Waiting on Wednesday: Scarlet

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature at Breaking the Spine.

My pick this week is Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen. This will be released on Valentine's Day, 2012!

Summary: Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

Why I'm waiting: I love the story of Robin Hood and I love retellings, so I hope this one is good!

Book Review: Me, Earl and the Dying Girl

Author: Jesse Andrews
Publisher: Abrams, Harry N., Inc.
Release Date: March 1, 2012
Pages:288
Why I read it: I got an ARC from Netgalley and the cover and premise drew me in.

What I thought: Wow! This book really blew me away.

The story centers around Greg Gaines, a budding filmmaker in high school. He has a best friend in Earl, foul mouthed and living in a very dysfunctional home. Greg tries to skate the lines between all the groups at his high school, being friendly with all social groups, but belonging to none. This changes when one of Greg's acquaintances, Rachel, is diagnosed with leukemia and Greg is coerced
I felt that I was a little bit like Greg when I was a teenager, besides being male. He's kind of a loner with one best friend, and he's also very self-deprecating. Sometimes the self-deprecation was a little too much for me, but that also might be because I know I was (am?) that way when I was in high school. The other characters are quirky, but Andrews does flesh them out well. Rachel seemed to be the only character not fully fleshed out, but I think this was intentional, because Greg doesn't know a lot about her and instead tries to make her laugh by talking and talking. In some ways, he's very self-centered, but he comes to realize this at the end, and even compares himself to Earl, who he believes is a better person than him.

I am so glad the book didn't resort to a boring romance. Although other characters saw Rachel and Greg as a couple, Greg never saw their relationship as a romantic one. He even confesses that he barely learned anything about Rachel. Rachel was almost a vehicle for Greg to "find himself" but I don't think the author went down this path and I am so glad he didn't. Greg readily admits that he is most likely not a good person and reacts to Rachel's death in a way that seems fitting for a teen. He doesn't become sentimental or go on and on about her death. He says many times that he didn't learn anything from her death, but in the end, I think he does. There are a few parts in the end where I teared up when Greg talks about Rachel, even though they are mostly acquaintances and not close friends.

The story jumps around in different forms of prose. From a screenplay to a list and then back to regular prose. I thought this would be unsettling, but I think it worked in the way the author set up the characters and the plot. Greg wants to be a filmmaker and he tells the story like one is watching a movie.
Overall, I give the book 4 stars. I really did like the character of Greg and my adult self sees part of him in my teen self. I also really liked the cover. I think it's unique and each character gets a representation on the cover.

Diversity in YA

In read the 2011 recap on the Book Smugglers blog, I found a link to Diversity in YA. I realize the challenge was over last Fall, but I'm interested in doing it myself this year.

I already found new books to read from their website, but now I'm trying to find diverse books that are coming out this year to read.

Waiting on Wednesday: Dust Girl

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature at Breaking the Spine.

The book I'm "waiting on" is Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel. It will be published June 26, 2012.

Summary from GoodReads: This new trilogy will capture the hearts of readers who adore Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series. Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she's never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone, when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in "the golden hills of the west" (California). Along the way she meets Jack a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company—there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there's also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.

Why I'm waiting: I love the idea of an American fairytale. I also like the setting, the Dust Bowl. It reminds me of the films of Tom Davenport, who has made several fairy tale films based in the American South. I hope it's as good as those films!

Waiting on Wednesday: Ripper

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature at Breaking the Spine.

The book I'm "waiting on" is Ripper by Stefan Petrucha. It will be published March 1, 2012.

Summary from Goodreads: You thought you knew him. You were dead wrong.

Carver Young dreams of becoming a detective, despite growing up in an orphanage with only crime novels to encourage him. But when he is adopted by Detective Hawking of the world famous Pinkerton Agency, Carver is given not only the chance to find his biological father, he finds himself smack in the middle of a real life investigation: tracking down a vicious serial killer who has thrown New York City into utter panic. When the case begins to unfold, however, it’s worse than he could have ever imagined, and his loyalty to Mr. Hawking and the Pinkertons comes into question. As the body count rises and the investigation becomes dire, Carver must decide where his true loyalty lies.

Full of whip-smart dialogue, kid-friendly gadgets, and featuring a then New York City Police Commisioner Teddy Roosevelt, Ripper challenges everything you thought you knew about the world’s most famous serial killer.

Why I'm waiting: When I was younger, I loved to read True Crime books or peruse Crime Library. While I don't do this as much anymore, I'm still interested in these topics, and a retelling of Jack the Ripper intrigues me.

Cover Crazy: Wintertown

Cover Crazy is a feature on the Book Worms.

Why I love this cover: Maybe it's because I've now spent most of my life in Minnesota, but I love the depiction of Winter on this cover. Winter is a very beautiful time, with all the snow, but it also can be a very melancholy time. I think this cover captures the beauty of snow, but also the loneliness of it. I can already guess what this book might be about without reading the description!

It looks like the snow at the bottom is confetti? I love the use of a mundane material to depict the pile of snow. Very creative.

Book Review: Fateful by Claudia Gray

Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Pages: 356
Why I read it: The setting of the Titanic really drew me in.

What I thought:  I really, really liked this book! I'm not a huge fan of paranormal romance. The romances fall flat for me and I'm sick of the "bad boy" vampire/werewolf/whatever. However, I first read about this book over on the Book Smugglers blog, and I was intrigued by the setting. I've always been interested in the Titanic, way before the 1997 movie, even! And the reviews I'd seen online looked pretty good, so I thought I would give it a chance.

The story follows Tess, a maidservant for an English noble family. They are traveling to America presumably to marry their only daughter off. Tess has plans to abandon the family in America and find a job on her own. However, her plans are thwarted when she meets Alec, who turns out to be a werewolf. Tess is intrigued by him, but yet knows how dangerous he is, and of course there are other dangers at work on the Titanic, besides, well, the sinking.

I really liked the characterization in the book. While Tess and Alec quickly fall in love, I didn't find it so obnoxious. Their romance was pretty grounded in reality. Alec was a bit of a "bad boy" but he fought against it, because his being a werewolf wasn't exactly his choice. Tess had a lot of agency, and while I felt like Alec was trying to protect, she also was able to protect him and take care of herself. I felt like some of the minor characters were cliches, but I think they generally fit into the story well. I liked how Gray showed the kindness of the upper class, rather than portraying them all as stuffy and cruel.

I loved how Gray used the Titanic as a backdrop for the story, and obviously she spent a lot of time researching the history and the customs of the time.

I was a little surprised by the twist ending. I guess I should have seen it coming, but I was still surprised. It seemed a little too tidy of an ending. I felt like the latter half of the book was rushed. While Gray spent a lot of time building up to the sinking and building relationships between the characters, I felt like the sinking happened quickly, when I know it took a couple of hours before sinking. Tess comments on how an hour and a half as passed, and maybe I was reading this part too quickly, but it seemed like the ship sank too quickly. And the ending felt a little rushed. I don't think this book was meant to be a series, but the author has set it up where there could be a sequel. I'm interested to see what happens to the characters if there is a sequel.


I give this book a 4. I really, really liked it!