Stuff I got this week

This week I bought three books. Two because they just came out in paperback and one because...

Party by Tom Leveen

EEP! I was so excited to see this, so clearly I needed to buy it immediately! Now on to the links. As always, title links bring you to Goodreads and author links send you to their blogs.

Party - Tom Leveen 

(my review)

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making - Catherynne M. Valente

(my review)

The Near Witch - Victoria Schwab

(my review)

That's what I got this week. What did you all get?

Review: Beneath a Meth Moon - Jacqueline Woodson

Where I got it: ARC from publisher for review
Rating: 3 stars  

Cover Rating: 3 stars (Interesting, a bit reminiscent of the Crank novels fittingly enough.)
Genre: Young adult

Publication Date: February 2, 2012

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Page Count: 182 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

After a Hurricane Katrina destroyed her own home and her father decided they needed to stop living with their aunt, Laurel ends up in a new town. Here she meets T-Boom, who introduces her to meth. She instantly loves how it feels, how it takes all her thoughts and pain away. Soon enough it's all Laurel wants. She abandons her family and takes to the streets. She's barley fifteen, but this is how her life has ended up. She doesn't want help, she doesn't want to face her problems or her family—she just wants moon. Then a mysterious stranger named Moses shows up. He paints portraits on the sides of buildings of the children people have lost to meth. With his help and her family, Laurel might start to clean herself up.

Alright, why does she call meth "moon"? It never mentions an origin and she's the only one who calls it that. That bugged me a bit, and I feel like I am missing something. This was an interesting story about a girl so taken by grief, that she'll do anything to try to forget. Fans of Crank might enjoy this one except it is not written in verse. Besides his name, I really appreciated Moses. I felt the name was a little too much (biblically). This was a quick and enlightening read. I liked that Laurel had such an intense tragedy which was why she was so eager to accept this drug. It made a lot of sense. I also liked that it showed her enjoying life on meth, even the times when she was low. Then, alternately it was good that Jacqueline Woodson showed that Laurel wasn't really happy, she was just coasting by—trying to ride the high forever. By the end of the novel though, I still didn't have a whole grip on who Laurel was. Maybe it was because she was high most of the novel. She was bland. This was a good book though and one you should check out.

First Line:
"It's almost winter again and the cold moves through this town like water washing over us."

Favorite Line:
"I celebrated my fifteenth birthday sitting in the rain begging for money."

Review: Life is but a Dream - Brian James

Where I got it: ARC from publisher for review
Rating: 4 stars  

Cover Rating: 4 stars (The girl's eyes are completely gripping.)
Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: March 27, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Page Count: 234 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Sabrina sees the world differently...very differently. Her parents check her into the Wellness Center to make her better. Here she meets Alec, who poses the question: what is better? Alec doesn't want to be turned into a mindless drone, and helps Sabrina try to avoid a similar fate. Sabrina doesn't want to lose the magic in her world, her ability to create and see things as beautiful. Sabrina is drawn to Alec completely and we see her progress and her creativity come to her, but things may not be as easy as they both thought.

So, for the first third of this book I pictured Sabrina as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, but then she changed. At 1st she was really out there and crazy, but then she started to relax with the treatment. Her progress was easily seen and I liked the glimpses into her life before the treatment center. I wish we knew more about Alec though. I'm not sure that I quite believe his explanation of how he wound up there...maybe it was the truth though. He was a great person anyways, he stayed by Sabrina's side and helped make her feel loved and whole. It was really interesting being inside her head. She saw things completely differently. Sometimes it was beautiful, sometimes terrifying but always interesting. I can't imagine being inside her head for much longer than the book though. I can see how her lines blur together sometimes. One thing that was a bit odd, was her obsession with heaven. She didn't seem particularly religious, but always saw and talked about heaven. It was a bit odd. It could've just been a word to describe her indescribable place though. This was a strange look into a mental patient, who may actually be crazy. Pick this one up and give it a try if you see it.

First Line:
"Something is wrong with the sky."

Favorite Lines:
"I can still smell him on my palms. I can still taste him in my mouth."

Review: To Catch a Mermaid - Suzanne Selfors

Where I got it: ARC from publisher for review
Rating: 3 stars  

Cover Rating: 2 stars (Not a very well-done cover.)
Genre: Middle Grade

Publication Date: March 1, 2012

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Page Count: 246 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Boom Broom's mother was sucked up by a freak twister. Since then he's practically been on his own. His father stays in the attic, afraid the twister will come back and take them away. His sister, Mertyle, can't seem to make it past the front porch, and fakes sick every day. That leaves Boom with the cook that his father hired, a Viking named Halvor. After a particularly bad day Boom stumbles upon something extraordinary, something that will change his life forever.

This was an interesting story. A fun mermaid story is always a joy. This was one ugly merbaby though. I don't know if I would have kept it. It was pretty hideous and a bit creepy. Not that I would have eaten it, but maybe just thrown it back in the water. This story did not end the way I had expected. With all the magic swirling around, I thought I knew for certain how everything would turn out. I'm glad that it surprised me. Halvor was a fun character, I liked that he brought some strange Viking folklore with him. This was a fun story about family and love and magic. I couldn't stand their neighbors, the Mumps. They were just a terrible family and got everything they deserved. This story was strange but fun. Something younger kids will probably love.

