DNF post 2 (my did not finish pile)

I wrote a post a few months ago about negative reviews, and how I don't review if I don't finish, and a very wise blogger pointed out that knowing what a blogger doesn't like can be valuable to publishers and authors too. Then another blogger mentioned she did a did not finish post and I thought it was a great idea. So, here we go:

Being Friends with Boys I guess I'm just not in the mood for band book maybe? Nothing I can place my finger on and maybe I'll enjoy at another time.

McVoy, Terra Elan*

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) by Rick Riordan 

Had a hard time getting into this world and with the mc's narration. I also think that I went into it expecting Harry Potter, and I should have just reread. 

That isn't to say that the writing is poor or the characters are poorly constructed, it's personal on my end.

I'd love to see if you have a great review of any of these books and what you loved about them.

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Review: While He Was Away by Karen Schreck

While He Was Away by Karen Schreck

This is just something I have to do, okay?" I hear David say. "The right thing."He cradles my face in his hands. He kisses me hard. Then he lets go of me. His eyes dart from me to whatever's next. All she wants is for him to stay. She's been doing pretty well, pretending he doesn't have to go. But one day, after one last night to remember, she wakes up and there's no denying it anymore. He's gone.When Penna Weaver's boyfriend goes off to Iraq, she's left facing life without him. As summer sets in, Penna tries to distract herself with work and her art, but the not knowing is slowly driving her crazy. Especially when David stops writing.She knows in her heart he will come home. But will he be the same boy she fell in love with?

Tour Stop, part of The Teen Book Scene

Released in US: May 1st 2012

Review:
     I LOVE this cover. I think that the colors are beautiful and the couple embracing adds just the right touch for the story.
     While this story wasn't exactly what I was expecting, it was good. I liked the idea of exploring the ramifications of having a military boyfriend and how that effects you and your life. I also liked the glimpses into what David's life is like in Iraq. It seems really well researched and while I still can't imagine how our soldiers do it, I can relate with the emotions and with the vivid imagery.
    I think that Penna is a likable character, and I connected with her. I wish that I would have been shown more the relationship and how it built with David, but as is, I can still root for their love story to have a happy ending and understand how their emotions grew. I know that the story is more about him being away, and how he's changing as he's deployed. Ms. Schreck does a good job relaying Penna's emotions and it helps a bit to imagine what the wives and girlfriends are going through.
   The other secondary characters are well done in my opinion. I liked the mystery that unfolds between Penna's mom Linda and her grandma Justine. I can see Penna's intrigue with why Justine left and feeling that connection since she also had a loved one go to war. She doggedly searches down her grandma and I appreciate how they end up being there for one another. I also appreciated Tom's strength and character.
    I also wanted more of Ravi. I am not sure how else he could have played into the story except as the supporter and long lost friend that he was, but I appreciated his shyness and his ability to overcome.
    Somehow though, I wanted this story to be more complete, and if there is a sequel, then that is problem completely solved. I mean, things were wrapped up well enough I suppose, but I wanted more development and to know how my characters fared.
    That said, the plot is solid, the characters well done, and once I opened the book, I did not want to put it down.

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Waiting On Wednesday 5/2

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating

This week, I'm featuring:
A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

 

Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorced dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great. Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

Expected publication: June 5th 2012 by Poppy

What are you waiting on?

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100 Amazon Giftcard from Emily White, author of Elemental

Just because Ella can burn someone to the ground with her mind doesn't mean she should.
But she wants to.
For ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner on an interstellar starship. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers.
Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories?
Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who's destroyed?

Blog:
http://emilytwhite.blogspot.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/Emily_T_White
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elemental/212879475408278
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/emilywhite24/
Emily on Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4807573.Emily_White
Elemental on Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11185432-elemental
Link to grab Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hKI-5OTN3-8

About the Author:
Emily White lives in NY, wedged between two of the Great Lakes and a few feet of snow and ice. She's spent most of her life running away from the cold, and even spent a year in Iraq, but now contents herself with writing her characters into warm, exotic places in faraway galaxies. When not tapping away at her computer keys, she can be found reading, reading, and reading some more. And when she's not doing that, she's usually playing video games with her husband, peek-a-boo with her kids, or walking through her garden, wondering why the bugs insist on eating all her vegetables.

