Book Review: Pushing the limits by Katie McGarry

AUTHOR: Katie Mcgarry
PUBLISHER: HarlequinTeen
PAGES: 384
SERIES/STAND ALONE: stand Alone
SOURCE: Publisher
GENRE:  Contemporary
PUBLICATION: July 31, 2012

OUTLINE:
So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

IN A NUTSHELL
If you haven't read Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry yet, it's one that should definitely be on your list to read. From its highs of being well high to the lows of being treated like an outcast, it is an emotional rollercoaster for the reader and the characters.

Pushing the Limits is told in two different POVs. This can either make or break a book for me because it can get a little confusing going back and forth, but I found that in this particular book it helped it. We get to learn so much more about both our characters. They're telling their own stories so it's more personal, and we're not having to learn it from another source. Not only do we get to learn about their separate lives, but we get to ride along as their lives merge together.

"The worst type of crying wasn't the kind everyone could see. No the worst kind happened when your soul wept, and no matter what you did there was no way to comfort it." page 278.

I really enjoyed the writing. There were parts like the quote above that I found to be so true, and it's writing like this that captures you on some level.

CHARACTERS
No one will tell Echo what happened the night she got her scars. Not her father, step-mom, or her new counselor. If she tries to remember her world might just shatter completely. Then comes Noah, the stoner, who might just understand her better then anyone else. I adored Echo's character. Yes, it took her awhile to understand that it doesn't matter what her friends think because if they were truly her friends then they would have been there for her through those darker times. I realize that it's not always that easy to say if you're going to pick and choose when to be my friend then you're not worth it. I mean we're only human right? She eventually stood up to everyone, and said hey this is how it's going to be, and if you don't like it then to bad. I like seeing characters grow, and she did.
Although Noah and Echo were different and had different reasons for being at the counselors office. Sometimes you find friends/loves in the most unexpected places and most unexpected people. I think that's why I enjoyed watching them grow together. Two very different people from different backgrounds come together and try to find happiness. It reminds me of  Ryan and I. We're very different yet we somehow work. :) I enjoyed reading from Noah's POV. He may have been a stoner, but he had so much love for his brothers. I also enjoyed learning about about Noah's friends, and I'm excited that Beth is going to have her own story Dare You Too.

ALL IN ALL
If you haven't gathered from everything above how much I enjoyed the story then there's no hope. :P No, seriously though this is an awesome book, and if you haven't read it then put on your list and try to fit it in somewhere. If you're all washed out from paranormal reads give this one a try. It's definitely a contemporary worth the read.

Shelf Cleaning (1)

Here is my list of books I'm wanting to get rid of. I'm willing to give them away, but it would be nice to possibly get a Young adult book I want in return (not necessary though). Remember when I get rid of books I take them to Half price books, and get a little something I in return can buy the books I want.

List
Danielle Steel- Malice, Southern Lights

Mary jane Clark- Do you want to know a secret?
Iris Johanse- Dead aim

Will Baer- Penny Dreadful

John Grisham- Ford CountyM
Mitch Smith- Karma
Jane Ann Krentz- Truth or Dare
Amanda Quick- Don't look back
Julian Larkin- Vixen (young adult)

Harlen Corbin- The woods
Wendy Staub- In the blink of an eye
Laura Lippman- The last place
Joy Fielding- Missing pieces, See Jane run

Nora roberts- Angels Fall
John Sandford- Heat Lighhting

Patricia Macdonald- Secret admirer
Sandra Brown- Smoke Screen
Ed Mcbain- Mary, Mary

Lisa Gardner- Say goodbye
thomas ocallaghan- screaming room
Eoin Cofer- Artemis Fowl #9 (young adult)
Dean Kootnz- The darkest evening of the year

S.J Strayhorn- Black night
Susan Crandall- Pitch black
Cristine Mcguire- Perfect Victim
Gillian Flynn- Sharp objects
Michael Connelly- Angels Flight
James patterson- You've been warned, The quickie

Carlene Thompson- Since you've been gone
Stephen white- Dry Ice
Andrew Gross- The blue zone

I have a few others I'll put up later. If you have any question leave me a comment or email me at ashleyjowens@gmail.com with the topic shelf cleaning.

