Waiting on...

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Leaf Reader

by Emily Arsenault

hitting shelves June 13th, 2017

from Soho Teen

Marnie Wells knows that she creeps people out. It’s not really her fault; her brother is always in trouble, and her grandmother, who’s been their guardian since Mom took off is . . . eccentric. So no one even bats an eye when Marnie finds an old tea-leaf-reading book and starts telling fortunes. The ceremony and symbols are weirdly soothing, but she knows—and hopes everyone else does too—that none of it’s real.

Then basketball star Matt Cotrell asks for a reading. He’s been getting emails from someone claiming to be his best friend, Andrea Quinley, who disappeared and is presumed dead. Rumor has it Matt and Andrea were romantically involved, though they’d always denied it. A faint cloud of suspicion still hangs over Matt. But Marnie sees a kindred spirit: someone who, like her, is damaged by association.

Suddenly the readings seem real. And they’re telling Marnie things about Matt that make him seem increasingly dangerous. But she can’t shake her initial attraction to him. In fact, it’s getting stronger. And that could turn out to be deadly.

My thoughts:  Eccentric family, a murder mystery, and some good old divination---sound like my kind of thing! :)  I'm undecided on the appeal of the cover; it's very pretty but it looks very "adult book" to me and the title font lacks any interest. But it certainly wouldn't keep me from such an interesting sounding story! 

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Unearthly Things

by Michelle Gagnon

hitting shelves April 11th, 2017

from Soho Teen

After losing her parents in a tragic accident, surfer girl Janie Mason is forced to trade the sunny beaches of Hawaii for the cold fog of San Francisco. She’s never even met her new guardians, the Rochesters—an old money family who relish being pillars of high society. Janie feels hopelessly out of place in their world of Napa weekends, fancy prep schools, and cotillions. Nicholas is the only Rochester who treats her with anything resembling kindness—but he’s only six. When she strikes up a friendship with Daniel, a fellow surfer, it feels like things might finally be improving.

But something isn’t right in the Rochester mansion. There are noises—screams—coming from the attic nearly every night. Noises everyone else claims they can’t hear. Then John, the black sheep of the family, returns after getting kicked out of yet another boarding school. Soon Janie finds herself torn between this new “brother” and Daniel, who has secrets of his own. Just when she thinks her life can’t get any worse, she learns the truth about the Rochesters: what they’re hiding, what they want from Janie, and how far they’ll go to get it.

My thoughts:  I love these kinds of cultural fish out of water stories, especially when they include a place I've been and loved (Hawaii) and two place I know all two well (SF & Napa) but throw in a haunted creepy mansion and I'm guaranteed to want to read this! Plus it's a Jane Eyre retelling so...obvious addition to my tbr. :)

What book are you eagerly anticipating this week?

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Transatlantic Conspiracy
by G.D. Falksen

hitting shelves June 14th, 2016

from Soho Teen

The year is 1908. Seventeen-year-old Rosalind Wallace’s blissful stay in England with her best friend, Cecily de Vere, has come to an abrupt end, which is fine with Rosalind. She was getting tired of being high society Cecily’s American “pet.” Her industrialist father is unveiling his fabulous new Transatlantic Express, the world’s first underwater railway. As a publicity stunt he has booked her on the maiden voyage—without asking. Rosalind is furious. But lucky for her, Cecily and her handsome older brother, Charles, volunteer to accompany her home.

Fun turns to worry when Charles disappears during boarding. Then, deep under the sea, Cecily and her housemaid, Doris, are found stabbed to death in their state room. Rosalind is now trapped on Father’s train—fighting to clear herself of her friend’s murder, to find the killer, and ultimately to uncover the sinister truth behind the railway’s construction.

My thoughts: This sounds like an incredible industrial Victorian mystery, and the fact that it takes place in an underwater railway (read: no escape/chlaustrophobic's worst nightmare) ups the creep factor for me tenfold. Plus this cover---NEED a print of it for my steampunked living room wall. :) 

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Devil and Winnie Flynn

by Micol Ostow, illustrations by David Ostow

hitting shelves October 13th, 2015 

from Soho Teen

Seventeen-year-old Winnie Flynn, a closet horror fan with a starkly realistic worldview, has never known her mom’s sister, Maggie: a high-profile reality TV producer. But in the wake of her mother’s suicide, Winnie is recruited by Maggie to spend a summer in New Jersey, working as a production assistant on her current hit: Fantastic, Fearsome. At first Winnie figures that she has nothing to lose; her father has checked out, and Maggie is the only family she has left. But things get increasingly weird on set as Winnie is drawn into a world of paranormal believers and non-believers alike. Soon she learns a paranormal ability of her own: she can psychically detect lies. The things she discovers threaten her plan to stay under the radar, and may provide clues to her mother’s death.

Told as an ongoing letter to a friend, with illustrations that offer clues throughout, Winnie’s story is both a heartrending mystery and a pop culture critique in the vein of Libba Bray’s Going Bovine and Beauty Queens—supplemented with illustrations throughout that recall the quirky, dark, and distinct aesthetics of Ransom Riggs’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

My thoughts: I just met this lovely author and heard about this book and it sounds so awesome.  Plus, I'm a sucker for YA books with illustrations. ;)

LIV, FOREVER by Amy Talkington {Review}

Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington
♦publisher: Soho Teen
♦release date: March 11, 2014
♦hardcover, 280 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone (?)
♦source: from publisher for honest review

When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier. For the first time ever, she has her own studio, her own supply of paints. Everything she could want.

Then she meets Malcolm Astor, a legacy student, a fellow artist, and the one person who’s ever been able to melt her defenses. Liv’s only friend at Wickham, fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols, warns her not to get involved, but life is finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy the ride.

But Liv’s bliss is doomed. Weeks after arriving, she is viciously murdered and, in death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that has claimed many lives. Cursed with the ability to see the many ghosts on Wickham’s campus, Gabe is now Liv’s only link to the world of the living. To Malcolm.

Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham. But Liv must fight alone to come to grips with the ultimate star-crossed love.

Review:  A little bit Ghost and a little bit Lovely Bones, Liv, Forever sets itself apart with some really fun voices and a cleverly twisting mystery.

Liv Bloom is excited to go to Wickham Hall because of their great art program, but she’s having a rough time fitting in.  She’s there on scholarship and everyone seems to know it.  She was raised in foster homes most of her life and she wears a pretty tough exterior. She definitely approaches love with some caution.  She loves art, often using it to express herself and relate to the world. Still her voice is casual and authentic and sometimes funny.

The cliché of the popular boy immediately setting his sights on the new girl was very nearly forgiven because David turns out to be such a unique and heart-strong character himself.  We’re given moments of doubt in his integrity and his sincerity, but he proves himself again and again.  Gabe is also great in that he is just himself, no pretenses or fronts. He’s a bit standoffish, because, like Liv, he doesn’t quite fit in at Windham and he carries a pretty heavy weight on his shoulders with his “gift”, but he and Liv come together to make a great team.

There is a huge cast of intriguing characters, especially the occasional chapters in the voices of the murdered girls.  Each girl comes from a different time period and the author did a wonderful job giving each girl a voice that was true to her era (I personally thought the 70’s hippie was just a tad over-done, but still good). Each tells the story of her death and each little glimpse brings us closer to the truth.

Quite a few emotions and visuals are depicted through art and poetry references, some well-known, some maybe a little more obscure, so unless you know your art or want to take the time to look up a few references on the internet, a few things get lost in translation.  Still, Talkington has a wonderfully engaging writing style and has created a fast-paced story full of lots of creepy moments and imagery.  All the twists kept me guessing about who the killer was, if the killer was a live person or one of the restless spirits.  The greatest mystery is why the murders are happening and to what end. 

Full of art, friendship and first love, secret societies, and a dark, suspenseful mystery, this debut is definitely worth a read.  Can’t wait to see what comes next from this author.

Find Amy Talkington online:  Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Liv, Forever:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Ask Me Blog Tour: 15 Completely Random Bits of Truth about Kimberly Pauley!

Today I'm participating in the blog tour for

Ask Me by Kimberly Pauley!!

 Ask Aria Morse anything, and she must answer with the truth. Yet she rarely understands the cryptic words she's compelled to utter. Blessed—or cursed—with the power of an Oracle who cannot decipher her own predictions, she does her best to avoid anyone and everyone.

But Aria can no longer hide when Jade, one of the few girls at school who ever showed her any kindness, disappears. Any time Aria overhears a question about Jade, she inadvertently reveals something new, a clue or hint as to why Jade vanished. But like stray pieces from different puzzles, her words never present a clear picture.

Then there’s Alex, damaged and dangerous, but the first person other than Jade to stand up for her. And Will, who offers a bond that seems impossible for a girl who’s always been alone. Both were involved with Jade. Aria may be the only one who can find out what happened, but the closer she gets to solving the crime, the more she becomes a target. Not everyone wants the truth to come out.

I've been excited about this one for quite some time and I'm really looking forward to diving into Aria's story of being an Oracle!!  In honor of Aria's unique gift, debut author Kimberly Pauley has stopped by with a few random truths of her own!!

15 Completely Random Bits of Truth About Kimberly Pauley

1. Like Aria, I lived in Florida and I used to walk in the woods and practice my silent forest walk. I got pretty good at it.

2. My first cat was named after Thomas Sawyer.

3. But my first pet, if I remember right, was a white mouse named Ralph. I really wanted a motorcycle for him. 

4. Also like Aria, I had really long hair when I was a teen. I could sit on it. I didn't cut it until sometime after I went to college.

5. I met my husband-to-be on my second day at university (at the University of Florida).

6. My biggest regret in life is that I can't play an instrument. But I am happy that we just bought our son an electric guitar.

7. Even though I was born in California, I lived the bulk of my life in the South (including Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, and Kentucky). That may be why the only type of music I really hate is Country (except Johnny Cash).

8. I was an English major but always thought the bulk of the symbolism they make you study in books is complete rubbish. I still mostly think that but I have to admit that I stuck a TON of symbolic stuff in Ask Me.  On purpose. English students everywhere are free to throw tomatoes at me. 

9. I have been playing the same character in a Dungeons and Dragons game for two and a half years now. The character is named Lirael after the Lirael in Garth Nix's books. 

10. When I moved from Florida to Mississippi between my sophomore and junior years, I wrote at least one letter a day to my friends and sometimes more. This was obviously before email...I miss writing letters like that sometimes!

11. I have never seen Titanic or Gone with the Wind.

12. One of my absolute favorite words is widdershins.

13. I kick butt at Scrabble.

14. When I was a teen, I had a phase where I would randomly talk in an English accent.  Now I live in London.  I don't think the two are connected (and I have also realized that the accent I used back then was like the Dick van Dyke one in Mary Poppins...which means it was absolute rubbish. 

15. I still have a record player and all of my records (some dating back to when I joined the Columbia Record House...ask an adult, they'll know what I'm talking about!) 

Oh gosh, I DO remember Columbia House---it was like a subscription service for records, and later on CDs.  And LOL about the Dick van Dyke accent!! xD!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kimberly Pauley is the award-winning author of Sucks to Be Me, which was honored on the YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers list, and a paranormal mystery starring an oracle, called Ask Me. Born in California, she has lived everywhere from Florida to Chicago and has now gone international to live in London with her husband and son. She is also the founder of YA Books Central, one of the first and largest teen book websites in the world. Visit her online at www.kimberlypauley.com

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Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Ask Me 
by Kimberly Pauley

hitting shelves April 8th 2014 from Soho Teen

description:
Ask Aria Morse anything, and she must answer with the truth. Yet she rarely understands the cryptic words she‘s compelled to utter. Blessed—or cursed—with the power of an Oracle who cannot decipher her own predictions, she does her best to avoid anyone and everyone.

But Aria can no longer hide when Jade, one of the few girls at school who ever showed her any kindness, disappears. Any time Aria overhears a question about Jade, she inadvertently reveals something new, a clue or hint as to why Jade vanished. But like stray pieces from different puzzles, her words never present a clear picture.

Then there’s Alex, damaged and dangerous, but the first person other than Jade to stand up for her. And Will, who offers a bond that seems impossible for a girl who’s always been alone. Both were involved with Jade. Aria may be the only one who can find out what happened, but the closer she gets to solving the crime, the more she becomes a target. Not everyone wants the truth to come out.

My thoughts:  This sounds intense and amazing, and I love the idea of a girl with the powers of an Oracle.  I'm hoping for a unique and creepy mystery!