Want Books: Going Vintage

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I saw Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt in several posts for Top Ten Tuesday’s topic for this week: light and fun reads. I looked up the premise and it does seem like a contemporary YA novel that I’d enjoy reading. Plus, I really like the UK edition pictured below – the old school feel of the picture goes with the title and premise.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Mallory loves her boyfriend, Jeremy. Or at least likes him more than she’s ever liked any other boy. She’s sure he feels the same way. Until she happens upon his online Authentic Life game and discovers he’s cheating on her …online Mallory’s life is falling apart and technology is the cause. And then she finds a list, written by her grandma when she was Mallory’s age. All her grandma had to worry about was sewing dresses and planning dinner parties. Things were so much simpler in the 1960s. And there’s nothing on the list that Mallory couldn’t do herself. Maybe it’s time for Mallory to go vintage and find the answers to her modern-day problems.

I’m really curious how Mallory will go about giving up technology in her life. It’s funny because as much as I love social media and the convenience of technology, I still appreciate certain things that can be considered vintage nowadays, such as postcards and film cameras.

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Is there a particular title that has caught your eye recently?

Want Books: Paper Chains and Free-Falling

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

Here I go again featuring Aussie books that aren’t readily available where I’m based. I’ve seen rave reviews from Aussie book bloggers about Nicola Moriarty’s books so I’ve been curious ever since I found out about them. It’s a little frustrating that these books are only available in Australia or online through Fishpond (which I still haven’t tried because I’ve heard that the customer service isn’t that great). I have a feeling that if I ever visit the land down under, I’d probably go bankrupt buying books. I’ve read books written by Nicola’s sisters, Liane and Jaclyn so I’m really interested in trying another Moriarty author. These women’s parents must have given them writer vitamins or something while they were growing up. How awesome is it to have three published authors in the family?

Here’s the summary of Paper Chains from Goodreads:

Hannah and India are new best friends. Although true friendship means always telling each other the truth, doesn’t it…?

Hannah, you see, is running from her life back in Sydney. Now in London, she’s trying to put the past behind her, and finding this amazing new friend is a positive step forward. If only she could stop punishing herself for what she did.

India knows Hannah is hiding something big, and she’s determined to figure it out. Fast.

Because India has a secret of her own… One that is currently sealed in a love letter that’s making its journey across Europe in the most unconventional way.

Before it reaches its destination, can India help Hannah learn to forgive herself? And will Hannah wake up and realise that India needs rescuing too…?

Here’s the summary of Free-Falling from Goodreads:

Belinda’s life is in free-fall after the sudden death of her fiancé Andy. But then ghostly signs begin to appear which suggest he might not really be gone. And Belinda begins to tumble even further – until she finds his final parting gift. But will it be enough to save her?

Evelyn McGavin, Andy’s mum, is also struggling in her bereavement. She copes with her sorrow by shoplifting (once), hating Belinda (constantly) and jumping out of a plane. In her skydiving instructor, Baz, she finds an unexpected friend. But why is he so agitated when he hears how Andy died?

Two women, united in their loss, separated by their sorrow. And yet still linked in a most unexpected way…

If you’ve been lucky enough to read these two books, please feel free to let me know what you thought of them. How about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: Blame it on Paris

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

The other day, I featured the two Laura Florand books that I have on a Shoot That Book post. I’ve finished reading The Chocolate Thief since then and I just started on The Chocolate Kiss. I now want ALL of Laura Florand’s other novels and novellas. This is the second week that I’ve talked about wanting the rest of an author’s back list after enjoying one of her books. I dropped by two bookstores yesterday because they were having sales but unfortunately, this wasn’t available. I didn’t end up getting anything because the books were still expensive even with discounts.

Here’s the summary of Blame it on Paris from Goodreads:

Laura has spent most of her adult life avoiding serious relationships, flitting around the world, and keeping her romantic expectations comfortably low. The last thing she wants is to have her globe-trotting ways curtailed by a messy emotional entanglement. As far as she’s concerned, chocolate is just as satisfying as true love–and a lot less complicated.

So how, in the name of all that is romantic, has she managed to get involved with a dangerously charming Frenchman named Sébastien? And only weeks before she’s scheduled to leave Paris for good?
Everyone knows that Frenchmen are chain-smoking, manic-depressive, faithless, male chauvinistic, perfectionist snobs. What’s worse, they live in France.

The cultural differences alone are enough to kill any relationship, even if Laura wanted one. She’s from small-town Georgia. He’s a sophisticated Parisian. They go together like grits and escargot.

But Sébastien isn’t just any Frenchman. He’s a gorgeous, sweet, sexy, graphic artist who seems to find Laura adorable for reasons she can’t begin to comprehend. As the days slip by, she’s finding it harder and harder to say adieu.
Unless she comes to her senses soon, she could end up ruining her life with a beautiful romance…

I’m also interested in Laura Florand’s novella, Turning Up the Heat:

And I also want the Kiss the Bride anthology just because Laura has a novella in it:

I hope I find the time to write down a review for The Chocolate Thief soon. What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: Peaches

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I just finished reading the YAckers book for this month, Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson. It’s such a lovely novel and I’m looking forward to YAcking it. Anyway, I enjoyed my first taste of Jodi Lynn Anderson’s writing so much that I now want to read her other books. Peaches is a contemporary YA novel and the first in a trilogy. The next time I visit the library, I’ll look for a copy of this.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Peaches combines three unforgettable heroines who have nothing in common but the troubles that have gotten them sentenced to a summer of peach picking at a Georgia orchard.

Leeda is a debutante dating wrong-side-of-the-tracks Rex.

Murphy, the wildest girl in Bridgewater, likes whichever side Rex is on.

Birdie is a dreamer whose passion for Girl Scout cookies is matched only by her love for a boy named Enrico.

I checked in Goodreads and I didn’t see any reviews about this book from my blog friends so I would be grateful if you’ve read this and you could let me know what you think of it. I’m hoping it will be just as good as Tiger Lily. What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist? Do you become curious about an author’s other novels when you finish one of his or her books and you end up liking it?

Want Books: A Corner of White

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I enjoyed reading Jaclyn Moriarty’s epistolary young adult novels so I was immediately curious when I first heard about her latest novel, A Corner of White. It has such an intriguing premise, it looks like fantasy mixed with contemporary because it’s set in two worlds. It reminds me a little of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, which is one of my favorite fantasy trilogies. I believe A Corner of White was released in Australia late last year (lucky Aussies) but I haven’t been able to find a way to get it. I think a US edition will be released in April so it might be easier for me to grab a copy then.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Madeleine Tully lives in Cambridge, England, the World – a city of spires, Isaac Newton and Auntie’s Tea Shop.

Elliot Baranski lives in Bonfire, the Farms, the Kingdom of Cello – where seasons roam, the Butterfly Child sleeps in a glass jar, and bells warn of attacks from dangerous Colours.

They are worlds apart – until a crack opens up between them; a corner of white – the slim seam of a letter.

A mesmerising story of two worlds; the cracks between them, the science that binds them and the colours that infuse them.

Looks interesting, right? What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: Out of the Easy

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

Three fellow YAckers recently reviewed Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys: Holly, Heidi and Melissa. It looks like this is a book that I should read sooner rather than later. I’ve seen rave reviews for Ruta Sepetys’ Between Shades of Gray but I’ve put it off for now because I feel like I have to prepare myself before I could read novels set during times of war. Out of the Easy looks like it’s also an emotionally heavy historical fiction but I feel like it would be easier to get into than Between Shades of Gray. I was thinking it would be a good idea to get introduced to Ruta Sepetys through this book. It was just released on the 12th so it’s not yet available in bookstores or the library over here.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

What about you, what book is at the top of your wishlist?

Want Books: The Reece Malcolm List

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I’ve been in the mood for good contemporary YA recently and I’ve been hearing good things about The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding on Twitter. I haven’t seen a lot of reviews about it but I’m really curious just based on those tweets and the premise. If I had a copy of this now, I’d start reading it tonight. Unfortunately, I checked the library catalogue and it doesn’t look like they’ll be ordering copies of this one. It was only released a few days ago so probably still not available in bookstores here. Will try to look for a copy if I manage to drop by a bookstore this weekend.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Things I know about Reece Malcolm:

1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.
3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.
5. She’s my mother.

Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.

L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.

But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?

Looks interesting, right? Let me know what you think of this if you’ve had a chance to read it. And what book is at the top of your wishlist now?

Want Books: Eleanor and Park

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I first heard about Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell when I saw Holly review it over at the Book Harbinger. I’ve been curious about the book ever since, especially since another blogger friend loved it. I’m currently in the middle of Rainbow Rowell’s other novel, Attachments, and I’m really enjoying it so far – that’s another reason why I want to get a copy of this book. I saw Eleanor and Park in the bookstore the other day but at SGD29, I felt like the large paperback edition was just too expensive. I’ll probably wait for the more affordable edition to become available here or maybe I can pre-order it from the Book Depository. Also, I’m usually not picky about these kinds of things but the Orion edition will nicely match my copy of Attachments.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, Eleanor and Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

What about you, what book is in your wishlist? Hope you’re all having a lovely reading weekend.

Want Books: My Most Excellent Year

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

I’ve been wanting to read My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger ever since I saw this glowing review from my friend Maggie of Young Adult Anonymous. I then found out that another friend, Flannery of The Readventurer, also loved the book. Even though I’m not familiar with Boston or Fenway Park, I’m always up for good contemporary novels so I checked if the library has copies of this. Unfortunately, it’s not available in the branch that I go to. I also checked the bookstore but they don’t have it either. Maybe I can grab a copy when I go home, bookstores in Manila have better stocks than the ones here.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Best friends and unofficial brothers since they were six, ninth-graders T.C. and Augie have got the world figured out. But that all changes when both friends fall in love for the first time. Enter Alé. She’s pretty, sassy, and on her way to Harvard. T.C. falls hard, but Alé is playing hard to get. Meanwhile, Augie realizes that he’s got a crush on a boy. It’s not so clear to him, but to his family and friends, it’s totally obvious! Told in alternating perspectives, this is the hilarious and touching story of their most excellent year, where these three friends discover love, themselves, and how a little magic and Mary Poppins can go a long way.

What about you, what book is in your wishlist?

Want Books: Days of Blood and Starlight

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted here at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now. Everyone is free to join, just grab the image above. Leave a comment with a link to your post so I can do a roundup with each post.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone was one of my favorite reads last year. I fell in love with Laini Taylor’s lyrical writing and immediately wanted more. The sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight, is one of my most anticipated novels this year. Its release date is November 6 but unfortunately, the book still isn’t available in bookstores or even the library here in Singapore. Sigh, maybe I should have pre-ordered the book so I wouldn’t have this problem right now.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

Art student and monster’s apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

Are you looking forward to reading this as well? I know several bloggers have finished reading this but I’m trying not to read reviews because I have a feeling I’ll just feel worse that I still don’t have a copy.