Waiting on Wednesday (#77)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

The Uninvited  by Cat Winters

Expected publication: August 11th 2015 by William Morrow



From the award-winning author of In the Shadow of Blackbirds comes a stunning new novel—a masterfully crafted story of love, loss, and second chances. Set during the fear and panic of the Great Influenza of 1918, The Uninvited is part gothic ghost-story, part psychological thriller, perfect for those who loved The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield or The Vanishing by Wendy Webb.

Twenty-five year old Ivy Rowan rises from her bed after being struck by the flu, only to discover the world has been torn apart in just a few short days.

But Ivy’s life-long gift—or curse—remains. For she sees the uninvited ones—ghosts of loved ones who appear to her, unasked, unwelcomed, for they always herald impending death. On that October evening in 1918 she sees the spirit of her grandmother, rocking in her mother’s chair. An hour later, she learns her younger brother and father have killed a young German out of retaliation for the death of Ivy’s older brother Billy in the Great War.

Horrified, she leaves home, to discover the flu has caused utter panic and the rules governing society have broken down. Ivy is drawn into this new world of jazz, passion, and freedom, where people live for the day, because they could be stricken by nightfall. But as her ‘uninvited guests’ begin to appear to her more often, she knows her life will be torn apart once more, but Ivy has no inkling of the other-worldly revelations about to unfold.

The Uninvited is an atmospheric, haunting, and utterly compelling novel.  

I don't usually read Adult, but it's Cat Winters. Enough said.  

What're you waiting on?

Review: All the Bright Places (Just go buy it)

All the Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publication Date: 8th January 2015
Publisher: Penguin Random House
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~ 

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this compelling, exhilarating, and beautiful story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven

I honestly don't know where to start with this one, so this is more of a feeling and reaction review than a straight up review, the same as I did with We Were Liars. Because, All the Bright Places is another book where whatever you say it's not going to be enough, it'll never be enough to say in a few paragraphs how much you love and got a book so much that you literally stared at it for half an hour just thinking and trying (unsuccessfully) not to cry. Because it affected me in a way no other book has done before, not even The Fault in Our Stars or  Heart-Shaped Bruise (as much as I love them)  or even Speak, that changed everything for me and got me reading in the first place. But, this is why I read. Beautiful, beautiful books like these are what keeps me reading.

Review: Frozen Charlotte

Frozen Charlotte
Author: Alex Bell
Publication Date: January 5th 2015        
Publisher:  Stripes Publishing
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

We're waiting for you to come and play. Dunvegan School for Girls has been closed for many years. Converted into a family home, the teachers and students are long gone. But they left something behind...Sophie arrives at the old schoolhouse to spend the summer with her cousins. Brooding Cameron with his scarred hand, strange Lilias with a fear of bones and Piper, who seems just a bit too good to be true. And then there's her other cousin. The girl with a room full of antique dolls. The girl that shouldn't be there. The girl that died

Here's a few things you need to know about Frozen Charlotte.

1) It's psychologically disturbing.

2) It's creepy as anything.

End of Year Survey: 2014

I'm back, how was everyone's Christmas? Mine was quiet for a change, so I should've gotten some reading done but instead binge watched Birds of a Feather. Happy New Year! :)

 

The End of Year Book Survey is hosted by Jamie of The Perpetual Page-Turner

 

 

 

Number Of Books You Read: 152
Number of Re-Reads: 2
Genre You Read The Most From: I have no clue. Crime/Psychological Thrillers? Or Dystopian? Or Fantasy? Or Contemporary? Or Paranormal? All I know is there was no good voodoo and few rip-your-heart-out-I-hate-you-but-I-love-you *cough* All the Bright Places *cough*
 

 

 

1. Best Book(s)You Read In 2014?

 (In no particular order) ;)
 

   

 

  

 

 

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I'm A Blogger...Get Me Out Of Here

So, I'm out of here, apart from one or two scheduled blitz's, I'll be gone until the New Year probably, since I need a break, it's been a rather weird year, but a mostly okay one for me, so just a quick note to say Merry Christmas and hope you all enjoy the holidays. :)

Seeing as I won't be back until then, I'm extending my Birthday/Christmas giveaway, so don't forget to enter!

Merry Christmas!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless

Top Ten Clues You're Clueless
Author: Liz Czukas
Publication Date: December 9th 2014         
Publisher: Harper Teen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day

5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market

4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi

3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm

2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)

1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees—of stealing upwards of $10,000

Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments

Top Ten Clues You're Clueless can be summed up in one sentence. 6 Teen employees get accused of stealing the Christmas Charity Fund and have to wait in store until the police get there. It's pretty simple. It's not complicated stuff and the whole story is told within a few hours. There's not a lot going on, and it plays like a heart-warming Christmas film, which is why I'm surprised I liked it so much. I like Christmas as much as the next person, but since Christmas films are on in November all the way up to Christmas and New Year, I want to stab myself in the eye by the 25th, except for Home Alone, I'll watch them every day. Which is why I don't usually read anything festive, not that this is exactly an overly festive book, you can read it at any time and it wouldn't make a difference, since it is set on Christmas Eve, but it's not focused around that.

There's just something about Liz Czukas books that leave me smiling all the way through, relatable characters and situations, realistic characters and situations and something just so normal about the books that make them feel real.

Now, since In the style of Chloe, who likes making lists, here's my Top Ten Reasons you should read Top Ten Clues You're Clueless.

1) Say that ten times fast. It's fun.