Feature and Follow Friday #173

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

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Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

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The Smell of Books

One of the most common reasons readers say they prefer paper books over e-books is that they love the smell of books. It doesn't feel you're really reading unless you can make that familiar olfactory connection.

I don't get it. Unless a book is really old or has survived a flood, books have no scent to me. And while the smell of really old, musty books is kinda fun, I don't associate that with books in general nor do I seek out the scent. 

Is there something wrong with my nose? I also don't understand how people hang on to an old friend or relative's clothes or other items because they contain that person's scent. I can't think of a single scent that I identify with a single person. I'm sure other people sincerely can smell someone else's unique scent, but humans (well-bathed humans that is) all smell the same to me.

What about you?

Do you love the smell of books?

What do they smell like?

Do you miss the telltale odor when reading e-books?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Waiting on Wednesday: Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!

Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally

Publish Date: December 3, 2013

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

I've already read this and it's super good. I love everything Miranda writes!

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Release Date: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Source: BEA

Summary

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Told in a refreshingly genuine and laugh-out-loud funny voice, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together. (courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review

This Song Will Save Your Life is one of those books that everyone's been raving about. I picked it up at BEA and then delayed reading it for reasons I can't remember. I wish I hadn't waited so long, but no matter - I read it and it's wonderful.

Manga Mondays #168: Books Adapted into Graphic Novels

Manga Mondays Meme

*This post is a little different. It's not focused on a specific volume and it's also not focused solely on manga. I'm thinking of adding some western style graphic novels into Manga Mondays. The focus will still be on manga, but I may expand beyond that sometimes.


I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 3 years ago. It started out as a personal feature, but I decided to turn it into a meme last year. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme is a great way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim

This is the only one of all the books I'm listing that I've read. I love that it's manga style drawing. I don't think it would make much sense if you haven't read the regular books, but the art is absolutely gorgeous. Aside from Twilight volume 1, there's also volume 2, and New Moon.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead and Emma Vieceli

House of Night by P.C. Cast and Joëlle Jones, Karl Kerschl

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and Jennyson Rosero

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare and HyeKyung Baek

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, Robert Venditti, and Alina Urusov

Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 by James Patterson and NaRae Lee

Are there any I've missed?

Sign up for the Manga Mondays Meme!

Feature and Follow Friday #172

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

---

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

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Brief Break

Hi all

I'm taking the week off of blogging (other than FF). My grandpa passed away a few days ago so I am in Oregon with my family until Saturday. 

Unfortunately the hotel internet is none too speedy and does weird things when I try to post a review. I should be able to put FF up Thursday but otherwise I will be away from the blog until Monday. 

Manga Mondays #167: The Princess of Tennis vol. 2 by Takeshi Konomi

Manga Mondays Meme

*Sorry I haven't done Manga Mondays for the past few weeks. I've been out of town every weekend for the past three weekends. And I'm actually still out of town. I'm in Oregon for the next week. But I managed to get a Manga Mondays post up. It's not quite right - I can't update the image and I'm not positive the linky will display correctly. I'll try to get back to regular posting now.


I've been doing Manga Mondays every week since I started my blog 3 years ago. It started out as a personal feature, but I decided to turn it into a meme last year. There are quite a few people who do Manga Mondays. I don't claim by any means that I owned or created the idea of Manga Mondays - it's an obvious choice given the alliteration. I think a meme is a great way for everyone to publicize their own Manga Mondays and get a little more publicity.

The linky will be below my review.

The Princess of Tennis vol. 2 by Takeshi Konomi

Summary

Ryoma Echizen just joined the Seishun Gakuen Middle School tennis team, which is known for being one of the most competitive teams in Japan. Its members are incredibly talented, gifted, and athletic. With rigorous and extremely intense practices, the upperclassmen of the team expect the very best from themselves and they expect even more from the new members of the team. W...more Ryoma Echizen just joined the Seishun Gakuen Middle School tennis team, which is known for being one of the most competitive teams in Japan. Its members are incredibly talented, gifted, and athletic. With rigorous and extremely intense practices, the upperclassmen of the team expect the very best from themselves and they expect even more from the new members of the team. While most of the first years are on pins and needles hoping they won't get cut from the team, Ryoma Echizen is confident, cool, and collected. Some might even say he's cocky, but at least he's got the skills to back up his attitude. With his virtually unreturnable "twist serve," Ryoma is sure to make the starting team. 

Ryoma plays two matches in the volume. He wins both of course. There's some tension because it looks like he's on the verge of losing at one point but he's really not. 

Some tennis magazine journalists came to observe the competition. I thought this was silly at first - the idea of professional journalists coming to watch junior high kids play. But since many of the great tennis players became pro at very young ages it's not that unrealistic. 

There are many times where I'm laughing at the manga not with it but all in good fun. One of my favorite aspects is how Ryoma is drawn as a very little boy and the eighth and ninth graders look like they're at least 20 and mostly dress like they're Yakuza members.

Sign up for the Manga Mondays Meme!

Feature and Follow Friday #171

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

---

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

---

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Release Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: BEA

Summary

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels. (courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review

Looking for a spooky October read? Unbreakable is the place to go. It's got vengeful spirits, possessed cats, demons, poltergeists, and more. If you enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood, you'll love Unbreakable.

Waiting on Wednesday: Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes

Publish Date: December 3, 2013

Publisher: Razorbill

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. I'm excited to see how it continues.

To Shelve or Not to Shelve: Separating Young Adult and Adult Books

Do you want to resolve the stigma against young adult books? Are you tired of people looking askance at you if you're above 18 and flipping through the YA section at your local bookstore?

Well, here's an idea:

Shelve Young Adult and Adult Books Together

What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea?

Pro:

1. The difference between many YA and Adult novels are in name only. There are plenty of novels featuring teens or even children as the main characters that get shelved in Adult fiction, for whatever reason. No one thinks you're weird if you read those as an adult. But put the same book in the YA section of the bookstore and there's something wrong with reading it. I've seen seen plenty of books that I'd consider YA in the adult section. Katie McGarry's books are in the Adult Romance part of my Barnes & Noble. The Brian Jacques children's fantasy series was shelved in Adult Fantasy at my old Barnes & Noble, something I never understood.

2. Exposure. Arguably, books like Twilight, Harry Potter, and Hunger Games have exposed adults to Young Adult literature. That's true obviously, but I think The Fault in Our Stars has exposed adults to YA in a more significant way. It's demonstrated that YA can be of literary quality, something few adults realize. It's shelved in Young Adult at Barnes & Noble, but at many other stores, like Target and even the grocery store, it's alongside adult books. If more Young Adult books were shelved next to "acceptable" adult books, perhaps more people would read them.

Con:

1. Ease of Use. I'll admit that I like categorizing books. My hometown library separates adult fiction into five sections: Fiction, Romance, Western, Mystery, and Sci Fi/Fantasy. My current library shelves all adult fiction together. I liked having it separate. Admittedly, I liked that so I could easily steer clear of genres that I didn't enjoy when I was younger, but it did make things easier to find. Plus, you had an idea what you were getting when you grabbed a random book off a shelf. I read YA because I enjoy reading books about teenagers. I don't want to sort through dozens of books about a 40 year old's dysfunctional family to find the kind of books I like.

2. Price. One of the nice things about YA is that it is usually a little cheaper than Adult fiction. In the $18 range instead of the $27 range. This is perhaps demeaning to YA authors and even to YA publishers who deserve to get the same amount of profit as Adult authors/publishers, but it sure is nice for us consumers.

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On the whole, I think I want Young Adult books to remain separate from Adult books (and children's books for that matter). Mostly because I'm lazy and want to be able to find my favorite genre easily. But the idea of merging Young Adult and Adult fiction is worth contemplating. It would signify that two genres are really just one. There's not Young Adult vs. Adult Fiction. There's only Fiction. People who choose to read books about teenagers, regardless of their age are no less intelligent, ambitious, or literary than people who choose to read books about grown-ups.

Feature and Follow Friday #170

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

---

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

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A Royal Match by Tyne O'Connell

A Royal Match by Tyne O'Connell

Release Date: February 15, 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Source: Bought

Summary

Can a normal American girl really catch a prince?

When LA-born Calypso Kelly arrives at the exclusive all-girls British boarding school, St. Augustine's, she's determined to become popular. But when a photo of Calypso kissing England's heir to the throne, Prince Freddie, ends up in the tabloids, it will take quick thinking to save her reputation-and her relationship with the prince.

After the tabloid disaster, Calypso hopes her next term at St. Augustine's will be better. But nothing could be further from the truth. Her archenemy (and culprit of the tabloid disaster) Honey O'Hare is her new dorm mate and her invite to the Annual Euro Royal Bash is nonexistent. Will a flirtation with a hot new sports star from the boys' school ruin her chances with Prince Freddie? Calypso has some work to do if she wants to go from pumpkin to princess in time for the ball. (courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review

A Royal Match has two - make that three - things that drew me to the story: Boarding School, England, and Royalty. You can leave almost everything else aside and for these qualities alone, I am sure to enjoy the book. And I did.

Waiting on Wednesday: Daylighters by Rachel Caine

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!

Daylighters by Rachel Caine

Publish Date: November 5, 2013

Publisher: Penguin Group

Apparently this is the LAST Morganville Vampires book! I'm way behind - I've only read 4 or 5 of them. But they're incredibly addictive. I want to read them all.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Release Date: March 19, 2013
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
Source: Won

Summary

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Tessa Gray should be happy – aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shaodwhunters of the London Institute.

A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. (courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review

I cursed myself for years for not reading The Infernal Devices series despite the fact that the first two books were sitting on my shelf. It turns out that my procrastination worked in my favor. I was able to read Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, and Clockwork Princess all in a row. And I think we can all agree that that makes a series much more powerful.

Feature and Follow Friday #169

Welcome to the Feature & Follow

---

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to Wordpress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don't have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed.

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Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Release Date: October 15, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: BEA

Summary

Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine. (courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review

Companion novels seem to be a thing lately. You have Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series and now your have Diana Peterfreund's For Darkness Shows the Stars series. If all companion series are going to be this good, I think we should do away with straight up sequels forever!

Waiting on Wednesday: Champion by Marie Lu

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine!

Champion by Marie Lu

Publish Date: November 5, 2013

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Isn't this a gorgeous cover?!

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

Release Date: December 11, 2012
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Source: Library

Summary

A wonderful, coming-of-age love story from a fresh new voice in YA fiction.

'Miss Amelia Hayes, welcome to The Land of Dreams. I am the staff trainer. I will call you grasshopper and you will call me sensei and I will give you the good oil. Right? And just so you know, I'm open to all kinds of bribery.'

From the moment 15-year-old Amelia begins work on the checkout at Woolworths she is sunk, gone, lost...head-over-heels in love with Chris. Chris is the funny, charming, man-about-Woolies, but he's 21, and the 6-year difference in their ages may as well be 100. Chris and Amelia talk about everything from Second Wave Feminism to Great Expectations and Alien but will he ever look at her in the way she wants him to? And if he does, will it be everything she hopes? (courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review

I didn't know what to expect when I started this book. I'd read numerous raving reviews of it when it was released last December, but I'd forgotten what they said. I figured it would be a light, fluffy, funny romance. But it was not.