Book Title: The Waiting Tree
Author: Lindsay Moynihan
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Amazon Children’s Publishing
Source: Netgalley

Eighteen-year-old Simon Peters wants to stand up for the truth about who he is. His love for Stephen is unwavering, but does he have the courage to defend it when his entire church community, including his eldest brother has ostracized him? Trapped in a cashier’s job he hates, struggling to maintain peace with his brothers after their parents have died, and determined to look after his mute brother, Simon puts everyone else’s needs before his own. It takes a courageous act of self-sacrifice on Jude’s part to change both of their lives forever. Jude, who knew that when the fig tree in their yard began to bloom, it was his time to finally be heard and to set Simon free.

What a book. And this was a book with a lot going on. The synopsis is a bit misleading as I thought it was going to have a lot more regarding his relationship with Stephen and the consequences from his church community. The Waiting Tree is the story of a boy struggling in what seems like every sense of it. He truly was dealt a crappy set of cards. His parents are dead, his twin brother has special needs, he’s gay, his boyfriend was sent away to get fixed and he’s struggling to fit in. Phew. That is a lot.

On one hand I thought this was a fantastic coming of age book that in parts reminded me a bit of The Outsiders. On the other hand, it was jumbled. I was reminded of that quote “Before you leave the house, take one thing off”. This story line had a lot going on, and I feel there was too much for everything to be truly developed. Simon is being pulled in seven different directions, which would work if the story was developed a bit better.

Despite this, I still felt that the Waiting Tree was a great read. The Waiting Tree deals with a lot of real world issues that brought up a lot of emotions in me while reading it. I kept reading to find out what was going to happen to this hodge podge mess of characters, and was sad that the book ended too soon.

This week I am dying for Allegiant by Veronica Roth!

I will admit it. I am very picky when it comes to book covers. There are a fair number of books I love, and I really dislike their book covers. (See next week’s post where I choose my ten least favorite book covers!) This week’s top ten are in no particular order.

So, I may be biased when it comes to MATCHED but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this cover. So much. Cassia, in her Match Ceremony dress, trapped in the bubble of The Society? It’s down right perfect.

There is just something about Eleanor & Park’s cover that I am in love with. Maybe it’s that I just loved the book so much I couldn’t help but fall in love with the cover. I love the illustration of the two characters. I can’t find one thing about this cover that I don’t like.

Not only was this book amazing, but the cover really draws you in. The solemn girl, the type face, all of it I can’t help but love.

I wasn’t a fan of the original bookcover, but I absolutely love the paperback cover. I think it’s a lot like the Eleanor and Park cover and I can’t help but love both of these.

I loved this book, and the cover looks amazing. There’s something about it that just draws me in, making we want to read the book.

Basically any of the Barnes and Noble Leatherbound Classics series but particularly:

I mean, look at those book covers! Are they not the prettiest books you’ve seen?! I am absolutely in love with these editions and own these and others.

Book Title: Insomnia
Author: J.R. Johansson
Release Date: June 8, 2013
Publisher: Flux

Find the book at Goodreads|Amazon|Barnes & Noble

It’s been four years since I slept, and I suspect it is killing me.

Instead of sleeping, Parker Chipp enters the dream of the last person he’s had eye contact with. He spends his nights crushed by other people’s fear and pain, by their disturbing secrets—and Parker can never have dreams of his own. The severe exhaustion is crippling him. If nothing changes, Parker could soon be facing psychosis and even death.

Then he meets Mia. Her dreams, calm and beautifully uncomplicated, allow him blissful rest that is utterly addictive. Parker starts going to bizarre lengths to catch Mia’s eye every day. Everyone at school thinks he’s gone over the edge, even his best friend. And when Mia is threatened by a true stalker, everyone thinks it’s Parker.

Suffering blackouts, Parker begins to wonder if he is turning into someone dangerous. What if the monster stalking Mia is him after all?

Insomnia had a very refreshing, interesting premise. Parker can’t get a good night’s sleep because he winds up inside someone else’s dream. He sees more than his fair share of things no teen should see, and it starts to take his toll on him. When Mia enters the picture he finally manages to get a full night of sleep. He continues searching for this fix of a good night’s sleep, when things start to go horribly wrong.

Despite the refreshing, interesting premise, Insomnia was a bit of a snooze. I liked the story, but felt that it wasn’t developed to its fullest potential and was kind of all over the place. I really enjoyed Parker and found myself reading so I could see what was going on in this “did he or didn’t he” story. Finn was a fun addition as the on and off best friend sidekick complete with goofy t-shirts with witty slogans.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more development. It was a bit disappointing that a lot of resolution wasn’t given until the very end of the book. There was a lot of build up and not a lot of pay off at the end. I’m not quite sure if I was invested enough in the story to read a sequel.

Book Title: Night School
Author: C.J. Daugherty
Release Date: May 21, 2013 (US Version)
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Allie’s world is falling apart…
She hates her school. Her brother has run away. And she’s just been arrested.
Again.
Now her parents are sending her away to a boarding school where she doesn’t know a soul.
But instead of hating her new school, Allie finds she’s happy there. She’s making friends. And then there’s Sylvain, a suave French student who openly flirts with her. And Carter, the brooding loner who seems to have her back.
Soon, though, Allie discovers Cimmeria Academy is no ordinary school. Nothing there is as it seems. And her new friends are hiding dangerous secrets

After a series of arrests and unfortunate incidents with authority, Allie is sent to Cimmeria Academy where there’s no cell phones, no computers, just good old fashioned education. She makes friends quickly with Jo, and we can’t forget the boys Sylvain and Carter who both have warnings about the other for Allie. Despite all the rules, Cimmeria soon feels like home to Allie but not long after mysterious things start to happen and people even end up hurt.

