Monthly Archives: January 2016

• Advance Excitement at a Glance XXI

  Posted at 6:35 am by Laura, on January 30, 2016

  

  A monthly meme to keep up with the latest publications, featuring advance copy reviews to look forward to reading.

  Once again, February this year proves to be another great month for new releases. CJ Redwine‘s new fantasy series begins with The Shadow Queen and some great adult fiction by A.A. McDonald and Julie Christine Johnson hit stores this month.

  This book in particular is what I’m most excited for…

  

  Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
  (Philomel, February 2)

  I’m not going to give a quick synopsis, because her name carries so much weight all on its own. This is going to be brilliant. And huge. And even more gut-wrenching than Between Shades of Gray, which I didn’t even think was possible.

  Be prepared for a book hangover with this one.

  What books are you looking forward to in February?

  Posted in Advance Excitement, books | 4 Comments | Tagged advance excitement at a glance, advance reading copy, books

• Book Review: “Walk on Earth a Stranger” by Rae Carson

  Posted at 5:45 am by Laura, on January 28, 2016

  Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

  Publisher: Greenwillow Books
  Published: September 2015
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780062242914
  Goodreads: 3.91
  Rating: ★★★

  Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

  She also has a secret.

  Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

  When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

  Georgia was the place to be for gold miners before word got around that California was filled with the precious metal. Leah Westfall’s family were just fine in their town — until someone got a whiff of her secret and murdered her parents. To protect her secret and run from the one person her parents trusted, Leah disguises as a boy and sets off on the Oregon Trail to California. Passing for a boy comes fairly easily on the trail, what with Leah comfortable with hard labor and harsh conditions, but some secrets can be too burdensome to bear alone.

  This is most definitely more historical fiction than fantasy. Leah — Lee, as she’s called by friends and as a boy — may be able to sense gold, and that sense comes in handy a few times throughout her travels on the harsh trail, but even without her uncanny ability the story still stands. She’s a hardworking, strong, determined, no-nonsense kind of character, and that’s enough to help her get by on her frightening journey from Georgia to Missouri, to joining her friend and a company to travel with from Missouri to California.

  The evocative writing and developed characters kept me reading, despite the lack of magic in the story. Lee finds being a boy liberating and difficult all at once. People listen to what she says, they let her do what she wants — they trust her mind and body without question. But she doesn’t like to lie, she feels lonely by keeping such a big secret from the women in her company, and she’s not sure who she really is: Leah or Lee. Thankfully her good friend, Jefferson, is there to remind her she can be both, is both.

  Canadians, Germans, a preacher and his wife, the Joyners (a family that hired Lee from the beginning on a flatboat to Missouri — keep your eye on Mrs. Joyner), college students, herders, and veterans all make up the company Lee and Jefferson join in Missouri. They all have their reasons to go to California or Oregon, but they tend to work together for the sake of keeping each other (or even, selfishly, themselves) safe. Everything I remember seeing so early on in The Oregon Trail computer game cropped up, too: cholera, measles, wandering children, stampede of buffalo. You name it, it happened. It made me wonder if I could ever give up everything like those pioneers did for the sake of a new life. I’m not sure I’m made of such tough stuff.

  In the end, this felt like a solid standalone adventure novel. It’s a story about a journey, from start to finish. Every single day of it, from sunrise to sunset, all the joys and troubles, laughter and heartache. A part of me was bummed there was so little magic — I was promised historical fantasy, and this delivered historical. Nothing wrong with that; this is an excellent historical. But it is not historical fantasy. Upon realizing this is part of a trilogy, I’m looking forward to seeing how the remaining cast of characters, and Lee’s gold-sensing abilities, play out in the future books. (I’ve got my eye on you, Mrs. Joyner.) Maybe the fantasy elements amp up later on.

  

  This book qualifies as book 1 of 12 of the “Rock My TBR” Challenge, hosted by Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler, in an effort to read more books off my overflowing TBR bookcase. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016, Rock My TBR | 5 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Future Perfect” by Jen Larsen

  Posted at 5:30 am by Laura, on January 25, 2016

  Future Perfect by Jen Larsen

  Publisher: HarperTeen
  Published: October 2015
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780062321237
  Goodreads: 3.19
  Rating: ★★

  Every year on her birthday, Ashley Perkins gets a card from her grandmother: lose enough weight, and I will buy your happiness.

  Ashley doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with the way she looks. She knows exactly how she fits into her life, wide hips and all. But no amount of arguing can persuade her grandmother that “fat” isn’t a dirty word—that Ashley is happy with her life, and her body, as it is.

