Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow - Spotlight & Giveaway

     

     Girl in Pieces has been on my radar for a while.  I've been wanting to read this contemporary from the minute I heard about it, and I had the privilege of meeting Kathleen Glasgow at ALA.  I was able to get an ARC signed by her, and on the last day I was able to pick up an extra ARC because I knew I wanted to give my readers the opportunity to read it as well!

     I was also sent an ARC for review, so now I have TWO ARCs to giveaway to you all!  I'm really excited about this.  Girl in Pieces is a visceral book; you feel what Charlie feels; you go through what Charlie goes through.  It is a difficult story to get through at times, but so beautifully executed.  I think this will be classified by many to be a must read contemporary YA that really examines the aftermath of a life fallen to pieces, and what it takes to build it back up.

Girl in Pieces

Kathleen Glasglow

August 30, 2016

Delacorte Press

For fans of Girl, Interrupted, Thirteen Reasons Why, and All the Bright Places comes Kathleen Glasgow’s debut novel about a girl who has lost everything—almost even herself.

Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she’s already lost more than most people lose in a lifetime. But she’s learned how to forget. The thick glass of a mason jar cuts deep, and the pain washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don’t have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you.

Every new scar hardens Charlie’s heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge. 

A deeply moving portrait of a teenage girl on the verge of losing herself and the journey she must take to survive in her own skin, Kathleen Glasgow’s debut is heartbreakingly real and unflinchingly honest. It’s a story you won’t be able to look away from.

The room is too quiet, so I walk the halls at night.  My lungs hurt.  I move slowly.

     Everything is too quiet.  I trace a finger along the walls.  I do this for hours.  I  know they're thinking about putting me on sleep meds after my wounds heal and I can be taken off antibiotics, but I don't want them to.  I need to be awake and aware.

     He could be anywhere.  He could be here.

(Page 10)

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Terms and Conditions

Open only to US/CA residents!
No entries outside of US or CA! 
Must be 13 years old to enter. 
TWO winners will win an ARC copy of GIRL IN PIECES.
Winner must have a mailing address within the US/CA.

NO PO Boxes allowedPrize will be mailed out by blog owner
Eli to the nth claims no responsibility for lost prizes.
Winner will be contacted by email. 
Winner has 48 hours to respond with mailing address.
Mailing address will be deleted upon delivery of book

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Trailer Thursday (35)

Today I'm bringing you a trailer for a debut historical sci-fi that will have you questioning what makes a man and what makes a monster.  

This Monstrous Thing

by Mackenzi Lee

Release Date: September 22, 2015

I'm really excited about this book!  I love Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and the idea that this world is set during the same "time" as the book with characters actually creating man-made people is really intriguing.  Can't wait!!

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Waiting on Wednesday (90)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming/recent releases that we seriously can’t wait to read

Here's my pick for the week, that I seriously can't wait to read:

The Sister Pact

by Stacie Ramey

Publication Date: November 1, 2015

A suicide pact was supposed to keep them together, but a broken promise tore them apart

Allie is devastated when her older sister commits suicide--and not just because she misses her. Allie feels betrayed. The two made a pact that they'd always be together, in life, and in death, but Leah broke her promise and Allie needs to know why. 

Her parents hover. Her friends try to support her. And Nick, sweet Nick, keeps calling and flirting. Their sympathy only intensifies her grief. 

But the more she clings to Leah, the more secretes surface. Allie's not sure which is more distressing: discovering the truth behind her sister's death or facing her new reality without her.

(Summary from Goodreads)

I on one hand want to really read this book, and then on the other hand, I want to throw it as far away from me as possible.  I have a very close relationship with my older sister.  She is my rock; she is my confidant; she is my best friend.  I think that if we were a little bit more damaged, we would make a pact like this as well, which scares me.  But from the reviews I've read, Ramey does an excellent job crafting the story of a left behind sister and her life without the one person that made it all worth it.  Due to this, I am going to snap this up when it comes out.  I'll be prepared with tissues and have my sister on stand-by for hugs.

What book are you waiting for?

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Trailer Thursday (34)

Today I'm bringing you a trailer for a debut contemporary/christian(ish)/scifi that will have you searching for the truth.  

Does God exist?  Is there anything to this whole Rapture idea?  And what really is the truth?  You'll find out right alongside Vivian when you pick up Vivian Apple at the End of the World!  

I would definitely check it out if you're looking for a new book to dive into.

Vivian Apple at the End of the World*

by Katie Coyle

Published Date: January 6, 2015


*This book is known under a different title (and has a different cover) in the UK.  Over there it is Vivian Versus the Apocalypse and was published by Hot Key Books on May 9, 2013.  so some of you may have already read this awesome book!