My question to you:
If you had a superpower like being able to burn someone to the ground with your thoughts, do you think it would be hard to control at times?


a Rafflecopter giveaway

PRAISE FOR ELEMENTAL

"Emily White's debut novel is a bestseller waiting to happen...I immediately fell in love with Ella." Author Michelle Pickett



"Who would have thought that mixing faeries and space opera would turn out to be so awesome? ... If you’re a sci-fi fan, you really can’t miss this debut!" birth of a new witch, book blogger



"Emily has done a fantastic job describing the worlds and this book has lots of action in it...keep your eye out for the book! Happy Reading! Go on a wonderful adventure to a new world where things are not always as they seem!" Tee loves Kyle Jacobson, goodreads review



"I can honestly say I've never read anything quite like Elemental. My hat is off to Ms. White, and anyone else who can take a novel set squarely in the sci-fi genre, throw in fairies and a few obscure King Arthur references, and make it all work." Keshia Swaim at The Book Addict



"I'm calling it right now. Elemental is the beginning of the next big YA series...I can safely say that I could give a copy of Elemental to my guy friends without


fear of getting punched in the nose." Author Daniel Cohen

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Night Sky by Jolene Perry Tour Stop

After losing Sarah, the friend he’s loved, to some other guy, Jameson meets Sky. Her Native American roots, fluid movements, and need for brutal honesty become addictive fast. This is good. Jameson needs distraction – his dad leaves for another woman, his mom’s walking around like a zombie, and Sarah’s new boyfriend can’t keep his hands off of her.
As he spends time with Sky and learns about her village, her totems, and her friends with drums - she's way more than distraction. Jameson's falling for her fast.
But Sky’s need for honesty somehow doesn’t extend to her life story – and Jameson just may need more than his new girl to keep him distracted from the disaster of his senior year.

The book's official site is:
http://www.night-sky-book.com

Guest post from Ms. Perry, on music/playlist from Night Sky:

In Night Sky, Jameson's class was given this bizarre assignment from a teacher to find something from their birth year that they connected with.

Jameson was born in the mid nineties, and after digging through some really grungy fashion, a few books that didn't suit him, he settled on the music.

Once he got started on the whole nineties rock thing, he couldn't stop.

It began with Nirvana, because they came up on every search he did for nineties pop culture.

He played Nevermind over and over and over, both in his Golf and his dad's Porsche.

He went from Nirvana, to Pearl Jam, but they were too soft, so he ended up with a few albums from Infectious Grooves and Primus. Alice in Chains came next, and since people still listen to U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, only people just call them RHCP, he kept it up.

Jay gets crap from his friends about it, especially Sarah, but it doesn't bother him in the least. Nirvana helps him win swim meets, and that's what he cares about.

When he met Sky, he pretty much just needed her talking as he drove, and started saving the grunge rock for swim practice.

~ Jolene

And a Tens list:

In NO particular order except this is how they came to me, and I stuck with contemporary . . .

1. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams - I could NOT put this book down until I knew what was going to happen to this girl. Wow.

2. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler - really, anything by Ockler, I just love the way she puts words together.

3. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, because Cricket . . . swoon.

4. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols because there was a WHOLE lot of lead-up between those two - fab tension.

5. Looking For Alaska by John Green, or really anything he's written. I think Alaska will always be my fav if for no other reason than it was the first one he wrote.

6. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - Most people say Speak, but the language in Wintergirls was just inspiring.

7. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Cohen and Levithan - I LOVE those two authors together, and hope they keep working together.

8. With or Without You by Brian Farrey - this book really hit me, and I just loved it. I actually took like a day break in the middle because the characters were so amazing, so real, that it was draining me.

9. Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers because I just LOVE how she puts words together.

10. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally because it was just sexy and FUN.

And that's my top-ten favorite YA Contemp reads!

Thanks so much for having me today!!

~ Jolene

Night Sky web site


Night Sky GoodReads page

Jolene Perry's Facebook

Jolene Perry's Twitter

Jolene Perry's Website

Jolene Perry's Blog

Jolene Perry's GoodReads

Tribute Books website

Jolene Perry's Bio:

Jolene grew up in Wasilla, Alaska. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in political science and French, which she used to teach math to middle schoolers.

After living in Washington, Utah and Las Vegas, she now resides in Alaska with her husband, and two children. Aside from writing, Jolene sews, plays the guitar, sings when forced, and spends as much time outside as possible.

She is also the author of The Next Door Boys and the upcoming Knee Deep.

Release: March 1, 2012

Buy Night Sky
Kindle 

Nook iBookstore 
Smashwords 
PDF 

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