"North of Beautiful" by Justina Chen Headley

@ BN

"As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face?

It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty"

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Wow.

Hands down, this book is in my top 3 of favorite books I've read this year. It has everything a good book needs. Major obstacles, character transformation, love, adventure, and empowerment. 

Justina knows how to build a character and make you feel like you are Terra, birth defect and all. I wanted to protect her mom, I wanted to knock her dad's lights out, and I wanted to ditch the loser she calls her boyfriend for the goth who sees her how she is. 

My only warning is to not start this book if you have anything important coming up. Luckily I started this Thursday night, had a slow Friday, and a lazy Saturday. I would have gone nuts if I started it next week when I'll only have a spare hour each day (if that even) to read. 

I love, love, love this book. I want to buy it. In hardcover even. That's how much I love it. The strange thing is that even though the story is about Terra, and it's a pretty awesome story for her, I felt this story belonged equal parts to her mom. Also, watch out for the end. You will probably cry, even if it is only a few tears. At the very least, you will get all sentimental and choked up. 

I didn't expect to find something so moving in the Young Adult section, but there it was. Picked out for it's neat cover art and simple plot, it turned out to be a read that I will remember for quite some time. 

Go read it. It will make you smile like this :-D

"What Happened to Goodbye" by Sarah Dessen

@ BN

"Since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move - four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, Mclean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, Mclean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself - whoever that is. Perhaps her neighbor Dave, an academic superstar trying to be just a regular guy, can help her find out. Combining Sarah Dessen's trademark graceful writing, great characters, and compelling storytelling, What Happened to Goodbye is irresistible reading."

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A couple months ago, some book I was buying (I think "13 Little Blue Envelopes") suggested that I might like Sarah Dessen. Well whoever wrote the program behind those little suggestion boxes are stinkin geniuses. She is now in my top favorites along with Julie Klassen and others as I think of them. I bought "Along for the Ride" when in C-Bad and thought it was awesome. When I got to the library here, they had a stash (more than 5 I think), and I've been getting one each time I go. I was about halfway through her collection when I realized a few things seemed familiar. Not only did some of the books happen in the same places, but characters from different books pop up randomly! Apparently these are called "Easter Eggs" and she puts them everywhere. Each book has probably about 8 references. Read them, find them, love them.


Okay, so on to this book. Surprise, surprise, I loved it. In each of Dessen's books, the girl has something going on in her life that really gets her confused. For Mclean, it is her identity. Moving around from place to place gives her the opportunity to be someone else. Yet this time, she's forced to being someone she didn't choose - herself. Both Mclean and Dave were really great characters. Dave is a genuine good kid who helps Mclean get to where she can be who she is and enjoy it. I really loved the ending. Had me at the edge of my seat because I honestly had no idea which way it would turn at the last minute.


This is a definite recommendation whether you get it at the library or shell out the 8 bucks for the paperback. If I have a girl someday, I'm gonna make sure we have Sarah Dessen's works so she can read them and hopefully get some guidance/inspiration through the craziness of high school.  

"Immortal" by Gillian Shields

@ BN

"Welcome to Wyldcliffe, the place that haunts my present, my past, and my future.

Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn from her home near the sea to become the newest scholarship student, strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave her drowning in loneliness.

Evie's only lifeline is Sebastian, a mysterious and attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie's feelings for Sebastian blaze with each secret meeting, she begins to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl—a girl who is so eerily like Evie she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she cannot control. As the extraordinary, elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate."

I finished this book a few days ago, but due to it being an odd hour and the fact that I only get 6 hours of sleep each night, I definitely did not have brain power and time together. That said, I have some things that I really liked about this book as well as a few things I didn't. 

Like: Different theme! Yay for NOTHING to do with Vampires! I'm currently on a Vampire strike. Side characters are okay, but no more central Vampire themes. Ghosties are totally okay, for now. 

Dislike: Relationship progression between Evie & Sebastian. Unless I fell asleep and kept reading, one minute they didn't know each other, and the other, she was ridiculously in love. Okay, so maybe there was some sort of hidden attraction with their histories being intertwined, but he didn't even do anything to make her like him (in my opinion). All he did was run her over on his horse and then kept making her sneak out at night. Lame. 

Like: Seemed like a combo of "The Hollow" by Jessica Verday (which I need to post about) and "Fallen" by Lauren Kate. Two books which I enjoyed. 

Dislike: Okay, I actually didn't dislike anything really besides Sebastian. 

I think Evie is going to be a lot cooler in the next book. Luckily it won't be long before we figure out whether or not I'm right. I got "Betrayal" on my library run today (along with 3 other books) and the 3rd book comes out August 2nd, so it should be in the library when I get done moving. 

Final Verdict: Give it a shot. I don't know that I would buy it, but I'm also poor and therefore quite picky about the books I buy. Libraries rock for a good reason (they're free). Shields put some really unique ideas into the book and it could turn out to be an interesting series, but other reviews I have read say otherwise. 

"Lady of Milkweed Manor" by Julie Klassen

@ BN

"As Charlotte drew closer to the looming grey edifice that was to become her temporary home, she could not help but notice the secretive shuttered windows. Then she noticed the milkweeds . . . 

Even a proper vicar's daughter can make a mistake--and now Charlotte Lamb must pay a high price for her fall. To avoid the prying eyes of all who know her, she hides herself away in London's forbidding "Milkweed Manor," a place of mystery and lore, of old secrets and new birth. 

But once there, she comes face to face with a suitor from her past--a man who now hides secrets of his own. Both are determined, with God's help, to protect those they love. But neither can imagine the depth of sacrifice that will be required. 

Sprinkled with fascinating details about the lives of women in Regency England, Lady of Milkweed Manor is a moving romantic drama about the redemption of past failings and the beauty of sacrificial love."

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Oh I can not express how much I loved this book! Julie Klassen is another author I got hooked on from Free Fridays at BN. Her book "The Apothecary's Daughter" was featured and I immediately became a fan. What I love most is that she bridges the gap between myself and Jane Austen. As much as I love Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility, we only ever meet in film. When I try to read the books I'm instantly lost and it's a bummer because I know they are great books. Lemme tell ya - Julie Klassen writes great books. They're romance novels, so you're going to get hooked on all the developments between the characters. They're historical, so they're chaste and you don't have to worry about your eyes being scarred for life. Best of all, she makes her characters real. Charlotte Lamb is a girl that pretty much any girl or woman can relate too.

Her struggles are amazing. This sweet girl gets handed a terrible hand but she keeps going on through it all. And in the end, you couldn't be happier. The book spans about 20 or so years between flashbacks and the epilogue. So before I keep typing and spill all the good bits - please go check it out! 

Oh and if you're poor like me, go to the library! I love going to the library. I've saved at least $100 not buying books and packing them around. The best part is, you don't have to love a book to check it out! You take it home, it's not your style, no loss. Just take it back and get something else. Love love love the library!

Oh and I'm also very excited because I thought she only had 3 books out, in which case I would have read them all. However, there is a 4th one out and a 5th coming in January! Yay!

Laurel Series by Aprilynne Pike

at BN

"Wings" was part of either Free Fridays at BN or Author spotlight quite a bit ago. Just like the "Tiger's Curse" series by Colleen Houck, the first was free and then I was hooked. It's a great story about a girl who finds out she's a faerie. And I really like how the authors take on faeries was more plant and flowery than pain in the butt tricksters like those in "The Mortal Instruments" series by Cassandra Clare. Laurel is also pretty smart. While it seems no Young Adult book is complete without a "which boy do I pick?" battle, at least her's is pretty legit. I need to stop here before I write out tons of spoilers and ruin it. 

at BN

Then there was "Spells" which was pretty good too and had a lot of twists that set the stage for the third book. It was a bit predictable after reading the first book but like I said, still good.  

at BN

Even though I accidentally read the spoilers for "Illusions" it was still really awesome. Laurel really grew up in this book, not only as a faerie in learning how her magic works, but as a human too. She made some smart and tough decisions and then stuck to em. You go girl! 


So not only do I love this author's name, but I really have enjoyed reading this series. This is her site where you can read a cool bit from Tamani's point of view. And then you can keep tabs on when the 4th and final book is coming out. On her blog she says that it takes place shortly after the 3rd and only covers about 24** hours. I'm definitely excited :)


Oh and I definitely love the artwork on these books. Maybe one day if I'm stuck inside for too long, have a color laser, and no new books to read, I want to make a massive collage of all my favorite book covers. 




**Totally off topic, but does anyone else love 24? It takes forever to get through a season and then at the end, you're just overwhelmed thinking "Holy cow. That was just one day." And I always think how much it would have sucked if the people at CTU had gone out and partied to hard the night before. Just a thought...

"Fallen" by Lauren Kate

at BN

"There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce—and goes out of his way to make that very clear—she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her."

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I've been debating reading this book for quite some time but was hesitant about spending $10 on a seemingly predictable plot. That's what I love about having a library so close. I was on cloud nine when I stopped by shortly after moving here and discovered that their YA section was pretty big for a town this small. Needless to say I've been reading a couple books a week since then. I'll gradually go back to cover the other reads I've devoured this summer, but for now we start at now.

I started "Fallen" Saturday evening and finished last night before going to bed. While the plot was at first predictable, there was definitely some good twists in both the plot and especially the characters. I was just so relieved when Luce wasn't a total sissy. I get really bugged when normal human characters wanna stay by their lover in these way over their head fights, and all they do is distract the guy who can actually fight, get hurt, thus distracting the good guy even more to the point where the bad guy gets away. Luce is smart and knows when to stay and when to go. I'm really looking forward to getting "Torment" whenever it gets done being on hold for someone else. Hopefully whoever it is is a fast reader.