Transitive Verve

Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) Summary: After a disastrous ending to a relationship with a bad-news guy (and basically a lifetime of bad choices), Reagan is more than ready to hit the road for the summer with her best friend, Dee... aka, teen country superstar Lilah Montgomery. Dee, also dealing with her own broken heart on top of the pressures of fame and her career, is headlining her first major US tour. When a particularly harmful tabloid news story drops, the girls are joined by Dee's new opening act, Matt Finch. The plan is for the media to start gossiping about Dee and Matt, but it's Reagan who catches his eye, and it's not long before sparks begin to fly. But Reagan has been conditioned to expect the worst from almost everyone in her life, including herself, and therefore, the walls she has built up seem impenetrable, and if she allows Matt to break down those walls, she's worried that her heart will be the next thing to break.

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Olga was always the perfect Mexican daughter--she never stayed out, she lived at home and worked a receptionist job while attending classes, and she never talked back to her mother. Was ... because Olga died in a tragic accident. And Julia, the younger Reyes sister, who always gets in trouble, who always mouths off, who never gets along with their mother, who wants more in life than to just be a docile wife to some man, is left to pick up the pieces. But Julia discovers something about Olga that leads her to believe that Olga may not have been quite so "perfect." And as she tries to investigate further, she also has to learn to navigate her forever-troubled, ever-worsening relationship with her mother, her own post-high school plans, and her sense of self as she finds her life rapidly changing.

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary: Starr Carter leads a double life, attending a wealthy white-dominated private school but living in a poor urban neighborhood. But her life changes one night when she witnesses her friend Khalil getting gunned down by a police officer. You know this story because you've read something similar in the news many times: a person of color gets killed or brutalized by a police officer and immediately the narrative begins to unfold in the media about how the kid was a "thug" and he "deserved it," even though he was unarmed and just a kid. In THUG, Starr finds herself no longer able--or willing--to keep those two sides of her life separate because she is suddenly at the center of a national news story, and it starts to become unbearable to be "respectable Starr" when she is filled with grief and anger. As the only other person who knows what happened that night, it's up to Starr to decide whethe...

So, for the past couple years on this blog, I've recapped my top ten YA books that I've read for the year. Looking back at my 2017, I realized that I haven't read that much YA this year that came out this year . I've read and reread a lot of older books, and I've read a lot of non-YA (like, mainly romance). So I don't really have much of a list for you this year, but it's a list, nonetheless :/ Here are my top FIVE YA books from this year, in no particular order (I read more than five, but definitely didn't love them as much as these): Turtles All the Way Down  by John Green The much anticipated follow-up to TFIOS, TATWD manages to be awesome all on its own in very different ways. Yes, it's a mystery story, and yes, there are plucky, intelligent teenagers, but TATWD takes a very close, personal look at Green's own experiences with OCD and thought spirals through protagonist Aza Holmes. Read my review here . When Dimple Met Rishi ...

I got to see John Green (and Hank!!!) for the TATWD book tour! I've been SUPER excited about this for WEEKS, if you couldn't tell by my uber-capitalization and excessive use of exclamation points!!!! The only bummer about this was that there wasn't actually a signing where we could've met the Green brothers, but hey, we all got a signed copy of the book (and swag) included with admission, so... I'm not complaining all that much. You guys, you have to know how much this means to me to even be in the same room as John Green. He's not just the author of my #4 favorite book of all time (TFIOS); he's one of my favorite HUMAN BEINGS (that I don't personally know). I know it's dangerous to put people on pedestals, but he's one of the few famous people in the world I would feel even remotely comfortable nudging in the general direction of the proverbial pedestal. As a book lover, as a media consumer, and as a teacher, I am so heavily influenced...

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it!) Summary:  Seven years ago, Elliot let the love of her life walk away, and she's regretted it ever since. She has always known that Wade was The One, but she was too young at the time to make that kind of promise, and as a result, she hasn't heard from him since the day they broke up. Wade is back in town after seven years of running from the memories of the girl he loved, but under the worst of circumstances: his father is dying. So now, not only is he having to deal with being strong for his sisters, but he also has to face Elliot, and the very real possibility that his feelings for her are as strong as ever.

