Trailer Thursday: The Disenchantments

I discovered the Trailer Thursday meme on The Page Turners Blog.

Today's book trailer feature is The Disenchantments:

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: February 16, 2012

Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.

But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what's next?

Morris Award—finalist Nina LaCour draws together the beauty and influences of music and art to brilliantly capture a group of friends on the brink of the rest of their lives. (Goodreads)

I haven't participated in Trailer Thursday in a while, but I came across this today and had to share! I love this trailer, and this book sounds like pure fun! The summer before college, a group of friends, music, and a tour... count me in!

Have you seen any good book trailers lately?

John Green Week: The Fault in Our Stars

Happy Book Birthday to The Fault in Our Stars and John Green! To celebrate, lets all watch the book trailer again! I really like the song in the video, it's called "Permafrost" by Laurena Segura and you can download it for FREE from the Penguin Teen Facebook page. Thanks Penguin Teen!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: January 10, 2012 (TODAY!)
Buy: Amazon | Indie Bound

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind. (Goodreads)

It's going to drive me bonkers waiting for the UPS truck to arrive today! I'll be jumping up at every sound of a truck, and then pacing in disappointment until it arrives. I know some peeps received their copy early. Did this happen to you? If so, did you wait to start reading it until today? If you aren't one of the 150,000 that pre-ordered to get a SIGNED copy, do you plan to pick one up today? 

I wasn't planning on starting this immediately (as I have ones scheduled before it), but I'm not sure if I'll be able to stick with that plan. Unfortunately, I haven't been successful in posting reviews of all the John Green books I've read/listened to for John Green Week. However I did post my audiobook review of Paper Towns, so check it out if you haven't already! Also, I think one of my favorite JGWeek posts is "Our Favorite John Green Quotes" by I Eat Words. I completely agree with their list of quotes, but I have to add just one more:

"When did we see each other face-to-face? Not until you saw into my cracks and I saw into yours. Before that, we were just looking at ideas of each other, like looking at your window shade but never seeing inside. But once the vessel cracks, the light can get in. The light can get out." - John Green, Paper Towns

DFTBA

Author Links: website | twitter | facebook | goodreads | vlogbrothers

Audiobook Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green, read by Dan John Miller

Publisher: Dutton and Brilliance Audio
Release Date: October 16, 2008
Format: Audiobook (8 hours)
Source: Library
Age Level: Young Adult
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Buy: Amazon | IndieBound

When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night-dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows her. Margo's always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she's always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they're for Q. Printz Medalist John Green returns with the trademark brilliant wit and heart-stopping emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers. (Goodreads)

Paper Towns was the first John Green novel I picked up. I have no idea how I missed out on this for so long! I finally understand the awesomeness of Green’s books. His characterizations are right on – his characters realistic and relatable. The writing is clever, with dialogue that’s honest and… real.

There are so many things that I loved about Paper Towns… I loved how insightful Q, the protagonist was and how he observed people around him and analyzed himself. I loved the message about accepting a person for who they really are, not how you think they should be, and being real – finding your own truth.

“What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.”

The storyline is witty and realistic (have I said that word enough?), about Q’s quest to find Margo that includes an epic road trip with his crew. Paper Towns is somewhat of a mystery as Margo leaves clues for Q when she up and disappears. I loved the road trip – there’s excitement, adventure, and parts were downright hysterical. It made me feel nostalgic and seriously had me laughing out loud! I also really enjoyed how Green incorporated Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, and referred to The Great Gatsby and Moby Dick.

I listened to the audio version of this book. I felt that the narrator, Dan John Miller, suited Q perfectly… I never doubted that he was the character. I think he did a great job with timing and the voices.

Paper Towns was a great introduction to John Green’s novels, and honestly I think it’s my favorite (I’ve read/listened to 4). Add this one to your TBR list, or better yet, go pick up a copy today! DFTBA.

Author Links: website | twitter | facebook | goodreads | vlogbrothers

John Green Week

(Thanks to Jeffrey for the awesome banner!)

