Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick

Wish You Were Eyre by Heather Vogel Frederick

Release Date: September 11, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Source: Library

Summary

The book club says bon voyage to Concord and bonjour to France!

It’s a dream come true for Megan, who’s jet-setting to Paris for Fashion Week with Gigi. Meanwhile, back in Concord, Mrs. Wong decides to run for mayor, so Emma and Stewart team up to make her campaign a success. Jess and Cassidy are also hoping for victories, Jess in the a cappella finals with the MadriGals and Cassidy in the national hockey championships with her teammates. In the midst of it all, the girls—along with their Wyoming pen pals, who drop in for a visit over Spring Break—dive into Charlotte Brontë’s classic Jane Eyre. Some real life romance follows, as Becca may have found a Mr. Rochester of her own.      And then there’s the matter of a certain wedding. The book club girls, their families, the British Berkeley brothers, and even Stinkerbelle will be attending the ceremony, which means there might be some bumps before the bride waltzes down the aisle…. (courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review

The ending of a wonderful book series is always a bittersweet thing. Actually, often more bitter than sweet. Wish You Were Eyre is the sixth and final book of Heather Vogel Frederick's wonderful Mother Daughter Book Club series.

Waiting on Wednesdays: Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Publish Date: October 15, 2013

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Cheating a bit here - I've already read this book. I loved it so much that I want to emphasize its release for everyone. Such an incredible book. It's a companion to For Darkness Shows the Stars and based off of The Scarlet Pimpernel!

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Release Date: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: BEA

Summary

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black. (courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review

A few weeks ago, I spent a week in New York City. We stayed in New Jersey, which meant I 30+ minutes on a bus to and from the city. Since I was trying to conserve my iPhone battery, I had nothing to do other than read. How refreshing. Despite obviously being a big reader, focusing on a book is increasingly difficult as the Internet beckons 24/7. What a luxury to be forced to read. I lucked out by bringing a fabulous book on my trip. I couldn't put The Coldest Girl in Coldtown down.

Manga Mondays #165: The Princess of Tennis vol. 1 by Takeshi Konomi

Manga Mondays Meme

I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 3 years ago. It started out as a personal feature, but I decided to turn it into a meme last year. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme is a great way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

The Princess of Tennis vol. 1 by Takeshi Konomi

Summary

The exciting backdrop of high school tennis serves as the setting for the sports drama and coming-of-age story, The Prince of Tennis. From creator Takeshi Konomi, the manga depicts the on- and off-the-court adventures of Ryoma Echizen, who joins the Seishun Gakuen Middle School tennis team, known for being one of the most competitive teams in Japan. Freshmen rarely have a chance to actually play during their first year, but Ryoma's cool confidence, combined with a deadly, un-returnable "twist serve," gain him a coveted starting spot. With rigorous and extremely intense practices, the upperclassmen of the team expect the very best from themselves, and expect even more from the new members of the team. He's made the cut but can he survive the intense competition? Join Ryoma and other first year players, as they train hard, make friends, and try to find a place for themselves on the team. Also meet Ryoma's cute but chronically shy classmate, Sakuno Ryuzaki, who hopes he will notice her. Ryoma Echizen is The Prince of Tennis. He may be ready for the Seishun Gakuen tennis team, but are they ready for him? (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review

*Warning: Potential spoilers. My manga reviews tend to be more of a summary than a review. I find it hard to review manga in the same way I do regular books.

What a fun manga series. It's about a stellar tennis player, but will appeal to anyone who likes silly, personal drama. And I'm saying silly in a good way.

Feature and Follow Friday #166

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

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Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Release Date: 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Margaret K. McElderry
Source: Bought

Summary

True love is shrouded in secrets and lies in the #1 New York Times bestselling second book of the Infernal Devices trilogy.

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when it becomes clear that the mysterious Magister will stop at nothing to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, tortured Will and the devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal and fueled by revenge. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa is drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa answers about who she really is? As their search leads to deadly peril, Tessa learns that secrets and lies can corrupt even the purest heart. (courtesy of Amazon.)

Review

I enjoyed Clockwork Angel, but Clockwork Prince is the book that cemented my love for The Infernal Devices series. Why is that? I'm not exactly sure why love it so much. It has that intangible "something" that has no formula or no real description.

Waiting on Wednesdays: Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!

Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce

Publish Date: September 24, 2013

Publisher: Scholastic Press

I've never actually read a book by Tamora Pierce, but I've wanted to for years. This is the third book in a series. Maybe its release will spur me to start Tamora's books.

*How do you pronounce Tamora? I say Tah-MO-rah. Or is it TA-mo-rah, pronounced like the name Tamera?