Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

Anyone a member of an online bookclub? I have three I try to keep up, PBS Newshour, Oprah, and Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine. Something in the Water is the Hello Sunshine pick of the month and the description sounded really interesting AND I just happened to have a digital copy provided to me by NetGalley so I dove (no pun intended) right in.

Something in the Water is about a couple on honeymoon in Bora Bora who, as the title gives away, find something in the water. Something potentially dangerous for them to have in their possession but circumstances in their lives leading up to this point make keeping what they find too tempting to pass up. There is mystery and danger and a general sense of not knowing who to trust.

Except....and I'm gonna get kind of spoilery here without completely giving anything away...it's SO blatantly obvious who not to trust. But, being spoiled by stories like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, I kept thinking I HAD to be wrong, that I would eventually be rewarded with some kind of big twist that I didn't see coming. But that never happened and I ended up feeling really let down by this one. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Catherine Steadman's writing style, but the story itself was a disappointment.

Have you read this one? Let me know your thoughts in the comments...I'm curious to know if anyone else felt the same way about this one.

Something in the Water
Catherine Steadman
Ballantine Books
362 pages
Published June 5, 2018

Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben

How many of you have watched Safe, the eight episode series on Netflix? I decided to check it out last week and was immediately hooked. It's a mystery with tons of twists and turns and a fantastic cast ( including Michael C.Hall with a British accent so convincing I had to google to see if it was real.)

After watching, I decided I had to read me some Harlan Coben, Safe was just too good. Now I've heard his name a zillion times over the years but for some reason I had never read one of his books. I think maybe there's a bit of a reluctance to read "popular" fiction...the mass market paperback type of book, but you know what? I devour Stephen King (pretty popular, no?) and let's face it, popular fiction is popular for a reason. People enjoy reading it.

I checked out his titles on Amazon (over 30!) and downloaded Don't Let Go.

I. Couldn't. Put. It. Down.

Now I get why his books are immediate best sellers and why he has won so many awards. Don't Let Go drew me in from the very first page and didn't let me out until I finished it two days later. Coben is an incredibly gifted storyteller..the kind that keeps you up late at night so you can read "just one more chapter." Damn, but this one was downright fun to read.

My advice? Watch Safe on Netflix. Then head to the bookstore or Amazon, browse through his titles, and pick one. Or two. Or thirty. Don't Let Go was my first Harlan Coben read, but it certainly won't be my last.

What I'm Reading

Circe
by Madeline Miller

I started this one last night and I'm already 24% in. Madeline Miller can weave words into a story you just don't want to put down.
I read The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer a couple of weeks ago (loved it) and it really got me wanting to read more feminist books...non-ficion books on feminism and novels with feminist themes. Circe, at least so far, fits the bill perfectly. It's a rich and lush retelling of the Greek myth of the Goddess Circe, daughter of Helios, the Sun God (and inspiration for numerous works of art.)

What I Love

The Story....I only have a basic, passing knowledge of Greek mythology, the names are familiar, but I don't know all the details. Madeline Miller brings the names to vivid life, especially Circe. She's young and unsure of herself and her place in the world, but gradually she discovers her power and what her heart and soul are drawn to. What woman can't relate to that? I know I can!
The Words...Rarely do I have to stop and use the dictionary function on my Kindle, but I've had to a couple of times during this read...and I love that!The words aren't pretentious or meant to impress, they're actually quite perfect in the context they're used. And the prose! SO many passages are worth going back and reading twice, they are THAT lovely. Take this one for example, "For a hundred generations, I had walked the world drowsy and dull, idle and at my ease. I left no prints, I did no deeds. Even those who had loved me a little did not care to stay. Then I learned that I could bend the world to my will, as a bow is bent for an arrow. I would have done that toil a thousand times to keep such power in my hands. I thought: this is how Zeus felt when he first lifted the thunderbolt."
Wow! How powerful is that?

Off to dive back into this one. I'll post my thoughts when I'm done, but I'm already madly in love with this one.

