Review: The Geography of You and Me + a Giveaway

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
Grade: A-
Release date: April 15, 2014
This ARC was provided by Edelweiss and Little, Brown for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: One of the best parts of this book is the premise and how it plays out.  It's all very well-written.  And the second best part is the romance.  It's very slow burn.  It takes months for any sparks to actually happen between Owen and Lucy, and they don't end up together until much later in the book (and boy, is the ending sweet).  I would've liked a bit more permanence, as it felt like the characters flitted all over, but that's part of the book's charm.  Edinburgh, Scotland really comes to life in Lucy's chapters and, besides New York, it's my favorite setting in The Geography of You and Me.  The whole idea of Owen and Lucy sending postcards to each other was charming, and it played out well.  They joked about postcards shortly after they first met, and I loved how that was the catalyst for their communication throughout most of the book.  Their first kiss was sweet, and I definitely reread the moment many times.  I enjoyed the scene in Prague and how Lucy gradually pressed at her parents to acknowledge her and spend time with her.  I both liked and disliked chapters 25-34.  They flowed well, and I sort of get why they had to be different chapters, but I think they probably would've worked all as one, especially since the book is in 3rd person POV.  At times, Owen's relationship with his dad (and his dad in general) felt a bit cliche and perhaps a bit blah to me.  However, I did like how Owen and Lucy found different people in their time apart.  It was incredibly realistic.  As for relationships I wanted to see developed further, I wanted more of Lucy and her brothers!  Sibling relationships are always some of the best to me.  And, as for the ugly, one of the things I love most about Jennifer's books is that the language and romance are always PG.

The Verdict: I think The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is still my favorite Jennifer E. Smith book, but The Geography of You and Me is a lovely read - definitely one I'll enjoy for quite some time and one that is worth giving a chance.

And now I have a special treat for you.  Jennifer has generously donated a hardcover of The Geography of You and Me and magnets that have quotes from her books on them. I'm a bit jealous of the winner - that is one awesome prize! You can enter the giveaway below.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: We Were Liars

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Grade: I'm not even sure.  Maybe 3 stars?
Release date: May 13, 2014
Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to Read Between the Lynes for providing me with a physical ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: It's been over a week since I read this and I still can't quite put my thoughts into words.  This book was utterly shocking.  The metaphors were beautiful.  The ending turned me upside down and left me with the worst book hangover.  I didn't see it coming, not at all, but just like with Cadence, when I looked back, I recognized the hints.  I enjoyed the descriptions of the island, and the little stories Cadence wrote.  I had trouble connecting with most of the characters, however, and the romance was a bit predictable.  I wasn't happy with a lot of the characters' choices.
Romance was pretty typical of YA, there was some underage drinking, and the language was pretty foul at times.

The Verdict: This is honestly a book that you'll have to judge for yourself.  I know a lot of people are loving it, and I can't even decide what to think.  I'm pretty sure it's not a favorite, but it also wasn't horrible.  I'm just still in shock.

Random Friday: Libraries

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• Include the above image in your post and link back to my post.
• Blog about this week's topic.
• Add the link to your Random Friday at the bottom of this post.

There are so many beautiful libraries around the world.  Personally, I don't think the one in my town is that striking, but it's provided me with so many books over the last seven and a half years, and I'm forever grateful for that.  But let's take a look at some gorgeous libraries around the world, shall we?

Trinity College Library in Dublin.

Admont Abbey Library in  Vienna.

George Peabody Library in Baltimore.

Iowa State Capital Law Library.

University of Washington-Seattle Library.

And of course, what's a post about libraries without the Beast's library?

Spring and Some Music

Ah, spring.  It's finally here, although it looks nothing like this in Illinois. (That's actually Australia.)

Do y'all remember last fall when I had that post with my fall playlist? Well, now I have a spring playlist.  And, yes, there's still plenty of Taylor Swift on it.  But here's what I'll be listening to as the weather continues to warm up.

