Weekly Reads: Invisible Ghosts

Invisible Ghosts is the newest book by Robyn Schneider. I absolutely loved The Beginning of Everything (<--link to my review of that title) and will pick up anything she writes. Even though the description of this one really didn't get me very excited about it.

But then I read it in an entire sitting, because it was just that good. And the characters and the relationships, and the paranormal element, and the teen love story. Oooh, I just loved it so much. I even delayed going to a fun bonfire while I finished it.

My rating: 5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

Rose Asher believes in ghosts. She should, since she has one for a best friend: Logan, her annoying, Netflix-addicted brother, who is forever stuck at fifteen. But Rose is growing up, and when an old friend moves back to Laguna Canyon and appears in her drama class, things get complicated.

Jamie Aldridge is charming, confident, and a painful reminder of the life Rose has been missing out on since her brother's death. She watches as Jamie easily rejoins their former friends--a group of magnificently silly theater nerds--while avoiding her so intensely that it must be deliberate.

Yet when the two of them unexpectedly cross paths, Rose learns that Jamie has a secret of his own, one that changes everything. Rose finds herself drawn back into her old life--and to Jamie. But she quickly starts to suspect that he isn't telling her the whole truth.

All Rose knows is that it's becoming harder to choose between the boy who makes her feel alive and the brother she isn't ready to lose.

Weekly Reads: Everything Everything

Everything, Everything is Nicolas Yoon's debut novel. Everyone and their pug has already read this book, but I was at a point where I was sick of the "sick incurable disease teen trope" that was very prevalent in YA books at the time. I was also dealing with all of the real life incurable disease crap in my real life, so I didn't need anything added to it. Also this book was spoiled to me several different times. And YET here I am still reading it. I got asked to cover a co-worker's book club and this was the book on the schedule. I read it in 75 minutes, it was SUCH a fast read. And I loved it! Definitely one to pick up, I love Nicola Yoon's writing style and can't wait to see what else she comes up with.

My rating: 5 stars


Summary from goodreads:

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Weekly Reads: When It's Real

When It's Real is a new teen book by Erin Watt. The summary sounded like a perfect escape read, so I was excited to pick it up. It read like Justin Bieber fanfiction and I ATE. IT. UP. It's a really great lighter teen romance that you're not going to completely roll your eyes at. I loved it.

My rating: 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads:

Meet Oakley Ford-teen celebrity, renowned pop star, child of famous movie stars, hottie with millions of fangirls… and restless troublemaker. On the surface he has it all, but with his home life disintegrating, his music well suddenly running dry, and the tabloids having a field day over his outrageous exploits, Oakley's team decides it's time for an intervention. The result: an image overhaul, complete with a fake girlfriend meant to show the world he's settled down.

Enter seventeen-year-old Vaughn Bennett-devoted sister, part-time waitress, the definition of "normal." Under ordinary circumstances she'd never have taken this gig, but with her family strapped for cash, she doesn't have much of a choice. And for the money Oakley's team is paying her, she figures she can put up with outlandish Hollywood parties and a team of publicists watching her every move. So what if she thinks Oakley's a shallow, self-centered jerk? It's not like they're going to fall for each other in real life…right?

Weekly Reads: The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love

The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love has an amazing book cover. I love using this book on my library displays. I picked it up at the end of the summer, and it was a perfectly nerdy love story. I enjoyed it so much. Definitely a must-read for comic con fans and nerds in general.

My rating: 4 stars

Summary from goodreads:

Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. Archie and Veronica. Althena and Noth.…Graham and Roxy?

Graham met his best friend, Roxy, when he moved into her neighborhood eight years ago and she asked him which Hogwarts house he’d be sorted into. Graham has been in love with her ever since.

But now they’re sixteen, still neighbors, still best friends. And Graham and Roxy share more than ever—moving on from their Harry Potter obsession to a serious love of comic books.

When Graham learns that the creator of their favorite comic, The Chronicles of Althena, is making a rare appearance at this year’s New York Comic Con, he knows he must score tickets. And the event inspires Graham to come up with the perfect plan to tell Roxy how he really feels about her. He’s got three days to woo his best friend at the coolest, kookiest con full of superheroes and supervillains. But no one at a comic book convention is who they appear to be…even Roxy. And Graham is starting to realize fictional love stories are way less complicated than real-life ones.

Weekly Reads: Carry On

Carry On is the most recent book that Rainbow Rowell has written. It is the story is fan-fic'd in her story, Fangirl. I read this book over a year ago, and didn't get around to blogging about it. I recommend this book over and over to teens and adults at my library. Love story, fantasy, intrigue, magic, what more could you want?