What I'm Reading

So it's Friday morning, for me this is the same as Saturday morning since I'm off work on Fridays and Saturdays. Most weekends find me knee deep in homework since I'm in the middle of an effort to get enough credits under my belt to transfer to UCR, BUT this weekend my schedule is free and clear and I'm spending it in bed reading a fantastic book! It's Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka. It's her first novel, but it's wicked good and I'm already looking forward to hearing more from her.

Girl in Snow is a mystery, but it's also an expertly wrought portrait of the three main characters telling the story, Russ, Cameron, and Jade. Bit by bit, their stories unfold and their connections are revealed...not in a jarring way that pulls you out of the story, but in a perfectly sensible way that surprises and delights with how well things tie together. I'm 65% in and plan on staying in bed reading until I finish!

From Amazon...." When a beloved high schooler named Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched—not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the officer assigned to investigate her murder. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three indelible characters—Cameron, Jade, and Russ—must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth, or both. In crystalline prose, Danya Kukafka offers a brilliant exploration of identity and of the razor-sharp line between love and obsession, between watching and seeing, between truth and memory."

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Well holy shit, finally! After a February of false starts, beginning at least a dozen books that I'd get twenty or thirty percent into only to realize I was making myself continue reading, I hit the jackpot. Three days from start to finish on this one and that's only because my time was also taken up by doctor's appointments, work, and a Victoria's Secret sale.
I loved this book, and I'm excited about reading again. Noah Hawley's writing made me remember why books and stories have always been my passion. The narrative was compelling, the characters believable, and the pacing was perfection. I also loved that this book had important things to say about the world we live in and how we get our news and what we as a society feed off of. The news isn't about the actual news anymore, it's about entertaining a public hungry for the next thing to gossip about at work the next morning. Before the Fall isn't preachy, the things it has to say are a natural part of the story but they may very well make you think a little bit more about how your news is presented to you.
Besides all that, the real meat and potatoes of the story is the mystery and the characters. There have been many times I've picked up a book that sounds great only to have it turn out to be a laundry list of interesting things that happen to people you never end up caring about. God, that drives me nuts. Thank goodness Before the Fall doesn't do that. The things that happen are as equally fascinating as the characters they happen to.
And oh! Sidenote! Noah Hawley happens to be the writer and the creator for the show Fargo. Which means I have some TV watching to do. I've also read Sony has picked up the rights to make a movie from this, hoping that's true, I think it would be fantastic (I'm feeling Matthew McConaughey :)
Before the Fall is gonna be on a lot of must read lists this year, add it to yours!

Thanks NetGalley!

(Summary from Amazon) On a foggy summer night, eleven people-ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter-depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs-the painter-and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family. With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew members-including a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilot-the mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens. As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. And while Scott struggles to cope with fame that borders on notoriety, the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage. Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (May 31, 2016)

Hello bookies!!!

So Blogger tells me I haven't posted here since 2011! If any of you are still around, thanks! I'm glad you stayed cause I've missed the blogging community and talking about books with all of you. I still keep track of my books over on Goodreads and leave ratings there and I talk about books on my personal Facebook page but not everyone there loves books as much as we do ;)

Part of the reason I drifted away was because I was feeling pressure from getting SO many review copies and review requests and being so grateful for them that I felt oh...obligated...to read and review. And that kinda sucked the joy out of reading for me. So. New policy here on the blog. I only say yes to review copies of books I really want to read. And I don't do negative reviews. Not that I'll give a positive review to a book I don't like, no...I just won't finish a book I don't like. If I'm not giving it at least 3 stars over on Goodreads, I'm not going to waste my time finishing it. Life is too short to read bad books. And I believe in "Promote what you love, not what you hate." So my posts will be positive. Doesn't mean I won't point out what kept a 3 star book from being a 5 star book for me, but it'll still be worth our time :)

WHAT I'M READING NOW

The Winter Girl by Matt Marinovich

(click the title ^^^ to get to Amazon to read a synopsis or order)

Ok, so it's not out until January 2016, but I got my (Kindle) review copy from NetGalley and couldn't wait to start reading. Review will come later :)

Til next time, why not leave me a comment and let me know what YOU'RE reading? I'd love to hear from you....

