The Quiet Concert

Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Us Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten list is
"Top Ten Debut Authors Who Have Us Looking Forward To Their Sophomore Novel "

Nicole's Top Five

1. Emily Murdoch (If You Find Me)
It's been over two years since I've read If You Find Me and I still think about that book often. It's one of the best contemporaries I've ever read and I've been anticipating another book from Emily Murdoch ever since.

2. Becky Albertalli (Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda)
I haven't heard of a single person that hasn't fallen in love with this book. I can't help but smile when I think of this book. It was adorable. I can't wait to see what Becky gives us next!

3. David Arnold (Mosquitoland)
Ummm OBSESSED doesn't even begin to cover how I feel about this book. It had me laughing out loud one moment and deep in thought the next. It was one of the most unique and enjoyable books I've ever had the pleasure of reading so yeah, I'm just a little excited for David's next book.

4. Moïra Fowley-Doyle (The Accident Season)
The Accident Season was a book that completely took me by surprise. I could not put it down. Moira had me so curious to the point I thought I was going to explode. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

5. Nicola Yoon (Everything Everything)
I freaking LOVED this book. It was so cute and had me laughing so much and I just shipped Maddy and Olly so hard. I also can't get enough of illustrations in books. Basically I want another collaboration between her and her husband BAD.

Ashley's Top Five

1. Becky Wallace (The Storyspinner)
I LOVED this new fantasy series! The world building was great, there were so many characters, and just an awesome plot. I cannot wait to read book two.

2. Melissa Grey (The Girl at Midnight)
YES. I was a little behind in getting to this one but once I finally read it, I was so glad I did. I love the fun and unique cast of characters.

3. Elizabeth May (The Falconer)
A steampunk book set in Scotland with fairies, yes please. I feel like I have been waiting forever for the next book.

4. Cristin Terrill (All Our Yesterdays)
I love her first time-traveling book. I was sad to hear her sequel was not going to happen but have no doubt the next series will be awesome.

5. Mackenzie Lee (This Monstrous Thing)
While this book was a bit slow, I still enjoyed that darker, steampunk aspects and have high hopes for her sophomore novel.

What are your top ten?

Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas

Title: Ash & Bramble
Author: Sarah Prineas
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: September 15th 2015
Source:Copy provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review (Thanks HarperTeen)

Summary from Goodreads:

A prince.
A ball.
A glass slipper left behind at the stroke of midnight.
The tale is told and retold, twisted and tweaked, snipped and stretched, as it leads to happily ever after.
But it is not the true Story.
A dark fortress.
A past forgotten.
A life of servitude.

No one has ever broken free of the Godmother’s terrible stone prison until a girl named Pin attempts a breathless, daring escape. But she discovers that what seems to be freedom is a prison of another kind, one that entangles her in a story that leads to a prince, a kiss, and a clock striking midnight. To unravel herself from this new life, Pin must choose between a prince and another—the one who helped her before and who would give his life for her. Torn, the only thing for her to do is trade in the glass slipper for a sword and find her own destiny.

Review

Oh, what to say, what to say. Ash and Bramble has a beautiful cover with an interesting and unique twist on a classic fairy tale. Unfortunately it just was not a book for me. I immediately struggled with the word building, I felt like I was dropped right into a world that I just did not understand. The writing style did not help the lack of world building. The point of views change randomly, sometimes by chapter, sometimes within a chapter, something I could never really adapt to.

Aside from the story building and writing style, there was immediate insta-love. While sometimes I am okay with that because it does happen in fairy tales, this felt a bit forced. Then we are introduced to the dreaded love triangle, at that point I debated just not continuing but I was far to curious in how the story was going to end.

Not many aspects of this book worked for me except for the overall concept. The book has a unique take on a classic fairy tale with some cameos from other fairy tales. Ash & Bramble had a different and intriguing premise that kept me going through the entire book even though other aspects fell short. Ultimately, Ash & Bramble had high potential and came up a bit short.

October 2015 Recap

Nicole Read

Ashley Read

October Favorites

Nicole's Pick

Ashley's Pick

October Reviews

What's New With Nicole

October was a great month for me. It was my first full month in my new apartment and I spent most of my time exploring Philly, meeting new people and just having fun. And my grandmother celebrated her 86th birthday this much which is pretty much the greatest blessing. This also happens to be my favorite time of year so I am relishing in the changing of the leaves and the cooler weather. I obviously didn't read as much as I usually do but for all good reasons and I've started reading more older releases that I've been meaning to read which has been going well so far. I also have been catching up on all the shows I've neglected over the past couple years - New Girl, Criminal Minds, Brooklyn Nine Nine, The 100 and more. So basically, life has been good. It's taken me away from blogging a bit but I definitely feel more balanced and happy so it is what it is! I can't wait to see what's in store for November.

What's New With Ashley

October was a very fall month! I admit, I love all fall things :) This month we went to a pumpkin patch and apple picking. We made delicious hot apple cider drinks and ran in a Halloween 5k. We also took a trip to Wisconsin and saw a Green Bay Packers game, Justin's favorite team! It was awesome being in such a packed stadium. I finished up my Halloween costume with just an hour to spare before Halloween night, it was a bit rough in parts but it worked and we pulled of Maid Marian and Robin Hood. I just finished my the first quarter of my grade school program so that is such a nice relief and to further enjoy my time off before next quarter, the family and I are off to Ireland!

Stacking The Shelves (148) - October 31

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews - features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

Upcoming Reads

Exposed (Captive #2)by Brighton Walsh
The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen
by Katherine Howe

What books are stacking your shelves??

This Ordinary Life by Jennifer Walkup

Title: This Ordinary Life
Author: Jennifer Walkup
Publisher: Luminis Books, Inc.
Release Date: October 1, 2015

Summary from Goodreads:

Sometimes Hope is the Most Extraordinary Gift of All.

High-school radio host Jasmine Torres's life is full of family dysfunction, but if she can score the internship of her dreams with a New York City radio station, she knows she can turn things around.

That is, until her brother Danny’s latest seizure forces her to miss the interview, and she’s back to the endless loop of missing school for his doctor appointments, picking up the pieces of her mother’s booze-soaked life, and stressing about Danny’s future.

Then she meets Wes. He’s the perfect combination of smart, cute, and funny. He also happens to have epilepsy like her brother. Wes is living a normal life despite his medical issues, which gives Jasmine hope for Danny. But memories of her cheating ex-boyfriend keep her from going on a real date with Wes, no matter how many times he asks her.

Jasmine can’t control everything. Not who wins the internship, not her mother’s addiction, not her brother’s health--not even where her heart will lead her. She wishes she could just have an ordinary life, but maybe what she already has is pretty extraordinary after all.

Review

This Ordinary Life was just the book I was in the mood to read - not too serious yet not too light with a cute romance and lots of personality.

I was touched by how Jasmine took care of her brother Danny who suffered from epilepsy. And I applauded how well Jennifer Walkup educated readers on this type of condition. She didn't skirt around any harsh truths but at the same time, kept from diving in too deep. I can't say I've read too many books where not one, but two, main characters suffered from epilepsy and I love when books teach me something.

I also loved that Jasmine had a huge passion for radio and I was 100% behind her as she tried to pursue her dream internship despite the challenges her home life presented. It's fun watching an MC succeed at something he/she works hard for. Jasmine's dedication, positive attitude, and willingness to fight are just a few examples of why she is such an admirable and inspiring character to readers of all ages.

And I absolutely adored Wes, the love interest, who was sincere, funny, thoughtful, kind and all things good in this world. His attempt at courting Jasmine put smile on my face and kept it there throughout the book. I especially respected the maturity with which Jasmine approached the Wes situation. She had just come out of a long term relationship, quite disastrously, and didn't want to move on to something else too soon. But what I respected even more was her honesty with herself when she questioned whether or not she had the strength and courage to love another person with epilepsy. But these two were too perfect together to not be together...

This Ordinary Life was a quick read, which I think kept it from getting too heavy despite having a couple of more serious themes. The playful interactions with Wes and Jasmine's passion for radio also helped bring the mood up. Like I said, it was just the blend of feelings I was looking for and definitely a memorable experience. I easily recommend this one.

Beastly Bones by William Ritter

Title: Beastly Bones
Author: William Ritter
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Release Date: September 22nd 2015
Source:ARC from BEA 2015

Summary from Goodreads:

“I’ve found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I’ve known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality.”

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer R. F. Jackaby are called upon to investigate the supernatural.

First, a vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered with a single mysterious puncture wound. Then in nearby Gad’s Valley, now home to the exiled New Fiddleham police detective Charlie Cane, dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

Review

Fans of Jackaby will not be disappointed, Beastly Bones brings new adventures, eccentric characters, crazy phenomena, and witty conversation. Jackaby's wild and unfiltered personality shines through the whole book. His lack of social awareness and overall lack of politeness had me laughing out loud. His eccentric personality is perfectly complimented by Ms. Rook's over thinking but strong personality. The character dynamics are one of my favorite aspects of the story.

The mystery afoot is a magical and supernatural one as expected and had me surprised until the very end. The plot was full of action and adventure, never really slowing down in this quick read. There are a good number of characters introduced in this book, so make sure to pay attention, I did have to flip back a couple of times to ensure I had my characters straight. Charlie, a character from book 1, does make a great addition to the cast of characters and I hope to see more from him in the future. (Hopefully there is a book 3!) The reader even gets just a hint of romance!

Similar to Jackaby, Beastly Bones has a serious Sherlock feel to it but nonetheless is a fantastic read! It is a light-hearted fun mystery suitable for anyone wanting to laugh out loud while joining a detective and his assistance take on the unimaginable.