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


Monday, April 30, 2012

Sela by Jackie Gamber

Sela

Author: Jackie Gamber

Publisher: Seventh Star Press

5 out of 5 stars

Note: This review assumes that you  have already read the first book in this series, Redheart.  If you have not yet read Redheart then you may not want to read this review, as it will reveal key points from the first book.  You can find my review of Redheart here.

The wind swirls around you, as you soar through the sky.  Your scaly wings glint in the sunlight as you twirl in the air, enjoying your freedom.  Suddenly, you start to fall towards the earth, sinking like a stone.  The calm air now cuts through you, and your body feels as if it is compressing, getting smaller by the second.  When you finally hit the ground with a thud, you open your clenched eyes, and look around.  Everything seems fine.  But as you try to get up on your paws, you look down and see fingers and toes instead of claws.  Skin instead of scales.  Two arms and two legs.  An overwhelming fear envelops you, and you feel as if you are caged in, unable to escape.  You’ve locked yourself in, but you don’t know the key to breaking free.

Monday, April 16, 2012

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Author: Carrie Ryan

Publisher: Delacorte Press

4 out of 5 stars

The rattling and moans never stop.  Coming from all sides, the Unconsecrated slowly push their way in.  You run from them through the rain, slipping in the mud.  Your foot catches on a root and you go sprawling to the ground, cutting your knees.  As you scramble to get up they close in around you, and you can feel the fear bubbling up inside of you.  It works its way up as a scream, that you let loose like a wild animal.  You swing at the mass of bodies engulfing you, and you manage to clear an opening and push your way back onto the narrow path, escaping them.  Ahead of you is a fork in the path, and you randomly take one, hoping it will lead you to a place without the constant questions and fear that you experience every day now.  Maybe that place doesn’t exist, and you’re better off right back where you started.  There’s only one way to find out…

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Revolution

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Publisher: Delacorte Press

4 out of 5 stars

Grimy faces shout at you from all directions.  They’re jeering at you, and snickering at what’s to come.  You look around for help, but all you see is a dirty crowd, riled up for the killings.  You’re to be beheaded for your crimes.  You’re slowly led up to the guillotine, and you turn your head away, unable to take in the brutal death of those ahead of you in line.  When you turn back around it’s your turn.  Your head is lowered into the opening, and the crowd goes crazy.  They know your blood is about to spill.  The blade comes whooshing down and… you wake up.  But part of you wishes you were still back in eighteenth century France, because you don’t fit in very well in the present.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have by Allen Zadoff

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have

Author: Allen Zadoff

Publisher: Egmont

4½ out of 5 stars

The stares bore into you from all directions like laser beams.  It feels as if everyone is looking right at you, judging you.  How could they not, you’re kind of hard to miss in the first place.  You try to walk faster, but it’s difficult with all of your fat weighing you down.  It feels as if you take up the entire hallway, and with every step the ground trembles under your weight.  You wish you could just sit on everyone and crush them.  Then you wouldn’t have to deal with the names and cruel jokes that never seem to end.  But you know that’s not going to work.  So instead, you just take a bite of your cookie, and keep on walking…

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Midnighters: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld

Midnighters: The Secret Hour

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Publisher: Eos

4 out of 5 stars

Tick tock.  It’s starting.  You glance over at your clock, midnight, just as usual.  The second, minute, and hour hand are all frozen in time, pointing straight up to the number twelve.  They’ll be like that for quite some time.  For an hour to be exact, giving you more than enough time to splash in the raindrops that dot the sky, or walk around as if you were the only one left on Earth.  But there are many things that inhabit the secret hour.  You are not alone.  The original nightmares are still alive and well, and they want to play.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith

Ghost Medicine

Author: Andrew Smith

Publisher: Square Fish

4½ out of 5 stars

Smoke curls around you, forming a curtain of cloudy gray.  As the breeze clears it away, the stars come back into view, as do your friends sitting across the fire.  They’re smiling, and you feel the ends of your straight mouth picking up and curving into one as well.  This may be your last summer as boys.  This may even be your last summer together, but you know that what you have right now is worth it.  As you lean your head back against your hands and readjust your feet propped up against the rocks, a feeling of complete bliss envelops you.  You don’t know quite what you were searching for, but you know that this is it.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The Secret Life of Bees

Author: Sue Monk Kidd

Publisher: Penguin

5 out of 5 stars

An insistent humming fills the air.  As she gets nearer, it’s as if she can feel the vibrations in the air.  She can’t believe how all those tiny, delicate wings can come together to create a noise that demands her attention in such a way.  Everywhere she looks there are bees, and more bees.  They swirl in the air, lazily cutting through the thick, summer heat.  They appear to be so free, doing whatever they please.  Sometimes Lily wishes she could sprout wings and fly through the air just like them.  Maybe she can, just without the wings.

Monday, February 13, 2012

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The Future of Us

Author: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Publisher: Razorbill

3½ out of 5 stars

Welcome!  You are now on the internet.  It’s your first time, and the year is 1996.  You can hear the soft, insistent whirring of the America Online CD-ROM as it spins in your CD tray.  A new message appears on your computer screen, and you can’t hide your excitement, as you hear, “You’ve got mail.”  The internet is the latest innovation, and you get to be one of the first to use it.  Your computer hums and crackles, and the vast possibilities of being online are just a click away.  But with one click of the mouse, what if your future were to change along with it? Click…

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston

Dust City

Author: Robert Paul Weston

Publisher: Razorbill

5 out of 5 stars

The effects can be deadly.  Even worse than death.  Everyone’s hooked on it, despite what it can do to you.  Humans, wolves, ravens, foxes, pixies, and more can’t seem to get enough of it.  Some will kill just to experience the delicious fantasies that the dust holds just beyond their reach.  But what the dust gives never lasts.  All it does is takes, and takes, and takes… until there is nothing left.  Henry knows how that feels, and he’s about to take back what the dust stole from him his entire life.  So start running, because the son of the Big Bad Wolf is coming.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe

Destiny's Fire

Author: Trisha Wolfe

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

3½ out of 5 stars

An electric blue charge spills out of your fingertips, crackling and twisting its way across the room.  Tendrils of it spiral up your arms, spreading a cooling sensation across your body.  The intense blue throws a glow of light around you, making you seem as if you are some powerful god.  You pull your arm back and carefully take aim.  You forcefully hurl the bolt of energy towards the target and as it flies through the air you know you’ve made it.  You don’t miss, you never miss.  But suddenly you lose control and you begin to shift.  You know you’re not ready for this, but as the panic builds, there’s nothing you can do to stop what has already begun.  Ready or not… the time is now.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

(Destiny's Fire Blog Tour) Interviews With Authors: A Talk With Trisha Wolfe + Giveaway!

The new year has begun!  And to start the new year off today we have Trisha Wolfe, author of Destiny's Fire, stopping by as part of the Destiny's Fire Blog Tour!  Trisha took the time to talk to us about what it is like being an author and where she got the inspiration for her novel.  Destiny's Fire follows the story of Dez, a shape-shifter who lives in the futuristic, steampunk world of Haven Falls.  Dez has a secret about her powers, and with tensions running high it will be harder than ever for her to keep her secret hidden.  Dex must not only do what’s right for her people, but herself as well in, Destiny’s Fire!  Look for my full review of Destiny's Fire coming soon!

I now give you, Interviews With Authors: A Talk With Trisha Wolfe!

Don't forget to keep reading to win an e-book copy of Destiny's Fire and a bookmark as well!

A Talk With Trisha Wolfe

Author of Destiny's Fire

By T.B.

1) What prompted you to start writing your debut novel Destiny's Fire?

What prompted me? Hmm, two failed novels LOL After book two got shelved, I sat down with pen and paper and started hammering away at new ideas. I figured one of these days, agents and publishers would have to stop telling me "no" if I just kept bugging them.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

On A Dark Wing by Jordan Dane

On A Dark Wing

Author: Jordan Dane

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

4 out of 5 stars

At first there was just one.  Then, suddenly more appear.  They fill the sky, blocking out the setting sun and, cloaking the landscape in shadow.  Swarms of them beat their wings in a horde of majestic beauty that you can’t tear your gaze away from.  The squawking fills the air, fixing the din of their caws inside the crevices of your brain.  As they come closer, you can make out their beady, black eyes that follow your every move and their matted wings that cut through the air.  They surround you in a constantly moving cage of feathers, trapping you in.  The ravens are here, and he has come with them.