review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington!

♥ Summary: Harper Scott's "perfect" sister committed suicide. And she left questions behind. Between a boy she tutored who seems to know more about June than Harper does, eclectic mix CDs, and an unsent postcard, Harper needs to ask more than anyone can answer. So she goes to the only place she may be able to find solace from her tangled thoughts of June: California.

♥ Favorite Line(s):

"Nolite te bastardes carborundorum"


"And now that thread is thinning with every passing moment, worn down by the brutal scrape of reality grating away at it, bit by bit."


"P.S.--I'm not scared anymore."

♥ My thoughts:

Saving June is the type of book that makes me want to pull words from its pages and carry them in my pocket for a while. It's heartbreaking and cool and fun and completely absolutely absorbing.


I want to hang out with Harper and Jake and Laney. I want to talk about The Doors and fire and how the universe kinda sucks sometimes, but the happy bits drown the others out at least partway. And I wish I wasn't rambling, but that's what this book does to me. It makes me want to speak and write and draw and make something out of nothing and cut some things to pieces. Guh.


The characters leap off the pages and dance around in my head. They sing and live and breathe and I wish I could come back, seep into the pages with them. And the plot! The whole 'road trip with an almost stranger with a random connection to you blahdy blah blahderson' is getting overdone, but Saving June made me want to know every detail of the trip.


Basically, Saving June is made of sunshine, rainbows, the hopes of children and many other lovely things. So...you should read it.


P.S. the last of my favorite lines killed me. Killed. Me.

♥ Summing it up:

Saving June is absolutely fantastic. It will be released November 22, 2011. Mark your calendars!

Link up: Goodreads//Shelfari//Amazon//Barnes and Noble//Hannah's website

Happy Monday!

"3 Rounds And A Sound"-Blind Pilot,

review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

♥ Summary: Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

♥ Favorite Line(s):

So so so many. Holy bananas. And guess what? For once I'll list them all. Except for my very favorite because I want you all to hopefully stumble onto it and realize the brilliance yourselves.


"First piece I ever did was for her. A girl with roads and rivers and deserts running across her skin."


"Midnight stumbling in his mouth."


"There's nothing you can do for me now Bert. You're dead and I'm buried."


"...I'd draw the hollow I get inside when I see a moon I could drink right out of the sky..."


"I had this urge to throw cans at the windows so I could hear a noise that sounded like escape."


"Be easier if we all called things what they really are."

♥ My thoughts:

This book.


This fricking book.


It seems I'll have to move to Australia after all since now I've developed a possibly unhealthy obsession for Aussie YA. Like, to the point when I see 'Aussie' and 'YA' in the same sentence my ears prick up like a flipping Golden Retriever. First Melina Marchetta lured me in with promises of boys like Jonah Griggs and badass chicks like Taylor. Then Jacklyn Moriarity held me under with fun, original, highly 'quirky in the good way' adventures. Now Cath Crowley has me completely submerged with no hope of coming up soon.


Graffiti Moon, first of all, has a kickass summary. I cannot possibly fathom how someone can not want to read the book after that summary. Nope. Does not compute. Then all of the glowing reviews, most from reviewers I highly respect? Sold. I was completely ready to be taken on a ride with this one, get caught up in the characters and story and run away to Australia for a little while. Ask and you shall receive.


Lucy, Ed, Leo, Jazz, Dylan, Daisy, Shadow, Poet, Al, Bert, and even Malcolm Dove drew me in immediately. They're all distinct and separate, but have one thing in common: they have huge misconceptions about the people around them. I'm abso-friggin'-lutely fascinated and intrigued by how people regard strangers. How we all think we know people when I would argue most of us never truly get to know even two people in our lives. I think it's completely odd how the computer nerd can look at the popular girl and think she's got nothing more to deal with than a broken nail. She might be battling cancer. She might've just found out her house is being foreclosed upon. Or she might really have no problems larger or more pressing than a broken nail. The thing is that no one but her will know until she decides to share.


As you can tell I think about things like this a lot, so when the entire cast of characters {okay, maybe not Malcolm Dove} think they know what the others are thinking and what they'll do and say {one even thinks she's a psychic} I eat. It. Up. I love the conflict that erupts when misconceptions are shot down at close range. When expectations are raised and lowered. Graffiti Moon gave me exactly what I wanted in that department, even some things I didn't know to ask for.