My rating: 5 stars.

Summary from goodreads:


Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

Weekly Reads: Been Here All Along

There was quite a bit of buzz about the new teen book Been Here All Along, so I was excited to pick up a copy of it. It's a awesome realistic fiction novel with LGBQT themes. Some of my book buddies are over these kinds of books, but I'm just obsessed. I just think back to the time that I was a teen and there were NO BOOKS discussing LGBQT themes/issues/etc. so everytime there is a new, well written one, I'm like "YAY! This might help a reader who's struggling with their identity, or give insight to an ally" So here we are with another well written teen book.

My rating: 4 stars

Summary from goodreads:  

Gideon always has a plan. His plans include running for class president, becoming head of the yearbook committee, and having his choice of colleges. They do NOT include falling head over heels for his best friend and next door neighbor, Kyle. It’s a distraction. It’s pointless, as Kyle is already dating the gorgeous and popular head cheerleader, Ruby. And Gideon doesn’t know what to do.

Kyle finally feels like he has a handle on life. He has a wonderful girlfriend, a best friend willing to debate the finer points of Lord of the Rings, and social acceptance as captain of the basketball team. Then, both Ruby and Gideon start acting really weird, just as his spot on the team is threatened, and Kyle can’t quite figure out what he did wrong…

Weekly Reads: The Rest of Us Just Live Here

The Rest of Us Just Live Here is the newest teen book from Patrick Ness. I received an e-ARC of it to read/review/promote to my library kiddos. This book was so good, but so strange. It's hard to describe the story without really giving things away, so here is an awesome book trailer that does a far better job of it than I could.



My rating: 4 stars

Summary from goodreads:

What if you aren’t the Chosen One?

The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?

What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.

Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.

Even if your best friend is worshiped by mountain lions.

Award-winning writer Patrick Ness’s bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable.

Weekly Reads: Challenger Deep

Challenger Deep is one of the most unique books I have ever read. It has already cropped up on many Mock Printz lists, and I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC of it to review prior to its publication, but I didn't get a chance before it expired. So I picked up the audiobook version of it. I have no doubt the audio will get accolades of some sort for the narration of the tale, but I don't know if I'd recommend listening to it on audiobook on the first read. That's right, this is one of those books that surely needs 2-3 reads to truly "get". So plan to read it the first time, listen the second, and then choose away for the third go through. I will be re-reading this closer to the Printz, but as of right now, I wouldn't be surprised if it won an honor at the very least.

My rating: 4 stars, which may change with a re-read.

Summary from goodreads:

Caden Bosch is on a ship that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.

Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior.

Caden Bosch is designated the ship's artist in residence, to document the journey with images.

Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.

Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny.

Caden Bosch is torn.

A captivating and powerful novel that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by one of today's most admired writers for teens.

Weekly Reads: More Happy Than Not

More Happy Than Not is one of the books I was most excited to read this summer after hearing tons of hype about the debut novelist. It was being compared to Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind in a YA book. Since that's my favorite movie, obviously I had to read it.

It. Was. Amazing.

I loved it, and I didn't want it to end.

Read it, you won't regret it.

My rating: 5 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

Happiness shouldn't be this hard…

The Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-relief procedure seems too good to be true to Aaron Soto -- miracle cure-alls don't tend to pop up in the Bronx projects. But Aaron can't forget how he's grown up poor or how his friends aren't always there for him. Like after his father committed suicide in their one bedroom apartment. Aaron has the support of his patient girlfriend, if not necessarily his distant brother and overworked mother, but it's not enough. 

Then Thomas shows up. He has a sweet movie-watching setup on his roof, and he doesn't mind Aaron's obsession with a popular fantasy series. There are nicknames, inside jokes. Most importantly, Thomas doesn't mind talking about Aaron's past. But Aaron's newfound happiness isn't welcome on his block. Since he's can't stay away from Thomas or suddenly stop being gay, Aaron must turn to Leteo to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he is.

Adam Silvera's extraordinary debut novel offers a unique confrontation of race, class and sexuality during one charged near-future summer in the Bronx.

Weekly Reads: Hold Me Closer

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story is the companion story to Will Grayson, Will Grayson, a most excellent young adult book co-written by John Green and David Levithan. This book is told in the form of a musical, and it's simply amazing. I want to sit down and take in an actual production of it, as I'm certain my imagination did not serve it properly. Read this book (and Will Grayson, Will Grayson, preferably in opposite order).

