Bookanista Thursday: WANDERLOVE by Kirsten Hubbard

I'm so happy to be back to blogging this week just in time to feature a fabulous new contemp!  I fell in love with Kirsten Hubbard's debut, LIKE MANDARIN, so you can only imagine how excited I was to get my hands on an ARC of her second novel, which hits the shelves next month. WANDERLOVE is absolutely gorgeous, and I can't wait for more people to have a chance to read it.

From Goodreads:

It all begins with a stupid question:

Are you a Global Vagabond?

No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path.

Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward.

But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.

Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry into this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.

My Thoughts:

WANDERLOVE is a story of journeys--from one country to another, between being lost and found, from self-doubt to self-belief.  It's a story of uncovering your passion and letting go of the things that hold you back, and by the end it may just have you packing your bags to discover your own adventures and special places in the world. 

Kirsten Hubbard has such a brilliant ability to place the reader in her setting, and this is a setting I didn't want to leave.  From the crowded South American markets, to the busses and boats Bria travels on, to the lush tropical island and its crystal water, Hubbard paints a sumptuous picture with an artist's eye. Which brings me to another of my favorite things about this book.  Tucked within the pages are Hubbards own sketches, and they're absolutely beautiful.  They move and breathe and help tell Bria's story in a way that words cannot.

If you're looking for a way to escape the remaining winter months, or hoping to find a story full of discovery, romance, and heart, you'll want to pick this one up next month.  If you want to find out more about Kirsten Hubbard, check out her website or follow her on Twitter!

Or...if you're in the SoCal area, the WANDERLOVE Launch Party is on March 17th, at The Yellow Book Road in San Diego.  Complete details are here:  http://kirstenhubbard.blogspot.com/2012/01/wanderlove-launch-party-hooray.html


Curious what the other Bookanistas are talking about this week?  Go see!

Stasia Ward Kehoe interviews DIES IRAE author Christine Fonseca
Christine Fonseca interviews author Denise Grover Swank
Jessi Kirby and Jen Hayley are wowed by WANDERLOVE
Corrine Jackson is mesmerized by MAY B.
Debra Driza is entranced by HEMLOCK
Katy Upperman delves into THE DISENCHANTMENTS
Nikki Katz celebrates CINDER
Tracy Banghart marvels at JULIET IMMORTAL
Jessica Love spotlights SHINE

Bookanista Thursday: A Very Special Cover Reveal...

This week, it is my extreme privilege to show you something awesome and shiny and new. And totally striking. I'm sure you remember Elana Johnson's kick-ass dystopian, POSSESSION, with its stark white cover..

Now have a look at the gorgeous new version you'll be seeing on the paperback:

It's beauteous, no? The fabulous font, the color-drenched background.  I adore this new look.  It still has the same stark feel as the original, but with more depth and pop to it.

And...are you ready for this? Here is a first look at SURRENDER, the sequel to POSSESSION, which hits the shelves in June!

Again, I am totally down with the color-drenched background, and I thing the turquoise echoed in the hummingbird is just gorgeous.  I also love, love, love the look of the jar.  It's almost like ice or something.  Just beautiful.

What do you think???

I cannot wait to have all this pretty on my bookshelf!

When you're finished admiring POSSESSION's new look, head on over to the other Bookanista Blogs and see what books they're talking about this week!

Christine Fonseca brings you a special Guestanista review of SPRINKLES & SECRETS Shannon Messenger delights in DEAD TO YOU – with giveaway
Beth Revis interviews TEMPEST author Julie Cross – with giveaway
Jessi Kirby takes a shine to the SURRENDER and new POSSESSSION covers
Jen Hayley gushes over THE GIRL WHO LOVED A CITY
Veronica Rossi is crazy for INCARNATE
Nikki Katz marvels at A MILLION SUNS
Gennifer Albin is on fire over CINDER
Tracy Banghart is all about THE OTHER LIFE
Jessica Love wonders at THE FAULT IN OUR STARS
Hilary Wagner mourns over THE DEATH OF YORIK MORTWELL -- with giveaway

Stasia Kehoe adores IN HONOR

                                                                                                                                                 

Bookanista Thursday: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

So the month of November is being featured as Just Contemporary month over at Basically Amazing Books and Chick Loves Lit, which I'm so excited about, since Contemporary is my first YA love. It makes me so very proud and happy when I find amazing Contemporary books, and VIRTUOSITY certainly qualifies!

From Goodreads:

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....



My Thoughts:

This is a book that had me from the first intense page.  It's a book I fell into immediately and didn't want to put down. At all.  Carmen's voice sings from the start, and the tone is passionate, true, fragile, and strong, all at the same time. 

I am not a musician in any sense of the word, so this glimpse into Carmen's world was both enlightening and startling.  The intensity of the practice, the competition, and the pressures of this life are palpable in every word Martinez writes.  And her words are brilliant--crisp, vivid, and gorgeous in the best possible way.

Virtuosity is so many things--way more than the summary suggests.  It's a story of a girl facing her opponent, her inner conflicts, and her own talent, and it's so gracefully done I can honestly say it goes on the list of "Books I Wish I'd Written."

So check it out, if you haven't already!

You can also find Jessica on her website: www.jessicamartinez.com , Facebook, and Twitter!

And while you're here, check out what the other Bookanistas are talking about this week:

Elana Johnson gushes about THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS

Shelli Johannes-Wells praises Addison Moore's books

Rosemary Clement-Moore gets all wrapped up in WRAPPED

Nikki Katz screams for LEGEND

Katy Upperman sets us all up for BEFORE I FALL


 

Bookanista Thursday: AUDITION by Stasia Kehoe Makes the Cut!