First Line:
"Boom Broom awoke to find his little sister, Mertyle, looking for spots."

Favorite Line:
"Lives were so short-live in those dark days, and heartache so common, that the Vikings wrote the most beautiful love poems to ever come from the human heart."

Review: Gilt - Katherine Longshore

Where I got it: ARC from publisher for review
Rating: 4.5 stars  

Cover Rating: 3 stars (meh.)
Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: May 15, 2012

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Page Count: 406 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

You think you know the story of King Henry VIII and his 5th wife? This novel explores Queen Catherine Howard's other relationships— who she was before she was Queen. This story follows Katherine Tylney, closest confidant to the Queen. She always walked in the shadow of Cat, but stood next to her through thick and thin even, unfortunately, in the face of death.

I've just started watching the Tudors, so was quite excited to read this before I got to his 5th wife in the show. I was not at all disappointed. I really like reading historical fiction from different perspectives. This was of Cat Howard's friend from before she was Queen. I appreciated the research (or obsession) that was involved with writing this story. Katherine Tylney was a real person and so it was wonderful seeing things fictionalized from her eyes. It did pass a bit slowly, mostly because I already knew how things turned out, a small problem with stories that are based on history.  This was a very well done story about how things may have been in the court of Queen Catherine Howard and you should definitely check it out if you can. If you have any interest in King Henry VIII or historical fiction, I can not recommend this one enough.

First Line:
"'You're not going to steal anything.'"

Favorite Line:
"Nothing but bile and self-loathing spilled from my mouth."

Stuff I got this week

For Review: Thanks to Big Honcho Media and Scholastic

Pie - Sarah Weeks

When Alice's Aunt Polly passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily surly cat Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice. Suddenly Alice is thrust into the center of a piestorm, with everyone in town trying to be the next pie-contest winner...including Alice's mother and some of Alice's friends. The whole community is going pie-crazy...and it's up to Alice to discover the ingredients that really matter. Like family. And friendship. And enjoying what you do. 

Glory Be - Augusta Scattergood

A Mississippi town in 1964 gets riled when tempers flare at the segregated public pool. As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school. Then there’s her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now suddenly they aren’t. Maybe it’s the new girl from the North that’s got everyone out of sorts. Or maybe it’s the debate about whether or not the town should keep the segregated public pool open. 

The Boy on Cinnamon Street - Phoebe Stone

A story about a wounded girl and the boy who won't give up on her. 7th grader Louise should be the captain of her school's gymnastics team - but she isn't. She's fun and cute and should have lots of friends - but she doesn't. And there's a dreamy boy who has a crush on her - but somehow they never connect. Louise has everything going for her - so what is it that's holding her back? 

Behind the Gates - Eva Gray

In 2020, America has been changed by hurricanes, earthquakes, and revolution. The world is at war. For four 13-year-old girls, the war means being sent away for their own safety. But Louisa, Maddie, Rosie, and Evelyn are about to find out that nothing is safe--and they only have each other to rely on now. 

Whatever After: Fairest of Them All - Sarah Mlynowski

Mirror, mirror, on the basement wall . . . Once upon a time my brother and I were normal kids. The next minute? The mirror in our basement slurped us up and magically transported us inside Snow White's fairy tale. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. But hey -- we're heroes! We stopped Snow White from eating the poisoned apple. Hooray! Or not. If Snow White doesn't die, she won't get to meet her prince. And then she won't get her happy ending. Oops. Now it's up to us to: Avoid getting poisoned- Sneak into a castle- Fix Snow White's story. And then, fingers crossed, find our way home. 

The False Prince - Jennifer A. Nielsen

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well. As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.


So that's what I got this week. What did you all get?

Let's Talk: Blog Goals

Let's Talk is a weekly feature at i swim for oceans.


Question: What are your top book blogging goals?


This is a tricky topic for me. I'm not much of a goal setter. I do a lot, spur of the moment. Which I guess is a good place to start.

1. Organize the blog better.
Not necessarily the appearance, but I bought a whiteboard calendar so that I can plan out my month and such. I also plugged in some book releases and other ideas into iCal. I really need to start paying better attention to what I've mapped out for the month and have more stuff on my blog besides reviews...I need a good feature of my own.


2. Make a great feature.
I want something people are excited to do. Like Let's Talk. I love this feature, it offers a lot of insight into the bloggers that participate and the topics are fun and thoughtful. I've tried a few features, but gave up because I just didn't love them.


3. Transition to Wordpress.
I'm feeling the pressure of this one. Every few weeks when I nervously download a backup of my blog, I consider the move. It does just seem so scary! Blogger is so easy and I'm already here. This is only a sort-of goal I guess. I haven't officially made a decision really.


4. Keep up the good work.
I'm proud of how far I've come in the blogging world in the past few years. I never thought I would have followers or great conversations with authors and other book lovers I've never met in real life. It's been a real fun journey. I started using so many outlets I never thought I would. I've read some amazing books and have gotten to gush about them and share my love with the world. THE WHOLE WORLD! It's crazy and awesome. :)


Do you all have any big blogging goals?