Back to School- Things to look forward to!

Whether it's your first day of high school or your last first day of grad school, we all know the pains of going back to school. Yes, it can be very exciting, especially when you get to see all your friends again. And the first week of class isn't too horrible, and if you're like me, you love syllabus day because it's just another excuse to get the planner out and organize life. But fear not, fellow students, there are some exciting things happening this fall semester, and I don't just mean football season and sweater weather! Here are some things to help you power through the semester:

1. Fall Book releases!
So, this fall there are a TON of exciting books that are going to be released that you should get excited about. Many are part of a series and even the last of a series, so make sure to mark your calendars for those release dates. Here are the ones I'm looking forward to:

-Alligient, by Veronica Roth- the third and final book in the Divergent trilogy (October 22)
-The Fall of the Five, by Pittacus Lore- book four of the Lorien Legacies (August 27-out now!)
-Revealed, by P.C. Cast- part of the House of Night series (October 15)
-Smoke, by Ellen Hopkins (September 10)
-United We Spy, by Allie Carter- the final book of the Gallagher Girls series (September 17)
-Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell (September 10)
-Doctor Who: The Essential Guide to 50 Years of Doctor Who (November 5)
-The Naturals, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (November 5)

and then some!
Here's a link to Amazon's list of upcoming releases, make sure to check it out!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=lp_28_nr_p_n_publication_date_2?rh=n%3A283155%2Cn%3A%211000%2Cn%3A28%2Cp_n_publication_date%3A1250228011&bbn=28&ie=UTF8&qid=1377313663&rnid=1250225011


2. Halloween!

Okay, so Halloween is probably my favorite unofficial holiday and it's mostly because of candy. Actually, it's all because of candy. So go trick-or-treating (if that's still a thing), and if you're too old (which if you borrow someone's child, you can totally bend that rule) just go out and buy some candy for yourself. I guess you can share it with friends too... But you should definitely dress up, maybe as your favorite fictional character?! I'm throwing around the idea of being Sailor Moon this year, but it'll probably change five more times before I make up my mind. Have fun with it, that's what Halloween is all about!

3. Giveaways!
Now that I've been gotten a routine settled here, I'm hoping to do some giveaways. Nothing's official yet, but it's definitely something I'm looking into. I've got some ARCs, some contest books, and some from my own collection that I'm thinking of giving away, so I'll let you guys know when I have more information. I'll definitely do one give away for my followers on this site, and then I'll do another one for my followers on tumblr (http://books-anovelidea.tumblr.com/). Basically, if you follow me on either website (or both, both is good), you'll be setting yourself up for success! More details to come!

4. Sci-fi month!

I'm so excited for this I can barely breathe. I'm lucky I'm able to function right now, this event is going to be that cool! Hosted by the ever so fabulous blog  Rinn Reads (if you don't follow her, do so now! You won't regret it! http://www.rinnreads.co.uk/) and a bunch of other blogs (myself included), this month is dedicated to all things science-fiction. This means books, tv shows, movies, etc. Once a finalized list of all the events is done, I'll post it so that you guys can plan your schedules accordingly.
Basically, every day, different blogs will post some cool sci-fi themed post (book reviews, author interviews, giveaways, and so much more) and you guys can jump from blog to blog and check them all out. The schedule is coming soon, so be on the look out for that!
Here's a little preview of what I'm going to be doing: 2 science-fiction book reviews, 2 other sci-fi related posts (yet to be determined, suggestions are always welcome. This is, after all, all for you guys so your input is very valuable- maybe more valuable than currency), and a super awesome special post that'll take place on a day that isn't Thursday (here's a hint: Doctor Who). So mark your calendars down for November and GET EXCITED!

5. Short Story Anthology!
So this is something I'm crazy excited for and I want you guys to be as well! Basically, at my university, we have a Professional Writing Student Association that I'm a part of and we have an anthology of short stories that we're putting up on Kindle sometime this semester. This semester's theme is Crime and all the stories in the anthology are from PWSA members and students at the University of Oklahoma (including yours truly). I can't wait to share it with you guys! We're hoping to get it all together and published within the next couple months, but it'll definitely be out before Christmas. I'll keep you posted on when it actually does come out!

6. Movies based on books!
So this was a really big year for books being made into movies, and it seems like it's going to continue that way through the year. Here are some of my favorite books that are being turned into movies, this year (from now until the end of 2013) alone!