Besides the characters, the plot never bored me and the pacing was pretty great. Even though these events take place mostly over a few hours, I felt like I'd been on a journey with everyone. The writing was poetic and rough and real and I loved the feeling it evoked while reading. I've been waiting for this book. For my new favorite. For something fresh and hopeful and bright with shadows.

♥ Summing it up:

Graffiti Moon is a wonderful celebration of being young and trying to figure things and people out before they're gone, lost. Love love love times ten. Graffiti Moon will officially grace the US with its presence February 14, 2012.

Link up: Goodreads//Shelfari//Amazon//Barnes and Noble//Cath's website

Happy Wednesday!

"Valerie"-Amy Winehouse,

review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard!

♥ Summary: It all begins with a stupid question: 

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

>Note: I don't think this summary does the book justice at all.


♥ Favorite Line(s):

It's so hard for me to pull lines out of Wanderlove. All of them are favorites because of context and everything that's established up to that point in the story. It's more the feel of the lines rather than the words themselves if that makes sense.


Although I really love>
"Rowan's fifth travel rule:
Prices are relative. So is poverty. So is happiness."

♥ My thoughts:

I am head over heels, unabashedly, immeasurably, completely, utterly in love with Wanderlove. Added to the List of Books I Would Marry If It Were Legal. Definitely.


I love the happy bits and the sad bits and really love the bits that make me think. I love Bria and Rowan and Starling and hate hate hate Toby. I love the feeling I had after finishing the book. I love that I started rereading it instantly. I love that I'm actually starting to really plan the trip I've been "planning" to take next summer before college. I really love that Wanderlove made me want to travel again.


Wanderlove is one of those books that either hits you like a bike or a bulldozer. I'm still recovering. It's poetic without being over the top. It's amazingly descriptive without dragging on for days. It packs one hell of a punch regardless if you've gone through similar situations or not.


I won't lie, I haven't read Like Mandarin yet {although now I'm anxious to get my hands on a copy}. The only thing that made me want to read Wanderlove was the travel aspect. I love books about road trips and travel and things of the like. I expected adventures and hidden gems and discovering new worlds, but what I didn't expect was how much I completely adored the characters and their stories.


Bria roped me in, almost literally. I felt at any moment she would pop from the pages and head off to find Rowan and Starling roaming as well. The voice! So crazy amazing. Bria is so easy to relate to, so genuine. As are almost all characters. I mean, I've never transported drugs or been a volunteer teacher in Central America, but I felt like I might've in another life. That's how real the characters were for me.


Bria's art, all drawn by Kirsten herself {multi-talented ninja that she is!}, was one of my favorite aspects and added so much to the story. I've read too many books in which art or poetry or writing music is a love of the protagonist yet we never get to actually sample any of it. Books are more than just words for me and seeing different media included was fantastic. I find it so cool that Kirsten drew everything herself, as well! The art kept that part of Bria's storyline front and center and, I think, helped me better understand her.


The plot is completely thrilling. Even sitting in a hammock seemed like an action sequence. Bria is so very aware of everything and therefore so are we. After reading Bria's descriptions of their adventures I instantly wanted to hop a flight to Guatemala with a backpack so I could see them myself.


Overall Wanderlove is compelling and wonderful and funny and cool and I loved every bit. Just thinking about it makes me go a little bit like this>

It's like...the gazelle of YA books. If that makes sense. Which I don't think it does. But I'm having trouble describing how quietly awesome Wanderlove is. It's not a blood and body bags and leather kind of kick ass. It's like the ninja kind. The 'you don't know it's hitting you until it does' kind of awesome. Which is even better.

♥ Summing it up:

Wanderlove rocks my world. If you don't read it when it comes out, *le cough* March 13th, I may not be able to be your friend anymore, lovelies.

Link up: Goodreads//Shelfari//Amazon//Barnes and Noble//Kirsten's website

Happy Wednesday!

"I've Got Friends"-Manchester Orchestra,

Review: Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft

♥ Summary:  When you piss off a bridge into a snowstorm, it feels like you’re connecting with eternal things. Paying homage to something or someone. But who? The Druids? Walt Whitman? No, I pay homage to one person only, my brother, my twin. 

       In life. In death.
       Telemachus.

Since the death of his brother, Jonathan’s been losing his grip on reality. Last year’s Best Young Poet and gifted guitarist is now Taft High School’s resident tortured artist, when he bothers to show up. He's on track to repeat eleventh grade, but his English teacher, his principal, and his crew of Thicks (who refuse to be seniors without him) won’t sit back and let him fail.

♥ Favorite Line(s):
"That's the secret--to close your hand on jagged glass, then open it and find a butterfly."

"As a poet, I know that truth hides in the nuance."

"The nurse looked up from her clipboard.
'Who are you?'
'Good question,' I say."

♥ My thoughts:
I honestly do not think I can review this in the way I've been doing most of my reviews lately. ADIOS, NIRVANA is too lyrical, too raw, too poetic, to be discussed in a list format. That being said, this is one of the best books I've read in not only the past year, but ever. The story of Jonathan's triumphs and downfalls is up there on my list of "books I would marry if it were legal."

I am a huge fan of contemporary YA. Although I read more books with a supernatural element, I can honestly say I enjoy reading contemps. way more. I feel that it's harder to get a plot moving in realistic fiction. In  paranormal romance, someone can vamp out or blow something up and BAM! there's a new challenge, a new plot twist waiting to be steered in the right direction. Contemporary twists and turns {when done well} seem more subtle, more sinuous to me. Almost lyrical in their delivery. I love the soft, smooth styles of Jandy Nelson and Melina Marchetta, love the raw, blunt style of authors like Hannah Moskowitz. When an author manages to weave both of these somewhat clashing elements into one story, he has my heart. Hence why John Green forever owns my soul {and I still think KATHERINES is one of his best and deserves to stop being treated like the middle child}. Ahem, anyway. Conrad Wesselhoeft manages what many struggle with, in ADIOS. He twists and bends the story into a completely believable, relatable, and utterly engrossing tale without losing sight of the message he wants to get across.

Throughout the novel, we see life through the eyes of Jonathan, 1/2 of the polar opposite pair he makes up with Telemachus. The twins are light and dark. Telly is talented, Jonathan's okay. Telly's a confident leader, Jonathan hangs in the back. Sounds cliche, right? Except it totally doesn't feel that way while reading. Jonathan's voice is so crisp and distinct that absolutely nothing seems overdone or cliche. And my lord, the internal dialogue is to. Die. For. While music is a big part of this novel, even the story itself seems like a song. The words practically flow from page to page. It's completely addicting, and I had a hard time taking a break half-way through because I felt I would lose the rhythm I'd grow accustomed to.

I know throughout this review I haven't really said much about the plot. Mostly because it's so simple when described. Twin dies. Remaining brother finds a kind of peace in the last place he imagined. So simple. Wesselhoeft's writing and language takes the simple plot and transforms it into a coming-of-age story for the ages. Had anyone else tried to pull this story off...well, I highly doubt I would've enjoyed it half as much. I cannot wait to read more from this author as he is now one of my favorite YA voices.

♥ Summing it up:

If you couldn't tell from the review, or didn't read it, I absolutely adored this novel. I want to marry this book.

Link up: Goodreads//Shelfari//Amazon//Barnes and Noble//Conrad's website

P.S. Have you noticed my newest link in the sidebar? Click on "To Swap" to see the books I'm trying to swap for new ones. Also, don't forget to vote in the poll on the side of my blog!

P.P.S. I'm not posting about DH until I've seen the movie with my momma on Saturday. Afterwards, expect a lengthy, spoilery tribute to the books, movies, and world of Harry Potter in general.

Happy Friday!

"Here Comes the Sun"-The Beatles,

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

♥ Summary:About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace-- and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.
And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison. As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear....

♥ Favorite Line(s):

"Exactly," Valek replied. "You have poisoned me."

♥ My thoughts:

I absolutely fell in love with Poison Study. This is the first Maria V. Snyder book I've read, but certainly not the last. The characters, plot, and setting all came together in a book that is now one of my favorites.

The lovely bits>

• The characters> Yelena is one of the strongest, most badass voices I've ever read in. I loved every minute I was in her head and cannot wait to experience her very distinct voice in the rest of the series. Valek is also extremely badass and was probably my favorite character in the entire book. Even though I didn't really love any of the other characters {besides maybe Dilana, the always rainbow-butterflies-sparkle-glitter happy seamstress}, they were all expertly crafted. From the intensely evil Reyad to the just plain bitter Margg, I could picture every character in my head and feel like I really got to know them.
• The plot> I've never read anything like Poison Study. From the focus on poisons, to the odd new world of the Commander's rule, everything seemed pretty original to me. The plot had tons of twists and turns with plenty of raw, uncensored backstory thrown in as well. Such a fun, fast-paced read!

