Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I've Met

The topic for TTT this week is a fun one! (Be sure to check out the list of everyone participating in Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl's Blog!)  

Authors You've Met

Oh boy, where to start! I started what I call my author stalking phase many many years ago, probably right about the time I started this blog (20 years this coming March) and have reported on most of them here. What a walk in time that would be to check out all those posts. But I get so nostalgic and sad at the same time. What good old days that was... kids were little, authors were newbies, I was discovering writing and the fun of the online world back then. It was an awesome time.

I feel like author events aren't happen as much as they were in the past, but I'm still going, still supporting and still buying everyone's books! 

TEN authors I've meet recently:

1. Bree Despain for her launch of The Killing Rules

2. Julie Berry for her launch of If Looks Could Kill

3. Beth Brower at the Storymakers Conference

4. Alex Kennington for the launch of  her second book in her romantasy series

5. Alice Feeny for the launch of her book My Husband's Wife

6. Jennifer Nielsen for the launch of her book The Free State of Jax

7. Kasie West for the launch of her book We Met Like This

8. Michael Finkel who wrote The Art Thief

9. Leane Moriarty for the launch of her book Here One Moment

10. Mary E. Pearson for the launch of her book The Courting of Bristol Keats

BONUS: But of course my favorite will always be: MARKUS ZUSAK!

Over the years I've also met: Brandon Sanderson, Marissa Meyer, Ally Condie, Lois Lowry, Martine Leavitt, Katherine Patterson, Megan Whelan Turner, Ransom Riggs, Brandon Mull, Christopher Paolini... and wow... so many more. I did put together a video several years ago with clips from some of these if you are interested.

Coming up in a few weeks I get to met another favorite author: Sabaa Tahir. So excited! Stay tuned for how that turns out!

Who are some authors you've met? Who has been YOUR favorite?

December 2022 Books: Mini Review Catch Up

These are the books I read in December! Quite a few more than I normally read because I was really trying to make a push and meet that dang Goodreads goal!

And with this post I might be mostly caught up!

Atomic Habits by James Clear: I finally got to this one that pretty much the whole world has been talking about. And yes, I can see what all the fuss is about. It does lay out a plan for getting into good habits in a way that is very clear (ha clear....get it?) and relatable and that makes sense. I would love to implement something into my life, but I will probably just on about things and forget it all! I gave this one 4 stars on Goodreads.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren: This was our for fun Christmas book club read and it was pretty perfect for that directive. Our girl goes on vacation with her family and family friends every year, but this year is different in that it might be the last time they are able to do this. And then something happens, everything starts over, Ground Hog Day style. And she gets a couple of tries to get things right and to help fix the issues that are making everyone so sad. It was heartwarming, romantic and fun. I totally enjoyed it. Three stars on Goodreads.

Secrets of the Looking Glass by J. Scott Savage: This an ARC I got from the publisher and it needed to be read in September when it came out. Gah, ooops! It took me awhile thank you to all of lives distractions and my terrible time getting anything read these days! It's the second in the Lost Wonderland Diaries series, which is a delightful fun sort of retelling (not really, but in that world) of Alice in Wonderland. It's so very clever and funny and full of fun riddles and the like. I feel like kids will enjoy it even more than I did! I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads.

Places We've Never Been by Kasie West: I got this one for Christmas and read it in a couple of sittings, because as you know, I love her stories! Another fun YA romance that takes place on a road trip through very familiar places to me. I love that. Our characters are friends, but time has elapsed and things are now on shaking ground. It's fun to see them rekindle things. "Friends, to enemies, to lovers!" I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool: Another book I'm reading from my shelves that has been waiting forever. This one takes place shortly after WWII about a 13 year old who has been sent to a boarding school and he befriends a strange and interesting kid named Early, who teaches him all sorts of things about life. Together they go on a quest and navigate growing up. It's very heart warming and sweet. It won the Printz honor award. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads. 

And that brings us to the end of 2022 reading! I think I might just do a monthly wrap up mini review post this year. And see how that goes. And here's hoping I read a TON more this year than last! 

Author Event: Jennifer A. Nielsen and Heather Clark

 Not only are concerts back, but authors too!

I've really been missing going to author events but this past week, they are back! This event was to launch the debut book for Heather Clark called Lemon Drop Falls. And her author friend Jennifer A. Nielsen, and a favorite author of all or ours, was there as part of it. 

This book is a middle grade book about a girl dealing with her anxiety and fear after her mom dies. I think. Heather told us about when she herself almost died and how rough it was on her kids and especially her one daughter. So that's the inspiration for the story. 

The both of them told several other stories and it was all very inspiring. Hearing Jen's publishing story of how she tried and tried and tried and was rejected by everyone even the place that takes everyone, was really inspiring too. It really just hits home how if you want something bad enough, you just can't give up.

So I ended up with both of their books and we stood in line for quite awhile waiting for them to be signed. When it was our turn ,Jennifer give me my own personal writing pep talk and I felt fired up for... about an hour. Now that I've come down from the evening, I still feel very... I think what I mostly feel is that I'm just riding some band wagon and that I'm not for real enough in this writing quest... and I guess until I take myself seriously, no one else will either. It's a hard thing to do and something I will struggle with forever I'm afraid. 

Anyway, the biggest thing I took away from that pep talk is there are people out there who need my stories and why should I let MY fear get in the way of that happening...like just suck it up and stop worrying about it so much. 

It was a great night and I'm so glad I went. Next week the library is having its annual best books of the year talk and we plan on supporting that one too. I wish I had more time to do all the things, like read all those books that they will make me want to read!

Here's some pictures from the night:

With Jennifer. 

With Heather

Can you see our smiling eyes?

So exciting to be back at it, supporting the authors!

MINI BOOK REVIEWS! September 2021 to December 2021

 So... to catch up... I'm just going to list the books I haven't fully "reviewed" yet (from 2021) with a little mini thought, and then have a fresh start for the year.

Sunkissed by Kasie West: Fun, musically-themed story that includes a summer camp romance with a hot, long haired, sensitive guitar player. All while managing to fulfill one's own dreams. Cute and fun summer romance, and just what I'd expect from Kasie West. She remains one of my all time favorite comfort authors. Love her stuff so much!

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman: We read this one for book club and while I enjoyed the first page immensely (I have never related to something SO MUCH!) I was soon feeling...um.. anxious about the story. The character made me crazy, the premise made me crazy. But my buddies said... DO NOT QUIT... so I didn't and they were right. All these things redeemed themselves and everything made sense in the end. And the characters ended up being lovely and perfectly relatable. What a great premise for a story that really looks deep into stuff we all have to deal with in life. It was great. This author's writing is fantastic, as most of you know.  

Not Playing Fair by Terri Osburn: By an author friend of mine.. and I got to read this advanced copy. Fun romance about a baseball playing librarian heroine who is getting over being dumped when a new dude shows up to play ball.  She also has issues with her mom who she hasn't talked to for years when suddenly a letter from her shows up in the mail. Oh dear! Totally fun and fluff read!

Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez: By a local author who, with this very book, was featured on Reese Witherspoon's Book Club! It's about a girl who's dream is to play soccer, but her family thinks it's crazy for her. She is out to prove them wrong!

You Have a Match by Emma Lord: This one is about what happens if you take a DNA test and get a surprise. Our girl realizes she is a perfect match to be sisters with someone who lives in her town, but has never met. So they meet up and decide what they will do from there. Confront their parents? Become friends? Or not? This one features summer camp experiences too, just like the book above. 

A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey: I really loved this one (fantastic writing!) about a Cuban girl from Miami who is struggling with lots of things that have gone wrong in her life, so her family ships her off to spend the summer with her aunt in London. And how she finds herself there despite her best efforts to continue to hate life. SO MUCH FOOD in this book! I need all the recipes! (As if I could 1. actually make them and 2. actually eat them. Sigh.)

And those are all the books I read starting from when I last posted a review through the end of 2021. Not a whole lot I know, but I'm at least still reading!

Book Review: Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani

Book: Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: ★ ★ ★ 

This book was chosen for one of our book club reads this past summer, but I knew nothing about it at all except the authors are/were local. When I got it my hands I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was set in Japan and based on Japanese folklore. Cool!

And it was cool, mostly. But sometimes a bit hard to follow. I felt like the authors assumed that readers would have a base in Japanese culture to help them understand things, but if you are coming into it totally cold, you are going to be lost for sure.

It's about a girl whose family runs a shrine in Kyoto. A lot of the creatures that help them are mythological people, some good, some not so good. And most people can't see them, but of course, our girl can. 

So one day, some of the bad creatures attack the shrine and are after a relic that they need to take over the world. And Kira (our girl) needs to figure out how to stop this from happening. She, together with her friend (who is... a nine-tailed fox in the making! Ah, do you see a theme in the stuff I keep consuming here!) have to find seven death gods to help them. 

It gets pretty detailed and complicated, all the magic and craziness that happens. It's beautifully written and very lush and poetic and awesome. Just... as I said.. sometimes hard to follow and understand everything. But despite all that, I enjoyed it. It was quite the ride!

Book Review: On These Magic Shores by Yamile Saied Mendez

 

Book: On These Magic Shores by Yamile Saied Mendez

Genre: MG magic realism-ish

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

I've been anxious to read this author for quite sometime now. She was someone I met way back in the big book blogging days before she became famous.  (Her books are currently making quite the buzz especially after she was chosen as a pick for Reese Witherspoon's book club.) And I think this was a great first choice for me to read!

It's about a 12 year old girl and her two sisters. Her single mom works hard to keep them going, but one day when the mom heads to work... she doesn't come home. And she doesn't call, and they have no idea what's happened.

So our girl  tries to keep going as if all is well. But that's really tricky when she has to go to school. And she finds out the day care her mom uses for the baby is crap. And she wants to try out for Peter Pan and get the role as Wendy. And she needs to figure out how to get food for them. 

Her mom has told them stories about fairies, which she rolls her eyes about, but turns out it appears these fairies might actually be helping them somehow. Or SOMEONE is anyway. She ends up befriending a cute boy that actually does help them in the small ways he can. And the neighbor helps them a bit. And she finally gets the courage to contact  her grandma that she doesn't even know... to see if SHE can help. 

It's all very moving and sad in bits, but funny in bits too and cute and wonderful in all the family and friend connection stories. We do find out what happened to the mom and in the end some hard choices have to be made, but it all works out and I think all three of these sisters are in a better place. 

I totally enjoyed finally reading one of Yamile's books and hope to add more to my list soon! 

Book Review: A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright

Book: A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright

Genre: Historical romance

Rating:  ★ ★ ★

This a fun story about our girl Caroline, who is just too smart and witty for the guys of her time. Whenever she says her opinion about things, and she has a lot, all the suitors get scared and back off. So when her cousin (who owns the house she lives in) gets married, she basically gets kicked out and has to figure out her prospects. Turns out a neighbor decides Caroline would be PERFECT for her son... who happens to work and live in India. So an arrangement is made whereby Caroline heads off to India to meet this guy, with the deal that she will give him a chance, and get to know him...but she doesn't have to agree to a marriage unless all things work out. 

And so... she heads off to India... which will take THREE MONTHS by boat. (It really struck me this time about how travel used to be... can you imagine a three month journey to another country? And we think a 13 hour plane ride is nearly unbearable! Yeah, you really gotta commit that THAT vacation!)

Well, and so on the boat, life gets interesting. She takes to the sea like a pro and loves the activity there and walks around sketching everything. 

And then there's the captain of this boat. He's intriguing to say the least! But when she opens her mouth to say her thoughts... will he be turned off and run away? And how can she be attracted to him when she has a dude waiting for her in India? Hmmmm???

Then we get the POV of the captain. And how he is baffled at this girl and torn about what he should do about it if anything. 

Okay, so I really enjoyed the story, and the setting. Most of it on the boat, and some in Mumbai. And Caroline is a great heroine. But the captain... I don't know.. I didn't really warm up to him. He seemed a bit gruff and even mean at times. I wanted to like him so much more than I did! Ah, I hate it when that happens! I also wanted a more sparky romance... more intense. 

But that's really my only complaint about this one! Lots of fun side characters and some crazy goings on occur. It was a very interesting time in history for sure. 

Anyway, you should totally check it out and let me know what you think of our captain!

Also, thank you to Shadow Mountain for continuing to send me Proper Romances to read, even though I am so behind in my reviewing! 

Here's more info about the author:

JULIE WRIGHT was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. She’s lived in LA, Boston, and the literal middle of nowhere (don’t ask). She wrote her first book when she was fifteen. Since then, she’s written twenty-five novels and coauthored three. Julie is a two-time winner of the Whitney Award for best romance with her books Cross My Heart and Lies Jane Austen Told Me and is a Crown Heart recipient. Her book Death Thieves was a Whitney finalist. She has one husband, three kids, one grandbaby, one dog, and a varying amount of houseplants (depending on attrition). She loves writing, reading, traveling, hiking, snorkeling, playing with her family on the beach, and watching her husband make dinner.

