Waiting on Wednesday (37)

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:

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
(Divergent #2)

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: May 1, 2012

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. (Goodreads)

I don't think I even need to say anything... Insurgent is one of the most anticipated titles of 2012.  To say I'm excited to read book 2 of the Divergent Trilogy is a vast understatement!! You can find my gushing review of Divergent here.

What are you anxiously waiting for this week (besides Insurgent)?

Recap: ALA Midwinter 2012

Last weekend, I was fortunate to be able to attend ALA Midwinter 2012 in Dallas, TX! Stacy from Girls in the Stacks generously let me stay in her home, along with Katie of Mundie Moms. Really, I can't thank Stacy and her family enough! We had such a fun weekend together.

#ALAMW12 was... awesome, fun, and overwhelming! I mean, with all the BOOKS and publishers, beautiful displays, and everything... Friday evening, opening day, was a sensory overload. After just a couple of hours I somehow managed to leave with an overflowing bag of books. Then we went to the blogger/author dinner at Campisi's which was organized by Jen Bigheart at I Read Banned Books and the TX bloggers. It was crazy fun, 80+ bloggers/authors attended! Below is a picture taken at the dinner by Jen Bigheart.

Katie, Andye & Amy @ReadingTeen, Stacy, Yara @OnceUponaTwilight, Nancy, and me

Saturday was a full day visiting all the exhibits and hanging out with fellow book bloggers! We couldn't resist posing for a photo with the Muppets :). Unfortunately, even though we had the guy take something like 5+ pictures... all of them turned out blurry!

Stacy & Nancy @GirlsintheStacks, Me, Katie @MundieMoms, and Ginger @GReadsBooks

Another highlight from Saturday was chatting with THE Katherine Tegen, of the Harper Collins imprint Katherine Tegen Books (think Divergent, and Love & Leftovers)! Yes, she exists, and is so nice! We all geeked out and had to take turns getting a picture with her... here's mine:

The fabulous Katherine Tegen... and me. 

John Green @ Dallas Library

Sunday was pretty much a day of John Green, and also the YA Romance Panel. Stacy and I went to see Green's social media presentation in the morning, and also his talk about banned books at the Dallas Library that night. He is full of awesomesauce. I had him sign my copy of Paper Towns and personalize my signed copy of The Fault in Our Stars (BTW, mine has a red J squiggle). I wanted a picture with him but they weren't allowed... I was a little disappointed but I understood, if he took pictures with everyone the line would have been crazy long... It was really cool to see so many teenage nerdfighters at the library's public event. They were sooooooo excited to be there and to see him. 

Seriously, ALAMW12 was such a fun weekend! I was so excited to meet blogger/twitter peeps... like Melina @ Reading Vacation, HD @ Reading Writing Breathing, Lauren @ 365 Days of Reading, Jess @ Gone with the Words, Lindsi @ Books, Sweets, and other Treats, Kate @ Exlibris and many more (sorry, I just can't list everyone here)! I also met some great authors, and just to name a few: Lauren Myracle, Sophie Jordan, Mandy Hubbard, and Tom Angleberger!

Me, Lauren @ 365 Days of Reading, and Katie @Katie's Book Blog

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to attend this conference. I shipped 4 (yes four) book boxes home via media mail and I hope they arrive soon! It will seriously be like Christmas morning :). I'm exhausted, but I'm already looking forward to the next event, when we can all meet up again (BEA anyone?).

Review: Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: December 27, 2011
Format: Advance Reader Copy
Source: Publisher
Age Level: Young Adult
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Buy: Amazon | IndieBound

My wish
is to fall
cranium over Converse
in dizzy daydream-worthy
love.

(If only it were that easy)

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.

By the time Labor Day rolls round, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school, where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you've watched your 'arents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? Can you even know until you've lost it? (ARC back cover)

This was such a fun read! I was surprised by how much I loved reading in verse, which I was unsure of going in. I was quickly pulled into the story, and had a hard time putting it down. This is a heart-warming story of a girl navigating life between her parents getting divorced and learning what real love is all about.

