Teaser Tuesday (75)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following!

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share a few teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• MAKE SURE NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (you don't want to give too much away and ruin the book for other readers)

Share the title and author too, so that other readers can add your book to their TBR list if they like your teaser!

Crown of Midnight
Sarah J. Maas
August 27, 2013

      Her sword slide out of its sheath with barely a whine.  She took a shuddering breath, bracing herself for what would come next.

      Lord Nirall's eyes flew open just as the King's Champion raised her sword over her head.

(Page 4)

I have no clue why I hadn't started this series sooner!  I devoured Throne of Glass, the first book in the series in one day, and moved on to the second, Crown of Midnight, as soon as I was done.  Ack, it is so good!  Engrossing story line with enough twists to keep you on your toes.  A fully developed world and characters that just make you want more.  And soul throughout the book guiding the words along.  I HIGLY recommend you read this series; I know most people already know that, but if you're one of the few like me, that had it sitting on the shelf just waiting, DON'T WAIT ANY MORE!!!

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Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan (Review)

Title: Love is the Higher Law
Author(s): David Levithan
Edition: Paperback, 176 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 25, 2009
Source: Owned
Buy: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Book Depository - Inkwood Books

The Summary

First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . .

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption as his characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

I am a huge fan of David Levithan.  He writes beautiful stories, capturing the human experience with the utmost care and craft.  But none of his books come close to Love is the Higher Law.  This book is heartbreaking and raw, examining one of the worst events in American history, September 11th, through the eyes of three different teens.  Tragically beautiful, this is a book that needs to be included in Young Adult library collections, and classroom libraries.

Levithan picks an appropriate tool to navigate such a hard topic.  Using three different perspectives shapes the book in a concrete way.  The three teens, Claire, Jasper, and Peter, each experience the events of 9/11 differently.  Claire is at school when the planes hit, and she rushes to her brother's elementary school to be with him.  Meanwhile, Peter is waiting at the Tower Records a couple blocks down from the Towers, and feels the impact from the explosions.  And through the whole incident, Jasper is asleep, hungover from a party the night before, and just waking to see the aftermath.  With these three different experiences, characters stories build one within the other as the story progresses.

What I always love about Levithan's writing is the lyrical quality to his dialogue and the beautifully descriptive scenes.  Both transport you into the lives and feelings of his characters; Love is the Higher Law is no exception.  I actually feel that the book is anchored so well in the human experience that it transcends above the physical events, and not in a way that does disservice to the memory of those who were killed.  But this transcendence does allow readers who may not remember 9/11, (they may have been too young, or not even American), to travel with the characters, experiencing the emotions that people felt and still feel.  Overall, Love is the Higher Law is a look on how a human being, in this case three teens, faced with such a horrific event deal with the aftermath.

For a book centralized around such an intense and deeply personal event, being a sensitive and delicate authors is imperative.  For most Americans, September 11th is a scar on the face of our country, one which will last forever.  To write about it takes an author of a high caliber, as well as an author who isn't on the outside of the events looking in.  Levithan lives in New York, and was on of the thousands of people affected by 9/11.  This personal involvement is felt within every word.  Love is the Higher Law is a powerful story about survival, grief, friendship, and life.  But above all it is a book about love.

Extras

Check out David Levithan reading an excerpt of Love is the Higher Law

Part One


Part Two

Here is a really great interview with David Levithan about Love is the Higher Law from the ladies over at Book Divas.

Final Rating

Book Cover: 5/5
Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Overall: 48/50: A

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Top Ten Tuesday (40)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of their bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on their post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share.  If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

The topic this week is: 

Top Ten Books That Should Be In Your Beach Bag

(WOOH SUMMER!)

 

Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu

Some secrets are too good to keep. 

Tabitha might be the only girl in the history of the world who actually gets less popular when she gets hot. But her so-called friends say she’s changed, and they’ve dropped her flat.  

Now Tab has no one to tell about the best and worst thing that has ever happened to her: Joe, who spills his most intimate secrets to her in their nightly online chats. Joe, whose touch is so electric, it makes Tab wonder if she could survive an actual kiss. Joe, who has Tabitha brimming with the restless energy of falling in love. Joe, who is someone else’s boyfriend. 

