67 children’s books that changed your life.

Because Children’s Literature is full of hidden gems.

What are the best children’s books on the second world war?

There are many different ways to read a book.

Do you have a long distance book BFF?

School libraries can positively impact kids’ test scores! wowza.

Epic Prom Fails in pop culture.

Book Nerd Problems: when all your authors sign at the same time, returning to the real world, trying to explain a YA book to your parents

Yes, I will gladly accept all of the book dresses on all the YA book covers, regardless of rank.

Would you rather” for book nerds. Yikes.

19 of May’s best YA books, according to Bustle.

But lots of really interesting discussion articles that I am ALSO going to loop together because otherwise this post is going to be SO LONG: Sex: the last taboo in YA literature? Not anymore! (this title is so sensationalist); Why teenagers have to take terrible risks in YA literature - and real life (this article actually made me think of the research I’m doing now); 5 Reasons Why the Children’s Choice Book Awards Are Better than the Oscars (and All Other Awards Shows) (especially if you, like me, don’t like watching those other award shows anyway); Why are YA books about politics always dystopian (not true unless “main focus”; cc: The Wrong Side of Right & My Life Next Door); Why showing Representations of Female Friendships in YA Is More Important Than Ever (I 100% agree to the point where if a book doesn’t have a good female friendship, it’s unlikely to make my “faves” list); can YA fiction help cure our obsession with body image? (cure is a hefty word; but perhaps present body positive themes? yes, cc: Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy); top 10 ways to be evil in children’s books (lol).

10 fun and fabulous children’s books from around the world!

Book blogger discussions to come...

Movies/TV Shows:

LOTS OF NEWS.

So, remember, Shadowhunters is a tv show on ABC Family. They’ve cast Clary, Alec, Luke, Magnus, Valentine, Jocelyn, Izzy, Simon.

Tuck Everlasting has been optioned for Broadway! Oh, that set would be FANTASTIC.

Todd Haynes is developing Brian Selznick’s Wonderstruck.

The trailer for Jem and the Holograms was released.

They released a new Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II poster at Cannes.

Megan Abott’s The Fever is being developed into a television show.

Alicia Vikander will be starring in the adaptation of The Circle.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson was also optioned.

Robert Sheehan + Hailee Steinfeld = the couple cast for the adaptation of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer Smith.

For Allegiant, they’ve roped in Bill Skarsgard& Jeff Daniels is now David.

Stephanie Shannon has been hired to adapt We Were Liars.

New Paper Towns trailer.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper has also been optioned.

So was Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters, and now Hailee Steinfeld has been cast.

Kiera Cass’s The Selection has been optioned by Warner Brothers.

And the rights to the Altered series by Jennifer Rush were also sold for a t.v. series.

MTV showed us a first look at the Scorch Trials set, and we got our first trailer.

Bel Powley will be starring in the adaptation of Between Shades of Grey (which is called Ashes in the Snow).

Ransom Riggs with the cast of Miss Peregrine’s.

Maybe news on a Shatter Me movie?

The 5th Wave movie is actually coming really soon...

Giveaways:

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: Win SKINK NO SURRENDER by Carl Hiaasen, ends 5/25/15, New Releases 5/18/15! Win SEVEN great new YA novels that release this week, plus interviews and a round-up of all this week's new YA novels. Giveaway end 5/24/15, Win DANGEROUS CREATURES (signed) & DANGEROUS DECEPTION by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, ends 6/15/15.

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

Box of March / April books, INT, ends 05/31.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know. NGL, this is the least important section to me.

Other:

New Releases:

April 26 - May 2: In a World Just Right by Jen Brooks, Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, The Girl of Midnight by Melissa Grey, Magnolia by Maria Dahvana Headley, The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough, Rogue (Talon #2) by Julie Kagawa, Rook by Sharon Cameron, Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond, Trouble From the Start by Rachel Hawthorne, The Boyfriend Project by Rachel Hawthorne, The Replaced (The Taking #2) by Kimberly Derting, The Secrets of Attraction by Robin Constantine, Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger, Invincible by Amy Reed, None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio, Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep, Be Not Afraid by Cecelia Galante, Flirty Dancing (Ladybirds #1) by Jenny McLachlan, The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver, Diva Rules by Amir Abrams, Deception's Pawn (Deception's Princess #2) by Esther Friesner, Encore to an Empty Room (Exile #2) by Kevin Emerson.

May 3 - May 9: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge, Dust to Dust (Ashes to Ashes #2) by Melissa Walker, The Heir (Selection #2) by Kiera Cass, Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen, The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West, Until the Beginning (After the End #2) by Amy Plum, Halfway Perfect by Julie Cross & Mark Perini, Ice Kissed (The Kanin Chronicles #2) by Amanda Hocking, Some Kind of Normal by Juliana Stone, The Summer after You and Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski, Galgorithm by Aaron Karo, Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold (Broken Hearts #2) by Katie Finn, Undertow by Michael Buckley, Wild Hearts by Jessica Burkhart, Seriously Wicked by Tina Connolly, The Novice (Summoner #1) by Taran Matharu, Swept Away (Sixteenth Summer #4) by Michelle Dalton, Chantress Fury (Chantress #3) by Amy Butler Greenfield, The Clouded Sky by Megan Crewe, Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos, Overtaken by Mark Kruger, Lola Carlyle's 12-Step Romance by Danielle Younge-Ullman, The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell, What Remains by Helene Dunbar.

May 10 - May 16: Maximum Ride Forever (Maximum Ride #9) by James Patterson, End of Days (Penryn #3) by Susan Ee, The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh, Love Fortunes and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius, The Hunted (The Living #2) by Matt de la Pena, Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan, Burn (Scan #2) by Walter Jury and Sarah Fine, Ink and Ashes by Valynne E. Maetani, The Rise and Fall of the Gallivanters by M. J. Beufrand, Heat of the Moment by Lauren Barnholdt, Velvet by Temple West, 5 to 1 by Holly Bodger, The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehman, Making Pretty by Corey Ann Haydu, A Matter of Heart by Amy Fellner Dominy, NIL Unlocked (NIL #2) by Lynne Matson, Out of Control by Sarah Alderson, The Eternity Key (Into the Dark #2) by Bree Despain, Fell of Dark by Patrick Downes, Vanished by E. E. Cooper, A Tale of Two Besties by Sophia Rossi.

May 17 - May 23: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, A School for Unusual Girls by (Stranje House #1) by Kathleen Baldwin, Off the Page (Between the Lines #2) by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, Dangerous Deception (Dangerous Creatures #2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Lion Heart (Scarlet #3) by A. G. Gaughen, Illusionarium by Heather Dixon, Hold Me Like a Breath (Once Upon a Crime Family #1) by Tiffany Schmidt, From a Distant Star by Karen McQuestion, A Sense of the Infinite by Hilary T. Smith, The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman, Killer Within (Killer Instinct #2) by S. E. Green, Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham, Eternity's Wheel (Interworld #3) by Mallory Reaves, Michael Reaves, or Neil Gaiman, The Improbable Theory of Ana & Zak by Brian Katcher, Three Day Summer by Sarvenez Tash, Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert, Sparks in Scotland by A. Destiny and Rhonda Helms.

Recent Recommended Reads:

Apologies on having been gone for so long on this feature. The first week, I quite simply didn’t feel like making my rounds. The second week, I was sleeping in my office at work in order to get something finished in time (yes, I literally slept at work and scared the maid who came in to pick up the trash at 4:30 a.m.). The third week… I don’t even remember o.O. Now, if I don’t pick this feature back up again, I won’t… ever. So, here we are.

In the meantime, you can read my review of Uprooted by Naomi Novik, my review of Black Iris by Leah Raeder, my review of Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn, and my review of Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy. And I discussed which books I think y’all ought to anticipate& which ones I am too along with how far I’m willing to go for my favorite books and which books I most want to read! And don’t worry, even if I have some questions about blogging, I don’t think that I’m stopping until at least after BEA :P, if at all. A stranger also commented on my video about the bias against young adult literature and mansplained to me what the bias actually was. Also if you’re looking for some #QuietYA recommendations, check out this post thread from Nick at Nick’s Book Blog - I participated along with other book bloggers in curating a bunch of recommendations :).

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT UPDATE: I promise that I’ve not been ignoring y’all. It’s not even that I’m really behind on commenting… it’s also that Disqus has officially stopped syncing with Blogger for me, which means that I’m no longer receiving emails when you are leaving me comments! WHICH MEANS THAT I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN SOMEONE IS COMMENTING. I mean, I knew about the Disqus problem but it didn’t even occur to me that something went wrong with comments until I checked Disqus to “approve” of comments as per usual and was like, wait, what? These people have been commenting on my blog and I’ve not been getting emails? What’s going on?

So, essentially: not ignoring you, hoping to catch up & reply & visit blogs again sometime soon.

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.

Review: Walk on Earth a Stranger - Rae Carson

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Release Date: September 22, 2015
Source: Edelweiss
Published by: Greenwillow

Walk on Earth a Stranger - Rae Carson
Walk on Earth a Stranger - Rae Carson | Goodreads

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes.

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research.


I probably shouldn't be posting this review so early, but I thought about summer/September, and I figured that I'm going to be busy with graduate school applications and research and might forget and a review is better than no review, regardless of the timing. Also, there will be no spoilers.

Lee Westfall has become one of my favorite heroines ever. First of all, I really enjoyed getting to see what her life was like BEFORE the pamphlets about the Gold Rush arrived and the frenzy invaded her town. Quiet, determined, dutiful to her family; hunting, not afraid to get her hands dirty and help her family survive now that her father has been badly hurt. She has a simple life -- albeit with a fantastical twist, occasionally gathering whatever gold she senses -- and she doesn't really imagine anything else for herself despite the yearning for more, wishing that her parents would let her help more, especially with their financial situation... Until everything changes, and it's time to set off on an adventure to reclaim a future that she wants. My absolute favorite aspect of this book was seeing how much freer Lee got to be as "Lee" instead of "Leah," the girl trapped by gender norms, and how this propelled her own character growth. It's not easy being a boy with not much money -- all the work involved, the little time left for rest, the building exhaustion -- but it shows her the sort of life she wants to live, whether as a boy or as a girl, and how she's going to have to fight for that life regardless of social constraints. It puts me in mind of Diana Wynne Jones's talk on heroes, the male/female parts of any character constantly in struggle and ultimately, how the hero is the story. Lee Westfall is this story, and she is an amazing heroine to follow. If you like the mischievous aspect of cross-dressing in stories, I think you'll enjoy it here; and if you're looking for social critique on how boys and girls are treated differently, you'll also find that here.

If you're looking for big showdowns, heroes and villains, this might not be the book for you -- but the other books in the series may be. To me, this one seems a little more quiet because this is about the adventure, the perilous journey to California. There is a series villain, but the real antagonist of this story is the land, the weather, the dying resources. This is where Rae Carson's research REALLY comes into play -- and it reminds me of something a friend said about Carson's books. I haven't read all of them, but my friend said that all the books have some sort of outdoors adventure integral to the plot and which really showcases Carson's research. If you've noticed that about her books, well, you'll definitely notice it in Walk on Earth a Stranger. Carson writes with as much historical detail as someone like Diana Gabaldon and with the flair of older fantasy tales, where daily life actions can make up a larger part of the narrative. That gives you a distinct sense of the atmosphere and the struggles of the people at that time period. (Nice shout out to Manifest Destiny, ha!). It brings the world to life, giving you details to imagine as Lee and the others go about their lives. And their lives are difficult; the awful terrain, the dwindling food supplies, the lack of proper medical treatment that we take advantage of today... oof. Bravo to Carson for historical detail and plenty of danger to liven the plot. Plenty of plot twists, and plenty of unpredictable turns.

Now, what I said about historical detail? That's also evident in the character's attitudes. And oh, Carson does not make it easy on her characters. There are some real scumbags here, people hating on Native Americans, people believing in slavery, people being cruel to animals, people clearly acting on a gender divide of labor division and virtue. Historical detail, like I said; but Carson also allows some of her characters time to grow. It really showcases her talent as a writer to be able to develop these characters alongside her heroine and see some of their attitudes change along with the terrain.

The fantastical elements are not as much in play as I thought they would be, but what is here hints at some truly interesting times for the rest of the series. Lee seems to lose a bit of herself when her power is activated and that mad frenzy to find the gold takes over; and I'm curious to see how that greed will come into play in future books now that she has made it to California. The romance is also definitely slow-burning, Lee and her romantic interest given time to allow their friendship to evolve before they take on a romantic edge. Also, it's definitely a side plot, since the foremost focus is actually GETTING to California ALIVE. As with the fantastical elements, there is a lot of potential to come.

This is a wonderful first book that does well to highlight the series, and is filled with high stakes adventure, a determined, spirited, easy-to-root-for heroine, slow-burning romance, and a large, wonderfully developed side character cast. Definitely coming back for more.

BEA DAY 1 Recap

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Hello, everyone! Today I'll recap my experience of BEA Day 1. I've got a video for you with C.J. from Sarcasm and Lemons. Most of what I'll write about in this post is a sort of logistics "what-did-you-do" thing whereas the video talks more about our individual experiences & the books I got/why I'm excited for those. Let me know what y'all think!


On the train from NJ (where I currently live) to BEA!
Last year both C.J. and I went to BEA, and this year the schedule is completely different. I'm only mentioning this because I've done like 0 research on my own and would know nothing were it not for this community. Most of what I know about comes from other bloggers making spreadsheets, so thanks community! Wednesday used to be a day to pick up your badges and... leave. Unless you were going to Blogger Con, I guess. This year, Wednesday was a sort of half day, with the exhibition hall opening at 1:00 p.m. (a fact I found out last night from twitter; thanks bloggers!).
(My badge was ... not to be found. So I'm that sketchy anonymous press member. I also forgot to pick up a reprinted version later mostly because if I had free time, I was sitting down. I hope this does not cause actual problems.)

I thought that because today was a half day, it would be less intense.

I was wrong.

So, the first thing that most YA bloggers wanted to get was Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. There were 100 ARCs for a signing at 3:00 p.m., but tickets were being given out at 1:00 p.m., right when the exhibition hall opened. When C.J. and I got there, the main line outside the exhibition hall looked really intense. So, we and let's say 10 others formed a line by the side entrance and as soon as it 1:00... heh, we were fast walking beside so many other people. But, sadly, we didn't make it in time. Later we learned that the tickets were gone within 90 seconds. 90 SECONDS PEOPLE. HOW IS THAT EVEN PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE?

(But really, I have nothing to complain nothing about since I would know nothing were it not for the fellow community :D).

Also, like, if you're looking to find out what the next trend in YA is... hello, high fantasy!

YAY!

From there C.J. and I searched for Little, Brown because I'd read in the "PW Show Daily" (these giant booklets that are given for free while you're waiting to get into the exhibition hall... pubbed by Publisher's Weekly... goes over various publishing industry articles like whether Amazon is good for readers and practical things like favorite NYC bookstores & food places.... also has ads by some publishers for their main titles) that they were having a galley drop at 1:00. Got there, and then caught behind the mob. Didn't really want to push through people to find Wolf by Wolf by Graudin which is what I was essentially interested in, but ...in those few seconds I wasted, the ARCs ended. Half day? WHO CARES. ;)

Did I say BEA was intense? yeah.

So we wandered over to find lists from various publishers on author events and galley drops and the like. (Funny story: at one publisher, not going to say who, a publicist was talking to her colleague about how she didn't have ARC/author event sheets because people would then have to come up and ask her, and that meant that she could for the most part avoid people). I didn't really plan much re: this BEA because I figured these sheets would end up being more helpful than so many other things. And they were (cc: below).

The next thing we went to was the galley drop at Harper Collins at 1:30 for Lauren Oliver's latest MG title... and as you see in the video, hello, new precious MG that I'm going to love (THE DOLDRUMS!). THIS LOOKS SO ADORABLE; PUT IT ON YOUR LIST TOO (and watch the video to see the artwork inside!). And from there, another drop at Little, Brown for the 2:00 of THE WITCH HUNTER & COURT OF FIVES. But what's cool is also getting to see what other people have... aka the person in front of us in line was holding A THOUSAND NIGHTS and told me about Disney's pile. So I grabbed copies of that while C.J. stayed in line and then lol, there was the drop of THE SCORPION RULES (I'm probably getting the times mixed up) and drop after drop after drop (I basically just plopped onto the floor at several points). Earlier in the day, we found NIGHTFALL at the Penguin Booth (their BEA Editors Buzz Book selection, I believe, in addition to EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING). Also THESE SHALLOW GRAVES and ANOTHER DAY. At some point, too, I went to the HMH booth to ask about VENGEANCE ROAD; same for Chronicle and A HISTORY OF GLITTER AND BLOOD.

The first day... was a lot of running around, and I'm hoping to change that tomorrow, because I felt like I didn't get a chance to... enjoy?

The thing I probably hate and love most about BEA is the book fervor. Like, a.) love book nerdiness but b.) it's so easy to get caught up in everything and I felt like I lost sight of just those nice moments of talking more to the other people and falling less into what-next-who-where-why (relaxed Christina would have actually gone up to the various Famous Bloggers and Booktubers that she saw instead of wondering whether she was going to be bothersome... and also rather than running to the next area for another book). As I say in the video, my favorite part was actually one of the quiet moments talking with a librarian. The waiting in line and just getting to chat with other people and see what they're excited about.


Also meeting up with other people, like Summer from Blue Sky Shelf and getting to hang out with C.J.. And, also just asking publicists what they're most excited about. A publicist we met at Candlewick was SO friendly. The best. I wanted to be excited about all the books that she was excited about. All the publicists I met today were SO freaking nice. I probably should have mentioned that as one of my favorite moments too but ah.

And because this post wasn't full of bookish goodness, I also got two books from the Strand: The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer & Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (high fantasy, peeps. It's my game. And now if I ever complain about not having books to read, please smack me upside the head).

Okay, because I live in NJ, it takes about an hour to go to and from Javits. (And not to mention the time it took editing the video, and the rain that delayed trains...) So, like, hopefully I'll have a longer recap tomorrow than I did today, but I'm now too exhausted and need to sleep some.

Thanks for reading!

BOOK HAUL:
if you're really looking forward to any of these titles, and we're friends, you can definitely borrow these books. let me know!
Books that are not being offered at BEA that I asked about / was excited for:
Books that I'm watching out for:
But of course that could change :).

What books are you most anticipating? What would you like to hear about from BEA? How was your BEA experience? If you're at BEA and you want to meet up, let me know! If you're not, I wish you were here! And let me know what I can do to help make you feel like you were :).


BEA DAY 2 Recap

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Hey, hey! If you haven't already read my recap of Day 1 at BEA 2015, you can do so at that link (also includes a video, as this post does, with C.J. from Sarcasm and Lemons). Today honestly felt much better & I have more detail in this post than from last time as well. Same questions for the video though: a.) favorite moment of the day; b.) favorite book/grab; c.) most surprising moment/book; d.) most anticipating (and today, since our answers were unlikely to change from last time: expectations for the last day aka tomorrow!).


Friends!

One of the first things I remember people advising re: BEA is to get a hotel in NYC - don't deal with Port Authority in NJ, try to save money in NJ, etc.. But I happen to live and work in NJ, and can take the train, have that ride take about an hour and be good to go, without the costs (it's okay for me, too, because I'm used to this). Still... then there are the days when you want to get to Javits by 7:30 and are awake before 5 to catch a train you literally have to sprint to (we were late).

If you're not super motivated and have good transit into the city, that's another thing to consider.
TRUTH!

Things to learn from those PW Show Dailys!

Moving on, today we went to the Harlequin Teen Breakfast. The authors there were Eleanor Herman (LEGACY OF KINGS), Adi Alsaid (NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES), Jennifer Armentrout (THE WHITE HOT KISS), and Katie McGarry (NOWHERE BUT HERE). They were introduced first by an editor and then the authors and Harlequin Teen members cycled through our individual round tables to talk about various books and things.

Eleanor Herman was dressed up in a fancy white dress and golden crown and armband, and carried a Persian chalice along with her business cards. She's been on the History Channel and is known for her New York Times bestselling adult nonfiction SEX WITH KINGS. The prequel novella to LEGACY OF KINGS, VOICE OF GODS, will be releasing on July 15th for FREE.
  • This series has been described as Alexander the Great meets Game of Thrones.
  • It may be four planned books.
  • Eleanor Herman may have royal blood in her family.
  • "Very Game of Thrones for teens"
  • Eleanor Herman said that she already had the right historical background for this book but she still really wanted to make sure all the details were right. Sometimes her editor would tell her to cut down on the details for her descriptions because she was using her historian's eye too much.
Adi Alsaid is the author of LET'S GET LOST, which was promoted heavily at the last BEA. This title, NEVER ALWAYS SOMETIMES, was also described as a quirky contemporary romance. Adi said that he wasn't functional unless he had at least two cups of coffee and told us about how he'd had a self-published title out before LET'S GET LOST was pubbed with the hopes of expediting the visa process. He pulled that title once he was traditionally published. He had also previously attended BEA once before when he was not yet published.

Katie McGarry is the author of PUSHING THE LIMITS series, which has been much lauded. Now she's promoting the THUNDER ROAD series about teens in the exclusive world of motorcycle clubs. She has six months worth of experience with a motorcycle club (that she used to write the book).

Jennifer Armentrout is the author of MANY series, but for HT, she writes the Dark Elements. In this trilogy, there was a vote for who the heroine should end up with from the love triangle. Book three is not out yet, and everyone is sworn to secrecy as to who won the vote. The girl has the ability to suck the souls of other humans with a kiss. I asked Jennifer about the vote - apparently, she'd turned in the draft of the second book and the Harlequin Teen team wasn't agreed on who the girl would end up with, so they came up with the idea to have readers vote. I believe Jennifer also mentioned in passing that her father had considered naming her Belle Star. Yes, that is the detail I remember from her round robin.

At Harlequin Breakfast

Harlequin is also promoting DAUGHTER UNTO DEVILS, their major horror title, which was Little House on the Prairie meets The Shining and Robin Talley's next book, WHAT WE LEFT BEHIND, about a couple - one lesbian, one genderqueer - going to different colleges, which is one factor pulling them apart, and about "growing as a person" and "identity." They will also have a feature on Facebook called Harlequin Teen's Inner Circle. You can get into that group, review titles and interact directly with their marketing team.

The breakfast was great. C.J. and I were early enough that we met people like Jamie from the Perpetual Page-Turner, Christine from Poland Banana Books (YT), Jesse from Jesse the Reader (YT), Kat from Katytastic (YT), and Reagan from Peruse Project (YT).

We left slightly early to get in the side line to enter the exhibition hall (the side lines are generally shorter than the main exhibition lines, which people line up in very early on). The exhibition hall opened at 9:00 a.m. and we zoomed to the Disney booth to get in line for PASSENGER by Alexandra Bracken. Despite being the fourth in line from our side entrance, we got to that booth as the fifty-third & fifty-fourth signees. Not as bad as Truthwitch was yesterday, but also good publicity for this book. I asked Alexandra Bracken who her favorite character was and she said Nicholas, the hero. She also really likes the heroine, Etta, though.

From there, we were able to get galleys of Lauren DeStefano's A CURIOUS TALE OF THE IN-BETWEEN (MG debut). We went over to Scholastic then, but they were out of THE MARVELS. The publicist gave us KILL THE BOY BAND, said something like "it's the book you never knew you wanted." I also asked for GEORGE, a Publisher's Weekly MG Editor Buzz Panel book. Afterwards, we passed through Abrams for ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL by Jesse Andrews - copies were being given away - and stood in line for the 11 a.m. drop of WOLF BY WOLF and HELLO, GOODBYE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN among others, with Ashley from the Quiet Concert (and later met Nichole from TQC at Lair of Dreams). I went to see if the Gregory Maguire signing of AFTER ALICE was reasonable. It wasn't. I waited until 11:30 and told Ashley she should take my place in line because I didn't want to miss Libba Bray, whose event was ticketed, tickets to be handed out at 12:30 p.m. There I ran into Monica and she and I kinda sorta started an unofficial line for the Libba Bray signing. Therein became the problem. Our line was then told that there was a line on the other side that was more legitimate. Then that line was no longer legitimate once Steph from Cuddlebuggery thankfully pointed out that the publicists were handing out tickets for the event and not to the line itself. Lines can get real hectic at BEA...



So cool though that Libba's title has so much hype over it! I also asked Libba Bray who her favorite character was and she said that it changes depending on the scene that she's writing. She also said that Theta gets some "good lines" in this series. Also, the publicist who I was standing next to in line said that she thought that thrillers and mysteries (though just "everyone appreciates a good story") would be the next big thing.

At some point during the day, I wandered into the Penguin booth and found THE ACCIDENT SEASON and WILD ONES. One early morning and the other later. I also specifically sought out the EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING galley drop at 4:30, the 2:00 drop of THE MARVELS, the random drop of THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH. The best thing was getting to talk to everyone while being in line, like Kel at the LOIS LANE lane and Monica at the Libba Bray line and older friends like Lili and Kristin. Also hanging out again with Summer.

But, now, the worst thing is that I am way too tired to continue writing. Toooooo tired. After that train and the time of night it is now...

BOOK HAUL:
if you're really looking forward to any of these titles, and we're friends, you can definitely borrow these books. let me know!
What books are you most anticipating? What would you like to hear about from BEA? How was your BEA experience? If you're at BEA and you want to meet up, let me know! If you're not, I wish you were here! And let me know what I can do to help make you feel like you were :).

BEA DAY 3 Recap & BookCon

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Hello, everyone! If you haven't already read my BEA Day 1 and BEA Day 2 recaps, you can do so at those links. Friday, the 29th was in some ways more chill than the other two days and somehow more hectic because my two most anticipated titles had events going on at the same time that day. Today's video recap won't have C.J., as we got back at midnight & were so exhausted, we went to sleep, and she went to the airport the next day :).


So we were a bit late into BEA today, such that when we got there, the line to go inside had already started to move. Whoops. But, actually, it's amazing how strolling in like that can reduce stress levels. I knew we had various plans because C.J. of Sarcasm and Lemons, Summer of Blue Sky Shelf, and I had some of the same books on our lists, but getting to sleep a little bit more, actually getting lunch that day (yes, I literally did not eat lunch on either Day 1 or Day 2 - it just slipped my mind)... much better. Plus, focusing on fewer books - also much better.

C.J. went to go sit in the 10:30 signing line for SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo, and was like tenth at 9:03. Yeah, BEA is that intense. (I also didn't realize this until later). Summer and I were in the BLACK WIDOW: FOREVER RED 9:30 autographing line for Margaret Stohl along with the lovely Brooke. I passed by the Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff 9:00 signing for THE ANATOMY OF CURIOSITY, but the line was already pretty big at the very beginning, so I skipped onto the Widow signing, which was the plan (C.J. in line; Summer & I to join later). As soon as I finished with that signing, I went over to the line for Six of Crows and got the sense that people were glaring / telling me to leave / to not join C.J. So I did leave. Debated what to do.

NGL, I was a little upset. But then later, I got really embarrassed by myself. Upset? What right did I even have to be upset? This is an industry event. It was my number one most anticipated title, but I'm not entitled to anything and am I really that important in the face of other people who can also promote the title? NO. Freaking BEA and getting caught up in the book fervor - I hate that, and you know what? I'd made my choice in not going to that line immediately - I should have realized that was what would happen. The moment I realized that some of my upset was rooted in this entitlement, I just wanted to go crawl into a dark corner to get over myself.

I went to two events and kinda did just that.

The two events I went to were the BLOOD AND SALT by Kim Liggett signing and the DAUGHTER OF DEEP SILENCE by Carrie Ryan signing. Kim Liggett seemed really friendly, and as with all signings, I was trying to prepare a generic question (can't ask any specifics if I haven't read the book yet; also awkward penguin = me), but all that went out of my head after Kim Liggett came around the table to hug me. She'd recognized me from my booktube channel! So shocking to me - I'd only started that channel in December and deleted many of my earlier videos because of my crappy webcam and I even nearly skipped the entirety of March. If people have recognized me, it's from my blog. Booktube? Woah. She also said that I had a calming voice and wanted me to... read to her? I don't remember what she said she wanted me to do though. Her reaction was one of the many things that calmed me, actually. It was gratifying. I don't spend much time promoting this blog or that channel, or on twitter, so it's just unexpected. And I got lucky with that Carrie Ryan signing - she was going so quickly that I was able to step in towards the end, when there were only like 10 people in front of me, and it still worked!

After I got those books, I found an open table by the Starbucks on the first floor, calmed myself and my earlier disappointment/embarrassment/etc., ate lunch, and read the PW Show Daily.

Things you can learn from the delightful PW Show Dailys:
A.) A fantastic discussion on book reviews. Do you think that bloggers are really sufficient to cover diverse books and bring them to the public's attention? I sincerely hope pubs don't take that attitude.
B.) James Patterson is starting his own imprint. First Jeff Kinney started his own bookstore, now Patterson & his imprint. Cool to see authors doing something different with books.

Another thing or two I learned from the PW Show Daily:

Y'all want to know which books are going to be "hyped" soon, right? Here's information from the article, "Early Favorites for Young Readers."

"As booksellers, librarians, and publishers descend on the Javits Center for the first full day of BookExpo America, there was strong early interest across all age ranges and genres, including adult books with YA crossover and vice versa..."
(Probably not every hyped title - and not just from the publishers, but across the industry it seems - but still a decent list, no?).

I actually went to go ask about Ruta Sepetys's title after reading this article. Turns out they had manuscripts available for booksellers - a little fascinating, no, how books come in so many different forms at BEA for promotion? I went around to the publishers, but I already had so many books, it was a little ridiculous. I did get THIS RAGING LIGHT, though, because C.J. and everyone else seems so excited by it & it was a YA Editor's Buzz Panel book. Eventually, to kill time, I started to read BLOOD AND SALT, which is quite good (see the video for more! + this blog later!).

Essentially I needed to catch the 2:51 train from New York Penn station to go back to my job. We're currently on a sort of deadline to run subjects at work, and so it didn't seem right to take Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off without running a single subject. And the very last thing on my schedule was the 2:30 galley drop of SIX OF CROWS, which I'd missed that morning (and work => why I'd wanted to get it in the morning). So I started to hover around the Macmillan booth, reading BLOOD AND SALT, at like... 12:40. Yeah, I had a feeling I was going to annoy the publicists, but I honestly didn't want to start a line so much as see when the line started and make sure that I was early so that I could go catch my train. Oh well. Line formed, line dispersed, line formed, line moved. And then once it was official, I got to talk to awesome people like Kel, Jen (in my book club :D), Kay, Lauren, and Danielle. Lines are sometimes the best!

As soon as I got that book, I sped over to NY Penn station. Made it with four minutes to spare. Books are important, people... but so is making your train.

#BEA15 ended then for me. I came back into the city after work for one last important thing:


OMG THAT BROADWAY IS AMAZING. If y'all are in New York, see it ASAP! If it comes to your city's theater sometime, SEE IT (especially if you're a writer). It's the story of how J.M. Barrie found his inspiration for PETER PAN. It was made into a film a while back, but the Broadway play is so much more inspiring (C.J. told me the film was quite depressing, actually - this play was not depressing; it had a little bit of everything - sad, funny, inspiring, glorious (aka: Christina in awe)).

On Saturday, May 30th, aka BookCon Day 1... well, I was at the Javits for like 20 minutes because I didn't want to brave any super long lines. I picked up my press badge, found the line for the SERPENTINE by Cindy Pon signing, and then left. I knew that Ameriie at Books Beauty Ameriie was really looking forward to that title, so I got it for her. I also read it immediately so that when she got a chance to read it, I'd be able to discuss the book with her. Highly recommended book! FIND & READ IT, PEOPLE.

BOOK HAUL:
What books are you most anticipating? What did you enjoy hearing about from BEA? How was your BEA experience? Let me know :).

Review: A Thousand Nights - E.K. Johnston

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Release Date: October 6, 2015
Source: ARC (BEA)
Published by: Disney-Hyperion

This is a SUPER early review, but that's meant to encourage anyone who has an ARC to read and review it and pre-order along with those who don't have one, and/or spread the word. Also, there will be no spoilers.

A Thousand Nights - E.K. Johnston | Goodreads

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.

Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.

Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.


EPIC.

This is the book to read if you want a Middle Eastern inspired fantasy. I confess: most of the time, Middle Eastern inspired work catches my eye, but I avoid reading it because I get overly critical. It's easier for me to feel like an American writing about the Middle East - well, while reading, I feel *that*; that, very rarely, do I get the sense that the culture is authentic and captures the Middle Eastern spirit well. I am not Middle Eastern, but all my relatives are, and I have grown up surrounded by this culture and wishing for it to be better portrayed. Also, I tend to avoid 1001 Nights retellings because if they are a romance, they often will romanticize the piece of shit king who's killing girls (often it's because of a curse, you see, the king is not a flawed douche, he only does what he does because he's forced to - a framework which not only romanticizes what happened but in blaming any flaws he might have on a "curse," also makes him a much less interesting character) and because of the inherent sexism of the framework (not only the killing girls but also feeding into the whole "Scheherazade is the *only* girl who could captivate the king;" she's not like the "other" girls who were too stupid and got killed). Another thing: most Middle Eastern mythology and folklore have a religious background. There's no avoiding references to God and the like, and yet many retellings do not get into the religious aspect (how can you be authentic to the Middle East if you don't get into the HUGE part religion has played? Yes, there are Middle Eastern atheists, but for the most part, religion is a HUGE part of every day life and has been for a LONG time) because that's a sticky issue and oh well.

This book addresses ALL OF THAT and more: stories have a power larger than life in A Thousand Nights. E.K. Johnston has written a retelling that is faithful to its original material but also something entirely of her own making.

The awesomeness of A Thousand Nights:

a.) The desert atmosphere / wonderful world building. Oh my god, if you want a book that will make you SINK into the setting, this book IS SO GOOD AT THAT. All the details make for such a lush setting and it was not at all surprising to learn that E.K. Johnston had spent time in Jordan. There are many details about the world inside the qasr and the clothing each character wears and the time period that also make it SO easy to fall into Johnston's wonderful writing. So authentic, so beautiful, so atmospheric. When I'm at home again and with my BEA ARC, I will try to remember to add a quote for y'all to see what I mean.

b.) The quiet strength of the main character. There's so much dialogue out there about what makes a female character strong, and how often times people will only perceive the "kickass sword-wielding" girl to be strong. No. The MC here is so strong, and it is an absolute treat to see her grow throughout the book, from the girl who would step in for her sister to the girl who would meet all the challenges presented to her, knowing that her death could come at any moment.

c.) The Middle Eastern feel. Point A helps, but Johnston, in her dialogue and characterization, also does well to capture Middle Eastern attitudes about family and life. One of the main points of 1001 Nights is the importance of stories, which is something Johnston also does well to highlight with her magic system, feminist themes, and inclusion of lesser known fantastical creatures from 1001 Nights. Something that has differentiated A Thousand Nights from its source material is the religious system that Johnston introduces (smallgods). This definitely helps with the themes and ME feel and desert atmosphere as well.

d.) This book is EMPOWERING. Johnston took an inherently sexist tale and gave the power back to the women who are not always mentioned. YES.

e.) Unlike most other YA out there. This book has the feel of a legend, and it is gorgeous and unlike many other things that I've read.

Not everyone will like this. It's written in a more literary style. The only name you are told for a long time is Lo-Melkhiin, which works within the framework to address the inherent sexism of 1001 Nights and the attitude in the fantasy world. Most people are thus labeled by who they are related to (e.g. "my father's father's father,""my sister,""my sister's mother"), which is also realistic to the Middle East (cc: all the men who are called "Father of -insert firstborn son's name here-;" I still don't know the name of my great aunt because they always refer to her as Imm George). It's also not very fast-paced and full of action but instead is a quieter tale, fitting within the framework and the atmosphere of the silent, cruel desert. I would recommend this to fans of CRUEL BEAUTY, but keep in mind that this has less romance and more internal focus on the setting and main character's growth. It reminded me of CRUEL BEAUTY because of the sisterly relationship, the way E.K. Johnston and Rosamund Hodge have written their retellings, and the focus on internal flaws, the monsters within.

May and June Recap

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Hello, everyone! I know y'all are busy and it's hard to keep up with various blogs & booktube channels, so as usual, I've created a recap post on what I've done in May & June. Let me know what y'all have been up to, what you've been reading & which books you've received :).


On the blog, I talked about my experiences at BEA for Day 1 (VIDEO), Day 2 (VIDEO), and Day 3(VIDEO). Each day had a little something different about it, and the videos talk more about the experience whereas the blog posts are more typical recaps. In terms of book tags, I did the New Releases Tag (VIDEO) and the Extraordinary Means Tag (VIDEO). I fangirled about Books that (I think) You Should Anticipate (VIDEO) and my favorite YA heroines (VIDEO) and even read the first chapter from Black Iris, a very good book, after discussing my April book haul. I reviewedA Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston, Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson, Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn, Black Iris by Leah Raeder, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, and The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson. I only had two bookish rounds posts these past two months: edition 79 and edition 80. Hopefully I will be making one soon!

As you might be able to tell in the video... I've moved! Part of the reason why this blog has been so stagnant of late is because of my moving and needing to get internet and needing to do a lot of other things :P. But though I haven't been blogging as much, I have been reading a bunch! Here are some recommendations from yours truly.

A THOUSAND NIGHTS by E.K. Johnston. So, as I linked above, you can read my full review if you'd like. But if you want a few words: EPIC. Atmospheric. If there's one Middle Eastern inspired fantasy novel to read, it's this one. Find an ARC or pre-order. Can't wait to read more from E.K. Johnston!

SERPENTINE by Cindy Pon. FANTASTIC. Reminded me of older fantasy narratives, and I think that it'd be perfect for fans of THE HERO AND THE CROWN & Rae Carson. Features a wonderful main female friendship, sweet romance, and such significant growth for the main character.... plus the lush setting! Cindy Pon gives plenty of details that help to create an atmosphere of a distinctly different time and culture and to settle you into her fascinating world. Also, can I say how fantastic it is that the main character is the handmaid? LOVE when the perspective shifts like that (since so many fantasies are told from the PoV of the lost heir, etc.).

