On the Same Page | Sunshine | Robin McKinley

on the same pageSunshine • Robin McKinley

So we’re only a month behind with this one, friends. That’s not bad at all, right?! I’m glad that we took our time to read SUNSHINE by Robin McKinley, though. It’s a very different vampire book than any other I’ve read, but in a good way. SUNSHINE is certainly not a book to devour quickly. And hey, since I introduced that eating metaphor, I might as well carry it through my post! No, no, I’m not going to talk about vampires feeding on humans. I’m talking about BAKING. You heard me right.

Sunshine is something of a renowned baker, working at Charlie’s Coffeehouse in New Arcadia. It’s America, but post-Voodoo Wars America, where vampires and weres and demons are on the verge of taking over the Earth. In the midst of all this supernatural drama, Sunshine gets up at 4:30 every morning to make her famous Cinnamon Rolls as Big as Your Head. I want to stuff one in my face RIGHT NOW. She bakes all kinds of things for Charlie’s customers, but there were a few that stuck out in my mind, and are what I would imagine are her “signature” recipes.

In honor of Sunshine’s baked goods that made me salivate while reading, I’m going to share some recipes with you! One of them I’ve used a number of times; in fact, I use it every Christmas. I can vouch for it’s UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLENESS. The other just sounds good and reminds me of a recipe of Sunshine’s. So break out your aprons and your measuring cups, friends! It’s SUNSHINE: THE COOKBOOK. (I wish this actually existed, though. I would buy it immediately.)

[Read more…]

Waiting on Wednesday (25): Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. I love it because it is basically a squee-fest where book lovers can choose one book that they are DYING to get their hands on. Check it out!

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

by April Genevieve Tucholke

Book cover for Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Amazon | Goodreads

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery…who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

YOU GUYS. I am looking forward to this debut SO HARD. First of all, BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA takes place…well…near the ocean. I’m a big sucker for books with seaside settings. But I’m mostly loving the kind of dark and twisted vibe I’m getting from this summary. I’m intrigued by this River character, who may or may not be the Devil himself. Usually beach reads are kind of fluffy and light…this one sounds like the exact opposite. BRING IT, April Genevieve Tucholke!! 

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA is coming out August 15, 2013 from Dial.

Waiting on Wednesday (24): The Outside by Laura Bickle

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. I love it because it is basically a squee-fest where book lovers can choose one book that they are DYING to get their hands on. Check it out!

The Outside: The Hallowed Ones #2

by Laura Bickle

Book cover for The Outside by Laura Bickle

Amazon | Goodreads

After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise the threat of starvation.

And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted, and are they even people at all?

In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, it’s up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to leave behind in return?

Friends, Laura Bickle‘s THE HALLOWED ONES was legit one of the creepiest, most interesting books I’ve read in a long time. I absolutely loved the time we spent in Katie’s Amish community, and I loved how that increased the tension between their world and the outside (heyo!), where the evil, EVIL vampires lurk in the night. Chills, friends. CHILLS. 

To say that I’m eagerly anticipating the sequel, where Katie is forced out of the only life she’s ever known into the vampire-infested world, is an understatement. THE OUTSIDE sounds like it’s going to bring the fear and take it up a notch. Also, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with Katie and Alex. One of my favorite aspects of THE HALLOWED ONES was the Amish setting, so I’m curious about what is going to take the place of that environment, but I’m confident that Laura Bickle is going to BRING IT.

THE OUTSIDE is coming out September 3, 2013 from Harcourt Children’s Books.

Book Review | The Hallowed Ones | Laura Bickle

Book Review | The Hallowed Ones | Laura BickleThe Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle
Series: The Hallowed Ones #1
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on September 25, 2012
Genres: Historical Fiction, Paranormal YA, Young Adult
Pages: 311
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought it
AmazonBarnes & NobleGoodreads
five-stars

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community? The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning.

[Read more…]