• "Jump Then Fall"~Taylor Swift
• "I Will Wait"~Mumford and Sons
• "What Makes You Beautiful"~One Direction
• "What a Wonderful World"~Louis Armstrong
• "Breakaway"~Kelly Clarkson
• "Highway Don't Care"~Tim McGraw ft. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban
• "Defying Gravity"~Idina Menzel
• "Who Says"~Selena Gomez
• "If I Die Young"~The Band Perry
• "Stay Stay Stay"~Taylor Swift
• "Sweet Home Chicago"~Eric Clapton
• "You Got Me"~Colbie Caillat
• "Brave"~Sara Bareilles
• "I Want Crazy"~Hunter Hayes
• "Crazier"~Taylor Swift
• "Cinderella"~Steven Curtis Chapman
• "Endlessly"~The Cab
• "Someday My Prince Will Come"~Adriana Caselotti
• "Love Is An Open Door"~Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana
• "Sweeter Than Fiction"~Taylor Swift
• "Waiting for Superman"~Daughtry
• "For the First Time in Forever"~Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel
• "Can I Have This Dance"~High School Musical
• "Today Was a Fairytale"~Taylor Swift
• "Superman"~Taylor Swift
• "The Call"~Regina Spektor
• "Hey Stephen"~Taylor Swift
• "Love Story"~Taylor Swift
• "Fearless"~Taylor Swift
• "Everything Has Changed"~Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran

So what's on your spring playlist?

Also, in other news, #RBWL is happening again on Twitter this coming Monday (April 14).  Our plan is to start the ball rolling at 12 EST/9 PST.  So if you have any awesome ideas, feel free to tweet them throughout the day.  Basically, just tweet anything you want to see in a book and make sure to include the RBWL hashtag.  Wondering what #RBWL is?  Read more here.

Review: Love Letters to the Dead

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
Grade: C+
Release date: April 1, 2014
This ARC was provided by Read Between the Lynes in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path.

To read the rest of my review, go here.  I got to be a guest reviewer over at Dystopian Books. :)

My Heroines

I've been talking about heroines a lot lately on my blog (particularly throughout this month), but this post isn't about ones in books already published.  No, this post is about my own writing, which I haven't talked about in awhile.

Teen Author was my first finished novel.  Its protagonist was Hannah Young.  In retrospect, I can see how weak my writing was, but I'm pretty proud of the fact that I wrote a main character who was quite unlikable at times.

In October, I began writing my retelling of Hamlet, which was also my NaNoWriMo project.  That's currently shelved because I lost half of my manuscript (thanks, flash drive), and that half contained some of my favorite scenes (seriously, big twists, lots of strong emotions, and scenes that were quite different from Shakespeare's original).  Violet LaFleur (the Ophelia character) has been my favorite character to write so far.  She tries hard to please everyone, she loves Grant (Hamlet), and she has an interest in horticulture (something pretty unique, in my opinion), but she's also fiercely independent, smart, and no push-over.  She went through so much in the course of the novel, and while her emotional strength is pretty much sapped in the epilogue, she was definitely still courageous and strong.  I hope to return to this novel some day because I absolutely loved writing Violet, along with Grant and Jonathan (Horatio).

Currently, I'm working on another manuscript that I see having potential.  I don't want to reveal too much about it, but I've researched some interesting things (islands for sale, types of engineering, and acquiring a pilot's license for starters).  I also really love how I'm telling the story, especially because I have no set idea where it's going.  I mean, I have some concrete ideas of how it'll all work, but I'm not entirely sure how it'll end.
This book's protagonist could possibly challenge Violet for my favorite, but it's a bit early to tell.  Her name is Blair, and I've gradually realized it's quite possible she thinks herself perfect (at least when the novel starts...).  She's smart and a leader, and I think she could definitely be a role model.

I have another WIP in the planning process, and it currently has 7 protagonists.  Yeah, I'll need to fix that soon and cut it down to one or two narrators.  They're all strong females, though, and I can't wait to see where their stories go.

I've realized I'm definitely drawn to certain unlikable protagonists (Jane Austen's Emma, to name one), and I think I write a lot of those.  They can't be too awful, though, because otherwise no one will want to finish the book.

So, what do you look for in a good heroine? Do you write, and if so, do you notice a pattern with your protagonists?

