May18

A Yak-A-Thon Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

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A Yak-A-Thon Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
You know that saying “Great minds think alike”? Yeah, not so much. Gracie, Madeleine, and I have lots of opinions, but we’re not always on the same page. And that’s why I like to talk with them about what they’re reading. It always makes for an interesting conversation that almost always ends with a “WHAT?!?! HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE ________?”
But one thing we all could agree on was that we loved Wonder by R.J. Palacio. And so, we decided that a Yak-a-Thon was in order. (That’s three Yaks for the price of one, you know.) We’ve wanted to all review the same book for a long time, but you can imagine that it’s not always easy to pick the book, or for some of us (ahem, me) to finish it quickly enough. :)
Be aware that there are a few spoilers below which we’ve taken care to mark for you. We’re just cool like that.
And Goodreads is cool for having a summary that we can use.
SUMMARY:
I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He’s about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you’ve ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances?
QUICK CHARACTER RUN-DOWN:
  • Auggie – 10-year-old boy, born with a facial deformity, who has been homeschooled because of his many surgeries and medical procedures. He’s now headed off to school with other kids his age.
  • Via – Auggie’s older sister who has just started high school.
  • Justin – Via’s boyfriend
  • Miranda – Via’s former best friend; she’s grown up around Auggie and loves him like a brother.
  • Jack Will – Auggie’s best guy buddy at school.
  • Summer – Auggie’s lunch table friend.
The story is told from the point of view of the above characters, with Auggie’s POV dominating the book (as it should!). Another surprisingly important character in the book is Daisy, the family dog.

Our Initial Reactions to Wonder

Annalynn: this is the part where gushing is allowed, right?
Madeleine: Like…the reaction of bawling? And of ADORING?
Annalynn: i’ll be honest. at first i thought i might not like the story because it felt more like a deep, cry-your-face-off story and that’s way more up you guys’ alley.
Madeleine: Haha–true
Gracie: I took almost 2 weeks to read the book because it was such an emotional experience for me. Auggie is representative of the BEST parts of humanity and I couldn’t stand the way he was treated by some of the people around him. And I felt SO guilty for any time that I had looked just a moment too short or a moment too long at someone that’s different than me.
Annalynn: i loved it…with the topic being about a little boy with a facial deformity and all sorts of heart-breaking moments, i thought the story was remarkably upbeat.
Madeleine: Auggie was real, too, which I loved. He wasn’t some martyr just because he had a facial deformity.
Annalynn: and i loved that the story is told by lots of different perspectives to break it up.
Gracie: See, I didn’t like the shifting perspectives as much. I just constantly wanted to hang out with Auggie and Via. I didn’t really care as much about the other characters. That said, I think it was important to show how Auggie touches other people’s lives.
Annalynn: oh, i definitely did. maybe it’s my counseling background but i loved to know what was going on in everyone’s heads. that way, every type of reaction was covered without it being weird. and all readers could identify…
Gracie: You’re such a peacemaker.
Annalynn: LOL.
Madeleine: And I’m with Annalynn on this one–I loved the multiple perspectives!! I loved how it humanized every character. Even the ones you get mad at because they act like jerks. Suddenly they seem vulnerable, and you can’t help but think, “Yeah, I get that. I could see me being stupid like that, too.”

