Waiting on Wednesday (#26): Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and gives bloggers the chance to highlight upcoming releases we're excited about.

Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau

Published: 1 June 2014 (Templar)

Buy the book: Amazon|Hive|Waterstones

Why I'm Waiting: I just finished Independent Study so I'm dying to get my hands on the next installment! This has been one of my favourite dystopian series because I adore the incredibly smart writing and brilliant twists. I love Cia as a character and can't wait to see what happens next. Bring it on!

Teaser Tuesdays (6th May): The Elites by Natasha Ngan

Teaser Tuesdays 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!

"Something about what he'd just said felt wrong to Silver. She felt her heart twist."

- page 257, The Elites by Natasha Ngan

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Read if you Like the Film Mean Girls

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's top ten is "Top Ten Books If You Like X tv show/movie/comic/play". So I racked my brains and thought of one of my favourite films - Mean Girls! It's just celebrated its ten year anniversary (eep I feel old!) as well so it feels very apt. So here are the books I think you'll like if you love Mean Girls!

Red by Alison Cherry

So I didn't choose this because of the red hair connection! Red is all about social status and fighting to keep it which I think a lot of Mean Girls fans will enjoy.

Shift by Em Bailey

Shift comes with its very own Regina George in the shape of Katie who has a history with main character Olive.

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

I always describe this as a guilty pleasure book because the main character is definitely a love to hate character (and certainly a mean girl!).

How to be Popular by Meg Cabot

This book is probably the closest parallel to Mean Girls that I could find, as one girl loses herself in an obsession to be popular.

Teen Idol by Meg Cabot

And just because Meg Cabot nails the American high school thing pretty well, i thought I'd throw in a second book by her!

Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O'Porter

This book is set in Guernsey so it doesn't have the American feel, but I think British fans of Mean Girls will find a lot more relatable situations in this book due to the secondary school setting. Plenty of friendship dramas and embarassing scenarios to lose yourself in!

Revenge of the Homecoming Queen by Stephanie Hale

A popular girl on a quest to become homecoming queen finds herself at the bottom of the foodchain.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I picked this because it starts out with a girl at a new school in a strange country which I thought was similar to Cady's situation.

Gemini Rising by Eleanor Wood

 This book features new students who upset the social balance of the school, and deals a lot of with the idea of finding your ideal friends and fitting in.

  Wonder by R. J. Palacio

I included this one because I think it sums up school life, being the new kid and the odd one out perfectly.

Teaser Tuesdays (22nd April): Indpendent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Teaser Tuesdays 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!

"The watch on my bag reads four in the morning as I lock the door and hurry down the stairs to whatever awaits. Doors slam."

- page 102, Independent Study (The Testing, #2) by Joelle Charbonneau

Waiting on Wednesday (#25): American Savage by Matt Whyman

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and gives bloggers the chance to highlight upcoming releases we're excited about.

American Savage by Matt Whyman

Published: 4th June 2014 (Hot Key Books)

Pre-order: Amazon

Plot summary: Vegan, veggie, carnivore... humanitarian? Welcome to the top of the food chain.

The Savages are back - this time in a country where servings come supersized. Titus, Angelica and the kids go to great lengths to fit into their new lives in sunny Florida. But that's not easy when their appetite runs to feasts of human flesh.

In this dark comic serving of everyday family life with contemporary cannibals, the Savages seek to hide in plain sight by setting up a vegan café. But when the venture turns out to be a surprise sensation, and bad apples bob to the surface, Titus is forced to question whether the family have finally bitten off more than they can chew.

I loved The Savages and got to meet the author at Leakycon last year, so I'm so excited there's a sequel! What are you waiting on this week? Let me know in the comments!

Teaser Tuesdays: 18th March

Teaser Tuesdays 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!

"I'm trying not to be too concerned, but I can't help but feel a creeping dread - it's a sensation I get a lot where the Laniers are concerned. 

'I'll walk you back--or, I'll drive you, if I can borrow the truck again'"

- 23% (Kindle), Before You Sleep (In Your Dreams, #3) by Amy Martin

Waiting on Wednesday (#24): Goose by Dawn O'Porter

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine, and gives bloggers the chance to feature 

upcoming releases we're excited about! 

Goose by Dawn O'Porter Published: 3 April 2014 (Hot Key Books)
Buy the paperback: Amazon|Hive
Plot Summary: It's a year and a half on from Paper Aeroplanes, and Renée is now living with her Aunty Jo. They even have geese, and Renée likes to sit and watch them, wondering if she'll ever find 'the One' - someone who will love her no matter what, and be there for her no matter how bad things get. She and Flo are in their final year at school, and they've got some tough choices to make - like will they go to university? And if so where - and will they go together? Renée's usual ambivalence on the matter shocks Flo, who had assumed they'd continue as they were, the best and closest of friends, forever. She feels as though she needs Renée's support more than ever, so when a handsome young boy enters Flo's life, she finds herself powerfully drawn to his kindness, and his faith. Renée and Flo's friendship will soon be tested in a way neither of them could have expected - and if Paper Aeroplanes was a book about finding friendship, Goose is the novel that explores whether it's possible to keep hold of it.


Paper Aeroplanes was one of my favourite books of last year, so it's no surprise I'm dying to read the follow up! Plus I love contemporary YA that focuses on friendship and growing up. I'm all kinds of excited for Goose! What are you waiting on this week? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: Popular Authors I've Never Read

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish and this week's top ten is populat authors I've never read. This brings on all kinds of shame! Several of these authors' books are sitting on my shelf unread, others are ones I just keep meaning to buy or borrow.

Neil Gaiman

Jennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn

Sarah Dessen

Tahereh Mafi

Louise Rennison

I own the first and second books in the Georgia Nicholson series by Louise Rennison but have yet to read them. Plan to change that soon! Every time I mention on Twitter that I haven't read anything by JLA I get many, many tweets telling me to change that.

Malorie Blackman

Terry Pratchett

Laurie Halse Anderson

Holly Black

Libba Bray

Malorie Blackman is probably the one I feel most shame about not having read, but I bought Noughts and Crosses a few weeks ago so fingers crossed I'll read that soon! I've also just bought Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Of the other authors listed, which books would you recommend I try out first? Let me know in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday (#23): In the Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim Di Bartolo

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and gives bloggers the chance to highlight upcoming releases we're excited about.

In the Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim Di Bartolo
Published: 29th April 2014 (Scholastic)

Buy: Amazon|BookDepository

Plot summary: From the remarkable imagination of acclaimed artist Jim Di Bartolo and the exquisite pen of bestselling author Kiersten White comes a spellbinding story of love, mystery, and dark conspiracy, told in an alternating narrative of words and pictures.

Cora and Minnie are sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house. Their father is gone. The woman up the hill may or may not be a witch.

Thomas and Charles are brothers who’ve been exiled to the boarding house so Thomas can tame his ways and Charles can fight an illness that is killing him with increasing speed. Their family history is one of sorrow and guilt. They think they can escape from it . . . but they can’t.

I love the idea of an illustrated book! It definitely sounds like a book you'd want to buy and own a physical copy of. I've just read two of Kiersten White's books after having wanted to check her out for a while, so this one is definitely on my radar.

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons I Love Being a Reader/Blogger

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week we're talking the reasons we love reading and blogging. I'm sure there are hundreds of things I could have said but these were the first ten that came to mind. I'd love to hear yours so let me know in the comments!

Discovering new books

Being a blogger has led me to discover other blogs and that's where I get the best recommendations. I read a much wider range of books since I started blogging!

 

Strenghtening friendships

When I started my blog, it led me to start having more bookish conversations with my friends. They saw how much I loved reading and would come to me to ask for/give recommendations. There were friends I didn't realise loved books as much as me, despite knowing them years!

Chatting with authors

Authors are still kind of like rock stars to me, but through Twitter and email I've been able to chat with authors whose work I enjoy and respect, and that's pretty darn cool!

