Blog Tour: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald | Review + Sweepstakes Campaign + Giveaway!

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• Title: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
• Author: Katarina Bivald
• Genre: Fiction; Contemporary
• Pub. Date: January 19, 2016 by Sourcebooks Landmark

SYNOPSIS

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen...
Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy's funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don't understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that's almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend's memory. All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love.

AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | ADD TO GOODREADS

MY REVIEW

Honestly speaking, I was worried of not enjoying this book ‘cause it’s been a while since I picked up a fiction (could it be Sparks’ The Best of Me which I read last August?). As much as I love contemporary books, I always find myself picking up YA a lot more than fiction or chick-lit ones. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend proved me wrong. If any, this book made a ‘fiction-enjoyer’ side of me blooming again after hiding somewhere for months.

Story line

Book-lover Sara Lindqvist couldn’t be any happier when Amy, her elderly pen-pal, invited her to come to her hometown in Iowa, United States. Broken Wheel was the name of the town Amy had been telling Sara again and again through the letters they’ve been exchanging with from the past two years. Amy’s story made it sound so much like a dream-town for Sara, especially since she hadn’t ever gone out of her hometown of Haninge, Sweden all her life. Befriending three people and an unlimited number of books had always been enough before. But Amy had introduced her to a place across the sea for Sara to escape for a while. And to enjoy it with fellow book-lover? It would be one big step for Sara to come out of her comfort zone and lead a life like any other woman her age do: visit new places, meet new people. Of course, with a company of her long life best-friend, books.

Sara could already imagine how the trip would be: meeting Amy, reading and book-talking with her day and night, meeting everyone in town whose story she already knew from Amy’s letters, walking along Jimmie Coogan street or just doing any other things that Amy promised Sara could do in a quiet and peaceful small town of Broken Wheel.

What Sara didn’t expect was to find a literally broken and dying town with its population had just finished a funeral ceremony of an old lady. No one to visit any longer and practically nothing in town to see, Sara had to bury all the dreams she had in mind about her so-called vacation. But apparently without Amy or any tourist-y spot, Broken Wheel still managed to make Sara keeping her vacation schedule on. In fact, she even wanted to stay longer than her visa let her to.

Book Friendship

Told in third person omniscient POV, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend portrayed every corner of Broken Wheel vastly from various angles. Sara might be the center of the story (a.k.a. the heroine) but Bivald made the others’ story as important as hers. This is because The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is simply a story of how a dying small town starts a friendship with books. Sara represented ‘the books’ while some residents play the role of the town.

Right People, Wrong Place

Each person living in the said town had their own share of sorrows from different past tragedies. There were loss, injustice rights, negative judgment, self-insecurity, bad business, unexpected turn of events, and even unhappy marriage, all contributed to Broken Wheel’s constant dreary aura. Some left the town and never came back, resulting in a lot of empty spaces there, both physically and mentally. Those who stay were barely hanging on with their life. When Sara came, I found it endearing how everyone was curious and excited of the potential tourist. Sara quickly became the town’s shared guest rather than just Amy’s. Turned out Broken Wheel was nothing like its outward appearance. People there might not all have a good life, but they make a good small society together. They had a high tolerance for each other, strong loyalty, and offered most excellent hospitality to newcomer albeit their gloomy streets. Sara’s existence among them only emphasized their hidden charms with the way they eagerly treated her so good.

Bookworm + Sweet Heroine = ♥

Sara, who never really felt such acceptance from others before quickly fell in love with Broken Wheel and its people. Yet as much as she enjoyed their sweet friendliness: complete free of facilities and necessities, Sara couldn’t let these people continue pampering her throughout her stay. Knowing the history of Broken Wheel and people who’d been living in it through Amy’s letters, Sara knew exactly how to repay the town back. Book was definitely the answer and since Amy had lots of them: a bookstore it was. What started as a form of payback―which earned plenty raised eyebrows from the people―eventually became the center that held the town together. Skepticism toward the bookstore slowly shifted into feelings of proud, oddly needing, and even some sense of belonging―just like how Sara felt about the Broken Wheel in return. Sara’s the main character that I’m sure all readers, especially hardcore book lover, could easily relate with. I found myself keep comparing my reading-habits with hers from page to page and got quite a lot similarity between us. I could even relate with her social life, being a book-lover and all. Her determined self and her love of books succeeded in giving the town what they truly needed but never figured out what. Sara’s creativity is also something that attracted me to her character. Her idea of unconventional yet striking shelf title was definitely amazing! If only we have a bookshop assistant like her in our town…

Let’s Move... to Broken Wheel!

