Month: June 2013

Top Ten Books I’ve Read in 2013 So Far

Posted June 25, 2013 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 44 Comments

 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at the other blog I write for, The Broke and the Bookish.

Can you believe we’ve passed the halfway point of 2013? I sure can’t! What better topic to have today, than a re-cap of the first half of a year of great books! Links lead to my reviews!

 

 

 


 

1. Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi (Read December 24, 2012 – January 4, 2013)
Creativity, character growth from the first book, heart-stopping ending. If you loved Under the Never Sky, this book will NOT disappoint you!

2. Just One Day by Gayle Forman (Read January 5 – January 7, 2013)
This is THE DAY I want to have happen to me, and it reawakened the wanderlust within me (although, it really hadn’t been asleep for long). Allyson let her life behind, got totally lost, and was changed. PLUS she fell in love with a cute Dutch boy! The story is beautiful.

3. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (Read January 21 – February 8, 2013)
I LOVED Cinder, and Scarlet is just as, if not more, amazing! Cinder is back, but now we’ve got Scarlet too. And she’s amazing! I love Marissa’s strong female characters, and how her books showcase them rather than whiny little spineless girls. And I love Wolf! The characters say some laugh out loud things, yet there’s some serious stuff going on. TONS of stuff happens, and I love this futuristic looks at Paris.

4. Unremembered by Jessica Brody (Read February 8 – February 11, 2013)
I love mysteries and I love survival stories. Unremembered is both, plus a little science fiction.

5. Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini (Read March 21 – April 2, 2013)
I’m not usually a fan of afterlife-type novels, because I don’t usually like an author’s take on Heaven/Hell, Angels, God, and the afterlife in general. For this reason, I almost did not accept this book for review. Something about it, though, drew me right in and I decided to give it a chance. I am SO glad I did, because this book is a new favorite of mine! I really loved it, and it made me think about my life.

6. Of Triton by Anna Banks (Read April 3 – April 5, 2013)
Mermaids!! It’s funny, has amazing characters, I loved the dual perspectives, I loved Anna’s take on mermaid and Greek mythology, I loved the intense moments, I loved the writing style and the gorgeous underwater descriptions, and the ending killed me! Oh, and you get to learn SO much more about the Syrena in this one!

7. Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson (Read April 5 – April 19, 2013)
I was sold when I found out about Jessa’s coming-of-age journey through Italy! Jessa is so down-to-earth and normal. She’s on a trip to Italy with her newly ex-boyfriend, and she gets to watch him hang all over the girl he cheated with. That takes guts. And she kicks her heartbreak in the butt. Plus, the Italy scenes! SO GREAT.

8. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Read April 19 – April 25, 2013)
AMAZING. The world, people. THE WORLD. You just HAVE to read this even if you think Fantastical futuristic Russia, sexy male leads, a kick-butt heroine, and feeling is not for you.

9. Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill (Read May 3 – May 5, 2013)
A quirky heroine, breathtaking scenes of London, breaking rules, mysterious suitors, culture, bookishness, witty banter, and a slow-burning swoony romance? Yessssssss! I LOVE this one.

10. Heist Society by Ally Carter (Read May 7 – May 8, 2013)
Good YA mysteries are hard to come by, and this one involves thieves and art! Plus, we get to do a lot of traveling with a bunch of awesome, charming characters. There’s action and suspense, and it’s all wrapped up in cuteness! Can’t WAIT to read the rest of this series.

So, tell me what you think! Have you read and loved these, too? Read and hated them? Leave links, and I’ll come see! I can’t wait to see what you recommend. :)

While you’re here, make sure you enter my birthday giveaway!

Jana’s Birthday: Now Closer to 30 than 20… Ahh! (Giveaway)

Posted June 22, 2013 by Jana in About Me, Giveaway / 53 Comments

Hi! So, today I turned 26, and OH MY THAT’S SO CLOSE TO 30! I remember turning 13 and thinking I was the most awesome person in the world because, HELLO, I was a teenager! That was half my life ago! It’s amazing how time flies. It’s also hilarious looking back on your life and realizing how totally uncool you were back in the day when you thought you were the coolest ever.

Anyway, I thought this would be a fun occasion to thank you all for your support, loving comments, and friendships. I’ve had an outpouring of “happy birthday”‘s on Facebook, Twitter, and even in my email. You’re all so amazing! So, I’d like to give you something. I wish I could give ALL of you something, but then I’d be broke. Haha. So, please enter this giveaway and know I love you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you check back for follow-up comments?

Posted June 20, 2013 by Jana in Discussion / 35 Comments

I absolutely LOVE comments on my posts. I love interacting with readers of my blog, to discuss bookish things and even milestones in my life! I love coming to you all for advice, and that’s actually what I’m doing today.

How do I respond to your comments? Do I reply here, or do you not come back to check and see if I did? Do I respond here just in case, and to show other people that I do respond? Do I tweet you? Do I reciprocate and go to your blog and leave a meaningful comment on a review of yours, while also thanking you for coming to my blog and then responding to whatever it was you asked me? Do I email you? I just don’t know!!!

Bottom line, I don’t want anyone to feel ignored. I love all of you, and I want to make sure you know how much I appreciate it when you reach out to me! Advice, please! What do you do? How do you make sure your blog readers know you care about the comments they leave you?

