Rabbit rabbit: Rabbit Hutch

The Rabbit Hutch
by Tess Gunty
Literary, Coming of Age | Published: 2022 | Goodreads
The automobile industry has abandoned Vacca Vale, Indiana, leaving the residents behind, too. In a run-down apartment building on the edge of town, commonly known as the Rabbit Hutch, a number of people now reside quietly, looking for ways to live in a dying city. Apartment C2 is lonely and detached. C6 is aging and stuck. C8 harbors an extraordinary fear. But C4 is of particular interest.

Here live four teenagers who have recently aged out of the state foster-care system: three boys and one girl, Blandine, who The Rabbit Hutch centers around. Hauntingly beautiful and unnervingly bright, Blandine is plagued by the structures, people, and places that not only failed her but actively harmed her. Now all Blandine wants is an escape, a true bodily escape like the mystics describe in the books she reads.

Lion Cross Point by Masatsugu Ono

Lion Cross Point
by Masatsugu Ono
translated by Angus Turvill
Published: 2018
Publisher: Two Lines Press
Genre: Coming of Age, Ghosts, Japan
Hardback: 128
Rating: 5
Goodreads

First sentence(s):
I hated it. Detested it. I just wanted to get away as soon as I could.

When 10-year-old Takeru arrives at his mother's home village in the middle of a scorching summer, he's all alone and in possession of terrible memories. Unspeakable things have happened to his mother and his mentally disabled 12-year-old brother. As Takeru gets to know Mitsuko, his new caretaker, and Saki, his spunky neighbor, he meets more of his mother's old friends, discovering her history and confronting the terrible acts that have left him alone. All the while he begins to see a strange figure that calls himself Bunji—the same name of a delicate young boy who mysteriously vanished one day on the village's coastline at Lion's Cross Point.

At once the moving tale of a young boy forced to confront demons well beyond his age, a sensitive portrayal of a child's point of view, and a spooky Japanese ghost story, Lion's Cross Point is gripping and poignant. Acts of heartless brutality mix with surprising moments of pure kindness, creating this utterly truthful tale of an unforgettable young boy.

My two-bits:
Beautiful melancholy passages.

Loved the writing with its parallels, repetitions and moments of kindness.

~*~
* Filipino character mentioned

* weekly theme: Japan

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi

Trust Exercise
by Susan Choi

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Published: April 2019
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Genre: Literary, Coming of Age
Hardback: 272
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
NEITHER CAN DRIVE. David turns sixteen the following March, Sarah the following April. It is early July, neither one within sight of sixteen and the keys to a car.

In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, Shakespeare, and, particularly, their acting classes. When within this striving “Brotherhood of the Arts,” two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed—or untoyed with—by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley.

The outside world of family life and economic status, of academic pressure and of their future adult lives, fails to penetrate this school’s walls—until it does, in a shocking spiral of events that catapults the action forward in time and flips the premise upside-down. What the reader believes to have happened to David and Sarah and their friends is not entirely true—though it’s not false, either. It takes until the book’s stunning coda for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place—revealing truths that will resonate long after the final sentence.

As captivating and tender as it is surprising, Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, friendships and loyalties, and will leave readers with wiser understandings of the true capacities of adolescents and of the powers and responsibilities of adults.

My two-bits:

Heartache, painful growth for the first half of the book. The second half gets into a whole other something that made my head spin a little. Interesting twist.

~*~
* part of the Camp ToB 2019 (here)

Milkman by Anna Burns

Milkman
by Anna Burns
narrated by Bríd Brennan

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Published: 2018
Publisher: Graywolf Press
Genre: Literary, Coming of Age, Ireland
Paperback: 360
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
The day Somebody McSomebody put a gun to my breast and called me a cat and threaded to shoot me was the same day the milkman died.

In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes 'interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed and to be noticed is dangerous.

Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences.

My two-bits:

I liked how this went into unexpected directions. Lots of mini stories embedded to create the scene and its people.

~*~
* Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2018

* Listened to audiobook version.

