Blog Tour & Book Review: What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

With thanks to Sourcebooks Fire, I’m delighted to be participating in the blog tour celebrating the release of What You Left Behind, the new teen novel by Jessica Verdi.

About the Book

Jessica Verdi, the author of My Life After Now and The Summer I Wasn’t Me, returns with a heartbreaking and poignant novel of grief and guilt that reads like Nicholas Sparks for teens.

It’s all Ryden’s fault. If he hadn’t gotten Meg pregnant, she would have never stopped her chemo treatments and would still be alive. Instead he’s failing fatherhood one dirty diaper at a time. And it’s not like he’s had time to grieve while struggling to care for their infant daughter, start his senior year, and earn the soccer scholarship he needs to go to college.

The one person who makes Ryden feel like his old self is Joni. She’s fun and energetic—and doesn’t know he has a baby. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep his two worlds separate. Finding one of Meg’s journals only stirs up old emotions. Ryden’s convinced Meg left other notebooks for him to find, some message to help his new life make sense. But how is he going to have a future if he can’t let go of the past?

My Thoughts:

I’ll keep this brief… because if that synopsis doesn’t grab you and make you want to read this book, like, yesterday, then I’m not sure what else I could possibly say to grab your attention!

What You Left Behind is unusual in the increasingly crowded field of contemporary young adult fiction: It’s a teen drama full of loss and hope, told not through the eyes of the tragically dying Meg or by new love interest Joni, but by Ryden himself. I don’t recall reading any other YA novels recently with a male narrator who’s experienced anything quite like Ryden. Age 17, high school senior, father. Bereaved as a teen without every really getting to start a life with the girl he loved. Work, school, soccer, trying to be a good dad, trying to be a good son, and still trying to understand what really happened with Meg.

You can’t help but love Ryden. He didn’t ask for any of this. Meg insisted on keeping the pregnancy, even though it meant going without chemo for all those months. All Ryden wanted was to love Meg and do anything in his power to keep her healthy… and here he is six months after her death, stressed out, feeling like a terrible father, having to face the reality that the life he thought he was meant for is now forever out of reach.

Jessica Verdi’s writing is beautiful in its heartfelt sorrow and frustration and bitterness. Ryden is a giant mess, and he screws up a lot — but I challenge any reader not to feel complete sympathy with him. He’s in a horrible situation, and even though he has an amazing mother who supports him wholeheartedly, his life really does suck at the moment when we first meet him. Watching him go through the process of grieving and figuring things out and finally starting to see a glimmer of hope is painful. Ryden’s emotions are raw and brutal, and he makes some big mistakes, and really doesn’t understand the world around him or what his new life really is a lot of the time. But it’s impossible to blame him for anything. He’s in a horrible situation, not of his making, and — he’s only 17! He’s bound to make mistakes, but I can’t help but admire the courage and grit he shows in just waking up and moving forward day after day.

The author knows how to get inside a teen’s head and explore all the contradictory wants and needs lurking there. The writing doesn’t condescend and doesn’t shy away from showing the good, the bad, and the ugly. The story didn’t necessarily go where I thought it would, but I was invested every step of the way and couldn’t look away.

My only complaint is that the author made me care so much about these characters that I wanted more at the end. I like the ending of the book very much, which makes it clear that a new chapter is just beginning and that Ryden finally has a path ahead of him that can lead to happiness. But (and maybe this is the mom in me speaking!), I wanted to know more. I really want to know what Ryden’s life is like in a year, in two years, and in five. What happens next? What does he decide to do with himself? How does he grow as a person and as a father? I think it’s a testament to the power of this novel that I feel invested enough to have so many questions.

Bottom line: If you enjoy contemporary YA fiction that deals with tough subjects with honesty and emotion, don’t miss What You Left Behind. And for more by Jessica Verdi, check out her excellent previous novel, The Summer I Wasn’t Me (reviewed here).

More Info:

Purchase Here:

What You Left Behind–

About the Author

Jessica Verdi lives in Brooklyn, NY and received her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. Her favorite pastimes include singing show tunes at the top of her lungs (much to her husband’s chagrin), watching cheesy TV, and scoring awesome non-leather shoes in a size 5. She’s still trying to figure out a way to put her uncanny ability to remember both song lyrics and the intricacies of vampire lore to good use. Follow Jess on Twitter @jessverdi.

Connect with Jessica Verdi

Website – http://jessicaverdi.com/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/JessVerdi

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/authorjessicaverdi

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6442339.Jessica_Verdi

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The details:

Title: What You Left Behind
Author: Jessica Verdi
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication date: August 4, 2015
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Young adult fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire

20Aug2015

Thursday Quotables: The Invention of Wings

Posted in Thursday Quotables by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

NEW! Thursday Quotables is now using a Linky tool! Be sure to add your link if you have a Thursday Quotables post to share.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
(published 2014 )

I have about 1/4 of this powerful, beautiful book left to go, but I’ve been loving it so far. Here are two brief passages that give a little taste. The first is a young slave girl’s impression of words on a page, from the point of view of someone who’s never been taught to read:

I shut the door and opened Miss Sarah’s books. I sat at her desk and turned one page after another, staring at what looked like bits and pieces of black lace laid cross the paper. The marks had a beauty to them, but I didn’t see how they could do anything but confuddle a person.

I love the “black lace” description. Can you remember what it was like to look at a book before learning to read?

The story revolves around two characters: Sarah, the daughter of a wealthy, slave-owning family in Charleston, and Handful, the young girl given as a present to Sarah for her 11th birthday. Sarah is aghast at the idea of owning another person, and the two develop a close but complicated relationship. Again from Handful’s point of view:

She laid the book down and came where I was standing by the chimney place and put her arms round me. It was hard to know where things stood. People say love gets fouled by a difference big as ours. I didn’t know for sure whether Miss Sarah’s feelings came from love or guilt. I didn’t know whether mine came from love or a need to be safe. She loved me and pitied me. And I loved her and used her. It never was a simple thing. That day, our hearts were pure as they ever would get.

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

If you’d like to participate in Thursday Quotables, it’s really simple:

Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now. And please be sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com), if you’d be so kind!
Click on the linky button (look for the cute froggie face) below to add your link.
After you link up, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment about my quote for this week.
Be sure to visit other linked blogs to view their Thursday Quotables, and have fun!

18Aug2015

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: The Beast’s Garden

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

There’s nothing like a Wednesday for thinking about the books we want to read! My Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday post is linking up with two fabulous book memes, Wishlist Wednesday (hosted by Pen to Paper) and Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine).

My most wished-for book this week is:

The Beast’s Garden by Kate Forsyth
(Published in Australia on August 3, 2015 – US publication date ???)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

A retelling of The Beauty and The Beast set in Nazi Germany

The Grimm Brothers published a beautiful version of the Beauty & the Beast tale called ‘The Singing, Springing Lark’ in 1819. It combines the well-known story of a daughter who marries a beast in order to save her father with another key fairy tale motif, the search for the lost bridegroom. In ‘The Singing, Springing Lark,’ the daughter grows to love her beast but unwittingly betrays him and he is turned into a dove. She follows the trail of blood and white feathers he leaves behind him for seven years, and, when she loses the trail, seeks help from the sun, the moon, and the four winds. Eventually she battles an evil enchantress and saves her husband, breaking the enchantment and turning him back into a man.

Kate Forsyth retells this German fairy tale as an historical novel set in Germany during the Nazi regime. A young woman marries a Nazi officer in order to save her father, but hates and fears her new husband. Gradually she comes to realise that he is a good man at heart, and part of an underground resistance movement in Berlin called the Red Orchestra. However, her realisation comes too late. She has unwittingly betrayed him, and must find some way to rescue him and smuggle him out of the country before he is killed.

The Red Orchestra was a real-life organisation in Berlin, made up of artists, writers, diplomats and journalists, who passed on intelligence to the American embassy, distributed leaflets encouraging opposition to Hitler, and helped people in danger from the Nazis to escape the country. They were betrayed in 1942, and many of their number were executed.

The Beast’s Garden is a compelling and beautiful love story, filled with drama and intrigue and heartbreak, taking place between 1938 and 1943, in Berlin, Germany.

