And Anything Bookish

Waiting on Wednesday: Second Chance Summer

2011-07-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

Second Chance Summer

By Morgan Matson

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Description:

Taylor's family might not be the closest-knit – everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled – but for the most part, they get along fine. Then they get news that changes everything: Her father has pancreatic cancer, and it's stage four – meaning that there is basically nothing to be done. Her parents decide that the family will spend his last months together at their old summerhouse in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven't actually gone anywhere. Her former summer best friend is suddenly around, as is her first boyfriend. . . and he's much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses, the Edwards become more of a family, and closer than they've ever been before. But all of them very aware that they're battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance – with family, with friends, and with love.

Why?

This is from Morgan Matson, author of Amy and Roger's Epic Detour. Need I say more? I'm so glad I signed up for her author updates on the S&S site. If not, I wouldn't have known about this book.

I've been looking forward to her second novel for the longest time. Her Twitter account has shown all her readers that she's been hard at work on this novel, and I cannot wait to read it.

What I love about Amy and Roger's Epic Detour was that its synopsis was so different from the norm. It had adventure. It had romance. And that's what it seems like here from the synopsis above. Matson's writing is one of the most comfortable places to be a part of.

I cannot wait for this one! I mean, childhood friends turned potential lover? Sign me up! :)

Leah Cypess - Top Five Guilty Book Secrets

2011-06-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

You know we all have them. Here are mine:

ONE: I don’t love everything written by Jane Austen. I loved Pride & Prejudice, and that was it. I liked Sense & Sensibility and Persuasion. I thought Mansfield Park would have been great if the main character had been anyone but Fanny. And I hated Emma (which I have heard described as “the most critically acclaimed of Austen’s novels”) with an absolute passion.

TWO: I have no strong feelings about Twilight. Either way. At all.I read the first one without knowing how famous it was. And having read every book LJ Smith ever wrote, plus Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde plus, you know, watched Buffy, my reaction could be summed up as: "Oh, okay." I intended to pick up the rest of the books but never got around to it. I don't even remember much about what happens, except that she did some complicated cooking near the beginning.

THREE: I'm not into graphic novels. I tried. With rare exceptions, they just don't work for me. I feel really stodgy and not cutting-edge and stuff, but there it is.

FOUR: When people tell me they like Wuthering Heights, I feel like I should back away slowly.

The best review I ever read of this book was by someone on Amazon (which, unfortunately, I can’t find to link to): "This isn't a book about true love. It's a book about how child abuse perpetuates itself through the generations."

FIVE: I liked the Lord of the Rings movies better than the books. I know, I should just hand in my fantasy-loving credentials right now. But I think Tolkien's genius was in being the first writer to do what he did. Not in being the best writer to do it. (ducks for cover)

What are your guilty book secrets?

-----

No words.

2011-06-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have some very exciting news!

Lauren and I have collaborated once again. This time, it was to create a fansite for The Divergent Trilogy! It is called The Factionless (not to be confused with the livejournal community Factionless--which is an amazing resource btw!)

The Factionless

We've been hard at work on it for exactly one month, and are still in the process of adding more content to the site.

Some notable features include:

- The Pit, an online forum for all Divergent fans to, you know, discuss and gush about the series.

-Diverging Designs, your source for fan-related merchandise! (More designs will be added this coming week. Merchandise will be made from different designers--rather than just one--in order to give more variety to the shop. If you'd like to see how they turn out before you buy them, keep checking back as I will be ordering them.)

There are tons of more amazing features the site offers and we'd love for you to stop by and check it out!

Guest Post: Sarah MacManus | Teenage Garage Sale

2011-05-18T02:04:00.000-07:00

Hi Kim,

Thanks for the opportunity to unload some old stuff and clear out the attic. Do I have to sell it?! Some of it may have antique value by now.

Okay – first up…

A copy of the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper album – on vinyl with the cutouts intact. First album I ever bought with my own money.
A copy of The Runaways first record – on vinyl. The first album I ever stole. I wanted to be Joan Jett when I grew up.
A copy of Times Square – the movie. Has Tim Curry in it. On VHS.
A large box of really badly written poetry.
The ancient stereo my big brother left for me when he joined the service. It has an 8-track player in it and the 1-800 number for the Dr. Demento show written on the turn table cover in grease pencil so I could easily call in and request Weird Al’s “My Bologna.” Again.
A stack of scripts from plays I was in or did tech for, including Sexual Perversity in Chicago by David Mamet, Camino Real by Tennessee Williams, Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov and The Birds by Aristophanes
A box of handbills from local rock shows and nightclubs. I used to walk around and take them off the telephone polls and tack them up in my room.
A selection of vintage undergarments and lingerie – I used to troll through charity shops and buy up old, hand sewn slips, nightgowns and petticoats.
A copy of The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving that I “forgot” to take back to the library.
An old IBM Selectric typewriter that my parents got me so I could be a ‘real writer.’
A pile of rejection slips from prominent literary journals and magazines that I acquired shortly thereafter, learning that it was going to take something a bit more than an electric typewriter.

Well, that’s about all that’s left.

I don’t really have to sell them, right? I was just getting ready to write some poetry, listen to some tunes and maybe start re-reading Hotel New Hampshire again.

Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

2011-05-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

Rating: 3.8/5

Source: AWT Tours

Synopsis: On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mer girl, true, but signing the renunciation paperwork will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer-bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form, when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up. Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her dreams?

Review: I absolutely loved the first novel in this series, but this one just did not leave me as interested as the previous one. Sure, the characters are still cute, but I miss the quirkiness of it all.

A few new characters were introduced that revealed a lot about the mer kingdom. I am in love with the world the author has created!

Dosinia...I don't know whether to hate her or just ignore her altogether. As for Lily and Quince, I was rather disappointed. I wanted more Quince. There was just so much drama in this one concerning Dosinia and the kingdom and Lily that it diminished the fun-packed feeling of what I loved from the previous book. However, there was a LOT of character development in this book. They matured, they changed--the characters in the first book? They get even better once you've read this one!

Overall, this book felt like one of those "filler" books. So much could have happen, but it took another route. Nonetheless, I am still looking forward to reading more of Tera Lynn Childs' work!

(Har, har. Sweet Venom review is coming soon. That one is LOVE)

(Please excuse the lack of GIFs in my recent review posts. I promise, they have not disappeared. I just need to look for new GIFs to use XD)

Dreamwalk by Sarah MacManus

2011-05-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

Dreamwalk by Sarah MacManus

Rating: 3.5/5

Source: Author for Teen Book Scene

Synopsis: DREAMWALK is a romantic mixed beat of time travel and mythology for both teens and adults. After the death of her mother, Chloe Hawthorn is haunted by terrifying nighttime hallucinations. Determined to take control of her dreams, she uses them to find Shane Anderson, a charming and troubled musician whose online videos have been holding her in thrall. She finds him in the Dreamtime, sweating out heroin detox in a run-down rehab center.

Chloe sets out to find Shane in the waking world and discovers her dreams have been taking her into the past. Horrified, Chloe realizes Shane doesn't survive his addictions. In order to save him, Chloe must master her Australian mother's legacy — the secret of walking the Dreaming through time. But what price will Chloe pay for this Dreamwalk and will she save Shane only to lose him forever?

Review: I hadn't heard of this book before, but with such an interesting premise, I had to read this. While I thought it'd be more of a light reading, it wasn't. The writing was very well written, turning the sleepwalking tale into something very exciting. The writing is almost lyrical, and perhaps that's what makes it so unputdownable.This book was very creative and made me think. One of the best things I liked about this book was that it was not predictable.

Reading this book was like being inside a dream--beautiful and sometimes very scary. I liked Chloe and the other character, though I think the romantic plotline of the book was a weak point.

I would recommend this book to anyone in need of a book they can read in one sitting. Once you pick it up, you breeze right through it because of how charming and creative it is.

Things.

2011-04-27T00:22:00.000-07:00

Things I am looking forward to this week:

1.) PROM this week. The movie, not the dance...in case you were confused...because I sure am...

Doesn't it look so cute? It looks as if it's straight from one of those romantic comedy YA books. LOVE. Definitely going to drag people out to see it.

2.) The Weekend. I just came back to school from spring break, and let me tell you, it has made me so LAZY. It took me an hour to get up and start my homework. I was too lazy to go get my textbook. The first thing that happened once I got back? Announcements--and not the good kind. Tests, tests, tests. Essay, essay, essay. I want summer to come already. *sigh*

3.) Vampire Diaries. I am dying to know what happens in the next episode. If they kill Elijah again, I am going to cry. The last episode just made me realize how complex and appealing his character is. I hope he stays. D;

I wish more exciting things were happening right now but that is it.

4.) Doctor Who. Need I say more? Though I must confess, I scream and snuggle with my blanket during the scary parts. XD

Thing that are just plain weird o_0:

1.) How Do You Know. Okay, I've never seen such a bad movie as this one. In case you don't know what this movie is, it's the one with Reese Witherspoon as a baseball player. I honestly had NO idea what the whole plot was. I just kept staring at my screen and cringing at the lines (I assume they were supposed to be humorous and witty, but they all fell flat.) Usually, I actually ENJOY bad movies. Just ask Cookie--I forced her to sit through a really bad movie with me in the theatre. THAT movie was entertaining. This? 1/5 stars.

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

2011-04-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

Source: ATW Tours

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

There have been others before who’ve felt the Need, but they’re gone—erased from the memories of everyone whose lives they had touched. It's as though they never existed. This is the fate that awaits Charlotte. But the last thing Charlotte wants to do is disappear, to be Forgotten. She wants to stay with her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend’s arms forever. She wishes she could just ignore the Need, but she can’t. And as everyone important in her life begins to slowly forget her, she has to decide if she’ll fight the Need in order to remain herself—no matter how dark the consequences

Review: My mind is still trying to make sense of the ending. I keep rereading the last few pages, and all I can think is: Wow, did that really just happen? Has there been a more beautiful ending? This book takes me to places no book has ever taken me before. I rarely ever cry when I'm reading (Those If I Stay books? Yeah, I didn't get why people cried over them), but this book? It was as if everything bottled up inside of me came out. I got really emotional. I just closed the book up and I'm sniffling and all I can do now is tell you the reasons why you should read it.

It's beautiful. Seriously. The way the author connects every single word in the book together is astounding. It's told from Charlotte's point of view, but your connection to every character reaches well beyond the pages. Every ounce of pain, laughter, and confusion they feel will become your own.

Of course there's romance and friendship here, but the core of it all is something entirely phenomenal. At least, I think it is. Something mind-boggling. It really puts me in a drastic state of awe when a book is this life-changing. It certainly gave me a different outlook on a lot of things. Choices, mainly. The second I closed this book, something came over me and I went out and told my mother I loved her. (Of course, she thought I was crazy, what with the tears and all...)

I'm still trying to think everything through coherently so I'm a little fuzzy on a lot of details. Charlotte might be a Forgetten, but I will always remember her. I will always remember this story.

The one thing I know for sure though is this book? You NEED it.

~~A Reviewer's Journey GIF Style~~

The Beginning:

*CUTENESS OVERLOAD*

AHHH, CHARLOTTE AND HARLIN ARE SO CUTEEEE.

The Middle:

The End:

I am not going to cry. I am not going to cry. I am not...

In short, there are not enough words to describe how incredible reading this book is.

What Happens to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

2011-04-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Another town. Another school. Another Mclean. Ever since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her father have been fleeing their unhappy past. And Mclean's become a pro at reinventing herself with each move. But in Lakeview, Mclean finds herself putting down roots and making friends—in part, thanks to Dave, the most real person Mclean's ever met. Dave just may be falling in love with her, but can he see the person she really is? Does Mclean herself know?

Review: Oh, Sarah Dessen, how homey your books are. Because that's what every Sarah Dessen book feels like when you open it up right? Cozy and comfortable? It is not any different here.

Like every other Dessen book, they resemble one another in their own quirky ways. We always have that female protagonist with the parental issues, not to mention the phenomenal characterization.

And oh, boy. I never expected one of the characters from her previous book to appear again--especially like THIS. Wow, just wow.

I enjoyed this book, but I felt like it had more potential to be something better. I don't think Mclean's relationship with Dave developed well enough in the end. I would have liked to see her interact with everyone altogether instead of just focusing on her own problems. However, no one should ever pass up this book. One of the reasons why I liked this book was because of the characters. I don't think any book in the world has such amazing and life-like characters. If Harry Houdini is the master of magic , then Sarah Dessen is truly a master at people.

~~A Reviewer's Journey GIF Style~~

The Beginning: AHH, I CANNOT BELIEVE I GOT THIS.

Lots of background information, but it's okay. It's SARAH DESSEN! She knows how to make these things work!

The Middle: Heh.Heh.Heh. Dave and Mclean...<3

WHAT THE HECK. O_O How did HE end up like this? :O

Oh my gosh. WHAT IS SHE DOING? Poor, poor McClean :(

The End: It feels so open!! I want moaarr XD

[FTC: Received at RT Teen Day]

In My Mailbox - RT Teen Day/ Birthday Edition

2011-04-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

As usual, IMM is hosted by The Story Siren...

It was actually my sixteen birthday this week! Sandy surprised me with a wonderful gift in the mail (picture below)--I love her! Senfaye also gave me an awesome bag full of cool things like marshmallows, The Ivy, nail polish, etc! I wish I could post the picture but I sorta ate all the marshmallows already xD

Yesterday, I went to this awesome convention called RT Teen Day! I met so many wonderful people, and had an amazing experience. My arms are extremely soreeee from carrying around so many bags, but wait until you see what other people and I got!

Some really, really cool swag! I am definitely going to be wearing that T-shirt from Simone Elkeles tomorrow! There is a whole mess of bookmarks, CD samplers, postcards, and more hidden under the t-shirt!

I also brought about 8 books from home to be signed, but I will leave them out of this post for fear that it will get really long. Most of these books are from the Teen Party swag bag with the exception of a small few (which were bought during book fair)! Yay!

Sweet Venom (ARC)

Bloody Valentine

Radiant Shadows

White Cat

Perfect Chemistry

Ghost Hunters: The Awakening

The Clearing

Goddess Boot Camp

Dreamland Social Club (ARC)

Haven

Demon's Lexicon

Oh. My. Gods

The Summoning

Enclave

The Ivy

What Happened to Goodbye (ARC)

Wolfsbane (ARC)

Born At Midnight

Darkest Mercy

Thanks for trading Haunting Violet/Dreamland Social Club with me, Lauren! Even though I was like, "This one comes out next month so no thank you," and then five minutes later, I just randomly came up to you and magically decided to trade. I think I just favor contemporary more over paranormal. And I'm really indecisive.

Anyway, I am so stoked to have gone to the convention! However, I did something really stupid. I talked to a whole bunch of people there, but I never asked for their names! And then when I came home, I realized that from all that excitement, I didn't get to meet a lot of those I talked to on Twitter.

Going to this event made me realize that authors do not get the credit they deserve from the world. I cannot wait to start reading!

...Someone there told me I was in book heaven. I completely agree.

The Survivors by Amanda Havard

2011-04-05T23:35:00.000-07:00

The Survivors by Amanda Havard

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: In 1692, when witch trials gripped the community of Salem, Massachusetts, twenty-six children were accused as witches, exiled, and left for dead. Fourteen of them survived.

The Survivors is the first installment of the tantalizing tales of the fourteen ill-fated Survivors and their descendants, who have been content in hiding for over three centuries. Isolated on a Montana mountainside, only Sadie, the rogue daughter, dares to abandon the family's sacred hiding place. But no matter how far Sadie runs, something always pulls her back.

On a muggy summer night in Tennessee, she witnesses a shocking scene that will change her life forever. It is the first in a sequence of events that will drag her from the human world she's sought to belong to for over a century and send her back to her Puritanical family and into an uncertain future filled with cunning witches, mysterious nosferatu shape-shifters, dangerous eretica and vieczy vampires, millennia-old mythology, and the search for her own mortality. After all...

HOW DO YOU KILL A SURVIVOR?

The Survivors will steal your heart and invade your mind. Fall into the pages of Sadie's life, a world so frighteningly similar to your own, you'll find yourself wanting to go to the Montana mountains to find the Survivors for yourself.

And it is only the beginning.

Review: Never has a book taken me by surprise SO much. I really hadn't expected The Survivors to be anything out of the ordinary, but, whoa, it was amazing! The whole book in general is so ridiculously awesome that I still cannot fathom the fact that it's over. I really regret underestimating the degree of its appeal.

