YA in Review: Flipped (Wendelin Van Draanen)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk.

wendelinvand.com

What it's about:

Julianna Baker flipped for Bryce Loski instantly. Bryce? Not so much. He spends the next several years trying to get away. But when the eighth grade comes around with new challenges and influences, Juli starts to see Bryce for more than just what he is on the outside - and she's not sure she likes what she sees anymore. Yet Bryce, upon being prompted to take a closer look, starts getting a funny feeling every time Juli is near.

2019 TBR Pile Challenge

Yes, I'm doing it again! Originally I had decided that there was no way I was going to do Roof Beam Reader's TBR Pile Challenge again, but when I started going through some of my books, I realized that I still have so many that I want to get through, and have for many years. Now I don't particularly mind if a book is a year or two old before I get around to reading it, but some of these I've wanted to read for about 10 years now...and I really want to finally get them off my TBR list!

So, how does this work?

Pick 12 books that have been on your TBR (to be read) list for at least a year and finish them by the end of 2019. Two alternate books can be chosen to replace any books in the challenge that are just "unfinishable". All of these books must be reviewed and linked back to the original post.  

For a full explanation of the rules for this challenge, check it out here.

Here's this year's list:

Series I'd Still Like to Read

Have you ever wanted to read a series for so long that you've essentially forgotten what it was about, and why you wanted to read it in the first place? Or perhaps ones you've wanted to wait to start until the whole series (or most of it) is out? Well, I have built up quite the list of these by now, so here are some of the ones I've been waiting a long time to get into, but still plan on reading (thanks to That Artsy Reader Girl for today's TTT prompt):

1) Gemma Doyle Trilogy - Libba Bray
I'll be reading the first book, A Great and Terrible Beauty, for my TBR Challenge this year

2) The Remnant Chronicles - Mary E. Pearson
I'll be reading the first book, The Kiss of Deception, for my TBR Challenge this year

3) Inkheart Trilogy - Cornelia Funke
I absolutely adored Inkheart when it came out, and asked for the sequel Inkspell for Christmas one year, but it was a couple of years later and I couldn't get into it right away unfortunately. I really want to re-read Inkheart and then finish this series.

4) Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
I tried getting into this more than once, and I usually don't make it beyond chapter two for some reason. I absolutely adore the 1985 mini-series (and its direct sequel), so it breaks my heart not automatically getting into the books. I know once I push myself to get through the first bit that it'll be much smoother sailing!

5) The Maze Runner - James Dashner
This book was so overly hyped that I just didn't want to pick it up. After watching the first movie though, I thought the concept was interesting and plan to at least give it a try. The first book, The Maze Runner, is part of my TBR Challenge this year.

6) The Ascendance Trilogy - Jennifer A. Nielsen
The plot for this middle grade series sounds great, but it just hasn't been high on my priority list unfortunately. It doesn't help that I try not to review MG fiction on my blog, which pushes it further down.

Blog-Along: Ever After

If you haven't read any of my previous blog-alongs, it's exactly what it sounds like: while I'm watching a movie, mini-series, etc. I detail my thoughts as they come. Now, I do edit them a bit afterwards to avoid too much repetition, and I try to be careful to not have anything more than minimal spoilers, but otherwise it is my reactions of the moment. For the ultimate experience, pop the movie on and follow along with me!

Today's movie is...

Ever After: A Cinderella Story

radiotimes.com

Although I watched this movie several times as a child, it's been quite a while since I have seen it, and was I excited to give it a revisit. Drew Barrymore plays Danielle, the orphaned child who is forced to work for her new stepmother. This interesting take on the classic Cinderella tale (as the story claims, this is what really happened) keeps true to the beloved fairytale, but introduces a kick-butt, independent heroine that all ages can appreciate.

           Play by Play

• Ah yes, the costuming. Some of it's beautiful, and some of it always makes me laugh. The hairstyles however, are fantastic.
• Reading Thomas More's Utopia, eh? Next, a bit of light reading...
• A true lady knows how to pelt a man with apples. Good aim girl, good aim.
• I love how they all have French names...as one of the original versions is in French
• Danielle's (Drew Barrymore) accent is pretty bad though

I Want Candy

I found a fun little tag a while back on the blog Sorry, I'm Booked called The Candy Book Tag, and I thought it looked really fun. So, I'm going to give it a go because a) Candy, and b) Books. It really can't get much better than that, unless you include tea. And what a way to start the year off! Alright, first item on the list:

Apples – Ah. Healthy food. It is deep, meaningful, and probably won a lot of awards but, um, it really isn’t your thing.

Well, I'd have to say The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I think Plath has some great poetry, but this book really just didn't do it for me. I don't know if I read it at the wrong time in my life or what, but I barely got through it.

Milk Chocolate – This is a book you’d recommend to absolutely EVERYONE.

Everyone? That's a tough one for me. Working in a library I really get to see how everyone's tastes really differ. However, since I find this to be an absolutely impossible thing to answer, I'll just pick something that I think has a lot to offer for many different people, and that's Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontё. Gothic mystery, strong characters, romance, independence, and hardship - what's not to love?

Forest of Reading 2018

For those of you who don't know me, I work in a children and teens library. That means essentially that most of what I have read over the past few years has been, well, youth materials. Some of these (see: anything by Cassandra Clare) have been purely for enjoyment, while others have been to better be able to recommend books to patrons. I read lots of picture books, but at this point I don't review them on here. I do from time to time however give them a quick review on Goodreads, so feel free to follow me there. If anyone is interested in having reviews of picture books on here, I am more than happy to do it, but otherwise I focus on teen to adult works for the most part.

Anyway, I digress. So, working in this environment it means that it is time for one of the most important youth literary events of the year (well, next year!) - Forest of Reading.

Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction For All Ages

I've loved dystopian fiction ever since I was about twelve years old, but unfortunately for me there wasn't that much out there for my age bracket. So I read what I could for my age, but quickly tried reading things above my level. In order to make things a little easier for people like me, or just for those looking for some other options, here is my list of decent to great examples of dystopian fiction. I'm only including ones that I personally have read and at least remotely enjoyed. Hope this helps!

Youth and Preteens

The Lorax (1971) Dr. Seuss
The Girl Who Owned a City (1975) O.T. Nelson
The Giver (1993) Lois Lowry

• The Giver
• Gathering Blue
• Messenger
• Son

The Wump World (1970) Bill Peet
The Last Book in the Universe (2000) Rodman Philbrick
The Transall Saga (1998) Gary Paulsen