I have a confession to make: AUDITION by Stasia Kehoe, is the first verse novel I have read.  I haven't purposely stayed away from them or anything, it just never really occured to me to branch out into the genre.  I usually stick to reading traditional novels because they're familiar and I feel like I'm  "studying the craft" by reading them.

Then I read Kehoe's novel in verse, and let me tell you, THAT is a study in craft.

Honestly, the way she works with this art form left me completely wonderstruck at the fact that a beautiful, cohesive story could be told so eloquently through a series of poems.  I am in awe.  So without further adieu, I present to you AUDITION:

From Goodreads: 

When high school junior Sara wins a coveted scholarship to study ballet, she must sacrifice everything for her new life as a professional dancer-in-training. Living in a strange city with a host family, she's deeply lonely-until she falls into the arms of Remington, a choreographer in his early twenties. At first, she loves being Rem's muse, but as she discovers a surprising passion for writing, she begins to question whether she's chosen the right path. Is Rem using her, or is it the other way around? And is dancing still her dream, or does she need something more? This debut novel in verse is as intense and romantic as it is eloquent.

My Thoughts:

As I said before, this was my first introduction to a novel in verse.  I read it months ago, and I am STILL in awe at how Kehoe so seamlessly wove together the moments that tell Sara's story, line by line, in beautiful, spare verse.  Finding the right words to write a scene in a is hard enough.  But this novel makes regular old prose seem like a luxury.  Somehow, Kehoe was able to get down to the most striking, pure words to tell Sara's story.  She makes a dance with them, and this dance is the story of a girl lost and then found.  

Maybe it’s because I am now a mother myself, far removed from 16 and its wants and wishes and insecurities, but I watched Sara set out apprehensively, then give herself over, give herself up to Remington for what, she wasn’t even sure.  And the entire time I hoped/prayed/wished she wouldn’t.  That she’d find another way.  But at the same time, I could also feel the draw of Remington--his dance, his adoration, and the idea of being his inspiration.  Kehoe manages infuse the complexity of Sara's relationships to Rem, dance, writing, and herself into seemingly simple poems and the result is graceful and eloquent.  It feels true.

Secondly, I am not a dancer, so reading this book was like stepping into a different world.  I was absolutely fascinated.  Watching  the struggle that Sara felt each time she stepped onto the floor--the structure vs. letting go, discipline vs. rebellion left me with a whole new perspective of that world.  It seems to me that it's one that is beautiful and brutal at the same time, and I can't imagine a more well-drawn picture.

Whether or not you're into dance, or novels in verse, this is a gorgeous book and an impressive debut, and lucky for you, it's in stores now!

Want to know more about Stasia?  You can find her on:

Facebook

Twitter

Her Blog

Stages and Pages Tour

And don't forget to check out what the other Bookanistas are up to, especially ELANA JOHNSON, who has something VERY EXCITING HAPPENING TODAY!!!

Elana Johnson REVEALS something awesome!!!

LiLa Roecker announces a winner - plus a Past Midnight series giveaway
Christine Fonseca reveals books she cannot wait to read
Beth Revis interviews My Very UnFairytale Life author Anna Staniszewski
Shannon Whitney Messenger interviews Skyship Academy-Pearl Wars author Nick James & agent Jennifer Rofe – with giveaway
Shana Silver burns for Circle of Fire
Carrie Harris devours Deadly
Stasia Ward Kehoe travels to The Day Before

Bookanista Thursday: Sean Griswold's Head

Don't you love it when you finish a great book and immediately follow it up with ANOTHER great book? It doesn't happen all that often for me, but let me tell you, I am on a Contemporary YA  roll right now! This week's book is Lindsey Leavitt's SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD, which I'd been wanting to read since I first heard about it.  I'm so glad I did, because it's a funny-sweet story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

                                                             From Goodreads:

According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object-an item to concentrate her emotions on. It's supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold's head. They've been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas-it's an alphabetical order thing), but she's never really known him.

The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father's newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it's working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking-er, focusing on-Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He's cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.

In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.

My Thoughts:

The first thing that caught me about this book was the voice. Payton's quirky, self-conscious personality and her good-natured sarcasm make her completely believable and totally endearing.  When she learns of her father's diagnosis, she's thrown for a loop, but doesn't descend into deep depression or melodrama.  Instead, she takes things day by day, dealing the best she can.  I admired that about her, and respected the way Lindsey Leavitt handled it.

Many books that deal with parents' illnesses have a tendency to be on the heavier side, but this one is refreshingly balanced.  Leavitt manages to tell the story of a girl dealing with potentially devastating news while at the same time keeping the details of her day to day life honest, funny, and relevant. The most relevant of those details is Sean Griswold, and he is a cute, well-drawn one at that. The relationship that forms between him and Payton is a sweet, understanding one, which is exactly what she needs.

 It's no secret that even when we're in the midst of what can feel like a personal tragedy, life continues to happen all around us.  In SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD,  Leavitt blends humor, romance, and thoughtful observations to show just how. 

If you'd like to find out more about Lindsey Leavitt, you can visit her website here.

If you'd like to see Lindsey Leavitt talk about Contemporary YA, you can come to the Orange County Children's Book Festival on October 2nd. Info is here!

But wait! Before you go, check out what the other Bookanistas are up to this week:

Elana Johnson shares some book love for Random Acts of Publicity Week

LiLa Roecker is wild about a double giveaway of Witch Eyes and Wildefire

Christine Fonseca thinks you should Write Your Book Now!

Shannon Whitney Messenger loves Legend – with signed arc giveaway

Scott Tracey: Today is Witch Eyes release day – wowza!

Sarah Frances Hardy applauds Lottie Paris Lives Here

Stasia Ward Kehoe marvels at The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer