Saturday Sights ~9~

Good morrow!

I am both excited (and sad) to introduce the FIRST topic of our Saturday Sights discussion... The Lizzie Bennett Diaries has come to an (amazingly beautiful I-SWEAR-I'M-NOT-CRYING) end. Do you remember this? When I first heard about The LBD and was all YES LET US CELEBRATE WOO-HOO! ??? Well it's been a year. One hundred episodes. And I'm so glad to have been a part of it. So glad that it happened and that I can experience it over and over again. And so can you! Watch it on YouTube or preorder your copy here.

NEXT, Doctor Who is back tonight. Yep. Geronimo. 

MOVING ON, Victoria Schwab (aka V.E. Schwab) has received arcs of her first adult novel VICIOUS and BOY ARE THEY BEAUTEOUS. I just want to devour one RIGHT NOW. Superheroes are making a comeback, people, but what's more exciting than a superhero? V's supervillians.

And FINALLY if you're in the LA area, Kina Grannis is playing a free show at USC on Tuesday, April 2nd! Click here for details!


And that's it for today! I kept it brief JUST FOR YOU. Plus, everyone is recovering from the Bologna Book Fair at the moment! Tune in next week for more lovely happenings around the bookish wide web! :)

Hearts and hugs,
Deserae

Book Review: THE ARCHIVED

It's been a while since I've done this. Since I've sat at a computer and talked. About books. Most people, when they can't quite articulate themselves or get nervous or feel silly, etc., will say, "I don't know how to explain it," as if there were no words--- none at all--- that could express what's on their minds. But the problem, for me, is that I do know.

I do know how to explain myself. Do know what THE ARCHIVED was, for me, as a novel.

I just don't know if you're going to understand me when I say THE ARCHIVED was like wood. And stone. And light.

The characters in this novel reminded me of wood. Beautiful. Organic. But cracked--- cracked all over. Cracked on the surface and those cracks running deeper and deeper beneath. We got to stay near the surface, near the beautiful sides of most of them where those cracks just looked like decoration--- like artistic nuance, if you will. But then Mackenzie would touch someone or be touched by someone and we were falling deeper and deeper between the cracks of each person, peeling the layers of facade away little by little. This is probably both my favorite and least favorite thing about THE ARCHIVED. It's almost like a signature Victoria Schwab has this brilliant and frustrating way of creating things so organically you are slowly, slowly peeling away these layers, holding your breath for the next discovery, and then feeling EVERYTHING once you get there because it hurts to see the ugliness. Because it's supposed to.

But then there's the stone. The things that keeps you grounded and make you wait and help you to forgive Schwab for teasing, teasing, teasing, and breaking your heart all the while in between. The worlds she creates. The mysteries. The stories. The people. Those solid odds and ends that feel so real you wonder if you could go there, feel that, makes you question whether or not you'd heard about The Narrows and Da and The Coronado somewhere else. They make you wonder why you haven't. It's so strange these solid things.

These beautiful itty bitty things, most of which are tiny things feel. so. real. Like Bishop's Cafe and The Coronado and The Narrows. The Archived. And you feel like you've been there. Seen that. Met Da, heard his stories, known Lindsey, seen a ripple in the air that wasn't quite right and knew there had to be--- had to be--- something more there. I could see The Archive existing, the plot thickening. The mystery unfolding. Those lives happening. And I wasn't so flustered by the cracks because I had this to hold onto. When Mac was fighting, I didn't have to think about Ben. When the adorable Nix came onto the scene or when Roland showed her around the Atrium or when Wes sat by her in the garden I could forget about the horrible things happening all around, crumbling, threatening to tear those bits of happiness away. I could just admire the world. The creativity that went into this place, these characters, this story. And then, when I had to face the cracks again, I appreciated them even more. Because they were real and they hurt and they were supposed to and that was okay.

That was okay. Feeling, hurting, becoming impatient, wanting, needing--- it was all okay. THE ARCHIVED was about Mackenzie's journey but maybe I had one, too. And that's why this novel was also light. It showed me things. It reflected some of my own thoughts.

