Soundtrack Saturday (24)

Welcome back to Soundtrack Saturday, everyone. I know it's been a while since my last Soundtrack Saturday post, but I'm bringing it back! 

I hope you've been enjoying your weekend. The weather has been warming up here, despite a cold front earlier in the week. The trees are starting to bloom, and I'm starting to think about summer! 

If you've been following The Hardcover Lover for a while, you know just what happens on Saturdays on the blog. Yup! That's right - Soundtrack Saturday! If you've never noticed the meme before or are just new to the blog, I'll explain things for you:

Soundtrack Saturday is a book meme created and hosted by me so I can share my love of music with my readers. But this is a book blog, so of course, books are involved! The soundtracks are actually book soundtracks! As I'm reading, or as soon as I finish, I compile a list of songs that go well with the book.

As with all bookish memes, there are a few steps to follow to help you create your own Soundtrack Saturday post:

• Choose a book that you've read
• Create a mini (four songs) or full soundtrack (ten-fifteen songs) for that book based on characters and plot details
  
  • For more detailed instructions, please visit the meme's homepage.
• Please credit me somewhere in your post
  
  • It can be as simple as "Soundtrack Saturday was created by Erin at The Hardcover Lover."
• Leave a comment on my blog post if you enjoy the feature
• Add your name to the link-up tool 

Book Review: Since You've Been Gone

Title: Since You've Been Gone

Author: Morgan Matson

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Source: Purchased

Goodreads | Amazon

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.

But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just… disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try… unless they could lead back to her best friend.

Apple Picking at Night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a Stranger? Um...

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Wait ... what?

My Review

If there's one thing I've learned about the YA book community, it's that mostly everyone loves Morgan Matson. I don't think I've come across a single person who hasn't enjoyed at least one of her books, so when my blogging friends found out that I had never read a Morgan Matson book, they told me to immediately read one. I was able to find this one at a second hand book store, so they convinced me to read it right away. I'm glad that they did because I'm able have crossed it off my list. I liked the book, but sadly, I wouldn't say that this book is anywhere close to a favorite of mine.

The inside cover art of Since You've Been Gone is beautiful.

I guess the thing about Since You've Been Gone that really bothered me is I felt like even though things were happening and Emily was crossing items off her list, I felt like things were really happening for no real reason. It was pretty clear to me from the first page that Sloane wasn't coming back, and I kind of felt like Emily was doing all of these things without real reason. By the end of the book, I was pleasantly surprised because I really enjoyed the build up to the end of the novel. Things started to fall into place for Emily, and I was only wishing that the pacing of those final chapters matched the pacing in the previous chapters.

There were a few things that I really enjoyed about the book, and those things held my interest to keep me reading. I really liked the inclusion of playlists. You know me... I love music, so being able to actually see, in writing, what Emily and Frank listen to while on their runs really brought the book to life for me. I also really liked how Matson included the image of Sloane's letter to Emily. It was a nice touch. I also liked the slow change in Emily over the summer. Even though the plotting of her change felt a bit unrealistic, the changes that Emily made for herself felt very real.

So... did I enjoy Since You've Been Gone? Yes. I just think that it was kind of long, overdone, and a bit difficult. I probably wouldn't add this to my list of books to reread, but I'm glad that I was finally able to read (and somewhat enjoy) a Morgan Matson book.

The Friday 56 (17)

The Friday 56 is a weekly bookish meme hosted over by Freda at Freda's Voice. The rules are super easy to follow, and this feature is a great way to share the books you're reading with other bloggers and readers.

So what do you need to do to participate in The Friday 56?

• Go to page 56 (or 56% for e-readers like Kindle and Nook) of the book you're currently reading
• Grab a few sentences to share with your blog's readers, but be sure not to spoil anything too major
• Add your name to the link-up on Freda's blog

This week, I'm reading a book that's been on my TBR list for a very, very long time. I was so excited when I found it at Half Price Books that I bumped it ahead of quite a few of the books that I already own. So... what book is it? Well, it's Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson.

"I turned my lights on and my music up, a Luke Bryan album I'd downloaded last month but not listened to until now, and headed in the direction of the Orchard. I was halfway through the album when I turned off the main road and on to the side street that would lead me there. Out here, the houses got farther and farther apart until there was nothing but empty land and, tucked away on an almost-hidden drive, the Orchard."

What do you think? This is my first experience with Morgan Matson, and I must say that I'm enjoying her writing so far. It's easy-going, but full of imagery.

I know this book has been out for a while, and I'm sure many of you have already read it. If so, what did you think of it? Feel free to let me know, and feel free to leave links to your Friday 56 posts. I'd love to see what everyone is reading!