Bethany Larson

Y’all! It is currently 53 degrees in New York!

53!!!!!

*happy dances* *prepares to bake many pumpkin-flavored things this weekend*

 Anyway, for this very cool Friday, Ginger at GReadsBooks has asked:

 Have you ever come across a book you were so stoked to read, but it failed miserably in your eyes?

Oh boy.

Well, the answer is very much yes. But, just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean that it isn’t someone else’s favorite book in the whole entire universe and they think it’s brilliant and awesome and perfect. So, keep that part in mind. And if I mention a book that you ADORE, feel free to berate me and/or defend the book in comments. 🙂

Die for Me by Amy Plum 
This book was very meh for me. I didn’t love the main character OR her love interest and was far more interested in the supporting characters. However, if you are a Francophile, read this book for Plum’s scene setting skills.But only do it if you have enough money to buy a spur-of-the-moment flight to Paris.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike
This is the book that taught me faeries are NOT my thing.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
If you ever want to hear/see me lose my ever-loving mind, ask me about James Frey. That being said, I read this book ANYWAY because my curiosity got the best of me. And while the story is compelling, I felt that there was far too much filler and that the story could have been cut down about a hundred pages or so.

The last four Pretty Little Liars books by Sara Shepard
WHYYYYY did they contract for eight books?! WHY?! They should have done it in six. Because there were definitely two whole books where all I could think was “I really don’t care about any of this, just tell me WHO THE EFF A IS!!!!!” And now Shepard’s writing four more. I really have no idea what they will be about. But TWELVE books is about six too many for a series. SRSLY.

The Carrie Diaries by Candance Bushnell
Like every other woman on the planet, I adored Sex and the City the TV series. And I really like Candace Bushnell’s writing. So when I heard about the YA prequels Bushnell was writing, I FREAKED OUT. Because that was the part of the story I’d always wanted—how did these four very different women meet and become friends? But the first book was all about Carrie in high school and for the most part is was really really really REALLY boring. But it ended well. So I’m kind of curious to pick up the second book.

All right, those are the books I’m going to rag on. I hope everyone has plans to have a lovely lovely weekend! And if you’re going to be at Brooklyn Book Festival on Sunday, let me know on the Twitters! @bethanyelarson

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

p. 12: Well, damn. That’s ONE WAY to set the tone.

p. 19: They apparently live in a town called Ascension, which means that all I’ll think about during this book is Buffy Season 3.

p. 21: “Some days she was able to appreciate her dancer’s build, but tonight she just wished she owned a padded bra.” I feel you, lady. Except I’m short as well as flat-chested. *grumble*

p. 32: I’m sort of digging that the football quarterback is a poor kid who lives in a trailer and is really self-conscious of that fact. Kind of like Mary Jane from Spider-Man. Except, male.

p. 48: Oh. The plot of this just got all Sometimes It Happens.

Okay, so it makes sense that the three gorgeous, weather-proof girls are the Furies. (Ty, Meg, Ali are short for the Furies’ names I do believe.) And . . .  they need to claim a body since Sasha cheated death? I think that’s my theory for now.

OMG. So I got curious and looked up the Furies as a refresher in Greek mythology, and it turns out that Ty is the Fury of “avenging murder.” *ooooh*

p. 97: Twizzler-straws!! I do that too! 🙂

p. 101: Ugh. I think I hate Zach. The whole scene with the fireplace and the expensive wine makes me want to smack him. He thinks he’s SOOOOO slick. Well. He is just not. If he were real, he’d be the kind of person who peaks in high school.

Ok, so the three girls are DEF the Furies. Does that make the underground club Hades?

p. 124: What the hell?

I really, really like J.D. He reminds me a little of Lucas in Pretty Little Liars.

Chase is an idiot. Really? You’re gonna let the Fury chick get you all naked and take pics of you after you JUST had a mean-spirited pic circulated about you to your entire school? Guys are dumb.

Although. Em hasn’t been the brightest crayon in the box either.

I love J.D.

But, as much as I’m annoyed with Em, this is such a good depiction of the emotions girls feel when they’re attracted to someone, especially someone they have such a crush on that they’re blind to the bigger picture.

p. 170: “Was this how love was? Complicated, sad, messy?”

I sort of like how dumb teenage girls seem in this book. Because if I’m being honest, I was a SUPER DUMB teenage girl when it came to boys. Hell, I’m still super dumb when it comes to guys.

p. 178: Oh GOOD. I hope Chase and Zach get into a fight. Zach needs to get the shit kicked out of him.

YES.

p. 185: Oh, I really really hope Emily takes this all to heart and gets the hell away from Zach.

Oh, good. You tell him Em.

I kind of feel bad for Chase. He’s a bit of a douche, but I don’t think he actually is. I think he’s probs a really, really good guy.

p. 214: Oh shit. Which one is Ali? *Googles* Alecto = castigates moral crimes against others (anger is the example given.) [for reference, Megara causes envy/jealous and punishes infidelity.] HMMM.

p. 218: Oh shit.

p. 219: Oh. Well, at least the Furies are helpful sometimes.

Ok, so what the hell do the orchids have to do with the Furies? Is this a Beauty and the Beast kind of sitch? And where did the Hades/club place go? I thought that was going to be, like, a place.

p. 226: I sort of want Chase and Em to end up together. Even though I like J.D. so dang much.

ALSO. I think this book needs more Drea. I feel like maybe she KNOWS THINGS.

p. 229: Oh there’s Drea!! I have good timing. 🙂

p. 233: Aaaaaand Meg strikes. Dayum.

But WHY are the Furies in Ascension? It surely has to do with Sasha, right?

p. 237: UGH. Boys are dumb.

p. 247: Oh God. Meg is in the car with Em.

Well that wasn’t so bad.

p. 250: Oh. No.

OMG. What the hell Chase?

Ok, so NOW I get why Ty was targeting him . . .  but Sasha isn’t dead, right?

p. 258: OMG! Well. Shit.

…Chase’s poor mom…

p. 263: Go Detective Em, go!

p. 270: Finally!! Now let’s go see Sasha!

Also: Want more J.D.

p. 276: THE SNAKE PIN! Now that I think about it, there are lots of pins worn in this book. Sasha & Drea have the snake pins and Gabby has the rhinestone heart pin . . . I smell a motif.

p. 281: Hey there Drea. I don’t know if I trust you.

WHAT WHAT WHAT. Is it Drea who is the key to all this and not Sasha?!

Drea knows what’s up!!! Huzzah!

p. 290: “J.D. looked blinsided “Where are you going?” “I”m going home,” she spat out. “I’m going home. At least my pillows aren’t condescending.” Burn.

p. 307: Oh God. Is Drea’s house the same one  Ty and Chase were in?

So, Drea seems awesome. I just want to know WHY she has randomly collected stories about the Furies from all over the world.

p. 317: Oh, right the pep rally! I bet shit goes DOWN.

I. LOVE. J.D. And I’m glad Em does too.

p. 320: Oh, bloody hell.

p. 331: Oh FUCK.

p. 337: God. Is she gonna try to bargain with the Furies?! Has she NEVER read Greek literature? You don’t bargain with mythological beings. It only ends BADLY. Perhaps this is an allegorical treatise on the decline of education in America due to illiteracy. (Probably not. But still.) Because I def read Greek literature in high school. And I dug it.

Oh good Lord.

Unless. Unless Em becomes a Fury. That would be kind of cool actually.

SUCH. A GOOD. ENDING. I needed that.

Title: Darker Still
Author: Leanna Renee Heiber
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 320
Release Date: November 1, 2011

The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

So, there’s this guy I went to college with.

His name is Ben Rector.

Ben is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter.

Now, I’m not saying this because we went to college together. I’m saying it because it’s THE TRUTH.

His stuff has been featured all over the place, including on an episode of Pretty Little Liars. (Yeah. What up now.)

Sooo, check him out.

So, now it’s time for me to shamelessly promote Mr. Rector.

His new album, Something Like This, is out TODAY.  You can preview it here. You can BUY it on iTunes or Amazon. (And you should.)  He is going on tour. You should GO if he is coming to your town, or somewhere near your town. He is also on the Twitters. You should FOLLOW him.

Ok! I think that is all for today. You may return to your other Tuesday things. *grins*

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Title: A Long, Long Sleep
Author: Anna Sheehan
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 352
Release Date: August 9, 2011
Format: ARC from publisher for review

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss.
Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire—is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat.
Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes — or be left without any future at all.—Goodreads


A futuristic take on the tale of Sleeping Beauty, A Long, Long Sleep imagines what would happen if a girl named Rose woke up in a world she no longer recognized, but one that recognized her.

While at the outset it seems like a “That’d be neat!” idea, Sheehan spins the story in the other direction. Instead of being excited she is in the future, Rose, who is the long-lost-and-assumed-dead daughter of the president of a ginormous corporation and will thus inherent the company and be a kajillionaire, is completely shell-shocked. She mourns for her parents and her boyfriend, Xavier, whom she lost when she woke up sixty-two years too late.

The results are devastating. Not only does Rose have to deal with the knowledge that she’s in a time that she was never supposed to see, she also has to learn about The Dark Times, when a plague ravaged the human population and killed almost everyone. And Rose is a delicate sort, so this REALLY rocks her. And if that weren’t enough, there is a robot trying to kill her.

But that’s not all Sheehan does. Oh no. Living in the future and being hunted by a seemingly indestructible robot weren’t enough for her. She deftly relates a story of abuse in a way that is subtle, haunting, and heart-wrenching all at the same time.

Though there are a lot of things happening in A Long, Long Sleep, it’s not a particularly quick  read. The story unfolds slowly and quietly, but is never boring. And Sheehan does a great job of creating  a world that feels foreign from our own, but is also similar enough that it doesn’t take a great deal of suspended belief to, well, believe in it.

Overall, A Long, Long Sleep is a lovely story about how one girl finds herself in the midst of a world she no longer recognizes. It’s not intensely funny or happy or snappy, but the prose are sumptuous and the story is compelling. It’ll definitely make you think twice before saying, “I just wish I could go to the future.”