23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde

23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

** 2017-2018 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Nominee **

Zoe Mahar is a blue-haired, 15 year-old who lives in a group home. She has the amazing gift to be able to transport herself exactly 23 minutes back in time. There are rules to such a gift though as well as pros and cons. Zoe can only go back 23 minutes. After the 23 minutes, the story is played out and she can not go back. Also, she can only do this 10 times so she has to plan carefully. Zoe calls her time relapses “playbacks” and to rewind a 23 minute chunk of time, Zoe wraps her arms around herself and says aloud ‘playback’ and she starts again. Zoe can bring back information with her through all of the playbacks, but the people she meets remember nothing of her or what’s happening. The story begins with Zoe’s 23 minute bank robbery story. Over and over as Zoe playbacks back the robbery scene, she learns more and more about the people with the help of one consistent person, Daniel. In every scenario, Zoe learns more about Daniel who recognizes the robber and ends up getting shot and through multiple playbacks, she is able to string together missing pieces that ultimately save lives.

23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde is an interesting take on Ground Hog Day whereas a young girl replays the same 23 minutes over-and-over again. It is definitely a refreshingly different topic and one that Vande Velde pulls off pretty well. I enjoyed that the first 23 minutes set up the basic scene: Zoe, rain, bank, robber, shooting, blood and brain matter. Yes, it was a little graphic, but it’s not overdrawn. With every set of 23 minutes the reader learns more and more about the characters and who they are and how they relate to the scene that is constantly unfolding. It is really quite clever. By the end the book, the final pieces are put into place. The one thing I didn’t like about 23 Minutes is the relationship between Zoe and Daniel. Zoe is 15 and Daniel 25 and there just seemed to be something between them besides an age gap. It’s like I was waiting for a romantic element to come into play, but that would have been a little weird. I think it would have been better to adjust the ages for the romantic element to play through or ditch that element altogether. 23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde is an interesting teen take on time travel!

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Featured Graphic Novel

This is the MD Black-Eyed Susan graphic novel of the month. I've started reading it and whoa! a lot of information in this book! The writing is REALLY small and there's quite a bit of it, but so far it's pretty good. Good book for the older dinosaur lover!

WOW! It's Been a While!

So sorry about the lapse of time!! Man, time sure does slip away. Not much has been going on though. I'm not sure I mentioned, but I am reading Nearly Found by Elle Cosimano. It's the sequel to Nearly Gone which is one of my faves. Nearly Found is just as good and boy, do I miss Reece. Who wouldn't want a boyfriend like that?!  I would love to just live in a relationship like that for a couple days! After 20 years of marriage, I'm surprised my husband still remembers my name.

I'm going to finish that book up and then move into the school year's MD Black-Eyed Susan Nominees. Next on my list is 23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde. Honestly, I don't care much for Vivian Vande Velde, but she is a more popular author with the kids and it is on the list so I shall read it. It's about a girl named Zoe who can go back 23 minutes in time. One day she steps into a bank robbery gone wrong and has to keep going back in time to fix things, but her attempts are limited.

Also, I've chosen the graphic novel Science Comics Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers which doesn't look interesting at all. It has a lot of small print which is a quick turn off for me, but it's a Black Eye Susan my library so I'll help out.

So what are you reading?

HON - Loved

I am a HUGE House of Night Fan!! In fact...I'm such a big fan, I never finished reading the series. Yup. You heard it right. I do this and it is irritating. I didn't want the series to end so I didn't read the last book. But now I can!! Introducing...

New series with my favorite Nerd Herd!! Loved just came out on 11 July 2017! Can't wait to read it, but I'm thinking that maybe I should now finished the first series. 

Thanks Elle Cosimano!

So I entered The Suffering Tree #TweetATree contest.

First, Elle Cosimano is one of my favorite writers.
Second, the contest asked for a picture of a tree and I had the PERFECT tree.

I edited this a bit. I took out the houses and added tombstones, but the tree is untouched. Here's the original.

Yes, there is still some editing, but I can't find the true original. 😬

Third, I really like trees.

My computer

Fourth, I already read The Suffering Tree as an ARC from NetGalley and thought it was awesome.

And guess what?...

I WON!

This was the package I won ~ an autographed copy of The Suffering Tree, a bookmark, a sticker and a handcrafted journal. Too cool! 👍

I've never won anything except for 21 Jumpstreet shoelaces and that was some VERY exciting stuff...at the time.

Thank you Elle Cosimano!

AND

...if you haven't read The Suffering Tree, then get a copy. While you're at it, pick up Nearly Gone and Nearly Found. They are just incredible! I'm halfway through Nearly Found and it's just as good as Nearly Gone. AND...there's one more...Holding Smoke! 

Ya gotta have something to read on the beach!!

Free Little Library Find!

I love our community's Free Little Library! It was given to me by a local book store that was moving off our peninsula. He couldn't take it with him and so asked if we could put it at our community beach. SURE! It has become such an asset! People drop off books and pick some up. It's perfect! We generally don't have too many issues although some teens did vandalize it about a month ago. They pulled the books our and ripped them up. Disgusting behavior! 😠

I was down there yesterday changing the bulletin board and what should I find?

I LOVE Anne Rice!! I'm not sure if I have the The Witching Hour. I think I do. I know I don't have The Body Thief. Also, Who's Afraid of Virginai Woolf? Always up for a classic!

New Trailer!

Woo hoo! I FINALLY uploaded a new book trailer! It's been forever and I am truly sorry. I have a whole bunch sketched out in my notebook and I have to sit down and just get them out. BUT...in the meantime...enjoy!

This trailer is The Suffering Tree by Elle Cosimano which was the last ARC book that I reviewed. I decided to take a moment and read some books that I've been wanting to read. First and foremost is another Elle Cosimano book...Nearly Found. This is the sequel to Nearly Gone which I dearly loved! So far Nearly Found is just as good and it's so great to get back to Leigh and Reece although at the moment in the book they are not doing so well. Anyway, The Suffering Tree was a great end for ARC for the summer UNTIL I was handed another by a friend who owns a bookstore and was told I HAVE to read it...The Store by James Patterson. It's sounds a bit dystopian which is right up my alley and James Patterson is a madman! I do believe that he is chained up in someone's attic and forced to pump out book after book...adults, teens, childrens...it doesn't matter...JUST WRITE!! I have to get the book back to my friend so I don't want to keep too long, so I'll read it next.

Anyway, enjoy the trailer and hopefully I'll get caught up this summer!

The Suffering Tree by Elle Cosimano (book trailer)