REVIEW: A Bridge Across The Ocean by Susan Meissner

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

February, 1946. World War Two is over, but the recovery from the most intimate of its horrors has only just begun for Annaliese Lange, a German ballerina desperate to escape her past, and Simone Deveraux, the wronged daughter of a French Resistancespy. Now the two women are joining hundreds of other European war brides aboard the renowned RMS Queen Mary to cross the Atlantic and be reunited with their American husbands. Present day. Facing a crossroads in her own life, Brette Caslake visits the famously haunted Queen Mary at the request of an old friend. What she finds will set her on a course to solve a seventy-year-old tragedy that will draw her into the heartaches and triumphs of the courageous war brides--and will ultimately lead her to reconsider what she has to sacrifice to achieve her own deepest longings. 

This book was a total surprise. I thought I was getting a typical WWII historical fiction book about war brides and their stories 0f survival during the war. There is one thing the premise does not mention: there is a huge supernatural element. The main character from the present, Brette, can communicate with "Drifters" (i.e. ghosts). Even one of the POVs is that of a ghost. Pretty freaking awesome really. Brett comes from a family of people who can see Drifters. She has never gotten involved and she sees this as more of a curse than a gift. She avoids talking with them and even avoids eye contact if she can help it. But then she gets involved with a Drifter haunting the RMS Queen Mary (a site I really want to visit now that I have read this book) and she feels that solving this mystery will help with her own feelings about her abilities. 

The mystery in this book went in a direction that I was really not expecting. Besides the present day Brette, we meet two very different women whose stories collide on the ship. Annalise is German and is running from a secret past. It also isn't easy to be German at the very end of the war because people's feelings are running high. Then there is Simone, the daughter of a French Resistance fighter in search of a fresh start after the trauma she has endured. The story kind of goes back and forth between the Drifter and the present day and the women on the ship and we get glimpses of the women's stories before the war and what led them to the ship. It sounds confusing, but the author did a great job and I never got confused with the characters or the timelines. It's hard to speak much more about the plot because I really don't want to give it away, but I will say that the mystery was so well done and the characters were so well developed. There was such a great blend of historical fiction with the supernatural. There were a few times when I thought I knew the identity of the Drifter or that I knew what happened on the ship, but I ended up being totally wrong. I loved that the ending surprised me. This was a great read and not as emotional as other WWII books, which is a really good thing. The book actually focuses most of the mystery on the events on the ship and those events take place right after the war. This is a great read and I highly recommend it.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this one.

Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite Short Reads

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They feature a different top ten list every week. This week's topic is favorite books that you can read in one setting. Personally, I can read most books under 400 pages in one sitting, if given the time. But for the purposes of this topic, I have listed my favorite books under 200 pages. 

So on January 31, if you are desperate to finish just one more book to satisfy that annoying Goodreads challenge, keep these in mind.

And yes, I am aware that there are only seven books in that list. As a bonus, I have listed a few books that were more than 200 pages, but I just could not put them down. I have a feeling you won't be able to either.

What are a few of your favorite books that you can read in one sitting? Have you read any of the ones on this list?

REVIEW: The Inexplicable Logic Of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican-American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he? This humor-infused, warmly humane look at universal questions of belonging is a triumph. 

Man, this book got me right in the feels. Seriously, it was so beautifully written and it was moving and I cried so many times. My husband said I should start rating books based on the number of tears it causes. This book would get a LOT of tears . . . and typically, the more I cry, the more I love the book. This one is no exception.

Let's talk about how much I loved EVERY single character! Sal is a white guy who was adopted by a gay Mexican guy when his mom died of cancer when he was really young. I absolutely loved Sal's dad. Seriously, LOVED HIM! He was so incredibly supportive and fatherly and he had love for every single child in his son't life. He was the perfect parent. I loved his relationship with Sal. It was so perfectly realistic and loving and wonderful. His dad was stern when it counted, but he wasn't overprotective about it and Sam knew he could talk to his dad about anything. 

And here was an amazing thing: NO ROMANCE!! Seriously, the friendship was my FAVORITE part! Sam is a straight girl who Sal has known since he was a child and they are basically siblings. I was kind of worried the author would throw a romance in there somewhere at the last minute, but I am so happy that didn't happen. They had this ridiculously funny banter and they just seemed like regular teenagers. I am just in awe of the fact that a straight girl and a straight guy were best friends with not even a HINT of romance between them. I loved that they could cry in front of each other and they were for each other, no matter what and they were pretty honest with each other. But yes, Sal did keep a few secrets because, you know, realism and all. There were a few times when I thought Sam was a bit too pushy, but she evolved a lot and I still loved her. Oh, and there was food in this book. SO MUCH FOOD! Sal's grandmother showed her love by cooking for her family and I loved that. She made these homemade tamales that had me drooling on my Kindle and they ate SO MANY TACOS! Now I need a taco . . . desperately! 

I think the ONE issue I had with this book is that the plot was kind of . . . non existent. Sal had questions about his biological father and his grandmother gets cancer and he starts punching people at random but I didn't feel like none of things really moved things along in the book or even got resolved successfully. It felt like it was basically a year in the life of Sal where a bunch of bad things happen. Basically, there is a lot of tragedy in this book and I don't think all of it was necessary. But the characters and the food and the friendship and the family were all so amazing that I STILL loved this book to pieces.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this one!!

DISCUSSION: Let's Talk Social Media

Confession: I am awful when it comes to social media.

When it comes to my blog, I have a Twitter account, but no Facebook page. Here's what typically happens: I go on Twitter for a few weeks, I tweet, I interact, I retweet, I catch up on notifications and my followers, etc., etc., etc. Then . . . I forget about it for three months or something. Then I realize that I should go back on Twitter and the cycle starts all over again. And I usually have way too many notifications after not checking it in so long.

P.S. Looking at my Twitter feed, the only posts in the past several months are my auto-generated Goodreads reviews and my auto-generated blog post links. Boring, much?

I guess my problem is that I feel so much pressure with what I say on Twitter. 140 characters to express something profound and funny? I need at least 200 characters for that. And most of the time, I just don't feel like I have anything to say. I admire the hell out of all you fabulous Twitter people who manage to crack me up with every tweet. And personally, I just spend more time on Facebook than Twitter. So it's easy to spend more time on that platform.

And don't even get me started with Instagram. I'm way too lazy for that one. But maybe I should spend more time on there, if nothing else, just so I can share my wonderful pictures of all my travels.

I have been contemplating creating a Facebook page for my blog. I love interacting with other bloggers and with my readers and I feel like I would get more interaction there. I am curious about what you guys think though.

Fellow bloggers, do you have a Facebook page? Do you have a favorite social media platform? Which platform allows you more interaction with other bloggers and readers. 

REVIEW: Piper Perish by Kayla Cagan

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Piper Perish inhales air and exhales art. The sooner she and her best friends can get out of Houston and get to New York City, the better. Art school has been Piper's dream her whole life, and now that senior year is halfway over, she's never felt more ready. But in the final months before graduation, things are weird with her friends and stressful with three different guys, and Piper's sister's tyrannical mental state seems to thwart every attempt at happiness for the close-knit Perish family. Piper's art just might be enough to get her out. But is she brave enough to seize that power when it means giving up so much? 

This is going to be kind of a ranty review because spoiler alert: I hated it. Maybe part of it is an age thing. Some parts of it may appeal to younger audiences because while I could relate to some things, most of the book just annoyed me. This book is told through Piper's journal entries. Interesting choice for a narrative style, but it ensured that we only got things from Piper's POV. The problem with Piper was that she annoyed me for most of the book. She was a typical teenager who couldn't wait to leave her hometown for an art school in New York and she wouldn't shut up about it. I do understand that part because I was the same way. But she was so whiny about everything and she was unrealistic about her options. She wanted to go to an expensive art school, but did she do ANYTHING about trying to figure out options so her parents could afford it? No. She didn't look for scholarships or loans or grants or anything. She even took her sweet time about getting a job. She got in and then just expected her parents to be able to pay for it all and then she blamed other people for the fact that they couldn't. And she didn't have ANY other backups. 

Let's talk about her family. Her parents were supportive and I felt sorry for them because they had to deal with two very bratty teenagers. Okay, now I get that sisters can have a whole rivalry thing going on and they can hate each other for no reason and one always thinks the other is being spoiled by their parents. That's how it was for me and my sister growing up. But here's the thing: Piper's sister, Marli, was an absolute horrible person and there was no reason for it. And there was never any supportive or loving moments between the sisters. I don't even get the point of the Marli point of the storyline. I felt like the author was trying to insinuate that Marli had mental problems. Piper and her friend read a chapter in a psychology textbook and decided that Marli was a sociopath. Really?? I agree that Marli was mean, but I never saw any indication of that. Not a diagnosis you want to throw around lightly. And Piper kept calling Marli crazy. So annoying. And here's a radical thought: a person can be awful and mean WITHOUT suffering from a mental illness. But since nothing was ever resolved with that, I don't know if Marli actually had issues or if it was just an insult thrown around by an envious sister. But Piper could be mean to Marli too. And she thought her parents were spoiling Marli just because her parents actually did things for her. And not to give away any spoilers, but Marli's problem couldn't just be swept under the rug.

