Review + Celebration: The Light Fantastic by Sarah Combs

The Light Fantastic by Sarah Combs
Published: September 13, 2016 by Candlewick Press
Source: ARC from the author (& finished copy)

Seven tightly interwoven narratives. Three harrowing hours. One fateful day that changes everything.

Delaware, the morning of April 19. Senior Skip Day, and April Donovan’s eighteenth birthday. Four days after the Boston Marathon bombing, the country is still reeling, and April’s rare memory condition has her recounting all the tragedies that have cursed her birth month. And just what was that mysterious gathering under the bleachers about?

Meanwhile, in Nebraska, Lincoln Evans struggles to pay attention in Honors English, distracted by the enigmatic presence of Laura Echols, capturer of his heart. His teacher tries to hold her class’s interest, but she can’t keep her mind off what Adrian George told her earlier.

Over in Idaho, Phoebe is having second thoughts about the Plan mere hours before the start of a cross-country ploy led by an Internet savant known as the Mastermind. Is all her heartache worth the cost of the Assassins’ machinations?

The Light Fantastic is a tense, shocking, and beautifully wrought exploration of the pain and pathos of a generation of teenagers on the brink—and the hope of moving from shame and isolation into the light of redemption. [goodreads]

As someone who has identified her formative years with school shootings, and other tragedies, this novel spoke volumes to me.  I can still remember the day I found out about the school shooting in Columbine, Colorado.  The memory of watching a blurry surveillance video capturing the shooters on a rampage in the cafeteria, brought vivid nightmares to my own school and the safe haven I thought it was.  As a young adult, the world I was beginning to step outside in started to take on a scary reality.

Sarah Combs has masterfully intertwined separate, yet very uniquely similar stories, all surrounding the chaos of what teenagers encounter as they live out their days in a world filled with hate, uncertainty, and the need to belong.  As one battles their own demons by finding solace in complete strangers online, others must come to terms with reality and how brutal it's become.  My heart reached out in different directions, wanting to understand their thoughts, their actions, and even their silence.

This story is every bit powerful and purposeful.  It's important to listen to those who feel neglected or outcasted, even if they struggle to find their own voice.  We must be present and proactive, but also understanding and accepting.  Sarah Combs has written another quietly impactful novel, one that holds significant value that is difficult to put a price on.  In a world where actions are constantly questioned, sometimes it's easier to point fingers and place blame on the expected.  This novel will make you stop, think, and see a new light, from a new perspective.

I am honored to have the talented Sarah Combs on the blog today, to celebrate her book's release. The lovely people from Candlewick Press have put together outstanding discussion questions about the book to further the reader's experience.  I found this particular question to shine the brightest:

Hunkered down in the lockdown closet, Gavin makes a list of the real things, big and small, that

matter to him. What would be on yours?

Please continue reading below for Sarah's list, as well as mine.  Then, enter my giveaway for a chance to win a copy of the book by sharing YOUR list!

FIVE GOOD THINGS: FALL EDITION - by Sarah Combs

"We are born at a given moment, in a given place, and, like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born." -- Carl Jung

Which is to say: Fall is my TIME, man. I'm so happy it's well nigh upon us, and that I can get excited about:

1. Clear crisp mysterious fall air. I agree with Jordan Baker's assessment in The Great Gatsby: It really does feel like "life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." BRING IT.

2. Pumpkin spice lattes are good, but Shlafly Pumpkin Ale is better.

3. Celestial events. I'm obsessed with them. Penumbral lunar eclipse happening September 16, yall.

4. Two words: Sweater weather. There's a perfect song for that.

5. Fall means curling up with books. I'm overwhelmed by this year's fall bounty, but high on my list are: Stephanie Kuehn's The Smaller Evil; The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis; Swing Time by Zadie Smith; and the latest from the always-dazzling Tana French, The Trespasser.

FIVE REAL THINGS: THE HAPPY EDITION - by Ginger at GReads!

I've always been someone to look at life as half full, instead of half empty. We all get dealt a pretty crummy hand at life sometimes, and it's so easy to wallow in that sadness.  But I try my best to focus on the good, even when there can be so much bad.  Today I am sharing 5 things that make me happy.

1. Waking up on a Saturday morning with no plans and the whole day stretched out in front of me. As a teacher, Monday through Friday I am constantly go! go! go! So when that Saturday morning rolls around and I have the option to lie in bed until my tummy growls, it's such a sweet moment.