I could not not talk about the people of Broken Wheel here. First impression about them I got from the scene of Sara’s arrival might not show anything engaging. But throughout the story, the delineation started to take shape as each resident made an appearance one after another and the story took turns focusing on them. I am personally drawn to George’s character, a fifty-something ex-alcoholic who nursed a deep longing to meet his daughter for years. His loyalness to Sara was really touching. Besides him, the other characters like Caroline, Jen, Grace, Andy, John, and Tom each has different personalities which made their small group even more interesting. The quirkiness of certain characters, the rigidness, the skeptical, and the overtly-worry habit created such unique combination that amusing and heartwarming at the same time. And the best part? These people loved plotting so much! There was this scene when a neighbor town looked condescendingly toward Broken Wheel’s new bookstore and Andy, being an enthusiast he is, plotted a scheme to defend the bookstore which already became part of their town. The plan was simple (rather a disaster, actually, and goodness! I couldn’t stop laughing those entire two chapters…) yet the purpose behind it was really deep. Reading about these people makes me feel like packing up my bags and moving in to Broken Wheel. And this is the feeling that I’m sure would not be solely mine.

Book about Books

I’ve never really read book about books before. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend managed to give me quite an excellent first experience in this. There was a lot of discussion about books ranging from classic to nowadays favorites. I also deeply enjoyed so many agreeable book-related opinions presented here. I love how the author threaded every scene with books, enriching the ‘book-about-books’ quality within, such as when she connected certain moments with analogies to the storyline from some popular books. The way Bivald wrote every part about books gave a clear impression of how much she loved books. There was a paragraph telling sixteen years old Sara broken down on the amount of classics books in the library she visited, worrying she could not read all of them even if she dedicates all her life just for reading. It strangely left me with a really warm feeling. Putting aside the other elements of the book, the scene of young Sara itself already successfully showed that it’s possible for someone to fall so deeply in love with books. It’s kind of beautiful and I, as an avid reader, found it quite magical.

Amy: A Pleasant (nonexistent) Character

Not having a physical appearance within the story didn’t lessen Amy’s role. Bivald built Amy’s character through series of letters she sent to Sara and spread the letters to each fitting chapters making it as if Amy was still there, among the other characters. Amy’s wisdom and passion that was captured on the letters indirectly became the bridge that connects people of Broken Wheel and Sara. And even without ‘meeting’ Amy in person, the readers still got a clear picture of what kind of character she is: an old lady who once, too, made a mistake in life yet found a warm solace through books and good companies.

Final Thought(s)

Despite its predictable ending (and cliché closing words), I felt like finding a warm closure in the end of the book. Some chapters were titled by score marks between ‘books’ and ‘life’ as to present Sara’s preference of books over life. The epilogue terminated the final result in which Bivald showed that both books and life, albeit their different ways, give a similar kind of comfort if being put in good balance. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend might be a book dedicated to books, but the author didn’t forget to slip an essential message that life and all the realities in it could be as good as book. Sara, though she’d been working among books for years, got to learn this important lesson in a town whose people hardly ever touch a book before. It’s kind of ironic yet aptly realistic and even brilliance to put it that way.

To the readers who in need of a good reminder of why they fall in love with books, Katarina Bivald’s The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend provides a pleasant answer in 400 pages of endearing journey of Sara, Broken Wheel town, and books that connect them.

SWEEPSTAKES CAMPAIGN

Independent publisher Sourcebooks announces the “Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore” campaign, which will give grant money to three nominated bookstores. The “Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore Campaign” is inspired by the phenomenal support booksellers have given The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald, which was selected as the #1 Indie Next Great Read for January 2016. 

Anyone can nominate their favorite bookstore at:

Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore Sweepstakes

Sourcebooks will award the winning bookstore with a $3,000 prize; two additional bookstores will each receive a $637 prize (the population of Bivald's fictional Broken Wheel, Iowa). In addition to bookstores receiving prizes, weekly giveaways for those who nominate will be held throughout the campaign. Voting began January 4, and runs until February 19, when the winning bookstores will be announced!

GIVEAWAY!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katarina Bivald grew up working part-time in a bookshop. Today she lives in Alta, Sweden, with her sister and as many bookshelves as she can squeeze in. She has still not decided whether she prefers books or people. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is her first novel.

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Blog Tour: Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo | Review

Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo
Rating: /5

*I received digital ARC of this book from Random House Children’s (through Netgalley) as part of blog tour*

Genre: YA (Contemporary)
Pub. Date: January 19th, 2016

Get a copy here!

AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY 

I am so excited to be a part of this blog tour of Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo. She's kind of 'new-to-me' author and this book made me wonder how could I never read books from her before... Up to This Pointe is one unique read with unforgettable setting and remarkable lessons. Sooo, getting an opportunity to join this blog tour was surely an experience I wouldn't miss in a heartbeat. And of course, many thanks to Random House Children's for that! ^^

MY REVIEW

Synopsis

Three years old was when Harper first breathes ballet. And she never stopped ever since.

At twelve, Harper and her best friend, Kate, made The Plan: to be pro ballerinas together.

Now at sixteen, so close to their dream, Harper wouldn’t let anything to get in the way.

Not her education-pro parents, not the cute boy who came and actually enjoyed her school recital, not even her long-life mentor with her horrible ‘sometimes-ballet-doesn’t-love-you-back’ speech.

