Weekend Hops

Birthday Wishes — Blow out the candles and imagine what character could pop out of your cake…who is it and what book are they from??

This is so hard!  However, after much consideration, I am going with Dave the Laugh  from the Confessions of Georgia Nicholson Series, becuase he makes me laugh.  Seriously, most important thing ever if you're going to hang out with a fictional character.

   

 

Do you have a keeper shelf for books you loved? What books are on that shelf and why?

I am a book hoarder, so I have shelves and stacks of books all over.  However, I also have a special stack next to my bed of my favorite books.  This is what's on it (covers link to goodreads):

   

   

All of these books are on that shelf because I saw myself in their pages.  They are the kind of books that feel like they were written just for me: my soul on paper.

My shelves actually look completely unorganized... but they aren't.  I also have special places for my favorite series and all of my guilty pleasure paperbacks (Janet Evanovich, Harlan Coben, etc.)  I seriously love books and love owning books and love looking at them and remembering reading them.  I have different groups of books everywhere and my organization totally makes sense!

Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Taken by Storm is the third (and final) book in the Raised By Wolves series.  These are my all time favorite werewolf books and Taken By Storm was one of my most anticipated titles this year.  In fact, I've already done a Waiting On Wednesday and Looks From Books for it.

Book: Taken By Storm (Raised By Wolves #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Summary: Spoilers for the first two books... because there is no other way (Bryn changes A LOT in each book).  Bryn is the human Alpha of a werewolf pack comprised primarily of children and teens turned by a brutal Rabid who discovered the secret of creating werewolves.  When a new rabid appears, Bryn's rival alphas want to intervene, because evidence shows that the rabid is female.  Rabids are usually put to death, but females are rare among werewolves and a prize for any pack.  But Bryn thinks the rabid is Maddy, a girl who used to be a part of Bryn's pack before Bryn was forced to kill her boyfriend.  No matter their complicated relationship, Bryn must fend off the other Alphas and find Maddy first, because the other Alphas will see Maddy as nothing more than an object that can produce full blood werewolves.

Characters:  I. Love. These. Characters.  Bryn is a human living in a werewolf world.  Physically, she is the weakest in her pack, but she is a leader and she is able to hold her own.  She is one of the most interesting characters I've ever read and she's surrounded by a group of characters that are easy to love.  Devon is a pure blood were, so he is bigger and stronger than most werewolves.  But he loves show tunes and he takes pride in the way he's dressed.  He is naturally an Alpha, but defers to Bryn's leadership, because Bryn is his best friend.  Lake and Maddy are the two oldest female werewolves in Bryn's pack.  Lake is obsessed with guns and can beat anyone at pool.  She's funny and I loved getting to know more about her past.  Maddy is dealing with the death of her boyfriend... among other things.  She's had a hard life and has a complicated relationship with Bryn, but she is just as fascinating to watch as she grows and makes tough decisions.  My least favorite character is Chase, Bryn's boyfriend, but he's still sweet and intense and exactly what Bryn needs.  I love watching them together.

I'm just touching the surface with all the amazing characters.  There is also Devon's brother who is a wonderful antagonist because he is a cruel, sadistic, creeper of a dude who manipulates everything around him in order to try to gain some females for his pack.  And Sora, Devon's estranged mom, who is on Bryn's side even with their complicated past.  And Callum.  The psychic who is the strongest Alpha in North America, who loves Bryn and plays with her future to protect her, even if the outcome will break her heart.  Seriously, every character in this book is complicated and interesting.

Plot/Pacing: Like the first and second book in this series, the action is non-stop.  The characters are faced with a situation where there are no desirable outcomes.  They have to deal with things they have never thought possible.  They have to constantly reassess their complicated relationships in the face of bigger problems.  There is external conflict, but there is also a ton of internal conflict, and watching these two weave together is what makes these books so riveting.


Moments I Loved:  All of the scenes with Maddy.  I love her so much and watching her grow and deal with her grief even as she encounters new problems was great (in a sad way, because she's grieving and has some pretty serious stuff going on).  Also, the very end when everyone thinks Bryn has lost and she has one more trick up her sleeve... loved it!

WTF Moments:  How am I supposed to write this without spoilers?  Honestly, most of the chapters ended with a twist that made me say WTF.  It's one of the reasons I love this series so much and why I'm so excited for Barne's new serial killer series!

Overall:  I always describe these books as my favorite werewolf books and that is absolutely true.  Barnes's doesn't shy away from killing characters I love and taking her story to places where there is no easy way out.  I'm a little devastated that the series is over and I'll forever hold out hope for a companion series.

Reading Challenges: This book counts toward the following challenges: 314 pages toward the 15,000 page challenge, e-book challenge. Track all my progress on my 2012 Challenges page.

Taken By Storm gets a Fake Steph rating of...

 

House of Night Graphic Novel

I've been trying to read more and more graphic novels, so I was excited when I was approved for the House of Night adaptation.  I didn't expect it to blow my mind, but I was surprised to have major issues with it.  Trigger warning: This post will talk about rape.  If you have triggers, skip my review and skip House of Night.  Like I do with spoilers, I'll try to also indicate where the triggers are.


Graphic Novel: House of Night (Graphic Novel #1) by P.C. Cast (Story by), Kristin Cast (Story by), Kent Dalian (Script by), Joelle Jones (Illustrator), Karl Kerschl (Illustrator)

Summary: Zoey Redbird is a vampyre changeling at the House of Night school in Texas.  Recently (and reluctantly) made leader of an important school group, The Dark Daughters, she must band with her friends and turn to the Fledgling Handbook in order to learn five lessons and become a true leader.

Characters:  I had a hard time liking Zoey.  I don't usually mind sulky characters, but Zoey is sulky with no reason and no consequences.  I didn't understand how she had become the center of a group of bubbly vampyres, because the most interesting things about her were things she had no control over (she has adult marks and an affinity for all five elements).  I felt like she was learning, but not growing.  I also have a hard time liking characters that are too good and every time Zoey made a mistake it was out of ignorance and not because she had intentionally made a decision.

Plot/Pacing:  The House of Night graphic novel is separated into five sections, each named for a vampyre affinity: earth, air, water, fire, spirit.  Each section involves Zoey and her friends deciding which lesson to learn, a story from their handbook, and then Zoey and her friends discussing the lesson and Zoey putting what she learned into practice.  It is a little "after school special" for my taste and quite a bit of time is spent catching the reader up at the beginning of each section.  However, my biggest problem is that the history lessons seem to have nothing to do with the lessons Zoey needs to learn.  More than that, there are some major issues (rape, bigotry) that are never satisfactorily addressed or resolved.  The worst offender here, is the Air lesson, which I will get to in a moment.

Moments I Loved: There is a scene where Zoey reconciles with her brother, who has been raised to think of vampyres as the devil's creatures.  While the entire story is oversimplified and too easily resolved, it is a sweet moment.

WTF Moments: This is where the triggers are.  In the Air segment, Zoey needs to learn to be accepting and lift people up.  This is the history lesson: two princesses are beaten and raped, brutally and graphically, for several days by an army of men.  They become vampyres, then they are captured and raped some more.  They escape to House of Night, where they are so broken that they decide to kill themselves, but after Nyx (Vampyre Goddess) gives them an Air Affinity they float around, everything is better, and they start a support group (The Dark Daughters) where they accept and support one another.  I had ISSUES with this section. 

More triggers.  First, it is a graphic novel and I felt the portrayal of the rape was graphic and inappropriate.  I would have been horrified with the dialog and the soldier reaching for his belt.  Instead we get close ups of the sisters screaming, trying to pull down their dresses and cover themselves as their clothes are ripped off.  We have a close up of men holding their legs down and apart so that the men kneeling behind them can take turns.  We get a close up of a bruised and bloody face, totally broken.  I thought I was going to be physically sick.  Actually, writing this, I feel like I might cry.  I never wanted to write anything so graphic on this blog, but I wish I had known to expect this going in so I can't ignore it.

More triggers.  Second, it is so easily resolved that it is offensive.  There is some seriously horrible stuff going on and at the end there was a panel of them floating in the air which makes everything okay.  Are you kidding me?  Whether intentional or not, the message is that rape is not a big deal and getting over it is easy.  Um, no.

