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The past few weeks have been very busy. While fighting a summer cold, I started the next volume of Hartfield Chronicles and I've got to say, some of my characters are really surprising me. I'm loving the growth and maturity they are showing and I can't wait for you to read them.
Meanwhile, Volume One is already ready for publication. I'm still waiting to hear back from a few more readers, but the cover is designed and I've figured out how to publish the paperback the way I want. I am very excited and I hope that by my next newsletter, I will be ready to announce a release date.
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With his movie finally finished filming, Pat can't wait to return to Hartfield to spend some time with his brother. But, Walter would rather pretend they are complete strangers. At least Walter's friend doesn't seem to mind him hanging around.
Melinda has just about figured out how to balance her schoolwork with her new dance class and time with her friends. She's even managed to spend some time with her boyfriend, Eliot. Life should be perfect, right?
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Except for the fact that Eliot doesn't like the fact that Melinda's best friend is a boy. Or that Melinda happens to be friends with a famous actor.
And just when Melinda thinks her life can't get any more complicated, an unexpected kiss forces her to reexamine the way she thinks about one of her friends.
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Hartfield Chronicles follows the lives of Melinda, Pat, and their friends as they navigate their way through boarding school life. Each episode features two stories, one from Melinda's point of view and one from Pat's, along with an excerpt from Melinda's writing journal. New episodes are published every Tuesday and Friday. |
Here's what you've missed
- Episode 41: A MAC dance after service day doesn't have the ending anyone expected
- Episode 42: Melinda and Walter commiserate about their failed relationships
- Episode 43: It's the Whomping Wheeler Whally
- Episode 44: Will the dress rehearsals never end?
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Sign up for email updates and, as a thank you,
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A Glimpse at Ashleigh's Bookshelf |
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Switched Amanda Hocking
Seventeen-year-old Wendy has not had an easy life. Her father died when she was five. At her sixth birthday party, her mother decided she was not really her child, but a monster who had assumed her child's life. Her aunt and older brother have done their best to raise her, but she hasn't exactly been the easiest child to live with. Now, a strange boy at her new school has taken an interest in her and the things he says makes her wonder whether her mother was right all along.
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I found this book while clearing my virtual bookshelf and I couldn't remember anything about it. When I checked goodreads, I found I had rated this book 3 stars in 2015 but left no review (how dare I!), so I decided to reread the entire trilogy. This review is actually for all three books.
I have read several stories of changlings and one of the questions I always have is what happens to the human baby that was switched? I was pleased to see that this book answers not only that question but also the "how does it work" question as well.
While I liked the story well enough, the tense switching and amateur editing made this story a little difficult to follow. There were several places where I felt the story jumped and I wondered how the characters got to point B when they were still at point A. There was also a lot of narration. I would have liked to have seen more dialogue and action.
One of the things that really confused me was the fact that this series was three novellas instead of a single book. It felt as if a novel was cut into three pieces; each book did not have the feel of a separate arc. The ends of books 1 and 2 felt like the ends of a chapter, not a book, and the beginnings of books 2 and 3 did little to reintroduce me to the situation. Had I not read the previous books, I don't think I would have been able to follow the sequels. In my opinion, this book would have done much better as a slightly longer novel than three novellas.
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I Can't Remember
A heart-wrenching standalone mystery
Every night of her life is erased. But this time, her amnesia could have fatal consequences.
Every night of her life is erased. But this time, her amnesia could have fatal consequences.
Mia Amari isn’t your average college student. Each day after 9:00 p.m., she’s unable to create new memories and must rely on friends and family to tell her what happened. But her disorder takes a horrific turn when she wakes up covered in blood and lying beside her murdered classmate.
Accused of killing the boy she was starting to have feelings for but powerless to provide an alibi, Mia dives into a terrifying hunt to clear her name. But with the real culprit still on the loose, what she can’t recall could be deadly.
Can Mia prove her innocence without becoming the next victim? I Can’t Remember is a heart-wrenching standalone mystery novel. If you like complex characters, strong family bonds, and gripping suspense, then you’ll love Cindy Gunderson’s thrilling page-turner.
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Starvation
A powerful Young Adult Contemporary novel
John Green meets Laurie Halse Anderson in this "haunting" and "incredibly real" book that "holds you there until the very last sentence".
16-year-old Wes McCoy is not the favorite child.
He does not have a wrestling scholarship to Stanford nor does he live up to the family legacy as an athlete, unlike his brother, Jason. But when Jason dies in a car accident on the way to the state high school wrestling championship, Wes turns to food to give him the control over his life he didn't have before-- the kind of success he never tasted.
Wes must take back control from his eating disorder as he learns more about himself and the mystery surrounding Jason's accident, before he loses his life and those closest to him.
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