Harper might not as natural as Kate but she had worked hard for this dream all her life. Being a ballerina was everything Harper had imagined of doing yet how could people see it otherwise was beyond her. It’s okay, though, because Harper was a Scott (sharing the same blood with fearless Antarctica explorer, Robert Falcon Scott, must count for something, right?). Plus she got Kate and The Plan, and that was enough to keep her spirit high facing this battle toward the future.

So imagine her surprise when her plan practically went south. Literally. South. Too much weight on her shoulder, too much pain on her toes; led to imperfect pointe and eventually fallen dream. Or was it the reverse? Harper wasn’t sure. What she was sure of now is that she had left San Fransisco for four consecutive flights to McMurdo Station. Antarctica. South Pole. Retracing her ancestor’s path might bring some enlightenment to her grieving phases. The cold, the dark, the isolation from the world outside seemed to be worrying for her miserable mental condition, but Harper had always been a challenger. And she wanted to prove that nothing could stop her again from defying gravity. Not even an extreme winter among strangers.

What started as an irresponsible getaway becomes a priceless learning session as realization came down on Harper: that even the biggest failure doesn’t mean an end but sometimes it could be a sign for you to ask yourself whether you’ve been walking on the right lane.

Five-stars Setting
Unusual setting is the first element that engaged me with Up to This Pointe. I could count with my fingers how many author whose books that I’ve read that actually put efforts to their setting as much as to their storyline. Jennifer Longo obviously has vast knowledge about Antarctica and I enjoyed every detail she pours into the pages which she arranges in a way that, despite the unfamiliar terms of places, evoking rich imagination by the readers. The descriptions of the station and its surrounding are clearly defined that it makes me feel like I am actually there, fighting against the cold with the other two hundreds population of McMurdo Station.

A to Z Ballet
Characters’ penchant of ballet is also written in a detailed journey of how ones love ballet, work hard for it, and decide to make it as professional jobs. We could see how Harper, compared to Kate whose talent in ballet is natural, has to work twice as hard to be on the same stage (secondary role) with her. Also there’s a financial factor where not only Harper works hard in ballet, but she also has to work hard for ballet. She teaches kids class to pay her own tuition since ballet apparently isn’t a cheap avocation. All this time, what I know about ballet is limited to beautiful girls doing pointe gracefully in cute tutu. That’s all. In this book, Longo exposes the deeper side of ballet more than what most people usually see. There’s the eating issue leading to weight issue, bony figure, bad injures on toes, the facts that there’s such a thing as body shaped and not-shaped for ballet, to the harsh world of ballet career. Just like any other career, not everyone who could do ballet actually get to be ballerina. Same thing as not everyone good in singing gets to be a singer. I love how she lays all these facts out, showing realistic side of ballet world.

Perfect Characterization(s) and Chemistry(/ies)
Harper’s character is realistic and relatable. She acts her age and along the way we could see how Harper grew up to be much better in the end. The other characters like Kate, Harper’s family, Owen, and people from McMurdo each are delineated very well. I love the dynamic of Harper’s family so much which also features healthy relationship between parents and kids. Her friendship with Kate I’m sure is relatable for most people. Living in McMurdo, Harper gets to meet a lot of new people with various characteristics. I am especially drawn to her odd friendship with Charlotte and Vivian. The three of them make a weird yet heartwarming connection as they grow closer each day. Harper’s relationship with Owen is something to die for. The romance isn’t an instant chemistry. And it’s such a moving moment watching their feelings grow along the distances that separate them.

Relatable Lessons
Told in first POV heroine, Up to This Pointe follows the story of Harper whose plan fell apart when unexpected things take turns ruined it. Harper is not a weakling. She’s stubborn and possessed a high-spirited will to reach her dream. But sometimes when you feel like you’ve done your best, things wouldn’t always go as expected. Because Harper is a hard-worker in ballet practicing, it’s expected that she would be a great ballerina one day. Yet life doesn’t work like that. There would be this small space beyond our control in the end of the day which led to a painful failure, reminding us for a possible latent mistake or just simply reminding us to keep our heads low no matter how high we’ve stood. Harper learns her lesson the hard way and as many teens do, they take a short cut: to run away. Antarctica seems like the best answer for Harper. Besides the getaway thingy, Harper wants to retrace her ancestor’s step, Scott’s, whose determination is both amazing and terrifying. Do or die-at-attempt quote might be a wise thing to say but there are circumstances that actually don’t fit the case. In Antarctica, Harper learns the best from the ‘failed’ which she found she could relate more to her own situation. That to win doesn’t always mean to successfully conquer the thing, but to know exactly where we stand against it.

Final Thought(s)
The plot is neat, goes with steady pace as the story is told in back-and-forth narration of present time and flashback scenes making the readers question what exactly happened to the narrator. The ending is executed very well without so much drama which totally suits the whole plot. With perfectly captured emotions and engaging writing style, Up to This Pointe provides a valuable journey of a young girl facing a bitter reality and eventually finds a way to save herself.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Love, read, and review,

Cynthia D.

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