This novel is written as Marcie’s private journal, a notebook where she writes about her personal thoughts and experiences. Since she loves writing poetry, it’s all written in verse. This style made it easy to feel emotionally connected to her as a character.

Marcie’s parents are getting divorced after her Dad reveals he’s gay and in a new relationship. Her mother escapes to New Hampshire, with Marcie, to be near family and falls deep into depression. Marcie was forced to leave behind her friends and boyfriend, a group that calls themselves the Leftovers. She’s lonely in a new place, not sure if she’ll be staying or eventually moving back to Idaho. She’s juggling being a teenager while having to take care of her mother. She craves love and affection, and finds it in JD, a boy she meets at her new school in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, she’s trying to keep her relationships with her friends in Idaho.

I have to say that I absolutely loved the Leftovers. I could totally relate, since this is the group I was with in high school, expect I referred to it as being a Floater… I found a bit of my HS friends in each of the characters, and this made the story even more enjoyable for me!

This is a cute, quick read and I highly recommend it to fans of contemporary fiction. Love & Leftovers is a great debut for Sarah Tregay – I can’t wait to read more from her!

Author Links: website | goodreads | facebook

Waiting on Wednesday (22)

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:

Love & Leftovers 

by Sarah Tregay

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: January 12, 2012

My wish
is to fall
cranium over Converse
in dizzy daydream-worthy
love.

(If only it were that easy)

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.

By the time Labor Day rolls round, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school, where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you've watched your 'arents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? Can you even know until you've lost it? (ARC back cover)

I can't even tell you how excited I am to read this! I was absolutely giddy when this ARC arrived. Peeps, this book is written entirely in verse, which makes me a little nervous, but in a good way. I haven't read verse since high school (I'm not telling you how long ago that was...). I plan to read Love & Leftovers in November but I have to admit that I've peaked... I've opened it to random places and read a few verses, and they were awesome! I can't wait to curl up with this soon :).

What are you waiting for this week?

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (imprint of HarperCollins)
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought
Age Level: Young Adult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. 
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Just... WOW. This is a brilliant debut by Veronica Roth. Intense. 

I've been working on this review for days. Days trying to come up with something coherent to say about this book. When I write reviews right away about books I LOVE, I tend to get a bit gushy. Ah, I simply loved this book - from the plot to characters to the setting. 

Divergent takes place in post apocalypse Chicago, where the government has split society into five factions dividing citizens by personality traits. The factions are Abnegation ( the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), and Erudite (the intelligent). The traits are taken to the extreme in each faction and there is rivalry and tension between some of them. Divergent follows the story of Beatrice (a 16 year old girl) as she decides which faction to join and goes through the initiation process. I won't go into too much detail because I think the synopses give too much away already. 

I have to say, I have mixed feelings about Beatrice, the protagonist. Though I was constantly rooting for her, at times I despised her. I could understand why she did what she did though, and in the end I think I can say I liked her. I fell in love with Four, he basically "stole the show" for me. From the time Four walks onto the page I was fascinated and wanted to learn more about him. About 2/3 of the way through this book I wished that I could read from his POV. Funny enough, I read somewhere (sorry can't remember where) that Roth had initially wrote the story from his perspective, but got stuck early on and changed to Beatrice. I really hope that she will release some Four POV goodies, or ideally release a book in the series told from his POV. What I also loved about the characterization is the diversity - thank you Roth! Seriously, fantastic. There are characters of all shapes, colors, sizes, fashion, demeanors, and forms of self expression. 

I'm trying, but I just can't think of any criticism for this book! The action was intense, there were times that I  caught myself with my jaw hanging open, clutching my book. I would love to get inside Roth's head and learn where these some of these scenes came from!

I can't say enough good things about this book. It is EXCELLENT. If you haven't picked this up already, do so now!