Cleaning my shelves

Okay, technically I'm cleaning out the boxes I have that are full of books. Before anyone gets excited most of them are books I bought before I really was into the whole Young adult books. All the books I have are mystery/thrillers, and are more adult books than anything. I figure since I have so many YA book I want to read that I probably won't have time to read the others, and I'm not in the mood for those anymore. It's better to give them to someone who wants to read them then have them sitting in a closet in a box right?

I will try to put up a list a little later on, but I know I have some of Sue Grafftons alphabet books. Anyways if your interested or know someone who is let me know. I'll give it a few, and then I'll probably take them to Half price books.

Waiting on Wed: PODs by Michelle K. Pickett

Waiting on Wed is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine
It's something that she does every Wed where we pick a book that hasn't been released yet.

 

AUTHOR: Michelle Pickett
EXPECTED PUBLICATION: June 4th, 2013
PUBLISHER: Spencer Hill Press
OUTLINE:
Seventeen-year-old Eva is a chosen one. Chosen to live, while others meet a swift and painful death from an incurable virus so lethal, a person is dead within days of symptoms emerging. In the POD system, a series of underground habitats built by the government, she waits with the other chosen for the deadly virus to claim those above. Separated from family and friends, it’s in the PODs she meets David. And while true love might not conquer all, it’s a balm for the broken soul.

After a year, scientists believe the population has died, and without living hosts, so has the virus. That’s the theory, anyway. But when the PODs are opened, survivors find the surface holds a vicious secret. The virus mutated, infecting those left top-side and creating... monsters.

Eva and David hide from the infected in the abandoned PODs. Together they try to build a life--a new beginning. But the infected follow and are relentless in their attacks. Leaving Eva and David to fight for survival, and pray for a cure.

Why I chose this:

Spencer Hill Press always seems to have really good stories. This one definitely is no different. It just sounds really interesting to me. Sorry I'm not more explanatory. 

 

What are you waiting on this week? 

 

Book Trailer: The Forsaken by Lisa Stasse

I haven't posted a book trailer in awhile and today I received an email from the author of The Forsaken who gave me the link to the books trailer. I went and watched it and absolutely fell in love with it. It's amazing to see how they turn books into these little trailers. After watching certain book trailers I always think this book would make for an interesting movie, and this was no exception.

AUTHOR: Lisa Stasse
PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuster
PAGES: 384
STAND ALONE/SERIES: Series (book1)
PUBLICATION: July 10, 2012
OUTLINE:

Loading...

Loading...

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up.

The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway

TRAILER:

Don't Stare at Me Project

Hey fellow bloggers/readers!

If you've kept up with me these past couple of months then you know I've had some wonderful things happen in my life: my boyfriend, the engagement, getting our own apartment. As awesome as this all is I've learned about things I never would have known about otherwise like epidermolysis bullosa (EB)
Below is just a little insight on what it is and somethings they can deal with.

Imagine Your Child:

Having Up to 85% of their body covered in blisters or open wounds.
Wearing bandages all over their body to feel almost safe.
Worrying first thing in the morning that their pajamas are stuck
to their skin.
Fearing bath time, because it can take 3 hours and be very painful.
Being unable to swallow their own saliva.
Losing the use of their hands and feet by the time they are 5.
Battling Cancer when they are only 11.

Now Imagine:

Having to pay $10,000/month for bandages knowing your insurance
company will only pay $1,500 a year.
Watching your child scream in pain because she is taking a bath.
Bringing your child to an operating room 6 times a year so they can
swallow liquid.

So if you're still with me then continue to read on, and learn why this now has a special place in my heart.