 

Recommending books

I just love sharing my recommendations. I can't keep a good book to myself! Having a blog is the best platform for being able to share those books you want to shout about from the rooftops.

Someone saying they love a book you recommended

This is literally the best feeling ever! It makes me so happy when someone enjoys a book I recommended and thanks me for it.

 

Supporting authors

Since I started blogging and widening what I read, I've discovered a wealth of authors I may not otherwise have come across, from indie and self-published authors, to debut authors. I love being able to support them and spread the word about their awesome work to others who may not have heard of them.

Writing

I love writing and starting my blog has given me a chance to share thoughts and feelings through things like opinion posts. Reading and blogging also motivate me to write my own novel one day!

Fangirling

A whole online community to fangirl over the latest YA books with? Heaven!

Meeting like minded people

It's so nice to be able to chat with people who care about books just as much as you do! Book lovers always have something to talk about.

 

Being comfortable with yourself

I don't think I'm the only person who was slightly embarassed about my reading habits at one point in my life. I was scared of talking about my love of books and my love of YA, but seeing how many other people share my passion has caused me to be more comfortable with myself and made me a more confident person.

Waiting on Wednesday (#21): Love, Lies and Lemon Pies by Katy Cannon

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking the Spine and gives bloggers the chance to highlight upcoming releases we're excited about. Without further ado, here's what I'm waiting on this week!

Love, Lies and Lemon Pies by Katie Cannon
Published: 5 May 2014 (Stripes)
Buy: Amazon|Hive
Plot summary: Love, Lies and Lemon Pies, the debut YA novel from Katy Cannon, is the perfect summer read for fans of Sarah Dessen and Louise Rennison. With a Bake Club recipe at the start of each chapter, this book perfectly captures the current appetite for all things baking! Lottie, our narrator, captures the experience of a young teenage girl navigating the world of school cliques, difficult teachers and new romance, creating a world that young readers are sure to recognize. Since her dad died, life hasn't been the same for Lottie - it was easier to push her friends away than cope with their awkwardness. But when the school suggest she joins Bake Club to get her back on track, Lottie reluctantly agrees. But Lottie's uncertainty about Bake Club melts away as she rekindles her love of baking and gets caught up with Mac, the school rebel and another unwilling Bake Club member. Both Lottie and Mac have secrets to keep, and as Bake Club progresses towards an end-of-year competition, the tension rises between the Bake Club members. Can Lottie keep up the facade of her perfect life without the others finding out what's really going on at home? Can Mac keep his demanding, heavy-handed father off his back - not to mention the school counsellor who's written him off as a no-hoper? And can their bubbling romance survive the pressure?



So I first heard about this one through the publisher's Twitter a while ago, and now it has a cover! And a pretty cool looking cover at that. I've just started baking and it's kind of taking over my life (and my kitchen), so I am all over a book that features baking.

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Will Make You Swoon

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and with Valentine's Day just around the corner, this week is all about the books that will make you swoon!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

It's set in Paris, how much more romantic can you get?!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
This book plays on the idea of chance meetings and fate and I love it!

 Suddenly Royal by Nicole Chase
It has a swoon-worthy prince nicknamed Prince Yummy, enough said!

Anywhere by J. Meyers
Ahh this book definitely made me swoon! Throw in some travel and exciting locations and it makes for a perfect love story <3

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt
I just love Oliver, okay? You will too.

Dare You To and Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
Katie McGarry is the queen of swoon. Ryan from Dare You To is one of my favourite book boyfriends and Isaiah, who features in all McGarry's books, really won me over in Crash Into You.

The Edge of Never by J. A. Redmerski
More New Adult! This one is a steamy, swoon-worthy read that will tug at the heartstrings.

Jessie Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton
Oh loveable Finn! Again this has travel and fate which is obviously a running theme throughout this post.

Red by Alison Cherry 
And the romance doesn't take centre stage in this one, but I loved Jonathan so much that I'm including it.