More triggers.  Finally, this horrific story of rape is little more than a plot device that had little connection with Zoey Redbird or the lesson she needed to learn.  Zoey took this story and decided to use her air affinity to make the mean girl feel better.  Again, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Artwork: There is a LOT of sex in this graphic novel and on top of that, I felt that most of it (especially the history stories) are highly sexualized.  I was a little put off by that and I didn't expect to see so many woman objectified in the panels (especially for a story that has a strong message of feminist empowerment and is aimed at teen girls).

One of the things that I dislike about graphic novels is that woman are often all drawn so similarly (big boobs, small waist, long hair) that it is impossible to tell them apart if you have more than a blond and a brunette.  While I felt House of Night did draw their female characters all with the same body type, they had distinguishable faces, which I appreciated.

Another thing I appreciated is that each of the stories from the fledgling handbook is drawn and colored in a way that is distinct and appropriate for the story being told.

Overall:  There were a lot of heavy issues that were only superficially dealt with, including a graphic rape scene that felt inappropriate and offensive.

I have opted not to assign a Fake Steph rating.  I have tried to form my opinions in as objective a way as possible, but am so upset about the Air story line that I don't think I can give this graphic novel a fair rating.

**I received an e-galley of House of Night from the publisher through NetGalley.  I was in no way compensated for my review and all opinions expressed here are my own.  Feel free to check out my full FTC Disclaimer on my About This Blog page.**

Top Ten (Tuesday) Characters That Remind Me Of Myself

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that combines lists and books.  This weeks topic is... Characters That Remind Me Of Myself.  This will be the first Top Ten Tuesday where I haven't filled the entire list.  Not a lot of characters remind me of myself.  I pulled the quotes from Good Reads (except for The Diviners).  Please forgive me if there are any mistakes. 

Evie - The Diviners by Libba Bray.  Evie is a flapper who struggles between living up to others expectations and trying to be the person she is.

Will lectured about belief in the supernatural, but the only ghosts that frightened Evie were the very real ghosts inside her.  Some mornings, she'd wake and vow, Today, I will get it right.  I won't be such an awful mess of a girl.  I won't lose my tempter or make unkind remarks.  I won't go too far with a joke and feel the room go quiet with disapproval.  I'll be good and kind and sensible and patient.  The sort everyone loves.  But by evening, her good intentions would have unraveled.  She'd say the wrong thing or talk a little too loudly.  She'd take a dare she shouldn't, just to be noticed.  Perhaps Mabel was right, and she was selfish.  But what was the point of living so quietly you made no noise at all?  "Oh, Evie, you're too much," people said, and it wasn't complimentary.  Yes, she was too much.  She felt like too much inside all the time.
So why wasn't she ever enough?

Frankie Landau-Banks - The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart.  I realize in writing this that I have never posted about this book before.  That is a mistake.  This is one of those books that feels like my soul on paper.  Frankie is an independent thinker to the point that most people consider her trouble.  And she loves pranks.

She will not be simple and sweet.  She will not be what people tell her to be.

Frankie appreciated both the accolades and the rejections equally, because both meant she'd had an impact.  She wasn't a person who needed to be liked so much as she was a person who liked to be notorious.

Jessica Darling - Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty.  I actually posted about how this book changed my life a while ago.  Like all of the characters on the list so far, Jessica wants something different than what everyone is telling her to want.

You can only be in a bad mood for so long before you have to face up to the fact that it isn't a bad mood at all; it's just your sucky personality.

Right now I feel guilty to be alive. Why? Because I’m wasting it. I’ve been given this life and all I do is mope it away.What’s worse is, I am totally aware of how ridiculous I am. It would be a lot easier if I believed I was the center of the universe, because then I wouldn’t know any better NOT to make a big deal out of everything. I know how small my problems are, yet that doesn’t stop me from obsessing about them.

Reminding me of myself in a more absurd way: Stephanie Plum, Hartley Featherstone, and Gerogia Nicholson.  They are all ridiculous and awkward.  We also share a knack for getting ourselves into ridiculous situations.  Luckily, I have never found a dead body or dressed as a stuffed olive.  Covers link to series GoodReads pages.

    

Did my answers surprise you?  Did I miss someone you thought would be on my list?

Queen of the Dead (Ghost and the Goth #2) by Stacey Kade

If you recall, I loved the first book.  I actually posted about it more than once.  Seriously, for a while there it was showing up in every other post.  I would have read book two sooner, but I borrowed it from the library and it took forever to make its way to me.

Book: Queen of the Dead (Ghost and the Goth #2) by Stacey Kade


Summary: Alona, the dead cheerleader forever stuck in gym clothes, has come back from the light and is working with Will (he would be "the goth") to help other spirits find peace.  When Alona discovers that her mom is throwing away all of her possessions and that her father is expecting a new baby with his new wife, she's in the perfect position to get Will to tell them that they haven't spent enough time grieving.  But Will is having second thoughts about their mission, because of an intriguing (if abrasive) girl named Mina who is also a ghost talker.  While Will explores what it means to be a ghost talker, Alona is left to sort out her problems on her own, and they are both going to find trouble.


Characters: Have I mentioned how much I love these characters?  Alona is the perfect cheerleader, former mean girl, but we get to see this tender side of her as she deals (a bit late) with her mortality.  Still, she is determined and strong-headed and funny.  She gets herself into trouble and it is both charming and hilarious to watch.  Will is this tortured soul, struggling to figure out his place in the world when he is the only one who can see the dead.  He struggles even more, because the only other ghost talker he has known is his dad... who killed himself.  It is touching to see Will try to learn more about his father in this installment and satisfying within the story, because his search puts him at odds with Alona in this story.

Once again, I enjoyed the cast of characters that surround Will and Alona.  The ghosts are annoying in a way that made me smile.  Will's mom is sweet, even if she makes it known that she thinks Will would be better off dating a girl who is alive.  Will meets old friends of his father and they were interesting, but I wanted to know more about them.  Hopefully book three will have more answers.  Mina, the ghost talker Will meets at the beginning of the book, is the perfect adversary, because she is almost a friend.  She has a clear agenda that she is desperate to achieve and it is easy to pity her and understand her motivations even as you root against her.

Plot/Pacing: Once again, this book sweeps you along.  There is so much tension--my favorite kind--because the characters who should support each other have opposing goals.  Then about halfway through, Alona gets herself in a predicament that brought the book in a direction I didn't see coming at all.  I loved the mystery surrounding the other ghost talkers and watching Will and Alona try to sort their feelings for each other.  And as much as I laughed, I was still on the edge of my seat for most of this book.  The end was crazy--I liked it so much better than the end of book one--and there is a bit of a cliffhanger so I will be purchasing Body and Soul soon.

Moments I Loved:  There are so many moments I loved, but in an effort not to include spoilers, I will go with one near the beginning. Alona and Will are making out in the bushes and it made me laugh a lot.  One, they were making out in the bushes (I don't know why that amuses me so much).  Two, I just kept imagining what it would look like if someone who couldn't see ghosts walked up.

WTF Moments: The end with the priest.  Loved the tension and action, but seriously, dude was words I can't say on this blog.  Also, when Will goes to meet his father's old friends (he doesn't know who they are at this point), he is directed to this abandoned and very haunted theater.  It is all kinds of creepy.

Overall:  A hilarious book with tons of action and fun characters, this is a charming followup and one of the best "middle books" I have ever read.

Reading Challenges: This book counts toward the following challenges: 266 pages toward 15,000 page challenge and Support Your Local Library.  Track all my progress on my 2012 Challenges page.

Queen of the Dead gets a Fake Steph rating of...

Sundays In Bed With... ALL THE BOOKS

Sundays in bed with is hosted by Kate at Midnight Book Girl.

I have big plans for reading this week.  BIG PLANS.  Finishing ALL THE BOOKS.  Maybe.  I want to finish three books: The Diviners (which is AMAZING, I just didn't have any reading time this week), Dear Teen Me (also awesome and something I had highly anticipated), and Code Name Verity (Still! I know!  It's amazing, but really difficult to get through.  I like giggles.  Torture... not so funny).  I also want to start Reunited, which should be full of fun.  I had to stop myself there.  Covers link to goodreads, because I am way too tired to take a picture:

  

  

More Steph On Sunday

This weekend, my friend Ashley who I've known since I was six is coming to visit.  I wrote a bunch of really nostalgic paragraphs about growing up together and how those friends are completely unique in life and they were SO BORING!  Then I tried a road trip story from college, but it turned out to be a had-to-be-there sort of thing.

So... you get this horrific photo of me in a nightgown, wings, and Christmas tinsel.  Worst Halloween costume ever.  But, hey.  Maybe next week I'll tell you about Hamsters.

Who is your oldest friend?

Looks From Books: Taken By Storm (Raised By Wolves #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes)

I'm doing looks inspired by the characters in Trial by Fire (Raised By Wolves #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and for the first time the protagonist will not be one of the featured looks.  Bryn's circumstances are far from normal, but she reads like a normal teen and not one with a particularly interesting closet.  So... on to some more distinctive style.
Devon.  Oh, Devon.  He is my favorite werewolf ever in my favorite werewolf books.  I love him so much.  He's pure alpha material, but he chooses to check his natural instincts and follow Bryn, because she is his best friend.  He's strong and tough, but funny and a little bit quirky.  He is also always impeccably dressed and I tried to pick items that felt like Devon.  I think these khakis are a little too wrinkled for his taste, but he is the kind of guy who can pull off pastels and white shoes.  I imagine he would carry a messenger bag instead of a back pack and the music is there, because he has an obsession with show tunes.

Devon by fakesteph featuring leather bags

Lake.  She's a southern girl who loves weapons and has a particular sweet spot for guns.  She's one of the few female werewolves in existence and because of that is often viewed as a precious object instead of a person... hence her driving desire to be able to protect herself.  Still she's a southern girl who loves the outdoors.  In my head she's always wearing cut-offs and cowboy boots.  The pool cue and eight ball key-chain reference her status as one of the best hustlers at the Wayfarer.

Lake by fakesteph featuring slouch boots

I usually do three looks, but I couldn't decide on a third character.  I thought about making the third look for Maddy, one of the wolves in Bryn's pack. But Maddy is on the run in book three and wears a sundress and little else. She has no time for shoes or jewelry and even though her clothes say a lot about her, I'm not sure her look is what I would call "inspiring".  I may return to this series in the future and feature characters from the earlier books.

Book Blogger Hop

Blogging Question: Do you immediately write a review upon finishing a book or do you wait and write multiple reviews at once?

I try to write my reviews quickly.  I don't always succeed.  When I finish a book, I immediately set up my blog post -- structured review, rating, link to GoodReads.  Sometimes, I write the review immediately.  But, usually, it sits there for a while.  Once I draft my review, it sits there for a while longer.  I like to have several posts sitting there at any given time so that if I get busy, I still have a steady stream of reviews to post.  Once I'm ready to post, I edit my review, add a picture, and schedule the post.


Ideally, this would happen as I read, but I usually end up with a string of empty posts.  Right now I have at least two completely empty posts, two drafts of arcs that will post in September, and a half finished review.

Audio: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I already know that this is going to be one of the hardest reviews I write all year.  Everyone else seems to have already reviewed it, but I will do my best to keep things fresh.  And brief.  Please read at your own risk.  Insurgent is a direct continuation of the Divergent story and there will be spoilers for the first book. I have also chosen not to define the Divergent world in this review, but if you have questions or want to discuss spoilers, please e-mail me (realsteph [at] thefakesteph [dot] com).

Book: Insurgent by Veronica Roth; narrated by Emma Galvin

Summary:  There is no way to summarize Insurgent without Divergent Spoilers.  Read at your own risk.  Tris seeks the information that her parents died to protect as she navigates the political tensions of her crumbling society.


Characters:  I have a love/hate relationship with both Tris and Four. I love them, I get them, but some of their choices seriously annoy me.  I think the best way to describe them is: it is easy to love them, hard to like them.  But this wasn't the case with all of the characters.  Once again, I loved (and liked) the cast of crazy Dauntless and it was great getting to know members of other factions and even the factionless.  Major appearances by both Four's mom and dad prove that he pretty much has the crappiest family ever, but there is some drama with Tris's brother Caleb that is much more satisfying (in its drama... not so satisfying for Tris).

I didn't always remember the details of Divergent, but the effects of what happened are clear in the way the characters interact with each other.  And seeing Christina grieving is far more powerful than being told she is grieving because of blah blah blah.  I felt everything that mattered whether or not I remembered exactly how things happened and that is a huge part of why the characters in Divergent feel so real to me.

 Plot/Pacing: This book moves fast.  I appreciate that Roth doesn't spend an unnecessary chapter bringing me up to date and settles back into the world quickly.  There is so much tension and conflict.  Basically, what Tris knows she needs to do puts her personally at odds with everyone important in her life AND politically against anyone with power.  Sucks to be Tris, not so much for the reader.  I loved it.

The end.  Everyone is talking about the end.  But I honestly don't know how I feel about it.  In some ways it feels like a let down.  It answered a lot of questions, but not the ones that I felt were important and now I have even more questions.  Whether or not I come to love the big revelation at the end of Insurgent has a lot to do with how epic the final book is. 

 Moments I Loved:  Watching Tris and Four interrogated with truth serum was a really hard scene to get through, because it was emotionally intense, but I loved it.  Especially when Tris finally talks about killing Will.  She was so worked up about it (for good reason) during the beginning of the book, but keeping it to herself would have gotten old quick.  I'm glad that Roth didn't drag out her inner turmoil, which allowed it to become something bigger.

WTF Moments: There is a big deal made about how Tris had aptitude for erudite so she could think about things logically when others couldn't. But then she would make these completely illogical choices.   For example (may include slight SPOILER here)... she gives herself up to Erudite to prevent Dauntless deaths. But, logically, her giving herself up will give the Erudite the power to cause even more deaths than the few Tris is preventing. It turns out to be an incredibly selfish act, because it isn't about saving her Dauntless peers, it is about releasing herself from the guilt of their deaths, knowing she'll be dead before everyone else dies because of her.

Narrator:  Emma Galvin narrates both Divergent and Insurgent.  For the most part, I think she's great.  She keeps her voice in control--steady, even, low--while still making sure that all of the emotions Tris would never show on the outside come through.  She understands Tris and I love how tough she sounds.  I will say that listening to this book in the car will put you at risk of speeding tickets.  I got so wrapped up in the action that I caught myself many times going way too fast.


Overall: A sequel that left me on the edge of my seat for most of the book, the ending left me unsettled and slightly confused.  However, I am a huge fan of Veronica Roth and think she is an incredibly thoughtful writer who has created a world that challenges me to think.  This is the kind of book that can be discussed long after you've finished reading it.

Insurgent gets a Fake Steph rating of...

Graphic Novel - Ruse: The Silent Partner by Mark Waid

I said in my last review that the collection ended with a bit of a cliffhanger.  So even though I wasn't in love with the first volume, I bought the second.  I loved the second so much more than the first and was disappointed to discover that the company went out of business and the series was not continued (in trade paperback that is easy to buy, although I guess if I really wanted, I could try and acquire the individual issues).  But there is also a re-imagined release under Marvel that came out in 2011 that I plan to look into.

Graphic Novel:  Ruse Vol 2: The Silent Partner by Mark Waid, Scott Beatty, and  Butch Guice
 
Summary:  Master detective Simon Archard and his assistant, Emma Bishop, solve mysteries while tracking down Archard's former partner who has vowed to take revenge on Simon.

Characters:  I appreciated the intellect and witty banter between Simon and Emma so much more than in the first volume.  Much of the supernatural element has disappeared, which makes Emma more obviously intelligent and, thus, more interesting.  We also get a lot of Simon's past and seeing him as an awkward, friendless college student makes his current callousness a lot more understandable.

Plot/Pacing: These mysteries are more fun than the ones in the first volume.  They feel fresh and like they are building towards something bigger (they are), which is exactly how I like my mystery series.  The villain in this installment is someone who has a past with Simon.  He knows Simon better than anyone, including Emma, which made it much more likely that he could beat Simon.  I doubted whether Simon could win, because he would have to better himself in the process.  It made the entire mystery so much more satisfying.

Moments I Loved:  I loved all the banter between Emma and Simon.  He would say something tender and then his real (callous) meaning would become apparent.  Simon also has to give Emma mouth to mouth when she drowns and it is hilarious.  I loved watching Emma and Simon work together.

WTF Moments: There is a group of invisible villagers who are stealing gypsy women to breed with them.  That story line is intense and creepy.

Artwork: Once again, beautiful, colored pages.  I became confused a few times when the pages seemed especially busy, but for the most part the story was easy to follow.

Overall:  I loved this second installment when I only liked the first, because Simon and Emma are much more likable, the villain had a chance of beating them, and the mystery was personal to the main characters.

Ruse Vol 2: The Silent Partner gets a Fake Steph rating of...

Top Ten (Tuesday) Summer TBR Pile

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that combines lists and books.  This weeks topic is... Summer TBR. I'm a little freaked out, because I didn't hit all my Sprint TBR, but as always, covers link to GoodReads.

FROM BEA:

  

    

 FROM MY SHELF (some are repeats from last time):

  

    

 I can't wait to see all of your lists!

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

John Corey Whaley had a signing at my local bookshop with Maggie Stiefvater.  Since I am a total Maggie fangirl, I went, and after reading her review of Whaley's book on goodreads, I had to read Where Things Come Back.

Book: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Summary:  As his town comes alive searching for an extinct bird that has reappeared, Cullen Witter falls apart searching for his missing 15-year-old brother.


Characters: These characters felt incredibly real.  There are a lot of funny, eccentric characters, but that doesn't take away from how easy it is to deeply connect to those who matter.  I loved Cullen and his best friend, Lucas Cader, but Cullen's brother Gabriel is by far my favorite character.  Honestly, I thought Whaley was a bit of an asshole for making me love Gabriel so much before he disappeared.  It was hard not knowing what had happened to him, but then you start to figure it out and I didn't think I could handle it if he was dead.


Plot/Pacing: The book itself is short and a pretty quick read.  The voice immediately pulled me in, but it wasn't until about halfway through the book that I could not put it down.  I stayed up late to finish and the end almost killed me, but was totally worth the late night (and way too early morning).  As I mentioned, I was going crazy with worry about Gabriel and I wouldn't have been able to sleep even if I had put the book down.

Every other chapter of Where Things Come Back is not Cullen's story.  It is this random (you think), meandering story about abuse and religion and... things.  I was really confused, because these interludes seemed to have nothing to do with the main story and were completely unexpected.  However, you stick with it and then the story lines intersect in a way you won't see coming and then you will curse a lot and ugly cry.  At least that is what I did.  These chapters that you think have nothing to do with the story are what make this story so powerful at the end.


Moments I Loved: Any scene with Gabriel.  I love him.  He felt like my little brother, which made the whole disappearing and maybe dead thing really hard to take.

WTF Moments: The end.  It is... open ended.  Kind of.  I'm still not sure what happened, but that doesn't mean that I didn't like it.


Overall: Definitely for fans of John Green.  This book has deep characters and a story line that will make you think before making you ugly cry.


Reading Challenges: This book counts toward the following challenges: 228 pages toward the 15,000 page challenge. Track all my progress on my 2012 Challenges page.

Where Things Come Back gets a FakeSteph rating of...

Sundays In Bed With... The Diviners by Libba Bray

Sundays in bed with is hosted by Kate at Midnight Book Girl.  This week, I'm in bed with a BEA arc of The Diviners by Libba Bray.  This is one of my top six most anticipated titles of the fall and I am so excited to be able to read it early.  Plus it's signed, which is even more awesome (Libba Bray was a rock star at her signing).

Here is a blurry photo of me in bed with The Diviners.

This was actually taken last night, but I should be able to spend my Sundays in bed from now on, because my favorite class at the gym got moved to a later time.  Win.

If I do a BEA giveaway, what arcs are you guys most excited about?