Peeps, it's John Green Week, hosted by I Eat Words! Jennifer from Little Shelf introduced me to John Green when she guest posted about Nerdfighters last summer. I've been a Nerdfighter ever since.  I vowed to read my first John Green novel, and pre-ordered The Fault in Our Stars. In Nov/Dec I decided to have my own John Green audiobook marathon, and finally knew the awesomeness of his novels! Over the two months, I listened to all of these:  

This week, while waiting for the arrival of my signed copy of The Fault in Our Stars, I'll be posting some reviews. I had grand plans leading up to this week to finish writing/scheduling review posts for all of his books, but with the holidays that just didn't happen. So... now I'm thinking I'll just write mini reviews of them all... we'll see how many I can post :).

So... now that I've pretty much declared my fan girl status... what about you? Are you a John Green virgin, or are you a Nerdfighter and/or fan girl/boy already? If you haven't read any of his books yet, what are you waiting for!? I hope you join us this week! You can sign up and find out all the details here.

Have fun, and DFTBA!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: September 29, 2011
Format: Advanced Reader Copy
Source: Borrowed
Age Level: Young Adult
My rating: 5+ of 5 stars
Buy: Amazon | IndieBound

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. (Goodreads)

Stephanie Perkins has officially made it onto my “automatic pre-order author list” (so far, a list of one). I waited to post this review in order to tame down my gushiness but I don’t think it’s possible. I absolutely loved – LOVED – this book! It actually gave me stomach butterflies while reading it, no joke.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is a companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss (my review here), and it was fan-freaking-tastic to be with the characters Anna and St. Claire again. They show up quite often in Lola, and it’s a definite treat for fans. Prior to reading this, I had heard some people say that they thought Lola was even better than Anna… but I just didn’t think it could be possible. I’m still not sure I’d say it’s better, but it is definitely just as good fantastic!

I think my favorite thing about Perkins’ writing is her characterization; her characters are all so realistically flawed. I loved the tall geekiness of Cricket, and the spunkiness of Lola and her obsession with costumes. I also loved how honestly Perkins depicted teenage life and alternate lifestyles (Lola has two dads for parents)… it is so refreshing to see this realism in YA. Most of all, I loved all the little moments between Lola and Cricket. I didn't think anyone could unseat Etienne St. Clair from his pedestal, but Cricket did... or at least forced him to share it!

If you can’t tell from my review, I HIGHLY recommend these books! In my opinion, they are the best of YA contemporary. I can’t wait for my pre-ordered finished copy of Lola to arrive (releases 9/29/11) so I can read it again, and I'm already pining for the next companion novel, Isla and the Happily Ever After! Seriously, I would read anything Stephanie Perkins writes.

Stalk the author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

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

The week's WoW feature is:

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins(Goodreads | Amazon)Release Date: September 29, 2011Publisher: DuttonGoodreads Synopsis:

In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they thinkFor budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.
When the family returns and Cricket - a gifted inventor and engineer - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

I absolutely loved every second of reading Anna and the French Kiss (if you couldn't tell from my review)... and I'm dying to get my hands on Lola and the Boy Next Door. I've already been hearing fantastic things, if only I could get my hands on a copy!

What book are you eagerly waiting for this week?

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: December 2, 2010
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Age Group: Young Adult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited? (Goodreads)

Love love LOVED it. I read this in less than 24 hours... I just didn't want to stop reading, and I was sad when it ended. Every character is well written - flawed and realistic. I felt like I knew them, that Anna's friends were my friends. Ugh, and St. Clair is completely swoon-worthy and now possibly my favorite male fictional character. What made this love story so sweet, is that it wasn't an instant romance. It was the gradual, real, relationship building good stuff.

I have to say that I also loved that this book took place in Paris! I actually studied abroad right outside of Paris when I was in college and it was hands down one of the BEST experiences of my life. I could relate to Anna about how she learned her way around the city (except I didn't hesitate to get out and do things). Reading about the city and her experiences was like the cherry on top of the best sundae ever (I know, complete and utter CHEESE... but this book does that to me)!

This made it onto my favorites book shelf. I know this is a book I'll be picking up again and again. Seriously, one of the best YA books I've read. I can not wait to read more from Stephanie Perkins.