BLOOD AND SALT by Kim Liggett. I've never seen/read "Children of the Corn," but I kept wanting to picture this novel as a movie. The writing is quite cinematic, the setting, the atmosphere... creepy corn fields. Kim Liggett has also established her world and the culture of Quivira so well that it makes the plot quite unpredictable with its various twists and turns. Romantic horror *is* a good description of BLOOD & SALT. The first part is more traditional horror elements (e.g. crows, murders, etc.) and the second half gets more into the deepening stakes/consequences (e.g. love, betrayal, etc.), but neither gets to be too much as Liggett livens her narrative with little humorous tidbits in the MC's voice & jokes among the characters. One-of-a-kind seems like a good descriptor too, though I've not read enough horror to say that with authority.

People who blurbed this book: CARRIE RYAN, NOVA REN SUMA, KENDARE BLAKE, APRIL GENEVIEVE TUCHOLKE, MEGAN SHEPHERD, GRETCHEN MCNEIL. I haven't read books by the latter two, but the others feel so very appropriate. The old time-y feel of the setting in Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, along with the mix of those magical/paranormal elements - what's real? what's actually happening? The blood and gore, and spiritual background in Anna Dressed in Blood. The reservoir feeling *real* with its own history and sacrifice and sibling relationships in Imaginary Girls. The forbidden romance and hungry creatures just beyond the wall in The Forest of Hands and Teeth... And yet, even with these comparisons, it's also easy to say that Kim Liggett has created something that is entirely her own.

WRITTEN IN THE STARS by Aisha Saeed. Loved this. Can't remember who chose this from my book club, but can't wait to discuss it with them! I nearly sobbed while reading this - might actually be the hardest I've cried while reading a book - and that is a rare thing indeed. Aisha Saeed is a PRO at showing you Naila's journey step by step, so that it feels like you're living her nightmare as well. All the details, the emotions, the information - very important read and highly recommended.

INCARCERON by Catherine Fisher. I can't really judge this book accurately. I listened to it while moving/unpacking and doing the dishes, and while on my way to work. Unfortunately, dropping your shitty self-assembled IKEA furniture on the floor for the tenth time and then cursing does mean that you will then miss some details in your audiobook. I could've gone back, but I never do, so oh well. Cool concept, though, and a lot of interesting details, action scenes. I remember first being interested in this novel and its sequel, Sapphique, because Martina Boone had posted an excerpt of Sapphique's opening as an example of extraordinary introductions. Catherine Fisher does know how to build up tension.

DAUGHTER OF DEEP SILENCE by Carrie Ryan. The writing is so tight here, really helps with the revenge thriller vibe. This book reminded me of how I'd started reading THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH a couple years back, but something had distracted me from it. I've loved every one of Carrie Ryan's short stories that I've read - her atmosphere is always excellent. Looking forward to reading more from her.

SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo. If you wanted more world-building from the Grisha Trilogy, this is the solution to all your answers. Though I'm wary of GAME OF THRONES comparisons, a multi-perspective, high fantasy with many cultures interacting with one another meeting OCEAN'S ELEVEN feels like a very accurate description of this book. I can see this one becoming really popular, probably even more popular than the Grisha trilogy (which it accentuates perfectly, adding onto the storyline & world wonderfully. As a companion, this should make new readers eager to check out the first three books and the history referred to in SIX OF CROWS, but it's also readable for them, with the necessary information explained so that they're not left in the dust. It's also good for readers already familiar with GRISHA as it's expanding on the magical foundations of the world itself, and thus does not actually get into repeating the world-building you already know aside for a few tidbits.).

And I am now currently readingA History of Glitter and Blood by Hannah Moskowitz with the lovely Mel at The Daily Prophecy :).

Books that I purchased: Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (a children's fantasy classic that was compared to Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass + Lord of the Rings in an essay from my kidlit class called "End of Magic") & The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer (described as an Icelandic mythology based Lord of the Rings).

So, what have y'all been up to this past month?! What have you been reading, purchasing, and so on? Are you looking forward to any of these books or have you already read them yourselves? Let me know!

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds (81)

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Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

Yet another month has passed since I did one of these posts… whoops.

Publishing:
Rights Reports 1, 2, 3, 4:
  • Outward Blonde - Trish Cook (YA pitched as an outdoor Orange Is the New Black for the Gossip Girl set. When NYC socialite Lizzie Finklestein has an epic night on the town resulting in a writeup in Page Six, her billionaire parents send her to Camp Smiley, an Outward Bound-style rehab camp that forces Lizzie to come to terms with herself and nature. Publication is slated for 2016. Adaptive Books).
  • A List of Cages - Robin Roe (a debut novel in the tradition of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, told from the alternating perspectives of Adam, a charismatic 17-year-old with ADHD, and his foster brother, a sensitive boy in a dangerous living situation that Adam must save him from. Disney-Hyperion).
  • Untitled - Kim Zarin (debut YA novel; modern retelling of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Simon Pulse).
  • New YA series - Adrianne Strickland and Michael Miller (pitched in the vein of Joss Whedon's Firefly with elements of Marie Lu's Legend. The first, Shadow Run, follows the orphaned Qole, a young but savvy captain of a ragtag crew on a “fishing” starship, who have just become the focus of a corporate arms race; and Nev, the prince whose mission to exploit them turns into one to save them. The first book is planned for fall 2016; Delacorte Press).
  • Birds and Other Transdimensional Things - Leah Thomas (featuring a teen girl coping with her mother's suicide attempt amid the emergence of parallel dimensions; Birds will be published in winter 2018; Bloomsbury).
  • An untitled sequel to Because You'll Never Meet Me - Leah Thomas (which continues the story of Ollie and Moritz's friendship. The sequel is scheduled for winter 2017. Bloomsbury)
  • The Problem with Paris - Denise Grover Swank (in which a young pianist heads to Paris to see her father who abruptly abandoned the family months before, and spends the summer repairing their relationship while falling for the son of a local music teacher. Publication is slated for spring 2016; Blink).
  • Key to Heaven - Darcey Rosenblatt (debut set in Iraq and Iran in 1982, which follows a music-loving boy as he joins the Iranian army at the age of 12. It is set to publish in winter 2017; Henry Holt).
  • Vilonia Beebe Takes Charge - Kristin L. Gray (a debut middle-grade novel in which fourth-grader Vilonia must prove that she is responsible enough to get a dog, in order to help her mom get over her grief. Publication is planned for spring 2017; S&S/Paula Wiseman Books).
  • Prisoner of Ice and Stone - Ruth Lauren Steven (In the MG fantasy debut, 13-year-old Valor is accused of attempting to murder the prince and is sent to prison, where she attempts to break out her twin sister. But in the process, they discover that a much thicker plot may lie behind their crimes. The first book is scheduled for global release in winter 2017; Bloomsbury).
  • Seven Ways We Lie - Riley Redgate (debut told from the perspectives of seven teenagers – each seduced by one of the seven deadly sins – whose paths converge when they accidentally expose a life-altering secret. It's scheduled for publication in spring 2016; Abrams/Amulet).
  • American Kestral - Trudi Truiet (in which a U.S. teen battles evil twin sisters and overcomes her own worst fear to prevent the foreclosure of her grandmother's ski lodge. It's slated for spring 2017 publication under the MIX! imprint; S&S/Aladdin).
  • Graffiti Girl - Laurie Boyle Crompton (about a girl who is obsessed with painting graffiti lions in out-of-the-way spots, until her secret is discovered by the wrong person, with unexpected consequences. Publication is planned for winter 2017; Sourcebooks Fire).
  • Virgo - Alexandra Blogier (it centers on a girl who is the last human left on Earth after an alien race annihilated humanity. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Delacorte).
  • Pashmina - Nidhi Chanani (YA graphic novel tells the story of an Indian-American girl who struggles to fit in at high school, then discovers more about her family's history with the help of her mother's magical pashmina. Publication is slated for 2017; First Second).
  • Good Girls Don't Lie - Alexandra Diaz (Pitched as a Mexican-American Juno, a realistic coming-of-age story starring good girl Josie Figueroa. Publication is set for spring 2016; Leap Books).
  • Smoot, A Rebellious Shadow - Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Sydney Smith (The book tells the story of Smoot, a shadow gone rogue who abandons his boy and inadvertently inspires a shadow revolution. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Dial).
  • Jack and the Beanstalk - Josh Funk (about a young Jack who is not keen on climbing any beanstalks and would much prefer to tell his own story. The book is slated for fall 2017; Amazon/Two Lions).
  • All American Boys - Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely (a YA novel that follows two teenage boys – one white, one black – who offer dueling perspectives, told in alternating chapters, on an act of police brutality. The book has been fast-tracked by S&S for release in fall 2015 because of its timely subject matter. S&S's Caitlin Dlouhy Books).
  • The Lost Property Office - James R. Hannibal (In the MG thriller, 13-year-old Jack is trying to find his kidnapped father while attempting to stop a villain from recreating the Great Fire of London. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Simon & Schuster).
  • Finding Marvin Gardens - A.S. King / Amy Sarig King (debut MG about a boy who encounters an entirely new creature in the woods behind his house – an animal that eats plastic – and the consequences that ensue. Publication is set for spring 2017; Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine Books).
  • You’re Welcome, Universe - Whitney Gardner (an illustrated YA debut novel about a Deaf teen artist who must decide between being painted into obscurity or getting caught after she finds herself locked in a graffiti war with an opponent who takes it a step too far. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Knopf).
  • Orphan Island - Laurel Snyder (pitched as Lord of the Flies meets The Giver. It tells the story of a girl named Jinny, one of nine kids who live on an idyllic island without adults where, every year, a new young child is mysteriously delivered by boat and the oldest is taken away. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; HarperCollins's Walden Pond Press).
  • Words on Bathroom Walls - Julia Walton (debut. It's a teen boy's journal to his therapist as he starts an experimental drug trial to treat his schizophrenia. Publication is planned for spring 2017; Random House).
  • My Kind of Crazy - Robin Reul (pitched as Freaks and Geeks meets The Spectacular Now. After his promposal goes up in flames (literally), down-on-his-luck Hank strikes up an unusual friendship with a budding pyromaniac, who is struggling with her own darkness and thinks he may be a kindred spirit. Publication is slated for April 2016; Sourcebooks Fire).
  • Lucy and Linh - Alice Pung (a literary Mean Girls meets Fresh Off the Boat that follows Lucy as she tries to balance her life at home surrounded by her Chinese immigrant family, with her life at a pretentious private school. Publication is set for fall 2016; Knopf).
  • The Lotterys Plus One - Emma Donoghue (debut MG when Sumac Lottery's racist, homophobic grandfather nearly burns his house down, he has to move in with her family, a volatile situation about which no one is happy, least of all Sumac, who has to give up her room. Publication is scheduled for February 2017; Arthur A. Levine).
  • Summerlost - Ally Condie (MG debut follows 12-year-old Cedar, who is struggling to accept the sudden deaths of her father and younger brother. At the titular summer camp, organized by a Shakespearean theater troupe, the young heroine, in Condie's words, “finds herself surprised by the wonderful, magical feeling of falling into an unexpected friendship” as she “explores long-held mysteries within her community and concerning those she loves.” Publication is slated for April 2016; Dutton).
  • The Black Witch - Laurie Forest (debut first in a fantasy series set in the magical, diverse realm of Earthea. There a fiercely determined heroine must embrace a power she never knew she had in order to protect everyone she loves from the darkness sweeping across their world. Publication is set for spring 2017; Harlequin Teen).
  • Pablo and Birday - Alison McGhee (MG which follows a boy who, as a baby, crossed the ocean in an inflatable pool. Accompanied on his journey by a parrot, he is eventually raised by a small fishing community. Publication is projected for summer 2017; S&S/Atheneum's Caitlyn Dlouhy Books).
  • Dragons vs. Drones - Wesley King (New MG series Pitched as part Eragon, part Transformers, the books follow a young computer genius who is chased by sleek, high-tech drones into a land populated by Godzilla-size dragons, setting off a war that only he can stop. Publication for the first book is slated for spring 2016; Razorbill).
  • Joaquin's Rebellion - Guadalupe Garcia McCall (It's a YA Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1915 Texas during the height of the Mexican revolution, about a Mexican-American teen trying to protect his family's ranch and his sweetheart's safety while caught between the Texas Rangers and Mexican revolutionaries. Publication is set for fall 2016, with a sequel,The Long Journey Home, scheduled for 2017. Lee & Low's Tu Books).
  • The Art of Losing - Alexandra Ballard (YA debut narrated by a girl in a residential treatment center for an eating disorder. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
  • The Memory Thief - Bryce Moore (in which 11-year-old Benji meets people who can show and manipulate memories; soon, a lot of people in town are acting like someone has stolen their minds, including Benji's twin sister Kelly. Publication is slated for spring 2016; Adaptive Books).
  • Vanguard - Ann Aguirre (set in the same world as her Razorland saga, which chronicles the adventures of Tegan and the warrior-poet who loves her. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Feiwel and Friends).
  • Find Me in Dobbs Ferry - Sheela Chari (a middle-grade mystery in which 12-year-old neighbors Myla and Peter search for clues surrounding the link between a coveted necklace and the disappearance of Peter's brother. Along the graffiti-covered train lines north of New York City, the unlikely pair encounter parkour-performing thugs, cryptic street art, and missing diamonds before uncovering the family secret that started it all. Publication is set for spring 2017; Abrams).
Kami Garcia's THE LOVELY RECKLESS, pitched as "The Fast and the Furious" meets Romeo & Juliet in a YA contemporary romance about the daughter of an undercover cop who falls for the car thief her father is pursuing, to Imprint, for publication in Fall 2016.

From last time:
  • Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts - Esta Spalding, to be illustrated by Sydney Smith (MG series features a band of loosely related self-reliant siblings who live alone in their car on a tropical island, populated with terrible grown-ups. The book will be published simultaneously in Canada by Tara Walker at Tundra/Penguin Random House in spring 2016. Little, Brown).
  • The Dark Lord's Daughter - Patricia Wrede (MG series follows a girl who discovers she has inherited a dysfunctional, depressed magical kingdom. Publication is slated for 2017; Random House).
  • Untitled - Candace Fleming (New chapter-book series in which historical figures make their way into a contemporary setting. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Random House's Schwartz & Wade Books).
  • Dead (But Cautiously Optimistic) - James Preller (pitched as The Walking Dead meets The Mysterious Benedict Society. In the “not-too-distant future,” a seventh-grade undead boy has to adjust to middle-school life as a zombie, and with three unlikely friends, he navigates a mystery involving global warming, disappearing bees, and billionaire developers... and more zombies. It's slated for fall 2016; Feiwel and Friends).
  • Mighty Jack - Ben Hatke (MG graphic novel sold to First Second (due in fall 2016 and 2017)) 
  • Miracle Molly - Ben Hatke (an illustrated middle-grade novel (due in spring 2017), sold to Roaring Brook)
  • The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming - J. Anderson Coats (MG novel; It tells the story of a headstrong girl with big dreams who boards a steamship bound for Washington Territory, as part of the Mercer Expedition of 1866. Publication is set for spring 2017; Atheneum).
  • Untitled - Candace Fleming (an untitled chapter book about Strongheart, the early canine film star. It's scheduled for fall 2016; Random House's Schwartz & Wade).
  • Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here - Anna Breslaw (debut; 16-year-old New Jerseyan Scarlett Epstein finds herself without an outlet for her online writing after her beloved TV show gets canceled, leading her to write fanfiction about the kids in her own high school. Publication is set for spring 2016; Razorbill).
  • Ryan Quinn: Freedom Run - Ron McGee (MG series follows the titular 14-year-old who, after his parents disappear, finds out his family is part of a secret organization dating back to WWII that performs dangerous rescue missions. It's planned for fall 2016; HarperCollins).
  • Matylda of the Bright and Tender Skin - Holly McGhee (MG debut tells the story of two friends, loss, and a leopard gecko named Matylda. Publication is set for spring 2017; Candlewick Press).
  • The World from Up Here - Cecilia Galante (a middle-grade novel following a 12-year-old girl who, in the wake of a family event, must confront her fears while moving to an aunt's house with her autistic brother and their dog. Publication is set for summer 2016; Scholastic).
  • Deleting Tenley Tylwyth - Jennifer Gooch Hummer (In the MG Debut, a 13-year-old girl who can create weather patterns must protect humans from an evil and vindictive Mother Nature. Publication is slated for 2017; Month9Books).
Interviews: Emmy & Oliver - Robin Benway, The Summer of Chasing Mermaids - Sarah Ockler, Proof of Forever - Lexa Hillyer, Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon, Freaks of Nature - Wendy Brotherlin, Crow’s Nest - Angelica Jackson, Between the Notes - Sharon Huss Roat, Secrets of the Dragon Tomb - Patrick Samphire, 5 to 1 - Holly Bodger, Made You Up - Francesca Zappia, Scarlett Undercover - Jennifer Latham, Burning Glass - Kathryn Purdie, The Edge of Forever - Melissa Hurst, Conviction - Kelly Loy Gilbert, Tiny Pretty Things - Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, Skyscraping - Cordelia Jensen, South of Sunshine - Dana Elmendorf, Extraordinary - Miriam Spitzer Franklin, The Witch Hunter - Virginia Boecker, The Girl from Everywhere - Heidi Heilig, The Sound of Life and Everything - Krista Van Dolzer, The Cost of All Things - Maggie Lehrman, Nearly Found - Elle Cosimano, Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Jesse Andrews, The Winner’s Crime - Marie Rutkoski, Daughter of Deep Silence - Carrie Ryan, Brutal Youth - Anthony Breznican, Tiny Pretty Things - Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, Fallout - Gwenda Bond, An Ember in the Ashes - Sabaa Tahir, Brenda Bowen, Nowhere But Here - Katie McGarry, Emmy and Oliver - Robin Benway, Anita Silvey, Cassie Beasley

Awards: Boston Globe-Horn winners. I know I missed some here. Sorry.

Excerpts: the Epic Reads Impulse sampler, Hello, I Love You - Katie Stout, Brutal Youth - Anthony Breznican, The Boy Most Likely to - Huntley Fitzpatrick, Unforgiven - Lauren Kate, The Accident Season - Moira Fowley-Doyle, Nightfall - Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski, A Book of Spirits and Thieves - Morgan Rhodes, Morrighan - Mary E. Pearson, Lair of Dreams - Libba Bray, Bone Deep - Kim O’Brien, Hollywood Witch Hunter - Valerie Tejeda, I Am Princess X - Cherie Priest, Mary Unleashed - Hilary Monahan, The Porcupine of Truth - Bill Konigsberg, Another Day - David Levithan, Siren’s Fury - Mary Weber, Trigger - Courtney Alameda, A Whole New World - Liz Braswell, All the Devils Here - Astor Penn, Black Widow Forever - Margaret Stohl, Far From You - Tess Sharpe, Illuminae - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff, Passenger - Alexandra Bracken, Nothing But Shadows - Cassandra Clare, read by Nico Miralegro, The Witch Hunter - Virginia Boecker, The Artisans - Julie Reece, A Girl Undone - Catherine Linka, This Raging Light - Estelle Laure

Book Trailers: Extraordinary Means - Robyn Schneider, The Cemetery Boys - Heather Brewer, Burn - Sarah Fine and Walter Jury, The Last Ever After - Soman Chainani, The Witch Hunter - Virginia Boecker

BookCon Panels: Abigail Breslin: This May Sound Crazy, Lauren Oliver & Gayle Forman, (not sure if this still works but) Live Book View Now

I mentioned this briefly in my BEA recap, but here’s the actual article: Early Favorites for Young Readers.

BEA & BookCon 2015: Love is in the Air at YA Editors’ Buzz Panel, Editors Buzz about Middle Grade Books, YA Authors Talk Friendship, Growing Up, WNDB Advocates for Diverse Books, Chronicling Middle Grade Characters and Adventures, Talking Truth, Love, Diversity and Writing at ‘Reality Bites’ Panel, Children’s and YA Publishing in China, Writing about Tough Topics for Teens, Telling the Truth for Every Age, Wild at Heart: Animal Fantasy in Children’s Books, YA Panel Celebrates WNDB, Talks Diversity, CHildren’s breakfast speakers say Life is a Story, Judy Blume

A photo recap of BEA & BookCon.

I missed most of these, but here was a brief summary of author and industry events for May 21 and for last week.

Morgan Matson announced the title and synopsis of her new book.

Fan of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy? There’s a campaign right now to unlock extra material, including something between Brimstone & Karou.

Your monthly #WeNeedDiverseBooks articles: The Sweet Sixteens (authors debuting in 2016) discussed diversity on their blogs, #weneeddiversebooks has left its mark on bookcon (I would hope so! and why diverse books are more powerful than ever), 9 YA authors remind us why we need diverse books, a diverse summer reading list for kids, #WeNeedDiverseBooks has announced its internship project recipients, (and not from WNDB: why I teach diverse literature).

Curious about the new Princess Diaries books? Here’s everything you need to know.

A list of books that have gotten starred reviews so far.

Mark Haddon asks that people don’t use Curious Incident as a textbook to autism. To what extent can books serve as supplemental reading?

Lol, every month, there is at least one article on things that J.K. Rowling says on twitter (#twitterqueen). This month it is the marriage of Gandalf and Dumbledore.

Chris Riddell is named the U.K. Children’s Laureate and Jacqueline Woodson is named the Young People’s Poet Laureate.

Candlewick is the first publisher to partner with Zazzle.

James Patterson is starting his own imprint at Little, Brown: jimmy patterson

Sarah Dessen is a lot of things. Now also The George Clooney of YA. (didn’t realize they started using George Clooney as an example like that?). (Video of Sarah Dessen talking about female friendships here).

The #BooksArentDangerous campaign set out to help put books in the hands of kids in need.

What is Kindness? Thoughts from R.J. Palacio.

The one word John Green regrets using in Paper Towns.

Cover Reveals:

Pax - Sara Pennypacker, illus by Jon Klassen
Ascending the Boneyard - C. G. Watson
Jupiter Rising (The Icarus Corps) - Zachary Brown (saga press)
My Name Is Not Friday - Jon Walter
*forgot to include
Asp of Ascension - B.R. Myers
The Magnificent Mya Tibbs - Crystal Allen
**forgot to include as well…

Discussion/Other Blogger Posts:

Booktrust, reports the Guardian, says that fathers are not reading enough to their children.

Have you read any of these popular June releasing books? And are you anticipating these YA books releasing in June?

Even BookBub is getting on the YA trend and listing out which YA books it’s excited for in June. Pop Crush’s best YA books of June.

Books to read if you, like me, loved Brown Girl Dreaming.

Bibliotherapy: reading has a positive effect on mental health.

Less specific to June (but ugh to “adult” comments): 30 YA Books Every Actual Adult Should Read.

Check out this future library and think of the environment.

One reader on how Fangirl restored her faith in humanity.

Awesome YA books by adult authors: seems like this is going to be a list that expands with recent book deals & focus on YA.

An ode to school librarians.

9 Books you may have missed last year but perhaps you want to get into them now as paperbacks?

Have you ever had a hard time meeting an author at an event? I generally don’t know what to say and/or feel like what I have to say is not worth it. #booknerdproblems

As is usual with bookish rounds posts after a very long period, I have loads of recommendation articles for y’all: 6 YA Princesses Who Can Save Themselves (Even though I agree with the spirit of this list and am intrigued by the characters I don’t know, I dislike the implication that the other princesses can’t save themselves.), 7 New Badass YA Heroines for You to Love (Can’t wait to read Court of Fives…), 7 Classic Feminist YA Books Everyone Should Read (YASSS JANE EYRE YASS), 6 Reads to Keep You Geeking out All Summer Long (i had no idea that’s what Soulprint was about… *adds to TBR*), 12 of the Best Books to Read by the Pool (and Elsewhere) This Summer (interesting that We Were Liars still made the list though that was last year), 5 Things I Learned When I Met Judy Blume, 6 YAs that Made Us LOLFR (Denton Little! Still need to read that one…), 5 Near Future YAs Set in Awesomely Altered Worlds (one day, I will read a book by John Corey Whaley…), Relive Your Summer Camp Glory with These 5 YAs (I was that kid who wanted to go to summer camp but never did; therefore I fail at this already lol), 6 YA Stories about Life-Changing Summers (Sisterhood!), 7 of the Best Road Trips in YA, 6 YAs to Read after You’ve Binge-Watched Orange Is the New Black (aaah, I need to catch up / binge watch soon o.OO), 8 Must-Read Summer YA Thrillers. 10 YA Novels That Take You Inside Video Game Worlds, 5 YAs for Mad Max Fans (eep, I still have to watch that movie), 7 YA Superhero books for the comic book lover, 7 of YA’s best ballerina books, Go back to the future with these time travel YAs, 5 YA moments that made us lose our innocence, 7 YAs for the pop-culture obsessed

A round-up from SLJ of recent funny YA novels.

A round-up from YALSA of LGBTQ+ tweens in youth literature. And here are some more transgender titles for young readers & 30 LGBTQIA-Positive Children’s Books. (Transgender children’s books fill a void and break a taboo). Meanwhile, in North Carolina, the teacher who read the gay-themed fairy tale aloud resigned.

