Exploring My TBR (3)

This is one of my favourite features and it seems to be well received, so I'll be doing two of these posts a month. Enjoy!

How it works

I'll post 5 books from my TBR list on Goodreads, and why they're there. I'll also link to Goodreads so you can add them to your TBR too.  This feature is meant to highlight interesting sounding, but not really current reads. (Btw, I realized this is kind of like The Story Siren's Books To Pine For... but some of these titles are already released, and I'm writing my own synopsis.) This time we're wandering in to the realm of books not published yet. 

1. Hidden (House of Night #10) by P.C. and Kristin Cast

I've been reading this series for what seems like forever. (Maybe three years?) I'm dying to know by now how it ends. I've read 9 books that have heaped on more and more drama, and right now I have absolutely no idea what happens next. But I want to know! I love the mythology in the series. I love the House of Nights and the Guardians, and the magic. And now I want to start seeing the series start to wrap up. 

2. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

I thought 13 Little Blue Envelopes was a lot of fun. Travelling the world, gaining new experiences and unraveling a mystery. Seems like this book features even more travelling and fun! Plus now we know the characters a little bit better so more time will be spent on plot than introducing the characters. I don't know why I haven't read this book yet, but I hope I'll make the time. 

3. A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford 

 I see this book everywhere. Seriously. At the library, the bookstore, in someone else's hands, in some blog. I don't know why I still haven't read it though. it was an early 2011 debut- right around when I started blogging and it's paranormal and features Fallen angels and some big (epic, I hope) battle between heaven and hell. What's not to like? I'm a huge fan of the paranormal and this is a title I really want to read. 

4. Entangled by Cat Clarke 

It's the cover that did it. Yes, you see I adore high contrast and one of my favourite colours is red. So this cover is really appealing to me because I just love the colours. The book itself also sounds very cool. Grace wakes up in a white room all alone and with no recollection of how she got there. She has pens and paper to try to remember everything, and it she remembers some stuff but worries she forgot about something very important. I generally really like these kind of books where characters search for truth and the concept of this book very easily piques by interest. Definitely a must read. 

5. The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker 

Funny coincidence: The Liar Society also features a Grace, but this time she's dead and it's up to Kate to work through the secrets at her boarding school and prove that Grace's death was no accident. Murder mystery! Woohoo! I remember for a time all of YA was about boarding schools, but that trends seemed to have faded (Booo! I liked it!). Anyway, I've seen some pretty cool trailers for this book and it sounds really fun. I don't know why I haven't read this book yet. Looks like a gem. :)

So, that's it for this week. Let me know your thoughts on any of the books here, or on any recs you may have. Have a great Friday! 

Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Author: Maureen Johnson
Pages: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library
Challenge: Ultimate Reviewer's Challenge
Synopsis: When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.

Buy the Book (Amazon) 

Ginny has the coolest Aunt Peg who is artistic, fun, and makes Ginny feel interesting. Then Aunt Peg dies and leave Ginny 13 Little Blue Envelopes filled with instructions, advice, and information about her last days.

The first thing that hooked me was the premise. I'm totally an amazing race kinda girl. Having to do tasks before opening an envelope is my kind of thing so I was already excited to read this book. Maureen Johnson made the envelopes fit in with the story. They were not all of the story, but just one part of it. Ginny had many adventures on her own.

Ginny herself is an okay character. She's nice, normal, not super hormone crazed, wishes she were more interesting, has a best friend named Miriam, etc. I still feel like she's not distinct enough for me. I feel like I haven't seen even half of Ginny which isn't something very good.

Not to say Maureen can't properly characterize characters because she can. Aunt Peg was a wonderful example of that. At first she was perfect, since Ginny pretty much idolized her but as the story progressed, we saw her flaws. The best part is that she was a lovable character because of her flaws. She was complex, weird, crazy, and I loved reading about her.

There was some romance in the novel but I didn't think much of it. It wasn't a huge plot point and by the end of the story the characters hadn't decided to love each other for eternity. It felt like a real relationship and I appreciated that.

Overall, 13 Little Blue Envelopes is a nice, easy read. I could easily have read it as a standalone but since there seems to be a sequel, I'll check that out too. 3.5 stars,

*** & 1/2 *