With very developed characters and an intricate plot line, The Survivors keeps readers hooked on from page 1. You're probably going to hear this sentence a lot in other reviews of this book, but it's very true--the protagonist is so relatable. Which brings me to the conclusion that this book is not just a book, it's almost having a conversation with Sadie herself and having her tell you every little detail going on in her life. And even if she is different from us, we're going to be able to draw the similarities out. Every emotion that Sadie will feel--confliction, anticipation, love, fear? (LOVE, repeated again just for emphasis, cuz ya now, Sadie steals many hearts in this book) You're going to feel it too. (And yes, you will yell at her. I did. Very often...No, I am not weird! O_O'')

The language Havard uses is very smart and natural that you actually feel smarter when you read the words from the page. And then there was that one scene where I should have KNOWN what was going to happen, but fjsldfjsljj! AHH. I AM STILL IN SHOCK. OHMYGOSH.

I'm not really sure how I feel about the romance aspect of this book. I would have liked to see her relationship(s) develop a bit slower. I do not know if it is the fangirl inside of me, but I just couldn't see why she fell in love with Other Guy. I do not even want to comment on Other Guy.

...But uh, COLE PWNS EVERETT. Every day of the week. Every second of the day. Every inch to the sky!! O_O So if you read this book and you take a liking to Other Guy, I'm afraid we cannot be friends anymore...(not even if you bake me cookies! And yes, I WILL be judging you XD)

On a more serious note, to me, The Survivors really isn't even paranormal. It's unlike any paranormal book I've read--very smart, very fresh, and very addictive, and very still in my mind. But a word to the wise, you won't be able to put this one down once you start (unless you are craaazyyy and not even a good crazy like me...). Read it now if you haven't! I do not know how long I can SURVIVE without the second book in my hand. Watch out, Amanda. *creepy laughter* xD!

And now, let the fangirling begin!

~~A Reviewer's Journey GIF Style~~

The Beginning: *got it out* Okay, let's read...*five seconds later* OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!! *Cole appears* ME:

The Middle: OHMYGOSH! WHAT IS HAPPENING? *is eaten up by Amanda Havard's world of epic proportions*

Mom: Come out for dinner! Me: WHO NEEDS TO EAT? I HAVE THIS INVISIBLE CORN OF DISBELIEF TO CHEW ON!! O_O

WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING SADIE? WHERE'S SWEET, SWEET COLE? Other Guy, you need to find a hole and jump in it and dieeeeee.

O_O OH. MY. GOD. FJSKFJKSLDJF WHAT WHAT WHAT. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE. * FLIPS PAGES BACK AND FORTH* It all makes sense now o_____o

The End: No, it's over. *SOBSOBSOBSOBSOB* HOW COULD YOU, AMANDA HAVARD? I HOW COULD YOU JUST END THE SNEAK PEEK OF BOOK 2 LIKE THIS? sobsobsob.

You all need to read it now!

---

1) I recently conducted a Twitter interview with Sadie herself along with The Book Pixie! To view it, just click this [edit: updated link here for FULL interview]! (BOWL FOREVER!)

2) Have you heard the GORGEOUS song that goes along with this book? It was just released and honestly, it has been on repeat the whole day yesterday. I'll embed it down below...

Less than three, folks. LESS THAN THREE!~

What you think about when you're not blogging...

2011-03-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

1. School: I've been doing lots and lots and lots of school work (which coincidentally is the cause of my absence--who would have thought?) Just essay after essay, test after test...Must get those A's! Must study! Must buy more ink and paper to print out even MORE homework (because SOME teachers are serious tree killers.)

2. Junior year: I've been worrying a lot about next year. What classes will I take? What do I want to do after high school? Does a book blog count as something you can put as "experience" when you are filling out an application for Journalism? Will I become even more of a slacker in the book blogging world because of more school? *sigh* And then there's the fact that I have to choose my schedule by next week and I am really indecisive...

3. RT Convention: Did you know they have a day specifically for TEENS? It sounds amazing. If you're in SoCal, you should definitely check out more info here and here. I am so STOKED. My birthday is actually the day before so I am planning to celebrate it with one of my best blogger friends there ^^

4. Blogging: WHY AM I NOT BLOGGING? And why did I only read ONE book last month? What is wrong with me? *SOB*

5. Nook: I recently just placed an order online for a Nook with my own money. I don't know about you, world, but this is very big news for a 15 year old like me. I guess not buying books for the past three months saved me a lot of money. Now if it will only GET HERE. You see, this is the problem of online shopping. Argh. XD

6. Roswell: When I am not doing homework, I am Netflixing Roswell. It's about aliens and high school and love. They're pretty cool, those aliens. They can sharpen pencils with the palm of their hands; heal people (again with their hands); they can even make chips fall out from VENDING MACHINES (hands again...) *looks at hands* *looks back at keyboard* They are making me feel really useless with mine.

7. What to read: I have been out of the loop when it concerns books. Leave recommendations, followers! I'm up for anything contemporary. :D!~~

...WOO! :D

Kim Harrington Interview

2011-02-27T21:57:00.000-08:00

WOOOO! Guess what comes out this week? Clarity by Kim Harrington! It has crazy awesome characters, perfect pacing, and above all, it was written by an amazing author.

I had the honor to interview the author a month ago and here is the interview below:

1.) In your mind, why do you think people do not believe in psychics?

I think it’s because certain people need proof before they believe in something fantastical. And…I’m one of those people! I’m not going to say true psychics don’t exist, though. Just that I haven’t met a real one yet. I have visited about six (a couple times in college for fun and then a few for book research) and none of them impressed me. But my mother visited one in Dublin when she was a teenager that she swears was the real deal. So who knows?

2.) What is the one power you would want if you were a psychic?

I wouldn’t want any of the Fern family’s powers. But if I could have any ability, I’d love to be able to manipulate time. Mostly because I’m impatient.

3.) Do you bare any similarities to any of your characters?

I can be sarcastic like Clare. I worry like Starla. Also, Clare’s aversion to seafood? Totally me.

4.) What was the hardest part in writing this novel?

The hardest part was making sure all the pieces of the mystery fit into place and finding the right balance between predictable and completely unforeseeable. I don’t want the villain to be someone from left field that the reader never could have figured out. But I don’t want the solution to be too obvious, either. Somewhere in between. And that’s tough to do.

5.) Best line ever from a book/show/movie? :D

Oh my…there are so many! I’m going to have to go with one from the movie Say Anything. And it’s not, “I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen,” though I do love that line. The one I like more is Lloyd’s response when Diane says, “Nobody thinks it will work, do they?” He says, “You just described every great success story.”

6.) If you could pick one song that represented Clarity, what would it be?

Maybe “Army of Me” by Bjork, which seems totally random, but the song has this swagger and confidence to it. I can imagine Clare walking down the street with her earbuds in, nodding her head to it.

7.) What is the weirdest dream you've ever had?

This is tough because I have weird dreams all the time. The scariest weird dream I had was that I was stuck on a cruise ship when one of those stomach viruses started going around. But then we realized it wasn’t just the stomach flu…it was the zombie virus. So everyone on the cruise ship started turning into zombies and I was running and hiding for what seemed like hours. Horrifying! I also had a funny, weird one where a sinkhole opened up on a Boston street and was swallowing buildings and I was running away from it with Neil Patrick Harris.

8.) How was your day? XD

Fantastic! While writing this interview (in January), I got the news that Publishers Weekly gave Clarity a starred review!

Sweet Venom Cover Reveal

2011-02-15T05:39:00.000-08:00

Release Date: October 4, 2011

Goodreads | Book Info

Blurb: Three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in a world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Exciting isn't it?! :D Just 8 more months. I love Tera Lynn Childs' books, and I cannot wait for this one. Medusa? Greek mythology? Yes, please!

Clarity Contest Winner!

2011-01-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

First of all, sorry; I know I said I'd post the winner yesterday, but I was drowning in homework. It's like teachers choose to give a load of work to do right before finals, LIKE WE DON'T ALREADY HAVE STUDYING TO DO /endrant.

To pick the winner, I had my lovely friend, Virtual Hat, pick the winner. Yes, I found virtual hat drawings online. But they confused me so I had my friend, who chooses to go by Virtual Hat, pick. The lucky number was 25. After shuffling the entries 25 times and then picking number 25 (which was really 8) WE HAVE A WINNER! :D

YAN!!

I should be sending out Clarity as soon as I get your addy :)

Now...back to homework and studying for finals...

In which I am crazy. Again.

2010-12-24T13:39:00.001-08:00

So last night I was at Best Buy in line to return something. And Best Buy has these reaaalllyyy tiring lines, especially during the holidays. I was zoning out and then I look to my right. WHAT DO I SEE? A FAMILIAR BLONDE GIRL.

"But whoooo...." I thought.. And then a familiar boy walks up to her. THEN IT HIT ME. SHE LOOKS LIKE GRACE...WHO DOES HE LOOK LIKE? He looks like Sam O_O. GRACE AND SAM FROM SHIVER. My mind had been blown. The guy had that crooked nose complete with that sadness look too! What do I do? I stare for another five minutes before doing somethingmore crazy.

I don't know what was stranger...me seeing a lookalike Sam & Grace at Best Buy...or me taking a picture of them from behind (did not want them to think I was loony XD)... I will leave that up to your judgement...

BUT HOLY SPRINKLES. SAM AND GRACE!!! :O

I have witnessed a Christmas miracle. Unless, of course, it's just me. And that looks exactly nothing like them. And I'm crazy. Yup. That's probably a more reasonable evaluation.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE! :D

Love for the Irish :D

2010-12-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

I am so happy because I have just been given another opportunity to review a product from CSN again. During the holidays, I'm sure I'll be needing lots of things like a new bookcase, a suitcase, and maybe a popcorn machine! (Popcorn is LUFF)

I like traveling, but I never get the time. I would love to go to Ireland. Ireland is my favorite country. I'm not entirely sure why though. I find myself listening to Celtic music and watching YouTube videos of the Cliffs of Moher. (CLIFFS OF INSANITY, haha!) One day...one day I will be there :P Do you have a dream vacation?

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

2010-12-21T23:15:00.001-08:00

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Rating: 5/5

Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Review: OHMYGOD. HOW AMAZING WAS THIS BOOK? I am still reeling from its awesomeness. A little bit dazed still.

Angelfire was the perfect read for me to cuddle up with in midst of all the rain in California. Like an open fire, it was warm and bright, setting off many sparks for my eyes to see. Not only were the characters molded into such beautiful beings by the author, but the story itself had a life of its own. It breathed and it lived, like all books should. The only qualm I have about this book--ONLY one--is that the beginning was a bit slow. It was a nice introduction into Ellie's life but it dragged. The upside to the beginning, though, was KATE. I LOVED KATE. I wish all best friends were that awesome.

I loved, loved, loved Ellie!!! I developed such a strong connection with her that I wasn't able to do with many other YA characters. When she felt frustrated, I was pulling out my hair with her. I felt like I was going through every event in the story along with her. I even had mini spasms throughout her sword-pwning battles. Every time she was in the middle of a fight with a reaper, I had to constantly remind myself that she was going to make it through! I mean, there was another two hundred pages after this scene. SHE WAS GOING TO LIVE, RIGHT? RIGHT? Well, with this book, you never really know. Bravo to the author for keeping you on your toes and guessing throughout. It's not a work of fluff and romance. Angelfire is the perfect balance of romance and action.

Angelfire is a book that will make you giddy and grin like an idiot. You will squeal like a crazy fangirl over Ellie and Will's endearing romance. You will get weird looks from your mother and possibly forget to eat because you just can't put this book down. And when it ends? You'll be wanting to trade your soul to the reapers for more.

(Let me digress... Since it is the holidays, I have a tradition with my sisters: We have a Sailor Moon YouTube/VHS marathon because...well... just because!! O_O DO NOT JUDGE. I am currently watching Season 3 episodes and well, I AM STILL HIGH ON SAILOR MOON. [again, do not judge xD] AND I LOVE GIFS so voila! Plus I am getting tired of my "What I thought of..." parts in my reviews SO I AM CHANGING IT UP!)

~~A Reviewer's Journey GIF Style~~

The beginning was okay~

The middle:

THIS STORY IS AMAZING. KICK THEIR BUTT, ELLIE. KICK THEIR BUTT.

OH MY GOD. ELLIE AND WILL ARE SO CUTE. AH!H!H!H!H

GO ELLIE!!!! KILL ALL THEM PATHETIC REAPERS. REALIZE YOUR LOVE FOR WILL. YOU LOVE HIM. YOU LOVE HIM! YOU MUST LOVE HIM.

The End:

NO, ANGELFIRE. YOU CANNOT END. You must last FOREVAAHH! SOB.

No! IT HAS ENDED! NOOOooo000oo.*stares at book for another half hour*

TAKE MY SOUL. TAKE MY SOUL. PLEASEEEEE. I NEED THE NEXT BOOK!! PLEAASSEE.

And for all you Sailor Moon fans out there: Angelfire is like heaven for people like us. Ellie and Will? They are about as epic as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. Now that is saying something.

Yup. Read it. Read it now. Or Sailor Moon will punish you.

Before That Night - Lauren Barnholdt

2010-12-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

AH!! FREAKOUT SESSION. Why, you ask?

Lauren Barnholdt has just posted up a prequel to One Night That Changes Everything (LESS THAN THREE. LESS THAN THREE.)

It is available to read online. Just click here! NOW!! O_O

This is the best Christmas gift! :D

Waiting on Wednesday

2010-12-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

(Why yes, this blog is not dead anymore. At least I hope not...be warned this post reflect upon a very hyper and giddy Kim)

This post sort of coincides with THE book I am waiting for in 2011. Now, I call it THE book because this is the book I am most excited for in the new year. It sounds so edgy and alluring that I deem it to be THE book. The cover is beautiful; the synopsis is amazing--basically, every piece of it is a burst of beautiful.

....DUNDUNDUN...

This is THE book...

And if that wondertastic (yesh, I am making up words. That's how excited I am!) fireball of amazing does not astound you and make you want to read it now, now, NOW, watch this video:

Harhar, do you want to read it NOW? Why, yes, yes you do.
Why is this beautiful novel not in my hands? Why is it haunting me everywhere I go? The other day when I was in my horrid Chem class learning empirical formulas, I was thinking, "Divergent! Divergent!" Who does that? What do empirical formulas have to do with the word anyway? Nothing--nothing I tell you! -Sigh- I need this book NOW, NOW, NOW. But patience is key. Only less than 150 days before I get my hands on this book. I might actually write a letter to Santa about this...(one can dream...) XD

The Haunted by Jessica Verday

2010-12-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

The Haunted by Jessica Verday

Rating: 3.4/5

Synopsis: An impossible truth. An impossible love.

After a summer spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with—the boy who must not exist, cannot exist, because she knows that he is dead—Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow, ready to leave the ghosts of her past behind. She throws herself into her schoolwork, her perfume-making, and her friendship with Ben, her cute and funny lab partner, who just might be her ticket to getting over Caspian once and for all.
But Abbey can never get over Caspian, and Caspian has no choice but to return to her side, for Caspian is a Shade, and Abbey is his destiny. They are tied not only to each other, but also to the town of Sleepy Hollow, and to the famous legend that binds their fates—a legend whose dark truths they are only beginning to guess....
Review: I wasn't sure if I should give the series another try, but I did, and I've got to say: it was better this time. While far better than its predecessor, The Haunted is still lacking that quality that makes me fall in love with its characters. The characters are definitely not three dimensional, but for some reason I can't build any connections with them. I hate that. Hopefully the next book will change that.
I think the reason this book was much better was because The Hollow was just dripped and painted with just so much sadness. The Haunted differs from that. We definitely do not get the same melancholy Abbey for hundreds of pages. Her character changed, and new characters were introduced. And Caspian...he was just so lovable in this book! Honestly, the best character out of this entire novel.
While The Haunted is not the perfect read, it leaves you hanging with unanswered questions. Those of which will make you want to read the third book. :)
What I thought of...
The Beginning: Very slow, but I am loving the changes to Abbey!
The Middle: This is getting so much better. I am actually turning the pages faster :D
The End: ARGH. CLIFFHANGER JFLSDKFJKSLDFJ.
FTC: Checked out from library

The Duff by Kody Keplinger

2010-11-12T23:13:00.000-08:00

The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone

Review: Going into this book, I had high expectations--I'd heard so many positive things about it that I was confident it was going to be worth reading. I'm so glad to say that it was. It was strange how the plot unraveled. I hadn't expected it to happen that way. I hadn't expected smile like a giddy schoolgirl whenever Bianca and Wesley were together. I loved the wittiness of the author's writing and the way every word flowed effortlessly naturally.