-The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones (yes this is already out, but it's worth putting on the list! GO GO GO see it, I absolutely loved it whether it one hundred percent followed the books or not! Also, Jamie Campbell Bower and Lilly Collins ARE Jace and Clary)
-The Hunger Games, Catching Fire (November 22)
-Ender's Game (November 1)
-The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug (December 13)
-The Book Thief (November 15- p.s. watching the trailor might or might not have made me cry a bit)
*If you don't have plans for November, make some to see one of these (or all of these) upcoming movies!*

So, there's that. Now you have no reason to not be excited about the fall semester and everything that it's bringing! It'll also be bringing you a new book review next week (whoa, that's a shocker), so here's what I'm reading for next week:

Neptune's Tears, by Susan Waggoner (synopsis from Amazon)

London, 2218 A.D. Seventeen-year-old Zee is an intern empath. She’s focused on her job, poised for a great career—until one day an attractive patient undoes her hard-earned calm. As an empath, she cannot afford such distractions, but neither can she stay away from David, even when she discovers he’s one of a mysterious alien race. As London comes under attack by anarchist bombings, and as Zee struggles to get a handle on her unusually strong psychic abilities, David starts pulling away. Although Zee’s sure he’s attracted to her, David has secrets he cannot share. But it’s too late for Zee. She’s losing her heart to the gray-eyed alien boy, and she’s determined to follow him—no matter how far it may take her.

Check back next week for the review, and get excited for the rest of this year!

-Annie

Hysteria, by Megan Miranda

Boy, is this book a psychological thriller and then some. It really has something for everyone: complicated characters, creepy scenes, literary symbolism, and a plot that'll leave you wondering what the actual heck is going on.

Short and sweet synopsis:
Mallory killed her boyfriend (though it was in self defense) and gets shipped off to prep school where everyone seems to know her story. After that traumatic experience, it's no wonder she can't sleep, and you expect her to have terrifying nightmares. But you don't expect her to have these nightmares when she's not sleeping and then when she does wake up, she has the physical scars from last night's dream. Also, she has a really hard time fitting in at school, especially considering how snobby and mysterious her class mates are. Basically, the school operates under the idea that secrets are currency, and those with the best secrets to share are the most popular.

So, this story is crazy and scary and confusing, but really wonderful at the same time. Am I making any sense? No? That's okay, neither does the plot line sometimes. But really, you spend most of the novel trying to figure out what's wrong with Mallory. You get clues in the form of flashbacks to the night that Mallory killed Brian, along with other flashbacks that kind of clue you in to their relationship. But I like the fact that you're kept guessing until the end, that's what good books do after all.

So here are the things I really liked. I love Mallory and how resourceful she is. Like if she doesn't want to be somewhere, she will literally do everything in her power to not.be.there. She also doesn't really care that none of the girls at school like her, she's too busy concentrating on her own problems and that's totally okay. Another thing I liked was the role that Lord of the Flies played into this book. There's a really cool discussion on it in one of the classroom scenes and you can see how much that theme stays throughout the book and influences it. Yay for classic literature shout outs!

Here are the things that I would have liked to see different, and I phrase it that way because they didn't make the book a disappointment, I was just expecting it to go in a different direction. I wish that the secondary characters would have played a bigger role. And when I say secondary characters, I really mean Chloe and the other nice people at Monroe. They existed, and I wish there was some kind of friendship developed between Mallory and Chloe at least. Though I understand that it wouldn't have exactly forwarded the plot, I just like nice people. I also kind of expected the ending to be a bit more dramatic considering how the climax panned out, but I did like the way it was all tied up and I think it's a satisfying ending for readers.

Basically, if you like psychological thrillers, this is the book for you. There were definitely times where I was reading at night and might have heard noises that weren't really there because I got that into the story. Don't read this in the dark (if you get scared like I do), and you'll be all good!

-Annie

I Get So Emotional (a list by Annie)

This list was inevitable, but I kept putting it off because I knew that I would want to read all these books again. They're just that good. They're the books that make you cry, whether it be happy tears or sad tears (usually sad ones, not gonna lie), but they're also beautifully written. These are the books that everyone always wants to talk about, and if you're out in public, you probably can find someone who's in the process of reading it right now (whether it's for the first time or the tenth). They leave you feeling impacted and they're empowering in the strangest sense, and you want to curl yourself up in a blanket to cope with the feelings of loss or hope or beauty. So here it is, my list of the most emotional books and why they're so compelling.