Thoughts at a glance: ** (It was okay) Summary:  Autumn has a seemingly-awesome life. She's a photographer for yearbook, she's friends with some of the popular kids, and she's finally, finally going to make things happen with Jeff, who's been flirting with her for years. AND, she's about to go spend an awesome weekend with her awesome friends and almost-boyfriend in a cabin at the canyon. Until she finds herself left behind and locked in the library. With Dax, of all people. Where Autumn is the one who always follows the rules and goes along with the crowd, Dax is the mysterious one, the loner, the one who doesn't give a crap, the one who everyone talks about. At first, Autumn wants nothing more than to get out of there. But as she gets to know Dax, she starts to realize that she's not really sure what she wants anymore.

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary: I honestly don't know how to sum it up better in my own words, so here's the official copy: Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. 

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary: Maria Lopez and Jay na Thalang are sworn enemies from the start. Jay, a professor at Berkeley, assumes that beautiful, glamorous Maria is a fake, shallow dolt; Maria, rightfully, thinks he's sexist and elitist. Every encounter between them after their first meeting is ferocious and full of fire. Unbeknownst to either of them, they actually get along really well--online. Maria runs a popular blog, and Jay is one of her biggest fans, and for the past year and a half, they've been communicating under pseudonyms, Em and A. Their friendly messages have turned into flirtation, and their flirtation is slowly turning into love. As sparks fly (not always in a good way) between Maria and Jay, Em and A grow closer. But eventually the truth will...

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) Summary: Tina Chen has about fifteen dollars left in her bank account, and no time for any foolishness. She just wants to get her degree and become a doctor so that she can help take care of her family and their bills. On a particularly bad day listening to privileged college students complaining about welfare and EBT, Tina loses it--on Blake Reynolds, who happens to be the son of the CEO of the Apple-like corporation, Cyclone Industries. She bets him that he wouldn't last one day with her life, and he takes her up on it: they will trade jobs, houses, salaries, responsibilities, etc. for the rest of the semester. But things aren't exactly as they seem, as each discovers the difficulties of each other's lives. As Tina and Blake get to kno...

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Gabby and Ryan are an unlikely pair of best friends--Gabby is a loner who gets panic attacks and prefers to stay home and play Monopoly with her family on the weekends, while Ryan is a popular hockey player who loves to party and probably can't even remember all the girls he's hooked up with. And yet, they've somehow managed to stay best friends since they first met freshman year, going bowling and making Top Ten lists about everything under the sun. Now they've just graduated, and their separation for college is looming just over the horizon. As we count down their Top Ten moments of their friendship, Gabby and Ryan need to confront their feelings and decide if they really want to be something more.

Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) Summary:  Dimple Shah is about to go to Stanford, to study web development. However, if you ask her mother, she's going to either find an Indian husband, or at least to make herself more marriageable. Dimple just wants to get away from the traditional expectations and the pressure, to achieve her dreams and make something of herself. So when the opportunity to go to an app development conference comes up, she goes for it. Little does she know that her future husband (as arranged by their parents) is going to be there as well. Ever the good, dutiful son, Rishi Patel decides to attend the conference as well, in hopes of winning over his future wife. The problem is... Dimple has NO idea who he is. She has no idea about ANY of this.

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary: This is book... 6? 5.5? of the Throne of Glass  series. Therefore, it will contain spoilers for all the previous books. If you would like to check out all my previous TOG reviews, please help yourself :) Assassin's Blade (collection of prequel novellas) Throne of Glass Crown of Midnight Heir of Fire Queen of Shadows Empire of Storms You have been warned!!! If you haven't read the series in a long time and need some refreshing, I would definitely recommend rereading "The Assassin and the Healer" from Assassin's Blade , as it introduces the character of Yrene Towers (one of the main characters in Tower of Dawn ) and maybe also Queen of Shadows , which takes place right before TOD. So, at the end of QOS, we have a small parting of ways. After the destruction of the glass castle in Rifthold and the subsequent revelations about Erawan and the greater threat to the world, Aelin and her crew (Rowan,...

Soulless is the first book of the series I can't remember if I've ever discussed audiobooks before on this blog, at least in their own separate posts. (I may have mentioned previously how much I LOVE the audiobooks for The Illuminae Files , but they didn't get their own review.) I love audiobooks, but I enjoy them most when I get something extra from the experience that I couldn't get while reading it, you know, traditionally. For me, that "something extra" usually relies really heavily on the narration-- I love different voices and emotion. (Am I weird? I only like to listen to audiobooks for books I've already read. Like watching a movie adaptation.) And that's a big part of what I loved about Emily Gray's narration of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate  series. Without getting into too much detail about the plot (at risk of spoilers), Gray had to distinguish between so many characters and their accents and personalities: the ever-p...

