Waiting on Wednesday Vol. 13

I first heard about this book from the associate publicist a Bloomsbury, Bridget Hartzler at BEA  and it sounds amazing. A magic realism romance novel set in Paris ? Sounds awesome ! Plus, I really enjoy Art History so I think this novel will be right up my alley .

Release Date: Sept. 13 2013

Seventeen-year-old Julien is a romantic—he loves spending his free time at the museum poring over the great works of the Impressionists. But one night, a peach falls out of a Cezanne, Degas ballerinas dance across the floor, and Julien is not hallucinating.
The art is reacting to a curse that trapped a beautiful girl, Clio, in a painting forever. Julien has a chance to free Clio and he can't help but fall in love with her. But love is a curse in its own right. And soon paintings begin to bleed and disappear. Together Julien and Clio must save the world's greatest art . . . at the expense of the greatest love they've ever known.

What are you waiting on ? Let me know and I will stop by ! 

Audibook Review : Between The Lines by Tammara Webber

"Fame is people screaming your name, loving you, hating you, all on a whim"

-Tammara Webber, Between The Lines

• Release Date: November 15th, 2012

• Genre: Contemporary

• Hours: 8 hours 48 minutes

• Publisher: Brilliance Audio 

Synopsis:  Reid Alexander is used to getting what he wants – and what he wants next is his newest costar, Emma Pierce. The universe is lining up nicely to grant his wish, until he’s confronted with two unexpected obstacles on location: a bitter ex-girlfriend and a rival for Emma’s affections.
Emma Pierce just got her big break after years of filming commercials and made-for-TV movies. Winning the lead role in a wide-release film – opposite the very hot Reid Alexander – should be a dream come true. But Emma’s heart is hiding a secret fantasy: she wants to be a normal girl 

Emma's life changes when she is offered the starring role in the teen-flick, School Pride, a high school twist on Pride and Prejudice.  Her co-star ? The infamous Reid Alexander. Emma is thrown full force into a world of celebrity and notoriety where she finds herself entangled in new friendships and relationships. Soon she begins to wonder if any of it is what she really wants.

Between The Lines is one of those drama heavy relationship novels. Emma is juggling two guys; Reid, the arrogant Hollywood starlet who lives his life with no apologies and Graham, the indie film star who wants to help Emma achieve her dreams.

The plot just fell flat to me and  I found myself zoning out at times. This book was like watching The Hills or a reality TV show where all the characters do is go out to dinner, go to the club and then work for a few pages. There was no real sense of overall plot or direction. With all the Hollywood mayhem to take inspiration from the novel seemed lacking.

I bought  this book for the narrator, Todd Haberkorn, who is one of my favorite anime voice actors. I know some people dislike his voice (it's kind of nasally) but I really liked him in xxxHolic and D.Gray Man.

So, how did Todd Haberkorn measure up ? He did really well. He narrates Reid's voice in this playful way with a tinge of humor. With all the added exaggeration and sighs it was like Reid wasn't take anything he said seriously and everything was a big joke. I really liked that interpretation, it made him seem less angsty. However....

....I think Tara Sands, Emma's narrator, outshone Haberkorn. Emma as a character has a wider range emotions and there are points where she is speechless, in tears, emotional and  Sands interpreted the emotions masterfully. She made Emma really like able.

Overall this audiobook  has less than stellar story, but is elevated by some excellent voice narration. If you want a light, simple read then I suggest this book for you.  I'm interested to compare this to This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith which deals with some similar themes.

Audible | Amazon | Barnes and Nobles

The Sense List Vol. 20

TV/Film

• Katniss Everdeen is going to be a CoverGirl. In lieu of Catching Fire CoverGirl will be releasing Hunger Games tie-in products. Want/Need.

• Science Fiction writer Kate Elliot has sold her first YA novel to Little Brown For Young Readers the YA fantasy is currently entitled Mask.

•  Telenovella star William Levy is rumored to have been cast in the Hunger Games : Mockingjay film.

• First look at Theo James as Four in the film adaption of Divergent.

• Will Joelle Charbonneau's  The Testing be in a theater near you ?

Publishing

• Another Romance author moves into the New Adult market. Kendall Ryan will be one to watch for fans of  NA fiction.

• The designer behind Abbi Glines and Collen Hoover's covers opens up @ mediabistro.

• Katherine Tegen (of Katherine Tegen books) explains how she picks what to publish. 

On The Web

• New Adult Fiction isn't just for books anymore. New Adult ideas flow into music an TV

• If you need another reason to buy used books check out this infographic.

• Have your books and eat them too. Check out these  desserts for book lovers.

