Review: The Bridge From Me To You by Lisa Schroeder

Title: The Bridge from Me to You
Author: Lisa Schroeder 
Source/Format: Won (Giveaway), Bound ARC
More Details: Young Adult; Contemporary; Romance
Publisher/Publication Date: Point; July 29, 2014

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Lauren has a secret. Colby has a problem. But when they find each other, everything falls into place... 

Lauren is the new girl in town with a dark secret. Colby is the football hero with a dream of something more. In alternating chapters, they come together, fall apart, and build something stronger than either of them thought possible--something to truly believe in...

The synopsis doesn’t tell much about the book, but I decided to give it a try anyway. And folks, let me tell you, I’m glad I did. The Bridge From Me To You is the first book I’ve read by Lisa Schroeder, and it was a very cute contemporary novel. The story focused on a high school football player and a girl just trying to find her place in the world. This concept had the possibility of turning into a been-there-done-that kind of thing. However, it was anything but typical, and I liked this book more than I thought I would. At first, I wasn’t too sure about how I would react to the writing, but actually, I really liked it. The development of the characters respective situations, backstories, and relationships didn’t suffer because of the alternating POVs and writing. The combination of prose and poetry was interesting to read, and worked well. I think Schroeder did a good job at the emotional aspect of the book, and I liked the chemistry between Lauren and Colby. The friendships were great too—they seemed realistic, and the connection between the characters was there. Another thing I liked was how this book didn’t gloss over the issues, but instead showed the potential worries and emotional damage that could come from them.

At the end of the day, The Bridge From Me To You was a very good book. I really enjoyed it, and I would consider picking up another novel by Schroeder.

Review: The Snow Queen by Hans Christain Andersen, Illustrated by Sanna Annukka

Title: The Snow Queen
Author/Illustrator: Hans Christain Andersen; Sanna Annukka
Source/Format: Blogging for Books; Hardcover
More Details: Classic; Fairy Tale
Publisher/Publication Date: Hutchinson; October 22, 2015 (Originally published in 1844)

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Hans Christian Andersen's magical tale of friendship and adventure is retold through the beautiful and intricate illustrations of Finnish-English illustrator Sanna Annukka. Cloth-bound in deep blue, with silver foil embellishments, The Snow Queen is a unique work of art.

Sanna Annukka is familiar to many from her collaborations with Marimekko and her artwork for Keane's album, Under the Iron Sea. For her second book project, she illustrates Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale, The Snow Queen...

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen is one classic I’ve been meaning to read. Since I had a chance to read the edition illustrated by Sanna Annukka, I figured that now was the time. I’ve heard about the numerous retellings and stories loosely based on the Snow Quuen, but I wanted to see if the original tale was good. Actually,  I really enjoyed The Snow Queen. It was a short  and charming tale about friendship and the Snow Queen. It was also somewhat of an adventure too. The illustrations were gorgeous (in this edition), and the story itself was nice. I enjoyed the friendship between Kay and Gerda—especially Gerda’s loyalty. I could understand her motivation for undertaking the task of helping her friend. Now, the Snow Queen, she was an alright character, but she wasn't really that present in the story. The majority of the book was spent almost entirely on Gerda’s perspective and the characters that were directly part of her end of the story.

Really, I can’t say anymore. The book was so short that I found it hard to find something to say without delving too far into the story. So, I will leave it here today, and end this review by saying I’m glad that I can finally mark The Snow Queen off the list of classics I haven’t read. It was a very nice story.

This coy of the book was provided by Blogging for Books (Publisher) for this review, thank you!

About the author...

Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark, in 1805. The son of a cobbler and washerwoman, he didn't start school until he was seventeen. He became famous for his fairy tales, including classics such as The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid. The Snow Queen was published in 1844. When he died aged 70, the king and crown prince of Denmark attended his funeral...

About the illustrator...

Sanna Annukka spent her childhood summers in Finnland, and its landscape and folklore remain a source of inspiration. A print maker and illustrator based in Brighton, England, she is also a designer for Finnish textile brand Marimekko and has been featured in Vogue and many interior design magazines. She had also illustrated Hans Christian Andersen's The Fur Tree...

Music Monday (4) Grimes

  Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me, that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

This week, I'm listening to Grimes. I really enjoy Grimes' style of music. Her Art Angels album is one of my favorites since it has songs like REALiTi (both versions), Pin, and Venus Fly featuring Janelle Monáe.

Listen to REALiTi HERE
Listen to Medieval Warfare HERE

What are you listening to this week?

Belated Quarterly Recap: July-October

Yikes...

To be honest, I completely forgot that I was supposed to do a quarterly recap at the beginning of October. It wasn't until the twenty sixth that I was looking through the September and early October stuff, only to discover that I never actually drafted this post. Whoops. And it was so late in the month, that I decided to lump October with July, September, and August. 

So, without further ado, I'm going to jump right in and start with reviews...

July Reviews:

• Wintersmith
• Love Charms and Other Catastrophes
• The Torn Wing
• Riverkeep

August Reviews:

• Thieving Weasels
• Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
• The Traitor in the Tunnel
• Mortal Gods

September Reviews:

• The Reader
• Visual reference Guide: Architecture
• Fangirl
• A Corner of White

October Reviews:

• The Witches
• Cloudwish
• Burning Emerald
• Grand Forks
• Hourglass

(Weekly meme labels can be found on the features page)

Other July Posts:

• Favorite Genre Characteristics Part 1
• Favorite Genre Characteristics Part 2
• Cover Reveal: Hear the Wolves by Victoria Scott
• Quarterly Recap April-June
• Happy Fourth of July

Other August Posts:

• How My Blogging Has Changed Since Way Back In 2013
• Hobbies are Subjective
• Netflix and Books Tag
• Favorite Fictional Friendships
• Pre-release Blitz: The Flame Never Dies
• Release Day Blitz: United by Melissa Landers
• EP Summer Carnival

Other September Posts:

• Seasonal Books
• Whats on My TBR+Obscure Books & Movies

Other October Posts:

• Weekend Tidbits #8 It's October
• Music Monday Halsey
• Music Monday Ryn Weaver & Tove Lo
• Music Monday Halloween Edition
• Where Do you Buy Books?
• Creatures of the Night Book Tag

It's been a busy couple of months that's only bound to get busier since the holiday season is underway. But, I've read a lot of good books across the past four months. Some were new and others were older releases that I've been meaning to get to. One thing I want to do is read more contemporary novels since I don't regularly read from that genre, and continue getting to more of the backlist books I want to read. 

The Friday 56 (83) The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire. But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself...

"Marigolds and roses adorned the entrance to the Raja's welcoming hall, and bright petals carpeted the path."--The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Comments: I read The Star-Touched Queen earlier in the week, and have to say that it was one of the best stories I've read in 2016. Page 56 had so many spoilers for the story that I found it hard to pick out a quote that didn't go into detail. I ended up with the one above because it was just a description of a place, and doesn't give anything away.

What are you reading this week?