Wednesday's Most Wanted

It's Wednesday.
I want them.
And they're on their way =)

From the author's website...

Turned into a blood-drinking abomination in 1867, Nathaniel Cade was offered a choice by President Andrew Johnson: serve the United States, or end his unnatural existence. Cade has served every president since, he is the most closely guarded of White House secrets: a superhuman covert agent who is the last line of defense against the nightmares that threaten the American dream.

From what I understand, Cade is supposed to be a badass vampire. Which is just how I like 'em!

Review: Chime by Franny Billingsley

Chime
By: Franny Billingsley
Published by: Dial
Publication date: March 17, 2011
YA, 368 pages
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

From Goodreads...

Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

Oh my gosh, I loved this one! Chime is completely unlike anything out there in the realm of YA. It's a fairytale, it's lush, it's surreal and otherwordly. I'll admit, it took me a couple of chapters to fall into the rhythm of Chime as it has its own cadence but once I did I was completely lost to Franny Billingsley's unique voice.

I thought I had read about every paranormal element out there, but Chime gives us what I can only describe as swamp fae, think localized folklore come to life. Never once did I feel I knew what to expect and I can't tell you how refreshing that was! Nothing followed formula, not the setting, not the characters, not the romance.

Briony (captured perfectly by the cover model) is tormented. Tragedy and mysterious illness have consistently befallen her family and due to her stepmother's revelations, she is convinced she is the cause. She is a witch and her emotions have manifested disaster. What an impossibly heavy burden for her to bear.

As a witch, she not only believes she is incapable of love, she also feels she doesn't have the right to express sadness, for witches don't cry. But she and Eldric become friends and I couldn't help but wonder if Briony would eventually feel the power of love and whether love would win out over evil. This is a fairytale but there are no signposts along the road guaranteeing a happy ending.

Colorful characters abound...young Tiddy Rex, Mad Tom, Cecil ~ the boy who would have her hand and Eldric, the boy who would awaken feelings she didn't think a witch could experience.
There are mysteries galore and I was never quite sure while reading what was real and what was not...though all is explained fully and satisfactorily with deeply buried secrets revealed in Chime's climax.

Eerily atmospheric and lyrical, I would recommend Chime to anyone seeking something truly original and transporting!

Review: Witch and Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Witch and Wizard
By: James Patterson
Published by: Little, Brown, and Co.
Publication date: December 14, 2009
YA, 320 pages
I borrowed this book

From Goodreads...


Imagine you wake up and the world around you-life as you know it-has changed in an instant. That's what has happened to Whit Allgood and his sister, Wisty. They went to sleep as normal teenagers, and woke up as wanted criminals. Accused of holding incredible powers they'd never dreamed possible. And now, just how different they are-special, even-if just beginning to be revealed in a strange new world.


Hi guys, I know it's been a while since I posted...a little over a week actually, but I had to take a little break from the blog. I was starting to get a little stressed out over writing reviews and doing posts and the fact that I can't seem to catch up with all the books I need to read. But I've been reading some great books and I have some awesome guest posts coming up on the blog so I'm ready to dive back in!

That being said, I'm coming back atcha with my first really negative review of the year.

Witch and Wizard just didn't do it for me. There were SO many problems with this one for me, the first and the most obvious being the deal with chapter length. Each chapter is 3 pages TOPS. It was one of the most annoying things I have ever encountered while reading a book.

Second, and most importantly for me, the characters were incredibly unrealistic and flat. The author tried to make the dialogue funny but it was just ridiculous. The characters also were guilty of not having any kind of believable emotional response to anything that was happening to them.

Thirdly, the things going on in the book made no sense. There WERE a lot of things going on, but I found myself unable to feel any tension for Whit and Wisty because I just didn't care about them.