* part of the Tournament of Books 2019 (here)

The Fragile Ordinary by Samantha Young

The Fragile Ordinary
by Samantha Young
narrated by Elle Newlands

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Just released: June 26, 2018
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Coming of age, YA, Scotland
Hardback: 384
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
I am Comet Caldwell.
And I sort of, kind of, absolutely hate my name.

People expect extraordinary things from a girl named Comet. That she’ll be effortlessly cool and light up a room the way a comet blazes across the sky.

But from the shyness that makes her book-character friends more appealing than real people to the parents whose indifference hurts more than an open wound, Comet has never wanted to be the center of attention. She can’t wait to graduate from her high school in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the only place she ever feels truly herself is on her anonymous poetry blog. But surely that will change once she leaves to attend university somewhere far, far away.

When new student Tobias King blazes in from America and shakes up the school, Comet thinks she’s got the bad boy figured out. Until they’re thrown together for a class assignment and begin to form an unlikely connection. Everything shifts in Comet’s ordinary world. Tobias has a dark past and runs with a tough crowd—and none of them are happy about his interest in Comet. Targeted by bullies and thrown into the spotlight, Comet and Tobias can go their separate ways…or take a risk on something extraordinary.

My two-bits:

Oh, the whoas. Teens dealing with various parental issues are covered with a sweet romance to follow along with.

High school issues such as bullies and drugs are highlighted.

~*~
* Listened to audiobook version.

* part of the Blog All About It Challenge: Spirit (here)

Stephen Florida by Gabe Habash

Stephen Florida
by Gabe Habash

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Published: 2017
Publisher: Coffee House Press
Genre: Literary, Coming of Age, Sports (wrestling)
Hardback: 304
Rating: 5

First sentence(s):
My mother had two placentas and I was living off both of them.

Foxcatcher meets The Art of Fielding, Stephen Florida follows a college wrestler in his senior season, when every practice, every match, is a step closer to greatness and a step further from sanity. Profane, manic, and tipping into the uncanny, it's a story of loneliness, obsession, and the drive to leave a mark.

My two-bits:

This coming of age story flavored with a college wrestling angle is raw and ugly. An unlikable character moves this story on the path of his obsession to reach his wrestling stardom. His quirks and choices drives us along the way to the very end. And then, what does it all mean?

~*~
* part of Tournament of Books 2018 which started yesterday! Unfortunately, Stephen Florida did not win the pre-game round. BUT, it may come into play again during the zombie round. (details)

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

The Idiot
by Elif Batuman
narrated by author

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Published: 2017
Publisher: Penguin Press
Genre: Historical, Coming of Age, Women's Fiction
Hardback: 432
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
I didn't know what email was until I got to college.

A portrait of the artist as a young woman. A novel about not just discovering but inventing oneself.

The year is 1995, and email is new. Selin, the daughter of Turkish immigrants, arrives for her freshman year at Harvard. She signs up for classes in subjects she has never heard of, befriends her charismatic and worldly Serbian classmate, Svetlana, and, almost by accident, begins corresponding with Ivan, an older mathematics student from Hungary. Selin may have barely spoken to Ivan, but with each email they exchange, the act of writing seems to take on new and increasingly mysterious meanings.

At the end of the school year, Ivan goes to Budapest for the summer, and Selin heads to the Hungarian countryside, to teach English in a program run by one of Ivan's friends. On the way, she spends two weeks visiting Paris with Svetlana. Selin's summer in Europe does not resonate with anything she has previously heard about the typical experiences of American college students, or indeed of any other kinds of people. For Selin, this is a journey further inside herself: a coming to grips with the ineffable and exhilarating confusion of first love, and with the growing consciousness that she is doomed to become a writer.

With superlative emotional and intellectual sensitivity, mordant wit, and pitch-perfect style, Batuman dramatizes the uncertainty of life on the cusp of adulthood. Her prose is a rare and inimitable combination of tenderness and wisdom; its logic as natural and inscrutable as that of memory itself. The Idiot is a heroic yet self-effacing reckoning with the terror and joy of becoming a person in a world that is as intoxicating as it is disquieting. Batuman's fiction is unguarded against both life's affronts and its beauty--and has at its command the complete range of thinking and feeling which they entail.