Book Review: Paul, Big, and Small by David Glen Robb

 Book: Paul, Big, and Small by David Glen Robb

Genre: YA Contemporary

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

This is a cute story, that deals with all the hot button topics in a sensitive not in-your-face way, something you know I always appreciate. 

We have Paul, who is like a junior (I think, now I forget how old he is) in high school, but he's so short he looks like a little kid to everyone. His method of survival is to blend in and not make a big scene and hope everyone ignores him. He's suffered a lot from bullying and his goal is to avoid that as much as he can.

And he kinda sorta likes this girl who he's known since he was 7... but she doesn't know he exists until things get going in this story. She is very big... very tall, and very black. But her last name is Small... which of course, everyone finds extremely funny. But, turns out this unlikely pair end up being quite likely to become friends.

And then we have Big, a nickname given to our third character because he is.... big. A big Polynesian dude with an extremely sunny disposition who everyone likes. He can dispel any tension in a room by just walking in. He's great!

And so these three become friends and deal with the craziness of high school life... including the bullies that cross their paths. We learn some backstories regarding the bullies that deals with depression and mental health. And we also deal with some cancer sickness with our own trio.

All of this is set to the backdrop of not only high school, but a climbing school that Paul loves and where he excels and feels himself.

It's all very heartwarming despite some of the heavy topics it deals with. I kinda loved that. And these characters are especially great. 

Book Review: Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen

 Book: Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Genre: YA historical

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Another awesome book by a favorite author! This one is about resistance fighters during WWII. We follow the story of one girl who gets kicked out of her Jewish ghetto in Poland and ends up joining a resistance gang. They spent a lot of time sneaking food and news in the ghettos, and, in one instance anyway, sneaking out babies. And also sabotaging the supplies of the Nazis who were occupying their cities.

This story has our girl involved in one of the first (the first even?) armed attacks by Jewish people, and then later, she was part of the huge Warsaw ghetto uprising. So most of the book is her path to getting to this event. And then living through it. We see her bonding with her fellow resistance fighters and learning to trust and rely on them. We learn about some of the real life leaders of these cells, all of who were very young. We learn about the courage and tenacity of these people during this hard and terrible time in history. It's hard to read about the things they went through, but it's also uplifting to see the strength of people.

The book as an afterword that adds to the understanding of everything that happened, which I really appreciated. And the author mentions that the point of the book is not place judgment on how any one person acted during this time, which I also appreciated. People chose all sorts of ways to survive this terrible-ness, and we, reading from the future, have no idea how bad it was and what prompted any of them to do what they did. It's so very eye opening. 

So, yeah! Another great book club read!

Book Review: Brass Carriages and Glass Hearts by Nancy Campbell Allen

Book: Brass Carriages and Glass Hearts by Nancy Campbell Allen

Genre: steampunk fantasy

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

This is a fun one about a feisty girl, Emme O'Shea, who is on a mission to fight for Shape Shifter rights. She is making quite the name for herself in society as the spokesperson for this cause. And in so doing, she tends to get herself in a lot of trouble. The dude who happens to always be there to pull her out, and then arrest her, is her nemesis of a detective...Mr. Oliver Reed. He doesn't think twice about literally throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her off to the slammer! 

But then one day when she is about to set off to Scotland for a summit where she will be giving the keynote speech trying to change legislation in favor of Shifters, she is sent a life threatening message. And suddenly she finds this detective has now been appointed as her bodyguard! 

This makes for an awesome scenario in which lots of fun banter, flirting and compromising moments arise. Not to mention life and death adventure! And they both quickly find that they don't hate each other quite as much as they originally thought.

This book is very very loosely based on Cinderella but I only found a few similarities... mostly a wicked step sister, a carriage filled with pumpkins, curious mice, an ally named Gus, some fancy shoes, and midnight. LOL! So yeah, very fun! Throw in some vampires and you have it all, right? 

So yeah, I really enjoyed the banter and many romantically charged moments. And of course the steampunk setting. Always fun. 

This book, due to be released in October, is part of the Proper Romance line from Shadow Mountain, and specifically part of the steampunk romance line. (I reviewed another book in this line here. The stories have no connection as far as I can tell, just the world and setting.) Thank you to Shadow Mountain for the opportunity read and review another fun book!

Here's a fun book trailer:

And more about the author:

Nancy Campbell Allen is the author of seventeen published novels and numerous novellas, which span genres from contemporary romantic suspense to historical fiction. In 2005, her work won the Utah Best of State award, and she received a Whitney Award for My Fair Gentleman. She has presented at numerous writing conferences and events since her first book was released in 1999. Nancy received a BS in Elementary Education from Weber State University. She loves to read, write, travel, and research, and enjoys spending time laughing with family and friends. She is married and the mother of three children. Visit her at nancycampbellallen.com, on Instagram @authornancycampbellallen, on Facebook at nancycampbellallen, or on Twitter @necallen.

Book Review: The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie

Book: The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie

Genre: YA dystopian
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

This one is set in a world where different groups are living separately from each other, trying to survive each in their own way. Poe Blythe is with the group that settles in one place, but forages the river for gold treasure. They fear the group they call The Raiders, that moves from place to place and tries to steal from them. 

The book opens with an ill fated trip where the boy Poe has been friends with her whole life is killed. She is forever after trying to get revenge on The Raiders by designing ships that destroy them instantly if they try to come aboard.

So this story centers on the voyage where she is made the captain and they go out to gather more gold. Of course things go badly and Poe is forced to make many hard decisions. She doesn't know who to trust and she is driven nearly crazy trying to understand what is right and wrong. 

She, and those she gathers around her, find out many things and learn that the world is not black and white and not exactly as they have been led to think all these years. It's quite eye opening.

I enjoy these kinds of stories where you end up realizing there are no sides. There really are no good guys and bad guys, that everyone is just trying to survive in their own way, and that once you learn the stories of everyone, then you might have a better picture of life. And also get more and more confused!

It's beautifully written with unique and believable characters, especially a strong leading girl, which we all love, right?

I really enjoyed it! Thanks for another great one Ally Condie!

Book Review: The Orphan Keeper by Camron Wright

Book: The Orphan Keeper by Camron Wright
Genre: novel based on a true story (is that it's own genre? Sort of a novelized memoir?)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★


Hey it's our book club book and book club isn't happen for another week and a half and I have the book read already! Things are CHANGING around here!! LOL.

I loved this guy's other book, The Rent Collector and this book has had it's fair share of buzz (man I seem to be catching up on all the buzz lately.. well some) and so the book club voted it in and here we are!

It's about a boy who grew up in India until he was about 8 years old, and then bam, one day he was kidnapped and sold to an orphanage where he was then adopted to an  American family, which happened to be located here in Utah. This is that crazy crazy story!

Because later when he grew up, he went back and found his Indian family! With hardly ANYTHING to go on. He had no idea what city to look in... and we are talking INDIA here! It's really an amazing story. And I loved it! I devoured this book in fact.

The story is novelized to fill in all the missing blanks from when he was a kid and to change around a few characters, but if I'm understanding correctly, it's basically following exactly what happened. Someone just took him off the street one day when he was waiting for his dad and they took him to an orphanage. Luckily, it seems he was treated well and life was actually better for him, but still... his family! His mom! He even tried to escape at one point, but went back to help the sick girl that needed his knowledge because he knew what plant would help her.

When he arrived in America, he tried to explain to his new family that he still had a family, but it took awhile for his English to be good enough to get through to them. And once it did, they tried as best they could to figure it out, but everything led to a dead end. So after awhile, they gave up.

So it wasn't until he was in college that he started feeling a draw to his country. He meet some wonderful people and they helped him get back (mostly.. he had some resistance too.) And once he was there, he went off just some small clues and started combing the area to figure it out. The way he finally ends up finding them is... amazing. And yes, I cried.

Anyway, his life has turned out be be pretty good in the end.  And he has been able to live sort of teh best of both worlds. But he still struggles. Because of this question: Is it good that he was kidnapped and taken from his family? Because look at what he has now... and how he has been able to help the people in India... so, was it good thing?  Ah, it hurts my heart to try and answer this question! I'm sure we will discuss at book club and find all the answers!

The book was beautifully written. Sometimes a touch too flowery in description for my taste, BUT I did devour it and could hardly put it down, so it's obviously engaging and paints a wonderful picture of what life must have been like in India... and afterwards... for this guy.

Book Review: Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Book: Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Genre: YA contemporary
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 

What a fun summery book! I loved it. It's about a girl whose mom dies in the beginning and she gets sent to live with her dad in Italy, at least for the summer, maybe for longer. Problem is, she didn't even know this dad existed until her mom was dying and saying to her....how about you go and live with this dude!

