The last Wednesday of April is relatively early in the month, and I'm speeding up...but even so, this month was a standout, with two five-star books (so far). They were both unexpected--I pre-judged them, totally unfairly, and I'm thrilled that I took the risks. Both books feature tropical settings and strong young women, but beyond that, the similarities peter out.
I highly recommend both books--
Wanderlove if you want to swoon, and
Beauty Queens if you want to cheer on some awesomely diverse and tough heroines.
And if I had to choose? Say, if I had to pick one to bring to a desert island? Well, I think that has to go to
Beauty Queens! Libba Bray has the best sense of humor going, and this book made me laugh out loud so much that Mr. S put it on his TBR list.
Omg - LOVE Beauty Queens! That was one of my favorite reads last year!
ReplyDeleteI feel like such a dope for waiting so long. Hello--Libba Bray=awesome. I won't be forgetting that lesson again :)
DeleteI never made the connection between those two (strong female protags and tropical settings)! I loved both of them. Even if reading them in winter made me pretty envious.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't put that together either, until I realized they were my top April reads. Now I wonder how much our cool, rainy weather of late influenced my decisions...
DeleteBEAUTY QUEENS was pretty darn hilarious. I loved the little ads and the breakdowns about each contestant. So, so funny. :D
ReplyDeleteI still haven't read WANDERLOVE. I won a copy off of YA Highway and am waiting for it to get here. I'm looking forward to it, though!
Yeah, all the format choices--footnotes, ads, etc--reminded just a little bit of the twisty, tricksy post-modern kinds of books Mr. S likes, but didn't go so far as to make me give up in disgust (I'm looking at you, INFINITE JEST.)
DeleteEnjoy WANDERLOVE when it gets to you!
LOVED Beauty Queens. It's on my all-time favs list.
ReplyDeleteI was just so put off by the cover for so long that I never even read the blurb! I'm not sure what I would have preferred on the cover...knowing my weirdly dark sense of humor, probably an airline meal tray sticking out of the top of a head. Maybe a tiara on the head? But something that hinted at the wreck. Maybe there should be a different cover for each girl. Anything to get more folks to read this one!
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