Until a few years ago I had no idea what Eb was, and I'm still learning now. I'd never heard anything about it, I never knew anyone who was diagnosed/born with it. It's not like other disabilities that get enormous amounts of publicity. Like walks, and other things.  Research for anything is always a good thing, and I appreciate everyone who supports things, and takes part in helping. I don't want to sound like I'm knocking any other causes here.  I think what really hit me and prompted me to want to try and help is something that my fiancee said to me a few weeks ago. "Where's the research/funding for my disorder?' That may have not been his exact words, but something along those lines. (It's not that there isn't any research/funding for it...it's that there's not much from what he has told me.) Do you know what it's like to hear those words? It was like he was asking "Why doesn't anyone care about me and the things I go through?" and that hurts.   (Sorry if I come off sounding stupid or rude. That's far from my intentions.) How many of you have actually heard of this before now? How many could tell me what it is without looking at the link above first? It hurts me though to listen to my fiancee when he talks about it. He doesn't do it often, and I try and not bother him about it because he's dealt with people always questioning him and asking about it all his life. That's the last thing I want to do. When we first started dating he would ask me if I had any questions, or why didn't I ever ask him about it. I told him because I didn't want to be one of those people who looked at him differently. I wanted to know who he was beyond just his disability. I think he appreciated that, at least I hope he did.

Now that I know a little more about it through living with him the past few months I would do anything for him because I can see the kind of daily struggles he goes through. Not everyone can see those struggles. So when people say crap I want to tell them "You don't know the half of it." He's a very strong, opinionated person, but even then sometimes shit gets tiring. We both work together so when someone says something to him, or about him when he's not around I stand up for him. Yes, he takes breaks, but that's so he can continue to do his job like everyone else. Sometimes I want to say why don't you take a moment and step in his shoes then you can be a bitch.

I can't honestly say I know what having EB is like, but I'm trying to understand it, and I want others to understand it too. Not for me but for my Fiancee. I hear the hurt in his voice when he tells me about those people who are afraid to touch him, shake his hand because of the blisters, or just look at him differently. I want people not to be afraid when they see someone who is different because they're just like you and me. They've just been dealt a different hand at life.

I want to help now. I want him to know that there is one more person in this world that knows about it and is willing to help him and everyone else. Even if they don't know him personally. Ryan is an awesome person, and he would do anything for his friends. He would do anything for me. In return, I would do anything for him, and if just by writing this and sharing it with the few people here on my blog is all I can do then it's something.

If you want to learn more or have questions feel free to leave a comment or email me. I get the comments and emails directly on my phone so I'm usually good about answering right away.
If you want to help visit my fund-raising page Don't Stare at me (I don't get any of the money it goes to the site it's hosted on, and if you want to learn more about that site you can check it out.)

Sites to check out:
Debra of America: What is EB?

Books read in 2012

This year is half over and I have really slacked on my reading. So far only 21 books compared to last years 63 books. I honestly don't see how people read so many in a year.

• Arena One (I only read 3 chapters because I didn't realize when I got the ebook it wasn't the whole story which kind of pissed me off.)
• Dark Mirror by M.J Putney (review)
• Never eighteen by Megan Bostick (review0
• Fast Tracked by Tracey Rozzlyn
• Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins
• Turned by Morgan Rice (review)
• All Hallows Moon by S.M Reine (review)
• A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford (review)
• Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
• The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
• Half Blood by Jennifer Armentrout (review)
• Vampire Kisses 1 by Ellen Schrieber
• Wither by Lauren DeStefano
• The Golden lily by Richelle Mead
• The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
• Breathe by Sarah Crossan
• Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Denard
• Pushing the limits by Katie McGarry

Reading right now

• Matched by Ally Condie
• The Scorpio Races by Maggie S.
• Scored by Lauren Mclaughlin
• Bumped by Megan Mcafferty
• In the path of falling objects by Andrew Smith
• Wild Ink by Various people
• From fame to shame by Veronica Blade