New Email Address!

Comments? Recommendations? Questions? Just want to say hi?

The Book Nook has a new email address for any and all of the above!!

Send a message to booknookblog@yahoo.com and I promise to answer, even if you disagree with something I wrote. Books are meant to inspire lively conversation, and in doing so, often create a difference in opinion. Plus, I'm always looking for new books to read and literary trends to hop on, so tell me what you're reading. Don't be shy!

For other ways to reach me to talk about books (or anything, really, I'm quite friendly), check out the Contact page!

Thanks for the pretty envelope picture, Google Images!

Merry Christmas, Bookaholics!

A big ho ho ho and gigantic hug to all my readers who stuck with me this past year. I know I didn't review as many books as usual and my posts were sporadic and unpredictable. Please accept my sincere apologies and honest promise that I will do better in the New Year. Truth is, I just didn't have as much free time to pleasure-read as I was previously used to. Now thirteen months into my first full-time position, I think I've finally figured out how to balance work with my extracurricular blogging. So expect bigger and better in 2013!

This is for you!! (Seriously, knowing people read this blog makes me ridiculously happy.) I hope your Christmas holidays are filled with fun, family, and cozy new reads by a warm fireplace.

Quote of the Day

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

My Top 12 Books of 2012 in 12 Words

Do you sense a theme here? I hope so. I'm not normally this obsessed with the number 12.

Now, not all of these books were exactly published in 2012, but I discovered/read/became obsessed with them in 2012. Good enough, yes? Let's begin.

12. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
By Mindy Kaling
Crown Archetype - 2011
After reading this, I want Mindy Kaling to be my new BFF.

11. The entire Stephanie Plum series
By Janet Evanovich
Various publishers, most recently Headline Book Publishing - 2012
Nineteen crime-solving, bounty-hunting books with one intensely hot love triangle.

10. I've Got Your Number
By Sophie Kinsella
The Dial Press - 2012
Girl finds boy's phone. Boy wants phone back. Guess what happens next.

9. The Next Best Thing
By Jennifer Weiner
Atria Books - 2012
TV writer Ruth learns that Hollywood's lights are more glaring than bright.

8. Size 12 and Ready to Rock
By Meg Cabot
William Morrow Paperbacks - 2012
Newly-engaged Heather must catch a killer because this time, it's personal.

7. Imperfect Bliss
By Susan Fales-Hill
Atria Books - 2012
Can reality TV inspire real feelings in a modern-day Elizabeth Bennet?

6. Destined (Wings #4)
By Aprilynne Pike
HarperTeen - 2012
With Avalon under attack, Laurel must embrace her destiny or destroy it.

5. Beautiful Redemption (Beautiful Creatures #4)
By Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - 2012
Trapped between worlds, Ethan must risk everything to return home to Lena.

4. The Probability of Miracles
By Wendy Wunder
Razorbill - 2011
Cancer-striken Cam moves to Promise, where miracles are more than rumors.

3. The Art of Fielding
By Chad Harbach
Little, Brown and Company - 2011
One catastrophic mistake forever changes the once-inevitable course of several lives.

2. The Way We Fall
By Megan Crewe
Disney-Hyperion - 2012
Love struggles to survive an epidemic that destroys everything worth living for.

1. The Fault in Our Stars
By John Green
Dutton Books - 2012
A story about how deeply you love, not how long you live.

So there you have it, fellow bookaholics. Do you agree with any of my choices? Was there an awesomeamazing book that I missed and should become obsessed with in 2013? Are you as impressed as I am that I managed to summarize all 12 books in just 12 words? Discuss!

Photos courtesy of Goodreads.com

12 Things That Made 2012 an Exceptional 12 Months: A Year in Review

I think nostalgia is a required emotion in the month of December, when we're days away from the start of another year. It's a time to reminisce on all you've accomplished, everything you didn't get to do, and how long you promise you'll keep that resolution this year.

But at the end of the twelfth month of the twelfth year, I can't help but look back on these last twelve months and go, woah. A lot has happened. A lot has changed. Some things didn't happen, and some things didn't change. And for once, instead of looking forward to all I can feasibly predict in 2013, I'm looking backwards at all the little things that made 2012 one of the best years of my life.

12. Meeting Emily Giffin. (You really didn't think I could write an entire blog post that didn't mention my book nerd-ishness? C'mon guys.) Emily penned one of my favorite books, Something Borrowed. My friend from work and I trudged all the way to the Upper East Side for a Barnes & Noble meet-and-greet. Instead of reading from her newest novel, Where We Belong, Emily shared anecdotes and jokes with the small herd of us crowded inside the room. It's always awesome to meet someone you've admired for so long and realize that they're as normal as can be. Being able to go to author events like these has been one of my favorite things about living in NYC.

11. Summer Sunshine. If there's a summer where my toes don't touch the sand in Ocean City, NJ, then it means I'm dead. I know this particular phrase gets tossed around frequently and often by everyone, but OCNJ really is my favorite place in the entire world. The summer of 2012 was my first with a full-time job, the first time in my life that summer wasn't synonymous with freedom. So I used some of my precious, disgustingly adult vacation days to take a long weekend with one of my best friends down to Ocean City. We shacked up for a few nights in an oceanfront hotel and spent our days under the sun with books and music. We went right after Memorial Day weekend, so the town was quiet and uncrowded. It was a brief break from reality that my friend and I so desperately needed. How could going to my favorite place with one of my favorite people not make my awesome 2012 list?

10. Friends, friends, friends. 2012 was an absolutely amazing year for friendships. I made a bunch of new ones, rekindled old ones, and cherished the strong ones I already had. Apart from my family, there aren't many other people I'd voluntarily choose to be around. But, I can truly say, I have the best friends in the world. It's the best feeling to know that no matter what you do, what you say, or what happens today, tomorrow, or next week, some people will always love you for you. And you know how I can be so confident in that assessment? Because it's exactly how I feel about all of them. And that kind of unconditional love doesn't grow on trees.

9. Philly girl in a New York City world. You can take the girl out of Philly, but you can't take Philly out of the girl. One of my favorite memories from this past year was trekking out to Citi Field in Queens with my roomie to watch my Phils take on the New York Mets. The night was an adventure before it started, with my roommate and I vowing to meet at 42nd Street to get the 7 train to the stadium. Little did we know, there are two different stations at 42nd Street, one near 5th Avenue and the other in Times Square. Of course, I went to one and she went to the other. Trying to find each other while underground without cell service--yeeeep. A small miracle later, we enjoyed a night of baseball, Shake Shack, and a ninth-inning comeback led by Ryan Howard that left me whooping and hollering like I was back in Philly.

8. Breaking news: boys still stink. I learned, rather quickly, that total and complete trust in another person is not always rewarded. Remember that someone needs to earn your respect and faith; that way, it won't hurt nearly as much when you realize they never deserved it in the first place. 

7. Surviving Sandy. This wasn’t exactly one of my best memories of 2012, but it’s made an impression nonetheless. My roommate and I weathered one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast in our tiny, Upper West Side apartment. And while destruction raged around us, we stayed relatively safe. My second home, the Jersey Shore, was ravaged beyond recognition. The NYC subway system was flooded. Hoboken, NJ—where I work—was in ruins, our office building underwater and the streets teeming with debris and the wrath of an overflowing Hudson River. To this day, transportation is still delayed, and in the case of the Hoboken PATH system, still destroyed. I’ve never seen the kind of destruction Sandy brought down on the places I’ve loved for years. I hope 2013 can bring the kind of recovery this area so desperately needs. Click here to donate to the relief efforts.

6. Turning 23 in style. Who says you’re too old for princess crowns? My friend Ashley, my roommate Caroline, and I all have birthdays in August, all within a few days of each other. This year, our first year being away from home on our birthdays (since we’re all recent NYC transplants), we journeyed out to my parents’ home in suburban Pennsylvania and had ourselves some good, old-fashioned birthday fun, complete with an ice cream cake inspired by The Little Mermaid. I don’t think a birthday has ever been that much fun—maybe it’s because I finally got to share it with friends.

5. Peace out, USA! 2012 marked the first year I left American soil. My passport was stamped for the first time, and I flew to Toronto on a business trip. My boss only accompanied me on the first day; after she left, I was on my own. I worked during the day and explored at night. I walked to the Rogers Centre and watched a Blue Jays game, ending my night with soft-serve ice cream in a bright blue, plastic mini-batting helmet. The hotel was gorgeous, the service impeccable. For the first time ever, I felt like a big deal. And I learned that it’s truly, remarkably possible to be insanely happy all by yourself in a different country. 

4. Christmas in New York City. I can cross watch the tree lighting in Rockefeller Center off my bucket list. Caroline and I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with complete strangers for hours upon hours, watching a gigantic screen broadcast the concerts and interviews taking place a half block away. We inched closer and closer as the NYPD adjusted the crowd barriers, allowing us to finally catch a glimpse of one tree branch a mere minute before it was lit. Having watched the festivities on television for as long as I can remember, it was nothing short of magical to see those colors light up the night sky in person. And that was just the beginning of the Christmas season in NYC. Everywhere you go, there are twinkle lights hugging bare trees, wreaths hanging on every door, tinsel brightening up a room, and holiday carols in your ears. It really is the most wonderful time of the year, and no place does Christmas like New York City.

3. Speaking of New York City....I moved there, yeah. Apart from the bunk beds, kiddie-size appliances, slanted floors, broken intercom, and nonexistent counter space, it's been pretty awesome.

Photo courtesy of Rachel Smith Photography

2. My best friend got married. This was my first time as a bridesmaid, the first time I stood up on an altar and watched someone I love dearly promise their life to another person. Thankfully, my friend Erica married a wonderful, fantastic, and funny man who I know and trust to adore her every second of every day for the rest of their lives. I'm more than happy to call him a friend now, too. The wedding was beautiful, but it was the months leading up to the wedding that I cherish the most: the dress fittings, bridal shower, bachelorette party, and wedding-eve girl talk in our hotel room. I have known Erica since I was 15 years old. There are days where she knows me so well, it scares me. I was so honored to be a part of her special day, and it was an absolute blast. I could live to be 100 years old, and that day will forever be one of my top life memories. 

1. My first 5k. Yes, this is my top memory of 2012. A few months ago, it would have been Erica's wedding, no questions asked. But then I signed up for a Halloween 5k in Hoboken, NJ. As much as I've always loved the idea of running, the actual act has been difficult for me. After suffering from chronic shin splints and lymphedema, running long distances seemed more like a pipe dream than a feasible reality. But this costume-encouraged, all-ages race made me feel comfortable. Heck, I could walk this thing if I had to. 

But I didn't have to.

My time of 42:26 was nothing to get excited about. That's just about a 14-minute mile. But I spent most of the race in a light jog. I ran the first mile without stopping. I didn't finish last. As I turned the corner to the finish line, I saw the three friends who had come to support me, cheering me along with cups of early-morning coffee in their hands. 

When I crossed that finish line, I couldn't help but get choked up. Maybe it was because three people who I've known for less than a year willingly woke up early and traveled to New Jersey just to show their support for me. Maybe it was because I didn't blow out my shins and actually finished the race. Ultimately, I think it was mostly the fact that I felt so good. Good about myself, for the first time maybe ever. After years of struggles with self-image, especially those centered around weight, I realized I was capable of doing something really awesome. Something healthy. Something that made me feel alive. That day changed the way I felt about myself. And in a lot of ways, that day in October 2012 changed the course of all my years to come. 

Quote of the Day

"So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The D.U.F.F.

Written by Kody Keplinger

Goodreads Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "the Duff," she throws her Coke in his face.
But things aren't so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

My Confession: I think I decided to buy this book because the title was so in-your-face. I mean, "Designated Ugly Fat Friend," really? My finger was poised over my Nook--I was just looking for a quick, fun read. I wasn't totally in the mood for a story that was going to "teach me a lesson" about body love. But then I realized how many times I identified as a DUFF, and I pressed "purchase." Yes, Barnes & Noble, I'm okay with you charging my credit card $7.99 for this ebook. I want to read what this brave teenager (yes, the author is a teenager) has to say about this topic.

