Far From Over by April Lindner (a musical guest post!!!)

Our Dearest and Awesome Readers,

Dang, it's been awhile!!!

I know that we haven't posted in about, oh, forever, but we'll be up and running soon. I'll give specifics soon. Now to the post:

I'm here to talk about this awesome novella is coming out, and is linked to Love, Lucy by April Lindner! The novella is Far From Over! The best thing is that Ms. Lindner herself wanted to share a playlist and the cover with all of you!!! Here's her post:

Jesse’s Playlist

Music is at the heart of “Far From Over,” the new companion story to my novel Love, Lucy.  A digital-exclusive novella, “Far From Over” comes out this week. 

Jesse Palladino is used to moving on.  A street musician backing through Europe, he’s never in one place for long.  Which is why it’s so surprising he can’t seem to move on from Lucy, the girl he fell for in Florence.  They parted ways when Lucy returned home to start college, but every crowded piazza and winding cobblestone street reminds Jesse of the time they spent together. Now staying with a friend in Naples, he can't help wondering if it's time to pack up and move on again. But just when his mind is made up, something--or someone--might give him a reason to stay.

As he stands in Piazza Carita, Jesse plays a mix of English, American, and Italian power pop, hoping he might convince someone to stop and listen.  Here are some of the songs on his playlist:

Recovery by Frank Turner

When the Stars Go Blue by Ryan Adams

Parole in Circolo by Marco Mengoni

Happy Ending by MIKA

Wonderwall by Oasis

Fuori C’e il Sole by Lorenzo Fragola

I’m Yours by Jason Mraz

Matteo Becucci by Fammi Dormire

How Bad We Need Each Other by Mark Scibilia

Alexis again: Great tracks, huh? Go read this novella while listening to the playlist and get into Jesse's story!

XOXO,

Lexi

"The Forever Contract" (an everlasting Lexi post)

Hello!

Today's book is actually a dystopian novella: The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer.

Summary: "In the very near future, the country is plunged into drought and unrest. Scare resources and constant heat are making life completely miserable. Casey doesn't think she can stand slugging back another gel pack or working one more shift at the wells. Fortunately, there's a solution: anyone over the age of seventeen can sign the Forever Contract and enter a utopian paradise. While people's minds take a permanent vacation, their bodies get warehoused and hooked up to a complex array of sensors and feeding tubes. As Casey's brother says, "You upload your consciousness to the system and you're free to live as long as you want, however you want. No more pain, no more heat, no more awful dust, no more work. Just pure thought. It's what our species has always been meant for. Suffering is for philosophers. Not for me."

Casey's ready to sign--a permanent vacation is just what she needs. There's only one problem: her boyfriend James doesn't trust it." (Thank you, Goodreads!)

This actually was a great story that makes you think. Plus, it has some awesome twists! The characters and plot were just wonderful! Wish it was a novel instead of a novella, but I'm grateful for it either way!


In Conclusion: It's short and sweet, so go for it!

Rating:

4/5 slimy stuff

"The Island" (a starry Lexi review)

Readers,

Well, this novel took me by surprise! I thought it would be just another dystopian novel, but it was surprising and kinda funny when you think about it. It's The Island by Jen Minkman.

Summary: "‘I walk toward the sea. The endless surface of the water extends to the horizon, whichever way I look.

Our world is small. We are on our own, and we only have ourselves to depend on. We rely on the Force deep within us, as taught to us by our forefathers. 

If I were to walk westward from here, I would come across a barrier – the Wall. Behind it, there are Fools. At least, that’s what everyone says.

I have never seen one.’

Leia lives on the Island, a world in which children leave their parents to take care of themselves when they are ten years old. Across this Island runs a wall that no one has ever crossed. The Fools living behind it are not amenable to reason – they believe in illusions. That’s what The Book says, the only thing left to the Eastern Islanders by their ancestors.
But when a strange man washes ashore and Leia meets a Fool face to face, her life will never be the same. Is what she and her friends believe about the Island really true?
Or is everyone in their world, in fact, a Fool?"

The novella is basic, but stupid. It's interesting though. That's all I really have to say about this one...

Conclusion: Go for it, but only if you can get it for free.

Rating:

2/5 islands

"Chasing the Skip" (A Criminal Lexi Review)

Hey, readers,

It's a bit late thanks to an impromptu girls' night, lol. But I need to post this, so here we go!

Summary (Thank you, Goodreads!): "Ricki’s dad has never been there for her. He’s a bounty hunter who spends his time chasing parole evaders—also known as “skips”—all over the country. But now since Ricki’s mom ran off, Ricki finds herself an unwilling passenger in a front-row seat to her father’s dangerous lifestyle.

            Ricki’s feelings get even more confused when her dad starts chasing seventeen-year-old Ian Burnham. She finds herself unavoidably attracted to the dark-eyed felon who seems eager to get acquainted. But Ricki thinks she’s ever in control—the perfect manipulator. Little does she know that Ian isn’t playing their game by her rules."

So the mood for this novel is very good. From the beginning, we know that Ricki isn't impartial, so she is unexpected. I love this small novel where she has a father who cares (but is a little to late) even though her mother is neglectful.

The characters are whole and understandable, as well as relatable. The events are quite believable, and you're on a wild ride with this novel!

In Conclusion: Read it! It's a good little novel for a light reading, rainy day.


Rating:

5/5 handcuffs

"Stupid Perfect World" (A Stupidly Perfect Lexi Review)

My Darling Readers,

Oh my goodness, I hate this whole recovery thing! I can barely even pick up my Yorkie cuz he's seven pounds. How stupid is that!?! But no second surgery, so all the prayers and good wishes and thoughts worked, so thank you to all! I can truthfully say that I missed blogging, and keep looking forward and reading, so y'all helped a lot.

Okay, so today's review is over a novella, and it's actually really good, so I had to share. It's called Stupid Perfect World, and the author is Scott Westerfield (yeah, the Uglies guy). It is only 39 pages long (50 after a preview of his new book), and that's why I usually don't review novellas, but it's worth reviewing.

Summary: The only summaries I can find are as long as the novella itself, lol. So I'm going to write this one.

Kieran Black and Maria Borsotti both live in a "perfect" world where there's no hunger, no wars, no diseases, and sleep isn't needed. They take classes in all different parts of the world, getting to each place within seconds.

In their class called "Scarcity," they learn all about the sad way people used to live, and have a project where they take on a "disease" or way of life. Keiran chooses sleep; Maria chooses for her hormones to no longer be controlled. They question their perfect world, and wonder if the bad old days were really that bad.


This was an interesting take on dystopian stories. See, instead of just leaving their world behind on this daring adventure where it's life or death, they are doing a class assignment.  Their world is stupid perfect, and if I lived in that way, I'd feel lazier than I do now, lol. Everything is just so easy, and I like that they are taught to explore the yesteryear.

In Conclusion: Read it. It's a light novella that you can read on the beach. Just relax and get taken in to this new world Westerfield has created.


Rating: 

4.5/5 moons, because it does lag in some areas.