Waiting on Wednesday: Spit Second

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm waiting on: Split Second by Kasie West (Pivot Point #2)
From Goodreads:

Life can change in a split second. 

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price. 

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that. 

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her. 

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

This series by Kasie West is great science fiction for contemporary fans and I have been absolutely dying to get my hands on this ever since I read an ARC of Pivot Point back at the start of 2013. Thankfully the wait is almost over!

Cuts to the Core: The Impossible Knife of Memory

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
Viking Juvenille, 2014

*'Original Unedited Manuscript' provided by the publisher at ALA 2013 - Thank You!!*

For the last five years, Hayley has been traveling the country with her dad, Andy, a former soldier who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. They'd never settle in any one place long as he was chased by his demons and plagued by the devil they never talked about: PTSD. But now they are "home," in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school and have a "normal" life. It seems almost possible sometimes as she makes a few friends and even starts a relationship with Finn, a smart and amazing guy who clearly likes her, but has secrets of his own. Andy's war wounds are still wide open, though, as much as he'd like to ignore them. Can this family find peace, or will memories, pain, drugs and PTSD finally claim him?

Anderson has an absolute gift for capturing an authentic teenage voice that's relatable and totally new. Hayley is a girl I don't personally have a ton in common with on the surface, but so many parts of her hit home. She is smart, smart-mouthed, raw, honest, and at the same time can make dumb decisions, say the absolute wrong thing, and be full of total bull. She loves her father and wants to protect him from something she sees but can never fully understand, but that doesn't mean she always likes him. She likes Finn more than she'd like to admit because the people she cares about in her life never seem to stick around or care all that much in return.

Supporting characters are just as multi-dimensional, being new and probably reminding readers of someone they already know. As a reader, I came to care about Andy deeply in the way that Hayley does. Best friend Gracie's life has its own unfortunate roller coaster happening which was never distracting, but instead an authentic representation of how while Hayley's problems are awful, they aren't the only ones. Hayley's bias against Trish, a woman from her past, was obvious to me, but it made sense given the walls Hayley has had to build to protect herself, the result of not being able to trust the people she should have always been able to count on.

Now one thing that I actually really liked about this book that I'm not sure is the same in the final edition is the ending. I've heard rumors that it has been changed since I got this manuscript back in June, so I am anxious to see if that is in fact the case. As for what I read, I applaud that not every single question is answered by the time I reached the last page because in life things are never that simple, so why should they be in a book like this one.

LHA and me at ALA 2013
Favorite Moment of the Conference

Speak is a book that changed my life in more ways than I can ever thank Laurie Halse Anderson for, though I tried when I met her at ALA. (She hugged me three times and signed my copy from when I was 13. It was amazing, of course, because so is she). I have no doubt that The Impossible Knife of Memory can be that book for teens today. Anderson has hit it out of the park with this story about the difference between forgetting and trying not to remember. If you're a fan of books that give an honest look at the world we live in, then this is a must-read for you.

Laurie Halse Anderson's Website
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TBR Throw Back Thursday: The Night Circus

TBR Throw Back Thursday is a weekly post hosted by me that looks at my TBR pile and spotlights books that have already come out - some recently, some centuries ago - that I keep meaning to read (or reread).

This week, I'm throwing it back to: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Publication: 2011

From Goodreads:
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

Ever since this book came out back in 2011, I've never heard anyone say anything bad about it. As a lifelong lover of fantasy stories, I'm sad I still haven't picked this one up.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Impossible Knife of Memory

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm waiting on: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
From Goodreads:
For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

Doing this post a day early! Happy Book Birthday to this latest work by Laurie Halse Anderson - I was lucky enough to meet Laurie and get a copy of this at ALA and my review will be going up this weekend.

Favorite Books From 2013

Top Ten lists are always very tough for me. There are just so many great books and writers out there! So I cheated a little bit, making separate lists for series and stand alone novels that were published in 2013.

Stand Alone Books:

Series Books:

Can't wait to see what 2014 has in store!

TBR Throw Back Thursday: A Breath of Eyre

TBR Throw Back Thursday is a weekly post hosted by me that looks at my TBR pile and spotlights books that have already come out - some recently, some centuries ago - that I keep meaning to read (or reread).

This week, I'm throwing it back to: A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont (Unbound #1)
Publication: 2012
From Goodreads:

Emma Townsend has always believed in stories - the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it's because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn't come close to filling the void left by her mother's death. And her only romantic prospect - apart from a crush on her English teacher - is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma's confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre...

Reading of Jane's isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane's body and her nineteenth century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she's never known - and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane's story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own...

So many things about this sounds great to me, a book for book lovers! I love it when YA reaches into some classic literary roots both as a reader and someone with an English degree who firmly believes there's a reason stories like Jane Eyre's have stood the test of time.

Waiting on Wednesday: Cress

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm waiting on: Cress by Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles #3)
From Goodreads:
Rapunzel’s tower is a satellite. She can’t let down her hair—or her guard. 

In this third book in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker—unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

Okay, so I was actually lucky enough to get an ARC of this at ALA back in June 2013, so I've already read this book. I completely loved it, and I'm anxious for this one to be out in the world so everyone can get their hands on it!