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Showing posts from October, 2016

Throwback Review: Eleanor & Park

Throwback review from July 2013 - this is a memorable read. Eleanor & Park is a YA 1980s coming-of-age novel by Rainbow Rowell. It’s 1986 and Eleanor’s brilliantly red, curly hair makes her impossible to not see as she steps onto the school bus for the first time. It also makes her an excellent target when you combine it with her odd, eclectic assortment of clothing and the fact that she’s brand new. Unable to watch the horror show, Park offers her a seat by him – in urgent, angrily embarrassed undertones. And then everything changes. This is the moment that Eleanor and Park met their first love – each other. I really don’t want to give more details of Eleanor & Park than that. I didn’t have more, and oh what an experience this novel was!! I loved the slow burn to the romance – that it wasn’t attraction based but initially built on kindness, like interests, and sharing small, but significant, pieces of themselves. Startlingly authentic and genuine, I

Throwback Review: The Diviners

Throwback review from December 2012 - just got the sequel! The Diviners is the first in a new YA historical supernatural series by best-selling author Libba Bray. I am a HUGE fan of Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle trilogy. When it comes to my foray into her contemporary fiction? Almost a completely opposite reaction. So, when I heard about The Diviners I was hesitantly excited because I hoped it would remind me more of the former, not the latter. In fact, maybe it could make me forget all about Beauty Queens . Maybe you’re a fan of that book. That’s great! I wasn’t, sadly, at all. What’s The Diviners about? Seventeen-year-old Evie O’Neill is a little too much of a wild child flapper for her hometown to contain, and as much as she tries to make herself normal she never seems to be able to. And this time she’s really gotten herself into a pickle. She has a supernatural power that’s brought her nothing but pickles so far – and this latest round of excitement led her