  But Ashley wasn’t counting on having her dreams served up on a silver platter at her latest birthday party. She falters when Grandmother offers the one thing she’s always wanted: tuition to attend Harvard University. Ashley wants it—she can’t deny it. But their annual negotiation has upped its stakes—Grandmother wants her to get weight-loss surgery in return for the money.

  As Ashley grapples with the choice that little white card has given her, she feels pressured by her friends, her family, even administrators at school. What’s a girl to do when the reflection in her mirror seems to bother everyone but her?

  Ashley Perkins is valedictorian at an advanced high school, has a wonderful, artistic boyfriend, supportive friends, and a killer resume for college applications. But her grandmother doesn’t see that. All she sees is her granddaughter’s weight, and how it could influence her admission into Harvard. When Ashley receives the tempting note from her grandmother on her birthday — free tuition for four years at Harvard if she gets weight-loss surgery — she grapples with the price of her dreams and her priceless worth.

  Before diving into this, I was looking forward to reading another kind of body book and was curious about its premise. While Dumplin’ was very body positive, embracing all shapes and sizes and health, this one tackles another kind of issue: what if the protagonist does care what others think about her weight?

  I am the sum of my parts. Everything I’ve ever done and everything I’ve ever
  achieved and everything I have ever been. Fat and smart and afraid and
  fierce and angry and brave all together right here, and every piece of the
  puzzle fits the way it’s supposed to and I can’t pretend anymore.

  Ashley’s passionate and determined and hard-working, destined for greatness.I was on board with her anxiety before her birthday, the tension and build-up and pacing that would become Turning Point 1 in the novel. But after receiving the note (and everyone getting all up in her business with their opinions on what she should do with her own body and future), her ultimate decision in Turning Point 2 seemed a bit lackluster. I’m not sure the Ashley at the beginning of the book would’ve gone in the direction Ashley at the end of the book did, but is that the character growth? I don’t know. Nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do with your life, especially when you’re a teenager, but Ashley’s reasons for going to Harvard pre- and post-note almost seem unimportant. Surely someone with her resume could also receive scholarships, right?

  I guess I’m just unsure about the delivery of the ending. It could be inspirational; it could be a cop-out. I’m on the fence about it.

  What was completely unexpected was how integral her friends’ lives (and their own journeys they tackled) were in the book. Jolene, transgender, and Laura, a free-spirit artist, have a lot on their plates. I was interested in each of them, but to the same degree and intensity I was interested in Ashley. So whose story am I supposed to invest most of my time in? Is this book about finding your own direction in life, regardless of what people say? If so, I think it was halfway to meeting that goal. I really wanted to read about Ashley. Save Jolene’s powerful story and Laura’s interesting one for other books to let all these voices ring properly.

  Again, I’m unsure. There are good things in here, and moments of greatness (like that quote! YES!), but I think too much was attempted for one book. Body perception and health is quite the issue, and Ashley was a strong character. I wanted more.

  This fulfills book 1 of 10 library books in 2016. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, review

• #ReRead2016 Book 1: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

  Posted at 5:15 am by Laura, on January 21, 2016

  

  Kelly @ Belle of the Literati is hosting a fun challenge for bloggers: The Re-Read Challenge! Not much of a “challenge,” per se, because why wouldn’t you want to re-read and re-experience some of your favorites? Sign up and start re-reading!

  Book #1 of 2016:
  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

  

  

  

  WHEN I First Read

  June 21, 2003, at approximately 12:15am. I read all day and into the night, finishing just before June 22 and in no state to be by myself at that late hour. Because Sirius.

  WHAT I Remember

  I remember a lot of CAPSLOCK!Harry, a lot of dreams, a lot of dark and scary things, feeling incredibly pissed with Umbridge (so much so I threw my book across the room and left a dent in my wall), and distraught over Sirius. Actually, “distraught” is an understatement. Let’s be honest.

  OotP was an emotional read. Both with all of Harry’s emotions and all of mine after waiting ages for this book.

  HOW I Felt After Re-Reading

  Even more pissed with Umbridge and a little less distraught over Sirius. Here’s why…

  UMBRIDGE — She loves scapegoats. She loves control and order, which is fine and dandy when you have a heart (like McGonagall and Hermione). But because she’s heartless and takes pleasure in others’ pain, she is worse than Voldemort. She also has issues with anyone who is not like her: pureblood, wealthy, pro-government, human. Any half creature (Hagrid, Firenze, Flitwick), any human with extra abilities (Trelawney’s Sight, Harry’s Patronus, Fred and George’s wit), anyone who questioned her judgement with logic or reasoning. She reminds me of closed-minded right-wing politicians, and we all know they make me rage.

