Library Wars: Love & War #1 by Kiiro Yumi

Release Date: June 1, 2010
Publisher: Viz Media
Source: Library
Format: Finished Copy
Pages: 186
Amazon  |  Goodreads


In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and with the help of local governments, form a military group to defend themselves--the Library Forces!

Iku Kasahara has dreamed of joining the Library Defense Force ever since one of its soldiers stepped in to protect her favorite book from being confiscated in a bookstore when she was younger. But now that she's finally a recruit, she's finding her dream job to be a bit of a nightmare. Especially since her hard-hearted drill instructor seems to have it in for her!

                                                                                                   
                                                              

I've really been enjoying Manga lately, so I went to my local library to pick up a few new ones. I stumbled on the series Library Wars and I was instantly intrigued. I grew up going to the library every week, it was our family outing every Friday when my Dad got home from work. And afterwards we'd all pile in the car with our picks for the week and we'd head to our favorite burger joint for burgers and ice cream. I have such fond memories of those nights. 

Library Wars is set in the future (think dystopian!) in Japan where the government has created a committee to basically censor all media. They swoop in and confiscate anything they feel is inappropriate or threatening. They can drop in anywhere, at any time, and snatch up someone's beloved book. Seriously, I'd go crazy! 

The Libraries form a group to protect themselves, a military group called the Library Defense Force.  Our main character Iku has always dreamed of becoming a LDF and this book gives you the background on why this is so important to her. We also learn who the LDF is and follow the new recruits as they go through their military training.

I really enjoyed this Manga, to me the story was original and entertaining. I could just imagine myself feeling exactly like Iku and protecting my beloved libraries collection! The art was great, although I did find myself a little lost from time to time. However, I am really looking forward to continuing this story very very soon. 

Waiting on Wednesday (36)

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

Lily Bennett is less than thrilled to be the new kid as she starts her junior year in high school.

But soon after classes begin, she meets a classmate, Cole Drepeau, with whom she forms an immediate and intimate bond. As Cole and Lily grow closer, Lily learns about the murder that divided the town more than thirty years before. In 1985, graduating senior Amber Greeley snapped, killing her boyfriend Ben—Cole’s uncle—and taking her own life.

Lily feels inexplicably linked to Amber, and she can’t help but think that there’s more to the girl’s story. Determined to investigate the truth about Cole’s uncle’s death, Lily and Cole are pulled into a dark mystery—one that shakes the constraints of the world they’ve always believed in.

Masterfully told by best-selling author Victoria Laurie, this novel alternates voices between Lily and Amber, a generation apart, as decades of dark family secrets and treacherous betrayals are woven into the most epic of love stories.

Ahhh!!! The gorgeousness that is this cover! I am so psyched about this book. Gorgeous cover, mystery, suspense.... you guys, I need this one. NEED iiiiiiit! 

I absolutely can't wait to read Forever, Again by Victoria Laurie. This gorgeous book hits stores on December 13th with Disney Hyperion and I literally can't even!!!

What are you eagerly anticipating? I'd love to know so don't forget to share in the comments. If you participate in WoW make sure you leave your link below so I can stop by and check it out!

Happy Reading!

XOXO

Review: Shipwreck Island

Shipwreck Island by S.A. Bodeen

Release Date: July 29, 2014
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Publisher
Format: ARC
Pages: 192
Amazon  |  Goodreads


Sarah Robinson is deeply troubled in the wake of her dad's second marriage. She now has to deal with a new stepmom and two stepbrothers, Marco, who is her age, and Nacho, who's younger. Even though they've all moved from Texas to California to start life as a new, blended family, none of the kids seem remotely happy about it.

Sarah's dad and stepmom then decide to take the whole family on a special vacation in order to break the ice and have everyone get to know one another. They'll fly to Tahiti, charter a boat, and go sailing for a few days. It'll be an adventure, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.
                                                          

After many, many years of avoiding Middle Grade like the plague, I have come to LOVE it! Looking back I wish I hadn't turned down all those review requests for it. So now that I'm a huge fan I'm always on the lookout for a new Middle Grade read.  I pulled Shipwreck Island off my shelf and enthusiastically dug in. I voraciously read through S.A. Bodeen's the Raft in previous years and was so looking forward to this one.