The not-so-lovely bits>

• The world-building> While I loved the feel of the world in which Yelena lives and the settings described were great, I couldn't really figure out how the whole thing was set up or where each of the regions was located. The paperback version {the one I have} has a map in the front so I was constantly referring back to it to keep everything straight, though it was still a challenge for me. The map = godsend.

I think the fact that the only not-so-lovely bit I mentioned was a minor world-building issue shows how much I loved this book.

♥ Summing it up:

Lovelovelove Poison Study. I'm not-so-patiently waiting to get my hands on the second & third ones because the book was made of unicorn tears, rainbows, and children's smiles*. I'd recommend it for everyone!

*FYI, this means: epicly awesome things and whatnot.

P.S. Have you noticed my newest link in the sidebar? Click on "To Swap" to see the books I'm trying to swap for new ones. Also, don't forget to enter my contest and vote in the poll at the bottom of my blog!

Happy Monday!

"Creature Fear"-Bon Iver,

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Summary:
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

Favorite Line(s):

"We still hate Bridgette, right? I haven't missed anything?" I shake my head. "We still hate her."-I just love this.

Oh, Anna, how have I not reviewed you yet?!
How have I yet to gush about my complete and utter adoration for every piece of this book? How have I never talked about my fascination with Paris and films and my glee when I found out Anna was a fellow germaphobe?! Alas, since I've failed to rave about this brilliant YA debut I shall do so now.


Anna and the French Kiss is one of those books that makes readers want to grab a beret* and a plane ticket and head off on the adventure of a lifetime. It's fun and exciting and heartwarming and frustrating and much much more. Anna Oliphant is a relatable protagonist with enough quirks to keep readers from feeling she's the typical female lead in YA lately.** Anna's voice was so strong I felt like I really could pull her from the pages (We would totally be BFFs-we could share hand sanitizer and trade cleaning tips.). The audience is truly taken on a journey with Anna, we learn her secrets and motivations and fears and get to know her. Once we do know her everything she does becomes "Oh, Anna would do that." I loved reading from her perspective and seeing the world through Anna's eyes and....damn it I need another book from her POV! She's truly a character I wish I could write. Anna's real, hilarious, kind, and clean. Very, very clean.


Étienne St. Clair is a different matter entirely. I wish I could roll up to Ikea and pick up a St. Clair in aisle 3.† St. Clair is one of the most crush-worthy characters I've ever had the pleasure to read about. I wanted to climb up onto my roof and shout his name to the sky upon finishing this book. I can't explain in a single review how much I adore him, you'll have to read the book and find out why he's so swoon-inducing yourself!


The first time I'd ever heard about Anna and the French Kiss I was watching a VlogBrothers video as I do religiously three times a week. John Green rarely recommends books in his videos and very, very rarely are they ever YA. So obviously I grabbed a copy the next day and then I started reading immediately. And I found it was set in Paris.†† And it's about a boarding school. And I didn't stop reading until I was completely finished. And then I went on Stephanie Perkins' blog and read every post and can now officially call myself a fangirl. Anna is such a believable story, but that's not where the magic lies. It lies in the fact that I wanted to believe this story. I wanted Anna and St. Clair, Meredith, Rashmi, Josh, and even Dave (okay, maybe not Dave) to get whatever they wanted. I wanted them to be happy, or at least content and I wanted to believe that they would stay friends and take on the world together.


I cannot adequately explain how much or even why I love Anna and the French Kiss so very much. I can only recommend that everyone who is a fan of reading and hope picks this up at a bookstore, library, or even borrow it from someone else. Seriously, just stop reading this post and go read it, kay?

*Maybe not the beret. How about a crepe? Everyone loves crepes.
**You know...the "perfect" girl who's the only one who doesn't think she's brilliant in every way.
†I actually have no aisle preference. I've never actually been to Ikea but I'm sure each aisle is lovely in its own right.
††Fun fact: my dream college is the American University of Paris. So I was EXTREMELY PLEASED with the setting. And I actually wrote a ten page paper on Nouvelle Vague French Cinema so France + film geek = Cara likey.



About Stephanie:  Stephanie Perkins has always worked with books--first as a bookseller, then as a librarian, and now as a novelist. She loves swashbuckling adventures, mocha lattes, fairy tales, loud music, neighborhood walks, jasmine tea, and afternoon naps. And kissing. Stephanie and her husband live in the mountains of North Carolina.




Find Stephanie: Website | Twitter | Blog 

"I'm Not the Sun"-Arkells,

Review: Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman!