Just when Tab is afraid she’ll burst from keeping the secret of Joe inside, she finds Life by Committee. The rules of LBC are simple: tell a secret, receive an assignment. Complete the assignment to keep your secret safe. 

Tab likes it that the assignments push her to her limits, empowering her to live boldly and go further than she’d ever go on her own. 

But in the name of truth and bravery, how far is too far to go?

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

Listen — Travis Coates was alive once and then he wasn’t.

Now he’s alive again. 

Simple as that. 

The in between part is still a little fuzzy, but he can tell you that, at some point or another, his head got chopped off and shoved into a freezer in Denver, Colorado. Five years later, it was reattached to some other guy’s body, and well, here he is. Despite all logic, he’s still 16 and everything and everyone around him has changed. That includes his bedroom, his parents, his best friend, and his girlfriend. Or maybe she’s not his girlfriend anymore? That’s a bit fuzzy too. 

Looks like if the new Travis and the old Travis are ever going to find a way to exist together, then there are going to be a few more scars. 

Oh well, you only live twice. 

The Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow

Savannah. Courtney. Peyton. 

The three sisters grew up not knowing their father and not quite catching a break. But it looks like their luck is about to change when they find out the secret identity of their long-lost dad—a billionaire Las Vegas hotel owner who wants them to come live in a gorgeous penthouse hotel suite. Suddenly the Strip's most exclusive clubs are all-access, and with an unlimited credit card each, it should be easier than ever to fit right in. But in a town full of secrets and illusion, fitting in is nothing compared to finding out the truth about their past.

Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Time is slipping away.... 

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything. 

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race. 

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place? 

Victoria Scott's breathtaking novel grabs readers by the throat and doesn't let go. 

Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler

What happens when the person you’re becoming isn’t the one your family wants you to be? 

When Aaron Hartzler was little, he couldn’t wait for the The Rapture: that moment when Jesus would come down from the clouds to whisk him and his family up to heaven. But as he turns sixteen, Aaron grows more curious about all the things his family forsakes for the Lord. He begins to realize he doesn’t want Jesus to come back just yet—not before he has his first kiss, sees his first movie, or stars in the school play. 

Whether he’s sneaking out, making out, or playing hymns with a hangover, Aaron learns a few lessons that can’t be found in the Bible. He discovers that the girl of your dreams can just as easily be the boy of your dreams, and the tricky part about believing is that no one can do it for you. 

In this funny and heartfelt coming-of-age memoir, debut author Aaron Hartzler recalls his teenage journey from devoted to doubtful, and the search to find his own truth without losing the fundamentalist family who loves him. 

Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge 

Paige Turner has just moved to New York with her family, and she's having some trouble adjusting to the big city. In the pages of her sketchbook, she tries to make sense of her new life, including trying out her secret identity: artist. As she makes friends and starts to explore the city, she slowly brings her secret identity out into the open, a process that is equal parts terrifying and rewarding. 

Laura Lee Gulledge crafts stories and panels with images that are thought-provoking, funny, and emotionally resonant. Teens struggling to find their place can see themselves in Paige's honest, heartfelt story.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know? 

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling. 

What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe. 

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die! 

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father. 

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met. 

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too. 

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path.

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. 

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

Each of the books on this list are amazing, and ones that I have enjoyed immensely!  You should all be running to grab your own copies to read while you're chilling on the beach or relaxing by the pool this summer!

Happy Summer my lovely readers!  Let me know in the comments some of your Beach Bag books, and don't forget to stop by The Broke and the Bookish to see the rest of the lists!

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Super Pop! Blog Tour with Zest Books

Super Pop! Pop Culture Lists to Help You Win at Trivia, Survive in the Wild, and Make It Through the Holidays by Daniel Harmon

Author: Daniel Harmon

Published Date: June 2013

Published by: Zest Books

Summary:

As David Letterman demonstrates on the Late Show, top ten lists are really funny. And we know lists are a great way to get organized, get things done, and streamline life’s many tasks. But now, pop culture expert Daniel Harmon takes a totally new approach to list making in his new book Super Pop! and organizes 500 movies, songs, video games, and books into top ten lists that not only have the power to entertain, but also to help create a new and better you!

