Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony

Source: Publisher
After her mother died, Glory retreated into herself and her music. Her single father raised her as a piano prodigy, with a rigid schedule and the goal of playing sold-out shows across the globe. Now, as a teenager, Glory has disappeared. As we flash back to the events leading up to her disappearance, we see a girl on the precipice of disaster. Brilliant and lonely, Glory is drawn to an artistic new boy, Frank, who moves in next door. The farther she falls, the deeper she spirals into madness. Before long, Glory is unable to play anything but the song "Chopsticks."
But nothing is what it seems, and Glory's reality is not reality at all. In this stunningly moving novel told in photographs, pictures, and words, it's up to the reader to decide what is real, what is imagined, and what has been madness all along....
I found this story to be a really creative and new way to tell a story. I liked that it was a mix of visual and text to tell the story. I didn't feel that I got to know the characters as much as you get to in a regular novel. I also feel that the book leaves too much to be determined by the reader. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a unique  format with an uncertain plot.
Also I did like the imagery in the book and enjoyed it.

Read in January 2013

1. Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
2. Now the Day is Over by Joan Fiset 
3. Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed
4. Trojan Women by Euripides 
5. Reached by Ally Condie
6. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
7. Crash by Lisa McMann
8. In Too Deep by Amanda Grace
9. Trojan Women by Euripides 

Reviews posted from these books: 1 of these books so far, some are planned to be posted later. 
Books for School: 3 
Books for Review: 2
My Favorite: I really loved Cinder and Sapphires. Reached was a great ending. Also Days of Blood & Starlight made me want more.
My Least Favorite: None this month. 
Debut Authors '13: 1 read  24 books left 
2013 Feminist Reading Challenge: 2 of 10
Books I hope to read next month: I would love to read The Elite, Fever, or The Moon and More.

Crash by Lisa McMann

Source: Publisher
If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trouble. The suspenseful first of four books from the New York Timesbestselling author of the Wake trilogy.
Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.
What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode...and nine body bags in the snow.
The vision is everywhere—on billboards, television screens, windows—and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more shesees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.
In this riveting start to a gripping series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann, Jules has to act—and act fast—to keep her vision from becoming reality.
Jules is a strong and funny character. A lot of the things that she thought or said made me laugh. As the visions become more detailed as the story went on, and I realized what Jules was experiencing. I also enjoyed that she was brave. Trey was a funny brother and his protective nature is something similar to what I experience with my brother. Rowan was a cute little sister and I liked that there was relationship between all of the siblings. Sawyer was really sweet and I liked that he didn't believe everything that Jules said. I also liked that their was a history between them. The plot of Crash was fast paced and exciting.  I just felt that the whole family feud thing was over the top. The vision of billboards, TVs, and ect was an interesting concept.  McMann's writing was good, but I feel that there are a lot of question that are left open that I wish I knew about. Overall, if you want a quick contemporary with a supernatural twist or enjoyed McMann's other books, I would recommend this book.

Giveaway: Notes from Ghost Town and The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison

Hey! I have two books to giveaway. Notes from Ghost Town is about:  
From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it’s only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death. 
There’s a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there’s a good chance she’s losing her mind completely—just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn’t really there?
With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It’s the only way she can save herself.
And this is what The Butterfly Clues is about: 
Penelope (Lo) Marin has always loved to collect beautiful things. Her dad's consulting job means she's grown up moving from one rundown city to the next, and she's learned to cope by collecting (sometimes even stealing) quirky trinkets and souvenirs in each new place--possessions that allow her to feel at least some semblance of home.
But in the year since her brother Oren's death, Lo's hoarding has blossomed into a full-blown, potentially dangerous obsession. She discovers a beautiful, antique butterfly pendant during a routine scour at a weekend flea market, and recognizes it as having been stolen from the home of a recently murdered girl known only as "Sapphire"--a girl just a few years older than Lo. As usual when Lo begins to obsess over something, she can't get the murder out of her mind.
As she attempts to piece together the mysterious "butterfly clues," with the unlikely help of a street artist named Flynt, Lo quickly finds herself caught up in a seedy, violent underworld much closer to home than she ever imagined--a world, she'll ultimately discover, that could hold the key to her brother's tragic death.
I think that both books sound awesome. Enter in the form below. Best of luck to you all.
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Waiting on Wednesday (116)

Title: The Program
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: April 30, 2013
In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.
Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.
Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.
This book sounds so amazing and I just really want to read it. Suzanne Young is always brilliant and I don't think that The Program will be any different.

Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook

Source: Publisher
Bonnie and Clyde meets IF I STAY in this addictively heart-wrenching story of two desperate teenagers on the run from their pasts.
They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run.
Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger....
When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough.
Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending. Described as “beautiful, heartbreaking, and exhilarating” by Kody Keplinger, author of The DUFF, Nobody But Us will prove irresistible to fans of Nina Lacour, Jenny Han, and Sara Zarr. 
Zoe is such an awesome character. She is tough and just caring. Will is protective while being sweet. Their relationship fascinated me and I didn't want to stop reading. The main plot is about escaping their past in order to create a future. With the trouble that they cause on the way, that becomes impossible without taking rather extreme measure. I became concerned about them and needed to keep reading.I felt a variety of emotions for Will and Zoe, because they are utterly broken from their past and I wanted to learn more about them.  My emotional attachment made this book feel quick and intense, because I had to know the ending. I just wanted them to be happy for forever. This book is rather unique, because while it is a road trip, it is also a race for the future. 
This book caused me to reevaluate what love is and what would I do in this situation. The feelings, that Zoe and Will have, haunted me into deep thoughts. When this book ended, I wanted more. While it was realistic, it wasn't what I hoped for. Halbrooke's Nobody But Us is an epic debut. It is intense, filled of emotions, characters, and plot, and also memorable. I can't wait to read more. I enjoyed writing and that she captured Zoe and Will in such extreme depth that I felt like I knew them. I would recommend this book to fans of Ellen Hopkins, Hannah Moskowitiz, and Courtney Summers.

Ask the Passenger by A.S. King

Source: Publisher
Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl.
As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better.
In this truly original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything--and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking real love.
I loved A.S. King's previous books that I have read. The Dust of 100 Dogs was clever and original. Please Ignore Vera Dietz was heartbreaking and just stunning. Ask the Passengers combines both of these to make an amazing and unforgettable story. Astrid is an amazing girl. She is dealing with a lot of issues in her life  and is trying to figure out what she wants to do in her life and also about her sexuality. I also enjoyed the passengers and found their small stories to be a good addition to story. I really wish that there had been more. I really enjoyed the plot. I didn't feel that it was ever too slow or dragged, instead it flowed perfectly and I wanted more. King writes a story in a unique and exciting way. The writing is just lovely and I can't wait to read more from her. I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed her previous books and anyone that wants a contemporary book with a touch of magical realism. It is such a clever and amazing story. 

ALA Midwinter 2013

So ALA Midwinter starts today and I am going.
If you would like to hang out, have coffee, or whatever, let me know. Also I live in Seattle, so if you want advice of places to eat or visit, I will happily give it to you.
I will be going to The Great Blogger Meet Up hosted by YA Highway and Stacked. Info here. It is tonight and a lot of people are going.

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepard

Source: Publisher
In the darkest places, even love is deadly.
Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.
Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.
Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.
Juliet is such an amazing character. She is strong and rather fierce. Juliet made me laugh and I also enjoyed how stubborn she could be. Montgomery is such a sweet character and I adored him. On the other hand  while Edward intrigued me, I didn't really like him. There was just something about him. I hated Dr. Moreau, but at the same time, I hoped that he would change. I found myself wanting to know more about the characters and I hope that comes up in the next books.
This book gripped me from the very beginning. I became immersed in this book, so much that I tried to read this book at breaks at a concert. I also finished this book during Finals week, which never happens to me. I felt invested in this book.  There were so many surprises in this book that I didn't know what to expect next. There isn't a book like this. I believe that it was so unique and just awesome. I know that a lot of people can't read Historical Fiction, but this book was so epic and fast paced. I am really excited for the future books in this series, because there are so many things that I can't wait to know more about. I recommend this book to someone that wants a unique book with great characters and a fast and intriguing plot.

Giveaway: Nobody and Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

So I have two books for giveaway. 
Nobody is about: 
There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away. 
That’s why they make the perfect assassins.
The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.
Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and send seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.
and Every Other Day is about: 
Every other day, Kali D’Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She argues with her father. She’s human.
And then every day in between . . . she’s something else entirely.
Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.
When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her, and unfortunately she’ll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive . . . and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.
I am really excited for both of these books. Just fill out the form below to enter. Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway