Teaser Tuesday-All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"He could be considerate, loving, and sweet, The morning I suggested therapy, he was none of those things." 

pg 19 All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

June Graphic Novel Review

Fables vol 2 & 3

Still enjoying Fables. Looking forward to seeing how the Snow & Bigby storyline works out.

The Heartbreak Diet

The story of a woman as her marriage is ending. Well done but sad.

The Last Unicorn 

A childhood favorite. I enjoyed the graphic novel but want to see the movie again.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

The Art of Not Having It All

I liked the title of this one. 

Bento Box In The Heartland

Really behind on my goal for the Foodies Read 2 challenge. I'm hoping to read this one for that challenge. Plus it sounded interesting.

If I Stay

I enjoyed the other Gayle Forman's books I read. I've heard good things about If I Stay. I just need have the tissues handy.

What did you get this week? Share your post below!

Teaser Tuesday-Fresh Off The Boat by Eddie Huang

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Teachers would try to ask us questions about math or science and we would answer back with news about Shaq coming to Orlando. It was an exciting time."
pg 37 Fresh Off The Boat by Eddie Huang

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

I added Three Wishes to my library hold list because I've enjoyed Moriarty's other books. This is her first book. I can see how her writing style has changed over the course of the other books. Three Wishes is still very good but you can see the subtle differences between this one and the later books.

Cat, Lyn, and Gemma Kettle are triplets. Cat and her husband are trying to have a baby. Lyn is trying to manage her business and her family (a daughter, step-daughter, and husband). Gemma is footloose and fancy-free. The sisters are very close and spend a lot of time with each other. Each have their own problems. Cat and her husband are having marital problems. Lyn's having panic attacks. Gemma is haunted by an abusive ex. Then there are their divorced parents who are always around. Three Wishes is very much a family drama with lots of comedy.

If you've read any of Moriarty's books, you know something happens at the beginning and then she spends the rest of the novel showing you how we got to the big event. I did enjoy the time I spent with the Kettle triplets. I could see them so vividly. I loved how they jumped off the page. Moriarty has a great way of writing such fantastic characters. I look forward to my next Moriarty book. Others who shared their thoughts on Three Wishes: Words from the Sowul, See Michelle Read, and BookKitty Blog.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Made By Hand

I spotted this one on the shelf. I always want to make more things by hand. Hopefully this will inspire me. 

Rushed To The Altar

Since reading Trapped At The Altar last year, I've been meaning to read more of Feather's books. And what's with the titles of these books? Geesh. 

The Beekeeper's Daughter

I'm almost done with the What's in A Name Challenge. If I read The Beekeeper's Daughter, it would satisfy the familial category. And I say if because sometimes I don't get to book before they are due back to the library. 

What did you pick up this week?. Claire's got the linky this week.

Teaser Tuesday-Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"She looked at the familiar photos that lined the walls. The traditional Kettle Triplet pose: Gemma in the middle, Lyn and Cat on either side."
pg 40 Three Wishes by Laine Moriarty

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

I picked up This Song Will Save Your Life from the library because I had heard good things about it when it came out. I had wanted to read it but you know how life goes? Any I'm sad that I waited so long but super excited that I finally read This Song Will Save Your Life. I want to press this book into the hands of every young person who thinks their life sucks and say see you are not alone. I identified with Elise and I think a lot of other people will too.

Elise is in high school. She has no friends. Well she has 2 friends but they aren't really her friends. They are just all unpopular together. Elise has trouble sleeping so she wanders her town at night. One night she runs into 2 girls who think she's looking for the underground dance party they are headed to. There Elise finds a world where she belongs. Elise is finally happy until one day her whole school starts reading her blog, a blog that Elise isn't writing.

Elise could have been me in high school. I wasn't popular. I spent a lot of time, home alone with my parents. I could relate to not being the popular one. I understood Elise's suicidal thoughts. And just like Elise, music saved my life. Unlike Elise, I never attempted suicide but I remember feeling so alone and wondering why I couldn't be like everyone else. I wish This Song Will Save Your Life had been around then. I might have felt a little better.

I loved Elise. She's herself. In a world where people are trying to be like someone else, here's Elise, comfortable in her own skin. She's got her music. Yeah, life sucks. No boys like her. Her friends are obsessed with the popular kids. But when she finds Start, the underground dance party, her world opens up beyond high school. I loved how she found a world where she belonged. And some new friends who didn't see her as a loser, but as a beautiful person they wanted to hang out with.

I also loved Elise's family. Especially her parents. Ok, she was sneaking out of their houses at midnight to roam around her town. I found it so bizarre that no one noticed a 16 year old girl, wandering around at midnight. If I'd tried that someone would have spotted me. But her parents were cool and tried to help Elise especially when they realized that she not only found a way to cope but something she truly loved.

I loved This Song Will Save Your Life. If high school or college wasn't the best time of your life. If you thought that life might be better without you in it. If you ever felt left out, not like everyone else, the odd duck, then this book is for you. Being who you are and finding what you love is where it's at. Others who shared their thoughts on This Song Will Save Your Life: The Perpetual Page Turner, There Were Books Involved, and The Flyleaf Review.