Really nothing else to say about this one. Can't recommend this one to anyone and won't be reading book two. Have any of you ever picked up a book by a big name author only to be completely disappointed??

Waiting on Wednesday: The Taker by Alma Katsu

The Taker
By: Alma Katsu
Published by: Gallery
Publication date: September 6, 2011 (but should be available from Book Depository TOMORROW!)

I first heard about this one over at Daisy Chain Book Reviews (Click to read her review and you will want to read it too!) and it went straight to the top of my want list. (And I love the cover ~ black, white, and red are my favorite colors =)

Product description from Book Depository...

True love can last an eternity...Have you ever loved someone so much that you'd do anything for them? When Dr Luke Findley turns up to his hospital shift in the small town of St Andrews, Maine, he's expecting just another evening of minor injuries and domestic disputes. But instead, Lanore McIlvrae walks into his life - and changes it forever. For Lanny is a woman with a past...Lanny McIlvrae is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. Hers is a story of love and betrayal that defies time and transcends mortality - and cannot end until Lanny's demons are finally put to rest. Her two hundred years on this earth have seen her seduced by both decadence and brutality - but through it all she has stayed true to the one true love of her life. Until now. An unforgettable novel about the power of unrequited love to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, "The Taker" is an immortal love story on an epic scale...

New on my Shelf

 

Lots of awesomeness this week….first up is Zombie Cupcakes which I won from Velvet at vvb32 Reads. The pictures and cupcakes are amazing and as soon as I can assemble all the ingredients I will make some and post pictures for you.

 

 

The next four were received for review (I’m reading The Psychopath Test right now and it’s fascinating!) And look at that cover for Imaginary Girls….gorgeous!!

 

  

 

And these four were won from Among the Muses

      

I can’t wait to read all of these!!!

Review: How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf
By: Molly Harper
Published by: Pocket
Publication date: February 22, 2011
Adult Paranormal Romance, 384 pages
Won from Escape Between the Pages
Favorite Quote: “Well, that cinched it. He was an asshole. I was definitely going to end up sleeping with him.”

From Amazon....

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . . .

I'm pretty hard to please when it comes to adult paranormal romance. I won't even pick up a book that has a shirtless, headless man or a midriff baring leather clad chick on the cover. Either the heroine is TOO snarky or too much of a horndog or both. I like to be able to relate a little bit to the main character and I like to think I'm a pretty nice non-slut. (Although if Johnny Depp should arrive at my doorstep one night, all bets are off.) Molly Harper has done a fine job of creating a heroine who's likeable and a story that's laugh out loud funny (and sexy too!)

Mo Wenstein is fresh out of a broken engagement and decides it is time to wipe the slate clean, break away from her mega involved hippie parents and make a fresh start of it somewhere far from home. I happen to LOVE this kind of story...think Under the Tuscan Sun, Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts, Chocolat. I think I must harbor a secret fantasy of chucking it all and running away to somewhere new and exotic. Of course in all these stories, the heroine has some incredible cooking skills and so I fear I must stay put. Unless there is a great demand somewhere for a woman who has mastered the skills of vegetarian microwave cookery. Mo is no exception to this rule, but I'm getting ahead of myself here. She decides to migrate to the small town of Grundy, Alaska....which in my head looks something like this...


After settling in to the cabin she has rented, she heads into town and the local saloon, where she soon finds herself being offered a job as a short order cook (there's the cooking) and making friends with a colorful cast of locals. Among those locals is the gorgeous, yet snarly Cooper. He regards Mo as an outsider and is constantly giving her a hard time, convinced she will high tail it out of there once the really cold weather hits. Also among the locals is dear, sweet handsome Alan who is so into her, but we know the drill ladies. It's the challenge and the a**hole that gets our heroines every time!

Mo finds Cooper on her porch one night. Naked. With his leg caught in a bear trap. And then he shifts into a wolf. She had her suspicions, but this confirms it. Hot and heavy smexiness ensues and Mo and Cooper find themselves head over paws with each other. But of course something always has to stand in the way of true love and it's a series of brutal wolf attacks that throws a wrench in the cogs of romance. Cooper can't always remember what he does in wolf form and is afraid he might be responsible and doesn't want to put Mo in danger. Meanwhile the townsfolk are gearing up for a wolf hunt to keep the town safe. Now, throw in some conflict with the wolf pack Cooper walked away from and you have enough tension to keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was lighthearted and fun and best of all it had characters I really liked. Mo was a great heroine...smart, funny, vulnerable yet tough at the same time. Cooper, despite his initial snarliness was sexy and oh so alpha. Grundy, Alaska was a fun place to visit and I am definitely looking forward to reading the next installment...The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Long Goodbye by Meghan O'Rourke

The Long Goodbye
By: Meghan O'Rourke
Published by: Riverhead
Publication date: April 14, 2011
Memoir, 320 pages

This week's WoW is a very personal one for me. My mom died 9 years ago, at the far too young age of 55 and that loss and its accompanying grief isn't really something any of my friends can truly relate to. The Long Goodbye is the author's story of losing HER mom and I'm expecting...needing...to find a little bit of myself and my feelings in its pages.

From Goodreads...

What does it mean to mourn today, in a culture that has largely set aside rituals that acknowledge grief? After her mother died of cancer at the age of fifty-five, Meghan O’Rourke found that nothing had prepared her for the intensity of her sorrow. In the first anguished days, she began to create a record of her interior life as a mourner, trying to capture the paradox of grief-its monumental agony and microscopic intimacies-an endeavor that ultimately bloomed into a profound look at how caring for her mother during her illness changed and strengthened their bond.

O’Rourke’s story is one of a life gone off the rails, of how watching her mother’s illness-and separating from her husband-left her fundamentally altered. But it is also one of resilience, as she observes her family persevere even in the face of immeasurable loss.

With lyricism and unswerving candor, The Long Goodbye conveys the fleeting moments of joy that make up a life, and the way memory can lead us out of the jagged darkness of loss. Effortlessly blending research and reflection, the personal and the universal, it is not only an exceptional memoir, but a necessary one.

It's Been a Year!

I can't believe it, but it's been a year since I started Vampires and Tofu! And let me tell you, it's been an AWESOME year. I love reading. I always have. And I love being a part of this book blogging community that shares that love. I have talked to so many wonderful people as a result of this blog and I want you all to know how much I appreciate you for reading what I write, for sharing your opinions with me and for always being so warm and kind to me. I also thank all my fellow bloggers for all the work you put into your own blogs and for inspiring me with all you do. And of course thanks to all the wonderful authors who have written the books I have fallen in love with.

Thank you all so much for coming along for the awesome ride that my first year of blogging has been!

image source

Review Repost: Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Jasper Jones
By: Craig Silvey
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication date: April 5, 2011
YA, 320 pages


I was lucky enough to get to read this one last year and since it is releasing here tomorrow, I thought I would repost my review of it because it was wonderful and definitely worth a read!!

From Goodreads...

Late on a hot summer night in 1965, Charlie Bucktin, a precocious and bookish boy of thirteen, is startled by an urgent knock on the window of his sleep-out. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in the regional mining town of Corrigan. Rebellious, mixed-race and solitary, Jasper is a distant figure of danger and intrigue for Charlie. So when Jasper begs for his help, Charlie eagerly steals into the night by his side, terribly afraid but desperate to impress. Jasper takes him to his secret glade in the bush, and it's here that Charlie bears witness to Jasper's horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion as he locks horns with his tempestuous mother; falls nervously in love and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend, Jeffrey Lu. And in vainly attempting to restore the parts that have been shaken loose, Charlie learns to discern the truth from the myth, and why white lies creep like a curse. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart.

