Celebration Book Haul!

I just got a pay raise at work with my new promotion, y'all, so naturally I had to buy some new books. I don't buy a lot of new books very often. Or ever, really. I live a five minute walk away from my neighborhood library branch, and Chicago is loaded with tons of awesome used book stores, so I can never fully justify buying brand spankin' new hardcover books. But in my book (haha), pay raise = CELEBRATION! What better way to celebrate AND embrace my new goal of keeping up with what's hot and new than taking that elevated paycheck to a Barnes and Noble (sorry small book stores :().

To be honest, when I hatched my plan to go to Barnes & Noble, I only had my heart set on buying one book. I promised myself I could look around, but I could only get the one book I planned on buying. Who was I kidding? The moment I walked in, I must have instantly become intoxicated by warm, coffee smells wafting out of the in-store Starbucks (seriously, could this haul be anymore corporate-ified?) and all the books looks like shining little jewels on the shelves. Their covers so soft and smooth and new looking. Spines that had never been cracked. The following text conversation between me and my boyfriend happened while I was overwhelmed in the stacks:

I'm really hyping up this book buying experience but really, this is SO rare for me to buy three brand new books at one time. So, without further ado, here are the books I acquired at Barnes & Noble AND my prize from the giveaway that Jamie hosted with Epic Reads!

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai : Excuse the 30% off sticker on it that LEAVES A RESIDUE. One of my pet peeves. Anyway, I have been following the story of Malala for a few months now, and I feel empowered by her passion for education for girls, and how she continues fighting for what she believes in even though she has already faced incredible threat and danger. She was shot in the head at point blank range and has lived to tell the tale and keep fighting. I am excited to read this one.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell : This is the one book I originally went into B&N to buy. I loved Eleanor & Park so much, and I need more Rainbow Rowell in my life. My own mother beat me to reading it, and it revolves around a girl who is epically involved in a fandom and writes fanfiction, the whole bit. I may or may not have written fanfiction in my early high school years...so I'm way, way excited about this one. I'm sure the hype is real with this one.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken : This is a book I have been seeing around other blogs and booktube channels for a couple of weeks now. The sequel, Never Fade just came out or is about to come out and I keep hearing awesome things about this dystopian world. Another one that I'm way excited about!

Asylum by Madeleine Roux : This is the book I won as a runner-up in the giveaway and I just intercepted it from my UPS man twenty minutes ago (no joke). I picked this one mostly because I think old psychiatric hospitals are some of the creepiest places on earth (not like I've ever been to one or anything). I'm also a huge fan of American Horror Story, and last season was called Asylum. Now that I've got it and can flip through the pages, it seems even creepier with old black and white photos of medical instruments. Halloween may be over, but my desire to be kept up late at night with nightmares is not.

So that's my small haul for now! Hopefully now that my money train is rolling a little more smoothly and I'm ready to tackle the world of best selling new releases, there will be more frequent hauls.

What books have you bought recently? Have you read any of these? Any I should start with first?

Keeping Up

'Tis the season for Goodreads to start the voting for their Choice Awards for 2013. It is fun for me to add to my TBR list and see the best books of the year duel each other, but it's also just a little bit depressing to see how much I suck at keeping up with things.

A few years back, I dedicated a large chunk of my life to music. I created a mostly music based blog, I was a talent scout for an online music magazine, and I had big dreams of writing for Alternative Press. My days were spent scouring MySpace and Purevolume for the newest bands and then making mixed CD's for me and my friends. I religiously voted for the MTV VMA's, because I figured that my small votes would make a difference for my favorite pop-punk band of the year and I could school America on how to listen to music. I would also watch the Grammy's, fingers tightly crossed in each category my faves were nominated in, and then curse when they lost to bands or artists I had never heard of. Then, when I started getting more attached to my favorite bands and MySpace fell to the wayside, music became less of a priority for me. I still watch the VMA's and Grammy's out of ritual, but now each category is filled with artists I've never even heard of...yet they're the best of the best! I don't drive here in Chicago, so I don't listen to the radio, and it's very easy for me to stay in my own little bubble.

Same applies for movies. I used to spend a lot of time watching movies. It was what my friends and I did while we were together. My family had a membership at the video rental store. I just loved watching movies and going to the movies. So when things like the Golden Globes and Academy Awards rolled around, I had my favorite picks and was able to compare one movie to another. Then I moved to Chicago, the land of $11 movie tickets, and suddenly I wasn't going to the movies anymore save for one or two a year. Video rental stores basically don't exist anymore and I always forget to return my RedBox movies so I just stopped getting them. Now, the movie awards are the same as the music awards. I watch out of ritual, and entire categories flash by that are filled with movies I've never seen or heard of.