ARCs: Not a Geometry Term

Most book bloggers know what ARCs are, and in this case, it's not a geometry term. But anyways, I certainly didn't know what they were when I first started reviewing books, and I know I have several readers who aren't savvy when it comes to the publishing world.  So I decided to talk about ARCs - at least, what I know about them.

An ARC is an Advance Reader's Copy.  I've sometimes seen it called an Advance Reading Copy, an Advance Reader's/Reading Edition, or a Digital Review Copy (which is an e-galley from sites like NetGalley and Edelweiss).  It's an uncorrected proof of a book, a marketing tool used by publishers to promote an upcoming book.  They give them to booksellers, librarians, reviewers, bloggers, and sometimes just readers in order to build buzz about a forthcoming title.  They're not for sale and are not to be sold by their recipients, since they cost a publisher more than a final book (mostly since they don't gain a profit for that specific copy).  For a bookworm, they're a great way to get your hands on a book months before it releases and you get to help build the hype for titles you particularly love.  ARCs sound very awesome in concept - free books that you get to read long before it's published!  I've already addressed why they aren't free for the publisher, but they're also not technically free for the recipient either.  Although, bloggers don't have to review every title they receive, they are expected to review or give feedback on a good majority of them.  But you're still getting a (hopefully) good book in exchange for your feedback, which I think is awesome.  I'm happy to share my thoughts on books and recommend them to my friends and then share the book love by passing them around my friend circle.

I've received both physical and digital ARCs for about nine months at this point.  Around the same time Arlene at Read Between the Lynes offered to let me review some of the YA ARCs they receive, I joined NetGalley.  I also just joined Edelweiss a couple months ago.  Here are the pros and cons of each type of galley.

E-galley Pros and Cons

• Pro- Publishers have more of these to share because they're less expensive to make, so you're more likely to be approved to review a title.
• Pro- You, as the recipient, are less likely to make a profit off of them, which is definitely a good thing (although people still pirate e-galleys, which is downright awful).
• Con- I've found it's harder to remember parts of the story and details that I'd want to mention in my review.
• Pro- They can be archived by the publisher by a certain date, therefore helping to prevent piracy to some extent.
• Con- Sometimes, the ARCs are archived a month or more before their date of publication, so it can totally screw up a reviewer's reading schedule.

Physical ARC Pros and Cons

• Pro- For me, I much prefer having a physical book in my hands. It makes it easier to flip back and reread something or flip through quickly to find something I wanted to remember for a review.
• Pro- Physical ARCs are much easier to share (not sell) with other book bloggers and fellow readers, which helps spread the word.
• Con- Unfortunately, physical copies are easier to sell illegally.
• Con- Once the publishing date has been reached, you're stuck with an ARC you may no longer need/want. (Side note: thankfully, there are programs like ARCycling and some libraries or schools will take ARCs for their shelves.)
• Pro- Most ARCs have the finished cover, so you can see it better than you do on a screen.
• Con- Physical ARCs take up a lot more space.  My ARC shelf has stayed consistently low, but there have been a couple times where it's reached capacity and I've had to start stacking books.

Do you have any pros and cons to add to either type of galley?  What are your thoughts on ARCs in general?

Random Friday: Bookstores

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• Include the above image in your post and link back to my post.
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Bookstores are definitely like a second home to me, particularly the one in my town and the closest Barnes & Noble.  I can spend hours in them, just exploring the shelves and reading books I find.

Well, for this week's Random Friday, I have a special treat for you.  Kate and I took a trip to Barnes & Noble one Friday in March, and we filmed it.  I've always wanted to show y'all how excited I get when I see books in the wild and what books I like seeing on shelves.  Plus, I needed to shop for a friend's birthday gift, which she's received by now.  I think it was very entertaining for Kate to watch me fangirl over various books.  Side note: I apologize in advance because I talk VERY fast and because I didn't want to draw too much attention to us, so I didn't always talk loudly enough (so make sure you turn up the volume).

Review: Salvage

Salvage by Alexandra Duncan
Grade: D+
Release date: April 1, 2014
This ARC was provided by Read Between the Lynes in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: Ava, a teenage girl living aboard the male-dominated deep space merchant ship Parastrata, faces betrayal, banishment, and death. Taking her fate into her own hands, she flees to the Gyre, a floating continent of garbage and scrap in the Pacific Ocean, in this thrilling, surprising, and thought-provoking debut novel that will appeal to fans of Across the Universe, by Beth Revis, and The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: From the get-go, this book confused me.  We're thrown into an unfamiliar environment immediately with strange terms and phrases that are never fully explained.  What is a "modrie"?  Why is it used for both Ava's stepmother and her biological aunt?  What is a "so missus," or "so girl," or "so doctor"?  The unfamiliar ways of speaking kept interrupting the flow of reading so I never really connected with the characters or the plotline.  Eventually, Ava ends up in India (which I thought was cool, since it's an underused setting and that meant the majority of the characters were diverse), and many Hindi words and phrases are never translated.  I felt so disconnected from this book.  A secondary character dies at one point, and I didn't even care.  There ended up being two love interests (but not in a love triangle way; it reminded me more of Frozen, in that Ava seems to fall instantly in love with one guy but it doesn't work out and there's a slow burn with another guy), and I didn't root for either one because they both felt so blah.  Ava got on my nerves.  When she reaches Earth, she worries that she's pregnant (let me note that she's been with a guy ONCE).  I was hoping she wasn't pregnant because how unrealistic is that?  I'm not sure what I expected out of this book, but I think a bit more action would've helped.  Where was the tension once Ava reached Earth?  Why didn't I worry for her safety at all?  Additionally, the society aboard the spaceships is so strict and limiting that I wanted to punch several of the men.  I found it to be almost a bit unrealistic.  How the heck did all those people arrive at the ideas they had when everyone else down on Earth is still living normal lives?  How is it benefiting anyone to treat the women like dogs in a puppy mill?
On the plus side, I barely caught any foul language.  There is a lot of stuff implied in the romance department that I was uncomfortable with, and those on the spaceships practice polygamy.

The Verdict: Salvage is 520 pages long.  I read it through, but I honestly didn't enjoy a single moment.  Well, okay, there were some high points (mostly Miyole; she is a cutie).  But, honestly, I don't think this book is worth your time.

Review: Dorothy Must Die

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
Grade: A-
Release date: April 1, 2014
This ARC was provided by Read Between the Lynes in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Holy cheese and crackers, this book...well, let's just say it was one of my most-anticipated reads of 2014.  As I started to read, I got worried.  Amy's Kansas wasn't appealing to me, and I felt like the environment was a bit cliche.  But once our heroine arrived in Oz, my worries were wiped away (well, sort of).  The setting came to life and all the little details played like a movie in my head.  There are bombshells dropped around every corner.  I'm still reeling from the last one (especially since I was expecting a love triangle, and I'm pretty sure there won't be one now...).  That was definitely a cliffhanger (although not as literal as the one in Mark of Athena).  The concept of what Amy has to do to kill Dorothy (listed in the summary above) is awesome.  There were moments when the action dragged a little, but it seemed right that *SPOILER* Dorothy didn't die yet. *END SPOILER* It all would've happened too quickly, since Amy was utterly unprepared to face someone so powerful.  I loved connecting characters to the original book and movie, particularly Gert.  When she kissed Amy's forehead for protection, I remembered that from the book, and thought that was wickedly (pun unintentional) awesome.  I'm still curious as to who Mombi is, and I would've liked a few more answers in Dorothy Must Die, but hopefully they'll come in the 2nd and 3rd books.
Romance is pretty clean, once Amy gets to Oz.  The books gets a bit gruesome at moments, and the language has its ugly moments, but I'm pretty sure it isn't on every page, so that's a plus.

The Verdict: At about February 18th, I had begun to resign myself to waiting until the book released, since it didn't look like I was getting an ARC.  But then, if you remember from a Rewind & Review, I talked about the bookstore owner emailing me to tell me there was an ARC she thought I'd be very excited about.  And, boy, would Dorothy have been worth the wait.  But I'm glad I didn't have to.  It's an excellent twist on the story we all know and love.  There's been an onslaught of everything Oz lately (Oz the Great and Powerful, Oz and the Wicked Witch coming to Once Upon a Time, and so forth), but this is definitely one of the better contributions to the world of Oz.