Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Waiting On Wednesday [11]: Bennington Girls Are Easy By Charlotte Silver

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine - spotlighting books that haven't been released yet!

My Waiting on Wednesday this week is...
Bennington Girls Are Easy: A Novel By Charlotte Silver
Expected Release Date: July 14th 2015

Charlotte Silver dazzles with a ruefully funny coming-of-age novel that follows two recent Bennington grads who are determined to make it in the Big Apple.

Bennington College, founded in 1932 as a suitable refuge for the wayward daughters of good families, maintains its saucy reputation for attracting free spirits. There, acres outnumber students, the faculty is composed of fading hippie and clothing is largely optional. Or, as J. D. Salinger put it in Franny and Zooey: a Bennington-type “looked like she’d spent the whole train ride in the john, sculpting or painting or something, or as though she had a leotard on under her dress.”

Cassandra Puffin and Sylvie Furst met in high school but cement what they ardently believe will be everlasting friendship on Bennington’s idyllic Vermont campus. Graduation sees Sylvie moving to New York City, where, later on their twenties, Cassandra joins her. These early, delirious years are spent decorating their Fort Greene apartment with flea market gems, dating “artists”, and trying to figure out what they’re doing with their lives.

The girls are acutely and caustically observant of the unique rhythms of the city but tone deaf to their own imperfections, which eventually drives a wedge between them. Equal parts heartfelt and hilarious, Bennington Girls Are Easy is a novel about female friendships—how with one word from a confidante can lift you up or tear you down—and how difficult it is to balance someone else’s devastatingly funny lapses in judgment with your own professional and personal missteps.

(Synopsis Provided By Goodreads)

Despite having a questionable rating on Goodreads, I'm really looking forward to this book because it's got the old historical atmosphere/tradition that is grounded by the modern day working friendship of two girls who become adults. It's a reversal of some sorts; usually it's the setting that takes precedence.

Leave a link in the comments below to your own Waiting on Wednesday I'll make sure to stop by!

AS ALWAYS,
HAPPY READING!
-SHERRY

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Tuesday Thoughts & Talks [10]: Ethnicity & Nationality

This is a meme hosted HERE that asks us to present something we've learned or thought about after we finished reading a book to anyone out there - sparking a conversation amongst us!

What I Read to Spark the feels:
Stealing Buddha's Dinner By Bich Minh Nguyen

This weeks Tuesday Thoughts&Talks topic is...ethnicity! More specifically how do you FEEL about your ethnicity? I'm going to try to explain how I feel about my culture and ethnicity as I see it and by NO means is it the 'right' way of thinking about ethnicity, it is just my opinion. Sometimes it is an iffy topic for people to discuss. What can/can't you say about a race or culture you don't personally know? It will forever be an on-going debate in society but I think we're at a place in the 21st century that it's becoming more acceptable to TALK about topics like these.

I think it took me a while to understand the difference between ethnicity and nationality. To this day I often get it mixed up. I've encountered quite a few people who are quite offended when others get ethnicity and nationality mixed up but to them I say, we're only human we make mistakes sometimes. It's important however that we educate ourselves on the differences of these two. My ethnicity? Asian. My nationality? Canadian. I hope I got that right. My parents were born and raised for half their lives overseas in Vietnam, China, and for a little bit Hong Kong. I am technically first generation Canadian in my family. Growing up in a place like Toronto, which is known for its multiculturalism, I saw no real segregation or difference between all the various ethnicities. At home however, I knew from talking with my friends and observing over the years their lives, that my parents were definitely raised differently and therefore projected a very different parenting style on my siblings and I. Their traditional ceremonies and their set ways about approaching certain situations were drastically different from the North American lifestyle that was unfolding in Canada and what I was starting to lean towards following as I grew up. I think it is hard for first generation kids from immigrant parents to fully feel they 'fit' in. On one hand we have a family that will raise you a certain way and in-still a certain way of life for you from birth. On the other hand, the life you try to find for yourself as you grow up and explore the world in which you were placed, asks you to abandon what you know (your parents schools of thought). How does one choose between keeping their family's traditions and values versus finding your own 'life' for yourself? I don't have an answer for this but it is a constant thought I have from time to time that was brought to my attention after reading Stealing Buddha's Dinner. I recommend this read to anyone looking to explore that first generation POV!

Welp, I think I seemed to have rambled on a little this Tuesday Thoughts & Talks! What is your take on the topic this week?

Add a link to your response OR just leave a comment below on this week's Tuesday Thoughts&Talks about ethnicity!

If you want to participate in the Tuesday Thoughts & Talks, just grab the banner, post your own Tues.T&T on your blog & then leave a comment down below with a link to your post!

AS ALWAYS,
HAPPY READING!
-SHERRY

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Sunday Musings [11]: New Books & Canada Day Antics!

Two birds one stone - I stumbled upon The Sunday Post Meme hosted by the lovely Caffinated Book Reviewer & the Stacking The Shelves meme hosted by the awesome Tynga's Reviews! It is quite similar to what I'm doing here with my Sunday musings - recapping the week in book blogging universe as well as letting you guys know about what books I bought or received.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Friday, July 3, 2015

Review: Whiskey & Charlie By Annabel Smith

Title: Whiskey & Charlie
Author: Annabel Smith
Published Date: April 1st 2015

Whiskey & Charlie is a captivating debut novel of brothers who have drifted apart and the accident that will determine their future, by an unforgettable new voice exploring the struggles and strengths of the sibling bond.


Some twins communicate in a secret language all their own. For Whiskey and Charlie Ferns, the two-way alphabet (alpha, bravo, charlie, delta) whispered back and forth over their crackly walkie-talkies is the best they can do. But as the brothers grow up, they grow apart. Whiskey is everything Charlie is not-bold, daring, carefree-and Charlie blames his brother for always stealing the limelight, always striving ahead while seeming to push Charlie back. By the time the twins reach adulthood, they are barely even speaking to each other.

When Charlie hears that Whiskey has been in a terrible accident and has slipped into a coma, he is shocked...although perhaps not devastated. But as days and weeks slip by and the chances of Whiskey recovering grow ever more slim, Charlie is forced to look back on their lives and examine whether or not Whiskey's actions were truly as unforgivable as Charlie believed them to be.

(Synopsis Provided By Goodreads)

I don't even know where to begin with this review. Whiskey & Charlie was a story told with such emotion and heart. At every turn of the page I found myself thinking and feeling everything the characters did. I haven't teared up reading a book in a while now but Whiskey & Charlie brought me to tears! After reading the story I'm still not myself. It is a book that tells a story of someone else's life but will have you reflecting on your own in every way!

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Reflect Thursday: Shining Books of Waiting on Wednesday [9]

Do you ever feel after a day like Waiting on Wednesday your list of TBR grows significantly? I wanted to mention a few titles that really caught my eye this week on the blogosphere after browsing the wonderful Waiting on Wednesday lists!

1. Red Blooded By Caitlin Sinead
Expected Release: August 3rd 2015

Instead of eating ramen and meeting frat guys like most college freshmen, Peyton Arthur is on the campaign trail. Traveling with her mother, the Democratic pick for vice president, she’s ordering room service, sneaking glances at cute campaign intern Dylan and deflecting interview questions about the tragic loss of her father. But when a reporter questions her paternity, her world goes into a tailspin.

Dylan left Yale and joined the campaign to make a difference, not keep tabs on some girl. But with the paternity scandal blowing up and Peyton asking questions, he’s been tasked to watch her every move. As he gets to know the real Peyton, he finds it harder and harder to keep a professional distance.

When the media demands a story, Peyton and Dylan give them one—a fake relationship. As they work together to investigate the rumors about her real father and Peyton gets closer to learning the truth, she’s also getting closer to Dylan. And suddenly, it’s not just her past on the line anymore. It’s her heart.

(Synopsis Provided By Goodreads)


I think Red Blooded sounds awesome! Lots of mystery with the 'who is my dad?' storyline as well as the security boy turned love interest. Peyton sounds like she's got her work cut out for her. Can't wait to pick this one up in early August! Anyone know if it's strictly ebook?

1. What You Left Behind By Jessica Verdi
Expected Release: August 4th 2015

It’s all Ryden’s fault. If he hadn’t gotten Meg pregnant, she would have never stopped her chemo treatments and would still be alive. Instead, he’s failing fatherhood one dirty diaper at a time. And it’s not like he’s had time to grieve while struggling to care for their infant daughter, start his senior year, and earn the soccer scholarship he needs to go to college.

The one person who makes Ryden feel like his old self is Joni. She’s fun and energetic—and doesn’t know he has a baby. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep his two worlds separate. Finding one of Meg’s journals only stirs up old emotions, and Ryden’s convinced Meg left other notebooks for him to find, some message to help his new life make sense. But how is he going to have a future if he can’t let go of the past?

(Synopsis Provided By Goodreads)

Just rip out my heart already. I can't wait to see from a male POV raising a child as a teen. There doesn't seem to be a lot of immaturity to the situation with Riley too so I am very curious to see how his story pans out. Meg's presence in the book I know will leave me in puddles of tears!

What books did you discover after WOW? Create a post and leave a link in your description for me to check out! 
& Much thanks to those who helped bring these books to my attention!

AS ALWAYS,
HAPPY READING!
-SHERRY

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Waiting On Wednesday [10]: The Next Together By Lauren James

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine - spotlighting books that haven't been released yet!

My Waiting on Wednesday this week is...
The Next Together By Lauren James
Expected Release Date: September 3rd 2015

How many times can you lose the person you love? 
Katherine and Matthew are destined to be born again and again, century after century. Each time, their presence changes history for the better, and each time, they fall hopelessly in love, only to be tragically separated. 

Spanning the Crimean War, the Siege of Carlisle and the near-future of 2019 and 2039 they find themselves sacrificing their lives to save the world. But why do they keep coming back? What else must they achieve before they can be left to live and love in peace? 

Maybe the next together will be different...

A powerful and epic debut novel for teenagers about time-travel, fate and the timelessness of first love. The Next Together is told through a mixture of regular prose, diary entries, letters, "original" historical documents, news reports and internet articles.

(Synopsis Provided By Goodreads)

Sounds so heartbreakingly good! I love the promise of dynamic settings/love that The Next Together hints at in the blurb! The cover was really captivating too! I wonder what it'll be like to go from the very far past into the future with these characters! I hope some of you readers will be intrigued by this one too! Let me know what you think ;P

Leave a link in the comments below to your own Waiting on Wednesday I'll make sure to stop by!

AS ALWAYS,
HAPPY READING!
-SHERRY