Steph The Bookworm

Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

May 17, 2012 By StephTheBookworm

Title: The Body Finder
Author: Kimberly Derting
Genre/Audience: Paranormal, young adult
Publication: Harper Teen, 2010
Source: Library

Summary: Violet Ambrose is your typical teenager… except that she can sense dead bodies. Recently murdered bodies call out to her with an “echo,” which can be a scent, sound, etc. The killer of each body has the same matching echo, forever linking the two together. When a serial killer comes to her town and starts killing teenage girls, Violet is eager to find the killer by searching for the echo she discovered on one of his victims. Searching alongsider her is her best friend, turned love interest, Jay. She’s desperate to find the killer before he kills again, or catches on to her…

My Thoughts: I finished this one awhile ago but have struggled with writing the review because I didn’t love the book, nor did I hate it. I’m kinda “meh” about it, and those are the hardest review to write, are they not?! I really have no feelings either way on this book, and most of my reviews are based on emotion. Maybe that’s not the best way to review, but that’s how I roll. So. I thought this book was good and interesting enough, but surprisingly, it never grabbed me! I thought it was cool that some of the chapters were from the POV of the killer, but all in all, this book was lacking the suspense and creepy factor I was hoping for. I also didn’t like the romance angle. It was lackluster and seemed to be lacking chemistry. While they made a good couple and I was rooting for them, I just wasn’t feeling it. I had been waiting to read this book FOREVER, and was so excited that it was on the books I could read for my YA Lit class for library school, but I was kind of disappointed. I know a ton of people who have read and LOVED it though, so don’t let my thoughts deter you from reading it. It just never clicked with me. I’d say it’s worth a read if you’re into paranormal YA’s, but definitely not a re-read for me. I don’t think I’ll continue on with the series either.

My Rating: 3/5

Filed Under: book reviews, fiction, paranormal, young adult 2 Comments

Review: All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin

April 28, 2012 By StephTheBookworm

Title: All These Things I’ve Done
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Genre/Audience: Young Adult fiction, dystopian
Publication: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011
Source: Library

Summary: It’s the year 2083, and New York City is riddled with crime. Chocolate and coffee are illegal, and paper and clothing hard to obtain. 16 year old Anya Balanchine, daughter of a notorious crime boss, is just trying to lead a normal life. She’s fallen in love with the D.A.’s son (the D.A. is none too happy that his son is dating an infamous Balanchine), and is busy taking care of her family after the murder of her parents. Her grandmother is bedridden and dying, and her older brother is mentally challenged, so things are hectic at home. Things get more crazy, though, when her ex-boyfriend is immediately poisoned and hospitalized after eating one of Anya’s contraband chocolate bars. Fingers are immediately pointed at Anya, because her family produces and sells the illegal chocolate, and she is thrown into a juvenile detention center. Anya knows she didn’t poison the chocolate, but now she must figure out who did, and why they are after the Balanchine family.

My Thoughts: This book was AWESOME! Anya was a great character and the writing was phenomenal. Even though the events of the story seemed unrealistic, I was totally wrapped up in it and was rooting for Anya the entire time. I liked her because she was a really strong female who showed no fear, and embraced her responsibilities without ever complaining. She was wise and courageous – definitely a strong character that readers will admire and look up to.

I loved reading about the intricacies of Anya’s crime family, the “mafiya,” (no, not mafia), and hearing all about the “family business.” Even though Anya’s father was a criminal, Anya admired him and he took care of his family, so it was easy to like him as well… a likable criminal – how about that! Even though Anya was brought up in a world of crime, she tries to stay away from it and keep her immediate family out of it, and as safe as possible, which proves to be difficult when her brother gets involved anyway. The romance story line was great as well… a forbidden love sort of thing – very intriguing (and frustrating)! Though it wasn’t really necessary for the story, I am a sucker for some romance, so whatever, I liked it.

I loved this dystopian novel, and the fast pace it moved at throughout the duration of the story. I am anxiously awaiting the sequel that’s due out this September!

My Rating: 4.5/5

Filed Under: book reviews, dystopian, fiction, young adult 4 Comments

Review: The Uninvited by Tim Wynne-Jones

April 18, 2012 By StephTheBookworm

Title: The Uninvited
Author: Tim Wynne-Jones
Genre/Audience: Young Adult fiction, mystery, suspense
Publication: Candlewick Press, 2009
Source: Library

Summary: Mimi Shapiro has just finished her first year of college at NYU. While there, she began an affair with a professor which did not end well. She desperately wants to get away, so her estranged father offers her his old cottage in Canada for the summer. She accepts his offer and when she arrives, is shocked to find a young man already inhabiting it. They soon discover they share the same father and that neither one knew about the other.

Quickly, her newfound brother, Jay, reveals that strange and frightening things have been happening at the cottage. As if their newly discovered relationship isn’t enough to deal with, they must now deal with these strange occurrences which Jay details: strange things showing up in the house (dead birds, snakeskin), and indescribable noises on his music recordings. Soon, the intruder turns more aggressive, breaking into the home and stealing the sibling’s possessions. What or who does he want? Can they catch him before things turn dangerous?

Summary: Umm, this book was weird. It won awards and was one of the options for me to read for my YA Lit. class, and I was sorely disappointed despite the promising sounding story line.

I loooove scary and creepy and I was totally expecting that with this book. Instead of scary creepy though, it was just… bizarre and gross creepy. As in, inappropriate relationships with no explanation or justification. We as the reader know who the intruder is from almost the beginning and I never found this person to be all that threatening or scary, just plain weird. So that took away a lot of the scary factor and mystery for me. I didn’t feel as though there was any suspense or mystery, just strange people doing even stranger things.

The relationships in this book were also weird and unrealistic. All sorts of secret siblings with hidden feelings for each other and a baby daddy that was basically a manwhore with lots of secret children.

This review is terrible and I’m sorry. I really cannot recommend this book though. I love weird stuff (my favorite author is Chuck Palahniuk, for crying out loud), but this was just plain bizarre without trying to be. If it was trying to be, then maybe I would have felt differently, but instead I was just disturbed. Now you all know I try to always be nice in my reviews and I will say that all the bizarre happenings intrigued me enough to finish this book… but the twisted relationships just really disturbed me and made it hard to like this story very much. It was definitely not my cup of tea, but maybe it’ll be yours?

My Rating: 1.5/5

Filed Under: book reviews, fiction, mystery, suspense, young adult 3 Comments

Life Lately.

April 9, 2012 By StephTheBookworm

Friends, I feel like we’ve been here before… ya know, I disappear for weeks on end, then come back with all sorts of lame excuses. And here we are again. Hooray!

So life lately. It’s been crazy and ridiculous and I’m trying to take it all in.

So, excuse number one. As many of you know, in January I was like, “eff being an unhealthy nastyass.” I blogged this post, telling you all about how I was going to lose weight, dammit! And I am! I’m doing it, it’s true! I’ve lost 25 pounds so far and I’m still going. It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but also the best. I’m busting my ass in the gym pretty much every day, and have cut out a lot of the crap I used to eat. There’s not much else to tell, except that it’s kind of consumed much of my life and time, but I’m happy about it. I will NEVER go back to the way I used to be. I love feeling healthy and being active. I can’t wait to be a hot librarian! HA. Maybe in a few months.

Speaking of librarians, I am in my second semester of library school. I’m graduating in May 2013. The work is piling on. It’s stressful, I’ll live, whatever.

My brother is getting married in June. I’ve been busy helping plan the bridal shower, bachelorette party, etc. Lots of work, but it will be worth it! My soon to be sister-in-law is already like a sister to me. We’re excited to have her officially be a part of the family.

I’ve also met a boy. He is wonderful and amazing. He lives in California. I live in New York. But that’s okay. We’re making it work and I couldn’t be happier.

Suffice it to say, all this stuff has made reading a little more difficult for me lately. I’m still reading, but at a slower pace than normal. I should have a review up this week though.