There have been many books I have thought of as 5 star books for various reasons...they were fun to read, they were entertaining, the descriptions were vivid and they played like a movie in my head. And then there are those magical books that come along only ever once in awhile that make you realize you need a 6 star rating system because they just shine above and beyond.

That's Jasper Jones.

The story is told by Charlie, who gets a surprise visit from Jasper Jones one night and becomes involved in a terrible mystery that affects the whole town they live in. It's also Charlie's coming of age story, his journey from the relative safety of childhood to realizing the world isn't always a pretty place. Cruelty isn't just confined to the schoolyard, it happens out there in the real world too.

Silvey is a master of dialogue, the voices of Charlie and Jasper and Jeffrey Lu (Charlie's best friend and all around AWESOME, I ADORED him) are SO incredibly vivid. Each has a distinct personality and sense of humor (and oh my, there were some real laugh out loud moments in this book.) I felt like I KNEW these guys and I genuinely cared for each one. But this was so much more than a telling of what was said or what was done. We get to hear that voice in Charlie's head...the one that wonders why and asks the big questions and then lets us know what he thinks. And we get to nod our heads and say, "Yes, yes Charlie, that's EXACTLY how it is." His observations on the world we live in are spot on.

Not to mention his opinion on Batman, which is nothing short of brilliant.


Jasper Jones is, quite simply, beautifully written. It is the kind of book you feel grateful for after closing its pages. And a little sad when it's over because you hate to say goodbye.

Winners!

The winner of the Fool for Books Giveaway is...

Kate H.



The winners of Megan Munroe's Bitch, Please! are...

Juju from Tales of Whimsy

and

Jessica from Taking It One Book at a Time

Winners have been emailed, thanks to all who entered!!

Fool for Books Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Fool for Books Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

Up for grabs, your choice of either of these...

(Awaken won't be out for another couple of months, but I just finished it and it was AWESOME!)

This giveaway closes at midnight on April 2. Open to readers 13 and older and yes, it's International!

Check out the other blogs participating here

Fill out this form to enter...

Waiting on Wednesday: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
By: Ransom Riggs
Published by: Quirk Books
Publication date: June 7, 2011
352 pages, YA

From Goodreads....


A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

I am SO intrigued by the sound of this one...plus it's got vintage photos, love the idea of that!! Especially if they are anything like the one on the cover =)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

ARC Review: Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Night Road
By: Kristin Hannah
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication date: March 22, 2011
400 pages
5 Stars!!!!
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a review

From Amazon...

For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach—are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.

Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy-- until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time her kids leave the house, she worries about them.

On a hot summer’s night her worst fears come true. One decision will change the course of their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.

Ok, this is the first book of the year to make me cry like a baby. Twice. Kristin Hannah managed to tear me apart and then put me back together again with this one and it won't be soon forgotten.

At the start of Night Road, we are introduced to Lexi Baill, a foster kid who has just found out she has an aunt who is willing to take her in. Lexi's life has been hard, but it hasn't hardened her heart. While she's afraid of being hurt, she still manages to hold on to hope and stay open to the possibility of good things in her life. She's bent, but she's not broken. On her first day at a new school, she bites the bullet, puts herself out there and introduces herself to a girl she finds sitting alone reading a book. That girl is Mia Farraday and the girls end up becoming best friends. Mia is a central character as well. Under the shadow of her popular twin brother Zach, Mia has never been able to shine and suffers from shyness and self doubt, but Lexi and Mia's friendship brings out something special, beautiful and fragile in them both and over the years Mia blossoms and starts coming into her own.

Along the way Lexi and Zach fall in love. Afraid to hurt Mia's feelings, they keep their relationship secret for as long as they can....not just from Mia but from Zach and Mia's mom, Jude. It was a long journey for Jude to have kids so she is fiercely protective of them and, what some might call over-involved in their lives. But she is never an unlikeable character. If anything I identified with her character the most. Maybe because I'm a mom of a high school age daughter and I could relate to her feelings of fear and loss as she watched her kids grow up and get closer to the time when they would be adults and leave home. When your kids are little, you're afraid of so many little things but you never realize how much harder it is when they are older and not constantly under your watchful eye. So while Jude may have seemed overprotective at times, I could so easily understand her distress. It's not easy to hand your kid the car keys and watch them drive away from you.

