Showing posts with label Rewind and Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rewind and Review. Show all posts

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Rewind & Review: May Edition


Welcome back to another month of Rewind & Review!  Not familiar with this new feature hosted by Lisa and myself? Then please check out this blog post here, which goes in to more detail about the happenings of this awesome idea.

The idea of this feature is to encourage readers to give love to those "older" novels and hopefully attack that mile high pile of books!





Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

I just recently met Sara Zarr at TLA and was happy to get a copy of Sweethearts signed by her!  I've been told this is an amazing book, so I am really looking forward to reading it this month.

Let us know if you plan to read an "older" book this month for Rewind & Review!

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Monday, April 9, 2012

Rewind & Review: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson


Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Published: March 19, 2009 by Viking Juvenille
Received: bought ebook via Barnes & Noble
“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.


Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether.
In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl's chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia. {goodreads.com}

This is my third novel by Laurie Halse Anderson that I have read and she's done it again, completely shocked and blown me away.  This woman's ability to write is like nothing else.  She has the ability to take a character's voice, make it their own, and really project it through the pages at you.  I found myself completely engulfed by the desperate, yet hauntingly sour thoughts of Lia - the dead girl walking.

Wintergirls battles the issue of anorexia.  It digs deep to the dirty side of this retched disease, giving the reader a glimpse of what it's like to be dying, starving yourself from the inside out.  Lia's best friend Cassie has just died.  The two girls grew up together, with a bond to always be skinny.  They shared their disease together and encouraged one another to do whatever it took to stay strong and lose the pounds.  The scale was their enemy and they'd do whatever was necessary to never let it win.  Cassie, unfortunately, lost that battle and let her life go.  Lia is now living (or dying inside) with the thought that she could have saved her best friend, but how can she when she can't even save herself?  We're witnessing Lia's downward spiral through her own eyes.  Listening to the lies she tells herself, the calories she counts, and the hearts she shatters as she slowly slips further and further in to this abyss of what a wintergirl truly means.

I had a hard time reading this novel in parts because I could not identify with Lia or her need to control what she ate.  This sort of lifestyle is very foreign to me; however, it's shockingly a very common lifestyle among many teenage girls.  Though the issue of anorexia is something I have never personally dealt with, Laurie Halse Anderson does an amazingly well job of making you feel as though you know Lia and want to do everything in your power to reach out and help her.  In the soft moments, between the pages, when she was lying awake at night while the world slept was when I wanted to be her friend most.  My heart ached as I witnessed Lia breaking her's into tiny shreds.

Reading this book was very eye opening to me.  It brought forth a disease I had always heard about, but never truly understood.  It's not just about controlling what you eat, it's having the power to control every aspect of your life.  This need can consume someone's world and all those in it.  The story of Lia is a tough one to swallow, but it's also a gift that sheds light on the dangers of what can happen in this situation.  Some times, even the weakest can surprise us and find hope.




Rewind & Review is a monthly feature hosted by Lisa is Busy Nerding & myself, that showcases older books from our collection to read & review.

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Monday, April 2, 2012

Rewind & Review: April Edition


 Welcome back to another month of Rewind & Review!  Not familiar with this new feature hosted by Lisa and myself? Then please check out this blog post here, which goes in to more detail about the happenings of this awesome idea.

The idea of this feature is to encourage readers to give love to those "older" novels and hopefully attack that mile high pile of books!




I was shuffling through my stack of never-ending contemps to read this month and came across two books which I had been meaning to read, but for whatever reason hadn't made the time to.  Well, now's the time.  This is why I love this feature so much because it's a reminder of some past loves that have been forgotten about.  Laurie Halse-Anderson and Courtney Summers are two of my favorite contemporary YA authors.  If you have not read anything by them, I highly recommend doing so SOON.  Their words will blow you away.  I am preparing myself for this.  I have a feeling these two books will change me.


 Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Let us know if you plan to read an "older" book this month for Rewind & Review!

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Monday, March 26, 2012

Rewind & Review: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead


Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6) by Richelle Mead
Published: December 7, 2010 by Razorbill
Received: given by my sister :)
Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice.

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose—for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back... and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you? {goodreads.com}

I did it. I finally finished the Vampire Academy series & wow what a finish that was!  I began my journey with Rose at St. Vladimir's back in December of 2010.  I lost myself in the adventures she always seemed to find herself in.  I became wrapped up in the mysteries of this vampire realm that Richelle Mead so beautifully crafted.  But it was the passion between Rose and Dimitri that scorched my heart and kept me turning the pages in each new installment.

It's rare I'll follow a series with this many books in it.  Usually after the third, either the story needs to wrap up or you've lost my interest.  Richelle Mead is the master of 3+ books in a series!  This woman knows how to write a story with so many twists and turns that you're cheating yourself if you don't pick up that next book.  I have no idea how I waited so long to finish this one.  I think part of me wasn't quite ready to say goodbye.  I knew Richelle Mead had been working on a spin-off from this series (Bloodlines).  I also knew that Rose and Dimitri would not be in that series, and I think it was having to say goodbye to these two characters which I wasn't quite ready for.

Last Sacrifice has all the ingredients for how a mega series as this one should end.  The final installment begins with high tension, left over from the ending of the previous book (which is so Richelle Mead fashion).  Immediately you are sucked back in and holding on for dear life.  There is a certain scene, in a hotel bedroom, that sealed the deal for me.  The passion was literally smoking from the pages!  I knew I was in for it.  The adventure and mystique never let up, either.  Just when you think you're getting answers, Richelle Mead throws a curve ball and even more questions are developed.  The ending to this epic story wrapped up very nicely.  Knowing that a few characters would continue on in Bloodlines, I did not feel as though I was left hanging.  Towards the very end I found myself marking quite a few pages and re-reading lines because the words were so beautiful.  They captured the essence of Rose and Dimitri's love so perfectly.

If you're looking for a paranormal series with high tension, passion, and a killer ending - then I highly recommend starting the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.  Even though I took my time finishing this one, Last Sacrifice did not disappoint; if anything it's made me want to start all over from the beginning and lose myself in this epic tale again.





Rewind & Review is a monthly feature hosted by Lisa is Busy Nerding & myself, that showcases older books from our collection to read & review.

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Saturday, March 3, 2012

Rewind & Review: March Edition


Welcome back to another month of Rewind & Review!  Not familiar with this new feature hosted by Lisa and myself? Then please check out this blog post here, which goes in to more detail about the happenings of this awesome idea.

The idea of this feature is to encourage readers to give love to those "older" novels and hopefully attack that mile high pile of books!




I have to apologize because I failed miserably with my reading this past month.  I was lucky to finish two books, yes TWO books.  Neither of which were part of my Rewind & Review feature.  I know, I know.. bad blogger!  I am going to attempt to make up for it this month though.  By attempt I mean I am going to try my very best.  Right now my reading time has taken a back seat.  I am in the middle of moving this month, plus with a full load of school & work that doesn't leave a lot of extra time for my poor books.  So bare with me here!



I have started both books & plan to continue through the month of March!

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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Rewind & Review: February Edition


Welcome to the first edition of Rewind & Review!  Not familiar with this new feature hosted by Lisa and myself? Then please check out this blog post here, which goes in to more detail about the happenings of this awesome idea.

For the month of February I have chosen 2 books that I plan to read & review as part of this feature.  Sticking to the guidelines, both titles were published in 2010 or earlier. 





Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2) by J.K. Rowling
Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6) by Richelle Mead

If you would like to participate in Rewind & Review, please do!  No link-up is necessary, just create a post on your blog at the beginning of the month sharing the titles you've set aside to read & review.  Then use the title "Rewind & Review" in your subject line when reviewing the book.

Inspiration provided by Retro Friday hosted by Angieville.

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Monday, January 16, 2012

New Blog Feature: Rewind & Review!


With the new year beginning, I've taken the time to reflect more on what I want to accomplish as a reader and a blogger.  After my good friend Lisa mentioned on her blog about wanting to focus more on older book titles, it got me thinking I want to do more of the same.  As a reviewer I tend to get caught up in all the shiny new book releases, which results in a mile-high-pile of books that keep accumulating over time.  So with this new feature, and the help of Lisa, we've come together to create REWIND & REVIEW.

At the beginning of each month we will set aside a few "older" books to be read & reviewed on our blogs.  I encourage all of you to join in and do the same each month.  There's just a few easy-peasy guidelines/objectives to follow:
  • The book(s) needs to be published in 2010 or earlier.
  • Set a goal for the month on how many books you'd like to read & use the feature title "Rewind & Review" in your reviews.
  • If you use the graphic, please provide credit back to mine or Lisa's blog.
  • Use this opportunity to have fun reading some long lost loves!

I want this feature to be laid back & fun.  No link-ups will be provided, and we won't punish you if you don't fulfill your reading goals for the month.  Being organized about my reading titles helps me & I hope it will do the same for you.  After all, older books need love too!

This new feature will officially kick off on February 1st with a post of the older books I plan to read for the month.  I hope you all will join in with us!

Inspiration provided by Retro Friday hosted by Angieville.

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