Waiting On Wednesday .... Crooked Kingdom

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

**SPOILERS FOR SIX OF CROWS IN SYNOPSIS** 

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.

I loved Six of Crows even more than Leigh's first Grisha series. These characters are incredible and the world she's created is so vivid. I am sad this is only a duology as I would have loved one more book with Kaz and the gang. I fully expect this to be a brutal, but fitting, end to their story and cannot wait to devour this.

Expected release date - September 27, 2016

26 Kisses by Anna Michels

26 Kisses by Anna Michels
Release Date - May 24, 2016

Publisher Website - Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 304 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received from publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Breaking up with her boyfriend is not how Veda planned on starting her summer. When Mark makes it clear that it’s over between them, Veda is heartbroken and humiliated—but, more importantly, she’s inspired. And so she sets out on the love quest of a lifetime: use the summer to forget about Mark, move on, and move up. All she has to do is kiss twenty-six boys with twenty-six different names—one for each letter of the alphabet.

From the top of the Ferris wheel at her hometown carnival to the sandy dunes of Lake Michigan, Veda takes every opportunity she can to add kisses (and boys) to her list, and soon the breakup doesn’t sting quite as much. But just when Veda thinks she has the whole kissing thing figured out, she meets someone who turns her world upside down.

By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Anna Michels’s debut is the story of one girl who realizes that moving on from the supposed love of your life means taking a chance—and having the courage to love again. 

26 Kisses focuses on a timeless story - heartbreak. Everyone can relate to having their heart broken, and everyone can relate to the sometime messy, sometimes freeing, and always complicated emotions that come after. This is a story of a girl's way back to herself after a heartbreak. It also offers up a fun summer read that may just inspire a few kisses of your own.

Unsurprisingly, kisses are a big focus of this novel. The kisses themselves range from steamy to sweet. Some are hilarious and others are filled with sparky potential. The kisses themselves are well done with a perfect balance between the romantic and the humourous. There are kisses on Ferris wheels, and stolen ones, too. Innocent kisses, and embarrassing ones that make you laugh out loud. It reads like a young adult rom-com in the best possible way. It follows that structure and has a lot of those undefinable moments that many rom-com movie fans will delight in.

Perhaps my favourite aspect of the novel is that this quest to cure a broken heart ends up being about so much more than just a guy. It proves to be more than just a way to get over a heartbreak. It helps Veda discover things about herself, and helps her regain something she had lost - her confidence. It's a fun, flirty take on this type journey of self discovery but one that offers up it's own struggles and roadblocks for the characters.

Perception, slut shaming and reputation are all, sort of, dealt with here. I do wish this had been a larger part of the story but appreciated how it was handled. Veda, in no uncertain terms, refuses to let the gossip get to her. Her opinion is that she doesn't have to be ashamed of what she is doing. There are moments when she feels guilty, but those moments are handled realistically. She refuses to be shamed for what she is doing, and that made a huge difference in the novel. It is unfortunate that this element would even have to be dealt with, but it adds a realistic layer to the story.

Also great is the boy who turns Veda's plans upside down. He's the boy she didn't see coming and he is another complication in her summer of kissing. The great thing about this one boy is that he is kind, and patient. He understands Veda in a very honest way. Their connection is realistic and feels true for both characters. I like that we have another example of the type of guy teenage girls should want to date. He's someone who treats Veda well, even when things get messy.

A story filled with many different kind of kisses, and just as many complications. It's a rom-com with heart, and an important message within its final kiss. This is one you'll want to pick up if you're a fan of contemporary young adult novels.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

It has been a crazy but awesome week in bookish mail.

First up is a prize pack I won from the Raincoast Fall Blogger Preview event. I am so excited to put together the puzzle with my nieces. The candle smells amazing, and the tote bag is super cute! I am looking forward to reading Labyrinth Lost at some point as well.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova (goodreads)

Next, I received a book that I have been really curious about since I first saw the announcement. It sounds like it might be a dark, but fascinating read. A huge thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending it for me to review.

The Girls by Emma Cline (goodreads)

My friend Kim gave me a finished copy of a Peter Pan inspired book that I read and loved. She also gave me this amazing J.M. Barrie print that is below. Thank you so much, Kim. I love them (obviously, because Peter Pan).

Everland by Wendy Spinale (goodreads)

Lastly, this is a book I owned but had my friend Amanda get signed for me. She was gracious enough to go to the Jojo Moyes signing in Toronto to get this signed for me. I am insanely excited to have one of my favourite books signed. Me Before You is such an incredible story.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (goodreads)

What bookish items made their way into your mailbox this week?

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

TV/MOVIE

Beauty And The Beast (live action) trailer

Goosebump inducing is the only way I would describe this amazing trailer. It hits all the right buttons to immediately pique your interest and make you desperate for more.

The beautiful castle, the brief glimpse of the rose, and that iconic music all work together invoke a fierce feeling of nostalgia. It's obviously going to appeal to fans of the classic Disney movie, but this trailer also ensures that new fans will be just as excited to see it. Anyone else desperate for a glimpse at the cast? I cannot wait to see what Beast, Gaston, and the rest look like.

OTHER

King Henry's Wives t-shirt

I saw this shirt and immediately coveted it. It's amazing.

What are you obsessed with this week?

Book Expo America 2016 - Day Three

The final day of Book Expo America was certainly the busiest for me. It's the day I had the most signings and the most galley drops I wanted to check out. 

My day once again started early because I wanted to ensure I made it to the Macmillan booth in time to secure one of these 

Caraval was one of my top 'must gets' of BEA. I have been intrigued since the announcement was made and was thrilled it was going to be available in galley form at BEA. Meeting Stephanie Garber was a highlight of the conference. We've chatted over Twitter and she was just as kind as I expected her to be. I may have spent the rest of the day hugging this book because I was so thrilled to have it.

My other most anticipated title at BEA was Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco! I was able to go to her signing and she is just as lovely in person as you would expect from her Twitter. So sweet. This book not only sounds incredible but has real photographs included from the time period the novel is set. I've flipped through and some of the photos are unsettling. It makes me even more excited to read it.

 The people at the Jimmy part of the Hachette/Little Brown booth were amazing and went out of their way to find me the bookmarks. There were not any on their swag table but when I asked they helpfully tracked some down in the back for me. They are fantastic and I was really happy to have managed to snag since I kept missing them whenever they were put out.

The only book from the ones I was interested in that I missed was Jay Asher's What Light. I was in line to get the new Disney Descendants novel for my niece and when I got to the galley drop they were all gone BUT there was some amazing swag left ...

HOT CHOCOLATE! I love it. I am hoping to snag this one at ALA 2016 and will keep this hot chocolate to drink while reading the book. It was really clever since this seems like the perfect read for the Christmas season and what goes better with the winter season than hot chocolate?

I stopped by the Simon and Schuster booth. They had two amazing adverts for upcoming celebrity 'memoir' type books that immediately caught my eye.

I am especially excited about Anna Kendrick's novel. The advert for Amy Schumer's was buzzy and attracted a lot of attention though. Sadly, while the adult imprints of S & S seemed to have a lot going on, I didn't see much as the young adult end of the spectrum. The buzziest title was The Diabolic (which does sound great) but I didn't see much buzz other than that particular title. I spent a little bit of time chatting with them about The Diabolic and some of their titles which was great.

The books I got on my third are some of the titles I am looking forward to reading first (as soon as I can fit one in my schedule). There are some pretty exciting titles that I was fortunate enough to get copies of.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (goodreads)

Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (goodreads)

Blood For Blood by Ryan Graudin (goodreads)

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon (goodreads)

The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles (goodreads)

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid (goodreads)

Gemina by Amiee Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (goodreads)

The wait for Gemina was EXACTLY what you would expect and they only had the one change to obtain a copy. I waited for just over 2 hours and am really looking forward to reading it. Jay Kristoff came to check out the line up for the galley drop and was promptly treated like a rock star. There was plenty of screaming and excitement to be had. 

We ended the day with some delicious desert ...

and great company! It was lovely to meet Jennifer Park, Laurie Devore, and J.C. Davis. All three ladies are hilarious, and you should check out their upcoming 2017 releases! 

This night was so much fun and the perfect way to end BEA before I headed home the next day. My time in Chicago was way too short and I did not get to see half as much as I wanted to (but there is always next time). 

Book Expo America this year, for me, was an over all success. Holding it in Chicago was certainly a nice change of pace but I am excited to get back to New York where you really feel the pulse of the book industry all around. I loved being part of a such a large group of book fans who were excited to be there. There was random singing of Hamilton songs while in line, authors are treated as pop idols, and everyone is incredibly friendly while waiting in line. It's an experience not be missed and I cannot wait for next year.

Will you be headed to BEA 2017 in New York City? Let me know in the comments! 

Book Expo America 2016 - Day Two

Day two was slightly more busy for me (but not as crazy as day three) but with the larger space, and less people it still felt very manageable. It was an early start for me because I wanted to score one of these ...

I was super excited to meet Leigh again and get a glimpse of Crooked Kingdom. Leigh was, as always, wonderful. My favourite part was when Leigh asked who my favourite character was from this series. I answered Kaz with a definate emphasis on his name. She and the publicist assisting at her signing both laughed and said that everyone who answered Kaz put some kind of emphasis on his name. We joked a little about it and it was a really fun highlight for me.