While the romantic aspect of this novel was very endearing, what I liked the most was how the author tackled so many life issues in one book--and again, it was done just SO naturally. I mean, who HASN'T felt like the DUFF? Reading this book just made me feel like I was worth something, and maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. Because I was able to see the empowering message it radiates.

I loved, loved, LOVED the characters. They had so much depth and their own unique traits that they never left my mind. Usually in books, there's a character who's seemingly perfect. Well, in The DUFF, no one is. Every single character had their flaws. Flaws that made the book stand out from others. In other books, I didn't feel like I knew most of the characters well, but in The DUFF, I understood them. Like I said, it was just strange and remarkable how this one book changed how I viewed all the books I read in the past. The only downside to this book is probably the ending. Everything happened a little too quickly. Otherwise, The DUFF was absolutely amazing.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: The perfect build-up! :D

The Middle: LOVEEEEE.

The End: I was not satisfied :( Gah, why was it so short? xD

Favorite line:

Wesley Rush doesn't chase girls. But I'm chasing you.

FTC: Thank you to We Love YA Tours

Fins are Forever COVER REVEAL!

2010-09-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

As part of the Splash Team, I had the opportunity to reveal the cover along with the other Splash Teamers. Isn't this cover just gorgeous? I really can't wait any longer for it to come out. I mean, JUNE 28 of NEXT YEAR? -tear- I know one thing for sure, though...the bright colors are outrageously out of this world! Count on them to brighten up your day.

Thankfully, I can countdown with this widget...

Countdown Creator Progreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

Nightshade Trailer

2010-09-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Nightshade is one awesome book. Too bad I can't show its awesomeness with my trailer. The audio tracks don't blend well together :( Buuuuuut, I WILL fix this. I just need to watch a bunch of tutorials of garageband so I can blend the tracks together. Then, I will reupload, lol. I've tried EVERYTHING on my program to no avail...I guess it isn't that bad though... I know it's not my best trailer.

BUT, Nightshade is one AMAZING book. You can read my review below this post! Nightshade is the book I'm most looking forward to in October, even if I've already read it. CALLA FTW <3

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

2010-09-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Rating: 4.6/5

Synopsis: Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice

Review: I loveeeeeeed this book. I'd heard fabulous things about it before, but I was hesitant to start it. I mean, another werewolf book? No, thank you. Fortunately, I opened it up and sped through it like it was my only way to survive. I remember going back to reread parts because I didn't want to finish the book. It was just that good. I LOVED Calla. She represented such strength that most girls would die to have. Cremer's hand at a werewolf book is like no other. Starting it, I realized, "Whoa," because it was just SO different from what I usually read in books. It had layers underneath layers, proving that it was a real gem. Do you know how everyone says each book has its own world? Well, I never wanted to leave NIGHTSHADE's.

The only aspect I'm concerned about is the romance. Sure, both boys are lovely, but I felt like I failed to grasp their importance to the story and Calla. To me, the romance never really happened. I hope this improves in the second book.

All in all, NIGHTSHADE is perfect even with its imperfections.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: The first sentence hooked me in right away.

The Middle: SO. MUCH. GOODNESS.

The End: Such a cliffhanger...it pains me to have to wait for the next book D;

I am part of a tour stop for Nightshade! Check back tomorrow for a fanmade trailer :)

FTC: Won an ARC

Back to Books Contest Winners

2010-09-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Nightshade Contest has been extended (Date to be announced!

HUSH, HUSH WINNER: @KaitorTot fromKaitlyn in Bookland

Rules of Attraction/Perfect Chemistry: Haven't heard from previously announced winner so...a new one has been chosen! Kathy, from I Am a Reader, Not a Writer, please send me your addy!

BEFORE I FALL: Ashley from Ashley's Bookshelf!

Thank you to EVERYONE who participated in this event, you were awesome. I hope readers enjoyed this!

<3

High School Book Clubs: What would YOU want in them?

2010-09-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, let me rant a little: ever since school started, it has been such a pain. It's barely the second week of school and I've already had about 9 tests. I'm so sick of it. Only 171 days of school to go. I'm already counting down...

But anyway, the most exciting thing that happened since then was that my friend came up to me, and asked me if I wanted to start a book club with her! We actually had this idea last year, but the school year was already ending x) Plus, I don't think freshmen could have started clubs...

So, we're actually copresidents of the book club! (Once we're approved that is...) It is called Friends of the ABC (props to those who know what book this name refers to. Hint: the title is French...) ABC, for us, will actually stand for Awesome Book Club. My friend (she came up with the name! :D) is actually huge on classics and historical fiction while I'm big on anything YA...so yup, our club will have a lot of variety~

Maybe it's not a big deal to you, but our high school doesn't even have a LIBRARY. It's called the "Media Center," but all it has are textbooks and school books. The only books in there that we don't use are ANCIENT. I'm talking yellow-paged, dog-eared, and smelly books. :(

\rant over.../

What I'm asking is: What would YOU want in your high school book club, if you were part of it? Please, please leave suggestions in the comments! We've already thought of going to book related events like signings and book festivals, reading to children, and doing book fundraisers, but then...we ran out. SO PLEASE SUGGEST ANYTHING. NOTHING WOULD BE STUPID TO US. I KNOW NOT MANY PEOPLE WILL COMMENT SO LET'S "BRIBEEEE!"ANYONE WHO COMMENTS WILL BE ENTERED IN A RANDOM DRAWING TO WIN A HUNGER GAMES T-SHIRT! (YOU WILL CHOOSE WHICH ONE) JUST COMMENT WITH A SUGGESTION. IF YOU FIND OUT WHERE FRIENDS OF THE ABC COMES FROM, THEN YOU GET ANOTHER ENTRY. Okay, I'll stop yelling in caps now....contest will end Sept 31. US only.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm working on reviews so my blog won't be dead anymore...doing homework on Fridays have become a habit so I'm freeeeee. :)

Back to Books: Judith Graves

2010-09-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

[It has been a week since the latest B2B post. Lauren and I are SO sorry. People haven't been sending in their posts on time, and school got in the way. Now, life is all about school, school, school, and other stuff. I have no time for anything. So here is today's post! Wednesdays are supposed to be giveaway posts, but please bare with us XD]

Coil Notebooks: A Writer’s Obsession

Back to school can be a dark time in my house. Not because my husband is a high school social studies teacher and I’m an elementary school library technician – and back to school means an end to summer. Nope. I’m talking about my coil notebook obsession and how it drains our bank balance every fall.

As a young adult paranormal fiction author, I’ve made it my duty to scoop up any gothic notebooks I find. But I write edgy YA as well, therefore I stand in line for the tattoo-ish, doodle designs as well. And I have a few picture books I’ve been working on, so I have to nab the cutise ones too.

What do I use all these notebooks for, you ask? Well, some are for future plot ideas, character trait journals, random dialogue, nifty word diaries, flash fiction pieces, lyrics, poetry….and some are too stunning to write in at all. Those are for pure wow-ain’t-that-pretty moments of inspiration.

I found a few of my favourite notebook companies online, you can check them out here:

Ecojot (http://www.ecojot.com/) - recycled paper, cute designs and Canadian! Can’t ask for more.

Carolina Pad (http://www.carolinapad.com/) – cool notebooks, bags, you name it.

Etsy (www.etsy.com) also has an amazing selection of handmade, unusual designs. I could spend hours skimming through the online shops to find steals like these (some are more elaborate and expensive than others):

http://www.etsy.com/listing/54582093/apocalypse-xxiv-awesome-leather-journal

http://www.etsy.com/listing/34524093/wildflowers-notebook-recycled-paper

You can even go to a site like Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com) or Café Press (www.cafepress.ca) and have notebooks custom made – a great idea for a school fundraiser, art class projects, or team/club bonding thingie. ;)

I feel I’m neglecting another important facet of back to school shopping. Along with each gem of a notebook, there must be an equally fantastic pen…but that’s another post. Happy Back to School Season!

Who am I? I’m Judith Graves, YA paranormal author of Under My Skin (Leap Books, 2010) and Second Skin (Leap Books, 2011) and a member of the amazing Class of 2k10. Check out my site: www.judithgraves.com and the 2k10 site to meet 23 coolio debut authors: www.classof2k10.com

Back to Books: Giveaway from Me | Day 008

2010-09-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

Before I say anything, can you believe it is ALREADY September?

By the time this post is up, it'll be the first day of school for me. All those relaxing summer days? THEY'RE GONE...the bright side is, today is Wednesday, which means school starts at 9. More sleep? Heck yes. *happy dances*

And there's always those pesky rumors about your new teachers. Sometimes, they turn out true, and other times, they don't. First days aren't usually "first days," just teacher introductions. Gah, I wish I had one more week...Please cross your fingers for me to have a very good first day! In case you are wondering, I'm going into my sophomore year of high school...

When school starts, I always say to myself, "Hey, at least you'll have more books to read!" And it's true! For today, I'm going to give away a SIGNED ARC of NIGHTSHADE--something for all of you guys going back to school to look forward too. It is a wonderful, wonderful book. Expect the review to come this month...and a trailer... ;D

To enter, just comment on this post with a short paragraph on the funniest thing that happened during this summer. If we get enough entries, I will pick from the funniest. If not, randomizer FTW. If our contest is THAT lonely, we'll just open this up to extra entries...let's see how it goes ;) I'll leave this contest up until the end of the B2B special. Ends 09/13 midnight, California time

Back to Books: Wendy Toliver + Contest | Day 007

2010-08-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

Back to school!

I admit it. When I was in elementary, middle, and high school, I absolutely loved going back to school. I'd have my first-day-of-school outfit picked out days in advance, from shoes to earrings. I was always something new and cool that didn't look like I was trying too hard. I'd daydream about who the teacher would assign me to sit next to. An interesting new kid? The guy at the pool I'd been crushing on all summer? A snarky girl with lipstick on her teeth? New school supplies, a new book bag, a home-packed lunch complete with a foil-wrapped drink (to keep it cold)--I loved every last detail.

I'd know who my teachers were and when I got into middle and high school, I'd have my class schedule memorized. But then I went off to college and something strange happened. On my first day, I got up late, threw something on, and biked to campus with absolutely no clue what classes I'd signed up for, let alone where on the enormous campus they were located. Of course, with time I figured things out, but those first couple of weeks, I just kind of walked around in a haze, unpunctual, uncoiffed, and unstyled.

So, what about you? Are (or were) you one who planned everything out when school started, or did you just kind of show up and hope for the best?

Wendy Toliver
Author of Teen Fiction
visit me at http://www.wendytoliver.com/

To win a SIGNED copy of The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren, use this form! Swag is also included in this giveaway, and will be mailed by the author! Ends 09/13 at midnight! (California time)

Back to Books: Lauren Oliver | Day 006

2010-08-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

As I am writing this, it’s August 24^th and I’m in Paris, eating loads of baguette and watching vespas zoom on the single-lane, cobblestone-lined street beneath my window, and I am thinking about school.

You might wonder why I’m thinking about school. Shouldn’t I be thinking about accordian-playing mimes, and cute French waiters, and more baguettes?

Mais non, mes amis.

Parisians take summer vacation very seriously. VERY seriously. Everybody takes vacation in France in August—and not for one week, or ten days, but for the entire month. That is not an exaggeration. Bakeries shut down. Butchers shutter their windows; boutiques lock their doors. The streets are empty of Parisians. The mornings dawn misty and quiet, the evening smolder in silence. It is actually a very peaceful time to be in France…if you don’t want to buy anything!

Here’s another example of how seriously French people take les vacances d’ete (summer vacation). There is a famous, famous ice cream shop here called Berthillon. It has exactly one location, on the Ile St Louis, an island in the center of Paris. It does not export its ice cream. You cannot find its ice cream outside of France, or even outside of Paris. And it sells nothing but ice cream—no cookies, no chocolate, no bars of nougatine. Just ice cream.

It is also closed for two full months of every year. Guess which ones?

July and August.

And then, suddenly, at the end of August is la rentree: literally translated to the re-entering, it is when Parisians pour back into Paris, and the bakeries fling open their doors again and begin churning out their heavenly baguettes, and the boutiques and papeteries are packed with families shopping for back-to-school clothing and supplies. This might be my favorite time to be in Paris: la rentree is all about optimism, and energy, and hope for the new year.

That’s what I always loved about going back to school in the fall. It offered a chance of reinvention: new clothes, new binders, untouched sheaths of paper, unused pens. The promise of new friends and (possibly, please God, please God) new adorably hot transfer students who would fall madly in love with you during chem..

And okay, yeah—so most of the time it didn’t work out that way. Within a week, your new clothes are just newer old clothes and you still have nothing to wear, while that annoyingly perfect student body vice president looks like a freaking runway model every day of her life—meanwhile, the only transfer student is weird and short and smells permanently like meatball subs. (Or, if he is cute, he’s already dating the student body president.)

But the point is the start of the school year is all about hope and new beginnings—so much more so, I think, than the actual new year. (Who wants to celebrate new beginnings when it’s like, negative five thousand degrees outside and everyone you know has the flu?)

So make a wish. Heck, make a resolution. And happy New Year!

Lauren, the other one, is giving away a copy of BEFORE I FALL. Click here to enter!

Back to Books: Shelby | Day 005

2010-08-27T05:38:00.000-07:00

"The Time I Leaped Across Desks", AND A BOOK GIVEAWAY! :D

Hi everyone! :) I think Lauren is going to mention this anyway, but I’m Shelby (@sbarwood, sbarwood.livejournal.com). This is my first real guest blog, so I’m pretty excited. I’ve decided to tell you a True High School Story. (Wow, MTV should totally get the rights to that. Just sayin.)

My high school experience was…incredibly bizarre, really. I live in a town of approximately 15,000 people. Sounds small, right? It is. My graduating class only had about one hundred people. If I didn’t know all of their names, I at least knew all of their faces. As you can imagine, this made it incredibly hard to just stick to myself and read, the way I like to do. I didn’t fit into any cliques, and let me tell you, in a rural Alabama school, if you’re not in a clique you might as well be dog shit. (Wait, can I say that? Whatever. Let’s PG-13 it up.) Sure, I had friends, but let’s face it: I was an outcast. And not the cool one with a k who can drop beats.

Enter Mr. Jameson. Mr. Jameson was fresh out of college when they hired him to be our Geometry teacher, and…well…sometimes I felt sorry for him. Mr. Jameson was very good at Geometry, but he had no idea how to teach Geometry to his students. He could work the problems in just a few minutes, but showing us how to do the problems put so much stress on him you would have thought he was trying to teach a bunch of Portugese-speaking Rottweilers. About a week into the school year, he decided that from then on, every day, we would come into Geometry, and he'd hand us a Connect-the-Dot and if we did it, we’d get an A.

You can’t make this up. To this day I have no spatial sense whatsoever.

Well, Mr. Jameson’s class was in the middle of the long hallway that comprised the 300 building. Apparently, way back in the sixties when our high school was built, one set of workers had started building on one side of the building, and another set of workers had started building on the opposite side of the building, and when they met in the middle, they didn’t have enough room left for a complete classroom. So the Geometry classroom was inanely small. We had so many desks in our classroom that there were no aisles; you literally had to climb across the desks to reach your seat. As you can imagine, the fire safety people conveniently overlooked it.

Into the middle of this cruel and unusual torture-chamber I was thrust. I usually got the Connect-the-Dot done in the first five or seven minutes of class and read a book the rest of the block. Mostly everyone else, of course, behaved like monkeys, which only further disturbed our on-edge Geometry teacher. Well, for some reason that September day, this nightmarish girl LaShonne who always had something to say about anyone decided that it was time to start firing her mouth off about me.

Now, I wasn’t having the greatest day. I had just found out that the boy I had been crushing on for weeks had started dating one of my band frienemies. On top of that, I had forgotten my lunch money and had only been able to get a Rice Krispy Treat for lunch, even though our school had promised our parents that they were instituting “Healthy Lunches.” (Oh, please! Since when is fried chicken and pizza a part of a healthy lunch?!) So I was very ready to snap at someone, if they gave me the chance.