Ever since reading a review of this book on the Book’d Out blog, I’ve been dying to track down a copy. So far, I haven’t been able to find out when this book will be published in the US, but I really hope it’s soon!

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays? Come join me for my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables! You can find out more here — come share the book love!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I host a Book Blog Meme Directory, and need your help! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!

17Aug2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Top ten authors on my auto-read list

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Top Ten Authors On My Auto-Buy List. Since I’m trying to curtail the buying — but not the reading — I’ve played with the theme just a teeny bit.

We actually did this TTT topic back in February 2013, and if you’re interested, you can check out my list here. When I look back at my 2013 auto-buy list, I have to say that I’d still include 100% of the authors I included back then! In an effort not to repeat myself, my list today is going to be an ADDITIONAL ten authors whose works I want to read, pretty much no matter what.

Without further ado — here are the ten authors whose inspire a “gimme, gimme” feeling in me:

Gimme all the books. Now.

Patricia Briggs: Looking back at my 2013 list, I’m shocked that Patricia Briggs wasn’t on it yet. Perhaps I was still in the early stages of falling in love with her amazing urban fantasy worlds?
Chris Bohjalian: I haven’t been let down yet, and I’m constantly impressed all over again by his ability to write in seemingly every genre. I still have several of his older books to catch up on, and I’m looking forward to it!
Jojo Moyes: In the last couple of years, I’ve read 6 books by Jojo Moyes, and I’m planning to read many more.
Deanna Raybourn: While I haven’t read the Lady Julia Grey series for which she’s so well-know, I have read and enjoyed two historical novels by this author, and plan to start her new Victorian mystery series in the next month or so.
Lisa Genova: I thought Left Neglected was fascinating, and Inside the O’Briens was incredibly powerful. I still need to read Still Alice, and I’m sure wherever this author goes next will be equally interesting.
Miranda Kenneally: Gotta admit, I’ve really loved each of the three YA novels I’ve read so far by Miranda Kenneally. I still have to read her earliest three, but this is an author I intend to keep following.
Rainbow Rowell: I’ve loved all four of her books so far. More please!
Nicole Peeler: Her Jane True series totally rocked! I really liked the first book in her Jinn & Juice series too, and hope there are more on the way.
Joe Hill: He regularly scares the bejeezus out of me, but I love him anyway. I’ll read anything he writes.
Bill Willingham: After the masterpiece that is Fables, I’m willing to bet that whatever comes next will be smashing.

Do we have any auto-buy/auto-read authors in common? Share your links, please, and I’ll come check out your top 10!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider following Bookshelf Fantasies! And don’t forget to check out my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. Happy reading!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I host a Book Blog Meme Directory, and I’m always looking for new additions! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!

17Aug2015

The Monday Check-In ~ 8/17/2015

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

What did I read last week?

The Uninvited by Cat Winters: A really terrific, memorable read. My blog tour post and review is here.

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume: Done! My review is here.

Off-line:

In real life, we celebrated my kiddo’s 13th birthday last week. It’s hard to believe my baby is a teen! And as of today, he’s also an 8th-grader. Yup, today is the first day of school here… and yes, I do think the middle of August is too early! I’m not sure which of us is grumpier about the return to the morning bustle and the nagging about homework. (Here’s hoping that as the mother of a mature 8th grader, the nagging routine will be a thing of the past for me!)

Fresh Catch:

Two book I’ve been wanting arrived this week:

It may be a while before I get to these, but I’m so excited to have them here!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I’ve about halfway through What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi. Once I finish, I have a library book to read before it’s due back (I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest) and then I need to start the next blog tour book on my list, The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff. How’s that for an eclectic reading week?

Now playing via audiobook:

I had a lot of fun listening to Jim Butcher’s Working For Bigfoot, a collection of three linked short stories set in the world of the Dresden Files. In each story, a reclusive but powerful sasquatch named River Shoulders hires Harry to watch out for his half-human son, and it’s all great fun. Plus, you know, the audiobook narrator is James Marsters, so obviously it’s fabulous.