My two-bits:

Amusing coming of age tale of college learning, living and loving (with its awkward painful moments). The experience of student work abroad to Hungary comes into play as well.

~*~
* Listened to audiobook version.

* part of Tournament of Books 2018 (here)

The Little Queen by Meia Geddes

The Little Queen
by Meia Geddes

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Just released: Release date: August 1, 2017
Publisher: Poetose Press
Genre: Fairy Tale, Coming of Age
ebook
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
On a little world, upon a little hill, a little tear fell down a little face.

When her mother and father pass away, the little queen must figure out how to be a little queen. And so she begins her adventures, journeying away from her palace and into the world to determine how she should go about going on. The little queen soon encounters numerous folks who teach her a thing or two: the book sniffer, the dream writer, and the architect of silence are just a few. Along the way, the little queen finds friendship, love, and meaning in being a leader in her world. THE LITTLE QUEEN is a magical exploration of self-discovery, vocation, community, and home.

PeekAbook:

My two-bits:

This sweet whimsical-like book is a story of a journey where nuggets of wisdom are found with each person met.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

Pipeliner by Shawn Hartje

Pipeliner
by Shawn Hartje

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Published: 2016
Genre: Coming of Age, YA
ebook
Rating: 3

First sentence(s):
In the Trail King parking lot, Jason Krabb saw his friend isabel Perkins's brown Dodge Aries sedan parked between giant pickups, a good sign since she'd lately been hanging with Shelly Stewart, whom Jason had been flirting with in algebra II.

Zombie sighting:
She told him to shower first and then go to bed, couldn't stand her child looking like a zombie.
-chapter 6

For seventeen-year-old Jason Krabb, high school life in 1990s Idaho is a world of cargo shorts, cassette tapes, and junk food. Plagued equally by algebra and puberty, Jason sets out to find a girlfriend and become a rock guitarist. His quest is irreversibly jolted when he attends a bonfire and meets an alluring girl from the other side of town and a rag tag crew who are bringing gas lines through the desert in order to keep the lights on in Portland and Seattle, places where Jason hopes to find his nirvana as a guitarist.

Meanwhile, things deteriorate at home. Jason's pediatrician mom, Leah, sadly faces the twilight of her parenting years while his father, Curtis, contends with the enormity of running a big ticket research laboratory and coming to terms with his son's wayward path.

Pipeliner is at once a coming of age love story and a comical timestamp of early 90s family life. Set in the fictional Idaho town of Helen Springs, pop. 58,000, its characters are as vibrant as the lofty peaks and purple sunsets of the high desert. Here we find rich farmers, poor ranchers, dutiful Mormons, government honchos, disgruntled vets, drug-dealing bruisers, irksome teachers, and spirited students, all doing their best to keep the lights on.

My two-bits:

I found this to be a mellow easy going story of life in Idaho and what it has to offer.

Idaho living and its setting of pipeline country provide a backdrop for Jason's coming-of-age story that touches upon the young adult scene, classism, religion, ethnic diversity, first love and intimate encounters.

Jason's desire to move on to bigger and better things by way of music brings in elements of the music scene which he is mostly exposed to via cassette tapes.

Although this story's primary focus is on Jason, there are also parts told in the voice of his mother. The parenting experience of teens with its ups, downs, dramas and uncertainties shows another side of Jason.


~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

Delicious!
by Ruth Reichl
narrated by Julia Whelan

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Published: 2014
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Coming of Age, Food, Mystery
Hardback: 400 pages
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
"You should have used fresh ginger!"

Ruth Reichl is a born storyteller. Through her restaurant reviews, where she celebrated the pleasures of a well-made meal, and her bestselling memoirs that address our universal feelings of love and loss, Reichl has achieved a special place in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of readers. Now, with this magical debut novel, she has created a sumptuous, wholly realized world that will enchant you.

Billie Breslin has traveled far from her home in California to take a job at Delicious!, New York’s most iconic food magazine. Away from her family, particularly her older sister, Genie, Billie feels like a fish out of water—until she is welcomed by the magazine’s colorful staff. She is also seduced by the vibrant downtown food scene, especially by Fontanari’s, the famous Italian food shop where she works on weekends. Then Delicious! is abruptly shut down, but Billie agrees to stay on in the empty office, maintaining the hotline for reader complaints in order to pay her bills.

To Billie’s surprise, the lonely job becomes the portal to a miraculous discovery. In a hidden room in the magazine’s library, Billie finds a cache of letters written during World War II by Lulu Swan, a plucky twelve-year-old, to the legendary chef James Beard. Lulu’s letters provide Billie with a richer understanding of history, and a feeling of deep connection to the young writer whose courage in the face of hardship inspires Billie to comes to terms with her fears, her big sister and her ability to open her heart to love.

My two-bits:

Experiences at a New York food magazine and in a food shop pulled me into this coming of age and mystery rolled into this foodie themed book.

Some epistolary parts with descriptions of life during World War II and cooking.

And a touch of romance plays a part as well.

Cake recipe included.

~*~
* Listened to audiobook version.

* part of Foodies Read Challenge (here)

Outward Blonde by Trish Cook

Outward Blonde
by Trish Cook

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Release date: April 18, 2017
Publisher: Adaptive Books
Genre: Coming of Age, YA
Paperback: 288 pages
Rating: 5

First sentence(s): from ARC
"You're not gong to believe this, Jem!" I say when my best friend finally picks up FaceTime.

Zombie sighting:
Besmirch is a funny word and I'd totally laugh, but I don't because I've never seen her so angry. She's scaring me I'm used to zombie Mom, not zombie apocalypse Mom. -page 34, chapter 4

Sixteen-year-old Lizzie Finkelstein is a hard-partying socialite who lives a charmed life with her mother in Manhattan. After a public drunken escapade results in both an arrest and an embarrassing viral video online, Lizzie’s parents stage a late night intervention. Lizzie finds herself whisked away to Utah to learn a lesson or two about taking responsibility at Camp Smiley, a wilderness survival program for troubled kids.

Camp Smiley is a far cry from Lizzie’s high society life in New York. Without her stable of luxury hair/makeup items, her teacup Pomeranian, contact with the outside world or access to social media, Lizzie must face the harsh conditions of the outdoors. Grouped with troubled campers in which she’s certain she has nothing in common (except Jack, who’s pretty hot), Lizzie must now learn to dig her own toilet in the woods and build a fire by rubbing two sticks together before the camp will ever let her go back to her former existence. She has a choice: get with the program, or get out of there.

PeekAbook:



My two-bits:

When teens take it too far. Parents wonder what to do?

This story gets into one way to handle unruly, out-of-control teens in a light tone. Not preachy. And not too heavy.

Loved to see how the characters transform after they experience coming of age growth moments during their stint in a wilderness survival program.

The main character, Lizzie, has some LOL moments along her journey to seriously dealing with her issues. Also, along the way she forms true friendships and better perspective on her relationships.

A sweet romance included.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of publisher

Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson

Dreamland
by Robert L. Anderson

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Release date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA
Hardback: 336 pages
Rating: 4

First sentence(s):
Afterward, Dea blamed it all on Toby. She knew it wasn't nice to blame a cat. It was definitely immature. But that was life: one big chain reaction, a series of sparks and explosions.

Odea Donahue has been able to travel through people’s dreams since she was six years old. Her mother taught her the three rules of walking: Never interfere. Never be seen. Never walk the same person’s dream more than once. Dea has never broken the rules.

Then a mysterious new boy, Connor, comes to town. For the first time in her life, Dea feels normal. But both Dea and Connor have secrets, and as she is increasingly drawn to Connor’s dreams—and nightmares—the boundary between worlds begins to deteriorate, putting everyone she loves in danger.

Zombie sightings:
note: there are some zombie references, but because I read an ARC I cannot say for sure if they made it into the final copy

My two-bits:

This fantasy includes a couple thriller scenes that kept me wondering to the end. But for the most part contemporary YA stuff going on.

I liked the take on dreams and dreaming including the related quotes at the start of each chapter. It caused pause for thought on the subject in general.

The characters were likable and developed well. There is a coming of age moment for the main character, Odea. Loved the nickname for Odea's friend - Gollum.

There are some romance bits which also is a force that drives this story.

side note: reminded me of Neil Gaiman's graphic novel series, Sandman

About the author:

Robert L. Anderson grew up in Brooklyn and graduated college in 2004 with a degree in philosophy. Since then, he has lived in five states and twelve countries, and on three continents.

Dreamland is his first novel.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of Epic Reads

Fourteen by Leslie Johansen Nack (with giveaway)

Fourteen
A Daughter's Memoir of Adventure, Sailing, and Survival
by Leslie Johansen Nack

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Release date: October 20, 2015
Publisher: She Writes Press
Genre: Memoir, Coming of Age, YA
Paperback: 300 pages
Rating: 4.5

First sentence(s):
In March of 1973, we picked up our new custom-built sailboat in Newport Beach and sailed south on our first-ever family voyage.

Leslie’s memoir starts in a broken home in the 1970s and moves into a coming-of-age adventure when, at the age of 14, she and her two sisters have to batten down the hatches on their 45-foot sailboat to navigate the Pacific Ocean, as well as the stormy temper of their larger-than-life Norwegian father.

It is the story of how a young girl comes into her own power and strength against all odds in a dysfunctional family having the adventure of a lifetime. Young Leslie embraces the sailing experience and turns it into a growth and maturation process, finding both beauty and spiritual solace in the natural world.

After her mother and father divorce at age seven, and full custody is given to her father, Leslie quickly learns the hard lessons of being Dad’s favorite. The abuse begins at age nine and doesn’t end until she begins to fight back at fourteen.
At twelve, the family moved from their 63-acre rustic ranch in Northern California to a 45-foot sailboat in Southern California where they spent two-and-a-half years living aboard their boat preparing for the trip of their father’s dream.

On February 5, 1975, they left everybody they knew, including their mother and began the journey, landing first in French Polynesia. Fourteen is the first of two books in a story of courage and hope, and of one girl’s fight against an overbearing, abusive and sometimes irrational father who demanded the best, while sometimes doing less than the best himself. You will be inspired by Leslie’s courage and fight and be amazed at all she encounters and overcomes.

My two-bits:

Coming of age story with the sea as a backdrop. Although the tale is not necessarily a pretty one in regards to family/father relations, it provides the general feeling of what it is like to be out on a sea adventure.

I liked learning about navigating a boat and what is involved in a long sea journey.

The photos included throughout the book was a nice touch and drew me into the story even more.

About the author:

Leslie Johansen Nack graduated UCLA with a BA in English literature. She is a member of the National Association of Memoir Writers and San Diego Writers Ink. She lives in San Diego and has two children with her husband of twenty-five years.

PeekAbook:



~*~
* review copy and giveaway courtesy of book tour sponsored by BookSparks. @booksparks

* SIGNUP to win this review copy (here).

Happy Release: In the Company of Educated Men by Leonce Gaiter

In the Company of Educated Men
by Leonce Gaiter
-Thriller; Coming of Age; Crime
Just released: October 21, 2014
Amazon | BarnesNoble | Goodreads | Astor+Blue
After Lennie Ashland graduated from Harvard, he faced grave personal loss that caused him to question his worth, and fear the future.

Armed with the arrogance and drive of Harvard-educated wealth, coupled with a young man’s aimlessness, Lennie planned a trip for himself and his two best friends to discover America—to view first-hand the re-ascendant grandeur of the American common man, a creature as foreign to them as any.