LaShonne was as dumb as she was mean-hearted (she actually graduated a year late) so she didn’t notice the Look of Doom glaring out of my eye sockets. She started loudly telling me how ugly my outfit was and how fat it made me look. When I fixed her with the Death Glare, she demanded, “What the hell are you looking at?”

“Shut up, LaShonne,” I warned.

“Bitch, don’t tell me to shut up! I’ll say whatever the hell I want! You can’t tell me to do nothing, you fatass.”

“Shut. Your mouth, LaShonne.”

“You need to take your fat horse away from me before I knock you out!”

I’m still not sure why, but something inside me kind of…snapped. I slammed my book down on my desk, flung myself out of my seat, and shouted, “I’m not putting up with this anymore!” I spun around to storm away, but was trapped by the blockade of aisle-less desks. In a fury, I climbed on top of them, walking and leaping over several people’s (thankfully) empty desks, and stomped to the door, slamming it painfully behind myself.

Of course, I couldn’t make quite the exit Anger had planned for me. Anger wanted me to triumphantly storm home. (I was just a freshman, too young to have a car yet.) As I walked down toward the band room, though, I realized that Anger had grossly miscalculated, as it is wont to do.

I had left my purse in the Geometry class. Keys, money, learner’s permit, all there in that bag. I stopped, feeling hot, humid Alabama air on my face. I didn’t want to go back, but I didn’t want to leave anything valuable in there alone, either. Sighing, I turned back.

As I walked, anxiety crept into my throat. I had just broken at least twenty school rules and slammed the door in my teacher’s face. My feet got heavier. I was in so much trouble. I wondered how many weeks of detention I would get for this. Detention in a rural Alabama school isn’t like detention in a normal school. In a rural Alabama school, you’re shoved in a room with no air conditioning and no fans even though it’s a hundred plus degrees out. Talk about hell. On top of that, they would probably call my parents, and who knew what they would do to me. I’d never really been in trouble in my life, or been grounded. I was just a “good kid,” y’know?

I hesitated outside the peeling door of my Geometry class before steeling myself for the onslaught that waited for me and shoving open the door. It was silent as the grave inside—fitting, since I figured I’d soon be in one. Mr. Jameson looked up at me as I came in. “All right, people,” he barked. “We’ve had about enough for today, so just finish your work.” And we did, sitting with our heads down, not speaking at all. I sent furtive glances in Mr. Jameson’s direction, certain that at any moment he would tell me how much trouble I was in.

As I dreaded, when the bell rang Mr. Jameson called me to the front. I didn’t have any excuses on hand. I’d never acted like that before. I considered pretending to cry. I considered crying for real. Mr. Jameson leaned over his stool, staring into my face. I stared back, trying to remember how to make my chin quiver.

His face burst into a smile. “Great job, Barwood. I’ve been waiting to tell that girl off for weeks. She really needs to learn when to keep her mouth shut.”

I gaped. Was he serious? “Ummm…”

He flashed me the thumbs-up sign before turning away, effectively dismissing me. I stood there numbly for a few seconds before I remembered how to operate my legs. As if that weren’t disconcerting enough, a girl from band smiled at me and said, “That was seriously awesome. She’s awful, isn’t she?” I just nodded, realizing that I had apparently done something cool.

And you know what? LaShonne didn’t say another word to me the whole year. :)

Hope you guys enjoyed! A gigantic shout-out to Lauren and Kim for hosting this thing and being completely awesome about my procrastination addiction!

And now, just for fun, I have a shameless promotional GIVEAWAY of Maggie Stiefvater's SIGNED SHIVER and LINGER! :D Get excited.

...Not that excited. Pull it back, pull it back.

Here are The Rules:

1. Open to anyone on the continent of North America. (If you don't live on the continent of North America, follow me on Twitter to learn about my upcoming inter-continental contest! :D)

2. The Giveaway will be open until September 5th, 2010 at 7:00 CST. The winner will be announced and notified the next day, September 6th, 2010 (Labor Day) between 10:00 and 12:00 CST.

3. Fill out the Entry Form. All fields marked with an asterisk MUST be filled out! If they are not filled out, your entry will not be counted.

4. Extra entries will be factored in accordingly, and each individual entry will receive a number. A winner will be randomly selected using random.org.

***FOR EXTRA ENTRIES***
Before you attempt extra entries, please be aware that I WILL be checking to make sure no one is attempting to cheat. Also, please don't create blogs/Twitter accounts merely for the purpose of entering this contest. (It's just dishonest!)

Follow @sbarwood on Twitter (+1)
Friend sbarwood.livejournal.com (+1)
Comment on any entry at sbarwood.livejournal.com (+2)
Follow The Here. The Now. And the Books! OR And Anything Bookish (+2)
Tweet about the contest WITH THE HASTAG #BacktoBooks (+3, max. 3 times) If you don't put the hashtag, the tweet will be disqualified!
Mention the contest on your blog (+3, max. 2 times)

If you have any questions, feel free to leave comments and ask them! Have fun, and good luck! :)

Back to Books : WORD For Teens | Day 004

2010-08-26T06:37:00.000-07:00

The Library Before First Period

Or, in which we learn that throwing books is a really bad idea.

I am a nerd. I wear the label proudly, as do most of my friends. We call ourselves the Nerd Herd; I've been called Queen of the Nerds; our favorite English teacher calls himself our Emperor, and our librarian argues with him and insists that she is the one who really leads us.

Either way, last year was my last year of high school. (Sad!) The group of us spent as much time as possible in the library before we left - during lunch periods, whenever we had a free period, when our teachers would let us out of class.

But, most importantly, we hung out in the library before first period.

This was something that we had done since freshman year. The entire point of this post is that going to the library - or at least, in my case - is a great way to make friends. I would need both hands and both feet to count the number of people I've met and become friends with just by hanging out there. We're computer geeks, book nerds, comic obsessed, manga lovers - you name anybody who falls under the 'May Be Socially Awkward' division, and we're in the library. And you become really good friends with your librarian.

This is very beneficial. And I can't even start with the number of stories I have from the library that would have gotten us in trouble had my friends and I not been close to my librarian.

For instance:

Sophomore year, my friends Keith and Gerald and I were working on a project for our English class. We had two options: make a video of whatever skit we were working on, or present the skit live to the front of the class. None of us liked the idea of presenting the skit live. We were all rather awkward in front of large groups.

Besides, our skit involved throwing things.

See, we had to write a scene, ten years after the end of the play, for The Taming of the Shrew. I was playing Kate, Keith was playing Petruchio, and Gerald was playing a poor servant who gets hit as I throw books.

Our librarian at the time was Mr. Stevens. (This changed at the beginning of our senior year, and I'm closer to that librarian than I ever was to Mr. Stevens. She also happens to read WORD regularly, so we always have a lot to talk about.) Now, Mr. Stevens was your typical nerdy male librarian. He agreed to let us stay after school and perform the skit, and he would film it for us. He even supplied old, kind of crappy books for me to throw so I wouldn't have to ruin any of mine.

Now, I have really bad aim. It took multiple tries to even get a shot that looked like I had hit Gerald. Most of the time, I ended up hitting Keith.

But none of my bad aim compares to what happened to poor Mr. Stevens. As Gerald went to toss one of the books back to me, it flew at an awkwardly low angle just as Mr. Stevens was standing up.

And it hit him in a very, er, precarious spot.

Needless to say, I coudn't stop laughing, Keith was rolling on the ground, the library assistant was doubled over, and Gerald was trying to help Mr. Stevens stand back up.

He still let us finish filming, too.

What was the point of this story? You can make friends in the library so long as you just say something. Talk to your librarian. Ask what other people are reading. Just say hi and introduce yourself.

Oh, and if you can't aim - don't throw things.

Back to Books: Giveaway from Lauren | Day 003

2010-08-25T17:15:00.001-07:00

Hello! I'm Lauren from The Here. The Now. And the Books!

Ok, so school...I have mixed feelings to say the least. I have the passion to learn...but only with things I want to learn, which, as you can imagine, are limited.

Getting up at 6:30am for school seems like Hell to me, too. Why can't we have night school? I'd function better!

Yes, school does put a dent in reading time, but it doesn't stop me from reading, of course! We have a specific period of 30min. to read each day, actually.

Usually, I'm the only one reading, though. *sigh*

There aren't a lot of readers at my school, unfortunatly. I blame this on the fact that A.) Some people just don't like to read. B.) Reading is a challenge for some. or C.) The person has not found the right book, yet.

Up until 4th grade, I hated reading. No kid.

I mean, come on! The school's books were pretty boring. And I'm a picky reader. I'm not that reading gal that can pick up any book and read, I don't work that way.

But I started reading A Series of Unfortunate Events, which lead to Artemis Fowl, which lead to Harry Potter, and then to Twilight.

A Series of Unfortunate Events was my starting point. I love those books. I was finally able to see that reading was indeed enjoyable. I found my right book. My starting book, so to speak.

So, in honor of going back to school soon (Or, like me, you're already in school!), I'm giving away 2 books. Hopefully, you'll love them, maybe spread them to a person as their spark for reading.
The books will be given away together, and they are:

Likey?
These books rock! Sexy, edge-y, romantic. Love!

All you have to do is fill out THIS form.

Note: No, you can't enter in both places. If you do, one entry will be taken away. If you lie, faeries will come dance with you until you die. :)

Back to Books: J.P. from YA Urban | Day 002

2010-08-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hello!

So today I'm posting about Back 2 Books. . .and I'm going to be talking mostly about the school environment - oh, and cliques. Maybe some people think there are the same "groups" in every school; maybe you don't. But I'm here to tell you that the school I go to isn't the same as a lot of schools. We are a small Catholic school and we have somewhere around 600 students total, Pre-K through eighth grade. In the higher grades, there are the jocks, and the other people. Not even kidding. We don't have "preppy girls," "cheerleaders." I guess you could call us (the non-jock, book/music people) indies. When we were immature, say, fourth grade, there was an infinite siege between the two forces; now, the "indies" are the matures ones (IMO), and we just ignore it when the sport-obsessed jocks think they're the hottest thing out there. We're cool like that. ^^

So - to celebrate Back 2 Books, I'm having a national giveaway of HUSH, HUSH. Why this book? Because a lot of the story's plot and/or storyline is set at school, and the novel often focuses on that. To enter, all you have to do is comment on this post. If you want +1, tweet "Back 2 Books: School + HUSH, HUSH. @jpmsull @WonderGirl12 "http://tinyurl.com/2e4g6u2" I'll be in charge of the contest.

Thanks!

Back to Books: Piratepenguin Reads | Day 001

2010-08-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

So summer’s ending and that means it’s time to go back to school.

I can already feel my internal clock readjusting itself in preparation for getting up early.

But you know what school can’t take away from me? The time to sit down and read a book; sure, I’ll have to carve out a few minutes of each day but as an intense bookworm, I make that commitment (even when it’s time for finals!). While I love gobbling up new stories, there are some books that I always revisit every year. You could call them my comfort reads; I’m pretty sure everyone has some. Today I’ll be telling you my Top Five Comfort Reads.

Maybe we’ll have some in common! :D

Top Five Comfort Reads

1.) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte-I was first introduced to Jane Eyre when I was around 11 or 12. My friend (who was also the same age as me (and they say kids don’t read!)) lent me the book, saying that I’d love it. Her copy had a dark, almost dreary cover and was very beat-up; I wasn’t convinced that I’d love it—but I gave it a try and ended up falling passionately in love with the story. The main character, Jane Eyre, had all the traits that I wanted in a heroine. She is clever, brutally honest and has an iron will that wouldn’t bend for anyone-not even the love of her life. She goes through so much but gets her happy ending without compromising her moral values. It’s an amazing book and it’s perfect for a rainy day!

2.) Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen-who hasn’t heard of Mr.Darcy? Again, the same friend who introduced me to Jane Eyre made me try P&P and my life hasn’t been the same since. Jane Austen was the author that really pulled me into the British regency period and made me curious to know more. Tall, handsome, intense and insanely rich, Mr. Darcy also happened to be my first major literary crush and although he’s no longer #1 in my heart (Mr. Thornton has that title now), he still holds a special place in my heart (and has a fanbase that could rival Edward Cullen's stalkers--er, fangirls.)

3.) Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes-I found this gem by accident one day when I was looking through a pile of books at the dollar store. The cover didn’t do much for me but the summary caught my attention; on a whim I decided to buy it and it sat on my bookshelf for months. Another friend of mine had picked it up from the library and once she finished it, she raved about it—realizing I had it on my shelf already I picked it up and read. I was transported into a world where there was a war between two classes of shape shifters—add some political intrigue and romance and I was set! If you’ve had any doubts about Atwater-Rhodes, I suggest you pick this one up first. Her writing in this book truly shines.

4.) Just Listen by Sarah Dessen-

Oh Sarah Dessen; you’ve been with me since the beginning of my high school career. Dessen is one of the reigning queens of YA and if you haven’t read any of her work, you should be ashamed. As for those that are familiar with her novels, most readers think The Truth about Forever stand above the rest. I used to agree until I reread Just Listen and sawooned over Owen, the bad boy with a penchant for honesty and eclectic music. He’s been my favorite Dessen boy ever since. Every girl needs to meet the Dessen boys—they are hot!

5.) The Host by Stephenie Meyer-Don’t be put off by the fact that Stephenie Meyer is the author. There are no sparkly vampires in this book! There are aliens instead ;) Don’t look at me like that—whether you admit it or not, Stephenie Meyer can tell a story; she excels with this particular novel where she seamlessly blends sci-fi with romance. I was initially skeptical but once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. I loved this book so much I even have a copy of it in Spanish! I would definitely recommend this one for anybody that wants a thought-provoking read (with romance, of course.) ;D

Guest Post: Lauren Hammond

2010-08-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Twitter @NovelistLauren

Facebook fanpage http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lauren-Hammond/100755776636370

Blog http://laurenhammondnovelist.blogspot.com/

http://www.novelthoughtsblog.com/2010/08/guest-post-lauren-hammond.html

http://nymfaux.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-2-of-love-sucks-blog-tour_04.html?spref=fb

http://lovesromances.blogspot.com/2010/08/feature-chatting-with-buckeyes-lauren.html

http://2muchtestosterone.blogspot.com/2010/08/love-sucks-by-lauren-hammond-blog-book.html

http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/interviews.php

The book can be puchased at www.punkinbooks.com and www.amazon.com

We are constantly offered so many choices in our everyday lives. We have opportunities to decide what we want out of life. But what if you weren’t given a choice? What if the life you are leading was chosen for you?

That’s what happened to Cara Jones in Love Sucks. Cara never chose to be a vampire. That life was chosen for her.

When I began writing this novel, the first mental image I ever got of Cara Jones was her punching her fist through the lid of her coffin and the rest is history. I tried to put myself in her shoes. What would I do in her situation? What would I do if I woke up buried in the ground in the middle of nowhere not knowing who or what I had become? I truly believe by doing this I created a great character that not only I could relate to but one that my readers could relate to as well.
I wrote this novel completely from Cara’s point of view. I wanted my readers to feel like I did, I wanted them to put themselves in Cara’s shoes. This book, takes you on the journey of a lifetime. You’ll follow Cara through her years of life beginning in the 1700’s until she wakes up in the year 2010. A vampire around that long can get into a lot of trouble, right?

I want my readers to enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. There is a sequel in the works and A Sucker For Love will be out sometime in the summer of 2011.

So now I only have one thing left to say, are you ready to be sucked in?

YA SISTERS! And BACK TO BOOKS! (All caps intended)

2010-08-04T00:12:00.000-07:00

Lauren and I have EXCITING NEWS! First of all, we have a new webseries together called YA SISTERS! We promise the webseries will be full of crazy shenanigans! This week, I went around asking random people in B&N and Target to be in my video about PARANORMALCY (awesome, awesome book). It was quite the experience. It would be an understatement to say I got turned down. LOL. Nonetheless, there is still some fun footage! At first, we wanted to do a podcast-type thing, but then, we ended up with this!

Here is the first episode! Please comment and subsribe! :) Or just comment below this post! Either one will work with us ;)

Our second piece of news is BACK 2 BOOKS. You can find more information on Lauren's page. Feel free to contact either of us if you are interested!