Senior year finds all the kids planning for their future. Mia wants to study acting at UCLA and the plan is for Zach to attend medical school there. Jude is practically obsessed with all the applications and deadlines and making sure her twins go to school together. But things are different for Lexi. Her aunt is poor so Lexi's only option is community college and Zach is finding the idea of leaving her behind for school harder and harder to swallow and this causes serious conflict in the Farraday family.

Take all that pressure on the kids, throw in a senior party where alcohol is present and you have the recipe for tragedy. I won't reveal exactly what happens but it is heartbreaking and changes everyone's lives in huge, dramatic ways. And by the time it happened, I was so invested in these characters I felt like it was happening to people I knew. Seriously you guys, not since Katniss, Peeta and Gale have I had characters crawl into my heart and take up residence like these did.

There is SO much more that happens but to discuss any of it would be to give too much away. Suffice it to say I am confident recommending this book to everyone...from my 17 year old daughter to my 40 year old bestie (who I just loaned it to because I HAVE to get someone's else's reaction to this book!) Read it and prepare to have your emotions hijacked and taken for a ride down Night Road.

Guest Post by Deborah Cooke, author of Flying Blind (Dragons!!)

Why Dragons?

By Deborah Cooke

http://www.thedragondiaries.com

http://www.deborahcooke.com

People often ask me why I write about dragon shapeshifters. Why not other kinds of shapeshifters? they ask. Why not vampires?

Why NOT dragons? I can’t think of another creature more fascinating. I like how dragons look. I like how ferocious and protective they are. I like to imagine them fighting each other, maybe in a night sky filled with stars. I love that they are fond of solving riddles – dragons aren’t fools, usually – and that they are known to be particularly perceptive. I think it’s amazing that they breathe flames, and yet, it’s awesome that they can fly.

I read THE LORD OF THE RINGS repeatedly as a teenager – “obsessively” might be a better choice of word – and one of the characters who most intrigued me was Smaug. Smaug was the only reason I read THE HOBBIT at all, and the pages that feature that dragon were the most worn ones in my copy. I doodled Smaug on my notebooks. I loved the Tolkien calendars illustrated by the Brothers Hildebrandt - when Smaug was the illustration of the month, the page tended to not be turned on time. So, you could say that Smaug started me on a journey, hunting dragon lore and reading stories about dragons wherever I could find them.

There are lots of stories about dragons and I’ve always liked that they had such extensive roots in mythology. We humans have been talking about dragons for a long time. I can imagine that that’s because we’ve known actual dragons, that they’ve been amongst us before and now they’re just a bit more reticent. Maybe they’re dragon shapeshifters, and they mingle with us in human form, while we remain unaware of their secret lives. The idea of a secret world of dragon shapeshifters is behind my Dragonfire series of paranormal romances.

In my Dragonfire world, there is only ever one female dragon shapeshifter. She’s called the Wyvern and has special powers – besides being enigmatic and elusive. The Dragon Diaries evolved organically as a separate YA series when I realized that the little girl who was rumoured to be the new Wyvern would have to come into her powers one day, and that day would come when she was a teenager. This June will bring Zoë Sorensson and the first book on her journey to mastering her dragon and Wyvern powers with FLYING BLIND. I’m really enjoying this series, maybe because I often dreamed of becoming a dragon myself when I was a teenager – one who could match wits or compete in flame-throwing contests with my hero Smaug.

Or just fly through a midnight sky. Like Zoë, I would have yearned to become mysterious, and to be able to see the future (as the Wyvern is supposed to be able to do.) And like Zoë, I probably would have kept the current update of my Incinerate Now list at the tips of my talons.

If you could be any creature – mythical or real – what would you choose to be? Why?

Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke releases June 7, 2011