Book Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Fracture

Title:  Fracture 
Author:  Megan Miranda
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre:  Paranormal 
Size: 262 pages
Release Date:  Jan 2012
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Stand Alone or Series: Stand alone
Source: NetGalley

First Line:  "The first time I died, I didn’t see God." *

Summary (from GoodReads):

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine
—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? 

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

Favorite Quote from the Book:

“I hadn't known that a light could be a feeling and a sound could be a color and a kiss could be both a question and an answer. And that heaven could be the ocean or a person or this moment or something else entirely.” *

My Thoughts:

I wasn’t all too sure about this book when I started it…and I honestly was worried that I’ve been reading a bit too much YA lately.  But slowly the characters grew and the story developed and I found myself fascinated by the situation that Delaney woke up to and the mystery surrounding her, her “ability,” and Troy.  I needed to know what was going on and where Megan Miranda was leading us.

I found the characters of Delaney and her childhood friend Decker not only completely believable and charming but also very loveable.  The romance that blossomed between the two…despite the usual teen angst setbacks was sweet (and I always root for the “best friend.”)

The character of Troy was also compelling as well as a bit creepy.  What exactly was his deal?  What was Delany’s connection to him? Was he a hero, was he misguided or was he actually evil?

And ultimately what does it mean to be human, what does it mean to be alive and what would you do if you knew that you or a loved one only had one day left to live?  This book leaves you pondering these things… 

And deep down…at the end of it all…we all have a need to find these answers within ourselves.

Was it worth my Time? 

* Quotes taken from Advance Reader Copy and are subject to change.

Teaser Tuesdays - Home Front by Kristin Hannah

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home Front

Summary from Goodreads:

All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. . . .

Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life---children, careers, bills, chores---even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own---for everything that matters to his family.

At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope.

Two Teasers Today:

"There were things to be said, he knew, words that had been withheld too long, hoarded in the dark and sopiled.  Once he gave them voice, said what he really felt, there would be no going back.”  pg 30

“Tami hung up the phone slowly and turned to face Jolene. “We’re being deployed.” pg 64

What's your teaser today?

Novel Notions - Audiobooks

Novel Notions is a new feature where I'll discuss whatever bookish thoughts (ie. Novel Notions)  I have running through my head.  As of now I'm not planning to schedule it regularly but rather just post as ideas  organically come to me!  I'm hoping that you guys will join in on the discussion either by simply commenting below or running with my idea and linking up a post on the subject at some point during the upcoming week.






Today, I've been thinking a lot about how I can work audiobooks into my reading schedule even more than I presently do.  As of now, I only listen to books while commuting to and from work.  As you can imagine, it can take quite a while to make it through a book if this is the only time devoted to it.  Especially if it is a long book like my favorite read/listen of 2011 Justin Cronin's the Passage which is over 750 pages.

Right now I am listening to Across the Universe by Beth Revis and much as I was happy not to be commuting in today, I can't deny that I wished I could have listened to more of the book!  I miss it on weekends!

I know that a lot of others have indicated that they listen while:
1.  Doing household chores (I plan to try to start doing this!)
2.  Working out (If I worked out I'd do so as well...my bigger issue here is not exercising enough! lol)
3.  Blogging/web surfing (Too distracting for me..I can't read and listen at the same time)
4.  Working (Wow...some folks are lucky...I wish I could read at work!!!)

I also have to admit to one other concern...I worry that even though I don't sense a difference...perhaps I am not as aware behind the wheel while I am listening while driving?  If I can't read or web surf while listening, if I try not to talk or text while driving, does that mean that I shouldn't be driving and listening either?  
Let me know what you guys think!

Do you listen to audiobooks?

When do you listen?  What activities do you find lend themselves to multitasking in this way??

And what do you think about listening while driving???


PS. I just read Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Check out my review here) and then found out that it was also available on audiobook.  I think that it would have been a great one to listen to as well.  Here's a sample!

Cinder AudioBook Sample

Buy Cinder on audio :)

In My Mailbox - 1/29/12

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren to share whatever books and bookish goodies that you've bought, borrowed, won, or been gifted and have thus entered your home the previous week. You can show off books that you are excited about and it's also a great opportunity to showcase books that you may not actually have the time to read or review.

Added to my Bookshelf for Pleasure:

  







 

Added to my Bookshelf for Review:

Added to my nook for Review:

Going Back for Romeo

The Book of Blood and Shadow

Beside a Dreamswept Sea

What exciting books have come into your hands this week??

PS. Sorry that this post looks like crap...but after 3 hours trying to format all the summaries and book links and titles and fonts and spacing I finally gave up and deleted the whole post and redid it with just covers.  (And even at that I could not get them evenly spaced.)  Unfortunately when I started blogging, I just did not realize that in addition to the hours spend reading and writing that I'd also need to devote hours a day to formatting.  It's just too much--I need to devote the rest of the afternoon to the work that actually pays the bills! LOL

TGIF - 1/27/12

Hosted by GReads:)

This Friday's Question:

Buy or Borrow: Where do your books that you read come from? The bookstore? The library? Do you prefer to own a book, or have it on loan?

My sources for books are as eclectic as my reading choices!  I have always loved the library and that used to be my number one source for books.  Used bookstores/thrift shops and yard sales was my number two source!  I love a good book for free or on the cheap!  Since I started book blogging I've also been fortunate enough to win a few books during contests and to also have received a few books from authors/publishers for review which has added to my TBR.  And lastly...since buying my nook...I've been a free download queen...   (It's my not-so-secret addiction!) 

This week at Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

Weekly Features:  

 In My Mailbox where I show off this week's thrift shop finds

My Teaser Tuesdays featuring Fracture by Megan Miranda

A Wishlist Wednesday in which I crave Saved by Cake by Marian Keyes
And a Cat Thursday where I share some humorous "cat literature"


Reviews:
A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner
Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Guest Post 
Sheila Dalton, Author of The Girl in the Box

Other:
I started the all new 2012 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge!   Join me!!

Cat Thursday - Cat Literature

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s) and then link up at the host's site: The True Book Addict. It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy!

Wednesday Wishing & Waiting - Saved by Cake by Marian Keyes

Title:  Saved by Cake

Author:  Marian Keyes

Series:  None/Cookbook

Publisher:  Michael Joseph LTD

Release Date: February 16th 2012

Summary from GoodReads:

From one of the best-loved novelists in Britain comes a book for all of us who love to bake (or would love to learn). 

After a difficult period in her life, Marian Keyes found solace in baking. The precision of the measurements, the light spring of a well-baked cake, the prettiness of the frosting and decorations: the whole process was soothing. She immersed herself in the world of recipes and piping bags and silicone cake moulds, baking for friends, family and (when they couldn’t eat another bite) total strangers. In short, she fell in love with baking. 

Saved By Cake is a dose of pure Marian. Funny and charming as ever, Marian guides you through the world of baking in her own inimitable way. It’s perfect for novice bakers, with plenty of advice for beginners, but the recipes are delicious and unique enough to appeal to even the most seasoned of bakers. From Slightly Sinister Star Anise cupcakes to Blokey Snickers Loaf Cheesecake, from Lemon and Thyme biscuits to the Ultimate Chocolate Cake, Marian has something for everyone’s taste buds. And with her as your guide, this is baking as it’s meant to be: pure, unadulterated fun!

My Thoughts:

I saw this cookbook on my friend Toni's new blog Whisk It Away and it really made me stop to think about how much a) I don't know how to bake & b) the few times I have baked I've been left in a much better mood!  I'm really toying with the idea of pre-ordering this one and then making my way through it as Toni suggests!

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by Pen to Paper where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist and onto our wonderful shelves.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Teaser Tuesday–Fracture by Megan Miranda

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fracture

Summary from Goodreads:

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine 

—despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? 

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

Teaser:

"He was not any greater than himself.  Turns out, even when it seems otherwise, people are who they are.” *

What's your teaser today?

* Teaser taken from an Advance Reader Copy and is subject to change.

Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title:  Cinder 

Author:  Marissa Meyer 
Reading level: Young Adult 
Genre:  Science Fiction/Fairy Tale Re-telling 
Size: Hard Cover, 390 pages
Release Date:  January 2011 
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Stand Alone or Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1
Source: NetGalley

First Line:  "The screw through Cinder’s ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle.”