He lives in Florence, in an American WWII cemetery where he runs the place. This creeps Lina out at first, but it grows on her. She meets a boy one day when she is out running and... he grows on her too.

In fact, she actually enlists his help in solving the mystery behind her mom and dad. Like what really happened and why did they never keep in touch all these years?

Lina gets a journal that her mom left behind which is an account of the summer she meet her dad and between that and doing some digging on their own, they piece together the story.

So in fact, it's the story of both Lina dealing with her mom's death and learning about her dad, and the story of her mom and what happened that summer many years ago. So there's some heavy subjects, but they are handled well and lightly. If that makes sense.

It's so fun to have been to theses cities (both Florence and Rome) and to be able to picture everything that's being talked about. They truly are awesome romantic cities where awesome love can blossom!

Book Review: Switching Gears by Chantele Sedgwick

Book: Switching Gears by Chantele Sedgwick

Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

I bought this at the writing conference I went to a few weeks ago, especially since it was written by the author in charge of the conference and someone I connected with years ago through blogging. Also, this is a companion book to her book I read awhile back called Love, Lucas. That one was about the sister of boy who died from cancer. This one was about the girlfriend of the same boy.

Well, they never actually were officially boyfriend/girlfriend, but she lived next door to him for years and loved him forever. They only confessed just before he died. Sadness. And so this story picks up a few months later and she is still dealing with his death and his loss.

So she immerses herself into her love and hobby of mountain bike racing. There's a new-ish boy (it's been about a year since he moved in) that has bugged her since he arrived and who actually took over her position as captain of the bike team. She does not like him.

Which means, of course, that they will connect! And so that's the love story. He's had his eye on her since the beginning but she has been annoyed by him. All that changes of course, and he is not what she thought he was. It's a blast to read/watch unfold.

Meanwhile, she has her family life situation to deal with too, which is that her mom is suffering from early onset Alzheimers. More sadness. Yes.

But despite all this sadness, I totally enjoyed this book. Fast and easy to read. Lovely romance. Cute characters. Fun look at mountain biking, which... why would anyone do this? CRAZY! Anyway, these books remind me of Kasie West sort of books and you all know how I feel about those!

Great job Chantele! Okay... so what's next??/

Book Review Thoughts: Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie

Book: Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating:★ ★ ★ ☆☆


We read this one for book club because a bunch of us went to the book launch and bought the book. I'd heard great things and the premise sounded awesome, but because of the ongoing book slump and a weird inability to focus on reading these days, it fell a bit flat for me in the end... generally speaking.

This is the story of girl who is born with the ability to sense the emotions of everyone around her. It's troublesome because she has a big issue distinguishing between her own emotions and those of others. Especially when there's a build up of emotion from a huge group or crowd. This happens in the beginning and causes and incident at the convent where she is being trained and it changes her life. Mostly because right after that, the prince came to retrieve another Auraseer for the Emperor, because his has just been executed.

And because now she is the only one (mostly) that's left... she gets picked to go.

And now she has to hang out with this Emperor and tell him if she senses anything wrong with the people around him. Like... perhaps... if someone wants to kill him.

Ah, this dude. He's a slick one. And because he decides he wants to seduce her, she suddenly feels like she's in love with him. Tricky, these emotions!

And the prince, the one who came to retrieve her... he's awfully attractive too. She is confused and wow, the emotion is swirling!! Does she like him or does she not?

Much of the book is this issue with these two boys set in the backdrop of the political maneuverings going on by the masses to try and change how they are governed. Do they kill the Emperor? Make him abdicate? Or figure out some other nicer way?

It reminded me quite a bit of Red Queen and also Throne of Glass. Same sort of setting and feel anyway, so if you like those books you might want to give this one a try.

But for me, most of the time I had to push myself through and had to glaze over the detailed political talk and deal with the repetitive emotional upheaval. Also, I found myself especially critical of the writing as I saw so many of the "don'ts" that I'm constantly warned about in my writing classes happening in this book.

Bottom Line: I mean... it was okay and was pretty exciting in parts. But it mostly made me want to read a contemporary romance or something.

Other Reviews:

Without revealing too many spoilers I was happy with the overall result but the last few chapters just did not sit well with me. From Dark Faerie Tales
It is the perfect book for any kind of occasion, whether to pick you up out of a reading slump, or to brighten your mood, or you keep you on the edge of your seat and make you want to stay up all night. From Behind the Pages

Still I liked exploring the Auraseer ability, and I liked the suspense of the story. If you are one who likes YA fantasy, this is one to try, but keep in mind it might require some patience. From Rainy Day Ramblings

Book Review Thoughts: Summerlost by Ally Condie

Book: Summerlost by Ally Condie
Genre: MG contemporary
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★


When I realized that Ally Condie based this book on her Utah hometown and centered it around Utah's famous Shakespearean Festival, I couldn't wait to read it! It got bumped up the stack! And it did not disappoint!

