I forgot to add this to the review post, so here's a separate one.
I'm giving away my ARC of So Shelly by Ty Roth.
Until now, high school junior John Keats has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.
After stealing Shelly's ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly's body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last "so Shelly" romantic quest. At least that's what they think.
As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly's and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.
I very much believe that every book has its reader, and while I
liked this novel, it didn't wow me. I want someone to have this who will
love it. It's got historical elements, poetry and drama. This is a YA novel with some very adult topics--sex and violence--so please, if you're young and impressionable, don't enter the giveaway :/ I don't want to be in trouble with your parents!
Read the review and if you think you would like to win this book, comment below (not on the review post) and tell me why you'd like to read this book. Make sure your
email is in there somewhere--so I can contact you if you win.
I'll choose a winner at Midnight on May 1, using the
random number generator. I'll mail to the US or Canada.
Tweet the link to this page for an extra entry (leave the link in the comments!)
Good luck!
So Shelly by Ty Roth
Publication date: 8 February, 2011 from Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ISBN 10/13: 0385739583 / 9780385739580
Category: Young Adult Realistic
Format: Hardcover
Keywords: Contemporary, historical fiction, sex, death
From
goodreads.com:
Until now, high school junior John Keats has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.
After stealing Shelly's ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly's body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last "so Shelly" romantic quest. At least that's what they think.
As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly's and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.
How I found out about this book: Alethea picked up the ARC at ALA Midwinter in San Diego, having lusted after the cover.
Alethea's review: I don't know what I was expecting from a novel that's essentially a present-day retelling of the lives of three (or rather, four--Shelly is a composite of two Shelleys--Mary Wollstonecraft and Percy Bysshe) of the most talented but messed-up people to ever grace the pages of literature. There are a ton of things in the novel that most mainstream YA readers won't like. It's chock-full of sex (specifically incest, rape, and molestation), obsession, and grief. There is, at one point, a murder in which one of the three main characters figures prominently, yet doesn't seem to undergo any emotional change, other than to remove himself from the situation. The thing is, they're in the book because they reportedly happened to their real-life counterparts, not just to titillate.
I'm not saying the novel is without merit. The characters are engaging, though they skew more towards cautionary-tale rather than model-citizen. Keats is a sympathetic narrator and the most relatable of the three. Shelly and Gordon have the tendency to go off the deep end--in massive ways, especially since they are spectacularly privileged (Shelly having been born rich; Gordon having the pedigree but restoring family fortune by writing an
Eragon-type novel at a very young age). Never before has the lack of parental supervision been so blatantly exploited as in the love-polygon of Shelly chasing Gordon, and Gordon chasing every other woman who isn't her, including various of his relatives, caretakers, and best-friend's-stepsisters.
While the novel does a great job of capturing the spirit of Romanticism and retelling, piece by sordid piece, the lives of three great writers,
So Shelly would best be enjoyed by those who can appreciate--or maybe tolerate--erotica and shameless depravity. Ultimately the themes of friendship, loyalty, and forgiveness
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I love books where the characters attend Catholic school.
rickimc[at]aol[dot]com
I'm with Ricki. I like the nefarious aspect of this story while also being in the Catholic school environment (especially since I attended a Catholic school from 5th-12th grade and now teach at one). That is very intriguing to me.
beths0103 at yahoo dot com
The story sounds intriguing to me. I enjoy books in a school setting. Like the cover, which I love, the story sounds atmospheric.
monagargATyahooDOTcom
Tweet
http://twitter.com/#!/Kulmona/status/62891536144281601
monagargATyahooDOTcom
This sounds good, I like books in a school setting, I also have never heard of someone stealing someones ashes.
korra_950(at)hotmail(dot)com
Sounds like the perfect YA book for an adult.
mk261274 at gmail dot com
It sounds great.
sassysasha817 at gmail dot com
I am drawn to the MC's names being close or the same as some historical writers, poems and such. Seems interesting!
My email is [email protected] and yep :)
I really enjoy books that have a lot of components to them. It keeps me interested, and it gives the book more substance. Thank you for this giveaway.
I tweeted:
http://twitter.com/#!/xXHarlequinn/status/62931121171730432
My email:
ashley(dot)thinks(dot)candy(dot)is(dot)good(at)gmail(dot)com
I love books where there is a catholic school envolved.
[email protected]
This story sounds really different to me and I love the cover!!!
[email protected]
Tweeted-http://twitter.com/#!/Holt9102/status/62962543987142656
[email protected]
So Shelly sounds like a great YA read that an adult could really enjoy. The Catholic school environment only adds to the intriguing plot.
BookNoise at gmail dot com
Tweeted too!
https://twitter.com/#!/BookNoise411/status/63031519798759424
BookNoise at gmail dot com
I'd love to win a copy of this ARC because (1) The pitch is fascinating; I love books about finding out about another character, and (2) I love the cover (cover's important!!).
Crystal
destinyfighter7 AT gmail DOT com
I'd love to win a copy of this book. My daughter is a YA nut. The plot seems like something she would like to read because she loves books that have a mysterious air about them. That cover is amazing, I love it.
Val
[email protected]
I would love to win this ARC. It's really important to showcase 2011 novels and support new YA authors. The cover/synopsis of this novel is so intriguing to me, especially since I haven't read a "gritty" novel in a while.
the (dot) zealous (dot) reader (at) gmail (dot) com
+1 tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/zealousreader
The book sounds great, and I love the cover. I would love to read it.
Tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/MT0089/status/63611077073702912
minas_1989(at)hotmail(dot)com
I want to read this book because I just have to find out if they get to spread her ashes by the shore that she washed up on!
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
tweet http://twitter.com/#!/mamabunny13/status/63842668140171264
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
this looks interesting, ill add it to my to-read list, thaks for the giveaway!
[email protected]
Looks interesting.
[email protected]
Tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/tessaa99/status/64192611140907008
meredithfl at gmail dot com
I think I'd like to read it because the boys are making the romantic motions in it, even if it is after death.
meredithfl at gmail dot com