  SIRIUS — As an adult rereading OotP for the first time (I reread the others multiple times, but never OotP till now), I can see Sirius’s flaws. I’m not as distraught over him, but he still makes for a great character study. He was a father and a friend for Harry. He was the adult male who was closest to his parents, and therefore a father figure. He was a friend to Harry, because Sirius was not quite up to the task of being a father. Besides, neither one of them knew how to have that father-son relationship, as neither character had a father or son to compare the experience to.

  Sirius is also a hypocrite, but not in a way that makes you hate him. He tells Harry to treat others with kindness, that you know everything about a man based on how he treats those below him. And yet Sirius was cruel to his house elf. I understand why, but it doesn’t quite excuse his behavior. He was also vicious with Snape — and again, I understand why — but Sirius never attempted to try to make peace with Snape as adults. He never tried to trust him like Dumbledore asked of the Order. The Weasleys could do it, Lupin and Tonks could do it. It’s called being civil. But Sirius never was.

  I think Sirius may be one of the most human of characters in the series. He is forever trapped in a time when his friends were young, he’s traumatized by the horrors of Azkaban, he has moments of wisdom and moments of weakness. It’s a tragic life, and I can forgive him for his hypocrisy.

  WOULD I Re-Read Again

  It was an emotional read this time around, too. It may be another 10+ years before I pick it up again, though the rest of the series will always be reread without question.

  What books have you re-read recently?

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, ReRead2016, Reviews 2016 | 17 Comments | Tagged books, flights of fantasy, reread2016

• Book Review: “The Case of the Girl in Grey” by Jordan Stratford (ARC)

  Posted at 4:50 am by Laura, on January 12, 2016

  The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency: The Case of the Girl in Grey by Jordan Stratford

  Publisher: Knopf BFYR
  Publishing Date: January 26
  Genre: middle grade, historical fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9780385754446
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★.5

  The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency was supposed to be a secret constabulary, but after the success of their first case, all of London knows that Lady Ada and Mary are the girls to go to if you have a problem.

  Their new case is a puzzle indeed. It involves a horrible hospital, a missing will, a hasty engagement, and a suspiciously slippery servant.

  But Mary’s stumbled onto a mystery of her own. She spotted a ghostly girl in a grey gown dashing through the park. A girl who is the spitting image of their new client.

  The two cases must be linked . . . or else there’s a perfectly supernatural explanation.

  Ada and Mary have two new detectives in their agency — their sisters — whether they like it or not. But the sisters prove to be of assistance when another case crops up, one that requires understanding the class system and social etiquette. But Mary is certain this case may be linked to an almost supernatural one she and Charles stumbled upon: a girl in grey, quite distressed, and one who seems to know a thing or two about the case the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency is working on.

  I love how Stratford manages to share bits and pieces of the true Ada and Mary (and Charles and Claire and Percy) in his mystery novels for MG readers. We know what these children and young adults become later on in life, and though there’s some fudging with the timelines, it’s all excellently written and fun.

  This case echoes another Wilkie Collins book, The Woman in White. It also has more character development for our adorable protagonists. Ada is obsessed with codes, which becomes incredibly helpful in solving this case. Mary is growing up and it appears she’s becoming chummy with Percy (*squeal*). But you can always rely on Ada to be awkward with people and for Mary to point it out and smooth over. Some things never change.

  Cute, clever, and darker than the first, this next installment of the Wollstonecraft mystery series is a bit more gothic and a tad less humorous. As I’m familiar with Woman in White, I knew within the first 30 pages which direction the book was going, but it’s still an excellent introduction to gothic for MG readers. Can’t wait for more!

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Knopf BFYR for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2016 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: middle grade, genre: mystery, review

• 2016 Bookish Resolutions & Reading Challenges

  Posted at 3:10 am by Laura, on January 2, 2016

   

  

  READ 50 BOOKS || Easy peasy. I’ve been doing this every year. It’s always a challenge to see if it’ll get done, what with agenting and all. 2016 will be especially difficult because there are a lot of travels planned (and, strangely enough, I don’t read much when I’m traveling).