Top 10 fantastical pets in children’s literature.

Lol, 7 signs you’re living with a YA Parent. I guess I never experienced those, because conservative immigrant parents are a rare thing indeed in YA.

Oh, snap. Big claim: Legacy of Kings will fill the void left by Game of Thrones. Ah, well, I need to catch up on Game of Thrones. I’m essentially afraid to read any GoT article for fear of spoilers. Anyone read Legacy of Kings yet?

Do not look at this post if you are hungry: 21 Tastiest YA Book Covers of all time.

Have you ever gotten a book recommendation based off the donut you wanted to eat? Well now you can.

Haha, don’t even need to fill out this quiz (Which High School Stereotype Were You?) to say that I was the Good Girl.

#MentalHealthMatters: Neal Schusterman on Surviving the Depths.

#BookNerdProblems: Advance Copy Envy. If I have a physical copy of any book that you want to read and we’re friends, just let me know & I’ll send it to you.

Lol, listening while reading. Not possible. The easiest way to tell whether someone’s paying attention: how often have they just said ‘mmm’ or ‘yeah’ or something in agreement? And for running out of batteries… keep it on the charger while you read and you’ll never have to worry :P

Favorite Chase Scenes& 11 Songs That You Didn’t Realize Were Dirty.

Summer Reading recommendations! + Bustle’s Summer Reading Challenge. + 31 Perfect Books to Get Excited about this summer + what’s on your reading list (authors & illustrators share their summer reading list) + 30 YA novels to add to your summer reading list + 40 YA Books You Need on Your Summer Reading List + 32 enthralling summer reads. Clearly summer is the best season. Look at all these articles pumping out YA recs!

But watch out, too many good books and you might have the symptoms of a book hangover.

Top 10 reimagined fairy tales.

No book blogger discussions this time either! I know, it’s been over two months since I’ve linked to people. I promise that next time, I will. It’s just so very time-consuming to do a month’s worth of EVERYTHING typically in this post.

Movies/TV Shows:

Jason Reitman will write and direct the adaptation of Beekle.

Elizabeth Banks is in talks to direct the adaptation of RED QUEEN.

Fox has optioned NIMONA for adaptation & a director was named.

Kaitlyn Leeb is playing Camille Belcourt, David Castro is playing Raphael Santiago, Jade Hassoun is playing Meliorn, and Lisa Marcos is playing Captain Vargas on Shadowhunters. The first teasers were also revealed.

The second Paper Towns trailer was released.

Kirsten Smith’s YA novel, Trinkets, is being adapted by MTV.

The first trailer for Mockingjay Part II plus the first poster were released.

Eddie Redmayne has officially been cast as Newt in the adaptation of Fantastic Beasts. So far they are considering many girls to play his opposites (“Saoirse Ronan, Dakota Fanning, Lili Simmons and Alison Sudol are up for the role of Queenie, while Kate Upton, Katherine Waterston and Elizabeth Debicki are being eyed to play Queenie’s older sister, Tina...”). Katherine Waterston was cast for Tina.

The official trailer for Pan was released.

The international trailer for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was released.

They’ve started filming Allegiant Part I.

Fox & Temple Hill have optioned Andrea Portes’s new novel, Liberty.

There will be a new Anne of the Green Gables movie, and Martin Sheen is starring in it.

Giveaways:

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: New Releases 6/15/15! Win FOUR great new YA novels that release this week, plus interviews and a round-up of all this week's new YA novels. Giveaway ends 6/22/15; Win TREASURED CLAIM by Jami Gold, ends 6/20/15; Win 1 of 2 ARCs of THE NOTORIOUS PAGAN JONES by Nina Berry, ends 6/22/15; Win and ARC of THE WHITE ROSE (The Jewel #2) by Amy Ewing, ends 6/22/15; PICK ANY YA Novel, plus signed Compulsion, Tote Bag, Necklace, T-Shirts and more; Win Compulsion, Stolen, Like Water on Stone, Now that You're Here, and Dangerous Deception plus a prize back of "I Have a Compulsion for Reading" incentives, ends 6/30/15

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know. NGL, this is the least important section to me.

Other:

New Releases:

May 24 - 30: P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys #2) by Jenny Han, Kissing in America by Margo Rabb, Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan, Tenderness of Thieves by Donna Freitas, Out of Aces by Stephanie Guerra, Outage by Ellisa Barr, The Death Code (Murder Complex #2) by Lindsay Cummings, The Cage by Megan Shepherd, Anything Could Happen by Will Walton, Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider, Immaculate by Katelyn Detweiler, Edge of Shadows (Whidbey Island #3) by Elizabeth George, Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry, Conspiracy of Princes by Justin Somper, Charmed (Hexed #2) by Michelle Krys, The Eternal City by Paula Morris, Dime by E. R. Frank, Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, Emancipated by M. G. Reyes, I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest, The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsberg, Rusty Summer by Mary McKinley, Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs.

May 31 - June 6: The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker, The Devil You Know by Trish Doller, Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel, Where You End by Anna Pellicioli, The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler, Children of the Earth (End Times #2) by Anna Schumacher, Deadly Design by Debra Dockter, Sweet by Emmy Laybourne, Like It Never Happened by Emily Adrian, Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs, Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer, The Hunted (Enemy #6) by Charlie Higson, Nearly Found (Nearly Lost #2) by Elle Cosimano, The Good Girls (The Perfectionists #2) by Sara Shepard, Joyride by Anna Banks, Modern Monsters by Kelley York, More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera, Skyscraping by Cordalia Jensen, Endgame (Night School #5) by C. J. Daughtery, Spelled by Betsy Schow, The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg, The Edge of Forever by Melissa E. Hurst, Dancing with Molly by Lena Horowitz, Secret of the Sevens by Lynn Lindquist, Drawn by Chris Ledbetter, Descent (Kissed by Death #2) by Tara Fuller, '89 Walls by Katie Pierson.

June 7 - 13: Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout, Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca, To Hold the Bridge by Garth Nix, Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn, Alive by Chandler Baker, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly - Stephanie Oakes, Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella, Those Girls by Lauren Saft, Even When You Lie to Me by Jessica Alcott, Our Brothers at the Bottom of the Bottom of the Sea, The Truth About My Success by Dyan Sheldon, The Astrologer's Daughter by Rebecca Lim, Mindwalker by A. J. Steiger, The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent, Crash (Game #3) by Eve Silver, I am the Traitor (Unknown Assassin #3) by Allen Madoff, The Consequences of Revenge (Consequences #2) by Rachel van Dyken.

June 14 - 20: The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi, Blood Will Tell by April Henry, Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone, Glittering Shadows (Metropolis #2) by Jaclyn Dolamore, Deadfall (Blackbird #2) by Anna Carey, Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat, Hungry by H. A. Swain, The Lure by Lynne Ewing, After Hours by Claire Kennedy, Get Dirty (Don't Get Mad #2) by Gretchen McNeil, In Search of Sam by Kristin Butcher, Shattered Memories by Susan Harris, Always Remembered by Kelly Risser.

Recent Recommended Reads: Ooh, it’s been a long time. If you want to know what I’ve been up to, I wrote a recap of May & June for the blog & booktube channel. In there I discussed books I’ve recently read. You can also read my review of A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston and my review of Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson. I also I talked about my experiences at BEA for Day 1 (VIDEO), Day 2 (VIDEO), and Day 3(VIDEO).

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.

Review: Emmy and Oliver - Robin Benway

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Release Date: June 23rd, 2015
Source: Hardcover from the publisher
Published by: HarperTeen

Emmy and Oliver - Robin Benway | Goodreads

Emmy’s best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life.

She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.

He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

Readers who love Sarah Dessen will tear through these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.


Emmy and Oliver is, without a doubt, a wonderful summer beach read. It's true that the novel tackles tough issues - namely Oliver's kidnapping and how that, and his return, affects him and the community at large - but Emmy and Oliver tackles these issues with a light heart. The humor and banter between Emmy and her friends, and Emmy and her parents, help balance out the novel's serious topic.

Probably my favorite part of this novel was the character cast and how seamlessly Robin Benway had run through the dialogue between the characters, namely Emmy with her parents and friends. Lately I've been cracking up with my coworkers about dad humor - Benway nails this to a pitch. Same with the interactions between Emmy and her friends; all the inside jokes, their banter helped lend authenticity to the characters, their situation, the novel at large (and they often also brought a smile to my face!). Still it's not all fun and games - I also appreciated Benway's effort to give her main side characters conflicts of their own - Emmy's parents and their overprotective attitude after Oliver's kidnapping; Drew and his parents's intolerance; Caro trying to find herself in her overstuffed house.

The same goes for the romance. Emmy and Oliver first become friends - so that Oliver can have someone to confide in - before anything romantic can happen. But when it does, the banter and trust between the two of them shows their very clear chemistry. So, so cute together, and I was rooting for them from the start.

Emmy and Oliver is also a fairly quick read. I read about 40-70 pages each train ride to and from work, which meant finishing the novel in a matter of a few days. The writing is smooth & the novel the fast-paced. If you want easy to ready writing, engaging characters with humorous and heartfelt banter, and a sweet romance, this should be your next summer read.

Want books?

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Hey, everyone! Would you like any of the following books:
There's nothing wrong with these books - I just realized that I have too many from BEA. I have already sent off a bunch of books to different people, but it still feels like a lot of pressure, so I'd rather give away these books to other people who will get to them sooner and be able to appreciate them more than I currently will.

If you are interested, email me! Please only email me if you and I have actually talked before (aka what I would consider a friend). If you are an international friend, that's fine too - I will still ship to you! Thanks.

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds (82)

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Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

Publishing:
Rights Report 1, 2:
  • Timekeeper trilogy - Tara Sim (The debut LGBTQ steampunk series, set in an alternate Victorian era in which time in each city is controlled by a clock tower, follows teenage prodigy clock tower mechanic Danny. Hoping to save his father, who is trapped in a town outside of London, Danny is also battling a force seeking to destroy all of the towers and stop time. The first book in the series is slated for fall 2016; Sky Pony Press).
  • Songs About a Girl - Chris Russell (YA debut about a wallflower teen girl who is swept up into the surreal world of the world's hottest boy band, and becomes caught between the charms of its two star members. A publication date has not yet been set. Macmillan's Flatiron Books).
  • This Promise I Will Keep - Aisha Saeed (In it, a Pakistani teenager enters indentured servitude to pay her family's debts, and must choose between pursuing an education and freedom or the chance to save her village from a dangerous threat. Publication is scheduled for 2017; Penguin's Nancy Paulsen Books).
  • Untitled - Kym Brunner (It tells the story of a teenager at his first falconry meet who is determined to win the Best Apprentice pin. But he runs up against trouble when he finds himself falling for a girl whose parents are leaders of a radical animal-rights group. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).
  • Unnatural Deeds - Cyn Balog (in which a girl, found lying battered and broken in a ditch, must recount the events that led to her demise, and ultimately, to murder. Publication is slated for fall 2016; Sourcebooks Fire).
  • Untitled - Susan Kuklin (Next nonfiction book for young adults. Kuklin, who won the 2014 Stonewall Honor Award for Beyond Magenta, will now shift her focus to young, undocumented immigrants. The book, which is not yet titled, will be accompanied by Kuklin's photography. Publication is set for fall 2017; Candlewick).
  • Genesis Begins Again - Alicia Williams (The middle-grade novel deals with family and body image, as 13-year-old Genesis struggles with the shade of her skin. Dlouhy also acquired a second, untitled novel by Williams. Publication is scheduled for winter 2017; Dlouhy Books at S&S/Atheneum)
  • The Bastard Table - Andrew Shvarts (a YA fantasy debut in which the bastard daughter of the Lord of the West and a group of fellow outcasts witness her father commit a murder, and are forced to go on the run to save a princess and prevent a war. Publication is slated for summer 2017; Disney-Hyperion).
  • The Memory of Objects - Danielle Mages Amato (YA debut; When a 15-year-old uses her new ability to access the powerful memories attached to objects in order to resurrect her brother's reputation after he dies of a suspected overdose, she is plunged into the world of psychometry, murderabilia, and the underbelly of political corruption and social inequality in Washington, D.C. Publication is set for winter 2017; Balzer + Bray).
  • The Capybara Conspiracy - Erica S. Perl (MG in which non-jocks kidnap their sports-obsessed school's beloved mascot, Cappy the Capybara. The book will be published in fall 2016, Knopf).
  • Benjamin - Kelsey Sutton (MG verse; Benjamin lives on the moon, keeping watch over the world below but caring nothing for the lives he observes... until he discovers Sam, a girl who makes him long for more. Publication is planned for summer 2017, Philomel).
  • Courage - James Preller (MG; Eleven-year-old William Meriwether Miller's summer plans are abruptly pushed aside when his typically not-there father announces that they are going on a road trip to retrace the steps of Lewis and Clark. It's scheduled for fall 2016; Feiwel and Friends).
  • Maxi's Secrets - Lynn Plourde (MG; Timminy is the shortest kid in fifth grade, and he's afraid the teasing will get even worse when he adopts an enormous dog named Maxi. As it turns out, Maxi is deaf. And, along with the take-charge blind girl next door, Maxi's got a lot to teach Timminy about accepting yourself for who you are. Publication is slated for spring 2016; Nancy Paulsen Books).
From Publisher's Lunch:
  • Rachel Renee Russell's new illustrated book series called THE MISADVENTURES OF MAX CRUMBLY, introduces Max Crumbly and his daily ups and downs at South Ridge Middle School; homeschooled by his grandmother until he begs his family to send him to public middle school, Max begins to rethink that choice when another boy keeps stuffing him in his locker, to Aladdin for publication starting in April 2016 followed by a second book in Spring 2017. See a full article on the book deal here.
  • Shelley Johannes' (debut) first three books in the BEATRICE ZINKER, UPSIDE DOWN THINKER series, charting the adventures of a plucky third-grader whose topsy-turvy point of view turns the world sunny side up, to Disney-Hyperion.
From Last Week:
  • Jack and the Beanstalk - Josh Funk (about a young Jack who is not keen on climbing any beanstalks and would much prefer to tell his own story. The book is slated for fall 2017; Amazon/Two Lions).
  • Finding Marvin Gardens - A.S. King / Amy Sarig King (debut MG about a boy who encounters an entirely new creature in the woods behind his house – an animal that eats plastic – and the consequences that ensue. Publication is set for spring 2017; Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine Books).
  • Orphan Island - Laurel Snyder (pitched as Lord of the Flies meets The Giver. It tells the story of a girl named Jinny, one of nine kids who live on an idyllic island without adults where, every year, a new young child is mysteriously delivered by boat and the oldest is taken away. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; HarperCollins's Walden Pond Press).
  • Dragons vs. Drones - Wesley King (New MG series Pitched as part Eragon, part Transformers, the books follow a young computer genius who is chased by sleek, high-tech drones into a land populated by Godzilla-size dragons, setting off a war that only he can stop. Publication for the first book is slated for spring 2016; Razorbill).
Book Trailers: Vengeance Road - Erin Bowman, The Hired Girl - Lara Amy Schlitz, The Book of Spirits and Thieves - Morgan Rhodes

