tell me something tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings and discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging.

Question: Who are some of the authors you have been meaning to read?

I’m drawing a blank on this question. O_O

The only one I can come up with is Adam Silvera ~ Goodreads

All of his YA contemporary novels have excellent reviews, seem emotional, intense and real. I always intend on reading his new releases but never quite get around to it.



There are lot of individual books I want to read but they aren’t because of the author specifically. And in most cases, I’ve read at least one book by the author, even if it's a new book/series I want to read, so, technically, I already read them. *head scratch*

I’m sure I’ll think of 20 authors tomorrow lol

Friday fast 5: cover love

I’m kind of feeling the dog days of summer dragging me down and reading is going slooooowly so I probably won’t have any reviews for the rest of the month.

I have no clue what I’ll be posting instead. Prepare for randomess! lol

Today is a collection of eye popping covers I’ve found. let me know what you think about them!

1.

Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi

Viking Book for Young Readers

Publication: January 30, 2018

Goodreads

Twitter Giveaway - ends 8/25/17

Diverse characters, adventure and…crossword puzzles? Sure! I’m in!

2.

Letters to a Prisoner by Jacques Goldstyn

Owlkids

Publication: September 15, 2017

Goodreads

Request on Netgalley

“Told entirely through illustrations, Letters to a Prisoner is a wordless story about the power of hope and the written word.” Goodreads

3.

Shoot the Moon (Seeking Mansfield #2 – companion novel) by Kate Watson

Flux

Publication: 2018

Goodreads

Giveaway - ends in 3 days!

“Shoot the Moon is inspired by Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, along with some classic gambling movies like Matt Damon’s Rounders” – Kate Watson

4.

The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorate #1) by J.Y. Yang

Tor Teen

Publication” September 26, 2017

Goodreads

“Mokoya and Akeha, the twin children of the Protector, were sold to the Grand Monastery as children. While Mokoya developed her strange prophetic gift, Akeha was always the one who could see the strings that moved adults to action. While his sister received visions of what would be, Akeha realized what could be. What's more, he saw the sickness at the heart of his mother's Protectorate.” - Goodreads

5.

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter tot he World by Ashley Herring Blake

Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication: March 16, 2018

Goodreads

“In the wake of a destructive tornado, one girl develops feelings for another in this stunning, tender novel about emerging identity, perfect for fans of The Thing About Jellyfish. “ Goodreads

review: last seen leaving by caleb roehrig

Flynn's girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her secrets without revealing his own?

Flynn's girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can't answer, and her friends are telling stories that don't add up. All eyes are on Flynn—as January's boyfriend, he must know something.
But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January's disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself. ~ Goodreads

Source: ARC provided by the publisher via ALA16

Review:

Thrillers are so hit or miss for me. The procedural aspect bores me, I hate when an author keeps misdirecting me to the point of my not caring who did it and there is usually a lack of relationships so there’s no one to root for.

Roehrig avoids most of these issues by giving us a very relatable 15 year old Flynn as the main protagonist. After an argument, Flynn’s ex-girlfriend January has gone missing and the police show up at his house for questioning. Flynn has a pretty big secret he wants to keep from everyone but is just as worried as everybody else about her disappearance, leading him to do a little snooping on his own. He discovers that the things January told Flynn about her new swanky private HS and job don’t match with reality and he might not know his best friend and ex girlfriend as well as he thought he did.

There are clues to January’s disappearance peppered throughout with plenty of suspects – her politically ambitious step father, his ruthless campaign manager, her pervy step brother, unhinged mother and a number of other people but I felt this was all delivered in a low key way that let you discover the clues on your own and make your guess rather than saying he/she’s the killer! Never mind they aren’t! Psyche! Not that there isn’t any misdirection but it felt natural to the story for me.

Then we have Flynn’s path to self discovery and acceptance via his search for January. Although January is mostly seen only through flashbacks, she’s just as vibrant a character as Flynn.

The author does a fantastic job of weaving Flynn’s memories of his time with January with his present predicament and new blossoming romance. I cared about all parties involved, worried for the outcome and was rooting for Flynn’s happiness.

There were a few awkward transitions between scenes with Flynn and, Kaz, the boy helping him investigate. They would be having a rather intense personal conversation – get sidetracked by the case – then it would pick up a few days later. I would have liked to see how they ended those encounters but that’s a minor nitpick.

I read very few mystery/thrillers so your mileage may vary on whether this works for you. For me Last Seen Leaving was moody, tense and surprisingly sweet and had the right balance of chills and character complexity. I would describe it as a genre cross between coming of age and a thriller. I’m really looking forward to Caleb Roehrig’s next book – White Rabbit.