Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

If I had read this book in print, I think I would have finished it in one sitting, maybe two.  However, I listened to the audiobook, in my car, mostly driving to and from work.  In other words, I dragged it out over several weeks.  This delayed gratification may have been the cause for my giddy excitement over this story.  Now enough about me...

Cath is a freshman at college.  Her twin sister, Wren, after spending the last 18 years in the same room with Cath, decided to live elsewhere.  Cath's roommate, Reagan, immediately reacts as though Cath's presence is a burden and Reagan's high school boyfriend is constantly hanging around their room.  Cath isn't sure college is for her, she's a quiet introvert who would much prefer to be writing fan fiction for the much loved Simon Snow series she has been reading since she was a kid.  You'll be so glad you came along for this coming of age story.

World Book Night: April 23, 2014

I think it's crazy to be talking about 2014 already but, alas, World Book Night applications are now being accepted!  It's a great list of books this year so get your applications in fast.  I'm a huge fan of World Book Night as a great opportunity to meet others in your community while spreading the love of reading.  Can't wait to do it again.  Get your application in soon! 

Six Months Later by Natalie Richards

Have you ever forgotten what you ate for dinner the night before?  What about that thing you did last weekend?  Well, how would you feel waking up to realize six months have gone by and you have no recollection whatsoever of those months? 

In May, Chloe Spinnaker was just an average Junior coasting through high school.  Come November she has the highest SAT scores of her school, has one of the best GPAs and is dating her crush and one of the most popular guys in school.  She has no idea how she went from taking a nap in study hall one day to this strangely perfect life.  Despite being newly popular, Chloe has no one to trust, her best friend won’t answer her calls and ignores her in the hallways and her boyfriend Blake makes her feel uneasy.  How is she supposed to find out where her six months went?  A suspenseful and intriguing read. 

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

In the British ruled colony of Malaya in 1893, an opium addicted father tells his daughter he received an unusual marriage proposal for her.  The wealthy Lim family has a son that recently passed away and they want Li Lan to marry him.  To marry the living to the deceased is an uncommon practice but nonetheless it is custom in order to placate a spirit.  Li Lan would then be taken care of in the family’s home for life.  Although, with zero other marriage prospects, Li Lan is not pleased with this proposal.  Things are even worse when Lim Tian Ching begins to haunt Li Lan in her dreams.  Choo creates a detailed parallel world of the dead in which Li Lan finds herself trapped.  I hadn’t ever considered tales of the Chinese afterlife to be so desirable but Choo writes on such a level to make the supernatural alluring. 

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone

Anna lives in 1995 Evanston, IL while Bennett primarily lives in present day San Francisco although he can travel back and forth in time at will.  Bennett likes taking his sister with him into the past to 90’s alternative concerts.  It’s during one of these concerts that Bennett ‘falls’ back to his present 2012, leaving his sister behind in Illinois.  He must travel back and stay for an extended period of time in order to find his sister and bring her home.  This is when he meets Anna, the first person he trusts enough to share his secret with outside his immediate family.  Anna has longed to travel period.  Her dad bought her a map of the world so she can track her travels with red push pins.  She has one push pin and it’s in Michigan.  Lucky for Anna her new boyfriend can take her exotic places but at a cost. 

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

I just finished an advanced reader's copy of Crown of Midnight and could not be more pleased!  Maas' first book Throne of Glass was amazing and I think this one is even better.  I love when that happens!  Celaena Sardothien has won the brutal contest to become King of Adarlan's personal assassin and has begun working towards her freedom by killing the King's enemies.  Although it would appear so, Celaena's loyalties do not lie with the King.  She has been faking her targets' deaths and helping them flee.  The King's next target must be killed for starting a resistance group against the King's "plans". Celaena feels she must find out more information about the resistance and these so called plans before acting.  All the while her relationship with the Captain of the Guard keeps growing, along with her intrigue of the Glass Castle's secrets.  I can definitely see this as the next big YA series.