Hey y’all!

If you’ve been around for awhile, the site looks VASTLY different from the blue-and-gray, watercolored, cutesy design it’s had for the past five or so years. I recently decided that I needed to elevate it.

If you’re new here, welcome! I’m happy to have you, in what’s a new era of the blog I’ve been running, and loving, since 2011.

The Overview

Words Like Silver is a literary blog with a little bit of lifestyle.

The new branding looks, and feels, a lot more like me. A bit older, a bit cleaner, and with more emphasis on what really matters — the words and content expressed by the reads that I love. It’s more versatile, so I can play around with it and try out different styles. The post editor is also much friendlier towards the types of projects and reflections I’ve been incorporating in my reviews recently. Mood boards will be easier, as well as embedding media like audiobook samples and sounds.

The Breakdown

I recently switched from Wordpress to Squarespace. While I’d never had any issues with Wordpress, I loved the responsiveness of Squarespace, which I got to know through my art blog. Building elements feels so natural, and the drag-and-drop formatting feels a lot like I’m constructing an art project. I’ve never done any more than light coding, but on Squarespace, I can work with CSS without feeling like I’ll derail some integral part of my site.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be cleaning up bits of the transition. Fixing formatting. For example, the import of my Wordpress content left out spaces between periods and the incoming sentence. There’s also an odd lack of a closing parenthesis, so currently I’m writing without parentheses! I’m adjusting images and graphics, and touching up some behind-the-scenes elements like keywords and categorization.

If you read any posts written before May 2019, beware! Tread lightly.

In all seriousness though, I’m excited for how much more I can now convey. I hope that y’all will be patient as I single-handedly pore through and curate all the details of Words Like Silver over the coming days. Hopefully I’ll have it all up to speed soon!

In the meantime…

Do you like it?

In the spring, I chase pure feelings: the sun on my back, the coolness of slipping into the water, the simple pleasures of being outside, being quiet, being golden.

While those are feelings I should always chase, the weather helps. I get definite spring fever. Since freshman year, I've always found a spot and camped out: on my favorite bench, or on a quilt on one of the commons. I'm my best self when I'm soaking up the good weather.

One of my favorite habits this year has just been going and sitting outside, no phone, no distractions unless I take a book. Forcing myself to have some much-needed mindfulness of just people-watching and absorbing my surroundings. When I do take a book, my preferences drift towards books that are sparse — evoking the pared-down, stripped qualities I love in a summer. Bare, simple, and fresh, while still having enough detail to sweep me away for a little while! I'm definitely going to post more of these as I hunger to read them — for a series — but for now, here are some picks to get you started if you're eager for the same feelings.

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Novel: Moonglass by Jessi Kirby | Goodreads
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both. Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love — a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface. While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing — not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death — stays buried forever.

I read this book years ago -- when I first started blogging -- and it's one of the books I think about most often. The main character, Anna, is gentle but still vibrant. Her descriptions of the beach capture the sacred sensations of it, connecting it to family and her own coming-of-age, rather than the glorified bits of it that appear in so-called "beach reads." I read Moonglass for the feeling of being on the beach alone at night, or the cyclical nature of revisiting a place and realizing how much you've changed since you've been there last. It's lovely.

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Novel: Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson | Goodreads
Release Date: June 13, 2017
Publisher: HarperCollins

Divided by time. Ignited by a spark.

Kansas, 2065. Adri has secured a slot as a Colonist—one of the lucky few handpicked to live on Mars. But weeks before launch, she discovers the journal of a girl who lived in her house over a hundred years ago, and is immediately drawn into the mystery surrounding her fate. While Adri knows she must focus on the mission ahead, she becomes captivated by a life that’s been lost in time…and how it might be inextricably tied to her own.

Oklahoma, 1934. Amidst the fear and uncertainty of the Dust Bowl, Catherine fantasizes about her family’s farmhand, and longs for the immortality promised by a professor at a traveling show called the Electric. But as her family’s situation becomes more dire—and the suffocating dust threatens her sister’s life—Catherine must find the courage to sacrifice everything she loves in order to save the one person she loves most.

England, 1919. In the recovery following the First World War, Lenore struggles with her grief for her brother, a fallen British soldier, and plans to sail to America in pursuit of a childhood friend. But even if she makes it that far, will her friend be the person she remembers, and the one who can bring her back to herself?

While their stories spans thousands of miles and multiple generations, Lenore, Catherine, and Adri’s fates are entwined.

When I wrote my review of this book originally, I noted that it was difficult to go into after having read Tiger Lily-- a complex, aching, gorgeous book that's one of my favorites. They're different: Midnight at the Electric is odd and muted but still has the same haunting lines that remind me why Jodi Lynn Anderson will always own me with her words. Although historical fiction (and to a certain extent, science fiction) elements within this book can make it heavy, the quiet lines make it a stunning and relatively quick read that you could lose yourself in during a few hours tucked away on a quilt outside.

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Novel: Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour | Goodreads
Release Date: May 15, 2014
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers

A love letter to the craft and romance of film and fate in front of—and behind—the camera from the award-winning author of Hold Still.A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

I'm relatively certain I've reread this book every spring term at W&L, because it's so perfect for it: a colorful, poignant read that focuses on a passionate girl and an unsolved Hollywood mystery. The main character, Emi, is thoughtful and balanced, but also endlessly romantic about all the beauty around her. It makes for a compelling read, and it has so much sensory detail that wraps you up and doesn't let go. It's soft, detailed, and sensitive while still feeling larger-than-life.

Which books are your spring go-tos?

If you'd told me that a piece of my identity I created for myself in seventh grade would still exist, I'd probably be very concerned. Looking back, I don't trust my preteen taste.As of today, I've been running Words Like Silver for eight years, and finding the words to describe how I feel is difficult. I want to articulate how much this little blog has gone through, and how amazed I am that it's still one of my favorite pieces of my life. Some years, I let the anniversary pass with little fanfare. Other years, like this one, call for a bit more reflection.Eight years is two student generations. High school, college. So much change that it's comforting to know I have a constant -- something that I exclusively do and work for, that external circumstances can't affect.Despite evolving interests, I am a reader and a writer at heart.It's not that I thought it wouldn't last, when it started. I was in seventh grade though, and started a post-midnight project (as one does), and never expected it to shape so much of my identity.But I'm proud. I've built this site from the ground up, expanded it into a lot of different creative functions and places, and kept it going regardless of what I have going on. I've built a loyal following of readers, a curated aesthetic, and a fierce gratitude for all that's worth loving (and talking about.) And reading continues to be a foundation for me.If you're just popping in to see what's going on today on the blog, welcome, and happy birthday to Words Like Silver! If you're sticking around for my reflection, I have a lot of thoughts on how far it's come.When I started this blog in seventh grade, I was just looking for an outlet.I'd been frustrated, both with feeling like I didn't relate to those around me (a little middle school misery for you) and in being lumped in with my identical twin sister, despite having divergent interests. I'm a passionate person, and that was extremely draining. Most people didn't take me seriously when I talked about my passions because of my age.Additionally, I credit "the twin thing" for a lot more than I used to, because it caused my desire to forge an identity that was solely mine, not related to somebody else. (Even now, I hate when people view us as two halves of one whole, or frame me in relation to Hannah.)I'm still excruciatingly shy -- the quiet twin, always. I'm still intensely driven. Those aspects of my personality haven't changed, but having something that I've built gives me a lot more confidence and the freedom to be independent. (Although having an excuse to hide behind a book or a camera doesn't do much for the introversion.)In 2012, the blog became real when I had a blog post get some traction in the book world and suddenly started getting involved in the publishing industry. I met a lot of people who helped me to develop my voice more and get involved in the behind-the-scenes. Started caring about upcoming years' titles and not just the books that had been on my shelves for ages.I started editing manuscripts, talking to authors, created buzz for upcoming titles, and even helped out with the formation of some elements that made it into real books. (I'm nothing like the main character of this book, but my answers and interviews helped the author to create a blogger teen, and I appreciate having helped with something so tangible.)The blog has never been huge, but I'm affectionate towards the small, loyal community of readers that I have, and I love it so much. I love the feeling of somebody telling me they found a new favorite book because of a post, or getting sucked into a conversation about a book we've both read.My teen years passed. I read a ton. Started moderating a book club for teenagers in my hometown. Worked at a bookstore.I edited a book that made it onto shelves. Saw books published that I'd seen as Publishers Weekly book deals. Advanced copies I'd had hitting the bestseller lists, being turned into movies. Attended conferences and panels and events. Wrote some myself. I thought I'd work in publishing, and although that perspective has now changed, it's responsible for a lot of my growth.Even now, the scope of the history I have with the publishing industry feels surreal, and having my creativity/intensity validated was something I'd needed then.It had always been a hobby rather than a pursuit, but WLS influenced nearly every sphere of my life. I met some of my best friends through blogging (either directly through comments or online interactions, or because it was a reason they recognized me later.) Instead of being a Smith twin, exclusively, I was also "book girl."In 2016, I went to a tiny college (which I'm still attending!) and the blog was the reason I felt comfortable talking to people -- because everyone had shamelessly online stalked each other before heading off to Lexington, and it was an easy way to introduce myself. (In fact, I met one of my best friends when he went up to me the first night and told me I had a typo on my most recent post.) As the years passed and stressors changed, reading felt more like a luxury and I appreciated the ability to be able to sink into a read and widen my perspective.Reading has always been a way for me to keep ahold of my identity. To root myself to what I believe in, and what I love. Escapism or inspiration.One of my favorite quotes by Pablo Neruda captures it well, how much I just love sharing my interests.

“Take it all back. Life is boring, except for flowers, sunshine, your perfect legs. A glass of cold water when you are really thirsty. The way bodies fit together. Fresh and young and sweet. Coffee in the morning. These are just moments. I struggle with the in-betweens. I just want to never stop loving like there is nothing else to do, because what else is there to do?”

Words Like Silver was the catalyst for a whole host of interests and explorations. I describe it as the umbrella under which I fit all of my creative pursuits, and as the manifestation of all my passions.Fundamentally, I took photos, and talked about books that fascinated me, and taught myself an assortment of skills. I've gotten to work with some phenomenal people, and some lovely brands.Having this blog led me down a rabbit hole of creative activity. I wholeheartedly fell in love with lettering, with art, with hunting for coffeeshops. Got really into design, in a ton of different spheres. I developed a new appreciation for anything well-curated, whether that was a brand or a space or even just a person so wholly himself or herself that everything they do just feels so spot-on. I love the niche of distinctive voices, and I love that sharing keeps me grateful.It's all been a natural evolution, a series of changes I never particularly noticed until they were so fully ingrained in my identity that I couldn't imagine being anything else.I read. Make happy lists. Write often. Save up for plane tickets and just wander through places when I can. Take photos. I pick up instruments, and create art, and dance way too much for someone who no longer dances. Everything about the way that I am is directly related to loving forms of art and media. I throw myself into projects and hobbies, and keep forging ahead independently, and I (of course) write about it on here.I have no plans to ever stop writing. I assume that one day I'll just feel like it's time to let this little site go, but that day hasn't come yet. It's my platform, and it keeps me going.This post is a lot of then-and-now. When I started, books were my thing. I'd come home from school, do my homework, go to lacrosse or dance, and then come home and read until I fell asleep.Now, I'm spread across a lot more activities on campus (although I'm giving myself a real, full senior year!) and prioritize time with people more than I did. My family's made up of readers, so in my hometown, it was a lot easier to get away from distractions. At school, I'm aware of how little time I have there and how many different pieces of it I want to try.I've branched out into coverage of a lot more of what makes me a person. I'm passionate about books, and those will always be my foundation, but I'm much more comfortable talking about other things I love too: places, music, foods and drinks, shops, publications.Because WLS has built a lot of the way I operate -- my organization, philosophies, interests, priorities -- I have no doubt that my future career and life will incorporate a lot of the lessons I've learned from running this little place. The aesthetic I've curated or instinctively developed in my years of collecting, creating, and posting. I just want to be kind and smart and work hard, and the blog helps. Reading builds empathy and gives you perspective. Reading teaches me so much, and allows me to explore other interests. And blogging proves to me how much I can do if I keep my head down and put my mind to it.I'm hoping to end up working in content creation of some kind. Or social media. Or design. Something that incorporates all the elements of running WLS that I love.

