Waiting on Wednesday #85

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spines. This is a cool way to spotlight a upcoming release that you're anxious about, as well as checking out what other book lovers are anticipating as well. So, check out my WoW for this week:

Rooms
by Lauren Oliver

Release date: September 23rd 2014

Publisher: Ecco

Synopsis via Goodreads:

The New York Times bestselling author of Before I Fall and the Delirium trilogy makes her brilliant adult debut with this mesmerizing story in the tradition of The Lovely Bones, Her Fearful Symmetry, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane—a tale of family, ghosts, secrets, and mystery, in which the lives of the living and the dead intersect in shocking, surprising, and moving ways. 

Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance. 

But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb. 

The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide—with cataclysmic results.

Elegantly constructed and brilliantly paced, Rooms is an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant.

Black Ice

by Becca Fitzpatrick

Release date: October 7th 2014

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late. 

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage. 

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target. 

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally? 

BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

Why I'm Waiting

I enjoyed the first books of these two authors and have found their writing to be very intriguing. I would really like to see where they go next with these two upcoming releases, especially Black Ice by Ms. Fitzpatrick. That one in particular has my interest super piqued.

What are you waiting for?

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall

by Lauren Oliver

Released: March 2nd 2010

Publisher: HarperCollins

Purchase: Amazon

*I purchased the hardcover from Amazon.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High--from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

I have such a hard time writing this review because I can't seem to find the right words to put together to describe just how much Before I fall had me all messed up. Oh my gosh, what a wonderful, interesting, thought-provoking, realistic, and addictive story. Lauren, I send you tons of smooches. 

Can you believe I actually HATED Sam with a passion at start. She, along with her friend, Lindsay (and I say Lindsay because it seemed like she was the ringleader and Sam was the main assistant) spoke hurtful things, did hurtful things without considering the consequences of their action and I thought that Sam, more than anyone else should understand the emotional effect of being teased. It sucks that it took her several tries to finally get it right but Lauren gave us the true definition of what character development really is. I mean, at first I wanted to smack her so hard for wasting the opportunities to make a difference, to clean up her act and if possible get her friends to stop but she just kept doing it like a moron. Oddly, though, I couldn't stop reading because it wasn't like I hated Sam's character enough to dislike the story and give the book a DNF. I really liked the fact that she wasn't the average protagonist and she was actually experiencing growth like a normal person. Besides, it wasn't like she could do much to affect anyone around her aside from Juliet. The whole thing with Juliet was quite an eye opener. I was like "ohhhh" once I figured out what really caused the accident and all the twists and loose ends came in to play. 

The writing was superb. I got so emotional throughout until finally, I started liking Sam. In fact, by the end of the story I LOVED her. She knew what had to be done and she was determined to go through with it. Sam came to the realization that everything isn't always about her, that you have to put self aside and see the beauty in everything and everyone else. There was much more to be learned from the story, and so much I thought about while reading it. Lauren really struck a nerve with me. Once again, smooches. 

What else can I go on about? I loved the romance, the family aspect, the friendship level and all the bad and good in it. The neverending issue of bullying and its effects. Most of all, I loved how every single character had a purpose. No one was just thrown in or had me asking "why are you here?" They all made sense. What a terrific book. Sucks for me that I'm only now reading it when I love this author and her intriguing writing style. 

*Slapscheek* Okay, back to reality and more substantial statements. I enjoyed Before I fall. The writing was brilliant; the plot was fascinating. I experienced a feeling like no other, and its definitely a feeling that will haunt me forever. Wouldn't you want to experience something as impressive as this? Oh, that's right. You have already :)

Stacking the Shelves #37

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, where you showcase all the books you've received in the past week. And boy did I get a lot. Check out my haul:

Hardcopies:

  

School Spirits (Book #1) by Rachel Hawkins

Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg

The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro

Paperback ARC:

Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick

*Special thanks to Disney Hyperion, Scholastic, & HarperCollins for these awesome books.

Bought:

 

Delirium (Book #1) by Lauren Oliver

The Pledge (Book #1) by Kimberly Derting

How about you? What's in your Haul?

Feature & Follow #46

This is a weekly blog hop hosted by the wonderful Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Today's question is:

Q: Give us a sneak! What are you reading? Tell us about a fun or fail scene in your current read.

Right now, I'm reading Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I feel like I've been reading this book for months because of how long the story is (somewhat). And I can't really stand the main character's personality. I find her so...stupid, because she keeps doing stupid and pointless things over and over, even after realizing that she's getting a do-over, so to speak. 

I think a fun scene would be her hiding from a teacher but ending up finding out that he's dating another school official (who no one considered dating material lol). That was interesting. A failed scene would be every single time she gets the do-over and does nothing of substance. 

But regardless of this girl and her craziness, I love the story and I think her character is actually comparable to a lot of teens in today's society.

How about you?

Stacking the Shelves #33

This is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where you showcase all the books you've received in the past week. Here's what I received this week:

Netgalley:

   

 

*Special thanks to Bold Strokes Books, Carina Press, Flux, Barrington Stoke, and St. Martin's Press.

Purchased:

 

What's in your haul? 

WINNER OF THE LAUREN OLIVER GIVEAWAY!

 

It was truly difficult to select just one winner of the giveaway because there were so many entries to choose from. I'd like to thank each and everyone who entered and if you didn't win this time remember there's always a next.

So, without further delay the winner of these two awesome books is:

Behind The Pages #3: Interview with Lauren Oliver + GIVEAWAY

Lauren Oliver is one of my favorite authors, so it's no surprise I sought out getting an interview with this awesome lady. Thankfully, she not only granted me some of her valuable time, but she's also contributing signed copies of her Delirium series to one lucky reader. Check out Lauren's interesting answers below, and find out how you can win her cool prizes!

1. Tell us about your life growing up in New York. Were you compelled

to become a writer due to the fact that your parents both taught

literature?

That was absolutely a huge source of inspiration to me. I was certainly raised in a very literary household. I started telling stories at a very young age, and started writing them down as soon as I physically knew how to!

2. How long did it take to establish the story in Before I Fall?

Before I Fall was an interesting process. I basically started hearing Sam's voice in my head, and I needed to start writing it down. It also deals with a lot of themes that had been interesting me, such as peer pressure. 

3. Your debut is more on the contemporary, realistic fiction side, while

your new series is focuses on a post apocalyptic fantasy world. What

inspires your versatility as an author and do you think it’s important

to be able to take on different genres?

I try to just focus on telling the specific story I want to tell, and not on "oh, I'm telling a dystopian story now... what does that mean I have to do?"

4. What makes the Delirium series different from other dystopian

books out now?

I think it has very distinct characters, and hearing the story through their voices would differentiate it, no matter what the genre is. 

 

5. And what inspired you to write a story where love is classified as a

disease?

There's an essay by Gabriel Garcia Marquez where he says that all stories are about either love or death. Since my first book was about death I wanted to write a story about love. At the same time I was watching something on TV about pandemics. I guess the two ideas got mixed together in my head and I started thinking about a world where love was a global disease. 

6. Pandemonium is a mind blowing sequel, picking up beautifully the

momentum left by the first. Can you give us some details about the

third, Requiem, and where you’re hoping to take the characters

next?

All I'm going to say is that it's told from two different points of view, and that it includes characters that the readers haven't seen since Delirium.

7. Let’s put writing on the side for a bit. What do you do for fun outside

of creating these intriguing stories?

I like doing most artistic things, singing, dancing, cooking.. I love seeing my friends, and watching movies with them, and doing physical activity.

8. Why do you hate bananas? I’m just curious to know.

Because bananas are evil!! Their little yellow smiles disgust me.

9. If you lived in a post apocalyptic world where you were only allowed

to keep three things from the past, what would those three things

be?

Libraries, the power grid, and prospect park. And the heinz tomato ketchup factory. 

10. Thanks for taking the time Lauren. Please leave a message for your

readers, and any tips for aspiring writers.

I would love to give a huge thank you to all my readers, and a reminder to all aspiring writers to write write write every day!

~GIVEAWAY~
Sorry, for the US only.

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