Thank you all for sticking with me for the past 2.5 years. Blogging has been a huge part of my life and I’ve met some of the most wonderful people. I’m not leaving, I’m not gone… and I’ll be back really soon. Love you all. <3

Filed Under: personal post 10 Comments

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

March 24, 2012 By StephTheBookworm

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Genre/Audience: Young Adult fiction, contemporary
Publication: Dutton, 2012
Source: Library

Summary: Hazel is a 16 year old living with thyroid and lung cancer. Since her diagnosis three years prior, she has adapted a negative attitude about life, and remains somewhat of a recluse, staying home with her parents, and reading her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, again and again, a novel about another young girl with cancer. The author, Peter Van Houten, lives in Amsterdam, and for years, Hazel has tried to contact him about the ending. The book finishes in the middle of a sentence, and it is Hazel’s greatest wish to speak to Peter and find out what becomes of all the characters. Her fan letters to him have been ignored.

The other thing Hazel does, besides read and watch reality TV, is attend a support group for other children with cancer. She dreads going, until one fateful night, when Augustus Waters, a 17 year old cancer survivor, shows up to a meeting. They connect instantly, and are soon spending all of their time together, falling in love. Hazel tries to push him away though. She says she is a “grenade,” meaning that she will die soon, and when she does, it will cause an explosion and hurt all those that love her. She doesn’t want to hurt Augustus when she dies, but despite her protestations, they fall very much in love.

Augustus still has his “Make a Wish” wish, and he uses it to bring Hazel to Amsterdam to meet Peter Van Houten, after he is able to contact with him via e-mail. When they arrive, he is incredibly rude, drunk, and vulgar, and worst of all, does not tell Hazel the ending, like he promised he would. Hazel is crushed, but things come crashing down when Augustus reveals heartbreaking news to Hazel that will turn everyone’s life upside down.

Though their love is hard, by knowing Augustus, Hazel learns to live again, and to love.

My Thoughts: This is really going to be a love letter of a review to a one John Green. Holy freaking cow, this book was phenomenal. I’ve had kind of a rough year, with a lot of big changes and heartbreak happening in my life, and I won’t lie, it’s really taken a toll on my reading and blogging. I’ve found it harder to connect with and enjoy books and blogging because my life has been in a bit of a disarray and this has really upset me… but anyways, this is all to say TFiOS made me feel that passion for reading again… FINALLY! While I was reading it, I remembered why I loved reading so much and for the first time in months, I couldn’t put a book down. As soon as I finished it, I made my mother read it. This was my first JG book, but it will NOT be my last. I’ve been wanting to read him forever now, and I’m so glad I finally have.

Basically, John Green freaking nailed it. For realsies. How he so accurately captured the voice of a 16 year old female, I will never know, but he did, and it was awesome. Hazel’s character felt so real and her emotions, negativity, outlook on life… all seemed so dead on. Augustus was charming, sweet, witty… and if I wasn’t over 18, I would for sure be like, “boyfriend!” I just LOVED these characters, which definitely contributed to my book love here.

Gahhh emotions. Oh, the emotions I felt, the highs and lows, the laughs, the almost tears… I felt it all. I love a book that can make me feel and I FELT so much during this book. I was so connected to the story, and invested in their lives and it was Just. So. Beautiful… all of it, even the sadness. I love that John Green captured the realities of this illness, and that he never once sugarcoated it. We saw the nitty gritties, and heard about all the nasty things having to do with cancer, BUT we also saw Hazel and Augustus for who they were as people, not just cancer kids. He brought them to life, even if they didn’t always feel like they were living. I loved the things they learned, the lessons they taught each other, the way they changed each others lives… it was all so powerful, but still down to earth and realistic.

I just loved this book more than words and I’m sorry for the babble. All I can say is READ THIS BOOK! READ IT NOWWWW!

My Rating: 5/5

Filed Under: book reviews, contemporary, fiction, young adult 6 Comments

Author Interview: Carlyle Clark and Suki Michelle

March 19, 2012 By StephTheBookworm

Today kicks off the blog tour for The Apocalypse Gene by Suki Michelle and Carlyle Clark through the Teen Book Scene. They are here today answering a few of my questions about their new book, a YA dystopian science fiction novel!

1. Do you think that any of what happens in the story could ever be a reality?

The beginning of it, absolutely. Some of the near-future technology elements already exist in some form or another, the only question is whether they will become part of the “social media”. It’s a very pacey time to be living. As for Pandemic, it’s getting oddly little play in the news, but right at this moment there is an epidemic of contagious cancer among Tasmanian devils. There’s no reason something similar couldn’t transfer to humans. So, weirdly, it is the most technical and the most frightening elements that are likely to come true.

