Ash Reads Stuff

Watch the Sky by Kristen Hubbard Publication Date: April 7th, 2015 Pages: 272 (Hardcover) Genre: Middle Grade/Young Adult Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: The signs are everywhere, Jory's stepfather, Caleb, says. Red leaves in the springtime. Pages torn from a library book. All the fish in the aquarium facing the same way. A cracked egg with twin yolks. Everywhere and anywhere. And because of them Jory's life is far from ordinary. He must follow a very specific set of rules: don't trust anyone outside the family, have your works at the ready just in case, and always, always watch out for the signs. The end is coming, and they must be prepared. School is Jory's only escape from Caleb's tight grasp, and with the help of new friends Jory begins to explore a world beyond his family's farm. As Jory's friendships grow, Caleb notifies Jory's mother and siblings that the time has come for final preparations. The

It's time for another Top Ten Tuesday , a weekly feature brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish ! This week's topic is:  Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds .   Hermione Granger is not only a fierce reader, but she's also a badass witch. Who else can keep Harry and Ron in line?  Liesel Meminger  loves books so much she steals them.  I'm not very far through this one, but I identify the most with Jo March .  Colin Singleton  reads the phone book for fun.  Madeline   loves to read. But she's also stuck in her room because of a rare disease that makes her allergic to the world.  As a demigod Annabeth Chase   suffers from dyslexia, but she's a daughter of Athena so the more knowledge the better.  Atticus Finch. (I've yet to open my copy of Go Set a Watchman. ) Okay, technically Rory Gilmore   isn't a book character but her love for reading inspires us all.    I love Hazel Grace

A Court of Thorns and Roses  by Sarah J. Maas Publication Date : May 5th, 2015 Pages: 432 (Kindle)  Genre: Fantasy My Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world. As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever. Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to pu

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre Publication Date: April 7th, 2015 Pages: 328 (Kindle)  Genre: Young Adult  My Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted. Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage. But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again… My Review:  Wo

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson Publication Date: 2011 Pages: 277 (Paperback)  Genre: Young Adult   My Goodreads Rating: 3.5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding. This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature from The Broke and the Bookish ! This week's topic is Ten Books The Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters. Below are some of my favorites that I've read. This is a great story about familial relationships and how we keep things from those we love. The backstory is pretty deep (telling about the family's Chinese American heritage), even though most of the book revolves around Lydia's death. It's interesting to see how the family ends up where they are. I originally picked this one up because I was reading my way through John Green, but it really helped steer me toward David Levithan's work. I loved both of the Will Graysons in this book even though they were complete opposites in so many ways. And, of course, there's Tiny Cooper.  I'm going to have to admit to falling in love with this cover, buying the book, and not even knowing what it was about. I loved the way that Emi grew up in this story

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven Publication Date: January 6, 2015 Pages: 388 (Hardcover)   Genre: Young Adult  My Goodreads Rating: 3.5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis:  Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grow

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway Publication Date: June 23, 2015 Pages: 352 (Hardcover)  Genre: Young Adult  My Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life. She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared. Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart. He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling. Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the

Yay, another Top Ten Tuesday  a weekly post brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish !  This week's (July 14th) topic is: Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession. So, here we go. (All books linked to Goodreads, by the way.) NetGalley Books:  I was lucky enough to get this ARC from NetGalley and it is amazing. You can read my review on it here .  Library Books:  This was a great read!  I loved I'll Give You the Sun  and I can't wait to open this one up! Purchased Books:  I'm reading this one with my women's group. It's a little different than what I normally read. :P I have a thing for Captain America. *shrugs*    Reviews are already coming in for this one. I'm excited to read it, regardless of what I've seen already. To Kill a Mockingbird  will always be one of my favorites.  Happy reading! It's reading related because he's holding a paper. Look, what do you want

My Sister's Secret by Tracy Buchanan Expected Publication Date: July 21, 2015 Pages:  400 (Kindle Edition)  Genre: Adult Fiction My Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars Goodreads Synopsis: Everything you’ve built your life on is a lie. Willow’s memories of her parents are sun-drenched and full of smiles, love and laughter. But a mysterious invitation to a photographic exhibition exposes a secret that’s been buried since a tragic accident years ago. Willow is forced to question everything she knew about Charity, her late mother, and Hope, the aunt she’s lived with since she was a child. How was the enigmatic photographer connected to Willow’s parents? Why will Hope not break her silence? Willow cannot move forward in her life without answers. But who can she really trust? Because no one has been telling the truth for a very long time. ADDICTIVE, GRIPPING and EMOTIONALLY POWERFUL, this is the perfect read for your summer holiday escape. My Review:  Wow, this