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2015 Debut Author Challenge

So it is that time of year once more, when you put down your last book read for 2014 and look ahead to all the many, many, many books you'll read in 2015.  

While I know it seems like I dropped off the face of the planet in 2014, I have been reading...just not reviewing.  

But to both renew my reading habits and revive my reviewing habits I am once more throwing my hat into the ring for the 2015 DEBUT AUTHOR CHALLENGE!!! 

This is a super fun way to get some momentum going for those awesome debut authors we all want to succeed, and to have a way to keep yourself accountable to read in 2015!

The information for the challenge is as follows:

First of all the challenge is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.  If you want to participate you can sign up for this challenge at her blog!

Challenge Objectives:

• To introduce readers to this year’s wonderful group of debut authors.
• To challenge readers to read 12 or more middle grade, young adult, and new adult debuts this year.

Challenge Rules:

• You must post your thoughts on each debut book you read in order for it to count towards the challenge. You can post anywhere: your blog, Goodreads, Amazon, YouTube, Tumblr, etc.
• You can join the challenge whenever you want.
• The debuts must have a publishing date in 2015 and must have been read between January 1, 2015 and January 31, 2016 (this extra month allows readers adequate time to read December debuts) in order to count.
• Each review gives you an entry into the monthly prize pack drawings. Make sure you post the links to my monthly link-ups. I always post these link-ups on the first day of the month, without fail.
• This challenge is open internationally, as are the monthly prize packs.
• I don’t care what language you write your reviews in, I just need to know which book you have reviewed so I can verify your entry. When you post your link, please include the title in English.

Which Books Count:

• The book must be classified as a middle grade, young adult, or new adult title.
• The book must be the author’s MG/YA/NA 2015 debut. (If the author has published adult fiction before, but this is their first MG/YA/NA book EVER it still counts.)
• Self-published books do not count, so if the author has self-published a MG/YA/NA book before and this is their first book published by a traditional publisher it counts toward the challenge.
• ARCs are fine, but only if you read them the year they are published. For example, if it’s 2015 but you read and reviewed an ARC of debut coming out in 2016, it does not count for 2015’s challenge (because the challenge is for 2015 debuts) and it will not count for 2016’s challenge (because you must read a 2016 debut in 2016 for it to count). This way participants who do not have access to ARCs are not at a disadvantage.

Pretty simple, no?  You definitely want to sign-up starting NOW, so you can get planning! Jana has some helpful links, like a Goodreads list and a Google spreadsheet of the 2015 debut books, so if you're stuck on what to read, hop on over to the main challenge post.

What I Am (hopefully) Reading:

12 books is the minimum (one for each month of the year), but I am shooting for 24 books total.  I want to spread them out, but I have a feeling that even though they "debut" in a certain month, my reading schedule may push them to the next month. We shall see what happens!

1. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (2/15)
2. No Parking at the End Times by Bryan Bliss (2/15)
3. None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio (4/15)
4. Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos (5/15)
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Off to a great start, huh?  Again, I don't know if I'll get to all 24 nor do I know what 5-24 are going to be.  I need to get one for January.....HAPPY READING!

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BOOK BLITZ for Anomaly by Tonya Kuper (+Giveaway)

Anomaly (Schrodinger's Consortium #1)
by Tonya Kuper
Release Date: 11/25/14
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Reality is only an illusion.
Except for those who can control it…

Worst. Birthday. Ever.
My first boyfriend dumped me – happy birthday, Josie!- my dad is who knows where, I have some weird virus that makes me want to hurl, and now my ex is licking another girl’s tonsils. Oh, and I’m officially the same age as my brother was when he died. Yeah, today is about as fun-filled as the swamps of Dagobah. But then weird things start happening…

Like I make something materialize just by thinking about it.
When hot badass Reid Wentworth shows up on a motorcycle, everything changes. Like, everything. Who I am. My family. What really happened to my brother. Existence. I am Oculi, and I have the ability to change reality with my thoughts. Now Reid, in all his hotness, is charged with guiding and protecting me as I begin learning how to bend reality. And he’s the only thing standing between me and the secret organization that wants me dead…

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books│The Book Depository│iBooks

Chapter Excerpt:

I approached the mat. I’d never done any extensive sparring, but I wasn’t a total newb when it came to self-defense. The tae kwon do I’d practiced for years with Eli had to count for something. I hoped.

A heavy footfall pulled my attention back to Reid.

            An arm came at me from the side. Without thinking, I ducked, punched under the incoming arm, and swung my shin at the ankles in my sights. Reid’s legs swept out from under him, and his hands shot out to catch himself. He landed on all fours.

