Review: The Archived

Title: The Archived

Author: Victoria Schwab
Released: January 22, 2013

Summary: Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was: a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now that her little brother is gone too, Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hardwon redemption.

My Review: Victoria Schwab captivated me with her beautiful writing in The Near Witch, so I was more than excited to read her latest, The Archived.

What I loved: Everything! The story was unique and so were each of the characters. The world of The Archived jumped off the page and had enough creepy to keep me on the edge of my seat and enough of Wesley to keep me hooked. This book has so many intricate details to it but I never felt overwhelmed, everything just fit.

The Archived is sure to intrigue and captivate many readers. I am generally not a fan of ghost stories but I was totally sold on this one. There is so much more to be told in this story, I'm sure, and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

5 out 5 stars HANDS DOWN!

Review: Stealing Parker

Stealing Parker
by Miranda Kenneally
Release: October 1, 2012

Summary: Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She's on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she's made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother's scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three. Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

My Review:

What I loved: Miranda Kenneally has a way with words that ultimately suck you into the story. I picked up Stealing Parker and read the entire book in one sitting, I just couldn't put it down. The relationships that Parker has seem real, regardless if you agree with them or not. Parker has flaws, doubts, and insecurities and all of those make her a well-rounded character. I didn't always agree with the choices she made but I appreciated her self-reflection and ultimately the end result.

I also enjoyed how this book went right along with Catching Jordan. I liked that the characters were interwoven as it gave some familiarity to the story.

Overall, another hit for Miranda Kenneally. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Books I Wouldn't Have Picked for Myself

In a previous post, I told you all that because of the book club I am in, I am reading books that I wouldn't have normally picked or been drawn to.  It's out of my comfort zone and it's a good experience.  Thanks to my new book friends, here are a couple of books that I have read that I would have missed out on otherwise.

I give One True Thing 3 solid stars.  This book made me cry and deal with a topic that I don't normally care to read about...cancer.  Books on this topic generally make me uncomfortable and I struggle with my own emotions and feelings as I read.  I thought Anna Quindlen did a great job of making the reader have an emotional connection to the characters and the overall story.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.  This book was released in 2008 and I would not have ever read it had it not been picked for our book club.  I loved how the story weaved through several generations.  I also loved how the majority of it took place in England.  This book was a little longer than many of the books I have recently read and it took a little bit for me to really get into the story but once  I did, I was hooked.  I think I will definitely visit more of Morton's books.

Review: Just One Day

Just One Day had three of my favorite story lines, travel, friendship, and love. I loved so much about this book and it is one that I will be sure to recommend over and over.

First of all, I wasn't expecting the depth that this plot would have. This is not a book that you can just put down and walk away from. This is a story that will stay with you. Allyson is an amazing character. I think readers will be pulling for her the entire time because after her amazing day in Paris, that just cannot be it for her and Willem's story. 

Read the rest of my review over at YABC.

Back to Blogging

So it has been a while since I have posted anything other than some book reviews I had scheduled.  You could say that the last 5 months of 2012 were nothing short of stressful.  I did a lot of crying, soul-searching, and hiding.  I'm pleased to say that I kicked 2012 in the rear and am raring to go into 2013.  I'm excited about a big change that is on the way.  Nothing I can really share yet, but it's something that I know will be a great thing for me and my family.

I'm excited that I am finally part of a book club that actually meets to talk about books.  I LOVE my online community of book friends but there is something special about sitting down with people and talking about books over a cup of tea.  I also love being a part of this group because it is getting me to read books that I would not have otherwise picked up.  We've already read and discussed our first book, Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden.  I loved it and will definitely be reading more of her books.  Her writing is beautiful.  Our book for next month is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  I just picked it up today and I am really excited to start reading it.

I've also been reading a lot of Royal Biographies.  I'm really digging those.  My husband says that I was born in the wrong country...I should be British.  I just received the Official Biography of the Queen Mother in the mail and it is a whopping 943 pages, so I'm sure I'll be reading that for quite a while.

So my goal is to break out of my comfort zone and get more involved in the blogging community.  Please feel free to comment and/or  follow so I can get to know more of you as well.

Happy 2013 friends, it has hard to believe we are almost at the end of January!

Review: Love and Other Perishable Items

I really wanted to love this book. It really fell flat for me and I struggled to get through parts of it. I did like that the book is told through alternating points of view-Amelia and Chris. Overall, I felt at like both characters were so sad and unhappy. It got a little tedious to read over and over about the unhappiness of both main characters.

I think Amelia did learn a lot from her friendship with Chris. Chris is very book smart and has a great understanding of literature. He and Amelia have some great conversations about books. In my opinion, Amelia has a somewhat naive view of the world. I'm all for fairness and equality but some of her thoughts on feminism seemed over the top. Again, just my opinion. I hope that if we saw these characters 4 or 5 years down the road that we would see them both more mature and happy with their families and personal lives. I'm not sure that I would want to see them together in a romantic relationship but I would like to see them as good friends that are able to to talk, share, and laugh together.

This book takes place in Australia, so some of the language may seem different to you. This is not a reason to stay away from this book but it is different. If you want a happy, everything tied up in a pretty bow kind of book then this is not the one for you. I think this book is less about falling in love and more about finding yourself.

Review: Meant to Be

First....a book that takes place in London? Count me in! On Julia's trip to London with her fellow students, she gets the opportunity to see the biggest and best sites the city has to offer. And thanks to Jason, the one person she did not want to be partnered with, she gets to see some places off the beaten path as well.

Julia is the type of character that I love but can also annoy me at the same time. Until the trip, she is completely by the book. She has good grades and always follows the rules. When she gets to London she is paired with Jason, and Julia's world is turned upside down. Throughout this trip, she is constantly arguing with herself about what she should or shouldn't do. She is very stubborn and set in her ways and because of that I think she misses a lot of opportunities along the way.

There were some unexpected twists in this story for me and Julia learns an important lesson from her mom from all the way across the pond. This along with clever writing, some klutzy moments, a few almost kisses, and one sweet kiss in the rain are just some of the reasons why I liked this book so much.