Our Thoughts on the Characters

Madeleine: My brother-in-law has cerebral palsy, and I felt like Auggie experienced a lot of things similarly to him. All of the surgeries, the feeding tube, people staring, the inability to just BLEND. I really identified with Auggie’s family because of my own experiences. How they loved him felt SO real. Especially Via–the things she struggled with were so human and wonderful.
Annalynn: YES! via was my favorite.
Gracie: Mine too.
[**VERY Minor Spoiler**]
Gracie: True. Speaking of stupid, why do you think that Jack Will said what he did about Auggie? (Disclaimer: I love Jack Will. )
Annalynn: jack will was my second favorite perspective after via.
Madeleine: I think he was torn between wanting to be a normal kid with “normal” friends and being cool…and he was just scared to be different.
Annalynn: i think he said it to fit in with the group at the time, but i don’t really think he meant it. i think he was trying to keep a foot in with his old friends and still remain friends with auggie and the situation just didn’t give him that option.
Madeleine: Auggie didn’t get a choice in his situation–he was born that way. But Jack had to choose to be friends with Auggie, to accept him and be associated with Auggie’s face almost as much as Auggie was. Does that make sense?I think choosing something like friendship–especially a friendship that will make you stick out–is one of the bravest things a person can do. Especially a 10-year-old.
Annalynn: yeah, i think you’re right.
Gracie: It makes me regret any time I prioritized “being accepted” above being nice.
Madeleine: But we all do that, Gracie. It’s human, I think. I like that Jack exemplifies being brave, but does it with a lot of stumbles and mistakes. It resulted in a character who made us think without making us feel guilty.
[END **VERY Minor Spoiler**]
Annalynn: being “different” is downright terrifying in a school setting.
Gracie: Ah-greed! He really was a genius character.
Madeleine: Is that why you were home-schooled, Gracie? Too scary in the real place? :)
Annalynn: oh, you know it was just to give her more reading time.
Gracie: Boo, you both.
Gracie: Alright, if there’s an antagonist in this book, it’s Julian. Let’s talk about him.
Annalynn: julian! boo hiss.
Madeleine: And Julian’s PARENTS. UGH. My mom’s a teacher, and absolutely everything that Julian’s mom did reflected real situations my mom has been in with JERK parents.
Gracie: RIGHT. His parents. And I think that’s the key to his character. He responds the way that he’s been trained to. Like Auggie’s mom mentioned about apples and trees and such.

Madeleine:Yes. I kind of ended up feeling sorry for him because his path seemed kind of laid out. He’d spend his life being a jerk without even knowing he was one.

Gracie: But you can hope that he will look back on that experience and know what a puppet he was to his parent’s quest for approval within society.
Annalynn: Now who’s being the peacemaker? :) Should we talk about Via’s storyline for a minute?
Madeleine: Yes, please.  I heart Via.
Gracie: And how she’s a little bit like every big sister out there (said the very biased oldest child)?
Annalynn: YES! as the oldest sister, i totally identified with her.
Madeleine: Um. I wouldn’t know. I’m an only child. Are ya’ll saying you felt ignored your whole childhood?
Annalynn: alls i’m saying is that it wasn’t fair that my sister got to play with barbies when she was 3, when I had to wait until i was seven years old.
Madeleine: Hahahaha!
Gracie: I think the author nailed the tension between wanting to protect your younger sibling and wanting to smack them and make them leave you the heck alone. And some of that is brought on by you wanting the best for your younger sibling and denying/ignoring/downplaying your needs, but then you still sort of resent the sibling for that.

Annalynn:i agree, gracie. that’s totally it and i like that she “got” it, but still struggled with it. because that’s not an easy place to live.

Madeleine:Yes, and I really liked that she hid things from her family because she wanted to feel normal at school. The same desire as Auggie, but very unique to her. I loved that.
Annalynn: it’s interesting that her friends and she grew apart because she stayed the same and they are the ones that changed.
Gracie: I really liked that.
Madeleine: I agree, Via just had different priorities from day one. It made her less malleable than her friends.
Annalynn: do you think it’s because she had to deal with so much as a child that she grew up faster than they did?
Gracie: I think so. She also had to grow up with a strong sense of self.
Madeleine: That reminds me–Miranda! I absolutely ADORED her. She was so interesting to me.
Gracie: Unlike Via, Miranda didn’t really have the luxury of knowing who she was.
Annalynn: yeah, i thought that was fascinating

Madeleine: Miranda’s life was in constant upheaval, and the thing that was normal and stable for her was Auggie. I like that she drifted from Via. It was like she couldn’t handle TOO much stability. Auggie and his face were the only stable things she could really cling to. It just showed how fragile she was. I loved her for it.

Gracie: But she was strong when it mattered.
Annalynn: all the characters were!

