Some Books Ago: Tempest by Julie Cross

Some Books Ago is a shout out to all those books published some years ago. I don't want you to forget them!

I've always thought it's never too late to read "old books" so, I still have Tempest on my TBR. I love the twist in the time travel plot, I've never read a book like this. And I really, really love the cover. 
Have you read this book? My friends loved it back then, but I never had time to read reviews, so I'm not sure if it's as amazing as it seems.

It was published on January 17th 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he's in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it's not like the movies — nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there's no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors — it's just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he's stuck in 2007 and can't get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it's not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these "Enemies of Time" will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he's willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

 

 

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You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour & David Levithan

You Know Me Well

by Nina LaCour and David Levithan

Source: bought

My Rating: 4 stars

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Summary:

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really? 

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is, until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other—and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour and David Levithan, You Know Me Well is a story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time.

****

I ADORE David Lavithan! I still need to read some of his books, but when I heard about You Know Me Well, I knew I had to read it SOON. This is my first book by Nina LaCour, but I've wanted to read Everything Leads To You for a long time now, and this book was the perfect place to start. 

I only read one review of this book before I started to read it (waves Jen!), so I knew this wasn't a romantic or heartbreaking book, but a story about a lovely friendship. And hell if I didn't love that friendship!  Mark and Kate are such a great couple of main characters. 

I'm not going to lie, Kate got on my nerves so many times that I was starting to dislike her. I hated how she was always escaping of happiness. But as her character grew and her reasons became clearer I couldn't help but relate to her. Her fear was so real!

And then there’s Mark... in love with his best friend. Of course he's David Levithan's creation.

The sadness, the angst. The torturous love. I freaking loved this guy!

This book wasn’t too long and everything happens within a week, I think? It was fast paced and light. A perfect and cute read. And if you already know these authors, then you can expect a good writing and perfectly likable characters.

I did enjoy You Know Me Well a lot! Four stars because really, well, I didn’t love Kate all the time. 

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Author Spotlight: E. Katherine Kottaras & Her Favorite Myth.

Hello you all!

Today I have the honor to have author E. Katherine Kottaras and her fantastic books here on the blog! And not only that... since I love myths and legends, I had the chance to ask her what her favorite myth was. And guess what? It's a great one.

Please check it out below, and if you still haven't read any of her books, what are you waiting for?

The Author 

E. Katherine Kottaras is originally from Chicago, but now she writes and teaches in the Los Angeles area. She holds an M.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine and teaches writing and literature at Pasadena City College.

She is the author of the YA contemporary novel, HOW TO BE BRAVE (2015) and the forthcoming THE BEST POSSIBLE ANSWER (2016), both from St. Martin’s Press/Griffin Teen.

Follow her: Website/ Twitter/ GoodReads

Katherine's Favorite Myth

My father was an ancient Greek. At least that’s what I told Mrs. Schlagger, my first-grade teacher. I told her that he a hero who was thousands of years old and descended from Zeus and Artemis and Demeter. She laughed when I said it, but I didn’t understand why. 

It was all true, every word. I knew it was true because every night he read to me from D’Aulaires Book of Greek Myths and told me that these were our stories. I curled into his shoulder as he read about my history, our history.

The truth was that he was near sixty with wrinkled skin and gray hair. When we were out, strangers asked him how old his granddaughter was. He had to explain that I was his daughter, and they always gave him a funny look.

The truth was also that we were descended from the ancients. I had visited my father’s village in Greece. It was nestled in the Artemisian Mountains and held an original Temple to Demeter underneath its church. The tale of Demeter and Persephone was my favorite. I didn’t know what a pomegranate looked like, but I knew, firsthand, where these goddesses lived. They were my ancestors.

The truth was also that my father was a hero.

He had fought the Nazis in World War II.

He had emigrated to the U.S. without knowing a word of English.

Later in his life, when I was four years old, he had fought cancer and won.

Then later, a violent and random mugging, subsequent heart issues, a struggling business, and more.

He taught me to be proud and brave and strong, to keep moving forward, no matter the foe.

Her Books

How To Be Brave 

 GoodReads/ Amazon/ B&N/ TBD

An emotional contemporary YA novel about love, loss, and having the courage to chase the life you truly want.

Reeling from her mother's death, Georgia has a choice: become lost in her own pain, or enjoy life right now, while she still can. She decides to start really living for the first time and makes a list of fifteen ways to be brave - all the things she's wanted to do but never had the courage to try. As she begins doing the things she's always been afraid to do - including pursuing her secret crush, she discovers that life doesn't always go according to plan. Sometimes friendships fall apart and love breaks your heart. But once in a while, the right person shows up just when you need them most - and you learn that you're stronger and braver than you ever imagined.

The Best Possible Answer 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ B&N/ TBD

AP Exams – check
SAT test – check
College Application – check
Date the wrong guy and ruin everything you’ve spent your whole life working for– check

Ultra-high-achiever Viviana Rabinovich-Lowe has always had a plan—and no room to be anything less than perfect. But her quest for perfection comes toa screeching halt when her boyfriend leaks racy pictures of her to the entire school. Making matters worse, her parents are getting divorced and now her perfect family is falling apart. For the first time, Viv feels like a complete and utter failure.

Then she gets a job working at the community pool, where she meets a new group of friends who know nothing about her past. That includes Evan, a gorgeous guy who makes her want to do something she never thought she’d do again: trust. For the first time in her life, Viv realizes she can finally be whoever she wants. But who is that? While she tries to figure it out, she learns something they never covered in her AP courses: that it’s okay to be less than perfect, because it’s our imperfections that make us who we are.

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Waiting on Wednesday: You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine

 What I'm waiting for...

 

GoodReads/ Amazon/ TBD

Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?

Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.

That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.

When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other -- and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour, the award-winning author of Hold Still and The Disenchantments, and David Levithan, the best-selling author of Every Day and co-author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (with Rachel Cohn) and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with John Green), You Know Me Well is a deeply honest story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time.

***

Why am I waiting on this book? Because I ADORE David Levithan's writing! I've read many of his books and I'm still in awe everytime he writes something new. This book sounds great. I'm dying to read it!

What about you?

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