Okay, so who hasn't felt like the ugly, fat one in their group of friends? If you haven't, then you can stop reading here. Because I have--almost every day of my twenty-three year existence. And I can count on one hand how many times I've read a character like this--someone simultaneously smart, sassy, and completely uncomfortable in their own skin because of what society perceives as "pretty." And not once have I ever believed that a legitimately attractive male would fall for someone with a little junk in the trunk. But I believed Wesley's genuine affection for Bianca, not because of what she looked like, but what she brought out in him. In never trying to please Wesley, Bianca is herself--she doesn't worry about her body or image. And in doing so, she finds a peace within herself and everything she has to offer. I think it adds a little truth to the adage that you can never love someone without truly loving yourself first. In many ways, I don't think you can ever be truly loved until you love yourself enough to show all of yourself to that person, until you realize you have nothing to hide. That's how Wesley and Bianca fall in love with each other's true self. And that's why it feels so real. Wesley never really loses his edge, and Bianca never really loses that cynicism, but they find a way to soften the other.

But I think this can be more than a feel-good story for girls who have always felt marginalized for not fitting into a size 2. I was really impressed with the eighteen-year-old author's concept of storytelling and building character. A lot of this book was very believable, and Bianca's voice was strong and consistent. There were a few points where I winced or grimaced, mainly in the moments when Bianca equates Wesley to a drug, the way she uses him to avoid facing her home issues. I get where the author was trying to go with this--I just don't think it totally got there.

Recommendation: This was a really cute read and a page-turner in its own way. The characters are three-dimensional and I really enjoyed reading a truly relatable female voice, someone who wasn't at the top of the high school food chain. Bianca's not a blonde, perky cheerleader (even though one of her best friends is); she doesn't have "tragic beauty" that she just doesn't realize. She's 100% normal, American teenager who is just trying to survive adolescence. Her uber-popular friends really love her, and it was utterly refreshing to read about how perception really is reality. And a little self-love and confidence never hurt anyone.

Rating: 3.5/5

280 pages, published by Poppy (Sept. 7, 2010)

Books-Turned-Movies I'm Particularly Excited About

I'm a New Yorker who has been stuck inside my 300-square foot apartment for the past week, all thanks to Hurricane Sandy. While I (as well as my roommate and apartment) survived relatively unscathed, many other areas around me cannot say the same (shout out to my second home, the Jersey Shore--prayers and thoughts are with you!).

That being said, I've acquired some rather unexpected book and movie time in the last six days. Below are some movies that were spawned from books that I could watch over and over again, as well as movies that have yet to hit screens that get me all fan girl-squealy.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower--one of my favorite movie adaptations ever. This is probably because the author also wrote the screenplay (can I ask that this happens for every book adaptation in the future?) but I absolutely loved how gritty and unapologetic the movie was. Any questions I had about how they would turn Charlie's stream-of-consciousness into a well-rounded movie were silenced almost instantly. Go see this, if you haven't already!

Bridget Jones's Diary--to me, the movie was way better than the book. Now, before you gasp in horror at the words I swore I would never, ever utter, let me give you a succinct reason as to why: Colin Firth. The end.

One for the Money--while this adaptation of Janet Evanovich's uber-popular Stephanie Plum series isn't going to win any Oscars, I rather enjoyed it. Even though a superfan like myself, who has read every single Plum novel (all almost-19 of them) is probably the exact demographic the filmmakers were trying to please. Joe Morelli was rather surprisingly yummy (but an Irish actor, really?--ah nevermind, you're forgiven) and Katherine Heigl's portrayal of disaster-prone Stephanie was rather entertaining. Definitely a rainy-day movie.

Something Borrowed--the girliest New York movie of the, er, last year or so. As you probably know from my previous review, I was pretty pleased with this movie. I watch it every time I need a pick-me-up. It's just riddled with cuteness, laughter (oh, Jim, what will I do without you when The Office is over?), and an awesome, cheesy love story. Perfect.

Jane Eyre--this recent adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's famous love story is utterly swoon-worthy. This is a complex tale of secrets, societal status, spooky not-really-ex wives, and a spellbinding love that transcends it all. The book may be thick and largely intimidating, but this is one of the classics worth picking up off your shelf. Or watch this version first. Then, I guarantee you'll be reaching for the pages that started it all. Oh, and Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester doesn't hurt either. At all.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason--oh, come on. It's been a long week, okay? I'm just a little hooked. Go ahead and judge.

