Stacking the Shelves: The Epic Rival Girls Next Door

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews featuring the books we got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week.

I went down to Toronto for the week to visit my family. Trips down there always end up with my lugging books back here. I like to pick up books that I can't find in the book store here, so here are the winners:

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Imaginary Girls by Nova

The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

The S Word by Chelsea Pitcher

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

I've already starting reading Imaginary Girls, but I can't wait to dive into any one of these books. Successful shopping trip!

Has anyone read any of these? Which do you recommend to read first?

Review: The Mockingbirds

The Mockingbirds
Author: Daisy Whitney
Published: January 2, 2012
Paperback, 332 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Some schools have honor codes.

Others have handbooks.

Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way-the Themis way. So when Alex Patrick is date-raped during her junior year, she has two options: Stay silent and hope someone helps, or enlist the aid of the Mockingbirds-a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of the student body.

For someone who can't even think about the possibility of being raped, I certainly read a lot of books revolving around it. I am always drawn to books about girls who have been through something terrible and come out on top in the end. Sometimes they win in a small way, but other times, like in The Mockingbirds, they get all the justice they could want. Yes, no matter what happens, there is still the fact that the assault occurred, but there are ways to help you sleep at night, and Alex certainly got hers.

This book jumped right into it. We don't see the event happen, just the aftermath. Alex doesn't remember anything when she wakes up in a dorm that isn't her own. She listens to the guy she wakes up beside when he says they had a great night together. It isn't until she gets home when she realizes something is wrong. It's hard for her to admit what happened, and when she finally finds the strength, her sister suggests The Mockingbirds, a secret society inside the school that holds trials for cases that the school board chooses to ignore. Frightened, Alex agrees and is soon transported into the underbelly of her school. Suddenly her fear is replaced with bravery and she's ready to stand up for what happened and make sure the man who did this to her pays.

What I liked most is that even though she novel revolves around rape and a trial about it, it doesn't seem preachy. We find out the information about what happened that night throughout the book with Alex, feeling the pain of thinking it's her own fault for drinking too much, and the fear when she passes him in the hall. The Mockingbirds are a great touch. Named after To Kill a Mockingbird, they fight for justice in a school that decides it doesn't need to. The more Alex discovers, the more I rooted her for to get to the end where she feels safe enough to go out at night. The scariest thing about being assaulted is the fear of moving on with your life. Yes, there is no way to get over it in a night, but justice and knowing that the person who did this to you has been outed, would certainly help me sleep at night. The Mockingbirds protect the student body and help everyone feel safe. I think every school needs a society like this. 

The plot was fast paced enough to make me want to keep reading. The bits and pieces of Alex's night staggers throughout the pages crept into me just like they did her. This book stood apart from the other books about rape that I've read. Even though they all have the same major theme, Alex's story sounded real and believable. She was not attacked, she was date raped, and something like that is more likely to happen to a girl in college or university. Whitney approached it in the best way possible. Alex's story has happened to many girls, including the author, and the more we write about it, the more these girls will be strong enough to stand up and get the justice they deserved. No one should have to fear this happening to them, but if it does, they should know it's safe to tell someone about it. 

“In this moment I'm not defined by the other things, the things that happened to me, the things I didn't choose. This is the part of me that defines for all time, for always. The thing I choose completely.”

Waiting on Wednesday: Bright Before Sunrise

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Bright Before Sunrise

by Tiffany Schmidt

When Jonah is forced to move from Hamilton to Cross Pointe for the second half of his senior year, "miserable" doesn't even begin to cover it. He feels like the doggy-bag from his mother's first marriage and everything else about her new life—with a new husband, new home and a new baby—is an upgrade. The people at Cross Pointe High School are pretentious and privileged—and worst of all is Brighton Waterford, the embodiment of all things superficial and popular. Jonah’s girlfriend, Carly, is his last tie to what feels real... until she breaks up with him. 

For Brighton, every day is a gauntlet of demands and expectations. Since her father died, she’s relied on one coping method: smile big and pretend to be fine. It may have kept her family together, but she has no clue how to handle how she's really feeling. Today is the anniversary of his death and cracks are beginning to show. The last thing she needs is the new kid telling her how much he dislikes her for no reason she can understand. She's determined to change his mind, and when they're stuck together for the night, she finally gets her chance. 

Jonah hates her at 3p.m., but how will he feel at 3 a.m.? 

One night can change how you see the world. One night can change how you see yourself.


A: I'm excited for this because of Tiffany Schmidt. Her first novel, Send Me a Sign, blew me away so I can't wait to read everything else she writes.

And

B: YAs written in a guy's point of view always intrigue me. I haven't read many of them because I'm always afraid I won't relate, but everything by John Green is amazing and I learn a lot when looking at the world through a guy's eyes. This book looks like it will be from both perspectives, which is another thing I love.

Expected publication: February 18, 2014

Review: The Spectacular Now

The Spectacular Now
Author: Tim Tharp
Published: October 20, 2008
Paperback, 294 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

SUTTER KEELY. He's the guy you want at your party. He’ll get everyone dancing. He’ ll get everyone in your parents’ pool. Okay, so he’s not exactly a shining academic star. He has no plans for college and will probably end up folding men’s shirts for a living. But there are plenty of ladies in town, and with the help of Dean Martin and Seagram’s V.O., life’s pretty fabuloso, actually.

Until the morning he wakes up on a random front lawn, and he meets Aimee. Aimee’s clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help, and it’s up to the Sutterman to show Aimee a splendiferous time and then let her go forth and prosper. But Aimee’s not like other girls, and before long he’s in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else’s life—or ruin it forever.

I picked up this book because there is a movie coming out this summer based on it. I didn't really know what it was about, just that the movie looked good and I wanted to read the book first. I was surprised when I started reading it. Sutter has such a unique voice that I was pulled into his world until the last page. I went to every party with him, drank large 7ups mixed with whiskey with him, and even found a friend in Aimee like he did. This book was unlike any book I've read before. It's in a category of its own with a protagonist that you're probably not rooting for. But somehow Tharp made Sutter likeable even when he's the most unlikable character there is. Because even though I wasn't rooting for him for most of the book, I was disappointed with him in the end. This of course, means I cared what happened to him, meaning I was rooting for him.

Sutter has a drinking problem. He drinks morning, noon and night. He of course does not see this as problem, but it slowly creeps in around him when others start telling him they've noticed it. He loses his job, his girlfriend and best friend, but somehow gets Aimee, the good girl in school, to party with him. Sutter swears he won't fall for Aimee, that she's just a girl who needs help with her self esteem and he's there to help. But the more they spend time together, the more he realizes she may be the person he needs to change his life. Aimee has a troubled life, is very quiet, and finds herself falling hard for Sutter. To her, he is exactly what she needs, but he's not sure it goes both ways.

The narrative really stuck out to me. Sutter's way of talking is unique and strange and different. He'll interrupt with stories, go on binges while he's drinking, and claim the inner workings of his mind are not what they seem. Even at the end of the book, I still didn't quite understand him or his motives, and I think that's what's kept him in my thoughts. I've never read a character like him and I'm still not sure I even like him. The story could have been reminiscent of a John Green novel, with the character who doesn't quite fit the status quo, but it's completely different at the same time. This is not a love story. This is not a book about issues. Sutter's drinking problem is not what needs to be fixed, nor is it. Sutter doesn't really learn anything from his actions and he doesn't get very far throughout the book. Every time I thought he'd change, he wouldn't, and every time I thought I knew what he would do next, I was wrong. 

I'm interested to see how this story will play out on the big screen as most of the interesting aspects of it are inside Sutter's head. I wonder if they'll change the ending or make this into something that it's not, because it's perfect in its uniqueness. It is not your average YA novel and that's what I love about it. Unlikable characters are hard to master, but Tharp has done a fantastic job.

“Besides, it doesn't matter if it's real. It never does with dreams. They aren't anything anyway but lifesavers to cling to so you don't drown. Life is an ocean, and most everyone's hanging on to some kind of dream to keep afloat.” 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with boarding school settings

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, that lets all us list makers have some fun!


Today’s TTT topic is: Top Ten Favorite Books With X Setting (ie: futuristic world, set mostly in schools, etc) I’ve chosen to pick my top ten favorite books with a boarding school, special school setting.

Boarding Schools:

 Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Special Schools:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Mind Games by Kiersten White
Pivot Point by Kasie West

And since I couldn't come up with ten - a book I want to read with this setting:

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

A to Z Survey

This is an awesome survey that Jaimie  from The Perpetual Page-Turner put together. I'm obsessed with surveys, so I knew I had to fill this out!

Author you’ve read the most books from:
Nicholas Sparks and Rachel Vincent

Best sequel ever:

Catching Fire (can't wait for the movie!)

Currently Reading:

The Mockingbirds By Daisy Whitney

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Tea

E-Reader of Physical Book?

Forever physical books. I love dog earring pages and looking to see how many pages I have left. Not quite the same with an e-book

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School: 

I liked my skinny rocker boys, so I'd have to go with Adam from If I Stay or Will from Masque of the Red Death

Glad you gave this book a chance:

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe. Great Canadian author!

Hidden Gem Book:

Inside Out by Maria. V. Snyder

Important Moment in your Reading Life:
I'll have to say it was reading The Lord of the Rings in high school. I didn't know what true literature was until I read those books and it was hard for me to read anything similar (I didn't finish the Harry Potter series because I found it to be a slight ripoff) Also, reading The Hunger Games opened me up to the world of YA, which I love and now write for. 

Just Finished: 

 The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

 Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

Anything related to Fifty Shades of Grey and most books that are compared to Twilight. I couldn't even finish it, so I don't want to read anything like it!

Longest Book You’ve Read:

Most likely The Lord of the Rings. I tend to avoid large books

Major book hangover because of:

Insurgent, every book in the Soul Screamers series and This is Not a Test

Number of Bookcases You Own:

Three, but I'm not taking them with me when I move. I'm hoping to purchase a nice big one!

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

I don't re-read many books (though I keep meaning too!) so I'll have to go with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland because I could read that every day!

 Preferred Place To Read:

My bed or outside in the sun

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations" - The Fault in Our Stars

Reading Regret:

Beautiful Disaster. What a waste of time. Yes!

 Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

The Mortal Instruments

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

The Hunger Games

The Lord of the Rings

This is Not a Test/ If I Die (it's a tie)

Unapologetic Fangirl For: 

Rachel Vincent and Courtney Summers

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

Allegiant! 

Worst Bookish Habit:

I buy em faster than I can read em

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Your latest book purchase:

Truly, Madly, Deeply/ The Disenchantments/ The Mockingbirds

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

Canary by Rachele Alpine

Top Ten Tuesday: Sequels Please!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week they post a new topic that the participants come up with a top ten list for.

This week's topic is books we wish had sequels. Yes, they are complete stories, but the characters and story made you crave more.

1. This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers: Yes, yes, yes, do I ever want a sequel to this book! I know it will never happen, but I really want to find out if Sloane gets out alive. Agh.

2. Oath Bound by Rachel Vincent: Yes, I know there are three books in this series, but I fell in love with this world and I'm not ready to let it go. Can't it be a seven book series like Soul Screamers?

3. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver: Ok, I understand Sam is dead, but I really liked the whole idea of redemption after death and Lauren is such a magnificent writer that I think she have made this into a series, each revolving around a different character from this town. Still my favourite book of hers.

4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins: I know there are two more in this series, one's not even out yet, but I could read about Anna and Etienne forever. They need more books about only them!

5. Curse Workers series by Holly Black: Three books was not enough for this series! More please!

6. Paper Towns by John Green: My favourite Green book, I'd love to see what happens next for Quentin and Margo.

7. The Forest of Hands and Teeth series: Because who can resist zombies

8. Reunited by Hilary Wiseman Graham: Mostly because I want to see the antics the girls get up to with the band!

And two books that I wish didn't have sequels:

9. Fifty Shades of Grey: Because who even read the first one?

10. Beautiful Disaster: It was bad enough reading the first one, let alone coming out with the same book written in a different P.O.V. Why not continue the story instead?

Anyway, those last two may have been a bit harsh, but maybe I'm jut mad that some of my favourite books still don't have sequels. What do you guys think?