This is the story of a young girl named Cedar who comes to this small town for the summer. Her brother and father have recently died in a car accident and the rest of her family is trying to get a new start. They've bought this old house and plan to spend summers here and rent it out to college kids the rest of the year.

Every summer in this small town there's a festival that happens called Summerlost. Cedar ends up getting a job working concessions along with the neighbor boy that she at first finds nerdy and then finds fascinating. They have some sweet adventures together and learn how to deal with their respective issues in the process. It's the start of a beautiful friendship!

Bottom Line: It's cute simple story that deals with the not so simple subject of grief. and it's so so awesome. I loved it.

Other Reviews:


A strong and outstanding novel for middle grades, this book takes a courageous look at grief and the resilience it takes to continue to live. From Waking Brain Cells

It was hard to read at certain points because it is a highly emotional book but it’s so worth it. From Twenty Three Pages

“Summerlost” is quiet and tender. You never feel rushed nor do you feel a lack of purpose. Ally has created a story of friendship and family that rings true whether you have experienced loss or not. From Cracking the Cover

Book Review Discussion: Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Book: Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis

Genre: YA Scifi
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For: readathon and supporting local authors and Beehive Award long list reading
From: The library


Short Synopsis: Our heroine Essie is living a rough life in an outer planet of the solar system. When a ship crash lands near her home, bringing with it a guy who is at once fascinating and terrifying, her life changes. They end up going off on an adventure (not really of her choosing) which forces her to face her past and become the person and heroine she was meant to be.

My Response: All I knew about this one was that Jenni and Jenny (was there someone else too?) both loved it and said I'd love it too, and that it's a Snow White retelling. Well, they were right. I love these space versions of familiar stories. So awesome! So cleverly done! Dane (the guy) ended up being one of those characters where you didn't know if you could trust him or not. I loved that. And Essie was one of those strong female types that everyone totally adores. What a fighter! And the ending was a bite your fingernails off kind of ending. Yeah, it was all wonderful.

Bottom Line: Love unique takes on fairy tales? Then, what are you waiting for? Read it!!

Let's Talk About: So, when it comes to things space stories.. as a reader, do you care about the logistics of space travel? Are you fine with the jump in a ship, push some buttons, and bam, you are on a different planet? Easy as pie? Are you good with that, or does it bother you at all? Asking for a friend....

Other Reviews:

The characters were fantastic. Essie was a heroine I could really get behind. She was stubborn, strong, and vulnerable. I related to her in a lot of ways. From Jenni Elyse

The wold is unique and the retelling is done so subtly it feels fresh! A gigantic accomplishment, if you ask me. From Alternate Readality

I highly recommend it for lovers of YA fiction with a bent towards Science Fiction, Paranormal Abilities and Fairytale Retellings. There is a romance in it as well for those of us that need a love story to make us happy! From Buried in Books

In all, Stitching Snow was a fun YA sci-fi novel with political games, near escapes, assassination attempts, kidnappings and cage fights. Oh, and a nod to fairy tales. From The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia

Book Review Discussion: Mysteries of Cove: Fires of Invention by J. Scott Savage

Book: Mysteries of Cove: Fires of Invention by J. Scott Savage
Genre: MG steampunk dsytopian
Rating★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
 For: Review and supporting local authors
From: Received for free from Netgalley. All opinions are my own. Released September 29, 2015.

Short Synopsis: Trenton lives in a society that's hidden themselves from the world by creating an underground city. They fear creativity and invention. They blame all the bad stuff that's happened to them on progress and forward thinking. This makes life for Trenton especially hard since he is a thinker and a creator. And he keeps getting in trouble for it. As the book opens, he is assigned to work on the farms instead of the machines, and he's so unhappy. But he's pretty distracted as he deals with this because he meets a girl who just happens to be the daughter of the most notorious inventor of the city. And when he (Trenton) finds an interesting gadget, this girl, Kallista, thinks it's been left by her father (who is no longer with them). This leads the two of them on a sort of crazy treasure hunt with a prize at the end they did not at all expect.

