What I've Been Reading - September 2015

 

Last month, I finally finished my Summer Reading Challenge, which focused on reading books that had been gathering dust on my shelves. During that time, there were so many ARCs and recommendations for books I could not WAIT to read.

Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In Between by Jennifer E Smith

I love Jennifer E Smith, and even had the awesome privilege to interview her on my blog. I admire her writing style, which is 3rd person, present tense--an extremely hard combo to write in! Her stories are always fun and swooney. Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In Between follows the last night Clare and Aidan have together before they leave for college. Jennifer did such an excellent job capturing the last minute doubts and nerves before leaving for college, while also showing the strains the college process can take on families and friends, as well as the teen. I finished this book with a heavy heart and a goofy smile. I'd love to put this in the hands of every graduating high school senior. Hello, Goodbye, And Everything In Between is out now.

The Shadow Queen by C. J. Redwine

I've also had the opportunity to interview C.J. Redwine on my blog and was really excited for this ARC (which I stole from Jodi Meadows when I went to stay with her a few weeks ago). Going in, all I knew was that there were dragons and it was a Snow White retelling. 

What I was not expecting was for this to be such a high-energy, thrilling story. Lorelai was a brave and fearless main character, who took on her evil stepmother's magic with the powerful force of her own.

What really made this book exciting was Kole, a reluctant king who needs help in protecting his half-dragon, half-human kingdom from ogres. I loved the descriptions of his two hearts (one human and one dragon), and how one overpowered the other.

I'm excited for this series, which is several retellings that stand alone. The Shadow Queen comes out in February 2016.

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

You know it's a good book when you mention that you're reading it, and you get this reaction on Twitter.

I'll Meet You There combined some of my favorite things: a wounded Marine, a feisty girl, a lower-middle class setting, and blue collared jobs.

I'm not sure what there is to say that most haven't already. It's become a favorite with many readers in my circle, so I'm late to the party with this one. It came out in February 2015.

What's Up Next

Una LaMache is one of my favorite authors. I loved Like No Other, and was super excited about Don't Fail Me Now, which is about two teens who live in Maryland (my home state) and go searching for their dying father.

Also highly recommended has been A Million Miles Away, which is an Alloy-developed romance about a twin girl stepping into her deceased sister's shoes when her sister's boyfriend comes home from Afghanistan.