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Thursday, April 30, 2015

Wishlist Thursday[106]: Fangirl (Exclusive Collector's Edition) by Rainbow Rowell



Fangirl (Exclusive Collector's Edition) by Rainbow Rowell

Genre: YA/NA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Macmillan

Release Date: May 12, 2015




Goodreads Synopsis:



This special edition includes fan art, a ribbon bookmark, a Q&A with the author, and an excerpt from her new book Carry On.

In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life-and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.
Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2013
A New York Times Best Seller!



Why?:

I have heard so many good things about this book, and it sounds very much like something I would like. I’ve only read Eleanor & Park, but I enjoyed it, and am sure that I will like Rowell’s other books. I’ve almost picked this up a few times, and was excited at hearing a special edition was coming out, and so decided to wait for it. I’m not sure if it’s a B&N exclusive like the Eleanor & Park one was, since it’s also listed on Amazon? Either way, though, I intend on picking it up.

What are you looking forward to?

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Manga Review: No. 6, Volume 9, by Atsuko Asano and Hinoki Kino



Rating (Out of 5): ~4
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: October 2014
Volumes: 9
Spoilers?: No.
Volume: 1. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

THE SKY IS BURNING.

With Rat critically injured protecting him, Shion finally returns to NO. 6. But what he finds there is not the tranquil utopia he left behind, but a city in the grip of panic and chaos. As the “holy city” collapses in on itself, Shion and Rat put will the future of humanity — and their future together — on the line in the shocking final volume of NO. 6!

Review:

I don’t know how the anime ends, but apparently this ending is more satisfying? I’ve heard some things, so I’m definitely going to have to finish the anime for comparison. But given just this, I’m pretty satisfied.
It’s a bit odd, and apocalyptic for a bit there, otherworldly. But I’m okay with that, how the dystopian world and disease gets resolved.
I think that Shion is in a pretty good place at the end of the volume. The ending with him and Rat is sad, but I think that the very end has enough hope, that I can let myself believe there’s a happy ending there. And I like the similarities to the beginning of the series.
Overall, I’m pretty satisfied. It left me pretty satisfied, at least.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Teaser Tuesday[148]: Geography Club (Russel Middlebrook, #1) by Brent Hartinger


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Geography Club (Russel Middlebrook, #1) by Brent Hartinger

Genre: YA Contemporary; LGBTQ+

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: 2003




Goodreads Synopsis:



Russel Middlebrook is convinced he's the only gay kid at Goodkind High School.

Then his online gay chat buddy turns out to be none other than Kevin, the popular but closeted star of the school's baseball team. Soon Russel meets other gay students, too. There's his best friend Min, who reveals that she is bisexual, and her soccer-playing girlfriend Terese. Then there's Terese's politically active friend, Ike.

But how can kids this diverse get together without drawing attention to themselves?

"We just choose a club that's so boring, nobody in their right mind would ever in a million years join it. We could call it Geography Club!"

Brent Hartinger's debut novel is a fast-paced, funny, and trenchant portrait of contemporary teenagers who may not learn any actual geography in their latest club, but who learn plenty about the treacherous social terrain of high school and the even more dangerous landscape of the human heart.



Excerpt:

“'She’s really not that bad once you get to know her.’
I had a mouthful of food, but I spoke up anyway. ‘What makes you think I think she’s bad?’” (Hardback, pg. 85)

What are you reading right now?

Monday, April 27, 2015

Manga Review: He's My Only Vampire, Volume 2, by Aya Shouoto



Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: March 2015
Volumes: 10
Spoilers?: No.
Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Dealer suddenly appears, Kana learns in the ensuing scuffle just what it means to be a Pureblood vampire's "thrall." With the werewolf Jin now fighting beside Kana and Aki as an ally, the three begin their search for the other Stigmas in the second volume of this dark vampire adventure!!

Review:

A little off topic to start: I don’t understand why Aya Shouoto has suddenly had so many releases. She’s had at least three series picked up at once. Doesn’t that seem weird? Did something happen for her rise in popularity that I missed? Not a complaint, mind you, as I am enjoying her series and art, but it just seemed odd to me.
Now, for the actual manga.
This volume had a very different feel than the first one. Here, we get full on school life mode.
Kana goes back to school, along with Aki and Jin, mostly with Aki learning what her normal day life is like. Kana figures out what to do with her club situation, and decides to start her own. Jin is kind of adorable, and pretty much just follows them. Aki gets popular, for a while, but everyone else is afraid of/dislikes Kana and Jin, though Kana is determined to change her public image.
We officially meet Kana’s younger brother in this volume, and I like him. I’m interested to see more of him, and hope he gets a bigger presence in the series. We also got more of an idea of how the whole thrall and vampire, and the stigma hunting thing works. I’m intrigued to see where it goes next.
Then there was a cliffhanger, and I’m interested to see where that goes. I feel like there’s still a lot to learn and develop in this series. I’m looking forward to reading more, though.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Novel Review: Can't Help Falling In Love (The Sullivans, #3) by Bella Andre



Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Release Date: 2011
Spoilers?: No.

Goodreads Synopsis:

How much is worth risking?

Gabe Sullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San Francisco, but he knows better than to risk giving his heart again. Especially not to the woman he saved from a deadly apartment fire…and can't stop thinking about.

Megan Harris owes everything to the heroic firefighter who saved her and her daughter. Everything except her heart. Because after losing her pilot husband, she has vowed to never suffer through loving—and losing—a man with a dangerous job again.

But when Gabe and Megan meet again, how can he possibly ignore her courage, determination and beauty? And how can she deny not only his strong bond with her daughter…but also his sweetly sensual kisses, challenging her to risk everything she's been guarding for so long?

The Cover:

While the covers for this series are pretty stereotypical, they do give a good idea of what you're getting with the book. And while sometimes the scenery is a little iffy for the book, I do think the couple and the colors chosen are always pretty good picks for each book.

Review:

This one took me a little longer to get through, I’m not sure why. My mood slowed down, maybe.
Either way, this was a cute story, nonetheless.
Gabe is a firefighter, and he saves Megan and her daughter. There’s an attraction there, but Gabe fights it because he thinks it’s hero worship, and Megan fights it because he has a dangerous job.
I like the attraction between them, and I liked their progression to getting to know each other. Megan’s daughter plays a big part, and I really liked how Gabe wanted both of them, and how the daughter kind of pulled strings to put them together.
I’d never really thought so much about the danger of Gabe’s job, but Megan’s worries really made me aware of it. It’s definitely a bigger worry and courageous thing in my eyes now, though. 
This book doesn’t stand out to me as much as some of the others, but I still enjoyed it. All of these are good books so far, and I am really looking forward to reading more.