Top Ten Tuesday (13): Contemporaries

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. For more information, or to participate, visit here.

This lovely Tuesday I am listing off my favorite contemporaries.  (in no particular order)

1. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta- Such a heartbreaking and utterly fabulous book. Couldn't recommend it more.
2. The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti- And thus begins my love-hate relationship with Deb Caletti. The same author  that brought me this favorite also brought some books that I don't like as much. But because of this book, I'm willing to give anything she does a try. 
3. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson- Can you say road trip? I absolutely love books with road trips and this is what started it all. 
4. Where She Went by Gayle Forman- If I Stay was good, but this book is amazing. So real and so good and so beautiful.  
5. Anna and the French Kiss- I mean, come on. This is just an awesome book.
6. Willow by Julia Hoban- Absolutely heartbreaking yet amazing.
7. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headly- This book was so powerful. 
8. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles- I fell that I have to throw this one on this list. While it's a bit of a lighter read, I still find myself going back to it. Perfect Chemistry was good, but this is my favorite in the series. 
9. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott- Similar situation with Deb Caletti. But this book is just amazing.
10. Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson- One of my more recent favs. Adventure, mystery, treasure, a hot guy. What more can you ask for?

Review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Wanderlove
Kirsten Hubbard
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
March 13, 2012

Are you a Global Vagabond? 
No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward. But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back. Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry to this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.

Wow. I was blown away by this book. Since this book had everything I love in a contemporary, I had high expectations. And they were met. Wanderlove was a fantastic contemporary. 

I will admit, it did take a little bit to get into this book. It was good from the beginning, but it took a little bit to get to the point of being unable to put it down. But once I got to that point, there was no going back. 

We meet Bria, who is getting over the hurt of her anything-but healthy relationship. She is trying to let go of her 'good girl' ways. Bria changes tremendously during this book. While she does complain a lot, I really can see how hurt she is from Toby and all. All along Bria is just trying to find herself, which she does. 

And then there's Rowan. I wasn't sure about him at first, but I got to say he's just a little amazing. He, too, is running from his past. But unlike Bria, he's trying to shed is bad ways. Him and Bria were really good for each other. They helped each other grow and find themselves. I loved how their relationship slowly progresses through the book. 

Kirsten Hubbard did wonders with the descriptions of the places. I could easily imagine all the places Bria and Rowen traveled. I have to say it opened my eyes to a whole new world. 

I also loved the art in the book. It was very eminent from the way Bria thinks that she is an artist. We see drawings throughout the book and I loved them. They really brought out a new depth to the story. 

Wanderlove is a fabulous read. It had everything I love in contemporaries: travel, a romance, a past. This is the reason I love contemporaries. 

In My Mailbox (89)

We have Kristi at The Story Siren to thank for hosting IMM every week. 

Review:

Many thanks to Harlequin, Speak, NLA Digital, and Netgalley.

Library:

So excited to dive into these books!

What did you get this week?

Review: Someone Else's Life

Someone Else's Life
Katie Dale
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
February 14, 2012

When 17-year-old Rosie's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington's Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when Rosie tells her mother's best friend, "Aunt Sarah," that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie wasn't her real mother after all. Rosie was swapped at birth with a sickly baby who was destined to die.Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, joining her ex-boyfriend on his gap year travels, to find her birth mother in California. But all does not go as planned. As Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonizing decision of her own, one which will be the most heart breaking and far-reaching of all.

Someone Else's Life was..intense beyond all else. In a good way. It was such a roller coaster. There were surprises and twists around every corner. Even when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I would still be surprised. 

This book read like a soap opera (or what I imagine a soap opera would be like since I've never actually seen one). It was very dramatic and intense. Even though I felt that a lot of times it was too overdone and too dramatic, it was still very addicting and I couldn't get enough. It was definitely a guilty pleasure kind of book.

As stated, this book was almost too intense. There was just so much going on that at times I felt that I just needed a breather. But at the same time I was addicted and just had to keep going. 

There are to main characters in this book, Holly and Rosie. They were both selfish and, after everything they were going through, I couldn't blame them in the least. I did, however, like Rosie better than Holly. Holly was a bit immature and irrational at times. Again, it is still hard to blame her with everything that was going on. Both of them did grow over the course of the book. 

Someone Else's Life is intense and addicting. A guilty pleasure though and through. 

Waiting on Wednesday: The Peculiars

The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

May 1, 2012

This dark and thrilling adventure, with an unforgettable heroine, will captivate fans of steampunk, fantasy, and romance.

On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena's father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.

I have to say I would read this book because of the cover anyway. But it sounds so good! I just love everything about it. The cover, the description, how it is steam punk. It just seems awesome.

Top Ten Tuesday (12): Favorite Covers that AREN'T Girls in Dresses

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. For more information or to participate, visit here.

This week's theme (if you didn't know from the title of the post) is Top Ten Favorite Covers. I decided to go specific and do covers that aren't girls in dresses. It seems that those covers have been popping up more and more in the past year. While I thought they were pretty at first (which they are) they are kind of getting old. I want more original covers that tell me more about the story.

 1. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb- I just love how creepy this cover is. I feel that it goes with the book really well. 

2. The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan- This book manages to be pretty and yet still keep the creepiness and the feel of the book. I also like the second cover in this series. I'm not a fan of the first, since whenever I see the girl on The Forest of Hands and Teeth it reminds me of Wednesday from The Adams Family. 

3. Bleeding Violet by Ria Deeves- I just think this is pretty. It doesn't completely capture the craziness of the book, but I still think it keeps the feel. 

4. Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton- I like how this looks all pretty at first, and then you see the swords. Deadly. 

 

5. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr- This cover is really pretty and it has this magical feel to it. 

6. In Honor by Jessi Kirby- Yes, I am kind of cheating because this is a girl in a dress. But it's not just some girl in a pretty fancy dress. I think you can tell a lot about this book from the cover. It has a very country and cute feel to it. I haven't read this yet but I want to just from the cover. 

7. The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jenson- I just love how cutesy this cover is. It's original and I like that about it. 

8. Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols- This is the first Jennifer Echols book I wouldn't be embarrassed about being seen reading. It's not overly cheesy like her romantic comedies and it doesn't have a boy and a girl like her other dramas. I actually think this is very pretty and I can't wait to read it. 

9. John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles- I don't know why I like this cover so much. I love the pink hair and where the words are placed. 

10. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith- This is a very cute cover but still manages to stay series. It's not too cheesey. 

Review: Rock On

Rock On: A Story of Guitars, Girls, and a Brother (not necessarily in that order)
Denise Vega
Publisher:  Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 5, 2012

High school sophomore Ori Taylor, lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter in a nameless rock band, has always been known as the overlooked younger brother of Del, a high school sports star. But when Del suddenly returns home from college just as Ori is starting to gain some confidence in himself, Del expects everything to return to the way it used to be.

I am a big fan of books that have to do with any kind of music, which is what drew me to Rock On in the first place. That, and that it has a  male main character, which is very refreshing. Rock On was a very cute and fun read. I quite enjoyed Ori and his story. 

I really liked Orion. He was kind of nerdy but he was very sweet. At the beginning of the book his whole life is centered around his guitar and band. As the book goes on he starts to focus on other things, his music always right behind him. 

I also liked the other characters in this book. The other band members, Vela, Alli, Gwyn. They were all funny and entertaining. And Jane and Ori were very cute together. 

The main conflict with this book is focused around Del, Ori's brother. Through flashbacks, we see that once upon a time Del was a good older brother to Ori. But now, Del is moody and a total jerk to Ori and everyone in general. This part of the story was predictable, but I still enjoyed it. 

Rock On was very fun. It wasn't too serious yet it was still able to maintain a realistic aspect. I really enjoyed the characters. I can't wait for more by Denise Vega.