BOOK BLITZ: Summerlost by Ally Condie - Spotlight + GIVEAWAY!

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

It's that time again.  Time to celebrate another TUESDAY, and we all know what that means....RELEASE DAY!  That's right.  Time for another round of books to celebrate their birthday and today's post is shining the spotlight on one title in particular.  It comes to us via Penguin Kids from an author we've grown familiar with in the Young Adult genre, that's all set to steal the hearts of Children's Fiction fans this time around.  Thanks to Word Spelunking, I was able to get in on today's FABULOUS celebration to bring this title to the forefront.  So, if you'd be so kind, clear a few moments of your day to take in the wonder that is today's BOOK BLITZ honoree...

Summerlost

by

Ally Condie

9780399187193

Dutton Books for Young Readers

About the book...

Sometimes it takes a new friend to bring you home.

It’s the first real summer since the accident that killed Cedar’s father and younger brother, Ben. Cedar and what’s left of her family are returning to the town of Iron Creek for the summer. They’re just settling into their new house when a boy named Leo, dressed in costume, rides by on his bike. Intrigued, Cedar follows him to the renowned Summerlost theatre festival. Soon, she not only has a new friend in Leo and a job working concessions at the festival, she finds herself surrounded by mystery. The mystery of the tragic, too-short life of the Hollywood actress who haunts the halls of Summerlost. And the mystery of the strange gifts that keep appearing for Cedar.

Infused with emotion and rich with understanding, Summerlost is the touching new novel from Ally Condie, the international bestselling author of the Matched series that highlights the strength of family and personal resilience in the face of tragedy.

PUBLISHER  |  AMAZON  |  B&N  |  INDIEBOUND

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Sounds great, right?

Here's what others have had to say about it thus far...

A Spring 2016 Kids' Indie Next List Top 10 Pick!

Named one of Publishers Weekly’s Most Anticipated Children’s and YA Books of Spring 2016

 “Condie (Matched) strikes a deep emotional chord with this coming-of-age story.” – Publishers

Weekly, starred review

 “Multiple, seemingly random details, including a family of turkey vultures that now roost outside

Cedar’s window, an absurd soap opera narrative of a woman buried alive, and Leo’s quest for a trip with his father, coalesce into metaphors that help Cedar make sense of her grief and the life she now has to look forward to. Thoughtful, poetic chapter endings guide readers new to psychological depth toward meaningful connections between plot events and thematic reflections.” – BCCB

“A moving tale of friendship and loss. I loved these characters—I wish we could have been friends when I was a kid.” –Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fablehaven and Five Kingdoms series

“Ally Condie’s first middle grade book might also be my favorite out of ALL her books to

date. Summerlost is a story packed with nostalgia, heart, and gorgeous prose.” – The Novel Novice

“A nuanced portrait of grief deeply grounded in the middle-school mind-set.” – Booklist

“Honest, lovely, and sad.” – Kirkus Reviews

“A sweet, heartfelt story.” – School Library Journal

“Achingly good.” – Summer Laurie, Books Inc.

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So, have we struck your fancy yet?

Are you convinced?

While you're contemplating your final ponderings, take a gander at this special letter from the author herself to all of you to commemorate the occasion.  Take it away Ms. Condie!

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Dear Readers,

I think most of us have had our hearts broken. Sometimes we can see it coming, and sometimes it comes down with the unexpected force of a sudden gale of wind or a rising of waters that we thought were still and safe. Loss is universal to human experience, but the way we each feel and recover is one of the most personal things we do.

In Summerlost, Cedar is dealing with the loss of her father and younger brother. And my intent was to show how hard their deaths are for her. But this is also a book about the healing power of friendship.

Most of us have been broken-hearted; I hope that most of us have also discovered the miracle of friendships that were just what we needed. Cedar and Leo’s friendship is based on someone I met when I was twelve. Like Leo, my friend was fun and liked to enlist me in crazy adventures (although we never gave a secret guided tour of our town the way they do in Summerlost). And, like Leo, he thought I was wonderful and of worth at a time when I needed it most.

SUMMERLOST is my attempt to pay tribute both to the pain we feel and the friendships that save us. Thank you so much for supporting this book, and for your willingness to give Cedar’s story a try. I hope it makes you think of a wonderful friend of your own, whether that is someone you met in the pages of a favorite book or outside, in the world where it is often hard and beautiful to live.

Best wishes and happy reading always,

Ally Condie

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About the author...

Ally Condie is the author of the bestselling novel Atlantia and the critically acclaimed Matched trilogy, a #1 New York Times and international bestseller. The series has been published in more than 30 languages.


A former English teacher, Ally lives with her husband and four children outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, writing, running, and listening to her husband play guitar.

SITE  |  TWITTER

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Special thanks to Word Spelunking and Penguin Kids for the chance to bring this title to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, publisher, or those promotions on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title celebrates its BOOK BIRTHDAY TODAY via Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

BEFORE YOU GO, DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN SOME AWESOME ALLY CONDIE TITLES YOU'LL DEFINITELY WANT TO ADD TO YOUR SUMMER READING LIST!  JUST CLICK HERE TO BE WHISKED AWAY TO THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM TO ENTER TO WIN!

Until next time...happy reading!



BLOG TOUR: When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker

Hi guys and gals!

Welcome back to another week here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Here's hoping you and yours had a great Easter (for those you celebrate).  I had the fortune of being home with my family (fur babies included) and despite the uber bad weather, a good time was had, but too much rest can make one lax and when it comes to reading, I'm definitely not one to fall into that category.  That being said, the next week (or twenty) is gonna be pretty full with all sorts of bookish fun, so be sure to stay tuned and check in on the regular to not miss a page!  Speaking of which, let's get today's post rolling...

TLC Book Tours is stopping by with a MUST READ title that's circulating the blogosphere as we speak.  It's a work of Fiction that reminded me greatly in style of another read that I adored (Stella Rose...look it up; you won't be sorry!) but outside of the basic set up, the stories were vastly different...and that my friends made it stand on its own proverbial feet and STAND OUT as something not to be missed.  Ladies and gents, grab a chair and sit for a spell as we introduce your next wish list addition and today's blog tour guest...

When I'm Gone

by

Emily Bleeker

9781503953383

Lake Union Publishing

About the book...

Dear Luke,First let me say—I love you…I didn’t want to leave you.…

Luke Richardson has returned home after burying Natalie, his beloved wife of sixteen years, ready to face the hard job of raising their three children alone. But there’s something he’s not prepared for—a blue envelope with his name scrawled across the front in Natalie’s handwriting, waiting for him on the floor of their suburban Michigan home.

The letter inside, written on the first day of Natalie’s cancer treatment a year ago, turns out to be the first of many. Luke is convinced they’re genuine, but who is delivering them? As his obsession with the letters grows, Luke uncovers long-buried secrets that make him question everything he knew about his wife and their family. But the revelations also point the way toward a future where love goes on—in written words, in memories, and in the promises it’s never too late to keep.

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What starts out with a great sadness, grows into a story that will have you by the heartstrings through every turn of the page.  You'll smile when they find life's rhythm once again.  You'll be angered when things get out of hand and bad choices are made from lashing out to not choosing the proper flight-or-flight option.  You'll laugh when things finally seem to bring joy again despite one of their own leaving all too soon.  You'll cry when...well, when things simply build to such a point and place you can't escape it any more.  The point is that you will FEEL this one as much as you will read it.

Along the way, we develop relationships with both lead and supporting characters that feel like they could easily follow us right off the page into real life.  Luke was lost without his better half, but through her memory and those breadcrumbs she set up in her final days, he has a chance to find himself (and her!) once again with a better clarity and appreciation for life than he ever had.  Despite being a character known through the recollections of others and those she recounts through written word, Natalie manages to reach out from behind the veil to continue to lend her comforting spirit to everyone left behind just at the right moments....even if some seem much to late in arriving.  Annie was the warmest of souls and someone that was in earnest being the best addition to this family in their time of need as much for herself as for them.  The same could be said for Jessie though with her quirky Broadway T-shirt collection and joyful buoyancy despite her own health issues.  From the kids to the guidance counselor, the neighbors to the extended family, the cast of characters really make an impact from start to finish.

Story wise, the premise of it beginning with a significant death and the trail of letters arriving over the course of days that follow isn't new, but this one does add a bit of mystery and danger you won't be expecting.  It seems our dear Natalie was a wonderful wife and mother, but even she had secrets that she was planning to take with her to the great beyond...but her soul wouldn't permit its leaving without a cleanse.  They say a picture can say a thousand words and while that may be true (and proven here...not telling you how though), words certainly go a long way when committed to paper.  The time she had left in their lives, she filled with love and laughter, building a foundation for memories that they could cherish.  The parts that she hid would come to light...but she hoped understanding, acceptance, and forgiveness would be easier when she was gone.

Truthfully, I managed to keep the tears at bay until the final page and a half.  No, seriously.  There are moving moments, and a roller coaster of emotions along the way from all the stages of grief to some outside of it that considering everything transpiring, weren't that hard to jump to, but up until that final passage, that last (possibly) exchange, I was tissue-less.  Suddenly, I was not...which made it very hard to finish the final sentences but a few dabs later and I was right back to astonishment.  Why?  Well, it's the ending you see.  It's not a quite an ending but almost a beginning that brings us full circle and while it works for the story because it's both the point and NOT the point of the whole novel, it still left me shaking my fist at the sky and shouting "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!"....

.....in a very Streetcar Named Desire fashion. Yep.  I'm not too proud to admit it.  I was frustrated with where it left most things, but not to the point of regretting my time between the pages in the least.  It's a beautiful journey fraught with loss, happiness, love in so many forms, and the black and blues that life leaves upon us body and soul.  

In the end, it's definitely a multi-faceted story.  It's not just about a husband losing his wife.  It's not just about the affect it has on the family as a unit or the friends that are there to help ease the days that follow.  It's about the far reaching impact that our lives have and how everything we do, no matter how seemingly small, or insignificant it may be, leaves lasting impressions on the hearts that surround us.  It's about how every life is precious, every moment important, every second something that should be treasured because we never know when it might be our last.

Recommended read for older teens through adult readers.

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About the author...

Emily lives in suburban Chicago with her husband and four kids. Between writing and being a mom, she attempts to learn guitar, sings along to the radio (loudly), and embraces her new found addiction to running.

SITE  |  FACEBOOK  |  TWITTER

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Special thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for the review copy as well as the chance to bring this promotion to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, THIS TOUR, or those forthcoming, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Lake Union Publishing, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time...happy reading!

HAPPY EASTER from SFIR and Zonderkidz!

Hi guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today (for those who celebrate it) is Easter Sunday (happy Easter!). On this day, we celebrate the risen Jesus and the eternal life his defeat over death symbolizes to Christians round the world.  The non-secular aspect of the day consists of baskets left by the Bunny, egg hunts, and feasting.  Those of faith usually reflect on this "finale" to the Christmas story, attend religious services, and join with friends and family for a celebratory evening meal.  Some similarities, some differences, but whichever group you may fall in, today's featured titles are a matched set for a family reading session.  So, gather your loved ones around from the tall to the small, and let's get to today's featured title times three!  First up...

The Berenstain Bears' Easter Sunday

by

Mike Berenstain

9780310749028

Easter Sunday with the Bear Family is everything you dreamed it would be.  Mama, Papa, Brother, and Sister are all dressed in their Sunday best to join the congregation for prayer and fellowship at the Chapel in the Woods.  We learn why bright colors are favored for the festivities (and it's not because it's Spring!), remember the Jesus' life, death, and rising, and just what part eggs play in the whole Easter celebration.  It's a great walk through the day for little ones through adults with companions we've come to trust through the years.

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The Princess Parables:  An Easter Story

by

Jeanna Young and Jacqueline Kinney Johnson

Illustrated by

Omar Aranda

9780310748700

In this enchanting tale, we've five princesses making new friends and learning life lessons all whilst preparing for the annual Easter celebration.  Challenges arise both fun and daunting and the girls must trust themselves and each other to do the right thing in order to see it through.  In doing so, they prove that class is not what makes a princess a princess, but the size and charity of her heart.  They willingly put aside a win in order to help another....and isn't that a lesson that He sought to teach us Himself?  A wonderful read for your little princess with bright, cheerful images to dazzle the eye.

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The Legend of the Easter Robin

by

Dandi Daley Mackall

Illustrated by

Richard Cowdrey

9780310749646

This was a story that I truly had never heard and yet it's beauty touched my heart.  Within these pages, a doting grandmother shares the tale of a small robin that sought to help Jesus as he struggled with His (or perhaps better put OUR) burden through the streets of Jerusalem and whose efforts were resulted in the robin's red breast.  I feel I must warn you though, the story is not without heartache and the illustrations are very moving (think Passion of the Christ) so the youngest of young readers may need to opt out until they can understand all that transpired a bit more.  In the end though, we are left with a formidable tale that reminds us how much was sacrificed in our names and His love that endures to the very end of time.

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Special thanks to Liane and the whole Zonderkidz team for the chance to bring these titles to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on these featured titles, the authors, illustrators, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.

Until next time...happy reading!