Waiting on Wednesday: Lucid

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever? Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn’t be more different—except for one thing. They share a secret that they can’t tell a soul. At night, they dream that they’re each other. The deeper they’re pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever. This is a dazzling debut that will still readers’ hearts.

Can't wait for this!  Looks awesome!  What are you waiting on?!

IMM #31...I Think. ;)

Here's what I've gotten in the last two weeks!  What are you most excited to read?  What did you get in your mailbox?  Thanks for watching! :)

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic

Genre: Young Adult-Contemporary
Source: Checked out from Library
Series: No, Standalone

Buy It: The Dolphin Bookshop (Shop Indie!),  The Book Depository
Challenge: Free Reads, Debut Author Challenge 2012, 2012 Contemporary Challenge
First Line: "I had the dream again."

I had the dream again. The one where I’m running. I don’t know what from or where to, but I’m scared, terrified really. 

Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. But in the short time he has left there’s one thing he can do: He can try to help the people he loves live—even though he never will. 

It’s probably hopeless. 

But he has to try.

      Never Eighteen is small.  Never Eighteen is short.  Never Eighteen packs a punch.  It only took me two days to read and would've taken a lot less time if I'd read it in one sitting but, I couldn't.  Never Eighteen was so thought provoking and emotional that you just can't read it straight through.
     The writing in this book wasn't all that special.  It was the story that was beautiful.  Megan Bostic doesn't write flowery prose or amazing cliffhangers; she tells an amazing story.  Austin, Kaylee, Jake, Suz, Mrs. Briggs, Peggy, and every other character in this book completely captured me.  Never Eighteen consists of so many different stories all wound into 204 tiny pages.  Megan Bostic managed to give each character a fair spotlight without over describing anyone or anything.  I feel like the story was just so perfect.  Every piece of the book fit together more fantastically than a puzzle. 
     Kaylee and Austin were completely and totally perfect for each other.  I was actually anticipating Austin telling Kaylee his true feelings just as much as he was.  I loved the chemistry between them and how they had been friends for nine years.  It really was just a cliché kind of relationship (friends don't want to tell each other how they really feel) but, Megan Bostic wrote their characters beautifully.  Every character in the book was dealing with their own issues but, still played a part in the Big Picture.  
     I also really liked how music played a part in the story, at least a little bit.  I can't wait to listen to the never eighteen playlist!  I really liked the idea behind the whole story and how the book played out.  Never Eighteen made me see some things a little differently.  It was definitely a tearjerker.  I was actually standing in the middle of Lowes when I read the ending (don't ask, lol!) or else I would've been crying.  I mean, Never Eighteen is a cancer book and the ending is completely inevitable but, it was just so beautiful and sad at the same time.  Megan Bostic really hit home.  
     I know that Never Eighteen had mixed reviews but, I completely connected to Austin and Kaylee.  I fell in love with every character in the book regardless of their flaws.  Kaylee and Austin were great together, as friends and as "something more" (no spoilers, I promise!) .  I feel like I can't even say everything that was so amazing about it.  Simply put, Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic was fantastic.  It's a book that everyone should read.


Final Grade: 

Spotted: More Cover Reveals!

Hey Remarkable Readers,
This week was quite the week for cover reveals!  I just thought I'd share a few of the ones I've spotted lately!

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo                               Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near-impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one unlikely refugee. 

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life– a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. 

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha… and the secrets of her heart.

Doesn't the Cover for Shadow and Bone remind you of the Cover of the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern?  It's so mysterious!

Gravity by Melissa West
In the future, only one rule will matter: Don’t. Ever. Peek. 

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed--arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die. 

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know--especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

I'm really looking forward to Gravity!  It sounds awesome!  I can't wait to find out more about what the synopsis means! The cover is beautiful!

Ten by Gretchen McNeil
And their doom comes swiftly. 

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives – an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school's most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury. 

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine. 

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off the from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn't scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

OMG!  Ten is now the highest on my wishlist for this year!  I need this book. now.  The cover looks awesome and goes with the synopsis perfectly!  Gretchen McNeil said it was written in homage to And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie!  That's one of my all time favorites!  I NEED Ten!


What do you think of these amazing covers?

Cover Reveal: Time Between Us

Hey Remarkable Readers, I've been seeing this beautiful cover on a few blogs this morning and I'd love to share it with you!  Today is the Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone Cover Reveal!  I absolutely love it!  What do you think?

Here's the synopsis:

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett’s unique ability to travel through time and space brings him into Anna’s life, and with him, a new world of adventure and possibility. As their relationship deepens, they face the reality that time might knock Bennett back where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate—and what consequences they can bear in order to stay together.

Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, Time Between Us is a stunning and spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new talent in YA fiction.

     It sounds awesome!  I've been really into time travel stories lately and this one looks great!  It reminds me of the Time Travelers Wife (which I've never read/seen) and I'm excited to see something like it for YA.  What do you think?  What are some of your favorite YA time travel books?  Do you like the cover?

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington Book Trailer

Hey Remarkable Readers,
Recently, the USA trailer for Embrace by Jessica Shirvington was released!  I'm part of the blog tour for this book and I'm really excited to read and review it!  Anyway, here it is below!

