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Release Date: December 27, 2011 Author Info:Website | Facebook Publisher:HarperCollins Age Group: Young Adult Shelfability:Acquire Pages: 448 Format: Advance Reader Copy Source: Publisher Interest: Debut Challenge: 2011 Debut Author Challenge Buy the Book:Amazon
My wish is to fall cranium over Converse in dizzy, daydream-worthy love.
When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.
By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this “vacation” has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you’ve watched your parents’ affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? can you even know it until you’ve lost it?
I’m a fan of novels in verse, I am amazed at how an author can convey such emotion using so few words! Love and Leftovers is no exception to the wonderful verse novels I’ve experienced.
Marcie’s voice is incredible. It’s what made this novel such an enjoyable reading expereince. It’s imperfect, realistic and raw. Perhaps I enjoy reading verse novels so much is because of the simplicity of the writing. Everything is cut out except for what absolutely must be there. These characters are so exposed, it’s such a different reading experience. I just love it!
The story was just as wonderful as the characters. Watching Marcie’s struggle with what exactly love means to her, it was so gripping! It was difficult to watch her internal conflict at times, knowing that there is no one true right answer.
Love and Leftovers was just an all around great read and I can’t wait to see what Tregay comes up with next!
I’m so excited to share with you a giveaway for A With in Winter from the awesome people at Hodder Children’s Books!
Anna Winterson doesn’t know she’s a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her – but if it is her magic that’s controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.
I have a finished copy of A Witch in Winter for one lucky person!
Official Contest information:
to enter, please fill out the form below
entrants must be 13 years of age or older
contest open to Everyone
the winner will be announced on this blog post at the conclusion of the contest
the winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.
DO NOT PUT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION
I think by now most of you have probably heard that tragedy has touched one of our own. While away at the American Library Association Mid-Winter Meeting, Yara of Once Upon a Twilight lost her home in a fire.
The blaze began in the afternoon hours of Friday, January 20 and reignited in the wee morning hours Saturday. (You can read a full report in the Montgomery County Police Reporter and view more images here.) Sadly, it gutted the Santos family’s house and only the shell of it remains. This is what Yara returned to…
Thank goodness no one was injured, including the pets. That is the bright spot in all of this. As devastating and horrible as the events of the past weekend were, every member of the Santos family is physically okay. Things can be replaced and houses rebuilt, but all of that is secondary to the safety of the people. After all, possessions don’t make a home. People do. (Read Yara’s cousin Jenny’s post.)
To no one’s surprise, the book blogging community is rushing to the aid of Yara’s family. Twilight Moms is holding a donation drive to raise money and help the family in the interim and eventually get them back on their feet. Authors are pitching in to raise funds for the family. Lani Woodland and several other authors are hosting a contest for those who donate to the cause in an an effort to boost donations.
The three of us here had the same thought, knowing that while memories and so many of Yara and her family’s things cannot be replaced there are things that can be. Namely books. We’ve spent hours sifting through her blog, her Goodreads and her wishlists to compile a massive list of books she enjoyed or hoped to read. We’ve also posted one for her children in an effort not only to restock Yara’s bookshelves, but those of her kids.
Please take a look at the Yara’s Booklist and the Children’s List. We’re trying hard to avoid duplicates, and will be updating the list daily to cross out items that have already been donated.
Visit the Donation Page to donate a book for either Yara or her boys. New books and gently used copies are greatly appreciated. And if you don’t want to donate a book but want to contribute you can always donate a gift card.
Thanks in advance to everyone! We’ll keep you posted as all our efforts progress and update you on Yara’s situation whenever we can. Please keep the Santos family in your thoughts and prayers.]
Release Date: December 27, 2011 Author Info:Website | Facebook Publisher:Greenwillow Books Age Group: Young Adult Shelfability:Borrow Pages: 336 Format: Advance Reader Copy Source: Publisher Interest: Debut Author Challenge: 2011 Debut Author Challenge Buy the Book:Amazon
Leah has the life most high school girls would kill for—popularity, glowing grades, a rich, athletic boyfriend. So why does she feel like she can’t breathe? And why can’t she stop thinking about the boy from the country club? The one who isn’t her boyfriend, the one that her mother would never, ever approve of, the one that her perfect older sisters would never, ever look at twice. The one who is always looking back at her. Irresistible attraction, smoldering glances, the bad boy and the good girl—Kiss Crush Collide has everything that a steamy forbidden romance should, and then some.
I was so very excited to read this book because it was compared to the likeness of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles! But it wasn’t.