Cloud Atlas--haven't seen it yet, but desperately want to. Something tells me this one may be so intricately woven, it may become a bit tough to follow. But c'mon, with a cast like this, who isn't up to the task?

The Host--I actually prefer this book to the rest of Stephenie Meyer's other creations. (What are those other books called again? They get such little publicity I forget sometimes. Gag.) Anyway, this story has a lot more depth and is a lot more complicated than Twili most paranormal romances of today. I'm interested to see how this alien, apocalyptic tale plays out on the big screen. The book was a pretty exciting read.

Beautiful Creatures--one of my favorite YA books (not to mention series) ever. I'm almost finished with the fourth and concluding book in the Caster Chronicles, and I have never been more engrossed in a twisted story of love and spells before. This is an amazingly thorough and engrossing story that you can tell has been well thought-out and planned over the course of four books. I can't wait to see the screen version.

Back to reading and watching! Let me know if there's any other books-turned-movies I can watch now or keep an eye out for later!

Images courtesy of Entertainment Weekly and Google Images

Quote of the Day

"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I know that I had begun."

Pride and Prejudice

One for the Money

Written by Janet Evanovich

Goodreads Synopsis: Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash--fast--but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family.
Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the first time he looked up her dress, to the time he first got into her pants, to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water--wanted for murder.
Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight--and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man.

My Confession: M-o-r-e-l-l-i may spell trouble for Stephanie, but it reads like
a-d-d-i-c-t-e-d for me. And not just to Joe Morelli, who is--without a doubt--one of the hottest, most badass, swoon-worthy male characters I've ever read. Ever. He's a hot-blooded, Italian cop with a bad attitude and notorious reputation. He hates vegetables, enjoys watching sports, and relieved Stephanie of her virginity behind a bakery counter when she was 16. Regardless of whether you think he's guilty of murdering an unarmed man, in the first few chapters, you'll convict him of being murderously sexy.

Okay, that was cheesy. But considering I'm already reading my fifteenth Stephanie Plum book (yes, I've burned through them that quickly), I've had a lot of time to marinate over Morelli's character. Curse you, Janet Evanovich, for making me fall for a character who undoubtedly does not exist in real life.

Anyway.

I have to take my hat off to any author who can cause readers to become heavily invested in the same group of characters for eighteen books (and counting). What makes the character of Stephanie Plum so endearing is the fact that she's so normal. Her roommate is a hamster named Rex, she's obsessed with doughnuts and other equally-fattening foods (probably explains her affinity for spandex), she bums meals from her crazy family a few times a week, and she's hopelessly flawed when it comes to being a bounty hunter. She's outmatched in her quest to bring in Morelli, and soon finds herself teaming up with the suspected-murderer in a plot to prove his innocence. Add in Batman-esque  Ranger, an incredibly hunky and skilled bounty hunter who becomes Stephanie's mentor, and skin-chillingly scary boxer Benito Ramirez, who specializes in rape and murder, and One for the Money makes for a fun, freaky, and fabulous read.

Recommendation: This first installment in the Stephanie Plum series will sink its claws into you, and if you didn't buy the next couple books already, you will. If you're anything like me, you'll get those nifty mass market paperbacks that come three-to-a-box. The writing is quick, the banter is snappy, and the characters are the perfect mixture of endearing and goofy. Once the story gets started, it's hard to put down, and there are moments outside the comic and lighthearted that will make your pulse race and your palms sweat. These aren't sugar stories, and the quirkiness and humor mixed throughout make for a good break in the action, but by no means diminish the seriousness of the crimes commited and the danger Stephanie finds herself in. It's the suspense that keeps you reading. And it's the characters (ahem, Morelli, ahem ) that will bring you back seventeen more times (and counting).

Rating: 4/5

320 pages, first published by Penguin on March 25, 1995 and later by Harpercollins in 2001 and St. Martin's Press in 2003

Quote of the Day

"Kind of like people. We're too lazy to change, so we'll just keep doing what we're doing until it's too late."

The Probability of Miracles

The Fault in Our Stars

Written by John Green

Goodreads Synopsis: Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs...for now. 
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too: post-high school, post-friends, and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

My Confession: Every so often, I come across a book that gets me really excited. Really excited about the fact that I can stumble across something that causes me to miss valuable hours of sleep because I've become physically incapable of putting the book down. Really excited about the idea that one person could make up a story so enthralling, so emotional, and so enchanting that it reminds me once again why I am a writer, and why I spend countless hours reading other people's words.

This is one of those books.

It's hard to put into words everything this book will make you feel. It is one of the most beautiful, well-crafted stories I've ever read. It's stunning and heartbreaking, and the raw honesty and bare reality literally took my breath away at times.

I had a moment with this book. I connected with this book. I have never felt quite so gutted, quite so drained after finishing a book, and then immediately felt the urge to pick it back up and read it all over again.

Augustus and Hazel have a connection that doesn't need glitz, glamour, or paranormal activity to portray the strength of true love. Their interactions are specific and intellectual, their banter witty and humerous. The added notion that they both battle(d) cancer adds a note of irony and maturity to their relationship, but you never forget that these are kids, kids who just happen to see the world a whole lot differently than most people do.

This is not a story about cancer and what it takes away. This is a story about finding love and transcending both time and circumstance. It's a story about life and what you do with it; love and whether you choose to believe it; hope and how you dare to feel it.

Recommendation: If you call yourself a book lover, or like myself, a bookaholic, then you cannot--cannot--miss this book. It is one of the most powerful things I've ever read. Everyone should feel the simultaneous, beautiful confliction of bone-rattling, earth-shaking love and knee-breaking, heart-wrenching sorrow that The Fault in Our Stars makes you experience in its breathtaking 300 pages. Read it. It's a rollercoaster worth riding.

Again and again.

Rating: 5/5

318 pages, published by Dutton Juvenile (Jan. 10, 2012)

Quote of the Day

"Neither novels nor their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea that made-up stories can matter, which is sort of the foundational assumption of our species."

The Fault in Our Stars

Embrace

Written by Jessica Shirvington

Goodreads Synopsis: It starts with a whisper: "It's time for you to know who you are."
Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it's hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother's death. As if that wasn't enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There's a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn't there before.
Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he's only half-human--oh, and same goes for her.
A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It's a fight Violet doesn't want, but she lives her life by two rules: don't run and don't quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden...

My Confession: This was my very first ARC (advance reader copy, for those of you not schooled in publishing terms). It appeared in my mailbox at work as if by magic, a puffy manila envelope of promise, come to bring me the slightest of smiles on a Monday afternoon.  The bundle of joy contained an uncorrected proof for a new YA series, the first of which is Embrace, a story of fallen angels and a love triangle-gone-very-wrong. It's a three-book series that has already been published (and made quite a splash in) Australia, so the final two books in the series will be released in six-month increments. Given the usual year (at least) between series that are written a book at a time, the pacing for these novels could prove influential in how the story is embraced (whoa, no pun intended there) by American YA readers.

And, all in all, I think people will like these books. First of all, the cover art is brilliant. I'm a big fan of bright, bold colors, and the purple used here is undeniably eye-catching. Second, people still love paranormal romances. Why this trend hasn't died out yet still muddles my mind a bit, but there is a market for books like these, especially when they're done well, which is definitely the case here. The story is complicated and varies greatly from other fallen angel stories out there. Violet is a pretty strong heroine, with a background in martial arts and a complicated, estranged relationship with her father. She seems to have been forced to fend for herself, which leaves her a bit callused and abrasive.

But she falls for Lincoln, a much-older martial arts instructor who takes a special interest in Violet. The two become close friends when he offers to teach her one-on-one. You immediately get the impression that Lincoln is the only stable thing in Violet's life, her trust and confidence in him so physically tangible. So when she finds out that he is hiding his true nature from her, she's shattered. His interest in her begins to look like obligation, and as she grapples with his betrayal, she falls under the spell of another guy, a fallen angel named Phoenix, whose influence on her life proves detrimental to not just her relationship with Lincoln, but the bigger angel battle currently being waged around her.

Recommendation: You're going to get sucked in, so get ready. The story is very addictive, and while the numerous twists and turns will leave you a bit whiplashed at times, it's a pretty inventive rollercoaster. I really like these characters. I like Lincoln, and I like Violet. This isn't so much a love story as it is a story about forgiveness: forgiveness of others and forgiveness of yourself. And then it's a battle. A giant, psychological and physical battle that's pretty awesome. But the one thing I have to harp on, because I just have to, is the barrier that keeps Lincoln and Violet apart. Because they're destined "angel partners," a physical relationship between the two is impossible. In other words, just like a famous vampire novel phenom, sex can kill them.

Oh, please.

Rating: 4/5

367 pages, published by Sourcebooks Fire (March 6, 2012)

*I received this book free from YPG*

Quote of the Day

"We had done it before. Pretended we fit like the hollow of earth beneath a rock that had rested against the same dirt for centuries. Millennia. And when the raw truth of our differences felt harsh and uncompromising, we shifted positions, tried again. It wasn't deceptive, not really. It was who we were."

Far from Here

When She Woke

Written by Hillary Jordan

Goodreads Synopsis: Hannah Payne's life has been devoted to church and family. But after she's convicted of murder, she awakens to a nightmarish new life. She finds herself lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for whom observing new Chromes--criminals whose skin color has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime--is a sinister form of entertainment. Hannah is a Red for the crime of murder. The victim, says the state of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the father, a public figure with whom she shared a fierce and forbidden love.
A powerful reimagining of The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke is a timely fable about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of the not-to-distant future, where the line between church and state has been eradicated, and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned but chromed and released back into the population to survive as best they can. In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah knowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the righteousness of a country that politicizes faith and love.

My Confession: I'm a big advocate of modernizing classic literature, as long as it's done tastefully and gives a proper nod to the original. When She Woke intrigued me because of the author's clever realization that The Scarlet Letter could not be reimagined in our society today. Adultery and pregnancy outside of marriage is hardly noteworthy (unless you're MTV or Bravo) and they're both a far cry from what we deem criminal acts. So instead, Hillary Jordan sets her story in a manic, superficial, dystopian universe where the church has become the state. With the infamous Roe v. Wade case overturned, Hannah's abortion turns criminal, and she's punished with the heinous act of chroming--the resolution to high prison expenses. She's sentenced to spend almost 20 years as a red-skinned outcast, her normal life stripped away forever.

The themes of self-discovery were very prominent in this story. It's not just about how Hannah comes to terms with life as a Chrome; we also watch her re-evaluate and question the once-undeniable "truths" that she was brought up to accept without hesitation. The institution of organized religion takes a beating as Jordan shows us a society where religious extremists run the government. Elements of The Scarlet Letter permeate, like Hannah's lover, a prominent and married minister whose image is put in jeopardy when Hannah discovers her pregnancy. And while Hannah drifts from Hester in that she terminates the pregnancy, she does name a hand-sewn doll "Pearl," after her unborn daughter. There are also many times when the story drifts far into its own world and farther away from the one created by Nathaniel Hawthorne. But that's okay--When She Woke becomes about more than the forbidden romance that causes Hannah's pregnancy. It analyzes a world that has truly lost sight of humanity. The concept of "justice" involves breaking a person into madness and destroying the individuality that causes imperfections as well as independent thinking. The picture painted is eye-opening and graphically realistic. I kept compulsively looking at my arms to wonder what would happen if they were suddenly red instead of olive. What would happen to my self-worth, my identity.

I'll admit to not being a fan of every plot twist and turn. The lesbian relationship at the end of the novel didn't really have a place, and I felt that it was thrown into the story for shock value rather than substance. The story is very heavy on its own, and I don't think the addition of Hannah's sexual encounter with another woman adds anything to her character development--in fact, I think it stunts and undermines it. This relationship lacks sincerity and believability, comes out of nowhere, and disappears just as quickly. It just didn't gel with the story as a whole, which was not centered on Hannah's sexuality, despite her pregnancy and illicit affair. Just when you think Hannah has figured out who she is and what she wants, we're confused all over again by her actions.

Recommendation: All in all, I found this to be a worthwhile Nook purchase. It reads well and tackles some deep and spooky questions about where our society is headed. I just wish it had finished as strong as it started.

Rating: 3.3/5