See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Have you entered all my giveaways?

 Goody Bag Giveaway (last day!)

Young Adult Giveaway Hop (last day!)

Catastrophic ARC Giveaway (one more day!)

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Candlewick Press, May 8, 2012

Read for 2012 Standalone Challenge

Summary from Goodreads:

Starting middle school brings all the usual challenges - until the unthinkable happens, and Fern and her family must find a way to heal.
Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she's not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn't know he's gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there's Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone's world. He's devoted to Fern, but he's annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn't for Ran, Fern's calm and positive best friend, there'd be nowhere to turn. Ran's mantra, "All will be well" is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it's true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same.

Oh, Jo Knowles, how I love you and your writing ability. My first read in 2012 also happens to be my favorite read of 2012 so far.

I can't share too much of the plot with you, because there would be super spoilers. So this will be a short review. See You at Harry's is a powerful novel. This was not a "brush a few tears away while reading" kind of novel. No, this was a "bawl your eyes out while being thankful you're reading while your husband is at the gym so he can't make fun of you for crying hysterically over a novel" novel. The sad part happened in such a way that you were expecting it, but then the plot twisted and so you weren't excepting it (and sighing in relief because it didn't happen), and then bam! It happened anyway.

Besides the sad part, there's a scene with our narrator, twelve-year-old Fern, and her neighbor, the elderly Mr. Seymore. I won't say any more about that scene, but it was the most heart-wrenching, realistic thing I think I've ever read.

This is what the novel is about: how can a family that doesn't really have it all together, get it together, and keep it together, after a tragedy? I so did not expect the level of emotion that I got from this novel--but I don't know why I didn't expect it. After all, Jo Knowles is the creative genius that brought us Jumping Off Swings, Pearl, and (#2 on my MAHROAT list) Lessons from a Dead Girl. Which brings me to another point: while this novel wasn't absolutely horrifying in the way that the titles on my MAHROAT list are, it was still pretty horrifying. It might deserve a spot on that list, I haven't yet decided. What do you think?

There are few books that I love enough to post my review months ahead of time--Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan is the only one I can think of from 2011, and See You at Harry's is 2012's pick. Expect to see a reminder post about this book before its publication day (May 8).

ARC received from publisher.
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (71)

Have you entered all my giveaways yet?

Goody Bag Giveaway

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

Catastrophic History ARC Giveaway 

In My Mailbox is an Internet meme hosted by The Story Siren to share new books received, purchased, or borrowed.

So here's what I got this week!

Won from two contests over at Pages Turned & Lessons Learned (thanks, Amanda!): Paper Towns by John Green and Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen AND a whole stack of middle school "help" books (which is awesome because Best Girl will soon be a "middle schooler" eep!):

Won in a contest over at Mindful Musings: Pharmacology by Christoper Herz (thanks, Natalie!):

Purchased (my first Etsy purchase!): window Mockingjay stickers! (They were both supposed to be the larger size--one is for my car and one will be a prize for my Hunger Games event at the library. I emailed the seller to find out what happened. Will let you know. EDIT: The seller inadvertently forgot one of the large stickers and is sending it shortly. The littler sticker was a bonus! Yay!):

Borrowed from the library:

• Truth by Julia Karr 
• Fracture by Megan Miranda
• Rules of Chemistry by Simon Elkeles
• Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard
• Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic 

What did you get?

Enjoy your reading!

Christi

Young Adult Giveaway Hop!

Have you entered my Goody Bag Giveaway and Catastrophic ARC Giveaway yet?

How could I not participate in a Young Adult giveaway? I'm delighted to take part in this hop, which is co-hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Down the Rabbit Hole. 

Up for grabs is a hardcover copy of The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. But, this isn't just any old book--this copy has been signed by both authors at the recent NJ stop of their book tour!

 This will be a super-simple contest, simply fill out the Rafflecopter. You don't have to be a follower but folloiwing my Facebook or Twitter pages will give you an extra entry. You do have to be 13 or older and a US resident, though, sorry. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Contest runs until January 31. 
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Be sure to hop on over to the other blogs participating!

The Catastrophic History of You and Me: review & giveaway!

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

Penguin Young Readers Group, February 21, 2012

Read for 2012 Debut Author Challenge and 2012 Standalone Reading Challenge

Summary from Goodreads:

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 
BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. 
But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after. 
With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

This book has been on my to-read wish list forever, and when I stumbled into Jess at the Twitterhood of the Butt-Lifting Pajants party in NYC back in December,  I jumped at the chance to read and review her debut novel.

I very much enjoyed this debut. It was at times charming, humorous, and of course terribly sad. I always love reading books about "after" life and seeing all the different ways authors describe what happens to us after we die. I like how Jess was able to show us, through Brie, what was happening on earth after she died. The level of emotion that Brie suffered, though, I have to say bothered me a bit. NOT because of the writing or anything like that, but because I don't like to think about our loved ones going through any kind of suffering after they've left us. It's a different view, and one that I don't necessarily want to agree with, but Brie's emotions definitely propelled the events in this book.

I especially enjoyed that the book was broken into the parts of grief--anger, denial, etc.--and I really, really liked that each chapter title was not only a song title but also really, really relevant to the contents of the chapter. And of course I especially loved that song title index at the end!

There were parts of the novel that were predictable to me (I spotted the whole thing with Jacob a mile away, for instance), but overall the novel rang fresh and true. The ending, especially, was an enjoyable twist. Brie's voice definitely comes through as a scared 15-year-old whose entire world has been turned upside down. Fans of contemporary novels and romance will enjoy this debut.

One lucky person can win my gently used, signed ARC (thanks, Jess!). Simply enter the Rafflecopter below. Contest ends on February 2.

Christi's Adventures: The Future of Us Book Tour!

Don't forget to enter my Goody Bag Giveaway!

On Tuesday, January 17, I made the trek out to the Princeton Barnes & Noble once again, this time to see the fantastic Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler discuss their first collaboration, The Future of Us.

Of course I got lost, again--I can't get out there from my job without getting hopelessly lost. And it doesn't help that my GPS was laughing at me. Ugh. But I made it just in time to buy 2 copies of the Future of Us (I already have 2 copies of 13 Reasons Why and a copy of Tangled to be signed) and settle in at what is quickly becoming "my" seat at author events at this store. Third row, seat on the inner aisle. :)

Jay and Carolyn actually came in to the store while I was sitting there, but were quickly whisked away until the official start time. I also spotted Megan McCafferty come in and take a seat in the audience. I had seen her here for her Bumped launch party, of course, and then I said hello to her at Ellen Hopkins' event at the Princeton Public Library, but I didn't get a chance to say hello to her tonight. As soon as the discussion ended, she disappeared.

Just before the event started, my cosmic twin Kristie showed up with a friend. It's always nice to see her, and we talked about making plans to hang out at a non-author-event, so perhaps we could actually sit and chat LOL

The event itself was awesome. It was the first official stop on the book tour, so I think Jay was a little nervous (Carolyn, not so much). BUT, the two of them together are just an incredible team! They spoke at length about how TFOU came about, reading snippets of the emails that brought it about, and how the writing process went. I had thought that Jay wrote Josh's chapters and Carolyn wrote Emma's. This is true, for the most part, but Jay and Carolyn were actually so invested in each other's work that they had no problem editing and rewriting their chapters. They spent some time discussing their editing process--how it went from Jay to Carolyn, back to Jay, back to Carolyn, etc.--and the lengthy discussions before they settled on the title. It was really fun, and I could just tell that they really get along well and enjoy each other's company. (How they're faring now, or at the end of the tour, I can't say LOL)

Oh! And Jay finally talked about his doughnut obsession, super fun. Best Girl got a silicone baking set for Christmas that can make a doughnut-shaped cake...I was considering making one for him but figured that would have crossed the line into stalkerdom. Unfortunately, there aren't any awesome doughnut shops around me, or I would have brought him some of those--that would have been OK, I suspect.

Anyway, after the talk, both authors signed for those in attendance. I had a huge stack of books and they graciously signed every one.

See that stack of books on the table? Those are the ones I had signed.

It was a great evening. Thank you to the woman who organizes the events at B&N--her name escapes me right now, unfortunately--she always does such a fantastic job and her efforts are appreciated by this book geek!

And don't worry, I'll be having a giveaway for one of the copies of The Future of Us later this week!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (70)

Have you entered my Goody Bag Giveaway yet?

In My Mailbox is an Internet meme hosted by The Story Siren to share new books received, purchased, or borrowed.

So here's what I got this week!

Purchased from The Story Siren herself: You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis (it's a contender for the high school summer reading list, and my library doesn't own a copy) with a bonus ARC of Fallout by Ellen Hopkins (which is going on my Book Auction shelf at work--the summer is coming up faster than you think!):

And the package arrived on the day of the Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler signing, in this box--weird!

I'm totally reusing this box for an upcoming giveaway, hint, hint!

At the first stop on The Future of Us book tour: 2 copies of The Future of Us, signed by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler (could that be another hint?):

Borrowed from the library:

• Nothing by Janne Teller (holy moly was this intense!)
• Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (hot!)
• Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler (just started it)
• Don't Try This at Home by Dave Navarro & Neil Strauss (adult nonfic) (I have a slight obsession crush fondness for Dave Navarro, in case you didn't know)

What did you get?

Enjoy your reading!

Christi

Goody Bag Giveaway!

To somewhat make up for my lack of posting lately (seems all I can handle are IMM and giveaways--my to-do list of reviews is scary long), I'm hosting a Goody Bag giveaway, and there will be THREE winners! Each winner will receive a package (probably not in an actual bag, though) of assorted goodies, some from the recent Don't Breathe a Word blog tour, a Rafflecopter sticker, and some other random stuff. Simply fill out the Rafflecopter to be entered. You don't have to be a follower but doing so will get you an extra entry. Leaving me a happy thought in the comments will get you an extra entry, too!

Contest will be open until January 31.