My book group’s discussion of The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd starts later this week, and I didn’t think I’d get to it at all — until I had the brilliant idea to start the audiobook while out walking this weekend. The audio is wonderful so far, and I love the two narrators and how they portray the two main characters. I have a feeling I’ll be taking the long way on all my walks and drives this week, just so I can extend my listening time!

Ongoing reads:

Two chapters per week for each of these, for my online book group discussions with Outlander Book Club. Both books should be done by December!

So many book, so little time…

16Aug2015

Book Review: In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

When you think of historical fiction, if you’re like me, images of petticoats, palaces and kilts might fill your head. But how about fiction that tells a story of a more recent history? In Judy Blume’s new novel, In the Unlikely Event, the plot revolves around real events from the 1950s, and the effect is stunning.

If you didn’t grow up in New Jersey and weren’t around in the 1950s, you might be as shocked as I was to realize that the plane crashes that serve as a catalyst for the drama of this book actually happened. If these events weren’t actual documented history but rather a fictional invention, we’d all be shaking our heads and saying that’s it’s just too unbelievable.

The facts are these: In the winter of 1951 – 1952 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, three different planes crashed into the town within a span of three months. How is this even possible?

In the Unlikely Event shows us the horrifying plane crashes and the devastating effect on the residents of Elizabeth through the eyes of a large cast of characters, all of whom bear witness in one way or another.

The main character is 15-year-old Miri Ammerman, who lives with her mother Rusty, uncle Henry, and grandmother Irene. Miri’s best friend is Natalie Osner, daughter of the town’s very successful dentist. Each person is connected to other people, so that we meet the best friend of Natalie’s brother, the high school senior who assists in Dr. O’s office, the orphan boy who falls for Miri, the girlfriend of Miri’s uncle, and on and on in interlocking, expanding circles.

The time itself is exquisitely drawn in loving details, from the cashmere sweaters of the rich girls to the Lanz nightgowns that Miri’s friends all wear to sleep-overs, from 17-inch TVs to telephones with long cords — in all sorts of little ways, the author paints a picture of a particular era in American life. World War II is in the past, but not so distant as to be forgotten. American boys are serving in Korea. And air travel is new and fresh and glamorous. Airline stewardesses must be pretty, perky, flirty, and single. Traveling by air is a luxury, and going on an airplane is all part of the excitement.

And then the crashes start. As each plane crash occurs, the impact is felt more and more deeply by Miri and her circle of friends, family, and acquaintances. Boys at school claim it’s either UFOs or Commies behind the whole thing. One of Miri’s friends descends into mental illness and anorexia, consumed by thoughts of one of the dead airline passengers. People on the ground lose their lives as well as the passengers who fell from the sky, and the loss is random, tragic, and incomprehensible. Miri’s life changes in unpredictable ways, marriages disintegrate, friendships are changed forever, and indeed the entire community seems to lose its heart and its center.

In the midst of all this loss and suffering are some quintessential Judy Blume moments. The scenes of Miri and her friends bring back memories of the author’s classic books about preteen and teen girls, as they deal with their parents’ flaws, differences in economic status, pressure to fit in — and boys. Make-up and clothes, flirting and making out, worrying about going all the way and getting “in trouble”, fretting over missed periods — all of this is told in the voice we’ve trusted to portray young womanhood in so many earlier books, and it’s comforting and familiar here in her newest.

My only minor quibble with In the Unlikely Event is that we’re dropped into the world of Elizabeth and immediately introduced to just about every character in the story, and it’s a lot to track. Eventually, we get to know them all individually and it’s easier to understand who’s who and how they connect, but at the beginning, I found myself doing a lot of flipping backwards to figure out who a particular person was and where I’d seen them before.

Other than the early clutter of characters, the structure and richness of In the Unlikely Event works very, very well. The story is framed at the beginning and end by Miri traveling back to Elizabeth for a commemoration of that awful winter, 35 years later. It’s interesting and touching to see how all the people we followed in the 1950s have turned out, and how each has had his or her life changed and shaped by that one fateful year.

With detailed, evocative writing and characters whom we come to truly know and care for, In the Unlikely Event is a touching, compelling story that really holds a reader’s attention from start to finish. I’m very glad to have read it, and strongly recommend it.

End note: Way back when in my early days of blogging, I wrote a little salute to Judy Blume. Want to read it? You can find it here.

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The details:

Title: In the Unlikely Event
Author: Judy Blume
Publisher: Knopf
Publication date: June 2, 2015
Length: 397 pages
Genre: Adult fiction
Source: Library

16Aug2015

Cover Cousins

Posted in Bookish Thoughts by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I love when I pick up a new book and am instantly reminded of another — not necessarily because the covers are the same, but more because there’s a common feeling to them, a style, a color pattern, an image. The connection may only be in my mind, but it’s something I really enjoy thinking about. So… I thought I’d create a feature to highlight great book cover pairs whenever I happen to stumble across them.

To kick things off, here’s my first set of Cover Cousins:

They’re not identical or anything, but there’s something about the look — the black background, the stylized graphic, the color scheme — that makes me want to put these two together.

Pretty cool covers, aren’t they?

Cover Cousins is a just a goofy little diversion of mine… but I like it. I’ll be back with more cover match-ups from time to time!

13Aug2015

Blog Tour & Book Review: The Uninvited by Cat Winters

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

I admit, I had seen a ghost or two.

I’m delighted to be participating in the blog tour celebrating The Uninvited, a new novel by Cat Winters. This is the author’s first book for adults, following two successful YA releases. Thank you, TLC Book Tours, for inviting me to participate!

Synopsis:

Twenty-five-year-old Ivy Rowan rises from her sickbed after being struck by the great influenza epidemic of 1918, only to discover that the world has been torn apart in just a few short days.

But Ivy’s lifelong gift—or curse—remains. She sees the uninvited ones—ghosts of loved ones who appear to her, unasked for and unwelcomed, for they always herald impending death. On that October evening in 1918, Ivy sees the spirit of her grandmother, rocking in her mother’s chair. An hour later, she learns her younger brother and father have killed a young German out of retaliation for the death in the Great War of Ivy’s other brother, Billy.

Horrified, she leaves home and soon realizes that the flu has caused utter panic and the rules governing society have broken down. Ivy is drawn into this new world of jazz, passion, and freedom, where people live for today, because they could be stricken by nightfall. She even enters into a relationship with the murdered German man’s brother, Daniel Schendel. But as her “uninvited guests” begin to appear to her more often, she knows her life will be torn apart once again, and terrifying secrets will unfold.

My thoughts:

The Uninvited crept up on me, little by little, until I was completely hooked. I wouldn’t say it has a slow start, because there’s certainly nothing about the pace to criticize. What I mean, really, is that it’s subtle and quiet to start with. The author sets the story in small-town Illinois, which should give the book a quaint, peaceful feel — except for the particular place in history chosen as the setting.

It’s October of 1918. Anti-German (and more generally, anti-foreigner) sentiment couldn’t be higher. The American Protection League is busy harassing outsiders into isolation and flight, spying on “good” Americans to make sure they’re behaving correctly, and inciting anger and violence in formerly friendly neighbors. While families lose husbands and sons to the Great War overseas, the horrible and deadly influenza pandemic strikes without warning, and the death toll mounts unbelievably quickly.

Ivy, the main character, is a young woman raised on a farm, frightened by her alcoholic, violent father, in mourning for her brother Billy, killed in the war. Hatred and fear are the overriding emotions all around her, but once she flees her family home to start fresh in town, she encounters friendship, passion, and love that she never expected. Ivy is an unusual character, really well defined, who seeks independence when she realizes how intolerable her family has become. She sets out to make a difference any way she can, and ends up driving an ambulance on a rogue mission to rescue the poor and unwanted flu victims who aren’t white or American enough to merit treatment in the one good hospital in town.

I loved Ivy’s backbone. She goes where she needs to go, stands up to creepy APL members, and chooses connection and physical intimacy despite all the reasons to stay away. She’s drawn to the wild jazz music she hears every night, which represents freedom and a new kind of society to her.

From setting the stage at the beginning, the author builds the tension and stakes as the story progresses. And then, bam! By about 3/4 of the way through the book, I suddenly found myself gobbling up every word, unable to look away.

Something happens along the way which changes the meaning of everything that came earlier, but I won’t say more than that. It’s enough to say that this is one of those books that’ll make you want to start all over again from the beginning once you’ve read it, to see what you missed the first time around and look at events from a different angle.

The Uninvited is a curious mix of historical fiction and ghost story, and the combination really works! The setting and time could not be more dramatic, and I loved the cast of characters, including memorable supporting characters (such as the frightened Red Cross volunteers and Ivy’s ex-suitor) in addition to Ivy herself and her sexy but aloof love interest Daniel.

Absolutely recommended for anyone with an interest in the time period, as well as anyone who enjoys well-developed characters and a plot that informs, moves, and surprises the reader. Okay, basically, recommended for everyone! I plan to read Cat Winters’s YA books as soon as I can, and I do hope she’ll continue writing more for adults as well.

Find out more:

Purchase Links: Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

Cat Winters’s debut novel, In the Shadow of Blackbirds, was released to widespread critical acclaim. The novel has been named a finalist for the 2014 Morris Award, a School Library Journal Best Book of 2013, and a Booklist 2013 Top 10 Horror Fiction for Youth. Winters lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two children.

Find out more about Cat at her website, and follow her on tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

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The details:

Title: The Uninvited
Author: Cat Winters
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication date: August 11, 2015
Length: 368 pages
Genre: Adult fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of TLC Book Tours

For further information, stop by TLC Book Tours to view other blog tour hosts.

12Aug2015

Thursday Quotables: In the Unlikely Event

Posted in Thursday Quotables by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

NEW! Thursday Quotables is now using a Linky tool! Be sure to add your link if you have a Thursday Quotables post to share.

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
(published 2015 )

Holiday season, New Jersey, circa 1951:

Miri Ammerman and her best friend, Natalie Osner, were sprawled on their bellies on the thick, tweedy wall-to-wall carpet of Natalie’s den, waiting for the first-ever televised lighting of the famous Christmas tree. The den was Miri’s favorite room in Natalie’s house, not least because of the seventeen-inch Zenith, inside a pale wood cabinet, the biggest television Miri had ever seen.

One of the things I’m really enjoying about this book is the amount of detail the author uses to bring that particular time to life — all the clothes, the brand names, the cars, the foods. Even little things like a girl taking the phone into the bathroom with her for privacy, the long cord stretched down the hallway!

On a more serious note, here’s the stark scene of a plane crash a few days later:

He’d had to elbow his way through the crowd to where the plane lay on its back in the Elizabeth River, belly ripped open, rubble spilling into the frozen stream and onto the banks. The river was a mass of roaring flames shooting a hundred feet into the air and surrounding the mangled wreckage, one wing pointing straight up.

Firemen, policemen and other rescue workers swarmed to the scene, armed with cutting torches, grappling hooks, blankets, stretchers and bags. A white-clad intern, stethoscope around his neck, went with them, but he didn’t stay long — just long enough to know he wasn’t needed.

I’m about a third of the way into this book, and I’m really getting swept up in the drama as well as the period detail. Such fun to be reading a Judy Blume novel again after so many years!

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

If you’d like to participate in Thursday Quotables, it’s really simple:

Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now. And please be sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com), if you’d be so kind!
Click on the linky button (look for the cute froggie face) below to add your link.
After you link up, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment about my quote for this week.
Be sure to visit other linked blogs to view their Thursday Quotables, and have fun!

11Aug2015

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: Until We Meet Again

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

My most wished-for book this week is:

Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins
(to be released November 3, 2015)

Synopsis via Goodreads:

They exist in two different centuries, but their love defies time

Cassandra craves drama and adventure, so the last thing she wants is to spend her summer marooned with her mother and stepfather in a snooty Massachusetts shore town. But when a dreamy stranger shows up on their private beach claiming it’s his own—and that the year is 1925—she is swept into a mystery a hundred years in the making.

As she searches for answers in the present, Cassandra discovers a truth that puts their growing love—and Lawrence’s life—into jeopardy. Desperate to save him, Cassandra must find a way to change history…or risk losing Lawrence forever.

Time slip… romance… and a gorgeous cover! What’s not to love?

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays? Come join me for my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables! You can find out more here — come share the book love!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