My Response: This is one of those stories that has lots of fun and games such as building stuff, puzzles, riddles, mystery and adventure, mixed with some pretty thought provoking ideas like is creativity good or bad, do you trust history, should you blindly follow... just to name a few. I was surprised at some of the deep issues this society and these kids are dealing with. The ending was awesome and had me glued. The twist was great and quite unexpected and I am totally left wondering what happens next.

Bottom Line: The writing was fun, the characters were fun, the story was fun! It was all fun!! Fun, but mixed with lots to think about and lots of awesome stuff smart kids will eat up.

Let's Talk About: So, what do you think about creativity? Good or bad? LOL! JK!! You know, I am so into creativity that it felt almost sacrilegious for the people in this story to suggest otherwise. It makes you want to stand up and say... WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?? Which, I suppose, is the whole point and the hope that kids reading it will feel the same way. Don't you think? Are you a champion for creativity?

Other Reviews:

What I myself liked best about the book is that it celebrates creativity and the questioning of received wisdom, without being didactic about it. From Charlotte's Library

It’s an ideal middle grade read that should appeal to a wide range of readers, and likely introduce them to some genre concepts they haven’t encountered before. From Views from the Tesseract

There is just so much to love in Fires of Invention, with its blend of science, nature, physics, a mechanical dragon and a story that was both interesting and fun for me and my kiddo to read. From Log Cabin Library

The adventure is fast paced and you will be visualizing this new society as the levels inside the mountain come alive. From Always in the Middle

Also, here's the trailer which I saw played several times on the huge Jumbo-tron at Comic Con this past weekend in front of thousands of people. Great marketing!

Book Review Discussion: Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Book: Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Genre: MG Fantasy
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
For: Utah Book Month
From: Bought from Amazon, I think. One loses track of these things.

Short Synopsis: Nic has been a salve just outside of Rome for years. His mom has been sold off and now his only wish is to keep his sister safe and out of the clutches of Sal, their mean old guard. One day, Sal forces Nic to be lowered into a scary cave where they suspect treasures of the gods to be found. Well, Nic does find something and his life is forever changed. Now not only does he have to protect his sister, but all of of the Roman Empire.

My Response: What I loved most about this one is that it took place in Rome! And where was I just hanging out a short month or two ago? How awesome is it that I could totally picture everything? Awesome I tell you! And I've always loved stuff that has to do with ancient Roman gods and their power over the people. Really fascinating stuff. There was some awesome magic power fighting and a cool creature (a griffin) and some bad guys. All great stuff. Being a middle grade, there was only a hint of a romance, which made me crazy. And also, it ends just when you are all revved up for more! Gah!

Bottom Line: Perfect book for fans of Percy Jackson and company.

Let's Talk About: Are you like me were if you've been to a place, and then read a book set in that place, it just makes the reading experience all that much better? That's why we have go everywhere so all the books will be even cooler!

Other Reviews:

MARK OF THE THIEF showcases Nielsen's addictive writing, which has much to entice adults as well as the target child audience. From In Bed With Books

But there was action aplenty, the bonus griffin relationship was a nice touch, and the whole set up promises good things in the next books! From Charlotte's Library

I'm certain that kids are going to love it, and I look forward to the next book. From Jen Robinson's Book Page

I loved how the story combines Roman history with magical elements. From Literary Rambles

Book Review Discussion: Lost Without You by Annette Lyon

Book: Lost Without You by Annette Lyon
Genre: LDS Romance
Rating:★★★☆☆ 
For: Utah Book Month
From: bought for Kindle (maybe it was free, I can't remember!)

Short Synopsis: Brooke has just broken up with Christopher. And here she thought he was the one. But she learns that he has some pretty big issues and she's so glad she's out. Meanwhile, she keeps running into this other guy, a guy who just happens to be the cop that took down her info when Christopher crashed the car after they broke up. One thing leads to another and before long, they are going out. But all is not still not well.

My Response: I haven't read an LDS romance for so long! I didn't realize that this book was in that genre. And all the same things that have bugged me about them over the years still bugged me, but I overlooked it and enjoyed the story for what it was. . . a sweet, clean romance with a bit of a disturbing twist and ending. One thing is for sure, this Greg guy is most awesome.

Bottom Line: I enjoyed it for the most part, with some qualifications.

Let's Talk About: You know, I really enjoy clean romance, but sometimes it's almost too clean. Know what I mean? How do you define clean and where do you like to draw the line between that and way too much information?