Waiting on Wednesday: When We Collided

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which shines a light on eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.  This week, my pick is:

When We Collided by Emery Lord

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Date: April 5, 2016

From Goodreads: Meet Vivi and Jonah: A girl and a boy whose love has the power save or destroy them.

Vivi and Jonah couldn't be more different. Vivi craves anything joyful or beautiful that life can offer. Jonah has been burdened by responsibility for his family ever since his father died. As summer begins, Jonah resigns himself to another season of getting by. Then Vivi arrives, and suddenly life seems brighter and better. Jonah is the perfect project for Vivi, and things finally feel right for Jonah. Their love is the answer to everything. But soon Vivi's zest for life falters, as her adventurousness becomes true danger-seeking. Jonah tries to keep her safe, but there's something important Vivi hasn't told him.

I love anything that Emery Lord puts out.  I've heard a lot of early buzz for this one, and I can't wait to dive in!

TTT: Ten Books I've Read Out of My Comfort Zone

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's theme is books that I've read that have been outside of my comfort zone.  Here we go!

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

A memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

 When his family moves, Jin is suddenly the only Chinese American student in school.

Sold by Patricia McCormick

A girl sold into slavery endures and takes back her life.

Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories

Writers create a world where romance and technology reign.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

 Gruesome vampire book with a kick-butt heroine.

Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst

Girl is hunted by a magic wielding serial killer.

  

Pure Grit: How WWII Nurses in the Pacific Survived Combat and Prison Camp by Mary Cronk Farrell

Features the story of the 101 nurses stationed in the Philippines in World War II. 

Girls Like Us by Gail Giles

Two graduates of the special ed program live with each other, helping each other with past burdens.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming

The author expertly weaves the tales of the imperial family and Russia's poor masses.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Roza gets abducted, Finn can't stop it, and the whole town doesn't believe him.

Have you read anything outside of your comfort zone recently?

Leave a list or link in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday: Lady Midnight

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which shines a light on eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.  This week, my pick is:

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Date: March 8, 2016

From Goodreads: "It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?"

I am really really really excited for another book in the Shadowhunters universe.  There are literally NO WORDS that would accurately convey my excitement.  YAY!!

The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright

The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright
Published by Merit Press in January 2016
Debut Author, 2016

"In this modern day fairytale, Evie is on a path to figure out who her mom really was, while discovering for herself what the future will hold. Charged with her late mother’s letters, Evie embarks on a quest into her past. The first item on the list is to attend Oxford, her mom’s alma mater. There, Evie stumbles upon a real life prince charming, Edmund Stuart the second Prince of England, who is all too happy to be the counterpart to her damsel in distress.

Evie can’t resist her growing attraction to Edmund as they spend more time together trying to unravel the clues her mother left behind. But, when doubts arise as to whether or not Edmund could ever be with an untitled American, what really ends up unraveling is Evie’s heart. When Evie uncovers all the facts about her mom’s former life, she realizes her mom’s past can open doors she never dreamed possible, doors that can help her be with Edmund. But, with everything now unveiled, Evie starts to crack under the pressure of new family responsibilities and the realization that her perfect prince may want her for all the wrong reasons." --From Goodreads

Will you like it?
If you like romance at all, you will like this book.  If you like anything about the English royal family, you will love this book.  Overall, this was a perfect book to read on Valentine's Day.  It was light and fluffy; the perfect deviation from my normal heavy fantasy reads.

Disclosure: I borrowed a copy from my local library.

Shop Love: Creating & Co

Happy February!

I wanted to do something fun in February, so I decided to showcase my favorite Etsy sticker shops.  

My next shop is Creating & Co.  Paige was one of the first planner youtubers I found that filmed plan with mes.  She was the first shop I ordered stickers from, and I was not disappointed!  Collections are matte and they range in number of sticker pages and price.

I used her Watercolor Snowflake kit for my first full week in my Erin Condren planner:

Sticker set found here

I also bought the We Go Together collection for my Valentine's Day spread next week.  

Image via Etsy

I also have my eye on the following kits:

Image via Etsy

Modern Hexes

Image via Etsy

Pink Mint

She releases new items about once a month, but she also features limited edition kits as well!

Get your hands on these kits, you will not be disappointed!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Winner's Kiss

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which shines a light on eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.  This week, my pick is:

The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski
Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
Date: March 29, 2016
The Winner's Trilogy #3

From Goodreads: War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it, with the East as his ally and the empire as his enemy. He’s finally managed to dismiss the memory of Kestrel, even if he can’t quite forget her. Kestrel turned into someone he could no longer recognize: someone who cared more for the empire than for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she cared for him. At least, that’s what he thinks.

But far north lies a work camp where Kestrel is a prisoner. Can she manage to escape before she loses herself? As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover unexpected roles in battle, terrible secrets, and a fragile hope. The world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and Kestrel and Arin are caught between. In a game like this, can anybody really win?

I'm sad that this series is ending, but I can't wait to read this!  The second book ended on such a cliffhanger.  I need to know what happens!!

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Published by Balzer + Bray in March 2015
Michael L. Printz Award Winner, 2016.

"Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?

Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go." -- From Goodreads

Will you like it?
This book has aspects of magical realism.  The majority of the book is set in present day/ reality.  You really have to suspend your beliefs with this one.  Overall, it's a great story that features beautiful language.  I'm not sure I would have picked this one up if I didn't need to read it for book club, but after mulling over the story for awhile, I'm glad I ended up reading this one.

Disclosure: I borrowed a copy from my local library.

Shop Love: NicoleAlexiaDesigns

Happy February!

I wanted to do something fun in February, so I decided to showcase my favorite Etsy sticker shops.  

My first shop is NicoleAlexiaDesigns.  I bought a lot of kits from her when she was having her New Years sale.  I took the following photos from her Etsy shop because her photography is fantastic.  Sticker collections (all 4 sheets) are $12.00 for matte and $14.00 for glossy.  

Dainty Wooden Collection

 Dearest Collection ♦ Hannah Collection

Floral Script Collection ♦ Kate Collection

She's adding new stickers every Friday, so go check out her awesome kits! 

Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Published by Dial Books in August 2015

"Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard." -- From Goodreads

Will you like it?
If you like messy family drama, then I would recommend this book to you!  I would read the first book, My Life Next Door, to know the entire story of the Garrett family before jumping into this book.  I really enjoyed watching Tim change- he evolved from an irresponsible child to an adult.  Also, the romance between Alice and Tim didn't seem forced or contrived.  It seemed like it evolved naturally.

Disclosure: I borrowed a copy from my local library.

Grease Live!

Last night, Fox showed Grease Live!  I wasn't expecting much, because of how their live versions of Peter Pan & The Sound of Music turned out.  But let's just say, that was...

AWESOME!!

I truly enjoyed the entire showing.  The casting was on point, and the choreography was excellent.  I think my favorite scene was "Greased Lightning".  The choreography in that scene was perfect, and I loved how they incorporated classic choreography, and made it new.  

I was also pleasantly surprised that they put in "Freddie My Love" & "Those Magic Changes" which are featured in the stage musical but were only on the soundtrack of the movie.

Overall, I loved it!  It was really well done, and now the bar has been raised for the next live musical they do.