Waiting on Wednesday # 17: Lost Girls by Ann Kelley

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Basically, it’s a chance to highlight one of the many books that you want to read but hasn’t been released just yet.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick for this week is…

Title: Lost Girls
Author: Ann Kelley
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 10, 2012

No parents. No rules. No way home.

Fourteen-year-old Bonnie MacDonald couldn't be more excited for a camping trip on an island off the coast of Thailand with her fellow Amelia Earhart Cadets-the daughters of the men and women stationed there during the Vietnam War. But when a strong current deposits the girls on what their boatman calls the "forbidden island," things take a turn for the worse: A powerful storm comes to destroy their campsite, the smallest of the junior cadets is found dead, and their boatman never returns. What once seemed like a vacation in paradise has become a battle against the elements.

Peppered with short, frantic entries from Bonnie's journal, Lost Girls is a page-turning, heart-pounding adventure story about a group of teen girls fighting for their lives.

How coold does that sound?  It's like Lord of the Flies, but with girls.  Even though I already have an ARC of this one, I am forcing myself not to read it until at least May.  We will see how well that works out.

What is your Waiting on Wednesday pick this week?

Review: Want to Go Private by Sarah Darer Littman

Title:	Want to Go Private?
Author:	Sarah Darer Littman
Genre:	YA, Social Issues
Rating:	PG-13
Publisher:	Scholastic Press
Release Date:	August 1, 2011
Pages:	330
Source:	Finished Copy
My Rating:	5*

 [Goodreads | Amazon]

Abby and Luke chat online. They've never met. But they are going to. Soon.

Abby is starting high school—it should be exciting, so why doesn't she care? Everyone tells her to "make an effort," but why can't she just be herself? Abby quickly feels like she's losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke—he is her secret, and she's his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does. But Luke isn't who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don't, they'll never see Abby again.

   

 “...I grab my laptop and log on to ChezTeen.com. Within minutes, I'm surrounded by friends, even though I've never met any of them. There, I can pretend that my first day of school was fantastic, because no one is going to know anything different. I can be anyone I want to be when I'm online and I don't even have to wear makeup.”

This book had been sitting in my TBR pile for quite some time. On a whim, I decided to pick it up for what I thought was going to be some 'light' reading. Yeah, so not a good call. While I would consider this book an 'easy' read it is definately cannot be considered a 'light' read. Want to Go Private? reads as a cautionary take depicting the alienation and grooming of a vulnerable teenager by an online predator and her journey to heal.

The story is told mainly from the prespective of th emain character Abby. There are instances where a portion of the story is told by one of the cast of supporting characters. Watching Abby go from a happy, but insecure teenage to a victim is pretty difficult. Want to Go Private? is pretty detailed and in my opinion fairly accurate in showing jus thow Abby was being groomed and not even realizing it. There was something so disturbing about watching Abby descend down this path unaware while you, the reader, is fully aware where this is headed.

Reading Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman was like watching an episode of Dateline's How to Catch a Predator, but in reverse.

In My Mailbox #28

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week.

I have to admit that I have been slacking this week something fierce.  I didn't do much reading nor did I do any posts.  I was just so unmotivated this week, but I am back on track for next week.

Anyway, let's see what I got in my mailbox this week....

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So on Tuesday I attended a Fish & Chips Party at the Harper Collins Canada HQ.  This party was in celebration for author Peter James winning an ITV Crime Writer's award.  While we were there, I received a copy of his newest standalone novel Perfect People which comes out in December 2011.  I also received a copy of Arcadia Awakens which comes out in February 2012.

Perfect People - Peter James

Arcadia Awakens - Kai Meyer

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Of course only I would forget that the Holiday shopping season is now in full effect and venture out to the mall at 3 pm on a Saturday afternoon.  I consider it a great success that I didn't go postal on anyone during my afternoon out.  I didn't even make any children cry *pats self on the back*.  While out I picked up some books.

Peter Nimble - Jonathan Auxier

Touch of Frost - Jennifer Estep

Kiss of Frost - Jennifer Estep

Variant - Robison Wells

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The whole point of my shopping excursion was to finally pick up a new e-reader to replace my broken Kindle.  I got my hands on a Kobo Vox eReader and I have to say I am loving it.  Thanks to the instructions from my lovely Gwen, I was able to get my pdf books to work on it.  Even better, I was able to log back into NetGalley for the first time since July to actually request new books!  Oh the Joy!

I picked up the all black one and a blue case to put it in.  Best $250 spent ever!

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Somehow this week, I also managed to break my DVD player so I had to pick up a new one.  I took the plunge and picked up a blu-ray player to replace it.  Of course when I got home, I discovered that I should have picked up two players as the one in the living room is broken as well! I just can't win!

It only cost my $130 so I am headed out tomorrow morning to pick up a second one!

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Best thing about the new eReader is that I can stop trying to read e-books on my laptop.  I can also start accepting e-books for review once again.  In celebration, I bought some new ones and I got one for review.

Poughkeepsie - Debra Anastasia

The Warlord Wants Forever - Kresley Cole

The Grunt - Latrivia S. Nelson

Dmitry's Closet - Latrivia S. Nelson

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

In My Mailbox #27

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week.

I have to admit, I had a pretty epic mailbox this week.  On to the books!

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So first, I got this package of awesome from Crystal at Raincoast Books!  They are absolutely amazing and sent me some ARC's of upcoming 2012 YA releases, some finished copies of 2011 YA releases, and a couple of catalogue's for me to go through.  I must say, I do like looking through the physical catalogues as opposed to the online versions.

1. Tempest - Julie Cross [Amazon | Book Depository] January 17, 2012
2. Switched - Amanda Hocking  [Amazon | Book Depository] January 3, 2012
3. Cinder - Marissa Meyer [Amazon | Book Depository] January 3, 2012
4. Embrace - Jessica Shirvington [Amazon | Book Depository] March 1, 2012
5. If I Tell - Janet Gurtler [Amazon | Book Depository] October 1, 2011
6. The Predicteds - Christine Seifert [Amazon | Book Depository] September 1, 2011
7. Glow - Amy Kathleen Ryan [Amazon | Book Depository] September 13, 2011

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Up next, I got three books from Kaitlin at Hachette Book Group Canada.  They included some very highly anticipated ARC 2012 YA releases.  I think the earliest one that comes out is in April 2012 so the reviews for these ones are a long way off, but maybe I'll do some 'Teaser Tuesday' posts.

1. 172 Hours on the Moon - Johan Harstad [Amazon | Book Depository] April 1, 2012
2. The Last Princess - Galaxy Craze [Amazon | Book Depository] May 8, 2012
3. Lost Girls - Ann Kelley [Amazon | Book Depository] July 10, 2012

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Then I got this package of win from Shannon at Harper Collins Canada.  I <3 Shannon so much!  She includes notes on all of her books reminding me of what the release dates are, which I confess, is sometimes very desperately needed.

1. Archon: The Books of Raziel - Sabrina Benulis [Amazon | Book Depository] December 27, 2011
2. 40 Things I Want to Tell You - Alice Kuipers  February 21, 2012

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Then I won a book from Gabrielle over at Viking Books who I happen to follow on Twitter.  God, I love Twitter!  Since I actively started blogging and joined twitter back in May, I have met so many great people, won some very cool stuff, or been invited to some really cool events.  Some of the best networking ever!

1. Mortal Syntax 101 - June Casagrande [Book Depository]

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Of course with me, you know that no week is complete without me hitting up a bookstore.  This time I went twice and picked up a few new books each time.

Trip #1

1. Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi [Amazon | Book Depository] November 15, 2011
2. When She Woke - Hillary Jordan [Amazon | Book Depository] October 4, 2011
3. Hunger Games Box Set - Suzanne Collins [Amazon | Book Depository] 

Trip #2

1. The Boy in the Suitcase - Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis [Amazon | Book Depository] November 8, 2011
2. Dreams of a Dark Warrior - Kresley Cole [Amazon | Book Depository] February 15, 2011

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So that is my mailbox for this week.  I must admit, I have already begun reading several of the books I received.  I am going in chronological order in my reading schedule, well as far as ARC's go.  For finished copies of already released books, I am just reading whatever I feel like.

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Title:	Clockwork Angel
Author:	Cassandra Clare
Genre:	YA, Steampunk
Rating:	PG
Publisher:	Margaret K. McElderry
Release Date:	August 31, 2010
Pages:	476
Source:	Finished Copy
My Rating:	4*

 [Goodreads | Amazon]

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

      "He'll get better," Jessamine announced.  "And when he does, he'll know I'm the one who nursed him back to health.  Men always fall in love with the woman who nurses them back to health.  'When pain and anguish wring the brow, | A ministering angel thou!'" she finished, with a self-satisfied smirk.  Seeing Tessa's horrified look, she scowled.  "What's wrong?  Am I not good enough for your previous brother?"   