The Deeper Issues in the Book

Annalynn: i found it interesting that no matter how many times auggie said “i’m used to other people’s responses by now” it was clear that he still noticed and felt every single one. that really made me think.
Gracie: Yes. That was really interesting. Like he knows he can’t define himself by how other people respond to him, but he still notices and it still hurts him-even just a tiny amount.
Madeleine: I totally agree. And that translated into Via, too. We saw it through Justin, who kept commenting on how she was worried he’d be scared of Auggie or scared away from the family. She was so brave and loved Auggie so much, but she clearly felt every eye that landed on him, too.
Annalynn: and with via, i really appreciated how she talked about the fact that her parents tried their best, but their attention was mostly on auggie and that meant she had to learn how to do things for herself.
Madeleine: Yes! Via also didn’t have a choice, really. She had to be independent just to survive.
Annalynn: but also the extremely amazing perspective it gave her on things that we consider “normal” drama and how they weren’t as important in light of auggie’s struggles.
Madeleine: I also loved how Auggie kept saying, “That might sound babyish to you…” at the beginning. He slowly grew out of that, but it was so heart-wrenching to read every time.
Gracie: But I love that the phrase “that might sound babyish” was something he was comfortable saying.
Madeleine: I know!! Me, too!
Gracie: He has certainly been called way worse than being called a baby. And truly, Auggie finds strength in his family unit. That’s clear. So if he has to hold onto being a baby for a little bit longer to feel close with his support structure, he’s okay with that.
Annalynn: yes, and it’s clear that multiple other characters (Justin, Miranda, etc.) found strength from auggie’s family, too. that was a cool thing to see–parents as a positive aspect of the story when they aren’t often portrayed that way in YA books.
Madeleine: Yes!! Parents are so often ignored in YA, or dead or stupid… Auggie’s family was SO present and wonderful. And I don’t think his parents forced him too much. They were tempted to keep him young and protected, but they were willing to let him grow up, too.
Gracie: LOVED Auggie’s parents. Pretty much any scene he had with his mom made me cry.

The Role of Humor in the Story

Gracie: So since Auggie’s dad is the funny man, let’s talk about the role that humor played in the book. What did you think about the way the author used it?
Annalynn: i think auggie’s self-deprecating humor was part of the reason he made friends. his friends knew that auggie understood how other people perceived him and was able to lighten that with humor. that made him approachable.
Madeleine: I agree with Annalynn–Auggie’s humor made him so approachable. But in a way, it was heartbreaking. It was a little sad to me that he had to make fun of himself for people to feel comfortable around him. I mean, I know that laughing at yourself is important, and it was a very real reflection of life, but it still made me sad.

Gracie:I totally agree. It’s sad that a 10-year-old boy has to laugh at himself to make other people comfortable. It kind of leveled the playing field a little bit for him, though. Sure, kids would laugh at his face, but he was used to that.

One of the other things I loved was that his parents made fun of Mr. Tushman’s name to make Auggie more comfortable with the idea of going to school.
Madeleine: I do love the way humor showed how his family loved each other. They didn’t make fun of each other at all. Laughter was such a sign of their absolute adoration for each other.

Let’s be real, there was ugly crying…

[**Kind of a Major Spoiler**]
Madeleine: I loved how everything shifted from all about Auggie to all about Daisy when she got sick. Auggie’s struggles so often put things in perspective for everyone else, but this time, the dog’s struggles (and everyone’s reaction to it) put everyone else into perspective for Auggie. He saw his parents grieving, he recognized how much they were upset about Daisy… I loved it.
Annalynn: that was the only part of the book where i ugly cried. tissues and tissues and tissues…
Gracie: Oh my gosh, the scene where he walks in on his dad crying over Daisy. Ugly. Cry.
Madeleine: OH yes. Me too. My husband took the book away from me, I was crying so hard.
Gracie: LOL. 
Annalynn: i think it’s because daisy was the one figure in the book that never had to think about auggie as being different. daisy just loved them all completely, no matter what.
Gracie: Why can’t animals live forever?!?!?!??!?!? *Shakes fist at the sky*
Madeleine: I love how everyone acknowledged that Daisy would just lick Auggie’s face like it was any other face in the world.
Annalynn: seriously.
Gracie: And then her “ghost” giving him the strength to go on the nature weekend…
Annalynn: LOVED that.
Gracie: *sob*
Madeleine: GAH! I’m totally tearing up. *reaches for tissue*
Annalynn: quick! somebody go call her husband.
Madeleine: seriously…
Gracie: Ok-So let’s change the subject before we all deteriorate into tears.
[END**Kind of a Major Spoiler**]

The Format of the Book

Madeleine:  Can we talk a little about the formatting of the book, too? I really loved how each character had such a distinct type of formatting.
Annalynn: i agree, EXCEPT not about justin’s section which was all lowercase (which i was fine with) with NO punctuation (which I was NOT fine with).
Madeleine: It felt very “high school boy” to me…it made him feel like a real kid. Like my 17 year old cousin was talking, or something.
Annalynn: it was just plain hard to read.
Gracie: I liked it too, actually. I read an article with the author and she said that “Justin just seemed like a lower case kind of guy” and I agree. 
Annalynn: i liked what he said. in fact, i think he had one of the most insightful sections in the whole book. but i found it hard to get lost in his part of the story because the lack of punctuation took me out of the flow of the book. 
Madeleine: It was hard to read sometimes. Brain shift for the grammar Nazi in me!
Annalynn: thank you. that’s all i’m sayin’.
Gracie: LOL.
Madeleine: I loved the way Jack Will talked, too. How he would say things like, “So and so said this, and then I was like–Dude….” He just kind of rattled things off, stream of consciousness, almost. It was great.
Annalynn: yes, jack will was awesome. as was summer!
Madeleine: Summer was a doll. I just wanted to hug her.
[**Relatively Minor Spoiler**]
Annalynn: summer was just so sweet. and i loved how she stood up to the “cool kids” when they offered her a place in their posee if she just ditched auggie. and when she and auggie got into a fight because he accused her of only being his friend because the principal told her to.
Gracie: Yes, a moment for Auggie to be the jerk. I liked that.
[END**Relatively Minor Spoiler**]
Madeleine: Yes! She was a good soul. And good souls are rare, but really out there. I loved seeing her in his story.
Gracie: Summer felt like an old soul and I loved that. Like the politics of middle school didn’t mean anything to her.
Annalynn: sooo true. i kind of pictured her as luna lovegood from Harry Potter. but maybe a little less weird.
Madeleine: Haha! I can totally see that. I bet she had all sorts of Nargles floating around in her head.
Annalynn: one can only hope. :)

Star Wars… and where things come apart

Gracie: OH! One more thing–can we talk about Star Wars? We don’t have to, I just like taking every opportunity to do so.
Madeleine: I don’t watch enough Star Wars to really have much to say on this topic. Sorry. I liked it though…from the identifying with unique physical characteristics of characters to having helmets to hide in. I liked.
Gracie: WHAT?! I have friends who aren’t obsessed with those movies?
Gracie: *dies*
Madeleine: Hey. I like HGTV. What can I say?! I DID go see the midnight premieres of the first and second new one, though. And then had zero interest in the 3rd. So…is that the end of the conversation?(*taps on screen*) Hello? Hello?
Gracie: No! I was finding this for you:
Gracie: And everyone knows that 4-6 are the only ones worth watching.
Madeleine: Haha, that clip is funny.
Annalynn: i mean, here’s the thing. watching them once is okay. but i don’t get the obsession.
Madeleine: And I think I can safely assume that Annalynn and I would MUCH rather have a DIY day than watch Star Wars.
Annalynn: Hands down. No question.
Gracie: *dies*
Annalynn: before we finish, gracie, do you have something YOU’D like to say about the star wars part of this book?
…
…
Annalynn: wow. she’s been typing a long time.
Madeleine: I know… That’s a little unnerving. WAIT, Gracie…STOP! We didn’t want you to recap the movies for us!
Really! We’ll watch them! We promise!
Annalynn: DO NOT TYPE IN A WHOLE SCREENPLAY. i will die a thousand deaths.
Madeleine: *hides under desk*
Madeleine: *peeks up at screen*
Annalynn: we should just let her finish…she’s right. star wars plays a big part in the book.
Madeleine: True. Auggie would be disappointed in our lack of enthusiasm.
Gracie: Whatever. It was genius and I loved it and I loved Auggie for loving Star Wars. I think the reason he’s drawn to it (other than the fact that it’s AWESOME and he’s a 10-year-old boy with good taste) is because it’s a hero quest. Luke-grew-up-on-a-farm-Skywalker doesn’t think he’ll ever amount to anything and suddenly not only is he thrust into a rebellion as one of the key players, but he finds friends and people to be on his team every step of the way. He’s an unlikely hero. A reluctant one. And Auggie kind of feels like the cards are stacked against him, but if Luke can take on the Empire and find family and friends to fight with him, then maybe…just maybe, Auggie can take on 5th grade and find a place that he belongs in the universe.
Gracie:And boo to the peanut gallery.
Madeleine: WOW.
Annalynn: LOL. You rock, Gracie.
Gracie: *sigh*
Gracie: *shakes head* Let’s just not talk about this again so we can stay friends, okay?
Madeleine: I am more than happy to agree to not talking about Star Wars ever again.
Annalynn: i concur.
Gracie: *shakes head*

