Books Beauty Bling

Margo "Grots" Oppenheimer has had a rough year. The previous Fall, her grandfather passed away suddenly, her secret boyfriend dumped her, her brother moved away to university, and her father, already a quiet man, became even more withdrawn. So, Margo did her best to push through, and follow all the steps laid out in a pamphlet from the hospital on what to do after someone dies. Cleaning out of possessions, organizing the funeral details, etc. Somehow, though, she still finds herself losing hours, and conversations. Margo is a smart girl, off the charts smart, so when she begins to notice experiencing "wormholes," "screen wipes," and "reboots," in her daily life she takes her math and science and attempts to solve for x, so to speak. Using her grandfather's diaries, and her own scientific notation, Margo spends the summer skipping through timelines and realities in some pretty charming, if sometimes confusing, examples of magical realism. Thr...

It has been a difficult few days, emotionally. With the passing of my mom on Sunday (which I wrote about here,) and the aftermath that follows, it's been hard to stay focused on much. I began reading this novel, Passenger, by Alexandra Bracken, on June 30th, and finished it the evening of the 4th. I immediately attempted to purchase the sequel, Wayfarer, only to discover it is not released until January 3rd. So, now I have a book hangover to deal with.  For some reason I kept confusing this novel in my mind with Salt to the Sea, by  Ruta Sepetys ,  I think because of the similar coloring on the covers. I still have Salt to the Sea on my wishlist, so I can't yet comment on subject matter. I digress. I really loved this books, and Bracken had be sucked in almost right away. The character of Etta is fierce, and bold, and driven. All things I love to see in strong female lead characters. I must not have read the dust jacket description, or if I did, I must have forgot...

I've been staying at my parents' house in Phoenix for the last few weeks while my mom is in hospice care at home. She's battled cancer like a champion for the last two years, and over Mother's Day weekend, after being hospitalised due to chemo treatments, made the decision to cease treatment, and go into hospice. This has been an incredibly difficult time for my dad and me, even though I'm grateful to have the time to be here with her in what is left of her time here with us.  That being said, I had started another book earlier in the week, and my heart just wasn't in it. I needed something that was going to allow me to escape my own reality for a while, and when I saw the description of The Star-Touched Queen, I immediately ordered it for my Kindle.  " Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen? Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction...

I love YA Fiction. I have no problems admitting that, and while there are certainly detractors, I have found so many incredible story tellers within the YA community, that if you are avoiding the titles simply because they are "for young adults," you are really missing out. I was introduced to Maggie  Stiefvater's work in 2009 when I picked up the novel Shiver, the first in the series The Wolves of Mercy Falls. I enjoyed the series, and while it wasn't my most favorite ever, there was something about Stiefvater's writing that hooked me. When the first book in The Raven Cycle came out, The Raven Boys, I was obsessed. Here's the thing. I'm a sucker for fantasy, and for magic, and while The Raven Cycle has that, it also has realism. Maggie Stiefvater is a master of magical realism in this series in a way that I haven't seen before. She creates the world of Henrietta, Virginia, and weaves in the magic so seamlessly, that even the most impossible ...