My rating: 4 stars

Summary from goodreads: 

It’s Tiny Cooper’s turn in the spotlight in this companion novel to New York Times bestseller Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

Jazz hands at the ready! Tiny Cooper (“the world’s largest person who is also really, really gay”) stole readers’ hearts when he was introduced to the world in the New York Times bestselling book Will Grayson, Will Grayson, co-authored by John Green and David Levithan. Now Tiny finally gets to tell his story—from his fabulous birth and childhood to his quest for true love and his infamous parade of ex-boyfriends—the way he always intended: as a musical! Filled with honesty, humor, and “big, lively, belty” musical numbers, the novel is told through the full script of the musical first introduced in Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

Weekly Reads: Greenglass House

 I signed up to read Greenglass House as one of the books on the South Dakota young adult book committee I'm a member of. It's a pretty large middle school read, and it fell toward the bottom of the stack of my to-read pile, leaving me to finish it down to the wire of when my review was due. And then I saw it on a list of read alikes for Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. And then it won an award. Man I needed to get reading!

The book was a little slow in some parts, but overall the mystery kept me flipping the pages. I think kids will devour this, and it'd even make for a good classroom read aloud.

My rating: 4 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

A rambling old inn, a strange map, an attic packed with treasures, squabbling guests, theft, friendship, and an unusual haunting mark this smart middle grade mystery in the tradition of the Mysterious Benedict Society books and Blue Balliet's Chasing Vermeer series.

It's wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler's inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers' adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo's home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook's daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House-and themselves.

Weekly Reads: Guy in Real Life

 I was super excited to read Guy in Real Life because it seemed like the ultimate nerdy-nerd read (aka right up my alley!), throw in a side of teen romance and drama and I'm sold. There were shining gems in the story, and other parts that just drug on that I didn't care about. I think if you're a serious gamer, you may enjoy this more than I did. I really didn't care during the fantasy worlds described in the story, and sometimes got confused from the multiple perspectives.

My rating: 3 stars


Summary from goodreads:

From the acclaimed author of Brooklyn, Burning comes Guy in Real Life, an achingly real and profoundly moving love story about two Minnesota teens whose lives become intertwined through school, role-playing games, and a chance two-a.m. bike accident.

It is Labor Day weekend in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and boy and girl collide on a dark street at two thirty in the morning: Lesh, who wears black, listens to metal, and plays MMOs; Svetlana, who embroiders her skirts, listens to Björk and Berlioz, and dungeon masters her own RPG. They should pick themselves up, continue on their way, and never talk to each other again.

But they don't.

This is a story of two people who do not belong in each other's lives, who find each other at a time when they desperately need someone who doesn't belong in their lives. A story of those moments when we act like people we aren't in order to figure out who we are. A story of the roles we all play-at school, at home, with our friends, and without our friends-and the one person who might show us what lies underneath it all.

Weekly Reads: Let's Get Lost

Let's Get Lost  is a book that's been on my list to read for quite some time. I volunteered to read it for a YA book committee I'm on, so I was finally able to commit to reading it as the deadline to have it read and reviewed is looming over my head. I started reading it, and was immediately glad that I did. It's told in 4 parts and each part is incredibly endearing and delightful to read. The stories come full circle at the end, and wrapped up in a satisfying way, imo.

Great teen read.

My rating: 4 stars

Summary from goodreads:

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost. 

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most. 

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love. 

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth— sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

Weekly Reads (Listens): Zac + Mia

Zac and Mia is often marketed as the Austrialian The Fault in our Stars. And it is, but it really isn't. Yes it's a book about a teen boy and girl who have cancer, but that's where the similarities end. I listened to this on audiobook and enjoyed the narration of both Zac and Mia's sides of the story. The story is predominantly from the perspective of Zac but as the story progressses, we get to hear Mia's side as well. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good teen tragedy read! (However, I may need to take a break from teen hospital books soon, I just read 3 in a row!)

My rating: 4

Summary from goodreads:

The last person Zac expects in the room next door is a girl like Mia, angry and feisty with questionable taste in music. In the real world, he wouldn’t—couldn’t—be friends with her. In hospital different rules apply, and what begins as a knock on the wall leads to a note—then a friendship neither of them sees coming.

You need courage to be in hospital; different courage to be back in the real world. In one of these worlds Zac needs Mia. And in the other Mia needs Zac. Or maybe they both need each other, always.

Weekly Reads: The Vanishing Girls

Vanishing Girls is the newest YA book by Lauren Oliver. I'll read anything she writes, so here we are. This book started off a little confusing for me, and then got a little slow moving. Finally the pace picked up and it was impossible to put down. There are some major surprises throughout the book, so please forgive my extreme vagueness, but this book is definitely worth a read.

My rating: 3.5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a gripping story about two sisters inexorably altered by a terrible accident.

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

Weekly Reads: Afterworlds

I received an e-ARC of Afterworlds a few months ago, and despite being super excited to read a new book by Scott Westerfeld, I could not bring myself to tackle a 600 page book on my e-reader. Something about giant books on an e-devices make you just feel like you're reading FOREVER. It helps me to see physically how much further I've gotten into the book, I think. And then once the e-copy expired off of my device, I started to hear ALL of the excitement surrounding the book. And then I was super mad that I didn't just buck up and read it. Luckily my library purchased it right away and I decided to pick it up to read during the month of November. During NaNoWriMo, I allowed myself to read during breaks at work, but free time out of work needed to be spent writing. What better book to inspiring my novel writing than a story that includes a girl who wrote her first breakthrough novel during NaNoWriMo.

The reason the book is so giant is that it's essentially two stories in one. The first story is about Darcy, the young novelist who just sold her first book to a publisher and moves to NYC to work on the sequel. The story within the story (very meta, Scott Dub) is the story she wrote and published, where Lizzie slips into the afterworld during a devastating terrorist attack and falls in love.

Both stories were amazing and helped push me right along when I was reading it. The two stories alternated by chapter, and there was a black bar at the top and bottom of the page for the Afterworlds story to make it easier for the reader to differentiate the two stories.

This was a great book, and a must read.

My rating: 5 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings… 

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.(

Weekly Reads: Belzhar

I recently read Belzhar , written by Meg Wolitzer, as recommended as a potential candidate for the Printz award. I've read a book by Meg Wolitzer previously, and wasn't a huge fan, but I didn't hold that against her while reading this one. Belzhar is also her first dance with a YA novel.

I absolutely loved this book. I started it on my lunch break and felt utterly transported. To that time in high school when all of your emotions are felt with 1000x the normal force, and love is LOVE in 96 point font written on a skyscraper, and loss is the end of your existence. I just devoured the book.

Looking at the reviews, it seems that people are either completely infatuated with it as I am, or thinks it's terrible. Who are those people?!? So maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea, but man I really liked it.

My rating: 5 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be  at home in New Jersey with her sweet British  boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching  old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing  him in the library stacks.

She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.

But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead.

Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.

From New York Times bestselling author Meg Wolitzer comes a breathtaking and surprising story about first love, deep sorrow, and the power of acceptance.

Weekly Reads: Glory O'Brien's History of the Future

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future is A.S. King's newest YA book. She is such an amazing novelist, and I wish she had been writing books when I was a teen. I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, and a chance to promote it to my teens if I liked it. Spoiler alert: I loved it.

The premise of the book is a bit far fetched (Glory drinks bat dust one night and can see people's futures afterward) but it wasn't done in a way that made me obsess over the insanity of it. It deals with some typical teenager issues: sex, STDs, post-high school plans and obsessing, friendships, relationships, family issues, but it is so much more than a regular coming of age story.

Read this now. And then read it again. It's that good.

My rating: 5 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

WOULD YOU TRY TO CHANGE THE WORLD
IF YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD NO FUTURE?

Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities—but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she’s never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way...until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person’s infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions—and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying.

A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women’s rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to record everything she sees, hoping her notes will somehow make a difference. She may not see a future for herself, but she’ll do everything in her power to make sure this one doesn’t come to pass.

In this masterpiece about freedom, feminism, and destiny, Printz Honor author A.S. King tells the epic story of a girl coping with devastating loss at long last—a girl who has no idea that the future needs her, and that the present needs her even more.

Weekly Reads: Rooms

I requested an e-ARC of Rooms without even reading what the book was about. I enjoyed Lauren Oliver's Delirium series, and Before I Fall, so I  just assumed I'd be in to this book as well. Imagine my surprise to learn it was an adult book about ghosts instead of a teen dystopian novel. It took me a little bit to get in to the book because there were so many characters to keep straight, both living and dead. Once I got sucked in to the book, I didn't want to put it down. The story was so well told and the stories of each of the characters were interwoven in excellent ways. And there were several shocking plot twists to keep your jaw on the floor.

My rating: 4 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

The New York Times bestselling author of Before I Fall and the Delirium trilogy makes her brilliant adult debut with this mesmerizing story in the tradition of The Lovely Bones, Her Fearful Symmetry, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane—a tale of family, ghosts, secrets, and mystery, in which the lives of the living and the dead intersect in shocking, surprising, and moving ways 

Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance. 

But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb. 

The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide—with cataclysmic results.

Elegantly constructed and brilliantly paced, Rooms is an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant.