Project Serendipity

So who likes compliments? *raises hand*

I KNOW WE DO.

Welcome to Project Serendipity, created by Aila, Ava, Alexandra, and Claire, where we make it our mission send out compliments to brighten YOUR day. Why?

Because you deserve it.

The first step is to fill out this form, so we know who's joining up. After a certain period, we'll be pairing you with a blogger who you may or may not know. Y’all will exchange compliments.

This way, you can learn about new bloggers, and it also ensures that everyone gets a compliment! Use your sneakiest skills to discover more about the blogger you're assigned to, including but not limited to: 1) Checking out their blogs, 2) Following their Twitter, 3) Messaging a friend of theirs.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Although we're pairing you guys up, after you write a compliment to the person you were assigned, feel free to write a compliment to ANYONE. Heck, you can go down the list of participating bloggers and send a couple of lines to as many people as you'd like. The limit is the amount of stars in the universe, my dears. The more, the merrier!

Step two is to deliver said compliments to us. Once you sign up, we’ll send you a form via email you can fill out to send your compliments. In this form, we ask you include the name of the blogger you are complimenting, and one corresponding compliment in the following box! If you want to send more than ten compliments, just re-submit!

A disclaimer: we want these to be heartfelt compliments, guys. None of that "hay how r u ur cool" kind of stuff. Talk about any shared interests, or if you thought one of their discussion posts was especially engaging, or even recommend a book you think they would like!

Now here's the cool part: we'll be making specially designed "cards" to go with your compliment. No more of those standard, Arial-font messages, because we're going to spice it up a little and bring a bit of cheer and color to your world. (Please note that we will also be skimming over the letters when decorating; everything that happens in the text STAYS in the text.)

Finally, on the day of release we will be sending out these lovely compliments to each complimentee’s email box for a glorious surprise that will surely make their day!

Here is the form for you marvelous participants:

Follow the hashtag #PSerendipity on Twitter for more updates!

Guy in Real Life (Review)

Hi guys!! So I read Guy in Real Life back in January, but back then I didn't have a blog, so I never formally posted a review. I uploaded one to Goodreads at the time, but I figured I'd bring it to the blog since I just rediscovered this review and wanted to share it since I really enjoyed the book at the time. I will admit that my taste has changed over the past year, but I still think the book is worth a read.


Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
Page Length: 386 pages
Format: Hardcover (purchased)
Date Read: December 28 - January 4

About Guy in Real Life (via Goodreads):

From the acclaimed author of Brooklyn, Burning comes Guy in Real Life, an achingly real and profoundly moving love story about two Minnesota teens whose lives become intertwined through school, role-playing games, and a chance two-a.m. bike accident.

It is Labor Day weekend in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and boy and girl collide on a dark street at two thirty in the morning: Lesh, who wears black, listens to metal, and plays MMOs; Svetlana, who embroiders her skirts, listens to Björk and Berlioz, and dungeon masters her own RPG. They should pick themselves up, continue on their way, and never talk to each other again.

But they don't.

This is a story of two people who do not belong in each other's lives, who find each other at a time when they desperately need someone who doesn't belong in their lives. A story of those moments when we act like people we aren't in order to figure out who we are. A story of the roles we all play-at school, at home, with our friends, and without our friends-and the one person who might show us what lies underneath it all.

A girl rides her bike and nearly runs over a drunk boy on the sidewalk. This is the way that Svetlana Allegheny and Lesh Tungsten meet. As their lives cross for the first time, they quickly depart from each other's lives, not realizing that their lives have been greatly changed by this encounter.

What initially made me want to read Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff was, I admit, the cover and title. Although it is minimalistic, the cover was intriguing without being loud. The next thing that drew me in was the front flap summary, naturally. Not only did it pique my interest in a general sense, but the summary also reminded me of a book I absolutely adored: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I was not expecting a book quite like Rowell's, as she is one of my favorite authors, but Steve Brezenoff's novel does hold dear to my heart in its own way.

Brezenoff deftly weaved teenage humor and wit into the story. I laughed out loud so many times I could not keep track, often surprised by the guffaw that would suddenly burst forth from my mouth. (Luckily nobody was in the room at the time, and equally if not doubly lucky that I do not guffaw on a regular basis.) Growing up with an older brother, I can very much confirm the way Brezenoff describes Lesh's gaming schedule: very often and for very long periods of time.

To be completely honest, I was quite worried about the gaming scenes, however Brezenoff easily held onto my attention by writing the gaming scenes from the perspectives of the actual avatars within the game, fully immersing me into the world of MMOs and RPGs.

As far as the romance between Svetlana and Lesh, I greatly enjoyed how complex, real, and raw the emotions were. It was far from insta-love, which I am quite glad about, and the gradual buildup made it all the more enjoyable. Although at times I wanted to scream at the characters for their stupid decisions and behavior, I knew in my heart that it was only what real people would go through. For that, I have to give Steve Brezenoff credit. I believe he was extremely accurate in his character development and relationship development. Although at times, I was not quite sure how it would work out between Lesh and Svetlana, two very different characters, I could truly see how, as the front flap describes, "two people who do not belong in each other's lives, who find each other at a time when they desperately need someone who doesn't belong in their lives."

Despite many times where I felt my heart nearly getting wrenched out of my chest, the overall story was quite heartwarming. I believe the ending was a perfect ending to the book. It wasn't a true happily ever after, it definitely had it's fair share of bittersweet elements, but there was still hope by the end, and for me that was enough. I loved Lesh and Svetlana's journey throughout the pages of this novel, and by the end could see how they truly came out as better people in the end, through all the good and the bad, and with help from each other.

Waiting on Wednesday (25)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Time Travel/Historical
Page Length: 464 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: February 16, 2016

About The Girl from Everywhere (via Goodreads):

Heidi Heilig’s debut teen fantasy sweeps from modern-day New York City to nineteenth-century Hawaii to places of myth and legend. Sixteen-year-old Nix has sailed across the globe and through centuries aboard her time-traveling father’s ship. But when he gambles with her very existence, it all may be about to end. The Girl from Everywhere, the first of two books, will dazzle readers of Sabaa Tahir, Rae Carson, and Rachel Hartman.

Nix’s life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia, a land from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, modern-day New York City, and many more places both real and imagined. As long as he has a map, Nix’s father can sail his ship, The Temptation, to any place, any time. But now he’s uncovered the one map he’s always sought—1868 Honolulu, before Nix’s mother died in childbirth. Nix’s life—her entire existence—is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past. It could erase Nix’s future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who’s been part of their crew for two years. If Nix helps her father reunite with the love of his life, it will cost her her own.

In The Girl from Everywhere, Heidi Heilig blends fantasy, history, and a modern sensibility with witty, fast-paced dialogue, breathless adventure, and enchanting romance.

THIS BOOK IS ONE OF MY MOST ANTICIPATED DEBUTS OF 2016. Time traveling through different myths and legends?!?! *heart eyes* PERSIAN THIEVES, CHANGING THE PAST, MAPS THAT LET YOU SAIL THROUGH TIME!!?!?! *flails* This book sounds so perfect. I need it. I need it so badly.

Top Ten 2016 Debuts I Am Looking Forward To ~ Top Ten Tuesday #5

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the The Broke and the Bookish. They will post a new Top Ten list every Tuesday that one of their bloggers will answer, and anyone who wants to can join in and make their own lists. This week's topic is "Top Ten 2016 Debuts Novels We Are Looking Forward To", and let me just say, there are a TON of debuts I am so psyched for this coming year so it was really hard to just choose ten.

1. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
2. The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye
3. Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie
4. Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh
5. Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
6. Beyond the Red by Ava Jae
7. The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry
8. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
9. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
10. Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

Waiting on Wednesday (24)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

Riders by Veronica Rossi
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Mythology
Page Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: February 16, 2016

About Riders (via Goodreads):

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him?

I have never heard of or seen a book quite like this, and it intrigues me to no end. I've heard about the horsemen of the apocalypse, but don't know much about them, and think it would be interesting to see a YA spin on them. This book sounds absolutely fascinating and brilliant and I need to read it NOW.

COVER REVEAL: Exit Wound by Alexandra Moore

Exit Wound by Alexandra Moore
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Publication Date: December 8th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Thriller

~ 

Being crowned as royalty in Rosewood Academy’s secret society wasn’t in Bea Morrison’s plans…
A senior in high school, Bea’s life changed forever when a tragic car crash claimed her best friend’s life, leaving her devastated and alone. Now at Rosewood Academy of the Arts, Bea owes a debt. With her best friend no longer queen, it’s up to Bea to be fulfill the role until graduation.
There is nothing money can’t buy, including Crosley’s king status…
When Bea accepts her place as queen, the arrogant Crosley is quick to remind her of her royal duties. Obsessed with the era of the Tudors, Crosley insists they must consummate their relationship—but spousal duties aren’t what Bea signed up for. When she rejects Crosley’s proposal, his expectations twist into absolute obsession.
A sadistic mind makes for an expert stalker…
After graduation, Bea thinks the nightmare of Rosewood Academy is over. She’s pleasantly surprised to reconnect with the gorgeous Everett Thompson, a drummer for her brother’s band. As feelings from their past fling resurface, Bea hopes for a fresh start with the guy who got away.
Bea’s hopes are shattered when she receives threatening texts from Crosley, who is still determined to collect his debt. And as Crosley continues to pursue her, a terrible tragedy proves he is even more dangerous than she feared.
If Bea has learned one thing, it’s that life is too fragile, and it’s anybody’s guess who will make it out of this nightmare alive.

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Making Waves (10) ~ NaNo Edition

Making Waves is a weekly question feature created by the Waterwitch Babes (part of Susan Dennard’s Truthwitch Street Team). Every Thursday, we’ll have a fun question that all are welcome to answer on their blog. Anyone can join! The questions will be random and/or relate to the upcoming book Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. A linky is provided so that everyone can link up their post and participate in the fun!

This week's question is...  Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? How has your experience been so far?

Yes and no, I guess. I'm signed up for NaNo and wrote approximately 5000 words the first week, but then I got caught up in school and have not worked on my project since. My school is on a trimester system so there's always a ton of work in mid-November as the first trimester comes to a close, and I just got less and less motivated because I was so far behind and I also love my story but not how it was translating into words. I adored the idea and now I'm starting to hate it because it's not what I know it can be. I wrote one good scene for it back in fall '14, but I've been having trouble extending it from one scene to a whole novel. I never expected it to be a full-fledged novel, but I found love for the story again this year and wanted to see if I could. Yet between school and my lack of motivation to write, I'm currently about 25,000 words behind and I don't have any time to actually write and catch up by the end of November because of Thanksgiving and other things.