Summary (from GoodReads):

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 


Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

My Thoughts:

Without a doubt this is the best fairy tale re-telling that I have read to date.  To be completely honest..there were many moments where I would forget that it was a retelling at all until something popped up at me and made me smile at the comparison.

This book draws one in from the first page and propels one along until the last…where one stops and says...”Noooooo!  I have to wait for book 2?!?!”  The language is sophisticated and flows beautifully and to be quite honest ..did not read at all like a YA novel to me.  The world building was also absolutely amazing…I could vividly picture the futuristic big city with it’s grittier and more old world type components like the marketplace.

The characters made the book come alive.  I loved Cinder from the beginning and relished in the sweet and well developed romance between herself and Kai.  The secondary characters of Iko and Peony quickly found their way into my heart.  And I loved hating Adri.

Issues of discrimination, conflict, love and sacrifice build as this novel hurtles one toward it’s conclusion…a conclusion that may have been a bit predictable…but still managed to be 100% satisfying.

Was it worth my Time? 

Guest Post: Sheila Dalton Author of The Girl in the Box

Today, as part of her blog tour, I am so happy to welcome Sheila Dalton to Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf!  

In Defense of a Cover

I have always loved the cover of The Girl in the Box, my book about a mute Mayan girl kept under lock and key in the Guatemalan jungle by her parents, and the effect she has on those around her. To me, the cover picture is not meant to be literal; it is a symbolic representation of all that Inez has been through, all that she has suffered. Inez is Mayan, and this girl could be Philippine or Vietnamese – but I was okay with that. I was also okay with the fact that the girl has clean hair and feet, and that the box, unlike the shed in the book, is cardboard.

When she is initially discovered by Dr. Simpson, Inez is being held in a windowless wooden shed. Her hair is matted, her feet would very likely be dirty. The box on the cover is meant to show how Inez is closed in on herself in so many ways, including her inability to speak.

I was thrilled that the publisher had found a stock photo which seemed to capture Inez’s psychological rather than physical condition. The only concession I made to match the Inez in the book to the girl on the cover was to make her hair long, when I had originally described it as short and spiky. On reflection, this made more sense. How would her parents have cut her hair? They were too poor even to own scissors.

I did mention to the publisher that I didn’t like it that the girl in the photo is nude, but she pointed out to me that she isn’t. You can see tank top straps, and she is meant to be wearing a bathing suit or shorts. To me, she looks very sad.

It came as a surprise to me when someone objected that she was clean, and “wearing lipstick”. Her lips look natural to me.  I did, in fact, ask the publisher and designer to tone down the colour to avoid this misinterpretation. However, now she is accused of wearing “teenage” lipstick – bubblegum pink. 

By far the most disturbing comment came from a man who insisted she was naked from the waist down and that the picture was sexual in nature. I am horrified that he thought this, and am upset that others may think so too. I, personally, do not find the picture sexual. Even if she was nude (and she isn’t), nothing inappropriate can be seen, and her pose and expression speak only of sadness and fear to me. As my son reassured me, “Not all nudity is sexual. And she’s wearing clothes anyway.”

Had I known that anyone at all would have seen the photo in this way, I would have insisted it be changed. As it is, I asked only that it be colour rather than black and white, that the lips be toned down, and the skin darkened just a little to make Inez look more Mayan.

I have total trust that the publisher was not trying to exploit sexuality in any way. She is a devout Christian and I know she would be as shocked and disturbed as I was by this reaction to a shot meant to show a sad and withdrawn young woman, in need of kindness and protection.

~~Sheila Dalton


Contact Sheila: Blog | Twitter

THE BOOK

Title: The Girl in the Box

Author: Sheila Dalton

Publisher: Dundurn Press

Buy it here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Caitlin Shaughnessy, a Canadian journalist, discovers that Inez, a traumatized young Mayan woman originally from Guatemala, has killed Caitlin's psychoanalyst partner, Dr. Jerry Simpson. Simpson brought the girl, who may be autistic, back to Canada as an act of mercy and to attempt to treat her obvious trauma. Cailin desperately needs to find out why this terrible incident occurred so she can find the strength to forgive and move on with her life. 