2. Biting into a warm, fresh, gooey chocolate chip cookie. I have such a sweet tooth and so it's rare I'll turn down a dessert. There is something so satisfying about homemade chocolate chip cookies, though.

3. Opening up a book and reading page one after you've been craving this particular novel for quite some time. It's an even happier moment when you flip to page two, then page three, and suddenly you're a hundred or so pages deep because it is just that good!

4. When a friend sends you a random text that makes you laugh. I'm a firm believer that laughter is one of the very best medicines. I am also that crazy person who is out in public, perhaps at the grocery store, staring at her phone laughing hysterically because of that amazing friend.

5. Listening to your favorite song, at 5a.m. in the bathroom as you get ready for work, dancing and singing to get your blood flowing and your mood just right.  There's no better way to start a day of teaching than that right there. I call it my happy place.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

+Giveaway is open to US residents only

A Breakfast Served Anytime Celebration (+ a Giveaway)

Today, March 8th, one of my all-time favorite books is being published in paperback.  In celebration of that, I wanted to give away a few copies to my readers here on the blog.  BREAKFAST SERVED ANYTIME by Sarah Combs, is such a quietly beautiful read that brought me back to my own teenage years, and the growth our hearts (and minds) must endure in order to experience life as it happens.  I love this story that Gloria takes us on, as she meanders through summer geek camp, digesting new opportunities, but also questioning and wondering which path to take.

I'm sure you've seen me gush a time or two over this YA contemporary novel, professing my love for its content within its pages.  There's a literary beauty here that I want every reader to explore.

+ Open to US & Canada residents only

+ 2 winners will be chosen:

- (1) winner will receive book + Dunkin Donuts gift card

- (1) winner will receive book + Starbucks gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the book: A coming-of-age debut evokes the bittersweet joys and pangs of finding independence in one unforgettable summer away at "geek camp."

When Gloria sets out to spend the summer before her senior year at a camp for gifted and talented students, she doesn’t know quite what to expect. Fresh from the heartache of losing her grandmother and missing her best friend, Gloria resolves to make the best of her new circumstances. But some things are proving to be more challenging than she expected. Like the series of mysterious clues left by a certain Professor X before he even shows up to teach his class, Secrets of the Written Word. Or the very sweet, but very conservative, roommate whose coal-industry family champions mountaintop removal. Not to mention the obnoxious Mason, who dresses like the Mad Hatter and immediately gets on Gloria’s nerves — but somehow won’t escape her thoughts.

Beautifully told by debut author Sarah Combs, this honest and touching story of growing up is imbued with the serene atmosphere of Kentucky’s natural landscape. [goodreads]

add to goodreads | read my review

*huge thanks to author Sarah Combs for supplying these copies for giveaway

Top Ten Tuesday: Debut Authors Who Have Me Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novels

Since I missed last week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt about debut authors, who's sophomore novels we're most looking forward to, I am posting my list a week late.  This topic was too good to completely miss, so please excuse me being a week behind.  Let me know in the comments if you've read any of these debuts, and if you too are looking forward to their next novels.

1. Juliana Romano -- I read FIRST THERE WAS FOREVER earlier this year and was completely swept up by it.  It's the type of story this quiet contemporary reader really gravitates toward, full of heart and emotion, in the coming ages of being a teen.  Her sophomore novel, SUMMER IN THE INVISIBLE CITY, sounds just as fabulous -- I can't wait to read it!

2. Ellie Cahill -- Though I know this author is not a debut, as she uses this pen name for her New Adult novels, but I still decided to include her in this list because these are her first NA novels to write.  WHEN JOSS MET MATT was such a refreshing, addicting read.  I'm really looking forward to CALL ME, MAYBE, her second NA novel, because these are the type of fun, easy-going romances I crave.

3. Michelle Levy -- I'm not sure what this author is working on next, but after reading NOT AFTER EVERYTHING, I know it will be on my TBR list when it's out there.  This novel is another quietly, yet so emotional read that truly gripped me.  I have high hopes for what she plans to produce next.

4. Bethany Chase -- As the year wraps up, I already know this novel will be at the top of my favorites list, so of course I am looking forward to Bethany Chase's next novel.  THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY is everything I yearn for in adult contemporary fiction.  Everything from the depth of emotion, to the identifiable setting, to the unforgettable journey -- it all just swept me up and away.  I will read anything this woman writes.

