Showing posts with label contemporary literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contemporary literature. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Book Blitz: Zenn Diagram




We are really excited that ZENN DIAGRAM by Wendy
Brant has dropped and that we get to share the news (although it is a little after the fact, we are no less excited!)!

If you
haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Wendy Brant, be sure to
check out all the details below.

This blitz
also includes a giveaway for 3 finished copies of the book courtesy of Kids Can
Press and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the
Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.



About The Book:

Title: ZENN
DIAGRAM
Author: Wendy Brant
Pub.
Date: 
April 4, 2017
Publisher: Kids Can
Press
Pages: 328
Formats: Hardcover,
eBook

Eva Walker is a seventeen-year-old math genius. And if that doesn’t do
wonders for her popularity, there’s another thing that makes it even worse:
when she touches another person or anything that belongs to them — from clothes
to textbooks to cell phones — she sees a vision of their emotions. She can read
a person’s fears and anxieties, their secrets and loves … and what they have
yet to learn about calculus. This is helpful for her work as a math tutor, but
it means she can never get close to people. Eva avoids touching anyone and
everyone. People think it’s because she’s a clean freak — with the emphasis on
freak — but it’s all she can do to protect herself from other people’s issues.

Then one day a new student walks into Eva’s life. His jacket gives off so
much emotional trauma that she falls to the floor. Eva is instantly drawn to
Zenn, a handsome and soulful artist who also has a troubled home life, and her
feelings only grow when she realizes that she can touch Zenn’s skin without
having visions. But when she discovers the history that links them, the truth
threatens to tear the two apart.


Excerpt:

While he waits for his coffee, I snuggle deeper into the couch, hoping he
won’t notice me. The only thing worse than filling out college applications the
night of the homecoming dance is your crush seeing you fill out college
applications the night of the homecoming dance. I guess it should make me feel
better that he’s not at the dance, either, but it doesn’t. When guys don’t go
to homecoming it seems like a conscious choice. When girls don’t go, it just
seems like they didn’t get asked.
….
“Tall black drip!” the barista calls out, like she’s calling out his name
and not the drink. Zenn is tall and dark, but there is nothing drippy about
him. He is most definitely non-drippy, whatever that means. He takes his coffee
and I think I am home free until he steps away from the counter.
Crap. He sees me. I am equal parts mortified and thrilled.
He raises his cup in a silent greeting and comes a few steps closer. He
opens the lid and I try not to stare at his mouth as he blows on his coffee to
cool it.
“Hey, Zenn.” My voice sounds goofy in my own ears. Too loud in this
small, cozy space.
He takes a tentative sip from his cup. Straight black coffee, no cream,
no sugar, no chocolate syrup. What a badass.
“No homecoming for you either?” he asks.
I close my laptop and press my hands against the warm surface. I shrug.
“I’m not much of a dancer.”
Zenn nods in agreement. “Yeah. Me neither.”
He comes even closer and sits down on the arm of the sofa across from me.
His knees are spread wide, his forearms resting on his inner thighs, his
hypnotizing hands holding his coffee in the triangle between his legs. He looks
so comfortable, so at ease in his own skin. How does one get that way? You
wouldn’t think it would be hard – I mean, we’re born in our skin. It should be
pretty comfortable by the time you hit seventeen, eighteen. But for me … not so
much.

Excerpt
from Zenn Diagram © 2017 Wendy Brant, with permission from Kids Can Press.



About Wendy:
So my name alone should give you a clue that I graduated from high school
when bangs were big and clothes were baggy. I went to Northwestern University
and majored in journalism even though I had no desire to be a journalist. I've
been married to a great guy for a whole drinking-aged person's life. I've got
two amazing and yet very different (and very tall) teenage kids. I like crappy
food, pinning inspirational quotes on Pinterest, have a tendency to start
paragraphs with "anyway", and I wish I were funnier. I would love to
be one of those really, REALLY funny bloggers (like Insane in the Mom-Brain) that
makes you pee yourself a little bit. I am only moderately funny. I admit
that. It's one of my great sadnesses in life.



​I started writing fiction when I was 10, but tried to be practical with the
whole journalism thing. Didn't take. Shortly after college, the fiction-writing
desire reared its non-practical head and I've been writing ever since.



Anyway, I'm probably just like you. We'd probably be friends if we met in real
life. (Well, let's be honest. It's likely that only my friends are actually reading
this blog, so we probably ARE friends in real life.) But whether we are friends
in real life, or just virtual friends through cyberspace, I hope you will enjoy
your time here.

Check out my debut YA novel, ZENN DIAGRAM (KCP Loft 4/4/17), available for
pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Target!




Giveaway
Details:



3 winners will receive a hardcover of ZENN DIAGRAM, US Only.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let us know what you think!
Your Friends,
The Autumn Bookshelf

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Book Blitz: Lessons in Falling




We are so
excited that LESSONS IN FALLING by Diana
Gallagher is available now and that we get to share the news!

If you
haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Diana Gallagher, be sure
to check out all the details below.

This blitz
also includes a giveaway but there are rules you have to share a “LESSONS
LEARNED” post of your own to enter. So if you’d like a chance to win, create
your post and enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

From the
author:

"Want
to share your own Lessons Learned?? It's easy! Tell us about a time in your
life when you persevered, despite a bad situation, and what lessons you learned
from that situation. Share it however you like - on your blog, your social
media, wherever! Submit your link to the Rafflecopter during the blitz and
share the giveaway with your friends to win an annotated ARC!"



Title: LESSONS IN
FALLING
Author: Diana
Gallagher
Pub.
Date: 
February 7, 2017
Publisher: Spencer
Hill Press
Pages: 250
Formats: Paperback,
eBook
Find it: AmazonB&NiBooksGoodreads

When Savannah Gregory blows out her knee - and her shot at a gymnastics
scholarship - she decides she's done with the sport forever. Without
gymnastics, she has more time for her best friend, Cassie. She's content to let
her fun, impulsive best friend plan a memorable senior year. 


That is, until Cassie tries to kill herself.


Savannah wants to understand what happened, but Cassie refuses to talk about it
and for the first time, Savannah has to find her own way. The only person she
can turn to is Marcos, the boy who saved Cassie's life. Being with him makes
her see who she could be and what she really wants: gymnastics. 


But Cassie doesn't approve of Marcos or of Savannah going back to gymnastics,
and the tighter she tries to hold on to Savannah, the farther it pulls them
apart. Without Cassie to call the shots, Savannah discovers how capable she is
on her own - and that maybe her best friend's been holding her back all along.

Book
Trailer:












About Diana:




Though Diana
Gallagher be but little, she is fierce. She’s also a gymnastics coach and
judge, former collegiate gymnast, and writing professor. Her work has appeared
in The Southampton Review, International Gymnast, The Couch Gymnast, and on a
candy cigarette box for SmokeLong Quarterly. She holds an MFA from Stony Brook
University and is represented by Tina Wexler of ICM Partners. Her contemporary
YA novel, Lessons in Falling, lands on 2/7/2017.








Giveaway Details:

(1) Winner
will receive an annotated copy of Lessons in Falling by Diana Gallagher (US
only)
Follow these rules to enter!

"Want
to share your own Lessons Learned?? It's easy! Tell us about a time in your
life when you persevered, despite a bad situation, and what lessons you learned
from that situation. Share it however you like - on your blog, your social
media, wherever! Submit your link to the Rafflecopter and share the giveaway
with your friends to win an annotated ARC!"


Ends on
February 28th at Midnight EST!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let us know what you think of the book! 
Your Friends,
The Autumn Bookshelf

Monday, December 7, 2015

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss



Taken from Amazon.com

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Release Date: December 2. 2010
Read: November 2015
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Format: Paperback, 372 pages

Description from Goodreads:
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. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 
But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Review: 
This book is just so cute! From the very first chapter I couldn't get enough. The way Perkins writes is so light and breezy it's a treat to read. Anna is portrayed realistically, as any student would be if they moved to Paris. She is a great protagonist, and the year she spends in Paris is great to follow. A great bonus is that her love interest is the guy that everyone wishes was in their lives. He's so romantic and swoon-worthy! I just wish that Anna would have "discovered" more of Paris, and that she would've seen more of the city. I felt like it was an opportunity wasted, that Perkins had a chance to write an epic "city tour" and didn't take it. However that is really my one complaint. This was simply a solid read through and through. I can't wait until I can get my hands on the next one, and I'm intrigued at how Perkins binds all three books together!

Favorite Quotes: “I mean, really. Who sends their kid to boarding school? It's so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn't have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons.” 
― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

“I wish for the thing that is best for me.” 

― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommended for people who enjoy: Sarah Dessen, romance, YA fiction, travel, funny heroines

Happy Reading,
Mari

Friday, November 27, 2015

Book Review: All The Bright Places


18460392
Taken from Goodreads

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Release Date: January 6th 2015
Read: November 2015
Publisher: Knopf Publishers
Format: Hardcover, 388 pages


Description from Goodreads:
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.


Review: 
I had heard a lot about this book in the blog-verse, so when I saw it in my school library I had to check it out. It started a little cliche, and felt slow to begin with, with development (which had to happen). I had to second guess myself on whether or not to continue reading. I'm glad I did. Once I got past page 50, it found itself.  The writing style (while slow to start) is great, and easy to follow. It felt as if Niven knew exactly what to say. Suicide and depression are hard topics to add to a romantic YA novel, but it works. Somehow this gives depth to both characters. Just thinking about Finch and how he struggles to keep his head above the water brings tears to my eyes. Violet and Finch are a beautifully broken couple, but they discover that together they make each other better. One of the hardest things to read is how Violet tries to help Finch, but somehow she can't reach him. Niven approaches these passages with poise, and it's beautifully written. I'm sure from the review so far, that it's clear that I finished this book crying- which I did. When I reached the ending I hated it, but the more I thought of it, the more I realized why it ended the way it did. But you decide your thoughts on the ending yourself. However, this is one of my favorite reads of 2015 (so far!).

Favorite Quotes:
 “We do not remember days, we remember moments.” 
“You have been in every way all that anyone could be.… If anybody could have saved me it would have been you.” 
“I learned that there is good in this world, if you look hard enough for it. I learned that not everyone is disappointing, including me, and that a 1,257 bump in the ground can feel higher than a bell tower if you’re standing next to the right person.”
-Jennifer Niven, All the Bright Places
(Sorry for so many, I just loved them all)

Rating: 5/5 Stars (very rare!)

Recommended for people who enjoy: YA lit, John Green, romance, sad books, bittersweet endings

Happy Reading,
Mari

Monday, November 16, 2015

Book Review: Rules For 50/50 Chances


23296348
Taken from Goodreads

Rules for 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern

Release Date: November 2015
Read: October 2015 (I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this novel)
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Format: Paperback ARC, 342 pages

Description from Goodreads
A heartrending but ultimately uplifting debut novel about learning to accept life's uncertainties; a perfect fit for the current trend in contemporary realistic novels that confront issues about life, death, and love.
Seventeen-year-old Rose Levenson has a decision to make: Does she want to know how she’s going to die? Because when Rose turns eighteen, she can take the test that will tell her if she carries the genetic mutation for Huntington’s disease, the degenerative condition that is slowly killing her mother. With a fifty-fifty shot at inheriting her family’s genetic curse, Rose is skeptical about pursuing anything that presumes she’ll live to be a healthy adult—including going to ballet school and the possibility of falling in love. But when she meets a boy from a similarly flawed genetic pool, and gets an audition for a dance scholarship in California, Rose begins to question her carefully-laid rules.

Review: 
This book was a great number of things. At times it's light and at others it hits a little deeper. Rose (our main character) has tough decision to make - whether or not to find out if she will get her mothers Huntington's disease. It's a touchy and hard subject, but McGovern approaches it with a gentle touch, really showing all the sides to this disease. She tries and shows the good in it, and through Rose we see that the illness is not all there is to life. With Rose we see her flourish during the bad times, whether being with Caleb (her potential boyfriend) or dancing ballet. It's hard for Rose to see her mother deteriorating, but for such a (at times) sad subject, McGovern really shines a light on it. 

Favorite Quotes: "... the music starts, and then I give in to it, and nothing else matters. And then I'm soaring." -Page 262

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommended for people who enjoy: Sarah Dessen, romance, YA, fiction, contemporary literature

Happy Reading,
Mari