     The Dark Sisters were there, leering at me from behind their whist cards, their nails like talons.  Women with their faces and shoulders powdered white smiled at me with blood running out the corners of their mouths.  Little creatures whose eyes changed color scuttled across the floor.  I had never imagined such things were real, and I said as much to Mortmain.
     '"There are more things in Heaven and earth, Nathaniel. than are dreamt of in your philosophy,' he said.

              I think I should give you fair warning that at the time I decided to read this book I had already marked some of Cassandra Clare’s other work, namely the Mortal Instruments Series, as DNF.  As a result I was very hesitant to even begin any of the books in the Infernal Devices series.  In the end, I was convinced to give it a try by some of my fellow Ontario Blog Squad members and I am very glad that they did.

                For me the first half of the book was a whole lot of nothing.  Well, maybe not nothing, but not a lot happened.  It was all talk and getting to know the characters, but really very little action.  While I did like having the opportunity to really learn about the characters, it was hard holding my attention when I just wanted something to happen.  I do have to say that when the action started, it pretty much didn’t stop.  It wasn’t over the top gory incidents either.  I didn’t get the feeling that the events taking place weren’t realistic for the story, but rather they seamlessly fit right in.

                While I did enjoy the book, I can’t say that I was really fond of a lot of the characters.  Tessa annoyed me for some reason.  Maybe it was her dependence on others, or her inability to see things clearly that drove me nuts.  Was she a product of her environment and times?  Yes!  Does that mean I should make allowances for her character?  Probably.  Did she still annoy me anyway?  Absolutely! And that was the best part.  As annoying as she was, she was authentic to the times, her upbringing and her character.  I really did not like Will, but he too was authentic.  What I don’t understand is this need for the main male character in every YA book to be a borderline douche.  Jem on the other hand came across as a very likeable, albeit, tragic character.  Jess made me want to light myself on fire every time she appeared in the story.

There was something about the setting for this series that just worked for me.  The setting of Victorian London was spot on and had me believing in the world of Shadowhunters, Demons and the like.  Something about London during that time period comes across as a lot more believable than the backdrop of New York City that we find in The Mortal Instruments.  What we know of London during that time due to historical record lends a great bit of credibility to this kind of world within a world that Cassandra Clare has created.  London, as described in Clockwork Angel, is a cross between being seedy and posh and it is that dichotomy that makes the story work so well.

Waiting on Wednesday #16:

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Basically, it’s a chance to highlight one of the many books that you want to read but hasn’t been released just yet.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick for this week is…

Title: Amelia Anne Is Dead And Gone
Author: Kat Rosenfield
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: May 10, 2012

On the night of Becca’s high school graduation, the discovery of an unidentified dead girl left to bleed out on the side of a dirt road sends the town—and Becca—into a tailspin. Becca has always longed to break free from her small home town, but as the violence of the outside world creeps into her backyard, she withdraws and retreats inward, paralyzed for the first time in her life.

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson’s life are intercut with Becca’s own coming-of-age summer, unfolding into the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and tense romantic relationships as the summer’s tumultuous events twist Becca closer and closer to the truth about Amelia’s murder.

How amazing does that sound? Not to mention, I am in love with the cover.

What is your Waiting on Wednesday pick this week?

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Hey everyone!  Welcome to the 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge!

Now I know we all have massive TBR piles that just keep getting larger and larger.  Personally, mine wouldn't be so large if I could manage to stay out of a bookstore for more than 2 days.  It always seems like I have to have a book right then, but then of course it sits on my shelf unread and collecting dust.

Well in 2012 I am participating in and hosting the 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge!

Challenge Guidelines:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
2. As we would like to see quality reviews linked up to our monthly wrap-ups, only bloggers can enter. Sorry about that!
3. Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
   
4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge (You need to include the info + host list + challenge button. You can also grab the button code and add it to your sidebar!)
   
6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
8. At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. For participating in the mini-challenge you'll get +1 entry in the giveaway.
   
9. If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;)
10. December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - 12 books, 12 winners, INTERNATIONAL. 
11. You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

Levels:
1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children


Hosts:

Evie from Bookish - http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com @SeoEvie
Nicole from All I Ever Read - http://www.nicoleabouttown.com/ @Nicoleabouttown
Bonnie from Hands and Home - http://www.handsandhome.ca/ @HandsHomeBlog
Donna from Book Passion For Life - http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/ @BookPforLife
Caitlin from WatchYA Reading - http://whatchyareading.net @caitlingss
Rie from Mission To Read - http://missiontoread.com/ @missiontoread
Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea -http://booksbiscuitsandtea.blogspot.com/ @alouetteuette
Christa from Hooked On Books - http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com @ChristasBooks
Jenna from Fans Of Fiction - http://fansoffiction.blogspot.com/ @fansoffiction
Angel from Mermaids Vision - http://mermaidvision.wordpress.com @mermaidvisions

Schedule:

January - Donna (Theme: Let It Snow + Book Cover Challenge)
February - Nicole (Theme: Un-requited Love/Love Gone Wrong + Advice Column Challenge)
March - Rie (Theme: Green or Pinched + Green Cover Challenge)
April -  Bonnie (Theme: Easter + Mini Challenge)
May - Christa (Theme: MayDay - Disaster Books! + Cover Disaster Challenge)
June - Jenna ( Theme: Camping + Sentence Challenge)
July - Rie (Theme: International Day + Cover Comparison Challenge)
August - Angel (Theme: Summer Memories + Send Your Fav Character On Vacation Challenge)
September - Nicole (Theme: Life Changing Books + Mini Challenge)
October - Caitlin (Theme: Thanksgiving Theme + Share-A-Book Challenge)
November - Vicky (Theme: Spooky Halloween + Book Puzzle Challenge)
December - Evie (Theme: Xmas Bliss + Book Bachelor Challenge)


Be sure to grab the button and sign up for the challenge below!











<center><a href="http://www.nicoleabouttown.com/2011/11/2012-tbr-pile-reading-challenge.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-f4M3nSgC4W2EcsMki0WMm65QSXpwGIo6-vB0k1SaH6Z9U9TDQHoWlXbeQuTI0KZaFCr3BTw_WROqXas-cC4_h1u88OQmqykNBkC54JnleqVVvEu1Cp3uYiSqOdcjvV99xIgRnXHyXeP1/s1600/2012-TBR-Reading-Challenge-Button.png" /></a></center>

Quite honestly, I have so many books in my TBR pile that just thinking about them all make me a bit dizzy. I will put up a list of books I plan to tackle as part of my challenge around Christmas!

Giveaway! Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

Hey everyone!  By now you all know just how much I loved Ellen Hopkin's new adult book Triangles.  In case you forgot, you can check out my review here!  You can also check out the awesome interview I did with Ellen here!

It now gets even better.  The absolutely amazing people over at Atria Books would love for you to have the opportunity to win a copy of this fabulous book for your own!  How cool is that?

Title: Triangles
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Publication Date: October 18, 2011
Publisher: Atria Books

THREE FEMALE FRIENDS FACE MIDLIFE CRISES IN A NO-HOLDS-BARRED EXPLORATION OF SEX, MARRIAGE, AND THE FRAGILITY OF LIFE.

Holly: Filled with regret for being a stay-at-home mom, she sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Will it bring the fulfillment she is searching for?

Andrea: A single mom and avowed celibate, she watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband?

Marissa: She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay, rebellious teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts.

As one woman’s marriage unravels, another’s rekindles. As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s reconfigures into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness.

Unflinchingly honest, emotionally powerful, surprisingly erotic, Triangles is the ultimate page-turner. Hopkins’s gorgeous, expertly honed poetic verse perfectly captures the inner lives of her characters. Sometimes it happens like that. Sometimes you just get lost.

Get lost in the world of Triangles, where the lives of three unforgettable women intersect, and where there are no easy answers.

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This contest will run from 12:01 am November 14, 2011 -  12:01 am on November 21, 2011.  You will have a chance to win one of four copies of Triangles by Ellen Hopkins courtesy of Atria Books.  This giveaway is only open to residents of the US and Canada.

Winners will be notified within 24 hours of the contest closing and will have 48 hours to respond in order to claim their prize!

Good Luck!

Debut Author Challenge 2012

So once again Kristi over at The Story Siren is running the Debut Author Challenge for 2012.  I think this is the fourth-year running now!  Kudos to Kristi cause that is an awesome feat as it seems to grow every year.  This will be my first year participating and I am pretty excited!  I am not even gonna lie, I have a pretty long list to get through but I'm pretty confident I can do it.

Books on my challenge list:

1. When the Sea is Rising Red - Cat Hellisen
2. My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick
3. The Treachery of Beautiful Things - Ruth Frances Long
4. Everneath - Brodi Ashton
5. Grave Mercy - R.L. LaFevers
6. This One Time With Julia - David Lampson
7. Lies Beneath - Anne Greenwood Brown
8. Gilt - Katherine Longshore
9. Cross My Heart - Sasha Gould
10. Never Eighteen - Megan Bostic
11. The Catastrophic History of You and Me - Jess Rothenberg
12. Trafficked - Kim Purcell
13. The Other Life - Susanne Winnacker
14. Touched - Corrine Jackson
15. The Girls of No Return - Erin Saldin
16. Wrecked - Anna Davies
17. Of Poseidon - Anna Banks
18. Illuminate - Aimee Agresti

So that is what is on my list as of right now.  Notice I didn't include Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood?  I already read it so it doesn't count *insert sad face*!  I'll probably keep adding to this list as the year goes by. 

What about you?  What books are on your challenge list this year?

In My Mailbox #26 November 6 - 12, 2011 Edition!

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week.

The Prophecy of the Sisters - Michelle Zink [Goodreads]

Guardian of the Gate - Michelle Zink [Goodreads]

Soul Screamer's Volume 1 - Rachel K. Vincent [Goodreads]

The Unwritten Rule - Elizabeth Scott [Goodreads]

The Kingdom of Childhood - Rebecca Coleman [Goodreads]

The Tenth Chamber - Glenn Cooper [Goodreads]

The Wordy Shipmates - Sarah Vowell [Goodreads]

Three Weeks in December - Audrey Schulman [Goodreads]

Belles - Jen Calonita [Goodreads]

The Partly Cloudy Patriot - Sarah Vowell [Goodreads]

The Boy Recession - Flynn Meaney [Goodreads]

So I picked up books 1 & 2 in the Prophecy of the Sisters series by Michelle Zink.  I am going to hold off on picking up book 3 till it's out in paperback.  I also picked up the Soul Screamers vol. 1, The Unwritten Rule, The Kingdom of Childhood, and The Tenth Chamber.  I also picked up a copy of The Wordy Shipmates for $5.00!  Even better, it was 15% off so it only came up to like $3 something.  I also picked up another copy of The Partly Cloudy Patriot.  It is one of my favourite books of all time.  I mean how could I not like a book that has an essay called 'God Will Give You Blood to Drink in a Souvenir Shot Glass'?  

I also got a copy of Belles by Jen Calonita and The Boy Recession by Flynn Meaney from Hachette Book Group.  Three Weeks in December by Audrey Schulman arrived this week courtesy of Europa Editions.

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Review: Lie by Caroline Bock

Title:	Lie
Author:	Caroline Bock
Genre:	YA, Social Issues
Rating:	PG-13
Publisher:	St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date:	August 30, 2011
Pages:	224
Source:	Finished Copy
My Rating:	3.5*

 [Goodreads | Amazon]

Everybody knows, nobody’s talking. . . .

Seventeen-year-old Skylar Thompson is being questioned by the police. Her boyfriend, Jimmy, stands accused of brutally assaulting two young El Salvadoran immigrants from a neighboring town, and she’s the prime witness. Skylar is keeping quiet about what she’s seen, but how long can she keep it up? 

But Jimmy was her savior. . . .

When her mother died, he was the only person who made her feel safe, protected from the world. But when she begins to appreciate the enormity of what has happened, especially when Carlos Cortez, one of the victims, steps up to demand justice, she starts to have second thoughts about protecting Jimmy. Jimmy’s accomplice, Sean, is facing his own moral quandary. He’s out on bail and has been offered a plea in exchange for testifying against Jimmy.

The truth must be told. . . .

Sean must decide whether or not to turn on his friend in order to save himself. But most important, both he and Skylar need to figure out why they would follow someone like Jimmy in the first place.