Inez, whose sense of wonder and innocence touches all who meet her, becomes a focal point for many of the Canadians who encounter her. As Caitlin struggles to uncover the truth about Inez's relationship with Jerry, Inez struggles to break free of the projections of others. Each must confront her own anger and despair. The doctors in the north have an iciness that matches their surroundings, a kind of clinical armour that Caitlin must penetrate if she is to reach Inez. 


The Girl in the Box is a psychological drama of the highest order and a gripping tale of intrigue and passion.

In My Mailbox (22)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by The Story Siren to share whatever books and bookish goodies that you've bought, borrowed, won, or been gifted and have thus entered your home the previous week. You can show off books that you are excited about and it's also a great opportunity to showcase books that you may not actually have the time to read or review.

Added to my Bookshelf for Pleasure:

 Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.
Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes—which is a good thing, because Julia can’t seem to stop baking them. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Flour, eggs, milk, and sugar . . . Baking is the only language the proud but vulnerable Julia has to communicate what is truly in her heart. But is it enough to call back to her those she’s hurt in the past?
Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

  In 1940, Iris James is the postmistress in coastal Franklin, Massachusetts. Iris knows more about the townspeople than she will ever say, and believes her job is to deliver secrets. Yet one day she does the unthinkable: slips a letter into her pocket, reads it, and doesn't deliver it.

Meanwhile, Frankie Bard broadcasts from overseas with Edward R. Murrow. Her dispatches beg listeners to pay heed as the Nazis bomb London nightly. Most of the townspeople of Franklin think the war can't touch them. But both Iris and Frankie know better...

The Postmistress is a tale of two worlds-one shattered by violence, the other willfully naïve-and of two women whose job is to deliver the news, yet who find themselves unable to do so. Through their eyes, and the eyes of everyday people caught in history's tide, it examines how stories are told, and how the fact of war is borne even through everyday life.

  Few things are as lasting as the bond between sisters. In her poignant debut, Elizabeth Bass explores the lengths one cobbled-together family will go to for each other. . .
Sassy Spinster Farm is a place to find solace. At least, that's what it's become since Rue and her sister, Laura, transformed their childhood Texas homestead into a successful tourist destination. It's where Rue is raising her pre-teen daughter on her own—while trying to keep her outspoken sister in check. It's not easy, but together, it seems there's nothing the two can't handle—until an unexpected, and not entirely welcome guest shows up in the middle of one warm summer night.
Moving and uplifting, here is a beautifully written novel about the bonds we are born into and those we create for ourselves—and of the strength that comes in loving without limits.

  Set in a posh hotel in nineteenth-century Dublin, Albert Nobbs is the story of an unassuming waiter hiding a shocking secret. Forced one night to share his bed with an out-of-town laborer, Albert Nobbs’ carefully constructed facade nearly implodes when the stranger discovers his true identity—that he’s actually a woman. Forced by this revelation to look himself in the mirror, Albert sets off in a desperate pursuit of companionship and love, a search he’s unwilling to abandon so long as he’s able to preserve his fragile persona at the same time. A tale of longing and romance, Albert Nobbs is a moving and startlingly frank gender-bending tale about the risks of being true to oneself.

 Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

  "I'm extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end." Long-standing (1979-1990) British prime minister Margaret Thatcher made no apologies for her unflinching attitude. In fact, when a Russian defense ministry newspaper derisively nicknamed her "The Iron Lady," she embraced the term. In this paperback original, the only U.S. one-volume account of Thatcher's life, veteran biographer John Campbell presents a formidable portrait of this indomitable leader. (P.S. Meryl Streep will portray Thatcher in the already much-heralded December release, also titled The Iron Lady.)

The first three I bought used at our local GoodWill store.  

The last three were a prize pack won from Penguin!  

Thank you!

Added to my nook for Pleasure:

Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books

Diamonds and Toads: A Modern Fairy Tale

A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries)

Added to my nook for Review:

Point, Click, Love: A Novel

I've Got Your Number: A Novel

 What exciting books have come into your hands this week??