In my Mailbox

2010-07-31T17:24:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been a very long time since I had the time to do an In My Mailbox! :O

Anyways, I only got two books in my mailbox this week--both of which I finished, and found to be very, VERY good. SO good, that in fact, you will be possibly seeing one or two of them given away on this blog soon.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer - Won from Kristen over at Bookworming in the 21st century

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - This was a TOTAL surprise. One of my friends, Annie, went to Comic Con and got this for me. *squeeeeeeeee*

Well, that's all I got this week! I was hoping for my Shadow Hills poster to come, but it didn't. I also got a new cell phone in the mail (mine had broken, but luckily we had insurance to give me a new one) What did YOU guys get? :]

Waiting on Wednesday

2010-07-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Synopsis: When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul. A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once. While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

I think I'm one of the few who haven't WoWed this yet, so here it is! Definitely stoked for this one. Only 201 more days!

I tried to make a countdown widget, but as you can see below, I really, really failed at it. I'd use widgetbox, but the only way for me to make a free one with a background image is through javascript. I am not experienced with that so I found this other site called Counto. It's good, but it takes FOREVER to see the changes you made.

Code:
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain"><param name="movie" value="http://countdownpage.createyourcountdown.com/countdown.swf?filename=764a9f2462bf088af07b6ae6c107e62c_8038"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object>

Guest Post: Emma Michaels

2010-07-23T16:20:00.000-07:00

Please welcome the lovely Emma Michaels!~

The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels

'A Sense of Truth' novel

Destiny has finally found the life that she has always wanted.
She is about to finish college, has a fiancé that loves her, and a great summer on the West Coast planned with her friend, Stephanie.
But her world is turned upside down when an antique clock mysteriously chimes thirteen times and someone attacks them, sending Stephanie and her mother to the hospital.
Alone, and without any help from the police, Destiny has no choice but to turn to the one man she had left behind a year ago - her ex-boyfriend, David.
Together, they must solve the riddle of the thirteenth chime before the clock strikes thirteen again.
Yet as they face their own past and hearts, a trap over half a century old is waiting for them to become its prey.
For revenge, fifty years is never too long…

Hey, Emma Michaels here and Kim has been kind enough to let me barrow you all for a guest post! *laughs maniacally* I wanted to give you a heads up about my future release The Thirteenth Chime which is set to be released on Friday the 13th this August! You also get a peek at the latest teaser above ^. Some of you may know me from my book blog http://EmmaMichaels.Blogspot.com where I started doing reviews last December and have been since. Yes, I am a blogger turned author and because of having been a blogger first, I am hoping to do things a bit differently but I need your help. I want for The Thirteenth Chime to make it to the New York Times Best Sellers List but in order to do it I need you. I want to prove that us bloggers have some pull in this industry! As readers we are the audience making us the most important part of the equation. You can have the best book in the world and never get a moments notice without readers or the worst book and get more notice than you ever imagined. I want to prove that we can do it together and get my book out there!!!! Please help me out, any support helps and I also (as a blogger who LOVES swag) put together an amazing swag system for the first few months:

Once the book has been released I have something spectacular planned. For the first few months if anyone who purchases my novel sends me the receipt at Emma@EmmaMichaels.com along with their full name and mailing address I will send them swag! You never know what it might be, you may even get a personal letter from me with it thanking you for your amazing support! If you are someone who has already bought your copy but want more swag then just refer my novel to a friend and if they send me their name and address to receive their swag and include that you referred them and a way for me to contact you so that I can send you your swag, you will get even more! I want you all to know how much your support means to me!

Please help me make it to the New York Times Best Sellers List! Together we can accomplish anything!!!! For more information stop by my blog: http://EmmaMichaels.Blogspot.com or e-mail me at:
Emma_Michaels@hotmail.com
SincerelyEmmaM@yahoo.com
Or Emma@EmmaMichaels.com

Waiting on Wednesday

2010-07-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Stay by Deb Caletti

I can't find a blurb so far, but after reading one of her books just last week, I'm in love with her writing! I already have all her other books on hold at the library, and I can't wait to go and pick them up!

Stay. It has such a short, but concise title. This one isn't coming til April though. *tear tear* I happen to think all the best books come out in April. (No, it doesn't have anything to do by the fact that my birthday is in April. Go slap yourself. JK.)

Anyone who hasn't checked out Deb Caletti SHOULD. ♥

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway

2010-07-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents’ divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood—powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose? April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds—everyone’s but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they’ll always have each other. Because there’s one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

Review: This book was absolutely fantastic. While it wasn't as great as Audrey, Wait! it seems just as real as it. I have two younger sisters myself, so I could totally relate to this book, minus the magical powers part. April was just terrific--probably my favorite out of the three. I just want to befriend all three sisters. Their high school lives are absolute chaos, but with their powers, it makes them feel better. They don't realize they are capable of something much, much more. The romance part just made this book even more fun to read. Thinking about this book makes me squee with delight.

All three sisters have different personalities, which help them stand out. I wasn't sure if the magical part of this book could be pulled off, but it did. It was super hilarious and witty!Sometimes, though, I would forget to read the headings and not realize it was April I was reading about and not June, or some other combination. Or maybe I'm just absent minded...The pacing was good, despite some parts that dragged out. Sometimes, I just felt like the plot line lacked depth. Otherwise, I loved it! The three sisters really are strong together rather than by themselves. This novel will melt your hearts, but not without making you laugh first.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: I love them already!!

The Middle: Perfect tongue-in-cheek story!

The End: Awwwwww.

Favorite part:

"Yeah, well," I said. "You have no idea how crazy I am. I should be wearing yellow CAUTION tape. I'm that bonkers."
He laughed again. He had a really deep, hearty laugh. "So what's your name?"
"April."
Julian nodded. "Well, I'm sorry I littered, April."
"Well, I'm sorry I yelled at you."

FTC: Received from publisher for review

CSN Gift Certificate Giveaway! Win $50!

2010-07-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hey all! It's time for another giveaway...a 50 dollar CSN stores gift certificate!

If you're like me, you'll probably spend it on a bookshelf, or maybe a desk. If not, maybe a table lamp? Either way, this gift certificate will be giving you something special. Recently, I had the chance of reviewing something off the site, and now, they are giving me another awesome chance at giving away something for YOU guys.

To enter, it is simple. Fill out this form.

Extra entries:

+2 if you follow

+1 every time you link

+4 if you blog about this (doesn't matter if the post is just about this giveaway or compiled with lots of other give aways)

This contest is open for anyone in US and Canada. It will end August 1st, at midnight (California time) .

Blogoversary Winners!!

2010-07-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Thank you all who entered! I'll keep this short because I have another giveaway coming tonight ;)

Winner of bookstore giftcard: SHEILA!

Winner of CSN giftcard: RAQUEL!

Winner of swag: CHLOE!

I've e-mailed all three of you for details! :)

Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony

2010-07-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: The year is 2041, and sixteen-year-old Molly McClure has lived a relatively quiet life on an isolated farming island in Canada, but when her family fears the worst may have happened to her grandparents in the US, Molly must brave the dangerous, chaotic world left after global economic collapse—one of massive oil shortages, rampant crime, and abandoned cities.

Molly is relieved to find her grandparents alive in their Portland suburb, but they’re financially ruined and practically starving. What should’ve been a quick trip turns into a full-fledged rescue mission. And when Molly witnesses something the local crime bosses wishes she hadn’t, Molly’s only way home may be to beat them at their own game. Luckily, there’s a handsome stranger who’s willing to help.

Restoring Harmony is a riveting, fast-paced dystopian tale complete with adventure and romance that readers will devour.

Review: I've always wanted to read this book after seeing a review from my friend. I couldn't find it anywhere at my B&N, so it took me a while until I found it at an indie. While I didn't love this book like I thought I would, it was certainly refreshing! I can't imagine a world without electricity. The world Anthony creates is alluring, but at the same time, it's also very shocking. Not only that, but it's so believable too! Restoring Harmony was a beautiful story with a powerful message. Its characters shined all around.

Molly, to me, was a good character. She's naive and grows throughout the book, which is entertaining. I liked how she would play the fiddle. I'm glad she brought it with her as it usually saves her. The most important thing I enjoyed reading about was Molly's family. They felt SO real. But Molly was only 16! How could her parents just allow her to go on her own to such a bloody, rubbishy place called America? She's so young! The romance between her and Spill also lacked in a sense, and he seems just too old for her. Still, I haven't read anything like this in such a long while! I'm so glad I did. Overall, this was a nice dystopian novel. Dark at some points, but with a light shining throughout, Restoring Harmony should be read.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: My attention was caught, but it kinda wavered a bit.

The Middle: It was good, but it wasn't GOOOOOOOD. Still, I really liked reading about all the predicaments she got herself in.

The End: It was satisfying, but I would have liked to see more interaction between her family.

(No favorite part/line from book because I lent it to my friend)

FTC: Bought at Vroman's

She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott

2010-07-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Perfect, picturesque Orchard Hill. It was the last thing Ally Ryan saw in the rear-view mirror as her mother drove them out of town and away from the shame of the scandal her father caused when his hedge fund went south and practically bankrupted all their friends -- friends that liked having trust funds and new cars, and that didn't like constant reminders that they had been swindled. So it was adios, Orchard Hill. Thanks for nothing.

Now, two years later, Ally's mother has landed a job back at the site of their downfall. So instead of Ally's new low-key, happy life, it'll be back into the snake pit with the likes of Shannen Moore and Hammond Ross.

But then there's Jake Graydon. Handsome, wealthy, bored Jake Graydon. He moved to town after Ally left and knows nothing of her scandal, but does know that he likes her. And she likes him. So off into the sunset they can go, right? Too bad Jake's friends have a problem with his new crush since it would make Ally happy. And if anyone deserves to be unhappy, it's Ally Ryan.

Review: Reading this book was like getting high on chocolate--addicting and delicious. I couldn't stop reading it once I started! And once I did, let me tell you, the ending made it difficult for me to sleep even when I was done. This story is told in both Ally and Jake's point of views. The voices are really distinctive, leaving me with awe. Their relationship throughout the story was my highlight of the week! I absolutely loved their characters. At first, they didn't make quite a good impression, but as I kept on reading, I understood them more and more, Jake especially.

When the characters felt sad, I felt sad. When they were happy, i was happy. I don't think I've ever had such connections to book characters before. I absolutely love all the characters in this book, even the mean and snotty ones. They al had history, and weren't cookie-cutter clean. It's such a shame that some of them use their big awesome brains to bring down Ally. Every time they humiliated her, I just wanted to stick a knife in them and turn it like a doorknob. In this book, nothing's like the surface. Everyone has to read into the lines, and find out who everyone really is. It's the change in character that I really liked about Ally and Jake.

I've never read any work of Scott, but after this book, I'm planning to go to the bookstore this week and grab anything I can see. It's light and funny, which is just what I need for a perfect summer read. I cannot wait for the sequel--seriously, I can't. I'm still thinking about the ending right now. So many questions to be answered!!! Jake and Ally forever!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: I was hesitant at first, but after sticking with it, I actually started to like the characters.

The Middle: Absolutely hilarious!

The End: WHAT THE HECK?!! WHAT KIND OF ENDING IS THIS?!!!!! (I mean this in a good way...)

FTC: Read on Pulse it!

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

2010-07-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Nimira is a music-hall performer forced to dance for pennies to an audience of leering drunks. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to do a special act - singing accompaniment to an exquisite piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets stir. Unsettling below-stairs rumours abound about ghosts, a mad woman roaming the halls, and of Parry's involvement in a gang of ruthless sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing young fairy gentleman is trapped inside the automaton's stiff limbs, waiting for someone to break the curse and set him free, the two fall in love. But it is a love set against a dreadful race against time to save the entire fairy realm, which is in mortal peril.

Review: I don't think I've read anything quite like this before. I've seen great reviews for it, but hadn't had the chance to pick it up until I saw a copy at my library. I actually think I'm one of the few who just read it now. Let me tell you, this novel is a great piece of work! I made the mistake of thinking I could put it down so I started it at one in the morning, only to find myself completely lost in its world by the end, not even noticing it was 3. When the automaton first began to speak, I was REALLY creeped out! But who could blame me? It was late at night and here I am reading about a talking machine. Of course, shortly after, I learn he's much more than that.

Throughout the book, I rooted for Nim! She's not feisty, but she knows how to make very good choices--and she's strong. She knows how to save herself. The only thing I didn't like about this novel was how fast the love happened. I just didn't see it! Heck, I didn't even know she was in love with him until she told him, herself. But the magical aspect of the book makes up for everything. Wherever it is taking place, it obviously is unlike any other. The writing itself was beautiful. I recommend it to anyone with a keen desire for mystery, magic, and romance.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: It draws you in pretty quickly.

The Middle: I was panicking all the way through.

The End: I need the sequel right away!!!! AHHHH. It can't end like this.

Favorite quote from book:

"There could be hope for us yet."

FTC: Got from library!

It's my blogoversary!!

2010-07-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

One year ago, on this date, I posted my first post! I've met wonderful people during this past year. I've just woken up, and I have a huge feeling I should have typed this post up a few days ago instead. Anyways, thanks for following, commenting, or even just reading this blog. I appreciate all the comments, and I read every single one of them. This blog is like a home away from home. I realize I should post more often and such, but really, I just enjoy blogging in general. I don't blog for anything at all, except to get my opinion of a book out there in the world. And everyone who's posted a review that has ended up on my Google Reader, thank you! You see, every one of your reviews influenced me to go to the library or the bookstore and pick that book up. If I didn't see it on there, being the ignorant person I am, I wouldn't have reviewed it on this blog, or had the joy of reading it at all.

I remember the week of July 11, 2009. I'd been looking for contests for Catching Fire, and BAM, I saw *book blogs*, and seriously, they took my breath away.

I don't want to list the achievements I've made or any facts about my blog because in the end, it doesn't really matter. What matters is being able to blog at all. (Seriously, it amazes me that I stuck with this blog for a year so that's enough of an accomplishment xD) So thank you for even reading this post!

To celebrate, I am giving away prizes. You don't have to be a follower to enter!

Prize 1: $25 dollar giftcard to a bookstore of your choice

Prize 2: $20 dollar giftcard to CSN stores

Prize 3: Some swag and a surprise ARC

To enter just fill out this form here!

Contest only for US readers only! (sorry!) Ends July 18th at 12:00 am California time

Morgan Matson Signing

2010-07-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

So in spirit of Amy & Roger's Epic Detour being about road trips, let me show you several pictures of the California freeway! The drive was only about 35 minutes long, and my 8 year old sister insisted on taking these pictures of the road! There's actually more, but I figured you'd rather hear about the signing.

Anyways, prior to the signing, I was freaking out on Twitter.If you were online at the time, you'd probably see me tweet things like, "OH NO. WHAT IF I HAVE A PANIC ATTACK AND PASS OUT." Unfortunately, readers, that did not happen...but mountains of awesomeness did! I literally do not have words for this special night. I'm actually typing this an hour after I left the signing. Plus, I am using a thesaurus because I just can't think of any more words. I am speechless!

Wow, I babble a LOT... So once we arrived, we sat in one of those comfortable chairs at Vromans. This was actually my first bookstore signing! So I was pumped up, a nervous wreck, and excited. Lots of emotions, right? Ah, when I got there, I wasn't sure if it was

Morgan Matson going around talking to people, but then it was! She looked so crazy beautiful in real life I didn't notice her from the book jacket.

I tried taking lots of photos but then my stupid camera starting making everything super bright. The photo to the right is the only one that wasn't blurry. (Note to self: Bring better camera next time.) But see? Doesn't she look amazing?

Morgan Matson ~~was~~ is absolutely the sweetest person ever. She knew how to make everyone laugh, and the room was just abuzz with her bubbly personality. I actually calmed down a bit due to her presence. My heartbeat slowed down, which was good. She read a little part of her novel (The cabin in Yosemite part which was HILARIOUS)

Anyway during the Q&A, she was asked a bunch of questions like, Would she write a screenplay for the book? (She's hesitant about it, and sorry fans, no film options yet *tear*) What her playlist was like, How she was inspired to write this novel with her roadtrips, and What the age range was for the book. There were more questions, but the dumb ol' me can't remember anymore, but all questions were answered very cleverly with a dash of humor! :) I wish I'd spoken up more though!