Now with the freaking Goodreads awards! Sigh. I read a whole lot, obviously. I'm up to 56 books read this year. So when I saw that the Goodreads awards were up, I was so excited to finally vote for books, since this year especially I have dedicated a good chunk of my life to books and reading. UM, not so much! I was able to vote for only two books that I actually read and every other category I voted based on reviews and hype I've heard about them, or because it was written by an author I like.

As book bloggers, we are constantly reading, but the saying continuously stands true, "so many books, so little time." No matter how many books I read this year, there are just that many books coming out this month alone. How am I supposed to read classics and other books from decades past and still keep up with every new release and best seller? It's impossible. I've decided to start trying a little more to keep up with new releases, and my library's 'New Release' shelf has been a Godsend so far. I just need to make a little more effort in keeping up with different genres and the stars within each one. I would also like to start branching out into different genre's again. I've kind of been stuck in a contemporary YA kick, because that's what is easiest for me to read quickly and keep up with blogging and reviews. But by sticking myself in this little box, I miss out on a lot of other wonderful genres and books within them.

This has been kind of a rant, so sorry if it doesn't make much sense. Oops!

How do you keep up with reading? Do you tend to stick to the new releases section of the bookstore or go wherever your heart desires? I'd love to hear your thoughts on keeping up with the ever expanding TBR lists.

October Wrap-Up

Holy moly, guys, I cannot believe October is over. OctOVER if you will. Get it?

October is my favorite month of the whole year, and I think it could be considered my power month given the awesome luck I had in it this year. For starters, I read ten books, which is more books in one month than I can ever remember reading in recent times. I have been loving staying curled up inside with coffee/tea/hot toddy's and reading late into the night while cold wind howls outside.

In fact, October was so great that I decided to start doing monthly wrap-ups of the books I read in the past month, and other life events that I don't always get to talk about on this blog.

October Books:

1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green - See my review HERE. Not my favorite John Green novel, but I still loved the character revelations.

2. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. See my review HERE. Sigh. I freaking loved this book and everything about it. I loved the love, I loved the pain, and I loved the realistic approach Rowell took to teen romance.

3. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen. See my review HERE. Though I thought Jessica's amputation and healing process was a little too perfect, it was a motivating read that had a great lesson in determination!

4. Psycho Killer by Cecily von Ziegesar. See my review HERE. A fun, bloody rewrite of the first book in the Gossip Girl series. Not to be taken very seriously, and with a lot of B-list horror film qualities.

5. The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston. Review coming soon, plus a surprise! Main character Meg makes a lot of risky decisions that could jeopardize her family's place in the Witness Protection Program. Enjoyed this one!

  6. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. Beautiful short story collection that is rich with sensory details and raw human emotions.

7. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson. See my review HERE. I enjoyed the look into the father's side of teen pregnancy within this short novel.

8. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. See my review HERE. Bianca became my soul sister after I read this book. Loved her voice and cynicism, even though I thought it was laid on a little too thick in some parts.

9. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. See my review HERE. Another beautiful, wonderful, and eye opening novel by Zusak. I really felt all of the characters and especially loved our perceptive narrator Ed.

10. The Exorcist by William Petter Blatty. I finished this one on the 30th, just in time for Halloween! Some scenes really dragged, but when we with Regan, aka THE POSSESSED, I was riveted and creeped out.

October Sounds:

Songs I can't get enough of this month: 

>>"Royals" by Lorde. 

>>"Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus. 

>>"Don't Worry Baby" by The Beach Boys

>>"Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" by Camera Obscura

Cool October Things!!

>>I was named Employee of the Month at work! 

>>I was then promoted to Store Manager!

>>I was a doughnut for Halloween! 

>>For the first time ever, an author requested me to read and review her novel!

What's Ahead: 

>>The Lit Girl's first birthday! I can't believe this blog is almost a whole year old! 

>>My boyfriend's birthday! 

>>My boyfriend and I's four year anniversary! I also cannot believe we have been dating for a whole four years! 

>>A trip to Tennessee for Thanksgiving!

October was such a fab month, and it seems like November is shaping up to be pretty awesome, too! Can't wait for it! 

How was your October? Are you looking forward to anything awesome? 

Review: I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Publisher: Alfred Knopf Borzoi Books
Publication Date: May 9, 2006
Source / Format: Library Book!
Page Count: 357.
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
Goodreads & Amazon

Ed Kennedy is an underaged cab driver who isn't going anywhere fast. He lied about his age to drive a crummy cab around town. He lives in a shack with his smelly, yet lovable, dog the Doorman. He is in love with his best friend Audrey, even though he knows she'll never love him back, and the rest of his friends seem stuck in the same directionless rut that he is. But everything changes when he witnesses and stops an armed bank robbery. Suddenly, Ed is seen as a hero, and he receives the first Ace in the mail with three addresses. Each address is a home that needs a message delivered, and Ed becomes the unwilling messenger. The first Ace is followed by three more, each one of a different suit. He must fulfill each mission of the cards, some harder than others, and some too close to home.

Before I even mention me, I should tell you some other facts: 
1. At nineteen, Bob Dylan was a seasoned performer in Greenwich Village, New York.
2. Salvador Dali had already produced several outstanding artworks of paint and rebellion by the time he was nineteen. 
3. Joan of Arc was the most wanted woman in the world at nineteen, having created a revolution.
Then there's Ed Kennedy, also nineteen...
Just prior to the bank holdup, I'd been taking stock of my life. 
Cabdriver--and I'd funked my age at that. (You need to be twenty.)
No real career.
No respect in the community.
Nothing. 

Like the rest of the universe at this point, I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and became obsessed. I turned my reading of that book into a full blown experience. I saw a play adaptation of the novel and went to see Markus Zusak speak about the novel twice. It's one of my favorite books of all time, and because of that, I think I was hesitant to read his other novels. I was nervous they wouldn't live up to the hugeness that was The Book Thief for me, and I would be disappointed. But after months of seeing I Am the Messenger taunt me from the shelves of my neighborhood library, and me realizing there was a small Markus Zusak-sized hole in my chest that needed filling, I finally picked it up, and I am so glad that I did! 

As the kids dance around the front yard under the nigh sky and the lights, I see something. 
Lua and Marie are holding hands. 
They look like they're so happy, just inside this moment, watching the kids and the lights on their old fibro house. 
Lua kisses her. 
Just softly on the lips.
And she kisses back. 
Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks. 
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.

It came as no surprise to me that I Am the Messenger was filled with beautifully well-rounded characters. I think Zusak is just brilliant in that way. Ed Kennedy is someone who on paper doesn't seem like much of a human at all. He doesn't have a great relationship with his mother, his living situation is less than desirable, and he has no plans for further education or career goals. Instead of being leery of our narrator though, we are sucked right into his situation and Ed is one of the most perceptive and poetic narrators I have read in YA fiction. He notices a lot of the beauty in the small things and the people he meets, and then processes them in a very real, human way. His emotions are raw and visceral, especially when he must deliver a difficult message. Ed also has a wonderful voice that was fun to read. He has a snarky way about him, and that translated well into his thoughts and dialogue with his friends. Ed had me laughing out loud one second, and then wanting to cry the next. 

After a long drawn-out silence, I confess to the father. I tell him I still don't know why I'm here. I don't tell him about the messages I've already done or the ones still left to do. I only tell him that I have a purpose here and that it will come to me. 

Even the characters that we don't get to know for very long leave an impact, much like they do on Ed. When Ed delivers his messages, he sometimes has to stake out the family or individual to discover what exactly the message is that needs delivering. In just a short chapter, we get to know very well a random stranger and what it is they need, and why something as simple as an ice cream cone can make their day. Zusak doesn't just throw these characters away though, each one leaves a lasting impression on Ed, and he sometimes visits them again and again to further validate his experiences and see how his actions have impacted their lives. Everything comes full circles with Ed and his messages, which created a beautiful reading experience for me. 

I think about what Audrey's been telling me. Maybe I truly am shedding the old Ed Kennedy for this new person who's full of purpose rather than incompetence. Maybe one morning I'll wake up and step outside of myself to look back at the old me lying dead among the sheets. It's a good thing, I know. But how can a good thing suddenly feel so sad? I've wanted this from the beginning.

I Am the Messenger is also filled with lots of great action that gives the novel a great, quick pacing. I blew through the 350+ pages of this book in a couple of days. From violence to small acts of kindness to card games, there is something always happening in this book. If Ed spends any time in his head, it is always while he is doing something else and moving on from one card to the next. 

This book cannot be fully compared to the brilliance that is The Book Thief, but it was brilliant in it's own way with beautiful, meaningful characters and lots of quick-paced action that kept the story moving. Markus Zusak has further solidified himself as one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to read his other books.

Top Ten Tuesday [2]: Creepiest Book Covers!