Yak Smacks 

Since, apparently we all had a lot to say about this book (and if you made it this far, you probably deserve some sort of medal), we unanimously all chipped in 5 Yak Smacks making this the only book ever to receive 15 Yak Smacks.

And if you need more, here’s the book trailer and the author video interview.

May16

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

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The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

This book came as a recommendation for me from Lisa T. Bergren. I threw out a general plea for vacation reads and she quickly and graciously responded with this title. She wasn’t wrong either.

Synopsis:

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

This book was a slow burn for me. The hubs asked me what I was reading and I said, “a chubby princess of a small country gets married off to this attractive king with a Spanish sounding name, who, in my imagination has distinctly middle eastern features. Oh, and she has, like, a divine jewel in her bellybutton and it changes temperature and stuff. The writing is good but I’m not crazy about it yet.”

Thankfully, we’ve been married long enough that he knows the best response to an explanation like this is to kiss me on the top of my head and say “Well, keep reading. I hope it gets better.”

Well played, hubs. Well played.

Sure enough, the more I read, the more I fell in love with Elisa, Alejandro, and their world.

At it’s core, The Girl of Fire and Thorns was a lovely coming of age story. Elisa has always lived in the shadow of her older sister. And she doesn’t really mind. She’s not the most driven character in the world yet here she is being offered up as the peace-princess of a very important treaty.

Sometimes weaknesses are just that

Throughout the story Elisa comes to the realization that food has become a comfort and a crutch for her. It was nice to read about a character that doesn’t start out as a physical ideal. She has to rely on other strengths; her mind, her wit, and her faith. And she begins to lean on the people around her. The more she does that, the less she needs to rely on food. Nothing about her weight loss seemed forced or unnatural. If you’re concerned about things like political intrigue, divine rite, and impending war, food isn’t as much of a priority as it used to be.

One bone I have to pick with the book is something almost undoubtedly brought on by the publisher. The title has nothing to do with the story. I would have called this The Daughter of Sand and Fire or The Girl of Indigo and Gold or The Stone that Chills the Bone. Ok, sorry you just had to sit through “titling with Gracie” like my department does almost once a week–but there is very little fire and there are almost no thorns in this story and discrepancies like that drive me nuts!

Ogres are like onions

Carlson does a lovely job revealing Elisa in layered way. You learn about her insecurities, her generous spirit, and as Elisa finds her strength, you’re on that journey with her. One of the most poignant moments for me came shortly after their caravan is attacked in the jungle by unknown enemies on the way to her new home with her new husband. Shaken by the attack and the injuries of their party, Elisa realizes how little she has actually invested in her personal attendants. This really bothers her. They had combed her hair hundreds of times, dressed her for royal functions, and, what’s more, would have laid down their lives for her without question–yet she hardly knows anything about them. Though Elisa always had a high level of respect for servants, she realizes that she’d looked at them as servants still. And after 16 years, she finally invests in her two ladies maids.

That core quality of seeking out people’s stories becomes a key part of Elisa’s character. Even later, when she’s kidnapped, she takes the time to learn about her captors and ends up finding that they’re not as selfish as she’d expected. And in situations that might warrant selfishness, her belief in others gives her an advantage.

But her strengths are even better

Only one person per century is chosen to bear the godstone. And the fact that she’s a princess–and suddenly a new treaty-bride only makes that more significant. Though the weight of this clearly discourages her, Elisa doesn’t typically find herself depressed beyond action or alone in her room literally gazing at her navel (where the godstone is). She understands, in theory, that she’s different, but it doesn’t affect every moment of her life. You have to appreciate a girl that doesn’t constantly feel sorry for herself.

More than anything though, Elisa was compelling to me because of her rich inner life. She loves to read, learn, and jeeze does she have a head for strategy. Multiple times I found myself almost cheering for her out loud because of her surprising and brave actions. Though Elisa starts the book rather pampered, she certainly ends as every bit of the a warrior princess she was born to be.

Honestly, I was quite sad when the story drew to a close. But there are two more books coming out! YAY!

Here’s the UK cover. I wish this was the cover in the US. I already purchased this book for my nook, but if this was the cover I might contemplate getting it for my shelf. It’s way better than the US cover for portraying the right feel of the story.

And now to compare the US ARC cover. Can we say serious and blatant whitewashing?! (And weight-washing if that’s a thing!) I’m glad they put a godstone over the model’s face in the final US cover. Though, let’s be honest, I would still rather have the bad-ass-looking girl in the UK cover  on my shelf.

Though this story starts, like Elisa, at a plodding pace through the desert, the momentum builds to a breathtaking climax with a  very worthy heroine.

4.5 Yak smacks.

 

 

May15

Tuesday Tunes: Our Soundtrack for Wonder by R. J. Palacio

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Tuesday Tunes: Our Soundtrack for Wonder by R. J. Palacio

We Yaks are heading into new and exciting territory! We realized that yet another thing the three of us have in common is a love for music. Each of us tends to create our own soundtrack for books we read…and we finally realized that YOU might like what we come up with, too!

Thus, Tuesday Tunes was born.

You can now look forward to listening to some of the music we love and think about when we read…and you are encouraged to share YOUR soundtrack ideas, too! Music and books. What could be better??

Today all three of us have included a song we think fits perfectly into the soundtrack for Wonder by R.J. Palacio. We will also be reviewing Wonder this week–all three of us at once. (Don’t be scared…it will be EPIC.) So stay tuned for our review, and enjoy these tunes in the meantime!

XOXO,

The YAks

Wonderful World by James Morrison. I love that this song is so realistic, just like the book. The lyrics acknowledge that you don’t always feel what you know to be true. And it’s perfectly human to feel sad when the world and life doesn’t operate in the way that it should. There’s always that glimmer of hope that even though things don’t feel nice for now, there’s the possibility of tomorrow and the knowledge that we really do live in a wonderful world. How is that not a perfect anthem for Auggie’s story? Love, Annalynn

 

Space Oddity by David Bowie. There are a few reasons that I love this song so much. It’s one of those perfectly decadent songs of the 70’s that if I’m in the right mood is perfectly weird enough. And now and forever I will love it because I will think of Auggie every time I hear it. Talk about an old soul–that kid has good taste in music. Auggie, this one’s for you. Love, Gracie

 

Bad Day by Barenaked Ladies. I couldn’t help but think of this song because, let’s face it, Auggie has some bad days. We all of days like this–but Auggie’s bad days made me want to hide in my room, too. What I love about Auggie–and this song–is that he doesn’t let the bad days define him. So go ahead, embrace the bad days, Auggie. We all have these days. Just know that we love you! Love, Madeleine

 

 

May14

COVER REVEAL and Exclusive Sneak Peek of Tributary by Lisa T. Bergren

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COVER REVEAL and Exclusive Sneak Peek of Tributary by Lisa T. Bergren
 All right, people. Are you ready to join us in a good, old fashioned *SQUEEEEEE*?

We have for you an awesome–lo, even EPIC–post today. We are part of a privileged few who get to offer you this fabulous COVER REVEAL for Lisa T. Bergren’s highly anticipated next e-installment of the River of Time series! And more exciting even, you’ve just scored an exclusive excerpt as well.

That’s right. We love you THAT much.

Wait. There’s more. (I know, right?!)

If you head on over to Lisa’s website, you can sink your teeth into a few more exclusive excerpts. Yeah. You heard me.

You may now commence the *SQUEEEEEE*.

*cups hand to ear, listens for squee*

*waits patiently for the squee to subside*

And, just in case you’ve been living under a rock, TRIBUTARY, book #3.2 in the River of Time Series, is an e-novella, following the novels WATERFALL (book 1), CASCADE (book 2), TORRENT (book 3), and the e-novella BOURNE (book #3.1). (We’ll be reviewing BOURNE soon, just because we want to complete our collection.)

TRIBUTARY is scheduled to come out in mid- to late-June. You can find out the latest on Lisa’s web site!  You can also become a Lisalyte (ya know, a “Lisa Acolyte”?) if you  follow Lisa on Twitter  and Facebook.

The River of Time Series is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

And now…the exclusive excerpt from TRIBUTARY! (*squeeeeeeee*)  (Subject to change post-editing, of course.)

 

 TRIBUTARY

Luca’s face softened. “We could have left you out in the woods to perish,” he said, gesturing north. “But we did not, even after we knew you were Fiorentini. Consider what sort of people would act in such a manner, and decide for yourself if we are the animals you’ve made us out to be. Buona sera,” he said with a slight bow.

With that, he strode away, not even pausing to say goodnight to me. I’d never seen him so agitated. Probably because she was accusing one of the brotherhood. And nothing ticked off the guys around here more than messing with one of their boys.

Well, right. They didn’t like it if anyone messed with one of their girls either.

 

And of course…the Luca-centric cover!

Did I mention *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE*??

 

 

 

 

May9

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

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Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I was bound and determined to do a review this week since Gracie keeps stealing the books I want to review!* You think I’m joking, but I’m a third of the way through both Starters and Divergent and desperately want to finish them but need to focus on books that haven’t been reviewed yet. So, I staked my claim on Anna and the French Kiss and dived  into two glorious nights of quality time with my Kindle.

I should say that this is only my second Kindle reading experience. Thus far, my pro/con list looks something like this:

Pros

1. I can put a cute cover on the Kindle. It’s so pretty. I love Etsy!

2. It’s so light. I finally have hope that I won’t have to live my life with a completely broken back/shoulder from schlepping books around all over the place.

3. Instant gratification. No trip to B&N, no waiting for Amazon to ship it in the mail, no weeping during “special order” conversations with a sales rep. Just a decision to buy a book and a click of the button and I’m into the book before someone can say “Bob’s your uncle.” Does anyone actually say that any more?

Cons

1. I hate not being able to see page numbers and how far I am. Percentages are NOT the same.

2. I hate not being able to put the physical book on my bookshelf in its genre slot and lend it out willy nilly to whomever I like. Plus, I love scouring the cover, endorsements, and back cover copy for clues. That’s just not an option here.

3. I miss the actual turning of pages. Weird, I know.

Are you an eBook person? I’d be interested to know if you are. But yet again, I’ve wandered from the point…

The Goodreads/Annalynn Synopsis

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris – until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As Anna settles into life with her new group of friends, figures out how to order off the entirely-in-French menu, and widens her horizons the question is, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna has long awaited?

The Set-Up

This book came highly recommended to me by my friend, Katie. Not only do a I really trust her judgement, but the synopsis and cover were enough to sell me. Plus, we had a whole discussion about how if the book was made into a movie, Matt Czuchry (you know, Logan from Gilmore Girls!) should be the one to play St. Clair…even if he is too old and would have to do an English accent. If that’s not a draw, I don’t know what is! Sigh. I miss Gilmore Girls.

The High Points

Oh, there are so many. The one word I’d use to sum this book up is: swoon. It’s TOTALLY and COMPLETELY swoon-y, but in a surprisingly realistic and not at all pie-in-the-sky kind of way. Confused? I can see why you would be, but having read the book you’ll just have to trust me that those things are not mutually exclusive.

So, not surprisingly, the main crux of the book is the attraction and friendship or maybe-something-more between St. Clair (all the friends in their group call him by his last name, just FYI) and Anna. It was fairly transparent to me, but apparently not to Anna, that St. Clair was attracted to her right from day one. And she was, of course, attracted to him too. But since he was dating a girl named Ellie who was already in college and lived off campus, he was off-limits.