  READ FEWER ARCs || ARCs are important. I’ll always love receiving them. But I think I hit my max in the number of ARCs to read and review in 2015, and I’d like to take a step back from that in 2016. My primary job is to find new manuscripts — to be the hipster in the publishing industry (cause that’s what agents are!). I’ll be more selective in the ARCs I accept for review, just like how I’m selective in the manuscripts I read.

  REREAD 5 FAVORITES || Last year I made a goal of rereading 10 favorite books, and only managed to complete 3 and nearly finish another. Five seems like a more achievable goal.

  READ 10 LIBRARY BOOKS || I’m debating between making this 10 library books and 15 library books — either way, read more books from the library! One does not need to buy all the new books when you could easily check them out from the library and decide if they’re worth keeping in your own personal library later on. I managed to read 7 books from the library in 2015, so I think 10-15 seems a good range.

  PURCHASE NO MORE THAN 5 NEW BOOKS || This will be the tough one. I could never quite follow the “for every 5 books read, 1 unread book can be purchased” resolution I’d make in previous years, because…well, are ARCs part of the list? Or was it 5 already published books? And because I was wishy washy with the definition, I wouldn’t keep track of the number of books I read and just bought stuff whenever I felt like it. Now I have something to keep track. Only 5 completely-new-to-me, never-been-read-in-any-format-ever-before books.

  Reading Challenges

  This year I’m participating in four reading challenges, all quite naturally. While I have a goal to read fewer ARCs, more library books, and tackling my TBR, these challenges can also keep me in line a bit with all of them.

  

  I’ve told Stacey @ The Pretty Books that I would participate in her Classics Challenge ever since she started this, and two years have gone by and I haven’t kept my word. NOW I WILL! I plan to read at least five classics in 2016, four of the five on my TBR bookcase and one of them I’ve been eyeing for a couple years now. Might as well snag it from the library!

  

  Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books is a massive fantasy fan, and we tend to share similar reading preferences. This year I decided I would join her Flights of Fantasy reading challenge. It’s quite simple: read fantasy books. Well, I have loads of those on my TBR bookcase, so I’m planning to read at least five fantasy books in 2016.

  

  I’m continuing in the Re-Read Challenge in 2016, now hosted solely by Kelly @ Belle of the Literati (because former co-host Hannah @ So Obsessed With will be busy with a little bundle of joy!), and like I said in my resolutions, I plan to re-read five books in 2016.

  

  And last but not least, there’s actually a challenge out there for reading books off your TBR shelves! Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler is hosting the Rock My TBR Challenge, and all you need to do is read at least one book a month off your shelves. I will certainly read more than one a month in 2016.

  As you can see, these challenges will easily overlap with one another. They’re not challenges so much as ways to make me accountable for what I’m resolving to do in 2016. We all need a little something to keep us in line, right?

  What are your bookish resolutions for 2016? Are you participating in any reading challenges (and if so, which ones)?

  Posted in books, Classics Challenge, Flights of Fantasy, ReRead2016, Rock My TBR, Update Post | 18 Comments | Tagged 50 book challenge, books, classics challenge, flights of fantasy, personal, reading, reread2016, resolutions, rock my TBR

• Flipping Through the Pages: Autumn Rewind 2015

  Posted at 6:05 am by Laura, on January 1, 2016

  

  Instead of participating in the Monthly Rewind meme, every three months I’ll update the world on my life from the previous season. Enjoy the Seasonal Rewind!

  Through the Lens

  

  

  

  I fell down the Book Outlet Black Friday hole and managed to snag some books cheap. Gotta love those sales upon sales! Shortly before Thanksgiving, my friend Amanda (the one whose wedding was featured in my summer post) was able to announce the gender of her baby! IT’S A GIRL! And finally, a wonderful gift from my parents: a signed edition of Outlander.

  Life Highlights

  SEEING BRITISH BEAU FOR CHRISTMAS.

  

  We were disgustingly adorable and I miss him gigantic amounts.

  

  But it’ll be okay because SUMMER ROAD TRIP.

  

  (Can you tell my emotions have been all over the place?)

   

  Tunes on Repeat

  This season was all about Christmas music — and not your usual pop tunes like Sleigh Ride or All I Want For Christmas. Most of the music were choral pieces and carols. Rather than list all the songs on here, the two I played the most (one Christmasy, one not) were…

  Adele’s “Send My Love” is just a fun, weird, dance kind of tune. Not quite like Adele’s usual stuff, and if that makes it more pop than anything else, fine. I don’t care. I enjoyed it immensely.