Riding on a Beam of Light by Ramsey Dean | Children’s Book Review

Posted June 19, 2013 by Jana in Children's Book Review, Inner Child / 4 Comments

Title: Riding on a Beam of Light
Author: Ramsey Dean
Illustrator: Noah Hamden
Release Date: April 23, 2013
Publisher: The Light Beam Riders
Format: PDF
Source: JKS Communications (thanks!)
Buy It: Amazon
Add It: Goodreads

Albert Einstein adamantly emphasized the importance of imagination. In this vividly illustrated storybook, lights-out turns into learning as we’re swept away by young Albert Einstein’s fantastical, and ultimately world-changing idea in an adventure that’s reminiscent of classics like Harold and the Purple Crayon and Where the Wild Things Are. At it’s heart is a story about imagination and dreaming, adventurous and engaging, with gorgeous illustrations that captures our grown-up hearts and our children’s curiosity.

I’m so happy to be here today with another fun book for children! This one is all about young Albert Einstein, a boy who grew into a man whose ideas changed the world. I have always been fascinated by him. I think we all remember the days when mom would come in and turn out the lights, plunging our bedrooms into darkness in the hopes that we would drift off to sleep soon. Did that ever really happen? No. Some of us pulled out flashlights and read under the covers. Some of us jumped out of bed and built a fort in the dark. Albert went on space adventures, and this book takes us along for the ride.

I think the thing I love most about Riding on a Beam of Light is the strong emphasis placed on curiosity, discovery, imagination, and free thinking. Albert is proof that young minds can do great things, and that message is conveyed to readers. The whimsical rhyming and illustrations bursting with color strike up a feeling of awe and excitement. It’s absolutely magical. I also think that this is a wonderful way to introduce science at an early age. I’ve run across many Einstein wannabes in my years of teaching and working with kids, and I can just picture a few of them absolutely LOVING Riding on a Beam of Light. I’m going to end with my very favorite illustration from the book. I think Mr. Einstein would agree that this is where it all started.

Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2) by Emmy Laybourne (Book Review)

Posted June 17, 2013 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 13 Comments

Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2) by Emmy Laybourne (Book Review)Sky on Fire by Emmy Laybourne
Series: Monument 14 #2
Also in this series: Monument 14
Published by Feiwel and Friends on May 28, 2013
Genres: Dystopia, Post-Apocalyptic, Survival
Pages: 212
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher (Mail)
Add to Goodreads
Buy on Amazon

Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope.

Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . .

Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . . .

If you read my review of Monument 14 last summer, you know I got quite attached to the children in this series. I’m not sure if it’s because I work with children all the time, or what, but I just had to know what happened to all of them–especially the ones who drove off in search of help at the end of the last book. What a cliffhanger to end on! Luckily, Sky on Fire picks up right where we left off and it does not take too much time to refresh your memory before being thrown right back into the action. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. I feel like there was a lot more action in this installment. Half the kids are driving a torn up bus through the ravaged towns and cities in search of a way to a safer world. Their goal is to make it to the Denver airport. All the while, they are trying to keep exposure to the atmosphere at a minimum, due to the dangerous effects of the chemicals in the air. This part of the story was the most exciting, and had me flying through the pages. The kids get attacked, their bus gets stolen, they find a little humanity left in the world, and they really get pushed to the limits. I was SO scared for them as I read.

2. And then we have the kids who stayed back at the store. Most of them become aggressive, murderous monsters when exposed to the chemicals, so they end up waiting things out in the hopes that their friends bring back rescuers. They are faced with their challenges as well including walls being torn down and letting the chemicals in, losing their electricity, and dealing with intruders.

3. I really like how the story flips back and forth between the two brothers, Alex and Dean. Alex, the younger brother, decided to go off in the bus with Niko and the others, while Dean stayed back with a pregnant Astrid and the little ones. We get to read Dean’s story as it happens, and Alex’s in the form of a journal he kept as a letter to Dean in case they didn’t make it.

4. Because such a huge part of the story takes place outside of the store, we finally get to see what’s really going on in the world during this time. The chemicals have absolutely decimated the place. These chemicals are so powerful, that they dissolve rubber after a few hours. The few remaining survivors are pretty much insane, heartless, or not even human anymore. The world has been plunged into complete darkness. Scary! I really liked seeing what’s been going on outside the store.

5. Alex really shown in this novel, whereas I hardly remember him as being anything more than annoying in the first one. He has had to grown up, mature, and learn to remain level-headed. I liked reading his thoughts much more than Dean’s this time around.

6. Dean’s chapters were rather monotonous. There’s only so much that can happen in a store, and though some more intruders arrive and a romance blooms (one I’m not so sure I like, for that matter), I really looked forward to getting back to Alex.

7. Our supporting characters do not play the same dynamic roles this time around, and I really did not get to hear much about them. I missed little doomsday priest Batiste, although he is there piping in every once in a while. I think a little character development had to fall to the wayside since Alex was writing about his impressions, not giving us a play-by-play of what everyone is up to. Honestly, I didn’t mind much. I was so interested in what was going on, and how things would turn out, that I didn’t crave the dialogue between characters as much as I would have if they had all stayed in the store.

8. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. SO much happened! I had to keep reminding myself that these kids had only been living like this for a couple of weeks, because it’s insane how much happens to them and how long it takes to get places.

9. I was super satisfied with the ending (holy crap, it was tense and insane) until the last paragraph or so. I was thinking we were done, but BOOM. Cliffhanger! We are not done with kids of Monument yet, and I’m kind of excited to see where things go next.

All in all, Sky on Fire is a great read. It’s fast, action-packed, and I love those kids! I just want to squeeze them and save them from their world. They still have the strong determination to survive that they did in Monument 14, and I just LOVE watching children being portrayed in books as strong. I still love how much they care for each other. They are tenacious and smart, and they work with what they have. I just loved reading about them. Definitely read this book if enjoyed Monument 14, because I’m pretty sure I like this one better!