ALA Midwinter Wrap-up Post

Julie and I are home, unpacked, and finally catching up on our rest. We had so much fun and I'd just like to take this opportunity to say that Julie is a wonderful travel partner. We make great roommates. Both of us love nothing more than staying in and reading. No fancy nightclubs for us! 


Here is what we brought home from ALA Midwinter Day 3.


Julie's Books

Karin's Books

It isn't in the picture yet because I didn't have it at the time I took the picture, but I got BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore. That was my goal of the day. It was a close one though because about a MILLION people wanted it. We had to stand in line to get it.  I was number 43 and Julie was 44. 


In the end, Julie and I picked up well over 100 books so needless to say, we have a lot of reading to do. 


On Monday morning I went to the Youth Media Awards.  It was so exciting to see watch as they announced the winners of the biggest book award winners of the year.  Click HERE to see find out which books won the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and other awards.


All in all, we had a great time and I can't wait until we get to go to another conference together.  Hopefully, Julie will get to go with me to TLA (Texas Library Association) in April.

Hello from ALA Midwinter in Dallas, TX

Julie and I are enjoying our time at ALA Midwinter.  Our feet hurt so bad and Julie thinks she pulled a muscle in her shoulder from lugging all her book bags, but it is totally worth it.  We have so much to read now!!!

Take a look at the books we have from Friday and Saturday. 


Julie's Books:

Karin's Books:

We still have Sunday and part of Monday to go. I'm hoping to get some from my Wish List tomorrow. Be looking for an update soon.

POP by Aury Wallington-REVIEW

Marit can't hold onto a boyfriend. Every time the relationship gets physical she freaks out and either scares the boy away or breaks up with him herself. She is afraid of having sex for the first time and obsesses about it. Besides the "no boyfriend" problem on the first day of school, she also has to deal with the fact that her schedule is terrible. I mean, who should have second period lunch? Eating lunch at 9:00 a.m. should definitely be against the law! So far the only bright spots in her day are her constant friends Jamie and Caroline. Basically inseparable, these three spend their day mocking the "followers" and "joiners" of the school.

Marit has accepted a senior year without a boyfriend until a new boy walks into her German class and steals her heart. She just knows that Noah will be her boyfriend for the year. She makes a bold move and invites him to a school bonfire. Noah accepts and Marit is hopeful it will be a successful date. Once at the bonfire, the couple realizes they can't talk with all the noise and finds a quiet spot to be alone. Eventually they begin to kiss and Marit's nerves cause her to do something to embarrass herself and ends up running away from the situation instead of talking to Noah about it.

Determined to fix her problem, she goes to her older sister for advice. Hilly tells Marit she needs to find someone she already knows and feels comfortable with to have sex with for the first time. Once she has done "it," she won't be so nervous about it. The perfect candidate is Jamie; her loyal friend of eight years. At first Jamie doesn't think it is a very good idea, but soon changes his mind.

Aury Wallington writes a realistic story that involves typical high school drama while at the same time creating characters that are likable. Even though sex is the main focus of Marit's life, she remains a character that the readers will root for in the end. The author also buries a lesson in the pages of the story; one that we can never hear enough. Friendship is more important than anything else. POP! is an enjoyable read, even though the ending is a little too convenient and quickly resolved.

ALL THESE THINGS I'VE DONE by Gabrielle Zevin-REVIEW

The year is 2083 and chocolate and caffeine are illegal. Anya Balanchine is the daughter of a now dead crime boss. Anya is determined to keep herself, her sister and brother and grandmother separated from her family's notorious connection. Having seen her father killed right in front of her she wants nothing to do with the family business.

For all intents and purposes Anya at 16 is the head of her little family. Her grandmother is dying, her brother has not been "right" since he was in an accident that killed their mother, and her sister is only 13. When some Balanchine chocolate ends up poisoning Anya's ex-boyfriend, she finds herself in trouble with the law and her family in the media spotlight.


Amidst all of this Anya meets Win,  the new guy at school, and is attracted to him until she finds out who his father is. With ambitions to become the next DA Win's father asks Anya to stay away from his son. It wouldn't look good for him in an election if his son was dating a crime boss's daughter.

Win and Anya begin secretly dating and soon fall in love with each other. Will their love be able to withstand her family name and his father's ambition?

All These Things is the first book in a series. I found the characters very believable but wasn't attached enough to them to continue on in the series. The storyline plodded along and I found myself getting distracted by other things. I guess it just wasn't the story for me.


Language Content=There was some offensive language that this reader did not appreciate. But I have to say also that the author did not overuse the offensive language either.

Sexual Content=Anya has made a promise to God to be a "good girl" which means that she has promised not to have sex before she is married. She struggles with this temptation throughout the story especially when her relationship with Win heats up. Sex is mentioned only in relation to her struggle, nothing graphic.

Violence Content=Some, but nothing graphic or offensive to this reader.

A TALE OF TWO PROMS by Cara Lockwood-REVIEW

Miranda is in her Senior year at the Bard Academy. Her boyfriend Heathcliff(yes Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights) has just asked her to marry him. Miranda is torn, does she marry Heathcliff the love of her life and have to stay on the Island forever or does she leave all of Bard Academy behind and go to Penn State University where she has been accepted?

Before Miranda can make a decision though strange things begin to happen. After all, it is Bard Academy, where strange is normal. Catherine shows up from Wuthering Heights, she is Heathcliff's true love. She also happens to look just like Miranda. Then Heathcliff begins to act strangely, when did Heathcliff begin to drink Miranda wonders. 

Miranda and her sister Lindsay are called away from the Island for a family emergency. Upon their return they find the Island empty. All of the faculty and students have disappeared. Heathcliff and Catherine are nowhere to be found either. Knowing that somehow Catherine is behind the disappearance of everyone Miranda and Lindsay must travel into other novels in order to find all of their friends before it is too late and the classics as we know them are altered forever.

I have totally enjoyed Cara Lockwoods Bard Academy series! Going to a school where the teachers are characters and authors from famous classics would be totally interesting. There's always a bit of danger in each one also, and of course the romance between Heathcliff and Miranda keeps the pages turning. I believe this may be the last book in the series. If so it was the perfect ending!

This is an advanced copy courtesy of Cara Lockwood through NetGalley.

DROWNING INSTINCT by Ilsa J. Bick-REVIEW

If you are looking for a light read, this isn’t it. We meet Jenna after a terrible accident when she is being questioned by the police. She is sixteen-years-old and this isn’t even the first time she has been involved with the police. Years ago she almost died in a fire. The same policeman is with her in the hospital now, but can’t get her to talk. Instead of pushing, he gives her a tape recorder and tells her to explain everything at her own pace.

Jenna begins to tell her story. The story of her alcoholic mother and her psycho father. She used to be able to depend on her older brother, but he was shipped to Iraq. Now she only has his emails to keep her company.

Moving to a new school was supposed to be good for her. This school knows how to deal with troubled kids. She tries her best to keep things under control. She knows she shouldn’t cut, but sometimes that is the only thing that makes it better.

At school she meets Mitch Anderson. He is super nice and totally hot, but he is also a teacher at school. Mr. Anderson takes an interest in Jenna – seeing she needs some TLC. Soon they find they have a common interest in running and begin training together. She even agrees to join the Track team at school. Jenna’s feelings for Mitch intensify as they spend more time together and the fact that he’s a teacher isn’t the only thing causing problems. He’s also married, but it doesn’t stop their attraction from building.

Ilsa Bick weaves together a complex story of love and loss. There are many threads that all come together at the end. Bick gives the reader plenty of room to piece together what is going to happen. She makes you work for it and the reveal at the end is amazing and totally worth it. The only reason this book didn’t get 5 Glasses is because I thought the ending was a little abrupt.

I loved ASHES and as soon as I saw that Ilsa Bick wrote this one I immediately requested it from Netgalley. If you are a fan of edgy young adult literature then this is one you will definitely enjoy. If a story about a student-teacher relationship offends you – skip it!

Thank You For Your Participation

Julie and I would like to thank all of the wonderful bloggers who took the time to participate in the Holiday Break Reading Challenge this year.  Be sure to mark your calendars for next year.  The HBRC will run from December 21st, 2012 to January 1st, 2013. 


Now, take some time to visit our new friends and say hello.


Tracy H. @ Once Upon a Bookshelf
Melissa @ Mrs. Stanley's Reading Corner
Kristine @ Hall Ways
Laurie @ Laurie Here
Darci @ Darci's Books
Ephrielle @ Hope, Love, and Happy Endings
Pixie @ Page Turners
Kathy @ Kathy's Book Bag
Shan @ Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea
Emma @ Novel Minded
Yan @ Books By Their Cover
Paula @ Around the Block with a Book
Booklady's Booknotes
Carey @ enCouragement
ProseandKahn
Professornana
Leah B. @ The Craziness That I Call My Life

WINNER PACKAGES ARE ALL READY TO PUT IN THE MAIL! AREN'T THEY ALL NEAT LOOKING? BE READY TO START READING! HEADING TO THE POST OFFICE TOMORROW.