Then let's talk about Piper's friends. They were both artists too and they were also as moody as Piper because of the whole "teenage angst" thing. Kit was jealous of Piper a lot instead of being supportive. And Piper just apologized to Kit for things that weren't even her fault and she was so needy in her desire to make Kit okay. That was annoying. Enzo was Piper's artist boyfriend, who breaks up with her in front of everyone at the whole school because he's gay. I never got over the way he ended things with Piper and then I hated him because he kept jerking Piper around, despite the fact that he said he didn't want to be with her. And another reviewer pointed out that the author should have made Enzo bisexual or something and I have to agree with that. Basically, the ONLY options that were presented for Enzo were gay or straight. Yet, he still kind of wanted to be with Piper at times even after he came out. So was he just struggling with being gay? Or was he bisexual? If he were bisexual, then maybe some of this actions would have made sense and I would have liked him a bit more.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Skip this one. Please.

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Swear I Will Read Soon!!

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They feature a different top ten list every week. This week's topic is top books on my Spring TBR . . . in other words, books that I swear I will get to soon, but may or may not actually read because I am easily distracted by other books.

ARCs on my TBR

Books Languishing on my Kindle (or my bookshelf) longing to be read

So what books are on your Spring TBR? Are there any on my list that you have already read? Which ones should I read immediately?

BOOK REVIEW: The Archived (The Archived #1) by Victoria Schwab

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive. Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous-it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now that her little brother is gone too, Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

Victoria Schwab is a genius. There is just no other word for it. I bought this one because 1) Victoria Schwab and 2) it was on sale and 3) a library full of dead people! This premise was incredibly original and dark and Schwab definitely did it justice. First of all, the dead people basically sometimes escape and wander these dark hallways. Then the Keepers (i.e. people like MacKenzie) find them in these creepy and dark hallways (the Narrows) and send them back on their way to the Archives. There are Librarians in charge of the dead people Archives (how cool would THAT library job be??) and there are Crew members in charge of finding any dead people (also known as Histories) who somehow make their way into the Outer (also known as the regular world). Oh, and Mackenzie has to wear this special ring at all times because she can read memories of things or people that she touches. Reading people's energies and their memories and all their feelings can be crazy exhausting. It was so creepy and dark and twisted and I LOVED it.

The characters were awesome. Mackenzie is a total bad ass who became a Keeper at twelve years old, which is about four years earlier than they normally are allowed to because . . . obviously. She's awesome. The book goes between the present and the past when her grandfather actually recruited her to become a Keeper. Mackenzie is mourning the loss of her grandfather and her younger brother, so she has a few issues with the dead and the whole issue of their bodies returning. Not only is she grieving, but she has to lie to EVERYONE about her disappearances and her bruises. It is such a lonely life. I loved her parents. Everyone is still so devastated over Ben's death and her mom seems like a realistic portrayal of a grieving mother. She is overwhelmed with her own feelings her grief can sometimes blind her to what's going on with Mackenzie, but she obviously loves her daughter and is concerned about her. Same with Mackenzie's dad. It's nice to see a realistic family with real problems (aside from the whole daughter being a Keeper thing) instead of the typical YA abusive and neglectful parents.

It SEEMS like there is a love triangle here, but it still doesn't really feel like one. There is Owen, who is tortured and in the Narrows and Mackenzie is trying to figure out who he is and why he's there. Even though there is a little romance between the two of them, it's obvious that Mackenzie is using him for an escape. She is still grieving after all and she is just so tired of all the secrets and lies. And then there's Wesley, who is adorable and charming and they have CRAZY chemistry. Mackenzie and Wesley are such a slow burn that I LOVED it. The best part is there was NO insta-love. And the second best part was that there were twists with BOTH boys and they kind of left my head spinning. 

The ONLY negative about this book was that it started a bit slow. But as you can see, I still had no choice but to give this one five stars. Once it picked up speed, there were so many twists and turns and so much creepiness and I absolutely loved the entire plot and all the characters. And now, I MUST have the sequel NOW!!!

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy it NOW!! 

