Happy March! (March?!?! Moving fast much, 2012? The good news is that this means Take a Bow will be out soon!!!)
When I decided that I was going to blog about the books that I'm reading this year for my 2012 Reading Challenge, I was worried about what would happen if I read a book and I didn't like it. I'm not much for trashing something, because everything is subjective. And just because I didn't like something doesn't mean that others won't. Fortunately, that wasn't an issue this month as I absolutely loved the three books I read. (I was hoping to read at least one more, but a nasty cold this past weekend left me practically in a coma.)
Since I'm not great at summarizing, just click on each title to go to the author's website to read a description of the book.
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
I've been hearing buzz about this book for months before its publication last fall. Completely worthy of all the praise. First, I'm in awe of Taylor's writing, such gorgeous prose. Second, her characters are in turns relatable, funny, and mysterious. Even though the book is over 400 pages, I found it a very quick read because everything happens so fast that I kept turning the page wanting more!
My friend Natalie loved this book and she even transformed one of her Monster High dolls into the main character, Karou. Check out the photos here!
The List by Siobhan Vivian (coming in April)
I've been looking forward to The List since my editor (and Siobhan's), David Levithan, told me about it. Loved this book so much. Each of the eight girls profiled in this book came to life and I was thrown for a loop more than once - love when that happens! I found myself thinking about the characters long after I turned the last page, a testament of a good book. It also makes you think about the labels we give others, as well as ourselves. AND I'm doing a couple events with Siobhan this April so I'm extra excited to go all fangirly on her!
Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy (Coming in May)
I know I already said this on Twitter, but it needs repeating: If books could have BFFs, this book would be Take a Bow's. Seriously. And I couldn't be happier for Terra's success. Terra and I worked together years ago at Scholastic. I've been so happy seeing her blossom into one of my favorite authors. As someone who loves music and writing about it, Being Friends with Boys makes you feel the music in the book, something very difficult to do. You feel like you've been given a backstage pass into these character's lives and know their inner thoughts. And just when you think you know where it's all going, Terra has some surprises for you. Gah! I love this book!
I'm telling you, the spring is going to be an amazing season for books. You have to put The List and Being Friends with Boys on your spring list (um, along with Take a Bow, obviously...ahem). And since I'm so excited for these books and I'll be seeing Terra and Siobhan this spring, I'm going to get autographed copies of each and do a giveaway. Just doing my part of spreading the book love!
So 6 down and 44 more to go! Yikes, March is going to be a tough one as I have to finish my edit on book #4. The good news is that I'll be traveling a lot in April and May and I always get a ton of reading done in airports, airplanes, hotels... ah, the glamorous life on the road!
XOXO, Elizabeth