Here's the UK trailer that was released quite a while ago:

 

It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…” 

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before. 

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her. 

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden… 

Look for the sequels ENTICED in September 2012 and EMBLAZE in March 2013!

On the left is the US cover and on the right is the UK cover.  Which trailer and cover do you like? :)

Waiting on Wednesday

Hey Remarkable Readers!
It's time for Waiting on Wednesday once again!  Sorry I didn't post my IMM this week but, it will be mixed with the next IMM.  Here's my pick for this week:

A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers. 

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever. 

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business--until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers--and the consequences could be deadly.

I'm really interested in flying and being a pilot.  For some reason books and movies about it always grab my interest so I'm really excited for this one!  Two Questions:

-What are you Waiting on?
-Do you know any other books about flying? :)

Tomorrow is Today by Julie Cross (Mini-Review)

Genre: Young Adult-Time Travel (Sci Fi)
Source: Free Ebook from Barnes and Noble
Series: Yes, #0.5 in the Tempest trilogy

Buy It: Barnes & Noble
Challenge: Free Reads, Debut Author Challenge 2012
First Line: "I don't get what we're supposed to be doing," Holly said as she spread her worksheets all over the gym floor.

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, throws lots of parties, is interested in a girl he can’t have, and oh yeah, he can travel back through time.But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

     Tomorrow is Today is the bonus prequel to Tempest by Julie Cross, which I reviewed earlier this year.  Since this prequel only lasts about 30 pages, I can only give a "Mini-Review."  I felt the same way about the characters in this prequel because they were the same.  It was nice to see another side of Holly, though.  I really liked seeing how Adam, Holly, and Jackson first became friends.  It was nice seeing how they got to know each other.  I also thought the party and the roof scene were a fun twist on the more serious events that happened in Tempest.  I liked being able to see Adam, Holly, and Jackson in a more friendly environment.  It was a nice break from all of the more dangerous and serious scenes in Tempest.  I also really liked the use of time travel in this short story when Jackson found the little girl.  I thought it was a creative use of Jackson's powers.  Since Tomorrow is Today was only a short bonus story, there wasn't much room for things to love or hate.  That being said, my final grade is:

PS- If you have a nook or a device that you can use the nook app on, download the ebook now!  It's free! :)

 

Safe & Sound Music Video

Get More: Taylor Swift, Safe & Sound, Music, More Music Videos

I was so excited to watch the premiere of this video!  At what point in the movie do you think they'll play the song?  I can't wait for the Hunger Games Movie!  Loved how she had the mockingjay pin!  What did you guys think?

Let's Talk: Choosing your Books

Hey Remarkable Readers,

I figured that a Let's Talk post is overdue here!  I haven't done one in a while!  I've also created an adorable little image that you can use in your post's.  Just make sure to link back here so others can chat, too!  Today we'll be talking about what makes you want a book.  Here's the formal questions:

What makes you want a book?  How do you first find out about books?  Do you just walk into the store and pick out a cover that you like?  Do you value friend recommendations?  Do advertisements influence you?  Do you let other people's reviews influence whether or not you buy a book?  What turns you off from buying a book?

My Thoughts:

   Personally, many different things influence how I choose my books.  Lately, I've been influenced a lot by goodreads and other blogs.  Twitter is also a great place to get book recommendations.  I usually build up my anticipation of new releases through bloggers' reviews or tweets.  I mean, if someone is raving about how much they love love love a particular book, why wouldn't you want to read it?!  For example, Willa from Willa's Ramblings is always begging me to read Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta and the same goes for Angela from Reading Angel with the book Half-Blood by Jennifer Armentrout.  I've added both of those books to my TBR because of them!  Now, I can't wait till I get to dive into those books!  

    Advertisements used to influence me a lot before I started reading blogs but, not very much anymore.  I'd rather read a book recommended by someone who truly enjoyed it rather than based off an advertisement that was created to make people buy a book.

    I hate to admit it but, another big influence on what draws me to a book is the cover.  If I see a book with an amazing cover, it makes me want to know what it's about!  For example, Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma drew me in immediately because of the cover and I ended up really enjoying it!  To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what turns me off from buying a book besides seeing more than two or three really negative reviews.  

So, Let's Talk!  Link to you answers and thoughts in the comments or just write them out write here!  Don't forget to link back and use the image if you're posting on a blog!  Also, if you have a suggestion for a future topic, I'd love to know that, too! :) 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey Remarkable Readers,
I just wanted to wish you all a happy valentine's day!  I found these super cute bookish Valentine's day cards on the web and thought I'd show them to you!  Check out the artist's tumblr here!

Can you guess the theme? ;)

IMM #31

I'm having a few technical difficulties this week so this is my IMM!  Sorry!  What did you get this week?! :)

A super cool Makeup Manual by Bobbi Brown!
I love this book!!

An ARC of Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins!
Thanks to Harper Teen!

A Million Suns from the Library!
So excited!

What do you want to see more of?

Hey Remarkable Readers,

I've been doing a few surveys and things here on the blog lately.  I'd love to make this blog the best it can be :)  Therefore,  I'd love to know what you'd like to see more of!  Please vote in the poll below!  It will probably take less than 1 minute!  If what you'd like isn't listed, just leave a comment!  I'm always looking for new ideas!  Also, please leave a comment telling me what you'd think of a themed month once and a while where I'd read books based on a theme!

What would you like to see more of?
	Reviews
	Cover Reveals/Other Book News
	Book Trailers
	Book vs. Movie Debates
	Discussions
	New Releases
	Polls
	Excerpts/Teasers/Quotes
	Contests (not giveaways, contests)
	Interviews
	Guest Posts
Results

What do you think about the number of memes I participate in?
	Too Many
	Too Little
	Perfectly Fine
	I Don't Really Mind Either Way
Results

If I did more Guest Reviews, who would you like to see them from?
	Other Bloggers
	Add another permanent reviewer
	My Mom
	My Little Sister (Middle Grade Reviews)
Results

Should I Move to Wordpress?
	Yes
	No
Results

   

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Genre: Young Adult-Romance/Poetry
Source: Finished Copy from Library
Series: No, Standalone
Buy It: The Book Depository, The Dolphin Bookshop (Shop Indie!)
Challenge: Free Reads, 2012 Contemporary Challenge
First Line: "My mother doesn't understand that this is a summer house (meant to be lived in only during the summer)."

My wish is to fall cranium over Converse in dizzy daydream-worthy love.

(If only it were that easy.

Marcie has been dragged away from home for the summer--from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She's left behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.

By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "summer vacation" has become permanent. She has to start at a new school, and there she leaves behind her Leftover status when a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? Can you even know it until you've lost it?

"Love & Leftovers" is a beautifully written story of one girl's journey navigating family, friends, and love, and a compelling and sexy read that teens will gobble up whole.

     Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay is written in verse.  I love verse.  I started reading Love & Leftovers one night and stayed up till 1:30 AM just to finish!  That's probably the latest I've stayed up to read (normally I can't read when I'm tired).  I really enjoyed the writing in Love and Leftovers but, wasn't in love with the story.  I really loved some of the themes in the story, too.  
     I definitely saw this book as unique.  I've never heard a story quite like this one.  It had so many different elements and aspects of the story intertwined with each other.  Marcie, Linus, her mom, her dad, and so many characters were having different issues throughout the book and I really liked how Sarah Tregay was able to have them all mixed into one book.  I also thought that some of the poetry was beautiful.  I loved Sarah's way of expressing all of the character's feelings in the book.  I also liked that Marcie was writing in a notebook and not just telling a story.  It made the story feel much more real.
     I was really enjoying the beginning of Love and Leftovers.  Unfortunately, once the book was about half way through it was losing its luster.  I was just not as wowed as I was when I was in the beginning.  I thought that the story actually went in too many directions and was also quite predictable.  Luckily,  I really liked how realistic the ending was.  I thought that the story definitely wrapped up nicely. 
     I had mixed feelings about the characters in Love & Leftovers.  At times, Marcie seemed whiney but, at other times she was much more relatable and realistic.  Overall, I liked her character I just thought that she complained a lot.  I also didn't like some of the decisions she made throughout the book but, I can accept this because characters should be flawed!  So, this was actually a good thing!  I liked both of the love interests in the story and thought they were sweet and flawed in their own way.  Linus was definitely better for Marcie in the end, though (in my opinion) .
     Overall, I enjoyed Love & Leftovers but, it was a bit of a letdown.  I feel like I had really high expectations for the book and that's why it wasn't that amazing for me.  I did really enjoy the beginning and the end but, the middle just wasn't all that great for me.  Weird, right?  The writing was great, though.  The story was also unique so, Love & Leftovers is worth reading.  It shouldn't take that long and you might really like it!


Final Grade:

Did you say Collab?

Hey Remarkable Readers,
Yes.  I did say colab!  I just wanted to let you all know that I'll be blogging on the Young Adult Book Club Blog with many other wonderful people!  Head over and check it out!

  The YABC Blog

Sorry for such a short post!

Waiting on Wednesday

Touched by Cyn Balog

Nick Cross always listens to the voice in his head. Because if he doesn't? Things can go really, really wrong. Like the day he decided to go off script and saved a girl from being run over . . . and let another one drown. Trying to change the future doesn't work.

But this summer at the Jersey Shore, something's about to happen that Nick never could have predicted. He meets a girl named Taryn and finds out about the Book of Touch. Now the path that he thought he was on begins to shift . . . and there's no way to stop things from happening. Or is there? 

In a life where there are no surprises, nothing has prepared Nick for what he's about to discover--or the choice he will be forced to make. . . 

This one sounds really mysterious and interesting!  I love the cover, too!  What books are you waiting on?

January Wrap Up

Hey Remarkable Readers,

I just wanted to do a quick post to wrap up my reading for January!

During January I read 5 books!  I'm really proud of myself because I'm normally only able to read 4.

These are the books I read:

1. Switched by Amanda Hocking

2.Junonia by Kevin Henkes
3. Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt
4. Tomorrow is Today by Julie Cross
5. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

What did you read in January?