May Goals Update

How did I do this month on my goals? Apparently I forgot to post about my April progress so I'll include that in this update.

1. Make one meatless meal for dinner a week. Just a couple of fritattas. I kind of fell off the meatless wagon when Tai asked me to limit the dairy in our dinners. Most of the meatless meals I know how to make rely on cheese. And now it's too hot for me to make elaborate meals. Not that meatless have to be elaborate. Anyway, I'm still working on it.

2. Continue working on my fitness and lose another 30 lbs. I'm still doing my kettlebell workouts. I've added a couple of dumbell workouts too to work on my back and chest. I have a pinterest board for workouts.

3. Go back to meal planning. Totally fallen off the wagon. It's way too hot for me to really cook. So meal planning has been salads and more salads.

4. Schedule one do nothing, stay home weekend a month. June is when we get really busy but Tai's injured his calf muscle so volleyball has been out for him. Which was usually causes us to be busy. I'm enjoying the respite.

5. Plan one trip with Tai this year. Tossed around a couple of ideas but will likely wait to the fall or winter.

6. Get a will and other necessary estate planning documents. Haven't even thought about this.

7. Clean and declutter one room a month. Fell off the wagon here too. Just haven't had the motivation.

8. Do one things for myself a month. I had a massage and went to the spa.

9. Watch one older (pre-2014) movie a month. I need to keep better track of this. I'm sure I did watch at least one older movie this month.

10. Learn to make 5 Japanese dishes.  Haven't thought about this recently.

11. Stop complaining and start sharing my gratitude. I've been a lot better about this.

12. Take 2 cooking classes. This will wait til the fall.

In A World Just Right by Jen Brooks

I heard about In A World Just Right from one of those best of the month lists. A boy who could create worlds? Sounded interesting. It took a long time for me to like In A World Just Right, then I felt the rug get pulled out from under me, but I thought the end was fitting.

Jonathan survived a horrible plane crash that took his mom, dad, sister, his aunt, and her unborn baby. At first he was in a coma but when he came to, he was covered in scars. He found it hard to make friends and isolated himself. In his isolation, he discovered he could build alternate worlds. He could disappear from the real world and lose himself in this other worlds that suited his needs. One day he creates a world where his crush, Kylie, loves him. He's happy in that world but keeps returning to his real world. He desperately wants real Kylie to love him like girlfriend Kylie. He struggles to stay in the real world and wants girlfriend Kylie to be real. By accident, he attempts to kiss real Kylie mistaking her for girlfriend Kylie. Then these two worlds seem to start to meld.

Jonathan was understandably lonely and in so much pain. I did want to understand him but he was really selfish, it was hard for me to like him. Then, just as I starting to like him and understand him, Brooks threw in a huge curve ball. That took me a while to deal with but I like where Brooks took the book. For me, the idea of how to be happy was so integral in this book. Do you make yourself unhappy by ignore the happiness around you or do other people make you unhappy? It was an interesting read and a lot deeper than I was expecting.

I enjoyed the sci-fi aspects of the book. It was too angsty for me in parts. I didn't like the main character, Jonathan, enough to want to recommend this book. If it finds its way to you, read it. I wouldn't really seek it out. Others who shared their thoughts on In A World Just Right: YA Midnight Reads, Afterwritten and Willa's Ramblings.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

All or Nothing

Another one for the Foodies Read 2 Challenge.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

A collection of Alexie's short stories. I've been wanting to read more by Alexie.

Mara

New to me graphic novel by Brian Wood, one of my favorite graphic novel writers.

What did you get this week? Share below!

Teaser Tuesday- The Unexpected Duchess by Valerie Bowman

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"And to make it even more frustrating, Lady Lucy was too beautiful. The entire thing would be so much easier to deal with if she had a plain face or a giant wart on her nose."

pg 59 The Unexpected Duchess by Valerie Bowman

May Book Tally

Picking Bones From Ash by Marie Mutsuki Mockett
Charlotte Somtimes by Penelope Farmer
Miss Mayhem by Rachel Hawkins
A + E 4ever by i merey
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
Rat Queens vol 2 by Kurtis J Wiebe
Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff
One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakruni
God Loves Hair by Vivek Shraya
Women of The Harlem Renaissance by Lisa Beringer McKissack
The Dark by Lemony Snicket
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Tam Lin by Jane Yolen
I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson
The Heir by Kiera Cass
How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
How Mirka Met A Meterorite by Barry Deutsch
Fables vol 1  by Bill Willingham
Birth of A Nation by Aaron McGruder
The Intrepids by Kurtis J Wiebe

May was an amazing month. I read a lot of books and I read a lot of great books. You know when you hit a stride and it seems like nothing will stand in your way? Yeah that was me this month. I also reviewed a ton. And I passed the halfway mark to 150!

Stats:

What's In A Name Challenge: this month: 1 (Brooklyn, Burning ) YTD: 4

Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge: this month: 8(A +E 4Ever, Rat Queens vol2, Smile, Howe Mirka Got Her Sword, How Mirka Met a Meteroite, Fables vol1, Birth of A Nation, The Intrepids) YTD :31

Historical Reading Challenge: this month: 0 ( none this month) YTD: 7

Foodies Read Challenge this month: 0 (none this month) YTD: 3

Total: 82

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

I added I'll Give You The Sun because of all the hype. Honestly I almost didn't finish I'll Give You The Sun. It was too weird. But I finished and thoroughly enjoyed the ending but it took so much to get there.

Noah and Jude are twins. At thirteen, Noah's artistic and socially awkward while Jude is popular. At sixteen, Jude is a loner and makes misshapen art while Noah runs track and hangs out with the cool kids. The story alternates between the twins and between the different years. What happened to create this role reversal between the two?

At thirteen, Noah made no sense to me. The way he talked was so peculiar, that I just kept thinking how weird this book was. And the transitions between them being 13 and 16 weren't always clear. The story just doesn't make a whole of sense and I really didn't care about any of the characters until about 2/3 of the way through. Once I got to that part my enjoyment increased. But I don't know why it was a mystery, a lot of the book would have made more sense had things been explained earlier. I liked Noah and Jude's interactions especially when they were 13. I stuck with it because I had to know why people were so gaga over this one. It was a long journey but I definitely enjoyed the end. The hype couldn't have been just for the end so I think I missed what made I'll Give You The Sun so amazing. Others who shared their thoughts: Just A Hunch Book Blog, Gay YA, More Than Just Magic, and Forever 17 Books.

May Graphic Novel Reviews

Birth of A Nation

I didn't know what to expect but I throughly enjoyed this graphic novel. Great political commentary.

The Intrepids vol 1

I picked this one up because I'm a huge fan of Wiebe's Rat Queens. The Intrepids is good. I'm looking forward to volume 2.

A + E 4 ever

Great story about Ash and Eulalie, two teens who find each other in high school. Neither are very gender conforming so they help each other make it through the day. A little angsty for me but a solid read.

Rat Queens  vol 2

I'm such a Rat Queens fan girl. Another great volume in this series. I loved all the backstory in this one. Looking forward to the third.

Smile

A great story of a young girl who trips and falls, needing years of dental work. I loved the message of spend time on your insides not your outsides. Great read for teens and adults.

How Mirka Got Her Sword
A great story about a young Orthodox Jewish girl who wants to slay dragons while her family wants her to learn to be a good Jewish woman. Very well told. Good for middle grades and up.

How Mirka Met A Meteorite
Another great story about Mirka. A wonderful tale about being yourself and being brave.

Fables vol 1

Tai's been reading Fables and finally got me to start. Interesting story about fairy tales characters living in New York among regular people. Good story line, interesting characters. I'll be continuing the series.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Three Wishes

Still trying to read all of Moriarty's books.

My Year Of Meats

I got this for the Foodies Read 2 Challenge but after reading the Goodreads description, maybe not? "Ruth Ozeki’s mesmerizing debut novel has captivated readers and reviewers worldwide. When documentarian Jane Takagi-Little finally lands a job producing a Japanese television show that just happens to be sponsored by an American meat-exporting business, she uncovers some unsavory truths about love, fertility, and a dangerous hormone called DES. Soon she will also cross paths with Akiko Ueno, a beleaguered Japanese housewife struggling to escape her overbearing husband."

What did you get this week? Claire's got the linky!

Teaser Tuesday-In A World Just Right by Jen Brooks

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"It's a little sarcastic, the way I say it, but I'm edgy and annoyed about the analysis I've just received, and I want this to be over. The class ignores my tone and does its chitchat thing about what the poem means and who the speaker and the dead person be, and Kylie graciously participates."
pg 35 In A World Just Right by Jen Brooks

One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

I heard about One Amazing Thing on Erin Reads. Since I'm trying to read more books about POC, I added it to my tbr list. I'm so glad I did. One Amazing Thing is a phenomenal book that will keep you thinking for days.

Nine people survive an earthquake but are stuck in the Indian consulate. Nine strangers must attempt to survive as they wait to die or be rescued. One woman suggests they share their stories, tell the others about one amazing thing. At first, the group balks. Why should I tell you about myself? But slowly they start sharing, eager to be heard. Even thought they are from different walks of life, different ages, they all have stories of pain, disappointment, and loss. And even in the rubble of this consulate, maybe some hope.

One Amazing Thing is a slender novel, just about 200 pages. But I was amazed by how quickly the characters develop and how the story unfolded. This wasn't a quick story. I definitely wanted to savor their stories and think about how their stories effected their situations. I would recommend this for book  clubs. There is so much to talk about! It's not super heavy. I just wanted time to process and react to their stories.

I really enjoyed One Amazing Thing and I would recommend it. It's more in the adult fiction category but I think older teens might also enjoy it. Others who shared their thoughts on One Amazing Thing: Erin Reads, A Little Adrift, Linus's Blanket, and Caribousmom.