Xpresso Reads

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Fresh Batch (Nov 26th – Dec 2nd)

Posted by Giselle • 0 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

The Chaos of Standing Still
Jessica Brody
Publication date: November 28th 2017
by Simon Pulse

Goodreads Purchase

Over the course of one chaotic night stranded at the Denver airport, Ryn confronts her shattered past thanks to the charm of romance, the uniqueness of strangers, and the magic of ordinary places in this stunning novel from the author of Boys of Summer.

Ryn has one unread text message on her phone. And it’s been there for almost a year.

She hasn’t tried to read it. She can’t. She won’t. Because that one message is the last thing her best friend ever said to her before she died.

But as Ryn finds herself trapped in the Denver International Airport on New Year’s Eve thanks to a never-ending blizzard on the one-year anniversary of her best friend’s death, fate literally runs into her.

And his name is Xander.

When the two accidentally swap phones, Ryn and Xander are thrust into the chaos of an unforgettable all-night adventure, filled with charming and mysterious strangers, a secret New Year’s Eve bash, and a possible Illuminati conspiracy hidden within the Denver airport. But as the bizarre night continues, all Ryn can think about is that one unread text message. It follows her wherever she goes, because Ryn can’t get her brialliantly wild and free-spirited best friend out of her head.

Ryn can’t move on.

But tonight, for the first time ever, she’s trying. And maybe that’s a start.

As moving as it is funny, The Chaos of Standing Still is a heartwarming story about the earth-shattering challenges life throws at us—and the unexpected strangers who help us along the way.

Other releases this week:
* In no particular order *

– Weave a Circle Round by Kari Maaren [Purchase]
– Final Fall (Lock & Mori #3) by Heather W. Petty [Purchase]
– Run Away With Me (Come Back to Me #3) by Mila Gray [Purchase]
– Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian #2 (Fifty Shades as told by Christian #2) by E.L. James [Purchase]

– Fix Me by Lisa M. Cronkhite [Purchase]
– Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley [Purchase]

Short and sweet!

Find previous Fresh Batch posts here!

Fresh Batch (November 19th-25th)

Posted by Giselle on 11/18/2017 • 0 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Not Now, Not Ever Lily Anderson Publication date: November 21st 2017by Wednesday Books

Goodreads Purchase

The sequel to The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest.

Elliot Gabaroche is very clear on what she isn’t going to do this summer.

1. She isn’t going to stay home in Sacramento, where she’d have to sit through her stepmother’s sixth community theater production of The Importance of Being Earnest. 2. She isn’t going to mock trial camp at UCLA. 3. And she certainly isn’t going to the Air Force summer program on her mother’s base in Colorado Springs….

Middle Grade Mini-Reviews

Posted by Rashika on 11/14/2017 • 0 Comments

I actually haven’t had as much time to read lately which is why I haven’t been posting more but hey, this is my last week of school ever??!?!?! It’s wild, intense and incredibly stressful. I have a bajillion emotions but this isn’t really the time to talk about them. I have been reading some MG and Picture Books to destress though so today, I bring to you, some mini-reviews of middle grade novels I’ve read in the past month-ish?? However long it’s been. IDK.

Just, Dance Patricia MacLachlan

GOODREADS | PURCHASE

Sylvie Bloom wants to find something new and exciting this summer—at least more exciting than the cows, goats, and chickens on her family’s farm that she’s become accustomed to. Luckily, Sylvie’s teacher Mrs. Ludolf…

Fresh Batch (November 12th-18th)

Posted by Giselle on 11/11/2017 • 1 Comment

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Whichwood Tahereh Mafi Series: Furthermore # Publication date: November 14th 2017by Dutton Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Purchase

A new adventure about a girl who is fated to wash the bodies of the dead in this companion to Furthermore.

Our story begins on a frosty night…

Laylee can barely remember the happier times before her beloved mother died. Before her father, driven by grief, lost his wits (and his way). Before she was left as the sole remaining mordeshoor in the village of Whichwood, destined to spend her days washing the bodies of the dead and preparing their souls for the afterlife….

Dark & Rich: Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

Posted by Rashika on 11/08/2017 • 11 Comments

I think there is this general conception that for a fantasy novel to be truly good, it needs to have about a 1,000,000 pages and at 304 pages, Beasts Made of Night is not a particularly long book. Do not and I repeat do NOT let that fool you. Tochi Onyebuchi packs a fucking punch in those 304 pages. World building? You got it. Adventure? You got it. A mother-fucking rebellion? YOU GOT IT. Beasts Made of Night isn’t just a great novel for fantasy readers but also for people too vary of the genre because of its reputation for long-winded novels that take lifetimes to get through.

Onyebuchi has a background in screenwriting and honestly, the high stakes and the quick pace of the novel really reflect this. For some people,…

Fresh Batch (November 5th-11th)

Posted by Giselle on 11/04/2017 • 3 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Renegades Marissa Meyer Series: Renegades #1 Publication date: November 7th 2017by Feiwel & Friends

Goodreads Purchase

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone…except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in…

A Graphic Novel That You Most Definitely Need: Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

Posted by Rashika on 11/03/2017 • 2 Comments

I’ve been waiting for Pashmina since I first heard it existed so when my friend got a copy, I dove into hers while I was visiting and also ended up coming home to a precious copy of my own (#SHOUTOUT.) I’ve already read it twice and there is a very huge possibility I’ll have read it a third time before the end of the year (and even the end of the month, tbh.) SO. I THINK it’s safe to say that I love Pashmina.

It’s already being marketed as such but I also just think Pashmina is perfect for fans of American Born Chinese. The books share so many wonderful qualities and parallels but Pashmina is still its own story and so so SO heartfelt at that. I mean, it even has Gene Luen Yang’s stamp…