Despite what the description says, this novel was about love. Love between families, friends. Love of past, love of present. It's about life and death and how to live in spite of tragedy. It's about light and truth and how important it is to SPEAK. To say what's on your heart. To say that you feel. And you heart, and want, and need. I don't know if you'll understand what I'm saying here. I don't care if you do or don't. In words that are actually comprehensible, I encourage you to try this novel for yourself. Tell me what you think of THE ARCHIVED. Tell me if you felt it breathing, if you can't wait for the sequel, if you sense the wood, the stone, the light as well.

If you just can't get enough of my ramblings here is something else. Click here to go to my personal blog where I give more thoughts on THE ARCHIVED from the perspective of a Literature Student who's about to take a final on Authorship. Ug.

The Sunday Post ~8~

Elsewhere News

• This week on Elsewhere, we catch up on old times by featuring Victoria Schwab's THE ARCHIVED and talking about some of the most memorable books I've read in my absence. 
• Since we're half way through March, there isn't going to be an official reading list for this month. But the books we're celebrating this week are: THE ARCHIVED, A SPY IN THE HOUSE, and the first book in Ally Carter's most recent series, HEIST SOCIETY. Next week, we'll focus on THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, THE FROG PRINCESS, and we're going to do a throwback to ONE DAY which (I can't believe) I read and reviewed here a year ago. 
• I haven't thought of a Mayhem Challenge yet, but I sorely want to start giving things away. What would really help is having people to give these things away TO! Perhaps, on Friday, I'll just do a prize pack giveaway. Stay tuned until I have more news on this. 

Reviews for Last Week's Releases

So I've been M.I.A....

...But these bloggers haven't. Let's play catch up, shall we?

REVENGE OF THE GIRL WITH THE GREAT PERSONALITY by Elizabeth Eulberg

1. Review from the ever-trusted darlings at Rather be Reading

2. A great character-driven review over at Pixie Dust Book Reviews

3. Another great review found over at Secrets and Sharing Soda

4. The Goodreads

MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza

1. A great review over in the Book Nook (but giveaway's closed. Sorry!)

2. 3.5 our of 5 stars to Mila over at A Reader of Fictions

POISON by Bridget Zinn

1. Cool response from Hobbitsies

2. The flipside and personal thoughts over at Bookshelvers Anonymous

3. Another review that hearts POISON over at Parajunkee

LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger

1. A great review from Addictive Reading

2. And another one from The Book Cellar

3. And another one from Once Upon a Twilight

REQUIEM by Lauren Oliver

1. An honest response from Two Chicks on Books who loved the series
2. A 4 star review from our beloved Mundie Moms

UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody
1. A great in depth sum up of the book from Popcorn Reads
2. A great review from That's What She Read
3. A "Fantastically Awesome" review from IceyBooks

New Releases March 17th-23rd

*All synopses and covers from Goodreads. Click the book to buy!

March 19th: EVERAFTER by Elizabeth Chandler

(seems like Book 6 in a series)

It seems the odds are forever against Ivy and her fallen angel. Tristan is still trapped in the body of an accused murderer, and as the two star-crossed lovers try to clear his name, they must battle the dark forces that would keep them apart and destroy them both. The danger is especially great for Tristan since, as a fallen angel, death would mean losing his soul. It’s up to Ivy to save the one she loves and, hopefully, find a way for the two of the them to be together…for all eternity.
The sweeping saga of Ivy and Tristan comes to a breathtaking conclusion in this final book of the all-new arc in the New York Times bestselling Kissed by an Angel series.


March 21st: OCD, THE DUDE, AND ME by Lauren Roedy Vaughn

(seems to be a standalone)

With frizzy orange hair, a plus-sized body, sarcastic demeanor, and "unique learning profile," Danielle Levine doesn't fit in even at her alternative high school. While navigating her doomed social life, she writes scathing, self-aware, and sometimes downright raunchy essays for English class. As a result of her unfiltered writing style, she is forced to see the school psychologist and enroll in a "social skills" class. But when she meets Daniel, another social misfit who is obsessed with the cult classic film The Big Lebowski, Danielle's resolve to keep everyone at arm's length starts to crumble.

March 19th: CLOCKWORK PRINCESS by Cassandra Clare
(Book #3 in the Infernal Devices series)


THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT PITY.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT REGRET.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES ARE WITHOUT NUMBER.
THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING.

Tessa Gray should be happy — aren’t all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding to Jem Carstairs, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to the Magister, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan of destruction.

He needs Tessa.

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

March 19th: FOX FOREVER by Mary E. Pearson
(Book #3 in the Jenna Fox Chronicles Series)


Locke Jenkins has some catching up to do. After spending 260 years as a disembodied mind in a little black box, he has a perfect new body. But before he can move on with his unexpected new life, he’ll have to return the Favor he accepted from the shadowy resistance group known as the Network.

Locke must infiltrate the home of a government official by gaining the trust of his daughter, seventeen-year-old Raine, and he soon finds himself pulled deep into the world of the resistance—and into Raine’s life.

Mary E. Pearson brings the story she began in The Adoration of Jenna Fox and continued in The Fox Inheritance to a breathtaking conclusion as Locke discovers that being truly human requires much more than flesh and blood.





March 21st: 17 & GONE by Nova Ren Suma
(seems to be a standalone)

Seventeen-year-old Lauren is having visions of girls who have gone missing. And all these girls have just one thing in common—they are 17 and gone without a trace. As Lauren struggles to shake these waking nightmares, impossible questions demand urgent answers: Why are the girls speaking to Lauren? How can she help them? And… is she next? As Lauren searches for clues, everything begins to unravel, and when a brush with death lands her in the hospital, a shocking truth emerges, changing everything.

With complexity and richness, Nova Ren Suma serves up a beautiful, visual, fresh interpretation of what it means to be lost.

March 21st: THE ART OF WISHING by Lindsay Ribar
(appears to be the first in a series)


Margo McKenna has a plan for just about everything, from landing the lead in her high school play to getting into a good college. So when she finds herself in possession of a genie's ring and the chance to make three wishes, she doesn't know what to do. Why should she put her life into someone else's hands?

But Oliver is more than just a genie -- he's also a sophomore at Margo's high school, and he's on the run from a murderer. As he and Margo grow closer, she discovers that it will take more than three wishes to save him.

A whole lot more.

IN PAPERBACK...
Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare
The Story of Us by Deb Caletti
The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker

In Theaters March 17th-23rd

*Synopses and posters from Moviefone

March 22nd: "Admission" 

Director: Paul Weitz
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Going to see it?: Hmm... Dunno, yet. But I do love me some Tina Fey.

Description: Straight-laced Princeton University admissions officer Portia Nathan (Fey) is caught off-guard when she makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school overseen by her former college classmate, the free-wheeling John Pressman (Rudd). Pressman has surmised that Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), his gifted yet very unconventional student, might well be the son that Portia secretly gave up for adoption many years ago. Soon, Portia finds herself bending the rules for Jeremiah, putting at risk the life she thought she always wanted -- but in the process finding her way to a surprising and exhilarating life and romance she never dreamed of having.


March 22nd: "The Croods"

Director: Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders
MPAA Rating: PG
Going to see it?: No.

Description: A prehistoric family are forced to flee their cave after it's destroyed by a disaster that threatens to change their lives forever in this animated adventure featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage and Emma Stone. As a protective caveman father leads his family out of harm's way, the clan crosses paths with a resourceful teen named Guy (voice of Ryan Reynolds), who offers to help them reach a distant land where they'll be safe from an impending catastrophe that will soon alter the entire world. Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman round out the cast of vocal performers.

