Books to Tangle With

You go in to every summer thinking THIS SUMMER I WILL READ ALL THE BOOKS. And you don't, especially when you are an editor. You, in fact, read all the manuscripts over and over again. Not that's it's bad, but when you *actually* get to read a "real book" (This is editor talk for a published book that I did not have to edit!) you savor every second. Though I only got tangled with a few "real" books, they were incredible!!!

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry       

Debut author, Katie McGarry, hit the market with  Pushing the Limits--a book that I was beyond excited for at BEA. And man, oh man, did it hit every mark.  Not only is the writing incredible, the characters are the BEST example of character development and the story is emotional in all the best ways.

I've made all my authors read this book because Katie crafted it beautifully. If you follow me on twitter, I push this book a lot. I think every person (writers especially) should read it. It's phenomenal. I don't really know what else to say about it except: GO READ IT. Like, now...

I feel like I can't say anything about that will do it justice. I will say that the jacket copy doesn't serve it well, because the story is so much more powerful and amazing than it sounds. How about this: I leave you a link to Amazon where you can buy it for yourself. :) You can also read all the amazing reviews, because the book bloggers say it better than I can. Trust me. It's THAT good. I'm not usually speechless about a book.

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

This is a book about a girl, Sloane, who planned to commit suicide the day the zombie apocalypse starts. Now, she has to decide if her life is worth fighting for. And man, it's a crazy ride. As always, Courtney Summers gave us this incredible, heart-wrenching backdrop of a contemporary world (one that I think she builds better than most) and then she throws in zombies. There's nothing not to love about this book.

You should read ALL of her books. The way she can make words dance is unparalleled.

*click here for amazon. You know you want to.*

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson      

A Peter Pan re-telling, but it's told from Tinkerbell's POV. It's a really unique re-telling, since the narrator isn't actively involved in the story. But, as a fan of fairy tales, I took a stab at it. The writing is beautiful, and Anderson breaks some of the basic rules of story telling, including show vs. tell. This has more telling,  since the narrator is not the MC, but I felt she handled it well. I loved the story, even though I'm still not 100% sold on the ending.

Also, that cover is gorgeous.

It's the reason we picked it up, and it was worth it.

*stares at cover on Amazon*

Freefall by Mindi Scott

I've had this in my TBR pile for a while now, and since I'm tackling that male voice,  I thought I'd pick it up.

Am I glad I did or what?!?

This story was captivating. The male POV carried the story in a real yet heartbreaking way. I never questioned anything, and it was fast-paced and believable. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I love when a book can do that to me!

I miss these characters. Seriously. I would read more about them, so you should meet them. (I just so happen to have a link!)

Everyday by David Levithan

"Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl."

(See! you're intrigued already aren't you? Yup. That tag line did me in too.)

Okay, something you should know: I read this book in three hours. I got home from BEA and looked at the three books I kept with me. This one kept calling to me, and it really set a high bar for the summer books.

THIS BOOK.

First, A is neither a boy or a girl, which is awesome. A just sort of is. A has a new body every day, and when A falls in love with Rhiannon, A will do anything to see her again.

Every Day is a fantastic, fantastic book. The love story is so unique, that you need to read it. It's powerful and different and beautiful. I read it June and I can still remember all the details--and more, the way I felt about all those details. It ruined me, in all the best ways.

It comes out on August 28, and you can pre-order it. Just don't miss it. Don't.



What have you read this summer?? Anything I should pick up that I may have missed?