Before the review:

101 followers?!

Holy kazoo, guys! Thanks!! You're all amazing & get virtual high fives! Now, to the review!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overall Rating: 5
Characters: 4.9
Plot: 4.9

Cover Art: 4 

{The model looks to be about 12-years-old. Jacob is a sophomore--15 to 16-years-old--in the book.}

Originality: 5

Concept: 5

Favorite Line(s):

"And in my dream I saw a black lion of death coming to take me away."- This is just so haunting when you read it in context.

Synopsis:

I really hate the synopsi* posted in various places for this book, so I'm just making up my own.

Boy has friend. Boy meets girl. They all become friends. Boy has a secret. Boy shares secret. Friends get themselves into some deep crud.

Thirteen Days to Midnight is, in one word, incredible. 

The story opens with our protag., Jacob, returning to his private school, Holy Cross, after a week long break due to a traumatic event. A few pages after this scene I realized that my eyes were glued to the novel and weren't, not even for sleep, going anywhere. Carman's characters draw you in and the intensity of the plot keeps you there.

The adventure Jacob, Milo, & Oh find themselves 'dragged' into is dangerous in the way that motorcycles are dangerous. If used correctly, with the right gear & proper training, they're not dangerous at all. But, when put into the hands of let's say three teenagers, things can get very dangerous. Something stirs inside the teens, something that makes them want to push the bike's limits, test how hard they can push it, how fast it can go. A feeling gives them the urge to want to do things that may be fun for a while, but they know shouldn't be messed with. Temptation.

Temptation is found in many places & can take many forms. The most dangerous kind of temptation is the temptation of teenagers with power. Face it, we're moody, hate to be told what to do, & act irrationally and emotionally nine times out of ten. (Hormones, people, they're always pumping.) When Jacob and his friends are given power, they react irrationally and get themselves into a pickle. A big one...we're talking Guiness Book of World Records sized pickle. Yeah, they screw up a bit.

The way the three friends handle everything feels very natural, logical. They act like you'd expect them to react, emotionally, irrationally. This works because they are teenagers, and they will make mistakes. Instead of sitting around on their arses and weeping though, they take action and get things done. 

The characters in Thirteen Days are strong willed, smart, fierce, and funny. They make you care what happens in the storyline, what happens to them. Jacob, Milo, Oh, & even Father Tim breathe, and give this book exactly what it needs to earn a 5 star rating from me.

Summing it up:

Please, do yourself a favor. Get this book now.

*Thanks to Around the World ARC Tours for supplying me with this book!

"Don't Unplug Me"-All Caps,

Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

I've been lacking in the review department lately, but I'm back with a brilliant book! ~Remember to give suggestions for books you want to win for my 50 followers contest over here!

Overall Rating: 5.0 (I don't give this lightly my friends!)

Characters: 4.9

Plot: 5.0

Voice: 5.0

Cover Art: 4.2

Favorite Line(s) There are some many, so here's just a few!:

"Holy horses, Batgirl!"

"This one looks positively deranged with glee. Gram's right, we should sell them."-Lennie talking about the Fontaine boys.

"...And then, one day, her earthbound sister finally realized

she could here music up there in heaven,

so after that, everything her sister

needed to tell her

she did through her clarinet

and each time she played, the dead girl

jumped up (no matter what she was doing),

and danced."-One of Lennie's poems.

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life-and despite her nonexistent history with boys, finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors her own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole world exploding.

The Sky is Everywhere is beautiful. There's no other way to put it. This book is brilliant. I've never even thought of giving a book a 5.0 (the highest on my scale), but if any novel deserves it, I've found it. Jandy Nelson reminded me why I love reading and writing so much-why I love words so much. She uses her words to portray every feeling/emotion/place/person in such a fantastic way that the entire book feels like poetry instead of a narrative.Then, there's Lennie's poetry itself.

My favorite part of the story was getting to see and read some of Lennie's words. It's amazing how much emotion can be spilled out onto to-go cups and staff paper. All of her poems really add to the story and give an even deeper look into the mind of Lennie Walker. Her voice is already so strong, but the words she scrawls on what feels like any surface add another dimension to the story.

The path the novel takes is believable and in no way corny-like I always expect from stories dealing with grief.* Lennie's journey changes her dramatically, but she accepts the change and it makes her stronger. The fact that she does mess up only makes her human, and I love that she does mess up! This story was so very refreshing, and if you haven't read it yet I highly recommend. To everyone. Honestly, I believe that The Sky is Everywhere is a shoo in for at least being a runner up for the Printz Award this year. It's fantastic, and I can't wait to see whatever else Jandy Nelson has up her sleeve.

"Don't Wake Me Up"- The Hush Sound,

Cara

*You know, where the protagonist meets someone or goes on a life-changing journey and discovers that their grief is gone and they feel like singing show tunes...in other words, something that never happens.

The Body Finder

I've literally just finished reading The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting, and needed to tell how much it affected me. Books often make me laugh, and even more often than that make me cry. This book picked my poor little sappy heart up and ripped it to shreds while laughing maniacally. I've decided to not write a formal review for this book, because it left me truly shaken. I do put my heart into the reviews I write, but I felt that I wouldn't do it justice without leaving my soul on your computer screen.

So, I guess I'll start off by saying that this story isn't one for those who need to feel that 'happy-sunshine-and-rainbow' feeling after finishing any piece of literature. Seriously my friend, this is NOT FOR YOU. Now, I'm also not saying that this is the kind of story that makes you want to slit your wrists either. Okay, on to the point. I literally had chills after the last line. I don't feel I'm exaggerating at all when I say things like this either. Ms. Derting is a brilliant writer, she makes you not only see the story through her characters' eyes, but feel it as well.

I definitely would recommend this book, because it is the best kind. It made me think. It made me think of different choices that could have changed the outcome, even if I know they're in vain. It made me want to scream and throw things and cry all at the same time. Not an altogether terrible feeling. The Body Finder was nothing at all like I expected, but worth the read. I initially, sincerely wished I could've 'unread' it, but I took a step back and realized just how great this story really is.

Has anyone else read The Body Finder? How did YOU react to the story?

Have a great day!

Cara

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Overall Rating: 5
Characters: 4.7
Plot: 4.8
Cover Art: 4.5

Favorite Line:
So, I couldn't choose so I have three favorites narrowed down. *There is a lot of language in the lines below and the book, so if you're not comfortable with that this isn't for you. Sorry!
"There are several Dr. Assholes who come in here every day to scribble on my chart and poke me with sharp objects so they can collect points for their Sadism Scout Badges, but so far, no Dr. X."-Cameron Smith to Dulcie

"We human beings can't evolve without pain."-Library Girl to Cameron

"I think about dying every day, because I can't stop thinking about the living."-Cameron

Synopsis:
Can Cameron find what he’s looking for? All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

Going Bovine is heartbreaking and hilarious...
When the story opens we meet Cameron Smith, just another teenage pothead trying to go through life unnoticed. This is working out just fine until he starts to see and feel things that aren't actually there. He chalks this delusional behavior up to his brain tripping out on the drugs he keeps almost constantly in his system, until it is later confirmed to be Creutzfeldt-Jakob (or Mad Cow) disease, a terminal illness where you basically hallucinate and progressively lose control over your body's functions until you inevitably die. Sounds fun, right? Obviously, Cameron isn't thrilled with this news. He is taken to the hospital where he mourns the things that he never got to accomplish in his life while he waits for death to take him. Then, hope comes in the form of a punk-rock angel named Dulcie. She sets Cameron off on an epic adventure with the dwarf in the hospital bed next to him, who also happens to be a hypochondriac, to find the cure to save Cameron and also save the world. Going Bovine is one of those stories that makes you reassess all of your views on life, death, and whatever's after that. Compare the feel of this story to The Lovely Bones with a boatload of witty humor and laughs. The great thing about this book is that Libba Bray uses a hilarious storyline to deliver a heartfelt message, live while you can. The journey that the guys go on is much more than one of self-discovery, it's about finding who and what makes you want to discover things about yourself. Cameron, Dulcie, Gonzo, Balder, and the rest of the characters are all prime examples of what self-sacrifice and courage truly are. Going Bovine is a fantastic book that anyone who reads it will never forget.


*SEMI-SPOILER ALERT!
I cried like a little girl who just got her puppy stolen at the end of this book. I had read a review previously and while it didn't give anything away it sparked an idea in my head that turned out to actually be the ending of the book. Once again, I'm usually very good at guessing. Those last few pages broke my heart and until I sat down and really thought about the wonderful message Ms. Bray was conveying, I'll admit it I wanted to throw the damn book into oncoming traffic. Again, this happened BEFORE I accepted it as the awesomesauce that is Going Bovine.


Libba Bray's websites:
Official
Blog
Twitter
Facebook