-The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

I don't normally read cancer books, I just have a really hard time with them and someone always dies and it's too heartbreaking and yada yada yada. But this isn't your stereotypical cancer book. Not only has it been on the bestseller's list for, like, forever, but it's also written by one of my favorite people of all time. The fact that it was all people on tumblr could talk about didn't hurt either. So, yes, it's a cancer book where someone dies and it's absolutely heartbreaking, but it's about love. It's the love story of our generation. It doesn't matter that I started crying on page 229 and never really stopped (even if there were still about 100 more pages to go), it's one of my favorite books of all time. Why is it so effecting? Good question, dear reader. The way these characters talk is full of so much wisdom at such a young age, but when you look at what they're going through, it makes sense. Yes, you feel awful for them, but then again, you also have to admire them for going through so much and being the way they are. They're still optimistic and that's beautiful. I could go on for days and still feel like I don't have enough words for this book, but I'm going to stop.

-The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

This book, this movie, is everything. It's a coming of age story that has something for everybody. At one point or another, we all were Charlie, not specifically, but we felt out of place. We felt like a wallflower. We observed, but we didn't act. I love this story because Charlie really does come into his own because of the people that he surrounded himself with. Yes, he screwed up (big time. If you've read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about), but he learned from it. Sorry I'm being cheesy, but this book is about learning what works and doesn't work in life, and it has a certain feel to it (dare I say an infinite one?) that you'll carry with you until you reread it again.

-The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

I love this book. I love it so much, my eyes started to water when I was reading the synopsis on Wikipedia (it's been a while since I've read it). One of my favorite things about this book, besides the hauntingly beautiful story, is that it's written from the perspective of Death, who always remembers what color the sky was when he took certain people (amazing descriptions that are so crazy vivid). This is a book about words and the affect they can have on a person, or even a country (Mein Kampf). This isn't a Holocaust book, it's a book that centers around the Nazi involvement in Germany, and how much it effects the community of Jews and non-Jews alike. You'll laugh, you'll cry (a river), you'll empathize with characters in a way you never did before. You'll carry yourself differently afterwards, and you can't quite explain why, but it has something to do with The Book Thief you just know it.

-The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein

READ THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVE A DOG. Or really any pet of any kind. Or if you just like animals. Or if you're human.The thing that really stayed with me in this book is that there's a myth that says if a dog is prepared, once he dies, he will be reincarnated as a human. Enzo, the dog, truly believes this myth and he just knows that he'll be human. Did I mention this book is written through a dog's perspective? Dogs see everything, they hear everything- they didn't just get the title "man's best friend" by being passive. This book really opened my eyes to the role that our pets play into our lives. Enzo saw love, life, and loss, and even though he couldn't exactly express it, he had real life emotions in each situation. He is full of hope, even when times are at their absolute worst, and it's contagious. I promise that when you've finished, you'll want to give your dog the biggest of hugs (no matter how hard they struggle, and boy is my little shih tzu not a cuddler), and you'll appreciate them more than you could ever have imagined.

-The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath

This isn't a YA book, but it's one of my favorites so it had to go on the list. It also didn't make me cry, but it was definitely full of emotions. I think my thing with this book is how drastic of a change there is with Esther at the end of the novel. I read somewhere that this novel mirrors Plath's own descent into madness, and maybe that's why I'm so fascinated by it. Plath writes incredibly well and that itself is an understatement. You feel what she feels. You don't want to, but you do and there are times when you need to step away from the book and remind yourself that You. Are. Not. Her. There's a mental illness there and it's scary how normal she might seem from the outside, but once you go inside,  it's fascinating. It also opens your eyes to how mental illness was treated then, shock therapy, and the scars that are carried with the person for the rest of their lives. She's just so messed up, guys. She struggles, and you're taken on the journey with her, but the issues she faces are very real. Depression. The search for an identity. Independence and an escape from the expectation to be a domestic woman. Seeing all these issues through her eyes and seeing the illness that becomes her makes for such an interesting story that can stand through time and be read by any generation and have the same effect.

Well, those are my top 5 and if you can't tell, this has probably been my favorite blog post so far. I know I have a lot to say, but don't we all when it comes down to the things that impact us in transcendental ways? I really hope you pick one of these up, you won't regret it. I would also love if you left a comment with a book that has had an impact on you. Those are always things you want to share.

Anyway, next week, I'll be reading Hysteria, by Megan Miranda. Here's a quick synopsis from Amazon:

Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others. 

In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.

So check back for the review and don't forget to comment on your most emotional books! See you next week!

