Stacking the Shelves (43)

Stacking the Shelves is a book haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews -This is a great way for us to share what books we added to our shelves each week


Won:

ARCycling:

 Purchased:

Thank you so much to Brad @ BookYAReview and Macmillan Kids for that amazing giveaway! I have been dying to read this series and now I can! AND TARNISH IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!! I read it in a day and was blown away, once again, by Longshore's exquisite storytelling skills.

Leave me a link to your haul this week and I'll check it out!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Review: Jump When Ready by David Pandolfe (TOUR)

Hey everyone! Today, I'm so excited to be a part of the blog tour for Jump When Ready by David Pandolfe! I've been super excited about this book for a while and I'm so glad I got to be a part of the tour! Thanks Book Nerd Tours for organizing this awesome tour.

Since he drowned, Henry has remained with the same group of teenagers and he keeps wondering why. After all, what could he possibly have in common with a Mohawk-sporting punker from the 80s, a roller skater from the 70s with a thing for kimonos, and an English "rocker" from the 60s? Add to that, Henry can hear the other groups but he never sees them. Soon, Henry learns that his new friends all possess unique skills for making themselves noticed by the living. Is Henry’s group kept isolated because of their abilities? If so, are they considered gifted or seen only as a potential bad influence? Before Henry can reach any conclusions, he witnesses his sister being kidnapped. He knows who did it, where she’s being held and what will happen if the kidnappers don’t get what they want. As the police chase false leads, Henry comes to realize that he’s his sister’s only hope. But for Henry to even have a chance, he has to convince a group of teenagers that dead doesn’t mean helpless.

As soon as I started this book, I knew it was going to be good. I absolutely loved the style and voice of the writing. It charmed me right away and I was pulled in to this really cool world. Jump When Ready is a book that you would think would be kind of sad and depressing, as it's about a boy who dies and tries to help his family from the "in between" but the author does an excellent job of incorporating humour into it and keeps the story with a lightness to it.  Here's a quote from the beginning that I liked:

"I’d drowned, met a bunch of kids in a tree, slept in a hammock 

that had turned into a house which had disappeared again, then gone 

to my own funeral. Now I basically had an apartment in a house the 

size of Texas with an arcade, food court and inside pool."

I thought the writing was really well done and I was never bored with the story. The characters were all very distinct, which is one thing that always sticks out to me in a book, and they were very well developed as well. Another plus to this book was the pacing. It was fast-paced and exciting, because even though it was an 'after-life story,' it was still suspenseful and the story was always moving. My heart ached for Henry as he watched his sister's kidnapping take place and the fact that he couldn't do anything about it... I was constantly guessing how it would turn out and I couldn't stop reading until I found out.

Overall, Jump When Ready was an impressive debut that I would recommend to anyone, really. I loved this book and am looking forward to seeing what the author will come up with next!

.5

David Pandolfe has been a bartender in Seattle, the front man for an alternative rock band in Los Angeles and a college writing teacher in Richmond (among other things). One day, it occurred to him that sometimes these experiences felt like completely different lives altogether. Which got him to writing Jump When Ready, a novel about of bunch of teenagers trying to get over their past lives while getting ready to jump into their next.While he’s still writing about himself in third person, David Pandolfe should probably mention that at one point he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has had short stories published in Millennium and the Georgetown Review. Jump When Ready is his first YA novel but he’s currently working on another, to be released in the fall of 2013.

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Happy reading!
~Kristy

Review: Of Triton by Anna Banks

Author: Anna Banks
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Page Count:  256 pages, Hardcover
Date Published: May 28th 2013
Find it on Goodreads: Of Triton
Source: Purchased

In this sequel to OF POSEIDON, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half- Breeds should be put to death. As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?

Of Triton was much more action-packed than Of Poseidon, but I still wasn't 'wow-ed' nor blown away. I find this series to be a great story, but there's something lacking.

Of Triton starts up right where its predecessor left off. Emma finds out her mother is a long lost Syrena princess and is struggling with the fact that she is a Half-Breed. Something I remember Of Poseidon was full of is witty humour and I didn't find a lot of that in this sequel. I loved that about the first book, as it gave light to a book that started off with a terrible event, (shark attack, anyone?) so I was hoping to see more of the humour in this one. BUT there was a lot more ACTION. We start off with Emma's mother basically drugging her daughter and running away and then boom boom car chase boom crash, gun shot, BOOM! From the very beginning, Of Triton had a lot of action and I really enjoyed that. This was a quick read thanks to those scenes, especially the two last major parts. We learned a lot about the Syrena politics and world and I found that really interesting. The romance continues to be really sweet and I totally love Galen and then there's also two other couples that made me smile a lot as well.

While the book finished off with an exciting and yet, pretty sad ending, I feel like this could have been the conclusion to the series. I'm not sure there's a need for a third book and am worried that it's going to be reminiscent of the Hush, hush series, where the first book was excellent and then it all just goes downhill from there because the story just doesn't end, even though it could. I hope that makes sense, but basically I'm just not really sure what's going to happen in Of Neptune, as this book ended off neatly, with a good conclusion. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out! One thing's for sure... I can't wait to see what the cover will look like!

Have you read this series? If so, what do you think Banks will add to the story with Of Neptune? Do you think it might be an overload or are you excited for it?

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Top Ten Tuesday: Read So Far in 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic  is : Top Ten Books I've Read So Far in 2013. I've read some amazing books so far this year and have even added a couple to my TOP favourites list!

These ten books were amazing. Three in particular. Eleanor & Park, The Program and Just One Day blew me away. They will be on my year end top ten books of 2013 list for sure. Unravel Me and Sweet Peril were both exceptional sequels that I loved dearly and the others are amazing as well. I can't believe I hadn't read Graceling and Tempest before this year, but I'm so glad I finally did. The Indigo Spell was a totally awesome continuation of Sydney's and Adrian's story and Dare You To and The Book of Broken Hearts were both great books from authors I already loved. I cannot wait to read some more amazing books during the remainder of the year.... It's unbelievable to me that half of 2013 has passed already! Leave me a link to your TTT this week... I'd love to see which books have been your favourites so far this year and maybe discover a new favourite for myself!

Happy Tuesday!
~Kristy

Stacking the Shelves (42)

Stacking the Shelves is a book haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews -This is a great way for us to share what books we added to our shelves each week


For Review:

Freebie:

I am super excited about this haul! I'm a part of the blog tour for All Our Yesterdays and cannot wait to read it! Also, my school library was clearing out their shelves and I snagged The Absolutely True Diary as soon as I saw it... So excited!

Leave me a link to your haul this week and I'll check it out!
Happy reading!
~Kristy

TGIF: Farewell Grade 10... And Good Riddance

Hey everyone! It's that time of year again... SCHOOL'S OUT!

So this means, for me, Grade 10 is finally OVER! This school year has been the hardest so far and I am not exactly sad to see it gone. The year was filled with bumps and bruises and really tough times for me personally and there were a lot of times where I just wanted to say, "Who cares, anymore?" and do one of these:

But then I remembered that it was only a few more months and then it would be summer. And summer it is! I  just wanted to publish this little post and thank you guys for keeping me sane during this hellish year, even if you did so unknowingly. All of your comments and tweets and interactions with me during this past school year helped me get through a semester of torture, friend and family issues, personal problems... Basically a whole load of STRESS. I may seem melodramatic right now, but seriously, I don't know if I could have survived without this blog and the bookish community. During those moments where I was trying and trying to edit my honours essay, on twitter a few of you kept me going with words of encouragement. While studying for tests and exams, there were some of you who were doing the same and we went a little crazy together... (I'm looking at you, Eileen). While this school year was extremely difficult for me, it was also filled with new friendships, adventures, bonfires, and sleepovers. I also made some of my first real bloggy friends, hit some awesome milestones on the blog and of course, read some incredible books.

So thank you, again, for keeping me going during the times I wanted to quit. I couldn't have gotten through this year without this amazingly supportive community. And now, I'm going to go to my friend's house and burn all my homework in the bonfire and eat some veggie burgers! So finally...

Happy reading and thank you again!
<3333333

~Kristy

Review + Giveaway: Catherine by April Lindner (TOUR)

Hey guys! Today I'm taking part in the Catherine blog tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours! Thanks Jamie and Rachel for organizing this tour and don't forget to check out the other stops! 

Author: April Lindner
Publisher: Poppy
Page Count: 320 pages, Hardcover
Date Published: January 2nd 2013
Source: E-galley in exchange of honest opinion

A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it before.Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.

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This book is one of a kind. There are two different perspectives, set 20 years apart, as Chelsea is searching for her mother, Catherine, who disappeared and was thought dead until Chelsea found a letter. The author did a great job in keeping the chapters distinct and clear... I didn't have a difficult time switching from one POV to another and that made a huge difference in the story.

I have yet to read Wuthering Heights so it's impossible for me to compare Catherine with the original story, however, I enjoyed the retelling immensely and am looking forward to reading the classic this summer. As I said before, I really liked the different perspectives. Catherine's POV is more focused on her teenage life and her relationship with Hence, but Chelsea's is a bit more suspenseful as she is trying to find her mother whom she believed to be dead until she discovered a letter, written to her when she was three years old. I liked the fact that we knew Catherine disappeared in the end and with everyone we meet in her story, we had to wonder if they played a part in her disappearance. It was really interesting and quite chilling.

