Reading, Writing, and Me

This is the first in a series for the next few months showcasing all the books I bought at Book Con! They will all be showcased next week in my March book haul! Emergency Contact  by Mary H.K. Choi (393 pages) Overview: Penny is going off to college at UT to finally go after her creative writing dreams, even if they don't feel valid yet. This makes her the perfect match for Sam who's living above the cafe he works at as a baker. Sam has a dream he can't own yet either. Becoming a director. But that's for rich people, and Sam is far from rich which has cost him a girlfriend, a shot at his dream, and a relationship with his mother. Penny and Sam find that having someone at the other end of their phone might be the key to unlocking their potential. Overall: 5 Characters: 5 Wow. I love Penny. She has to deal with self doubt, anxiety, and awkward encounters as she makes her way through college. Penny starts unsure of herself and her identity because she's never re

All Out Of Pretty  by Ingrid Palmer (April 3) Overview: Palmer tells the story of Andrea "Bones" and her mother as they deal with the terrifying world of drug dealing and domestic abuse. Andrea is the child Ayla, her mother, never wanted. Until her Gram's death, she'd barely spent any time with Ayla. But after Andrea finds Gram lying dead on the kitchen floor, she's sucked into Ayla's world bouncing from town to town as Ayla squanders the little money they have left. Andrea tries to use school and her status as an honors student as a bright spot in her life, though even that is threatened by their turbulent, migrant lives. Until they settle in with Judd who's worse than any scary motel. While Ayla is too drug dependent to work to break the cycle of abuse Judd inflicts on them, Andrea must formulate a plan for their escape before it's too late. Can she get them out of danger while hiding their life from prying onlookers.  Overall: 5  Characters: 5

The Fall of Butterflies  by Andrea Portes (400 pages) Overview: This is one of the most unique books I've ever read. Willa leaves her small town in Iowa to start at Pembrook boarding school where her world renowned economist mother is sending her. When she arrives, she plans to kill herself. But when she meets mega watt Remy, those plans are soon forgotten. The more time she spends with rich kids Milo, Remy, and Zeb the more she learns about the life of these rich kids and just how much is going on behind the scenes. Overall: 4 Characters: 5 There are few books with a stronger voice than this one. Remy grabs you from the first page, and, even though I spent some time wondering if such a loud, defined voice was distracting, I ultimately decided it gave the story its own special strength. I absolutely loved Willa. Her new boarding school friends were also fascinating and nuanced. Plot: 3 There really is no true plot line running through this book. Things happen to Willa, but