Cover Reveals

Her Dark Curisoties (Madman's Daughter #2) (@YABC)
Warrior by Ellen Oh (Prophecy #2)  (@YABC)
A Little To Far by Lisa Desrochers 

Book Review : Ink by Amanda Sun

"When the ink stopped being ink and started being. . . well, something else."
- Ink, Amanda Sun

• Release Date : June 25th 2013

• Genre : Urban Fanstasy

• Page Number : 377

• Publisher : Harlequin Teen

. . . And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine. 
 Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn't know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.
Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. . .Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive

At first glance Ink is your basic YA formula; teen girl in a new environment and a chance encounter finds her inexplicably drawn to the jerk whose personality changes could give you whiplash.

However, Sun freshens up the usual YA status quo by setting the story in Japan, giving the story a nice bout of culture and diversity. The setting gives readers a glimpse into how other people live without being "showcase-y" about it. There isn't an attempt to spoon-feed the reader, meaning Sun doesn't attempt to explain every nuance about Japanese life to the readers.

The first chapter of this novel will without a doubt pull you in. American Katie Green is an outsider living in Shizuoka, Japan with her aunt after the death of her mother. All she has to do is keep her head down until she can move in with her grandparents in Canada. 

Just as she starts to adjust, she glances one of  Tomorhiro Yuu  drawings, and to her surprise the drawing looks right back at her. As Katie tries to make herself at home in Japan she grows closer to Tomo and learns more about his mythical pull over ink. 

The connection between Katie Greene and  Tomohiro ebbs and flows like ink on a page. It's the ultimate story of the boy with the destiny and the girl who might get in his way . .  . or destroy him. The villains in this novel did fall a bit flat . Our heroes (so to speak) are these highly imaginative beings that I felt the villains would have stood out more if they weren't based so much in reality.

Ink isn't a true to form paranormal romance and I would categorize it more of contemporary/magical mash up. It's a slice of life story with a few mythical elements spread throughout. I'd be remiss not to say that this novel might appeal to fans of Anime. I spotted a few Japanses Media Tropes in the book;  the  No Koreans In Japan trope, the Kendo Team Captain and Katie is described as tying on a silk scarf so maybe Joshikousei ?

 Ink will make the perfect beach read this summer with its sizable romance, light paranormal elements and a story that runs off the page.

*Galley received from NetGalley

 I watched a few YouTube videos of Kendo, the sport Tomo and Katie participate in, and while it's not as cool  as Sun makes it sound you get a feel for what the Kiai yell is.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

• Release Date: February 26th , 2013

• Genre: Contemporary

• Pages: 325

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (MacMillan)

Synopsis: Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under

 I was first made aware of this novel by the words of   John Green's glowing review in The New York Times; and now it seem this book is the talk of YA fans. Just Google the title and you will see pages of fanart and reviews.

 Eleanor and Park is a romance set to the backdrop of a working class town in Nebraska during the mid-80's. The novel explores our titular protagonists blossoming romance while dealing with themes of  poverty, self-image and marginalization.

Eleanor is bullied, overweight and doesn't fit the traditional standards of beauty. She lives in a tiny house that doesn't even have a door on the bathroom. She is packed in tight with her large family including a stepdad who terrifies her.  Park is self-conscious, unsure and kind of an outsider. While he has a group of friends, being the only half-Asian in his school still puts him on the outside.

Filled with 80's music, comic books and pop culture we get an intimate look as Eleanor and Park experience love for the first time.

I tried not to let the hype for this book into my reading experience, but overall I  really enjoyed reading this . It made me nostalgic  about the older YAs I read in high school like Don't You Dare Read This Ms. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix or Crazy Horse Electric by Chris Crutcher. There isn't this sheen of beauty and fantasy to the character's lives

At it's heart, this novel is a romance, but it's  a slow burning romance. We see the entire spectrum of their relationship, it is a close and intimate perspective. Eleanor is exploring love and relationships for the first time and she explains how Park's Vulcan hand hold "paralyzed her with his ninja magic" and how "The world rebuilt itself into a better place around him."

 I don't think many YA writers are writing the kind of characters Rowell is. They are consistently imperfect, awkward, hopeless and don't have a picture perfect ending. And while we may see this a lot in our female characters it isn't very common in male characters.

I've seen some criticisms about how Rowell doesn't really explore the amount of racism Park may have experienced during that time period because his dad married a Korean woman he met while in the Korean War. I do wish Rowell had sort of expanded on Park's relationship to his mother. His mom abandoned her family and cultural identity to become his father's wife and I think it would have been interesting to see how Park relates to this.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to read a heartfelt YA romance that will stay with you long after the first page. I have two theory's on the ending of this novel and I just love a novel that keeps you thinking like that.

I am very excited to read Rowell's upcoming novel Fangirl and maybe even her adult novel Attachments.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound

Top Ten Moments from BookExpo America

This year we  focused on video so we could make a vlog about BEA. . . however with Kat's computer out of commission it might be a while so, here is our BEA coverage in list form !

1. BEA Bloggers Conference
We really enjoyed the BEA Bloggers conference this year more than last.  The sessions were separated  by YA and  Adult. This Ihelped make the conversation more tailored. It was awesome hearing some of our  favorite bloggers speak in person.  After the session on blogging platforms we might be ready to convert to Wordpress. . . maybe.


2. Teen Author Carnival
One of the highlights from Teen Author Carnival was hearing about how the cover of David Levithan's Two Boys Kissing was made. It was taken by a teenage photographer.


3. Meet N Greet (Jess)
This year I found myself meeting and chatting with more librarians/teachers than book bloggers. I even met a charter school principal who was going to use signed books and ARCs to encourage her kids to improve their test scores.

4. The Bloggers
We met so many great bloggers. Everyone was so nice and stylish ! Special shout outs to Ashling from Reading Writing and Anything But Arithmetic, Alyssia from Mocha Girls Reads, Emily from Love YA Lit, Asher from Paranormal Indulgence, Mandee from Vegan YA Nerds  Allison from Allison Can Read (who we meant to get a pic with) La'Mecia from Rotten Apple Reads and her sister Ta'Necia from Never Ending Stories and so many more !

5. Getting The Word Out There

Unlike last year, Kat and I made an effort to go to publishers we read the most and talk with publicist about Books and Sensibility.

6. Barnes and Noble's Union Square Penguin Signing.

Kat and I are big Sarah Dessen and Marie Lu fans so we had to go to the Penguin author event in Union Square ! We showed up late (I had to go to the ELF store and  had some Famous Famigila Pizza) but standing up in the back was the best seat in the house. Richelle Mead has so many fans so we had to skip over her. I've linked to  Marie Lu's fanart on her website and we asked her if she would draw something in the book.  I was expecting a logo or something instead she drew Day and June.

7. Holly Black
We went to the Holly Black signing and I told her how much I love the Curse Worker's audiobook and she said how surprised she was that t Jesse Eisenberg was willing to do the sequel audiobooks even though he was Facebook-movie famous.


8. The Food
New York City is the place for foodies. We didn't have time to try everything we wanted but we did try Korean fried chicken, Pinkberry (the New York ones are better than the DC ones) and ramen.


9. The Publicists (Kat)
A lot of the time the long lines at BEA are manned by people in the publications marketing or PR staff. While
waiting in line I got to chat with publicists about the books they were most excited about  and a few times they left their station to go and get me the galley we were just talking about. They were so awesome ! Siena, who works in publicity at Simon and Schuster had this cute Life's A Witch phone case !


10. Dr. Who Fans (Kat)

I whipped out myTARDIS phone case for BEA. It was a nice icebreaker for when I met Robyn Schnieder who is a big Dr. Who fan. One woman saw it and told me she and her husband incorporated a Dr. Who quotes into their wedding.

Book Review : Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris + Giveaway

• Release Date: April 24th, 2012 

• Genre: Sci-Fiction

•  Pages: 480

• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Harper Collins Children)

Synopsis: Two days before the start of her junior year, Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed--as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from school Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And though it isn't possible, she knows with every fiber of her being that Ben somehow brought her back to life.
But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something--but to what? . . .

Unraveling felt like reading an episode of the X-files. You start of with a seemingly normal town---in this case sunny San Diego--with normal people just living their lives when strange things begin to happen; burned bodies, a cryptic countdown, the mysterious Ben Michaels.

Instead of Mulder and Scully on the case, 17-year old Janelle Tenner (daughter of an FBI Agent) and her best (guy) friend Alex set out to put the pieces together.

Going in I had no idea what the plot twist or science fiction element of this book was and I found it to be quite creative. I haven't read another book that uses this particular science fiction element as a plot device.

I just think this book could have been 100 or more pages shorter.The storytelling in this novel goes off a bit before it gets back to focus. For a few pages it seemed more like a beachy contemporary novel. We don't really reach the focal point of the novel until about halfway, when the book goes in a more action packed sci-fi direction.

Janelle, our main character really stands out, she is an independent character without trying to hard. The older sister/younger brother relationship she has with her brother, Jared, allows her to be seen as  more mature and responsible. 

Like most YA books these days, I didn't like how after all of the other amazing  elements in this book that a sexual assault "plot point"was introduced. It just didn't fit in with the rest of the story. I think it was in there to villianize certain characters, but I think it could have been handled better. For a book that deals with  death and mental illness in such a touching and meaningful way this caught me off guard.

Unraveling is a true to form science fiction mystery novel with just a flare of romance and intrigue. It features a nicely crafted plot and while it stumbles a little in the storytelling it lands the ending perfectly.

If you haven't read Unraveling Here is your chance to check it our for yourself.

Win A Signed Paperback Copy of Unraveling By Elizabeth Norris (U.S)

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