Authors: RubyFruit Jungle - Rita Mae Brown, Raising Rufus - David Fulk, The Abyss Surrounds Us - Emily Skrutskie, Alive - Chandler Baker, Secret of the Sevens - Lynn Lindquist, Book Scavenger - Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, Legacy of Kings - Eleanor Herman,

Awards: Vermont Youth Book Awards, 2015 Carnegie UK Medals, Amazon’s Best YA books so far (& best books of the year so far)

Excerpts: Shadowshaper - Daniel Jose Older, The Copper Gauntlet - Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, Date with a Rockstar - Sarah Gagnon, Every Last Word - Tamara Ireland Stone, Hello, I Love You - Katie M. Stout. Jesse's Girl - Miranda Kenneally. The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness, The Sword of Summer - Rick Riordan

*You can read the inspiration chapter behind Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

The Ferguson Library was named the library of the year.

Gayle Forman is writing her first novel for adults (13 children’s book authors who would have written for adults too - a list to accompany that article).

#WeNeedDiverseBooks: the hashtag that sparked a literary movement. Checking in on Diverse Books: a CBC Panel. It’s still a white children’s book world. But you know, booksellers can also battle bias on the shop floor and keep in mind how you design backlist titles too.

A publishing house will only be publishing female writers for a year. That’s cool… and also I’m wondering how long before you get a man going “that’s sexist0131281!!!”

Penguin Random House reached a deal with Amazon. So no more pushback on Amazon this year, it seems. Maybe more in the future? Or pubs were real hesitant after the Hachette incident?

YES PLEASE: an attorney was getting the local barber shops to stock books for boys. Why not? I always get really, really bored if I’m getting my hair done… read a book! Good idea and gets kids to read more too.

Really cool: a professor teaches a social justice and YA lit course. Here’s his syllabus. (This is when I know behind. I haven’t read most of the books on that list, sadly…)

Heather Brewer will soon become Zac Brewer to embrace his true self.

The Accident Season is being pitched as a cross between We Were Liars and How We Live Now.

A brief summary of author and industry events.

J.K. Rowling wrote about why the Dursleys hated Harry so much (lol at the explanation for the Dursleys’ names), and well there are 36 things still unexplained about HP (okay, so I was less convinced that there needed to be a spin-off / JKR should never leave HP again until I saw this and was like, how did I never notice these things about the books?).

FiveThirtyEight tried and failed to identify the most banned book in America from ALA’s yearly lists.

From YA Highway, which has better links than I would for this: "Nine black church-goers at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina were gunned down by a white man who hoped to start a race war. The victims included librarian Cynthia Hurd, manager of one of Charleston County's busiest branches. You can donate to Friends of the Charleston Library in her honor. You can also refer to the #CharlestonSyllabus, a public list of books on race, compiled in the wake of the massacre."

Cover Reveals:


Cover Reveal watch - Today: CamGirl by Leah Raeder. Also probably more from HarperCollins.

Discussion:

Are you anticipating these July releasing books?

What about these 13 best new books in June and 24 June books that might just charm your pants off? Or June’s Best Bets?

Great YA Break-up Novels. Definitely on The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes.

6 Great YAs Exploring Childhood Abduction, 20 Unlikely YA Heroes That We Love (is Celaena a heroine or an anti-heroine for the very reasons they mention? Same with Adelina, who Marie Lu said is a villain, not a hero), 20 YAs That Kept Us Up All Night (article proof that I need to read more horror novels, ha), The Preapocalypse Is Now: 5 YAs That Take Place Before the World Ends, 20 Books to Read After Paper Towns,8 Life-Affirming YA Books Guaranteed to Fill You With Joy, 7 Super-Twisted YA Friendships (Sadie/Miles in Delicate Monster is most definitely twisted).

What happens when you think you’ve lost your book?

Best young adult books for the summer + another summer list + and yet another + and another, curated by TED speakers..

The 10 Best Independent Bookshops in the world: do you agree?

Symptoms of a book hangover. ← Currently my symptoms. I need the cure!

Do you think these side characters need their own books?

Articles all about the importance of YA these days: a golden age for kidlit, which sf/f book helped you to grow up, selfies, sex, and body image - the revolution in books for teenage girls, if Hollywood won’t feature modern superheroines then it’s up to YA literature.

Book blogger discussions to come!

Movies/TV Shows:

Becca Thomas is the new director for the Looking for Alaska adaptation.

Shatter Me was optioned for television by ABC Signature Studios. You can watch Tahereh Mafi and Ransom Riggs discuss this news here.

The Let It Snow adaptation (Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle and John Green) now has a release date of 2016.

The film rights for Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Poston were optioned by Shorelight Pics.

The trailer for The Diary of a Teenage Girl has been released as well some pictures.

The Hunger Games portraits (apparently never seen before?).

Stephenie Meyer & Kristen Stewart honored the women who won the Twilight Shorts.

21 YA adaptations that failed to launch: what?! I had no idea The Spiderwick Chronicles had been made into a movie.

AwesomenessTV is launching its film division to seek out more YA projects.

Giveaways:

If you want books, email me.

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: New Releases 6/22/15! Win FOUR great new YA novels that release this week, plus interviews and a round-up of all this week's new YA novels. Giveaway ends 6/28/15;PICK ANY YA Novel, plus signed Compulsion, Tote Bag, Necklace, T-Shirts and more;Win Compulsion, Stolen, Like Water on Stone, Now that You're Here, and Dangerous Deception plus a prize back of "I Have a Compulsion for Reading" incentives, ends 6/30/15

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know. NGL, this is the least important section to me.

Other:

New Releases: Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway, A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes, Tangled Webs by Lee Bross, Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek by Seth Rudetsky, A Girl Undone by Catherine Linka, The Leveler by Julia Durango, Date With a Rockstar by Sarah Gagnon, The Rules by Nancy Holder and Debbie Vigue, Calling Maggie May by Anonymous.

Recent Recommended Reads: You can read my review of Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway here. I’m currently on a book hangover from the Poison Study series (mostly book 1 and Yelena/Valek o.O).

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.

Review: The Boy Most Likely To - Huntley Fitzpatrick

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Release Date: August 18, 2015
Source: eARC via First to Read
Published by: Dial (Penguin)

The Boy Most Likely To - Huntley Fitzpatrick | Goodreads

A surprising, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door—great for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han

Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.

Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.

And Alice is caught in the middle.

Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this novel is for readers of The Spectacular Now, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Paper Towns.

This was interesting and not quite what I had expected - not in a bad way, just surprising. I hadn't read the synopsis before reading the book, and a certain plot twist took me completely by surprise despite the hint above. I actually think that if possible, if you haven't already looked at that synopsis or the rest of this review, well, going in blind may increase the suspense and your enjoyment of the various plot twists.

Okay, so first off, Tim's voice is really, really distinctive in this novel. Huntley Fitzpatrick gets a lot of props from me for writing someone on the verge of a million bad behaviors but who has his own distinctive humor and character arc. What happens to Tim the alcoholic in The Boy Most Likely To is a lot more emotionally satisfying than the character arc for The Spectacular Now (a comparison title) because there's actual growth. We start off the novel with Tim going to meet the "Nowhere Man," which you learn is Tim's father, and it's quite the hook: if Mr. Mason can't see Tim becoming anything else but a failure, should we? (Of course). It took me a while to get connected to Tim (despite being interested in the course of his redemption / character arc) compared to Samantha and Jase -- because I'm essentially more like them -- but then you really get to know Tim in a way that maybe you didn't for Sam and Jase; the ups and downs are much more extreme. The kid goes from failing at various things (getting expelled from many schools, etc.) to exceeding the expectations most people have of him to nearly breaking his own self-imposed limits multiple times to making everyone laugh because flippancy is his self-defense mechanism. But above all, what Huntley Fitzpatrick introduced for his character does wonders.

I also had a harder time connecting to Alice than Samantha and Jase, and part of that is because I didn't actually really remember her from My Life Next Door. Tim was one of the main side characters. So was Nan and Sam's mom (+ political adviser) and the Garretts as a whole. And here, though Alice has her own character arc and plot twist to handle, the book is still named after Tim in the way that My Life Next Door focused on Sam. But in the end, like what happened with Tim, Alice also grew on me and the moments she and Tim spend together are greater than the ones they spend apart. Unsurprisingly, Huntley Fitzpatrick excelled at showing their chemistry. (There's also no worries about the first person narratives - not only do the voices sound unique, but the book also prints Alice and Tim in different fonts).

The Garretts, as always, are the charming backdrop, providing much needed humor and stability for the characters and us readers. When all goes bad, all you have to do is make sure you don't frighten George. You also get more time with the Garretts than what I remembered from My Life Next Door, so the characters actually feel more fleshed out (Harry/Duff/Patsy/George/etc.) as well as their relationships with one another. Nan and the Masons are also fleshed out, and it provides a nice contrast between the three different families and their cultures - Reed, Mason, and Garretts (plus the people Tim knows from his AA meetings - 'you can find family in unexpected places,' one character says (or something similar, if not exactly that)).

Although I liked My Left Next Door more -- because I am more like Jase/Sam and I would take Jase over Tim lol any day -- I'm pretty sure that fans of MLND will love this sequel and the rising stakes that have been laid. It has a very similar tone to MLND: introducing serious issues to further character development but including plenty of sexy and summer-worthy twists beside humorous interactions with the Garretts for a well-rounded read. Don't make Mr. Mason's mistake, and give Tim a chance this summer.

Mini Review & Giveaway: ARC of Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix

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Release Date: October 13, 2015
Source: BEA
Published by: Katherine Tegen

Newt's Emerald - Garth Nix | Goodreads

Lady Truthful will inherit her family’s most valued heirloom on her eighteenth birthday. Until the Newington Emerald is stolen.

Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt” by her boy cousins, discovers that to her horror, the people closest to her have been framed for the theft. But Newt won’t let their reputations be damaged by rumors from a false accusation. Her plan is simple: go to London to recover the missing jewel. Despite her best intentions, a young lady travelling alone is frankly unacceptable behavior. So Newt and her aunt devise another plan…one that entails men’s clothing and a mustache.

While in disguise, Truthful encounters the handsome but shrewd major Harnett, who to her amazement volunteers to help find the missing emerald under the assumption that she is a man, Henri de Vienne. But once she and her unsuspecting ally are caught up in a dangerous adventure, Truthful realizes something else is afoot: the beating of her heart.

Truthful has far more than romantic complications to worry about. The stolen emerald is no ordinary heirloom-it is the source of the family’s luck and has the power to yield vast magic. It would be completely disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands. The fate of England depends on Truthful securing the emerald.


A good comparison title is Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White. Although Illusions of Fate is an alternative historical fantasy -- England is never named; the main countries are Albion and Melei -- it feels inspired by a historical England. A similar combination of wit, magic, adventure, and romance are mixed together in this novel as they are with Illusions of Fate, so if you enjoyed one, you may well enjoy the other. Gail Carriger has also blurbed Newt's Emerald, but I regret that I have yet to read her YA spin-off of the Parasol Protectorate, and don't know whether any differences I've noted from Soulless to Newt's Emerald are due to audience alone.

Lady Truthful is a fierce heroine who will stop at nothing to get back her emerald, the family heirloom, and help reassure her father. People will discourage her, remind her that she's a woman and that her reputation cannot be compromised, and still she will fight harder to recover what's rightfully hers. There's an element of cross-dressing that remains realistic (and true to the world) while providing humor and more plot opportunities, and Truthful's aunt is a particular delight as a side character in helping Truthful with her illusion. If you enjoy hate-turned-love romances, you may also enjoy the encounters between Lady Truthful and her love interest, Charles. This book is light fun and easy to read. If all of the above appeals to you, feel free to enter the giveaway below. It's INT and ends 08/07/15.


If You Keep on Believing, the Dreams That You Wish Will Come True...

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Hey, everyone! Today I'm participating in the Cinderella Book tag. Mel of the Daily Prophecy tagged me about a month ago, and I'm just getting to it now. Whoops.

Cinderella's not actually my favorite fairy tale. Until recently, I thought that it fit into traditional gender roles / damsel in distress / prince and fairy godmother will save you. (Also the makeover trope where she's only "beautiful" (or at least noticeable // empowered) after the fancy gown and so on). Then Melissa Grey was tweeting about how Cinderella was a survivor of child abuse and it took courage to remain kind and open to love, which is also true. And made me wonder... why do they never make that the focus of the adaptation? Because it has never actually seemed that way to me, and seemed less about Cinderella being kind and courageous and more about the stepsister being so awful. I haven't seen the live-action film yet. Verdict? I also admit to being biased about fairy tales, since so many of them often pit women against each other, and that's a huge pet peeve of mine (cc: the stepsisters/mom).


1. EVIL STEPSISTERS
A book with characters you hate.

So, thing to know about me: I don't generally hate people. Sounds ridiculously idealistic, I know, but in the past when people have done bad things and I've had that urge to hate them for what they've done, it's never stayed with me. The hatred generally dissolves into apathy. I'm either apathetic to, like, or love people, and the same goes for characters. It's very rare for a book to make me HATE characters. So, for instance, I guess you could say I hate Umbridge? I don't like Snape, no matter what people say, he still was unnecessarily mean to almost all the Gryffindors and that had nothing to do with his I'm-reminded-of-you-Lily or his undercover mission. There are also a few occasions when I think, oh, man I would dislike and/or avoid you at all costs, because you're the kind of person I wouldn't get along with. For example, in the FEVER series, you have a lot of alpha male characters (e.g. Barrons, Ryodan) who would sound like utter douchebags in the real world (to me) but who, within the framework of the story, somehow manage to be fascinating and hold information, power, etc.

2. PRINCE CHARMING:
A book with a gentleman.

Okay, so to me this is a kind of weird category. This is a blog mostly focused on YA books. Gentleman is a word so rooted in history, social inequality, privilege.... it's weird to still be referring to guys as gentlemen, unless it's in that historical context. Also, if a teenaged character is referred to as a gentleman, I don't know that I would believe in that character / my instinct might be to say that character is a Gary Stu, and we're romanticizing that time and context again. ANYWAY. I mean, I could choose from my historical romance novels where gentlemen is a real thing, can point out Pride & Prejudice, 'had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner,' or whatever the exact line is. But if I'm restricting myself to YA.... I guess I'd go with Po from Graceling. I might also say Finn from Illusions of Fate, since I think (don't quote me on this), Kiersten White had been describing him as Howl from Howl's Moving Castle meets Mr. Darcy. If you're going for Mr. Darcy, you're going for the gentleman character, I guess.

3. CINDERELLA:
A character that is graceful, kind and defiant.

Mel said Agnieszka from Uprooted by Naomi Novik, and I would agree with that choice. But I won't repeat Mel's choice. I'll go with the main character of A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston. She is graceful and kind with her tribe and family. She's defiant because she's decided to step in for her sister and marry an evil ruler in order to try to rid the kingdom of evil. Her interactions with the evil king are very exemplary of this defiance. The main character of Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith also exemplifies grace, kindness, and defiance. (Well, maybe not the grace as much, but she eventually learns the court's ways...). She's kind to most everybody except for the romantic interest and the villain. The villain is another evil king who, from the very beginning of the book, she and her brother wage war against because they are little defiant rebels who think his rule inhumane. And last but not least! Serpentine by Cindy Pon. The main character is a handmaid to her best friend, and so part of her job requires that she be graceful and kind in most aspects of her life. Her defiance relates to the transformation she undergoes: into this serpentine like form. What that form and transformation means for her life, that is what she opposes and how she exemplifies defiance. To say more will be a spoiler... but have that on your shelves too!

4. FAIRY GODMOTHER:
A character that always has someone looking out for them.

I also agree with Mel's choice on this one, but again I will choose someone different! Eugenides from the Queen's Thief series seems to always have someone looking out for him. This series is inspired by Greek mythology, but Megan Whalen Turner made her own pantheon of gods and stories and legends to accompany them. To say more might be a spoiler... but the main character may or may not have the gods on his side. Discussing faith and the gods in a very Illiad / Odyssey like way is characteristic of this series, and what I first thought of when it came to having a "godmother" of sorts.

And yes, you will always hear me talking about this series because it's one of my favorites of all time. *sigh*

5. HELPFUL CREATURES:
Something that makes you happy when you’re sad.

So, I could very well say my family and friends and list out all my favorite things, but since this is mostly focused on books/characters, why not. Reading wise, what makes me happy is discovering a new favorite, even if a book hangover accompanies that because HELLO NEW FAVORITE. Who cares if you're bemoaning being unable to find a book as good as the one you just read because rereading is just as good.... Recently, for me, this was  Poison Study by Maria Snyder. I read on in the series, but my favorite remains the first book because it had a pretty complex, dynamic plot that I didn't expect for a book focusing on a food taster. Also, the Yelena/Valek relationship.

6. ASHES:
A book you didn’t care for.

There have only ever been a few books I did not finish, but in general, I make it my policy not to publicly discuss which books I'm less a fan of. I also try my hardest to emphasize mostly positive elements in my reviews now as well.... so skipping this question!

You'll forgive me, right?

7. PUMPKIN:
A character with a transformation.

Man, I feel like I can name so many books/characters for this category. A character should almost always go through some sort of transformation (though for some books, the character isn't supposed to find redemption, so that character growth arc won't exist for a reason). I suppose it depends on what you mean by transformation - the YA makeover? The actual turning of the pumpkin into some chaise? I don't really like the YA makeover trope because I think that feeds into dangerous stereotypes about beauty and power and so on, but if you interpret transformation to be some sort of unveiling of character... or a character growth arc... well, again, many books, but I guess I'll highlight some of my favorites. Fire by Kristin Cashore. If I'm not mistaken, she starts off the book not being surprised that this poacher shoots her, mistaking her for a deer because of her drab clothing. Girl has some serious self-loathing and regret, but then over the course of the novel, she finds family, a city to love, belonging, and self-love and acceptance. It's a wonderful, powerful transformation that I adored. Dumplin' by Julie Murphy is about a self-proclaimed fat girl entering a beauty pageant to reclaim her sense of self. This book refreshingly doesn't have the trope of the fat girl needing to lose weight to feel good about herself. Her transformation more has to do with the self-doubts that arise when she begins a relationship. To reclaim herself and her positive attitude about her body, she enters the pageant and by the end, another beautiful growth arc. A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston. In this retelling of Arabian Nights, this version of Scheherazade, the main character has to undergo quite a bit of a transformation in order to defeat the evil king. To say more is a spoiler but... read the book!

8. IMPOSSIBLE:
A book with an ending you didn’t see coming.

Honestly, very few endings surprise me. But I'll mention a few. Chime by Franny Billingsley was written in this beautiful, circular poetic style that made it very hard to guess what would happen next. It also features an unreliable narrator who doesn't realize how unreliable she is, so there's a double whammy. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski. So, I had a feeling things would end badly, but I didn't predict that. I mean, with all these endings, it's always really cool to go back and see where the author laid her clues. Also, Black Iris by Leah Raeder. If I hadn't read a spoiler-filled review before reading the book, I probably would've been really surprised by how things ended. Very good romantic suspense novel.

9. JUST BREATHE:
Something that inspires you to be courageous.

I think Mel changed this to someone who inspires you to be courageous? If not, well, I did. Lol, in keeping with the book theme... Emma Watson and Hermione Granger. Emma Watson really exemplifies Hermione's character and is a really great feminist role model. Allie Brosh, the author of Hyperbole and a Half. She speaks so realistically, so truthfully about depression, and yet in a comedic manner that never undercuts her handling of the subject. She's an inspiration for those inner battles we all have. Susan Cain, the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. Cain really understands introversion and knows how to inspire people like me to be quiet leaders.

10. HAPPILY EVER AFTER:
A book with a perfect ending.

Well, since we're talking about fairy tales, my perfect ending would be Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. Cruel Beauty is Greek mythology meets "Beauty and the Beast." CB ends in a perfect circular manner; I love when books cycle back in on their themes. It leaves us with hope and stays true to its complex plotting and the layers within the world. Made You Up by Francesca Zappia is about the senior year of a schizophrenic high school girl, all the accompanying rites of passage against the struggles of determining what's real and what's not. This book also cycles back in on its themes and the ending leaves us with hope for our characters. Lovely.

Sorry I've been a bit absent! I was sick for a week and then had to make up the work I've missed, and haven't been into blogging, but I'm still around. Since this took me a month to get to, I'm not going to tag anyone in particular, but I'd still love to hear all your answers!

EDIT - Now tagging Steph at Cuddlebuggery Book Blog!

What would you answer to these questions? Did you relate to any of my answers? Let me know!

Movie Review: Paper Towns

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Release Date: July 24, 2015

Paper Towns - John Green | Goodreads

Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...


So, this is the first time I've done a movie review, but it's probably not a movie review in the traditional sense, anyway.

If you're wondering whether they've adapted the book you know and love accurately, here are a couple of differences:

(I read Paper Towns last April. I sort of remember the book but forgive me if I've gotten some of the details fudged).
  • The Sea World scene was not included.
  • Although they included the Robert Joiner death scene, they do not discuss how Q once wonders whether Margo has committed suicide (i.e. "his strings were all cut."). The death scene is more the marker of "separation" for Q and Margo.
  • When Ben has to pee during the road trip, he actually ends up spilling some of his pee on Radar. I don't remember that happening in the book, if it did, and I definitely slid down in my seat when it did in the movie. So gross.
  • The ending confrontation with Margo was probably the most changed scene. When they arrive at Agloe, New York, Margo is not there. They run out of time. Everyone tries to get Q to leave; he screams at them. Lacey leaves, saying that "Margo wouldn't have come looking for her." When Q actually does meet Margo, it's because he's sitting outside the bus station in Roscoe (he told Ben, Radar, Angela, and Lacey to take his car and go), and he sees her walking outside. After saying that Q doesn't actually know her, Margo takes him to a diner to explain why she left. When they're parting, he says that she should call her sister. She says that she does everyday. (Movie Margo seems a little more thoughtful than Book Margo in that regard, and Q less a director of what Margo does/realizes that she should do.).
  • The movie ends with the boys all headed to college in their respective cars, and Radar giving them Black Santas as gifts.
  • Angela is featured more. I don't think that she went on the road trip with them in the book, but she did in the movie, which I personally loved.
One girl, when I was exiting the theater, said that they changed more about the Paper Towns movie than they did for The Fault in Our Stars adaptation. I would agree with that assessment, and I personally enjoyed TFioS more than I did Paper Towns (mostly because I like the TFioS actors better). But above all, I'd say that if you're a fan of the book, you'll probably be a fan of the movie. They do justice to the book's themes, add in its combination of humor and life journey/questing, and especially remember to voice-over the famous quote: “What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person."

John Green also has an introductory clip explaining that every member of the cast was really dedicated to the making of the adaptation, which reminded me that he's essentially a celebrity now. He seems the main reason his books are being made into movies - he'll probably be over six million twitter followers at the year's end. (Though I think Paper Towns and TFioS are also easy to adapt - the road trip, the night activities, and so on.) If you're his fan, or a fan of his books, you'll probably like the movie.

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