Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Wishlist Wednesday #47


*Wishlist Wednesday is where you show a book that has been on your wishlist/TBR list for a while, the meme is hosted by Pen to Paper*


The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

PublisherDial Books 
Release Date: August 18, 2015
Pages: 432

The Story:

A surprising, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door—great for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han 

Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.

Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.

And Alice is caught in the middle.

Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this novel is for readers of The Spectacular NowNick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Paper Towns.


-via Amazon



Meet the Author

I was lucky enough to be born to parents who read every kind of written material with interest and enthusiasm, and let me do the same. From the start I searched for books that let me fall in love...with the story and with the boy. For most of my childhood I divided my devotion between Almanzo Wilder from The Little House books, C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian and Tom in Louisa May Alcott's An Old Fashioned Girl.

I figured out early that stories were what made sense of the world when it was confusing and made the best moments permanent. I was shy and nearsighted but good at anything that involved reading and imagining, so quickly decided the only logical career to pursue was writing. To this end my father gave me a typewriter (it was a long time ago), a package of Lucky Strike cigarettes, a bottle of Scotch and a note advising me to "Be Bold, Be Bold, Be Bold." For my tenth birthday.

I passed on the scotch and the smokes, but kept writing. My first completed story involved a family with twenty children who lived by the ocean. The parents were twenty-two. Some things have never changed for me: my love of family, beaches, and my shaky grasp of math.

The small seaside town in Connecticut where I grew up was so safe you could leave your bike downtown with your wallet in the basket and they'd both still be there days later. Yes, I know this because I did it. More than once.

Through my childhood and teenage years I kept a journal showcasing my conversations with boys I liked that went on for twenty-pages, including such phrases as "Pause. Silence. Much audible blushing." Back then, the journals mostly served to torture my friends as I forced them to listen to the entire entry and analyze every comment. Now they help me remember all the paradoxical emotions involved in first love and true love. Sometimes we get lucky and they're the same thing.

In college I majored in Shakespeare with a minor in daydreaming. Sometimes I still wonder what I was thinking of concentrating on Literature instead of say, law, medicine, finance. Then I remember my father who said, "College isn't a trade school. Learn about what you love and follow that. It will take you everywhere you need to go." Here's what I believe: every answer to every deep question can be found in Shakespeare. Or any other writing that speaks to you: Huckleberry Finn, Little Women, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Matilda. Listen to the writing that captures your heart and it will help you find your way, true as a compass. Honest.

After college I had a lot of family struggles and lost my faith in writing, coming to believe I could only read and critique. Madeleine L'Engle, the author of Wrinkle in Time, changed my life when I took a course of hers and she read a short story of mine and said "You are a writer. So write!" Although I spent some time after that being a waitress, a caterer, a minion to a publicist, a bartender, an assistant at an accounting firm, an editor of romance novels, part owner of a café, and, much more happily, and I hope competently, a wife and a mother, my love of writing and reading about young adults never waned. Fifteen years after she gave it, I finally took Madeline's advice.

Now I live on the coast of Massachusetts with my six remarkable and eccentric children and encouraging husband, all of whom put up with me holding up my hand traffic-cop-style, saying, "I just have to get this down" and dashing to my computer. Or pulling over on the shoulder of the road to jot a note in lipstick on the back of an atm receipt. They also let me pick their brains on what is currently cool and what always matters. We have three cats, a dog who believes he's a cat, and a ferret. In addition to all this, I have an email address. I'd love to hear from you.


Want to see my entire Wishlist? Check it out on Amazon: Books I Dream About

Happy Reading!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Review : Stork by Wendy Delsol


*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Publisher: Candlewick
Release Date: October 12, 2010
Pages
355

Source: Own


The Story:


Moving from LA to nowhere Minnesota, sixteen-year-old Katla Leblanc expected the local fashion scene to be frozen in time. What she didn’t expect was induction into the Icelandic Stork Society, an ancient order of women charged with a unique mystical duty. Not only is Katla the youngest member, but Hulda, the society’s omen-guided leader, immediately bestows the coveted Second Chair on her — a decision that ruffles a few feathers.

As if that weren’t enough, Katla also has to deal with her parents’ divorce and the social aftermath of a bad date with popular but creepy Wade. Katla, however, isn’t one to sit on her designer-jean-clad behind, and soon she’s assigned the fashion column for the school paper and making new friends.


Things would be looking up if it weren’t for editor in chief Jack. Even though they argue every time they meet, Katla is inexplicably drawn to him. Juggling her home life, school, and Stork duties, will Katla be able to unravel the mystery surrounding Jack? More importantly, will she find a dress in time for Homecoming?


Folktales collide with reality in Wendy Delsol’s debut novel, in which one girl finds herself tail-feathers deep in small-town life.


.--via Barnes & Noble


RatingTHREE Gold Stars!!

My Review


This review is going to be a bit sparse since I have read 
Stork years ago so . . . *cough cough* Without further ado, I did not know what to expect when I started reading Stork. The writing was decent and the premise of the story was unique that I finished reading it. Not to mention, Jack was adorable.

Tag Line:

Family secrets. Lost memories. And the arrival of an ancient magical ability that will reveal everything. 

Opening Line:

One moment I was fine, and the next it felt like an army of fire ants was marching across my head. 

Plot:

As I mentioned above, I thought the premise for Stork was unique. Katla's world changes when her parents divorce then her mother drags her to Minnesota. Being a city girl through-and-through with plans to go to college Paris, Nowhere, Minnesota was not on her Wishlist at all. To really throw a wrench in her plans, Katla is suddenly inducted into a Icelandic Stork Society of woman bestowed with the mystic responsibility of giving babies to woman. A council of human storks.

Reluctant as she may be, Katla tries to adjust to her new life and mystical powers by joining the school paper. There Katla meets Jack who gets on her last nerves . . . that is, until she finds herself strangely drawn to him. And the secret he is hiding.

Character Breakdown:

Katla - Although Katla can be a bit of a priss, she is also confident and does not play the victim. She is not afraid to go after what she wants and does not sit around waiting for someone to come save her.

Meet the Author:


Wendy Delsol was born in Canada to English parents and grew up in suburban Detroit. She has an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and a graduate degree from California State University, Long Beach.
After a year living and studying in France, Wendy moved to Los Angeles, where she remained for another twenty.
Post college, the rent was paid by working as a group tour coordinator in the travel industry.

Besides writing, her favorite job, ever, was mother to her two boys.

The writing bug bit at age forty. Wendy wrote her first novel and then took a year of writing classes through the UCLA Writers' Extension Program.

When her husband's job took the family to Des Moines, Wendy continued writing novels; she took classes through the University of Iowa Summer Writers' Festival; and she joined a local critique group, SCBWI, and the YA chapter of RWA.


***Check out Wendy Delsol's website for more information about her and the Stork: HERE

Happy Reading!


Sunday, September 6, 2015

In My Mailbox #8


In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren which allows bloggers to share what books they bought/received each week.

Hey Bookies! This week will be the eighth time hosting In My Mailbox and I am so excited to share with you what I received in my mailbox recently.

Having said that, a couple of weeks ago I ordered a few* books from Amazon. Eight in total. I usually wait for the used books to go down to $0.01. But ... this time I could not resist. I paid full-price for some books. Take a look below:



Purchased:



*If you're interested in the other books that are on my radar you can check out my Amazon Wishlist: Books I Dream About!

Happy Reading!