-Annie

The Beautiful and the Cursed, by Page Morgan

I have a lot of say about this one, but let me start by saying that I want every book to be about gargoyles from now on!

Okay, so the entire gargoyle concept is super neat. Basically, it goes back to the old myth that says how gargoyles protect the building that they inhabit. So, in Paris (and especially in 1899 when the book is set), there are a ton of buildings, churches, homes that have a gargoyle protector. It's no wonder that when Ingrid and Gabby move to an abandoned abbey, there's a gargoyle protector. The world that Page Morgan creates is extremely interesting, full of demons and a group called The Alliance that protects the world from demons. Did I mention there are gargoyles too? Oh, I guess I did.

The book starts with Ingrid and Gabby moving to Paris only to find that their brother (Ingrid's twin) has gone missing. They get pulled into a world that's completely different from their own and are willing to do anything to find their brother. With the help of the mysterious Luc, and Alliance members Vander and Nolan, Ingrid and Gabby find that nothing is as it seems and trust shouldn't be given easily. This book is a roller coaster of excitement, with twists and turns that'll leave you desperate to flip the page.

Here's what I really liked: Characters. Characters. Characters. Ingrid is so metal, I mean, she accidentally burned down her best friend's house after her friend was proposed to by the guy Ingrid liked. She also doesn't care to a certain extent what people back in London or even in Paris think about her, and that's pretty cool too. In the beginning, I didn't really like the character of Gabby (Ingrid's younger sister) because she seemed very annoying and immature. But as the book went on, she soon became my favorite character. She wants to fight demons and isn't afraid to go out on her own to search for information on her brother, even though there is a strict police curfew because of murders around the city. I also really love the character of Nolan, and it's not just because he's Scottish (though that has a lot to do with it). He's brave and just cocky enough (borderline sass master), and he's good at fighting demons.

But my favorite thing about this book is definitely the gargoyle concept. I know I keep saying it, but it's refreshing and the mythology around it is quite fascinating. I love the idea that there are different packs around Paris and each pack has its own animal equivalent that they look like. It's an idea that lets your imagination run wild because you're trying to figure out what they look like when they transform from human to gargoyle, and somehow they seem graceful when they fight. Like, whoa, how do stone creatures do that? I'm still trying to figure it out.

Okay, so now on to the stuff that I wasn't a big fan on. There were small point of view problems, where I couldn't really tell whose side we were seeing (especially since it's written in 3rd person and basically goes through multiple POVs). But that problem could have arisen for me because I was reading it on my Kindle and it's harder to flip back pages and double check. POV problems aren't a big deal and I can get over those easily. Another thing that bugged me was the love angle (yes, I'm calling it an angle. It is not a triangle. A love triangle means that A loves B who loves C who loves A. This was more of a A loves B and C.) My biggest problem with this is that I'm having a hard time liking Luc and understanding why Ingrid likes him. Yes, I get that he's handsome, but he's never really been that nice to her. I also understand that he protects her and all that too, but he's a jerk and never gave her a reason to like him. Especially since her other option is Vander who is super kind and nice and cute (obviously, I'm Team Vander). I don't know, maybe I'm just not crazy into the idea of the bad boy love affair thing.

My biggest problem with this story is how similar it is to Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instrument and The Infernal Devices series,  especially ID. Same time period, brother is missing, girl isn't exactly human, demon fighting/angel interference (though the angel stuff is more MI), a group that fights demons, Luc/Vander = Will/Jem (kinda sorta), etc. That was really hard to get past, especially since I'm such a HUGE fan of the Shadowhunting world. And saying this is hard too, because I really did like this book, a lot, but there were times where I felt like I was reading the other author's work. But who knows, this is still the first book in the series so maybe it'll go its own way and be completely different (fingers crossed), I've chosen to stay optimistic.

Overall, if you're a fan of Cassandra Clare, you'll probably really enjoy The Beautiful and The Cursed. Just don't compare the two because you'll drive yourself crazy. I did like this book, and I definitely recommend it. I'm excited for the sequel and I hope that Page Morgan molds the story in her own creative way, because she truly is a good story teller.

-Annie
(Oh hey, and if you're interested, we're on tumblr now! Yay! Follow at: http://books-anovelidea.tumblr.com/)

A Whole New World (a list by Annie)

There's just something so special about a book where the author has done a spectacular job at world-building. It's not an easy thing to do, and when done well, it can really jump start our imagination and impact us for quite some time. So here's a little toast to the amazing authors who do it so well. I had a very hard time narrowing my favorites down, so I had to include an honorable mention (if you don't mind and if you're indecisive like me, you don't).