March 22nd: "Olympus Has Fallen"

Director: Antoine Fuqua
MPAA Rating: R
Going to see it?: No. But I will probably watch it eventually. I also love me some Morgan Freeman.

Description: When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As our national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning's inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President and avert an even bigger disaster.


AND ALSO...
"The Sapphires" Rated PG-13
"Love and Honor" Rated PG-13
"My Brother the Devil" Not Rated (also British)
"Starbuck" Rated R

And that's it from me this weekend! Sit tight for my "official" review of Victoria Schwab's THE ARCHIVED and linkage to a not-so-official review of myself, as a reader, over at my personal blog!

Au revoir!
Deserae

Saturday Sights ~8~

Hey, All!

Long time no talk. Recently, I've read a novel. Okay. I've read a few of them. But this novel inspired me to come back to Elsewhere, to pick up the blog again, not because I HAD TO, but because I realized that, if I didn't, no one else would.

So today, after many, many days of silence, after many, many weeks of nothing, after months, and months of yous guys having to rely on other elsewheres to tell you what's what in the world of books and other nonsensical wonders, I. HAS. RETURNED. Here is what's I've found in the past two days that if you haven't heard about, may, in fact, interest you. We have a lot to talk about this beautiful Saturday.

FIRST, The Veronica Mars Movie is HAPPENING. Not because the WB just couldn't get enough. Because the fans joined together, funded it, are making them make it happen. We all knew the internet was a dangerous and wonderful place, but the Veronica Mars Kickstarter has helped the saying "Anything is possible" make a comeback. This screenshot of the project being FULLY FUNDED was taken within the first 11 hours of the project going live. And now they're almost doubled!

Which brings me to the NEXT kick(start)er... TORMENT. A blogger I follow and adore, Adam Heine, has been working diligently along with a bunch of other game designers on an RPG called Torment: Tides of Numenera. The Kickstarter is fully funded (and with 20 days left! Huzzah!!!) but the more money the project has, the better it'll be! If you click on the link and find out that you're interested (or if like me, you have a soft spot for writers and wish  them every happiness and ounce of success in everything they do), then click the link and donate OR help by spreading the word!

MOVING ON from geeky to even geekier, I think I'm in love with this webseries called "The Chronicles of Syntax." You can find out what it's all about for yourself by watching the first episode, but in short, it's a story of good versus evil, of fighting for a cause--- even one you don't have all the details about. It's about friendship, trust, and loyalty. About destiny and callings and deciding yours for yourself. It's about taking a stand. Making a change. And oh yeah. There's also kick-butt action. Follow them on Twitter or just check it out! If you're into cheesy but awesome sci-fi stuff, you'll love it as much as I do.

REALLY QUICKLY I've just remembered something brilliant I came across and have fingers crossed is true. Rumor has it there will be a "Sherlock" Series 4--- AND 5!

But IN MORE CONFIRMABLE NEWS, Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy. Starring in a radio drama. Based on Neil Gaiman's NEVERWHERE. AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGG... It is happening. It is happening HERE. Go listen to it. Just listen to it. Listen to a story. The story doesn't begin right away (give the player a minute or two before you give up thinking I've led you astray) but you'll know when you're there. When you're there in Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. And you will love it.

Okay. We're almost done, I swear. I ALSO wanted to tell you about the fact that there is now an official "John Green Book Club" site! For some of you, I'm sure this is cool. For me, it's just the incentive I need to dig into some of his other novels.

AND FINALLY, for ye writers of the utterly hilarious, The Greenhouse Literary Agency is having a brilliant contest! If you've got a manuscript that will tickle an agent's funny bone, then you should head on over, read the rules, and consider entering! There's time--- lots of it--- to decide if you want to, but there's no harm in checking it out!

And that's it for this week! I hope you found something lovely in this mess of information. Call it a peace offering--- a token of my appreciation. And then join me this week as I talk about Victoria Schwab's THE ARCHIVED and catch you up on what I've been reading since I saw you last.

Until tomorrow,
Deserae