2. What was the process for titling the book?

We made that a lot harder than it should have been. Suki and I are both adherents to the idea that the title should be very relevant to the story and we hemmed and hawed about choosing this line or that line from the book as “concrete” titles, and this or that metaphorical allegory for the title. We finally figured out that we should name the book after the key element of the story, which seems pretty obvious in retrospect.

3. Is there anything you would change about the book now, if you could?

Yes, we would make it a bit longer and show more of what life was like for our characters when they were not involved in a breakneck paced adventure to save the world. However, the pacing is exactly what some people like about the novel, so you really just have to accept that you can’t please everyone, not even yourself, when you’re writer.

4. What was the most frustrating thing about writing or publishing it?

The most frustrating thing was definitely writing it because, as we discovered, there wasn’t really anything similar to it on the market that we could find, so we pretty much had to wing it as there was no example to study and learn from. Still, we think that ended up being a good thing because so far even those who didn’t wind up being big fans of the book readily admit that it is unique and unpredictable. So perhaps all’s well that ends well?

Thank you both for being on StephTheBookworm today and answering some of my questions!

Filed Under: author interview, blog tour 1 Comment

Review: Bed by David Whitehouse

March 19, 2012 By StephTheBookworm

Title: Bed
Author: David Whitehouse
Genre/Audience: Literary fiction, adult
Publication: Scribner, 2011
Source: Library

Summary: This is the story of two English brothers, one of whom is Malcolm Ede, a man who got into bed 20 years ago on his 25th birthday and has not come out since and now weighs over 1,000 pounds. The novel is narrated by his younger, unnamed brother, who tells the story of Mal, and how it has affected their family and the people around them. The story switches between the past and the present, talking about their childhood, and now, how everyone’s life revolves around Mal who cannot even move.

My Thoughts: I thought this book sounded incredibly interesting. I’ll be the first to admit I’m addicted to all those documentary shows on TLC about strange/unique people, so I expected to love this book. However, despite the interesting subject matter, the book seemed to really drag. It seemed like the author was more focused on making this into some kind of epic literary statement piece rather than a story about a 1,400 pound man. Yes, it was technically about Mal, the 1,400 pound man, but it focused more on his brother and his anger about the situation. I really wanted to hear from Mal, know why he did it, how he felt about it, get a glimpse into his psyche, all that good stuff, but it was all his brother, reflecting on the situation and their childhood. I can’t say I’d highly recommend this book, sad to say. I didn’t dislike it, or hate it, but it was quite boring, which seems impossible based on the topic, but it really kind of was! While I thought it was interesting to see how the situation affected the family and all of that, I still really wanted to hear from Mal himself, and I never really did, which left me feeling disappointed.

My Rating: 2.5/5

Filed Under: adult, book reviews, family, literary 2 Comments

Review: Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris

March 14, 2012 By StephTheBookworm

Title: Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
Author: Kristina McMorris
Genre/Audience: Historical fiction, romance, adult
Publication: Kensington, 2012
Source: For review

Summary: It is 1941, and violinist, Maddie Kern, is deeply in love with her boyfriend Lane. Lane, the son of Japanese immigrants, and the best friend of Maddie’s older brother, feels the same, and the two secretly elope. They know their love will be disapproved of, especially by Maddie’s protective older brother, and Lane’s strict, traditional Japanese parents who intended for an arranged marriage, but neither can predict what is about to happen: the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Now, Lane, his family, and all the other Japanese immigrants are viewed as the enemy, and sent to live in camps around the country, torn from their homes. Maddie makes the ultimate sacrifice, moving to the camps with Lane and his family, and desperately tries to fit in and find acceptance with his family. Lane also makes the ultimate sacrifice, by enlisting, to prove his allegiance to America. The cost of these sacrifices may prove to be more than either ever anticipated.

My Thoughts: Do y’all remember how much I looooved Kristina’s first novel, Letters From Home? Oh my goodness, so freaking much! It was a favorite of 2011, and Bridge of Scarlet Leaves did not disappoint. The strange thing is, I have never been a fan of historical fiction, but I have always been fascinated by the WWII era, AND Kristina’s stories are just so relevant and lovely that I don’t even necessarily feel like I’m reading historical fiction.

The characters in this novel are strong and that’s what I think makes Kristina stand out as a writer. I feel like I am literally inside of each of their heads, going through their problems, feeling their feelings, living and breathing their lives right alongside them. You are never left wondering more about them because you are them, for a brief moment in time.

The novel shifts from three points of view in alternating chapters: Maddie, Lane, and T.J., who is also serving on the front lines. Through these points of view, we learn each of their stories in depth. We learn that Maddie and T.J. come from a broken home, with a dead mother and a (nearly) brain dead father. We learn that Lane is ambitious and kind, and that his parents are stern, traditional Japanese immigrants, but that Lane wants to break the mold. We learn Maddie’s hopes, ambitions, heartaches… We learn everything, and become incredibly invested in their stories.

As always, I enjoyed reading more about WWII. It was interesting for me to see it from a Japanese perspective, as I’ve never seen it from that perspective before. Most of all, though, I enjoyed the love stories – the unyielding love between Maddie and Lane, of course, but also the love of family, and the devotion everyone had to each other. I will say that I didn’t enjoy this novel QUITE as much as I enjoyed Letters From Home, but I still really liked it. I think the reason I liked Letters a bit better was because it was from the points of view of three females, and I typically enjoy that P.O.V. better in my reading.

My Rating: 4/5

Filed Under: adult, book reviews, fiction, historical fiction, historical romance, romance 5 Comments

The Galahad Legacy Blog Tour! And a huge giveaway!

March 9, 2012 By StephTheBookworm

Hello, and welcome to the next stop on the scavenger hunt blog tour for the fabulous Dom Testa’s Galahad series. Below you will find an excerpt from the sixth and final book in the series, The Galahad Legacy. This is a YA science fiction series about teens saving humanity and traveling through space. Click on to the next blog tomorrow for the next excerpt.

“Triana licked her lips, then rubbed her eyes. ‘I’ll have plenty of comments for all of you.’ She swallowed more water and felt her strength returning. ‘You’re not gonna keep me in bed just because I passed out, are you?’

‘Like I said, you seem fine,’ Lita said, standing up. ‘You know me. I’ll always caution against doing too much after a traumatic experience, or a shock to the system. I’m guessing that you’ve had both. But I know these are special circumstances, too. Let’s get some food and water in you, we’ll watch you for an hour or so, and then you can walk out of here. Deal?’”

Please visit Books Devoured for the next excerpt from the first chapter of The Galahad Legacy. To follow along on the tour, click here.

GIVEAWAY: One lucky reader will win a brand new set of the ENTIRE series from TOR. Yes, all six books! Please just comment below with your e-mail address if you’re interested and I’ll draw a random winner on 3/15/12.

Filed Under: book giveaways 7 Comments

Authors that deserve some lovin’! (1) Claire LaZebnik

March 6, 2012 By StephTheBookworm

I read all across the board, and as such, often come across books that not everyone has heard of. Yes, sometimes I read the books with all the big hype, but I also read a lot of other books that many people don’t know about but should! So I’m going to start featuring some of my favorite authors who are really underrated in my opinion. I’ll post these features on occasion, whenever I feel like it. Check out their books and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Today’s featured author – the first! – is Claire LaZebnik. Claire writes with elegance and grace about real life situations. If you love good adult contemporary fiction, then you definitely should check Claire out.

Her book, If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home Now, is one of my all time favorite books, and I recommend it to everyone I know. Listen, I read this book back in 2010, and I still remember the way it made me feel. Books like this are the reason I am a reader and a (soon to be) librarian. This was the book that I literally did not want to put down. It’s a really overused cliche, but I mean it when I talk about this book. I welled up with emotion reading it and had it in my hands every spare second. I read a lot of good books, but it’s rare to come across a gem like this. Only a couple books a year make me feel this way. Needless to say, I now own every one of her novels (but still need to read them all – shame on me). In addition to writing adult fiction, she’s also written YA (Epic Fail) and nonfiction.