            I gasped for a breath of air, my chest heaving. Evidently I held my breath whenever I was attacked. Reid’s eyes locked on mine. Finally some eye contact. And then he gave me a shitty smile.

            “What the hell?” I snapped. Reid stood and didn’t stop moving until he was in my face. I didn’t let myself flinch. “Just because you’re pissed at me, did you really need to try and take me out? I know you think insta-immersion works best, but maybe it doesn’t for me. Maybe, just maybe—”

            “Will you shut up?”

            I hitched my hands on my hips. “So rude.”

            “Five days, Josie.”

That shut me up in a heartbeat. What the hell was wrong with me? I hadn’t lost sight of the goal. The awards ceremony was—I glanced at the wall clock in the living room—125 hours and fourteen minutes away. Reid shouldn’t take it easy on me. He couldn’t afford to.

“I’m sorry,” I began.

“Stop.” Reid didn’t budge, but he crossed his arms, too. “I was going to give you a compliment, but you won’t stop thinking or talking long enough for me to get a word in edgewise.”

            Oh, oops. “Proceed.”

            He shook his head, closing his clear eyes for a moment. “You are a piece of work.”

            “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

            Reid barked a short laugh. “Because it wasn’t. I was going to tell you that you did a good job earlier, you know, with the whole Pushing Pictionary thing. And this?” He pointed behind him, where I’d taken him down. “How did you know what to do?”

            “My parents made us take tae kwon do. Like, for years and years. I guess it just kind of comes naturally.” A hint of pride fluttered through my muscles. And with that pride, just a smidgen of hope. Like maybe I could do this. Maybe I could actually pull this off.

            “Mmm.”

            Reid stood so close that I had to angle my head up to him. My shirt was already sticking to my sweaty stomach. And he still didn’t have a shirt on. I had to make a conscious effort not to look at his body. I could barely focus on what he’d said.

            In no way, shape, or form had I lost sight—no pun intended—of the big picture. I remained focused on the end goal. Reid was just, well, a wee bit distracting, that’s all. And perhaps that was a good thing. Yes. If I could focus around Reid, then that would only better serve me in a real-world environment, when I faced other distractions.

            Yep, that was my story. And I was sticking to it.

            “Let’s work more on hand-to-hand combat. See what comes not-so-naturally, natural.”

            Giving him a nod, I pivoted toward the mats. Feeling his presence behind me and hearing the swish of his jeans as he moved, I stopped short. I twisted, throwing a punch toward his lower jaw. He shifted out of the way, grabbed my wrist in midair, and twisted it around my back. Thank the moon of Endor I was pretty flexible.

            He yanked my arm farther up my back. His opposite arm wrapped around my waist and tugged me into him, his bare chest pressing into my back.

Pain and exhilaration shot into my nervous system. I was stuck. My heart beat wildly, but I wasn’t scared. It had to be the rush of adrenaline into my bloodstream and the fact that a half-naked guy held me in a death grip.

            Reid’s exhale tickled the back of my neck as he steadied his breath. “Nice try.” His voice came out in a rough whisper. His arm tightened around my waist again, his fingertips singeing my skin through my tank as they dug through the material, drawing me in to his body.

            “What’s the matter, Josie? Can’t move?”

A chill danced down my spine when he pulled in a deep breath and his chest expanded against my back. I should’ve been shrugging out of his hold, but I didn’t. My body had locked up in response to his presence. And it pissed me off, because even though he could be an underwear model, I would’ve rather made out with a Romulan. Similar personalities.

About the Author:  Tonya Kuper's debut, Anomaly, the first in the Schrodinger's Consortium young adult scifi trilogy, releases November 2014 by Entangled Teen. She lives in Omaha, NE with her two rad boys and husband, is a music junkie, a chocolate addict, and a Star Wars & Sherlock fan.

Author Links:

Giveaway:

(Picture of Prize Pack 1)

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Waiting on Wednesday (83)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we seriously can’t wait for.

Here's my pick for the week, that I seriously can't wait for:

The Girl from the Well

by Rin Chupeco

Publication Date: August 5, 2014

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night. 

A dead girl walks the streets.

She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.

Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out. 

The Girl from the Well is A YA Horror novel pitched as "Dexter" meets "The Grudge", based on a well-loved Japanese ghost story.

I am a weenie when it comes to scary things: books, movies, the dark...etc.  But for some reason, and I think it's that her motivation for killing is revenge on child killers, I really want to read this book.  I know that there will be a great mystery and good murder (uh, that's an oxymoron, but oh well), and I want it in my grubby mitts already!!

What book are you waiting for?

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