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted over at the Broke and the Bookish, is fueled with Halloween spirit! We have been summoned to show off the top ten creepiest book covers we have seen. I have recently rediscovered my love for reading horror, so this is right up my alley! Here are some of the spookiest book covers I have ever seen in no particular order.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff: In any context, old baby carriages give me the chills. They all just scream, "Rosemary's Baby!" at me, and remind me of creepy moms. Creepy carriage + sharp objects dangling haphazardly over it = SPOOKY.

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty : I am reading this one right now (as you can tell by my own personal instagram photo!) and let me tell you, this cover has eyes that seem to follow me everywhere. Even creepier is when I have it on my night stand and I shine my light on it at 4 am while I'm getting ready for work. This book is also just the perfect Halloween-time read.

Misery by Stephen King :  Uh, what about this cover ISN'T creepy? His tattered clothes! The look of sheer pain and torture on his face! The demented look of amusement and infatuation on her face! I wish the face was Kathy Bates', of course, but she still looks haggard and CRAZY.

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin : Back to the old baby carriages. Plus there's the creepy little hand of the demon baby and is that crucifix BURNING? Creepy to the max. Maybe my top ten list should have just been book covers with creepy baby carriages. Also, Rosemary's Baby is one of my favorite films of all time. The book is pretty fantastic as well. 

The Lucifer Child by Shelley Katz : Let me paint you a picture: I stop to look inside of one of Chicago's Free Books bins on the street. The blond boy with the icy blue and demonic looking eyes is literally reaching out to me from the cover of this book. I had to have it. Now it's one of the creepiest books on my shelf, and I have yet to read it out of fear of creeping out everyone around me. I think it's also too creepy for the internet considering this was the ONLY picture of it I could find on Google images (way too lazy to take a picture of my own copy) and on Goodreads the cover is blank!

The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy : There's something dehumanizing and eerie about the way her mouth and eyes are ripped out on this cover. 

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson : I think just the sight of the Amityville house has become iconic in the world of horror. Everyone knows what it looks like and the story of the 'Amityville Horror.' That house + the creepy devil tail + the promise of getting the hell scared out of me = SPOOKY.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson : Just thinking about this short story makes me feel uncomfortable. I remember the shock of reading it in high school and it has always stuck with me. This is another creepy, vintage cover that gives me the same feeling the story does. All of those stones...

It by Stephen King : Sorry to my clown-hating boyfriend for this one, and yes, another Stephen King cover. I'm actually not the biggest fan of clowns, either, and the look of evil determination on this one's face gives me the shivers. I don't want to know what this clown has in store for me, hence why I haven't yet read this book. 

Asylum by Madeleine Roux : I actually just won this book in a giveaway hosted by Jamie at the Perpetual Page-Turner and Epic Reads! I had the choice between this one and several other spooky novels, and it was the creep-factor of this one that helped me choose it! The scratchy handwriting and ghostlike picture of the girl has me shaking already! 

I think I freaked myself out with all of these book covers, and it has me excited to read some more spine-tingling horror! I'm going to dive back into The Exorcist, but one of these may be on my list next. Who says we can't read horror after Halloween? Muahahaha. Have you read any of these books? Do their covers give you the creeps, too? 

Review: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Little Brown/Poppy
Publication Date: September 7, 2010
Source / Format: Library book!
Page Count: 277
Genre: Young Adult
Goodreads & Amazon

When cocky and arrogant Wesley Rush calls Bianca Piper a DUFF -- Designated, Ugly, Fat Friend-- he gives her a complex, and a justifiable reason to hate him outside of his man whore tendencies and obnoxious self assuredness. Bianca always knew she was big but she never realized how much Wesley was right about her appearance status with her two best friends. On top of that, her parent's marriage is crumbling, and she is assigned to work with Wesley, which actually doesn't end up being as horrible as she had wanted it and hoped to be. In fact, he's kind of a good listener, and she's just not ready to not hate him.

"I actually need your help. You see, your friends are hot. And you, darling, are the Duff." 
"Is that even a word?" 
"Designated. Ugly. Fat. Friend," he clarified. "No offense, but that would be you." 
"I am not the--!"
"Hey, don't get defensive. It's not like you're an ogre or anything, but in comparison..." He shrugged his broad shoulders. ... "The point is, scientists have prove than every group of friends has a weak link, a Duff. And girls respond well to guys who associate with their Duffs." 

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger forced me to get back in touch with High School Me. Not that I wanted to. According to my diaries back then, I totally felt like the Duff. I didn't know the acronym existed, but I dedicated several entries to the same kind of self-deprecation that Bianca feels when Wesley bequeathes her with the title of the DUFF in her group of friends. Bianca is just one of those characters that I instantly connected with because of our eerie similarities. Not quite an 'ideal' body type. Attracted to the cute, smart, political boys. Feminist. Not always down for the loud clubs and extreme social gatherings. Oh, and full of wry, sarcastic comments and wit. Basically, Bianca and I are soul sisters. Keplinger was 18 when The DUFF was published, which is probably why Bianca's voice, and the voices of her peers are strikingly accurate and realistic. And so, the theory that I started on with Doormat by Kelly McWilliams continues: more teens should write YA! 

At one time, I thought being the Duff meant no boy drama. Clearly, I was wrong. How did this happen? How did I, the ugly girl, end up in the middle of a love triangle? I wasn't a romantic. I didn't really even want to date. But there I was, torn between two attractive guys that, by all means, I shouldn't have had a shot with. (Trust me, not as glamorous as it sounds.)

When I read my old high school diaries, and relive my feelings of Duffness, I want to reach into the pages and shake my old self. "Snap out of it!" I want to yell at me. Much was the same for my reading experience with Bianca. Sometimes I thought her cynicism and inability to look on the bright side of anything was laid on a little bit too thick. Even when people are giving her a chance or complimenting her, she shoots it down with a snarly retort and keeps a very strong wall built up around her. I wanted to tell her, like Wesley does, to lighten up a little bit and enjoy the high school experience, no matter how sucky it can be. Bianca's friends were sweet to her, and embraced her pessimistic outlook on life while also trying to lift her up to be the best Bianca she could be, which I thought was sweet. Her friends really understood her, but also knew that there was potential for something else within her and kept pushing her towards things that would make her happy.

Wesley stood up, his face hard and serious. He grabbed me by the shoulders and held me firmly, forcing me to look up at him. "Listen to me," he said. "You are not a whore. Are you listening, Bianca? What you are is an intelligent, sassy, sarcastic, cynical, neurotic, loyal, compassionate girl. That's what you are, okay? You're not a slut or a whore or anything remotely similar. Just because you have some secrets and some screwups...You're just confused...like the rest of us." 

I appreciated that Keplinger gave her characters the power to surprise her readers, which I think ties in perfectly with the overall theme of not judging those around you. She paints each character in such a specific light, that we think we have them all figured out. Then a little anecdote slips in from Bianca's memory and suddenly, we see the characters differently. Case in point is WESLEY. I thought for sure that I would absolutely, 100% loathe Wesley. For several chapters I could not find a redeemable quality in the smarmy, arrogant little bastard. But then, we learn more about him and suddenly, we're not able to pigeonhole him into the stereotype we thought we would be able to. 

Though reading The DUFF yanked me back into awkward high school flashbacks of my self consciousness, I loved the raw and realistic characters and the surprises that they threw my way. I can't wait to read more work from Keplinger!

Rating: 4 / 5

Review: The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

The First Part Last (Heaven, #2) by Angela Johnson
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: January 1, 2005
Source / Format: Library book!
Page Count: 131.
Genre: Young Adult
Goodreads & Amazon

On Bobby's sixteenth birthday, he receives news from his girlfriend that he never could have expected: she's pregnant. He'll admit it himself that they've been dumb when it comes to protection, but that still doesn't prepare him for the idea of having a baby so young. The parties, art, music and vibrancy of New York City seem to dull as he goes to appointments with Nia and sees social workers who seem to think that the only way out of this is for them to put their baby up for adoption.

I've been thinking about it. Everything. And when Feather opens her eyes and looks up at me, I already know there's change. But I figure if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last. They'd be all knowing in the beginning and innocent in the end. Then everybody could end their life on their momma or daddy's stomach in a warm room, waiting for the soft morning light.

It wasn't until I was marking this book as 'currently reading' on Goodreads that I learned this book was part of the Heaven trilogy by Angela Johnson. But after a little research, it seems like the binding factor of the trilogy is a place, rather than the characters. I read a few chapters, and didn't feel like I was missing any pieces, so I continued onward even though this book falls in the middle. The First Part Last was a realistic look into teen pregnancy through the father's eyes. Told in alternating tenses, the Then and Now, the reader gets a heartbreakingly honest look at the struggle and outcome of Nia's pregnancy.  Bobby is truly stuck between the idea of being a father and having to grow up, and still wanting to be a child of the streets, tagging walls, and partying with his friends. We see all of the things he will miss when Nia gives birth, but also everything he gains when he looks into his daughter's eyes. 

This novel was quick and sweet, hence the quick and sweet review ;) Johnson's prose is beautiful to read, and I felt like I was in a game of tug-of-war along with Bobby, and I felt that no matter which way the cookie crumbled, I still would've rooted for him. 

Rating: 4 / 5