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. This book was provided to me for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for also providing the press kit with the graphics and blurb. Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it)

Disclaimers: while my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. This book was provided to me for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  A year after her boyfriend Jared's death, Kennedy has finally come to his hometown of Lyra Valley to lay his ashes to rest. She doesn't quite feel ready to let go and can't bring herself to spread his ashes right away, so in the meantime, she gets to know some of the people from Jared's former life. Including Aaron, Jared's former best friend, to whom she feels an instant attraction--followed by instant guilt. Aaron, too, tries hard to deny his feelings for Kennedy, considering how his friendship with Jared had ended so many years ago. But as Lyra Valley's thunderstorms keep throwing them together, they find that they can...

20 years ago today, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  (or the Sorceror's Stone , if you're American like me) made its entrance into the world, and THE WORLD HAS NEVER BEEN THE SAME. I'm a newer HP fan myself, having read them just a few years ago, but my love for this series is boundless, and even though I was late to the party as usual, it's a party I never want to leave. *raises a glass of butterbeer*

A recent issue of Real Simple  magazine featured an article where writers, artists, and other influences described a fictional female character who really helped shaped them as people. Responses ran the gamut from literary heroines and television characters, and even included some whom I would choose as well. I thought I would chime in with a list of my own here, to pay homage to the girls and women who aren't just my favorites, but who actually made me ME. Ramona Quimby Aside from Disney fairy tales, Ramona  books are some of the earliest books I remember reading and getting REALLY into. (I read all the books, I listened to audiobooks, and I even borrowed videotapes of the tv show from the library.) I guess I was "in the fandom" before I knew anything about the idea of being in a fandom. The Quimby household felt very different from mine at that age, when I felt "more Vietnamese" than I did as I got older, but so much of what eventually became my worldv...

Hello! I'm honored to be asked to be part of this blog tour for a writer I admire so much. Available now is Jewel E. Ann's latest, When Life Happened . You can go here to read my spoiler-free review, and you can read a short excerpt below. NOTE:  The excerpt does contain explicit language/content. Not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Disclaimers: while my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. This book was provided to me for free by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) Synopsis (provided by publisher) :  Parker Cruse despises cheaters. It might have something to do with her boyfriend sleeping with her twin sister.  After a wedding day prank involving a strong laxative, that ends the already severed relationship between the twins, Parker decides to grow up and act twenty-six.  Step One: Move out of her parents’ house.  Step Two: Find a job.  Opportunity strikes when she meets her new neighbor, Gus Westman. He’s an electrician with Iowa farm-boy values and a gift for saying her name like it’s a dirty word.  He also has a wife.  Sabrina Westman, head of a successf...

Source: wingedcorgi on Tumblr In honor of Mother's Day, here is a tribute to one of my favorite book moms, Molly Weasley. Molly, who raised six boys and one girl on relatively little funds, who still found it in her to take in one more boy (Harry) and at times one more girl (Hermione), who fights (literally fights) for what is right, who took down one of the most notorious Death Eaters to protect her youngest child, who knits sweaters for her family EVERY SINGLE YEAR (as a knitter, I can appreciate this), and who is just all around an amazing mom. *raises a glass* These were all collected from Tumblr, my source for all things fandom.

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary: This is book 3 of the ACOTAR series; therefore, this review contains spoilers of the first two books. You have been warned! You can click to read my reviews of A Court of Thorns and Roses  and A Court of Mist and Fury . At the end of the last book, Feyre, who has been made High Lady of the Night Court, is taken back to the Spring Court by Tamlin, who sold out his own people to the King of Hybern to get her back. In addition, Tamlin's priestess Ianthe had sold out Feyre's sisters to the King as well, and Feyre had been unable to save them from being changed into Fae by the King. So now she's in enemy territory, forced to pretend that she is no longer connected to her mate, Rhysand, so that she can gather information and bring down the Spring Court. And that's only the first step in a long and brutal battle to protect all of Prythian and the humans who live in the bordering territory.

