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Got it and so excited!! ALA Midwinter Conference 2016

Book Summary
Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

Flo's Review
This book was quite the game. Seriously. My journey reading this book had just about as many twists and turns as Scarlett's adventures at Caraval. 

I struggled for the first half to 2/3rds of the book. I just could not with Scarlett. I don't know if I have ever read someone so inside his or her own head. I am sure there are people like that in the world, but it's really a little bit painful reading that character. At times it felt like I was just reading so much of Scarlett's broken record thoughts and not enough of the magic. 

Because the magic is where this book excels! Stephanie Garber's writing is absolutely beautiful. She doesn't just describe things with words -- she sings them, she creates them, she encapsulates them with all 5 senses and then some. 

Another thing I struggled with was Scarlett's and Julian's banter. I think it was supposed to be cute and coy and show the tension between them. But it just seemed to me like they were snipping at each other in many exchanges that went on for far too long. Their bickering exhausted me. 

But now let's bounce back to something else I liked about this book. The plot twists! There were several, and I didn't see any of them coming. I definitely knew that things would not be as they seemed, but it is just so incredibly creative, this story. 

Finally, a note about the audiobook. I think one reason I vacillated with my opinions about this book is because I was so ready to love it. This book was definitely one of the more popular and most anticipated 2017 titles, and that definitely raised the bar. One reason I was so excited for it was because I found out that the audiobook was narrated by Rebecca Soler. She is absolutely one of my favorite audiobook readers! She read the Cinder series, and I listened to all of those with her. So when I heard that she was doing Caraval, I was ready for another journey. Rebecca did not disappoint, and though I have finished listening to the story, the audiobook contains a bonus interview with author Stephanie Garber. I am looking forward to listening to it tomorrow as I drive around! 

So now that I am off of the ride that is Caraval, I will give it a 3 out of 5 stars and add book #2 to my TBR.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Book Summary
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. 

Flo's Review
The Fifth Wave movie comes out January 22, and I wanted to be sure to read it before seeing it. I figured I'd ask Jacque and Mary if they wanted to make it this month's read along, and they were on board with the idea. It took me awhile to read this one, because I was trying to read it during the busy month of December and starting back in January, which -- as we all know -- can be a busy, busy time with little extra time for extras. But I was finally able to finish on my way to ALA Midwinter.

Flo and author Rick at the Miami Book Fair in November 2015

I liked this story! I enjoyed reading Cassie -- she has great attitude, humor, and perseverance. I liked the weight that a promise held for several characters of the book. This book can be read on a deeper lever, as Rick Yancey explores what is means to be human. It's not just physical, but it is in our reactions, emotions, and more. I had the opportunity to see Rick Yancey speak at the Miami Book Fair in November 2015 and he explained how he had often seen alien invasion type books and/or movies where humans in all their awesomeness can defeat the aliens and YAY! humans. And not that humans aren't awesome, but he was really into the exploring the idea -- what if the aliens are really smart and clever as well? I was definitely blown away by some of the things they orchestrated and how much thought and planning went into the waves. Rick Yancey also has some deep and beautiful, highly thought-provoking prose that will just casually come out of his character's minds as they are fighting to survive.


This book is full of action, and as I was reading it, I was thinking of what a great movie it will be. I am very happy that I was able to read it when I did, and I can't wait to see these characters on the big screen!

Final question: I've talked to a few people who didn't love the next book in the series, The Infinite Sea. Have you read it? Should I give it a go?

Jacque's Review:

Like Flo, I really enjoyed The 5th Wave.  It was action packed and unpredictable, which kept me constantly wanting to know what would happen next.  As the pieces of the puzzle began to come together, I became so engrossed that I didn't realize how close to the end I was.  Then, it just stopped.  I was reading an ebook, so those things can easily happen, but I was still shocked.  There were so many loose ends and unresolved issues that there HAD to be a few more chapters I was missing.  WRONG!  

That is when I went to Goodreads and discovered there is a second book in the series.  I immediately tweeted Flo and was like, how can this be?  Fortunately, The Infinite Sea is available, so I guess I will be reading it in the near future.  I certainly can't leave these wonderful characters in limbo for all eternity....or perhaps that is what the "Others" would like for me to do.  

The final book in the series, The Last Star, will be released on May 24, 2016.   I was beyond excited to see that I will be able to conclude the series without having to wait even a few months between books.  Flo's timing in selecting this series couldn't have been better.  

There was an award show one of the nights I was in Boston attending the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting. Since I missed it, I figured it appropriate to do some mini awards with the books I got. Disclaimer: As I mentioned in the last post, the majority of my books are still in transit. So this post, while wholly accurate, is pulling from only the sample of books I was able to bring home with me in my suitcase.

Now, without further ado, the winners are...

Most Anticipated (I'll probably read this next): Heir to the Sky by Amanda Sun

Book I'm Most Excited About That I Didn't Know Existed Until I Saw It: A Tyranny of Petticoats, edited by Jessica Spotswood

Cover Love: And I Darken by Kiersten White

Non-YA Read that I'm Looking Forward To: Your Favorite Band is Killing Me by Steven Hyden

Best Surprise (you should have seen our reactions when they pulled this one out!): Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

Save the Best of Last (the last book I picked up from the show): Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott

Which of these are you most looking forward to?

Oh, I love book conferences! I was able to attend the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in 2015 for the first time, and I had to go back to this year. Definitely one of the hardest parts about book conferences is shipping your books back to you and then having to wait for them to arrive! The 5 boxes (in my defense, some of the boxes are small -- lol!) I sent myself are set to arrive Tuesday. I've been stalking the tracking in hopes that they get here early and magically show up today, but I don't think so,

However, I still need to do my review and I need to do it today, so I will improvise! I'll talk about a couple of random things that are here and there in the next two posts, and I hope you enjoy having this look at it.

Swag is a fun bonus for upcoming releases. I have soo much swag, and I always like seeing the creative things that people will come up with to promote books. So I wanted to share with you some of my favorite swag that I got at the conference:
Starting at the top -- a duffel bag! I'm used to getting totes, which are nice, but I didn't have a useful duffel bag until now. Thank you, Simon!

Bottom row, from left to right -- These "Read" prints are actually really beautiful and are on nice quality card stock. We were commenting how they are perfect for framing. I might just do that. The 5 Hour Energy just made me laugh! Apparently they understand how intense conferencing is! Both of those are also from Simon and Schuster.

The Passenger notebook is a nice notebook, perfect size for sticking in my purse and carrying around. Also, I really enjoyed the book, which I had an opportunity to read a few weeks ago. The pamphlet next to it is a Magnus Chase guide to Boston. I haven't read this book yet, but I am looking forward to doing so! Apparently it takes place in Boston, so Disney put together a guide about all the places you can visit that are featured in the book. Props to Disney for both the little journal and the Boston guide.

Next to it are Boxcar magnet bookmarks. As in, the Boxcar Children! Throwback to my childhood! I can't remember where I picked them up, but I am pretty excited about them. Finally, AW Teen had these cute starfish bookmarks (pictured above the Boxcar Children). I love it! I am definitely using it with my next read.

In the next post, you'll see some books :)

Book Summary
For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.
To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high. 

Flo's Review
What a cute and fun story! I had started this back when I had a copy of the e-book ARC a year ago. I stayed up late one night reading it because it was going to expire off my Nook and I wanted to finish it before that happened. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it, and the book was gone with me only about halfway through. Fast forward to ALA Midwinter this January when I was able to pick up a copy of the book from the Harper booth. I was on a cruise this weekend and needed something fun and light to read while sunning on the cruise ship deck. On the Fence came with me. 

Even though it had been several months since I had read it last, I was able to pick up the story right where I had left off. I loved the relationship between Charlie and her brothers. Being a girl who often finds herself hanging out with just guys and has even heard the comment, "You're like one of the guys!" I could relate to Charlie in some way. But what I really enjoyed about this book was Charlie coming into her own. At the beginning she only sees herself as this tomboy type, but as the story develops she taps into her feminine side and has to learn how to meld the two. There is something almost magical about having these secret conversations in the middle of the night, back to back on the fence. It facilitates an openness and honesty that real life cannot. Charlie and Braden may have gotten to the point where they end up by the conclusion of the story, but it would have taken a lot longer without the fence.

This was my first Kasie West book and I'm ready for more! I have The Distance Between Us on my Nook and a physical copy of The Fill-In Boyfriend, and next time I want a fun read, I'll have to reach for one of those.

I've had the opportunity to go to numerous bookish events over the years, but I have never been to any ALA (American Library Association) ones. Over the years I have heard many good things, so I decided 2015 was my year! So much of the fun of this conference was in the planning. I am a Florida girl, as you may know. ALA Midwinter 2015 took place in Chicago. In January. You have no idea how many times I heard, "You're to Chicago? in January??" But I pulled out my biggest coat and all my winter gear, and I hopped on the plane Friday evening.

I was lucky enough to be sharing the experience with some amazing bloggers -- Ana from Owl Always Be Reading, Leydy from Once Upon a Twilight, and Danielle from Love at First Page.

My beautiful partners in book obsession.

Book Summary
Aspiring chef Cade Maxwell is immediately, viscerally attracted to Winter Jacobson. But it’s not her mouthwatering curves he’s drawn to—it’s the strange emptiness in her eyes. When Cade saves her from a drunken customer with grabby hands, he’s shocked at her response…... 
Winter doesn’t need Cade’s help. After a lifetime of getting by on her own, she’s happy to rely on herself. She’s exactly seventy-six days away from graduating college, and if she can hold it together that long, she’ll finally be able to rise above the crappy hand she was dealt. 
But now, every time she turns around, Cade is there, ready to push her, smile at her, distract her from her plans. Winter knows she can’t afford to open up—especially to a man she’s terrified to actually want….

Flo's Review
I've had a copy of Caged in Winter for awhile now, but hadn't gotten the chance to read it. However, when I learned that Brighton would be at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Chicago, I took the book as my read for the plane in hopes that I could get her to sign it at the show. And Brighton's the sweetest, y'all! But let's talk about this book--

I really enjoyed reading about Cade and Winter. Cade is one of those characters who is not what he appears to be. He has tattoos and piercings and a strong physical presence, but at heart he is loving and self-sacrificing to a fault. Winter goes on the biggest emotional journey in the book, but Cade has one as well. It was nice to see him listen to his friends, family, and Winter and take a look at the life he's been living from another perspective. His sister Tessa and Winter both make him re-evaluate his staunch position. Everything he has done and continues to do is out of love, but the giving needs to wrap back around to himself as well.

Watching Cade break down Winter's barriers was a beautiful thing. I love that it started with a simple walk to the bus stop after work and then grew from there. That's the type of story you tell the grandkids, you know?!? "I walked her from work to the bus stop day after day until she gave me the time of day." Winter was able to put on a front at work, but Cade saw right through that and saw her underneath. *swoons* At times I was like, "C'mon Winter!!!" with her stubbornness and her refusal to let him in, but her hesitation made sense. But when she is finally able to look at her life and her choices in another way, thanks to Cade and Annette, it heartening to see things with her through new eyes.

I need the next book, Tessa Ever After, in my life immediately.