My Review:

I have an addiction to lists!  I have a listography account (and all their books). I make To-Do lists all the time.  And of course, I read books with lists.  But no book filled with lists has come close to the awesome that I found in Super Pop! Pop Culture Lists to Help You Win at Trivia, Survive in the Wild, and Make It Through the Holidays by Daniel Harmon!

Filled with everything from Superheroes to History, this book will help you with all your pop culture needs!  Some of my favorite lists include: "Go Where Everybody Knows Your Name: The Best Places to Hang Out for an Hour", "Find Your Happy Place: Magical, Fictional Worlds", and "Sleep With the Fishes: The Ten Best Places to Find Your Spirit Animal", as well has the ones listed below.  What I like best about the lists is that he mixes older, more well-known references with new, moe modern references.  This makes the book aplicable to teens and adults.  

I will caution and say that some of the lists may be a little bit risque for the younger set, but high schoolers and college goers wil definitely enjoy the lists, as well as learn something (go figure!).  If you're gearing up for a quiz night, or just want to delight your friends, then you need to grab a copy of Super Pop! by Daniel Harmon!

FINAL VERDICT: 4.5 STARS!

Some of the Lists!

• Cheat on Your Homework: Essential Literary Adaptations—for Both Information and Inspiration
• Rest Assured: Movies Where People Get Exactly What They Deserve
• Laugh So Hard You Soil Yourself: Reliable Sources of Undeniable Joy

And so many more!  In fact, in honor of these lists, I'm linking to some of my very own Top Ten Lists from the past.  Now these aren't nearly as pop culturish as the book's (yes I made that up), but they are entirely bookish!

• Top Ten Books When You Need Something Light & Fun
• Top Ten 2013 Reading Goals
• Top Ten Books I Read in 2012
• Top Ten Favorite New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2012

So on and so forth.  Hopefully I'll be able to do more Top Ten Lists because I am such a sucker for lists.  But until then, you can pick up a copy of Super Pop! from one of the links below and indulge your list love!  (P.S. There's a giveaway too!)

  

About Daniel Harmon

Follow Daniel Harmon/Zest Books here:

Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Twitter  |  Website

Get your hands on a copy of the book here:

     

Or, if you're really awesome, you'll order from MY favorite bookstore: Inkwood Books

Giveaway:

• 1 winner wil receive: a prize packet that includes an autographed book and a super Super Pop! Button as well as some Zesty swag!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia Blog Tour Stop!

Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Author: Jenny Torres Sanchez

Published Date: May 28, 2013

Published by: Running Press Kids

Tour Hosted by: Book Nerd Tours

Summary:

Frenchie Garcia can’t come to grips with the death of Andy Cooper. Her friends didn’t know she had a crush on him. And they don’t know she was the last person with him before he committed suicide. But Frenchie’s biggest concern is how she blindly helped him die that night.

Frenchie’s already insane obsession with death and Emily Dickinson won’t help her understand the role she played during Andy’s “one night of adventure.” But when she meets Colin, she may have found the perfect opportunity to recreate that night. While exploring the emotional depth of loss and transition to adulthood, Sanchez’s sharp humor and clever observations bring forth a richly developed voice.

My Review:

I am a native Floridian, so I automatically love books set in Florida 10x more than other books!  I meant Jenny at the Sunshine Author Tour, which was chock-a-block with Florida authors, of which Jenny was one.  She was there to promote her first book, The Downside of Being Charlie, which was amazing, and she teased about her next book, Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia,  First off, with a title like that, who can say no?  Secondly, set in Orlando? Done!

But seriously this book was fantastic!  Frenchie is a high school senior who is newly graduated and facing some big problems heading to the future.  But with a sharp wit and faith in herself, she is able to overcome on of the biggest obstacles of all, being the last one to see Andy Cooper, who is Frenchie's ultimate crush, alive.  One of those hit 'em where it hurts stories, Sanchez takes us on a wild ride through downtown Orlando with Andy all the while the reader knows what will happen to him.  But in the end the story circles back to the local cemetery where Frenchie spends most of time conversing with Emily Dickinson, but not the Emily Dickinson, and here is where she finally comes to terms with what happened.

As you can tell Sanchez has a morbi sense of humor, but it really works as a springboard for contemplation and expression.  The real Emily Dickinson's poems are sprinkled throughout the book, used as tools for Frenchie to gain some perspective on her problems.  Being a literature geek, I loved this so much.  There are a lot of lit-hits like that, I suppose it helps that Sanchez was an English teacher! ; ) 

This book is very real, wrapping a scary and intense situation in humor and weirdness, just like situations of this kind usually are.  On par with some other great contemporary novels, The Fault in Our Stars, Deadline, and Thirteen Reasons Why to name a few, Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez definitely deserves a place on your bookshelf!

FINAL VERDICT: 5 STARS!

Excerpt:

“The old man across the street is dead. School has been out for three weeks.  I estimate that would have been the last time I saw him. Alive” 

(Page 1)

  

About Jenny Torres Sanchez

Jenny Torres Sanchez lives in Florida with her husband and children where she currently writes full time. Before her debut novel The Downside of Being Charlie she taught high school for several years, where she credits her eclectic students for inspiring her to write young adult novels.

Follow Jenny Torres Sanchez here:

Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Twitter  |  Website

Get your hands on a copy of the book here:

    

Oh, and you can enter to win a copy for your very self!

Giveaway:

• 3 Winners will receive a Signed Copy+Swag of Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez
• 1 Winner will receive a Poster and Bookmark of a Surprise Art by James Vallesteros
• 10 Winners will receive One bookmark of a Surprise Art by James Vallesteros

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Past. Present. Future. (29)

There are a a lot of these "What're you reading?" features around, so I figured, hey why not start one too? Basically, here's where I highlight the books I've read, the books I'm reading, and the books I'm going to read. Fun, right? Please join in if you want!

PAST:

Refresh Refresh by Danica Novgorodoff, James Ponsoldt, and Benjamin Percy - This graphic novel is really interesting as it explores the families left behind after deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.  Set in a small town in Oregon, 3 best friends are left behind as their fathers go to war.  Each boy experiences this differently, and uses back-yard ring fighting as a method of escape.  This is a very unsettling and intense look into the effects that war has on families.

The P.L.A.I.N. Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg - I read this graphic novel series out of order, but it was still enjoyable!  The premise feels very real, and I love the artwork, which is an interesting mix of Eastern and Western influence.  Really cool urban art installations and the idea of neighborhood art collectives.  Overall, a really fun graphic novell one of my favorites in fact.

PRESENT:

The Magicians by Lev Grossman - This has been on my TBR list for a while! I saw so many endorsements and comparisons to Harry Potter that I had to pick up. Now that I'm reading it, I don't really see the connection to Harry Potter except that there are schools of magic in both. But it is still super good! A lot darker and more adult; I can't wait to finish it and move on to the second book.

Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia by Jenny Torres Sanchez - I am reading this as part of a blog tour through Book Nerd Tours that's going to be starting in June (keep an eye out for it)!  I met Jenny Torres Sanchez at the Sunshine Book Tour this year, and loved her first book!  This one sounds super awesome with the mix of Dickinson and death (read the summary) and while I'm just getting into it, it's really good so far!




PAST:

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey - I love this book!!!!!!  One of my favorites of 2013; EVERY ONE should read this book!  The hype is well-deserved, and Yancey delivers an amazing tale! It is so engaging and heart-stopping   The idea of these waves meant to decimate us is terrifying.  Aliens are moving up on my fears list for sure!!  They've already optioned the movie rights to this book, so that will be fun and there are two more books to look forward to! Wooh!

If any of you've read any of these books, let me know what you thought (but NO spoilers) down below in the comments!

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School Spirits (Review)

Title: School Spirits

Author(s): Rachel Hawkins
Edition: ARC, 3o4 pages
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: May 14, 2013
Source: Received from publisher
Buy: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Book Depository - Inkwood Books

The Summary

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Fifteen-year-old Izzy Brannick was trained to fight monsters. For centuries, her family has hunted magical creatures. But when Izzy’s older sister vanishes without a trace while on a job, Izzy's mom decides they need to take a break.Izzy and her mom move to a new town, but they soon discover it’s not as normal as it appears. A series of hauntings has been plaguing the local high school, and Izzy is determined to prove her worth and investigate. But assuming the guise of an average teenager is easier said than done. For a tough girl who's always been on her own, it’s strange to suddenly make friends and maybe even have a crush.

Can Izzy trust her new friends to help find the secret behind the hauntings before more people get hurt? 

Rachel Hawkins' delightful spin-off brings the same wit and charm as the New York Times bestselling Hex Hall series. Get ready for more magic, mystery and romance!

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

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Fans and newcomers alike will fall in love with Rachel Hawkins' newest book, School Spirits.  The start of a companion series to her New York Times bestselling series Hex Hall, School Spirits stars Izzy Brannick, the youngest Brannick and cousin to Sophie Mercer (our resident Demon).  Her mom, her sister, and she are the only surviving Brannicks, and as such are charged with keeping the creepy crawlies at bay.  But when Izzy's sister disapeers, her mom decides to take a break from hunting.  But in true Hawkins fashion, a break is far from what happens!

I was so excited to find out Hawkins was writing a companion series to Hex Hall.  I loved reading about Sophie and the Prodigium, but when I got a look into the Brannicks history in Spell Bound I wanted to learn more about them! Izzy is a great main character to follow. She's witty and strong, but so very awkward. That's probably her most endearing quality right off the bat. She has to learn how to fit into a completely alien situation, and as most of us know, high school is alien even for teens who grew up "normal".  But in her awkward actions in the social department, her hunter skills are graceful.  She has such potential and I can't wait to see what Hawkins has in store for her.

On top of the great characterization (all the supporting characters have unique personalities and quirks that make them pop from the page), Hawkins always has some of the best dialogue.  School Spirits is no different, with Izzy and Co. going back and forth with the witticisms and snark that make their journey so much fun!   Of course the best at this is Torin, the "poor" Warlock locked in the Brannick's family mirror.  He is a wily character that always has a sharp retort or dry observation to impart on Izzy.  I love when books are imbued with humor because it makes the violence/emotions/problems that much easier to read.  It is a pull for me, and one of the reasons I will read anything Hawkins writes!

There is a lot going on in this first book that is left unanswered, and instead of that being annoying, it makes me ache for the next book!  I want to know what will happen to Dex, where the heck her sister Finley is, what are Torin's motives, and just what kind of "special" is Izzy?  Hopefully all will be answered in the coming books!  In the mean time, go grab yourself a copy of School Spirits, out today, May 14th (links to buy up above).  And while you're at it, grab the entire Hex Hall series (books are down below).  Definitely a much needed addition to any supernatural fantasy collection!

Extras

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If you like School Spirits then you HAVE to check out Rachel Hawkins' other series Hex Hall!  Click the images below to be taken to the books' Goodreads pages.

Final Rating

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Book Cover: 4/5
Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Overall: 46/50: A-

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Teaser Tuesday (66)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following!

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share a few teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• MAKE SURE NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (you don't want to give too much away and ruin the book for other readers)

Share the title and author too, so that other readers can add your book to their TBR list if they like your teaser!

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Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia

Jenny Torres Garcia

May 28, 2013

          Living here I should be use to death.  But every time a procession goes by, I wonder about the person inside the hearse.  Did they live happily but die horribly? Or maybe the lived horribly but died happily?  Or worse, maybe the lived horribly and died horribly.

(pg. 11)

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I met Jenny Torres Garcia at the Sunshine Author Tour last month, and she was talking about this book!  I wanted to read it so badly, so I am SO excited to be a part of the blog tour for it!  It is really good so far, quirky and full of black humor.  It is a unique contemporary, and it is definitely going to be added to my favorite books of 2013!  Check out for yourself on May 28th, and read her other book, The Downside of Being Charlie, in the mean time!

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