BOOK REVIEW: Alone (The Generations Trilogy #3) by Scott Sigler

Pawns in a millennia-old struggle, the young people known only as the Birthday Children were genetically engineered to survive on the planet Omeyocan—but they were never meant to live there. They were made to be “overwritten,” their minds wiped and replaced by the consciousness of the monsters who created them. Em changed all of that. She unified her people and led a revolt against their creators. Em and her friends escaped an ancient ghost ship and fled to Omeyocan. They thought they would find an uninhabited paradise. Instead, they found the ruins of a massive city long since swallowed by the jungle. And they weren’t alone. The Birthday Children fought for survival against the elements, jungle wildlife, the “Grownups” who created them . . . and, as evil corrupted their numbers, even against themselves. With these opponents finally defeated, Em and her people realized that more threats were coming, traveling from across the universe to lay claim to their planet. The Birthday Children have prepared as best they can against this alien armada. Now, as the first ships reach orbit around Omeyocan, the final battle for the planet begins.

Wow. What an incredible end to an incredible series. So there are times when I am reading a book series and I never really feel like the sequels live up to the first one. For so many series, the books just kind of lose steam as they go on. BUT NOT WITH THIS ONE. This book is just as exciting as the first two . . . even more so, actually. This book was almost 600 pages and I swear there was action and bloodshed and intensity for over 500 of those pages. It was such a roller coaster . . . if the roller coaster in question was full of hills and didn't give you a chance to catch your breath before taking you over the next one. 

Okay, it's REALLY hard to give a thorough review because of spoilers. I don't want to ruin this. I will say there are so many enemies that Em and the other Birthday Children have to fight here. Once they fight one group, another one comes along. Meanwhile, they also have to stop fighting each other so they can concentrate on the people who are really after them. This last book kind of reminded me of Lord of the Flies times a million or something. It's like an adult version of that. And there were so many twists in this one that my head spun a little bit. All the questions are answered and none of it was predictable at all. This was such a thrilling conclusion to this series. 

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this one! You should read this entire series.

DISCUSSION: Does the length of a book impact your decision to read it?

Have I mentioned on this blog that I'm lazy? I'm sure that I have. And I am sure you have figured that out by the length of time it can take me to respond to comments.  Okay, I am working on it . . . and I'm talking about both the laziness and the responding to comments.

Most of the time, I am not lazy when it comes to reading. Actually, reading is the reason why I can be lazy sometimes.

reading vs. cleaning = reading wins (though that probably isn't a fair match)

reading vs. responding to blog comments = reading

reading vs. working out = reading

reading vs.  . . . . well, just about anything = reading wins (except maybe eating. I'll give up ten minutes of reading time to stuff some chocolate in my mouth.)

But when it comes to reading long books . . . well, my laziness has a tendency to win out. My average size book is around 300 or 350 pages. Don't get me wrong, I will read a long book. Last year, my longest book read was Gone with the Wind, which came in at a whopping 1057 pages.

Great book, but do you have any idea how long it languished on my Kindle before I finally read it?

Yeah, me neither but I know it was a long time.

Right now, I am reading Gemina, which is 659 pages. I have been looking forward to this book for ages, but it took forever to gather the motivation to read it because of its length.

I know some people may say they are intimidated by books with a lot of pages. I would love to say that is my excuse. Then maybe you guys would respect me a bit. But alas, it's strictly laziness.

I have found that the longer a book is, the longer it takes me to read it. If it's over 500 pages, that's the sweet, sweet spot of procrastination on my part.

So let's discuss: do you procrastinate on reading books if they are too long? What do you consider too long? Is it an intimidation thing or are you just lazy like me? No judgments!

February Recap - The one where I come back from a much needed break

I am linking up to both the Sunday Post @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer and the Sunday Post @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction.

This past month has been a good one. I know I haven't been around for a while. Part of the problem has been writer's block. But I think a bigger part of it is just that I needed a break from blogging. Or maybe I have also been more than a little lazy.

We all have those moments every now and then, right? I think I'm back, but let's face it: I may get distracted again by a candy bar or a shiny new book. I get that way.

So what have I been up to over the past month?

1. Recovering from jet lag

I came back to Italy from a month long trip to the States a couple of weeks ago and I am just now starting to feel like myself again. Jet lag is a bitch.

2. Spending time with my husband and my dog

One month away from them is just too long. My husband said he is never going to let me leave him for a month again. And when I got home, I was only home for eighteen hours before he had to leave for a week long business trip! Argh! I missed my family terribly and I know that my husband was happy to have someone to annoy besides our dog.

3. Catching up on TV

A month without watching This is Us because I had to watch it with my husband . . . TORTURE. That is real love folks.

4. Reading

Of course!! Luckily, I have not been in a reading slump. I have read some great books over the last month and some not so great ones. Below are a few of my favorites. I managed to read fourteen books in the month of February.

5. 5. Dealing with change

I despise change. And it's not even an age thing. I have been this way for a long time. Four versions of the iPhone came out before I finally gave up my old 90's style flip phone. What can I say? The camera was awful and it took forever to type out a text, but I loved it.

So I was forced to get a new Kindle because mine was old and having issues. I tried to get the same exact one I had before: the Kindle Fire with 7 inch display. I thought it would be exactly the same. I. Was. Wrong.

It's more narrow than I am used to and the display is all different and the place where I charge it is in a different spot. Even the plug is irritating me because it's all different.

I'm getting used to it, but it was rough for a few days. Did I mention that I'm old and I HATE CHANGE.

6. Planning travel

My husband and I will be living in Italy for two more years. We are planning on taking full advantage of our time left. We are planning Paris in April, Florence in May, Scotland in July and a Baltic cruise (that will include St. Petersburg, Russia!!) in September. And I think we will be spending Thanksgiving this year in Budapest. Good times.

Okay, so I think that's about it for me this month. Hope everyone else has had a great February.

Talk to me! What was your favorite book that you read this month? Any trips planned? Do you hate change as much as I do?

REVIEW: Denton Little's Still Not Dead (Denton Little #2) by Lance Rubin

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The good news: Denton Little has lived through his deathdate. Yay! The bad news: He’s being chased by the DIA (Death Investigation Agency), he can never see his family again, and he may now die any time. Huh. Cheating death isn’t quite as awesome as Denton would have thought.

FINALLY! More Denton! It seems like I have been waiting forever for this sequel and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Denton has found his birth mom (yeah, the one he thought was dead) and they are running from the DIA. There was a lot going on with the plot and I loved it. There was so much action and so much of Denton running for his life. I also appreciated the awkwardness between Denton and his birth mom and how he still thought of his stepmom as "Mom." I thought that was so realistic. There was also more of Paolo. Seriously, could there friendship be any more awesome? They are your typical teenage boys and there was still so much snark and sarcasm and witty banter and I loved all of it. 

This book also still discussed the big questions about death, like whether people should be forced to know their death dates or whether people should even know at all. I think that if it were possible to know my death date ahead of time, I wouldn't want to know. And this book also deals with Denton trying to save Paolo from his death date. It's a race against the clock and I was rooting for him to figure out a way to outsmart it. 

It was AWESOME that romance was not a huge subplot of the book. Yeah, there were a few romance scenes, but it never took over the book and there was none of that stupid insta-love. I was rooting for Denton and Veronica, but I thought their relationship was realistic and well-done, especially considering the fact that they are both teenagers, for crying out loud.

This book was funny and touching and full of wacky adventures and if you loved the first one, you will love this one as well! 

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this one!

REVIEW: We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

It is the spring of 1939 and three generations of the Kurc family are doing their best to live normal lives, even as the shadow of war grows closer. But soon the horrors overtaking Europe will become inescapable and the Kurcs will be flung to the far corners of the world, each desperately trying to navigate his or her own path to safety. As one sibling is forced into exile, another attempts to flee the continent, while others struggle to escape certain death, either by working grueling hours on empty stomachs in the factories of the ghetto or by hiding as gentiles in plain sight. Driven by an unwavering will to survive and by the fear that they may never see one another again, the Kurcs must rely on hope, ingenuity, and inner strength to persevere. 

Knowing this story is based on real members of the author's family, it's a bit difficult to review the plot adequately. Most of the events in this book are real, after all. It's a book set during WWII, which means there is despair and loss and heartbreak and yes, some hope. You have to have some hope in these books or you would never be able to get through them. This book is about a family who becomes separated after WWII. The books follows them through the entire war and it spans across Europe and Africa. I think that my rating went up a little when I finished the book and read the author's note detailing how this book was about her family. And the ending kind of helped me too. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what issues I had with this book. First of all, there were just so many members of the family and the chapters went back and forth between each one. It took me a while to get everyone straight in terms of who the parents were and siblings and spouses and honestly, I still wasn't sure I had everyone straight by the end of the book. But I eventually fell in love with these characters, even though I wasn't entirely sure who was married to whom. The author did a great job with her research and there were so many little details that made this book read like a truly accurate account of the horrifying conditions during the war. I loved that aspect of the writing. But there were times when the timelines would jump around and people would be in a different location the next time we saw them with no explanation of the time in between. I can appreciate that the author was telling the story of a lot of people, but I guess there were just so many people that the author couldn't really focus on everyone. So there was too much detail on some events and not enough detail on others. I do like that the author also put a note on the end, describing where everyone was in their lives and what happened to them. This was a very emotional story and it's worth reading, but I just didn't think there was enough focus on emotional depth on some events for my taste.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Borrow this one.

REVIEW: Waking In Time by Angie Stanton

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The schedule publication date is March 1, 2017.

Still mourning the loss of her beloved grandmother and shaken by her mysterious, dying request to “find the baby,” Abbi has just arrived at UW Madison for her freshman year. But on her second day, she wakes up to a different world: 1983. That is just the first stop on Abbi’s journey backward through time. Will is a charming college freshman from 1927 who travels forward through time. When Abbi and Will meet in the middle, love adds another complication to their lives. Communicating across time through a buried time capsule, they try to decode the mystery of their travel, find the lost baby, and plead with their champion, a kindly physics professor, to help them find each other again ... even though the professor gets younger each time Abbi meets him. This page-turning story full of romance, twists, and delightful details about campus life then and now will stay with readers long after the book’s satisfying end.

I guess I am going to be in the minority with this one. Most people seemed to enjoy this one, but I just couldn't. Here's what I did like: I liked the description of the different time periods Abbi traveled to. I know that women's rights kind of sucked in the 20's (understatement, I am sure), but I love the fashion from that time period. And it was nice to see how fashion and attitudes and technology changed throughout the years. The author obviously did her research with that. 

So why didn't I like this book? Honestly, for a time travel book, it was kind of boring. Abbi was kind of a bland character. I can't say that I loved or hated her because I didn't really feel much for her at all. And there was a guy who was introduced at the very beginning of the book and I had no clue why there was even a scene with him in it until the end of it. Then there was the love interest, Will. While Will was a very sweet guy, there was zero chemistry. They also didn't even share that many scenes together because of the whole time traveling thing so I didn't get the relationship. Because of the whole time traveling thing, we didn't even see Abbi and Will's relationship until more than halfway through the book and I had lost interest at the point. There also wasn't a lot of action. Every time period was the same: Abbi woke up, tried to fit in, met some physics professor for clues about what was happening, go to sleep and then start all over again the next day. Just add a random encounter with Will in there every once in a while and that was the story. I didn't like that Abbi didn't know the mystery she was supposed to solve until past the halfway point (I already knew, by the way, because it was predictable) and the resolution to the mystery was so slow to unravel. The entire book is mainly Abbi traveling through time with no clue why it's happening or how to get home and then all of a sudden, every mystery is just solved within the span of a couple of pages towards the end of the book. It was a bit unsatisfying. Sorry, but this one was not for me.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Skip this one.

DISCUSSION - Writer's Block + Pick My Next Discussion Post!

I have had a huge problem over the past few weeks. I feel like I have nothing to say.

There is a reason why I haven't posted that many discussion posts and it's not laziness. Okay, so it's not just laziness. Last month, I was spending a lot of time with my family and didn't have the time too write anything. And this week, I have been struggling with jet lag from my trip back to Italy.

Most of my posts have been reviews and it isn't because I don't have ideas. I do. I promise. I have several posts in my drafts folder. The problem is that when I go to write something on these posts, I have NOTHING TO SAY. Or at least . . . nothing that I think you guys would want to hear.

I don't know if I'm genuinely blocked or if I am just having a hard time drumming up any excitement for these posts. Maybe it's a little bit of both. So I thought I would tell you some of the post ideas I have and you could tell me if you would be interested in a post on that subject.

1. Using a spreadsheet to track my reading. How does tracking my reading affect what I read?

2. Books I would like to read for the first time again.

3. Feeling guilty for not rereading more.

4. Why is everyone so down on YA?

5. Have your reading tastes changed?

6. Cons of being a speed reader

7. What percentage of my books get different ratings?

See? Ideas are not the problem.

What do you guys think . . . do any of those posts sound remotely interesting? Any ideas on how to love past this writer's block?

REVIEW: The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date for this book is March 1, 2017.

Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep… When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night. Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their friendship is enough to save one another—or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.

I love WWII books. They are my bread and butter and I was so excited to find a new twist on one. I absolutely loved the addition of the circus and the magical atmosphere. Noa and Astrid are two women with secrets and they managed to forge such a strong friendship despite everything. Astrid is a woman of Jewish faith who marries a German soldier. She comes from a long line of circus performers and when her husband leaves her because of the fact that she is Jewish, she is devastated and decides to join a competing circus since her family has disappeared. Noa has a one night affair with a German soldier and is kicked out of her family home when she learns she is pregnant. Her child is taken away from her, but she gets a second chance at motherhood when she rescues a baby boy from a boxcar full of Jewish babies, on their way to their deaths.

One of the things I loved about this book was that the romance was very subtle. The focus was on the friendship between these two very strong women. Astrid distrusts Noa and is worried that her secret will be found out. I had no idea that there were circus people who basically hid Jewish people among their workers to give them a job and to hide them. The author stated in her author's note that she had read about this and was intrigued. I was definitely intrigued to hear this. The owner of the circus in this book risked his life to hide Astrid and Noa's baby, among others. What a crazy time to live in. Noa learned how to become an aerialist so that she can earn her place in the circus. I know Noa was a gymnast at one point, but I still thought it a little convenient that she was able to learn the act so quickly. But given that, there were still wonderful scenes in the circus and behind the scenes. Being an aerialist involves a lot of trust and committing herself to this act allows Noa to gain Astrid's trust and respect.

This book was full of magical scenes with the circus and also a lot of suspense and fear with checkpoints and the Nazi regime. There were these moments when the circus performers put on their act and you could almost forget the despair of the war because there is just so much hope and beauty with the performers. But the author never lets you forget the stakes or what could happen to both go these women. There was a little insta-love with Noa, but I am so glad that it was a subplot and not one of the major points of focus. Both of these women have lost loved ones and family but they find what they have been missing from each other. This was such a beautiful story. Yes, there are incredibly sad moments (it is a WWII book after all), but there are some beautiful ones as well. Great book!

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this one!

REVIEW: The Book of Etta (The Book of Nowhere #2) by Meg Elison

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date for this book is February 21, 2017.

Etta comes from Nowhere, a village of survivors of the great plague that wiped away the world that was. In the world that is, women are scarce and childbearing is dangerous…yet desperately necessary for humankind’s future. Mothers and midwives are sacred, but Etta has a different calling. As a scavenger. Loyal to the village but living on her own terms, Etta roams the desolate territory beyond: salvaging useful relics of the ruined past and braving the threat of brutal slave traders, who are seeking women and girls to sell and subjugate. When slavers seize those she loves, Etta vows to release and avenge them. But her mission will lead her to the stronghold of the Lion—a tyrant who dominates the innocent with terror and violence. There, with no allies and few weapons besides her wits and will, she will risk both body and spirit not only to save lives but also to liberate a new world’s destiny.

I absolutely adored the first book so I was super excited for this ARC. I was a little wary of the focus on a different character because I loved the first one so much. I shouldn't have worried though. Etta is still a very compelling character and Elison is so incredibly talented at building this post-apocalyptic world. This book picks up about a hundred years after the first one. Just a note that this is still not a standalone novel. You should definitely read the first one before tackling this one.

This book focused a lot on gender and gender identity and sexual identity. It's interesting to see the new society that has formed and the way some people in the town of Nowhere worship the Unnamed Midwife and her words. This new society is mostly run by women. It's a great flip from the usual man run societies. Because so many women died in the plague (and continue to die in childbirth), they kind of run the show in the town of Nowhere. Etta explores other towns and villages and of course there are differences. In Nowhere, women do look down on other women who are lesbians or transgender. Women are one of two things in this town: mothers or midwives. There is an understanding that lesbians still sleep with men for the purpose of breeding. The whole emphasis on breeding despite all the risks was disturbing, to say the least. 

Ellison's writing is just as good as ever. The world she creates is bleak and cruel, but it also has its moments of hope. She does such an amazing job with all of the characters. The women are flawed, but relatable and I loved seeing how some of the men were adapting to the new society. Some of the men were cruel and took advantage of the women, while other men treated women with a huge amount of respect (because there were less of them). I will say that I loved the first one more than this one, but this was still a very well done sequel and I can't wait to see where Ellison goes with the next book in the series.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this one.

REVIEW: The Free by Lauren McLaughlin

I received this ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date for this book is February 28, 2017.

In the beginning, Isaac West stole to give his younger sister Janelle little things: a new sweater, a scarf, just so she looked less like a charity case whose mother spent money on booze and more like the prep school girls he’d see on his way to school. But when Isaac’s petty theft lands him in juvie, he’s cut off from helping Janelle. Friendless in a dangerous world of gangs and violent offenders, he must watch his every step. His sentence requires him to meet regularly for group therapy, where the inmates reenact their crimes, attempting to understand what happened from the perspective of their victims. The therapy is intense. And as Isaac works through scenes with the group, he begins to recall a memory he’d long ago repressed. A memory that changed everything. And as he begins to piece together the truth about the circumstances that shaped his life—the circumstances that brought Isaac to Haverland in the first place—he must face who he was, who he is . . . and who he wants to be.

