"The 5th Wave" by Rick Yancey~ Astonishing Must Read!!

SUMMARY :

"Remarkable, not-to-be-missed-under-any-circumstances."—Entertainment Weekly (Grade A)

The Passage meets Ender's Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

"Wildly entertaining . . . I couldn't turn the pages fast enough."—Justin Cronin, The New York Times Book Review

"A modern sci-fi masterpiece . . . should do for aliens what Twilight did for vampires."—USAToday.com

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Penguins Young Readers Group
Pages:  480
Genre:  Alien Invasion/Sci-Fy
YA Fiction/Crossover for Adults
Author:  Rick Yancy
Website:  http://www.rickyancey.com


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Rick Yancey (http://www.rickyancey.com) is the author of several adult novels and the memoir Confessions of a Tax Collector. His first young-adult novel, The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, was a finalist for the Carnegie Medal. In 2010, his novel, The Monstrumologist, received Michael L. Printz Honor, and the sequel, The Curse of the Wendigo, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. When he isn't writing or thinking about writing or traveling the country talking about writing, Rick is hanging out with his family.

 
Some video of the book!!

THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

Every so often I pop into YouTube to see what the YA group is reading.  In the last couple of months I found that an inordinate amount of them were reading "The 5th Wave."  I had to get the book to find out what the storm was about.  When the majority of them are raising their hands and raving about a book...in the vein of "Hunger Games" and "Divergent..."  I pay attention.  I'm so glad I took the chance on this one.  It's a one-of-a-kind read for the YAs right now and a great crossover fiction for adults, too. 

Rick Yancey isn't an author I'm familiar with, but I'll be waiting for his next book, I can tell you.  He has a way with words that kept me on the edge of my seat.  His plot was well devised, and his development of characters was breath-taking.  I found myself relating to Cassie immediately as she wondered if she was the last human alive to fight the battle against an alien invasion.  Her courage and humanity was palpable.  Great characters ran throughout the novel; too many to list.  Suffice it to say you'll love them all.  Even the aliens were engaging in their own ways, and to say more about this would give away too much!

This is a novel unlike any I've read about aliens and human interaction, and I've read a few.  Easy to read and understand, for one.  I had no trouble featuring just what Yancey meant throughout the book.  It was horrifying at times, immensely touching at others, and filled with action and suspense.

As the book drove to the climax, I was riveted.  I found myself reading faster and faster to get to the conclusion.  And, I wasn't disappointed.  This is an extraordinary book that will hold your attention throughout and capture your imagination.  I felt it could all happen to us without a doubt.

Highly recommended.

5 stars                 Deborah/TheBookishDame

Book Haul Diggin' in the Gold!!

Yikes!! What a miserable picture of some pretty awesome books.  I had a wonderful couple of weeks of mail deliveries, and some tramping around finding books....not that I needed any more, but you know "I Have A Book Problem," so I went searching.   The results are what follows.  I wish my camera was working better because the book covers are just outstanding in this group.  However, onward and so on....

This first book is one I had to buy myself.  I've been hearing so much about it from my YA booksters that I had to have my own copy to find out what all the hoopala was about.  I'm reading this one tomorrow and will report back asap.  By the way, interesting black-background pages here and there to designate parts of the book in starbursts.  Cool.

Here it is:

A Summary:

The Passage meets Ender's Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

As I mentioned above, wildly touted by the YA group, so I'm on it this weekend....


FAVORITE AUTHOR ALERT!!!

Nelson DeMille has a new book coming out in September, and the good people at Center Street/Hachette Book Group were kind enough to let me in early on it!!!   So psyched!!

 Quick Blurb:  "From the locked archives of the Vatican to the overgrown jungles of Ethiopia, an unlikely trio begins a deadly search for the Holy Grail."

That may sound like an ordinary book; however, in the wily and cagey hands of Nelson DeMille, it promises to be an awesome book.  Can't wait to read it.


This next one sent to me by the wonderful people at Minotaur Books/St. Martins, looks to be another good read.  I love suspense/mystery/thrillers like this one.

 

What's it about?    

 

"In the next stunning novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning Julia Keller, following the popular A Killing in the Hills, a pregnant teenager is found murdered at the bottom of a river..."



THE FEVER TREE is a book I found in my travels this week....free library find.  It's in pristine condition, hard cover, and I love the cover image. Deckled edges! So happy when I find a great book like this on a sudden search.

Here's an Overview:

“There is nothing more exciting than a new writer with a genuine voice. I loved it.” —Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey

Frances Irvine, left destitute in the wake of her father’s sudden death, has been forced to abandon her life of wealth and privilege in London and emigrate to the Southern Cape of Africa. 1880 South Africa is a country torn apart by greed. In this remote and inhospitable land she becomes entangled with two very different men...

And,  on the back of the book there's a quote from Hillary Jordan, author of "Mudbound," that says, "The Fever Tree" serves up all the delicious elements of a romantic classic, seasoned by evocative prose and keen moral commentary.  Gobble it up and then shelve it next to the Bronte sisters."

SHELVE it next to the BRONTEs!!  Well, this has me intrigued for sure....



Happily, a book sent kindly from Simon & Schuster:  "Queen's Gambit" by Elizabeth Fremantle.   Love this gorgeous cover!  So interesting...another story about Katherine Parr, but this one looks as if it has a lot of attention to historical detail.  Reviewing it and interviewing the author this coming week or so!!!

 

Quick Summary: 

Widowed for the second time at age thirty-one Katherine Parr falls deeply for the dashing courtier Thomas Seymour and hopes at last to marry for love. However, obliged to return to court, she attracts the attentions of the ailing, egotistical, and dangerously powerful Henry VIII, who dispatches his love rival, Seymour, to the Continent. No one is in a position to refuse a royal proposal so, haunted by the fates of his previous wives—two executions, two annulments, one death in childbirth—Katherine must wed Henry...

Romantic story...."I'll be at Platform 4 Paddington Monday evening, and there is nothing in the world that would make me happier than if you found the courage to come with me."

...that's the back cover top section description of this book.  I died.  Have you ever had that happen to you, or wished you had?  I can't wait to read this book.   FOUND it in my Club sharing library.  It's perfect.

SUMMARY: 

A sophisticated, page-turning double love story spanning forty years-an unforgettable Brief Encounter for our times.

It is 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply "B", asking her to leave her husband.

Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper's archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too. Ellie's search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance.

A spellbinding, intoxicating love story with a knockout ending...

Quick pics and summaries of the other books I ferreted out and got free this past week.  I do encourage recycling and sharing of books, as well as buying them.  Anything to keep the printed word alive and well helps. 

The following have just beautiful covers and I didn't choose them to become a matching set...but here they are in paperback and flawless:

(Already reviewed for you last year...)

Just couldn't resist getting this lovely paperback copy of the book I reviewed.  I like to pass them on to my daughter.  This is an awesome book!!!   Martha's Vineyard, 1960's, insanity...  love it!!


An author I keep promising to read:

Overview

Penny Vincenzi, with over one million copies sold and fifteen bestsellers, queen of the riveting family drama, delivers her most deliciously page-turning saga yet in this novel of intrigue, sure to please her legions of fans. "Satisfaction guaranteed" says The Washington Post. The night before her lavish wedding, Cressida Forrest went to bed serene and happy. By morning she had vanished—without apparent cause, and without a trace...

Very Unlike me...but I thought I would give this one a try because I've heard such wonderful things about Sarah Dessen.

Summary:  Since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move - four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, Mclean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, Mclean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself - whoever that is...

AND last but not least....

 

Quite the stir in the book world: 

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND ONE OF KIRKUS REVIEWS' BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

It is 1943—the height of the Second World War. With the men away at the front, Berlin has become a city of women.

On the surface, Sigrid Schröder is the model German soldier’s wife: She goes to work every day, does as much with her rations as she can, and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law, all the while ignoring the horrific immoralities of the regime.

But behind this façade is an entirely different Sigrid, a woman of passion who dreams of her former Jewish lover, now lost in the chaos of the war. But Sigrid is not the only one with secrets—she soon finds herself caught between what is right and what is wrong, and what falls somewhere in the shadows between the two . . .

So Ends My Book Haul for this week.  I'm happily skipping amongst my book stacks.  I have no more bookcase space.  :]  I'm tripping over books when I try to sit in my chair.  My dog has to come to me between book stacks.  I can hardly see my husband when I'm sitting down.....get the picture?

Please let me know what you'll be reading this month.

Deborah/TheBookishDame