I had a hard time feeling anything toward the main character Leah. She is a girl that has everything that she could ever want and more. Sure her parents have expectations for her, I feel so bad that her parents loved her enough to want the best for her. In case that didn’t come across as sarcastic, it was meant to be. Leah’s parents weren’t perfect but I didn’t feel like that was enough to justify her actions. Her boyfriend, while he wasn’t perfect, didn’t deserve to be lied to and cheated on. Had Leah grew as a character and redemmed in herself by the end of the novel, I would have felt totally different about her, but she just didn’t have any character growth.
Her love interest Duffy, who is he? We didn’t really learn much about him. Their relationship had no substance.
The premise of the novel could have been a wonderful one, unfortunately the whole thing just fell flat for me.
Release Date: December 6, 2011 Author Info:Website | Twitter | Facebook Publisher:St. Martin’s Griffin Age Group: Young Adult Shelfability:Acquire/Borrow Pages: 352 Format: Advance Reader Copy Source: Publisher Interest: Debut Challenge: 2011 Debut Author Challenge Buy the Book:Amazon
Sixteen-year-old Trinity Monsour wants nothing more than to live a normal life. But that isn’t as easy as it seems. Trinity is different. She is special. She sees visions, and for those she’s seen, it’s already too late.
Trinity arrives on her aunt’s doorstep in New Orleans with virtually no knowledge of her mysterious heritage. She begins settling into life at a new school and even starts making friends. But all too quickly her dreams accelerate; twisted, terrifying visions of a girl locked in a dark room. And when the head cheerleader, Jessica, goes missing, Trinity knows she has no choice but to step forward with what she’s seen.
But people believe that Trinity has information about Jessica’s disappearance not because of a dream, but because she is involved. She is kind-of dating Jessica’s ex-boyfriend, Chase, and Jessica did pull a nasty prank on Trinity. Revenge seems like the likeliest scenario.
Trinity girl, I have three words for you: Chase, who? and DYLAN. Okay that as really four, but the “and” doesn’t count.
Shattered Dreams was a fun filled ride! There are so many twists and turns in this one I wasn’t sure if up was down or down was up! I’m hoping that we get to learn a lot more about Trinity’s abilities in the next novel. There is a next novel, right? I feel like we just started to scratch the surface to Trinity’s ability and her heritage. And of course I want to see how Dylan and his father come into play in the scheme of things.
New Orleans was the perfect backdrop for this mysterious and gripping novel. It definitely had that creepy after taste that fit the book perfectly. I think the setting was almost a character in itself. James paints it beautifully! It makes you seem like you are right there with Trinity.
Trinity was a love hate character for me. I think I struggled with her naivety but at the same time I couldn’t help but feel empathy for her since she’s been cut off from this huge part of her life. I will admit that she did grow on me by the end of the novel.
Great characters, wicked story and a creepy setting… this book is fabulous! And just plain fun to read.
Magic, Djinn, Ogres, and Sorcerers. Thirteen-year-old Zardi loves to hear stories about fantastical beings, long banned from the kingdom of Arribitha. But anyone caught whispering of their powers will feel the rage of the sultan—a terrifying usurper who, even with his eyes closed, can see all.
When her own beloved sister is captured by the evil ruler, Zardi knows that she must go to any lengths to rescue her. Along with her best friend, Ridhan—a silver-haired, violet-eyed boy of mysterious origins—and an unlikely crew of sailors led by the infamous Captain Sinbad, Zardi ventures forth into strange and wondrous territory with a seemingly impossible mission: to bring magic back to Arribitha and defeat the sultan once and for all.
What you can win:
A signed copy of The Book of Wonders
A bookplate
A bookmark
A book pendant
Official Contest information:
to enter, please fill out the form below
entrants must be 13 years of age or older
contest open to Everyone
the winner will be announced on this blog post at the conclusion of the contest
the winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.
DO NOT PUT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION
Release Date: December 27, 2011 Publisher:Little Brown Books for Young Readers Age Group: Young Adult Shelfability:Borrow Pages: 368 Format: Advance Reader Copy Source: BEA Interest: Story Challenge: None Buy the Book:Amazon
I’m telling you why we broke up, Ed. I’m writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.
Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.
I loved the premise of this novel. Absolutely loved it! I thought it was genius. I mean, didn’t everyone make one of those boxes full of all those obscure items from your relationship that don’t really many anything to anyone but you. I know I’ve burned a few of those. What can I say? I’ve had some bad break-ups. I think I was so excited about the premise of this novel that once I was done reading I felt very underwhelmed.
The only reason I kept reading is because I wanted to see why they broke up. And it was exactly the reason I thought it was going to be. I should have just skipped ahead and saved myself hours of reading.
The entire novel Min is making references to these old movies. Normally I am down with that sort of thing, but this got to the point where it was just down right annoying. Everything that happened started with “it’s like when blah blah old movie reference inserted here” and throughout the novel I wondered why I’d never heard of any of these old movies and it’s because the author made them all up. It could have been genius, but it just wasn’t.
The novel was very well written, but Min definitely didn’t seem like a 16 year girl.
If I had to describe Why We Broke Up in word word it would be: awkward. I couldn’t tell if it was meant to be satire of a teen relationship or not. What was the reason these two were together in the first place? Perhaps I just wasn’t intellectual enough to “get” this one.
On another note, I short of wished I would have had a finished copy just to see the finished artwork. From what I could get from the incomplete arc, that part would have been fabulous!
What exactly is The Debut Dish? Well it’s a way to highlight a few debuts. To let you know a little bit more about them and the author! Perhaps after you read The Dish, you might want to pick one of them up!
May B. by Caroline Starr Rose
Release Date: January 10, 2012 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Age Group: Middle Grade
May is helping out on a neighbor’s homestead — just until Christmas, her pa promises. But when a terrible turn of events leaves her all alone, she must try to find food and fuel — and courage — to make it through the approaching winter.
What is your favorite office supply?
I love stationery of any kind.
Describe your book in three words.
Courage to overcome.
What is your favorite beverage?
Water. Exciting, huh?
Ditched by Robin Mellom
Release Date: January 10, 2012 Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Age Group: Young Adult
A 16-year-old girl finds herself lying in a ditch the morning after her prom with no memory of the last twelve hours, which includes a disappearing prom date and a punk Tinkerbell tattoo. She must piece together—stain-by-stain on her thrift store dress—exactly how she ended up dateless…with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven.
What is the oddest thing on your desk right now?
A troll pencil topper (green-haired), which is sitting next to my Breakfast at Tiffany’s drink coaster.
What is your favorite office supply?
A three-hole punch (I strangely adore that crunching sound).
Describe your book in three words.
Girl. Boy. Ditch.
Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards
Release Date: January 17, 2012 Publisher: Harper Collins Age Group: Middle Grade
Magic, Djinn, Ogres, and Sorcerers. Thirteen-year-old Zardi loves to hear stories about fantastical beings, long banned from the kingdom of Arribitha. But anyone caught whispering of their powers will feel the rage of the sultan—a terrifying usurper who, even with his eyes closed, can see all.
When her own beloved sister is captured by the evil ruler, Zardi knows that she must go to any lengths to rescue her. Along with her best friend, Ridhan—a silver-haired, violet-eyed boy of mysterious origins—and an unlikely crew of sailors led by the infamous Captain Sinbad, Zardi ventures forth into strange and wondrous territory with a seemingly impossible mission: to bring magic back to Arribitha and defeat the sultan once and for all.
If you had to retitle your book, what would you call it and why?
The Windrose because this object is the key to so many things in the plot of Book of Wonders.
Describe your book in three words.
Magic, adventure, friendship
What is your favorite beverage?
Strawberry milkshake! The thicker the better! Some might say that this is cheating because milkshake at this consistency is pretty much ice cream but if it can get through a straw it is a beverage!
Fracture by Megan Miranda
Release Date: January 17, 2012 Publisher: Walker/Bloomsbury Age Group: Young Adult
Delaney was trapped under the ice of a Maine lake for eleven minutes before being rescued by her best friend, Decker. Despite brain scans that show wide-spread damage, she wakes from a coma 6-days-later, seemingly fine. But Delaney knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. But she doesn’t know whether her altered brain is predicting death or causing it…
What is your favorite office supply?
Hot pink sticky notes — can’t revise without them!
Release Date: December 27, 2011
9:20 am: A Wrinkle in Time: 50 Years, 50 Days, 50 Blogs!
7:22 am: Cover Reveal: On the Bright Side by S.R. Johannes
12:00 am: Giveaway: Kindle Loaded with New Coliloquy Titles!
6:52 am: Fracture by Megan Miranda
Recent Comments
Amy Carter on Giveaway: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
I have a new one w/ every book I read.Melissa/The Book Addict on Giveaway: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
Tamsin from once a witch and always a witch I <3 herKelly Mills on Giveaway: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
Well, so far the only YA witches I've read about are those in the Harry Potter series, but I'm looking...Lothfleur on Giveaway: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
My favorite witch... hmm does Lena Duchannes counts as a witch, as she is a caster? If not, I'll probably...Kelly on Giveaway: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
Thanks for the giveaway! For me, it's a toss up between Hermione from Harry Potter and Sophie from Hex Hall.