Night School was absolutely nothing like I thought it would be. For some reason I had the pre-conceived notion that this was going to be a paranormal type book with ghosts, vampires or other other wordly creatures. There was a ton of intrigue and suspense, and was a fantastic YA thriller. The characters felt real and relatable. Nothing in this came forced or cheesy which is honestly what I expected.

There were some things that I felt were lacking. I felt that for the first book in a series I was strung along a bit longer than what made me comfortable. At times, even though things were always going on, the pacing of the book felt a little ho-hum. There were these hints of a secret underground group, The Night School, but we didn’t find out much about it until the book was almost over which left me feeling a bit disappointed.

Regardless, I still felt that this was an interesting read. This book was absolutely thrilling and haunting for the majority of it and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.

This week I’m waiting on The Vow by Jessica Martinez!

Title: The Vow
Author: Jessica Martinez
Release Date: October 15, 2013

No one has ever believed that Mo and Annie are just friends. How can a guy and a girl really be best friends?

Then the summer before senior year, Mo’s father loses his job, and by extension his work visa. Instantly, life for Annie and Mo crumbles. Although Mo has lived in America for most of his life, he’ll be forced to move to Jordan. The prospect of leaving his home is devastating, and returning to a world where he no longer belongs terrifies him.

Desperate to save him, Annie proposes they tell a colossal lie—that they are in love. Mo agrees because marrying Annie is the only way he can stay. Annie just wants to keep her best friend, but what happens when it becomes a choice between saving Mo and her own chance at real love?

The Vow definitely piqued my interest, can’t wait to get to read this one. What book are you waiting on this week?

Book Title: Towering
Author: Alex Flinn
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen

At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.
Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.

Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her.

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.

Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now.

A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Alex Flinn knows her fairy tales, and Towering is her most mind-bending interpretation yet. Dark and mysterious, this reimagining of Rapunzel will have readers on the edge of their seats wondering where Alex will take them next!

The very first thing that I loved about Towering is the cover. I think it’s absolutely gorgeous and pulled me in right off the back. The second thing I loved is the books setting. It’s a fictional town in New York, but is situated where a lot of my family lives in New York. I love when I can identify with a story based on its vacation, so I knew we were off to a good start.

Rachel has lived in a tower for most of her life, not spotting anyone other than her mother. Wyatt is sent off to live with a friend of his mother’s, Mrs. Greenwood and from his first night there things go from weird to weirder. He finds a journal of his mother’s high school friend, Dani, and he thinks he can begin to hear her voice calling to him.

Flinn takes us on a journey of mystery and intrigue as we try to figure out exactly what is going on in this town. Personally, things got a little weird for me, and I felt removed from the story towards the end as things just got unbelievable weird. Despite this, Flinn has crafted an amazing retelling of the classic Rapunzel fairy tale. Her characters were charming, and I couldn’t help but get pulled into the story thanks to them.

This was my first book of Flinn’s that I’ve experienced, and after reading Towering I definitely plan on going back and reading her others.

Reminder! Ally Condie will be at the Icons book tour tomorrow, Tuesday May 14 at 7pm at The Kings English Salt Lake City, UT.

If you haven’t heard, Ally said this about Icons ”Epic in scale and exquisite in detail — a haunting futuristic fable of loss and love.”

Awesome right?

We were able to meet Margaret at the Seattle book signing, and we had a copy signed to giveaway to YOU! Just enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: Openly Straight
Author: Bill Konigsberg
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Publisher: Author A. Levine Books

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He’s won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he’s gay. He’s been out since 8th grade, and he isn’t teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that’s important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys’ boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret — not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn’t even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate being different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.

Openly Straight tells the story of Rafe while he’s on the cusp of some big changes. In Boulder, CO he’s known as the gay kid. His mom is the president of PLAG and his dad will smother you with his charm. Rafe sees his admittance to Natick as his blank slate, which he uses as a way to live label free.

As a lesbian myself, I feel ashamed to admit that this is my first LGBT themed book. Sure, I’ve read books with notions of LGBT-ness, but this is the first one I’ve had the pleasure of reading with a gay main character. I couldn’t have imagined a better book to introduce me to this genre either. I truly understand where Rafe was coming from. You see, I am a lesbian that doesn’t believe in Pride Parades, rainbow stickers on cars, etc. I know we have had a hard past and we have a road to go, but I don’t see or like all the pomp and circumstance in these things. I just want to be Audra, the married lesbian, no different from anyone else I know.

So, I see where Rafe is coming from, but it seems like things went pretty far downhill from there for him. One thing that continued to bother me was his denial about the fact that he was putting himself back in the closet. The closet is a scary place to be, where lots of bad things can happen. Rafe doesn’t see it as this, and it got me rather worked up about it. I wanted to scream at him- “You’re being an idiot and stuffing yourself back in the closet!” But, he’s a young guy who thinks he knows what’s best and of course thinks that means everything is going to turn out okay. And I’m sure it’s easy to guess how things will end up for him.

I loved Konigsberg use of Rafe’s English teacher to explore his past to show us more his reasons for how things ended up this way. We get to delve a bit deeper into the relationship with his parents, and his best friend Claire Olivia. Konisberg did an excellent job with all these characters- especially Rafe and Ben. I would have liked to have seen more development with characters like Bryce, but I can see why there wasn’t more.

Overall, this was a great coming of age sort of tale, and I’m thrilled I was able to dip my toes into the LGBT genre with this one. I can’t wait to read my next!