Wednesday, September 19, 2012

My Last Book Back on the Shelf...


Dear Readers,

You may have noticed that my posts have become increasingly spare and I’ve barely been posting reviews as of late.  With school, extracurricular activities, and sports, I’ve realized that I really don’t have time for blogging and reviewing books.  School has to come first, and I feel it’s better if I don’t keep maintaining my blog if I can’t really devote the time it deserves.  Sadly, this is the end, and I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to stop posting reviews and keeping up From The Bookshelf of T.B.  I’d like to say, “I’ll be back,” in an Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, but I’m definitely going to have to put blogging away for some time.  Even though I won’t get the chance to blog and review books any longer, I wanted to thank all of you awesome followers, readers, fellow bloggers, and authors who have all encouraged me and given me feedback along the way.  I’ve met some amazing people, and I can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve taught me!  Blogging has helped me become more comfortable with my own writing, and that is something that I will never forget.  Hopefully I’ll be back one day, but it was great while it lasted!  Thanks for giving me so much support from the start, and I hope you all continue to read and have a love for books!

-This is T.B. with My Last Book Back on the Shelf…
Until Next Time, Keep Reading!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Since You Left Me by Allen Zadoff

Since You Left Me

Author: Allen Zadoff

Publisher: Egmont USA

3½ out of 5 stars

She’s about to leave.  Soon she’ll be gone, off to start the next chapter of her life, filled with new memories and adventures.  You don’t fit into the picture.  The light knock on your bedroom door brings you out of your thoughts, and reminds you that this is it.  This is really happening.  She’s here to say goodbye, but what if you’re not ready to let her go yet?  Maybe you’re just being selfish.  Then again, how are you supposed to be okay with her packing up and moving to India?  She is your mother after all.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Saving June

Author: Hannah Harrington

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

5 out of 5 stars

The highway stretches out before you, off into the distance.  An endless straight line that’ll take you to your ultimate destination: California.  It’s your own personal yellow brick road.  All you need to complete the picture is the dog and the munchkins.  The van you’re riding in cruises down the road.  The wind whips your face, tugging your hair loose.  You wiggle your toes out of the window, enjoying the warm air.  With the windows down and music blasting, you think to yourself, this is exactly how I want my summer to be.  If only this entire trip wasn’t because your sister killed herself, and you don’t have any ruby slippers to bring her back either.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Blood Red Road

Author: Moira Young

Publisher: McElderry Books

5 out of 5 stars


The sun beats down on you, a relentless torrent of heat that feel like it’s melting your skin away.  You reach for your canteen for a drink, only to realize that there’s nothing left.  Your heavy tongue begs for water, but the only thing you have to swallow is your own spit.  You just have to go through the motions, slowly putting one foot in front of the other, trying not to think of how much longer you have to go.  Around you is open desert, with rolling sand dunes that never seem to end.  In the distance you think you see a lake of water, but it’s probably just your eyes playing tricks on you.  You keep going, hoping that there really is something there.  All you’ve got left is the hope that you’ll find him.  He goes first, and then you follow.  That’s how it always is.  At least, you hope so this time.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender


Bad Girls Don't Die

Author: Katie Alender

Publisher: Hyperion

4 out of 5 stars

You open the door to the basement, and you can feel the cold seeping out of it.  The glow of the kitchen behind you ends after the first couple of steps down, and everything beyond it is shrouded in darkness.  You slowly feel your way, down step by step, illuminating what’s in front of you with your flashlight.  The gleam from your flashlight starts to fade, and soon you can barely see the breath in front of your face.  You finally reach the bottom of the stairs after what feels like an eternity.  That’s when it all goes wrong.  The door above you slams shut, your flashlight sputters out, and the temperature drops suddenly.  The panic rises inside of you, and just as you’re about to scream you feel a breath on the back of your neck.  You are not alone.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Last Universe by William Sleator

The Last Universe

Author: William Sleator

Publisher: Amulet Books

3½ out of 5 stars

You’ve seen the science experiments.  The ones that kids always do for science fairs, where they train the mouse to navigate a complicated maze to make it to a reward, like a piece of cheese.  They scurry through the cardboard corridors turning left, then right, then left again.  At times they pause to sniff the air, wrinkling their whiskers, and then they drop back down to all fours and pad through the maze, triumphantly claiming their prize once they reach the cheese.  But here’s a new twist.  In this perilous maze, you’re the mouse, and there’s no cheese at the end, just a mouse trap.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

The Big Crunch

Author: Pete Hautman

Publisher: Scholastic Press

4 out of 5 stars

In the beginning, you would have never thought that something like this could have happened.  Not with her, and not with anyone else either.  She was just the new girl, but somehow you just seemed to keep bumping into her.  Now you two are dating, and she’s everything you could have ever wanted.  Things just feel right with her.  Fast-forward… and now things aren’t so perfect.  She’s moving away, and you’re trying your best to make this work, but there are a lot of miles between you and her.  You really are going the distance on this one.  Somehow, you stay together.  It was a bumpy road, but things are back to how they should be.  But will it last?  After all you’ve been through together, what will tomorrow bring?  Despite your uncertainty, none of that matters, because you could live in this moment forever.  Let’s hope it lasts…

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Legend by Marie Lu

Legend

Author: Marie Lu

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

4½ out of 5 stars


The whole world tilts as you lose your grip, sending you flying through the air.  The wind whips your hair around as you scramble to find a purchase on the building.  A windowsill, ledge, anything, that could slow your fall.  But your hands only feel smooth glass, and you try to turn your body to shield your precious cargo.  You came all this way, risked so much, you’re not about to lose it all now.  With each passing second you descend a floor, getting closer to the ground.  3… 2… 1… impact.  You try and roll as you hit the concrete, but all you can hear is the glass underneath your jacket clinking violently.  Bruised and battered you run to the sewers, dragging your twisted ankle, leaving a trail in the dust.  This is your last chance.  Don’t mess it up.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

I'll Be There

Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan

Publisher: Little, Brown

5 out of 5 stars

The hot and sweaty truck rattles on, as the town’s lights fade in the distance.  The sky turns from a coral pink to a deep purple as you keep on driving from somewhere you were just starting to call home.  Why is something you do so often, so hard this time?  This move isn’t any different from the rest.  Soon the town becomes nothing more than a speck on the horizon, but if you squint you can almost see everything you’re leaving behind.  The memories, the long days, and the people.  As soon as you open your eyes though, reality butts in.  You stare until it all disappears, and with it so does your life.  It’s time to start over.  Again.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

(Sela Blog Tour) Tour Encore and Wrap-Up

Spring is here!  Sadly with spring, the end of the Sela Blog Tour is here as well.  I am honored to be a part of this blog tour, and to be the closing stop.  It has been an eventful ride, with book reviews, author interviews, guest posts, and giveaways along the way.

Sela follows the story of one girl trapped in human form.  Once a dragon, Sela is thrown into the unknown to fend for herself.  As Sela journey's to find herself, she shapes her future as well.  Sela continues the story of the dragons of the Leland Province, while exploring the ability to change.  You can find my full review of Sela here.

Below is a schedule of the stops on the tour with direct links, and some notable posts you may want to check out.  The tour may be over, but you can still join in on the fun!

Sela Blog Tour Wrap-Up