Overall, I found this book to be very well written and it captivated me and kept me wanting more. The pacing was good and I was never lost. From what I know of Wuthering Heights, it's not exactly filled with the most pleasant characters in the world. I think Lindner did a good job of making this her own story while still taking inspiration from the classic. I'm really looking forward to reading Wuthering Heights this summer and to compare it to this retelling!

April Lindner is the author of two novels, Catherine, a modernization of Wuthering Heights, and Jane, an update of Jane Eyre.  She also has published two poetry collections, Skin and This Bed Our Bodies Shaped. She plays acoustic guitar badly, sees more rock concerts than she’d care to admit, travels whenever she can, cooks Italian food, and lavishes attention on her pets—two Labrador retriever mixes and two excitable guinea pigs. A professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University, April lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons.

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Giveaway ends July 4 at 11:59 p.m.

Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter and contacted by email.

Mandatory requirement is to leave a comment. Optional entries are to Like the CATHERINE Facebook page, follow the author on Twitter and Tweet (daily) about the tour/giveaway.

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Review: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Page Count: 368 pages, Hardcover
Date Published: January 8th 2013
Find it on Goodreads: Just One Day
Source: Gifted (Birthday present from Kaitlyn!- THANK YOU!!!)

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay
When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines. Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

Just One Day is a breathtaking novel about travel, love and finding yourself. It is a novel that clutched on to my heart and it will stay for a very long time. An unforgettable story that I connected deeply to... Quite the beautiful book.

I never read Forman's If I Stay series. I wanted to, but never got the chance. However, when I read the synopsis for Just One Day, I was immediately drawn to it and knew I had to read it right away. This book.... I feel almost as if it was meant for me... You know? There are some books you like, some you love, and some you adore. And then there are those books that you connect to on such a personal level that it's almost like the author took a peek into your brain and wrote the book using that as inspiration. Does that make any sense? If yes, good. If no, I apologise, but just... go with it! Anywho, Just One Day was one of those books for me, obviously. Written with an undeniably gorgeous style, Forman crafted this book into something of a guidebook for me. Well, not so much a guidebook, but it was a book that helped me see some personal things in a new perspective and it also made me fall back in love with travel stories. I crave travel and so stories where the protagonist is travelling are perfect books for me while I'm stuck at home, doing school work.

One thing I really liked about this book was that the love interest, Willem, wasn't actually present for the majority of the book, as that's what the story is. Allyson and Willem basically have a super romantic one night stand (eh, like I said, just go with it..) and then when she wakes up in the morning, he's gone. She then spends the next year in conflict with herself as she moves to uni, meets new people and tries to re-find the person she was that one night in Paris as well as forget the boy that broke her heart. And then when that doesn't work... Find him. It was really unique, not having him right there the entire book, with most of his appearances in her mind. I really loved Willem's character and cannot wait for Just One Year to read his story. Allyson was a very real character. Yes, she annoyed me at times, but I liked that actually. She wasn't just some non-feeling, super strong protagonist. Yes she was strong but she was also kind of a pushover. She let herself be told what to do by her friend, her mother and more, but this book was about Allyson's growth as a person and we see a gradual change as time goes by. It wasn't an instant click! but a realistic slow and kind of bumpy process. One thing I really liked about Allyson was that while she had the brief thought that she could be in love with Willem after a day, she kind of... corrected herself and rethought. She didn't overexaggerate very often and when she did, she usually realised it and stopped. I don't really know how to describe it, but I just really enjoyed Allyson's character.

I could on for days about this book, but I think I'm just going to leave it at that and let you do the reading and thinking. I know this isn't the book for everyone, but it was definitely the book for me. I loved it and I'm looking forward to rereading it this summer. It was beautifully written with a heart-wrenching story about the journey towards self-discovery. Beautiful.

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic  is : Top Ten Books on my Summer TBR! I am so excited to start summer vacation! TODAY is my last day of regular classes and then I have one exam on Thursday and then I'm FREE! I plan on doing a lot of reading this summer to schedule a ton of posts for the fall, so here are ten of the books I'm most looking forward to reading!

It's going to be a great summer of reading! I have some review/tour books in there, a few that I've bought, etc. I'm so excited!!!

Also, I wanted to apologize for my absence on the blogosphere lately. I've been super stressed out with school and was needing a little break, but not so official that I would make a post about it, if that makes sense.... Anywho, school is almost over and then I'm taking a few days to just SCHEDULE!! WHOO!

Don't forget to leave me a link to your TTT!

Happy Tuesday!
~Kristy