While it wasn't quite the home run for me that her YA novel, The Raft, had been, I enjoyed this quick MG read. The main character Sarah is having a horrible time adjusting to her father remarrying and having 2 new brothers in her life. To try to help the family adjust, their parents decide to trade in their first class tickets into economy tickets for the whole family. What once had been a honeymoon cruise turns into a reluctant family vacation for FIVE!

Right off the bat things start to go awry, and the family is really tested as they struggle to deal with everything. As I mentioned before, this wasn't quite the big hit that the Raft had been for me, but I still enjoyed this. Mixed families are extremely common and I thought it was both realistic and relatable for teens reading it. As I popped onto Goodreads to gather info for my review, I was really happy to see that this is a series with book 2 and 3 already out. I am looking forward to picking those up and continuing the story of Shipwreck Island.

Have you read this book, or the Raft? What did you think? I'd love to know your thoughts, so let me know in the comments!

Review: Popular : Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen

Release Date: April 15, 2014
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 272


Stuck at the bottom of the social ladder at pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren’t paid to be here,” Maya Van Wagenen decided to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help Maya on her quest to be popular? 

The real-life results are painful, funny, and include a wonderful and unexpected surprise—meeting and befriending Betty Cornell herself. Told with humor and grace, Maya’s journey offers readers of all ages a thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence.


                                                         

I had the pleasure of meeting Maya and her mother a few years ago at TLA where she graciously signed this book for me. I remember my Mom and I both being really impressed by Maya as well as really excited to read this. I wish I hadn't taken so long to pick it up, it was such a cute and fun read!

I adore all things vintage and old fashioned, so of course my opinion may be a little biased. My idea of a fun Friday night is canning fresh picked berries from our garden with my Mom, or quilting with my sister while we watch Jane Austen movie's with our beloved bunnies. My co-workers often called me Grandma but it never bothered me! 

There are so many things that I loved about this book that it's hard to know where to even begin. I'll start with the book itself. The artwork is so cute, the dust jacket, the cute polka dot lining, the way the original pages from Betty Cornnell's book are woven throughout the book along with pictures of Maya as she attempts to marry these old fashioned tips into her modern life.

This book was really fun, and even comical at times as I pictured these things happening. If I had nieces I think I would buy them each a copy because Maya had such integrity and personal conviction that I found really inspiring in this world. I can't imagine what life is like now for a teen, what they face daily at school and from their very own peers. It was so refreshing and fun to read this memoir and I really recommend it to everyone! 

Whether your a teen having a hard time fitting in, or your an adult who just feels left out at work, or life in general, there is so much we all can learn from Maya's experiences. This was a wonderful social experiment that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. If you've read it let me know in the comments, I'd love to know your thoughts!

 

Waiting on Wednesday (35)

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

There may only be one killer, but no one is innocent in this new thriller from Natasha Preston, author of The Cellar and Awake.

When Mackenzie treks to a secluded cabin in the woods with six friends, she expects a fun weekend of partying, drinking, and hookups. But when they wake to find two of their own dead and covered in blood, it's clear there's a killer among them.

As the police try to unravel the case, Mackenzie launches her own investigation. Before long secrets start to emerge, revealing a sinister web of sins among the original seven friends. The killer is still free. Every one of them is a suspect. And Mackenzie starts to realize that no one is innocent…

I go crazy for a good mystery/thriller/suspense book. I seriously live for them!Curling up in bed during a thunderstorm with a thriller and a nice hot cup of tea. Perfection!

I love this cover with the single cob webbey rose. It's so creepy and mysterious. I can't wait to read The Cabin by Natasha Preston when it releases on September 6th with Sourcebooks Fire!

What are you eagerly anticipating? I'd love to know so don't forget to share in the comments. And if you participate in WoW make sure you leave your link below so I can check it out!

Happy Reading!

XOXO

Review: Blackbird

Blackbird  ( Blackbird Duology #1) by Anna Carey

Release Date: September 16, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen

Source: Publisher

Format: ARC

Pages: 256

Amazon   |  Goodreads

This twisty, breathless cat-and-mouse thrill ride, told in the second person, follows a girl with amnesia in present-day Los Angeles who is being pursued by mysterious and terrifying assailants.

A girl wakes up on the train tracks, a subway car barreling down on her. With only minutes to react, she hunches down and the train speeds over her. She doesn’t remember her name, where she is, or how she got there. She has a tattoo on the inside of her right wrist of a blackbird inside a box, letters and numbers printed just below: FNV02198. There is only one thing she knows for sure: people are trying to kill her. 

On the run for her life, she tries to untangle who she is and what happened to the girl she used to be. Nothing and no one are what they appear to be. But the truth is more disturbing than she ever imagined. 

The Maze Runner series meets Code Name Verity, Blackbird is relentless and action-packed, filled with surprising twists.

I never actually read the Maze Runner series ( I know, I know!!!) or Code Name Verity , although I own both.  I do however really love Anna Carey's Eve trilogy and the premise of the book totally reminded me of the tv show Blindspot which I am hooked on! So I finally decided to dust this book off and give it a try. 

I have no idea why, but this book just did not work for me. I wish that I could put my finger on what exactly it is that went so awry for me, but I can't.  I love the author, she writes some crazy cliff hangers that make my screams heard from halfway around the world. And the idea of the story I absolutely adore, but for some reason this book just didn't do it for me.

I had a hard time getting into it, I think it actually took me about 10 days to complete the book. I really, really wanted to like it, to love it, and to FINISH it and put it behind me.  I didn't connect with the character's, the story, or anything in the book which is so unusual for me when it comes to this author's work. 

I'm not really sure if I will be picking up the companion book Deadfall or not... nevertheless if YOU have read Blackbird I would love to know your thoughts, so don't forget to leave me a comment!

Review: These Vicious Masks

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas

Release Date: February 9, 2016
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Source: Library
Format: Finished Copy
Pages: 298



England, 1882. Evelyn is bored with society and its expectations. So when her beloved sister, Rose, mysteriously vanishes, she ignores her parents and travels to London to find her, accompanied by the dashing Mr. Kent. But they’re not the only ones looking for Rose. The reclusive, young gentleman Sebastian Braddock is also searching for her, claiming that both sisters have special healing powers. Evelyn is convinced that Sebastian must be mad, until she discovers that his strange tales of extraordinary people are true—and that her sister is in graver danger than she feared.




I feel like I am probably the last person in the world to have read this book. When my Mom walked in the door from the library she works at and handed this to me I was so ecstatic. I really adore historical romance/ historical mysteries. It is seriously the stuff dreams are made of! Plus..my Mom kinda raised me on stuff like this so...ya know. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree I guess.

After I finished this book I read a LOT of reviews, a LOT people. I know it's REALLY hit and miss for people. Some people loved it, some people hated it, and there really weren't any people who were in between the two. My personal thoughts on that are because this is historical fiction. Historical fiction is NOT for everyone, most people will love it, or hate it. Historical fiction can be really tricky even for people who adore it. I've read some that you couldn't even tell were historical fiction except for an odd reference here or there. But enough about pro historical fiction vs con.

I really LOVED this book! When your an avid reader/reviewer you can really hit a slump and just get tired of reading and lose your enthusiasm. This book really energized me and breathed life back into my desire for reading again! I pretty much read the entire thing in 1 sitting which is HUGE for me. I've never been a marathon reader and my attention wanders really quickly.

The whole story was really well done, which I was concerned about being that this is written by a duo of male and female authors. Fear not, it was incredible! The main character was spunky and completely stubborn sometimes, but I really identified with her because I'm the same way!!! The story itself to me was unique and I loved the lengths Evelyn went to to find her sister Rose. My sister and I have a super close bond and I really related to that particular aspect of the story. To the moon and back people, to the moon and back!

If you like historical fiction, sisterly bonds, intrigue, romance, super human powers. then you should definitely pick up this book and give it a try! If you've read it, plan on reading it, or want to read it, let me know in the comments so we can fan girl together!