...OH AND GET THIS, SOME PERSON ASKED ABOUT BOOK TRAILERS (in general)!!! She mentioned the two she had (one from the lovely librarians and the one from me!) Of course, being the shy one, I didn't speak up. It'd be rude to just pipe up during the Q&A, wouldn't it? Ah well, it's too late now. But I was SO happy when she mentioned mine. There was a lot of freaking out although I didn't show it on the outside. I am quite the expert at looking plain boring. See, this is WHY I blog, read, and love books. No one is as nice as an author--sorry best friends!

You can see the beginning of her talk below! Unfortunately, it gets cut off because my camera ran out of memory. I needed pictures so I stopped. Please put down the pitchforks! I guess this isn't a good time to mention that my hands were shaky too...

So when it was time to line up for the signing, my heart began to pound more and more. But as I introduced myself as the one who made the trailer, everything began to slow down. (Thank goodness...) She was more than happy to sign my things! (I had found postcards in my house for some reason! Ha! I didn't get anything for a reader on here though. I was too worried it was too much...Oh and they sold some at the bookstore too. I should make note of that. Yeah I'm babbling again... )

She was incredibly friendly and I think I may not just have a new favorite book, but a new favorite author too! I wish I had talked more, but it was okay. I expressed my love for her book...sorta. I took a picture, and then I left to the YA section! I must say, their selection beats any other chain store!

This just might be the longest post I've written on the blog, but it doesn't even describe how happy I was to be at her signing! I realized that even if it was across the country, I would have gone. Road trip, anyone? ;)

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour Trailer!

2010-07-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

Hello, my fellow readers of the universe. As you may know, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is a favorite of mine ♥ and many other readers. Let's face it. Every single word, picture, and page in that book is pure genius! And if you haven't read it already, go now! Yes, NOW. If that doesn't have you convinced, then read the many reviews online! Mine is here #shamelessplug...ooh, look! This review is also amazing. And this one. Are you clicking? You should be clicking. Alright, review linking time is over. Maybe just one more ;)

Well, that was surely a mouthful xD What was I going to say again? Oh right. I hope you're reading every word I'm typing out and not just clicking on the video below. Aha! I caught you! Yes, you in that shirt! (Even if everyone wears shirts ...)

As you may also know (or not...it's been quite a long while) I have a liking for making trailers. But it doesn't show since I've previously made only one titled Two Way Street? Ring a bell? No, okay. I promise all my trailers are NOT going to be about road trip books (even if they pwn), I just happened to really love Amy & Roger's Epic Detour! It is my favorite read this year

Onward! Thank you if you've actually read all this. Please take a minute to pat yourself on the back. I really appreciate you enduring my ramblings that are not funny at all even if I hope to have that effect. Now, before you watch this trailer --or even after-- yes, I know, my trailer is really off. It's not even as third as good as the real book itself. But comments are appreciated--either below this posting or on the YouTube video itself. And I want to thank those lovely people who watched this vid beforehand and told me what to fix!

...and now...

*drum roll*

Well, that's it. Hope reading this post wasn't too much trouble!

---Oh! If you live in SoCal, hop on over (or drive...though, I prefer hopping) to Vroman's to meet the lovely author herself THIS Friday, July 9th at 7 p.m.! If you are, please let me know as I'll be there too. Lil' ol me. I hope I won't be bringing TOO MUCH for her to sign :( Only a book, a few postcards (for three of my blogging friends!), and a map or two (one for me and a reader on here, or maybe just the reader, or no map at all since I don't want to push it) Tell me, readers, is that a lot? :( I've only been to one other signing, which wasn't really a signing ...just a book festival... Call me a noob, please give me some advice on this and where to buy postcards...

One Night That Changes Everything

2010-07-06T00:50:00.000-07:00

One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Eliza is in a full-blown panic. Her notebook has been stolen—the one that lists everything she wants but is afraid to go after. And the absolute worst person in the world has it: her ex-boyfriend, Cooper.

Like it’s not enough Cooper was lying to Eliza for their entire relationship, now he and his friends are blackmailing her. They’re giving her just one night to complete the most humiliating tasks on her list or they’ll post her secrets online—including the ones that aren’t just about her.

Eliza’s sure of only one thing: she isn’t going down without a fight. Cooper may have what’s left of her dignity, but she’s not the only one with something to hide …

Review: For all of those who've never ever read this book, started it, or even heard of it, I suggest you slap yourself right in the face. RIGHT NOW. I am proud to say that once I saw it was in stock at my B&N, I begged for a ride there. Even if it was the middle of the night.

While it isn't as amazing as Two Way Street (nothing in my heart besides A&R'S Epic Detour beats it!), One Night That Changes Everything is definitely one of the best books. EVER. See that summary above? You think it's good? Well, it's even BETTER. Barnholdt perfectly captures the teen voice in all of our souls into Eliza, a perfectly flawed and strong heroine. I wish I knew a girl who wrote all her fears down into a purple notebook. Anyway, moving forward!

The plot goes into full force in the first three chapters, leaving me and hopefully some of you guys addicted. I like how the summary doesn't tell you what Eliza's fears are-that way they really are unexpected. It doesn't stop there though. Soon, the pages are flying with hilarity, suspense, romance, and lots and lots of brilliance! And for the secondary characters in this book...not really happy with Eliza's friends. They're there for her, but I feel like she could do better. As for Cooper? Ha. One of the best YA boys this year.

I am SO glad I bought this book because I'm never going to be the same again. I read this book the same night I bought it, and it changed everything! (see what I did there? xD) I lost a whole heck of a lot of sleep, but who CARES?! With such a refreshing plot, I'm DYING for Barnhold's next YA novel, ACES UP. To all those have the ARC, I ENVY you. It's going to be agony waiting a whole month.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: Hooked right away. But what else is new with Barnholdt's books? They're addicting. They're remarkable. And they know how to draw you in.

The Middle: Hahahahahahaha. I didn't expect ANY of this. XD

The End: I. WANT. MORE. WHY IS THIS SO SHORT? I'M SUING AMERICA!!

Favorite part from book: (Yes it is between Cooper and Eliza. Because they are awesome.)

He smells like soap and shampoo and that same yummy smelling cologne. Wait a minute. I give the air another sniff.
"Are you...are you wearing the cologne I gave you?" I ask incredulously.
"No." He gets a panicked look on his face and takes a step back.
.....
"Take it off," I demand.
"I can't take it off," he says.
"Don't ever wear it again," I command.
He rolls his eyes. "You don't own the cologne."

FTC: Bought! :D You should buy it too.

THIS COMES OUT TODAY! :D

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

2010-06-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush. Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life. When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Review: Forgive My Fins was more than merely pages of an adorable romance. The characters popped, and the plot consisting of mermaid drama was as delicious as ever. I heard people call this an easily predictable romance, but honestly, my guesses were WAY off. I guess my brain is just not suited enough to make legit predictions. Let's start with the blurbs--it's vague, which makes it all the more better. Many blurbs give out the entire story! I didn't even expect anything but the climax happening. And that epilogue? It definitely added a shocking twist to the story.

The main character had her perks--many, in fact--but there were times I wanted to strangle her. Give her a good beating! (Har-har) The inevitable is going to happen anyway, just deal with it, Lily!

I've always loved mermaids, and I can imagine most of the people who read this blog do too! Forget Ariel, Lily has me hooked!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: It had me quite hesistant, but within minutes, I warmed up!

The Middle: So. Much. Cuteness!

The End: I did NOT see this coming! O_O Sequel? Heck, yes! :D

Favorite quote from book:

Didn't really have one! Just so good!

~~~

I am a member of the street team for this, and I have a couple of leftover swag from this book that will be in the blogoversary giveaway! (12 more days!)

FTC: Bought this!

13 to Life by Shannon Delany

2010-06-22T15:03:00.003-07:00

13 to Life by Shannon Delany

Rating: 4.5/5

Synopsis: Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction…

When junior Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can only presume it’s for one of two reasons. Either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although far from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around—but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort.

The newest member of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide--secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction—secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early.

Review: I absolutely loved this book. It had almost everything I looked for in a book; a satisfying heroine, mystery, and action. The pacing was as natural as it could get, and Jessie's voice was very distinct. Her relationship with Pietr is very sweet, not like most relationships in YA today. Even the secondary characters were molded in very well. I have a soft spot for her friend Amy.

Delany's retelling of werewolves is very refreshing. I happen to really like Russian history so that just made the book more appealing! Of course, the whole revelation thing with the wolves drags out til the end, but it works. This is one of the best werewolf stories I've ever read!

There's only several things I disliked like the characters, Jenny and Macie. They just seemed a bit superficial. And it was also frustrating when Jessie kept lusting after her crush, and her constant acts of self-sacrifice. However, I could see why she always lives for others and not herself.

Other than that, the writing itself was brilliant! I don't think I've ever read a book where the voice of the character stood out so much. It's like you're RIGHT inside her head. I can't wait for the sequel!

The book officially releases today so...happy birthday book!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: I was hooked very early on. I found myself already understanding the backstory and everything at pg. 18!

The Middle: So, so good! I flipped through this one.

The End: Ends on a mini cliffhanger, but it was satisfying. :)

Favorite Quotes/Lines From Book:

"Oh. Your name's not Peter," I said, wondering if I'd been pronouncing it all that correctly. Huh. P-i-e-t-r. "It's Pie-eater--" ..."No, Pee-yoh--ter."..."Pay-oder?"

"I have never heard so many--creative--pronounciations of my name."

FTC: Bought at store

Win Clockwork Angel and Beautiful Darkness

2010-06-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

I was chosen as one of the judges for Lauren's new contest. This is my first time being a judge for ANY contest so *breaks out into happy dance* Anyway, I haven't read both of the books offered in the giveaway, but I can tell they will be awesome. I believe there are TWO copies of Clockwork Angel to be given out along with some awesome swag, and ONE copy of Beautiful Darkness also with swag. So enter now! You never know...you might be able to win...go on over to here, and enter!

And now for pictures of the fabulous prizes, please see below:

Here is an awesome video with Lauren, herself, talking about the contest (And if I may say, awesome accent! xD):

...so what are you waiting for? Get your butts on over to her site! It's really easy. Heck, I could have gotten FIVE entries just for writing up this post here! ;D I look forward to judging your vids for Clockwork Angel. *cough* Bribery is recommended. I accept marshmallows of any kind.*cough* Just kidding. Good luck to everyone!

Dream Reading Room

2010-06-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Summer is here, and I'm fantasizing about various things. For one, how cool would it be to have my own dream reading room? Just because I know that won't ever happen, I'm going to lay it all out here in this post.

With a reading room, you need books, of course. Most of mine are all over the place in boxes right now, so what would be a great solution? A book wall. Or a bookcase. I'm not going to complain with either one... There isn't one that flows endlessly, but I can dream. And you know, maybe one or two sectional sofas on the side of the room along with a desk. The floor needs to be either wooden flooring or purple/pink carpetting to make the room go POP! Maybe a stereo somewhere--who am I kidding? I NEED a stereo to be in there. I can't read without some good music.

If only money came from a tree. Is there a money tree anywhere that I can buy? What do you say? There is NOT? *sniff* One day...just wait...bahaha.

Back to business here, what's the point of having such a big room without BOOKS? Books of any kind because quite frankly, I want my own library. Everything would have to be in alphabetical order by an author's last name, because I'm just nitpicky like that. Of course, I'd love for the books to be in genres, but that would take forever! Have I mentioned I'm also very lazy? Maybe I have...

Well, just last week, my dream started coming true! CSN contacted me to do a giveaway OR a review. Because I needed a bookshelf so, so badly, I jumped at the chance and opted for a review, but don't fret. I felt kind of bad doing a review when I should have chosen a giveaway so I chose to have a giveaway of my own! Since my blogoversary is coming up, I will be hosting a little practice for the upcoming giveaways. I'm not sure how much the gift certificate will be for one lucky reader here, but since CSN has so many offers, it wouldn't be that hard. So stay tuned for a giveaway post!

Anyway...what's YOUR dream reading room like? Please comment! Maybe it's better than mine--heck, it probably is!

Let's have a chat with Wendy Toliver

2010-06-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

Today, we have Wendy Toliver, author of LIFTED. You can find my review of it here. LIFTED comes out today

1. Is writing rom-com novels different from writing books like Lifted?
Yes. There are certain things the ro-coms need, like humor, lots of romance, and the happiest endings possible. Those are the things readers expect and want when they pick up a ro-com. Now, with Lifted, I had more freedom because it didn't need to fit into a certain "type" of book. It does have funny parts, romance, and a somewhat happy ending, but that's because it's a) part of my voice and b) what I thought worked well for the story. Also, because I'd never written a so called "edgy" novel, it was a huge and exciting challenge for me. I hope I succeeded!

2. What is your favorite citrus fruit?
Limes. Love them in my Diet Coke, water, and Mexican beer! :)

3. How do you come up with character names? (I like Poppy!)

Aw, thank you! I actually put a LOT of thought into my characters' names. Mainly because when you write a book, you have to look at the same names over and over so you better like them. Poppy is a name I chose because of the whole idea of the book. Do you remember the poppy fields in The Wizard of Oz? Poppies were dangerous because Dorothy and her friends fell asleep while in the field. Poppies symbolize eternal sleep, and they also symbolize how Jesus Christ died but then rose from the dead. Lots of really interesting, deep meanings! And there's the simple reason that poppies are pretty flowers and I think Poppy is a cool name.

As for names of other characters, I choose names I like and that fit the physical appearance of my characters. I never intentially name my characters after real people in my life.

4. When did you start writing books?
While I've always loved writing, I only started writing books when I was about 30.

5. What are you working on? Can you please share?
I am currently working on a paranormal romance YA and a cute fairy tale-like middle grade novel. I'm always looking for a new, exciting challenge.

6. What do you like to do in your free time?

Free time? What's that? LOL
Lately, I would just like to get a little sleep. I also like to do yoga, and now that it's finally getting warm, I like taking long walks and going wakeboarding.

7. What would you do if you won the lottery?

Travel, do fun things for my friends and family, and start a foundation for children.

8. What has been your favorite book to write?
While I consider all of my novels my "babies," I have to admit that I'm the most excited for Lifted. I put so much time and attention into this project and I think that with each book, I get better at writing.

9. Any last words? :)
Thanks for the great interview questions, Kim!

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

2010-06-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody
Rating: 4.86/5

Synopsis: Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. It’s that mysterious, powerful force that brings harmony to the universe. You know—do good things and you will be rewarded, do something bad and Karma will make sure you get what’s coming to you. A sort of cosmic balancing act.

But when Mason Brooks, Maddy’s boyfriend of two years, gets caught tongue-wrestling with Miss Perfect Body Heather Campbell, and absolutely nothing happens to either of them—except that they wind up the hot new couple of Colonial High School, it seems like Karma has officially left Maddy in the lurch. That’s why Maddy and her best friends, Angie and Jade, decide to start the Karma Club—a secret, members-only organization whose sole purpose is to clean up the messes that the universe has been leaving behind. Whether they’re modifying Heather Campbell’s acne cream as part of “Operation Butterface,” or righting a few wrongs when it comes to Angie and Jade’s own slimy exes, they know they’re just doing what Karma should have done in the first place. They’re taking care of one another.

Sometimes, though, it isn’t wise to meddle with the universe. Because it turns out, when you mess with Karma, Karma messes back. Now Maddy must find a way to balance her life for good, even as everything around her seems to be toppling to the ground.

Review: I've been meaning to read this book for quite some time. I was going to borrow it from my friend when it arrived at my front door in a box! *gasp* I had no idea what happened, but the label said it was from Free Book Friday . Being the old, forgetful me, I forgot I even entered the contest. So after freaking out about actually winning a book--a signed one too!--in many months, I had to resist from reading this. it didn't help that the book kept teasing me on the shelf. Anyway, this is not a personal blog so I'll stop from my ranting here and proceed to review! Yes.

Ever since I watched the trailer, I was intrigued, and wanted to read it right away, but didn't get the chance to until this week! It was so wonderful, funny, and endearing. A lot of the elements in this story were pretty cliche, but they clicked (get it, cliche...clicked?...if you don't take away though "h" sound...alright I'll shut up...)! The Karma Club was full of laughs, especially during their operations to set the balance. Watching them plan and act out their revenge was both hilarious and nervewrecking. The cover already told me that Karma would mess back, so all I could think was...when would that happen? When it did, I wasn't completely shocked, but it definitely kept me eyes glued to the pages, awaiting to see how the MC would fix things.

One of the few things I disliked was how Maddy was in the beginning of the book; the way she idoled Heather and how she wanted to become popular--it just kind of irked me. Nevertheless, she reedeemed herself. The romance was also just the right amount, and her friends? They definitely deserve one of those "YA BFF Awards," which I'm sure they don't have. I can dream though! All in all, I recommend reading this. With summer coming up, this refreshing book will lift your spirits even higher!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: I got hooked on easily, but would have liked the action to start on earlier.

The Middle: Full of laugh out loud moments! It was so enjoyable.

The End: I would have liked more closure. I guess it was tied up well at the end, but something about it throws me off, like the book isn't fully complete yet.

Favorite quote from book:

"Yes. If something you did brought you faliure, then shouldn't the exact opposite bring you success?"

FTC: Won from Free Book Friday

Win 4 Awesome ARCS from Michelle Hodkin

2010-06-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Just found this over on Twitter, enter now, readers of the blog! ARCs included are below...

Here is the info directly from her blog:

So, to celebrate, I now have some good news for you: I am giving away not one, not two, but FOUR of the most anticipated and buzzed-about ARCs I scored at BEA last week. One winner will receive BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl and MATCHED by Ally Condie, and another winner will receive THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger and MATCHED by Ally Condie.

Click here for more details! Amazing books right? I have entered, but we all know my unlucky odds. Fingers crossed! Enter now! Now! Now! Can't stress that enough...or maybe I can! NOW! NOW! (hehe...) And if you entered, feel free to say I referred you! That way, we can get more entries!

Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

2010-05-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Devi's life isn't turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn't join any clubs . . . and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left. Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number . . . hers. At age fourteen, three years ago! Once Devi gets over the shock—and convinces her younger self that she isn't some wacko—she realizes that she's been given an awesome gift. She can tell herself all the right things to do . . . because she's already done all the wrong ones! Who better to take advice from than your future self? Except . . .what if getting what you think you want changes everything?

Review: So I've got to admit: this story was so much different from anything I've ever read in my life! It's so relatable because everyone's made mistakes and has wanted a do-over button. I'm sure I've made more than enough mistakes in the past, and so have many others. So a chance to read Gimme a Call? I simply could not resist.

The cover, as you can see, is very lovely and coincidentally, I had no problem picturing Devi like that girl. One thing I was more than impressed with was how freshman Devi and senior Devi were so easy to tell apart! I didn't even need to look at the chapter headings or anything. The way they acted just made them stand apart from each other. I could totally relate to Devi, being a freshman myself. It's hard enough as it is, but with her in contact with "Ivy" (senior Devi), her life turns 324234 more times chaotic. I thought Ivy selfish at times because she didn't realize
that Devi had all the work to do.

It's amazing how just one little thing Devi did changed Ivy's life either for the better or for the better. As the pages turned, I had no clue what would happen in the end, and when it did end, all I could think was, "I hope there's a sequel." I was glad to see the change in character for both heroines (it's still weird thinking of them as two rather than just one.) A must read for those who want something light and warmhearted!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: Hooked right away!

The Middle: So many whacky things happening that left me laughing out loud. Loved it!

The End: Not satisfying. I NEED MORE PAGES!!! In other words, ending was very open.

Favorite Quote:

This is my life. These are my decisions. if there's on thing she taught me, it's that she made her choices. Now it's my turn to make mine.

FTC: Bought with my money.

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

2010-05-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
Rating: 4.3/5

Synopsis: What if love refused to die? Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was. In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

Review: I was deeply impressed with this book! I hadn't read a book about reincarnation for a relatively long time so I was more than swept up--my nose was under this book for hours! The third person narration knocked me off a bit, but it worked. If you're looking for something mysterious and unpredictable, this is the pick for you. This book is more than just a rollercoaster of revelations and emotions; it's incredible.

Let's start with the bad; I found Haven too naive. She trusted everyone so easily. One second she'd be on Iain's side, and the next, she'd be plotting against him. This cycle repeated throughout the book, and it got boring. I guess it did make the book more mysterious though because I never knew who was really good or bad. And those visions Haven would get--she would have understood everything if they came sooner! But that last complaint is nothing because it gives us revelations we experience together with Haven.

Onto the good stuff:

The romance was very well done. The intense chemistry between Haven and Iain was clear right when she found him in NY, and it was so sweet. I thought it was implausible that they'd be so comfortable with each other in such a short time, but then again, they've known each other for years and years. Their struggle to trust each other and for Haven to learn the truth is what kept me flipping through the pages.

Even at it being over 400 pages, I still wanted more. That's saying something. Although this book might not be for everyone, it was one of my favorites. I'd reread it!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: The attention grabbing didn't start for me here. It was shaky at first because I was just thrown into the story without information.

The Middle: Gosh, I don't even know where to begin. Like Haven, I couldn't trust anyone. I'd warm up to them, but then the next chapter would send my thoughts flying out the window. This is what I call mystery, and it was done almost perfectly.

The End: Kind of cliched, but I loved it.

Favorite Quote: [N/A: Let one of my blogger friends borrow it so I can't search up that quote.]

I will be giving my ARC copy away soon! So keep checking back.

FTC: Received from publisher for review.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

2010-05-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

Review: One word: EPIC. All capitalization intended. I had picked this up last night at B&N, bought it, and wondered if I'd like it or not. I dropped all the books I was reading for A&R, and did not regret it one bit. I found myself reading until 3 in the morning, and the first thing I did when I woke up was open it to the page where I left off. Read when eating? Check. Read when in the bathroom? Check. Read when in the car? Check. Basically, I took this book wherever I went.

The book is not short, but not too long either. It ranges in the 300's, but I wanted it to go BEYOND that. The ending was very open and yet closed at the same time. For me, this is not only the best debut of this year. Right now, it is the BEST BOOK OF ALL TIME. I am so happy that I bought this book, and will keep it on my shelf forever. It is a book you can read over and over and over...you get what I mean.

The romance is there from the start. There is amazing chemistry between the two main characters, but their relationship doesn't form until near the end. It is so worth it, though! As for the story, I felt like it was done very well--structured so amazingly that it all really makes sense at the end. Every single word.

Amy was an incredible character to read about. You can see subtle changes in her, and by the end of the book, I was so proud of her. You see, she's not only strong. She is brave. I liked that she did things on an impulse.I don't think she's afraid anymore than she used to be. She will forever remain one of my favorite female characters. Besides, she's a killer navigator...

The book contains scrapbooks, notes, e-mails, and many of other elements that make this book memorable. Read every single one of them. Especially the last one!! They're heartwarming and funny.

Matson did a brilliant job. I cannot wait for her any of her future work! I hope to have them all on my shelf.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: I loved how it began. Two people who barely knew each other embark on a full-blown adventure. It never lets you go.

The Middle: Read, read, read! I need moreeeee.

The End: It feels open, but when you turn the page, there's a receipt there...*insert awws*

Favorite Quote from Book:

"I was trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, but that's hard to do when you're talking to a window. People kept walking by and looking at me."

FTC: Bought this from B&N

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

2010-05-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Kayla McHenry’s sweet sixteenth sucks! Her dad left, her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy Kayla’s secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles, Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin’ do. Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. Then a year’s supply of gumballs arrives. And a boy named Ken with a disturbing resemblance to the doll of same name stalks her. As the ghosts of Kayla’s wishes-past appear, they take her on a wild ride… but they MUST STOP. Because when she was 15? She wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her. And Ben is her best friend's boyfriend.

Review: Mandy Hubbard has done it again! You Wish is a remarkable novel filled with hilarity, romance, and the power of finding yourself. To say that I enjoyed reading this book would be an understatement. I absolutely loved it!! I finished it in one wild sitting of hysterical laughter and lots of smiling. Kayla (which is such a cute name!) and her wishes are just pure outrageous and filled with insanity, but who could blame her! Kayla had such a great personality--being inside her head was sort of addicting. And the romance thrown in? What a plus!

The great part of this novel is that you never know which wish is coming next! Despite the blurb already having several laugh-out-loud wishes revealed, the ones left will have you rolling on the floor. There were lots of pop culture references in this book, which made it even more cute. The book is NOT full of fluff as it holds so much more. Kayla didn't know her true self throughout the book, and it was endearing to go on her journey amidst all the craziness happening around.

I have to say. My favorite character would have to be Ann! She creeped me out at first (highlight: her being a doll! *blushes*) but as the story carried on, she grew to become my favorite character. I actually teared up a bit towards the end of the book.

Prada and Prejudice was amazing in its own way, and so was You Wish. Hubbard's recent work of pure genious has me begging for more!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: Loved it! Caught my attention right away and, it never let me go until the very last page.

The Middle: Lots of laughing and flipping! This book is sure to be reread anytime soon!

The End: Kind of saddening. *tear* Wish there was more! Also, I wonder what grade Kayla got for her photography project!

Favorite Quote From The Book:

"No you don't," I say, stepping forward. She needs to get out of my closet. Now. What does she think this is, Narnia?

FTC : Received from Razorbill for review in the form of an ARC

Let's have a chat with...Leah Cypess

2010-04-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

Today is April 27th. Possibly the best day of this month; even my date of birth does not live up to this day. It is...the release of MISTWOOD by Leah Cypess!!! *happy dances* If my copy does not arrive today, I am hitting the bookstore. I've seen some hardcopies online and they are very SHINY! Yay for shiny books!

I had the wonderful chance to interview the lovely author herself. Without further ado, here is Leah Cypess...

1. I've developed a love for shape-shifters. If you could shape-shift into any other object or creature, what would it be?

A bird. Which might seem like a strange answer given that I'm somewhat afraid of heights and hate flying in airplanes, but I assume as a bird I wouldn't have those problems.

2. As I know, you spent many years writing Mistwood. Was the final product different than what you had a few years ago?

Oh, yes. The main plot points never changed, but during the revisions process, entire scenes were taken out, entire new scenes were written,and at least one scene skipped all over the book before finding its proper place. I also did a lot of adding and refining descriptions,something I usually don't have much of in a first draft.

3. How did you come up with the character names in your book?

I came up with most of these names so long ago that I don't remember exactly, but I can tell you that usually, I go with some combination of syllables -- or some variation of a real-world name -- that feels"right" to me. (A very rigorous scientific method.) Usually, either this comes to me right off the bat, or else I fill a page with invented names until I hit upon one that I like. Sometimes, when I haven't thought of the right name for a character yet, I'll just use a blank line as a "placeholder" until I make my decision. If I'm doing this for two characters at once, it can get a little confusing.

4. I can't wait to read what you have next for us. What are you currently working on?

Thank you! There will be a companion novel to Mistwood, which I am currently revising with my editor and which I hope will be published in 2011. I'm also working on a third book set in the world of Mistwood, and simultaneously on a fantasy novel set in our world.

5. What is the best restaurant you have ever eaten at?

In Jerusalem, Israel, where I studied for a year, there is a place near the central bus station that makes these gigantic stuffed laffas. I'm not sure I can call it a "restaurant" because it's more like a hole in the wall, and you can smell the grease from the street, but those laffas were the best things I have ever tasted. It was especially amazing because they were filled with things I usually don't like -- meat, chicken, french fries, etc. -- but somehow the combination was addictive.

6. What are three things in nature you find the most beautiful?

Mountains, sunsets, and the sea.

7. Can you remember your last dream?

Oh, yes. I was in school (either college or high school, I don't remember) and it was the end of the semester. I hadn't attended any of my classes or opened any of my books and I couldn't even remember which of my finals was on which day.

Thank you Leah! And to those who are reading this post, get your butt out there and buy yourself a copy of Mistwood!

Mistakes You Shouldn't Make at Festivals

2010-04-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hey all !

Yesterday, I went to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and had loads of fun. I met many authors, including Cherry Cheva and Robin Benway. It's unbelievable how gorgeous they look in person! And seeing some of the authors was so surreal because they look NOTHING like their author pictures...possibly even more dazzling!