My list of my favorite books with awesome worlds in them.

-The Gemma Doyle trilogy, by Libba Bray

Bray creates a world full of secret societies where women control the most powerful magic in the world and travel between realms as guardians. Not to mention, this entire world exists in Victorian England and the main character, Gemma, discovers it while at finishing school. Bray does a great job at creating the realm and makes it so magical, readers won't ever want to leave it. The series is full of adventures in the mysterious boarding school, the streets of high society London, mental institutions, etc. along with the magical realm and it's no wonder this makes the list.

-The Soul Screamers books, by Rachel Vincent

This is the story about a banshee (though the more accurate name for her species is bean sidhe) who is just discovering who she is and what the world around her is really like. There are grim reapers, demons, incubi, and more (basically there's any kind of creature you could ask for). Kaylee (our protagonist) can also travel through realms, but the other realm is much darker and more dangerous, and did I mention, full of soul stealing demons? The world of all the bean sidhes (is that the plural? or is it sidhi?) is dripping with mythology and paranormal darkness, and it's such an intriguing world to read about.

-The Luxe series, by Anna Godbersen

So I heard a rumor once that this series was going to be turned into a movie... a musical... the people who did Moulin Rouge (I'm not exactly a fan of the rumor but that was years ago so I doubt it's actually true). It would be an interesting thing to see visually though. It's not paranormal and there's not crazy world jumping or anything, but the thing that I really love about it is that it's set in 1899 in New York City. Basically, the best way to describe it is glamorous with lots of betrayal that's done in a semi-proper way. It's full of scandal and lies, but these people are upper class New Yorkers so they handle it the best way they can- with revenge. Think Gossip Girl at the turn of the century.

-The Shades of London series, by Maureen Johnson

One of my favorite book series right now, The Name of The Star series, is scary as scary can be (then again, I get easily terrified so maybe it's not that bad). The series takes place in present day London at the boarding school where Rory just enrolled, and almost died. But now she can see ghosts and boy is there a ghost going around London... yeah, it's Jack the Ripper (or at least it's a copycat of him). Cue the screams. The world revolves around a special police force that Rory ends up working with to figure out the identity of the ghost and stop him before he kills anyone else. I love the language of the "ghost hunters" and all their devices, and the fact that it's scary and takes place in London is definitely a bonus.

-Maximum Ride series, by James Patterson

Okay, I loved this series at first, but then it got a little bit too much. To be honest, Patterson probably should have stopped the series after The Final Warning, but to each his own (though the last and final book did not end the way I wanted it to- it kinda got weird). Anyway, I like to forgive Patterson because the world he created was so fascinating. I mean, children who are half human, half bird. How can you not think that's awesome?! The science behind the series is creepy, and since they get to fly around, there are a lot of interesting places that they get to go to. I recommend the series, but I would stop before it gets crazy environmental and annoying (just some advice- if you like that stuff, that's totally cool too!).

-The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling

It's impossible not to have this series on the list, it really is. I wish I could find the words to explain how much this series means to me and how magical of a world Rowling built, but the words will never do it justice. She gave us an escape, full of magic and adventure and a whole new vocabulary (I use some of those words on a daily basis, not going to lie), and we will be forever grateful. There's a whole Harry Potter generation and I think that's probably the coolest thing in the entire world. (Also, happy belated birthday to Harry and Rowling- and thank you for everything you've done for us).

Honorable Mention:
-The Mortal Instrument series, by Cassandra Clare
-The Darkest Powers series, by Kelley Armstrong
-Blue is for Nightmares series, by Laurie Faria Stolarz
-Evernight series, by Claudia Gray

Now, there's still probably a million more series that can go on the list, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. This means that you totally get to comment and let me know if I missed any super important ones. If you don't comment, I'm going to assume I'm right and that might be too big of a boost for my ego (this means, comment!). Next week, I'll be back with a brand new review so get excited for that! Here's what I'm reading!

The Beautiful and the Cursed, by Page Morgan (synopsis from Goodreads)

After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.

In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.

And Grayson has gone missing.

No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.

Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead—she can feel it deep in her soul—but she knows he’s in grave danger. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.

Hope you all have a wonderful end of the week/weekend/start of the week (really, it depends on when you read this), and don't forget to check back next Thursday for the next review! Also, comment with your favorite YA fictional worlds :)

-Annie