5. Annie Cardi -- Another emotional, yet so rewarding debut that completely won me over.  THE CHANCE YOU WON'T RETURN was one of my favorite debuts read last year, so of course I am eagerly waiting to read what Annie Cardi has in store for her readers next.  I know it will be brilliant!

6. Kristin Rae -- WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN was such an adventurous, fun debut from Kristin Rae!  Her writing style captivated me in an unexpected way.  What could have been told from just the surface, delved much deeper -- casting a unique, and unforgettable story.  I am really looking forward to her sophomore novel, WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED.

7. Sarah Combs -- This list would not be complete if Sarah Combs were not on it.  Her debut novel, BREAKFAST SERVED ANYTIME was my most favorite read of 2014.  It so quietly, yet eloquently told the story of how one summer can change a young teen's life.  Her richness with words, and ability to tell an unforgettable story, pulled at my heart.  I know her next novel will be just as breathtaking.

8. Nickolas Butler -- SHOTGUN LOVESONGS was such an engrossing, beautifully told adult novel.  I listened to the audio of it and found myself sitting in my car idle, long after I reached my destination because I wasn't quite ready to turn it off.  BENEATH THE BONFIRE is sure to be amazing, I just know it, and now I must get my hands on it.

9. Ashley Poston -- Hello gorgeous book covers!  THE SOUND OF US was the perfect blend of music + romance + teenage angst for this contemporary reader.  I can't wait to read her follow up, WE OWN THE NIGHT, which I'm sure is going to be a win for me as well.

10. Jenny Kaczorowski -- Another series from Bloomsbury Spark that I am eagerly waiting to continue.  THE ART OF FALLING was a refreshing, enjoyable read and I am really looking forward to THE TRICK OF LANDING.  The So-Cal vibe is really screaming my name.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

An Open Letter To Sarah Combs's YA Self

I'm very excited to be featuring a few YA authors on the blog, writing their own Open Letters, through out this month.  Not aware of this fab feature?  Be sure to check out my introduction post HERE.  You can also read my Open Letter To My YA Self post HERE.

Please welcome my dear friend, and lovely author, Sarah Combs to the blog today, sharing her own Open Letter To YA Self.  She is the brilliant mind behind BREAKFAST SERVED ANYTIME, and in case my love for this book hasn't caused you to read it already, I hope today's letter will inspire you to.

Dear fifteen year-old Sarah,

I’ve been thinking about you, and thinking that I owe you some thanks for a decision you made on our behalf almost twenty-three years ago.

It’s spring 1992, and your freshman year is drawing to a close. Things are going relatively well: You’ve found your people, you’ve been cast in The Skin of Our Teeth, all the world Smells Like Teen Spirit (literally and figuratively—your Walkman runs on Nevermind and your deodorant, which will forever be eau de freshman year, is Romantic Rose), and, like always, you’re in love. In love with, among other things: your Humanities class, your subscription to Sassy magazine, your Birkenstocks, your devoted and stalwart best friend, and (of course; you can’t help it) a boy.

Added bonus: After four (4) years of nightmarish orthodontia (you’ve had it all: headgear; rubber bands stretched slantwise across your maw; a torturous expansion device that lived for nine months betwixt your molars and had to be adjusted nightly and excruciatingly via the turn of a key), you’re fixing to get your braces removed. You cannot wait. There’s a jumbo bag of celebratory gummi bears in your backpack. Only: Wait. Hold on. The orthodontist is looking at you quizzically. He’s checking out a sheaf of X-rays taken over the last four years. He’d like for you to return to the waiting area, and could you send your dad in for just a sec?

The sec lasts a million years, and here is the upshot: The orthodontist (who deals in teeth, not noses, you remind yourself later—it has long been your habit to seek fault in any kind of authority figure, especially those who deliver unpleasantries) thinks you might have something called a deviated septum.

A what?

A deviated septum, says the Ear Nose & Throat doctor a few days later. It is indeed what you have, and it means that the bone and cartilage separating your nasal cavities is all out of whack. It also means that your breathing passages are sort of dangerously obstructed, which means you have to have an operation. Sooner rather than later.

What? But you breathe just fine. You sleep fine, too: vivid dreams and all. You throw an anguished look at your father, who is nodding along with the doctor. Doctor Ear Nose and Throat, whose authority you are already questioning in your mind. In your mind, he is already the person conspiring with the orthodontist to make you wear braces for the rest of ever.

Okay, your dad says on the exhale. He is, after all, your father, and he wants his daughter to be able to breathe.

Your face is going hot—the first outward sign of the fear gathering in your gut. You’ve got a question for this guy, this Doctor EN&T. Is this—this surgery—going to change the way I look?

No, says Almighty Doc EN&T, super-nonchalant. However, should you desire corrective surgery, we could certainly perform rhinoplasty at the same time. Those are maybe not the doctor’s exact words. You can’t be expecting your grown-ass self to be recollecting the exact words a quarter of a century later. Anyway it doesn’t matter what he said. What matters is what you heard, which is:

1. Rhinoplasty, which might be the ugliest word ever invented, some horrible zoo-animal/Tupperware hybrid; and 2. IN MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION, YOU NEED A NOSE JOB.

Immediately, your mind zooms back to that faraway land you thought you left behind forever: middle school. You’re back in middle school, home of those horrible boys who twist the last name you’ve always privately loved and been proud of—Van Arsdale, regal and one-of-a-kind, Dutch badass at your service—into Van Long Nose. The same boys who duck when you walk down the hall—because if they stood upright they’d get lanced by your gargantuan nose of course, ha ha, super original (you could eyeroll that ha ha, super original all day long to yourself, but here is the awful truth: It hurts. They are hurting you, and you won’t ever be able to forget it, not ever).

Your best friend is the best: The unwitting object of desire of not only these particular mean boys but also every other boy in your middle school, she is also a dancer made of fierceness and speed and most of all loyalty, the kind you’ll still be counting on decades from now. She cares not a fly for the admiration of these stupid boys, and she can run faster than all of them combined. So when one of them passes you at your shared locker and whispers Big Nose before disappearing down the hall, your best friend is after that asshole at lightning speed. She is grabbing him by the arm and whirling his body around to face her and she is hollering, like she can’t believe how dumb he is: You can have a big nose, but you can’t be a big nose.

Which cracks you up, and makes you weep with gratitude, and which you particularly appreciate because—even in middle school, that hellhole—you have a vested interest in words and semantics. You think you might like to be a writer someday.

But: Even though your best friend tells you daily that your nose is beautiful, that it looks a little like the one that belongs to her hero Wendy Whelan of the New York City Ballet, you sometimes—in your darker moments—look in the mirror and wonder if what those boys said was true. If you really can be a big nose, and nothing else.

It’s what you’re thinking now, in the office of Doctor EN&T, who is giving you a benign smile.

Once again, you look over at your dad, who is the reason you have your nose in the first place. It’s something you inherited from him—along with your badass Dutch last name, your freckles, and your tendency to question authority. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent, he’s been telling you for years, quoting Eleanor Roosevelt. Hold your head high. How many times did your broken-record of a dad also point out to middle-school you—middle-school us—that some of the most unforgettable women in the world have aquiline (he loves that word) noses? Princess Diana, who is even smarter than she is lovely. In fact, her mind is what makes her lovely, because, daughter, listen: that’s exactly how it works, and it’s the part of this conversation that you need to remember. Think of John Singer Sargent’s elusive Madame X—she would be nothing without her nose. Think of Botticelli. Think of Waterhouse.

You are a work of art, is what your—our—father was trying to tell you.

You don’t have to decide right now, says the doctor. Give it some thought.

And you give it some thought. You do. In the space of a moment you think of all the times you have felt and believed that you are a big nose and nothing more. And then you think of all the times—the huge number of times—when you have proven yourself more than that: a daughter, a sister, a friend. An actress whose talent and aquiline profile land her the juicy roles, the bold ones, the ones the ingénues don’t get. The girl finally now in high school, where not once has anybody ever said anything about her nose—except of course the boy, who has given her picture postcards of Sargent’s Madame X and Dicksee’s La Belle Dame Sans Merci. Who has said: They remind me of you. Who has used the word classic. He’s the kind of boy who has actually seen The Lion in Winter and likes to call you Eleanor of Aquitaine. The kind of boy who deserves your very first sans-braces kiss.

Strangely, although the doctor has confirmed that you have an actual physical defect that is hazardous to your health and requires surgery, it is not until he utters the word rhinoplasty that you find yourself unable to breathe. You have never loved your nose. And aside from the miraculous gift of breathing it provides, will never really love it, just as you will never love mirrors or cameras or photographs with you in them. But you make your decision right then and there, and you are absolutely sure that it is the right one.