So, one thing I haven't had a chance to do yet since moving is to check out the libraries here. (Librar ies , plural! I now live in a two-library town!!) This is the first weekend of the spring library sale, so I figured it would be a good time to stop in, get a card, and browse the sale selection. It's been a while since I've attended any library sale at all, and the last time I went to one, it was nice, but I didn't find much there to interest me, and in general, there just wasn't much - it was a stretch for me to fill up my $5 bag. However, that was definitely not the case today. (Also, the books were individually priced, not priced by the bag.) I found sooooo much stuff, and I didn't even get everything that I wanted, so I might have to head back again this week. Now, normally I hate posts about hauls; as a makeup enthusiast, I'm no stranger to haul videos, and I never like watching them because I feel weird about seeing other people show off what ...

The book Thirteen Reasons Why  by Jay Asher has been on my radar for a long time, and I still haven't read it, but the internet has been buzzing since the series adaptation premiered on Netflix recently, so at the very least, I decided that I wanted to watch it, even though normally I like to read the book first. The basic story is that the students of Liberty High School are reeling from the suicide of fellow student Hannah Baker, including Clay Jensen, who was her coworker and friend, and who also had a crush on her. About a week after her death, Clay receives a mysterious box full of cassette tapes: before her death, Hannah had decided to record herself discussing the 13 reasons - specifically, people and incidents - that had slowly eroded away all her hope, self-esteem, and will to live, resulting in her decision to take her own life. The box is meant to make its way around to all 13 people whom she discusses on those tapes, and Clay, it seems, is one of those 13, and the ...

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. This book was provided to me for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for also providing the press kit with the graphics and blurb. Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it)

Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) Summary:  Kaitlyn is the queen of hiding and being invisible. Despite being the daughter of a senator and a college professor (and her grandfather was an astronaut too!), Kaitlyn prefers to pass through life unnoticed - she avoids parties, she wears baggy clothes, and she doesn't really talk to anyone at her school except her best friend Sam and her lab partner, Martin. Her very hot, very rich, very cocky, very a-holeish, even, lab partner, Martin. Kaitlyn is literally  hiding in the cabinet in the chemistry lab (as she often does) when she overhears two other students plotting against Martin, and when she warns him about it, she realizes that she hasn't gone unnoticed after all - at least, not by Martin. What follows is a whirlwind romance that begins with a spring break trip to remember, where Martin exposes her to a different type of chemistry.

I know, I know - podcasts aren't books.  BUT, there are some amazing ways that podcasting is being used to tell stories, much like the old radio programs of yore. And I feel like following a story via listening is a bit different from watching it unfold on-screen. Listening to serial fiction podcasts isn't reading, but it's not watching tv either. I guess you could say they're closest to audiobooks :) Which I am totally in favor of, as a reader. I don't listen to a LOT of podcasts. Or, I should say, I don't subscribe  to a lot of podcasts, since I'll listen to episodes of random podcasts because they have guests or topics I'm interested in for that particular episode. But there aren't many that I would stick around for. Welcome to Night Vale  is one of them. In fact, it's the podcast I've been subscribed to the longest. It's a fictional series, about a mysterious desert town, where everything is... well, the quickest, simplest su...

This book was provided to me for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Sophia is moving back to the US in seven days, after spending most of her life in Tokyo. She doesn't want to say goodbye to her school, her friends, and the brilliant, electric city she has come to know and love.  And to make matters worse, Jamie has just moved back  to Tokyo -- Jamie, with whom she'd once been good friends and who had hurt her terribly before he left. Why couldn't he have just waited another week? As she counts down the days and her friendships start to splinter, she finds a connection forming between her and Jamie. But with only a week left to go, is she just setting herself up for more heartbreak?

Disclaimers: while my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. NA/A romance has a lottttttttt of sub-categories, so depending on what you like, you can find romances involving football players, hockey players, military men, billionaires, etc. My particular interest is in rock stars, although perhaps not for reasons you'd expect: I played bass guitar in a cover band for all of high school, and while it was all very innocent and teenagery, it left me with an appreciation for music and performing that I still have to this day, even though I stopped playing long ago. Music (playing, not just listening) has always been a part of my life, ever since I was a child (and I ended up being kind of a music snob in my 20s too), so it's probably no surprise that I like reading rock star romances - I'm often paying as much attention to the descriptions of ...

Disclaimers: while my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. This book was provided to me for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary: Hayden is the son of a senator, looking to break free from the impending burdens of a political career he doesn't want to have. Saylor is a quirky, geeky animal-lover trying to escape her own troubles having to do with her parentage. They hook up at their friends' wedding, and it's magical. At least, for Saylor it is. Hayden doesn't seem to remember a thing - not the night they spent together, and not the fact that they actually decided on a whim to get married. But he does remember how drawn he is to her, and he just can't seem to stay away. And as their worlds collide (even more), Saylor isn't so sure that she wan...

Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) Summary:  Liesl has always been the plain, overlooked Vogler child - her younger sister, Kathe, is the golden-haired, beautiful child, while her younger brother, Josef, is the violin prodigy. As the oldest, she is saddled with responsibility and duty, and the only things that have brought her joy her entire life are composing music and hearing about the legendary Der Erlkonig , or the Goblin King. But he's not just a legend - when he kidnaps Kathe, Liesl must follow him to the underground to rescue her. And when it turns out that the price of saving her sister is to give up her own life to become his bride, she pays it. Now the Queen of the Goblin realm, Liesl finds a delicious freedom that she has never experienced before as a mere human. But even that comes with a price.

It's been debated furiously for years, with adamant fans on either side - which are better, e-books or real books? I've been a reader all my life, since well before the invention of e-books, and I was an English major, AND I'm an English teacher, so of course, I would love to side with Team Real Books. But to be honest... considering my life and my needs, I really have to admit that I am Team E-book. (Specifically, I'm Team Kindle.) Why have e-books moved to front and center in my reading life over real books? - I am a terrible DEVOURER of books. You know how there are some people who take their time eating a delicious meal, savoring every bite and enjoying the dining experience? I'm the total opposite of that when it comes to books. (Ironically, I AM a slow eater though.) I love to slam through books and then immediately start in on the next book in the series (or on another book by the same author) and just completely consume them until I'm sitting in...

Valentine's Day is coming, and if you happen to be unattached, you may be looking forward to spending some time with your favorite book boyfriend. Hell, I'm even in a relationship myself, and I will probably end up spending Valentine's Day with a book. (Though, this is because we choose not to celebrate, so don't feel bad for me or anything.) I thought I would take some time to make a list of some of my favorite dudes. These are the guys who make me swoon every time I read, who are just too precious cinnamon-roll-y for the real world, but whom I love all the same. Note: I fully acknowledge that this post is absolutely heteronormative. Also note: For any teenaged YA guys that I choose, that crush is coming from Teenaged Me. Or I'm projecting them forward into adulthood. I am not literally imagining mid-30s me with a teenage boyfriend, because that would be Not Okay. Also ALSO note: Spoiler warnings for all the books listed below. There were MANY I could...

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS. OKAY. Before I get into the thick of it, let me explain, for the uninitiated. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries  is a vlog-style Youtube-based modernization of Pride and Prejudice,  and it was amazing and won an EMMY, and  I LOVE IT , and... and... JUST WATCH IT OKAY. If you love Pride and Prejudice , you just HAVE to watch it. Even though it's been over for years now, I have still been holding out hope that someday the creators will give us SOMETHING, some sort of scraps of our generation's version of one of the greatest literary couples of all time, Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Well.... *deep breaths*... that someday was TODAY.

Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) Summary:  Frankie Devereaux wishes she could forget witnessing her boyfriend's murder - except that due to PTSD, she can't remember enough of it to help catch the killer. In the months since, Frankie has seen her life slide downhill - once a Stanford-bound straight-A student at a wealthy private school, Frankie lands herself in some hot water which leads to her getting sent to live with her father on the "bad" side of town. At her new public school, good girl Frankie is immediately drawn to bad boy Marco Leone, who participates in some very illegal activities. Their chemistry is undeniable, but so are their differences, especially considering that Frankie's father is an undercover cop. And when he finds a lead that connects to Marco, things get really complicated.

Thoughts at a glance:   ***** (It was amazing!) Summary: This is the second book in a series, so please be forewarned that this review contains spoilers for book 1, An Ember in the Ashes . You can read my review for that here . Picking up right where Ember  leaves off, Laia and Elias are now the Empire's Most Wanted. They're both supposed to be dead, but instead, they are now escaping through the tunnels underneath Serra, with the Commandant, the Masks, and the new Blood Shrike - aka, Elias' best friend Helene - hot on their heels. Laia and Elias have a treacherous journey ahead of them as they attempt to travel to Kauf prison, to break out Laia's brother Darin, whom may or may not even still be alive at this point. Along the way, not only do they have to dodge the entire Empire (Martials, bounty hunters, etc), but apparently some otherworldly beings are after them as well, with some alarming consequences. A new narrator for this book, Helene Aquilla has sworn...