Where do I begin with this book? So it took me a while to connect with the main character. The book is told through first person by Isaac and his time in a juvenile detention center. Isaac has a sister that he loves deeply and a mom who is a prostitute and an alcoholic so he is the only one around to take care of her. The problem is that his method of taking care of her lands him in juvie. The scenes in group therapy were intense. Isaac meets some interesting characters there and has to figure out who his friends are and who he can trust. In the beginning, he is just about doing his time and getting out of there as soon as possible. The other characters are interesting, especially the ones in his group therapy class. Eventually, Isaac realizes that he has to work the program and this is where things get a bit interesting. The memories he has of his childhood with his mom and his sister are truly heartbreaking. The group helps him to come to terms with a few repressed memories and I loved those scenes.

I guess the issue I had with this one is that there was also this subplot of Isaac's crime and this theft ring that his teacher was running and I thought it got a little too "made for TV," if you know what I mean. I also thought the ending was a bit rushed and the character development was a little forced. I thought the focus on this theft ring took attention away from Isaac's crimes and it's almost like the author was looking for some villain to place all the blame on for stuff that Isaac did. I would have much rather read a story about Isaac exploring the reasons behind his actions and even talking about the poverty that led to some of his poor decision making. And the end with his sister and his mother was just a little too neat and wrapped up. 

Parts of this book were interesting, but I just didn't think the book went deeply enough.

Borrow/Buy/Skip: Borrow this one.

REVIEW: Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1) by Vic James

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date for this book is February 14, 2017.

Our world belongs to the Equals—aristocrats with magical gifts—and all commoners must serve them for ten years. But behind the gates of England’s grandest estate lies a power that could break the world. Abi is a servant to England’s most powerful family, but her spirit is free. So when she falls for one of their noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible choice. Uncovering the family’s secrets might win her liberty—but will her heart pay the price? Abi’s brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even greater than magic: revolution. And an aristocrat will remake the world with his dark gifts. He is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious powers no one else understands. But will he liberate—or destroy?

The premise for this book was awesome and I did enjoy parts of it. The author painted a very bleak picture of Equals and the commoners, who are required to be their slaves for a period of ten years at some point during their lives. So there is inequality and more importantly, there is magic among the Equals. The magic is what separates the Equals from the commoners. It's passed down through the families, but this is kind of where the author lost me with the world building. There just wasn't enough magic in it for me. I craved it something fierce. When there was magic, I was so excited but those scenes just weren't enough. I also don't think the author delved too deeply into where the magic came from originally and how the laws got to be passed about everyone's slave days. It seems so odd that these laws were passed without too much resistance, but then again people used their magic so I think some of it can be explained by that.

Let's talk about the characters. First of all, I think there were way too many POV's. The main problem with this book was that I couldn't connect with any of them. Most of the characters were just boring. This book took a while to read because so much time would pass with nothing happening to any of them. I did like Luke and the resistance that he joined. I think that is relevant with what's happening today, but I don't think they carried the resistance part far enough. They could have done more with that, I think. There isn't really a lot of romance here, which awesome. But there is some insta-love between Abi and her master. How can you possibly fall in love with someone who is basically holding you hostage. I also had a really hard time following the bloodlines and the family ties of the most powerful family in England. There were so many names and events from the past that my head started spinning and I found myself rereading few paragraphs to try and get everything straight. 

The ending to the book was pretty awesome and that does make me want to read the next one. I don't know that it would be a priority for me though.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Even though I liked parts of it and I thought the ending was exciting, I still think you should skip this series. 

DISCUSSION: Bookish Apps

Today, I thought I would share a few book related apps that I use all the time.

1. Goodreads

Of course, this one is a given. I read quickly so I am on this app to track my books ALL THE TIME.

2. Google sheets

I have become OCD with tracking my books read. I like to keep this spreadsheet to keep track of details that I can't really keep track of on Goodreads. In addition to the columns shown, I also track the genre and whether it is young adult, adult, or new adult.

3. Serial Reader

I LOVE THIS APP! You know how classics can be so tough to read because of the language and the fact that all classics have a tendency to move really slowly? It always feels like they take me forever to read. This app has SO MANY classics on it and it basically divides all of them into easy ten or fifteen minute "issues." You pick a classic and just commit to reading ten minutes a day. How easy is that? I have already read several of them. It makes it so much easier to actually finish a classic! If you are like me and you want to expand your reading to include some classics, but you are intimidated, this app is perfect!

4. We Read Too

Just discovered this one and while it is a little limited, I am still loving the concept. It's basically a resource that provides names of books written by authors of color featuring characters of color! I love that, especially since it can be tough to find books with more diversity sometimes. Right now, they only have children's fiction and young adult fiction, but they are working to expand that. And they do have a section where you can submit your own recommendation.

What apps do you use on a regular basis? Are there any new ones you can recommend?