Your best friend is there with you at the hospital, holding your hand and making you laugh as you fall under the fog of the anesthesia (she’ll be in the exact same spot when you get your wisdom teeth removed years later and when—years even later than that—you give birth to a child, a second boy, who will have your freckles and your strong will). When you wake up, your deviated septum will be fixed. Although there will be pain, and bandages, and lots of gross swelling for a while, you will eventually look in the mirror and see once again the same person you were before you went under the knife.

The change will be this: Now you can breathe. You can breathe. You can breathe. You will marvel at breathing, what a wonder it is, what a gift. You will ask yourself: How was I even living before? You will tell yourself: Don’t take this breath for granted, ever again.

So thank you for keeping our nose, fifteen year-old Sarah. You are wise beyond your years, and you are as brave as your Eleanors Roosevelt and Aquitaine, and although you’re far from perfect, I’m so, so glad you’re me.

See you on the other side.

Love,
Sarah

P.S. I know you have your ever-loyal Weetzie Bat and Franny Glass to keep you company, but in the interest of messing with the space/time continuum (one of our shared obsessions!), here are some other kindred spirits you'll want in your coterie: Frankie Landau-Banks (the eponymous heroine of The Disreputable History of, by e. lockhart); Taylor Markham (from Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta); and Priscilla "Petey" Willis (of Laura Ruby's exquisite Bone Gap). Oh, honey: These girls have got your number...and your back.

Sarah Combs on goodreads

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Be sure to check out my GIVEAWAY happening below! (just click the image)

Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs

Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs
Published: April 8, 2014 by Candlewick Press
Source: Gifted by the author - thank you!

A coming-of-age debut evokes the bittersweet joys and pangs of finding independence in one unforgettable summer away at "geek camp."

When Gloria sets out to spend the summer before her senior year at a camp for gifted and talented students, she doesn’t know quite what to expect. Fresh from the heartache of losing her grandmother and missing her best friend, Gloria resolves to make the best of her new circumstances.

But some things are proving to be more challenging than she expected. Like the series of mysterious clues left by a certain Professor X before he even shows up to teach his class, Secrets of the Written Word. Or the very sweet, but very conservative, roommate whose coal-industry family champions mountaintop removal. Not to mention the obnoxious Mason, who dresses like the Mad Hatter and immediately gets on Gloria’s nerves — but somehow won’t escape her thoughts.

Beautifully told by debut author Sarah Combs, this honest and touching story of growing up is imbued with the serene atmosphere of Kentucky’s natural landscape.[goodreads]

This exquisite debut novel, written by the very talented Sarah Combs, captured my heart when I least expected it.  I believe books are brought into our lives for a purpose; their stories reaching us by surprise, yet lingering with a sudden calm.  BREAKFAST SERVED ANYTIME was given to me, as a thank you for promoting books and authors through my blog, yet I feel as though I'm the one filled with gratitude after experiencing such a stunning debut.

Gloria is spending her summer before senior year away at Geek Camp, a summer camp for the Gifted & Talented set against the back drop of a Kentucky college campus.  She's a girl who has kept mostly to herself, except for the close relationship she has with her dad who has been her single parent, and that of her best friend Carol, who she plans to run away to NYC with as soon as they graduate.  She is also grieving the loss of her grandmother, who she refers to as GoGo, a woman she so desperately misses and thinks of quite often.

During her summer at Geek Camp, Gloria is introduced to many new firsts.  She learns to not judge people by her first impression of them, rather to allow herself time to get to know them.  In the process she befriends two girls in the dormitory that normally would fall way outside her spectrum.  Through the process of expanding her mind, and her heart, she discovers a true friendship in both of these girls.  But it's the relationships she forms with her classmates, the only four students including herself signed up for Secrets of the Written Word, that ultimately push Gloria into discovering new-found friendships and in the process discovering her own self.

Combs's writing brings forth a sense of nostalgia from my own teenage years, during a time of wondering what my life is meant to be and which path I should take in order to discover it.  Through Gloria's witty banter among her friends, and her own personal dialogue within herself, this novel delivers an unforgettable voice.  The beauty of Kentucky, rich with its landscape and uniqueness in society, is portrayed page after page.  I felt a strong connection to the characters, the writing, and the overall feel that this book possesses.  It's a novel one might gather first impressions about based on the cover, title, or something else that caught their eye.  But it's also a story that deserves a closer look, a message within its pages with the prospect to deliver a memorable reading experience.

Thank you, Sarah Combs, for providing me with such a memorable gift.  Your words will always hold a special place in my heart.