Stacking the Shelves [369]

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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I definitely have some teasers from this week's stack over at Reading Reality. One book I really, really, really wanted. And one I picked up just for the title (and the cover picture). And one very pleasant surprise. I'll leave you to guess which is which.

Oooh, and one book I really, really, really wanted that was in last week's stack!

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Posted by Marlene Harris at 08:00

 Stacking The Shelves, sts  3 People left their mark

Stacking the Shelves [368]

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in a physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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It's been absolute ages since I've posted and I have a confession.

I haven't been able to read much.

*gasp*

I know. I love reading. I LOVE READING.

But...

I just couldn't.

Maybe some of you have had those times in life too, where you are longing, dying to pick up a book but life just gets in the way. You can't sit still long enough to get into it or concentrate on the story to realize what you're reading. At least, this has been my problem.

For two months in March since the last time I posted and then April I was only reading A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin to prep for Season 8 of Game of Thrones and because I was experiencing show hangover from binging seasons 1-7. That was great, but it also took so much energy and came at a time in my life where I began to have an overwhelming mountain of work and stress and too many extracurriculars.

Since April, I read maybe 5 books (some of the Grantchester mysteries) until mid-June where I had to start re-reading The Hunger Games series for my Teen Book Club at the library. This, I think, allowed me to get a little breathing room by reading something familiar where I already know the story and can just relax and let it carry me along.

[I love this series! I can't believe that when I was re-reading this was the exact time when the prequel was announced. I'm astounded! It won't have my beloved Katniss and Peeta, but I'm on board. I think it'll have to do with a young President Coin, maybe?]

If you're in one of these reading slumps too, try to go back to a book you love and just experience it without all the pressure to read all the things. I'm overwhelmed by this feeling frequently, especially working at a library and with the new normal of fast-track YA publishing.

Nevertheless, I'm sorry for my absence. Here's what's been on my shelf recently and what I'm trying to get read...

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sondhya Menon
*Recently completed.
ABSOLUTELY LOVED this cute romance!

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer
*Recently completed.
Have major book hangover.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
*Recently completed.
This cliffhanger hit me right in the face, and I don't understand what's happening!

P.S. Having a code malfunction. Sorry for the late post!

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Posted by Kara at 22:31

 Stacking The Shelves, sts  6 People left their mark

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Hardcover: 341 pages
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Release date: September 18, 2018

Series:  Warcross #2

Source: Library

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she's always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo's grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone's put a bounty on Emika's head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn't all that he seems--and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

Emika Chen seems to be caught in the middle of a high-stakes match, one where she could pay her life as a price. Rather than repudiate Hideo for the revelations in the last book, Emika makes a different choice. Instead, she tries to understand the human emotions and motives behind Hideo and Zero, discovering a much bigger plot than she ever dreamed. Wildcard kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation! Where the first novel was building the idea of the game of Warcross and Emika was discovering her team, her mission, and an entire new "arena" of players, this next novel went past the game and contemplated hard questions of morality, choice, freedom, and society's system of punishment. This had less worldbuilding and gamification of the first book and covered more exploration of the characters.

Emika, who had been very used to depending only on herself for most of her life besides her father and maybe her roommate, had become part of a team even if she was mostly working on her own. However, her choices and their effects come to pay a price on her team and they push Emika to open up, to trust them. Here, she finally has a chance to show them whether she does or not -- with the revelation of her "kidnapping", Hideo's plans for the Neurolink, and her adoption into the gang. Emika also has to question her feelings for Hideo. Do they change now that she knows his plans? Does she question his motives? For instance, does Hideo not realize the consequences of his actions? The effect he has had on the populace? The choice of life that he's taken away from people? Emika has to weigh who holds the real power? Is it Hideo? Is it Zero? Is it someone else? It's a new question of Machiavellian power--do the ends (Hideo's algorithm saving everyone from bad choices) justify the means (controlling them and taking away their capability of freedom)?

There are a lot of answered questions and strings wrapped up satisfyingly, like the identity of Zero and what happened with his kidnapping. I like that this goes deeper into questions of humanity and actions, but also contains a lot of twists I never saw coming. We get more Hammie, who I love for some reason, and more Tremaine and Roshan (I loved this subplot btw.)...

Without sharing any spoilers, the one thing I'm still not sure I followed well was the, er, villain of the series and the motives behind it and the hidden dots that Emika puts together. Maybe I just didn't anticipate things well, but I think there should have been a little more stitching together. Who knows? Maybe I just need a re-read! I will say that my husband is reading this series right now on audiobook, and it kept him engaged over 8 hours of driving so much that he grabbed his earbuds and is now reading this second book. It's incredibly engaging and I recommend to anyone who enjoys videogaming or who liked Martha Wells' recent Murderbot series or Ready Player One. Can't wait to see what series Marie Lu embarks upon next! What did you all think?

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Posted by Kara at 07:00

 G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, game fiction, Marie Lu, Science Fiction, Warcross, Wildcard, young adult  9 People left their mark

Stacking the Shelves [367]

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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My full stack is over at Reading Reality, and it's not very tall this week. Which probably has something to do with the summer doldrums - in publishing and everywhere else. But there are still some great books on there! Look and see!

Please link your STS post in the linky below:

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Posted by Marlene Harris at 08:00

 Stacking The Shelves, sts  3 People left their mark

Stacking the Shelves [366]

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

——————

Last weekend was Canada Day for our Canadian readers, and this weekend is the long Fourth of July weekend for those of us in the U.S.

A terrific long weekend to stay in and read - especially if you have air conditioning in one of the many, many places that needs it this summer. Even my friends in Anchorage are sweltering!

And here are just a few books to whet your reading appetite on this weekend. Or possibly your real appetite. Doesn't the cake on the cover of The Ingredients of Us look absolutely delicious?

For more tempting reading treats, check out my full stack over at Reading Reality!

Please link your STS post in the linky below:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Posted by Marlene Harris at 08:00

 Stacking The Shelves, sts  28 People left their mark