While browsing the floor this totally flail worthy thing happened ...

Just got to fangirl over Heartless with @marissa_meyer. She is so lovely! @RaincoastBooks

— Kathy Coe (@kathycoe) May 12, 2016

As I was lucky enough to have read Heartless already I was thrilled to get to fangirl over it with her in person and express my utter love for Jest (who is, without question, the most swooniest of Marrisa's book boyfriends). She is lovely and seemed so thrilled I loved the book so much. This was,  hands down, one of my top moments of BEA. I am a huge fan and it was surreal to get a few minutes to tell her how much I loved something she created.

This was also the day of the big cover reveal for Sarah J Maas' Empire of Storms at the Bloomsbury booth. It was incredible to see people come out in such large numbers for a cover reveal. There were a lot of us and we got to record a group hello for Sarah who couldn't be there. This is totally my favourite of her covers.

I mean. Look at how pretty that is. How bad ass does Aelin look with her sword and fire and that fierce look in her eyes? I cannot wait to put this pretty on my bookshelf.

It was a little busier today so I had less time to talk to the publishers but I did get to chat with the lovely people at Bloomsbury about Danielle Paige's Stealing Snow. After talking about it with them I am even more excited to get to read it. It sounds incredible. I hear that it was quite the popular book to get at BEA as well. The galleys at the galley giveaway apparently went VERY quickly.

Day two was an incredible success. I got some amazing swag (the tote was won at the Sarah J Maas raffle and the tattoos came inside the chapter sampler for Crooked Kingdom)

I also some books I am really excited to promote on the blog and hopefully will get to read very soon. I was so excited to get my hands on the sequel to Dash and Lily's Book of Dares! Such a cute Christmas-y type book and The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily seems poised to be just as cute.

History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (goodreads)
Seven Days Of You by Cecilia Vinesse (goodreads)
The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn (goodreads)
The Secret Diary of Lydia Bennet by Natasha Farrant (goodreads)
Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven (goodreads)
The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia (goodreads)
Leave Me by Gayle Forman (goodreads)
Frostblood by Elly Blake (goodreads)

After an amazing day at BEA it was time to get pizza! I couldn't leave Chicago without getting deep dish pizza and it did not disappoint. It was delicious and we had a lot of fun that night!

I forgot to mention that my roommate at BEA, Dawn, also provided me with a copy of her next book the first night she arrived (which was after day one). I, for some reason, decided to include it in day two haul. I loved her first book (Anne and Henry) and am so excited to devour Overdrive!

Overdrive by Dawn Ius (goodreads)

She also surprised me with the fact that I am in the acknowledgements. I was incredibly touched and want to say thank you to her again! It's been great to gain another amazing friend out of this and I am so thankful to have met her. (Side note - if you like fast cars, sexy romance, and Las Vegas this needs to be on your TBR list immediately).

I, also, apparently forgot to include a picture of my pass within my first day recap. They mistakenly put me as 'retailer' when they registered me. It proved quite interesting while on the exhibit hall floor.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for the recap of my final days at BEA (and final thoughts on BEA in general)! If you were there let me know in the comments. If you weren't there - which author would you have liked to say hello to?

Waiting On Wednesday .... By Invitation Only

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is By Invitation Only by Geneva Lee

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

In a world with too much money and not enough rules, anything goes. Welcome to Belle Mère, the most exclusive zip code outside the Las Vegas Strip. It's every sinner's fantasy and every good parent's worst nightmare.

Emma Southerly doesn't belong at Belle Mère Prep despite her new stepfather's money. Not after she shunned her invite to the popular table, and especially not after what happened last summer. So when her best friend begs her to crash an invite-only, end of the year party, she should say no with a capitol H-E-L-L. 

It's just a party. What could go wrong?
Getting kicked out to start. Running into the man who destroyed your family. 
Everything.

Until she meets Jamie, who's also hiding from the in-crowd. After spending the night with the cute stranger, Emma barely makes it home before news hits Belle Mère's brunch tables. A body's been found on the West estate, and Jamie is the number one suspect. But he couldn't have done it…right? 

Emma isn't sure she can trust him or the rest of Belle Mère. After all, no one is safe when everyone is a liar.

This is a self published novel by an author who I've read previously and really enjoyed. I stumbled across this really intriguing sounding novel (which I believe is YA) and was even happier to discover it's going to be a series. I have a bit of a weakness for Las Vegas settings, and everything about this screams delicious drama.

There isn't even that long of a wait as it comes out in just a few days!

Expected release date - May 31, 2016