Help Me Get Back in the Loop!

For the past several months I've been bogged down with studying and exams and everything else that goes along with grad school, so I have had no time for blogging OR reading for pleasure. But now I have a few weeks off for the holidays and so I am hoping to catch up on book-related goings-on!

And for that I need your help, blogger friends. So I'm asking you to recommend me:

- book blogs to follow! I went through a lot of the blogs on my Feedly and a shocking number of them haven't posted in years or have just plain poofed out of existence (reminding me of the Tribute to Vanished Bloggers I wrote last year). So I need some new ones to follow! Who do you love? Who writes wonderfully analytical/witty/creative book reviews or has awesome discussion posts or hosts a super cool book blog event?

- author blogs to follow! Especially laugh-out-loud funny ones. I need some more of these in my Feedly!

- books published in 2013 that you read, loved, and are pushing on everyone! Like I said above, I did not get much reading done in the last half of this year, so I'm feeling a bit out of the loop. (Alternatively, what books did not live up to the hype and/or I should stay far away from?)

Thanks in advance!

"New Adult" Niche: Guest Post by Chachic

I'm very happy to welcome Chachic from Chachic's Book Nook to the blog today for a guest post! This is part of the "New Adult" Niche feature I'm doing for my "New Adult" Reading Challenge. Chachic is the blogger who created this awesome Goodreads list last year, which I have now been using as a reference list for the challenge! 

As much as I love reading contemporary YA novels, it saddens me that there aren't as many New Adult titles out there. I keep looking for well-written novels with characters in their late teens or early twenties because I enjoy reading about their experiences: adjusting to college life, trying to figure out what to do after graduating and looking for a job that's a good fit for them. Those things remind me of what I went through at that period in my life and I keep hoping that more authors will realize that readers are just as interested in New Adult as YA. So when Danya invited me to write a guest post for her lovely blog, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight some of the New Adult titles that I've thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller Travis is only nineteen but he signed up to become a Marine right after high school and he's been assigned to Afghanistan so Something Like Normal has an older vibe than other contemporary YA novels. Travis is dealing with some serious issues because of his experiences in the war.

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta I love Melina Marchetta's writing, her characters just feel so alive. The Piper's Son occurs several years after its companion novel, Saving Francesca, with characters that are older but not necessarily wiser. The book has two main characters: twenty-one-year old Tom Mackee and his aunt Georgie.

Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar Instead of studying in university, Carly dropped out and works the night shift in a cafe so she can surf as much as she wants during the day. So she definitely doesn't have typical high school worries. And her love interest? Twenty-six-year old Ryan, who's also a surfer.

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols This is a classic story of bad girl meets good boy but with much more complicated characters. Going Too Far has such a great slow burn romance between wild girl Meg and young cop, John After.

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park Yay for novels set in college! I could relate to Julie's excitement at starting college and it was a lot of fun seeing her get to know the quirky members of the Watkins family. I also loved that social media sites (like Facebook) were an important aspect in this novel.

Jane by April Lindner In this modern-day retelling of Jane Eyre, Jane is a young college student who works as a nanny for the daughter of reclusive rock star, Nico Rathburn. If you're a big fan of Jane Eyre, then you should check out this retelling. But I have a feeling readers will enjoy this even if they're not familiar with the original classic novel.

These New Adult titles are installments in series so I won't say anything about them to avoid spoilers but I do recommend that you go through the earlier books so you can check these out:

Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White

Thank you, Danya, for inviting me to write a guest post for your blog. Feel free to recommend New Adult titles that you think I'd enjoy!

Thanks, Chachic, for sharing your favourite New Adult reads with us! The Piper's Son is definitely on my TBR list (in fact, it's sitting on my shelf right now, waiting to be read!)

Readers, have you read any of the books Chachic has recommended? Do you have any New Adult suggestions for her?

 

"New Adult" Recommendations?

You may have seen my announcement about the 2012 "New Adult" challenge a few days ago. Thanks to everyone who's signed up so far! I'm so pleased to see such a strong interest in "new adult" books (publishers, take note!)

Anyway, I'm not sure yet which titles I'll be reading for the challenge, so I turn to you, dear readers, for suggestions. What books featuring college-aged (or at least post-graduation age) protagonists have YOU read? Which do you recommend? If they're not on this Goodreads list, feel free to add them!

