In My Mailbox (8)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Kristi over at The Story Siren, where we get to share about the books that we've gotten recently, whether it's in the mail, from the bookstore or the library!

<--- Of Poseidon by Anna Banks!

I was incredibly happy to receive an awesome ARC in the mail this week for a book that won't be released until May 22 of next year- it's called Of Poseidon, and it's by a new author named Anna Banks. Anna was nice enough to provide me with an early review copy, and I absolutely cannot wait to read it! And ummm... how GORGEOUS is that cover?!?!

Thanks Anna! :)

Author: Anna Banks      Publisher: Feiwel & Friends      Release Date: May 22, 2012      Pages: 352

Also, as you know, I get A LOT of my review books from the library-- I'm a librarian, and I love to support my local libraries :) So, here is what I borrowed this week-- click on the covers to see more info from Goodreads!



And finally, I also received some review books through NetGalley, which I just started using and am so glad that I did, because they have some great new and upcoming books there to read-- here is what I got!

		Title: Dearly, Departed Author: Lia Habel Publisher: Random House Release Date: October 18, 2011 Pages: 480
		Title: Darker Still Author: Leanna Renee Haber Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Release Date: November 8, 2011 Pages: 320
		Title: Crave Author: Melissa Darnell Publisher: Harlequin Teen Release Date: October 18, 2011 Pages: 416
		Title: Cinder Author: Marissa Meyer Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Release Date: January 3, 2012 Pages: 400

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else got this week too!! Happy Reading!

Follow Me Friday (18) & Blogger Hop!

Follow Me Friday is a fun book meme hosted by the fabulous Parajunkee over at Parajunkee's View AND Allison over at Allison Can Read. Have a book blog? You can play with us too! Just visit Parajunkee's site by clicking on LC's Follow Friday icon-- be sure you are a follower of her blog and the blog she is featuring for the week, put your name in the Linky, create your own FF post on your blog, and then start commenting and following whomever you wish!

This week's Follow Friday question:

If you could have characters from a particular book meet and form an epic storyline with characters from a particular TV series, which would you choose and why?

Alright, I've got it: 

I would take America's Next Top Model and combine it with all the characters from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead and the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz. Why? Um, because it would be freaking awesome!! Super- hot vampires competing in a modeling reality show-- now THAT's good TV.

Plus, as an added bonus, we could then see Tyra and Ms. J make faces like these:

Oh, yes, You heard me right.

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme for all of us awesome book bloggers, where we get to chat about all things "Bookish" over the weekend! It's hosted by the lovely Jennifer over at Crazy for Books. Feel free to click on LC's Book Blogger Hop icon to join in this week's Hop!     ------->

  
~THIS WEEK'S QUESTION~

“What is your favorite spooky book (i.e. mystery/suspense, thriller, ghost story, etc.)?”

My favorite spooky book is also the most prized and valuable book that I own-- it's a rare 1929 edition of Edgar Allen Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination, illustrated by Harry Clarke.  My grandma picked it up years ago at a used book sale for $0.25. Today it's worth over $400 in good condition! Also, the pictures in it are SUPER creepy-- Google Harry Clarke and you'll see what I'm talking about! Eeeshk! 

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

For those who don't know, Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly book meme where we get to let everyone know about what books we are eagerly anticipating the release of. WoW is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Want to participate? Grab the logo on her page, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave your link on her blog!

*****

This week's Waiting on Wednesday pick is... Dark Companion.

Author: Marta Acosta
Publisher: Tor/MacMillan
Release Date: June 2012
Pages: N/A

Summary: When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the grounds keeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

Why I'm waiting: I know, I know-- there are like 50 billion YA books out there about academies and boarding schools, but still I am inexplicably attracted to reading more of them! I think that this story sounds really intriguing, and I am definitely looking forward to reading it!

Also, don't you just LOVE that cover? It looks so mysterious, and I like how you can only see the back of the girl, walking through the misty, creepy woods... the only thing I would change is the font style of the title-- it looks like something you would see on some happy, chick-lit romance book-- it doesn't really seem to fit the mood of the rest of the cover... But otherwise, I think this is absolutely a book to keep an eye out for!

Check out Marta Acosta and Dark Companion on Goodreads!!

What is everyone else waiting on this week?

Book Review: Matched

Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Series: Matched #1
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Pages: 384
Read it in: 1.5 days
Source: The library

Summary: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

LC's Take:

I feel a teeny-tiny bit sorry for Matched, because I read it in the wake of other amazing YA dystopians such as The Hunger Games, Wither and Divergent. Now, that is not to say that I didn't like it, or that it was a disappointment-- because it wasn't! Only that, it somewhat lacked the brilliance of other novels in this genre. It wasn't heart-stoppingly amazing, but I did like it. In fact, I liked it enough that I read it in 2 sittings, which is almost unheard of for me (I'm a slow reader!).

Cassia Maria Reyes is 17 years old and every aspect of her life has already been planned out for her by the trusted Officials of "The Society." Rules and regulations shape every aspect of her life, and Cassia has never questioned or deviated from them. Everything is safe and perfect, and there is no pain, suffering or sadness. That is, until a glitch in the system matches her with two different guys-- Xander, her best friend, and Ky, a mysterious boy from the Outer Provinces whom she knows little about.

I loved seeing Cassia's character develop as I read this story. Through her Grandfather's poems, Ky's stories, and her own observations, Cassia begins to think for herself and realize that everything she has always passively accepted as truth is actually false. And as Cassia slowly starts to think independently from what the Society has always told her to believe, she also starts to find her own identity along the way. I loved that Cassia finally realized that she needed to live her life according to her own terms and no one else's.

The romance between Cassia and Ky was very touching and beautiful, and I loved seeing their relationship slowly build over the course of the novel. Even though it's secret and forbidden, you just can't help but wish against everything that they will end up together! The romance is thankfully free of teen angst or mushy love scenes- everything was genuine and sweet. 

Ally Condie really did a fantastic job of creating a world that seems perfect, but clearly has something very dark and disturbing lurking under the surface. The plot itself did lack the same amount of heart-pounding action as The Hunger Games or Divergent, but in it's quieter way Matched still had it's own appeal.

Unfortunately, some parts of this book did seem slightly formulaic (yup, there's a big ol' love triangle)-- and I thought some things were reminiscent of other dystopian books I've already read (The Giver-- almost everyone else has said the same thing). Also, I felt like we were left in the dark about a lot of things, and I wish that more history and context had been explained. What lead to the Society being created in the first place? What year does this story take place in? Who are the people fighting the system? Who are the people actually in charge and what does the structure of the Society look like? Is there a president or leader? What exactly is the war about and who are they fighting against? These are things that seemed frustratingly vague and wishy-washy to me, and I hope we get to hear more about them in the next books!

In many ways, Matched was a good story that kept me reading. However, there were also things that I found to be lacking, and even though this probably isn't fair, it was hard not to compare it to other books in the YA dystopian genre. Overall it was still very readable and entertaining, and I think that the story it tells was both beautiful and thought-provoking.

LC's Rating:

In its own quieter way, Matched takes a place among other YA dystopian novels. While I found it to be touching and beautiful in some aspects, I wish that there had been more world-building and action. Other than that, this was still a great story!

Wondrous Strange: Book Review + Giveaway!

Author: Lesley Livingston
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Wondrous Strange #1
Release Date: September 22, 2009
Pages: 336
Read it in: 3 days
Source: The library

Summary: 17 year-old Kelley Winslow doesn’t believe in Faeries. Not unless they’re the kind that you find in a theatre, spouting Shakespeare—the kind that Kelley so desperately wishes she could be: onstage, under lights, with a pair of sparkly wings strapped to her shoulders. But as the understudy in a two-bit, hopelessly off-off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, wishing is probably the closest she’s going to get to becoming a Faerie Queen. At least, that’s what she thinks... In this fun, urban fantasy, Kelley's off-stage life suddenly becomes as complicated as one of Shakespeare’s plot twists when a nighttime trip to Central Park holds more than meets the mortal eye.

LC's Take:

OK, can we pretty please first take about 5 minutes to sit and stare at this gorgeous book cover?? **sigh**

Alrighty, moving on!

Wondrous Strange had all the elements of an awesome book-- interesting and likable characters, action-packed plot line, creative world-building,  heart-melting romance and quirky humor. This is the kind of book that I thoroughly enjoy reading, and I've already gone out and picked up the sequel!

Kelly Winslow is a 17-year old aspiring actress, trying to make it big in NYC. As an understudy in a (very) small off-broadway production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, she is struggling just to get by. But after the lead for the part of Queen Titania is injured, Kelly finally has her chance to be in the spotlight-- until a very strange night in Central Park changes her life forever. First, she meets a mysterious boy named Sonny Flannery, who happens to be a changeling from the world of fae who works for King Auboron of the Unseelie Court as a Janus Guard. Then she manages to save a kelpie (which resembles a gigantic horse) from a pond-- only to have the horse-creature reappear in her apartment! As Kelly becomes more and more entangled in the faery world, she learns a long-kept secret about herself and her true identity-- while becoming closer and closer to the changeling boy trying to protect her.

First of all, Kelly was a wonderful, believable main character. She had a head on her shoulders and didn't let anyone lead her around or tell her what to do, which was a welcome change from some of the other ditzy and clueless Mary Sues out there in other YA books. At first she downright refuses to believe in the idea that faeries are actually real and she thinks Sonny is absolutely crazy when he tells her-- probably the reaction we would all have, right?! Her "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude totally won me over, because it seriously annoys me when the main character finds out something completely unbelievable and then unquestioningly accepts it in about 2 minutes. Kelly actually takes awhile before she's convinced, and when she does learn about faeries and how she is a major part of the faery realm, she doesn't flake out, but takes charge of her own destiny. LOVED Kelly!!

Sonny was such a wonderful male character, and I hesitate to call him a "love interest," because he was so much more than that. Genuinely sweet, romantic, and kind-hearted, Sonny was the epitome of dreamy and stood out from many other guys I've read about in YA books. I hate, hate, hate when the male love-interest acts all aloof-- or even worse-- treats the female protagonist badly, while all she does is fawn dotingly over someone who is emotionally abusive (See my rants about the Fallen series for more on that). Sonny and Kelly are thankfully different and also teenage angst-free. Their growing relationship was not only believable, but had me unable to put this book down. And trust me when I say, you will totally fall in love with Sonny like I did!

Wondrous Strange had a really good balance of both urban and fantasy story elements-- the faery and fantasy parts weren't so overdone that people not so into this genre won't like to read it. While the plot centers around faeries, there is not a lot of travel to the faery world, like you would see in a book like The Iron King, and almost everything happens in NYC and Central Park. I thought that there was a perfect blend of being both realistic and whimsical, and this book could definitely be read be many different kinds of readers! Finally, the duel narratives told from both Kelly and Sonny's POVs mixed things up a bit and added a unique twist. Overall, I really loved this book-- if you've had this one sitting on your shelf for awhile, go, go, go and read it!

LC's Rating: 

If you like books about faeries, Wondrous Strange is perfect for you!  More light-hearted than dark, this book was fun to read from beginning to end. You will love Kelly and Sonny, and be caught up in a whimsical story with beautiful world-building. Make sure this one is on your To-Be-Read list!!

Want to win a copy of Wondrous Strange? Enter below!!

• ONE lucky winner will receive their own copy of Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
• Contest ends on October 15, 2011
• Open internationally to wherever The Book Depository ships!

ARC Book Review: The Sharp Time

Author: Mary O'Connell
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: November 8, 2011
Pages: 240
Read it in: 3 days
Source: ARC provided by the author

Summary: Sandinista Jones is a high school senior with a punk rock name and a broken heart. The death of her single mother has left Sandinista alone in the world, subject to the random vulnerability of everyday life. When the school system lets her down, her grief and instability intensify, and she ponders a violent act of revenge.

Still, in the midst of her crisis, she gets a job at The Pale Circus, a funky vintage clothing shop, and finds friendship and camaraderie with her coworker, a boy struggling with his own secrets.

Even as Sandinista sees the failures of those with power and authority, she's offered the chance to survive through the redemptive power of friendship. Now she must choose between faith and forgiveness or violence and vengeance.

LC's Take:

OMGosh. This book has left me pretty much speechless. Like, I don't even know where to begin with how beautifully haunting this book was...

For me, the thing that stood out about The Sharp Time from almost every other YA book I've read was that the writing was so incredibly intelligent and just-- beautiful. Like I'm talking, jaw-droppingly, hauntingly, can't even believe it, beautiful. The whole time I was reading, I was totally mesmerized and just wanted to savor every word. It was like reading poetry in prose. So yeah-- the writing? Amazing-- AND it was funny! The part at the erotic cake store-- yeah, you heard me. I was dying. (Hahaha, now I know you're going to buy this book when it comes out!)

Sandinista is 18 years old, a senior in high-school. Her mother has recently died in a car accident and now she is basically alone in the world. After a horrible incident at school involving an abusive teacher, Sandinista is consumed by hatred and bitterness towards what the world has thrown at her. Luckily, she has her job at The Pale Circus, an off-beat vintage clothing store, where she meets Bradley, a boy who has his own secrets and troubles. Together, they learn to cope with the darker things in life, and find beauty in a broken world.

Sandinista's narrative was just incredible-- she was so real, so introspective, and her way of telling things the way they are was both jarring and poetic. She was witty, snarky, and extremely genuine-- she is definitely not a character you will forget! Her observations had me in a continual trance throughout the entire book-- like how could anyone be that insightful about the world and make me feel the exact same way about what she's experiencing?

Alright-- I have decided that I have to stick some quotes in this review, you just need to see what I'm talking about with this writing!

"The carmine-red flats on her high-arched feet give me the rainbow-confetti feeling of a happy ending." ~p.8

"So maybe my own life is not so drastic and dreadful... maybe I am just like all those other girls who have come before me with their oily T-zones and random terrible days and bittersweet triumphs, the world billowing out behind them." ~p.17-18

"Well. Arne cares. It's weird, to be sure, but he just met me and he cares. I see this; I see he is not from the school of smiling bleached-teeth bull****." ~p.46

"'Oh, well, absolutely I am a tattooed Catholic fancy pants. And that would not be a bad name for a blog: the Catholic Fancy Pants.'" ~p.82

"O the embittered drama of last summer now seems swathed in cotton candy, lit by pink and lavender incandescent bulbs. Had I known what the future held, I would have cherished the innocence of smashed romance and written odes celebrating my generic teenage heartache." ~p.87

Yeah. I KNOW. The WHOLE BOOK is like this-- one lyrical sentence after another, that basically had my head reeling with how brilliant and heartfelt it all was. I can't even-- **sigh.** No words. I freaking loved this book. Honestly, this is just one of those books that you have to read for yourself and experience-- I promise you, this is one novel you will not regret reading!

LC's Rating:

Raw and uncensored, The Sharp Time tells a redemptive story about finding beauty in a broken world. All I can say is: Read this as soon as you can!!

Reflections on How Blogging Changed My Life

So I was recently visiting the wonderful book blog called Parajunkee's View-- basically the epitome of book-blogging epicness-- and saw that she had recently published her 10,000th blog post. Now, I think we can all agree, that is quite a milestone! To commemorate this achievement, Rachel, AKA Parajunkee, spent some time reminiscing on how blogging had changed her life. Well, I thought this was an awesome idea, because I know that for me personally, blogging has become a major part of my own life and what I do now. I think it is a great idea to reflect on our achievements as book bloggers, so I hope that what I have to say here inspires you to look at what you have accomplished as well. Because you know what? Whether you have 50 followers or 5,000 followers-- if you are a book blogger who loves to read, review, and share your passion for books with other people-- you have something to be proud of!!

OK, so I'm going to tell you a little of my story as the blogger behind LC's Adventures in Libraryland. I started my blog back on March 23 of this year. Up until then, I barely knew what blogging was and I didn't even have a Twitter account. My first book review was for Fallen by Lauren Kate (Which looking back, I now think I gave a fairly generous review of haha). After about one week of blogging, a wonderful blogger named Deborah from Deborah's Books, told me she loved my blog and was giving me an award! I couldn't even believe it-- I thought, hey, somebody is actually reading and LIKING what I'm writing and how I'm presenting my blog! SWEET!! I took this as a good sign and continued trying to learn as much as I could about how to create and maintain a successful blog.

I started joining in all the weekly book blog memes, like Teaser Tuesdays, Waiting on Wednesdays, and of course Follow Me Fridays by Parajunkee. Slowly but surely, my following started to grow, and by May 13th I was hosting my first ever giveaway to celebrate the 200 follower mark. I also did a major redesign to make my blog more readable (see old design was darker!). But you know what has been most rewarding? Reading some absolutely amazing YA books, and meeting some incredibly talented and supportive bloggers who have helped me to develop a hobby into something that I am really passionate about!

Today I am nearing the 1,000 follower mark, which I am really excited about. I am also now able to confidently contact authors and publishers to request ARCs for early reviews (see nerdy picture of me below lol), I'm co-hosting online events to promote new books and authors, and I often get emails from new bloggers asking for advice on how they can get their own book blogs to grow. Honestly, that is one of my favorite things about blogging, besides gaining new followers and receiving ARCs in the mail-- I absolutely love to help and support other bloggers, because that is how I became successful with my own blog-- by looking to those who came before me for tips and advice.

I would say that blogging has definitely changed my life. It has become not only a hobby and pastime, but something I am genuinely passionate about-- I love doing it, and I spend most of my free time reading, reviewing, and interacting with the blogosphere. I am now thinking of taking classes in web design so that I can expand my blog to include design for other blogs as well. I think that sites like Parajunkee's View that give honest advice on blogging are so cool, and I am very grateful for all the help I have gotten from them!

I hope that new book bloggers can be inspired just by knowing that you don't have to be a blogging genius or a high-tech web designer or a professional writer to have a successful book blog-- just be committed to providing the best site you can for you and your followers, and always be open to learning new things. Basically, just do what you love and be proud of it! That is the best advice I can give to any new blogger.

And as always, "Happy Reading" to you all!