I love to crunch the numbers, especially on anniversaries, because it lends more weight to the idea of EIGHT FULL YEARS inside my head. I've been writing on here for a long time.It's been 8 years. I've read 1652 books, approximately.(You can see more by stalking any of my "Read in" pages in my header, for given years.) Written 825 blog posts. My blog's been read by over 150,000 people. I've written two manuscripts myself, and an uncountable number of poems and stories. And we're still rolling.Although it's something I've thought about, especially on Instagram, verbalizing an aesthetic always feels odd. I'm shameless about my use of the word, because it's the most apt description of what I love to chase: distinctness. Beauty in the little things. I love the elements of intention incorporated into styling -- whether it's food in a restaurant, or a gorgeous piece of design, or a book photo.Because I'm trying to do use my creative energy for a career, I started an art portfolio website, full of mood boards, my style, and my pieces. Because it's been eight years and I'm overdue for a personal audit, I'm going to review a lot of the way I unconsciously structure my Instagram.On it, I discussed my aesthetic as including evocative words, romantic styling, and "fond references to nature." The filters I gravitate towards are vibrant and underexposed, with bold colors surrounded by browns and greens. As a whole, I aim to spotlight anything that makes my mind race -- usually books with a tinge of existentialism.My aesthetic, in some ways, goes back to my happy lists.

bookscoffee & pretty beveragesthe woodsFLOWERSlightsreflectionsroads & nomadic imagescozy chaosscrawled words, collage, that crafted touch!

While there are some aspects of my visual taste that remain constant, at times I'll notice trends weaving their way through my photos. For example, I've noticed that most of the photos I've posted in the past few months have a glow to them: the fading sun, or a light leak. When I'm at camp, my photos are all green-tinted and full of foliage -- and paint and clay, from teaching my activities. When I'm in Canada, it's all dark wood and golden hours on the porch. Although my social media is curated, it feels authentic to who I am and what I prioritize. It's not glitzy, unless I'm posting travel photos of places that took my breath away. I fully embrace the embarrassment of staging props for a photo in front of my friends. (It's also easier to maintain a genuine perspective when I'm posting words, because I feel like I can tamper those images down more if necessary.) I like having photos for memories, but try not to let that desire creep into the moment itself; some elements of my life are too precious for interruption.Although I'm drawn to capturing beautiful images and moments, life is also bumpy, and I never want to make it seem like it's picturesque. As a person though, I usually keep a rosy perspective -- I'm an optimist at heart. I'm conscious of the separation between posting beautiful photos and the assumption of an exemplary life.Recently, I haven't been posting as many book photos (because I've been reading a ton of ebooks from the library) and that's a way my feed has changed. I still struggle to articulate what exactly about my Instagram makes it "Grace" -- saturated colors, vibrant textures, my penchant for captions with back slashes --  and how to use it as I start in the workforce!Still, it's one of my favorite spaces. I love to talk about books, clearly, and I love being able to capture moments of beauty that are satisfying to me. It's the same feeling I get when I go back to read my journals, or stumble across a quote that perfectly articulates a feeling or sensation that I thought would be impossible to preserve. That, at the end of the day, is what WLS is all about.At the end of the day, thank you to everyone who's been there for me through it. Who's supported me as I've been a stubborn, introverted workaholic. Who's given me a leg up in pursuing my interests. Everyone who's read a book I've talked about in an Instagram caption or blog post! And all the people I love personally, who put up with the intensity and appreciate the existential book talks, the sneak-reading, the quick photographs. I love you all for it.Cheers to eight years of Words Like Silver, and hopefully many more.

Hey y'all!It's Grace here, writing at the end of my finals week while visiting my twin sister. Although I'm exhausted from the winter (and still have a ton to do), I'm enormously lucky to have the chance to see her again. I'm excited to get to relax since this is the most soul-deep worn down I've ever been. I need to find a way to get back to graceness. Luckily, books are a good way to do that.While I can't quite dial everything back enough to just sink into reading, I've been chipping away at some recent favorites for some comfort. While I could go on forever about my love for the reads, I figured I'd go back to another aspect of these books I adore: the language.At the end of the day, my favorite part of reading is finding lines that completely resonate with me. At the very least, gorgeous phrasing or articulate feelings. Without further ado, here are some of my favorite books with quotes that have affected me lately.Excuse the scattered nature of my post -- some images, some typed highlights. Just want to get to the heart of some excellent words.Novel:Small Damages by Beth Kephart | GoodreadsRelease Date: July 19th 2012Publisher: Philomel

It’s senior year, and while Kenzie should be looking forward to prom and starting college in the fall, she is mourning the loss of her father. She finds solace in the one person she trusts, her boyfriend, and she soon finds herself pregnant. Kenzie’s boyfriend and mother do not understand her determination to keep the baby. She is sent to southern Spain for the summer, where she will live out her pregnancy as a cook’s assistant on a bull ranch, and her baby will be adopted by a Spanish couple.Alone and resentful in a foreign country, Kenzie is at first sullen and difficult. She begins to open her eyes and her heart to the beauty that is all around her and inside of her.

Small Damages is a sparse yet colorful coming-of-age that's all-around stunning. Kenzie is emotionally mature and sorting through complex issues, but roots it all in her thoughtful, quiet reflections on Seville and the surrounding countryside.I wish I could put every quote from this book into this post. Kephart has a way of making small moments resonant and powerful, and the imagery stays with you. Kenzie does too.Novel: Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger | GoodreadsRelease Date: 1955Publisher: Back Bay Books

The short story, Franny, takes place in an unnamed college town and tells the tale of an undergraduate who is becoming disenchanted with the selfishness and inauthenticity she perceives all around her.The novella, Zooey, is named for Zooey Glass, the second-youngest member of the Glass family. As his younger sister, Franny, suffers a spiritual and existential breakdown in her parents' Manhattan living room -- leaving Bessie, her mother, deeply concerned -- Zooey comes to her aid, offering what he thinks is brotherly love, understanding, and words of sage advice.Salinger writes of these works: "FRANNY came out in The New Yorker in 1955, and was swiftly followed, in 1957 by ZOOEY. Both stories are early, critical entries in a narrative series I'm doing about a family of settlers in twentieth-century New York, the Glasses. It is a long-term project, patently an ambiguous one, and there is a real-enough danger, I suppose that sooner or later I'll bog down, perhaps disappear entirely, in my own methods, locutions, and mannerisms. On the whole, though, I'm very hopeful. I love working on these Glass stories, I've been waiting for them most of my life, and I think I have fairly decent, monomaniacal plans to finish them with due care and all-available skill."

Franny and Zooey Oxford Exchange can be pretentious at times (come on -- it's Salinger!) but it brings up one of the most philosophically fascinating topics I've ever encountered. When we did this for an teen book club pick that I moderated in high school, the conversation constantly unspooled and re-complicated itself. Are you a good person if you're aware of it?It focuses on two siblings who were raised in a religious hodgepodge of philosophies and now find themselves dazed about what to believe. It's not so much religious as it is existential, and moral. Actions speak louder than words, but do actions speak louder than intention? If you're doing selfless acts and feel satisfied after, does that defeat the purpose -- since technically, the act then becomes selfish as it results in your own happiness? (I'm fascinated by narcissism, and have read some interesting books on the subject.)I'll probably circle back around to this read just to talk about some of the bigger themes in it -- which continually change my perspective, since I've gotten older -- but for now, here are some of my favorite quotes.

“I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody.”

“It's everybody, I mean. Everything everybody does is so — I don't know — not wrong, or even mean, or even stupid necessarily. But just so tiny and meaningless and — sad-making. And the worst part is, if you go bohemian or something crazy like that, you're conforming just as much only in a different way.”

Some of my friends like to tell me that I overthink, which is true, but Franny overthinks more than anybody.Novel: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta | GoodreadsRelease Date: May 9, 2006Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastian’s, a boys' school that pretends it's coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas, who specializes in musical burping, to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can't seem to stop thinking about.Then there's Francesca's mother, who always thinks she knows what's best for Francesca—until she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and without an inkling of who she really is. Simultaneously humorous, poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who must summon the strength to save her family, her social life and—hardest of all—herself.A compelling story of romance, family, and friendship with humor and heart, perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Lauren Myracle.

I've always been a huge fan of Marchetta's later book, Jellicoe Road, which is more larger-than-life. Saving Francesca is much more subtle, but equally important. She has a way of getting to the heart of things, of stripping down a lot of emotional issues that are part of a coming-of-age, rendering them in a plainspoken way that still has gravitas.These underlines are from the first time I read Saving Francesca over a year ago. I'm rereading it now, and there are so many more that I've highlighted (on an eBook version from the library, since my paperback copy is at home), but I forget that quality of a book: that it can change and take on new layers as I get older and have new experiences. Different lines jump out at me each time.Each one of these quoted books is one of my favorites for vastly different reasons, but I hope you get the same satisfaction from some of the quotes that I do -- and that you might encounter them on your own! I'm hoping to do some more language centric posts in the upcoming weeks, to spotlight books that have extraordinary phrasing.

Hey y'all!Grace here, slightly more alive by the end of the term. We have less than two weeks left until I leave for spring break, and I could not be more ready to get out of this winter! It's been a hard one.I've scaled down a lot this semester just trying to get through it, so a lot of my daily routine has involved class, running, and then reading. I've caught up with some series I missed and gotten back to that 2011 mindset of just inhaling genre reads. (I'm still a sucker for paranormal books.)With that being said, I wanted to share my thoughts by discussing books that I first read when I was starting out blogging, almost eight years ago. Highlighting some ones that are still notable!Series:Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter | GoodreadsRelease Date: May 1, 2006Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school-that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"-but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission-falling in love.

I forgot how much pacing means to a book series. If an author can pace well -- perfectly proportioning intrigue, character development, and action, it makes a world of difference. Ally Carter is honestly brilliant in her plotting, and her writing punctuates it all to make it all feel larger-than-life. One of the most exciting and cinematic series I've ever gotten the privilege of reading.Series: Fallen by Lauren Kate | GoodreadsRelease Date: December 8, 2009Publisher: Delacorte Press

What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?17-year-old Lucinda falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy, Daniel, at her new school, the grim, foreboding Sword & Cross . . . only to find out that Daniel is a fallen angel, and that they have spent lifetimes finding and losing one another as good & evil forces plot to keep them apart.Get ready to fall . . .

Okay, so Fallen was a book that I LOVED when I was younger. When I first read it, I was blown away by the dark atmosphere and the twisted world of the fallen angels. Lauren Kate nails the Gothic vibe. I still adore it, having gone back, but the writing and the love story were weaker than I remember them being. Luce doesn't have much of a personality. Still, it's a solidly escapist read. Also, this is one of my favorite book covers of all time.Series: Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot | GoodreadsRelease Date: October 14, 2014Publisher: HarperCollins

When Julia Buchanan enrolls at St. Anne’s at the beginning of junior year, Charlotte Ryder already knows all about the former senator’s daughter. Most people do... or think they do.Charlotte certainly never expects she’ll be Julia’s friend. But almost immediately, she is drawn into the larger than-life-new girl’s world—a world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and fizzy champagne cocktails. And then Charlotte meets, and begins falling for, Julia’s handsome older brother, Sebastian.But behind her self-assured smiles and toasts to the future, Charlotte soon realizes that Julia is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the Buchanan family has kept hidden... until now.

I genuinely forgot how incredible this book is. When I first reviewed it, I saw it as a modern day Gatsby set in a picturesque boarding school atmosphere. I called it "subtle and winning." Flawed characters, family secrets, and an undercurrent of wistfulness make for a stunning, powerful read that also feels gentle. I will champion this book forever. Intoxicating.Series: Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle | GoodreadsRelease Date: October 23, 2014Publisher: Poppy

The romantic story of a girl who gets plucked from obscurity to star in the next major feature film franchise based on a book and the ensuing love triangles she gets entangled in on—-and off screen.Meet Paige Townsen, Rainer Devon, and Jordan Wilder…When Paige Townsen, a young unknown, gets cast in the movie adaptation of a blockbuster book series, her life changes practically overnight. Within a month, Paige has traded the quiet streets of her hometown for a crowded movie set on the shores of Maui, and is spending quality time with her co-star Rainer Devon, one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive. But when troubled star Jordan Wilder lands the role of the other point in the movie’s famous love triangle, Paige’s crazy new life gets even crazier.In this coming-of-age romance inspired by the kind of celeb hookups that get clever nicknames and a million page views, Paige must figure out who she is – and who she wants – while the whole world watches.

The branding for this book does it a disservice, I think. The title, coloring, and "love triangle" focus undermine a coming-of-age that's poignant and affecting. It has a main character who I genuinely wish I could be best friends with. Self-aware, mature, thoughtful. Also, the framework of this book (small town girl catapulted to fame) include plenty of decadent scenes that also satisfy a craving for a fun read. I wish I could better capture in words how expertly curated this book is, and how full-bodied and distinct the experience of reading it is. Gorgeous.

What books have y'all rediscovered?