TBR Pile #1

For my birthday and Christmas (they're close to each other), I received several books I've been SO excited to read. Unfortunately...I haven't had time to read them. Such is life. 

But one day this year, I. Will. Read. These. Books. 

 Last summer, I read all of the Percy Jackson series, Heroes of Olympus series, The Hidden Oracle (TToA), and the first book in the Magnus Chase series, The Sword of Summer. 

I fell head over heels into book love. And I fell deep.

My aunt--who works for BAM!--helped host a signing for Rick Riordan last fall. It will forever be on my list of regrets that I wasn't able to go. BUT, she got both me and my sister (who's also a super fan) signed copies and Hotel Valhalla t-shirts. So all is well.

Speaking of my sister, we are also big Potter-heads. 

*points at self* Hufflepuff pride.

We were late (as usual) coming into the Harry Potter fandom. But just like with Percy, we fell hard and fast for Rowling's world. So you can imagine how ecstatic we were when we actually had a chance to see a new Potter-verse film in theaters. 

So it was natural for my sister to get me this and a Newt Funko Pop! for my birthday,

Can I just say how GORGEOUS this book is in person? I just keep stroking the cover like the book nerd I am.

For the last couple years, me and some girlfriends have had a book exchange at Christmas. This year, I received these two fairy tale retellings.

Violet Eyes is a Princess and the Pea retelling, and Red Riding Hood, well, that one's pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?

These two books come highly recommended by a couple of my closest friends, so I look forward to reading them!

Besides these gifts, there have been a few books that have released the last couple months, or I picked up from the library, I've been dying to read.

I've been a fan of Ally Carter ever since I read her Gallagher Girls books. To be honest, while I liked the first book in her Embassy Row series, it didn't blow me away or capture me like her other books. However, when I read the second book, See How They Run, I was onboard! That ending, man...


Not mention, these covers are sooo pretty. 😍😍😍

I'm a new fan of Kasie West, but I love her bubbly, sweet style. It's like standing in a puddle of sunshine, closing your eyes, and just soaking it in. Just for a moment.

Did any of y'all read the book Help! I'm a Prisoner in a Library by Eth Clifford? I did when I was in elementary school and decided if I was trapped anywhere, a library would be ideal. Books, snack machines, and a bathroom. what else could you need?

Not...that being trapped anywhere would be ideal, but...you get my drift.

So, needless to say, this story's premise of a "good girl" and a "bad boy" getting stuck in a library caught my attention. Intrigued.

I've read Stephanie Morrill's books before, and I especially liked the book she co-authored with Jill Williamson Go Teen Writers: How to Turn Your First Draft Into a Published Book. But I'm not gonna lie. I was drawn to this book mainly because of the synopsis. It's rare to find a good historical fiction YA novel, and I have a feeling this book will be just such a one. 

So stoked about this book. You have no idea. And is it weird how enamored I am with the title font? 

This one has been on my radar for quite a while. It's one of those that keeps popping up in my recommendations or other authors have been lavishing it with praise. I'm bound and determined that I'm going to read it this year. I've already read the prologue and my Good Book Senses are tingling.

Not to mention, it's an absolutely beautiful book. The cover, the inside details, the prose. So, so lovely. Can't wait to read more!

Have you read any of these? Did you like them? 

And what books are in your TBR Pile?

Book Review: Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay

 

Dear Mr. Knightley,

I thought about you last night and stayed up reading Emma. I adore her, though she's out of my reach. Can you imagine such confidence and assurance of your own significance? Do you know anyone who would dare declare that he or she "cannot really change for the better"? I'd like to believe that--even for a moment.

Lizzy Bennet. Jane Eyre. Edmond Dantes. All fictional characters, but all real, constant friends to a girl who grew up in the foster care system after being taken away from her neglectful and abusive parents. Now grown up, Samantha Moore still has trouble connecting in relationships. Why trust the real world when the perfect companions are readily available in her beloved books? When all seems lost, Sam is given the opportunity to gain her Master's degree in journalism (though literature was her first choice, of course), but there's one catch. She must keep her anonymous benefactor informed with how her studies are progressing through letter-writing. So Sam reveals not only the details of her studies but her life to the silent but dependable person whom she only knows as as her Dear Mr. Knightley.

Except for the last chapter, Dear Mr. Knightley, Katherine Reay's debut novel, is comprised entirely of Sam's letters to Mr. Knightley. This format took a little time to get used to and the story began a bit slow, but a third of the way in I was captivated, halfway through I was completely invested, and by the end, I loved the characters and Sam's story dearly. Though written in first person, all of the characters--Ashley, Kyle, Alex, Father John, Professor Muir and Mrs. Muir--and the situations come across achingly raw and authentic. I only felt a bit jarred at the end when I had to get used to seeing the world in third person, outside of Sam's intensely personal perspective. I suppose that's how our main character felt when she was forced to look up from her novels, encounter the real world, and discover herself as well.

Like Sam did with her first copy of Pride and Prejudice, I want to read this book until the covers wear thin and I'm forced to buy another copy. Heart-breakinglyly honest, brilliantly hopeful, and sweetly romantic, I believe Jane Austen would approve.

Genre: Contemporary/Romance/Coming of Age
Pages: 297 (ebook version)
Age Range: 15 and up
Publication Date: November 2013

Book Review: Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz

 

Forgiveness was one thing. Falling in love was another.

 

Morrow Little's return home to the Kentucky wilderness after two years in Boston society is fraught with old worries and fears. When she was a young child, her mother and baby sister were killed in an Shawnee raid, and her brother, Jess, was captured. It's been just her and her father for years, and now that he's ill, her future is a bit uncertain. It's assumed she will marry, but her prospects range from farmers who want a marriage of convenience to an officer who's just a bit controlling and obsessed--to say the least. And then there's her confusing emotions of hatred and fascination toward a half-blood Shawnee whom her father has befriended. As tensions between the Americans and the Indians come to a head, Morrow has to make a decision whether to hold onto her fear and prejudice or allow herself to move forward with her life.

Laura Frantz 's style reminds me of Francine Rivers, where everything in the story is gritty, real, poetic, and achingly felt. One of my favorite parts of Courting Morrow Little was the heroine. She was weak physically and emotionally, whereas many heroines I've read about are already strong, spunky, and able. To me, Morrow was realistic, and I enjoyed reading about her journey to maturity and strength. My favorite character though was Red Shirt. I loved his chivalry and subtle wildness. Totally swoon-worthy. ;-)

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz is a beautiful historical novel thick with romance, suspense, and twists that had me holding my breath. It's very rare I find myself tearing up when I read a book, but there were a couple scenes that I found my vision mysteriously blurry. I also had several cheesy grins when I read some really sweet scenes. This story is filled to the brim with emotion that carries the reader through an incredible journey of a young woman who learns what it means to truly live in courage and forgiveness.

Genre: Historical/Romance/Christian
Ages: 16 and up
Pages: 362
Publication Date: July 2010

Book Review: "There You'll Find Me" by Jenny B. Jones



"It's beautiful," I said, my voice clouded with embarrassment.

"It's more than that." He watched the ocean below. "It's like God painted it himself, then spun it into motion." Beckett angled his head toward me, took his aviators off, and let his eyes burn into mine. "This is Ireland, Finley. It's rough. It's wild. And it is holy."

 

Finley Sinclair is trying to make a new start as a foreign exchange student in Ireland. But the past is deeply entwined with her present as she uses her deceased brother's journal to follow his time in Ireland years before in the hopes that she can rediscover the same closeness to God Will had when he was alive.

 

Beckett Rush is a distraction Finley doesn't need. A famous and ridicuously good-looking movie star, Beckett offers to help Finley retrace her brother's steps--if she helps him rehearse lines for the movie he's starring in. Along with Beckett, Finley soon finds her life entwined with a dying old woman who needs peace, a wise nun, a classic mean girl, and the love and warmth of her host family. Stress and a myriad of tiny pressures begin to weigh Finley down, from drama with Beckett to unsuccessfully trying to compose a piece of music based on Will's life for her audition with Julliard. She tries to cope the best way she knows how but it leads her down a dangerous road. Can she find her way back?

 

There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones is in my top ten favorite books, and I don't see it moving any time soon. Finley is a phenomenal main character who's emotions are felt deeply as if you are inside her head. There are so many great lines in this book I wish I could list them all, from the poignant moments, like in the prologue, to the hilarious moments between some of the characters that had me laughing out loud. All the characters are three-dimensional, complex, and played critical roles in Finley's character growth. The setting is described in rich detail that made me feel like I was actually in the small village of Abbeyglen or in Galway or wherever Finley and Co. went. I wanted to buy a ticket to Ireland after I finished reading!

 

I actually passed by this book several times in the bookstore before buying it. I saw the cover and thought it looked interesting. The second time, I picked it up and read the synopsis and the prologue, thought it sounded good, but I didn't want to spend the money. Finally, after a few times of being drawn to the book like a magnet, I bought it, read it, and was changed. There You'll Find Me dove deeper than I thought it would and beautifully displayed the dark truth of earthly struggles but also the light that's the truth of God's never failing love.

 

Genre: Contemporary Christian/Coming of Age/Romance

Ages: 14 and up

Pages: 303

Publication Date: October 2011

Part of a Series: Spin-off of Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones