Wishlist Thursday[123]: Violent Ends by Various Authors

Violent Ends by Shaun David Hutchinson, Neal Shusterman, Brendan Shusterman, Beth Revis, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Courtney Summers, Kendare Blake, Delilah S. Dawson, Steve Brezenoff, Tom Leveen, Hannah Moskowitz, Blythe Woolston, Trish Doller, Mindi Scott, Margie Gelbwasser, Christine Johnson, E. M. Kokie, and Elisa Nader

Genre: Realistic YA

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: September 1, 2015

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

It took only twenty-two minutes for Kirby Matheson to exit his car, march onto school grounds, enter the gymnasium, and open fire, killing six and injuring five others.

But this isn't a story about the shooting itself. This isn't about recounting that one unforgettable day.

This is about Kirby and how one boy—who had friends, enjoyed reading, played saxophone in the band, and had never been in trouble before—became a monster capable of entering his school with a loaded gun and firing on his classmates.

Each chapter is told from a different victim's viewpoint, giving insight into who Kirby was and who he'd become. Some are sweet, some are dark; some are seemingly unrelated, about fights or first kisses or late-night parties.

This is a book of perspectives—with one character and one event drawing them all together—from the minds of some of YA's most recognizable names.

Why?:

School shootings seem to be a popular topic lately, which I can understand why. And I like what this anthology is showing, with so many points of view and a different time-frame. There are a lot of authors on this list that I like, too. I’m intrigued for this book.

What’s on your list?

Novel Review: Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance, Gamer

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)

Release Date: May 2014

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the acclaimed author of Brooklyn, Burning comes Guy in Real Life, an achingly real and profoundly moving love story about two Minnesota teens whose lives become intertwined through school, role-playing games, and a chance two-a.m. bike accident.

It is Labor Day weekend in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and boy and girl collide on a dark street at two thirty in the morning: Lesh, who wears black, listens to metal, and plays MMOs; Svetlana, who embroiders her skirts, listens to Björk and Berlioz, and dungeon masters her own RPG. They should pick themselves up, continue on their way, and never talk to each other again.

But they don't.

This is a story of two people who do not belong in each other's lives, who find each other at a time when they desperately need someone who doesn't belong in their lives. A story of those moments when we act like people we aren't in order to figure out who we are. A story of the roles we all play-at school, at home, with our friends, and without our friends-and the one person who might show us what lies underneath it all.

The Cover:

I really like this cover. It's simple and pretty, and it really shows true to the gamer part of the book, which is a big part.

Review:

“My doctor once told me that if you don’t have to actually do things—don’t have to actually move within a physical space—time ceases to exist, and we can dream a lifetime in the most fleeting moment, like absorbing every frame of a whole movie as a single image. I admit I don’t get it, but I do like it.” (ARC, pg. 226)

I was a bit surprised by this book, but I enjoyed it. I’m glad I got it.

This is definitely a gamer book, and I would recommend it to anyone who plays games, especially roleplay based ones. There are a few gaming chapters, ones where Lesh is playing in-game, and where Svetlana and the group are playing D&D. There is definitely some gamer appreciation here, and those chapters were more high-fantasy than I prefer, but they were well done.

I did enjoy the characters. I’m not even sure who I preferred more, probably Svetlana. She has to deal with her family, but I liked being in her head, and I understood her, her loner and misfit frustrations. Lesh has friends, but his friends are also kind of jerks, and he has to deal with his new thoughts on that. I did like that their parents are present—they do play a part in their stories.

The climax was surprising to me, as I didn’t think the story was going there. I liked that several of the characters had to deal with getting a job, which I related to a lot. And then I found the ending satisfactory. I wasn’t sure at first, as it was a little open and inconclusive, but I think it fits.

I’m overall pretty happy with this book. I enjoyed it, it was fun.

 A review copy was provided by Cuddlebuggery's Little Blogger, Big Ambitions project and Coranna at The Best Books Ever. Thank you so, so much!

Teaser Tuesday[121]: Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff

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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Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance; Gamer

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)

Release Date: May 27, 2014

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the acclaimed author of Brooklyn, Burning comes Guy in Real Life, an achingly real and profoundly moving love story about two Minnesota teens whose lives become intertwined through school, role-playing games, and a chance two-a.m. bike accident.

It is Labor Day weekend in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and boy and girl collide on a dark street at two thirty in the morning: Lesh, who wears black, listens to metal, and plays MMOs; Svetlana, who embroiders her skirts, listens to Björk and Berlioz, and dungeon masters her own RPG. They should pick themselves up, continue on their way, and never talk to each other again.

But they don't.

This is a story of two people who do not belong in each other's lives, who find each other at a time when they desperately need someone who doesn't belong in their lives. A story of those moments when we act like people we aren't in order to figure out who we are. A story of the roles we all play-at school, at home, with our friends, and without our friends-and the one person who might show us what lies underneath it all.

Excerpt:

“‘The other night,’ I say, ‘I fell off my bike.’

Blink. Blink.

‘The other night, ‘ I try again, ‘I hit a boy with my bike.’

‘Oh my gosh, who?’ ‘Was he hurt?’

‘The other night,’ I try one more time, ‘some drunk guy knocked my bike over and the green notebook landed in a puddle.’

‘Should we kill him?’” (ARC, pg. 107-108)

What are you reading right now?