Monday, September 16, 2013

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell


Oh Amazon…we sometimes disagree on books but you and I are on the same page here…Fangirl is definitely the best of the month and possibly the year (…and NOT just because it was released on my birthday, that is just a happy coincidence.) 

I was cautious starting this book for a couple of reasons.  First I didn’t think I could love anything more than last year’s Eleanor & Park by Rainbow (and I am not sure if Fangirl has surpassed E&P but it is hovering at a close second.)  My second reason for the hesitation is that I am not typically a “fangirl”…I am not a gamer, comic book reader, or any other things you think of when you think fandom…I didn’t think I would be able to relate.  But Rainbow has a way of writing that just draws the reader into the story and makes you fall in love with her characters.  (I am really sad there was no Levi when I was in college…*sigh*)

This is just a phenomenal read…and if you haven’t read Eleanor & Park yet do that too. 

As a post script…I tweeted about my love for this book…she tweeted thank you…I had a moment…

Amazon.com Review

Best Books of the Month: Teen & Young Adult, September 2013: At first glance Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl has a lot in common with Eleanor & Park: idiosyncratic girl with troubled family meets good, normal boy and falls in love for the first time. But this is why Rowell is so talented--from the same basic ingredients she can create something new and special. In Fangirl, quirky introvert, Cath, is safe within the immensely popular Simon Snow (think Harry Potter) fan-fiction blog she writes with her twin sister, but college turns her life upside down, leaving her feeling like an awkward outsider. When she writes, Cath knows exactly what her characters should say to each other, but when it comes to forging real-life friendships, much less a romance, she hasn’t a clue. An immensely satisfying coming-of-age novel, Fangirl deftly captures the experience of discovering your true voice and clumsy, vulnerable, remarkable, first love. --Seira Wilson

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Gated by Amy Christine Parker


The idea of cults fascinates me…”drink the kool aide” has become a common catch phrase from the Jonestown massacre.  You wonder what drives people to give themselves over so completely to a person or an ideal.  This book tells the story of Lyla and her family’s involvement in a “gated community”.  They all believe the end times are coming…and their community will be the only ones to be saved.  This is a very quick paced read that doesn’t disappoint in the end.  

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Teen Book of the Month, July 2013 Spotlight Pick: In the form of a highly original thriller, Gated goes inside the psychology of a fictional doomsday cult nearing the end of days. Real life cults have captured America's attention for decades and author Christine Parker taps into our fascination with ordinary people who fall under the spell of a charismatic leader. Despite having grown up in this insular community, seventeen-year-old Lyla, like teens everywhere, begins to question the status quo and work out what she really wants and believes--putting herself in mortal danger. Gated covers some universal themes: questioning authority, the need to belong, the desire to be special and safe, while delivering a gripping story that appeals to both teens and adults. The conclusion is a whirlwind of nail-biting action and I found myself racing through the pages to see how it was all going to end. --Seira Wilson