     He wasn't against legal immigration. I asked him how his family got here, or were they American Indians?  He said that his mother's family owned farmland out on the South Fork going back to the 1700s.  He said his family documents are in Dutch, which is who were in charge here before the English.  I said good for him.  You can give history lessons.  My father's father lied about his age and came over steerage, on his knees the whole way.  He was called the Big Swede.  What about giving these people a chance?
     He said they were stealing our jobs.  I said they were doing job nobody else wanted.
     "You want them living next door to you?  Twenty, thirty, or more Mexicans jammed in a house together?"

I had been waiting to read this book for some time.  In fact, I think this book was one of my Waiting on Wednesday picks sometime back in May or June.  Every time I went to the bookstore in hopes of acquiring this book, it never quite worked out and I finally just ordered it online sometime back in October.  Of course as soon as I got it, I began reading it.  Sad to say, I was disappointed.  I was so disappointed in fact, that this book was originally classified as DNF on my shelf and after about 50 pages in, I put it down.  Usually, when I classify a book as DNF, I don’t pick it up again.  But for some reason, I decided to give this one a second chance.  I can honestly say that I am glad that I did.

Lie is told from multiple POVs and as such you really get to hear the viewpoints of everyone in this particular community.  The sad part is that all those POV’s really do mirror each other and still adhere to the line ‘everybody knows, but no one’s talking’.  It’s really disturbing to see just how everyone lets the fact that the victims were Mexican and the perpetrators were white cloud their minds to the fact that a crime was committed, and that lives were put in danger.  The really sad part is that Lie, even though fiction, mirrors events that have happened in real life.

I have never been more disgusted with a character than I was with Skylar.  She uses her loss as a way to make her apathetic to the suffering of anyone else.  The fact that she has gone through a loss should have made her appreciate life so much more.  Instead she has this pity me, poor me attitude that leads her to rely on the very racist Jimmy for absolutely everything.  For Skylar, I really didn’t see the struggle between right and wrong.  She clearly couldn’t tell the difference if it slapped her upside the head.  The sad thing is that she was not alone in that viewpoint.

Don’t get me wrong, I knew that Lie wasn’t going to be a book about fluffy bunnies and as such was likely going to provoke some intense reactions.  I was expecting outrage, frustration and maybe even a little sadness and anger.  What I was not prepared for was the absolute rage and disgust I felt while reading this book.  The tag line of Lie is ‘everybody knows, nobody’s talking’ and that one line should be enough to set anyone’s teeth on edge.  The fact that Lie is a book based around a hate crime, ‘everybody knows, nobody’s talking’ should outrage and disgust you.

Ontario Blog Squad Meet Up!

So by now, most of you know that I am part of the Ontario Blog Squad.  What you may not know is that not only am I am member, but I am also one of the organizers.  About 2 months ago, 8 Toronto area bloggers set out to not only create a network of bloggers from all over the province, but to also arrange get togethers and other activities amongst our group.  On Saturday, November 5, 2011, we held our first meet up at The Duke of York Pub in downtown Toronto.

At about 10:30 am, Jackie, Mel, Jen, Liz, Angel, Christa, Wendy and I all headed over to my office.  Why would we go to my office?  Well that is where all of the goodies were stored.  Early on in the planning process, we decided to reach out to the various Canadian publishing houses to see if they wanted to get involved.  Can I just tell you that they were just amazing.  Hachette Book Group Canada, Harper Collins Canada, Simon & Schuster Canada, Scholastic Canada, Penguin Canada and Random House Canada all contributed goodies and books beyond any of our wildest expectations.

Assembly Line of Doom!  Provided by Random House Canada
and filled with goodies from all publishers

Goodies from Hachette Book Group Canada!

Contributions from Harper Collins Canada with handwritten
notes from Shannon!

Copies of Fever from Simon & Schuster.  They are like 3 deep
in the cabinet!

Finished Copies from Scholastic Canada!

ARC's and T-Shirts from Penguin Canada!

Goodies for the raffle and online giveaways!

Mug from Random House Canada.  I confess, I am kind of
obsessed with it.

Goodies provided by Kobo!

We also raffled off various prizes and hold a trivia contest.  Kobo graciously provided some goodies along with our grand prize - a Kobo Touch E-Reader!

Organizer Group Shot.
Liz, Wendy, Christa, Mel, Jen, Jackie, Me & Angel!

I would like to thank everyone for coming out.  Hopefully this is only the first of many meet ups!  If you didn't get the chance to attend, have no fear.  We will be conducting some giveaways on the blog in the coming weeks.