Ones I'm considering include:

- Rose by Any Other Name by Maureen McCarthy
- Finding Grace by Alyssa Brugman
- Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park (Ashley from Book Labyrinth has recommended this one more than once, so I am hoping to get my hands on it!)
- Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
- Something Like Normal by Trish Doller (this one could work for next year's Psychtember, too!)

- When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer
- Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer
- Bunheads by Sophie Flack
- Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler
- Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole
- Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar
- Unaccounted For by Nan Willard Cappo
- The Survivors by Amanda Havard


And, if I can get ahold of some Australian books...

- Good Oil by Laura Buzo
- Something in the World Called Love by Sue Saliba
- Black Painted Fingernails by Steven Herrick
- Circles of Stone by Pamela Rushby
- Suburban Freak Show by Julia Lawrinson

(Big thanks to Nomes at Inkcrush for her awesome post on Aussie YA reads with older main characters!)

Have you read any of the ones on this list? Got some more to suggest? Recommend away! If you haven't signed up for the 2012 "New Adult" Challenge yet and you would like to, go HERE.

And authors, if you'd like me to know about (or even better, review!) your "new adult" book, feel free to e-mail me with the info!

Halloween Antidotes: For Fellow Scaredy-Cat Readers

Since Halloween is fast approaching, I've been seeing plenty of lists popping up around the blogosphere lately recommending various scary, spooky, creepy, unsettling, will-make-shivers-run-down-your-spine books.

Books like this one, which I'm still not sold on. Should I read it?

And that's great, for those people who love to get horrified out of their minds. But I am, well...

 

 ...a scaredy-cat.

Horror movies make me shudder. I can't stand blood and gore. And don't even get me started on spiders.

Now, I do understand the appeal of books that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Personally, I have a soft spot for psychological thrillers, rather than the traditional kind of horror that involves lots of grotesque violence. But once you're trembling in your boots, then what do you do? Well, read on.

In honour of the spooky holiday coming up, I have compiled a list of books that you should read if you've just watched a terrifying movie/read a terrifying book, or if you are just feeling generally scared because strangers are ringing your doorbell and demanding you give them candy:

1.) Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (and the accompanying sequels) — the dragons aren't scary, they're friendly! (Well, most of them.) And the bad wizards just make fools of themselves most of the time. Plus in one of the books there is a blue 6-foot flying rabbit-turned-donkey...and let's face it, NO ONE can be scared of that.

2.) Unearthly by Cynthia Hand — there's really quite a limit to how terrifying angels can get. Even dark ones. And there's a super cute romance in this one :D

3.) Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty — this is one of my ultimate contemporary feel-good reads! Unless you have a fear of letters, you will love this book.

4.) Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins — yeah, I think the title says it all. Fear factor = low. Awwwwww factor = high.

5.) Please Remove Your Elbow From My Ear by Martyn Godfrey — how can anything be scary when you're reading a book that has the word "elbow" in the title? It's impossible. Plus this book means guaranteed laughs.

6.) Victoria and the Rogue by Meg Cabot — Historical more your thing? Well, I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of this one, and it is admittedly very cheesy in places, with a heroine who is unthinkably obtuse and irritating at times...but she's also stubborn, bold, and good-intentioned, and it's a frothy fun read with a very enjoyable hero in Jacob Carstairs. Only steer clear of this one if neckcloths terrify you. 

7.) The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander — unlike some of Alexander's other books (The Iron Ring, for example, or his Prydain series) the villain of this one isn't super evil or creepy. It's full of wonderfully distinct characters on a journey that incorporates other stories into the larger one.

8.) Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine — okay, there are a few dangers in this one, like ogres and stepsisters. But Ella holds her own against them just fine! It's one of my favourite fairy tale retellings (I love this book and will push it at any opportunity :D).

9.) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — another one of my ultimate comfort reads! There is absolutely nothing scary in this one. So whisk yourself into a world filled with balls, teas, long sleeves and Fitzwilliam Darcy!

10.) The Nose from Jupiter by Richard Scrimger — this book is hilarious. You will laugh away your fears.

So that's my suggested list of books for cozying up with on Halloween! What books would be on YOUR list?