The trip started off as most do—by not meeting the hype of its imagined romance—until the three happened upon an unlikely pair: a gun-toting teenager and a refugee little girl escaping from domestic hell. As gangland forces and family disputes descend on them, the five find safety and solace in one another. Together, they will both witness and embody the hope, grandeur, violence, innocence and hopelessness. A powerful new novel from Leonce Gaiter, author of Bourbon Street.

About the author:

Raised in New Orleans, Washington D.C., Germany, Missouri, Maryland and elsewhere, Leonce Gaiter is the quintessential army brat—rootless, restive, and disagreeable. He began writing in grade school and continued the habit through his graduation from Harvard College.

His nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Times, LA Weekly, NY Newsday, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Salon, and in national syndication. His noir thriller; Bourbon Street was published by Carroll & Graf in 2005. His 2011 historical novel, I Dreamt I Was in Heaven was also recently published. He currently lives in Northern California.

~*~
* on my want list

The Red Sheet by Mia Kerick (with giveaway)

The Red Sheet
by Mia Kerick

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Dreamspinner Press
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Published: February 2014
Publisher: Harmony Ink Press
Genre: Coming of Age, LGBTQ, YA
Paperback: 190 pages
Rating: 5

One October morning, high school junior Bryan Dennison wakes up a different person—helpful, generous, and chivalrous—a person whose new admirable qualities he doesn’t recognize. Stranger still is the urge to tie a red sheet around his neck like a cape. Bryan soon realizes this compulsion to wear a red cape is accompanied by more unusual behavior. He can’t hold back from retrieving kittens from tall trees, helping little old ladies cross busy streets, and defending innocence anywhere he finds it.

Shockingly, at school, he realizes he used to be a bully. He’s attracted to the former victim of his bullying, Scott Beckett, though he has no memory of Scott from before “the change.” Where he’d been lazy in academics, overly aggressive in sports, and socially insecure, he’s a new person. And although he can recall behaving egotistically, he cannot remember his motivations.

Everyone, from his mother to his teachers to his “superjock” former pals, is shocked by his dramatic transformation. However, Scott Beckett is not impressed by Bryan’s newfound virtue. And convincing Scott he’s genuinely changed and improved, hopefully gaining Scott’s trust and maybe even his love, becomes Bryan’s obsession.

With a foreword by Cody Kennedy

PeekAbook:



Zombie sighting:

And as he sat there eating, he sort of resembled a pizza-eathing zombie — you know, eyes glazed over, hand-to-mouth action almost automatic.
-chapter 15, page 85

My two-bits:

I found this to be a coming of age, coming to terms and coming out story with heartfelt scenes as well as downright ugly ones. But sweet romance comes through as well.

Loved how the main character, Bryan, unravels the mystery within himself in a positive way.

Also loved the superhero theme used to drive the main character throughout.

About the author:

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children—all named after saints—and five nonpedigreed cats—all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.

Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

My themes I always write about:
Sweetness. Unconventional love, tortured/damaged heroes- only love can save them.

--~ Blog Tour Giveaway ~--

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~*~
* added this to my Bookish Bingo challenge - square: MC is LGBTIA

* review copy and giveaway courtesy of book tour - check out the other stops here for more details on this book and goodies sponsored by Tribute Books Blog Tours.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Since You've Been Gone
by Morgan Matson

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Published: May 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Coming-of-age, Romance, YA
Hardback: 449 pages
Rating: 5

Emily is about to take some risks and have the most unexpected summer ever in this new novel from the bestselling author of Second Chance Summer and Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour.

Before Sloane, Emily didn’t go to parties, she barely talked to guys, and she didn’t do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—someone who yanks you out of your shell.

But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list with thirteen bizarre tasks that Emily would never try. But what if they can lead her to Sloane?

Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a stranger? Wait…what?

Getting through Sloane’s list will mean a lot of firsts, and with a whole summer ahead of her—and with the unexpected help of the handsome Frank Porter—who knows what she’ll find.

Go Skinny Dipping? Um…

Zombie sighting:
I wanted to learn the zombie dance from "Thriller" and she wanted to learn the dance from London Moore's new video, the one that had sparked all sorts of protests from parents' groups.
-chapter 1, page 18

My two-bits:

Loved the gradual character and relationship development between the two main ones, Emily and Frank based on the tasks required on the summer to-do list.

And loved the transformation of friendship to love interest.

A road trip is also included in this story which was a fun way to see some bonding time.

Also, the mystery of Sloane and how Emily comes to terms with it works out well in the end.

Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan (with giveaway)

~*~

Love and Other Foreign Words
by Erin McCahan

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Just released: May 1, 2014
Publisher: Dial
Genre: YA
Hardback: 336 pages
Rating: 5

Perfect for fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell, Love and Other Foreign Words is equal parts comedy and coming of age--a whip-smart, big-hearted, laugh-out-loud love story about sisters, friends, and what it means to love at all.

Can anyone be truly herself--or truly in love--in a language that's not her own?

Sixteen-year-old Josie lives her life in translation. She speaks High School, College, Friends, Boyfriends, Break-ups, and even the language of Beautiful Girls. But none of these is her native tongue--the only people who speak that are her best friend Stu and her sister Kate. So when Kate gets engaged to an epically insufferable guy, how can Josie see it as anything but the mistake of a lifetime?

Kate is determined to bend Josie to her will for the wedding; Josie is determined to break Kate and her fiancé up. As battles are waged over secrets and semantics, Josie is forced to examine her feelings for the boyfriend who says he loves her, the sister she loves but doesn't always like, and the best friend who hasn't said a word--at least not in a language Josie understands.

My two-bits:

Absolutely delightful coming of age story with a focus on the meaning of love. Certainly got me thinking and analyzing what "love" means to me.

I loved the interplay and commentary of words and language in relation to communication and relationships.

And, all of the characters are likable which makes for an all-around feel good story.

There are plenty of laugh out loud moments which makes this a fun reading experience. And, a couple of the sweet moments left me sighing "awwwwww..."


About the author:
Erin McCahan is the author of the YA book I Now Pronounce You Someone Else (Scholastic, June 2010). Erin’s debut novel was a 2010 Cybils Award finalist.  She grew up in Michigan and worked extensively with teenagers before beginning her writing career. She lives in Columbus, Ohio.

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--~ Book Giveaway ~--
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Offer ends: May 31, 2014

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* part of Bookish Bingo challenge

* review copy and giveaway courtesy of Summer Reading Challenge 2014. It's not too late, join the reading challenge here. @booksparks #SRC2014!

Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

Girl Unmoored
by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

Visit Jennifer:
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Published: 2012
Publisher: Fiction Studio
Genre: Coming of Age, YA
Paperback: 328 pages
Rating: 5

Amazon | BarnesNoble

Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. Fortunately, she’s about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus—the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike, who’s suddenly everywhere, until she’s stuck in church with him one day. Then something happens—Apron’s broken teenage heart blinks on for the first time since she’s been adrift.

Mike and his boyfriend, Chad, offer her a summer job in their flower store, and Apron’s world seems to calm. But when she uncovers Chad’s secret, stormy seas return. Apron starts to see things the adults around her fail to—like what love really means, and who is paying too much for it.

Apron has come unmoored, but now she’ll need to take the helm if she’s to get herself and those she loves to safe harbor.

Amusing quote:
Draco dormiens nunquam titillandu.
A sleeping dragon is never to be tickled.
- page 139, chapter 23

PeekAbook:



My two-bits:
In-a-word(s): perplexed
I found this to be a lovely story that incorporates the meanings of love, friendship and family from a teen perspective.

Had a couple tissue moments as it was touching in some parts.

And, was tickled by the latin quotes throughout the story.

--~ Book Giveaway ~--
WIN my review copy!

Open to all.

Offer ends: July 7, 2013 --> extended to July 21

TO DO: (2-parts)

1. ADD this book to your Goodreads Want To Read list.

Or Tweet about this.

2. TELL me what you did in comments.
AND, leave your email (if I don't already have it)

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* review copy courtesy of Summer Reading Road Trip 2013 the Summer Reading Reading Challenge sponsored by BookSparksPR

The Peculiar Superpowers of Eleanor Armstrong by K. A. Schloegel

The Peculiar Superpowers of Eleanor Armstrong
by K. A. Schloegel

Visit KA:
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Published: 2009
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Genre: Zombies, YA
Paperback: 324 pages
Rating: 5

Amazon | Barnes&Noble

fyi: ebook is currently available for $2.99

Teenage writer Eleanor Armstrong tells the story of her life as a collection of Facebook-esque entries interspersed with the chapters of the novel she is writing. She starts out writing a nice, quiet high school romance, depicting the love triangle between ultra-hip and smart Sarah – who is really just Eleanor with great hair, her geeky pal Marky – who is Eleanor’s pal in real life too, and popular jock Brandon – a character based on a boy who once spoke to Eleanor.

But to her dismay, the novel turns to horror after zombies attack the school and kill Brandon. You know, just the usual “Boy meets girl. Boy turns into zombie. Zombie-boy loses girl. Zombie-boy gets girl.”

Huh?

Write what you know, Eleanor’s teacher tells her. And what she knows is a high school teeming with bored kids who will prey upon each other, can be kind, cruel, fall in love, or anything in between just to relieve the tedium of their existence.

In other words, a school full of zombies. So Eleanor goes with it. Zombie attacks abound, both in her novel and her real life as an overlooked teenager with peculiar superpowers.

Amusing quote:
I splashed the Mountain Dew in Marky's face.
It didn't stop him.
It didn't distract him.
He didn't seem to notice it at all.
Perhaps zombies are immune to flat Mountain Dew.
- location 607, chapter 5

My two-bits:
In-a-word(s): ice scraper
Awesome coming of age story with zombies thrown in... eeek!

I really enjoyed the style of writing in this book which includes two parallel story lines that portray the different perspectives of the characters.

The whole story is presented with blog entries with its comments and a fictional piece that the main character is writing. Yup, fiction within fiction. Cool, huh?

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* review copy courtesy of author

* read KA's guest post for September Zombies which include characters from this book

* part of September Zombies event

Giveaway: Birch Hills at World's End by Geoff Hyatt

The C A R N I V A L E crowd is thinning out as people leave during the wee hours.

Some hooligans, mischievous types, shady characters and lost souls lurk about...

--~ Book Giveaway courtesy of author ~--

Birch Hills at World's End
by Geoff Hyatt
Birch Hills at World’s End begins between Detroit and nowhere, in 1999, when high school senior Josh Reilly senses an apocalypse approaching. Josh's unease increases as his privileged but disturbed friend Erik schemes in a journal he calls "The Doomsday Book," where he plots revenge against the suburbia he's learned to despise.

When Lindsay, a sixteen-year-old famed for dramatic self-mutilation and questionable poetry, becomes Josh's girlfriend, Erik finds companionship in a circle of bikers and small-time meth traffickers. Josh, suspecting his friend Erik has become a competitor for Lindsay's affections, peeks into the Doomsday Book and is shocked by what he learns.

A web of domestic strife, romantic rivalry, and millennial anxiety challenges two boys to stand together as their youth comes apart.

Columbine... Y2K... can friendships survive the end of the world?

Win a copy of this BOOK!

3 winners:
1 - print for US only
2 - ebook for everyone

Open to all.

Offer ends: November 13, 2011

TO DO: (3-parts)

1. ONE of these:

ADD this book to your Goodreads

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LIKE this book on amazon.

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TWEET this: (or click the twitter button on this post)
Giveaway: Birch Hills at World's End by Geoff Hyatt http://vvb32reads.blogspot.com/2011/10/giveaway-birch-hills-at-worlds-end-by.html

2. If you are in the US do you want print or ebook?

3. AND, let me know in comments what you did along with your email (if I don't already have it)

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