Being the dorky me, I made an awful lot of mistakes. Make sure you learn from mine because I regret them so much! *facepalm*

1.) Look up schedule beforehand
2.) Bring the RIGHT books! (The books I brought from home were apparently for Sunday's signing...Had to cough out money for books that I already had at home just because I wanted them signed...)
3.) Say hi to anyone you know and introduce yourself! (Especially if this person's a blogger !)
4.) Know that when they mean the YA Stage, it's actually a STAGE and not just a tent. (Yeah, I always thought I was at the stage when it was just the area for the signings -.-)
5. ) Go on Twitter and look at tweets about the festival BEFORE you go! Lots of important stuff on there...

Unfortunately, my mishaps above resulted in me not having the ideal trip I wanted. On a brighter note, at least I know this for next year!

Win Mistwood and Brightly Woven!

2010-04-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Click here to win two amazing books signed by the authors! :) Contest ends on April 27 and 9!

Mistwood is very, very awesome, and for sure, I'm going to buy more than one copy of it. So go enter for a chance to read it if you aren't doing so already! Plus, it's signed by the amazing LEAH CYPESS HERSELF.

-Kim

P.S. I know I used the words awesome and amazing a lot in this post...XD

What a Small Role for Such a Person!

2010-04-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

(Haven't done one of these posts in a while, although I procrostinate every day...)

As I've been reading books, I notice one character who does not make enough appearances in the pages! But then again, there is a reason why they appeared in the first place...so why is it that I need more? Why is it that I like them even more than the main character? I'm a bit surprised myself. Usually, I go gah-gah over the main character and his/her struggles, but honestly, I don't even care. I find myself caring more for THE SUPPORTING CHARACTER!

What does the word, "supporting," mean?

adj. accompanying and assisting, but secondary to, the main action or the main participants in something

Sorry, but you are more worth than that, Character! You don't need to assist! I don't want you to be SECONDARY. I want you to be the STAR. I want to hear about your past. Your present. Your future. I don't want you to just fade away as the book nears its end! NO. I. Want. You. You and only You. So come! Come and share me your story. Or else I'll be forced to go off and write some cheesy fanfiction about you. After all, you make the story worth reading. You outshine the other characters like a diamond in the mud. I experience all my emotions with you, so why are you just disappearing? Come back! Come back! (I am not crazy...)

On a more serious note, I understand why they are there, though. They're there to give the story depth, movement, and who knows? Maybe they're just there in case you just absolutely HATE the main characters...

~Oh and in case you're wondering what character I'm talking about, it's Juliet from Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.

...And so I've come to a rational conclusion. They need their own book.

So what do YOU think? Is there a character that you just love more than anyone else in the book, but they're just supporting ones? Please leave a comment with your choice (could be more than one!) and why you think they're downright awesome! (Who knows? Might have a little prize...) A follow-up post will be up soon with some of your choices!

-Till the next time I procrostinate from school. (This time, it's just studying...)

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

2010-04-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: (From NetGalley): Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review: The Iron King was like a rollercoaster ride...it made me laugh, angry, and cry. For those who've read The Iron King (and I'm sure there are plenty!), this is NOTHING compared to that stack of pages, which is also filled with awesomeness. Personally, I think the book is TEN TIMES more action-packed and jaw-dropping than the first in the series. I remember just reading the first chapter, my eyes popping. I could not stop reading!

Forgive me for being fan-girly, but I had so many panic attacks that I lost count. I know it made my mom's day when she heard me scream in the living room (hehe!). I think this book was better than the first because not only did it provide the answers I had from the first one, but it also heated things up more. I have to admit though; sometimes being in Meghan's head at certain points of the book aggravated me. Her love for Ash is sometimes...too much? However, she's still one of my favorite characters! It's not often that a sequel is even better than it's predecessor, but for Kagawa, it is.

The ending makes me anxious to know how the story will continue. Granted, I just want to read more!

What I thought of:

The Beginning: Lots of shocking news! O_O

The Middle: The middle was filled with more shocking news, revelations, and awe-worthy scenes. I am telling you this book is FANTABULOUS.

The End: It left me surprised and lingering for more! I can't wait until the next book comes out. The ending was beautiful.

Favorite Quote From Book:

Even if I was turned ninety, lost my mind and forgot everything else, the memory of the Winter prince would be a shining beacon that would never fade.

...and for the record, I am TEAM ASH because he pwns Puck any day of the week!

[FTC: Read an online galley from the publisher on NetGalley]

A Spanking New Look

2010-04-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I got really tired of my old Blogger template. It was just too squished, hehe. So during my free time today, I browsed through a bunch of templates until I fell in love with this one. What do you think? I think it's pretty good. It certainly brings in a new look to the blog, a colorful one at that! I was itching to get a three-column one and finally managed to pull it off (I had wanted to do this for MONTHS but was too lazy).

Other than inserting new review links into the review archive, I'm done switching layouts. If you see anything funky, please let me know! :)

In other news, there are only a few more months before this blog gets another year older, like I just did. Let this change be good! :)

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler

2010-04-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler
Rating: 4.4/5

Synopsis: Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all at Paradise—the resort in the Caribbean, that is—for different reasons, but in Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Over the course of four months, through four voices and four stories, what happened in Paradise will change them all.

Review:
Carolyn Mackler…how have I not read any of her books before? Tangled just leaves me in awe! Every one of the four stories was crafted so uniquely. All four of the “tangled”, Jena, Skye, Owen, and Dakota, are very distinct from each other. No pair is alike at all. Being told from four points of views, Mackler develops the characters so well that you can tell them all apart just by reading a few sentence from their part.

To write a review for this book would be like writing a review for four. Their stories are so different, but yet so connected. Their insecurities added to the multiple layers of the books. The fact that all four of these people become involved in a way all due to one place is amazing. I am still rereading my favorite parts from this book.

The only thing I didn’t really enjoy about the book was how confusing it was at certain parts, but that was because of the mini cliffhangers at each story's end. Otherwise, this is a very solid read!

One thing that makes this story very different from others is how each character’s story doesn’t just end right there. It’s open, and all your questions are answered by the last turn of a page.

What I thought of…

The Beginning: I loved the beginning. It hooked me in, and never let me go. Jena’s story was sweet, and I could relate to her the most. Definitely a great start!

The Middle: There were many things going around here. I just couldn’t stop reading. It was beautiful.

The End: It was endearing and tied all four stories together in the nicest way possible. I can’t stop rereading the last couple of pages…

Favorite quote from book:

"...but for now, nothing has to happen. For now, I can just be here in this strange bed at sunrise..."

[FTC: Received from publisher for review.]

Lifted by Wendy Toliver

2010-04-09T13:05:00.001-07:00

Lifted by Wendy Toliver
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Poppy Browne is none too thrilled to be the new girl in Pleasant Acres, Texas--especially after her mother enrolls her in a private Baptist school. But to her delight, Poppy is pulled into the cool clique on her first day at Calvary High, and her new friends, Mary Jane and Whitney, are as genuinely nice as they are gorgeous and rich.

The catch? Her new pals have a nasty shoplifting habit, and before long Poppy is also a theft enthusiast. But when the girls' addictions get out of hand and friendships are threatened, it's up to Poppy to set things right ....

Review: I remember being excited. I remembering tearing the package open. I remember starting on this book even though I had about five tests to study for. Then, I remember putting the book down. The beginning was kind of choppy, and it just played out fair, not enough for me to continue reading it.

So I picked it up again a couple days later, and it turns out, I should have stuck with it in the first place! It was a gripping read; the conflicts just got more and more tangled as the pages turned. I had no choice but to finish the book once and for all. The backdrop of the novel, the school where Poppy attends, really made it more enjoyable. I loved reading about how the classy girls weren't really classy at all.

Poppy shouldn't have shoplifted in the first place. She was already perfect. It did get kind of frustrating along the way, though. I threw a mini fit, if you will. As for the romance, it was just the right amount and will forever make me laugh and smile. ♥ (I'm feeling hearty today, so there! A heart!)

Wendy Toliver did an amazing job with this novel!

What I thought about...

The Beginning: I didn't really get into it; the events just didn't capture my attention. But I have to admit, Poppy's attitude was funny ;)

The Middle: This is where I reached the point of no return, and coincidentally, so did Poppy. Cue the flipping of pages!

The End: It was amazing; made me smile :)

FTC: Received for review from Around The World Tours

Quick updates!

2010-03-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

For the Radiant Giveaway, I have selected a winner! If you've just received an e-mail from me asking for your address, and you go by the name Rachelle...*wink, wink*

If you signed up for the Mistwood tour, I apologize because I didn't send out the list. *blushes* so I'll just post it here! Remember you can keep it up to 1 week, but 3 extra days are fine, and mail with a DC! :) You can either e-mail your DC or leave it in the comments below.

(a few people dropped out since the last month so if I've already told you your number and it's changed, that's why.)

1. Lauren (TX) : Mailed with DC (will be posted)
2. Kate (TN) : Received. 4/01 -Mailed. DC: 0309 2880 0000 5442 9437
3. Sandy (NY) : Received 04/10
4. Jennifer (VA)
5. Jessica (VA)
6. Lilibeth (FL)

If you'd like to be added, please e-mail me at andanythingbookish@gmail.com! Mistwood is great! Release date is 04/27!

On a less embarrassing note, my birthday is in just 12 days! I think... and I'm planning to go to the LA Festival of Books on the 24th :) Spring break is also just a few days away, so planning to rework the blog a bit. Have a happy Sunday! ;D

Runaway by Meg Cabot

2010-03-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

Runaway by Meg Cabot
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Emerson Watts is on the run: from school, from work, from her family, from her friends, from herself.
With everyone she loves furious with her for something she can't explain, and nothing but the live Stark Angel fashion show on New Year's Eve to look forward to, Em's reached the end of her rope. . .what's the point of even going on?

But when she discovers the truth about Nikki's secret, she knows there's only one person she can turn to.

Will Christopher be able to put aside his personal feelings and help her expose her employer to the world? Is it even fair to get Christopher involved--since if he agrees, there's every chance that Stark Enterprises will try to have them both killed--this time, permanently?

Maybe it would be better for Em to just keep on running.

Review: Possibly the best book in the series. Being the final book, it delivers what I hoped for and more. It answers all the questions you had if you've read the other two, and wraps up everything so nice, like a ribbon tied together. It's presentable, and it's oh so delicious to read.

I read this in one sitting, and did not have any urge whatsoever to put it down. For the first book being kind of weak, the second one being interesting, this book is just plain good. Cabot's voice in the book was as perfect as ever. The characters were still as loveable as they were when I last left off. The pacing was certainly better than I expected; there were loads of action and intense moments. You'll be rooting for Em to finish everything off!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: Fantabulous. Need I say more?

The Middle: Ate this part all up.

The End: The conflict with Starks was resolved, and answers were given. Definitely going to miss the characters.

FTC: Received from Around the World Tours

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

2010-03-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti
Rating: 3.7/5

Synopsis: Lani and Erin are bonded for life. One thing that connects them is their fascination of fate. Lani wonders how much of our lives has already been decided and how much we can actually influence. Since the Unknown can unexpectedly change our lives forever, how much can we really control?

From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can't deny the intense connection they share. It feels like she's known him forever. She's not sure if he feels it, too. But it doesn't matter. Because Jason is Erin's boyfriend. Lani is determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than risk hurting her best friend.

How long can Lani keep running from the boy who might be her destiny?

Review: With all of Colasanti's books, I have a problem with how the characters talk in their "teen" voice. Most of the time, the characters seem really real, but then when they start talking with a mini valley girl-esque tone, I cringe. Moving on...

I was very excited to receive this book for a tour (see disclosure). This was a short read, probably about only a few hours. The pacing was not too slow, but yet, not too fast at the same time. I symphathized with Lani over her problems. But for Erin, I didn't feel anything at all even when (spoiler: highlight)her boyfriend left her for Lani. In fact, I was even rooting for them. And the way she acted was completely uncalled for. As for the main relationship present in the book, it really did seem like Lani and Jason are a perfect match. Fate played its course very well. Lani's fascination with it was something played out very well. I think one of the only things I didn't like was how rushed Erin and Lani's friendship was in the end.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: It was kind of slow, but the characters were fun to read about.

The Middle: Lots of things happen here...the first half of the middle picked the pace up while the second half slowed things down.

The End: Satisfying, but kind of confused.

FTC: Received for Traveling ARC Tours

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

2010-03-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Jekel Love Hyde by Beth Fantaskey
Rating: 4.5/5

Synopsis: Jill Jekel has always obeyed her parents’ rules – especially the one about never opening the mysterious, old box in her father’s office. But when her dad is murdered, and her college savings disappear, she's tempted to peek inside, as the contents might be key to a lucrative chemistry scholarship.

To better her odds, Jill enlists the help of gorgeous, brooding Tristen Hyde, who has his own dark secrets locked away. As the team of Jekel and Hyde, they recreate experiments based on the classic novel, hoping not only to win a prize, but to save Tristen’s sanity. Maybe his life. But Jill’s accidental taste of a formula unleashes her darkest nature and compels her to risk everything – even Tristen’s love – just for the thrill of being… bad

Review: For everyone who loved Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, you will love this next book from Fantaskey. The concept is completely different, but it still holds the same amount of attention. For a book based primarily on the original story of Jekyll and Hyde, it brought a great feel of refreshment for mee. The two main characters are relateable and real. And their alter egos were...different. You won't really know who's evil and who's not until you finish the whole entire thing.

Some parts dragged, and some others were packed with suspense. I think the author did a great job at writing from two completely different prospectives. Tristan was Tristan and Jill was Jill. I think most of the book leaves you in surprise except for a few (and that's because of the blurb). All in all, I really enjoyed it.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: Hmm...took at least 30 pages to get comfortable with, but overall, it was intriguing.

The Middle: Probably my favorite part was a certain lab scene.

The End: And the real reason Jill's father died? Eeek... Didn't want it to end. Why did it have to be so short!?!

FTC: Received for Around The World Tours

Radiant Giveaway

2010-03-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

What's radiant? What's being given away? RADIANT SHADOWS. *applauds*

To enter, all you have to do is fill out the form. You get 1 entry for answering the main question, and an extra one for adding them all up. Only rules are that you are older than 13! :D Commenting for entries will not be counted. Good luck to all.

Open to US only. Ends March 20th.

EDIT: I forgot to include "Name" on the form...I'm stupid. Please refill out the forms please! If you included your name with the main question, it's still in the spreadsheet so it's fine :)

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Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

2010-03-04T21:45:00.000-08:00

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Hunger for nourishment. Hunger for touch. Hunger to belong. Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers. Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries’ coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani’s death. Ani isn’t one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin’s plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Review: This novel is alluring, and it's weird because even though I didn't find the romance as great as in Wicked Lovely, it was still a nice read. I might have to state the fact that I've only read Wicked Lovely and none of the other installments besides this one. It didn't affect much since this is a standalone novel, but it would have been better to have read the others.

I didn't review Wicked Lovely, but I just have to say the world in WL is just as captivating as in this book. Ani is definitely a fun character to read about, and the mentions of previous characters is oh-so-lovely. There's a factor in this book that makes you want to read more and more. You'll just HAVE to figure out what it is, but as pages and pages turn, it's also hard to let go of the book. The only thing I didn't like was some scenes that dragged out a bit--maybe because I wasn't familiar with some terms due to not reading the others in the series. Overall, I recommend this to anyone who loves a great faery novel, especially one as dark and special as this.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: The beginning sucked me in more than any other book.

The Middle: Some parts were a bit *ehhh* cause my mind was a blank when they mentioned events taken place from previous books. So read the others! xD

The End: I was content, but still had a few questions here and there. :)

FTC: Received from publisher to review :)

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

2010-02-27T14:23:00.000-08:00

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
Rating: 3.3/5

Synopsis: Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears a frightening whisper from Jessica's own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own

Review: I was really looking forward to this book, and what I read was definitely not what I expected. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it lacked the special pizzazz to keep my interest in the beginning (more on that later). It was certainly not your average YA book considering its plot and characters. The writing was superb, but its characters lacked the depth I hoped for.

I had a hard time getting into it. Even after I put it down, I didn't have the irresistable urge to pick it back up. The idea of Joy being able to read people's minds is amazing, but it annoyed me that she was so naiive, wanting to meet everyone's needs and all that. The one thing I liked about this book, though, was the interaction of the family throughout the book. I was expecting a little more romance, but even if it is just subtle, it was worth reading.

All in all, I think the book is good, just don't spend too much time dwelling. Am I looking forward to book 2? Of course! The book might have been slow, but I'm interested to see what'll happen next.

What I thought of...

The Beginning: It was interesting, but didn't really pull me in.

The Middle: If the plot didn't pick up as it did (dragged out for 100 pages with no action), I would have fjlskfjsjdf. But thankfully it did, and for the better! :)

The End: Loved the sisters interaction, and the ending. It was...enough :)

FTC: Got this ARC from Around the World Tours

Want to read Mistwood?

2010-02-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

Do you want to read Mistwood, but don't have a copy?! At first, I wanted to give my ARC away to one lucky person, but what would be the fun in that? I want to spread the Mistwood love, and this is part 1 of my top secret project #2 (not so secret, actually...)

To be able to participate:

1. Must have been blogging for at least four months

2. Must get delivery confirmation

3. Read it within a week (but 3 days extensions are allowed!)

4. Must review it! (We need to spread the word...)

5. And for bonus imaginary points, put this widget I made on your blog xD

Just give me an e-mail at andanythingbookish@gmail.com! :) If there are too many people, I'll just pick 13 at random...

Let's have a chat with...Kristin Walker!

2010-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today, we have a wonderful debut author whose book releases today called A Match Made in High School. I really recommend reading it! You can find a review for it on my blog below this post.

1. You have a plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Ever since watching Under the Tuscan Sun, I've wanted to visit Positano (or anywhere on the Amalfi coast, for that matter). I even found a webcam streaming live from a hotel in Positano, looking over the town and out to sea. I like to watch it sometimes. What a dork I am.

2. What is your favorite citrus fruit?
For years, I have waited for someone to ask me this question, because my choice is not merely my favorite citrus fruit, but my favorite fruit of all. It is the humble lime -- the most underrated fruit on Earth. It works in sweet dishes. It works in savory dishes. Mexican to Thai, drinks to desserts, the lime does it all. It brightens a cosmopolitan and prevents scurvy. What's not to like? Lime lovers unite!

3. Tell us a random fact about a character in your book.
Fiona has a major fangirl crush on Jack White.

4. What was the last book you read? And review it in three words.
MY ÁNTONIA, by Willa Cather. Absorbing sensory adventure.

5. Are you a lefty or a righty?
Righty. But I can write backwards with my left hand. It's not pretty, though.

6. Why do you write? Do you write more at night or in the morning?
I write because I love it and I can do it while staying home with my kids. As for writing time, I take any I can get. Sometimes early morning, sometimes late night, sometimes marathon weekend sessions, sometimes on long car trips (not when I'm driving!). Whenever.

7. Where can we find you on the net?

http://www.kristin-walker.com/
http://twitter.com/kristin_walker
http://www.facebook.com/kristin.walker3
http://www.myspace.com/kristin_walker_writes
http://walkwrite.livejournal.com/
http://krisitn-walker.blogspot.com/
also at the Tenners:
http://community.livejournal.com/10_ers/

8. What next for you?
Apparently, I'm supposed to write more books, so I guess I'll do that. Wish me luck!

9. Any last words?
Just to say that this was fun! Thanks for having me here!

Thanks for the interview, Kristin!

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

2010-02-04T05:03:00.000-08:00

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can’t get any worse. Then she marries her “husband”: Jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona’s long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer. Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

Review: This was ridiculously HIGH-LARIOUS. There are just so many things going on in this book that make me want to laugh. Not bad, of course--but in the best possible way ever imagined. It was mostly unpredictable-- except for something that I am glad I figured out! (Hehe...) Fiona is such an entertaining character, along with all the others. Anyway--enough about the comical aspects of it, let's get to what really matters!

This book has a message.

Unlike many YA books out there, you can really see what it was meant for. There are little hints that weave the theme together. For me, the best thing about this book was it contained dynamic characters. They change for the better, and you just have to remember that first impressions aren't necessarily correct. Everything came together perfectly by the end of the book, and I can't stop saying this, but the debut authors this year are really UNBELIEVABLY INCREDIBLE IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.

Get your butt out there, and read this for a whole segment of laughs, happiness, and deliciousness!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: From this point, I didn't really like some of the characters, Todd in particular but it changed later...

The Middle: I couldn't stop cracking up. All those jokes and pranks were hilarious.

The End: I liked how I could see change in a lot of the characters. I definitely liked the ending.

FTC: Received from publisher for OST

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Quick updates!

Runaway by Meg Cabot

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

Radiant Giveaway

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

Want to read Mistwood?

Love for the Irish :D