  And Nutcracker “Act 1 Scene 6 (The Magic Spell Begins)” is just…yes. I love this. The music across this transitional scene is so varied and wonderful and tells a story on its own. And what’s great about this scene is that there’s typically very little dancing on stage. All lighting and props and music telling the story.

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. I Value My Time @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Jamie talked about her struggle to DNF, and whether or not it’s okay to DNF. While I’m on the side of “DNF if you’re just plain not into it,” she presented some great points about valuing time (DNF) and waiting to see if you strike gold (reading to the end).
  2. Inside Out #17: Laura from Scribbles & Wanderlust @ Boomark Lit — Lauren hosts this awesome book cover + bookmark feature on her blog and lets guest bloggers gush over their favorite cover designs and bookmarks. Check out my guest post!
  3. Is Twitter Replacing Blog Interaction? @ The Fox’s Hideaway — I stumbled across Holly’s post and it resonated with me (and many other bloggers, it seems). Bloggers are writing up posts and reviews and sharing links on Twitter, and while the blog may receive traffic, somehow, someway, the comments are next to nothing on the blog but quite high on Twitter. I noticed in the #back2basicsblogging hashtag on Twitter mentioned a lot of personal goals for 2016 to comment on blogs more than replying to tweets. Perhaps there will be a change?
  4. Recovering From Blogging Blues @ So Obsessed With — Well, now we all know one of the main reasons for Hannah’s blogging blues (yay bundles of joy!), but her post was still universal for many bloggers this summer/autumn. So many of us felt a little burnt out in blogging or reading, and Hannah’s post sums things up quite nicely.
  5. Home For the Holidays with Lindsey from A Bookish Sinister Kid @ What Sarah Read — Sarah hosts a cute holiday feature each day of December, and this particular post from Lindsey was my favorite: a Holiday Musical Playlist!

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. Book Buying Habits — Similar to Jamie’s post linked above, I expressed confusion on what I should buy, how, when, and why. You guys seemed to connect to that, too!
  2. Thankful For…in 2015 — This Thanksgiving-themed post linked some of the things I’m thankful for this year, and the books that best represent what I’m thankful for.
  3. Top Five Books of 2015 — Well, no surprise there. We love our Top Fives, don’t we? (Do you have Top Tens? Fifteens?)
  4. Book Review: “The Lake House” by Kate Morton (ARC) — I am so happy this review was a popular one! Kate Morton is amazing, and it was so much fun to read this book with the #KMflails ladies!

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis ★★★★★

  Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown ★★★★★

  Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor ★★★★★ (review to come!)

  Cherished Quotes

  “There is more to you than beauty. There is more to you than strength.
  There is more to you than intelligence. You are a whole person,
  and I would have you treat yourself as such.”
  –A Madness So Discreet, by Mindy McGinnis

  Safety of any kind is just an illusion.
  —Velvet Undercover, by Teri Brown

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Library Books: 6 / 10
  Odditorium || The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency || Emma
  Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? || The Girl With the Glass Bird
  Murder is Bad Manners
  

  #ReRead2015: 3 / 10
  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire || Fangirl
  Anna and the French Kiss

  Overall Challenge: 66 / 60

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: What started off as “I’ll just watch the Thanksgiving episodes” turned into marathoning FRIENDS again. I just wasn’t ready to start watching a new TV show this season. My Netflix is all queued up with some great stuff, so hopefully a new show will crop up next season.

  On Film: The Age of Adaline is todiefor. I could watch that over and over again. Super huge thanks to Hannah for the recommendation!

  In the Shopping Bag: Etsy and Redbubble, for my Secret Santa and British Beau. I’ve recently added the Target Cartwheel app and the Starbucks app. Discounts abound!

  Miscellaneous: Harry Potter Ambience! Seriously, if you want to add a little Hogwarts magic in the background of your working day, check this out. I’ve also fallen into the crazy cat lady hole with a lot of you bloggers and downloaded the Neko Atsume cat app. Guys, it was a great day when I could remodel their little home.

  Looking Towards the Future

  I am looking forward to a quiet January after a wild December, a snowy but lovely February with an international Valentine’s Day, and my a-little-beyond-mid-20s birthday in March! Low-key winter. Just what the doctor ordered!

  What have you been up to this season / this month? Any new obsessions or good reads or great music? Share some of your favorites here, and let me know if I should check out any great blog posts! 

  Posted in books, This Season's Rewind, Update Post | 2 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• 

• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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