A Little Bit About Anna

- She wants to be a movie critic and practices by writing reviews on her website.

- She is a mildly OCD neat freak.

- She is afraid of the unknown and until her friends push her, she doesn’t want to leave the school campus to explore Paris.

- She has Daddy issues because her Dad is a Nicolas Sparks-esque author whose books are often turned into movies so he’s a big shot who pretty much left their family in the lurch. Her parents pretend to have an amicable divorce.

- Her voice in the book actually reminded me a little of D.J. Schwenk from Dairy Queen.

A Little Bit About St. Clair

- He’s American but has lived in England and his Dad lives in France, so he’s pretty cultured.

- He’s afraid of heights.

- He is dating a girl who graduated a year ahead of him named Ellie.

- St. Clair loves his Mom in an unabashed way. He can’t stand his Dad because his Dad has mistresses all over the world but controls his Mom so that she can’t leave him.

- He’s a major heart throb at the school and the center of many crushes, but doesn’t let it go to his head.

As their friendship grew, I loved how perceptive they were towards the other person. St. Clair gave Anna little gifts throughout that were just small nods to the fact that he really understood her. And Anna knew when to listen, when to talk, and when to push him in a way that was utterly unselfish. Also, the way they just let each other be was really amazing to see unfold.

I thought the author did a fantastic job of keeping their relationship at a natural and steady pace. It wasn’t Sleepless in Seattle slow, but it also wasn’t the hi-now-that-I’ve-met-you-I’m-in-love-so-lets-get-married variety so common in romantic comedies today. The relationship was slow-moving but in the best possible way. Little hints of the potential for more than a friendship carried the story through and kept me wondering what would come next. Plus, despite the fact that the author pulls no punches that they both have flaws, I fell in love with them both…warts and all. That didn’t keep me from covering my eyes in second-hand embarrassment at several points throughout the book, though.

The Surprises

  • I know it’s stupid, but several chapters in I learned that Anna had bleached blond hair with a dyed black stripe. The way she’s described in the book does NOT match the cover of the book at all. It threw me for a loop. I know it shouldn’t make that big of a difference, but that one fact changed the way I perceived her for the rest of the book.
  • I was not prepared for this book to be anything but bubble-gum YA. [Minor Spoiler] But about halfway through the book, St. Clair goes through something that devastates him. Watching him go through it completely broke my heart. And the way Anna responded to his deep sadness and managed to stick by him while helping him through it was gut-wrenching. I think we’ve all had people in our lives that go through events in their lives that will change them forever. And most people flee because those people are not easy to be around and it’s so difficult to know the right thing to stay or do. So, I was in awe of Anna’s ability to bumble her way through it and pull St. Clair along with her. [End Minor Spoiler] The topics the author wove through the book were deep, moving, and thought-inducing. There’s real family issues, the fear of being alone, being a good friend, how to make your way back to your friends when you make bad choices, etc. The novel is incredibly rich with so much food for thought.
  • About two-thirds of the way through the book, I realized that this book felt more like an adult novel to me. I don’t know if it was the foreign setting, the events that they went through together, or what. But it lost a little of the YA-feel for me.
  • I laughed out loud a LOT. I wasn’t expecting to, but their interactions were so funny at times that I couldn’t help but laugh my face off.
  • I really wanted to punch St. Clair in the face several times throughout the book. Just had to get that out there.

The Disclaimer

  • They talk about sex quite a bit in the book. Not in any graphic way and there are no sex scenes per se, but it’s a very present thread through the whole thing.
  • There’s definitely some language scattered throughout, including a few F-bombs.

Neither of these things turned me off from reading the book, but just for awareness sake.

I’m not sure how many Yak Smacks to give it. The book evoked a very emotional response, but not all the emotions were pleasant, so that’s hard for me to sift through. Still, the fact that I finished this book last night and was still thinking about it this morning (but not in a “I have to write a review today” kind of way)  means that I think I must give it five Yak Smacks. Plus, who doesn’t love a swoon-y book? So five Yak Smacks it is!

If you read it, I’d love to know what you think!

- Annalynn

* Gracie probably shouldn’t be blamed for the fact that I’m slow to get anything read. I’m just lashing out because I’m jealous, okay? :)