Wednesday, June 17, 2015

WoW: The Sunrise

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it is a weekly feature where bloggers share what they are excited to read next. 

Here is my pick for the week:


Summary from Goodreads

In the summer of 1972, Famagusta in Cyprus is the most desirable resort in the Mediterranean, a city bathed in the glow of good fortune. An ambitious couple are about to open the island's most spectacular hotel, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots work in harmony. Two neighbouring families, the Georgious and the Özkans, are among many who moved to Famagusta to escape the years of unrest and ethnic violence elsewhere on the island. But beneath the city's façade of glamour and success, tension is building.
 When a Greek coup plunges the island into chaos, Cyprus faces a disastrous conflict. Turkey invades to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority, and Famagusta is shelled. Forty thousand people seize their most precious possessions and flee from the advancing soldiers. In the deserted city, just two families remain. This is their story.

I read Hislop's book The Island and it was very well written. I haven't read anything else by this author but when I saw that she had a new book coming out I got a little excited about it. This one comes out on July 7th from Headline Review.  What are you waiting on? Happy Reading!

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

WoW: Karin Slaughter's newest

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it is a weekly feature where bloggers share what they are excited to read next. 

Here is my pick for the week:



Summary from Goodreads:

#1 internationally bestselling author Karin Slaughter returns with a sophisticated and chilling psychological thriller of dangerous secrets, cold vengeance, and unexpected absolution, in which two estranged sisters must come together to find truth about two harrowing tragedies, twenty years apart, that devastate their lives. Sisters. Strangers. Survivors. More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia's teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed. The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it. Powerful, poignant, and utterly gripping, packed with indelible characters and unforgettable twists, Pretty Girls is a masterful thriller from one of the finest suspense writers working today.

I love a good mystery and I really enjoy Karin Slaughter's writing. Can't wait to read this one. It's out on June 30th from William  Morrow. Happy Reading!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

ARC Review: Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen

Publisher: Philomel Books
Publishing Date: June 2nd, 2015
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 352 pgs
ISBN: 9780399167713
Source: Received from the publisher for an honest review



Summary from Goodreads:
A heartrending, bold novel in verse about family, identity, and forgiveness Mira is just beginning her senior year of high school when she discovers her father with his male lover. Her world–and everything she thought she knew about her family–is shattered instantly. Unable to comprehend the lies, betrayal, and secrets that–unbeknownst to Mira–have come to define and keep intact her family’s existence, Mira distances herself from her sister and closest friends as a means of coping. But her father’s sexual orientation isn’t all he's kept hidden. A shocking health scare brings to light his battle with HIV. As Mira struggles to make sense of the many fractures in her family's fabric and redefine her wavering sense of self, she must find a way to reconnect with her dad–while there is still time.
Told in raw, exposed free verse, Skyscraping reminds us that there is no one way to be a family.


My Review:

This is a book told in verse about a girl who walks in on her father having an affair with another man. She is very upset about this but she is more upset about the fact that her mother has known for a long time and has also known that he is HIV positive. 
I will start by saying that anything that has LGBTQ characters or "issues" is something that I will always want to read. I think it's mostly because I can't fathom why people would be treated as subpar based on their sexual orientation. When Vikki sent out her e-mail with ARCs and saw the synopsis for this book I knew I had to have it. Then I realized it was a book in verse. I know people are divided on verse books but I for one love them. I think that I lot can be put into minimal amounts of words. I think they are often powerful because every single word matters. 
This book was what I expected and more. I expected to be pulled into family turmoil and teenage angst. I also expected to be touched and to watch relationships develop. I didn't expect to be sobbing on my couch. I just felt for the main character and I wanted the best for her. I zoomed through this book and finished it the same day I started it. I wanted to know more and couldn't put it down. The writing is tremendous and I was in awe of how Jensen was able to convey what she needed to in the way that she did. 
I would say if you like contemporaries you should definitely read this. Even if you're unsure of verse books you should give this one a try. I also think this is an important book because you don't often get to read novels about HIV and it's epidemic in the 1990s. I am pretty sure at this point I am rambling away but writing reviews for books you really enjoyed are the most difficult things to do. I will sign off by saying go buy this one!